, attached to 2015-08-12

Review by n00b100

n00b100 Set 1 contains some real treats, even if it's not *quite* as compelling front to back as last night's - a Free that doesn't so much quote Martian Monster a la 11/2/14 as outright morph into it for a few bars, a musical journey of a Stash that digs deep into the usual iconic Stash jam, yet another mega-funky It's Ice that adds tension to the funk proceedings, and the highlight in Cities, which starts off with a funky jam that turns dark and inwards thanks to a melding of Mike's wicked basslines and Trey's MuTron, then moves to a powerful and insistent minor-key jam, all connected by Page ripping things up both on the clavinet and the electric piano. That makes two superb Cities jams in a row!

Set 2 will draw a lot of attention for its number of songs, and even setting aside its opening duo (a Gin that goes Classic Gin and really lets Trey cook, a NMINML that explodes out of its funk trappings into something more rock-based Wolfman's style and hints at CYHMK at certain points) there's enough meat to get excited about the set beyond its five songs. Twist makes an almost immediate dive for the darkness as Mike turns on his envelope filter and things puddle into ambiance, pushes towards warmer pastures as the effects come in (much like the end of the fabled 5/26/11 Waves soundcheck, actually), snaps into a relaxed take on the usual Twist jam (note that Fish has gone back to the Twist drumbeat briefly, until he realizes that they're not closing things out), gets low-key and growly as Page moves to his elvish notes, then bursts into a triumphant peak as Fish takes control and Trey rips off a blistering solo, before returning home in nifty fashion. Putting all of that together, you've got yet another very strong contender for jam of the tour so far. Scents and Subtle Sounds makes its return, with its beloved intro intact for the first time since Superball, and it drops into a dark and churning jam space, then Page moves the band into a brighter space with some damn fine piano work and they build to another superb peak. Hood, as always, is a gorgeous way to end a fantastic set.

Final thoughts: this show would have absolutely blown people away in 2009 (maybe 2012; shit, maybe 2000 or 1999), and the fact that it's not even the clear-cut show of the tour should tell you a lot about the tour in which it resides. Ho hum, another Summer 2015 show that absolutely and unequivocally delivers the goods.


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