7-11-01 - Open Air Theatre, San Diego, CA

Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 19:56:35 -0700
From: Kentalope [email protected]
Subject: Diego Review
 
 
Venue: Got there early. Extremely mellow vibe. I don't know if it was
because of traffic or what, but it seemed empty right before showtime, which
made things seem really relaxed - but that's California for ya. This was a
really steep theatre smack-dab in the middle of UCSD's campus. Behind the
stage was a big administration building with a catwalk about level with the
top of the stage, so it was funny watching unsuspected cats walking by and
stopping to check it out. Ok.
 
Mozambique -- Good choice to start things off. A fun song with great licks,
albeit a little repetative, but that didn't matter. This band was here to
have fun. The horn section paraded out to center stage with Trey where they
formed a single-file line, one-behind-the-other towards the audience and did
a little choreographed dance (not THAT choreographed), with every other person
playing to the left as the alternate people would play to the right,
switching and hamming it up - you get the picture. Trey was loving it.
They then would start dancing around in a kind of figure-8 pattern, weaving
in and out of each other. Pretty hilarious.
 
Moesha -- New upbeat bluesy number that let's you know everything you
possibly ever could have want to know about Moesha. I think Jennifer's backing 
vocals
on this one is my favorite part of the song, besides the horn-breakdown at
the end of the chorus's.
 
New Tune - This song was really really cool, one of my favorite new tunes.
Sort of a mid-tempo weird groove with some high-poppin' clav to give it a
bouncy feeling. It kind of reminded me of the jam in "Cool It Down," from the
Loaded album for Weenie in 98 - really bouncy and super funky. People were
digging on this one hard.
 
Happy Coffee -- I didn't realize how catchy this Trey riff was until I heard
it live, but damn is this shit catchy or what? Horns were great here.
 
New slow tune -- I don't know why, but The Eagles popped into my head while
listening to this. This is in the vein of Fast Enough, or When the Circus
Comes.., but I like it a whole ton better. I didn't write any of the lyrics
down, but I remember liking everything about this song, and thinking that
Trey's songwriting is indeed in peak form to be writing a ballad like this.
There was a sweeping, grand notion driving it, yet there was a very sweet and
reassuring feeling woven throughout it. I hope they put this on their album,
because I think it would be a fantastic studio cut.
 
Last Tube -- Before the tune, Trey spoke a little bit about being excited to
be there, first show of the tour, and how he's kind of "rewriting the book."
He then dedicated Last Tube to "all the surfers out there," cuz since by this
time the sun was going down, catching the last tube of the day, etc. etc.
Friends, forget everything you know about Last Tube. This was utterly
relentless. I'd heard the re-vamped version on the webcast, but it wasn't
nearly matched with the intensity and "joie de vivre" as this one. Plus, I
think this one was quite a bit longer. But what an incredible job Trey's done
in re-doing this song. I was peeling people off the floor after this tune.
 
Caymen Review -- Straight-up. If you heard the webcast, you heard this one,
although the jam seemed a little different. It did indeed have a good jam.
 
Push On Till the Day -- Hoooooly crap. Like Last Tube, this one got doctored
up by the good Doctor, and another beast is unleashed. The melt-down
smack-down jam in the middle was so funky, it was like James Brown's band on
a GOOD day. At this point people are dropping like flies, going into funk
comas. I really understood how well this band LISTENED to each other, too.
There was a musical dialogue going on that was, well, instead of 4 people,
you had 8 - so to watch that dynamic work was really interesting.
Get the tapes! This rocked.
 
_________________________________________________________________
 
The Way I Feel -- Great, slow, thick-ass grooves. This was brought way down
at the end to near-silence, then Russ started the shaker back up and the band
came slowly back into it. Kinda cool.
 
Jibboo -- Crowd seemed to express much enthusiasm at the opening. Played
well, but didn't really take off till the first crescendo in the jam - about
3-5 minutes into it. After that, though, it smoked. A great Jibboo, Trey
ripping it apart at the end.
 
Burlap Sack & Pumps -- Russ has such a cool beat for this tune. Mid to
high-tempo stuttered funk instrumental - played pretty much like the last
tour's versions.
 
New slow tune -- This was a middle-eastern-type instrumental that showcased
individuals in the horns. Pretty mellow, but definitely different for Trey,
so I welcomed it with open arms. I just love the fact that he's TRYING to
write something like this.
 
Money, Love, Change -- One of the t-shirts they're selling is a "Money, Love,
Change" shirt. This was a particularly upbeat tune, with a sizeable jam in
it, but it never really blossomed and seemed to get to a point where they
couldn't get out of the space they were in, causing it to meander a bit.
 
New slow tune -- An instrumental. Interesting textures. Reminded me of a
fillm score or a section there-of.
 
Mr. Completely -- Shredding, classic Trey. This looks like the tune that's
going to be the vehicle for many nutty Trey solos to come. Not the
blues-ripping like in Possums before, but a very psychedelic electric guitar
romp, in the vein of Hendrix, but yet classic Trey. BRING IT ON!
At the end, Trey held a note that went into Sand, so there's kind of a ->
 
Sand -- I can't remember too much about this Sand (hey, I was sober), except
that it was long, big, and meticulous. Everyone settled into this groove and
just basically let the song take over itself. When I say meticulous, I mean
it in the way of how a painter will carefully brush something in at just the
right moment, in the just the right place. People were dancing pretty hard
to Tony's thick-as-shit mud-pie thumping.
 
New tune -- This was on the webcast, but I can't remember the name off-hand.
It was just the four horns by themselves playing kind of a chamber-music
theme, then Trey came in at the end on acoustic. Really pretty, and people
were suprisingly very respectful - moreso than I've seen at "other" shows as
of late. Everyone sat down and took it in. It was welcome, soothing, and a
nice way to cap off the end of an intense, high-energy show.
Oh yeah, Tony played cello on this, too.
 
__________________
 
Encore: At the BBQ -- Ehhhhhhhh....
 
Circles -- Psyched to hear this for my first time live. It seemed to lack the
 
attack of Circles before it, but it was still a lot of fun.
 
_____________________
 
3 cents,
\\ k e n t a l o p e //

Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 17:04:36 EDT
From: [email protected]
Subject: (no subject)
 
Wow.  I went to the show with a bunch of mixed feelings.  I was not sure at
ther way I was going to feel about seeing Trey.  All I can say is that this
band is the real deal.  Highlight for me was the 20 minute 2nd set opener
That's the way I feel.  Best new song by far.  All I wanted was a Sand and
boy did I get it.  Watching Trey absolutely go off is incredible.  For any
doubters outside the jam band scene, seeing Trey would certify that he is one
of the best guitarists ever.
Cory Bernstein

Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 16:01:37 EDT
From: [email protected]
Subject: my review
 
Open Air Arena.
 
Things went almost too smoothly to belive.  Free parking?  No cops?  The
security guy for my row saw me jump up 10 rows and didn't say anything!  I
thanked him after the show for not busting me for hopping seats and told him
thats how it's done at these things.  Tried to explain that if someone really
belongs in the seat, we move for them but most of those good seats go to
scalpers and never even get bought at all.  Trey, trey, trey.  The band is
getting better and better.  They are starting to learn how to follow Trey on
those long trips through the madness that he takes.  The guys in Phish have
followed him on that evil road many times, these guys will get there.  The
energy was more than I expected it to be.  Highlights were an incredible
Jiboo, Cayman Review was great,  Push on Til the day was extra crispy as I
remember.  Sand!!!!!   Holy Sand!!!!!   What was the first Encore??  It
sounded like all the horns were playing different songs.  Trey wasn't on
stage for this but I saw him in the wings watching with a perplexed look on
his face.  He then came out for a great Will It go Around in Circles.  I
didn't keep a setlist but I remember Moesa and Last Tube.  Trey talked about
the last tube of the day before the sun goes down.  Oh yeah, he danced with
that hot trumpet player for awhile too.  Crazy!!   Can't wait till tonight.


Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 03:27:08 EDT
From: [email protected]
Subject: July 11th 2001
 
Wow, Hometown San Diego, beautiful evening, Trey in town, WOW !!!
 
Smokin first set, song names ????    Jams, deep and strong, pure, rippin the
shit up.  Trey sounds so good as does the rest of the band, lots of fun,
great vibe, feeling like old times...  Great energy, so, so nice to swim in
the ocean then go to the show, in Hometown, so, so sweet.   A few distant
travelers starting tour out west, all in all, smooth cool vibe, venue was
small, perfect.
 
Fun Summer tour, peace, onto Greek in Hollywood, and onto Red Rocks !!!
 
Peace  :-)

click here to return to the 2001 reviews page


hits (many)