The Gorge [2 CD & 1 DVD] [Jewel Case]

Disc 1
1	Pantala Naga Pampa/Rapunzel 7:49
2	The Song That Jane Likes 4:32
3	Fool to Think 4:18
4	You Never Know 7:12
5	Granny 4:07
6	Gravedigger 5:17
7	Everyday/#36 8:46
8	Two Step 19:01
Disc 2
1	Drive in, Drive Out 6:14
2	The Space Between 4:53
3	Kit Kat Jam 5:27
4	Lie in Our Graves 16:59
5	Proudest Monkey 8:48
6	Warehouse 8:56
Disc 3
1	Grey Street DVD 6:41
2	Ants Marching DVD 7:58
3	Inside the Gorge [Documentary] DVD
4	Pig DVD 7:39
5	Dancing Nancies DVD 9:45
6	What Would You Say DVD 5:25
7	Loving Wings/Where Are You Going DVD 3:47
8	Inside the Gorge [featuring "Gravedigger"] DVD 2:52
9	Seek Up DVD 21:01
10	Halloween DVD 8:45
11	Tripping Billies DVD 7:44
12	Inside the Gorge [Making the "Grace Is Gone" Video] DVD 5:07
13	Grace Is Gone [Music Video] DVD 5:07

Barnes & Noble

This sprawling set is the latest in the Dave Matthews Band's effort to chronicle not only their favorite live performances but their favorite venues as well. Culled from a three-night stand at Seattle's Gorge Amphitheatre in the fall of 2002, the two-CD/one-DVD package may well be the most adventurous of the band's many live offerings. While there are a fair number of -- for lack of a better word -- hits sprinkled here and there ("Dancing Nancies" gets a particularly strong workout), Live at the Gorge is an even better document of the quintet's improvisational potency. Most intense among the freer numbers are the medleys, such as a seamlessly rendered, if somewhat rambling mélange of "Pantala Naga Pampa" and "Rapunzel," in which the two songs are dazzlingly interwoven, each coming to the fore at several distinct points. Similarly, "Everyday" parts midway through, allowing an extended "#36" to emerge -- before giving way to a take on "Two Step," introduced with some off-the-cuff lyrics on the part of Matthews. The singer's voice is a bit ragged at points, but the interface between the musicians -- even more than usual -- lends an alternately affable and challenging tone to tunes like "Drive In, Drive Out" and "Space Between." The DVD segment of the collection is peppered with multimedia extras, including a mini-documentary about the making of the "Grace Is Gone" video and multiple viewing options for "Ants Marching" and "What Would You Say," which allow a focus on one band member for a song's duration. Impressive, all around. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Even though it consists of two CDs and a DVD, the latest live album by Dave Matthews is actually a teaser in a sense. Not that that's a bad thing. The Gorge, recorded over three nights in 2002, is easily Matthews' finest officially released live outing, even if you can get the entire run in a six-disc set for a very reasonable price through the band's website. This baby just whets the appetite. But does it ever. Matthews and company lay out 14 tracks, many of them less obvious choices than on previous outings. The music here comes from Before These Crowded Streets (a beautiful opening medley of "Pantala Naga Pampa" and "Rapunzel"; "Ants Marching" doesn't appear on the CDs at all, just the DVD footage!), "The Song Jane Likes" from Remember Two Things, and tracks from Busted Stuff, Crash, Everyday, and even Some Devil. The jams are tighter and rowdier; there's less hippie stuff and more honest to goodness musicianship and groove. And the version of "Gravedigger" here is as moving as it is on the studio outing. The singalong at the beginning of "Everyday," featured in a medley with "No. 36," is quite beautiful, not annoying like some similar moments on live records are. The more song-oriented first disc juxtaposes nicely with the more jam-oriented second, which features a smoking version of "Kit Kat Jam" and "Lie in Our Graves." The DVD showcases not only concert footage, but the "Grace Is Gone" music video and a documentary on the making of it, as well as an intimate look at the Gorge itself, a piece of environmental architecture that is an astonishing music venue and makes Red Rocks look paltry in comparison. Fans will have to have it, to be sure, but this might serve to turn others on to that particular brand of Matthews magic as well. Thom Jurek