THE REPLACEMENTS: The Farewell Gig – FM Broadcast Great Park Chicago, July 4th 1991(CD)

The Farewell Gig - FM Broadcast Great Park Chicago, July 4th 1991(CD)

The Replacements' farewell performance (though it was not billed as such at the time) took place at Grant Park in Chicago on July 4, 1991, as part of radio station WXRT's free concert series. The final incarnation of the Mats (with the latest addition, drummer Steve Foley in tow) had been touring together for six months and it shows as the band plays a tight, energetic set. The new material, particularly Merry Go Round, Happy Town, and Bent out of Shape, all from 1990's All Shook Down, really comes to life here.

It wouldn't be a Replacements concert without a couple of cover tunes, and the inclusion of the Only Ones' classic Another Girl, Another Planet is no surprise; the song became a standard in the band's live set in its later years.

Nor is Hank Williams' Hey, Good Lookin' (a different live take originally appeared as a B-side), but the fact that Slim Dunlap handles the vocals and Paul Westerberg turns in a dissonant guitar solo proves that they were more than adept at both delighting and dumbfounding their audience. The show ends in grand 'Mats tradition: the band members, who had already swapped instruments for Hootenanny, pass along their gear to the road crew who, in essence, replace The Replacements; a fitting end to a sloppy, brilliant career. The show was aired live and boasts the finest sound quality of any Replacements live recording available.

1. I Will Dare 03:57
2. Bent Out of Shape 03:10
3. Achin' to Be 03:54
4. Merry Go Round 03:53
5. Happy Town 02:56
6. Swingin’ Party 04:11
7. One Wink at a Time 02:54
8. Waitress in the Sky 02:28
9. When It Began 03:16
10. Someone Take the Wheel 04:09
11. Talent Show 04:25
12. Nobody 03:53
13. Another Girl, Another Planet 02:41
14. Hey Good Lookin' 02:40
15. I'll Be You 04:06
16. I Don't Know 01:49
17. Within Your Reach 04:19
18. Can't Hardly Wait 03:15
19. Hootenanny 03:45

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