NMASS

Something told me that Sunday night at Hampton would be one for the Book. So I packed my wife and son (their first shows) in the car and we high-tailed it to the Mothership. Tried to watch the Saturday show at the hotel, but technical difficulties made for a glitchy stream cast. A lot of my favorites were played Friday and Saturday, but YEM was still on my list. Little did I know . . .

The energy in the building was bubbling and ready to burst. Everyone was geeking about predictions - so when they crushed Faulty Plan, it really set the tone. There were now blank spaces where our minds should be. We were open and ready for anything. And we got SKIN IT BACK! Oh, the funk was everywhere. It felt swampy and the music seemed to ooze all over us. Trey was in top form and Mike was melting my skin off. Perfectly executed. "Skin it back", in Southern parlance, means to roll up your sleeves, dig in, and get to work, which is why I was surprised by the B&R that came next. I've always loved this tune, but it was a let down after such a raucous opening.

Timber is one of my favorites and has eluded me until now. My tour buddy got one at Starlake before we drove to IT and he got one after being miracled at DeerCreek 04 while I had to listen from the fence. Again, Mike really laid in and drove the groove. Page's piano was right in my face and it seemed like he finally got comfortable. The jam was short, but full of layers and rich interplay, and Fish doing what he does best. My son was sitting on the floor organizing his glowsticks when we heard the opening notes of Simple. He jumped up and almost spilled everything; it's one of his favorites - Skyballs and Saxscrapers and forgetting what song they are playing after the 8 min mark. Great exploratory jam; spacey, funky, with some SIB chords around 10 mins, after which Fish picks up the tempo, Trey and Page have some nice ideas and we all stretch our ears to discern where they could possibly be going. Key change at 15 mins gives Trey a chance to lift the groove and the crowd goes nuts. Page is attacking the piano and Fish is rocking out. The ending is a bit of a flub, but the boys laugh it off, Trey gets some cues from the crowd, and they goof on Mexican Cousin. Must've known I had taken a shot before the show. Rare tunes tonight for sure. Then . . .

CAMELWALK!! Another tune my tour buddy got at Starlake03 and I have never seen. Straight forward funk jam, with another SIB call, that seemed like it was going to take off before Trey just up and ended it. BOTT kept everyone dancing and, again, it seemed like they wanted to blow the roof off, but kept the lid on. At least they ended together.
Oh, wait! Did they want to blow the roof off?? Well, SIA is just the vehicle for such an endeavor. This one was eerie and wild and pushed me over the edge. The show could have ended right there for me. I was spent and spinning. The volume in the pit had been a bit much for the fam (even with ear plugs), so we moved to find seats at the back of the Coliseum.

There has been a lot written about the lack of energy in the second set. For me, it was welcome. They blew my face off during the first set and I really enjoyed sitting back and letting the waves of sound and lights wash over me. After the IT Waves, I always welcome this song as a chance to hear some really interesting Type II. This one stayed on the path, though, until the end when it picked up and sounded like they could launch into the much anticipated Reprise, but Trey began the chords for Rise/Come Together. This is a solid tune and reached some good peaks at the end. Light kills; the tempo changes, the funky grooves, the interplay - this was really good.

People can complain about The Line all they want. They have to leave some classics for the rest of the tour. Wingsuit was actually well-placed, in my opinion, 'casue it feels good, there's nothing to say and nothing to lose. Trey and Page really lay it on and the ending soars. Mike releases his drill, YPC brings the funk back, and we are all dancing again. But, then, the breaks are put on with WTU?. I can't handle the swings. Possum closer breaks my neck, but doesn't quite rage, and we are still waiting for YEM. There must be something more than this.

Double encore YEM and it was worth the wait. Now my family has some context for when they hear vocal jams on tapes. Speaking of tapes, get the AUD of this show. The SDB is too clean; the venue is missing from the recording. A lot of the sounds that they were playing with had to do with the reverb, which doesn't come through on the SDB, and neither does the crowd.