Metro - Chicago, Illinois
On a Wednesday night in early March 1994, Dolly Varden makes what is likely one of their first, if not first, appearances at the world renowned Metro in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago. On this night the band opened for The Indians. By now Mark Balletto is a full-time member of the band and after many months of practice and a frequent gigs the band has really founds its groove. Thankfully the recording of this performance was not only good to begin with but was in excellent condition despite its age. The restoration included some tape hiss reduction, some equalization, and speed/pitch correction and we think you will be very pleased with the result.
or click on a song title below to listen to an individual track...
01. Wading - (beg. cut) - it is a shame that the beginning of this track is but most of the song is here and like many of the songs in this set it shows the band tighter, more polished and with a little more grit than the prior shows from the Vault.
02. Tall Man - A slightly faster and grittier version of a “Mouthful of Lies” track, and the oldest version to include Mark that we found in the Vault. This is probably our favorite performance of this song pre-release of the album.
05. Swan Dive - a new song that we’ve never heard before, this is the oldest recording of this song available in the Vault. A mellow song with a great melody.
06. Lying to Myself - this performance of the song is at a slower tempo than prior recordings. The slower tempo works and the punch on the downbeat anchors the groove quite nicely. This is also the first we hear Mark’s trademark licks on this great song and they are a wonderful addition to this great song.
07. My Sin - this song has matured well in the two months since its first public performance (Beat Kitchen 1994-01-08).
08. Scary Pretty - this version of the song is probably the best sounding and best performed version we have found to date.
09. Choke - this version is the first time we’ve got hear it with Mark and with all the other songs in this set, it keeps sounding better each time we hear it.
10. Jordan - a longer soulful song we haven’t heard yet live, the band did a studio version of this song with Doug McBride @ Gravity Studios.
11. Stu - what is really interesting about this version is the way the band segued from “Jordan” into “Stu” with the eerie chirping lap steel as the link between the two songs. This performance also has a very laid-back feel to it as the band ends their opening set that night.
Steve Dawson - Vocals, Guitar
Diane Christiansen - Vocals, Guitar
Lisa Wertman - Bass, Vocals
Matt Thobe - Drums, Vocals
Mark Balletto - Guitar
Dolly Varden - Opened the Show
The Indians - Headlined the Show
Wednesday, March 9, 1994