Stevie Wonder – Live at Last

This is Stevie’s first ever official DVD release! Filmed at the O2 Arena, London, UK on September 30th and October 1st, 2008 in front of 15,000 people, this show was part of the A Wonder Summer Nights Tour which visited the US, Europe and the UK as well as Australia and New Zealand. [credit: Amazon.com]

Blu-ray Cover	01. Intro / All Blues
	02. As If You Could Read My Mind
	03. Master Blaster (Jammin’)
	04. Did I Hear You Say You Love Me
	05. All I Do
	06. Knocks Me Off My Feet
	07. UK Medley
	08. Higher Ground
	09. Spain
	10. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing
	11. Visions
	12. Living For The City
	13. Part-Time Lover
	14. Overjoyed
	15. Lately
	16. I’m Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life
	17. My Cherie Amour
	18. Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)
	19. Sir Duke
	20. I Wish
	21. Isn’t She Lovely
	22. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
	23. I Just Called To Say I Love You
	24. You Are The Only One (Snippet)
	25. Superstition
	26. So What The Fuss
	27. As

Jammin' the MOTIF & Clavi

Yeah, that’s right, Stevie’s first-ever, official DVD release. Better late than never, but honestly, with as many chart-toppers as he, I wonder how (or more importantly) why he hasn’t released any DVDs before now. I mean, his work has long been a part of American pop culture and cherished all over the globe. There’s no denying his iconic status. Few have ever reached such world-wide acclaim. His feel-good songs are genuine and have his distinct flavor that melds funk, soul, disco, pop, etc.

Manning the grand.

Ok, on to the concert video… It is a great package of the Stevie Wonder hits from his long career. Um, yeah, it is very enjoyable to behold. Toes will tap, heads will bob and some may breakout with a full-fledged sing-a-long.

Stevie is on his game. Maybe some voices really do season with age. He sounded really great. Great control, range and tone. He held his own on the keys but wasn’t quite as flashy there. Very enjoyable, nonetheless. He pulled out the harmonica a few times and also did a lengthy medley/jam featuring his signature vocoder sound.

Stevie’s band is world-class and off the charts. They’re very smooth and tuned into one another very tightly. The arrangements had some nice variations but, ultimately held true to the original studio recordings. As a drummer, I found myself fixated on the drummer and two percussionists who were peppering in some great stuff to each song.

My only disappointments with the concert video is that, although there’s a full Roland V-Drum kit on stage (next to Stevie’s piano and keyboards), he never uses it. I know that he does have occasion to play the drums during his shows — would’ve been nice to see it here. Also, I felt that his daughter’s song wasn’t really fitting with the rest of the show and wasn’t especially strong (would have been better-suited in a smaller, club setting – not a huge, outdoor arena).

I pre-ordered the Blu-ray disc version of this concert video for only $18. The audio fidelity and video quality is superb. Live concerts are very challenging to compress well. They did a great job with this disc. My only disappointment was that there weren’t any disc extras (almost mandatory on Blu-ray). I would have really appreciated some behind-the-scenes featurettes or band rehearsals/interviews, etc. Still, even if you are just a casual Stevie Wonder fan, this disc is a must-own. You won’t regret the purchase. It’s so good!