Disco de Suzanne Vega: “Live at Montreux 2004 [DVD/CD]”

I've always been enamored of Suzanne Vega's intelligent, anecdotal songwriting and feathery, waif-like delivery. The songs here are impeccably performed with a mostly restrained but expert and well-rehearsed backing trio of guitar, bass, and drums. On only one tune is there the industrial backing rhythm which was indicative of a few of her recordings from the '90s. Vega exudes a genial presence with the enthusiastic late-night Montreux audience.

What stands out is the fine high-definition camera work as well as the transparent post-editing which lends a most appropriate viewing ambience and rhythm to the performances. Close-ups are steady and crystal clear. The set is lengthy enough to make for a fine DVD document that should please all fans. Also included are three tunes from Vega's 2000 Montreux appearance, as well as a CD of the main concert.

I have to correct Amazon's product description as the main program is presented in 16x9 format (1.78:1).

2 disc,dd and dts 5.1 ,16:9 main show Dvd and cd year 2004,bonus tracks year 2000.Dvd run time 90min.dvd 18 tracks,cd 12 tracks

good quality.

This is a great concert video of Suzanne's 2004 performance at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. Great versions of some of her best songs. The concert takes place in a larger theater but Suzanne's performance in combination with the lighting, camera angles and closeups end up creating a very intimate ambiance that becomes more comfortable as the show progresses. High points for me include her performance of "Caramel," the story behind "Gypsy," her versions of "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Have You Met Miss Jones" a jazz song written in the forties she closed with. The DVD includes bonus tracks from her performance at the festival in 2000 opening for Lou Reed. I agree with other reviewers that the performance, lighting and sound are better on the bonus tracks than the main concert itself and as it's just three songs it does seem like a bit of a teaser.

There are two versions of this DVD and this is the collector's version which comes with a cd of the performance. Unless you feel you need it, it's not really worth paying the extra money to get the cd because it does not include "Behind Blue Eyes" or "Have You Met Miss Jones" the two songs she covers during the show and really does a wonderful job with. The songs that do appear on the cd you can get better versions of from the albums they appear on and I was a little dissapointed in the absence of these two songs on the cd. It would have been really been great to have them! All in all a great concert DVD. I've seen her in concert twice and while it doesn't represent her best performance, it's certainly worth owning. Great for fans, especially for the two songs listed above which I don't believe you can find elsewhere. Also great if you've never seen her in concert before, you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home.