Dec 13, 2000 Remaster

I remember being at this show like it was yesterday. While I hope it becomes an official release one day, discovering this remaster has brought me a lot of happiness.

Speaking of happiness, from the moment the band hits the stage, you can tell it’s going to be a great night. Roi is noodling on the sax while Dave welcomes the crowd and croons about loving New York. Which is a good thing, because I dragged myself to this show two hours after fracturing my ankle at an indoor track and field meet!

The show kicks off with the instrumental intro to ONE SWEET, which hits its stride when the funk of Stefan’s bass kicks in and Carter kicks it up a notch. This has always been one of the best showcases for Roi, and a great way to open a show, and tonight is no exception. Dave’s voice is in great form—remember, this is at the end of a long year of touring and he barely made it through the final two shows of the year.

As Dave’s self-proclaimed favorite song, DON’T DRINK understandably gets a lot of play, and I’ve always loved how it sounded in 2000: more refined than in 1998 and 1999, but not quite as shiny as it became in the mid-2000s when Butch’s playing was more prominent. Again, the funk of Stefan’s bass comes through in the best possible way. Roi’s little flourishes here and there are beautiful. A strong performance.

RECENTLY was a tour debut and is notable for its many overlapping interpolations. I remember my (and everyone’s) surprise when Dave added the On Broadway interpolation. His voice is so strong in this performance, and again, the band’s rhythm section is in control. At the time, this song was becoming a rarity (its previous play was LT3), and it’s become even rarer today, which is borderline criminal.

The defining song of 2000, “a song called GREY STREET” doesn’t disappoint. By this point the lyrics had solidified a fair bit, but Dave was still experimenting. One of my favorite lyrics from tonight is the transition from “she no longer saw in black and white” in the first chorus to “she sees only in black and white” in the second. At this time they were also repeating the final chorus, and who doesn’t love that? Roi’s jam is strong, even if not very top tier.

There were no clunkers in 2000, but where does the band go next? To LIE IN, of course! I particularly love how Dave’s Taylor 714 sounds on this; after the Chet, it’s my favorite of his guitar sounds. Boyd is on point during his bridge solo, and Roi adds his usual beautiful touches. The extended jam takes a little time to build, but then it explodes, and is good work from Boyd. The reprise is punchy, with great fills from Carter, and ends on a high note.

Then it’s back to the Taylor W-65, another of my favorite guitars, for BARTENDER. I can’t get enough of the funk in this mix, and the baritone sax is so powerful. Comparing this performance to the one on LT64 (just a few days earlier), I find this to have far more emotion. The post-chorus jam soars, with step-ups in intensity before coming down for the guitar noodling and quiet sax, just like on the Lillywhite Sessions.

Let me pause here to observe that we’re about an hour into the show. The band has brought nothing but heat; no one is going home unhappy tonight. At the same time, we have no idea we’re fast approaching one of the best 30-minute runs this band has ever delivered. That’s crazy.

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a bad performance of GRANNY, but this is a particularly great one. It has great improv lyrics, like, “I think it’s love that we all have deep inside in all abundance,” and, “When all is done, what are we but what we’ve left behind us?” Under the Table is so fixed in our minds that it’s hard to imagine this being on it, but it’s a shame it was cut and I’m glad we have the recording now.

I feel like TRUE gets a bad rap from many fans, but I’ve always liked it. It doesn’t have great lyrics, but it has almost every other thing that makes a DMB song great: a catchy guitar riff, a driving bass line, violin and sax solos, and great harmonies. Roi’s little fill after the first verse evokes a vision of a drunken sax falling off a cliff. This song is probably the low point in the show, but if this is your low point, you know you’re rocking and rolling.

Sadly, LOVER is missing from the remaster.

There was a stretch in the late 2010s when I lost enthusiasm for SO MUCH and TOO MUCH. I don’t remember why it happened, but I’m glad it was fleeting. This run is one of the most rewarding experiences the band delivers live. The bridge is electric, and I prefer it in this form, with no interpolations. I suppose the only criticism I have is that the songs themselves don’t vary too much from one performance to the next.

“We’ve got a friend in town. We’re gonna ask him to come up and join us for a couple of songs. Please welcome Warren Haynes, Mr. Warren Haynes.” I remember thinking: Hmm, what’s about to happen, since he already guested on CRUSH and WATCHTOWER last night?

Then the band starts into CORTEZ, which remains one of my favorite live moments ever. Warren takes the first vocals. The first words shook me then and they still do now. Him and Dave trading vocals is so special. Warren’s solo is—I don’t use this word lightly—perfect. Then Boyd takes his own very good solo, building into an epic “dancing across the water” of overlapping guitar lyrics, violin lines, and driving beats. And did I mention how great Dave’s voice sounds? Just an amazing performance.

Pulling EXODUS out of nowhere is among the most unexpected things the band has ever done at a show, and I remember it vividly. It absolutely smokes the LT5 performance with David Ryan Harris (not that there’s anything wrong with that one!). Warren is a beast, first with his fills and then with his solo. Even though Roi doesn’t solo, he adds subtle fills here and there that really add to the experience. Maybe the strongest 1-2 punch I’ve ever seen live.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: all the best DMB shows close with ANTS. Even though Warren is still on stage, this is about Roi—as it should be. Warren’s cranking away throughout, giving the song a unique, full sound. Then we get to the jam, with Boyd and Warren taking turns building up to an awesome crescendo before Roi takes it home with his classic lines. An awesome ending to an awesome set.

After that run, everyone needed an emotional and sonic comedown, and GRACE delivered it. This is, to me, a quintessential full-band E1, and I love the 2000 performances with the original five. It’s so simple and pure despite being multi-layered. It’s kept snappy, which I appreciate.

RAPUNZEL begins with what resembles the heartbeat intro without the sax. The core of the song is great. Still on a high from the Warren run, the band breaks into the jam. This is where things become unhinged. Dave was dancing behind Carter and broke at least one string, Boyd snapped his bow, and Carter shattered a drumstick. It was wild, and listening to the recording, you get a sense that it’s so intense it might just collapse. But, they pull it off for a fantastic end to a truly unforgettable show.

If this were a properly mixed official release I'd almost certainly rate it HC. It really is that good.