the setlist...
Ocean Size
- 45 minute delay
Ain't No Right
Then She Did...
Stop!
Three Days
Mountain Song
Summertime Rolls
Jane Says
Classic Girl
Ted, Just Admit It...


From Mike R.--
Well the weeks of anticipation are over and I must say I feel somewhat disappointed. The Boston area show (actually in nearby Waltham at Brandeis Univ.) started with an intensely explosive "Ocean Size". Unfortunately the High Fivin' Frat Boy crowd rushed the stage during the opening bars, collapsing the safety barrier and causing numerous injuries. The band finished the song and Perry (surprisingly coherent and well spoken) implored the audience to relax and back up to help the injured. They then retreated backstage to wait out the forty-five minute delay, while a portion of the barrier surrounding the second "Jane Says" stage was moved to the front. This delay essentially crushed the momentum the Boys had going into the set. When they finally returned with "Ain't No Right", it was an uphill battle for the rest of the night. There were definite highlights to the show. Perry's voice was excellent on the heavy portions of "Then She Did...", "Three Days" & "Mountain Song". "Summertime Rolls" was quite good and closer "Ted, Just Admit It" was blindingly brilliant. Dave and Stephen were excellent as would be expected. On the down side, Perry was very out of key on several songs, most noticeably on "Ain't No Right" and "Stop". I don't remember that being a problem back in the late 80's early 90's but it seems to come up frequently today. Maybe he needs better monitoring? Flea, although very competent, is by no means Eric Avery. Until recently, I did not realise the full sonic impact he had on the band. It is very obvious now. It would have been nice to see the band use the second small stage for "Jane Says" as I was unaware they were doing this. The biggest disappointment, however, was seeing such a positve, organic group stuck in a cement and steel gymnasium on a conservative college campus. Judging from the set lists I have been seeing from around the country, there is also little spontaneity to the show. I realise that for a show this size, there must be a certain amount of planning and continuity, but it seems to have sucked the soul out of the music. I hope they don't add a second leg to the tour, as seeing them in arenas would be horrifying. I hope I don't sound too disappointed. I was very glad to have had the opportunity to see the show.


From E.--
The show began with Oceansize, but then there was a small riot and the guardrails upfront were destroyed. Someone broke their ankle or ankles and the band left the stage for a good 40 minutes or so. They came back out finally, after the rails from the smaller stage were put in front(took awhile) so there was to be no second stage. Perry said something like, 'music is more important to hear than see'. He said about the person who got hurt that 'it seems bad now, but scars are cool to show your friends'. Then showed some scars he had. They played 'Ain't No Right' and it was very crowded, there were alot of meat-heads there. The sound quality was awful, but there were some good jams. Next they played 'Then She Did' very well, and Perry gave Dave the A-O.K. signal. I guess they played 'Stop!' next, then a good 3 days. 'Mountain song', 'Summertime Rolls' was nice, there is a new short intro that they play to it, which I've now heard twice. They stayed on the main stage for the acoustic stuff. They played 'Jane Says' which was much more bass-oriented, because they couldn't get to the little stage to get the steel drum (Steve played the drums instead). It turned out o.k. They played 'Classic Girl' and that was fine, but then they couldn't do 'chip away' because the crowd was so wild that they couldn't get the drums. They played a very hard and fast 'Ted, just admit it..' before taking off.
I was in the very front getting pushed and pulled and stepped on and sweated on, but I got to look them all in the eyes alot. This wasn't one of those magic shows, there was a little too much testosterone to give it that warm, homey feel. Perry was talking alot. He talked over parts of 'Then She Did' that he doesn't usually, saying poetry that mostly got lost in the bad acoustics. Of course I loved it, cause it was Jane's, but it couldn't touch the NYC halloween with a ten foot pole. I think that THAT show will be one of the best of the tour.


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