3/27

There are few times where a consensus may be reached in this wonderfully obsessive and diverse fan-base, but today’s anniversary highlights one of the clearest.  Twenty-one years ago today, as the Biscuits took the stage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a ridiculously long tour came to an end and the band and its fan were forever changed.  The Biscuits’ sound, the seeds of which were sewn at the end of 1998, had morphed into something unique in a scene begging for experimentation.  This was ominous music bent on taking over the world as society prepared for the never-to-come Armageddon of Y2K.  To paraphrase a friend, 3/27 might not be everyone’s favorite show, but one is likely to find it in almost everyone’s top 10.

📷:The Disco Biscuits

Right off the bat we are hit in the face with that sound.  Rib cages are rattled and your heart seems to speed up to join in as the doctor sets the controls for the heart of the sun.  The sound on the Rich Steele re-master makes you feel as though the band is in your living room; it’s intimate and intent on keeping your attention.  Slapping bass notes hit the crowd's face as though they were pulled straight from that famous scene in the movie Airplane and the rest of the band comes alive around the astoundingly deep pocket.  Not to be outdone, Magner and Barber begin what will be nearly fifteen minutes of a musical version of “TAG, you're IT”  The two musicians dancing around each other both in the composed sections of the song proper and improv segments. The second jam is seemingly a continuation of the intro and almost makes one forget the first lyrics even occurred.  As the jam begins to head toward Nughuffer territory the keys and guitar taunt and tease while nearly pulling the crowd’s mind apart.  Everyone “knows” where this is about to end up but nobody has the ability to relax, the tension rises to an almost uncomfortable level until FINALLY a release and we drop into the end of what would be a dyslexic story of careless glass etiquette, the end of 'Nughuffer.'

The Very Moon had slowly been endearing itself to fans since its debut, but the ability for the band to take the song to improvisational heights had been slow to arrive, until the Graffiti.  The peak is hot and must have been breathtaking to witness.  The funk slowly simmers its way into a cacophonous mixture of grimy outro and demented intro as the Hot Air Balloon rises from the caverns of the previous jam.  What a segue, what a show!

Was it known to many before this version that Aceetobee needed a Basis-like intro?  Did folks know that the payoff would be so rewarding?  Maybe, but everyone found out this night and I could go for more of these type AC2B intros.  As the band brings the song through peaks and valleys there’s a constant push and pull of group mind that showcases the most impressive talent of the Biscuits, their ability to leave their egos at the door and truly create a piece of improvisational music far from the traditional model of trading solos.  It’s hard to believe that there could be many more highlights after the heights that such a first set could attain let alone that two different songs would actually surpass said heights.

The band, and especially Barber, arrives with what very well could be the best version of Magellan the band has ever played.  Again, it is not common to find such a fan base in agreement when it comes to comparing songs, but most of you would at least mention this night’s Magellan in the conversation.  The improv is dark and brooding, yet provides the momentum and movement needed for this masterpiece to truly shine.  The guitar lines and riffs chosen over the entirety of the song twist and turn around the pulsating low end and bring emotions to the surface that are rarely stirred up as most music cannot attain such depth.  Screams of elation shimmer from the crowd noise in the background as notes spill out of each other.  Your body is no longer under your control as the energy created over the previous space in time overflows in shrieks of emotion and flailing attempts at understanding what is actually going on.  This is not just a group of people on stage playing a song, this is a collection of artists communicating the ideas of the muses, ancient ideas about love and light and exploration. 

“Once around the world and now I think I’m done…”

🎨: Gwen AP

Yet, we are far from done.  As FOH magician Jon Lesser repetitively bleeds ‘Voices Insane’ vocals into the ‘Dribble’ intro drums once again the clarity of this re-mastered source truly shines and it again seems as though the band is in your living room with you.  As the jam takes shape everyone is straight “Relaxin’ with the Disco Biscuits” while the chaos still looms deep in the recesses of the music.  The peak is held out for everyone to imagine, but doesn’t allow anyone to know what it will be like.  Shouts of appreciation erupt every time the stuttering low-end of ‘Dribble’ is teased and tightened but somehow eluded again and again.  It is sadistic in the best way possible and one of the main ways this band separates itself from the others in this music scene.  Playfully demonic, perfect for masochistic fanatics who chose to be challenged instead of placated when it comes to the type of music they seek.  Slyly, the Doctor slips the skittering intro beat under the rest of the music and we find ourselves rising and heading to an increasingly more frantic place.  Finally we hit the chorus again and have some ground to cling to, albeit briefly.  The apple-butter-toast segment is such a happy, cathartic release at this point in time that it is almost impossible to imagine the places the outro will lead, but go there we must. 

Lesser compliments Magner’s repetitive segue into the jam with more echoing lyrics from Barber as the guitarist begins an all-out assault on the senses with what I can only imagine might be every lick he knew at the time and then some. The energy behind this music is palpable and has me “dancing” from the couch as I type, it’s uncontrollable and a bit frustrating when trying to use a keyboard, but so fun.  As the pace quickens and the music gets less dense a quieter space is reached and once again Sammy and Barber play off each other like mad men introducing more and more movement to the already propulsive jam.  Arriving at a galloping rhythm the band is entirely in the pocket and the music itself is in control.  There are no clues as to where we will end up at first, but then Barber’s licks begin to sound familiar.  There is a feeling reminiscent of the stormy build up found earlier in the ‘Magellan,’ a teetering effect that leaves the audience unsure of their footing.  Blissful, circular licks pour out over the crowd as their lot has been cast and the crowd slowly recognizes the approaching peak to ‘Above the Waves.’  Brilliant!!!

The rest of the show is far from an after-thought as the band folds the show and the end of the tour back in on itself with the closing three heroic couplets found at the end of set II, the emotionally charged first encore, and the bruising second encore and tour closing send-off.  You have to listen to the end as a reward for your mind after such an onslaught.  This tour changed the band, the sound, and the expectations of the crowd.  So much creativity, so much drive and hunger is evident across the entire three month behemoth, but it is this show, this night in Pittsburgh that truly crested the peak of where the music could go at that time.  This is why we give them all our fucking money!

-walsh.