I don't know what show these two reviewers saw and heard, but it wasn't the same one I was at in Philly. My friend and I drove down early as we were coming from Boston and wanted to beat any traffic. After a very KIND drive we checked in at our motel room and promptly took a nap ! ( a couple of deadbeats, I know ) When we arrived at the lot it was a pretty dismal scene. I think it was a little overcast ( it may have rained a little) but it was definitely FREEZING cold. We were on a mission to score some doses but couldn't find any in this dismal lot so we settled on some psylicibin instead. As soon as we ate them we scored some liquid. We entered the arena and waited. The drugs hit us like a ton of bricks shot from a cannon on the moon.
When the lights went down the place erupted. I can't remember ever experiencing that much energy before or since. We had great seats on the first level directly in front of the stage. The only lights were the walk light on the stairs leading to the stage. Trey came up first, picked up his guitar and before anyone else was at their instrument he played the first notes of Wilson. The crowd went nuts. Cars Trucks Buses was excellent as well. Limb By Limb...beautiful. Dirt slowed things down a bit but was still very nice. Seven Below was nice and mellow. Complimented our mood just fine. Divided Sky , Fast Enough were excellent as well. As a matter of fact it was my first Fast Enough For You. Julius was a nice rockin' way to end the set.
I know the set list doesn't look impressive but it blew our f'n minds. They played real loose and real relaxed for some 15000 of their best friends. I have to note here the lights. Aside from IT, I hadn't seen a show since '95. What I have come to expect from their light shows now, really blew me away this night.
Second set picked up right where the first left off. Nice and relaxed. Twist got into a nice mellow groove and stayed there for 17 minutes. Simple (which i used to hate) was a fun pick me up. Taste was sweet. Makisupa was fun as was Buffalo Bill (my second). As far as Tom Marshall singing it. This run was all about the band , so let them have their fun and nostalgia. He didn't ruin the show for me. Bowie was awesome as always. Strange Design ...beautiful. Character Zero ended the set the way Julius ended the first set. On a high upbeat note. My only complaint was the Friday encore. It was very out of place here.
As for our state of mind. We thought the drugs influenced our experience. We downloaded the FLAC's and were proven wrong. The show was excellent...the lights were beautiful....the only thing we can only speculate about is the crowd energy. But believe me...it was Kickin'. Download this show ASAP