Michael Ball - Heroes Live

Filmed at Birmingham Symphony Hall in June 2011, the show started with instrumental medley of film themes about heroes such as Superman, Indiana Jones, Flash, Batman, The Saint, The Avengers; which was amusing. Michael Ball was as wonderful as always and his voice was at top form, although the sound in the DVD was not as good as I expected. Like in his previous concert DVD, Past & Present Tour Live, he made maximum use of his backing vocalists. I loved the tribute to New York medley and the rock'n roll part; but personally I think he used the backing vocalists better in Past & Present Tour Live; I really really loved the musical medley.

I had heard Michael Ball singing Sunset Boulevard a couple of times, yet when he sang that song again for the DVD, it seemed better than in previous occasions. He also sang Empty Chairs at Empty Tables very well (although I thought he had recorded it on DVD too many times), perhaps because I just watched The 25th Anniversary of Les Miz DVD last month and Michael Ball sang that song much more powerfully and emotionally than Nick Jonas. Another favourite performance is Not While I'm Around from Sweeney Todd. Stephen Sondheim songs are not easy to sing, in my opinion, because if one sings it badly, the songs become awful. The way Michael Ball sang Not While I'm Around made the song one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

Before I watched this DVD, I read a complain that the songs sung were the same as in the previous concerts. I prepared myself for this and in the end I thought that no, it was not true. There are many new songs and how I enjoyed the 'old' songs he had sung in previous DVDs. My conclusion: it was a wonderful show, but I prefer the Past & Present Tour Live.