Rating: Summary: worthy of the performer Review: This is indeed a brilliant video-- quite worthy of 5 stars. A couple things bothered me slightly. First is Ash's drumming on "Mary". Normally his drumming is restrained and perfect for the song, but on "Mary" he overplays and seems to be in doubletime when the rest of the band is subdued, playing half as fast. Another small issue I have is the staccato breathy vocals of "Elsewhere". The smooth mellifluous layered vocals from the recording are really missed. Maybe Sarah was a little worn out after "Fear" which showcases her breathtaking range in the outro. Later in "Possession" she sings the lyrics 'breath away' in the chorus a half-octave lower than in the recording.But I am being trivial and pedantic. The performance is amazing and beautiful. "Hold On" and "Good Enough" back to back actually did make my eyes watery. Please consider that these songs are about one's spouse dying and domestic abuse respectively, and you can sense Sarah's sympathy in her eyes and in her voice. "Ice Cream" is surprisingly a highlight; Sarah and husband Ash (drummer) sing together and the audience gets to sing a chorus. (Don't heed the warnings about "grainy" picture quality, btw) And the interview!! wow! Sarah is so grateful to her fans and modest. In my opinion, no modern artist is more deserving of success than she. This is art with honesty and meaning. And the voice of an angel.
Rating: Summary: Top Shelf Concert DVD Review: I am shocked that the reviewer was unhappy with the quality of the DVD. I probably have 30 or 40 concert DVD's and I have to put Mirrorball up there with Hell Freezes Over by the Eagles and Fleetwood MAC (quality-wise). I without a doubt consider it one of my top three. Basically, if you want to pop in a DVD and listen to beautiful music performed on a beautiful set, I don't think you can do much better. If you like Sarah McLachlan, you will love this DVD. (I have gotten every penny's worth of value out of mine, which is not something I will say for most of the concert DVD's I own.)
Rating: Summary: Brilliant Review: Just pour some wine, put on your 5.1 surrond sound (if you have analog output to your reciever then use it, it beats the digital sound)and let the waves wash over you. No, she's not much to watch, just swaying, playing guitar or piano with a big mike blocking her face, but the music is amazing, the sound is big and real (like your there rather than mix-the-live-studio-style sound) with back reverb on the rear chanels and the voice blended into the instruments (just adjust the center speaker volume lounder to hear the vocals better.)
Rating: Summary: The best gift Review: A very dear friend gave this DVD to me and I have truly enjoyed it. Late at night when all is quiet I love to watch this DVD. It is so nice to actually see Sarah and the band do all the great songs live. She is legendary and she is just getting started. Can't wait to see her career in the next 30 years.
Rating: Summary: cool interview Review: I love this DVD for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the DVD includes more songs than the Mirrorball CD. Also, there's a really cool interview of Sarah that's probably about 20 or 30 minutes long. She reflects on a variety of topics and talks about various songs.
Rating: Summary: Elegant Performance Review: Im a progressive rock fan but this lady has a charm and a beauty that conquers everyone. Great voice,good musicians,sober stage presentation Highly recomended
Rating: Summary: absolutely enchanting Review: Yes, the images aren't paper-cut sharp, but in my opinion, it's not a big issue. I've viewed it on my 17" computer monitor and my 27" TV and have never felt it was a problem. I actually enjoy it being the way it is, as I feel it adds a certain flavor to the concert, a certain mystique that's very Sarah. I've read from other reviews that some people had issues with the sound quality and audio synching. I'll address both in order. First, sound quality. I actually found the sound very rich and enjoyable. To my ears, the music was pretty on par with the quality of the CD release of Mirrorball... but if you want die-hard CD quality, play the CD, I say. Next, audio synching. I had no problems with that on my DVD player and computer, but I had a friend who complained the audio synching was off on her DVD. After she upgraded her DVD player (she had previously been playing it on a rather ancient machine), she says the concert has been playing well ever since, so we're suspecting the problem may be with DVD players and not the DVD itself. Mirrorball is rich, dynamic, and above all, simplistic. I love Sarah's style and it shows on the concert. She walks around barefoot and doesn't once undergo a costume change. The only effects are the lighting effects. In essence, it's all about the music. Her showmanship shines and in every act, Sarah commands the stage. Simply put, every performance just gels together wonderfully to produce a fluid concert. Each atmosphere is simplistic, dark, a little moody, yet vibrant and lively, and striking- just like Sarah's music. She compromises nothing in this concert and everybody, including the band, seems absolutely at ease on the stage. All in all, this concert epitomizes "just enough to make it perfect." It isn't overdone and it isn't underdone. The way each song is executed is absolute perfection. In many cases with concerts, something goes missing. This seems to be the case with many pop artists whose rise to fame rests upon commercialized "canned" music, those artists who rely on studio magic to make their songs good. If you take away the glitz, glam, special effects, and outrageous costumes, the concerts would only be "ok" at best. Usually, there's a horrible gap in music quality between concerts and CDs. You'll find none of that on Mirrorball. I was surprised to find that Sarah is really that good, as good on stage as she is in the studio. On many of Sarah's songs, she creates music magic by overlapping vocals to create a more ethereal sound. I was wondering how she'd duplicate that on stage, but her backup singer, Camille Henderson, is splendid. Sometimes, the drummer backs up the sound, and I was surprised how just one or two more singers in the background could mesh with Sarah's sound so flawlessly. I think one of the things I found most enjoyable with this recording is how Sarah keeps the energy going by staying "into" the music. She moves around and grooves with the music, and I found myself entraced with her more so than watching other artists performing an extravagant dance number. That says a lot when one lady up on stage can keep you entranced with only a microphone in her hand, compared to other recording artists who need a choreographed dance number, an entourage of backup dancers to sell their concerts, and thousand dollar effects. Mirrorball was absolutely enchanting. Sarah is penetrating and mesmerizing. The entire ensemble that backed her up also deserves kudos for their performances. The set up and concept were simple. The music was truly what mattered and what took center stage on this recording, and it blew me away. I own concert DVDs of the Corrs, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Sarah Brightman, Charlotte Church, and Josh Groban, but this concert is the one that constantly makes its way back into my DVD player most often. This was a very well done recording completely befitting of a beautiful artist.
Rating: Summary: Best concert DVD I own Review: I was never a huge fan of Sarah's stuido stuff but have become a huge fan of hers after watching this DVD. She is so much better live than in the studio which is rare for an artist. When I first watched it I didn't like the fact that it seemed to look like a music video as opposed to a live concert but after watching it a few more times, I fell in love with it. The movements of the camera are very smooth and they go along with the song. Sarah does an unbelievable job on FEAR, one of the best songs on the DVD. I also loved her version of Vox which was much more up-tempo than the studio/CD version. I would recommend this DVD to anyone but especially Sarah fans. She looks fantastic and plays well with the audience.
Rating: Summary: This DVD is so sweet!!!!!! Review: I got this DVD yesterday, I absolutely love it! Sarah is just awesome, she's so great live!!! The sound and picture are perfect, in my opinion, and the songs are beautiful, as always. "Vox", "Possession", "Fear", and "Wait" are my favorites, although I thought all the songs were equally stunning. I also love how she recognized some of her earlier works from "Solace" and "Touch" and performed them. Sarah herself is beautiful at the concert, and her band is perfectly tuned. I prefer almost all of the live versions on this DVD over the original recordings, Sarah's got the perfect voice for live performances. I loved it, and I think everyone shouldn't think twice about getting it, you won't be disappointed!
Rating: Summary: Sarah Mclachlan - Mirrorball Review: This concert gives you a glimpse that Sarah is a perfectionist. The audio is mixed very very well. Despite what the couple of other reviews say, the show is close to perfect sound wise and the way the track list flows very well. The show starts off with emotion, builds on it, and carries it through to the end. I am sad to say that I have not ever had the chance to see Sarah on tour. After viewing this show, I will try to catch the next tour (hopefully Sarah will release antoher studio album). This one is worth investing the [money]... to own your own copy.
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