Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live Blu-ray Movie Review

This fabulous concert and Blu-ray presentation is worth every penny.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 9, 2008

I love it when this happens. I wasn't looking forward to this review at all. Another concert featuring a group I had heard of but knew nothing about? Groan. In a wonderful turn of events, The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live is the best concert disc I've reviewed yet, and that comes from a certified fan of Chris Botti. The Moody Blues seem to be all about the music. There are no pyrotechnics, no dancing, and no ridiculous outfits. They seem to be simple folks who genuinely enjoy making music, performing at a high level, and loving every minute of it. Whereas someone like Shakira, who depends as much on sex appeal and body language to sell her music as she does on her admittedly strong vocals and musical talent, The Moody Blues waste little time chitchatting with one another or the audience, only conveying some basic information about their songs before moving along to what we've all came to hear, their fantastic brand of music.

Real "Guitar Heroes" -- Justin Hayward and John Lodge.

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live does a fantastic job at disc's start in building anticipation for the coming show by quickly showcasing the venue's preparation, and while it got me in the mood, it in no way prepared me for the outstanding performance of the first song, "Lovely to See You." No wonder they named the show after "Lovely to See You;" it's a great song! That's my kind of music, for sure. Forget all the bubblegum pop and boy bands that have been so prevalent over the past decade or so, give me some Moody Blues! This is just good old fashioned Rock and Roll that is pure, unadulterated, good-time music. The band receives a standing ovation after their performance of the second song in the set, "Tuesday Afternoon," and deservedly so. What a track! The third song, "Lean on Me," was the first one I was not overly impressed with. I won't get into every track, but the ones I highly enjoyed (most of which are the more up-tempo songs) include "The Actor," "Steppin' in a Slide Zone," "The Voice," "Talking Out of Turn," "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," "Forever Autumn," "The Other Side of Life," and "Ride My See-Saw." OK, so perhaps it would have been easier to share with you the songs I didn't love, but where is the fun in that? On the whole, this concert is tremendous.

It was a pleasure to do some research and learn a bit about the band, its members, and their history while watching this concert. The Moody Blues is comprised of bassist and vocalist John Lodge, vocalist and guitarist Justin Hayward, and drummer Graeme Edge. The band, like so many others, has gone through a few overhauls over the years; only John Lodge remains from the original group, and even he left the band for a time to attend school. Their story is an interesting one, and as my first real experience with the band, I must admit to being highly impressed with this present group of performers. If I had any complaints with this presentation, it would only involve the serviceable but ultimately bland camera work. We see the same handful of shots over and over again, but since the music is the star of the show, and not the visuals, I cannot complain all that much, except to say that the show focuses primarily on frontmen Lodge and Hayward. I was a bit disappointed that drummer Graeme Edge's contributions seem to be downplayed here from a visual perspective; we only see him in occasional camera pans, overhead shots, and shots of his back, but his contributions, sonically, are not forgotten. He does make a front-and-center appearance for "Higher and Higher" in chapter 15, however, performing as lead vocalist.

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live, is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Image Entertainment and sports a 1080i high definition, 16x9 framed image. This transfer has a look about it that is reminiscent of Image's other new release this week, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theater. This image fares somewhat better, with deeper blacks, crisper and clearer detail, more well-defined edges, fewer jaggies and artifacts, and improved clarity. Close-up detail is excellent; every bead of sweat on the performers' faces glistens and makes its presence known, whether you want to see it or not. Likewise, clothing is wonderfully rendered, from the bright white shirt worn by bassist John Lodge to the purple button down worn by guitarist/vocalist Justin Hayward. The instruments look equally fabulous. Hayward's Gibson guitar is a thing of absolute beauty, and even though I'd probably break a string on it in ten minutes, I want one more now than ever. Colors are vibrant and incredibly lifelike; the aforementioned clothing and Gibson guitar, not to mention Lodge's bass and the various lighting permeating the stage is marvelous in appearance. While the content would have benefitted from a 1080p encode, it looks fantastic, and any flaws in the video is more than made up for by the A+ audio, which I cannot wait to tell you about, so let's get to it!

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live explodes on Blu-ray in a stunning DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless surround sound mix. Wow, this one is loud! I felt like I was in the front row of the show and was blown away from the very first notes of "Lovely to See You." Seriously, this one is something else. There is a power and precision to it I haven't yet experienced in a concert Blu-ray, and the palpable sense of being there continues to leave me in awe. Every note, from the highs of the guitar to the lows of the bass and everything in between comes through with wonderful clarity. The deep, rumbling lows will blow you away. I felt every note in my chest and in the seat of my pants as my couch was the recipient of a good rattling. I felt like the on-stage amps were underneath and behind my couch. "The Actor" features more couch-rattling bass, and I loved every minute of the song. Vocals are rich and true, blending perfectly with the instrumentals, though there was a bit of harshness in the dialogue to the crowd in between songs that sounded more like the speaker placing his mouth too close to the mic than anything else. Ditto the vocals accompanying "Lean on Me" that occasionally drift to the harsh side of the spectrum. The surround channels are active and energetic, carrying the songs as much as the fronts, and completely engulfing the viewer in the music. I felt far more engaged and part of the crowd on this disc as opposed to the isolated, cold feeling I experienced during the Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire show. Also like that disc, Image has included two additional audio options: a serviceable yet completely underwhelming (when compared to the DTS track) lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a PCM 2.0 track that focuses the music up-front. The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live is the kind of show that Blu-ray was made for, and even if you're not a fan of the band, this one is a must-listen on a good lossless surround sound system.

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live contains only one supplement, Interview With the Moody Blues (480p, 29:30). This is a very nice get-to-know-you piece that features all three primary band members chatting it up about their personal lives, their daily routines, and their thoughts on the art of music.

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live was a pleasure to watch and review. Need I say any more than that? The concert is fabulous, especially if you like the group, their style of music, or just want to see a band that lets their music do the talking rather than special effects and tight-fitting clothes. The show, the performance, the song selection, and the Blu-ray quality are all excellent. The video quality isn't the finest, but you'll have a hard time convincing me that, among the concert discs I've reviewed thus far, this isn't the finest-sounding one of the bunch. Sadly, there is only one supplemental feature; again, I cannot help but wish there was some sort of in-depth history of the band and biographies of the current members available. Regardless, Image Entertainment is to be commended for this fantastic Blu-ray presentation. The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You, Live comes highly recommended!