The Verdict:
The second show of the MSG run is a bit more by-the-book than the first night.
The first set is another string of great song choices, but in general the band doesn't rise above the material the way they did on the previous night. The one exception here is the "YEM" that comes as the second song of the night. It's an excellent version, not just because of its placement but because of a strong all-band performance.
The second set also brings a great set of songs, but, for the most part, doesn't do much with that setlist. "Crosseyed" opens the set and opts for a standard Type I > fadeout, '09 style. The "Simple" is short, but is perhaps the most interesting bit of the show as the band deconstructs the typical melodic jam before making a fantastic segue into "Lifeboy."
Unless you're crazy for "Guyute," the only real other moment of note in this set comes at the end of a standard-rock "Chalkdust," when Trey moves into "Hydrogen" before ending the song, resulting in a very uptempo, rocking "Hydrogen" (or at least the first half of it). This is a bit messy (it sounds like the rest of the band can't quite get on board before it's abandoned), but it's still a really neat moment and worth a listen.
The Live Review:
12/29/11: The Sloth opener. Excited to see what they're going to pull out tonight after a solid 12/28 show.
12/29/11: YEM in the two slot. Crowd going nuts. Love it.
12/29/11: We're seven minutes into YEM and the crowd is still losing its goddamn mind. Go MSG!
12/29/11: Great rock peak before the Mike solo part. Maybe some pitch-shifter in there?
12/29/11: Better than YEM has any right to be as the second song of the night.
12/29/11: Seems weird after that that there's so much show left. BOTT.
12/29/11: YEM was a one-off surprise in this set. BOTT, Moma, Funky Bitch, Maze follow. All strong versions, though.
12/29/11: Trey on fire during Bitch.
12/29/11: Halley's crashed right into Antelope.
12/29/11: Pretty straightforward opening set, aside from the YEM. That said, YEM a bona fide show highlight, and not just b/c of placement.
12/29/11: C+P opening second set.
12/29/11: Don't know if it's the mix or the headphones or what, but Mike is killing it during this show.
12/29/11: Crosseyed goes the '09 fadeout route. > Simple.
12/29/11: Short Simple, but a really spacey, erratic breakdown near the end. Loops from Trey, Mike and Fish creating some great tension.
12/29/11: Awesome -> Lifeboy!
12/29/11: Guyute!
12/29/11: Guyute is followed by a pretty standard Mike's. Chalkdust next.
12/29/11: If this was 2014 on, I'd have hope of a deep jam here, but more than likely we're just getting some rawk.
12/29/11: Trey starts full-on Hydrogen in the middle of the CTD outro. Still playing it at fast tempo, rock-style.
12/29/11: Fish makes a nice transition into the traditional Hydrogen beat and we're off. That was cool.
12/29/11: Trey struggling a bit more than usual with Hydrogen, but that intro was worth it.
12/29/11: Brief plinko section in Groove. Now a standard rock outro.
12/29/11: They're going to wrap up the show with Show of Life, Zero, and Loving Cup. What the hell will they encore with on 12/30 and 12/31?
12/29/11: That was a very 2010 show. Hot playing all the way around, but pretty much no surprises save for an early YEM.
12/29/11: Enjoyed the Simple -> Lifeboy sequence, though. And CDT -> Hydrogen was cool, if not executed very well.
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