From: Charlie Dirksen
8/13/96 Deer Creek Music Ctr., Noblesville, IN Several people who did the whole tour noted that this was one of the
better all-around SHOWS of the tour (probably because of all the break-outs in the first set). Don't let the Monkey Top (E)
fool you! I really dig this show (for Aug '96), but I think the first Ball show blows it away. Opening is a bit stronger and tighter
than 8/5.. "tramps jam" at 2:41, and well, I imagine they weren't on the tramps (as they haven't been in quite some time in this
section.. I wonder when the last time they were actually on the tramps for this section was.. hmmm.. I think I remember seeing
them on tramps on 7/2/94 during this section... with the strobes.. I'm not sure, though). Just Mike and Page funking away for the
first 30 seconds or so, as usual (nothing surprising here.. no out-of-the-ordinary grooves from them). Trey comes in trilling
rather nicely.. nice active start. This tramps jam, surprise surprise, is very similar to the 8/5/96 tramps jam. Trey's basically
noodling around, finding a theme to repeat here and there, but nothing spinetingly melodious. Around 5:33, the tramps jam is still
plodding along (the accompaniment is fairly straightforward.. nothing exceptional -- nothing stands out -- although Page is pretty
damn active, in all fairness to him). Trey is still The Leader, sometimes viciously noodling 'low on the 'doc. Around 6:40, Trey
and Mike enter a very ominous, almost counterpunctual jam, borderline-dissonant... Very dark and eerie, like a typical
post-tramps segment Mike's Song jam. But we're still in the tramps jam segment! This is a very engaging groove! I've never
heard this sort of jam (really, around 6:45-7:45) in Mike's Song before. At 7:45 or so, the groove explodes back into a more
typical Mike's Song groove, even though Trey's soloing throughout this period is quite powerful and even somewhat thematic (a
play on the Mind Left Body jam around 8:35-9 mins) before the final Mike's tramps segment chords kick in. (that wasn't a
Mind Left Body, but was similar to that jam in style) The post-tramps jam begins, as it often has, with Trey playing that "Simple"
Note, which all of you have likely heard open up the post-tramps segment before (see also the Clifford Ball version). This jam,
around 10 minutes, is typically chaotic (Fish starts pounding out an unduly ponderous beat, that is not a typical Mike's rhythm at
all..). Trey is soloing with a lot of evil sharps. At one point, he practically touches on the pre-Midnight Rider sort of groove from
6/22/94 (around 10:40 or something). This jam doesn't really do much, although Fish comes in with a fundamentally
UPTEMPO beat, and Trey starts mightily soloing (with excellent, thunderous accompaniment from Mike, Fish and PAGE!!)
around the 12 minute point. Trey is really off the deep end, it sounds like, in this whole part of the jam.. indeed, at around
13:20, Trey starts chording as if to segue into Walk Away or something! (no Walk Away tease, though) He then starts soloing
away fiercely, hell-bent even, around 13:40 onwards!! DAMN!!! Some great trilling in here, too! I wish this jam were more
melodious, but this sort of WALL OF SOUND kickass-style of groove is just Fine, too.. no spacey crap! At 15 mins, the
previously PSYCHOTIC jam calms down a bit, even though Trey still noodles.. and noodles rather melodiously (though
repetitively) around 15:20ish... Mike is complementing him serenely, as are Page and Fish. Jam quiets down significantly in here
(some unpleasant noodling from Trey at first.. goes out of tune with the others, it sounds like.. AGH. yuk.. around 16-16:30)..
Trey's guitar still doesn't sound healthy around 16:35... so he apparently drops it... mini-kit. Mike funks lightly.. and Page starts
noodling away (Fish is just tapping out a rhythm on the hi-hat.. then starts banging the toms). The noodling that Page is doing
around the 17 minute period sounds, at one point, like he at least considered going into DEG, but he didn't (Fish, meanwhile, is
still banging on the toms around 17:45). Trey's on the mini-kit (you've heard this before.. nothing new, especially).. Page's
noodling in here is one-handed and rather basic... nothing catches my attention.. some clav at 18:35, at least, that clearly clav
sound. Page does nothing exceedingly impressive.. meanwhile, though, Fish is really pounding out a GREAT groove on the
drums (19 minutes)!!!! Page gets on the piano around 19:30ish.. starts using two hands. Lots of chording.. Hey, there's Mike!!
=^] Mike starts becoming audible after 20 mins... This is an OK jam in here, fwiw.. nothing to get excited about, imo, except
maybe with respect to Fish.. he's really going off in here, doing a fantastic job!! Some effects from Trey, it sounds like, around
21:10 or so (he's back on the 'doc). Almost a CORRINA (Dead) feel to this jam around 21:30 (no Corrina tease, of course)...
fairly cool.. And then, by 22 minutes, the sky opens, and Trey lets out a nice sky-opening lick or two, with sustain... that dies
out.. then Page is on the Piano (and no Mike or Fish). Aaaaaaaaah.... and then, at 22:37, Lifeboy comes in. That was
AWESOME!! Very pleasant transition into Lifeboy. Unlike some of you, I really, really LOVE Lifeboy and Fast, and wish I
heard them more than I hear Sparkle, Rift, Cavern, Sample, etc. This version of Lifeboy, unfortunately, isn't nearly as solid as
even most versions from last year (which were generally not as tight as 1993 versions.. or 1994.. but whatever). I'd still rather
hear Lifeboy in this slot than Hydrogen, since I've been hydrogened too many times, and am not that huge a Hydrogen fan (I'd
prefer to hear Leprechaun over everything in this slot, though). Damn.. Lifeboy cuts in here to side B.. Fish's weekapaug drums
segue in roughly at 30:40-something. Mike's opening solo isn't nearly as kind as the Red Rocks opening (just isn't quite as
solid), but this is still a great opening from Mike!! I LIKE IT!!! =^] It is great to have him back opening up the Weekapaugs!
Trey's soloing is ABSOLUT WEEKAPAUG for the first several minutes.. nothing outrageous. Just typically gorgeous,
deliciously melodious, weekapaugian 'doc smacking. At about 34:15 or so, though, he starts jamming (very quickly) similar to
part of the 12/9/95 YEM jam.. what was that tease.. you know, that "Shaft" note that is repeated all over the 12/9/95 YEM
jam. ANYWAY, this Weekapaug is GLORIOUS, particularly around 35:30.. Trey is soloing very accurately, and is most
certainly mesmerizing many in the crowd with his improvisational prowess. At 36:30, the "quiet jam" begins, only it isn't "quiet"
at all.. this is the segment that Trey begins by soloing (repetitively) akin to the Suzy Greenberg "jam" segment (many
Weekapaugs have this style of groove in them).. this jam doesn't really get that quiet, but it is a step down from the previous
Intensity. It is also very up-tempo, with some FANTASTIC Mike and Page, before Trey jumps on the mini-kit!!! ALL
RIGHT!!! Quite the Groove around 38 minutes.. Page gets on Theremin, and Fish and Mike funk it out... with Trey on the
mini-kit. (38:30) Fish, meanwhile, is still keeping the Weekapaug Groove going.. oh there we go. Everyone quiets down
quickly, and then... Just Page tooling around on Theremin around 38:45 or so (the others dropped out)... Pages segues into
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at 39 minutes, presumably while The Acoustic Stage is erected. Yes, Page plays the entire
number, and does it quite well.. definitely better than the other night (Utah.. he didn't do the whole thing at Utah, anyway). Even
though the Weekapaug was unfinished, the Mike's Song, and what there was of the Weekapaug, were just soooo huge that I
have to give this version an A-. I think there are many other equally great Mike's Songs and Weekapaug Grooves out there... I
can't give this an "A" since it isn't quite as enchanting as, say, NYE '95 or many other December 1995 MikeSGrooves, in my
opinion. It still blows away the vast majority of MikeSGrooves available on tape (all years). FWIW, the Deer Creek
MikeSGroove is clearly better than the 8/5 Red Rocks version, but the Red Rocks '96 Bowie is MUCH better than the (still
great) version that closes this Deer Creek show, imo. FWIW, though, having heard all of Aug 96, the Runaway Jim > Gypsy
Queen > Runaway Jim from the final Red Rocks show is still my favorite Aug 96 jamming tune/version (if compelled to nail
down one particular version that really stands out in Aug '96.. although the Clifford Ball DWD is also a significantly powerful
version). This Jim really kicks 6/16/95's and 12/31/95's butt, imo, and these were, previously, the Greatest Jims I'd heard. two
cents dirk420