The holy grail of Neutral Milk Hotel bootlegs? I had heard about a fabled performance by Jeff Mangum in New Zealand in 2001 where he took a brief respite from reclusion for one night to once again perform NMH songs.. his only show in the past several years. Fans can only hope Jeff decides to return to performing one day, but as it stands, the New Zealand show is regarded as the final Neutral Milk Hotel performance.
Being a somewhat obsessed NMH fan and bootleg collector, it was a dream of mine to find a recording of the show, though I didn't have much faith in that ever happening.
...So words can't express my exhilaration when I was finally able to track it down. And not only did I find a recording of it, but an amazing quality soundboard recording.. probably the best sounding NMH bootleg I've heard!
Now I'm offering it on CD here to help support the site.

 

I'm offering out copies of this CD as a fundraiser for this site. The "suggested donation" for a CD is $5, but feel free to give more or less. Not to lay a guilt trip on anybody, but I've had a rough time financially of late, so proceeds from this CD will go towards keeping this site alive.
Another justification is that NMH cdrs are prevalent on eBay. I wanted to share this great find with other fans, but I knew it wouldn't be long after it got out before somebody started selling it for outrageous prices on eBay. So offering it here is a way to beat them to the punch and keep the price down.

To order a copy, just PayPal me at gavin7[at]gmail[dot]com with "NMH cd" as the subject, or click the below button:

(cd)

By the way, I'm now also offering a live DVD called Neutral Milk Hotel in the Electric Lounge... if you'd like to double up and get both at the same time, please use this link:

I really love this CD, and I'm sure other fans will, too. None of the tracks are sourced from mp3s, so no sound quality is sacrificed (though some of the various bonus track rarities are a bit rough sounding). The New Zealand show is, again, excellent quality, and a beautifully intimate performance with Jeff connecting with the audience incredibly. Hopefully it doesn't mark the last the world hears from NMH, but if it is, I'm sure you'll agree it's a fitting farewell.
-Gavin

 Here are some things people have been saying about the CD:

Amazing! Thanks, Gavin. Those bonuses (boni?) are nice to have, too. A great collection.
-kartoonz

Thanks! Really awesome stuff. I'm really glad to have this final performance. Sort of makes things more bearable.
-finch

thanks a lot for this show defgav. it really is something else. i love the version of "song against sex". good stuff. this is some essential listening.
-call me hi

It really is quite fantastic. Different from all the other live shows of NMH that I have. You can really feel that Jeff had been through a lot with his nervous breakdown and all by listening to the show. The songs sound a bit darker and.....more mature? A bit more somber? It was quite fitting that they covered a song off Plastic Ono Band, "Mother" fits in very well with the whole mood of the show; sounds Jeff exhibts some of the same emotions in performing those songs as John did in Plastic Ono Band. Anyways, it's really great. You should all get the cd. Thanks alot defgav!
-wingedfeetxc

after listening to it, id have to say this is as essential as aeroplane for any fan of nmh. thanks again.
-flockey86