VAN HALEN - Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Van Halen
Molson Amphitheatre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
August 26, 1998
source: Lividz Hi8mm master > Sony TRV330 digital 8mm cam > firewire > HD > DVD
length: 116 minutes
Silver Stallion DVD Production

1. Unchained
2. Without You
3. One I Want
4. Mean Street
5. When It's Love
6. Fire In The Hole
7. Why Can't This Be Love
8. I'm The One
9. Alex's solo
10. Jamie's Cryin'
11. Humans Being
12. Somebody Get Me A Doctor
13. Year To The Day
14. Eddie's solo
15. Right Now
16. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
17. Josephina
18. Panama
19. Jump

Video captured to the HD with Vegas Video 6.0, and encoded with the Main Concept encoder in Vegas Video using a 2-pass VBR (settings: 9K max, 4,750 avg & 1K min) and the audio encoded at 224 kbit .ac3. Authored to DVD using DVD Architech v2.

I wanted to upgrade the audio, so I went on a search for a higher quality audio source. With the much appreciated assistance of Kevin (ks34vh) and Tony (tone1963), I got two different audio versions of this show, and one of them was a major upgrade over the audio on the master Hi8mm tape.

Oddly enough, I'm pretty sure the guy(s) recording the best quality audio version were not experienced tapers because they often talked between songs, and they just didn't really seem to be very sure of what they were doing. AND they recorded their failed attempt at trying to buy some dope off a guy sitting near them! I used the video tape's audio between songs because of a 'between song clapper and howler' on the audio-only source. There is some clapping in the videocam audio also, but it much more distandt and isn't nearly as harsh as it is on the audio-only source.

The first one minute of audio (show introduction) is from the videotape and sounds very muddy. Also, the first two songs on the audio-only source were recorded hot. Fortunately, the tapers adjusted the levels (and you even get to hear them discussing it).

Even though he was in a seated section, Lividz had to videotape this while standing (damn VH fans... even when they have a seat ~ they stand the whole show!). So there is always a little "hand-held camera wobble" and frequently some heads and arms in the picture - but usually only for a split second. However, during a few segments where the screen went black for more than a few seconds, I inserted a VH-related jpeg image to cover the screen. This appears to have been filmed from the left side on the lower level, 4-5 seats up from the floor itself. Lividz got some really closeup shots (as you can see from the screen captures). There are several obstructions during the first ten minutes or so - but things settle down nicely after that.

Since the time it was filmed, this has been available on 1st gen VHS tapes and later on stand alone burned disks. However, this is the first time it was captured and encoded on a PC. Also - I don't know of any other versions that were synched with an upgraded audio source.