Live Trax Vol. 42

DREAM SO REAL is a top-5 post-Roi song for me, and this is a beautiful performance of it. I'm not sure how I feel about it as an opener (that’s a lie; despite my love for the song, seeing it open Gorge N2 and N3 in 2007 was a real downer), but after 30 seconds of listening to the release you kind of forget and just melt into the music. For the most part, the show holds this level of quality through SHOTGUN. In particular, LOVING WINGS is a standout, and I like the unique intros to CRUSH and IF I HAD IT. That said, the bottom third of the show is rough. Boyd's NANCIES solo is borderline unlistenable. I hate, hate, hate, the slowed-down/silenced bridge and TOO MUCH. GRAVEDIGGER is a bit of a respite, but BAYOU and ANTS are both subpar. The mix is also a bit questionable at times; for example, during the CRUSH jam, the rhythm section is front and center and Rashawn, who is soloing, is almost an afterthought. A nice show to listen to, but not top tier.