Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent music, rousing performance, questionable editing, 7 Jul 2007
Mix in hot jazz, a bit of gospel, blues, zydeco, bluegrass and country. Season with Bruce Springsteen and bake at high temperature in an Irish oven for what is perhaps the tastiest concert video of 2007.
This is not your anthemic, rock-til-you-drop, Born-in-the-USA Bruce. That energy is still there, but directed here into the American folk songbook, music written between mid 19th to mid 20th century and reflecting the concerns of the agrarian and working class, from the Oklahoma farmer of My Oklahoma Home, to the slave Old Dan Tucker, to African American dock workers of Pay Me My Money Down. This music was appropriated in the 1950's and 60's by politically conscience singer/songwriters such as Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, and through them the music comes down to us in the 21st century through Springsteen.
Ten of the songs from the original 2006 Seeger Sessions disc are here, as are a handful of new numbers and songs from the extended Seeger Sessions release (How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live, When the Saints Go Marching In, This Little Light of Mine, American Land, Long Time Comin'), as well as new arrangements of some of Springsteen's less well-known songs (If I Should Fall Behind, Growing Up, Blinded By the Light, Atlantic City, and Highway Patrolman).
For long time fans the old songs in new-old clothes will be unrecognizable by the opening melody alone. It's not until Bruce starts singing that your mind begins racing to place that particular set of lyrics with a title. All of these newly outfitted tunes show some inventiveness, but the ones that worked best for me were If I Should Fall Behind and Highway Patrolman, quiet performances showcasing the lyrics, and Blinded By the Light, which like it's original rock incarnation is a wild, foot-stomping show closer.
In fact most of this show will have you tapping your feet and signing along. This is a joyous performance, and you can see that the musicians are enjoying themselves as much as the audience. If you have some room in front of your television, clear out that space and get ready to dance.
About the only downside to this release is that it's not a document of one evening, but a compilation of three. In itself that decision was not as critical as the one to delete all on stage banter, including song and band introductions, often one of the more enjoyable parts of any Springsteen show. The editing work is also noticeably poor at times with the action not in sync with the sound, presumably where the director chose to insert shots from nights other than those from which the sound was recorded.
Otherwise, this is a great DVD and watching it was the most fun I've had in front of the television in months.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Blu-Ray beware - not in HD, 9 Aug 2008
The previous reviews are correct about the musical content being excellent. I have the DVD version and recently purchased the Blu-Ray version which promised HD quality. How disappointed I was to find the Blu-Ray disk is in Standard definition quality. Don't waste your money if you are buying just for HD quality.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hushed Tones of a Haughiest Church,Wildness of a Brothel, 30 Jun 2007
"Last year' s Seeger Sessions was cut in just three days with a twelve-piece band that hadn't played together before. This Dublin stop, taped at the tail end of a seven-month tour, finds Bruce and the band going at the same material with a raw gusto that connects American traditions: mountain string bands, whorehouse Dixieland jazz, juke-joint rockabilly, Western swing and E Street soul. Across two CDs drawn from three concerts, Springsteen rips up old folk songs and revises nine slices of his back catalog -At home, the Sessions Band had trouble selling out Asbury Park. Overseas, they were greeted as heroes, and this is the proof of their heroism." ANDY GREENE
While I was watching this DVD, I was so enthralled and excited that I emailed my best friend about the experience. This DVD, in my opnion, is in the Top Five Concert DVD's of all time. The Sessions Band with Bruce Springsteen came together. The excitement and sheer joy of the event is palpable. Bruce Springsteen is a passionate performer who enjoys what he's doing, and he enjoys his audience as well. There was a sense of togetherness and intensity between the Sessions Band and Bruce and Patti Scalfia. The sound is fantastic, the crowd crackles with enthusiasm, and these musicians play without killing the flow.
This DVD was shot at The Point Theatre, in Dublin,Ireland. There were thousands of pumped Irish inside. Out on the stage comes a sixteen piece band armed with fiddles, trumpets, guitars and much more. The leader is one of the greatest performers: Bruce Springsteen. To start the night off they belt out Springsteen's own 'Atlantic City'. They end with a superb rendition of 'American Land'. I love nearly everything about this DVD. I strongly recommend 'Open All Night'. 9 minutes long, full of vocal and instrument solos it is one of the stand out sessio 'O Mary Don't You Weep,' is one of the best songs from Seeger, and it is stunning on this set. 'Pay Me My Money Down' and 'Jacob's Ladder' were highlights. 'Highway Patrolman' always had the markings of a country song. 'Long Time Comin' was superb.There are some powerful moments. The beautiful 'When The Saints Go Marching In,' with its shared lead vocals, goes into the raucous 'This Little Light Of Mine,' and then back to Bruce's own 'American Land.' 'If I Should Fall Behind' sung by Springsteen and Patti Scalfia was mesmorizing and beautiful. The show ends with an emotional and fitting 'We Shall Overcome.'
Mat Brewster: sums up this DVD the best: "It is both holy and profane. It has the hushed tones of the haughtiest church, and the wild secularism of the Saturday night brothel." Yessir, that's exactly right.
This concert was a once in a lifetime event. The stars were all aligned and everything came together. On the DVD just listen to the crowd reaction, the spontaneous singalongs, the sheer joy of the event. All those happy and lucky folks knew what was goin' on.
Heartily, Heartily Recommeded. prisrob 6-28-06
Live in Dublin
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
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