LawnMemo

The Daily Ghost

The Daily Ghost #120 12/30/2013 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Background (Set: 2 of 2 – Song: 4 of 9 – Show Gap: 5)

As per usual Madison Square Garden was treated to another New Years Run “Ghost.”  This time the song was oddly placed in a Mike’s Groove which included an even more oddly placed “Devotion to a Dream.”  “Devotion” seemed to suck some of the energy out of the crowd and “Ghost” was tasked with pumping things back up.  Mission accomplished as this short version certainly packs a punch.

Composed Section (0:00-3:27)

Trey starts a standard intro and the pace is slow and deliberate.  Things grow into this laid back pace and the solo section continues that feel.  Page starts into some nice melodies with Trey playing some great rhythmic chords over top.  I actually like this solo section quite a bit.

A smooth lead in before the 30th anniversary “Ghost” drop.  Things are pretty quiet during the pause and the crowd gives some applause in anticipation.  So…30 years fellas….30 years….and….

NOT BUTCHERED!!!! That was well above average…almost good!!!!! 30th anniversary run baby, time to party!

Grooving Right Along (3:28-5:59)

The slow paced intro carries over into the beginning of this “Ghost” jam. Mike quickly gets into a groove and sets the tone for a nice bluesy/funky sound. Page gets a variety of sounds from the clav as Trey continues his rhythmic playing.

At the 4:00 mark Trey pulls the chord and drives the band towards some tension.  After the build releases at the 4:14 mark, an even smoother groove emerges.  (Yup it took me six months to write this “Ghost” up, but I just used the word “emerges,” you can tell I used the time for personal growth) Trey is dripping in perfectly placed licks and this allows Mike to get his mojo working.  4:15-4:37 is sweet and includes a nice fill from Fish.  At 4:37 Trey plays what sounds like the opening “Ghost” chord and it throws the groove off a bit.

The band struggles to find a cohesive sound before my main man Page switches to piano at the 5:20 mark.  The sweet ivories seem to breathe new life into this jam and note after note you can feel things growing.  Mike and Page click pretty quickly and it takes a second for Trey to finally click, but when he does….

The Old Guys Can Still Peak (6:00-9:51)

Trey introduces a lick that is borderline awesome, borderline annoying. That’s the beauty of it.  You want it to end yet somehow it still sounds awesome.  You want it to end yet you want it to keep going.  It’s really a perfect tension lick.   As Trey continues to play this new found tension lick the entire band clicks immediately and we have reached the meat of this “Ghost.” With Page on the piano and Fish guiding the ship we have something special here.  Not a condescending “special” this is the really good “special.”

Time to float away

We are here.  We are building.  It’s getting exciting at the Garden!!!  The only question is what type of peak are we going to get after this cool build? Something to remember like the “Ghost” of MSG 2010?  Or something that leaves us disappointing?   Hmmm, Trey sounds locked in!  Around the 8:18 mark, he plays a lick that reminds me of the “Ghost->Guy Forget” from Dick’s 2011.

At 8:35, things get stepped up a notch…  You can feel it.  Here it comes. Buckle your helmet strap, make sure you plenty of room to jump for joy.

At 8:48…

YES TREY!!!!!!!!!!! NOBODY closes like you when you bring it buddy!

If you were listening at home Twitter probably read something like “YESSSS!!!” “FUCK YESS!!!!”  “Woooooooo!!!!” or if you follow my feed “I need to get more ice cream after that!!”

If you were at MSG you probably hugged the wook in front of you and the flat brim hat dude next to you.  Pure joy and emotional power in that peak.

After some triplets from Trey and a heart attack from most in attendance this “Ghost” quickly winds down and segues quickly into “Weekapaug Groove.”

Final Thoughts

This “Ghost” clocks in under ten minutes yet still packs a serious punch.  This is one of my favorite peaking “Ghosts” to date.  Packaged after the relatively slow “Devotion to a Dream” this “Ghost” got things moving again.  This peak is another great example of Trey’s re-emergence during the Fall Tour of 2013.  What a way to cap 30 years of the greatest band on Earth!  I for one can’t wait for year 31!!!

Score 8.7

Programming note…

As an encore from last year’s “33 in 33”…  “26 in 26” will start this Saturday. Every day at 9:30am a new post will go up on this site recounting the jams from 2013 show by show.  One a day till we get to July 1st!!!