This is 'Co&Ca's first DVD, and it is quite a package. The main focus is on the concert, which features 10 tracks all over, and plays almost an hour. The focus is a bit more on the recent album "In keeping secrets of silent Earth: 3", four songs are from their debut "The second Stage turbine blade". The choice for the setlist is great, as there is no song up there that is weak in a way IMO.
I have not seen them live, but after seeing and hearing this DVD, I definately want to. The footage from the Starland Ballroom gives a good impression of the atmosphere that must be at a Co&Ca gig. I was very impressed by the minimal lighting techniques used. I noticed that right at the beginning. Simple but effective lighting, real good. Does a lot for the atmosphere. Second thing I noticed was that some of the songs are played a bit faster than on the albums. Good example here is the opener. The quality of the sound is real good, nothing to complan about here (neither how the DVD was produced, nor how Claudio sings etc). You see the whole band a good bunch of a time, though the footage is a bit focused on Claudio as the singer. But especially during the instrumental passages, where the band goes whack on the stage, you get a fair share of all.
What I really liked:
The atmosphere is great. I've watched some music and concert DVDs so far, but this one has really one of the best atmosphere's so far. As I already said the lighting is superb IMO, and especially on songs like 'A favor house atlantic' where the audience practically sings most of the chorus is just golden. Special versions of songs are fun too, like the acoustic guitar version of 'The light and the Glass'. So far I have not discovered many variations in actual play, the bassist does some, but apart from that... Question is how much a band like Co&Ca needs to. The songs are on an excellent level already.
What was not so good:
Still, there are some downsides: From one second to another, you see the band has different instruments (speaking of guitar and bass), but there was no pause between the songs. Hm, the whole instrument changes and interaction with the crowd seem to be edited out. Which is good and bad at the same time, depends on how you see it. I tend to see it negative, as the interaction with the crowd is one thing that distinguishes the live performance from an album recording. That this is almost completely lost (only some comments toward the audience during one or two songs) is a bit sad. I liked the full experience for example on Incubus' "Alive at Red Rocks". That you got everything, the whole concert gave the DVD a special taste, which in part is lost on this one. Still, an excellent concert, there's no doubt about that. (though it could have been a bit longer...)
The Bonus CD:
With this package comes an Audio CD. Basically this is the gig from the Starland Ballroom for your home stereo. It features the same tracklist as the concert, the same concert etc. So, I have not much to say about that. It's the concert without the video, so basically all of the above applies here as well, apart from the video things of course. :)
Bonus Stuff:
You get a bit of bonus stuff as well. On the DVD is a short piece from the 2004 Surf and Skate Festival, wich is nice, but does not match quite with the quality of the main feature. It's still a nice watch. Really funny are the three videos you get. You can watch the videos for "A favor house atlantic", "Devil in Jersey City" and "Blood Red Summer". The last video features a making of, which is quite interesting (and funny). To round it up, you get some interviews with the band. Overall, a nice completion for this DVD
Summary:
It's always hard to not miss a lot of great aspects with concert DVDs. To sum it up, this DVD is excellent work, and in great quality. The concert is great, and features a lot of my favorites from both albums. That you get the concert for the road on the incuded Audio CD is a great Bonus. The rest of the bonus features are fun to watch, but the main focus for me is on the concert. But if you are into special stuff and so on, you surely find some interesting stuff on this DVD.
Though it has some slight downsides, like the mentioned lack of crowd interaction, the pros still outweight the cons.
To summerize it with one sentence: If you like Coheed and Cambria, you can not go wrong with this. IMO it's worth every penny.
Rating: Nothing less then 4/5 :thumb:
