From: Charlie Dirksen
10/31/90 Armstrong Hall, Colorado Springs, CO (Rvwd 4/95) You know, I am nearly brought to tears whenever I hear this Reba jam. Sure it is short, but DAMN is it sweeeet! Easily one of my favorite Rebas (along with Halloween and Bighamton 4/9/94, among many others...). The MikeS Groove is frightfully standard, I'm afraid. Trey is chaotic and evil sounding during the jam segment of MikeS (as he usually is). Lots of sustained, off-key work. It sounds deliberately hideous (after hearing a lot of Mike's Songs, I am convinced that Trey USUALLY tries to make this jam semgent really off-key, spooky, raw and heinous... which, as you may have been able to tell, I ain't too fond of, since I've heard what can happen when Trey melodically jams in MikeS!!). Hydrogen kicks in at just after 6 mins. Trey takes his time, though, before leading into the theme. It is otherwise standard. Weekapaug kicks in at the 9 min point or so, and it goes on for the usual 6 and a half mins (for 1990). Everyone is really hot in this not very long version, but nothing especially magical happens. C- rating. I really like the Reba at this show... again, it is short like all the old Rebas, but the jam has a little melodic bit from Trey in it that makes me shiver with glee. Foam is pretty good, too! [here's another review of the same song:] 10/31/90 Crested Butte, CO (Rvwd 6/95) Thanks to Downerman for this crispy board! This MikesGroove as a whole is better than many of the 1990 versions that I have, but it still, when compared to the universe of MikeSGrooves, elicits a mere average rating from me. The MikeS witnesses the typical off-key sustain work from Trey, that really doesn't go anywhere until just after the 4 min point. Trey really just goes up and down a scale or two; nothing special, and then it is back to the usual off-key eeeerie jamming. Everyone else is doing typical 1990 MikeS grooving. YAWN. This version ends at 5:56. Hydrogen is really upbeat, and contains some tooling around from Page and Trey before they kick into the theme. It is otherwise standard. Weekapaug kicks in around 8:40, and Mike's opening solo is snappy & funky & quick.. a solid opening. Trey is F#CKING ON FIRE for this Groove. He really wails away, exploring all sorts of territory on the 'doc.. butttte, upon reflection, nothing truly outrageous occurs in this version at all. Everyone just shares in the Groove... although this version is a good one for 1990, it is a joke when compared with some of the 1992 versions that I've reviewed (4/19, 3/20, 11/28..). Total time is 14:18 (not very long..). 5.0 rating. (C)