April 01, 2001

When I want a good natural bump of serotonin goosebumps and fond memories of old; these Colorado shows pop up again and again.

Barber, Brownie and Mags' vocals are right up front clear, in stereo. The instruments are nicely imaged and the soundstage is immaculate; i.e. synth sounds at 3 and 9 o'clock, Sammy's kick at 6 below and crashing cymbals at noon. Barber in Qsound and Brownie down the middle and stretching around the "clock" Bravo to the recording here and the editing.

The run is fantastic and this show has been analyzed enough. But I will say "The Very Moon ~~> Robots" is damn good way to start a tremendous day or to accompany you emotionally as you get electric at night. Other than the Toronto show a little later on because it was my 1st ever Canadian show near home, land of the yellow snow....this is my favorite combo of the year. Yes, that includes attending the Wetlands in Sept. , 4 PNW shows in Nov. inc. Van as well as the best New Year's run ever on my 30th birthday.

Have a good 40 minutes to sacrifice? in order to turn a dull, uninspired day into one that promises an open mind without blinders? Go there.

And we haven't even ended the 1st of 3 sets!

The inverted Trenchtown dub ''Waves'' rivals the Portland inverted massive Nov. 2 version, as well as my favorite 1.0 inverted "Waves" at Palookaville in Oct 2000!(as it explodes into monumental) "Dribble"

Much love and appreciation to this underrated "Shem" out of "Flood's Lights." It's way above average. Marc's best tune of the night as far as his bass goes (imo) Barber is patient, great roomy version. If you want a bonkers "Shem" beyond control that will make your head spin....go to end of spring tour 1999 (May something), mid-atlantic, Jack Straw's in Charlotte. A great play along game included in that version.

The Following Is 10 outta 10.

{PYGMY TWYLYTE ~> BASIS ~> (detrevni) WAVES} incredible, we're not James Worthy. From the Pygmy (w. insane final 8 mins) jam through the Basis post intro-jam AND to the Mags/Barber frisbee jams to the final crescendo!!!!!!! is the filthiest most inspiring jams of the night. And we can easily add in the inverted Waves as a grotesque push into beauty. ..."After the sun and light were gone, Before he found himself at home..." yahooooo...Fist pumpin' like a Doctor!!

[Miracles ~> Hope]

"I don't know that I believe in the supernatural, but I do believe in miracles, and our time together was filled with the events of magical unlikelihood."

"But groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having."

JPB

"By the time we hit the west coast in early spring of 2001, some of us were on the edge of some dangerous & gnarly fun that were turning into straight up habits. I can't seem to recall most of the midwest shows in April, but we played well. How? I haven't got a fucking clue. I would say a lot goes to the insane practice sessions and a full tour schedule which gave us the confidence and instinctual talent and feel to play unconsciously at times. Never take your talents or dreams for granted" MB [Grid Magazine]

Spectacle is about 50% longer than the debut from two nights ago, and this is almost entirely intro jam. As far as Spectacle intros go, this one is pretty solid. Magner makes great use of his synths while remaining completely in the background, and Barber crafts an almost Dead-esque atmosphere. The intro jam of course makes up nearly the totality of the jamming in Spectacle, here and elsewhere, although there is some playing around in the bridge section (as much as can be accomplished within that relatively strict composition). The Very Moon jam is an extremely spaced out type one venture. Brownstein never really leaves the distinctive bassline, and the mood of the jam remains pretty close to the composition. However, Magner’s ethereal choral synths give it some extra flavor. The funk jam is a similarly interesting type one venture. Magner launches into a catchy theme almost immediately, and builds on it over several minutes. The theme breaks down around the 19 minute mark for a cool segue into the second Save The Robots. Robots doesn’t have a funk jam, and instead the band expands on the jungle jam, which is pretty solid overall. The Overture has an unconventional jam section, considerably more dubbed out than typical, with a strong return to the composition. Spacebird finally reveals its potential. It’s still within the type one confines, but it has a cool atmospheric theme.

Standard Plan B to open set two. Pygmy quickly settles into an ethereal and otherworldly jam. Magner crafts brilliant atmosphere and Barber plays very deliberately (while making it sound effortless). This theme tragically only lasts a few minutes before the band moves onto a poppy blissful mood. Around 9:30 the jam begins to build with renewed purpose. The purposeful jam gradually reaches a crescendo of Shelby teases/fakeouts, before settling in a somewhat hesitant Basis drop. The Basis jam is a fairly standard trance progression, and doesn’t really offer any surprises. The Waves jam, however, is pretty interesting. It’s tracked as Basis pretty much right from the beginning, and it stays in mellow mid-tempo trance territory for several minutes. Magner’s synths are reminiscent of the fall 99 dub style Waves, but Sammy keeps the jam firmly in trance territory. It threatens to stagnate during a breakdown, but around the 8 minute mark it begins to build to the Basis ending. Magner’s synth choices are fantastic here, and the buildup and peak are great. Wet has a unique breakdown mid-verse, with a slow jam and an alternate verse structure in the final verse and final chorus. Interesting and notable, but not necessarily anything beyond that.

Floodlights is actually a full version, and rather than a jammed segue into Shem-Rah there is what might be very generously called a Phish segue. The Floodlights jam itself is fun but unremarkable. Shem-Rah is a strong version, with excellent Magner presence from the very start and a chaotic breakdown into some type two territory. The breakdown at points is very reminiscent of the Vassilios > Basis from 5/1/99. The return to Shem is strong, and the MOTH MOTY is fantastic. The usually compositionally strict Pat & Dex breaks down shortly before the Liquid Lazer section. The band develops a very loose, jazzy jam out of this section, which settles down into a more steady theme around the 8 minute mark. The jam quickly takes on the qualities of a Floes intro jam, but it’s so gorgeous and well-executed that the type one isn’t even a problem. The Floes jam itself is pretty solid, with a rousing Barber conclusion. After Floes, the band drops directly into Liquid Lazer, completing Pat & Dex. After this segment, the band wraps up the show with a few mostly standard standalones. The debut of Boulevard comes first, and it’s a pretty cool song with a triumphant guitar solo.

3/5. The first set is probably the strongest, with most jams being worthwhile, but the Pygmy, Waves, and Pat & Dex jams are probably the highlights.

Stray Observations: There are Shelby Rose ending teases in the Pygmy jam shortly before Basis. The band announces last call during Floes, in a hilarious way. After the Pat & Dex segment, Brownstein reveals that the third set happened because of a rock paper scissors game with the owner of the Fox.