Absolutely Superb!!
J. Henry | Edmonton, AB | 10/23/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A straight ahead concert performance that will blow your socks off!Oh, and there are some mighty fine extras to boot!"
5 stars for the music & extras, 3 for the film direction
Jennifer Bauer | Austin, TX USA | 11/27/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a huge Calexico fan for about three years now, and since I live in Austin, I've been lucky enough to see them at SXSW and ACLFest. So to say I was looking forward to the concert DVD is a serious understatement.
In this show, their sound is great, as always. But there's something about the conventional style of direction and the remoteness of the large stage (singer/guitarist Joey Burns normally is MUCH more animated and connects with the audience a lot better) that gives it a "PBS Pledge Week" feel. It seems more like a recital than a rock concert. The only thing that's consistently watchable is drummer John Convertino's amazingly expressive, dynamic technique (it's like he treats the sticks like paintbrushes).
The music is awesome and the extras are really nice, so I'll only take one star off. Buy or rent it, but do NOT think it's a good subsitute for seeing them live."
Wish I'd seen them live
Daniel Ucko | 08/09/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I suppose I could have gone to this concert, but I didn't know about it at the time. The DVD certainly made me wish I had. The DVD goes from a relatively minimalist start to bringing in the mariachis of Luz de Luna. Lulu Olivera makes a powerful performance towards the end. There is plenty of bonus material, including tour footage, a "making of" feature on Feast of Wire and some videos. A worthwhile purchase for any Calexico fan, certainly."