With two shows under my belt, I was excited to see my first show outside of NY. Me and a few friends took the ferry over from Long Island, and by the time we arrived at the venue there was a full-on snow storm. I think it slowed us down a bit as we arrived with Jim already playing. When they hit Peaches, I thought that it was an amazing new instrumental. As a Zappa freak, it is hard to imagine a time when I did not know this song, but there you have it. In any case, it certainly put me in a good mood, and when I think of the bounce and positivity of the song it does seem more Phishy than Zappa-y. I know that everyone seems to mention it, but the set did seem to stick out here more than other places – why should that be?

Set I was normal-great and listening to it today nothing really sticks out until Wilson which has three (in my mind) interesting elements – 1) the song takes a brief interesting/creepy turn just before the final verse (from the 3 ½ to 4 minute mark in my recording), 2) they stretch out the pause at the end with some quiet tinkling noises akin to the ending of AC/DC Bag, and 3) they add a Purple Haze riff to the end. From this set, I also recall my first squirming coil, and I was taken aback by the sparse and beautiful outro of the song leading into the set break.

Set II same great stuff – AND Fluffhead is always fun – until Antelope which is probably the only “real” highlight in the show. This one peaks very hard in that way that we all know and love. BBFCFM is another interesting version and hits a slow groove (slow groove in BBFCFM?) before melting perfectly into the James Gang’s ‘70s hit Walk Away. Not an unusual cover for them, but the only time (yet!) that they have segued in from BBFCFM. I suppose that while they normally insist on killing the BBFCFM, this time they were in a gentler mood (the slow groove, perhaps, took the killing out of them) and decided to walk away leaving the job (and the song) unfinished. It got goofy from there to the set closer (Chalkdust), but goofy is a fine thing to be.

This show was not to the two that followed, but what show is?