Europe: Live from the Dark (2006)

The Not-So-Final Countdown

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Europe: Live from the Dark on DVD

The famous 1980s hair-metal band from Sweden scored with a massive hit, "The Final Countdown" (1986) and disbanded in 1991. They reunited in 2004 for a (shudder), new album, a new tour and this new DVD. Not much has changed. The music sounds about the same, the phony stage posturing is the same and the dissolve-heavy, short-attention-span style of filming harkens back to the days when MTV played videos. The concert features 18 songs, many new and some vaguely familiar. Most are cringe-inducingly bad. "The Final Countdown" is reserved for last, as an encore, which was probably a bad idea. After all, this thundering power pop song was made for an opening number.

DVD Details: But there's more! Europe: Live from the Dark is a two-disc set, and comes with another two hours of interviews, backstage stuff, bonus numbers, etc. The concert itself offers a choice of three audio mixes (5.1 Surround, 2.0 Stereo and DTS). Fans, if there are any, will be delighted.

Starring: Joey Tempest, John Norum, Mic Michaeli, John Leven, Ian Haugland
Written by: n/a
Directed by: Jay B. Yarnel
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 100 minutes
Date: February 23, 2006