, attached to 1996-07-23

Review by Mikesgroover

Mikesgroover The final two-set show of the Europe tour finds the band playing a venue that would be immortalized on the band's return seven months later, the show that wound up being released as Slip, Stich and Pass. On this night, like during most of the 1996 Europe tour, the band is technically sound but doesn't break new ground like they would on their next visit.

A stretched out, patient Bag opener has some extra mustard at the end, and the Theme is even better than the one played two nights earlier in Nuremberg. The middle jam has a brief, repeated chord section at about 5:30 that’s really cool and a great build-up before the climax.

Trey is doing something during this Mule that gets the crowd excited, maybe playing parts of his body like a drum? Unless you were there, it’s impossible to tell from the recording. Anyway, this sounds like a fun Mule to have witnessed.

For a 15 minute version, this Disease doesn’t cover much terrain and barely strays from the theme. Call it a long Type I version.The McGrupp is longer than normal, with Page taking an extended lead on a long jam after the last verse that Trey sits out.

The second set highlight is the first Mike’s Groove with Hydrogen in 9 months, or 60 shows. At 10 minutes, Mike’s starts descending into some weird space and briefly sounds like it could be heading into Timber Ho territory before returning to the theme. Lots of Page in this Paug, including a nice section with just Mike and Page playing off of one another before Trey jumps in to wrap it up.

The Slave that closes is silky smooth, with clean Trey soloing on the outro. This one may get overlooked, but sounds as good as other more well-known 1996 versions.

If you're a big fan of Page, the McGrupp and Mike's Groove may be of interest. Beyond that, it's another solid but hardly adventurous night in 1996 for this band.


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