12-10-99 -- First Union Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 23:59:03 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/10/99
 
Whats up guys. im a pretty big phishead i got 81 cds..you could say i am in
love. here's my review.
Lot-the lot seen was kinda beat since it was rainy and cold, but my friends
and i were able to do our "things" without any trouble from cops.  There was
some old guy with a nice glass display. alright on to the show:
 First of all the show is in Philly which guarantees a good show
Tweezer-Very strange song for a Philly opener. solid song. Every time i hear
it, i like Tweezer more and more. This song got the crowd moving. I did not
see one person standing still.
Bouncing-I love this song and it got a great response from the crowd.  I know
a lot of people hate this song but its one of my favorites. good placement
too.
Horn-first time hearing it live-no biggie
Heavy Things-YES! this is a great song and always puts on a smile. Its such a
happy song and it got a great response from the crowd. everyones lips were
chanting oooh oooh wa la.
Dogs Stole Things-uhhhh terrible placement.  not a big phan for this one
MMGAMOIO-never heard this one before-sounded alright though
Roggae-good song to just sit down and smoke and thats what most people did.
good lighting
BOAF-Seemed to be a little hesitation on what was to be played next.  this
song is always fun and just makes you wanna dance.
Guyute-first hilight of the night!! i love this song and Trey went off. his
guitar solos ripped through the crowd. i couldnt stand up. (maybe that was
thhe beer though :) )  Everyone was feelin it.
Loving Cup-Not expecting this at all but always welcomed-good closer
the first set was a good one. i was having a blast. there were no segues
though which was kind  of unusual.  The break was song as usual but the came
out with a BANG...
Gotta Jiboo-I was hoping to hear some of their new stuff tonight and i got
it. trey and mike were going off on this ine and i could tell all 4 of them
liked playing this one.
The Wedge!!-HUGE RESPONSE this is one of my favorites as well i was so happy
to hear this and to see that everyone else was excited to hear it as well. on
to..
David Bowie-totally unexpected. what a great song and good lights for this
one. this segued into..
Have Mercy-I had never heard of this song and i could tell it was rare becase
the look of puzzlement struck a lot of people around me. good mellow tune
though right into..
Cracklin Rosie-VACUUM!!!! i almost fainted when i saw trey go back and awitch
instruments and then when fishman grabbed his vacuum i almost died. the crowd
got sooo loud and the solo was pretty funny.  Fishman sung a good Cracklin
Rosie and did a little cymbal action this went into..
HYHU-fishman decided to do a little exercise by running a few laps around the
stage.   He thanked the crowd twice which was nice.
Twist-another new song. this is fun to dance to, which a lot of people did.
Waste-i like this song a lot but not as a closer-it was kind of a
disappointment.
Encore
Ride Captain Ride-SO UNEXPECTED i was the only one to recognize this out of
my friends. give Page more songs-what a voice!
The second set was amazing! and the encore blew me away. another good show
for Philly.


Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 13:14:54 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-10-99 First Union Spectrum The Spectrum for me was anticipated with great joy! I go to school in Philly and the venue was so close and legendary. My expectations were high since the boys hadn;t been around in a while, since 97 to be exact, and emotions ran high. The lots were pretty good, cant complain, so on to the shows: 12-10-99 Tweezer: Whoa!! Great way to open the show, the crowd was so stoked, the boys had ended the show the previous night with tweezer (rep) and started the next show with a Tweezer, a full 20 minute Tweezer to be exact. Awesome jamming here, knew that this was setting the tone for the rest of the weekend. Bouncin: Well, it wasn't my first choice, but hey, I've learned to accept bouncin' Horn: Good version, no flubs, always nice. Heavy Things: Great song I really like this one a lot, It seems like the boys like it a lot too. My Mind: Haven't heard this in a while so I was stoked when they played this, it was really good. Roggae: Good tune, weird placement, it seemed as if the set was really slowing down after Tweezer...but Birds of a Feather: Nice Birds, really nice jam section which really took off, followed by Guyute: Thought for sure that thge set was over after I heard Trey scratch out the beggining of this one, standard Guyute, and then Loving Cup: Hey say what you will, but there is something about the jam in this song that turns a place upside down, great closer.. Good set, not the stellar stuff I had hoped for but way above average. Gotta Jibbo: Ya have to love the boys for openeing the set with this one, God I love this song, it is so much fun, and led beautifully into-> The Wedge: WOW!! Not only has it been a while, but this wedge was nice and long with some great jamming, I didin't even care what they played after this, but the boys unleashed... Bowie: This was an exceptional Bowie, it reached the point in the jam where the buildup should have taken place but instead Trey started playing some reggae like chords, I thought Makisupa....or .... Have Mercy: I love this song and after oswego, I thought I would never hear it again, great stuff but the have mercy jam just kept going into . Reggae Jam: the boys just kept going, when I saw Trey put his guitar sown I thought, rotation jam???? But fishman emerged with the vaccuum, and treated us to some of his antics, antics that included him forgetting most of the words to.... HYHU-Cracklin: Funny stuff here with Fishman galavanting around the stage so many time I lost count, I figured that the boys would definetely slow it down now...but... Twist Around: nice Twist, however I hate the new arrangement, it just doesnt sound right, this lead into Waste: Finally a breather, hadn't heard waste in a while, nice but when it closed the set I was a bit dissapointed. \ Encore: Ride Captain Ride Never in a million years did I think this, but it was really cool, Great show, couldn't wait for tommorow.
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 15:55:56 -0800 (PST) From: Bart Tantillo [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Review 12/10/99 On Thursday evening, after arriving in Philadelphia earlier in the day, Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman were spotted at a KVHW show in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Now this probably comes as no surprise to those of you who frequent Andy Gadiel's pages, where it was posted, as it is not uncommon for band members to check out other bands on nights off during a tour. I haven't seen KVHW live, but have heard a few tapes here and there. However that isn't the point, I think Mike and Jon got a wake-up call of sorts at that show. I'm sure they were aware that so far on their own December tour, they had yet to hit their stride, and were in desperate need of finding it soon and saving the eight shows that remained. Seeing a lesser known band with some incredible talents, having a blast onstage and creating magic, may have given them the shot in the arm they needed. Of course, this is just one theory in a long line of theories that have surfaced about the bands sudden fall from grace. Well whatever it is they were looking for, they found, and this tour is officially underway after two incredible nights at the storied Philadelphia Spectrum. I.Tweezer, Bouncing, Horn, Heavy Things, Dogs Stole Things, My Minds Got A Mind of it's Own, Roggae, Birds of a Feather, Loving Cup II.Gotta Jiboo, Wedge, Bowie>Have Mercy>HYHU>Vacuum Solo>Cracklin Rosie>HYHU, Twist Around, Waste E:Ride Captain Ride Set one of this show began with a bang, and I had a feeling right away that things may have changed for the better. Tweezer was close to 30 minutes, and seemed to be a statement from the band saying "Don't count us out just yet you idiots". Bouncing Around the Room was great to hear. After years of playing the role, like so many others, of the "anti-Bouncing guy", I have come to fully appreciate this song and what it means to so many fans who heard it when they were first introduced to Phish. I welcome it every once in a while, and can even stand the drunken sing-along that seems to follow it like a shadow. Horn is cool from time to time as well, but it felt like the band was just taking a quick breather after the Tweezer bomb they had just dropped to open the show. Not that they were lacking energy, in fact, Trey was more alert then he looked in Maine, communicating with the fans in the first few rows, and doing that little hop that we all love to see, like when you just know he is totally immersed in the vibes coming from the crowd. Nothing too spectacular for the remainder of set one, a pretty good Birds, and the always welcome Loving Cup to close out a set that felt like we were heading somewhere, but nobody was quick to jump to any conclusions and say that the band was back in top form. Well they are. Set two was the beginning of this tour as far as I am concerned. No offense to those of you who liked the shows you saw in Maine, Cincinnati, or anywhere else, but of what I have seen and heard thus far, Friday's second set began what will hopefully be 8 incredible nights of music from what is still very much the best band in the world at this moment. Gotta Jiboo, hell yes! Play it every other night the rest of this tour, I wouldn't mind one bit. The Wedge has that edgy "we're making an emotional statement" feel to it, and is perfect in it's current role of coming out once in a great while, not to make a set on it's own, but to help the cause. Then things took off. Bowie>Have Mercy>Fishman Craziness, was one of the best things I have ever seen this band do. A beautiful segue out of Bowie that could have become a number of songs, such as Makisupa, Cities, or Boogie On.., it had that reggae feel, but I am glad they settled on Have Mercy, my second time hearing this great tune. Some very welcome Fisman antics, and once again the band had told this Philly crowd subconsciously, that it is one of their favorite arenas to play. Twist Around, one of my favorites, and a song I have been waiting on since I last saw it early on in the summer tour, was exactly what I hoped they would play once Fish got back to his drums and Trey strapped on that Languedoc Magic Wand. It has been slightly altered lyrically, and I don't know if I like it more or less now, but I still get the chills from it so I guess all is well. Waste, I suppose becoming more of an anthem these days with it's encore and set closing placement the past few tours, was a nice way to end things. Sure it wasn't 12/28/96, but it was damn good, and I had a hunch that Saturday's show could be the one that set the tone for the remainder of this tour, as I said in my note yesterday morning. Ride Captain Ride encore, what more do I have to say? As Matt Kennedy would say, pertaining to what songs seem to be ready for breaking out on any particular night...Everything's back on the board!!
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 23:18:02 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Philly 12.10.99 Phish - Friday, December 10, 1999 First Union Spectrum Philadelphia, PA Set 1: Tweezer(8:10pm), Bouncin^� (8:24pm), Horn (8:28pm) Heavy Things (8:31pm), Dogs Stole Things (8:38pm), My Mind^�s Got a Mind of It's Own (8:42pm), Roggae (8:46pm), Birds of a Feather (8:55pm), Guyute (9:04pm), Lovin^� Cup (9:15pm) (9:24pm) Set 2: Gotta Jibbo (10:15pm), The Wedge (10:30pm), David Bowie Intro Jam (10:39pm) -> David Bowie (10:44pm) -> Have Mercy (10:55pm) -> HYHU (10:59pm) -> Vacuum Solo -> Cracklin Rosie (11:02pm) -> HYHU Twist Around (11:09pm), Waste (11:17pm) (11:26pm) Encore: Ride Captain Ride (11:30pm) (11:37pm) No much of a scene, maybe it was the rain, or may be since I arrived early (6:50pm via Amtrak from NYC) and went almost directly inside I didn't get a chance to see one develop. However the feel of the crowd was very calm and mellow all night, only when they really had something to cheer about they would genuinely get excited, but overall it seemed like the crowd wasn't offering too much in return, just content to bob and dance in place all night. Also the sound in the Spectrum is still horrible, there are only certain spots in the arena where you can find a patch of good sound. This isn't a knock on Phish's sound since they have some of the best sound in the business (go see a Dave Matthews Band show and see what you think of their sound), but I was sitting on the floor, Section 105 and the reverberation from the bass was drowning out much of the sound the whole night. It started during Roggae in set one and then was pretty much present throughout the entire second set. Also the band now has a sectional canopy over it's head with one hexagon in the middle and four triangular canopies around it to shine the lights on. Set 1: The show started of great with a wonderful Tweezer. It almost sounded as if the band was about to play Wilson and a few people around me called out Wilson and were about to start chanting, but Tweezer appeared. I really like first set Tweezers, they usually get right to the point and have a general exciting feel to them (try 11/14/98 Cincy for an amazing two chorus, two solos, fading into a McGrupp jam, as a nice example of a first set Tweezer). This version wasn't a monster by any means, but it had a nice jam segment which got me dancing right away (turns out it was some of the most dancin' I did all night), and in a good mood. The jam started very evil and thunderous, and then this opened up allowing for Sweet Emotion-like jamming from Trey for much of the remainder of the song which ended in a swirl of sound with Page hammering on the piano. After this the rest of the set was rather subdued until the end. Nothing much to it. We received a volley of 4 minute songs, Bouncin',Horn, Heavy Things (ok 7 minutes for this one), Dogs Stole, My Mind. Bouncing almost seemed forced, with Trey really going through the motions, having to force out the playing for the "that time then" final portion of the song, you could see it in his face. Horn, once again was Horn. And then we were clued into Heavy Things with Trey testing the tapping sound prior to the song, good version, nothing to it. My Mind featured a nice quick bluegrassy 2nd piano solo from Page to close. As you can see I'm struggling' to write something here for a set 1 review. Roggae was ok but the bass reverb was really hurting my enjoyment of the song, I don't know if the band was effected by it also but they did seemed a little preoccupied with something other than playing, but maybe they were just concentrating or something. Seemed like they were trying to get the kinks out of their soloing in this version. BOAF was a way to bring the energy back into the crowd and did a good enough job of it, standard version slower then most in the beginning and then picked up to a typical fast moving jam for the end. Guyute follows. I think I see it every 3rd show, fitting we should get it in Philly since it made it's debut about 60 minutes up the road at the Stabler Arena in 1994, but I am no longer fazed by it good or bad. Lovin' Cup brought back the opening energy of the arena for this first set closer. The band went all out, it wasn't as hard of a heavy metal rocker as 7/16/99 Holmdel, but a nice energetic classic rock n' roll-ish, the way it should be played, version. Fish was pounding away on the drums during the ending jam, crashing the cymbal, closing his eyes, squinting his eyes and squirming his face, nodding his head for approval!!!!!!!!!! Good Job Fish, he really got into it!!!!! Chris fully lighting the behind the stage crowd during towards ending. Set 2: Gotta Jibbo, wow, what a long version!!!!!!!!!! Maybe it's a preview of things to come with this song. They really stretched it out, it had a very mellow feel to it, and the jamming was similar to the mellow soft style you heard on Trey's solo tour back in May, but they really put a lot of effort into it! The Wedge was standard and nice, and lot more reverb for Kaz. The Bowie Intro Jam was the longest I've seen to date (others MSG '98, Nassau '99) and was all synth driven over the cymbals, with Trey creating a lot of rumbling and swirling sounds, building in tension and then releasing with the "DIE, DIE, DIE" (this is from the game Doom right?) effect that is in a jam segment (maybe Sand) from Trey's 5/11/99 9:30 Club show and which I have also heard on tape (or maybe live at Nassau) during the Fall'99 run, but I just can't place where. It finally ended with a Pink Floyd feel (the song on Dark Side just before all the alarm clocks go off, I'm having a mental blank right now, they teased with it at the beginning of Halloween '94). This went into a full David Bowie which could be labeled as unfinished since the jam went into a bouncy, reggae grove than fell into a very reggae-ish version of Have Mercy, included Page playing the reggae organ. Fish then speeds up this jam with the high hat for a minute and it seems like he wants to go into something else, however the rest of the band has another plan for Fish and we get HYHU. A real Vacuum solo, no song was being played just Fish and the Electrolux. Mike comes over and hands him cymbals, holding them in front of him as he is soloing, for about a minute before he actually takes them. After Cracklin' Rosie, Fish does 2 passes around the stage for his reverse Fishman bow, and Trey is having such a good time checking out Fish and playing the drums with a schoolboy's exuberance, that he encourages Fish to do another lap and bow for a 3rd time. Twist Around was fun with a picking, stuttering feel from Trey during the solo, and the rest of the band holding a good grove with Page finishing up the jamming well on piano. Waste was very beautiful. It started out with just a solo spotlight on Trey, him singing and playing completely solo. Mike was on, and the final jam just carried you away with it. The encore Mystery Ship or Ride Captain Ride whichever your preference, was a lot of fun, with the crowd a little caught by surprise by it, but well done by Page on vocals and ended the night on a very fun well played note! Set 1 you can pass by if you have limited space for tape storage, ask for the Tweezer as filler on set 2 or maybe the Lovin' Cup if you are looking for a good solid version of Lovin' Cup. Overall a nice show, set 2 made up for a standard really uneventful but well rounded set 1. The show may have been a bust if set 2 didn't come through with some zest. Thanks for the time, Peace, Kaz [email protected]
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 23:47:55 -0500 From: Chris Rash [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/10/99 First Union Spectrum I'm always sorry to put down Phish but tonight the energy just wasn't there. It beyond mellow to the point of lethargy. I guess they were saving it for the next night. Anyway, let me break it down song by song: Set I -Tweezer: Apparently, this was the first time Tweezer was played in Philly. It was pretty standard really. There was no "prolific" jam to speak of. I was happy to hear it though. -Bouncing 'Round the Room: It's really not a bad song, but it just gets old after a while. Plus, they never alter it. It's the same thing every time. This lowered the level of vibe in the room for both band and audience. -Horn: I love this song, but there was nothing really great about this one. It sounded like they just put the CD on over the P.A. There was no energy! -Heavy Things: This was a first for me. Neat little tune, but there's not much to it. I can see it becoming like bouncing. -Dogs Stole Things: This isn't my favorite song but it's ok. Bad placement though. They needed something to get the energy up. But I guess they had gone beyond the point of no return with the lackluster set. -Roggae: I really love this song. It's mellow, but at least it had a good jam with some groove. Things are looking up. -Birds of a Feather: I don't care if other people hate this song, I love it. It raised the intensity and had a good jam. Well done. -Guyute: What else can I say but, "this is a good composition." Great writing and arrangement. It was real tight. Nice work. -Loving Cup: This saved the set. There was some real heart coming off the stage. Set II + Encore -Gotta Jiboo: Another first for me. I really liked this song. It's got a great hook and it flows well. It's a tad pop-ish but not bad. -The Wedge: Where the hell did that come from? Pretty random. I love the song and it was a decent version, but what made them choose that? But it gave way to a great... -David Bowie: Oh shit! When I heard Fish start in on this with trey on the keys, I almost shat myself. I can never get enough of this song. It didn't really go where I wanted it to but it was still great. -Have Mercy: Not bad. I enjoyed it. -bowie jam/reggae HYHU jam: I'm so glad I got to see a vacuum solo. Fish is so proficient at his instruments (except the trombone). It was nice to hear Cracklin' Rosie, since it is a rarity and all. -Twist: I loved this one. I'd never heard it but I though it was called "Twist Around". Oh well, although it is still along the pop-ish lines, it still rocked out. Keep up the good work boys. -Waste: I really like this song. It was kind of odd to end the second set like that but, it's a nice little tune and I love Trey's solo. This was definitely not the best show I've been to but a happy memory all the same. Chris
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 16:15:26 PST From: Jimi Hendrix [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Review PHISH 12/10/99 What can I say the first night in philly, we left the place a mess. I met some real cool people there. I traded my extra to a girl that was very kind and sweet, she gave me a Jerry Bear and PHISH at Red Rocks from '94. We had a great time. The show didn't have a great set list, we all cleared that up. But I bet all the people giving PHISH bad reviews also were dancing the whole night. The highlight of the show was the great Raggae Jam that had me going the whole night. And I bought a Veggie Burito outside for the first time in 2 years! What can I say I loved it, and you know why? Because its PHISH! Jim Hendricks
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 15:07:07 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Review of Phily 12-10-99 I was excited to be going back to Phily for another two night stand. Visions of 97 danced in my head and I was hoping for two fantastic shows once again, it started off in good fashion: 1st set- Tweezer- Damn! I thought this was the sign of great things to come in the first set, standard Tweezer, great jam for the first song of the night, it came time to go into something else and Trey chose: Bouncin'- Not good. I really wanted the vibe for Tweezer to continue, but it made a lot of people happy in the audience. Horn- I love Horn, always love hearing it Heavy Things- I like this song as well, but I was a little confused as to where the set is going Dogs Stole- Another one I like. But this set was confusing the hell out of me. My Mind's- Not the best version, Page and Trey's solos were very short and not really that good. Roggae- Good version, nice take on the dreamlike jam Birds- A very good version, great jamming, first of the tour Guyute- Standard Loving Cup- good, but I am of the belief that the band has to work their way thru a sick set to get to Loving Cup, and this set did not quite fit that bill. Overall the set was okay, lots of songs I love to hear, but not all together in one set. The set was 76 minutes long. 2nd set: Jiboo- Awesome! They came back with a very sick Jiboo, best I've ever heard, live or on tape. What a great way to start things off Wedge- Another great version of a great song, almost ten minutes long, they just kept taking it around again and again Bowie- Way phat! Excellent intro and then the jam really started taking off and then wound around into a reggae jam that had me thinking Boogie On, but instead: Have Mercy- Very cool, not as intricate as the Oswego version, but it was welcome nonetheless, it wound around into a vacumn solo and then Mike came around and gave Fishman the cymbals and we all knew what was coming: Cracklin' Rosie- Nice! Fishman sings for the first time in a tour and a half. He forgot most of the words and it was great fun! Twist- I heard the new Twist arrangement at Rochester and after hearing it here, it really has grown on me, great jam on this one, lots of fun. Waste- Very good version and a cool closer, the second set was phemonminal. Ride Captain Ride- Completely made up for the first set. Jammed out very hard, fabulous version. Set 2 and E was 82 minutes. All together, this show is a 7 and a half, would be much higher with a Gin or a Stash in set 1.
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 15:32:58 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-10-99 philly review First night in philly was a happening show. I'll get right to the chase. First Set Tweezer: Sweet, the jam lasted about 15 min and was your normal tweezer jam, nothing out of the ordinary to speak of. Then came Bouncing: I was a little dissapointed to hear i guess, but i haven't heard the song in a while so it was alright. Horn: Awesome, I never thought they would play this tune. Everyone around me was diggin this including me. From there it went to Heavy Things: I love this new tune. I was just listening to it on the way to the show. It was a good version. At this point i am little dissapointed though, no good jam songs yet. Maybe more to come. Dog Stole Things: Just an alright version. Nothing to jam on in this song. MMGAMOIO: I happy to hear this. Haven't head it in a while, and don't have it on many tapes. I thought the show started to pick up from here on. Roggae: Nice version. Good slower song. GOOD GROOVE! Birds: Hell yeah! I love the solo section of this song. I did not disappoint this night. Guyute: I really wasn't in the mood for a guyute. I think they have been playing this tune a little much lately. Oh well. Next came Loving Cup: This song really got the crowd movin. A real good version. This song would cap off the set. Overall set was average but better things were in the future for the next set. Jiboo: Never heard this newer song before and i dug it. Cool lyrics with backup vocals and all. Wedge: YES!!! Fishman seemed to be getting a little tired. This jam really extended longer than i was expecting. Awesome version though. Bowie: A soon as fishman did his hi-hat thingy i knew it was comin. Trey was getting some sick ass noises from his amp. It sounded as if it was a voice talking or something. Cool stuff. This jam extended about 15 min which is shorter than they used to play it. No finish but what happened next made up for it. Have Mercy: Cool Jam. It seems to show up with MMGAMOIO. Craklin Rosie: The trey/fish switcharoo on drums was awesome. It started with a vacuum solo without any music before rosie came in. I think fishman might have forgot some of the words on this one. Oh yeah, fishman wouldn't stop soloing. Mike kept handing him the cymbals for crakling rosie to no avail. Finally it was over though. Then after rosie came the whole hyhu thing. Fishman did tons of laps around the stage moving faster than i ever saw him move before. It was halarious. After it was all over fishman said to the crowd that you are really too kind, a couple of times. Twist: I love the old way of this song, but i do enjoy the new arrangement. Very unexpected from me. Waste: They slowed things down a bit with this song which i can understand. It was a super high energy set. This song ended the second set. Encore: Ride Captain Ride: I was totally not expecting this tune. Very rare song from phish. Overall an awesome show. I can't wait for tommorrow. See-ya there
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 11:58:24 PST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/10 Spectrum Rather than analyze the show, I'm going to try to relate what happened in the jams... The Tweezer jam was large and relatively slow. Lots of drone notes and an overall big sound from Mike. Trey played barely anything for the first part of the jam, mostly light chording. Same for Page. Towards the end Trey started pasting together long strings of chords, creating a sort of cascade effect. It was hard to hear Page during this part of the jam, largely in part to the lovely acoustics of the cavernous slab of concrete that is the Spectrum. The jam was not really dynamic in that there were no changes to speak of. It got on a plain and then just rode it out, with cascades of sound from Trey. Will probably sound even better on tape when there's time to listen to all the different parts. Bouncing Around the Room - One thing I like to think about during songs I'm not crazy about is that most likely there is someone in the crowd who is thrilled that they're playing that song. For a group of people near me this one seemed to make their night, which made me happy. I think watching someone else's happiness is a nice way to enjoy a song even if you don't like it. If you like music theory, next time you hear a Horn try to figure out how the solo/jam ends up with the root a half step lower than when the jam started. (i.e. it starts in E major and ends in Eb) The Birds of a Feather jam was similar to many BOAF jams that have been played lately -- loud Mike playing lots of roots and octaves with a few different colors here and there, and Trey soaring above the band with a melody. CK went nuts during this one. Loving Cup wasn't as big as it sometimes gets. All the segues on the setlist are a bit overstated. The only real segue was David Bowie > Have Mercy > Vaccuum Solo. Everything else came to a complete stop. Jiboo got into a groove and stayed there. Trey was quite inactive during this one... I miss the nastiness that he delivered during the solo tour. A sidenote - I think Mike is entirely too loud now. I play bass, so I like hearing Mike as much as anybody, but I can barely hear Trey, Page and Fish sometimes because Mike is so loud. Bass way up in the mix is great but the higher voices and melodies are honestly more interesting than fifteen minutes of the Jiboo bassline. Trey didn't wail on the end of Wedge as he has been known to do. I'd walk a mile to hear a (Wedge) though, don't get me wrong. The David Bowie jam was great. It reminded me very much of some part of a Reba jam... soft blue and green lights, an odd Mike bassline that started simply and grew, with many different colors to it... simple piano notes from Page that blended perfectly with Trey noodling... very light tension and release.. a few purple and yellow lights here and there... soft peaks... Very nice stuff. I'd be anxious to hear this one again. The beginnings of Have Mercy came from a small Trey pattern and the transition flowed well. The Twist jam seemed... awkward. The lights were very interesting though, and it seemed like the band was kind of following the lights at times. Waste was pretty big by the end, which was impressive. It came close to being as big as Loving Cup. Probably Trey's best solo of the night. Big yellow lights during this one. Hope this makes the show seem clearer for someone.
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 15:51:34 EST From: Max Wade [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/10/99 I NEED to clear something up here. First off, I agree w/ the other reviewers in that the first set was tight, and the highlight was definitely Loving Cup; however, I thought the jams were mediocre and it was a bit of a lull. The second set was SO much better, w/ a great start w/ Gotta Jiboo, and a great version of Waste finishing up. Now here's what i need to clear up: During their cover of Have Mercy(which was sweet by the way), FISHMAN SCREWED UP. I know, that seems impossible, but he did. He suddenly sped up, and the other guys followed him a little, but no one knew where he was going with it, so they stopped. Fish tried to pick up where the fault occured, but instead, Trey came around and took over the drums. Fish made up for his moment of confusion with a very skilled and amusing vacuum solo, plus some bowing and laps around the stage. My proof: Fish said to the crowd, twice, 'You are too kind.' This hasn't changed anything in my mind. Fish is still the man. MG
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 14:57:28 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-10-99 philly review First night in philly was a happening show. I'll get right to the chase. First Set Tweezer: Sweet, the jam lasted about 15 min and was your normal tweezer jam, nothing out of the ordinary to speak of. Then came Bouncing: I was a little dissapointed to hear i guess, but i haven't heard the song in a while so it was alright. Horn: Awesome, I never thought they would play this tune. Everyone around me was diggin this including me. From there it went to Heavy Things: I love this new tune. I was just listening to it on the way to the show. It was a good version. At this point i am little dissapointed though, no good jam songs yet. Maybe more to come. Dog Stole Things: Just an alright version. Nothing to jam on in this song. MMGAMOIO: I happy to hear this. Haven't head it in a while, and don't have it on many tapes. I thought the show started to pick up from here on. Roggae: Nice version. Good slower song. GOOD GROOVE! Birds: Hell yeah! I love the solo section of this song. I did not disappoint this night. Guyute: I really wasn't in the mood for a guyute. I think they have been playing this tune a little much lately. Oh well. Next came Loving Cup: This song really got the crowd movin. A real good version. This song would cap off the set. Overall set was average but better things were in the future for the next set. Jiboo: Never heard this newer song before and i dug it. Cool lyrics with backup vocals and all. Wedge: YES!!! Fishman seemed to be getting a little tired. This jam really extended longer than i was expecting. Awesome version though. Bowie: A soon as fishman did his hi-hat thingy i knew it was comin. Trey was getting some sick ass noises from his amp. It sounded as if it was a voice talking or something. Cool stuff. This jam extended about 15 min which is shorter than they used to play it. No finish but what happened next made up for it. Have Mercy: Cool Jam. It seems to show up with MMGAMOIO. Craklin Rosie: The trey/fish switcharoo on drums was awesome. It started with a vacuum solo without any music before rosie came in. I think fishman might have forgot some of the words on this one. Oh yeah, fishman wouldn't stop soloing. Mike kept handing him the cymbals for crakling rosie to no avail. Finally it was over though. Then after rosie came the whole hyhu thing. Fishman did tons of laps around the stage moving faster than i ever saw him move before. It was halarious. After it was all over fishman said to the crowd that you are really too kind, a couple of times. Twist: I love the old way of this song, but i do enjoy the new arrangement. Very unexpected from me. Waste: They slowed things down a bit with this song which i can understand. It was a super high energy set. This song ended the second set. Encore: Ride Captain Ride: I was totally not expecting this tune. Very rare song from phish. Overall an awesome show. I can't wait for tommorrow. See-ya there
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 14:37:53 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Philly Greetings from Philly, Last night was Phish Phriday in Philly. Whew...First off, I am almost 31 yrs. old have essentially grown up with Phish. From my first show at Haverford College in 1989 to the 23 East in Ardmore, to the Chestnut Caberet, to the Keswick Theatre, the Mann, the Tower and all the way to the Spectrum, I have seen the good, bad and inspiring. Last night 's show far passed any expectations. Good job boys, I hope to catch y'all for another 10 years.
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 11:30:28 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/10/99 philly review Thank God Phish finally made it back to the Spectrum...Although in the beginning I was getting worried about the show, by the end of the night I was sporting a huge smile... Tweezer: Good if your in the mood for a tweezer...a tight version...nothing spectacular Bouncin: (no comment)..except my disappointment that this got the biggest reaction of the night Horn: Love Horn...not too much room for improv but how many times to you get a horn...come on Heavy things: First time I heard it and I dug the tune...A welcome addition to the repetoire. At this point I am slightly disappointed...it seems they are not mixing up the song types very well...wishing the would pick it up a little bit more Dog Stole Things: NIce little rare one...alright version though...I was noticing that Trey was starting to have a little trouble up there which I will mention in a bit MMGAMOIO: Another Sweet little treat....still show seeming a little slow Roggae: I can't help but dig this song...I Like the feel of it...They did some nice things with the jam, some moderate tension and release technique by switching the timbre of the song between kind of heavy and kind of heaven Birds!!: I love this tune live...it is so easy to dance to...finally we are starting to see the show pick up a little...I thought this was a tight version...Trey still having a little trouble up there. Guyute: If they busted this one out once or twice in a blue moon I think it would hold that place in our hearts with all the other rare gems (i.e. harpua, camel walk) but since they put it back in the rotation they're killing it... Loving Cup: This is always so rockin...Perfect placement...they left me pumped when the lights went up...Also...since Trey had been noticeably flubbing a lot during the latter part of the set, like in Guyute, in an effort to further connect the band and audience they chose Loving Cup for the line "I know I'm playing bad guitar" possibly as Trey's way of telling us that he knows he's been a little sloppy on his axe The second set totally ( in a sense) made up for the pretty weak first set Jiboo; F#$kin Awesome...Possibly the best thing to comeout of the solo shows...Picked up right where the left off on the energy level of Loving Cup...sweet song Wedge: You gotta love a good wedge Bowie: The intro was damn deep...After Lemmonwheel I felt that Bowie's were getting kind of weak as the jam section seemed to be going nowhere, then they started taking off the ending (WHAT??!!--only the best part of the song) But last night's version was sweet and although they did not finish it what they did do was even better. i.e... Have Mercy: Nice!!!!!! Sweet reggae jammin back in bowie Cracklin Rosie: I don't know how he does it but he plays a damn good vacuum...As soon as I saw the cymbals I knew right away, as did anyone else who saw them, what we were in store for...I never thought they were going to pull this one out...Nice to see or hear rather that Fishman's vocal stylings have improved considerably since awful yet hilarious singing of all the Syd Barrett tunes in '87 and beyond... Twist: Definitely had a new intro...This was the first one I've seen and I was totally psyched...Another one of those tunes that just pumps the whole crowd up Waste: Not a show stopper but a solid song as a whole...Not what you would think would end the second set but it was a weird night alot of surprises I thought...I also thought that this version was real good... Ride Captain Ride: Hell yeah...that's all I gotta say...yeah Page!!! As a whole I think the show was sweet... In true Phish, two night runs, and Spectrum Style, we should be in for a killer show tomorrow
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 01:22:14 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Please post!!!!!!!!!( Philadelphia,Dec 10th) December 10,1999,Spectrum It was my first Phish show. I was very,very,very impressed, I've been listening to them for a while and have'nt gotten the chance to see them until last night. I was'nt really exactly sure what their set would sound like. As soon as the lights went out I was soooooooo pumped. I could just tell that there was a great vibe in the air and that in the next few minutes I would be exposed to the #1 best live act around. as soon as I heard the opening riff to "Tweezer" I went nuts. I thought it was a really solid jam and I really liked how they played it out. I thought "Bouncing..." was a good choice but was poorly placed in the set. I thought "Birds of a feather" was awesome...Its a great song but live its so much better. "Guyute" I thought this tune could have been left out. I just was'nt very into it...Its kinda like a Gilbert and Sullivan musical number. I had to leave early and I am sorry I missed the second half of the second set I left with 3 words in my mind: PHISH IS GOD. (or close) Dan, Philadelphia,PA
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 17:18:57 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Dumb Thought Hi - Here's a dumb stats thought about last night's show... Tweezer was played for the first time in Philly, but in 1995, there was a Tweezer Reprise unaccompanied by Tweezer - 12/15/95, at the Spectrum. Granted, that one completed the one from 12/14/95, and they'll probably play Reprise tonight in the encore, but it's a thought. Erik
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 13:02:18 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Dec. 10 Philly Review This show totally blew me away. Some great jams. Wasn't expecting this at all First Set Tweezer: Was hoping for Tweezer, but didn't think there was much of a chance. Great jam...nothing different than usual. Bouncing: Same as usual. Didn't get me moving too much. The Crowd loved it though. Horn: I came to this show having not listened to Horn in more than one year. I regret that. It was incredible. The song got the crowd going. This song got me grooving pretty well. Heavy Things: First time hearing this song. I thought the music was excellent. However, I could feel that there was room for a great jam in this song and it never came. Dog Stole Things: Totally wasn't expecting it. Short, but sweet. My Mind's Got a Mind of Its own: This song was pretty good. I never heard it before this show. Once again, there could've been a better jam. Roggae: Very mellow as usual. The music is great however. A good soft jam. Birds of a Feather: Maybe the greatest Birds I've ever heard. The energy was high and the jam was incredible. It may have been the best jam of the entire night. This song picked up the pace for the rest of the show. Guyute: My personal Phavorite song. Even though the song doesn't change much from time to time, I grooved harder here than the rest of the show. Loving Cup: This song had more energy than all songs in the first set combined. Amazing. Even a good jam. One of the best covers in Phish's repetoire. So far the show has been great. I was looking forward to the second set at this point. My friend thought he saw Trey talking to the Dude behind the stage. They came out to start the second set strong with... Second set Gotta Jiboo: Funky, Long, Great Bass Jam. Only my second time hearing this song. One of the greatest musical points of the night. The Wedge: Good song. This is a song with a great jam and good lyrics. Thanks for this one. Bowie: I was pumped at the start of this, but it left me hanging. The start was great, but it went into this next song too shortly. Have Mercy: Good Reggae tune. They nailed this one and followed it by many good jams. The song led into a Bowie Jam in which the lights were on Fishman. Page began to play HYHU. Trey took off his guitar and walked towards Fish's drums. The crowd went nuts. Vacuum Solo: Very cool. Mike was holding a pair of cymbals. After the Solo, Fish grabbed the cymbals. Cracklin' Rosie: The song and crowd reaction was good, but the symbals didn't make any sound. It was great to be there for this. HYHU: Fishman ran laps around the stage many times, bowing and dancing at points. Kuroda did a great job with following Fish with the lights. At one point, Fish grabbed the mic and said you are far far too kind. Twist: Decent song. Good soft jams. Wasn't expecting this at all. Waste: Huge reaction from the crowd. Trey may have had his greatest solo of the night here. Although I don't like this song too much, I managed to get into it after a little while. Enc: Ride Captain Ride: They should definetly play this one much more. Page sounds here. Everyone loved this. I was hoping for Tweezer Reprise afterwards. We never got it, but I had nothing to be disappointed about. Great Show. The End of the first set and the entire second set were especially great.
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 01:48:15 -0500 From: Jonathan_A_Pron/Student/Student%[email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/10/99 review 12/10/99 First Union Spectrum - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania My hometown! I've been excited for months for this one! And you just know that when Phish opens with: TWEEZER - it's gonna be a good show. The jam was not the best I've ever heard, but I can't complain. BOUNCING AROUND THE ROOM - played in the standard way, just like every time, but the vocals were particularly good tonight. HORN - not my favorite song, but the best version of it I've heard. Then, it was my first ever... HEAVY THINGS - and I enjoyed it very much. I hope this makes it onto their new CD... can't wait for that! DOGS STOLE THINGS - It was a good version of this song, but at this point, they started to lose me. The excitement just wasn't there. MY MIND'S GOT A MIND OF ITS OWN - Also a good song and played well, but still losing me, and then... ROGGAE - Completely ruined the mood. It was even slower than on The Story of the Ghost (like most of the live renditions of this song). I didn't think I could be brought back to life. Especially not by a song on that CD, but then came... BIRDS OF A FEATHER - and it was the best version of that song that I have heard live, on TV, or on the disk. Who would have predicted that BOAF would have been the song to save a lull in the set? GUYUTE - Another one from Ghost?!? I hope they're not trying to promote their newest recorded effort; it's so unlike them. But this song was incredible. As a guy behind me said, it doesn't change much from show to show, but it's always a welcome addition to the setlist. It really got ME moving at least! LOVING CUP - I was hoping for this one! A great way to close out the first set. A great song, and they played it expertly. Way to go, guys! You gave us a positive way to remember the set by putting this incredible version of Loving Cup last. SET 2 GOTTA JIBOO - Wow! Possibly the best way to start out the second set. Whatever funk they had gotten themselves into for awhile during the first set, they worked it out backstage and came out strong. All thinking of promoting a CD or playing to a higher-concentration "newbie" crowd went right out the window. THE WEDGE - One of my favorites! They played it SO well too! DAVID BOWIE - Not my personal favorite, but this version was excellent, especially with the long spacey jam intro and jam. HAVE MERCY - So cool! And fit in so well with the rest of the set. This led into a reggae jam, which was great. Trey's guitar work made us all jump around. Then Trey put his guitar down and circled back behind his amps and took a drumkstick from Jon. They played a measure or two together, then Trey took over drums completely, and Jon slowly made his way to Trey's position. Of course, as Jon moved, the band played... HOLD YOUR HEAD UP - With all the lights on him, it happened. Johnny B. Fishman picked up... his VACUUM! I was dying it was so funny. And the coolest vacuum solo I've had the pleasure of witnessing. Mike came over to him twic to give him cymbals, which he kinda played, but then threw them around a bit. Jon stayed there and sang... CRACKLIN' ROSIE - next. Not bad at all! My friend Ann thought it was so cool; it was her first show and she never expected anything like this! Then Jon decided he needed some exercise. He ran several laps around the stage, pausing at certain points for applause and to bow in the Fishman way to the audience. Nudity? Nope. Maybe next time! HOLD YOUR HEAD UP - So Fish can get back to his drums. TWIST - My first Twist in concert, and wow, what a performance! WOO! WASTE - A great song that I love to play myself. It sounds much better from Trey though, and was particularly great tonight. A great closer for a great set. ENCORE: RIDE CAPTAIN RIDE - Page! What a singer... let him do it more often! What, no Tweezer Reprise? I've been good, I deserve it! I was looking for a Tweezer sandwich, but unfortunately no. I read that there were actually TWO Reprises at their last show (which I was unfortunately not at) in Portland. So, maybe that's why? What do I know? Jonathan Pron - [email protected]
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 05:31:13 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/10/99 I thought the show was excellent. I made it there late so I can't say how the first couple songs were but I thought they jammed really well and the music was so beautiful. They touched my soul, once again. Life is all about the music! Sunshine Daydreams~ Jennifer
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 15:10:33 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: review of 12/10/99 @ The Spectrum Well, after not having seen the band since the E-Centre show over the summer, i was pretty pumped about this show....The Tweezer opener put a smile on my face, but i wasnt really in the mood for a Bouncing, which followed....Horn is always a really nice tune to hear and they gave us a pretty nice version....I LOVED Heavy Things; it was my first time hearing this song, after hearing about it from other people and seeing it appear on so many setlists, i was pretty pumped, and i must say, it was really sweet. Dog Stole Things is always a good tune, and then it was followed up pretty well with MMGAMOIO....Roggae, to me, is a downer, but the jamming on this one was pretty good, so i coudlnt complain....BOAF fuckin rocked! ive never danced so much in my life! it put me in a really good mood and i was ready for the very nice version of Guyute which followed...I was very surprised to hear Loving Cup, but it no doubt left me with a really good feeling about the second set.... The second set was probably one of the best sets i've seen in a while....they were sooo on, and every second was very precious......The Jiboo>Wedge we were treated with, which opened up the second, was sweet as shit....the jamming was soooo there and they took me to that place that only Phish can take me to.....The Bowie that followed was very sweet, with a good 2 minutes of some weird intro. jamming....During Have Mercy, i made my way down to the entrance to the concourse which looked like it was a very good place to dance....it indeed was, and there, i thoroughly enjoyed the Hilarrious Rosie which followed....is it just me, or did Fishman forget almost all the words to this oldie?? oh well....it was still very entertaining....I absolutely love Twist, and we were treated to a very VERY good one...the Waste that followed was pretty solid, but we still needed more....i wanted one more phishy surprise to close up my night....and then they came out for the encore.....RIDE CAPT. RIDE:):)!!! WOW! Page really rocked this one, and it was a very very nice ending to an above average night....Good goin guys!!
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 11:20:10 -0500 From: David M. Goldstein [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/10/99 Hey now, Here's my take on the first night up in Illadelph, home to one of the shittiest concert venues in America, the country's lamest cops, and parking lots with more nitrous than a dental warehouse. Nothing beats trying to leave the parking lot while dodging losers strung out on hippie crack.....And what was up with the lack of port o' johns? Walking to Veterans Stadium to stand in line for 3 toilets, and then walking back to the Spectrum is uncool. But on to the show you say.....overall, the key word is "decent". Nothing to blow your skirt up, or scream, "This is why I see Phish!!!!", but tight and competent, with some definite goodies. If you've seen the list for set I, it basically speaks for itself. Jampacked with pop tunes that were tightly played, if little else. Bouncin' as the second song in the set followed by Horn made me feel like it was '91 all over again. Tweezer is always cool to open, and some of the Kuroda effects with these white and red swirly/strobe lights were insane. Anyone else think that Heavy Things sounds a lot like the Who's Sally Simpson? Good BOAF, but nowhere near 7/10/99, and I'm waaaaay sick of Guyute and Lovin Cup. Second set was a whole 'nother ball 'o wax. I'm familiar with Gotta Jiboo from a Trey solo tape, and the thought that always came to mind was..."great bassline, catchy tune, the midsection goes nowhere". Guess what? Phish plays it the same way. Mike lays the shit down HARD, but the mid-section found Trey not trying very hard at all, and I found myself thinking about the history paper I have to write tomorrow as opposed to the show. I've always loved the Wedge...great lyrics, great vocals, Phish's songwriting at their best. Thought the fade-out solos were a bit lengthy, but always a welcome tune. High-hat usually means Bowie....Mike was fooling around with some excruciating bass effects during the intro that brought to mind the pain inflicted on the audience whenever Bobby used to take slide guitar solos. I thought my head was going to explode due to the BASS. Trey fooling around with his keyboard too I believe. Tight Bowie that segued into some reggae beats with Mike playing a bassline that sounded like "Mirror in the Bathroom" a'la 11/27/98 (sick, sick, show). The reggae turned out to be "Have Mercy". Woohoo! Just like UNH 5/93 (another sick show)! This segued into a long and loud vaccum solo, followed by Cracklin Rosie, followed by laps upon laps around the stage. This was hilarious...a friend said it was the "Fishman spectacle to end all Fishman spectacles", and he may have been right. Twist was nice. Pure, unadulterated rock n' roll with nice Kuroda strobes, but I'd be lying if I said I liked the new arrangement better than the old one. They've taken out some of the lyrics, and sing the "Woo!" part a few more times. Waste closed the set, and although Trey sort of managed to rock the ending Lovin' Cup style, I don't think they should make it a habit to close sets with this......Did I like set II? Sure did. Jiboo needs practice, but there was creativity evident throughout. Ride Captain Ride was an unexpected and kick ass encore. Great Page vocals, great classic rock. And so it goes. Decent show...relatively unexciting first set followed by an above average set II. Here's hoping for a rager tonight, and then I hope Phish never plays the Spectrum again. Lousy lots, parking is a bitch, and the venue looks like its going to cave in. Indeed. dave g
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 02:25:27 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: (no subject) Well, tonight was an interesting show, and I can say that the day of rest really shows when Trey is playing well like he did tonight... Started the show LATE which is great for all of us who are late for everything ourselves Tweezer: I thought this might make it in tonight, but certainly not to open....Solid tweezer, not to long which was nice, nice guitar work by Trey....Thought we were in for craziness after this but, Bouncin : Eh Horn: This was pretty cool, with CK doing up those great blue lights a la Rift artwork..weird placement I thought but the entire first set was a strange brew of phish Heavy Things: Love this new one and the quick almost marchlike drumbeats never missed a step....cool vocals and great little dance tune Dog Stole Things: Mmmmm Mind's Got a Mind : Fun little country tune. Would have loved to hear Water in the Sky instead or a Poor Heart This is where things ended up with a bang......four very different songs that span a huge variety of music in this great string of songs Roggae : Dreamy and very Pink Floydish, thanks Kuroda again here a stellar job BOAF : Fun and Trey had a great little series of riffs that really can extend this song from its FM radio form to a great jam Guyute : yeah, its played a lot now but I actually have not heard it live in over 30 shows so it was a treat. My girl and I were about to bust into riverdance during the Irish jig part of the tune. Tight version, GREAT LIGHTS Loving Cup.....this song has a special meaning as it is the first song I heard them play in concert at the Roxy in 93....great set closer First Set was definitely different.. When Tweezer reared it head to start, I though we'd have a freaky set...Nice variety of tunes but NO segues at all. Each song like a CD.....I guess that's what the second set is for then..... Second set Jiboo : Another new song that is fun to dance to .....anyone notice the similarity between Heavy Things and this....same meter.....great to boogie to Wedge : Knew this was coming and was listening to it as I walked out of my place to got to the show. Love the beats fishman can lay down....Ok what to do now.... David Bowie : Started out with a cool intro with crazy sound bouncing off everything but it was pretty short, first segue into Mercy......cool reggae feel for a while in this tune but nothing earth shattering as far as the improvised part....was really searching for a segue into boogie on reggae woman and it really sounded like they were headed there but.... A loud vacuum cleaner.......REALLY LOUD......a cracklin rosie followed and fishman tonight took more bows than any one man should ever take in one night.....Jon loves that front and center state and the crowd was really going nuts okay.....lets close it out strong guys Twist : Interesting song but Trey seems to have a hard time with this one.....never really sounding tight.....and then the ultimate surprise Waste : To close? damn, this one really had me scratching my head encore Ride Captain This was fun and I love Page on this one. Was hoping for another but that was it Overall : Well, show was very fun, with a lot of musical variety....First set was pretty great, specially the closers but the second was a little shy on real inspired playing....fishman took up a good part of the set with his fun, but the show seemed like it needed a few more at the end to complete what was a solid show. I swear in the first set when Trey and Mike were figuring out what to play after Roggae, Fishman looked like he was getting pissed because they were taking so long...when he started up BOAF, it looked like he just started it to get em playing and it took a little bit the rest of the boys to catch on..after that it was all good Kudos to Kuroda for giving those phans sitting behind the stage their own personal light show during portions of the sets....after seeing the lights from their vantage point, it was really cool of him to give em some love Well, I look forward to a Saturday Night Special in Philly and hopefully a few surprises await us... Allen
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 09:31:11 -0500 From: David Gobel [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: (no subject) This was my 2nd Phish show and I really enjoyed it. I took my son (I turned 50 Feb 20). I thought the show was at First Union Center and was v glad to see the crowd in front of the Spectrum when we turned off Broad St. The ceiling at the FU Center is much too high-the sound is lost (I know). Parking wasn't too bad, I guess-behind Veterans stadium. I was v glad it wasn't raining-it was when I left work at 4. I was surprised that they opened with "Tweezer" since they had just played it in ME. They started 45 min late and I couldn't figure out what the music playing was-sounded OK. The crowd was hollering after the end of each-was ready to rock. "Bouncing Round the Room" was 1 of the first songs I heard from Phish CD and it always feels like an "oldie but goodie" for me. The next 3-4 tunes I really didn't know. The band seemed tight. "Birds of a Feather" was a blast-the best of the night for me. It was just solid version (nice Trey jam in the middle) and great to sing with. I thought I was tired of hearing "Guyute" but they put something new into it this time-a crowd pleaser. "Loving Cup" was a new song for me and it was sweet. The mens was incredibly packed-what a relief when I finally got to the urinal. Set 2 started slow-I thought. "Gotta Jiboo" was kind of funky and improved toward the end. "David Bowie" and then into reggae jam that was v. cool- great dancing music. Johnny B Fishman loves the spotlight and he revelled and rocked and belted at the front of the stage tonight. I didn't like the vacuum part too much, but "Hold Your Head Up" was excellent and Trey got to show off with the drums. I had to laugh at Fishman circling the stage-Phish gives you a range of emotions. "Cracklin Rosie" sounded like Neil Diamond to me-something you hear at the Jersey shore. I had no idea that this was part of their repertoire-a guy behind us with a Santa hat on said they play it now and again. The last song "Waste" was a new 1 for me- liked it. Encore was "Ride Captain Ride" and I couldn't remember who originated this- doesn't matter- for me-just the right finish-an up tune. The lights throughout were good-I especially liked the white-red ones that "vibrate"-anyway, we are ready for tomorrow night. -- )( )( )( )( )( )(^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^)( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )(^^^^^^^^^^)( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )(^^^^)( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( .. )( )( )(
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 03:01:19 -0800 From: Brian Russ [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/10/99 First Union Spectrum - Review 12/10/99 First Union Spectrum - Philadelphia, PA - time 1:40am right after the show... How else does one describe his or her first real Phish show, other than by saying it was abosuolutely awe inspiring. Before I get into the full review, I first have a quick story to tell. I am a freshman at St. Joe's University in Philly, and being a freshman, I'm not allowed to have a car on campus. So I went home to get my car to bring up so I could have a way to get to the show. Well on the way back to school, me and my friend got in a terrible accident when a guy coming out fo a merging lane didn't look or use the 3000 yards of merging lane to blend in with the traffic, instead of being cautious he decided to pull right out coming within one inch of hitting my car, so I swervede inot the other lane struck a van, and my car was spun 90 degrees so we were completely horitzonal with the road. For some reason God must have not wanted me to die that day, because in the middle of morining rush hour we didn't hit any other cars on our juorny back into straignt travels. Why didn't God want me to die? He wanted me to see Phish at Philly on the 10th! Being my first show I had proir feelings that it HAD to be awesome, all my friends had told me it would be the time of my life, and after almost dying, I put alot of pressure on the band to pull through witha great show. Althought I was not completely pleased with the setlist, I did in fact have the time of my life. Tweezer was a good opening song. Nothing extremely amazing happened durin tweezer, Trey plaed it just as we know it, but it was a great way to set the tone for a strangely hilarous and loving night. When mike hit the first bass lines for bouncing, the croud suddenly transformed into a group of people, to a family of people.. Love was the main theme of this show, it could be felt all over. The band showed their love of the fans, the fans showed their love of the band, and even the security seemed pretty pelased with the experience of phish. Horn brought out a vibe that was felt later many times in the show, it was in a way a foreshowding of mysticisim. Heavy Things and Dogs Stole things were pretty average in my mind, but My Mind's Got a Mind of it's Own, brought out that wholesome loving feeling once more with the crowd, and the height of the bands performance for that night came within the closing songs of the first set. Birds of a Feather was phenomonial, despite it being more of a poppy tune. Perhaps it was the best song of the night. Trey did an excellent job of jaming it out, and when the chorus came up, everyone in the crowd sang it with great admiration and love. Guyute was right on the money it fit in so well within the setlist, and hardly a mistake was made in this complex masterpiece of a song. Ending the set with "a loving cup," was so fitting, it told the crowd that a new phish was on its way, and the same old phish still existed with a genuine love. The second set was so full fo energy that, it emotionally drained the crowd. Gotta Jiboo and the wedge, helped to rengenerate the vibe that was being felt at the end of the first set, and the Lead in to Bowie was phienminal, it sounded like some sort of pink floyd composition. The band built up a great amount of suspense. I was pretty sure it was going to be bowie, but the fact that they played the intro out so long was incredible the corwd emotionally was just wiaiting for that first chord to bust out, but the band kept dramatically delaying. Trey began doing some funky floydish stuff with his guitar, it souned like it was talking real in a freaky voice. The Bowie jam was pretty average, until it smoothly transformed itself into a Marley sounding beat that got the crowd swinging and swaying like crazy. When Fishman started teasing the band, by changing the drum beats, and then doing a neat little drum solo, trey was busting out in elated laughter as if this was the 2nd year the band had ever been touring. Cracklin Roise was probably one of the funniest things i ever saw, because Fishman worked the crowd in John Belushi style. When he was holding up the cymbals that said "B""AH" on them, the look on his face alone was a great comparison for the entire concert - Loving and Humerous. Any songs coming after the big Fishman thing were following a tough act, therfore Twist didn't have as much energy as it could have. But the decision to play waste at the end of the second set brought out the best in everyone. It was like the last slow songs of the senior prom, the love had been building up all night, and everyone knew it was almost over, so just taking in and absorbing waste proved to be very fulfilling. Plus the band did a nice job jaming the song, turining it into a song that had the qualities to end a set. The encore, "Ride Cpptain Ride" was just fun. It was so alive that it seemed like the band came out to open the first set. I think Phish must have known that the 10th of Dec, was going to be my first show. Because after a rough week of school, and accidents, I was in need of LOVE and Phish provided.
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 16:13:46 -0800 (PST) From: Erin Neiles [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Philly 12/10/99 Hi! I was checkin the set list out for the first night of Philly 12/10/99 and I remember Tweezer was unfinished without the Reprise (which happend at the 1st or 2nd night of the Albany show on Fall tour). Jus thought you might like to know that too for the set list. Erin
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 09:18:15 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Friday spectrum Can someone in attendance Friday please tell me I'm NOT crazy because I thought that middle/outro jam in "Tweezer'' sounded a whole lot like Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba'' Good stuff.
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999 02:55:36 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/10/99 Just got back from the bars after the show. It was a smooth night all around. The Last show I saw In Albany left me wanting more, especially for the tour closer. This show was pretty fucking rockin though. The first set was pretty standard and very predictable. It was played well though, nice and tight. The highlight was definitely loving Cup. All this Ghost was a little too much in one set, but they were still really tight. Tweezer opener was quite a surprise. The second set started off well. I had never heard Gottta Jiboo, but it was funky as shit and Mike was dropping bombs. I was waiting for the Bowie, & they hit it hard. Really crazy intro, with Trey kicking a serious delay loop that sounded like some talking. Those who were there know what the fuck i'm talking about. The Bowie segued perfectly into Have Mercy. Alhtough the Craklin Rosie was great to hear, Fishman forget most of the lyrics and ended up just kinda humming along. The Waste closer was a bit of a disapointment, but the encore was absolutely fabulous. Page was the perfect way to end the Show. See ya there tomarrow night.
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