Live at Radio City Music Hall

Overview

Rocker Dave Matthews (of The Dave Matthews Band) and Tim Reynolds, widely regarded as one of the world preeminent and most versatile guitar maestros, headline the live performance film Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City Music Hall. This 3 1/2 hour set finds the two musicians playing before a rapt audience at the titular institution. The 26 selections include: "Crash Into Me," "Two Step," "Grace is Gone," "Don't Drink the Water," "Save Me," "When the World Ends" and more.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/14/2007
UPC:	0886971310191
Original Release:	2007
Source:	Rca
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:30:00
Sales rank:	49,615

Special Features

So Damn Lucky" documentary; Photo montage

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Dave Matthews	Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals
Dave Matthews	Performer
Tim Reynolds	Performer
Tim Reynolds	Primary Artist,Guitar

Technical Credits

Martin Kibbee	Composer
Neil Young	Composer
Brian Malouf	Mixing
Woody Guthrie	Composer
Tim Reynolds	Composer
Glen Ballard	Composer
Dave Matthews	Composer
Patrick G. Jordan	Project Manager
Stephen Harris	Composer
Lowell George	Composer
Daniel Lanois	Composer
Dave Matthews Band	Composer
Sam Erickson	Photography
Bruce Flohr	A&R
Kevin Monty	Project Coordinator
Brett Kilroe	Design,Art Direction
Vivian Ng	Design
Kelly King	Project Coordinator
Hugh Surratt	Project Manager
Stephen Marcussen	Mastering
Mark Batson	Composer

Editorial Reviews

In some ways, two and a half hours of acoustic Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds seems like it would be a snore -- especially since a boatload of these 27 songs range between five and nine minutes! The Dave Matthews Band can get away with such excesses as a group, but in this intimate setting on such a large stage? It's either truly wonderful or something of an exercise in intense ego run riot, right? To be fair, this is not a snore. Reynolds is a hell of a guitarist. He is not one given to random excess and never pretends to be a guitar hero -- though he is. The program is simply that this pair brings out Matthews' tunes from both the DMB and his solo recording and plays them for an audience full of adoration and gratitude. And, for the most part, it works. The opening blues moans that introduce "Bartender" let the listener know that this is no ordinary acoustic show. Renditions of "Crush," "Gravedigger," "Some Devil," and "Crash into Me" are gorgeously done here. There is a conviction in Matthews' voice that is missing on a lot of the band's live records. Likewise, "Grace Is Gone" and the cover versions like Neil Young's "Down by the River," Daniel Lanois' "The Maker," and Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" are also wonderfully done. There is also a new song called "Sister" that Matthews overly explains, but the song's terrific. There are a few dull moments, but over the entire course of this set they are actually few and far between -- unless Matthews' voice gets to you after a while, and then perhaps you're in trouble. When Matthews is lazy (and he often is), the results can be samey sounding -- but he's not here. He understands implicitly that his singing is more important than it is with the DMB, and it needs to carry the weight. Reynolds adds so much in terms of color and texture -- whether he's playing straight, using effects, playing slide, or inventing some new scale to play a solo in, he transforms what might be merely intimate and engaging into something (mostly) compelling. Even the nine-plus-minute "Dancing Nancies" works like a charm because Reynolds is able to create an alternate voice with his lead guitar playing. His solo on Young's "Down by the River" actually mimics (on acoustic guitar) the songwriter's, by going into a somewhat extended single-note hammer until it becomes trancelike -- he could just as easily have shown off. For Matthews fans, this is essential. For those on the fence about Matthews, this is document enough to win you over to his talent as a songwriter -- without spending the fruitless time that DMB recordings take up. For those who liked Some Devil, his solo effort, this document will provide further enjoyment. It's as solid as an extended presentation can be and is, for the most part, thoroughly enjoyable. The great contribution it does provide is to demonstrate what a guitar-picking wonder Reynolds is, even more so than on earlier collaborations between these two. Somebody should sign this guy up, and quick. [Live at Radio City Music Hall was also made available in a DVD version, including the So Damn Lucky documentary and a photo montage as bonus features.] ~ Thom Jurek