Dave Matthews Band - Live at Piedmont Park
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.92 You Save: $12.06 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.00 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Live at Piedmont Park
Free Music Review: Fast shipping
Hit: 5 Stars
The CD was new as promised. Shipping was super fast. I would definately buy from this company again.Free Music Review: Not the Best, but Worthwhile
Hit: 4 Stars
A Dave Matthews Live album, not really a fresh idea. However, a performance tape is still the best way to enjoy the band (except for "Crash" in my opinion).
As with most DMB in concert recordings, there are some items that have been done far better elsewhere.
As with most DMB in concert recordings, too, there are a few gems that make the purchase a delight. Here, "The Learning Tree" is worth the price, and the teaming of Matthews and Greg Allman on "Melissa" adds icing to the torte.
I much prefer the Central Park Concert album, but this was still worth adding to my collection.
Free Music Review: Dave's Piedmont Live
Hit: 4 Stars
It is worth buying. Some songs are standard live performances, but others are not on a ton of live albums.Free Music Review: It's Dave!
Hit: 4 Stars
Great CD. Bought it for a friend of mine as a gift. We went to this concert. Very good quality.Free Music Review: Mediocre
Hit: 3 Stars
Notice how some of those raving reviews are written by people who claim to have been at the concert? I'm sure it was a great concert in person, but it doesn't really come through on record for the rest of us.
Truth be told, it's not a great live record, especially compared to the fantastic Central Park Concert or Live in Chicago. Much of the setlist relies on old favorites, like (yet another version of) Ants Marching, Two Step, One Sweet World, etc. etc. The problem with the entire record is Matthews' vocals. For longtime fans who've noticed and appreciated how far his vocal stylings have come - remember that nasal whine from the mid-to-late '90s? - they will surely be disappointed by his sheer laziness here. In all honesty, his vocals sounds awful, with half of the verses sounding like some strange kind of warble. The recording itself is pretty good (though it can't compare to the flawless sound of Weekend on the Rocks) besides Boyd Tinsley's violins - they sound out of tune. Whether that's him or the recording, I dunno - some songs are particularly off regardless.
What's so frustrating about these little quirks is inclusion of some newer and rarer songs, which hampered my enjoyment of them somewhat. Three new songs make their record debut here - "Eh Hee", "#27", and "Cornbread." I personally preferred the solo version of "Eh Hee" released through iTunes, but this one is suitable, and is an interesting tune nonetheless. "#27" is my favorite of DMB's new tracks, a dark little tune with some great lyrics. "Cornbread" is also different, and probably an acquired taste, but hey - new DMB material. Solid enough intro to some new material. Also included is the rarity "The Dreaming Tree" - too bad it's bogged down with a seemingly-endless boring jam. Some other fun stuff includes Warren Haynes on "What Would You Say" and Greg Allman on "Melissa." Good stuff, probably the highlight of the record.
But everything else is just ho-hum versions of songs that be heard better elsewhere. Better versions of "Two Step", "Don't Drink the Water", "So Much To Say-Too Much", "Warehouse", "Stay (Wasting Time)", "All Along the Watchtower", and "Grey Street" can all be found on the Central Park Concert. 4 better versions of "Lousiana Bayou" can be found on Weekend on the Rocks. In fact, a lot of these songs have better many better versions out there, either on retail releases or the band's online-only Live Trax series.
Hardcore fans like myself will buy this release anyway. Casual fans, go get The Central Park Concert. If you're somewhere in between... well, go download the rarities and new songs. Skip the rest of the album.