The day started off with the Disco Biscuits. I had heard a lot of bad things about this band prior to hearing them for the first time this weekend. I have to say right off that I don`t know what all the negativity is about, they put on a solid performance. The only negative thing I can say at all is that their guitarist seems to get lost sometimes, but overall I thought they did a great job opening up the weekend.
From there, we went on to Sound Tribe. True to form, these guys blew the place apart. Their performance was so excellent, in fact, that I was beginning to wonder if theirs would be the best act of the night. Not so.
SCI`s performance this night is easily one of the best I`ve had the pleasure of witnessing. They left a smoking crater where the Greek used to be. For me, it ranks in my top three shows, rivaling the spectacular performance of the first night of Horning`s Hideout, 2005. The "Mouna Bowa" opener was a nice way to start off, but the real topic worth talking about is the feeling that SCI imparted on this song. The last several times I heard this song, I was kind of dissapointed; they have seemed down-tempo and uninspired. Not so here, this song was played solidly and with a passion I haven`t heard in years.
"I Wish" was a pleasant surprise and really served to get the energy up in the venue. Songs this night that I normally don`t care for, "Sometimes A River" specifically, were played somewhat differently, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying a tune that I have never really enjoyed before.
The real moment when I knew that this was going to be a spectacular show came during "MLT." The trancy jam that evolved from this staple SCI song was operatic in its sheer emotive power. It was flawless, and marks the first time in the hundreds and hundreds of concerts I`ve attended, SCI and otherwise, that I have been emotionally moved to tears due to the power of the music. Those are minutes in time I will never forget.
One thing I noticed is that this setlist is missing the spectacular percussion duet done by Jason and Travis. It`s not written there, but it had to have been 5-8 minutes long.
The end of the first set was awesome, and really set things up for set 2. The Bob Marley cover was totally unexpected and flawlessly executed. The "I Know You Rider" sandwich in which it was placed couldn`t have been more perfectly energetic.
The second set was out and out superb. The only weak moment for me came during "Desert Dawn." Jon Gutwillig, while a very good guitar player, appeared to me to be completely outclassed by SCI on stage. He had trouble finding the jams and his guitar was uncomfortably silent for a painfully long time. He ended up getting his groove towards the end of the song, but appeared overwhelmed to me.
The end of the show, the Jam>Way back home>Birdland>Best Feeling>Way Back Home set of segues was incredibly energetic. The "Search" encore was a nice way to end the show, allowing everyone to come down a bit from the energy of the night while at the same time playing an awesome tune.
Once again, overall a great performance by SCI. It has been the highlight of their last tour for me, but who knows what`s to come. I still have Horning`s Hideout and Red Rocks to go. If they do even one more performance like 7-21-07, or even remotely close, it will have made the tour all worth it for me.
