Being there - virtually

As many would know - I have been on a kick watching concerts with my new surround sound system.  It started with the Eagles Farewell Tour I  and has continued with Hell Freezes Over, Moody Blues, Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Billy Joel, the Irish Tenors, Norah Jones, Roy Orbison and tonight Elton John 60: Live at Madison Square.

I'm intrigued with the crowd shots. This one was full of celebrities. And naturally everyone was standing for most of the concert.  Clearly being there virtually by watching on the Blu-ray is ok but can never duplicate the live experience.  But there in lies the cost benefit.  For me the cost is the tickets, the hassle of getting there, fighting the crowd, and standing the whole time. 

I didn't go to many concerts as a result and rarely go to live sports events.  And those that I have, it's hard to even remember the energy and recapture the moment.  So the advantage of DVD is the convenience, the time shifting, and ability to repeat.  The disadvantage is you see only what the camera recorded - no real freedom there.  But most of these productions are great, showing a variety of angles, crowd shots, close-ups, far away pans etc.  

So I vote for the comfort of the easy chair at home, PCM 5.1 Surround Sound, Sony 50 inch HD 1080i played on the Playstation BluRay.  I finish the concert - walk 100 feet and go to bed.