Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Toto: Live in Amsterdam Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 5, 2009

In 2003, legendary rock-band Toto celebrated their 25th anniversary in front of a packed Heineken Arena in Amsterdam, Holland. “Toto: Live in Amsterdam – 25th Anniversary” captures the entire show, running at approximately 135 minutes. Courtesy of US-based Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Do you remember Rosanna?

One of the most influential bands from the early 80s, Toto have always been known for their highly intelligent music. Founded in 1976 by drummer Jeff Porcaro and keyboardist David Paich, previously part of Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs, the band quickly earned the respect of music fans (their first album was released in 1978). By the mid 80s Toto were already the darlings of mainstream rock radio-stations on both sides of the Atlantic.

The 90s saw the members of Toto pursuing a number of different solo projects. In Europe, the band and their music were still greeted with plenty of enthusiasm, but in the United States a new generation of rock bands had captured the hearts of music fans. In 1997, Toto celebrated their 20th anniversary, and went on a South American tour for the first time in their career.

In 2003, Toto returned to Amsterdam, Holland for a grandiose celebration of their 25th anniversary. The show was recorded for the inevitable CD and DVD releases. Three years later Toto: Live in Amsterdam – 25th Anniversary was also released in high-definition by US-based distributors Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Clocking in at approximately 135 min, Toto: Live in Amsterdam – 25th Anniversary captures Toto as they perform live at the impressive Heineken Arena. The band's line-up is as follows: Steve Lukather (Vocals/Guitar), Mike Porcaro (Bass), Simon Phillips (Drums), Bobby Kimball (Vocals), and David Paich (Vocals/Keyboards).

The live footage offered on this Blu-ray disc contains a total of fifteen performances. A good number of them are from the band’s most successful album Toto IV - Roseanna, I Won’t Hold You Back, Afraid of Love, etc. Toto also perform their unforgettable Hold the Line as well as a cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles. Unfortunately, after a relatively short extension of their anniversary tour, in 2008 Toto broke up after Steve Lukather announced that he is no longer capable of performing on stage.

Tracklisting:

1. Girl Goodbye, Goodbye Elenore, Child's Anthem, I'll Supply the Love (Medley)
2. Gift With a Golden Gun
3. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
4. Bodhisattva
5. Africa
6. David Petch – (Solo)
7. Dune/Don't Stop Me Now
8. Waiting For Your Love, Georgy Porgy, Lion, Hydra, English Eyes, Till the End (Medley)
9. I Won't Hold You Back
10. Rosanna
11. Afraid Of Love
12. Hold the Line
13. Next To You

Toto: Live in Amsterdam Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-2, and granted a 1080i transfer Toto: 25th Anniversary, Live in Amsterdam arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

This was one of the very early music releases to arrive on the Blu-ray market, and looking at it now I see plenty of issues (the majority of them are in the audio department). Ironically, Toto: 25th Anniversary, Live in Amsterdam is one of the most poorly covered releases as well. First of all, unlike what a number of sources claim, the disc is encoded with MPEG-2, not VC-1. Generally speaking, the video quality is acceptable. The colors are lush and vibrant, with blacks being particularly strong, and yellows, reds, blues, and greens blending nicely. Second, contrast and clarity are also decent. A lot of the close-ups for example look very impressive. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not particularly disturbing, but during selected scenes I was able to detect a few heavier macroblocking patterns, which I suspect that those of you with large TV screens will notice as well. Furthermore, I did not spot any disturbing print imperfections (scratches, glitches, specks, etc). This being said, the positioning of the HD cameras is excellent, and one is truly given the opportunity to witness not only the action on the stage but the enthusiasm amongst the crowd as well. (Note: This is a Region-free release which you will be able to playback on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Toto: Live in Amsterdam Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three different audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Music: DTS 5.1, Music: Dolby Digital 5.1, and Music: PCM 2.0. Unfortunately, they all seem to be lacking that special edge an adequately mastered HD soundtrack delivers. Let's take a look at each one.

The PCM 2.0 track is acceptable but not impressive. The separation between the music and Steve Lukather's voice is decent but notably lacking the clarity we've heard from other live performances released by Eagle Rock Entertainment. Furthermore, the guitar solos tend to pop out every once in awhile and you will notice how ineffective the balance between music and singing becomes because of that. Finally, the bass here is notably weak (I would describe it as hollow), and most certainly not at a level I could describe as acceptable. Moving to the Dolby Digital 5.1 track we get a slightly more potent audio picture, but the key flaws I touched upon above remain painfully noticeable. Once again, clarity is problematic, and so is the balance between music and singing. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track improves a bit with the surround effects, most of which are related to enhanced crowd noises, but the core amount of music we get is very flat . As expected, the DTS 5.1 track adds slightly more over the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. There is a tiny dose of improvement when it comes to clarity of sound, but the flawed core of the audio mix the producers of this disc had to work with remains painfully obvious. Indeed, all of this is quite unfortunate given the fact that Toto's music boasts incredibly rich harmonies, which in my opinion beg for a solid HD treatment.

Toto: Live in Amsterdam Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only supplemental bit on this Blu-ray disc is a gallery with footage from Toto's concert tour titled "Through the Looking Glass". The overwhelming amount of it consists of generic conversations, jokes, and celebrations. This isn't an official documentary film about the band, or a detailed account of their worldwide tour. Here's the breakdown for "Through the Looking Glass" – Japan (December 3-19, 2002), Dinner with Mr. Udo, The Bowling Match, South Korea & Japan (December 20-23, 2002), France (January 24-February 19, 2003), and Tour Venues and Dates.

Toto: Live in Amsterdam Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Toto: 25th Anniversary, Live in Amsterdam was one of the first live shows, captured on Blu-ray, that I added to my library. It is also one of the few discs I hope to repurchase in a near future with a notably improved audio presentation. There are quite a few things here that do not work well enough, and given the solid discs we have been given by Eagle Rock Entertainment after 2006 I truly hope that Toto: 25th Anniversary, Live in Amsterdam will get a special release of some sort in the future. The band deserves it, and so do their fans. RENT IT.