Jam Chart for Halley's Comet (29 entries)
| Date | City | Timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-05-17 | Plainfield, VT | 0:00 | Debut, with Richard "Nancy" Wright on vocals. (Does not circulate.) |
| 1986-10-12 | Plainfield, VT | 7:47 | Nice little rocking jam at the end of this early version. |
| 1995-12-14 | Binghamton, NY | 11:51 | The first truly jammed-out version. Following the typical outro jam, the band breaks into an upbeat melodic groove. The pulse quickens, then settles into an eerie, on-off style jam. Fantastic segue into a stellar version of "NICU." |
| 1996-08-05 | Morrison, CO | 8:13 | The band rocks out the typical outro jam a little longer than usual, then Page cranks up the theremin for "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." |
| 1997-08-16 | Limestone, ME | 12:28 | A kind of grunge-like jam develops, with additional vocal refrain at about 10:00. The jam then departs "Halley's" altogether and develops into a swirly, minor key, bluesy Fish and Mike led exploration. "On Your Way Down" tease leads directly to a -> to "Cities." |
| 1997-11-22 | Hampton, VA | 24:13 | Starting off in a funky, mellow groove, the jam gradually grows legs and momentum with excellent contributions from all four. At about 18:00, the jam downshifts to a more quiet, pensive sentiment with occasional flashes of powerful bass and percussion. A must-hear classic. |
| 1997-12-28 | Landover, MD | 12:49 | A crisp, tight, high energy jam - the band is really locked in on this one. Shorter than some, but well worth the visit! |
| 1998-07-10 | Barcelona, Spain | 18:00 | One of the earlier examples of the groove-based jamming that would blossom in '99 and '00. Mike takes the lead and Trey and Page gradually build off this, including a nice "First Tube" tease. The jam winds down in ambient '98 space. |
| 1998-07-20 | Ventura, CA | 9:57 | In the encore slot, the band extends the jam out into a nice, upbeat groove, and finishes the show by gradually cycling down their instruments, leaving only a Digital Delay Loop whirling away. |
| 1998-08-03 | Noblesville, IN | 20:15 | A "Nancy" double shot, with "Halley's" -> "I Didn't Know." A Mike and Fish led funky, percussive jam initially springs out. From there, at least 3 distinct movements develop in a masterful, wide-ranging opus which includes "A Love Supreme" tease from Page. |
| 1998-11-11 | Grand Rapids, MI | 24:00 | Pretty high octane jam at first. Around 11:00, morphs into a snappy, funky phase. The energy builds as the jam regains momentum and space rage ensues. Jam abruptly segues to "Simple." |
| 1999-07-13 | Mansfield, MA | 14:34 | Following the final refrain, the band immediately shifts into minor mode and a moderately dark groove. Shifts back to major mode for a more upbeat ending and -> to "Roses." |
| 1999-10-08 | Uniondale, NY | 14:24 | A propulsive and swirling jam develops with nice Page and Trey teaming. Eventually settles down into a quieter, serene, and cohesive mood. |
| 1999-12-07 | Portland, ME | 27:56 | An excellent, rollicking, and very upbeat jam develops immediately. Quiets down slightly at about 16:00, but regains momentum and a different vibe around 20:30. At 24:10, the jam finally slows down, taking a blissful few minutes to transition to "Coil." Includes a "Gotta Jibboo" tease. |
| 2000-06-30 | Hartford, CT | 15:06 | Nice jam with good bass work from Mike that sounds similar to "Sand." The energy level really picks up in the final few minutes as Trey kicks into high gear. "Things That Make You Go Hmmm" tease by Mike. |
| 2000-09-18 | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | 16:26 | A raging rockfest loaded with liquid metallic sounds for most of this jam, before finally unwinding in the final minutes. |
| 2000-09-23 | Rosemont, IL | 14:07 | Nice rocking vibe to the early part of this jam. Fish keeps the pulse nicely until the end when space overtakes rhythm. |
| 2003-02-24 | East Rutherford, NJ | 13:44 | Starting at a slower tempo than most versions, this "Halley's" has a groovy swing to it, as well as a few sprinkles of a darker sentiment. Excellent dynamics modulation, with the energy rising and falling. |
| 2009-06-16 | St. Louis, MO | 13:23 | Although the jam doesn't stray too far from the basic "Halley's" structure until the final few spacey minutes, it is nonetheless a good quality version that segues nicely to "Runaway Jim." |
| 2011-05-28 | Bethel, NY | 12:03 | Percussion driven, exploratory version that manages to cover a lot of ground in a relatively short time. |
| 2015-08-08 | East Troy, WI | 8:23 | Short but sweet: a nice funky and rhythmic back end jam develops and seems poised for lift off, but instead -> to "Twist." |
| 2018-10-31 | Las Vegas, NV | 9:57 | A solid, medium intensity exploratory groove emerges from the typical "Hallley's" outro, with nice interplay between Trey, Page and Mike. |
| 2019-12-04 | Pittsburgh, PA | 10:56 | Punchy, "Tube"/"Jibboo"-esque funky groove, with Trey melodically soloing o'er top it for a spell, eventually but abruptly modulates key and diminishes into "Circus." |
| 2019-12-31 | New York, NY | 12:27 | Featuring wonderful interplay between Trey and Mike in particular, eventually the jam's key modulates and Trey solos melodically, and then the jam grooves and concludes in an "On Broadway" -esque fashion before "Caspian" abruptly begins. |
| 2021-08-11 | Hershey, PA | 15:15 | A really fantastic first set jam from a great show, Trey going to his gloopy effects for fun, before the jam really heats up and Fish snaps into a really wicked driving groove. Page goes to the piano and finds a new key, and a really good rocking jam emerges as a result. Dies away into nothingness and > (maybe ->) into the debut of "Lonely Trip". |
| 2021-10-26 | Santa Barbara, CA | 11:25 | > from the debut of "The Silver Light". The renaissance of "Halley's" continues. Some swinging play turns into a full-on "Oye Como Va" jam by 9:00. The band vamps on the Santana classic for a couple minutes until it fizzles > "Mountains in the Mist." |
| 2022-02-25 | Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico | 14:25 | Page shining through before song proper is even over with extra effects and punchy playing. the laid back jam slowly decreases in tempo and is replete with nifty licks from Trey and neat synth work by Trey. It eventually dissolves into a segue so smooth you won't see it coming -> "S.A.N.T.O.S." |
| 2022-07-19 | Philadelphia, PA | 17:03 | After a mangled composed section, "Halley's Comet" takes off for the stars. The band hangs on Amin and delivers a rocking jam that soon grows introspective. A melodic volley develops between the four band members, which leads the band into a major key pivot. The music grows hazier, delay pedals and synths deploy, and the band finds themselves in a decidedly ambient space. A slightly funkier groove then emerges over the dense textural landscape, and fades out > "Stash." |
| 2023-08-04 | New York, NY | 11:15 | The jam escapes the confines of "Halley's" by way of staying on "A", and a brief but potent excursion ensues. A propulsive, upbeat minor key groove develops, with Trey cycling through effects atop Page's Rhodes, Mike's synth bass, and Fishman's steady pulse. A major mode shift then catalyzes a smooth -> "Roggae". |
Jam chart versions are selected because of improvisational and other characteristics that distinguish these from typical versions of the song.
The jam chart team has highlighted some versions with a yellow background; these are the versions the team believes to be especially improvisational, or otherwise notable.
A purple date indicates that you were in attendance.
The jam chart team has highlighted some versions with a yellow background; these are the versions the team believes to be especially improvisational, or otherwise notable.
A purple date indicates that you were in attendance.
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