MOTÖRHEAD

Pretty much essential viewing material for any MOTÖRHEAD fan, "Stage Fright" captures a smoking 2004 set from Lemmy and the lads (can I call people my dad's age "lads?") in Düsseldorf, Germany. The place is packed, the sound is great, and the band is, as usual, dishing out rock and roll perfection in its purest, loudest, greasiest form.

The filming is excellent — perhaps a little too good for MOTÖRHEAD standards. There's start-stop camera bullshit, and a few ill-advised tricks right out of "The Matrix", which end up more distracting than interesting. It's a fucking MOTÖRHEAD show, you know? Set up the cameras and get out of the way, we don't need the fancy stuff.

But that minor quibble aside, this set is a wet dream for any fan, especially longtime 'bangers. The set list is inspired — opening with "Doctor Rock" and throwing in near-forgotten classics like "I Got Mine" and "Dancing On Your Grave", in addition to worthy newer tunes like "Killers", "Over the Top" and a surprising acoustic "Whorehouse Blues". Be sure to give the commentary a listen — Lemmy pretty clearly doesn't wanna be there, but Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell have some interesting, if minor, insights (Dee wants to toss "No Class" from the set, "In the Name of Tragedy" is hard to play).

Disc two is full of cool extras, including interviews with the roadies and sound crew (many of whom have been working for MOTÖRHEAD for years). There's also DVD-ROM material, like wallpaper and ringtones, which people with more time on their hands may want to play with. You can even scroll through the band's backstage concert rider, and marvel at Lemmy's dietary and alcoholic requirements for an evening of rock. The focus on the crew and the million little details that make up a day on tour will fascinate anyone who worships the whole rock and roll ideal, and has never had a chance to experience it firsthand in all its mundane, convoluted glory.

You simply couldn't ask for a better MOTÖRHEAD DVD at this stage in the band's career. They're a killing machine live, and so much was put into this production — from the lights to the recording to the camera work — that it's about as close as you'll get at home to the real thing. Block out an evening, because you'll want to explore every nook and cranny of this fascinating, loud-as-all-fuck trip into the life of one of rock and roll's most important bands.