Chicago/Earth Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre
by Jim Gable
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DVD details
Director: Jim GableBrand: Image Entertainment
Editor: Chris Osterhus
Producer: Albert Spevak
Producer: Patricia Friedman
Producer: Stephanie Bennett
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 172 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-28
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Chicago/Earth Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre
DVD Review: Vadim is a musical genius
Summary: 4 Stars
This DVD provides some excellent concert footage of a spectacular band still very much in its prime as performers and musicians. Simultaneously, it provides concert footage of another band that has clearly lost a little bit of its edge. The concept is excellent--take the two bands that defined the concept of the horn band sound (in very different ways) and put them on stage together. Some of the music is transcendent, some above average, and some mediocre.
Beginning with the opening tracks, featuring both bands on stage together, the listener is instantly reminded of some of the best aspects of both bands. Robert Lamm, though stiff in appearance, sings absolutely beautifully. His voice has some lounge-ish qualities to it, but his tone and phrasing is exsquisite. He sings the first verse of "Beginnings", then Philip Bailey sings the second, and the audience is reminded of how great his voice is also. The band(s) sound unbelievable. The double and triple layering of background vocal parts makes the combined ensemble sound huge, and the horn overdubs from the album can finally be played correctly (anybody who has played this tune in a band is aware of the difficulties in deciding what to leave out from the ending). The combined ensemble continues with "In The Stone" and "Dialogue", and the vocals get passed around to several other people. From his first lines in "In The Stone", it is obvious that Bill Champlin no longer posesses the requisite control over his voice to sing live. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop him.
When EWF takes the stage by themselves, the result is spectacular. After an intro rev-up of the crowd by vocal fill-in B. David Whitworth, whose mannerisms are more than a little obnoxious, Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson retake the stage and absolutely kill while running through a sequence of the band's classic tunes. The tunes are linked together, but not like a medley; each tune breathes its own life. The ensemble interplay is great, with Bailey, wife Krystal, Johnson, and Whitworth providing percussion to fill out the band's sound. This isn't the classic horn section, but the new guys do a more than adequate job. The only time the old horn section is missed is during the sax solo on "After The Love Has Gone". Gary Bias does a good job, but he lacks the passion of Don Myrick (sadly gunned down by the LAPD about 12 years ago). Russian fat guy Vadim Zilbershtein simply rocks on his guitar solos and proves once and for all that white guys can be uberfunky; Al McKay never sounded this good. Keyboardist/musical director Myron McKinley only features himself once, and would do well to lose a little modesty; he solos like a cross between George Duke and Herbie Hancock. This performance is a staunch reminder of why musicians should learn to play their instruments; everybody excels at what they do, and several do two or three different things.
On the second DVD, Chicago takes the stage with a medley of somewhat lesser-known tunes. They play them well, but c'mon guys. Medleys are musical fascism. Either play the song or don't. The band then works through several of their better-known tunes, including a couple that are clearly musician's favorites. The band plays well, but the singing is subpar. Jason Scheff does his best singing when he isn't trying to imitate Peter Cetera; unfortunately he tries way too hard to do just that on several tunes. Bill Champlin was brought into the band in the mid-eighties to compliment Peter Cetera as a second baladeer when the band forsook its jazz/rock leanings for a more commercial pop sound. With Scheff doing a mediocre Cetera impression and Champlin unable to conjure up the vocal power that he was once known for, many of the tunes (particularly the ballads) are lackluster and at times borderline bad. Musically, the band is tighter than it has been since Terry Kath and Danny Seraphine were members. While Scheff is able to hold his own on bass (his father was Elvis's bassist) and often downright outplay Cetera on parts that Cetera wrote, Champlin's contributions on keyboard are average at best. Champlin often looks like the odd man out, unable to contribute anything of great meaning. Walt Parazaider's flute playing is excellent; his contributions are probably overlooked far too often.
After a half dozen tunes, Lamm sings Saturday In The Park. The 30 minutes between his vocal contributions only highlights how much better a singer he is than Scheff or Champlin (guitarist Keith Howland actually does Cetera justice on his one vocal lead, and he does it by singing with his own sound rather than imitating Cetera's). After a few more tunes, the combined ensemble retakes the stage for six more tunes. The Lamm/Bailey vocal interplay is once again excellent, and Scheff, unencumbered by the need to sound like a certain other vocalist, shines again. The sax duet on "Free" shows Parazaider coming with a much hipper concept than Bias, playing a half step below the key and thus providing some interesting dissonance. On "25 or 6 to 4", the three guitarists have a showdown of their own. Howland plays something reminiscent of Kath's original solo, but much more polished and precise. He plays all the licks good guitar players practice hard to play, and plays with great swagger (despite having a rather metrosexual hairdo). EWF rhythm guitarist Gregory Moore comes next, and his playing is adequate. He's clearly better suited as a rhythm guitarist, however. Next up is Vadim, and he absolutely kills. His concept is otherworldly. He makes me proud to be a fat guy playing guitar. They close by soloing together, which is also a treat.
Overall, EWF kills on all levels. Chicago plays their instruments well, and Lamm's singing is sadly underrated. Unfortunately their performances are marred by inadequate vocal performances from Scheff and especially Champlin. The combined ensemble performances are surreal; this is a musician's wet dream come true. Regardless of what instrument you play, any musician can take something valuable away from this DVD (even vocalists; Bailey's falsetto solo on the first disc is jawdropping). If you're not a musician, you'll be entertained also. Bands and songs haven't been this good for quite some time now. Remember when musicianship ruled the earth? These guys do.
Description of Chicago/Earth Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre
CHICAGO/EARTH WIND & FIRE:LIVE AT THE - DVD MoviePop Music CDs
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