Portland, OR (12-Mar-05)

How can i bet the other review?/

I not even trying!!


this is a great show,

GET ITT


Thanks Stoked


L

I downloaded this DVD on dimeadozen, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The original Portland show was on two DVDs (even though its just 4 songs), it was then compressed and authored onto one DVD. The only problem was that the sound was still the original camera source. Thankfully, within a few days Chiachi, a valued trader and DVD authorer here, upgraded the disc with a new menu and a very good audio recording and kindly put it up for download.

The disc has very functional menus. They have a nice background of a capture from the show. There's nothing fancy about them, but they do their job well, with a beautiful and well selected harmonica solo providing music for the main menu.

First thing that strikes you about this Portland video is the very unique angle. It is from the very edge of the side balcony, basically over-looking the mixing desk and onto Dylan. It provides a very unique viewpoint. The opposite vantage point was captured for one of the Wembley 2003 DVDs (#D304) whereby you were looking straight at Dylan's back but had a good side view of the stage. However, when you've got a man who does so many subtle physical movements and gestures, its essential you see him head on. The viewpoint is probably this disc's best selling point.

The camerawork is at times very very wobbly. More often than not it is fine, but it is unwatchable for a large portion of Boots of Spanish leather, and a good few other portions of the show. The superb audio capture means you don't need to skip the song though as it is possible to do without the video and just let the music take over. The beginning of All along the watchtower is also ruined by crazy motion, though it does settle down after 2 minutes or so of the song. The lighting on the disc is quite good, though does get very dark at times, which is unfortunate, though it is always visible and watchable. A song like A-11 is incredibly dark, and it is a pity the camera didn't adjust better to the different lightings.

One of the advantages of the taper's vantage point is the variety of things you get to see on stage. We get a view of Don Herron's full arsenal of 2 pedal steels, 2 violins, banjo and who knows what else (a dobro perhaps?), and you also get to look briefly down onto the mixing desk. Unfortunately though, this isn't exploited enough, and we really just get to focus on Mr Dylan for the majority of the show, and considering he puts on a hat after the 2nd or 3rd song obscuring much of his face means it would have been great if the taper had panned around a little. We do get to see a lot of Elana Frenerman though, which is great, as we can really see what a good addition to the band she was in her short time with them.

Performance wise, this is quite a good DVD, with a few really good songs standing out. The first is the 2nd song, Tell me that isn't true. This was its first performance in about 6 months and Bob really nails this one. Likewise, Boots of Spanish Leather is a real treat, the solos in it are truly beautiful and a wonder to behold. The aforementioned harmonica solo is joined by a beautiful violin solo by Elana. Bob looks on with a very unique facial expression of somber admiration for the talent on show.

The rockers are great to listen to. I always enjoy Highway 61 more on video than on audio boots, and this version is a scorcher. Tweedle dee has some real neat violin fills and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves on Honest with Me, with Bob letting out a huge big laugh halfway through. He even stops playing the keys for a while and heads out and does a little Bob-jig. As strange as this sounds, Floater is one of the highlights here too, Bob's phrasing on it is brilliant, and the twin violins suit the song well. It is also great to have the Hank Cochran cover, A-11, on video.

In terms of down points, there are pretty disappointing versions of Positively 4th street and It Aint Me Babe. The latter was a real classic from 2004 and one of my favourite arrangements, whatever has changed with the 2005 band has made it sound very anti-climatic. The actual audio source should have been edited a little as we're left with about 4 minutes of black screen and crowd noise between Summer Days and the encore. It is very annoying and would have been quite easy to fix at the editing stage.

I would recommend this DVD to anyone with a medium sized collection already, it is a good document of the Haggard tour of spring 2004. The unique camera position allows you to see another side (literally and figuratively) of the show, with a view of Bob's pile of lyrics sheets, the mixing desk and Donnie's arsenal of instruments during Hollis Brown. The camera doesn't move around enough and is wobbly at times, but there are some real corkers here, and it'll sit well in any collection of recent NET DVDs.