Today its night 4
4 23 26 Las Vegas
Set 1
A nice 8-minute 46 Days to ease us into the show. Its a really good type 1 reading. Its starts slowly then eventually erupts into a fireball. A soaring reading with great Leslie usage. I wouldnt call it essential but it definitely delivers!
In the 2nd slot, taking us by surprise.....Guyuute!!! Not much to about it. Its played very well. No real flubs. I wouldnt call it nailed to the board but it is definitely excellently executed. However it has this strange kinda laid back and low energy vibe about it thats hard to place. Weird.
Maze follows and kicks the energy back up. The song itself starts lower energy again but quickly ramps up. The soloing is top tier and they deliver an absolutely smashing and face melting version. Treys solo actually feels EXTRA hot somehow. He frickin RIPS IT. Great stuff!
Second surprise of the night comes with Esther! This sounds VERY well rehearsed! Its basically flawless and sounds TIGHT as if they play it every show. Im calling this must hear. Im not an Esther fan but this one is just flat out terrific. Seriously. It really doesn't get played better than this, to my ears anyways.
The Gumboaissance continues tonight with a nearly 15 minute rendition of said tune. And holy friggin moly!!! Weve had numerous stretched out Gumbos since last year and this might just top them all for me. The jam begins with some nasty plinko type playing from Page and Trey. Slowly but surely it just morphs into this 1997esqe pure funk MONSTER. This Is the funkiest thing I've heard out of the band since God knows when. And Lord knows we've been kind of short on the funk in recent times in my opinion. There isn't much to say because it's just a wall of heavy funk fantasticness. It's just a giant wave of funky, wonderful sound hitting you right in the face. This goes all the way to the 11 minute mark. You think they are going to go type two and they kind of do and take it into a more rocking direction and rage it to a close. X FACTOR MAGIC X FACTOR MAGIC ALL OVER THIS SUCKER YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS AT ALL COSTS IT IS FREAKING INCREDIBLE!!!
Up next is a 12 minute Stash. And boy what a Stash it is!!! Sounds great from the start but around the 6 minute mark it ACTUALLY goes type 2!!!! Yes!!! Lets go!!! Its a brief bit but its legit. Fishman started this pounding, marching pattern and the band smoothly moves into this unique - yes, unique - major key bliss thing for a while. No really, this is type 2 and its absolutely magical. They then return gloriously to the darkness, making it dark and nasty and leasing us out. Some definite X Factor on this. MUST HEAR!!! THIS STASH IS SO FRICKIN SICK!!!!! YES LETS GO!!!!
The set closes with a typically wild and explosive version of Moonage Daydream. This song always kills but tonight it absolutely destroys on a nuclear level. I mean they go for broke on this one just taking it a whole another level above usual. It just goes on and on and on and on in the best way possible. I'm calling this must hear material for sure. Reminds me of Rosemont 2018 or something.
All in all once it got going and picked up steam this set absolutely destroyed. There wasn't a single week link in the chain although it did feel like it was in "warming up" territory for a little bit. The first few songs are tight and hot but also have this strangely laid-back kind of feel about them that is hard to explain without listening.
Esther, Gumbo, Stash and Moonage are true must hears and everything else is still worth a mention. They definitely came to kill and announced it loudly and clearly tonight. Heck yes. This is a very powerful and inspired first set!
Set 2
The second set opens with 13 minute The Curtain With. Extraordinarily, If I remember correctly this is the first time it's open to second set since the 1980s!! It's definitely an excellent version played extremely tight. The solo section is a bit too short which keeps me from giving it more points but it's absolutely excellent regardless. I don't think it reaches must hear status but it's definitely still a highlight regardless. I recall this getting a lot of praise online and I wouldn't disagree.
Up next is the big boy monster this show will forever be remembered for. The absolutely unbelievably ridiculous 37 effing minute Fuego/Dark Puddle black hole extravaganza. For the sake of brevity and because I think it's dumb that they split it up like that, This is simply being referred to as a whole Fuego. Thanks. The song itself is burning hot and tight ala Hershey 2021.
The second set opens with 13 minute The Curtain With. Extraordinarily, If I remember correctly this is the first time it's open to second set since the 1980s!! It's definitely an excellent version played extremely tight. The solo section is a bit too short which keeps me from giving it more points but it's absolutely excellent regardless. I don't think it reaches must hear status but it's definitely still a highlight regardless. I recall this getting a lot of praise online and I wouldn't disagree.
Up next is the big boy monster this show will forever be remembered for. The absolutely unbelievably ridiculous 37 effing minute Fuego/Dark Puddle black hole extravaganza. For the sake of brevity and because I think it's dumb that they split it up like that, This is simply being referred to as a whole Fuego. Thanks. The song itself is burning hot and tight ala Hershey 2021.
Around the 9-minute mark they shift out of type 1 and dive straight into an absolutely GNARLY and grimy fireball section. Around 12 minutes in things start to get a bit abstract. Trey gets on the Leslie And the whole thing starts to turn into a hazy kind of whatever. This goes for a couple minutes seeing them slowly morph out of actual music and into an abstract noise breakdown of psychedelic volcano proportions.
By the 14 and 1/2 minute mark, they spend the next 3 minutes absolutely deconstructing this in the most brutal and abstract way. This is the most extreme Melt meltdown I've heard outside of a Melt itself. Just all kinds of robo Loopers and Fishman absolutely ANNIHILATING his kit - playing along to the beat of the Loopers!!! It's freaking incredible and just insane.
Finally around the 17 minute mark the synthesizers come out and we move into a different section of hazy evilness. For a couple minutes things get very storm cloud-esque. More loopers and hazy synthesizers but it's different from the angular deconstruction of the first part. This is a cloud of noise rather Then a black hole.
Around the 19ish-minute mark some actual guitar playing comes into play again, Trey starting to vamp. The drum beat returns and we enter this really unique and interesting up-tempo kind of robo Devo whatever type of jam. Very angular again lol. Listen to Mike just going bonkers. Trey has been just vamping throughout letting everyone else steal the show. Interstellar robot Space jazz! At the 22 minute mark some semblance of normality begins to return. Trey begins doing noodly upbeat bliss melody runs. And hey this actually sounds like music again lol. Obviously the band follows suit locked in perfectly and we are rocking again soaring into the clouds into a ethereal type of bliss rock whatever.
Around the 25-minute mark Trey steps on the Leslie and the jam starts to shift again. Still in an upbeat and blissful zone It starts to get a bit more hazy. At the 26 minute mark things suddenly shift gears out of nowhere and the fire returns, Trey just introducing a newfound power, and they start to rock the F out of the jam. Until the 29-minute mark they rage with the burning white hot intensity of a thousand suns. Just melting faces.
At the 29 minute mark the jam gets completely melty again and turns into this washy haze of watery whatever. Extremely cool. Mike starts to sing something I don't know what. But it only lasts a short time. Right at the 30-minute mark they shift gears again somehow launching into this bluesy shuffle like the deer Creek 2021 simple or the Mexico 2026 Mercury. What in the love of God is even going on anymore.
Trey jumps on the wah pedal and we proceed forth with a ridiculous King Gizzard style psychedelic Blues rock freak out. Pure melting of the highest order and degree!!!. Outer space blue shuffle boogie woogie supreme from Neptune!!!!! Listen to the sick ass jazzy piano soloing from Page on the keys!!! THIS IS FREAKING MIND-BLOWING HOLY MOLY. This is the kind of bluesy and driving jazzy rock jam you expect from an early '70s Miles Davis album or something. That final bluesy section was one of the absolute sickest things I've ever heard in my entire life. That was absolutely incredible. Unfortunately, around the 37 minute mark the jam comes to a close unspectacularly.
What in the love of God that was the jam of the decade hands down. I think we have something to beat the Deer Creek 2021 Simple at last. Seriously that final blues section was a 1990s style type 2 Jam for sure. The kind of thing you don't think this band has in them anymore....
So into a 17 minute Golden Age we go to keep the fun going. From the start you know this one is going to be magical. It just has that X Factor thing about it that you can't quite place. The jamming is absolutely unbelievable. It's extremely psychedelic spending most of its time in this crazy kind of heavy yet bubbly funky rocking something. Really not sure how to explain it. It's definitely extremely unique. MUST HEAR AT ALL COSTS. It's an absolute master class in jamming Every bit as good as the preceeding Fuego, if not BETTER (YES I JUST SAID IT'S THAT GOOD!). All timer reading right here. Period.
The fun keeps going with a super super high energy Numberline. This is basically just Chalkdust Torture under a different name tonight. Another absolute must hear performance. Trey goes absolutely bonkers banana sandwich on it peaking this to the sky like hes launched a heat seeking nuclear missile. Just peak after peak after peak after peak. Unbelievably unrelenting in its fire and energy. Smashing does not begin to describe how fantastic this version is. God....
The set comes to a close with standard excellent versions of Cavern and Possum.
Terrific encore of Fee, Tube and More. And wouldn't you know it we aren't done with the highlights yet. Tube is a terrific terrific terrific version. This one actually has a legitimate jam even though it's only 10 minutes long. I would say it kind of goes type 2 just about. The jam is very textural and uptempo with Trey vamping a lot letting Paige and Mike take the reins. Listen to Gordo just ripping it up! You've got to hear this! Seriously, Tube was SICK!!!
More shreds to a close. I'm undecided whether I'm going to call this must hear or not but it's like a baby brother of the previous Numberline. It's the absolutely perfect song to finish this show and hits all those emotional buttons you hope for. Tight and rocking of course they just blaze it and burn house down and send us on our way....
All in all, This was an absolutely phenomenal show for the most part. There wasn't one single low point and a solid 75% of it was genuinely must hear material in my humble opinion. Set two should be listed up there with the all timers!! That Fuego and Golden Age and Numberline!!!
My god!!!
When all is said and done I'm going to be absolutely shocked if this isn't the show of the run because this will be a damn hard one to beat. Wowzers. The boys were locked in tight. Trey was BLAZING! Fishman was just annihilating..... One more do you want?....
I would put this in league with something like Birmingham 2025 #1 or SPAC 2025 #3, almost. Maybe a hair below those. Wow .....
Currently if I remember correctly this show sits around a 4.2 rating. This deserves to be probably in the 4.4 zone give or take in my humble opinion. Wow. What a show.
What in the love of God that was the jam of the decade hands down. I think we have something to beat the Deer Creek 2021 Simple at last. Seriously that final blues section was a 1990s style type 2 Jam for sure. The kind of thing you don't think this band has in them anymore....
So into a 17 minute Golden Age we go to keep the fun going. From the start you know this one is going to be magical. It just has that X Factor thing about it that you can't quite place. The jamming is absolutely unbelievable. It's extremely psychedelic spending most of its time in this crazy kind of heavy yet bubbly funky rocking something. Really not sure how to explain it. It's definitely extremely unique. MUST HEAR AT ALL COSTS. It's an absolute master class in jamming Every bit as good as the preceeding Fuego, if not BETTER (YES I JUST SAID IT'S THAT GOOD!). All timer reading right here. Period.
The fun keeps going with a super super high energy Numberline. This is basically just Chalkdust Torture under a different name tonight. Another absolute must hear performance. Trey goes absolutely bonkers banana sandwich on it peaking this to the sky like hes launched a heat seeking nuclear missile. Just peak after peak after peak after peak. Unbelievably unrelenting in its fire and energy. Smashing does not begin to describe how fantastic this version is. God....
The set comes to a close with standard excellent versions of Cavern and Possum.
Terrific encore of Fee, Tube and More. And wouldn't you know it we aren't done with the highlights yet. Tube is a terrific terrific terrific version. This one actually has a legitimate jam even though it's only 10 minutes long. I would say it kind of goes type 2 just about. The jam is very textural and uptempo with Trey vamping a lot letting Paige and Mike take the reins. Listen to Gordo just ripping it up! You've got to hear this! Seriously, Tube was SICK!!!
More shreds to a close. I'm undecided whether I'm going to call this must hear or not but it's like a baby brother of the previous Numberline. It's the absolutely perfect song to finish this show and hits all those emotional buttons you hope for. Tight and rocking of course they just blaze it and burn house down and send us on our way....
All in all, This was an absolutely phenomenal show for the most part. There wasn't one single low point and a solid 75% of it was genuinely must hear material in my humble opinion. Set two should be listed up there with the all timers!! That Fuego and Golden Age and Numberline!!!
My god!!!
When all is said and done I'm going to be absolutely shocked if this isn't the show of the run because this will be a damn hard one to beat. Wowzers. The boys were locked in tight. Trey was BLAZING! Fishman was just annihilating..... One more do you want?....
I would put this in league with something like Birmingham 2025 #1 or SPAC 2025 #3, almost. Maybe a hair below those. Wow .....
Currently if I remember correctly this show sits around a 4.2 rating. This deserves to be probably in the 4.4 zone give or take in my humble opinion. Wow. What a show.
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