Steve Hackett - Once Above a Time - Live in Europe

Rating:
Summary: Hackett at his best!
Review: Amazing concert, amazing man, amazing band, amazing songs. This DVD is even better than last years Somewhere in South America. If you love progressive music or outstanding original guitar work, old Genesis, etc. then this is well worth owning. Excellent DVD picture and sound as well. Some of the best music ever written in modern times.

Rating:
Summary: Just right
Review: I greatly appreciated Steve's 70s and 80s material, but for some reason lost track of what he was up to during the 90s. DVD is one reason for my rekindled interest in such artists, and for a few years I've been looking out for a Steve Hackett DVD exactly like this one. The track list is just right in terms of having material from throughout Steve's career, and it includes Spectral Mornings - a must as far as I'm concerned. The performances of all band members are as good as it gets, and the DVD production is pretty much faultless. I also think that the backstage extra is perfectly sufficient as a nice intro to the actual concert. This is certainly not a one-watch DVD.

My only regret .... that I decided not to make the trip to Italy to see him on this 2004 tour. Having seen this DVD, I'll not make the same mistake in 2005.

Rating:
Summary: A dvd definitely worth buying
Review: My review won't contain the following meaningless adjectives, which have been used far too much and thus lost their true meaning: "amazing", "incredible", "unbelievable", "mind-blowing", "jaw-dropping" and similar exaggerations. Nevertheless Steve Hackett's latest dvd is musically, sonically and visually a superb release, which is definitely worth acquiring especially if you are into progressive rock and more demanding music. Like the previous reviewers I'm also more fond of this dvd than Somewhere in South America (from 2002), which is also interesting.

The video presentation on "Once Above A Time" is clear and the camera work is handled by true professionals. It's also a joy to watch a concert where the camera angles won't change every two seconds. The cameras seem to be at the right place at the right time following the flow in the music. Yet the change of the camera angles is executed in a smooth and "unrestless" manner. On this dvd about 60% of the tracks are from older albums, which I personally prefer to Hackett's more recent material. On the other hand the music performed in this concert is very variable. Most of the material is instrumental.

Steve Hackett is both unique as a guitarist and a composer. As a musician he is far too underestimated in my opinion. Hackett is not technically as fast and fluid as for instance Al Di Meola, Mike Stern or Pat Metheny, but he has other qualities in his technique and music, which makes up for this aspect in his guitar playing. Also technique without substance (structure, harmony, melodies) is often like "talking much, but saying nothing". In this regard Hackett's playing and music says a lot for me on an emotional level. As a vocalist Hackett is mediocre and should delegate these duties to his more capable co-musicians. In this regard Steve Hackett shares the same "problem" as Camel's Andy Latimer, who's also a talented guitar player/composer, but a somewhat poor singer. Hackett's drummer Gary O'Toole on the other hand seems not only to be an excellent drummer, but also a promising vocalist. His singing on "Blood on the rooftops" (an old Genesis song from 1976) is a good example of this. The other musicians in Steve Hackett's present line-up are masters on their respective instruments as well. This is a dvd, which I will return to with interest many times in the near future.

I don't have any complaints about this dvd except maybe for the extras. The bonus feature "backstage in Budapest" is slightly insignificant and hastily done. This document could have been replaced or augmented with a more in-depth interview with Hackett and his band members or a document about Steve Hackett and his musical career.

Rating:
Summary: Hackett to pieces
Review: My,oh my! Great concert. Some new stuff, even more old stuff, and some stuff from the middle. Hackett is great as always. I don't understand how arthritis hasn't set into the fingers of old timers like Steve Hackett. The sound and picture on this DVD is superb as well as the band. It's the next best thing to being there, seeing how Steve rarely tours the states. I guess there are just too many hip hoppers here and not enough of the chosen few with actual musical taste. Come on over Steve. there are still a bunch of us old proggers left to fill up a club or two. If enough people rally together with a positive review, maybe he might take some notice of us.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Spectacular in every way!
Review: Steve Hackett's music is like a hidden pleasure, that is, so few people know about or remember this immensely talented guy, and his music, nevermind seeing him perform it, is just such a joy to experience, you want to share it with everyone you know.. if I had the money, I'd buy a case of this DVD and send them out as gifts to all my friends. This one is simply not to be missed by any fan.

This DVD, while quite a similar performance to "Somewhere in South America" from 2002, is a MUCH clearer, sharper video presentation than the Brazil concert DVD from a couple years ago. The camera work is far superior, and the use of split screen, in moderation, lets us see multiple members of the band when it makes sense. The technical director cuts from one camera to another right on the beat of the music, and he's pointing his lenses at exactly the right place at the right time. Much improved from the last one. The stage lighting and effects are spectacular, for what looks like a small venue. Perfetly timed and controlled.. this production was staged by real pros, both in front of and behind the cameras..

Like his earlier DVDs, Steve Hackett is an unquestionable Guitar God in every respect. Why so many other guitarists have risen to mightier fame than he has is a mystery I'll never understand. I'd go so far to say that he is probably the most talented guitarist walking this planet, surpassed by absolutely no one.

His band, the same four musical geniuses as on that earlier DVD, are all virtuosos in their own right. This band is as tight and well-rehearsed as any I've EVER seen or heard. Roger King is a wizard on his many keyboards and effects generators. Terry Gregory is an unbeatble bassist who plucks that monsterous five string and mashes those bass pedals as though he's one with them. Gary O'Toole's drumming and percussion is spectacular, and when he's caught in close-ups, he has this wonderful smile that says he's just having such a good time playing. And Rob Townsend's woodwinds fill out the overall sound nicely, never a note out of place from any of these guys..

The music is haunting, mysterious, ethereal, driving, explosive, memorable, and 1000 other adjectives. From prog rock to fusion to jazz to classical acoustic, to music that defies any kind of pigeonholed genre at all, Steve Hackett can do it all. Like most of his concerts, the tracks are about 90% instrumentals, Hackett isn't going to win any awards for his vocals, but the other members do a damn fine job backing him up when vocals are called for, and drummer O'Toole turns in a stellar solo vocal on the old Genesis "Blood on the Rooftops."

Drawing from his Genesis years and his twenty solo albums, Steve Hackett's concerts consist of all-original music. He doesn't play any covers of anyone else's. From his searing Genesis solos from so many years ago, like "Fly on a Windshield" and "Firth of Fifth" (perhaps his most famous solo, here with a new segue intro where Roger King actually uses what sounds like calliope music that melts into the legendary melody).. to his heavenly early solo work "Ace of Wands", "Please Don't Touch", to "Every Day", a song that starts out as nothing really special but then literally EXPLODES when he breaks into his phenomenal extended guitar solo and my favorite one on this DVD the beautiful "Spectral Mornings", to his later songs, the ominous "Darktown" and "Clocks".. I just sit literally mezmerized by the way this man can write such gorgeous, memorable music, in so many genres, and perform it with total mastery and perfection.

With his hands all over his guitar, bending the strings, neck-tapping, feathering and manipulating the whammy bar, (he uses his long fingernails, not a pick to work his magic).. his feet dancing over a huge bank of effects pedals, Steve Hackett just leaves me slack-jawed, speechless, at his utter mastery of his instruments.

Make no mistake.. he's good, and he KNOWS he's good.. it shows on his face..

Again, watch the faces of all the band members, as they give knowing nods and glances to each other, and often break into wide grins when they know they've hit the mark perfectly, or when they're literally one with the music. Steve Hackett gets the lion's share of closeups, as he should, both of his hands working that lovely golden Fernandes sustainer electric, which looks like it's loaded with custom modifications, and his face, as he grins, tilts his head back with his eyes closed, concentrates, grimaces, fingers flying in utter precision up and down the neck at mind-bending speed.. and he just looks like he's putting every ounce of his being into his performance, giving that audience their money's worth. I guess you could say he emotes :) ..

There's some duplication of the songs performed on this DVD and the last one, but so what.. it's wonderful to hear some of these magical tracks again, in a different setting, with slightly different arrangements. And again, on this DVD, the stage setup is almost exactly the same as it was in Brazil, albeit with much more inventive state lighting, although the audience seems more subdued than their South American counterparts. Maybe they're just stunned. I know I am, every time I watch this concert.

I'm just glad that Steve Hackett and his wonderfully talented band are still out there, making music, and touring.

If this DVD was a vinyl album, I would have worn it out and bought another by now. It's just very special. It reminds me of albums that I bought back in the 60s and played over and over again, always finding new nuances in a performace.

The only thing that could make this concert film any better is if it was twice as long..



Rating:
Summary: The best concert DVD available
Review: Steve Hackett's Once Above a Time dvd is a superb documentation of a live show. The band plays to such a high level it is mind boggeling at times, Slogans being a prime example of this proficiency. What takes this dvd to a level above the Somewhere in South America dvd, which is also brilliant, is the sound mixes which are done to perfection this time around. My only gripe is that the song This World didn't follow the song Brand New as on Steve's last cd, but hey you can't have everything. Quite simply a must buy.

Rating:
Summary: Still as Modern as Tomorrow
Review: Though Steve Hackett's music changes over the years, his energy and enthusiasm is ever present. One of Steve's greatest talents is his ability to assemble a great band, and this group's second video disc shows them ticking like a very loud Swiss watch and having a great time.

The variety of moods these guys produce is striking-- elegant piano on "Hammer in the Sand" and jazzy sax improvs on "Mechanical Bride" (all about the evils of propaganda). Even the newest songs feature melodies that get stuck pleasantly in your mind.

Steve is in good voice here, expressive if a bit underpowered. It's a different story for Gary O'Toole, whose vocals on a complete, uncut version of "Blood on the Rooftops" are as terrific as his drumming.

Sound quality is rich and dynamic (ps-s-st, try it with headphones) and the sharp picture reveals a swell light show. The Hungarian audience is a bit reserved but very well-dressed.