The band shows fine live musicianship on these 16 songs, but there is little there to make watching this any different from listening to their CDs. The real treats here for fans are five songs from their previous, equally influential, incarnation Joy Division ("Transmission", "Atmosphere", "She's Lost Control", "Digital", and "Love Will Tear Us Apart"), which they refused to play live for many years. Fans will be pleased to hear that Sumner does Ian Curtis's songs justice, although he lacks the frenetic energy of Curtis. Also included is "Brutal", a non-album track that was on the soundtrack to The Beach. Of the other 10 songs, three are from the guitar-oriented Get Ready.
Visually, the footage is not very interesting, with only minimal lighting until the sun goes down for the final two songs, and only occasional crowd shots, instead choosing to focus on Sumner and bassist Peter Hook. There are a few amusing moments, such as when Sumner and Hook force their stage manager to sing on "Digital", and when Sumner asks the crowd to choose between one of the most popular songs of all-time, "Blue Monday", and "Rock the Shack", a weak collaboration with Primal Scream on Get Ready.
I would recommend this for true New Order devotees, but it's not essential for just average fans. As for anyone who is not already a fan, shame on you. Seriously, I would suggest that you check out 1987's Substance, and pretty much any of their other albums, first.
