First set: Lots of great moments here- I thought the energy was awesome and built up amazingly all the way until Gin. Lots of treats I wasn't expecting to hear- Driver, It's Ice, and Uncle Pen being personal early on highlights. To my ears they were executed pretty darn well- not sure what first set flubs some folks are talking about- but I haven't had the chance to relisten at home yet. Sand was awesome, unexpected, a bit short but fiery, and got the whole place moving. And the Gin... well I think everyone can agree it was a highlight. By the end of the first set I was soaked in sweat from dancing so hard and grinning ear to ear. By the looks of it everyone else in the venue was too. Absolutely on fire. So much energy from the band and the fans it was ridiculous.

Second set: After such a smoking last half of the first set my hopes were high for a great second set, which is part of the reason I found it so wildly disappointing. I tried hard to love this set but the constant ups and downs of the song choices were jarring and unpleasant. #Line is a personal favorite of mine (not sure why people dislike this one) but the placement in the second set was awful. Carini was fun but disappeared way too quickly and the energy died again... Wingsuit was well played and would have been an awesome second set cool-down, had it been bookended by some decent jam explorations or higher energy songs. But when Shade started up next, the band had lost me and by the looks of it, a lot of other folks too. By the time the first notes of Mikes hit I was deflated but ever hopeful.... but the pattern of alternating fast songs and ballads continued till the bitter end, and killed any semblance of setlist flow.

This isn't to say I didn't have one hell of a fun night, but that's not really what a show review is about... singularly, I really love all the songs played second set (even Farmhouse and Shade, both songs I happen to enjoy). But the way they were linked together made for a really tiring second set.

Encore: Always a pleasure to see Fishman bring out the vaccuum. The solo here was particularly abrasive and loud... fun to watch kids in attendance that are unfamiliar with the band looking confused when the electrolux comes out. Hood was nice, but had to close my eyes to focus on the tunes and block out all the mollied up kids running around chucking glowsticks at each other and not listening to the music.... Tweeprise was what it was, often a great exclamation point after an amazing show, but tonight it felt much less celebratory.

High hopes for the rest of the west coast shows! And lets hope they don't wait another 3 years till the next visit to the Gorge...