Search - Hoobastank - Let It Out on DVD

Very Entertaining Glimpse Into Hoobastank's World

Andrew Estes | Maine | 12/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Exactly a week before I saw Hoobastank live for the first time, their first DVD, "Let It Out," was released. Being pumped for the concert and pursuaded by the nice price, I scooped this up. Music DVD's are always fun, and Hoobastank's is no exception. Aside from standard music videos and live footage, plenty of other bonuses are included. Along with the video collection, which spans all their videos up to "Same Direction," (oddly enough, it ommits their newest, "Disappear," which surfaced before the DVD) guitarist Dan Estrin and drummer Chris Hesse contribute very informative and often amusing commentary. In the bonus section, there is even an "alternate" (I use it loosely) video of "The Reason" starring a crazy homeless guy that serves as half parody and half making-of-the-video. And as if that's not enough, the director's cut of "The Reason" also appears, although not much is changed, aside from a bit of violence and the omission of the sirens at the end (which I actually liked, a good lead into the next video). Four live performances -- "Crawling In The Dark," "Let It Out," "Pieces" and "Running Away" -- are all very energetic, but unfortunately most of the performances are intercut with various shows, which can be a bit annoying and take away from the value of it. A little parody of the writing process for their infamous "The Reason" again glimpses into Hoobastank's unique sense of humor (where Estrin gives the term "Let It Out" a new meaning). There is also a half-hour "On The Road" documentary (also with commentary) to round out the DVD. Overall, it's a very entertaining package. If you love the band and share their sense of humor (something which they incorporated a lot into their older music), you can definitely appreciate this. Hopefully, a full-length live release will come someday."