April 16, 2001

The opening jam gets off to a very slow start, and not necessarily in a bad way—it’s clear the band is having fun here. Brownie’s vocalizations sound a bit like No Matter/Sister Judy’s, and the rest of the band toys with themes that sound at times like Home Again, but are pretty firmly in House Dog territory. The first jam in House Dog is a standard, majestic version. The second jam is a slow burn with a massive conclusion. Magellan is a strong and drawn out version, but still mostly type one. Spectacle is standard. Bernstein & Chasnoff starts off rather aimlessly, but quickly settles into a bass-driven bliss trance theme. It doesn’t quite get deep like the great B&Cs of the era; rather, it approaches Waves territory pretty quickly as it moves toward minor key. There is a cool jazzy breakdown in the Waves composition, but otherwise this pairing is perfectly standard.

1/5. Jam > HDPF and the second HDPF jams are really the only things worth going back to.

Stray Observations: Very amusing banter at the beginning of the show, and going into the opening jam. Highlights include Brownie’s tour heckler and Barber’s political affiliation. Judging by the banter after House Dog, the band had intended to play Crystal Ball but called an audible. Barber teases Ball shortly before the band starts up Magellan. Some interesting banter before B&C regarding the upcoming Crystal Ball rework.