Subject: Drinking 12/30/93's Holiday
Gin Date: 18 Jan 1997 08:19:59 GMT
From: benjy eisen <[email protected]> Hey there lushes, I made a typo last time when I claimed that 12/31/91 was the only NYE show Bathtub Gin was played - I meant to say 12/31/89 (the year of its debut) - it wasn't played on NYE '91. So we have 12/30/92 ranking a mellow 77 Proof. Let's see how strong one year ferments this stuff:
BathtubGinFiles #4 12/30/93 Portland, ME Cumberland County Civic Center
Gin stats: Set I Total time: 9:57 Following on the heels of one of the hottest touring months in Phishtory (8/93), this Holiday Run was memorable on numerous accounts (not to mention the first time ticket demand reared its ugly head so high). After two *phenomenal* Gins forever ingrained in Phish lore (8/2/93 and 8/13/93) this Gin certainly has a shadow cast over it and expectation...luckily it was played at a show that repeatedly met the expectation of going beyond expectation. Just how far, we shall see: 0:00 opening following a non-pause after Rift. Page jumps in the 'tub at 0:15 and makes it obvious that HE's sure as hell eager for a bath. Nothing approaching some of the '96 mad-Medeski impersonations but at this point one could see it in his future. Does his thing, with Mike funking out underneath for support, until around 0:50 when the Lyrics Segment begins. As usual, Page adds some soap to his original soul-cleansin' fingerwork at 1:22 going on till 1:31. Page, no wonder you're so enthusiastic about taking a bath - you're on FIRE! At 2:04 -> 2:22 he feels the need to tickle the ivories just a wee bit more and quite frankly, Elmo is jealous. Trey literally laughs with the joker....or perhaps he *is* the joker? FAUCET at 2:37 - Nice. Smooth run-through with most of the usual mini-botches by Trey - one or two weak notes and ever-so-slight rhythm faulters. Standard fare. Singing with the Faucet begins on 3:21 and is decent enough. Nothing that they seem too psyched about but certainly not too upset about either. The second time around at 4:06 and someones voice actually *cracked*...no, it was just off. WAY OFF. Vocal work loses confidence and pretty much just "drops to the level of suck." Maybe out of an urge to compensate or cover(?), at 4:31 or so Trey does some seriously silly voice-vamping. He means it man! WATER from the Faucet starts pouring out at 4:40 and in such fine form indeed -- prepare to get WET my friends!! :) You can tell it immediately - no dilly-dailying around with just a few drops deviation from the Faucet Lick, nor any real thematic "lead" lick of any sort just yet, since the water was turned on full, and is HOT! from the start. Usually Trey starts this section off by an extension of the Faucet Lick or at least some melody-oriented sing-songy thing in hopes of a gravity rainbow breakthough, but this one starts with the tub already launched in the arch -- and it looks as if this is a GROUP BATH at that, since the band immediately locks into a Talking Heads influenced tight rhythmic groove. This forego's the stop-start school of rhythm jamming that Phish perfects so well and opts here instead to grease up the all-is-one rhythm machine. It's a machine that, this time, allows Trey to go up and down, Page to add chordal chops, Mike to funk through scales and Fish to keep continually on the groove move, always landing his feet in the right places. Nice build up the 'doc to the 6:02, spectacular release higher up on the neck than when we started. Worked back down then at 6:28 and settles in with some choatic circles. Nice, Fish! Man, is he ever *on* throughout this jam. Passing-the-hay is in obvious and blatant use here, but whenever it gets to Fish's turn to pass-the-hey, he *really* passes it! In fact, it seems as if he, more than Trey, is responsable for alot of the turns of this Gin. Again he finds a new groove. (or maybe *it* found him - you can argue if the hose is on or not, but the faucet is most definately working!) WARNING: You *will* get wet on this ride. 6:49 some real nice theme deservedly starts getting the repeat treatment. Almost Speed Racer meets Bonanza in the attitude department. Some really pleasing muted mutations from Trey. The 7:28 area I'm sure contains a one-off semi-tease of something...this style of riffing could lead to one finding a plethora of teases when in reality it's coincidental jamming...but if these aren't teases of things well then, they ought to be, but I just can't call it (and I'm usually very good with calling teases). By the 7:39 marker the jam is building fluently and smoothly, they have a firm handle on the wheels but their feet are uncontrollably putting the pedal-to-the-metal for a speed demon acceleration that can only lead to one thing: climatic top-out at 8:12 after some prompting from Fish. Machine-gun Trey has just entered and left the building like a true phantom rock star! He struck again, and again he struck a water-pipe dead on the mark leaving us with the water. Carlos would be proud. :) Hell, I'm proud - that was great! Jumps right back in the Faucet Theme groove. Slows down at 8:30s and continues to slow down to a slight drizzle that's merely 1/3rd of the Faucet Lick, slowing down constantly, a la the classic Tweezer wind-down. Suddenly on-call and out of nowhere Trey busts out some light licks in the 9:00 area. If you know the higher-pitched noodles of the pre-Hood groove or the opening Antelope groove, you know what I'm talking about. Nice trickling moon-bouncy licks. Slowing to a crawl now at 9:30s until finally at 9:43 it turns solely into feedback: 9:57 total silence. While it may not have broken free from gravity (it did indeed return to the Faucet Theme) but it also attained momentary freedom while in flight, landing in a different spot than its original destination. No "Bathtub Gin" refrains from Mike, no undamaged Faucet Theme groove. It landed in the perfect place given its flight. All things considered - this Bathtub In Motion contained some mighty potent Gin; tasty too :) Indeed *this* is the taste treat kids love to eat, and there's no ID even required! Not for the fainthearted. And its improvement ("fermentation" if you will) has taken TREMENDOUSLY impressive strides since the Holiday Gin of just one year earlier. Drawbacks? Hangovers? No real hangovers but one small hang-up: As is often, OFTEN, the case with Gins (*esp.* set I Gins) is that no matter how potent the shot may be, it's often only a quick shot, leaving you incapacitated and having a beautiful buzz, but only for under 10 minutes. This particular buzz lasts 9:57 and would effectively get you *very* drunk *very* fast and then leave you dry with the shakes, except that the all-hailed a cappela Freebird follows, and after that - the famous set II Mike's->Groove. Mixing liquors? Sure. But as for this Gin alone: Rating: 88 Proof (B+) (88 Proof as defined by the board: There are better ones out there, but it still beats the generic brand anyday and is fairly certain to get 'yer rocks off.) Walk with light my friends, Benjy PS -Yes, for all those who have been e-mailing me asking: I *will* get to YOUR favorite Gin (be it 8/13/93, 12/29/95, 11/7/96 or whatever) eventually. "The autumn bell is ringing, but we'll just have to wait" :)