What is your rating of the DVD/Video Symphonic Live? [Archive]

View Full Version : What is your rating of the DVD/Video Symphonic Live?

BrianD

08-05-2005, 07:03 PM

Well we have done the albums, now the DVD/videos. Lets see what we think about the quality of all these Yes visual offerings. Just give it your rating out of ten and eventually we'll be able to give our Yesfans combined opinion.

BrianD

01-06-2006, 06:07 PM

Only 5 votes!! average 9.6

Andersonic

01-06-2006, 07:10 PM

my vote is predictable: 10 points from the Dutch jury!

Joe

01-06-2006, 07:14 PM

PURE EXCELLENCE!

My God! What quality! I love the orchestra. They didn't
over do it. Like I said in other posts about Symphonic....
It's YES in 3D

Yes2Yes

01-07-2006, 06:57 AM

I want to buy this one. I think I'll go shopping on Monday.

pedro skychaser

01-07-2006, 07:11 AM

gathernear

01-07-2006, 10:18 AM

Performance and recorded quality are super! A 10 from me.

Larry

allpurechance

01-09-2006, 04:18 AM

it has "gates of delirium",played differently from QPR,the orchestra surges,tom bangs,jon declaims,the chick flautists nod their heads,some guy dances up the aisles like nureyev...................

petermcguiness.tripod.com

...and Alan, as required, bangs up The Proverbial Storm!As the song transitions into Soon, those luscious chords float up into the air, on towards heaven, there is a shot of Alan White dripping sweat.It is coming off his nose.It is all over his face.He takes a towel and wipes it off.It is at this moment that we see that he is the great shoulders upon which the foundation of the band rests.And rightfully so.He has just spent the last 16 or so minutes playing some of the most amazing live drums I have ever seen, or will likely ever see again.An amazing performance.

And they are all over this dvd.Every member of the band gets a chance to shine.Close To The Edge is marvellous and magnificent.Ritual is fantastic.And, here is probably the best version available of In The Presence Of.Also here is a great Long Distance Runaround, with Alan again positively electrifying as he splashes those cymbals with no remorse whatsoever.

There isn't a wasted or a bad moment in this entire show.

This is a 10.As fine a document of Live Yes as there is.In Future Times, this may be the one that is referred to as definitive(Tsongas is pretty close, and has the advantage of Rick Wakeman onboard).

Frank

:O)

astro pud

01-11-2006, 02:11 AM

This was good. There were a couple of pieces where the orchestration didn't really match up, but overall it was good. I especially like the keyboard player. Nice too see someone putting effort into it (which Wakeman hasn't in about 15 years). And the orchestra dancing during Roundabout is really funny.

Teacher travelling

01-12-2006, 11:16 AM

One of the best music DVDs I've seen. Certainly the best Yes one. Great performance, great sound, great visuals, nice oboe player. Animations and extras a bit useless, but easily avoided. Overall superb.

tommc

01-12-2006, 11:22 AM

Love it. 10. I run on my treadmill with it blasting on my tv all the time!

CETACEI

01-12-2006, 04:04 PM

My son loves it he gives it a 25-30, that about how many times he has watched it. Still great to sit with him and watch it. (10 for me)

Balrog

01-17-2006, 09:00 PM

IMHO "Symphonic" is still the highwater mark of Yes video. A very well-executed production of the group during a nearly flawless performance. I especially enjoy "In the Presence Of" (which I think is the finest song the boys have written in many a year).

soundchaser77

01-18-2006, 05:55 AM

It is amazing, Its to bad that that was made here a yr before I came here! I love it and the local fish guy here in Ijsselstein was there and he loved it live, can you belive he dosnt even own the dvd of the concert he was at? hahha! but he love my back stage pics i showed him< wish I new how to put them on here, took them with a reg 35mm thow away camara but good pics even so! anyway love this dvd to death! ok doei all!

RealAir

05-20-2006, 07:49 PM

just got it. love it to bits!

MrZuLu

07-04-2006, 06:51 PM

absolutely priceless...

Brislin's molten rendition of Gates...

that little girl with the Orchestral Cymbals and Tympanis

the two chicks with the clarinets!

oh yeah and YES
HOLY CHIT and Chinaola!

whew

wow
yeah

definitely 11! (only goes to 10 so i said 10)

and did I mention Steve Howe

man!

whew!

YesJen357

07-09-2006, 05:40 AM

I want more DVD's like this one....Lots more!
10/10

True Believer

07-10-2006, 02:05 AM

Yep, it's a doozy!

Andersonic

07-10-2006, 05:25 AM

and what about that incredibly handsome guy in the first row! He peeps under a banner at the end of Starship Trooper...

;)

all kidding (?) aside, the memories of this show are so special. We couldn't believe our eyes when we first saw the DVD. I'm so glad that this one is the best Yes ever did even when it was without Wakeman (who was asked to come in as a special guest!)

'Nice' anekdote; I still kick myself when we went for a late night dinner with Chris S. and Jordan B. instead of joining Tom B. who was in a club with a lot of the Symphonic girls (who were celebrating their last gig with Yes)...ouch...

YesJen357

07-10-2006, 09:18 AM

Wow, Andersonic,....I'm jealous!
Well done. I can imagine that the DVD would be very special to you.

fish62858

07-22-2006, 08:25 AM

just got it this week. have watched it numerous times. it is really a special moment in Yes history.

sound and video production is the best, and as stated above, performance is nearly flawless. ah, to have had this level of production on earlier shows... "sigh"

if you don't have this one, you don't have Yes at its finest!

PS - i'm in love with the dark haired girl on clarinet!! "sigh" again!

movedon

08-09-2006, 04:45 PM

It's possibly the best Yes DVD in terms of quality and capturing a special event. Although I play 'Keys' more despite its sound issues, this is still a stunning show. I don't find the 'Magnification' stuff all that great myself though (particularly 'Don't Go'- yuck), and the bizarre choreography the orchestra performs with their instruments in Yes' solo bits is a bit odd! However, the latter hardly detracts from the music- it's a joy to hear 'Gates Of Delirium' again and in such a good version, whilst 'Ritual' is almost up there with the astonishing version on 'Yesshows'. A definite 8.5.

jeff

09-19-2006, 07:58 AM

relayerjim

09-19-2006, 08:12 AM

Up until "Song from Tsongas" I thought "Symphonic" was the best.
I think they are equally the best.
Plus the documentary part was filmed in Philly and I was at that show...

HarmonicKev

09-19-2006, 09:06 AM

It is a stunner. Best dvd of Yes, the music selction is brill and the orchestra is total mass retain. It's a toss up between the dark haired cellist or the blonde violinist. What the heck the dvd is so good I'll take bothA1++++ :appl[1]:

Dont forget the brunette percussionist; you know, the one that shakes those egg-shaped things? :angel:

Not too bad for (as Chris so eloquently put it) a bunch of Polish people! :)

YESYOUANDI

09-24-2006, 03:22 PM

I don't blinkin know, I was there for the Brum show, I must buy it some day.
"Soon oh soon" I suppose, I think so, well maybe.

Cheers fans.

Steve Mahoney

06-09-2007, 06:28 PM

Its Brilliant!

Steve

CybrKhatru

01-09-2008, 07:22 PM

Other than Yessongs, it's my favorite Yes DVD.

Senor Mono

01-09-2008, 07:24 PM

Great set list, performance, sound, and energy.

My fav Yes dvd by far.

10

marklovesyes

08-14-2010, 06:22 AM

This is the ultimate live video from Yes. An absolute 10!

AmorReal

08-14-2010, 06:54 AM

I still need to get this one. Maybe go shopping on Amazon.

hawk

08-14-2010, 10:32 PM

It's good but it'd be better on Blu ray imho.

08-15-2010, 09:11 PM

I love this one. This one and Live at Montreaux are my favorites.

dantalion90125

08-15-2010, 09:12 PM

I'm really glad they recorded the gig that night cos I was there on the back tier.
There was so much space gataux a puff going on in "Old Amsterdam" that evening, the gig was a bit of a blur. Couldn't even get out of my seat to float down the front for the encore.
The backing orchestra where the best bunch on the Euro tour and you can see they were having a ball.
I wish they had used this opportunity to play more "Time and a Word" tracks though. (Dear Father etc)
Did you check the hippie dancing up and down the isle? Security couldn't get hold of him.

yesanneyes

10-23-2010, 04:14 PM

I still need to get this one. Maybe go shopping on Amazon.

You and me both!!!!!!!!

Starship Trooper

03-18-2011, 05:39 PM

I give it a 10, seriously. This is hands down the best Yes video offering in the entire catalog of Yes videos. When it comes to Yes concert videos, it doesn't get any better than this!

The video is excellent and the editing is first-rate. It was done by people who studied the material and apparently knew who to focus on at a particular moment.

As for the audio, it's virtually perfect with a great mix, plenty of bass, and thick, robust ambience that accurately captures the sound of the performance as the audience heard it. The sound of the orchestra adding fullness to Yes masterpieces brings chills to the spine.

The setlist is what any hardcore Yes fan could want. You get not one, but THREE epics (CTTE, Gates of Delirium, and Ritual). They did their solos and there also is a good selection of the medium to short songs, including two new ones from the Magnification album that was brand new at the time. I don't see how the list of songs could reasonably be any better (c'mon, don't whine that they didn't do Awaken).

All four Yes members performed almost flawlessly and Anderson's voice sounds full and strong. No raspy voice or tiredness from Maestro Jon.

Also, no songs were omitted from the setlist like on Yessongs, House of Blues, etc. The entire show from start to finish is captured on the DVD, including the in-between-song-talk from Jon.

There's only one flaw IMO which pertains more to the tour than the DVD. The orchestra should have been enlisted to play Firebird Suite live as Yes members took the stage. Why that opportunity was missed on that tour is beyond me.

As I recall from attending a couple of shows in 2001 on this tour, the orchestra played an intro but it was something else that was unrecognizable. It wasn't Firebird Suite, Benjamin Britten, or one of the other songs Yes has traditionally taken the stage to.

BrianD

03-18-2011, 05:42 PM

There's only one flaw IMO which pertains more to the tour than the DVD. The orchestra should have been enlisted to play Firebird Suite live as Yes members took the stage. Why that opportunity was missed on that tour is beyond me.

As I recall from attending a couple of shows in 2001 on this tour, the orchestra played an intro but it was something else that was unrecognizable. It wasn't Firebird Suite, Benjamin Britten, or one of the other songs Yes has traditionally taken the stage to.

They played the orchestral intro from Give Love each Day on Magnification

crotale2112

03-18-2011, 05:55 PM

Dont forget the brunette percussionist; you know, the one that shakes those egg-shaped things? :angel: :)
Yum!
I've had a crush on that cute clarinetist for years...
http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv208/rphheather/yetmorestrings.jpg
http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv208/rphheather/violin1.jpg
http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv208/rphheather/strings.jpg
http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv208/rphheather/oboe2.jpg
http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv208/rphheather/moreviolin.jpg
http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv208/rphheather/kettledrum.jpg
http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv208/rphheather/cymbals2.jpg
I hope Tom Brislin got to hang out with a few of these fellow band mates after the show :)

Starship Trooper

03-18-2011, 05:58 PM

They played the orchestral intro from Give Love each Day on Magnification

I saw the Chicago and Milwaukee shows on this tour in 2001 and the album still wasn't released yet as I remember, so I didn't know Give Love Each Day. At the time, I had no clue what was being played.

Thanks for identifying the orchestra intro on this tour.

soundchaser

04-10-2011, 05:13 PM

TOBYSGRAPHICGOKART

04-14-2011, 06:20 PM

My favorte YES dvd...It is always the one I watch over and over again. If Wakeman had been in on it, it would have been their crowning achievment.
ps....Must be said though. My least favorite YES song ever though is on it and I wish it wasn't...Don't Go......Lyrics like a teen ager...not YES......

Got this DVD a few days ago and it is indeed great. But you are spot-on regarding Don't Go. One of the worst Yessongs ever with cringe-inducingly awful lyrics that had me reaching for the sick bag. Just shouldn't have been on there. That aside, a fantastic show.

I gave it 9. One point deducted for DG.

somissound

04-14-2011, 07:20 PM

My favorite dvd alongside Union tour...

The performance is one of their best... CTTE, Gates of Delirium, and Ritual are amazing! And how about Tom Brislin and the young orchestra pumping up the guys, too cool...

I give it a 10!

khatrooper

04-14-2011, 09:35 PM

relayeire

04-15-2011, 11:16 AM

8

Great overall. Lacked energy in some places. OOALH was gratuitous, seeing as it was only done at that show for the video. (Otherwise the song choices were great.) The person who decided the dual layering transition should take place in the middle of ST should be punched. The onscreen graphics option was silly and unnecessary.

zenslinger

11-29-2011, 02:19 PM

Possibly their best live DVD overall (setlist, sound, videography, performance). I gave it a 9 my only demerit being some of the treatment of Steve's guitar. The intro to CTTE is too clean for my taste, crank up the input gain Mr. Howe! And he is often mixed to one side of stereo when he is soloing, especially on the steel gtr.
Someday I should invest in a surround sound setup, maybe he is mixed more prominently in the 5.1?

I don't have the DVD but was watching CttE on YouTube the other day. The sound of Howe's guitar is extremely clean, not fuzzy/dirty like other versions. I thought this was because the orchestra already fills a lot of sonic space, so the thick, dirty sound of his guitar wasn't needed. But I'd prefer a little fuzz on it as well.

Micah68

11-30-2011, 10:42 AM

Worth 10 for the girls alone and Hilary Duff is on Trombone

Andersonic

12-16-2011, 03:33 PM

and don't forget the handsome guy at the end of Starship Trooper peeping from under that banner ;)

brufy

12-26-2011, 05:20 PM

Worth 10 for the girls alone and Hilary Duff is on Trombone

The lovely percussion girls, alas, probably now have dozens of eastern european babies.

RobAdams

12-30-2011, 03:59 PM

This DVD is breathtaking...although I think a symphonic "Awaken" would have made it even better.

hawk

01-26-2012, 01:18 PM

The Blu ray of this show's well worth getting imho.