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62 of 65 found the following review helpful:
 The real dealJun 11, 2002
By Rezaul Hasan Laskar
Forget "Supernatural Live," this is the real deal if you want a live-in-concert DVD that has music from all phases of Carlos Santana's evolving career.This 18-song, 97-minute offering is the finest visual document of a live performance by Santana currently available on DVD, and till they start releasing his classic shows from the 1960s and 1970s, this is the way to go. The songs span the heady 1960s ("Jingo" and "Soul Sacrifice" from the self-titled debut album) to the 1990s ("Make Somebody Happy" from the Milagro album that marked the beginning of a comeback cycle that ended with Supernatural). Add to the fact that the concerts on this DVD were filmed in Mexico City in 1993 while Santana was touring on the strength of his excellent Milagro album, and the presence of Alex J. Ligertwood (in my humble opinion, the finest of many vocalists who have worked with Santana's band), and you have a great package on your hands. The image is inconsistent, ranging from very sharp to slightly blurry, but that's okay when you consider the DVD comprises footage filmed on videotape almost a decade ago. There is no visible bleeding of colours and the editing is clean, lingering long enough on individual players instead of the totally unnecessary rapidfire cuts pioneered by MTV. The downsides? You get only LPCM stereo and Dolby Surround 2.0 soundtracks and the video is not 16x9 enhanced. Plus, the DVD has NO extras at all. Makes you wonder if a special eition is in the works!!
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 more than a concertOct 23, 2001
By B. Cooke
"xbcookex"
This is more than a concert -- it's a celebration of music. Santana purists might whine, but I loved the interpolation of all kinds of tunes into Carlos' solos. He throws in all kinds of riffs - "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Light My Fire" are just a few -- and you have to pay attention or you miss them. The end result is a whole lot of new life put into some old songs. This is one of the best concerts I've ever seen or heard, and it blows away the Supernatural Live DVD. If you liked the Sacred Fire CD, you'll love this DVD: it has more tracks and some of the tracks are longer.
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
The Best Santana DVD On The Market Today!Feb 09, 2004
By Puneet S. Lamba
Until Santana's older performances are released on DVD, this one-and-a-half-hour concert production easily rates as the best that is available on the market today. No one that has ever enjoyed Santana's music can fail to relish this DVD. And that probably includes you, since that is likely why you are reading this review. The song selection represents an even mix of nine vintage and nine modern Santana tunes offering an excellent retrospective of Santana's long and illustrious career. The DVD offers amazingly authentic renditions of the following nine classics: "Jingo" and "Soul Sacrifice" from the self-titled debut album, "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen," "Oye Como Va," and "Samba Pa Ti" from the second album "Abraxas," and "Batuka," "No One To Depend On," "Toussaint L'Overture," and "Guajira" from the third album "Santana III." This superbly produced DVD of Santana's 1993 live performance, on home turf in Mexico City, features old hands such as Carlos Santana (lead guitar), Chester Thompson (keyboards), Alex Ligertwood (lead vocals), Raul Rekow (bongos and congas), Karl Perazzo (timbales & cow bell), and a flawless cast of newer Santana members on drums and bass. The performance also features Jorge Santana, the youngest of the three Santana brothers, on guitar. The filming is competent and includes superb footage of each musician as well as the audience, which clearly appears to be having a wonderful time.
22 of 26 found the following review helpful:
 Do not buy unless you have no restraint (like me)Aug 30, 2002
Great live video footage, BUT interupted every 30 secs with random movies of Santana and Mexicans roaming the streets of Mexico city. Very irritating to watch as he launches into some of his greatest solos to be suddenly confronted with a movie of people walking past a fountain.....duh? Frontal Lobotomy needed for the whiz kids who came up with this one.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
BEST DVD concert of SantanaDec 20, 2004
By Firebrand
I owned this concert on CD and the sheer energy of the band was breathtaking to hear. I'm happy to report that the DVD of the concert really makes the experience even better. Only sad part is that the DVD is only in 2.0 Digital and PCM Stereo...unless your receiver can make some sort of "virtual" surround sound, you won't enjoy that type of sound. Still, thought, the sound quality of stereo is good...you can hear all the instruments, and it gets loud. One star off for not having surround sound.
The quality of the concert is very good, what could be expected from an outdoor, live show, and compares with other live concerts out there (Paul McCartney, etc.) The band is top-notch, including some of Santana's famous percussion section, and some really grooving other musicians. And of course, Santana is making the guitar wail.
I thought about buying Supernatural...but then I thought, "Why would I want to see Santana diluted with "artists of this generation", and mixing his music with grunge, alternative, and pop hip-hop music? I want the real thing...I want pure, unadulterated Santana...this is the DVD to deliver that.
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