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The Who - Live at the Royal Albert Hall

The Who - Live at the Royal Albert Hall

List Price: $24.99
Your Price: $22.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Who Rocks The World
Review: Once again, The Who proves it has more firepower in its cannon than The (great) Rolling Stones and any other band on the stage. This DVD was shot three months to the date after I saw The Who tear down the roof of the Reunion Arena in Dallas. As much as it's possible, the DVD captures the energy and emotion of the band under the spotlights. And forget that they're in their mid-50s now ' Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle all sound as good as they did in the late-60s and early-70s, with great drumming from Zak Starkey and keyboard work from Rabbit Bundrick. Even with most of his hearing gone, Townshend's Stratocaster work here is first-rate. And check out Entwistle's blistering fretwork on "5.15." The highlights are too numerous to list, but they're crammed in there on this 2 DVD set. If you like The Who, pick it up ...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What I would have done to be at this concert!
Review: I also, of course, haven't seen the DVD, but I caught the pay-per-view and was completely blown away. I was speechless. For a 20 year old who just recently started listening to The Who, I was amazed that Townshend and Daltry still had this amount of energy. And the Stage show at the Royal Albert was magnificent, I had to laugh because I was so amazed at the lighting on Baba O'Riley. If you are a fan of this marvelous band, don't hesitate to buy this concert. However, to really enjoy the concert, a big screen television and surround speakers are a very very big bonus.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Kids Are Still Alright
Review: Have yet to see the ACTUAL DVD, but I caught the show on Pay-Per-View (and even got to see some of the backstage/rehearsal footage that I assume will be making it onto the discs). Excellent show! It never ceases to amaze me how much energy these guys can put into their performance after doing this since what seems like the dawn of man.

Many Who standards are naturally present and accounted for: My Generation (extended, as usual), The Magic Bus (also in an extended version that rivals the truly magnificent Leeds performance), I Can't Explain, You Better You Bet, Who Are You, all the goodies.

Several guests abound. Bryan Adams sings on "Behind Blue Eyes"; Oasis' Noel Gallagher plays git-fiddle on "Won't Get Fooled Again" (and yes, Daltrey can still scream...Robert Plant should be jealous), and Eddie Vedder pops up on both "I'm One" from Quadrophenia, and "Let's See Action". A few other guests here and there, but I wouldn't want to spoil the surprises.

The only thing preventing this from a five-star rating is the fact that it would be impossible to rate this show as high as some of the peformances from The Who's late-sixties-early-seventies heyday, such as the 1970 Isle of Wight and the Live at Leeds perfomances. But they do come damn close.

On a technical note, I would also like to point out that for once, the cameramen and the editors finally seemed to know what to look at. I'm anxious to see the multi-angle stuff boasted for the DVD, but the edition I caught on TV was surprisingly devoid of boring camera work, giving great views of band members, crowd response, and allowing us to take in some of the truly hypnotic light show (especially during the into to "Baba O'Riley").

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Good
Review: On November 27, 2000, the Who closed their tour with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. In my opinion they've never played a better concert. The looseness of the group makes for a relaxed atmosphere and some really great rock and roll. There is a lot of improvisational jamming in between songs. The band acts very free onstage. For instance, when Roger sings the line, "Can I buy your magic bus" Pete screams out "No!" All in all a wonderful performance and a great DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best I've seen yet
Review: I just bought this DVD, and as soon as it arrived I had the concert blaring as loud as I possibly could. This DVD rocks! I have to admit that Roger's voice is shot (You can actually see him wince at one time when his voice cracks), and Pete is getting older (sometimes his background vocals are a little rough), but despite that fact, they give it their all. The sound quality is excellent, but the editing isn't so hot. It might seem to you like the camera people have a bad case of ADD, because you aren't able to focus on one picture, it's always changing. One other minor issue that I have is that on "Substitute", with guest singer Kelly Jones, you can see that he's using a music stand with the words/music on it. All the other artists have it memorized, and Jones still messes up the words with the music in front of him. I'll admit that I didn't see it until I had watched it for probably the 10th time. It's nothing important, just something that I thought took away from the show. Other than those few discrepancies, I loved this DVD from start to finish. (I just wish they had played Eminence Front). Bryan Adams really gets into "Behind Blue Eyes", and on "See Me, Feel Me", he and Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) come back onstage with The Who, and a bunch of kids that I'm assuming are from a local cancer institute join them! Pete Townshend does some of his solo stuff, and Paul Weller joins him for "So Sad About Us". All in all, it's a great concert and I would recommend it for anyone who is a die hard Who fan, or even just a casual listener.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Definitive Performances
Review: I own a large catalog of recordings and dvd by The Who. This disc contains the benchmark versions of 'Can't Explain', 'Bargain', 'Baba o'Reily', and especially, 'Won't Get Fooled Again'. Buy it...if you don't own this you're missing out.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: This is a great release, almost like being there
Review: This show and dvd is a great WHO concert with awesome sound and video quality. It is almost like being there for the concert itself. Also note that this DVD is probably the latest and last of bass player John Entwistle. Overall highly recommended for any fan.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Twenty years in the waiting
Review: I saw The Who on their "last" tour...in 1982, but despite being a huge fan I was disappointed. This DVD makes up for it. The band is energetic and adds just enough reinterpreting twists to their classics to make the songs seem fresh. The overall production quality is excellent-good camera work and an excellent surround mix. The guest artists weren't that compelling to me, but I'm really only a fan of Eddie Vedder, so your mileage may vary. The direction was a bit frenzied. Outside of an extensive solo, you barely see Entwhistle-a complete oversight to me. The only really disturbing thing was that I've never seen an audience wearing so many button down shirts in my life! Weird, very weird. I've seen better DVD concerts, but this is much better than I anticipated. A Who fan will love it. A casual fan will like it. Non fans will get their eyes opened. Lower the lights, turn up the amp, and enjoy a pillar of rock do just that.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Out here in the fields...
Review: I was really torn about purchasing this DVD. I love the Who, but was worried that this show might contain shopworn and perfunctory performances from a band well past its prime and relevence.

Wrong!

Live at the Royal Albert Hall is, I think, the ultimate Who documentary -- should music historians wish to the study the group years from now.

While the band isn't as kinetic on stage as they once were (thank goodness!) -- they still have plenty of gas in the tank. Pete Townshend windmilled, Roger Daltry swung his mike like a crazed rodeo clown, John Entwistle rattled the rafters with his bass runs -- and Zack Starkey (all hail Zack) is clearly Keith Moon reincarnated. (Are we sure he's Ringo's son? Did Barbara - Ringo's wife - hang out with Keith much???)

This concert was a fundraiser for a cancer research charity, so in that spirit, many of the Who's musical friends stop by to sit in on several songs. This was a wonderful addition as it lent new texture and life to some old time songs. It didn't work everytime, but for the most part -- a delight!

Eddie Vedder sounds amazing on "I'm One." The Sterophonics' Kelly Jones turns "Substitute" into a modern day punk anthem. Paul Weller's (The Jam) acoustic duet with Townshend on "So Sad About Us" is a wonderful surprise. The only one of these guest appearences that fails is Bryan Adams' flaccid treatment of "Behind Blue Eyes." A singer of dubious talent, Adams belongs on stage next to Roger Daltry about as much as I do. And while most guests chose more obscure songs from the Who catalog thus muting possible comparisons, Adams chose the high-profile "Behind Blue Eyes," my personal favorite Who song. Um, let's just say that Roger sings it better.

That one little set back aside, I am so happy I purchased this little slice of rock 'n' roll history. Besides the special guests, it's all here: Pinball Wizard, Bargain, Baba O'Riley, Won't Get Fooled Again, Who Are You, You Better You Bet, The Real Me, 5:15... and on and on. They do quite a few tunes from Quadrophenia, in fact, and that makes me happy too.

The sound, the lighting, the format -- it's all excellent. If you are a Who fan, a rock fan -- this one is for you!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Good
Review: On November 27, 2000, the Who closed their tour with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. In my opinion they've never played a better concert. The looseness of the group makes for a relaxed atmosphere and some really great rock and roll. There is a lot of improvisational jamming in between songs. The band acts very free onstage. For instance, when Roger sings the line, "Can I buy your magic bus" Pete screams out "No!" All in all a wonderful performance and a great DVD.


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