Live at Wrigley Field Night 1

"Fuck me like a donkey, baby!" That ad lib sums up how I feel about this release, which I cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone listen to even once. The speed, volume, and sheer jumble of the performances make Live at Mile High Music Festival, which I already rated -1, sound like a 1994-era Dave & Tim show in comparison. From the very first moments of this show, the intro to ONE SWEET, your ears are assaulted by a wall of noise that's completely devoid of dynamics. This carries right through to the ending moments with the Stairway interpolation in WATCHTOWER; Dave trying to hit the notes in 2026 is nowhere near as bad as him trying to shriek them 16 years ago. There are only two performances from this show to which I'd even chance a listen. The first is HANDS OF GOD: Carter's drumming is so intricate (although again, way, way too intense), Jeff is excellent, Stefan is doing so much cool stuff in the background, and unlike more recent years, there's a clear and crisp ending to it. The second is NEEDLE, which is literally the only quiet moment of the entire show, and a good cover of a good song. Alas, even these moments can't save the show.