STS9 - Dec. 29 - "Great mix of old and new songs and even some solid improvisational jams."
- By Nick Rhodes
- Published on December 30, 2011
Headstash Magazine will have daily coverage of Phish, STS9, The Disco Biscuits, Umphrey's McGee's New Year's Runs as well as SnowGlobe festival in California. We'll also have in-depth coverage of Lotus, The New Deal, moe. and Pretty Lights.
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STS9's New Year's Eve run will take them back to The Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia for five nights after a two-year hiatus from the venue. Stay tuned for coverage from all the nights.
December 27 - The Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
December 28 - The Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
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| Photo Credit: Josh Cohan |
December 29 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
Set I: NIN Intro > Tooth, F. Word, Lo Swaga, We'll Meet In Our Dreams, Jebez, Hi-Key, Oil and Water, Wika Chikana
Set II: Really Wut?, Peaceblaster '68 > Peaceblaster '08, Gobnugget, Grizzly, Orbital, Simulator, New New 4 U U
Encore: Water Song
Crowd Atmosphere: No teases on Facebook meant no one really knew what to expect for tonight's show. Whereas the first two nights everyone was amped up and speculative, last night was a bit more mellow. STS9 had already met many expectations and the rest of the run felt like a freeroll. Give credit to The Tabernacle as well – they do not oversell the venue and there was plenty of room for everyone.
Best Song: New New 4 U U (Not usually the most notable song in the setlist, but the jam at the end of the song was completely new and intriguing. Murph really directed the band well as the song morphed into a coherent track rather than the distinctly sectioned-off tune it usually is.)
Bustout of the Night: Jebez (Played about three times per year and this version did not disappoint as they transitioned between light and dark synth lines.)
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| Photo Credit: Josh Cohan |
Best Segue: NIN Intro > Tooth (A dark and dingy way to start the show, but pretty much won by default. Not too much seguing last night.)
Best Moment: The breakdown of "Jebez." Phipps really got to shine last night with a lot of keys-led songs and watching him flawlessly bring everyone back down was masterful.
Sloppiest Moment: The ending of "Orbital" was a bit muddled. But everyone seemed really on point and though the setlist was unusually constructed, it worked really well.
Lights Review: Not as any LEDs as yesterday it seemed, which isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, but Saxton was absolutely pitch-perfect in the first set, spotlighting each band member at the appropriate time and swinging cans gracefully on the beat.
Twitter Recap: Old and new songs melding together for a show that typifies how explosive this band can be when incorporating their entire catalog.
Other Notes: The Polish Ambassador started things off with his unique brand of bouncy, fun electro that paid homage to the area with a sprinkling of old-school Atlanta hip-hop.
Murph and the gang took the stage as the familiar "NIN Intro" rang out over the speakers.
"You guys ready to get it going?" he asked the crowd followed by a patented woo.
The band looked intensely focused while bouncing to the beat of the opener. It seemed longer than usual as the band made sure to find their groove. A segue into "Tooth" had them picking up steam and displaying swagger on stage.
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| Photo Credit: Josh Cohan |
A patient and explorative "F. Word" followed as the band continued to bob in unison. One of the more underrated songs in their catalog, "F. Word" is smooth and one of those songs where your ear jumps from member to member as each one adds an equal piece to the collective sound. Jeffree Lerner's percussion isn't always at the forefront, but when it is – as with parts of "F. Word" it pulls you in.
"Lo Swaga" followed with an organized peak where Hunter led all the members into the jam before everyone jumped in for the expected drop.
Some excellent bass work from Murph on "We'll Meet In Our Dreams" made the fan-favorite one of the highlights of the set. Each note was crisp and the ending jam was long and high-energy.
The bust-out of the night in "Jebez" was also the best moment. Saxton's light work was the best of the evening during the song and the band played it with ease. The sweet, slow breakdown had the band playing downtempo while Phipps fooled around on the keys to slowly bring the song to a crescendo.
The slow outro gave everyone a chance to calm down after the high of the peak that really does sneak up on you. The beauty of "Jebez" is that it's a raging song that's easy to dance to, but it's not obvious about it. It's a song you get caught up in and don't realize until it's over and you're sweating bullets.
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| Photo Credit: Josh Cohan |
This version felt more syncopated than usual and almost march-like in its rhythm. The song provided a bit of an abrupt ending to a extremely solid first set.
"Really Wut?" was a good choice to start the second set. Coming out with a groovy, guitar-led jam and then transforming into a fiery dance party for the second half, it's a great way to get people back in the mindset to rage.
The floor shook during "Beyond Right Now" and the outro to "Peaceblaster '08" had an organic feel to it.
"Orbital" provided a way to control the pace of the show with its fast and slow jam segments dictating everyone's movement. Though a bit sloppy at the end, the band really connected (Saxton included) and worked well off one another.
The surprise of the night was "New New 4 U U" which was more coherent than ever and featured some heavy, layered improvisation by all the members. Phipps' eerie keys solo to close the show was the highlight of the highlight as the band took the song in a much deeper direction.
Murph directed the band well during this segment bringing people in and out like the true leader he is. It was great to see them taking chances on stage.
A "Water Song" encore was the icing on the cake and a really positive way to end the show. It was well-played, patient and jammed-out exactly the way it should have been.
- Nick Rhodes
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Stay tuned as we continue to review STS9's New Year's Eve run and all your favorite bands as they countdown to 2012.
What did you think of the show? Let us know in the comments section.
