Rather than discuss the endless debate that surrounds the Doors of the 21st Century, I'll come right out and say that I'm an enormous fan of The Doors and an equal fan of the D21c. Seeing Ray and Robby live has been the defining expierence in my musical life.

On to the DVD-

The performance:

This is a solid performance. I have heard every recorded (pro and audience) concert of the D21c, so I know when the guys are truly 'on'. I also attended the show the group put on in Atlanta 2 days before this gig in Houston. Needless to say, the Houston show blows away the rusty, almost lifeless performance they gave in Atlanta (to the band's credit- they were not lifeless... the audience was and that undoubteldy affects the performance).

So, the actual performance is very good. It's not their best, but it's more than worthy of a dvd release. Ian is his usual self- it takes a song or two to warm him up, but once he's primed- he's incredible. As many fans of the D21c know, Ian occasionally forgets a lyric or two... fortunately, he is focused throughout this gig and only lets out a minor slip up in Hyacinth House. Well done Ian.

Ray and Robby both show that they have only gotten better with age. Robby in particular has gotten considerably faster and cleaner and the result is stunning. Every one of his solos is precise and flawless. In particular, his solo at the end of Break on Through makes me say "whoa" everytime I hear it. He throws in a different run and it just fits perfectly. On the other side of the stage, Ray puts on an equally stunning show- putting on a more flamboyant show than he ever did back in the days of the original Doors lineup. He's managed to increase his showmanship while still remaining perfectly faithful to all the Doors classics. Incredible.

Do note that inbetween a few songs are interview clips with Ray Robby and Ian. When I first heard about that feature, I thought for sure that it would ruin the flow of the show. Luckily, the clips only add to the whole expierenceand somehow, they manage to not ruin the feeling of seeing the guys live. Very well done.

Video quality:

Unebelivable. This is the sharpest concert dvd avaliable- outdoing the amazing "Rush in Rio" (which I considered the pinacle in concert video quality). The picture is crystal clear with fantastic camera work. You get plenty of steady, lengthy closeups of Ian Ray and Robby. The absolute coolest parts are the numerous shots of Robby's hands. The video quality is so good, you can count every knick, dent and scuff on Robby's cherry Gibson SG. Wow. Truly top notch camera work (fantastic angles) and a flawless digital, widescreen recording. A+ This is the new standard in concert dvd video.

Audio quality:

Yet again, this dvd delivers. The DTS track will knock you out if you have the proper equipment to enjoy it. Mean while, 2.0 stereo mix sounds good on any set of speakers... even through usually crappy tv speakers. This audio mix is perfect. In particular, the drums (provided by the great Ty Dennis) sound phenomenal. The snare has a perfect kick to it... I absolutely love it. You have to hear it all to know what I'm talking about. The rest of the band comes through equally well. Ian's vocals sound as good as they ever have (by the way, his vocal delivery here is 1000 times better than it is on the live cult dvd) and Ray and Robby are both mixed very well and very evenly. Angelo Barbera on bass cuts through perfectly... you really get to hear every note he plays. That makes it easy to enjoy the small bit of his own style he adds to various Doors classics. He's great. The audio is great. The only minor complaint is that the crowd is mixed a little low on the 2.0 mix.

Negatives:

-The Dvd does not contain the whole performance. Alabama Song, Backdoor Man and Five to One were edited for the dvd. Also, Crawling King Snake (a song from the la woman album) was not played at this show. Luckily, you do get to hear part of the D21c's rendition of that classic tune during from a show in Paris last December.

-Lack of bonus footage. There is alot of D21c stuff out there to choose from... all the tv performances (including the never aired 5-1 performance from the Carson Daly show) as well as footage from various other concerts. A commentary track would have been cool too (though we do get interview clips between some of the songs).

Conclusion:

This is a 5 star dvd. If you are capable of accepting the fact that there can be a Doors life after Jim Morrison, you will have a blast watching this disc. Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger are truly gods in rock music and it shows comes through on this disc. They are having the time of their life playing these great songs again. Ian Astbury is equally amazing... stepping into an impossible situation and performing brilliantly. I can easily say that he is the greatest frontman that I've had the pleasure of witnessing live. Finally, lets not forget the perfect rythym section of the group. Ty Dennis plays the classic Doors tunes without flaw- adding his own power and style when he feels it necessary (and that power and style really brings the songs to life). Angelo Barbera on bass takes over for Ray Manzarek's left hand and honestly, he does it better than Ray ever did. There is not one note that sounds out of place- Angelo manages to make his string bass sound identical to Ray's mushy piano bass. Unreal.

Thats it. The pros far outweigh the cons. This is a fantastic dvd. Long live the D21c.

I bet Jim Morrison while in heaven would be pleased to see his band members move on and rock the 21st century. I admire & adore them not only for continuing Jim's legacy but for making our hearts fully loaded because of their love of music. Truly one of the best rock bands in music history.

Whether one is a fan of the Doors or not, what I liked about them was the style of the keyboard and guitar playing - both quite distinctive . I also loved the drumming .

Though the singer died , they have found another singer who loves the music and takes the opportunity to sing for all the fans who deserve to hear the music performed again - as long as it's done well .

This DVD shows all this was done with the best intentions and there is nothing worse than a musician who can still play and is not playing - it is a kind of living death .

A lot of bands have gotten rich imitating the Doors .

This is as close as we can get to the original sound , forgetting about the original drummer's lawsuit .

Well done guys - I wish you more success .

Easily one of the best music DVD's I own. The DTS sound is amasing, strange to hear The Doors in full 5.1 channel but all the better for it. Ian Astbury does a bloody good job, a few moments especally at the end it is a little scary especally when all the younger females start dancing around Robby Kreiger (who has not aged well at all but plays better then ever).

I do feel a little sorry for some fans as the Doors were more then just Jim Morrison. It seems 30+ years later that they all needed each other to suceed.

Considering they only do about 30 shows a year Robby & Ray are not cashing in on the legacy, no one can replace Jim, but Ian has been around for about 20 yrs & hold up everything well, without ripping off Jim too much but what do you expect from anyone who steps into Jim Morrison's shoes??

Dismissing any "should they have done this," "shouldn't they" issues up front...

They did. And it was a good thing.

John Densmore chose to sit this one out. Hence the "Doors of the 21st Century" label. He wouldn't allow Krieger and Manzarek to bill themselves as "The Doors." Right or wrong, fair on unfair, it was his legal right to do this.

Did Ian Astbury deliver? No, he didn't. He BLED. This isn't some bar band garbage. From the opener "Roadhouse Blues" to the closer "Soul Kitchen," Astbury gave everything he had to these classic songs. He held nothing back. Ray and Robbie SMOKE. Jim's gone and there's nothing we can do about that. I agree with Ray...this band kept Jim's songs alive and he WOULD HAVE loved that.

It's the tour that never happened...th "LA Woman" tour, aborted due to the death of the band's lead singer. In 2003, Manzarek, Krieger, Astbury & crew gave you the impossible...the LA Woman Tour.

It's shock & awe. Astbury's no poser, and for anyone who disapproves of the concept, he's gone...reunited with The Cult...but while he was there, he reminded us of the spark that Jim Morrison brought to the world.

Why do you think Jim is mentioned in the same breath as Jimi and Janis? Al three of them changed the rules. I feel that Manzarek and Krieger had the right to do this. It's over now...until they decide to reinvent themselves yet again...but this is a 5-star release. Period.