Rating: Summary: A REAL REVIEW. Review: first off, i have to say this is the best live stuff i have ever seen in my life. Aaron lewis (the lead singer) writes nothing but honest stuff and how he feels and on the stage of this new york mtv unplugged show he spills his emotions out on the stage. The most amazing lyrics and voice in the music business in my opinion. i watched this dvd literally from 3pm-12am on repeat when i got it the first day i got it. The emotion that aaron spills out sent many tingles and chills down my spine. i felt as if i was right there watching these guys. an awesome song selection as well. highlight of this dvd: at the end of the song "waste" aaron goes crazy with the song and its so frikin awesome how he does it. definatly the best part of the dvd. bonus feautures: it also contains all staind's music videos (not any off 14 shades of grey though) and also an interview before the show. also has the making of the "fade" video and optional on screen lyrics as u watch the show. DEFINATLY a buy nomatter if u like the band a tad bit or a lot because it will make u appreciate them more
Rating: Summary: Great Performance, But Somewhat Lacking. Review: Hard rock bands doing acoustic sets are not a new concept. Nirvana and Alice In Chains are two obvious examples. But for a band who got their big break with an acoustic performance ("Outside" from the 'Family Values 1999' disc), it all makes perfect sense. Recorded in July of 2001, during what could be considered the height of Staind's popularity, this modest eleven song set was recorded in the MTV studios with (former) Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo on hand. Aaron's vocals are in top form as always, and his effort translates into each song (even if, yes, he chooses not to move around much). Standard Staind songs such as "Home" "It's Been A While" and "Outside" are welcome additions, but it's when the band takes chances that we are rewarded; for example, "Can't Believe," which is pretty much the heaviest song from 2001's 'Break The Cycle' is translated beautifully and takes on a life of it's own. Which, of course, brings me to the performances major problem: The band doesn't take enough risks with the set. Pretty much everything you would expect is delivered. I'd hate to compare, but remember Nirvana's Unplugged performance? It shocked a lot of people, because, rather than cranking out their hits and saying goodbye, they played a lot of random and off-beat cover songs and turned them into their own. It sounded beautiful. I know this performance could have benefited from some covers or maybe if they had dug up a few old tracks ("Excess Baggage," the hidden track on 'Dysfunction' was a nice touch though). When I saw Staind live last year, they did a cover of Alice In Chain's "Nutshell" (obviously acoustic) and it sounded so beautiful and natural. But I digress. The bottom line is that it is still a great performance. Staind performing acoustic is like bread and butter. It's natural. If you didn't enjoy the band before, don't expect to be won over, but it is a tasty little treat for any faithful Staind fan. Bonus features include four music videos: "Fade," "Mudshovel," "Epiphany," and "Outside" -- which was never released in the U.S. (excluding the live version). However, we're all still waiting for Staind to put out a DVD with ALL of their videos (this stuff is just a tease). Also, we get an on-the-set look at the "Fade" video, a little pre-show interview with the band, and some standard stuff such as a discography and lyrics. Oh yeah, get this, it's rated "R" for language (?).
Rating: Summary: Great Performance, But Somewhat Lacking. Review: Hard rock bands doing acoustic sets are not a new concept. Nirvana and Alice In Chains are two obvious examples. But for a band who got their big break with an acoustic performance ("Outside" from the 'Family Values 1999' disc), it all makes perfect sense. Recorded in July of 2001, during what could be considered the height of Staind's popularity, this modest eleven song set was recorded in the MTV studios with (former) Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo on hand. Aaron's vocals are in top form as always, and his effort translates into each song (even if, yes, he chooses not to move around much). Standard Staind songs such as "Home" "It's Been A While" and "Outside" are welcome additions, but it's when the band takes chances that we are rewarded; for example, "Can't Believe," which is pretty much the heaviest song from 2001's 'Break The Cycle' is translated beautifully and takes on a life of it's own. Which, of course, brings me to the performances major problem: The band doesn't take enough risks with the set. Pretty much everything you would expect is delivered. I'd hate to compare, but remember Nirvana's Unplugged performance? It shocked a lot of people, because, rather than cranking out their hits and saying goodbye, they played a lot of random and off-beat cover songs and turned them into their own. It sounded beautiful. I know this performance could have benefited from some covers or maybe if they had dug up a few old tracks ("Excess Baggage," the hidden track on 'Dysfunction' was a nice touch though). When I saw Staind live last year, they did a cover of Alice In Chain's "Nutshell" (obviously acoustic) and it sounded so beautiful and natural. But I digress. The bottom line is that it is still a great performance. Staind performing acoustic is like bread and butter. It's natural. If you didn't enjoy the band before, don't expect to be won over, but it is a tasty little treat for any faithful Staind fan. Bonus features include four music videos: "Fade," "Mudshovel," "Epiphany," and "Outside" -- which was never released in the U.S. (excluding the live version). However, we're all still waiting for Staind to put out a DVD with ALL of their videos (this stuff is just a tease). Also, we get an on-the-set look at the "Fade" video, a little pre-show interview with the band, and some standard stuff such as a discography and lyrics. Oh yeah, get this, it's rated "R" for language (?).
Rating: Summary: To the few who don't see the truth about Staind Review: I agree with the dude from WA. Nate, you're an idiot. Anyway, now that I've got that out of my system I'd like to say that I think Staind is truly one of the best present day bands. Alice in Chains was of course the grand-daddy of them all, but Staind does an excellent job in their Unplugged performance. When taking songs, and transfering them from electric/hard rock style, to a more subdued and more intricate manner as presented with an acoustic guitar, you face many challenges. Challenges that Staind overcame. This, along with the Alice In Chains Unplugged performance is truly magnificent. Yes, I know everyone is mentioning Alice In Chains in their reviews, but they have good reason. We would not have the music we have today if Alice In Chains had not existed. Statistics show that over 80% of todays rock was greatly influenced by Alice In Chains. Let's face it, Alice In Chains was in the past, and sure, they influenced Staind, but Staind has its own style too. They were once an up and coming band, but have now turned into real rock stars. This Unplugged DVD shows the excellence of such a wonderful band. This DVD allows you to experience Staind's best songs all on an acoustic guitar, live, with raw emotion and sensativety. Despite the senseless rantings of the idiots of this world, including Nate, I would say this DVD is a must buy. You have to truly feel the music in your soul to be able to recieve a full understanding of this great band and this DVD simply does the job.
Rating: Summary: This is going to be a great DVD! Review: I am a very big fan of Staind and I have been for a couple of years. I am a Christian and while I don't exactly don't like the EXPLICIT LYRICS, I still love Staind and will definitely be getting this DVD when it comes out. Hopefully it will come with a 5.1 audio track and some cool features!
Rating: Summary: Staind - Loved this DVD Review: I am glad I got this DVD. Not only were my favourite Staind music tracks on this LIVE MTV concert but the extra features were outstanding. This is a must buy for any serious fan of Staind. The actual concert is CD length with 11 songs sung live in the MTV Studio with many seated Staind fans. The concert is one of just pure raw emotion and the performance is simply amazing. All the songs are sung with emotion drawn on lyrics taken from the lives of these exemplary band members.
The bonus features are just as good as the actual concert with the original videos for Mudshovel, Fade and Outside. The videos are glorious and this was my first time seeing the videos. They fit the theme and mood of the music quite specifically. The MTV Unplugged Interview is a must not miss that the band talks about their history, their interpretations of life in their work and personal time and the complete Lyrics and Discography are packed full of info for any discerning fan of Staind.
Its a marvelous DVD and the behind the scenes taping of 'Fade' is pretty good to watch as well. Both thumbs are up for this DVD. Its one of the best music DVD's I have watched in some time.
Rating: Summary: worth the wait for this MASTERPEICE Review: i did not get a chance to see the actuall showing of the show, but i downloaded a couple videos from it and knew that this was going to be an awsome dvd. There are actually a lot of eatures on this dvd. first off you have the concert, which you can which all the way through or just go to a specific song. The acoustic versions of the songs they did were awsome, some of them they changed in a certain way to enhance the song. And it was great to hear a lighter version of "can's believe" which was awsome to listen to, they did a great job on that. You also get to see 4 videos, "Mudshovel", which was one that i had not seen before, "Fade", which also includes a behind the scenes feature which is pretty cool, "Epiphany" which is a great video for a great song, and "Outside", which i had also not seen before, good video, but confused me at the end... There is also a interview with the band before the performance. You can also have the lyrics at the bottom during the performance, which is good, i guess if you dont know the words. This is a must have for any staind fan of course. go get it.
Rating: Summary: Good music, bad monologue and waste of TV screen Review: I do not, of course, expect anyone to be moving around on an acoustic set, but Lewis could at least do more than just huddle over in his chair while singing. And why bother with any monologue when every time it's just him saying "This song is _______"? On the upside, it has a more tolerable version of "Outside" without that prize Fred Durst making his stupid comments. Having the music videos is a nice touch as well.
Rating: Summary: Aaron at his best Review: I have been a fan of Staind ever since I first saw them in concert with Korn a few years ago in Fort Wayne on the Sick and Twisted Tour. I saw them again in Indy a few days after Break the Cycle dropped in stores, showing me once again how wonderful of a band Staind is live. This DVD captures every aspect of a live show Staind's puts on. The emotion and feeling that Staind puts into their work shows in this DVD. Nothing has been left out of this DVD, making it one of the "Must Haves" for any true hard rock fan. Whether it be acoustic or hard rock you're into, this is one worth getting. You'll appreciate the rich color and true sound of this live acoustic set of Staind's.
Rating: Summary: Just Raw, powerful emotion that will grip you Review: I missed the first airing of the show (for some reason), but I had it taped. I was so psyched about it, I got up an hour early before school and watched it. I was in total awe. Aaron's voice sound so beautiful and raw it made me want to break down. The guitar work was just incredible, and Old Skool can tear it up on the bass. But The DVD is a whole other experience. When watching in 5.1, it sounds like your sitting in the front row. The picture quality is amazing, and I aboslutely love the stylings on the acoustics. What really got me was when I first heard "Suffer" acoustically. When I first heard this song, I thought it was great, but then I heard acoustically, and I almost cried. Aaron puts his heart and soul into every single word sung, and I feel that Staind is a very underrated Band. Everyone complains that they sound like AIC, but too bad, so does every band nowadays, and a lot of the bands of today just suck. But Staind can pull that sound off. And they do it amazingly. FYI: The tuning Mike uses isn't Drop D, it's Drop Ab, he uses a baritone guitar.
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