This CD certainly should have been out a while ago. But I guess that is what happens when you sign to a major label, and then the label no longer exists. I suppose the good thing is that they recorded this CD when A&M was still around. This CD was recorded on two separate nights in August of last year, in Washington DC at the 9:30 Club, and in Philadelphia PA at the TLA. Both Stephen Egerton, and Bill Stevenson from the legendary punk bands All and the Descendants were brought on board to produce and record this live MxPx CD.
MxPx has to have one of the tightest and most energetic live shows in all of pop punk today, and this CD does a great job at capturing that energy. I was at the Philadelphia show but I really can't tell which songs were from the Philly show and what songs were from the DC show. I know for a fact that at the Philly show, during "I'm OK, Your OK" Mike's mic stand fell over and he missed a whole section of the song. But with today's abilities of overdubbing, and due to the fact that the CD was recorded using two nights of material things like that can be fixed pretty easily.
So basically what you have here is a near perfect MxPx show, without the sweaty, smoky packed out venue. Any fans of MxPx are going to want to run out and buy this CD on July 27th when its due out, although I doubt you really need me to tell you that. I would also recommend this CD to anyone who is into pop-punk and is looking for a good live CD because the quality here is excellent. The CD features songs from all of their full length CD's. Including old songs such as, "Time Brings Change", "Want Ad", and "Walking Bye", as well as their classics like, "Chick Magnet", "Punk Rawk Show", and "I'm OK Your OK". There is also a song called "Forgive" that I don't think I have ever heard before other than in concert, it may be a cover, but I'm not sure. Both Tooth and Nail and Rock City Recordings are going to be releasing this CD. Rock City Recordings is the label MxPx runs, and that released their new side project Arthur. This CD should be available everywhere.
B+
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #79Reviewed by Doug Van PeltFor a band that puts on a killer live show, this album is a great idea. I, for one, was not hooked on this band until I had seen them live several times. Infectious songs like "Punk Rawk Show" and "Teenage Politics" were nice highlights, but it was their incredible tightness that pulled me in like a caught fish into this band's musical grip. Adapting 50's bopper pop music into a punk rock format…Decapolis 1999Reviewed by TimAnother MxPx record. Sounds like everything else they do, but the quality is great. Better than their normal albums. Buy it if you like MxPx. C+Decapolis 1999Reviewed by ConradIf you like MxPx you should get this. I like live CD's. The production kicks, they're really a tight band. The choice of songs gets weird in the middle. A solid live album. B-Decapolis 1999Reviewed by dmkWithout all the shiny studio production values, the Bremerton boys are allowed to let loose in a breakneck performance that has become their trademark. I have a soft spot for live albums and this one definitely shows off their strengths. Fast-paced and fun. BArt for the Ears 1999Reviewed by Marco PovervestIf you like punkrock and you haven't heard of MxPx, or Magnified Plaid, then I guess you come from another solar system. Since their first CD, Pokinatcha, in 1994, they took this solar system by storm with their energetic punkrock. They started with one of the first releases on the Tooth & Nail roster and all the time they were their best selling band. Nowadays they're on A & M Records. This…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Michial FarmerPunk music is easy to write and play. The lyrics aren't noted for their poetic subtlety, and it doesn't take a great voice to sing the stuff. The major attraction of the genre is the high-speed energy at which it's performed, and a punk band proves their worth best at a live show. The Huntingtons released their superb live album, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, earlier this year, and now…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Aaron BellIt has taken a long time for MxPx to finally do what many have expected for a while--A live album. MxPx finally delivers with At The Show, a best of live collection recorded in Washington DC and Philadelphia. After touring for three years, it's evident that this band is tight. Their abilities are not in question. The production is not bad for a live album, and does a good job of capturing MxPx…Similar sounding releases
2002Authority ZeroA Passage in Time
1999Diesel BoySofa King Cool
2002Ghoti HookGhoti Hook
2004El CentroProhibido
2005Strike AnywhereTo Live in Discontent
2002NOFX45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other RecordsMore from MxPx
1998Let It Happen
1994Pokinatcha
1995On The Cover
2000The Ever Passing Moment
1995Teenage Politics
2001The Renaissance
