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51 of 52 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Live DocumentDec 16, 2004
By John
I had the pleasure of going to see the Chili Peppers during this tour with great seats - I was dead center in the pit. There couldn't have been more than twenty feet seperating me from the band. Being only a casual RHCP fan, I was blown away by the awesome power of their live performance. That remains the best concert I've ever been too. And this DVD is a perfect way to revisit that experience again and again.
If you were also went to see them during that tour, this DVD is essential. They were smart in that they played almost the same setlist and wore the same clothes even (most remarkably Flea's Skeleton costume - reminiscent of John Entwistle) so that for all intents and purposes no matter where you saw them this concert is almost exactly like the one you saw.
The Chili Peppers were full of great surprises here. First of all, John Frusciante has new solo's for every song and he's in prime guitar god form. His improvisations are brilliant, including the intro to "By the Way" which opened the concert and especially the extended solo after "Throw Away Your Television" will blow your mind. I still recall my jaw dropping when watching him perform this live. Also it's good to see they included his solo performance of "Maybe", a 60's pop love song, which comes right after "Scar Tissue" although it's not listed. That was an odd and memorable part of the show I saw.
The filmmakers were smart to film the concert from start to finish. No breaks to hear short interviews from the band. No 'Song Remains the Same' style movie clips. Just pure unadulturated Chili Peppers goodness. There are also some cool effects such as the still-motion, 180 degree, Matrix-style camera trick used to capture and accentuate Anthony Kiedis's crazy jumping around. I also liked how they focused on the right people at the right time, so that interested guitarists such as myself could see the fretboard during many of Frusciante's solos.
Overall there's nothing to complain about with this DVD. It's the best live document of the Chili Peppers that you could hope for. The only thing I would have liked (if only as a lark) is as an extra feature some footage of opening band French Toast, who came on before Queens of the Stone Age. My friends and I had many laughs at their expense, especially when we realized the lyrics to one of their songs chorus's was "This is what I had for breakfast!" Anyone who came early and saw them knows what I'm talking about. Anyway, if you were at this tour you would do well to have this as a reminder. And if you weren't at the tour, buy this to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers at their absolute best.
38 of 40 found the following review helpful:
Shock and Awe - the way it should beJun 05, 2005
By M. Wells
Is Slane the greatest concert film ever? Though this is for you and you alone to decide you'll be able to tell two minutes into the show when John Frusciante literally rips the Irish air into shreds. In the concert intro, Frusciante pulls some of the most awesome notes known to man from the strings of his electric guitar. It is absolutely unreal to watch and listen to what he can do with that guitar, as he takes his trademark sound to new heights and defines guitar heroics for you right in your own home. From here on in you know that you're in for a special treat. The Peppers display that even dudes well into their 40's are still capable of creating majik on stage on par with what they do in the studio. By the Way, which I've never found to be a strong track, gets a new lease on life in Slane as tens of thousands of Irish fans sing along to it. The segue into Scar Tissue is audio ecstasy, as the band pulls together into a jam based on the song's melody with Frusciante's guitar creating soulful sounds best described as epic. He harmonizes beautifully with Anthony on the aforementioned greatest comeback song of all time. Another song that I never liked on record that is given the royal makeover here is Throw Away Your Television. To my delight I discovered that is actually a great song, augmented by the passionate playing the guys put into it for Slane. I love the tricked out guitar effects, which sound like they were made by a synthesizer and I love the guitar solo that ends the song. I could go on and on and write capsule reviews for each and every song performed on this DVD, but that would take up the entire page. Let's put it this way: Anthony rarely sounds this good on record, Frusciante hasn't played guitar like this since he was eighteen, Chad absolutely wails on the drums, and Flea has taken a necessary supporting role, which only strengthens the band's new, melody-driven sound. All of the band's greatest "new" songs are here, including perenial favorite, the Zephyr Song and of course, Under the Bridge. The 50's ditty John sings after Scar Tissue and the Fugazi homage are two of the many highlights. I won't lie, I'm a monsterous John Frusciante fan. To the person who said he can't play guitar, please go back and give this dvd another go. If this isn't rock guitar playing at it's finest and most identifiable then I haven't been listening to rock for the past 23 years. This is essential.
26 of 26 found the following review helpful:
The best live concert DVD ever!Sep 01, 2004
By Alan Pounds
"Minnesota Hip-Hop Fiend"
Lets start with the location: Slane Castle, Ireland. Slane is renowned worldwide for the annual Rock Concerts held in the natural amphitheater in front of the Castle. Artists such as U2, R.E.M., Oasis, Neil Young, David Bowie, Queen, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and Madonna have performed live. So The Red Hot Chili Peppers are in good company here.
The Peppers deliver a mind blowing performance. I would go as far as to say that the live performance are better than the album version of the songs in several cases. John Frusciante delivers a blistering performance, changing up riffs, adding guitar sections, and adding more funk to the show. John also as an incredible voice. Some people don't realize how much Frusciante adds to the band; but they will after seeing this DVD.
Not only is the performance perfect, so is the production. This is probably the best sounding live concert I've ever purchased, and I have several. The sound is very loud. The guitars, bass, and drums all sound crystal clear; and nothing over powers Anthony's incredible vocals.
This DVD is worth every penny. You'll find yourself watching it multiple times.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Great Show..........PERIODAug 02, 2004
By Turd Ferguson
With Live at Slane Castle, the always excellent chili peppers show you why they are argueably the best band still around today making new music. Even with a setlist of songs mostly from their last two albums, some of which I never particularly liked are played so well that any viewer is easily swayed into just loving the performance. A real treat with this show is how essentially all the songs form this massive hour and a half jam with multiple songs getting cool new intros (take for example the amazing guitar solo intro to By The Way which I wish they had included on the album) and you will agree that the Chilis are absolutely fantastic live. John Frusciante shows why he is arguably one of the most skilled guitar players of all time with his multitudes of great riffs and amazing improvisational skill when it comes to soloing (Just listen to Scar Tissue and you will be swayed to believe that the man is truly a god.) I particularly like how he plays Under The Bridge shirtless exposing his arms which are scarred from years of shooting heroin. It really drives the message of the song home that you should take an example from him and never use drugs because you will get f**ked up like he was and be all scarred and permanently screwed up. Flea, as a musician, has pulled off a total three sixty and totally changed his playing style as of late and it is shown quite well on this DVD. He used to play mostly slap riffs and steal the show with just mindboggling playing but has now essentially converted to being a rhythm guitar player who just happens to play bass but throws millions of amazing fills into every song. Can it always be heard well? NO! That doesnt change the fact that if you watched this DVD at a high volume you would see his amazing skill as a musician. He still though does the crazy trademark Flea antics of jumping around like a jackass and doing a buncha crazy dance moves while playing. (SIDENOTE:Before the three song encore you must watch Flea's semi hilarious trumpet solo which intros the encores) Flea still though has a solo before around the world and adds a much needed solo to By The Way (No offense but the album version of the song should've had Flea soloing instead of playing the verse riff during what would essentially be a good solo). He also does some really cool stuff along with John before Californication. Anthony Kiedis is, as always, in absolute top form jumping around and putting every bit of energy he has into performing. Then there's the good ole backbone of the band, their drummer, Chad Smith. The guy is fantastic and sadly only gets to shortly showoff during his about minute long drum solo before Flea's trumpet solo. He basically does what he's always done with a smile on his face, which is grabbing what Flea's doing and what John's doing and fuzing it to create a song. It's cool when he comes out before his solo and starts playing drums on key with the crowd which is singing OLE OLE OLE OLE. Sure the guy doesn't get to do too much during the show but it really is a joy to watch him play. Overall, sure the setlist isn't that great but it's the state of mind they're in right now so deal with it but they do manage to take an average setlist and whip out this awesome show for the ages. Anyone who loves music should go out and buy this DVD right now. That's my two cents. Peace Out.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Buy The WayJan 08, 2004
This definitely is the best RHCP video/DVD release and definitely one of the best concert DVD's ever. The sound and the video - this includes the camera angles, lighting and effects - are of the highest quality. Hell, the venue background is a castle.This captures what one show of the "By The Way" tour looked like for those that missed it, but should be essential for those who caught them on that tour. Having seen the Peppers six times over their career, the shows on the "By The Way" tour are in the upper echelon (Woodstock and my first show after the return of John Frusciante takes no. 1), mainly focusing on songs from "By The Way" and "Californication." Some may have qualms with the setlist, but you can't blame them for taking out BSSM songs (excluding the hits they "have" to play) - that album is over ten years old and they have grown considerably as musicians, particularly the definite star of this show, John Frusciante. He is enigmatic on stage and brilliant in his guitar playing. His vocal harmonies are pitch perfect and really beautiful. The DVD also includes the doo-wop song he performed on the tour (it's buried at the tail end of "Around The World") and in my opinion the highlight of the disc. This is a must for RHCP/John Frusciante fans. No question.
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