This is the first time I've seen any performance footage of the Blue Man Group, who I previously knew only from having seen them in commercials several years ago. They are such an entertaining act that they don't even need very innovative or even very good quality music, and yet the songs that they write are fantastic. They poke fun at themselves in this concert, with a big booming voice echoing through the concert hall between songs, giving instructions on how to become rock stars. On the other hand, it's a great illustration of the differences between themselves and conventional rock stars, a surprising number of which seem to have followed the instructions to the letter.
Some of the instructions the Blue Men are clearly mystified by, such as the rotating your hips to the techno music section, but others they adhere to with hilarious closeness, such as the "Alter your appearance to make you stand out from the crowd." They have this characteristic way of looking at each other, as though they're not sure what's going on, and it is a great effect when they do it here, as though just realizing that they look different than all of the people watching them.
Another of the many highlights of this concert is the section where they pay homage to all of the other rock stars that came before them, again following instructions given by the booming voice. The crowd cheers in delight as they recognize some earlier hits such as a song by one-hit-wonders Devo (the majority of whose music is almost painful to listen to), and Crazy Train by Black Sabbath. The Blue Men react in hilarious fright when Ozzy's voice bursts from the speakers.
The DVD also features a couple of music videos of songs which also appear in the concert, but the videos are great to watch on their own as well. There is an outstanding song called Sing Along that should certainly not be missed, since it is sung by Dave Matthews (who does not appear in the concert). It is a beautiful song, and the Blue Men perform it with their characteristic mixture of humor and incredible musical skill, banging on huge octopus-looking structures of PVC pipes and vacuum cleaner hoses strung about their bodies like grotesque backpacks, pouring from them an astonishing composure of sound. I also love the effect of the guy with the whip.
There is also a video of the song that the Blue Men did for Terminator 3, although it is much less impressive than the other two music videos that appear on the DVD because Bush's Gavin Rossdale has too much of a heavy presence in it. It is his music video, the Blue Men simply make appearances, which is why it comes off as a more traditional and less interesting video, although the third video, Exhibit 13, is incredibly simple, beautiful, and an exhibition of pure artistic skill.
At the time of this writing something like 13 people have rated this concert DVD on the IMDb, and I like to think that it's just because not many people go to the IMDb to look up information about concert DVDs as much as to get information and write reviews and whatnot of more traditional movies. Whatever the case, I certainly hope that more people will make an effort to see this DVD and other work by the Blue Men, because they are certainly one of the most talented acts working today. Their unique and fascinating performance makes even the best rock acts seem to fuse together with the rest of the traditional performance world, even to the point of blandness. If you get the chance to see them in concert (which I haven't), don't miss it because it is sure to be a concert experience unlike any other.
Some of the instructions the Blue Men are clearly mystified by, such as the rotating your hips to the techno music section, but others they adhere to with hilarious closeness, such as the "Alter your appearance to make you stand out from the crowd." They have this characteristic way of looking at each other, as though they're not sure what's going on, and it is a great effect when they do it here, as though just realizing that they look different than all of the people watching them.
Another of the many highlights of this concert is the section where they pay homage to all of the other rock stars that came before them, again following instructions given by the booming voice. The crowd cheers in delight as they recognize some earlier hits such as a song by one-hit-wonders Devo (the majority of whose music is almost painful to listen to), and Crazy Train by Black Sabbath. The Blue Men react in hilarious fright when Ozzy's voice bursts from the speakers.
The DVD also features a couple of music videos of songs which also appear in the concert, but the videos are great to watch on their own as well. There is an outstanding song called Sing Along that should certainly not be missed, since it is sung by Dave Matthews (who does not appear in the concert). It is a beautiful song, and the Blue Men perform it with their characteristic mixture of humor and incredible musical skill, banging on huge octopus-looking structures of PVC pipes and vacuum cleaner hoses strung about their bodies like grotesque backpacks, pouring from them an astonishing composure of sound. I also love the effect of the guy with the whip.
There is also a video of the song that the Blue Men did for Terminator 3, although it is much less impressive than the other two music videos that appear on the DVD because Bush's Gavin Rossdale has too much of a heavy presence in it. It is his music video, the Blue Men simply make appearances, which is why it comes off as a more traditional and less interesting video, although the third video, Exhibit 13, is incredibly simple, beautiful, and an exhibition of pure artistic skill.
At the time of this writing something like 13 people have rated this concert DVD on the IMDb, and I like to think that it's just because not many people go to the IMDb to look up information about concert DVDs as much as to get information and write reviews and whatnot of more traditional movies. Whatever the case, I certainly hope that more people will make an effort to see this DVD and other work by the Blue Men, because they are certainly one of the most talented acts working today. Their unique and fascinating performance makes even the best rock acts seem to fuse together with the rest of the traditional performance world, even to the point of blandness. If you get the chance to see them in concert (which I haven't), don't miss it because it is sure to be a concert experience unlike any other.
