Knebworth Concert

Rating:
Summary: About video and audio issues
Review: After so many reviews regarding the audio and video of this DVD I have to say that I don't have these problems with my copy.
Ok, the video it is mediocre (almost like a VHS or maybe a little more fuzzy) BUT the audio, (and I am referrring here to the DTS track) it's outstanding, this by no means degrade the entertainment factor of this DVD and it beats, in my opinion, having instead the VHS by far.
My copy was made in 2002 by "eagle eye" and it is region 1 (NTSC). If you find this DVD with this characteristics and you have a good receiver with a DTS decoder then don't even think twice and buy it. The performances are awesome and tight and it is worth the price, I'll guarantee it.

Rating:
Summary: The Problem is With the Editing of this Concert
Review: As a big Tears For Fears fan, the 1990 Knebworth Concert was the final performance for the duo of Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. This was my impetus for purchasing the "Live At Knebworth" DVD, but it also gave me a chance to see many of the legendary acts perform on one stage. In a lot of ways, the 1990 Knebworth Concert would be almost a final hurrah for the fabled 'British Invasion' of the rock era. The good news is their is some real good stuff on this DVD. The bad news is that there are some flaws that do detract from the enjoyment of the program.

"Live at Knebworth" is often knocked for having poor sound quality. If you know about the Knebworth Concert, you will know that some of the acts (like Tears For Fears) performed in horrific weather conditions - rain and wind. Yes you will hear some feedback on the equipment at certain points of the concert, but it is minimal. With the wind blowing the way it did, you wouldn't even know it was from just listening to the recordings. Therefore, I think a lot of credit should be given for to the production of this DVD from an audio standpoint. The problem is with the editing of the concert. First up, this is NOT the complete Knebworth concert. There are selected highlights from each of the acts. Most of the acts did around 6 to 8 songs. (I know this from following Tears For Fears very closely that they did other songs NOT included on the DVD set.) On the DVD set, all of the acts will perform only 2 to 4 songs. This set is well priced for what you get, but I think it would have been terrific if they offered a complete concert version as well. This would help with the flow and continuity of the concert. Continuity and flow are also affected due to the fact that the acts do not appear in the same order in which they actually performed. Much of this had to do that this DVD set was originally a three volume VHS set that 'packaged' the concert into three parts. However I find the re-ordering to really detract from the enjoyment. Much of the magic of a concert recording is watching it as you would have seen it. It is a shame that this collection doesn't do that.

A synopsis of each act:

Tears For Fears: I'm biased here. They are my favorite group and they don't disappoint. They do three songs - "Change", "Badman's Song", and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". I know from listening to some bootlegs that they really were impacted by the weather, but watching this recording you wouldn't know it. This is a top-notch performance and it was a great way for a great band to go out on top.

Cliff Richard and the Shadows: My first reaction was 'Cliff Richard'? But Cliff and the band are sensational. Cliff Richard proves he still can rock performing "On the Beach", "Good Golly Miss Molly", and "We Don't Talk Anymore". A highlight is a couple in the audience singing along to "We Don't Talk Anymore".

Phil Collins and the Serious Band: Phil's version of "In the Air Tonight" is sensational. He starts by sitting down, then gets up mid-song and smacks the drums! He does "Sussudio" with his Phenix Horns section.

Paul McCartney: Has four songs. The best of the four songs is "Hey Jude". McCartney gets the whole crowd into this song. McCartney's guitarist Robbie McIntosh is terrific on vocals as well - especially on "Coming Out".

Status Quo: Not a big fan of theirs. I was surprised they got 4 songs, while bigger names had less. The best song performed was "Whenever You Want".

Supergroup: First it's Eric Clapton, then Clapton is joined by Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits, then Elton John joins them. Clapton does some very bluesy numbers . Knopfler and Dire Straits and with Clapton do a terrific version of "Solid Rock". They then do a new Straits tune called "Then I Love You Too Much". Following that is a terrific version of "Money For Nothing" that has a bluesy like intro and a terrific ending. The Elton John stuff really disappoints. He has Knopfler and Clapton on stage and picks two tunes not making the most of their abilities - "Sacrifice" and "Sad Songs"? Also renowned background vocalist Tessa Niles is on stage for all 3 acts of the Supergroup.

Robert Plant: Starts out slow with "Hurting Kind". Things pick up with "Tall Cool One". Jimmy Page then joins him on stage for "Wearing and Tearing" and "Rock and Roll" and Page really puts on a show.

Genesis: They do a version of "Mama" in which Phil is in fine form with the evil laugh in the microphone. "Throwing It All Away" is the version seen at many Genesis performances. They then go into a sensational version of the "Turn It On Again - medley" that includes "Turn It On Again" and covers of some non-Genesis stuff. What is cool about the medley is that Phil's band joins Genesis on stage for it - adding the horns section and making for some great entertainment.

Pink Floyd: They wrap up the collection. Only two songs - "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Run Like Hell". Both songs feature some great special effects and sax player Candy Dulfer will steal the show with the first song.

The liner notes include a brief writeup on background behind the concert. The acts and numbers they perform are listed. There is also a very brief summary of each of the performances. All of the musicians who participate are credited. Despite some of the shortcomings, this is still one great performance. I'd still recommend getting it because there isn't anything else out there that covers this concert of better quality.

Rating:
Summary: Almost as good as being there
Review: As someone who was at the concert I can tell you that this video is about as good as being there. It may actually be better since between sets there were huge food fights and by the time Pink Floyd took the stage it was very cold and rainy. My only disappointment was that Genesis had chosen to include the old-timey rock and roll medley rather than one of the many great songs from their past. It was also a treat to see and hear Page and Plant's first reunion since the break up of Led Zeppelin.

All in all a great souvenir.

Rating:
Summary: Show is fantastic but channel separation...
Review: Hi guys, the show is great with many beasts of the Rock but the sound channel separation is poor when listening in DD5.0 or DTS. The only part of the DVD that the sound is very good is on Genesis performance, excelent separation. For the other tracks you will not listen only the voice on your center speaker but also a mix of the right and left channels. The idea of the center speaker is to create an ilusion of the singer voice coming from only one point (front). Most of them, except Genesis is terrible. Again, the show is great.

Rating:
Summary: Ther Best Concert of the Decade!
Review: Silver Clef Award Winners Show present in his 15 years at the best of bands of England, Tears For Fears, Status Quo, Cliff Richard & Shadows, Phil Collins, Elic Clapton, Dire Straits, Elton John, Robert Plant, Genesis, Paul McCartney and Pink Floyd. 194 min. of the best music in live!. Live at Knebworth! 1990. Unfortunate this video in DVD format is discontinued, for this reason, it's your last chance that you can get it in VHS format.

Rating:
Summary: Same bad video as earlier DVD plus serious audio sync issues
Review: The earlier stereo release DVD was a disappointment because of the annoying video artifacts. The editing was pretty much a hack job with most of the best performances from each artist eliminated. In spite of that, I decided to purchase this version. This has the same faults as the other along with a major audio sync problem most of the time. Its so bad you may wonder at times if the audio recording was from the same performance. There is no excuse for audio sync problems this severe.

What a shame!! This could have been a great DVD had someone taken the time to correct the technical and editorial issues. Perhaps somebody will see the sales potential and release a new longer version in the future without the technical problems. Anyone who recorded the MTV airing years ago on VHS has better video than this DVD has.

Rating:
Summary: doesn't include the whole Cliff/Shadows set
Review: This concert is basically mediocre, and really misses the mark since it did NOT include the whole Cliff Richard / Shadows set. They were Britains first real rockers, and were strictly a first-class act. Their inclusion on this DVD is the only reason I purchased it. The rest of the stuff is sticctly take-or-leave, mostly leave.

Rating:
Summary: What's up with the mix?????
Review: This DVD is worth the money just because of Tears for Fears' "Badman's Song," "Change," Robert Plant and Jimmy Page's "Wearing and Tearing," and Pink Floyd, but it sounds [bad]! I remember watching this concert on PPV and the memory of it made me buy the DVD, but it sounded so much better on the live broadcast than in the "newly mixed 5.1" version. There are thousands of volume drops throughout the two discs, and it's just generally poorly mixed. I tried several fixes for the volume drops, including putting the 5 channels of audio into a Yamaha O1v mixing console, and it didn't help. Then I tried gates and those didn't work either. Finally, I tried a limiter, and only boosting it to +10db and leaving the gate open, I was able to "semi-fix" it.
If you're an audiophile, try just buying the CD.
P.S. Status Quo is the British equivalent of Creedence Clearwater Revival or Georgia Satellites, and I think it's funny that the Brits also have redneck music.

Rating:
Summary: A great concert...DVD has bad audio/video and mfg issues...
Review: This is the one single biggest concert of all time and finally they bring it out on dvd and they mess it up they show more of the artist that arent really known and less of the best stuff
especialy PINK FLOYDS ENTIRE CORE OF THERE PERFORMANCE LIKE WISH YOU WERE HERE SORROW AND THE BEST SONG,COMFORTABLY NUMB I THINK THEY SHOULD RE-RELEASE IT WITH MORE OF PINK FLOYD BECAUSE THATS THE BEST OF THE WHOLE SHOW WITHOUT THE ENTIRE PINK FLOYD SHOW THE DVD IS WORTHLESS AND ALSO THEY NEED TO SHOW MORE CLAPTON.PLEASE TELL THEM TO MAKE A SECOND DISK WITH MORE PERFORMANCES IT WOULD MAKE MORE MONEY AND IT WILL BE WORTH IT

Rating:
Summary: A MUST HAVE FOR THE TRUE ROCK FAN...EXCEPT FOR CLIFF RICHARD
Review: This still holds up as one of THE best festivals in rock history. The major talent that was on the bill was amazing, you had Eric Clapton, Elton John, Robert Plant with help from Jimmy Page. Don't forget Sir Paul McCartney and Pink Floyd to name a few. Genesis's great medley of classic songs just made the whole festival such a pleasure to hear and watch. Now if only Cliff Richard hadn't been on the bill it would have been even better. This is such a greatly improved version, even better than when MTV aired in in '90. To hear this DVD in 5.1 is why 5.1 surround sound was invented. If you do pick this one up...turn it up LOUD!