Having seen Denver, Colorado based Five Iron Frenzy several times live, I was very excited to see that the band was releasing a live album. After all, this is a band that has a remarkable stage presence. Unfortunately, this recording fails to capture the spirit of this band in a live venue; the interplay among the band members, and between the band and audience is sparse.

Not to say that there aren’t a few good tracks here; some worth noting include Oh, Canada and New Hope, a song written for the students of Columbine High School. Handbook For The Sellout gives a brief, but sweet, taste of the live experience, as you hear the audience joining in on the opening verse.

Whether this is a disc worth purchasing depends; if you are looking for a collection of "best of" songs, this qualifies, but if you are looking for a glimpse of the band live, you would be better off going to a show.

--Timothy