December 5, 2011 (New York, NY) -- A few years back, when Ron Ashton was still with us, I almost blew off seeing the then newly reunited Iggy Pop and the Stooges. My expectations were unreasonably high and I just didn't want to be disappointed. I shouldn't have been worried. I made it to the show just as the lights went down and was transfixed for the rest of the night. The show still stands today as one of the best I've ever witnessed, and I've seen a few.
After Ron Ashton passed away I worried that the Stooges continuing with estranged guitarist James Williamson smacked of flogging a dead horse. I know Williamson just a bit and, talking to him not long after he left his day job and rejoined the band, I just didn't see how a guy who had been sitting at a corporate desk for the last 30 years could summon his inner rock star and measure up to the dearly departed Ashton.
Again, I was wrong.
"Iggy And The Stooges - Raw Power Live: In The Hands Of The Fans" is a testament to just how fantastic -- and powerful -- the Stogges continue to be as a live act. From the opening notes the band is on fire, pumelling through "Raw Power" and then some greatest hits with ferocity unimagineable for 60-somethings. That the band has put much of the camera work (and interview clips included as extras) in the hands of a few die-hard fans -- and that their footage blends perfectly with the work of the pros -- underscores how this band continues to do things exactly the way you want them to while also delivering the goods.
So catch Iggy and the Stooges when they come to town. And look forward to whatever recordings they release from their rumoured reunion sessions. But in the meantime grab this DVD (or better yet, Blu-ray) and crank the home theater to 11. (There's also an audio version, but it's really not the same thing.) This one will rock the house.
This article is copyright 2011 by Jeff Slate. No part may be reprinted or referenced without permission and/or attribution. All rights reserved.
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