2024 Ranked (Part 2)

77. 11/21/24 - Infinity Music Hall - Set II

Tourists (Rocket Ship) > The Deal > Helicopters > The Champions > Save The Robots (><) > We Like To Party

First reworked Champions, for whatever reason, inspired a massive wave of nostalgia and appreciation for me on hearing it on the stream. And I'm not even sure I like it! The Helicopters jam is the real highlight, a nice precursor of the New Year's Eve version.

76. 3/29/24 - Webster Hall - Set I

Shocked > The Wormhole > Twisted in the Road > Another Plan of Attack > Times Square > Freeze

Considerably better pacing than the second set. Shocked, Shocked > Wormhole, and Freeze are all solid, and the Twisted > Attack is probably the show highlight, with excellent conversation between the Moog bass synth and Magner's 4/20/09 Buddha synth.

(Stat note for nerds: this is the first show in the list to score above the "average" score. I found it interesting how close the median and mean were in this list).

75. 4/11/24 - The Orange Peel - Set II

Shocked > Shadow > Spaga > And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night (><) > Down To The Bottom

The Shocked is a sleeper contender for jam of the year, and the Maneater samples are some of the best-utilized. There are some cool moments in the rest of the set, but it's really all gravy after that Shocked jam.

74. 1/25/24 - Crystal Bay Club Casino - Set II

Strobelights and Martinis > One Chance To Save The World > Bombs > Astronaut > Orch Theme > Astronaut

Tahoe might be the strongest two-night run of the year. Even though this is the weakest set, there's plenty to love. The extended Strobelights middle jam is not always compelling, but it's very impressive setlisting and it ends on a strong note. The Strobelights outro and One Chance > Bombs are both strong.

73. 7/5/24 - Biscoland - Set II

Another Spin > Another Plan of Attack > Losing It > Another Plan of Attack > Catalyst > Ring the Doorbell Twice

The debut of the somewhat controversial yet undeniably ebullient Another Spin. Here it shows both its greatest flaws (compositional length, repetitiveness) and greatest strengths (fun, tendency to lead to locomotive jamming). The jam into Attack is the highlight, but the Catalyst and Doorbell have their moments.

72. 11/16/24 - State Theater - Set II

Svenghali > Tourists (Rocket Ship) > Astronaut (><) > Dino Baby > Fire Will Exchange > Svenghali

I originally had this one ranked pretty high, but on a relisten it didn't hit nearly as hard. The Svenghali jam is pretty good, but the second half is a type one Tourists intro. The Tourists jam is pretty definitively the highlight, but it too spends a good portion in type one territory.

71. 7/12/24 - Bourbon Room - Set II

Morph Dusseldorf > Another Spin > Little Shimmy In A Conga Line (><) > Photograph > Strobelights and Martinis (><) > Morph Dusseldorf

Carried by the Another Spin > Shimmy jam, which is fantastic and still a bit unheralded.

70. 12/28/24 - Fillmore Silver Spring - Set II

The Very Moon > To Be Continued > Rock Candy > Ring the Doorbell Twice > Confrontation

To Be Continued outro is one of the strongest jams of the New Year's run, with a thoroughly developed theme that has ample breathing room. Rock Candy has nice space before it gets into Doorbell territory.

69. 4/13/24 - Tabernacle - Set II

Helicopters > Mindless Dribble > Photograph > Fire Will Exchange > Helicopters

Helix > Dribble and another strong Dribble main jam get the set off to a great start. It drags a bit after that, but ends strong.

68. 8/30/24 - Thalia Hall - Set II

Helicopters > Mindless Dribble > To Be Continued > Trap Door > Fire Will Exchange (><) > Helicopters

Wow, almost aggressively similar to the Tabernacle set (total coincidence that these two ended up next to each other. Here the same strong points shine through, except that it is the Dribble outro rather than the main jam that compels me.

67. 3/16/24 - House of Blues - Set II

Kitchen Mitts > Reactor (><) > The Deal > Dino Baby > Digital Buddha

The Mitts > Reactor > Deal is an excellent opening salvo, and the rest is fairly straightforward.

66. 10/31/24 - The Caverns - Set II

Also Sprach Zarathustra > The Blue Danube > 2001: A Space Odyssey Jam > Also Sprach Zarathustra

A very different approach than the usual movie jam, and tbh not my favorite take on it. The Blue Danube intro is very pretty, and the segue into the ending of ASZ is fantastic, but the meat of the movie jam is very uneven.

65. 9/8/24 - Mishawaka Amphitheater - Set I

Svenghali > Floodlights > Country Royale > Shadow > No Recollection (><) > Svenghali

The set is carried by the Svenghali jam, which seems oddly under-the-radar. Some of my favorite TDBDNB of the year, with a fantastic and hypnotic segue into Floodlights.

64. 2/5/24 - Belly Up - Set I

Jam > Space Train > Abraxas (><) > Tricycle > Voices Insane > Shadow > Voices Insane

The weakest set of what is by far the best three-night stand of the year is still very strong. The opening Space Train jam gets nice and loose and sets the tone for what would be a very experimental run of shows. The big highlight is of course the massive Voices intro, setting up another very strong year for that song.

63. 3/9/24 - Stage AE - Set I

7-11 > The Wormhole > No Recollection > Tribulations > No Recollection

A very lopsided set. The absolutely stellar 7-11 carries this one up this high. I'm a sucker for No Rec > Tribs, but nothing in this set hits as hard as does its opener.

62. 10/30/24 - Madison Theater - Set II

Svenghali > Fire Will Exchange (><) > And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night (><) > Another Plan of Attack > Svenghali

Another strong Sven opener, with patient dnb building up to a huge FWE ending. The Ladies jam gets briefly experimental going into Attack, and the Attack outro flirts with a brief dub theme.

61. 9/14/24 - Pine Creek Lodge - Set I

The Very Moon > Dino Baby > I-Man > Floes

The first of four (!) Floes appearances of the year, all played as part of a larger segment. The Very Moon outro and I-Man intro are the main highlights.

60. 11/23/24 - Town Ballroom - Set I

House Dog Party Favor > Grass Is Green (><) > The Champions > Falling 303 > House Dog Party Favor

Very strong digital jamming out of the Champions outro, and the Party Favor > Grass is Green lifts this one up.

59. 8/30/24 - Thalia Hall - Set I

Hope > In The End We Have Forever > Spraypaint (><) > Dino Baby > I-Man

Great use of Hope from a setlisting perspective. Everything up to the I-Man is really solid, but nothing stands out as next level.

58. 10/30/24 - Madison Theater - Set I

Jam > Who's in Charge > Confrontation > Aceetobee > Trap Door > Confrontation

The Confrontation and Aceetobee both carry the set with raging trance jams. The Who's in Charge intro also briefly leaves type one territory.

57. 12/31/24 - Fillmore Philadelphia - Set I

Rockafella > Spaga, Above The Waves > Fire Will Exchange (><) > Above The Waves

The Rockafella is actually a really solid version. The intro jam flirts with type one+ space, and the main jam goes a bit deeper than usual too (so much so that the return to the song is a bit jarring). The Spaga main jam is type one, but the well-executed samples give it a distinct flavor. The highlight is the Waves jam, which undergoes a few tempo changes.

56. 4/4/24 - House of Blues New Orleans - Set I

Mr. Don > Twisted in the Road (><) > Little Shimmy In A Conga Line > To Be Continued > Above The Waves

Full Don with outro is pretty cool, and this is where the set starts to heat up. Don > Twisted > Shimmy > TBC is all very solid.

55. 9/15/24 - Pine Creek Lodge - Set I

Spaga > We Like To Party > Spaga > In The End We Have Forever > Spaga > Risky Business > We Like To Party

The split Spaga is a cool setlist innovation, and the jams it develops are strong. Spaga > Risky Business is the highlight.

54. 12/30/24 - Fillmore Philadelphia - Set I

Reactor > Caves of the East > Country Royale > Reactor

Another very strong Philly Fillmore New Year's Reactor! 12/29/18 for life. The Caves > Country Royale took a long time to leave jamband noodletown, and even longer to latch onto a worthwhile theme. I enjoyed parts of this, but I expected more given the adulation it received at the time.

53. 4/14/24 - Lincoln Theater - Set I

Save The Robots > Freeze > The Great Abyss > Svenghali

The Robots was good enough to inspire In The End We Have Forever (and yet I'd take the 1/28 version over it). The real highlight is the Freeze, with two strong jams.

52. 2/1/24 - Fonda Theater - Set I

Spaga > M1 > We Like To Party

The Spaga (which makes up about half of the set) absolutely carries. The second jam (in this technically unfinished version) is about 20 minutes long, and in no rush to reach its destination. I find the second half to be "the payoff," but the whole journey is worth the experience.

51. 4/14/24 - Lincoln Theater - Set II

Uber Glue > Caterpillar > The Deal > Cyclone > One Chance To Save The World > Caterpillar

E: Why We Dance

In 5-6 years of scoring shows this way, I have maintained the same rule for encores: it either helps the show/set, or it doesn't count. In all that time, I don't think I've ever counted an encore towards a score until this show. There is a poetic symmetry to opening and closing the tour with Why We Dance, and although this version does not reach the level of the 1/25 opener, it still elevates the score of 4/14 II significantly.

50. 4/13/24 - Tabernacle - Set I

Eye Of The Tiger > Rock Candy > Ring the Doorbell Twice > Little Betty Boop > Rock Candy

The opening salvo of the Eye of the Tiger > Rock Candy > Doorbell is some excellent, underappreciated spring tour jamming. The set goes off the rails a bit with the Boom cover.

49. 4/2/24 - Mercury Ballroom - Set I

Why We Dance, Basis For A Day > Munchkin Invasion (><) > Freeze > The Great Abyss > Basis For A Day

The Why We Dance is only standard, but the Basis > Munchkin > Freeze > Abyss is all excellent. The Freeze middle jam is particularly strong, a good ten plus minutes. It doesn't peak particularly hard, but it's still among the most patient iterations.

48. 2/7/24 - Belly Up - Set I

The Bridge, Morph Dusseldorf > Gangster > We Like To Party > The Overture (><) > Morph Dusseldorf

An unconventional combination of traditional heavy hitters that mostly works very well. The We Like to Party > Overture is the highlight, but outside of The Bridge it's consistent throughout.

47. 3/30/24 - Town Ballroom - Set II

Bombs > Mindless Dribble > Fire Will Exchange > Confrontation > The Deal (><) > Confrontation

Bombs outro is absolutely phenomenal, and the Dribble outro is great too. The first inverted Deal is solid, but not the earth-shattering revelation we were all anticipating.

46. 7/13/24 - The National - Set I

Stars in the Sky > The Deal (><) > Dino Baby > Save The Robots > In The End We Have Forever > Save The Robots

Two really spectacular jams in Stars > Deal and Dino > Bots. Robots > In The End > Robots is a very convenient setlist ploy.

45. 2/6/24 - Belly Up - Set I

M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Shocked > Dino Baby > Crickets > Home Again

The first Teardrop worked so phenomenally well within MEMPHIS that I didn't even penalize it for being essentially type one/composition. The Dino Baby > Crickets is solid.

44. 11/1/24 - The Caverns - Set II

Triumph > Basis For A Day > The Wormhole > Photograph > Basis For A Day

I greatly enjoyed the Basis > Wormhole, though maybe not as much as did many others. The whole segment is solid, but this is the main event.

43. 11/1/24 - The Caverns - Set I

Jam > Mindless Dribble > Rock Candy > Risky Business > In The End We Have Forever > Rock Candy

It's been a big year for Dribble, but this might be the strongest Dribble main jam of the year (apparently it's based on the Portland SJSS?). The outro is very strong as well, solid atmospheric jamming with a strong transition. ITEWHF briefly has a cool dubby theme that reaches a bliss conclusion before returning to Rock Candy.

42. 2/10/24 - Boulder Theater - Set II

Reactor > Spacebirdmatingcall > Tribulations > Gamma Goblins > The Deal > Reactor

I'm finding that I'm a total sucker for Tribulations jamming, I think. This cover works really well within their repertoire, and the Spacebird > Tribs > Gamma > Deal carries this set.

41. 4/6/24 - Longhorn Ballroom - Set I

7-11 > One Chance To Save The World > Times Square > Abraxas (><) > Digital Buddha

Another very strong 7-11 from spring tour to start off the set. This one's a good bit shorter than 3/9's, but no less exploratory, and the rest of the set (notably the One Chance jam but also the TS) help pick up some of the slack.

40. 7/6/24 - Biscoland - Set I

Basis For A Day > Freeze > Better In Doses > Basis For A Day

The Basis intro and main jams are both considerably stronger than usual, and the Freeze middle is spectacular. The set falls off considerably at this point; the Better in Doses debut is only okay and the Basis peak is standard.

39. 9/13/24 - Pine Creek Lodge - Set I

Jam > Tourists (Rocket Ship) x On Time > Another Plan of Attack > Quad D > Hide And Seek > girl$ x Times Square > Losing It > Commercial Amen > Konkrete x Floodlights > Falling 303 > Hide And Seek

To my ears, the most successful and enjoyable of the Tractorbeam experiments. It was only a matter of time before Tractorbeam started remixing Biscuits songs, and they pulled it off extremely well here.

38. 4/12/24 - Brooklyn Bowl Nashville - Set II

Jam > I-Man > Tribulations > Dino Baby > Tamarin Alley > The Wormhole > I-Man

Very possibly the strongest I-Man of the year (I am partial to 1/26 and 2/6, but mainly for intro and/or outro jams, where here the main jam is used very effectively). The jam into Tribulations is the highlight of the show, and one of the highlights of the year.

37. 11/2/24 - The Caverns - Set I

Twisted in the Road > Astronaut > Cyclone > Country Royale > Spacebirdmatingcall

Fairly consistent from the first jam, this set is nevertheless all about the Astronaut. One of the best versions in years. The SITA is gorgeous, and the main jam leads to a furious Cyclone. Cyclone outro has its moments as well, with some (somewhat inconsistent) breakdown jamming.

36. 7/14/24 - Greenfield Lake Amphitheater - Set I

Rockafella > Minions > Ring the Doorbell Twice > Hot Air Balloon

The Rockafella > reworked Minions bustout is really well done, and the Hot Air Balloon is probably the best non-split version in over a decade (Frankie Goes to Hollywood samples notwithstanding).

35. 9/11/24 - The Depot - Set I

Frog Legs > Caterpillar > Twisted in the Road (><) > Leavemealone > Caterpillar

A totally underrated show due to being played on a Monday in Salt Lake City. Nothing leaps out as must-hear, but the whole set is solid playing throughout.

34. 9/5/24 - Washington's - Set I

Digital Buddha > Park Ave > Evolve > One Chance To Save The World (><) > Astronaut > Digital Buddha

The Buddha > Park Ave > Evolve stands out as the strongest, but there is a remarkable consistency throughout this set.

33. 11/7/24 - Penn's Peak - Set II

Running Into the Night > Voices Insane > Shem-Rah Boo > Freeze > Feeling Twisted

The Running > Voices is some of the best atmospheric/ambient jamming of the year. The Voices outro jam has some fantastic monkey skull fuckery going into Shem-Rah. These two jams really carry the set. There's some strong moments in the Shem-Rah and Freeze, but these are short-lived.

32. 3/14/24 - College Street Music Hall - Set II

Caterpillar > Fire Will Exchange (><) > To Be Continued > Monster > Caterpillar

The Caterpillar > first inverted FWE is still in my top 3 or so jams of the year. Absolutely filthy stuff leading to the beautiful and haunting FWE ending. This jam is another like the Monster > 42 of San Diego, where the one jam carries the whole set.

31. 9/11/24 - The Depot - Set II

King of the World > Risky Business > Down To The Bottom > Rainbow Song > Basis For A Day

Unlike the first set, which is consistent throughout, the second is carried primarily on the strength of two jams: the King of the World and the Risky Business outro, the latter of which leads to a fantastic and inventive segue.

30. 11/15/24 - The Palladium - Set II

Caterpillar > girl$ x Times Square > Mindless Dribble > Spacebirdmatingcall > Country Royale > Spacebirdmatingcall

The Caterpillar has two strong jams and is probably the highlight of the set. This is the first version of Country Royale to get a serious main jam.

29. 2/9/24 - Boulder Theater - Set I

Shem-Rah Boo > Freeze > Shem-Rah Boo > Ring the Doorbell Twice > Bernstein and Chasnoff

The Shem-Rah intro is just type one, and doesn't do much for me, but the Shem > Freeze > Shem is very solid. This might be the most energetic Freeze main jam. The Shem-Rah > Doorbell is fantastic.

28. 11/17/24 - Paramount Theater - Set II

Mulberry's Dream > Lunar Pursuit > Trap Door > Freeze > Air Song > Freeze > Mulberry's Dream

The highlight is undeniably the Freeze > Air Song, which is absolutely transcendent. The first split Freeze absolutely justifies all the clamoring for it.

27. 3/15/24 - State Theater - Set I

Sister Judy's Soul Shack > One Chance To Save The World > 42 (><) > Ring the Doorbell Twice > Sister Judy's Soul Shack

I relistened to the Judy's recently and it holds up very strongly. It's not in my personal top 5, but it's close. The One Chance > 42 is strong as well, but the set falls off after that.

26. 9/8/24 - Mishawaka Amphitheater - Set II

Nughuffer > Mr. Don (><) > Fire Will Exchange (><) > Voices Insane > Abraxas > Nughuffer

Attendance bias? Probably. Don't care. The first inverted Don was completely different from what I was expecting, but it was so perfect. The Don > FWE holds up in a very special way.