Live "live At The Paradiso" Official Thread, All info here Options

[SJN1279]

US release Date- November 11th on Vanguard Records (according to Amazon and Target)

http://www.amazon.com/Live-at-Paradiso-Ams...3318416&sr=8-21

Cover art found by Secretinsomnia is posted in another thread, hopefully he can repost it here. More info soon.

[dangum]

LIVE - Live At The Paradiso Amsterdam
Tuesday, 03 March 2009

Live onstage - at last the pictures to prove it

It's taken a while, around two decades in fact, but Live have finally released visual proof of their name. And the venue they've chosen is itself special. Amsterdam's Paradiso is a converted church complete with its ornate touches and stained glass windows rising above the stage - perfect for a rock ritual, especially with its smaller size and tiered balconies amplifying the atmosphere for the lucky few hundred who scored tickets. But first there's a set-up piece showing the band arriving in Holland, playing another gig, attending a fan meet'n'greet, doing a soundcheck, preparing backstage, etc. It's nothing you need to see too often, so there's an option to play the concert without it. The show itself delivers all you'd expect of a well-prepared DVD. A camera crew of seven, shooting over two nights (which creates the odd continuity problem) and fast-paced editing keeps the momentum up, and gives people plenty of room to participate. In fact, it's a key feature here. This Dutch crowd knows all the words and sings along with gusto. At one point, during Lightning Crashes, a woman old enough to be singer Ed Kowalczyk's mother, is crying right in the front row. And although there have been some online complaints about songs omitted (with some justification, since it only runs for 80 minutes, with no extras), the main ones like All Over You, Lakini's Juice, I Alone, The Dolphin's Cry are here, some 17 tracks in all - including a run-through of Johnny Cash's I Walk The Line. And if you think you can live without the pictures, a separately available CD cuts the between-song patter and drops three tracks for space reasons. But then, just to frustrate the diehards, it adds two new studio tracks, Forever and Purifier, at the end. Decisions, decisions.

*** 1/2 (CD/DVD)

BILL HOLDSWORTH

http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/13996/180/

*************

CLAP REALLY LOUD
Rave Magazine - Issue 880. March 3 - 9, 2009
Fact: ED KOWLCZYK does not spend his days meditating in an attempt to channel Buddha.
But, as the frontman of alt-rock legends LIVE, he does do a whole lot of other weird stuff, as NINA BERTOK finds out.

"We have this ritual where we clap really loud just before we go out on stage," Kowlczyk reveals. "It's definitely a superstitious thing, not to mention pretty cheesy, I know. But I certainly don't spend the whole day meditating and that kind of shocks people."

Fans of the deep four can strap themselves in for a lot more surprises when the band's first ever live DVD hits the shelves this week ... But considering the band's namesake - what the hell took so long?

"Well, that's the million dollar question," Kowlczyk admits. "We planned to do it quite a few times over he years and something else had always come up to take our attention away from it. Whatever the reason he situation just never seemed to be right. So in that sense I'm glad that it's only just happened now because we couldn't be more conifident in what we do on stage. The Amsterdam crowd was amazing, I was pleased with the band's performance and the venue was just incredible - it was this old protestant church converted into a rock venue which we thought was the perfect backdrop for Live's music."

Not only does the DVD provide insight into the band's off-stage antics, it showcases a couple of brand new tracks - a taste of things to come, perhaps?

"We're hoping to have a new album out within the year," Kowlczyk claims. "I'm always working on music so it's a constant work in progress. The two new songs we've got are called Forever and Purifier. The first one is really uplifting and talks about faith and holding onto the truth no matter what you're up against. And Purifier I just love, it's this wild and crazy blues-rock gospel number. We just don't want to rush an album
because we take our records seriously to make sure fans get us at our best. The melody is important but the lyrics more so I think. Back when we were 20 years old, people would say, 'your songs are so serious for your age', but now at 37 I feel like I can still sing the old songs and relate to them. I have two children now and Lightning Crashes was written way before them, so I think that's how you stay relevant, by being able to grow with your music."

Taking cue from musical giants like U2, John Lennon and Peter Gabriel also helps, according to Kowlczyk.

"Those people weren't afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves. They never hesitated to sing about what moved them, and that moved me. I've never had the desire to put on some kind of costume and do this for performance's sake while singing about something I didn't care about, and your fans can see through that. We take our fans seriously because they have always been so devotional - from Amsterdam to Australia - I think we have some of the most passionate fans out there."

LIVE AT THE PARADISO CD & DVD out now through Sony Music. Check out http://www.friendsoflive.com for more information.