Highlights: Rainbow Serpent, Tinder Box, Valley Of The Jig

This was a nice time. I remember wandering around the theater a fair amount now that I think back on it, although I never left the lower level for the balconies, which were probably a party as well.

I showed up late for much of Ms. Brown's after forgetting my ticket like a dumbass. I have nothing to say about this one anyway. Cedar they had just played in Rochester two or 3 nights earlier to open with, the two versions are pretty similar, as there isn't much variance in the song anyway. Old Home Place, ehhh, not much to write a review about it. Billy almost started singing too early, then another screw up later in the song.

Rainbow Serpent, this is an awesome song, kind of reminds me of old Pink Floyd in a way. This is an especially cool version of this rarish new song that they should play more. It's got the not-as-happy as older SCI feel to it, kind of the darker stuff they've been switching to. Only this is good dark stuff, not techno gibberish. The ending of Rainbow was especially cool.

Then quite an end to the first set with that Little Hands > Close Your Eyes. Neither song is rare by any means, but they played them both very very well. The harmony between Billy and Kang in the LH chorus is great, and the keys section was not the best out there (see 10/29/00), but was still pretty cool with the low-note part (although if you like the low notes at the end of this one, 7/5/02's keys solo has an earth-shattering one). Billy's kind of lacking here, his coolest part is at the end of the keys, then he kills the energy, and after a short guitar solo Kang is like "OK, that's enough get out of my way." This was an awesome fiddle solo, mostly because I was there I'll admit, but also the seal-noises (as in the animals at the beach) that he is making with his fiddle at the end of the song are pretty awesome. There are a lot of a-typical features in this fiddle solo that make it somewhat more difficult to follow than the ones I am accustomed to, but after listening to it a few times I appreciate it more.

The segue into Close Your Eyes-- there is no typical beginning to the song, just some awesome Kyle. Billy is nasty in the middle of this song, nasty. WHAT IS THE SONG they are either intentionally or unintentionally teasing beginning at around 6:10 with Billy. Needs a Yeeeea from Kyle at the end.

Set 2
100 Year Flood happened nearby. Billy says a lot of nonsense first. The crowd loves it of course. Good jam during this one too, above average for sure.

When they started playing Jessica I was like Meh... but when I saw Kyle fall off his chair during his nasty keys solo and all the other awesome jamming within it surprised me enough to make me quite happy. The crowd is definitely getting pretty pumped up this set.

The last song I eve expected them to play was Bigger Isn't Better, it made the show, if not the tour. It was not like the 1999 ones, it was like the 1997 ones, so I didn't quite realize they were playing it at first, but realizing it was happening is a memory I won't forget for awhile. I had seen Bigger Isn't Better at summer sessions in 1999, but I don't even remember it as I had not even gone to that show for the SCI part; it's funny to see how crazy I went this time. Funk.

Bringing an old classic that they pulled out of nowhere and segueing it into a new song from their new album is such an SCI move. Looking Glass. Again? But as I said in other reviews their playing it all over the place this tour made it into a nice jam song by summer/fall 2004. Mediocre Freedom Jazz Dance, always beautiful Texas Town, then closing out the set with a crazy CAYA that I thought they wouldn't have time for.

After seeing Kang pick up the fiddle in Black Clouds a few nights earlier in Rochester, not to mention Search has become fiddle-ridden, seeing him pick up the fiddle during Come as You Are got me wondering, but I soon found out it was to play that cool Jig song in the middle.

Cool little ditty in the first song of the encore, Search was Search but nice Kang pretending his mando is a trumpet again (see 10/6 Blue Bossa) and also a nice jam into White Freightliner and that's a great song to go out on.

5 stars because I was at the show, but you might give it 4 if you weren't there. I have already commended Jason Ho in my other fall tour reviews.

Ho hits a homer with this recording. Great energy and sound. Enjoy!

Great jams in MBT, Flood, Little Hands and Jessica.

Excellent sound quality.