Heart: Alive in Seattle Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Heart: Alive in Seattle Blu-ray Movie Review

Will Heart move your soul?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 12, 2008

If you have been following my reviews, you may have realized that I know little about popular music, and reviewing so many concerts on Blu-ray has proven to be a crash-course in modern American music, from the smooth trumpet playing of Chris Botti to the varied talents and performances of one of today's hottest stars, John Mayer. With this recent influx of concert titles from Image Entertainment, the focus has shifted to 1970's pop and rock; I've greatly enjoyed the other titles in the set, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theater and The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live. Now comes a bit of girl power in the form of the band Heart, led by the Wilson sisters, Ann and Nancy, who return to the birthplace of their band for the show Heart: Alive in Seattle.

Ann Wilson wows the crowd.

Formed in 1975 by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart took the country by storm and proved they could flat-out rock. They still can, in fact, as evidenced by this high-energy performance recorded live from the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington on August 8, 2002. Included in this performance are many of the band's biggest hits, including "Crazy On You" (chapter one), "Magic Man," (chapter 12), and "Barracuda" (chapter 16). Heart does a fantastic job of keeping the show fresh and interesting, and keeping the live audience enthralled in the performance. For "Break the Rock" (chapter 15), the sisters tote out an old "1978 Sanyo Stereophonic Blaster" tape deck which becomes a performer in the song, Ann encourages the crowd to sing along with the chorus, and the crowd obliges with passion and energy, a trait that seemed to be lacking in parts of the Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire show. Heart: Alive in Seattle is a solid 102 minutes of entertainment, and the show never dulls and the pace never slows.

Heart combines elements of classic rock, alternative, and perhaps a touch of hard-hitting metal, from a feminine perspective. With surprisingly fine covers of the classic Led Zepplin hits "Battle of Evermore" (chapter 10) and "Black Dog" (chapter 18), this long-time Led Zeppelin fan was more than pleased not only with the genuine effort Heart puts into these songs, but also the respect and esteem with which they seem to hold these songs. Although I am not a fan of Elton John per se, I have always enjoyed "Mona Lisas and Madhatters" (chapter 9) and the ladies cover it admirably as well, although none of these would find their way into my iTunes rotation over the originals. Despite several covers, the only material with which I was familiar on this disc, I cannot help but be somewhat impressed by Heart. No, they'll never be my favorite band, but their uptempo beat and high energy level, not to mention the crisp, lovely vocals of lead singer Ann and the impressive guitar playing of sister Nancy makes Heart: Alive in Seattle a fantastic disc for established fans and, at the price, worth buying for newcomers to the band.

Heart: Alive in Seattle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Heart: Alive in Seattle, like other Image Entertainment concert discs of recent vintage, arrives on Blu-ray in a 1080i high definition presentation and framed at a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The show looks just fine for a presentation of this nature. From the glossy, glittery drum set as seen in the background to the finer nuances of the stitching in Ann's shirt, fine detail, both up front and in the rear of the stage, stands out as moderately strong. Flesh tones are remarkably lifelike, and there are many occasions where you'll feel like you're standing in the front row of the crowd as the camera moves in for a nice, slightly off-kilter, upward angle shot of the stars. Black backgrounds aren't as widespread in this disc as in other concert disc's I've reviewed, like John Mayer: Where the Light Is. That doesn't mean they are not here, and they are as deep and true as one might expect based on the look of Image's other concert discs. There is wonderful clarity and definition to every scene, and all the colors the show throws at us are handled and reproduced expertly on the disc. This disc is fairly representative of the look of the bright, vivid concerts I've reviewed on Blu-ray, and while it's not the finest, it is certainly no slouch, visually.

Heart: Alive in Seattle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

With three audio options, the primary one being a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.0 soundtrack, Heart: Alive in Seattle comes alive in your home courtesy of a fine audio presentation. The sound quality is excellent, and is yet another concert from Image Entertainment that puts the viewer right in the midst of the show. Ann Wilson's vocals are sharp, crisp, and natural; her highs never falter, and from the first song of the show, Crazy On You, she shows off her impressive range and ability to perform even the most difficult-to-hit notes. Likewise, musical accompaniment, from the lightest strums of an acoustic guitar to the high powered notes flowing from a fast-paced electric guitar riff, emanate from the sound system with a palpable magic that often leaves you breathless and with the feeling that the performance is live in you media room, not pre-recorded on a disc. Surround speakers are engaging and lively from the first note to the last, filling the room with the power and grace of Heart's biggest hits. Crowd noise and ambience is solid. I never felt in the midst of the crowd, but I did feel like I was on-stage and planted in front of various amps and speakers, which I enjoyed more than the extra crowd presence. Comparing various segments of the disc between the DTS lossless track and lossy Dolby Digital mix proved a noticeable, but not striking, difference. The PCM 2.0 track is solid as well, perhaps a good option when you want to play the disc while working out when the television will not remain turned on while the disc is playing. I've been very impressed with Image Entertainment's work on these concert discs, and Heart: Alive in Seattle sounds as good as I expected it to after my enjoyable listening experiences with Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire and The Moody Blues.

Heart: Alive in Seattle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Heart: Alive in Seattle comes to Blu-ray with only a few minor extras, including a photo gallery, liner notes for this show, and a listing of special thanks.

Heart: Alive in Seattle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Heart: Alive in Seattle is a fun, high energy show featuring one of rock's most followed bands of the late 1970s and 80s. With plenty of original material and covers of several classics, those familiar with the band, those looking for an introduction to them as they perform some established favorites, or anyone just wanting to see an uptempo, high-octane live musical performance on Blu-ray could do much worse than Heart: Alive in Seattle. As expected, Image Entertainment has put out a disc with high quality visuals and outstanding audio, but has skimped on extra material. At the price Amazon is asking for the disc ($16.95 as I write), the program is too good to pass up if you have any interest in the band.