Review: South Africa Freedom Day: Concert On The Square
06-13-02, 01:37 AM
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Review: South Africa Freedom Day: Concert On The Square
Review: South Africa Freedom Day: Concert On The Square
By Brian Jacks ([email protected])
In 2001, over 20,000 people joined Nelson Mandela and British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the South Africa Freedom Day Concert in London’s Trafalgar Square. Through the course of the day, over a dozen talented performers took the stage to celebrate the seventh anniversary of South Africa’s free elections. Now Image Entertainment has distributed the concert in a tidy little package that is sure to please fans of all musical genres.
Headlining the concert were rockers R.E.M. with their hits “Losing My Religion” and “Man On The Moon.” Michael Stipe and his crew were undoubtedly the crowd favorite among the mostly young spectators, and revved up the audience before being followed by the closing finale. Other performers included The Coors, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Atomic Kitten, Dave Stewart, Billy Ocean, Hugh Masekela, Labi Siffre, Baaba Maal, Beverly Knight, and Mel B, among others.
Understandably, more than a handful of the acts were either influenced by traditional African sounds or actually were from the South African region. Musicians such as Lebo Mathosa and Mbawula were an interesting departure from the typical American rock sounds that most Westerners are accustomed to, and are a great way to remind one that music is an international language. In contrast from acts such as R.E.M., the Africans use primarily percussion instruments and vocals, combining to form a truly raw and emotional performance that is unfortunately scarce in today’s MTV-dominated culture.
One of the most interesting occurrences of the concert actually had nothing to do with music per say. During ex-Spice Girl Mel B’s set, her, um, shall we say “assets” became unwedged from her halter top, forcing a series of embarrassing moments for Ms. B. At the end of her song, an entire breast was hanging out, prompting a hasty retreat backstage while her background dancers laughed uncomfortably.
Fans of Mel B will be delighted to hear that the DVD is delivered in 1.78:1 aspect anamorphic widescreen with a crystal clear transfer that makes the wide array of colors used during the concert positively luminescent. Unlike Godsmack Live, the last Image concert DVD I reviewed, South Africa Freedom Day is filmed with professional camera angles that seek to pull you into the show, and not disorient you with dozens of varying angles every minute. As the show enters into the night, the darkened surroundings make the show even more intense, setting the stage for R.E.M.’s closing performance. It’s very cool.
The DVD is presented in three audio formats: DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, and Dolby 2.0 Stereo. In both 5.1 and DTS modes, the audio is clear and the channels are separated distinctly. Particularly notable is the clarity of the vocals during some of the traditional African songs, and even later during R.E.M.’s rock numbers the bass and vocals are delivered with precision.
Detailing the disc’s extras is pretty easy considering there are none. It would have been nice to see a few behind-the-scenes featurettes or perhaps one-on-one interviews with Nelson Mandela and the organizers of this event, but alas, that is not to be.
The Concert: A variety of musical styles make this one interesting show. Grade: B+
The Look: The transfer is clean and the angles are spot on. Grade: B
The Sound: With DTS and 5.1 tracks supporting talented musicians, you can’t go wrong. Grade: B
The Extras: No extras are included on this disc. Grade: F
Overall: For those who enjoy music in all its many forms, South Africa Freedom Day: Concert On The Square will not disappoint. Grade: B
-Brian
By Brian Jacks ([email protected])
In 2001, over 20,000 people joined Nelson Mandela and British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the South Africa Freedom Day Concert in London’s Trafalgar Square. Through the course of the day, over a dozen talented performers took the stage to celebrate the seventh anniversary of South Africa’s free elections. Now Image Entertainment has distributed the concert in a tidy little package that is sure to please fans of all musical genres.
Headlining the concert were rockers R.E.M. with their hits “Losing My Religion” and “Man On The Moon.” Michael Stipe and his crew were undoubtedly the crowd favorite among the mostly young spectators, and revved up the audience before being followed by the closing finale. Other performers included The Coors, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Atomic Kitten, Dave Stewart, Billy Ocean, Hugh Masekela, Labi Siffre, Baaba Maal, Beverly Knight, and Mel B, among others.
Understandably, more than a handful of the acts were either influenced by traditional African sounds or actually were from the South African region. Musicians such as Lebo Mathosa and Mbawula were an interesting departure from the typical American rock sounds that most Westerners are accustomed to, and are a great way to remind one that music is an international language. In contrast from acts such as R.E.M., the Africans use primarily percussion instruments and vocals, combining to form a truly raw and emotional performance that is unfortunately scarce in today’s MTV-dominated culture.
One of the most interesting occurrences of the concert actually had nothing to do with music per say. During ex-Spice Girl Mel B’s set, her, um, shall we say “assets” became unwedged from her halter top, forcing a series of embarrassing moments for Ms. B. At the end of her song, an entire breast was hanging out, prompting a hasty retreat backstage while her background dancers laughed uncomfortably.
Fans of Mel B will be delighted to hear that the DVD is delivered in 1.78:1 aspect anamorphic widescreen with a crystal clear transfer that makes the wide array of colors used during the concert positively luminescent. Unlike Godsmack Live, the last Image concert DVD I reviewed, South Africa Freedom Day is filmed with professional camera angles that seek to pull you into the show, and not disorient you with dozens of varying angles every minute. As the show enters into the night, the darkened surroundings make the show even more intense, setting the stage for R.E.M.’s closing performance. It’s very cool.
The DVD is presented in three audio formats: DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, and Dolby 2.0 Stereo. In both 5.1 and DTS modes, the audio is clear and the channels are separated distinctly. Particularly notable is the clarity of the vocals during some of the traditional African songs, and even later during R.E.M.’s rock numbers the bass and vocals are delivered with precision.
Detailing the disc’s extras is pretty easy considering there are none. It would have been nice to see a few behind-the-scenes featurettes or perhaps one-on-one interviews with Nelson Mandela and the organizers of this event, but alas, that is not to be.
The Concert: A variety of musical styles make this one interesting show. Grade: B+
The Look: The transfer is clean and the angles are spot on. Grade: B
The Sound: With DTS and 5.1 tracks supporting talented musicians, you can’t go wrong. Grade: B
The Extras: No extras are included on this disc. Grade: F
Overall: For those who enjoy music in all its many forms, South Africa Freedom Day: Concert On The Square will not disappoint. Grade: B
-Brian
Last edited by BJacks; 06-13-02 at 02:26 AM.
