Jeff Buckley - Live in Chicago

The name Jeff Buckley is not known to a lot of people. Yet Australia took to him years ago, in turn becoming one of the biggest markets for his music. Ask one of his fans what they see and hear in his music, and you’ll probably get a blank stare in return.

“What do I hear in his music? What DON’T I hear, is more like it.�

Jeff Buckley had a voice that could soar through the sweetest most emotional tunes like Hallelujah, or ooze a raw primitive edginess when fronting a live and angry version of Eternal Life.

But what was it that endeared him to his fans? With answers different to any individual who found some resonance in his songs with their own needs, possibly it was that he was a reflection of the more emotional, sensitive side that many people wanted in their music. Freed from bombastic meaningless rock with endless heartless riffs and forgettable lyrics, Jeff Buckley infused his songs with a deep commitment to the feeling of the words, and released that emotion through a voice which had you literally knocked back in your seat in amazement. Where did that God-given voice emanate from? After literally hundreds of hours of listening to his music, that question still begs for an answer.

This DVD captures the soul of just one of his concert experiences. Recorded at the Cabaret Metro on July 13 1995, Jeff and his band work through a set of 13 songs, built from his original works and many covers which he made his own with his unique talent. They are: Dream Brother, Lover You Should've Come Over, Mojo Pin, So Real, Last Goodbye, Eternal Life, Kick Out the Jams, Lilac Wine, What Will You Say, Grace, Vancouver, Kanga Roo and Hallelujah.

On May 29th, 1997, at the age of 30, Jeff Buckley drowned in the Wolf River, Memphis.

Shot on video and shown here in 1.33:1, the picture is bright (for the lit stage areas anyway) and fairly well detailed. It does have that slightly harsh characteristic of video, but this also tends to suit the proceedings rather than being a smoothly polished affair such as one off film. The colours are good, and it manages the halos thrown up around the band by the spot lights well. Darker areas around and behind the stage aren't that detailed, but who cares? The attention on this DVD is front and centre on Jeff Buckley (or front and stage left, as it turns out, what with his habit of standing off to the left to feel like one of the boys and not the central showman). Whatever failings the DVD may show up, and there aren't really any worthy of listing, the fact that this is probably one of - if not the only - entire live concerts shot before Jeff's untimely death basically means that his fans are going to be happy with what they see, and Sony have wisely decided to not give his fans anything to complain about.

The audio is selectable from either a PCM stereo track or Dolby Digital 5.1 remix. The PCM track is much more full bodied and warmer than the slightly thin sounding 5.1 mix (not to mention also much louder, which would subjectively "assist" it). On the other hand, selecting the stereo PCM track you lose the mostly wraparound extended stereo feel of the rear channels in DD mode. This isn’t a big loss to be truthful, as the effect and ambience of trying to recreate the “like being there� experience is a little light and only mildly effective in recreating the sensation of being at the performance. Aside from some noticeable background hiss present in both formats, the sound from either will satisfy those after a slice of Jeff Buckley's live musical experience, with the only decision being whether you prefer the stereo or surround version. Why not play both both a few times each? He still sounds good, no matter which you choose, so it's a win-win situation.

Admittedly, I would have been more than content with just the main concert and no extras. But, the powers that be saw it fit to include a few features to extend the worth of the purchase and our exposure to Jeff. Two of his more popular songs, So Real and Last Goodbye, from his first major release Grace, are presented in acoustic form. Also included is the EPK which I believe has been shown on Rage once or twice in the past, intercut with his live performances and music videos. Considering the lack of available material on Buckley, fans will lap up both extras (and whatever else they can get of his) so this set gets the appreciative nod from me.

With the release of Dream Brother (the biography of Jeff and his '60s musician father Tim) there was a bit of a resurgence in people playing their Jeff Buckley CDs, recapturing the brilliance and subtlety of his voice. I know that's certainly the case with me, the book making a very welcome Christmas present from my wife, who is also a fan. While writing this review I've played through my Grace, Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk and Mystery White Boy CDs a few times - tha latter of which has now been packaged with Live in Chicago in a one DVD/one CD set under a name which some marketing person somewhere is no doubt mighty proud of, Now See Hear - often stopping just to listen to the music.

However sad (and often unexpected) it is when the time comes for a great talent - regardless of age - to depart, we should consider ourselves lucky that we live in a day and age where the popular media legacy left behind affords us the opportunity to view them in their craft for years to come. It's not the real thing, but it's easily the next best thing to being there.