Favorite Music DVD's

Music DVD's come in so many different forms: As part of the special edition of an album, as a visual companion to the album, or perhaps it simply stands alone.

This list was not easy as I think I have enough music DVD's to make my own cable music network (Hey, I can always dream...)

12. People in Planes-Beyond the Horizon Live DVD: Aside from the album being brilliant, the live companion of this album is also great. In some instances, it's a completely different experience to listen to those songs live.

11. Thrice-Live at the House of Blues: Very simple live DVD that features the very best Thrice songs in about two live hours of music. The set is every bit as diverse as the music found on The Alchemy Index , ranging from screams in "The Messenger" to the bluesy "Come All You Weary".

10. Sevendust-Retrospective: I'm actually a relatively new Sevendust fan as I didn't start getting into them until I got the greatest hits set back in 2004, which is around the same time that Corey Lowery left. This pre-Animosity retrospective goes through performances, music videos and interviews, including the still fresh accident that killed Snot frontman James Lynn Strait.

9. Flyleaf-Beneath the Surface: Consider this DVD an unofficial, official release. It's not a typical DVD, which is in part why I put it up here. If you ever wanted to switch places with a rockstar for a day, this is your chance to see what it would be like without having to sneak into their bushes.

8. Evans Blue-Unplugged Melody: This DVD came as a Best Buy exclusive to those who bought The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends. Aside from the cover of Possession, every song from the first record was redone acoustically with sexy results.

7. Godsmack-Greatest Hits Acoustic DVD: This DVD, much like the other one is an acoustic record, but it's not completely unexpected as they also released The Other Side. It's just so well done though. They even managed to do an acoustic version of fan-favorite "Batalla de los Tambores (Battle of the Drums)"

6. Finger Eleven-Then vs. Us. vs. Now: This is the ultimate retrospective for any fan. Aside from having a CD full of demos and rare tracks, the DVD contains video material from every album they've released and somehow including two mini live sets bringing the DVD to almost three hours in length. I can describe how good the retrospective is in three words: Rainbow Butt Monkeys.

5. Seether-One Cold Night: Yes, it's yet another acoustic DVD. The great part about this DVD is that it features a song in their catalog that they'd never done before and a cover that they'd only done a number of times before performing it on this official release. But the most surprising part of this DVD was an in-depth interview with WMMR's Pierre Robert that actually got bassist Dale Stewart to talk!

4. Alice in Chains-MTV Unplugged: This is the classic MTV show at its best (when MTV actually stood for its name) with one of the last shows ever featuring frontman Layne Staley. You could tell that he was a bit distant, but he was still very much there if that makes any sense to you.

3. Demon Hunter-45 Days: This is one of my personal favorite DVD's ever. I actually don't include their live DVD, even though that's included in the 3 disc package. However, this is actually a feature length documentary that covers a tour from last year with Living Sacrifice. The cinematography in this DVD is just so stunning. It's completely done in black and white and it feels more like a movie than your traditional DVD. Even if you don't like the band, I think you can appreciate what is done on this DVD. My personal favorite part of the movie is when you hear all of the fan stories about the connections to the music. I wish every artist would have a DVD like this one.

2. Killswitch Engage-(Set This) World Ablaze: This is one of my favorite DVD's because a part from being a home show, it was filled with music videos and hilarious interviews featuring band members and members of other bands. Plus Adam D. is just ridiculous. This is the funniest music DVD I've ever seen.

1. Muse-H.A.A.R.P.:Epic doesn't even begin to describe this. It's a live performance and only a live performance, but just calling it that would seem like an insult when you watch this. This is a home show by one of the greatest live bands in the world. Watching this DVD isn't just a live performance, it's an experience. The way it's shot, you feel as if you're a part of the 70,000 that watched that day. They're not the heaviest band in the world, but they are every bit as intense.