Utopia - Live in Boston 1982

Rating:
Summary: How bad can it get?
Review: I'm sorry - I love Todd and Utopia and have had the distinct pleasure of seeing them live many times in the 70's/80s. And the collection of songs here is good - not great - but decent enough. BUT - the DVD sounds as though it was mixed by big bird! One moment, all that can be heard is vocals then too much drum then too much (fill in the blank) but wait ! Todd is about to solo! I can't hear it THEN it's all I can hear. You get the point - I was extremely disappointed at dropping the $18 for this clunker of a dvd. BUMMER!

Rating:
Summary: It's An Improvement over "Utopia Live In Columbus Ohio 1980.
Review: Like the other reviewers here, I saw the cover of this & was attracted by the fact that this was obviously the same tour that "An Evening With Utopia" was taken from. But I knew that it was NOT the same show (that show was recorded in Cleveland.) But I picked it up anyway in hopes that it was comparable.

As I said, it's an improvement over their "Columbus" show in both video quality & sound. And the set list is impressive again, with alot taking from the "Utopia" album that they were supporting. Personal faves are "Princess of the Universe" and "Say Yeah." Also represented are standouts from earlier albums, notably "Swing To The Right," "Road To Utopia," and "Caravan."

Bottom line is, it's a great package for the die-hard fan, and a decent intro for the casual observer. But this is not the definitive Utopia DVD yet. Hopefully, someone will get the hint & release a wonderfully remastered version of "An Evening With ..." on DVD in the near future. But until then, this disk will whet your apetite

Rating:
Summary: Raw & Unpolished, High-energy, Utopia in Fine Form
Review: Ok, the video quailty isn't upto snuff compared with "An Evening with Utopia", but it doesn't suck either. The sound quailty/mix starts off a little rough but does improve, and again, doesn't suck - we've all seen & heard what sucks and this is a far cry from being that bad.

Three songs NOT on here that are on "An Evening with..." are Love Alone, The Very Last Time, & Love is the Answer, BUT you get about five additional songs on here that aren't on "An Evening with..." including Forgotten but not Gone, There goes my Inspiration, and several others of that caliber.

If you're into Uptopia, get this - you will not be dissappointed. The performances are solid & passinate - all the boys are on the top of their game for the most part - vocals, harmonies, & instruments - it's clear, this is vintage Utopia. If you've only heard about Utopia, or are only some-what familiar with them, no single video or concert performance will do justice in covering the range this band delivered over the course of their career (that's one of the things that makes them so great) - but this is certainly a great start and should catch your interest to see & hear more of them from other time periods.

Also included on this DVD are four seperate interviews with each of the band members. Provides interesting back-info and behind-the-scenes info...

Yeah, it might of been cool to get both performances (this one and An Evening with...) on a single DVD, it might have been redundant too, but those of us who know & follow Utopia, know that's not a bad thing - Every one of their performances is a different roller-coaster ride to be appreciated for what it has to offer...

Rating:
Summary: Dress Rehearsal
Review: Try to find the more polished An Evening With Utopia first. I thought this was the same concert with additional songs edited from that release (ALL of which I would have left on there--they cut "There Goes My Inspiration," "Forgotten But Not Gone," Hammer In My Heart"?!).

I was pleasantly surprised to find I hadn't merely duplicated my VHS collection. My impression is that this was an early club show before the proper touring of the brilliant pop album "Utopia," hence the technical gaffes by the soundman at the show and band missteps, including Todd's lapse of lyrical memory at one point. Apart from the sound board mishaps, the DVD sound quality is crisp.

While An Evening With Utopia is superior technically(and good luck finding it), this DVD is indespensible for Utopia fans, especially those who came to love the band during this power-pop phase.