I listened to this last night, and Ed sounds tremendous. It's 2024 Ed for sure, but it's great. This was my first chance to hear professional recordings of the live stuff, rather than fan uploads on YouTube.
Let's run through it:
Scared of Fear – Still great, though not necessarily elevated in a live setting. Maybe kinda, though.
React, Respond – Same. Just a cool fucking song.
Wreckage – Still great. Backing vocals sound good. Ed hits all the emotional spots the same as on the record.
Dark Matter – This is the first one that really played up for me in the live setting. Benefits from an extra bit of rawness.
Won't Tell – Still great. Once again, Ed nails every note in the bridge that you'd be hoping for.
Upper Hand – The second one that really played up live. Great on the album, but I think it gets a slight bump here.
Waiting for Stevie – First one that plays down a bit. It's, like, 25% less meaty in this recording. Also suffers a bit from being sped up.
Running – Even though I've loved this since day one, it's still such good fun.
Something Special – Still fine.
Got to Give – This also played down a bit solely because of how it's sped up. Ed hit the notes necessary to make it great, but it's a tad too fast.
Setting Sun – Still great.
