, attached to 2015-08-07

Review by n00b100

n00b100 Set 1: A few folks have brought up that some of these songs were played sloppily, and some of them may not have been as tightly played as they ever have (Rift, for example), but for the most part the musicianship is tight and the final trio of tunes (fiery Wingsuit, funky It's Ice, and train-barreling-down-the-tracks Gin) render that mostly academic anyway. Also, they played Timber (Jerry), so consider me satisfied.

Set 2: The ever-versatile CDT, content to bring energy in its last appearance, gets the call as Set-Opening Jam Vehicle tonight, and the band lives up to the old sea shanty by slipping into a darker and more contemplative groove right out of the final verse, then moving to the major-key promised land as Mike does some fine work and Trey plays some very warm notes. They hit upon the same chord sequence as the Chicago Wedge (roughly), if somewhat less Pure Rock God-esque as that jam was, and Fish goes to the woodblock as Page switches to the electric piano and the jam begins to wind down.

Or, at least, it seems like it is, but then the tempo picks back up, Trey suddenly realizes he's playing a VERY familiar blues-rock lick, and in a now-you-see-me-now-you-don't moment Tweezer magically appears in an impressive segue. The usual Tweezer jam is a tightly coiled, churning affair, far more Spartan than the roaring Tweezers of old, and the band seems content to explore this space, as Trey finds a neat little riff to play around with. This jam is perfectly listenable on its own, especially to hear just how much Fish does even in his usual timekeeping role, but the real meat comes when Trey finds a remarkable three-note progression, Mike catches onto it, and the band snaps into one of those sequences that absolutely refuses to leave your head until you punch it out with repeated listens. Those kinds of sequences are exactly what I listen to this band for (among other things), and help make this Tweezer one of my premier jams of the year so far.

An always welcome Lizards comes up next, then Makisupa (which is amusing, if nothing else), then comes a powerful late-set Ghost that radiates intensity throughout (doesn't hurt when Trey cranks out Psycho Killer teases), and yet another lovely Hood that makes room for a DEG tease in the usual Hood jam. Tweezer Reprise and GTBT send everyone home in fine rockout style.

Final thoughts: Yet another contender for King of Summer 2015, a title already attracting as many suitors as the Iron Throne of Westeros. CDT -> Tweezer, in particular, is as strong a 1-2 punch as anything from Fall 2013 and demands listening.


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