Outside of a few private/radio shows, this is the first show since the millenium party at Big Cypress and the first show of the short 2000 NYC run. I'm listening to Daniel P's Neumann U89i tapes, which sound great.

I could hear First Tube open up every show and be totally psyched about it, but I really like the song and the Trey-gasm it promises so your mileage may very. Wolfman's brings down the energy just the right amount and lets the band settle into a groove. Squirming Coil is beautiful as always and it's nice to see somewhere other than closing a set.

Possum is possum and rages as usual and is followed by a rather compact Moma. LxL is pretty hit-or-miss with me, and while this one doesn't stray too far from the beaten path I thought the jam/solo at the end was quite excellent and worth a listen. I feel like they should have played another song or two and built off the momentum of Limb but they decide to end this very short set with a Character 0. Normally I would say meh but Trey's solo is quite good, making excellent use of the wah pedal and having a nice contour. Fun set overall.

Jibboo opens the second set in a relaxed fashion, exploring the sublime grooves that typify this era of the band's sound. It's nothing too deep but Trey reaches some very nice peaks and the crowd reacts accordingly. An excellent beginning to the set! Mike puts on his bass filters and begins making his aquatic wails to signify the beginning of Disease, the gem of the evening. Trey's solo coming out of the song is fantastic (as all his solo's were this tonight - he was 'on'), and he drives the song to a blistering peak by around the 10 minute mark. The band then starts to loosen up, entering a slower groove (that still has a lot going on). Almost like he can't help himself, Trey soon pushes the rhythm faster and unleashes much more face-melting soloing over the audience. Mike and Page take a more active role in the last few minutes of the jam as Trey takes a deserved step back.

Dirt is a lovely song and brings everyone back to earth after that monster DwD. The following Twist isn't very long but is an interesting and subdued take on the song that is quite relaxing to listen to. Piper is also fairly short but provides a nice contrast to the calm Twist by going into a glorious, effects-driven peak. Hood is standard (but nice, of course). After Wading, Trey goes into some very heartfelt banter that is a tad ominous in retrospect. He comments on how thankful he feels and how the band will keep "this going for as long as they can." Apparently that was not very long. Guyute closes out the set in tasteful fashion.

Overall this is a terrific show with a fun first set, a monster jam in the second, and plenty of other highlights (like Jibboo and Twist > Piper). Maybe not the upper echelon of shows, but certainly right below that.

Highlights: LxL, Jibboo, Disease(!), Twist > Piper