Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Does she think this Blu-ray is sexy?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 29, 2011

It's about them and me and these songs that are our lives.

Some recent County music, it seems, has sacrificed some of the genre's roots and twangy good time tunes in exchange for becoming more of a mainstream, FM radio, pop-influenced entity. But that's nothing new. Country has taken on many shapes and styles over the years, whether Bluegrass, Rock-a-Billy, Southern Rock, Southern Gospel, or any number of variations. The genre is one that has become popular because it can so effortlessly branch out, capture a new feel, a different sound, while still holding onto, generally, those core values that make Country music Country. The 1990s in particular saw a wave of artists, led by names like Shania Twain and Faith Hill, who seemed more like crossover artists who led the charge into more of a mainstream pop sound, and lately, idols like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood have all but blurred the line between styles, at least within the more mainstream of Country music. Kenny Chesney is one of the tweener artist who gained fame in the 1990s as a lady's favorite, boot and hat-wearing good old boy who definitely exudes a country vibe but who also appeals to crossover music fans who find that that rugged Southern look and musical twang nowadays has a little more in common with top 40 music than the "faces" of classic Country music, names like Conway Twitty, Charley Pride, Charlie Daniels, or Merle Haggard. Chesney is a hard-working, honest singer who might stray a little towards pop here, a bit towards Southern Rock there, but who is still more or less Country at his core. Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D features the famed Country artist performing some of his most well-known tunes from several stops along a summer 2009 tour and for thousands of adoring Country and, no doubt, crossover/pop/Rock fans.

As high as the Pirates will ever get.

Kenny Chesney first appears in his 2009 Summer tour 3D film wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates T-shirt; he's either an incredibly cool guy, a glutton for punishment, or both (as is a particular Blu-ray.com reviewer!), but one thing is for certain, and that is that the man sure can sing (unlike a particular Blu-ray.com reviewer!). Making stops in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Foxboro, and Indianapolis, the Country superstar played to packed houses crammed with adoring fans who know their Chesney lyrics by heart and love the artist formerly -- and still -- known as Kenny Chesney with a passion that seems unbeatable by any other act. Aside from performing some his most well-loved songs -- see the entire playlist below -- the artist takes a few moments in between venue changes to speak to his fans, sharing a brief look back at his past, humbly recalling his rise to success; the love his fans show him; his early years in East Tennessee; and his enjoyment of putting on smaller shows that take him back to his earlier, pre-megastar days. Country music fan or not, Kenny Chesney fan or not, one can't help but come to quickly like the man after hearing him speak on his rise to success and experiencing the humbleness with which he carries himself. Kenny Chesney may be one of the top acts in Country music today, with a unique, instantly-recognizable voice and a catalogue of classic and toe-tapping good time songs, but most impressive is the man under the hat and in the boots. There may not be a more genuinely personable, humble, and appreciative Country artist working today.

Chesney's concert is one of high-energy but not one that's overly produced and staged or that emphasizes blinding special effects over the music. A large monitor hangs behind the band, but the show is generally all about its music and, to a lesser extent, its lead singer; Chesney performs vigorously -- it's easy to see sweat literally pouring off his face and running down his back in almost every shot -- and the fans love him for it. Still, despite a few cool-dude moves, Chesney lets the music do the talking. The show isn't pop-star sexy, nor is it about everything but the music. Chesney performs some of his top singles and fan favorites, beginning with high-energy tunes like Live Those Songs and Big Star, moving onto a few more moderately-paced hits like Out Last Night and No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem, before venturing into a few of his popular ballads, such as There Goes My Life, and coming back to perform some of his most popular fast-paced rocking tunes like She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy and Don't Happen Twice. The crowd joins in with regularity, demonstrating not only their memorization of and familiarity with the lyrics but showing an incredible passion for the music and the artist. Whether the music has a traditional Country flavor, some Rock sensibilities, or a touch of pop influence, both Chesney and the crowd eat up the experience; every tune is performed with an almost magical flavor, and the songs -- and Chesney's delivery thereof -- stay so true to their original recordings that it's clear that Kenny Chesney is the real-deal article, blessed with a voice and living the dream, not simply a product of digital vocal assistance.

In fact, there's almost nothing to complain about; the film is extremely well-produced, mixing the music -- albeit with the fairly generic and all-too-familiar concert-style shots -- and the man to a level that gives audiences the complete package, unless, of course, some of their favorite Kenny Chesney songs don't show up on the playlist. Indeed, there's several notable absentees that hardcore Chesney and Country music fans will be disappointed to learn are not here. Perhaps most notably absent are two of Chesney's most heartfelt and melodic ballads: the tenderhearted alcohol recovery song That's Why I'm Here and the love won/love lost/love won again I Lost It, the songs reaching #2 and #3, respectively, on the Billboard charts. Also conspicuously absent are two personal favorites of the uptempo variety, the perky ode to the perfect girl She's Got It All and the enormously fun shout out to the joys of small-town living, Another Friday Night. Still, these absences are far from a deal-breaker; Kenny Chesney fans will fall in love with the film because, no matter which songs are here or which are absent, it's all about the music. Fans will get to know Kenny a little better through the course of the film, but this is otherwise a focused, toe-tapping good time that's sure to become a favorite among Chesney enthusiasts and, maybe better still, a great introduction to the artist and Country music in general.

Chesney performs the following songs:

Live Those Songs
Summertime
Beer in Mexico
Keg in the Closet
Out Last Night
Big Star
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem
I Go Back
Anything But Mine
Down the Road
Back Where I Come From
There Goes My Life
Old Blue Chair
Living in Fast Forward
Young
Boston
Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven
When the Sun Goes Down
Don't Happen Twice
She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
Better as a Memory
Ain't Back Yet
Be As You Are

Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Image Entertainment once again demonstrates a firm grasp of Blu-ray 3D content delivery with Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D, the studio's latest top-quality 1080p Blu-ray 3D release. This one is pretty simple to review; though a few deliberately-aged images -- including some still photographs -- are interspersed throughout the movie, Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D is comprised almost completely of in-action concert footage, captured from several angles and at various venues but generally looking more or less the same throughout. Depth is excellent in almost every scene; whether looking out into the vastness of the crowd, in towards the stage, or with any other angle utilized in the film, 3D viewers will discover an incredibly realistic sense of space and distance, whether between the front row and the stage, the singer and his band, or all the way back into the very last rows of eager and energized concert-goers. There's really no 3D "pop" or objects that appear to protrude from the screen; this one is all about the depth and almost nothing but the depth, but it does enjoy an incredibly realistic appearance that's aided by what is sometimes mesmerizing details. Indeed, the transfer is so clear, so precise, so sharp that it's easy to spot faces in the crowd, particularly during some of the brighter shots. It's so good, in fact, that anyone who attended one of these shows has a fair chance of finding themselves if they remember where they were situated and if the camera looks in that general direction. There are a few minor instances of visible "ghosting" -- appearing as far and few between as they may -- and a few close-up shots of Chesney look relatively flat, but this is otherwise a faultless 3D image. General detail as seen in close-ups of faces, instruments, or the textures of Chesney's worn jeans and hat are also fantastic. Colors appear accurate, and black levels are strong as well. This is another first-rate Blu-ray 3D transfer from Image Entertainment, a studio quickly establishing itself, along with Disney, as the current leader of the Blu-ray 3D landscape in terms of both quantity of output and quality of the 3D images.

Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D features two distinctly different lossless soundtracks, but both of which are of an extremely high quality. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is the one to choose for an all-immersive, loud experience. Not only is this track energetic and capable of delivering some extraordinarily accurate vocals and instrumentals through each of the five main channels, but it also proves capable of placing the listener in the middle of the crowd. While crowd applause, sing-a-longs, and the like never interfere with the music, they play a critical role in bringing the concert experience home. Image Entertainment's lossless soundtrack carries ambient crowd noise with startling clarity -- it never sounds mushy or indistinct -- and manages to present it at a high volume while still allowing the music and vocals to remain the centerpiece elements. The sense of space is extraordinary; the speakers practically disappear, and all of the atmosphere of the various open-air venues is captured with incredible precision. Meanwhile the PCM 2.0 track plays at a lower perceived volume compared to the DTS track even when the dial remains at the same setting and reduces ambient crowd noise in favor of a more streamlined music and lyrics presentation. Of course the track sacrifices the surround channels but it does seem to gain a little more in terms of smoothness and clarity. The DTS track is the one to choose for a full-fledged concert experience, while the PCM track is the better of the two for background music listening during a workout, while cleaning house, or pursuing other goals that don't involve sitting in the home theater's sweet spot.

Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D features the following bonus songs (1080p 2D, 15:39):

Me and You
Never Wanted Nothing More
Guitars and Tiki Bars
Don't Blink

Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What a nice change of pace to have a Country music concert/film of this caliber come to Blu-ray. Kenny Chesney is a class-act performer with a fine catalogue of fantastic songs that might not always stay true to the good old boys Country of years gone by, but he generally remains faithful to his genre, branching out only as far as feasible without separating himself from his roots. Country music fans, support this release! It's high time more Country acts come to Blu-ray, and buying what's out there is really the only way to prove there's a marketplace for such releases. Plopping down a few dollars for this disc will not only help bring more Country concerts to Blu-ray, but it will net buyers a superior product, too. Image Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D yields a superb 1080p 3D image, a reference-quality lossless soundtrack, and a few bonus songs. Highly recommended.