Live & Alone [DVD] [2001] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

This is a must own for any Melissa Etheridge fan! It is especially perfect for the following people:

1. those cant afford to go to her concert and

2. those of us who cant get to one of her concerts which tend to be in the USA!

And not only do you have the joy of seeing her live you do get to see her perform, as the title implies, alone. It's absolutely fabulous to see her switch between different types of guitars, the piano and even the harmonica. Practically every sound you hear is generated by Melissa on the stage in some way or the other. Amazing stuff!

The extras are brilliant too so even if you have seen her perform live this dvd package might appeal to you.

The concert can be watched with commentry from Melissa which is a fantastic idea and I bow to whoever thought of it. In her own words she describes what she was thinking, feeling or singing about. There are times when she makes little quips and answers questions she is commonly asked about performing live.

On top of this there is an interview with Ms Etheridge and some additional clips from other concerts.

You also get two extra songs 'the weakness in me' and 'alive' (not from any concert so it's just the music).

There are a couple of other features but these are the 'wow' ones that have made me one very happy girl for the psat few weeks. I wish they sold a cd with this concert on because i am madly in love with the music on it. The emotion behind every song is evident making it extra special to hear.

Buy this!

This woman goes from strength to strength...I was lucky enough to be at her Live and Alone concert... I have never seen one person manage to be on a stage on her own, and to make the house rock so intensly...

This DVD will show you how brilliant she really is...not many artists can do what she can do.

Melissa Etheridge *A true star*

Melissa Etheridge live & alone, this 2002 release from the aforementioned artist is in one word superb not only do you get a stunning 2-hour solo concert,you also get a second disc of extras, this is all presented in a three part fold-out box.

The first disc starts with a glimpse of a 1987 club performance then fast-forwards to December the 8th 2001 at the Hollywood Kodak theatre in Los Angles, with some back stage footage of Melissa meeting and greeting fans, family and friends notably Steven Spielberg.

The camera then follows her to the stage with the roar of the audience always in earshot. She first appears on stage with just two spotlights either side of her this brings a huge roar from the assembled masses, she is strumming her 12 string guitar, the first line of the track "Come into my Window" is heard as she leans into the microphone, "I would dial numbers just to listen to your breath", the voice of Ms Etheridge is stunning in it's clarity and if at the menu of this disc you put the star icon onto the audio set-up and pick the digital Dolby 5.1 surround sound, you then can hear the atmosphere of the venue and the crowd as you watch and listen to a performance that is both uplifting and entertaining not only is her guitar playing awesome the singing is stunning, and the chat between the tracks is both friendly and genuine sounding.

The artist uses no props just her voice guitar, piano and cowboy boots for a rhythm track and most effectively the back of a guitar on the song "You can sleep while I drive" this approach makes this song stand out in the show.

The song "Scarecrow" is the only track, which has Melissa using a taped drum track, which is piped through the P.A. all the singing is done centre stage on her knees, a real hairs on the back of the neck song, which also has black and film images to go with the lyrics, excellent closing line "All in the name of Love".
For a show, which is just one person and that's all, this performance is a must see, it's never dull and always entertaining Stunning.

Disc number 2 is just a fan's dream, with an interactive tour diary of both the U.S. and Europe.
Also an in depth interview and bonus live tracks from both the U.S. and European "Yes I am" from Atlanta and "Dance without Sleeping" from Amsterdam.
Some footage from a 1987 club performance, which is very powerful but of poor quality
A 2002 club performance with her band, which is a little frustrating as it's a 4-song montage, which for me is the weak part of the whole set.

There are also 2 tracks, which are presented in 24bit 96 KHz and in uncompressed stereo which is truly stunning sound these bonus tracks "Alive" and "The weakness in me" are just little gems of songs.

For the follower of this ladies music who must have everything there is a complete discography, which has everything, listed from Albums, singles, and appearances on Compilations to Soundtrack to films and also a list of all video's this is an excellent inclusion.

To close disc 2 there is a web link and an extensive credit list.
This is truly a fan's delight a stunning set that other artist's should try and emulate, as music fan I wish all music DVD's where this well presented STUNNING.