I-Man features a drawn-out, mellow intro jam of about four minutes. There is some minimal jamming between the verses, but nothing significant. The middle jam is pretty sharply focused, in stark contrast to the I-Man from 4/22. Magner locks into a theme immediately, and Barber’s playing, never shreddy or peaky in this jam, is nevertheless exploratory in a complementary way. Barber hits an excellent riff immediately preceding a well-executed drop into the middle section. The second jam is even stronger. Some excellent interplay with Magner and Barber early on. Magner makes tasteful use of the choir of angels patch as Barber begins to push the jam forward to a raging peak. Easily the best I-Man of the year so far. The Boop first jam starts off extremely mellow, especially by the standards of that section. For this reason, Magner’s bass synth is very prominent here. The first theme is perfectly standard otherwise, but it breaks down around the six minute mark and the jam immediately heads toward more sinister waters. The theme that unfolds in the ensuing minutes is breathtaking, unflinchingly sinister and at times orchestral. Magner and Barber lock up so cohesively it is hard to tell who is doing what at times. They build the jam up to a frenzied conclusion and then it begins to break down around the nine minute mark. Magner is king in the next section, both on the bass and assorted other synths. He very gradually moves the jam back into familiar waters as the band approaches the middle of Boop. An amazing and unconventional first jam in Boop, and possibly the best iteration of that section I’ve heard (definitely the best at that point in the band’s history). The second jam starts off very bluesy, and moves leisurely out of Boop territory into a kind of spacey ambient jam, almost like a Crickets intro. It sounds like an extremely mellow Story ending before Barber smoothly drops the Crystal Ball intro lick. The rest of the set is very standard. Crystal Ball is played in full (no developments in the composition) and is outro’d. The outro jam is in Waves territory pretty much immediately, and while there are some pleasant moments in this type one intro, there’s nothing that’s anything more than pretty. It also goes on for a bit too long, meaning that five minutes of the nineteen minute Waves track are taken up by this intro jam. The main jam suffers for this. It’s on the shorter side, and while it’s energetic and well-played, it doesn’t offer anything new.
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| There aren't any pictures on file for this show, so have some pretty lasers. Photo Credit: Dave Vann |
Spaga opens set two, and while the jam is short, it’s pretty fantastic. Magner and Barber are absolutely symphonic at times, and Magner is especially effective at holding up the low end while crafting this atmosphere. The jam ends really suddenly as Sammy triggers the ending somewhat out of nowhere, which is a real shame as there was definitely still room to explore in this jam. The band recovers from this misstep without much trouble, and the rest of Spaga is well-played, although perfunctory. The first jam in The Very Moon is nice and drawn out, although still firmly type one. The funk jam features Barber on the bass, and gradually moves away from funk confines. By the sixteen minute mark the jam has evolved into mid-tempo trance. Here Magner is fully in charge of the melody section, and he makes use of a wide variety of synth choices. Overall the jam is very cool, but there is a chaotic breakdown between the 19-20 minute mark that is extremely abrasive and not particularly enjoyable. After this section the jam breaks down and shortly afterward Sammy lays down a jungle beat. The ensuing jam is very experimental; it doesn’t always hold my interest but it’s still one of the coolest parts of the show. Part of what keeps this jam from being next-level is the absence of the guitar. It’s a very cool drum n bass style jam, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like the Biscuits to me. Around the 29 minute mark this theme breaks down completely, presumably so Barber can get back on the guitar. The remainder of the jam is a short type one intro into Story. Story is the shortest version yet played; it isn’t on the level of the other versions, but it’s punchy and energetic and provides a solid exclamation point to the end of the show.
Overall, a pretty solid, albeit short show, the first and only of the year with just the core three Triscuits. In lieu of a rating, the highlights are laid out below:
Highlights:
I-Man
The first solid I-Man of the year. Both jams are solid, but the second is especially worthwhile.
Little Betty Boop
The Triscuits shows aren’t the most even or consistent, but pretty much all of them have at least one moment that made my jaw drop. Often these moments happen in the least expected of places. The Boop first jam was that moment for me from this show. It departs from the confines of a standard Boop trance and moves through a passage of almost cinematic darkness before returning to type one.
Spaga
Some of Magner’s best work of the show. The jam is fantastic but woefully short.
The Very Moon >
The Very Moon funk jam is very uneven, but there are some real diamonds in the rough here. The first part of the jam, from 16-19 or so, is a pretty enjoyable trance progression. The second, from 23-29, is a very unconventional drum n bass jam that showcases Barber’s talent on the bass guitar.
Stray Observations:
At the beginning of the show, Barber mentions that he has a great prom story, but that he won’t tell it just yet. He doesn’t tell it for the whole show, unless he does so off tape.
This is the only Triscuits show of the year to feature only the core three. It is the first show of the year not to feature Mauricio.
—Andy
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