View Larger Image

Kiss - Symphony: The DVD Actor: Kiss Number of Items: 2 Format: Color Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Running Time: 180 minutes Studio: Bmg Distribution (VI Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-09-09 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 88 Average rating: 3.5 "Please stop nitpicking......." This is a wonderful DVD and all I can say is "MORE". David Campbell you deserve a hand. The orchestration is nothing short of fantastic. Sure, it is a bit jumpy in spots but I, for one, don't mind audience shots at all. I enjoy watching people who love this band as much as I do. I could sit here and pick at any numerous things from a band that has 30 years with all their songs but I won't. What is here is done fantastically. I love Ace but Tommy Thayer is great. I just saw them a few weeks ago and they still have it. Like Gene says "the hell with the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame......it is great finally to see what has been in my minds eye for years......a fantastic, visually stunning, well recorded Kiss concert. Can you ask for anything more....... "Well, um....hmmm.....It's GOOD, but...well...." Geez, how do you RATE this DVD? The concert looks like it was awesome, but the film was apparently edited by someone with severe attention issues. I liked the CD and had high hopes for the DVD because I was hoping to actually see KISS. And I did see them every once in a while. But - and I'm not kidding here - every time you get a chance to focus on a band member, the scene cuts to the audience. In fact, for giggles, I timed it during the opener, "Deuce." On average, the band and/or stage scene gets 1 second of screen time for every two seconds devoted to the audience. I totally imagine that the band was specific about wanting it documented how many people came to this event, which is fine. But I didn't shell out hard cash to see an audience. I wanted to see a Kiss concert. That said, the music is good, though Paul Stanley's guitar is a little muddy and lost in the mix. The dynamics of the orchestra are far more evident on the DVD than on the audio CDs, so that's a real treat. The band is engaging and professional throughout the performance (at least as far as I can tell from the 3 second flashes of the stage). Peter Criss and Tommy Thayer are both technically superb musicians and this DVD shows how much they contribute to the live sound of the band. It should easily put to rest any concerns that fans have about Tommy playing the role of the Spaceman and it begs the question - If Gene Simmons' frequent criticism of Peter Criss' musicianship is true, then why does the drummer shine during this important performance? I'd give this five stars if I could watch it without getting dizzy. The songs are great, the performances are great. But other unreleased and bootleg Kiss concert videos are just superior in quality to this, mainly because of the editing. This was probably one of the best Kiss concerts ever in the history of the band, but we'll never know it because the editing of this one-time event video is easily the worst I've ever seen. So, content of the show? Five stars. Editing of the video? One star. "The dubbing question answered...yes!" First, let me say that I really like this DVD. The sound is superb and you can really hear the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra better than on the CD release. The fast-paced edits are a bit much but it keeps with the fast pace of the music...The documentary/making of segment is cool, as well as the TV show appearance. Overall, this is a very entertaining DVD from THE most entertaining band in the world. I've been a KISS fan for 27 years (seen them live 26 times...so far) and have tons of video (mostly bootleg) of the band live. I notice all the flaws...but, live shows (especially on the scale of KISS) are rarely perfect. At this one-off show they had one chance and one chance only to get it shot and get it right. In response to the question of dubbing? YES. Absolutely. For whatever reason I found it really easy to notice using Gene as the source. This is why: after spitting blood prior to "God Of Thunder"...you can see parts AFTER that song where he has no blood on him...then he does, then he doesn't...and well, you get the idea. Especially during "Great Expectations" where they cut to him and he has perfect make-up and NO BLOOD...then cut again and there's the blood...then again NO...then again yes! In addition, notice that he has TWO (2) basses during the song...the ax and signature. Maybe they shot footage on the stage without the audience and cut it in later? Who knows...did anyone else notice this or am I imagining it all? Just wondering. So, there is obvious dubbing involved. And yes, sometimes with their mouths covered by the mics you can splice in any part of any song and it isn't really noticeable especially when the shot is quick...which there is a lot of in this DVD. But, in truth...SO WHAT?...everything gets cleaned up and made to be as perfect looking as possible. It's all illusion anyway...movies, tv, even KISS concerts. With all this it still makes for one helluva DVD from an excellent band that is always fun to watch! So, just enjoy it for what it is: FUN! "Great show, average disc ! (where's the center channel?)" As other reviewers have noted the show is great, but the camera editing is just too hyperactive. Quick editing can help the viewer get energized, but there is a point where it gets tiring when the cuts are every second or so. The audio seems great at first, but then I noticed NO sound from my center channel in DTS or DD 5.1 mode. I tested with another dvd and found my system to be functioning properly. Any one else have this problem? Could an error that big make it through quality control and Gene's attention to detail? "KISSseizures - Sound is a 5/Editing is a Zero!!" The audio on this is great to hear 5.1 remix of the show versus the CD. The documentary is interesting, seem to show that Paul/Gene really do run the show with Peter/Tommy (hired guns?) absent from the development stages with the arranger. Might have been fun to let Tommy play Hold on to 18 (Black 'n Blue with an orchestra, could that be next?) The editing is unforgivable, they should re-release it without the seizure producing quick change artistry. It is sooooo fast and virtually unwatchable. It also also seems like Paul and Gene's mouth is conspicuously blocked by the microphone or else they are not shown up close signing. This combined with the 1 second per shot editing makes me think there could be a lot of overdubs dropped in. I know all live stuff does (as Eddie Kramer and Paul emphasized in the Alive! show on VH1), especially with this being a one-night show, but...oh well, I made another contribution to Paul and Gene's retirement fund (Farewell Tour II?) and would buy this DVD again for the sound.