Puddle Of Mudd - Striking That Familiar Chord (2005) (7/10)

One year and a half after the release of "Life On Display," Post-Grunge band PUDDLE OF MUDD comes around with their first DVD release that includes a full concert recorded at the "Key Club" in San Diego on November 16^th of 2004. The DVD also includes a short acoustic set recorded at a local radio station two days earlier. A few short interview passages connect the four acoustic pieces that offer interesting and intimate versions of some of the most famous PUDDLE OF MUDD songs.

The concert surely has its positive and negative sides. On the negative side, the band doesn't communicate a lot with the fans and a true live feeling doesn't kick off. Especially singer Wesley Reid Scantlin sometimes looks as if he wasn't really there. I must though admit that the crowd is quite lame and doesn't move or sing along to most of the songs. I guess crowds in the United States of America are often less energizing than in Canada, South America, and Europe from all live recordings that I know, but this is definitely one of the worst examples of a shy crowd. In addition to this, a strange guest musician comes on stage during the performance of "Drift & Die" and plays a completely useless, too technical, and overlong poser guitar solo in the middle of the song that completely kills the track's magic atmosphere. Concerning the entire package, the addition of a few more profound interviews or a couple of video clips would have been great, but the band really missed that opportunity.

On the positive side, the live performances are good enough, and there are a few emotional moments during tracks like the power ballad "Blurry" or the energizing closer "She Hates Me." Especially the powerful drumming by Greg Upchurch is a highlight on this release. It's quite sad that this was his last release with the band. The set list is also quite convincing. It includes famous hits such as the energizing opener "Control" and the angry "Away from Me," and it also includes a few more obscure songs like "Bleed" from the Punisher soundtrack and "Abrasive," which is played right after "Bring Me Down," even though the song is not mentioned on the back of the DVD. With a length somewhere around one hour and a half, the concert feels just right and is neither too short nor too long. I might also add that the stage looks great and reminds me a little bit of the towels and similar stuff hanging around in the great "Away From Me" video clip. The light show is basically white and blue and quite reduced, but it fits to the stage settings and the more intimate atmosphere.

In the end, this release is definitely interesting for the more faithful fans of the band like me. If you liked the band's first two records, you will probably dig this release as well even though the concert isn't the best possible choice. Occasional fans don't need this record and should rather focus on the studio releases.

(Online July 23, 2013)