When people hear me enthusiastically talk about the treasure trove of live Mountain Goats show recordings that reside on the Live Music Archive, they often ask me for recommendations on where to start on their live tape journey. For me, an avid Mountain Goats Live Tapes Enjoyer, this is an impossible task.

​

You see, the reason why it is so difficult to quantify any of these tapes as my favorite is because seeing the Mountain Goats perform live is a guaranteed blast. There is energy that is shot out from the band to the crowd and then is multiplied and rebounded back to the stage, cycling over and over all night. There is absolutely nothing like it. The Goats are constantly experimenting with new genres and sounds, creating arrangements that bring new life to old songs from when John was solo, all while headbanging and dancing and utterly jamming out, just visibly radiating and having the time of their lives. You can follow them on tour for ten nights in a row and watch them transform and evolve night-to-night. Even if they were to play the same exact set two nights in a row (which they never do), each night would be a different experience. They make sure of it.

​

At any given time, if you ask me which of the many shows I’ve been to has been my favorite, I’m probably just going to tell you it’s the last show that I attended. They just… keep getting better all the time… they cannot keep getting away with this!! All of that to say that this is my attempt at starting a collection of themed Live Mountain Goats Compilations to share with the masses. With these curated collections, I want to give you a taste of the all encompassing joy it is to be a fan of the Mountain Goats and the thrills of seeing them perform live as often as you possibly can.​