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Dave Matthews: Live at Radio City

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: RCA Records
Released: 2007.07.20
Time:
 76:13 / 70:58
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD Double
Web address: www.davematthewsband.com
Appears with: Boyd Tinsley
Purchase date: 2007.10.17
Price in €: 28,22



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


Disc one:
[1] Bartender [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 8:28
[2] When the World Ends [live] (Ballard/D:J:Matthews) - 4:13
[3] Stay or Leave [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 4:09
[4] Save Me [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 4:41
[5] Crush [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 7:54
[6] So Damn Lucky [live] (Harris/D.J.Matthews) - 6:51
[7] Gravedigger [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 4:19
[8] The Maker [live] /(D.Lanois) - 5:16
[9] Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back) [live] (Batson/D.J.Matthews) - 5:49
[10] Eh Hee [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 5:00
[11] Betrayal [live] (T.Reynolds) - 5:31
[12] Out of My Hands [live] (Batson/D.J.Matthews) - 5:23
[13] Still Water [live] (D.Lanois) - 2:21
[14] Don't Drink the Water/This Land Is Your Land [live] (Guthrie/D.J.Matthews) - 6:09

Disc two:
[1] Oh [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 5:07
[2] Cornbread [live] (Batson/D.J.Matthews) - 4:36
[3] Crash into Me [live] (George/Kibbee/D.J.Matthews) - 6:05
[4] Down the River [live] (Young) - 5:45
[5] You Are My Sanity [live] (T.Reynolds) - 5:58
[6] Sister [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 3:44
[7] Lie in Our Graves [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 8:53
[8] Some Devil [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 5:11
[9] Grace Is Gone [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 4:12
[10] Dancing Nancies [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 9:03
[11] #41 [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 5:48
[12] Two Step [live] (D.J.Matthews) - 6:29

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Dave Matthews - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Tim Reynolds - Guitar

Brian Malouf - Mixing
Stephen Marcussen - Mastering
Sam Erickson - Photography
Bruce Flohr - A&R
Brett Kilroe - Art Direction, Design
Vivian Ng - Design
Kevin Monty - Project Coordinator
Kelly King - Project Coordinator
Patrick G. Jordan - Project Manager
Hugh Surratt  - Project Manager

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2007 CD RCA 713102
2007 CD RCA 8869713102
2007 BR RCA 713100

In April 2007, Dave Mathews and Tim Reynolds embarked on a 3 city theatre tour, culminating with a performance in the intimate confines of Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Due to the small sized venues and extremely limited number of dates, tickets were practically impossible to get, making these new 2 CD and 2 DVD sets all the more desirable to the huge Dave Matthews band fanbase.

Recorded in New York City during the spring of 2007, LIVE AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL marks the second major collaborative release by jam-band hero Dave Matthews and guitarist Tim Reynolds (the first being 1999's LIVE AT LUTHER COLLEGE). Over the course of two discs and 26 tracks, the duo--longtime friends who met in Charlottesville, Virginia, before Matthews rose to fame--offers up a dynamic acoustic-oriented set that includes stripped-down versions of many Dave Matthews Band tunes, along with songs from his SOME DEVIL solo album. While certain tracks shine the spotlight on Matthews's signature deep, deft vocal style--see the bluesy "Save Me" and the scat-tinged "Eh Hee"--other tunes focus on the pair's instrumental prowess, particularly on the atmospheric intro to "Lie in Our Graves," which mixes Reynolds's dreamy, effects-heavy electric playing with Matthews's gentle acoustic picking. A performance that easily holds it own with many DMB concert outings, LIVE AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL is essential for any diehard fans of Matthews and/or Reynolds.



Socialites in the Hamptons paid up to $15,000 for the privilege of seeing this duo in action just a few weeks before the release of Live at Radio City Music Hall. Not that it was any easier to get tickets to the April 22, 2007, concert in New York that produced this recording, available on CD or DVD with high-definition 5.1 surround sound and an additional 46-minute film of backstage footage. The acoustic set features the veteran musicians performing for nearly two-and-a-half hours--and you get the feeling they could have easily kept going. Reynolds gets his solo turn on "Betrayal" and "You Are My Sanity," but it's a chatty Matthews who seems to be relishing the occasion more, stripping down some of his band's most popular songs ("Lie in Our Graves," "Two Step") while giving the fans a sneak peek at a couple of its new ones ("Eh Hee," "Cornbread"). The guy's even thrown in a few covers for kicks, including Neil Young's "Down by the River" and Daniel Lanois' "The Maker." In terms of audio quality and packaging, it marks a vast improvement over the pair's first release, 1999's Live at Luther College. And the best part is that it doesn't cost more than a yacht.

Aidin Vaziri - Amazon.com



In some ways, two and a half hours of acoustic Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds seems like it would be a snore - especially since a boatload of these 27 songs range between five and nine minutes! The Dave Matthews Band can get away with such excesses as a group, but in this intimate setting on such a large stage? It's either truly wonderful or something of an exercise in intense ego run riot, right? To be fair, this is not a snore. Reynolds is a hell of a guitarist. He is not one given to random excess and never pretends to be a guitar hero - though he is. The program is simply that this pair brings out Matthews' tunes from both the DMB and his solo recording and plays them for an audience full of adoration and gratitude. And, for the most part, it works. The opening blues moans that introduce "Bartender" let the listener know that this is no ordinary acoustic show. Renditions of "Crush," "Gravedigger," "Some Devil," and "Crash into Me" are gorgeously done here. There is a conviction in Matthews' voice that is missing on a lot of the band's live records. Likewise, "Grace Is Gone" and the cover versions like Neil Young's "Down by the River," Daniel Lanois' "The Maker," and Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" are also wonderfully done. There is also a new song called "Sister" that Matthews overly explains, but the song's terrific.

There are a few dull moments, but over the entire course of this set they are actually few and far between - unless Matthews' voice gets to you after a while, and then perhaps you're in trouble. When Matthews is lazy (and he often is), the results can be samey sounding - but he's not here. He understands implicitly that his singing is more important than it is with the DMB, and it needs to carry the weight. Reynolds adds so much in terms of color and texture - whether he's playing straight, using effects, playing slide, or inventing some new scale to play a solo in, he transforms what might be merely intimate and engaging into something (mostly) compelling. Even the nine-plus-minute "Dancing Nancies" works like a charm because Reynolds is able to create an alternate voice with his lead guitar playing. His solo on Young's "Down by the River" actually mimics (on acoustic guitar) the songwriter's, by going into a somewhat extended single-note hammer until it becomes trancelike - he could just as easily have shown off. For Matthews fans, this is essential. For those on the fence about Matthews, this is document enough to win you over to his talent as a songwriter - without spending the fruitless time that DMB recordings take up. For those who liked Some Devil, his solo effort, this document will provide further enjoyment. It's as solid as an extended presentation can be and is, for the most part, thoroughly enjoyable. The great contribution it does provide is to demonstrate what a guitar-picking wonder Reynolds is, even more so than on earlier collaborations between these two. Somebody should sign this guy up, and quick.

Thom Jurek - All Music Guide



"Matthews highlights the warm, sensitive-dude beauty at the heart of cuts like the previously unrecorded 'Sister' and the old staple 'Don't Drink the Water'..."

Rolling Stone (p.66) - 3 stars out of 5



"LIVE makes you wish you were there, and is a healthy way to bide time until the next DMB release." -- Grade: B

Entertainment Weekly (p.71)

Long before is band was treating stadium crowds to sax solos and jammy polyrhythms, Dave Matthews was a frat-house troubadour, playing freewheeling acoustic gigs with his buddy, guitar whiz Tim Reynolds. Matthews has kept doing the occasional unplugged show through the years, and on this two-disc live album, recorded in April, much of his material stands up just fine without full-band wizardry. Matthews highlights the warm, sensitive-dude beauty at the heart of cuts like the previously unrecorded "Sister" and the old staple "Don’t Drink the Water," which here sounds like an eerily pretty lullaby, not the dark banger the Dave Matthews Band plays it as. Elsewhere, Matthews and Reynolds rock as hard as two guys with acoustics can on uptempos like "Dancing Nancies" and "Corn Bread," a tossed-off goof thick with overlapping upper-register riffs and Matthews' pidgin Cajun drawl. Of course, no amount of adornments can help snoozers like the bluesy "Save Me," and there's more than a whiff of hippie-dippy indulgence in Matthews' slack, syllable-stretching voice and the noodle-y solos on an eight-minute-plus "Lie in Our Graves." One cherry-picking disc would have been plenty - unless, that is, you're one of the die-hard fans this set (and the accompanying DVD) was made for.

CHRISTIAN HOARD (Aug 15, 2007) - Rolling Stone



Matthews and longtime pal Tim Reynolds have been performing as an opening act for DMB or as headliners themselves for years. This set, captured live at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City, is so flawlessly recorded that audiophiles may actually wet their pants over the first five seconds of acoustic guitar-picking alone. Toss in Matthews' penchant for unfurling soulful moan-yells at every opportunity and you have two discs of Dave Matthews the Musical Genius solo, with minimal but impeccable backing. Lots of eight-minute jam-outs on here.

YottaMusic.com



Ok, I've got good news, and I've got bad news. The good news is Dave Matthews has a new live double cd out. The bad news is Dave Matthews has a new live double cd out.
Here's why it's good; seldom, if ever, does Dave Matthews (especially when combined with the amazing, immensely underrated Tim Reynolds) put out a live release that is subpar, lacking in musical dynamics, full of fan favorites, or in any way lacking in the area of being full of feel-goodness.
Here's why it's bad; Dave Matthews, perhaps following in the footsteps of the Grateful Dead, has released approximately 13 live albums between 2000 and the present. While 13 different live recordings of many of the songs DMB fans know and love can be a good thing, there's only been 4 studio albums in that time (including Dave's 2003 solo release "Some Devil"), and the propensity for overlap on a large scale is not only possible, it's a reality.
That notwithstanding, this two-disc all acoustic live release is simply amazing. Coupled once again with Tim Reynolds, just like on 1999's "Live At Luther College", Dave Matthews weaves in and out of material spanning his recording career, as well as a few unreleased songs and covers of two songs written by the unmistakable Daniel Lanois.
Highlighting the familiar songs are two amazing instrumental songs by Tim Reynolds. Tim, for too long overlooked as an amazing musician and guitarist, makes his two tracks flow and sound so rich, simply by using his guitar and a few effects at his disposal. One can only imagine how amazing these songs would sound in person, or how any musician would stand in awe of Tim's raw ability at making his guitar more than an instrument.
In all, and in spite of the fact that many songs here have been heard in a live setting before in one way or another, this is still an amazing release, and is still an enjoyable listen that, if nothing else, will make one want to crank up the stereo and crank down the car windows for the few remaining days of summer that are left.

Jeff Krause - antiMusic.com



Dave Matthews concerts are an experience. There’s a reason that some folks plan their summers around going to see Dave. As a veteran of many, many concerts (including nine of Dave’s), I can safely say that I have never seen a night when Dave was off of his “A” game, and I’m sure the many late-twentysomethings and early-thirtysomethings who are Dave-heads will agree. As for the annoying frat-tards that have been popping up at alarming rates over the past couple of years…well, that’s for another review.
Before popping up with his band on a summer tour, Dave and his frequent partner Tim Reynolds undertook a short acoustic tour that culminated in a show on April 22, 2007 at New York’s famed Radio City Music Hall. The show wound up being filmed and the result is Live at Radio City, a two-disc set that captures most of that night’s performance (a DVD companion is also available). While the two-man-on-acoustic-guitar concept sounds like it would be a bit of a bore to most people, this audio recording perfectly captures the energy and the emotion of the show, and I should know. I was there.
The two-hour plus set features a mix of DMB classics, covers, new songs, and a healthy helping of songs from Matthews’s 2003 solo album Some Devil. So healthy, in fact, that after this show I immediately pulled out my copy of that album and listened to it again. Vocally, Dave is in strong voice throughout. Full-bodied and slightly husky, it’s still capable of sliding into a heavenly falsetto.
There are tons of great musical moments interspersed throughout the show. Reynolds’s shimmering guitar playing is brought front and center on two solo tracks, ”Betrayal” and “You Are My Sanity”. A version of Daniel Lanois’s “Still Water” segues effortlessly into the colonialization tale “Don’t Drink the Water”, which then segues into a spot of “This Is Your Land”. Dave’s storytelling skills get a workout as well. He tells the heartbreaking story of a U.S. soldier who was injured in combat, but the government refused to pay for his care on the basis of a “pre-existing condition”. Reprinted on the actual CD booklet, it’s the perfect starting point for a haunting version of “Gravedigger”. Later in the show, Dave introduces the moving new song “Sister” with a story that made me think of my own sister, who will be shipping off to Iraq (for the second time) soon.
Throughout the show, Dave delivers several spoken asides, ranging from the serious to the hilarious. In true Dave fashion, his stories grow a tad more incoherent as the show goes on, but they serve to add a bit of levity to a performance that manages to be as intense as a full-band show, and winds up being extremely intimate, considering the size of the venue. Dave and Tim, who have been playing together intermittently for the better part of 15 years, have a solid musical chemistry, and as much as I love Stefan, Boyd, Carter and LeRoi, I don’t really miss them on this performance.
The crowd’s a little more subdued than on typical live albums (and at typical Dave concerts), but they still make their presence felt throughout the album, whether letting loose with a cheer after Dave sings the line “we’ll be burning one” during “When The World Ends” or going ape as the opening chords to “Crash Into Me” begin. Of course, Dave delivers at the end of the show, knocking off, in succession, a series of all-time live favorites including “#41”, “Dancing Nancies”, and “Two Step”.
In most cases, I’m not a fan of live albums. Usually, the performances sound close enough to the original versions that buying them a second time for some added crowd noise just seems like an exercise in redundancy. Dave, who’s released as many live albums at this point as he has studio albums (possibly more), continues to release live albums that are as fresh and vibrant as his studio efforts, giving new shades to songs that have been heard and played thousands of times. Even if I wasn’t at the show, Live at Radio City would take up a welcome position in my CD collection. If you weren’t there, and you’re a Dave fan, this definitely needs to be part of yours.

Mike Joseph
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