"Fuck yeah I'll do another new one.
I'll play new ones all night if you want."

Trey Anastasio, just before "Birds of a Feather"
Portland Meadows 7/15/98


you go trey!

I definately have to say that out of the three places in Texas to see
Phish is at Austin.  It is way better than parking at a mall (Houston)
or frying in a regular old STRICT parking lot (Dallas.)

I have never been to Austin before and it lived up to what I have
heard about it.  The venue was great- no seats is a definate plus
because you could either hang out on the hill or fight the crowd and
be up close.  And  I must say that was not hard to do at all.  Most
people were really considerate (as usual- phish pholk are always kind)
about being up in front and everything (except for one fellow who
brought a 6 yr old kid or something up to the front on his
SHOULDERS!!! but luckily they left before Harry Hood.

It was a damn great show.  Who could not like a show with Ya Mar,
Antelope, Guyute & Harry Hood.  I can tell you that I was loving it. 
It was also nice to hear some songs that I have never heard before but
have heard about (Roget).

It was another great experience indeed- I thought Houston's show was
more solid probably due to them playing more recognizable songs since
it was the first time they played there in all.  I would definately
trek out to that heat again to see them there again - however I must
say that if weren't for it's closeness to Dallas, I would not be sad
seeing if I never saw another show at Dallas again due to the pain in
the ass cops.

Another good thing about Austin is - they did not hustle people out of
the parking lots at the end of the show and people continued to have a
good time.  I feel asleep that night with guyute in my head and a HUGE
smile on my face.

nancy mariano

First set highlight was definitely the jam between
Horn and Chalkdust, and then the Chalkdust JAM.
Oh man -- pure craziness!  Roget begins with a lovely, shuffle
groove to it that almost sounds like He's Gone or
Tenn. Jed or something.  Very nice.  The powerful liquified ending
of this tune is nice, almost Pink Floyd-esque...cinematic, large.
Roget, along with the Moma, feature rotating lead singing from
all the band members...which makes these new tunes particularly interesting.
Fishman sings some groovy stuff during Moma that sounds like
it was taken right from the disco rollerskating houses of the 70's.
Powerful Loving Cup closer (note Loving Cup craziness last time they
were in Portland 11/24/96).

I noticed during the setbreak that Trey and Mike both have completely
new amplifier rigs.  Trey's wooden speaker cabinets are gone and
he now has a couple of regular Fender amps on the floor behind him
along with some crazy, compact, hi-tech looking cabinet behind him.  It's
very
streamlined. Mike's, on the other hand, is simply huge, with about
5 or 6 speakers stacked in variety of spots.  No wonder Fishman
has a piece of plexiglass between him and Mike now.

Second Set : Intro to Simple was very interesting, sounded like
an old truck sputtering to a roaring start.  The Tupac jam during Tweezer
was absolutely
stunning.  Trey was working the melody through the wah-wah pedal and
it sounded like his guitar was singing (or at least moreso than usual  ;-))
Page was laying down the hiphop noises in the background, echoey sirens
and synth swirls right out of the PFunk Sampling Manual.
Since this rap tune is apparently about calming the East-West tension
in rap music, could this be a subtle nod from the band about the West
Coast bitching about lack of shows??  As someone who feels that the
band has been ignoring the West Coast the past coupla years, this seemed
like the band's plea for forgiveness.  Hearing Trey moan "California...knows
how to party...." behind the jam, I accepted the apology.  Meat is a really
cool tune -- gotta love hearing Mike sing while laying down slowfunk.
Wilson came out of nowhere for the encore and was a true highlight for
the night.  The usual jam/noise segment near the end phased through
a few series of grooves before returning to the Blap Boom Ba Bip Bip Boom.
Great show, and it was great getting to see the Soundcheck taboot,
from the top of our cars.



Scene: Really nice and chilled as expected for west coast shows! Also every
one was super psyched because of the beggining of the american tour.

Set 1:

Wolfman's- Nice opener, not really mind blowing but it showed the crowd
that the band was ready to start tour and give them shows they wouldn't
forget! 

Water in the Sky- I liked the old version, but the new version speeds up
the tempo and gives it a very danceable feel. Sort of like a arpeggiated
dance number now! Phat.

Moma Dance- Really smooth, not disco-like as reported. It sounds like
black-eyed with a fresh coat of musicianship painted over it! Really
smooth, super tight and with new lyrics (n/a) as well as a different
structure!

Gyute- Same as always with nice trey and sweet playing by all members.
Fishman did infact miss end the song making trey smile then finish it!

Horn->Jam->Chalkdust- Where to begin on this one! O.K. Horn starts normal
very prety as always. Love the sweet supple solo trey bestows then into
this spacey very opposite aof horn like sound. Definately full
improvisation happening! Really nice jam that meanders around some slow but
tender soloing, then chalkdust!!! A sweet way to come out of such a jam!
Chalkdust was then sung and jammed out pretty fiercely!

Brian & Robert- Really nice tune similiar to a dirt type tempo, but with
really cool lyrics(n/a).

Beauty- I knew I was to hear this one because of late I have had girl probs
that almost fit this song too perfectly!! But a well played version
nonetheless.

Cars,Trux & Busses- So sick, way Phat, closest to perfection this song has
ever been! Nice improv piano from page, great riffing from trey, mike added
some great color here as well and fish just did his thing! Bravo Sick,
Sick, Sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roget- This tune was seemingly hiding something! While slower, it sounded
as if it could go some places (example '95 themes) almost in that area. You
couold see mad potential with this tune!

Birds of a Feather- This song will be the new crowd mover. I'm sure most of
you have heard it now so you know that it is Phat, this one is even Phatter
than the          Mini-Spring one!

Loving Cup- Always a pleasure, nice playing by trey on this one!

Set1 Verdict: (8 of 10) Nice long set with some interesting stage banter by
trey and then some good playing to back it up!

Set 2:

Limb by Limb- I'm sure most of you are wondering what they changed on limb
by limb? Well it was just one minor lyric adjustment. This adjustment has
trey singing "Drop me off the chinese wall, and peel my fingers from the
rim" twice as a chorus and this believe it or not makes the tune much
sharper! But the jam out of the lyrics was superb! This one may be the best
Limb by Limb I've ever heard!

Simple- Really nice well jammed and well played! Sweet page at the end.
Very worthy of say 12-2-97 status! But even longer.

Tweezer->Free- Absolutely the sickest combo I've ever heard! Tweezer was so
Phunky I almost broke my back! Really nice and long tweezer jam right into
Free! Free was really nice, and because of the placement on this one I have
to give this set props to the band for making it so Phat!

Meat-Really, really cool new tune was way fat and has these nutty stops and
starts! It'll stop and then you'll look around and think the next one is
coming but--- right back into meat again! i LOVE THIS TUNE!

Hood- This hood was hooked up! It was definatly given a dose of the killer
vibe that was trying to start a glow stick war but it did not happen!

Encores:

Wilson->Tweeprise-Wilson was the heavy metal version with a nice solo by
trey and it segued right into Tweeprise that was raging and sent every to
the road with a smile!


Set2 Verdict:(8 of 10) This show was a great way to start off the tour and
the setlist shows how Phat it is but when the tapes are heard you will
understand how sick this show really was!


Bobby Shortcut Shows


    Sitting on top of that hill in the parking lot on the south end of the
venue(right behind the stage) was one of the best pre-shows I've had in a
while.  Phish played a great soundcheck which included Ginseng Sullivan and
about 4-5 others.  The weather was great.
    The show got off to a great start with wolfman's, water in the sky, and
moma dance (which I think they are saying "the moment ends")
I noticed here and throughout the show that Phish is turning on the funk.
That Mike's song of Hampton last year was pretty spacey-funky and I kept
thinking of that.  The Guyute reference to "pig racing" was hilarious and
Trey was talking more the he usually does when its not story-telling.
Horn>Jam>Chalkdust was really, really well played.  The notes were crisp.
But it has been like that throughout the whole show so far.  Brian& Robert
is a ok song...its not "epic" and will probably grow on me like some of the
other new songs.  Beauty of my Dreams-not what I was thinking they would
play here but always well played.  Roget, Birds of a Feather-good sounds but
they are always going to be 1st set songs maybe a encore here and there.
Cars Trucks Buses-awesome,awesome awesome-I love this song and wish they
could play more like it.  Lovin Cup -I 've heard this song a million times
it seems like in the past year but its still a good tune and its a good way
to close any set or show.  Its a good crowd song.

    I like Portland Meadows (Food, Free roaming, lots of bathrooms, beer
gardens, Good food all kinds)

    The second set was unreal.  I'll be searching for this tape.  Limb by
Limb Simple Tweez Free  Meat Harry Hood/// The tweezer was crazy crazy
crazy-It had this 70's Al Green meets Disco spacey -funky (u like that)  And
when he got the funk down and slipped in California Love people just kept
groovin--i did not see one person twiddling their thumbs-it was so cool-the
coolest moment of all my Phish moments.  Free was a little weird , Trey just
kept playing the intro for a while and finally sang the first verse and
never went into that crazy improv with him and Page getting really nutso
like they would in the past.  Instead they went back to the funk--which was
alright by me.  Really well played so far.  Meat is a borderline keeper.
Its no Mike's song.  The Harry Hood was just plain beautiful.  A very
beautiful sound.  The glow stick jam was great.    E:  Wilson Tweeprise--A
definitely killer way to end a show, every one was just so in awe and almost
wanted to hug everyone else for being part of such a good show...They played
it so well...A+       Jacob

Arriving.  We arrived in Portland at about 2:00 after spending the previous night at 
  Rainbow Falls in Washington State.  I recommend that park, it's in a beautiful old 
  forest.  Anyways, the bus had behaved very well on the trip down from Victoria BC and 
  we were stoked to be seeing the first show of a tour.  After arriving in Portland, we 
  stopped at some huge home store and bought a tape case and a tarp (vital items) and 
  then lined up for the shows.  It took about 20 minutes to get in, while we waited, the sun 
  showed itself for about the first time since we left.  Little did we know it'd be beating on 
  us from this moment forward.  Anyways we got a sweet spot in the lot, and my friends 
  set up for vending while I peoplewatched.  Everyone seemed happy except the security 
  guards.   The lot was nice and mellow and I just chilled out til showtime.

  By the time we'd lined up for the show, it was hot.  Now I am from Canada so I feel 
  heat alot more than y'all down south, but still, it was hot.  Patience paid off however and 
  we got a sweet spot about 5 feet to the left of Page 15 rows back.  The people around 
  us on the grass weren't all that friendly but that happens sometimes.  Alas, we were 
  happy and we waited for the show, smoking lots of pot, eating our gooballs, starting to 
  trip, etc etc.

  Whoa.  I realized now that we are about to see Phish.  AHHHHH!!! :)  So out they 
  come, and soon we are all bumping up and down to a fat wolfman's.  The first thing I 
  noticed is that MIKE WAS LOUD!! YEAH!!! This trend continued for all 3 shows and 
  was a welcome change.  Mike has also come a very long way in his bass playing and is 
  now definitely fit for the "awesome" category.  I am a bass player myself so I find myself 
  watching Mike and Trey alot more than anyone else.  Anyways Mike is amazing now.  
  He also spent alot of time chilling in the lots and my friends must have talked to him 3 or 
  4 times.  Anyways the Wolfman's was phat...  A cool trend in this show was alot of nifty 
  tension-releasie coolness.  I soon realized that Phish had evolved much further since the 
  last time I saw them, Aug 3 1997.

  I never liked Water in the Sky until now.  Oh man, it's evolved into this new-wave, 90's 
  style littlest hobo theme, it's incredibly beautiful.  This tune is totally awesome now.. 
  you've simply got to hear it for yourself.

  Moma Song forced me into a spine-swirling neck bumping funkotronic trance dance.  
  This tune kicks serious ass... the bass is SO FAT and everyone else is just revelling in 
  the funk.  I could hear this tune at every second show and be thrilled every time.  I 
  noticed by this point in the show that Phish is jamming out every tune at every 
  opporunity, and the jams are great.

  Guyute happened out of nowhere.  I've loved this tune for years and this is my first live 
  experience with it.. it was sweet.  I think the reason they played it is cause Trey said 
  something about not knowing what is raced at the meadows, and someone yelled 
  "PIGS!!"  Trey then went "now a song about the most famous pig of all..." and out came 
  Guyute.  Awesomely jammed.  It was pretty cool at the end when they did Trey's solo 
  part too.. but you'll have to hear the tapes for that nifty dialogue.

  Horn>Jam>Chalkdust.  WHOA.  This stuff was InTeNsE.  You gotta hear this part.  I 
  just about flipped.  You could tell that Phish was excited to be playing tonight.  It was a 
  real pleasure to see Horn for my first time too.

  Brian/Brain & Robert... uhh... At the show I called it "cool new tune"  All the new tunes 
  were cool..  although nothing very special comes to mind regarding this one.  Everyone 
  reading already knows what Beauty of my Dreams is like.  Happy, rosy, yay.

  All my friends said that this was the best CT&B they've heard.  I thought it was kickin 
  but not quite as phat as that little show in VT last year with the horns.  Still killer tho'.

  Roget was great... nice jamming.  I'll not make much comment on the tunes I don't know 
  well.  At the end of Roget Trey introduced the new tunes and talked a bit, they were 
  about to bust off Loving Cup when comeone yelled "ANOTHER NEW ONE" and Trey 
  smiled & said "Ok you want another new one... this is Birds of a Feather."  BOAF 
  kicked serious ass... cool with a funky edge.  The following Loving Cup was excellent as 
  well... as per usual.

  Setbreak was uhh... nothing too special.

  Set 2 opened with Limb by Limb.  My friend Jeff was hoping for this one so I was 
  happy to hear it.  What a great tune...  nice jamming, amazing drumming.. oh boy were 
  we in for a treat.

  I've seen Simple in about half of the shows I've been to.. and always liked it.  Neat tune 
  into cool jamming, it really excites the people and stuff.  The 2 songs so far are definitely 
  leading into a kickass set.

  Tweezer>"Portland Love">Free.  Oh man Oh man Oh MAN!!!!!!!  WOOHOO!! 
  YEAH!!!!  This triage of tunes would blow your mind... from the intense trippy jamming 
  in Tweez, to "Portland knows how to party" to the AMAZINGLY INTENSE AND 
  BEAUTIFUL FREE!!!!  Woooo get the tapes.  This ruled.

  Uhhh... Meat?  I don't remember this.  I must have thought it was part of the Free 
  jamming.

  Harry Hood with glowsticks brought me to tears.  What can I say.. this song is 
  beautiful.  I cried, cried, cried.  Infact I had tears in my eyes at every show I saw... 
  Gorge night 1 during Slave, and night 2 during Divided Sky.  Phish can be so 
  breathtakingly beautiful.  This Hood was just awesome.  Phish is playing soooo good!

  The E: was Wilson, which I have yearned to hear for almost 2 years and never have until 
  now.  It was great and the crowd was seriously into it.  Neat intense jamming too.  The 
  TweezRepreez was cool as always.

  After the show I just about collapsed.  Wow.

  There is so much to be said about the Gorge too.  Worth immediate mention are my first 
  times seeing Reba, Antelope, 2001 and Gumbo, as well as massively stellar 
  Space>Bowie>Tube, Slave, My Soul, a Megadeth Mike's (trey was totally flipping out) 
  -> Weekapaug, and a nice PYITE encore.
  What a run..   everyone who sees Phish this summer will be blown away.  Have fun 
  everyone :)

  Do me a big fav and visit the website that i maintain at work, http://www.victoriacar.com

  garlic grilled cheese,
  Kev

  Kevin A. Lynch
  Sage Internet Solutions Ltd.
  (250) 386-7243
  www.sageman.com