11/7/96 - YEM - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 01:00:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Dan Hantman 
To: Dan Schar 
Subject: 11/7/96 YEM Review


From: Charlie Dirksen 


11/7/96 Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Realllly nice Bathtub Gin in this set, btw.  Check it out.  I don't
think I have heard the 11/9/96 YEM, fwiw. If anyone has any strong
thoughts about it, please email me with details on why you think it is
a strong version and one I ought to check out.  I'd love to hear your
two cents.  I'd appreciate it even more if *you* reviewed it, though.
YEM's opening is The Usual.  The pre-Nirvana section is enchanting but
short.  Nirvana at 2:57. Good.  Mike's solo section is pretty lifeless,
sad, introspective.  The pre-charge is excellent.  Trey's first shot
at The Note is nailed at 5:03 and jammed decently around.  Second shot
at The Note occurs at 5:48 and, though it is sustained, it doesn't 
sound quite right.
"Boy" at 6:22 after a good charge and a scream from at least Trey (may
have been someone else involved in this one).  Good WUDMTF segment..
trampolines jam at 8:33 and signals from Mike.  Page's hammond action
is slow at first, but picks up.  Nice closing tramps segment jam.
Trey comes back in with some funky chords.  And Mike's funking things
up rather nicely.  No real start to the "jam segment" yet ...
Ah there we go.. at 10:41 the jam segment appears to start with a
semi-melodious note or two from Trey.  Mike is fairly melodious
himself in accompaniment of Trey's funky playing (that is fairly
rote).  Page plays with the Moog a bit (I believe).  Fairly repetitive
funky jam in here. Around 12:15, Trey chords in a fashion very
similar to the Suzy Greenberg jam segment, only much more slowly.
Then he hits his drum kit at 12:30...
Mike and Page continue to funk things up.  They play a few measures,
then everyone stops dead for a second or two.  This stop/start jamming
continues for the next minute or so (Trey's still on the drum kit).
Nothing much goes on until
14:02, when Trey comes back in chording. Jam picks up a bit of steam.
But the Funk is still thicker than any melody.  No noodling here. (in
case you were wondering whether Phish got funky earlier than 1997, the
answer is YEM).  At 15:12 or so Trey starts noodling more/less, or at
least starts playing NOTES for a change.  Around 15:40 the groove
picks up and begins to sound more and more like a typical YEM jam
segment, with Oye Como Va undertones (Page plays some Oye Comochords).
This is pretty run of the mill YEM, though, folks.  Really not much of
merit (typically good music, though, don't get me wrong). Nothing
special.  Trey starts climactically soloing in a typically Oye Como Va
fashion around 17:40, but by then it is too late.  This YEM jam
segment dragged imo.. At 18:14 the jam begins dying out, sounding a
bit like Immigrant Song around 18:20 frankly (Trey chords a bit like
Immigrant Song, wouldn't call it a tease though.. damn close).  Pretty
cool groove at this point (19 minutes).  Waiting for Mike and Fish to
start tearing it up.  Trey moves to the kit around 19:15,
and by 19:30, Mike basically takes over.  Doesn't do that much, though
(Fish accompanies him only minimally, giving Mike some room).  Very
melodious B&D section.  Mike seems to tease that jingle, "I like Bread
and Butter, I like toast and jam" etc. (can't remember what that
jingle advertised.. (bread?!)) at one point.  Very melodious soloing
from Mike in here (much more melodious than anything in the jam
segment, actually).  Trey is on the kit throughout this whole thing,
too.   This is really nice.. you ought to check this out, given Mike's
effort. (see also 11/18/95 and 6/29/95 for truly kickass B&D segments)
Closing WUDMTF section, finally, at 22:37.  NO comment on the vocal
jam (yawn).  Total time 27:40 or so.  B rating for this typically
great version (at best).  I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a YEM
lush, or a huge Mike/B&D fan.

two cents
charlie