Changes[DVD]

This DVD only confirms my assumptions about Godsmack's dedication to their music and to their fans, and to the delivery of absolute quality in everything they do. First of all, the DVD itself is a gem. The quality of the artwork of the case contents, as well as the camera work, the content editing and production, and the Circle Surround audio makes playback truly amazing, on almost any home sound system. As a heavy metal and rock enthusiast, and as a member of the band's generation, Godsmack has struck a chord with me. This is not your stereotypical thrash-happy, metal band. Changes shows that Godsmack is truly an exceptionally talented hard rock band who exhibit superior creativity, intelligence, commitment to quality, and an extraordinary work ethic. They are living proof that their recipe for success works, and frankly, it's inspiring. Show this to your teenage kids as a prime example of the rewards for living core values. Furthermore, Changes doesn't insult the viewers' intelligence with overindulgence in wine and women. On the contrary, it portrays a realistic side of the band that includes perspectives about their families and the kind of dedication that's needed to survive on the road for 10 months straight. In addition, it's refreshing to see a band get along so well, having so much respect for one another and for the band as a whole. Each member is among the best in the business, and being able to keep their individual pride in check for the good of the band is a testament in itself. Finally, the music is just above and beyond any of my expectations from a live performance. Here's where the true quality of Godsmack becomes apparent. The band doesn't take shortcuts or play out of tune, or improvise in any of the numbers. Instead, they cover the full range and intensity they deliver on their studio releases. Visually, their stage performance and effects are a stunning compliment to their music. And yes, I'll concur that the tandem drum session is worth the price of the DVD alone. Godsmack has rewarded its fans in a big way with this release. But even if you're not a fan, one can't help but appreciate the craftsmanship of the band and the fine product they've created.

First, let me make a disclaimer: I'm a huge Godsmack fan, so I'd probably love anything they did; however, I think almost anyone who likes hard rock would really enjoy this DVD. I'm so glad they put some documentary footage and interviews in with the concert footage...it's much more interesting than most band DVDs, which are often just a recording of a live show. (Although I wish "Changes" had even MORE documentary material...interviews with more family members, a songwriting session on film, etc would have been very cool.) It's also nice that there is the option of watching just the concert (one song after another [very high quality recording], in their entirity) without the documentary. The guys in the band & their crew are great; their interviews really give you a sense of how much work it takes to put on a concert & why tickets are sometimes expensive. Sully (vocals) comes off as kind of a cocky control freak/prima donna (which I've long suspected him of being, just by listening to some of his song lyrics), but also as an amazingly charismatic live performer, as well as a smart businessman and the creative mastermind behind most of Godsmack's best songs...so I'm glad Sully's the way he is. He's so talented it's almost uncanny! It seems like the other guys in the band realize that musical talent is great, but you also need someone to take the reins of the band & deal with all the business details, and they seem happy to let Sully do it. You can tell that he's dead serious about his profession & wants to make sure that everything Godsmack produces is of the highest quality, and with "Changes", like all of their work, they definitely succeed in this respect. Each member of the band shines as a phenomenal musician during the live show, yet you can see that they're real people in the interviews, much more so than most celebrities. Robbie (bass) just seems like a laid-back guy having a great time touring & enjoying the all the perks of being a rock star, while remaining very down-to-earth. Tony (guitar) appears to be a real professional and family man, giving his all in the shows but otherwise keeping kind of a low profile. Shannon (drums) is the most mellow of them all, which was surprising because to me he looks the most hard-core/scary. But he seems like a very nice guy, also a family man. The band's live performance is incredible, sounding even better than their studio work, if you can believe that's possible! So if you like hard rock and want to know more about the guys behind this fantastic music, you gotta get this DVD. You won't be disappointed.

I am a fan of Godsmack, but not necessarily passionately so. I've never taken in a live show, but I have a couple of their studio CD's and think a number of their songs are excellent. That being said, I did not expect them to be a great live act. I didn't have faith that Sully could pull off his songs live. Boy, what a fool I was!!! Sully and the band put on an absolutely flawless show. The entire band really rocks and Sully's vocals are tight. I wouldn't call it a spectacle to see, but it doesn't need to be. There are some lasers, lights, and pyro (oh, and moving drum/percussion sets - a definite highlight). But the set is really all about the music. And the performances really blew me away. I have great respect for each of the band members having now seen them perform and having gotten to know them a little through the quality interviews included. Godsmack is just a great rock band that believe in the power of their art and entertainment. It certainly moved me. And I must call attention to the drummer, Shannon. Other reviewers have praised him as well, but I have to say he is the most exciting drummer I have ever seen. He is an absolute wildman on the drums. His skill is great I am sure, but the amazing thing is the visual spectacle. He just wails on the drums. During the interviews mention is made of the muppet Animal, and the analogy is perfect. The drum battle between Sully and Shannon truly is awesome. I can't imagine any music fan not being pumped up after that one. Shannon goes off throughout. Check him out on Bad Religion, etc. This DVD really heightened my knowledge of the band. I have a whole new respect for them. If you are a huge fan already, I am not saying anything you do not already know. But if you're like me and are really just a casual fan, let me encourage you, you cannot go wrong with this DVD. If you like live rock and roll, you'll love what these guys have to offer you.

I really like LIVE concert DVDs featuring bands that I have seen live before. I like to somewhat relive the experience of going to see the band live. Most of the time, the bands don't record the actual concert you went to, but they are always similar shows if they record a DVD at a place scheduled for the same tour. In this case, I was able to see this tour back a bunch of years ago and then to see this show they recorded in PA, I was able to relive it again! If you are a rock fan or a Godsmack fan, you NEED this DVD. It's exceptional. It gives you an inside look at life as a rockstar and life on the road. It's not all fun and games. There is a lot of work that goes into it. But then again, you are living your dream. You get to see exactly what goes into a tour, all the people that are needed to make a large rock tour work, and the heart and soul that go into it. You also get to see one hell of a concert by one of the best rock bands out there. This DVD looks and sounds incredible. You will not be disappointed!

I wasn't into Godsmack for a long time. I had a preconceived notion that they were an Alice in Chains rip-off because of what many people said so I never really tried to listen to them. Then I heard their first CD in it's entirety from a friend at work and I decided to get a few CD's. Eventually I grew to like them a lot, then after watching live performances such as this I can now say that I love their music and am a huge fan. After watching this DVD you realize they are a bunch of laid back guys who have no ego problems and are really about the music and work hard to put on a great show. And Sully is hilarious with his Boston accent, especially with his description of the "fart" recordings. This also makes you realize how talented the man is. Not only does he sing and play guitar, he plays drums rather amazingly along with Shannon in the drum battle. It's great to see a drum "solo" where the entire band is involved but the drums are featured and not unaccompanied. The drum battle is simply awesome and I loved every minute of it. Speaking of drums, Shannon Larkin is an absolute beast on skins and he is by far my favorite drummer to watch live. He is so full of energy and aggression, but not without finesse. Sometimes he steals the show and that's a good thing. The only complaint that I have is that if you watch the movie part with all the interviews and such, certain songs are only shown in segments like "Whatever". But if you watch it from the concert listing you can see the entire song. And they could have made the back to back songs flow a little better. Though nothing's perfect, the performances are awesome and the backstage fun is funny, light hearted and entertaining enough to make you realize these guys are for real.

I agree with most of the other reviewers on this title, but there is one thing that is annoying about it. You do have the capability of watching just the performances without the documentary footage, however, the performances have a gap after each song. This is because they have set the menu up where all of the songs are one chapter with the individual songs being titles within that chapter. This means that you lose the feeling of a live show somewhat because each song ends and then your player will have about a 2-3 second break as it jumps to the next song. This would not be such a big deal except that some of the songs go right into each other and it really detracts from the flow of the show. They really should go back in and re-edit the footage where it flows seamlessly as it does on the Godsmack-Live DVD. With that said, the footage and sound quality are great overall and I would have probably given it 5 stars if not for the annoying editing of the performances.

Played well and happy with my purchase. Love this band.

If you want to listen to a crisp hard blend of powerful vocals and clean guitar riffs, look no further than Godsmack. The video has a professional quality that is both pleasing and palatable to the viewer. The drum solo is engaging--and best of all--it is not an exercise in self-indulgence, as most drum solos tend to be. Most of the songs are top shelf material and are presented with a sincerety and professionalism that escapes most artists at a similar stage in their careers. It was with pure pleasure that I watched this band's concert footage.

CDではわからないシャノン ラーキンのドラムテクニックが映像で確認出来たのが大きい。元ストリップ マインドでドラムを叩いていた現ヴォーカルのサリー エルナとのドラムバトルは筆舌しがたい程の迫力で、ライヴの目玉となっている。購入価格が送料よりも激安だったのでお買い得感が大きかった。

Todo un espectáculo visual el que ofrecen Godsmack en este concierto, con el grupo en plena forma, tocando varios de sus mejores temas. Muy buena la "batalla de los tambores" entre Shannon Larkin y Sully Erna, que recuerda a las batallas de baterías que hacían James Hetfield y Lars Ulrich de Metallica, en la gira del álbum negro. Pero en este caso con ciertos toques diferentes

Ich bin schon lange ein Fan dieser Herren. Zweifellos eine super Band, doch über die musikalischen Qualitäten will ich lieber nicht schreiben, da die Scheibe sich ja eh nur ein Fan holt :) Warum Godsmack in Deutschland eine eher "kleinere" Fanbase hat ist mir schleierhaft. In den Staaten sind sie sowieso schon lange Rock-Giganten, die die Platinscheiben reihenweise abstauben. Ich arbeite daran, die Schar in good old Germany stetig zu vergrößern ;) Doch zur Sache. Für die Godsmack-Leute unter euch sei gesagt: Holt euch das Ding !!! Wirklich ein toller Mix aus Doku, Interviews und Liveacts die während der Faceless-Tour aufgenommen wurden. Dass die Band live abgeht wie Nachbars Lumpi auf LSD, muss hier nicht extra erwähnt werden. Für mich als Schlagzeuger ist vorallem "Batalla De Los Tambores" ein wahres Schmankerl, welches zu Recht für den Grammy nominiert wurde. Ein Drum-Battle zwischen Sully und Shannon ist einfach zum niederknien. Auch der Rest lädt zu Nacken-zerstörenden Headbangs ein, bis die Scheibe mit "I Stand Alone" ausklingt. Zwar hat mir der ein oder andere Song gefehlt, aber das ist ja auch bei jedem Konzert so :) Die Live-Darbietungen werden immer wieder von Backstage Aufnahmen und Kommentaren der Bandmitglieder unterbrochen, was keinesfalls störend wirkt, sondern dem Zuschauer einen tieferen Blick ins Bandgeschehen ermöglicht und somit beinah den Effekt erwirkt, dass man das Gefühl hat "Teil" der Band zu sein. Jeder der Mitglieder darf einzeln seine Sicht der Dinge erzählen, oder was ihm die Band persönlich bedeutet. Das gerät durchaus intimer als man es von manch anderen Band-DVDs gewohnt ist und das gefällt. So erfährt man interessante Details über die einzelnen Teile der Gruppierung, deren Vergangenheit, die Zeit vor Godsmack, das Team, welches viel mehr eine Familie ist, oder auch ehemalige Probleme mit Nervosität, was in diverse Kotzereien mündete ;) Auf jeden Fall viele Aspekte, die einem neue Seiten der Band zeigen. Beeindruckend finde ich auch den stets presenten Wunsch nach Harmonie unter den Mitgliedern. Sei es in der Kommunikation untereniander, oder einfach die Räumlichkeiten Backstage, die überaus gemütlich eingerichtet und immer mit großen Teppichen und Tüchern versehen werden, um einen Rückzugsort zu schaffen. Allerdings wird auch Sully von einer ungewohnt strikten und zielsicheren Seite gezeigt, wenn es zB. um Soundchecks geht. Da versteht der Mann keinen Spaß, ist deadly serious bei der Sache und kann auch mal ordentlich dampfen. Der Sound ist erwartungsgemäß fett und ordentlich. Unbedingt in Sorround an hören, wenn möglich. Das Bild ist ebenfalls sehr gut, in den Interviewteilen aber gewollt grobkörnig, was mir persönlich sehr zusagt. Für Godsmack-Fans auf jeden Fall zu empfehlen. PS: Sully hat die wohl genialste Gürtelschnalle aller Zeiten ;)

Good dvd

yo recomiendo mucho a este vendedor,muy buen servicio. muy eficiente y con mucha calidad en el servicio. agradesco mucho. muchas gracias