From: Charlie Dirksen
11/02/94 Bangor Municipal Auditorium, Bangor, ME (RVWD 12/94) This was quite a miserable evening, weather wise..
windy, rainy, and cold! I earned my way inside after a few hours of yelling for a ticket (saying I had tapes, cash). I knew that
merely extending a finger wasn't going to get me in (or keep me warm). ANYWAY, was this Tweezer worth all the bullshit
outside? Sure it was. To have heard it *live* is really not the same as hearing it on tape (and I have set list guru Mikey Perrott
to thank for the tape!). I remembered the Tweezer as much more incredible and exciting *live* than it is on tape. It is a
magnificently original version of Tweezer, but, frankly, isn't really comparable to other versions. It is very experimental, and to
compare it to other versions doesn't do it or other versions justice. After having heard and reviewed 40 other versions so
recently, it is clear to me that this version is in a league all its own (or which may perhaps include the Bozeman Tweezer, were
someone to turn me on to tapes of it..;-). To the review: Very standard beginning, opening lyric segment. Dark, erie, groovy,
and cool theme from Trey in the first few minutes of the jam segment. By 8 mins or so the jam breaks into an evil repetitive
groove that doesn't do anything interesting, unfortunately. By the 11 and a half min mark or so, the jam just isn't really doing
anything. There's a Nitrous-like siren for a few moments, but otherwise, nothing really goes on. Everyone just tools around for a
bit. Fish tries to pick it up but can't jump start everyone out of this insanely trippy mode (NOTE: this is the trippiest version of
Tweezer I've ever heard by far). By calling it "trippy" I don't mean "good," either. Soon the weirdness gets into one of those
crazy-clashing jams, that sounds like shit for awhile. Very erie, though.. still Tweezeresque in this sense. Everyone is just doing
their own thing, apparently not listening to each other. They start merging again at about the 14 min mark or so, and the jam they
groove on kicks but in an insanely psychotic, original, bullshit-sounding fashion. Very noisy at this point, really (16 min mark).
Mike does a little ooooh-ing. Soon, though, the jam reaches a really groovy Floyd-like plateau that sounds magnificent and
spooky (18 and a half min or so). This drags on for awhile in a mazy motion. Gets really spooky and psychedelic.. it picks up
enormously -- rythmically -- thanks to Tubbman's antsyness, but sounds noisy and insane. Clearly an experimental version, and
this is the height of it. I'm having flashbacks to "Altered States" while listening to this.. the imagery it conjures up (and I'm
sober!). Never heard anything like this out of Phish. By the 22 min mark or so, Trey almost started back into the theme, but
holds back.. After this, the jam gets extremely loose and spacey. Everyone is doing weird stuff except for Henrietta, who just
drops out of sight. By the time he comes back in, Trey is snorking around on some cheesy theme (24 min ish), really goofy and
dorky sounding, that, though amusing, is not what I'd want someone to hear whom I was trying to impress with Trey's prowess
on the Languedoc. Never heard anything like this, so if Trey is mimicking a cover tune, someone please enlighten me. At the 26
min mark or so, Trey starts doing chords as if to start "Sparks", but doesn't go into it himself. Tubbs does, however, and starts
wailing on his kit like fucking Keith Moon, and the jam takes on Who-overtones, without going into Sparks. By the 29 min
mark this jam is really soaring and grooving... it is a killer jam with great effort from everyone, but no sweet themes.. just raw
jams. It is in the midst of this that Trey segues back into the Tweezer theme. Instead of going into the typical end of Tweezer
dying out of the theme jam, they just keep wailing. Everything does slow down, but then Page starts grooving on the keys using
that funky Stevie Wonder sound. The jam kinda goes in starts and stops for a little while, until there is just nothing going on. It
just ends. Weird ending. Whhhheeeewwww... Just over 31 minutes. Mixed feelings about this version. It is certainly the greatest
ORIGINAL version of Tweezer I have ever heard [Editor's Note: I have since heard Bozeman, and it tops this.], and is
certainly a 9.5 rating on originality (with 5 being average)... HOWEVER, as an overall Experience, this version has way too
much space and bullshit and noise and blllgggh sounding stuff really to be very appealing. It is below average when compared to
tighter, shorter versions, that have persistent theme jams. As far as an overall rating for this Tweezer, I just can't do it, in
all fairness to other versions. This is like no other version of Tweezer I have ever heard [Editor's Note: I have now heard
Bozeman, and it is similar, but better.], and, well, it just cannot be compared. You'll just have to hear it for yourself (especially if
you are dosed.. I don't do that stuff anymore, but you'll probably like this version if you still dabble in lysergic acid
diethylamide). A few seconds of nothingness after this version, then Mango starts up... BTW, the 'Scent' at this show is over 10
minutes. Does anyone know a longer version?