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Heaven & Hell - Neon Nights, Live In Europe (2010/DVD5)

Gig Heaven & Hell at the scene of the famous Wacken Festival in Germany, as part of the tour, in support of his album, Devil You Know, released earlier this year. The detailed description you can see the tracklist, with additional content contained on the disk, as well as information about the quality of DVD video.

Year: 2010
Genre: Hard 'n' Heavy
Length: 2:29:41
Label: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Quality: DVD5 (compressed)
Format: DVD video
Video codec: MPEG2
Audio Codec: AC3
Video: MPEG 2, 720x480 (16 / 9), 29.970 fps, 4897 Kbps, NTSC
Audio: AC-3, 48.0 KHz, 2 ch, 192 Kbps, CBR
Audio2: AC-3, 48.0 KHz, 6 ch, 448 Kbps, CBR
Audio3: DTS, 48.0 KHz, 6 ch, 1510 Kbps, CBR

On Thursday July 30th 2009 Heaven & Hell took to the stage at the famous Wacken Festival in Germany as part of the tourin support of their album The Devil You Know, released earlier in the year. Although nobody knew at the time, it was to beRonnie James Dio s last filmed concert appearance before his death in May 2010 from stomach cancer. Heaven & Hell wereon fantastic form and played a set blending tracks from the newly released album with classics from their Black Sabbathdays. This is a truly fitting tribute to one of the legendary voices of rock.

Tracklist:

01. E5150
02. The Mob Rules
03. Children of the Sea
04. I
05. Bible Black
06. Time Machine
07. Fear
08. Falling Off the Edge of the World
09. Follow The Tears
10. Die Young
11. Heaven and Hell
12. Encore: Country Girl
13. Neon Knights

30th Anniversary Interviews:
Ronnie James Dio
Geezer Butler
Vinny Appice
Tony Iommi

Additional Information:
Heaven & Hell had already released a previous concert DVD, Live at Radio City Music Hall (2007), but this show is particular poignant, since it's the last recorded concert that Dio would ever give. As such, it's easy to forgive some of the show's flaws and just appreciate Dio's irrefutable talents for one last time. Dio was nearly sixty by the time of this concert, so while his voice isn't as nimble as it was when he originally recorded many of the songs here, it's still surprisingly strong and clear. There are a few missed notes here and there but for most of the concert he proves why he's one of the most revered singers in metal. What's more, his unflagging energy, all the way until the end, is truly astounding. Since none of the other band members are especially lively stage performers, it's up to Dio to play to the crowd and while some of his stage patter is slightly corny, he nonetheless provides much of the show's excitement. As for Iommi and Butler, it's always a pleasure to see the two of them play together. For most of the '80s and '90s, Iommi led various versions of Black Sabbath in which he was surrounded entirely by hired hands, so seeing him reunite with Butler, who was his closest creative collaborator during the band's glory days, is a real treat for Sabbath fans. The set list is well-chosen, with a healthy sampling from all of the albums the band made together and picking most of the best songs. Even the newer songs from The Devil You Know, especially the brutal "Follow the Tears," are well-performed. Far from seeming bored or sloppy, the band gives their all on even the lesser songs, so while this may not capture Sabbath during their peak years, it's still a good concert for fans to see.

Technically, the show is first-rate. Shot on video, the anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer is stellar, showing off the concert perfectly. The two 5.1 mixes, both DTS and Dolby, are nicely balanced, giving plenty of kick to the guitars and drums but also letting Dio's vocals shine front and center. The extras are also excellent. The DVD comes with one hour's worth of interviews with the band members (except Warren). They discuss the complete history of Dio's time in Sabbath, how the band's albums were written and recorded, and all of the reunions and breakups in candid detail. For Sabbath fans, these interviews are almost worth the price of the DVD alone. Also included are brief one-minute tributes to Dio by Iommi, Butler, and Appice.