Rating: 
Summary: 19 stars on this work
Review: A stunning achievement. a-ha has created an amazing collection of songs that are performed so beautifully and hypnotically in this live performance. From rocking early numbers such as 'I've been Losing You' to recent highpoints such as 'You'll Never Get Over Me,' a-ha produces smile after smile after smile on this brilliant musical escapade. Vocals are so strong after all these years and the players have become masterful in their art. The songwriting has touches of male and female nuances/perspectives and the background vocalist complements Harket so well.I am completely in awe of this band that thrives despite being mostly laid off by the idiotic American music market and taking seven years off! Since 2000 my speakers have kept a steady flow of these lovely songs and Harket's solo work. When you take strong players, an immensely unique, untouchable voice and eternally divined songwriting, you simply do not go wrong. Persistence pays off big time throughout this work ' which I consider to be one of the most important musical offerings of the past five years, at least. Bowie once wrote of one d*** song making him cry. Number 10 on this work does it for me. This disc is a masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: Really Great
Review: Absolutely great. Technically well filmed and superb sound quality and edit. This concert was my first viewing of a-ha live after being a fan for 18 years. This is a nice compilation on the song list and confirms that this band has some serious songwriting skills. Their resurgence after Minor Earth has been greatly underrated and sadly overlooked ouside of Europe. The extras included after the concert are good insight into why this band is anything but a one-hit wonder.
Rating:
Summary: Major A-ha | Major DVD
Review: Coming out with a DVD of their historical come-back concert is one of the second best things since a-ha were formed in the 80s. This DVD is wonderfully edited and contains a lot of additional stuff. What I really liked were the 4 videos from the MEMS album, the 7 year itch describing the things these guys did while they stayed apart, and the interview with the band members included in this DVD. I was thrilled to see the 'Dragonfly' video in the '7 year itch' section. It is a wonderful piece by Magne and I'm glad that I can watch it anytime. The concert is wonderful and I loved the way they played their songs and made them sound different yet as amazing and as entertaining as the originals! These guys have proved themselves to be a great live band. Seeing this DVD makes you crave for more of A-ha. You will want to watch this DVD time and again. I end up watching bits and pieces of it almost daily. I am glad its finally out in the USA and am waiting for them to release their latest stuff out here soon. I also wish they come up with more DVDs covering their latest Lifelines tour as well as a DVD containing all the videos they have made so far. Those would be great buys and cherished items!
Rating:
Summary: Up tempo sound shows the group is back in stride
Review: Having just received this DVD from Amazon.com, I couldn't wait to pop it in the player, and I wasn't disapointed. Lead singer Morten Harket has only improved during his solo career and the passion of his singing adds much to the concert. This is not to say Savoy and company don't hold their own - they do, and more. The music played live is a little more "up tempo" from what I was used to from playing their CD's. I found their new found energy to be refreshing, especially since they seemed to draw energy from each other. One of the treats was "I Wish I Cared," in which Harket sings a duet with a fabulous female singer. At 19 songs, its a healthy length for a concert. I only wish they had sung "Living a Boys Adventure Tale" and maybe "Blue Sky," but perhaps that might have put too much emphasis on the Hunting High and Low album which rocketed them to fame in the wild New Wave Eighties. But they certainly didn't abandon that album for the concert! In fact, as a finale they sing a very energetic "Take on Me" to the roaring delight of the crowd. I can't wait for them to do more concerts.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic concert and a DVD loaded with material !!
Review: I completely agree with the above reviews. This DVD is amazing--the BEST thing I could turn a $25 Amazon Gift Card into. It is so good, you'll want to have a smoke afterwards. Really. I have the first 3 a-ha LPs and the 4th cd, so I was already familiar with the first "chapter" of a-ha's work. This DVD is the perfect introduction to the 2nd half as well as how well they can interpret their older material on the live stage. They have transcended the world of pop music and emerged as amazingly gifted and intelligent artists. Morten is in superb voice (as are Magne and Paul); I didn't appreciate just how gifted a singer Morten was until this DVD. Anneli Decker (backing vocals) really completes their sound; her voice perfectly complements Morten's. I was literally moved to tears by the beauty of their voices and the vocal arrangements on three of the newer songs (I Wish I Cared, You'll Never Get Over Me, Velvet). Most of the newer songs are slower-paced and full of layered guitar work; combined with the high-energy older gems (especially: The Living Daylights, Cry Wolf, I've Been Losing You, The Sun Always Shines on TV) the set is perfectly balanced. The boys are just as gorgeous as they were when we first saw them in 1985/86. You'll even get a better peak at Morten with his shirt off in "Velvet" one of the DVD's 4 extra music (studio versions) videos (although it probably isn't the way you wanted to see him shirtless). ** I'm still trying to figure out this song and video--it is creepy, twisted, and beautiful--but watch it last. (Feel free to email me if you're reading this and can explain) I've had this DVD less than a week and I've watched/listened to it at least 8 times already. I now must go get Minor Earth Major Sky (8 or 9 tracks from this 2001 CD are on the DVD) and Lifelines (2002)and catch up on what I've been missing. It's also time to turn my first 3 a-ha LPs into CDs. I will be checking their website for their next tour schedule and will plan a trip to Europe around their tour schedule. The U.S. music industry should be prosecuted for not drawing our attention to a-ha's work (I would also add charges for ignoring The Go-Go's "God Bless the Go-Go's" (2001)-- check out their "Live from Central Park 2001" DVD a-ha is THAT amazing--so is this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Stunningly beautiful-actually moved to tears
Review: I completely agree with the above reviews. This DVD is amazing--the BEST thing I could turn a $25 Amazon Gift Card into. It is so good, you'll want to have a smoke afterwards. Really. I have the first 3 a-ha LPs and the 4th cd, so I was already familiar with the first "chapter" of a-ha's work. This DVD is the perfect introduction to the 2nd half as well as how well they can interpret their older material on the live stage. They have transcended the world of pop music and emerged as amazingly gifted and intelligent artists. Morten is in superb voice (as are Magne and Paul); I didn't appreciate just how gifted a singer Morten was until this DVD. Anneli Decker (backing vocals) really completes their sound; her voice perfectly complements Morten's. I was literally moved to tears by the beauty of their voices and the vocal arrangements on three of the newer songs (I Wish I Cared, You'll Never Get Over Me, Velvet). Most of the newer songs are slower-paced and full of layered guitar work; combined with the high-energy older gems (especially: The Living Daylights, Cry Wolf, I've Been Losing You, The Sun Always Shines on TV) the set is perfectly balanced. The boys are just as gorgeous as they were when we first saw them in 1985/86. You'll even get a better peak at Morten with his shirt off in "Velvet" one of the DVD's 4 extra music (studio versions) videos (although it probably isn't the way you wanted to see him shirtless). ** I'm still trying to figure out this song and video--it is creepy, twisted, and beautiful--but watch it last. (Feel free to email me if you're reading this and can explain) I've had this DVD less than a week and I've watched/listened to it at least 8 times already. I now must go get Minor Earth Major Sky (8 or 9 tracks from this 2001 CD are on the DVD) and Lifelines (2002)and catch up on what I've been missing. It's also time to turn my first 3 a-ha LPs into CDs. I will be checking their website for their next tour schedule and will plan a trip to Europe around their tour schedule. The U.S. music industry should be prosecuted for not drawing our attention to a-ha's work (I would also add charges for ignoring The Go-Go's "God Bless the Go-Go's" (2001)-- check out their "Live from Central Park 2001" DVD a-ha is THAT amazing--so is this DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY POOR sound quality...
Review: I have always been a big A-HA fan and have even been to a couple of their shows. This DVD however is poor, principally due to the very bad sound quality. I'm not sure what happened, but it seems to me that Morten cannot sing as he used to in the past. His voice is kind of weak in this show. I have been influenced by the several positive feed-backs I've read in Amazon, but now I regret. This is not a DVD that is worthwhile to have in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing! a-ha rocks!
Review: I have been an a-ha fan ever since they released their first single "take on me". I had collected all of the band's albums (had to import several of their albums). It is amazing to hear how the band had matured over the years and the diversity they attempted with their songs writing. This DVD is a great addition to my collection. I've never seen them in concert before, and I have to admit, Morten can sing in live situation. The concert wasn't flashy or fill with special effects; a-ha kept it simple, with great songs one after another. The extras on this DVD include some of their videos from their "minor earth major sky" album, and documentation of their seven years apart (which is very interesting). The only one complaint I had is that towards the end of the concert, the lighting became very blue-ish and it wasn't very comfortable to my eyes. Overall, this is a Great DVD to collect for all a-ha fans. Hopefully, they will come back to the united states' market.
Rating:
Summary: OK, if you're a hardcore fan
Review: I have never seen a-ha live, but I have heard and read rather negative opinions on this stage show.
And after watching this, it seems like most of those reviews were correct.
For the hardcore fan, they'll love this up. But the singing is rather perfunctory and at times, lackluster. The performances here just don't have the punch of the group's studio recordings.
Some groups sound just like their recordings when playing live, some sound GREAT and even better than their studio recordings, and still others sound WORSE than their albums.
Unfortunately, a-ha sound worse. Stick to their studio output and you'll be fine.
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL
Review: I was in 9th grade when a-ha toured in the U.S. and my parents would not let me go to the show. My dad said I could see them the next time they came. Well, they never did and now thanks to this DVD, I feel as if I finally got the chance to see them. The extra features are great too, but it's the concert that really is the hightlight of the DVD.
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