So the third time I saw Iggy was last year on his reunion tour with the Stooges, and it was absolutely amazing. No, the guy didn't cut himself with glass or anything like that (despite his past reputation for such things). But for a guy pushing sixty, he still kicked tons of ass.

Which leads me to my one problem with this video.

Does Escaped Maniacs capture all of the unrestrained, unhinged insanity of the Stooges reunion tour? Yes it does. Right down to Iggy's healthier than it has any right to be ass hanging out of its pants as it often does. That sort of down to the bones quality is all over the songs here like "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and "Fun House." This is definitely some raw shit.

The problem here is that the camera, quite frankly, wanders just a bit too much.

If there was anything that pissed me off growing up on concert video shows like Don Kirscher's In Concert and Midnight Special, it was the fact that they always concentrated on the effects, rather than the band.

And when you've got a guy as "can't take your eyes off him" as Iggy Pop, this just doesn't make any sense at all. Especially when the focal point remains one who, even in his advancing years, remains as oddly yet undeniably charismatic as Iggy Pop.

As a concert video, this kicks major ass, if only because you really can't miss with a subject as enduring and fascinating as Iggy. It would just be nice if the directors kept their eye on the ball (or "the Ig" as it were).