From: Charlie Dirksen
7/23/93 Jones Beach State Park, Wantagh, NY After all I'd heard about this show over the years, I still liquidated it (set
two was the only tape in my collection that had side A from a SBD and side B from a semi-poor AUD source! strange...). The
Chalkdust Torture, though, is a terribly impressive version!! I'd recommend this tape/show just to hear IT! Opening standard.
Pre-Nirvana build decent. Jamming around the Notes and Mike's solo section just isn't that grand, imo. Too run o' the mill..
(fine) "Boy" at 7:09. WUDMTF segment standard. Some of Page's chords in the tramps jam are reminiscent of parts of PYITE
(and a song by CSN.. what was that tune called... oh well.. it was late 70s CSN, so who cares.. ;^). Jam segment kicks in at
11:51 with Trey noodling as usual (Fish keeping the groove, and Mike funking out.. no Page, though). At around 12:40 or so,
the band keys into some plodding clapping from the crowd (Mike funks off-beat.. niiice). Trey starts noodling to the groove the
clapping has engendered (and Fish keeps the beat steady). Clapping dies out soon, though... by 13:30, the band is in this
somewhat straightforward, dreary, plodding groove, when suddenly Trey picks up a theme and takes off with it, noodling
steadily and with fire in his eyes!! =^] Some Oye Como Va chording from Page around 14:50, and by 15:05, Trey begins to
darkly chord... but by 15:20, Trey's playing BBFCFM. A -> into BBFCFM, which gives you some idea about the "integrity" of
this "YEM" jam... Well, so much for the YEM. Great segue into BBFCFM, in all fairness. As far as the YEM goes, I thought it
was below average. C- rating easily. Nothing that special at all. Not even vaguely as divine as the Chalkdust in this set, which
has a "Crimes of the Mind" (I think that's the tease! doh!) jam from Trey, not to mention fantastic trilling. I wish it were a few
minutes longer, at least!!