In lore, the band's stint as the opening act for 's farewell tour in 1982 is where the band had stardom in its hand and dropped it on the floor. That's how phrased it in retrospect, but in 1982 the pairing was seen as a rock cultural clash, with 's audience bristling at the punks, and the punks not quite being comfortable operating on a larger scale -- a suspicion somewhat proven by the band's implosion within months of the gig. Given all the stories about how poorly received this tour with was -- that the were routinely greeted by boos as they hopped from stadium to stadium across the U.S. -- it comes as a mild surprise that this unearthed recording of the band's opening set at isn't bad at all. There were some signs prior to this 2008 archival release that this particular gig was pretty good -- some of the cuts surfaced on the posthumous live 1999 comp and the video to came from this gig -- but all the decades of disastrous myths help turn into a pleasant surprise. That doesn't mean that this is a definitive portrait of the live, or even that it captures the band at their best, but it's fascinating to hear how they pitched their set to 's audience, only slowing down for the reggae of and but otherwise sticking with high-octane, breathlessly paced rock & roll -- the kind of set designed to placate a stadium full of classic rock fans, or at least keep them buying beer instead of throwing it. As a historical document, it's a worthy one. It not only illustrates that the did turn in some strong performances on this often disaster-plagued tour, but it gives us the first officially released concert instead of the re-creation of . And if it's not all terrific -- strangely, the songs can sometimes sound stiff, particularly -- when the group clicks, as they do on a closing stretch that includes and a furious they sound like the greatest band on earth and a sure bet to have blown off the stage. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine