Essential Live Albums

[liebzz]

The Kitchen Dwellers - Live at Pine Creek Vol. 2

Back to some bluegrass. This seemed like a much stronger volume from the last one, with quite a bit more range. Hell to Sunday is a real solid highlight with good structure yet a nice jam in the second half. The Living Dread gets pretty wild for what you keep expecting straight ahead bluegrass. The left turns find their destination though in Sundown > Comet > Sundown, turning a cover on its head and getting really crazy with it. I enjoyed this much more than I expected.

The Essential Performance: Sundown > Comet > Sundown

Up Next: Neil Young - Young Shakespeare

[liebzz]

Neil Young - Young Shakespeare

In line with other early solo acoustic shows, Neil is in good humor and having a good time with his audience. Loose and easy with these songs, this one feels almost like a greatest hits in that each song is instantly recognizable to the crowd and the listener, other than for him Sugar Mountain that he’s almost begging the audience to sing along (they do at the end). Another really entertaining live album from Neil even all by himself.

The Essential Performances: Down By the River, Sugar Mountain

Up Next: a brief summer vacation, then we power ahead to this journey’s conclusion through the fall.

[liebzz]

We’re back! It will be a little of a slow start since tomorrow night I am going to see Pearl Jam at the Garden, but kicking things off post- Labor Day with Spafford’s Live in Nashville.

[liebzz]

Spafford - Live in Nashville

A nice return here for me. Granted, the first set was good but maybe a little unsteady footing, but all that was quickly cured by an incredible second set here, launched with a cover of Green Day’s Longview (not on my bingo card but that’s the beauty of a jam band that can play anything) that somehow morphs into a 30 minute jam. In the Eyes of Thieves and All In are both spectacular and lengthy, making the set consist of just 3 great songs. Crazy.

The Essential Performance: Longview

Up Next: Dopapod - Coloradopapod

[liebzz]

Dopapod - Coloradopapod

I have to admit that this band takes some creative swings. On this one, there’s a ton of jamming with a lot of range happening, delving into trance-like synth heavy playing up through a louder rock sound. Their near metal take on Bertha to end this is pretty fun, and the best of the lot here, which despite the creativity often missing the mark more than hitting it personally.

The Essential Performance: Shmertha

Up Next: Lotus - Live in Steel City

[liebzz]

Lotus - Live in Steel City

Between this and the last, it feels like I am maybe too far down the rabbit hole of middling jam bands. It basically makes for some spectacular moments amongst the sort of meandering, especially here. The songs carry very little structure and rely heavily on cool synth vibes, and when they do hit the mark, it’s great, but most of this was an endless instrumental headspace that wasn’t as appealing as the top of the pack jam bands. Behind Midwest Storefronts and Destroyer are examples of them at their best though.

The Essential Performance: Destroyer

Up Next: Dogs in a Pile - Doggie Bag Vol. 1: Fall 2023

[liebzz]

Dogs in a Pile - Doggie Bag Vol 1: Fall 2023

More jams, this one a long compilation from Dogs in a Pile, a young and up and coming band on the scene. What separates these guys it seems is a willingness to really key in on the rock music rather than needing a shtick to hang their heads on (outside of the dogs motif that is). The first half is pretty good here, but the second half is pretty spectacular, especially Lattice and Bugle on the Shelf. This is one of those jam bands to watch out for in the coming years.

The Essential Performance: Bugle on the Shelf

Up Next: Grateful Shred - Brooklyn, NY 3/4/23

[liebzz]

Grateful Shred - Brooklyn, New York 3/4/23

Back to familiar territory, even if it’s a cover band. As they go, this one has gotten really good from when I first started a ways back putting them in here. It may be a shame that cover bands are largely all we have left of this music, but even if there are many dime-a-dozen Dead cover bands, some like this rise above most of the others (JRAD is the best I have heard so far at this). Here, set 2 with Shakedown Street, Help On the Way/Slipknot!, Franklyn’s Tower, a more than solid Terrapin Station, and St. Stephen is a great run of songs and they really get it here.

The Essential Performance: Shakedown Street

Up Next: Dead & Co. - Live at Citi Field, Queens, NY 6/21/23

[liebzz]

…a ways down the road, but I am sketching out the possibility of trying to pull off something similar with studio albums. Concepts of a plan…

[liebzz]

Dead & Co. - Live at Citi Field, Queens, New York 6/21/23

Billed as the last tour for Dead & Co., with a wink of course that it didn’t mean retirement, the band criss-crossed large stadiums one more time with John Mayer in tow. While I have been largely critical that this band is the Dead stuck in the mud, playing at half tempo and half asleep, their energy is vastly improved and they sound really great here. The songbook in their hands feels alive again. Bertha and Althea are particularly phenomenal here. US Blues is another nice highlight here.

Now for a bit of the real thing…

The Essential Performances: Bertha, Althea

Up Next: Grateful Dead - RFK Stadium 6/10/73

[liebzz]

Grateful Dead - RFK Stadium 6/10/73

Released last year as part of their endless archive, this long long show (4 hours and 41 minutes) packs plenty of highlights, but really what’s memorable here is a full encore set (an hour) of the Dead playing with Dickey Betts and Butch Trucks. And in that long highlight, Not Fade Away>Going Down the Road Feeling Bad>Not Fade Away is spectacular. Wish the sound quality was much better though.

The Essential Performance: Not Fade Away>Going Down the Road Feeling Bad> Not Fade Away

Up Next: Neil Young - Return to Greendale

[liebzz]

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Return to Greendale

I have long been conflicted when it comes to the source material for this live album. I usually approach it with some sense of excitement for a Neil Yoing concept album, and I’m fully invested at the beginning, but something about this always sort of peters out for me after about 15 minutes, as if the set up of the story with Falling From Above, Double E, and Devil’s Sidewalk is really enough. Granted, I enjoy the other songs but they just kind of fall into a hokey backdrop of whatever I am doing. Many years later and I still get the same reaction, even with the live setting. Jed kills a cop, grandpa dies and Sun Green becomes a revolutionary. Okay. Cool. Should this have been shorter? Longer to develop the characters so we care? I really don’t know, but Devil’s Sidewalk is a really cool song…and song title.

The Essential Performance: Devil’s Sidewalk

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of New Jersey

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of New Jersey

This is, thus far, the best of the Live Series. This one is packed full of career highlights and fantastic live versions. Spirit in the Night, Meeting Across the River, Tom Wait’s Jersey Girl, Open All Night, New York City Serenade, Johnny 99, I Don’t Want to Go Home, My City of Ruins, Seaside Bar Song, and Freehold are all must listens, and I am not even including solid takes of Born to Run, Jungleland, Rosalita, and Prove It All Night. This one is pretty killer.

The Essential Performances: Spirit in the Night, Meeting Across the River, Jersey Girl, Open All Night, New York City Serenade, Johnny 99, I Don’t Want to Go Home, My City of Ruins, Seaside Bar Song, Freehold

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs on Keys

[Happy Trees]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of New Jersey

This is, thus far, the best of the Live Series. This one is packed full of career highlights and fantastic live versions. Spirit in the Night, Meeting Across the River, Tom Wait’s Jersey Girl, Open All Night, New York City Serenade, Johnny 99, I Don’t Want to Go Home, My City of Ruins, Seaside Bar Song, and Freehold are all must listens, and I am not even including solid takes of Born to Run, Jungleland, Rosalita, and Prove It All Night. This one is pretty killer.

The Essential Performances: Spirit in the Night, Meeting Across the River, Jersey Girl, Open All Night, New York City Serenade, Johnny 99, I Don’t Want to Go Home, My City of Ruins, Seaside Bar Song, Freehold

I found the existence of this enticing, so I went to download it but it's streaming only.
Hahaha bite me.

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of New Jersey

This is, thus far, the best of the Live Series. This one is packed full of career highlights and fantastic live versions. Spirit in the Night, Meeting Across the River, Tom Wait’s Jersey Girl, Open All Night, New York City Serenade, Johnny 99, I Don’t Want to Go Home, My City of Ruins, Seaside Bar Song, and Freehold are all must listens, and I am not even including solid takes of Born to Run, Jungleland, Rosalita, and Prove It All Night. This one is pretty killer.

The Essential Performances: Spirit in the Night, Meeting Across the River, Jersey Girl, Open All Night, New York City Serenade, Johnny 99, I Don’t Want to Go Home, My City of Ruins, Seaside Bar Song, Freehold

I found the existence of this enticing, so I went to download it but it's streaming only.
Hahaha bite me.

At the least Freehold is hilarious.

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs on Keys

Bruce, keys, and that’s it. Pretty simple, yet of course in his hands effective, as we know from his solo shows and from Springsteen on Broadway. On this, The Promise, Backstreets, Valentine’s Day, Drive All Night, and Incident on 57th Street are the most effective, but really everything is solid here, ranging from the early 70s, the 90s, and mostly from his 2005 tour. This man doesn’t need a 15 piece band to entertain a crowd, but I’m sure he’s glad he has it.

The Essential Performances: The Promise, Valentine’s Day

Up Next: The Who - Live at Shea Stadium 1982

[liebzz]

The Who - Live at Shea Stadium 1982

This recording captures The Who still adjusting to life without Keith Moon. And while there’s no replacement for Moon, Kenney Jones does an admirable job at the least, and frankly a really good job bringing it live here. The band actually sounds great given that at this point the albums weren’t coming as naturally as their run in the late 60s and 70s. Of particular note here are really phenomenal performances of The Punk and the Godfather, and Naked Eye, though there’s plenty to enjoy here.

The Essential Performances: The Punk and the Godfather, Naked Eye

Up Next: Fleetwood Mac - The Mirage Tour ‘82

[liebzz]

Fleetwood Mac - Mirage Tour ‘82

Released today!! We’re getting closer to the end, but this release is really fantastic. The band is in great form, and the songs are lived in yet very much vital. It feels like a series of cascades of hits here, and they all have that hit song payoff without parodying themselves. The Chain, Dreams, Oh Well, Rhiannon, Never Going Back Again, You Make Loving Fun, and Go Your Own Way all highlight this. They ultimately get outplayed by Sisters of the Moon, which is massive here.

The Essential Performances: The Chain, Oh Well, Sisters of the Moon

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - The Born in the USA Tour ‘84-‘85

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - The Born in the USA Tour ‘84-‘85

Another huge banger of a live comp from Springsteen. Born in the USA, Cover Me, Bobby Jean, and Seeds are the winners here but everything is great. I never really adequately explored this era of live Springsteen but clearly I need to.

The Essential Performances: Born in the USA, Cover Me, Bobby Jean, Seeds

Up Next: U2 - ZOO TV live in Dublin

[liebzz]

U2 - ZOO TV Live in Dublin

A quick EP. This band needs more official live albums, especially with the slowdown in studio output. This one is quite enjoyable from the ZooTV era, and the songs are ones that wouldn’t immediately come to mind. Nearly all of it would make the list, so I’ll just go with Mysterious Ways here.

The Essential Performance: Mysterious Ways

Up Next: Mt. Joy - Live at the Salt Shed