Essential Live Albums

[liebzz]

Trey Anastasio Band - Burn It Down

This band, horn section and all, is like joyful noise to me. I just feel up listening to all this, and even here, where darker elements and a bit more bluesy feel is present, as in the obvious track Dark and Down, Joy wins in the end. About to Run is a wonderful build here, though less joyous than say Undermind, Alive Again, Ether Sunday, Love Is What We Are, Mozambique, or First Tube, but it’s all so refreshing and wonderful to chill out to.

The Essential Performance: About to Run

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Stripped Down

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Stripped Down

We covered the treacherous MTV Plugged here a while back, so can we please find some redemption in this playlist, a compilation making good on some stripped down goodness. Dancing in the Dark was really a highlight surprisingly. Bobby Jean, Independent Day, and Empty Sky were my favorites after that.

The Essential Performance: Dancing in the Dark

Up Next: Neil Young - Carnegie Hall 1970

[liebzz]

Neil Young - Carnegie Hall 1970

Here it’s only 1970, and yet it feels like Neil Young is playing a greatest hits collection. Everything just seems to ring familiar, to him and the audience, and his chats about playing some new songs since that’s what he’s most interested in almost seem like a quip amongst all the well known songs here, though this is so early in his career that things may seem comfortably woven into this moment that are new to this audience and the enthusiasm erases it. It could be that Neil is so good at weaving in new songs that you can’t really tell what’s new and what’s tried and true. It is yet another fantastic solo effort from him, even as he jokes with the audiences that he’s not a good piano player so their excitement at his intros are only because they all sound the same. The highlights on this night for me were Down By the River, Expecting to Fly, The Loner, Southern Man, Wonderin’, a seven minute Sugar Mountain, Flying on the Ground is Wrong, Birds, Ohio, and See the Sky About to Rain.

The Essential Performances: Sugar Mountain, Flying on the Ground is Wrong

Up Next: Joan Shelley - Live at the Bromhard

[liebzz]

Joan Shelley - Live at the Bromhard

This is the third consecutive more stripped down live album following Springsteen and Neil Young, more than solid company. This one seems to go by quickly, relatively breezy folky songs with Shelley admittedly having a wonderful voice, and the drums here actually keep the thing afloat, which isn’t something I would typically comment on. Of the songs, I probably enjoyed The Fading the most.

The Essential Performance: The Fading

Up Next: Metallica - S&M 2

[liebzz]

Metallica - S&M2

The first of these shows in 1999 were perhaps an unexpected hit, but maybe the success of the shows, if you think about it for a moment, not a surprise. Particularly in the band’s first four albums, amid the thrash was a sort of orchestral element to their work - songs that had movements and dramatic shifts that recall orchestra pieces. Master of Puppets is sure exhibit A, and no shock they played it then and brought it back 20 years later for this show. The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Metallica revel in this connection throughout this second act, and that level of enthusiasm for each other lifts the performances here throughout, a sequel yet not a retread since many newer songs find a home here. The highlights for me on this one are All Within My Hands; Master of Puppets (of course), and the show closing Enter Sandman that takes the song to new places and heights - essential since this may be the song most exhausted from years of endless play. A great band still doing great things in the live setting.

The Essential Performances: All Within My Hands, Master of Puppets, Enter Sandman

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs Under Cover Vol. 2

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs Under Cover Vol. 2

When you break it down to the heart of the matter, a big piece of Bruce’s existence is as a song and dance man who believes in rock and roll salvation. To that end, he often excels at plowing through oldies at a feverish clip. Mountain of Love, Rave On, Lonely Teardrops and Then She Kissed Me are living proof of that, but then songs like Rebel Rebel, and Drift Away are even taking something slightly more contemporary and giving it similar treatment. Then there’s throwaway fun like Royals to keeps things light. He still proves here to be one of the great cover guys.

The Essential Performance: Mountain of Love

Up Next: The Rolling Stones - Live at the Wiltern

[liebzz]

Rolling Stones - Live at the Wiltern

This one comes from their 2002 tour I believe, and is them doing what they do best in the smaller venue atmosphere: playing more deep cuts and bringing the energy. On this one, they jump out with Jumping Jack Flash, and then take on 70s era middle level classics that probably more serious fans get excited for, like Live With Me, Neighbors, Hand of Fate, No Expectactions, Stray Cat Blues, Dance Pt. 1, and Bitch. This comprises much of the highlights of this show, with a soul blues breakdown in the middle including Everybody Needs Somebody to Love with Solomon Burke, and a requisite big fireworks like finale piling Honky Tonk Women, Start Me Up, and Brown Sugar on top of each other. It all ends with a really killer Tumbling Dice. Great show.

The Essential Performances: Neighbors, Hand of Fate, Bitch, Tumbling Dice

Up Next: Andy Frasco and the UN - Live on the Rocks

[liebzz]

Andy Frasco & the UN - Live on the Rocks

Man, I must be getting old. Listening to this one, I kept thinking this would be a real great live album if he just cut it back a bit on the potty mouth. Seems like nearly every other word is an F-bomb here, and really it quickly goes from making a point to superfluous and ridiculous. Shame because the music here is a sort of cross pollination of Nathanial Rateliff like Americana with almost a punk rock edge. The extensive curse words get in the way though. Struggle here is an explosive and nimble track that leaps out the speakers.

The Essential Performance: Struggle

Up Next: Grateful Dead - Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12/10/71

[wease]

My god man. How many more of these do you have?

[liebzz]

My god man. How many more of these do you have?

@65. I keep adding more and more of stuff I realized I missed.

[wease]

My god man. How many more of these do you have?

@65. I keep adding more and more of stuff I realized I missed.

Damn! Your commitment is to be commended.

[doug rr]

I think that liebzz is independently wealthy and just listens to records all day..god bless him

[liebzz]

I think that liebzz is independently wealthy and just listens to records all day..god bless him

If only. I have approximately 3 hours per day in commuting time, which is where all this listening goes. I have also been working through this thread for well over a year. I do have an unreasonable love of live music, which makes this thread easy to do. I really enjoy sort of exploring familiar stuff and new stuff in this format - so many surprises along the way, and much like a good live show, this journey often has skewed off script and I have improvised certain parts.

I originally started this thread in the hopes of hearing about 100-150 live albums. We’re already over 450. Crazy.

[doug rr]

I think that liebzz is independently wealthy and just listens to records all day..god bless him

If only. I have approximately 3 hours per day in commuting time, which is where all this listening goes. I have also been working through this thread for well over a year. I do have an unreasonable love of live music, which makes this thread easy to do. I really enjoy sort of exploring familiar stuff and new stuff in this format - so many surprises along the way, and much like a good live show, this journey often has skewed off script and I have improvised certain parts.

I originally started this thread in the hopes of hearing about 100-150 live albums. We’re already over 450. Crazy.

when are you going to have a write up on rick astley's whenever you need somebody?

[liebzz]

Grateful Dead - Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12/10/71

More recently released archive show is in the height of the Pigpen era it seems, and he’s all over this thing, from Mr. Charlie to Next Time You See Me to his signature rap through an extended Good Lovin’. Sugar Magnolia is always phenomenal in this era, as is Playing in the Band, which maintains some level of reasonability, and makes itself the performance of the show paired with the seasonally appropriate Run Rudolph Run. Really good show here.

The Essential Performance: Playing in the Band > Run Rudolph Run

Up Next: Tedeschi Trucks Band - Layla Revisited (Live at LOCKN’)

[liebzz]

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Layla Revisited (Live at LOCKN’ / 2019)

Tedeschi Trucks Band with Trey Anastasio playing a reshuffled Layla is as spectacular as would be expected. Lots of guitar interplay, soulful singing, and blues rock vibes. The moments where they really push the songs past their usual places are where this thing really takes off. The hits like Bellbottom Blues, Little Wing, and Layla are beyond fantastic, and Keep On Growing really slays. Trey gets along here well, and neither overwhelms or disappears in the set, playing really nicely with Derek Trucks. And Susan Tedeschi’s voice is familiarly incredible with these songs.

The Essential Performances: Bell Bottom Blues, Keep On Growing, Little Wing, Layla

Up Next: Kitchen Dwellers - Live at Pine Creek

[oasisfan35]

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Layla Revisited (Live at LOCKN’ / 2019)

Tedeschi Trucks Band with Trey Anastasio playing a reshuffled Layla is as spectacular as would be expected. Lots of guitar interplay, soulful singing, and blues rock vibes. The moments where they really push the songs past their usual places are where this thing really takes off. The hits like Bellbottom Blues, Little Wing, and Layla are beyond fantastic, and Keep On Growing really slays. Trey gets along here well, and neither overwhelms or disappears in the set, playing really nicely with Derek Trucks. And Susan Tedeschi’s voice is familiarly incredible with these songs.

The Essential Performances: Bell Bottom Blues, Keep On Growing, Little Wing, Layla

Up Next: Kitchen Dwellers - Live at Pine Creek

I was waiting for this, easily one of my favorite releases ever; just great stuff all around.

[liebzz]

Yeah, it’s pretty phenomenal.

[liebzz]

Kitchen Dwellers - Live at Pine Creek

Time for a little bluegrass! This one comes around just around the time that Billy Strings seemed to be blowing up (criminal he hasn’t released any official live albums yet), but that sort of gives the music it’s moment in the sun. This one is familiar in its frenetic pacing, and seems to add a nice subtle rock layer into its sound. Of course it doesn’t hurt to cover Jerry Garcia (Run for the Roses) and The Band (Get Up Jake). The winner here though is the 20 minute closing Ebenzeer’s Winter / Mountain, which meanders through The Other One like moments into massive jams.

The Essential Performance: Ebenzeer’s Winter/Mountain

Up Next: Eggy - 2.20.21: Egg Crate After Hours

[liebzz]

Eggy - 2.20.21: Egg Crate After Hours

A young band just coming up on the scene in the last year or so, Eggy is a solid 4-piece jam band playing on a lot of the modern jam sounds that meld rock, improv, and little elements of other influences. Golden Gate Dancer is the winner here, a longer jam but worth kicking around. I will seeing these guys at Sea.Hear.Now at the end of the summer.

The Essential Performance: Golden Gate Dancer

Up Next: Eggy - Live at the Peach Music Festival 2021