Dion Live

Rating:
Summary: Still Overlooked & Gets Little Respect
Review: Dion DiMucci is more than the sum of his parts. Doo Wop icon, the day the music died legend (Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper airplane crash), drug abuse,re invented Catholic/gospel artist,father, husband to Susan and now grandfather, author, musician and street poet.....yet somehow Dion still seems to be "left out" from a wider auidence.

Amazingly talented at 65 years old, he performs with a smartness that is missing from so many other veteran performers. I own and listen often to all his music and the Doo wop era aside, he has produced first rate albums that get critical acclaim but little
notoriety. "Yo Frankie" for starters.

This tape suffers (from my viewpoint) some of the same treatment.

1. It wasn't long enough to showcase this seminal R & R talent.

2. The Tropicana front row was not sold out. I've seen him live and he has the best audience rapport imaginable.A less than sold out show was inexcusable.

3. A bigger band would have been a bit better. Bass player on stage noticably absent. Sax man Colton (a Dion mainstay)looked silly but blows some serious horn as would be required by Dion who loves the sound of horns.

4. "Written on the Subway Wall" with a guest "walk on" by Paul Simon should hae been performed.

5. Back up singing cameos by Lou Reed and the Everly Brothers would have topped a "live Dion." Saw him once with the Everly's
and the show was a "stopper." My guess is no one asked Don and Phil who would have obliged in an instant.
I'm suprised the Emcee wasn't long time idol and the man who inducted him into the "Hall of Fame," Lou Reed.

6. The acoustic performances were splendid. He can play blues guitar with the masters. I saw him hone his skills many years ago
with guys like Ron Kickasola at the "Flick" in Coral Gables next to the U. of Miami.

7. This should have been more of a "call in show" so Dion could have talked more to an audience instead of a cheesy Atlantic City
hotel setting. He is so witty and funny...we missed out on this aspect of his personality.

8. He seems to really enjoy himself and never takes himself so seriously that the music suffers.....in fact it envelops you.

9.In what would have been a "live tribute" stroke of genius,Dion & Bruce Springsteen could have re-invented the joy of an audience and its performer with a rendition of an acapella...."If I shoud fall behind....."

10. Still, the man has his chops, contnues to create albums of a superior quality and even though South Florida wants to claim him as one of their own, Dion is and was the Prince of the Bronx, the King of the New York Streets.

Worth every penny and more.

Attitude the way it should be!

Rating:
Summary: best of his hits - live
Review: Dion is lasting. His work has spanned several decades and there will be day when this rock'n roll hall of fame star will be noted even more prominently in early years of rock and roll. Lou Reed said he had great "chops" and if you don't know what that means - buy this DVD. A handful of his largest hits coupled with some acoustic interludes and introductions this is both a concert and a personal meeting with Dion. A live concert and more. Years have passed but his vocal chords have not! His range still is wide and takes you away. Beat, rhythm and tune, tune, tune. Enjoy. You will not be disappointed!

Rating:
Summary: Wow! This was GREAT!
Review: Dion is the best he has ever been. I was blessed enough to view it before it's release date and you better get your orders in now, because this was HOT!!!!! www.bronxbabe.com

Rating:
Summary: AN AUDIO / VIDEO DELIGHT
Review: If your a fan of Dion's music - this is a must buy. The video is excellent - a High Definition transfer in the widescreen format - incredibly clean. The 5.1-DTS audio format is also an outstanding soundfield. The only shortfall is that it is only 60 minutes in length...

Rating:
Summary: Dion Continues to Rock
Review: The man has not aged one bit and can rock with the rest of them. All the big hits are with the same energy as when they were first recorded. He looked so invigorated and you could tell he was having fun doing the show. You won't be disappointed with this dvd so sit back and enjoy one of the true lengends of rock and roll.

Rating:
Summary: Hot music and history rockin' today!
Review: This is great, to watch Dion perform. He sounds as good as ever just as he did on last years "New Masters" CD which featured new versions of his hits. Filmed at the Tropica in Atlantic City, Dion performs with gusto his hits taking us on a musical journey of both nostalgia and musical history; his history and also of rock; where it came from and what it meant to him and how, to a certain extent, it applies today. Interspersed between some of the concert footage, he talks about his roots and it's fascinating to hear him talk about how Hank Williams, black music, and Jewish cantering played a role in what he did. Something I found interesting was how some of his vocal emanations came from saxaphone players he heard in theatres. Besides the main concert, there's a separate section which has Dion filmed while sitting on a stool talking about his music and singing in an accoustic setting. If he had done all his songs this way, it'd be a great buy. In this section he talks about Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens and why he didn't take the airplane in which they died along with The Big Bopper. The only downside to this dvd are the so called celebrity testimonials which consist only of written words from Lou Reed, Waylon Jennings and others that are hard to read or near impossible to read. I had expected live interviews. But that aside, this is a blast.The concert list: Walking Blues (accoustic studio), I Wonder Why, I Let My Baby Do That, Ruby Baby (collage including American Bandstand version), Amazing Grace/Love Came To Me, Drip Drop, Ride With You (accoustic studio), A Teenager In Love, Blue Monday, The Truth Will Set You Free (Accoustic studio), King Of The New York Streets, Abraham Martin and John, Donna The Prima Donna, Runaround Sue, The Wanderer (we find out who he really was).