Review
by Collectors
music
reviews
This DVD begins with a scene from “Apocalypse Now”, accompanied
by the Doors “The End” in nice surround sound, to introduce the
producer of this title, which is a total winner. The show
takes place at The Summit in Houston, Texas, on December 11, 1977,
and Queen were very much on their game that night. Beginning
the performance with the faster, live version of “We Will Rock
You”, the visuals are pretty clear and not too blurry. This
is something, given the age of the recording. The audio, which
is described on the DVD case to be Dolby Digital 2.0, is excellent
and perfectly synched with the visuals.
Although there are many, many highlights in this
concert, it is rather obvious that the star of the show is Freddy
Mercury. He rightfully commands your attention from the
beginning, front-and-center, and flawless. From his
beautiful piano playing (which is displayed wonderfully to
begin “The Millionaire Waltz”), to some vocal displays that are
simply breathtaking (as found in the trippy, and echo-laden, solo he
does in “The Prophet’s Song”), Mercury was the ultimate
showman. And his continuous wardrobe changes through the
show exemplify this, with a holographic one-piece suit worn during
the last couple of songs (”Sheer Heart Attack” and “Jailhouse
Rock”) that made him look as much like a human disco ball as it
did anything else. Brian May’s performance is also excellent
throughout, as is Taylor and Deacon, but there is little doubt that
Mercury made Queen so special. This great DVD title puts this
truth on full display.
The DVD comes packages in an attractive
bi-fold, heavy paper case that is decorated with glossy
pictures from the show. The opening menu cycles the studio
version of “We Will Rock You”, giving the viewer the option to
play “all songs” or select which song to play. As
mentioned above, the audio is excellent and matched perfectly to the
visuals. I find this to be an incredibly important finishing
touch that too many producers of DVDs miss, to the detriment not
only of the collector, but the show as well. Apocalypse
Sound have done an excellent job with this title, which is highly
recommended for any music fan, whether or not you love Queen.
As a side note, it has been rumored for ages that
footage exists of Led Zeppelin’s show at The Summit on May 21,
1977. As the soundboard of that show has been released to the
collecting public, it would truly be a wonderful day if the film is
of the quality found on this Queen show. Only time will tell
if we get to see a “final summit” of Zep’s show earlier in
1977.
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