May 28, 2011

As you might surmise from a Spraypaint sandwich containing a fat Confrontation, the first set is heavy on blissco moments. The Buddha at the heart of this set is perhaps a little too slow-rolling at times, but overall it magnificently builds up from a minimalist, atmospheric throb into a headlong drive as it gives way to Cyclone.

The second set starts strong, with Barber really unleashing himself towards the end of the SOTW jam. Unfortunately, things start to fall apart in RLH (which I thought was going to be so awesome looking at the set list). There are some interesting moments in the transition jam, but for much of it Magner and Barber seem like they're not listening to each other. The Spacebird that follows is incredibly workmanlike, but at least they pull it together for the landing back into Helicopters. Barber really tears into it, and Magner sagely milks the angelic choir pads for all they're worth.

I had high hopes for the encore given how long and strange it seemed, but it's extremely disappointing. Something was clearly up in Jigsaw, as Barber lost himself in the lyrics a few times. Considering its length, I was expecting the Catalyst jam to go a lot further. Magner pulls out a few surprises but Barber doesn't really seem to draw much inspiration from them.

This feels like a solid 3.5 show. Some truly transcendent moments, but the early 2010s miasma has its tendrils in place.