Charlie's first ever Maze review:
(I admit that this crazy NYE 94 version warrants it) Maze begins, with the usual
opening hi-hat and rim-tappin from Fish (and some bass..), right after MOHP. The opening intro is extraordinarily spacey and
weird, with digital delay effects from Trey and Mike a la the Bowie from Providence, the Bozeman Tweezer and many other
jams from '94 and '95. Trey&Mike&Page don't kick the usual opening in until 2:30 or so. The opening lyrics segment is typical
(like all Mazes, I think.. I can't offhand remember hearing any weird Maze opening lyrics segments). In the little jam before Page
comes in (where I like to begin the jam segment), Trey does some typically good Maze guitar-work. Page jams fairly casually
around this time (6 mins), and Mike is not particularly noticeable. Trey is fucking around over top him, but is not doing anything
especially impressive, letting Page carry the groove (like usual). At around 7:30, the jam is still plodding along in typical Maze
jam segment fashion. Trey does some off-key noodling here and there. The jam truly begins to climb at around 8:10 or so. The
stuff in the climb is below average jamming at this time. When the finale jam segment begins around 8:50 ish, Trey immediately
starts out jamming darkly, but instead of kicking ass and wailing as what ordinarily would happen, basically nothing happens.
They are all stuck in a half-assed groove (9:50), that is very dark, kinda malignant... some chordwork with the delay from
Trey... otherwise very spacey and dark. At around 10:35 or so, Trey and Mike start getting into a groove that slowly and
slowly begins to climb. It is a dark and somewhat off-key sort of groove (Page hangs in there.. Fish is still keeping up the Maze
rhythm, which, I should add, never stopped). This foggy fiendish groove builds ever so slowly in a massive haze of
semi-dissonant amalgamated sound. There is an almost 2001 tease from trey at one point. Otherwise, he basically just sustains a
hell of a lot on dark notes, without wailing at all as he usually does. At around 12:50 or so, Trey returns, and begins jamming
hard as he usually would in Maze. This jam is indeed sick (and I really enjoyed it in the Gahden). Trey almost teases 2001 again
around 14 in the midst of this sick ending jam. unfortunately, though, he starts off-key sustain distorted stuff again (and throws in
some weird effects taboot). It is nuts at 14:40.. Trey just flips out with the effects.. and then within fifteen seconds, cuts into the
typical Maze closing to the jam segment (pre final verse). At 15:30, the jam segment finally ends, and the closing "verse"
segment begins. It contains one little slip up in the beginning, but is otherwise standard. Total time approximately 16:54. This is
definitely a Maze to hear (and, Ivan, I'd like a little more credit next time, thanks.. although I am tickled that you actually listened
to the Gainesville version.. ;). Sincerely, I believe this to be one of the most outrageous Mazes in existence. However, I still
personally prefer solid jamming versions to this one, because it contained waaaaay too much off-key sustain bullshit from Trey
(in particular). He just seemed to me to be straining to find good improvisational jams in this version. I just personally don't
prefer it over more basic, standard, intense versions. As Ivan effectively said, though, this is clearly a highly unusual and special
version of Maze, which, though I was privileged to hear last winter at the Gahden, I nonetheless quite clearly remember sitting
down for (soon after the finale part of the jam segment began, and I knew that I was in for something more spacey and less
throw-your-head-back-and-forth and jump-out-and-down-swinging-your-arms..). charlie