Listener Supported
If you're of the opinion that theGrateful Deadcomparisons that dog the Dave Matthews Band ring false, consider that with the release ofListener Supported, Matthews has put out more live albums (four, if you countLive at Luther College, a duet album with Tim Reynolds) than studio efforts (three, if you don't count theRecentlyEP). That's a lot of live albums, but Matthews fans probably wouldn't have it any other way. Now it's more possible than ever to haggle over which version of, say, "Warehouse"--which appears onLive at Red Rocks,Luther College, and the new album, as well as onRecentlyandUnder the Table and Dreaming--is definitive. But "Warehouse" aside, the Matthews Band isn't making the same album over and over.Listener Supportedcontains a nice mix of tunes, albeit with a fair emphasis on their most recent studio effort,Before These Crowded Streets. Among the highlights is a funky, freewheeling take on "Rapunzel," and gorgeous readings of "#41," and the traditional country tune "Long Black Veil." With over two and a half hours of music, the album is enough to sate most DMB fans, at least until the next live album turns up.--Daniel Durchholz