May 18, 2007

((<< Mind Blowing run as per usual at the HG. This 1-2 was on a much higher level, old or new Higher Ground...the Biscuits KILL there 95% of the time. Enough with my stupid tales of "the good 'ol daze" but I saw them there a total of 21 times both old and new and saw 2 clunkers only. In the Winooski days you would most likely be in the same hotel as band, crew and freaks alike. Unless they stayed at "the plush Inn" with new friends >>))

Do you have ANY idea what Barber looks like at a complimentary hotel breakfast on the main lobby at 10am. Oooooofffffffff. Usually hand in hand with a new Betty, helping her rest her hand.

Spring skiing during the day ; Higher Ground at night. Rinse, pop a Dilaudid and repeat. But of course, when did we eject and get off tour?? right before the best show of the year and top 5 all-time at the Funhouse in Pitt after Buffalo. Oy Vey.

I swear these week long new england runs of 4 or 5 shows would run you maybe $200 a pop if you are touring with 2 or 3 people, for ALL expenses. That's only not that long ago. And you got a half of a king bed plus free ice 3rd floor.

See you at the Saranac. If you have never been expect a much higher element of drinkers. Which is all good but for some, including Wharf Rats like me, it can be difficult and frustrating dealing with the rowdy, disruptive ones.

I apologize, did I even speak of the tunes played this night?! I ran smack into an ounce of Afghani red wrap hash so forgive the space.

much love. ps- while not as good as the previous night and the magic there, Strobelights (middle/end) and the Rock Candy was great. There's nothing like these ultra funky RC's...they are extremely fun to dance to. The Vass is a very trippy version, I like it but not as much as the type I. The segment of ''Pinball Wizard (the place erupted) ~> I-Man ~> Lunar Pursuit ~> Astronaut" is excellent and more of a relaxed and open-wide type jamming. Don't skip the encore, it's great.

Now, if you want to know every part that worked and did not work, go see Tree's review. Or just listen to the show. Either works.

[there is no hell...but be nice anyway]

Opening Strobelights jam is dark, hypnotic trance. Magner has some absolutely marvelous work in this jam, and this is a great start to the show (I won’t count Stone > Waltz). Most of the Rock Candy jam feels like treading water. They wind up locking in on a solid theme right before the ending, but at this point it’s too little too late for me. First AC2B jam barely gets outside type 1 and is additionally just uninteresting. The second jam is basically the same story.

Pinball Wizard to start the second set has a fantastic jam. This is evocative of the Gangster intro the night before. Dark and brooding dance jamming, with minimal play from Barber and great textural work from Magner. Awesome all-around. The two jams in I-Man are both forgettable. There’s a very short jam out of I-Man into Lunar Pursuit. There’s a breakbeat jam in the middle of Lunar Pursuit that just goes nowhere. The jam out of Lunar is basically an Astronaut intro from the very start. There is an extended SITA jam in Astronaut, though it basically stays type 1 the entire time. The second jam gets more exploratory, and Brownstein hits on to a nice two-chord progression from almost the start. This is a solid dance jam, and gets dark in the way that Astronaut jams ought to. The first House Dog jam is predictable as is often the case, but the second jam has some fantastic work from both Barber and Magner. Magner almost sounds like he’s teasing something, but I can’t place what it might be. It sounds eerie, like the X-Files theme a bit, but it’s not quite that melody. Regardless, this is very, very good.

Highlights: Strobelights**, Pinball Wizard**, Astronaut (2), HDPF (2*)