Pat
Benatar, Neil Giraldo - Live
(Summer Vacation
Tour)
Performance 
Production 
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Pat
Benatar, Neil Giraldo - Live
Performance |
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I don't think I had listened to any Pat Benatar music in over a decade, when I happened to stumbled across this 2002 DVD release in Best Buy a while ago. You certainly don't hear her on the radio anymore, hardly even on classic rock stations, and her albums have not really roused my attention in a long while. I find it rather amazing that nobody has really stepped up to fill Benatar's shoes as the preeminent female rock vocalist during the last 20 some odd years since her star began to fade in the late 80's. Alanis Morissette gave it a good shot with her great debut album, and we'll find out, soon enough, if Amy Lee and Evanescence are mere one album wonders or not, but even they have a totally different kind of rock sound than the rock/punk/pop combination that Benatar made famous in her heyday. I already knew that Benatar was a good live performer, both from her Live From Earth album , and from the one time I saw her in concert, on her Wide Awake In Dreamland tour of 1988. This particular album and tour was a major turning point in Benatar's career, as she had taken the previous three years off to have her first child, with husband and guitarist Neil Giraldo - hence the name on the DVD. With her return to the limelight, Benatar seemed to be desperately trying to shed her image as the spandex-clad, punk-haired, sex symbol who penned such lyrics as "before I put another notch in my lipstick case, you better make sure you put me in my place". I clearly remember the tension that was evident between her and Neil, and how uncomfortable Pat seemed in her own skin up on stage. She seemed desperate to now be seen as a mature, "serious", musician - not the sex-kitten, pop-idol of the past. She had replaced her familiar look and style with a new image that included long, black hair, and a long flowing dress. She seemed reluctant, almost annoyed by having to play her classic hits such as "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", and "Heartbreaker". This created a dynamic tension between her, Neil, and the audience, which made this an unforgettable show. Nowhere was this tension more evident than during the final encore. Benatar had yet to play her biggest hit, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", so the audience was excited with anticipation, thinking that surely this song would be the closer. As Neil tore into the famous opening riff of that song, Pat suddenly turns and gives him a look that said "if you play one more fucking chord of that god-damned song, you will be one lonely motherfucker for the rest of this tour"! He immediately complied. The crowd was just baffled by this, and so was Neil, judging from the look on his face. After a brief discussion, they start playing "All Fired Up", the new single from their Wide Awake In Dreamland album, which the audience was hardly familiar with at the time. They never did play "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". Damn, the power of the pussy. What a difference 15 years makes! Benatar has seen her star fade significantly since her glory days of the early-80's. The days of multi-platinum album sales, and selling out ten-thousand seat auditoriums are probably things of the past, but she seems to be very comfortable in her new role. She and Neal have been touring every summer for the last decade, and they still maintain a large and dedicated fan base. Live - Summer Vacation Tour was recorded at the Sun Theater, Anaheim, California, during Benatar's 2001 summer tour, and on the eve of the release of her 17th album Go. Benatar made a new fan of me with her performance on this DVD. Her magnificent, four-octave voice has aged like fine wine, retaining all of it's power and smoothness. As good a Benatar was, Giraldo simply owned the stage that night. Looking like Mickey Rourke's twin brother, covered in tattoos, and sporting a classic, white, wife-beater tank-top, Giraldo easily bested every studio version of the songs he played. His live guitar playing is heavier, and more raw than on the studio versions, but he also plays the lighter interludes softer, and blends in some tasty blues and jazz licks just to spice the songs up a little. He has a charismatic stage presence and his rapport with the audience is genuine. He probably does more talking to the audience than Pat herself does. Most importantly, his guitar playing is nearly flawless, and his dynamic technique make these 20 year old songs come alive again. He definitely gave me a knew appreciation for his songs, and especially his guitar playing. The set list was excellent, including powerful versions of "Hell Is For Children", and "Promises In The Dark", my two favorite Benatar songs. They did play "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", and you can tell that Pat still despises playing that song. She always lets the audience since the lyric that I quoted in the second paragraph. During the middle of the show, they slowed things down a little with some compelling acoustic versions of "We Belong", and "Love Is A Battlefield", with only Pat singing, and Neil playing acoustic guitar and providing some outstanding harmony vocals. If there was ever any doubt to the strength and quality of Benatar's voice, these performances put them to rest. The four new songs they performed from their recent Go album were also good enough to make me consider buying the new album, which is something I haven't done for Pat Benatar in over twenty years. Two of these songs were ballads that featured Neil on keyboards. The audio quality of this DVD is somewhat substandard, especially for a 2001 DVD production. First of all, the only audio track is a Dolby 2.0 surround mix, and this is simply unacceptable for any post-2000 DVD production. Using Dolby Pro Logic processing, most of the sound is focused into the center channel, and the bass is almost non-existent. Luckily, the guitar and vocal mixes were sharp and clear, which was able to somewhat salvage the otherwise bland mix. Using the stereo only option, without surround processing, the mix gets a little more edge and power to it, but all semblance of concert ambience is removed. If you want to be blown away by Giraldo's guitar playing, listen to the stereo mix, as the guitar is bright, powerful, and right in your face. The video quality was what you come to expect from a 2001 DVD recording. The picture was usually clear and sharp, and the colors were vibrant. If you were ever a fan of Pat Benatar, you will definitely love this DVD. Pat and Neil are both performing better than they ever have, and their energy and enthusiasm makes this a fun concert to watch. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - April 2004 |
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Audio Transfer |
Video Transfer |
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Set List |
Performers |
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Running Time: 92 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - March 2002 |