Dvd 1999

Erstwhile 10,000 Maniacs frontwoman Natalie Merchant continues her highly successful solo career with LIVE IN CONCERT, a show that was recorded at New York's Neil Simon Theater. The set opens, somewhat appropriately, with one of the songs that got Merchant's solo career off to a blazing start, "Wonder." As she usually does in live performance, Merchant plays with the lyrical phrasing of the song to add unexpected melisma and daring tonal gambits. Merchant lends the dark and ephemeral "San Andreas Fault" a lightly sultry quality not found on the studio version. Other familiar favorites include "Beloved Wife," "Carnival," and "Ophelia." Merchant revisits the Maniacs' catalog only once, for a rousing take on "Gun Shy." Two unexpected covers spice the middle of the set: a haunting and powerful reading of David Bowie's "Space Oddity," and a beautiful take on Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush".

Five-time Grammy winner Christopher Cross performs all his classic hits as well as newer material in this concert DVD. The image is a standard full-frame 1.33:1 transfer. English soundtracks are available in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo. There are no subtitles available, and neither of the soundtracks are closed-captioned. In addition to the hit-packed set list, the DVD contains a behind-the-scenes interview with Christopher Cross, a biography and discography, and a photo gallery. Michael McDonald makes a guest appearance.