Soundstage Presents Chris Isaak In Concert

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: C+     Concert: B

 

 

Easily the best of the revived installments of the WTTW/PBS series Soundstage, the only problem with this Chris Isaak concert is that it just scratches the surface of his catalog, talent, band, and energy because 47 minutes is just not long enough.  One of the best singers in the business, Isaak is also one of its best writers, musicians (who can do backing vocals well) and all-around talents.  Releasing great albums since Silvertone back in 1985 (already!), it is no surprise that his music has shown up memorably in films by David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick.

 

This 2003 concert offers the following performances:

 

1)     American Boy

2)     Wicked Game

3)     Heart Shaped World

4)     Go Walking Down There

5)     Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing

6)     Courthouse

7)     Somebody’s Crying

8)     One Day

9)     San Francisco Days

10)  Forever Blue

11)  Super Magic 2000

 

 

Isaak and company are also some of the most humorous showman in the business, with their usual jokes and jabs.  After watching, I wondered if the concert continued after the taping.  Known Isaak and company, it likely did.  The return of the Soundstage series has not been the music and television event it should have been, with many of the name performers slacking off as if public television did not matter.  If anything, the performances should be all classics with the artists at the peak of their powers.  Isaak and company care enough to deliver.

 

The letterboxed 1.78 X 1 image should have been anamorphically enhanced, but is still the best transfer of the series to date.  There may be detail limits, but the color helps to make up for that.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is better than the Dolby 2.0 with Pro Logic surrounds, but would have absolutely been better had it been in DTS.  Like German TV’s Ohne Filter series, many installments of which have been reviewed elsewhere on this site, the new Soundstage does its best to boast state-of-the-art playback.  This combination is more than passable, but not everything it could or should have been.  Extras include bio/discography of the band, a “backstage pass” feature that shows how the new show is set up that is interactive, a stills gallery, a “meet the band”: segment that is too brief and five bonus tracks from other titles in the series.

 

If you like music concerts, Soundstage Presents Chris Isaak is one of the best concert DVDs we will get all year.  If you get a copy, you will not be disappointed.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo