I still have handwritten notes to transcribe for this one, will be cool to finally start comparing versions.
2016-05-27 - Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR, USA
This video of a complete version of The River only has 139 views as of writing this and amazingly it was posted a couple of days after the show in 2016. How did this never get more notice? I wonder if the poster accidently had on private or unlisted for a long time?
Overall a pretty solid version with a nice brisk pace to part 2. It hits all the marks thereafter including a super dope âupstream riffâ at 4:22, satisfying âahhhhâ at 5:52, a cool false ending at 8:15, and final big riff at 9:35. Loved this versionâŚone of the last before we get the first major change in the arrangement.
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2023-01-06
May just be the recording, but this one has got some sweet heavy bass. They keep pretty chill through the intro and part 1, more or less sticking to the studio version patiently waiting for the jams to begin.
Part 2 feels very quick, still getting through in studio order before we start hearing some effects before a quick and clean upstream riff to mark the true start of the jam. The improvised riffs are all quite mechanical, repetitious, oscillating, and calculated. They layer and build, Cavs comes in with some thumping, and backs off, stripping away all original parts of the song except the resonant bass.
Everything breaks down, and even that changes for a bit for what initially feels like is going to be a proggy interlude, until Stu suddenly announces its âBoogiemanâ Samâs birthday.
Joey instructs the crowd to âpart the seaâ like at a hardcore show, to make space for Same to come out from the sound desk and dance a bit. They eventually get so focused on this that all the music fades away and they earnestly wish him a happy birthday.
Cavs gets things back on track with a snare roll, and the jamming resumes into a building crescendo. Elements of The River start creeping on, until we are finally back home with an extended âdananananaâ on the guitar, that once again builds into an atmospheric soundscape before finally, the Brubeck pattern truly gets them back into part 3 with a big âahhhhâ.
Things stay a bit loose, and culminate in a spacey reverb-drenched verse. Uncommitted to the false ending, part 4 launches pretty straightforward and kept pretty clean. Excepting some exuberant strumming from Joey, the only hint of what about to come before we get a quick little Ice V tease immediately before a full segue into that song.
If youâre just here for the song, the pace is really broken up by the Happy Birthday interlude. Otherwise, quite an interesting version with the slightly proggy jam and full segue at the end. Not the greatest recording, has some crowd chatter/singing too, but perfectly listenable and quite fun.
I was at this show! Just wanted to note that it was not a festival, though there were 2 or 3 opening bands. The previous few NZ gigs were festivals but this was not, which is why we traveled 5 hours to see them in New Plymouth instead of the hometown show at an expensive festival.
Impressive project! And great reviews. I was pleased to see my one and only River has already been covered. 
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Ah, must have mixed it up with of those previous shows, thanks for the clarification 
Thanks, the more the better. Especially if you were actually there, compared with us just listening to recordings, in fact Iâve never heard The River live at all!
2016-05-28 - Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
The audio quality of this isnât the best and places this in the lower tier of these early versions. Otherwise, it would probably be as solid as others from this timeframe, hitting all the marks. Itâs also the last of the full standard versions available from 2016. The remaining in 2016 are shortened The River > Wah Wah versions.
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A soothing reprieve in a face-melting show from the Nonagon Infinity promotional tour.
Of course back then it was done basically the same as the recorded version, however Stuâs mic has a lot more fuzz than you would usually expect for The River, gives it a bit of an edge.
Intro and Part 1 very straightforward. Part 2 instrumental feels like its threatening to break out into Nonagon Infinity at any second with some of those extra bends and slides, but unfortunately this was before they started extensively teasing/transitioning with Wah Wah.
Overall this show is really about Nonagon Infinity, so as far as The River goes this one is not all that notable, but its a great recording, lots of energy on stage, two drummers, really the bandâs first ânormalâ live album and that in itself makes it notable and worth the listen.
2016-07-23 â decent video and sound for an audience recording. This is the first recording of The River > Wah Wah combination that will continue through at least the end of 2016. This version is only part 1 of the River before transitioning into Wah Wah. I hesitate to even review some of these very short partial versions, but for completeness I will add at least a sentence on eachâŚeven if just about the recording quality. I liked this clip, especially for an audience recording, but unfortunately cuts off as its transitioning into Road Train.
2016-08-05 â The River > Wah Wah â this is one of my favorite pro shot complete show videos from the Eric years. Its a partial version of The River that transitions into Wah Wah after part 3, missing the outro part 4 section. Itâs cool to see that they are adjusting how much of the song they play possibly based on how long their set is supposed to beâŚor maybe just for variety. At 1:08:16, Stuâs scream in Wah Wah that transitions into a guitar tone that sounds exactly like his scream is perfect.
2016-08-19 â The River > Wah Wah â only part 1 of The River. This is a 360 video which is fun, but there is a bad buzzing. Donât bother with this unless you like 360 videos or you are like me, wanting to hear them all.
2016-08-25 â The River > Wah Wah â only part 1 of The River. This is a pro shot video. Sounds great, but its only part 1.
2016-12-09 â The River > Wah Wah â the piss break River lol. Itâs only part 1 of The River and heâs back for most of Wah Wah. I forgot about the loogies and burps lol - warning if triggered easily by those kinds of sounds. I respect that he kept recording.
Thatâs it for 2016. Not going to try and pick a favoriteâŚnothing really stood out being better than the best of 2015. Like @W.B.T.G.Slinger mentioned in his review of the SF version, in 2016 The River seemed to be used as more of a cool down during the intense Nonagon sets. The partial versions into Wah Wah were interesting, especially in showing the flexibility of the song, and would later lead to sandwiched versions that have other songs played in-between sections of The River, like Prague and Detroit in 2022.
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2017-03-23 - Alright 2 sets at The Night Cat in 360âŚlove this show! The River here is back to its full complete form after the mostly abbreviated versions the second half of 2016. Its back to being a highlight, not the intermission. A strong part 2 here with solid upstream riff at 1:07:30. The transition to part 3 stalls a bit longer than usual, and then Stu gives us a nice cathartic âahhhhhhhâ at 1:09:13. Love this part 4 outro section with a strong big riff at 1:12:45. Whatâs the crowd chanting for after this song? âShays?â Stu seems irritatedâŚâI made a name for myself doing _____ in 2006âŚIâm too old for that shitâ Any Aussies or anyone else know what that was about?
Canât listen to it right now, but if it sounds anything like âshaysâ it was probably âshoeyâ. As in, the crowd is asking Stu to drink a beer out of his shoe.
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Yeah its shoey. Something that should be done as a self-affirmative act of celebration. People chanting to try and make other people do it totally misses the point and usually just sucks.
Respect for refusing to do it, especially if âyou had already made a name for yourselfâ doing it at 16.
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Its hard not to describe this version as extra chilly, as it clearly was on this windy Chicago night. Maybe I have not listened to enough live versions of this song yet, but it seems unusual to me for them to have Ambrose play the looping Brubeck melody on keyboard, rather than its usual place on guitar, this is what they do in the two acoustic versions that exist using the upright piano.
Anyway, they grit their teeth through the intro and lyrics that have a very full sound, to make way for a jam in part 2.
Stu begins with a sharp rendition of one of the normal riffs, that catches on itself and begins chattering and pushing up the pace. As much as the river tends to flow, on this night it was more like skating across ice, unable to find your grip. It just never sits, Joey and Ambrose in particular imbue a certain level of bitterness and Stu puts as much energy into his left-right hopping as his playing while they all swap passages.
They all manage to relax at once, trying to get a few synchronised deep breaths to dispel the shivering and let the song build and swell back up with a bit more of a restrained, jazzy energy.
Suddenly, Stu gets caught in a loop, and begins playing louder. The rest pick up on his urgency and they all start mimicking each other, which quickly freezes over into another intense blast of air.
Something cracks and it all goes away. Leaving just a sparse tundra, fingers so cold all they can do is noodle aimlessly. The structure begins to take on a Dark Star-like Jazz fusion sesh, where each musician seems to be playing their own song, barely aware of how they are all overlapping.
Inevitably, some more lucid strumming starts to align everyone into a brighter, more concentric jam that nearly reaches the exuberance of The Dripping Tap. It all calms and swirls away yet again, and Joey begins searching for The River again: danananananaâŚ
This is usually only a segue into part 3, but even this is extended out into a grand Pink Floyd-esque moment before the Brubeck Pattern well and truly comes back in, on guitar this time. âYeeaaaaahhâ.
Back into the verse, and things have warmed up significantly since part 1, allowing a bit of groove to seep in. We reach the end of the lyrics (down dowwn), but it just keeps going down, deeper and darker until the Wah Wah teases begin. For a second it seems the whole band is ready to transition into that song, but we get a classic false ending instead. The crowd give a polite applause as though they know what is about to happen, and of course it launches into a big part 4.
The ice is truly broken, as little hints of fuzzy-psych warmth show up for some of âtrust in the riverâ.
The length is kept normal, and we get a cathartic, succinct ending.
2017-03-30 - Trocadero, Philadelphia, USA
Another outstanding complete audience recording, this time from markit aneight who has put out some of the best audience recordings over the years. Itâs a lively crowd and a crisp recordingâŚlove this one from the start. And we get Cookie the Wookie right up from next to Stu! Also love the zooms on Joey looking around the room as he plays. This one sounds great and is shot beautifully, but no big jams yet. They stick mostly to script other than they have gradually stretched the transition from part 2 to part 3, which creates a little extra tension before the âahhhhhhâ that starts part 3.
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Joe Burnsâ Red Rocks recordings from this year are incredible. Great write up Gizzhenge, really been enjoying following along with your reviews!
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2017-03-31 - Webster Hall, NY, NY
Another great version of The River from another great pro shot recording, this time from Pitchfork. This version is still very similar to the album and previous versions, but itâs as good as any SBD of the song up to this point. The video has a lot of interesting camera angles and is a must see show if you havenât already. I really love the Am I in Heaven? closer they were doing most of this tour I think.
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Very cool pro shot, there arenât enough from back then. I love the effect theyâve captured with the rainbow glare in the lens of the camera.
Agreed that this is a standout within the âsame as studioâ versions. Doesnât sound too much like the rest of the setlist so it has space to just be The River.
Youâre not wrong about that Am I In Heaven? Makes me think what would have happened if The River was the closer instead. Impressive how jammy they got with all these teases so long ago.
Salt Shed blew my mind live but I have gone back to Remlinger River many times.
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Iâve been thinking lately; I know River > Wah Wah is tried and true at this point but how many times have they done Wah Wah > River? Is it just Remlinger Farms this year? Surely they did it in that order at least a couple times in the years leading up.
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2017-04-02 - Haha love the POV below the stage dive to start off this River and again right after the upstream riff section, and again a few more times lol. While the audio on this one may not be the best, its listenable imo, and the up-close view is outstanding.
Unfortunately our stats arenât quite comprehensive enough to just spit this information out, but a quick manual look over every known performance of Wah Wah tells me that the song is almost always connected to either The River and Road Train in any combination, and usually both, which has been the case since shortly after it entered rotation. But yes, The River pretty much always comes first.
You can spot trends, such as before 2019 when they had very rigid setlists they were mostly playing The River, Wah Wah, Road Train every time. Then whole setlists started loosening up toward the original planned marathon shows of 2020. Times where The River is fully broken up between songs (such as The River > Wah Wah > The River > Wah Wah) is more of a 2022 onwards thing, so yeah not many examples of Wah Wah > The River.
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