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This is a nice DVD, but not quite what I was expecting. I am a big Hilary Duff fan, and I was hoping for an awesome live concert, complete with live concert sound. Quite to the contrary, this concert is more like a big multi-song music video. I'm not going to go into the details of what's on the DVD... several other reviewers have already done that in great detail. However, I would like to offer some comments that may influence your thoughts about purchasing this DVD. For those of you who already own the DVD, you may want to watch it again to see if you notice some of things I mention below.
First, this DVD is apparently a merged combination of two different concerts. Hilary and her band have different sets of outfits for the two concerts, but they are spliced together every few seconds. The result is a repeatedly jarring perspective change that feels quite surreal. The psychological effect is somewhat like watching two television channels at the same time using picture-in-picture. As I watch the DVD, I find myself unable to commit to one concert or the other because it flips back and forth so frequently.
I believe a concert video should give me the feeling of being inside the arena, drawing me close to the performers as the night goes on. Instead, this video's fast-paced scene-switching pushes me back, chipping away at my sense of reality. I could not get the feeling that I was actually there in the concert, because "there" was an abstraction that simultaneously represented two different locations!
I am also a bit annoyed because I find one of Hilary's outfits to be more attractive than the other. If the DVD had stuck to showing just one concert, I could have become accustomed to either outfit... but not both at once! (That's just my personal irritation. I'm sure others won't mind.)
Last but not least, the concert's audio is suspect. Many people complain that Hilary's voice is dubbed. I agree. Furthermore, I am almost completely certain that the band is dubbed as well! I have done audio recording in studio and live environments for years, and I've heard the audio of many live concerts. The audio on this DVD has a pristine quality to it, but it's a little too clean. It doesn't have enough mistakes - or at least curiosities - in it to be truly live.
I speak as though it ought to be a raw, live recording. But actually, it is common practice to overdub the audio on "live" recordings. Certain tracks may be left as-is to keep a stable foundation (for example, keyboard and bass), but the drums, guitars, and other instruments sometimes get edited for clarity. My personal opinion is that Hilary's band performed each song "live" in an arena with no audience, while being carefully recorded to get good sound quality. This would produce a clean, live-sounding audio track that could be layered convincingly over any concert video footage.
For anyone who challenges my assertion about the band being dubbed just as much as Hilary's vocal, I would ask you to listen carefully and watch the instrumentalists. You may catch some "hand-syncing" going on (a play on the term, "lip-syncing"). Furthermore, even if the concerts were recorded live, which one are we hearing? There are two concerts going on throughout this DVD, and the audio can't be from both at once. Small variations in tempo and dynamics would cause them to clash.
In any case, the band sounds fabulous. So does Hilary. Somebody worked very hard in the editing room to make the audio sound as good as possible. Maybe too good. Some of us would rather hear the mistakes and the raw energy of live, unedited sound. Nonetheless, I personally find this DVD's audio to be quite enjoyable to listen to.
I give the DVD 4 stars. If not for the visually disorienting concept of being in two concerts at once, it would have earned 5 stars.
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Customer reviews
Loved this DVD!!!!Hilary Duff: The Girl Can Rock-The ConcertLive Songs1.The Girl Can Rock2.Little Voice3.Come Clean4.So Yesterday5.Anywhere But Here6.Metamorphosis7.Sweet 168.Where Did I Go Right?9.Love Just Is10.Why Not11.The Math12.Workin' It Out13.Party UpBonus FeaturesBehind-the-Scenes Hilary's New Album (Hilary Duff)Behind-the-Scenes "The Girl Can Rock" TourBehind-the-Scenes The "Come Clean" VideoMusic Video: Come CleanMusic Video: So Yesterday (Live)Hilary's Interview with Ryan SeacrestHilary Hangs Ten (From "Hilary's Island Birthday Party)Photo GallerySneak PeeksDVD-ROM FeaturesLOVED IT!!!!!
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