1997-06-16 London, UK

  New Onwards with Europe, Summer 1997!

After the two ramshackle Dublin gigs, we get the first "classic-looking" gig of the tour. At least on paper, this show looks like a beast. The placement of the songs looks about perfect, imho. Slightly "eh" AUD on this one. Excellent and clear with more bass and mid than Dublin #2, but the drums are unfortunately rather distant with a "pillowy" sound to them. Other than that it's a great AUD!

6/16/97 London, UK - the Royal Albert Hall!!!

Set 1 -

The Squirming Coil - Not a fan of it as opener, but I gotta admit this is a very strong version and ticks all the boxes. The slow ascent of the tune as it slowly builds is a great way to open the gig.

Dogs Stole Things - Fine version, but at least we are getting it over with early.

Taste - Excellent 10 minute version with a very patient jam that slowly builds to a great peak explosion. Great stuff. No seriously, this is an exceptional Taste! Don't miss it!!!

Water In the Sky - Still the slow, country/western arrangement. Very nice.

Sample In a Jar - Sample is Sample. Good stuff but nothing special.

Beauty of My Dreams - Is Beauty

Theme From the Bottom - Merely ok. Never seems to gel and is overall surprisingly on the sloppy side. Nice ending but not a standout.

Chalkdust Torture - Nothing truly special, but this is a primo, Type 1, classic Chalkdust. Tears your face off in the best way. Killer. This kicks so much ass and is way better than it has any right to be. 10/10 Type 1 meltdown Chalkdust!

Wolfman's Brother - 12 minutes on this sucker, it's yet another 1997 winner!!! What a terrific year for Wolfman, eh?! This one never leaves Type I, but sure does stretch it to it's limits. They take this as far out as you can go with Type I and just ride that ledge without ever jumping off. A stellar, funkadelic outing. Not as great as the Dublin version from 6/13, but it holds its own!

Olivia's Pool - Is Olivia's Pool.

And with that, set 1 comes to a close. All in all, this wasn't the barnburner I had hoped for, but there were 3 or 4 pretty solid highlights. As mentioned, Taste was terrific and both Chalkdust and Wolfy turned in downright smashing renditions. Basic, but good stuff.

 

 After a very "1996" first set, set 2 looks more in line with the Dublin shows...

Set 2

Limb By Limb - Good, strong version but not really worthy of a highlight. Kinda follows in the same footsteps as Wolfman - a strong Type 1 version that toes the line, but it's overall just a bit less impressive. Fine set opener and fine version but nothing special, really.

Ghost - Only 11 minutes on this sucker. This sucker is BRUTALLY funky!! Seriously, this is up there with the funkiest music played by the band so far this year! This one is pure "1997", baby!!!! Fantastic! The best music played so far this show, easily! Must hear! Very cool quasi-metal jam at the end!

>I Don't Care - After Ghost melts down, the song winds its way into a heavier zone leading into this sucker. Played only 3 times, this is the debut and it's more of a curio than anything "proper", I guess. Kinda like "NO2" coming out of something else. Or "Catapult". You get the picture. Very interesting and the transition into it was one of the finest you'll ever hear!

>Reba - Outta friggin' nowhere like whiplash, Reba comes and saves us from the strange little psych-metal ditty. Love the crowd clapping along to this - never heard that before! They absolutely BLAZE through the composed section at lightspeed and do it with nary a flub in sight. Killer! VERY LONG solo on this, nearly 10 minutes. As with the intro, the crowd begins clapping along to the solo. This is so choice it's not even funny! Perfectly enough, this is Jam Charted and it definitely deserves it. The jam begins in a super quiet mode before building back up and then getting into some funky territory. X Factor Magic Reba, this is amazing!! MUST HEAR MUST HEAR MUST HEAR!!!! Uniqueness for the win!!!!

Wading In the Velvet Sea - Perfect set placement out of Reba. Good stuff.

Dirt - Little one-two ballad punch. Doesn't top the Dublin version but any version is great to hear!

Harry Hood - Set closer perfection. Extremely slow build on this one like a great David Bowie or something. Doesn't top my lauded Burlington '97 version but I'd say it comes close. This is friggin' terrific.

Cities - 2nd since Hamburg back in March! Very nice, a solid 5 minutes of funky grooving.

Poor Heart - To close?! Beats another Rocky Top!

All in all, set 2 was a definite triumph. It absolutely topped the first set and delivered the goods. The Ghost>I Don't Care>Reba trifecta is the definition of must-hear and the Harry Hood is X Factor Magic Supreme. Not an all time classic set or show, but enjoy it for what it is and you won't be disappointed. A solid 4.0-level show, imho. It never really transcends, but it drives SO WELL in it's singular lane that you can't complain.