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NeutralMilkHotel.org
- The Carrot
Flower Kingdom |
neutral milk hotel
LIVE BOOTLEG LISTING / SETLIST ARCHIVE
(This is an attempt to compile NMH show setlists, as well as info on known live recordings.)
| SHOW / RECORDING INFO | NOTES | SETLIST |
| 7/4/96 Aquarius
Records, San Francisco, CA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 32min |
Earliest known
live
Neutral Milk Hotel recording. Great acoustic set by
Jeff, with a few
rarely played songs, including the only known live
version of "My
Dreamgirl Don't Exist". This bootleg is very common, and
mp3s of it can
easily be found online. Most mp3 versions cut out some
between-song
chatter, however, such as when Jeff mentions that the
first song is
actually two songs: one called "Oh Comely" and another
called
"Goldaline". The unknown song ("swimming in your speakers") seems to be a sister song to "Snow Song Pt. 1".. maybe it's "Snow Song Pt. 2"? |
1. Oh Comely 2. Engine 3. Oh Sister 4. My Dreamgirl Don't Exist 5. Sailing Through 6. Acid / Ruby Bulbs / unknown ("swimming in your speakers") |
| 7/6/96 The
Backstage,
Seattle, WA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 32min |
This show popped up on Soulseek in early '05. The sound is decent most of the time, but it skips a lot on tracks 4 through 8. "The Fool" was mislabeled as "Message Sent", but on the recording itself, it appears Jeff refers to the "Through My Tears" conglomeration by that title. | 1. Song Against
Sex 2. A Baby for Pree 3. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 4. Tuesday Moon 5. Message Sent (Through My Tears / Goldaline / unknown ["now there is nothing"]) 6. The Fool 7. Naomi 8. Ruby Bulbs 9. King of Carrot Flowers Pts 2 and 3 10. Ferris Wheel on Fire 11. Everything Is |
| 7/7/96 EJ's,
Portland,
OR FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: ? |
Three videos
from this
show have been put on YouTube. The filmer has said that
he didn't
record the entire set, however.
Gardenhead/Leave Me
Alone |
? |
| 7/17/96 Knitting
Factory, New York, NY FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 39m source: wm-d3 pro-walkman (analog cassette) and ecm
909a mics. transfer: master cassette> Sony K707ES>
tascamUS-428>
sound forge4.5> cdwav> flac |
Another old show that took a decade to make it into circulation (Sept '05). Features an unreleased song called "Arms So Real" which isn't available on any other known live recording. | 1. Song Against
Sex 2. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 3. Tuesday Moon 4. Arms So Real 5. A Baby For Pree 6. The Fool 7. Everything Is 8. Naomi 9. Snow Song Pt. 1 10. King of Carrot Flowers Pts 2 and 3 11. (encore break / tuning) 12. Message Sent |
| 7/22/96 Oakland
Beehive, Pittsburg, PA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: poor LENGTH: 34m |
NMH jammed with the opening band, Butterglory, for a warm up.. sounds kinda like an old blues song or something. | 1. jam with
Butterglory 2. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 3. Tuesday Moon 4. A Baby For Pree 5. Naomi 6. Everything Is 7. The Fool 8. Snow Song Pt. 1 9. King of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 and 3 |
| 7/23/96 Sudsy
Malone's,
Cincinnati, OH FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 43min |
Includes a rare
live
performance of "You've Passed", which is paired with
another, unknown
song. Perhaps it's part of "You've Passed" that was cut
from the album
version? The show's other unknown song ("now there is nothing") is the third section of "Message Sent" and seems to be a sister song to "Oh Sister". |
1. King Of
Carrot
Flowers Pts. 2 and 3 2. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 3. Tuesday Moon 4. You've Passed / unknown ("You've Passed Pt 2"?) 5. Everything Is 6. Ruby Bulbs 7. Naomi 8. Ferris Wheel On Fire 9. Message Sent (Through My Tears / Goldaline) 10. Message Sent [cont.] ("now there is nothing") 11. Snow Song Pt. 1 |
| 7/25/96
Cicero's, St.
Louis, MO FORMAT: audio SOURCE: soundboard QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 40m |
Soundboard recording, but not the best quality. A lot of tape hiss. | Song Against Sex Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Tuesday Moon A Baby For Pree The Fool Message Sent (Through My Tears / Goldaline) Message Sent [cont.] ("now there is nothing") Everything Is Ferris Wheel on Fire Naomi Snow Song pt 1 King of Carrot Flowers parts 2 & 3 |
| 8/1/96 Knitting
Factory, New York, NY FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 54m source: wm-d3 pro-walkman (analog cassette) and ecm
909a mics. transfer: master cassette> Sony K707ES>
tascamUS-428>
sound forge4.5> cdwav> flac |
Another old show
that
took a long time to surface (Sept '05). Features a rare
live recording
of "Bucket".
Like most pre-Aeroplane versions, "Oh Comely" has some slightly altered lyrics, and doesn't have the "Goldaline" ending ("Goldaline" is included in the last song, "Message Sent," however.) |
1. Oh Comely 2. Bucket 3. Song Against Sex 4. A Baby For Pree 5. King Of Carrot Flowers Pt. 3 6. Tuesday Moon / circus music jam 7. Engine 8. Naomi 9. Ferris Wheel On Fire 10. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 11. Snow Song Pt. 1 12. Everything Is 13. Message Sent (Through My Tears/Goldaline/unknown ["now there is nothing"]) |
| 9/6/96 CMJ
Mergefest,
Westbeth Theatre, New York, NY
[no known recording] |
A Baby For Pree Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Tuesday Moon Ferris Wheel On Fire Naomi Ruby Bulbs Snow Song (the setlist says "trilogy" here.. I'm assuming Message Sent) King of Carrot Flowers Pt 3 |
|
| 10/5/96 Other
Music,
New York, NY FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 33m |
Jeff Mangum acoustic in-store performance. "Two Headed Boy" is an early version with several slightly different lyrics. Also, this recording features a rare live performance of "April 8th". | 1. Two-Headed
Boy 2. Naomi 3. April 8th 4. I Will Bury You In Time 5. Engine 6. Everything Is 7. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 8. She Did a Lot of Acid 9. Ruby Bulbs / unknown ("swimming in your speakers") |
| 3/7/97 Jittery
Joe's,
Athens, GA FORMAT: audio & video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 48m |
Jeff Mangum solo acoustic performance in 'The Starlit Crypt' at a coffeehouse in Athens, GA. Officially released as Jeff Mangum - Live At Jittery Joe's. In addition to audio playable on a normal CD player, it's an enhanced CD that includes QuickTime video of the entire show, shot by film maker Lance Bangs. | 1. introduction
2. A Baby For Pree 3. Two-Headed Boy 4. I Will Bury You In Time 5. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 6. Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2 7. I Love How You Love Me 8. Engine 9. Naomi 10. King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 2 11. King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 3 12. Oh Comely |
| 3/27/97 40 Watt,
Athens,
GA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: ? QUALITY: ? LENGTH: ? |
In March '06, a
guy
going by "thehordak" posted to the NMH message board
about taping this
show. Unfortunately, he wasn't in a hurry to share it,
but seemed
willing to eventually let people hear it. So I guess us
fans will just
have to wait patiently. "I have a recording from the March 27th, 1997 40 Watt Show. Elf Power, Of Montreal, and Neutral Milk Hotel. I had a 4 track set up in the back of the club near the sound booth where they had the couches." |
? |
| 4/23/97 Tokyo
Rose,
Charlottesville, VA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 53m |
First show of the '97 US tour. It's an acoustic set by Jeff, with occasional accompaniment of accordion or horns. Jeremy Barnes was away in Chicago, so there's no drums. The performance includes a few rarely played songs, including "April 8th" and "Bucket" (by request). Jeff whistles a solo at the end of "King of Carrot Flowers Pt 3", which is something kinda cool I haven't noticed in other shows. Technical problems with the PA cutting out affect some of the first few songs. Some tape hiss on the recording. | 1.
Gardenhead/Leave Me
Alone 2. Two-Headed Boy 3. Song Against Sex 4. I Will Bury You In Time 5. The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 3 6. Naomi 7. April 8th 8. Bucket 9. Acid (Pt. 1) 10. Acid (Pt. 2) 11. Ruby Bulbs 12. unknown ("swimming in your speakers") 13. A Baby For Pree 14. Oh Comely |
| 4/24/97 Silk City
Lounge, Philadelphia, PA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 52m |
This seems to be
the
earliest known recording of the song "In The Aeroplane
Over the Sea".
And like the other versions from mid '97, it seems to
still be a
work-in-progress, with different lyrics in the non-verse
sections.
Additionally, this show features two NMH songs that were rarely played live, "Someone Is Waiting" (by request) and "You've Passed". |
1. Oh Comely 2. Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone 3. A Baby For Pree 4. Naomi 5. Tuesday Moon 6. Song Against Sex 7. Message Sent (Through My Tears / Goldaline / "now there is nothing") 8. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea 9. Everything Is 10. Ferris Wheel on Fire (aborted) 11. The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 3 12. Someone Is Waiting 13. You've Passed 14. Two-Headed Boy |
| 4/25/97 Knitting
Factory, New York, NY FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 64m |
Jeff opens with some solo songs, including "Sailing Through" and "I Will Bury You in Time", both not played live all that often. On the recording, "Goldaline" (the middle section of "Message Sent") is cut, likely due to a tape flip on the master. | Sailing Through I Will Bury You in Time Two-Headed Boy Oh Comely Naomi Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Baby for Pree The Fool Message Sent [cut] (Through My Tears) Message Sent [cont.] ("now there is nothing") Ferris Wheel on Fire King of Carrot Flowers 2 & 3 Everything Is Ruby Bulbs All the Colors of the Rainbow Snow Song pt 1 Song Against Sex |
| 4/26/97
Terrastock,
Providence, RI FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 36m |
I think "Naomi"
is
supposed to be the last song on this show, but isn't..
at least not on
the recording I have.
There is also a professional soundboard recording of this performance, which has remained uncirculated, with the exception of "Oh Comely" which was released on a Blue Rose sampler cd. Kevin O'Leary, co-owner of Flydaddy Records, said the label recorded the entire [Terrastock '97] festival, and is now trying to figure out how best to release the results to the world. [...] Judging by what he's heard so far, O'Leary said, sound quality is great, and he had high praise for engineers Tom Buckland and Toby Fitch. |
1. Oh Comely 2. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 3. A Baby for Pree 4. The Fool 5. Message Sent (Through My Tears / Goldaline) 6. Message Sent [cont.] ("now there is nothing") 7. Song Against Sex 8. The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 & 3 9. Ruby Bulbs 10. Snow Song Pt. 1 |
| 4/27/97 Middle
East,
Cambridge, MA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ? LENGTH: ? |
If you have this recording, please let me know. | ? |
| 4/28/97
Brownies, New
York City, NY FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 51m |
"Acid" is sometimes known as "She Did a Lot of Acid". Jeff says it doesn't really have a title, but they call it "Acid", and also says it probably won't ever be released. | 1. soundcheck
jam /
Acid 2. Naomi 3. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea 4. Oh Comely 5. King of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 and 3 6. Everything Is 7. Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone 8. Song Against Sex 9. Message Sent / Ruby Bulbs (cut) 10. Snow Song Pt 1 |
| 5/1/97 Chicago,
IL,
Lounge Ax FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: very good LENGTH: 55m |
Very nice recording. | 1. Oh Comely 2. Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone 3. A Baby For Pree 4. The Fool 5. Tuesday Moon 6. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 7. Message Sent (Through My Tears / Goldaline) 8. Message Sent [cont.] ("now there is nothing") 9. Song Against Sex 10. Everything Is 11. FerrisWheel on Fire 12. Naomi 13. Ruby Bulbs 14. Snow Song pt 1 15. The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 & 3 |
| 5/2/97
Rathskeller,
Madison, WI FORMAT: audio SOURCE: soundboard QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 36m |
A soundboard recording, this show sounds good at times and not so good other times.. there were problems with the soundboard. The Rathskeller is apparently a venue located in the University of Wisconsin. |
1. Naomi |
| 5/3/97 7th
Street
Entry, Minneapolis, MN FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 38m |
Jeff mentions
they were
supposed to play an in-store earlier that day, and
apologizes for
missing it, but says his "dick broke" so how can you
argue with that?!
No drummer for this show. |
King of Carrot
Flowers
pt 3 She Did A Lot of Acid Naomi Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Engine Song Against Sex In the Aeroplane Over the Sea A Baby For Pree The Fool Oh Comely |
| 5/5/97 Side
Door, St.
Louis, MO FORMAT: audio SOURCE: soundboard QUALITY: excellent LENGTH: 37m |
Awesome soundboard recording, one of the best quality NMH bootlegs in circulation. There is also a low-quality audience recording of this show. At the beginning, Jeff mentions Jeremy couldn't make it, so it's a slightly more stripped-down show than usual. Also, Jeff says he and Scott have the flu, so he apologizes for a sloppy show. And he apologizes for his voice several times throughout the show. | 1. Acid 2. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 3. Naomi 4. Engine 5. King Of Carrot Flowers pt 3 6. Song Against Sex 7. The Fool 8. Oh Comely 9. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea |
| 5/6/97
Barrister's,
Memphis, TN FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 30m |
This show was just Jeff and Julian, as Scott was sick in the van, and Jeremy was still away. Olivia Tremor Control played too, and Jeff and Julian joined them for the last tune of their set. | 1. Oh Comely 2. Naomi 3. King Of Carrot Flowers pt 3 4. I Will Bury You In Time 5. Song Against Sex / Two-Headed Boy 6. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone |
| 5/16/97 40 Watt,
Athens, GA FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 29m (there may be a 37m version?) |
Kindercore
Records 1st
Anniversary Party, May 16th and 17th. Each night
featured six bands,
plus the Dixie Blood Moustache installation, and
inspirational speaking
by Michael Brian. The line-up for Friday night: The Mendoza Line, Great Lakes, Of Montreal, Joe Christmas, Elf Power, Neutral Milk Hotel The line-up for Saturday night: Nipples For Days, The Masters of the Hemisphere, Bunnygrunt, Gritty Kitty, Kincaid., The Olivia Tremor Control For Neutral Milk Hotel's set, they were joined on stage by members of Olivia Tremor Control and Elf Power. |
Two-Headed Boy Oh Comely Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 3 Message Sent (Through My Tears) Song Against Sex / end jam |
| 8/9/97 Seven
South,
Denver, CO FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 45m |
Includes a rare
live
performance of "Someone Is Waiting".
The recording is loud, but decent quality. This is a
show the
band did while in town to record Aeroplane.
Interestingly, Jeff
mentions that "Message Sent" might be on the record..
and I guess it
sorta was, with the "Goldaline" section becoming part
of "Oh Comely". |
1. intro/soundcheck |
| 9/14/97 Broad
River
Outpost, Danielsville, GA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: soundboard QUALITY: excellent (mostly. see notes) LENGTH: 34m |
The show was a
benefit
for the Broad River Action Group (BRAG) and marked the
band's first
performance since finishing recording Aeroplane.
Highlights
include the rarely played "Someone Is Waiting", plus
what may be the
final performances of "Tuesday Moon" and "Message Sent",
which didn't
seem to stick around in setlists for later tours.
The recording is from the soundboard and was first circulated thanks to the mp3 blog Bicycle Kick My Worries Away in March 2006. The sound quality is great with the exception of slight tape hiss, plus some weird skipping for a few seconds in "Naomi" and "Ruby Bulbs". |
1. Naomi /
Someone Is
Waiting / Song Against Sex 2. Tuesday Moon 3. The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 3 / A Baby For Pree 4. Message Sent 5. Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone / Ruby Bulbs / Snow Song Pt. 1 |
| 10/14/97 40 Watt
Club,
Athens, GA FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 49m |
Jeff solo acoustic. | Two-Headed Boy
(aborted) Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone King Of Carrot Flowers Pts.1, 2, 3 A Baby For Pree In The Aeroplane Over The Sea I Will Bury You In Time Engine Holland, 1945 Naomi Acid Ruby Bulbs / unknown ("swimming in your speakers") Oh Comely |
| 10/31/97 private
home,
Athens, GA FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 48:38 |
This was a
Halloween
party at a friend's house.
The video made it into circulation in March '07. It's shot from right next to Jeff and is pretty nice quality. Before the show, there are several somewhat entertaining minutes as the band prepares to play, including Jeff talking to someone about Syd Barrett. The show marks the first full-band live performance of "Holland, 1945". |
Two-Headed Boy
Pt. Two The Fool The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One Everything Is The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three Naomi Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Holland, 1945 Ruby Bulbs All the Colors of the Rainbow Snow Song Pt. One |
| 11/21/97 40 Watt
Club,
Athens, GA FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 20m |
Apparently an incomplete recording. Often mislabeled as "1/1/98", but 11/21/97 seems to be the correct date. | In the Aeroplane
Over
the Sea Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One Song Against Sex |
| 11/22/97 Red
Light
Cafe, Atlanta, GA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 34m |
Earliest known
live
recording of "Ghost".
Pretty funny version of "All The Colors of the Rainbow". "Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone" is a bit chaotic, and kinda breaks down a couple times. |
Gardenhead /
Leave Me
Alone A Baby for Pree / Where You'll Find Me Now The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three Everything Is Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs All the Colors of the Rainbow Snow Song Pt. One Naomi Ghost |
| 12/5/97 40 Watt
Club,
Athens, GA
[no known recording] |
Opening for Vic Chesnut. Liz Durrett canceled so NMH stepped in. Their set included an early unreleased NMH song called "My Skull". | Oh Comely The Fool Naomi Gardenhead My Skull Ferris Wheel on Fire Everything Is In The Aeroplane Over the Sea Holland 1945 Two Headed Boy |
| 1/1/98 ---> see 11/21/97 | ||
| 2/4/98 40 Watt
Club,
Athens, GA FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: very good LENGTH: 54m |
Pretty cool video. This was the first show of 1998.. the dawning of the "Aeroplane era" as it were.. a little hometown show before heading out on tour. | Holland, 1945 A Baby for Pree Everything Is Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Naomi Oh Comely The Fool The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three Ghost Song for Ché Worms in the Wind Song Against Sex Snow Song Pt. One |
| 2/7/98 Cow Haus,
Tallahassee, FL FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: very good LENGTH: 63m |
The 1998 Florida
Popfest. Fifteen bands played: Neutral Milk Hotel,
Kincaid, The
Mountain Goats, Racecar, True Love Always,
Congratulations, Of
Montreal, Masters of the Hemisphere, Crush 22, Silver
Apples, The
Gerbils, Gritty Kitty, Four Head, Elf Power, and The
Music Tapes.
Here's a little review by Chris M.: it seemed like that was the show where everyone, the fans, Jeff, the rest of the band, realised something more was going on here than just another "indie pick of the month". The festival was two or three nights if I remember and NMH were to close the last night of the festival. Because of various delays, NMH didn't get to come on until about 2 am. You would think most of the kids would have been exhausted by this point and shuffling home. But they didn't. The place was packed and it seemed as if the whole crowd was one person, all jumping and screaming every last word Jeff was singing back at him. I have a great memory of Jeff looking back at Julian with this, "What the hell is all this about?" look. Many versions of this show are incomplete, usually ending at about 45 minutes with a cut in the middle of "Snow Song". |
Two-Headed Boy The Fool A Baby For Pree Holland, 1945 Naomi Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Song For Ché Ghost Everything Is The King Of Carrot Flowers, Pts 2 & 3 Song Against Sex Snow Song Pt 1 In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Ferris Wheel On Fire |
| 2/15/98 Young
Avenue
Deli, Memphis, TN
[no known recording] |
Oh Comely The Fool A Baby for Pree Everything Is Naomi Holland, 1945 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Ghost The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 and 3 Song Against Sex Snow Song Pt. One |
|
| 2/26/98 Sudsy
Malone's,
Cincinnati, OH FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 52m |
Some versions of
this
recording are only 46 minutes long, and are missing a
couple minutes
off both the beginning and end.
The reason several NMH shows are incomplete at 45 or 46 minutes dates back to the days when cassette tape trading was the main route for fans (before CDRs and digital formats made tapes obsolete). One side of a 90 minute tape is about 46 minutes. Sometimes traders were lazy and didn't bother to include the rest of the show. Sometimes the master tapes were cut due to lazy tapers. |
Two-Headed Boy The Fool King Of Carrot Flowers Pt.2 & 3 Everything Is Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Holland, 1945 Ferris Wheel On Fire Ghost Naomi Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt. One |
| 2/27/98
Graffiti,
Pittsburgh, PA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 46m |
Two-Headed Boy
Pt. 2 The Fool A Baby for Pree Gardenhead Naomi In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Ghost King of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 & 3 Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt. One |
|
| 3/4/98 Cat’s
Cradle,
Chapel Hill, NC FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: very good LENGTH: 53m |
This bootleg is quite common online. Solid show. | 1. Oh Comely 2. The Fool 3. A Baby For Pree 4. Everything Is 5. Naomi 6. Ghost 7. Song For Ché 8. Engine 9. The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three 10. Holland, 1945 11. Song Against Sex 12. Ruby Bulbs 13. Snow Song Pt. One |
| 3/7/98 Knitting
Factory, New York, NY FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: very good LENGTH: ? |
Rarely-played
track
alert: "April 8th"
Apparently, someone up front was video taping this show, though as far as I know, the recording has not been circulated at all. UPDATE! In November 2009, the taper began posting songs from this show on YouTube. The set wasn't filmed in its entirety, unfortunately. |
Two-Headed Boy April 8th Oh Comely The Fool The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three Naomi Ghost Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Holland, 1945 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea A Baby for Pree Everything Is Song Against Sex Ferris Wheel on Fire Snow Song Pt. One |
| 3/8/98 Middle
East,
Cambridge, MA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 62m |
Oh Comely The Fool King of Carrot Flowers pts 2 and 3 Naomi Ghost Two-Headed Boy Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Holland, 1945 In The Aeroplane Over The Sea A Baby For Pree Everything Is Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs / Snow Song Pt. One |
|
| 3/16/98 The
Point,
Atlanta, GA
[no known recording] |
Oh Comely The Fool The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three Naomi Ghost Two-Headed Boy Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Holland, 1945 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt. One |
|
| 3/28/98 40 Watt
Club,
Athens, GA
[no known recording] |
Two-Headed Boy
Pt. Two The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three Holland, 1945 A Baby for Pree Ferris Wheel on Fire Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt. One Ghost untitled |
|
| 4/3/98 Mermaid
Lounge,
New Orleans, LA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: soundboard QUALITY: good or excellent (see notes) LENGTH: 53m |
This was kind of
like a
homecoming show for Jeff, who grew up in nearby Ruston,
Louisiana, and
he mentions that his mom and sister are in attendance.
The recording is a soundboard/audience hybrid. They had a mixing board in the back and mixed the soundboard live to DAT, incorporating a room mic into the mix. The more circulated version of this recording badly overloads in the loud parts, plus the end of "Ghost" is cut off and "untitled" is missing. But there is also a version that sounds much better, and includes "Ghost"/"untitled" completely, though that better version is missing the final 2 songs. |
Two-Headed Boy The Fool Worms in the Wind King of Carrot Flowers pt 2 and 3 Holland, 1945 Naomi Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone In The Aeroplane Over the Sea Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song pt 1 Ghost untitled A Baby For Pree Everything Is |
| 4/4/98 Electric
Lounge,
Austin, TX FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 44m |
Decent video,
but the
person filming the show felt the need to get "artsy" and
use a bunch of
effects on the video.. so several songs are shot with
the color
inverted (so instead of some white guys playing in the
dark, it looks
like black guys playing in heaven) and other songs are
shot with a
brown hue. You can hear him making comments about it, so
it's
definitely on the master, not a post-production effect,
unfortunately.
But the sound is good, and some songs are filmed okay. I attempted to fix the show up a little, and this version has circulated on DVD among fans. |
Oh Comely The Fool Naomi Holland, 1945 Worms In The Wind / King Of Carrot Flowers 2 & 3 Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt. 1 Ghost / untitled |
| 4/10/98 Spaceland, Silver
Lake, CA |
This show is known to
have been taped, but unfortunately has not really
circuated at all. Maybe someday. If you have a copy,
please let me know. |
? |
| 4/11/98 Bottom
of the
Hill, San Francisco, CA FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 67m |
A review
of this show was posted on the now-defunct music
news
website SonicNet, and can currently be found at VH1's
site. The review states that the show was 90 minutes. If that's accurate, that would mean the recording is incomplete. |
Oh Comely The Fool Worms In The Wind / King Of Carrot Flowers 2 & 3 Holland, 1945 Naomi Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt. 1 Two-Headed Boy Ghost / untitled Engine |
| 4/12/98 Bottom
of the
Hill, San Francisco, CA FORMAT: video & audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 90m video; 74m audio |
In addition to video, there is also an audio recording of this show, which is readily available online via mp3s. Great show with some rarely played songs. Also, clocking in at about 81 minutes, it seems to be the longest NMH show in circulation, though some audio versions are a few minutes shorter thanks to editing out some downtime between songs. Some versions of the video include about 10 minutes of the soundcheck, with the band playing "Song for Ché" and part of the end of "Ghost" before the show. | Sailing
Through Two-Headed Boy pt 2 Holland 1945 Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone A Baby for Pree Ferris Wheel on Fire Worms in the Wind / King of Carrot Flowers pts. 2 & 3 Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs unknown ("swimming in your speakers") Snow Song pt. 1 Naomi I Will Bury You in Time Ghost / untitled Oh Comely King of Carrot Flowers pt 1 Two-Headed Boy |
| 4/14/98
Crocodile Cafe,
Seattle, WA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience [Sony D3] QUALITY: good LENGTH: 45m |
1 . Two-Headed
Boy 2 . The Fool 3 . Holland, 1945 4 . Worms in the Wind 5 . King Of Carrot Flowers, Pts. Two & Three 6 . Naomi 7 . In The Aeroplane Over The Sea 8 . [technical difficulties] 9 . A Baby For Pree 10 . Song Against Sex 11 . Ruby Bulbs 12 . Snow Song, Pt. One 13 . Ghost 14 . untitled |
|
| 4/15/98
Satyricon,
Portland, OR
[no known recording]
|
Two-Headed Boy The Fool King of Carrot Flowers Pts 2 and 3 Holland, 1945 Naomi Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt One Ghost untitled |
|
| 4/18/98
Terrastock II,
San Francisco, CA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: soundboard (KFJC FM) QUALITY: excellent LENGTH: 47:28 |
Terrastock II
was a
festival that took place the weekend of April 17-19 of
1998 at the
Custer Avenue Stages in San Francisco.
The soundboard recording is from an FM radio broadcast, and depending on the source/generation, sounds anywhere from very good to incredible (there may also be audience recordings of this show). Some copies are missing the first 2 songs, and many are missing the end of the last track. |
introduction Two-Headed Boy The Fool Worms in the Wind The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three Holland, 1945 A Baby for Pree Ferris Wheel on Fire In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt. One Ghost untitled |
| 4/24/98 400 Bar,
Minneapolis, MN FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 64m |
Technical
difficulties
and "brain melting" by band members plague some of the
first few
tracks. "Naomi", in particular, is a train wreck. Jeff throws in a quick rendition of "All The Colors of the Rainbow" in the middle of "Ruby Bulbs" before eventually transitioning into an epic version of "Snow Song Part 1". |
1. Two-Headed
Boy 2. The Fool 3. The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 and 3 4. Holland, 1945 5. Naomi 6. Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone 7. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea 8. A Baby For Pree 9. Song Against Sex / Ruby Bulbs / All The Colors of the Rainbow / Snow Song Pt. 1 10. Ghost / untitled 11. Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2 12. Ferris Wheel on Fire |
| 4/25/98 Lounge
Ax,
Chicago, IL FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 63m |
Decent recording, though the crowd is a bit annoying at times. | 1 intro (Worms
In The
Wind spoken) 2 King of Carrot Flowers 1 3 King of Carrot Flowers 2-3 4 Two-Headed Boy pt. 2 5 Holland, 1945 6 Naomi 7 Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone 8 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 9 Song Against Sex 10 Ruby Bulbs 11 Snow Song pt 1 12 Two-Headed Boy 13 The Fool 14 Ghost 15 untitled 16 A Baby for Pree / Ferris Wheel on Fire |
| 5/22/98 12 Bar
Club,
London, UK FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 47m |
The band was
nervous,
as it was their first show outside the US.
The first song is sometimes mislabeled as "Ghost" on this recording. |
Oh Comely The Fool King of Carrot Flowers Pts 2 & 3 Holland, 1945 Two-Headed Boy Naomi In The Aeroplane Over The Sea A Baby For Pree Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt 1 |
| 5/23/98 12 Bar
Club,
London, UK FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 48m |
The master recording source is a Sony Minidisc. | Two-Headed Boy
Pt. 2 The Fool Naomi Holland, 1945 Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone In The Aeroplane Over The Sea King Of Carrot Flowers Pts.2 & 3 Oh Comely Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt.1 |
| 5/?/98 XFM,
London, UK FORMAT: audio SOURCE: radio broadcast QUALITY: excellent LENGTH: 29m |
While NMH was in
London
for a couple shows, Jeff stopped in at XFM studios for a
radio
appearance. It included an 11 minute interview and 4
solo acoustic
songs. It wasn't broadcast live, but rather played in
parts over a week
a month later (June 21 thru 25): interview (broadcast on 21 June 1998) Gardenhead (21 June 1998) Engine (22 June 1998, repeated 25 June 1998) Up & Over Again [sic] (23 June 1998) Oh Comely (24 June 1998) This recording is often misdated 18 August 1998. It's possible this session was rebroadcast in August, but it was definitely originally recorded in May. |
interview Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone Engine King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 3 Oh Comely |
| 6/29/98 Sapphire
Supper
Club, Orlando, FL FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ok LENGTH: 50m |
Some versions of
this
recording are missing "Ruby Bulbs".
I guess Jeremy Barnes couldn't be at the show for some reason, so the band performs without drums. |
Oh Comely Naomi Two-Headed Boy Engine Holland, 1945 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One Ferris Wheel on Fire Ruby Bulbs Song Against Sex Snow Song Pt. One |
| 7/11/98 40 Watt
Club,
Athens, GA FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: poor LENGTH: 51m |
Decent picture
for the
video, but bad sound. Also, a couple songs are partially
cut.
The Athens Summer Music Extravaganza (a.k.a Kindercore Pop Festival) with Wolfie, Elf Power, Bunnygrunt, Dressy Bessy, Gritty Kitty, The Push Kings, Sukpatch, Aden, The Gerbils, Tullycraft, Kincaid, The Autumn Teen Sound, The Ladybug Transistor, The Olivia Tremor Control, Darling Little Jackhammer, Six Cents and Natalie, The Masters of the Hemisphere, The Minders, Junior Varsity, Of Montreal, and Neutral Milk Hotel. |
A Baby for Pree
Holland, 1945 Naomi The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Two-Headed Boy Pt. Two The Fool Everything Is Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt. One Ghost untitled |
| 7/22/98 Black
Cat,
Washington, DC FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 61m |
Technical difficulties abound, at one point even causing Jeff to say, "This is the most fucked show I've ever played in my life!" But despite that, both the band and the crowd are in good spirits, and it's a pretty solid show. | A Baby for Pree
Holland, 1945 Naomi In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Two-Headed Boy Pt. Two The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. Two (aborted) The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Ghost Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Snow Song Pt. One Oh Comely The Fool |
| 7/24/98 Middle
East,
Cambridge, MA FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: poor LENGTH: 53m
|
Some versions of
this
recording seem to be missing the last 3 songs.
A review of this show is online at lunakafe.com.
|
A Baby for Pree
Holland, 1945 Naomi In the Aeroplane Over the Sea The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. Two and Three Ghost Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Two-Headed Boy Pt. Two The Fool / Snow Song Pt. One |
| 7/25/98 Bowery
Ballroom, New York, NY FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: ? LENGTH: 50m
|
This show doesn't seem to be in circulation amongst fans, but it was apparently recorded by someone named Patti Vill. Hey Patti, are you out there? Let's trade! | A Baby for Pree
Holland, 1945 Naomi In the Aeroplane Over the Sea The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three Two-Headed Boy The Fool Engine Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Ghost untitled |
| 7/26/98
Maxwell's,
Hoboken, NJ FORMAT: audio SOURCE: soundbaord QUALITY: excellent LENGTH: 68m
|
This show was unearthed in mid 2020, making it a recent addition to the OG circulating live recordings. Worth the wait, as the sound quality and performance are both top-notch. Jeff sings a little bonus song during the beginning of “King of Carrot Flowers Pt 2”, which is apparently a snippet of a Cranberry Lifecycle song from 1991 called “Margaret Ann McKay”. | Oh Comely On Avery Island / April 1st Naomi Ghost untitled Holland, 1945 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Song Against Sex Snow Song Pt. One A Baby for Pree The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three Everything Is Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Ruby Bulbs Two-Headed Boy The Fool |
| 7/30/98 The Bug
Jar,
Rochester, NY FORMAT: audio SOURCE: soundboard / radio broadcast QUALITY: very good LENGTH: 51m |
Radio broadcast.
From
"Universal Buzz Radio Network". There's a promo CD of
the broadcast,
but most circulating versions seems to be taped off the
radio, as the
sound is a bit muffled. (If anyone has a real copy of
the Universal
Buzz promo cd, please let me know.) It was also
available streaming
online for a while. There are commercial intros by the
DJ, and the bad
words have been edited (I think there's just one.. in
"Naomi"). There is apparently also an audience recording of this same show.. lower quality, obviously. The show features a rare live recording of "Avery Island / April 1st". |
1. Oh Comely 2. Avery Island / April 1st 3. Naomi 4. A Baby For Pree 5. Holland, 1945 6. King Of Carrot Flowers Pts 2 & 3 7. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea 8. Song Against Sex 9. Ruby Bulbs 10. Snow Song Pt. 1 11. Ghost 12. untitled |
| 8/18/98 XFM Session --> see 5/?/98 | ||
| 8/18/98 The
Garage,
London, England FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: very good LENGTH: 44m |
Many fans point to this as one of the best NMH bootlegs out there. The recording sounds very nice, and the band is in top form. | Oh Comely The Fool A Baby For Pree Holland, 1945 King Of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 and 3 Everything Is King Of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1 In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Song Against Sex Ruby Bulbs Ghost untitled |
| 9/14/98
Concorde,
Brighton, England
[no known recording] |
Two-Headed Boy The Fool The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three Holland, 1945 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Song Against Sex Song for Che Ghost untitled |
|
| 9/18/98
Pusterviksbaren, Gothenburg, Sweden FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 39m |
Technical difficulties put a damper on the show, but both the band and the crowd still seem in good spirits. | Two-Headed Boy The Fool The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three Holland, 1945 Naomi Ferris Wheel on Fire Ghost untitled Song Against Sex Song for Ché |
| 10/10/98
University
MDH, Manchester, England FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 41m |
This is the latest* full-band NMH live recording in circulation. (*from the original run; They did some reunion touring since I wrote these blurbs, of course!) | Oh Comely The Fool King Of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 & 3 Holland, 1945 Naomi In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Song Against Sex / Ruby Bulbs Ghost |
| 10/13/98 Peter
Curran
Show, GLR, London, England FORMAT: audio SOURCE: radio broadcast QUALITY: very good LENGTH: 9m |
This recording
had been
erroneously referred to as "Capitol Radio Session" when
it first
started circulating online, but it has since been
revealed to actually
be from GLR. Those familiar with London radio know
Capitol is far too
mainstream pop to ever play NMH.
Some versions skip in "Naomi". Also in the song, Jeff censors himself, saying "she smells like eggs" instead of "shit". |
interview Naomi interview (contest for listeners) |
| 12/5/98 Athens,
GA FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 30m |
Mostly Jeff
solo/acoustic/seated. This show, which took place in an
old school
gymnasium, was a birthday party for Chris Bilheimer, who
is like a
behind-the-scenes member of R.E.M. It features a rare performance of the unreleased song "Little Birds", this being the only known recording of it, live or otherwise. |
Little Birds Two-Headed Boy In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Holland 1945 Everything Is Oh Comely (recording cuts off near the end) |
| 12/31/98 40 Watt,
Athens, GA FORMAT: video SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: 13m |
Short acoustic
set by
Jeff, with Julian Koster joining on saw and Scott
Spillane on trumpet.
Features a rare performance of "Oh Sister" by request.
This show was
basically the last the world would hear of Neutral Milk
Hotel as
anything close to an active band, and you can almost
sense closure in
the performance. Video shot from close to the stage. Audio from this show is often packaged together with 12/5/98 (above) under the title "Accordion Peas". |
Engine Oh Sister In The Aeroplane Over The Sea |
| 2/4/01 King's
Arms,
Auckland, New Zealand FORMAT: audio SOURCE: soundboard QUALITY: excellent LENGTH: 52m |
This is thought to be Jeff's first/last/only performance since 1998, and was the last time he played any NMH song live until 2008 (when he played "Engine" on the E6 Holiday Surprise tour, and in 2010 when he played a couple shows). This is basically a solo Jeff Mangum show under the name ‘Walking Wall of Beards, Inc.’ Jeff was joined by multi-instrumentalist Laura Carter on a few songs. Chris Knox joins for the last song (a John Lennon cover). Here is a link to a review and some pictures from the show. | Two-Headed Boy I Love How You Love Me Song Against Sex King of Carrot Flowers pts. 1, 2, & 3 Everything Is Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone Ghost Oh Comely Engine In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Jeff's Walking Wall of Beards explanation Mother |
| Holiday Surprise
2008
tour (various) |
The
Elephant Six Holiday Surprise 2008 tour featured a
Neutral Milk Hotel
reunion of sorts, with Jeff and Julian Koster performing
the NMH b-side
"Engine" at some of the shows. Apparently the first
occurrence was
Pittsburgh (Oct 18), and then again at every show
(pretty much?) until
the final stop of the tour in Lexington, Kentucky (Oct
23). Also, Scott
Spillane and Julian performed "The Fool" several times
on the tour,
adding to the NMHness. links: Video of "Engine" (Pittsburgh, PA 10/18/08): vimeo.com Video of "Engine (Columbus, OH 10/19/08): youtube Video of "The Fool + Engine / Happy Birthday" (Lexington, KY 10/23/08): youtube Mp3 of "Engine / Happy Birthday" (Lexington, KY 10/23/08): youaintnopicasso Photos of Pittsburgh, PA 10/18/08: pitchfork Photos of Chicago, IL 10/21/08: pitchfork |
|
| 5/6/10 Le
Poisson
Rouge, New York, NY FORMAT: video clips SOURCE: audience QUALITY: varies LENGTH: (various clips) |
Jeff Mangum
played a
5-song set at a benefit show for Chris Knox in NYC.
While a complete
recording hasn't popped up yet, much of the show is
available in clips
on YouTube.
The show was professionally recorded, with plans for a radio broadcast at a later date. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened, with rumors that Jeff changed his mind about allowing it. |
Oh Comely A Baby for Pree Two-Headed Boy Pt 2 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Engine |
| 12/5/10
Schoolhouse,
New York, NY FORMAT: audio SOURCE: audience QUALITY: good LENGTH: |
Jeff played a
surprise
set of 10 NMH songs at a small venue called The
Schoolhouse in
Brooklyn, NY for a crowd of about 75.
You can find the last half of the set online (link). Unfortunately, since the person who posted these showed up halfway through the set, a recording of the first half hasn't popped up online yet. |
01 Oh Comely 02 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 03 Gardenhead 04 Engine 05 Ghost 06 King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1-3 07 Song Against Sex 08 Naomi 09 Two Headed Boy 10 Two Headed Boy Pt. 2 |
additions or corrections? --> gavin7@gmail.com