Dave Matthews Band

Listener Supported

3.5 Stars, actually...

Review Score:

(6/10)
Ok, let's be honest. There's an inevitable risk of overkill involved here, much like the Grateful Dead putting out two or three more Cds every time somebody digs up an old recording of "China Cat Sunflower." But comparing the DMB to the Dead is extremely unfair. Dave and co. have a nicely varied selection of material here; after the last two, I was worried they'd do nothing but Under the Table over again. "Veil," "#40," "#36," and "Granny" are very well done. The backup singers get overbearing at times, but not to the point of making it unlistenable. My complaints are the usual ones: "Watchtower," "Warehouse" and "Two Step" yet again? I love Two Step, but 14 minutes is just too much (no pun intended). They could have included "Say Goodbye" or "Song That Jane Likes" instead, but nobody's perfect. On the plus side, "Crash" and "Rapunzel" blow away the originals. "Stay" and "Too Much" are given a little more energy than before. The only thing that's glaringly absent is Tim Reynolds's guitar. Overall: not perfect, not something for everyone, but still damn good. But please Dave, that's enough live material for now...

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