INXS Live Baby Live DVD Captures Glorious 1991 Performance

INXS' landmark 1991 Wembley Stadium rose high above the typical big rock show. From the moment they took the stage, late frontman Michael Hutchence and his bandmates commanded the audience as more than 73,000 rapturous fans lost their minds in a joyous celebration of the band's unique style of pulsating, melodic rock.

The show, previously available decades ago on video, has been restored, remixed, remastered and presented in full for the first time, a superior visual experience on DVD and Blu-ray. "Live Baby Live," out now, is truly transcendent, a visual and aural triumph that spotlights INXS' musical mastery and tremendous live appeal that still sounds current nearly 30 years later.

Hutchence is the focal point, the perfect amalgam of sexy cool and understated charisma, snaking across the stage and delivering a superb vocal performance.

The band open with album cut "Guns in the Sky," resplendent with is opening snare hits and slashing guitars before moving into the hit "New Sensation" and the groove-laden "I Send a Message" and "The Stairs," a powerful, mid-tempo number.

The band play to a sea of humanity hanging on Huchence's every vocal and the band's every note, totally immersed. It must be noted that INXS was much more than a Hutchence vehicle. Guitarists Kirk Pengilly and Tim Farris are an animated presence. Pengilly is a double threat, also playing saxophone, a key element of INXS' sound that elevates the mood of tracks like "New Sensation." He also duets with keyboardist Andrew Farriss on the Pink Floyd-reminiscent opening to "Lately," a previously unseen track.

Bassist Gary Gary Beers and the third of the Farriss brothers, drummer Jon Farriss, keep a fluid groove that propels the dance rhythms of "Know the Difference" and "Wild Life."

There's an incredible energy exchange between band and audience that, three decades on, is still astounding. The crowd becomes one, bopping up and down to the hits like the yearning "Need You Tonight" and set closer, the hypnotic "Devil Inside." "Never Tear Us Apart" an Suicide Blonde" are additional highlights.

Beyond the Chart-toppers and singles, INXS prove they are a complete band. There's absolutely no filler throughout the show, a testament to the group[s songwriting prowess.

There's a point during the show when Hutchence exclaims, "This is a big gig." Indeed it was, musically and aurally. There is, of course, a bit bittersweet tinge, as Hutchence would die six years later, leaving questions of what might have been. Yet this gig is ultimately a celebration of his life and transcendence as a performer at his glorious best.