This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Steve Miller Band's first two albums (Children of the Future and Sailor). To commemorate their anniversary, Coming Home Media will release Live From Chicago, the Steve Miller Band’s first-ever DVD.
The set contains two DVDs and a CD. The first DVD is footage from The Steve Miller Band's July 2007 concert at Chicago's Ravinia Festival. The second DVD contains a documentary about the band, featuring exclusive photos from Miller's personal collection. The 12-song CD is a compilation of The Steve Miller Band's favorite live songs from the Chicago concert.
The Steve Miller Band began the concert with "Fly Like an Eagle." A new twist in this song is that Joseph Wooten (keyboard and vocals) adds a little freestyle rap in the middle. Typically, I prefer songs at concerts to be performed the way I'm used to hearing them. I did, however, enjoy this new sound.
"Jungle Love," "The Joker," and "Jet Airliner" were played true to their originial format. These are timeless classics of The Steve Miller Band.
Norton Buffalo (harmonica and vocals) is described as Steve's "partner in harmony for 31 years." The remaining band members are Gordy Knudtson (drums), Billy Peterson (bass) and Kenny Lee Lewis (guitar and vocals).
The footage of the concert and the material itself made me regret not having attended. The audience wore their love for Steve Miller on their sleeves. It appeared that people across multiple generations knew the words to all their songs and had a fantastic evening.
In the documentary, Miller talks about the way Chicago has changed since the '60's and he walks the audience through his old hometown. The documentary is filmed such that it appears Miller is speaking directly to the viewer. Multiple photos from his own collection allow us into his personal memoirs. In addition, there are interviews from people camped out on the lawn in Chicago singing his songs and boasting of their love for The Steve Miller Band. It is heartwarming footage with some very funny clips of his ardent fans.
Steve Miller has kept a low media profile over his four decade career. Therefore, the documentary gives the audience some insight into his love of blues and his musical history. Some of the lesser known historical information on Miller follows.
Steve Miller was born on October 5, 1943 in Milwaukee, WI. He grew up in a home frequented by musicians. Les Paul was the best man at his parents' wedding and taught Steve his first guitar chords. When the Miller family moved to Dallas, T-Bone Walker became a frequent visitor. Miller formed his first band at age 12 with friend Boz Scaggs.
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