Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought the CD and the DVD versions of the Clapton/Winwood MSG as a combo from Amazon. The CD (which I reviewed in its listing) I gave four stars to - it's very good, but now that I've seen the DVD, I'd give the DVD five stars, mainly for what it adds to the equation: the visuals. While it might seem counter-intuitive to grade musicians of this caliber by `what you can see', the DVD added such a great dimension to the show, in terms of WATCHING them solo and seeing the interplay between them, and their excellent band (these guys have serious CHOPS), that I think the DVD ups the ante, hence I'm giving the DVD 5 stars. The musicianship is excellent (they make it look so EASY....i guess that's what the best guys do when they're on their game? Plus they're clearly having a good time up there), and it's great to be able to see who's playing what (namely, that Winwood plays guitar on the first two cuts, and then on several others toward the end - he's a very good guitarist, and holds his own with Clapton, sometimes trading solos. I wasn't exactly sure what SW was playing on, just from listening to the CD - Chris Stainton is the other keysman). The picture is very good, and the camera work/composition is excellent, with nice close-ups and some striking angles where they got both guys in the same shot, Winwood on keys and Clapton on guitar. Some have pointed out editing inconsistencies w/ the visuals, but I didn't really notice it, as I was enjoying the show so much. I listened to the sound in DTS-mode (as opposed to straight 2-channel stereo) and it was excellent - really good mix - much preferable to the CD mix. I guess if you couldn't be there, this DVD (with a good A/V system) is about as close as you can get.
As for the extras on Disc 2, they're good - interviews, some background on Clapton and Winwood's 60's exploits, their time together in Blind Faith, and behind-the-scenes prep for the MSG shows. There are also a couple of bonus cuts, which didn't make the `main' concert as presented on Disc 1 - I noticed in spots, there were synch problems (from watching the drummer) between audio and video, but the extra cuts are nonetheless good (including a 7 minute "Crossroads"). Overall, the disc set was definitely worth the dough, and if you're a fan of either Clapton or Winwood, and have any inclination to buy this, then absolutely do so. You won't be disappointed.
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History rocked and rock made historyduring a sold-out three-gig stand atMadison Square Garden in late February 2008 when icons Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood performed a concert togetherfor the first time since their all-too-brief days in the legendary Blind Faith in 1969. Whether they will ever team again is unknown. But with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live From Madison Square Garden, fans everywhere are able to experience the sound and the glory of aperformance on that famous stage bytwo of rock's greatest artists. The second disc of this 2 DVD edition features 'The Road to Madison Square Garden', an exclusivedocumentary featuring new interviews with Eric and Steve, together with rare footage andphotographs of Cream, Traffic and Blind Faith, plus, 'Rambling On My Mind', The final preparation for thethree legendary performances highlighted by an acoustic soundcheck performance by Eric of the Robert Johnson standard 'Rambling On My Mind',plus bonus Madison Square Garden performances of 'Low Down,' 'Kind Hearted Woman' and 'Crossroads.'
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