LDB Special Series #299

Out of my 7,000+ shows and radio broadcasts, I have many concerts that were special for some reasons: the setlist, the
musicians, the venue or unexpected events. These are the ones I'd like to propose you. Most of these come from my
cassettes collection, so they will be released at a slower pace than my Master Series! But you won't be disappointed!
I will try to gather the most unusual things I have in my collection and, as always, your feedback and comments will be my
reward for all the work involved in this project.

DO NOT share this music on mp3, just convert it for your own use. Sharing mp3's is the right way to make me stop sharing
music here.

Finally, some notes about your truly ldb: I have been a fan of live music since I was 9 years old (that is where
I attended my very first show, a PFM/De André gig at Milano's Palalido) and my first taped show was at 11 using
a crappy portable cassette player with embedded microphone. I become more serious about taping in 1983 when I
started to record every show. In 1991 I acquired my first Sony Professional and in 2000 I moved to MiniDisc to
finally settle on R-09 in early 2008.

I have seen nearly 500 shows in my career. Most of them were taped but for others bad luck struck and I could not
record it: on top of my mind there's a Paul McCartney show in 1993 in Milano where I was caught by the security or
Porcupine Tree in Roma in March 1999 when the DAT machine would seem to work but listening back to the tape there
would just be a long bunch of silence. Or during a Y.Malmsteen show where I got so annoyed that I left halfway
through the show and erased the tape and finally on a PFM show in Milano in 2007 where I had to leave before the
encore because the baby-sitter had to leave early that evening. Some other times I was very close not to tape or
had to do it in extremely difficult situations: for the four Peter Gabriel shows at Earls Court in 1987 security
was checking tapers with metal detector; at the David Gilmour comeback show in London in 2001 at RFH I had the
security guy sitting next to me but I managed to tape the show without checking one single time my MiniDisc!

There was a time I was travelling anywhere in Europe to see shows, especially if there was no touring in Italy: I
remember Rush in Paris in 1992 when the trio did not even know what Italy was. I have seen shows at stadiums
(Genesis at Wembley) and in places with 30 people (Porcupine Tree in Milano in 1997); bands that would later
become huge (Pearl Jam in a free show for 150 people) and masters of jazz (Miles Davis or Sarah Vaughan). Shows
I will never forget (Pink Floyd at Versailles castle) and some I would rather forget (no comment...).

I truly believe that live music is what keeps music alive, what make us enjoying it together, what allow us to
have deep feelings and transmit it to others. Studio records are nowadays 'commodities': you can buy online as
anonymous wav files and listen in your iPod or at home. Live music will always imply an effort to buy the tix,
travel to the venue, see the show, think about it when coming back home.

MERCURY REV
Oslo, John Dee Live Club & Pub @ Rockefeller
January 31, 1999

01.Tonite It Shows
02.Goddess On A Hiway
03.Holes
04.Endlessly
05.Syringe Mouth
06.Car Wash Hair
07.Isolation
08.Frittering
09.Peaceful Night
10.Everlasting Arm
11.Coney Island Cyclone
12.Opus 40
13.Chasing A Bee
14.Cortez The Killer

TT 70:25

Lineage: P3 broadcast > n generation CD copy > EAC > FLAC frontend (level 6)

Jonathan Donahue - vocals, guitar
Grasshopper - guitars
Jeff Mercel - keyboards
Dave Friedmann - bass
Jimmy Chambers - drums

I attended a few days ago Mercury Rev show celebration the re-release of Deserter's Song. During the show, they
played the whole album from start to finish. So I went to look in the archives if I had some good vintage Rev from
that tour. And here it is, a pristine radio broadcast from the band's stop in Oslo. This is the complete broadcast
but probably not the complete show (at least a couple of tracks are missing) and the quality is stunning!

The band toured for almost a year supporting the album, travelling among Europe, North America and Australia. It was
a happy time for Mercury Rev!

Enjoy!

ldb