Mikes review - 3/30/93 Hilton Ballroom, Eugene, OR

Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1999 08:44:40 -0800
From: Charles Dirksen [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 3/30/93 Hilton Mike's
 
3/30/93  Hilton Ballroom, Eugene, OR
 
Thanks to Marcus Pearson for encouraging me to hear this gig.
 
After wishing Bob a happy 40th bday, the band launches into Mike's
Song.  "Call it what you will but you know it's my song."  Mike
dedicates his song to himself after Trey and Fish joke around about it
being his song... This opening is filled with extra "his song"
lyrics.  The "tramps" jam begins around 3 minutes.  This Mike's is
typical of the period.  Trey is soloing darkly overtop a heavy, thick
groove put down by Fish, Mike and Page.  Trey toys around with an
eerie theme around 4 mins, but it isn't impressive or engaging.  Don't
get me wrong.  This is still a fierce Mike's -- just standard.  At
4:59 the Mike's chords kick in for a measure, and then they
start jamming again (as in other versions around this time).
 
Trey finds another eerie theme to toy with and repeat around 6 mins.
He doesn't drop it.  Meanwhile, everyone rages in the background.
Nothing worthy of note here.. just typically kickass old-school dark
Mike's Song jamming. Closing Mike's Song chords begin at 8 mins.
Hydrogen begins at 8:41.  Trey teases that melody/riff/theme/whatever
that you might hear at a race track when the horses line up at the
gate. I have no idea what it is called.  He teases it a few times
(Page mimicks him a bit).  Unusual Hydrogen in that Fish bangs around
on the drums a bit more than usual. Modestly improvisational activity
from everyone, actually..
 
Weekapaug kicks in at 11:41.  It's fun!! Nothing especially worthy of
note occurs until 16:11, when Trey starts chording and teasing
something that I don't recognize at all.  He even sings a lyric that I
missed (it isn't "Psycho Killer" at all.. this is something else).
Fun 'Groove for sure!  It quiets way down around 20:30.. just Page at
this point on the piano.  Very light drumming and strumming. Soon it
starts picking up and segues nicely into PSYCHO KILLER!!! =^]  It's
pretty sloppy, but so what.  One verse.  Trey is still playing the
chords to it when everyone else goes back into Weekapaug around
22:15... and then at 22:40 Trey starts singing another verse of Psycho
Killer.  Hysterical.. Everyone segues back into Weekapaug at 23:50 or
so.  Excellent ending!  The closing begins around 26.  Total time
26:48.. B+
 
two cents
charlie


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