TOUR KAPUTT

The audio quality on this "Official Bootleg" is as good as your typical live album. So i will evaluate it as such: not as some sort of fan club bonus disc that people only ever listen to once, And of course not as a studio release. This is a SOLID Live Album. And being a follower of this band, I remember when Roine Stolt basically asked all his fans, through the internet, "If we put this CD/DVD out, will you buy it? ...It may be the last thing we produce for a long time." As we can see, the fans responded.

It took me a long time to finally grab this album though. I still don't have the DVD. After listening to these CD's yesterday morning and this morning, I am actually looking forward to purchasing the DVDs one day.

I want to write this review without giving away any of the surprises. They do a couple of nifty, unexpected things. Despite not changing their setlists from night to night, and even despite playing some of the same songs tour after tour, The Flower Kings will do one thing or another that'll catch you by surprise when you go to their show. This live album is a good reflection of that.

Get these Tour Kaputt releases if you are a fan of The Flower Kings. I don't think you will be disappointed. I'm pretty well locked into giving this a 4 star rating. Definitely not BLOWN AWAY by Tour Kaputt, but it's better than just "good". In fact, I do think this would make a fine addition to any prog music collection. You don't have to be a fan of TFK to appreciate this (Although it's hard for a fan to make such a statement objectively).

Also, if you are worried about what it sounds like with the sit-in drummer for that tour, Mr. Pat Mastelotto, don't be worried. He does an outstanding job considering the amount of time there was for him to prepare and gel with the band. To be completely honest, there are moments where he is doing a satisfactory job, but it feels as though he's not QUITE getting the right groove. Hard to explain... He does very very well. Fear not! I'd take him as a sit-in drummer in my band any day.

Another win for the Kings!