Rating: 
Summary: Ann & Nancy-still keeping the love alive. Aww yeah!
Review: In this concert, taken on the last day of their 2001 tour, they perform in their home city, Seattle, doing some new songs, old songs, as well as a few surprises.Most of the material is taken from their early classic period. Dreamboat Annie and Dog & Butterfly yield three songs each, while they do two songs from Little Queen, and one each from Heart, Bad Animals--guess which ones--and Brigade. While the show starts on a high, "Crazy On You," I noticed that time has slightly lessened the vitality of Ann's voice. However, by the time things get rolling, she's in great shape.
As for their two #1 hits, "These Dreams" and "Alone", they replicate the stripped down mellowness from The Road Home, ie) none of wall of synthesizers. The new songs are in particular well-done and it harkens to a purer rock sound, especially "Two Faces Of Eve." I was likewise impressed with the mid-paced "Heaven," which Ann promises to be have on the new album. They've got a great backing band, especially the drummer, who replicate the original lineup's sound on the classic tracks, but this is clearly Ann and Nancy's show, as their other long-term partner, Howard Leese, is absent from the proceedings, so Ann & Nancy Wilson Alive In Seattle would probably be a more appropriate title. Yet their performance on such rockers as "Magic Man", "Barracuda", "Wild Child", the new tune "Break The Rock," and a rip-roaring cover of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" give Ann and Nancy extra teeth. As for other instruments, Nancy plays a mandolin when they cover "The Battle Of Evermore," a track they did as the Lovemongers on the Singles soundtrack. Ann plays the flute like she did on the minstrel-like "Love Alive" from Little Queen. I will admit that it took me awhile to get over Ann's girth. She has really ballooned out, plus that majestic raven hair of hers has been shorn. But, I found myself thinking, that means she's got more love to give. Nancy is still the lithe blonde songstress and her voice seems to be in better shape. Her cover of Elton John's "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters" demonstrates the lighter voice of Heart still at its best. And note the median age of the crowd--late 30's to mid-40's. Proof yet again that a good audience need not be the immature, snowboarding and mosh-pit generation born with a cellphone in their cradle. The Wilsons clearly enjoying performing on stage and their immense good nature also enhance this concert. At the end of the show, Ann thanks the crowd, then says that they're going to make an album--i.e. keep the love alive. I can hardly wait.
Rating: 
Summary: pardon the pun, but they've got alot of heart...
Review: It's great to be watching a proper Heart show. When they went the "wall of synths" route in the 80's, I was only mildly interested & figured my days with Ann & Nancy were about numbered. Then, many years later, along comes this DVD...and I must say, it's a helluva performance. Classic songs, new songs, re-worked songs ("These Dreams" and "Alone" are stripped-down, and sound so much better than the overproduced 80's versions IMO), and a few covers thrown in for good measure (including a sweet version of "Black Dog"...Ann's vocals hit "the zone" here). My only two gripes: the editing is occasionally weak, and the lack of special features was kinda disappointing. But the sound & picture is crisp, the performance is hot, and it's a great way to kick back an evening... here's hoping for a live release from the Jupiters Darling tour as well...
Rating:
Summary: The Best Rockers Ever
Review: Loved it!! A must have for any fan or anybody interested in great musicianship. Their talent is phenomenal!!
Rating:
Summary: THE WILSON SISTERS ARE BACK IN A POWER PERFORMANCE!!!
Review: My big screen TV will never be the same. It was like being on stage with them. An incredible stage act! I love the versatility of "our" girls. My God! Look at how many different instruments they can play! I was not surprised, but the whole performance was just so mind blowing. They are by far the most outstanding musicians out there today. They DESERVE way more recognition for their unique talents and power stage performances!!! ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME HERE THEY COME!!! I paid more attention to the boys this time in many, many, many years. I think that I am finally over Mark and Denny. Gosh, I don't know what took me so long. I like Mike Inez (Alice in Chains) and Ben Smith, the drummer from the Lovemongers. I must admit though I have never seen anyone smoke and play guitar at the same time on stage before. This is a DVD that was just completely smokin'. What a power performance! I hope the DVD sees the light of day like it deserves. If you can only afford one DVD per year, buy this one now!!! You will not regret it!!! I just can't help it. I still love the Wilson sisters after all of these years!!!
Rating:
Summary: Back in amazing form
Review: Talk about talent. I'm simply amazed at the musicianship of Ann and Nancy Wilson. Impeccable rhythm, complex chords, great songs, amazing voices. When they strap on acoustics and play a tune like the Zeppelin cover "Battle of Evermore" it's simply engaging. I was a fan way back in the 70's and hadn't kept up with Heart until I stumbled onto seeing part of this show on PBS. I ordered the DVD and wasnt't disappointed. One highlight is the cover of Elton John's Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters. Just Nancy and Ann with two acoustics and it brought the house down. And of the numerous rockers on this DVD- turn it up and hear how tight this band is. The title of the DVD says it well- Alive in Seattle. For those of us who didn't know what had become of this duo, they are alive and more relevant than ever. This DVD has it all, great unplugged tunes, pop masterpieces, and some hard rocking tunes ala Zeppelin. Check it out. Seattle's Best may not be the coffee...
Rating: 
Summary: Heart to Heart
Review: Technically speaking, the sound mix is dead on and the production values make this an enjoyable concert DVD. Highlights include energetic versions of "Love Alive" and "Mistral Wind". Unfortunately, the song selection leaves a lot to be desired with notable omissions particularly from their classic 70's albums. Long time Heart fans will be disappointed but nevertheless it is a worthwhile effort.
Rating:
Summary: Proof that Rock 'n' Roll Still Has Heart
Review: The 2003 DVD release HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE is one of the best video recordings of a live performance of a rock band, and it is especially impressive when considering that it documents a recent performance from a band that has been playing kick-*ss rock for nearly 30 years (their debut album, DREAMBOAT ANNIE, was released in 1976). The performance was recorded at the Paramount Theater in Seattle (Heart's hometown) on Aug. 8, 2002, the last gig on the band's 2002 "Summer of Love" tour. The response to the tour was tremendous, with longtime fans and newbies alike enthusiastically welcoming fronters Ann and Nancy Wilson and their new back-up band--an ensemble that includes former Ozzy Osbourne and Alice In Chains bassist Mike Inez and Lovemongers drummer Ben Smith. The tour was so successful, in fact, that they turned right around and toured again in 2003 (the "Alive in America" tour) playing basically the same song set. So fans who missed either or both of those tours can still experience that concert atmosphere vicariously with the HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE disc--but with much better "seating"! The Wilson sisters made an excellent choice for the set list, which includes the band's very popular pre-'80s hard-rock standards like "Crazy on You," "Straight On," "Magic Man," and "Barracuda," as well as some great post-70s tunes such as "Alone" and "These Dreams." In addition, the band does a fantastic job on covers of Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore" and "Black Dog," the Elton John ballad "Mona Lisas and Madhatters," and an old garage-band ditty called "The Witch." Dark-haired Vocalist Ann Wilson, as beautiful as ever, proves that she still has what it takes to belt out the band's old hard-rock standards, and she still sounds as angelic as ever on the softer melancholy favorites like "Dog and Butterfly" and "Dreamboat Annie." When Heart plays their classic stuff, Ms. Wilson sounds exactly like she did when the songs were first recorded--which is a lot more than you can say for most rock vocalists from the '60s and '70s, who can no longer hit those high notes. But she and sister Nancy (who mainly plays guitar and other strings) also easily keep up with the newer, younger artists when they perform some of their latest compositions like "Heaven," "Sister Wild Rose," and the really cool hard-hitter "Break The Rock." Both women are certainly in top form and prove they can go the distance in the studio and on stage. And with HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE, they leave no doubt that they are still two of the most talented and creative women in rock. The picture quality on this DVD is crisp and clear, with great color saturation and nice contrast, and the cinematographer does a top-notch job of capturing the energy of the artists and the spirit of their performances. The Dolby sound quality is also excellent, and a sound system that takes advantage of the DTS Surround Sound can really make viewers feel like they are at the live performance. No longtime fan of HEART will be disappointed with HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE. And the DVD will certainly give newbies a taste of just how powerful and emotive this band and the talented duo that drives it can be.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but vocals are gettin raspy
Review: The Nemean Lion apparently is the sad example of someone with the mental development of a six-year-old refusing to take his prescription medication. Similarly, the lack of a girlfriend--or any friends at all--has taken its toll on his mental health. While his posts are a desperate cry for help, perhaps the world really would be better off without him. That said, it is clear that Ann's voice, though still powerful, is not quite what it once was. Years of blowing out her vocal cords has taken its toll, and her timbre is now clouded with raspiness. The high notes just aren't the same. Still has the powerful vibrato, though, and Nancy's guitar rocks the house.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this
Review: There was a time when Heart was a straight-up tough Led Zeppelin type of group. The way they interact and play off each other, they have evolved into a sort of hard rock Indigo Girls type of group. Where's the group unity? It's all about Ann & Nancy and that is obvious here. Ann is a shell of her former self. She should be forbidden from ever performing live again. Nancy looks all burnt out.
Rating:
Summary: Heartless no more, yay!
Review: This is an outstanding performance by outstanding muscians. After many years of being away from Heart doing the Lovemongers thing instead, Ann and Nancy Wilson went on the road as Heart again, this time without any other of the original band members. They were backed by Mike Inez, Scott Olson, Tom Kellock, and Ben Smith. This DVD was recorded at the final show of the tour in Seattle in 2002. A CD is also available. Ever since my early teens, I deeply desired to see a female Clapton, Page, Beck, Hendrix, Santana, or even Neil Young. It seemed to me that the chemistry between male and female guitarists on stage could be interesting and intense. I could not understand why such women were not out there, and finally gave up on ever seeing one. (This was way before Ford, Hind, Jett, Raitt, et. al. I was raised in a family of strong, independent women and it took me a long time to realize that this was not exactly a universal thing.) I was introduced to Heart in the early 80s and was blown away. When I saw some Dog and Butterfly concert footage of Nancy playing the old longer intro to Crazy On You, I nearly died. Finally! Here was a woman playing guitar with real fire! She was intense and, along with Ann's incredible vocals, created a whole new image of powerful women. I think their contribution to music, to society, and to women in general, is not appreciated enough. They are a very talented pair, and it has given me great joy to watch them persist and prevail in the cutthroat, "Barracuda"-ridden business of modern music. Living well is indeed the best revenge. This concert DVD shows them at their best. They sound and look great - talented, professional, full of energy, playful, sexy, powerful, and thoroughly enjoying the music. The Seattle audience definitely loves them, (who in their right mind wouldn't?) and the electricity of the night shines through wonderfully. The concert was recorded in High Definition video and mastered beautifully to DVD. I do have two very minor technical quibbles with the production, however. I felt that Nancy's guitars and vocals were sometimess lost in the mix under Olson's guitar. I really wanted to hear her more clearly. In all fairness, I listen in regular stereo not surround, and it may be better in surround. The other quibble is with the style of direction of the video. While sharp, rich, and generally beautiful, it seemed to me that there were too many times when the cuts didn't fit quite right, seemed to miss the real action or were just a bit off. Could be an age/style thing, as I dislike the shaky-video/1-second jump-cut MTV manner of editing video. I compared it with the video of the mid-1990s Road Home concert, and found that video editing more tuned in and flowing. Granted, there are differences in the venues; the Paramount is bigger, and the band is more spread out on the bigger stage. This makes it harder to get good two and three shots on the fly. The earlier concert was also more laid back and acoustic-oriented with much less movement. And it could be that non-musicians just aren't as sensitive to this and don't care about it. Regardless, the performance is clearly exceptional and absolutely worth having. They play a nice mix of old and new songs along with well done covers of Led Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore and Black Dog, and Elton John's Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters. When I discovered that they started playing Battle of Evermore in the Lovemonger days, I was thrilled. I knew they were perfect to cover such Zeppelin songs. Ann is one of very few people who could do justice to Plant's vocals, and she proves just how fantastic she is in this performance. She is in fine form here, and her voice just nails me to the wall and sends chills up and down my spine. Nancy's guitar work is as firey as ever, and they do an outstanding job of capturing the tone of their own original cuts while keeping the songs fresh, alive, and relevant. I really enjoy watching this performance over and over again. The songs in order: Crazy On You, Sister Wild Rose, The Witch, Straight On, These Dreams, Mistral Wind, Alone, Dog and Butterfly, Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Battle of Evermore, Heaven, Magic Man, Two Faces of Eve, Love Alive, Break the Rock, Barracuda, Wild Child, Black Dog, Dreamboat Annie. There is also a small picture gallery on the DVD. As a fellow military brat from the Northwest, I am doubly proud of these two very talented women. Their musical gifts have enriched my life and I am very grateful that they continue to share those considerable gifts with all of us. I am looking forward to the Jupiters Darling CD due out soon, and hope they do a DVD of the tour supporting it. Every Heart fan should have this DVD, without question. Get it now!
|
