Peter Cetera: Live in Concert Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Peter Cetera: Live in Concert Blu-ray Movie Review

What Becomes a Soloist Most

Reviewed by Michael Reuben December 7, 2011

Bassist and singer Peter Cetera was a founding member of the band Chicago, but he left to pursue a solo career in July 1985. By that point, Cetera's distinctive tenor had become so closely identified with Chicago's sound and many of its biggest hits that more than a few fans still think of him as the "voice" of Chicago and find the band's performance of songs from the Cetera period deficient without his vocals. I've generally taken the reverse view, namely, that it was Chicago that made Cetera's voice worth listening to, and his split from the band--reportedly over his desire to quit touring--left him with a nice set of pipes and a fine capability as a session player in search of other musicians to make him sound good. I suspect that's why so many of Cetera's biggest hits have been duets and movie tie-ins (notably "Glory of Love" from The Karate Kid). By himself, there just isn't enough there.

Still, Cetera is a son of Chicago, and when Chicago's PBS station, WTTW, revived its Soundstage series in 2003, it was inevitable that they'd balance their broadcast in June, Chicago: Live in Concert, with a performance by Cetera the following October. As an opening act, Cetera recruited Amy Grant, the gospel singer turned Top 40 artist with whom he had scored one of his biggest hits with the duet "The Next Time (I Fall in Love)"--an interesting decision, considering that most performers invited to play Soundstage manage to fill up the hour (or more) with their own songs. An out-of-print DVD of this performance was released by Koch Vision in 2005, but Image Entertainment has now issued the show on Blu-ray as it continues to work through the Soundstage series.

Amy Grant opens with three songs. Though I recognize the name, I'm not familiar with the work, but it doesn't take long to spot a seasoned entertainer with natural stage presence. Grant has the ease of someone who has spent many years performing before live audiences. A quick check of her bio reveals that she began singing publicly in 1976 at the age of sixteen, and even if one is not a member of Grant's core gospel audience (which she has worked hard to broaden), true musicianship transcends many divides. Grant has been singing her signature song of devotion, "El Shaddai" for nearly thirty years (probably in a variety of arrangements), and here it's conveyed with a mellow tunefulness that can be enjoyed by the most secular members of the audience. She may be a faith-based performer, but she is, above all, a performer.

The show's editors have left in numerous instances of Grant speaking to the audience, but they've cut out (or shortened) most of Cetera's, and with good reason: He has no natural rapport. An experienced live performer displays a feel for the room, even when it's a giant auditorium, and part of the craft of live performance is creating the sense of a relationship between the person on stage and each and every person sitting out there in the dark. Cetera seems almost intimidated by the audience, as if he knows they're there but would rather not think too much about it until it's time to take a bow. Although he's toured as a solo act (though infrequently), he seems almost uncomfortable as the center of attention. His best performances are duets, with Grant ("The Next Time (I Fall in Love)"), and with backup singer and percussionist Kim Keyes, who takes over the part in "After All" that was originated by Cher when the song first appeared as the love theme to the 1989 film Chances Are. It's a lovely ballad, and Keyes sings it beautifully, but I couldn't help wondering what would happen if Cher suddenly appeared to recreate the original arrangement. I suddenly had a vision of Cetera literally being blown off the stage.

Chicago has toured almost continuously, while Cetera concentrated on studio recordings. That's probably where he belongs. He's famous enough that people will always buy tickets, and today's audiences are sufficiently unaccustomed to live performances that they'll always applaud (and usually stand up), but that doesn't mean every performer belongs on the stage. Some just don't have the knack. After watching this Blu-ray, I'll stick to iTunes for Cetera and buy concert tickets for Amy Grant when I want the thrill of live music.

The complete song list follows:

Amy Grant:

1. Baby, Baby
2. Simple Things
3. El Shaddai

Peter Cetera:

4. One Good Woman
5. Glory of Love
6. Restless Heart
7. If You Leave Me Now
8. After All (with Kim Keyes)
9. The Next Time (I Fall in Love) (with Amy Grant)
10. Baby What a Big Surprise
11. You're the Inspiration
12. Have You Ever Been in Love

Bonus:

13. 25 or 6 to 4 (4:02)
14. Even a Fool Can See (5:32)

Peter Cetera: Live in Concert Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As with other Soundstage productions released by Image, the Blu-ray sports a 1080i, AVC-encoded image taken from HD recordings produced by HD Ready, LLC, which produces Soundstage in partnership with WTTW, Chicago. The video is consistent with that of other discs I have seen from this series, in that the source is extremely clear and detailed, with no visible combing or distortion in the moving image from the interlaced format. (Still images in screenshots are a different matter.) Minimal aliasing can be spotted on fine patterns seen from a distance, but this is a minor and occasional issue. Black levels and resolved detail are very good, and it probably helps that the musicians' outfits appear to have been coordinated for a dark and monochromatic look that helps emphasize the featured players and the colorful lighting design. Colors are rich and well-saturated. The 55-minute program (or 65 minutes, with bonus tracks) has been delivered on a BD-25, which accommodates the program without compression artifacts.

Peter Cetera: Live in Concert Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The viewer has a choice between 5.1, presented in DTS-HD MA, or 2.0, presented in PCM 2.0. On the bonus tracks, the DTS-HD MA option only comes in 2.0 variety. The 5.1 track has been conservatively mixed to spread the large assortment of musicians across the front soundstage, with vocals firmly in the center. The surrounds are used to give depth and spaciousness to the music and also to place crowd noise (primarily, applause) at an appropriate distance from the stage. The 2.0 mixes have been done with sufficient care that, when played back through a decoder such as DPL IIx, they provide imaging and presence that are almost as good as the discrete track. Bass extension is strong without being overpowering.

While the large orchestral ensemble doesn't quite provide a "wall of sound", Cetera's extensive studio experience has clearly accustomed him to being backed by something more substantial than even Chicago's combination of rock band and brass section. The mix on this Blu-ray has been prepared with obvious care for layering the substantial number of musicians that Soundstage had to accommodate for this performance, but of all the discs in this series I've reviewed to date, this one had the least sense of live performance (except for Amy Grant's numbers). It sounds much more like a studio recording of an orchestra.

Peter Cetera: Live in Concert Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Since I don't count the "bonus" songs as a supplement, there are none on the disc.

Peter Cetera: Live in Concert Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This review may give the impression that I don't like Peter Cetera, but that would be the wrong conclusion. I think he has a great voice, and I enjoy listening to his songs. But for my money he should stay in the recording studio, where he seems to be more comfortable. He certainly isn't the first singer to have an expressive voice issuing from an inexpressive physical presence (Linda Ronstadt comes to mind). On its technical merits, the disc is recommended. On its musical merits, it's strictly for Cetera fans, and even then I'd wait for a price drop.