Search - MTV Unplugged - Bruce Springsteen in Concert on DVD

Nice to Hear These Songs Again

Robert S. Mcmillan | Sparta, TN USA | 11/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I got the DVD, although I have the VHS edition, and have thoroughly enjoyed watching it again. The picture is much sharper and the sound much better than the VHS edition. Plus, the bonus performance of "Roll of the Dice" is quite good. It's nice to hear the "Human Touch"/"Lucky Town" songs again and to realize how underrated they are in the Springsteen canon. Several of these songs rank with his best work, especially "Human Touch," "Local Hero," "Living Proof," and "Lucky Town." The acoustic versions of "Growin' Up" and "Thunder Road" cast both of these songs in new light, and I can never hear "Atlantic City" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town" enough in any context. "Light of Day" and "Glory Days" are both fun performances in which Bruce involves the studio audience as only he can. It's also the only commercially available of performance of "Red Headed Woman," which is a very clever song obviously written about his wife Patti Scialfa.

Admittedly, the band for this performance is not the E Street Band and suffers in comparison, especially in the wake of both the eccellent "Live in New York City" and "Live in Barcelona" DVDs. But, on their own terms, they do a good job, especially the five backup singers, who add a very different dimension to Bruce's sound

I really enjoyed this DVD and highly recommend it."

Better in Retrospect

R. Clark | Ridley Park, PA United States | 01/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At the time, fans gave Bruce's new band and new material something of a cold reception. Their privilege. But Springsteen's songs have always needed the exposure of the concert stage before they came alive, and the band, well...

At risk of blasphemy, one could make a case for this band being superior to the E Street Band. The backing vocals, in particular, are far more harmonious, full, tight, and soulful than those of the ESB, which is quite light on good backup singers (Patty and Nils being the best they have, and they weren't in the earlier version of the ESB anyway). The rhythm section is tight (the bass player is particularly melodious) and the sparser instrumentation gives more space to Bruce's own excellent guitar playing.

The ESB is of course an "act" in its own right, while this is basically just Bruce's hired backup band, but especially in the context of this TV concert, the focus is on Bruce anyway. The show loses nothing by eliminating the byplay between ESB members, and gains quite a lot from the presence of a technically accomplished backup band with great-sounding singers, with everyone sounding intune and tight.

The sound and video are excellent, having been recorded under controlled circumstances and gorgrously remastered for this DVD.

And of course it's the only video record of this period in Springsteen's career, including performances of songs from Human Touch/Lucky Town that are available nowhere else. So we're lucky that they're so good, right?

Fans shouldn't hesitate to buy this release, and fans with open minds may be surprised at how effective the band is. It's all about Bruce, anyway, and here he's in fine voice, in complete control, and right at the center of things where a Boss belongs.

RichC"

A Great Showcase for the 'Lucky Town' songs

Michael Whalen | Brooklyn, NY United States | 11/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This early 90's concert, filmed at the MTV studios in the midst of Springsteen's world tour for his "Human Touch"/"Lucky Town" albums, is an excellent showcase for the music he wrote then.

The band he esssembled for that tour is not a good match for the slicker, pop-oriented material from "Human Touch." But they really understand the stronger, raw, stripped rock songs from "Lucky Town," and those tunes are the reason to see this show.

Living Proof, Lucky Town, If I Should Fall Behind, Better Days, My Beautiful Reward, and other songs from that great record, are presented by Springsteen here in a form more powerful than the original studio tracks. These are tough, adult, spellbinding songs, and watching the passion with which the writer performs thems makes for some powerful rock music.

Plus, this show has other highlights, including a 10 min. plus version of "Light of Day," and a wonderful solo version of "Thunder Road."

"

No die-hard Springsteen fan can do without this, but...

peppersdad | Los Angeles | 11/21/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a solid recording that effectively captures a critical point in Bruce Springsteen's career: the low point.

After The Boss gave the E Street Band members pink slips following the "Tunnel of Love" tour, he released two solo efforts ("Human Touch" and "Better Days") simultaneously and hit the road with a surprisingly bland new group. They were, in fact, a kind of post-'80s MTV "hair band" who, perhaps through no fault of their own, added zilch to the established Springsteen sound. They were competent but never electrifying, and you only feel the void of the absent original players, especially Clarence Clemons on sax. So when you watch the somewhat ridiculous-looking replacements, you can't help but judge them as a pointless, perhaps arrogant, mistake. What the hell was Bruce thinking?

Those band issues aside, I think most of the then-new songs hold up as well as any Springsteen has composed - far better than the lion's share of his most recent work on "The Rising." Putting all of those pros and cons together, this MTV concert is an invaluable document. Since reuniting the E Street Band in 1999, Bruce has generally steered clear of performing most of the songs you get here. So if you want to hear them performed live, you may never get a better chance than what this DVD affords.

It's far from the best live Springsteen video. That honor, in my opinion, would have to go to HBO's majestic "Live in New York City" DVD. But no true Springsteen aficionado or completist can do without this one. Even if it turns out to be the Springsteen disc most likely to gather dust on your shelf."