2022 Ranked

It was not long into March that I knew 2022 was going to be a special year. The very first show of the year showed more promise than had much of the previous year, and, with the new sound engineer and a return to properly mixed and promptly issued soundboards, it seemed like the band had, in a sense, returned to normalcy. It was not long past the Mission Ballroom shows (sadly, the only I would be able to personally attend this year) that I decided I would undertake a ranking of the sets from this year. I always greatly enjoyed these projects when working with historical years, and, if anything, I enjoyed it even more so when the shows were fresh and did not have the biases and mythos that accumulate over the years.

Before I get into the list itself, a word on the methodology. I scored each set based on the jams, which earned 1, 1.5, or 2 points depending on nothing more or less than my enjoyment of them. A set’s “score” was determined based on the number of points earned divided by the points it was possible to earn. I modified this system from Treemaculate, in my opinion one of the preeminent Biscuits scholars. This method reflects most accurately how I feel about shows, which I have made clear in the past—I only care about the jams. This method does not take into consideration anything regarding song choices, cool setlist innovations, or “vibes” based on how much I enjoyed attending (attendance bias is never 100% avoidable, but as I mentioned I only attended four sets this year, and—spoiler—none cracked the top 10). It is also important to remember that a jam cannot lose points, no matter how bad it is. Therefore, a set with one great jam and five trainwrecks will score higher than a set with six mediocre, safe jams. Way she goes.

Lastly, and it’s frustrating that I have to even mention this, but this list is a reflection of my own personal opinions. If you feel a certain set should be higher or lower than I placed it, feel free to make your own list!

With those caveats out of the way, I present: all 84 sets of 2022, ranked worst to best.

84. 5/8/22 Set II

A prime example of why the penultimate caveat is important. This set was far from the sloppiest, and none of the jams were outright bad, but they were certainly boring. The opening Miracles is interminable, and far too many songs are crammed in for this to work. The band sounds tired.

83. 8/14/22 Set II

A much better example of a “bad” set, there are parts of Catskill Jubilee that are downright unpleasant to listen to. And yet, the work that the band puts into figuring out the new songs earned it a point over 5/8.

82. 12/29/22 Set I

Man, the New Year’s Run did not get off to a good start. Perplexing setlist choices dragged this one to the depths. Listen to the second jam in Aceetobee and the outro to Shocked, and skip the rest.

81. 8/26/22 Set II

August was probably the weakest month on average for the band, in that uncomfortable middle ground when the band was letting up on the new songs, but before they had managed to become heavy hitters. The second set of Grand Rapids struck me as the weakest set of the month, with only the King of the World jam offering up anything interesting.

80. 3/4/22 Set I

Naeba > Gangster has some cool moments, including a jam reminiscent of the old “Magic Tape” Tractorbeam segment, but the rest of the set is as boring as they come.

79. 4/1/22 Set II

Be careful what you wish for! Here, the fan-chosen setlist choked with heavy hitters offers little in the way of interesting improv.

78. 4/8/22 Set II

The sole pity point this set earned centered around the cool type one going into Evolve. Much of the rest of it is difficult to listen to.

77. 6/11/22

Night 3 of DUMB1 was the only “opener” set the band played on that leg, and it’s pretty clear that they were just going through the motions. First Space Train! Here, as elsewhere, it demonstrates that its strength will be in its intro jams.

76. 4/2/22 Set I

Denmark Massive was a cool bustout, but the jam was pretty much a Lake Shore Drive intro right away. Inverted Morph ensured that we would be bogged down by funk in the middle of the set. Ladies > Cyclone > Ladies offered much needed oomph, but certainly didn’t do anything we hadn’t heard before.

75. 8/27/22

Sacred Rose featured the second Helicopters > Spacebird pairing in just over a week, which was certainly an odd choice. It also wound up being the most enjoyable jam from a fairly safe festival set.

74. 11/11/22 Set II

I’m actually almost shocked to be ranking a November set this low, but this one was much more miss than hit. Tourists > Munchkin wound up being the only winner.

73. 3/3/22 Set II

This set features 42 > Evolve, which is still one of the best jams of the year. The rest of the set is pretty ho-hum.

72. 6/18/22 Set II

After the power failure, the extra-long second set struggles to regain the energy the band already achieved in the first set. The Twisted in the Road debut is notably strong, and is a set highlight, as are the remainder of Crickets and Who’s In Charge.

71. 8/28/22 Set II

So many of these August sets are so forgettable. Times Square > Grass is Green is very cool though.

70. 12/30/22 Set I

Like the first set the night before, some truly horrendous setlist choices bogged this one down. The two sandwiches help bring this one up a bit.

69. 12/29/22 Set II

Good news: the band played a non-stop set. Bad news: most of the jams don’t really go anywhere. I-Man middle is better than the actual segue. Ladies > Cyclone > To Be Continued is fine, but certainly doesn’t do much to break the mold.

68. 8/14/22 Set I

We Like to Party saves the set.

67. 8/28/22 Set I

Hey, another I-Man > Wormhole! Kind of feels like cheating. The Wormhole > Miracles is very good.

66. 10/3/22 Set I

More perplexing setlist choices. Jamless Hope opener and House Dog closer really limits things. Despite this, the Party Favor jam is actually pretty good! The Spacebird > Lake Shore Drive is as well.

65. 6/4/22

The Freeze debut was one of the most polarizing moments of the year. In hindsight, it’s truly funny how worked up the fanbase got over this ditty. The highlights of the set, however, are found in the jams out of and back into Shimmy.

64. 9/9/22 Set II

The early September run was still shaking off the rust of late August, with some moments of brilliance shining through. The second set of the first night of Harrisburg did not have any of those moments. The jam into Orch is cool, and Wormhole > One Chance shows a great deal of promise for both songs.

63. 10/29/22 Set II

Another set I was surprised by how much I didn’t like. The second set of NorVa is truly baffling after the brilliance of the first.

62. 4/1/22 Set I

The Nughuffer and Aceetobee jams are enough to put this one comfortably over the second set.

61. 3/10/22 Set I

The Crickets funk is surprisingly enjoyable, and the Rivers > Strobelights is pretty great too.

60. 8/21/22

DUMB2 was significantly weaker than DUMB1, and this set was probably the weakest. Wormhole > Spraypaint was very cool.

59. 8/19/22

Mathematically, this set was equal to 8/21, and I didn’t spend a ton of time deciding on the order. Here it is the jam into Twisted that earns the points.

58. 6/23/22

Electric Forest was, for the most part, a safe festival set, but there were plenty of moments that surprised me. The opening jam is excellent, and the Running and Miracles jams are strong too.

57. 6/19/22 Set I

WLTP > Spacebird > Freeze starts the set off strong, but it falls off afterwards.

56. 3/11/22 Set I

The Dub > Lunar is actually very interesting, and the final jam of the set into the Svenghali ending is a much-needed exclamation point, but the Lunar dub > Dub Dribble is exactly as dull as it looks on paper.

55. 8/26/22 Set I

Holy fucking Anthem.

54. 3/10/22 Set II

The jams into and out of Spraypaint were the highlights, but of course much better was to come on this run.

53. 9/10/22 Set II

42 > Abyss is probably the most interesting jam of the set, which otherwise mainly contains type one jamming. The band is still not 100% sure how to use the new songs.

52. 9/10/22 Set I

The Very Moon > Ladies > Naeba is a cool segment, but it falls off after that.

51. 9/30/22 Set I

Astronaut > Running > Spaga is a great start to the run (IMO, where the band really began to right the ship). The Astronaut sandwich is less so.

50. 9/8/22 Set I

After the warmup standalones, the Confro segment is pretty solid. Great Evolve intro especially.

49. 9/8/22 Set II

Inverted Svenghali rears its head for the first time since 12/30/21, and this version is even better. Like on 12/30, the outro jam quickly veers into type two territory. Spectacular jam into Times Square.

48. 12/30/22 Set II

ELECTRICITY! LET’S MAKE A DEAL! This set would be a lot lower if flubs or unpleasant moments counted as negative points. Plums > Deal > Orch is great, though.

47. 12/31/22 Set III

Why We Dance and Times Square are fleshed out to a greater degree than before. Helicopters > Tricycle > 42 (><) > Basis wasn’t as good as I remembered it. Still, one of the best jams into Tricycle in years, and the Basis intro has some cool sinister moments.

46. 10/27/22

Hulaween’s 42 > Twisted (><) > Orch is a great start to a festival, but it’s the jam out of Waves that really carries the set.

45. 6/18/22 Set I

Cut down in its prime, the first set of City Bisco show’s real promise before the plug is pulled. The jam into (what would have been) Crickets in particular is excellent, but Spacebird > Attack has some great moments as well.

44. 4/9/22 Set I

A strong first half and weak second half. The Spacebird > Buddha in particular is very compelling.

43. 6/19/22 Set II

The DJ Switch jam into Lake Shore was probably cooler in concept than in execution, but I still listed it as a highlight. The jam into the One Chance debut, as well as the return of Vibes and the Morph with Tommy, are all worth hearing.

42. 8/18/22

Helicopters > Spacebird is surprisingly strong, considering how easy a pairing it is. The jam really takes its time exploring all the different aspects of type one. Also of interest is Attack > Anthem, a great trance jam with a patient Anthem segue.

41. 12/31/22 Set I

Yeah, it’s all standalones, and one of them is a very standard Magellan (and another a debut that never ventures far from the composition) but the Rock Candy and (especially) the Digital Buddha are enough to save it.

40. 3/31/22 Set II

Shem-Rah > Portal (><) > Abyss is great stuff.

39. 3/3/22 Set I

The first set of the year, and even then I could tell that we were in for an improvement over 2021. The Minions > Buddha gets weird in the best way, and the Buddha jam itself is a delightful trance-fusion beatdown.

38. 3/12/22 Set II

Maybe slightly disappointing after the earth-shattering first set; nevertheless, there is still much to love here. Ladies > Buddha with the Bionic Helix jamming is particularly enjoyable, and then the jam out of Buddha is a runaway locomotive. For fuck’s sake, bring back Monster!

37. 3/31/22 Set I

The Story jam gave me the same chills down my spine that 12/28/19 Munchkin did. Excellent stuff. I even enjoyed the Party Favor, although I question the wisdom of its inclusion in the set. And, on that topic, come on—CWB > Fiddler as the opener? Damn NFTs.

36. 4/8/22 Set I

There isn’t a whole lot besides 7-11 > Evolve, but it’s still one of my favorite jams of the year. Jam into Munchkin is pretty cool as well.

35. 8/20/22

Easily my highlight of DUMB2. Do NOT sleep on Astronaut > Orch Theme.

34. 10/3/22 Set II

After the rough first set, the band delivers the goods with a non-stop second. Helicopters delivers another strong performance, but Tourists > Spraypaint and Attack > Bullets are the real heavy lifters.

33. 4/2/22 Set II

I think I have unfairly maligned this one for a while. I’m sure part of that was pushback against the inevitable Northeast bias. However, I recently relistened, and this one is pretty good. The Vassilios > Orch Theme and Orch Theme middle are probably the best parts, and, although the jam out of Orch Theme is a Bullets jam immediately, the jam out of Bullets manages to cover some cool ground before landing in Tempest.

32. 5/7/22 Set II

Despite the dubious distinction of containing my least favorite set of the year, NOLA really WAS an excellent run. Aquatic Ape > M1 > Orch is really fantastic, even if the set falls off afterward.

31. 12/31/22 Set II

Five sets into the run, the band finally delivered a great set. Uber Glue > Freeze is triumphant, the Freeze middle is eerie and bizarre, and Don > M1 is awesome.

30. 9/30/22 Set II

Twisted in the Road had the most meteoric rise of any of the new songs, and this show was an important point along that journey. Here, the outro moves smoothly from trance to dnb as it segues into Pilin, which also pushes the envelope with a swampy dub-tinged jam back into Shem-Rah.

29. 9/9/22 Set I

Speaking of the meteoric rise of Twisted in the Road… Enthusiasm for this set definitely cooled a bit once the excitement of the novel combinations wore off, but Attack > Twisted (><) > Attack still very much holds up.

28. 10/1/22 Set II

Another set buoyed by a fantastic inverted Svenghali, there is enough in the rest of the set to bump this one up over 9/8.

27. 10/30/22 Set II

There are some questionable choices, mostly at the end of the set, but Triumph > PBR > Anthem > Triumph is really as interesting and exciting as it looks. Triumph > PBR in particular is fantastic, but the transition into Anthem is very strong, and the middle jam gets somewhat deep. After something of a botched transition back into Triumph, the band struggles and ultimately fails to rebottle the magic.

26. 10/28/22 Set I

The opening salvo of Vass > Cyclone > Munchkin is definitely the strongest part of the set. Vass > Cyclone might be more what you’d expect, but Cyclone > Munchkin covers some very interesting ground before it settles into the long (!) Munchkin intro.

25. 10/30/22 Set I

The Why We Dance debut is multifaceted and interesting, with at least two equally strong themes. The set hits a bit of a slump afterwards, but Miracles > Tricycle > Miracles is much stronger than I thought it would be, and is enough to redeem it.

24. 5/8/22 Set I

The standalone Helix and Freebis (with Park Ave jam!) are both excellent versions. The segment doesn’t do too much for me, but Tricycle > Champions is utterly gorgeous, transcendent music.

23. 6/12/22

For about 5 months, DUMB1 was something of a high water mark of 2022. The Munchkin jam is one of the best of the year, but Tourists > Attack > M1 preserves that energy. The Tourists debut isn’t the strongest of the week, but the competition is fierce.

22. 11/19/22 Set II

Attack > Abyss is the winner of this set, but is a pale shadow of the greatness achieved in the first. Orch > Twisted > Attack is consistently solid, and showed one of the more creative uses of the newer songs.

21. 6/10/22

Baltimore crushed. The debut of Who’s In Charge remains one of the strongest tDB debuts ever. Jam-wise, there aren’t really any next-level moments, but the whole thing is so consistent that it still scores very high.

20. 7/1/22

For a while, this was the absolute apex of the new songs for me. Moshi > Attack > Twisted remains one of my favorite segments of the year, and is strong enough to carry some of the dead weight towards the beginning and ending of the set.

19. 11/18/22 Set II

Why We Dance > Tourists > Air Song is excellent, and another monster inverted Sven (though maybe not as strong as the previous two) is enough to carry the day.

18. 3/4/22 Set II

Cold star Abraxas openers are fierce. Abraxas > Lake Shore Drive remains one of the most enjoyable jams of the year. Munchkin > Don is solid, but this Abraxas serves as a reminder that a single jam, provided it is both good enough and long enough, can carry a set.

17. 4/9/22 Set II

Caterpillar > I-Man has three distinct themes, and while the middle (AKA the part that became Wormhole) is clearly the best, all three have something to offer. The set is very top heavy, but beyond the Caterpillar jam it also contains some excellent stuff in I-Man > M1 >. I may have attendance bias’d this one a little high, but I don’t think I have.

16. 6/9/22

Bridgeport had an uphill battle to overcome—the soundboard didn’t release for several days, and all we had to go on was reports from attendees, many of whom did not know what to make of these new autotune songs. I am extremely thankful the board did eventually see the light of day. The debut of Attack is on par with Who’s In Charge, and the Evolve is hands down the best version ever played—both for jam in and (especially) jam out. Evolve > Run Like Hell is absolutely massive and contains some of the best playing of the year, and, although the set falls off a bit after that, the jam into Pilin is very cool and Freeze is much improved upon from the shaky debut.

15. 11/11/22 Set I

Sound 1 > Helicopters is pretty obviously heading to Helicopters early on, and yet I still had to mark it as a highlight as it kicks so much ass. Helicopters > Wormhole (><) > One Chance is considerably more interesting and carries the set.

14. 5/7/22 Set I

I have revisited this several times, and each time I expect to find myself liking it less, and each time I am pleasantly surprised. Story > Running > Bombs > Story has no dull moments, and is strong enough to make up for the so-so standalones at the end of the set.

13. 10/1/22 Set I

Another one that looks dull on paper but manages to delight me every time. Jigsaw > Space Train > Jigsaw is way better than it looks; in particular the Jigsaw > Space Train is just phenomenal, with Barber busting out the grunge-y distortion pedal for much of the jam. This effect would be used prominently over the next two months, usually to great effect. The drum solo jam into One Chance is cool. Hell, even the cover of my least favorite Dead song manages to be interesting.

12. 10/28/22 Set II

Just like 3/4, the remarkably strong opening jam carries the day. Uber Glue > Twisted in the Road is spectacular, and makes up almost half of the set. Times Square > Running is strong enough to edge it further up.

11. 11/18/22 Set I

Man, am I ever a sucker for a fat Therapy. This one enters the pantheon of 8/18/16 and 10/27/17, and, while I won’t bother to rank it within that group, is easily the best jam of the set. Running > Who’s In Charge > Therapy earn the set plenty of points as well.

10. 11/10/22 Set II

Even though the Dribble is stronger than an average version, it is still the low point in this truncated set. Everything from the Dribble outro on is fantastic, making forays into type two territory and yielding strong transitions. The reworked Freeze showed real potential before the power went out.

9. 3/11/22 Set II

Running > Sound 1 is another jam of the year contender, haunting and beautiful, but this set does not rest on its laurels. Sound 1 > Lake Shore Drive > Neck Romancer contains some fantastic post-2020 Tractorbeam jamming, and even I Feel Love is well-played.

8. 11/13/22 Set II

The first and last jams of the set are only standard, but Lake Shore Drive > Space Train > Anthem > Robots is some of the best playing of the year. Space Train and Anthem, in particular, might be the strongest versions of those two songs yet.

7. 3/12/22 Set I

I have to say, I wasn’t sure this set would be topped. Even as late as early October, I was fairly certain this would be #1 of the year. This is easily the greatest Spectacle ever, with the jams out and back in reaching energetic and interesting territory. The best jams of the set, though, are definitely the Feeling Twisted > Rock Candy and Rock Candy (Vibes) > Waves. I definitely enjoyed the latter better when I thought Vibes was a spur of the moment theme, but it holds up regardless.

6. 11/13/22 Set I

After the somewhat uninteresting Lai > Shocked, this set is a heater. Shocked is still being fleshed out, and features a decent middle jam, and the segue into I-Man is powerful. The I-Man > Lunar is a mournful rager. Hell, even the Lunar dub gets real weird before pulling off an impressive segue back into Lai.

5. 11/10/22 Set I

Somewhat like the second set, every jam here manages to subvert expectations and deliver in a big way. The opening Buddha has a multi-faceted jam that goes deep before segueing into 4th of July, a song I usually don’t care for. 4th instead delivers one of the best jams into Attack yet, and Attack delivers a likewise strong > Evolve. Just solid all around, with each highlight going above and beyond.

4. 10/29/22 Set I

Sublime. The lengthy opening Crystal Ball jam is a bit lean on type two, but very well executed. The middle of the set, Abyss > Space Train > Spacebird > Bombs, is phenomenal. Abyss > Space Train is transcendent, gorgeous music, the jam into Spacebird manages to bury the lede convincingly, and Spacebird contains a gorgeous, blissful jam that totally subverts expectations for that song.

3. 11/12/22 Set I

Pygmy > Why We Dance is basically a warmup, but everything after is fantastic. Why We Dance > WLTP doesn’t disappoint (jams into WLTP rarely do), but the WLTP jam is the real winner of the set, lengthy and multi-thematic, yielding one of the greatest Crickets peaks in well over a decade. The Crickets funk is, perhaps, not earth-shatteringly good, but still solid, and the jam out of Crickets quickly ventures into groovy mid-tempo and builds to an unconventionally strong Morph ending.

2. 11/12/22 Set II

After the tantalizing preview of To Be Continued, the band dove right into the second set with gusto, delivering a far-above-average Twisted > Inverted Portal. From here the set only got better. Portal delivered one of the strongest M1 intros yet heard, and M1 delivered one of my favorite jams of the year, the hauntingly evil Basis intro. The vocal samples only added to the evil, and even though the segue into Basis was botched, and the Basis was only pretty great, the middle of the set resoundingly carried it.

1. 11/19/22 Set I

The top 3 sets were (along with many others throughout this list) a mathematical tie, yet I did not have any trouble picking my #1. The To Be Continued > Waves (><) > Shocked is over 50 minutes of the most consistently transcendent music the band has played (EVER). There is so much to praise about this section. To Be Continued is hands down the strongest Biscuits debut ever, after a year replete with them. The jam reaches a major-mode crescendo, with Barber playing like it’s 01 again, before returning to the sinister notes of the 4/11/08 jam. The outro jam into Waves features the strongest Waves peak since… a really long time ago. And the jam out of Waves is my favorite jam of the year, delivering fall 2000 level dub jamming. All told, it’s the best Waves with Allen. I said it at the time, and I stand by it. And it is the best set of 2022.