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Rating:  - "Jim's Poetry is being BLASTED out to the audience...he would have LOVED it"
Dismissing any "should they have done this," "shouldn't they" issues up front...
They did. And it was a good thing.
John Densmore chose to sit this one out. Hence the "Doors of the 21st Century" label. He wouldn't allow Krieger and Manzarek to bill themselves as "The Doors." Right or wrong, fair on unfair, it was his legal right to do this.
Did Ian Astbury deliver? No, he didn't. He BLED. This isn't some bar band garbage. From the opener "Roadhouse Blues" to the closer "Soul Kitchen," Astbury gave everything he had to these classic songs. He held nothing back. Ray and Robbie SMOKE. Jim's gone and there's nothing we can do about that. I agree with Ray...this band kept Jim's songs alive and he WOULD HAVE loved that.
It's the tour that never happened...th "LA Woman" tour, aborted due to the death of the band's lead singer. In 2003, Manzarek, Krieger, Astbury & crew gave you the impossible...the LA Woman Tour.
It's shock & awe. Astbury's no poser, and for anyone who disapproves of the concept, he's gone...reunited with The Cult...but while he was there, he reminded us of the spark that Jim Morrison brought to the world.
Why do you think Jim is mentioned in the same breath as Jimi and Janis? Al three of them changed the rules. I feel that Manzarek and Krieger had the right to do this. It's over now...until they decide to reinvent themselves yet again...but this is a 5-star release. Period.
Rating: - Wow! What a show. Ian Astbury is GREAT!!!
To all who wanted to hate this D21C band with Ian Astbury at the vocals, admit it....they are GREAT, and Ian is just plain fabulous as the vocalist. He really seems to connect with the audience and brings out his own poeticness in his rendition of the songs. What an awesome performer. They are all having a great time and loving it and you can see it in this dvd. I have always loved the doors and the cult and when I found out Ian Astbury was doing this just recently, I had to see what it was like. And, I was very pleasantly surprised. They couldn't have made a better choice than Ian Astbury. Ray and Robbie are awesome too and are obviously enjoying themselves; and I think Robbie looks great in his military fatigues? He's really on with his guitar playing as well. I liked the interview clips in between the songs as well. We all love and miss Jim Morrison. He was one of the great ones and his legacy will live on. And, we can still enjoy listening to his music and the music of the Doors. But, I believe Jim would love that Ray and Robbie are still out there performing their music and would love that one of their admirers/fans, Ian Astbury, is singing his songs with such feeling, and doing an amazing job of it.
Rating: - Terrific performance
I have always loved the music of the Doors but had never heard The Doors of the 21st Century until I bought this DVD. I have watched it a number of times since then and find it quite enjoyable. Robby's looks haven't aged well but his musical abilities certainly have and his work on this performance is outstanding (to the point that the DVD would probably be worth purchasing just for his guitar work alone, although the other musicians are also quite talented). It was Jim Morrison himself who always insisted that the Doors be introduced onstage as The Doors and not as Jim Morrison and the Doors and this video shows why (although I miss John Densmore). Ray still plays the keyboards beautifully and the supporting musicians are excellent. That said, however, the show wouldn't have worked without a genuinely gifted front man. Ian Astbury doesn't try to sound exactly the same as Morrison but his vocal range is similar and he obviously has a real affinity for the lyrics. He's also seasoned and charismatic enough that it's just plain enjoyable to watch him sing. He has a strong and compelling voice which works quite well for this live setting. It's interesting that he is actually much better now than when he sang with the Doors on the VH1 Storytellers Doors show in 2001(perhaps because he's more comfortable with the music). I wish the band had performed a few more of the older songs in place of some of the more obscure songs from L.A. Woman but this will likely be the only live performance of these songs with at least some of the original Doors playing. I do like the older songs they did include (and especially the way Ian inserted Jim's "Dead Cats, Dead Rats" rap in Break On Through). Overall, this is a terrfic performance. The only minor flaw is that there are occasional bits of commentary by Ray, Robby and Ian that interfere a little with the flow of the music. They would have been better put at the end in a separate section. However, it's easy to skip over them with the remote and get on with the music.
Rating: - The Doors Of The 21st Century
Great band, amazing performance. Now they are called Riders On The Storm and now that Ian Astbury is gone back to reform the Cult i've lost interest their new singer does not fit the part at all. They are getting embrassing now, Ian was their last hope at replacing Morisson who will never be replaced.
Rating:  - Very Strong Performance
I was skeptical about this DVD at first. Singing classic Doors songs without Jim just didn't seem right to me. However, after seeing this remarkable concert, I am more than pleased. Ian Astbury is a very capable Jim Morrison look-alike/sound-alike. He even mimicks some of Jim's poetry (as in "Break on Through" - "dead cat, dead rat..."). And seeing Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger on stage together again is a breath taking experience. There is one moment in "Light My Fire" where Ian leaves the stage, and Ray and Robby each solo for a few minutes before Ian's return. It's fabulous. All in all, this performance is very strong and any Doors fan will be happy to have this in their collection. Now, what might also be an interesting experiment is for Ray and Robby to go out and play their "Other Voices" and "Full Circle" albums.
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