LIVE

I went in to this DVD with some trepidation (I haven't been much of a fan of their post-Neal music) and I was pleasantly surprised. The production values on this live performance were easily on par (and sometimes better!) than Spock's studio albums. Nick's singing has matured beautifully. He did an excellent job covering the classic tracks - he finally sounds like he owns the music this time around. That ever-shrinking hole in their sound from Neal's departure is gone at last. The musicianship from the rest of the band was excellent. Keegan did an admirable job filling Nick's shoes on the drums. I'm still waiting for them to turn out *new* music that is on par with V/Snow/Strangers/Darkness/Light though. Here's to hoping their next album finally eclipses their back catalog.