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Live in Atlanta - Destiny's Child by Julia Knowles
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DVD detailsActor: Aisha Jamila Francis, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams Director: Julia Knowles Brand: Sony Editor: Damian O'Neill Editor: Jon Blow Producer: Calvin Aurand Producer: Ceire Deery Producer: Philip W. Hack Producer: Richard Alcock Producer: Sharon Ali DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language) Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC Picture Format: 1.78:1 Running Time: 90 minutes DVD Release Date: 2006-03-28 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Model: N01-0104649 Studio: Sony
DVD Reviews of Live in Atlanta - Destiny's ChildDVD Review: destiny fulfilled Summary: 3 Stars
Before I get into this DVD I just want to mention a few things about their previous world tour DVD.
I didn't like it, I thought their stage presence was awkward, their dancing and choreography were rudimentary and clumsy and at the time they seemed like a group that was still getting used to the glare of the intense spotlight that was on them. All in all, the 2001 world tour seemed like Destiny's Child was still dealing with the fact that they had become international stars and that concert dvd showed that they were struggling with the idea.
But what a difference a few solo projects and a few years makes! The first thing I have to say about this concert is that these girls KILLED IT! Everything from the singing to the dancing (which has improved DRASTICALLY), right down to the costume and the stage presence came off so polished that it seemed like these girls have been doing this for twenty years as opposed to eight.
In the past, all you could expect from the girls during a show was "how are all my people on the left-side doing?!" "and on the right?!" "how about my middle?!", which got very repetitive and boring to watch. Now, they actually interact with their audience, the best example being when they sang "Cater 2 U" to 3 guys that they pulled from the crowd. Now, they know how to keep a crowd going and they know how to pace a show. Watching this DVD, everything from the high-number songs to the slower ones all glided along seamlessly.
And the singing? Well I've never complained about DC's vocal ability and once again each one of them gets a chance to show off her vocal prowess. Now a lot of people criticize Beyonce because she sings so much most of the time, moreso than the other girls. But the way I look at it is that she is the power-house of the group and the public cannot seem to get enough of her so there is nothing wrong with her singing more than the other girls. With this show it seems like they made a conscious effort to get the old hits out of the way right at the start (the ones where Beyonce sings exclusively), thereby leaving more room throughout the show for Kelly and Michelle to have thier moments in the spotlight.
The "Soldier" dance was a bit of a rip-off of Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" choreography from the Velvet Rope Tour, but the ladies delivered in terms of attitude and sass...I loved how they popped up onstage looking so ghetto-fabolous.
The solo bits were enjoyable, although I think Kelly stretched out "Dilemma" too long and should have done some of her own solo songs such as "Stole" or "Can't Nobody".
And Michelle....(sigh). I really like Michelle Williams, she seems like such a great girl and she is an amazing singer in her own right. But when you put her next to Kelly and especially Beyonce, she comes off a little weak. Her rendition of "Do You Know" was good but it seemed to me that she was straining and when she hit those high notes, her voice sounded so high and shrill that it was kind of annoying. By the end of the performance, you can tell she was totally out of breathe...maybe it was just a bad night.
Right after her, the production level went way up and Beyonce emerged with her dancers. Once again, people will criticize her for getting too much attention. But this is a woman who exudes so much confidence and charisma in her stage show that she deserves it. Putting aside her undeniable vocal talent, Beyonce proves that she knows how to deliver onstage by incorporating theatrics, dance and a great voice. When she did "Baby Boy" the crowd went beyond hysterical.....need I say more?
Anyways, once DC re-united onstage again they performed "Girl" and from there went into "Free" where Beyonce seemed to channel her inner Aretha Franklin and testified to the crowd. One of the highlights was when they sang "If", their voices blended so well together and their harmonies were so tight that the entire arena was quiet and I can see why because their harmonizing was just gorgeous.
If I can find a fault with this show I would have to pin it on Beyonce. While I've made it very clear how much I am blown away by her singing, she has the bad habit of OVERSINGING. I don't think her performance of "Dangerously In Love" was as good as it usually is. Watch her "Live In Wembley" DVD to see a stellar performance of that song. And then she kills almost seven minutes stretching out the song towards the end so she can show off her vocal talent. We already know you are a great singer, don't stand there and do your non-stop vocal hiccups for an entire 60 seconds please! Its great to see that she is so confident in her stage show, but not at the expense of the song please.
Towards the end, they pulled out "Survivor" and came back for an encore of "Lose My Breath" which they ended with a shower. I don't know how much I liked that, it just seemed too much like Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" video. Comeon ladies, you are so much more talented than this, you don't need to resort to getting wet in white Tees and jeans to get your audience to notice you.
Then right at the end they have to plug Beyonce's new clothing line and of course sing their sponsor (McDonalds) jingle.
But putting aside these minor flaws, I think that this concrt tour was a great way for Destiny's Child to gracefully end their run as the most successful female group of all time.
More Live in Atlanta - Destiny's Child reviews: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Description of Live in Atlanta - Destiny's ChildLIVE CONCERT INCLUDES 1-Intro/Overture 2-Say My Name 3- Independent Women Part II 4-No, No, No (Part 2) 5-Bug A Boo 6-Bills, Bills, Bills 7-Bootylicious 8-Jumpin', Jumpin' 9-Soldier Dance Interlude 10-Soldier Featuring T.I. & Lil? Wayne 11-Dancer Break 12-Dilemma Featuring Kelly Rowland 13-Do You Know Featuring Michelle Williams 14-Beyoncé Intro 15-Baby Boy Featuring Beyoncé 16-Naughty Girl Featuring Beyoncé 17-Band Introduction 18-Cater 2 U 19-Cater 2 U Dance Sequence 20-Girl 21-Free 22-If 23-Through With Love Featuring The Choir 24-Bad Habit Featuring Kelly Rowland 25-Dancer Ballet Break 26-Dangerously In Love Featuring Beyoncé 27-Crazy In Love Featuring Beyoncé 28-Salsa Dance Break 29-Survivor 30-Lose My Breath Bonus Features: Destiny?s Child ? A Family Affair Fan Testimonials Kelly Rowland Sophomore CD Teaser "Dreamgirls" Movie & Soundtrack Trailer Bonus Audio: "Flashback" Featuring Kelly Rowland "Check On It (Remix)" Featuring Beyoncé (Bun B and Slim Thug) "Let?s Stay Together" Featuring Michelle Williams Special Features: -PCM Stereo -Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Though officially disbanded, Destiny's Child proves in this concert video why they're one of the most successful soul/R&B groups of all time. Filmed at Atlanta's Phillips Arena during their Destiny Fulfilled farewell tour, the trio pulled all the stops--short of flying over the audience--to put on a spectacular show for their fans. Opening the show with their Grammy-winning "Say My Name," the group--who famously sang while running around a track as girls to build their lung strength--belted their harmonies and runs while dancing through a medley of hits including "No, No, No," "Bugaboo," "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Bootylicious" and "Jumpin' Jumpin.'" The concert not only featured their greatest hits, but jammed in singles from their final album, Destiny Fulfilled. The girls sang the slinky "Cater 2 U" while giving lap dances to three lucky male audience members, while "Soldier" (with choreography that emulated Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation") included guest-star rappers T.I. and Lil' Wayne. The group closed with their anthem "Survivor," and the peppy "Lose My Breath" which featured a waterfall onstage that doused the singers. To prove their mettle as solo artists, each member got their own segment to show off what they've accomplished outside of Destiny's Child. Both Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams have diverse and strong voices well-suited to their genres--soul/R&B and gospel, respectively--but it becomes clear when they're each alone on the stage that they don't have the solo prowess of dominant member Beyoncé Knowles, who tore through her hits "Crazy in Love," "Baby Boy," and "Naughty Girl" with sexy moves and an electric stage presence rarely matched by other soul divas. When she's joined by Rowland and Williams, Knowles melds back into Destiny's Child as an equal member, but it's clear this star's best days are still ahead of her. --Ellen A. Kim
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