MUSIC-MAN Concert DVD: A Concert Full of Surprises
(finally posted at wlh.com: link)
Exactly this night last year, I had the opportunity to see my favorite artist for the first time. Now tonight, I get another chance to relive those wonderful days my friends and I had in Taipei. I didn't have the time to send in a review last year so I will be mixing my review of the concert and the DVD.
I received my copy two days ago. I was surprised when I saw the box since I didn't expect it to be that big. I opened it up and found a folder poster, some free samples, the receipt and of course the big box. The figurine was cute although it didn't really have a nice paint job, the 6-piece set was better. The DVD case was plain and simple. I love the graphic they used for the inside. Next, the photobooklet had a surprise for us. Flipping through the pages, I spotted our flag in one of them. Not exactly a surprise since our Filipino friends in Taiwan who already got their copies earlier mentioned it already. Thank you so much for adding it in. :)
So I popped in the DVD to my computer and started watching. I watched the Heroes of Earth concert DVD several times already and it will be hard not to compare the two. But this will still be different because I have seen and heard this concert with my own eyes and ears for both nights of the concert.
This is going to be long so I'll do the summary first for those who want a short review. Details will come after.
The concert was full of surprises that came in the form of new songs, remixes and of course the magic tricks that made the concert extra ordinary. The costumes were great which all fit well with the theme. Song list and arrangement was different with the last tour and it felt shorter while I was there but the DVD showed otherwise. Audio quality is better now but it somehow affected the live feel of the concert. As for the video editing, there were parts that were really hard on the eyes and not expected on a concert DVD but more like for commercials and music videos. There were also too many zoomed out shots. It was just a small but noticeable chunk of the DVD but the rest of the DVD was very well made.
It was nice to see familiar faces from the audience. But I feel there was too much audience shots that there were several important parts that could have been on Leehom instead.
Overall, the DVD was great... not quite what I expected it to be as a step up from the HoE tour. It was so full of surprises. It would have been nicer if we get some English subtitles next time.
Can't wait for the next concert tour! I'm sure Leehom will surprise us yet again with his choice of songs, new stuff and tricks.
And on to the details...
The animations were excellent. I loved how MUSIC-MAN battled the enemy for the introduction. I didn't really get to appreciate the artwork during the concert since we were so near. The next animation was very meaningful. Underneath that armor, he's still a normal person after all.
The first four songs were upbeat and I enjoyed all the guitar solos. I loved the intro for 龍的傳人. 'Duels' with Jamie Wilson also looked fun. Of course it wouldn't have been that good without the custom Les Paul (R.I.P. Les Paul) and Bahamut. The video for these songs felt like it was switching views too fast.
The next few songs are a bit slower. I liked the pace of the video for this next set. The transitions felt similar to Heroes of Earth and that's what I liked about it. It was very touching that Leehom looked like he was almost in tears during 愛錯. "Forever love" was a classic. I was pretty disappointed back then since I didn't get a chance to touch his hand because I was trying to give Heartsong bear (you can see it on the DVD) but I'm glad that I was lucky enough to be that close to the stage already for my first Leehom concert.
One of the best surprises for the night was 安全感. It was really a surprise that he chose to perform it live. It sounded so much better live.
The next three (第一個清晨, 流淚手心 and 如果你聽見我的歌) always sounded better live. I especially love the live version of 如果你聽見我的歌 since the song is already pretty old and Leehom has improved a lot since then.
竹林深處 was another surprise. I love this song but I noticed it wasn't given much attention and I was glad Leehom did a remix for the concert. The intro was fantastic!
The beatboxing was another surprise. MUSI-I-IC-MAN... Love it!
One of the videos that I didn't really enjoy was the one for 女朋友. I don't know about the others but the overlay was too distracting. I want to see Leehom perform, not the animated dancers. Nicely recovered though by the next song, 愛得得體 looked better with an excellent ending.
I got lost with the intermission part since I couldn't understand much. But this was cut shorter than the actual concert when Leehom's friends were there.
改變自己 band was another surprise. Who would have expected that they will be able to pull off the 'one-man' band live? Initially 小力 was my least favorite but because of this concert I love him more now. As for my favorite, 小宏 didn't get so much screen time on the DVD. But the whole thing was a great trick.
I was disappointed to discover that 'When you wish upon a star' wasn't included in the DVD. I believe it was an awesome performance and also the message that came along with it. It also touched me that time since the being there at the concert, watching him playing the violin was a wish that came true. 落葉歸根 was awesome as well.
Then came one of my favorites, 一首簡單的歌. I still get goosebumps everytime I hear the fans singing along. I can just imagine how Leehom felt at the time. I'm sure he was touched by it.
你不在 and 唯一 are loved ballads on the piano. They sounded really good. I was just wondering if the audience was really that silent at the end part of 你不在.
The end of the first disc never fails to make me smile. I loved everything for 愛的鼓勵. I could really feel the happiness in the song. The video was also well edited.
Start of disc two was his greeting to the fans who came to the concert. This was the part that had my friends and I thinking which day they were going to pick for the greetings since the two days were different. Leehom, thank you so much for calling out to us Filipino fans for the first night. It would have been better though if you spoke to us in English. We were so clueless at what you said to us that night. Thanks to friends who translated for us we finally understood what you said. We're sorry it took so long for us to actually go to one of your concerts. It isn't exactly easy since we still need a visa to get into Taiwan.
A long message came next. At times like these, we need subtitles. Thankfully a friend got to translate it. And I just want to say, Leehom, don't be scared that we'll hate your experimental songs. We've loved all the 'experimental' songs you've released so far. One of the reasons that fans have followed you for years was because the music has never been boring. There was always something new and exciting for every release.
Another surprise was the performance of "Can you feel my world". (Copyright issues?) It's one powerful song that is great when live. The dance solo that came after was another surprise. It was a huge improvement from the last concert tour and nice ending with the hand stand.
The next song was new to our ears but it was quite easy to follow the beat. I didn't expect the video to follow the beat so much that it starts to get hard on the eyes and those parts looked like some sort of preview video. Don't get me wrong, I love 我完全沒有任何理由理你.
Love the 在梅邊 magic trick!
蓋世英雄到來！ It never fails to make me want to raise the roof whenever I hear this song. But the video for this gets annoying with the blaring speaker graphics overlaying the shot. The overlay continued on to 心中的日月 which started to irritate me. But to make things better, Bahamut sounds so good during the guitar solos.
Now it's time for the encore.
The song that got me interested with Leehom, 放開你的心, still captures me. It was a bit different here since he's playing the piano. The solo part was still cool but could have been better if the camera was showing him playing the whole time. The transition to 愛你等於愛自己 was the same as in HoE except with "MUSIC"..."MAN" instead of "Taipei"..."Yo!" It was a funny ending when the fans try to do the notes as high as Leehom did.
Another remix, 大城小愛 was so cute. Leehom should do more jazzy songs next time. It just fits him so well. Look at all those fans waving their hands and swaying to the song... what a wonderful sight.
The best surprise for the second night of the concert was the unexpected performance of a part of "Everything". I've heard the CD version as well as the version with the HKPO and I think this first time is still the best version I've heard.
And to end the night, "Kiss Goodbye" seems to be an appropriate choice. A very emotional song... It was so sad that the concert is ending.
And not to end with a very sad audience, there was a reprise of 搖滾怎麼了！！ The last surprise that Leehom gave the fans was when he jumped off the stage.
It was a fun concert. I hope I can go to another one again... Or maybe the next tour so we can expect more surprises. :)
...and a surprise to LJ friends:
Got a chance to ask Vivian if I could color one of her sketches from her blog a few months ago. She said yes and I come present this since we're in the concert mood now :)
(I made this back in July hahaha...)
Exactly this night last year, I had the opportunity to see my favorite artist for the first time. Now tonight, I get another chance to relive those wonderful days my friends and I had in Taipei. I didn't have the time to send in a review last year so I will be mixing my review of the concert and the DVD.
I received my copy two days ago. I was surprised when I saw the box since I didn't expect it to be that big. I opened it up and found a folder poster, some free samples, the receipt and of course the big box. The figurine was cute although it didn't really have a nice paint job, the 6-piece set was better. The DVD case was plain and simple. I love the graphic they used for the inside. Next, the photobooklet had a surprise for us. Flipping through the pages, I spotted our flag in one of them. Not exactly a surprise since our Filipino friends in Taiwan who already got their copies earlier mentioned it already. Thank you so much for adding it in. :)
So I popped in the DVD to my computer and started watching. I watched the Heroes of Earth concert DVD several times already and it will be hard not to compare the two. But this will still be different because I have seen and heard this concert with my own eyes and ears for both nights of the concert.
This is going to be long so I'll do the summary first for those who want a short review. Details will come after.
The concert was full of surprises that came in the form of new songs, remixes and of course the magic tricks that made the concert extra ordinary. The costumes were great which all fit well with the theme. Song list and arrangement was different with the last tour and it felt shorter while I was there but the DVD showed otherwise. Audio quality is better now but it somehow affected the live feel of the concert. As for the video editing, there were parts that were really hard on the eyes and not expected on a concert DVD but more like for commercials and music videos. There were also too many zoomed out shots. It was just a small but noticeable chunk of the DVD but the rest of the DVD was very well made.
It was nice to see familiar faces from the audience. But I feel there was too much audience shots that there were several important parts that could have been on Leehom instead.
Overall, the DVD was great... not quite what I expected it to be as a step up from the HoE tour. It was so full of surprises. It would have been nicer if we get some English subtitles next time.
Can't wait for the next concert tour! I'm sure Leehom will surprise us yet again with his choice of songs, new stuff and tricks.
And on to the details...
The animations were excellent. I loved how MUSIC-MAN battled the enemy for the introduction. I didn't really get to appreciate the artwork during the concert since we were so near. The next animation was very meaningful. Underneath that armor, he's still a normal person after all.
The first four songs were upbeat and I enjoyed all the guitar solos. I loved the intro for 龍的傳人. 'Duels' with Jamie Wilson also looked fun. Of course it wouldn't have been that good without the custom Les Paul (R.I.P. Les Paul) and Bahamut. The video for these songs felt like it was switching views too fast.
The next few songs are a bit slower. I liked the pace of the video for this next set. The transitions felt similar to Heroes of Earth and that's what I liked about it. It was very touching that Leehom looked like he was almost in tears during 愛錯. "Forever love" was a classic. I was pretty disappointed back then since I didn't get a chance to touch his hand because I was trying to give Heartsong bear (you can see it on the DVD) but I'm glad that I was lucky enough to be that close to the stage already for my first Leehom concert.
One of the best surprises for the night was 安全感. It was really a surprise that he chose to perform it live. It sounded so much better live.
The next three (第一個清晨, 流淚手心 and 如果你聽見我的歌) always sounded better live. I especially love the live version of 如果你聽見我的歌 since the song is already pretty old and Leehom has improved a lot since then.
竹林深處 was another surprise. I love this song but I noticed it wasn't given much attention and I was glad Leehom did a remix for the concert. The intro was fantastic!
The beatboxing was another surprise. MUSI-I-IC-MAN... Love it!
One of the videos that I didn't really enjoy was the one for 女朋友. I don't know about the others but the overlay was too distracting. I want to see Leehom perform, not the animated dancers. Nicely recovered though by the next song, 愛得得體 looked better with an excellent ending.
I got lost with the intermission part since I couldn't understand much. But this was cut shorter than the actual concert when Leehom's friends were there.
改變自己 band was another surprise. Who would have expected that they will be able to pull off the 'one-man' band live? Initially 小力 was my least favorite but because of this concert I love him more now. As for my favorite, 小宏 didn't get so much screen time on the DVD. But the whole thing was a great trick.
I was disappointed to discover that 'When you wish upon a star' wasn't included in the DVD. I believe it was an awesome performance and also the message that came along with it. It also touched me that time since the being there at the concert, watching him playing the violin was a wish that came true. 落葉歸根 was awesome as well.
Then came one of my favorites, 一首簡單的歌. I still get goosebumps everytime I hear the fans singing along. I can just imagine how Leehom felt at the time. I'm sure he was touched by it.
你不在 and 唯一 are loved ballads on the piano. They sounded really good. I was just wondering if the audience was really that silent at the end part of 你不在.
The end of the first disc never fails to make me smile. I loved everything for 愛的鼓勵. I could really feel the happiness in the song. The video was also well edited.
Start of disc two was his greeting to the fans who came to the concert. This was the part that had my friends and I thinking which day they were going to pick for the greetings since the two days were different. Leehom, thank you so much for calling out to us Filipino fans for the first night. It would have been better though if you spoke to us in English. We were so clueless at what you said to us that night. Thanks to friends who translated for us we finally understood what you said. We're sorry it took so long for us to actually go to one of your concerts. It isn't exactly easy since we still need a visa to get into Taiwan.
A long message came next. At times like these, we need subtitles. Thankfully a friend got to translate it. And I just want to say, Leehom, don't be scared that we'll hate your experimental songs. We've loved all the 'experimental' songs you've released so far. One of the reasons that fans have followed you for years was because the music has never been boring. There was always something new and exciting for every release.
Another surprise was the performance of "Can you feel my world". (Copyright issues?) It's one powerful song that is great when live. The dance solo that came after was another surprise. It was a huge improvement from the last concert tour and nice ending with the hand stand.
The next song was new to our ears but it was quite easy to follow the beat. I didn't expect the video to follow the beat so much that it starts to get hard on the eyes and those parts looked like some sort of preview video. Don't get me wrong, I love 我完全沒有任何理由理你.
Love the 在梅邊 magic trick!
蓋世英雄到來！ It never fails to make me want to raise the roof whenever I hear this song. But the video for this gets annoying with the blaring speaker graphics overlaying the shot. The overlay continued on to 心中的日月 which started to irritate me. But to make things better, Bahamut sounds so good during the guitar solos.
Now it's time for the encore.
The song that got me interested with Leehom, 放開你的心, still captures me. It was a bit different here since he's playing the piano. The solo part was still cool but could have been better if the camera was showing him playing the whole time. The transition to 愛你等於愛自己 was the same as in HoE except with "MUSIC"..."MAN" instead of "Taipei"..."Yo!" It was a funny ending when the fans try to do the notes as high as Leehom did.
Another remix, 大城小愛 was so cute. Leehom should do more jazzy songs next time. It just fits him so well. Look at all those fans waving their hands and swaying to the song... what a wonderful sight.
The best surprise for the second night of the concert was the unexpected performance of a part of "Everything". I've heard the CD version as well as the version with the HKPO and I think this first time is still the best version I've heard.
And to end the night, "Kiss Goodbye" seems to be an appropriate choice. A very emotional song... It was so sad that the concert is ending.
And not to end with a very sad audience, there was a reprise of 搖滾怎麼了！！ The last surprise that Leehom gave the fans was when he jumped off the stage.
It was a fun concert. I hope I can go to another one again... Or maybe the next tour so we can expect more surprises. :)
...and a surprise to LJ friends:
Got a chance to ask Vivian if I could color one of her sketches from her blog a few months ago. She said yes and I come present this since we're in the concert mood now :)
(I made this back in July hahaha...)