Search - Michael W. Smith - Live in Concert: A 20 Year Celebration on DVD

Fantastic worship experience!

Cesar | 06/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the first time I've watched a live Smitty concert despite being a long-time fan. What a memorable experience it was! Every song was performed with such great emotion, from the moving tunes like Above All to the exhilirating Prince of Peace. Almost every favourite Smitty song was included, making the DVD all that much more enjoyable. Amy Grant's guest appearance definitely made the concert a little more special. Smitty fans must not miss this & should be prepared to sing along with the on-screen crowd, & to be moved by this awesome praise & worship session."

HIGHS and lows

Cesar | San José, Costa Rica | 05/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, I must clearify that I am not a big fan of contemporary Christian music. But Michael Smith's music called my attention since a couple of his songs became pop hits, specially "Place in this world". So I'm not going to talk about the message or the meaning of his songs, which undeniably should be reason enough for any fan of Christian music to be attracted to this particular performance. I'd like to concentrate instead in some aspects of interest for any outsider:

THE HIGHS.
a) I've seen a good share of concerts in DVD. Michael Smith's DVD has one of the bests sounds I've ever heard. The 5.1 mix properly enhance the fullness of the sound. The bass and drums are strong but with no distortion, and the rest of the instruments are crystal clear. This quality is no surprise: from Michael's records, you can tell that the sound is never second rate, and that he, as a performer, pays good attention to that aspect.
In that regard, his voice is heard good. Wether you can argue if he has a great voice or not (I think he has a good and appropriate voice) he still sings in concert as he does in studio. So what you've heard, is what you get.

b) THE MAIN FEATURE IS WIDESCREEN ANAMORPHIC, that is, enhanced for widescreen TV's. I'm updating this information since Amazon lists wrongly the aspect ratio as 1:33:1, when actually it is 1:85:1. So we have good image, along with the great sound.

c) The inclusion of the "Signs" video. At least is something, until a collection of all his videos is released, if ever. The sound of the video is neatly mixed for 5.1, and that's something that you rarely see in an extra. The inclusion of "The Making of" this video is a little redundant, but it's still fun to see how they made it.

d) Two more videos can be seen in the special features, as alternate angles: "There she stands" and "This is your time". This is particulary special, because you can see the video that otherwise is played in the concert in the background, but with the sound of the concert, not the original studio sound. "Sings" is also included in this feature. Again, at least is something until a video compilation comes out.

e) The inclusion of Amy Grant, as a guest artist, in three songs. No duets, though.

f) No laser lights, or special effects, or dances, or fake poses. Just a pure and simple performance the old fashion way. Just to enjoy the music and the message.

THE LOWS.
a) A 20 year celebration deserves more than an hour and a half performance. There are songs that I'd have liked to hear, for instance "Give it away" or "Cry for love".
In that regard, there are a few songs that are piled up in a medley, with piano solo, as if Michael is just fulfilling a compromise to include them. Maybe I have a little prejudice here, because "Place in this world", that I wanted to hear complete and with full band and all, is one of those chopped songs. And although the raw performance of Michael and piano reminds us that in the end, it's about the songs and the voice, the medley, followed by "There she stands" become a little tedious.

b) Amy Grant's voice in Lead me on (the first song she sings) is heard a little low in the beginning.

c) The videos that can be watched as alternate angles (check "c" in the highs), can only be accessed in the special features menu, not during the concert (at least not in my DVD player). Although you can hear them with the concert audio, the mix for this feature is only stereo, not 5.1.

Overall, I must say that I was impressed with what I saw, so the highs overcome the lows, and I think a five star rate is fair.
"