Live Trax Vol. 26

I really want to like this show, but I just can't get that into it. How did 2003 get sandwiched between 2002 and 2004? There aren't many better openers than BEST, but I've never been able to get behind how it was played for most of the 2000s; too slow, and I don't like the organ. I find WAREHOUSE to be a fairly flat performance, with a lot of halting vocals. The whole thing feels tentative. Even the jam comes off as tired, when it should be explosive. RHYME is a strong performance, but the mix really gets in the way. It all sounds so dead. The vocals are great, but I'm starting to feel like the constant organ is a big part of what I'm not liking about this show and 2003 in general. Where are Boyd and Roi on SPOON? I would never turn this song down, but this is so far from what it should be. The lyrics are also a jumble. Roi doesn't really show up until 3:30 in, and Boyd not until another minute later. Part of the joy of this song is in the build-up and release of the jam, and while it gets there, it takes a long time and isn't as punch as it can be. And then they flub the ending. PIG shows the same kind of tiredness. I like some of the ad-libbed lyrics, but on balance it's missing the drive it needs to really pack a punch. And then there's the organ again! And oof, Boyd's noodling is way out of tune. Dave sounds bored, and his voice rough, on KIT KAT JAM. It's pretty much unlistenable. Dave and Roi are both beautiful on SLEEP TO DREAM, a clear highlight of the show, although Boyd is... Boyd. I wish Dave and Roi had played it as a duet. WHAT WOULD is slow and—dare I say—boring. JIMI is also slow and sleepy, and the organ again... it's fucking everywhere. Roi's jam is another highlight from the show, one of the few. But the ending to the song is a metaphor for the entire show: it just drags and kind of putters out. Woof. CRASH is a blah moment. MINARETS has an interesting intro and vocal delivery overall, and while I don't mind it, it lacks the intensity of my favorite performances. Still, a highlight. GRACE has a cool intro and a great, fun jam that's different than usual. I really dig it; up there with SLEEP TO DREAM as a highlight. DREAMING TREE is solid and a highlight for sure. SO MUCH is standard, but the bridge is disappointing, and the transition to PNP rough. And then the transition to RAPUNZEL is even more rough. Everything about this performance is all over the place. Luckily, the jam is solid once they reach it. I love DITCH as an E1, but this is an okay, not great performance, missing the fullness of 2000 and IMO a little too slow. I like Stefan's intro to WATCHTOWER, and Roi's fills are beautiful, but Dave's voice is really struggling with the high notes. Luckily, a great, powerful ending. The original release notes on this show say it has a "spacious but powerful quality." I'm missing the latter, and think the former is charitable. Plus, the mix is dog shit. It's muddy and the fade in and out choices are bizarre, and there's basically no sleep time between tracks.