World's On Fire (Live)

Album Review

The Prodigy have been the most galvanizing live act in dance music for nearly as long as some of their present-day fans have been alive: from the early Experience days in the early '90s through "Firestarter" and right into the new millennium via Invaders Must Die, their 2009 return to form. Still, World's on Fire is their first official live recording. (Canny listeners might actually think the world’s on fire after a few minutes of listening to Maxim and Keith Flint’s nearly endless commands to the crowd — "Stand up!," "Make some no-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ise!" — but they were on solid ground with fans, since this was the Prodigy's own Warrior's Dance festival at the Milton Keynes Bowl in July 2010.) All the hits are in attendance, spread throughout each major era, although most of the earliest and best come later, including the ending trifecta of "Everybody in the Place," "Their Law," and "Out of Space." The energy on display is impressive, and it's hardly a bad keepsake of actually seeing Howlett & co. in action, but as usual for live albums from dance acts, there are few substitutes for the real thing. [A video on the CD/DVD edition includes the full show as well as other live highlights, including an excellent selection of tracks from all over the world as well as short tour films from Japan, the U.S., and the U.K.]