Live at Montreux 1991 & 1992 [Blu-ray]
Live at Montreux 1991 & 1992 [Blu-ray]
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A Good Buy
Even though there are 2 concerts in this disc, it is only single layer which means the capacity is smaller than 25GB. 2 concerts, less than 25GB?? Why not making it 1 concert in one BD-50 disc and 2 concerts in two BD-50 discs,just like Jewel’s Live Songbook BD? OK, this is just my whining…
With regard to the disc quality, PQ and AQ are excellent as expected.
And the concerts…Tori sang songs from her first CD album and somehow hearing these songs have brought back memories of my younger days.
And to compare the two concerts, 1991 is a much better concert and has tons of replay value. But Tori looks prettier and acts more confident in the 1992 concert. Winter is perhaps my favorite song from the 1991 concert.
For obvious reason, I have never had the chance to attend her performance on stage, so buying this BD and watching her sing is “almost” like a dream come true for me.
No question about it, this BD is a 5-star from me.
This BD is a good buy if you are a fan or someone who just wants to watch and hear some nice music in a cozy setting.
-a Tori fan from Taiwan-
3 Stars too old of a show
wish it was a more recent concert
can’t get over 90’s clothes
essential tori though
5 Stars Memories of an earlier time…
This reminds me of when I used to see Tori in the “early days”–back when you could get a decent seat, the audience was polite, and people didn’t scream during the songs. I’ve remained a fan, but this is the raw, emotional Tori before she had to protect herself from her own success with the shell of celebrity.
The video quality is very good, and the audio is superb. My only complaint is the semi-crappy Yamaha piano, but that is quickly forgotten once she starts playing.
5 Stars Absolutely Captivating
Being a Tori Amos fan has been one of the most rewarding and rich experiences in my personal musical history. Her songs have been a deeply felt and important part of my life for years now. Like all Tori fans, I have a great appreciation for her live shows and I actually think it’s a shame that more of them aren’t available on DVD. Comparing this DVD with 2003’s Tori Amos: Welcome to Sunny Florida (DVD with Bonus CD in Jewel Case) is a great exercise in examining the path she has trend over the last two decades. I wish there were more stops to be visited along the way!
That being said, Live at Montreux is an absolutely riveting experience from start to end. I’ve heard the songs of Little Earthquakes dozens and dozens of times, but watching these two concerts made me feel as though I was hearing each one for the very first time. In fact, between the two concerts Tori plays all but 3 songs off of her debut album, as well as two Led Zeppelin covers (Whole Lotta Love and Thank You) and her signature cover of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. Just as watching this DVD in comparison with ‘Sunny Florida’ is a real treat, even looking at the 1991 and 1992 concerts side by side is a unique experience. The liner notes describe the two concerts as something like a before and after shot. My thoughts:
1991: For me, this concert is really the reason to purchase this DVD. This is such a one of a kind show. As others have mentioned, Tori is here pre-fame (’Little Earthquakes’ was yet to be released) and the Moody Blues concert goers have no idea who she is. It is a lovely, lovely experience to watch Tori completely win them over in the space of just 10 songs with only voice and piano. She is riveting…charming…delightful. Her emotions are raw and open and she’s clearly just enjoying herself playing these songs, which are so dear to her heart, for a captive audience. I love how surprised and gratified she is when she is asked for an encore, I love the brief moments of between song banter, I love when she briefly forgets the words in ‘Happy Phantom’ and this performance of “Winter” is one of the most stunning of her career.
1992: While not quite as magical as the 1991 performance, this is a second stellar show. Her confidence and enthusiasm spills over and she is more comfortable talking and bantering with the audience. The drama and power of the songs comes across so strongly that you can barely take your eyes off the screen. Though the opening ‘Little Earthquakes’ has been mentioned for being the song Tori interrupts in order to quietly scold the audience (which earns cheers!) it truly is an intensely powerful performance all it’s own. The confidence and urgency on display here is fantastic.
I can’t recommend this DVD enough. In fact, I’d suggest it as an excellent way of introducing a new fan to Tori Amos. Two songs into the 1991 show, they’ll be enchanted. By the end of the 1992 show, they might just be a lifelong fan.
5 Stars To state the obvious
I had given up on “pop” (and also folk and country) music an embarrassingly long time ago until I discovered the great women singer/songwriters who arose during the nineties. For me these are (in no particular order), Tori Amos, Gillian Welch (with her partner David Rawlings), Patty Griffin, PJ Harvey and Suzanne Vega. If it were not for them I would have stuck exclusively with Elliot Carter. Enough about me. This is a beautiful DVD. It would be a great introduction to Tori Amos for someone who does not know her work, or has some strange misimpression of what she is all about. (A friend of mine had a mental barrier against Tori because her “goth” niece is into her. Duh. . .) It is part of a fascinating ongoing portrait of a great artist developing creatively while adapting (in some ways) to the changing tastes of her evolving audience, and attempting to expand that audience. But hey, the same could be said of Elliot Carter. A few years ago I once saw him at a music festival eagerly awaiting reviews of a new piece. Anyhow, just buy this DVD. If I could give it six stars, or ten, I would. (Oh, the liner notes say she got her scholarship to the Peabody at age 5. Still precocious after all these years . . . )
Filed under: Blue Ray Movie Reviews