Motörhead
Stage Fright

THE REVIEW

This is a great concert on DVD. A young metalhead friend lent it to me (thanx Claudio) and I, who loved Motorhead in due time, gladly took a little leap into Prehistory. I approached - quite unfairly and irreverently - the viewing of this DVD, with the same mindset that overcomes me when I'm about to watch the new Christmas film with Boldi and De Sica, that is with a resigned mental predisposition to burps and farts.

Well, here we have (metaphorically speaking) burps and farts, but genuine and classy. Lemmy, Phil Campbell, and Mikkey Dee represent (especially the bubbly Lem, needless to say) rock 'n' roll made of smelly armpits, beer, smoke, and amplifiers with the volume at 12. But, I repeat, they are genuine. Authentic. So authentic that it is almost annoying to see and hear Mr. Kilmister while he flaunts his abrasive (to the scrotum) theories on how sad and corrupt the Rockstars Universe is, to which He, no, certainly does not belong. He simply - he asserts at the beginning of the concert - plays rock 'n' roll.

Besides, with that face, he couldn't do anything else, and for us listeners, it is certainly preferable that he stays behind a microphone singing. If he had chosen to be a proctologist, his patients probably would have looked at him with rightful suspicion. But let's talk about the DVD. The first disc contains the concert, great great great, miraculously captured in high-quality DD 5.1, compliments to the sound engineers. Some new tracks, the old Classics, nice lights, multi-angle, commentary, in short, it is a pleasure to watch. The second disc is even better: Making Of, L.A. Special, interviews with fans, Road Crew (do not miss the few minutes of interview with the cook What's-His-Name, an obese and unpleasant stoner to whom I would shake hands out of respect), and finally a DVD-rom section where you can find wallpapers and ringtones for your mobile, slideshow, info on the band, discography, and more.

A heartfelt and special applause to whoever had the brilliant idea to include a version (actually two) of "Overkill" in Windows Media HD format, in two resolutions 720p and 1080p (full HD). If you have a suitable monitor and PC, enjoy it because it looks and sounds divine. Who would have expected, 30 years ago, to still see them here, in Dolby Digital Surround and in high definition...

Best wishes, you horrible pockmarked louts. I hope to see the disk (or whatever it will be) of the sixtieth anniversary.

"We usually get drunk, play, and fall off the stage. Not necessarily in that order." Lemmy