Bauhaus still looks and sounds great if this 1998 taping of their Roseland Ballroom NY stop on their reunion tour means anything. Frontman Peter Murphy is still as foppish, flamboyant and overly-theatrical a performer as there has ever been-- his Dyrvish-whirling, mirror-dancing and feather-boa waving are all over this taping. Daniel Ash is still one of rock's great underestimated guitarists, and in "In Fear of Fear" he even breaks out into a rocking, off-kilter saxophone riff. Bassist David J and Drummer Kevin Haskins hold there own quite nicely as well. Clearly, as a whole the Godfathers of Goth have improved with age, and even the silliest songs ("Dark Entries", "She's In parties", and the "Stairway To Heaven"-type opus of Goth-rock that is "Bela Lugosi's Dead") sound fuller, stronger, harder. The filming itself is no work of art-- choppy editing and eye-rolling visual effects might have given this taping a passing grade with kitsch-heavy Murphy and bandmates, but any non-fan would quickly lose interest. The backstage banter and brief conversations with fans aren't particularly enlightening, but there is a kind of priceless scene involving a long-lost and now-found article of clothing. Bauhaus fans enjoy, everyone else stay away.
