Bee Gees - One Night Only
Performance 
Production
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Bee Gees - One Night Only
Performance |
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I was in the sixth grade when the whole Saturday Night Fever craze took over the world in 1978. Believe me, the Bee Gees were bigger than the Beatles for those few years following that movie. Hell, they even got to play the Beatles, along with Peter Frampton, in the much maligned Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band movie. I must admit, I frigging loved that movie when it first came out. Oh, hell, I still love it. Call me gay if you must. The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack was all you heard on the radio for a year, and the dreaded disco revolution was in full bloom. I still have nightmares just thinking about it. Watching the Bee Gees perform many of those songs almost thirty years later has helped me to exorcise some of those demons. One Night Only was recorded at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, and was the Bee Gees first concert in nearly ten years. This concert was to promote their Still Waters album, which was released a few months prior. This was truly a career spanning concert, which featured 31 songs, spanning over 30 years. They played several of their late '60s hits such as "Massachusetts", "To Love Somebody", and "Lonely Days", as well as songs from their new album, such as "One" and "Still Waters". In between, they played several of the hit songs that were made into hits by other singers, such as "Islands In The Stream", "Grease", and "Guilty", and of course they covered all of the mega hits from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Although time has taken some toll on their vocal strength and ability to hit the very high notes, Barry really seemed to be straining at times, the brothers Gibb still sound marvelous. They have such a distinct and instantly recognizable sound. Their vocals all sound very different from each other, for being brothers, but they harmonize remarkably well together. Their younger brother, the late Andy Gibb, actually came the closest to Barry's smooth falsetto, and this showed during the video duet they performed of the Andy Gibb featured hit "Our Love (Don't Throw It All Away)". This was done very nicely and was one of the concert highlights. Celine Dion also made a guest appearance to sing her Bee Gees penned hit "Immortality". I purchased this DVD before the DTS version was released so it only has Dolby 5.1 surround. The DTS was probably a significant improvement over this mix, as the surrounds were barely used here - only for some slight echo and audience sounds. The vocals were mixed well and came across clear and crisp, but the instruments were somewhat cluttered together as one big wall of sound. The video was exceptionally clear, with no graininess, and the colors looked excellent. The camera work was admirable. The director used a lot of slow pans across the stage and usually focused on one or all three of the brothers, and alternated with full stage shots. The death of Maurice Gibb, in 2003, makes this video even more relevant, since it is the only concert DVD recording of the Bee Gees. This will be one of those DVDs that fans will probably revisit every year or two to catch a glimpse of three remarkably talented singers, songwriters, musicians, and brothers who will never be able to all take the stage together again. Thankfully this fine performance was captured while they were all still together. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - February 2004 |
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Audio Transfer |
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Set List |
Performers Matt Bonelli - Bass |
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Running Time: 110 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - February 1999 |