I just got back from Worcester where I had my mind, body, and soul utterly
BLOWN by these four guys. I have seen 4 shows this fall now and I saw 5
this summer, and man are they on right now.
First of all, I love the direction the band is heading towards. I
am a huge fan of FUNK like the Meters and many other Funky groups, and I
think that Phish is only getting better adding this style to their jams. I
have about 450 hours and I honestly feel that what I saw in Worcester and
from the rest of Fall '97 is the best they have played since New Years Run
'95. They are taking songs that are already great and playing Fat jams and
then adding the 97-Funk-Style jam onto it. Songs like Funky Bitch, Free,
Wolfman's, even Stash are way better now. I also love the new songs 97
songs such as Ghost, Limb, Dirt, etc. and I feel that they have improved
them just since the summer. The Ghost played in Worcester has got to go
down in history as the funkiest song Phish has ever played. I have 9
Ghost's on tape, and this one was by far the best one they have ever
played. The energy level was so high as the full crowd got into the
groove. Trey was just so funky as it started and stopped getting funkier
each time. This was one of the best jams I think I have ever seen them
play. I used to not like Limb By Limb because I felt it didn't flow, but
they played it to perfection in Worcester with an amazing jam that proved
to me that there can not be a song that I don't like by these guys.
Worcester second night second set- All you have to say is "Whoa"
There is no need to even talk about the 58 minute masterpiece because
everybody has already heard about it. I thought it ws going to be a one
song set. They have moved into the 4 or 5 song sets this fall and I really
like it because it showcases their creativityand ability to never play the
same song twice. The Wolfman's in the Third night was jammed unlike I have
ever heard it played before. It was a slower and softer jam in a lower
key. Far different from the Jam into Funk that I have been hearing since
spring. The Sanity and Ester teases were a suprise to me, too. I was
fourth row center and seeing Trey and Mike hide behind the speakers was
pretty crazy. There were two 50 year old men behind me saying "Wow, Jerry
and Clapton never did that!"
Overall I strongly feel Fall Tour '97 is beyond belief and is one
of the best tours Phish has ever played. I hooked up with some friends who
have been touring since '92 and they agreed with me. Black Eyed Katy and
Ghost are now some of my favorite songs to hear. Whatever they could do in
'94, they can do just as good, but now you can move to it much more. Who
says they peaked in '95?
-Ben Silver
Well, I just saw the 3 night stand at Worcester and just thought I'd
share some of my random thoughts on the weekend.....
First off, I was very impressed and excited with Phish's playing. I've
seen 36 shows now and these 3 rank up with some of my favorites (mostly
Fri and Sat). I thought this summer that the boys were playing a bit
too much funk. I was happy to see them trying something new, but I just
felt that they had abandoned their old style of jamming. Summer tour
did have some great highlights: Alpine, Deer Creek, Darien, and of
course Andrews favorite: 8/17/97 set II. So back to my main point, I
was really psyched to see Phish mixing things up a lot more in
Worcester. Now that they've found their groove with the whole funk
thing, they're placing it a bit more strategically in the shows. I
don't want to turn this into a song-by-song review, cause that's been
done already, but to generalize, it seemed the boys were jamming and
improvising with some old-school flavor as well as throwing in some funk
jams too. It seems they were just born to play funk! Friday's Ghost
was by far the best version I've heard. I was dancing so hard. I heard
someone say, "funk makes your hips and neck move in ways you can't
practice", well I agree because I'm not much of a dancer, but the
grooves they were laying down had me dancin in the aisles like a mad
man.(security loved that).
Runaway Jim (1hr) Saturday caught me totally by surprise. It was like
the Phish from '95 or summer of '93 when anything was possible....I was
thinking, "they're back, the band I fell in love with is back!" And the
highlight for me personally was Limb-by Limb on Friday. I still can't
get this song out of my head. It's so beautiful. It's got the rhythmic
complexity of Taste, but then the jam has the beauty and grace of Hood,
it was the first song of the weekend to bring tears to my eyes.
I was a little surprised at how people on the net labelled Sundays
setlist. My first objection was the Split Open and Melt jam. There
wasn't one. It may have sounded a bit like SOAM, but the jam was not
worthy of being called SOAM Jam. I heard every Crossed Eyed quote all 3
nights, but there simply was no SOAM jam....let me explain. What makes
SOAM so unique is the time signature: 3 measures of 4/4 and a measure
of 9/8. It's that 4th measure of 9/8 that gives it its brilliant feel.
Well, the jam on Sunday never changed time signatures. I thought it was
misleading to people who weren't at the show. Also, there was no
Sanity! Yeah, big deal, trey sang a few lines from Sanity over that
evil metal jam, but it was not Sanity. It didn't have the beauitful
music of Sanity "bum bu duh du dum dum bahm bum buhm" there was actually
no comparison to Sanity beside a few lyrics. Oh well. I'm just being
too anal now, but I wanted to point that out.
One surprising note: I had floor seats Friday and the security was way
more strict on the floor than anywhere else. But, I actually saw a
guard walk up to a phan with his flashlight...we all thought he was
gonna hassle him, but he was actually helping this kid to see while he
wrote down the setlist! I have never seen THAT before.
Also, my parents attended their first show on Sunday (I didn't sit with
them, that would be too wierd). But my dad had an extra ticket and
wound up miracling some girl. Way to go dad! My parents LOVED the
show. Both 50+ and they couldn't stop talking about how much they loved
the experience (also both ex-hippies). This made me feel so happy. My
parents basically shaped my whole musical background and turned me on to
so many great bands, and for me to give back to them my own music just
made my life feel complete. My mom was impressed with how friendly
everyone was to her even though she was more than twice their age,
(thanks everyone).
(also happy I didn't see any nitrous the whole weekend).
One final note: I just got a single ticket to both Albany shows
through ticketBastard, YESTERDAY! Supposedly Saturday's show is sold
out but I just got Sec 103! Whenever a show is "sold out" it's not
really....so call ticketbastard NOW if you're looking for a 12/13
ticket. PEACE everyone see ya in Albany......Jeff Waful, Boston
In the parking lot of the philly show me and my friends could have sworn
we saw mike gordon wearing an orange tee shirt and and a grey hooded
sweatshirt pulled to conceal his face kinda. This guy asked us what time it
was and i didnt know so i told him and he said thanx anyway. and then i
actually looked at his face and i thought it looked exactly like Mike and he
is known to do wacky stuff like this. so i followed him to get a better look
and i think it was him. Then we headed into the sprectrum and saw the same
guy sitting by a tree all by himself and one of my friends said something
like mike gordon is the best bass player ever and he glanced up at us and I
SWARE it looked just like him. Did anyone else see this guy????
rick
For those of you who haven't seen a show yet this fall tour and are planning
to go to one soon, get ready. Phish has
been playing incredibly lately. In the last few shows, they have been
unprecedented in setlist creations and have busted
out numerous old timers, and favorites jamed out to unreal extent
(i.e. Runaway Jim (58 minutes!), Mike's Song
opener in Hampton, Guyute opener in Worcester.). Not to mentioned incredible
new covers and originals. Free>Piper!
Be ready for anything! -D. Baum
ubject:
Worcester Thoughts Pt. 1
Date:
Mon, 01 Dec 1997 21:44:46 -0500
From:
Exree_Hipp@onf.com (Exree Hipp)
To:
phish@phish.net, andy@gadiel.com
These were my 9th, 10th, and 11th shows, I've about 350 hours or so on
tape, and have heard quite a bit more.
Phish is doing things that you always hoped that they would, but never got
around to. Do you remember every single time that they've been playing a
jam, played it out, and then given up, lamely segueing into another song?
Well, for much of Worcester, when a jam was played out, they simply turned
to another jam, and this is very important to remember. Instead of turning
to another peg to jam on, they made one up on the spot. Because of this,
the jams had MOVEMENTS, and actual definable transitions that were just as
smooth as silk. This is a review of the first night, but jumping ahead,
the Runaway Jim from the second day was and is the greatest thing that
Phish has ever produced. It's not melodious like the Albany YEM, it won't
make you hold your breath like the jam before Sanity on 11/30/97, but it
is absolutely THRILLING to witness. More on that Jim in my next post. On
to the first night, which was SPECTACULAR in its own right.
PRE-SHOW: Me and my fellow aphishionado Tom made our way over to Worcester
with plenty of time to spare, like at five or so. We caught some cool grub
at the food court and played video games at the Media-Play store in the
mall. This was where I realized how cool reserved seats can be. Tom and I
had prime seats waiting for us, and we were in no rush. Amazingly, 7
o'clock came around, and instead of rushing to a show for seats, I was
playing video games, getting ready to stroll over to the show. It was like
seeing a movie. So cool. Anyway, the video games were the bomb. I won't
say how Tom described it. Note: at 7:30, the secheduled time for the show,
I'd be hard pressed to say that the place was half-full. Phish is too
predictable in that sense- Everyone knows they'll be on at around 8.
I: The Curtain, You Enjoy Myself* > I Didn't Know**, Maze, Farmhouse,
Black-Eyed Katy, Theme From the Bottom > Rocky Top
II: Timber Ho!, Limb By Limb, Slave to the Traffic Light >
Ghost > Johnny B. Goode
Encore: My Soul
*-Crosseyed and Painless teases, no bass and drums or vocal jam
**-w/ vacuum solo
CURTAIN: The boys went on stage, and talked a while before playing. They
were changing the opener to Curtain, much to my dismay. I hate this song
very much, certainly in my bottom five, but I know I'm alone in that
respect. Standard but without flaws, surprising since it was the first one
in like 57 shows.
YEM: This, which I think was the planned opener, was sharp and unique
throughout. The jam was very cool and didn't have a lot of playing. It was
much effects and the like. The jam was good, and very different, although
not like it blows the mind or anything. I love this song, though, and it
is cool to check out. This jam did feature some great stop/start action
like the Vegas Weekapaug. I just love that, especially since I never see
it coming. Oh, and btw, I never heard Crosseyed, and that is like one of
my very favorite covers by Phish. It may be there, but neither Tom or I
heard it. Just when I think they're going into the vocal jam, it turns out
to be a segue into...
I Didn't Know: Sung pretty much a capella, and with the vac solo. Place
went crazy for Fish, in the dress and with jeans on under the dress.
Weird, and my first. Amusing, and I was hoping for more YEM or a vocal jam
after it, but instead it finished up and we had Maze coming.
Maze: This was extremely high energy! I really don't understand why the
band thinks Worcester is this special place to pull all this energy out
of, but they play this place like it's MSG or NYE or something. Really
odd, imo. I just don't get it. The venue is not beautiful or special or
anything, and the audience isn't a notable size or anything. Just weird.
Maze raged big time, and the jam was fooling everyone as to when the peak
would be, but it was still pretty much a first set Maze. Lights were on.
Trey is about to hit the peak of Maze, the lights are all dark blue. He
hits it, and the whole place is white light. Chris just knew when it was
coming. Very cool.
Farmhouse: I was thinking about this song as a cool-down during Maze, no
joke. I really, really like it, and I'm very glad they played it. Very
cool, much longer than Conan's, of course.
BEK: Tom goes to Emerson College in Boston, and has a very fast connection
to the web, and had listened to this song on the sugarmegs site. He ID's
this song for me when it started, and let me tell you, that this song is
FABULOUS. It is a total cummulation of the porno-funk of summer 1997, and
was just ON!! I loved this, and it was certainly my favorite part of this
set. Kicked ass. I just can't say enough about how much I loved the way
that PHiSH played this tune that night. A+ for this.
Theme: Pretty much Theme without a new direction that I had hoped for. I
really love this song, though, since it is so nice. Well played, good
Theme. Not the Went or anything, but nice. Lights were good here as well.
Rocky Top: Not really a segue, as I'm sure you could have predicted. It
was straight, no flubs (what was up in Hartford?). Cool closer.
Very, very solid first set with some very nice jamming in YEM, Maze,
Farmhouse, and especially BEK, which was easily the highlight. High on
width, above average on height due to the BEK.
TIMBER: Timber Ho! opened this set, and it was pretty much this chaotic
thing. Now, don't get me wrong, you know I love a good jam, but this was
just so dissonant and chaotic that it was like, what the fuck. When it
started, I remember thinking that it was going to give us a very cool type
II jam, but it was pretty much just noise by the end. Explanation? Hold
your left fist up even with your breast about nine inches away. Then make
stabbing motions toward your right hip with your other fist and go "WANG!
WANG! WANG!" Every time you stab down, making it look like you're playing
guitar. That is how Trey was playing his guitar at the end of Timber. Not
good, imo.
Limb: Easily the best Limb ever. The jam out of this was so lengthy,
melodious, and POWERFUL, that I was pretty much floored. I love this song,
and the band was right on. Energy was still right through the roof, and
this was just unreal. I was at the Went and thought that this was far
better.
Slave: Cool placement, and it was pretty much slave. I mean, it was very
powerful and well played, and it was certainly an above average version,
no question. However, this song doesn't make sets. I liked its placement
and the performance.
Ghost: As the noise of Slave wound down, Trey kept them going, and the
transitioned into Ghost. This jam was EXCELLENT once they got off of the
Ghost theme and got really funky. Had some cool stop/starts like the Vegas
Weekapaug, and some solo playing by Trey where the band cuts out and it's
just him. Yeah, it was my favorite Ghost I've heard, but I haven't heard a
lot of them, like many of the popular Euro-Ghosts. Check it out. Oh, and
the setlists say Cities teases? Are you kidding? Pretty much anything can
be a Cities tease or jam if you just strum the chords a pretty generic
way. No Cities tease, imo.
JBG: Good, raged, it was JBG. A sharp closer, and certainly rivaling
12/31/95 for energy and performance. I liked it.
E: My Soul: Painfully straight forward, not close to rivaling the Went.
Cool encore for the first night. Time to go home.
Again, very high for both width and height. The Ghost and Limb were both
my favorite versions ever, so that's big for height, and the whole damned
set was JAM JAM JAM. This show was very solid, certainly a rating of 7 or
above. I can't stress enough how every singly moment of this show was
enjoyable to me except the opener. I really loved every choice. I guess
it's clear that I hate to rate Phish shows I just saw, but hear this show,
it's all I can say. The highlights were BEK, Limb, Ghost, and maybe YEM.
I'll review the monumental second night in a bit.
andrew
Subject:
Worcester Thoughts Pt. 2
Date:
Mon, 01 Dec 1997 22:25:01 -0500
From:
Exree_Hipp@onf.com (Exree Hipp)
To:
phish@phish.net, andy@gadiel.com
These were my 9th, 10th, and 11th shows, I've about 350 hours or so on
tape, and have heard quite a bit more.
OVERVIEW AGAIN: Phish is doing things that you always hoped that they
would, but never got around to. Do you remember every single time that
they've been playing a jam, played it out, and then given up, lamely
segueing into another song? Well, for much of Worcester, when a jam was
played out, they simply turned to another jam, and this is very important
to remember. Instead of turning to another peg to jam on, they made one up
on the spot. Because of this, the jams had MOVEMENTS, and actual definable
transitions that were just as smooth as silk. This is a review of the
second night. The Runaway Jim from the this night was and is the greatest
thing that Phish has ever produced. It's not melodious like the Albany
YEM, it won't make you hold your breath like the jam before Sanity on
11/30/97, but it is absolutely THRILLING to witness.
Set I (~80 min)
The Wedge, Foam, Simple> TMWSIY> Alvenu Malkenu> TMWSIY, Sloth, Ginseng
Sullivan, I Saw It Again, Horn, Water In The Sky, David Bowie
Set II (~95 min, elapsed time after certain points)
Runaway Jim*, Strange Design, Harry Hood> Prince Caspian, Suzie Greenberg
E: (~15 min)
Buffalo Bill> Drum Solo> Moby Dick**, Fire
*About an hour. Insane. Had full-blown, full-band Weekapaug jam.
**Led Zepplin Cover (1st time played?)
PRE SHOW: More video games, playing right up until show time. Just great
fun to do something comletely un phish and then just go and walk in and
have prime seats for a PHiSH show. God, I love that. The video games were
cool. Tom kicked my ass in this Star Wars fighting game.
Wedge: Great opener, suitable type-I jam. This is a wonderful song, with
some great soloing. Love this placement.
Foam: Talk about good placement, this is my favorite place for this song,
and it is one of the few that I REALLY wanted to see badly, the other two,
Buffalo Bill and 2001, I was split with. But this Foam was alright. It had
some flubs by trey, nothing major, but this was a good, very high energy
Foam. Not as cool as 8/3/97, imo, but good none the less. No segue from
Wedge to Foam, which woulda been cooler. I love this song.
Simple: This show was really in the groove, and I was loving it! The jam
was good, but not great, with Simple pretty much fading down and segueing
the way it often does. Nothing non-Simple, and the segue to TMWSIY was
rather contrived, but certainly a great way to kick this set off.
TMWSIY: My first, very well played, seeing how it was the first in 67
shows. Right on. Cool song and all.
Alvenu: Standard. Nothing real hot. I was hoping we would get something
other than TMWSIY to follow, or a cool segue from TMWSIY. We really got
neither.
Sloth: Standard, crowd pleasing fare. I was hoping for something huge to
follow like Reba (!!) or like Mike's or something to get a nice type II
jam out of. Instead, we got what is probably the worst 4 song stretch I
could have asked for. They could have put Bouncin' in for Ginseng, and if
so, it would have been the worst they could have possibly done to me.
Ginseng/Saw It Again/Horn/Water in the Sky: Oh, god, just horrible. I hate
these songs so much, although Ginseng is tolerable, the other three are
just the worst Phish there is this side of Bouncin'. Ugh, and just when I
thought we had gotten rid of SIA and WitS. There was a rather fun space
jam briefly before Horn, but other than that, this was just painful.
Bowie: Raged like nobody's business, but it was type I all the way. No new
jamming or anything, but the jam before Bowie kicked in was long and good.
Altogether, a very high energy Bowie with some extremely fine jamming in
the type I fashion. Had this been played in '93, it would have been like
monumental.
First set: Starts with a bang, ends with a bang. That middle was shit. I
hate those song. This was easily the worst set of Worcester, but hell yeah
did it have some fine moments. WedgeFoam was a GREAT opener, and TMWSIY
was well played. There is no way I would have predicted that this would be
the precursor to what started about 40 minutes later.
Runaway Jim: This was the greatest jam that Phish has ever played, and I
would probably be hard pressed to find a finer set of Phish around. I put
it certainly even with 10/31/96-2, 8/17/97-2, and anything 12/31/95 can
bring. This Runaway Jim was not an hour of chaos, it was an hour of what
often sounded like composed music. It had movements and definite
transitions. The song went from Jim, to space, to a rocko-william type
groove, to rocking grooves, to weekapaug jamming, to everything. It was
simply brilliant. Because I love segues as much as I do, throught the jam,
I kept thinking to myself, "What are they teasing, what are they playing
now, what are the going into?" But the point was that they did not go into
anything. It was simply jam after jam after jam, all moving seamlessly
from one to the other. At one point the entire band played a full and
all-out Weekapaug jam, and that was exciting, but since it was never sung,
it was simply just another part of this masterpiece. I've already seen
this compared to the 12/29/94 Bowie, the 10/31/95 YEM, the FLeezer, and
things like that. It's not like that/ It's far better. Phish 2000 at its
best. I do wonder if it will become the norm for Phish to have no need for
songs as jamming pegs like they did with this Jim. I hope so! This Jim is
the definition of must-hear. Jim was about an hour. Yeah.
Strange Design: I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought Jim might start
and end the set. However, it went into SD, which is now sort of a rarity.
Cool to sit down to, although I like Dirt about four hundred times more.
Mm, Page.
Hood: I think Fish hit the toms to start this song, but they didn't come
over the PA. Other than that, this Hood was just a great, great version. I
was pretty sure that it was the closer at the time, but I was quite wrong.
Very, very nice ja, although I certainly don't like it as much as the
8/10/97 Hood (have you heard this Jam? It's fresh and just GREAT! One of
my favorite Hoods, easy.) Good Hood, and I felt great when they sung the
close to this.
Caspian: Well, it's still a stupid-ass song, but the jam at the end is
really great now, so It's fine for me. Staring at the moon at the Went
while this played will never leave me, and this version sure couldn't
provide that, but it was still pleasant and well played. Imagine my
surprise as the band proceeded to flub the intro to..
Suzy!: Nice Suzy, fun to dance to. First one in a while, and it showed,
but when they didn't have to sing, they were on! Trey had some great
helicopter-type noisses coming from the 'doc. Fun closer.
E: Bill/Moby Dick/Fire: I was beyond psyched for Bill, and although it had
no jam (they went straight to a drum solo and then Moby Dick), I still had
fun hearing those great lyrics and the toms from Fish. Moby Dick was
great, great, fun, and played very well by the band. Fire was probably the
best version ever, although it goes without saying that I haven't heard
them all. It raged like you wouldn't believe. An extremely good encore. I
really enjoyed all three of these songs, and Fish's hilarious solos and
introductions as Moby Dick himself. Fun, fun.
This set recieves the 10. No joke. Jim is unrivaled, Hood is very good,
Caspain and Suzy solid. Encore is great. The Jim deserves all the respect
it gets. MUST HEAR.
This show gets instant stature as a classic, and I know that this date,
11/29 will forever be mentioned among the great moments in Phishtory.
Unbelievably well played second set, and I cannot wait to hear this JIM
again. Get the tapes. Now.
I went to Hampton to see the shows. I traded the green for a ticket the
first night as did my buddy Stu. We saw the show and went to out shady
hotel about 10 miles away. The next day we wake up to watch the Ohio
State v. Michigan game. I found a sports bar in a hotel near Busch
Gardens. We got lost and finally made it to this hidden hotel way back
in the woods (Conventio Center style). I was watching the game and Brad
Sands and crew walked in. WE HIT GOLD! We all talked about the
equipmnet and what not. I still needed a ticket for that night so I
asked them for Extras. They said they could not help me. THey wished
me luck and left the bar. About 5 minutes later I look out the window
into the lobby and there is Trey having some juice and a donut. I go
out there, tell him my feelings, and then we talked (I talked) about the
guitarist Bill Frisell. We parted and I went back to watch the game.
Trey was very cordial as was the young lady next to him. Anyway, I am
still watching when all of a sudden I said to my friend, "Hey Stu, that
looks like Page with a beard."
He said. "It is Page with a beard!"
We both went outside into the lobby and talked with him about the band,
New York City music scene, and great keyboardists. He then said<"Are
you guys going to the show tonight?"
I said, "We are only half way there."
blah blah blah.
Page took my name and left me a ticket at will call. I love that guy.
He really is a wonderful person.
David
I know this is kind of out dated, but I just found out that you
post stories on your page, and I thought that I'd try and share one with
all of the other phans out there.
My story begins on Sunday, July 20th when I was visiting with a
friend in NYC. He asked me that night if I wanted to go down to
Virginia Beach with him the next day for the Phish show at the GTE
Amphitheater. He also mentioned that he didn't have a ticket for me,
but that we could probably find one anyway.....of course. I jumped on
the chance, and the next morning we were on our way.
We hopped in the car rather early, and motored our way down to
VA Beach. It was me, my friend, his brother, and two other lifeguards
from NYC that came along with us. Only one of us had a ticket, and we
had already heard that the show was sold out, so we were kind of
worried, what with this being the opening show of the summer tour and
all. When we got to the parking lot, we all immediately set off on the
quest for tickets. I looked and looked for almost an hour and a half
that day, meeting all sorts of great people along the way. But I was
unsuccessful, so I went back to my car to try my luck around there. As
we were sitting at the car enjoying a beer, a girl came up to us and
asked us if we wanted to buy a humus bagel from her. Well, we didn't
want a bagel, but we offered her some beer and some friendly
conversation and she sat down with us and talked. A bit later she went
on her way, and my friend and I continued the search for tickets. Lo
and behold, both of us wound up getting tickets within about 15 minutes
of seeing the "humus bagel girl." Our other friend never wound up
getting into the show that night, but he said he had a great time in the
parking lot hanging out with everyone.
The next day(22 July), we decided to go on to Raleigh, even
though none of us had any tickets for that night. Pretty much the same
situation, except all but two of us were able to find tickets right
away. Once again, I was one of the unlucky ones, and so my friend and I
took off for tickets. After having walked around for an hour, we were
just about to go back to the car when, who should I run into, but the
"humus bagel girl." I introduced her to my friend, and we talked for a
few minutes, then parted ways. Within 5 minutes, both of us had our
tickets, and we were on our way to one of the best shows I have ever
seen or heard.
I would like to thank the "humus bagel girl" for all of her
support through that stressful time when we thought we weren't going to
get in to the shows. It makes you glad to be a Phish phan!!!!!
Kevin James
West Point, NY
x96423@exmail.usma.edu
There we were. The four of us hangin out in McCarrin Airport in Vegas,
(at least I think it's McCarrin), oh well. It was the day after Phish's
opening night of the 97 fall tour in Vegas, and we were (we being myself
(Paul), Ryan, Shahin, and Stephanie) waiting for our flight to Salt Lake
City to see Phish that night. Turns out our flight was delayed an hour
because of rain in Tuscon. This my phriends would be a blessing in
disguise. We arrived in Salt Lake City and headed for our hotel. Our taxi
pulled into the lobby, and guess who was talking to the bell boy.........
Trey. We were all stunned to see him standing there and even more stunned
to see nobdy else around. We calmly got out of our taxi (to this day, I
don't even no if we paid for the taxi) and went up to Trey. It was
amazing. Trey commented on Ryan's Marco Esquandolis shirt, remarking, "If
your Marco, then I'm polo." Shahin asked Trey about the new song they
played
the night before. And as we all know now, it was Black Eyed Katy. Trey
enjoyed that question, because he started to talk about how Phish first
came up with it and said they did a good job of playing it in Vegas. Trey
then proceeded to tell us to "Watch out for the cops." With those last
words of wisdom, he boarded the tour bus which was parked outside the
hotel. After coming down from the high of actually meeting Trey, Page
came walking out of the front doors of the hotel. We all congratulated
him for his performance the previous night in Vegas. He graciously said
"Thank You" and went on the bus. About 30 seconds passed, and Page came
of the bus with a box in his hand. We were sitting on the bench when he
asked us "Are you guys hungry?" Of course we said yes, and he handed us a
box of leftover sandwhiches. Shahin said "Are you kidding" and Page
responed "No man, I would never kid about something like this." We all
said thank you as he walked back onto the bus. Looking back on this
encounter, the only thing I can think of is that Page gave us dinner, and
Trey warned us about the Salt Lake City police. What can I say, it was
everything I ever imagined.
My best friend, my sister, another friend, and I spent our summer vacation
in Maine. Some people probably think we were pretty crazy, but i have to
say that that trip was the most unbelievable vacation i have EVER
experienced.
We started off by flying in to Portland Maine, and we rented a huge
Windstar. The four of us drove to Bangor (i think--where ever the AT ends
in Maine) and backpacked on the App. Trail for 4 days. That was incredible
and exciting, not to mention the most beautiful sights I have seen. We
wanted to see a moose, but it never happened :-(.
Anyway, after we got off of the trail, we drove to Limestone...then the
real fun began. It was so much more organized than the Clifford Ball (not
to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy the clifford ball), but everything was
perfect. We were early, so we got a phat camping spot, very close to the
gates to get into the show. It rained of course--but that's ok we had our
share of rain in the woods, and we were used to it. But nevertheless it
stopped raining just in time for the show! We were so pumped, after all we
had been anticipating this thing for MONTHS!!! The shows were awesome; i
was so amazed with phish, the music (especially--as usual), and the fans.
This is an experience that i will NEVER forget. And I look forward to
many more...PHiSH IS AN ADDICTION!!!! :-)
Thank you for allowing me to share my story,
Sincerely,
Merry Meger
(Spartanburg, SC)
It all started back at school in New Hampshire for all of us. Probably about
10 or so college students getting ready to leave campus for the holiday
weekend. Tuesday evening we drove from NH to somewhere in CT west of
Waterbury...I'm still not exactly sure where it was but it was a pretty small
town in the docks of CT. It was my buddy Jesse's house and we spent the
night and smoked bowl after bowl. The next day, wednesday, we awoke and
began preparing for the show. All day long we had 5 phish cds in the changer
playing at random to get psyched. We caught a phat 4:20 and then climbed
into 3 cars and drove down I-84 to the Civic Center. At the civic center we
tried to find my bud a ticket so he could get in...he finally bought one
outside for $45 BUT then I found a ticket ON THE GROUND!!! I couldn't
believe it, that sort of shit just doesn't happen. So, I found a poor head
who needed a ticket and miracled him into the show, and I felt so good about
doing it too - he was amazed. So we go into the show, and find our seats
behind the stage a bit, in front of Page. When the lights went out i sparked
a doobie and munched down some stems :) I noticed that Fishman was wearing
the dress and I knew that it was going to be a special night.
The boys kicked it off with a great "Tweezer", and I immediatley looked at my
buddy Mikey who had made the call earlier about opening w/ Tweezer and
closing w/ "Tweezer Reprise." I love it when shit like that happens!!
Anyway...the entire 1st set was a pleasure, until Page muffed up the lyrics
to "Silent" somewhat. A well thought out set as far as I'm concerned - Trey
was rocking as hard as ever, especially during "My Soul," I can tell how much
he likes that cover. Finishing the set w/ "Taste" was nice, I really like
that one live - a complex piece where they all get to play out some intricate
parts.
When the set was over my immediate reaction was, "That was some pretty insane
shit!" Indeed, Chris Kodura was so on target that I'm sure his light show
almost threw some heads into a optical frenzy. But it would only get even
more intense with the coming of the second set.
I've always believed in a simple philosophy at a phish show: "The 1st set
makes you happy you're a Phish fan. The 2nd set makes you happy you're
ALIVE."
At the start of the 2nd set, all you could see was the dark silhouettes of
the guys, and the anticipation was killing me, as it had been all night long.
Down With Disease? No. Maze? No. Trey steps up to the mic and softly
sings the words to "Character Zero," and when his guitar riffs launched the
crowd into a dancing blur, it was the beginning of the greatest musical show
i've ever seen. When "2001" started I was ecstatic. The place was
transforming into a spaceship. The lights were only half of the fun as
Trey's screaming sounds electrified the crowd. A dynamite "2001," start to
finish, but it didn't finish, it went on forever, until the solid beats to
"Cities," began. The only song I really didn't want to leave without
hearing. I was smiling all throughout this one. It all went on to a phatty
"YaMar," and "PYITE" - 2 of my all-time faves. The climax to the end of
PYITE was stellar, and when it was over it was the first silence of the set.
A solid "Prince Caspian" follwed and then a nice surprising "Poor Heart."
And then to finish off, they knew it could only be done with a rocking
"Tweezer Reprise." "Cavern" as the encore was a good call, and they joy for
me was watching Trey at the end as he waved his guitar around pointing to the
audience. Then rubbing the guitar on Page's piano, all while Mike, Fish, and
Page himself looked at him, like "look at this fool!" But he didn't care,
Trey grabbed the Megaphone and held it up to the mic to the cheers of the
crowd...I was watching this and was amused by the whole little bit. The guys
had tons of fun in Hartford, I'm sure - Trey and Mike even danced a few
steps!
All in all a splendid evening and a wonderful experience! I can't wait for
Albany!!!! Keep on sharing in the groove!!!
-Andy
David Lacher
Review of Phish in Hampton 11/21,11/22
As the cars, trucks and buses rolled into town for the first east coast
dates of fall tour, the annoyance of clogged highway off ramps gave way to
great anticipation. It was a weekend, 2 general admission shows, Trey's
"favorite room" to play in, Hampton Coliseum! Need I say more?
We were glad to be inside after waiting in the chilly drizzle for the doors
to open. This was it! The band kicked things off with the debut of "Emotional
Rescue", a Rolling Stones tune which Mike sang. His uncracking, squeaky wine
made this one an instant crowd pleaser. Phans were hoo hoo hooing and ah ah
ahing along with cheers and approval. The smooth flowing jam that ensued,
turned out to be the best of the night, and cruised right into Split Open and
Melt. Beauty of My Dreams harbored crisp fret work, compliments of Trey, and
witty solos from Page "Chairman of the Boards", giving this folk tune a
silver lining. An average Dogs Stole Things and Punch You In the Eye didn't
leave a lasting impression, and many would have preferred a Mike bass solo
over Fishman's gentle joke drumming in Lawn Boy. A high spirited Prince
Caspian similar to the "Went" version, faded into the set break via a delay
loop jam. Only recently has this tune achieved set closer status, edging out
Chalkdust for this evening's honor.
The first half of second set, consisting of Ghost>AC/DC Bag, wore thin
because the majority of the jamming was unfocused. After the vocals of AC/DC
Bag, the band seemed lost and disorganized. Relief came in the form of Slave
to the Traffic Light, which broke the monotony and brought new energy to the
set. Loving Cup, a song that has seen a marked increase in the rotation in
Ô97, shined as the closer. A jolly Gyute, also more common than in years
past, was well received as the encore. Some people left disappointed. The
consensus being that Phish was holding back.
Saturday's sunny skies and 70+ degree weather sent lots of folks flocking to
the beaches. A feeling of renewed enthusiasm could be easily detected among
the concert goers who mingled in force through the myriad of hotels and
restaurants on Coliseum Drive. Since loose tickets for Saturday night's show
were less abundant, many more raised fingers and clasped $20 bills were
visible. One desperate guy even offered a 12/29 MSG ticket for trade. By late
afternoon , a good sized drum congregation had formed near the fountain in
front of the venue, and continued, pounding the hollow echoes of poly
rhythms off into the fading twilight. The serpentine lines to get inside were
at least twice as long than at the same time on Friday. The heightened
excitement carried over inside, as a human wave gathered steam and rolled
through the seats for several minutes further animating the crowd. By the
time the lights went down, floor space in close proximity to the stage was at
a premium. Only tenacious wriggling and squirming would yield any results.
Chatter and speculation about predicted show openers could be heard. Hmmm?
Curtain perhaps? Or maybe Buried Alive?
One of the reasons Phish is so entertaining lies in their ability to harness
the element of surprise. Tonight was no exception. Bursting fourth from the
stacks was the first few notes of a familiar song. Wait! Could it be... Yes!
Mike's Song!! Eyes were wide and mouths were agape at this unexpected
choice. The cheers escalated, finally erupted into a roar as Fishman's drums
kicked in. This version was extremely well executed, even though Mike missed
his cue on the second verse. The jam following was not culminated by the
usual Simple-like theme that has become the rule not the exception. Instead,
it contained a jam which was beautiful and mysterious. The pace then slowed,
easing into a tranquil Hydrogen. I can't recall off hand when the last first
set Hydrogen was played, but it's been years. As expected, a blistering
Weekapaug appeared. Fueled by Mike's funky thumb and elastic wrist, phans
danced and lurched with rapture like possessed marionettes. This hot Groove
was further augmented by Trey's inspired soloing. Suddenly the music came to
an abrupt halt. Seconds passed only for the song to be kick started with even
more intensity. Upon completion, gratuitous applause raged. Wow! What a way
to start a show!! As the cheering waned, the band scrambled into a
spontaneous stage conference, perhaps brought on by the wired crowd. After a
quick discussion and some head nods, the next card was played.
Desert was served early in the form of a solid Harry Hood that featured some
sweet midi effects. This was undoubtably one of the best I've witnessed.
Trainsong and Billy provided a much needed breather (no pun intended), or a
let down, depending on whether your cup is half empty or half full. The one
two punch, classic rock combo of Frankenstein>Isabella brought everyone back
to their feet, and polished off a gem of a first set. Clearly one for the
ages.
When Phish retook the stage, they were met by a barrage of semi-organized
screams from the lucky few who were close enough to see the band's individual
facial hairs. Trey quickly snubbed the optimistic contention of "Destiny
Unbound" hopefuls by saying " That sounds like a bunch of horrible...
cannibalistic chant for people who want blood." Then smugly said " I don't
know what you are saying." Next, to the amusement of the crowd, Trey mumbled
gibberish in an ogre like voice before asking "Is this the human sacrifice
part of the show?" "Alright, bring Ôem up here!" As if requesting a victim
from the front row. Shortly after, Mike stepped forward and began a chant of
his own. It was the vocal intro to the always lively Halley's Comet, which
has developed a long tail in its last couple of sightings. The jam that
emerged was a focused far cry from the unorganized noodling of the night
before. Tweezer was tight and restrained, and didn't get too far out there.
An almost undetectable transition led right into Black Eyed Katy, a new funky
instrumental that largely consists of mutated Cities and Wolfman's Brother
riffs. Next up was the rising climactic action and elusive lyrics of Piper.
Piper, a piece which made its US debut at Virginia Beach in July, has since
blossomed into one of the better songs of the new batch. A brief, yet
energetic, Antelope rounded out the second set. The encore of Bouncin,
Tweezer Reprise sent us on our merry way into the unseasonably warm night. We
left feeling envigorated with our expectations more than realized. Next stop,
Winston-Salem.
Throughout my high school years, I'd never really been a huge
Phish fan. I had dug on the Dead a little, but when I heard Phish, i
was put off by what I thought was a kindoff annoying style. Then, when I
entered college, I began to get more into them. I was still a little
disgruntled by Trey's voice and some of their (slightly) grating lyrics,
but I soon was drawn in by their sublime musicianship. The defining
experience that got me hooked on Phish, though, was when I drove to
California from New York last summer. During that trip, which lasted
approx. 63 hours, I was subjected to about 20-25 shows. One of the guys I was
driving with, my friend Nate, is a hardcore fan. He was able to
introduce me to many of the subtleties and nuances of the band.
Listening to them so much, I began to be able to identify with and enjoy
many of their songs that I was not very familiar with. I was also
knocked out by some of the covers they were doing. I'll never forget
driving through Indiana, and listening to a 7/93 version of "Purple Rain"
that they played at the Mann in Philly. I was just blown away by it.
Nate ingrained in me some major aspects of the band, including
Gamehenge and the story of Harpua. He drilled into me the notion that
1993 was perhaps the most magical of Phish's years. Once we got to
Cali, I was lucky enough to be able to attend my first ever show, at
Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. Although I had
heard complaints about that venue, I was rather thrilled by the
tremendous hillside that overlooked the stage. And the show I saw was so
kind!!! (7/31/97). They started with a blistering version of "Ghost",
and from there went into a great set. Later on, they played YEM, and
again I won't soon forget the look of utter delight on my friend's
faces when the first few chords were played. The show took place the
night prior to Jerry's birthday, and Trey took pains to honor him.
For an encore, they played a super-tasty version of "Cinnamon Girl"
that would have made Neil Young blush. As I write this, I look foward
to seeing Phish 5 different times in Dec. (2 in Philly, 3 in NYC).
I am pretty pumped-- Long live Phish!
JML
Philadelphia, PA
It is difficult to relay the plane PHISH puts me on, but I can say without
reservation that it is truly the greatest band around!!! About 15 of us
went up to the Hampton shows over the weekend. Two sweet, phat shows!!
But I would like to address an issue. I always hear complaints about PHISH
phans and how they are rude and cheap ... very unlike Dead or Panic fans.
I am not crazy about the comparisons, but I made an observation this last
trip that was disturbing to me. The parking lot was absolutely trashed
after the show. There were bottles and litter everywhere. PHISH does not
relay this mentality, so why are the phans behaving this way. I know
Greenpeace often has a table at the shows, but are the phans not
environmentally conscious ... generally speaking? I am there for the best
music on the planet, but I know of several people who said they would stick
with Panic from now on just because of the crowd the band attracts (too bad
for them). To my recollection, hippies were pro environment. What
happened to this group? Is anyone interested in organizing a PHISH
recycling program after the shows?
Stephanie Davis
davis.s@gain.mercer.edu
>From a senior's perspective...
In Phishdom, I have to be considered a senior citizen. I am 41, a husband, a
father, and a corporate vice president. Yet, the magic of music, allows me to
feel connected to you younger generation. When I was in high school and
college, I too travelled accross the U.S. seeing the Dead on tour. From 1976 to
1995 I saw approximately 175 Dead shows, including every New Year's eve show
from 1977 to the last one in 1992 i think.
In the early nineties, a friend of mine started talking about a band called
Phish. To me, it was like "so...I'm too old to have any other band impact my
life the way the Dead have. And besides, it could never happen anyway".
After a JGB show in Irvine, we were back at a friend's home and a younger kid
that somehow knew one of the guys at the house, started playing Phish. I loved
it. No one else really felt like paying attention. My wife and I then went and
saw them at the Greek Th. in LA a few years ago, and loved it. I've since
dragged a few other ex-dead heads over 40 to the shows, and they are beginning
to come around. Still, many are stuck in time, and refuse to accept that any
other music could be as powerful.
Now I listen to them whenever I get a chance. Have about 75 tapes which
although is still dwarfed by my Dead collection, is listened to a lot more.
I've only been able to see them twice more -- in LA and Vegas at the end of
1996.
After Jerry's death and the Dead's demise (which actually started in the early
90's), it is a miracle that I have found this music, as it does exactly what the
dead's music did for me. So, when I read all the reviews, and show stories from
kids 20 years younger than me, I know that the same spirit lives on, and will
hopefully for many years to come.
I might even get a chance to someday take my now 1 year old to a Phish show, and
have him understand why his daddy has hundreds and hundreds of Grateful Dead
tapes collecting dust in the closet!!
GW
This isn't exactly a story, but it's something my friends made up at the
Trav-L-Park Campground while camping for the Virginia Beach show on
7-21-97.
The campground was filled with some phriendly phriends,
Bri found a girl with a ticket to lend.
The beer was so dank for the weather so hot,
we have the currency, but no one has pot.
We set up our tents in the pale moonlight,
not a chill to the air, but a nip to the night.
It's better to be here than to be stuck at home,
it's good to be with friends, not at work all alone.
In Virginia we'll gather and have such a ball,
we'll finish this beer and in the tent we will crawl.
-by Michael Eustice and Brian Ginocchetti
-submitted by Marty Milz
My name is Ben and I go to school in Madison, WI. I haven't been to all
that many shows...yet...but I am seeing 10 more this fall. I have over
400 hours of listening pleasure and some 12 videos including 6-22-97. I
saw 5 shows this summer and something pretty crazy happened to me at
Deer Creek.
You see, The night was August 10, 1997. It was my best friends
Twenty first B-Day and we were excited for the show. We were not in our
normal state of mind...feeling like we were not from this world but
floating on a cloud in EXTASY...During the Harry Hood I could feel tears
of joy condesing under my eye lids. We waited patiently during
intermission wondering what these four Alien beings would beam to us.
Anyone who was at Deer Creek knows what I mean when I say Aliens because
that second set was not created by anyone native of this planet. You
could feel the energy flowing in and out of everyone at the show rising
to the stage only to be absorbed and sent back to us. Four songs- Each
one long, twisted, beautiful. Here is where the fun starts....
During Cities I felt like getting a drink of water and as I headed
toward the bathrooms I decided to get a groove on in the middle of the
place near the Green Peace table. I was iin my own world having the
time of my life. My smile was as big as the world. When I turned
around I saw a Beautiful girl looking right at me smiling. I was in a
mood where I wanted to talk to anyone and everyone without fear so I
went to the GreenPeace table where she worked. We talked and she told
me if I donated money I could win a chance to meet my IDOLS! I donated
$25 and she gave me some raffle tickets, and I headed back to the show.
After the show I totally forgot about the raffle tickets, but found them
on the ground under my seat. I told my friends and they laughed but I
insisted on waiting for the raffle. We headed to the Green Peace table,
and sure enough they picked MY TICKET and my best friend and I were
heading backstage. Iwas very nervous not to mention ..far from sober..
and as soon as I got back there Gordon and Fish were in sight. I could
not believe it. I talked to Fish for 5 minutes but I don't have any
idea what we were talking about. I went to get some water and Page was
standing in front of me all alone. I shook his hand and tried to tell
him how much I appreciate and basically love the guy without sounding
sappy. When I finally sat down I started talking to this guy next to
me. I asked him waht his first show was and he laughed. He said his
name was Chris.. Chris Kuroda... I laughed and we talked for 10 minutes
about why I think he is Phish's 5 man. That night was Crazy, and
everytime I look at my autographed ticket stub I smile.
Howdy!
Just got back from the incredible show in Salt Lake City, and I couldn't
resist a slight gloat over the "Antelope" vibe I had before we left on
the journey...and sure enough, right after the tasty-treat "Guyute" in
the first set, the band hopped right into a monster "Antelope." (If
anyone heard frenzied howls from Section 125, that was me). Not only was
it a massive "Antelope", the Esquandolas part was whistled by Trey --
nice treat. In fact, after the "Guyute" he dedicated the song to
soundman Paul Langendoc, with a line like "he taught us that any song
with whistling in it is a good song." I thought that meant "Reba" was on
the way, but instead the titanic "Antelope" with whistle highlight.
Yeah!!!!!
I just knew we'd get an "Antelope" after I saw it on the map. Can't wait
to hear the tapes!
Cheers,
Patrick
Cheers to PHISH, I love the new album. The sound is mint, and it shows
just how great they are, and how far they've come. It's tight, they're
tight, and I would like to really thank them for providing me with
happiness on so many occations.
-- A lot of us take these guys for granted. I see people writing in and
saying they chose the wrong songs or chose the wrong show for the new
album, and they constantly bitch aboout this and bitch about that.
Shadup already!!!! They're doing us a favor by putting out albums,
making music, and playing everywhere practically everyday all year
round. They're doing it for us, not themselves. If it was about
themselves they would be on MTV every hour and woould tour about 12
cities every 5 years. They're not being greedy so don't be greedy in
return by saying they have to do this or that, cuz they don't. To all
those who keep yapping, shut your mouths, sit back and appreciate what's
here, and share in the groove. See Ya This Fall.
--Phil--
Well, it's happening again. I'm jonesing. Only 17 days til I see the
best band in the world and I can't stop thinking about it. I've seen 33
shows, and I can't stop. It's a full on addiction. I'm going to the
three night stand in Worcester and the thought of seeing Phish 3 nights
in a row only a short distance from home is enough to give me chills.
Sure I've seen Phish 3 nights in a row before on tour, but to sleep in
my own bed, shower in my own bathroom and cook phat meals in my own
kitchen and then see Phish every night for a whole weekend! The Conan
O'brien thing was a bit of a fix, but that Mike's Song>Commercial left
all of us wanting more.
And another thing, as much as I love summer tour and the warm weather,
there's something so much more intimate about seeing Phish indoors. The
vibe is so great when the lights go down and for 10 seconds or so all
you can see is thousands of flickering lighters spark up. Then you get
your first glimps of the boys. Trey will usually pump his fist to the
deafening crowd and flash a huge grin. It's obvious he's just as
psyched to be there as you are. As anticipation fills your mind as to
what they'll play, Trey counts off the tempo to the opener.... There's
no place in the world you rather be. There's nothing that compares to
that indescribeable feeling.
I wish I could be in Vegas on Thursday I envy those of you who are
able to do the whole tour, I'll see you all in Worcester. PEACE.
- Jeff Waful, jonesing in Boston
I just wanted to let the community know that ticketmaster no
longer sends phish tix via regular mail due to excessive reports of lost
or stolen tix and fraudulent credit card orders. These obviously result
from dishonest and immature phans who want to screw over ticketmaster.
I hate ticketbastard as much as everyone. But ticketmaster is not going
to absorb the loss, they are just going to make it that much harder and
expensive to get tickets. I am sure if we, the phans, continue to
defraud tix from ticketmaster, they will just quit carrying phish tix
and everyone will have to drive the entire tour twice. Remember Red
Rocks? The commercial establishment has no problem with dropping the
whole phish enterprise.
On a personal note, I will not subject myself to the inherent
uncertainties of will call so I am forced to pay the extra $8 for UPS
delivery. I am sure I am not alone in my frustration over this matter.
Everything is interconnected. Cause and effect does apply. A dishonest
act will have a bad effect. Maybe not for the thief there and then, but
someone will suffer down the line. Thank you for your time and
consideration. And thank you Andy for providing all of us with a
wonderful home page and forum.
Lamar.
Looking very forward to bailing out of work early this week for a
quickie to Salt Lake for the Friday night show (we ended up with great
seats!)...anyhow, I was checking the map out, planning routes, etc, when
I noticed that the giant island in the Great Salt lake is called
Antelope Island...are you getting my drift!?! I'm jazzed for an
"Antelope" in Salt Lake on Friday night!
Peace, see everyone there!
Patrick
Eugene, OR
PS/ How about an Oregon show or two in 98!!??!!
I am an analyst at a bank, so a lot of times I can sit at my computer
working diligently while jamming Phish in a set of headphones. Needless
to say, financial institutions aren't exactly a hotbed for fans of the
band so I constantly stuck trying to explain to people why they are just
so damn good. I don't know whether or not it is the scene at the shows,
the sense of community or just the fact that they groove together better
than any band we've seen. Whatever it is, it's special. Hat's off to
the guys for doing what they do and making our jobs as fans so
pleasurable.
This is quite a long story, but one I feel needs to be told for if no
other reason some people other than my friend Paul and I can Laugh at
it, and is'nt that what a good story should be all about? I belive that
all things happen for a reason, and that the power of positive thought
far out weighs that of negative. With that in mind, bear with me for a
story that spans about 15 years(I promise it wo'nt take that long to
tell) Being born and raised in Connecticut, and schooled in various
regions of New England, Phish has been a part of my life for many
years. However it how it has become such a large part is what makes
this story unique. As a youngster growing up in West Hartford Ct., (
as the youngest of five kids) my musical taste were entrenched in The
Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and primarily Jerry and the Grateful Dead. At 14
I was lucky enough to con my parents into letting me go to the Dead in
Hartford. There we were, me and three friends, clueless and walking
into the civic Center. The first night was great, even though many of
the songs were completely new to me, but it was the second night that
had the most profound effect on me in the years to come. It was October
14,1983, and in the second set one of the only songs I Knew was St
Stephen. Now I wsa so young and dumb, I couldnt quite understand why
everyone was freaking so bad. I mean it was on their greatest hits, why
would'nt they play it. It took me a couple of years and several more
shows to realize what I had witnessed. Ok, big f--king deal right? Well
I always felt there was a reason I was there for one of the first they
had played in years, and what I think was either the lsat,or second to
last they ever played again. As result I always felt if I waited, and
willed it enough, no song, within reason, was out of the Loop. Fast
forward to 1990. After seven years on a steady diet of Dead shows, with
the local Max Creek shows thrown in to keep me in fighting shape, I
rolled into my first Phish show. I was in college, and working in D.C.
when a friend from Maine asked if I wanted to go catch Phish at the
Bayou. I had heard of them but never heard them, but always willing to
see live music I gladly taged along. Wow, interesting stuff I thought.
I obviously didnt know any of the songs, except for the covers, but was
entertained none the less. I mean hear are these guys playing their
hearts out, one dressed in a dress, and the bass player dressed like
God Knows what, with his rolled up sweats, socks pulled all the way up
and high tops, you've got to be kidding me. Then they start playing on
trampolines, I mean I laughed the whole show, and was proud to see such
an original product out of good ol' New England. Well years passed, and
I caught several shows around New England, but never raelly gave Phish
my full attention. I was still very focused on Garcia, and as a result
only took Phish as they came. That all changed in May of 96. At this
time of my life I was listening to more Phish, I had several albums but
I had not been to a show in years. I spent much of my time listening
long and hard to Coltrane, and the Rolling Stones, with Eile on Main
Street becoming my musical bible, listening to at least some of it
everyday, and telling everyone that would listen that Loving Cup was the
greatest song ever recorded. At this time I was living in DC full time
and had become good friends with a kid from NYC Paul Weiss. Weisser was
a huge Phish fan, UVM class 0f 90' with countless shows under his belt.
Well one night a bunch of us are out in DC, drinking and playing pool.
On the way home Paul pops in a bootleg (Sugarbush 95) and on comes
"sparkle", I tell Paul to rewind it because I want to hear the whole
thing. Well when I hit play again it's gone too far and as I listen I
say "is this Loving cup?", obviously it was and he rewinds that for me.
Im floored, not only can I not belive that their doing it, it flawless.
I can barly contain myself, this is a sign I tell him, and I am
definetly in on this Clifford Ball thing he's been trying to get me to
go to. Im so fired up that I hop out of the car in the middle of
Georgetown, say goodbye to my buddy John whose leaving for Ct., and take
off across the street to my girlfriends house. Unfortunatly, in all my
excitement, I forgot the cardinal rule, look both ways. The next thing
I know Im bouncing off an Audi, airborn, and lying on Mstreet with my
leg bent at a very strange angle. Well I survived, and while I was
laid up Pauly supplied me with countless hours of live tapes which I
listened to with enthusiasm I had'nt had in years. A few months later,
with four screws and a titanium rod I was off to Plattsburgh, with
Pauly in search of my loving cup. Well obviously it did'nt happen, but
I had the time of my life anyway. The shows were very solid, I couldnt
belive how far the band had come musically and sociallly. the whole
scene was great, a huge step up from what the Dead had deteriorated itno
at the end. Well, the boys were playing on my b-day at MSG the
following Oct, surely I would get an LC there. No luck, just two more
hot shows. December it was off to Vegas, and now i was not only
jonesing for LC, but had a real craving to hear Wedge as well, and as
Paul and I flew in, and the pyramid of the excelsior Hotel staring me in
the face, I was sure it would happen. No dice, just quite possibly the
hottest show ive ever seen in my life, by anyone. You think the Mikes is
hot on SS&P, get a hold of this tape, if you were there you know exactly
what I mean. Well I now live in Houston, and thought I would have to
fly to ever see Phish in the near future. However two shows in Texas
for the summer Tour yeah! Boo!, I have to fly to Boston for a wedding
and miss both. No problem, I'll just save all my energy for Went. Boo!
Another wedding, Pauls roomate (A UVM grad, what was he thinking!). I
get back to Houston only to have Paul call me and tell me to sit down.
He reads me the set list from Went, and we both laugh and say good thing
we were'nt there, because I probably woulndt have known how to handle
the Loving cup closer, and then the wedge opener(Did Trey think I was
there?) Well, in a couple of weeks its back to Hartford for my first
show since Vegas, and the point where this story all began. Ive always
had great luck with shows in Hartford and Im sure I wont be
dissappointed. Its funny, when I go to these shows alot of friends are
horrified by how many youngsters there are, I just laugh and think of
myself there 14 years ago, and think mabey tonight they get their St
Stephen. And if you go to Hartford(or Worcester I hope) and you hear
Loving Cup, youll know someone there will be smiling just a little bit
harder, and Ill rub the bump on my leg and laugh,"Its about time boys,
me and the leg have been waiting." If you lasted this long thanks, its
been theraputic and fun. Have a great tour wherever you may go. Long
live Phish!
Peace,
Jim C.
This summer at the Gorge as we were making our way out of the camping area to
the venue the first night, we saw Mike Gordon strolling through the sea
of vendors.
He stopped and looked at some dresses for the lovely girl he was with.
Noone rally regonized him until one girl said, "Hey Gordo!".
Then it was pretty much a mass welcoming party.
Anyways, I just remembered that, and thought it was pretty
cool for him to be strolling through the lot so casually.
-Andrew Gadiel
Well, it's been quite sometime since I posted any type of thoughts here,
and I have been wanting to, since I was able to do the entire summer tour
this year :) But I'm not quite ready to put all of that into words
yet...hehe
What I do want to do is hopefully find a few kids that we met on the road
going through Arizona (I'm almost positive it was Az., but I could be wrong
I guess. was definitely out mid-west tho) I know this may be impossible,
considering I have no idea of their names (way too many names to remember
on tour, my only problem), or if they even visit this great site (thanks
andy). Anyway.....as I'm driving along in our Green 76 VW Campmobile (some
primer spots if that helps)....a small car comes up along side of us, I
believe it may have been white or grey or something light. They get me to
roll down the window, and ask if I have any goodies that I could help them
out with. Unfortunately, I had enough to last the ride, if I was lucky,
and that was it. So they said thanks, and passed us.
Well, as I continue to drive, it starts raining a little bit. Fairly hard
actually. Then the sun broke through, and it was gorgeous...mountains
everywhere. A few miles down the road after the sun poked out, I saw those
same kids on the side of the road, waving me down. So of course I figured
something happened to their ride, and I pulled over. When I hopped out of
the bus, I started walking towards them.......and then I looked up at the
sky. What I saw was THE most amazing rainbow I have ever seen. (sure were
a lot of rainbow's on that tour) It was stretching across the
highway, from one mountain to another. and behind it was the beginning of
a second rainbow. All I could do was smile! I walk up to the kids, and
say...what happened, and before they even answered, I was in the middle of
a group hug, and everyone was just laughing. They told me they pulled me
over to make sure I didn't miss that incredible sight! And if they hadn't
have done that, I surely would have, so I owe them a lot. I took some pics
of it (one which came out superb....and it is scanned)... I'm working on a
new page, which will have that and other tour pics (including some front
row shots of the boys! ~~~shameless plug, sorry andy!~~~)
I've rambled enough for now, just wanted to share the story of the great
people that helped me to see one of the most gorgeous sights I've ever
witnessed.......
And if you are one of those kids....PLEASE give me a holler!!!!
Jeff guyute@cyberrealm.net
Commentary on the direction of Phish- 11/4/97
For some time I've wanted to talk about my thoughts on the summer tour
and the direction of Phish in general. For some background, I'm 20,
have been to around 20 shows (7/8/94 was my first), and have something
in the vicinity of 250 hours. I've also been an avid reader of
Phish.net until Rosemary's shut down. That's part of why I'm writing
this, because I havn't been able to read anyone else's thoughts on the
subject.
The only show I saw from the past summer tour was the Went, and
although I havn't yet heard the tapes (thinly veiled grovel), I can say
with confidence that what I heard in Maine blew me away more than
anything the band has ever done before. From the opening note of
Makisupa, I kept thinking to myself "this is a new band." Suddenly
Phish wanted to play again, like the way they did in August 93 and
November 94. They just REFUSED to play anything the way one might call
"standard." Cases in point: Theme, Chalkdust, PYITE, Halley's: songs
that we EXPECT certain things will be generally the same. At the Went
they WENT somewhere. (Sorry, couldn't resist).
Some people complained about the lack of some big jamming songs, like
Mike's, Bowie, and Antelope. Well, take a look at their relatively NEW
major jamming vehicles that SOARED at this show- Wolfman's, Gin, DwD,
2001, Halleys(!), Cities, Simple, etc. People forever complain that new
epics are scarce. Well look what they're doing to these!
Many people feel that December 1995 was a musical "peak" for the band.
I agree. "Peak" months also include August 1993 and November 1994. (If
you don't believe me, check out 11/22, 11/26, 11/28, 11/30, and 12/1,
among many others). December 1995 marked a musical peak that 1996
failed to surpass. 1996 was a strange year for Phish. The biggest
change was Trey's extended use of the percussion kit, and the use of
more percussion on general. Some of the biggest musical moments of the
year see percussion taking a major role. (guest drummers, 11/2 Croseyed
Antelope, 11/7 Gin, etc). The "big improvements" of the year were DwD,
Simple, 2001, and Maze, among others. Yet one couldn't help feeling
like the band was reaching for something a little stagnant. (This is
LIVE Phish I'm talking about- "Billy Breathes," I believe, is a
wonderful album). I saw the Ball, Hartford, and the whole NY run, and
loved it all. But I had concerns, as many did, about the seemingly
aimless "direction" of Phish.
Then they go to Europe in spring 1997 and start cranking out some
beauties. Something like 2/17/97 Amsterdam hadn't happened since 1995,
and new songs were starting to show real promise. The second Europe
tour was, I believe, the turning point. They started trying out new
toys, new styles of jamming, experimented more with setlists, and
debuted some killer new tunes that were oriented towards jamming.
(Something else lacking in 1996). When they came to the States they
were on a roll. Has everyone heard Raleigh? Compare that DwD to
8/16/96 or 11/27/96- it's just completely fresh and playful- totally
new, and, imo, and total improvement. Can you imagine the 2nd and 3rd
sets of 8/16/97 being played in 1996? It just wouldn't happen. 1997
has renewed my faith in a band I had been concerned about for most of
1996, and the fall tour hasn't even started yet. 1996 was a mature,
controlled representation of what the band had accomplished up to
December 1995. As far as major advances musically, 1996 was more
preemtive than revolutionary. 1997 has changed the face of the band.
Again.
Thanks for reading. Have fun on the fall tour- I'll be at Worcester,
Albany, and (hopefully) MSG. I'm always up for a trade for summer tour
stuff (especially WENT!!!).
Later,
Ethan
efwhite@amherst.edu
Alright this is what happened. I work in a rural country store in Jericho
Vermont. I was working the register tonight and in walks this guy. At first
my response is hows it going? He replys pretty good. Then i actually look
at him and its Mike Gordon. I'm thinking holy shit. So I decide to play it
cool and be a dumbass. He says he was looking for deoderant. So I get him
some Speed Stick regular. If I could have that moment back again I would
have said how the glow stick jam at the went was fucking amazing. But
instead I was the usual cashier but underneath I wqas the most excited person
in the world. So I love Phish with my heart, mind and soul. This experience
totally shows how they are still regualrs in Vermont. Basically Mike Gordon
made my day.
Jon
I have not been to a show in quite some time and I am VERY excited
that my schedule allows me to add the upcoming 6/23/97 Winston-Salem,NC
show to my list of shows attended. My last show was definitly my favorite.
It was July 22,1997 in Raleigh, NC,having seats in the second row right
in front of Trey did not hurt. After having this much time to reflect
on how great that show was I now realize that July 22, 1997 was the best
day of my life. Several days before the show, some friends and I stumbled
across a large green road sign that read "HOOD ROAD" to us that was an
obvious refrence to Harry Hood. We brought the sign with us to the
Raleigh show and hung it from the tailgate of the car and quietly watched
peoples reations when they saw such a cool big sign gently rotating from
a bungee cord hung from the tailgate. People talked to us and asked where
we got it, everyone was having fun. About two hours before the gates
opened Mr.Mike Gordon passed by and we said "hey, mike" and he laughed
and saw our HOOD ROAD sign and smiled and waved from his golf cart that
was misteriously labelled with a sticker on the front that read "rock
star cart" Anyway, the show started and it began to rain and I was
treated to the great lights of Phish and lights by mother nature,
it was a noisy summer electrical storm and Page actually incorporated
the sounds of thunder and claps of lightning into his jam. The set break
was when the storm picked up and we saw some girls we knew from high
school and they came with us to the second row for the second set.
Because we knew the security gaurds and they were cool.
Then we all stayed up all nite talking about how great the show was
and the great people we met. July 22, 1997 was a day to remember forever
for me and hopefully my next show will be even better. So far every show
I have seen has been better than the last.
It may sound like every other day to some of you but
that day meant more to me than anything.
mikessong,
zack
This summer I went with three of my friends on tour. My friend Cam had
brought along his pop-up camper. We started out in St. Louis and that was
one of the best ones I had seen this summer. During intermission we were
relaxing in the lawn when we see this man and lady having what looked like
some sort of wedding ceremony. They kissed and through the bouque and took
off her garder and everything. It was very strange. After the concert we
leave the next day and our on our way to Chicago when my friend Nick hears
something outside the car. So he looks out the back window to find that we
were dragging the propane tank from the camper. We pull over and tie it up
with some hemp that I had. So we get back on the road, thinking that all is
good. We drive probably ten more minutes when Nick looks out the window
again and notices that the tank was about to fall off again. So we have to
pull over again and take it off. We get back on the road and about thirty
minutes later the truck begins to shake and all of a sudden the camper tire
blows. We are stuck somewhere near the Indiana border, not even sure where.
So this state trooper eventually comes to our rescue. He helped us put the
spare on and everything. It ended up taking about an hour. So us four are
still happy and in the best mood, despite everything that had gone wrong. We
get back on the road and about twenty more minutes passes and that same tire
we had just changed blows. By now the sun was beginning to set and we were
stuck in this desolate little town. We haven't the slighest clue what to do.
Soon after, the retired police chief finds us and after awhile we finally
decide what to do. We ended up taking the camper to this gas station to be
fixed in the morning. My friend Cam's aunt and uncle lived about 45 minutes
away so we end up driving there to sleep for the night. It was such a nice
change from camping. We all got to shower AND all four of us got to sleep in
our own queen size beds. We were very grateful. So in the morning we drive
to the gas station and have to wait for the camper to get some brand new
tires. Everything ended up working out great. We lucked out by running into
just the right people. To conclude my story we ended up taking the camper to
my house at Purdue University, where we ditched little Toady and headed for
Chicago. To tell you a little bit more about the wedding ceremony we
witnessed...we were at our campground in Alpine Valley and we saw the same
two people walking around. The whole tour was quite an experience to say the
least.
Jeni Michalos
West Lafayette, IN
HOLY COW
It was July 4th and a small crowd of Phans were celebrating Independence
Day on Lake Como in Northern Italy. Some of us were actually more
excited about the venue for the free Phish show to be held the next
day....It was a small pavillion bordered by Lake Como on one side, with
a few quaint cafes on the other. Phish had played a show in Germany the
night before and spent a long night on the road. We were well into our
second bottle of cheap wine by the time Trey, Page & Mrs. Page & Co
stumbled down for breakfast. As usual, they were somewhat mobbed by
those who were there....but Dave, Ryan & I were content throwing a disc
around. Time passed....Ryan went to the store for some more
goodies...and Dave & I continued to miss eachother with some pretty
awful throws. Dave's back was facing Trey & Co. as they walked up
towards us....Trey motioned for me to throw him the disk and I did so
without letting Dave know what was up. Fearing that this, my worst
throw yet, might cause some damage...Dave tore off after the runaway
disc. All that could be heard as Dave crashed through their ranks was
"HOLY COW!" - from Page. Dave was wearing a shirt that read : "Holy
Cow, Trouble in River City". The dust settled and everyone was
OK....except maybe Dave, who was upset that his only run-in with the
gang was near-fatal....But the show went on under the stars, and all was
well in the world (at least for 2 hours or so).
Tommy
I SAW STARS
I didn't like the Darien Lake show at all.
Okay, my problem with the Darien show was that it came just 24 hours after
the Star Lake show. There was a kind of magic at Star Lake that I've not
felt at any of the other shows I've seen. All jokes aside, set one of the
Star Lake show was the most phenomenal single set I heard Phish play on the
tour (I saw VA Beach and Gorge-> Went). The second set was nearly as good,
with a mind-boggling Ghost-> Isabella (my favorite moment from the entire
tour--save for *maybe* the Went Hood). Lemme speak in depth about my
reactions to this show:
We open with something new. I was rapping with a few folks before the show
about what the opener would be. Our consensus seemed to point to Ghost, as
it hadn't been heard for a few shows. I jokingly said they'd come out with
something we haven't heard before (we all had a laugh about that one).
Much to my surprise, I was right.
Elton John's Amoreena. A new "Page" tune, it seems, though it hasn't been
played a second time yet. I knew I'd heard it before, but I couldn't place
it. All the setlist scribes were going nuts trying to get a name for it.
My friend Rob, who was at his first show (and about his third time hearing
Phish), recognized it right away. He was a hit during the set break when
he enlightened everyone.... anyway, this tune is in the same laid-back
lounge-style vein as Tela and Lawn Boy. I couldn't make heads or tails of
where the show could go after that, dare I say, very bizzare opener. Maybe
they'd been rehearsing it and Page said, "Let's do it first before I forget
the words."
Next up is Poor Heart, which was last heard at the Austin (or was it
Dallas?) show. Seemed standard for the most part, but then it seemed to
have grown a little jam. What, you say? Poor Heart with a jam? Well,
judge for yourself when you hear it. I was on my feet, which was all that
counted.
After that came Stash. We hadn't heard this old favorite much on the
tour, so it was welcomed. Hot damn this Stash was good!! A bit shorter
than your average Stash, but it SMOKED! I was rolling my eyes when it
began because it seems like every time Phish comes to the Pittsburgh area
they play Stash. But as it grew, I found myself deep in the groove
thinking, "Damn the sound is good here."
They bring it down with a lovely little Water In The Sky. I dig this tune
because it sound like something you'd hear in chruch. There's something
about the sound of Page's piano work that lives up this tune. They lyrics
are the best of the new songs, IMHO. So now I'm really happy, and for the
first time I look up at the roof of the pavillion and thank God.
Now, here's where things get VERY intense. Gumbo. Not even the Tinley
Gumbo can hold a candle to this one. I wouldn't be going out on a limb by
saying that this was the best Gumbo ever. Lasting nearly 20 minutes, it
funked-out the whole joint. Even the damn security were shaking their
asses. I mean they tore the roof of the place with Gumbo. You could feel
the energy level max out. I'm not talking much about the actual mechanics
of any of the more jam-heavy songs because, like Gumbo, the changes and
tensions in each would make any attempt at explaination moot. About
thirteen minutes into Gumbo, I leaned over to my friend Brian and said
"They could play this all night and I'd still be dancing!" I thank God a
second time, and get a real treat in return.
I hear a lot of bitching about the fast song/slow song rotation on the
tour, but after a Gumbo like that, I really can't blame Phish for wanting
to slow things down. What follows is a very tight, lovely-as-usual,
Horse-> Silent. The only one on the whole tour, as a matter of fact. I
though it had to be the end of the set after Silent. I couldn't have been
more wrong.
Beauty of My Dreams was up next. Standard stuff. I always dig this tune
and rarely get to hear it live. I was real psyched, still smiling, and
once again I thought the set
was over. Ha-ha.
Crosseyed & Painless!!! Woah-baby! This was one mean mother-humper of a
crazy jam. They hadn't done it since February in Italy (it would be the
only one for the tour, incidentally). The ground shook for all of the
16-or-so minutes they banged it out. My whole body was pulsing with
positive energy. Nothing could have brought me down---even when it broke
down into:
Wilson. Hey, what the hell. You gotta throw a Wilson into any great show
somewhere (you ever notice that?). Now the set's over, right?
Wrong, they boys step down front for yet ANOTHER summer tour one-timer:
Sweet Adeline. And here we end, almost 90 minutes later.
Smiles abound throughout the venue. As a resident of Western PA, I was
nervous about the reaction my fellow Phishers would have. After that set,
I was completely satisfied with the assumption that everyone was having a
REALLY good time. For the third time, I look up, smile, and thank God I'm
here.
Set two starts with a bang! This was my favorite Runaway Jim. Perfectly
placed, so as to not disrupt the flow, and played to perfection. Pretty
standard, though (which, for Jim, is how I like it). But it was merely a
warm-up for what came next.
After Jim, comes what is arguably the best thing Phish did on the whole
tour. GHOST takes off like a rocket and never looks back. I challenge
anyone to find a better Ghost so far. When I heard it in VA Beach, I
wasn't all too awful impressed by it. I think it must have needed time to
mature (but then again, it really SUCKED at the Went) I mean thos was a
real fire-and-brimstone balls-to-the-wall FREAK
OUT jam!! I was shaking my ass so much, the people around me had to pick
up
their own paces just to keep out of my way. Then they broke it down into a
SCORTCHING Isabella! I was thinking "It just don't get any better than
this."
Sure, neither of these two songs are tried-and-true Phish jams yet, but
for juvenile members
of the rotation, Phish sure brought down the house. For the fourth time, I
thank God.
After Ghost-> Isabella, the rest of the set was just a refusal to die by
the band. They were going
out with a (very) loud bang. First, they slowed the scene way down
(presumably so the audience could catch its breath) with a beautiful
Sleeping Monkey (another on my faves list, and yet *another* one-timer for
the tour). I was ecstatic to hear it. I'd been enjoying the sound of it
on tapes for a while, but never got to hear it live. It was simply
beautiful.
Following Monkey, in a strange place in rotation, is McGrupp. You know, it
was my first McGrupp, too, but at the time I didn't realize it. Great,
standard, usual McGrupp which segued (kinda) into
Sample. Again, every good show has to have one. No matter how much we'd
like this (and Wilson) to fade away, it is ineveitable that Phish will
throw this tune into the mix whenever they're having fun. I'm almost
CERTAIN that any show you see with Sample will be a show that Phish was
having fun at. It just seems to be that way.
After Sample, I figured the set was over. For the first minute of 2001, I
couldn't place it. It almost sounded like Franklin's Tower (then again, I
may have been hallucinating--oh, wait, I was sober). Then I realize, "Oh,
okay, they're adding the intro back onto 2001." NICE!!! I could hear it
at
every show. There's something about it that just seems to say--THIS IS
PHISH (even though it's not--eh, you know...).
Next up came Golgi and eyes were rolling. Hey, what the hell? It hadn't
been played since the spring, and was the 6th (count 'em) tune in this show
that was a one-time for the summer tour. I'm sorry, but it ain't a Phish
tour without at least one Golgi. It was great, but could it be otherwise?
And it was a great platform for the last tune of the set:
FRANKENSTEIN!!! Simply the finest cover Phish does. No debating it or
denying it. You can't convince me otherwise. The crowd went BALLISTIC!
It was almost like everyone in the joint came to hear Frankenstein. And it
was SWEEEEEET! The best Frank I've heard live. I can't attest to the
best-ever title, so I won't suggest it. What a great closer to the set!
So, leaving us to ponder on an encore, Phish had me convinced that they
would muck-up a perfectly good show with some typical hoo-ha like Rocky Top
or Julius (Julius was the encore for Pittsburgh '95 and '96).
When the first few notes of Theme began to chime during the encore, I felt
a warm and fuzzy wave pass through me. As if my brain were trying to let
me know, "They're playing your favorite song, G." Someone in front of me
shouted "What a great fucking encore!!!" Right on. I couldn't have asked
for more. I don't know what it is about Theme, but I just love it. I've
heard it at six out of the eleven Phish shows I've seen (more than any
other song), and I couldn't be happier about that.
So you see, the Darien show just happened to suffer from ill-timing. It
probably was better than I thought, but after Star Lake, even the Went was
hard pressed to bring me higher (it did once, during Hood).
Gary Comley
gecomley@usaor.net
For me, the second day of the Great Went was quite possibly one of the most
incredible concert experiences I've ever encountered. After the first set
warm-up and the orchestra started playing, I wandered about the concert site,
ran into a few of my friends, got some great oven baked pizza, and returned to
my seats just to the left of the tapers section just in time to marvel at the
incredible glider spinning through the air to an incredible sunset in the
distance. It was an amazing setup for what was to come. I remember turning
to my friend right before the second set started that day and said, "This is
going to be the greatest set Phish has ever played" I don't know how I knew.
Purhaps it was the amazing build up of energy in the air or the unknown
sculpture being built. All I knew is that what I was about to see would be
a site beyond anything I'd experienced.
As the lights went out and Chris' lights turned on, Down with Disease
signified the beginning of an incredible musical journey. The jam which
followed lifted me to a higher place, beyond which I'd ever been. As they
settled into their familiar, post-disease funk jam and fishman and page
began painting, I knew something was up. My attention was fully focused on
the stage. Trey began the Bathtub Gin chords as a signal to all to keep moving.
We were off and running. As this jam builds and builds, which you should all
listen to, it slowly grew to a place I don't believe Phish has ever ventured.
The jam was so moving, running, as we were. I couldn't run in place any longer,
I had to jump up and down as I danced. No other music has ever done that to me
before. Put me in a place indescribable by words, although I'm trying to do
that now. I was in a pure state of joy. It was perma-grins for everyone. I was
looking around to see if anyone could quite possible comprehend what I was
experiencing, when I all I saw was smiling dancing faces. Everyone knew it.
Phish was at the their best. They had set themselves up to explode and blew
up right through the top of Maine. I was in awe.
As the Gin jam segued into Uncle Penn, for god knows what reason, it
gave up a break to collect ourselves and reflect on what we had just
experienced. But not enough time, cause as they started the longest 2001
ever played, we knew we were in for a special treat tonight. Trey and Mike
got a turn as artists and as their pieces finished up, Trey explained to us
the connection with the audience and the reasoning behind the mysterious statue
that layed before us. It was a collective unit between the audience and the
band. We were all apart of it. And as the passed their pieces across the
audience towards to the statue, I stood breathless. This is what I travelled
around the country to experience. I pure state of connection. The band
understood what they were there to do. Connection through music. And at that
moment, I felt an overwealming sense of oneness with everyone else there.
The sculpture was complete and as the drum beats of Harry Hood sounded out,
this indeed became one of the greatest Phish sets ever.
They capped off the set the only way they knew how. Jammed it out
and felt amazing about it. As the Harry Hood jam began, Trey once again
requested for the lights to be turned off so we could concentrate on the
statue glistening before a full moon in the distance. And as Harry grew and
the moon bounced around the grounds with the representational statue of our
connection with the band, we were all dancing and flailing and living and
running. The build was incredible as they lifted us up once again. We
responded by throwing colored light sticks through the air to create a marvel
of visual delight. This here was what we all came to see. A masterpiece in
the making. Being there at the moment of creation. Seeing how the music is
made through the band to the audience and back again. We all felt it, and
want to recreate it. That my friends, was a perfect moment.
Thanks,
Andrew Gadiel
Tour started for me in Tinley Park at the World, possibly the worst
venue in the USA. Actually the lot was pretty open, cops made their
presence felt early and mellowed out. The show itself was average, a
nice Lizards and encore with Sugar Blue. Alpine was incredible! The cops
sucked and were busting people left and right, but the show was HOT. Now
here is my statement to all people who have stopped seeing the band or
complain about the band retiring songs and playing new songs. A friend
of mine who has been seeing the Dead since 1976 and Phish since the
beginning stated the jam at Alpine was the best he has ever seen in the
last 21 years!!! This show smoked, highlights included PYITE, Ghost,
Reba, Foam and then Mike's>Funny as it Seems>Simple>Swept
away>Steep>Scent of a Mule>Slave to the Traffic Light>Weekapaug!! TOO
PHAT!! On to Deer Creek which lived up to its rep as being the easiest
venue in the country to get busted at. I thought they were going to
strip search me as i entered the venue the first night! The show lived
up to my expectations. If you were on tour, you know thousands of people
needed tix for this show. Bathtub Gin to open > Sparkle, a fine Split
Open and Melt and Harry Hood to close set one. Set 2 was outrageous!!! A
25 minute Cities to open followed by Good Times, Bad Times. Then the fun
began, a wild jam that included Page on the Theremin (this is the
weirdest instrument I have ever seen) and then the instrument switching
with Mike on keys, Trey on drums, Page on bass and Fishman on guitar
dressed up in an overcoat to perform Rock O William. A phat David Bowie
to close the set. The Indianapolis newspaper reviewed the show the next
day and gave it 1/2 of a star out of 4!! :) Stating that Phish could
"piss in their fans ears and call it music" and stated they were
directionless and no one took control of their jams and Down with
Disease was the only song with any leadership show by Trey :) The second
night may have been my favorite of my 4 shows in 4 days. Guyute was the
song I needed to hear. Makisupa was a very appropriate opener. During
the opening line when Trey says "woke up this morning" he added "SCHWAG"
to the lyric. A band of 7 undercover officers were combing the lot
busting everyone in sight. We followed along and got warned by the
police for warning people about the police :) Horn was cool and Antelope
to close set one was phat. Timber Ho is always a welcome opener to set 2
followed by Piper and Vultures (lots of jamming) and a rocking MY Soul.
YEM was amazing as usual, the trampolines were brought out for the jam.
Character Zero is really becoming a powerful set closer. After the show
I heard people complaining how it did not live up to the 2nd night of
Deer Creek last year. Myself, I was blown away. I feel 97' tour blew
away 96' Fall tour. Hope some people feel the same, take care,
Rob
Well, I apologize for my somewhat cynical reveiw of the shows I saw. It
doesn't really bother me that Trey wasn't completely on top of his game
the whole tour. Phish still impressed the hell out of me. I recently
got some tapes from the summer tour and am now once again jonesing for
Phish. It's only been a month, and already I need a show. I think the
drum solo between Fish and Gulloti from Dallas is insane. Listen to
what these guys are doing!!! They are totally locked into each other,
but yet in completely different time signatures and are constantly
improvising and changing tempo. I lost my shit listening to that tape
last night. I really think that Gulloti was a lot more locked into the
groove in this show than at the 10/23/96 Hartford show. In Hartford, he
seemed to be guessing at the changes, which is really impossible to do
with Phish. I'll bet that he went and learned a lot of Phish tunes this
time around because at the Dallas show, he is so locked in you almost
don't even notice him at times. Some of the Ghost jams I've heard on
tapes of shows that I was not at have also blew me away. Phish was
definitely heavy on the funk this tour, but it rocked! And don't worry
Phish just keeps changing. Next tour will be completely different.
That's the beauty of Phish. Nothing is permanent. (i realize I'm now
babbling). But, For those of you who are saying, "oh, Phish isn't the
same anymore", or "they don't jam like they used to", well of course
they don't. That's their main objective...to always do something
different. I now realize this. So as much as I loved '93 and '94 if
they kept jamming like that it would be old and stale now. THANK YOU
PHISH for the never-ending evolution of music...
P.S. As far as the rumor of Trey and Fish showing up at the A.R.U/
Michael Ray & the Kozmic Crew/Moon Boot Lover Halloween show in Boston,
I am not trying to further spread this rumor, but I keep hearing it from
EVERYONE in Boston and from reliable sources also. Andrew, please keep
us up to date on what you hear...(this show will be great none the
less). PEACE - Jeff Waful, Boston
Tour started for me in Tinley Park at the World, possibly the worst
venue in the USA. Actually the lot was pretty open, cops made their
presence felt early and mellowed out. The show itself was average, a
nice Lizards and encore with Sugar Blue. Alpine was incredible! The cops
sucked and were busting people left and right, but the show was HOT. Now
here is my statement to all people who have stopped seeing the band or
complain about the band retiring songs and playing new songs. A friend
of mine who has been seeing the Dead since 1976 and Phish since the
beginning stated the jam at Alpine was the best he has ever seen in the
last 21 years!!! This show smoked, highlights included PYITE, Ghost,
Reba, Foam and then Mike's>Funny as it Seems>Simple>Swept
away>Steep>Scent of a Mule>Slave to the Traffic Light>Weekapaug!! TOO
PHAT!! On to Deer Creek which lived up to its rep as being the easiest
venue in the country to get busted at. I thought they were going to
strip search me as i entered the venue the first night! The show lived
up to my expectations. If you were on tour, you know thousands of people
needed tix for this show. Bathtub Gin to open > Sparkle, a fine Split
Open and Melt and Harry Hood to close set one. Set 2 was outrageous!!! A
25 minute Cities to open followed by Good Times, Bad Times. Then the fun
began, a wild jam that included Page on the Theremin (this is the
weirdest instrument I have ever seen) and then the instrument switching
with Mike on keys, Trey on drums, Page on bass and Fishman on guitar
dressed up in an overcoat to perform Rock O William. A phat David Bowie
to close the set. The Indianapolis newspaper reviewed the show the next
day and gave it 1/2 of a star out of 4!! :) Stating that Phish could
"piss in their fans ears and call it music" and stated they were
directionless and no one took control of their jams and Down with
Disease was the only song with any leadership show by Trey :) The second
night may have been my favorite of my 4 shows in 4 days. Guyute was the
song I needed to hear. Makisupa was a very appropriate opener. During
the opening line when Trey says "woke up this morning" he added "SCHWAG"
to the lyric. A band of 7 undercover officers were combing the lot
busting everyone in sight. We followed along and got warned by the
police for warning people about the police :) Horn was cool and Antelope
to close set one was phat. Timber Ho is always a welcome opener to set 2
followed by Piper and Vultures (lots of jamming) and a rocking MY Soul.
YEM was amazing as usual, the trampolines were brought out for the jam.
Character Zero is really becoming a powerful set closer. After the show
I heard people complaining how it did not live up to the 2nd night of
Deer Creek last year. Myself, I was blown away. I feel 97' tour blew
away 96' Fall tour. Hope some people feel the same, take care,
Second night at the Gorge- and I finally talked my traveling
partner (and best friend) to venture to the front of the stage. We were
standing directly against the wall that seperates the
crowd from Phish on the far side of Page. Personally, I love being as
close as possible where the music is really loud and I can see all the
action. Maybe this is due to the fact that i am very short and deaf in
one ear. But, anyway...
Sometime during the second set, a girl approaches my friend, tugging on
his arm. He turns around and is face to face with a stuffed
Kermit. I am laughuing- he is embaressed. The girl asks him if he can
throw Kermit on stage for her.
She explains that she found Kermit in Phoenix, Arizona. She turns the
stuffed animal over so we can read what is written on his back.
Apparently, Kermit wanted to go on tour. There were instructions to
throw him on stage at the Gorge. The girl was afraid that she
would not be able to throw him on the stage without my friend's
assistance.
He takes the Kermit- hurling it towards Page's side of the stage just
as Phish takes a breather between songs. I guess my friend
forgot we were so close. Either that or he does not know his own
strengh.
As Page leans down for a sip of his drink, Kermit tags him in the
head! Trey sees the whole thing, and I see him pointing and laughing.
The crowd starts to boo. All I can do is laugh. So as the night fades
on... I nearly foget about the hurling Kermit into Page's head.
As tour goes on, my friend and I meet lots of wonderful people.
We met quite a few kids from Michigan, many whom we ended up spending
quite a lot of time with. (I will add here how much I love all these
Michigan kids, and I am thankful to have become so close with several of
them.) We traveled with various members of this bunch from St. Louis
to the Great Went.
The second night at the Great Went. Everyone is excited-
anticipating the summer's grand finale. We also started to realize that
it was almost over. Summer tour was coming to an end- before our
very eyes. The energy level was high. We were all strangly drawn in
by the bonds tour had created. What were we all going to do tomorrow?
During the first set break, I am reminded of the ridiculous
Kermit hurling incident. I start to laugh, and I have to tell one of my
Michigan friends about Kermit. When I get to the part about hitting Page
in the head, I notice my friend is staring at me with blank disbelief.
I think that maybe he is really angry that my friend hit Page in the
head.
"You have to come tell this story to Andy," he says as he grabs
my arm- pulling me to where Andy is sitting.
My friend's look is still one of disbeleif as we approach Andy.
I am almost scared to tell Andy. I think that maybe they are very
upset at whomever threw that kermit at Page's head. I wanted to yell-
"I didn't do it! Ryan did!" But, instead I just tell the story.
They are both staring at me in disbeleif. And they start
laughing. My friend turns to me, laughing. He explains that he was the
one who bought Kermit. The little doll that my traveling partner hit
Page with had traveled with Andy and my friend for a week or so. My
friend was the one who wrote the instructions on Kermit's back and
tossed him into the crowd in Phoenix!
I guess it is really RANDOM that my best friend hit Page in
the head with a Kermit that was purchased by a stranger I was soon
to meet- and become very close with. Now, summer tour has ended and I
have returned to North Carolina to finally finish college. I miss all
the incredible people I met on tour- especially my friends from
Michigan. I love you all very much! I cannot wait until fall tour (see
you in Vegas!) I am currently looking for a random Miss Piggy to take
on fall tour!
Pocohantas Pigtails
I'm so stoked to be online! I've been into phish since '92. My
phirst show was 2.13.93. And just a week ago, my girlfriend buys a computer
and I'm linked to this incredible resource. Great site Andy, keep up the
good work!
I am a phish addict. Their music dominates my thoughts,my stereo, and
my dreams. I'm suffering from serious withdrawl, since my last show was NYE
at the Fleet Center. I thought that show left a lot to be desired, and there
has been a huge void to fill ever since(no offense to Andy and everyone else
who thought the show rocked.) I'm desperately awaiting Vegas and a 4 show
mini tour afterwards. I was supposed to go to the Gorge this summer,but my
ride sold me out. It was the phirst tour I've completely missed since my
phirst show! Ouch!!!!Who feels my pain?Who understands? This schwag
experience lowered my already tarnished image of Phish fans. I was beginning
to think the only people who went to shows these days were selfish,stuckup,
pseudo hippies,who think every show sucks. Then I get online and start
reading articles and reviews from kind, lively people who are their for the
music. Phish online makes me think my kinds of Phans are still out there I
just have to look harder. I finally have a place to share my thoughts,
dreams, reviews and whatever on my phavorite subject. So Andy loved NYE and
I was dissapointed, SO WHAT?!? The point is neither one of us would have
wanted to be anywhere else. So, I look forward to meeting all of you.
Please email me with lists or hellos. My address is Icculus132@aol.com
Ihave about 60+hrs
-chris
O.K., some mixed thoughts from tour....anyone else notice how much Trey
messed up? I saw him make some blatant errors in standard songs:
Runaway Jim 8/13, Chalkdust 8/16. I think he may be drinking or
something. He was definitely boozing at the Went. That's cool I guess,
i was just surprised to see him screw up as much as he did, he seemed
almost human. I started tour at Alpine Valley and continued on through
the Went....I thought that musically, the Went was easily the two
weakest shows I saw. Alpine Valley was great, Deer Creek was very
solid, Darien, well, Darien was the best of the tour. I think Phish
definitely heard that a lot of people on tour were skipping Darien to
head to Maine. I think they also knew that people were a bit let down
with Hershey last year (being the show before the Clifford Ball). THANK
YOU PHISH for rewarding those of us who made the trek to Darien! The
Pennsylvania show was a bit mellow, but still very strong...I think most
of songs were played for Trey's wife- (it was here birthday), hence the
Elton John mellow opener, Amorenna, Beauty of My Dreams, Sweet Adeline.
I think Phish was really trying to avoid repeating a lot of "big" songs
from last year's Clifford Ball at the Went. I love the fact that Phish
is always trying to be different and do something new, but I don't think
anyone would have minded Mikes Groove or Antelope....I'm having a hard
time imagining the boys making out the setlist (if they did) and
deciding to end with the not-so-mind-blowing Prince Caspian. And, Did
anyone notice how long they waited to turn the lights up after Tweezer
Reprise? Either they did that to let people observe the fire, or (what
I thought) they wanted to do another encore, and the crowd wasn't loud
enough. I've never seen that...usually it's obvious the band isn't
coming back out cause Paul brings up the music and Chris bring up the
house lights, but on 8/17, they waited a good 5 min. and the crowd was
just mellow...because of an extremely mellow 3rd set. Oh well, I'm
probably just over analyzing. I thought the Clifford Ball was AMAZING.
Both nights were my dream setlists. The Went (musically) were just two
average Phish shows. I still love Phish and an average Phsh show still
blows away any other band's best show. Can't wait for fall tour. WHY
NO HALLOWEEN??? (or will they announce a surprise show a couple days
before.....? - Jeff Waful
The vibes put out by Phish this summer were intense. I was glad to part of
this whole thing of grooves. You can tell they are changing in many
different ways. Leaving some songs out-Suzy G., and not a whole lot of
Gamehenge songs played this summer. Virginia Beach was great..hearing all
these new songs..my common experience w/ Virgina shows is that security is
always way too tight..Big burly knuckle heads cracking down on every pot
smoker in sight.(same thing @ blues traveler in manassas and smashing
pumpkins in USair arena) Raleigh was just increadible, the parking lot was
nice and quaint back in the woods..the lightning was great and Taste was
rippin'. the second set was the best! DWD>Mike's>simple etc..,,Atlanta awsome!
What a crazy section of town? Good photo opportunities. By the time I
heard Ghost for the second time I knew it was on its way to being a classic.
The YEM was one of the best I've ever heard.(Philly 12/29/96 pretty close)
Austin was a great show musically but you could tell all the band members
were trying really hard to get the crowd going..I think when they played
Stash and maybe 15 people clapped, they new there was alot of newcomers there.
I think in the second set, trey scratched the set list and just jammed off
of instinct. The Bouncin'.Cavern encore was the best on the tour so far in
my taste. I really trully enjoyed Phoenix the best. Even my friends
thought in all it was the best. If anyone picked up the tour here, they
saw alot of new stuff and might not have been impressed. I love a Theme
from the Bottom opener..Its so groovy. Sparkle..Ghost great. Second set
was mind blowing, Antelope was so good, Taste was perfect, And by the
time Sample in a Jar came on the crowd was just exploding..The show came
to a head during Sample in a Jar when this Phish Head with long dreads
walked right up on stage unnoticed and stopped right in front of Trey and
just started spinning. all they while they just kept jamming, lights
everything--unbelievable...security came up and got him and Trey just
looked at Page and was like That was cool! Rocky Top..Squirming
Coil...just awsome set closers....Finally...Possum...Perfect! This show
was the greatest to end my tour...I introduced myself to Trey's Grandmom
(who lives in Sun City) during the set break..She was so cute all dressed
up with 4 other friends from Sun City all in suit and ties and dresses.
She must be proud! And before the show I said "whats up" to Mike Gordon
riding around on a Golf cart w/ two chicks...I can't wait till Las
Vegas!!!!!!!!!!!!! j wright
send
I think the only band I know of that could open up for Phish has got to be
Rusted Root. They have that
heart-pounding, body-buzzing energy that Phish is famous for. Also, they have
killer bongo jams and they
really get you dancing.
Another thing: I understand why the Dead and Phish are compared so much. No
other bands in history
besides these two have ever been as innovative and positively crazy as them.
They share a great parking
lot scene, pschadelic shows that always make you come back for more, and, both
bands have made it big
without losing touch with their fans. They sacrifice their lives to entertain
us, and that much
deadication makes both bands truly unique, and in their own category
altogether.
Dawn "like the sunrise"
Right now, I'm sitting at home still swaying to the most incredible
tunes in my head that have stayed there since last night. Darien Lake
was an amazing show. It was my phirst show so, i don't really have
anything to compare it with but my phriend has been to nine phish shows
and he sayed this is one of the best ones he's ever seen. the night
started off with a really nice intro to Yamar. I've never felt such a
feeling. Being with so many people under the same influences. crazy. A
while after setbreak, these Bozo people came on and it was a good laugh.
I think the ending could have been a little more effective if they had
played a different song. Bouncin' Around the Room was a little too light
and something like Gumbo or maybe tweezer could haev been played.
Whatever. It didn't ruin the show. i've never met and seen so many
phriendly people and it was really interesting to see so many people
traveling from so many different places. Darien Lake was one great show
and i really wish I would be going to Maine. Fall '97 maybe??? See you
there.... harry..harry..where do you go when..........................
Well, not a story, but an out of this world experience. It was 7-21-97
and I was shakin my bones in Va Beach. The rain stops, and I turn around
to witness the two most beautiful rainbows in my life. I look to the
girl behind me, and said "hey, turn around". She turns around, absorbs
what she sees and looks at me and says thank you and gives me a huge hug.
So, like we all would, I said "thanks you" back to her, and we danced
the set away. Thank you Phish, thank you everybody for times like
that!!!! ~~chris
Billy, you're not crazy. Try putting on a version on Col. Forbin's
Ascend>Icculus>Famous Mocking Bird and watching Beyond the Mind's Eye.
Every time I do it, it synchs up differently, but it always looks like
the song was written for the video. People ask me, is this the real
soundtrack? It is freaky.- REX
Ever listen to a tape and watch the cartoon network at the same time, man
some freaky timing happens. Come to think of it- coincidental timing stuff
happens all the time when I listen to tapes. Of course, sometimes you sort of
make it happen ("Stop switching lanes to Landlady"-Steve) but other times the
band seems to be playing music coming straight from the spiritual mix at the
center of the universe that creates coincidence. Anyone see the lightning
dance to Makisupa? Freaky. -Billy (maybe I'm just crazy)
So who saw my car accident just before the show at Virginia Beach?
It was the gray oldsmobile that is practically totaled cause this guy
wasn't paying attention. But thank god we made it to that show, and even
drove my car (with the bumper falling off) to North Carolina. But it
wasn't drivable to Atlanta, and now I don't have a car. And I just
looked at the setlist for the Atalnta show I missed and now I'm
completely depressed. I guess it was all worth it though.
-- Amanda
in VA beach before the show in the parking lot many of you i am sure must
have noticed but if you happened to see some guy riding around in a gulf kart
it was Mike gordon!! we saw him drive by like 10 feet away from us and
everyone started cheerin!! where else can you find a band that does awsome
stuff like this phish is truly great. we were thinkin at like 7:00 if we
were gona miss the start of the show but then how could they play with out
mike!!! phish rocks - rick campitelli
Well the magic of phish definitely extends beyond the music. The music,
IS obviously the most important and most amazing aspect to this truly
unique band. But, a cool thing happened to me recently. I found myself
without a ride for an upcoming string of summer dates. I have tickets
for shows from Wisconsin back to the Went. I put up a flyer in a local
head shop and within 48 hours a woman called me. She wanted to go. A
total stranger. I'm going half way across the country to see the best
band in the world with a total stranger, but the way I see it we must be
very similar if we;re both willing to spend 11 days together following
Phish. I don't think there are very many bands that would attract this
kind of "gung - ho" attitude. I cannot wait to go. Phish continually
warms my heart.....-REX
What does Phish mean to me? I was a late bloomer in terms of really
getting into music. I'm 25 now and PHISH has taken my music listening
to another level. Of course, the live shows(been to about 30) cannot be
compared, but for me to listen to them when i'm in a bad mood is more
therapeutic than anything in this world. In fact, my girlfriend and I
just recently broke up and I've been pretty down. But, even though it's
temporary, when I turn on Phish, I feel like I have no problems at all.
I'll see you all at the Great Went!
-- Brett
7-2-97
Amsterdam, Paradiso
OK, so the second night started out kind of slow...
The opening notes of "Mike's Song" are about the last thing you'd expect to
begin a show -- but I guess we were blessed by our religious surroundings and
the vibe of the amazing town that was hosting us. This Mike's had crazy energy
for so early in the evening -- we knew for sure that we were in store for
another night of who knows what.
Trey was ripping the laser sounds (serious chorus processing) and the "Mike's"
jam followed suit in a very futuristic fashion -- while still staying
relatively
grounded in terms of the groove and the melody of the jam. Ten minutes in,
they
directly launched into "Simple", with the harmonies boucing around the old
church in splendid fashion. The Simple jam wound down to Trey and Fishman
jamming together subtlely -- with emphatic eye contact between the two as Trey
danced close to Fish's set, facing the newly buzzed (haircut and otherwise?)
drummer.
The fade-out of the Simple jam led nicely into the fade-in of "Maze". This
Maze
was particularly nice because it found Page switching frequently between all of
his keyboards -- synths, moogs, elec. pianos included. It seems that the focus
of Maze is usually just organ, then piano -- not that there's anything wrong
with that. In this version, it was cool to hear the bendy notes that he pulls
out of the moog as well some of the other Casio synth noises he taps out of
those little tiny synths he now has. Trey's solo was nothing to blink at
either
-- a less busy approach with more sustains and a few blurts of definite Santana
references (not sure which song it is, but it's one of Carlos's phrases that
Trey was playing).
Perhaps as a nod to Page's contribution to a stellar & unique Maze, they then
broke into Page's singing song "Strange Design" -- of course nothing unusual
here. I found it to be a good time to head up near the front of the stage -- an
easy thing to do in such a small little place. "Ginseng Sullivan" was next
with some nice liquid leads from Trey.
"Vultures" is truly a cool new song, and it was a nice way to slide back into
the experimental phase from earlier in the set. "Vultures" is absolutely
unlike
any other Phish song to date -- very Zappa-esque in terms of the sonic feel,
and
a very open-ended jam segment that featured some truly off-beat work from Mike
and Fishman. On top of the killer music, the lyrics are killer and they come
at
you rapid fire style -- like rounds from an AK47. ( I only use that analogy
because one of the finest new strains at the coffeeshops was aptly called the
AK47 (at the award-winning Dampkring)).
Fully expecting a segue into Weekapaug from the killer Vultures groove, they
instead wound the jam down and next stepped up to play the Stones-y country
shuffle "Water in the Sky". Kind of a catchy ditty that has a nice varying
chorus with pleasing harmonies. Similar feel to the slow version of "Poor
Heart" of Fall 95.
Finally, they ended the set with a standalone "Weekapaug", with full on jamming
from everyone. Page was stretching all over the place hammering down different
keys (synth and organ, piano and electric piano, etc.) and Fishman was in a
world of his own, bringing out nuances in the beat that I didn't think were
possible. On top of it all, Trey and Mike seemed to be feeding off each other,
both melodically and spiritually. Mike has rarely looked as intense as he did
during the peaking moments of this jam. As "Weekapaug" ended, it was evident
that it was a perfect conclusion to a cohesive set of both intense jams and
nice
sounding songs.
Set 2 no doubt held much promise as we waited at the set break. They played
the
entire "Crooked Rain" album by Pavement at the break (night before was Primus)
and we theorized about Trey backstage partaking of the AK47 and not wanting to
take one of his favorite albums off of the PA. It was a long set break indeed
(not sure if that's why set 2 was exactly 50 minutes long.....)
Set 2 _was_ short, but it contained no fluff at all -- just pure
experimentation
and exploration. The commenced the set with two or three minutes of space
noises -- it seemed that they were considering "2001" before finally dropping
into "Stash". The "Stash" jam covered all of the bases -- it was a little
longer than 30 minutes -- ranging from harsh grooves to delicate on-the-spot
melodies to raging improv. "Stash" did not resolve and conclude -- instead
they
faded from an intense space segment directly into the opening blasts of
"Llama".
"Llama", too, was not completed -- again, a killer, raging jam that dropped
into
a volume-swell of space. As the space sounds built up, Trey put both his palms
down and signalled to "push it down". Page gently continued on piano the
chord
progression to Llama, but eventually he gave way to the waves of sound that
Mike
and Trey were working on. Full-onpace ensued.
As the hollowness of the space rung out, Page began playing a familiar little
r&b line on the organ -- almost sounding like the intro notes to CTB but to a
different groove -- in single notes. I did, in fact, think that they were
doing
an ultra-spacey segue into Cars Trucks Buses. Instead, Trey and Mike followed
along on the single-notes that Page was playing, and the groove continued along
in a somewhat tweaked manner. Trey then stepped up and sang -- tweaked
sounding
as well -- "Come on and dance...come on and dance...make some romance...cause
the night is coming and the music's humming and you've got to get down to the
....Worm Town!!". We realized it was a play on the Steve Miller tune
"Swingtown" and apparently they were continuing the worm theme from the night
before.
Trey promptly launched into a story about getting sucked into the canals and
having to ride along with the giant worms there. With that, they sunk into a
nice rollicking space worm groove (I don't know any other way to describe
it)...eventually they included the ubiquitous new catch phrase "I think you
know
where you are....you're on the back of the worm!!!" --- with call and response
type vocals between Fish ("I think you know where you are") and Trey ("You're
on
the back of the worm!!!").
Again, they sunk into volume-swell space and Fishman repeated his line over and
over ("I think you know where you are") as we in the audience contemplated
whether in fact we did.
The space rung out again and this time led into the slow, lilting piano of
"Wading in the Velvet Sea". Sure this song is a bit repetitive and slow, but
it
has some really nice counter-melody singing from Page. It was certainly,
however, a disappointment that they ended the set on this song. As I said, the
set clocked in at only 50 minutes. I was sure that the encore would be
fat...but why not at least make set 2 over an hour?
So the encores were fat. In fact, the "Free" is one of the best I've heard in
a
while, with some nice slow funk emphasis from Mike complemented by unusual
squelches and squaks from Trey (or was that Page?). A bit over ten minutes,
and
they left the stage.
I would have been insulted if they hadn't come out for another encore....it
wasn't much of surprise that they obliged. The "Bowie" here was killer -- Mike
made an early reference to the "Maze" bass line (I know we've all been thrown a
few times by the hi-hat intro similarity between "Maze" and "Bowie") and he got
a burst of laughter from the crowd. Intimate venues are nice. The jam in
"Bowie" was killer, but hard to describe in the way that "Bowie" jams seem to
be. Suffice it to say that it felt like an appropriately experimental way to
end the two-night run. Also appropriate was Chris K.'s lighting of the stained
glass (lit from the outside in) during the concluding sequence of "Bowie". I'm
sure the temptation was there to light up the stained glass all the time, but
he
did it sparingly over the run (only "Reba" first night and "Free" and "Bowie"
second night) -- the effect was that much greater.
Thank you Phish, for a wonderful time in a wonderful venue in a wonderful town.
And thank you all on the net for the bw -- I hope this has shed some light for
what to expect for Summer here in the States. We're loving it!
JWeber
back in Sunny San Francisco
Why are so many people worried about what Phish is going to play this
summer? I just don't get it. They have proven themselves time and again and
still there are those who doubt. All of these rumors of Phish not playing
YEM or Wilson or Mike's anymore have all been proven wrong(see recent
setlists). This summer is going to blow our minds! If you doubt this, you
will be that much more blown away by how wrong you were for ever doubting
the ability of Phish to turn your mind inside out.
See you on tour!
-Andrew M.
Italy and Phish: A Tale of Two Cultures
February 20-24, 1997
Participants: Brian "Stu" Davidson, Joseph Dubin, Ted Kartzman
Objective: two trips (not counting the many metaphysical ones):
1) To see a country and experience a culture I've never seen
2) To be part of a culture that a country has never seen or experienced
To sum it up in one word: hectic. Not to imply that this was a bad thing,
but there was a lot to do, and not nearly enough time to do it all.
What we did get done was beyond hectic, but what a time we had doing it all!
Priorities were priorities, and of course no Phish show was missed.
The only thing we truly lacked was sleep, but we can do plenty of that on
American soil. We didn't hit such landmarks as the Uffizi and the
Colosseum, but they have been there forever and will still be there when
I make it back.
How often do you get the opportunity to see your favorite band in front of
hundreds? Phish playing in front of "hundreds" does not happen here, and
hasn't happened since the days when college felt like it would last forever.
Today, tens of thousands is the norm. The cost of the trip was worth it
to me just to spend an intimate weekend with my favorite band and a few
hundred friends. In a country where you don't speak the language, instant
friends were made with ease any time you saw some random head on a train or
in a station or on the street. Phishheads and their attire and demeanor
were as foreign to Italians as the Italian language and culture wereas to
us. It was quite a comfort to have these Americans with the same priorities
(well, generally) to share the experience with. Often, directions to venues
or which train to catch to where was unclear, so having heads with European
knowledge to learn from was invaluable. We won't soon forget Beth, Dave,
Matt the Army legend who took off 28 days from the US Army to do the whole
Phish tour, Jenn, Lisi from MSU, Driscoll and the Skidmore crowd, Mike & Derek,
the "hat tapers" from Cinci, Tara and the Paris girls, drunk and obnoxious
Angie, Dan "E.B." Greenstein, Craig from Penn State- enjoy the bat dude, and
the beat goes on...
I left my apartment at 11am on Thursday 2/20 (the fourth anniversary of the
Roxy Reba, don't think fate didn't play a part), and by the time 11am
Friday rolled around, we were eating Spinach and Prosciutto Foccacias in
Milan. (Yes, we did have a stopover in Amsterdam, but only long enough to
win 50 Guilders in Holland Casino in Schleispol Airport, not long enough to
get down with DanK.)
We caught a quick train from Milan to Firenze, and ran to Lorenzo di Medici
(where Stu had studied previously- we thought we had a nice green package
waiting for us, but to no avail). Don't worry, Joe had a backup plan (not
to be divulged here). We got the last room right down the road at the
Hotel Accademia on via Faenza. A quick bat hit (one each- rationing like
champs all weekend) and we were off. We had time to see the key sights
(Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Santa Croce) and slug some cheap (L.6000)
wine and the best sandwiches in the history of the world at Antico Noe
before firing up for the first show.
The Tenax is a discotheque on the outskirts of Florence, comparable to an
Irving Plaza kind of setup (small balcony on three sides), only it holds
750 maximum. If it wasn't sold out, it was damn close. The crowd was
85-95% American (mostly students studying abroad), but there were quite a
few Italians really into it. We couldn't have had a bad seat if we tried.
We ended up about twenty/thirty feet on Fishman's side (this place was so
small that this was where the dance floor ended). Fish was wearing jeans,
no dress.
Friday 21.02.97, Tenax, Firenze, Italia
Set I (8:50-10:08)
My Soul, Foam, Down With Disease, Lizards, Crosseyed and Painless,
You Enjoy Myself
Set II (10:25-11:55)
Yamaar, Run Like An Antelope* -> Wilson** -> The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony->
AC/DC Bag, Billy Breathes, Reba*** Waste-> Prince Caspian
E (11:55-12:03): Character Zero
* Absolutely raging, turned into a heavy thrash metal type of tune and
did not finish, but rather segued directly into
** Heavy Metal Wilson, Trey screaming lyrics and playing with his teeth
*** Unfinished, but not diminished!
My Soul is a bluesy rock and roll number, great for the opener in the same way
that Runaway Jim (perhaps even Sample) is. The chorus is just
Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-my soul! I love it. I thought it was super to hear Foam-
I always feel it is underplayed on tour- you never heard me complain about a
Jim/Foam opener. Mike was again the silent legend, speaking best with the
thundering of his bass. The DwD and Lizards were great to hear, but they were
standard at best (where does Lizards ever really go?) . I used this time
wisely to get some quality photos of everyone but Page (you couldn't really see
him from our side). Then Joe and Stu hit the fucking roof when Trey counted
out Crosseyed and Painless. Perhaps it had something to do with feeling the
Bombs, but these two jumped about thirty feet in the air. A SEVENTEEN minute
Crosseyed followed by a TWENTY-plus minute YEM. The Firenze debut of YEM was
not a joking matter. There wereas no slowed -down, crowd- silencing, hand-!
clapping mellow- accentuating parts in this YEMmer. It was balls to the wall
rock and roll, kids. Trey even broke a string, and y'all know that's a rarity.
A six song first set that looks average on paper, but was actually 78 minutes.
I saw multiple looks of awe by various Italians (remember YOUR first show, you
know the look).
I wonder how many Italians thought it was over there? Yamaar was the
feel-good tune it always is to start the second, and "Leo" played the organ
with style and grace as always. Then the most earth- shaking Antelope began,
unassumingly. It got louder, denser, thicker, and most of all heavier as the
minutes rolled on. It became the heaviest metal version of Wilson I've ever
encountered (this includes 1.28.90). It was a totally cool segue, with Trey
screaming the Wilson lyrics. This you NEEEEED to hear on tape to believe. As
Wilson's reprise ended, Oh Kee Pa started up, and we all
confindently called "Bag" over "Suzy.". It was a no-brainer. The Billy
Breathes that followed converted me, because it contained the same amount of
emotion that Fast Enough For You did at the Mann debut (7.16.93). Beautiful
and spine-chilling. If you know me, you know that nothing but Reba could make
me happier at this point, so they gave it to me. Profluent perfection. The
jam was reminiscent of flying over the picturesque Italian Alps earlier in the
morning, soaring over every peak, descending into the valleys and rising again,
triumphant at last. Whatever was next didn't matter to anyone, we much needed
a water break that Waste provided. It mellowed into Caspian, and it was a
perfect closer to an almost perfect show. Only the Disease left something to be
desired. After choosing to skip New Year's Eve and miss that Character Zero, I
was ecstatic to see the levels at which it was now being played.
However, many jaded tourheads were bitter at the proliferation of Character0,
and voiced their opinions throughout the weekend with comments like "Welcome to
the Character Zero tour" or "Do you think they'll play it twice tonight?"
Look, dicks, it's arguably the best jammed song on the album, and theyi're
tinkering with it in front of small crowds in Europe to get it right.
Mid-first set (London), second to last in the first set (Paris), third song of
the second set (Milan), encore (Florence), first set closer (Rome)- for the
record, in case anyone of importance ever reads this, first set closer is where
it works best for me. If you can't rock to this one, you'd better remove
yourself from tour, pal.
After the show let out at the Tenax, you wouldn't believe how far apart the two
different worlds were in the entry hallway. The Tenax was open for club
dancing after the show let out, so you had baked, sweaty, smelly, tie-dyed,
patchoulli types clamoring for the exit on one side of the ropes, while slick,
haute-couture, vino rosa sipping, buxom leather-clad Italians waited patiently
for the Americans to take off. Aaaahh, finally, fresh air. Only one problem,
the last bus took off around 12:15, and the rumor was no buses left that night
to get back into Firenze "proper.". Stu's Italian speaking skills persuaded
this hatchback driving legend, Andrea, to drive us back. He refused to take
our money, but he gave me his address, and as an avid tape collector, he'll be
excited to receive a few of my choicest tapes from my collection. Did you
know: at least that 9 out of 10 cars are hatchbacks in Florence?
I'll skip the sights we saw in Firenze that night and the next day, with the
exception of The David: "Take a look at these hands!" and the Steak Florentine
and Bread Soup at Mario's. That steak Split Open and Melted in my mouth! No
time to buy leather, we barely caught our train to Rome by two minutes.
Saturday 22.02.97, Teatro Olimpico, Roma, Italia
Set I: (7:51-8:05) Walfredo*, 2001-> Funky Bitch, Theme From the Bottom,
N.I.C.U., When the Circus Comes To Town, Talk**, Split Open and Melt, I Didn't
Know***, Character Zero
Set II: (9:50-11:04) Chalkdust Torture, Bathtub Gin-> Sparkle, Simple-> Page
Piano-> Jesus Just Left Chicago, Harry Hood, Free, Hello My Baby#
E: Johnny B. Goode
* new song from London/Brussels/Paris, with band members switching instruments
** Trey on acoustic guitar
*** Fishman's vaccuum solo
# a capella
Rome was not as navigable as Florence, and leaving Florence late, as well as a
misunderstanding on the ticket voucher saw Stu, Joe, and I sprinting down Via
del Corso on a crowded Saturday night to try to get our tickets. We got to the
theater (Teatro Olimpico) four songs into the first set, and walked in as NICU
ended. Not the worst thing in the world, but we did miss Walfredo. I was a
bit bummed about that, because the people we met had many good things to say
about it. I guess that's why they invented tapes. Plus, I have that feeling
I'll be seeing Phish again...
I can't really comment on the beginning of the Rome show, since we missed it,
but I will comment on the venue. This was a twenty-six row mini-theater with an
empty balcony of about seven to ten rows, less than half of the size of the
Beacon, for reference. Anyaway, as farfar as the setlist, Walfredo opened, and
there was an instrument switch (a la Spectrum 12./29/.96) during theat
songtune, which has happened every time they've played it seems to be the norm
so faor that song. 2001->Funky Bitch couldn't have been bad, good thing I saw
that combo at Penn State in the fall. We missed Theme From the Bottom, and
came in towards the end of NICU. I was happy we got to hear the Los Lobos
cover When the Circus Comes to Town, quite a nice, mellow Sleeping Monkeyesque
tune. Trey took out the acoustic for Talk, keeping the mellow mood. An
absolute raging Melt broke all that up. Having no interest in Fish's vaccuum
solo during I Didn't Know, I checked out the venue. I looked up at !
the balcony, and there weren't even people dancing in the first row. I
estimated the attendance at the Teatro Olimpico to max out around 400/450. The
first set closed with an even better Character Zero than the night before.
Being ten or so rows back, directly in front of Fishman, we caught his eye as
Char0 raged, and although he was in a Homer-like trance state, we got him to
crack a smile by some of our silly gestures.
However, it's all about the second set here. Many people have been commenting
on the recent resurgence of Chalkdust in recent months, as evidenced by the
lengthy version in Sacramento (11.30.96). Rome's was well above average,
featuring a lengthy solo by Trey and Bowie teases by the band. Super version,
followed by Page showing off his chops during Bathtub Gin. I caught the
widening eye of a piano playing Italian at the beginning of this one. Great
Gin, never a complaint from me. It kind of faded into Sparkle, so I grabbed my
camera, and much to my delight I had no trouble walking right to the front of
the stage and resting my arms on it. I don't think that's ever happened to me.
I got great photos of everyone, and made it back to my seat as Simple started.
I'll be the first to admit it was no 12.6.96 Vegas and no 10.31.94 'Ween, but
the Page piano solo outtro was particularly beautiful. What followed was a
(not the) highlight of the whole tour. They begantook Jesus!
Left Chicago slowly, and when the jam commenced, it began from the quietest
pfrom the quietest point, and they built it up and built it up and built it up
until the whole place was in a screaming frenzy. Then the Phish marionettes
stopped it on a dime, like the geniuses they are, leaving the crowd breathless.
The people wanted more, and in the same way that Reba satiated the crowd on
Friday, the Italians were introduced to Hood. Harry Hood. I turned to the
young Italian nubile next to me, and through a combination of
Italian/English/International Gesticulation, I informed her that if she liked
the last one, wait until you see this. It did not disappoint, and no words
will do it justice. The ending was a bit extended, and segued directly into
Free. The Jesus/Hood combo made my life, so I was happy just to recoup during
Free. I don't think locals really recognized it as the single from the new
album, and I was pretty happy that Free hasn't been overly pushed on the
crowds!
in Europe. I made my way back up front and center, and got some good photo
opportunities during the a capella Hello My Baby. The Johnny B. Goode encore
ripped the Teatro to shreds, and although we missed some tunes, I left
satisfied.
The band was really getting off on being able to hang out with their fans,
something which is now impossible for them to do in America. They took every
opportunity they could to let people in to their usually sheltered lives. We
heard a few great stories (Lisi, Beth) of getting to hang out with Trey
backstage. They know it makes our day, week, month, year, and seemed happy to
give back to the fans for their fanatical support. Mike is always friendly and
approachable, and spent a good hour talking to people outside post show at the
Teatro Olimpico, until drunk obnoxious Angie drove him away with her screeches
of affection.
After the Rome show, our sights turned on the next night's show, in
Cortemaggiore. No map that I had seen since our arrival in Italy showed
Cortemaggiore on it. It's a small village (population 2000) about an hour
southeast of Milan. We were told that we had to catch an 8:15am train, which
didn't leave too much time to see Rome. We couldn't see Rome and make the show
in Cortemaggiore, unless we went without sleep, so that's what we did. We got
the mini-tour of Rome during the wee hours, walking the Spanish Steps, tossing
coins into the Trevi fountain, etc. Quite a shady city, in my opinion.
After a quick nap, we were running through the Termini to catch our train.
However, the lack of both sleep and nutrition (we hadn't had a real meal since
the steak in Florence), and the overexertion of our bodies from the second
consecutive night of the Bomb, found Joseph puking as we ran to catch our
train. Stu used his verbal skills to talk the Polizia out of detaining us, and
we boarded the 8:15am train from Rome to Bologna. At Bologna, we transferred
to a local train to Piacenza, where we met Carlo the Parachuter, who filled us
in on the intimate setting of the Fillmore in Cortemaggiore. I had made a few
extra Phish tapes to bring with me, to spread the gospel through Italy/Europe,
and he was delighted to receive one in exchange for his help. Carlo informed
us that we would most likely have to get the 20 kilometers from Piacenza to
Cortemaggiore on our own. There were rumors of a bus from Piacenza to
Cortemaggiore, but since it was Sunday, no buses were running (eEvi!
dently, the band was providing for a bus, but we didn't find that out until
after the show). In fact, I found out nothing really operates on Sunday,
including cambio (change). So we've got maybe 100,000 Lire ($60) between the
three of us, and we need to take a cab. The only cabbie around (Vincent)
speaks no English, only Italian and French. I delveig deep down into the
depthsrecesses of my burnt-out brain and have a full French conversation with
Vincent, with mmanaginge to talk him into taking American dollars for driving
us to Cortemaggiore.
We arrive in this beautiful little village with hours to go before showtime,
but we still cannot seem to get a meal, because of the siesta. Joe and I meet
Paolo, a local student who spoke a good deal of English. He was He very
interested in what kind of rock and roll music would cause us to travel into
the Italian countryside. Paolo was super helpful ined us finding us a small
pizzearia (Il Cenacolo) run by a super nice man (instaledge) named Angelo.
Angelo felt bad that his pizzearia was closed while we were so hungry, so he
made us sandwiches to save us from dying of hunger. I would have paid 30,000
Lire for this sandwich, but Angeloand refused to take our money from us. He
told us to come back at 6:30, because the Phishband and crew would be eating at
his restaurant. We spent the afternoon lounging, listening to tapes, meeting
heads, and looking forward to dining with the band. When the band showed up,
there were only about 100 people waiting around, so they were !
quite accessible. Everyone was thanking them for what they've done for each of
us. Stu got to thank Trey for turning him on to "Remain in Light" at Halloween.
Even reclusive Page is hanging around. When we went back for dinner at Il
Cenacolo, Angelo provided us with our own private room in which to dine. The
only other party with their own private dining room was Trey, Mike, Fish, Page,
and crew. Mike was walking bystopped into our private room, so for a qu ick
hello, and we called him in and toasted him for being Mike. As was the case
everywhere in the whole country, the people, food and wine werewa alls
excellent. We thanked Angelo profusely, and made our way back to the Fillmore.
Sunday 23.02.97, Fillmore, Cortemaggiore, Italia
Set I: (9:31-10:35) Lucy with a Lumpy Face*, Axilla Pt. 1->
All Things Reconsidered, Sloth, Treat Me Like a Fool**, Rift,
Fluffhead, Frankenstein, David Bowie
Set II (11:12-12:30) Daniel Saw the Stone, Suzy Greenberg, Maze,
The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Peaches en Regalia-> Mike's
Song -> Why Don't We Do Iit In the Road -> HYHU, Good Times Bad Times***
E: Billy Breathes, Rockytop
* began with a few seconds of a prerecorded soundcheck
** rumored to be an Elvis cover
*** with Tweezer Reprise jam in the second solo
The Fillmore had a tiny dance floor, and ten or so tables in the back where the
bar was. Because of the location of the venue and the fact thatsince everything
was closed on Sundays, everyone had their packs with them. We just checked
them at the venue for a couple thousand lire. We sat and chatted and waited,
and everyone that everyone had met at earlier shows wasere excited to see that
their newfound friendseveryone had made it to this faraway village. This place
was so small that I don't think there was even a backstage. The band walked
right in the front door like everyone else. We saw Page get stopped at the
door for not having a ticket. The crowd vouched for him that he was legit.
What comedy. Total crowd estimates ranged from 200 (mine) to 400 (at the
absolute max). You could tell that only the hard core made it to this show,
and everyone was confident we would be rewarded for it. I wrote in my journal,
""There is a fine line about the kind of show you dream ab!
out and tonight." There was a great feeling in the air before the show.
Everyone knew it was a struggle to make it way out here, and people were
confident that we would be rewarded for it. Rumors ranged from a four-set
extravaganza until the first train took off to the taping of Gamehendge for a
live album. Please. I didn't care- I knew it would be all good...
They had soundchecked the Funkiest Bitch and this strange, trippy,
Kashmir-sounding tune, which turned out to be the intro for Lucy With the Lumpy
Face. What a weiierd, trippy tune, the lyrics tell a story about Lucy, her
face, and how she died. They only played about twenty seconds of the
prerecorded part before taking it over themselves. Wierd intro, though.
Axilla got the crowd rocking, including the nice slow "don't shine that thing
in my face" ending, leading right into ATR, a nice rarity. Sloth was great to
hear, as always. The next tune, which we originally thought was I Cry Cry,
then we saw it was being called Treat Me Like aA Fool, saw Mike in some of the
funniest facial contortions I've ever seen. It's definitely got a 50's
doo-wop-type sound to it, but we're uUnsure if it was an Elvis cover or not.
Regardless, , but we gtootk some great photos of Mike during that song. Rift
allowed me to explore and get some good photos, and basically rest up for...
The thr!
ee punch that followed was worth the plane fare alone: Fluffhead (with a
longer and better solo by Trey than Clifford Ball, rivaling 5.14.92, I swear),
Frankenstein (no better example of classic 70's rock and roll), and a gnarly,
twisted, screaming, raging Bowie. You can't Couldn't have asked for a better
ending to any the set.
Second set gave this head Craig his wish- he'd been asking everyone in the band
and crew to play Daniel Saw the Stone since London. I don't think I've seen it
since the Mann (7.16.93) or Wolftrap (7.17.93). From the opening
Whoooooooaaaaaaaaaaaa! to the end of the show, this set rocked. Hard. Sleep
or no sleep, we rocked right along with them. Since they didn't really care
what we brought in with us, Stu asked if he could bring his videocamera, and
none of the Italians had any problems with that. We commenced filming during
Suzy. Damn, was it fun-kay! Maze was thick and heavy as always, and there was
a general feeling that the Horse-> SITM filler was the precursor to something
great. I took over the film during Peaches, with close-ups on all four at the
correct times. Peaches was perfect, and the last note was the first note of
the first Mike's Song of the whole Eurotour. There were all kinds of rumors
that Mike didn't want to play Mike's anymore, and they were taki!
ng the entire tour off, but as usual, it was bullshit. The Mike's did not
disappoint anyone. All four of them playing intricate, yet abstract solos in
different tangential planes, all the while making coherent music. It really is
mind-blowing every fucking time. It couldn't even disappoint Stuey, who had
his videocassette ejected from his recorder by Brad Sands, the most unfriendly
member of the Phish crew. It was a minor bummer, because we hadn't videotaped
much of our trip, besides the Alps, and we knew you weren't allowed to
videotape Phish shows. Stu rebounded like a champ, in time to CALL Why Don't
We Do It iIn the Road? It was the best call of the weekend;, I was hoping for
the more traditional Hydrogen myself, but no complaints. Trey announced the
"return of Henrietta" (pure excitement for all :-)=(not) and when he got off
his drum kit and picked up the guitar, you knew they were going out not with a
whimper, but with a bang. Good Times, Bad Times was the perfe!
ct closer, because of our video situation and the general weekend hecticness.
It was a classic version, reminiscent of Vegas. Trey played Jimmy Page's solo,
note for note, then upon taking his second solo, he ripped Jimmy a new one,
absolutely blistering it. By the end of the jam, they had turned GT,BT into a
full TweezerReprise jam, and the crowd was feeding off the Phish frenzyit. It
was one of those moments, along with the Jesus from Rome and the Antelope from
Florence. It was a fitting capper to the night and the weekend, and the beauty
of Billy Breathes followed by one last gettin' down of Rocky Top was the cherry
on the fattest fucking Phish sundae I've ever eaten (although I've been saying
the same thing about every Phish weekend/extravaganza I've ever gone to, i.e.
Vegas, Clifford Ball, ...). A breath of fresh air and plenty of goodbyes
later, we bid farewell to the band and we caught the third round of the
band-provided buses to the Piacenza train station. Beca!
use the majority of people were catching the 4:29AM train to Milan, the station
was filled with tired, poor, baked, huddled masses, yearning for sleep. Those
that could remain awake got to listen to some taper replaying the show. We
finished the last of our perfectly rationed twenty-seven bat hits for the
weekend, and struggled to stay awake on our train to Milan. After sleeping
about three hours in the last forty, we arrived at our gate at the airport and
all passed out on benches. We awoke about five minutes before missing our
plane; just another example of fate keeping us on track for the weekend and
guiding us home steadily. This time during our stopover in Amsterdam, Joe was
the big winner at the Holland Casino, turning 20 Guilders into the magical
number 420. A fitting end...
Epilogue:
You never know how you're going to get it from Phish is going to
transmit that emotion to you, what song it's going to come during,
and how long it's going to last. It's a rarity if they leave you without
one of those moments of pure clarity. That feeling is the highest high
known to me, and is part of the reason I made this journey, and the
reason I've seen them seventy-two times. Another reason was to do
something fun and impulsive, something the corporate influence on my
life would abhor. It keeps you on your toes, and young at heart. The
clincher was to experience a beautiful land I'd never seen and to really
see the history of it. We don't get history here in our two hundred year
old country, and I don't think I ever realized it until I saw for myself.
Sometimes you gotta just go.
And that's one to grow on.
-Ted Kartzman
I'd only seen one show before I went to the Clifford ball (Palace 95).
I got there and had the best time in the world. I'd never been around
so many heads in my entire life. It was like one big freaking zoo. I
had the best time of my life there and have since seen twelve shows. This
Summer I have tickets to eleven more (including to Great Went!). I just
Can't wait. Halloween this year will be phat! So will New Years. If need
be I will follow Phish to the moon (Wow, wouldn't that be a cool show?)
-Jeff Hill
Im just listenin to Zeppelins dancin days and thinkin(which happens about
as the band plays a bad Harpua) and i thought of somethin weird.
OK, 1992-1994 was the more psycadelic PHISH, and 96(late)-present is more
acoustic PHISH, but in 1994 they played HORSE(kinda acoustic/spanish)-->Silent
and now the play Swept away-->Steep ( more psycadelic) isnt that weird
actually thats not weird thats phish for ya.
oh yeah NO QUARTER, cool
well thats all
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON for halloween, even though we dont choose anymore
if i find that person who sent in the Alanis Morisette vote and got
that(audience vote) taken away, well ill have a lot 2 say 2 them, i wont
hurt em or anything, just that it pisses me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
how about a "mike's picks", sort of like "phils picks" that just came out.
of course, have mike pick out his favorite "
mike's>hydro>weekapaug"
-erik koral
I was in Amsterdam for one night on June, 28. I was back in my hotel room
at about 12:30-1:00 am. I was flipping through the tv stations and I saw
some of the Glastonbury Festival, but not Phish. Then at 1:30, I went to
another station and saw the whole 6-22-97 Phish show from Germany. I caught
the middle of taste and on. I was dancing around my room the whole time.
The show seemed really weird though and the band really didn't seem into
it. Fishman really seemed out of it and what's up with Fishman and his
suits.
The music was alright and there were only 75 to 100 people in the crowd.
The new songs are pretty good but again, they make the show seem very
different. Water in the Sky is a good song. It's kind of like the Dead's
Lazy River Road. Dirt should be fit nicely into the rotation. Story of
the Ghost is a great song with some funky jams at the end. Limg by Limb
is nothing special and I really didn't care for it. The highlight of the
show was Uncle Pen. When phish started playing this song, everyone went
crazy and started dancing. If you haven't seen phish in a while, you might
be in for a big disapointment. The band has changed and to me, it doesn't
seem to promising.
Paul Crispignani
when i woke up i wanted to hear the same song hat was on when i had fallen
asleep. the cd was still on so i pushed play and rift came on.
-Joey Pine
i would just like to say that 8/13/96 was my second show and by far the best
and i was even at kiel center. It was a very mellow, chillin show
in a great place to see a show.
thanx
Pnkflyd79@aol.com
They are a great band. No other band really catches the great concert feeling
as well as Phish. Love to trade, e-mail me people.
-Brian Bonanni
Hi To All Phish Fans Around The World.
Hear Phish First Time In German TV And They Blow Me Away
-V.Skrzeba
Where should I begin? What, where, why and when well let me explain like
instructions to a game. First lets speak about the teachers and what they do
for the young. student:"Miss Wah,Wah may I please go to the bathroom?"
teacher:" No! I'm sorry Bobby, but I can't let you leave at this time it's much
too dangerous in the hallways at this juncture."
WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN???????????????
IT'S JUST A THOUGHT, A DEEP THOUGHT!
Well, I have a Sanity sticker on the rear window of my car, and I enjoy driving
along jamming out to a hot tape or something when another car pulls up and a
cute girl points at the sticker, smiles, waves and drives off. It's pretty
cool.
-Kevin Lally
From my first experience with phish several years ago.. one thought has
remained crystallized in my mind. Phish, as they were then, and as they are
now...continue to explore new realms in music. experimental in nature, phish
pushes the envelope. there were the monster tweezers of 94, and the epic YEMs
of 95.
With the band picking up more phans as they tour Europe the creativity has
continued unabated. i saw them most recently at the Royal Albert Hall, and at
the rockpalast in germany (actually that was on tv) and they ARE a drug- of the
purest form. Able to transport you to the edge of mortality, phish shows each
and everyone of us the
beauty of life, the horror of death, and the simple elegance we have in
existing. One of the most miraculous things, is that Phish is a group of
regular guys that have found their place.
They are the best are what they do, and only contune to do so through the
incredible talent they all possess as musicians...
New Album Ideas: One the of Roxy shows from '93...that's phish at their best
but more recently a compilation of the second set of Clifford (first or second
nite)
and some clippings from the NYE Tour
gabe flores
It would be cool if there was somewhere big enough for them to pay in VT. Maybe
Highgate (GD)?
-Rob Juzek
Thoughts :
OK - so maybe I shouldn't have dissed Puppetmaster in my other comment. It
really isn't TOO bad of a movie. In fact, I think it's great! In fact, I
think it is the greatest movie ever made. I hope there are a thousand sequels
to it. Puppetmasters for the Oscars, baby! Go Royals! Anthrax!
Hugs and Kisses,
Rob Reiter
On October 20th 1996, I sat at the foot of my bed with phone in hand.
The repetative redial and busy signal were becoming boring. Until
finally a ring. "Hello this is Mordern Rock Live. What question do you
want to ask PHISH?" I couldn't believe it.
15 Minutes of being on hold was well worth the wait. Gak Gordon
answered my questions. It was an unbelievable experience. Ever since
then ,all I want to do is meet them. For about a month later, all of my
dreams at night involved me meeting the band in some strange setting.
What I do is play an album or a bootleg while I am sleeping, and I can
dream to the music. It is fun. Try it.
In one dream, I saw phish in a small 200 seat theater. Everyone in the
crowd stayed in their seat during the first song, Character Zero.
However I was up front groovin' to the tune. At the end of the song,
Trey commented on my addidas shoes and asked if I would trade. Just one
of my funny phish dreams
I am in a band in Milwaukee, called the PRIMARYS and we are proud to
call PHISH our number one influence. The 3 of us and three other
friends are seeing them from ST. Louis to the last Deer Creek. What I'm
trying to say is that Phish's incredible sence of musical expertise has
shaped my life so much. Not a day goes by when we don't use their
inspiration during a practice or show. Is there anyway way to get a
hold of them or possible meet them? Any suggestions?
CJ Wagner
phish during their concerts at random: select or grab a fan out of
the audience and pull em to the stage to jam a song with them!!
cool, huh??
-chris charapata
I would sell my soul to the Devil (or just about anyone else, for that
matter) to see a concert featuring Phish, MMW, Parliament, and Beck (yeah,
he's that good live). Then we'd all be able to see an a capella "Like a
Virgin" sung by Fishman, Beck, and George Clinton (none of the guys from
MMW are wacky enough to sing that, but I like them enough to throw them
into this little tour of mine anyway). Just a thought...
-Joe Cohen
the george is going to be more fun than you can shake a stick at.
Did anyone else notice that there was a shortage of drugs for sale at the
clifford ball?. Everyone I met had a long drive home ahead of them with
no doobie. I guess there were just too many people, not enough goods to go
around. Hey, let's not let this happen at the Went- growers get on
it! If I were you I'd steer clear of the border though, It's quicker but
not worth it. Those border police are assholes. I hope to see everyone in
good health and spirits on summer tour, drive safely.
ps #1 tour tip: bring a good multi vitamin.
-Petrea
Haven't seen phish for three years. In july, my day will come.
-Andrew Gann
I'd like to see Mike Gordon carry a video camera with him on his bike travels
thru the parking lots. He could interview folks, get their take on Phish,
current tour, new songs, etc. It'd be interesting to see things from his/their
point of view.
-Atilla Akgun
as I write this, the circus has already moved on to Prague and beyond -
myself, I had to drive back to Munich the morning after the show in
order to make it in time for the late shift..
anyway, I didn't see any set lists or reports here, so here goes:
06/19/97 Arena, Vienna, Austria
I: Limb by Limb, Dog Story, Theme from the Bottom, PYITE, Water in the
Sky, Maze, Waste, Runaway Jim
II: Stash-> The Ghost-> I saw him again-> Wading in the Velvet Sea,
Piper, Jesus left Chicago, Prince Caspian
e: Beauty of my Dreams, Character Zero; Hello Ma Baby
the first show of the current tour for me, so I can't compare, but the
consensus among the travellers seemed to be that this may have been the
best so far. in any case, it felt different to what I seen and heard of
the February tour, not just because almost half of the material is brand
new. the band is jamming more, taking their time to expand and work out
the nuances. I had a chance to talk to Trey for a few minutes after the
show, and he enthusiastically agreed to the above observations ("I'm
glad you noticed") - he told me that over the last couple of months they
wrote about 16 new songs, experimenting with different structures and
trying to avoid the regular verse/chorus/verse schemes. for the time
being, he mostly feels like playing the new stuff and some from Billy
Breathes, but not too many of the older numbers. (american listeners
beware: if you haven't seen Phish perform since last fall, you might be
in for a renewed band in the summer..). he also told me that they were
talking about putting out one of the February shows out as a live album
(Hamburg seems to be his favourite, then Stuttgart), but it may not
happen - it already seems so long ago.
---------------
Looks like the "retired songs" rumors are true, and least in part. Kinda
scary, if you ask me. I'm still confident that they'll break out a bunch
more old stuff when the hit the states. Should be an interesting tour,
though. Later...
~~josh
I hope Phish takes their music back to some small clubs just so we can see the
band like they were back in the late 80's early 90's
What I would not do to see Phish belt out a Space Oddity tease-->David Bowie at
Wetlands
As for a live album. I think it should be an ongoing project. Kind of in the
vein of Dick's Picks for the Dead and Allman Bros. I would love to hear a
crystal clear Horns show from '91, esp. with frankenstien, or songs that don't
normally have the horns, like D-sky. There are some great shows from the past,
as well as the present that would be great on CD. I wish that they would make
it an ongoing project, instead of one shot deals.
the herbivors ate well cause their food did never run!
-my sweet one
-Jenny Alletto
In the space between songs during New Years Eve 1993/4 at the Worcester Centrum
my friends and I, all locked into the groove, would take turns stating the next
song we'd like to hear only to have the band kick right into the exact songs
each time
we named them. After this happened about 7 times in a row, we all were more
then spooked. Maybe they are really aliens.
-Ted Singer
The best possible thing that could happen to me would be Halloween '97
at CSU Convo in CLeveland, playing Neil Young's Decade. This would be
pretty bitchin, no?
New Album Idea - Boxed set of all Halloween shows
Boxed set of Red Rocks 96
heidi-hildey
I'm the Phish fan everyone loves to hate.....I remember all the Phisheads from
high schook, I remeber thinking what losers they were...though I never listened
to the music...My frshman year one of my good friends forced me to listen to
one of his tapes and I was awe-struck....why had I laughed at those who had
such good taste??? 2 years later, 8 shows and one New Year's tour behind me, I
find myself drowning in a sea of tapes wishing that I had grown up in
Burlington in the 1980s.....but then I'd probably just be bitter......
-Steve Chiaramonte
I think that the reduced touring in 96 enabled them to rest after BB and has
obviously resulted in a creative refreshening of sorts, at least in terms of
songwriting. A good thing for any band, and resultingly, for us appreciators.
-Sam Rosenbaum
For all y'all joining me on tour for the Tinley Park show in Illinois, keep
your eye out for me-
I'll be the girl with the biggest smile in the world on her face that day.....I
don't know of any other way to ring in my 20th birthday {DOB 8/8/77}
than with Phish and 20,000 some of the greatest people in the world. It's
gonna be one long birthday celebration from Illinois through Maine...
So look for me- I'm the one known as :)littleblondesmilingone:)
-Sarah J. Van Cleve
I have listened to phish for four years but not until recently have I been
a diehard phan. Monday at the Royal Albert was my third show. I went with
three of my best friends and that night became one of the most moving and
emotional experiences of my life. The way the band can evoke such a range of
emotions during one show is amazing. I can't wait for the next show.
Riles, Tubbs, and Cohrs, I love you guys
-guido
well got my tix, and im so goddam happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but thats not y im writin
a few weeks ago me and my friend volunteered to do parking for this little
festival at a church. it was pretty cool, and i hadda helluva time, but
this will sound weird but
GIVE PEOPLE WHO WORK AT VENUES/STADIUMS (security and traffic directors)
A BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it was hard, i had to run people to their spaces. had to find out if we
were full and take complaints if we were, if we were and i told them we
werent people complained. this was at a tiny little church, think about
what it's like at a huge stadium or amphitheater. unless ur missing the
show dont get pissed and yell, if ur missin the show then do that, but
otherwise u just get us banned from great places -COUGH COUGH RED
ROCKS-!!!!!!!!!!1 and that pisses me off, and u give us a bad reputation so
that MORE SECURITY will be at the next show in that area.
On another note: Halloween, what does eveyone want???????
1. PINK FLOYD Dark Side(after 10/31/94 maybe they wont)
or THE WALL, its awesome, i dont know if they could do
it or if itd be good for halloween, Dark Side would be good
2. Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy or the Four Symbols
album(untitled), Houses is better even though people
who dont know what theyre talkin about say "UNTITLED!"
of course these people USUALLY are as i call them "Free-heads"
3. Grateful Dead- maybe Workingman's or American beauty?
personally my 2 fav all time albums are
QUADROPHENIA and THE WALL
and hey what's up with Talking Heads???
I don't have the tape and Im kinda bummed out
I WANT ROCKNROLL!!!!
but im just happy they do that so its their choice
is PHISH banned from Great Woods? i know in 95 phans ripped up the
sidewalks all around great woods, are they banned?????????
i have relatives there and i wanna c em there!!!!!!
y arent they playin the Northeast except the WENT?
Y NOT SUGARBUSH and GREAT WOODS????????????
Whatever you do, take care of your shoes
New Album Ideas:
1) Two discs...one featuring the complete Gamehange Saga and the other
featuring entirely Phish cover songs, like Funky Bitch, Curtis Loew, GTBT,
Fire, Rocky Top, Jesus Left Chicago, something Syd Barret...I think these two
threads (Gamehenge and the covers) is what really distinguishes Phish from
other bands of the same genre.
2) Two discs of an entire show voted for by the fans. Phish should choose a
handful of shows that they really like and then let everyone on RMP vote.
Random Thought - Who would be the best opening act for Phish if they decide
ever to have one? ARU and MMW can't be chosen since they have already opened
for them.
-John Gillett
AMSTERDAM!!!!AMSTERDAM!!!!AMSTERDAM!!!!!......I'll be staying right on the
Leidseplein(beside the Bulldog) with about 10-15 of my closest
Phriends....Anybody up for some before,between,and after show parties!?!?
BCJACKSON@HOTMAIL.COM
-Brian C. Jackson
At my first show, at the Ball Park in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, 7/3/94 me and
my friends were walking out to the parking lot after the show. Phish had just
finished a Fire encore and we were awstruck at the power of the band. Walking
underneath the bleachers we heard someone yelling something and we looked
behind us to see Fishman driving toward us in a golf cart. He was wearing his
usual pink dress with googgles. We did not talk to him because he drove right
by, but this showed me how accesible this band was. This feeling has stayed
with me for a long time and is why I keep coming back.
-Andrew Townsend
Nothing really out of what you would ordinarily expect has happened to me at a
show before. I'm sure that will eventually change. I can only make it to the
Virginia Beach show on the summer tour but hopefully I can catch a few more
shows in the fall. Probably one of my favorite moments so far was the first
time I heard
their rendition of "A Day in the Life". I'm also a big fan of the Beatles. I
would like to hear them play "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" (Pink Floyd) more
often.
-David Marshall
I'm at work. About 30 minutes ago I was ready to put my fist through my
computer screen. Then I threw in a tape and on came hood. All of a
sudden, I feel good!
craig
This is a Dream Set List
1: Timber Ho! -> Rift -> Reba, The Sloth, Divided Sky, Mound -> David Bowie,
Taste, My Soul, Good Times Bad Times
2: The Curtain -> Simple -> Esther, Mike's Song -> BBFCFM -> Bathtub Gin ->
Catapult -> Bathtub Gin -> Swept Away/Steep -> Harry Hood -> Weekapaug Groove
E: Johnny B Goode
That's all I wanted to contribute today - Thanks Andrew.
TOMMI IOMMI (Black Sabbath)
phish was my first show i have ever went to,... three days after graduation
from 8th grade.. it was quite an experience
no only did i have to get stitches in the back of my thigh from having to jump
over a fence when leaving, but i also *though not something i want to remember*
saw a man fall of the back of the car and die.. this was at the june 1995
Waterloo show in NJ..
i have to say though that the music made me fall into the grip of phish
forever.. though they had always been a part of me since 5th grade, i never
heard them in this way...
PHish is truly amazing
XpeaceX
Please oh please a Clifford Ball/Great Went double boxed set!!!
-Eric Bartoszak