From: Charlie Dirksen
12/31/93 The Centrum, Worcester, MA Opening fine. Pre-Nirvana section contains some very annoying sounds from some
aud members (picked up by the FM broadcast), and is also not unusually impressive. Just the typical eerie and mysterious
effects from Trey, Mike and Page. Nirvana at 3:49. It isn't all that great. Trey kinda fumbles the ending before Mike's solo
section. Mike's section is very melodious, upbeat and pleasant.. very nice stuff from him in here! Unusually happy. The
pre-charge section is typically good, and includes some dark chording from Trey (similar to many, though not all, other
versions), and some off-time stuff from him in here. The first Note at 5:53, and it really doesn't sound that great to me. Trey
sustains it but doesn't get a good tone at all, imo. The jamming before the second shot at the Note (6:37) and thereafter is fine,
but nothing exceptionally impressive. "Boy" at 7:10.5 after a full-bodied scream from Trey. BMGS segment standard.
WUDMTF segment is kinda shaky at first (Trey's voice is practically nothing during this show, btw.. it is barely there in places),
but it is otherwise standard. Trey clearly, audibly says "Wash your feets and drive me.." a couple times in here, too, fwiw.
Around 9:06 the WUDMTF segment gets weird before the tramps jam comes in around 9:20 (Trey was repetitively noodling,
accompanying some basic stuff from Page). Nice signals from Mike in the tramps segment (typical signals, really). Page and
Fish are jamming well (Page is much more active in here than he was in the 12/28/93 version, for damn sure!). The jamming
around 10:35 is unusual in that Trey and Page are playing off each other... Jam segment basically starts at 10:50 (not a really
good ending to the tramps jam, fwiw.. no grand finale). Trey is noodling actively and melodiously (some great accompaniment
from Mike around 11:27, briefly) just as he did on 12/28/93 to start out. Trey is all the way up the frets, fret-pickin high around
11:40 or something... brief. Around 11:55 or so, Trey begins a very repetitive groove on his 'doc which SMOKES!!!! =^]
Mike and Page come in after about ten seconds accompanying it. It is very repetitive, but it is funky, engaging and just dank!!!!
(I can easily see why this moves so many of you) Around 12:43, Trey starts melodiously playing with this theme, and really
starts to Rock.. goes up an octave by 13 minutes.. proceeds to get more and more intense!! =^] Trey is soloing around this
theme at 13:30 rather accurately, scaling around it and screwing with it. Great accompaniment from Mike around 13:50 or so,
in particular. Fish and Page are also great! At 14:15, Trey is masterfully soloing around this theme, still, and is climaxing high on
the 'doc around the 14:20-40 range.. B&D segment at 14:41. Mike's soloing in this is *GREAT*.. very funky and melodious..
but not as quick as he's been known to get, for damn sure. And this is short... :( Closing WUDMTF segment at 15:39. Fairly
amusing vocal jam, with some very odd noises from Fish (I think it is) in particular. Otherwise, nothing unusual, until around
20:20, when Fish seems to be singing "Clementine" miserably slowly (and in the wrong key). He stops this fairly soon, though.
Some snorting around 21:10, and the vocal jam begins to March. Lots of laughter and applause around 21:30, and Fish is
making some interesting sounds. I think he just said that he was naked under 'here', or something. At 22:04, the vocal jam ends,
and Trey says that "they" are going on an "excursion" and that they'll be back in fifteen minutes. B rating for this YEM. pHil
Byers made the claim a month or so ago that this version was better than any Dec 1995 version he'd heard. The jam segment of
this version is significantly above-average and impressive, but definitely not must-hear impressive, in my opinion, and it isn't even
as exciting as the 12/28/93 version, which ends much more impressively. Much more! There isn't even that much trilling from
Trey, not to mention any enchantingly melodious full-band jams in this 12/31/93 version. Sure, this jam KICKS ASS, but so
what. Many older versions of YEM do, too. pHil, and if you really think this version is better than 12/31/95 and/or 12/9/95, let
me know. This version AIN'T SHIT next to those versions, and many other truly outstanding all-around YEMs, imo. See the
Truly Awe-Inspiring Monster YEMs, like the "Brick House" YEM of 11/18/95, the 12/9 and 12/31/95 YEMs, 5/5/93,
6/11/94, 7/25/92 with Carlos Santana, 3/14/93, 11/16/91, etc. (just screwing with ya, pHil) Now, let's talk about objectivity in
aesthetical appreciation... ;-) Winterreise420 p.s. I've reviewed all of the april 1994 YEMs already, and well, I think this version
(12/31/93) is probably more exciting than _any_ of those (even the unduly curious 4/23/94 version). I still insist that across the
entire universe of YEMs that I've heard, this 12/31/93 version is an awesome (B) version, and no more, in my opinion.