December 07, 2018

worst venue experience ever?

HSR is still a favorite of mine, even if it’s hated by many. This version is standard. Just jam it, you cowards. The first Magellan jam is mediocre. The first several minutes of the second jam are interesting in that sort of “ship on the ocean” jam to which Magellan has so frequently been predisposed. They drop to a slower tempo around the 17-minute mark and the band develops this unusual little jam that has a somewhat uneven jaunt to it. As they near the end of the Magellan track, they lands on a more straightforward jamband sound. While this sound is not necessarily why I listen to the band, this is performed remarkably well, and lands in Loose Change flawlessly. The first few minutes in the Loose Change jam are primarily Magner using leads on top of the other band members. This is not bad, but not great either. Around the 10-minute mark, the band picks up the tempo and develops a slow four-on-the-floor jam. They steadily increase both pace and intensity here, and I think the overall effect is fairly good. This won’t make any best ever lists, but it is genuinely solid. The GIG jam is unique in that it’s a slower four-on-the-floor jam with lots of tomwork from Allen. The melodies Magner layers over Barber’s rhythmic playing here are mysterious and provocative, and they evoke the feeling of a Magellan return so perfectly that you can forget almost instantly that the jam comes from a song as corny as Grass is Green.

Standalone KOTW. Meh. There is the usual type 1 jam in Mulberry’s which is straightforward and forgettable. The first several minutes of the Mulberry’s jam suffer the same fate, but things get noticeably more interesting around the 11-minute mark. Barber plays some long bluesy held notes over the rest of the band’s backdrop. At the 13-minute mark, Allen drops the kick drum and we’re off. This turns into another good-not-great exploratory dance jam. The Humu jam is great for the first few minutes. It has a dreamy, ethereal quality that Humu jams often do. They ditch this around the 8-minute mark, and they are worse off for it. They meander for a bit, and while they re-build well enough, it would have been nice to see where that dreamy jam was headed. The Ladies jam is fantastic. Engrossing, engaging, and interesting, with a very solid peak. This is the jam of the night. IRW has a mediocre type 1 jam for the encore.

Highlights: Magellan (2), Loose Change, GIG, Mulberry’s, Humu, Ladies*