Okay - time for my own stats. I truly loved this weekend, one of my favorites ever for DMB. The N3 encore lit me up and I instantly wanted to say it was my favorite of all time (And I was at C'ville N2 in 2010). Everything about it was just so unexpected, so big and so satisfying right to the drone light show that occurred during it. Band really put together a great weekend. And while I was hoping to knock Pay For What You Get off the list, I think what Dave and Co. delivered was better than that. It will continue to elude me. But, had they just come out N3 and done the expected and par for the course Pay For>Too Much fake>Halloween encore they'd been doing, sure, it'd been like "ahhh finally". But the sheer surprise and exhilaration from that N3 encore is the best of the best of the best of what one is hoping for when seeing a show and THAT is better than just checking off a song. Plus, there was the ultimate rarity I'm privileged to be witnessing for only the 2nd time which I truly never thought I'd run into ever again (15 years ago), a pretty big one I'd only been seeing for a second time in 12 years and was always missing hoping to catch again, while one of my favorite songs that i've never seen in an encore is sandwiched in between them. Bliss!
N1 felt like they were aiming for something, and the debuts were cool but they weren't songs that I felt like it'd been forever since I'd seen (though it had). It was fun, admirably very random and really set the stage to be better for the next few nights. Highlights of N1 - Warehouse, The Riff, Don't Drink the Water, Seek Up (HOLY SHIT, Tim's solo!!!), Eh Hee, Virginia
N2 was guns blazing and amazing. It was the kind of night where you feel like anything can happen. When he came out with the little red veillette, I actually believed it was going to be Shotgun. But I liked Squirm, so it was fine. Well placed yawner songs made this thing tick. And the guest spots were amazing. Krasno made for the best Break Free ever played and Celisse lit the desert on fire with her Watchtower. So exciting Dave tried to end the show. He did 2 of his jumps, thanks everyone for coming and see ya later and then the house lights went on. But ope - they still had Two Step to play. I'm calling this the "Encore Break (fake)". The encore itself was soft, but it was fine. IMO - Oh should have been Pay For in this spot.
Highlights of N2 - You Never Know, Fool To Think, Joyride, #41 (AMAZING Tim solo. Holy eff!), Triplets, Dreaming Tree, Break Free, Watchtower, Two Step (always)
N3 coming off the heels of N2 didn't pick up the baton but went in a different way. If you're at a major venue and its the final night and the show isn't bad but feels a bit standard....you need to just enjoy and let it play out. And indeed, that paid off here. I like Proudest Monkey as an opener. Rapunzel hit a trainwreck spot but sounded cool imo and was fun to watching them scramble. Its Your Thing blows, biggest waste of the weekend. Show took a turn and delivered one of the strongest finishes I've ever witnessed starting at Lover Lay Down. Like I said...let...it...play...out. There was a guy 2 or 3 songs in bitching "I coulda seen this in Little Rock, Dave!"
N3 Highlights: Lover Lay Down, Corn Bread, Steady, Typical, THAT FRIGGIN ENCORE #34>So Right>What You Are
Overall an amazing weekend. Loved it more than my first trip to the Gorge (2019). Those were 3 really good shows and felt like "Hey, here's some of the best we have to offer on this tour". This year truly felt like its own thing and the band was attempting to make it stand out. I was really on my toes from N1 to N3 and they didn't disappoint. I'm not sure there are many DMB shows I've left as I was N3. If N2 ended after Two Step, probably the same boat
N2 is probably the most complete and best show of the weekend, but N3 is the one I keep thinking about. Altogether, just wow. What a weekend. I'm potentially returning next year or the year after and...well...2022 Gorge will be a tough act to follow.
Brandon's Stats: Shows #64, #65, #66, The Gorge
Next Stop: Wright State Nutter Center (Dayton, OH) Show #67
4 New to Me: Fool In The Rain, Virginia In The Rain (as a Dave solo on guitar), Its Your Thing, Steady As We Go (full band)
12 Personal Liberations: #34, What You Are, Joyride, If Only, The Riff, The Dreaming Tree, Virginia In The Rain, Drive In Drive Out, Fool To Think, Drunken Soldier, The Maker, Stay
1st since 2007 - #34
1st since 2008 - Dreaming Tree (full band)
1st since 2010 - What You Are
1st since 2012 - Eh Hee
1st since 2013 - Joyride
1st since 2014 - The Riff, If Only
1st since 2017 - Virginia In The Rain, Dreaming Tree (D&T)
N1
1st Fool In The Rain opener
8th Grey Street set closer (last 2021)
2nd Louisiana Bayou show closer (last 2018)
N2
7th One Sweet World opener (last 2022)
10th Two Step set closer (last )
4th Stay show closer (last 2018)
N3
2nd Proudest Monkey opener (last 2012)
14th Ants Marching set closer (last 2022)
1st What You Are show closer
2nd ever: Steady As We Go, #34, What You Are
3rd ever: Madman's Eyes, Joyride
OTHER NOTABLES:
-With 6 shows in 3 different places this summer I have yet to see any songs repeated in an encore. 6 encores, 14 different songs.
-#34 is my largest liberation after not seeing it for 15 years (5,457 days)
-What You Are is my 3rd biggest liberation after 12 years (4,306 days)
-6 of my 15 biggest personal liberations of all time happened at Gorge 2022
-I had a new opener (Fool), 2 new E1s (Virginia, #34) and a new show closer (WYA) this weekend as well as an opener for only the 2nd time (Proudest) and show closer for the 2nd time (Bayou)
-7 UTTAD songs on N3 is the 2nd most I've ever had an album lead a show, but the most ever from an album that isn't new and being promoted
-After only seeing Lover Lay Down once in 9 years and twice in 12 years, I'm on a streak of seeing it 4 tours in a row.
-I have caught 2 of the last 5 performances of #34
-Kinda odd, I have somehow missed Come On Come On and The Only Thing this year. But I caught many songs with under 5 plays for the tour multiple times.
Song 'Times Seen' Milestones:
- Ants Marching (30)
- Rapunzel (20)
- Typical Situation (10)
- Don't Drink the Water and Grey Street remain tied as my most seen song at 31 plays. Ants Marching now owns 3rd by itself with 30.
- Dreaming Tree passed Spoon to not be in a tie as my lowest heard BTCS song with 4 times seen now.