Rock Steady Live is a video album by Americanska punk band No Doubt, released on DVD on November 25, 2003 under the Interscope records label. The DVD was directed by Sophie Muller. It is a recording of two of No Doubt's concerts during their Rock Steady Tour in 2002 to promote their fifth studio album, Rock Steady, which was released in December 2001. The material was recorded in November 2002 in Long Beach Arena, California. The concert features performances of seventeen songs from the band's previous three albums: Tragic Kingdom, Return of Saturn and Rock Steady; extras include performances of four extra songs, interviews with the band members, and backstage footage of the tour.
In 2002, No Doubt embarked on their Rock Steady Tour, beginning with two dates outside the mainland United States on March 14 and 16 in Puerto Rico and Venezuela, before starting their main tour in Sacramento, California on March 18, travelling across the U.S. and ending in Anaheim, California in November.[1][10][11] Some performances featured burlesque group, The Pussycat Dolls.[1][12] The concerts received positive reviews, with reviewers complimenting the variety of musical styles, elaborate stage and costume design and crowd interaction.[13][14][15][16]
In April 2003, No Doubt went into hiatus, before coming together in September 2003 to compile various retrospective works and record a new single: "It's My Life".[1] Singer Gwen Stefani went on to record two solo albums: Love. Angel. Music. Baby., released in November 2004,[17] and The Sweet Escape, released in December 2006.[18]
Content and release
Stefani, Bradley and Kanal performing on the Rock Steady Tour in Sacramento, California on March 18, 2002.
The DVD also includes over an hour and a half of extra features. There are live performances of an extra four songs: "Excuse Me Mr." and "Different People" from Tragic Kingdom, "Trapped in a Box" from their first album No Doubt and "Total Hate" from their second album, The Beacon Street Collection.[24] Also included are an interview with Liam Lynch, a friend of the band; documentary pieces featuring interviews with each band member: Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, Gwen Stefani, Adrian Young and two touring members Stephen Bradley and Gabrial McNair; backstage footage of the tour; and footage of the band receiving the "Key to the City" of Anaheim, California from Mayor Tom Daly on November 22, 2002 on KROQ-FM radio.[1][25]
Reception
Certifications
"Rock Steady Live" was certified platinum by the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers in 2004, indicating sales of over 40,000 units.[26] The DVD was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in December 2004,[4] indicating sales of over 50,000 units.[5]
The video received mixed reviews from critics. Allmovie reviewer Michael Hastings commented that the band "has managed to stay fresh and inventive after more than a decade together", praising their "skills as a touring act".[27] He stated that the DVD encompassed a "virtual career retrospective of the band and its hits", from its "ska-punk roots into the pop realm".[27] In particular, he complimented the performances of "Don't Speak", "Hey Baby" and "Just a Girl", giving the DVD 3 out of 5 stars.[27]Allmusic reviewer Hal Horowitz, however, described the music as so "radically doctored" that "it is nothing like what the crowd at the venue heard". He criticised the DVD for its heavy editing, the vocals for being "heavily and consistently overdubbed" and the editing for being "breathlessly nervous".[24] However, he complimented the band's "high-energy" performance, calling Gwen Stefani "a whirlwind of activity, strutting, preening, pouting, and prancing". He gave the DVD 2 stars out of 5.[24]The Age reviewer Andrew Murfett gave a positive review, calling the sound quality "excellent" and praising the "glossy close-ups to grainy back shots" of the camerawork.[29] He described No Doubt as "endurable" and commented that the set list "stands out [as the band's greatest hits]".[29]
MusicOMH reviewer Mark Fielding gave the DVD a positive review, calling the DVD a "very desirable package" and "must for any No Doubt fan out there".[25] He described the band as "one of the most versatile bands on the planet", performing a "mish-mash of rock, ska, reggae [and] punk" and calling Stefani's performance "her gorgeous hyperactive best".[25] He complimented the camera work as providing "superb" pictures and sound, stating that they "[captured] the concert in all its fast and furious glory".[25] In particular, he praised the performances of "Hella Good", "Hey Baby", "Don't Speak", "Ex-Girlfriend" and "Spiderwebs" and the inclusion of so many extra features.[25] Rockfeedback.com reviewer Samantha Hall gave the DVD a positive review, calling the music "fun" and the DVD more representative of No Doubt's greatest hits album, The Singles 1992-2003, than their fifth studio album Rock Steady. She complimented the focus of the footage covering all four band members plus two touring members, instead of just singer Stefani, and the dancing: "the wind n' grind dancehall moments", "the No Doubt signature-stamp" and "a seemingly inexhaustible torrent of jumps and high kicks".[28] Hall singled out the performance of "Magic's In The Make-up", an album track from Return of Saturn, as the highlight of the DVD. She praised the live footage as "resplendent in near-perfection", describing the "wide range of dishy, fancy close-ups and pausing effects" and calling the sound "precision-balanced, distinct and clear". She gave the DVD 4 stars out of 5.[28]
^ ab"Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 3, 2009. Note: The link is a database. User must use the search function to search for "No Doubt" to determine the certification of "Rock Steady Live", here called "Rock Steady - The Videos".
