Search - Dan Fogelberg Live - Greetings from the West on DVD

More like a documentary - It's time for Dan II

beattyc | Camas, WA United States | 07/04/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"When I purchased my DVD player, I knew my first DVD had to be Hell Freezes Over by the Eagles. Next, it was The Dance by Fleetwood Mac. So perhaps unrealistically, my expectations were high when I purchased this DVD, Being a Dan fan from way back. The song list is great, and this must have been a good concert to see in-person. All the good stuff is pointed out in the other reviews, so i'll focus on what was wrong with it, and try to balance out the score.Unfortunately, it shows it's age. It should have been a clue that it wasn't being presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, or even Pro-Logic. This concert should have been remastered before pressing the DVD. The sound stage is almost non-existent, at best when Dan plays the solo accoustic work. There's little or no separation of the stereo image. You might as well listen to it on your 50.00 boom box. And when Dan injects his commentary in-between, and sometimes on top of songs, it booms out, and distorts. especially if you've pumped up the volume a notch to make up for the lack of depth. The same applies to the picture quality, but this may be more at the source, than the way the DVD was pressed.The presentation was also disappointing, with a bleak stage, having a kind of adobe walls, and American Indian folk art being the extent of any artistic expression. I know Dan is a nature boy, and I think that's cool. And he certainly needs no elaborate stage to present his music on. Quite the contrary actually, as I was hoping for a setting the likes of Kenny Loggins Redwoods Concert, and outdoors at a minimum. Perhaps Sedona (AZ) would have been a good setting (can you imagine)!As far as his supporting band, and even some of Dan's equipment is concerned, there was also something to be desired. Don't get me wrong, the talent was there, just not the quality. For instance; There was far too much "synthesized" keyboard, bringing to mind a cheap one man bar band sound. In Leader of the Band, listen for what should be the horn solo. Instead it's poorly presented by a synth, that sounds well, like a synth. And again on Same Old Lang Syne, which should have been played on a baby grand. Instead Dan used a synth with the depth of a garage sale keyboard.So there's my take, but if you're expecting to "experience" the concert, like you were there, forget it. Send Dan a letter and tell him to please do another. "If he builds it, it will sell!" Dan's music is certainly deserving of much, much more. It was just a marginal first attempt. If you only want a documentary, you wont be disappointed.C'mon Dan, let's have it!"