Just got home from watching Live in Luna Park in Australia's only location of screening - Avoca Beach Theatre. Below is my purely subjective opinions and review. Naturally, a warning for those who have yet to see this or are awaiting the blu-ray/DVD, that spoilers are contained within.
So finally, the day arrived. DT on the big screen. One of the best bands in the world, in one of Sydney's most obscure theatres, an hour and a bit north of the city, on the Central Coast. Not a bad way to end what could be called an unprecedented 'DT week' with a live stream of the new album and the cinematic release of a concert shot in South America, home to some of DT's most passionate fans, all within a space of a few days.
Due to the distance of the venue and being a school night, it was not unexpected to see less than 30 people at the screening. What was unexpected, was to see a baby amongst the attendees - quite possibly DT's youngest fan?
The session started with a trailer of Woody Allen's new film and a new Audrey Tautou french flick.
Then the Shaman called...
And thus began what can only be described as an awesome, mind-blowing and superlative documentation of the band we have grown to know and love.
Footage: Holy-forearm-muscles-of-JMX-and-individual-arm-hairs-of-JP, the HD footage is amazing. It reminded me a lot of the Vancouver footage from CiM but with a bigger crowd and more sweeping crane shots and more close-ups of all members of the band. The Director of Photography should be applauded for being able to capture the energy of the band members and the crowd. There were some camera hiccups at times, but overall, I felt they captured the important players at the right times and even highlighted other members during solos and the like.
Sound: I know a lot of you were concerned with this aspect of the DVD. I will have to reserve my final judgement on this until I view the blu-ray on my own system. I felt JLB and JP were too loud in the mix and the others were being drowned out. This was especially evident in the unisons. However, I cannot say whether this was the fault of the mixing by Chycki or Avoca Beach's sound setup. BUT, with that being said, this DVD will easily go down as being the best recording of JLB live. He easily outshone the rest of the band
Forget Budokan, CiM or any other DVD from the past, JLB is back and easily proves it on LiLP. JLB's soaring vocalisations made the night for me - I got shivers and goosebumps at multiple times.
Band members: JLB - as aforementioned, at the top of his game. "What vocal injury?" Coincidentally, today was also Talk like a Pirate day in Australia.
JP - brilliant as usual - lots of interacting with the crowd and the other members of the band. His vocals, on the other hand, were too soft on most songs apart from the acoustic set.
JR - his low mix made me miss his presence especially in the unisons, but he still held his own especially in his piano solo.
JMX - definitely a more energetic and involved JMX, but again, he was missing in the mix.
MM - this man is truly a machine. Not only is his playing prowess unmatched, his facial expressions really show his connection to the songs. His drum solo was bombastic and incredible and will make anyone want to quit the drums.
Setlist:
- Bridges in the Sky
- 6:00
- The Dark Eternal Night - a much better recording than on CiM. Please delete previous versions.
- This is the Life
- The Root of all Evil
- Lost Not Forgotten - I was a bit letdown by the unison in this but perhaps I was expecting too much?
- Drum Solo - what a way to record this beast of a man. Another nod to the directors for capturing this solo perfectly.
- A Fortune in Lies
- Acoustic set: The Silent Man, beneath the Surface - the string quartet sounded amazing for this part of the screening. I cannot wait to see them return for future concerts. They really brought out another side to these songs.
- Outcry
- JR Solo - another amazing piano improvisation from the Keyboard Wizard. Straight from the heart. Unbelievable.
- Surrounded
- On The Backs of Angels/War Inside My Head/The Test that Stumped Them All
- JP Solo (with JR atmosphere) - an amazing duet from the two.
- The Spirit Carries On - as some of you suspected, we finally see our infamous crying girl.
- Breaking All Illusions - my favourite song of the screening with all members showing their prowess to full potential.
- Metropolis pt. 1 w/extended jam - another great recording of a classic DT song with an interesting jam after JLB thanks the crowd at the final break.
Crowd: Present and engaging. They could be heard for most parts of the songs but weren't overpowering. I feel not having seats on the main floor would have made for a very different concert.
Overall: Live at Luna Park is the perfect reward for us DT fans in Australia who never got to welcome Mike Mangini to the family in person. This blu-ray/DVD was easily worth the wait and to see it on a big screen with fellow fans around was the ideal way to end a perfect week for DT fans. I should also mention, that at least two other girls (apart from the crying one) are highlighted by the cameras through the concert and are shown singing along to JLB
Mods, please merge this thread with other reviews as you see fit. I also apologise for what may seem like an illogical flow to this write-up but I thought that I might as well get this all out before I forget it by tomorrow morning.
And as always, thanks to Over the Edge for the facts.