Cheap Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium (Video) Price

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Customer Reviews of Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium

Joel in the House that Ruth Built
I confess: I am not an MTV watcher, nor have I watched many concerts on TV (unless you want to count Evening at Pops). So whether the camera handling or the stylistic virtues or lack thereof are not, sadly, in my purview. For me, this DVD is meaningful because (a) it was a gift and (b) it allows me to recall how much I enjoyed seeing Billy in concert in Miami a few months before this performance at Yankee Stadium.

Billy Joel - Live at Yankee Stadium was shot during his 1990 Storm Front tour, so fittingly songs from that 1989 album are showcased. The rest of the set list is devoted to "classics" such as "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" and "Miami 2017." The "live" part concludes, as did his Miami show in March of 1990, with a sing-along of "Piano Man." (That, though, is NOT the final song in the DVD; the end titles are accompanied by "And So It Goes," Joel's elegaic ode to doomed love. When I first watched this as an HBO special some years ago, that song just moved me to tears.)

While the choppy handheld camera angles and other '80s-vintage video conventions may distract other viewers, for me this gave me a better view of the concert than my crows' nest seat in the former Miami Heat basketball stadium. I really enjoy watching this concert video on my DVD player, both for the sheer pleasure of listening to my favorite pop singer and the feeling of "let's remember."

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Great to hear, painful to watch
It's hard to believe that this 1990 concert was filmed before "NYPD Blue" came out. Somebody thought it would be a good idea to use jumpy hand-held cameras and jumpier 80s-style video effects. It's as if they didn't have faith in the music or the HUGE turnout at a giant ballpark to set the moment. You don't get a chance to watch anyone perform because the camera is jumping around all over the place.

But pump the audio from this DVD through your big speakers and turn the TV off. NOW you get it! This is great music performed at a great concert with a lot of energy! These are great songs performed by talented musicans. Billy puts on an awesome performance. ESPECIALLY on "That's Not Her Style" and "Scenes From An Italian Resturant" (two live favorites that don't appear on Joel's earlier live albums).

Some audiophiles complain that the mix is stereo instead of 5.1; what can you do? That's how it was recorded in 1990. It doesn't diminish the performances and I think the mix is great. Too often live music gets tinkered with to give it a huge sound, or worse the crowd noises (which always sound canned) get too much play.

I think the audio is definitely worth listening to, but this DVD is too expensive to buy it just for the audio. Some extras would have gone a long way towards sofening the blow.

My advice: If you're a Billy Joel fan and you have the money, this is worth buying. Especially if you're a fan who wants something good to listen to and you're a little tired of listening to "Kouhept" or "Songs In The Attic". But if you're buying something to watch, you'll be disappointed.

There was better camera work in "The Blair Witch Project".

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A Storm Front concert with some Songs In The Attic
In June 1990,while still promoting the STORM FRONT album,Billy Joel pleased thousands of his fans at Yankee Stadium. This video concert is a sequel to "Live From Long Island",one of his 1982 concerts,then promoting THE NYLON CURTAIN. In addition to the title track,STORM FRONT tracks that Billy performs are THAT'S NOT HER STYLE and WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE. NEW YORK STATE OF MIND was ideal for this concert since Yankee Stadium is located in New York. A MATTER OF TRUST,from THE BRIDGE,doesn't sound very much like the studio track and the live version from KOHUEPT. On MIAMI 2017(SEEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT ON BROADWAY),from TURNSTILES,he slightly alters one lyric. The line that goes "before the Mafia,took over Mexico" was changed to "Jericho". It sounds a lot like the live version on SONGS IN THE ATTIC. Billy begins the concert with the classic "Take Me Out To The Ball Game",with many of the audience members singing along. At this point in Billy's career,he was devoting most of his time to his then-wife supermodel Christie Brinkley and their then 4-year-old daughter,Alexa Ray. No one knew then that Alexa Ray would become a "Piano Girl" like her father. Great concert! My copy of this perormance is on VHS. I also have "Live From Long Island".