YEM review - 10/10/99 Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY

Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 19:40:22 -0700
From: Charles Dirksen cdirksen@earthlink.net
To: Daniel W. Schar dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Subject: 10/10/99 yem review
 
10/10/99  Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY
 
YEM begins after an interesting "ambient jam" which starts the second
set.  Opening is uneventful.  There's a typically spacey and
harmonious pre-Snoopy segment.  Snoopy at 4:35.  Mike thunks
melodically in his solo-section.  Pre-charge section is strong, too.
 
"Boy" at 7:58 after a good scream. Boy Man God Shit Wash Uffizi Drive
Me to Firenzi ("BMGS/WUDMTF") segment is punchy and fun, but nothing
over the top.
 
Tramps jam begins at 10:12 and Mike signals for the trampolines
moves.  Crowd is really into the tramps moves.  Lots of audience
cheering and hollering [Note:  Trey apparently fell of a trampoline!]
Page plays well on organ.
 
Jam segment begins at about 11:30. Trey patiently and repetitively
plays along -- texturally -- with the funky jam (no attempts to lead
or solo melodically).  Mike is very up front in the mix and is quite
melodic.  Solid funky groove in here (12:50), to be sure, but nothing
stellar.  Yet.  Trey starts melodically soloing at 13:04.  It's a very
engaging, collective jam -- no one is really leading it.  Fish is
throwing out all sorts of fills, Page is playing strong on the piano,
Mike is thunderously accompanying Trey's soloing.  There's a great
climax at around 17:10 or so!  An excellent jam segment!
 
Around 17:30 the jam begins cooling off -- comes down from the climax.
But this "cooling off period" only lasts a few measures. Trey noodles
around a bit (18 mins), but the jam in here is still very collective.
They are all clearly listening to each other.
 
And FISH!!!  I mean, FISH is just tearing it up!  Trey starts chording
in an almost Moma-Dance-like fashion for a few measures around 18:30.
By 19:35 the jam seems to wander a bit, and Mike repeats a very
melodic, charming riff around 19:50.  Trey accompanies it well with a
riff of his own.  Page is on the keys accompanying well, too.  At
20:22, the jam cools magically, wistfully, again.  It sounds like the
vocal jam should be starting any minute (20:48), as they all just cool
off.  But Trey fortunately doesn't start a vocal jam.  Rather, Mike
and Fish lock-in for a few measures on a single note, repeating it on
every beat, and quickly at 21:17, the whole band launches into a
BADASS MOTHER F*CKER OF A JAM!!!! =^]
 
Trey starts melodically soloing anew -- with a sense of purpose behind
the notes.  It's really an enchanting, major-key, HAPPY HAPPY HOSE
jam!! (22:07)  The accompaniment from Mike, Fish and Page is just
incredible.  This collective jam SOARS!  This is one of the most
Almighty jams in "You Enjoy Myself" *ever* -- trust me. I think you'll
like it.  It's mellifluous and complex and intricate and mesmerizingly
cool. Finally,  around 26 mins, the jam cools off in a melodic,
magically misty haze, and Trey starts playing Caspian's opening chords
at 26:20.  An excellent genuine -> segue into Caspian.
 
That's right, there was no vocal jam.  (just *TWO* excellent jam
segments)
 
It would be a crime against Phishtory not to give this YEM an "A"
rating. There's magnificent playing by all parties in a collective
fashion reminiscent of Fall 1995 (or premonitory of many December 1999
jams, depending on your point of view).  Hear it at all costs.
 
two cents
charlie
 


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