Weekend on the Rocks

Disc 1
1	On the Stone / Dave Matthews 10:10
2	American Baby / Dave Matthews 4:31
3	Time of the Season / Dave Matthews 4:29
4	Say Goodbye / Dave Matthews 7:19
5	#34 / Dave Matthews 5:51
6	Steady as We Go / Dave Matthews 4:18
7	Hunger for the Great Light / Dave Matthews 3:41
8	Bartender 16:37
Disc 2
1	Don't Burn the Pig / Dave Matthews 7:01
2	You Never Know 7:10
3	Stand Up (For It) / Dave Matthews 4:22
4	#41 15:20
5	Stolen Away on 55th & 3rd / Dave Matthews 5:28
6	Smooth Rider / Dave Matthews 12:10
7	Halloween / Dave Matthews 4:55
8	Louisiana Bayou / Dave Matthews 9:00
9	Everyday 8:44
Disc 3
1	Stand Up (For It) / Dave Matthews DVD
2	Time of the Season / Dave Matthews DVD
3	Dreamgirl / Dave Matthews DVD
4	Everybody Wake Up (Our Finest Hour Arrives) / Dave Matthews DVD
5	Crash Into Me DVD
6	So Much to Say DVD
7	Louisiana Bayou / Dave Matthews DVD
8	Recently / Dave Matthews Bonus Track / DVD
9	Jimi Thing Bonus Track / DVD

Barnes & Noble

Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater brings out the best in just about every act that plays there, but the Dave Matthews Band seem to have a particular affinity for the spectacular venue. That's borne out on this live collection, a terrific addition to the band's eclectic collection of concert discs. Culled from a four-night stand at Red Rocks in September 2005, Weekend on the Rocks dips -- as might be expected -- into Stand Up, the album ostensibly being promoted, but also takes several welcome side trips. Matthews and company approach the newer material with a no-nonsense demeanor, slicing through "Dream Girl" and "Stand Up" with bare-boned precision. Fans of the quintet's forays into the jam realm needn't worry, though, since plenty of the set's tunes are marked by open-ended excursions -- notably "Bartender," on which Matthews wrings plenty of woozy emotion from his guitar, and "Don't Burn the Pig," which is laced with reedman LeRoi Moore's impassioned blowing. While crowd favorites like "#41" form the foundation of Rocks, the set's upper stories boast some surprising details, from the intriguing syncopation that drives the cover of the Zombies' psychedelic chestnut "Time of the Season" to the slashing steel guitar fillips that guest Robert Randolph applies to "Louisiana Bayou." In addition to a pair of audio discs, Weekend on the Rocks includes a DVD that -- in a refreshing change of pace -- doesn't merely replicate the audio component but adds exclusive performances of tunes such as "Too Much" and "Jimi Thing." Being stranded never sounded so good. David Sprague

All Music Guide

The Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado loves Dave Matthews. This is the second live recording from Red Rocks he's released in a decade. Weekend on the Rocks is a two-CD/single-DVD compilation from four concerts at the venue. It's a teaser for the complete concerts available as an eight-CD set that contains the same DVD. The tracks chosen here are not obvious choices, and that's a good thing -- thankfully there's not yet another version of "Ants Dancing." The band is pumped here, and includes Fender Rhodes and P-organ master Butch Taylor guesting for the gig. Just listening to the woolly, loose, and actually gritty version of "American Baby" included here sounds like a different band. The ragged version of the Zombies' classic "Time of the Season," should have been left off; they just can't manage the vocals -- the upper register they try to hit here is embarrassing. The jam-out in the middle of the cut is also unnecessary. But the 16-and-a-half-minute version of "Bartender" that closes disc one is a monster. The playing is passionate, gutsy, and as edgy as this band ever gets. The wall of strummed acoustic guitars on "You Never Know," offers an ethereal base for Matthews heartfelt singing. And it's followed by the funk and roll of "Stand Up (For It)," slithering and sexual. After this, sequencing gets weird. Granted, trying to boil four nights and eight CDs' worth of material down to two is a real challenge. But after the intensity of "Stand Up (For It)," is it really necessary to place a 15-plus-minute version of "#41"? Ugh. "Louisiana Bayou," and "Everyday," fare far better as extended versions that close the set. It has to be said, however, that there is still something missing here and its not only continuity. This band always sounds like they're trying to break out into something raw, and wild and crazy, but they're so mannered, they never, ever get there. Hardcore fans will want this since they need everything including bootlegs, but for the rest of us, Weekend on the Rocks is piece of curiosa. Thom Jurek