RELEASED 7.9.2011
The Pretenders have been consistently making classic albums and hit singles in a career that now spans 30 years. Lead by the charismatic Chrissie Hynde, possessor of one of the most recognisable voices in rock music, they have topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and in many other territories around the world. This show was filmed in high definition at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles in February 2003 on the tour for their album Loose Screw . It was the first Pretenders live show ever to be released on DVD. The concert combines tracks from the Loose Screw album with classic hits from across their career to deliver the definitive Pretenders live performance. Bonus Features - Promo Video for You Know Who Your Friends Are, B
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer, Loose In L.A. arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment. Shot in high-definition at the Wiltern Theater in 2003, Loose In L.A. looks very good on Blu-ray. I don't have the DVD release (which Eagle Rock Entertainment produced back in 2003) with me at the moment to run direct comparisons, but I would be surprised if the standard-definition presentation comes even remotely close in replicating the quality of the high-definition presentation. Detail is very good from start to finish, clarity is pleasing, and most importantly there are no serious artifacts popping up. Motion-judder is also not a serious issue of concern. The camerawork is very good and there are no image fluctuations to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, LPCM 2.0. and Dolby Digital 5.1. For the record, I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track delivers the type of quality we have come to expect from Eagle Rock Entertainment's Blu-ray releases. The sound is lush and crisp, never boomy or even remotely flat. There is a good separation between Chrissie's vocals and the guitars, while the drums never feel distant. The individual guitar solos are not pushed up. There are no distortions in the high-frequencies either. The crowd is definitely felt but the crowd noise is never overwhelming. Finally, there are no purely technical anomalies to report this review (sync issues, audio dropouts, etc). I tested two songs with the LPCM 2.0 track, "My City Was Gone" (because of the long guitar solo) and "I'll Stand By You". To make a long story short, I wasn't impressed with it at all. There have been a couple of Blu-ray releases in the past where I felt that the LPCM 2.0 tracks were more effective, but this one isn't. Predictably, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track sounded quite flat and dull.