, attached to 2023-07-16

Review by ChasingDsky

ChasingDsky Night three was another resounding success for our favorite band at this seemingly special venue.

Buried Alive, Wilson, and NICU were all standard affairs, and all effectively set the stage for another great night of dancing and exuberance.

Bathtub elevated the party and brings the first significant jam of the night. At just over 17 minutes it takes multiple turns from joyous to dirty/semi-evil through major keys, minor keys, and everything in between. If there was doubt that the band would still have anything left in the tank after last night, this jam proved they were still raring to go.

I have been chasing a live/non-couch Gumbo since my first show (Dayton '97) and was delighted to get it. A standard "great" limb-by-limb follows.

Then came The Well. How was it? Wellll, it's unique to say the least. Modern Trey bubble-gum hippie-dippy lyrics drove many to sit down or hit the facilities. Then the band showed us what's at the bottom of the well and it was dark, dirty, and clearly up to no good, sounding similar to DDHVL to my ear. Within a few minutes of swimming in the putrid water and the crowd was back up, dancing, and going nuts.

MITM and Halfway were both well played and were a nice relief from the high energy of the past 2.25 nights.

I hadn't seen a SOAM since Deer Creek in 2000, and was pumped to hear Fishman drop the syncopated beat. After a very well executed composed section, this thing takes a major turn to a trance-inducing dark side. I have not yet re-listened and am not sure how if it will hold up outside of the live experience. *That Said* in person this was the highlight of the show for a clear reason: CK5. I attend these shows sober but was completely consumed and entranced by the constant movement, positioning, color changes, and visual effect created which was unlike anything I have ever seen, even by CK5's magic creation standards. I watched dumbfounded as images of menacing creatures that were invoked by my mind (perhaps like Stranger Things Demogorgans?) encompassed the band dropping low, morphing, spidering out, pulsing, and imparting an energy that simply had to be seen to understand. I highly doubt couch tour would have gotten the same effect. If LivePhish - or anyone else for that matter - has a 100% wide-angle version from center stage, I sincerely hope that they post it soon. It's magical.

Second set was fantastic, with each song worth a listen. Since this is the case and I have been long-winded already I'm going to leave it up to you to evaluate it. I will say that The Carini Jam is the best of the night, and one of the best in this 3-show run filled with all sorts of jammy-goodness, while Reba is extremely well played and a beautiful contrast to the dissonance we've been hearing all weekend. Seek these out.

The encore was funny, but Fishman does not need to pick up a guitar. Ever. I appreciate silliness, but I would have been happier to see him simply sing or grab his trusty Electrolux. YEM is great as aways, with a little extra flare on the second-half jam.

One final note that I would be remiss to not state: at all three shows the quality of the musicianship was outstanding. These guys are playing at a very high caliber right now with few (if any) flubs night after night. It's a great time to catch these guys!

All three Alpharetta 2023 shows are worth a listen. Cheers to an outstanding run!


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