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105 of 105 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent Example Of Diamond's Legendary Performance StyleFeb 08, 2001
By Ron
This DVD is indeed in Dolby 5.1. As a previous reviewer mentioned, it defaults to Dolby PCM but can quickly be changed in the AUDIO menu of the DVD.The audio and video on this DVD are extremely well done. The sound is better - than - CD quality and the performance was edited to perfection. The crew truly captured the concert in its entirety: Neil, crowd, band, and lights. The different camera angels work to further enhance this divine display of talent. As for the concert, Diamond once again poured out his heart and soul for his beloved fans who couldn't contain themselves on such rocking numbers as "I'm Alive" and "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show." It is clear from this performance, as it has been through all of his songs and other concerts, that the fans ARE his life. Neil is at his best in this show, belting out beautiful slow tunes as well as spine - chilling renditions of his more vivacious hits. His medley tribute to John Lennon consistently brings tears to my eyes when I watch it. We get a REAL treat when he sings "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" with Linda Press, his female vocalist. They are perfect together. Their amazing chemistry translates into a version of the song that is superior to his duet with Barbra Steisand. Here's the bottom line: If you get the slightest bit of joy from listening to one of Neil's songs, you HAVE to buy this DVD.
24 of 24 found the following review helpful:
Not his best! But sometimes anything by him will do!!Apr 10, 2003
By (Rizzo) Rizzuto
If you want to see the best Neil Diamond Live Concert, get his late 70s "Love at the Greek." He will never perform like that again! This one doesn't come close, but hey, sometimes concert performances are rare and you have to settle for anything. As usual, he has the audience revved up and interactive. The man is a true performer. But, for "I Am I Said", that passionate, lonesome feeling he is able to emote just doesn't come through on this show. "Headed For the Future" shows the music video he did for this song. Filmed live at the Aquarius Theatre in Los Angeles in 1988 and it is punctuated by his 80s music with the few 70s classics included the fun "Forever in Blue Jeans." He also offers a tribute song to John Lennon. Linda Press, the sole female in the band joins him for millionth time for "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." Neil, give that poor girl another song too sing! She has been doing this song and only this song at your concerts for years, even today!!! So, enjoy an o.k. performance, but for a magical experience get "Love at the Greek." .....MzRizz
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Hey everyone, it is in Dolby 5.1Jul 10, 2000
By David Buchanan
Just read some of the other reviews of Neil Diamond's DVD. There seems to be some confusion if it is in Dolby 5.1. It is in 5.1. The problem is it defaults to PCM. So go to the main menu and select the audio button and you will see the 5.1. I also recommend increasing the center channel volume about 4db. This is a must for Neil Diamond fans. Sound and video are well done.
15 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Too much Voice - Too Little MusicMar 05, 2004
I had seen Neil In concert in 1999. His performance was trmendous in every sense -Voice, stage presence and his rapport with the audience. Unfortunately, on this DVD there is a sense that not everyone involved in the process was on the same page. It is badly mixed. On many of today's CD/DVD's the music drowns out the singer's lyrics.In this case it's the other way around. You see various instruments being played,but you don't really hear them. The result is a tinny vocal sound that dominates. There are also problems with song selection and how they are presented. A third of them are not considered to be anywhere near Neil's best work. Left off are Holly holy, Soolaimon( a concert must) Cracklin' Rosie, Song Sung Blue etc. etc. In addition we are left with short versions of some songs eg. Forever in Blue Jeans and Brother Love. There is a sense that the concert was slapped together in a choppy fashion. We see Neil sweating early but not late. There is little continuity. One feels they are suddenly somewhere else. Is there a reluctance on the part of age 50+ performers to release comprehensive DVD"s of their best work? There is nothing wrong with a 2 hour performance when you have an extensive repertoire. One wonders if such artists worry that having seen a DVD of their best, fans would not attend their concerts. Think of Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Prince as examples of those with little concert material available. Then think Elton,The Stones, Eagles,Bee Gees and Roy Orbison. Final thoughts: Since this is the only DVD of Neil in concert, I probably would buy it, but really they could have produced a much better quality product.
30 of 37 found the following review helpful:
Quality Neil Diamond, but in a "music video" type format.Nov 22, 1998
I am a dedicated Neil Diamond fan, and was really looking forward to having a performance of his on DVD. Upon receipt of the disc, I was disappointed to find that the recording was done in Dolby Digital PCM, two channel stereo instead of the 5.1 channel surround format that you would expect for a live Neil Diamond performance. I would have expected more! However, my Yamaha DSP did a good job of compensating for a mediocre audio format. The performance was good, but in some cases you would hear the backup symphony, and then notice there was no symphony anywhere in the concert. This added to the "music video" feeling throughout the performance. One part of the performance flashed between Diamonds' on-stage presence and an off-stage music video performance. I was very impressed with the "Jazz Singer", and thought this performance would be of comparable quality. Unfortunately it came up short. If it weren't for Neil Diamond's classic quality singing, I would have given this performance 3 stars instead of the above 4. A note to the savy shopper: Dolby Digital does NOT necessarily mean Digital 5.1!
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