image: B (amateur) mais bonne résolution et bons plans
son: A+ (son du boot officiel)

08/27/00 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center: Saratoga Springs: NY

attendance: 30,000
support act: Sonic Youth
set: Breakerfall, Whipping, Spin the Black Circle, Hail Hail, Corduroy, In My Tree, Dissident, Given to Fly, Nothing As It Seems, Grievance, Light Years, Daughter/(Beginning to See the Light)/(WMA)/(Androgynous Mind), Lukin, MFC, Wishlist, Better Man, Even Flow, Insignificance, Rearviewmirror
enc 1: Sleight of Hand, Do The Evolution, Once, Timeless Melody, Elderly Woman, Leatherman, Porch
enc 2: Soon Forget, Black, Yellow Ledbetter

notes: Excellent show, great sound quality (perhaps only near the front?) in a beautiful venue. Ed is wearing his "champagne breakfast club" shirt (which he points to at the appropriate point in 'Grievance') and Mike is in the sleeveless "Queen" shirt. After 'Light Years', (Ed says, "Is it 'Lamp Years' tonight?"), Ed talks about the inventor of the lava lamp (Ed Walker) having died that day and how he'd been an avid nudist his whole life, right up to the day he died; "Lava lamps sort of reflect the circle of life, y'know? Things rise, break apart and fall, only to rejoin at the bottom and rise again ..." He turns to Matt (perhaps an analogy to his early drumming with members of PJ, the Soundgarden breakup and now returning). Then he trails off, laughing as he realizes he sounds like a typical stoner. :) Outstanding 'RVM' with an extended Sonic Youth-inspired noisejam in the middle and a thundering finale. Ed mentions how the last time they were in Saratoga was eight years before, opening for Soundgarden, and that he was wearing the same shirt as that night. He says that Matt had told him that he, too, was wearing the same shirt he had worn that day. Before 'Wishlist,' Ed tells a story about having met some primates a while ago and learning about language research with the animals. Explains how this next song, "even a chimp could play." Proceeds to mess up a line in the song and breaks off, laughing at himself, adding "the only difference is that the chimps remembered the words." Stoney's chuckling too, and Mike's shaking his head and grinning. Ed has guitar troubles and switches from his black Rick to his black Tele. Mike throws some 'Voodoo Chile' riffs into 'Porch.' Ed nearly goes into the crowd as he grabs a fan's hand toward the end the song ("touch you, hold you, feel you in my arms ..."). He kneels at the edge of the stage holding the fan's hand. Pete is holding Ed and Ed rubs Pete's bald head, A 30-second "Daltrey" mic swing at the end of 'Porch' is AWESOME, although he misses the catch, and the mic skips over the front of the crowd! Messy clapping on 'Soon Forget' prompts Ed to get the crowd clapping on the beat: "I appreciate the support, but it'd be nice if it was on time." At the end of the last encore, as 'YL' is winding down, Ed, Stone and Matt walk off stage, waving and thanking us. Mikey however, sticks around, holding the solo and ripping into a scorching piece of electric acrobatics, sampling Zep's 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' with Jeff laughing hysterically. He goes on for a good 90 seconds or so before finishing, throwing his pick out and joining the others offstage. A strong show, with excellent energy levels and a lot of joy in the air.