This is a really nice soundboard recording -- the mix is very good with a nice balance between all instruments and vocals. As is typical of board tapes, there could be a little more low end, but overall this is an excellent representation (if not quite as lively as the 10/27/94 matrix recording). The only flaw is that the very beginning of Set II is cut on the master DAT. This a typically solid show from the $1.99 Romances tour. The album was released just a few weeks prior, and the setlist is heavy with tracks from it. Many of these had already been live staples for quite some time, however.

The show opens with the relatively rare Crazy Head which is one of my favorite tracks off $1.99 -- a tight version that sticks close to the album cut but it sets the tone for an energetic and precise show. Better Than You features a neat little outro jam before morphing into Cheap Utah Blues -- one of the down-and-dirty unreleased GSW classics. The complex instrumental (and fan favorite) Stupid Hat is next. This is one of my favorite GSW tunes and one of my favorite instrumental tunes of any band period. The guitar interplay on this songs is somewhat reminiscent of the Allman Brothers, but the complexity and multitude of different sections recalls Steely Dan as well. Great version of this song -- every change is nailed and its clear the band is tight from being on the road for most of 1994. They get back to the $1.99 album with a great version of Mile By Mile which features excellent work by Tomo (a truly talented drummer and one of the most underrated during his time on the scene in my opinion). There's a nice extended composed section and jam out of Mile By Mile that has some great interplay between guitars and keys before segueing flawlessly into Don't Tell God -- one of keyboardist Jon Bevo's early songwriting contributions which debuted just a few months prior in August of '94. Its clear they are still feeling out this tune as the jam starts off a little tentative. It picks up some steam with a really nice solo by (I think) Lo. There's a fairly simple transition into the country-tinged Hammer And A Spike. Aaron's vocals are real strong here and (as was typical of the band at this time) the lead vocals to this point have been split evenly between him and Lo. This song has some really cool harmonized guitar leads, but sticks pretty close to the album version overall. They mellow it out a bit with the mid-tempo Wonderful Westchester Women, another new song at the time that debuted just a few months prior. This leads to the set-closing combo of Hellfire and Imogene -- two classic GSW jam vehicles -- which on paper you'd think would be raging. Not quite, unfortunately. Hellfire features some typically spooky keyboard work by Bevo, but beyond that there's nothing overly spectacular about this version in my opinion. The usually fluid Imogene instead turns into a disjointed jam over a strangely repetitive foundation laid down by Bevo and bassist Dan Pifer. The guitar lead by Aaron is almost atonal at times. When the jam finally kicks into high-gear, its a short (but sweet) transition into the songs end. Not one of my favorite versions, but interesting to hear. A solid if not spectacular first set -- worth checking out for Crazy Head, Stupid Hat, and the unusual Imogene.

Set II kicks off with another $1.99 track, Ballroom. Unfortunately, the beginning of the set is lost and we fade into the tune during the bridge section. Its a bit of a mellow way to start off the set, but that's not unusual as GSW sometimes had a tendency to begin and end with low-key songs. The old-school classic Seeing Your Meaning makes an appearance early in set two. Its a song that dates back to the earliest days of the band that was shelved for a while before making a comeback midway through '94. It was played consistently again for a while (especially on this tour), before eventually retiring quietly back to the shelf with a number of other early greats. A pair of new songs brings us into the meat of the second set. First is the complex and deliberate instrumental The Dinner Guest. Its not quite as appealing as Stupid Hat, but is an impressive display of the skill the band could bring at a moment's notice. They are surprisingly tight on this tough song despite it being one of the earlier performances of it. RU4 Real comes next, a song which years later would become the lead single off their album Red and would also be the only song they ever shot a music video for. Its not hard to see why this song was targeted for airplay because it falls squarely in the pop-rock realm that AOR folks love. Ironically, most live versions of the song (like this one) had an extended jam at the end which regularly stretched it to the decidedly radio-unfriendly length of nearly 10 minutes. This time they nicely segue into the live staple Wendy, which is standard and typically energetic. The distinct extended intro to Warm In Here appears next -- another of the batch of great new songs that appeared earlier on this tour. Tomo's drums are great in driving the long instrumental section of this song into the
lush harmonies of the first verses. Another of my GSW favorites, Waiting For The Tide, comes next. This is a great up tempo change from Warm In Here, but also provides a nice bridge to the mellow Home Again. An excellent mini piano solo kicks off this heartfelt ballad which showcases Aaron's strong vocals. The song that closes $1.99 also closes this set, the ehtereal Into The Sea -- a great song that showcases a lot of what GSW has to offer. Another long instrumental intro that leads into the harmonized verses and choruses. A very similar tune to Warm In Here. Not the greatest closer in my opinion, but they used it a lot and it generally works OK. The second set peaks a little too early (probably with Wendy) and the low-key closing combo of Home Again and Into The Sea is a bit of a letdown. The encore starts out with a little Dueling Banjos tease before morphing into a rousing version of Borderline which is always a fun song. The show closes out with lounge-version of Girl From Impanema, complete with hilarious faux stage announcements.

Overall, this is a very tight show but the setlist and song selection ultimately lack the flow of some of the better '94 shows. However, the band is obviously in top form having been on the road for months. While not among the elite GSW shows from a jamming and exploration standpoint, the performances and sound quality make this a worthwhile listen.

Steve
http://hendge.phishhook.com