Rating: Summary: looks more like a music video... Review: i was a bit disappointed when i dropped this into the dvd player. i think sarah is one of the most compelling and dynamic performers i've ever seen, and i think mirrorball is a really great cd. i finally got the dvd and felt like i just bought a music video. the video doesn't sync up with the guitar on building a mystery, and the rest of the show just feels kind of fake. of course, the songs are great, the band is amazing and sarah is sarah....i'm sure everyone in the audience had a tremendous experience at this show, but the video doesn't make me feel a part of that. the sound is, as others have said, really compressed, and the video has a lot of overly dramatic close-ups that really take away the feel of a live performance. i own the fumbling towards ecstasy vhs tape, and would gladly buy it on dvd if it was available. i feel that the fumbling towards ecstasy tape is more dynamic, but also very intimate with a bunch of live in the studio cuts.don't get me wrong, the dvd is worth owning just for the extra music...and it is entertaining, but entertaining like a tv show, not a live concert.
Rating: Summary: Outstanding video a must own for Sarah fans Review: If you're a Sarah McLachlan fan and you own a DVD player, buy this video now. If you don't own a DVD player, go buy one, THEN buy this video. If you're not yet a Sarah fan, this is a good place to start! Sarah is brilliant here, as she is in all her live shows. The choice of songs is excellent, and the "extra songs" (not on the "Mirrorball" CD) are a treat. Technically, the DVD is terrific. Camera shots are varied nicely, with crane moves mixed with slow zooms, and the cinematography does justice to the sparkling staging of Sarah's shows. The audio is superb, with excellent miking of both vocals and instruments. (Audiophiles: soundstaging could be somewhat better, and the use of compressors robs the recording of some of the dynamic punch of the live event. The sound is rich, however, and the low end has much more definition than I've seen in a concert video before.) One reviewer mentioned audio synchronization issues: on a quality DVD player, this is not an issue -- players with inferior decoders or D/A converters may be unable to keep up with the data coming off the disc, however, resulting in apparent delays between the audio and video. I use an external D/A converter with my DVD player, and I've not seen any synchronization problems with this disc. All in all, very highly recommended!!!
Rating: Summary: Beautiful music. Review: I really enjoyed this DVD! I've read some of the other reviews where they complain about the sound, but my copy had no problems at all. Everything was clear as a bell, & no synchronization issues. Sarah McLachlan has an incredibly beautiful voice, & she is a wonderful & talented live performer, & all of that was captured perfectly on this DVD!
Rating: Summary: Perfection Review: After falling in love with Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, then receiving a DVD player for Christmas, I took the predictable step of buying this DVD. At just under 2 hours long it represents good value for money (9 tracks more than the equivalent CD release, plus an interview & extra features). The interview is pretty good, about 20 minutes or half an hour long. Check out the 'wacky' camera-work though. But the concert itself is truly astounding. Sarah has always ensured her music is recorded to the utmost quality, with superb performance and production throughout, and this DVD is precisely the same. From the opening titles it is apparent that the emphasis is on clarity of vision and perfection of sound. But it doesn't end there. I was astounded by the quality of Sarah's live singing voice - she's amazing! Not only that but her skills as a guitarist and piano player are superb too. She holds centre stage with great confidence, giving a solid performance of the highest quality, conversing with the audience and clearly enjoying herself. I'd even applaud the running order of the tracks here: Last Dance sets the scene perfectly and leads into a glorious rendition of Building a Mystery - you get a great rush of excitement as the concert begins. Similarly, the first encore ends with a powerful majestic rendition of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, a superb climax to the show, leaving room for a final (and quite gorgeous) recital of Angel, just Sarah and the piano, to round things off. This has to be one of the finest concert videos (or DVD's) out there. Just sublime.
Rating: Summary: Too flashy Review: Not only is this DVD concert far too flashy for me, Sarah also performs far too many songs from Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (do we really need to hear Mary or Ice?) and not enough from the wonderful Solace. If you want to see a less flashy video concert even though Sarah still performs too-few Solace songs, buy Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Live.
Rating: Summary: what do you expect? Review: A very simple review then, for those (like me) who may be new to music video DVDs and are wondering what to expect from this DVD, since I wasn't very sure myself before viewing this disc. This is not a compilation of MTV-style music videos of Sarah's songs. The videos are filmed recordings of her performance before a live audience. The camera work is much like that which you'd expect to see on a giant screen at a concert (e.g. wide angle pan shots interspersed with close-ups on Sarah and the band members). There aren't any special effects applied directly to the film during the songs, but the stage-lighting effects are nice and combine well with some of the theatrical shots on Sarah. Since these aren't videos shot in a studio, there aren't any sharp close-up shots (where their faces fill the screen). As for content, I found this disc enchanting. The whole band puts on a captivating show. It's nice to hear Sarah introducing some of the songs with her feelings on the title, too. These people make beautiful music.
Rating: Summary: sarah gets 5 stars.....DVD gets a 2 Review: Like many of you, I love Sarah's work. I bought this DVD after reading many good reviews. But after watching the DVD, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. It was then that I realized that most of the people writing the reviews were simply expressing their opinion of Sarah as a great atrist(which I'm in total agreement with). Unfortunately, this DVD doesn't take advantage of any of the benefits of the DVD platform. The footage is hazy and the music recording is less than stellar(even when heard through a proffesional JBL studio sound system). I'm sure anyone who is concidering buying Mirrorball already has Eagles: when hell freezes over. Don't expect that kind of quality with Mirrorball. I just don't understand why concert recordings on CD's 5-10 years ago sound better than this. It's a shame that the recording studio's didn't spend the time or effort in making this DVD; Sarah deserves a little more respect. It enrages me, to be honest. So my point is... buy this DVD if you're a diehard fan. If not, there are a lot of better quality music DVD's for the money. If you don't have the Eagles DVD....get it. You have no excuse for not owning a copy.
Rating: Summary: Beautiful music. Review: I really enjoyed this DVD! I've read some of the other reviews where they complain about the sound, but my copy had no problems at all. Everything was clear as a bell, & no synchronization issues. Sarah McLachlan has an incredibly beautiful voice, & she is a wonderful & talented live performer, & all of that was captured perfectly on this DVD!
Rating: Summary: Sarah good, DVD bad Review: Any concert DVD not available in widescreen format...should get points knocked off immediately. Most of the DVD's I own are concert DVD's and this is not one of the good ones. I agree with previous poster this is not even in the same hemisphere as the production quality on Hell Freezes Over. Video is bad, sound is just ok...love Sarah's music...but this DVD stinks.
Rating: Summary: Starting to sound tired Review: This is a good show. Sarah always performs well. One thing I would have to say is there is a lack of new material. This is the final show of this tour and most songs are still from Fumbling, which was nearly six years ago. She is beging to sound tired, after singing these songs for so long and a the end of the tour. Also, it seems most of her new songs are very slow, almost lullaby like. I would recomend instead the Fumbling towards Extacy VHS tape (not on DVD yet) These were recorded when they were new and fresh and Sarah just sounds so much more enthusiastic with the songs.
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