12-12-99 -- Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut>

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Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 23:32:13 -0500
From: Bill Cannon [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12-12-99
 
ok first of all its my third show (im 16) the first 2 where this past great
woods. my dreams did come true that day. I just started bass lessons and I
needed inspiration. who better to inspire me than mike gordan... he was
jogging around outside so I went up to him and got a picture with him he's
pretty cool okay here go's 1st set :
 
Heavy things:  this was the first I heard this song and it was great. Page
does a great job on this song I cant complain at all it got me so pumped for
the rest of the night I couldn't imagine what was next
 
AC/DC bag:  shit I totally forgot about this song until the first few chords
my friend Eric was going nuts its one of his favs.  its was a great version
and a great ending which was strong and powerful I was so tired from dancing I
needed a break
 
Strange design: perfect timing I needed a breather and I am in love with this
song page does such a beautiful job with it.  I couldn't ask for more
 
Divided sky: this is my favorite song of all time I cant stress that enough
this being the only time I would get a chance to here this until maybe the
summer tour this was really all I was hoping for.  it was brilliant definatly
my best phish experience ever.  perfect timing and playing the band pulled
this out of the sky..  the energy was flowing they could have played ace of
base and the crowd would have loved it energy was thick
 
beauty:  this was good..  I needed a breather after divided so I took it easy
good song
 
Bug: great version  the crowd was going nuts during this
 
stash:  excellent placement I don't think anyone expected it this version was
tight and nice Jon was going absolutely nuts from what I remember he carried
it by far
 
this lead to chalkdust which left the crowd astonished they were cheering so
much I could see them dancing when the light lights came on (you know when
they say"let me live while im young"
 
Overall the first set was pure energy . there most energy I have ever seen at
any show
 
2nd set
 
Drowned : I didn't know what it was but I liked it the last have was so good
it made me hope for a hydrogen that didn't come oh well
 
Caspian : personally I love this song. the jams are always good to hear and
new things usually come out of them for the people who don't like this song
suck it up pussys it will be over in ten minutes just hope for a raging coil
next cause that's what you'll get
 
Coil: I new they would play it I knew it I was not let down the page solo was
short but sweet they tried hard on this song
 
makisupa: good version the think I hate about this song is I always think its
Harry hood and I end up being disappointed.  but they just played that last
show so I knew it was the police man cool funky jam on treys keys
 
Antelope: what a powerhouse closer. this antelope got me so ready to dance and
I did all the way from those first chords until the power ending just like in
the earlier ac/dc bag one of the best versions vie heard
 
RUNAWAY JIM: total surprise encore ... I loved it this song is so great I
couldn't ask for more
 
overall a nice show
I met mike gordan and I heard divided sky  what else could I ask for

Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 10:36:18 -0500 From: Rick DeSantis [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-12-99 I'm getting a little turned off by all of the reviews on this page. It seems like everyone is looking for that perfect show. We need to remember that these guys are people too and some nights they are not going to blow your mind away. With that said. Let's start the review. I am an old schooler - over 100+ shows (most of them in the early 90's) I've never missed a holiday tour or a Holloween show. To date my best show's include Holloweeen in Atlanta and the Roxy's in Atlanta and well as the MSG holiday runs. I miss the days of seeing Phish in front of 500 instead of 50, 000. I brought my soon to be wife to this show - her first show - and was very pleased with the boys and their performance. 1st set. Heavey Things- nice opener. It's good to see them bring out the newer songs. AC/DC Bag - nice. But unfinished.It got the crowd going. Strange Design - Paige is the man. Set the tone for a mellow set Divided Sky - old school staple - seemed like a long time of waiting during the freeze jam. Was good and stayed with in the mellow theme of the set. Beauty of My Dreams - another newer tone, glad to see it. Bug - Nice jam - but not the Bug that Trey was playing on his solo shows. This will certainity become a treat. Give them a few more tours yo iron out and look out. Stash - Bring out the staple to end the tour - it was tight and the boys seemsed to enjoy it. Chalk Dust - Always a good set ender but it lacked the punch that I have seen before. Over all the first set was a nice mellow set. They brought out a lot of newer songs and said low key. 2nd set- Drowned - The Who never played it so tight or well. It brought back days of Chicago in the rain waiting for Quadraphinia. This was the hightlight of the show. The boys came out smoking. For a few minutes I thought we were going to have another three song second set (remember Thanksgiving '97 with 58 minute Run Away Jim). Prince Casp - Was ok but left un finished. Trey forgot a few line but covered it up well. I wish they finished it. I love that power ending. Squirming Coil - Nice Paige M Policeman - I think they played this in response to call the cops. (I have seen a bunch of shows at hartford and it's always the same. This place sucks for security. I have never seen more people being pulled out of the crowd. These guys get off on pushing kids around). Antelope - Nice closer. They were tight and together. Always a fav. Run away Jim - Good but mellow. Overall the boys played well with alot of newer songs and a few staples thrown in. We enjoyed the show.
Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 13:06:53 -0800 From: debmer [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Hartford I must start off by saying this was my birthday show!! I am now 22 and feeling younger=) So let me cut to the chase... The lot scene sucked! The civic center was in a mall?! Anyways some of you may have seen me around I was pushing my buddy around in a wheelchair. He was having a great time at the shows and so was I!! Ok here we go... Heavy things- Well lets just say this wasn't what I was hoping for an opener on my birthday but it did give me time to sit and enjoy a pipe with my buddy james. I don't understand why they play this song so much. Am I the only one that doesn't really like it? I heard it at 3 out of 4 shows this tour. Ac/Dc bag!- Now this is a kick down! Im glad I got IRIE the song before because I was more than pumped for this one. Glad to hear an old school style, hard rockin Bag! Strange Design- Im not to into slow phish tunes. Although when they are placed right in the set, like after a smoking ac/dc, they are nice. Page really takes this song away. Im glad they decided to slow it down before... DIVIDED SKY!!!!!!!!!- WoW! This obviously was my birthday present. I haven't heard this since the Clifford Ball. I had goose bumps all over when I heard the opening chords. I smoked some of the finest Sativa my friend had during the slow part and was ready for the jam! Did anyone see the sunset that day. It was a perfect divided sky. The sky above was blue and the sky below was orange and magenta and purple. Absolutly amazing! Beauty of my Dreams- Ok I couldn't do anything but dance they could have played Kum By Ya and I still wouldda been dancing. I was still dancing to divided sky even thought they were playin Beauty. It was good to hear but not one of my favs. Bug- Ummmmmmm...I really could care less for this one Stash!!- Yeah they know how to lift it all back up to another level. This Stash was tight!! Every member was on and it flowed so nicely into.. Chalkdust!- This was one rippin chalkdust! Great way to close the set. I was really happy this was my birthday. Trey made a comment about his grandfather dying at age 92. He said that he was ready to play tonight!!! Setbreak- Let me just say that the security sucks in Hartford. There were Makisupas and security guards everywhere. I couldn't even burn one during setbreak.They were kicking everyone out of the aisles and I wasn't in my real seat so it made me stressed out cause I was afraid they were gonna move me. finally the lights went down. Drowned!!- What an opener!!!!!!!!! I read it was like 30 minutes long. It was definitly a monumental jam Caspian- Man I have heard this song so many times. I think i am a caspian magnet theyt just like to play it at every show i go to (well not every show but a lot) Again I was able to rest after that drowned and burn one. Coil- Its always nice to hear so old school tunes but I wasn't in the mood for some slow ones tonight. I enjoyed pages solo but it seems they get shorter every time I see this song. Makisupa!- This got me back on my feet! Mike was unbelievable during this song. All I could hear were pure bass notes being projected from the speakers. Mike is the man. Speaking of mike I saw him like 3 times that night before and after the show. I think he likes Hartford and felt the need to explore. Antelope- This was a repeat for me but I didnt care. I got my groove shoes on for this one and got down!!!!! I forget who said it in an earlier post but this one(imo)didnt come close to the one in Portland. It was still a ripping antelope but the one in Portland was on another level. E: Runaway Jim- I wasn't expecting this but it was better than some other encores Ive heard in the past. It was a standard Jim nice to hear. Overall I am very happy to say this was my Birthday show! Thanks a lot boys. You made my day. Peace Jay
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 15:36:34 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/12/99 review 12/12/99- hartford conn. before i start this review i just want to say that the security guards at this show sucked ass! they stole my sweatshirt from under my seat! but it was ok cause i loved this show. it was my little brother petee's first phish experience so it was very special to me. I heavy things- i liked this song more after hearing a couple of times. good happy song. liked it. ac/dc bag- just what i wanted to hear. my little brother was all fired up during this song and so was i. strange design- page rules. i haven't seen this song since 11/29/97. always love page. divided sky- YES!! just what i wanted for petee's first show. this is a marvelous song. pretty fuckin long pause but the crowd kept up the energy stompin away. didn't jam out too much but i loved it. beauty- great song to take a break, always love these tunes. bug- this song is gonna go places. i liked it the first time i heard it and it's not tiring yet. stash- i've been waiting for this song. this was my friends favorite song and he decided not to attend tonight. sorry nick. chalkdust- this was a rockin closer. my section was jumpin. sorry to hear about trey's grandpa. II drowned- first time i've heard this. i didn't recognize this right away. i love the who so this was good. enjoyed the jam too. very long. very, very long. caspian- sorry i had to sit down for this one. the end was good though. squirming coil- good tune. heard it a few times now. always good to see page get his props. makisupa- lifted this set back up. loved this makisupa, herbal jazz cigarette. trey was great on keys. this was fun with the whole security guard shit. the guards sucked. antelope- not as good as portland, but i was expecting that so i loved it. always a favorite. runaway jim- haven't heard this since Oswego so i liked it. trey should have had a little more time in there but it's ok. over all i had a great time and loved the show. also sorry to the guy in our section who lost his son a couple weeks ago. thats horrible and i hope he gets through it.
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 09:39:35 -0800 From: neil belanger [email protected] To: [email protected] alright dogs-- here ya go...my personal review heavy things--heavy tinks for you blazer---excellent opener, a great new tune that leads the set to be very promising...and it was bag----oh its on now..intro was perfect and the jam spoke for itself---nothing too fancy--just a solid, and perfectly placed bag strange design--if u travel and see shows all teh time--its impossible not to appreciate this song--page hit it perfectly....my thoughts are stirring right now and i'm thinking, if we get a hot tune next, you have a solid opening set--despite the losers in the front row with their arms folded teh entire show..go sit up in teh boonies and tuck in your shirt so it looks perfect--give your miracle ticket to someone who wouyld reaaly appreciate it-- BAM--DIVIDED---nobody talk to me for the next 15 minutes because i'm somewhere else---and for the people in front of me, sorry for fallin on ya---but i was fired up--it was all good though--they were in gamehendge as well Beauty---i like it--i dance to it---i watch everyone smoke their butts---i get really high --(tink song)...tink=cigarette--good breather after divided bug--i like---good progression thru teh song--sends out a good vibe---my e wasn't as strong as i hoped, but it doesn't matter ;) :) stash--u never know with this jam--u could be in looneyland for a while--good efx with trey's guitar--extended chorus at the end--gettin a good view of teh stage allowed me to see all band members laughing as trey jusy kept sending out the repeated chorus riff---maybe so, maybe not--excellent--its so much better when they finish it chalkdust---hell yeah--good closer---put it on teh shelf for a few shows and then rip it out to close set 1--crowd energy gets an A--- set2 drowned---if u can't stand thru long, drawn out jams--this wasn't your opener---i loved it---when you are callin your openers, this doesn't pop into many people;s heads---fishman did a good job with changing the drum beats and trey followed nicely thruout caspian--the jam in drowned transitioned into caspian very smoothly which i liked a lot--then i just relaxed and watched everyone else dance as i slowly swayed back and forth--nuff said coil-- i liked the placement--page always excels with this song--the set is flowing but its a slower set, which i didn't mind at all..trey made a great call with the next song---kept it gellin nicely policeman---as i said--excellent jam and perfectly placed--the band might have also noticed the secuity walking continuously up and down the aisle and moving people back into teh rows antelope--i gave it all i had--was hopin they would funk around with it a little----but i knew it wasn't gonna compare to portland's--i danced hard though, the guy in front of me was workin the running man--so i was deeply inspired-- encore runaway--let trey go off for ten minutes and show his talents--good jim though--nice and tight final thoughts: directly behind teh stage allows u to see all that goes on during the set--its a different but cool experience--try it sometime if u already haven't--some of the sound problems were due to trey not singing close enough to the mic--and why did so many people inside this venue throw-up----they must have been on teh same bunk i was but couldn't handle it---crowd was average--show was solid--1st set was on fire--excellent mix of songs [email protected] mounddog--lata
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 20:39:58 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Hartford is Babylon, but the band played on! After Saturday's ripper,I was debating whether or not to catch the show the very next evening in Hartford. After all, finals at school are this week and I am such a slacker, I did not want to have to cram too tough. However, being I'm so rough and tough, it was destined for me to travel up, to the home of insurance, the nearby WWF headquarters, site of the vicious (ha!) Dave Matthews riots of summer99, and home venue of so many spoiled prep-school hippies, Hartford. I gave my Hartford 97 tix away at 4pm on the day of the show here in Burlington, to total strangers who apparently hightailed it down to the gig to catch that now legendary second set. No matter how Babylon and ghetto the state of Conneticut and especially the city of Hartford are, after the Eagles dismal performance against the Cowboys and another lackluster performance by my fantasy football squad, a good dose of Phish is exactly what the dealer ordered. So I went, battling through god-awful NY/Conn traffic, met Clark (barely) at 7.30 and went into the show, noticing none of the nervous butterflies that attack me in th hour preceding showtime. Maybe because I knew they couldn' t repeat the miricles of last eve. At any rate, I saw some peeps, got a water, and boom. HEAVY THINGS.again. I really like the song, however the band should be weary of not playing it out. I saw three times in four shows. Each time they played it well. BAG!! Wow! Psyched to hear yet another "shelved" tune, a good version, not too funky but that's okay, I was still hoppin'. DESIGN. pretty, short, puff. DIVIDED!!! Was last nite contagious? Not a flawless effort, but its the thought that counts. And mind you its Divided Sky, a treat to the ears, as well as the soul, something Phish does rarely (touch your soul). BEAUTY, an average version of an average song,BUG, this one grows on me each time I hear it. So much cooler and more eventful than Caspian (which unfortunatly is to come later), Bug is truly a song I have watched grow from a puff tune to a puff-but-still-rock-out tune. Trey really can work this jam to a screaming, boasting crescendo, and tonite he evidenced that with authority, as the band kept it in check with solid changes and vocals.STASH was next, a song I have gone from liking to fearing to being indifferent to back to liking again. I may have feared this version, but I don't know. It was a little different than it used to be, with different accents in the solos and an interesting jam in the back half of the song. CHALKDUST!!!Arena rock prevails. My gosh, the crowd was rockin so hard you'd think the Whalers scored (oops, they moved!!).Trey with more shredding and guitar wizardry we have all come to expect from him. He closed the set with a shoutout to his recently? deceased grandfather (nice!) and to the rest of family in attendence. Little Trey made good, folks, didn't he? Setbreak was rather uneventful, except they played some dope acid jazz over the PA (if anyone knows the name of the artist, please contact me with it). DROWNED!!!!!!Yes! A solid vocal performance by Mike, and then a truly mind expanding jam for over a half an hour where they band never lost any interest, nor did the ever energetic crowd. They were tight, and whatever progression they were working ( and they were workin' that shit!) they should make a song because it ripped. Ripped!! Followed by CASPIAN, Wonderful things like the previous song and jam have a price, and tonite it was Caspian, which featured a good Trey solo and the crowd was into it. More power to 'em. I sat down to puff and then...COIL. I like Coil alot, but this was chronic, yo,so I remained seated. I guess they band smelled me blazin' during the Page solo ( thanks for the quiet, Hartford. I'm serious.) because they returned with MAKISUPI, and out came everybody's herbal jazz chigs.A great ditty, and they are getting pretty good at the reggae vibe (for some hairy Noreasterners!!) ANTELOPE. Been a long time since I heard an ANTELOPE, a tune that once held the title of my favorite song ( an accolade now held by tag team champs Timber Ho and Sloth [when both are mercilessly executed]). Tonite's was great, lots of energy, didn't get muddy in the middle, fierce shred, tight stop, and release. Well done, lads. As was the encore, an elaborate JIM complete with even more ridiculous guitar skillz demonstrated by the little boy who's made good. This is it for me til the millenial chaos, unless I speed on down to Hampton on Saturday. Its gettin' a whole lot better, all we need now is for you "Kidz" to straighten your hat brims and stop selling dirty drugs and we'll get there. Travel safely, peoples. BGetz VT 4now NJ 4life
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 05:10:29 -0500 (EST) From: John F Maguire [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: review of 12-12-99, hartford Just to start off, this is my 30th or so show since '95, and I have many many legs, so I feel Ive seen phish kind of change over the years. Woke up Sunday morning preparing to write a term paper when my neighbors offered me their tickets. Our other neighbor couldnt say no, so we found ourselves heading down to Hartford. Got there and hit willcall, and they said we could not pick up the tickets. After a few Heinekens walking around and thinking the situation over, went back in and told will-call I wouldn't leave until I had my tix. After they called my nieghbors who ordered the tix, I had them in my hand and headed in. Down point: My bud's chillum got confiscated when he got patted down. Never seen that in all my shows. bummer. Luckily, our seats were right behind page (thanks david and keely!) and they opened with Heavy Things, my favorite new tune. Damn bouncy, energetic, and great lyrics. AC/DC Bag next, high energy version that had everyone behind the stage dancing. I noticed there was more energy Behind the stage than in front. Strange design gave us a chance to grab a few bud lights. Everyone in the aisles was polite in getting out of the way of the dude carrying a full beer in each hand. Heard the opening notes of Divided Sky!!!!! right as I saw the stage again. First time ive heard this since sugarbush 95. REALLY long pause but the energy never let up - people banging on the floor!! Solo seemed pretty standard to me but my buddy told me on the way home that song made him want to hit the tour. I guess it's all relative. Bug was good, liked the song from the Ghost sessions bootleg and had a near religious experience at Nassau to this song on fall tour. Songs like this are just made for Trey's rock star leanings, emotional guitar rising and rising and a great chorus. Stash was good to hear. And then Chalkdust!! I wasnt really a huge fan of this until the last year, and now everytime I hear it it is more raging. Energy was damn high in my section at the end. Didnt see one person standing still!! It was weird to hear trey mention his granpa died right at the end of a killer Chalkdust...seemed kind of out of place. Anyway, best wishes, Trey. Spent set break looking for my bud's chillum, but the big trash bins were no where to be found. Got right down by trey for second set. Thought drowned was Loving Cup, so I was screaming for Loving cup while everyone else was screaming for Drowned. Being a who fan, I really enjoyed hearing this. I agree with the guy who posted this was the best mike vocal performance he's ever seen. Such passion. Jam got really funk! Did anyone else think they were going to bust out The Real Me when trey kept hitting the opening chord? Maybe I was just hoping, since the Gin>Real Me>Gin on 12/29/95 was one of the best things I've ever had the experience to hear. I could have done without the ambient section, wish trey kept it more atmospheric instead of laying on the distortion over the cool mellow groove, but who am I to complain. Like alot of people, sat down at the beginning of caspian, but once the solo started, I had a feeling I t would be great. This was the best Caspian I've ever heard. Man, the hose was on full!!! Actually listened to Caspian on the way home, too. Trey was just wailing perfectly!! Kind of dissapointed to hear squirming coil, too many times lately, but the page solo was nice. Hoping for something upbeat, and this is where I thought it was weird...makisupa? I was hoping to hear this tonight, just not here where a good Tube or Brother or something would have rocked. Got over my dissapoint quickly when the singing started. The jam was quirky and not serious, fit perfectly with the theme of the song. Definately a reference to the shitty security that I experienced first hand. Antelope I kind of expected, and was damn happy with it. Crazy jam to close off the set. CK is just getting to be such a member of the band last few times I've seene them. Crazy strobes and higher energy every time I thought they would go into the chorus. It looked like they were going to play something else but then just bowed and walked off. From my viewpoint it look like Fish wanted some more, too. Encore was unexpected, so in my book, good, even though Im not a big fan of a Jim indoors, but got my boogie on just the same. Going to Aussie in two weeks for New Years, so no more shows til who knows when. Kind of a standard show, but that beats 98% of the other bands on any night. We should feel lucky that we can so obnoxiously enjoy a band and then pick them to pieces the next day. I truly believe that I critisize this band because I enjoy seeing them so damn much. Its all out of the love!! An off night for phish is the best night of the tour for most other bands, just remember that. Always go away smiling! Oh yeah, one more thing, see DEEP BANANA BLACKOUT!! They are the FUNK
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 17:09:23 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/12/99 Review After a series of difficult emergencies involving transportation to Hartford, my friends and I got on Amtrak from NY, and 2.5 hours later, arrived in Hartford. The scene outside was somewhere in between a bomb scare site and an African Villiage. There were some kick-ass drum circles all around. At the same time, there was a SWAT team with megaphones, yelling at everyone to go indoors or leave. I guess the DMB incident over the summer scarred the HCC for life. Anyway, mt friends and I went to seats that didn't belong to us, but managed to hold on to them. At approx. 8:12 the lights went out. Heavy Things: My favorite "new" song. In my book, not very appropriate for a show opener, but started the night in a good mood. Standard version. AC/DC Bag: Highlight of the 1st set. I love this song. Nothing startling spectacular, but any Bag is amazing! Strange Design: Surprising. Not expected at all, but in a good way. Page did this one great. They should play it more often. Divided Sky: Sloppiest version I've seen. It was all well and good, of course. After all, it is Divided Sky. But there were times when I couldn't understand what they were doing. Um, I know I'll probably recieve death threats for this, but Trey has to be more selective with those keyboards. Sometimes they sound good, sometimes they don't. The sub-standard sound system at the HCC didn't help. BOMD: Good song. Good placement. Phish bluegrass. 'Nuff said. Bug: Cool version. This is definitely one of the new songs that will become concert staples in the future. I love the vocals to this one. I've heard 2 other "Bug's", and they're all good. Stash: I like the new jazzy arrangement of this song. Those of you with HCA know what I mean. This was a momentum-builder, feeding off the energy from Bug. 1st Stash of the tour? Nice. Chalkdust: I have never seen a bad Chalkdust. The lights added to the sound make this one a classic. Never has significant changes, but Trey's solo always kicks ass. Great way to end the set. Overall, set 1 wasn't exactly "one for the ages", but standard great Phish. Granted, they would have to pull off something amazing in the 2nd set, and Mike's Groove, Hood, DWD, were all played the previous night...But the boys prevailed in fine fashion. Drowned: Hey! Wait! Slow down! Holy shit! When I said "something amazing", this is exactly an example of what I meant. But I never thought they'd actually play something like this! 35+ minutes! It should really read Drowned-->Jam. The whole thing was amazing! The jam in particular was Fish's. I suppose that the drums on any Who cover have to be a lead part, even further that the other instruments. Aside from being a die-hard Who fan (that's me in the Keith Moon shirt at every concert), Phish jammed this one out until it was dry. Highlight of the show. Simply amazing! Prince Caspian: Set new standards at 10-7-99. I've always liked this song. And Trey always brings it up a level. However, this one didn't end with the whole band playing the three chords repetedly. Great, nontheless. Squirming Coil: Good stuff. Normal Squirming Coil, which is a complement in my book. Page's solo at the end was almost identical to his solo at the Coliseum on 10-8-99, but shorter. Makisupa Policeman: Totally unexpected. It was a bit out of place, among all the these "emotional, dramatic songs" of the 2nd set. It was cool, though. I think Trey had the most fun with this song. Antelope: My 3rd, and every time I've seen it, it's been a set closer.12-29-97, 10-7-99, and this one. What can I say that hasn't been said about Antelope? Cool glowstick war right before "bid you to have..." Ultimate energy. 2nd set almost took the first set upon it's back if you know what I mean. It totally overwhelmed the 1st set, and cast a classic Phish show, primarily because of the 35+ minute Drowned. The energy from Drowned just cascaded through the entire set. Runaway Jim: Short, sweet, nice way to end with a Phish classic. This was my 8th show, and certainly not my last. Phish has been changing alot within the last two years, but I can't really put my finger on it. It's not a bad thing. Personally, I think that since they've made the jams more group-oriented (as opposed to centered on Trey), Page has become the cornerstone of the band. I believe that he is the most underrated member of the band because he's so quiet. He subtley holds them together, and without him, it's hard to imagine what Phish would sound like. Of course you can easily say that for any member of the band, but I believe it for Page especially. Later, Brian
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 16:48:48 -0800 From: Jason Wicha [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: hartford Im not sure what show hartford was for me overall, but it was my 18th show of 1999, and all i have to say is why does new school phish suck so much? i thought hartford was overall not a bad show, but i am so fed up with how awful the scene has gotten since they decided to basically stop putting effort into writing songs or practicing. One word to describe a phish show today is SHADY. All the new phans don't even know whats up and should just go home as far as im concerned. Now there is just a huge emphasis with getting super spun at every show, not about the music, and that's lame. granted it is hard to get down to their new stuff that all have the same sounding stupid ambient jams, but the shows are not about the drugs! I think the band needs to take some time off, and trey needs to to screwing around with the white lady. There were definitely good points about hartford, but overall it was nothing that impressive as is usually the case now.
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 05:22:04 -0500 From: David Berg [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/12/99 review Found my seat, behind the band, uncertain if the light show would be missed. Maybe I'm spoiled -- it was my first time not facing the boys. Anyway, my fears were for naught, lights were fantastic even from behind. Heavy Things: Good opener. Much more energy than on the Trey tour. AcDC Bag: Played well, started off slow and funky, though we were in for an extended funk Bag... But it gradually turned into a full-scale explosion. That was definitely the jam pattern of the night; start off chill, Trey quiet, then explode into raging rock soloing. Bag ended concisely without that long piano outtro they sometimes do. The lights focused on Page and Strange Design: I did not think I would see this. One of my favorite mellow, scripted songs. It's a great breather but still powerful, they really should play this more. Divided Sky: Most crisply played I've ever seen it. Page was really strong during the composed part, as was Fish. Great crowd energy during the Pause. it lasted forever, but that was okay, because people were going nuts! The jam wasn't very clean, kind of hard to hear exactly what Trey was wailing, too much sustain, the individual notes were quite lost. Nice airy feel, suited the song, but I was hoping it would come back to more melodic solo. The wrapped it up pretty quickly, though, with a nice high-energy ending. Beauty: GREAT solo from Page. I know it doesn't wander and could even be considered a mere "fill" -- but he was ON. Bug: Thought it sucked, then the first chorus exploded. The rest of the song was much more enjoyable after they upped the intensity like that. Not sure what i thought of the jam, I think this song is still finding its own identity... Stash: Great placement. The composed part was played flawlessly, good vocals as well. Jam was dark and subtle for a while; Mike held down a groove, Trey shut up, and waited for Pge to take over. But Page never really brought it anywhere, tinkering around on the low notes until Trey cam back in, then it flared up, Trey wanked a bit, and they finished it up. Would have been a decent closer, but Chalkdust: We know it. We love it. Good version, high energy. Setbreak -- it seemed like a short set, was hoping for an epic Set 2 or at least more extended jams. Drowned: Yes! I was tired as hell and this got me jumping around in seconds. Best job on the vocals I've ever heard from Mike, especially the "set me free" that he used to botch. Rocked out, great playing by Page. Jam: For a while Page and Trey were bouncing back and forth, both playing intensely, kind of stepping on each other's toes. After a while, they started communicating, and the jam absolutely rocked out for several minutes, great complementary soloing. Fishman did a nice job bringing in the funk. Good solid jam, but as it wandered into spaciness, trey started making these horrible noises. he really wasn't playing with the band, just effect-spewing over them. This is where a lot of people got tired of the jam, which was otherwise really enjoyable. Finally it died off. Caspian: This is the reason I'm writing this. I never loved this song, and after they played it lots in '97 I got quite tired of it. The composed part, though still not interesting in my book, was very powerful tonight, and then came Trey's solo. After a night full of blasting away at us, he finally killed the distortion and just played a melodious, travelling, stream of notes. It was absolutely the best Caspian jam I have ever heard, Reba-esque beauty that climaxed without going berzerk, melting perfectly into the piano outtro. Coil: Kind of continued the mood of Caspian; intense, but pretty. Composed part was played perfectly, more quality Page and Fish action. The jam was nice, and Page did his thing for a little while. Nothing epic about it, like some Coils, pretty succinct. I was hoping to chill and watch Page for a while, but he ended neatly. I knew some sort of low-intensity song was called for, but Makisupa: was totally out of place. I like it, it's fun. But in the middle of a set that was otherwise so emotionally heady, it just seemed stupid. The jam was entertaining in a silly sort of way. Trey poking at his keyboard was cute. After they ended this I thought they would take their time and build back into something intense. Antelope: Wow. Fitting way to close out the set. Minus Makisupa, I think it really worked as a unit. Once again, got a good, tense groove on, sustained mellow building for a while, then trey came out of nowhere and tore it up. The jam got louder and louder until you couldn't tell who was doing what. Trey and Page combined for this monstrous roar, and Fish was going nuts for minutes. Surprisingly, they went straight into the rye rye rocco part without any chill period; I guess they didn't want to lose the energy. Huge ending. Encore. My friend asked me what I wanted. I said Runaway Jim, but no chance in hell they'll play it. And then they came back out, Trey hit the first chord, and I went nuts. Not a spectacular version, but great energy and strong vocals. The guys seem more confident than ever with their singing (althought Trey could not get out "that's 119"). I checked and this had only been played twice as an encore since 1992, so I felt VERY lucky. Kind of a throwback show, not much wandering or funk, a lot of classic tunes. Not a huge scope to this show, but very tight and consistent, more focused than I've ever seen them. Get the tapes and listen all the way through, this was impressively cohesive; the Bag and Caspain are also well worth savoring. -FirstTimePostin'SkilletBoy
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 11:51:27 -0500 (EST) From: Taylor Wigton [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: hartford Pure energy! Felt like i was at a show back in '89.
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 15:49:08 -0500 From: Rob Price [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/12/99 HCC 12/12/99 @ the Home of the Whale It is always a pleasure to see the band in my hometown of Hartford, even though I live in Boston now. Its probably the only night anything is EVER going on there, so it's nice to see a lively funky crowd taking it to the mean streets. I'll sidestep my usual ranting pre-show story-telling, but long story short, our tickets that had been arranged fell through and we were forced to take desperate action. Mad props to Chris and his famous father ; ) for scoring us the Luxury Box. I had experienced the box-style once before and muchlike taking slugs off a box of wine, its a little bit different up there. I'll just say mad-ups to Box 103 and that I have never had such an amazing view of CK5s work before and the sound was amazingly rich, full and even up in those monstrous heights. They came out a little bit late, approx. 8:10 and the first noodle signaled something off the Trey tour. As I was expecting First Tube, i was surprised by the bouncy fun of Heavy Things. I've know, I've said it before, but what a great hook this song has (its still resonanting in my ears). Made for a fresh upbeat opener. Ac/Dc Bag followed and it was a great version, "rumblin' and tumblin' " towards the musical endzone. A fantastic buildup from a rolicking slow funk to a roarin' inferno of jam. Strange Design was a very welcome surprise, since I really have always loved that song. Beautiful work by Page. Brother Ted came through huge with the Divided Sky call! I was so freakin jazzed up for this. The band really locked in and stayed on top of the tough pasages. It was as beautiful as the sunset some of you might have caught driving in for the show. The blissed out section was truly great, culminating in a very very long pause that elicited some serious foot stomping from the crowd...i could almost here the Whalers Theme Song, playing over the PA. BOMD was a nice change up after a 15 plus minute Divided Sky. I had to kick the shoes off and drop my hoedown science. I got completely suckered out with the intro to the next song - anyone else notice that Bug sounds just like Oh Sweet Nothin' in the beginning notes? Well, Bug it was and i am really impressed with this new song. I know they are playing it quite a bit, but the practice has helped. The jam is very unique and enjoyable. Stash did not disappoint. I'll call it a classic version, harkening back to the early 90s versions. Thought that was it...but no. This version of Chalkdust is my new favorite. I might have just gotten caught up in the moment or something, but it was like my personal dance party got ripped up and thrown down hard like a nasty afternoon on Dance Party USA. I haven't bounced in AGES! Set Ended about 9:25. A longish setbreak, but gave time for the rest of our friends to find their way up into the attic. The band took the stage to huge roars and dropped my first live Drowned!!! It was jammed out like you read about. The band definitely made a statement with this platform! It rolled and roared through some fiery jamming, some deep funk areas and some very T-head like spaces. I found myself spontaneously yelling out "Johnny B. Fishman Orchestra" in the midst of this jam. The sound was so perfectly clear, each instrument so distinct in the mix and the light show again blowing my mind into unknown dimensions. I like the new light with all the different texture, definitely saw a snake shape slither past our box during this. Gotta give it up to CK5 and can't leave out PL6! Super job all around tonight. They wound out into a standard Caspian. I spaced out a little here, think it was pretty nice. Coil followed and was a very nice mid second set treat. It had me reflecting bigtime on coils, and divided skies and stashes of yesteryear. these songs are just as vibrant, impressive and potent as they were when i first saw them. A delicious Makisupa came next. Key was "herbal jazz cigarettes!" My buddy on the floor said someone had just been busted and dragged away by security - don't know if that had anything to do with this arising. Box 103 was severly digging the reggae-skank of the policeman. They took a brief pause, accepting the fans roars of approval and launched off... Antelope. Again, its THAT song. The first time you heard it you thought your brain was going to overload, and it "keeps getting better, every time I see it!" EVERYONE was out of their minds on Antelope, Kuroda included. Wild lights and an epic crescendo. They returned for a short, tight and perfectly fit Runaway Jim encore - great capper on a stellar evening of music. Gotta run to Providence! RWP [email protected]
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 02:20:19 -0500 From: Tyler Shusterman [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-12-99 Overall Comments: Very trey-oriented, old school Phish style. Very little funk or ambient. High energy throughout. Set I Heavy Things: Bouncy, fun way to get things started. Good tune, I like the lyrics. They've been playin' it a bunch lately. All in all, very cool. AC/DC Bag: Alright, here we go! Very ragin' old school style. Lots of Trey goin' off. Built and built until the double-time section. They nailed the ending perfectly. Yeah! Strange Design: Haven't seen this one in awhile. Nice way to chill down after a hot bag. Cool, smoked a cigarette, and then Divided Sky: Nice. This show was starting to look real good. Very tight, almost no Trey flubs (he seemed the most focused I've seen him in a long time.) Jam was nice, nothing to far out. Typical beautiful Sky. Beauty of My Dreams: Okay, not the bluegrass I would like to hear but, oh well. Short and bouncy. Bug: Not my favorite song. I think the lyrics are kinds cheesy "Former or latter, God, blah, blah, blah, It doesn't Matter." THe end kind of reminds me of MOrning Dew, but not as good. "I guess it doesn'd matter anyway." Cool little jam at the end. Very Trey-centric. Stash: I could always use a nice Stash, and this one, true to the bunch I've seen recently, didn't disappoint. Pretty breezy and mellow, then they brought it back for the end. Not an unbelievable Stash but definetely adequate. Chalkdust: I though Stash would close the set, so I was happy to hear this. Incredibly ragin! Fit the rock star Trey atmosphere of the night. Just kept building and peaking and building and peaking. Very old-school sounding. Trey's comments about his grandfather were heartfelt but seemed a little out of place in Chalkdust. Very rockin, very solid closer. Set I: Interesting. Very high energy, but not too much stretching out. Gave me high hopes for set #2. II Drowned: YES! I've been wanting to hear this for so long. Strong, but unintelligable (as always on this one) singing from Mike into rockin' Trey-led jam. Very '95 sounding. I was impresed. THe music just kept roaring in and out of new places with Trey leading the way like a rocket and the rest of the band the jets behind him. Got dissonant and loud, then mellowed out alittle. We also got the first taste of fuck of the night as they locked into a tight, sick groove. The funk kind of faded into ambient-world, but unlike a lot of the other ambient jams I've seen, this one was very active and interesting. Reminded me of funk/ambient playing on Island tour. Weird effects from Trey and cool keyboard sound from Page. Trey was using his high-pitched midi sound that I love. Very trippy and still high energy. Slowly faded out until I could just barely make out the opening notes of . . . Caspian: Oh no! I knew this was coming, and there was nothing I could do but laugh and smoke a cigarette. Actually, it was pretty good. Trey soloed the whole time during the jam, much more rockin' than other Caspians I've seen. As is getting to be usual in '99, they skipped the ending rock chords, and after a little silence went into Coil: Not really what I was hoping for but good nonetheless. A few minor Trey flubs and a short, sweet solo from Page. Makisupa: Nice, haven't heard this in a while. Reggae fun. Trey's keyword was "herbal jazz ciggarette." Pretty funny. I saw some cops in the arena and I wonder what they were thinking during this. After the vocals, Trey started doing some, weird, trippy effects on his keyboard which was cool. Sometimes, he's such a goofball, you just have to laugh at him. But he was focused and having funa and so was I. Antelope: Yeah! They fucked around a lot on the intro and then went into the typical jam, starting real low and bringing it up slowly. Pretty standard Antelope until the end when they just kept bring it up and up and up and up. Sheer insanity! Just when you thought they couldn't peak anymore they did. Cut out the cacophony into the typical Rye, Rye Rocco section. TIght finish to a very solid Antelope. Set II: Very happy with the Drowned and Antelope. High energy from Trey throughout. I can forgive the Caspian and the Makisupa was fun. Overall, awesome set. Encore: Run Jim: Not what I expected. Fun, short, Trey led jam. Very type I playing. Short, but sweet. THis was probably the best show I've seen this year. (been to 6 others). Sick, sick lead guitar from Trey. At times, I almost wished he'd give others room though. Oh well, you can't complain with Trey on fire. Enjoyed this very much (my only show this tour.) Providence will be sick. See ya'll new years, Tyler
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 23:02:52 -0500 From: leo runey [email protected] To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: Hartford Civic Center 12/12/99 Show was stellar. 2nd set kicked ass! The whole place was hopping (except for someone's mom next to me).. Had an E xelent time w/ Matt, Heidi and Kelly.. On to the journey from Mass. to FLA. in the 30' RV..
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 10:57:17 -0500 From: Marcial Mendez [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Hartford review 12/12/99 Just wanted to say that like many people, 1999 Phish shows had not been doin it for me. I saw about 10 shows this year & never left a venue with "that feeling" that has kept me coming back year after year. In a way it was kind of a blessing in disguise because I've branched out a little (Widespread was becoming my new musical drug of choice. Great band, really great scene.) Anyway, this night reminded me of exactly why I love Phish. What an awesome show... perhaps it was the fact that it was dedicated to Trey's grandpa... who knows. The whole band, Trey especially, could do no wrong. Now I'm kinda bummed that I made plans other than the Everglades... if they play like they did in Hartford, it should be a truely magical experience.
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 11:49:48 -0500 From: Bryan Peretto [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Hartford 12/12/99 Unfortunately, my only chance to see Phish this year was in my home state of CT. This was also my girlfriend's first show. Without repeating all the parking, security, and other details; I'll get to my opinion of the show. It is true that the audience was very spirited and I didn't catch any negative vibes. However, I think the 1st set was anything but energetic. My first reaction was "when are they going to turn up the volume?" This was the closest I've gotten to the stage in Hartford and any other venue, but the tone on stage seemed to be very relaxed. This may be due to Trey's mother being there and his annoucement about the death of his grandfather. Thankfully, the 2nd set was more danceable. I hardly caught any funk throughout the show and I left feeling somewhat unfullfilled. Whoever said this show was like the '98 shows is dead wrong. While looking at setlists from before and after Hartford, I'm left asking: What did we do to deserve such a toned-down show? On an up note, Chalkdust and Antelope both rocked. Caspian, Coil, and Runaway Jim were performed with studio precision but lacked the magic of a live jam. I hope this was just an off night and not a look at what is to come Bryan R. Peretto E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.peretto.com Fax: 978-389-0794
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 03:35:13 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/12/99 Hartford, CT I don't really know for sure, but have the boys been getting plenty of sleep this past week or what?? Is this fall tour 97?? Maybe it's me but it sure as hell seems like phish has been raging real hardcore lately with all their shows this past week. I will admit, I was a bit skeptical on my way to Hartford tonight as to what and how phish would perform tonight.. After such a seemingly incredible show in Philly saturday. I really wasn't sure they could come back out and play up to that level for another stright. Then again, I should of realized by now, twenty shows later, that with these boys, anything's possible.. And before I begin I have to ask, who's the genius who allowed only six doors out of the dozens at the Hartford Civic Center to permit phans into the venue? The scene outside while waiting to get in was quite tightly packed reminiscent of a sardine can, with chants of "bullshit, bullshit" rising into the night sky as we were slowly herded like cattle through three small checkpoints while I starred at my watch reading 8:10. Just thought a few other kind folk were wondering the same thing. Finally we made it inside.. The crowd was fever pitched as the boys hit the stage, stomping of feet and loud chanting. Definitely still reeling from the previous two nights mind melts. The sounds of Heavy Things to open up the show came as no surprise to me. The song was a brief warm up tune for what was to follow. Played virtually the same every time. Deep below, the rich sounds of the opening cords to an absolutely raging AC/DC Bag followed, which was very welcome and very well recieved. Not jammed out extensivley, though contained some real nice peaks before the final refrain that never really deturred from the songs original theme. Where there was virtually no improvisation was more than certainly made up with the sheer intensity. Good to hear a Strange Design once again, great set placement. Page along with the rest of the boys were obviously all so very "on" tonight. Evident early. With a beautiful follow up came Divided Sky. Nowaday's I can't help but hold my breath as Trey strums through all the delicate guitar parts that this song features, always greedily hoping for absolute perfection to satisfy my ears. Sounded somewhat rusty, but played very well. The current style of play added an amost aromatic richness. Some bluegrass next with Beauty of MY Dreams was again surely well placed, after a copious Divided. Now when I first heard Bug live last July, I must admit, I was not very impressed. Tonights though sounded quite good, as the song seemed to last a bit longer than usual, with great vocals from the boys. Stash found it's way into a nice mellow jam not far off the path from the original theme, eventually winding it's way back home and bringing us to a pahtty Chalkdust. Saw this one coming a mile away too, but always puts a smile on my face, as it still manages to rage after all these years. Amazing how phish can still find new, innovative ways to make this one sound so good. Great set with plenty of highlights definitely benefitting with excellant song placement. I've been waiting since 95' for my first Drowned and finally recieved it tonight and in what a huge way too. Phabulously jammed out with to utter perfection for over thirty minutes. Great spaciness scored with brilliant lighting from Chris almost brought the house down. If i were to pick the only black cloud in the silver lining tonight, and I know I'm being way too critical, is that towards the end of this crazy jam Trey started kicking in all this distortion that really sounded quite awful, as he was crafting it over the phatty groove that the rest of the boys were laying down. Two minutes later Trey eventually stopped with the annoying distortion and steered the jam into a moving Prince Caspian. Now I've never cared for this song before, one of only two on my shunned list. But tonight as I sat down, ritually boycotting this tune (which I know is ridiculous), I couldn't help but to notice how wonderfully great and inspiring the performance of it was tonight. Almost as if all emotion was poured out into this tune for all the enjoy, and tonight for the first time ever, I did just that. Squirming Coil may have been the best I've seen it in a long time. Played to just about perfection with nice short jam at the end with a very limited offering from Page. I was very psyched to hear Makisupa. Now I've heard Makisupa's in the past, but this one was especually outrageous with all the band noodling around on this one making the pleasure of hearing it live that much more special tonight. Great work on this one from Fish. "Herbal jazz cigarette" anyone? Antelope tonight just about sums up the way phish has performed this week. Mellow and smooth the opening segment was nicley done leading progressivley to build and build to unimaginal climaxes. So many nutty crescendos before the insnaley loud and crazy jam found rye rye rocco with the relief. Best Antelope that I've heard in a long time. And I know "everyone" always says that, but it was really that good. Runaway Jim was a huge surprise for an encore, which not surprisingly, wasn't too long either. Featured a real nice jam & perfect climaxes with more great light work from Chris which sent us all back out to the cold night after a perfect show Great, great, great tonight boys and girls. Best one I've seen since summer. Every song was played with such emotion and care. Haven't felt that from a WHOLE ENTIRE show in a long, long time either. That's my main point tonight. Very emotional show.. Maybe it had to do with Trey's grandfather's recent passing, which he notes to the crowd, dedicating to him last nights performance.. Or maybe it's all the positive responses that our band has been feeding off of us this past week.. I love shows like these that can help curb even the most persistant critics from completely trashing shows. Whichever your case may be, unless your as daft as a door knob, it's quite obvious phish is definitely on a role now. Soooooo very psyched to see that this is the case here. Hope we as phans may inspire our band to continue to climb further and go farther every night. See you in Prov.. Hey, you think they could save some tunes to play in Providence or what;)~ peace y'all, Brendan
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 13:12:46 -0500 (EST) From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-12-99 Hartford Review Great show! Second set was incredible. First set had some gems too. Including an awesome AC/DC Bag and Divided Sky. Second set took the pie. They opened with a 30 minute version of Drowned. Thirty minutes! Followed with a classic lineup of Prince Caspian and the Squirming Coil. -before i go any further, let me clear up one thing that you might have heard about this show. The Hartford Police and Civic Center security sucked. I have never, EVER, seen has much of a security presence as i saw last night. we had good tix, right on the floor, but also right next to a main isle. What ahppened you ask? Well we had three cops and about five security personnel withing 15 feet of us at ALL TIMES. A couple of phans in my area we're tossed from the show, one just for saying "a$$hole". What's up with that? It's a free country right? but anyways, it sucked up until phish played makisupa policeman. And that made everything ok. who cares about the cops, we smoked anyways. They can't arrest all of us now. After they played an incredibly long Run Like and Antelope that had a great jam in the middle. The show ended up with a grrrrrreat Runaway Jim. Overall, except for the needless security the show was great. This was a close friend's first show, and she had a blast. I can't wait for NYE, as i'm sure no one can, maybe we'll see ya down there. peace
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 16:17:28 -0500 (EST) From: James Andrew Hunter [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Hartford 99 show!!! I have a lot to say about this mind blowing show, but first I have to say something about Ticketmaster and getting into the venue. First of all me and my 2 buddies almost didn't get our tickets from will-call because my buddies girlfriend got the tickets on her credit card and they wouldn't give us the tickets without her ID even though we called Ticketmaster the previous day and they said it was fine. So after much arguing with the Hartford people we called Ticketmaster and were on the goddamn phone for an hour, which got us nowhere. Finally they made us wait until 7:30 to get the tickets, but only because we bitched and moaned. the point is Ticketmaster SUCKS! They are not allowed to be human fucking beings. Now, although I love the Civic Center as a venue the management has their heads up their asses. Who's brilliant fucking idea was it to only have one entrance way open for 15,000 people? Jesus, it took us so long to get in, there were literally 5 or 6 thousand people trying to get in at once. I don't know how, but we made it in before the show started, maybe 5 minutes before. It was such a hassle though. Earlier at will call I saw Mike Gordan walking around, he walked right by me while we were on the phone. He was with some chick. It was the first time I've seen Mike in person, so I took it as a good Omen. He's much shorter in person. Anway, on the the show. This show was sick on every level. The boys had so much energy on Sun. HEAVY THINGS OPENER was very good, my first time hearing it. I liked it very much, not too long, and then AC/DC BAG!!!!!!! This song ripped me apart. I couldn't believe how well they jammed this. They just kept going and going and going, so much energy. Definitely one of the shows highlights, and it got me groovin. The DIVIDED SKY was a suprise, and I felt as thought they were treating us. It wasn't spectacular, but it did me well. Loved it. BEAUTY OF MY DREAMS was fine, and the STASH was probably the weakest song of the night, though to their credit they picked it up by the end. How about BUG!! This songs kicks ass, I had heard it at Nassau but I forgot about it. Trey was ripping it up on this tune. Loved it. And how about that sick CHALKDUST, it was neverending. So much energy. Nasty Chalkdust. The set break was 45 minutes exactly, and I was worried that they wouldn't have the same energy level for the second set but I put my doubts to rest after they ripped into DROWNED. I love this song. This is the best version ever. Very long, but Trey's fingers were dancing up and down that neck with 64th note precision. The CASPIAN was a nice suprise, they jammed this out well. Loved the SQUIRMING COIL, lots of energy, nicely built up, and Page's solo at the end was beautiful. MAKISUPA was great, with Trey on the keys. Maybe they played this since there were so many fucking Cops everywhere. Rock concerts in Connecticut will never be the same thanks to Dave Mathews meathead fans. The highlight of the night was definitely the ANTELOPE. Holy shit did they jam this out to new heights. And the lightshow during it was insane. A perfect Antelope, and it had more energy than any other arena Antelope I've ever heard. Man we were satisfied. And the RUNAWAY JIM encore was the icing on the cake. For some reason I've never heard one live and the whole showing I was bitching about it and they must have heard me, I was out of my head. So good. Best encore I've heard in a long time. This Hartford show blows the last two out of the water. Anyone who tells you they didn't like it is fucked in the head. THIS SHOW WAS SO FUCKING GOOD. Period. I'm also getting sick of these bad reviews and unjustified criticism of recent Phish shows. Maybe if I had the time, energy, and the luxury of seeing very single show I would be more critical. But I don't have that luxury and every show I've seen has been excellent. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BAD PHISH SHOW. If all you want to do is complain, then just don't go to the shows, please. Save the tickets for someone who appreciates the fact that this band has so much to offer and plays a different show every night. They've come closer to perfection on stage than any other band in the history of rock music, so let's give them a break if that SOAM wasn't up to your expectations. If you didn't like a show that much more often then not it's because your expectations weren't met, not because they played badly. Anyway, I think I made my point. This Hartfor show is one for the books. I can't wait to get the tapes. Anyone who was there knows what I'm talking about. Later
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 02:36:12 -0500 From: Evan Grunwald [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Hartford 12/12/99 Review Wow, great show with solid 75 minutes sets! Anyway, here's a quick wrap-up Heavy Things - first time hearing it, fun bouncy song. Got the crowd moving from the start. Not much jamming, but short and sweet. AC/DC - Typical buildup Bag. Not much funk exploration, but rather a solid rock groove that rocked the body. Left me tired enough for Strange Design - Always a nice treat, good for the soul Divided Sky - This made a lot of people's days. First of the tour? Anyway, flubs were at a bare minimum, with a _long_ pause for the note. Anyway, the jam was sweet and spacey. Trey was using a ton of sustain, just changing the long notes to fit the key changes, with the boys harmonizing beatuifully behind it. Great version Beauty - love this bluegrass tune. Nice to have a first set with all the genres represented. Bug - I didn't really get that into it when I saw it at Great Woods, but this time impressed me. Nice jam at the end, they seem to want to go places with this song. Stash - This one got out there. Very long and quiet beginning jam, representing this space dance groove that many have been talking about this tour. First Stash of the tour as well? They're letting 'em all out slowly. Chalkdust - again, the boys opted for the typical straight ahead rock. Jammed ferociously, capping of a sweat filled first set. My condolences to Trey and his family.... Setbreak - almost fifty minutes!!! Drowned - Jumped for joy! I knew the boys would go off with this, but not like this! I think is was just about 35 minutes, with like three or four 'sections' of the jam. It went Drowned melody into evil rock, which melted into a funk mode and into space. Each with they're own Type II melodies and riffs. Very nice. Set the stage for Caspian - I don't usually like this song. However, they nailed the vocals on this one tonight, and the outro jam was not too long, not too short. Melodious and pretty. Coil - YES, I will always love Coil, even if they omitted Page's solo last time I heard it (12/30/98). Tight, no flubs, short piano solo (we were a bit loud for a 5-10 min. solo, even though it would have been welcome) Makisupa - herbal jazz ciggarette. Trey was having a blast on his keyboard. Almost like a mule duel between fish and trey Antelope - smoking, so fast out of nowhere, one of those Antelope jams where you completely lose the beat, only to be shocked back into it by a blazing tonic note by Trey. The jam got so hot, they didn't just end it, it evaporated. E: Jim - good ten minute version, they almost went off near the end, but Trey pulled it back to the melody before they wandered too far. Makes a great encore. Overall - Happy show, number 22 in the books. Very solid, good examples of all out energy, jamming, and a piano solo to boot. Wish I didn't have a paper to write or I'd be at Providence tomorrow Peace, Evan
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 17:05:18 -0500 From: jonathan lenares [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: phish at the mall wow! I had to write in on this show. Simply a great night. Great song selection(old school with some new songs mixed in nicely). So much energy coming from the crowd, I mean the place was going nuts! highlights for me were strange design(always a nice surprise),... stash (like my buddy Aaron said, it built up and just melted all over ya),...divided sky ( the energy from the crowd had to put a smile on your face),...Drowned (only my second time hearing it but what a great way to start the set)...Makisupa ( I love this one, and I called it before the show, which gave me bragging rights for the ride home). really a great show( I felt like it was 94' again) , ran into some old friends I haven't seen on tour for a few years which added to a already great night. All in all a sweet reminder of why I love phish so much. p.s... when my eyes weren't closed they were lost in the lights,more amazing every tour Chris. see ya all at big cypress!
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 11:04:41 -0500 From: tdharrym [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/12/99 Hartford Whats with Antique200@aol's comments? I don't understand, Trey and his turntables, AC/DC Bag as a bluegrass tune? Beauty of My Dreams funky? A 30 minute Drowned short? Gumbo lyrics in Chalkdust? Wash uffize in Caspian? I'm sorry but this guy's comments are way off and should not be posted, I haven't seen anybody else mention Santana and his crew here either. And no mention of Meatstick dance in Drowned. And he says, "I'll first say that I really appreciate Phish and their 16 years of bringing music to us - it is the last thing I would ever take for granted so tonight...... to say the least I was disappointed..... here we go...." What the hell is this? "Strange Design - here's where things started to really pick up in intensity - long extended metal jam out of this one - you had to hear it though - very hard to explain" "Divided Sky - I, being the hardcore nutty-crunchy raging Phish Phan that I am - really don't enjoy the stupid 30 second setlist-fillers that they bust out with frm time to time - just like this one - who are they trying to please?" I'm sorry his comments really must be sarcastic, because no one else could mistake a song that is almost 12 minutes on the album (!!!) for 30 second filler. His review was just mind-numbingly stupid, and I think that mine should not be called for, but there should be some editorial process, weeding these bad ones out.
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 10:15:04 -0500 (EST) From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: review 12/12 for the record, my 43rd show... there...:) I had high hopes for this show after seeing the setlists for both nights at philly. too bad school is in full gear right now or else i would've been there, oh well. This show, and I am so glad to say this, did not disappoint in the very least. In fact, it was probably the best show i've seen all year, rivaling 7/10 camden and 10/8 nassau. They were just simply on fire from beginning to end, for the most part. The word that kept popping into my mind was THRASH, and even though the funk was largely absent, I didn't even realize it. And anytime that happpens, well thats just magical. Basically, this was one of those shows that totally rejuvenates my interest in seeing phish over and over and over and you get the picture. the only other show i've been to on this tour was rochester, and this blew it out of the water completely. not to mention shows in general in western new york seem to blow for some reason. Not to piss anyone off from out there, but it just seems as though every time i've seen them in that region the crowd just seems to stand there as if they were told by their parents that dancing to music is the devil's work or something, and even worse when the band reachs one of their quieter moments (ambient is the word these days i guess) everyone feels like yakking up a storm. Maybe its the snow, i don't know. I have to say though that they are the most devoted fans i know of, for although they (in general of course) don't groove as much they raise a storm every time the curtain rises and falls like i've never seen, so kudos to you folks. Highlight of the show: Heavy things - as an opener, just awesome. Divided sky - beautiful. during the "nirvana" part or whatever you'd call it when trey just stands still and after 5minutes hits the note, the crowd decided it would be fun to test the structural integrity of the civic center, so basically you hear the normal screaming and then "bam bam bam BAM BAM BAM BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM..." from 10,000+ footsteps pounding a once. anyways, really cool. Stash - clapclapclap Drownded - yeah! got my 30+ minute song fix for the year. is it me or do they rarely seem to go beyond 17minutes these days?
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 01:10:05 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/12/99 Hartford review I'll first say that I really appreciate Phish and their 16 years of bringing music to us - it is the last thing I would ever take for granted so tonight...... to say the least I was disappointed..... here we go.... Heavy Things - quieter, mellower song, nice for them to get things started on such a laid back note - very short AC/DC Bag - you know - I really do enjoy the bluegrass stuff that they do - this song in particular was very entertaining Strange Design - here's where things started to really pick up in intensity - long extended metal jam out of this one - you had to hear it though - very hard to explain Divided Sky - I, being the hardcore nutty-crunchy raging Phish Phan that I am - really don't enjoy the stupid 30 second setlist-fillers that they bust out with frm time to time - just like this one - who are they trying to please? Beauty of my Dreams - Though I don't really like the recent trend of things, I do enjoy the funk and dancing to it - Beauty of my Dreams - for those that haven't heard it - is one hardcore funk groove that I dig - I especially like the version they submitted to the collection, Pure Funk 2000 Bug - I think the should put this one on the shelf - the hard power chords and brainless wailing from Page make this a poor song Stash - Stash is a quality tune but whats up with the string section where the Phish Symphony Orchestra comes out and plays some cheesy concerto crap - what's with it? Chalkdust Torture - Hell yeah - catchy tune - "there ain't no time to stash the gumbo or rattle around in chalkdust......" - I like the a capella section of this Raffi cover Second Set: Drowned - really, really special performance of this one - I could feel the energy, especially when the whole Sanatana crew came out and joined in the Meatstick dance - right in the middle of Drowned! Wild! As we waved goodbye to Santana and Drowned ended I couldn't help thinking what a short version it was - a little disappointing Caspian - another catchy jam song - but what are they saying - "Washa uffizie is driving with no lights on?" What? Squirming Coil - I like how this song begins as a hardcore rap/hip hop tune and then craftfully segues into a melodic, flowing bottlecap solo by Jon - I can just hear it now - (((click, click, click, clickity - clack, click, clack, click) Makisupa Policeman - I like the loud, nail-biting, fast-paced nature of this song - but I don't like the part where Mike whips out his basketball hoop and starts playing basketball onstage - it sounds bad with no bass - and Mike isn't that great at basketball Antelope - I was kind of disappointed that they had to end such a great show with a slow, depressing, yet short, and seemingly cut off song Encore: Runaway Jim - alright - more rap! Acutally, this tune is somewhat of a rap/techno blend - either way - I enjoyed it, especially this version in particular - Trey was incredible on the turntables!
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 17:26:22 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/12/99 Hartford review I'd like to apologize for my review of this show as [email protected]. While I did receive a great deal of positive feedback regarding it, I am well aware that there were many people out there that didn't read into it in that fashion, and you guys didn't deserve it. First of all, I'd like to clear a couple of things up: I don't, by any means, dislike Phish - I love the guys and I spend many hours each day devoted to their music: pursuing it, listening to it, thinking about it, and trying to manipulate it on my bass. Also, I wasn't present at the show in Hartford Sunday night, though I wished to be (I board at a nearby high school and they wouldn't let me go because I'm only a sophomore) - yet I, for some reason, felt compelled to write two reviews: one more serious - as if I had been there, and one in a more joking manner. And, I promise you, that's all it was: just a joke and nothing more (except for the first line) - that's how I intended you to read it. But, either way, you guys didn't deserve it - those of you who were at the show and everyone else for that matter. To all of you: I sincerely apologize for the review - it was unfair to anyone who took the time out to read it. I know I have let a lot of you guys down and I feel really bad about it. I'm sorry. Peas Brendan
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 00:39:55 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: review - 12/12/99 Cut to the chase... Heavy Things - only heard one other version of this before - but this one jammed; fun to damnce to; reminds me of Gotta Jiboo a little AC\DC Bag - this song has really picked up in '99 and this version was no exception - solid raging jam - expected a segue but... Strange Design - Oh man I love this song - so happy that got it in here Divided Sky - I feel so fortunate to have witnessed this one live - what a spectacular song - I'm used to hearing a lot of mistakes by Trey - but there were very few in this one Beauty of my Dreams - I think this would have been better placed had it been switched with Strange Design - but a fun song nonetheless Bug - Second time hearing this one - I like the first one I saw - at Great Woods - a little better - solid, chill song Stash - predicted this puppy - not as groovin as the one I saw last year in New Haven but on fire towards the end anyway - wonderful song; underplayed Chalkdust Torture - I also called this one - second time seeing it close a first set (last year in New Haven) - I couldn't believe it when Trey said his grandfather died cause he had seemed totally with it all night - especially in Chalkdust - I admire him for coming out and playing such a great set with the boys Second Set: Drowned - oh my - what can I say - 35+ minutes long - ridiculous - what a great jam - one of the best I've ever heard - sounded like the post-intro part of YEM at one point Caspian - made one of my friends very happy; solid jam Squirming Coil - one of my favorites - but I knew a short Page solo would disappoint - and it did - when is the last time we've gotten a solid 5-10 minutes from him like the version on A Live One? Makisupa Policeman - fun song - I love hearing it - my friend really enjoyed the keyword tonight Antelope - second time hearing this killer tune - better than the one at Great Woods - they really stuck with it for 15 - tight version E: Runaway Jim - love this song; one of the best versions I've heard what a fantastic show - I was glad they were able to pull it off after such a great second night in Philly - much better than last year in New Haven - sorry I can't be at NYE - can't wait to catch the boys next time they're in the northeast Peas Brendan
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