While I was not present for the show, I did have the opportunity to listen to it live. This show was more than strong enough to warrant a second listen this morning.

The first set was as stronger than any we've been treated to this fall. Walfredo was a fun bust out. As usual, everyone was hoping 555 would last more than 5:55. It doesn't, but I still enjoy the tune and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Maze and Stash both had a little extra mustard. Brian and Robert was a lovely breather in between. I know some people groan at the thought of 46 Days, but this version built some good momentum and sent me to the break on a high note.

There was great excitement among those I was with when the boys opened the second set with Sand. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought the jam was promising and kept waiting for it to turn the corner. Eventually, it did turn the corner, right into an average Kill Devil Falls. I'll admit, at the end of KDF, I was a little bit worried, and the band seemed to know exactly what I was thinking at the time. I'd been Waiting All Night for some serious improvisation. Fortunately, and unbeknownst to me at the time, the band was about to deliver.

The Ghost that followed Waiting All Night was strange and new from the first note. The jam out of Ghost continued the strange, dark, fragmented theme that opened the song, before building into a much brighter conclusion and a segue into a very good Bug.

The Ghost jam could easily be the highlight of any show this year, but in this case, it has some competition. The Seven Below that followed Bug was beautiful. Some might even suggest that the boys turned the Hose on us.

Seven Below drops us into I Didn't Know, and Moses comes out for a vacuum solo. After the stellar Ghost>Bug>Seven Below sandwich, Chalk Dust Torture seems like a tease. Could there be more? Alas, CDT stays true to form and is followed by a fairly average 2001. Like 46 Days in the first set, a formulaic Slave, with an above average solo, closes the set brilliantly.

Upon returning for the encore, the boys noodle their way through Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and the enthusiastic Giants fans sing along. Winterqueen is a beautiful song, and it grows on me every time I hear it. A Day in the Life is played for the first time this year, and closes out the show.

The Ghost > Bug > Seven Below demands a listen, but there are gems throughout that make this show worth hearing again.