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Where were you on 13 July 1991? Judging by the footage on this DVD, if you were a British INXS fan then you were probably at Wembley, together with 73,000 other rapturous fans. And if you were a girl sat on someone's shoulders, then you should get this DVD in order to see if you can spot yourself, as the many cameras took delight in homing in to catch the female audience members' reactions.
Most of the DVD comprises the concert itself, from Jon Fariss entering from the back of the stage to sit on the drum riser (and noticed by the audience surprisingly quickly, considering how small he must have appeared to the assembled masses), through 90 minutes and 21 tracks of rock, to the final encore Devil Inside.
I say encore, because it is the last track, but the editing has cut out any sight of the band leaving the stage or being called back by the crowd, so apart from the fact that Hutchence is wearing a different top towards the end, it is more than possible that there was no encore or even that the tracks appeared in a totally different order to that presented here.
In that regard, the sense of being a live concert recording is missing. It also seems a shame that whereas the day itself comprised a line-up of Hothouse Flowers, Deborah Harry, Jesus Jones, Roachford and Jellyfish, the only reference to them in the DVD is a camera shot of posters for their dressing rooms.
But, of course, this DVD is capturing a moment in time. Capturing, by the band members' own admission, perhaps the most prestigious gig of INXS' career - where they sold out Wembley Stadium and where the music and vocals after months of touring, just came together as they were made to do.
In the interviews with the band members, there are references to how special it was at the time, given the bands who had played Wembley as they were growing up, and how tough a time the British press had given INXS, and also to how much more special it is now, given that Wembley Stadium and, of course, Hutchence, are no longer with us.
Post Kick, and as part of the X tour, this concert does show INXS at their peak, and showcases some of their best songs. Guns In The Sky, New Sensation, Original Sin, Mystify, Suicide Blond... The set list is littered with crowd pleasers. And the crowd did look pleased. Mystify in particular seemed to have everyone singing along and dancing, and the close-ups of the band showed that they were loving the reception, and giving it their everything in return.
The film itself is well shot, and with 16 cameras (including one in a helicopter) all angles were covered. This means the viewer is taken straight into the heart of the gig: it shows the sheer scale of the concert, the band interactions and reactions, and the virtuosity of the performances. Kirk Pengillly plays guitar and saxophone, Andy Fariss plays harmonica, keyboards, guitar and maraccas, while Jon is shown sipping a bottle of Becks yet never missing a beat.
Tim Farriss (guitar), Garry Gary Beers (bass) and Michael Hutchence, whilst not demonstrating multi-instrumentalism, nonetheless showed that their musical abilities were exceptional. Which is more than can be said for Michael and Tim's dress sense - both wore tight, black and white stripey trousers. Enough said.
The sound is also impressive for a live performance, with a good mix between clarity of the band and actually getting enough of the crowd to tell that it is live. At times Hutchence's vocals seemed a little off key, but the audience didn't seem to be complaining. And the man who shook his booty long before Beyoncé thought of it, pranced and danced his way around the stage, taking them every step of the way.
Perhaps the best bit of the DVD is the backstage footage: "Wembley XS All Areas". Seeing INXS and entourage being squashed into a mini-bus to Wembley as if on a geography field trip is classic, and finding out that Hutchence can only see about 10 feet and wouldn't wear his contacts on stage because, "If I saw that audience out there I'd f**king run!" humanised this megastar.
Current interviews with the band members are also wowen in, and the package shows the band to be a group of genuinely articulate, interesting guys who loved music and loved performing. Hutchence's comment that their songs "were something to dance to and had something for your head to think and your heart to feel" seemed to sum up their strategy, which for a time had the world at its feet.
This DVD has got INXS at their best, and has to be a must for anyone who was there, anyone who had a Hutchence-fixation at school, or who just likes to see simple rock played well.
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