From: Charlie Dirksen
6/9/94 Triad Theater, Salt Lake City, Utah (Rvwd 11/95) Opening standard. Trey goes off during the tramps segment,
sortof... he does do some off-key sustain crap, but, for the most part, spends time on curious little noodle-jams, some of which
Page mimicks. It is much better than many of the '94 MikeS reviewed to date. The tramps segment goes on and on... Trey
climbs in the midst of a great jam around the time the MikeS tramps jam usually ends! I think maybe they have re-organized
MikeS for this summer '94 tour. The closing of this tramps jam doesn't come until 5:45 or so, and at roughly 6 mins, the
post-tramps segment begins. Again, the first chord of this post-tramps jam sounds like a SIMPLE hint (as they often [used to?]
do). This jam segment is very AWRY... Trey is spiralling around some odd themes that can't be described at all well (I couldn't
describe them well even if they were describable). Mike sticks some really funky licks in here, which catch Trey's attention, and
the two of them start REALLY grooving around 7:30 (this is easily the hottest MikeS I've heard so far for 1994, whilst
reviewing them in order.. yes yes, I know that the two final MikeS of the year were "A" material, and much better than this).
The MikeS theme jam sortof returns around 8 (not really).. 'tis a tease in a slightly different key. The real thing returns 15
seconds later. Well, no, this isn't really it either. This is a weird, great MikeS! Around 8:50 Trey seems to do some
Ray-Gun-like effects, or something (and I think Fish is WOOO-ing,... someone is.. or is this the effect? No, someone is
definitely mimicking the effect vocally.. probably Fish). OK OK, the real MikeS theme jam returns around 10 mins or so, after
a lot of pseudo-returns to the main theme. This is a SICK MikeS song, in this way. Best 1994 version I've reviewed to date
(but I know this isn't the best of 1994..). Great MikeS. H2 segues in around 10:38 or so. There are some clackety-clack,
horseshoes- sorts of sounds in the very beginning (probably just someone knocking on a mic), giving this a Western
cowboy-song feel. This is a realllly laid-back H2. I don't know. It just feeeeeels sleepy... YAWN. It isn't as perky and crisp as
usual; more mellow and meandering. Weekapaug kicks in around 13:43 or so. Mike's opening solo is extremely funky, sharp
and quick, as usual. It is good, but not unusually so for 1994-5. The Weekapaug jam starts out with a familiar theme jam, which
I can't place. Maybe it is just that I haven't heard this in many moons. The theme sounds almost DividedSky-esque, but isn't -- it
is something I have definitely heard Trey fool with in Weekapaug before, though. It isn't a "jam" with a name, though, of this I
am reasonably certain. ;) The jam is straightforward, merely ok, until 17, when Trey really lets loose and behaves professionally,
spitting out trills and serious, ascending and descending grooves. The rest of the jam is just terrifingly good (terrifying if you've
never heard him, otherwise hallowed and inspiring). Another awesome version! By 18:15 Trey is in the hose-everyone-down
mode... damn this is great!! EVERYONE IS WAILING AWAY! The final segment comes in around 19:30 or so (early,
unfortunately). This ending is completely normal, and played flawlessly. 20:30 total time. B+ rating. A slightly better than
awesome MikesHydroGroove... Trey was really all-fired for this damn Weekapaug.