If Mystery White Boy makes sure Buckley’s history is heard properly, in all its Cohen-meets-Cobain glory, then Columbia’s DVD, Live in Chicago, drives the history lesson home by showcasing a single show from the same tour in its entirety. The effect, like the record, is awesome. But overall, the visuals mute the power of the songs, if only because the mystery in the Mystery White Boy album lies in that record’s out-of-the-ether sonic grumbling, unannounced by visual cues. The result is a more subdued emotional journey, with a small number of completist add-ons, like Columbia’s original press kit for Buckley’s first record, Grace, as well as a couple of live acoustic songs. Spine-tingling? Yes. Necessary? Maybe.
Carleton S. Gholz writes about music for the Metro Times. E-Mail [email protected].
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2000.