Usually the recordings from this era sound at least very good, and this tape right here is one of the excellent ones for sure. Ex-Spectator is a bit of an aural thriller for me as the mix takes a few seconds to settle, but wow, when it does, it's one of the best I've heard so far. Very detailed, rich and the whole stereo field is fully utilized. The drums sound massive here, as the guitars are evenly laid out on the sides and Joe's bass is balanced in the middle.

The band marches in with a steadily growing Ex-Spectator instrumental, and onwards with the End Hits duo of Break and Place Position.

Something unnecessary happens during Birthday Pony which basically ruins the really cool performance, and the show stops completely for a few moments. The band continue but the mood of the show is somehow different. Luckily some of the energy is back with great performances of Latin Roots and Merchandise.

A local desperately tries to address the crowd before an atmospheric Promises. I guess the rowdy behaviour kept on going despite the band's efforts. Concentrating on Brendan's drumming is highly rewarding here as he really goes to town with his tricks and there's some nice coloring added from the soundboard.

Unfortunately the recording starts to suffer from some occasional yet annoying digital snapping. On a stereo it's not so bad but with headphones it got to me. This is worst during softer songs, ie. Argument, Floating Boy, Closed Captioned etc. It's a pity since the performances flow really well.

Target has a funny remark from Ian addressing the people not clapping, and what ensues is a great and energetic performance of the song. The following Reclamation is equally strong. The band is on a nice streak here as one song flows into the next in a classic fashion.

Apparently the problems with some attendees are over as the band continue on to play a massively long set with two encores. The digital snapping/crackling is momentarily gone after they come back for the encore, and this makes the really tender performance of Long Division such a delight to listen to. Unfortunately the audio again starts to occasionally suffer from KYEO onwards. Like I said, it's not so bad that I would rate the recording less than excellent but can get on one's nerves with repeated listening.

Overall I recommend this show for the great sound, long setlist and many cool performances. And if you listen closely, you can hear the band handle the unfortunate events during Birthday Pony.

Fantastic quality recording of this show.