Barnes & Noble
Like spiritual predecessors the Grateful Dead, the Dave Matthews Band have long been dogged by the accusation that they're really only capable of hitting their most soaring peaks in a live setting. But rather than bob and weave in an attempt to shake off that tag, the DMB seem willing to accept it -- in part, at least -- by punctuating their catalogue with numerous concert sets. This two-disc collection, which dates back to July 2001, might be the most adventurous (and certainly the most fiery) of their half-dozen live offerings. Much of Folsom is given over to material that was, a that point, not even officially released -- although, admittedly, diehards were certainly familiar with songs like the foreboding "Digging a Ditch" and "Bartender," both of which would later show up on Busted Stuff. Fans at the show respond most strongly to old standbys like "Crash into Me," presented here in a loose-limbed rendition that's more spry than usual, and "What Would You Say," but the musicians seem more intent on picking apart the intricacies of the then-fresh Everyday material. That's most evident in the sly, conversational tone that bassist Stefan Lessard and drummer Carter Beauford take on a free-and-easy "When the World Ends," as well as the elegant, torchy tenor that Matthews himself adopts on "Angel." As per usual, the band get a bit overwrought here and there, pushing "The Space Between," for instance, into the quicksand of prog-fusion. For the most part, however, Folsom is a perfect example of the connection between band and audience -- and the positive energy the collision can generate. David Sprague
All Music Guide
Even after Dave Matthews scuttled recording sessions with producer Steve Lillywhite in 2000 and turned to Glen Ballard to co-write and produce what became Everyday, he and his band performed songs from the abortive sessions in concert, and they eventually reworked the material into the 2002 album Busted Stuff. This, the fourth Dave Matthews Band live double CD, catches the group on July 11, 2001, filling its two-and-a-half-hour set with songs from the Lillywhite sessions and Everyday, even though the former were unknown to the band's audience at the time (at least, those members of the audience who hadn't downloaded the then-unreleased material). In fact, "JTR," the second song here, didn't make it onto Busted Stuff and is thus earning its first legitimate release on this album. Busted Stuff songs "Big Eyed Fish," "Bartender," and "Digging a Ditch" work well in their concert treatments and come off as excellent additions to the band's live repertoire. The eight Everyday songs are another matter. As they do on the album, they sound distinctly different from the band's other material, thrusting Matthews forward and revealing tighter song structures (which, in the DMB world, is not always a good thing). But the good news is that, as opposed to the abbreviated studio album arrangements, the performances here are more stretched out, giving the band more to do. Of course, the concert also features older Matthews material, and that brings listeners into the Grateful Dead world of multiple performances on record. This is the fifth time that "Crash into Me" and "All Along the Watchtower" have turned up on a Matthews disc, and for some listeners, that's at least a couple too many. But don't try to tell the band's fans that. William Ruhlmann