Reba at 8 (repost?)
DaManfred Mann
ago and it ended up in a thread from a few years ago...I didn't know
where it was and then it showed up when I logged on one day....so here
it is again, if anyone cares. I thought it was interesting from a
technical and historical standpoint.
Okay, I have to address the extremely large elephant in the virtual room
with us. Before I even begin this...I want to be perfectly clear: This
is not a rant and it's not even a complaint, this is intended as an
honest critique and perhaps a catalyst for an interesting discussion.
I absolutely loved every minute of F8, including the mistakes (which I
have always thought add a wonderful character to Phish) and I literally
saw every song from almost dead center and from withing 50 feet. It
takes a physical toll, but at the end of the festival, any physical
sacrifices seem more than worth it.
So I wanted to qualify my statements beforehand and make sure that it's
understood that I'm not one of those "Phish snobs" who pick apart
everything and insists every show since whenever was crap. I'm just a
passionate fan, who loves all eras of my favorite band.
As I listen to the wonderful jam from 8, I can't help but shake my head
in wonder at the colossal mess-up at the pivotal moment of launch for
the Reba jam.
At the time, I was standing about 20 feet in front of Mike and I was
watching Jon at that moment. When it happened, everyone around me
started looking at each other as if to confirm what we all knew we
heard. I thought at the time that it was Jon, but I wanted to listen to
it closely later and hear what happened.
I'll say this, I've never since the boys screw up that bad and certainly
never at a more crucial point, not to mention the show and the cameras
and the simulcast and recordings. I actually felt bad for them, but
anyone who's ever played an instrument knows it can happen at any time
if you loose your concentration, even for a split second.
I should also say this, when a band can screw up that bad, at a moment
like that...and get cheered, that says something about the genuine
affection people feel for this band. We were all cheering, probably for
them proving human as much as how well they picked up the pieces, shook
it off and launched that exquisite jam, as only they can.
So after listening to that part about 10 times in a row, I have
confirmed what I thought happened. The human metronome derailed the
train and it sounds like it was Mike who nailed an emphatic note and got
them all together again. I remember seeing this look of disbelief at
what had happened...on the faces of the band and the fans.
I can only imagine what it must have sounded like on the simulcast, but
I can assure you, it was a jolt to the system live too.
It seemed to me (and I could be wrong) that Jon seemed to loose his
concentration a couple times briefly, earlier in the song. It should be
noted that it's amazing that doesn't happen with all the guys more
often, with all the stuff going on around them, from lights, to fog, to
flying glowsticks, beach balls and balloons, etc.
But I noticed a couple times in those intricate parts Jon (who's usually
so impressive with his precision) seems slightly less than totally on
top of it and the band gets a little...dare I say sloppy? in a couple
parts, but each time they pull it back together and within seconds they
sound perfect again. This may sound like nuance and it is, but I'm
trying to hear any clues that might explain the train wreck.
They sound perfect going into the break and everything sounds fine, but
on the fourth one, Jon sort of bails on the roll down the toms and he
comes out of it a little off (sometimes just a little different than
normal, or usual can make all the difference, especially for a drummer).
Then on the next and last drum part before they launch the jam, probably
because he came into it off by a beat, he just kind of fakes the last
drum part and keeps time before the big launch. In my critical opinion
(and also as a drummer) that's all it took (especially with all that was
happening at the moment) for him to mess up the beats that launch the
jam...and of course all the other guys are ready for Jon's usually
perfect intro and they were all just as surprised as we were (and
probably Jon too).
I've always noticed how when they make a mistake, they usually seem to
really bear down and make up for it later in the song. That might have
been the case with the jam in Reba, but they were really on, most of the
time over that weekend, so it might have been a great jam anyway. Or it
may even be a case of them having the experience and confidence to
effectively put it behind them almost immediately and move on. Whatever
the case, I'm very impressed with the way they can recover from
something like that and it becomes barley a footnote, in fact I think
I'm the first one to even mention it.
I really intended to discuss some other highlights from F8 and I will,
but I just had to put this out there and see what everyone thinks. In a
way, it is a highlight too, in it's own Phishy way.
That's my thought for the day, I better rest up so I can think tomorrow.
Peace,
Dave
SteveO
listen and analyze. I hope to do it before the end of the week,
though, depending on how the rest of the week works out, it may or may
not happen. It's an interesting subject for me, not because it
happened, but how it happened. I'd love to do some critical listening.
-Steve O.
DaManfred Mann
Exactly, I have no complaint whatsoever, I'm just fascinated by how it
happened, or what may have led to it. And also by the recovery.
One time many years ago I was in a band that had a similar thing happen
(well not at quite such a noticeable spot, but that's part of what
intrigues me so much about this...that it was in such a pivotal spot).
The funny thing was that we all knew we had a hiccup, but each of us was
concentrating on what we each might have done wrong individually, that
it wasn't until listening back later that we all figured out what
happened. We each thought it was our own mistake.
Upon further review it seems that we all sort of lost our concentration
at the same time and it was a brief train wreck. I mean so brief that
it was about a beat and a half, but the whole band skipped a beat...not
a sound and then we all came in on the same beat and proceeded to jam
out the rest of the song in sync. Nobody even really noticed it, but we
all knew there was a major gaff. But on tape later, it almost sounded
like some intricate, planned Zappa-style break, when it was really a
total band fuck up and recovery.
But I can't imagine a more crucial moment to loose concentration...or
whatever happened at that moment for the boys.
Looking forward to reading what your take on it is.
Take care,
Dave
Halden
DaManfred Mann
> When in the song am I listening for the mis-cue?
Right after the really intricate wind up before the jam launches. There
are several drum breaks in a row and the last one kicks off the jam
itself...and they had a train wreck at that moment. Though they
recovered and played a great jam. you can hear the cheer from the crowd
after it happened.
To me it sounds like Jon had a brief lapse, but at a point like that,
that's all it takes and it threw everyone off. It sounds like Mike hits
an empatic "follow me boys" note and gets the train rolling on the
tracks again. Quite an interesting moment for sure.
like I said before, it saus a lot about the affection the fans have for
these guys, that they not only cheer, but no one even minds.
Apparently some people, (perhaps those that don't know the song as well,
and therefore don't have such an expectation of that point in the song)
even missed it. That says a lot about the delivery this band has too.
Later,
Dave
SteveO
me on this later in the week. I may not have a good block of time to
listen, contemplate, listen some more, and then write until Saturday
or Sunday, but it's something I'm looking forward to doing, if only to
keep my own mind working at the pace it should. So by early next
week, if I haven't responded, please let me know that I should.
-Steve O.