Reba's Razor down yer back (RebaReview #6)
8-7-93 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Darien, NY 8-7-93 I
Time: 11:01
 
This show opens with a Llama, Bouncin', Poor Heart combo,
followed up by a nice Stash - not mind blowing, but certainly
enjoyable and different.  After the Stash theme comes back in
the jam hits a quiet point, and for a second I thought it would be
another occurrence of the alternate MSMN theme found on ALO.
But no, this is better, I think, a smooth segue into Makisupa.
Sweet!  Trey works the lines from the second verse of Stash into
Makisupa ("Woke up in the morning...policeman in the
corner...woke up in the afternoon, said "Please don't do that."),
and there is a cool little "Dogs" whistling tease from him at one
point.  Pretty phat Makisupa, although this one doesn't fade, it
stops.  And now, ladies and gentlemen...Reba!!
 
THE DIRECTIONS (0:00): Mike is prominent on this tape...that's a
good thing.  Laid back tempo...seems to drag a bit.  Some minor
flubs, most noticeably from the aforementioned Cactus...well, I
guess there are a couple of drawbacks to being mixed high.
Things sound a little bit strained in general, but not bad...
 
THE SIP (2:31): Angry conversation intrudes a bit on the
sip...closer inspection reveals two things.  1) It's probably a taper
argument ("What are you doing...don't you know the rules?") 2) I
listen to these tapes way too closely.  No obvious musical
dribbles during the sip, that I can hear...
 
THE SWALLOW (4:56):  No more fighting now, that's
good...swallow goes down just fine...
 
THE CHILL (6:20):  Bop bop, bop bop, bop bop...steadiness from
all concerned, amidst some hoots and hollers from the
crowd...Mike throws a little change-up (actually a change-down)
into his line right before Trey comes in at (6:38).  Trey starts
tapping notes in 6/8 time, descending, and
then...slows...way.......down...and...stops.  He then chirps and
incorporates a sweet lick into some passionate Reba noodling,
repeating this once before a shift at (7:20).  Trey starts to turn
that lick into some Reba noodles, and works his way to another
shift.  This jam is starting to develop some good funk...Mike
signals from up high while Page starts to gain strength...Trey is
growing more expansive with his noodling, and sustains through
another shift at (8:01)...things are now growing really
funky...Page is jamming on the piano, and I mention that because
there is so much funk, I wish he was on the clavinet or
something else...they work up to another shift, and at 8:45 Trey
hits a sneering, bent chord that really grabs Page...someone's got
da funk...who do?  We do!  Trey's noodling is now fierce, and gets
repetitive in anticipation of a build...and a good
one...grrrrrrr...Trey holds back on the release at 9:21, creating
delicious tension...now he begins to shoot these demonic,
repetitive licks _right at my spinal cord_, and it's making me
literally writhe in agony/ecstasy...a really intense build now, and
Trey releases with a sustained note at 10:01.  Yeow!  We're
screaming through the Rebasphere!  Trey hits a lot of sustain up
here, and that combined with some crashes from Fishman mean
that we're on top...not quite all the way up, though, which Trey
demonstrates with an even more sustained release at (10:21)...a
classic Reba release... I am half-expecting the toms at (10:40),
but instead Trey does more wicked things to my back with his
guitar...Fishman lays into a 4/4, putting the mad Doctor
Anastasio on notice that this insanity must end now, which it
does at (11:01).
 
THE WET WHISTLE: I thought for sure I was gonna get some
whistling, but the Maze hi-hat starts up instead.  *snap*  Wait a
second...I wrote too soon...the tape flips, and while they play the
beginning of Maze, Trey starts some Wet Whistling...that's pretty
cool, actually!  Something you just have to hear, the Reba Wet
Whistle to the tune of Maze...creepy, weird...I like, I like!  Can't
really call this a real WW, though...I don't know what you'd call
it...Maze with a Wet Whistle tease, maybe.  Hey, I was right, for
once...I did get some whistling! =)
 
******************
 
While not _wildly_ impressive, this version proves one thing to
me - good things _can and do_ come in small packages.  Clocks in
at 11 minutes, no whistling...but length isn't everything.  Trey's
entrance into the jam is excellent, and it leads very smoothly
and quickly to some _intense_ #@^%!!*&~ jamming.  I can't sit
still while I listen to the end of this Reba... it's less like a sip and
more like a shot, truth be told...a distilled and potent version.  If
I needed a _quick_ Reba fix, this would do the trick.  =)
 
Finest in the nation?  Survey says:
 
C+