Search - The Doors of the 21st Century - L.A. Woman Live on DVD

Great band, Great dvd

AK | Chicago | 09/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rather than discuss the endless debate that surrounds the Doors of the 21st Century, I'll come right out and say that I'm an enormous fan of The Doors and an equal fan of the D21c. Seeing Ray and Robby live has been the defining expierence in my musical life.

On to the DVD-

The performance:

This is a solid performance. I have heard every recorded (pro and audience) concert of the D21c, so I know when the guys are truly 'on'. I also attended the show the group put on in Atlanta 2 days before this gig in Houston. Needless to say, the Houston show blows away the rusty, almost lifeless performance they gave in Atlanta (to the band's credit- they were not lifeless... the audience was and that undoubteldy affects the performance).

So, the actual performance is very good. It's not their best, but it's more than worthy of a dvd release. Ian is his usual self- it takes a song or two to warm him up, but once he's primed- he's incredible. As many fans of the D21c know, Ian occasionally forgets a lyric or two... fortunately, he is focused throughout this gig and only lets out a minor slip up in Hyacinth House. Well done Ian.

Ray and Robby both show that they have only gotten better with age. Robby in particular has gotten considerably faster and cleaner and the result is stunning. Every one of his solos is precise and flawless. In particular, his solo at the end of Break on Through makes me say "whoa" everytime I hear it. He throws in a different run and it just fits perfectly. On the other side of the stage, Ray puts on an equally stunning show- putting on a more flamboyant show than he ever did back in the days of the original Doors lineup. He's managed to increase his showmanship while still remaining perfectly faithful to all the Doors classics. Incredible.

Do note that inbetween a few songs are interview clips with Ray Robby and Ian. When I first heard about that feature, I thought for sure that it would ruin the flow of the show. Luckily, the clips only add to the whole expierenceand somehow, they manage to not ruin the feeling of seeing the guys live. Very well done.

Video quality:

Unebelivable. This is the sharpest concert dvd avaliable- outdoing the amazing "Rush in Rio" (which I considered the pinacle in concert video quality). The picture is crystal clear with fantastic camera work. You get plenty of steady, lengthy closeups of Ian Ray and Robby. The absolute coolest parts are the numerous shots of Robby's hands. The video quality is so good, you can count every knick, dent and scuff on Robby's cherry Gibson SG. Wow. Truly top notch camera work (fantastic angles) and a flawless digital, widescreen recording. A+ This is the new standard in concert dvd video.

Audio quality:

Yet again, this dvd delivers. The DTS track will knock you out if you have the proper equipment to enjoy it. Mean while, 2.0 stereo mix sounds good on any set of speakers... even through usually crappy tv speakers. This audio mix is perfect. In particular, the drums (provided by the great Ty Dennis) sound phenomenal. The snare has a perfect kick to it... I absolutely love it. You have to hear it all to know what I'm talking about. The rest of the band comes through equally well. Ian's vocals sound as good as they ever have (by the way, his vocal delivery here is 1000 times better than it is on the live cult dvd) and Ray and Robby are both mixed very well and very evenly. Angelo Barbera on bass cuts through perfectly... you really get to hear every note he plays. That makes it easy to enjoy the small bit of his own style he adds to various Doors classics. He's great. The audio is great. The only minor complaint is that the crowd is mixed a little low on the 2.0 mix.

Negatives:

-The Dvd does not contain the whole performance. Alabama Song, Backdoor Man and Five to One were edited for the dvd. Also, Crawling King Snake (a song from the la woman album) was not played at this show. Luckily, you do get to hear part of the D21c's rendition of that classic tune during from a show in Paris last December.

-Lack of bonus footage. There is alot of D21c stuff out there to choose from... all the tv performances (including the never aired 5-1 performance from the Carson Daly show) as well as footage from various other concerts. A commentary track would have been cool too (though we do get interview clips between some of the songs).

Conclusion:

This is a 5 star dvd. If you are capable of accepting the fact that there can be a Doors life after Jim Morrison, you will have a blast watching this disc. Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger are truly gods in rock music and it shows comes through on this disc. They are having the time of their life playing these great songs again. Ian Astbury is equally amazing... stepping into an impossible situation and performing brilliantly. I can easily say that he is the greatest frontman that I've had the pleasure of witnessing live. Finally, lets not forget the perfect rythym section of the group. Ty Dennis plays the classic Doors tunes without flaw- adding his own power and style when he feels it necessary (and that power and style really brings the songs to life). Angelo Barbera on bass takes over for Ray Manzarek's left hand and honestly, he does it better than Ray ever did. There is not one note that sounds out of place- Angelo manages to make his string bass sound identical to Ray's mushy piano bass. Unreal.

Thats it. The pros far outweigh the cons. This is a fantastic dvd. Long live the D21c."

Another missed show....CURSES ...wrong again!!!!

Richardson | Sunny California USA | 07/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Okay...
I am getting sick of this...has it happened to you? You avoid a live show for any number of reasons...and then the video/DVD from that tour comes out and you wish you had moved heaven and earth to see the show!
Case in point...the doors of the 21st century..
I hated the idea of "beatlemania" versions of THE DOORS....even loving Ray and Robbie as I do....I didn't think the singer from The Cult did that well on Storytellers....(Scott Weiland was the best by me)....so I avoided this tour and now .....after watching the DVD....I am mad at myself...
It looks like a very fun/cool show....Ray and Robbie played GREAT....Ian didn't do all that bad and struck a great JIM pose...and while it may echo Beatlemania.....it would have been great to have been there.
The quality of the production is first rate but to repeat myself...there is no greater praise I can give a show than to say it makes me WISH I would have seen it and this DVD had me on Ticketmaster HOPING they would return...hopefully with more people digging this video they will be encouraged to tour again...
"

A Good Performance, Classic Songs But DVD Lacks.

Mr. Fellini | El Paso, Texas United States | 08/13/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Doors touring without Jim Morrison? This will surely seem like sacrilege to many purists, and indeed it has. When original Doors members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger (drummer John Densmore is not joining the revival and has actually taken Manzarek and Krieger to court) decided after a popular VH1 Storytellers episode to tour again with former Cult frontman Ian Astbury filling-in for the legendary, highly influential Morrison, it sparked a lot of uproar. It can be argued that Morrison was the heart and soul of the band. His image of a wild poet in leather pants collapsing and screaming in ecstacy during concerts is part of what has kept the music of The Doors so popular. But fans need not worry, this DVD, "L.A. Woman Live," which is basically a performance of the entire "L.A. Woman" album with a few other classics thrown in, is more homage than comeback. There are no new songs and Krieger and Manzarek come off more as two veteran rockers who want to just play in public again. All eyes however, are most likely on Astbury. During his years with The Cult his Jim Morrison-like persona was signaled out a lot but here he's actually filling-in for the Lizard King. A lot of his performance is very good, Astbury doesn't lack a voice and his range fits well with the songs. Of course he looks more controlled and subdued than Morrison, who with one look at the camera was telling you he was completely insane. But Astbury isn't trying to copy the original, even his hair looks more like a fun way of winking at the Morrison icon. Stand out tracks include a dynamic "Break On Through" and epic "When The Music's Over" where Krieger really whales and assaults with his guitar. "Light My Fire" is of course here and it's been so endlessly infused into popular culture that all you can say is, "it's cool, of course the original's the best." The production is also stylish and artistic, especially the touch of psychedlic lighting and candles on stage. The only complaint here is that while it's interesting to see the entire "L.A. Woman" album played live, it doesn't feel very fulfilling. Would we seriously prefer to hear "Cars Hiss By My Window" over "People Are Strange" or "Hyacinth House" over "The Crystal Ship" or "Backdoor Man?" I caught their show in Albuqurque, New Mexico and thought their renditions of "Not To Touch The Earth," "Maggie MGill" and "Alabama Song" were excellent, it's shame they aren't featured here. A few more extra features would have been welcome as well (Doors DVDs are apparently poor in this department except for the "Doors Collection" and "The Doors" movie DVDs). The Doors Of The 21st Century prove they got the stuff to rock, but a better DVD still eludes them."

Went to this VERY SHOW! AWESOME!!!

JZ | Houston | 12/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was one of the lucky people that actually attended this show in Houston. It was probably the best concert I have ever been to. Ian Astbury absolutely channels Jim. It is astonishing. The finale of "Soul Kitchen" with audience members rushing on stage is not to be missed. I just ordered this show and cannot wait to see it. I highly recommend you see this DVD!



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