Kenny Chesney: Summer In 3D

Kenny Chesney: Summer In 3D is a live concert video production of country singer Kenny Chesney in performances filmed over six nights, captured from onstage, the front row, the wings, and even the Goodyear blimp. With over 35-million records sold and 20 Number One hits, Chesney has been declared the most popular live music act of the 21st Century, having sold over one-million tickets in each of the past eight months. He has received six Academy of Country Music Awards (including four consecutive Entertainer of the Year awards), as well as six Country Music Association Awards. The concert footage focuses on Chesney's Summer tour in 2009, performing in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, Indianapolis, and Foxboro, Massachusetts. He performs 23 songs in a minute shy of 100 minutes, singing big Country jams and solemn, emotional songs. "Big Star," "Young," "Live Those Songs," "Down The Road," "Keg In The Closet," and "When the Sun Goes Down" are audience pleasers. Kenny breaks about every four songs to describe the location, what he feels when singing, what he sees when looking at the crowd in the stadium or arena, or trying to "reach the fans" in the stands. Included is extensive archival footage, behind-the-scenes moments, and photographs held together by Chesney's own narrative, taking people inside the life, the love, and the reasons for his success. Four bonus songs are included that were not released theatrically. (Gary Reber)

There are no special features.

The 3D was produced by Ted Kenny, with camera and equipment provided by 3reality Digital. This 1.78:1 1080p MVC 3-D Blu-ray is a multi-angled concert video shot with perhaps up to 11 cameras and switched live, followed by fine tuning in post-production, switching between the various camera positions available at any moment. The imagery projects a wide scope, with excellent depth and perspective perception, no matter what the position or angle of view is. The crowds are large stadium arena-sized venues, which appear to be vast. The stage setting is large, with plenty of space to move within, which Kenny indeed does, as well as his up-front guitar players. At every angle the 3D captures the sense of realistic space and relative distances between the performers, the audience, and the staging. Some of the wide stadium arena shots really capture the immenseness of the huge performing spaces. Lighting design and effects play an important role in the look, which always spots the performers with a kaleidoscope of color effects. There is no point to judging the color palette because everything is an effect. Black levels are strong and stable. Depending on the light cast, it is often easy to spot crowd faces and finer textures, though, the switch between cameras is quick. Resolution is generally quite good, with details nicely presented, for a clean and crisp look. In particular are the fine textures revealed on Kenny's jeans and hat, instruments, and faces. Some of the close-ups appear flat but others are nicely offset against the backdrop. Faint ghosting or double image crosstalk artifacts can be detected but overall do not create a disconnect with the dynamic visual and music performances. If you are a Kenny Chesney fan, you will really love this 3-D concert performance and feel that you are there up close and live. (Gary Reber)

Mixed by Justin Niebank, the 5.1-channel mix is encoded in the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio™ codec. Alternatively, a two-channel PCM mixdown is available. The surround mix is quite immersive and loud. You feel as if you are at the center of the energy, with the large crowds encircling you with their excitement. There is always the crowd applause and, at times, sing-along participation. But the sound is "electronic," so the purity of the vocal and instrumental timbres are distorted. Still, this is the nature of such a concert, and the DTS® track delivers the full-fledged concert performance. (Gary Reber)