Jom
01-14-2005, 08:58 PM
Synopsis: All Access to All Things is a live concert DVD from Summer Sanitarium 2003, where Mudvayne was the first band to perform. A lot of people questioned the bands that were on the bill, which is justified; however, Mudvayne deliver a strong opening performance with songs from their platinum-certified "L.D. 50" and the gold-certified "The End of All Things to Come."
Besides a ten-song setlist from the concert, filmed on location in August 2003 at Usana Amphitheatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, Seahawk Stadium in Seattle, Washington, and Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California, the DVD features the "World So Cold" video, a making-of featurette, and various behind-the-scenes features in between songs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v607/frozeninshadows/MX%20album%20covers/m-aatatdvd.jpg
Mudvayne is:
Chad Gray- vocals
Greg Tribbett- guitar
Ryan Martinie- bass
Matt McDonough- percussion
DVD Features Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, PCM stereo, interactive menu (sorry, but I feel obligated to write that :p).
Once you get to the Main Menu, you have these options: you can "Play Movie" (includes everything) or select thirteen other options (these are basically the behind-the-scenes movies played in between songs, you can jump right to a specific area [soundcheck, dressing room, etc.] or a specific band member interview). For this review, I'm going to [try to] include everything on the DVD in order for a full review. From this point forward, I will begin the review as if I had hit "Play Movie" from the menu, and I will go by chapters for convenience.
Chapter 1: Internal Primates Forever- Mudvayne open the show with this song about a drug addiction. Crowd doesn't look particularly large because it's early in the day, but there's fist pumps going on. One thing that's nice about the set is that each member is hooked up so each part is heard clearly, and the band moves around with energy on stage. Camera angles focus on each member and the crowd. The bass rings out clearly, the guitar isn't overly distorted, the drums are mic'ed up individually, and Chad's mic isn't on overdrive. Overall, the band sounds cohesive, although Greg can't sing back up vocals for his life; but no matter, Matt and Ryan fly on the drums and bass, respectively. Chad tries to get the crowd into the show to the best of his ability. 4/5
Chapters 2-12: Bus Ride to Los Angeles Summer Sanitarium- this is the first behind-the-scenes shoot of the band. They joke with the cameraman about being in their way. Their manager (Chuck Toler, Anger Management) jokes with the band in a mock interview ("How will it feel going from a club setting to opening in front of 60,000 people... do you think you can handle it?" asks Toler. "No," replies Chad sarcastically). Chad talks for a bit about being on the road all the time, while Toler remains light-hearted in introducing the rest of the band. Ryan then is placed in front of the camera and describes his stage experience and how the crowd size doesn't make him nervous or affect his playing; however, he goes on to say that there is a somewhat nervous vibe because he feels honored to play with Metallica, and how he grew up practicing songs such as "Seek and Destroy" ("It's a classic, I'm sure they [Metallica] are tired of hearing it, but it's a classic, it's a classic heavy metal song, I played it a million times myself... I was a big fan," he says). Scene cuts to driving on golf carts to get to the dressing room. Matt gets pissed at the camera for a quick second, camera shifts to Conder, the production assistant. More sarcasm. Cut to dressing room area, where some of their stage crew is making preliminary steps to begin the show. Cut to more dressing room antics and sarcasm ("There's no toilet paper in here, but we do have air conditioning," Matt quips). More pre-show light-hearted discussion about pussy and blowjobs, which cuts to more pre-show setup, walking to the stadium, interviews with a photographer and his thoughts about being on stage with the band, etc.
Chapter 13: -1- Mudvayne's second song is the slower "-1" which talks about one feeling isolated. Clean guitar intro, softer verses which explode into a crunching chorus. Chad tries to get the crowd into the song, Greg still can't sing backup. Song seems to drag a bit in the second verse, but gets restored back to tempo at the chorus. Crowd appears to be into the song. Bridge goes back to slower tempo with guitar effect, but bass drum kicks pulsate. Chad smiles and tries to work the crowd, final chorus explodes again. Bass rings quite clearly, although Ryan isn't exactly featured in the song. 4/5
Chapters 14-15: After the Show- Mudvayne speak with fans, sign autographs, Chad expresses some disappointment that the crowd was small, Toler asks Greg about the shows in Texas, Greg shows their "buffet" (Doritos, Mountain Dew, Pedialyte, etc.). More light-hearted discussion. Matt introduces stage manager G-Money and explains how he got the nickname (his name is Greg, and the guitarist is Greg, so they coined him said nickname since they didn't want two Gregs on tour); Matt then rattles off the rest of the proposed nicknames (G-Whiz, G-String, G-Willickers, etc.).
Chapter 16: Silenced- Mudvayne's third track is the opening track from "The End of All Things to Come." Ryan and Matt begin the song, with an explosion ten seconds in. Ryan flies on bass, crowd gives a good reaction to the set. Both Greg and Ryan vibrato strongly, good close-up of Ryan's fretwork in the bridge. Chad sort of runs out of breath towards the end of the song, but crowd still cheers. Drums and guitar drive to the conclusion until the song ends abruptly like the CD. 4/5
Chapters 17-19: Tour Promo Interview- A radio show from New Zealand (The Axe Attack) comes in and interviews Matt and Chad and asks them about tour life, recording in the studio, and how much work the band puts in to their work. Chad says it can feel like a "rock and roll nightmare" because of all the movement of touring and not seeing family. Matt talks about production of the albums, all three men joke around. Axe asks what they would be doing if they weren't making music (Matt says "reading and staring at walls," Chad says, "in the bar."). Interview ends.
Chapter 20: Death Blooms- The fourth song of the set is the second single from "L.D. 50." Chad gives a brief intro to the song, Matt hits the highhat and Greg goes into the familiar bar chord-natural harmonic intro. Ryan again shines on bass, as does Matt on drums. The vocals of the chorus are also good; they don't match the CD's level, but they ring clear. Song keeps its tempo, Chad works the crowd a bit, band kicks back in with pre-chorus riffs and vocals. The conclusion of the song is performed very well, although the shouted vocals tend to be a bit raspy, although one can argue that this song was performed late into the tour. The higher notes are hit well, song ends with familiar poem-esque lyrics, Chad thanks crowd. One of the best songs from the set. 5/5
Chapters 21-25: Bus Ride to San Francisco- Interviews with the bus driver and tour manager, Greg insults the bus food and talks about how being on the road is rough, Greg jokes about being the sole decision-maker of the band. Toler asks about previous bands that Matt and Greg were in, Matt drinks a bunch of Pedialyte during the interview. Jon Cohen from Anger Management goes through a comical word association game, where he names off various food items for each band member. Ryan gets on camera but refuses to be interviewed. Toler lays down a $100 bill, but Ryan still refuses to talk.
Chapter 26: Mercy, Severity- Chad asks if the band can play them "some new ****," crowd answers yes. Intro to the song is pounding double bass, simple guitar riffs, and intricate bass work. Chorus is also explosive, verses are softer and with clean guitar. The drums being hooked up individually is a plus because each strike is heard clearly. Bridge is more furious double bass and cymbal work, guitar and bass is accelerated, vocals are shouted, then drop off into verse-like sound for a short bit, which gives way to more intense instrumentation and vocals. Chad thanks crowd, which gives a good reaction. A stronger song from the set. 4.5/5
To be continued on to the next thread...
Besides a ten-song setlist from the concert, filmed on location in August 2003 at Usana Amphitheatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, Seahawk Stadium in Seattle, Washington, and Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California, the DVD features the "World So Cold" video, a making-of featurette, and various behind-the-scenes features in between songs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v607/frozeninshadows/MX%20album%20covers/m-aatatdvd.jpg
Mudvayne is:
Chad Gray- vocals
Greg Tribbett- guitar
Ryan Martinie- bass
Matt McDonough- percussion
DVD Features Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, PCM stereo, interactive menu (sorry, but I feel obligated to write that :p).
Once you get to the Main Menu, you have these options: you can "Play Movie" (includes everything) or select thirteen other options (these are basically the behind-the-scenes movies played in between songs, you can jump right to a specific area [soundcheck, dressing room, etc.] or a specific band member interview). For this review, I'm going to [try to] include everything on the DVD in order for a full review. From this point forward, I will begin the review as if I had hit "Play Movie" from the menu, and I will go by chapters for convenience.
Chapter 1: Internal Primates Forever- Mudvayne open the show with this song about a drug addiction. Crowd doesn't look particularly large because it's early in the day, but there's fist pumps going on. One thing that's nice about the set is that each member is hooked up so each part is heard clearly, and the band moves around with energy on stage. Camera angles focus on each member and the crowd. The bass rings out clearly, the guitar isn't overly distorted, the drums are mic'ed up individually, and Chad's mic isn't on overdrive. Overall, the band sounds cohesive, although Greg can't sing back up vocals for his life; but no matter, Matt and Ryan fly on the drums and bass, respectively. Chad tries to get the crowd into the show to the best of his ability. 4/5
Chapters 2-12: Bus Ride to Los Angeles Summer Sanitarium- this is the first behind-the-scenes shoot of the band. They joke with the cameraman about being in their way. Their manager (Chuck Toler, Anger Management) jokes with the band in a mock interview ("How will it feel going from a club setting to opening in front of 60,000 people... do you think you can handle it?" asks Toler. "No," replies Chad sarcastically). Chad talks for a bit about being on the road all the time, while Toler remains light-hearted in introducing the rest of the band. Ryan then is placed in front of the camera and describes his stage experience and how the crowd size doesn't make him nervous or affect his playing; however, he goes on to say that there is a somewhat nervous vibe because he feels honored to play with Metallica, and how he grew up practicing songs such as "Seek and Destroy" ("It's a classic, I'm sure they [Metallica] are tired of hearing it, but it's a classic, it's a classic heavy metal song, I played it a million times myself... I was a big fan," he says). Scene cuts to driving on golf carts to get to the dressing room. Matt gets pissed at the camera for a quick second, camera shifts to Conder, the production assistant. More sarcasm. Cut to dressing room area, where some of their stage crew is making preliminary steps to begin the show. Cut to more dressing room antics and sarcasm ("There's no toilet paper in here, but we do have air conditioning," Matt quips). More pre-show light-hearted discussion about pussy and blowjobs, which cuts to more pre-show setup, walking to the stadium, interviews with a photographer and his thoughts about being on stage with the band, etc.
Chapter 13: -1- Mudvayne's second song is the slower "-1" which talks about one feeling isolated. Clean guitar intro, softer verses which explode into a crunching chorus. Chad tries to get the crowd into the song, Greg still can't sing backup. Song seems to drag a bit in the second verse, but gets restored back to tempo at the chorus. Crowd appears to be into the song. Bridge goes back to slower tempo with guitar effect, but bass drum kicks pulsate. Chad smiles and tries to work the crowd, final chorus explodes again. Bass rings quite clearly, although Ryan isn't exactly featured in the song. 4/5
Chapters 14-15: After the Show- Mudvayne speak with fans, sign autographs, Chad expresses some disappointment that the crowd was small, Toler asks Greg about the shows in Texas, Greg shows their "buffet" (Doritos, Mountain Dew, Pedialyte, etc.). More light-hearted discussion. Matt introduces stage manager G-Money and explains how he got the nickname (his name is Greg, and the guitarist is Greg, so they coined him said nickname since they didn't want two Gregs on tour); Matt then rattles off the rest of the proposed nicknames (G-Whiz, G-String, G-Willickers, etc.).
Chapter 16: Silenced- Mudvayne's third track is the opening track from "The End of All Things to Come." Ryan and Matt begin the song, with an explosion ten seconds in. Ryan flies on bass, crowd gives a good reaction to the set. Both Greg and Ryan vibrato strongly, good close-up of Ryan's fretwork in the bridge. Chad sort of runs out of breath towards the end of the song, but crowd still cheers. Drums and guitar drive to the conclusion until the song ends abruptly like the CD. 4/5
Chapters 17-19: Tour Promo Interview- A radio show from New Zealand (The Axe Attack) comes in and interviews Matt and Chad and asks them about tour life, recording in the studio, and how much work the band puts in to their work. Chad says it can feel like a "rock and roll nightmare" because of all the movement of touring and not seeing family. Matt talks about production of the albums, all three men joke around. Axe asks what they would be doing if they weren't making music (Matt says "reading and staring at walls," Chad says, "in the bar."). Interview ends.
Chapter 20: Death Blooms- The fourth song of the set is the second single from "L.D. 50." Chad gives a brief intro to the song, Matt hits the highhat and Greg goes into the familiar bar chord-natural harmonic intro. Ryan again shines on bass, as does Matt on drums. The vocals of the chorus are also good; they don't match the CD's level, but they ring clear. Song keeps its tempo, Chad works the crowd a bit, band kicks back in with pre-chorus riffs and vocals. The conclusion of the song is performed very well, although the shouted vocals tend to be a bit raspy, although one can argue that this song was performed late into the tour. The higher notes are hit well, song ends with familiar poem-esque lyrics, Chad thanks crowd. One of the best songs from the set. 5/5
Chapters 21-25: Bus Ride to San Francisco- Interviews with the bus driver and tour manager, Greg insults the bus food and talks about how being on the road is rough, Greg jokes about being the sole decision-maker of the band. Toler asks about previous bands that Matt and Greg were in, Matt drinks a bunch of Pedialyte during the interview. Jon Cohen from Anger Management goes through a comical word association game, where he names off various food items for each band member. Ryan gets on camera but refuses to be interviewed. Toler lays down a $100 bill, but Ryan still refuses to talk.
Chapter 26: Mercy, Severity- Chad asks if the band can play them "some new ****," crowd answers yes. Intro to the song is pounding double bass, simple guitar riffs, and intricate bass work. Chorus is also explosive, verses are softer and with clean guitar. The drums being hooked up individually is a plus because each strike is heard clearly. Bridge is more furious double bass and cymbal work, guitar and bass is accelerated, vocals are shouted, then drop off into verse-like sound for a short bit, which gives way to more intense instrumentation and vocals. Chad thanks crowd, which gives a good reaction. A stronger song from the set. 4.5/5
To be continued on to the next thread...