2024-08-29 Commerce City, CO

 8/29/24 Dicks

Set 1

Well hot damn, an opening sequence of 3 songs in 42 minutes?!?!? Dis gon' b gud.

The opening 14 Cities is like a shot out of a gun. Total energy, this one stays in a "classic rock" kind of type 1, but it absolutely slays while doing so. Definitely a highly inspired opener!!

The following 14 minute Disease is kinda strange. The song sounds great and the jam actually avoids type 1 for the most part. Page, Mike and Fish almost immediately steer the jam towards heavier, darker, more psychedelic waters. Those 3 guys are totally in sync. Trey is hesitant tonight though. Was he having tech issues? It almost sounds that way. In the end, this is definitely cool and totally preferable to another boring "type 1 that doesn't impress" version. Its a bit too "undercooked" feeling for me to call it must hear overall, but you definitely should give it at least one good listen.

And then, woah boy, stuff finally gets REAL! We get a nearly 14 minute Ether Edge!!! Who would have thought THIS song had jam potential?! The song itself sounds awkwardly nice as ever, but the jam is like the Dicks 2023 Piper - it just builds and builds and gets hotter and hotter until by the end Trey has completely melted everyones faces and we are all left going "wtf just happenned?". Definitely must hear!!!

Even better, it segues out (im calling that a segue!) into fast Llama. It takes them a bit to adjust tempos but once they do they are off and they turn in a scorching, if not essential version. Always welcome a fast Llama!

The next true must hear of the night is an absolute POWERHOUSE version of Theme! X Factor all over this one! For whatever reason, everything just clicks into place and they deliver one of the absolute finest type 1 readings of recent times. Totally fantastic. GRAB THIS!!

After a properly played and most welcome Sugar Shack, they move into Ocelot. 11 minutes on this sucker, it actually is quite jammed out!! Awesome "full band" jamming on this!! Everyone is being patient with each other, carefully picking their spots and reacting accordingly. And then of course it all crescendoes into an explosive, raging peak finale.Must hear!! This version is super cool!! FREAKING AMAZING VERSION!!!!

A red hot combo of Golgi and Blaze On close the set. Both are great and Blaze On rages, though neither are must hear.

All in all, this was a bit of an oddball set. Cities, Ether, Theme and Ocelot are all must hear for sure. Disease I could flip flop on.  Not the greatest set ever - the top heavy trio of opening songs kinda ruins the flow a little for the rest of it!

This set had "warming up" vibes or something. Really unsure how I even really feel about it. It's a strange one! 

Set 2

Promising start with a slow burn 15 minute Ghost to kick things off. The jam begins with some darkly funky growling and whatnot. Things are feeling tense! Eventually Trey sets a loop and the jam slowly moves into a more ethereal kind of upbeat bliss jam. Instead of peaking out, Trey starts playing with delays and the jam starts that "flying through outer space" kinda thing. Uptempo Fishman, synths and bass bubbling under, Trey all over the place. Slowly again, it just builds and builds and builds until we are friggin charging ahead like a damn steamroller!! Hose alert!!! Peak! Peak! Peak! Peak! Peak! Lets friggin go!!! Rage that sucker!!! Holy crap!!!!

My goodness, that was a GREAT Ghost!!! A little bit of everything, patiently flowing and evolving from section to section. Definitely must hear!

A 9 minute Wave of Hope keeps the heat going. This one sees the jam doing that "Gorge 2021 Chalkdust" thing of just going super chill. Trey is all over and the jam just sounds like its struggling throughout. Definitely not a great one. Just kinda blah and awkward.

And then holy hell they jump into a 19 minute Sigma!!!! The jam quickly dives headfirst into a powerful and funky jam with Trey setting loops, Gordo all over his FX, page pounding that piano....They stay in this Funk Party zone for a loooonnnggg time, thankfully, patiently exploring every last nook and cranny.
------Eventually, Trey begins a rhythm motif on his looper and the jam starts to shift away from the overt funk. The jam just gets heavier and rockier, but they are taking their sweet as time doing so. This is a jam where you dont realize change is even happening until after th fact.
------Finally they arrive in this incredible zone with Gordo on bass fx, Trey using his octave, Fishman killing his kit.....THIS JAM IS FRIGGIN MAGICAL!!! X FACTOR FOR DAYS!!!!
--------And then oh so perfectly they slow down and Trey rips back into Sigma.

Holy crap, that was hands down an all timer Sigma. That jam was BEASTLY. 

And how the hell do we continue after such a monster jam as that Sigma? WITH A 23 GOSH DARN MINUTE PILLOW JETS!!! LETS GO!!!
------The song proceeds as usual until right at the 8 minute mark they DIVE headfirst into this super unique uptempo weirdo kind of funk (I guess?) jam. Loopers going, the jam sounds like you are swirling around some giant vortex or something. Where the hell did they pull this MAGIC from?!?!? What even is this?!
------Slowly, the jam shifts gears into a super laidback kind of space funk groove. Super chill but totally powerful. Over the next few minutes it slowly morphs into a more "latin" kind of slow burn jam with Trey just building his solo more and more with each passing second. ALL HAIL OUR LORD AND SAVIOR X FACTOR MAGIC!!!!!
--------Eventually peaking a bit, Trey unloads and just tears the roof off. The whole band are just bursting at the seams with power!!!
------Around the 20 minute mark the whole jam quiets down majorly and we are in full blown ambient space bliss, straight out of a 1999 jam. They ride this gorgeous section out to a close.....

HOLY MOLY WHAT IN THE LOVE OF CRAP WAS THAT PILLOW JETS!!!! NEW GOAT!!! THAT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST JAMS OF THE ENTIRE YEAR!!!!! MUST HEAR AT ALL COSTS!!! 

So Pillow Jets winds down and they segue slickly into 2001. Hell, you might as well just count this as an extension of PJ tonight, eh?

Even better is the downright magical Hood that follows. Incredibly triumphant sounding, this one WILL force a smile on your face and goosebumps down your arms. Must hear!!!! Fantastic Hood!!!!! Wow!!!

Raging SANTOS to send us home.

All in all, yet ANOTHER godzilla sized monster of a show! Forget the set 1 highlights, the Ghost, Sigma and Pillow Jets are what you want!! Sigma and Pillow were seriously both "Mexico tier" jams. Both were unbelievable.

Sometimes the most uneven shows seem to have the most ridiculous highlights!!! Unbelievable....that Sigma and PJ....wow. And people rated that show a 3.9?!