There's some pretty solid stuff going on in this set. The Reba, while still a work in progress, has some great Trey work and really takes off at the end. You've got a young Cavern (with Brothel Wife lyrics) followed by a spotless Oh Kee Pa leading into an excellent AC/DC Bag. Nice, solid Caravan and a good Alumni Blues with the expanded "thimble full of filth" lyrics. Ya Mar is also very good and has multiple Leo cries, mostly from Cactus, I think, and ends with announcements of "Leo on the Guitar" "Leo on lead vocals" and "Leo on the dance floor." McGrupp has a little flubbage at the start when Page loses his spot and Trey has to circle back around, but Page makes up for that with a very nice solo. Dinner & A Movie is one of the weak spots, and Runaway Jim is pretty you, which brings me to another "Look what I found listening to unrated shows!" moment -- I had no idea there used to be another verse in Jim! "He ran away again on the night he died, but I knew I'd be with him on the other side." Very interesting! Anyway, the set ends with a Bowie which, although not the best version in the world, is still pretty good. I'd love to hear what they did in the second set of this show, because they sound pretty tight on this evening, but for right now I'll just go with three stars, albeit a strong three.

Pretty good SBD source for this show. The recording has a nice bright sound overall.

It sounds like there’s only about 10-15 people in attendance to start the show. It’s interesting that the shows in Boulder and Crested Butte seemed to have a better turnout. The beginning of Reba is cropped. Nice Reba albeit a little straightforward. Cavern is played for someone in the front row. Alumni Blues features the additional lyrics again that were used in late ‘88 through early ‘89. Ya Mar has some funny “Leo!” call outs from Mike. Afterwards, someone requests Melt the Guns which gets a laugh. A tape flip cuts a good chunk of Sloth. The levels also degrade a bit. McGrupp is a little shaky to start. Nice Page solo on this one. The Bowie set closer was a little more experimental than it has been recently. Nothing crazy but it was nice to hear them push this one a little.

The very beginning of Esther is cropped. Solid Foam. The Hood intro was nice but didn’t get pushed out as far as Crested Butte’s version. Good jam tonight. There was some sound issues at the start and end of Jesus Left. There’s a tape flip in Sky. Some music is lost. After Sky Mike says “Ladies and Gentlemen, from behind the drum set, Warren Stickney!” lol Warren takes center stage to perform the first Love You of the year. After Love You someone in the audience starts doing Trey’s nerd laugh which gets a funny reaction. Tweezer has a cool little intro tonight. Tonight’s jam gets pretty demented towards the end. Longest version thus far. Such a great addition to the cannon! Trey is still introducing the song as Tweezer So Cold. Cool Whipping Post closer with a groovy little second jam. Good show with some nice jams.

Spring 1990 is home to some great material, and it was also a time of development and exploration with a lot of songs, and both are very apparent with this show. Shows during this time have that old, nostalgic feeling, like being back in high school again. The early days were so sweet. The sound quality of the tape is pretty awesome considering the time, though there is a slightly annoying echo during the first half.

SET I -

Reba: Great starter, and has some very simple yet satisfying work from Trey.

Cavern: A much slower than the version we've gotten used to, and there are some minor lyrical flubs. But, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt; they were still working on it. All things considered, it's not too bad.

The Oh Kee Pah Ceremony: Standard, but always fun.

AC/DC Bag: Standard

Caravan: Great. Everyone is going all in, and they're all laying down milky, jazzy goodness. They really need to bring this one back.

Rocky Top: Standard

Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page: some fun additional lyrics, but otherwise standard

Ya Mar: Page and Trey have some great moments here. "Leo on guitar"

The Sloth: Unfortunate cut at the beginning, but what is available is standard :/

McGrupp: Amazing, played almost to perfection. Again, Trey and Page are the clear winners here. The ambient section is incredibly soothing, and the end crescendo is oh-so satisfying, even if Trey has some minor slips. 9/10

Dinner and a Movie: Great organ-play with Page, but overall standard

Bouncing Around the Room: Standard

Runaway Jim: Standard, but Page playing the end-of-verse lick a couple steps down is kinda fun

David Bowie: The intro is very fun, with some Walk This Way and Runaway Jim teases. Other than that, this Bowie is kinda sloppy, even by David Bowie standards. Though, in my opinion, the kick-ass outro section justifies any bad Bowie.

Set I summary: Average first set, though there are some great moments. Highlights here are Caravan and McGrupp. 6/10

SET II -

Funky Bitch: N/A

Esther: To be honest, it was very sloppy in some places, including a lyrical slip in the beginning (though we'll give Trey the benefit of the doubt, Esther's lyrics are like a damn novel). Everyone kinda just seems confused for most of it. Not one of the best.

Uncle Pen: Standard

La Grange: Above average; great energy

Foam: Standard

Harry Hood: Totally sweet; the intro is much slower than the version we have now, but this in particular is a very great intro segment. Page rocks the keys, and adds some really fun sounds. While a bit short, there's not a single mistake in this one, just great overall.

Jesus Just Left Chicago: standard

Divided Sky: PAGE. He's so good in this one. Wow. Anyway... there is a slight skip in the tape that picks up at the slow section, which is alright, because that part's sweet anyway. Trey's guitar tone at the time just completes this song, it's so gentle and soft, it just fits right in there, which can't be said for a lot of Skies in future shows. Trey beautifully nails the solo, and the boys send us into pure bliss... until the end. Trey has some issues with timing, and everyone kinda falls apart for a second, but they pull it together for the final notes. 7.5/10

Love You: Fish blows

Tweezer: Early version, you can tell they aren't necessarily taking the song very seriously yet, but they're sure as hell having fun. Mike shines here for the first time in the show, he goes to town the whole time. They continue the groove for a bit, then we get into the sauce. Y'know, the scary Tweezer sauce. Trey gives us some cool riffs around the 7 minute mark. The build-up (and subsequent build-down) is fun and hectic, albeit a bit messy. And then, we get a sudden explosion of sound, and we're back to the main section. Hell yeah. Quite silly overall, but really fun.

Whipping Post: Allman Brothers. Need I say more? Everyone is turned to 11 here, and is hitting the mark in all factors. Trey absolutely kills the whole time; shooting his knives of sound into our hollow, susceptible ears, and I never want it to end. And I'm sure I don't have to mention Page doing work as always, especially after the second chorus; the organ has never had a better time being played. The jam keeps getting hotter and hotter, then Trey gives a sudden, raspy roar of emotion and soul, but unfortunately this means it must come to an end. Phenomenal all around.

SET II summary: An average start, but the real highlights come after Foam. Overall really fun, with some great moments.

Show Summary: Page dominates this show, he is the standout talent in all of the songs. There are some great moments here, but all in all, this show isn't spectacular in any way. It's just a simple, silly time. 7/10

Replay Value: Reba, Caravan, McGrupp, Harry Hood, Tweezer, Whipping Post