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100 Best Madison Square Garden Shows - The 2000s

Spectacle - Elvis Costello with… - Season One (2008 – 2009/VSC/Rocket/(Red) Wire/Sundance/MVD Visual DVD)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: C+     Episodes: B

 

 

Without a doubt the best new talk show in years is Spectacle – Elvis Costello with… has played exclusively on the Sundance Channel as a co-production of the network (one of the best networks with one of their best original programs to date.  A limited success that deserves to be one of the biggest hits on TV and hopefully will.  I have not enjoyed a new show this much since Big Bang Theory, proving that there is still a big audience for excellent television.

 

The amazing roster of guest stars for this First Season include Elton John, President Bill Clinton, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, The Police, Smokie Robinson, Rufus Wainwright, Jakob Dylan, Jenny Lewis, Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock, Kris Kristofferson, Rosanne Cash, Norah Jones, John Mellencamp, James Taylor, Renee Fleming and other guest musicians.  For the first time in decades, this is a roster that is not from a foreign TV series or classic series being reissued on DVD and that is long overdue.

 

Costello is an excellent host and his scholarship on music, history and pop culture adds dimension to the show that most could never pull off.  He loves music as he has proved in his work and otherwise and the show offers much music education for those serious about music and the arts in general.  There is also more talk about the industry in general that is rich and makes each episode a true cultural event.  The result is a show that is on its way to being a classic and if we are lucky, they are only just warming up.

 

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is one of the best in-studio HD shoots we’ve seen to date, well-lit, exceptionally colorful, well-shot and with a better atmosphere than most HDTV productions today.  This DVD version has some detail issues and other imperfections here and there, but color saves the day along with the many better shots we get.  This is also available on Blu-ray.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is better than the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and has both good surrounds and well-recorded sound overall; especially good for the many music numbers performed throughout.  The Blu-ray may even have better sonics.  Extras include four bonus songs and an interview section with many of the guest stars, plus a nice color booklet inside the foldout DigiPak case.

 

 

For more on Costello, try these links:

 

The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello – The Videos (DVD)

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2853/The+Right+Spectacle:+The+Very+Best

 

Elvis Costello & The Impersonators – Club Date: Live In Memphis (Blu-ray)

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4587/Elvis+Costello+&+The+Imposters

 

My Aim Is True (1977) – Deluxe Edition CD Set

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6430/Elvis+Costello+%E2%80%93+My+Aim

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo