Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of genres, styles and time periods. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album or view the full album index here.
PORTISHEAD | Roseland NYC Live
Go!/London (1998)
Selected by Justin Chadwick
Released on CD and DVD in the fall of 1998, Portishead’s July 24, 1997 concert at New York City’s now-shuttered Roseland Ballroom is one of the most hauntingly beautiful performances you’ll ever see and hear. The Bristol, England-bred band are in top form throughout (though when are they ever not in top-form), as they bless the audience with an enchanting mix of tracks from their first two long players (1994’s Dummy and 1997’s Portishead), including standout songs “Sour Times,” “Only You,” “Glory Box,” “All Mine,” and “Roads.”
While the soaring orchestral arrangements provided by the street-clothed New York Philharmonic and guest brass section are gloriously juxtaposed with Geoff Barrow & Adrian Utley’s atmospheric flourishes and DJ Andy Smith’s turntable wizardry, the real star of the show is unquestionably Beth Gibbons. As always, her voice and words mesmerize, inducing goosebumps and tears among even the most stoic of spectators. Gibbons is, quite simply, a treasure. And the same can be said for her band, as evidenced on this stirring set for the ages.
LISTEN:
