A little Rebage in the wind (RebaReview #7)
12-31-93 The Centrum
Worchester, MA, set I
Time:   13:16 (w/ Whistling)
 
 
Do I hear someone yelling for Peaches?  Don't worry, you'll get
your turn.  Besides, Reba and Peaches go together like Zappa and
Cream...um, what I mean to say, really, is, Peaches is up after
Reba, so keep your proverbial pants on.
 
Something that I recently noticed...the closing roll for the Reba
jam is the same as the opening roll for Peaches...just an idea for a
segue...like they need any help from me =P
 
Why don't I just stick to the review...
 
THE DIRECTIONS (0:00): Everything is smooth with the exception
of the second chorus, with (everyone?) going off key for a second
and (Fishman?) missing one little beat.  Nothing of great import.
 
THE SIP (2:32): Very early things get off-key again, but soon
settle down into a steady sip.
 
THE SWALLOW (4:56): Happy New Year, Jon Fishman!  No
mistakes swallowing tonite, and Fishman is showing signs of life,
even adding some woodblock(?) on the second gulp.
 
THE CHILL (6:21): On a cold December night in New England, I'll
bet a little *chill* can warm you right up...four measures in Page
repeats a chord and then scales upward, Trey shooting a note in
at the top...they both let the beat ride for three more measures,
then Page scales more quietly introducing Trey...nice lick to start,
then careful, quiet noodling on the low end.  Soon Trey is tiptoing
toward the shallow end of the 'doc...he pauses once, dancing on a
note for a moment, then starts to tiptoe even higher...by 7:14 he
and Page have become a breeze blowing through a wind-chime.
Page quickly realizes he's not made of air and dives down
gracefully, but Trey doesn't want to come down yet...he holds on
to one extremely high note, plucking rapidly to stay aloft.  He too,
though, starts to descend, slower than Page, and soon very gently
joins Leo in a quiet spot.  Fish drums his  woodblock as if waving
to Page and Trey.  Hello down there, guys!  =)
 
The shift at 7:42 brings us to some good ol' Reba brand noodles,
with Trey leaning towards the high end...Page has some trouble
finding the chords to accompany this...Mike has got the bottom
securly in place and Fishman is using the hi-hat to establish a
crisp rhythm.  Page decides to forget chording support and
eventually switches to some complimentary noodling...when Trey
drifts off-key again, Page does the same...odd, interesting
effect...results in them pulling together more tightly.  Nice.  Page
has now got the progression to follow, and Trey starts to solo
with more confidence.  Trey finds a solid, repetitive lick...a little
repetitiveness is often a sign of strengthening during these jams,
it seems.  The jam starts to intensify, and a shift occurs at 9:23, a
good up-shift.  We've definitely got our sights set on release now.
Fishman soon finds a pulse to stress, initiating a good, strong
build, with Page taking his time and Trey dwelling on a repeating
pattern.  Nice release at 10:22.  We're in the upper levels
now...Trey bounces away from one release point and fires off
some high notes.  Another chance at a release passes by,
and we just sort of wander into top-tier Reba jamming.  Some
cymbal crashes from Fishman warn me that this Reba has given
about all it will give...yup, here come the toms, ending at 11:22.
 
THE WET WHISTLE (11:49): The crowd is extremely pleased...so
much so that a large contigent starts stomping like they are at a
football game.  We have to wait a few moments for this to calm
down before we get a good, strong, reasonably sharp whistle,
with the final note coming at 13:16.
 
**************
 
The Rebas I've heard so far from '93 are showing signs of real
improvement over '91 and '92 versions that I've heard.  There
seems to be more attention to the *chill*, and more fire at the
end.  For fire, the 8-7-93 Darien Lake definitely comes through,
while this one shows some nice gentleness towards the
beginning...those are both important componants of a Reba to me.
 
Finest in the nation?  Survey says:
 
C+