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Roger McGuinn @ the Huntington IMAC, Long Island, NY - April 4, 2008
Emily Saxe @ the Allen Room/Jazz at Lincoln Center - April 5, 2008
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Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years (DVD)
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Various Artists
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Day and Night Driving
Seven Mary Three
InterMedia Arts Center 2/2/08
Huntington, NY
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Counting Crows
There used to be a time when a band would release one live album, and that would remain the definitive statement of their live performance. In the seventies, it’s hard to think of a major act that did not release the prerequisite double album of live material. The trend has changed since then, and Pearl Jam stood the entire concept on its head by releasing what seemed like a billion CD’s of live shows as a means of controlling bootleg recordings, while simultaneously providing fans with adequate souvenirs. That idea was surely overkill, but it seems as though Counting Crows have at least warmed up to the concept of the idea. After one “official” live recording and a few others that were made available only through the band’s website, they have now released “New Amsterdam: Live at the Heineken Music Hall February 4-6, 2003.” My only question is, why on earth has it taken more than three years for this to see the light of day?
Adam Duritz, the band’s lead singer, has stated that the band considers ‘New Amsterdam” as another of their sanctioned ‘bootleg’ recordings, but the truth is that there is more here than any bootleg album would normally offer. First of all, the music is culled from three night’s worth of performances, which is very un-bootleg-like. Secondly, the production is flawless, featuring a crystal clear mix that utilizes the sound of the hall to its best advantage. A typical ‘bootleg’ board recording would never catch as much nuance as is audible here. Finally, the song selection has been whittled down to fit on a single disk, so it is much more representative of an official release than a bootleg recording – which happens to be made even more obvious by the “Geffen” logo that adorns the packaging.
All that being said, “New Amsterdam” is a wonderful and reasonably priced gift for true fans of the band, and an excellent means of introduction (or re-introduction) to the state of the band for those who haven’t been paying attention since the days of “Mr. Jones.” The European tour that contained this show occurred after the release of the “Hard Candy” CD, so many of the songs were culled from that album. It is decidedly not a ‘best of’ live collection, but it still sounds extraordinarily representative of the band. The emphasis here is on nuance, so there are few songs that overwhelm. Rather than bowl you over, the songs simmer to a slow boil. As is his wont, Duritz keeps things moody, reflective, and emotionally taut. Some might consider his style to be overwrought, so what you hear depends on whether or not he has convinced you of his sincerity - Ultimately, his emotional honesty rests in the ears of the listener. As far as live albums go, this is much more introspective than celebratory, but the songs are so well executed and the production is so spot-on perfect that it is hard to fault this release. This is a live album that is not meant for a party. It is meant for personal listening, and it succeeds brilliantly on its own terms.
Grade: 
 
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