Superstars & Cannonballs: 
Savage Garden Live In Concert

Roadshow / 2000 / 110 Mins / Rated G


MOVIE
It doesn't seem so long ago that I went to the Melbourne concert of this Savage Garden concert and I can safely say that this disc is a faithful representation of the series of concerts that were done around Australia earlier this year.

Superstars & Cannonballs was recorded during the band's Brisbane concert an features all there hits from there last couple of albums, those tracks are:

1. The Best Thing.
2. Break Me, Shake Me.
3. To The Moon & Back.
4. The Lover After Me.
5. I Don't Know You Anymore.
6. Santa Monica.
7. Two Beds And A Coffee Machine.
8. You Can Still Be Free.
9. The Animal Song.
10. Hold Me.
11. Gunning Down Romance.
12. Crash & Burn.
13. Truly, Madly, Deeply.
14. Chained To You.
15. I Want You.
16. I Know I Loved You.
17. Affirmation.

The songs are wonderfully performed and really bring a new dimension to there songs. It's just a pity they didn't include their version of John Lennon's Imagine that was featured in the Melbourne Concert.

For my money, Superstars & Cannonballs is the best concert DVD I have seen in ages. Very highly recommended.

VIDEO

This isn't the best quality transfer on offer due to the amount of MPEG artifacts present on the disc.

Colors are well rendered throughout and look beautifully vibrant.

There were no film artifacts present on this disc.

One great bonus on this disc is that several songs are encoded with multi camera angles. This is a great addition.

Superstars & Cannonballs is framed at 1:85:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.

This is a Single Sided, Dual Layer disc. I could not detect the layer change. I suspect that the extras and the feature are on separate layers.

AUDIO

Even though the video is a little lacking the audio certainly isn't. Superstars & Cannonballs in encoded with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 sound. 

The 5.1 mix is astounding with a wonderfully integrated soundstage. Surrounds channels as well as the .1 channel are so well integrated that it remains very true to it's original concert presentation.

In contrast though the 2.0 mix sounds very, very flat compared to it's superior brother and really is a a great demo for the difference between 5.1 and 2.0 sound.

Dialog & signing was always easy to hear.

EXTRAS
For a locally produced disc there is a great amount of extras present and there quality is also very good as all extras are presented in 16:9 wide screen, some with 2.0 and some with 5.1 sound. Why can't all distributors present extras like this.

Audio Commentary: The commentary on this disc is on various songs and are more like an interview. There is a small box in the bottom right hand corner with Darren having a chat. There is also sections where Daniel also has something to say. Overall the commentary is interesting but not a must hear.

Documentary - Parallel Lives: This is a great 20 minute documentary with excellent behind the scenes info and stories. It has 5.1 sound and is framed at 1:85:1, 16:9 enhanced.

Multi Angle Songs: 4 songs with multi camera angles. Those songs include. The Animal Song, Crash and Burn and Affirmation. Camera angle range from good to angle 4 which looks like a work experience kid got the camera. Maybe he should work for NYPD Blue as a cameraman.

Music Videos: 3 music videos are presented as well, those are: I Knew I Loved You, Crash and Burn and Affirmation. One problem I have with Roadshow in this case is they have matted the songs from 4:3 to 1:85:1. I know wide screen is good for movies Roadshow, but you really should keep documentaries in there original aspect ratio even if it is 4:3 format.

Subtitles include:

No subtitles are on this disc, strangely.

FINAL THOUGHTS
For me, this is the best concert DVD I have seen this year. Great quality, great band. Get it now!!!

16:9 ENHANCEMENT DISC RATING

VIDEO:
AUDIO:
EXTRAS:
PLOT:

N/A

OVERALL:

REVIEW EQUIPMENT

Display: 48" Sony RPTV.
DVD Player:
Panasonic A350 Player using S-Video Cables.
Receiver:
Pioneer VSX-D508 Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Speakers:
Accusound speaker system.

Copyright © 2000 by [Roger Ward].
Revised: 26 Dec 2000 15:50:03 +1000 .

DVD INFORMATION
Region Coding: Region 4
No of Discs: 1
OFLC Rating G
Running Time: 110 minutes
Case Type: Keep Case
Release Date: 11/12/2000
Catalog Number: 1028329
List Price: $36.95
Distributor: Village Roadshow
DISC SPECIFICATIONS
Disc Format: PAL
Disc Type: Picture Disc
Disc Format: RSDL
Chapters: 17
Macrovision: Yes
Manufacturer: DVM
VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Film Format: 35mm
SOUND SPECIFICATIONS
Dolby Digital:

5.1 Surround
2.0 Surround

DTS: None
PCM Stereo: None
Other: None
Languages: English
Subtitles: None
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary: Yes
Theatrical Trailer: None
Teaser Trailer: None
TV Spots: None
Dolby Trailer: Yes (Rain)
Documentary: Yes
Cast & Crew Bios: None
Deleted Scenes: None
Music Videos: Yes (3)
DVD Rom Content: None
Collectable Booklet: None
Scene Access: Yes
Animated Menus: Yes
Production Notes: None
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