Tweezer review - 7/25/98 South Park Meadows, Austin, Texas

Date: Wed, 03 May 2000 08:19:43 -0700
From: Charles Dirksen cdirksen@earthlink.net
To: rmp@archive.phish.net
Subject: 7/25/98 South Park Tweezer
 
7/25/98 South Park Meadows, Austin, Texas
 
Thanks for getting me this, Jeremy (of Jeremy and Nicole fame)!  I
know you didn't think this was much of a Tweezer, and you're right,
but thanks are due anyway!
 
Tweezer's opening segment begins fine.  The rhythm of this version is
normal -- it isn't slower than usual, like many versions from the last
few years.  Trey snickers/laughs before coming in (a little late) on
the lyrics around 2:25.  Mike adds some amusing Coo-AAAAAhs to this
opening, as he usually but not always does.  Trey releases some
effects after the "Ebeneezer" lyric and some members of the audience
scream, but there really isn't the usual crazy mayhem after the
Ebeneezer lyric.
 
Jam segment begins at 4:48 very mellowly.  Trey releases a digital
delay loop, Page tools around on the piano, Mike and Fish patiently
and loosely coast in the bottom.  Trey eventually starts repetitively
chording along, but basically nothing happens in the first few minutes
of this version.  This is about as "textural" you can get, and doesn't
appear the least bit inspired (7:05).  Trey continues to repeat this
chord, ad nauseum.  It's a good, funky chord, to be sure.  But this
jam is just too damn mellow, IMO.  It couldn't be any more laid back
and uneventful.  Mike is the most active musician in this jam (in  a
melodic sense.. he always plays a lot of notes).
 
Trey starts repeating a melodic riff around 8:50, which is pleasant.
But he drops it in favor of more repetitive chords after only a few
measures.
 
Around 9:30 Trey starts repeating a riff in the lower octaves of his
Languedoc hollowbody, and soon he starts soloing/leading the jam with
a melodic sensability.  Trey's staccato-flavored playing around 10:55
is very reminiscent of "Manteca," but he never quotes Manteca's
theme.  He arguably teases Manteca's main melodic riff, I suppose, but
only arguably, since he really just sounds like he's at most only
borrowing from the style of Manteca's theme.
 
There's really no climax or anything to this solo, and the jam just
mellowly flows along.  Page moves to the clavinet and accompanies
well.  Trey returns to repetitively chording along with the groove in
a Moma-Dance-like manner.  It's almost hypnotic in its repetitiveness.
 
Mike takes the lead around 14 minutes, riffing away on bass.  At 14:25
the jam cools ... and at 14:38 Trey starts playing the opening chords
of "Circus."
 
This was definitely one of the weakest Tweezers of the last few years,
in my opinion.  It went nowhere, similar to the 7/19/98 version,
actually.  Just coasted along without a care in a manner that seemed
uninspired and aimless (at least to me).  It's still musically more
interesting than many versions of Tweezer from the early years,
though, IMO, so I think a 5.0 rating is reasonable (even though the
ratings suck and you should put no faith or credence in them :-).
 
two cents
charlie
_____________________________________________________
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CHARLIE DIRKSEN DO NOT
NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF CHARLIE DIRKSEN.
 

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