Lynyrd Skynyrd - Lyve DVD

Recorded in Nashville in July 2003, Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour showcases a band who are emphatically not just going through the motions in search of a quick buck. There may be only two original members left (guitarist Gary Rossington and piano player Billy Powell), but the modern incarnation of Skynyrd works just as hard on stage as ever. Johnny Van Zant is an uncanny dead ringer for his lost brother, physically and vocally, while the three-guitar line-up still produces the powerhouse goods. Backed by a horn section and strings in places, Skynyrds... other great virtue is on display here: the stage may be packed but the sound is never messy; they play tight and clean, recreating the classic sound of "I Know a Little", "Simple Man" or "Sweet Home Alabama" to the evident delight of the crowd. True, the few new songs pale in comparison to the classics, but with a back-catalogue as good as Skynyrds theres little motivation to introduce change for changes sake. After all, the audience has come to hear those songs, and there cant be a tribute band around as authentic as Skynyrd 2003, who rip through all the old favourites with a real sense of enthusiasm--magically, it still all sounds fresh. On the DVD: Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve is mixed in both DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1, and the instrumental balance is impeccable: the stadium sound is sharp, clear and firmly focussed on the stage, with audience noise kept to the background. The anamorphic picture is NTSC format, but looks adequate nonetheless. Extras include a frankly dull promo video for the frankly dull "Red, White and Blue", a text biography of the band, a photo gallery, and a 13-minute promotional video for another Southern institution, Jim Beam bourbon. --Mark Walker [show more]

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