Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre Blu-ray Movie Review

A fantastic concert arrives on Blu-ray at a bargain price.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 8, 2008

A couple of little hippie bands starting out in the late 60s, early 70s, writing songs with a positive message, and we're still doing it, and we're glad you're here to see it.

From 2004 to 2005, one of pop/rock's most legendary bands of the past few decades, Chicago, toured with the famed Earth, Wind & Fire, the R&B, funk, and disco standout group that dominated the charts in the 1970s. I've never had the opportunity to acquaint myself with Earth, Wind & Fire, but I am a fan of Chicago, the Peter Cetera era of the 70s and 80s, anyway. Of course, Cetera left the band in 1985 after writing and performing hits like "You're the Inspiration" and "Hard to Say I'm Sorry." I never followed the group's post-Cetera era, but this performance relives the groups heyday by performing various tunes of the Cetera era, but leaves out my favorite, "You're the Inspiration." Frankly, as nice as it was to see Chicago live, I found myself far more entertained by Earth, Wind & Fire. Not only do they play great, catchy music, but their stage presence is second-to-none, and they put on a fantastic show filled to the brim with energy and vigor, with bassist Verdine White as the group's obvious spark plug.

The bands chat it up between sets.

The show is divided into four segments. The first features both bands performing together, followed by an extended performance only by Earth, Wind & Fire, followed by a solo outing with Chicago, and, the show concludes with both bands performing together on-stage once again. Earth, Wind & Fire's performance is the most energetic, active, and downright entertaining concert segment I've had the privilege of watching and reviewing on Blu-ray. "Kalimba Story," which is also the song played over the disc's main menu, is the standout one of the bunch. The song is easy to lose yourself in, tap your toe to, and stand up and dance and clap your hands when cued to do so. I enjoyed the song so much, in fact, that it inspired me to do a bit of side research on the song itself (it only reached #55 on the U.S. charts, curiously) and on the instrument known as the Kalimba (which is described as an "African Thumb Piano") that inspired both the song and the band itself. Chicago's return to the stage comes in chapter 16, and the band leads off with the "Make Me Smile Medley," a twelve-minute cycle from the group's album Chicago II. The famed "If You Leave Me Now" is next, performed wonderfully by Earth, Wind & Fire's Phillip Bailey. Though lacking the energy of the previous band, Chicago struts their stuff in their own way, proving once again why they were one of the powerhouse, chart-topping bands of the 70s and 80s. Concluding the set is a performance of the hit (and personal favorite) "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" which, frankly, sounded better with Cetera behind the microphone. The show concludes with several numbers involving both bands.

Forget for a moment that the bands sound absolutely fantastic together (and individually, as evidenced by the show's middle sections), but there is a camaraderie shared between the groups that makes this show a standout and the pairing of the two legendary bands a marvelous idea. While their dialogue appears mostly rehearsed, there is a chemistry and mutual respect that is shared between every member of both bands not only for their fellow band mates, but for the talent and human beings in the other band as well. This respect translates into a fantastic group effort when both bands are on-stage; the concert begins with an exceptionally high energy level and never lets up, even when Chicago re-takes the stage after an extended absence during the wonderful performance by Earth, Wind & Fire, a band for which I have a newfound admiration and eagerness to hear more from.

Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Chicago and Earth, Wind, & Fire: Live at the Greek Theater is presented on Blu-ray in 1080i high definition, framed at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Image Entertainment has released a nice looking disc here that isn't as stunning as Shakira, but more than holds its own. As is the case with every concert I've reviewed to date, black levels are deep and true. Detail is solid if not a bit unremarkable. The various instruments and backgrounds on the stage are fairly bland and lifeless, notably during the Chicago segment. Earth, Wind & Fire bring some life and pizazz to the show not only through their energy and tempo, but in the vibrancy of their clothing and instruments as well. The colorful outfits and instruments not only look great on this disc, but also compliment the band's style very well. Like many concerts, the stage is bathed in varying lighting schemes, and the transfer never misses a beat in reproducing them with lifelike clarity. Unfortunately, some artifacts and jagged edges are seen in the image. While I would label this transfer as fairly average in appearance, that's not a bad thing thing, because in the world of Blu-ray high definition, average is pretty spectacular in its own right, and if studios like Image continue to release concerts that appear as solid and pleasing as this one, especially at a bargain price point, Blu-ray fans and live show enthusiasts are going to be in for a treat in the years to come.

Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Chicago and Earth, Wind, & Fire: Live at the Greek Theater plays on Blu-ray via several audio options: a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless mix, a linear PCM 2.0 track, and a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. I sampled all three, and played the majority of the program with the DTS mix. This audio experience is a pleasing enough one. The 5.1 lossless mix never misses a beat; the sound field is solid, engaging, and fairly lifelike. It's not a perfect mix, however, and is perhaps the weakest concert disc I've reviewed yet, sonically, but only by the slimmest of margins. Crowd noise doesn't come across as perfectly rendered; I never felt like I was actually at the Greek and mingling amongst the crowd. Instead, there is a sense of isolation and a lack of warmth in that regard. Fortunately, the music itself fares very well. Lyrics sometimes sound trumped by the instruments, but those instruments sure do pack a wonderful wallop. Every instrument is rendered remarkably well and comes through the sound system with crystal-clear clarity. The DTS track, especially, offers fantastic imaging. The sound travels all across the soundstage for an exciting, enveloping experience. Deeper bass doesn't become too pronounced or violent, but it blends perfectly into the soundtrack as a whole. At my reference volume, the presentation was neither too loud nor too quiet, striking the perfect balance between obnoxiously loud and undefined and too quiet and timid for a rocking good time of a concert. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is a fine one in its own right, but lacks the fullness, crispness, and finesse of the DTS lossless track. The PCM 2.0 track is a solid one as well that foregoes the back channels in favor of a fine-sounding, up-front listening experience. Chicago and Earth, Wind, & Fire: Live at the Greek Theater doesn't represent the pinnacle of Blu-ray concert audio, but it offers a rich, wonderful listening experience that is the next best thing to being there.

Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Chicago and Earth, Wind, & Fire: Live at the Greek Theater packs quite the musical punch, but when it comes to extras, the disc is a disappointment. Only one supplement is included, Drum Duel (480p, 4:50). Drummers from the two bands go head-to-head in a fun drum duet. A biography of the band members would have been a nice feature for newcomers to the bands.

Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Recorded in August 2004 at the Greek Theater at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California, Chicago and Earth, Wind, & Fire: Live at the Greek Theater is a great show that will please established fans of one or both of these groups, as well as entertain newcomers to one or both as well. At nearly three hours in length, fans, both new and old, have the opportunity to meet and enjoy their favorite stars from these two power groups like never before, in glorious high definition. As an established fan of Chicago and a newcomer to Earth, Wind & Fire, I came away from the show extremely pleased with the experience from both an entertainment and critical perspective. Image Entertainment has released a fine disc that is a bargain at its current $16.95 price point from Amazon. While the lack of supplemental materials hurts, the show itself is too entertaining and the disc's strong audio and video qualities too amazing to pass up. Recommended.