[.uk] **** Live In Phoenix

A Very Strong Album:
Rock has meshed into so many sound alike bands over the years, but Fall Out Boy have remained true to their roots, giving fans a little extra with pyrotechnics at their shows for all their googles of girly fans. At a time now with more rap artists like 50 cent, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne dominating the music charts, shoving rock musicians out of the way, it's been harder for the full style rock bands to make it big. Fall Out Boy have been deemed one of the last alternative rock bands to succeed. So with the release of "Live In Phoenix" Fall Out Boy have proven that the alternative/rock/indie scene isn't dead quite yet. Their songs are sharp, witty, crafty and with pop anthems to the T. This CD/DVD also features a live show to prove it. Live In Phoenix is a heck of a show for any fan, even if you own the previous albums. It has "This Ain't A Scene"& "Dance, Dance" that fans have loved. It is a record for new Fall Out Boy fans, giving them not only their live vibe, but hits from all prior albums. It was filmed on the band's 2007 Phoenix, Arizona stop of the Honda Civic Tour and opens with "Thriller", which is quite amusing. They seem to still have the connections to fans that they had in the beginning and adding more. The CD version replaces "Beat It" with studio version that features John Mayer. The album is strong and is definitely worth the money, because you get the both of both worlds. They will probably be around for a long time.

Finally!!! Their first concert DVD!!!:
When I received the newsletter from FOB's official website, saying that they released their first concert DVD, I was soooo happy!!!!!! A couple of weeks later, I ordered it, here on Amazon.com! Usually, I receive an item 10-15 days after I order it, but this time I waited a little bit longer... When I picked it up in the post-office, I came home, and watched it completely! I was soooo happy to find the DVD contain the concert, Behind the scene footage and music videos! I can say that it made my expectations, and I'm completely satisfied!! :)

Not good, but it's not FOB's fault:
It sounds like FOB put on a good show, but the sound quality of this disc is pretty awful. I don't know if it's a matter of mixing, recording, or a production issue. Id consider describing it as if someone were sitting in the crowd with a tape recorder. It has a heavy midrange sound, and little treble or bass. They didnt pick up highs or lows well, and lead vocals occasionally drown out the guitars. Again, not the band's issue...obvioulsly, as they sound great on albums. Another review here mentioned they didnt even include the entire set. The included songs are some of their best, so there's no complaints here. The other thing I have to laugh about, is when Patrick lets the crowd sing, it sounds like the entire crowd consists of teenagers...not that I should be shocked about this. I typically don't enjoy live albums, they tend stray too far from the way the original songs sounded in the studio. However, you can't help but get into the energy the band portrays here. I guess I'll just have to wait for a better quality release of a live set.

I'd rather listen to the studio tracks....:
I just purchased FOB's new live album today, and after the first listen and watching the DVD, I have to say that they cannot pull off their material live. Vocals were consistently out of tune, and as the show was energetic, it lacked musically. As a concertgoer I want to hear how the songs sound on the records, and well, Fall Out Boy cannot quite grasp the musical level in live performance. Are they just a studio band? Also the crowd on the DVD was lackluster. I've seen more lively reactions at a Celine Dion concert (sarcasam mode turned off). Poor production, and a sloppy live performance give this album 2 stars from me. I think I'll just stick to listening to the studio records.

3 stars for the set list only. Should be 2 stars:
I love FOB. Always have. All their albums are great, however I never realized how much editing has gone into each one. The vocals on this album are awful. It's very disappointing since the set list is a perfect combination of old and new songs. Like I said in the title it gets 3 stars because of the songs, but it is brutal listening to every song being song off key. This could have been an awesome disc. I'm sure the concert was great though since everyone was singing all the lyrics loud enough to drown out the bad intonation.