Interesting show to review. My only show of 2012 unfortunately, but my buddy and I decided to hit it last minute after we went to Railroad Earth's music on the mountaintop in Boone, NC. This was a nice way to just extend the trip. We grabbed tickets easily and hung in the lot for a bit.

We actually entered right as they were playing Bag and sort of just rushed through into the Pav without much ado.

Bag was fun, nothing to note really.

Moma kicked in with its funky self. Again nothing notable, but its always fun.

Heavy Things was one of the better versions I'd heard, but was still Heavy Things.

Ocelot was ok, but I also thought this wasn't as good as some of the versions I'd heard in '11 and and years following.

Funky Bitch was a good cover and kicked up the energy level, which I thought was needed.

They burst into Gin, and I was hoping for a really solid version. This one felt super short to me and much like the previous songs, just didn't feel markedly better or different in comparison to some of the previous (or subsequent versions).

Fluffhead was great - I didn't think they completely nailed it, but this one is always nice to hear in the first set.

They kept it old school and treated us to Alumni > Jimmy Page > Alumni, and shared the well known Page recruitment story from Goddard College.

Tube was short and sweet, and they then took time to give Fishman some grief about My Sweet One, which was a fun romp.

They gave the jamming another shot with Bowie, but like Gin I didn't think this one fully connected.

Set I: I'm a bit hard on this set, but I just didn't think musically it quite delivered. It did have a nice old-school vibe though and the banter was more than welcome. I also thought the energy was great and crowd really erupted at the end of the set. It's not a set I go back to however.

On to set II!

They opened with Crosseyed and Painless, which is always a hoot. This one rocked hard and managed to dip briefly into some type II stuff. Perfectly strong opener.

McGrupp was up next and this version was awesome. Great Page playing and this one had a cool sort of jam to my ears. Really good pairing.

Mikes is a good song, but this one didn't really elevate. Following McGrupp it did sort of fit the old-school type show feel.

Bouncin' was up next and was ok for me as a breather.

Axilla kicked the energy back up, which was a good call after Bouncin'.

They kicked into Tweezer and this gave us the highlight of the night. My friend and I had managed to get into the Pav and we were right behind Kuroda and the Soundboard so it was amazing to see him at work during this Tweezer (he was grooving!). This Tweezer was pure hose and they moved effortlessly through the song into a straight-up flawless full band improvisation that was 100% liquid hot butter. Take this one home.

Hood followed and this version was actually disappointing and the jam felt super short without much of a climax.

Horse>Silent 'Paug and Suzy were all satisfactory, but not really much to note.

Encore: BBFCFM was fun for sure, and Tweeprise sent everyone home with a smile.

Overall set II: Tweezer is a great one. Opening pair is worth a spin. Otherwise, an average show.

Overall: Not much here - it was fun, with a good old-school vibe, but I'd say just grab the Tweezer.
2.25/5