Paul McCartney Back in the US Live 2002 Concert Film DVD with Paul McCartney, Paul Wickens, Rusty Anderson (NR) +Movie Reviews

Being there great - DVD lousy

Robert S Ahrens | Everett, WA USA | 11/27/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The concert I went to was great. All of the reviewers of this DVD appear to be reviewing the concerts they attended. My argument is with the DVD version. This DVD is lousy. First of all the stage is too dark. Good DVDs bathe the stage in lots and lots of light. Hard to see the performers the way the stage is lit. Second, much of it is grainy, as if the director was going for an arty effect. And what is with the constant cuts, in performances, to adoring fans? Yes we love the music but really, Paul and the band should be the show - not the adoring fans. A little bit is fine but shots of the fans seem to make up an awful lot of the show, and they keep popping up when the main focus should be the music and the band. I thought I was watching a fan club function. And why the recurring shots from the back of the hall? A DVD with recurring shots of the TV screens behind the performers? And the close ups of the players are rarely true close-ups. Didn't they have any hand held camera operators? It looks like all of the close ups are zooms from the back or sides of the hall.For great DVD concerts, well lit, check out the Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon, the All Star Tribute to Brian Wilson, Roger Waters in the Flesh Live, or Elton John One Night Only. These are fine examples of how it should be done. The whole thing looks like a partial upgrade from a home movie. The music though .... the music rates 5 stars. I love this music.However, the purpose of a DVD is to bring the sights and the music to you at home. It fails miserably on the "bring the sights" part of the equation, unless your primary interest is constant shots of fans.A disappointment. I'll turn off the TV and listen."

Never Mind The Bollocks..Here's MACCA

11/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I got my copy a week early and all I can tell you is that it is the best shot and produced Macca DVD/video to date. The band is strong and does what they need to do. Those who saw the concerts left with a bit of the magic from those shows, and I think they will all be thrilled with the DVD. The song choices are the best that have been released on video yet. You get some of the very best Beatles stuff (we can argue forever on what was left out here) along with the best Wings and solo works. In the end, you only have so much time, but you get a great overview of an amazing career. Paul's voice and playing have never sounded better.It was way cool to see the sound check stuff with a very relaxed Paul on his Les Paul playing the old Bo Diddley classic, "Bring It To Jerome."There is a touching tribute to John (Here Today) and George (Something solo on ukele). George was an accomplished ukele player and Paul's tribute is fresh and does not wallow in despair over the very heavy losses through the years.All I can really say is that this DVD beats all the other McCartney concert DVD's of the past."

Maccas voices rocks but the DVD ...

robert tucker | Canada | 12/05/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"If you are getting goosebumps cause you seen Mccartneys new DVD in you local music store, I'd say save yer money, and go buy a bootleg concert from a different store ... who ever thought this DVD did the concert justice must have been under heavy medication. ... not watch half a song and then be interupted by people talking, or some nobody singing "Blackbird". Better yet, I didn't buy it to see Jack Nicolson in the audience, or Tom Cruise. I can't believe that the makers of this DVD screwed up Pauls greatest concert tour ever, not to mention it will most likely be his very last. At 60, it was like Paul was summing up his lifes work with this tour, too bad it was not captured. The DVD could easily be mistaken for a VHS. The picture is grainy, and poor, though not as bad as "Get Back" or "Paul is Live". So what did I get for my [$$$]? I got a concert that I had already seen when they showed it on ..., I got 3 special features, which amount to absolutely nothing, and oh yeah, and this is the best, A secret website which I can't access even though I bought the DVD but I don't have a DVD rom drive. Who came up with these awefuk blue prints. I bought a bootleg from his Las Vegas show from ..., and it's the concert in i't's entirety, I suggest the Mccarttney fan who feels ripped off try that....the DVD is a waste of time.
P.S- There isn't even a book with the DVD, just one disc, no pictures, nothing."

Wonderful & awful at the same time

12/08/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I admit that the performances of All My Lovin' and Hey Jude got me all choked up, but the overabundance of inane non-concert
footage (fan one-liners, crew members congratulating themselves,
and even a 'wild kingdom' segment) nearly made me throw up.
As an individual who was around when all of those songs were
new, as well as a hard-core Beatle fan, I was truly touched
by each performance. McCartney's vocals were strong, and he
can still hit the high notes. The band did their homework learning the original arrangements. The drummer kicked [...],
for sure... The performances were intense. As far as the
DVD presentation, it's not up to par in video and sound
quality, but it's presentable, nonetheless. My major
problem with it was the fluff... Even the celebrities in
the audience were listed in the closing credits! Sheesh!!
The only thing missing was an opening monologue from Bono.
I still say buy it! The music's that good."

Great Performance on a so-so DVD

GBS | Chicago, IL USA | 11/28/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Without question, Paul McCartney's 2002 tour may have been his best post-Beatles performances. His voice was far stronger than his 1990 and 1993 tours, and his young band really made McCartney work harder than he'd done in decades. While not as many surprises in the set list as before, those selected made for a well-paced exciting show. But, this DVD isn't quite as good of a souvenir as those of us who attended the shows would've liked. First off, it might be THE most fawning video of a performer. An artist of his stature hardly needs the gushing validation that this offers, plus all the superstar accolades. And all this fawning takes up time away from the music. Only about 29 of the 35 songs played on the tour are performed in the concert film (another three are in the bonus section), and not all the songs are performed complete. Sadly, his sweet tribute to George Harrison, "Something" is trimmed by a whole verse. Surely we could have cut out one more shot of a middle aged soccer mom screaming "PAUL!"......... to find room for this lovely song complete. Finally, the songs aren't in the order they were played, which is likewise disappointing as it was the pace of the show that was part of its success. As for the disc quality, the authoring of this is really sad, almost like it was done on a home computer. The same footage appeared in the ABC-TV special in far better quality, so this is just a mediocre DVD master. The disc's authors have also put the scene/track selections in the "Special Features" section (not exactly where I'd look for them), but you can quick access your favorite song. But on the plus side - it sounds fantastic. The performances chosen from the tour footage are outstanding, both McCartney and band are in terrific form. The bonus materials (soundchecks, backstage, etc.) are generous and will make McCartney fans happy. So...a mixed review. But all the details aside - it IS a great show that I know I'll enjoy often."

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	Paul McCartney - Back in the US Live 2002 Concert Film Actors: Paul McCartney, Paul Wickens, Rusty Anderson, Abraham Laboriel Jr., Brian Ray Director: Mark Haefeli Genres: Music Video & Concerts, Documentary NR 2002 3hr 0min Studio: Emi Music Distribution Release Date: 02/14/2006
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