Flogging Molly - Live at the Greek Theater
Rating
RIYL
Flatfoot 56Dropkick Murphys
The Pogues
Release Date
03/02/2010
Label
SideOneDummyTracklist
Disc One1. "The Likes of You Again" – 4:46
2. "Swagger" – 2:17
3. "Requiem for a Dying Song" – 3:22
4. "Man With No Country" – 4:08
5. "Every Dog Has Its Day" – 4:12
6. "These Exiled Years" – 5:01
7. "Drunken Lullabies" – 4:03
8. "You Won't Make a Fool Out of Me" – 2:44
9. "(No More) Paddy's Lament" – 3:53
10. "Us of Lesser Gods" – 4:28
11. "The Son Never Shines (On Closed Doors)" – 4:31
12. "Float" – 5:04
Disc Two
1. "Tobacco Island" – 6:14
2. "Rebels of the Sacred Heart" – 6:02
3. "Devil's Dance Floor" – 4:09
4. "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" – 3:46
5. "Salty Dog" – 3:43
6. "The Lightning Storm" – 4:11
7. "What's Left of the Flag" – 5:33
8. "The Wrong Company" – 0:59
9. "The Story So Far" – 6:49
10. "The Seven Deadly Sins" – 4:03
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Live albums are always a conundrum in the music world. If your band’s studio albums haven’t quite lived up to the live-show hype and acclaim garnered in the press, an album that truly captures the energy and fury of a live show is a no-brainer and the best way to grow your band. KISS’ Destroyer, for example, catapulted them from a bunch of made-up nobodies with some unremarkable studio efforts to glam-rock gods who ruled the rock world. But is there a point to a live album if a band’s full-lengths are already well received? Would anyone other than the most die-hard fans want to buy songs they already have? Celtic-punk band Flogging Molly faced these questions head on with their newest release Live at the Greek Theater, and after listening to the double-album, the answer is: maybe.
Flogging Molly is the kind of band that everyone likes. Their four previous studio albums received both popular and critical acclaim, and their concerts are raucous spectacles where you can’t find anyone not having an absolute blast. This shows in the high quality of this 22-song collection. The production values are great, and for the most part the sound quality is crisp and clear with just enough crowd noise to let you know that everyone is having a good time. The song selection is a nice blend of their four albums, and they hit every high note you would expect from such a well-seasoned group. Vocalist Dave King’s between song banter prove him to be a great Master of Ceremonies, and his ability to make even the largest crowd seem like a group of intimate friends comes across beautifully.
So what’s not to like about this album? To be honest, the mediocre score doesn’t come from this album itself, but the idea of this album. It’s not as if Flogging Molly’s studio albums lack energy and a live album is the only way to truly show fans the band’s identity. No, their studio albums are great, and if I were given a choice of listening to my favorite jam from Drunken Lullabies or Live at the Greek Theater, listening to the studio version is clearly the better choice, and I feel most listeners would choose the same thing because the only difference between the studio version and the live version is that the live versions of these songs simply don’t sound as good. Sadly, nothing new or interesting is added in this newest release.
The DVD is exactly what you would expect: the concert footage of the same show the album was recorded from. While it’s slightly more exciting than the album because you get nicely and crisply filmed visuals to go along with the tunes, the video is nothing to write home about. If you aren’t floored by the greatness of the album, the DVD won’t do much to impress you either. Unfortunately, unless you’re a hardcore fan of Flogging Molly, any point you skip to on the footage will pretty much look and sound exactly the same.
Like I wrote earlier, live packages are always a conundrum because the reviewer ends up saying the same thing and Flogging Molly’s live album is no exception to this rule: If you’re a die-hard fan who must own everything the band has put out, go buy this album and DVD – you won’t be disappointed. But if you’re just a casual fan and you already own these songs in their studio versions, don’t bother spending your hard earned money because it isn’t anything you haven’t heard before.
--Stephen Harris
Comments
San Diego, CA
This band almost has as many live albums as studio albums
Too old to bother, too young to give a shit.
Dubuque
Dave Matthews Band has more live albums than they do studio. My buddy buys them every time a new one comes out.
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Atascadero, CA
you and Bill should have a love fest.
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Dubuque
I'm seeing DMB back to back on July 3 and 4. We got VIP seats for both nights.
Also, just applied for a press pass for the Mile High Festival.
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Sunshine Coast, Australia
haven't listened to this but I fucking love live albums... Innocent Criminals - Live From Mars, Andrew White - Live, The Waifs - A Brief History... some of my favourite albums of those bands. I kinda feel it shows a better prowess of musicianship, more freedom in a live show than on a studio recording... so why not catalogue it?
"If you want something done right, get a fucking Australian band to do it" - Chris Cheney
Dubuque
I agree, but I'd take a studio album over a live CD anyday. That's just me. When listening or watching a live show on CD/DVD I just get pissed that I wasn't there. Listening to a live DMB CD is NOTHING like seeing them live.
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Washington, DC
I can't resist.
Yeah seeing them live is nothing like on the CD because they both suck, but at least live you get to stare at girls hippie dancing and get a contact high.
"Standing still is where we've gone wrong" - The dingees
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Lehigh Valley, PA
ha...ha.