Three Tweezers On Thursday

8.5.10—The Greek Theatre (Wendy Rogell)

The title says it all. With no further ado, here we go.

12.1.96 II, Los Angelas, CA

A piece that quintessentially represents its place in time—the tail end of Fall 1996— this “Tweezer” from UCLA’s Pauly Pavilion often flies under the radar; but it shouldn’t. Phish had begun to shed its arena rock skin for a far smoother style that would begin to takeover their music, and this metamorphosis is fully on display in this “Tweezer.” A version that came on the last run of tour illustrates how far the band had come since their transformative performance of “Remain in Light” on Halloween. And though the initial jam sequence is swanky and groove-based to the core, this extended jaunt eventually builds into a dark and cacaphonous symphony before floating back to earth via futurisic and percussive interplay and a final, old-school “wind down” ending. A true monster in every sense.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ph96-12-01d2t01.mp3]

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12.16.99 II, Raleigh, NC

This hallowed gem illustrates the drone and dissonant style of the late-’99 era quite well. Creeping out of a post-“Velvet Sea” ambient jam late in the second set, this beast emerged. Mike bushwacked the band’s intitial path with bass grenades as Trey set up layered a pillow of psychedleic sounds. Coming with laid-back leads amidst this murky excusrion, Trey began to command the jam with minimalist authority. Settling into a second segment, the band crawls amidst gorgeous ambient-melodica before ascending slowly into a “Slave-esque” that is as cathartic as music gets. This one touches my heart every time I hear it.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ph99-12-16d204.wav.mp3]

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8.11.04 II, Mansfield, MA

Forgotten amidst turbulent times of August ’04 was the last “Tweezer” of the post-hiatus era. Though not super long, this jam certainly packs a hell of punch before segueing smoothly into the real version of “Hold Your Head Up.” An oversized, dark and mechanical groove dominates this excursion which certainly possesses an apocalyptic feel that paralleled the band’s “final run” to Coventry.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2.06-Tweezer.mp3] Tags: ,

457 Responses to “Three Tweezers On Thursday”

  1. garretc Says:

    Yeah Jtran, was just about to say: 7:30 in Mike just goes postal. Damn. Tearing it up!

  2. garretc Says:

    By the way, welcome to the night crew, west coast style!

  3. Mr.Miner Says:

    westcoastjtran….goodstuffforsure

  4. garretc Says:

    LA Tweezer > Raleigh Tweezer > Mansfield Tweezer > Miami ’09 Tweezer > Oswego Tweezer > Lemonwheel Tweezer > Alpine ’00 Tweezer > Colonial Theatre ’91 Tweezer w/ GCH

    Tweezer Thursday

  5. Mr.Miner Says:

    @JTran. I was stuck on that NYE Stash after it happened until the next tour…SO sick!

  6. Mr.Miner Says:

    Alpine ’00 = weak link 😉

  7. purplehumpbackwhale Says:

    dont understand why alpine 00 was on LP at all. i mean god, take a list of dates from that tour, close your eyes and put your finger on the paper at random and you’ll get a better show. it always pisses me off. i mean god, your gonna spend a summer 00 show release on that? during what insane process was radio city, roseland, anything from japan, eliminated in the wake of that show?

    on a lighter note, i found out today from my boss that he and the department head were talking about how i was doing shortly after nye (it was only my 3rd week of work) and he mentione d he let me go early for a phish show and she said “Oh… so hes a stoner”

    damn it phish!!

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