Live At The Beacon - The Next Best Thing To Being There!

I have been a hardcore ABB fan since first being exposed to their music in 1984 (I can hear some of you old schooler's laughing out loud at that date) and I own every album the band has ever put out, including solo and side projects by various members. I even bought the remasters and gave my old CD copies away, having worn out my vinyl LPs long ago. However, I've never lived in an area where they played in concert - at least not when I was living there - and this fact has been a constant source of frustration for me.

As such, I was delighted to see this new concert DVD on the shelves during my weekly music-buying ritual, especially in the wake of the surprising and outstanding quality of the "Hittin' The Note" CD, which is not only far better than anyone had a reason to expect, but also the best album of new material by any veteran act of the ABB's vintage that I can recall in ANY style of music. Needless to say picked it up that same day without hesitation and couldn't wait to play it. My wife and 9 year old son sat down with me to watch it that night and we were ALL blown away. Having never seen the band in concert, this DVD was a true godsend. There were moments when I was actually choked up with emotion as the band jammed in a style filled with kind of joy, passion and commitment that recalled, to my ears, the old Fillmore tapes with Duane. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, guys.

Now...when are you going to play in Hawaii? :)

Note To The Consumer: If you are an ABB fan, this DVD is an essential purchase. Get it today! The concert is fantastic and the bonus material are also wonderful - especially the band interviews and the bonus track of Warren and Derek in an acoustic jam in the dressing area backstage that just plain smokes. (When will we see that track on an ABB album...or for that matter, when will we see an acoustic "unplugged" ABB album?)

Added:  Saturday, October 04, 2003
Reviewer:  Rick Tolbert
Score:
hits: 2132