Set List:
If I Ever Get Lucky
Morning Dew
In The Light
Sitting By The Window
Darkness Darkness
Season of the Witch
Hey Joe
4 Sticks
7 And 7 Is
Bummer in the Summer
A House Is Not A Motel
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
In The Mood
Whole Lotta Love
Misty Mountain Hop
Song To the Siren

I guess you could say that I like this particular bootleg a little bit, considering I’ve scratched it up but good in less than a year! I’m sorry I wasn’t at the show because there’s an unbelievable energy that you can feel just from listening to it that must have been amazing to witness live.

This show was part of what Robert calls “the world’s shortest tour,” hitting I think only 7 cities with his new band Strange Sensation. One of the good things about this recording is the Moroccan piece that is played prior to the band entering the stage made it on. It’s the only copy I have of the song, which unfortunately, I have yet to find out what it is. As the song fades out, Justin Adams enters the stage with a warm-up to the band’s first song, If I Ever Get Lucky. The overlaying of his melodic twangs work really nicely against the piece. It’s the merging of the worlds that Robert so eloquently does.

The band just goes full force from one song into the next and from the roars of the audience, they’re just as excited as Robert to be there. This version of Season Of The Witch is my favorite so far. It’s got a much more funky groove to it, though the New York City take was pretty up there as well. Robert comments after the song that Donovan was the person he bought his first car from!

Unlike New York, the audience was treated to Robert’s interpretation of Moby Grape’s beautifully folkish Sitting By The Window. It’s a good follow up to the harder grooves of Season of the Witch.

One of the many highlights of this show is Love’s Bummer In The Summer. There’s something ultra groovy about it that just makes you want to get up and dance. I think the song works much better this way than the more subdued way Love recorded it. It’s great fun to hear Robert singing the words at lightning speed!

As I was listening to House Is Not A Motel, particularly the jam in the middle, I realized that this song is a really good illustration of how amazing this band is. They really work well not only off each other, but they twist and twirl around Robert’s variety of vocal styles so smoothly. They really sound as though they had been playing together for much longer than they had been, at this point. I also find Robert takes this song in a more psychedelic style than Love did. I prefer it this way. It’s tough because I find now that I’ve heard so many versions of Love’s songs done by Robert, I can no longer listen to the originals, although I think for those that aren’t familiar with them, it’s good to go back and hear them. It’s a great opening into Robert’s musical style, particularly Love and Moby Grape who are two of Robert’s favorite bands.

Robert encores with several songs, one is a blues song called In The Mood. Perhaps being in one of the heartlands of American blues inspires Robert to sing this song with such grit and power, it’s really intense. He ends the show with the ethereal and dreamy Song To The Siren.

The quality of this CD is superb. There’s a woman cheering during parts of the show but it’s not really distracting. It’s nice to see her so enthusiastic! Robert is in ultra fine form (not that I’ve ever heard a show where he’s not given 100%). There’s something magical about this CD that I can’t quite put into words. If you can get hold of it, I would highly recommend it.

By Lilip