People always seem to talk about the distinction b/w playing what you hear and playing what you know - with the implication that of course everyone wants to be in that zone where they play what they hear as much as possible. But it's just not possible for mere mortals to do that every second. The more you "know", the more you have to fall back on in the inevitable times when the ole telepathy isn't quite tuned in. Sure we'd all be happier with much less I-IV and I-Ving around but these are necessary staples - a bulletproof way to add a bit of variation to a jam where a "trigger" just isn't happening. But maybe this allows them to relax, have something to play and then have clearer headspace for the next big decision. I never stop thinking about how much pressure the boys have to come up with so many original ideas, on the fly, with nowhere to hide and no time to really process it. That's improvisation and it doesn't always work the way you want it to.

The real job of the band members seems to be to create circumstances that increase the probability of musical chemistry happening - on and off the field. They book a tour, 6 months in advance or whatever, and try to make decisions about how they'll be feeling far in the future. They take certain tunes that have felt a certain way recently and place them at points in a set where a jam is more likely to happen. They restrict the song choices for the first stretch of a tour to increase comfortability and consistency. They stop getting all fucked up for shows. They do what they can and it doesn't always work the way you want it to.