Dave Matthews Band
Live In Chicago 12.19.98
BMG/RCA
Yeah, it’s a Dave Matthews Band live album. How can you tell? Wanked out solos, huge jam sessions, and old favorites brought out, dusted off, and given steroids. This “official bootleg,” as the band calls them, is DMB’s third, and these albums usually come off from a tour following a studio release. What made this so interesting is the fact that the band chose to release another concert from the same 1998 tour as their last live release, Listener Supported, rather than from this year’s tour after coming out with Everyday in February. After listening to just the first few songs, though, it is easy to understand why, what with just the amazing version “The Last Stop” that shines here. I usually don’t buy these live albums unless they have songs I don’t have on any of my other DMB albums; but the hallmark of the Dave Matthews Band is an electricity that can only be recorded live.
