Rating: 
Summary: Why Does Inez Insist On Playing With 50-Year-Old PMSers?????
Review:
Where Mike Inez once, and not THAT long ago, mind you, played bass behind Jerry Cantrell's furiously searing, heat-seeking guitar shredding, and was a witness to Layne Staley's predominant vocal mastery-he now backs up two menopausal sisters (one fat, the other thin) in a boringly obsolete, throwback band to accursed 70's and early 80's hair metal???? WTF???? For those Heart zealots, Mike Inez is their shabby group's-where the backup members aren't even included as part of the band-bass player, but I'm wholly willing to bet my life that fierce Heart fanatics exclusively care only about Nancy and Ann. If this is the tragic case, you should stand to be educated about how Inez, and quite recently, was a 1/4 of the most superlative band that ever existed: Alice In Chains!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: This is AWESOME!!
Review: (ok, first of all, I thought I would say that I was NOT at the concert) WOW!! I LOVE this DVD. Every time I watch it I want to sing like Ann and play guitar like Nancy. These sisters totally rock. My favorite performances were Barracuda, Crazy On You, Sister Wild Rose, and Witch. I think it was a GREAT concert! Rock on, Ann and Nancy!
Rating:
Summary: They're back....
Review: ....And better than ever!
I loved Heart's first few albums. I never saw them live or even on TV until MTV came along in the '80s. Thus early on, I knew very little about this band. I did not know for instance that Nancy Wilson could sing, or that both sisters could play a wide variety of instruments. I only knew I loved their music. Then the 80s came and I saw Heart for the first time on a music video of theirs. I was horrified. HUGE hair, ultra-make-up, over-the-top vixen-like creatures, and music polished to the point of no longer having character. This image alone caused me to lose all interest. I no longer took them seriously. I felt betrayed. I dismissed every song they came out with after that out-of-hand, without even giving them a chance.
Twenty years pass. I watch this DVD for the first time, and I practically weep with joy that the 'real' Wilson sisters are back. They look like human beings, and can still sing like angels. I was totally floored. Songs I had previously dismissed as '80s schlock ("These Dreams" and "Alone") are so brilliantly re-done here, that I simply cannot believe the transformation. Oh, it's nothing radical; the songs are structured basically the same, but they sound so much more human when all of the polish has been stripped away. Don't get me wrong. There's still polish on these songs, and for a live DVD, it sounds fantastic. But the original studio recordings had way too much...processing I guess...done to them. Now, watching this DVD, you will hear these songs the way I believe they sound best. I now suddenly finding myself thinking these are great songs!
Speaking of which, there is not a bad track in this concert. I enjoyed every one, and both Ann and Nancy blew me away with their vocals especially. Photography and lighting are excellent. I notice this ad states 'full-screen format', but to me it looks like kind of a mild letterbox thing going on, with a bit of a black bar on the top and bottom of the screen. Which is good as far as I'm concerned (for those who don't yet know, when a movie is filmed for a wide movie screen, it is meant to be seen that way; on a wide screen. Television sets do not have a wide screen (in relation to its height), so to accomodate the TV crowd, lots of movies just get the sides cut off a bit so they will fit properly, thus you don't see the entire picture the way it was originally filmed. With letterbox, you get that narrow picture, but you also are seeing the ENTIRE width of it too).
It's not full letterbox, where you get a really narrow picture, but just a bit narrower than true full-screen. The whole concert looks excellent, sounds excellent on my stereo system, and most importantly to me, it revived my interest in this group. I guess it's time to buy some CDs.
Rating:
Summary: 4.75 STARS.....
Review: ANN WILSON HAS THE BEST FEMALE ROCK VOCALS BAR NONE. SHE DOES SOME ZEP AND WITH THE BANDS ABILITY TO ROCK WITH HER ON THE ZEP TUNES IT'S ALMOST AS IF JIMMY PAGE AND ROBERT PLANT WERE PLAYING AND SINGING ALONG - WELL ALMOST. I WATCHED THIS ON SATTELITE HDNET IN HIGH DEFINITION AND THE AUDIO AND VIDEO WERE EXCELLENT. ALTHOUGH I NOTICED A LACK OF .1 EMPHASIS-(4.75 STARS). IT SAYS THIS DVD IS WIDESCREEN PLUS DD/DTS. I KNOW THE VIDEO WON'T BE 1080i BECAUSE DVD IS 480P BUT HAPPY TO HEAR IT IS IN A WIDESCREEN FORMAT. I AM HOPING THE AUDIO WITH THE DTS MIX WILL BE A BIT BETTER THAN THE DD SATTELITE AUDIO. MY GIRLFIEND LOVED IT SO I GUESS IT WILL BE A STOCKING STUFFER FOR HER. THIS IS A VERY GOOD CONCERT EXCEPT FOR A FEW IDIOTS IN THE AUDIENCE WHO FEEL COMPELLED TO SCREAM, YELL AND OR WHISTLE FROM TIME TO TIME.... IT CAN BE BOUGHT LOCALLY FOR LESS THAN $20 AT CCITY AND BBUY...
Rating:
Summary: Great show from the Wilsons and Heart
Review: Browsing the reviews I can't help but be amazed at the polarized opinions regarding this great show. What is it that causes people to feel negatively about this pearl? Recorded in their hometown of Seattle in 2002 in an intimate theater setting, Ann and Nancy Wilson lead their new Heart band through classics from Heart Phase 1 (74-82), Phase 2 (85-92) and some new material as well. The sound is excellent, the stage tastefully lit in the classic Heart pinks, blues and purples, the band is tight, and the Wilsons are in top form- they have aged very gracefully indeed for 50-something ladies! The music touched me deep into my emotions. It is especially the urgent vocals of Ann that transport you somewhere special. The new material sounds fine.
Heart came out of the Great Northwest in the early 70s aping Zeppelin (one of their idols; they do a Zep tune in the show as well an Elton John) but they were always more than a cover band. Touching on hard rock, folk, progressive and other stiles, they developed an original sound based around Ann Wilson's amazing vocals and Nancy's Page-esque arranging and bandleading talents. In fact, you will see some of her Page-like moves in this DVD. Good songwriting as well contributed to their initial fame and they lead the rocknroll lifestyle to the hilt in a male-dominated world. After losing their initial fame in the early 80s, they regrouped in 1985 with the help of songsmiths such as Diane Warren and Desmond Child and jumped on the MTV/hair metal bandwagon. Ironically they would become more famous this time around then their initial run, similar in some ways to what happened to Aerosmith. But as anyone who has seen the VH-1 docs, Ann especially had trouble keeping up with the speed of MTV-fueled fame that would burn out a 20 year old, never mind a woman in her mid to late 30s. Drugs, stress and over-eating caused her to have a breakdown. So she got fat, so what? She still has some of those extra pounds on her in the show but in my personal opinion she looks happy, healthy, and doesn't mind shaking it, even if it can occasionally conjure up images of latter-day Elvis. The bottom line is, the Wilson sisters and Heart still rock, and roll, and sound sublime. If you love Heart or just some good music, get this DVD. Period.
Rating: 
Summary: Sounds Dated, Filmed Badly, Song Selection Horrible
Review: First off this video was filmed in a such a way that it looks like it was stretched out vertically. Looking at Ann's head looking that huge was nightmarish enough.
The song selection is lackluster, several of the re-arranged classics sound tired and boring. I almost nodded off listenig to the acoustic version of Alone. This version was cool for the one off Acoustic Live album they did but hearing it this way every time is boring, they sound bored singing it. The sound is reminicent of 70's Southern Rock and doesn't inspire any creative thought. The only song that sounds like they experimented was the song "Break The Rock" which would have been cool in the early 90's with it's robotic rapper. The previous poster is right, I had to actully turn the bass off on my surround system because the sound recording of this is much too boomy and drowns out all the instrumentation. My suggestion to the band...either get a day job now or create something new, rehashing the 70's sound will not grab up new followers.
Rating:
Summary: Heart......Wilson sisters still rock
Review: For all you fellow musicians,long time heart fans, or enjoyers
of quality music, plain & simple the girls are still rocking on.
Very entertaining show full of energy,quality musicians,& as far as Ann's voice 'WOW' still got it ,maybe even better , like a good wine better with time , rich, vibrant, & POWERFUL! Well known favorites like, Crazy on you, Dog & Butterfly & Dreamboat Annie are lovely. Mistral Winds, Battle of evermore,Two faces of Eve, Black Dog , etc. will rock your socks off. Ann sings the Led Zeppelin covers with such a fire inside just mesmerizing!Ann's rhythm guitar on Battle of Evermore is fabulous & flute shines also. Nancy's harmonies are crystal clear & clean & sharp, really adds alot vocally.Watching all the instruments being used by Nancy is truly awesome,what an amazing assortment of guitars, & that Mandolin is just gorgeous, sounds pretty amazing too.The band is nice & tight , rhythm section is the best! really anchoring the whole show !!! Keyboards add So Much, fantastic, & the guitarist Scott Olsen, does Howard Leese proud. It's obvious this 'Heart' band works very well together , making a fabulous DVD,Numerous high points so just get the DVD yourself & sit back & enjoy , or play along like I did . A Heart fan's must have !
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Reason to Buy that Big-Screen Surround Sound TV
Review: For me, Heart was a four-album band (Dreamboat Annie/Little Queen/Magazine/Dog & Butterfly). After that, they evolved to a hair band singing power ballads. I accept the fact that acts must evolve to remain on top, but I lost interest. This performance captures my interest, again. It is a solid offering where the music is the focus. The fact that there is some new material is a plus. Most bands that have been around as long as Heart (aka the Wilson sisters, I realize the rest of the band has changed over time) can't do that and some that try to write new material shouldn't. This is not a nostalgia act, although they don't deny fans the chance to hear something familiar. They also still have their chops -- the musicianship is there, the playing is solid and Ann still has her voice. A must-have for Heart fans and a worthy addition for fans of straight-ahead rock-and-roll. Between this and the new Led Zepplin DVD I have to give serious consideration to a surround sound TV. Who knows, I might have given this a 5-star, if I had watched it on a better system.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Reason to Buy that Big-Screen Surround Sound TV
Review: For me, Heart was a four-album band (Dreamboat Annie/Little Queen/Magazine/Dog & Butterfly). After that, they evolved to a hair band singing power ballads. I accept the fact that acts must evolve to remain on top, but I lost interest. This performance captures my interest, again. It is a solid offering where the music is the focus. The fact that there is some new material is a plus. Most bands that have been around as long as Heart (aka the Wilson sisters, I realize the rest of the band has changed over time) can't do that and some that try to write new material shouldn't. This is not a nostalgia act, although they don't deny fans the chance to hear something familiar. They also still have their chops -- the musicianship is there, the playing is solid and Ann still has her voice. A must-have for Heart fans and a worthy addition for fans of straight-ahead rock-and-roll. Between this and the new Led Zepplin DVD I have to give serious consideration to a surround sound TV. Who knows, I might have given this a 5-star, if I had watched it on a better system.
Rating:
Summary: They're Back!
Review: Friends, Amazonians & Heartmongers: I have been a Heart fan for 15 years now.
And disappointed though I was with Heart's early 90's Brigade/Rock the House/Road Home releases (though Desire Walks On yielded a few gems), this dvd reconfirmed my belief in the band again! (Apparently Ann has gone through extensive weight loss, of which this dvd has caught the beginning.
I've seen her recently, and she's looking pretty fine!) However, it does seem to be true that Ann's voice sounds a bit more mezzo-soprano than the 1st soprano of her 70's hey-day, but she can still belt out those songs with the same soul power! Her voice even has a husky resonance that didn't always carry on her schreechier 70s recordings, though I love those too! (I welcome anyone to try and coax Robert Plant anywhere near the high notes in this recording of Black Dog! NOT!
For even in LZ's Song Remains the Same-76, one can find him cheating on Black Dog's ENTIRE MELODY LINE!) Nance is still the harmonious sister that we all know and love, and to be honest with you, this incarnation of the band KICKS in a way that the 80's line up NEVER did! When I saw them perform a year or so ago at the Fleet Pavilion, they opened with "Kick it Out". Though this song was never a Heart favorite of mine, the guitars moved it into me! Later they broke out "Even it Up" into a crunchier form, at the end of which, Ann sang a high B with ease; a note I haven't heard her sing since 1985's What About Love. (For those of you who don't know music theory, this is the high note in W.A.L.'s screaming ending, and the same note she sang on Cook with Fire's last E-chord. Yes, her almighty U.F.O. blues-run!) I was delighted! Luckily, this rocking guitar sound was captured on this dvd, as well as the Wilson's sisters underrated sense of humor! But wait. There's more!
Alive In Seattle showcases a few NEW ROCKERS like "Sister Wild Rose" and the "Faces of Eve", both of which quickly became personal favorites of mine. Unfortunately, these tunes bring me upon the one issue I have with this DVD; the song selection. Heart threw in a few too many folky ballads that seemed to kill the rhythm of the fest! (I mean if the Wilsons felt the compulsion to satiate a folk craving, what about "Nada One" or "Just the Wine"? Both songs are both dreamy, AND tasty!) So in the end, I am forced to give this dvd 4 stars instead of five. All in all, Alive in Seattle is a great update on Heart today, and a good way to collect some new tunes that may not appear on "Jupiter's Darling". I also recommend this DVD over their 90's live work. Heart is back on track!
|
