Roy Orbison: Black & White Night [Blu-ray]

Orbison himself sounds as powerful as ever, his soaring falsetto cresting as dramatically as it did on the studio versions of the hits that inevitably dominate. Those songs meanwhile confirm that his blue chip admiration society came as much for the caliber of his writing as for his ravishing voice: if he remains best known for the jaunty come-on of "Pretty Woman," Orbison was first and foremost a rock balladeer, capable of bringing lumps to our throats with such classics as "Crying" and "Only the Lonely," or conjuring romantic trances through such gentle charmers as "Dream Baby." On this night, he handled all of them with fervor and finesse.
I sampled all three tracks offered - DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 PCM 2.0 - but kept the DTS-HD on for the majority of my first viewing (and completely on the next 2). It separates applause and crowd noises effectively to the rear speakers as well as some background vocals. The only weakness is that it seems too short - actually you never want it to end. This video has caught a wonderful night of cherished music performance and the Blu-ray is the best way to see it unless you had the rare privilege to see it life.

I actually have owned several copies of this great concert, but this will be the first review I have ever posted. Let me say, the first time I saw this concert on PBS I was stunned. Being a lifelong Roy fan, I didn't even know this concert existed... I purchased it the very next day... and since then it has been watched hundreds of times. Black and White Night was a concert towards the end of Roy's career, but it really did put him back on top where he belongs.

This concert is super cool-imagine having 5-6 of your favorite artists all come together and put on a show. That is exactly what this is! Roy does an amazing job of not "stealing the show" and everyone is spotlighted at one point or another. The whole show is about an hour long, and every minute & every song is worth it.

This program is so well done - it's amazing. There is no conversation, no over-dub, no introductions. Just Orbison with his band and a crowd of absolute stars around him who are clearly honored just to be there. Great setting, beautiful videography. This is a MUST for nearly ANY collection.

I absolutely LOVE bonnie raitt and Roy Orbison. What a pleasure it is to see the two of them together! I personally like the blu-ray more than the normal format because I think it's clearer. I can't get enough of Bonnie's back up vocals and like to pretend I'm her when I watch it. Roy Orbison is one of my heroes and I LOVE this dvd!