Date:    Thu, 15 Apr 1999 00:45:27 -0400
From:    hillson [email protected]
Subject: 8/17/97 II

being that the great went was my first show(s), i was able to fully open my
mind to what phish is.

day 2 set 2 me and a friend (evan) decided to get a bit closer to see
exactly what was going on.  down with disease opened the set and being a
newbie i was ecstatic to hear a tune i knew from hoist. this jam was long
and involved but did not capture me the way the next 20 minutes did.

let's skip to the meat.  bathtub started up and i was all ears.  the way
this version ** builds to a pinnacle of intensity adding layer upon layer of
energy and music ** was something i had never experienced before in music
(live or recorded)

this crescendo is one of my favorite moments of my personal phistory. hope
you all have yours........

oh, then they quickly segued into uncle pen and i was shocked that phish
could follow an epic tune such as gin with the bluegrass pickings of pen,
not letting the audience respond to gin with applause.  but that's phish for
you (I won't even attempt to describe the 2001 > Art > Hood now to talk
about audience participation)

thanks for reading
see you atlanta > deer creek

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 19:49:14 -0700 From: "David M. Goldstein" [email protected] Subject: 8/17/97 review Night deux revisited. For starters, the weather was 20 times nicer than the day before. About 70, with a slight breeze, and a gorgeous blue sky dotted with large cumulus clouds. Everyone was dry, and in high spirits. When the hell are they going to learn to use a Divided Sky opener when the weather is this beautiful at an outdoor venue? A curious show to be sure....with some of the greatest, and lamest, moments in Phishtory. set I: The Wedge (!), Beauty of My Dreams, Dogs Stole Things, Vultures, Water in the Sky, Maze, Bouncin', Tweezer > Taste, Carolina The Wedge: Huh? If they ain't gonna open with Divided, we should at least feel privledged to hear this. One of the most unfortunately underplayed tunes finally gets it's due. Sounded just like the Rift version up until the end, where they stretched out a pleasant little jam that tacked on about 4 minutes. Gorgeous I tell 'ya. Beauty of My Dreams: Trey singing bluegrass? Works for me. A nice addition to the bluegrass lineup. Catchy as always. Fun to hear. Dogs Stole Things: I heard the drums kick in, and everyone around me called out for Mound, but I knew better ;). This is cute. I like the vocals, and think the lyrics are actually relatively humorous and clever. A throwaway nonetheless, but I'd rather hear this than say, Guelah. Alas, I used the song to work my way through the crowd to take a much needed piss (and what a piss it was!). Vultures: I heard most of this from a bathroom stall, but it sounded good. Interesting vocal interplay (although whoever said it sounds like moe.'s Seat of My Pants was right), complex time signature, and Fishman really gets to go off at the end. Potential for a nice jam. Water in the Sky: Pleasant country corn that'll put a smile on your face, but not much else. Maze: Sick....just plain sick. This became a powerhouse on Fall '96, and there was no looking back. Here's one that's improved leaps and bounds since the last one I saw back in '95. Trey was inserting these heavy, dark chords over Page's hammond madness, and the intensity reached a fever pitch. Hear this one for yourself! Bouncin': They didn't play Bowie this weekend, or Mike's, or Antelope, or Runaway, or even Cavern, and they play this? C'mon. You know the deal. Tweezer: About 20 minutes. Slower than usual, and as you may have guessed, loaded with groovy PHUNK. Me and my friend basically titled this one the "Pornography" Tweezer because the whole thing sounded like one big soundtrack to a 70's skin flick. In other words, tons of wah-wah, scratching, HEAVY bass (I think Mike likes his new axe a lot...) and a groove that made the P-funk show I saw last month seem like a Hootie concert. Reminiscent of 11/3/96 w/ Karl Perazzo because the phunk was so thick! Awesome. Taste: The composed parts were played cleanly, and the jam was gorgeous with several peaks and valleys. A far cry from summer '95! Carolina: If they're gonna do acapella, they might as well do this one, which hasn't been sung in awhile (right?). Overall, a nice set that dragged a bit with the new material, and was nearly killed by Bouncin', but has plenty of good stuff in Tweezer, Maze, and Taste. And don't forget the Wedge opener! During setbreak, we were treated to the Went orchestra playing some Debussy as well as a Stravinsky suite complete with convincing narration. Sort of a spin on the classic, "man sells his soul to the devil" tale. Cool! Set 2: Down W/ > BATHTUB GIN! > Uncle Pen, 2001, Trey's Speech > Hood DWD: You hear the bass slap, and here we go. A nice long jam, that sounded ok, but for some reason didn't seem to go anywhere particuarly interesting. Good version, but I prefer NYE '96, SPAC '95, or even 10/22/96. Just an opinion perhaps. Towards the end, Page and Jon drop their instruments, and let Trey and Mike perform an amusing duet. Meanwhile, Jon and Page are painting these large pieces of cardboard with spray paint cans....more to follow. Down W/ led into... Bathtub Gin: God damn. Wait 'til Benjy Eisen hears this one.....Composed section performed smoothly with few flaws, and Page went nuts during the Rhapsody in Blue inspired sections. But the jam section was HUGE. I kept thinking we'd hear more phunk, but instead, we were treated to an upbeat, bright, shining, 4/4 jam, that really can't be put into words, other than the fact that it was awe-inspiring and just seemed to be BRIGHT. That's the only word I can really ues to describe it! Takes my favorite Gin (12/29/95) and rips it to shreds. Unbelieveable. Uncle Pen: Ok I guess. A nice break in the action. Good solos from all. 2001: I always forget what a fan-fucking-tastic job Chris does with this song. Easily the longest 2001 ever played, and the best way to describe the lights would be ***** ****** on *****. Fog, strobes, spinning lights, you name it. At the beginning, Mike and Trey drop out to go paint their cardboard masterpieces while Page and Jon pick up the slack. Once again, the funkiest 2001 I have ever heard. I swear...if these guys ever stop touring, they could make the greatest porno soundtracks ever. Things got a little dull towards the beginning when Trey and Mike weren't involved, and I wonder how it will hold up on tape, but awesome. The song ends, and then Trey tells the audience why they spent part of the set painting cardboard. Throughout the weekend, phans were helping to construct this tall wooden tower near the vending areas. The tower contained a good deal of fan painted artwork attatched to it, and basically, the band wanted to contribute their own piece of art to the structure. Mutual art between the band and it's fans. The 4 cardboard pieces were linked together, and the crowd passed the piece head over head over head to the waiting structure outback, at which point it was hoisted up. Guess you had to be there...but it was a sight to behold. Hood: Phans in front of me were holding up this huge banner that said "You can Feel Good" and whether or not this lead the band to playing song we'll never know, but it was a nice touch. Gorgeous Hood. Like he did in Gorge, Trey asked Chris to kill the lights so the band could jam in darkness. While this was going on, a huge glowstick, glowring war erupted! Everyone was throwing these glowing things into the air, and it looked so cool! Just so long as you didn't get hit on the head I suppose. Overall, an absolutely amazing set that probably won't hold up on tape as well as it did live due to the long "had to be there" segments including Trey's speech and the painting of the carboard pieces. But who cares, the Gin is worth it alone, and 2001, Hood and Down w/Disease aren't anything to scoff at either. Alas......there as one set to go.... set 3: Buffalo Bill > NICU, Weigh, Guyute, Scent, Dirt, Caspian Buffalo Bill: A big difference between Phish and the Dead is this.... When the Dead shelved songs, they were usually among the best songs in their repetoire (Dark Star, St. Stephen etc.) and they were dropped for no apparent reason other than to piss fans off. When Phish shelf songs, it's usually because they just aren't good. Case in point. A cute tune that hasn't been played since 12/31/94, but still weak. A tiny jam lead into... NICU: A good song to be sure, but they never really jam on it, and this was no exception to that rule. Weigh: See above. Guyute: I like this song a lot, but considering this would have been a perfect place in the set to toss Mike's Groove, one can't help but feel a little annoyed by the placement. When are they ever going to jam this out, or do something else to make it a little less predictable? Scent: Horrible set placement. Not ever one of my favorite Phish songs, but an interesting mid-section can change my mind, ala 12/30/96 or 11/27/96. Here, they opted for the delay loop jam (see 12/28/96 or 12/29/94) and while it was a good attempt at change, it didn't really do that much for me. Dirt: Good tune. Reminds me a lot of Billy Breathes, and Trey gets some gorgeous licks off at the end. Nice, but nothing special. Prince Caspian: Long, jammy version. Phish has transformed this song from a throwaway to an anthemic powerhouse. This closed the set. This was clearly the most uninteresting set of Phish I have ever seen, and considering that it was the 3rd set of night 2 of the Went, and considering that Mike's Groove was left unplayed, I expected much, much more. When Caspian is the highlight of the set, you know you're in trouble. They had an opportunity to tear the roof off, and while it would've been hard to top sett II, they could've tried. E: When the Circus Comes to Town, Tweezer Rep. Circus was OK. Nothing special, and Tweezer Rep. speaks for itself. But then something occured that got me thinking.....At the end of Tweezer Rep., A giant match planted by the band proceeded to to burn the gigantic wooden sculpture to the ground. All of the work done by the fans, the cardboard structure created by the band, all up in flames! Why did they choose to do this? Dang...this seemed a little too "cult" like for my tastes as I usally associate huge bonfires and 75000+_ people with things like Klan rallies...although I'm sure this was not the band's intention, they have to get over themselves! C'mon! What sort of strange message was this supposed to relay? Take some advice from Zappa and "Shut up and play 'yer guitar". This is just my opinion, but I would have felt a lot better about the evening had the structure stayed intact and had the 3rd set not sucked. How does everyone else feel about this? At any rate, get the first two sets, and get the third if only for posterity. Here's hoping they learn to control their ego, and keep shelling out great stuff like Maze and the Gin in set II. Peace out. Dave G. -- "If I die of vanity, promise me, promise me to bury me somewhere I don't want to be, or dig me up, and transport me, unceremoniously, away from the swollen sea breeze, garbage bag trees, whispers of disease and acts of enormity, and lower me slowly and softly and properly, get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy!!!!" -"The Tragically Hip" ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: 22 Aug 97 00:09:59 EDT From: "Daniel W. Mielcarz" Reply-To: "Col. Forbin" Subject: The Great Went - The Rest Stayed (part 2, 8/17/96) Okay, by now thousands of people have corrected me for thinking that Trey said "blue balls" in Makisupa on the first night. It was definitely "goo balls." I do think blue balls is funnier, though. I guess my mind is in the gutter. If you really need a disclaimer, check out part one. Right now, I would like everyone who is complaining about the Went scene to wait until they get the tapes, listen to them, and then see if you still feel like complaining. I doubt you will. (Unless you, or someone you know had stuff stolen. In that case you have every right to complain and I feel for you. Anyone who had tapes stolen at the Went can take a look at my list and see if I can replace any of them and I'll help you out. See my sig for the web address.) 8/16/97 was quite possibly the best show I've seen, and I've seen some damn good shows (12/30/93 comes to mind) and Set 2 from 8/17/97 was the best set of Phish I have EVER heard, live or on tape. If it comes down to a choice between your food money for the week or one XLIIS for this set, choose the tape. You won't be disappointed. Here's the setlist for quick reference: 8/17/97 Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, ME Set I: Wedge Beauty of My Dreams Dogs Stole Things Vultures Water in the Sky Maze Bounicin Tweezer> Taste Carolina Set II: Down with Disease> Page and Fishman Painting Jam> Bathtub Gin> Uncle Penn 2001> Trey and Mike Painting Jam> 2001> Art Moving Jam Harry Hood Set III: Buffalo Bill> NICU Weigh Guyute Dirt Scent of a Mule Caspian E: When the Circus Comes To Town Tweezer Reprise On to the music: Preshow tunes over the PA were a mixture of Elton John, Star Wars and the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. I liked it. I also checked out the Beetroots for ~10 min. Pretty eclectic, and not really my style. But I guess if you are into the world music thing you might want to check them out. Set I Wedge: I'm pretty sure that this was my first Wedge. I was psyched to hear it, because it is one of my favorite sing along songs in the car. I did restrain myself at the show however. By now I think everyone has picked up on the "LIMESTONE blocks so large" thing, but in case you haven't I guess I'll mention it. This Wedge didn't seem like anything too special, but it was just kind of special to hear it in the first place. Beauty of my Dreams: A fun little bluegrass ditty, but nothing to write home about. It seems like the vocals in this song aren't as solid as in Ginseng or Uncle Penn, but they haven't been playing it that long. Dogs Stole Things: I hear the drum beat, I yell with joy, get out my index card that I am writing the setlist on, write down Mound, then cross it off as Trey comes in with the opening guitar riff to DST. DAMN!! Oh well, this is a pretty fun song, and I think the vocals sound good. (Actually, I think the singing in the new songs is better than some of the old songs; maybe they wrote the parts closer to their ranges. Fishman in particular, during Ghost, sounds GREAT.) I would have rather heard mound, but it was good to hear some new stuff live. It is a pretty cheery song, considering the somewhat dark subject, IMO. Vultures: Where have I heard that opening piano riff before? Oh yeah, Keyboard Kavalry. This was a VERY cool song, with its Irish Jig feel. I can't really compare it to other versions, but I like it a lot, and hope to hear it again. I think there could be a pretty interesting jam out of this song, the way it is set up. We'll see. Water in the Sky: Okay, it's sappy, cheesy and doesn't have much substance. But I like the countryesque feel to it. I had fun; what more could I want from this one? Maze: This had a little bit of a space intro, which made me feel for sure that we had a Bowie on our hands. But the Hi-hat turned out to be the Maze version. This was a pretty ripping version of Maze, but not much more so than a regular version. I'd say it was above average, just due to the energy of the show, but nothing to actively seek out. Bouncin': was Bouncin'. Lots of people signing off-key, like a birthday party where no one has a clue. I just kept my mouth shut and turned around to see thousands of people bouncing up and down. It made it worth it. Tweezer: Now we're getting somewhere. About 20 min. (thanks, ZZYZX) of pure, unadulterated Phish-style funk (did I see someone call this Type III jamming?). This was most definitely an above-average Tweezer, and beats the Ball Tweezer by a lot. This tweezer showed Ghost who was boss in the funk department. The jam deconstructed into a neat little segue into... Taste: I was very psyched to hear Taste after some of the reports on the net about the jams coming out of it. The jam at the end had the now-standard Page solo and then went into a great Trey solo before finishing up. I'd definitely recommend this Tweezer>Taste combo as filler, if you aren't into the rest of the set. (And there really isn't that much to get into, BTW) Carolina: To my disappointment, Fishman didn't sing the Boy Scout Anthem ;-). Before the song, Trey talked about the orchestra and all that. Very soon after they finished up, the orchestra started playing. Orchestra Set: I liked last years orchestra set a lot better, and I'm glad that I have the tapes. This year the orchestra was not that good, IMHO. The started off with a Debussy string quartet which was SO LOUD. It was louder than Phish. It was painful. I could not even listen to it without grimacing. They got the sound turned down a bit for the next song which was a very long fable set to music about this soldier who sells his fiddle to the devil and gets tricked yadda yadda yadda he gets his fiddle back and all is well. Trey had introduced this song by giving a short history of it, which was kind of neat, because it showed that the band was really into the orchestra. The guy doing the narration to the story was VERY good, and it was worth listening to just for him. Next came "Claire de Lune" which I know I am spelling wrong. They repeated the glider aerial ballet thing from last year which was beautiful. I hope they do this every year. If you haven't seen it, I feel bad, because it is just that inspiring. The glider got SO low this year, and landed right outside the concert grounds. I hope someone told the pilot just how loud the applause was. The orchestra packed up and it was time to wait for set II. Set II [I am going to say once again that this may be the best set of Phish of ALL time. If you can only have one more set of Phish in your life, this should be it. It is everything Phish is meant to be.] Down With Disease (listening to it right now): I heard the spacey intro and I knew what was coming. Mike slapped the bass riff out and the band got going on DWD. After the lyrics segment, the jam quickly headed off into Type II territory with some GREAT work by Fishman. I could feel him holding the whole thing together. The band was doing some serious listening to one another. Mike lays down a really fat (yes, with an f) bassline and it slows the whole band down into a DEEP groove. Pages switches over to the funk synthesizer and acts as another guitar. Trey takes the lead and throws down a bluesy solo. Then it mellows out and Trey takes a quiet little guitar solo. Then a slow, three note repeated line from Mike with Page soloing in the background on the synth. Trey takes the lead from Page and starts some nice interplay with Page and Mike while Fishman backs it with a swingish beat. This is definitely the coolest part of the jam. Then Fishman and Page get up a Mike and Trey play... Page and Fishman Painting Jam: This jam consists of Mike and Trey having a sort-of duel (at the same time, not a back and forth thing) while Page and Fish spraypaint on oddly shaped pieces of plywood on easels at the sides of the stage. Page finishes way before Fishman and joins in the background of the jam. Fishman really takes his time with his piece of art, making it look almost as if it is bleeding. He walks back up to the drum kit and Trey strums the opening riff to... Bathtub Gin: [I'll leave the extensive review of this to Benjy, which he will hopefully do soon] It started off normally. No one knew what was in store with the jam. We are all dancing around, oblivious to what is about to happen. Then the jam starts up and BAM!!! We are hit with the Hose. The Golden Hose. (Again, I don't use this term lightly) This is the type of jam you only dream about. I got IT. I could see that everyone around me got IT as well (I've NEVER seen anyone else get IT). My face hurt from the intense smiling. The tears welled up in my eyes. My friend made a motion of spraying me with a garden hose. I then made a motion of spraying him with a fire hose. This jam hit you THAT hard, folks. It built and built and built and built. Pure transcendence. If I could stop my life at any moment, it would be during that jam. This IS Phish. Uncle Penn: came out of the Gin jam. Very fun, we all needed a break. Well played, no flubs from anyone. 2001: Started of with a spacey little deal that I thought would lead into Bowie. Then Fish started with the drumbeat to 2001. Mike and Trey then went to the sides of the stage to do their painting. Mike and Trey Painting Jam: Page REALLY showed his stuff here. He jammed liked crazy over the steady 2001 drum beat supplied by Fish. Page impressed me more during this jam than he ever has. He created and illusion of way more than two people playing up there. Trey and Mike finished up and then we returned to... 2001: They finally played the main theme to the song, and then delved into a funky jam that lasted probably 10 min. before they played the main theme again. This is definitely the best 2001 EVER. Art Moving Jam: This was right at the end of 2001. Trey explained the whole art thing, which you all have heard about by now. This was a very mellow jam while the audience passed the band art over their heads over to the gigantic sculpture. It sounds a bit Floyd-ish (the mellow parts of Shine on you Crazy Diamond, maybe). Harry Hood: The Art Moving Jam ends with Fishman giving the opening drum riff to Hood. I always find it hard to describe Hood, and this one is no exception. Trey told Chris to kill the lights so we could look at the stars and the sculpture. It was beautiful. The massive lightstick throwing during the final jam was one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life. There was an unbelievable amount of mutual energy between the band and the fans. I got IT again. The only time I've ever gotten IT twice in one show, let alone twice in one set. It was sheer beauty. And the only way they could have ever finished off the set. Set III Buffalo Bill: I was rushing back to my place (with my Tasty Maine Potato) near the tapers section when they started this song up. I couldn't place it at first, but it was cool once I figured it out. Nice to hear something they haven't played in ages, but aside from that it was nothing too special. The was a neat little segue into... NICU: as much as I like this song, it was pretty standard. It was still a lot of fun, though. Weigh: Woohoo! I always like to hear this one. A fun time was had by all. Not much else to say here. Guyute: Oh man, I love this song. It puts the biggest smile on my face. There was only one little flub from Trey. I'd definitely put this version in second place behind the 12/29/94 Providence version. And Trey did the dark ending lyrics which really make the song. Dirt: This is a very nice new song. Strong imagery. The slow feel let everyone know the weekend was winding down. SOAMule: Standard until the duel section. Page went off into this jazzy little jam which the whole band then joined in. The did this for a little bit until Trey started on his section. Trey kicked it with the Digital Delay Loop Jam a la 12/29/94. Now is this jam a derivative of Dave's Energy Guide? I've never heard Dave's, so I'd like someone who has to tell me. They finished up Mule without Mike saying the weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll part, which I didn't like, but the jam in the middle was neat enough to make up for it. Prince Caspian: This was an above average version of this song with a hard-hitting jam at the end. I did hope the set wouldn't end, but I was to be denied. The 60000+ lighters before the encore were amazing. Encore Circus Comes To Town: I knew they were going to torch the sculpture with the combination of the lyrics to this song and the gigantic match next to the sculpture. I thought it would be during this song, but then I remembered that there was one more song that had to be played... Tweezer Reprise: If there is ever a song to light something on fire to, this is it. The fire was HUGE, and the sparks reminded me of that scene in the Right Stuff where those aborigines make those sparks that John Glenn sees orbiting the earth. I don't think it left a bad vibe at all; I think it was a demonstration of the way that Phish starts anew every show. Other people are more eloquent on this subject, so I'll leave it to them. I would have enjoyed one more song, however. Summary: This was unequivocally the best weekend of my life. The music was SO amazing that I still can't believe some of it. Get these shows as soon as you can! I love Phish! -Dan -------------------------- [email protected] http://www.dartmouth.edu/~mielcarz/ "Hello, my name is Dan Mielcarz. I sniff lots of glue."[email protected] Member of PLM-http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/4489/plm.html ------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 01:30:36 -0400 From: Andrew Van Alstyne Subject: WENT Review, Pt. IV Hello, I haven't yet given the standard review disclaimer. Here goes: The Great Went featured my eighth and ninth shows...I've been seeing phish since the summer of 94 and have been listening to the seriously since 93. I have heard over 400 hours of Phish (probably more) and my current list includes only a small portion of the shows I have heard. Although each show I see profoundly affects me, I feel that I can also be subjective and not ruch off and give every show I see a glowing review. I've seen "good" and "bad shows" (12/9/95 and 10/16/96, for an example of each). I feel that 12/95 features the greatest Phish musically that I've ever heard, and before the second night of the Great Went, I would have said that 12/31/95 was far and away the greatest Phish show that I had ever heard -- now it has been challenged. The Great Went, 8/17/97, Set One The Wedge, Beauty of My Dreams, Dogs Stole Things, Vultures, Water in the Sky, Maze, Bouncing Around the Room, Tweezer > Taste, Carolina* * a cappella A note on segues...I only denote real segues, and they are marked with a ">" The preset music was amazingly fun. I got to the gates as they were opening, and besides a few minutes wondering the concert grounds, most of my time was spen hanging out at my area (for reference, between the Soundboard and stage, but closer to the stage; Page side, but close to the center railing, so more in line with Trey). We sat there and listened to some mellow Elton John (Rocket Man, Benny & the Jets, etc.) Some themes from Star Wars were also played at different times to large eruptions of applause from the audience. The last two songs before Phish came out were from, imho, the greatest studio album ever: Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. The Wedge is a rare song that is a treat to here live. If Phish were to plug this one into the regular rotation, I feel that it would get very old very quickly. However as a rare song it's fun to hear. A slight reference to the Went in the lyrics that went "Limestone blocks so large." There was a brief jam at the end before it wrapped up. Beauty of My Dreams followed, and this is one of the best bluegrass covers the boys do; it has sentimental (cheese) lyrics and a nice fast tempo. For beauty I prefer Blue and Lonesome, and for dancing I prefer My Old Home Place (one of my all time favorite bluegrass songs -- if you like it, check out J.D. Crowe and the New South). This song will not change much, if at all, from show to show, but it is fun to dance to, and serves as a capable warm up. Dogs Stole Things is another slow funky bluesy new song. The opening fooled lots of people (myself included) because it shared a strong similarity with the opening drum beats of Mound, but the guy next to me knew this one immediately, which saved me the trouble of scribbling over a mistake :) This song may have potential, but not much was done with it. Vultures is one of my favorite new songs (along with Ghost and Waiting in the Velvet Sea). The lyric segment rips with some overlapping fast lyrics. The jam segment was (unfortunately) brief, but if they ever kick ass with this one, it's gonna be a scorcher. Water in the Sky followed, and I really dislike this song. I've only heard two versionsm, but it's basically a slow ballad, that is musically boring -- slow and undanceable. The Maze that followed whipped my ass into shape, especially after the respite provided by Water in the Sky. I thought that this song had stagnated beginning in 1995, and that it had been revived during the Fall of 1996. Dark and Evil don't begin to describe how this Maze exploded. It was ominously funky. If Type III is a further explanation of Phish jamming (sort of funky type II from what I gather) then this song had moments of Type III. Trey had some trouble nailing the harmonics, but Page pounded his way through the song, and Mike's bass created an unbelievably evil groove. After Maze, the band stopped and conversed about what to play next. I caught Trey mouthing Bouncing, and tried to tell myself that my eyes were deceiving me (I said to myself: "Maybe he was mouthing 'Mike's' -- Both song titles sound similar :) However, I was not quite that lucky. I suffered through Bouncing, and was grateful for the Tweezer that followed. The first segment was standard -- a decent scream, though, but the jam was slooooooooow and funky. I think I might have set a record in this review for the greatest usage if the word "funk," but there is no other way to describe it. This Tweezer would be the very definiton of Type III (Phish 2000) jamming. Although Trey sort of led the way in this song, Mike was extremely solid. The Tweezer was about 20 minutes long, and was much more akin to the slow Fall 96 Tweezers (esp. the 11/3/96 Karl Perazzo one) than say the 12/95 Balls to the Wall Tweezers (11/30/95 and 12/2/95, for example). There was some permagroove on this Tweezer, but it was slower than some of the uptempo permagroove from 95 and 96. I would love to hear Perazzo make another guest appearance with the band now that they are in their current funky state. I think that worlds would end, but it would be worth it. The segue into Taste was a true segue, and the Taste was a lot more upbeat than the Tweezer. Antone notice a similarity between Taste & Limb by Limb (the Fog part of Taste, with the Oooh Ooohs, and Fish's lyrics)...hmmm, they're the same. Now isn't that special (as the Church Lady would say). The whole Tweezer >Taste ran just over 30 minutes, and containe a brief amount of hose (although this is could be argued.) Carolina to close. Trey told everyone to listen to the String Quartet play "one of his favorite works," a Debussy String Quartet. This set was an above average Phish set. There were few surprises as far as song selection (maybe the first set Tweezer, considering it was a three set show). There was not only some nice jamming, but a nice segue between Tweezer and Taste. The Maze was also exceptional. The only surprise was The Wedge. I'd give the set a 6.5; maybe a 7.0, considering it was a first set. I'm wavering. I don't know enough about the new songs to review them properly (I have so standard set in my mind of what a typical version of each song would/should be like, but I can guess). My decision will probably change after I hear the tapes, but I think I'll go with the 7.0 The next installment of this review will deal with the GREATEST set of music that Phish has ever played. A Set that was almost pure hose. A set that I still dream of at night. Long Live the Funk, Andrew Van Alstyne http://www.stlawu.edu/x0avana:http/home.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 14:31:19 -0400 From: Andrew Van Alstyne [email protected] Subject: WENT Review, Pt. V Hello, The Great Went, 8/17/97, Set II Down with Disease > Bathtub Gin > Uncle Penn, 2001 (Also Sprach Zarathustra), Art Story and Jam > Harry Hood Between the first set and the second set, I had one of my most entertaining between set experiences. Normally, the crowd tosses beach balls around during this time. Well, because the crowd was divided in half by a narrow walkway^� (for security guards and emergency personnel) we were able to play a game of "volleyball." Everyone got in on the act; we had a strong chant of "Page side Rules" going for a little while. There were many balls going, but the "official" one was an orange cheetoes ball. The game became so catchy that the security (excuse me, safety) guards even got in on it a little bit. Onto the set. If you're one of the people that feels Phish has gone downhill rapidly recently, this review may annoy you. The boys walked out and began a brief spacey jam that signaled wither 2001 or Down with Disease; Disease it was. I seem to have luck with Disease...this was my third time seeing it (the other two were SPAC 95, and last year's Ball). This Disease started off slow, and the jam segment didn't scream much. The boys were extremely tight, though. Without tapes, I'm not going to be able to get into the specifics, but there was not a lot of raging in this Down with Disease...once again, this was Phish 2000, Type III, pure hose. I don't term something hosed very often. Of all the shows I've seen, I would only list the SPAC 95 Dwd, and the Albany 95 YEM as hose. This set was the purest of hose. After about twenty five minutes, the band wound down until it was just Mike and Trey playing. Before Fishman and Page stopped, they were (as I recall) all playing licks off of each other, but they were so quick to pick up on each other, that it was amazing. As Trey and Mike continued, Page and Fish walked over to their respective side of the stage, and began spray painting on pieces of cardboard that had been set up before the set began. For the approx five minutes they were painting, Trey and Mike were jamming...they weren't just filling time, they were playing such great dual licks that it was somewhat reminiscent of the Allman Brothers Band (note: only in sound, there were no teases or anything of that matter). Page came back, and Mike and Trey had begun the segue into Bathtub Gin. However, Fishman hadn't made it back yet, so they toyed around with the intro for a little while longer than normal (not much). This Gin was (in my opinion) the greatest ever. Page's keyboard fills were on fire (for beauty, they're one of my favorite parts of the song). The composed part was virtually flawless. I only caught one minor miff from Trey. This song stood out completely from the rest of the Went, because it contained upbeat Type II jamming, not the slow funky jamming that is being called Type III. This Gin rocked. Trey deviated from the normal Gin theme almost immediately, and we dance forever. ^�As the gin went along, they unleashed more hose on us. The transition into Uncle Penn started after about fifteen minutes of intense Gin. We're talking 180 proof, imo. Uncle Penn was its standard upbeat self, but the segue into it was a treat. After Uncle Penn, 2001 was started up, and Trey and Mike went over for their turn at painting. Again, when there were only two people playing, it was not fluff or filler, it was outrageous jamming. Fish's drumming was nice and steady as Page went sick. When the other members returned, they continued the Type III funk. I felt like I was listening to George Clinton, it was that funky. This was the greatest 2001 ever played. It was well over twenty minutes long, and it was as dark and evil as ever. They built up to Trey's main theme gradually, and they would near it, back off, near it again, etc. until they finally unleashed. After the 2001, Trey explained what the spray painting was for. He spoke of the spirit of improvisational music, and how the band depends not only upon themselves, but upon the audience. The band has explored this idea many times, and one of their ideas for the Went was to create a piece of art with the audience. To explain, there had been an opportunity to paint almost everything throughout the weekend. There was paint set up next to the walls bordering the concert area, there was also a car (a woody station wagon) that had been painted. As Trey told his story, the lights pointed two a sculpture that was about two stories tall that the audience had created. Trey explained that the band's art was intended to add to the audience's art. The band passed their art through the audience, where it was added to the sculpture. They jammed along while this happened, and once their art made it there, they started up Harry. The first segment was high energy, but somewhat standard; the Mr minor part was dark anbd funky, and the final segment was what brought this set to yet anither level. Trey asked 'topher to kill the lights so the band could jam to the moon. Well 60,000 people started throwing glowsticks around, and it was an impressive sight. The band jammed off the glow sticks (in a similar fashion to how they used to jam off the Big ball jam). When there was a flurry of glow stick activity the band would be going nuts, and when they calmed down, the band also mellowed out. It fit so perfectly after Trey's talk about the importance of the band/crowd interaction. Near the end, Trey began throwing the glow sticks that he had on stage into the audience. There was just a general feeling of awe coming from everywhere....we had all witnessed a beautiful thing, and we knew it. Trey thanked the audience and told us to get more glow sticks, because "that was really cool." This was the greatest set of music that I have ever heard from Phish. It gets a 9.99 on the concert rating poll. It would be a 10.0, but there was no Disease reprise. Ok, it was a 10.0 set even without the Disease reprise. I feel the need to explain/defend this. Since a 5.0 set features great jamming, it took hose from every song to attain the 10.0 rating. I feel that this set featured the best Gin and the best 2001 EVER PLAYED, along with a top ten disease and Hood. The only non-Hose number was Uncle Penn, but the transition (>) between the Gin and Uncle Penn made even that song special. It will translate well to tape. Please, comment; agree or disagree. Andrew Van Alstyne http://www.stlawu.edu/x0avana:http/home.htm --------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 21:09:50 -0400 From: Andrew Van Alstyne [email protected] Subject: WENT Review, Pt. VI Hello, Here^Rs the final installment: The Great Went, 8/17/97, Set III: Buffalo Bill > NICU, Weigh, Guyute, Dirt, Scent of a Mule*, Prince Caspian Encore: When the Circus Comes to Town, Tweezer Reprise *with Mind Left Body Jam Between the second and third sets, all of the people who were sitting between the soundboard and stage, on the left side of the center barrier (when facing the stage) watched one seriously fucked up guy perform. He fell over once, but Safety was there to talk to him and make sure that he was alright. He claimed to be Sir Lancelot, and he was looking for the round table. Everyone was sitting down, and since he was walking around, he stood out. He lost his shirt at one point, and then his pants, and then his boxer shorts. In no way were we laughing at this guy, we were laughing with him. I also want to stress that at no point did he appear to be in any physical danger (from whatever he had ingested); he was merely having a good time. On to the set: Buffalo Bill is a lyrically fun song. Because it is such a rare ditty, I didn^Rt really pick it up until the ^Slooking for owls...^T Fun to hear, I wouldn't mind seeing it appear somewhat more frequently (considering this was the fourth time it had ever been played, and the first since 12/31/94). Nice dark lyrics, and a brief segue into NICU. I like this song, but the potential for the jam always goes unfulfilled. Decent I guess, but this was a let down compared to the last set (of course, 99% of Phish is a let down when compared to 8/127/97 Set II, imo). Weigh came next. Another fun little song, but this felt more like a first set than a third set. The energy was dwindling, but to save the day, the ugly pig reared its head. Guyute. Extremely well done. No major flubs on the composed section (amazing considering the difficulty of this song). The whistling sounded nice, although I prefer older versions of this song. There was some nice evil jamming near the end. It was upbeat evil, not the evil funk jamming that has been featured of late. Dirt followed, and all the momentum that had been gained with Guyute evaporated. There was no jam, and the energy during this song sucks. I^Rve heard other versions I like (ones that seem a bit heavier) but this version was pure cheese; it reminded me of Strange Design (ok, nothing that bad). Then came Scent of a Mule. I^Rm usually ambivalent toward this song, but I really liked this version. There was no real Mule duel to speak of. Instead, they all went along, with Page playing his part, and then Tray doing his part. Someone (I don^Rt remember who) introduced the theme from the ^SMind Left Body^T Jam. (If you don^Rt know this, check out Phish 6/18/94, set II the jam into Bowie, or the Grateful Dead^Rs album Dozin^R at the Knick, it^Rs the track called ^SMud Love Buddy Jam.^T) The Mind Left Body Jam is a fun theme to hear (it^Rs basically a descending riff). Trey eventually plugged it into his digital delay, so they were actually doing a digital delay loop jam based upon the Mind Left Body theme. It was entertaining. SOAMule ended without Mike^Rs ^SWeeeeeeeeelllllllllllll...........^T A fun, strange version of the song. An eleven minute Prince Caspian ended the set. I really love this song, because simple as it is, it builds and releases energy. Trey^Rs trills were typically gorgeous. I would consider this a well above average Caspian. No uncharted territories, but plenty of high spirited jamming. The first encore was When the Circus Comes to Town. A nice song. That^Rs really all there is to say. The second encore was Tweezer Reprise, and halfway through it, the huge sculpture that the band had talked about during the second set was lit on fire. This was quite a sensory overload. The pure chaos of Tweezer Reprise was pumping through my ears, and here^Rs this huge pile of stuff (that^Rs what it was, stuff) blazing. I think the metaphor of the sculpture carried through its destruction. The band creates music WITH the audience, but however glorious a thing it is, it^Rs not permanent. I^Rd give this set a 5.5; I^Rd say it^Rs slightly above average. The Mind Left Body Jam, the Guyute, and the Caspian contain typically awesome jamming, and the Buffalo Bill was a rare song, but nothing was mind blowing. However, it^Rs a bit more than the typical set of Phish. As for leaving the Went, my friend and I decided to leave immediately. Of course, we got stuck in traffic, but it was brief. However, since he was driving it was my mission to walk along side the car and try to find a grilled cheese sandwich for him. I ended up walking next to the wrong car, and to make a long story short we got separated. I walked about 5 miles that night trying to find the car. I ended up locating it at 3 am. He had pulled off to the side of the lot, turned the car off, and gone to sleep. He had no idea that time had passed. Of course he had a big laugh at my expense :) We ended up driving for about two hours, and then pulling into a closed gas station and crashing until the sun came up. The gas station was hilarious: it was closed, but it was probably more crowded than it had ever been at any one time before this weekend. There were even people pitching tents out back. One final note. We stopped at a rest stop on the way home, and I saw two elderly women talking to a tour rat about his puppy. It was an interesting sight to see them so engrossed in his dog that they were able to ignore his appearance. Northern Maine is a pretty cool place :-) I hope the festival is there next year. Andrew Van Alstyne http://www.stlawu.edu/x0avana:http/home.htm -------------------------------------------------