Filmed in Hollywood back in November of 2010, ‘Sheryl Crow: Miles from Memphis’ is a two hour concert video featuring the famed singer/songwriter. The show features performances of some of her biggest hits, as well as a few new tracks. Joining her on stage is her deft backup band known as “The Thieves.”
Set List
Our Love Is Fading
A Change Would Do You Good
100 Miles From Memphis
Can’t Cry Anymore
Strong Enough
Summer Day
My Favorite Mistake
Redemption Day
Long Road Home
Every day Is A Winding Road
Sideways
Roses And Moonlight
If It Makes You Happy
Soak Up The Sun
Peaceful Feeling
All I Wanna Do / Got To Give It Up
I Want You Back
I Shall Believe
While some may believe Crow has a distinctive style, The Thieves, are a rather large band (with horns, backup singers, a total package) that features Crow co-producer Doyle Bramhall II on guitar and Tommy Sims on bass. Bramhall and Sims are both accomplished singer/songwriters and they blend well with Crow’s musical vision which draws heavily from the soul and R&B styli8ngs of Sam and Dave, The Rolling Stones, and Sly and the Family Stone, among other to varying degrees.
Crow took the stage to the pulsing “Our Love Is Fading,” which features a guitar intro reminiscent of Sam and Dave’s “Soul Man.” From there, Sheryl and her band moved effortlessly into her 1996 hit, “A Change Would Do You Good.” It becomes immediately evident that Crow isn’t interested in recreating songs as they appeared on her records. Even her biggest hits sound fresh, with the band changing things here and there, for the sake of live performance.
Throughout the two-hour show, Crow’s voice remains strong and vibrant. Though occasionally, that voice was briefly hidden by the clamor of loud instruments. All and all though, if you’re a fan of Sheryl Crow, Miles from Memphis: Live at the Pantages Theatre is definitely worth checking out.
Miles from Memphis offers a variety of camera angles, allowing the viewer to see the concert from various spots on the stage. This is good and bad for the image. Because the cameras shift a lot, there’s a lot of auto focus and a few soft shots. On-stage lighting effects also hinder things a bit. However, this really has nothing to do with the quality of the 1.78:1 transfer. When the camera focuses on Crow, there is some decent detail, showing her flyaway strands of hair and decent facial details.
Miles From Memphis contains three audio track options. There is a stereo LPCM, Dolby Digital 5.1, and a full DTS-MA HD 5.1 lossless track. The lossless track handles all of the musical instruments with ease. Crow is a great singer, so the center channel on this presentation has to do most of the work; fear not, it succeeds. Vocals come through exquisitely. Ambient surround effects also get a bit of a boost, but never interfere with what’s going on the stage. The crowd never drowns out the band.
We get the following special feature:
- Behind The Scenes with Sheryl Crow (HD, 19 min) – A behind the scenes look at the concert. Crow discuses the tour as backstage footage is shown from rehearsals and sound checks. Two full rehearsal performances of “Eye To Eye” and “Stop” are also included.
