Cranberries, The - Beneath the Skin: Live in Paris (1999)

I love the Cranberries. I'm not exactly sure why. Their lyrics are often insipid or downright awful ("It's bad and it's mad and it's making me sad", "I wanted to be the mother of your child, and now it's just farewell", "I never lost my faith in love, it's the greatest gift from the man above") and Dolores O'Riordan's voice can be chirpy and grating. That said, I love them. I always have. I like O'Riordan's voice, even when it's annoying. That keening lilt, those Gaelic growls, they get me, and even when the lyrics suck, I find myself really into the music itself, often very layered and resonant. The subject of the review here is a concert they filmed in Paris--thousands and thousands of screaming people, and 20 odd songs of the Cranberries at their best (if you agree they have a best). A good concert film is either sharp metatextual commentary, ala Gimme Shelter, or if just music, such a good time that fans and nonfans alike can find something to appreciate, ala Stop Making Sense. I'm not sure if this is a good concert film, as I can say with confidence that it doesn't fit into the first category, and I'm unsure about the second. However, the concert itself is such a good one, and the extras on the DVD so kick-ass (videos, extra live footage, documentaries) that I have to give it a high rating, but that's coming from a fan, so take it with a grain of salt. My problems with the concert/film are few, but slightly significant. There are too many quick cuts and edits and shots of the audience. That kind of thing is often common, but when you find it absent (like in Stop Making Sense), you realize why the techniques can be a detriment to an organic connection with the band and the music. Second, O'Riordan loves them fans, but gives them too many opportunities to dominate--several dozen times tilting the mike to them. If I wanted to hear thousands of screaming French maniacs singing the course to Zombie, I'd call my mom more often. But whatever. Either you like them or you don't. If you do, you'll want to see this.