Best versions from this tour

[dmg]

Speaking of Helsinki, I love Mark's vocal on this show especially on Haul Away.

I may have changed my mind on Speedway because Rome had a stunning version and Privateering is always hard to choose because they're all pretty much the same.  Same reason I left out things like Seattle etc.

[Love Expresso]

Privateering from Lucca is especially good. Mark's voice is very different on Privateering, and also the recordings itself sound very different.
Funnily enough, i found out that I do not automatically prefer the Seattle versions with Ruth more, I think Guy is doing a very good job on it, too, for example Liverpool's Seattle is much better than some of Ruth's. But that may refer to Mark's singing at these versions also, so not blame poor sweet Ruth for this alone..

LE

[Pottel]

i used to could Bucharest has some great twangy playing..

[Banjo99uk]

i used to could Bucharest has some great twangy playing..

yes, Bucharest is one of the best shows overall, they were fresh

I agree

[nababo]

I didn't find a thread about what I'm going to ask, so forgive me if it was posted before, but...
in your opinion, you guys that have listened to many, what is the best concert overall from this tour?

[Pottel]

I didn't find a thread about what I'm going to ask, so forgive me if it was posted before, but...
in your opinion, you guys that have listened to many, what is the best concert overall from this tour?

listening to all the Shows at the moment, made it to Bucharest (listening in alphabetical order) and not made up a favorite show, yet...there's great bits in most if not all shows

[Love Expresso]

 Changes every week.
Lucca is definitely top 3 for me.


It is so funny that I thought about Mike McGoldrick going this wonderful intro of Father & Son and starts it so accurate every time at the very second.. but excatly when I thought that I heard the intro of this song from Lucca and how he did mess up it in a way... or maybe the pipes were not ready to .. blow..
but it is still a phantastic show. Privateering the song itself sounds phantastic...

Best Marbletown still Prague for me.

LE

[herlock]

I am aware that we all have positive biases towards concerts we actually attented, but I really do think, like many who also said so (Ingrid, Tunnel85, Poupystar,...) that Saint-Julien was stunning: great atmosphere and energy. It is now my #1 stick: HBF, Speedway and TR are the very best I've heard. Even SFA, which I normally don't like much, is greatly extended and is very rocking. But the highlight to me is Going Home: I thought that I was very lucky to hear sax versions in Cologne and Stuttgart, but now I surprisingly listen to the sax-less Saint-Julien version more... sax is great, but pure guitar is also great, it forces Mark to have more presence, and this version is (almost) reminiscent of the great '96 version... not completely, less power, but still great !

and special for dmg: Marbletown is a bit shorter than average in Saint-Julien, as if to make way for more rocking moments, so this might be the version you want to keep

[dmg]

It's a tough question Nababo and that's why I started this "best versions" thread in the first place!  

Anyway, some of those already suggested would also be my choices but I would like to add that it all depends on what you are looking for in your concert;  if you must have Sultans, Speedway, GH or PTtE etc. 

I agree that Saint-Julien was one of those great gigs and I listened to a couple of tracks from it yesterday.  The band no doubt inspired by the crowd.

London 27.05.13 still stands up there too, includes Sultans and has Nigel and Ruth as guests.

Malaga's very nice too, but if you like Speedway then Rome has the best version ever - so powerful.

[nababo]

Thanks guys for all your answers. I will definetively try to listen to St Julien's, as it was so well recommended by herlock, and Lucca, suggested by Love Expresso. But Pottel and dmg are absolutely right, it's a herculean job to try to define just on concert as the best.

As for Pensaboy question, the song I love to hear live from the last tours is HFB, but you made me think about what I'm really looking for, and I guess is the rockier concert overall, regardless a particular song.

So possibly I'll try to download all the songs that were quoted here. The only one I've heard from head to tail was London, which I've bought the guitar sticker from.

Thanks again

[JF]

even for the same song, sometimes I like the singing from a gig, the solo from another gig, the band's overall sounding from another gig, the intro from another gig, etc...

for most of songs in DS/MK history, I can't choose a particular version, because I can find parts I love (and some I don't like very much) in several versions.

typical exemple is : you like a version from a particular tour because of the intro arrangement, but you prefer the version from another tour because of the outro.

Then, in the same tour, it's even more difficult to choose....

[Banjo99uk]

I often find the best versions of songs are when they have never been played live before. When they reappear on subsequent tours they never sound as fresh to me. Obviously its not the case for all songs and its just my opinion.

[Love Expresso]

Agree, Banjo. Hill Farmer's Blues is a good example - played to death in the meantime... was the best in 2008... the intro of Father & Son is good, but it doesn't make Hill Farmer more intensive or better... I could imagine that many people think the same of Marbletown, but I still do love it... or Speedway, no development... Here we are again at the set-list-theme....

LE

[Banjo99uk]

Yep LE, HFB is a perfect example for me. It built up really well with Glens bass in the 2008 version.

[herlock]

interesting theory.
True that WAM was never played better than in 2002.
Wii was probably best in 2001... Maybe not the case for SAN though.
I prefer BIA, MFN and SFA Versions from the BIA tour. Very rocking
TR was really fresh in '81.
But for Sultans, RAJ, TOL, PI, SR... Later versions were way better than the original !