Farewell I Tour: Live from Mel

This review is for the Blu-Ray version of the Eagles Live From Melbourne and specifically the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. I awaited this release with much anticipation not for new music but for the Blu-Ray audio improvement over the CD's that I own from this band. This disc did not disappoint. As with many Blu-Ray concert discs the audio really begins to shine at higher volume. I ran 120 watts in 5.1 surround at 60% for concert effect. There are some exceptional performances on this disc that make it special in its own way over the studio versions and with 30 songs it is a no brainer buy. The picture quality is excellent with vibrant colors and lighting and editing that gives excellent close ups of the various instruments in synch with the audio. There is enough activity and varied angles that you never tire of watching as you are often placed front row, side stage or deep in the crowd. The audio on the DTS-HD Master 5.1 is not the default and must be selected from set up and once it starts it is nothing short of phenomenal. The instruments are defined with exceptional clarity and your ears will smile with the excellent mix of vocal harmonies and the plethora of background musicians. The Long Run kicks off the show nicely followed by New Kid In Town where the band displays a tightness that makes you question if it is a live version. Frey wails like it 30 years ago. Wasted Time follows and is one of those rare concert treats where it is so much better than the live version. Henley is out front and sings his butt off and we get a wake-up call on how truly excellent of a vocalist he is. There is a spacious use of the surrounds that puts you in the arena. Peaceful Easy Feeling left me feeling a little flat. Here the live version departs too much from the previous arrangements and it feels like there are too many instruments playing resulting in a muddled presentation but this is rectified when I Can't Tell You Why follows with a beautiful simple approach highlighting Timothy B and Steuart Smith. One Of These Nights is another treat as all the members are out front on guitars and the clarity of the instruments shines through reminding us that great musicians can recreate the studio sound when they play live. They do it again on The Boys of Summer and you get a feel for how much fun they are having as they jam on this tune. The harmonies are spot on with some delicious echo effect. On this song you really get an appreciation of how good a player Steuart Smith is. The crowd responds on its feet in appreciation at the end but rather than relish in the moment the band quickly launches in to In The City and Joe Walsh never sounded better on his slide guitar playing. After a break the band has changed from suits to casual and they open up with some mellow sound and a short time in to the second half there is another special live moment when they play Love Will Keep Us Alive. The arrangement is something special accentuated by so many magical notes being played along with perfect harmonies. The crowd knows they just got served a moment. Hole In The World did not do much for me when the studio version came out of this song written the night of 9/11 however this live version gives me a better appreciation as the troubadours from the seventies ask everyone to get along. The vocals spread out across the fronts dominate this song with good use of the rears to create the arena ambiance. The song builds to a great finish. You Belong To The City and Life's Been Good have some awkward moments that had me going to the fridge for another refreshment and Walk Away seemed to be missing snap from the main riff that left me remembering the original. Dirty Laundry is a pleasant surprise and everyone is playing a guitar in tight crisp precision. The guys really jam it on this one and remind us of the days of the seventies and guitar oriented bands like the Outlaws and Blue Oyster Cult. This is another song where the live version is so much better than the original and the DTS Master Audio serves it up on a silver platter. Funk #49 has Joe Walsh playing a great bluesy intro and he delivers on the rest of the tune with the rest delivering expert back up. So much has been written about Hotel California and it is hard to top the Hell Freezes over version. I'm not sure this version does but then again it's a bit different. The crowd knows the intro immediately and what shines about this version is the camera work and use of crowd noise to put you in the song. Henley bellows from behind the stack and Steuart delivers on the double neck as the song builds to the anticipated climax which is highlighted by the dueling guitars and a side stage shot of guitar necks doing battle. Overall this is a fantastic concert disc both in terms of the concert experience with the varied live arrangements and the sound quality. In terms of audio it is one of, if not perhaps the best I have heard of the many I own and on par with SACD, DVD-Audio quality. Combine that with the playlist of so many songs we know by heart and at under twenty bucks this is a must own.

If you enjoy the sultry, Southern California sound of the Seventies, no group better personified that Classic Rock genre than the Eagles. If you were disheartened by the disbandment of Classic Rock's greatest demonstration of vocal and instrumental skill, you will feel great comfort and relief upon hearing the Eagles perform their Farewell 1 Tour Live From Melbourne. Oh, those lucky Aussies! Thank God the Eagles decided to record the Concert for the rest of us! Hurry up and get your copy of this Historic Concert today. Enjoy the perfectly pitched, lyrically nuanced vocals of Don, Glenn, Timothy and Joe. Enjoy the lightning fast, perfectly synchronized riffs of Joe and Glenn, expertly complimented by Steuart Smith, Guitarist Extraordinaire. I put together the perfect Playlist comprised of only five songs from this concert: one-half hour that tells the oldest story known: Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Girl. Guess which five songs I used. Here is how I view the greatness of the Eagles: They are a vocal group, through and through. And their instrumentals are no slouch, either. Vocally, the "Voice" of the Eagles is Glenn Frey. His voice is classically associated with the group's most famous hits. No one else could sing those songs. The Group's "lead" singer, however, the one who has one of the greatest (dare I say, "greatest") voices in rock 'n roll history, is none other than Don Henley. His articulation, lyric-writing, intonation, raspiness, and phrasing, are the best, and hardest to duplicate of most any rock 'n roll singer I've ever heard. I have lately been memorizing the lyrics to his songs and trying to imitate his voice (an octave lower). When I say it's a hard thing to do, I am not kidding. What a challenge! The bass player (superbly tasteful) is Timothy B. Schmidt. His addition from Poco was the best decision Glenn and Don ever made. His soft, soulful, high ballad voice is the one that will make me cry time and time again. I don't care what the words to the song are, my emotions spring out of me when I hear his voice. And the few songs he has written are all classic. Lastly, Joe Walsh added to the Hotel California mix was right on time! Joe has recovered from his addictions (think James Gang era, etc.) and writes anthems about his former and current life. Joe, don't be embarrassed by, or reluctant to share, those life stories. You are creating some great music, and providing valuable lessons for younger people who might be going through, or be considering going through, those same journeys. You are the voice of reason and experience. The songs that Joe has contributed to the Eagles have helped increase the group's relevance. Joe's voice is uniquely his own: odd, yet remarkable, and memorable. He adds many layers to the group's on-stage presence as well. And as to the quality of his song-writing? Think "Pretty Maids All in a Row!" His outrageous guitar playing also adds a new dimension. Again, think "James Gang," and Funk #49! Lastly, a word about the supporting musicians on this particular concert album. Eagles, you could not have chosen a better lead-supporting-chording guitarist than Steuart Smith. For those of you unfamiliar with Steuart's playing, check him out on You Tube. He is a, largely, unknown monster of a guitar player. He should become a permanent member of the group, at whatever cost, because in addition to his stellar guitar playing, he sings! The drummer, keyboardist, and horn players are magnificent. Had I known about this concert, I would have gladly paid my airfare to Melbourne, and up to $1,000 to attend it. And why is it that the Eagles almost sound better live in concert than in the studio? One name: Elliot Scheiner. Elliot recorded and mixed the sounds from the concert for the DVD and Blueray disc. I hadn't heard of or paid attention to Mr. Scheiner until 2004 when my wife and I purchased an Acura TL. It has a seven-speaker, plus sub-woofer, surround-sound speaker system that can play specially recorded surround sound discs. It was built for Acura by none other than Elliot Scheiner. Folks, Elliot Scheiner is a genius! I began singing rock 'n roll at age 15, forming the first Rock band of my young life. I had been playing and learning music since 4th grade. I played trumpet throughout Junior High School, High School, College, and three years in the 75th Army Band at Fort Belvior. I continued, uncommittedly, for another eight years, using it after I started my professional government career, and played in another two or three rock bands part-time. I finally withdrew from any musical aspirations at age 33 in 1981. Only now, at age 65, am I trying to regain my musical heritage. And who's helping me do it? The Eagles! Despite all those years playing trumpet, my one true love was singing Rock and Roll. In most of the rock bands I played in I was either lead or back-up singer. The Eagle's singing, their Classic Rock roots, their perfect mix of vocals and instrumentals, their songs that have become Rock Standards, are involuntarily drawing me back into my musical past. I am reviewing this album with all my history intact. I am forever grateful for Rock and Roll's Greatest Band of all time, The Eagles!

This review is for "The Eagles Farewell 1 Tour in Australia" on BluRay. This is the only Eagles concert disc you will ever need. All of their hits and more. This concert is for the die-hard Eagles fan, as well as new fans alike. The Eagles perform their hits as they originally sounded without getting stupid with added 10 minute mindless guitar riffs and repeating the words over and over. None of that crap here. You hear the song very close to how it originally sounded from the studio recordings. Yes there are subtle added sounds but they don't go crazy with it. The boys are in good form playing well and sounding great. You get to hear all of the Eagles hits that we all have grown to love. But they nice surprise is when they even throw in a few songs from each of their solo albums like Don Henley's "Boys Of Summer", "Sunset Grill", "Dirty Laundry", and "All She Wants To Do Is Dance". Then there's Glen Fry's "You Belong To The City", and Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good", "Funk #49", and "Rocky Mountain Way". These solo hits sound fantastic backed up by the Eagles full band. Now the TECH SPECS. I always like to add some information for the Home Theater lovers who care about quality. They had some of the best in the business working behind the cameras and audio control room for this production. The video is of course sharp and crystal clear with no noise or artifacts. Color and brightness ratios are outstanding. The audio is above and beyond excellence. Available in DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround which is the best I have heard in a long time. The audio quality is very clean and crisp delivering sharp highs and clean deep bass. There is no audio level jumps like you hear with limiters. It is as close to being there as you will get. My favorite part is the 5.1 surround separation. The 5 individual audio channels are very discrete and easily noticed. The mixers did a superb job on mixing down what sounds to place on which speaker. This is not one of those cheap 5.1 mixes where they put the music up front and the audience on the rear channels. OH NO, not here. They put you in the center of it all. I heard Glenn's 12 string guitar ringing on the left front channel, Joe Walsh playing lead guitar on the right front channel, Keyboards from the left rear channel, and organ music and fiddle from the right rear channel. When the brass kicked in the Sax's were on the left rear, and the horns were on the right rear. The separation is very discrete and well placed within the surround field. The audience is mostly on the rear channels but also reflects well lightly on the front channels. As the drummer would do a roll of all his drums in front of him, you can hear them start on the right and roll to the left. All voices remain on the front speakers only. They do there song There's A Hole In The World Tonight with 4 part harmony, and you can close your eyes and point to each voice from left to right across the front field. By the way.... The audio is also available in DTS HD 2.0 Stereo, which is not bad at all, but it is nothing compared to the amazing 5.1 surround mix. This disc is a must have for Eagles music lovers and for Home Theater audiophiles everywhere. I gave it 5 stars but it deserves many more indeed. Buy this concert, you won't be sorry you did.

This is a must own DVD for any music fan. The Eagles are one of the biggest bands ever to grace the music industry and this DVD proves that they really are one of the greatest bands of all time. There are 29 tracks on this two disc set, including two new tracks, one from Joe Walsh, the other from Glenn Frey. All the classics are there including "New Kid In Town", "Lyin' Eyes", "One of These Nights" not to mention old classics such as "Hotel California" and "Desperado." Tracks from their solo careers are also on here. The epic "Boys of Summer" by Don Henley is great and also has tracks such as "Dirty Laundry", "Sunset Grill" and "All She Wants to is Dance" on the DVD as well. Glenn Frey has a couple of tracks of his own on there too, as well as Joe Walsh, who's "Life's Been Good" is definitely the stand out track on the two of the discs. Walsh is great in this song and has changed the a couple of lines in this song and I must say they are quite humerous. He is phenomenal to watch on lead guitar throughout the entire show and is a great character on stage. Vocally, the band is superb. After listening to Eagles: Live on record and then watching Hell Freezes over, they have just got better and better as time has gone by. But on some tracks, Henley could go higher than what he does, but still they are fantastic. After being at the concert (I am actually on the DVD), I can say the sound is just as good as it was when i was there. All those solo's, high notes and so on sound as good as they were back in November. This really is a great DVD, released by my favourite band. It has over 230 minutes of footage and is a great buy. 29 tracks, vocally brilliant, 233 minutes of footage, superb sound and visual clarity, does any more need to be said?

This package is superbly done. The DVD case is brilliant. Well styled, with a great Booklet and just visually beautiful. As a package, it really is visually great on all levels, and the audio is brilliant.Great booklet in the slipcase, excellent visuals on the cover that repeats one of the CD best of covers with an added flair that just defies a picture description, but once you see ( and feel) the raised cover, you will see the artistic pre-eminence. I am, I admit, a big Joe Walsh fan, so this concert is dynamite. However, that being said, the concert features all members in an equal share, and all the hits are played. From start to finish this is a total buzz. The features are great, but to my mind not as much as I would have liked. The discussion of the EAGLES with all main members is great, and reveals a lot about the past , present and future of the band. The band is not really a show band like some, but the band you see is visually great. More to the point this is a musicians band, and also an entertaining band... something almost anyone can appreciate. With Diamond level sales, this band has touched more than 3 generations of people, and will likely touch your heart on many levels, as a band that brings back memories, and as a band that creates new memories. In all respects, this band is great in concert, and superb in sound and visual; which is a surprise in part given that the venue it plays in the this DVD, The ROD LAVER ARENA is an absolute toilet... something I saw first-hand when I saw ACDC play there in about 2002. However, the EAGLES as shown are great, and fly high.

If you are an Eagles fan and you have not yet seen the Eagles Farewell Tour I, then you are missing out. I have seen this particular tour 3 times so far (live) and this dvd is actually a little better than the performances that I witnessed. I attribute it to the lack of echoes in the dvd that seemed to be so prevalent in the live concerts. Walsh and Henley are in top form and are the stars of the show. Guitar enthusiasts please note: that in my opinion Felder is much missed. While his replacement Smith can technically play the notes/riffs, there seems to be something missing from Smith's style when compared directly to Felder. I found myself thinking of Felder too much during the concert, especially during the slower songs. But by and large, without a direct comparison to Felder, Smith does a great job. Overall, the negatives are very minor and the Eagles still put on one heck of a show. The harmonies & songs are excellent and the dvd quality is superb. While it seems that the songs skew a little bit more rock oriented than some fans are used to, there is a solid mixture of song styles to choose from. And the best part is that if you don't want to hear Walsh rock out like I do, its easy to skip on a dvd. I found myself really liking this concert.

This is one of the best concert recordings I own or have watched. If I can say. it is perfect. I bought it when it was first released on DVD and soon after I was able to find the HD version of it on HD-DVD format, which I still have. Now I have it on Blu-ray also, just in case my HD-DVD player decides to stop working. Why I think it is great? I own a lot of concerts and music encoded in DTS and Dolby digital 5.1. Have a lot of music on DVD Audio. This concert is the best sounding of them all. I have a dedicated listening room, which has sound acoustic panels using corning 703 and plenty of bass traps, which I made using Roxul insulation. I use JBL s312 as the main speakers in my set up, rest of the speakers are Polk. I can hear everything, everything is clear and well placed. The sound stage and music separation is unbelievable. Some of the other recordings which I am comparing with: Steely Dan "Gaucho" DVD-Audio, Santana Live -2011, Diana Krall Live in Rio, Sade live 2011-Bring me home, Mark Knofler Sailing to Philadelphia DVD-Audio. All the above are a treat for your ears, but this Eagles recording just blows away all of them. If you are a Eagles fan, hearing this is listening to them like never before. It sounds good even listening through my computer speakers Now about the visual part. All I can say and think... perfect. Also this has about 30 of their hits on it, so a very good value.

There are a lot of DVDs out there featuring concerts that have been edited, showing only parts of the performances and what not. Fortunately the Eagles didn't take that route with this DVD as the entire concert is shown featuring excellent picture and sound. The set list pretty much covers all the big hits, save for a few ("Best Of My Love", "James Dean", and "Victim of Love" were missed). The Eagles were never known for being an electrifying band live as they've always dedicated making their live performances sound as close to the studio recordings as possible. Which is both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing because you're getting a polished performance. A bad thing because the performances tend to come off a little stiff. Thankfully Joe Walsh (easily the most entertaining person in the band) manages to keep his songs fairly loose. The performances themselves are very solid. Don Henley is finally starting to show his age, but is still in very fine voice (even though he cheats a little and performs a few of his solo songs in a lower key). I find it interesting that Henley dedicates "Dirty Laundry" to FoxNews daddy Rupert Murdoch. Considering recent blasphemous reporting by such "credible" sources as Newsweek and CBS that got them in hot water, it is fairly amusing that, like a good liberal, Henley turns a blind eye to them and attacks those no-good conservatives instead. When will they ever learn? Anyways, political comments aside, this is an excellent DVD of the band containing solid performances and a good selection of songs. Certainly worth the purchase!

Excelente concierto, allá por el año 2004, en la ciudad de Melbourne (Australia) ,de unos músicos veteranos en estado de gracia, que, durante casi tres horas, consiguen deleitar a la audiencia con una treintena de temazos -a cual más logrado- interpretados con la maestría que les otorga su gran experiencia en el oficio. Bellísimas baladas; sonidos country-rock - con reminiscencias californianas -rotundos, sin titubeos; juegos de voces y de guitarras ( a destacar, el Eagle más divertido y cañero: Joe Walsh, siempre espléndido con sus eléctricas, su humor y su voz atiplada, y, también, brillando como un distinguido quinto elemento: Steuart Smith, virtuoso acompañante, a la voz y a las guitarras, de estos cuatro magníficos). The Eagles son: Glenn Frey: voz, guitarras y teclados. Don Henley: voz, batería, percusión y guitarras. Joe Walsh: voz, guitarras (eléctricas, acústica, slide) y órgano. Timothy B. Schmit: voz, bajo eléctrico. Músicos asociados: Steuart Smith: voz y guitarras eléctricas. Scott Grago: batería y percusión. Will Hollis: teclados y voz. Michael Thompson: teclados, acordeón y voz. Y, para no extenderme demasiado con más nombres, un estupendo cuarteto de metal -trompeta, saxos alto ( violín), tenor y barítono-. El sonido del blu-ray es cañón ( DTS-HD 5.1 Surround o Linear PCM Stereo 48K/24 bit, como poco). La imagen, de aspecto 16x9, es muy buena. Viene con extras -entrevistas breves con los Eagles; imágenes entre bastidores, tomas de sonido, etc-. El precio del Blu-ray Disc (Reino Unido) es muy interesante -incluso añadiéndole el 21% del IVA-. Calidad por los cuatro costados y un concierto memorable. Muy recomendable para todos los amantes de un melódico country-rock.

Nulla da dire sulle qualità del prodotto in se, una volta che esso risulta originale le 5 stelle sono d'obbligo. SUONO: Il DTS hd si sente, e c'è anche la possibilità di ascolto in 5.1. Il prodotto non è Region Free ma cmq abbraccia tutte e 3 le regioni di distibuzione, A, B e C quindi non c'è nessun problema di riproduzione in nessuna parte del mondo. INTERNO: C'è un piccolo libretto con qualche immagine del gruppo e l'elenco dei produttori, nessun testo o lyrics.

Excelente

In mehr als fünfzig Jahren habe ich fast alle Größen der Rock - Historie live erleben dürfen und bin darüber unendlich glücklich, weil sie mir in meiner Lebensgeschichte so viel gegeben haben. Das Farewell - Konzert der Eagles in Melbourne gehört zweifelsfrei zu den absoluten Höhepunkten der Rock - Historie und ist eines der leider nur wenigen Konzerte, die in absolut großartiger Bild- und Tonqualität auf BLU RAY zu finden sind. Die 30 dargebotenen Stücke wurden von den Eagles und ihren acht weiteren, handverlesenen Gastmusikern in nie dagewesener Perfektion präsentiert. Besser geht es kaum noch, zumal die Atmosphäre in der Rod- Laver- Arena das Live-feeling noch einmal verstärkt hat. Mit großer Empathie und Leidenschaft dirigiert der leider viel zu früh verstorbene Glenn Frey seine Eagles und die weiteren Musiker, von denen der geniale Stuart Smith mit seiner Leadgitarre noch einmal etwas herausragt. Überrascht hat mich die starke Präsenz von Joe Walsh, der einige eigene Stücke darbot und mich und das Publikum begeistert hat, zumal die Eagles durch ihn eine etwas rockigere Grundstruktur bekommen hatten, die der Band gut tat. Man kann jedem Rock - Fan, auch jenen, die bisher keine besondere Affinität zu den Eagles hatten, diese wunderbare Edition auf BLU RAY als Wohlfühl - Oase für lange Abende mit gutem Gewissen ans Herz legen. Die Eagles waren ein Glücksfall in der Geschichte des Rock und werden es immer bleiben.

DVD VERSION. Sound I owned the DVD version of this disc and played it either through an upscaling Panasonic bluray player or my Pioneer upscaling DVD player. In the initial settings, you need to select Dolby DTS 5.1 or the soundtrack will default to a two channel PCM soundtrack. When played through a home cinema system, the results are as different as chalk and cheese. There is a full and rich surround sound track that gives very much an arena feel. You soon lose yourself in the concert and forget about being too critical in the audio soundtrack. It's certainly top notch for DVD. Video The quality is good but there is a little graininess where the coloured shafts of light blend into the darkness of the arena. All in all though, the colours are bright and true with what appears to be the right amount of saturation. The clarity is also good but some definition is lost in the graininess described above. If you have a regular DVD player, you won't be disappointed in this DVD. BLURAY VERSION. I was a bit concerned that my £18 investment might not be worthy having after all been laid down to disc from the same sound and video equipment that was used way back in 2004. Would it be an improvement or just amplify the imperfections of the DVD. I'm pleased to report that my concerns were unfounded and that the equipment that was used that night was capable of some astonishing results. Sound OK, lots of talk about lip sync problems in the attached reviews. I don't know if this was with faulty discs or with the equipment but let me assure you that at no point in my copy is there the slightest hint. It is perfect from start to finish. In the settings, you need to set DTS 5.1 again but this actually results in a Dolby DTS HD master soundtrack and the results are astounding. You are there amongst the crowd and having been to several live Eagles concerts, there is no way I could detect a difference between the recording and actually being there. The base is full and the treble is clear. It just makes you want to turn it up. Video Viewed on a high end Panasonic plasma, the results are very pleasing. It is just like looking through a 42 inch window where not only has that graininess gone in the shafts of coloured light but the guys are human. You can see beads of sweat on Henleys top lip that aren't there on the DVD version! Deep blacks merge into rich colours and pure white. Skin tones are natural and it's all beautifully smooth. The cameras have captured it pin sharp and in my opinion, worth every penny of the purchase price. Another benefit of the Blu-ray disc is that there is no need to change discs half way through. The only critism I have which is minor, is that the there is a slight delay in the soundtrack when indexing through the tracks. I believe it's only a result of all the ones and zeros catching up with each other and after a couple of seconds it all syncs up perfectly. Don't forget you have to select the HD master sound track every time you load the disc in the sound settings or it will default to PCM. If you don't have a home theatre, don't touch it, it will play just fine. Perfect!