8/19/00 - Saturday, The Wetlands Preserve

https://archive.org/details/etron2000-08-19.flac16

https://archive.org/details/db2000-08-19.flac16

Image: Electron, with two of its founding members (source: https://liveforlivemusic.com/features/reviews/electron-performs-on-the-99th-story-of-chicago-skyscraper/)

The second night of an Electron two night stand at the Wetlands serves as an after party for the Biscuits performance at the Bayou Music Festival earlier in the day. The set opens with a cover of Pink Floyd’s Fearless. The jam out of Fearless is absolutely gorgeous, developing very organically out of the composition, and sounds at times like a Home Again jam or a Floes intro. It builds to a mini-crescendo just before the eight minute mark, settles back, and then builds gradually to a glorious uncomposed peak around 13-13:30. It then breaks down and settles into a Home Again intro. While the Fearless jam was joyful and uplifting, almost like a Home Again jam, the actual Home Again jam is very grungy and abrasive. It starts off fairly standard, but quickly leaves type one confines and moves through a more harried passage. Tom Hamilton uses his distinctive guitar filter, and Russo lays down a breakneck tempo. Around 6:15 this settles down ever so slightly for an absolutely primal final theme into which the entire band is locked. Someone (I have no idea who) is doing these demented choir effects that are absolutely sinister and fit the mood perfectly. The jam finally settles into a cover of the Beatles’ We Can Work It Out, covering an astonishing amount of ground considering its short length. We Can Work it Out breaks down to almost nothing as the jam section begins. Brownie lays down the anchoring bass line, and Russo comes in with a skull-crushing break beat. While the Fearless almost sounded like it could be a Biscuits jam, this jam sounds like it would be right at home in a Brothers Past set. It builds to a very organic Home Again ending, again, not unlike a BP peak. The entire opening segment is incredible, with many different flavors and styles. Plan B begins standard, and features another glorious solo from Tom Hamilton (no hesitancy here), but after the solo and chorus the band drops into a tense type two groove, reminiscent at times of the Lai jam from the night before, or maybe of a more sinister Hot Air Balloon intro. It slowly breaks down and resolves back into Plan B. An excellent version, and easily the most exploratory so far. Humu follows, and Russo’s drumming gives it a bit more punch than the Maui Project version. The jam is a Magner showcase, with combinations of ambient waves, funky electric clav effects, and more traditional (for the Biscuits) electronic sounds. It remains firmly type one, but it is pleasant throughout. Around the 8-9 minute mark, Hamilton steps up and delivers a gorgeous ending.

The second set isn’t much shorter in length, although it definitely feels like it. The Confrontation seems to build on the version from the previous night, and is slightly stronger to my ears. The theme goes deeper with more focus than the previous version. Tommy and Magner play off each other very well, and move the jam through an odd jumbled passage until it finally emerges to a blissful peak. The Grass is Green jam is pretty standard, but it is bookended by two percussion solos, the second of which develops into a pretty cool full band Floodlights intro jam. After another midverse jam, complete with another drum solo, the main jam in Floodlights is absolutely dripping with psychedelia. Magner starts on the heavily distorted acid synths that would come to define the Biscuits’ fall 2000 sound, quickly developing a playful and catchy theme. The jam descends into utter insanity, with liberal use of distorted acid synths, siren effects, and samples and scratches from Stitch. Just stupid good improv, and worlds better than the debut version (which was perfectly solid). The jam, like the debut version, breaks down, and segues into another Maui Project song, No Matter (which would eventually become Sister Judy’s). The No Matter jam seems kind of unfocused for the first half but comes together for a solid steady build into the ending before a drop segue into Kamaole. The Kamaole jam is a little bit more than interesting; it stays in mostly tense and unsettling territory for pretty much the entire jam, with a cool uncomposed peak in the middle.

After Kamaole, Brownie announces that he’s going to change things up. Electron departs the stage, and the Disco Biscuits assume it. They bring Paulie back up and he plays the entire set with them. They pick up Waves (roughly) where they left off at the festival (they play the Corrinado swam verse again). There isn’t any improv here, but the band clearly has a lot of fun with it, and Barber takes the time to tell the crowd how much he loved Electron. After all the tension, it has to make you smile to hear how happy the band is to be playing together again, complimenting each other’s music, sharing anecdotes, laughing together, etc. After Waves the band fires up Shem-Rah Boo. Magner wastes no time in the Shem jam, laying down a simple trance riff that forms the foundation of the jam. The jam flirts with type two, sounding like demented carnival music, then seems to be heading towards the ending before the theme breaks down completely around 12:30. The ensuing jam sounds paradoxically like a Shem-Rah intro, but it gradually builds up to a triumphant Run Like Hell intro. The Run Like Hell has an interesting mid-verse jam in which Magner utilizes some of his older synth effects to build to a solid and trancey mini-crescendo. The main jam in Run Like Hell soon breaks down to some chaotic drumming and droning synths. It begins to head toward the triumphant territory of Basis, but overall is not particularly interesting; it almost completely breaks down as Barber announces last call and builds back up into a pretty but fairly standard Basis ending. After the Basis ending the band launches into a bizarre dreamy jam, which is essentially just a Basis middle section drum beat serving as a canvas for a stream-of-consciousness narration from Barber. After the narration it begins to take on a more musical quality and builds up to a buttery smooth transition into The Very Moon. The first Very Moon jam is completely unlike any other played at this point. While the section had been gradually developing over the course of late 1999 and early 2000, here it takes a hard left turn into type two territory. After some combination drum/bass hits based around the main riff of The Very Moon, Sammy lays down a trance beat, and an uncharacteristically moody passage develops. It builds to a mad crescendo and begins to head back towards familiar territory just shy of the nine minute mark. The jam peaks about two minutes later. Easily the most exploratory iteration of this section yet, even if it isn’t much longer than usual. As the funk jam begins, Brownie invites “the other guys back up for the all-star jam.” The funk jam quickly deteriorates into a drum solo. To my ears, this is probably the most enjoyable drum solo in an evening that is lousy with them. There is some interesting instrumentation and some amusing vocal teases to keep things interesting. In the final minute of the drums track the bands settle into a standard trance rhythm, and build to a thrilling, albeit clunky, Run Like Hell ending.

Brownie chose to play the second ever Electron show sandwiched between Disco Biscuits sets. It was a risky move, but I think it paid off here: Electron totally showed up the Biscuits on 8/19/00, and I don’t say that lightly. Highlights and more below:

Highlights:

Fearless > Home Again > We Can Work It Out > Home Again

This one segment surpasses anything the Biscuits played on 8/19, either at the Wetlands or Croton Point Park. Each jam samples a completely different musical style, and it’s impossible to pick a favorite. From the bliss trance of Fearless, to the sludgy type two of Home Again, to the sinister BP style dnb of WCWIO, this segment has flavors for every fan.

Floodlights

Considerably stronger than the debut version (in fact, this contends for my favorite Floodlights period) with a powerful and psychedelic jam passage.

Plan B

After a standard run through, Electron takes a hard left into uncharted territory for the first type two jam in Plan B.

The Very Moon

Another jam section that is explored deeply for the first time, The Very Moon first jam is the clear highlight of the Biscuits’ set.

Shem-Rah Boo > Run Like Hell

The band takes no time at all shaking the rust off of Shem-Rah Boo, and delivers a multi-thematic jam into Run Like Hell.

Humu

Calls to mind the early Stories of the World, with a foray into tense waters before a return to the blissful ending. Sets the stage for the demented and psychedelic Humus that the Biscuits would play later in the year.

Stray Observations:

This is the first type two jam in Plan B. The final verse and chorus are repeated, for some reason.

This is the first Shem-Rah Boo since 12/30/99. Because Shem-Rah was written by Marc and Jon together, it hadn’t been played by either party since then.

This is the first type two Very Moon first jam.

The drum solo prior to Run Like Hell contains “Rhythm of the Night” (DeBarge) vocal teases.

—Mr. Zan