DON’T GET MAD GET EVEN

Celebrity Skin

Awful

Miss World

Reasons To Be Beautiful

Dying

Violet

Malibu

Pretty On The Inside

Heaven Tonight

Boys On The Radio

Northern Star

Doll Parts

Speaking as a seriously lapsed Courtney Love fan who saw Hole in a tiny punk rock dive circa 1990 and was thrilled at how primal-powerful they were, I listen to this recording from the band’s Celebrity Skin tour and note how deeply the rot had set in some 8 years later. The band sounds sludgy, and Love barely seems to muster any enthusiasm whatsoever while playing the songs; only during the between-song banter does she come alive, mock-sparring with the audience, tossing out silly faux-self-deprecating remarks, etc. Even then, though, she sounds painfully self-conscious – or maybe annoying self-aware is a better way to put it, almost as if she’s playing the part of an actress playing the part of a rock singer.

Most of the songs are drawn from Skin which, given its very lackluster vibe compared to 1994’s incendiary Live Through This, should be a tip-off in the first place. True enough, the best performances here are tunes from the latter album;“Miss World” and “Doll Parts” remain some of the better pop-grunge artifacts of the era.

Initially I thought this might be an FM broadcast but upon closer examination the ambiance is closer to a decently mixed line recording so I’ll have to call it an excellent soundboard. Packaging is nominal, although the 4-page booklet does have a few semi-cheesecake shots of ol’ Courtney. If you’re the type of person who combs through magazines on the newsstand to see if anybody has a recent Love sighting to report on, this disc’s for you. --OSWALD