by Alex Agranovksy
When I was younger, I didn’t appreciate live albums enough. Studio recordings, with their carefully distilled perfection, seemed to be the definitive version of a song—exactly as the band intended us to hear it. And for many bands it does hold true. For some bands, live performances merely replicate studio material. For others, like Riverside, live shows are where the music truly comes alive—connecting with fans, improvising, and even surpassing the studio recordings.
Riverside is firmly in the latter category – the live performances always shine the brightest. Their latest album, ID.Entity was released on January 20th 2023, to some controversy. Complaints were heard from the fans: too poppy, too electronic, too mainstream, too happy, too bright – insert “few random quotes from your favorite browser” here. But as the tour cycle began after the release those became quieter, more reluctant – and that, I believe was the effect of hearing the new songs live. I was lucky to attend one of the tour stops early on, the second show of the cycle, only a couple of weeks following the release – and it immediately changed my perception of the new music, making it a part of my regular playback rotation.
Now, almost two years to the day after that release, we’re welcoming Live.ID, recorded on June 1st 2024 in Warsaw. By this point, Riverside had spent a year and a half presenting the album live, with close to 90 shows under their belts. Their comfort with the material and the home crowd shines through in every note.
The setlist has not been changed much since the start of the tour, covering most of ID.Entity, even the monumental The Place Where I Belong – and some of the earlier epics, most notably Conceiving You and Egoist Hedonist. Each and every one of those comes with enough improvisation and subtle shifts to make it feel fresh, even for longtime fans.
While the recording quality is outstanding, capturing both the band’s energy and the enthusiasm of the Warsaw audience, the surround sound experience on the Blu-Ray will likely elevate this even further.*
Live.ID beautifully closes this chapter in Riverside’s journey, beginning with ID.Entity and ending with nearly 90 shows of unforgettable performances. As the band takes a break from touring in 2025, this release offers fans a way to relive the magic and cherish the memories from a fantastic tour.
Released on Jan 24th, 2025 on InsideOutMusic
Order here: https://riverside.lnk.to/LiveID
RIVERSIDE – “Live ID”:
CD1 (48:04):
1. #Addicted (Live ID.) (07:51)
2. Panic Room (Live ID.) (04:40)
3. Landmine Blast (Live ID.) (07:28)
4. Big Tech Brother (Live ID.) (08:11)
5. Lost (Live ID.) (06:56)
6. Left Out (Live ID.) (12:53)
CD2 (64:20):
1. Post-Truth (Live ID.) (06:40)
2. The Place Where I Belong (Live ID.) (15:45)
3. Egoist Hedonist (Live ID.) (11:12)
4. Friend or Foe? (Live ID.) (08:46)
5. Self-Aware (Live ID.) (09:45)
6. Conceiving You (Live ID.) (12:07)
Blu-ray (140:04):
– Live Show (125:02):
1. #Addicted (Live ID.) (07:50)
2. Panic Room (Live ID.) (07:21)
3. Landmine Blast (Live ID.) (07:26)
4. Big Tech Brother (Live ID.) (08:18)
5. Lost (Live ID.) (09:51)
6. Left Out (Live ID.) (15:52)
7. Post-Truth (Live ID.) (06:43)
8. The Place Where I Belong (Live ID.) (15:47)
9. Egoist Hedonist (Live ID.) (11:10)
10. Friend or Foe? (Live ID.) (08:28)
11. Self-Aware (Live ID.) (11:12)
12. Conceiving You (Live ID.) (11:36)
– Behind The Scenes Documentary (15:02)
*The physical Blu-ray release has been delayed in the US.
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