Steven Curtis Chapman: Live

Rating:
Summary: great performance with a powerful message
Review: Steven Curtis Chapman is an engaging, attractive performer with a powerful message of joy, love, and devotion. This concert film is taken from two live shows in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, on October 17 and 19, 2002, and it is interspersed with occasional interview clips. Steven writes all his material, and the song list is:
"See the Glory"
"All About Love"
"Speechless"
"When Love Takes You In", which is my favorite song on the program, and has a lovely, touching story behind it. It is about adoption, and includes a beautiful video that is sure to move all but the hard-hearted to tears.

The middle segment is one that has been inspired by the book "Through the Gates of Splendor", about five men and their families who went to Ecuador in 1955 as missionaries, resulting in the men being murdered by the Auca tribe. It includes an astonishing photographic and film assemblage dating back to that time, and it ends with the son of one of the missionaries, along with one of the men who killed his father, and the tale they tell is fascinating and inspiring. The songs that go with this portion of the show are:
"God of God"
"For the Sake of the Call"
"Children of the Burning Heart"
"No Greater Love"
"God Follower"
"My Redeemer".

The concert ends with three exuberant numbers:
"The Great Adventure"
"Live Out Loud"
"Dive"
Though this contemporary rock music style is not what I normally listen to on a CD, I love this concert footage. It is overflowing with God's love, and the presentation is excellent. Steve's back-up musicians are very good, and the camera work and lighting well done. Total running time is 78 minutes.

Rating:
Summary: best part: the ministry element
Review: the best part of this video is it's ministry element, that is, how steven uses multimedia and moving images to complement his concert. You will see lots of multimedia, footages, MTV as the songs move along for the purposes of telling you a great story. There are two big stories in the concert DVD. One is shaohannah, his adopted daughter from China, and the other is on the 5 missionaries who were killed by the Auca Indians back in the 1950s. These two stories unfold, as he sings various songs..and that is what connects you deeply with the grace of God.

The weakest part of this video is the production quality of the concert itself. It has that edgy, rough look with the stage lights a way bit too dim for a concert. In short, it doesnt have the 'Great Adventure' studio-like quality of his earlier concert.

Nevertheless, it's a 4 stars to me because a christian concert should be enjoyed not only for its production quality, but also for its ministry element. It should after all, touch you in a special and personal way such that you would want to respond to God positively. That to me, is the strength of the video.

Rating:
Summary: It hurt to watch
Review: This tour coincides with his vocal scare and this concert is an indication of it. He holds back greatly on his performance yet his voice is still pristine. Think of it as seeing SCC at 1/4 power. Both vocally and musically the performance suffers. I could not wait for the concert to end. I am a big fan that has seen him many times; this time I was disappointed.
Rent it first then decide if you really want it. It is still SCC and he is still a great artist.