Sound: For about half the concert I was wondering what was up with the sound. Then the camera panned way back, and I saw the mic hanging from the ceiling. Yup, it appears that they just put a mic in the audience and recorded the sound that way. Certainly sounds like it. Yes, this disc "features" DTS, but for the first time that I've encountered, DTS sounds significantly WORSE than Dolby 5.1. To top it off, the 5.1 is mostly name only - it doesn't seem that much effort was actually made separating sounds that should be on the left from those on the right, or in the back, etc.

Why did they not go through the mixing board for the sound? I can't even begin to imagine. For those that wrote that there is nothing wrong with the sound, it is just the way a live show sounds, compare the sound of this disc to an excellent live DVD, such as Metallica's S&M, or U2's all that you can't leave behind. You can capture sound from a live concert, and not have the end product a muddy mess.

Worse than the sound, however, was the complete lack of care that the producers took to capture the feeling of the concert. I highly doubt they had even been to a show before they filmed. It looked like they were trying to make a music video, a bunch of sweeping shots, weird angles, etc. Except that they managed to universally miss the points of interest. You would hardly know that there were pyrotechnics, video displays or anything else in the concert. Looking at the other music stuff Image Entertainment has done (Tribute to Brian Wilson, Doors VH1 special, the Who live) is it really any surprise that they had no idea how to capture this concert?

And special features? What? Interviews, road videos, behind the scenes, interviews with the director of the concert, music videos, etc. Don't waste your time looking for them. They ain't here.

Worst of all, this disc completely failed to capture the essence of the concert. NIN's "and all that could have been" practically bleeds emotion (perhaps this is an unfair standard for other DVD's to live up to) but Godsmack's bleeds blase. There is no emotion, there is no attempt made to tailor this concert to Godsmack. Had any other band been up there, I get the sense it would have been filmed and edited exactly the same.

I like the band, but this DVD is not worth the money.


Best concert video ever   February 8, 2002
Homicidical (Pikeville, KY USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I just recieved this DVD in the mail today and I've already watched it twice. This live DVD by Godsmack is ubelievable, it is just like being at one of their concerts without the mosh. As for the people who been giving this DVD lower ratings then what it is worth because of sound, you have to think that is LIVE. Even if you like Godsmack only a litte this DVD will rock your world and make you want to go see them in concert. There is only one thing to say about this DVD; The best concert DVD/video ever. I especially love the "whatever" version they have on here. Other music videos I have watch such as the Linkin Park one don't come close to the same intensity as this.


Poor Audio   January 24, 2002
M. J. Teator (Lexington, KY)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Well, I'm glad to see others had problems with the audio too. I thought maybe I had something wrong here...

Most of the problems are with the vocals... the center channel mix should have been a lot louder. I tried both the Dolby Digital and DTS tracks and had the same problem. I turned up the center channel +8db and that seemed to help some, but still not totally satisfactory for a DVD these days. I have TV shows on my TiVo that have GodSmack playing live on them and they sound way better than this DVD.

I still like this DVD, but I sure wish the audio was better.


godsmack live   November 21, 2001
marcella (baCa)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

this dvd features clips from their explosive tour of the us with clips from behind the scenes into all the way into the crowd , godsmack puts on an excellent live show everytime and "Godsmack Live" is just like the real thing!


Just like being there   February 10, 2003
dknight16
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Rather than repeat what other reviewers have already written, I felt compelled to address the concern others have made regarding the sound and vocal quality. This DVD sounds like the audio was recorded off an open digital microphone rather than straight from the soundboard. It has a bit of an echo to it, and at times the vocals can get a little bit too low in the mix. Overall it is a great DVD, but not the highly produced and polished "platinum quality" sound that some people have maybe come to expect. I attended a Godsmack show on this tour, and this DVD is what it sounded like to be there. If you like the band you will love this DVD.