, attached to 2003-07-18

Review by hseamons

hseamons Got to attend these Alpine shows 16 years ago, and in the context of other great shows from the year (2/20, 2/26, 2/28) I recall being slightly disappointed. Taking a walk down memory lane here today, however, and seeing the quite low rating for this date makes me think this run, and this show in particular, deserve more credit. The Gin is contained and shorter for 2.0 standards, but it still packs a wallop of hard-driving jammy energy, as does the Roggae finale in the first set. Bowie is a strong set closer as well. The Disease is a 24 minute rocked-out bonanza that doesn't let up, only to find itself in a cool-grooving Catapult. This ain't 3.311 star material here. Some have suggested the show fizzles out by this point. WHAT!? I'll take some outdoor 2.0 Bug hose to keep things super summer level—and it's quite okay to drop into a couple ballads after the previous half-hour rage fest. Secret Smile is a nice change of pace and a more welcome song these days as a rarer tune that has grown on me. What ever happened to Two Versions of Me (or Discern)?? The song was kinda "lame" sounding in the earlier singing parts ("oooooooooooone" . . . "twoooooooooo"), but could usually find a pleasant outro jam. Nice to hear it again! Let's not overlook this dark, blood-curdling 14 minute Twist that finds an evil yet meditative groove. This is indeed the post-hiatus ambient-bliss jamming most of us came to know and love. And pholks, what solidifies this show as a 4-plus star level rating is certainly one of the best Hoods of 2.0: a 17 minute masterpiece that includes full-throttle jamming that almost could have turned into a high impact Dave's Energy Guide section, but it's a unique Hood jam all its own. An epic-fire conclusion for the evening. I recall these Alpine shows being sold out and being a pretty huge event given the venue size, so tickets were actually harder to find on the lot, but I finally found one only minutes to show time. So glad I made it!


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