Show: A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty
Taped at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on June 28, 2003,  Matchbox Twenty'sShowdepicts a hard-working rock band in its  prime and in its element. The full spectacle of Matchbox Twenty'sMore Than You Think You Aretour comes across, from the band's  world-class lights to its lock-tight playing, recorded and mixed for  5.1-channel surround and shot in gloriously film-like high-definition  video under the direction of Hamish Hamilton (Madonna, U2, Jennifer  Lopez).As on record, Matchbox Twenty's acute sensitivity to pop dynamics  carries the day, showcasing drummer Paul Doucette's propulsive attacks,  lead guitarist Kyle Cook's vocals and fretwork, and the soulful belting  of lead singer-songwriter Rob Thomas. (The less said of Thomas's  occasional piano playing, the better.) The concert itself is free from  interview footage and other distractions, and the 45-minute documentary  included on disc 2 is candid and focused, revealing the effort required  to mount and execute an arena tour.Dolby Digital 5.1 is the best way to hear the concert, even if you  collapse it to stereo, as the Dolby 2.0 tracks are marred by matrixed  SRS Circle Surround 5.1 encoding. The presence of the SRS processing is  confusing, given the superior Dolby-only sound and the broad household  penetration of Dolby-based AV receivers. Alas, there's no DTS surround  mix (as advertised in print) or CD-quality PCM stereo mix.--Michael  Mikesell