Motley Crue-Carnival of Sins (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Introduction Menu Animation & Audio Custom Play-Jukebox Featurette-Inside The Big Top: A Mötley Docrüementary Featurette-Blow It Up Featurette-Mötley Crüe's Greatest *its Featurette-Meet And Greet Short Film-Disaster! The Movie (Clay Animation) Music Video-On With The Show - Time Lapse View Music Video-If I Die Tomorrow Music Video-Sick Love Song
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	137:03 (Case: 150)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Hamish Hamilton
Studio Distributor	Clear Channel Ent Universal Pictures Home Video	Starring	Tommy Lee Mick Mars Vince Neil Nikki Sixx
Case	?
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) English dts 5.1 (1536Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

“Girls, Girls, Girls
Long legs and burgundy lips
Girls, Dancin' down on Sunset Strip
Girls, Red lips, fingertips”

     Mötley Crüe came to epitomise the decadent hard/glam rock scene that emerged from punk, metal and disco in the early 1980s. Formed in 1981 by Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee, and later joined by Mick Mars and Vince Neil, the band found initial success with the assistance of MTV where their glam styling and outrageous stage and off-stage antics appealed to the TV generation. Their breakthrough album Shout At The Devil in 1983 was followed in quick succession by Theatre Of Pain (1985) and Girls, Girls, Girls (1987). Throughout this period of success the band seemed intent on self destruction with an orgy of drugs, booze and groupies affecting the band as a whole and individually. Although the late 1980s saw an improvement in their personal situations, the 1990s saw a decline in success and numerous line-up changes until the band finally disbanded with the original members pursuing solo careers. Late 2004 saw the original band reuniting and the success of a compilation album Red, White, & Crüe lead to the Carnival Of Sins reunion tour running through 2005. It is from the Grand Rapids, Michigan, performance of that tour that this concert recording was taken. Never having been a fan of Mötley Crüe I was interested to see how these middle aged rockers would perform live and whether their "bad boy" image is still applicable.

    The opening minutes of this presentation features a humorous short clay-mation sequence starring the band members themselves. Apparently this is part of the actual concert introduction and so was included on that basis. We could probably have done without it however as most of it isn't particularly funny. There is nevertheless one scene featuring a silicone explosion that did bring a smile to my face. From there the concert proper begins with an opening fantasy circus/carnival sequence that introduces some recurring characters and also some very sexy dancers. The female dancers reappear regularly to provide titillation and demonstrate their commendable flexibility. I think most red-blooded males would appreciate their obvious talents. We also have "mighty Mike" the randy midget who is billed as Mötley Crüe's "favourite small person". At one stage he is led around the stage by a dominatrix and playfully flicked with a whip. Politically correct people should look away during these scenes - actually if you are worried about blatant sex-ploitation and testosterone overdose then you should avoid this DVD altogether.

    When Mötley Crüe finally crank it up it's obvious that the previous six year hiatus has not diminished their energy and showmanship. Nikki, Vince, Tommy, and Mick really know how to rock and they never let up over the more than two hours on stage here. Most of their well known hits are presented as well as some newer material along with a couple of well executed covers to close the show. Tommy Lee on drums and Nikki Sixx on bass are particularly impressive in musicianship and presentation and in my opinion carry the show. Vince Neil (vocals and guitar) looks a bit out of shape and his voice was weak at times but his stage presence is still very good. Mick Mars on lead guitar did not look well however his axe work was on target. Note that Mick has debilitating arthritis and actually had hip replacement surgery not long before the start of the Carnival Of Sins tour so his presence here is to be congratulated. It's obvious that the crowd are hyped up and are really into the band and music. Judging by the number of patrons with beer cups in their hands I suspect that alcohol had a part to play in their enthusiasm. The number of good looking young girls shown on camera surprised me somewhat as I'd imagine the average Mötley Crüe fan to be middle aged, male and white. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and the males were especially pleased when Tommy brought his home video skills into play. Although not a fan in the past I'd definitely pay to see Mötley Crüe live given the chance.

    Carnival Of Sins is a great show with everything you'd want from a rock circus spectacle - and more. There are scantily clad dancers writhing on stage and in the air, evil clowns, a midget, fake blood, pyrotechnics and flash-pots at every opportunity, and even a sequence with Nikki being engulfed in sparks originating from an angle-grinder wielding dominatrix. Throw in a horny midget for good measure and you've got it all. These "bad boys" looked like they had a lot of fun - and so did I.

Video

    Video quality in this presentation needs to be divided into two aspects - firstly the actual songs themselves and secondly the visual inserts and sequences between songs. The latter sequences have been deliberately altered with mostly sepia colours and introduced artefacts to portray an old-style carnival theme. Some of it is imaged to look like badly deteriorated nitrate film from the early 1900s. These are full of mpeg compression and noise along with introduced film artefacts and flaws. I think it works quite well to complement the concert atmosphere and so doesn't adversely affect the video quality scoring. The songs themselves are presented with high video quality even with the extreme lighting and flash-pot effects being used on stage. There is of course some lens flaring and out of focus shots but overall the video quality is excellent throughout with sharp vibrant colours and minimal noise. There is also minimal evidence of mpeg compression. Cameras were used in the audience to capture crowd reactions and other - ahem - objects of interest. These shots were invariably noisy, probably due to adverse lighting conditions, but I didn't think this detracted from the overall video experience.

    The transfer is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio and is 16x9 enhanced.

    The picture detail was sharp throughout apart from the deliberately altered sequences between songs. There was no noticeable grain or low level noise except for the in-audience shots.

    There were no significant video artefacts.

    This is a dual layer disc but I could not detect the layer change using my equipment.
    

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The default audio track is Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448Kb/s, however I listen to this concert using the DTS 5.1 track with it's superior bitrate of 1509Kb/s. The Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) were sampled periodically. Overall both 5.1 mixes were comparable however the Dolby Digital sound level was markedly lower than the DTS version and so needed more help from the amplifier. The 2.0 track was adequate when played in direct stereo mode however the two 5.1 tracks are definitely superior. Overall I found the 5.1 mix to be very bass heavy with vocals and lead guitars being drowned much of the time. Crowd noise was also quite intrusive although it's obvious they were "going off", and I suspect the DVD producer wanted to recreate the electric atmosphere. The 1509Kb/s DTS 5.1 track was punchier and more precise than the Dolby Digital offering however I didn't think it was vastly different.

    The front sound stage was used adequately with main vocals coming from the centre channel and guitars across the front three speakers. As noted above, however, the vocals were not prominent enough and you might want to consider elevating centre channel volume to compensate. Audio synchronisation was good but not always spot-on.

    The surround channel was used extensively to deliver the crowd reactions and general arena noise. Some might consider it to be excessive however I thought it was suitable for this type of concert.

    The subwoofer use was prominent and unfortunately overshadowed higher frequencies. This might be seen as an advantage by some but I prefer a more balanced mix.

    If you wind up the volume this concert will wake the dead however it's not the best mixed effort I've heard.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu featured looping video and audio.

   Note that the following featurette extras feature Dolby Digital 2.0 audio tracks at 224Kb/s and are in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. They also contain subtitle and secondary subtitle options which appear to mirror the spoken content adequately. The remaining extras feature Dolby Digital 2.0 audio tracks at 224Kb/s with varying video aspect ratios. There are no subtitle options with these additional extras.

Featurette - Inside The Big Top: A Mötley Docrüementary (29:33)

    A behind the scenes look at one day on the Carnival Of Sins tour including interviews with stage technicians, DVD recording team, dancers, and crew interspersed with concert footage. There is some commentary by the band themselves with "mighty Mike" linking the scenes together. I found this quite interesting but would have liked more focus on the band members themselves.

Featurette - Blow It Up (2:27)

    Pyrotechnics feature heavily in any Mötley Crüe concert. A brief look at the pyrotechnic aspect of the show including the spectacular spark shower.

Featurette - Mötley Crüe's Greatest *its (2:33)

    Tommy Leee uses his home movie skills to great effect with this "tittie-cam" sequence which is included in the main concert feature. This featurette includes some amusing comments from the band interspersed with the concert footage. I found this featurette well worth repeat viewings but it may offend some due to language and - er - the *its.

Featurette - Meet And Greet (5:17)

    Hosted by the VIP ticketing manager for Mötley Crüe. Focuses on the fans prepared to pay for platinum membership to the Mötley Crüe fan club which entitles them to front row seating and access to memorabilia such as smashed guitars from the concerts. The fans talk about their idols and meet them after the show.

Short Film - Disaster! The Movie (Clay Animation) (2:11)

    1.78:1 aspect ratio. A short trailer of the ski-fi clay-mation parody Disaster! The Movie featuring Mötley Crüe. Crude and not particularly funny but worth a look.

Music Video - On With The Show - Time Lapse View (4:34)

   1.78:1 aspect ratio. Time lapse video of stage and seating setup which extends into the concert itself. Includes musical backing. I found it mildly interesting.

Music Video - If I Die Tomorrow (3:49)

    1.33:1 aspect ratio letterboxed.

Music Video - Sick Love Song (4:29)

    1.33:1 aspect ratio letterboxed. Music overlayed onto footage from the Carnival Of Sins tour concert.

    This release appears identical to the region 1 offering apart from using the PAL 4 format.

    Much to my surprise I really liked this DVD and will be watching out for more Mötley Crüe product in the future. These guys really know how to have a good time and put on a show to please. There is a lot of swearing, suggestive posing, and audience nudity (topless girls) so be warned that it might not please your maiden aunt. If only the audio mix was better I'd have given it five stars and suggested it as a must have concert DVD. Nevertheless it's still highly recommended & will certainly have repeat visits in my player.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is very good.

    Extras are good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall