Top Ten Concert DVDs of 2007
With the proliferation of good concert DVDs
coming out over the last few years, it has become increasingly difficult to narrow
these lists down to just ten choices. I started by excluding historical compilations
like AC/DC's Plug Me In, and special edition DVD's of older videos like Led
Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same or The Beatles' Help. I focused on
recent performances that were released on DVD for the first time in 2007.
Budget and time limitations have also keep me from purchasing and reviewing all of
the concert DVD's I would have liked to, so I do realize that many great ones have
slipped through the cracks. I will let the readers point these out. Here are some of
my personal favorites that still see heavy rotation at my house:
1. David Gilmour
- Remember That Night: Instead of doing another mediocre Pink Floyd
album and mammoth world tour, David Gilmour recorded an intimate little album
called On An Island and embarked on his own short tour that featured the
new album performed in its entirety. Remember That Night was filmed over
three nights in May 2006, at London's Royal Albert Hall, and showcases why Gilmour is
still considered one of the greatest guitarists on the planet. Even
if you weren't crazy about the new album, Gilmour also gives some of the best
Pink Floyd performances I have ever seen, including an astounding 23-minute
performance of "Echoes", which was worth the price of the DVD alone.
2. Eric Clapton -
Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007: After watching the first Crossroads
Guitar Festival DVD back in 2004, I had been counting the days until the next
one came out. Who would Clapton invite this time, and would it be as good as the first?
Well, inviting the camera shy Jeff Beck to perform again, and then tearing
through half of the first Blind Faith album with his old bandmate Steve Winwood
for the first time in almost 30 years certainly didn't hurt the cause. Crossroads
Guitar Festival 2007 is an extraordinary two-disk set that features over four hours
of performances from some of the most legendary guitarist in the business. I am already
counting the days until the next one.
3. Yes - Live At Montreux
2003: In the summer of 2003, Yes finally graced the stage of the famous Montreux
Jazz festival and gave one of their best performances of the decade. Live at Montreux
2003 was recorded during the band's Full Circle tour, which was billed as
"Together Again...Classic Yes". With the quintessential lineup of Jon Anderson,
Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White firmly back in place, classic Yes
was exactly what you got too, with a set highlighted by an almost entire performance of
their legendary 1971 album Fragile.
4. Heaven & Hell
- Live From Radio City Music Hall: In 2006, the Ronnie James Dio-led version of
Black Sabbath, with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice, got together for the first
time in almost 15 years to record three new songs for a new compilation album, Black Sabbath:
The Dio Years. Things obviously went so well that they decided to follow up with an extended
world tour the next year. Because of the projected continuation of the band's original lineup with
Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward, Iommi decided to call the touring group Heaven and Hell, after
the name of their debut album together. Lucky for us one of those shows was brilliantly captured
on DVD.
5. Jethro Tull - Live At
Montreux 2003: This excellent DVD captures the current incarnation of Jethro Tull (and it
is a good one) performing for the first time at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival in 2003. Tull
founder, Ian Anderson, looooong-time guitarist Martin Barre, and handful of other superb musicians,
who have all been with the band since the mid-90's, threw down an amazing 19-song set that covered
everything from their 1968 debut album, This Was, on up to their 2003 Christmas album. An
amazing forty years after their debut album was released, Jethro Tull is still going strong.
6. Queensryche - Mindcrime
At The Moore: Ahh, the rock opera. Queensryche certainly hit a home run with their first foray
into the genre with 1988's Operation: Mindcrime, and then pretty much struck out with their
2006 follow-up, Mindcrime II. Mindcrime At The Moore captures the band in front of an
enthusiastic hometown Seattle crowd performing the Mindcrime saga in its entirety. Returning
once again was the superb Pamela Moore to reprise her role as Sister Mary, along with a small cast of
supporting actors to flesh out the plot. Even though the second set performance of Mindcrime II
was a real anti-climax, the incredible performance of the first Mindcrime album was enough to
earn a spot on this list.
7. Blackfield - NYC: Live In New York: If I
couldn't get a new Porcupine Tree video out of Steve Wilson this year, then this new Blackfield DVD
was certainly the next best thing. Blackfield is the collaboration between Porcupine Tree frontman
Steve Wilson and Israeli pop star Aviv Geffen, and the music is a lighter, more melancholic, pop-rock
version of what you may be used to from the Tree. Live In New York City captures this marvelous
new band during their NYC gig while on last year's tour in support of their excellent sophomore album
Blackfield II. This is definitely a band to watch.
8. Elton John - Elton 60: Elton John's
60th birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden last year certainly proved that, although he doesn't
quite have same power in the old voice anymore, he can still deliver the goods. Elton plowed through an
incredible 33-song, three-hour, set that was highlighted by several rarely played gems from his early
70's masterpieces like Honky Chateau, Tumbleweed Connection, and Madman Across The
Water. If you still need convincing, this two-disk set is also loaded with tons of great live, rare,
and unseen footage that makes it an absolute steal for the asking price.
9. Heart - Dreamboat Annie Live:
After not being overly impressed with Heart's last concert DVD, 2003's Alive In Seattle, I was
much more satisfied with the effort that the Wilson sisters turned in for this special occasion. This
DVD marked the debut of a new "Legendary Albums Live" series from Shout! Factory distributors, and also
marked the 31st anniversary of Heart's 1976 debut album, Dreamboat Annie. The performances were
exuberant and the album has never sounded better. You also get a few killer Led Zeppelin and Who
covers to top it all off.
10. (Tie) Megadeth - That One Night:
Live In Buenos Aires and
Iron Maiden -
Death On The Road: In 2004, Dave Mustaine recruited three new bandmembers and reformed the mighty
Megadeth in time for a new album, 2004's The System Has Failed, and a headlining spot on the massive
Gigantour. The band followed up the Gigantour with a short tour of their own that took them through such
places as South America and Puerto Rico. Mustaine and his new band, sounding like they had been playing
together for decades, instead months, gave an inspired performance in front of the 25,000, rabidly
enthusiastic, Buenos Aires, Argentina fans that showed up to see them. Death On The Road captures
a supercharged Iron Maiden performance from their 2003 Dance of Death
world tour. The DVD barely made my list, only because the U.S. release date was
delayed for over a year until January 2007. After more than 30 years together,
the band is still putting out some of the best albums and tours of their
career.
Honorable Mention:
Pendragon - Past and Presence
Paul Rodgers - Live In Glasgow
Foreigner - Alive & Rockin'
Damn Yankees - Uprising Live!
Al Di Meola - Speak A Volcano
Glenn Hughes - Live In Australia
