Well, it's here and it's damn good! The primary shortcoming is simply the length -- way too brief!

What you do get with the DVD is a typically stellar performance by the PMG. The performance is even more remarkable given the complexity of The Way Up. These guys are all playing multiple instruments and having to do this within an arrangement that runs uninterrupted for more than an hour. Seeing the concert video really displays how talented Metheny's band is. The newer players who joined the band in 2003 are now showing what they hinted at on the previous concert video.

As mentioned, the biggest fault with the DVD is that it only includes The Way Up played from start-to-finish, and nothing from the rest of his 2005 concert tour playlist. Indeed, the PMG already covered a lot of that playlist on their 1996, 1998, and 2003 concert videos, but his revamped band, particularly drummer Antonio Sanchez, brings a lot of new energy and new angles to old favorites from previous albums. One of the highlights from when I saw the PMG in concert last year was "James" from the Offramp, which is not on any previous PMG concert DVDs. Would have been nice to see that makes its way onto this DVD as a bonus track.

Technically, the production and DVD quality are excellent. The video production has a vivid look to it. It looks like a live video feed, as opposed to the overly processed "filmlook" process that a lot of other concert videos seem to have. Lot of good camera angles, but the edits were generally done way too quickly for a piece that runs 60+ minutes uninterrupted. That kind of quick jumping might work well for a four-minute song, but not for a long music suite like this. Otherwise, the video quality is excellent with no visible flaws other than occasional softness in the image. Since this concert got a simultaneous release in HD-DVD and Blu-ray, I would guess that this will look absolutely stunning in HD.

On the audio side, the DVD provides PCM, DD, and DTS tracks at higher resolutions than you'd normally find on other DVDs. The two-channel PCM track uses 24-bit resolution with a 48 kHz sampling rate (most other concert DVDs use the same 16-bit resolution as CDs, with the slightly higher 48 kHz sampling rate), while the 5.1 DTS track uses the full 1.5k resolution (most other DTS tracks use a half-bitrate version).

The audio quality is top notch, though the 5.1 mix is not quite as wonderfully spacious as the 4.1 mix that came with the PMG's 2003 Speaking of Now DVD. The crowd noise from the concert hall is captured well, but most of the soundstage is anchored to the front with the center channel heavily used (the 2003 DVD did not use the center channel). Bass extension is prominent throughout the performance, and the highs are very clean. Tonality with the instruments are very well captured, with the percussion sounding like it was more closely miked than the others.

Overall, a great performance and a very good DVD that begs for more.