Dave Matthews Band: The Live Releases - Part 5
Trusted Stuff from Fan#41
With the fifth installment in the “Live Trax” series, fans find themselves enjoying a solid show which took place in the midst of a fabulous month. Just a few months ago, the crew released 8.23.95. Interestingly enough, after nine years and over 10 live releases, we come full circle to another Aug. 1995 performance.
As you sit there listening to the newest Live Trax (8.23.95) and soak up a Proudest Monkey opener, or a classic Pay For What You Get performance, let’s go back and take a look at the history of live releases from DMB.
Live Trax Vol. IV 4.30.96 (online and download release, 2005)
Towards the tail end of the 2005 Stand Up tour, the crew released the fourth chapter in this ongoing live series with mixed reviews. The kickoff show for the Crash tour, a tour and album that would set DMB on the path to the high-level mainstream, never to look back, was an interesting choice.
What was it about this show that the crew felt the fans needed or wanted to hear, as opposed to the other, highly touted 1996 performances such as Nov. 9 or Dec. 31?
There was no question about the mix of the release: each track was balanced, Dave’s vocals were at a perfect level, and neither Carter nor Boyd were overbearing, while Roi and Stefan were just as present as in any studio album. Still, there were ideas and speculation thrown around about the intention of this release. Was it an answer to Stand Up backlash, showing that live monsters such as Two Step took years to grow, maybe indirectly pointing to Stand Up songs that the majority of fans felt were going to go nowhere in a live setting? Was it to show that album tours have always been heavy with featured album songs?
The crew gave an insight as to why they chose this release. Apparently, 4.30.96 was the first show where the crew used a multi-track recorder, which showed that even back at the very beginning of 1996, the DMB camp knew that one day all their live shows would be in huge demand by the fans. No one denies that the reason given was a true one, but it seemed as if they could have mentioned the multi-track recorder by releasing any number of 1996 shows, instead of the first one.
Of course, any hometown show by the band surely makes things interesting, especially in a live release such as this one.
Weekend on the Rocks 9.9.05 - 9.12.05 (in-store, online, and download release)
Originally one of the more talked about spurts of shows from 2005, even before they happened, the Red Rocks performances of that summer proved to be full of highlights and bright moments, along with an important part of what this band has always been about: charity.
In the first few weeks of September 2005, DMB was scheduled to perform at Red Rocks in
Three shows were originally scheduled, but a fourth was added to continue the aid for Katrina victims. The fourth show, 9.12.05, would be the center for the charity, as all the proceeds and profit would be donated for the relief efforts in the
A little over two months after the shows were said and done, the crew packaged them up and had them ready for a release, but this time it was done the way The Gorge release should have been a year earlier. In late November of 2005, a major live release was launched: Weekend on the Rocks as well as the complete Weekend on the Rocks. This time, the full version of the release also included the DVD, so fans didn’t also have to purchase the stripped-down, in-store release. That decision sat very well with the fans, and it seemed as if the crew knew the mistake made a year earlier, making good on its blooper.
The mix was solid, with only a few hiccups. As with a few releases, Weekend on the Rocks also suffered from a lack of crowd noise, which rendered a few performances less vibrant than they could have been. The DVD, however, proved to be a fantastically filmed production with the highest of quality and a good selection of old and new material.
Red Rocks 2005 may not be the best string of shows, or the best release, but the highlights are plentiful, and it was clear that once again the crew was intent on providing fans with what they wanted.
Warehouse 5 Vol. V, Warehouse 8 Vol. II (fan club release, 2005 and 2006)
It seemed as if from late 2003 to late 2005 (and into early 2006), the crew was just releasing as much as it possibly could. As a fan base, we became increasingly lucky to get hold of some great performances and shows from over the years. One of the biggest contributors to that are the Warehouse fan club release compilations. With over 30 different songs spanning 10 years (1995-2005), the Warehouse 5 discs have become just as big, if not bigger, in discussion and attention than full show releases.
Warehouse 5 Vol. 5 proved to be another in the line of obvious signs pointing to how the crew kept with its idea of utilizing the band’s entire catalog. Busted Stuff (9.10.00), Captain (8.26.02), and Jimi Thing (7.30.05) were just a few of the five performances selected for this Warehouse release.
Two choices included within the extra Vol. 8 version caught a lot of fans off guard. Mother Father from 5.18.01 and Angel from 8.3.01 closed out the disc, and it seemed, especially with stacking the two together at the end of the release, that it was a sort of message saying how even songs that a good portion of the fan base don’t thoroughly enjoy still have their moments in great performances, as heard with these two tracks.
Once again, the Warehouse came shining through with fantastic production and mixing. The years ranged a wide section of the band’s most recent era from 2000 to 2005, and the songs selected added to the pot of ever-growing single song performances that we can account for as being officially released.
Live Trax Vol. V 8.23.95 (online and download release, 2006)
With the 2006 summer tour just about underway, Live Trax Vol. 5 received rave reviews. We finally come full circle to another August 1995 release. The crew and many fans feel August 1995 is one of the finest months this band has ever had.
We’ve seen Red Rocks 1995 released, Lover Lay Down from 8.17.95 on the Warehouse 5 disc, a few 8.13.95 performances on various promos, and now we get 8.23.95 as a full-show release for the band’s exclusive live series.
With David Ryan Harris adding his unique touches to Proudest Monkey, Rhyme & Reason, Jimi Thing, and a few others, the band pulled out another in a string of amazing performances on this show. The crowd noise is still something plaguing the Live Trax series in a sense, but the quality mix and production of the music makes up for that tenfold. Roi is probably more crystal clear on this release than in anything we’ve heard, and the rest of the band is equally as balanced.
This selection, however, did hit a snag with discussion about what made the crew pick this show over other August 1995 performances, such as Aug. 11, Aug. 20, or even their HORDE set from Aug. 19. There wasn’t any confusion or major questioning going on with this selection, because the simple fact still remains that it’s an August 1995 show and that’s all that matters in the end. Plus, it was just great to finally get certain songs from that year released, such as One Sweet World, Exodus, Jimi Thing, and Pay For What You Get.
Live Trax 5 delivered a strong sense that the crew is not scared to go back into the days before multi-track recording to release shows. It’s an uplifting sign to many fans who still yearn for early 1994 and 1995 shows, or even performances from 1993.
Coming up:
