"Don't Be Late"
Zipperman 001 2CDR
**LIBERATED BOOT**

El Rey Theater
Los Angeles, California
December 19, 1997


     (disc 1)
   1. Maggie's Farm
   2. Man In The Long Black Coat
   3. Cold Irons Bound
   4. Just Like A Woman
   5. Can't Wait
   6. Silvio
   7. O Babe It Ain't No Lie (Elizabeth Cotten) (acoustic)
   8. Love Minus Zero/No Limit (acoustic)
   9. Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic)
  10. When I Paint My Masterpiece
  
     (disc 2)
   1. Joey
   2. 'Til I Fell In Love With You
      
     (encore)
   3. Highway 61 Revisited (Sheryl Crow on guitar and vocals)
   4. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Sheryl Crow on accordian and vocals) (acoustic)
   5. Love Sick
   6. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 

     (filler: El Rey Theater, Dec. 18, 1997)
   7. Like a Rolling Stone
   8. It Ain't Me, Babe
     (filler: El Rey Theater, Dec. ??, 1997)
   9. Love Sick*
  10. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

with
Larry Campbell, guitars
David Kemper, drums
Bucky Baxter, steel guitar, mandolin
Tony Garnier, bass

*couple seconds of distortion after 0:30
as sound improves for rest of song

Lineage: CDR > EAC > WAV > FLAC


******
Analysis:

Sound is excellent on this one, which is from a CDR copy of the bootleg "Don't Be Late."  This is the second-to-last night of a sold out five-night stand at L.A.'s El Rey Theater. Tonight Sheryl Crow opens for Bob and guests on "Highway 61" and "Knockin'" -- Beck, Jewl & Willie Nelson each opened on the other nights.

Guitars are upfront on this recording and so is Bob's voice. He's singing a bit through his nose, but it's strong & comfortable, with interesting phrasing. Kemper's drumming is crisp and tight, sounds great. A rare and fun appearance of "Oh Babe it Ain't No Lie" is good to hear. "Cold Irons Bound" starts off real eerie, the way it was when Bucky was at the steel.

Monica's Dude and Bob's Boots have the info:

"The quality of this boot is outstanding. I've never heard a better sounding 1997 concert. The packaging is equally impressive. The cover is a swipe of the Newsweek cover and inside is a nice pic from Bob's visit with the Pope. I highly recommend this show." (Monica's Dude: http://www.angelfire.com/wa/monicasdude/dontbe.htm)

"The El Rey is the crème de la crème of the 1997 tour. Great quality, show, and package. The aesthetics are great, and the photos and images are wonderful. This is a keeper!"

Indeed, it is very clean and "pristine," with the instruments well-defined and seperated.

For a brief review of the performance, see here:
http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/121997r.html

The four-song filler of the previous night's encores are a welcome addition. Sound not up to par as the rest of the CD, but the performances are good.  (Can anyone identify the evening the last two songs are from? I don't know the source of these last four songs. I'm assuming they are filler added to the CDs by a trader, as they are not listed as being on the original bootleg.)

All .flacs tested OK.

That's it!

Take it easy, but take it,
Dane

"What's Your Y'Alternative?"
http://www.danestrom.com
dane@danestrom.com