July 14, 2007

One of the best fests I've ever been to. Well, not a "Fest" really but a resort filled with beautiful people, music at the forefront. tDB musically...up there, UM's sets.... up there. But Lotus. Man, I know some 'meh' all over this band but these are 2 crazy, Summerdance-level sets. Bag that, tag that for a FLAC dl. Magic Mike and the rest were at their best these couple of years. MDMA in 3 chords D C and G.

Yes, Tree and Floes are 100% (reviews above) on the Story> Buddha<> World & Hot Air Balloon, Most of Munchkin & Helix. Perfectly said and we all feel that to. The whole set is champagne. That jam in the 2nd Story is all smiles, shivers and make a note. This is a HABI also go back to several times. I have to say for the millionth time, A Hot Air Balloon crescendo ecstasy jam into the final refrain is one of our soundtracks to life.

These long 2 - 2&1/2 hour festy sets, when slayed, are the best. No "Electric Boogaloo" 20 foot tent side stage with a 45 minute set, no way, that doesn't even give Barber enough time for the crystals to join his synapses. Is the final 5 minutes of Munchkin the best of the year? I know, we have the Funhouse's May 21 version but damn! She is groovin'. I would, like a smart ass :) , like to add another tremendous segment, and that's the pre-Munch Spectacle!!! not comparable to the fine Munchkin(Magner in 1st and 3rd jams is a wizard) but for Allen, oh Allen, what are we to do with you?! This guy, in case you have not heard, is from the southern part of the Andromedan system, dropped off in Georgia in the 80's with the task of creating PACE, peace and ecstasy with wood and synthetic animal skins. Like the Buddha percussion, he is Budy Rich, Jon Bonham and Airto all rolled into one pasty white package. Yes, no hyperbole, he slays this Spectacle, nothing short of a miracle. It's all about time given on stage. At the start of Gangster, they had just over a half hour maybe 40 minutes to play 4 songs and a possible encore. Take out the 9 minute Orch~SafeDance and let that gorgeous Helix be a standalone to end the show at a nice PACEd 18 minutes instead. But who am I, to play backwards consultant.

Copper Mountain is gorgeous, nothing like riding those alpine slides on 300mics of liquid and faintly hearing Pharcyde playing "Rules & Regulations" while a 250lb friend, tripping balls, is coming at you Mach 3. Who rents out full squish, gorgeous Cannondale mtn bikes? Copper does or did. Next thing you know you're in Breck. What happened to the fests there or the Mish (still active though right?)

I truly apologize for non-music ramblings to the fine people who keep this site afloat and you tremendous freakers who occasionally skim through. For some of the best reviews and highpoint directions, go to Treemaculate, he does it very well. Mad props. I like hearing/speaking of people's little funny, silly sometimes hairy adventures surrounding the music...it is 75% of the trip.

Set: 8.90 / 10 Sound: A Venue / Area / Vibes: 9.95 / 10 (it was find of expensive but w.g.a.s.)

""Good-bye! a kind good-bye,
I bid you now, my friend,
And though 'tis sad to speak the word,
To destiny I bend""

Paul Revere is an abomination when played by this band. The Story jam actually has a lot of legs here, and they stretch this out far beyond the usual “funk” jam. Magner’s use of his sine lead has a great swirling psychedelic effect, and the entire band is locked into a great groove. The jam out of Buddha features Magner using the same melody from the famous Haymaker Shem-Rah Boo for a very short period of time at 12:21. Interesting, although honestly the melody is so simple that I am betting this is more of a coincidence than an intentional reference by Magner. Regardless, the entirety of this Buddha jam is absolutely fantastic. Awesome dance groove by the entire band, great play by Barber, and nice e-drum effects by Allen. Great all-around. Spectacle intro is fine, but forgettable. Interestingly enough, the real choice item here is the jam out of Spectacle into Munchkin. The harmonies Barber comes up with in some of his guitarwork here are absolutely phenomenal. Poignant play from him, particularly around the 2 minute mark, and Magner’s angel choir certainly helps the overall vibe. The jam out of Munchkin has a great vibe to it. At 12:55, Barber plays a remarkably similar riff to a riff that he plays in 12/14/08 Vassillios. Like I’m pretty sure it’s the exact same riff for at least a few bars. I thought this had potential, but never really realized that potential before slamming into the ending section. The HAB jam does virtually nothing for me. This is a very piano-heavy jam, if that’s your thing. I don’t necessarily mind piano-heavy jams, but this just never goes anywhere. The last segment is just far too short. Between 4 songs, this was only 24 minutes, and that’s not enough time to develop much. There’s a solid Gangster intro here, with some great arp work from Magner. This has sort of a duntzgeon feel to it. This only lasts 2.5 minutes, which is just not enough. Jam out of Gangster is, similarly, just a few minutes. The jam out of Helix is the best part of this little segment. Magner has Gates of Hell in full effect, and Barber has some great phrasing playing off Magner’s lead melodies. I enjoyed this a lot. There’s a short jam into Safety Dance that goes nowhere, and the Lai encore is basically exactly what you would expect.

Highlights: Story, Buddha**, Spectacle*, Munchkin, Helix*

Super solid festival set. Story of > Digital Buddha (><) > the World is AMAZING, especially the jam into the peak of Buddha... One of my favorite jams from 2007. None of the other jams in the show really go Type II, but it's all solid playing. Hot Air Balloon from this show is one of my favorite standalone HABs and Type I jams, Barber's solo at the end is just perfect... I can sing it in my sleep.