, attached to 2015-08-11

Review by n00b100

n00b100 We'll take Set 2 first, because it isn't quite as on-paper interesting as Set 1, and because it's actually very akin to the Mann 2014 shows - big jam to start the set (Fuego, even - a Fuego that climbs to the heavens and offers some real bliss), some semi-jamming throughout (both R&R and 46 Days have some neat moments, the latter ending in an ambient space that Taste neatly works its way out of), and a real dance-party feel in the latter half (thanks to 2001 > Sand, both of which have some real grit to them). Given the wealth of riches August has provided so far, it seems churlish to complain about a second set that doesn't quite hit those heights; I mean, it's churlish to complain about that second set anyway, but I'm talking for the sake of argument here.

Set 1, on the other hand, is nigh unimpeachable, especially given how Set 1s have played throughout their history (not just in 3.0, remember). Any disappointment at the shortest Martian Monster to date dissipates when Skin It Back pops up, as not only is Skin It Back rare enough on its own, but when Martian Monster pokes its head back out, we get a Big Birch Cavern/Wilson type mashup that really adds some spice to the proceedings. Dog Faced Boy > Bowie is an inspired combo (Bowie, in particular, is jazzy and shape-shifting and is well worth its 11 1/2 minute runtime), Mule is spooky and weird (Fish has been practicing the Marimba Lumina, it seems, and Page's Martian Monster quote pre-Lumina segment is gold), and the climactic Ghost shows some exceptional fire (thanks both to great band playing and to Page's ghostly sound effects in the song proper). I'm not sure people would *love* it if this had been the second set, but it's definitely beyond what you'd expect for a first set - call it a Type 1.5 first set, maybe. ;)

Final thoughts - this one will get lost in the shuffle when the highlights of 2015 are totted up, but don't skip the best of this show, and definitely don't skip a first set this enjoyable and spooky. Halloween's come early this year!


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