Artist: Heart
Title: “Alive In Seattle”
Label: Eagle Vision
Release Date: 6/30/2017
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5
Before I get too deeply into this one, this is actually a re-issue of a previously released concert video from 2003. It’s origins hail from the 2002 tour by Heart during their “Summer Of Love” touring run. To me, it’s always great when a band uses their tour closing night in a hometown venue to give the worldwide fans a commemorative concert video but since this is from fourteen years ago its also a bit of a live history lesson when it comes to the band. I never saw the original release and was not doing the journalistic overview thing yet, so this was a complete education for me. I found it interesting that despite my longtime love of so many of the Heart classics that I had only ever caught them in concert once and that was somewhere around 2008 unless I am mistaken. So, about the concert video; the film puts you right in the best seats possible and thanks to the camera angles you’re even right up on the stage with the band with the technicians standing in the sidelines.
Musically speaking the band sounds terrific and remember we are referring to the way, way back for this one. Truth be told, the friends who have seen them in recent times said they have not changed at all so that is a good thing to know at this point in time. The set list plays out like a Greatest Hits release of the band as they begin with the incendiary opener “Crazy On You” and follow it up with “Sister Wild Rose”. During “Straight On”, which is another favorite, Ann tells the crowd that this is the last night of the tour. During “These Dreams” it was nice to see guitarist Nancy doing the lead vocals as I had long forgotten that this was her first time doing so when the original album came out. That song was everywhere when it came to terrestrial radio of the day an its still great. When the band gets to “Alone” they decide to go acoustic for a little while and I didn’t like that personally since I am a fan of this track more than some others and I like its original version without much change. They keep it acoustic for the Elton John cover of “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” and once more Nancy takes the lead vocals while Ann offers up a solid backing. They follow this with their stellar rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Battle Of Evermore” which is also acoustic and might bring some of their fans back to the time when they were doing a project called The Lovemongers. Kudos if you remember that one and even have the album. I know I still have my copy somewhere.
Now my appreciation of the band comes mostly through the hits and since so many of these tunes played on the radio when I was growing up its easy for me to have several them. Perhaps the biggest for the band of them all is “Magic Man” which still thunders like it was a brand-new tune. I found myself playing some air drums during this one. Another ass-kicking comes with “Barracuda” and the bands second Zeppelin cover of “Black Dog”. Whew. A solid evening of music that ends with the bands very first album revisit and encore tune of “Dreamboat Annie”. It was interesting to find a slower song ending the show, but it still works.
Closing up I have to say that I am a tad mystified why this would be released on a standard DVD as opposed to the more popular and now so much cheaper Blu-ray format. Had I not received this in a mailer of “reviews to do” I couldn’t see myself purchasing it since at this point I am slowly replacing the older DVD’s for Blu-rays. They sound and look so much better even if they are direct transfers from the older format to the new and you hardly find this medium in the brick and mortar stores nowadays. The packaging is now in the smaller sized casing which is clear unlike the Blu-ray’s blue plastic. The art is laid across this casing and there is no booklet with photo as its all on this protected foldout. There is a bonus feature interview included but I didn’t watch it since its now some fourteen years old and of little interest to me. I’d say this is a great item for the collection just the same if you don’t have it yet, and can confirm that it will not come out on Blu-ray in another month or two like we sometimes find happening.
Track Listing:
1. Crazy On You
2. Sister Wild Rose
3. The Witch
4. Straight On
5. These Dreams
6. Mistral Wind
7. Alone
8. Dog And Butterfly
9. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
10. Battle Of Evermore
11. Heaven
12. Magic Man
13. Two Faces Of Eve
14. Love Alive
15. Break The Rock
16. Barracuda
17. Wild Child
18. Black Dog
19. Dreamboat Annie
Official Website: http://www.heart-music.com/