Three Days Grace: Live at the Palace 2008 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Three Days Grace: Live at the Palace 2008 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 17, 2009

Three Days Grace are a Canadian rock group that was founded in 1992 in the city of Toronto. The group’s first album was recorded during the same year under the name of Groundswell. Unfortunately, after some tensions between the members of Groundswell – Joe Grant (guitar), Adam Gontier (vocals), Brad Walst (bass), Neil Sanderson (drums and vocals), and Phil Crowe (lead guitar) – the group disbanded.

Adam Gontier

In 1997, three of the original members of Groundswell decided to see if fate would give them another chance. Adam Gontier, Brad Walst, and Neil Sanderson got together and began performing covers of their favorite songs. Shortly after, they were already securing gigs as Three Days Grace.

The band’s first album, fittingly titled Three Days Grace, was released in 1997. “I Hate Everything About You” immediately captured the attention of radio rock jocks across Canada and eventually it went on to become one of the most requested rock tracks in the country. Across the border, US radio stations did their part and the band’s first single reached the top spot at the Mainstream Rock charts.

Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace captures the Canadian rockers’ stop at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan in 2008. Here the band is seen performing a total of thirteen tracks, including their top hits “I Hate Everything About You”, “Home”, “Animal I Have Become” as well as a cover of Alice in Chains’ famous “Rooster”.

Unlike most rock concerts that have been released on Blu-ray thus far, Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace is more of a concert-film than a traditional recording of a live show. Aside from the band performing in front of their fans, here you would also see plenty of behind the scenes footage that is actually inserted between the songs. A lot of the footage consists of interviews with members of Three Days Grace where they talk about their past, their respect for each other and the type of music they wish to play in front of their fans.

While allowing fans of the band to see their idols behind the stage and hear what they have to say about their past, present and future is a great idea, I must assume that a lot of people might end up being slightly disappointed by the fact that there isn’t an option on the Blu-ray disc that allows them to see the concert in its entirety. I personally wasn’t overly distracted by the multiple interviews that cut in between some of the songs, but I am certain some of you will be. This being said, the actual concert has been recorded exceptionally well; a number of different cameras follow Adam Gontier and the rest of the guys from Three Days Grace as they deliver a truly memorable show.

Tracklisting:

1. Animal I Have Become
2. Pain
3. Just Like You
4. Let It Die
5. Wake Up
6. I Hate Everything About You
7. Rooster
8. Riot
9. Get Out Alive
10. Never Too Late
11. Scared
12. Gone Forever
13. Home

Three Days Grace: Live at the Palace 2008 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer, Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of US-based Jive Records.

Filmed live at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan in 2008, Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace looks good. The Blu-ray transfer reveals a pleasing color-scheme, good contrast and lack of overly disturbing "motion-judder". The actual show is filmed by multiple, strategically placed, HD cameras that do an excellent job of Adam Gontier and the rest of the guys in Three Days Grace. Furthermore, you would see plenty of the audience as well; the HD cameras zoom over and around the stage providing a good look at the entire venue. In addition to the concert footage, Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace also provides plenty of behind the scene footage where fans of the band are seen interacting with their idols. The video quality here is generally very good; I certainly did not detect any scratches, debris, or marks to report. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not an issue of concern either. However, during quite a few scenes, I noticed bits of digital noise that some of you might be slightly annoyed with. Still, Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace looks solid and I would not hesitate recommending it to fans of the band. (Note: This is a Region-Free disc which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Three Days Grace: Live at the Palace 2008 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: PCM 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo. I viewed this concert in its entirety using the PCM 5.1 Surround track. Later on, I did random comparison between the PCM 5.1 Surround track and the Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo tracks for the purpose of this review.

There are a couple of things that I would like to mention to you. First, the PCM 5.1 Surround track is indeed what I would recommend that you opt for when watching this disc. It is well balanced, with plenty of activity in the rear channels and with the best bass potency. Second, the PCM 5.1 Surround track also has the best dynamic amplitude; the music is crystal clear and without any distortion issues that I could detect. Third, the audio producers of Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace have made sure that the PCM 5.1 Surround track actually sounds as polished as possible (I would argue that if one eliminates the crowd noise, portions of the music on this Blu-ray disc would sound as if they were done in a professional recording studio).

As I mentioned above, I did some random comparisons between the three audio tracks. Obviously, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track does not match the depth of the PCM 5.1 Surround track. In fact, even if you aren't that sensitive to small details, with this concert you will very quickly notice how big the gap is between the two tracks in terms of dynamics. The PCM Stereo track is slightly more difficult to grade. In a lot of the opera reviews that I have done in recent months, I've pointed out that a good PCM Stereo track could be as appealing as a very good loseless 5.1 track (I specifically refer to PCM tracks from "live" recordings). With that in mind, what I like about the PCM Stereo track on Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace is that it actually eliminates quite a bit of the crowd noise. As a result, the balance between the music and the singing is notably improved. Of course, I am convinced that there would be plenty of people who would argue that the "live" atmosphere (which is what the crowd noise adds) is precisely why you would want to own this Blu-ray disc in the first place. And, obviously, I would agree. For the record, Jive Records have not provided optional English subtitles for the interviews.

Three Days Grace: Live at the Palace 2008 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there aren't any supplemental materials on this Blu-ray disc.

Three Days Grace: Live at the Palace 2008 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace should be a treat for fans of the Canadian rockers. As noted in the synopsis, this isn't a traditional concert; I would say that it is closer to being a short film about a group of guys who have been blessed to play the music they like and live their lives the way they wanted. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Jive Records, looks good. Recommended.