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Great concert DVD by Collective Soul

Michael | Australia | 03/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is a great production. The sound is amazing and the visuals are nicely done. It's also nice to have a concert DVD where the director hasn't gone crazy with rapid-fire camera changes and effects. Collective Soul are a great band that have a big catalogue of songs. This DVD showcases all their hits accompanied by an orchestra. The orchestra fits in very nicely with the band without overpowering any of the tunes so that what you get is a real Collective Soul concert plus strings. This is essential viewing for Collective Soul fans and definitely worth checking out for fans of good music."

Positively phenomenal production

K. Sullivan | Virginia - United States | 07/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A little context... I have been a fan of Collective Soul since I first heard Shine years ago. At one point I had all of their CD's. I enjoyed all their radio hits and didn't qualify any of their stuff as throw away. Their instrumentation is frequently lush and beautiful. Their lyrics are often touching and meaningful. There is certainly a depth to most of their music that other bands lack. They also have a great rock vibe. That being said, however, I never played their CD's a lot. When I heard them, I enjoyed them, but they never ruled my stereo. Their greatest hits compilation was obviously enjoyable, but I was let down because their earlier stuff was not remastered to the quality of their newer stuff. I had very limited exposure to the band performing live. I was impressed with their Higher Places recording for MTV and I had only seen them perform live one other time. I believe it was on Letterman or some other television program. I thought Ed Roland (lead vocalist) was a bit awkward in his movement but the performance was tight.



With that background, I was excited to see they had released a live DVD but remained hesitant to purchase it because I was nervous about what I would see. I finally decided to take the plunge and I am extremely pleased I did.



The band does a phenomenal job. The lead and backing vocals are extremely tight. Musically the band is in top form. The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra is just wonderful. What a talented group of students! There is probably no rock band that is better suited to perform with an orchestra. Collective Soul has such a lush, symphonic sound anyway. The songs are fully realized in this setting. It is just a powerful and beautiful experience. Seeing Ed display emotion in dedicating "Crown" to his late father or in experiencing his own creations being transformed by the orchestra was very special. The songs are so beautiful when played sparingly; they are almost heavenly when delivered in this manner. It is like you are hearing them the way they were meant to be experienced. The band and the orchestra truly mesh (or "gel" if you will) brilliantly. Seeing the orchestra jump up and down and clap along in "Better Now" was a lot of fun.



If there is anything to comment negatively on, it is very little. I was a bit shocked by a cheesy graphic where various still frames roll out to fill the screen. It is like the only graphic during the entire DVD concert performance. It is a bit hokey and out of place. The concert hall itself is a bit odd. The venue's stage seems almost as large as the "seating". To accommodate an orchestra it naturally had to be this way, but it still takes some getting used to. The lighting is also a bit strange for a concert, but given their requirements, I think they did a good job. The crowd also did not seem like the most exuberant. Thankfully the editing did not feature much of the audience. I still find Ed's stage presence a bit awkward, but it has a real endearing quality as well. Only so much can be done with a mic stand, but he seems to be having fun with it!



The bottom line, I fell in love with the band all over again. This is a tremendous concert DVD. I am now considering purchasing the corresponding CD. It features most of their greatest hits delivered in a truly special way and mastered for the best sound. It will have that advantage over their greatest hits CD, anyway. Collective Soul is truly a great live rock band.

"

Brilliant Show!

V-Mac | USA | 12/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I also had the chance to watch some (about 7 songs) of this concert on DirectTV and it was excellent! I wanted to purchase the DVD immediately, but I knew it would be a while before being released for sale.



I must admit that, when I learned a few weeks ago that this DVD was going to be released, I was somewhat skeptical about the symphony accompanying the band. I guess it was because I really disliked the Metallica-with-symphony concert. But I tell you, Collective Soul with the symphony was brilliant! I get goose bumps from just thinking about it. And it makes it much cooler to see that the members of the symphony are kids!



I can't wait!"

A very emotional performance

Bart2Brett | Waterloo, NY United States | 03/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A very emotional performance. A joy to watch and listen to, the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra was wonderful. When you pop the DVD into your player, you must fight the urge to watch the concert right away. Instead watch the extra feature "behind the scenes" first. It takes you back stage for interviews with some of the kids in the orchestra, and sets up the concert for you. This way you get to feel the building anticipation before the big moment. I loved it! You will too."