@waxbanks said:

we get it: lots of jamming within song forms. *almost as if there was a reason they chose those forms.*

Ok, I'll bite, what do you suppose was the reason they chose to play so timidly (and often sloppily) at SUPER BALL IX? Is there much worth saying about the "in the box" songs beyond noting that they were played? There can be some notably different (and pleasing) treatments within the context of a type-I jam, but I didn't hear a lot of that last night. The funk breakdowns in Tweezer were a notable exception. Scents was beautiful. McGrupp featured some really pretty playing by Page (offset by some sour notes from Trey).

But back to the point. The band has spoken at length about how special they think the festivals are and how unique an experience it is for their most devoted fans to travel to these (relatively) remote spots to immerse themselves in the music of one band for multiple days. What was special about last night? What has been (musically) special about SBIX so far? The Storage Jam to be sure. The Soundcheck, yes. But what else? And what's the reason?