I went to Best Buy last night in search of the new Eric Johnson live DVD Anaheim. No dice on that, so I took a quick look to see if Best “sometimes we stock vinyl” Buy might by chance have the vinyl edition of the new Mudcrutch live EP.
Again, denied.
One newly released item that was in stock that I had forgot about, was the new Best Buy-exclusive live CD/DVD Certifiable, the new live package from the Police reunion tour, recorded in Buenos Aires.
While I’m thrilled to have a high quality souvenir of one of my favorite tours from last year, the packaging itself leaves a lot to be desired. The CD/DVD version is housed in a multi-panel foldout package that is one step away from being folded cardstock that happens to have discs attached to it.
On the plus side, there are hubs to hold the discs – unfortunately they don’t actually hold them very well – securely held? Not so much. The box set also wins the award for being the first set I’ve seen that has no sleeve to slip the booklet into – the booklet is instead inserted in between panels, so you’ll want to be careful not to open this set in a wind tunnel – chances are good you’ll lose the books and discs, leaving you with only the “high quality packaging.”
But it’s the music that counts, right? That’s where this package delivers – if you saw the reunion tour, you’ll dig this set, which is a great takeaway for me from a tour and band that I thought I’d never get the chance to see in my lifetime. I haven’t watched the video portion yet, and I’m looking forward to checking that out, particularly the bonus documentary on the second disc, shot by Jordan Copeland (and he’s the son of, guess who!)
Live vid camera shots – I’m guessing 70 percent Sting, 20 percent Stewart Copeland, and 10 percent Andy Summers if there was any time left over 🙂 Seriously, I’m hoping that this will be one of the few live videos that won’t change camera angles at a mind-numbing/seizure inducing rate of 3 to 4 different camera angles every two seconds.
There are a couple of other items in stores this week that might be of interest for music fans, including the Cheap Trick Budokan CD/DVD box set, and another Best Buy exclusive, the Elton John The Red Piano box set compiling material from his Vegas show. The live audio from the Red Piano set can also be obtained on vinyl. Also in stores, is the Beatles/Cirque Du Soleil All Together Now documentary DVD.
Speaking of packaging woes, proceed with caution regarding the Cheap Trick set – the folks aren’t happy. It seems that the Budokan set has the dreaded notched slots for holding discs that can spell scratched doom before you even get the discs out of the package. The recent Willie Nelson box set has the same slots, and thankfully I was able to carefully remove and relocate the discs to paper sleeves, without damage. Now, I’m not THAT anal about packaging normally….but seriously, c’mon!
As long as we’re talking about unhappy people, I love the recent Smashing Pumpkins tour drama – Where else can you find a fan onstage telling his favorite musician openly how much last night’s show sucked? Don’t forget, you can grab audio downloads of the drama at LiveSmashingPumpkins.com.
Be well, all.
The Police – So Lonely (live)
I prefer – Be Excellent.
The Smashing Pumpkins are full of drama — unfortunately, I’m not sure whether they are even worth seeing on tour anymore. We saw them a year ago at Osheaga Music + Arts Festival, and were far less than impressed*
ps – We had a great time hanging out with you last night!
omg, so glad i saw the pumpkins last year and not on tour now! they actually did rock when i saw them. wish i could have seen corgan’s reaction to the double middle finger though!
Thanks for the heads up on the Cirque Du Soleil All Together Now. I’ve been waiting for this one too!
-cm
I know exactly what you mean with the packaging for the “Certifiable” set from The Police. I got home with my first copy and opened it and ALL FOUR discs were loose and a couple of them were scratched. I immediately headed back to the store where I proceeded to make them open four copies before we found one where all four discs were actually somewhat securely locked in place. I told them to expect to have lots of returning customers.
I also agree with your assessment on the show’s quality. The sound is mind-blowing and the performance is outstanding. A must-have for even the most casual of fans!