Introduction

Some shows belong in every collector’s video library, this is one of them. Opinions vary as to which night amongst the two currently available is better. In the end, you would be wise to get both at some point.

Background

I’ll say that this show was the 52^nd of the near 87-date Alive tour. This show was the first of three consecutive nights at this venue.

Considering the band played only a handful of dates in January of 1976 and the fact they played over 20 dates in February, it is safe to assume that a large portion of Destroyer had been completed by this show.

Video Specifics

A multi-cam, pro shot show. This show is the better of the two available nights from Detroit in terms of video quality. The second night has a few glitches, while this show is nearly flawless. This show is missing the encores.

Every once and while the filmers, go to a split screen, which I found a bit annoying especially since they ended up showing the person but from different cameras.

The Show

Deuce- is it just me or does the announcer sound like he says “ alright Vancouver. You wanted the best…’’ ? A high-energy opener with some decent vocals by Gene, which includes a good scream at the end of the song.

Strutter- this version starts off well until Paul accidentally knocks his microphone down with his right arm. Gene sings the “ everybody says she’s lookin’ good ’’ verse until Paul’s microphone can be fixed.

C’mon and Love Me- I like the second night version of this song better but this still gets a faithful playing here.

Hotter then Hell- if you own Alive then you know what Paul is going to say as the intro to this song.

Firehouse- “ we’re gonna have to call out…’’. Paul dons a black fire helmet for the first part of this song. Strong vocals by Paul and good backing vocals by Gene help this version. As the song ends, smoke fills the stage, so much so, Ace can barely be seen. Gene caps the song off with two fireballs.

She- an energetic version with some nice shots of Gene. The song ends with Ace’s solo.

Ladies in Waiting- the only video performance of this Dressed to Kill rarity. I have to say that this song isn’t that bad in a live setting. It is a bit laboured but nothing egregious. This song segues into…

Nothin’ to Lose- this version doesn’t quite live up to the Alive version but no live version of this song has. Peter adds “ you know you can suck one ’’ into the vocals.

100,000 Years- this begins with Gene’s blood spitting, which is probably the best ever caught on video. Paul’s vocals aren’t too great but Peter’s drum solo is decent or at least decent enough to sit through it, which is worth noting. During the audience participation, Paul is practically screaming at the crowd at times “ do you like to get high ? ’’. A less then enthusiastic response prompts this remark from Paul “ Detroit, this isn’t Hartford, Connecticut ’’. The song ends with fire shooting up from columns around the stage. Paul plays his guitar behind his head for the last few seconds of the song, a la Hendrix.

Black Diamond- one of the better openings by Paul and nice vocals by Peter make this version better then most. The ending of the song is kind of ruined by poor stage lighting, which is practically dark except for some flash pots.

Overall

A must have for any video collector. Overall, a 9 out of 10.