A Concert by the Lake (Blu-ray Review)

Perhaps the poshest charity gig ever.

If you’re the sort that pays attention to the music scene in your city, you’ve likely noticed that
members of one band will often turn up in recordings for another, and that groups will frequently
dissolve and reform from a shuffling cast of familiar names and faces and playing styles. Every so
often, if the musicians are renowned enough for their respective projects, they coalesce into a so-
called supergroup. Obviously, this is no new phenomenon, but the idea of the supergroup really to...

Video

Shot on high-definition video and given a 1080i/AVC encode, A Concert By The Lake is as
clear as unmuddied waters on Blu-ray. I’ve reviewed a number of similar concert discs recently,
and
this one has been the best of the bunch in terms of picture quality. For these kinds of releases,
it’s
not unusual to see errant aliasing, weak contrast, and angry swarms of video noise, but this is
one
is largely free of any compression-related problems, has inky and consistent black level...

Audio

For some reason, the disc defaults to a Linear PCM 2.0 stereo mix—which is strong—but the
meatiest offering here is its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. This soundboard mix is tight,
clean, and undeniably “live,” with an open, airy quality that captures the concert’s outdoors
ambience. That’s not to say it isn’t grounded, as the various instruments all have heft and
presence, from Eric Clapton’s sweetly overdriven solos to the rock solid bass, which is deep and
defined. The horn...

Supplements

Interviews (SD, 9:50)
The only bonus feature included on the disc is this short featurette, which includes interviews with
nearly all of the musicians involved with the concert, as well as footage of the Band du Lac
practicing in what looks to be an elementary school auditorium.

...

Final Words

A Concert By The Lake is a solid night of cover songs by an all-star house band of middle-
aged British rockers. Obviously, this isn’t for everyone, but if you like concerts on Blu-ray and you’re
a fan of Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, or Gary Brooker, you might want to give this one a rental at least.
A portion of the sales of this release goes to HASTE, so if heart health is a cause that’s near and
dear to you—as it likely is for these aging rock stars—you may want to consider a purc......

Read full review: Blu-ray.com

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A Concert by the Lake (Blu-ray Review)