The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Live in Japan (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Live concerts like this are what DVD is all about and this production is killer. Everyone is having fun (the fans, Brian, the band, the backup singers and stage crew -- everyone!)and it shows. Some of the numbers, like "Hawaii 5-0", are performed rather over the top, with the twang factor reaching maximum, but everyone is smiling and enjoying "playing with the music" while they perform it. No one is taking themselves too seriously, and some of Brian's facial expressions as he plays are priceless. This is a truly fun show to watch.
Brian Setzer is a lot more than a "Stray Cat". For this show he has an Orchestra and backup singers. The music is like a post WWII timeline as we hear some Swing and Big Band numbers, then move into early Rock (and this band Rocks!) but we also hear some music from Broadway, even some Folk as he slows the pace down a bit, and it all comes together well. Brian Setzer has paid his dues and accomplished certain milestones in his career, as he explains in one of the interview segments. It's clear he has reached a point where he is comfortable with himself and his abilities. There is no self-consciousness in his performances, nothing strained, just true craftmanship. His guitar solos are impressive.
This DVD captures all the excitement of a live show, and you get glimpses backstage and interview snippets. It is a complete production, technically and musically well done.
This is a DVD I would recommend.

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Rock and Roll's ultimate revivalist, Brian Setzer takes his swinging big band to Japan for this hot, hot, hot concert in the Land of the Rising Sun. Having led the resurgence of rockabilly in the '80s with his band the Stray Cats, Setzer has turned his muse to swing music and helped to restore this great music to the mainstream of popular music during the '90s and continues into the new millennium. Songs: Hawaii 5-0, This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof, The Dirty Boogie, Jumpin' East of Java, The Footloose Doll, Drive Like Lightning (Crash Like Thunder), Caravan, Americano, I Won't Stand in Your Way, Mystery Train, Gene and Eddie, Guitar Rag, Sleepwalk, Stray Cat Strut, Jump Jive an' Wail, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Gettin' in the Mood, Get Me to the Church on Time, Rock This Town.

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