It is essentially a bunch of guys doing guy things in situations of various levels of discomfort.

Artist: Armor For Sleep
Title: A Comprehensive Guide to Touring
Format: DVD
Feature Length: 1:19:39
Special Features: Yes

Generally speaking, if a band releases a DVD that isn’t a full concert experience it’s going to be a disappointment. Even more so when the DVD is a stand alone product and doesn’t come packaged free (or as a Special Edition) with a regularly priced cd. For example, when 16 Horsepower (who’d been a favorite of mine for years) released a double disc DVD last year I expected there to be a lot of live footage. Instead we got some vaguely interesting interviews and some shady, old television footage. So anyone purchasing “A Comprehensive Guide to Touring” with the expectations of seeing a lot of live footage is going to be disappointed.

I’d never really paid attention to Armor For Sleep before I got sent this DVD so it is probably just as well “A Comprehensive Guide…” wasn’t a concert DVD or I would have been bored to tears. Instead, it is what the title implies: it’s a behind the scenes look at the agony and joy of touring across the country in a rock band.

Despite my general distaste for Armor For Sleep’s music I found this DVD to be rather interesting. It is essentially a bunch of guys doing guy things in situations of various levels of discomfort. You get to see the boring life of traveling in a van with nothing but hand-held electronic devices and annoying the people with you as entertainment. Everyone will identify with their difficulty in ordering fast food via the drive-through. Hey guys, here’s a hint. If there is more than two people in a vehicle, it’s a lot easier to just park and walk into the restaurant, rather than trying to take orders from a group of guys who are still too focused how to beat each other up than on whether they want a Coke or diet.

However, it’s not so much what they do that makes the DVD an interesting view; it’s seeing their personalities and how they fit together as a group. After watching the DVD you almost feel like you could be a close friend of every single one of them. You see the rather naughty things they do, yet you also get the distinct feeling that if their action had resulted in injuring someone that they wouldn’t be laughing about it afterward.

This DVD contains a couple of drinking scenes (and drunken acts) and has a lot of language (use your imagination) so if either of those things offend or bother you, stay away. You really only need this DVD if you are a hardcore fan of the band or want a realistic portrait of what life on the road with a bunch of guys is like without it becoming completely glamorized. There are a number of special features of good quality that include things like music videos, deleted scenes, and much more. I rather enjoyed the DVD for what it was (especially since I didn’t pay for it) but would have probably felt a bit gypped if I was a fan of the band with the wrong expectations.