Rating: 
Summary: great live pmg in cali
Review: i thought for the most part, that the quality was pretty good. my only complaint (and this would be for the other pmg dvds as well) is that the full gig is not included, nor is it in sequential order. i think that this for sure could have been achieved, since the pmg was in saratoga for at least 3 shows (i was at one of them) live versions of 'are you going with me,' 'song for bilbao,' and 'have you heard' i think, should have been included. still, i'm not disappointed overall. i totally dig the versions of 'the roots of coincidence'.
Rating: 
Summary: Imaginary Day concert at VILLA MONTOLVO
Review: I was fortunate to have been at two of the three
nights they were filming this DVD at Villa Montolvo
in Saratoga,California.In as much as the performence pales in comparison
to a "LIVE" Pat Metheny Group concert the DVD still
does a wonderful job of capturing the essence of what
this band it about.A no frills kind of group that is
and always has been about the "MUSIC".If you want to
take a nice long "TRIP" go see them "LIVE" you will never
ever forget the experience.Thanks Steve Rodby and band for your
hard work and efforts on this DVD project.Can't hardly
wait to see you again in November.
Best
BOB C.
Rating: 
Summary: Is this a Pat Metheny video?
Review: I'll make it simple. This great music deserves a far better video production.
Steve Rodby: please stay with what you know how to do best!
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome Audio, Awful Video
Review: I've had this DVD of Imaginary Day for some time now, and since I've had it and watched it a few times I really don't like to look at the visuals anymore...The whole thing visually plays like an early-80's rock video. It kills me to think that Steve Rodby, PMG's bassist/producer, who has been in the band for 16 years at the time the film was shot would make decisions like that. It seems to me like he took the raw film and ran it through his computer and said, "Hey, I just picked up this cool video editing program and it lets you do all these neat special effects! Let's see what I can do with it..." All that's missing in the video is a cheesy star wipe. To some this might not be such a bad thing, but a lot of people (like myself) are just totally in awe of Pat's guitar technique. When we're watching him blaze through a solo like it was the easiest thing in the world, and for some reason the video switches to a camera shot behind Pat's back shown at 12 fps it's extremely frustrating. Thank goodness the effects (mostly) take a break for the ballads, otherwise I don't know what I'd do. Those effects might be plausible for an in-studio session, but I like my live DVD's to give me the "you are there watching it all happen" illusion. Now, the sound, however, is nothing short of astonishing. I would go so far as to say that the reproduction of sound was as faithful as it could possibly be, which is a vast improvment from the "We Live Here" DVD (which was by no means bad, but the sound was a little thin at times). If you were looking for a great concert VIDEO you may be disappointed, but the sound may be enough to justify purchansing this DVD if the Group is your cup of tea.
Rating:
Summary: Good Live Performance
Review: Imaginary Day album is very interesting (and good) simply because PMG uses lots of different sounds/instruments. It's just neat to see how they play these different instruments, etc. I recommend this DVD if you like the music album. It is always interesting to actually "see" them play. I put 4 stars because this performance is recorded outside on a concert in CA. Some of the camera shots aren't good but this is just a minor thing to me. The sound quality is still good + pictures are clear and that's enough to make me happy.
Rating:
Summary: Superior Performance, Excellent Sound, Adequate Video
Review: Imaginary Day captures this edition of the PMG at the height of its powers, playing what I consider their strongest-ever material flawlessly and with complete confidence. The audio is first-rate, very well mixed for surround and sounding terrific in DTS. Bassist Steve Rodby also directed and edited the video, and he really needs to learn some restraint. There are far too many excursions into various distracting effects, playing with screen layout, color, frame-rate and other self-indulgent experiments that are just annoying. I deduct one star for this. The reviewer who complained about there being only one picture per song may possibly have ordered the DVD-Audio version of "Imaginary Day," rather than this DVD Video.
Rating:
Summary: Great concert...so so vodeo
Review: Its always a treat to hear PMG and this DVD performance does not disappoint. An amazing performance. This is as good a performance I have ever seen or heard from them. What is really kinda "sophmoric" about the DVD is the video production. The directing and editing are really poor and heavy handed. Steve Rodby (bassist for PMG) is behind the cretive on the DVD. He's an amazing bassist and musician, but as a video producer, director and editor he leaves something to be desired. Visual effects and clever edits are way over used. Even the interview with PAT is so over-produced its a bit embarrasing. Overall, you couldn't keep me from recommending ths DVD performance based on the level of musicianship and compositions. Its excellent. PMG is and always will be one of the most creative and inspiring group of musicians around. Go out and BUY IT! (Just don't expect a really cool video presentation.) :)
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Guitarist on a DVD with Brilliant Live Sound
Review: Not a new release [2001], but having bought it last week I just have to share what I find to be an excellent, outstanding DVD (video and audio) of a concert given by the Pat Metheny Group at a small ampitheater in the Calfornia wine country. If you aren't familiar with Pat Metheny, he is a most accomplished jazz/rock fusion guitarist, having won 14 Grammy awards in his career. "Imaginary Day" won a Grammy, a song on this CD won another Grammy, and a second song was nominated for yet another. Pat Metheny has won an unprecedented 7 Grammys for 7 consecutive album releases. The most stunning thing about this DVD is the *sound.* It takes advantage of the Dolby/DTS 5.1 soundstage to deliver this incredibly clean, rich sound that is full of life and energy. If you want to demo your home theater system to show its music capabilities, pop in "Imaginary Day" and play "Follow Me," an optimistic toe-tapping pop-jazz number that soars and glides and builds to a great finish. The range of styles and the range of types of guitars that Pat plays is amazing. The first cut, "Into The Dream," is an acoustic solo with Pat playing a 3-headed 40-string 'guitar.' "Minuano (Six Eight)" blends pop-jazz with Brazilian vocal stylings that build and build into a controlled fury. Despite PM's fast guitar playing each note is played cleanly and with astonishing purity; the band does get loud but never overextended. "The Roots of Coincidence" really rocks, in which PM plays over an edgy bass/rhythm guitar line that is reminiscent of Nirvana and The Cure. The drumming of Paul Wertico and the keyboards of Lyle Mays really shine along with PM. The whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts. The one drawback to this DVD is the video. While it filled my 16:9 widescreen monitor without a hitch, the film transfer can be somewhat grainy at times, particularly on night shots. It looks like they pushed the film. The video production is so-so -- there are a couple of moments when you wish the producer would stop fiddling with the video effects. Despite the mediocre video, the stunningly rich 5.1 audio and absolutely top-notch playing of the Pat Metheny Group makes the DVD a very enjoyable experience if you like jazz-rock fusion. If you have a 5-speaker plus subwoofer DTS-capable system, this DVD really is a must listen.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic way to see how the Group works visually
Review: Pat Metheny Group at their best, and caught on DVD! wow, what a show. its awesome to see just how they make all their sounds and this will demand your attention right away. They pick incredible selections and personally, i love "follow me" "across the sky" "heat of the day" and "roots of cooincidence". the light display adds so much to the music, it's amazing. i love this dvd, it's always playing at my house. you should get it...get it
Rating: 
Summary: I won't buy it!
Review: Reading along other reviews i decided not to buy this DVD. Afterall, this is why review ratings were invented... I love PM, i am a jazz guitarist myself, but today i can't be satisfied with a production that has "only" good music and not high audio-video quality as well. For that i don't need a DVD, i can buy a CD and turn back i the 80s. It is soooo frustrating to have a +20000$ AV gear, to spend some 1000 bucks for a bunch of cables, and then have nothing to listen/look too because MOST of the recordings are worst than the regular tv broadcasts.
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