November 21, 2006

Going through the motions. Throwing 3 huge tours in a row is a great way to get the new guy choppin' that wood, to give him a quick & thick dose of life with the Biscuits. It worked like a Motha' but sometimes, it seems, to be at the expense of the creative part of the music and all of it's wonderful Biscuits intricacies. I believe this is mostly the case herein. I cannot read minds or intentions but a lot of the first year, year and a half of big red's entrance, the main importance from afar was to get used to the DB lifestyle, how much we play and to get the main skeletal parts of the rolodex of active rotational songs memorized and injected into the bloodstream. There is great jamming in this show a la 'Crickets', some of 'Helix', 'IMan' and 'Dog Party'. Although but a whisper of the jamming that was to come over the next 4 years you can see Allen really improving every show, what a master of percussion. "All I NEED MY ARMS PROVIDE"

Abraxas starts the show with a very spacey dance jam. Barber strums away while Magner crafts soundscapes in the upper registers and Brownstein/Allen hold down a deep pocket. This is very nice, and up until this point in the song’s young lifespan, the best version of Abraxas. Granted, this is only the third of 2006 up until this date that I’ve even noted as so much as a highlight, but it’s a start into the monster that this song would ultimately become. First 7-11 jam is a short type 1. Second 7-11 jam is okay. The jam out of Liquid Handcuffs and into Crickets middle is fairly forgettable. Second Crickets jam is very good. Interesting stuff, particularly from Magner who has some great melodies throughout this jam. First I-Man jam is not bad, but ultimately doesn’t move the needle much for me. Second I-Man jam is much better, with thematic work from Magner and Barber. Allen is a monster here, with some really interesting drumwork that works very well with the melody players. Fantastic jam.

Boom Shanker jam is meandering dub that never gains any cohesiveness. There is no “jam” into Helicopters, this is just a fade out and startup. The Helix jam has a great groove to it. That said, they never really develop this into a theme and feels a little all over the place. Lithium. Groan. Shem-Rah has a very boring jam that turns into a less-than-interesting Moshi-Fameus jam. The jam out of Abyss is mostly filler, although as they get nearer to the House Dog ending, this gets much more interesting. The rest of the show is jamless.

Highlights: Abraxas*, Crickets (2), I-Man (2*)