Rating: 
Summary: A few technical flaws, but worth every cent!
Review: I picked up this eagerly-awaited DVD up at a recent Dixie Dregs show. I'm a huge Steve Morse fan and I've been drooling at the prospect of getting this DVD since it was announced last fall. The DVD contains nearly 4 hours of material, including a full Dregs concert, A Steve Morse solo show, and a 65-minute interview with Steve as he explains everything from his earliest influences, his guitar set-up, techniques, and more. This DVD is a treasure for anyone who's remotely interested in Steve Morse/Dregs music or just plain fabulous musicianship. However, the production in parts is not quite up to par with many other concert DVDs that are being released today. A previous reviewer commented only on the Dregs portion of the disc. It is a very good show, but unfortunately it was not shot by a very professional crew, which makes the experience less satisfying than it could be. Some of the camera operators have no idea how to properly frame a shot, and the video editing leaves much to be desired. There are times when you should be focused on someone doing a blistering solo, and the shot cuts away to someone else doing nothing particularly interesting and stays there way too long. Regarding the sound mix, overall it is a pretty good DD 5.1 mix (not "appalling"). The only real problem is that the delay/reverb channel of the guitar rig is mixed too loud, so that when Steve kicks it in, it is obvious and distracting. Overall though, it's great show and not to be dismissed for it's few technical flaws. The Steve Morse solo show on the other hand was shot professionally for Japanese TV, and it is excellent. He is joined later in the show by Dave LaRue and T Lavitz. The focus is more on acoustic music, but Steve still does a good amount of electric playing as well, and the playing is of course phenomenal. This show alone is worth the price of the DVD! The disc is rounded out with various interviews with Steve and Deep Purple members, a clip of Steve's solo spot from the Australia 1999 Deep Purple show, the aforementioned 65 minute interview/clinic (very interesting and informative) , a video for "Cruise Missile", and numerous photo galleries. I HEARTILY recommend any fan of Steve Morse or just incredible musicianship to purchase this DVD without hesitation! The few flaws are far outweighed by the plethora of incredible content presented here. Worth every cent!
Rating: 
Summary: Not what it should have been...
Review: I saw Steve give a seminar here in town in the late 80's. Although I'd never seen him perform live, I did go into the building fully aware of his talent. A new, first-hand impression that I left with was his almost hyper-sensitivity to quality and details. At one point, I remember him showing a slight degree of agitation, in front of us, towards the local sound guy's lack of knowledge regarding his set up and what should have been done before his talk with us - things that to me, as an amateur, seemed completely foreign. He stayed cool nonetheless. That's how he is, and we all know that. But a respectable, higher degree of professionalism and expectation than I'd not really seen before from another musician. He very clearly knew what he wanted. I sat through this seminar, almost entirely in awe. I've heard all of the music. I've read all of the interviews and the clinics in the magazines. I know something of his biography, and ultimately consider myself a big fan. Why Steve would put his name on this product and let it be put on the market is curious, to say the least. In a nutshell, for me anyway, it comes down to the sound on the Dregs portion of the DVD. In fact, it was sort of hard to get past that. The camera work and all of the other things that are mentioned in these reviews are valid points, but the sound in that one portion made me consider sending it back for a refund. And then there is that blurb in the back that sort of forewarns you that the weak quality on the Dregs sound is meant to give you that sense of a true live show. Ridiculous! Whoever determined what the "desired effect" should be certainly fell short. I actually think it serves as a rationalization for the weak result more than anything else. And if we need the better DVD equipment that the other reviewer mentions, they should forewarn us of that as well. Everyone should have access to his work, regardless of the equipment they own. What you hear are drums and bass. You'd be wise to have a good understanding of what these songs sound like before you see it, because you are going to need to use your imagination to fill in all of that dead space you come across in order to complete the picture for yourself. In the end, I say three stars simply because it's Steve. If there were zero volume on this thing, and only footage of Jerry playing the fiddle, I'd probably still buy it simply because it's all about Steve. I also feel like I need to support the brother whenever I can because of the way he's stuck to his principles all of these years (with only a couple rare exceptions, like this one, for example). I'm eagerly looking forward to something better in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Not what it should have been...
Review: I saw Steve give a seminar here in town in the late 80's. Although I'd never seen him perform live, I did go into the building fully aware of his talent. A new, first-hand impression that I left with was his almost hyper-sensitivity to quality and details. At one point, I remember him showing a slight degree of agitation, in front of us, towards the local sound guy's lack of knowledge regarding his set up and what should have been done before his talk with us - things that to me, as an amateur, seemed completely foreign. He stayed cool nonetheless. That's how he is, and we all know that. But a respectable, higher degree of professionalism and expectation than I'd not really seen before from another musician. He very clearly knew what he wanted. I sat through this seminar, almost entirely in awe. I've heard all of the music. I've read all of the interviews and the clinics in the magazines. I know something of his biography, and ultimately consider myself a big fan. Why Steve would put his name on this product and let it be put on the market is curious, to say the least. In a nutshell, for me anyway, it comes down to the sound on the Dregs portion of the DVD. In fact, it was sort of hard to get past that. The camera work and all of the other things that are mentioned in these reviews are valid points, but the sound in that one portion made me consider sending it back for a refund. And then there is that blurb in the back that sort of forewarns you that the weak quality on the Dregs sound is meant to give you that sense of a true live show. Ridiculous! Whoever determined what the "desired effect" should be certainly fell short. I actually think it serves as a rationalization for the weak result more than anything else. And if we need the better DVD equipment that the other reviewer mentions, they should forewarn us of that as well. Everyone should have access to his work, regardless of the equipment they own. What you hear are drums and bass. You'd be wise to have a good understanding of what these songs sound like before you see it, because you are going to need to use your imagination to fill in all of that dead space you come across in order to complete the picture for yourself. In the end, I say three stars simply because it's Steve. If there were zero volume on this thing, and only footage of Jerry playing the fiddle, I'd probably still buy it simply because it's all about Steve. I also feel like I need to support the brother whenever I can because of the way he's stuck to his principles all of these years (with only a couple rare exceptions, like this one, for example). I'm eagerly looking forward to something better in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Amateur Video Hour-ARGH!!
Review: I was greatly looking forward to this DVD release, being a recent fan of both Steve Morse and the Dixie Dregs. I was very disappointed with the Dregs concert on this disc. It looks like it was shot by 3 amateurs with camcorders. For instance, there are some shots of Steve where he is moving while playing the guitar, and he'll move completely out of the picture, and the camera doesn't move! Also the picture itself is of lower quality compared to some recent video releases, like Satriani's live one, where the video quality is spectacular. The venue has something to do with this, Todd's Place in New Haven is not exactly the greatest place to film a concert. But still, it all boils down to the filming, which is simply not good (jeez, the zeppelin concert DVD from 1970 has a far better picture). The sound mix was a little harsh, but acceptable. I can't understand why Steve would release this, the Dregs are great but the film is sub-par. The good news is that the Morse solo concert on this disc is tremendous. It is filmed professionally, and the intimate performance is wonderful. Well worth watching again and again. Good job including this performance; its a real treat. Also, the interviews with Steve and Deep Purple are worthwhile and enjoyable. All in all, while Steve and the Dregs are great, this release could have been so much better, the film quality of the Dregs show is actually annoying at times. But, oh, the solo show is so good!!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing
Review: I've been a diehard Steve Morse fan since the early 80's, and was well aware of his incredible talent. Although I never had the opportunity to see him live, this DVD is the next best thing. My jaw was on the floor for hours while watching it. The songs combine a number of styles and ideas but are put together with perfection, and executed with perfection. Not only is Steve one of the best players I've ever heard but the musicians that he surrounds himself are of the same caliber. I highly recommend this DVD. You will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Insultingly poor mix.
Review: Steve Morse is a great guitarist, with oodles of technique and musicianship, and great skills in composition. I have admired his playing for many years, and was looking out for a Steve Morse DVD for a long time. Imagine my disappointment when I got this DVD and discovered that he is almost absent from the Dixie Dregs concert (in both 2.0 or 5.1 sound patterns). The mix is annoyingly drum and violin heavy, and Steve Morse's guitar is all but absent. On the few occasions you can actually hear him, his guitar is swamped with reverb, with the main signal completely absent. Whoever mixed this has a lot of answering to do! Perhaps some complaints to the manufacturers will get the problem rectified.
Rating:
Summary: You almost feel it is YOUR fault !
Review: The coments about the need for high quality equipment is, I am afraid, total rubbish ... the sound on this DVD IS very poor. I would LOVE to blame my equipment, my copy of the DVD ... anything but have to try to explain why Steve Morse, or those about him, put out such a poor product. As others have said, the "semi unplugged" section is 'night and day' compared to the Dregs. For the first two numbers of that concert, I can hardly hear Steve at all, and for the rest of the concert, Jerry scratching away dominates everything. Alan ( no relation ) must have had a case on in ER, but I really wish he hadn't ! I have meddled with my set-up in every way possible, because it CAN'T be Steve putting out a poor product ... it just CAN'T !! I have come to the conclusion, with a sad heart, that it is ... I have never seen him ( Not a great "Purple" fan ) and boy was I looking forward to this release, so it is even more painful because of that. The best bit is the interview with Steve ... if you need ANY reassurance of what a great bloke he is, that section was all it took.
Rating:
Summary: Amateur Production - Sorry b/c I love Morse
Review: The Dregs portion of the show looks like it was shot on a old camcorder and the stereo sound is horrific. All Jerry Goodman NO MORSE!!!! Would you like to buy an Eric Clapton DVD and hear everything BUT guitar? I didn't think so and this is the same thing. One guy claims it sounds great if you have a state-of-the-art 5.1 surround sound. I just have a Bose stereo system and it sounds like dirt. Every other DVD I own sounds like butter so explain this to me. Huge dissappointment on my part. Sorry, b/c I LOVE Steve Morse but I can't watch this disgrace.
Rating: 
Summary: Please release another Dregs performance!
Review: The mix on this one is unbelievably bad. I have DVDs from the 1960s that have a MUCH better audio mix. WHY did Steve release this with such poor audio??? Is this how he wants the Dregs to be preserved on their only DVD? Are there any older videos in the vaults somewhere?
Rating: 
Summary: A must have for all Steve Morse Fans
Review: This brings back memories. The Dixie Dregs is one of the all time greatest artist to come out of the south. And Steve Morse sounds a good as ever. I'll have to admit the Video and audio could be improved on, but if your a Dregs fan the thrill will out way the imperfections. The band doesn't miss a lick. I remember seeing the Dregs perform these tune when they were first released and its like being there all over again. Sure Allen Sloan, and Andy West are not part of the band for this DVD. But Jerry Goodman and Dave LaRue fill in those shoes nicely. If you were a Dixie Dregs fan in the past or a Steve Morse fan now. You can't pass this up. It is awesome, as you would expect.
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