Ronnie James Dio was at one time the leader singer for Black Sabbath after the departure of Ozzy Osborne. He went on to form his own band and they are still together making albums and touring, this is a show from the Roseland Theater in December of 2002. From a musical standing this is an old school 90’s metal band that are just as much about show as they are about the music, having said that the band is very tight and sounds very good. Musically, well it is up to you to decide if you like it or not but, on a perform…nce level they are very solid.
Audio
Both the Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 mixes on this disc are excellent. The soundstage is well utilized with the rear channels well used for ambience and crowd noise. Overall we have a balanced, powerful mix with great bass, vocals are clear and easy to hear with a great raw guitar sound. This is one of the best live rock discs I have heard yet.
Video
Sporting a 1.85:1 non-anamorphic format video this is where the disc falls short. With a grainy image that overall is very soft looking with a fair amount of chroma noise the video quality of the discs is disappointing especially with such a great audio mix. The transfer is fine with no issues with film debris or edge enhancement the source material seems to be the problem.
Special Features
We have a few extra features but nothing over the top, things start off with an interview with Ronnie James Dio. Next we move onto a short behind the scenes featurette from the concert and a promo video for the first single from Dio’s latest album. We also have a photo gallery from the show. It would have been nice to get more background information on the band and its history but alas at least we got some decent extras.
Final Thoughts
Fans who pick this disc up will be rewarded with a great sounding disc that unfortunately disappoints with the poor video quality and a somewhat skimpy extras package. For the rest of us it is worth a look back at one of the great metal bands of the 80’s, pull out your tie-die pants and grab your litter and sit back and enjoy some nostalgia.
Special Features List
- Interview
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- “Push” video
- Photo gallery
Screenshots
