Movie/DVD Review

Blind Melon, the lost link that bridged the gap between the burgeoning jam scene of the early 1990’s and the more guitar-driven alternative sound that was prevalent at the time, has released their first DVD and it captures the band at a bittersweet moment in their history. They had just started to reach their full potential both live and with their newer material, much of which would appear on the not yet released Nico. Live at the Metro, a complete show recorded at the Metro in Chicago on September 27, 1995, was recorded just over a month before lead-singer Shannon Hoon’s death-which brought an end to Blind Melon

It is a simple shot of the band, forgoing the quick cuts and mind-boggling angles that find their way into so many live DVD releases. It takes time to focus on each member of the band, with the most compelling view being a wide shot of Blind Melon looking like the camera was placed in the audience. Occasionally from this angle a stray foot or body of a crowd surfer fills the screen, reminding me of the many packed, sweaty club shows of my youth. Much as Blind Melon is a band that reminds me of my youth, but unfortunately one who I did not get to grow up with and whose early demise leaves so many unanswered questions of what might have been.

Just as the DVD eschews over-produced shots, the band’s live show did as well. They did not need special effects or mind-melting light shows or a multitude of bells and whistles to wow their audience, they had the charismatic Hoon for that. Near the end of the show the eyeliner that Hoon was wearing was smeared from the sweat and heat of the club giving him a road-weary, tired look. As he picks up an acoustic guitar and strums the opening chords to “Change,” with its poignant lyrics about the struggles in his life, it looks as if he will finally collapse right on stage from the burden of the pain he carried, the pain that drove him to such excesses. It is at these moments that it becomes to tough to watch, knowing the short future that lay ahead for him. It is much easier to watch him earlier in the show, bouncing around the stage, talking about his daughter or sharing his thoughts on baseball and full of life, as the way you want to remember him.