Live Trax Vol. 18

Like LT4, this show is a bit of a time capsule: the start of the Summer 1996 tour, with Crash giving the band a lot of momentum. I find it less compelling than that release, and less compelling than the other 1996 release we've reviewed to date, LT7, but still pretty darn great. #41 is a beautiful opening, with all the pieces coming together in the jam. I've said it before and I'll say it again: 8- to 9-minute-long performances of this song are always the best ones. The transition into SAY BYE is great, and I preferred this song when the drums and flute were working in tandem, rather than the flute following later, as is now the case. The entire performance is outstanding and has me rethinking my belief that Summer 2000 is the best era for the song. A great one-two punch to open. DRIVE is a very, very solid performance; Dave, Carter, and Stefan are all on. Again, I love that so much of the in-between talk is left in. It's great how quickly TWO STEP gets going; I prefer these short, intense versions to others. That said, there's a fair bit of slop in the jam, and the segue into CRASH is jarring. Actually, I find most of CRASH to be a letdown in this show; a lot of the choices (tempo, intensity, dragged-out ending) are lackluster. TOO MUCH is solid, but not on the level of LT4. There isn't much to compare this DEED IS DONE to, but I think it's more compelling as a Dave & Tim number. I have to imagine the audience at the show, having just heard literally one half of the Crash album, thinking: What the fuck is this? Nothing notable about SO MUCH. CRY FREEDOM is a very good but not outstanding performance. JIMI is a highlight of the show for me; Roi soars all while Carter rips a constant beat behind him and Boyd gives a gentle backing. What started out as an average performance is really taken up a few notches. Sonically it reminds me of the jam on UTTAD, but more intense. I feel like this performance is the among the closest they've ever come to a true "jam band" moment because it comes in unexpected waves. LIE IN is low-key; it's like they decided to roll a fat one and let the music wash over them. I do like the dialogue before the reprise, and then jumping into it; where was this energy during the rest of the song? MONKEY is a great performance, maybe one of the best. Roi is certainly at his very best and keeps building, and Carter goes absolutely nuts during his solo. SATELLITE is a good performance, as is JANE. And then comes #36, the third highlight of the show for me. The jazzy intro is cool, and Carter is an absolute beast. Dave's scatting and Stefan's bass are particularly notable. The vocals on the "like to dance" part are also great. ANTS is a bit of a mess, if you ask me, and the encore—while great on paper—doesn't do anything for me; Boyd is an absolute mess on NANCIES, the Rain intro to WAREHOUSE does nothing for me, and WATCHTOWER is a decidedly average version. I love that so much dialogue has been left in the official release, because it's about so much more than the music. Also, the mix is great.