Search - Saga - Contact: Live In Munich (2DVD / 2CD) on DVD

Saga's Sadler farewell DVD a massive disappointment

F | 03/29/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a Saga fan since 1979 when I went crazy over Images at Twilight, but that was a long time ago and, for Saga, many releases ago.

The band's output has been prodigious over the years and, quite rightly, they are legends in the progressive rock field. Albums like the aforementioned Images at Twilight, along with classics like Silent Knight, Generation 13 and later albums like Full Circle, House of Cards and the recent 10,000 Days all are genuine high-water marks in a 30-year plus career and have influenced many of the latest generation of prog-rockers.

They've released some decent DVDs too, like the superb Worlds Apart Revisited collection a couple of years back and Silhouette, and now they've released this new DVD of singer Michael Sadler's last concert with the band in Munich in 2007.

While the band's performances have always been of a consistently high level, this DVD is lacking in atmosphere, energy and, well, the real emotion of a Saga show, which is odd considering what the night represented...the end of an era. The band sound mechanical, like most bands at the end of tours go on "mail-it-in" mode and Saga did that on this particular night in Munich.

Even Michael Sadler, who is one of the greatest prog vocalists I've ever heard, looks uninterested and looking forward to getting off the stage and, please, don't mention the mind-numbing drum solo - complete with a truly embarrassing James Brown sing-a-long - which is remarkable considering what a fine drummer Chris Sutherland is.

The extras are poor too. One might've expected interviews with the band about such a huge night in Saga's history, but all we get is an inexplicable tour of Toronto from Jim Gilmour and a brief interview with guitarist Ian Chrichton which brings nothing to the table. Add to those a few stills and some extra concert footage from an earlier show in Mannheim and there you have it. A mail-it-in release from a mail-it-in concert.

Songwise all the favourites are on show: "You're Not Alone," "The Perfectionist," "The Flyer," and, of course, "On The Loose," but there's simply no electricity being generated by neither band, nor audience. It's an unexplainable disappointment.

At the end of the show, by which time you're screaming for some show of emotion, Sadler takes his bows briefly and then squeeks the word "bye" and that's your lot.

This DVD is an enormous disappointment and is best given up as a bad job. A very bad job.



"

Great Mix, Superb set list, Phenomenal Musicians - Watch thi

Busterdog77 | Far Northern California, United States | 04/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had the privilege of going to two shows of Saga's 2007 European Tour, Michael Sadler's "Farewell" tour. The band's performance, the lighting, the set list, and the energy of the crowd were phenomenal. This concert video does a good job of capturing some of that excitement.

I have other Saga concert videos (Silhouette, All Areas - Live In Bonn, and Live Bootleg) and this is by far the best, in terms of set list, performance, lighting, and sound quality. The set list was great -over 2 hours, with some of everything from Saga's long career and many excellent albums.) The sound mix is excellent. The editing is good - not so many cuts that they make your head spin, and they do a good job of actually focusing on the musicians who are playing (which is hard to find in concert videos these days.) The packaging of the multidisc set is great. (My only criticism might be the video quality is good but not excellent - the concert lighting leads to some "bleeding" and oversaturation of colors. But this is still the best Saga video I've seen.)

Some people come at Saga with all kinds of expectations, and are somehow not pleased with this set. Maybe superb musicianship and phenomenal material are not enough for them. I for one am rocking out with this superb set from one of the most underrated bands out there. (Thanks to their fanatical European fans for keeping Saga in business all these years!)
"