To make available live recordings is a form of musical honesty and authenticity. They make permanent a unique moment’s influence on the artist and their circumstance. For instance, when I performed Miles Upon Miles at the Tea Lounge the song didn’t have its original meaning because of that evening’s events. Songs are a storytelling device, a shared community experience that is influenced by the teller, setting, audience, and the history of all of these. Think about these factors in what made Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison so great. Live music is real music.
