From: Charlie Dirksen
8/14/93 World Music Theater, Tinley Park, IL Opening is fine and basically standard. Even the pre-Nirvana segment isn't
drawn out at all. Mike's solo section occurs at 2:33! It's fine.. this isn't that impressive or unusual an opening at all. Textbook.
Accurate. Trey jams strangely in the pre-charge, though, a little.. around 3:40 or so. First shot at the Note at 3:51.. great sustain
from Trey, but no jamming around it. More very loose jamming from Trey.. nothing impressive. Second Note is at 4:25 and it
isn't sustained.. it is jammed well by Trey. Charge at 4:51, and then "Boy" at 5:08 after a great scream (Trey had help). Before
"God," Trey lets out an amusing groan, and another little UH before "Shit." WUDMTF segment opens fairly standard, and even
has some Oye Como Va chords from Page at one point. The second round of WUDMTF lines at around 6:40 is similarly
standard. I thought it was this version that someone (Hersch?) said had Mike going down a half-step or so with each
subsequent WUDMTF chorus. This doesn't happen here. At least on this DSBD copy. ;) Tramps jam at 7:14, and Page
voraciously chews up the keys.. signals from Mike. Page is very hot in here, as he is in the other Aug '93 YEMs, frankly.. great
tramps jam. At 8:34 Fish knocked off the YEM beat for a measure or two.. before returning to YEM's standard rhythm. Jam
segment at 8:55 with Trey chirping on the 'doc.. at 9:13 he comes in quietly noodling on a theme that is eerily reminiscent of Oye
Como Va ... he repeats this a bit. Audience clapping along.. (Fish slams the drums in time with the audience). Basically nothing
going on around 10 minutes.. then Page, Mike and Trey join in until 10:17 when the jam jumps back into a solid YEM groove.
There's a theme of sorts being teased by Mike and Trey and Page around 10:40 but it isn't Smoke on the Water (it is close to it,
though.. very close to it). At 11:15 Page starts teasing Smoke on the Water ... Trey won't quite tease it, though.. he's dancing
around it as best he can. Speed Racer.. There it is. Serious Smoke on the Water jamming around 11:50, finally. Just total full
blown Smoke on the Water jamming in here around 12 minutes. Finally, at 12:35 Trey lets out a niiice lick, and soon starts
soloing in typical YEM Oye Como Va fashion. The jamming in the 12-12:30 period was basically a souped up Smoke on the
Water jam.. pretty decent, imo. Around 13 minutes, there's some nice soloing from Trey. At around 13:20, Fish starts picking
up the beat more and more, with the others grooving, and yeah... at 13:36 or so Trey starts making some vocal noises.. and
Mike.. then at 13:53, Mike and Fish open up an upbeat B&D segment, and Mike is very melodious.. letting out beautiful licks
here and there. At 14:45.. wow! Trey comes in repetitively jamming on a Hendrix-like "All Along the Watchtower" theme.
Damn.. yeah!! That's what this jam in here sounds like. What is Trey singing around 15:15 (I can't hear it)? I don't know what
the hell Trey was just singing, but the jamming around 14:45-15:15 sounded very similar to the main chords/key of Watchtower.
But there is NO outright tease of Watchtower. [NOTE: this is apparently a tease of the Pretenders' "Mystery Achievement"!]
Closing WUDMTF segment at 15:55. Fairly straightforward, kinda dull vocal jam, until around 19 minutes or so.. sounds
vacuum-eee for a lil bit.. calms down quickly, though. Chanting of sorts on "Uuuhhh." Very monkish around 20:12.. chanting..
Page starts playing Purple Rain out of this around 20:40. (he had been on the keys noodling enchantingly for about twenty
seconds before clearly opening Purple Rain) I didn't think this vocal jam was anything special.. I thought the music of this
version was superior, generally speaking, to 8/6 and 8/9, but again, I don't consider this one of my favorite YEMs, or even
must-hear. Above average it most assuredly is, of course, when comparing it to the universe of YEMs out there. B/B+ rating.