Our Lady Peace - Live
Performance
Production
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Our Lady Peace - Live
Performance
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Our Lady Peace are one of the few post-grunge rock bands that has captured my interest this last decade - the exception being all of the great new progressive-rock releases during this time. Formed in Toronto, Canada in 1992 during the height of the grunge-rock movement, Our Lady Peace offered a blend of catchy modern-rock and pop sounds similar to that of such post-grunge contemporaries as Creed, Live, and Third Eye Blind. Their 1995 debut album Naveed was an instant hit, carried on the shoulders of the excellent, early-Cult sounding single "Starseed". Their next effort, 1995's Clumsy, made them a household name thanks to the singles "Superman's Dead" and "Clumsy". That album got a fair amount of spins in my stereo for a few months, but soon found it's way to the back of my shelf along with their colleagues mentioned above. This type of music instantly grabs your attention, but tends to grow stale rather quickly. Having never seen the band in concert, this DVD provided not only an excellent opportunity to catch up on their more recent stuff, but to also see what these boys can do live. Our Lady Peace Live was filmed during the band's 2003 North American "Fear of the Trailer Park" tour at various hockey arenas throughout Canada. The performances were then seamlessly blended together to give the appearance of one concert. Considering that the DVD was filmed exclusively at the homes of the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Montreal Canadians, it might have been more aptly named the "NHL Rocks!" tour. I think I could enjoy living up there in the great white north - hockey games, rock concerts, and the chicks who dig them. What more could a man ask for. The main problem with OLP Live is that it focuses too much on their 2002 album Gravity. This was their most recent album at the time, and is considered by many to be a let down from their previous much stronger efforts. Six of the twenty songs performed are from Gravity, including five of the first eight, which is an entirely stupid way to open a show. The video begins with the band pacing backstage and alternates with shots of the darkened stage as spotlights swirl around and the ominous intro music incites the crowd. The band finally takes the stage and launches into "All For You", which is one of the better songs off Gravity, and makes for an electrifying show opener. After a passable "Do You Like It" they hit their stride with the classics "Superman's Dead" and "Naveed". New guitarist Steve Mazur really gets to strut his stuff during a ferocious guitar intro to "Naveed" and then closes the gorgeous new ballad "Bring Back The Sun" with a killer solo. Raine Maida's languid, nasally vocals can be an acquired taste to some, but he sounds strong and passionate here. He is what keeps them from sounding just like all the rest. Maida loves to talk and interact with the audiences. During "One Man Army" he takes a nice long stroll through the crowd as the giddy teenage girls (who make up about 75% of the crowd) stare in rapturous reverence. He also enjoys a good sing along, as he lets these girls sing the choruses to "Is Anybody Home" and "Clumsy". This got really annoying after, oh, THE FIRST CHORUS! For the show closer, "4AM", Maida ventures back out into the crowd and lets the audience sing the entire song, except for about five words. I waited for the band to rock out on the end of the song, but it never happened. This may have been a blast if you were there, but it is only effective when done sparingly. There are plenty of shining moments to overcome some of the disappointments on this DVD. The incredible run of "The Birdman", "Clumsy", and "Starseed", towards the end, was definitely the highlight of the show. The production quality of this DVD was excellent. The PCM stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio options were both clear and well-mixed. The surrounds were utilized very effectively to provide a good right-in-the-crowd atmosphere. The only real flaw with the audio was that it sounded a little too reverby, especially the vocals. Although the camera angle changes came a little to quick at times, this was a very professionally filmed concert and the picture looked outstanding. Several good bonus features were included such as a "The Making of the DVD" featurette, tour footage, photo gallery, discography, interviews, and some alternate performance footage. Our Lady Peace are an excellent live band and this DVD shows them at their best. This is highly recommended to fans of the band, and is certainly worth checking out even if you are asking yourself "who the hell is Our Lady Peace?". Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - September 2005 |
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Running Time: 111 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - December 2003 |