“We are ruled by none”

The DVD “Sex Pistols Live at the Longhorn” is the footage from the band’s performance on January 10, 1978 at the Longhorn Ballroom in Texas. This gig took place towards the end of the band’s disastrous North American tour, and the stress and strain shows. The Pistols aren’t quite ready to implode yet (see “Live at Winterland” for the final performance). The DVD is relatively short (37 minutes), and the Pistols perform the following songs:

EMI
Bodies
Belsen Was a Gas
Holidays in the Sun
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
Anarchy in the U.K.
No Fun (performed in the encore)

The Pistols play to a fairly tame, small packed-in audience–the camera records the action from a number of angles, and thanks to this, you really get a sense of actually being there. Johnny Rotten is in good form, but Sid Vicious deteriorates on stage. He has the carved ‘A’ on his chest, and his left arm is badly infected and bandaged. At one point, he falls off the stage. This results in a bloody nose for the rest of the show.

The Pistols’ enthusiasm increases a little as the concert continues. At one point, Rotten changes the words from “Anarchy in the U.K.” to “Anarchy in the U.S.A.” Guitarist Steve Jones is set for a little aggro with a member of the audience when the bouncers intervene, and Rotten, referring to Sid tells the audience to “look at that living circus.” The DVD sound is decent (not great), but fans will add this DVD to their collection and note the concert’s significance to the history of the band. If you are interested in the history of the band–and in the North American tour, in particular–I highly recommend “12 Days on the Road with the Sex Pistols” by Noel E. Monk and Jimmy Guterman.

“I like that battering ram gig.”

In VH1 Storytellers, Billy Idol, who’s survived his share of adversity, proves that in middle age he still has what it takes to keep an audience happy. The DVD taped in New York in April 2001 contains the following songs:
1. Cradle of Love
2. Don’t Need a Gun
3. Flesh For Fantasy
4. White Wedding
5. Sweet 16
6. To Be a Lover
7. Rebel Yell
8. Kiss Me Deadly
9. Eyes Without a Face
10. Dancing with Myself
11. Untouchables
12. Ready Steady Go
13. Blue Highway
14. Mony Mony
15. LA Woman

The band includes:
Steve McGrath-bass
Steve Stevens-guitar
Greg Ellis-percussion
Mark Schulman-drums
Joseph Simon-keyboard

This intimate performance takes place in a small NY club setting. In between songs, Idol drops details of how some of the songs came to be written, and Idol’s charismatic personality comes through as he shares memories with his audience. He’s obviously happy to be there and having a rapt audience boosts his performance even more. He’s funny, he’s entertaining, and his music has stood the test of time.

This is an older Billy Idol, and some of that is reflected in his memories, but the performance is still an incredible event for fans. Idol alters the lyrics in some of the songs, and the audience loves it–singing, and clapping during old favourites such as White Wedding, Dancing With Myself, and Mony Mony. Idol also talks about his Generation X days and includes songs from that period of his career. For Idol fans, it’s wonderful to hear these songs performed again without all the glitzy MTV trappings. DVD extras include a discography, and the option to listen to the music without the visuals.

“To people like me, there is no order.”

The Sex Pistols broke up in 1978 at the end of the infamous, disastrous North American tour. Their last concert took place at the Winterland in San Francisco on January 14. The VHS Sex Pistols: Last Winterland Concert is the footage from that historic performance.

On the VHS, the Pistols perform the following songs:
God Save the Queen
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Belsen Was a Gas
Bodies
Holidays in the Sun
Liar
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
Anarchy in the UK
No Fun (performed in the encore)

The Sex Pistols are tired, and there’s an obvious lack of cohesion between the band members. Johnny maintains his demented look and excellent diction throughout the performance, and Sid sneers at the fans. In between songs, Steve Jones idly plays a few notes on his guitar while ignoring insults from the crowd. Throughout the show, the Pistols are pelted with various objects and the love-hate relationship they have with the fans is evident. Johnny’s deliver of the song EMI at Winterland should be compared to his performance of the same song on the DVD Never Mind the Bollocks: We’re the Sex Pistols. The contrast between the two live performances is staggering. When the Pistols perform No Fun for the encore, it’s obvious that this is an ironic choice–the band is discordant and far from their best. So it comes as no surprise that this was their last performance and the band broke up shortly after the Winterland show. Johnny terminates the concert with that infamous line “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” A good companion piece to this VHS is the book, 12 Days on the Road with the Sex Pistols by Noel Monk, the North American tour manager. The Sex Pistols: Last Winterland Concert is about 60 minute long, and it’s an essential addition to a Sex Pistols collection, and as evidence of the band’s final disintegration, it’s priceless. We all know there will never be a reunion show.

“The one who searches and destroys.”

Iggy Pop is one of Punk’s greatest survivors. When he played at the Ancienne Belgique theatre in Brussels on December 2 1999, he was an amazing 52 years old. With his scarred yet strangely ageless body, Iggy proves he’s still a Wild One and this performance stands as a testament to his stamina, endurance and tremendous talent.

For this DVD–Iggy Pop Live at the Avenue B–Iggy and his excellent band–The Trolls–perform 21 songs that span the course of his lengthy career:
1. No Shit
2. Nazi Girlfriend
3. Espanol
4. Raw Power
5. Search And Destroy
6. Shakin’ All Over
7. Corruption
8. Real Wild Child (Wild One)
9. I Wanna Be Your Dog
10. I Felt The Luxury
11. Home
12. Lust For Life
13. The Passenger
14. Cold Metal
15. Avenue B
16. TV Eye
17. I Got A Right
18. No Fun
19. Death Trip
20. Sixteen
21. Louie Louie

The concert begins deceptively quietly with Iggy sitting cross-legged at the front of the stage with a guitar to play his first song. But it’s not long before he bursts into his raucous wild sounds with his usual seemingly endless energy. Iggy moves seamlessly from one song to another, and there are so many good ones that it’s impossible to pick one favourite (Mine=Lust for Life, The Passenger, Real Wild Child, I Wanna Be Your Dog). Iggy occasionally launches himself into the audience, and fans storm the stage at one point. While Iggy looks a little stressed when the women pile on top of him, it’s clear that he’s happy to be there on stage in front of an appreciative audience–A phenomenal concert that’s a must for fans.