2019-07-10 Uncasville, CT - 2024 revisit

 7 10 19 Uncasville #2

Set 1

Always a good sign to get a Buried Alive opener. Shockingly raging version, this one belongs in the must hear pile! Wow!!!!

Cavern into the first Dogs Stole Things since the Dozen follow. Good stuff. Then a VERY strong reading of Sugar Shack - flawless!!!

And then, holy crap on a cracker, the duo of Stash and the greatest Wingsuit ever played.

Stash is 13 minutes of jammed out perfection. Must hear.

But this friggin Wingsuit!!! HOLY MOTHER OF SWEET BABY JESUS! THIS IS PURE, BEAUTIFUL ANNIHILATION!!!! ALL OF MY MUST HEAR!!! IVE HEARD SOME GOOD ONES BUT THIS ONE SLAYS THEM ALL!!!!!!!!!

ALL HAIL OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, THE 7 10 19 WINGSUIT!!!!

Limb By Limb and Gumbo bring us back to earth. Both solid but nothing special.

Stray Dog rocks surprisingly hard but the next must hear is Steam! Its absolutely MOLTEN!!! Truly a must hear rendition!!!!

A strong Bowie closes the set. Really good version!

All in all, Burid Alive, Steam, Stash and Wingsuit are the must haves. This was a great set, if a slight step down from night 1. Rarities galore, but the flow was all over the place. Still very strong but a bit on the chill side. 

Set 2

Solid Party Time opener and a hot CDT get us going. CDT has a great, must hear jam, only its too damn short and gets cut early!! Same goes for the raging Ruby Waves that follows.

FRUSTRATING!!!!

Thankfully they calm down with Seven Below and actually let themselves jam for a solid 7 or 8 excellent minutes. Good stuff.

Unfortunately Stealing Time stops the set dead in its tracks. Good version but terrible placement.

Stealing Time space gives way to ambient type 2 before Trey starts the slow build into a raging Piper. Piper is very strong and worth a listen and the jam eventually winds up turning into a full-blown Ruby waves reprise.

None of this is exactly totally must hear but it's all very very cool.

Strong IAWITW into Drift closes the set.

Very nice encore - the Saw>Kung>Saw is must hear.

All in all an enjoyable listen. There was a lot of greatness, it was just spread too damn thin! It was like a little of this, a little of that when you really wanted a big helping of one thing. Very kinda disjointed show, but the highlights are worth it.

For set 2, Chalkdust and the encore are my picks. Maybe Piper.

2019-07-09 Uncasville, CT - 2024 revisit

 Back to 2019 this morning

7 9 19 Uncasville

Set 1

It begins with the spectacular, must hear duo of the return of Energy straight into a 9 minute Weekapaug!!! Energy goes a solid type 1.5 and Weekapaug is terrific. Truly some great X Factor stuff!!

An ultra slinky Moma is next. Super dynamic and full of extra mustard. Another must hear.

Then we go into Maze preceeded by Lengthwise! Maze is strong for the era if not entirely essential.

The following Petrichor is really excellent. Its performed nearly flawlessly and is TIGHT. As with Moma, very dynamic and nuanced. Is any Petrichor must hear? Eh, maybe, but this would probably qualify.

After a rare Things People Do we get a standard Sample. Really excellent, actually, but nothing essential.

Massive 15 minute Gin to close the set!!! Gin is groovy and relaxed, taking its time, until eventually it gains traction and positively explodes to a finale. Not essential but still excellent.


All in all this was an absolutely terrific set!!! Great playing, excellent flow and set "construction", this felt like a Bakers Dozen set or something. Not a weak link in the chain! 

Set 2

11 minute Soul Planet to open. Soul Planet is killer, spending most of its time in a bluesy kind if Type 2. Must hear! Eventually the jam starts to shift naturall and we get....

A perfect segue into the Ghosts song Wider!!!!! What the hell!!! That was some X Factor Magic!!!! And Wider is awesome, sounding great off the rip and going Type 2 itself!!!!!

THAT WAS FRIGGIN INCREDIBLE!!!!! WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?!?!?

And out of Wider with another A+ segue, this time into Undermind! Absolutely must hear Type 1 rager. Get it Page!!!! Following a terrific The Final Hurrah, we receive one of the greatest jams of 3.0 - this 16.5 minute Sea of Stars.

So Beneath a Sea of Stars is one of those indescribable x factor jams tonight. Multiple sections, beautiful and terrifying all at once. Constantly on the verge of collapse yet never falling apart.....

Incredible.

And the following Ghost is no slouch. 11 minutes, this one actually deviates and gets into a great uptempo groove. Definitely different than most recent ones! Then Trey sees his chance and they launch into a full blown Weekapaug reprise!!! FREAKING SICK!!!

The jam then resumes and they segue/launch into Birds of a Feather!!!! Nearly 12 minutes on this one as well. Chaotically ramshackle, this one shreds hard and teeters on collapse throughout. Its worth a listen - a definite thrillride!

After a beautiful Waste, a solid Golgi closes the set.

Inspired encore of Foam, Contact and the obligatory More.

My friggin golly what a show!!!! I always remembered this one sticking out and for good reason. Top 2 or 3 show of the tour, easily.

The Energy>Weekapaug, Moma Dance, Soul Planet>Wider>Undermind and Beneath a Sea of Stars are all must hear, essential listening!!!

Bonus points to Birds and Foam

2019-07-06 Boston, MA - 2024 revisit

 7 6 19 Boston in the truck today

Not much to say - the rain delay show with set break removed.

Its pretty clear where "set 1" and "set 2" begin and end, however.

"Set 1" is strong overall with good flow and great song choices. Thread and Mound both make pretty good appearances.

Wolfman and About to Run are both explosive versions that are truly must hear. Both are a big cut above.

Set Your Soul Free is terrific. 14 minute type 2 adventure, it feels twice its length and delivers for the duration. Must hear.

"Set 2" is an exercise in frustration. Disease has strong jamming but is a hair below, so to speak.

Simple threatens dark type 2 only to be the victim of an abominable ripcord into a weakish Number Line

46 Days has a great mini bliss jam but is way too short to call mandatory.

Split Open and Melt is a great one. This one goes on the must hear list.


All in all, this was actually a very enjoyable listen and it plays better than youd think. Unfortunately ripcords and flow problems cause set 2 to falter where set 1 succeeded. The definition of a mixed bag show.

Grab:
Wolfman
About to Run
Set Your Soul Free
Split Open and Melt

2019-07-05 Boston, MA - 2024 revisit

 7 5 19 Boston

Set 1

A must hear Free opens proceedings. An absolute sledgehammer melt your face version. Must hear!!!!! No, seriously, this was exceptional. Holy crap.

A red hot Blaze On is perfect in the 2nd slot keeping the party going nicely. Another must hear - this one is PERFECT and HOT!

The following 10 minute Tube is must hear. EXCEPTIONAL VERSION!!! MASSIVE PEAKAGE!!!! MUST HEAR!!!

A lovely and super rare Brian and Robert gives us a nice reprieve. Great version too!

Solid Halfway into a strong Ocelot. Not must hear but very strong. Same for the Rift that follows. Rift is executed close to perfectly! Awesome!

11 min Everythings Right into Runaway Jim to close the set. ER is must hear. A+ dark funk nighttime jamming on this sucker. Groovy! This then patiently moved into a slow build bliss peak section. X factor magic!!! This is friggin spectacular!!!!! Holy crap!!!!!! MUST HEAR!!!!!

Clunky ripcord segue into Runaway Jim, but points for creativity. Ends the set. Nice little jam. Good version but not essential. Massive peak though!

All in all, this was another great listen! Free, Blaze On, Everythings Right and that insane Tube are the must hear highlights. Nary a weak spot but that is the good stuff!

  

Set 2

11 minute Sand to open! It delivers exactly as youd expect. Killer version. Strong but inessential. Same for the following Axilla.

Then comes the Big Mama Bahama - a 20 minute Mercury! Jams nicely for a while before they suddenly move into a very dark and heavy area. Sick. Wonderful interplay between Gordo and Trey, everyone playing off one another. Slowly the darkness then moves into a swirling kind of bliss. Synths and power drill cone out to play. We get a kind of anti peak whereupon the jam drifts into dark ambience and kind of fades itself to a conclusion.

Absolutely must hear Mercury!!! That was like an adventure. Best one of the summer so far, hands down (though Camden was great!).

A wonderful Velvet Sea rises from the ashes of Mercury. Absolutely perfect placement. Does its job and delivers. The pair definitely work great together!

We bring the set to a conclusion with the fiery trio of Fuego, SANTOS and C Zero. All great versions that kill. Odd encore of Bug and Coil. Pages piano outro is always a thing of beauty though, eh?

Set 2 was great. One big highlight pretty much. The Mercury>Velvet Sea is the must hear material, but its all gravy. This was another strong show. Overall maybe a hair slighter than Saratoga 2, but only just.

2019-07-03 Saratoga, NY - 2024 revisit

 Onwards with the dump truck 2019 relisten this morning.

7 3 19 Saratoga

Smashing first set. An exceptional Fluffhead followed by a nearly flawless Guyuute is one of the greatest opening duos ever. Both are must hear by 2019 standards.

Martian Monster is hot but Steam is volcanic. Another one for the highlight list.

As is Llama. Llama is MUST HEAR. Holy crap, Trey goes insane and the whole thing is absolutely ridiculous. A+++ Llama.

The set kinda takes a step sideways. until its conclusion from here. Poor Heart is great and Crazy Sometimes is very welcome. Page is killer on this. Great version.

After Silent, we get the first Sleep since 2011 and a strong Drift to close (probably the strongest yet).

All in all this set was a great listen, even with the lull in the back half. Llama, Steam, Fluff and Guyuute are all must hear. Very strong set!  

Set 2

A 13+ min No Men to open set 2! Ultra funky and nimble playing on this one. This one sounds absolutely fantastic. Great up tempo chillout section in the middle. Then somehow it morphs into something slightly darker and heavier in the back half before raging to a wonderful bliss rock almost-conclusion.
Thr bliss gives way and they spend almost 3 minutes in a darkly aquatic, underground area. Pure type 2 with synths and wah, etc. Trey rages it up all psychedelic -like.

Killer version! Must hear!! They took that sucker deep!!

Eventually it fades itself to a close and they move perfectly into Dirt! Odd so early in the set but it works great out of that jam. Wonderful version, Gordo is all over it. Good stuff!

A RIDICULOUS Plasma-WACTOOB-Plasma-Tweeprise sequence is next.

Plasma is must hear. A+ dark chill jamming. Fantastic. And then somehow morphs, seamlessly, into a funky and awesome WACTOOB!

THAT SEGUE WAS FLAWLESS!!!! But wait, just as WACTOOB is getting going they segue back into Plasma!!!

THIS IS FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!

Then, Trey begins moving slowly up the neck and the crowd roars and we somehow morph again into Tweeprise!!

This is some X Factor Magic at work!!! Essential listening, holy crap!!!! That was sick!!!!!!! 

So Tweeprise concludes and we go into a nicely placed Wedge. Red hot version!

Up next is a MUST HEAR Sneakin Sally. Its downright exceptional and hands down THE best music of the entire show. My goodness.

An issential trio of Antelope, More and Slave close the set before a kick ass Rock And Roll for the encore.

All in all...this set was a BLAST!!! No Men, the Plasma suite and Sally and Rock and Roll are all MUST HEAR!! This show kicked major tail and was a terrific listen!!! Killer!