Date: Sun, 21 Mar 1999 16:03:44 EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: 10-31-98 Wolfman's Brother

My DAT of this show (Neumann KM184's > D8) is exceptionally crispy thanks
to
the generosity of Mr. Aaron Smith.  Are we making the trip back to
Sandstone
this summer or what Aaron?  :o)

10-31-98
Thomas and Mack Center
Las Vegas, Nevada

III:  Wolfman's Brother > Piper > Ghost

Wolfman's opens the final set after a rowdy musical costume of the Velvet
Underground's "Loaded".  It's my best guess the set began around or just
before midnight Vegas time.  As memory serves me the stage remained very dark
and unlit as the band comes out to a rousing approval from the crowd.  As Trey
approaches the microphone it looks like he has painted his face until he
appears under the light to reveal a catlike plastic mask with no mouth. He
threw off the mask somewhere during the first ten minutes off the song.

0:00 Page starts things off with the signature piano intro, around 1:24 the
telephone was ringing and the lyrics and accompanying music were pretty
standard.

At 4:03 the lyrics are finished and Trey begins typical Type I noodling still
in the main chord progression.  Mike is very evident as usual in cementing the
bass in the beginning foundation of the jam.  Fishman imputs a heavier beat
around 5:35 as Trey noodles more and more away from the main structure of the
song.  By 6:48 Page takes over the focus of the jam with some very trippy
organ playing as Trey slows his riff to an absolute minimum.  Mike continues
laying the bass track for the Type II improvisation they're about to head off
into.

Page continues building the trippiness as Mike's heavy bass slowly fades into
the background of the music.  Fishman is much more active on the cymbals
as Trey unfolds back into the mix around 8:35 with a faint approval from the
crowd as the groove of the music takes a turn for the unusual side.  The organ
and drums are the only thing left around 9:45 as the crowd pacifies into a
silent hush.

Page and Trey are mixing a semi-loop jam together around 10:40 as Mike
consistently focuses on the same bass track he's been thumping for the last
few minutes.  The loop takes us into a spacey free form industrial type jam
unlike anything they've played as the crowd is completely nonexistent as to
how to react to this type of music.

At 12:20 Fishman picks up the consistency of his cymbal and becomes more of a
focus in the jam.  By 13 minutes the loop slowly disintegrates into a slow
creepy pace until the crowd roars to life with an intense glowstick war. By
13:45 the crowd roars again as the war intensifies at which time Trey scraps
the original delay loop to start a second higher pitched loop during which he
continues to noodle around for the next minute or two.  The crowd roars to
Page's contribution to the mix as the organ takes the lead directing the
trippy nature of the adventure.  At 15:41 Trey is floating around with several
different melodies as Mike's bass tone turns heavier to the delight of the
crowd.  As the organ jam draws creepier into the darkness Page introduces a
sinister background during which Mike and Fishman are essentially quiet and
unnoticeable.

Around 18:22 the organ has become the complete focus of the jam leading it
into a new direction as Trey turns down the digital loop riff he had be
drowning the music with.  By 18:50 the delay is completely gone until Trey
reintroduces it again at 20:04 when Page slowly returns to the piano and
abandons the organ.  Fishman picks up a quaint drum beat as Mike slowly and
quietly pulls back into the music.  The delay loop is still dominating the
music as Trey noodles here and there at 21:30.

Cymbals sporadically sound the end of the line as the crowd is completely
quiet waiting for the progression of the music.  Trey again starts a third
different and somewhat quieter delay loop.  Mike interjects a steady bass riff
around 23:00 as the crowd faintly applauds him noticeably coming back into
the mix.  Fishman is more active on the drums as the loop quiets into a fading
glimpse of what it was.  Mike takes a heavy lead as Page disappears until the
sound band is just Mike.

25:05 Trey begins a simple riff the rest of the band follows as Page is back
to the sinister organ he was once on earlier in the jam.  Mike's bass is
directing the slow moving madness in the typical Gordonesque laid back fashion
as Fishman continues the steady progression of the beat.  Mike picks up the
pace and becomes the evident leader of the jam with Page's "phantom of the
opera" organ playing adding to the bizarre nature of the moment.

27:10 Trey starts a new groove that is built on Page's organ as Fishman picks
up the beat considerably.  While it's still a free form jam Trey is obviously
going somewhere he's been before as the noodling turns to a distinctive riff.
Mike follows with a standard bass track and Page has returned to the piano
for good.

28:58 brings the first noticeable Piper tease and by 29:10 it is evident
the Wolfman's jam is over.

While many people don't particularly care for this version just because of the
overall weirdness of the ambient jam I loved it that night in Vegas and I love
it on my tape.  On the Scott Jordan scale I'd rate this about a 6.5 as a
recommended version to check out just for the simple fact it is unlike any
other Wolfman's ever played.

For this and other reviews check the HPB at http://www.phish.net/reviews.

Joby
http://members.aol.com/jsemmler/tapelist.htm


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