Mikes review - 08/15/98 Lemonwheel, Loring AFB, Limestone, ME

Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2000 14:56:13 -0700
From: Charles Dirksen [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 8/15/98 Mike's Groove in review
 
08/15/98 Lemonwheel, Loring AFB, Limestone, ME
 
I love the ambient set of this show.  Have you listened to it
recently?  It's my favorite set of this show easily.
 
Mike's Song opens this show, to the great amusement of The Multitude.
Weekapaug closes the first set.  Opening of this Mike's is standard.
 
Tramps jam features an unusually melodic Trey (unusual for this
section of Mike's).  The accompaniment from Fish, Page and Mike is
fairly straightfoward.  Trey patiently and melodiously noodles around
(5mins).  No apparent theme.  But his noodling isn't aggressive.  It
is somewhat soulful -- doesn't appear aimless or lost.  But it also
isn't transcendent or fiery.  He picks up steam around 6:10, as does
the whole jam, and the next minute cooks! Heavy organ-work from Page,
fwiw, in this whole Mike's.
 
Trey finally gets into the upper octaves around 7:30, but it is only
temporary.  He's still tooling around melodically, but it comes
across, at least to me, as soulful and inspired at this point (8:30).
Isn't aimless.  Excellent accompaniment from Fish!  Trey shreds
ferociously around 9 mins, for a measure or two!  At 9:23 the Mike's
tramps jam closing chords finally kick in, and Simple starts at 9:42
without any hesitation.
 
Have to say, this Mike's was beautiful and fun overall.  But Mike's
Song is usually fun and beautiful, and "great" in this sense.  That's
expected.  Easy "B" for this Mike's.  This is about as "average great"
as they get.  It's like the poster child of "average" -- meaning
'typically great' -- Mike's Songs.
 
Weekapaug segues -> out of a very amusing, loose "Cities" (lots of
Lemonwheel-relevant improvised lyrics;  Trey tries to make people on
the ferris wheel sick with some digital delay loop effects), and
closes the first set.  Right when the Cities jam starts getting really
dull, Fish just starts kicking out the Weekapaug rhythm.  And Mike
starts his opening lead-in/solo about 15 seconds later.  Page and Trey
shortly follow, naturally, playing 'paug's chords.
 
The jam segment begins at 2:08, and Trey starts noodling melodically
right out of the gate (as he usually does in 'paug).  Some excellent
soloing from Trey, to be sure, for these first few minutes.  It's not
a particularly "collective" jam, but still very enjoyable.  Some great
fills from Fish.  The usual strong accompaniment from Mike and Page.
It's still All Trey at 5:22 -- he's smoking that 'doc.
 
Trey plays some chords around 5:30 that suggest that he might actually
close this 'paug... yeah.  Weird.  At 5:40, Trey starts playing the
Weekapaug closing chords.  Rhythm picks up a bit.  Fish keeps picking
up the rhythm, as Trey continues to play the closing 'paug chords.
It's almost ludicrously fast by around 6:52. Page takes off on the
clav around 7:50!  Cool!  Fish is mostly on cymbals and woodblocks at
this point.  Trey just throws down a chord here and there.
 
Trey starts talking at 8:27.  Mentions the "Garden of Infinite
Pleasantries" again.  Fish is maintaining an incredible rhythm at this
point (9:05).  Bob Weaver ladies and gentlemen, Bob Weaver.  It's just
a chord here and there from Mike, Page and Trey, while Fish plays
drums.  Fish attempts a dramatic segue into a normal-speed, collective
return to 'paug, but it isn't smooth.  Oh well.  Closing lyrics come
in at 9:44.  Total time: 10:24.  The only thing really special about
this Weekapaug was Trey's strong soloing in the first few minutes.
But, uhhhhh... well.  That's not really that special, since Trey
usually solos strong!  He's a magnificent guitarist, after all. There
were no awe-inspiring, collective jams in this 'paug.  Nothing to make
it particularly above average/great, IMO.
 
two cents,
charlie
 
p.s.  Does anyone think the 11/15/98 Tenn Mike'sGroove, or the 7/4/99
Atlanta Mike'sGroove, is worth reviewing, and if so, why, and do you have a
copy?  (I don't have these shows.. I only have 7/4/99 as filler somewhere,
sans MikesGroove)  Also, for all sorts of reviews, please check out
http://www.phish.net/reviews/, a site maintained by the exceedingly
generous Dan Schar.


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