The Movie
Photographed on location at five different stops during his summer 2009 "Sun City Carnival" tour, Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D gave movie audiences a chance to enjoy the energetic country music superstar "live in concert," even as he was enjoying a year off. The twenty songs here are intercut with home movies, personal photos, behind-the-scenes footage from the massive stage production, and voiceovers of his philosophies of life, giving a fuller view of Chesney than if we had actually been there.
Although the stylized opening and occasional moments feel like a commercial for his sponsor, Corona beer, the man himself comes off as a humble, hard-working singer who appreciates his fans and hasn't forgotten his now-20-year journey. Despite record ticket sales and a pickup truck full of awards, he's not too jaded to be overcome as he belts out "Better as a Memory," the final performance of the movie captured during the final stop on the tour. It's an emotional moment, even more so when the fans chime in, singing the words that he can't.
The Picture
Recorded with a total of 22 3D cameras, Summer boasts terrific use of the multiple levels of focus, particularly on the layers of onlookers, as well as the stage relative to the crowd. Chesney's big entrance is also in a special rig that really pops on screen as he "floats" above the audience, and the many large bouncing beach balls also lend a welcome sense of depth. There is some cross-talk, and some strobing in fast motion (often severe), but in general the 3D combined with the clarity of the 1.85:1 image, with precisely defined individual revelers in the distance, do a magnificent job of conveying the sheer size of these arenas.
The single disc carries both the 2D and 3D versions of the movie.
The Sound
The vocals are impossibly clean and clear, and there is often no correlation between Chesney's lyrics and his mouth moving, or his picking on the guitar strings and the notes being played. I have to wonder if he borrowed KISS' trick and so extensively remixed--possibly even re-recorded--the show for DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 that it no longer accurately represents a live concert. The dude can blow though, as Randy Jackson might say, and the cheering of the crowd is mixed down to respectfully low levels.
The Extras
The disc contains four additional tracks that were not a part of the film as released in theaters, including "Guitars and Tiki Bars." Together they run about 15-and-a-half minutes, in two-dimensional high definition. Although the package lists the audio for the bonus songs as being Dolby TrueHD 5.1, it is in fact Dolby Digital 5.1.
Final Thoughts
If the point of a concert Blu-ray is to create the illusion of really being there, then 3D logically brings us even closer. Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D is pretty much how the show probably looked, far better than it must have sounded, and this disc probably costs less than a Chesney Dog with mustard at the event.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
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