Search - Church: Enmore Theatre Concert 1992 on DVD


Church: Enmore Theatre Concert 1992
Church Enmore Theatre Concert 1992
Genres: Music Video & Concerts
NR     2005

The Church's first ever DVD release. The DVD features a legendary live concert originally only available on 'bootleg' VHS through the band's website. The DVD features the entire final concert of the Australian tour suppo...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Genres: Music Video & Concerts
Sub-Genres: Pop, Rock & Roll
Studio: Video Music, Inc.
Format: DVD - Color - Closed-captioned
DVD Release Date: 01/25/2005
Release Year: 2005
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 0
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English
 

Member Movie Reviews

Craig S. (InnerMacro) from WAUSAU, WI
Reviewed on 11/30/2023...
The entirety of this "bootleg" video is shot from one position in what appears to be the balcony section. Much of the footage is dark, grainy, and impossible to make out details on stage - sure you can identify who is who in the band, but that's about the extent of it. The camera work, such that it is, consists of the operator constantly trying to focus while attempting to move from side to side. Essentially, the video aspect of this DVD is worthless. This appearance is notable because Koppes had just announced he was leaving the band due to the tour making absolutely no money for the members (other than Jay Dee who was under contract) - apparently the promoters milked everything they could get leaving the band exhausted upon reaching Sydney. The audio is okay, and Willson-Piper really lays it out there, while Koppes is great as usual but probably less than enthused about the tour. Kilbey was dropping into a very dark period of his career at this point, and his singing is intentionally drawn out, and out of sync with the band - probably so tired of singing it 'the right way' that he just wants to change things up. Given the shadow over this performance, certain tracks might be a bit more melancholy and emotional than usual: the Disillusionist, Grind, and Chaos are the best. That being said, this appearance is certainly not the best the Church has to offer - this DVD would only be of interest to the completist / superfan of the band, and should not be an entry point for someone interested in checking out what makes the Church so great.
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Movie Reviews

Of all the footage to pick for a DVD...
Doc | Dearborn, MI USA | 01/06/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)

"Let me first lay this out on the table... I am a die-hard Church fan. I've got just about everything ever released by its members, past and present, and have seen the band perform live on several occasions. They continue to enlighten and amaze both in the studio and on the road, after over 20 years, and remain one of the largely undiscovered gems in the music industry. I really really wanted to enjoy this, the first real concert release from one of my fave bands ever.

It just wasn't meant to be. Having owned and watched hundreds of DVD's by artists big and small, I think I can safely say that this is one of the worst productions I have had to sit through.

VIDEO: I'll tackle the video problems first, as this is what contributes most notably. I realize that the footage comes from a bootleg source to begin with, but I think it must've been shot with a VHS-C camcorder with the lens cap on. The the entire video is so blurry you can't make out any of the band's features. What little motion there is from the camera adds to this problem. The exposure is horrible - during the many passages where the theater is darkened, the band is completely hidden. When the lights change, the camera cannot adapt fast enough to make anything more than a washed-out mess of the footage. I found myself skipping ahead hoping that the problem would correct itself further into the show, but it doesn't.

AUDIO: The audio on this disc fares a little better than the video, but not by much. The audio format is PCM, which I suppose is to be expected considering the low quality of the source recorder. In my book if you're going to do a tape translation though, at least give the time to encode in Dolby 2.0 - this seems to liven up the dead sounding audio from the source tape. Steve's voice sounds muted throughout, which is probably attributable to both the equipment setup and the recorder. This could have been fixed in production though. Lastly, the drop in ambient crowd volume during the applause is very noticable and annoying.

PERFORMANCE: This disc has a very nice arrangement of songs from the classic Church era - enough to satisfy most hardcore fans. Unfortunately, this isn't one of the band's best nights. Perhaps they are melancholy about Peter's imminent departure, the fact that they don't have a regular drummer, or that it's the last show on the tour? In any event, Steve overimprovises most of the lyrics in this show, to the point where he's always either ahead or behind Marty and Peter, both of whom shine through with more-than-passable axe work. Jay Dee Daughtery's drumming is for the most part basic and unspectacular. As I mentioned, the setlist should please most fans, just don't expect it to be performed to the quality you might expect worthy of a DVD release. Pick up a copy of Steve Kilbey's "Acoustic & Intimate" CD if you'd like to hear a performance that should have been produced on DVD.

Sadly, there isn't much here to make me want to pop this in my DVD player very often. The blurriness is the biggest detractor; I can't imagine why this one bootleg tape, out of the many that must be in existence (not to mention some professional shoots!) was chosen for a live DVD.

BOTTOM LINE: The band still rocks - hopefully the footage for the next concert-to-DVD translation will be more carefully chosen!"