As The Disco Biscuits prepare to once again descend on their hometown of Philadelphia from February 2nd-4th at The Fillmore with support acts Aqueous, Swift Technique, and Tom Hamilton’s American Babies in tow (purchase tickets for the upcoming run here), we decided to re-listen to their first jaunt at the venue – which opened in October of 2015 – from last February, to whet our appetites. The Biscuits are no strangers to bringing the party to Philly, and their three night run just months after the venue opened was certainly something special, to say the least.
Starting the 2/5/16 show off with “Pilin’ It High” was a the right choice, as you could tell Barber was feeling it from the get-go. “Strobelights & Martinis” got the dance party started, which led into a monster “Air Song” that eventually dropped into a super edge-y “Vassillios,” to be followed by a “Moshi Fameus” jam that had those in attendance amped up. The sudden break into what turned out to be a 30-minute “Magellan” was essentially the icing on the cake for this most ridiculous of first sets.
The Disco Biscuits – 2.5.16 The Fillmore, Philadelphia PA – Set 1:
I: Pilin’ it High, Strobelights & Martinis > Air Song > Vassilios > Moshi Fameus > Magellan
The second set on 2/6/16 was like one of those late 90’s / early 2000’s Biscuits sets of lore, where the band was firing on all cylinders and just making your head spin with their mind-bending style of jam. “Little Betty Boop” to start the set melded into one of those trance-fusion jams that are almost too difficult to keep up with, that eventually meandered into an inverted “Crickets.” Â Basically, the set was like all-out-war with Barber shredding and some truly unique Magner flourishes on the keys, and the nod to Ozzy Osbourne with a wild “Crazy Train” jam was pretty, pretty, prettyyyy fresh (check the 38-minute mark of the video).
“Story of the World” followed “Boop,” and saw a nice, extended segment before a fire “House Dog Party Favor” ended the set in proper form. “Magellan Reprise” saw a nice sing-along from the rabid, and very loyal tDB fanbase in one of the more laid-back moments of the set. And then a 24-minute “Basis For a Day” happened….20+ years into it, and tDB are still proving why they are the in the elite category of the jam scene. Just some seriously epic stuff from the Philly-bred band.
The Disco Biscuits – 2.6.16 The Fillmore, Philadelphia PA – Set 2:
II: Little Betty Boop > Crickets (inverted) > Little Betty Boop > Story of the World, House Dog Party Favor
E: Magellan Reprise, Basis for a Day
***Purchase tickets to the show here. For updates and additional show information, check out the Facebook Event page.***
[cover photo courtesy of The Disco Biscuits and Adam Winokur]
