Live Minnesota

Live

Enuff Z'Nuff

Spitfire Records, 1998

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 08/08/2001

There are so many stories any concert-goer can tell about seeinga band live, being inspired to pick up their latest album, anddiscovering the band sounds better live than they do in the studio.That's the curse of rock and roll; more often than not, it's aliving, breathing creature that you have to experience in the fleshin order to understand the magic surrounding it.

I've been fortunate to catch Enuff Z'Nuff live one time, in theintimacy of a small club in Mundelein, Illinois. (As much as I wishnothing but the best and greatest success for Chip Z'Nuff and crew,there's something to be said for seeing such a band so close upthat they almost sweat on you.) While I've more often than notliked - oh, hell, loved - what Enuff Z'Nuff have created in the studio, thereis something about their live show that makes you forget everythingyou heard on the record and just crave more from the stage.

Live is the kind of album that the diehard fans wereprobably desparately jonesing for... and while it's got some greatstuff on it, Live doesn't quite capture Enuff Z'Nuff's on-stage magic aspeople probably hoped for. Then again, something like that can't bebottled (or, in this case, pressed into aluminum and plastic).

The biggest complaint anyone can have about this album is thetrack selection - namely, as hard as the band tries, they're gonnapiss someone off by not including this song or that one. (Mypersonal gripe? Where's "Stoned" from Tweaked? Killer fuckin' live song, man. I know first-hand.)But these kinds of complaints have to be taken with a grain ofsalt. Hell, Donnie Vie and crew could have recorded a triple-discset, and someone would still be pitching a fit. Oh, well.