Rating: 
Summary: great dvd with very bad sound
Review: the dvd is great but the 5.1 mix is very bad if you are not a sound person it is great
Rating:
Summary: a rational Chicago fan
Review: The musicianship is fantastic. Robert Lamm still sounds great, but the lack of Peter Cetera and Terry Kath drag these songs down. It's nobody's fault that it is what it is (Terry Kath has been dead for 26 years and Cetera seems to be happy with his solo music). One of the main reasons why this band sounded the way they did was the sound of Lamm, Kath, and Cetera's alternating lead vocals, with 2/3 of that missing, they sound like a really great cover band. When they've done newer stuff like the Christmas album it's great because they don't have to compete with their past. The ghost of the original Chicago lineup is too much for even them to live up to.
Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous "Hired Hands"
Review: The reviews about the sound quality of this DVD are correct -- the sound is very badly mixed. The brass section is muted. However, it's still a fantastic concert and Chicago proves they can still rock out! Several times, I just sat there in awe, going "Dang these guys are still great!" I still loved hearing the brass section even though the sound was so badly mixed. One major surprise was Bill Champlin. I've enjoyed his voice in the past, and his contributions to the band. I've seen them in concert (it has been several years) and he was fine. But he is horrible in this concert. He sings his lyrics so over-the-top that they are unintelligible half the time. Message to Champlin -- join the band, dude. Message to Chicago -- fire this guy if he can't do justice to Terry Kath's songs. Other than the sound and Champlin's strangeness, this DVD is worth getting.
Rating: 
Summary: great songs - pity about 5.1
Review: The songs and format are great and the musicianship is awesome. Unlike many older groups the vocals are close to the original - in fact Peter Cetera is hardly missed. The only problem is the 5.1 sound - who ever mixed it has no idea what he was doing - it sounds as if the vocals are recorded in a toilet , while the band is in your lounge. Do the producers / engineers even listen to the sound , or just dont care ? In stereo or dolby pro-logic sound is great , but if you are into 5.1 , give it a miss. I personally love this dvd for the songs / memories and the sheer quality of the groups playing.
Rating:
Summary: In Search of the Perfect Concert DVD...
Review: There are people, I'm sure, that would complain about the temperature of a glass of water given to them in the Sahara Desert! I held off buying this DVD because of two negative reviews here...and I regret waiting so long. This is pristine Chicago, folks. Not studio perfect, of course, but overall very well done. The mix certainly isn't perfect, and there is the occasional strained note from a vocalist ( the median age, after all, is probably fifty five!) ...but isn't that part of the charm of a live performance? If this were a perfect rendering of Chicago's staples, I'd be suspicious that the multi-track tapes had been doctored ( and that goes on all too often on so-called "live" albums ). Someone rather cynically pointed out that the spontaneity was a farce--that the only callers permitted to get through were those requesting numbers the band was prepared to play...well, yeah...twenty eight albums times 8-10 songs per record...said reviewer is almost definitely NOT a musician, or he'd realise how impossible it would be for them to be prepared to render any one of well over a hundred numbers (!) If there's anything annoying about this DVD, it's all the chit-chat between songs ( and hey, that's the format of A & E! ). If you're anything more than a casual Chicago fan, this one's almost sure to elicit a smile.
Rating:
Summary: The band so great a city was named for them....
Review: This is a GREAT preformance from AMERICA'S GREATEST BAND! What I like best about this DVD is the interaction between the host, the callers, and the band members, and all the wonderful stories and comments the band members have to share with us. The songs are great...the only musical complaint I have is that the whole Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon is not on here...but you can't have everything.... Mr. Walt Parazaider's solos are quite musical and beautiful, might I add...
Rating:
Summary: Chicago LIVE
Review: This is a wonderful DVD which features the performance they did on the A & E Cable network. During this show the audience could call in and request a song for Chicago to perform. It was a fantastic performance, one which any fan would love to have in their DVD collection. Over the years Chicago has, and continues to be, one of the tightest live bands around. They put out an amazing amount of sound. Of course, live performances sound different than the studio recordings because there is not the benefit of tracking. I have seen them perform three times over the past two years and have enjoyed every concert. This is a terrific DVD in which the band gives another outstanding performance, I have never heard the horns sound better and the vocals of Lamm, Scheff, Howland and Champlin were solid. Contrary to other postings in this area, Bill Champlin was great. He has been with the band for more than 20 years, and brings with him his own unique style. This was vintage Bill Champlin and it was fantastic. Most bands, when they do a concert, work from a preset song list. That wasn't the case on this night. They were taking requests, having to decide at the last minute how to set up for that particular song, these are veteran performers who still enjoy the music. Regrettably, there was a flat note hit in the opening bars of the opening song. Being that this was the very first selection I question whether the soundboard was properly set up for the artist to monitor his vocal track. But that is what live music is all about, and Chicago is one of the all time great live bands.
Rating:
Summary: Chicago light
Review: This was an okay performance. But, it was certainly not by request. One fan called in a song from Chicago IV called "In Terms of Two", but the request was ignored and "If You Leave Me Now" was played instead. I had hoped to hear some deep album cuts, but no such luck. Additionally, it is worth noting that the band has never played a Terry Kath (deceased guitarist/vocalist)song in concert since he died. Kath songs were not usually singles, but Chicago has ignored some great songs. Chicago would be well advised to disband until such time as Peter Cetera is interested in returning and they need to ask drummer Danny Seraphine back. The new drummer Tris Imboden is a good studio player, but just not in the same league as Seraphine. Seraphone was world class and they kicked him out of the band after 23 years over business disputes. Plus, Chicago has not put out a new album of original material since 1990. I am a devoted Chicago fan, but come on guys you need to do something new and also play some Kath songs and other deep cuts to keep us interested. We can only stand Beginnings and Saturday in the Park so many times. Get with it or hang it up!
Rating:
Summary: TO ALL THAT BEMOAN THE DEPARTURE OF CETERA!
Review: To all of the whiners whose sole complaint is that that Cetera guy isn't there anymore, here is a news flash. Cetera left cause HE wanted to leave, not cause the band asked him to leave. Cetera did EXACTLY what he wanted to do, have a SOLO career. Don't BLAME JASON SCHEFF cause he ISN'T CETERA. I am SICK AND TIRED of hearing and reading how JASON BUTCHERS "PETER'S" songs.
They aren't "PETER'S" songs they are "CHICAGO'S" songs that "PETER" sang. Now thay are "CHICAGO'S" songs that "JASON" sings. And if you don't like my comments guess what "I DON'T CARE!"
Rating:
Summary: Really worth the $$
Review: Wow, that last reviewer thought this was awful? It's absolutely a great DVD. If you're a fan of Chicago, you'll love it. If you're not, I can't see how you won't become one. They play the you-know-what out of this stuff. By far the best Chicago DVD out.
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