I think stage taping works really well with bands without vocals... Anything Jazz or jazz-derived seems like a perfect target for it. I don't think some jam bands would come out really great for stage taping, I do think they need the FOH processing to get their "sound." And music without the vocals in a band like, say, Guster, wouldn't sound very good (although I'd love to capture those congas acoustic).
But for someone like Scofield, it's heaven, pure heaven.
Maybe it's years of being an audiophile that have done it to me, but I expect to be front and center with the musicians almost life-size. I don't like the "i'm way off in the taper section feel." Stage taping comes closest to what I expect from an well-recorded album.
Unless the band is all amplified, I don't think you need to add any effects for depth. Drum kits come out beautifully 3-d, as well as acoustic guitar, trumpet (any horn really), not sure about strings. Amplified electric still retains it's sense of space in the recording, too; I ran DIN (ORTF might also be a good choice) to add a little time-delay into the recording, as I surmise this gives the amplified instruments more depth.
Dunno, it's all new to me... but i think it's definitely the way to go with jazzy acts if they allow it.
Speaking of which, does MMW? Vida Blue? JMP? Does anyone know of a list of bands that allow stage taping? The only way I found out for the last show is a fellow taper clued me in