DMBlive Vol. 26

This is my favorite of the 1998 shows that have been officially released to date; what a shame that only the two-track board mix was available (which does lessen the audio quality from time to time; for example, there's a lot of clipping and noise during DON'T DRINK). Still, it's a release to be treasured. The LAST STOP prelude is to die for; it may well be the best official release of the song, what with Bela, Tim, and Butch's contributions, including a fantastic jam and key change—and all of this in spite of the fact that Dave absolutely butchers the lyrics right out of the gate. I love SATELLITE and will never understand anyone not liking it; Roi is beautiful, and I love what Tim and Butch do throughout. Roi again takes the lead on RAPUNZEL (and the lead-up to it); that soprano sax is so beautiful. I also love Butch on this; it may be my favorite song for him to play on. These were the days when DON'T DRINK really shined, and Tim's texture is a fantastic add. LIE IN is straight-up vintage; Boyd delivers, then Bela delivers, and Butch is providing great layering underneath. CRUSH, STAY, and SAY BYE are all very good, although not the best-ever performances by any stretch. After a slight step back in intensity with those songs, JIMI comes back with a rocking performance. I love the little RAIN DOWN ON ME tease; just a taste of what would show up, albeit briefly, the following year. RHYME and CRASH are both very good and TWO STEP is excellent, even if not upper echelon. And then the encore, so representative of the Fall 1998 tour, with two of my favorites, WAREHOUSE being a particularly great end. If you don't have this show in your collection, now is the time to add it. Why do I not rate this HC? Mainly because the sound quality isn't top shelf.