As a teenager, I idolized Ritchie Blackmore, the guitarist for Deep Purple and Rainbow, and was later saddened when he decided to hang up his famous Fender Strat to compose renaissance music with his girlfriend, Candice Night. I never bought any Blackmore's Night albums, but since seeing this amazing, and marvelously entertaining, live disc, I've once again become a huge fan of Blackmore and this band. "Paris Moon" features a two-hour performance full of surprises & outstanding musicianship.

Disc 1 features the band in concert, performing numerous original selections from their many albums, a few choice covers (such as Joan Baez' "Diamonds and Rust"), as well as one song each from Blackmore's Deep Purple and Rainbow days. Considering Blackmore's reputation, what's surprising is, in concert anyway, this band is a true collaborative effort. Each musician is top-notch, and all are given moments in the spotlight. Another surprise is Candice Night herself. As frontwoman, she's charming, funny, easy on the eyes and, of course, has a tremendous voice perfectly suited for the material. The biggest surprise is Blackmore himself. As a fan, I've seen him live numerous times, but stripped of an electric guitar, he's simply amazing. The highlight of the show is definitely the 12-minute epic, "Fire at Midnight," which features an astounding acoustic guitar solo. In fact, he's so good with the acoustic instruments that it's almost disappointing when he hauls out his Strat for a few straight rock numbers.

The concert is presented in widescreen, and the overall picture is great. The audio is also terrific, rendered in 5.1 Dolby & DTS, as well as a 2.0 stereo track. The balance and clarity of the disc is exemplary.

The best extra feature is an audio CD culled from the same concert. It doesn't include every song featured in the video, but the highlights are all there. Also included are two music videos and an entertaining interview with Blackmore and Night.

This is a wonderful boxed set, with great music and performances, and it easily stands up to repeated viewings. Fans of Blackmore won't be disappointed, and those new to the band will likely become fans themselves. All-in-all, this disc is highly recommended.