Shooting Star - Tonight
Performance
Production
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Shooting Star - Tonight
Performance
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One of my "go to" albums back in high school was Hang On For Your Life by Kansas City rockers Shooting Star. This was the band's second album, released in 1981, and not only did it have one of the coolest album covers - a motocross bike soaring through some kids bedroom, but it contained some of the most kick-ass arena rock tracks to hit the airwaves that year. Killer songs such as "Flesh & Blood", "Breakout", "Hang On For Your Life", and the power-ballad "Hollywood" were what elevated this album above most of the other stuff released that year, and you get to see it all on this DVD. Shooting Star got their start in the late 70's and released their self titled debut album in 1979. Their sound is similar in style to other 80's melodic-rockers such as Night Ranger, Survivor, Journey, and a touch of Kansas, thanks to the violin parts. I still have my vinyl copy of Hang On For Your Life and occasionally give it a spin when I'm in the mood for a little violin tainted arena rock, so when I unexpectedly came across this DVD on the shelf of my local music store last year, I owed it to these guys to check it out. Tonight was recorded on June 19th, 2002 at the Ameristar Casino in their hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, and features founding members Van McLain on guitar and vocals, and Ron Verlin on bass. Joining them are Keith Mitchell on lead vocals, Dennis Laffoon on keyboards, Shane Michaels on violin, and Rod Lincoln on the drums. They open the show with a smoking performance of "Bring It On" from their first album. New vocalist Keith Mitchell sounds similar to the band's original lead vocalist and founding member Gary West, who fronted Shooting Star until they disbanded in 1985. After a fairly lackluster new song, "If You Want It", from their current album at the time, Leap Of Faith, they dove right into the leadoff track from Hang On For Your Life, "Flesh & Blood", which showcases some excellent string work by new violinist Shane Michaels. "Let's Roll" was another new song which McLain told the crowd he wrote as a tribute to Todd Beamer, who uttered those now famous words as he charged the hijackers of United Airlines flight 93 on 9/11, potentially saving the U.S. Capitol building from destruction. The middle of the show was dedicated to a couple of ballads, beginning with the epic "Hollywood", followed by the title track from Leap Of Faith. They finally get around to the two most scorching rockers from Hang On For Your Life, "Breakout", and the title track, but I found some of the energy and guitar crunch of the album versions missing. McLain's guitar just didn't have the same balls that you hear on the album versions, and the keyboards sounded anemic. They finally loosened up a little during "Hang On For Your Life", as they turned the second half of the song into an extended jam fest that featured some killer guitar, piano and violin solos. They closed out the show with perhaps their finest anthem, "Last Chance", going all the way back to their debut album. Mitchell decided to undertake a little crowd surfing during this one, and his fans skillfully passed him back to the middle of the room, were a couple of timpani drums were waiting for him to pound on. This was a great hometown crowd, along with many fans who flew in from around the country, so they were on their feet and wildly appreciative throughout the whole show. The production quality was very good overall and there were numerous special features included. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix was rather unique in that the drums were mixed predominantly to the right-rear speaker with hardly any percussion coming from the front. The guitar and keyboards were also a little too low in the mix for my taste. The rear surrounds were used to full effect to provide a very enveloping, although somewhat unnatural sound. The show was shot using eight cameras and the picture was very clear and colorful. The camera work was excellent. The special features are highlighted by the videos for "Tonight", "You've Got What I Need", "Summer Sun", "It's Not Over", and "Touch Me Tonight", and also included a local radio station appearance, band interviews, and a biography. Tonight captured a rousing hometown performance by one of the more recent editions of Shooting Star, and is a worthy purchase if you were ever a fan of this band. The biggest disappointment is the short running time of the concert. I can't imaging that the band only played a one-hour show, but that is all you get on this DVD. It would have been nice to get a few songs from their third, fourth, and fifth albums, but they were completely ignored on this set. Since this show, Shooting Star have welcomed back original drummer Steve Thomas after nearly 20-years, and have also added a new lead vocalist, Kevin Chalfant. The band is expected to release their 7th studio album this year titled Circles. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - June 2006 |
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Running Time: 62 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - January 2003 |
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