mikes song review - 8/12/98 Vernon Downs Race Track, Vernon, NY

Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 08:23:28 -0700
From: Charles Dirksen cdirksen@earthlink.net
To: rmp@archive.phish.net
Subject: 8/12/98 Mike'sGroove
 
8/12/98 Vernon Downs Race Track, Vernon, NY
 
Mike's Song timidly (at least initially) opens the second set.
Possible sound problems.. not that much bass.  Tramps jam (for those
who don't know, Trey and Mike used to bounce on trampolines in the
first few minutes of Mike's Song, often accompanied by lots of fog and
very cool lights; I believe the last time tramps were used in Mike's
Song was Summer 1995, at least, this is what JEREMY DAVID GOODWIN
believes, and JEREMY DAVID GOODWIN's belief is good enough for me)
begins at 2:41, and soon the sound is fixed and the bass kicks in more
fully.
 
Trey wastes no time before he melodically solos in the mid-range of
his Languedoc hollowbody.  He employs a waaaaah pedal effect in this
soloing, which gives it a character seldom heard in the tramps segment
of Mike's.  Soon he drops this effect and chooses a cleaner sound,
though, when he starts riffing around 4:58.  A very punchy Mike's.
Nothing amazing, but it ain't dull.  Trey is very active, and the
accompaniment from Fish, Mike and Page is also very compelling.  The
jam gets very dark and heavy around 6:10 or so.  There's a nice
crescendo for a measure or two, and then more Trey-led jamming.  Fish
hammers at the crash cymbals!
 
Around 7 mins Trey starts repeating a two-note riff, that gets
monotonous quickly, but that would appear to be the point..  It's
hypnotizing in its monotony.  The key isn't that pretty, though, IMO
(7:45).  Trey starts melodiously noodling overtop a rather perfunctory
jam that Page, Fish and Mike tool around with.  Still no hint at the
Mike's Song closing chords.  Trey's soloing is raw and edgy (8:45),
and semi-melodic, by this time.  Nothing special or unusual for
Mike's, but cool all the same!
 
Around 9:10, though, Trey stops leading, and sustains a chord for a
bit, as Mike becomes more prominent.  Starts to get spacey (9:35)
despite Fish's occasional stabs at the crash cymbals.  Trey lets loose
some digital delay loop noises.  Page throws out wistful chords, as
Trey comes back in soloing serenely and softly -- but purposefully.
He isn't searching for a theme.  He's soloing beautifully overtop a
somewhat spacey (only in spirit not rhythm) groove, until around
11:15, when things break out and intensify!  Fish and Mike pick up the
bottom, Page throws down more chords, and Trey starts soloing with
greater fire!  (12:02)
 
Trey had a chance to break into the closing chords at 12:24 but opted
not to.  The jam at this point is hard and raw and thunderous, much
like early Mike's Songs, in a sense (and unusual for 1998).  Trey's
chording around 13 minutes sounds like it could easily segue into
"Walk Away".  Fish is changing up the rhythm, making it more complex.
Lots of fills.. as Trey continues to repeat some raw, rich, nasty
chords.  At 13:45 Trey sustains a note for a few measures before he
begins trilling (around 14 mins).  Niiiice!  His intense riffing
doesn't last for very long before he returns to simple chords... and
starts repeating those in a malicious Mike's Song manner around 15:20.
 
The jam at this point (15:30) frankly sounds like an tramps jam!
Cool!  Very unusual, too.  Trey is chording low on his 'doc a la the
dark and nasty tramps jam!  It's pretty repetitive -- not that
exciting musically.  But it is unusual in light of the history of the
improvisations in Mike's Song over the years.  Though unusual, this is
still boring the hell out of me now (16:50).  Trey starts throwing out
some other bizarre effects (at least, I assume this is Trey creating
these strange metallic effects).  Not that pretty around 17:20 --
there's some (intentional) feedback.  And at 17:29 Fish and Trey blast
into the Mike's Song closing chords.. And Fish slows down the rhythm
just in time to break into Simple at 17:47.  For awhile I thought this
Mike's would climax well.. too bad it didn't.
 
Simple/Rift/LovingCup/Sleeping Monkey all before..
 
Fish kicks out Weekapaug in at the end of Monkey.  Snappy stuff from
Mike in this opening (as is par for the course), before Page and Trey
begin playing the Weekapaug opening chords.  Jam segment begins at the
usual 1:28 or so into 'paug, with Trey soloing melodically from the
outset.
 
Wow!  Incredible energy to this Weekapaug!!   Nothing more to say
except "somewhat above average typically spectacular Trey-led 'paug."
 
At 5:58 or so Page takes off on the clavinet, as the jam drops down
into what I've called -- in numerous past reviews -- the "quiet mode"
of 'paug.  But it isn't quiet -- just softer.  PAGE!!!!!  It's All
Page in here, still, by 7:28.  At 7:34 they somewhat roughly return to
'paug (with Trey and Fish tearing it up).  Christ.  Still, not really
much of a climax at all.  Which is strange, given the energy of this
version!  Huh.  Quite a surprise.
 
Closing chords at 8:35, and the closing lyrics begin kinda timidly at
9:12. Not much energy to this closing section.  Total time 9:50.  Huh.
 
Really bizarre.  This 'paug started out with incredible energy, and
featured stellar, BLISTERING work from Page and Trey.  But, uh..
didn't go anywhere that I'd call new and different.
 
Got to give this Mike's Groove a B+.  I think the Mike's and Weekapaug
were on the road to being "A-range versions" and were cool overall
(above the norm for the history of the songs, easily).  But their
endings didn't feature anything special.
 
two cents,
charlie
 



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