Rating: Summary: Better than the real thing. Review: Great show and you dont even have to smell the waves of B.O. coming from the cute little hippie girls that stink like trashcans. A must have.
Rating: Summary: almost, but not quite Review: Great, but not spectacular. Both sets are well played and varied, and the concert itself is a fantastic joy. The show is nothing our of the ordinary, a typical Phish night (highs and lows), and that, in my opinion, is what makes it so great. The only problem with the DVD is the filming itself, and unfortunately, this is a huge problem. There's no excuse for putting out internet quality film on DVD-the visuals are far from the crispness that Todd Phillips got with Bittersweet Motel-and it seems a shame for four of the finest artists around to put a film out that isn't up to par. It could have been infinitely better had there been a decent director (one that wouldn't cut from Mike at the beginning of Weekapaug or avoid the majority of a Page Maze solo), better equipment, and substantial final mixing. Nevertheless, this is a definite purchase. If you're new to Phish and haven't had the opportunity to catch a show, put a couple hours aside for this and a fine brew and bowl. It'd be preferable to watch it by yourself the first time around so you can pay close attention to some of the tightest musicianship around. If you're an old Phish fan, it's a great thing to be able to throw a whole show on in your living room. With a little luck maybe the next live show will be haze free. The quality just wasn't there with this effort
Rating: Summary: it was an emotional night Review: Having been at all the vegas shows this one was a little mellow but the band was as tight as ever, the mik'es was fantastic as well as the speach Trey gave, it is way above average and is worth watching again and again.Having said that, the audio is awesome and the video is good, some far away shots would have captured the evening better, the photo gallery was also a very nice touch......
Rating: Summary: Solid effort by Phish Review: I agree very much with the review before mine - the audio quality of the new Phish DVD, Live in Vegas, is superb in Dolby Digital 5.1 - however, the video quality is suprisingly mediocre. I too was very much looking forward to this DVD as I thought Bittersweet Motel was a good movie but a bit of a tease for live concert footage. This DVD here is all concert footage and has an interesting set list with a lot of favorites (Mike's Groove, Curtain, Maze, AC/DC Bag, Simple, Twist, Sand), but also some odd choices (Walfredo, I Saw it Again) and rarities (Colonel Forbin, Timber, Emotional Rescue). There is even some extra footage from the next night's concert in Arizona, including the songs Camel Walk and Piper. The band is in good form in concert and are animated throughout. The music is loose in spots but scorching in most others. The sound, when cranked through my Marantz SR-18EX receiver's processors is "you're there" quality with great separation of instruments, a huge soundstage, and nice crowd ambience and some neat reverb. The picture quality is so-so and had me wondering at times what was wrong with my TV, as it is somewhat grainy, blurry with motion artifacts and just not that razor-sharp picture one would come to expect with DVDs (in other, this ain't no Lord of the Rings, but it's far better than a bootleg). There are nice multiple camera angles, but no cool editing effects or band interviews. Other than the extra live footage and a photo collage, there are not a lot of DVD extras. However, considering the DVD costs less ($$$ at Best Buy) than any of the Live Phish CD offerings out now, this is a bargain and must-have for Phish fans. If you don't have a DVD player yet, and have been waiting, what are you waiting for? VCR is as dead as analog tape. DVD players can be had for so little (on average 1/4 the price of the DAT player which I hardly use). The hardcore phans may still wonder, why not Big Cypress or Clifford Ball (two of Phish's best concerts ever) on DVD? Considering the band has had a film crew on hand at their shows for years, one has to think there are more DVDs to come in the future. In the meantime, crank this baby to 11 and enjoy 3 hours of Phish. 4 stars.
Rating: Summary: Great audio, terrible video, average show... Review: I agree with most of the other reviewers about the sound quality and video quality. The audio is crystal clear and LOUD- you can crank this baby up and wake up your neighbors. The video quality is not that bad for up-close shots of the band members, but it is absolutely horrible for any far-away shots. The show itself is nothing more than average (it would be well below average if not for the good setlist). There were very few "big-jam" songs played, and those that were (Mikes Song and Sand) were short, substandard versions. I think the band was tired after 2 days in Vegas (Trey looks like an extra from Night of the Living Dead...). Still, there are a lot of good songs on the DVD and a few funny moments- Trey and Mike's antics at the end of Emotional Rescue are almost worth the price of the DVD alone. The other big redeeming factor is the bonus footage of the 20+ minute Piper->Guy Forget->Jam from the 10/1/00 show. Overall, I give the audio 5 stars, the video quality 1 star, and the show itself 3 stars for a grand total of 3 stars.
Rating: Summary: Sound good -- picture .... Review: I am dissapointed that Phish would release this. Someone was asleep at the wheel. The video is almost unwatchable. Why they chose this night to release and not the night before is strange. No establishing of the scene. This show could have been anywhere. Koruda's lights are not given the presentation they deserve. Save your money.
Rating: Summary: disappointing... Review: I attended this show and had a fantastic time, so I was very excited to get the DVD. However, the DVD is pretty upsetting. The video is horrible. In no way does this really show the energy of a Phish show, esepcially this particular show in Las Vegas. I was also hoping for more crowd shots and footage of the fans, but it is basically just the concert and nothing else. Sort of like listening to a really good recording of the show on cd with some really fuzzy and sporadic video footage. I really wonder why Phish put something out that was this poor in quality. With this they would have almost been better off just putting it out as a Live Phish relase. It was good for nostalgia and I am sure most fans will enjoy it, but overall I found it to be pretty disappointing.
Rating: Summary: The PHISH DVD that was LONG OVERDUE Review: I have to saw that before I bought this DVD, I pondered to look at some misleading reviews by some of the overly critical consumers. I had faith that Phish would not let me down and I was right. Not only am I a huge Phish-head but also am an audiophile as well. As for the Audio, each song on this 172 minute DVD is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital sound which really gives you the feel of a live concert once you hear all the screaming fans around you. The Video was a little different story though. Once I laid the DVD in my player I watched closely and examined the DVD for any flaws. First I found that the Digital Video seemed to lack some sharpness and camera angles do get overused in the end but this could never detract me from the true meaning of Phish, the music. Yet, the Digital video does add some-sort of rough live feeling to the DVD. At first I found the setlist to be a bit cumbersome, I had wished for some more tunes from Junta, rift, or farmhouse, but when I took the chance I found many songs which I really enjoyed and sounded great. The Audience was ecstatic and seemed to reflect off of Phish, yet their live performance was not the best it still far exceeded any other band in that the sounds were tight and the house was kickin'. I did miss synchronous tramp exercises that they often perform but I guess I will just see them doing it live at my hometown. As for the complants of Packaging, the packaging was fine, besides I'd rather watch them than look at a stupid box any day, and a descent video mixed with unbelievable sound makes this DVD well worth it. So buy this DVD if you are a true Phish fan, and buy this DVD if you are not a true Phish fan.
Rating: Summary: Awesome Review: I know there are alot of people that are going to complain about the video quality, or the show selection, or the packaging, which does fall short. But if you are a Phish Phan, like me, who time and time again has had to miss them on tour for one reason or another (have missed 5, for reasons ranging from kids to a death in the family) and have still never seen them live, then this dvd is the best. Get it, you will not be disappointed.
Rating: Summary: Jchescavage Review: I purchased this DVD yesterday and spent about 45 minutes flipping through some of my favorite parts of the show. (I, like other reviewers, was also at this particular show). I loved it then, and the music does sound amazing on the DVD. However, the video (which, let us not forget is the medium of this release) leaves much to be desired. It is one thing to barely see the band from a balcony seat when you are there, it is another to barely see the band from a camera on the stage. The footage does a poor job of showing the the emotion of the show. The video does an even worse job of pojecting Kuroda's lights (always a highlight). Again, I have not watched the entire show, but at first glance I am relatively unimpressed. FWIW, I absolutely love Bittersweet Motel and watch it constantly. The live footage on that video is far superior to the quality presented in "Live from Vegas". Buy it if you are hard up to watch a show, don't buy it if you are expecting a well cut, inside the show, look at this Vegas gig.
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