Foreigner – Alive & Rockin’ (DVD-Video)
Picture: C+ Sound: B- Extras: C- Concert: C
Some
Classic Rock bands endure, while other just fade away or tour in shades of what
they were, but when it comes to a band like Foreigner, you expect more. Yes, Lou Gramm has been struggling personally
(we missed that from another DVD concert) and Head Games (album and single from 1979!) was the last time they
actually sounded like a rock band, but could they make a comeback? Could adding a new lead singer and no less
than Jason Bonham on drums be a long-sought return to form?
Alive & Rockin’ (from the Bang Your Head Festival
in 2006) shows such an attempt and the following set of classics bares that
out:
1)
Double Vision
2)
Head Games
3)
Dirty White Boy
4)
Cold As Ice
5)
Starrider
6)
Feels Like The First Time
7)
Urgent
8)
Juke Box Hero/Whole Lotta Love
9)
Hot Blooded
Bonham
can do no wrong and saves this from becoming a total bomb, demonstrating the
real energy the Rock genre is supposed to be all about, but everyone else seems
bored and new lead singer Kelly Hansen is a few octaves and several levels of
energy and vocal phrasing to make any of this work. Some of the performances are just painful and
just about all of it feels like going through the motions.
With a
strongest attempt, this could have been a comeback show, but its failure is yet
another reason why Hip Hop overtook Rock, despite its own decline since
2000. Maybe they can still get it
together, even if it means a new lead singer who can really deliver. Keeping Bonham is a must. Otherwise, when it comes to what made them a
great band for a few short years, all fans and historians will be able to say
about that is that was yesterday.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image was shot on digital video, likely
earlier HD and shows softness, color limits and the composition throughout is
nothing memorable. The sound is here in
DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM 16/48 2.0 Stereo and though the DTS is the
best, I found al the mixes underperformers, even where Bonham’s drums were
concerned. The combination is just not
great. “Foreigner TV’ and interviews
spot are the only extras, though the DVD case comes wit h a booklet.
- Nicholas Sheffo
