Yes it's a live concert. The strings are only noticable in parts and seem to add to rather than detract from the music. I think the strings are used in place of some of the electronic effects you find on a PF studio album. If you expect David to be a ball of fire and beat the guitar to death you'll be disappointed That has never been his style. He plays like Knopfler, Clapton and Trower in that they all play slower than most of the machine gun rock guitarists that are so popular.