after a red hot september tour, many were thinking the december tour, with big cypress on the way, would be off the hook. unfortunately, substance abuse and i'm sure other factors, caused this quick december tour to be rather weak, imo. this show at the spectrum though, is like an oasis. this one shines from start to finish.

did anyone have money on a harry hood opener? good hood leads nicely into mike's song. holy crap, they are trying to pull off another hampton 97! gadzooks! like hampton, they really rock this mike's song out. trey navigates through the dark nether regions of this song before turning the corner into simple. hydrogen does its thing before gordo leads us into a very inspired weekapaugh. page really steps up his game on this one swapping licks with gordo and trey. circus gives everyone a much needed breather before scent brings the crowd right back up again. cavern does the job closing down an amazing first set. that could work as an excellent 2nd set at almost any other show.

they come right out of the gate with a nice funky boogie on reggae woman. while not particulalry jammy, it is well played. then they crank right into ac/dc bag, but wait, they start monkeying with the intro. after weaving back and forth between the two, they finally land in a red hot sneaking sally through the alley. this is must hear. sneaking sally goes for a nice ride before working its way into a very impressive ghost. it is a very well textured and well paced jam that eventually finds its way into a very good 2001. page is all over this one. down with disease is an excellent show closer. they stretch this one out nicely before whipping it all the way around back home. possum, closes this one out in style.

from start to finish, this show is a quality contender for best of the year. excellent playing, excellent set list.

highlights:

set 1:

hood, mike's-weekapaugh, mule

set 2:

sneaking>ghost>2001