May 18, 2010

I assume this is the same concert I saw at the movie theater (sans the bonus footage) last December.

If so, I don’t remember the film being this dynamic at the theater because where Chickenfoot really must be experienced to be appreciated, is live. Or maybe it was the fact that when I watched this at home, the huge sound contained in my small living room almost blew out my windows. And I don’t mean because I had the volume cranked up.

When Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Chad Smith and Michael Anthony break in with “Avenida Revolution,” it always surprises me because it’s such a dramatic entrance. It slams you hard. Now. And it hurts so fine. This time was no exception.

I already wrote about my impression of the movie on the big screen in Movie Review: Chickenfoot Live so I won’t repeat that here. Please see that post if you’re interested.

The bonus material in this DVD is the behind-the-scenes stuff that was missing from the version I saw at the theater. It shows Chad doing man-on-the-street interviews with would-be Chickenfoot “fans.” Holding the mic, which is outfitted with the Chickenfoot logo, Chad asks, “Do you recognize any of these guys?”

“No,” comes the answer from more than one interviewee. Funny stuff.

Then there’s Chad’s photo shoot where he’s dressed up like Will Ferrell in “Elf.” Smith points out that because of the costume, there’s a noticeable elf bulge in his pants, which he concludes isn’t a bad thing, then sits down on the floor and proceeds to literally tear up a snare drum. More funny stuff.

There’s a segment where Sammy visits Bob Weir (of The Dead) and they share a bottle of tequila while chatting about marijuana, among other things. Not sure if they’re stoned in this part of the documentary or not, but they sure are laughing a lot. At one point, Bob picks up a guitar and strums an impromptu melody. Sammy can’t help but jump in, ad-libbing vocals. Now if there’s one thing I’d like to put on my bucket list, it would be being in the room with Sammy and his friends while they’re just jamming like that. I can even feel the vibes through the TV screen.

Mikey is interviewed by Adam Corolla. This was my least favorite portion of the bonus footage, only because I didn’t like how Adam told Mikey he was the weakest link in Chickenfoot. Come on, Adam, Mikey deserves better than that!

Then there’s the “Joe Cam,” where Satriani films odd moments such as Chad’s nightly “flesh wound assessment,” and pans the audience from his onstage perspective. I think I recognized a few faces. And Satch being interviewed by Christopher Guest a.k.a. Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap, is amusing.

I also liked the tidbits from various concerts that were scattered throughout. They captured the vivacity—the sheer and commanding over-the-top force that is Chickenfoot in concert.

While I thought some of the interview segments seemed to run on a bit too long, overall, the bonus footage rounds out the DVD nicely, even Chad’s mooning the audience and his demolition of his drum kit at the end. Chad, you maniac! You ROCK!

Great concert video and fun extras.

Chickenfoot is due to record their second album soon and an inside source tells me it’s going to be amazing.

Can’t wait.