Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird The Movie / Tribute Tour

Rating:
Summary: It's about time!
Review: Finally, we get the beautiful movie on DVD. It's been out-of-print for years, for some stupid reason. This is raw, real, Lynyrd Skynyrd. It's as close as my generation will ever come to actually being there. It's one of the best movie I've ever seen. The music is perfect and really full of energy. I know nothing at this point about the DVD transfer, the quality of it, or why, instead of just calling it Free Bird the Movie, tribute tour is part of the title too. Perhaps, one of the tribute tours, I think there were two, is also on the DVD. Who cares about that, though? It's well worth your money just for Free Bird the movie.

Rating:
Summary: every Skynyrd fan should own this! Mostly live footage 1976
Review: Every Skynyrd fan should own this! Mostly live footage of 1976 concert where LS took second billing to the Rolling Stones. This video is one of the only ways to see Ronnie VanZant and the core players at the height of their career. VanZant along with others were killed in a plane crash in October of 1977. No gimmicks, No makeup, No bull, just straight forward American Rock at it's best. END

Rating:
Summary: Skynyrd In Their Prime
Review: Don't pay any attention to what Dickpounder Bill Sykes had to say about this dvd. He's probably just a disgruntled Molly Hatchet fan. If you are reading reviews of this dvd, then chances are that you know they are quite simply one of the greatest bands to ever grace this earth.
The original Lynyrd Skynyrd were nothing short of great. You can see every bit of that through their performance at Knebworth during Freebird The Movie. There is nothing I could say that could accurately convey just how great they were live. The only way for you to get the gist of what I'm saying is to get this dvd. All of the classic Skynyrd tunes are here as far as hits go. But the performance of them live is what really shines.
You also get the Tribute Tour video in this package. It is a decent chronicle of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Tribute Tour that ran from 1987 to 1988. Is it the original band?...nope...were they as good as the original band?...nope...were they as good as you could get at that time...you bet they were.
In the Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band, you had five original band members. That is the closest to original Lynyrd Skynyrd as you could get at that time, and a lot closer than you will get now when you go to see the band.
I think the Tribute Tour video was good musically and I liked the documentary footage as well. I would have liked to have had an entire concert released on video and a separate video with documentary footage and interviews.
All in all...I think this dvd is well worth it's cost. 3 hours of footage of one of the greatest bands ever.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Skynyrd Video
Review: FREEBIRD: THE MOVIE is the best Lynyrd Skynyrd video ever, because it's the only one to feature the original band. It intersperses the music from the soundtrack album, which I own and love, with interviews, on-plane footage, and several songs not on the soundtrack CD/cassette. Among the exceptional music here are the only recorded live versions of "What's Your Name" and "That Smell" by the Ronnie-fronted Skynyrd. This video is a must-own for any rock & roll fan.

Rating:
Summary: MUMMA ALWAYS SAID LIFE WAS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCKLATTS
Review: YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOO GONNA GET!!!!!!

Yes boys,

Mr. Young is putting you down again.

_____________________________________________________________

A 1 trick pony, written clearly when they were pissed off at Neil Young about some of his lyrics.
Perhaps someone should have pissed them off more often then they might have had more hits. That is if the good ole boys could remember to fill up the gas (!!!).
If it wasn't for the movie `Almost Famous' I would never have known they had a 2nd good song "Simple kind of man".
So that puts them up there alongside with KISS.
I thought this was going to be a goldmine like `The Allman Brothers Band'.
But unfortunately,
ABSOLUTELY NOT (!!!).
Two stars, 1 for each song.
However I do recognize that these are very special people.
And special people should always be encouraged!!!
So 1 star extra for being so special.................................


Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: This DVD is an absolute treasure. I'd pay a lot more than 12 bucks for the joy of seeing the original band performing 15 songs. Some of the audio/video quality and camera work are sub-par, but overall I was pleasantly surprised. I wish there was more footage available, but be thankful we at least have this. They were so talented, such a kick-ass band. It's mesmerizing, and for anyone who grew up in the 70's, it will get you choked up. The Tribute Tour stuff is worth watching too, as JVZ does a pretty respectable job honoring his brother, and it's nice to see Gary Rossington still rocking. But the real treat is obviously the first half of the disc, where we get to see the original Skynyrd in all their glory, for almost two hours. An essential piece of any concert DVD collection.

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't get better than this...
Review: I would have paid $100 for this DVD 10 or 20 years ago...the performances are classic. In addition you are allowed to see modern Skynyrd behind the scenes. I grew up thinking that these guys were larger than life, but when viewing them on screen humanizes them. The price is right and to see these guys in their vintage days and then see them today is a valuable opportunity.

Rating:
Summary: T for Texas
Review: It took me about ten years to lay my hands on a copy of Freebird The Movie, this DVD. And then -after listening to their music and playing it myself for so long- I saw the men in action for the first time...waw. One of the reviewers said it made him/her feel the simplicity of those days once again. And maybe that was what touched me deeply, and does even now after watching it so often. Though I have to admit, it took me a little time to get down to the speed of those days. It reminded me just how used I had gotten to all the glitter and glamour of modern performances. It just ain't there. Here are a couple of guys playing great music. No jumpin' up and down, no 100 dancers on stage, no million dollar show, no b...t that takes your attention of what music is about: a piece of your soul.

Rating:
Summary: Skynyrd at their best
Review: This DVD is awesome. If you don't like this DVD you are not a true Lynyrd Skynyrd fan. I've listened to a lot of Skynyrd and, while I love it all, Freebird The Movie soundtrack is my favorite. I was too young to get to see Skynyrd in concert before the crash that ended their promising future, so when this DVD came out and I was able to watch as they masterfully performed some of their greatest hits I was thrilled. It was everything that I could have hoped to see and hear. This DVD allows you to see much of the Skynyrd of old and also a lot about the reunion Tribute Tour. Though I have to say it made me sad to see Allen Collins in the condition he was in after the car crash that left him partly paralyzed. All that talent never to be used again. To sum it up, this DVD leaves you wanting more.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Skynyrd Performance
Review: This DVD is great! I'm so glad to have video footage of the great Ronnie Van Zant singing his classic songs with Lynyrd Skynyrd. It's great to see interviews with the band members between songs. The Tribute Tour half was pretty good as well, my only complaint was that they didn't do it like Freebird (show full songs and interviews in-between). I could watch this DVD every day. My only complaints are:
1-The one I already mentioned about the Tribute Tour
2-They were lazy dividing the film into chapters; 15 songs, 5 chapters?
3-The title "Freebird: The Movie" is misleading. This is not a movie.
Other than those cons (which don't bother me that much), this DVD is excellent. If you don't own it, buy it! It's the only DVD I know of where you can watch the great Ronnie Van Zant and the pre-crash lineup at their peak.
Oh, and I just have one more small complaint, or request: during some of the interview dialogue, we see footage from OTHER Skynyrd concerts. If the footage of these concerts also exists, they need to release those ones as well!
Fly on, free birds!