Filmed in front of a huge crowd at Germany's Rockpalast Festival, this 1981 Thin Lizzy performance is one of very few live DVD recordings out there that is an entire show. The band at the time consisted of Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, Brian Downey, Darren Wharton and Snowy White (guitars) who was brought in a year or so earlier to replace Gary Moore for the Chinatown album. Renegade had just been released and the band was in the midst of a world tour in support of the album.

Are You Ready? is an honest recording that has its share of sound flaws with the odd blown note here and there, the lead guitar work by both Scott Gorham and Snowy White being buried in the mix for the first few tracks and the fact that Phil Lynott was battling a cough. The production is not the best either but taken into account that this was recorded 28 years ago, we can live with it. Aside from that, we are treated to over 100 minutes of a truly stellar Thin Lizzy performance. They blast through all the usual concert favs like the perennial show opener Are You Ready? (which surprisingly never made it onto a studio album), Waiting For An Alibi, Jailbreak, Got To Give It Up, Chinatown, Hollywood, Don't Believe A Word, Baby Drives Me Crazy, Emerald and Bob Seger's Rosalie. Other tracks include the curious inclusion of Trouble Boys, a song that was paired with Memory Pain (also included here) and released in 1981 as a single before the release of the Renegade album. The song tanked on the charts and was subsequently taken off the final version of the album. Renegade tracks include Hollywood and the awesome Angel Of Death (mistakenly labelled as "Desaster?" on the DVD sleeve). Also included are Suicide, an oldie from the Fighting album as well as Black Rose and other Chinatown tracks like Genocide (The Killing Of The Buffalo) and Sugar Blues. What Thin Lizzy show would be complete without the always awesome 1-2 punch of Cowboy Song and The Boys Are Back In Town; which gets the full workout here.

This might not be the best Thin Lizzy performance overall but any that is captured in its entirety is an absolute bonus. For the most part, the band is very tight and the guitar work of Snowy White and Scott Gorham excellent. They really nail the guitar harmonies especially with Black Rose, Cowboy Song and The Boys Are Back In Town. I'd always heard about Snowy White's apparent lack of any real stage presence and it is pretty evident with this concert. Although a great guitar player, he possesses none of the "rock guitarist posturing" that Scott Gorham has. Phil Lynott was and always will be one of the most charismatic front-men ever in rock music. His sly, subtle and witty singing style is what makes Thin Lizzy so unique and unequalled in the history of rock music. A victim of his own lifestyle, he was taken from us far too soon in 1986 in only his 37th year. There will never be another band like this and their influence on hard rock music and heavy metal is immeasurable. This DVD is a must have for any fan of Thin Lizzy. I didn't know that a recording of this show even existed but do what I did; put it on, crank up the volume and enjoy a truly special Thin Lizzy concert experience.