Two things that have been consistent throughout the shows I've seen on this tour are the heavy/distorted bass and the lack of Barry's pedal steel in the mix. I'm not sure if the distortion comes from the bass instrument, something in the drum kit, or just the low end in general, but sometimes it has been pretty bad. On this mix, I eliminated the cardioid tracks I had recorded because of how strongly they picked up that sound. The microphones were just a few meters from the sound-man's ears, so you are hearing what he was hearing. I have not heard much out of Barry at all, but if you take a listen to Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, he comes through loud and clear. I considered that the difference could have been that I was set up in the balcony for that show, but I spent most of the time in Louisville sitting in the balcony and could not hear him up there either. I haven't had a chance to check out the other sources to see if they were able to catch him better, but the mixes I'm putting out are a close match to what I heard at the venues.

I have pretty much written off Weir's performances for the last 20 years - too slow, too boring, poor vocals, etc. But this is a good listen - he seems to be working back up to speed and quality, with interesting varied ensembles. I don't hear Barry Sless much at all however, which is a shame. Nice recording, not too much audience noise.