April 19, 2009

The jam out of Confrontation has a really catchy dance groove to it. Magner is playing lower in the register than he typically does, and the effect is a hypnotic, digital sound. Lunar Pursuit begins with a spacey trance jam with Allen immediately hopping on to e-drums, and Barber using a solid, minimal riff. Magner washes atop the jam with pads and sweeps, and Brownstein holds down the pocket with a nice bass groove. This is a really solid, if straightforward, dance jam. Around the 11-12 minute mark, Magner takes more of the spotlight with some leads. At 14:40, the band drops into a dub groove but still clearly headed toward the ending of Confrontation. The first Memphis jam immediately drops into a hip-hop e-drum groove, and while the first 3-4 minutes are largely forgettable, around the 5-minute mark, Brownstein jumps on to the MIDI keyboard and this starts to get more interesting. Barber has some bluesy riffs that complement Magner's punchy leads nicely. At the 6:20 mark, Magner plays this bouncy riff I really like. This builds into a really, really nice peak before the drop into the ending of Memphis. The second Memphis jam is a lot of water-treading, but I actually don't mind a lot of this given how pleasant it sounds. This is just the band having some fun in a major key, doing some Blissco jamming. I like it. The Tricycle jam into Liquid Handcuffs is very short, straightforward. The jam out of Liquid Handcuffs is a forgettable DNB jam that eventually drops to half-time for the switch to We’re Not Gonna Take It. I’ve always thought this was a terrible cover for the band, because their vocals just sound awful here.

Jigsaw has a fast trance jam coming out of the “chase” section. This leads somewhat predictably into the Reactor peak, and the jam before it is not all that interesting. The jam out of Reactor begins with Magner once again playing in lower registers than normal, and using a saw wave with the resonance turned way up. This jam has an awesome, driving feel to it, with the energy pushing forward in a big way. This was not really thematic, so much as a “feel” jam, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The typical dub jam in Jigsaw is extended substantially, and this turns into a really cool jam. Magner has this great lead theme that he carries throughout, and this builds to a satisfying crescendo before dropping into the end of jigsaw. Don has a brief intro vamp. The jam itself is fine, forgettable. The last few minutes are a subdued, obvious transition into Story. The first minute or two of the Story jam have a great, hypnotic groove between Magner and Brownstein. I would’ve like to see them expand on this theme, but instead they go to something else for the next few minutes which is forgettable. However, around the 8:30 mark, the band embarks on another new theme, and this one is really interesting. I really like everything here through the end of the Story track. Near the end it almost sounds like Brownstein wants to go into Tempest, but obviously that never happens, and doesn’t again for several months. There are short I-Man jams after verse one and two that are both squarely inside the box. The third jam was a little frustrating for me. There’s no real thematic work going on here, but Allen is absolutely playing his ass off. There are e-drums galore here, and this has the real potential to turn into an absolute monster. Instead, the rest of the band just sort of is there, and they come back into the composition after only 3 to 4 minutes. I noted this as a highlight, but it could have been so, so much cooler. The same is true for the fourth jam. Allen is again losing his mind, and Barber actually plays great here as well. However, Brownstein just seems dead set on ending the song and ending the night. Another missed opportunity. The encore is obviously jamless.

Highlights: Confrontation*, Lunar, Memphis (1, 2), Reactor*, Jigsaw (2*), Story*

{(< GET THIS SHOW AND SPIN SPIN SPIN!>)}

One of the better spring shows in one of the nicest little theatres I've been to. there were around 1000 people, (a little under capacity I believe) and that was a perfect size. phenomenal sound.

it was a very psychedelic night as I remember clearly. Bozo Bryce was kicking down an OZ of very powerful fungus to everyone and anyone who had 2 hands to hold them, he did this once in a while :) if you were touring back then(PHish too) you would have known him by the tall mystical indian magic walking stick with feathers all over it by his side. there's a really nice park across the street to get your mind right and ready, classy town meets the stinky Splattums.

yes, 4/20 the next night at the 9:30 is a crazy good show of course but this one enjoys being under the radar. this show is so much better (for me and my friends, our experience, no one elses) than that 9:30 show. I know it's one of the more popular shows of the year, perhaps a TAD overrated but a gem nonetheless.

But you can't compare the venues, Not the biggest fan of the staff at the 9.30. The Klein was heaven with room to dance, trip hard with no outside tension, that sound, the opening monsterous 'Confrontation ~> Lunar Pursuit ~> Confrontation' , the MEMPHIS jam into 'Trikey' a huge heavenly crescendo, also a solid 'Jigska' and the enormous 'Don' and ending with a fantastic 'I-Man' The Holiday Inn was rockin' lol. ""As soon as those tanks empty out you'll be able to get some sleep honey.""

In Hartford, Garaj Mahal played from midnight to 3am after show. Incredible.