The Verdict:
Where Santa Barbara I was a disappointment with one shining moment in the middle, the second night was a great show with one disappointment at the end. I guess that's in improvement.
Well, actually, it really is. The first set is the epitome of the warm-up set, but in the best way. The song selection is great, the energy is high throughout, everything gels for ninety or so minutes and all signs of unease from the night before are gone. "Split" is the only slight improvisational highlight here: it goes minimalist right at the start of the jam and stays that way for the song's entire running time, aided near the end by Trey's echoplex and some fantastically atmospheric drumming by Fish. Check it out. Overall, this is one of my favorite first sets in awhile.
The second set starts off strong, with a "Drowned" that I honestly have a hard time describing, but that goes through a few satisfactory jam spaces without landing in any of the tried-and-true (or, for the more cynical, "boring") places the band usually goes, at least to get their footing before pushing off again. This is a really unique jam, and I really like it for that. It's followed by a "Theme" that gets a funk outro jam, of all things, before things sort of settle down.
I say "sort of" because while most of the rest of the show is the band in jukebox mode, they're still playing with a lot of spirit, which makes the last two thirds of the second set really fun when it might have otherwise been disappointing. I'd be lying if I wasn't a little disappointed at not seeing any late-set improvisation after such a strong opening frame and the great "Drowned" > "Theme," but overall this is still a much stronger show than last night and for that I'm grateful.
The Live Review:
10/22/14: Hopefully tonight will be a little more consistent than last night.
10/22/14: Though I wouldn't totally hate another uneven show with a gem like that CDT -> Ghost.
10/22/14: Soul Shakedown opener!
10/22/14: Solid The Wedge as a followup, and now a slanky Undermind. Sounding much more confident and energetic tonight.
10/22/14: Horn! Loving this song selection.
10/22/14: Ya Mar! Now THIS is a great, first-setty first set.
10/22/14: Jesus Just Left Chicago! It's like they're consulting with me on this setlist...
10/22/14: ASIHTOS! Seriously, this is ridiculous.
10/22/14: I should clarify that all these songs are being played competently by 2013-2014 S1 standards and not doing anything interesting.
10/22/14: But they all just fit together SO WELL.
10/22/14: Trey putting in some spooky-sounding minimalist playing here. Page filling in the blanks.
10/22/14: Winterqueen is the first hiccup so far.
10/22/14: Actually, they've come up with a few gorgeous little jams out of this song so far this year. But sometimes not.
10/22/14: I really love the beat Fish comes in with after the drop in Winterqueen. Reminds me of the best parts of Round Room.
10/22/14: This one falls in the middle. Neat jam, but not gorgeous, necessarily.
10/22/14: My Friend! This is still an awesome set, even if they continue to play it straight.
10/22/14: Split next. This is first time the band has sounded a little rough all night.
10/22/14: Jam starts out really minimal. Trey and Page droning a bit. Fish is up front.
10/22/14: Sounds like Trey's combining some spooky feedback and his echoplex. Neat effect, though if you like shredding Splits...
10/22/14: ...not gonna be your favorite.
10/22/14: This is going to stay spooky and abstract throughout. I like it.
10/22/14: Set's not over! Walls!
10/22/14: This has become one of my favorite S1 songs over the last two years.
10/22/14: Heard it for the first time live in 2011 at Tahoe. Blew my face off.
10/22/14: Trey is shredding this version to pieces.
10/22/14: S2 opens with Drowned! Mike having a little trouble with the vocals.
10/22/14: Trey looping early in the jam.
10/22/14: Fading out and moving into a mellow zone now. Page on electric piano.
10/22/14: Really weird space now, not sure how to describe it, but really interesting.
10/22/14: Mike anchoring the weirdness with a great bassline.
10/22/14: Wow. Trey hitting a dark tone now, and shredding over the soundscape. This is great.
10/22/14: Trey going loop-crazy HOOOLY SHIT.
10/22/14: That one was seriously a keeper. What a jam.
10/22/14: Theme is next.
10/22/14: Okay, so the Theme jam just transitioned seamlessly into a funk jam. Yeah, that happened.
10/22/14: Seemed like there was going to be a perfect -> Manteca there for a minute, but there was a near-perfect -> Steam instead.
10/22/14: Band is killing it. Great show.
10/22/14: That was weird. Short Steam jam, Trey suddenly going all Pink Floyd tone-wise and then ten seconds later > Waves.
10/22/14: Lots of neat Trey-trilling here in the Waves jam.
10/22/14: Really slow, spacey fade to close Waves, vocal refrain only. > 20 years.
10/22/14: Late-show Scent! That's gotta be a good sign.
10/22/14: Marimba Lumina coming your way. Spooky vocals contributed by some band members, too.
10/22/14: 2001 next. Band settling into a sort-of jukebox thing here, but playing is still super-tight.
10/22/14: Standard take on 2001. Late Mike's is next.
10/22/14: Standard 3.0 Mike's, but Trey's hitting all the right notes. Like, literally, it's a good solo.
10/22/14: Tentative noodling to open the Jim jam.
10/22/14: Weekapaug starts up with Jim teases from Mike and then the whole band.
10/22/14: Trey just did a chorded Jim tease into a 2001 tease into another Jim tease.
10/22/14: The Horse > Silent is back again!
10/22/14: With the new piano Horse, I'd love to hear The Horse -> Wading > Silent sometime. Mellow as hell encore, though.
10/22/14: Antelope encore! Cool.
10/22/14: Trey with Soul Shakedown lyrics in Antelope. Whole band into reggae mode now, then back out.
10/22/14: Great first set, fantastic opening pair in S2, the rest is just solid jukeboxy fare. Overall, great show, but almost fantastic.
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