One of the best live shows I ve ever seen, this almost captures it - First of all, any Old 97 s fan will love this DVD. The guys are there, playing the songs you love - what s not to like about it? I agree with other reviewers that the mix is a bit off, Ken s guitar and Murry s bass get a bit lost in the vocals. Also it s a bit Rhett-centric (not that my girlfriend had a problem with that), I really do enjoy watching the whole band.I saw them in Denver this year and in Lancaster, PA - this reminded me much more of the Denver show - early in the tour - not rusty, but not polished. I saw them a few months later in Lancaster and if there was a single mistake by any of them I couldn t hear it - they were dead on all night long and ranks in my top 10 live shows ever. I think the DVD plays a bit more to their punk/rock fans and to the crowd at the Troubadour.All in all, if you re a fan, you ll love it. If this is your first exposure to the Old 97 s please buy a few CDs and see them live - you ll see what all the hype is about.
The Best Live Band. Period. - I ve been following these guys since a friend of Kenny s introduced me to the band in 1995 Dallas. I remember seeing some of the best shows I have ever seen in little known places like The Ginger Man and The Barley House and Club Dada. As other reviewers here have alluded to, there simply is no better live band anywhere, and I have seen the Stones 3 times, the Who 4 times, and Led Zeppelin. No one has the energy of this band. When you combine a hard driving beat fed by a relentless drummer and a rip-roaring bass line, raunchy guitar, genius lyrics and harmonies, a frontman with a persona that is a little bit Jagger and a lot Pete Townsend, and songwriting that combines twang, pop, and punk in a unique concoction that, quite simply, rocks the house--you have a rock and roll dream team. When I see the 97s I think of the Who when they first came over.If you ever see they are coming to your town, do not hesitate to go. The video captures their energy as well as can be done short of being there. But it isn t the same as being a part of the crowd when they hit the stage.
Great DVD of concert at Los Angeles Troubador Club!!! - I love this DVD! The Old 97s are one of my three favorite bands, along with the Beatles, and Big Star. These guys are good, I can t believe that they re not a household name like Britney Speers, or the Rolling Stones.They ve never played close to my hometown, that I ve noticed anyway, so this may be as close as I get to seeing them live. The set is excellent, as the band draws material off of their six albums. They have a lot of good songs to choose from to make a set. For those who haven t heard them yet, the Old 97s play a style of music that falls somewhere between the Beatle s British Invasion style and Country & Western. It may sound like an odd combination, but it works a lot better than you may imagine, if you haven t heard them yet. Their recent single disc Best of CD Hit By A Train could have been a double disc Best of collection, easily. They are the best band going today!
It s still the 97 s, but... - DISCLAIMER: I ve been a card-carrying, hometown 97 s and Rhett Miller fan since Hitchhike to Rhome , and have multiple copies of everything they ve ever done, yadda, yadda, yadda. Ahem. But apparently the Shawn Cassidy rider in Rhett s contract (the one that gave us the cover photo on The Instigator ) required the incessant, soft-focus-frontman-glam shots that make this DVD hard to watch, frankly (and something - maybe the lighting - doesn t seem right...we re they filmed in the Flashdance studio and spliced in with footage of the rest of the band later?) I now look for The Facts of Life reruns on cable, and turn the sound down, when I play this DVD. That Tootie is such a card!
Great Music, Horrible DVD! - Most people writing reviews for this DVD are focusing on the music and performances which I agree are great BUT unfortunately the DVD which I am reviewing was lousy. The editing was extremely ridiculous. You would be hard-pressed to find an instance of an image that lasted more than a second. It was more like 5 per second (OK that may be a slight--VERY SLIGHT-- exaggeration). This a trend in concert video editing that is evident here in the nth degree. Terrible! The images come at you like a machine gun. Please support this band by buying their CDs but unless you have the attention span of a 3-year old on speed skip this DVD.