BluRay Music Video Poll Led Zeppelin - CELEBRATION DAY [Blu-Ray Video]

[JonUrban]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2012 Blu-Ray Video release from Led Zeppelin.

PLEASE NOTE: The Audio-only Blu-Ray has it's own poll thread at the following link: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/showthread.php?16915

 

[Quad Linda]

I've been watching and listening to the Blu-Ray and CD's for a couple weeks now. This is a great Blu-Ray. I'm tempted to give this an 8 or 9, because it's missing some of the energy they had 40 years ago, and the surround effect is minimal and mainly audience. Yet, the performance and material are stellar, the audio and video quality are very good. Jason Bonham is a terrific drummer. So, what the hell, 10.

 

[neil wilkes]

Jason has indeed done a superb job, and whilst they are indeed no longer in their prime, the same power is on offer here I think. 40 years on, Led Zep can still out perform most of todays so-called "star acts" and Percy's voice has lost very little indeed. I agree the surround is not aggressive - but what it does do is gives you the impression you are there with the best seats in the house. Also interesting is the way that what looks like bootleg footage has been cut into the film as well, almost subliminally telling you that this is the better way to experience the show.
Let's get into the content though.
Starting off with the menus (which look outstanding to me - extremely well done and well worth picking apart to discover how it was done) it is apparent that a lot of care & time has been taken here, and when we get into the film it startswith old newsreel footage from Tampa to build up the anticipation, and when the show starts properly with "Good Times Bad Times" it is apparent that they are having a ball onstage with any previous frictions not at all apparent asthey look like a band having fun as a band - Page & Plant are never far away from each other and it is as if they are onstage at the Whiskey on Sunset Boulevard rather than in what can best be described as a converted aircraft hanger.

The surround mix is not very agressive, true (we've mentioned this already) but you do feel part of the show - and the lightshow with the LED back projections is again outstanding. They have spared no expense at all here and it shows.

Perhaps the only downside to these packages (there's the clue) are that there are so many variations on offer. There is the regular CD, the 2CD/BDMV/DVD package (this one, with the DVD containing rehearsal footage from Shepperton Studios) and the BD-A version for those who don't want concert film or the extras. There is also a 2DVD version, but cannot comment on this yet as it has not turned up so I have now got 3 packages with no less than 4 versions of the show......but it's Led Zep, so who cares?

The Bonus DVD is very interesting - sadly in stereo only but still LPCM at least - which contains soundstage rehearsals of the final dress rehearsal. It's fascinating as the main lighting rig is there minus the LED projections but curiously with the big screen, and the sound is a lot rawer than the main show - which means that they either got a lot better or the main footage audio has been extensively massaged.......quality is on a par with some of the better soundboard bootlegs available and reveals the cruelty of age on Percy's vocal - especially apparent on "Black Dog" where the high notes are just not there. That said, it is a rehearsal and rehearsals - even post production dress rehearsals - never have the same energy as the actual show does with the adrenaline surging as the main footage has the same vocal range but a hell of a lot more feel to it.
Side note - whatever possessed Page to wear tails??? Fashion Police, take note.

In summary (and I could bang on for pages here - no pun intended) this is a cracking show. If surround is your bag then you need the BD version in one form or another and if you only want to buy it once, get the BD/DVD version and stick the CD's in the car. It's worth the double package for the bonus stuff from Shepperton and the lossless surround.
If stereo is your thing, still get the double pack as 24-bit is better than 16.
If you do not care about watching the film, get the Audio BluRay version - it is *not* Pure Audio BluRay, that is a different (and patented) format but it behaves in pretty much the same manner.

Recommended.

 

[kvsawilson]

Great music. Great performance. Great disc. As a surround demo, it isn't that impressive. But it sounds like a concert with great acoustics. As I grew up listening to these guys, this is awesome to see them performing these songs so well at this point on the calendar. For me, it doesn't get better than this.

K

 

[filper]

Amazing release.

I was on the fence over seeing the boys again, but the performances are exemplary.

I don't like the fast edit cuts and I think Jimmy should have dyed his hair just one more time.

 

[elmer]

While there are notable exceptions - mainly in the live surround mixing of Elliot Scheiner and Steven Wilson, a vast majority of live concert Blu Ray mixes are crowd and ambience/room in the rears. I have a large collection but by no means exhaustive. While there are definite turkeys, my home theater system combined with the right content provides me with a stellar "you are there" experience. When I first got into surround (I am a relative late bloomer compared to many here), I suffered a great deal of rear speaker anxiety - I spent more time trying to detect a discrete signal coming out of the speaker than actually listening to the music. Having spent a career in the music industry and having been privy to many special live events, I can now, in my "golden years," relish those exclusive experiences in my living room. I have never attended a live show that was mixed for surround - yet many of those concerts I attended were truly the most exciting and memorable experiences of my life. What I look for in a live BD presentation is a true sense of being there. Yes, it is cool when the strings or horns and background chicks sing behind me, but they are by no means the exclusive reason for my rapture.

Celebration Day represents a thrilling moment in rock history - 3 gunslingers and the son of the long lost brother separated for years by ego and bruised feelings get together one last time and NAIL IT TO THE WALL. The final moment during "Rock N Roll" when Plant, Page and Jones look back at Jason Bonham with love, amazement, pride and pure joy is quite unforgettable - not once did my ears pull back to the rears to detect some discrete flurry - I was there - and a pretty damn good seat for the price too!

My overall point here is that there are plenty great live BD concerts that can be enjoyed on this level that I feel (at least IMO) that many members here would otherwise reject simply because of the lack of a discrete mix - a shame really - so many incredible MUSICAL moments to experience. Anyway, a 10!

 

[rugene]

While there are notable exceptions - mainly in the live surround mixing of Elliot Scheiner and Steven Wilson, a vast majority of live concert Blu Ray mixes are crowd and ambience/room in the rears. I have a large collection but by no means exhaustive. While there are definite turkeys, my home theater system combined with the right content provides me with a stellar "you are there" experience. When I first got into surround (I am a relative late bloomer compared to many here), I suffered a great deal of rear speaker anxiety - I spent more time trying to detect a discrete signal coming out of the speaker than actually listening to the music. Having spent a career in the music industry and having been privy to many special live events, I can now, in my "golden years," relish those exclusive experiences in my living room. I have never attended a live show that was mixed for surround - yet many of those concerts I attended were truly the most exciting and memorable experiences of my life. What I look for in a live BD presentation is a true sense of being there. Yes, it is cool when the strings or horns and background chicks sing behind me, but they are by no means the exclusive reason for my rapture.

Celebration Day represents a thrilling moment in rock history - 3 gunslingers and the son of the long lost brother separated for years by ego and bruised feelings get together one last time and NAIL IT TO THE WALL. The final moment during "Rock N Roll" when Plant, Page and Jones look back at Jason Bonham with love, amazement, pride and pure joy is quite unforgettable - not once did my ears pull back to the rears to detect some discrete flurry - I was there - and a pretty damn good seat for the price too!

My overall point here is that there are plenty great live BD concerts that can be enjoyed on this level that I feel (at least IMO) that many members here would otherwise reject simply because of the lack of a discrete mix - a shame really - so many incredible MUSICAL moments to experience. Anyway, a 10!

I agree with you, feel the same way, the SW mixes are top, Rush mixes are also good, and i think we can get a better percentage of great surround mixes with a dvd-audio than a blu-ray. Led Zep's surround is not too bad, but not at the same level of SW, but this is a excellent show to have on BR.

 

[MyCuff]

Great content, great sound, and Surround sound consistent with a concert experience. I gave it a 9. They were all nearly spot on. Plant's voice was actually much better than I expected, and seemed to loosen up after a couple of songs. I never got to see them live (my older sister did in St louis in 75) so this is the next best thing.

 

[Beelz]

What a great fuckin' show! I gave it a 9 'cos it's mainly ambiance in the backs, but there are some cool effects there as well. I had to wait for Dazed and Confused to hear that they at least kept the '73 (or '76 ) mix in there!
I saw Page-Plant in '95 and for me, that was my Zeppelin gig. This one, while truer to the legacy, is up there with it. I wish I could have attended, but am so glad they recorded it they way they did, for all of us to enjoy for eternity!
I will watch this many times for sure! If you're even a casual Zep fan, you have to get this!

 

[kap'n krunch]

My take on the DVD (DTS 48/24-yes it sounds great...this kind of music barely improves on 96/24,...but personally I'd have liked a 96/24 Surround stream...but hey! I'm hard to please that way...that's why I can't understand that they did not include a 96/24 mix in the BluRay, it's not like they don't have space!!!)

To kick it off .... my Lovely Lis' take on the subject(she watched it with me): "Two things that haven't changed are:Bobby's hair and John Paul Jones"...

They were KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES!!!!(hadn't they been rehearsing for six months, according to Jason?)

Jason...I was never too impressed by his drumming early on in his career, but I guess he has matured into an incredible player...what I noticed was that he is "dragger" as opposed to his Dad, who was a "rusher", especially playing fills, so it makes the group sound much more solid that it usually did...and the fact that, in spite of being the youngest one, he is the ONLY bald one is quite ironic....

Percy..great job-this is what an aged Lion looks like too, although looking a bit heavier than normal, but -hey , he's been singing for 45+ years ..!!( very tasteful choice of lower alternate melodies when he couldn't reach the original higher range..and he was still belting it at certain sections too..)- can't blame him for calling off a tour..the "beast" of Led Zeppelin was awoken that night ,and it was scary; the consequences it would have created would've been HUGE!

Jonesy..he was SO HAPPY to be there, and at the same time, he had a stare saying "you bastards, you hadn't invited me to a LZ reunion since Live Aid..you see the difference I MAKE??? I make this sound RIGHT, cause I was the one who did it in the first place". Hey , at last technology caught up with their sound and keyboards sound like they SHOULD. And.... he is the youngest-looking one of the group.

And, Jimminy, making his strange faces , playing with just the perfect degree of sloppiness...wasn't he totally grey haired by this time?? ..anyway, he ALWAYS looked OLD, wearing TWEED back in 1970..what a dork!...love 'im ...Capricorns..., btw, isn't he one of the wealthiest Musicians???...

Mixwise.. a normal "modern" mix: everything AND the kitchen sink...way too many delays, choruses, heavy EQ, stereo imaging processing, sub harmonic boosters, harmonic exciters..you name it they did it..(except for that abomination called "AutoTune")..and IF they did any post production "cheating", it was kept to a minimum.

Menu wise...sigh..when are they EVER GONNA LEARN?????
NO..stop...MUSIC...stop..IN THE MENUS....stop....

I give it a 10, cause they were Zeppelin again that night..AND , in spite of taking them freakin' FIVE YEARS to release it...they did...

 

[John Svensson]

Has been in heavy, heavy rotation.....took 1 point for the surround mix. I can't get Misty Mountain Hop out of my head now!!! help....
must revisit when their catalouge gets the re-release shortly.

 

[inquadwetrust]

Led Zeppelin. Jason Bonham. Turn it up. Turn it up a bit more. Play 'The Song Remains The Same' three times in a row to savour the swirl pan during the drum breakdown. Grin widely throughout. A glorious noise that defies the years and makes you feel alive. Bask in it, revel in it, revere it, occasionally question what could of been but always remember what was. 10.

 

[shokhead]

Great, great concert. Shocked how good Plant sounded. As far as the Blu-Ray sound, so so. Not bad but sure could have been better. P Tree level it's not and the CD's are about the same. I think they must have let Page get his fingers in it. Still worth every single penny.

 

[keenly]

Not a great 5.1 mix. Rears barely used for the most part which annoys me.