The album was recorded on November 23, 1996, at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan, during the band's North American tour in support of Trouble at the Henhouse.

[2] Lead singer Gordon Downie was known for his intensity and spontaneity during the band's live concerts such as telling rants/stories, observations, and random comments before, during, and after songs, among other things.

This includes John Lennon's "Imagine" during "Grace, Too", Crowded House's "Into Temptation" during "Twist My Arm", David Bowie/Iggy Pop's "China Girl" and The Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby" during "New Orleans Is Sinking", and both Jane Siberry's "The Temple" and Rheostatics' "Bad Time to Be Poor" during "Nautical Disaster"; in addition, a lyrical snippet from Downie's own solo song "Every Irrelevance" is spoken as the introduction to "Ahead by a Century", and part of the band's own unreleased but widely bootlegged song "Montreal" appears in "Courage".

The title comes from graffiti in Kingston, Ontario, which read "The Hip live between us."

The mural remained on the wall until the mid-2000s when it was painted over by the property owner.