Dokken are a rock band from the mid-eighties who enjoyed major success in the US, Europe and Japan until their demise in 1988. They got back together in 1995 and kicked off their reunion with the acoustic show Dokken – One Live Night, which received a great response from their fan base. This was encouragement enough for them to go back on tour and to continue recording.

After releasing the album Dysfunctional in 1995, guitarist George Lynch once again decided he couldn’t work with Don Dokken and left the band. His replacement Reb Beach stated from the outset that he had his own style of playing and promised fans that he wouldn’t attempt to copy the former artist. This fact not only gained respect from the fans, but also from the current band members.

Dokken – Live From the Sun captures the band in full flight playing the way they do best. Recorded at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim, California in 1999, this is a great show and a much better showcase of the band than their One Live Night acoustic show, which was good in its own right, but not the Dokken the fans really want to see.

Track listing:

The band is in fine form for this show and even those that have never heard of them before should find enjoyment here. Performing to an adoring crowd, the enthusiasm is contagious and the band react to this by putting on one great show. The one minor annoyance with this show is the use of visual effects throughout. The screen constantly contains multiple screens and during the song In My Dreams the band's video is shown simultaneously. Many fans, however, may enjoy this form of editing so it comes down to personal choice.

Sadly since this concert the line up of the band has again changed. Bassist Jeff Pilson has gone off to work with former guitarist George Lynch and new guitarist Reb Beach has also left. The only remaining original member is drummer “Wild� Mick Brown, alongside band creator Don Dokken.

The immediate thought with this release, after watching the terrible transfer offered on One Live Night was the expectation of a not so good video transfer. Thankfully a pleasant surprise was in store. This is not perfect by any means, but at least this time around the constant blurred image is not so evident. Presented in full frame, image is reasonably sharp throughout. Taking into account this is a live performance and the usual problems encountered with stage lighting and such, this is a good transfer. Colours are reasonable and shadow detail is sometimes a problem, but still quite good for a live show. Aliasing is an issue in the usual places, as is some colour bleeding, but these are also commonplace in concerts so are acceptable. The video offered on the bonus acoustic tracks is much poorer than the live show, but as this is only bonus material, it is sufficient. Spanish subtitles are available for the interview sections and please also note that this is an NTSC only release.

Audio supplied is a choice of Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 and both are very good. Vocals are clear at all times and separation is used well. The 5.1 track is the better choice of the two as it provides a much better concert feel through the use of the rear speakers. Audio synch is never a problem and the subwoofer gets a solid workout. Overall a decent soundtrack that captures the concert well.

A couple of good extras are offered with this release. Firstly are the two Bonus Unplugged tracks, Walk Away and Will the Sun Rise. Running for just over nine minutes in total, these are a nice extra for fans, even though the video quality is below par. The next extra is the Band Interviews which looks at how the band formed and its history. This is a very informative feature that runs for 12:51. Next are a couple of web links for fans to get up to date information. Lastly is a Gallery broken up into two sections. First up is an art gallery feature containing six pictures of the art of Don Dokken and second is a photo gallery which contains 12 pictures from the live show.

Overall this is a fine concert performance from a band that most in this country will have never heard of. For fans of this genre, this is a great introduction to the band and with some decent extras included it is, quite importantly, value for money.