Run-DMC

As the final audio and visual documents recorded before the tragic death of group DJ Jam Master Jay, this release of Run DMC’s first and only show at the esteemed Montreux Jazz Festival captures a pretty significant achievement for a rap group from Queens that were responsible for so much of what hip-hop would become, both artistically and commercially. As a concert record and DVD, however, you’d be hard-pressed to argue that the set showcases one of the group’s better performances. For starters, close followers will undoubtedly know that DMC’s voice had been completely fried by 2001 from years of rapping in an unnaturally high pitch and will spot Jay handling nearly all vocals for the lip-syncing MC. Also, watching the crew spend half the show giving audience participation instructions just doesn’t have the same effect from the couch. If nothing else, this set reminds us one last time of the landmark early successes of this legendary threesome.