DMBlive Vol. 14

Fall 1994 is such a great time in the band's career: the rawness is still there, but more discipline and polish are starting to show. It's a shame we don't (yet) have a multitracked release. This will have to do for now, and it's not like we're settling; this is a really solid show. ONE SWEET has a great instrumental intro and is beautiful all around. BEST is incredible; one of my favorite performances of it. NANCIES is a powerhouse: I love how Roi is playing throughout (Roi's fills and frills are characteristic of 1994 in general). WAREHOUSE is also great. The stretch from WHAT WOULD through JIMI is hardly bad (quite good, in fact), but it's a bit of a step back, interest-wise (at least for me). PAY FOR gets it going again: a fantastic performance of an under-appreciated (or at least underplayed) song. TRIPPING has super high energy. I can get in line with GET IN LINE (bad pun) more on this release than on DL3; the bridge is ripping, even if the lyrics are gibberish. LIE IN never takes off; it's one of the disappointments of the show. RECENTLY and #36 are also "good not great," but ANTS is classic 1994, and the encore is very good (especially WATCHTOWER, in which Roi pops off towards the end). All in all a solid show; it doesn't quite crack the upper echelon for me, but it's worth a listen or two.