Pat Metheny Group: Imaginary Day Live (Eagle DVD-Video)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C Concert: B
After
three solid versions issued of Pat
Metheny Group: The Way Up Live from Eagle Vision, the company has decided
to reissue an older concert of equal excellence that had the unfortunate timing
of the disc having a Tuesday street date of September 11th,
2001. However, here it is and Pat Metheny Group: Imaginary Day Live
is an excellent companion to the other release.
You can read more about the excellent The Way Up starting with this HD-DVD link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4674/Pat+Metheny+Group:+The+Way+Up
Taped on
July 21 23, 1998 at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California, you get a
great set that includes:
1) Into The Dream
2) Follow Me
3) A Story
4) Imaginary Day
5) Heat Of The Day
6) Across The Sky
7) The Roots Of Coincidence
8) Message To A Friend
9) September Fifteenth
10) Minuano (Six Eight)
It was a
set of beautiful days with a great audience and the band in great form once
again and you cant go wrong, whether you start with this or one of the other
Metheny/Eagle releases. There is a real
energy and joy in watching musicians who love music and can play it so well
pull off a great concert; something we are seeing less and less of as bad music
seeps into mass media, but this set is loaded with golden moments and is worth
a serious look by anyone who loves music.
The 1.33
X 1 image was shot on NTSC analog video and shows its age, but is color
consistent enough and the source is in good shape. The DTS 5.1 is better than the Dolby Digital
5.1 mix, which is weak, while the PCM 16/48 2.0 Stereo mix shows that this was
not conceived for multi-channel. The DTS
almost edges it out, but if it does, it is by a narrow margin. The only extra is a ten-minute piece shot at
the time with Metheny discussing music and this event in smart terms. Too bad that does not go on even longer.
- Nicholas Sheffo