2021-10-24 Inglewood, CA

 Been a couple weeks since I hit Chula Vista and I move ever closer to finishing 2021 at a glacial pace...

Onwards to the next show:

10/24/21 Inglewood - aka, the LA Woman show.

Set 1

A Wave of Hope - Very good type 1 reading to open. Super, super strange to see a sub-6 minute rendition amidst the sea of 20 minute reading just down the road!!! It's good but nothing amazing.

You Enjoy Myself - Ooh, a 24 minute version in the 2nd slot?! Performance wise, it's darn strong. Not perfect, but not much in terms of flubbage either. Fishman is a powerhouse and the whole thing just plain sounds great! Around 15 minutes, instead of the jam dying out into the expected vocal jam, slowly, a more "aquatic" sound begins to emerge and they take YEM into proper Type II! They stay in this mode for a long time, Trey delivering a patiently emotional solo up to about the 19 minute mark. At that point, Page jumps back to the piano (with some synth on the side), and the jam heads for the sky. Trey is trilling it up and they are working steadily towards a peak! Around the 20 minute mark, the peak-in-progress disappears and the guys return to the pre-Type II portion of the standard YEM jam!!! Hell yes. Trey is playing with delays, Page is back on the synths - are they gonna go Type II again?! Check out Cactus absolutely tearing it up with his bass FX!!!! FINALLY, around 23:20 they go into the shortest vocal jam of all time, only lasting about 30 seconds before launching into....
*** YO, this YEM was the $h!t!!!!!! Hands down the best modern version I've heard in ages! Must hear in every way!!!!! Dang! ***

>The Moma Dance - Beginning with "wash uffize....", you know it's gonna be good! Terrific version. The jam gets very quiet and low-key. Almost dark, but not really. Synths creeping in on the very edges of the soundscape, but the main instrument is still electric keys. Page and Trey playing off of each other throughout. A really groovy, laid-back kind of version. Absolutely fantastic - that x factor is flowing, boys and girls. Eventually it kind of fizzles out slowly and they lead into:

>Simple - The jam gets going and quickly dives into that "late night underwater" murkiness we all love. This is excellent and goes until around 7:30. The jam suddenly takes a swing into upbeat blissfulness for a brief minute before a shock and surprise segue into....

>Waiting All Night - OUTTA FRIGGIN NOWHERE!!!! X FACTOR MAGIC!! I mean, it's not the 2nd coming of Icculus, but the fact that they/Trey actually friggin just led into like that is such an incredible moment. Fantastic. Must-hear. Wow. Also, final version of the song to date, no?

>Maze - It gets off to a bad start with a vocal flub from Trey that nearly derails the song, but thankfully Page comes and kills it on the keys before they build to a grindy and facemelting climax. Not my favorite Maze and a bit flawed but 3/4 of it was pretty darn good.

>Fee - And the hits keep coming! A very rare Fee, complete with megaphone. Fee is Fee, but the rarity gives it highlight status.

>Steam - Yup, that was a segue. One that will have you going "huh? How the hell did that work?!". And this Steam is an absolute blast of FIRE TO THE FACE!!!!! FACEMELTING AND GRINDING AND ALL KINDS OF SPECTACULAR!!! STEAM DOESNT GET HOTTER THAN THIS!! HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP ON A CRACKER WHERE DID THEY PULL THIS FROM!???!?!?!! MORE OF THIS, PLEASE!!!

Run Like An Antelope - Antelope is Antelope. Good but nothing special.



All in all...wow, what a set! I have a feeling this is probably underrated. Musically, the set was all over the map, some hits, some misses, but they took a lot of chances and they usually paid off! The must-hear YEM that actually jammed, the Simple>WAN, the rare Fee, the X Factor Magic version of Steam....Maybe a bit too much pizazz and not enough "substance" for some, but screw the haters. I enjoyed every second just about of this set. I went in with no expectations after Chula Vista and I was rewarded. You will be too.

 Set 2

Cars, Trucks, Buses - Very rare CTB to open the set. As expected, Page absolutely tears it up on the piano. Great stuff and a great high energy opener!

Tweezer - And boom, straight into Tweezer. Not sure whether to call that a segue or not. Pretty sick synth FX right at the start of the jam. Then Gordo goes to tear it up while Trey lays back. This initial Tweezer section is only 5 minutes or so. They barely get the jam going when all of a sudden it's into....

>L.A. Woman - ...L.A. Woman we go!! The Tweezer jam is rolling along all chill, then all of a sudden Trey begins singing LA Woman!!! This is awesome. This was like that Waiting All Night coming out of Simple. Freaking sick - I've got the biggest grin on my face right now. Best part? This ain't no tease, they actually play the whole effing song!! The "mister mojo rising" section is face melting energy of the best sort. ALL HAIL LA WOMAN! THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME! I CAN'T STOP HEADBANGING!

>Tweezer Jam - Then the song ends and Trey reintroduces the Tweezer riff, opting for some dark robo FX immediately afterwards. In come the synths and we get a dark, murky kind of jam going. Uptempo, shifting between light and dark, eventually coming to rest in a new bliss kind of zone. This quickly ends and they go into a new midtempo, laid back kind of jam, Trey doing "midi oboe" or whatever, sounding like 1990's Jerry for a minute. Page back on the electric keys, Trey starts to do a stompy new riff and suddenly begins to sing SANTOS....

>Say It To Me SANTOS - Bit of a "clumsy" segue, but hey, A+ for effort and creativity, lol. SANTOS rages real hard and, according to the LivePhish tracklisting is about 12 minutes, but really, around the 6 minute mark you could definitely say it goes back into a Tweezer jam....

>Tweezer Jam 2 - This jam out of SANTOS begins pretty chill and groovy. Very relaxed but not sleepy or overly blissful. They are on the Groove Train Express just riding down the line, enjoying the jam. This slowly morphs into a darker kind of sound. It's hard to describe this jam - they are being SUPER patient with it, but at the same time it is never stalling for time or lacking in direction. They are just locked in deep, riding it out the best they can. Absolutely fantastic.

>What's the Use - Eventually, the segue fun continues and Trey delivers one of the best segues of all time. So good you'll need to replay it thrice to check what you just heard. Perfectly out of that jam and into What's the Use. WTU is excellent as ever, and it feels even more potent tonight coming out of a jam than it does when it's just "randomly" thrown into a setlist. It often seems to work the best when it appears where you don't expect it. Because it's instrumental, you can almost think of it as a continuation of the jam prior, ya know what I mean? Fantastic.

>Tweezer Jam 3 - WTU comes to a close and Trey begins the Tweezer riff once more. 7+ minutes on this jam, Trey begins with some cool robo FX on his guitar atop the bed of Page's piano and the typical Tweezer jamming. Around 1:40, the guys all lock in and begin to play Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin - SICK! This lasts a brief moment, but it goes on to inform the next minute or so of playing. Freaking killer. Love that kind of stuff! Around 3 minutes, Page moves to the electric piano and the jam gets all feel-good. Trey picks it up and starts to do lots of little repeating motifs, setting loops and what not, while doing melodic noodling. And it's VERY nice! Eventually, after several excellent minutes, this winds down into some blissful ambience for a very brief moment. Trey starts strumming quickly and then they suddenly LAUNCH into...

>Birds of a Feather - 10 minutes on this one, that's pretty lengthy for a recent rendition, haha. The type 1 rages until right at 3:45 there is a distinct shift in the jam. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it becomes incredibly uplifting. Great and unexpected mood shift, for sure. The jam goes through a couple different blissful sections, always on the move, never in search of a direction. The guys are just locked in together and it's full of great "full band" playing. It sounds like The Who, where everyone is soloing, but it coalesces together into something greater, ya know? You wont' call this an all-timer, but hot dog if I guarantee you this isn't one of the most underrated/forgotten jams of the year right here.

>Chalkdust Torture - Out of the darkness of the end of BOAF comes another unexpected segue, this time right into Chalkdust. Short but sweet, this one rages the Type 1 hard then immediately dissolves into funky robot FX land for 3 absolutely glorious, X Factor-led minutes. See BOAF - I'm sure everyone has forgotten this. Go revisit it, stat. It ain't long, but it sure does deliver the goods while it lasts!!!!

>Boogie On Reggae Woman - AND THE SEGUE HITS KEEP COMING!!! During the Chalkdust jam, Trey starts hitting those Boogie On chords and away we go! For the sake of not highlighting everything, I'll refrain from highlighting this. It's excellent, of course, but does exactly what you expect in the time typically allotted.

>Carini - In the last 30 seconds or so of Boogie On, the song gets real dark. Trey teases Tweezer and Fuego (I think) before ultimately deciding on Carini. And of course they launch right into it with great effect, not a break in sight. As with Chalkdust, this Carini is only about 5 minutes but gets the job done justly. You'll never seek this version out by itself, but it sure packs a punch while it's here.

>Tweezer Jam 4 - On LivePhish this is tracked as part of Carini, but it's CLEARLY a Tweezer jam reprise. The jam gets very nice and blissful, but Page's synthesizers come blaring in from the rear, giving this an unexpected flavor. Very strange sounds for sure, it's kind of unsettling. Only about 2 minutes long, but a very nice little interlude, if you will. Eventually, Trey starts noodling the Mr. Completely guitar lick and Fishman picks up on it, beginning the drum pattern!

>Mr. Completely - Well, hot damn, yet another segue for the books! Not perfect, but that's not exactly an easy song to segue into - they did great! Wow! As with Carini and Boogie On, this is only about 5 minutes long, but right away they get going with the robo FX and rage this sucker hard. Great little mini Mr. Completely!

>Tweeprise - And of course you have to have a Tweeprise to end the set, duh! A few minutes of pure ragetastic energy. Yea, nothing special, but it's worth a highlight still.

Grind - First encore. Is Grind.

Bathtub Gin - Show closer, nearly 14 minutes. The first 9 minutes or so are the typical Type I bliss playing you expect out of Gin. Then, somewhere around that timestamp, the jam takes on a much more driving feel. Fishman going ham on that snare drum. Things start to drift askew, slightly. They are in that transitional "type 1.5" area, if you will. It's just building and building and building. Somewhere around the 11 minute mark, the jam gets really kind of hazy and grimy!!! They are now in Type II!! In come the synths - this has an almost 1999 kind of sound to it. Very foreboding and kinda dark. THEN OUT COMES THE POWER DRILL MOTHER EFFER!!! WE ARE IN OUTER FRIGGIN SPACE!! LETS GO!!!! HELL YES!! WE ARE GETTING SUCKED INTO THE WORMHOLE!!! And then just like that they jump ship and the jam/show just....ends.


All in all....wow!!!! That set was fantastic! The way they strung the songs together was a blast - and despite the short run times, nearly everything packed a major punch, if not length in the jamming. The closing Gin was like an adventure itself and the whole show felt like the opposite side of a coin with Chula Vista - two completely different shows, both mind-blowingly awesome.

Wow.

2021-10-23 Chula Vista, CA

 10/23/21 Chula Vista, CA

Set 1

Fluffhead - A Fluff opener is always a great sign and this one is nearly 18 minutes! Fluffhead sounds super delicate tonight, but also very tight. It sounds just exactly perfect! The song goes as expected, until right at the 14:50 mark, the song moves into a genuine groove-jam!!! Where did this come from?!?!?! This is sick! They are jamming Fluffhead again! Trey jumps on the wah, Page is pounding the piano, everyone is killing it. A strong, nod-your-head groove on this. It soon "dies down" slightly and gets downright funky!!! Trey scratching away while Page solos real chill-like on the keys. Then Trey comes in with some nice restrained lead work. Fluffhead has gone Type II!!! Then, suddenly, all X Factor Magic-like, Trey slides us right into....

>NICU - A 17 MINUTE NICU!! And of course they had to play NICU tonight - it is the North Island Credit Union amphitheatre after all!!! Right around 5 minutes, the jamming begins and it's very atypical for an NICU!!! I don't know how to explain it, but they are giving it a more "rock and roll" kind of feel, with Fishman changing up the beat every two seconds.
---This is absolutely INSPIRED in every way! Wow!!! The X Factor is flowing tonight, boys and girls!!! Then at 6:21 Trey unleashes the RoboWah5000 and It's ON!! After a bout of wah pedal abuse, around the 7:40 mark the jam slowly begins to move into a much darker, more "late night" feel. You would never, ever guess this came from an NICU only 2 minutes prior. Trey doing patient melodic leads while the rest of the band lay down a tense and heavy kind of backdrop. This is KILLER!!!! This is my new favorite jam!!!
---Around the 9:30 mark, the laid-back darkness takes on a decidedly feel-good vibe and it sounds like we are now heading for that Type II bliss we all love. Around 10:15 Trey starts to tease the NICU themes again and the jam has this "one foot in NICU, one foot in bliss" vibe going on. Super cool!!! Around 11 minutes Fishman even returns to the NICU beat, pretty much, if not exactly. Do we end this jam or keep going? "YEA!".
---They decide to keep it going, moving back towards a more "tropical darkness" flavor, if you will. Fishman doing cool drum work while the rest of the band lay hard into the robotic swamp murk. Then suddenly, at the 13 minute mark, Trey jumps on the Robo Oboe and it starts to sound like a Grateful Dead midi jam or something! You know what I'm talking about!! He quickly aborts the oboe, but the tropical rhythms and weirdo synths keep going strong, giving this an ultra wacky vibe.
---At 14:30 Trey returns directly to the NICU theme and keeps playing it while the rest of the guys remain in Tropical Space Land. And back down into the darkness! They are not releasing this in the slightest!!! A more lightspeed rat-a-tat feel erupts from Fishman and we keep it going some more! Lovely bass accents from Gordo around 15:30 that Trey picks up. Trey and Mike playing off each other - that is new and cool! AND WE MOVE BACK INTO NICU AGAIN! MAKE UP YOUR MIND, LOL!!! And then a quick drop into ambience before a relaxed return to the melody played very slowly to close the song on a majestically low-key feel!!!!!!!

YO. What the hell was that jam?!?!?!?!?!? Weaving in and out, going all over the place....surely there is no debate that is the GOAT version of NICU, no?!!! Dude....

>Bye Bye Foot - BYE BYE FRIGGIN FOOT COMES RIGHT OUT THE END OF NICU OUT OF NOWHERE!!!! WHAT IS GOING ON!?!?!? THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! 2.5 songs into the show and I'm already done......AND THEN WE LAUNCH RIGHT INTO....

>Tube - A 15 MINUTE TUBE! YES! LETS FRIGGIN GO!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course it gets going right off the rip with Trey doing awesome delay work around 2:40 before jumping on the RoboWah Deluxe and honking it to high heaven. Awesome held note from Trey around 4:45 before the jam suddenly goes major key bliss and Trey friggin launches full bore into NICU! YES!! ALL OF MY YES!!! Then back into a super funky, feel-good bliss funk jam again.
---Around the 7 minute mark, a cool descending motif emerges that pushes the jam into it's next "phase". From here, Page jumps on the synths, lead-dueling with Trey before the two quickly back off and go into a dual drone thing! This is short but cool and goes until around 8:30 when Page moves back to the piano, forcing the jam back into more feel-good territory. ---This thing is like a monster, slowly moving and growing with each second. Where will it go next?! An absolutely wonderful section follows - very powerful, like the back half of a Slave or Hood or something, another motif emerges that the guys absolutely latch onto.
---At 9:45 the synths reemerge. Fishman is absolutely MURDERING his kit, doing his best Neil Peart "hit everything at once" series of non stop fills. This sections seems to conclude around 10:15 and the guys move back into the Tube funk. Dude, this Tube is amazing. YO CHECK THAT DARK FUNK TEASE OF NICU AT 11:50!!!!
---A super sick "racecar down the highway" section follows. Tons of delay used to max lightspeed effect coupled with robowah for good measure. WE ARE BARRELING DOWN THE INTERSTELLAR SPEEDWAY!!! LETS FRIGGIN GO!!! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!! HOLY CRAP THIS IS AMAZING!! X FACTOR MAGIC EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!! And then suddenly into the bluesy B section and out to close....


WAIT. THERE'S MORE SHOW AFTER THIS?!?!??!!?!?

>Slave to the Traffic Light - Right out of Tube with no break to speak of. Another mid-set Slave, I find that to be very refreshing! Not that it's the most technical song in their repertoire, but Slave is performed flawlessly on all fronts with highly inspired playing from all. A definite highlight, and you guys know how much I bag on Slave, so that's saying something.

Llama - Funky, slow Llama tonight. This one is like a slow-simmer rather than a full fire explosion. It's terrific, but different at the same time. Page is ALL OVER this sucker on his piano, absolutely tearing it up. Then Trey comes in for the kill on the wah. This was truly terrific. Must hear. A little short for its own good, but what's hear was terrific.

Rise/Come Together - To close the set. Yes, I highlighted it. It deserves it tonight. Great version serving the right purpose much like Drift While You're Sleeping does these days. Love it.


All in all, yea, what the hell else do I say about this set? The best music of Fall 2021 so far, pretty much, was played in this first set. It was mindblowing. Now THIS is the 2021 I was hoping for!!!!

Set 2

No Men in No Man's Land - A nearly 17 minute version to kick the set wide open! Rages type I rock and roll until around the 8 minute mark when things start to take a dive towards darker, more aquatic waters. This is like sinking into the ocean, watching the light slowly grow more dim with each passing second... Around 9:30, Page jumps on the piano, trying to subvert the growing darkness, but Trey goes "not just yet!" and jumps on the growly robowah to try to stop him. Alas it's not to be and by 10:30 we are slowly drifting into calmer, more blissful waters. Page jumps on the atmospheric synths and we are firmly into feel-good bliss. This slowly builds into a swirling wave of dark intensity, returning to the cloudier side of the skies by the 13:30 mark. This swirling mess continues for a few minutes before morphing into a laid back kind of darkness. Pretty cool jam but it felt like a step down from set 1. Seemed to "meander" a little bit, but all the same this is still a highly enjoyable jam worth at least a listen!

>Free - Out of the death throes of No Men, they launch like a rocket ship into Free. And THIS one is nearly 17 minutes as well!!! Dude! Right away the jamming is super "growly" from Trey. Almost not letting Gordo have his space, he steps all over this sucker for a bit before laying back and letting Cactus do his thing. And Gordo's solo tonight is LONG!!!! Around the 6 minute mark Trey does another full blown NICU reprise that the band latch onto and play with him. This is sick. By the 7:45 mark, the jam is almost dying out, then Trey starts some noodling and Page comes in hard with the "Meatstick" synths behind him. From here they move into a very patient and "aquatic" sounding jam that is super chill and all kinds of laid back. Textural synths pop in and out, but Trey is mainly just keeping time throughout. Somewhere around the 14 minute point the jam builds back up and back into Free. They rage it to a conclusion. Killer. Very chill and patient for most of it's duration, this one is pretty unique but incredibly cool.

>Joy - Absolutely terrific tonight. The extra chill nature really makes this one hit HARD. Trust me, you will have a tear in your eye afterwards. Really strong version.

>Sand - Like Llama in the first set, this thing kills, but it's too short for it's own good. Stellar Type I playing of the "everyone playing as one" variety rather than it being a shredfest by Trey. Actually kinda unique!!!! Strong version worth a listen!!

>Piper - 18 MINUTE PIPER AND A GENUINE SEGUE THAT DIDN'T SUCK! An absolutely fantastic, multi-sectional jam. It's an 18 minute Piper, what do you want?! I ain't gonna narrate all that! MUST HEAR!! X FACTOR AWESOMENESS!!! Dark and synthy, tons of hose, amazing delay work from Trey, black hole robo hellscape insanity....It's got it all, baby!!! This is what a damn Piper is supposed to be - none of this "8 minute Type I" BS stuff you get like a mid-set Twist these days. Absolute insanity again like a great Split Open and Melt on Turbo Overdrive or something. Guys, help me. I'm dead. This was a psychedelic MASTERPIECE!!!!

>Scents and Subtle Sounds - The greatest set placement in the history of mankind, coming out of that satanic hellscape wormhole Piper like that...13 minutes on this one, it starts with a very melodic and downright feelgood bliss jam! This sucker is the ultimate in feel-good HOSE EXPLOSION JAMMING!!! If you want to hear them just absolutely ERUPT like a volcano coming out of a classic Harry Hood or something, this is the dang version for you! X Factor Hose Magic!!!! MUST HEAR!!! HOLY CRAP!!! ALL TIMER SCENTS!!! HOLY MOTHER OF ICCULUS THIS IS INCREDIBLE!! HOSE HOSE HOSE HOSE HOSE HOSE HOSE HOSE HOSE AND MORE HOSE WITH A HELPING OF HOSE ON THE SIDE!!! SCENTS AND NOT SO SUBTLE NICU STYLE HOSE!!!!

Lonely Trip - Is Lonely Trip. First encore. Great but nothing special.

First Tube - See above.



All in all....THAT PIPER AND THAT SCENTS!!!!! HOLY CRAP!!!! What a friggin show!!! The No Men and Free were excellent for any other show, but the Piper and Scents just wipe the floor with them. And then the damn shenanigans in the first set as well!!! This wasn't just the best show of 2021 so far, this was a CLASSIC show for ANY era! Anyone rating this less than 4.5 stars is deaf. Call me gobsmacked in the extreme!

 

2021-10-22 Phoenix, AZ

 Yet ANOTHER day home early due to rain, so I continue 2021 with 10/22 Phoenix...

10/22/21 Phoenix, AZ

Set 1

Julius - Excellent version to open. Strong enough to warrant a highlight. Very long, almost 10 minutes in length and full of energy tonight with that chill 2021 flavor undercutting it a tad bit. It's like a laid-back heat on this sucker. Great version, seriously!!!

Martian Monster - THIS IS AWESOME!!!! Like Julius, that chill 2021 vibe adds to this, giving this MM a uniquely laid-back and aquatic type of vibe about it. No face melting, just straight bliss paradise. I've never heard another like it and it's fantastic! Must hear!

>Soul Planet - Trey basically ripcorded that MM but it's ok because....18 minute Soul Planet!!! The jam begins immediately around the 3 minute mark! Trey doing those delay slashes before Fishman amps up the tempo with a strong rat-a-tat-tat groove. Mike is laying it down all over this while Trey lays back and lets Page solo. This soon evolves into Page on the piano while Trey is doing a blissful melodic motif.
---Then suddenly, around 7:45, the bliss subsides for a darker tone. Fishman is still going 1000mph on the drums and Trey is doing lots of great noodle work. Page is pounding the piano, playing off of Trey. This is a jam on a mission! Around 9 minutes, subtle robo FX start to appear, influencing the direction of the jam. Things are dark and kinda eerie. Fishman still blazing, Trey picks up the heat himself and starts ripping it up while Page goes absolutely ballistic on the piano. This is like a guided, heat-seeking missile on it's way to a deadly impact!!!
---Holy crap check out that Robo-delay peak around the 11 minute mark!!!!! Avoiding the inevitable impact and explosion, somehow the jam dies right down to a hazy blissfulness by the 12:30 mark. Synthesizers and robo FX are making their mark. This jam doesn't know what it wants to be, but I'm along for the ride!!! This lasts a while until around the 14:30 point when Trey returns to a more natural sound and the jam starts another slow build to a (hopefully) peak section. For sure, this time.
---By 16:30, the synths are blaring, the jam is shooting skywards, and the proverbial nuclear bomb is in the process of dropping. THIS IS FRIGGIN INCREDIBLE!!!! NUCLEAR ROBOT EXPLOSION!!!!! X FACTOR SOUL PLANET FRIGGIN MAGIC!!! HOLY MOTHER OF CHRIST WHAT IS GOING ON!!!! THIS IS MINDBLOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DUDE. DUDE......Sure it wasn't the Shoreline version, but it ended up damn well being the next best thing!

>My Friend My Friend - Genuine segue. How about that, eh?! Sure it's insane and spooky and scary, but after that Soul Planet it's a positive let down, lol.

Bouncing Around the Room - Is BATR. Finally some relief from all the grinding insanity!

Scent of a Mule - Yay! The rare Mule makes an appearance!

More - Is More. Very odd set placement that doesn't do it any favors. Good version but do I really need to highlight this? I mean, it's a fine version, but what version ain't?

>Ghost - And just as you think the set is done for, they whip out a 15 minute Ghost. Hell yes. A wonderful bliss-rager. Light on the funk, but it delivers in every other way. Not exactly must hear, but still a wonderful little Ghost. This is fantastic, there just isn't very much to actually say about it. It gets in it's "lane" and rides that road hard. A+++ little Ghost! It's basically 15 full-throttle minutes of blissful exuberance in the best way! DON'T SLEEP ON THIS GHOST! Terrific peak with a wonderful Julius reprise to tie it all together!!! X FACTOR MAGIC!!!


All in all...wow. Not perfect from start to finish, but there were multiple MAJOR moments in this set!!! Soul Planet and Ghost are hands-down must hear X Factor material, and the opening Julius and Martian Monster more than pack a punch. After Soul Planet the guys seem a little lost for how to one-up themselves and the set flounders, but it's never less than enjoyable. And HOLY CRAP THAT GHOST PEAK!

Great set, if slightly flawed!

Set 2

Loving Cup - Loving Cup to open a 2nd set?! That's new and exciting! Even better? It's hotter than the sun. Killer version! I mean, it's as hot as any other Loving Cup, so you know it's great! I probably don't truly need to highlight it, but know that it's another strong one!

Mike's Song - As with Julius and MM, the "2021 Chill Vibe" is present in full force on this. Not an all-timer or anything, but a very nice little version with some serious GROOVE (as it always should have!). You won't remember this tomorrow, but enjoy it while it's playing today.

>I Am Hydrogen - Great to get, rare as ever. Doesn't really need to be highlighted.

>Weekapaug Groove - Very nice and chill. See Loving Cup - a fine version that does the job but nothing to get overly excited about.

Everything's Right - Hell yes, a 26 minute version?! This better be great! The song itself is extra hot and loaded with an energy unusual for 2021 (you know what I mean). The jam begins and immediately drops into a darker kind of chill zone. Fishman keeping rhythm while Trey quietly does melodic noodles on top, Page answering Trey directly with his keys. This is absolutely wonderful, seriously.
---Around the 9 minute mark, the chill remains, but Fishman introduces a more driving rhythm. Trey finally breaks from the "noodling" around 10 minutes and the jam moves into a feel good area, more upbeat aquatic keys and nice melodic leads. The first signs of robo FX come around the 12:20 mark. Trey jumps on the robo honker and Page moves to the synthesizers. ---Things are getting dark again....The guys are being extremely patient, but never lacking for direction - THIS IS WHAT PERFECT JAMMING SOUNDS LIKE!!! Everyone doing their thing, moving the jam naturally, but never too quickly or impatiently!!!!
---By the 16 minute point, the jam is moving upwards once more, slowly becoming more upbeat without actually going into bliss. Trey is doing these sustained bends while Page is playing classy and suave over on the piano. Then, out of friggin nowhere, at 16:39, the rhythm changes again into something much more uptempo!!!!! The blaring synths come back out to play while Trey is using the robowah to great effect.
---THIS IS FRIGGIN INCREDIBLE!!! Seriously, this jam is SO good!!!!!!! On .NET, they say this section sounds like a jam that could have risen out of a Chalkdust Torture, and that is exactly correct. Then at 20:40 something changes once more and the jam moves into a genuinely blissful and downright cheery section! This is fantastic! Around the 24 minute mark, the blissful rock turns into a slightly latin, Twist-style groove before suddenly dropping out into a jazzy outro. The jam literally just fades out in the weirdest way. Killer....

WOW! Great jam! Doesn't top the Ruby Waves, but it comes close! A top 10 or 15 jam of the year, imo. DONT SKIP!!!!

>A Life Beyond the Dream - Great call out of the death of that jam. They could have played Sea of Stars too and it would have been great. Not really anything special - it sounds like every other one - but still killer.

Cities - Totally unexpected and feels weird coming out of Dream like that! Excellent Type I, but unfortunately way too short for its own good and comes to an end just as it should be lifting off.

>Harry Hood - Excellent reading of Hood tonight. Played tightly all around, the chill vibe of the night gives it a wonderful flavor in the "build up" section after the lyrics.The slow-build nature of the, well, build-up is terrific. I mean, they must take 7 or 8 minutes slowly working upwards bit by bit, taking their time, never lacking for ideas, just savoring every moment of this Hood. This Hood is terrific! Eventually it hits the peak before the "you can feel good" section and the song just friggin EXPLODES like a nuclear bomb! THIS HOOD IS MAGIC!!!!

Suzy Greenberg - Suzy is Suzy

Cavern - Is Cavern



All in all, a very uneven show with multiple MASSIVE peaks!!! In the first set, Julius, MM, Soul Planet and Ghost are what you need. In the 2nd set, really, just grab the incredible Everything's Right and the X Factor Harry Hood. Great show on the whole, but the 3.7 rating on .NET is pretty approrpriate.

2021-10-20 Eugene, OR

 Onwards with 2021 and Eugene night 2.

This setlist looks friggin ridiculous. A 20 minute Melt>EOS>Melt, a 30 minute Ruby, an opening Mr. Completely...

10/20/21 Eugene, OR

Set 1

Mr. Completely - 12 minute MC opener!!! Wow! Wonderful Type I playing throughout. Lots of great interplay between Page and Trey on this, resulting in a great bliss-rock exploration. Great stuff!!!! Things do get a tad "strange" in the final minute or so with some cool loops and stuff, but really, this is mostly type I.

Energy - Who saw this coming?! The #1 Trey song that Trey didn't write! Nearly 13 minutes on this sucker! Right away, the jam begins nice and chill, grooving like a mother. This jam is surprisingly on the dark side, late-night side of things. Poofy snythesizers and great bass FX while Trey does sweet melodic noodling. Around 7 minutes there is a subtle shift - Trey introduces a new melody line and Page moves over to the aquatic synths. Gordo keeps it funky and driving. Trey eventually moves on to this grindy kind of blissful type of playing and leads the band to a bliss-peak finale. This was super friggin' excellent!!! MUST HEAR!!!! THAT GRINDY PEAK WAS SICK!!!
And then it slowly dies with a soft fade out into....

>Timber - Oh yes. One of the best signs a show will be killer is Timber cropping up on the setlist! Great chill jamming on this one. Trey lets it rip on this one. This sucker builds into an absolute fury with the whole band just exploding. Holy crap that synth at 6:30 was PERFECTION!!! Then comes the final verse and they rage it to a close. This Timber was friggin' fantastic!!! MUST HEAR!!!

Casual Enlightenment - Yay, one of my least favorite Mike tunes....This sounds kinda awkward and tired and, well...boring. Yea. NEXT!

Divided Sky - Ah yes!!! Breathe that fresh life back into the set! Divided Sky is absolutely ridiculous tonight. A little sloppy in a few spots, but the back half is as full of x factor as a modern Divided Sky can possibly be. Holy crap, what a version.

Farmhouse - Holy crap this is the most DELICATE and beautiful version I've ever heard. Contender for GOAT Farmhouse. Seriously. Wow.

Split Open and Melt>End of Session>SOAM - Melt seems to have a hard time lifting off (well, breaking down). It gets stuck in a pleasant bliss area for a long time, complete with Divided Sky refrains. Very nice, but a tad middling and unsure at times. And then at the 10 minute mark Page comes in with these BLARING synths just bubbling up from the background. The jam stops cold and everyone seems confused on what to do, but quickly they get it together and use this as the prompt to go deeper. Love hearing Trey actively respond to the synths. It's as if Page said "Hey, guys, this is Melt. LETS DO SOMETHING WITH IT!". Finally, around the 12 minute mark, Page gives up on the synths and returns to piano. Oddly enough, the return to piano is finally what spurs on the rest of the guys and the jam begins to gather a head of steam. And then, just as the jam was finally reaching liftoff, they bring it back down again and go into only the 2nd ever End of Session! Wow! Then back out and into a clumsy outro for Melt...


All in all...wow what a set!! The entire thing was pretty much must hear. Just delete Casual Enlightenment, lol. Melt was not great in itself, but the weirdo x factor of it makes it a mandatory listen. This was possibly my favorite set of Fall 2021 so far (I have a feeling each show is getting better than the last!)

Set 2

AC/DC Bag -Excellent, raging Type I. Nothing that special but still totally excellent

Ruby Waves - 30 minute Ruby Waves! LETS GO!! The jam begins in a very nice and chill zone. Atmospheric background synthesizers behind Trey's melodic noodling. Around 9 minutes, the first major shift happens when Trey starts a new riff and the jam takes on a very aggressive nature. Still going at lightspeed, Page moves to the keys and away from the synths. By 13 minutes Trey has a new motif going and everyone is riffing off of it excellently. The X Factor is flowing. This is kick ass!!! GET IT!! ----Then all of a sudden at the 14 minute mark, the bottom falls out and the jam enters an interesting chill zone. Not bliss, it almost sounds like they could launch right into Number Line if they wanted to. In come the funky robo FX and loops. Page moves back to the synths while Trey quietly picks out a nice set of notes. This isn't a jam - it's a journey!
----This goes on for a long time and the jam starts to feel like something right out of summer 1999 or something. Everything is super quiet and mysterious. Around the 18 minute mark the guys begin to build themselves out of the hole they dug into. Trey back on melodic leads, Page on the keys, Fishman doing a great pulse kind of rhythm that Trey in turn plays off of. By 21 minutes the band is back on all cylinders and Trey is just tearing it up. This is one of the most organic sounding jams I've ever heard. Fantastic!
---Suddenly at the 22 minute mark, the rhythmic pulse keeps going, but the shredding comes to a close. Page introduces his THX synthesizer for a huge upwards "swell" and the jam completely changes on a dime!!! A brand new, ultra-funky robo groove develops, lead by Gordo's funky bass!!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!?! This transition was SO strange that you HAVE to hear it to understand what is going on!!! Suddenly we are in chill, late-night RoboFunk Land!! Outta nowhere!!! X FACTOR MAGIC! X FACTOR MAGIC! X FACTOR MAGIC!!!
---This goes for a long, glorious while. Interesting keyboard effects, Gordo thumping it up, Trey going NUTS with delay slashes and chords. This is so sick. Suddenly around 26:45 Trey introduces a new riff that almost sounds like he's teasing "Don't Doubt Me", but quickly Page comes in on some unique synths and the dark vibe gets a strange, yet uplifting quality to it. What is even going on anymore, this is incredible! Trey proceeds to do some nice melodic noodling atop Page's weirdo synths, but then the jam gets dark and fades to it's final conclusion....

WOW!!! That jam was INCREDIBLE! Absolutely a contender for one of the jams of the year, up there with the Deer Creek Simple and Blaze On or the Alpharetta Tweezer or Pelham Carini. Unbelievably fantastic. MUST HEAR YOU GUYS!!!!

>Lonely Trip - Lonely Trip is Lonely Trip but tonight it feels a bit special coming so perfectly out of THAT Ruby Waves. The perfect cooldown in the perfect spot.
Page's piano solo really hit me in the gut on this one and made me tear up, thinking about recently lost loved ones and the like...

>Golden Age - Normally I'm rough on GA, but this one is terrific. 16 minutes long, it gets a good jam treatment! The fun begins around the 8 minute mark when things take a decidedly more focused and slightly darker turn. This continues until the 12 minute mark when the drums completely stop. The whole band immediately sync up on a beat and groove TOGETHER. This is sick - THIS is what jamming is! The feel is now heading for bright and blissful. Around the 13 minute mark Page slowly introduces some synths and the jam starts to build back up. Trey doing a repeating chord motif while Page goes NUTS on the OUTER SPACE ROBO SYNTHS!!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE SYNTHS!!??!?? The jam is VERY chill and laid back, aside from those synthesizers going nuts!!! This is certainly UNIQUE!!!!! Wow, what a strange little Golden Age. Compare it to the Melt in set 1. Must hear! From there the jam fades out into...

>Backwards Down the Number Line - A surprisingly potent version full of energy and vigor from the get go!!! Nearly 11 friggin minutes long!!! Nothing absolutely must hear, but it rages hard (for a 2021 Number Line) and does not disappoint. Killer version!!! LONGEST HELD NOTE OF ALL TIME - NO JOKE, HE HOLDS THIS DAMN NOTE FOR ALMOST A MINUTE!!!!!

Wilson - First encore. Is Wilson.

SANTOS - Is SANTOS. Killer but not really must hear.


Ok, top to bottom, this was easily the best show of fall 2021 so far, imo. Almost the entire thing was highlight worthy. Melt and Golden Age were rather unique and Ruby Waves was a top 5 jam of the year contender for sure. An incredible show, easily better than night 1, imo. Wow!

2021-10-19 Eugene, OR

 Home again early from work, so on to the next 2021 show.

10/19/21 Eugene, OR

What the hell is this first set?!

Down With Disease - A friggin' 26 minute monster Disease as the show opener?! Yes, please!!! Let's get it out of the way - the song itself is way too chill for its own good, BUT, it does sound excellently played and performed. I can get down with this. "Mature Disease", if you will, haha. Things continue in the patient-if-boring Type I vein up through about the 10 minute mark. From there, Trey starts to play with some robo fx for a brief minute or two. Then around the 12 minute mark, the jam takes a focused turn towards a lovely round of chill bliss playing. Great stuff. Somewhere around the 14 minute mark the jam begins to slowly regain a head of steam. Trey playing patiently with loopers, Fishman going nuts on the kit. Page is on the keys again. The jam is back to a "type 1" Disease style rock and roll jam. All this changes again when things finally start to get funky around 16:30. Trey turns on the robo FX loops again and everyone gets their funk FX going. Hell yes. By the 18 minute point, the jam is cooling off again quickly, but the robo funk FX remain. We are firmly in Type II. They spend the next few minutes half-assedly going into outer space, not really committing fully, before Trey kills his FX and they turn back to blissful, melodic playing around the 21 minute mark. The final minute or so see the jam getting pretty gnarly again, escaping the bliss. You think they are going to take it far into the black hole this time, but alas it's not to be....Hmm, I'm undecided on this Disease. I know we all can't get what we want, but like the Set Your Soul Free from San Fran, this still just didn't feel all that great despite the length. A lot to like, sure, but not much to LOVE. Still, A+++++ for effort. It's a friggin' 26 minute Disease - it's must-hear no matter the quality.

>Runaway Jim - Hey, the didn't end Disease! Jim is friggin FANTASTIC tonight!!! MORE HEAT ON THIS FACE MELTING JIM THAN THE ENTIRETY OF THAT COLD-ASS DISEASE!!! MUST HEAR!!! KILLER!!! WOW!

Ocelot - Terrific version. Had our song about a dog, so why not the song about a cat as well? As great as any other great rendition. Killer!! No, seriously, this thing rips.

>Rift - Page absolutely tears it up on this sucker. Overall it's not perfect, but considering it's modern Phish track record, this one probably belongs in the upper eschelon of recent versions!! Very strong overall!

Horn - Is Horn. Great but doesn't really need to be highlighted.

Ya Mar - Not my favorite version. Vocally very fun "play one for your grandpa, Leo!!!". It's pretty slow and rather disjointed sounding. Others will love it, but I personally didn't really care for this one. Still, good solo from Page as always.

Stash - Up next...a friggin 16 minute Stash! To quote the Jam Chart: "Moves out of the typical tightly-wound "Stash" jam into an upbeat and almost tropical groove, then moves into a stomping classic rock mode with some standout play from Fish and Trey....". That about sums it up perfectly. A wonderful Stash that takes you on a bit of a journey without straying TOO far from home. Killer.

***Following Stash, Trey takes a few emotional minutes to speak about the people that fell in San Fran and whatnot....

Walls of the Cave - To close the set, of course. The intro is pretty rough. Thankfully they pull it together quickly and turn in an absolute SCORCHER to close the set. Maybe not must-hear, but it'll melt your face all the same!


All in all, a mixed bag of a set. A lot to like but I was disappointed by the Disease. Stash, Jim, Ocelot and Disease are all still must-hear though. A great, if uneven, set.

Set 2

Twist - 15 minute Stash to open set 2. Proceeds as usual until the 5 minute mark when things start to get dark and growly!!! AGGRESSIVE ROBO TWIST!!! Out come the loops and the robo wah fx. This eventually subsides and they slide perfectly into a more "classic rock" type of feel. Still with hints of the latin-flavor Twist themes, but more straightforward now. Very cool stuff!!! The patience is working in their favor this time - nobody is lacking for direction or pulling their punches. This powerful rock flavor persists until around the 12 minute mark. Suddenly things start to shift towards RoboBliss. Loopers are set once more but the rhythms are staying funky. This is sick. It's like it's caught half in Type 1 and half in Type 2. I'd call this jam must-hear. Felt way more "cohesive" and overall rewarding than the opening Disease. EVERYBODY DO THE ROBOT TWIST! Then suddenly Trey reintroduces the Twist riff and the fun is over....

Blaze On - Terrific type 1 reading. It is worthy of a highlight, but this was better suited to set 1 if I'm being honest. Still, another killer type 1 Blaze. Trey is hitting all the right notes with his soloing. Perfection. Around the 7 minute mark, it takes a turn towards a very chill and more dark kind of area, but alas, with only two minutes to go, they don't get to explore the Type II all that much. A minute and a half of darker chill bliss is nice, but we needed more, dang it! But that's actually ok, because they start to get rhythmic and all of a sudden, out of friggin nowhere, we get a segue into....

>Plasma - Hell yes! THAT SEGUE WAS THE BEES KNEES!! Right away, Plasma gets dark and watery. The darkness they didn't pursue in Blaze On comes back with a vengeance. Very cool section. They move in and out, never going TOO deep, but teetering on the brink of going for it. Great stuff. This Plasma is short but pretty must-hear, imo. Unfortunately, the jam dies way too soon and we go into...

>Leaves - If I didn't love this song dearly, I would complain to high heaven about the Plasma jam getting axed for this. Hey, if ya gotta cut short Plasma to get another Leaves, I'm fine with it! Gorgeous and powerful as ever, this is just great. Seriously, Trey goes nuts on this. Powerful and majestic and just all kinds of ass-kicking. A+!!!
Wow....

I Never Left Home - Debut and only version played so far to my knowledge. Sounds great and it gives the set a unique sense of flow coming out of Leaves like that. This should kill the set in its tracks, but it doesn't. Really gives a sense of "journey" to the proceedings! Freaking sick psychedelic jam in the back half - no, seriously, this jam is where it's at. This is must-hear. Synths and loops abound. Killer!!!

Sparkle - Yup, the set is dead, lol

>2001 - Yup, that was a segue!!! Almost 14 minutes on this sucker, wow! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. MUST HEAR. X FACTOR MAGIC. BEST 2001 IN FRIGGIN YEARS!! GO HEAR THIS NOW!!! THEY ACTUALLY JAM IT!!! AND ITS AMAZING!

>Sigma Oasis - See 2001. THIS IS FRIGGIN FANTASTIC!! HOLY CRAP THIS IS THE GREATEST SIGMA IVE EVER HEARD!!!!!! A+++ MUST HEAR!!!! KICKS SO MUCH TAIL!!!!

Drift While You're Sleeping - How could they possibly encore with anything else on such an emotionally charged night? Killer version - LOVE WILL CARRY US THROUGH!!!


All in all, set 1 was a mixed bag, but set 2 was fantastic from start to finish. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY is the name of the game for this set. It felt like a constructed album, each song perfect in it's unexpected place. A total journey from start to finish. Fantastic set - honestly, for as strange as it looks as a playlist, it might be my favorite set of the fall tour so far!!

2021-10-17 San Francisco, CA

 On to night two of San Fran 2021

10/17/21 San Francisco, CA

Set 1

Bug - Very rare Bug show opener! Not my pick, but I guess it sets the mood. Great version but not worth a highlight. Bug is Bug.

My Soul - Gets us up and moving after the slow-burn Bug to open. Not really worth a highlight either, but it's kickass as ever. Page wails for a while and then Trey comes up the back and tears our heads off as expected. Great stuff.

Back On the Train - Now I know there were complaints with the setlist by this point, lol. Absolutely stellar A+ version as usual, but this one is definitely worth a highlight. Terrific jam interplay between EVERYONE. It's super cool to hear Page and Trey playing off of each other and Fishman reacting directly to what they are doing. BOTT's don't get much better. Great stuff! Also, this sucker is nearly 10 minutes long and basically goes Robot Type II around the 7 minute mark. Absolutely must-hear!!! Grimy and dark and gritty! Super cool!

Maze - Maze is up next and is unnaturally chill, as is the way of 2021 Phish. Overall, it's an excellent Maze and nothing to sneeze at, but neither is it anything all that impressive. Not really up to the highlight standard, if you will. Maze needs more FIRE, dang it!

Steam - Steam is terrific tonight. 13 MINUTES ON THIS SUCKER!!! Wow, when is the last time they took Steam for a ride like this?!?!?!??! DUDE, THIS SUCKER GOES FULL BLOWN TYPE 2!!!!! OUTER SPACE BLIP BLOOP ROBOT STEAM!!! WHAT THE HELL!!! THIS IS SICK!!!! MUST HEAR!!!
After a while, the robo space subsides and Trey peaks us out. Dude, this was a damn space adventure!!!!

Destiny Unbound - I guess nothing special overall but pretty good nonetheless. See Bug and My Soul.

Beauty of a Broken Heart - My favorite Page song!!! Killer version that rocks pretty good.

Reba - Very strong version tonight. Trey basically hits all his spots, he's just playing too quietly. Excellent solo. Don't sleep on this little Reba, it's a winner!!!

I Never Needed You Like This Before - HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP WHERE HAS THIS FIRE BEEN ALL SET?!?!?! THIS IS FANTASTICAL!!! 2023-WORTHY!!!! HOLY CRAP BURN DOWN THE FRIGGIN HOUSE!!!!!!


All in all, a very enjoyable set, but one that seemed to have a hard time building any head of steam (no pun intended) for most of its duration. Nothing wrong with that, but the Bug opener definitely sets the tone. Still, BOTT, Steam and definitely INNYLTB all turned in absolutely MUST HEAR renditions that you need to hear. Reba and Beauty were excellent as well, if not quite to the same level. A strong B+ set, imo.

 

Set 2 - FOUR SONG 2nd SET?!?!?!?!

Evolve - Only the 2nd version of it ever played at this point. Very nice but about as good as the stuff in set 1. Great to hear!

Set Your Soul Free - Holy hell, a 26 minute version?! This better be good! Around 3:45 the jam begins real nice and chill. Some sparing use of delay, but Trey is just being patient and picking his spots to jump in and out. Laaaaiiiiddddd baaaacccckkkkk. Unfortunately, soon Trey is laying back too much, stuck in that "not sure what to do" zone for a minute or 2.
---By the 9 minute mark, we are still languishing in this uber-chill blissful area, not really making any forward momentum. FINALLY, around the 10 minute mark, Page turns up the piano pounding and begins to lead the jam into a more reflective but powerful kind of area. A really nice descending piano motif exists for a bit before we start going into "type 1 rock and roll".
---At 12:21, the synthesizers make their appearance and the jam is firmly into Type II. Blissful Synth Heaven. Trey is on the robo wah while Page moves in and out with the synths, doing great "wash" work. Then, out of nowhere, setting a squealing looper around the 14:45 mark, the jam takes a turn towards darkness! Things get pretty "growly" on the guitar front for a couple unimpressive minutes.
---At 18:45, the jam takes yet another turn. Trey sets a robo loop and we move into weirdo Bliss Heaven once more. All strange blip-bloop and robot effects. Trey is still doing nothing of note, listen to this for Page. He must use every friggin' preset he has on his synths during this!!! By 21 minutes the jam has completely broken down. We are now in the scariest, blip-bloopiest robot hellscape you will ever hear. Basically, this now sounds like some avant garde Zappa insanity!!! Holy hell! CARNIVAL ROBOT HELL!
---Finally at the 23 minute mark, Fishman gets tired of the noise and re-introduces the drums giving some kind of structure back to this insane quagmire of insanity!!! Somehow, magically, around the 24 minute point, we make a grand return to the SYSF chorus and end this monster...

Um....that was definitely not my favorite jam, but I'll be damned if that wasn't the epitome of the 2021 Type 2 style in a massive nutshell. Honestly, Trey sounded downright bored for the most part and this jam was kinda "running on fumes" until it got dark around the 18 minute mark. I definitely think this is probably overrated for the insanity that follows because the first 2/3 of this just did not cut the mustard. But the final 6 or 7 minutes were damn ridiculous. The most robotic synthesizer meltdown I've ever heard this side of a 2023 Split Open and Melt.....

Wingsuit - HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS IVE EVER HEARD!!! THIS IS FANTASTIC!!! No joke, one of the most incredible Wingsuits ever played. EVERYONE is just BRINGING it!!! Page is murdering his piano in the most gorgeous of ways and Trey is peaking it harder than a burst water valve!!! Holy crap on a cracker!!! AND IT ENDS WITH THE POWER DRILL!

>Chalkdust Torture - And into a nearly 24 minute Chalkdust! They rage it pretty good in the chill-rock tradition of the evening until around the 8 minute mark when they shift into Type II. Page on synths and chill keys while Trey plays with the robo wah. Very cool stuff. Around the 10 minute mark a new rhythmic pattern emerges. Trey honking it up with the RoboWah going nuts. Eventually by about 14 minutes they move back into a "type 1" bliss rock feel, as if Chalkdust never ended. Absolutely monolithic peakage occurs around 15:30!!!!! Look out!!! Thankfully they keep it going and hit ANOTHER absolutely MASSIVE peak around 17:45!!!!!!! Holy crap, hold on to your hats!!! AND AGAIN AT 19:30!!!! PEAK AFTER PEAK AFTER PEAK AFTER MOTHER EFFING PEAK!!! HOLY CRAP THIS IS FACE MELTING!!!! YES!! GET IT!!!! LETS GO!!!!! And from there they just rage it to a conclusion. They barely went type II in this, but who cares when you're getting your face ripped off like that for 20+ minutes!!!

Lawn Boy - First encore. Is Lawn Boy.

Wolfman's Brother - 14 minutes on this. Wolfman is great. It funks along as usual until about the 6:30 mark. The song fades out but Page keeps going. Slowly everyone else comes back and the beat starts to build the song back from the ground up!!! Super friggin cool!!! From here the song rages to a climactic conclusion. A++++ stellar Wolfy!!!


All in all, I gotta say I'm not sold on Set Your Soul Free, but it's absolutely must hear for the sheer sonic ridiculousness of it. Wingsuit and Chalkdust were the true winners, imo. Wingsuit was a GOAT contender and Chalkdust was everything you want out of a great one, amplified by 100. They turned the knob to "11" and ripped it off. And the Lawn Boy/Wolfman encore is the icing on the cake.

Not my favorite show at all, but you can't deny the strength of the highlights!!!

 

  

2021-10-16 San Francisco, CA

 Off work again today due to weather. Resuming Fall 2021. If anyone recalls, I heard the 10/15 Sacramento show then promptly aborted mission to hear the 6 "COVID" TAB shows (4 with Fishman), then I got through 2023 in prep for my trip to New York, so....

Back on the 2021 wagon with 10/16/21 San Francisco today

10/16/21 San Francisco, CA

Set 1

Possum - To open. Great stuff. Terrific as always. Possum is Possum, and Possum destroys. 'Nuff said. No need to highlight it, but it's great.

Halley's Comet - The song itself is a dang powerhouse tonight. The guys sound INTO IT! The jam gets going hot. Trey even kicks on the RoboHonker Deluxe around 6 minutes for some excellent robotic soloing! I wouldn't say this Halley's is must-hear (it's too short for that, honestly), but what's hear is killer. Awesome stuff. ROBO HALLEY! I mean, it gets going good to where they take it Type II, only for Trey to abandon ship and force a segue into 46 Days.....

>46 Days - Cool jam on this. It gets robotic quick, and instead of burning down the house, they take it to a chill area instead. Kinda unique for 46 Days. Really great use of the "bullfrog" throughout. Gets kinda dark. Around 5 minutes, Trey sets a bullfrog loop then proceeds to wah pedal solo atop it. Wonderful Mike in the mix on this, really bombing it up. This is sick - it's like a chill, dark-space 46 Days. This is killer. Go read the jam-chart reading on this - it sums it up perfectly. SPOOKY SCARY ROBO NIGHTTIME 46 DAYS. MUST HEAR! Then the darkness subsides and we close the song with a wonderfully uplifting, feel-good chillout. Wow.

>Slave to the Traffic Light - Wow. First set Slave! Didn't see that coming! And that was a great segue as well! The solo begins rather unimpressivley but by the end you'll be going "dang, Trey, get it!!". One of the best recent Slaves for sure and it doesn't overstay it's welcome either! NICE!

Simple - 12 minutes on this sucker, and in the middle of the first set?! Around 7 minutes, the Simple "bliss" turns into a driving rock and roll stomp. Page on piano going all honky-tonk on us. Fishman and Trey keeping things locked down rhythmically beneath him. This is different! This goes on for a long time, before slowly turning a bit funky. Around 10 minutes, Trey jumps on the SuperRoboWah 5000 and begins honking it up like there's no tomorrow before going back to a regular tone for some excellent noodling. This is killer. I'd call this must-hear. It's a lot like 46 Days - deviates from the norm and doesn't last too long at the same time. Sick stuff.

Shade - Is Shade. See Possum. Good stuff as always.

Winterqueen - Perfect placement out of Shade, imo. Does a great job staying chill but also getting the "power" back up slowly in preparation for the next tune. Awesome version. Like Roggae or Moma, is Winterqueen ever NOT fantastic?! Seriously, stellar set placement. The way it just rises out of Shade is *chef's kiss*. Really awesome full-band interplay on this - the whole band acting as one unit. It's not just a solo outfit for Trey tonight. A+++++ Winterqueen!!!!

Meat - See Winterqueen. Stellar, A+ version

Run Like An Antelope - to close. See Possum.



All in all, a very strong set for the most part. Pretty chill overall, but they went out there good on both 46 Days and Simple. Halley flirted with it but didn't truly deliver, but Winterqueen and Meat were both must-hear as well. So, basically, Simple, Slave, 46 Days, Winterqueen and Meat are what you need from the set.

Good stuff!  

Set 2

Holy crap, this looks like a beast!

Bathtub Gin - A rare 2nd set opening version tonight, nearly 18.5 minutes in length! Typical Gin jamming until around the 7 minute mark. Things start to get more driving in feel. You can tell they are gonna go deep. Around the 10 minute mark, this driving feel gets a blissful element to it. Things have become decidedly cheerful! They spend the next few minutes in this zone, very slowly increasing the abstractness of it, Trey slowly sneaking in robo FX and loops, etc. Around the 13 minute point, Page jumps back to the piano and the jam develops a more rock and roll, Type 1 kind of feel again. Then around 15:30 Trey goes back to the robo fx and the jam starts to dive back into barrelling-through-outer-space Type II once more. From here they do another cool slow wind down and end the song, going into a cool segue into...

That was not my favorite Gin. It did a lot, but didn't really do any of it all that well, if that makes any sense. Nothing wrong with it, but it never had a "blow you away" moment at all. Very underwhelming despite everything it did accomplish. Still definitely worthy of a highlight, but there are far stronger Gins out there.

>Everything's Right - 11 minutes on this. Off the rip, ER sounds way more enthused than Gin did. The chill vibe is replaced with a fiery energy lacking in the Gin. Hell yes. This sucker rocks hard! Trey proceeds to absolute tear it up, ripping our damn faces off, doing a wonderful sustained note of the gods in the process. Hell yes. The x factor is flowing hard on this one tonight. No, seriously, this thing is DESTRUCTIVE!!! Trey is ripping it up all evil-like, like we're back at those 6 COVID TAB shows!!!!! Then, all of a sudden, at the 10 minute mark, the jam dissolves into a watery bliss, sending the song on it's wow....WOW!! THIS WAS MUST HEAR!!! HOT DAMN!!!!

>Frankie Says - Perhaps the first "wtf?!" jam of Fall 2021, we get a massive 17 minute Frankie Says!! First version in 5 years and obviously must hear. Also, that segue!!! The jam start slow and low before evolving into a major key bliss bananza. Then around the 8 minute point the jam backs off and turns into a funkier kind of thing. Trey vamping it up on the wah with super tasteful delay thrown in for good measure. Sick delay! This turns into the sickest RoboFunk wah jam you've ever heard until around 14 minutes when it gets real low and dirty, like a great Death Don't Hurt Very Long jam or something. Stylistically, this is right out of the crazier moments of those "Jon Fishman's Almost TAB" shows from before the tour began!! This is X FACTOR MAGIC!!! MUST HEAR IN THE EXTREME!!! Things stay in this low and GRIMY area for a good while, and there are plenty of Bathtub Gin teases from Trey and Mike!!!! Then at 16 minutes a brand new Bathtub Gin jam appears out of nowhere and leads this psychedelic masterpiece to a refreshing and complete close!!

DUDE!!! THAT WAS FRIGGIN INCREDIBLE!!! GO LISTEN TO THAT NOW!!!! THAT WAS AMAZING!!!

>The Wedge - Is The Wedge. Nice breather. See Possum or Winterqueen. Terrific as always! Trey tears it up. For the sake of not highlighting everything, I won't highlight this, but it's every bit as worthy as anything else in this show. Fantastic.

The Moma Dance - 13 minute Moma to end the set!!!!! This sucker rages so hard that Fishman even throws in a couple "IM A MONKEY" teases from "Monkey Man" for good measure!! This is absolutely destructive!!! Moma is always must-hear, but this one especially so!!! HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP ITS NUCLEAR LETS GO!!!!!

Carini - Very first Carini encore!!! And the only one until 12/29/23!! ABSOLUTELY EPIC!! ONE OF THE JAMS OF THE YEAR!!! A multi-part, Type II MASTERPIECE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!! X FACTOR MAGIC DEFINED!! WHERE DID THIS COME FROM!??!?!?!


All in all...holy crap that second set!!! Gin was a nice warmup, but ER showed they had the heat in their arsenal. Things got turned up 20 notches jam-wise with the incredible Frankie Says and the nuclear meltdown Moma Dance before the "this was probably the best thing played so far in 2021" Carini. Set 1 had its strong points, but honestly? You can probably just skip straight to set two!!!

My god, what a set!!!!