Live At Last[Rated] [Blu-ray]

To say that this concert is great would be a huge understatement. Before buying, I read through many reviews at amazon after one or two reviewers commented on the audience's participation (singing along with Stevie too much). Needless to say, I'm glad I did as so many other reviews suggested and purchased this dvd. Stevie is amazing and his accompanying band and singers were great too. I loved every minute of this show (watched it at least 3 or 4 times since I bought it)from start to finish. I cannot say much without repeating what many have already stated, but if you're a fan of Stevie Wonder or have even so much as a remote interest in his music, I would definitely recommend this concert. The picture and sound quality is very nice and like the audience members at the show, I couldn't help but find myself singing along and enjoying the music. It's a really good show to have a great time in the comfort of your home with the surround sound turned up. As always, amazon was right on schedule with the delivery and the goods arrived in top shape. Long story short: I was highly entertained and amazed by this concert. It was worth every penny!

Stevie Wonder has been around so long that I was hardly surprised once to find his CDs sitting in an "Oldies" section of Tower Records. Yet he's in the prime of his career. That much is obvious from _Live at Last_, his live DVD from a 2008 concert in the U.K. This is a superb showcase, demonstrating the length as well as the depth of Wonder's repertory, and also showing how beautifully he has reconstructed tunes originally written in the recording studio with synthesizers for a large band. Indeed, these superb musicians--two drummers, two guitarists, keyboardists, horn section--are given a large chunk of space to solo on the Chick Corea tune "Spain"--which, along with Miles Davis's "All Blues," constitutes two jazz tunes on this DVD. But it is Stevie Wonder's songs that are so striking in this video. From "My Cherie Amour" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)," which date from the late 1960s, to tunes from his latest CD "A Time 2 Love," this is an astonishing repertory--and one the audience knew well, as they responded to Stevie's frequent requests to sing along. (The predominantly white audience--well, this *was* England--was gently needled by Stevie when they sang about being "nappy headed boys" on "I Wish.") Two hours hardly seemed enough time to sample it. The tunes are presented not in "greatest hits" medleys, but given full-length performances, often with new arrangements to accommodate the band. I can't recommend a better overview of the work of an astonishing American composer.

I don't see how this concert--or the dvd preserving it for us--could have been any better. The audience is having a blast, the performers on stage are obviously enjoying themselves and grooving to the appreciative reception they're given for every song, and Stevie is in great voice. The music is varied and, though familiar, never stale-sounding; the arrangements are fresh and full-bodied, the performances hot, and the musicians and singers are very cool. Stevie is one of the greatest singer-songwriters ever, of course, and this great dvd demonstrates that he is, as well, a true master at creating an exciting--and often touching--live concert. And, boy is it live and, thankfully, not a short or rushed set. The audience there, no doubt, paid quite a few pounds each to be royally entertained; you will be too, and for a bargain price! This is how a concert on dvd should be done.

An absolutely awesome concert! If you want to experience Stevie Wonder at his very best, this DVD will not disappoint.....you must buy this DVD.

Stevie Wonder delivered an AWESOME performance in this Blu-ray. He covers the majority of his big hits and delivers them with the excellence, joy and energy we've enjoyed now for over 50 years. He also sprinkles in some surprises here and there that are thoroughly entertaining. He shows why he is a true legend and a musical and vocal genius. 5-star performance. Only one small gripe: The A/V team failed to do this Blu-ray full justice. To my knowledge this is Stevie's only HD production. As such, I expected them to do a better job with the A/V editing. The background vocals were only marginally mixed into the DTS audio track, but fortunately Stevie is so amazing that he carried the day. The video and camera work was also marginal. With a better job on the production end, this could have been classic. That said, Stevie was AWESOME. If you are a fan, you will most definitely want this Blu-ray.

I've been a fan since 1966, but a huge fan since 1972, so obviously my review is favorable. I've seen him in concert maybe 15 times since the 60s, but the tour he mounted in August 2007 was without a doubt the best ever. I saw this tour in Baltimore and thought it was the best concert I'd ever been to. I saw it again a month later in DC. I followed it across the country via the youtube clips people posted from various cities and on to Australia and Europe. And when I saw the press release that the final two shows were being recorded for Blu-Ray, it was enough to make me take the plunge and buy a Blu-Ray player. I could quibble with song selection; I thought the set list in Baltimore was even better. And it was blast in DC when he went all the way back to the 60s in the set. But let's face it: He has such a huge catalog; he can't possibly do all of the ones you want to hear. But without a doubt, this concert is a definitive set of Stevie Wonder at his best. And the band is ON FIRE! The musicianship is second to none and he is in fine voice throughout. It is a joy to see such talent up close and personal like this. No interviews; no background segments; just 2+ hours of the Genius and his band doing what they do. The picture in HD is shockingly colorful; almost 3D in some places with the effects and lighting on the stage. The sound quality in HD Master Audio is astounding! It is amazing that even on the uptempo cuts every instrument in the band has presence. And the director did an awesome job of capturing the excitement of the crowd. So, this is the best. It's like going to a Stevie Wonder concert with even better sound than you'd hear in the building and you can play it over and over again in the comfort of your home theater. Life is sweet!

I saw portions of this concert on PBS and enjoyed it so much I went on line to Amazon and discovered it's available, thankfully, in Blu-Ray. (I say "thankfully" because they're not enough quality concerts on Blu-Ray yet, in my opinion.) Anyway here's the "skinny" on this Blu-Ray: 1. The concert I think was fabulous. Stevie's been around so many decades that he can sing song after song of big hits. As a result many in the audience know the lyrics and "sing along". Stevie at times significantly encourages this: even letting the crowd sing the first stanza to a couple songs at least. I read the other reviewers' comments. I don't understand the criticism of hearing the crowd sing along. I mean, to my way of thinking, if you want pristine "sound" sans crowd then don't buy a "live album". Buy the CD or download the music. If I want to go to, see, a CONCERT, however, I want it to be a concert experience (sans, of course, the part about not seeing the stage due to everyone standing or arena view issues)! This means, I WANT to hear the crowd sing along at times. I want to hear the gaffs, coughs, the cheers, the applause! I'd give this concert an A. 2. The video quality is excellent, but not 1080p quality. It says 1080i, but to my way of thinking, more like 720. It even has a "film/grainy" look at times. Not bad, but this isn't anything like the quality of Planet Earth or Avatar. I'd give the video quality a C+, for Blu-Ray. If it were DVD, I'd rate it B+ or A-. 3. The audio quality is in three choices: the Default seems to be LPCM 2.0, which is VERY GOOD. The other choices are Dolby 5.1 (not as good) and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. I've listened to all three. The LPCM manages to quieten the crowd and external noises quite a bit. This emphasizes Stevie and Band a bit at the expense of crowd. However the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 blows me away. I mean, I could really think I was "there". I hear things, including in the music, I just can't hear otherwise. You can "really" hear the crowd. I give this AUDIO an A. Conclusion: For ME, I think this Blu-Ray disc with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 turned on is the BEST true to life concert experience I've yet had in my home. But I love concerts, loud music, music of all kinds, and I could easily see that many might think the somewhat subdued LPCM 2.0 default setting is better for them. With an A for Concert, C+ for Video, A for Audio, overall it's an A-.

I noticed in one of the reviews that a purchaser complained about the audience participation. Well... of course you want to here the artist sing, that's why you buy their merch. All I can say is that it was between some songs or to get a groove going when he wanted participation. Some songs he asked them to sing a song he's done for more than a decade (and I'm sure he's probably tired of singing) where everyone knows at least the first verse, he then takes over. It seemed it was a way to get the audience loose and have fun; Get a party vibe going. And it worked. I almost didn't purchase this for the reason the reviewer voiced but I am glad I followed my first mind. I also noticed he did give a (very minor) reference to GOD but didn't go overboard like many artists after they have decided for them religion is the way to go. There was a minor reference to let you know where he stands and it was constructed in a way that it was plain, or at least for me, that he wanted things to be viewed as a suggestion of love not religion. Can't we all get along type of vibe without preaching. The band as usual was tight and in the groove although the background vocals were turned down on the low side at times leaving the impression stevie was singing alone. His beautiful daughter Aisha, the one of whom he sings about on Isn't she lovely, was among the singers. She has a solo that showcases her pretty voice with all it's "no surprise she can sing, look at her dad" although, it was entertaining, there was nothing spectacular in her performance. My surprises were the opening of a brief Miles Davis blues groove followed with a flood of dance jams right off the top of the concert. The way it was arranged it flowed beautifully and surprisingly with an ever so slight jazz feel. His input of the jazz filled "Spain". The soulful groove of a voice box while welcoming and wooing the london audience were also welcomed surprises. Making references of the Beatles, Lennon, Rolling Stones and the London Bridge(falling down) sounds pretty boring in writing but his medley done with the voice box sounded more funky than I've heard Stevie in a long time. A very much needed LIVE DVD in this music industry of today. It displays what the newer artists need to study. Showmanship with vocals, instrumentation, arrangments, musicianship and dare I say...yes talent. If you were a Stevie Wonder fan from before "Music of my mind" or one after "In Square Circle". This concert will not dissapoint. Kudos Stevie & Wonderlove. Thank you for giving everyone, who wants to, a chance to view you Live at Last.