It was recorded at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on November 23, 1996, and released in 1997. It is considered a good representation of a typical live show, with much improvisation among both the singer Gord Downie and the rest of the band. Downie often begins to sing other songs in the middle of his own, such as Don't Worry Baby by The Beach Boys during crowd favourite New Orleans is Sinking.
The title actually comes from graffiti in Kingston, Ontario which read "The Hip live between us," (with "live" written as a verb).