12-31-99 -- Seminole Indian Reservation, Big Cypress, Florida

review submisions email me, dan schar at [email protected] or [email protected]

Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 14:58:48 PST
From: Mike Walker [email protected]
To: [email protected]
 
-Though I'd pass along my thoughts on the 7 and 1/2 hour set too; thanks for
posting it.
 
Well, where to begin?  I saw these guys for the first time at NYE
1995-another phenomenal New Years show in itself-and they continue to amaze
me.  What I think that I love the most about Phish, besides the amazing
improvisation abilities, is their dedication to the audience.  The
showmanship that this band has maintained from the beginning is wonderful
and, as long as they can avoid any football stadium size showns, I'd be
willing to bet that it will continue.  A seven and 1/2 hour set with
virtually no breaks is, to me, almost incomprehensible.  Not only does this
take MUCH musical skill and physical endurance, but it absolutely requires a
love for the audience.  It's a rarity to see the band and the audience not
interacting in some way at a show.  Hampton, for instance, has become a
virtually unified atmosphere between the band and the audience.  With
regards to this year, it was like we all were involved in playing Harry Hood
on the second night (quck note: the best YEM that I have EVER
witnessed!!!!!!).  The dedication that it took to do this set and, in fact,
the whole damned thing, by far makes this event the best show that I've been
too.
     Musically, I was impressed by their choice.  I, like everyone, thought
that something funky would go down (an entire Gamehendge, Phil dropping by,
etc.), but what they did do, in my opinion, was even better--7 and 1/2 hours
of kickass Phish!  Did they seem to get tired at parts?--hell yes!  Who
wouldn't!  My Soul and Free to me sounded like fatigue was beginning to set
in.  But they bounced back with a Roses are Free that went ALL OVER the
place.  Highlights for me were: Down with Disease; Twist Around>Prince
Caspian>Rock and Roll (although, admittedly, a touch of MDMA played a small
part in that), Crosseyed and Painless, Sand, Bug, Velvet Sea, and Meatstick
Reprise (jeez Trey, you didn't have to cry--thank you!).  Overall though,
the set was truly a defining moment for this band.
     Otherwise, one small issue to bring up.  For the most part, I didn't
see any real littering problems--until the sun came up on 1/1/00.  Frankly,
this was embarrasing.  I know that the crowd moved around a lot, and that
it's hard to keep track of your stuff, but still...  This is just about
simple morality and respect.  And as for the empty syringes, all I have to
say is, if it killed Jerry, it WILL kill you.  Get help.
     Overall, a wondrous experience worthy to tell the grandkids about.
Best,
Mike Walker

Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 13:10:57 -0500 From: Amy Lamar [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: big cypress I think I can speak for everyone and summarize the whole weekend just by saying: THANK YOU PHISH Dank hugs, Amy http://www.angelfire.com/vt/lamar/index.html [email protected] ~let there be songs, to fill the air~
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 16:19:23 GMT From: James Powell [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Big Cypress Overall Review My name is James Powell. I am from Anchorage, Alaska and came 5,169 miles to see the greatest musical event I have ever witnessed. I had only seen five shows before Big Cypress, but I would like to say the event was great. I worked with Clean Vibes, and thank everyone who was on the crew, and Great Northeast Productions for the opportunity to work for them with this event. I don�t wish to go down the setlists and such, but I FINALLY got my Good Times, Bad Times that I had been waiting for so long. And being from Alaska, Farmhouse, Tweezer and Tweezer Reprise were appropriate songs. Now, I don�t wish to harp on this issue, but I was a little UPSET at how trashed the concert field was. I do blame part of this to security, as they let ANYTHING onto the concert field from the midnight to sunrise set. All those empty champagne bottles left on the field, come on people, if you brought one or several, you should have had some consideration and brought them back to your campsite! And those cheap champagne glasses that shattered if you breathed on them, picking up shards of them were also a pain. I know, everyone was partying, but still, I just wish people would have been more considerate to Clean Vibes and made our job a little easier, but oh well. Groundscoring was fun, as the crew found a lot of INTERESTING thing, but one thing did SICKEN me, and it was used syringes.....:( There were MANY of them that were left in the campgrounds, and that was a disturbing sight to say the least! I made a lot of new friends with Clean Vibes, and we exchanged phone numbers, addresses and e-mail addresses before we departed Big Cypress. Swimming in the backstage pool was fun, and we had a Groundscore party for two consecutive nights before we left at 3rd and Hampton. EVERYTHING that was at the party was groundscored.....beer, lawn chairs, torches, you name it! It was a joyous time for me, and I am thankful to be a part of this extraordinary event. I will admit though, I was kinda disappointed at the midnight to sunrise set, as I thought Phish left out some songs that deserved playing.....Harpua, Loving Cup, Julius, Divided Sky, Icculus, Sample in a Jar, Lizard, Sanity. I was expecting an album to be played, but did not get it. Don�t get me wrong, I am not blaming Trey, Mike, Page, or Jon at all, but I do think that the set was a LITTLE more of hype than anything. True they did play for 7 hours straight, but some of the jams I thought became redundant, and at some point I thought they just were trying to get to the sunrise. I wish the band could have had a better encore than Meatstick Reprise too.....staying up all night, and getting that? I wish they could have encored something lively, and sent us on our merry way, but that�s them, not me. I know I sound like one of those people who write these reviews and wish for everything in the world, but I don�t know....the ending of the show was just a little too weird for me. But maybe being dosed on liquid made things a little weird for me anyway, as I must listen to the set again to get a better grasp of things, since I was LOST, and I mean, LOST from Rock n�Roll through Free! I was in the taper�s section for both nights, and hung out with a taper, his girlfriend, and his other friends from Milwaukee. So, to end this on a good note, I hope to see you on summer tour. Take care, you lower 48�ers, as I hope one day Phish performs in Alaska, the Land of the Midnight Sun....what would be cool would be for them to come up on the Summer Solstice, when the sun NEVER sets!! The Grateful Dead came up in 1980 and performed on the Summer Solstice. That would trip ya guys out, wouldn`t it? :) Take care, and whatever you do, take care of your shoes!
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 11:05:18 -0500 From: Steven Bowers [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: big cypress millenium concert To all Phishheads, This e-mail is to thank all the partying people that are still left on this planet. I thought only Seminoles were the only people who knew how to to party hardy but I am wrong as was evident from the Phish concert held on our reservertion. The Phish concert was my first and was truly the best that I can remember. I guess I can declare myself as a "Phishhead". I am not a real concert groopie but since I had never heard of the Great Phish (along with the majority of South Florida) I figured I would attend this event along with my my cousins. Many of your e-mail people may have seen us. We were the guys that looked like the Earp Brothers, cowboys hats and all. No guns just hats. Thanks to all Phishheads who came to our reservation. As a tribal member and having attended other events at Big Cypress I would like to congratulate the "Great Northeast Production Company" for putting on such a well organized event. That statement is not my own but was echoed by many Seminoles who attended "Phish". Many of my tribal members are still in "awe" of the amount of people that came to visit and are still talking about the Phishheads. I have taken a "Bowers Survey" of tribal members who attended the event who saw Phishheads coming and going. "The surveys says" and this survey conducted by the firm of "Bowers, Osceola, Bowers, and Billie" reports are totally Positive. The Phishheads were very appreciative, outgoing, polite, well mannered and very respectful of our culture and of our Everglades environment. It is fact that the "Phish" was the concert of all concerts so many of my people can appreciate a good party after all the word Seminole means "wild people" and there was definitely some wild people out there. The "Phish: was advertised in our tribal newspaper as the "Woodstock in the Everglades" and since I was in Vietnam during Woodstock I cannot compare "Phish" to Woodstock. I definitely had a good time meeting people from Connecticut, Boston, Colorado, New Hampshire, New York. I even met a few Phishheads from my own backyard Ft. Lauderdale. Thanks to all ya'll Phishheads and ya'll come back now you hear. Sho-Naa-Bisha, Stephen
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 16:03:18 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: BC 12/31/99 set I review Hey hey mon, thought I'd send you another little snippet, preparing to tackle the overnight set. Hope today finds you well.: Okay, yet another stab at trying to recall the tasy melange that we all know as Big Cypress. This time, the magical prelude to the overnight set. 12/31/99-I Runaway Jim-Unfortunately, I was in the ATM line this time. Luckily I could really hear the music, and the view wasn't so bad either. Jim started this evening off with a bang. While kind of short and no Worcester '97 Jim, it still rocked and was dead on. It definitely got folks in a bouncy mood. Funky Bitch-Still in line having a great conversation with the 100th person I've met from Georgia at this show. What a crowd pleaser this is...definitely setting a more upbeat pace for the set. Treys leads soar and wail, Mike is having a blast singing. Tube-Almost done in line, I really wanted to get back to my friends and boogie at this point, and I made it back while they were jamming. This was a great choice to bust out, it grooves hard and thick with interweaving little funky notes that wrap you up and send vibrations into your body that fill your heart and soul with joy. This was already a great set. I Didn't Know-Fishman on vacuum, YES! I could be wrong, but this seems to be one they bust out in more intimate settings, such as the half-full Vancouver show. It's great that we had that intimate atmosphere, despite the size of the venue and crowd. Always fun to hear their onstage banter and get a wild vacuum solo from Fishman. No matter how many times I hear that vacuum screech I always trip out on just how weird it is that 80,000 people gather in a swamp and groove on some guy in a dress sticking a vacuum to his head and jamming. PYITE-Tightly played, but different sounding. I haven't heard this song in concert much, but I remember the Vegas 98 Punch was thick with that gooey sound, and the intro was a bit longer. This Punch seemed a bit short, but satisfied nonetheless with a more rocky sound than usual. Bouncin-I never have much to say about this song, I usually don't get into it until the end. Hey, they sounded great. Being the last song on the first Phish CD I ever bought, it's not quite what sold me on Phish. Poor Heart-Whoo-hoo! Interesting that they're pulling out some short songs, but Poor Heart was fun...getting 80,000 people in a swamp to jump around like a bunch of hillbillies is always a good thing in my book. Page smokes on this tune...mixing a bit of ragtime with some fast blues. Roggae-While not the most unique Roggae in the world (see 9/17/99 Shoreline for a Roggae that touches down to the most concentrated reaches of our hearing until there is almost no sound, but so much music), it still actually managed to make me cry. I really dug the post on RMP from someone called "Circus of Light" where she ties the lyrics of the song to what we were doing there. It just rang so true as the sky in the west began to taint with the electric colors of dusk. tears of joy came from my eyes...here we are, safe, loved, maybe even at home, on the last sunset of the year. Mike has been doing beautiful work on this song, and Trey gives plenty of room to do it as he and Page lay down textures of gorgeous sound. Fishman plays with tasteful gentlenesss, creating an amzing dynamic for the song. As the first notes of Roggae emerged from the mire I let out a huge "Yeah!!!!" that will probably show up on your tapes as I seem to be the most excited about it. I think this is definitely Tom Marshall's best. What can I say? I love Roggae and I'm holding out for that 20 minute exploratory version. Split Open and Melt->-easily the highlight of the set. Not only was it tighter than hell, but they ditched the 9/8 measures and just went off on this spacey, very urgent sounding groove. It went in all sorts of cool directions, even changing progressions at times as if the jam was composed. Then it started to get really weird, they locked onto a groove and started chanting. For a little bit I was thinking "I know this...doh! What is it?" Catapult-Then it hit me as the strange words of Catapult rang familiar. I had seen setlists where they have thrown it into David Bowie, etc., but I have never witnessed it nor do I have any tapes with this madness on them. It was strange, surprising, slightly demonic (although divine compared to last night's Mike's) and funny all at the same time. Quite possibly their biggest show ever and they're really doing some experimental stuff. Trey summed it up best, "Only at the largest concert in North America can you do something like that." Get Back On the Train-This song just flat out kicks ass. Filled with Honkey-Tonk funk, a great melody and terrific clav work from Page. Bell-bottomed line dancers is what comes to mind I guess. So far this has been a really fun set. Horn-I love the guitar solo in this song, and what makes it for me is when they get all the notes right...no problem here. The song blended with the cool evening breeze and made us sway like reeds in a swamp. Bliss. Guyute-Doh! This song follows me around like the plague, but I'm glad they did it now and not in the overnight set. I say "doh" when it starts, but after a while I'm pretty into this song. They were tight, sounded great and Fishman's evil growling is always fun. After Midnight-They started this up and I'm thinking "this sounds different"...then Trey busts out the first words and the whole place went friggin' nuts!!!! Everyone kind of looked at each other and nodded in assent that indeed, after midnight we would let it all hang out and then some!!!! great choice for a cover and they tore the roof off of the tune. Sorry Clapton, but that one note guitar solo in your version doesn't come close to the firy jams that Phish laid down on this tune. The wait between sets would seem too long at this point because everyone was fired up at this point. A rocking set closer and a message to all of us. The anticipation was killing me, but the satisfaction of this set reminded me to rest before tonight...because this set alone had kicked my ass. -John Pett
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 19:18:51 -0500 From: William Scott Jennings [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: scooby's review I'll make it short - the best concert ever !!! Let's do it again next year & the next & the next. same place - in the swamp. please.
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 12:29:32 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: (no subject) 80,000 phans + 5 sets (including one 7 hour plus set, any of you ever seen that one before?) + totally cool security + 0 injuries due to violence - one traffic jam = one blown-away New Years celebration DO THE MATH AND QUIT COMPLAINING
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 15:07:54 -0600 From: Erik Nilsson [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: show reviews I have mixed emotions over the shows at Big Cypress. The traffic in and out of the venue really hampers my ability to remember clearly. I don't want to hear this crap about the traffic being inevitable becuase it wasn't. Sure I expected aroung a three to four hour jam but eight to thirteen hours-come on! I have become really sickened by the selfish people that have recently become a part of the Phish. I have to get to the concert first! Who has MY drugs. ME ME ME ME ME. If you think for a moment that by bombing around the left land only to horn in further up line did not impede traffic even more then you are a selfish fool. You not only infuriated numerous concertgoers but also managed to block traffic for the rest of the residents of Southern Florida. Good Job guys, thumbs up! I was also disgusted to see people throwing beer bottles along the side of the road. Is it so difficult to throw an emtpy bottle on the floor of your car until you can find a trash can? Everyone who has a fucking clue also new that there was only one gas station on the alley so who were the idiots that did not gas up before getting on the alley?Leaving the venue I can understand, but entering, there was no excuse. No excuse that is until the backup reached over twelve hours. Now that I have that off my chest let me get down to what I thought of the shows. I was really pleased to see that Phish had gone all out in providing a great atmosphere for the shows.The location and weather of Big Cypress was truly a tropical paradise. I live in Minneapolis so to be able to enjoy seventy and eighty degree weather in december/january was truly a dream come true. I was surprised to see that there really was not anything shakin on Shakedown street- used to be the heart of the town, but I've been to enough shows to not really care. I go to Phish shows for the music and strictly the music. I guess that's why drinking next to my car on I-75 is not my idea of a good time. I stood directly to the left or the right of the soundboard for almost all of the five sets, and I found the view, as well as the sound, to be quite satisfactory. I felt that both days had their highpoints as well as lowpoints. Water In the Sky was an appropriate opener, and as a song I enjoy, I thought it was a good way to start the weekend. I have mixed emotions about the whole chief section of the first set, but since it really did not cut into the overall set time I'm all for a little something different on my plate. I have never seen Light Up or Leave live before, and I'm sure most people haven't even heard it judging by the crowd reaction, but I felt it was one of the highlights of the first day along with a ripping ghost. There were several songs that were played the first day that just did not seem to achieve the groove that they are capable of achieving. I felt the Wolfmans Brother, a song which i feel has been really grooving over the course of the past year just did not achieve the stellar porno funk it is capable of. The Taste seemed really uninspired and the jam was way to similar to the jam heard in the first set's Limb by Limb. I guess I compare every Taste I hear to the version from Hamburg on Slip Stitch, and I rarely hear one that rivals it. The Sloth in the third set was also really uninspired, Sloth is a song that needs to absolutely rip, and this slow tempo version simply did nothing for me. The Mike's ripped as usual, but the Simple completely lacked the energy it is capable of. Hydrogen is always a treat and I enjoyed it but the Weekapaugh never really blasted off. Don't get me wrong I always like Weekapaugh, but this was one of the weaker Weekapaughs I've had the priveledge to see. I was really happy to see the band encore with Boogie On Reggae Woman, but again they never really achieved the funk groove this song is capable of. I felt the day set of NYE was the best out of the four standard length sets.The setlist may not look spectacular but the set simply had the energy that keeps me going to Phish shows. I thought the Phish spaceship took off during Split Open and Melt and hovered above the ground until Midnight when is blasted off into hyperspace. The After Midnight closer absolutely rocked I'm not even going to go into the New Years set, because you really can't compare it to a standard set. The energy flowing through the crowd from the minute father time straddled the bike untill well after midnight was complete and utter pandemonium. I never thought I would see the boys ride in on the HotDog again, and it was truly awesome and the jams of this set were trulyl sick.I also loved the impromptu Meatstick rendtion that swept through the audience as midnight approached.
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 16:24:48 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31 review May I first point out for you youngsters that before there was ever a "420" in pop culture, there was "714". This was a pill that was popular back in the 70's that got you off, also known as a "lemon". The sunrise for the Phish NYE epic came at exactly 7:14! NYE 2000 Overview: Yes, the traffic sucked, but when it sucks that bad you can just get out of the car, wander about, drink, smoke, and shoot the shit with your phriends. In case you didn't notice, that's what you did anyway when you weren't in your car! With the exception of the few that actually missed show time---get over it, it's a party! My biggest beef with a crowd this size is something nobody can really control, though, and that's losers that can't time their buzz properly and sleep in the venue. It's very difficult to get any kind of "Hampton-like" vibe going when you're separated from other people rocking out by a group of sloths laying around taking up prime boogie space. This isn't brain surgery folks: pace yourself so you can be in it for the long haul or get the hell out of the way. Special mention, btw, to the idiot woman with the infant laying in front of her on her blanket to the left of the soundboard around "Piper" time Saturday morning. This child was basically right next to the walkway amidst the sea of slugs that people were tripping over and I nearly stepped on her. After the fact, I noticed that Mom had thoughtfully set down several glow rings outlining this beleaguered baby's head. This is perhaps to help the stumbling-drunk sixteen year-old to make sure not to fall there when he drops into the picture? But I shall cease being negative now. Overall, it was a great time and we were blessed with perfect weather, although the tents did heat up quickly in the morning due to the intense sun, (ed note: the author was in an air conditioned RV). Every night, pretty much all night long, there was the cacophony of music from all directions, fireworks everywhere and the best of all: the spontaneous roars! They would build from the probably world-record size drum circles in the forest and just travel around. By the way, how in the hell did everybody avoid getting impaled by a stump in the red forest anyway? The coolest thing about this kind of thing, though, is that it's just a shitload of cool people everywhere. The kind of people you can talk to as if you're in the middle of a conversation already. Cruising around shooting the shit and catching a buzz with friends new and old for three straight days is a pretty fucking cool way to spend any time, let alone New Years 2000! And oh, by the way, did I mention there was a band on the 31st? On with the review^� Set I: Started with the benefit of clouds obscuring the intense afternoon sun that would've been in our faces otherwise, and that was nice. The sunset wasn't as good as for Ghost last night, but whatever. "Runaway Jim" opened a pretty mellow set, compared to II and III last night. It was cranking as usual and "Funky Bitch" and "Tube" had me wondering if the boys were planning on saving any energy for later---smokin'! "I Didn't Know" was a damned good observation, given the onslaught of intoxicants many of us had welcomed and the fact that we had only barely passed the halfway point of songs for the festival---even after last night's epic! PYITE was another rocker that pulled me along despite my desire to pace myself but my respite was right behind it, with Bouncin'>Poor Heart>Roggea "nap time". I still can't believe they like "Roggae" so much---I just don't get it, but I digress. SOAM was great old school to get me back into things and the I was soon "Catapult"ed "Back On The Train" where I heard I very oddly-placed "Horn" that somehow led into "Guyote". BOTT is a very cool new song, but, then again, which new one isn't cool? I was thrilled to hear "Guyote", 'cuz I've been missing it lately and it's good to hear concise, to the point compositions get played perfectly. Thirteen songs in I'm thinking this is the closer, but it's not a real total rocker---you bastards! But Phish has spoiled me so thoroughly that they crank into---"After Midnight", which may be the most appropriately-placed song in the history of concerts! And JAMMING! I mean, this is right there with GTBT from last night as the song of the whole thing, (as if I could really choose!) Compare this to Eric Clapton's version and you'll feel compared to check E.C. and see if he actually has a pussy! Anyway, to sum it up, this was the fourth best set of the weekend, but it pounded the crap out of, say, 12/17 in Hampton. The boys were on and my God, what a closer! Set II: If there was a more festive crowd in the world for the flip to three zeros, I wish I was at the Yanni show. It would only be a slight exageration to say that more fireworks were in the parking lot than a lot of actual displays. The spontaneous roars were going off about every thirty seconds and the full-scale party was on! The concert field was noticeably more full tonight that last night, and I'd heard of wristband numbers exceeding 90,000 at this point. En route to my friends, I had the misfortune of hitting the barricade that had the path cleared for the giant "Airboat" that the boys rode through the crowd, but I managed to make it back to them before Auld Lang Syne was finished, so I guess it was OK. The worst part was that I was blazing through the crowd and thus pretty much missed the mind-boggling fireworks display that must've taken a nice chuck of our $150+ entrance fee. I have no memory of "Meatstick" here at all, so I doubt it was anything special. The first real song was "Down with Disease", which was no-holds-barred and a poignant message for humanity in general as we crank into the 2000's---but now I'm on my way, indeed! "Llama" was played at a blistering pace which I was guessing the boys might regret come about five. (ed note: the band never did show fatigue) We were all in this together for a killer "Bathtub Gin" that led to what I thought was the funniest moment of the show: getting it together for the worldwide broadcast of "Heavy Things". The massive floodlights started coming on to illuminate the crowd as Trey explains that we're about to go live and we should play a joke. He decides to have us not cheer after the song, but to instead simply say: "cheesecake!" As if we're somewhat upset. Just "cheesecake!" Then, as the moment approaches he changes the plan and says we should instead chant "cheesecake" over and over. We then go on TV, with countless millions around the world watching, and Trey takes the opportunity to chastise left-lane bandits. I think he tried to stick to the "peace" theme of the broadcast for a minute, but then he said something like: "the right lane is for slow cars, the left lane is for fast cars. If you're not going fast, please stay in the right lane!" That may have been the coolest thing I've ever seen! (But then again, there was the "Roses Are Free" at 5:30, but I can't get ahead of myself). The very cool "Heavy Things" was then played to a fully-lighted, totally blissing crowd with pictures of us on the gigantic video screens with the perfect pictures. The end of the song comes and several thousand people somehow forgot the instructions, cheering anyway. "Twist" and "Prince Caspian" were good, but my position made it hard to concentrate as we seemed to be trespassing on the Phish VIP area, (Jon from Strangefolk was there), and we were catching bad vibes. (ed note: the VIP's weren't partying worth a shit!) The Velvet Underground cover "Rock and Roll" was the last song I caught in that area, and it was very disappointing for me because Page's paper-thin vocals basically ruined the song for me. I've been dying to hear this song, and lo and behold, it sucked! Oh, well, maybe the next twenty-six will make up for it! Moved away from bad-karma-VIP section for YEM, which featured a vocal jam with tons of "cheescake" in it, and was mighty strong. "Crosseyed" was a phatty break-out and an epic version as well. (ed note: what song wasn't an epic version tonight?) Trey then takes to the acoustic for an intimate "Minestrone" for the 90,000 denizens, which must've been cool from him, because it seemed like most people shut-up for the occasion. This was followed by "Sand", which at some point melded into something called "Quadrophonic Topplin". It's at this point of the show when the men were separated from the boys, so to speak. This jam was reminiscent of the "ambient jam" at the Lemonwheel---the seemingly endless noodling that left many people begging for a song. Yes, it did take seemingly forever and yes, it could rightly be labeled self-indulgent on the part of the band. That said, let's take a look at what we're complaining about: This is a band that does improv jams better than anyone on earth and they now have all the time imaginable to jam out songs, and people are irritated? These guys have the best party on earth going, and they can do whatever they want, as far as I'm concerned. (ed note: as if they would let you down in the end!) People would've been well-served to look at the big picture of this show and enjoy the fact that almost every song had a ten-minute or more jam on it, 'cuz it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing. If you didn't gear up to be tripping your balls off when this inevitability came around---bummer for you, better luck next time, and don't get pissed when I step on you while you're laying there taking up valuable boogie space! But I digress---back to the music. "Slave" delivered us back to a discernable song, although it's jam is a little too much like what just went on for an hour, and they might've stuck something more rocking there. I've seen better "Slaves", to be honest, but the Neil Young cover of "Albuquerque", made up for that as it was done perfect justice to the songwriting master that penned it. A very happy "Reba" got the party going again and the "Axilla" put to rest any questions that the boys might be running out of gas because it rocked balls. My first "Uncle Pen" in 40 shows followed and reminded me of how fucking versatile this band is 'cuz it was more or less a country hoe-down now. A downright sick, (as if there's any other kind) "Bowie" raged and then the recently rare "My Soul" kept things up, to say the least, and this was my favorite version ever. Anyone that actually complained about the slow part of the show 90 minutes or so ago had to feel like and idiot as the boys steamed into The Who's "Drowned", with Mike on vocals. Although Mike's voice leaves a lot to be desired here, the band made this point irrelevant because this may have been the highlight out of 35 songs. I'm not sure how long this travel through about ten changes in one song lasted, (ed note: if you think keeping track of time while tripping is hard enough, try it in the midst of a 7.5 hour show!), but it was a remarkable journey and I can't wait to hear this shit on tape! As if we needed our minds blown further, a reprise of "After Midnight" was delivered roughly ten hours after the first-ever version and boy, were those lyrics even more poignant now! Indeed, now around five a.m., we are finding out "what it's all about" and I'm getting chills and tears right now just thinking about it! What a truly great band and how much poorer would I be if I'd never seen them! Anyway, letting it all hang out were these guys ripping this song up with the same intensity of 22 songs ago and I found out that what it's really all about is buzz-timing because there were legions of people sleeping through this! I've digressed, though, back to the review! At this point the band may have stood around for a minute bullshitting, eating or drinking something, or whatever, because there were some gaps between songs when it took a few minutes for the next one to start. I don't remember if it happened exactly here or not, but I do recall some idiots yelling "play a song!" during these breaks. I mean, there's ungrateful and spoiled, and then there's ungrateful and spoiled, for christsakes! Anyway, now we go into a heart-warming, unbelievable beautiful "Horse>Silent In The Morning" here at roughly 5:30 am and I remember thinking that a bonus here is that every dickhead that would be talking through this normally is sleeping, so we had that going for us too! "Bittersweet Motel" kept the mood and was a perfect place for another beautiful song. (ed note: if you don't like this song, it's probably about you!) Paragraph break, 'cuz I moved at this point. "Piper" was cranked into here and was a complete joy to hear after the weak version in Hampton this year. It was a bit hard to concentrate on this for a while because I was moving up and was in a bad sound area, (of which there were many, due to the delay off the satellite-speaker towers and the roof on the soundboard). This, and I was busy barely missing stepping on babies. "Piper" totally raged and, although I'm no tape expert, I can't imagine there was a better one played anywhere else, if so, let me know! My first "Free" in quite some time was about as perfect as a song placement can get if it wasn't for the "After Midnight". Every song at this point is being jammed out to the hilt, and this was no exception. We are now in a zone that may never be reached again as far as that's concerned and you'll get no complaint about that here. I might add that now I'm basically looking right over at CK5, so I had a pretty plum spot in which to really feel it; I know that it's really hard to find a good vibe way out in the masses. In any event, Page then took his turn as lounge singer for "Lawn Boy", which is always cool. Not to be outdone, Fishman gets his chance to really fuck with the people that aren't getting the joke and the jam-outs by tearing up a vacuum solo in "Love You". I mean, this most annoying of sounds lasted seemingly forever and it was just the kind of absurdity that makes you stop and contemplate what the hell you're doing. You're at the bottom of Florida in the middle of nowhere with 90,000 at six in the morning watching a dude play a vacuum cleaner---not an everyday thing! Next up was a truly stunning "Roses Are Free". This was my first in 40 shows, and I was now on cloud nine. The jam was so long that one could easily forget what the song was before it came around again, and indeed I did! It ocurred to me at this point that CK5 is the only lighting director in rock history to have dawn as a backdrop, for whatever that's worth! "Bug" followed, and I'll be damned if I remember anything about it because I don't really know it. I suspect it's just one long jam with no real verses 'cuz that's all I remember before^� "2001", which, if I can complain one time, would have been better off as a "Divided Sky" because it's starting to get light out now and it's mostly cloudy, but there are gorgeous red/pink clouds to the left-rear of us. The "2001" was good, but it was kind of aimless and I swear it used to better in the past, but it could be just me. The power of the lighting was reduced at this point as well, because it's no longer anywhere near dark. I'm still assuming the "Divided" is on the way, but I'm having suck a great time that I don't even car when they break into "Wading". Now I love this song, and I loved it at the time, although Trey could've really ripped the solo harder, (you weren't tired, were you, you pussy!). In retrospect, however, why in God's name is there a "Wading" here instead of "Divided"? A point to ponder, indeed. Again, I wasn't complaining at the time, probably because at this rate I assumed they might play until nine or something! "Meatstick", a song I'd completely forgotten about, finished the most epic show ever off, and they didn't bother to ask us to do the dance, probably because it just didn't feel right. I thought this was a great song to end with because it's such a happy sound and a great melody to have in your head taking out of a show. I would like to point out again that I was dancing my ass off at this point, and I'm proud to say that I never sat down the whole show. In summation, I've read some people that couldn't make it saying shit like: "they'll say it was the best show ever, no matter what happens." Well, all I can say is, if that makes you feel better 'cuz you weren't there, good for you! You need all the help you can get because those of us that were there need only think back to the only show of it's kind ever to feel good. Amazing. Epic. Outrageous. Ridiculous. Thank you Phish, Seminole Indians, and all the people that didn't lay around taking up space. This was the best New Year's I've ever had!
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 11:18:04 PST From: Alex Tamargo [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I must say that that I will always remember this past NYE weekends as one of the highest, most wonderful times of my whole life! EIGHT STRAIGHT FUCKING HOURS OF PHISH JAMS!!!!!!!This was my dream come true, and I believe, a once in a life time event. Just before the first set I had a most wonderful experience around a drum circle that sent me into the show already energized. Due to lack of time, I won't go into detail because most of you probably just want ot hear about the show, but if anyone's curious, pheel phree to email me because I have never experienced anything so beautiful at a Phish show outside of the music. Now to the show, the afternoon set is what me and my friends were calling afterwards the FUN set. There was nothing spetactular about it but it was very high energy and very fun. Clearly the boys were saving their heavy jam tunes for the sunrise set, as well they should. I won't do this set song by song but I'll just share with you my personal highlights. TUBE- phunky with a captital PH!!! What a groove!!! SPLIT OPEN>CATAPULT- This has got to be the best jam out of Split Open I've ever heard My buddy argued that Gorge this fall was far better, but everyone's got their own opinion, for me this was the spaciest most far out split open jam I've ever heard, and though I was a little dissapointed they didn't go back into the climatic ending jam after Catapult, I can't complain about what they did give us in this song. AFTER MIDNIGHT- The band's way of letting us know what was going ot be going down that night. This song rocked!!! and sent the crowd pumped and ready for the eight hour marathon of endless jams. The Midnight to Sunrise set is what it's all about. No there were no Destiny Unbounds or complete Gamehendge sagas, but if you were'nt going to be happy unless they did those things, you may as well not have gone because they do not need to do anything like that in order for it to be the SHOW OF A LIFETIME!! They simple need to barrage us with endless jams and happiness throughout the entire eight hour stretch, and of that they did a pretty damn fine job. I won't go into detail about the hotdog entry because it seems other reviewers have already done that. But I will say it was a pretty fun thing to watch, and everyone was sooooooooo pumped for the music. And I think there was no more appropriate way to end the millenium then with the Meatstick, the song of 1999. DOWN WITH DISEASE- To be honest, if I had my choice of the first song of the milleinum, it wouldn't be this one, but considering that they were about to play eight hours of music, they could have really played anything for all I cared. And as it turned out, this version absolutely rocked my world!!! Wow!!! LLAMA- A quick rocking version of Llama is always nice. BATHTUB- One of my favorite tunes which we were snubbed of in last years new years run, so I knew they had to play it this year. And what a version! The vocal harmonies they did were nothing short of spetacular and the jam afterwards was truly classic Bathtub style jamming. Right On! ABC WORLD NEWS SPEECH/CHEESECAKE CHANT- If you don't know the details on this, read other peoples reviews. I just want to say that you notice how Trey abandoned the silly idea of breaking the dance record with the Meatstick dance(THANK GOD) but instead he had 85,000 people chanting cheesecake on live tv? Now wasn't the cheesecake chant far more of a wonderful thing than that silly dance ever could have been? The next day in the Atlanta airport, the few Phish kids that were there would pass each other and yell "CHEESECAKE!" which must have made innocent passerbyers go HUH? I will never again be able to look at a slice of cheesecake without smiling. HEAVYTHINGS- What a wonderful happy groovy tune. (Ooo ooo WA aa!) They needed a short one to put on live tv and they couldn't have picked a better one. TWIST>CASPIAN- The Twist jam was sick and it segued beatifully into Caspian, which I normally don't get into that much, but this was New Years, even the Caspian is incredible. ROCK N' ROLL- When they started playing this I had no idea what a fucking sick jam was going to come out of it. Wow! My friend claims to have heard a DWD reprisejam in there but I didn't catch it. Did anyone else? YEM- Pretty standard version (which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned). The only thing that was unique was the Cheesecake vocal jam. I was cracking up laughing at the whole thing. Lots of cheesecake jokes from all the people around me followed. CROSSEYED AND PAINLESS- I said CROSEYED AND FUCKING PAINLESS!!!! This was the song I thought that if they played it, the whole world could blow up from this Y2k bug and I would die a happy man. I can't believe they played it and of course it rocked!!! MINESTRONE- absolutely beatiful SAND>QUADROPHONIC TOPPLINGS- I remember thinking that this was the sickest most wonderful Sand jam I had ever heard. Now I know that part of that was a siket disc jam called Quadrophonic Topplings. I'm not sure where the sand jam ended and Quad. Top began, but it was soooo good. SLAVE- one of the best ever!!! ALBUQUERQuE- I love this song REBA- my first since last years newyears run and it was blissful AXILLA,UNCLE PENN- I enjoyed these songs, but they're not songs I feel the need to dance my ass off at so I took this oppurtunity to take a long needed rest, and just sat down and soaked in the music. BOWIE- absolutely sick!! After the Bowie, I looked up and realized it was still pitch black out, which meant we still had a long way to sunrise. So even after a set that normally would have sent me home thrilled, there was still hours and hours of jams left. What a happy realization to come to. MY SOUL- Mymymymymymymymymy soul It's my soul! DROWNED>AFTER MIDNIGHT REPRISE>DROWNED JAM- Every version of Drowned I've heard has really rocked the house, but when the went back into After Midnight in the middle of the rockin jam, I had to stop what I was doing (which was filling up my water bottle) and dance, dance dance! HORSE>SILENT- I was slightly dissapointed because I had this vision in my head of them playing Silent in the Morning when it was daylight. But hey, I can't expect them to read my mind, so it was good none the less. Besides, I was perfectly happy with what they did do for the sunrise. More on that later. BITTERSWEET MOTEL- nice littel ditty, gave me a chance to rest my bones. PIPER>FREE- The Piper was out of control and the Free was nice too, although not unordinary. LAWN BOY- Lawn Boy is Lawn Boy HYHU>LOVE YOU>>HYHU- I knew it was about time for a Fishman tune. After taking a really long time to get started, Fishman looks up with a confused look, "Oh I'm sorry, are we at a concert?" You gotta love him. ROSES ARE FREE- Like Crosseyed, a tune I really wanted to hear. And this version exceeded all my expectations of it. I could not believe they were pumping out such a long exploratory jam at freakin' 6 in the morning. Unfortunately, about half way through the jam, my achin body could take no more dancin and I had to sit down. But I was fairly close to the front at this point, so I sat there and looked up at the speakers and felt the ambience of the jam surge through my body, and thought about how there was no other place in the entire universe I would have rather been at that time than right fucking there. BUG- I never used to think too much of this song. I thought it was okay I guess. But this time I had turned around to face the most beatuiful wonderful sunrise I have seen in quite some time. So when they started playing Bug, a wondrous joy just filled my body and soul. So I REALLY enjoyed Bug this time around. I now have a whole new perspective on that song. From now on whenever I hear it I'll think of THAT moment and smile. 2001- I still had my eye on the sky and all the colors and shapes and forms it was taking when this one started. Then I tryed to get up and dance but I was still achin It was very frustrating because this was such a funky groovin' version (how are they able to do that at 7 in the morning?). But I just sat down and watched all the happy brothers and sisters groove down and let my spirit dance through them. It was another unforgettable Phish moment on the night of many unforgettable Phish moments. WADING IN THE VELVET SEA- I had a feeling they were begining to wind it down, which was confirmed when they started playing...... MEATSTICK- Of course! They started it all with the Meatstick, without ever having sung the whole thing, so of course they would end with it. I was finally able to gain a second wind and groove down. Meatstick led into a nice spacey ambient jam that faded off into the sunrise. HERE COMES THE SUN- Not played by Phish, but it was the original Beattles version playing over the PA. Now that I had started dancing again, I couldn't stop. And looking around, I saw tons of happy kids dancing along with me. I don't think I've ever seen that many people dance for the entire duration of the song playing over the PA. Then it was off into the sun for 85,000 happy people. The silence of the crowd walking out was very surprising, and very very nice and peaceful. And so ends one of the most blissful times of my life. I hope everyone (whether you were at the show or not) had at least half as good of a time as I had. Peace everyone, and CHEESECAKE!
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 17:32:12 -0600 From: Vicki Wittgraf [email protected] To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: nye 2000 i just got back from florida. rather than throw my opinions of the sets, i'm going to describe all that transpired for those that weren't lucky enough to find a ride to big cypress. the first four sets were amazing in both quality and variety. phish kept them relatively uneventful- except for a guest appearance by a seminole singing sensation. big chief jim billie brought a guitar player and a banjo player on stage-- it was an amusing scene. trey seemed particularly surprised by the guitar player's solo. as you will undoubtedly hear in the near future, thursday culminated with an incredible third set. i was within a few rows of the stage for the entire show. my intention for this review is merely to describe the midnight to sunrise set. at precisely 11:30pm, the curtain dropped on stage to reveal a large clock with a pendulum swing on its right. on the left was a costumed old man peddling a bicycle. his pedalling kept the clock going. this hypnotic scene continued for twenty minutes including the blaring sound of the bicycle and the ticking clock. the old man was tiring and he stopped eight minutes before midnight. suddenly, an enormous contraption emerged from the side of the field. this grey fan boat (much like the boat pictured on the concert ticket) stopped in the midst of the crowd. fireworks exploded around the boat as it fell apart to reveal phish on their now-motorized new years hot dog. the crowd obviously erupted as phish rode toward the stage. a recorded, new phish tune accompanied their voyage. i speculate that this upbeat song was the new meatstick jam. few people noticed the four female dancers on stage doing the meatstick. the new song slowed to the meatstick that we all know and love and the dancers helped phish from the hot dog onto the stage. the band found a twenty foot long of meat (sausages or something) and force-fed the motionless old man. he regained his strength and pedalled like mad. the clock was speeding toward midnight as the band grabbed their instruments and joined in with the recorded meatstick and eventually took over. the new year's countdown ensued and the band played a rockin version of auld lang syne. to add to the madness, hundreds of balloons (some as big as ten feet in diameter) were released into the crowd. an incredible display of fireworks came from behind the stage and continued for several minutes. the scene is beyond description-- words can't do justice to the emotion and intense joy spewing from everyone and everything. when phish kicked into down with disease, 80,000 phans danced like never before. it was a moment i wish everyone could have experienced. dwd jammed for approximately 20 minutes. phish broke into a fevered llama and followed with a 20 minute bathtub gin. i felt that the bathtub jam wasn't quite what it could have been because a member of the crew was continually holding up signs signalling the number of minutes before the concert went live on abc. the band finished with three minutes to spare. trey explained to the audience how they should scream "hi mom" and stuff. just before going live, trey said that he and mike wanted the audience to do something strange at the end of the song rather than clapping. trey asked the crowd to angrily yell "cheesecake" at the conclusion of their song. it was a hysterical moment. phish went live on network television and trey gave his message for the world. abc wanted every live act to give advice for peace and happiness for the next millenium. phish conformed to the network's wishes, but trey's advice for the millions across the world was for the slower traffic to move to the left side of the road and for the faster to stay in the right lane. silly but profound advice-- it's a great analogy for the various lives people live. from what i have gathered, trey's message was edited out of the program. abc undoubtedly thought he was mocking them. i found the whole thing rather amusing. abc did air the five minute version of heavy things followed with cheesecake chanting. the show progressed in typical phish fashion alternating between new and old with a few covers in the mix. with more than seven hours to fill, the band was free to jam and experiment. listening to tapes, you'll notice how usually short songs were jammed for thirty minutes or more (roses are free was a good example). the set cruised into you enjoy myself. it concluded with a cheesecake vocal jam. the audience joined in with their own chant. get the tapes, it was a lot of fun. at this point the show became a bit more subdued. the band relaxed and settled in. they even took rotating bathroom breaks as the band continued in their respective absenses. these bathroom breaks were curiously frequent and long in duration. i could speculate as to what went on in their lavish and large port-o-let but won't. for those interested, trey emerged with what appeared to be a balloon near his face. he threw it aside after crossing the back of the stage. he got into his usual position on stage and abruptly exited seconds later to return to the bathroom. anyhoo, the band did what it needed to do to jam for more than seven hours. by 5:00am, a small portion of the crowd moved to the outskirts in exhaustion. i felt like the audience couldn't connect with the 30 minute jams at this point. maybe we were too run down? maybe an upbeat little number could have rejuvinated the crowd? but the show went on. it was an amazing set. as i predited, phish broke into 2001 just before sunrise. i think that phish was hoping to mirror kubrick's legendary film with the song peaking as the sun emerged from the horizon. unfortunately, clouds filled the sky and marred our view of the sun. phish's vision of a breath-taking sunrise didn't happen. they followed 2001 with wading in the velvet sea and finished with meatstick. once again, i think phish envisioned an 80,000 person sea doing the meatstick dance. the exhausted crowd wasn't up to it. i eagerly waited for the band to debut a new meatstick jam and a reappearance by the dancers. the band stuck to the old meatstick and brought it to a slow, quiet close. trey thanked everyone just before finishing. i couldn't help but see the exhaustion and dissatifaction in all four members of the band. the band left the stage and the crowd got a second wind (although at this point it was more like a thirty-seventh wind) in expectation of the encore. to everyone's dismay, crew members came on stage and started breaking it down. where was our encore? the incredible event that was new year's eve 2000 needed some closure. i shouldn't say it but i think the band was upset. they succeeded with their all night jam but didn't close the show as the had envisioned. they didn't get an awe-inspiring 2001 sunrise or the 80,000 person meatstick. it wasn't anybod'y's fault. blame the cloud or the audience or the band. i hope my description of nye doesn't give the impression that it failed to live up to expectations. with five great sets of almost 14 hours of phish, this event will go down in history as one of the greatest moments for the band. each set was filled with great moments. i think that the third set on the 30th will be remembered as one the band's best. if you are upset because you didn't catch a ride to florida, you should be. there was no place in the world i would have rather been. i still can't put it into words. i just hope we all realize how lucky we are to have festivals like this. thank you phish.
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 00:55:46 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation Im only gonna review 12/31, just because I wasn't particularly fond of 12/30, it just seemed to lack the energy that creates a "good" Phish show, thats just my opinion though, it had it's moments, but all in all I wasn't blown away. Pre-show: I had to pee, and I did!!!! Also, I had been calling a Sand opener all day long, but then again I'm only right 96.435786% of the time, so I was down with... Runaway - not the greatest I've ever heard, but I dig the song with a passion, so I was fired up Bitch - I was psyched because my girlfriend had been calling this one since Hampton, so it was great to see her with all smiles, plus its a sick jam so I was extremely satisfied so far Tube - cant go wrong with this one. Really tight version, tight jam, oh so tight, simply sick, was almost rushed to the medical tent it was so sick IDK - gotta love it, always a pleaser, then again it wasnt the best ive ever heard but so far, the show was off to an insane start, no complaints so far PYITE - once again, 100% insanity, tightness everywhere Bouncin - ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, why????? Who cares, it is short and after the sick start, I welcomed this custie classic with open arms and closed ears, my favorite part was the ending, then came... Poor Heart - always a fun tune to hear, by then I was guessing that the boys were going ahead and getting the short ones out of the way, preparing for the sick jams yet to come Roggae - great way to keep a nice pace, great song, always is, was soothing and relaxing, Trey's licks just melted in my ears and head, getting me ready for... SOAM --> Catapult - words cant even describe it. Sickest SOAM jam i've ever heard, and to make it epic they kept the beat and spat off Catapult lyrics...confusion was setting in in the beginning and I looked to my girlfriend for assistance as to what the hell was happening, I knew she knew what was up, and afer about the fifth or sixth or whatever lyric, I knew it was catapult...these tapes are worth getting just to hear this over a thousand times, gotta have it, SICK....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what a jam!!!!!! GBOTT - I knew we would hear this one sometime during the evening or morning, always a great tune to hear, great beat, love what they have done with this one, definitely a keeper, always a pleasure Horn - I dont know what was going on in the boys minds, but I wish I knew, because they were throwing curves left and right. This song is always classic, and the past two times ive heard it, Trey just nails the jam to the extreme, excellent rendition Guyute - I remember when this used to be sort of a rarity, it just never got that much playing time...those days are over, but I hadnt heard it since the summer, and because I used to crave this song with a passion, it was actually extremely nice to hear After Midnight - two or three years ago, until 12/31, I had always wanted Phish to cover this one..all hope was lost, and I was so stunned and ecstatic to hear this one that my heart skipped many beats, pumped like a mighty fist throughout the entire song, I knew this would be the closer, and what a closer it was, definitely the most fitting and perfect closer I have ever heard...man I was so damn psyched, ahhhhhh...only a few more hours and then the true insanity would finally come forth Midnight: The guy on the bike became a nuisance, I was too psyched to stand around and listen to clocks tick, I was pumped and ready, so when I saw the boat making its way through the crowd, I was in total shock Meatstick - only over the pa, just totally fitting, perfect way to make an entrance, I knew the sickness was soon to follow DWD - my girlfriend predicted this one, and this was without a doubt the tightest, sickest DWD i have ever heard, I also thought the fireworks would go on all night long, the balloons making their way across the crowd was also an incredibly sick sight to see. Definitely one of the most memorable moments of my entire life, and I experienced it with the greatest person i've ever known...karn Llama - I felt this one coming from a mile away, and I heard it while crouched down on my knees, doing who knows what... Bathtub - one of my all time faves and I was psyched, jam was "different" to say the least, but I was just still in complete awe as to what was going down in Florida Heavy Things - I love this tune, and the whole "ABC, Trey talking cheesecake" everything, just had me in total ecstasy. very catchy song as my karen would say, I totally agree with her, this is a great song Twist - one of my all time faves, this whole midnight to sunrise set was turning in to a "whip out Al's fave tunes" set, I was just in a state of total awe, dont remember much about this Twist, but I remember enough to know that it was tight and sick, almost every jam the band played that night was tight as hell, oh so tight, complete cohesoin and unity Caspian - ouch, I mean of all songs Twist could go into, this I didn't see coming, but discovering that the band had only been playing for a little over an hour, I was so psyched to realize that they were getting this whining song out of the way, like bouncin, the ending was my favorite part, as it always is...but I would soon discover that the ending held much more promise than I had expected... Rock and Roll - this would have to be one of my all time fave cover tunes, it fits the band perfectly, totally represents and explains the direction in which the band is going in, so powerful, the jam was the greatest rock and roll jam ive ever heard, remember hearing a few moments in which the band could have gone right into 2001 PERFECTLY, jam was tight, one of the tighest jams i have ever heard, and this show was already on its way to being one of the greatest YEM - dont remember this yem all that much, hear it at almost every show I go to, but you cant ever complain about a YEM, remember that Mike owned the jam pretty much though, and the cheesecake vocals almost had me rolling on the dirty ground beneath my feet,m laughing in hysteria Crosseyed - i thought i would never hear it again, and that always sort of made me a bit depressed, total shocker, and one of the highlights of the night for me. this show was down right sick, they were just tearing it up on stage and i was loving every single second of it Minestrone - heard it in hampton, its not a song you can just go insane over, but its a nice chill acoustic, and it is pretty damn good i think Sand - i knew it was destined to be heard, and this is just a sick song, definitely one of my favorite new ones Quadrophonic Toppling - had never heard it live before, totally recognized it from the siket disc, cant say much, was just spacey, nice chill noise to try and build up some wind to groove for many more hours Slave - i'd actually say that this is probably my favorite song, i have many but this is definitely in the top 5 or 4, dont know, i'll get back to you on that one. What i loved about this set was that they really jammed out these songs to the max, dont remember how long this jam was, do remember that it wasnt the greatest slave i have ever heard, but it was long, and was still pretty damn good Albuquerque - nice! didnt expect to hear this one ever again, nice to hear. The pace had slowed a tad which was good, the musical pace as a whole that is. the cheesecake reference had me laughing to death again also Reba - band sort of gathered to figure out what to play next, guy about three people in back of us yells reba, less than thirty seconds later they bust out the best reba i have ever heard, the jam was flawless and kept getting better and bettter, also pretty long jam, beautiful sounds echoed from the stage, this show was already the sickest show ive ever seen, and ive seen around 55 to 60, i think maybe 60 shows, ill have to get back to you on that, not an insane amount, but enough to judge which is the best out o the bunch that you saw, and to begin with everyone has different opinions of a "good" "great" average" and "bad" phish show, anyway, on to the next Axilla - its not my favorite, but you cant help but move to the high paced beat during this one, and I cant remember if it had an axilla pt 2 ending or not, i dont think it did but i may be wrong, either way it got everyone moving, i still was at a 167% energy level, as was my karen Uncle Penn - hell yeah!!!!! i think its definitely one of the best bluegrass numbers that they do, and the fact that the chances of hearing it are slim to none makes it that much more special Bowie - by now I felt that the band had been onstage only for a little over an hour or two. This set seemed so short, actually as the sun was coming up it did seem that the band had ben onstage for a pretty long time. Anyway, this was a very tight Bowie, definitely one of the best ive ever heard, from what i remember, and i dont remember all that much, but it was sick i do remember that MY Soul - maybe its just me, but i have never been too fond of this one Drowned - I sometimes compare drowned to rock and roll, i think they sort of have the same jammming structure, and they both possess an arena rock speed quality to them, even though the velvet underground were hardly arena rock, ive really only seen phish perform it in arenas, so ive branded it an arena rock song. Plus, i never thought i would ever hear both of them played at the same show, the intensity was just insane, this show was off the hook After Midnight reprise - i heard it coming during the drowned jam, but i thought it would just be an instrumental tease, not an all out reprise with vocals. this got the entire crowd fired up, and the few people that were sitting lifeless on the ground immediately rose to their feet, as the boys blew the place out of the water, i was speechless, not that i had the urge to speek anyway, i do remember that my girlfriend and i traded smiles during this one though, it really got the place moving again, it did seem that people were losing energy, but all was restored during this one horse --> silent - have heard this one a lot lately, it was fitting i guess, as were a lot of the songs they played throughout the weekend, such as the water opener which I predicted the night before. Its still always nice to hear and the jam is always soothing, i couldnt complain at all though, they could have quit playing right then and there and i still would have left totally satisfied bitersweet motel - nice song, but i was hoping for something with much more intensity piper - wow, to hear this in the wee hours of the morning, close to the crack of dawn, simply insane Free - i vividly remember the free jams of '95 and '96, they really had no structure whatsoever, and i always knew that the song had such promise as a powerful jamming number, and in 97 when Mike turned up the bass, it must have prompted Trey to get rid of the drumkit and just jam it out like a champion in fine form. very tight version Lawn Boy - yeah it is funny to see Page playing a sleazy vegas lounge singer, but ive heard it way too much, i guess that my own problem, but i am just not head over heals about this one, but for some reason i was just psyched to hear it, more to watch it love you - didnt see this one coming, was hoping for a sexual healing, and i actually was almksot certain that it would be purple rain, but it was love you, and i was still down for it ya know, ya know? fishmans actions at the end when he just dropped dead on stage were the highlight for me anyway Roses - great song, happy to hear it, long jam, tight jam, closely reminiscent of the roses jam from 4/3/98, in my opinion Bug - the sky was getting a bit brighter when the boys busted this one out. i really like this one 2001 - ill never forget the look on my girlfriends face when we both heard fishman rip into the Hood intro...I had no idea, I actually thought the band had gone delirious during bug and had totally forgotten that they had done this last night...then...suprise...excellent, superb transition into 2001 right off the bat, excellent placement, very nice jam, not incredibly long, but i was psyched to hear this one after 6 in the morning, very special moment. This is usually the song that gives them strength to play a killer fast paced intense and tight song afterward...but wading - it may as well be called The Return of Prince Caspian, the jams are identical, and...well...i just have never been a big wading fan...thus, i wasnt ecstatic at that point in time...ill never forget the look on my karen's face...she looked as if she was a child deprived of candy, we both took time to have an early morning session during this one, some, "down time" Meatstick - this was a given. i knew that with a max of 80,000 people, the record had no chance of being broken since we were about a little short of 20,000 plus people that were needed to break the record...plus it was so late in the morning, that many people had forgotten the dance. I was hoping for a longer jam, but to no avail, and it was also totally understandable, they had given everything they had and im positive they were tired, so it was still a pleasure to hear, i love this song, and it was a fitting closer no encore - i truly beleived that they would no do an encore. the entire set was basically an encore to 17 years of playing, i was already satisfied, but it still would have been nice. no complaints anyway, this show rocked, it was better and much more tighter than the first night and it was like a dream come true, a chance to see phish play all night long, definitely something we will never see again, and if they decided to do something such as a midnight to sunrise set, yeah i would definitely be present at that show, but it wouldnt be as special. this show was definitely a once in a lifetime event, and i was in great company the entire weekend with my girlfriend, we had the time of our lives, and we would do anything to do it all over again. props to phish and to the devoted, and the wasay blasay, later Al <><
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 17:40:39 PST From: Mike Oravec [email protected] To: [email protected], [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 show review now that enuf's already been said, and after reading all 80+ pages of this enormous 'set' review, i'm only gonna leave some of my thoughts/memories/observations/thanks for a universally unfathomable week... (was it shorter or longer? i still don't know). i trekked from San Jose, California for this one, and the trip to the show was more than worth it, i got to spend time with old phriends and new alike... here's to the phamily! somehow, as if karma guided us the whole way, we hit the little windows of time that got us in and out of the venue an hour each way... i feel for all of you that had to wait, wish you could have been directly behind us... but then again wasn't it worth the wait? to the phans at the second to last rest stop (South 75) on Tues night/Wed morning... thanks for the guitar jams, the buds, the footbagging, the taper trades and the road stories, i will not forget... btw, if anyone cares, i was with the guy selling the greeen "i will not spell fish with a ph / Chalkdust Torture" shirt - great idea Pat... and i sure hope your '7 year old' got to Chuckie Cheese! i bow my head to the two poor brothers that fell from the RV and the jungle tree... anybody notice that after I-75 there wasn't a traffic light for miles?... no slaves here! curtis love, mighty quinn AND timber ho? -> now THAT's a sound check! that damp mist, the divided morning sky, the beautiful sunsets, just incredible. that KILLER bus on shakedown! my eyes had lots to play with... to that guy selling Meatstick shirts on shakedown that kept screaming "SHOCKS MY BRAIN" -> yeah, me too buddy. me too. HOLY MESSAGE BOARDS!!! and then finding the pholks we were looking for while fixing our sign for them... yet another instance of the magic i saw all week. was someone SUPPOSED to be checking for fireworks and N2O? i wasn't sure... thanks for all the free hugs... and how many people brought drums? how many of you saw the girl of their dreams? i did, and she kissed me too... my only regret was letting her walk away... nuggs to Jay Brian, my closest phriend, who along with countless others correctly guessed the festival's opening song... to my newest and dear phriend MareShoob, whom i never met in person at NYE, but have had many talks over the net with both before and since... there will be a next time... who IS scott m'nuggs? and did anybody else find him? i guess that was good karma workin' it again... does anybody agree that taking a dump was one of the biggest challenges of the week? security giving carefree high-fives as we ran through the gates to catch the 'three-zero' change... to the Antelope that stopped me for water on his sprint through the concert area -> overjoyed i could help, happy fields... everyone swaying together in the early light -> "FREE..." how perfect was the closing song, and the one before it, and the one before that, and the one before... did anyone else see the girl that got lost inside the porta-john? i think i giggled all night... what a horrible place to get lost! or how bout the guy with a palm branch in his hand following his tripping phriend playing the 'moving tree' joke early in the new year's first sunlight... "he's got two good eyes but he still don't see!" understanding smiles leaving the grounds after the big set... and all those who never left their feet, but were never grounded in the first place... did someone mention an acid test? yeah, it was... and i'd have to say we passed. to the guy behind me that kept screaming for a full Gamehendge (and all those bitchin about it on the net): it wasn't need, if you want to hear it, email me i'll getcha the CD -> this night was for dreamers... non-phan behind me, who said to his wife four songs into the NYE set: "Phish sucks, lets go!" and then the guy next to me mutters "No, WILSON sucks!" to all the other phans i saw traveling on the long way home... cheesecake!! to the tune of farmhouse: "thank-you, this was our Woodstock"... only we did it better. oh yeah, and there was only ONE band... and a last, closing thought as i sit here. I went to Big Cypress with many expectations (none bigger than being with all of you), and although not all of them were met, Phish still surprised me playing with a passion that ignited my soul. i've tried to put the concert into perspective, but i cannot. nothing i say does justice to the extraordinary and dynamic Quality that radiated from this gathering. We came to share love, peace, happiness and music. We got more than we bargained for. Thirty years from now we'll look back on this as one of the many highpoints of our lives (both figuratively and literally speaking), and for many of us, our lives are changed, forever the better because of the community and experiences we made. makes me wonder if the boys in the band had this planned all along (i even saw trey doing video of the scene) and thus received the best vibe in the house... what a tribute to them as individuals and as a group. after those days in the woods, dancing, laughing, crying, suffering, and learning together, it makes me wonder: can't it ALWAYS be this good? i think so, don't you? as a phriend said to me at daybreak: "All these people... here because they believe..." and me, with wide eyes, ears soaked with jam, face full of smile and a groovin body in the pale light, knowing that he spoke truth. peas, love, happiness and Quality to all of my phamily. we ARE winning. be forever good. i'll see you again on the road... Mike
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 10:04:31 -0500 From: Jon Edwards [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 review I wanted to submit a review to say thank you to everyone involved in this event, especially all of the phans. My wife and I have come away from this show with a new outlook on everything that we do. Those of you who stayed up until the beautiful sunrise and all of the tears know exactly what I am talking about. All of the songs were played to perfection and were just absolutely mind-blowing. The atmosphere was well worth the 14 hour wait on alligator alley and I would get in my car and line up again right now if anyone asked me to. I experienced something that I have not experienced before at a show, I was able to walk a way for a moment and see what was going on around me without worrying about missing something, it felt strange but was refreshing in a way. I would like to also thank everyone who joined in on my birthday celebration, I was born at 11:45 on new years eve and had a lot of people sing happy birthday to me right at that time. This was the best birthday gift I have ever received and it will always be remembered. Funniest thing I saw: About 5am Scooby Doo gets in front of me and just starts to boogie, I laughed till it hurt. Did anyone else think that they saw any of the band members in ridiculous costumes? My wife and friends swear they saw Trey in a really goofy get up. Thank You PHISH. Thank you phriends for reading and posting. Jon and Billie Edwards - Atlanta, GA
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 15:25:16 PST From: Andrew Rose [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 Review Well, there's no way I'm going to attempt to review this epic show in its entirety, which in my books is now the undisputed number one show ever. (I might justvote 12/30/99 as number two) Feel free to disagree, but I don't see how you can argue with a 7+ hour set of insanity ... for those of you who care, NYE was my 30th show since 94. I just want to mention a few things that really made this show what it was. Believe me, the quality of music easily matched the quantity. First off, here's how I'd write the setlist: I: Runaway Jim, Funky Bitch, Tube, I Didn't Know, PYITE, Bouncin, Poor Heart, Roggae, SOAM*-> Catapult, Get Back on the Train, Horn, Guyute, After Midnight *w/ a Love Supreme jam II: Meatstick theme -> ALS, Down with Disease > Llama, Bathtub Gin*, Heavy Things**, Twist Around > Caspian, Rock&Roll-> jam, YEM^, Crosseyed & Painless, Minestrone, Sand -> Quadrophonic Topplings, Slave, Albuquerque, Reba, Axilla, Uncle Pen, Bowie, My Soul, Drowned->After Midnight reprise->jam, Horse-> Silent, Bittersweet Motel, Piper->Free, Lawn Boy, HYHU > Love You> HYHU, Roses are Free->jam Bug, Hood intro tease->2001> Velvet Sea, Meatstick *w/vocal jam **on TV w/ cheesecake chant ^w/ cheesecake vocal jam Where to start ... well, I think the vaccuum solo in I Didn't Know was the best one I've ever heard. They were jamming during a vacuum solo ... I almost seemed like Fish had a song in his head hewas vacumming to. The SOAM ... man the places this song has gone since Great Woods ... this version was similar to the Jersey version from this summer (a must hear) but better. There's no doubt in my mind that Mike was teasing A Love Supreme for a good part of the jam too - anyone else hear this? Then into Catapult, which along with Kung, ever since 11/29/98 has become a tool of the jam for taking to the next level. Best Catapult I've ever heard, hands down. This little duo is in my top four jams of the two days and a night at Big Cypress, along with Light Up ..., Antelope (a new champion), and Rockn'Roll. I love the new ending to Get Back on the Train. As funky and fun as ever. After Midnight was the perfect set closer. Things got crazy in set all-night once the boys hit Rockn'Roll. Don't get me wrong, everything up to this point was great, but after Rock n' Roll, it was 20 minute jam after 30 minute jam after 40 minute jam, you get the picture ... Rock n' Roll was about half an hour I'd say, and boy did it get out there. And then there were those moments where you go, "is this composed?" ... "isn't this a song? oh my GOD, it's just a jam ..." I love those moments ... The breakout of Crosseyed and Painless was my peak moment of the whole shebang. I'd waited so long to hear it, and hoped for it so many times, that I just exploded when I heard the first note. I swear every show I seen for about two years now with friends we always say, maybe we'll get our Crosseyed ... and we finally did. And it was fucking awesome. Brought back at the end to the "still waiting," and the wait was over. About 20 minutes I'd say. There were three more HUGE jams and a monster Bowie: Sand->Quadrophonic Topplings was phenomenal. The boys didn't take too long in turning this baby into a jam machine. It was nuts, the techno groove weaved its way in and out of loops and sound layers. Tasty. Got to hear this one again in detail. Bowie was tight, energy packed, original and uplifting. AND, I'm glad to say, Trey nailed the ending like it was 1994. I thought after My Soul, when Trey and Fish ducked out briefly and Page started up some very chill piano, that we were in for some ambient stuff, and then BOOM: Drowned->After Midnight reprise->jam, another 30 hour. Again, this one was filled with countless "I can't believe this jam isn't a song" moments. And the movement in and out of the After Midnight stuff was flawless. I can't for the life of me remember the Roses are Free. All I know is, it was about five to 6 in the morning, and they played it for 40 minutes. Friends of mine were dropping like flies to fatigue, but I toughed it out. I know it was good, really experimental and spacy. Have to hear it again to judge properly though. And finally, I love Meatstick, I love the lyrics, I love the song, I love the dance, and I love the way the ended the show with it, and let a beautiful jam just melt down really slowly until the sun was up, it was 2000, and we all stood there dumbfounded. Thank you Phish. Andrew
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 13:54:15 -0500 From: Matthew A. Scaramastra [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: the force was strong with this one... Ok, where do I begin, um...traffic I guess. Traffic is traffic but when the traffic is like 85% friends all pumped up for New Year's, it is bearable. Place to meet good people. So by the time I got there I lost a passenger in my car but found him at will call, wasting only minutes...Even the maps of this place were remarkable to date! The heavy cardboardy book was durable! and the way the place was arranged was genius. Great Went and Lemonwheel were so easy to get lost in, especially when you're half whacked all the time. Umm, the rythm jungle was so intense, the first night (29th) I knew it was gonna be a momentous occasion, this year 2000. First day I found all my friends I knew who were there without searching. Quuite a many different groups all before the first set. Things just seemed to be happeneing in a unususlly smooth groove. The music finally started a comfortable time after afternoon tea time nad we were off...Sometimes at a show I will feel uninspired but what I hear or won't pay real close attention. I failed to find myself doing this even once throughout the day. Every one was as excited as I was, vibes were pleasant and calm, it was the only place in the world to be. FWD>the big set. Never at a show, or on a tape or on a disc or would I ever beleive anyone if they told me was there ever music played as perfect as that set. I felt like we were a wave of light or an ocean all rolling to the rythm of the best rock band ever. I couldn't stop dancing except a sunrise lounge to Velvet Sea. The Roses, 2001, the Clapton, The Heads made me lose my shit, trying to act casual...DWD! Heavy Things is fantastic, a new staple to a well balanced show, and yelling Cheesecake at familiar strangers in Ft. Lauderdale was fun. "Sayit like you're pissed! Cheesecake!" Bathtub Gin came from outer space. Fish's vacuum solos were ON! I don't have a setlist in front of me right now. Morning has broken...like the first morning...with a not eerie but strong presence of eagerness or curiousity, purplely glows and intense jammimming. By the end I kept on dancing to Here comes the Sun and when that stopped foung I was doing a little dance to no music at all. I crashed on the ground after everyone split and enjoyed the clouds. Met an Native American reporter for a reservation paper who interveiwed Hossy & I. We were on unsimiliar levels but she stayed all night long too so that helped. This is getting long. Picked up litter and said duh a lot. All day long man, it was the greatest new years ever. Managed to get by on honey-granola-coconut goo-balls and my beat needs were satisfyed by the enchanting scene in the Big Cypress Grove. In describable. Hiked out traffic a few miles, spoke philosophical babble, stumbled. Waiting out traffic weas a good plan. Big Cypress was a truly legendary show in every way. The scene was beautiful, the weather was most permiitting, the vibrations were finast. Phish fulfilled my expectation that they would play as well as they possibly can this date, with every bit of soul and inspiration they had for a quarter of a day. I didn't get home until Saturday, the rest of the time proved to be as exciting and adventuras as NEw Year's...Gainsville, MGM/Epcot, Atlanta's 5 Pts. ...Now i am supposed to be in class. See ya in the summertime. ScaryMonster!
Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 16:27:12 -0500 From: Austin Brownfield [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: New Years Review!! First, I must say that it was Uncle Penn, not Ginseng Sullivan...alrighty... WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! Alright, oh my I am very beat up and tired, but I am going to try and give you as much as I can give... : ) Afternoon set!!!!!!!!!!!SWEET!!!!!!!!!!! Runaway Jim!! One of my favorites, and a powerful and sweet jam.. Funky Bitch!! Sweet sweet blues, very well played excellent energy throughout this whole set... Tube!!!oh fuck yes!! this was a sweet ass tube, very chunky funky and powerful, simply wonderful!! I Didn't Know!! We all knew we would see some vaccum, always a very fun song.. PYITE!! Solid as this song comes!!!! Bouncing: Solid and I was smiling!! Poor Heart: Very well played, energy was great... Roggae!! I love this song, it is so beautiful, I just closed my eyes and floated with the band... SOAM--> Catapult!!!!OH MY GOD, HOLY BOOGER CAKES!!!!! At first the band was discussing for a while what to play, Trey picked up the cup to page and said Mound!!! I was about to lose it, but Mike was shaking his head!! : P Oh well, what came next was a fucking incredible SOAM jam, intense, calm, beautiful, then into catapult, I was absolutely losing my shit!!! they didn't finish melt, but who cares, this was fucking great!!! GBOTT!!! This song has changed since summer and fall, it is so wickedly evil now, it is just plain out fucking thick and juicy!!! Horn!! OH YES!!! no flubs, excellent excellent excellent!!! Guyute!! They have this down so very tight now, loved every second!! After Midnight!! Crowd was going completely bonkers!! Trey went off like a wild man, he tore this song to pieces and left the entire crowd drenched in a sweaty mass, and drooling over the thoughts of the amazing night to come!!! 7.5 hours of emotion (cocaine snorting on trey's behalf, boy he was playing with his little nose a lot wasn't he???...well, he can do whatever he likes, I just hope he is careful..)...this was the most amazing display of playing from the band that I have ever seen!!! I was completely sober for this entire day, and so at times during this set I was tired and had to sit down, but I loved every inch and note that came out of those speakers!!! The curtain fell down at about 20 till midnight, and there was a huge clock with father time riding his bicycle, then at about 10 till he simply stopped...then there were lights flashing from the back of the venue, what the hell??? everyone was turned around, and this fan boat thing came floating about with fireworks busting off of it, out popped the HOT DOG and the BAND!!!! The crowd was going crazy, insane, the worked their way up to the stage, throwing goodies out to the phans...on the stage there were 4 girl dancers, dancing to the meatstick which was being played over the PA system!!! the band then picked up their instruments and jumped right into the song, quickly at midnight they went into Auld Lang Syne, balloons everywhere, then SLAM!!!!!!! DWD!!!!!HOLY SHIT!!!!!!! maybe the best disease ever, certainly the most intense, the band was on, and they were tearing this song to pieces, amazing, it slowed a little and Trey started to noodle on a familiar sounding riff...mmmmm....FUCK!!! Llama!!!!! the DWD segued into llama, and this llama was super intense, everyone was just going completely nuts, I couldn't believe it, they were going to give us the best piece of heaven that they could this night!! Bathtub Gin!!!!!WOW!!!! Are these boys fucking talented or what??? for about 5 minutes during this jam, each member was vocally harmonizing every note they played, it was fucking unbelievable....then they dropped back into some soupy Gin jamming before bringing this amazing jam back into the ever so loved Gin riff!!!!!WOW!!!! Heavy Things: Trey told the crowd about the ABC deal, and then Mike said something to him, and he came up with the idea to have the crowd, instead of cheering the end of the song, to just keep chanting cheesecake, just to fuck with all the people watching it on TV...it was pretty fun!! Twist Around: I really don't like the new arrangement of this song, but I wasn't complaining, standard twist jamming, but completely solid, never once the entire night were the boys the least bit off, powerful powerful!!! Prince Caspian: Don't care for this song, but the jam was very well played and I could do nothing but smile and enjoy what I was witnessing... Rock and Roll!!!!WHAT???!!!! Evil evil evil jam out of this song, very very long, and very evil sounding, mike pulled out a little voice thing, and held it up to the mic during part of the jam, it was just great fun, and powerful!! YEM: Solid YEM, nothing too crazy, the best part of this YEM was the vocal jam, excellent with many CHEESECAKE references!!!! Crosseyed and Painless!!!!!!!!!GASP!!!!!!!! They were not fucking around, crowd going bonkers, great jam, well played...woohoo!!!! Minestone!!!!WOW!!! definitely a big highlight for me...this song is wonder...very beautiful, Trey showing just how damn good he really is!!!! Sand: I wish this song would not have Mike doing the same bass line over and over again, although at the end for about 5 minutes he played around with it, but all in all, this sand definitely went somewhere, good effects, and very very nice!! Slave!!! Good Ole Slave!!!! Albuquerque!! Woohoo!!!!! first time hearing it, loved it, loving it all!!! Reba!!!!!TEARS OF JOY WERE IN MY EYES!!!!!!! My favorite phish tune, and fucking damn well played, only a couple of minor flubs in the composed part, nothing bad at all, fast paced, fucking sweet ass jam, my first Reba and I couldn't have been given a better first Reba, I was grinning from cheek to cheek!!! Axilla!! whoa, where the fuck are these guys getting this energy?? this axilla just fucking slammed hard, well played, great!!! Uncle Penn!! Very tasty!!! wonderful playing, extended a little, got to love the bluegrass!!! David Bowie!!!SWEET!!!! good intro, trey found a nice little chord progression, played around a little, and then into BOWIE!!! Great Jam, high energy, wonderful!!! My Soul!! YES YES YES, blues time!! Loved it!! Trey and fish then take a bathroom break ...page plays a little something, then mikes joins in, then trey and fish come back out and we were smacked with a sweet and nice... Drowned-->After Midnight-->Drowned!!!! Just wonderful, super energy, they sounded so fucking great!!! Horse-->Silent in the Morning: Got to have it!!! Bitter Sweet Motel: A first for me, liked it, different but nice and well played... Piper!!!!OH MY SHIT NUTS!!!! this was a rocked out crazy piper, very high energy, and extremely nuts!!! Free!! Sweet!!!...pretty standard, but let me tell you all something, standard on this night is fucking amazing!!! Lawn Boy: Always a big time pleasure.. HYHU-->Love You-->HYHU!!! More Fishman!!!! YES YES YES!!! he was running around, introduced page, then mike and trey, and himself, fun fun fun, he then told the crowd to sit back and enjoy the rest of the show!!! Roses are Free!!!!!!!!OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!!!!! this jam was incredibly sick, this jam was a climax of the night's efforts, all over the place, going in and out of just about everything they could, simply sweetness!!! Bug: Standard bug, but this song is great to hear, oh my, I want to go back!!! 2001!!!!! Oh yes!! Trey started up Harry Hood, and everyone was looking around completely puzzled since they played it the night before, but then, BANG!!! 2001!!! Excellent jam, excellent just like the rest, I can't believe that they are playing like this, WOOOOOOOOW!!!! Wading in the Velvet Sea!! Beautiful, tears were starting to work there way up to the surface, it was getting light and everyone knew it was almost over, and everyone was pretty much very tired from the whole experience as well... Meatstick!!! alright, no dance, no reference, some kind words from trey, nice jam which just died out, but then everyone turned around and looked at what had to be one of the most beautiful and tear jerking sunrises I have ever witnessed in my life, the clouds were all painted morning pink and blue!!! They show the crowd over the monitors, then page, who just has a look of complete exhaustion on his face, how can he not!!! : ) they walk off the stage...encore??? nope, can't blame them, they put on Here Comes Sunshine, and everyone was crying and smiling and hugging and kissing, one of the best nights of my life, I was dead tired, but it was completely worth it, I never would have guessed that they would be able to come out and play for 7.5 hours with as much intensed as they did, they sounded so united, they were happy, they played amazing, the crowd loved it all, and the whole moment in time will go down as one of the greatest out pourings of love ever witnessed!!! I am still in shock over how wonderful it was, WOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU PHISH, THANK YOU MIKE, THANK YOU PAGE, THANK YOU TREY, THANK YOU JON, you guys let it all hang out after midnight just like you promised!!! THANK YOU!!!!
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 10:20:31 -0500 From: "Hug, Matt" [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: phish, big cypress This will not be the typical review. The tunes that were played are already posted and i don't think that it is necessary for me to write D w/D: ruled Llama: ruled etc.. because that would grow tiresome. Anyone that was there will have there own story for each tune that is personal and cannot really be communicated to someone that heard the same tunes but had a different experience. I am sitting back in upstate New York after a phenomenal vacation which Phish provided for me. If it had not been for them a great number of us would have been freezing our tails off, doing something extremely sub-par to what we all were able to do. So I would like to thank the band, the crew, the Seminoles, and anyone else that made the Everglades into the best place to ring in the new millenium. The time alotted to the band (as in all night) really allowed them to stretch their legs and play. They were not confined to the hours of an arena or amphitheater. This is the type of music that i hope for when i go to see a show. It was phenomenal and I loved every minute of it. and to know that it will never happen again that it was a once in a lifetime experience gives me the gratification that i had the gumption to get off my butt and go, throw caution to the wind and enjoy the time of the century. Hopefully they will have another festival there next winter, even if they simply follow the parameters of their summer festivals. I would much rather sacrifice the end of summer for a middle of winter fest. Trey, Mike, Page, Jon.... if you go to Fla. we will follow. It is a great place to see a show and a great time of year to escape to palm trees and cloudless skies. One last thing, about cheesecake. Please can we put it to rest? It was a joke by Trey and Mike to have fun with the ABC television audience on national TV. It is not some new greeting word that you shout when you see someone from the show. I heard it at the show, in Ft Lauderdale, Orlando and all points in between. Can we stop? It was a funny moment and if this behavior continues it will result in the same as what happened with the Dead, Jerry could not speak to his fans because they took every little thing as scripture, so he stopped talking. If that is what you want from Trey, fine---go on misusing the word cheesecake. It was a joke, and a damn funny joke at that. But folks that is all it was, please do not use it as an all purpose word!!!
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2000 03:09:13 -0800 From: Joseph W. Donner [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: UMHHHHHHHH...............AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I hope this show puts an end to this outragous Overindulgence! Thank You Phish, You are as close to heros as anyone these days. Please take a Break and share this time with the ones you love. You have run with the ball like OJ (Had to get that Dolfan thing in) and have let it all hang out! Keep on keepin on! JoeD. What else is there to conquer....for ALL of Us! CLEAN VIBES
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 00:10:59 -0600 From: Drew & Lisa [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: SCHWING!!! Since most of the other reviews have covered the setlists song by song, I won't go into detail there. What I have not seen in many of the reviews is anyone mentioning how clean this event was. People put cigarette butts in their pockets! Fans went out of their way to keep the scene clean. I struggled to find any inkling of trash lying around up till New Year's. It made the scene even that much better. I was shocked when strolling the grounds on the 30th to find freezer semi trucks with bags of ice for sale. The water stands looked long but moved pretty quickly. Just before the afternoon set on the 31st, an RV water/waste truck pulled up asking us if we needed to dump any waste and replenish water. What a pleasure! The ice pyramid was a hit and the city and forest were a definite treat. I just about shit in my pants when the band announced the first night that they would play just before midnight until sunrise with no breaks for New Year's. Then they came out and played 7+ hours of what I can only call an "experience". I was particularly impressed by their selection of songs in the set - no gamehendge, rarities, etc. They played what they wanted and what they felt. For those of you who were not able to attend, I suggest listening to the YEM -- Cross-Eyed. Definitely a pinnacle - full fucking rocket booster ignition. We strolled towards the back of the concert field to check out the scene and relax. It had to have been 3:30 or so when I heard the intro to Bowie. It was so fitting - I knew the band was going to wait until the middle of the night to unleash this one. Also, highly suggested. By the end of the show I was ready to cry and started to when "Here Comes the Sun" came over the PA. All I could think about on the way home was how this band just keeps on delivering. As much as I would have enjoyed an Alumni or Harpua, I have even more respect for Phish now by playing what they felt. The first two and half hours of the midnight-sunrise set is essentially a jam! You don't "plan" a two and half hour jam. This event was awesome and shattered all of my expectations. Phish pushed the musical envelope on New Year's and set the standard for how a scene can stay cool and clean. I keep waiting to hear some POSITIVE press coverage of how well the event went over (clean scene, etc.) instead of how long people had to wait in traffic. Still waiting...
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 13:37:21 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: (no subject) Reba made me explore the universe and piper at 5:00 AM made me see god!
Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2000 02:21:30 +0000 From: jonathon blake [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: the end of the world as we know it i'm not going to give a full review, hell, i'm not even going to give a review at all, but i wanted to say thanks nonetheless. just to get it out there. what i keep thinking over and over again in my head is that i've never, EVER been a part of something so....beautiful in my entire existence. even now as i sit here typing, days after the conclusion of the magic, i have tears in my eyes. it was all there. the hands i shook, the hugs and kisses that i gave and received, the sacred ground i danced upon until my legs and knees cramped up from exhaustion. it was all there. the all night love jam (as i dubbed it as soon as it started) was in full effect, and i want to thank not only phish, but all of those brothers and sisters that danced right up in from with me all night long. i was touched by everyone and everything that night, from the beginning right down to the heartbreaking end. so thank you. all of you. you're wonderful and i love you. jonathon (the kid with the rainbow sword) p.s. remember piper? i do. i will forever. there was one point when trey's eyes locked with mine and i yelled up to him...."bad lieutenant, bad lieutenant!!!" and then gave him a salute. he rocked back on his heels for a second and then fucking started wailing and didn't stop until the end of the jam. i'll see it in dreams. [email protected]
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 14:02:04 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: utopia Wow, I am at lost for words here, but let me just say, i think we all died at midnight on New Years Eve in Big Cypress Florida and got to see a 7 hour sample of what heaven is like. Being on three hits I'd have to say that I saw the most amazing show that has ever been performed on the face of this earth. The whole thing was just unbelievable from the Ferris Wheel to the forest of palm trees. It was nice as hell being able to where shorts seeing it was snowing back home in Cleveland. Even the 12 hour wait on 75 was interesting. It was so amazing to see so many people going to the same place all for the same reason. Oh yeah and if the dude with hash brownies reads this, thanks they were awesome and they made that wait in traffic a lot more interesting. Well, I'm not going to describe the shows because, fuckin wow is all I can think of. And the feeling you had walking back to your campsite at 7:30 in the morning, you knew that you had probably seen one of the most incredible events you would ever witness. I'm sure anyone who was there can relate to this. This...was my first phish show.....and all I have to say is, I am a Phan for life. :) Kevin Wasik Brecksville,OH
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 14:28:07 EST From: Bill Witts [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE-12/31/99 Review Ok I'm going to write a very short review here and not even try and get into explaining every song for every set. I must say I was very impressed with this NYE. It took us just under 30 hours to reach it from our homes in Massachusetts and then that "Fun, Fun, Fun" traffic jam of 12 hours. I was amazed at how no one realy complained about the traffic just made the best of it. I was even more amazed at how I didn't complain being one of the worlds greatest complainers. It was just something in the air. Everything was positive as I saw it from picking up trash, to meeting people you didn't know, and of course two days of unbelievable music. It was great. Their were so many generations of Phans it was realy something. At one point some 17 or 18 year old kid asked me what song was playing. I told him it was When The Circus Comes... I rember having to ask people at shows what a song was when I first got into Phish. I met another guy who had been catching shows since 88' he was a wealth of Phish information of the "old school" days. It made me see how this cycle keeps going. Years from now maybee I'll be talking about the good old days of summer tour 97'. The one bad thing for me(or maybee it is just funny, I haven't decided yet) was I got a pretty bad blister from all the walking I did. I had to leave the all night set early because I was in so much pain. That realy sucked! After the thirty hour ride home when I went to take a shower I found that my foot had swelled 3 times its normal size! So I spent the entire night and most of yesterday at the hospital. They told me it was so infected if it spread any further I would have permanite damge. All to see 4 guys from Vermont play some tunes, Ha. Well Now that I'm OK I must say it was definitely worth a trip to the hospital to experience NYE. I can't wait till summer tour!
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 14:47:41 EST From: David Blevins [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Nye 2000 This will be my last show. I don't feel the need to see them anymore. I have had my fill. I never thought I would say that. I don't need, or really even want, to see them anymore (right now). I want that to be it. They are the best ever. And that was there best show ever.
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 15:04:08 -0500 From: Peter Mistele [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phish 2000 It's too early to really put the New Year's experience into perspective, but I have to communicate some of my feelings to my brothers and sisters about the magic I witnessed. I'm pretty new to Phish shows (July 3-4, '99 were my first and only ones before this) but have been going to concerts for years and count some of them as the best moments of my life (Dead, Santana, Little Feat, MagnoliaFest in Live Oak, etc.). The good vibes from a great live performance can't be beat, and Phish gave probably the greatest performance ever. My soul has been inundated with positive energy that will never fully dissipate, and I could not think of a better way to start a new year than jamming with 75,000 + of the most fun-loving, spiritual, kind people on earth. Thank you everyone for sharing so unselfishly whatever you had, and thank you Phish for proving that it is possible to have hope for a wonderful future full of love and joy. Peace.
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 06:33:25 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE2000 This review comes late but it really takes along time for everything that one sees at an event like this to set in. First I'd like to comment on Heath Andersons comments: Dear Heath, I just read about your tragic experience at the NYE show and wanted to express my condolences because if you would have waited it out like the rest of us you would have had the time of your life. Although I agree with some of your statements on the poor planning of the traffic situation I think that your going way to far coming down so hard on Phish. Phish has strived for years to create the best possible concert setting for their Phans and all in all have done an excellent job in my opinion. They have probably put more thought into the planning of their large festivals than any other band ever. You try planning a party and inviting 80,000 of your closest phriends. There's going to be problems! We drove all the way from Seattle to spend New Years with Phish and we got no special treatment. We also waited in traffic for almost 10 hours but we made the most of it and if you looked around you you would have seen alot of people doing the same. The party started even before we got inside! And that's what it is all about right? Going with the flow and being spontaneous. If you've been in the Phish scene for 7 years you should know that. I understand your anger and dissapointment on not getting in but I think your comments about the band and its phans were completely out of line. I dont like to fight fire with fire but maybe Phish planned the whole traffic scene to weed out the "little shits" like you. Anyways, enough negativity because that is certainly not what this event was about. The energy was unbelievable! No one knew exactly what was going to happen but everyone knew that it could have been anything. The site was gorgeous. I'm not used to the everglades setting, being from Washington and all, and let me tell you, it was impossible to filter out! I'm used to the Gorge Amplitheater style campground which this resembled greatly except on a huge scale. Fortunately we ended up with a site fairly close to the stage area (in the Hamptons) and we could hear the music perfectly from our campground if we wanted to. Usually at shows you want to be front and center every second as to not miss a beat but at this event there was so much music that you could afford to be a little more leisurly. We actually got three shows for the price of two being that the soundcheck on the night of the 29th turned into a noteworthy show in itself for those who were lucky enough to not still be stuck in traffic. I guess the elderly city of Naples had not been briefed on what was going on judging by the look on all the retired wealthy folks faces when a buch of dreadlocked Phishheads invaded their town to do last minute shopping and such. It was quite a funny scene. It reminded me of some of the footage of interviews with the residents of upstate New York when Woodstock was happening. The scene in the campground was hilarious. Debauchery in all its forms. There was a mock town front with its own boardwalk going over a little swamp and into a patch of woods which made for good shade in the day and at night were strung with lights and drum circles. Watch out for the stumps though, I'm surprised no one was killed on those things. The vendors section was basically a joke unless you wanted to wait an hour and pay $10 for a burrito. I also thought the Phish merchandise stands were lacking in good NYE memoraliabilia. After all was this not have been Phishs' biggest show ever? So, as always, Shakedown street (3rd Ave) was the place to go for good eats and treats of all kinds. One particulaly animated vendor stands out. This guy must have sold about 10,000 veggie eggrolls and fallafel sandwitches while keeping the hungry line entertained at the same time. A real entrepeneur. Good beer, opium, and doses were rampent at these shows but herb was almost impossible to find. I wish I would have known! We brought some of the usual Washington chronic but only enough to keep us happy on our long trip and not to much to share. If I would have known, i would have brought a couple of pounds since I know people would have paid good money for quality Seattle smoke instead of east coast shwag which is what we saw when we saw any. This has never been a problem at any other shows though. I suppose peole were not expecting the security to be al slack as it was? Anyways, other cool attractions included an ice sculpture (which I must have missed because I dont remember seeing it) and the Meatstick Time Capsule which was to be burried until the year 4020! People were allowed to drop anything they wanted into it as long as it was about hand size and one time when I passed this spectacle a man was preparing to drop a Twinkie into the whole and a group of people were surrounding him chanting,"Twinkie,Twinkie,Twinkie." Pretty hilarious stuff. I wonder if it will still be edible? The stage area was a trip and I was really hoping they would play Ester because I really felt the fairground atmosphere. Maybe it had something to do with the carnival rides around the stage. Thats right, they had a farris wheel and some kind of hot air balloon contraption that took you up a few hundred feet into the air, not to mention the other, more daring farriswheel-like ride that actually took you upside down. The glowing colors of the rides at night were definately nice eye candy for those of us that got liquified but I don't know that the $5 fee was worth the wait. On New Years the fences on the side of the field opened and a large object emerged which my friends and I still dissagree on what exactly it was. It was big. And it was wooden. I personally think it was a giant bathtub (maybe foreshadowing of the smokin Bathtub Gin to come?). The thing made its way to the middle of the crowd and busted open to reveal the band who made the rest of the journey to the stage on their signature meatstick-the hot dog (ressurected from past New Years). The Meatstick song is always fun and it turned out to be the opener and closer! The fireworks display was handsdown the most impressive that I have ever seen and everybody had fun when they turned all the lights on to do the ABC thing with Peter Jennings. Only one word could possibly sum up this show and you can only fully understand this word if you were there in person. CHEESECAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've always loved the stuff but now it carries such a special symbolism. Right about now I need to send a shout out to the guy who looke like he had way to much cheesecake judging from his size and state of mind. This guy must have weighed a good 400 pounds and was completely off of his rocker (I suspect it was the green Molly Mesculine going around which I heard was not particularly to good). He decided to take all his close off and proceeded to cause the biggest spectacle that I witnessed throughout the weekend. He ran around the crowd, Butt Naked, and from time to time fell flat on his face. Eventually security was called in to wheel him away on a giant golf cart but I will never forget the guy. He definately changed my trip that evening and quite frankly scared the shit out of me after I saw him grab some innocent bystander and hump him while screaming,"Daddy!" For future reference though, to all the other guys who thought it was cool to start removing their clothes after seeing this poor soul do it, It wasn't. Maybe if there had been an equal ratio of naked women but this was turning into a sausage fest quickly! That's when we knew it was time to go back to the campsite to regroup. We returned sometime around like 5:30 AM to watch the sunrise on the new millenium (one of the more beautiful ones I can remember) and caught a lovely Velvet Sea and a trippy 2001. Trey's goodbye brought tears to my eyes as he said thank you to us and explained what an experience it had been. Then it was Meatstick again and the band was gone as soon as they came. Were they ever there at all? Here Comes the Sun over the loudspeaker was a very nice touch as everyone made their way back to their homes for the night (or, as it turned out for us, the next couple of night because the traffic was worse on the way out than it was ont the way in!). So there you have it. I can't think of anywhere I would have rather been on this very special occasion and it was well worth the drive from tip to tip of the states. I think Phish is the only band who could have pulled something like this off and I just have to say, being a Deadhead also, that Jerry would be proud that someone is carrying on the torch of playing all night shows since thats what the Dead were known for back in the day. The spirit continues and on those faitfull nights there was definately a natural mystic blowing through the air. Peace
Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2000 23:19:39 EST From: Nikolaus Hruska [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: A BEAUTIFUL BUZZ thanks to everyone for the best 4 days of my life and thank you phish for providing the backdrop for the most beautiful of buzzes. AND ESPECIALLY THANKS FOR THE 20,000+ HIGH FIVES!!!! (they made my millenium) nik h. [email protected]
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 16:10:57 -0500 From: Allen Clark [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phish in alligator alley.. There are no words to describe the time that was spent in the beautiful land of the Seminole Indians. Phish, phriends, and phans came together to create one of the most amazing events that I have ever attended. Tears came to my eyes as I watched the sunrise on the first day of 2000...it was the most beautiful moment in all of the Phish shows that i've seen. There is no other place on earth that i would have rather been than right there with Phish, absorbing their energy as well as that of the morning sun. The music was awesome and the vibe was excellent. Thanks the the members of Phish and there supporting cast for affording me the opportunity to spend three wonderful days of bliss with phriends both old and new. Thanks to the Seminole Indians for their hospitality. My thoughts and prayers go out the the phriends and phamily of our departed brother. Thanks to everyone who has sent in their comments and reviews...as i read them, I feel as if i'm am there all over again...it overwhelms me. PS. To all who where not there...i am trully sorry that you did not make it for some reason or another...that's no reason to verbally trash the event. Get over it...it's not anyone's fault, especially not Phish's. I hope that our new phriends from Philly (Ben, Ian, and Mike) made it home safely. cheesecake..... HAVE A PHISHY NEW YEAR!!! Allen Clark
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 15:37:33 -0800 (PST) From: Andrew Farbstein [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-31-99 review First off, I just want to say that I was extrodinarily excited about all this. It took a lot, to say the least, to be able to go to this. After sitting in the monster traffic and then absolutely enjoying day 1, it was time for the big thang. New year's eve day. The day set ruled: My highlights were Tube and I Didn't know. Trey and Mike just seemed like they were in such a good mood, and the crowd, even with the less than perfect acoustics, responded. Also, I liked Bouncin, since I never hear that (can you believe it), and Horn almost made me cry. After a rockin Guyute and an awesome After Midnight, it was time to relax and find some drugs before the main event. I will spare the details of what happened as they were coming on before midnight, as others have detailed it well. What I can say to anybody reading this is that the moment of midnight was magical. Nothing I could ever write could express my shear adoration and happiness at where I was and what I was doing. It was the culmination of many years of wondering where I would be and what I would be doing. I could never have picked a more perfect place to be. I honestly felt like I was in the Garden of Eden. Anyway, DWD with the fireworks kicked ass. I saw that some people thought that these songs were standard and not exciting, but I don't know what planet they were on. DWD, although common, is a great NYE song and it rocked the house down. Llama continued that trend, and left me speechless. Bathtub, one of my favorites, kind of bummed me out because, in my world of dreams, I was hoping for all real fast tunes to help keep me awake. Heavy Things was just what it says, heavy and meant for a worldwide audience. It was made better by the fact that we had a cheesecake mission at the end of the song. Twist and PC are not my favorites, so I won't discuss them. Rock and Roll was a spiritual experience for me, maybe because the E I was on was really kicking in, maybe because of these awesome three people (one named Vanessa) that were also crazy on E who did not know Phish that well, and maybe because of how they were playing it...I don't remember. I do remember that it was a definite highlight for me. YEM was short and sweet, with my all time favorite vocal jam next to the one in Portland, ME earlier in December that was pretty much a Tweeprise. I took a much needed breather the next few songs, with the highlight being my second Minestrone. It was so nice and sweet, and also gave the others a chance to use the facilities for relieving themselves and probably a little drug use. Reba got me groovin again, although when I stood up it seemed that almost half the crowd was sittin or lyin down. Axilla, one of my favorites, really woke me up, and made me realize that the last half of this monster set was going to rule. Uncle Pen was nice, especially since this was my number 1 never heard before (thanks zzyzx). Then came Bowie. AAh, Bowie. Not the best ever, but just what I needed to keep going. Surprisingly, I hadn't heard this in like 10 shows, so I was psyched. Nice spacey jam in the middle. And, not too many flubbs in the end part. My Soul ruled, and so did Drowned, also with a nice spacey middle jam. Believe me, it was tough to stay up through all the space, but I was appreciating the music so much that I didn't care. After a typical NYE horse-silent, and a not so wonderful Bittersweet, the moment came. I will never be able to stress what Piper did to me. It has never been my favorite, but that night, it changed. I have never danced so hard and loved any piece of music like that Piper. For 5 in the morning, they pumped tons of energy. This song was an explosion of greatness. I know some people don't like this song because it's only 6 chords and they keep repeating and blah blah blah but this just kicked some ass like I never have seen. The rest of the show just melllowed me out and made me appreciate even more where I was. Especially the all out thirty minute Roses are Free when the sun was jsut coming up and Velvet Sea in this Pink Velvet Sea of a sunrise. Please see the pictures at http://blueridge.etree.org/ to see what I am talking about. Finally, Meatstick ended the greatest Marathon in the history of music. Not too flashy, and no Oh-Kee-Pah, but I cried as I walked away because I don't know how I can ever go to another Phish show or any other show for that matter after experiencing this. I would like to thank everyone who made this possible, including my ex girlfriend for giving me the lie to use, and the Indians who kept us in traffic, just to make us appreciate that much more where we were. And I especially would like to thank the band.. I know you will probably never read this but I love you guys for all you do for us. I also just want to say to the people who were upset about no Gamehendge or anything else that unusual for that matter, you should not be at all disappointed. You should be happy that the band plays what they want to play well. Would you like it better if they just played what you wanted and didn't play it well?
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2000 00:04:27 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Attitude adjustment. I have to tell someone about what I went through for Phish, so bare with me. First of all, I'm from Denver, Colorado. Lately, I think being from Denver means that there is no easy way to see Phish. Knowing this wasn't gonna be simple, my boyfriend, friend and i hopped into this pimped out 76 van that some former dead head bestowed upon us. It had a pinup in the back and a mattress and was so thoroughly pimpin' you would not believe. 20 minutes on the road someone dies in a carwreck and we're stuck in two hours of dead traffic. Unbelievable. What's even more amazing is me waking up at 8 in the morning in Bowie, Texas to a van going 80 miles an hour, coughing out smoke and spinning out of control on an exit ramp. My friend is driving and screaming, I'm in my underwear praying and my boyfriend's asleep. We could have died! We could miss New Years! Instead, the van spun A-team style into a gas station right off the ramp. A kindly Texan and his grand-children tie a chain to our van and drive us down the road to a radiator shop. It's fixed in 3 hours intil we're back on the road. It took five minutes for the engine to overheat. Again, thinking we could miss New Years! The guys who checked the oil checked the transmission fluid instead and sent us on the road with no oil. Some other cowboy tells us she'll be fine if we just fill it with oil and baby it. So we do and the engine seizes on the side of the road. The van is never to be pimped ever again. After a trip on the back of a towtruck we're back to Bowie and in need of a rental and a ride to Fort Worth which is an hour away. A blessed man named Bob James offers us a ride and plenty of advice. So after spending the whole entire day in Bos a piece of (forgive me) cheesecake. We went through so much this month (Auburn Hills, Cinncinnatti, NYE) in the name of Phish, and so much to get to Florida. I feel so rewarded and appreciative of everything that happened there, even the traffic. Watching them tower through the morning with so many good jams and so much more energy than anyone in the crowd (who wasn't trippin) was such a remarkable thing to witness. At some point all I could do was stand (on my toes all night long) and watch. The look on Page's face around 7 in the morning was priceless and halfdead. Watching Trey bounce up and down to wake himself up was great. Jon forgetting that he was at a concert, HYHU! The show as a whole was a once in a lifetime experience that i will always treasure. Not to mention the wonderful, generous sack I hooked up. This was the first show that i went into completely sober and I only sat down once or twice. Needless to say I'm in love with this band. Thankyou for SOAM, Silent in the Morning, YEM, 3rd set first night, llama, tube, MOMA (needed more MOMA). This band has balls. I thank the band for their enthusiasm, endurance, trampolines and choice of venue, though City Park across the steet in Denver would be the nicest. Zshanna Kristoff Denver, Colorado By the way, whoever had the grilled cheese stand set up the next day after the show... i love you.
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2000 16:34:56 -0600 From: Greg James To: [email protected] Subject: 12.31.99 Let me just say that this was the most amazing experience in my concert going career, if not my entire life. The fact that four people, along with the finest crew in the biz, can bring 80,000+ people to the middle of nowhere to celebrate life through song and dance will live with me forever. Being surrounded by the people I Love most along with the music I Love most brought tears to my eyes on more than one occassion. I will never forget what went down for as long as I live. Truly a magical night. Special thanks to Eric and his crew, Andy & Rachel, Kim from Cali, the Michigan crew, the B-Town crew, the Chicago crew, the Seminole Indians for letting our community congregate on their land, and of course the band and their crew for creating the greatest vibes I, as well as everyone around me, have ever experienced. What a great way to start 2000!!!!! See ya around. Peace & Love The Phunky Pharoah
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 14:41:36 -0700 From: Eric Sommers [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: NYE Comments There have already been enough terrific reviews of the magical night of music we all experienced on Saturday morning, but I just wanted to send out a big THANK YOU to all of the phans who attended and made this a memorable event for all of us and the band. The words that come to mind for me personally are "Cooperation" and "Patience." We really did need to work together to make some difficult moments easier and we did. Obviously the Alligator Alley Crawl is a prime example. Another good one was during the set break on NYE. I and a couple of my friends had secured a spot dead center about 20 rows from the stage, and then about 20 of our cohorts proceeded to meet us down in the trenches. Thank you all for being so understanding and letting us through to reach our destination, so that we could all spend this special, special event together! Especially after they had created the lane for the Hot Dog to travel, it was even tighter and more difficult to move through the sea of you all. Still, you all cooperated and were just wonderfully understanding and patient. As Trey said before they left the stage, we really do have something very special here. Success in 2000! ezz Eric Sommers
Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2000 16:13:54 -0500 From: Troy and Angie [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: review Phew!! After a few days battling "tour-flu" , I can finally put down a few words about the great time my buddies and I (and hopefully most of you) had. Yes, traffic did suck getting in, we live 4 hours from the site and it tok us 16 to get in. BUT, we cant really blame phish at all. I saw alot of stupid driving going on. Whatever delays were only lengthened by people driving down the shoulder and median just to get ahead of everyone else. A few accidents is allit takes to make a shot delay a long delay. Those of you speeding down the shoulder know who you are. It all worked out in the end, those of us who didnt give up and turn aroun got in, had the time of our lives and thats that. Needless to say my thoughts go out to the family of the person who lost their life during this tarffic jam. Ok now for the shows. Lets just say that I have never seen Phish play as well and with as much effort as I did for NYE. Period. Those of you who say they havnt been playing up to par should relisten to the tapes. Great Opening set Even greater Mikes Grooves. A very fat afternoon set Then the 7 1/2 hour set. This wasnt a half assed effort either. Oh well. You know the story. I just wanted to thor in my 2 censt regarding some peoples views that phish stole theier money b/c of the traffic Troy Phish NYE page http://www.feemilli.homepage.com tape list etc http://www.feemilliproductions.homepage.com
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 23:46:48 -0500 From: Andrew Ellis Jones [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: your so-called review well all you phish phreaks feel riped off? nope. spent how many hours in traffic, spent how much money? a lot; a lot. was it worth it? wouldn't have missed it for the world. and no, i shouldn't have gone to see wsp. widespread doesn't even come close to comparing. what other band can pull off a 7:45 set? the truth: no other band. and as an added point, the nature of your post is exactly why i'm glad i wasn't at the widespread show. think about it. you, and many other people need this: PEACE Sincerely, Andrew E Jones
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 01:54:02 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: (no subject) i just want to throw something in the mix after its all soaked in. NYE2000 was the best concert in the history of rock & roll ( \or jazz, blues, bluegrass, folk, heavy metal, polka, ect..)...granted i've never seen the dead live or most of the rock classics, but as a lover of music and the overall vibe, i can'timagine a band in history that has poured that amount of emotion out on the crowd ever. the eight hours of music that blessed the ears of the 80,000 who were still awake at 4:30 (dancing) was something more than another spew from the band that we all know and love. It was naked eposure to their fan base that they are for real and they know "what it is all about." just for that naked personal exposure they lent to us for 8 hours, i feel no need to explain a setlist or my very passionate feelings about this show, but know that all i needed to see about phish will be left in florida, with the seminoles....I feel a special compassion for those who went, stayed up the whole night, and still wished they played a Harpua or Divided Sky. if you left with a doubt that phish didn't leave it all on the floor (ida), you have my sympathy (your tongue may have been dry). my biggest question is, where the fuck do they go now? how do you ever match the special intensity that was achieved at dawn on jan. 1st, when they gave props to the other phab phour (beatles) by playing the sweetest sunrise song that they couldn't ever try to cover? where i ask? wherever it is, i hope to see you there!................well, i must stop regardless of the never ending detail i'd love to explain (email me if you wish to hear the whole truth and nothing but the Truth). peace, and hold phish's gift to us fans very close... one love. ---jeffrey to eternal joy and never ending splendor!
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 10:58:03 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: review submission NYE let me strat by sayin that NYE 2000 was my 41st show and and 25th of 99. i have to say the this day will be enscribed into my memory forever. afternoon set: this set was a great set to play before playing an eight hour set. everything was chill. the highlight was definitely the SOAM > Catapult. the catapult even had a tint of funk in it. poor heart was great. the runaway opener and punch in the middle of the set are perfect additives. they could have lost the guyute, but thats just a personal peave of mine. and of couse there was the after midnight which was just peaches and cream. i dont think cream played it much better. trey plays clapton tunes extremely well and this was no exception. little did we know what was gonna hit us in a few hours. night set: i have to admit, the guy on the bike and the ticking noise kinda wierded me out, but it was cool in its own way. when i saw the fan boat i sort of started to lose my cool, as i did at other NYE shows. when the boat collapsed and the hot dog appeared i flipped. such a great moment in phish history brought back to the present. it sort of said to me that the band really is the same as 94 despite their present hugeness. the meatstick opener was cool, fitting i guess. then the auld lang syne> d w/ disease. couldnt of been played better. so crisp and tight was the disease, i was actually more amazed by that than the million fireworks goin off. that god i refrained from dosing myself to retardedness as most of my touring phriends had. the music was too tight to be in an altered state of consciousness. llama rocked, as did the gin. i never laughed more than the whole heavy things on ABC episode. you totally knew trey just didnt want to be a part of the same world that was spending theeir NYE wishing they were burning things down at a limp biscuit show. i loved how trey made a joke of the whole thing. skippin ahead alittle i go to the rock and roll. this may be the best that i have ever heard phish play ever. this statement is also backed up by a phriend who has seen well over 150 shows and has been tourin since 90. the jam afterwards was simply amazing, flawless. i have listened to this off the dat we used numerous times and it continues to amaze me. the YEM was very impressive, as was the vocal jam afterwards. the cross eyed and painless finally came after phish teased it forever during rock and roll. another great masterpiece of the night, phish took this song to another place with a rockin jam afterwards. minestone was simply sweet, and i have to give props to the crowd for listening so attentively. the sand was great, but the slave was greater, simply perfect. almost as good as atlanta 99, this was a slave taken over by Page and simply amazing. from this point of the show things just got crazy. if u were noit at this show or passes out because u took too many drugs too early i feel for ya because from slave through to Lawn Boy, the band put on something that blew me away. i am absolutely speachless about this part of the show. at this time in the morning i thought that maybe trey would start gettin sloppy from wahtever he decided to do for the New Years. boy, he proved me wrong. the albequerque almost made me cry it was so sweet, the reba was like i was listening to an album it was so perfect, axilla almost gave me a heart attack proving to me that phish did not plan on slowing down at all, uncle pen was a great suprise and it definitely kept me grovin, bowie was just amazing with trey nailing the end like he was playin something easy or somethin, the my soul just rocked, then a little break that we all needed. it gave me a chance to relieve myself on that wonderful fence that was built for peeing on. then a drowned that page took off wit that lead into after midnight in a perfect transition. horse>silent was great especially in the wee hours of the morn. bittersweet motel gave us another break to chill and take everthing in that was happening. then there was piper. this was absolutely a wonderful piper. take it from a piper critic. some pipers are good, some are just sloppy ans some take you to another place where u are floating wieghtless for the tune. that was this piper. AND IT WAS ALMOST 5:00 IN THE MORNING! thank you phish. the free was a little slow, but still, it was still rockin. i think i fell asleep during lawn boy, and the love you i spent hydrating myself. the roses got me goin again though, and the bug just gave me my 5th wind as the sun began to rise. this next hour is what iwll never forget. all that i see cant be taken from me. i saw phish, at 7:00 in the morn, playin for 8 hrs striaght, looking bruised and beaten, but still playing tight music. the 2001 was flawless and phunky. then the velvet sea and meatstick which is all phish had left in them. thank you phish, from the water in the sky opener to the here comes the sun over the loud speaker, for showing me just how important the music really is to all of you. the next day me and my friends spent most of the day enjoying the scene and lookin for nuggets for the ride home, i was so suprised to hear how many people complained or said the show was too long and they were too tired. maybe thats because u drank too much or had too much ectasy in your blood to actuaaly see deeper into the show. of course phish wasnt gonna play harpua, when was the last harpua you heard of that 70,000 people were expecting. this was by far the greatest i have heard phish play ever. the only disappointment i saw all weekend were the kids there that paid 150 dollars to smoke pot and were only there because dave matthews wasnt playin hampton this year. please stay away from our scene, on the 30th i just wanted to dance cause it was my 40th show, and there was no room cause all these kids were invading our dancing space and sittin down. cause to them, good times bad times is a led zeppelin tune that phish has never covered before. but other than this, i had a blast and wish phish will do the same next year as well, but next time, do it secretely. peace and happy new year to all.
Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2000 15:08:43 -0500 From: Brian Muething [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: quick review I won't spend my time boring everyone with my thoughts on the whole amazing time at Big Cypress, but I do want to add one thing...I thought this while I was there, but decided I would wait for the CDs to make the statement, and the CDs more than confirmed my original thoughts. 12-30-99 saw the best Antelope I have ever heard and I have a pretty good amount on tape. See you this summer.
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 12:13:43 -0500 From: John [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: florida bits What can you say about Big Cyprus and NYE with Phish that hasn^�t been said here? Everything I have read here illuminates the many wonderful aspects ( and not so great aspects ) of this incredible once in a lifetime event. I knew there would be no where else to be that night and boy was I right. The first four sets of the stand were very well played and songs were well positioned with a rarity here ( Light Up & Corrina ) and a breakout there ( After Midnight ) and one of the most intense Mike^�s ever thrown in for good measure. Only with the Mike^�s did the band achieve hyperdrive for me , but all the music was so very very good. Needless to say speculation for the long set was rampant, I heard everything from Abbey Road to Thriller to a full cover set and on and on. We got advance word to get back in to the tapers section by 11 as there would be some interference involving the midnight stunt. We got back in about 10:50 and just made it inside the barriers. About 10 minutes later I tried to exit to go pee and could not get out, no matter what. People were split from friends, no one seemed to know what was going on , security outright lied to me and I know this caused distress for many folks in the area. It turned out to be a blessing as the following happened at midnight 1.) The hot dog passed about 10 feet from me and I got great pictures and 2.) once the barriers were broken down people never seemed to move inward and I had more room than I have ever experienced at any concert. It was amazing...and you could walk down to the front of the soundboard and there was open space galore. If you had a flashlight you could move around with unparalleled ease. Around time the Bowie rolled around I ventured out to the bathrooms and about 15 feet out I hit a wall of people that never quit until I was well outside the reach of quality sound. Everyone was packed so tight I could not believe it, with out a flashlight I don^�t know if I would have made it with out stepping on or crashing into the hundreds and hundreds of sleeping concertgoers. Needless to say that trip from the soundboard to the restrooms and back was the most intense thing I have ever done at a show! It is also shocking to hear how the sound degrades once out of prime territory, my guess is over half the crowd got sub arena quality sound and worse. As far as the music goes, the long set was the most amazing phish set ever and no show will ever match or surpass it ( unless maybe they do this type of event again, which I kinda doubt ) . Alot has been said about the big jam tunes, but few praises for 2 of the most beautiful songs of the night, ALBURQUERQUE and BITTERSWEET MOTEL. Moments of tranquility and tenderness to perfectly balance off the raging madness of the larger songs, rendered with exquisite perfection. I have seen 50 + shows and plenty of great ones, but 12-31-99 is at the top of the heap by a wide margin. Biggest disappointment...no radio broadcast of the soundcheck and concerts. They say technical difficulties...I say they are selling MP3^�s didn^�t want to give it away with a free radio transmission Biggest joy....just being there! Biggest line...the ATM Biggest memory...Fishman cackling like Captain Hook out of the back of the hot dog as he tossed plastic meatsticks and confetti ( and Mike looking like he^�d rather be anywhere else as he lamely tossed a single lei out at the crowd ) Biggest WTF moment.....the whole airboat / hotdog / midnight / meatstick / fireworks / balloon midnight moment....just pure sensory overload and immensely fun ( with fungus ) Biggest Beautiful moment......sunrise Biggest Apology...to the millions of fire ants slaughtered by $ 40,000 worth of pesticides before we all got down there Biggest Wildlife encounter...the 4 inch cockroach that toured the taping section around 4 am ( special mention to the wolf spider that tried to gain access to my tent Friday morning ) Biggest surprise ( bad )...the first delay tower Trey side that distorted from the get go on 12-30, don^�t know if it was a phase thing or something was blown but it crackled both shows Biggest surprise ( good )....the crowd....very high percentage of phans...most were very real and far less sketchy than any of the 16 shows I saw in 99 If you couldn^�t make it down to Florida you really missed something special in the history of not only Phish, but rock music and live performance in general. These guys broke new ground and if I^�m not mistaken, got into the Guinness Book after all for the longest single set of music ever played to one group of people ( take that meatstick! ). In a year filled with more spotty shows than anyone can remember, the boys anted up and dealt us the sweetest show ever, in one of the most beautiful spots in the country ( albeit with lousy access ). Ps...anyone else hear the soundcheck and notice how the vibe of the soundcheck was in perfect synch with the feel and style of the long set? Phish for years has been trying to play gigs with the looseness of a rehearsal or soundcheck, and by jove, they finally did it! Hopefully it won^�t be the last time...peace out and see ya next tour...john
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 15:24:43 -0500 From: Matt Cox [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: If you weren't there . . . . How was the show?! Best time ever! We kept an RV and seven cars together through 6.5 hours of stop'n'go traffic going in, then there was a BRIEF security search of our vehicles going into the fairgrounds (no opening of bags, they just felt around the trunks of cars and boarded RVs looking for pets, huge nitrous tanks, etc.) that pissed us off until we realized that it meant there would be virtually NO security on the inside (ONCE I saw two mounted policemen inside, but both they and their horses were covered in Mardi Gras beads!)!! I meet up with my bro and his wife, and also met up with Mike Owen, Marnie, Zack and their whole crew once we got inside - bringing our whole group size to about 30 people. Phrase of the trip: "Who's got my nugs?" Turns out that "party favors" were EXTREMELY rare, especially weed! The dirty, dreadlocked, dress-wearing Phishead that I bought the best "X" I've ever had in my life from asked ME if I could get him some nugs - how sad is that??!!!!!!!!!!! I guess everyone was planning on getting them there at the show and the end result was 80,000 people wandering around going, "Got doses?" "Cash for yer rolls!" "Who's got my boomers?" - it was pretty sad/funny to see so many distraught people hunting drugs! Luckily, I was able to secure more than enough for me and Mike (we each munched a 1/4 of shrooms apiece and "several" rolls on the big night), and was able to hook up a few folks in our group of 30 or so with some "gel" that I didn't need. Musically, the shows leading up to the big one were great and I danced with much jubilation. I spent the bulk of the big show spazzing out and running around meeting new people from all over the country and world (well, Canada IS another country, right?) - it was the night of my life! I rang in the first 4:20 of the millenium with five complete strangers (three of them from fukin' Jersey, for Pete's sake!) in a grass hut set up about midfield - another one of our 4:20 group was a real Seminole indian who shared our pipe and joined us for a deeply moving 4:20 communal hug!! Her name was Donna Tiger and she confided in us that their tribe was so impressed with the way the Phish organization handled things and with the general politeness/friendliness/respectfulness of the crowd that they (the Seminole Tribe) had signed a contract with Phish allowing them to play their New Year's show there at Big Cypress for the next FOUR YEARS! I haven't gotten any official confirmation on this, but here's hoping!!!! The cost, per person, for a SWEET 6-person RV with kitchen, shower, HUGE cooler, etc. etc. etc. for five days (the minimal rental time during holidays) including gas and misc. expenses: $200. Dan and I went in a car ('88 Olds - LOTS of room for two, but not like an RV, ya' know!) and I spent $220 TOTAL (booze, food, party favors, etc. - not including $150 ticket). It's like, $200 per person for an RV is a great deal - but $220 for the whole trip should be a fukin' crime!!!!!!! About 5:30am the night of the big show, Mike and I embarked on a mission to the front. Shortly thereafter we were about fifth row, just right of center - about 23 rows closer than I had ever been in my life (thirty-something shows!)! We got to see Phish goof off with the crowd and each other while signaling changes, new songs, etc. We saw the last few songs as the sky got lighter and lighter. Finally, they quietly left the stage while the Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun" played over the PA system. The sunrise was gorgeous: thousands of similarly sized rectangular, individual clouds filed the sky and reflected the sun with a SILVER hue, making the whole sky look like it was filled with thousands of little pools of mercury. I had NEVER seen the sky do that before, and neither, it seems, had anyone else. As we all left the show, everybody was stepping on each others' feet from looking up at that glorious sky! Then Mike and I met Dan, Matt Carmody and Trip back at the campsite. Mike and I enjoyed "Breakfast 2000" (a chilly Bass ale for each of us) at 8:00am. Finally, Dan and I got back in the Olds (we had packed everything up before the shows on the 31st) and we zoomed right out into more traffic. It took us a total of 19 hours to get back to Atlanta (I arrived at my place at 2:30am on the 2nd) - 7 hours of which was spent just leaving the fairgrounds. Don't worry about me, though - I was awake for MAYBE five of the total 19 hours! For some inexplicable reason, Dan wanted to do almost ALL of the driving - so the trip home was really short for me!! Far too many adventures and misadventures to relate here, but check out these things - RANDOM SLIDES: Ringing in the new year with everybody I knew who was at the show and all of them within ten feet of me - a logistical fukin' nightmare but well worth the extra effort (thanks Dave!)!! On the way to the show, sprinting down the I-75 emergency lane (in lowtop Chuck Taylors!) for no less than a mile while the rest of the caravan left me. Why, oh why did they have to open the tolls at the exact moment that I was taking a pee??!! Being handed a huge free bud (remember the aforementioned shortage!) from some guy named Rich (my "bud", Rich) Rolling my face off and making an early push for the front on the big night with Dan, Mike, Tripp and Carmody ("guerilla concert attendance") and wandering through a place where big slabs of black ice had been set up and seeing fucked up kids slipping and falling off of them - thinking, "Now THAT is a BAD idea!" Looking at a random girl's shocked face when I turned to her and said, "Hey, can I kiss you?" (and I did, too!) Pushing random kids out of the way to get to THE guy selling X - "Watch out, children, this old man's on a mission!!" Dropping poetry involving dolphins while bonding with some silent, dreadlocked dude who was wildly flailing his limbs and body to the music/poetry - the only word I got out of him was his name: Mike Mike O. handing me his new pipe and saying, "You have to sit down and smoke this WHOLE BOWL all by yourself! Maybe then you'll chill out for a fukin' minute!" Thanking God for whomever set up that "Airbrushed Breast Art" tent - nice sunflowers! Realizing that the wetness on my hands that plagued me during the final hours of my 12:30-4:00am stint in the "Enchanted Woods Drum Circle" was blood. Meeting Andy from Wisconsin at the big show and trying to lure him into joining our "guerilla" group, then getting turned down 'cuz he had to wait for his buddy - THEN meeting his buddy two hours later (me- Wow, you're from Wisconsin, too? We met a dude named Andy from Wisconsin a few hours ago! dude-"What?! Was he wearing a red sweatshirt?! Where was he?") and then ripping him for not meeting Andy earlier. Realizing that the big show was drawing to a close and that I hadn't paid attention to hardly any of the music that whole night, yet at the same time knowing that I had just experienced the show of my life! Realizing that everything came together NOT "In spite of" our problems, but rather, "Because of" our problems! Lookin' forward to Big Cypress NYE2001!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 22:05:48 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: the review.. to those who bow to the power of cheesecake... this isn't really a song-by-song review of the show, because it seems that there are some songs that we know (for those who were there) that shined and promised new jam experimenting, and there were some songs that deemed worth catching-yr-breath for...but all together, the five-sets brought new meaning to "a show".. You could've done a stint of summer or fall shows this year and seen a few rare #'s and brag about those (pavement-goldsoundz...to whoever heard this, damn you!!)...but the NYE run was the event to attend to see Phish do what they do best... make people happy. The silence, as someone else mentioned from after the midnight->sunrise set, speaked for itself... of course there were lunatics and cracked-out zombies that gave the rest a reason to keep walking and laughing..but i only heard one or two people asking where their nugs were... which by the way, i totally apologize, completely forgot yr weed was in my back-pocket.... and i couldn't believe that some kids still were looking for drugs or selling it for that matter, on the 1st... but i guess, hey...if yr car is stuck in traffic for the day trying to get out... why not see the catastrophe with a enlightened-perspective...?? personally, and as it seemed talking to others after the event, that drugs would no longer be in their lives.... and if there were anytime to "prepare" for the millenium, that was the primetime to "stop... drop or roll" for those that tried to escape the everglades (why on earth? damn, it was more beautiful than expected), i'm glad to see that you got some deserved-rest.... the "stlw8tin" north carolina plate was very ironic... slaves to the traffic... nevermind... okay, we were fairly deliusional and demented as soon as we entered the campgrounds, and it just went downhill...or funnier...from that point on... mainly, in part to everyone else... phish fans are some of the coolest, down-to-earth, and mostly fucked-up kids i've ever known... case in point: i forgot her name but she was my favoritest funky-bitch for the whole time... anyhow... she and a couple of her friends set up this doll, about 3 feet tall, dressed up in a green-hoody, some cargo pants, and messy-hair...,face first on the corner ..and stuck an empty nitrous balloon in its hands, and just stood back, watched peoples reactions, and cracked-her-ass off... and being as sick as we are, we found it hilarious as well and just chilled with her and the doll for about two hours in the wee hours of the morning... people kept saying that that was wrong...but she was proving a point... just goes to show yah... "shits funny" -- a theme for the whole stay in florida.... k... as far as the show... just little oberservations.. *loved the lack of pat-down by "security", thats always such a pain, and its nice to have some trust... and then, running as fast as we could to get the closest, comfortable spot...just to see one band play... *glad it wasn't that hot enough where the water supply was quickly dimished like oswego...yowsah, this summer was a scorcha!! *naked godzilla... beware of the kids that feel clothes are restricting the japanese-mammoth-sized lizard within themselves!!! ROAR!!! he arrived, and there wasn't much anyone else could do about it... *FOG!!!! note to band... MORE FOG!!! when in doubt...FOG!!! knockknock..who's there? THE FOG!!! * thank goodness they played harryhood not as an encore or closer...hippies would feel the wrath... * fathertime.... okay, that freaked me out... the same sound effect of a clock and bike for fifteen minutes, and just seeing that dude ride it without anything else going on... spoooooky shit. note to band: stick with the dancing flowers... *balloons and fireworks... everything in excess, huh? for 150 bucks, you get yr moneys worth, show wise.... *CHEESECAKE... this made it worth staying for... this will re-occur for sure soon... i tried to incorporate it in everysong... post-show... during wilson..."CHEEEEEESE- CAKE..duh duh..." if they play it, you will hear me shouting it... i apologize now. *when the band plays rock, sit/stand up and take notice... when the band drifts off into spacey-ambient-ringoffire-ish jams...lay back and soak it in.... bottom line: we had the benefit of being able to "take a long break" from our feet... *rosesarefree.... bestline from our dancing neighbors, who actually were camped adjacent from us... "so thats what they call a roses these days.." <-- just priceless. *encore... i think phish did an amazing job playing that funny new years joke...playing "here comes the sun" offstage, while the crew broke down the gear onstage, and the tv turned off.... phish are funny bastards... bottom line: yeah, shits funny... next year, expect some chaos from our crew...TWIZZLER/Q-TIP UNBOUND!!! --sparky (thanks to justin, jeremy, brandy, the boca-raton crew, the bartons for their hospitality, the bolger's for having a house for fedex to deliver my ticket to, grandprix and the go-carts, and satan)
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2000 16:37:01 -0600 From: eslittle [email protected] To: [email protected] NYE 2000 I just wanted to say how thankful I am for being able to be a part of this wonderful event. This was my first ever Phish show and I was just amazed at what their music did to me mentally and physically. The music took me to places that no drug could ever come close to. All you people were the most beautiful, kind, special folks that I have ever come in contact with. Much love & cheesecake~Jen
Date: Fri, 4 Jan 1980 18:15:46 -0600 From: nixon [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: THE BIG CYPRESS GET DOWN/ NYE 2000 " PHISH"...... that's all that need's to be said. the show's were, as expected, very right on. hit the traffic on I-75 coming from missouri, around 4:pm, on wednesday; hit the camp site around 4:am'ish. we'll round to 4:20... let the festivities begin... the campgrounds were very well taken care of. the johny on the spots were a little loaded up, but other than that, good lovin'. camped next to some crazy laser -suited people... they wore the suits on new years eve night... really trippy!!! the shows were very enjoyable, ten dollar buritto's and all. the "tube" got me on the tip i was looking for. "PYITE" was excellent, as was HARRY HOOD", glow stix , and all. "YEM" put it to me. had to take a seat for a bit. burn a number, then resume the dance... ah, yes, the dance.... the whole damn thing just put a smile on my face.... i've seen the boys a few times, but none with a seven hour set, to bring in the new year.. damn!!! oh , yeah, the red forest blew my ass away. what the hell was that ground made of? was it just me, or was there silly putty on the ground in there.. spent several, i mean SEVERAL, hours back in the trees. utopia.... hope we get to feel this much enjoyment again, sometime real soon..
Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2000 12:36:06 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: traffic jam Well, now that the shows over and I'm back in the safety and comfort of my home in good ol' Brockton, Massachusetts, I can reveal my nasty little secret. Yes, its been haunting me for over a week now but I'm going to take this oppurtunity to get it off my chest. Here it comes....I RODE THE MEDIAN STRIP! Its true everyone, during that nasty traffic jam I lost my shit around the fifteenth hour, threw caution to the wind, ignored my conscience, and haphazardly tore down that dusty median strip like Bo and Luke Duke in the old General Lee. You could even us hear Yeeha'ing and Ya-hoo'ing if you were one of the lucky ones we happened to whizz by. Anyway, the purpose of this posting is not to brag about my atrocities or rub it in anyone's face that I got to the show a whopping ten minutes earlier than you did. I'm just looking for a little forgiveness. I know I have sinned, but you people have to understand the extreme circumstances that were involved. I'm talking serious mental duress here. Fifteen hours of traffic is like war. It does strange things to your mind. Take the soldiers in Vietnam. Perfectly reasonable, compassionate human beings who, under extreme mental duress behaved in barbaric ways. This was the Vietnam of traffic jams. I was simply reacting to the unique circumstances I was in at the time. We weren't sure if the traffic jam was ever going to end. We had no food, no water, and worst of all, no pot! If we had been there any longer, we may have had to resort to cannibalism. Yes, I saw some of you staring us down, arms folded, heads shaking. I know what you were thinking. You were thinking that the Karma Police would get us eventually. Well, you'll be happy to know you were right. We were exiled to the camp sight furthest away from the stage and had to endure long torturous walks in altered states of consciousness just to get a drink of water or a gyro or one of those yummy frozen lemonades. And if that wasn't enough, we were among the last people to leave on Saturday. We spent the entire day on that dusty dirt road waiting to move a foot or two, and there was no median strip to drive down this time. We were trapped. Oh well, that being said, I still think it was worth it. There is no way to describe the feeling of liberation that went along with our little excursion. It was so naughty. So wrong, yet so right. We felt like those two broads, Thelma and Louise, moving freely down the highway, breaking free from those abusive boyfriends or, in our case, the Big Traffic Jam. So in closing, I would like to officially ask forgiveness from the Phish community. You heard my story and are aware of the extenuating circumstances and my fragile state of mind. I've been a well respected member of the Phish community for many years and hope that this one little digression hasn't spoiled years of exemplary behavior. Yes, people were spitting on me when I got home just like they did to the soldiers in Vietnam, but was it justified? I think not. The only difference between me and those soldiers was that THEY HAD POT AND I DIDN'T! But please understand that we were all just good guys caught in bad situations. Peace.
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2000 00:54:03 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Peace and Cheesecake As I heard it, Phish approached the Midnight set in unique fashion. They knew from the get go that they would be playing for at least 7 and 1/2 hours, and over a PA designed for at least 100,000 people; this changes the musical approach. I have been going to Phish shows for 7 years now, and yes I have seen my fair share of Dead shows, and nothing, and I mean nothing compares to the performance that Trey and the boys delivered on Y2K. Pure bliss. Pure magic. Pure cheesecake. Until next time: Reba dipped her ladel for a taste of her creation and she knew that what she made would be the phinest in the nation. Peace and cheesecake in the year 2000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 03:10:33 -0500 From: P. KAVA [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Alligator Haven Dear Phellow Phriends, My first show in the early nineties, i became somewhat frustrated along the way with some of the performances/crowd vibes i experienced later on. I took a 2 year abstinence from phish till one of my close friends convinced me to go to Oswego in the summer of 99'. my first phish "event", the harmony of the scene enlivened me in a way i haven't experienced in a looong time. At the last minute i made my mind up to go to the everglades, literally the 28th. Tickets sold out, no one welcome w/out tickets, but i knew, i knew i was getting in. After putting my vibes into a psychedelic sign for a miracle for a good hour or two i put it up in the truck's window i was traveling in and within 10 minutes someone honked and waved a ticket at me. Got it very cheap and got down the road. We got in at midnight on the 29th, my 23 birthday, no traffic at all, parked at the first pull of before the gates and waited till 9am when they let us in early to reduce the traffic jams. The aestetics couldn't of been better, got everything i needed early on and just relaxed till the first set. Went up front, of course, and saw a good days show, but the boogie on encore just filled me up with this expectation of greatness to come the next day. The allnight set just blew me away, every song i felt was played to perfection and they were really all together. The crowd slowly dropped off (literally) one by one while i just got more and more energized by the jams they were pumping out. ROSES ARE FREE, wow, never heard it, one of my favorites now, among a bunch of other goodies i'd never heard, i probably was only familiar with half the songs of the whole run. when the rosy fingertips of dawn starting reaching over i could feel the guys finishing it up. velvet sea, never noticed it before really but most of my friends had always complained that they hated that song, I thought it was one of the most beautiful songs to accompany a sunrise that i have ever heard. I would consider myself a born again phish phan, never to miss an event in the future and to hopefully go ahead and go for a run out west this summer. Good stuff. They've really evolved to the next level i think, way into letting everybody boogie more. Until i meet you all along the road, peace and love, Chris in Virginia
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 02:25:19 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-31-99 Seminole review Alright, i have no where to start cause this weekend was to much pleasure for my soul and my brian... All i have to say is at midnight i have never felt more of such a higher being then ever i had to cry... I mean soon as Auld lang syne came on i bursted into tears i was with everyone i wanted to be w/ and people i didn't even know all come together for the same reason and it was the most beautiful moment of my life... I wish from this moment of being all us Cheeeeesecakers and non can look and say why don't we extended this joy into everyday and make this next 1-1000 years a hell of alot better then the years we have been living in:P CHEEESECAKERS and NON CHEESECAKERS ALIKE JOIN TOGETHER FOR ONE NATION UNDER GROOVE and smile to one another knowing that you kick ass and your others do:) sorry for the non big review i just had to say what this weekend did to me!!!! thank u phish and especially all u kids that went i had the most fun of my life!!!! thnak u -gary
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2000 00:13:15 -0500 From: Ashley Sitkin [email protected] To: [email protected], [email protected] Subject: NYE Review Hello phriends~ Upon returning home from Florida, I expected to be overwhelmed by positive reviews of the show from phellow phans. After sifting through all the reviews however, I was shocked to see that a great deal of them consisted of complaints regarding drawn out jams, left out songs, hours of traffic, etc, etc. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, yet it's difficult for me to sit here and except these negative and unfair reviews. Big Cypress was a gift from Phish. This wasn't just a new year's for the phans, it was Phish's new year's too. Rather than dwell over the legistics of each set, each song, and each jam, critical phans should consider the bigger picture. Phish gave themselves to us. They gave us 80 degree weather, a phatty red forest, 3 days of no worries (besides where to find nugs), and 14 plus hours of passionate music. More importantly, they gave over 80,000 people a reason to come together in celebration. Who cares if they opened with DWD? Who cares if Gamehendge was left out? The fact is they played, and they put everything they had into it for us and for themselves. I would like to thank Phish for giving me the best gift and hope that others appreciate this gift as much as I do. Happy 2000 See you during summer tour- Ashley and Court
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 16:06:19 -0500 From: Amanda McCreary [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE 2000 There are no appropriate words in the world to accurately describe the experience of Big Cypress. Despite the traffic mishaps, the words utterly amazing do not describe this event with enough exhuberance. If you weren't there, you'll never know what you missed but it will never be recreated again and it could never have been done by anyone other than Phish and all of our phellow phriends. Thanks to everyone who was there for collectively creating the experience of a lifetime...
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 15:46:14 -0500 From: Matthew Keith Owens [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phlorida To everyone involved, Wow. Its hard to put into words the feelings that I took away from Big Cypress. I guess I'll just say thanks to all of the smiling faces, thanks to everyone that hung out through the last night of camping to party, thanks to all of the Phans with the kick ass fireworks in the lot, thanks to everyone that helped pick up trash, thanks to all of the wonderful new phriends I made, thanks to Dean (drove the whole way) and Brian (brought the headies), thanks the Seminole Indian Tribe for their hospitality, and most of all thanks to Trey, Leo, Bob Weaver, and PHUNKmaster Mike for laying down the phat jams all night long. The four days I spent in Florida were like none other. Can't wait for the next show!!! Phat Matt P.S. Joey and Andy from Wisconsin send and e-mail if you happen to see this.
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 03:26:00 -0500 From: Jeff Christian [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: review review hey pholks happy new year! i tend to stay away from writing reviews, but enjoy reading them - it's fun to hear the stories and thoughts about the shows and all the drama involved in getting to them. i spent an hour or so reading the reviews posted here and it put a smile on my face all over again. There were a few submissions that tore me up, though. First, i know cuttin' a rug over an infants head is an uncomfortable spot to be in, but come on - some pholks need a break. Don't chastize people for chillin' at dawn at the end of one of the most energy-packed jam sessions ever. You may have remembered your Wheaties, but I know as soon as the bass line hit in DWD, the last thing I was thinking about was pacing myself for morning. And speaking of DWD, this one goes out to my buddy who didn't show up in the glades but still managed to stop by and drop off a review (peter h) "thanking the high heavens" he stayed away. Thank the high heavens somewhere else and stop killing the magical vibe that shot through every phan the minute they saw the traffic on alligator alley. Looking at a set list and calling a show a "waste of time and money" is something I wouldn't expext out of a longtime fan such as yourself. The music was magic. The music IS magic. Hell yeah - I would have loved a gamehenge or a guest musician or two or an album cover or whatever, but I came with no expectations because I knew the band would pull it off no matter what - and they did - without any tricks. Just raw phish for seven and a half hours! HOW COULD YOU ASK FOR MORE!?! To all you who are reading these reviews, read on - remember (or imagine) hearing the mystery band rock out the delta until dawn, remember the paper airplanes in the trees, remember the rave in the woods, remember the intensity and relief and the smiles AND THE MUSIC. Trey doesn't want to be an MTV rockstar, Trey wants to be Trey. Phish wants to be Phish. Please don't be upset if you aren't catching your old favorites as often as once before Don't turn off your ears and your soul - when you do, you might end up missing a NEW favorite or two. Phish blew me away over NYE. Absolutly amazing - the band, the vibe, everything. I thought our 30 hour ride home was going to be a nightmare - 'oh god, NYE2000 is over and now we have to drive across the country again.' Not even close. All I felt was complete satisfaction, and it tears me up to hear of people who didn't make the trip complain about the shows. Here's a cheesecake to all of you that made it and i hape to see everyone in the summer! ***************THANK YOU PHISH***************** and thanks you phans for sharing this experience with me - you all made it what it was - magic
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 13:14:18 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-31-99 Well, it's 5 days after i left Florida with a bittersweet feeling, and i figured that it's time to write down my thoughts. After getting my pics back today, it's fresh in my mind again! (Anyone have good pics from the venue?) To echo the thoughts of so many people, this day and night were among the best i have ever experienced. This whole event was something special, something more special and emotional than can possibly be expressed in words, by me or by anyone. I have never experienced a wider range of emotions in such a short time. I think that these feelings really were the theme of my experience. The music, the atmosphere, and perhaps even more than all, the people, gave me the ability to feel everything more strongly and in entirely different ways. It was such an individual experience, but only because we were all together was it so strong!! Now to the music... I woke up in the morning with the ever-present sun beating down. Everyone in our site rose before 9:30 each day, despite late bedtimes, because it just got so frickin' hot...After several trips around the venue, it was already time to head in. We took our usual place on Trey side and settled in, and about an hour before gametime, we met a mutual friend who sat with us--another high point for all of us. Things were looking gooooood!!! And suddenly, the music stopped and here they were... Runaway Jim: Great call for an opener! I love this song and i was hoping for an epic jam, but of course it was the first song of the day and i couldn't expect too much. Sure enough, the jam was pretty short and sweet. There was some good work from Trey, and the rest of the band seemed like they needed some time to warm up. But a solid Jim nonetheless. Funky Bitch: I'd been waiting for this one, and this song did a lot for everyone. The crowd got up and grooved, the band caught on fire, and suddenly i realized that they are ON! One of the best versions of this song that I've heard, that's for sure! Tube: OK this is an amazing set already! This Tube smoked!! Very fast, with a long funk jam in the middle that Mike was loving! Good work up top from Page, and the communication between band members was definitely working. They are having so much fun...and it continued with... I Didn't Know!! Yes! The crowd was so energized at this point, and those that didn't know this song were laughing along. And so was I--they were so psyched up on stage. And here comes Fish with the vaccuum. He was really on this time! Great solo, many laughs, and i must say that i was really impressed! Back into the chorus and more laughs and then a short break... Punch! i screamed this one out loud when I heard Trey's first scratch, causing just a little bit of embarassment when I realized that everyone else was pretty much silent. Not to worry, though...what a clean, tight Punch this was! The dancing was funny as always, and there was not a single flubbed note. This song gets me energized like few others can. Where could they go from here?? Bouncin: Ehhhh...Well, I knew they'd play it sometime (right, Lauren?), and I needed a break anyway, so I wasn't that disappointed. It's kind of a fun tune anyway, despite how sick I got of it. Trey's fast line at the end was flawless. Poor Heart: I was waiting for this one! And when it came I was so ready for it. Great placement and I was sweating up a storm! Thanks to the friendly crowd around us--I remember everyone being extra-friendly during this one. Roggae: i love this song and i especially loved this long, pretty version. People behind us were gettting pretty impatient, and i wanted to tell them to just listen and get lost in the notes that Page was playing. He was magical during this song. I loved the song order so far! SOM: Nice! The boys talked and laughed forever before this one through the cup, and I didn't know what to expect. The version was tight (surprise) and the jam started traditionally, but then went ambient with great lights. They brought it down quickly, and i knew there was a segue coming. Trey was great in this one--great noodling--and I noticed Fish doing some crazy things back there. So where were they going... Catapult: Whoa! This came from nowhere. Very nice though, and Trey made everyone laugh by saying that "only at a festival like this could we get away with a song like that." Get Back on the Train: I like this new tune, although it doesn't seem like many do. It was as bouncy as ever, and pretty short. It seemed like they just wanted to get it out of the way. The crowd wasn't into this one at all, but it's a fun tune. Horn: Nice placement here! Well-played composed tune. not much else to say, really... Guyute: Now we're talking! This was a major highlight. The energy in this song was fantastic, and I think that a lot was due to the fact that everyone (esp. Trey) was just so on. The balance was perfect, and all the fast parts by Trey were spectacular. Unbelievably tight! And I thought this was the end--it would have worked just fine! After Midnight: WHOA!! Talk about energy! i was amazed. Trey was just smoking through this whole set, but he was on another level during this one! They did just what they meant to do--sent us off dreaming of the coming night. For me, this was one of the more amazing sets I have seen, something that could have worked for any set, anywhere. This set is a must-have. The energy from the band is something I will never forget, and to have another unexpected friend (hi Mike!) with us just made it that much better. Many games of Euchre...Trips to the bathroom...More walking around...A few beers...the champagne...and we were ready. The time went so fast! And we went in pretty early and got a great space on the grass, more toward the center this time. Everyone was going around saying "happy new year" and i have never seen this many smiles. There was an incredible amount of anticipation, something I have not seen anywhere, anytime! This could not get any better... ...But it certainly got weirder. The lights went down, and I thought, no, they can't be on yet! And no, they weren't...but Father Time was! On a bicycle, with a huge clock showing us that it was just past 11:30. Rather spooky in a way...we didnt' know what to think! I speculated with my friends--Tom Marshall? The Dude? To short for Fishman. What's going on? Much confusion and anticipation. Suddenly, 11:51--Oh no! Father Time collapsed! There won't be any New Year! What's going on?? Abuot 4 minutes later, the Air-boat appears on the screens, but where is it? There--behind us! And the crowd erupted. They're on the hot dog! Perfect! And where is Meatstick coming from? So much confusion. Meatstick followed them on stage, an instrumental version that was played out of the back speakers first. The boys were assisted on stage by some women who helped them get to Father Time and feed him...what else?...meatsticks! He got back on his feet, and there was the countdown, starting at 40! Pandemonium. I have never felt such joy. I had a smile on my face that I thought was going to stay the rest of my life. I bounced and jumped around and hugged every one of my friends one-by-one, and also some people i didn't know. This was a moment that I will never forget. The year 2000, and I was with the best people in the world seeing a band that has come to mean an incredible amount to so many people. It just doesn't get any more intense. Back on stage, there was ALS, and quickly, as I expected, there was DWD! A very long version with some intense soloing from Trey. The boys seemed so determined. They had a job to do! What a DWD, I think...I was still enjoyng the moment and wasn't listening too much! Suddenly... Llama! A first for me. Standard version, and the band was still energized. Fishman was really loud in this one! Bathtub Gin: I remember this one being a strange version, but to be honest I don't remember why. I know they finished singing, and that the jam was heading somewhere, but my memory fails me. Long version, I think...:) Trey then tells us that it's time to be on TV! Much anticipation. He explained the cheesecake thing (pretty cheesy, but what else would you expect?) and we were laughing again. At this point, I couldn't believe that it was almost 1:00 already! Heavy Things: Short, clean, expected. The cheescake chant was weird, not too together, but still funny. I don't know if it worked...anyone hear it? Twist: Now we're back on track! A great, loooong Twist, must have been in the 20-minute range. Nice lights especially in this one. Segue into Caspian, and this one was a really nice version. Sad, in a way, but it didn't bring me down. And suddenly, out came Rock and Roll! Great singing from Page in this one. Some really pretty things from Page and Trey here. Another long, beautiful jam and I was mesmerized. Crosseyed and Painless: I don't remember much about this one. It was fun, that I know, but I was thinking mostly about the best route to the bathroom. I left near the end, and I was hoping that they wouldn't play anything huge... YEM: AGHHHH! I was on my way to the portolets and I heard the opening chord. I got there and heard the tramps. After I was done, we danced until the v.j. right there! Lots of open space, and my friend and I had fun despite the fact that we were without the rest of our friends. Good vj, cheescake chant was no surprise, but a good time was had by all. Pretty standard YEM. Minestrone: Nice, pretty. Didn't know there was a cheesecake part to this song, though!:) Sand: Now we're talkin! I love this tune. I heard a great one in Providence, and this one was similar. Great jam! Perhaps the best jam of the evening. There was a pretty blatant My Soul tease in there somewhere. Great lights, but the crowd was tired. This had the biggest percentage of people sitting. Slave: Came right out of Sand, and I wrote down "great segue!". Solid, not spectacular, but some people woke up! Good Slave. Albequerque: (or however you spell that!) Pretty tune, and was there cheesecake in this one too? I can't remember. Good job, Trey. Reba: Great song and I was ready for it, but the placement could have been better. Well-played and lots of energy from on stage. Axilla: I am not the biggest supporter, but talk about a crowd-mover! I was soooo ready to dance and I was about 5 feet in the air during the opening of a song I don't even like that much! WOW. Uncle Pen: Perfect! Got my friends going and i was smiling again. Bowie: WOW. Spectacular. The best Bowie i have ever heard, hands-down. AMAZING! 4:20 hit during a quiet part and there was much rejoicing. My Soul: I knew I was not sitting down for the rest of the night. They rocked this song, although the tempo was slower than i remember them playing it. Page--great vocals and keys. This one belonged to him. Another small break... Drowned: Yes! We had been listening to this one on the way down, making the opening chords that much more sweet. A great, long, pretty jam that went everywhere, and in the middle came a reprise of After Midnight that really got things smoking. The jam after AM was all funk, and Mike once again made his presence known, to say the least! I heard 2001 coming out of this one over and over, and I must admit to be really hoping for it. I wanted to hear it at night! But they defied expectations. They slowed down to a steady, hardcore funk and suddenly there was Horse>Silent! I was expecting this a few hours later, but no complaints! Immediately after came Bittersweet Motel, and I thought the band was getting tired. I thought it was pretty, but I was ready to go after Silent. Piper: WOW! Another highlight. Power jam that just took off. They didn't finish this one, like I had a feeling they would do. Trey played some interesting stuff on keys that Page echoed and then expanded upon. They then took this one down to... Free! Rather slow, standard, not the energy I was looking for but wow, was I into it anyway! And this one got some people to their feet. Lawn Boy: I didnt' think Page walked around, but according to others he did. Whatever...still fun. Some around me were sleeping during this one (Mr. Beck?), but I was all smiles. And here came HYHU! I knew something fun was about to happen, and fish came out with vaccuum in hand. Love You was a great choice. Lots of fun, especially on Fishman's solo! Again a great solo! Fishman running around stage and taking his flop was a moment i won't soon forget. I've never really seen his antics before. Roses: An interesting choice here. I was hoping for a more high-energy tune, but the band wanted to throw in some ambiance. And they did! After a solid Roses, their jam lasted about a half an hour! Talk about people sitting down...I don't blame them, really. Nice time to take a break but i stayed up somehow. Fantastic jam, and they teased us way past the point of breaking by throwing in sounds from 2001. It began to get light and I was sure they'd play it...aghhhh... And there was Bug! i like this song as much as any new one, and this one seemed to fit the mood very well. Great version! The opening to Hood?! What? Much confusion and no one knew what was up... 2001!! Finally! Playing this song while it was light was a first for me. I would have preferred a while earlier, but this 2001 rocked, especially with the little reggae beat they threw in that made me think they'd go into Makisupa. But they rocked this to its high-powered conclusion. I danced like a maniac in the early-morning light. It carried us into... Wading: The most emotional thing I had felt since the countdown. People were crying around me, and I was feeling it pretty hard myself. We had come so far, and we knew it would be over soon, and to see Page putting so much feeling into it despite how exhausted he clearly was was an amazing thing. What a bittersweet moment. I will never forget it... Meatstick! We knew it was done. They started with this, and of course it had to end here. No one was doing the dance, but they didn't play the whole version and it didn't matter anyway. This song just added to the emotion. Trey spoke about how much of an experience this had been, and his pure honesty here was felt by everyone. He left us thinking "what's next?", that's for sure. I couldn't believe it was over, but as the final chords wound down and the band left the stage for the last time, I thought back to what an amazing experience this night had been, and I was filled with such a happiness because I knew there was no other place I would have rather been. The drive back was uneventful, and as I sit here in Rochester once again I am grateful. I want to return and be back there with the same people again, but it cannot be duplicated and I am just incredibly glad I got the chance to experience what I did. Thank you Phish, and most of all thank you to all the people that shared it with me. Andy, Dena, Lauren, the whole Binghamton Crew, everyone that was there, you guys are terrific and let's do it again sometime:) until next time, karl
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 20:19:46 -0800 (PST) From: Edward Bender [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31 review Hey Dan... here's a quick review from me: This isn't a song by song review. It is a review of the general vibe I personally took away from the event. I did not feel the sense of community or enthusiasm traditionally felt at a Phish concert last week in Florida. Rather, I found things to be competative, rushed, and lacking personality. While the music was most certaintly great - the energy in the crowd was nothing like what I have experienced at places like the Centrum, MSG, The Gorge, or even the Went for that matter. By competative I mean cramped for space inside the "venue." By rushed I mean the energy the traffic created among people once inside the lot. By "lacking personality" I mean people weren't as open with eachother as usual, I noticed a lot of groups sticking together and lack of random "hellos" and hugs amongst the fanship. To me, it seemed as there were way too many people there who weren't really a part of the community. I feel there was way too much beer, sketchy drugs, lack of "inter-crowd intimacy" which took away from the overall potential for the event. After seeing Phish more than 80 times, I walked away from the show feeling content not to see them for a long time, and just enjoy the Etree community's offerings until things simmer down. Perhaps living in Seattle for the past 3 years has put me in a vacum - isolated from what is happening to the scene back East- but the crowd in Florida was not the crowd I have come to love and find warmth in over the past 7 years of my life. I don't like where things might be going (is this an East Coast only phenominon?) and frankly I welcome the rumor that Phish might take 1-2 years off. This is no put-down to the band or the music - but rather me sharing my feelings on the energy of the crowd. Thoughts/Comments? - [email protected] Peace - Edward B.
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 11:00:17 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Seminole Show!!! Cheesecake! I just recovered from the most fantastic -- what I can remember of it, anyway -- weekend of my life. It took a few days, but I was so besotted with various chemicals that I needed the time to detox after seeing the Greatest Band In the History of the World. The Seminole show was a mind-blowing, life-changing experience for me. It started early on the 30th when I arrived with my best friend. We had to wait four hours to get in, but that was no problem as we had plenty of Cheeba and Phishlegs to listen to. We got in and smoked some crystal meth to get the day of to a flying start. I then lost my buddy but hooked up with a girl I met at Great Woods. We got stoked on some 'ludes and then settled in to listen and groove to Trey and the boyz. What a show, after leaving the woods, after a quickie with ''Darling Susie'' we started dancing and didn't stop. Some highlights: Piper was incredible. We snorted a little heroin during it and the song really took off. Bouncing was - as always - fabulous. Caspian is one of my faves and it didn't leave me disappointed. After Midnight rocked so hard that if Clapton ever heard it he'd quit music. I met this dude from my college, the University of Alabama, and we left the show for a while to go in the woods and drink a few bottles of beer. He had some cool hash and we torched that up and then started smashing the bottles against a bunch of trees. It was a groovy experience. We returned to the show and some guy gave us a few tabs. I only did one because I wanted to see the sunrise. I did...along with the dragons and snakes. What a time! Thank you all! Sorry we left our trash everywhere without cleaning up, but I was not in my right mind. See you on the road and don't forget to bring some China White. Donny Ways(ted)
Date: Sun, 09 Jan 2000 10:56:04 PST From: Josh Bodyfelt [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE Review D.W.S. Here's a NYE 2000 review for you: After a long and arduous journey from Laramie, Wyoming, it was absolutely wonderful to be rewarded with a Tube, Curtain and I Don't Know, not to mention the bitchin' After Midnight. Not much can be said to those who didn't go. This show was a definite "Had to Be There" of grand proportions. Long around 3:00 I had to piss like a Russian racehorse, but I felt if the boys could play for 7.75 hours, by Icculus, I could hold my piss for four hours. And I did. Looking forward to next NYE
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 13:30:13 -0500 From: Michael Rothschild [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: Aftermath of 12/31/99 Dear Phish, GNP, and most of all the phans; I am a Fort Lauderdale native who lives within 75 miles of the reservation. I have been a phan since Mike delivered food to the crowd gathered outside a little club in Tampa about 8 years ago. This NYE was my 82nd concert and one of (if not the best) I have seen. Anyway, I am also in the legal profession in South Florida and have daily contact with law enforcement, county officials, and other public figures. Since my return from Big Cypress, I have made an effort to find out what people in this community thought of the show (if they went) and if they didn't attend what did they think based on press. The reaction from those that went is typical of the other reviews and so I will not go into those people. I talked to some Florida Highway Patrol officers who patrolled Alligator Alley. They were nothing but complementary. They were impressed how such an enormous crowd could be so passive, so compassionate, and so well behaved. All I talked to would welcome Phish back with open arms. The other people I talked to had pretty much the same attitude. Forget the drugs, forget the traffic, it was the people that made the impression that will be remembered. The colorfulness of the crowd in pictures, the representations from the local media that peace, love and harmony reigned o'er Big Cypress, these things will be remembered by this community. In the end, we as phans proved that Phish is bigger then music, bigger then 80,000 people in the middle of nowhere. We are a true community, with culture and a sense of pride that translates well for those unfamiliar. South Florida is well aware of that. For this I thank all involved. When I drive my car to work now, I get far fewer stares at my varied stickers and my odd music blasting through my windows. South Florida has learned to love Phish and I can only thank all the people that made the turn of the century such a thrill.. Peace and Love, Mike Rothschild
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 17:55:58 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: nye To everyone who thought they could save a little money and a little inconvenience by skipping the show and smugly saying "Its ok, my friend has a burner. I'll just get the files off the Internet, bounce them onto CD, and be all set." I'm sorry. You really dropped the ball on this one. Get the files if you wish but understand that there is absolutely no way you can put this experience on a CD. My pathetic words cannot describe to you how amazing this spectacle was, so I wont bother wasting your time. I'm sorry if you couldn't make the show, but if you skipped it voluntary because you didn't have the grit and determination endure a road trip, a few bucks spent, and some yucky outhouses, I can't have sympathy.
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 18:03:38 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: searching I attended the NYE 2000 show. It was my third. I've been enjoying Phish only since Oswego. But that's not the point. I'm searching for two guys. Dan and Tim. They were standing on the Garbage can with me on New Years Eve. I believe that they go to school in Boston. Dan lives in Maine and Tim lives on the border or Conn or New Hampshire I can't remember. I don't know how I remember this much. Well anyways guys if you read this my boyfriend (nate) and I thought you guys were really cool. Write me back if you read this. Ellen, New Yok
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 14:55:49 -0600 From: "Leever, William E." [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: Big Cypress Review I can't do justice to all of the other set list and song reviews, but I know a great concert when I hear one. Phish has set the standard for all other live performances. Great songs, great musicianship, and a great vibe! I would wait in traffic another 15 hours to get another chance to attend such an incredible event. I still cannot adequately explain to others what an incredible scene this show was. Can't wait for next New Year's!!! Bill Leever
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 15:33:28 PST From: Truman Booth [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phish To all those complaining that they had to sit in traffic, and as a result never made it to the show, Maybe you would have seen the show if you had left a little earlier, Me and my friends spent tuesday night in palm beach, and left at 4:30 in the morning to drive the two hours to the concert site. We got there in plenty of time, knowing that they would open the gates well before 12:00 on Wed. We got to our campsite after sitting in traffic for only an hour and a half, at around 9:30am. Maybe you should have planned your trip better, and maybe you should stop fucking complaining you stupid bitch. Phish is one of the best bands ever and they deserve their respect, it's not their fault if over 80,000 people wanted to come see their new years show. If you hadn't been such a pussy you might have gotten into the concert site and discovered that it was probably one of the best planned and thought out concerts you had ever been to. No one in the place had anything to complain about. It was Heaven in south florida. So, shut the fuck up! your pal, Truman
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 22:00:13 -0500 From: William Scott Jennings [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: scooby's 2nd review OK I call for a repeat performance but I need your help. The perfect place from now on for Phishin' in the New Year. Anyone 2nd that Emotion? Let's hear it! Peace, Scooby.
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 20:38:53 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Dream Show: 12-31-99 This is the first and probably only Phish review that I'll write. The only reason that I'm writing this is because a full two weeks after the event, my mind still goes completely numb every time I think about this fantastically blissful night (and the preceding nights for that matter). Without a doubt in my mind, this benchmark show was the best show that I could have possibly hoped for. It didn't matter if I heard Mound and other rarities, or if I only heard Sample In a Jar. Phish simply performed a musical masterpiece on stage that night. The only thing that I have to say about what they played is that the Rock & Roll, YEM, Crosseyed & Painless (wow!!!!!), Minestrone, Sand segment of the night was simply unbelievable...... I pity anyone who wasn't in attendance ....
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 14:07:32 PST From: heath anderson [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phish review man, come on don't question one's loyalty. i had mail ordered firt day, first postmark and traveled more than half way across the country with tickets for this one. you know, i know what i missed. i didn't get in detail on the review but certaintly you can understand the frustration of not getting to see the shows. as to why we left the line...my girl friend had to and i really mean had to use the restroom. didn't have an option. after sitting in that traffic for so long she didn't want to get back in at the end after hitting a restroom in ft. lauderdale. i tried to get her to stay the night and try again on friday but it was her car, we had partied all night, didn't sleep and she just wanted to leave. was that the decision i would have made, no, but i can understand. anyways, i don't know who to blame or even if blame matters anymore. my point and i don't know how well i articulated it (i wrote the review thursday night at a friends in athens, ga and was extremely pissed at the situation) was simply, come on you guys could have done a better job. several people emailed me to my surprise with remarkably similar stories. as one guy put it: all the bowl games, equal if not more people, and none of the traffic problems. the people at phish.net agreed with what i was saying and understood the frustration. thats why they posted my review or lack thereof first for a week or so. next time, i would only hope whoever produces these things (greatnortheast?) will take care of us. anyways, take care. heath anderson
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 21:21:23 From: Erik Nilsson [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31 review I enjoyed my time at Big Cypress. However, these shows will undoubtedly be grossly overrated. There were plenty of highlights, but overall it didn't do it. I've been more impressed with several of the 43 shows I've seen since 94(Yes, I'll pat myself on the back and, no, that doesn't make me an expert). Just because there was a 7+ hour set does not translate to best show ever status-sorry. Just because it was a holiday show does not automatically = best ever. Just because you traveled all the way from bumblefuck, USA, with your other pre-teen friends may have meant you had a damn good time, but it doesn't say anything about the sets. Rationally analyze the music you heard with the benefit of time to reflect. As for me, I'll gladly take my critical attitude to only standard tour stops from now on while you wait in ridiculously long lines and sit on a pile of shit in a porta-potty at another of these festival shows.
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 12:14:44 PST From: Gabriel Huddleston [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Um...wow! Got back yesterday from one of the greatest times I have ever had. I really can't do any of the shows justice by trying to reviewing them. EVERY SET WAS KILLER!! Especially the NYE set. Every song was 15-20 minutes long and every one of them kicked ass. My main reasoning for posting this email is address some griping by some fellow event goers and non-goers (peter@yahoo). Traffic, yeah it sucked, but there was over 75,000 people there, going to one exit. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? My only major gripe was that there was a lot of people there who didn't have tickets. Especially the Florida dudes behind me in the white van. You caused more problems for the rest of us. I understand wanting to be there, but buy a ticket! If you can't afford to go, don't. Phish made clear that people without tickets would be turned away, why go down there? But I understand the traffic. My buddies and I enjoyed going crazy and after awhile we had to laugh at the fact that we saw the sunrise in our car, on alligator alley after being there for 12 hours. To Peter@yahoo, and all those others who are complaining that Phish didn't have any gimmicks or didn't play Gamehenge, Big Country Horns, or whatever. DUDE?!?! THEY PLAYED FOR 7+ HOURS STRAIGHT!!! What more do you people want? I had a hard time standing for 7 hours let alone playing instruments and singing!!!! Every song was great. And as far as old songs go what about "Light Me UP or Leave me alone" or Corrina, Corrina. Yes both are covers, but both hadn't been played in over 900 shows!!! (and peter, "Prep School Hippie"? that song was retired a long time ago man. . .maybe you should as well.) Okay now that I have that out of the way, some highlights... 1)Mike's Groove-I have seen 10 plus shows and have never seen any component of Mike's Groove, hard to believe I know. I finally saw it, and what a groove it was. A Simple Groove at that. 2)Water in the Sky-"Filter out the Everglades" 3)Corrina, Corrina-great song, last played in 89!!! 4)Chief Jim Billie-dude got up on stage and jammed!!! I would've shit my pants!!! And welcoming all of us as Seminole Indians was heartfelt and amazing. Thank you! 5)Farmhouse 6)Curtain->Tweezer-At this point in the show I was walking in and just danced through the crowds, talking huge exaggerated steps. Great jam 7)GT/BT-are you kidding me? Haven't heard a Zepplin cover in awhile and it was great to hear. 8)Poor Heart 9)After Midnight!!!!-Great cover, "We gonna let it all hang out!!" The entire Sunset to Sunrise set was great here are some hightlights! 1)The whole Father time peddling the bike was very cool. AND THE HOTDOG!!!!!! 2) DWD was good, but I was surprised as its selection of being the first song of 2000. Long jam for DWD which was cool. 3)THE BALLOONS!!!!! I couldn't get over the ballons! They were over us during Bathtub which kicked ass. "We love to take a bath!!" 4)CHEESECAKE!!! Who's got my cheesecake? 5)Minestrone-Just Trey and his guitar, simply sweet!! 6)David Bowie-The band was messing with our minds. 7)The Horse->Silent 1st time I've heard this live. Two of my favorites and they were tight. 8)After Midnight Reprise!!!! 9)WE ARE PHISH 2000!!!! (Love You) 10)2001, great! 11)Harry Hood Tease- I know Phish teases other songs and stuff, even when they already played. But I have a theory that the guys forgot they played it, then remembered. I'd like to think that anyway... 12)WHOA SHOCKS MY BRAIN!! All in all, wow!!!! Thank you Phish, thank you Seminole Indians, thank you to eveyone who was there. . .I loved it...SEE EVERYONE THIS SUMMER!!! [email protected]
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 09:51:40 -0600 From: Dakin Dugaw [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: NYE2K! To Page, Trey, Mike, Jon, the Seminole Indians (so gracious), my 11 courageous and caring companions, our fantastic RV, the sweet Phlorida sun, Hampton & 5th, the trusty quesadilla people (and other vital vendors!), the cool security guy who saw me drop my camera and looked the other way, the Ferris wheel, Father Time, the Hot Dog, cheesecake, all the blood-and-sweat Phish people behind-the-scenes who created this wonderful temporary world we lived in for three days and, of course, all of you - the most kind, phun and beautiful music fans in the world -- THANK YOU SO MUCH! I can't explain. It was just...it was just so amazing and humbling to be a part of this. And all of you made it happen. I'll tell ya - after 25 shows, I thought I had seen it all. I was way, way, WAY wrong! And I'll never be the same again. Anyway, I hope everyone had as great a time as I did (and returned home safely). Have a wonderful 2000 and I look phorward with peace and love to seeing you all at phuture shows around the world. T'boot - Dakin Dugaw Chicago, IL
Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2000 12:56:38 EST From: K. Hansen [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE I've been sitting here this morning reading the numerous reviews of the Big Cypress show. Most are so very positive and it brings me much joy to read them. I myself had a wonderful experience in Florida and I feel lucky that my situation allowed me to be there. However, before the second set on 12/30, my friend saw something that disturbed me down to my soul when he related the story to me. Apparently, a group of dreadies had gathered to share some pre-show hugs and vibes. As my friend watched, more "tour kids" wandered over to join the circle. My friend, also shared in their circle briefly. As he watched, a girl wandered over who was obviously having the time of her life. She was all smiles and radiating the most positive vibe. She noticed the circle of people, and figuring them to be similarly minded, wandered over to share her love. The problem? Well, I guess this group of too cool dreadies thought she didn't look the part of a real Phish fan. Where were her dreads, patchwork, hairy armpits, piercings??? When she approached these kids they called her a "custie" and one actually said, "I never turn away a pretty face, but get the fuck out of here you custie." In a lot of ways, just hearing about that one incident put a damper on my whole experience. This is not the first time I have encountered what I call the "appearance hang-up" on the Phish lot. My only advice is to never judge who a person is by how they may appear. I know kids who look the part so well and could probably only name a handful of Phish songs. I know other kids who look like they just fell out of a law firm who could tell you every lyric Trey has ever sung wrong, at which shows and on which dates. Never, ever turn away someone who is trying to share a good vibe. Someday, down on your luck, stuck in a bad situation, you may need that vibe. Unfortunately, it may not be there because by being judgemental, you may have turned someone off of the Phish scene forever. Peace to all of you in the New Year and especially to the girl with the good vibe who got shut down that night. Don't give up mama.
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 18:26:16 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE200 Dear Trey, Mike, Fish and Page, Thank you for the most memorable experience of my life. This weekend will live forever in the hearts of many. You truly are the greatest. CHEESECAKE!!! Thanks, Justin p.s. After Midnight you really did let it all hangout. peace to all ten heads in Big Blue
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 21:02:42 -0700 From: Kevin Blanchard [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: How BAD the NYE2000 was. Would like to post an ad of how bad the show schwagged
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 11:47:36 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE- WOW!!! Just a couple of quick notes on New Year's! Just amazing! Just when I thought I had seen almost everything at a Phish show, they bang out a 7 and a half hour set, WITH NO BREAKS!!! couple of quick song notes, Crosseyed- Waaahooo! I don't even think most people knew what this tune was, but I have been "still waiting" to hear it since the first time I heard it on tape (Star Lake-97?) Piper- Listen to this tune and don't even try to tell me this version could'nt have closed a set. I know there are a lot of critics (usually including me) of this song, but wow what a change! And for a few critics of this show that were dissapointed they did'nt get a Destiny or Gamehendge, you obviously don't know the band that well. Those types of moments are saved for Tuesday night shows in Topeka on Fall Tour type settings! How could anybody be dissapointed by this epic performance? 7 hours non-stop. Happy New Years, good health for you and your family, See Ya!
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2000 22:43:42 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE2000 The Big Cypress show will never be topped. I've never seen that kind of energy for an entire show, and that energy lasted for 71/2 hours. Trey had to have been blasted to go that long (he was itching his nose a lot). Crosseyed and Painless sealed it for me. Jamming as long as they did on After Midnight reprise almost made me shit my pants. How can you jam out that song for 20 minutes? The great vibes were there to. No place on earth I would have rather been. [email protected] Keep it groovin
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 07:34:32 -0500 From: xian [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: bliss. When people ask me if I had a good time for the millenium, I can only nod my head and smile. The impact those 4 days had on my life cannot even be put into words for those who were not there. Every minute was filled with pure joy and ecstasy from everyone around. It was a purely magical time…I knew this from the moment I arrived. Not even ten minutes after I set up camp, I was fortunate enough to find my friends from college among the 90,000 people in attendance. Familiar faces were everywhere…old friends from past shows, the 2 kids I gave a ride to in Florence, SC, Lawnboy, just to name a few. Smiles and tears flowed from everyone throughout the event. Watching 2 friends find each other in the midst of the beautiful music during the last set put a tear in my eye. This by far has been the most incredible expierience of my life. When four normal people can bring almost 100,000 to the middle of no where to celebrate one day of the year, you know there’s something VERY special going on… Thank you Phish, thank you Seminoles, thank all of my friends in the community. I love you all, and can now die happy as I now know what it’s really like to be alive.
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 09:14:51 -0500 From: Dave Wolcott [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: Review of 12.31.99 Firstly, I didn't decide to go to Big Cypress until after both Hampton shows (backed out of my other NYE plans and lost a big chunk of money). But after those shows, there was no way I could pass up the opportunity to hit Big Cypress and let me say that it was the most amazing show to date -- the experience was priceless. I could write a dissertation here but instead I'll just make a few notes about what were highlights for me during the shows... two incredible sunsets; suzie greenberg; corrina, corrina; mike's song; runaway jim; after midnight (and yes they did let it all hangout); AMAZING fireworks; cheesecake; roses are free; sand; meatstick; great camping; good times with friends; the crazy grove of trees and a mesmerizing sunrise -- basically everything about this show was incredible. For those who it appears didn't have the best of times for whatever reason (traffic, setlists, etc.), that's really too bad. Because 99% of the people I've talked to disagree with you. Sure, traffic sucked but, on the other hand, partying on the side of Alligator Alley was actually pretty fun. And, for those songs that you're not crazy about (hell, even I don't like all Phish songs) -- sit down during the song, take a load off, chat with friends, close your eyes and succumb to a wave, smoke one. There are plenty of things to do when you reach a song that isn't one of your favorites. Whatever you do, please don't say Phish is somehow selling out or losing their talent -- that simply isn't the case. I think they only get sweeter with age. A very special thanks goes out to Trey, Mike, Fish, Page and everyone who helped set-up this undertaking. There were a lot of areas where Phish could have cut corners to 'make an extra buck'. But, that surely didn't seem to be the case. We had plenty of camping space, ample water and ice, the cleanest port-a-craps I've ever seen, great food, etc., etc., etc. This has surely been my most memorable New Year's to date and I will always remember Big Cypress. Further, a concerned 'hello' goes out to 'big, fat, red-headed naked guy'. Hope your OK man because you were trashed. Wish I had whatever you were on (or maybe not). Did anyone else see this guy?? Really, a piece of work. It's too bad I opted not to bring my camera that night because a picture would have been classic. And lastly, if anyone got the ABC thing on tape, I'd love to get a copy to see some overhead shots of the event. Or, if any tapers would like to contact me, I'll make copies for myself worth your while. Drop me a line. I hope everyone had a blast and is gearing up for a great summer tour. Dave
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 00:22:34 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: nye 2000!! WOW! What an incredible event! easily the most intense experience of my life. Ive been to 20 shows and have sountless tapes but nothing could prepare me for what I experienced. Sure i wish they played a Lizards or Tela but what they did play was amazing. It seemed as if the band played every song as if it would be the last time they ever played it. Piper (which in my opinion has evolved into a gem) and Roses really did it for me. I def. thought they would play Divided Sky at around 7am but got 2001 instead. It rocked anyway. To say the least, After Midnight they sure did let it all hang out! On a negative note...i want to know what right anyone has criticizing this show if they werent even in attendence. i dont care how many shows you have been too, or what you thought of the set list. They couldve played an entire Gamehendge set and butchered the thing but some people would look at the Gamehenge set and automatically say "wow...that was awesome." My point being that Phish has the ability to turn an average set (on paper) into a classic. One has no right to comment on music they have never heard. What one song sounded like on the last tour could be completly different than what it was on NYE! Phish = musical evolution. If that means less old school tunes then so be it. In the words of the great Vajona Fishman (ie:oswego)...they are Phish 2000! If you dont like it...sorry - Peace to you! Cant wait to get the CDS/Tapes.....but i doubt it will compare to the real thing. I think when all is said and done this show will be remebered as a classic. It already is in my mind! lots o' cheescake in the Y2k baby! by the way...who was holding out on the nugs? Never have i been to such a dry show....oh well...it happens. -DixBKosha
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 10:36:24 -0800 From: Greg Johns [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: A life altering concert Just wanted to tell the band and many thousands of people who worked tirelessly to put that ^�event^� together, you just knocked the word perfection out of its league. Thank you for the awesome Bowie @ 4:20^�the next 1000 years will have a lot to live up to. Johns, Los Angeles, CA (and worth every damn mile I traveled!)
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 22:45:09 PST From: Bob Osborn [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE2000 Review The NYE2000 weekend at Big Cypress was one of the most, if not the most incredible experiences of my life. Thank you to Leeor, Aton, Aaron, James, Wyatt, Kip, Bill, Brian, Chad, Sean, Melissa, Tara, Kellie, and Stephanie for experiencing this unbelieveble event with me. I can honestly say that the moment the milleniun turned and Phish began to play, I was the happiest person in the world. I was surrounded by all of my friends and was about to greet the next century while listening to the most amazing set of music ever performed. Four days later I still got choked up when I think about watching that incredible sunrise. I will never forget the feeling that morning as we walked back to our campsites in total silence. I felt truly blessed for having had the opportunity to listen to such an incredible performance, in such a beautiful setting with 85,000 of my closest phriends. "We're all professionals here.....". boboso
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 14:12:06 -0600 From: Jeph [email protected] To: [email protected], [email protected] Subject: Big Cypress Review Hey everyone! I won't even attempt a review of the music because it really needs to be heard to be understood. I wanted to write a little review of my experiences at BC - I've loved reading everyone's own experiences and finally decided to share mine with all of you. I live in Dallas, Texas and had the luxury of flying to florida! I flew into Tampa and met up with my buddy from around here and three other car loads of friends who met us at the airport. We rented a car, bought some beer and food and hit the road to BC. Everything was going smoothly until right before we hit the traffic jam. A girl we were with realized she had left her wallet at a truck stop about an hour back! After a long debate we decided to let the wallet go. Next thing you know we're in line. Once we realized we were going to be in line ALL night, we cracked open the beer and started mingling with fellow traffic jammers. This is when I had the great realization that Phish did this to us on purpose! They wanted us to have our own traffic "JAM!" That's right, the phans had their own all night jam session! (well, I had to deal with it somehow) Anyways, we made the best of the traffic and partied, walked, and smiled and talked about our predictions and expectations. Sometime in the middle of the night when things started to wind down, I grabbed a trash bag and made a mile or two walk down the roadside pickin up trash. I had a small talk with some officers who had just gotten a late night dinner and was pleased to find out that they were in good spirits about everything. When I got back to the car someone just a few ahead of us decided to break out his NO2 tank. Then I slept. I woke up to Patrick driving us to the gates! We're here! We ended up parking and camping at 126th off of 2nd street. Way in the back corner. We set up our tents and crashed. The heat eventually woke us up and went off to sell a few Harpua shirts. I made my money quickly and put the rest away for the weekend so I could enjoy the sights and sounds of BC without obligation. I trade my extra Dolphin tabs for some fungus, grabbed my dat deck and headed in for round 1 of Phish! First set was pretty good, I thought, and took it as a warm up set for the mayhem to follow. After the first set I found my buddy Patrick and his taper friend Dave (AKG 480/ck63 > GP DMIC-20; right section, inside rail, right behind the board! - phatty tapes). The following sets were fabulous, we explored the grounds, made some friends and grooved with the fungus. When it was all said and done for the 30th, we explored the Delta and the forest. I didn't catch the name of the band playin in the Delta that night, but I gotta give the drummer props for his resourcefulness and skill! His kick drum pedal broke mid-set. He just turned the drum over and played it like it was another tom - not even phased! At this point, everything was bliss. The weather was great, the people were kind and beautiful, and the vibes were pure. Then I slept. I woke up for the 31st with a spring to my step. I made eggs for the group and we chilled. The afternoon set was great, we anticipation was almost too much to handle. After Phish rallied their phans with a great rendition of After Midnight we were left with four hours to change, catch a buzz and get back to the concert grounds. I again have to give props to Dave (taper) for he and his girlfriend stayed in the taper section during that entire break in order to not lose his sweet spot! Pat and I went back to the tent and geared up for the night. We had a few guinesses, patched a few problems with his tape and got dressed for the event. You might have seen us. He had on a black jacket, red afro wig and a black and red boa! I had taken a tuxedo to wear, only this wasn't your ordinary tuxedo. I took gold sequins and glued them on every inch of the jacket! I had a ruffled shirt, a gold cumberbun and some big yellow glasses! It was a riot! For the all night set I paced with extacy and some fungus and manged to successfully tape, see and be seen and not lose my mind completely. Running three hour tapes put limits on how long we could be gone from the tapers section but in those three hours we had more fun making people smile and meeting people than I can ever remember doing. But come dawn, it wasn't about the tapes or the jacket or the drugs. Starting with Bug, phish turned the biggest party of the year into the most surreal, most peaceful and most beautiful moment ever. I have one more prop to give out. I want to thank everyone who was there! We showed the world that in this riotous age, that 80,000 kids can get together at a concert, get fucked up, have a good time and not destroy the place or the meaining of the event. I want to thank you all for not ruining the moment, letting phish do what they do. Throughout the quiet sets in the morning, no one seemed to feel the need to yell. No one felt the need to disturb the quiet just to be heard. It was beautiful. The sunrise was perfect. I'll never forget the way people were looking at the sun, looking at phish, listening to phish, feeling phish play. It was one of the best things to ever happen to me and I'm sure for many many out there. Again, thanks for making it beautiful! Jeff [email protected] ps- A state trooper had found the wallet with all it's contents! It was a nice surprise on the ride home! pps- lemme know if you happened to get a picture of the jacket, I'd like to see it!
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 13:54:28 -0500 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Thank You, For A Real Good Time NYE 2000 [email protected] I have been a fan for long enough and I still can't figure out if Phish "blew it up or burned it down " at Big Cypress. THANK YOU. NO REALLY THANK YOU TREY! THANK YOU FISHMAN, THANK YOU MIKE. AND PAGE some one said it best around four in the a.m. "O.K. I GIVE UP. PAGE IS PHAT." I have enjoyed myself at many a concert and I was a huge fan be for New Years; but it is so bad now. Everyone knows now that Big Cypress was some thing special. That was the greatest musical event any Phish kid could have seen in thier life time or mine. I want every one to realize how important and special an event it was. Be thankful to the band for letting us smoke the swamp for three days. I'm also very proud of the way we conducted ourselves at the shows. Hey I know we are all family but some times we are a little disfuctional. I did not hear one argument or witness or hear any thing about any fights. As for the music, GOD DAMN !!!! I am still wading in the velvet sea. Thank You Phish! We all had a great time. ian p.s. your all so cool
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 17:10:58 -0600 From: turnerb [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31 review...phew I'm back in ohio now. I think every phish fan at a time or two has had that dream where phish was just playing, no time constraints, no set structures, just the harmonies that they can emit flowing forth. The sunrise set concert was that dream. I went down to the show early because I scored a job working for clean vibes. So, yes, no traffic jams for us at all. I got a free $150 wristband, got backstage, made 8 bucks an hour helping to recycle and pick up trash (for 20 hours) (which I would have done anyway) and actually found $100 (another friend found $40 and some buds, and yet another shook hands with trey!). Big Cypress was my dream. The music rocketed my soul into the new year and I don't think that vibe will ever leave me. I was so beat before the new years show and had no idea how I would make it through the night, but that very first down w/ disease jam that completely mellowed out and made the crowd realize just what was about to happen sent my spirit skyrocketing. I danced for the entire show and am still captivated in the music, stayed around to pick up all the trash I could and was delivered the most incredible natural high I've ever experienced through music. The jam on rock and roll was the most incredible improvisation I have ever heard live, it was probably a 40 minute groove full of changing tempos and harmonies that gives me shivers to think about. I don't know how I will ever look at phish the same way again. After 6 years of being drawn by the band in mysterious ways, the sunrise set made me realize why. I heard it through page's tears in wading in a velvet sea and will not forget the concert for the rest of my life. And for all the fans who couldn't attend..don't worry. The entire spirit of phish was there that night. Every fan who has ever been moved by the musical ecstacy that phish can create took part in the magic that was in the air. The band could not have played like that without the unbelievable support of their family for so long now. All those who waited in traffic, couldn't find nugs or x or whatever, experienced a deeper triumph within the phish experience and the silence in the morning reflected that. I get so overwhelmed by olfactory hues. Peace and love to all who kept that beautiful land clean too, I was much impressed. ~brian t [email protected]
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000 21:14:04 -0800 From: Bradley Boulch [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: The Big Cypress Wow, That was a really good time. Ft. Lauderdale, which is 1300 miles from home was a great place to spend the night and party after being on the rode for 19 hours straight. Thank you Phish for playing so close to that funky little town. The morning of the 29th, six of us guys from Missouri load up on food and beer and hit the road. We hear from a local in the hotel that it's going to take us 45 minutes to drive up to "BC." By the time we get to the toll booth two of my friends have already sold their extras for face value, half a case of beer had already been consumed, and possibly some beautiful nuggets had been burned. We get through the toll booth and have enough time to play frissbee, possibly burn more nugs, make friends with some people in the cars around us, finish the case of beer, and then everything changes. This brother is running down the center median wildly waving his hands, a cop car is coming down the center lane behind him with it's lights and sirens in high gear. They stop like 10 - 15 cars in front of us. The cop gets out and starts pumping this brother who is motionless, laying sprawled out in the fast lane, just in front of a stopped car. The cop keeps pumping his chest, and breathing. More cops show up, and help with the CPR. They must have kept it up for over an hour. No traffic was moving past the accident, and ignorant people (mostly people who weren't going to the show) starting trying to drive up the center median. A few jerks even tried to pass the accidents and were stopped and seriously yelled at by the cops who made them turn around and go back at first. The scene had us feeling very upset with these people who were disrespecting the lost life that was right in front of us. I think that we were all close to tears a few different times through this ordeal. after we had been at a complete standstill for 4-5 hours we were moving again. The coroner was there and a yellow blanket was almost completely covering our lost brother. I didn't want to see that. Most of the next few hours were spent in a somber mood. No music on our radios. Just silent driving. The campground had these amazingly surreal fog clouds. We set up our new homes. It was a nice tent circle. Eventually four of us grabbed some drums, a woodblock, and a tambourine. We ended up in front of the facade of a western town. It had real porches to sit on and everything. Right in front of the porches there was a sidewalk that was wooden and had rails on the other side so that people wouldn't fall into the marsh, that was directly in front of a grove of cypress trees. What a perfect setting. For the next few hours we drummed our hearts out. There were many other drummers there. To me, it was a healing experiene. It was like a fond farewell to our potential friend that had died on the highway. Some beautiful sisters danced around the circle of drums. The rest of the weekend was marvelous. The giant phamily was incredibly wonderful to each other (except for the greedy, sneaky nitros guys, that is.) Maybe they should stay home. Thank you Phish, thank you Seminole's, and especially thank you beautiful people that made this even more memorable than the Clifford Ball. Thank you very much. I'll see some of you on the road again. Take care. Happy New Year. Brad P.S. Don't forget the low-flying fog clouds...
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 15:38:49 -0500 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 Note New Years Eve in Florida was so special. So far away from all the hoopla and the all-day TV coverage. After Heavy Things, when Trey said that it was just us again, I nearly cried (it would have been the third or fourth time those few days, the first during Antelope, the second during After Midnight, the third when they popped out of the airboat 15ft from me). Anyways, this is not a review, but I merely wanted to express how amazing those shows, that experience, was (If this little essay is totally confused and disorganised, its because there's no way to coherently express how incredible it was in words). So I won't try. All I want to do is give a shout out to the people who were behind me during the midnight to sunrise set. They were a group of kids from Japan and they had seen Phish once (this summer with 500 people) and I guess something hit them really hard over there. They travelled all the way from JAPAN to see Phish bring in the New Year!!!! I can't express how that made me feel. It was simply amazing. They love Phish so much and made my night even more special.
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 00:21:14 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phine Show Despite waiting in line for 10 hours to get into the Big Cypress Reservation, I was excited. I was very pleased with the people I went with, many people I met, the way the place was set up and especially how Phish played. I didn't get a few songs I wanted to hear but I did hear many I wanted. I expected a whole Gamehendge or something off the wall. I guess they did. They played for seven and half hours straight. I don't think any other band can top that.
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 16:01:20 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12-31-99 review I'm sorry, but I must add my two cents in. - 27 hours from door to tent zipper. Loved every minute of it! Quit your complaining! - Never saw a bad vibe on that reservation. Some people see negativity because it is what they're giving off and what they are looking for. - First four sets were rocking! - As a Clifford Ball, Lemmonwheel, Went, and Woodstock '99 (not proud) veteran, I can say that Phish has perfected this multiday festival thing. They clearly respect and appreciate their fans! clean portos, spacious living, and oh, by the way, 14 hours of music. - I proposed to my girlfriend at 7 a.m. on the 31st (midnight at the international date line). - I ran into my best friend from my youth and sat with him for the midnight set. - Next to us were a group of Japanese heads bobbing their mops, passing around bowls. - All of that and the phab phour too! We must've been in heaven man! (-Wavy Gravy) - I've been on a strict diet of cheesecake and meatstick for the last 9 days. I've put on 15 pounds but boy do I feel great. - Peace to everyone, but especially those sitting around me (Ali, Marni, Phishkin, Pope, Glenn, Liebmans, Japanesers, and collective and attachments) Mutch
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 16:31:51 -0500 From: Larry Pallante [email protected] Reply-To: Larry Pallante [email protected] To: [email protected] I would like to start this review by saying that I had an incredible time in Florida. I drove from New Jersey and the entire experience was well worth it. I would not have even considered being anywhere else for new years. With that said, being a veteran of 4 of the last 5 new year shows (missed Boston), Clifford ball and Oswego I feel bad for all of you that wrote reviews saying that the new years marathon set was the best set you ever saw. I guess your are not giving the band enough credit. After seeing some of the most incredible music in the past and knowing what the band is capable of, I have to say that I was disappointed along with my other New Years Veterans. The MSG show 1995-96 was the best show I have ever scene and the mad scientist new years countdown was mind-blowing. I know that I can not compare sound quality of an outdoor show to the sound of the best arena in the country (MSG) but I will say that I got stuck behind the same blown speaker in Florida that I was unfortunate enough to be behind in Oswego. Being a little older and moving on to the Phish scene from the dead scene the youngsters at the Phish shows need a few lessons in random acts of kindness. I see a lot of spoiled kids who could give two shits about anyone except scoring some molly. I heard a lot of people complaing about the crowd sleeping during the new years set and I can say this. I am not one of those people who party too much and get to fucked up to enjoy the show. I never even sat down during a phish set in my life, but I too could not feed off the energy of the band. I guess I have seen and felt the creativity and the energy that this band has produced and was expecting at least the same energy from the past. If you think that the band let it all hang out, then you need to see more shows or you scored the best molly in the lot. I had a great time and feel sorry for those of you that waited in the same traffic to leave the concert as you did to get in. We found an escape route and were out of the concert grounds in 10 minutes. So if you think that you saw the best set ever keep going to Phish shows because they are going to blow your mind away in the future.
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 17:16:31 -0600 (CST) From: tyler cunningham simons [email protected] To: [email protected], [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: New Years Eve Mark Midford, Ripped off? I got to the traffic jam twenty minutes after gates were supposed to open at noon, and was parked just before six oclock. All we brought was schwag, expecting to find some dank there, but there was no weed being sold! My girlfriend can't handle camping. We started to leave big cypress at 12noon on the 1st, and got onto the highway about 10 hours later. I would do it again tomorrow, even if I had to spend three times as much money and time in traffick. Even with the bad, it was the single best musical/social experience of my life. You sound like you are very jaded and belittling, but even your attitude can't change the feelings of the people who were there. Tyler Simons
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 12:29:09 EST From: John Tringle [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phlorida Thank you for such a wonderful time down there.....one of the things that made this so wonderful was the weather and i'm specifically referring to the evenings!....one of the toughest parts about Oswego, etc. was the intense heat (I would imagine you guys don't want to play when it's 95 and huuuumid....so.....let's say you do a summer weekend festival (pleeeeeeeeease)....why not the middle of JUNE?!?! or early SEPTEMBER?!?!? i would much rather get *into* my sleeping bag than use it as a sweat sponge. Once again......thank YOU. p.s.......E S T H E R!!!!
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 00:44:51 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE 2000 To All of you who mock and ridicule Phish and its Phans for the NYE mess, I say to Hell with you all!!! I drove 13 hours, then sat in traffic for another 13 hours, but there was no way in hell i was gonna let this ruin my new years!!! I paid 150 hard earned bucks to see the greatest show of my life and thats what i got. Trey and the guys rocked it out in three phenomenal sets on 12/30 and by the end i knew why i had put up with all the bullshit. For those of you who turned back... too fucking bad, i say. As for 12/31, what can i say that Phish already hasn't? 7 1/2 HOURS??? Nonstop??? for those of you who complain about the new fans and how phish is too big now.... None of those fantastic 7 1/2 hours wouldn't have been possible without everyone there. I choose not to disect each and every song and whine about how this 2001 wasn't as good as it was at Great Woods and such and such and how Possum was too slow or whatever. I enjoyed every single minute of it. Where else would I rather have been?? Definently not bitching to myself on the ride home for quitting and wasting my money... Phish is not reserved for you people who have been seeing them since '92 or '93. If you don't like the crowd, go see a different band next year... Or think ahead next time and leave much earlier???
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 19:02:50 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Review of Big Cypress Well, I just returned to NH from an indescribably amazing trip to the Everglades, and am at a loss for words! I'm not going to bother reviewing the show song for song, because I've read the other reviews, and its been said before! Instead, I just want to share an overview of the beautiful thing that just happened at Big Cypress. First of all, we all had to travel from our respective base camps that we'd been at since Hampton, and I'll have to say that a 3-day drive is so much easier with so many beautiful kidz travelling alongside you. And can I just say one thing about the trip south on I-95.....SOUTH OF THE BORDER! Florida is truly beautiful, despite the fact that it is a giant swamp, and the cities of Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale especially stand out in my mind on this trip. The traffic into Big Cypress was pretty frustrating, but at no point during that 14 hours did I lose the joy in my heart, again, thanks to all of you beautiful people. We can make any situation phun! The loss of a brother on the highway was devastating news, but accidents do happen, we need to remind ourselves. Now, inside, the scene far surpassed anything I'd expected. I had been a little worried about "mixed vibes" but soon realized that this was an incredibly chill crowd. The maps were pretty slick, the lots well-planned and the cypress grove and little boardwalk were SO cool! Mad props to the glowstick guy who had me in a trance in the forest, and to all of the drummers who kept the rhythm flowin'! The first set on the 30th was really laid-back and relaxed, and Chief Jim Billie performed a couple of his tunes. Highlights for me were the Ghost (really groovin) and, in Suzie Greenberg, when Trey says "...forgotten my name" fishman replied "uh, thats okay, I do it all the time!" Second set really got me movin, so did the sister dancin in front of me :). Stoked to hear Curtain, I had guessed they'd play it on the ride down. Good Times Bad Times was pretty badass too, and even though Tweezer isnt one of my total faves, that was a phat jam! Third set was in the same vein pretty much, did anyone else hear the "Immigrant Song" tease in Mike's? Boogie On Reggae Woman always gets me, and by the time I heard the tweezer rep, I'd forgotten they'd even played Tweezer! the next day's afternoon set was another nice, chill set, with a ragin After Midnight that I was so psyched to hear! The Tube and Split Open were also highlights. The vibe I was getting from everyone was so wonderful, I dont think that shit-eating grin left my face for the whole event! My energy level just kept rising as I cruised, gettin ready for the party. Mad love to the kidz who boogied with me over at the Disco Winnebago! Now, the midnite to sunrise set, I don't even want to try and explain. I know, they didn't play anything too weird, or Destiny, but that set was a JOURNEY! from meatstick to meatstick, we were all pretty much transfixed! And let me say, Trey's "cheesecake" idea was great! Every time I've seen kidz on the road or at rest stops or McD's or wherever I yell "CHEESECAKE" A few other highlight: Rock and roll, the swirling maelstrom of Crosseyed and Painless, Trey's lilting notes on minestrone, the smile I got as Piper began, the phunked-out Sand, David Bowie at 4:20, roses are Free, fishman singing Love You "uh, sorry, are we at a concert?" Bug almost bringing a tear to my eye as I looked at all those around me. The blitzkrieg funk of 2001 as the sky became a giant kaliedoscope of clouds, meatstick closer, and the beatles Here comes the Sun over the PA. Leaving the staging area, I was in a misty daze. I have never had such an ethereal, joyous, mindblowing experience as I did in the everglades. Mad props to Kuroda, as always, superdupa thanks to the crews who kept things goin', to the Seminoles for letting use their beautiful land, to Chief Jim Billie, to the alligators and snakes for not eating us, mad, mad silly love to all of the people who I was overjoyed to celebrate the new millineum with, and mostly, my utmost respect and total exaltation to those four guys who made EVERYTHING at big cypress possible.
Date: Fri, 04 Jan 1980 14:46:19 -0500 From: Dave Sigler [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: new year review It feels strange to be affected so personally by something more than 70,000 people shared. But we all know what it's like listening to those tapes. The note is hit, the fist is pumped, the crowd roars. That's what we want. That's what we got. It all led up to the end. I'm no expert, but Free in the wee hours, Fishman's Phish 2000 exuberance and a few days of perspective have made me feel like I witnessed a slice of history. Tastes like cheesecake. Jim Nichols [email protected]
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 00:44:23 CST From: Trae Dodson [email protected] To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: NYE review / Reference to review from [email protected] First Off I would like to thank PHISH for the wonderful, beautiful, mind blowing adventure I had at Big Cypress! The setup was so sweet! I could not have been anywhere else in the world and had a better time. I went to extreme measures to get to Miami. My girlfriend and I flew from northern midwest to miami Friday morning. (Yes, we missed 30th) But I still got my moneys worth & then some! I have never been to Southern Florida/ Miami & I fell in love with it as soon as I got off the plane. The Weather was impeccable/ Palm trees on new years eve!/ who ever would have thought! & The Most Incredible band presently together and runner up for greatest band ever / jamming out during the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen in my life! Yes - there were people sleeping all over the place which kind of thinned the vibe out / and yes there were (at least 1) large group of dark hooded Yo/Yo's definitely giving out very negative vibes to the right side of the tapers section/ but in any huge crowd you will have lots of people just there for the party/ locals/ etc. etc. This, however, did not affect the bands output. There was massive energy flow throughout the crowd. I can't complain at anything they played-- I was in pure heaven from midnight to sunlight! **REFERENCE TO [email protected]*****REFERENCE TO [email protected]**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How dare you write a review about a show you were never at! Thats just like the schmuck off the street saying phish sucks when they have never seen a show! You've seen 23 shows supposedly and you already say your sick and tired of hearing crap like Sand & Heavy Things! You sound like a total FOOL! You haven't even seen enough shows to make up a tour/barely and you are saying they need to take a break from touring and re-think the concerts they play? Why would they ever play a Gamehenge at a huge festival like atmosphere were at least half the people that didn't even know what gamehenge is! The magic of Gamehenge could never be captured in an open field 75,000+ when at least 1/4 to a 1/3 were laying, sleeping, or standing. Please don't come to any more shows so someone else can be in your place who appreciates what phish does for their phans! Its people like you who bring negative vibes inside of a show & stick out like a sore thumb when the magic starts to happen and everyone else starts connecting into one giant force of energy. And while your at it please quit using valuable bandwidth to broadcast your negative views about something you obviously don't get!!!!! Spend your time writing positive words about your beloved david grisman quintet to there fans on their website! My girlfriend & I spent an incredible amount of money on two sets /9 hours of music though/ and two days in Miami & it was worth every penny & then some! Thank you again Trey,Mike,Page, & John. I will never forget NYE 2000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 17:02:04 -0500 From: Jason David Tincher [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: What a phascinating experience... First off, my condolences to the family and friends of the poor brother who lost his life on the way into the show... Now, on to the good stuff. I won't even try to review any songs, as I can't say that I actually remember how any of them went!! I remember at one point of the crazy New Years set, I was truly convinced that the band had set us all up with a new mysterious substance called "cheesecake." I really believed (in my twisted mind-set) that they had contaminated the water, food, gooballs, brownies, etc. with something, and the whole "cheescake" thing for ABC was a huge joke that they had played on all of us. At about 3 or 4 in the morning, I looked around (for once) and realized that was it. We're never going to see a musical display of such proportions again in our lifetimes (more than likely). It was then that I was reaffirmed of just how beautiful Phish is. Because of their music, we all came together in peace, in love, and in phriendliness. I knew from experience that Phish crowds are phriendly, but this was the epitome of unconditional love. I try to explain this to folks back home in northwest Indiana, but they simply cannot comprehend what we all experienced during our journey to the Glades. A little later, I remember thinking "What next?" I was convinced Phish was going to call it quits for good after this event (again, dilusions of my mind)! I mean, what could they do after this?! But, then I was again reminded that Phish is not the total experience. They bring us all together and let us play like little kids with new toys at recess. They gave us a playground with a jungle and an ice pyramid, and gave us basically free reign of the whole place. The most beautiful part is what we did with it. We didn't fight, we didn't kill, we didn't conflict like so many of us do (no one is perfect, mind you) in our daily lives. I left this event with the resolution to be a decent person, as much as I can, regardless of what others do or say. I think if we all take that great feeling we all experienced away with us and demonstrate it in our daily lives, it will be contagious to those around us. There's no reason that universal peace cannot be attained...I think perhaps it seems difficult because the wrong people are in power positions (Bill Clinton...need I say more...?). And, to anyone near the crazy Canadian decked out in glow-necklaces, all I have to say is "YEEEEEAAAAHH BABYYY!!!" Thanks to "John" for the nugs in that hellacious 15-hour traffic jam... "Emily," I hope you found your phriends, it was cool chillin' with you for a set... Peace and love to all the phriends.... Jason Tincher
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 17:22:08 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: New Years Cheesecake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Moo Year Everybody! The Phish Cow
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 11:14:26 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: (no subject) Happy New Year, Kids...I love you. Cheesecake...say it like you're pissed..CheeseCAKE! anyone else sing Happy Birthday to Cheesecake?
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000 11:30:29 CST From: Daniel Walker [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31 review from a newbie cheesecake! there are no words to express how amazing that show was... first, i should say that i'm a new phish phan, and this was my very first show... nothing could have ever prepared me for what i was in store for... no tapes or CDs or mp3s, nothing. everyone there was so excellent, it was like having 75000 of the happiest, craziest people in the world in a big backyard, so much love and hugs and smiles and dancing... the weather was awesome, about 80 during the day, very hot sun, and cool at night with awesome stars... the camping went on forever! NYE blew my mind! i'm not kidding... all the hundreds of balloons, some 10 feet wide, the fireworks that went on and on, the people, and OH WOW WOW WOW WOW!!! PHISH! i truly only knew half the songs, but it never mattered,,, i was in complete bliss for 7 hours, couldn't believe it! i know i couldn't give a true song by song review any justice, but BOUNCING was awesome, SILENT in the morning was heaven, and the first thirty minutes after midnight i couldn't contain myself!! like i said, there are no words to express this show, but i think trey said it best with "unbelievable"... it truly was... thank you from the bottom of my heart phish, for everything
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 10:06:07 -0600 From: Tim Hardy [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 Okay, tons of people have talked about the traffic and stuff, but I'm going to skip that(especially since it only took me three hours to get in :^). The vibes here were *the* most incredible I've ever experienced. I've been to Hampton, I've been, well, pretty much everywhere to see these guys and these vibes were the best. Everyone was psyched. I would like to comment on the litter situation. I think we did a pretty damn good job. The 30th and first set of the 31st saw the grounds being pretty clean for 90,000 people being there. The Mid-Sun set predictibly saw the litter level go up. I know my friends and the groups around us cleaned up behind the tapers section, but it did appear as though there was more litter moving towards the back. I think that considering how many people were there, though, we did a pretty decent job(with room for improvement of course!). Secondly, I don't think that I've ever seen so little sketchiness at a show of this scale. Somebody camped next to some of my friends got his banjo stolen and some guy cut a food line, but other than that everybody was very cool. Big thank you to Phish also for the huge number of port-a-johns and water around. In a place where temperature swings like it was down there, people can get testy pretty easily, but Phish did a good job of making sure everybody was taken care of. I don't think I ever waited more than two minutes to use the bathroom. My only problem with the event was minor: the walk! I was on 4th Ave by Snake Rd., north of Amy's Farm and that was a long walk. I hate to imagine how far people camping at 10th would have to go. If the stage had been moved to a more central location and people could camp on all sides of it that walk would have been cut down immensely. Even that had it's upside, though, because the more time spent walking the more coolness and creativity you saw. Onto the shows: I think the highlights(and I'm very picky with my highlights, believe me, there was rarely an instant where I was not completely digging the show) were the Ghost in the first set, the Tweezer in the second, and definitely the Mike's Groove in the third. I think the Mike's may have been the topper of the whole day. It was seriously crazy, dark, and intense. Everybody was getting into it, dancing and just going insane. CK was all over lights and fog and whoever was controlling the video screens was doing some weird things. They were focusing in on individual lights and the candles on Trey's amp! All rules(except ->Simple ;^) flew out the window for this jam. One of the best Phish jams I've ever seen. I'm going to skip reviewing the first set of the 31st as it was completely overshadowed(predictably) by the next set, but suffice it to say that it was crisply played and the SOAMelt>Catapult is must-hear. The big set, the ultimate set was incredible. I'm not going to review it all, but wow. I go to shows completely sober, but I felt like I was at the Acid Tests during this. I'm going to focus on the Sand as I thought that it was the best jam to come of the evening(YMMV of course!). As I saw people falling asleep and started to realize that I have no idea what time it is except that it's probably well after 1:00, maybe 2:00 and I'm seeing Phish just break down to its essence. That was the whole event: the essence of Phish and the scene. There was no security to worry about, nothing. It was just Phish and their fans getting ready to dig in. And dig in we did. During this Sand the boys started doing the sparse jamming they've spoken of in interviews and the people who were still awake were just digging it. Very intense. Kuroda was going like a madman and turning around I could see people dancing only because of the glowsticks and glowrings they were holding. Complete darkness. I don't know how many of you know this feeling, but you know how it is at four in the morning outside at home. That completely peaceful feeling that you're one of the only people awake. Well here it was in full force with Phish jamming their brains out and your crazy-ass best friends going wild all around you. Okay, reading over this I realize I haven't done this experience the justice I've wanted to and I can't think of a way to do it. I have to agree after all with the people who've been saying if you were there, you get it, if you weren't, I'm sorry. Oh and by the way, speaking of incredible moments, when that Slave started after Sand, I went berserk. If you heard somebody just screaming "WAKE EVERYBODY UP!!!!!!! IT'S SLAVE!!!!!!!!!" that was me. Sorry if I woke you up, but admit it, you're glad I did. Later, Ry
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 12:20:54 -0800 (PST) From: Gregg K [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 2nd Night~ The day set was amazing! perfect atmosphere. perfect that security didnt check anyone. i even saw one guy with a dog inside the venue. was my favorite set of the weekend......night set was also amazing but i was so shot i listened to the end of it at my tent! Thanx everyone for keeping the scene real and thanx to the security for be so lax! ~Cheesecake~
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 19:42:00 -0500 From: Alia [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Big Cypress Review I'm sitting here reading all the reviews that people have written, and all I can do is cry as I think of all the beautiful most wonderous things I have witnessed at the greatest Phish experience ever. This weekend could never been put in words (or at least not enough words), but can only be described in the countless thousands of satisfied grins and overloaded smiles of the faces of the phans who shared in NYE with Phish. Nothing can compare to the huge hugs that everyone was giving to each other after the show. The excitement, the pure bliss, the overwhelming joy of the entire event was unbelievable. Yes there are things I wish Phish had done, but I could never ask them to change what they did. My highlights (among being with my best friends) include the silliness of the Seminoles and specialness of their appearance (THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING US USE YOUR LAND!!!), the Curtain, Good Times, Bad Times, ANTELOPE (could Page possibly have ever performed better?? I totally love! d what he was doing!!!), BOOGIE ON, REGGAE WOMAN!, Runaway, TUBE!, After Midnight, Reba, Drowned, Crosseyed and Painless (STAAAAAAAY AWAKE!), Piper, Horse (if I were here, and you were there, I'd meet you inbetween~), Bug (but it really DOES matter), the teased Harry into 2001, and the beauty of seeing Trey so overly emotional at seeing so many masses of phans still dancing and staring at the stage as he thanks us from the bottom of his heart saying we have no idea what this means to them. Phish, you all have no idea what this all means to us! No other band in history has ever outperformed the crowd!!!! I think the only thing that could have left the show with a funny twist, would have been to have saved Possum for the last song, and added the Secret Language with an All Fall Down where the entire band just collapses onstage, only to crawl off in sheer exhaustion. Phish has given us all everything we've ever asked for and more, and we could never thank them more than we can wi! th our undying happiness at what they do, and our continual! support of every decision they make. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! Peace, love, hugs, and the power to believe~ Love always, Alia
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 15:51:56 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: phish2000 BIG "c" I am going to make this short and sweet. If you missed it get the tape. If you saw the show live get the tape. If you never listened to phish before, get the tape. 7 and 1/2 hours of pure happiness. I think I peaked 10 or 20 times. This was the single most moving moment in my life. I never wanted it to end. The tears that streamed down my tired face at 7:20 am on 1/1/00 were joy. trey, jon, mike, page I thank you for giving me a feeling that can not be duplicated ever again. I only wish every person in the world could feel the way i still feel after being witness to new years 2000 at big cypress. THANX SO MUCH!!!
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 16:15:10 -0800 (PST) From: michael marks [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE2000 This was the all-time, undisputed, heavy weight champion of PHISH shows. Besides the traffic going in, the festival was perfect. I'm not going to bore anyone with reviews of each song, but I don't remember hearing one song that wasn't at least great. I saw a number of people in wheel chairs at the show, I was happy to see that the remote location and the camping didn't deter any fans from showing up (I hope everything was accessible for handicapped fans). The marathon set, from midnight to the greatest sunrise the world has ever seen, was more than I could have ever imagined. I want to thank PHISH, the Seminole Indian tribe, the crew, and anyone else responsible for this event, you all did a wonderful job. There is so much more to say, but I hate to type. So everyone have a great 2000 and don't forget to eat your "cheesecake". HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE, Michael P. Marks
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 11:10:35 -0500 From: "Lee, Kevin" [email protected]> To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: Review 2000 As a professional music critic, and a lover of the fine arts, I can say only this: I laughed. I cried. I shit my pants. Thanks Phish, it was a real horn-honker! Kevin
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 8:58:15 AST From: Raul Dutari [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Review 12-31-99 This was The Ultimate Concert Experience. I was just waiting for that spaceship looking stage to take off, thinking this guys must be aliens or something. I flew from Panama with my girlfriend (it was her first show. Not her last) and some other friends for this show, and I have to say it was the perfect new year's celebration. I met great people, I want to thank the guys who gave me that wire hanger to open my car. I also met Jackson Sneed on the tapers section before the midnight set, who was kind enough to send me a copy of both shows. Dec. 30th was my fifth show, my first since I graduated from college and left the States in Dec. 1995. Thank you so much Phish! ANASTASIO IS GOD! (Eric who?) Raul
Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998 13:16:59 -0400 From: Buddy Bowman [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Review of 12/31/99 evening show John Bowman This was my second phish show. I had a wonderful experience and met many awesome people. I even heard all the music I've ever wanted to hear, except maybe the rest of Gamehendge. To Peter, who reveiwed the show, but wasn't there; how can you say anything about a festival that you didn't experience. Where were you at midnight, when I was watching phish on a hotdog, in the middle of the everglades. Did you smoke tons of weed with all 75000 of your phriends, during the last 4:20 of the millineum. Could you hear David Bowie during the first 4:20 of the year 2000. If you don't like to party with phish fans anymore that's fine, but don't imply that I didn't fully enjoy every bit of my experience. This review page if for phans who review the shows that they still go to. If you don't want to go anymore, then don't review anymore. I know more about this show than you do and I've only seen two shows. Also, Here Comes Sunshine was never played: not even over the PA. I love the tune and would have loved to hear it, but Phish has something about there sound that deserves recognition, without too many Dead references. (I say this, even though I have been a dead fan way long before I ever heard Phish.) The song which you weren't there to hear, and which you mistakingly reviewed was Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles, played over the kick ass PA system. I felt like I was back in the sixties. Thank you for the happiest moment of my life thus far Phish. Thanks for being careful on the way out everybody. Cheesecake!!!
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 14:01:00 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Review 12/31/99 Big Cypress Yeah.. it's New Years.. the millenium.. phish The weather was perfect. Low to mid 80's during the day, cold at night in the low 40's though. Good mix. The place was absolutely enormous. Imense is more like it. We camped at "Hampton". There were made up streets like 3'rd, 4'th and so on, canals, rivers, swamps, man-made bridges, forests, man-made towns, palm trees, wild-life, millions of port-o-john's, vendors, ferris wheel's, hot air balloon rides, acrobats, lots of sand, spiders on my tent every morning, snakes, did i mention wild-life??, 10 hours of traffic, many many phans, and most importantly, about 17 hours of pure & beautiful phish It's funny, Debbie (my tourmate) & I usually see phish summer tour every year. And hopefully this year will be no different. Also, we see some big "festival" show as well. Like shows up in Maine or New York, like Oswego this past summer. All these big weekend shows have the same exact unique atmosphere though. And it was weird down in florida because it felt that it was not new years at all, but in fact summer tour. It actually felt to us exactly like august and we were up in Maine. That is of course before you saw palm trees and talked to all the southern phans with their accents, and you remembered exactly where you really were. Ya' see we're Rhode Islander's and suffice to say, this is the farthest south we've ever seen the boy's play. Our camping neighbors were from alabama and they were real cool too. But I have to say, for myself, it wasn't to new year'ish at all.. It was hard for me to get into the feeling of it The music on the first day was good solid phish. Every song was it's own highlight. The jams in many if not all of the tunes were some of the best i'd ever heard before. No crazy segues or silly antics though.. Just straight up jamming. I like it any way I get it, and it was good. I have to say that it wans't perfect or spectacular, but it was damn nice to hear. Phish definitely has given me some of the best music that i've heard from them in a while this past month The second day's first set was much like the first day's sets. Very soild. Key jams in many songs allowed some tunes to be really stretched out more than usual. The new year's set is why I want this show on cd or tape so badly. Why I'm yearning for it, to listen again. It made the rest of the weekend look sub-par, and beleive me, it wasn't. The music was amazing, beautiful, thought provoking, long, strange, rocking, jamming, and just abought every other adjective great in describing phish. It was truly, truly stellar, magnifiscent music. i mean, bowie at 4:10am it's like "shit mon." Most every tune was strectched and jammed for well over the ten minute mark, and some reached or came close to being thirty minute's long. Obviously not including the small & quiet "take a breather" tunes. Every song was played like there was some sense of overall urgency, like it was the last time they were ever to be played. I have to say in my opinion that most were the best ever played before. Not all of em', or at least some of the best my ears have heard. The band had so much energy. From the hotdog, to the fireworks, the port-o-john on stage, the champagne, the kissing, the hugs, some of the most friendly people i've ever hung out with at any phish show, the amazing music, to the frickin' millenium, this will all go down as one the greatest moments in phishtory This weekend wasn't about new year's millenium hype, crazy onstage antics, guest appearences, rare songs or anything else along those lines which made many new year's shows in the past great. Which some people still had to bitch about.. It was all about the music. The music was splendidly beautiful. Like a finely aged wine, a perfectly preserved cigar. that european sports sedan. It was luxury phish at it's phinest. The music was that good. This is why I've always come to shows. I've said it before in the past, and i'll say it again now. I do like the scene at shows and everything it comes with, but i'm primarily there for the music. Someday, if they take away everything else, leave the music alone. That's what we love, and keeps us coming back for more. I mean, we're still standing and still grooving at 7:00am and haven't stopped yet. 7 hours.. The sun's rising. The birds are out and the boy's are still playing.. peace, Brendan
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 20:00:28 -0500 From: Robert Reardon [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: review Hello to all, well this show will alway top all show that we`ve all been too and only one word will explain this nite too you ...."CHEESECAKE"... just ask a friend who went to this show , let them smile and tell the whole story. Love too all in this great new year, Robert
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 12:21:22 -0500 From: Jamie Aultz [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Cheese Cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well I just rolled on into Orlando. I have to say to wait to get out was just slightly less painful than the wait to get in. Words cannot describe the music that occured these past two days. thank you all for making the trip a great success!!!!!!! Cheese Cake in the next millenium!!!!
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 11:28:09 +0000 From: tom gottsacker [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: nye 2000 Big Cypress was a BLAST! i couldn't believe how well the event was put together..i appreciate everything that clean vibes, and N.E. Productions did to make this event as good as it was. traffic sucked, but hey...NYE 2000, what could you do? some of the people that missed the opening set, well...then that is their problem. you've got to be prepared. as you find out soon enough. wandering around asking for thos tasty nugs" can't wait for the next big event! last night i saw fishman w/jazz mandolin...it is so nice seeing them in the small scale. peace, Tom G
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 11:17:54 -0500 From: Mike Probst [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: New Years Review Just a quick review of the scene. You could not have asked for better weather over the two days of the festival. Security at the campsite was lax. The traffic control absolutely blew donkey getting into the show! I thought the shows were great and well played. However, I was very disappointed with the sound throughout both days. I was not into battling people up front, so I hung back and to the sides mostly. I kept waiting for the band to crank up the sound, but I don't know if the sound was down too low, or if the sound was simply lost in the wide open space. This was all compounded by the fact that for some reason, there are people who love to scream uncontrollably throughout songs whenever a solo starts, or for some other stupid reason. Listen, when you start to scream like an idiot, you can't hear what the band is doing, and chances are, no one around you can either. Also, the band can't hear you either. So, try shutting the hell up during the songs and save your screaming for the end of the song. Alright, enough venting. All in all, it was definitely better to be in Florida than to have missed the shows. Happy New Year!
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 09:23:20 -0800 (PST) From: peter h [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: new years first off, i have to say that i have been present at 23 phish shows (including new years 1995...incredible) and that i did not attend the new years show in florida. i for one, am thanking the high heavens that i did not waste my time or money travelling to this festival. from looking over the setlists, where are the rare and favorite oldies that should have been played??? I.E>> alumni blues, prep school hippie, camelwalk!!! for a major phish music event like this concert, a few rarities should have been played. for making the fans travel all the to florida, a fully naritive gamehenge should have made its way into the loop. i mean, try and name a better time to play gamehenge than this new years festival. also, having the giant counrty horns would have been a nice benefit, but they might not have been able to make it. how abut some special guest appearances (ie>> ben and jerry at the "ball")??? all in all, i bet the show was a blast, but it looked very dissapointing for such a huge concert event like this. in my humble opinion, i think phish should take a seriously long break from touring (like a year) and really re-think the concerts that they have been putting on lately. i firmly believe that trey wants to be an MTV rockstar and does not care about the longtime fans anymmore that are sick and tired of hearing crap like sand and heavy things. maybe if they alter their concert setlists, i will return to seeing them in concert. until then, i would rather drop my $25 to see the david grisman quintet in concert, who by the way, blow phish out of the water musically.i agree with the above poster that a closing song of "here comes sunshine" would have been ideal, but excluding fishman, phish cannot even come close to the talents of the greatful dead so i guess they didn't want to butcher such a great song. feel free to flame my opinions, but this is how i feel. for all of you who attended, i hope you had a blast. i am jsut very thankful that i did not attend to hear DWD again.
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000 15:53:42 PST From: Damian Schrey [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE2000 review Before I say anything about the concert I have to write a quick rebutter to the ass complaining about sleeping concert goers. Sure there were a lot of people crashed out on the ground during the New Years show, but what do you expect. First of all most of the people there were trapped in traffic ( I being one of them) all night on the 29/30th without any sleep. Coupled by the fact that anyone staying in a tent couldn't sleep past 11:00am because the heat became unbearable. Of course the person this rebutter is addressed to stayed in an air conditioned camper and wouldn't know what its like to survive on 4 hours of sleep a night. I have to defend the sleeping people because I was one of them. I fell asleep not because of miss timing my buzz, but because the acid I purchased to keep me going was bump. It was nothing but blotter paper with a tripy design printed on one side. Which brings me to another point, this says something about the crowd that showed up to the new years show. Dishonesty, greed, and disregard for the environment ran rampant. Back to my original point, I did fall asleep. I am happy to say I didn't pass out until around 5:30am so I saw most of the show. My girlfriend woke me up in time to catch the very end of the show. If you had trouble walking around or over those who were sleeping the problem isn't that people were sleeping, the problem is that you were probably to fucked up to be walking around anyway. One other point I have to bring up. I was extremely disappointed by the total disregard for the environment. There was trash everywhere. I saw all sorts of people within a short distance from a trash can just throw stuff on the ground. The people camped right next to us left a huge pile of trash when the left. They didn't even have the thought to put it in a bag. What surprised me the most was the people you would think would be environmentally conscious were some of the messiest. A small group of flagrant hippies(dreaded hair, patchwork cloths, Grateful Dead stickers on their car) camped across from us also left a huge pile of trash. Which brings me to my final point, hippies today just don't understand what they are supposed to stand for. If you going to dress, talk, and run around calling yourself a hippy, AT LEAST ACT LIKE ONE and respect our beautiful mother earth. Remember, the earth doesn't belong to us, we belong to the earth. I know someone will say something about how there were people there to clean up after us. My reply to that is: Why should it be their responsibility to clean up after us. The world would be a much cleaner place if we would just all clean up our own mess. Now the review.... I really enjoyed the concert in general. It had to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. The music was great, the sound was great(although it could have been a bit louder) and most of the people were great. I was really feeling the love. I really liked the incorporation of Chief Jim Billie. It wouldn't have been a complete show without his contribution to the music.
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 19:16:00 -0500 From: The Gendells [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: new years eve review what everyone else has said has pretty much summed up all the music and the INSANE sets phish played, however I saw a few things that haven't been mentioned as far as the rest of the event. There was a ferris wheel in the concert field as weel as 2 hot air balloons for people to ride on, as well as another ferris wheel at the delta along with some building cuttouts with stages on them that a bunch of jazz trios played on. And the delta was all by this forest with trippy red and orange lights glowing in it that accompanied the nonstop drum circle there. The whole event was one great party even the day of the first when half the people were passed out in various ditches and roadways. After the afternoon set on the 31st, every single person there went just nuts as everyone raced back to their camps to recharge for the big night. After me and my friends got out of the concert field we heard a drum circle and went to check it out, but it turned out just to be a mob of people banging away on the giant metal trashcans and the wooden board on top of it and banging on the poles with beer bottles. That was just one sign of the madness between 6:30 and midnight on the 31st. Everybody went back to their camps to eat food, try in vain attempts to catch a nap amidst all the excitement, and of course drink lots of beer and stuff. My friends and I came back to the concert field at 11:00, when the madness still ensued, with two bottles of champagne, a camera, and some other *various illegal paraphaneilia.* And then HOLY SHIT. THE SECURITY GUY AT THE GATE GAVE US A HIGH FIVE AND TOLD US TO HAVE FUN. That was insane. The fireworks at midnight were just crazy, they satisfied everybody after watching the thousands of little fireworks go off at people tents during the *recharge* period between sets. When phish played that night, it was beyond anything phish has ever meant to me. They were just backround music for the craziest party ever in existance. We all drank lots of champagne, smoked ourselves retarded, and just had the wildest 7 and a half hours EVER. Phish was definitely dissapointed at the ending meatstick, but, there was nothing anybody could do, it was the millenium and everyone had partied themselves stupid. IT WAS SIMPLY THE FUCKING CRAZIEST PARTY........ ever.
Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 13:44:08 -0700 (MST) From: Mike Hanley [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 review Hey all, I just returned from big cypress and since i've only seen a coupla revies posted, i thought i would tell you what i saw on my 22nd show. i'm still grinning from all that went down!! I was with my buddy matt, jim, tiffany, sara, debbie, pasta, jen, todd, dustin, robbie, and a host of others during the event. i'm sure that many others will talk about the scene, traffic, and weather, so i won't do that here. i will say that every thing about nye2000 was amazing but i'm curious to know if anyone left the shows in less than 8 hours during the day yesterday...all day long, there was a line of cars going absolutely no where! onto the show....i won't review every song, but i'll talk about what sticks out in my mind the most. our seats were near the soundboard tent, so we had a great view of kuroda's magic. the vibe was unbelievable intense....unlike any other show for certain. as we waited for the first set to start, i took in the surroundings and just couldn't believe that this day had finally come. set 1: jim was all about the runaway jim opener, and it was a great way to kick off the day. tube was nice an funked out, and it was a nice solo by trey which put his guitar more in the spotlight during the jam segment than usual. i didn't know was GREAT -- the vacuum solo was standard -- and then came PYITE. great buildup and release. soamelt was really jammed nicely and it segued into catapult, played over the song similar to alpine 99. gbott is a new favorite of mine, and it was standard, along with horn and the pig song. :) but the highlight of the set was the After Midnight. Never played before, it made absolute perfect sense and we were all jazzed beyond belief at this point..we're about to experience the zenith of phish!!! setbreak: my buddy and i went back to camp and cooked some grilled cheese and relaxed for a bit. around 930 we went back to take a late seat saving "shift" for the others with us. jim had gotten us a whole pizza and a few gallons of water so we would all be set until sunrise! the buzz was beyond beautiful at this point...the band had set up a black curtain behind the stage, so we knew SOMETHING was up...and at 11:30, the curtain falls to show a huge wall clock, with Father time on the left on a stationary bike keeping time going, and on the right was a pendulum. everyone is like, wtf?? we're loving it but it only makes the anticipation more intense....WHAT ARE WE IN STORE FOR?? Well, how about an Airboat!! The band comes out about midway through the crowd on the left side in this huge airboat, which then explodes and leaves behind the HOT DOG made famous five years ago! The band rides the weiner to the stage, where they are greeted by dancers. the band takes to the stage, during which meatstick was being played over the pa, and they started playing aud lan syne, and WELCOME TO THE YEAR 2000!!! What followed was a MAJOR fireworks display, which folowed into the disease they played next.....a fireworked disease was one of the most amazing things i've ever seen.....words can't describe how incredible it was. so now we're on our way....i got my first llama, and a nice gin, and then trey talks us appearing on abc for 5 minutes. he wanted us to do someting other than clap after the song was over, so he says, "say cheesecake after the song is finished. chant it....cheesecake, cheesecake, cheesecake." so the house lights went on (so abc could show the world a phishy audience) and the band plays heavy things, to which we do a pretty good job of not clapping and grunting "Cheesecake..cheesecake...cheesecake...". "Ok guys, 100 million people are gone now." Back to business...first project? a lovely twist->caspian. i was psyched to hear the rock and roll, since i was at vegas for halloween when they first covered it. You can't ask for much more than a 2 am YEM, and this one was a short but sweet rendition. Crosseyed was the first time i think we had liftoff -- the jam in it was full of energy. at this point, trey takes his acoustic guitar and we have the first band member to surrender to mother nature and use the port-o-let which was placed on the stage, fishman. after he finished his business, the band breaks out a crazy Sand, which was taken into the sky with a huge funky jam. definitely not your typical Sand, but it's almost 3am, we're not even HALFWAY finished, and you could tell the band was letting the music play them. we get a great reba, and the the band breaks into axilla, which i think woke everyone who had passed out. i would say most of the crowd was standing, but if i didn't have that pizza and water, i don't think i could have standed the whole time. uncle pen was a great song to hear, my first and it didn't let me down. a bunch of people were calling for a 4:20 makisupa, and i realized that this might be the first concert in which the band was actually playing during 4:20! add to that the fact that this was the first 4:20 of the millenium, and you've got a lot of people prepared by the time bowie comes on. bowie continues through four twenty and goes into my soul, so no band acknowledgment of the occasion. now we get drowned!! a great song, and this too was taken into another realm with a sick jam...it evolved into aftermidnight, and back into drowned and you couldn't be any happier. i know i'm not really giving many details of the jams and how the songs were played....all that is on the tapes. i'd rather give a good picture of how it was to be there.. i was wondering if the band was trying to see how many people they could lullaby to sleep with bittersweet motel. i like the song, but at 5:30 or so, it was tough to not fallasleep to it. piper got us all going again, this version raged and segued into a nice free. the free wasn't as mind blowing as i've heard, but it was still a good run. page schmoozed the crowd with lawn boy, and then fishman has his turn with the "elvis portion of the night", Love Me. And his vacuum performance was hands down his best in my book. definitely one of this longest, he produced sounds of his vac which i've never heard before. next came a true highlight of the evening....the 20 -plus minute Roses are Free. this jam was all over the map, with lots of keyboard goodness from both page and trey, along with many different explorations. about this time i could see the sun trying to peek its way, and wen bug started, the band acknowledged the blown-out-of-proportion y2k "bug". so it's finally nearing end time...the band is putsing around the stage, discussing what to do. fishman starts the drum into to ... HOOD? what? we just saw this last night! but....after about 10 seconds, the band does a 180 and dives headfirst into a beautiful 2001, on the dawn of a new millenia. Absolutely stunning. they close up 2001 with page striking the opening keys to velvet sea. i've come to really like this tune, and watcing it in the now-daylight sea of brain-shocked phishheads was pure bliss...but we were wondering about the meatstick, sicne they didn't play it yet (the opener was just pre-recorded music), and at about 7 am , they start it up. but there was no mention about the world record, and i don't think many people were doing the dance, we were all too fried from what we've just experienced. sometime near meatstick trey says, "thank you so much...this was unbelieable. unbelievable. thank you!" or someting like that and after the song was finished we get the bows and that's it. we all hugged each other and just stood in a daze at what just went down. it was the best thing i've ever seen live, the best phish show...it lived up to the hype. the band was definitely playing better becasue they didn't have any time limits. you could feel that in the music. definitely on another level. as the beatles Here Come The Sun played over the PA everyone just walked back to their campgrounds..the vibe was really cool but strange...we all couldn't believe that we're leavinga phish show at 7:15 in the MORNING! our whole group met up at our circle of tents and we compared notes. all positive, needless to say. traffic leaving was a nightmare at best, but i think that was to be expected since there was only one 2 lane road leading out. we all chilled for the rest of the day and into the night, and matt and i left around 12:30, when traffic finally started moving at a semi regular pace (that's 1230 am, 17 hours after the show ended) and we were on the highway at 4 am. so that was my new years at phish. your milage may vary, but i hope that those who were there had just as good as a time as i did. gotta jiboo, mike ++ "Cheesecake. Cheesecake! Cheesecake...cheesecake..cheesecake.." -Trey Anastasio ++
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 13:34:58 -0500 From: Bob_Quinlan_LTBSQW [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: nye 2000 okay. this was my 80th phish show and all i have to say is that it was the best fucking show i have ever seen. it would be pointless to review song by song, but i will say that every song they played they played perfectly. They did not miss a beat the entire 7+ hours. The highlights for me was the absolutely ridiculous YEM, cross eyed, and the Reba. But honestly it was all amazing. i was living my phish phantasy come true. The rolls and the liquid put me in a dream state in itself and the fact that phish was playng onstage for seven hours made the whole thing even more surreal. it was a phish phreaks dream come true. It was for the hardcore. i have had my doubts about them lately, but they showed me that they are still the greatest band out there. Only Phish could stay on stage for seven hours. They are Rock supergods! I do not understand how they can play a string of crappy shows in a tour and then play amazing for seven hours straight. I really feel that they can turn themselves on or off whenever they want. They finally proved that they can outlast the fans - we must admit we were getting pretty tired by the time they played meatstick. If you missed the show then you missed THE SHOW. Nothing will ever compare to what they did in Big cypress. Not to mention that the people were all chill, the location was perfect, and the weather was absolutely beautiful. Two more things - I have concluded that phish are definitely robots because humans could not play that well for that long. I swear they were still playing just as well at the end. The other thing is that Phish is best viewed through cheap women's sunglasses.
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 17:32:25 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected], [email protected] Subject: wowweee- New Years Show It is midday on the third and although my body is suffering from severe exhaustion my mind is still racing as full speed. Visions of the glorious three days in Big Cypress continue to surface and bring back such a wide range of emotions. The positive vibe that permeated throughout the whole event is what really sticks with me the most. The scene was unbelievable. Thank you so much to the Seminoles and to everyone who poured their hearts and suls into this production. I feel very proud to have been a citizen of the heavenly city of Big Cypress, nothing will ever manage to compare. Throughout the long weekend I saw such a wide display of creativity from so many people I am still chuckling constantly. Thank you to those who created the massive millenium bicycle and the participants in the drum circle in the enchanted forest. You seemed to really be calling the native american spirits with your level of intensity. I had chills. The moments building up to the final hour of 1999 were quite a buzz in themselves. The ticking of the clock really got the crowd wondering what we were really all in for. I never knew it was going to be quite that explosive. It exceeded any expectations one could possibly have made. And then..... the grand entrance. Fantastic really. It was so clever and silly and true to the essence of Phish. Down with Disease launched me into orbit and I remained there throughout the eerie walk back to the campsite at 7:30 am. I am still struggling to communicate in normal language and don't think I am capable of commenting on all of the treats we received but to recap a few highlights: YEM and the cheesecake vocal jam, I particularly enjoyed the soulful, 80's funk style "chocolate cheeeeesecake", Slave, it had been awhile for me with this one and it was a very good crisp jam, an explosive Piper, a spine-chilling Silent, bringing back After Midnight from the afternoon as we all realized how much we were really letting it all hangout, Roses are Free- what a tresure really. Wading-My body and soul was wrapped in plush velvet. 2001-- We all reached into the depths of our energy tanks for that one. The breaking of day was completely surreal and Trey's early morning voice was the sweetest birdsong ever. These are moments to be savored. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am filled with glee just remembering. This may be the pinnacle of my days so far as I can recall. A funny little anecdote- we made it out with much ease on the 1st and we spent the night in naples at the Super Eight. We went to Olive Garden for a grand feast and our sweet waitress had been unable to go to the shows because of a family emergency. We sat around a large round table and reveled in our delirium. At the end of the meal we were craving just one huge piece of cheesecake and our waitress brought it to us and unaware of its significance she said that she would like to buy our piece of cheescake for us (layered with Ghiradelli chocolate no less). We fell to pieces and passed it around the table squishing it in our mouths and saying "mmmmm....Cheesecake" in a variety of styles. A perfect, unforgettable ending. Love to all and peace and good luck in the upcoming year.
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 10:13:24 -0800 (PST) From: Karla and Joe Papagni [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE 2000 All i can say is thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. This was the most amazing experience of my life. I feel so fortunate to follow a band that is so generous to their fans. who else do you know that would create an entire city for their fans much less rock balls for a straight 7 1/2 hours?! this place was utopia. i saw a deal going down on in the middle of the road when one of the "security" guys drove by and saw what was going on. All he said was "hey- take it to the side of the road." anyone could do anything, anywhere, and anytime. the only downfalls were the nasty as hell port-a-potties and the SERIOUS traffic problems. I will say, though, it was worth every moment of the 13 1/2 hours i spent on alligator alley. i would do it again in a heartbeat. the whole reason i decided to write this review is because i want to express my sincere gratitude for the 3:30 a.m. reba. it is by far my favorite song and i have not seen one live in 4 years (my last being 10-31-96). I was begining to think i was under some sort of curse or something. this reba, although not flawless (who can blame them at that time of morning) was so fucking beautiful. i could not stop crying. this was the best present i have ever recieved. i also want to express my condolences for those of you not fortunate enough to have made it down to big cypress. this was the show of a lifetime. all i can say is get the tapes asap- you'll see what i mean. happy new year to everyone out there and thanks for all the beautiful memories.
Date: Sat, 01 Jan 2000 13:10:43 +0000 From: Jack Tullos [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Review What the phuck.....no GAMEHENGE...very unsatisfied....infact....I am not going back!!!!
Date: Sat, 01 Jan 2000 14:11:41 -0400 From: Richard Thomas [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: aftershock ok i believe i was put on earth to witness and experience what i did these past 4-5 days....talk about a bag of tricks, they pulled out all the stops...some key points...anteope, absolutely sick- i loved it when page and trey played off each other at the slow part after the jam kindof and twisted echo but in time....disease was faster than i ever heard and totally on point...2001 gave me chills up and down my spine as i was still dancing at 7 in the morning...there were just too many thiungs to mention, i cant even begin...a four word summary you ask? BEAUTIFUL CHAOS oh yeah...also a psychadelic warzone.....all i gotta say is WHO'S GOT MY TAPES????????????????
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 00:40:26 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: ?Review? After reading some of the reviews already posted, and trying to explain to friends who were not fortunate enough to join us, we all know that there is no way to put this experience into words. Yet, whenever we run into phriends in the streets or at shows, with one shout of "cheescake", we'll know what we share! To all of you who we saw on I-95, from FL to NJ, who knew what we meant when we shouted cheescake across three lanes, and those who know when we shout it across three time zones, Happy Millenium! We couldn't have started in a better way. See you at the next stop!! P.S. Whose got MY heddies???
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 23:41:00 -0500 (EST) From: Brandon Click [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 Review It is really hard to put into words the absolute beauty and significance of just how incredible the band played the 2nd set.. To have no time restraint no inhibition and playing in front of thousands of people completely or mostly intuitive to the music was intense. It feels like Phish is culminating a wonderful musical family. For me I have been seeing them exstensively for 5 years and have had incredible spiritual times throughout, but I think Phish and alot of people are ready to move on... Maybe its just me but I can'r see them topping this weekend, nor could I see them trying too... Mad Love To Everyone, Brandon
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000 00:42:45 EST From: Brian Fegan [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE 2000!!! Hi Everyone, Let me start by saying that this was one of the best experiences of my life and I just want to thank everyone who was a part of it and made it so special. Except for the fucking horrible traffic (took 15 hours to go 55 miles), I have only positive memories of the whole weekend. I don't think I have it in me to write about everything so I guess I'll just give set highlights and then go on in detail about the 7.5 hour NYE set. The 1st set on the 30th was okay. Pretty standard stuff. The native greeting song with the chief was cool because I think it let everyone feel just how lucky we were to be where we were. The 2nd set definitely kicked it up a notch. And incidentally, each set just got better and better throughout the 2-day stand. This set was highlighted by an amazing Curtain, a super-funky Tweezer, a smooth Gotta Jiboo, and a rockin' Good Times Bad Times. The last set of the 30th was great also. It started with a longer-than-usual Chalkdust, and I always love hearing a Sloth. But this set was great for the Mike's Groove. The guys really had their shit together towards the end of the set. The Boogie On encore was really sweet as well, and everyone was just super-pumped as they left the concert field. As for the 31st, the first set started out great. The first four songs were so good. And Fish's vacuum solo was the best I've ever seen. He was fucking wailing on that thing and it was cool because with the big TV screens, you could actually see how he makes the sounds he makes with it (sort of). Then it mellowed out a bit in the middle of the set and then came SOAM. This was great, and the Catapult that came out of it was so cool because it was sung over this really funky groove rather than the standard Catapult. But After Midnight was what this set was all about. The energy level was so high for both Phish and the audience. It was the best 1st set closer (for circumstances) I've ever seen and I was so pumped for what was to come. End-of-set music was Prince's 1999. The concert field started filling up again at about 10:15. Everyone was so pumped. The security was practically non-existant as my friends and I snuck in 4 bottles of champagne and many other assorted goodies. At around 11:35 this big clock lit up on stage and Father Time was riding a stationary bike that made the clock go tick-tock. This went on for like 20 minutes and got the crowd so fucking ANXIOUS! Then around 11:55 Father Time passed out. The boys then popped up from the left in a huge fake Everglade air-boat. It opened up and there were the guys in the Hot Dog. They cruised up on stage to Meatstick playing over the PA. When on-stage they fed Father Time a meatstick which gave him the energy to get us to the new millenium. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... the loudest screaming and coolest fireworks I've ever seen. You practically couldn't even hear Dw/D over everything but it was still so amazing. The energy level was so high. Now I had no idea what Phish was going to do. I figured there would be some standard stuff, some long jams, some ambiant stuff, maybe an album. But they just stuck to their guns and played a Phish set...EXCEPT IT WAS 7.5 HOURS LONG!!! It was the most amazing musical thing I have ever witnessed. And certainly the coolest thing I have ever seen Phish do (35 shows). The mental stamina they exhibited is such an inspiration. Anyway, the Bathtub Gin, Rock and Roll, Crosseyed and Painless, Sand, Drowned>After Midnight, 2001 were my fav's from the set but the whole thing was fantastic. I probably only sat down for all of 10 minutes (may have had something to do with something I ate). By the end everyone was really tired but it was such an amazing evening and I thank Phish for being the best band in the world and having the ability to pull off such a feat. What can I say? GET THE TAPES!!! Happy Millenium to all and I'll never forget this for the rest of my life. Peace Out. -Brian
Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 17:42:07 -0400 From: alan tenenbaum [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE 2000 Happy New Year's All! Where's my Molly? What can one say about this show? SICK, LONG, INTENSE, STRANGE, you name it, everything you could possibly want from a show occurred on 1/1/99. So many musical realms were explored. But if there's one thing that I'll never forget is MIKE"S bass. For those of you who were next to the speakers/amps, then you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who are clueless I'll try my best to explain. As the night commenced with a raging DWD (fireworks were in perfect synch) I noticed that Mike was turned up a notch or two in the mix. Thank God, because Mike was driving the band the entire night with these bass notes that were somewhat reminiscent to the beats you hear at raves. Not Drum and Bass or "Feel the Groove" Techno beats, but... phuck I can't put my finger on it. But when you hear the tapes you'll notice these phat beats occurring in and out of all the jams they did all night. From this day on I'll never be able to hear Phish in the same way (actually I don't think I will listen to them for the next few months; there is a thing called Phish overload you know). As for the rest of the night, the band jammed as hard as they could. Not all jams were climactic (PIPER was) yet it didn't matter. Phish was here to provide a night filled with music and that's what everyone got. Now where's my cheesecake?
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 17:50:13 -0800 From: TOMMY KINZER [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: PHISH 2000 Seminole Indian Reservation 12/31/99 What can I say I could talk for hours and not even touch the surface, for me this was the best experience of my life. This was my 21st and 22nd show, but by far the most unforgettable. I wont go into setlists or songs it would be too long to read. Forget the traffic,forget the lines; that set made up for it all, we drove from California a couple more hours (10 to be exact) was not going to make the difference. What did make the difference was where we were from 12:00 dec. 31st to 7:00 on Jan 1; everyone who was there, who experienced the musical bliss that penetrated our souls, the unbelievable vibe that radiated from the audience. The parking lot before the set. By far the highlight for me was three seperate occasions; Run like an Antelope the night before, did anyone notice how awsome this one was ; Sand - by far the funkyiest jam yet; and 2001- my absolute favorite, musically not my best ever, but emotionally, one I'll never forget. SUNRISE, NYE, PHISH THE BEST An EXPERIENCE I'LL CARRY WITH ME THE REST OF MY LIFE. By [email protected]
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 00:52:00 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phlorida Phacts and Review here is some of the low down on big cypress. Traffic was hell. But it was to be expected. We stayed in traffic for 6 hours but i heard of people in traffic for 13 so we made out good. Got there at 11pm the 29th. The place is beautiful. They built a old town victorian houses with a boardwalk along the water canal. A bridge lead over to "the rain forest"...a bad as place to hang out. They stuck lights in the trees and huge drum circles went down as you did your thing..very tribe like. They had the ferris wheels rolling. The one inside the concert field was wicked....like two mini wheels stacked on each other. The food was awesome...plenty of room...lots of venders...no nugs (eeeeveryone looking)....plenty of other things to dabble in though. The weather was perfect 70's day, 50's nights. The music was definately the highlight of course. Hands down "Light up or leave me alone" was one of the best things played all weekend. Page belted the lyrics and mike laid down the funk! They had awesome video screens set up on both sides of the stage . Trey first said he was speechless, then informed everyone that they were indeed going to play all night long on the 31st and to plan accordingly!! The chief was cool. He gave everyone a indian speech lesson and sang a couple tunes with several musicians. He said that he was so happy how everyone was staying in the grounds and that some of his people didn't know we were their??strange? anyway the set closed with a ripping Character O with a glowstick war taboot! the second set was probablyone of the best flowing sets. The Curtain was Short but so huge with the "Follow the lines going south" line. Tweezer actually suegs into Taste perfectly. Meat was a highlight for me as it is such an awesome song,,,very underated. Jiboo, HOOD, GTBT was just off the hook nuts. Third set was highlights by a Mike song that got down right wicked with more fog than I have ever seen released on the boys. You couldn't see the damn stage..CK with the lights. Sloth was awesome and circus was nice with the ferris wheels spinning and trey singing "never thought I could make it this far" with 75000 people staring at him. Encore was uneventful as they basically sang it and stopped it with no jam into an obvious tweeprise. The NYE afternoon set was up and down. Tube was awesome as was Horn. SOAM kicked ass until they stuck Catapult in that did not work. Fishman and page were playing so fast as mike and trey sang it to such a wierd tempo and it fell apart. After it Trey said only at the biggest concert of NYE could they get away with playing that. But it was quickly forgotten as After Midnight just blew everyone away. It was such a perfect song to play and they new it. NYE show started with father time sweating his ass off peadeling for 21 minutes with a ticking sound that just added to the tension before passing out. It was cool, he was so trippy looking as he would wave to the crowd and wipe his head. He looked like something out of DR, Suess. Then Phish came storming in on the HOt Dog and feeding father time the meatstick to revive him and pedal us into a new millinium. We counted down from 30 and watched an Unbelievable fireworks show. I am talking 5 mintues long. these things were big boy fireworks. They lasted well into DWD as huge ballons were unleashed into the crowd. Champaign spewing everywhere it was just incredible to be there. What happened next. 7 hours of phish onstage nonstop. Heaven on earth if you ask me. I will say that there was an incredible Glowstick war during YEM before the sream section. Uncle Pen was played instead of gensing sullivan as the setlist are saying. Trey was very chatty before we were on TV. Got everone to scream Cheescake after the song to confuse TV land. Does anyone know what trey said when we first went on TV? He said something but everone was scraming so loud you could hear what he said to TV land. something about spreading peace and unity. anyways after it was over he told us that it was just us again and that they were " Back in their Living rooms" sarcasticly. There was a cheesecake vocal jam. Trey inserted Cheescake during "Albuquerque" "find some cheesecake and county ham". REBA was highlight for me. A long 4 years since I have seen her. Cosseyed and Painless was Huge. Fishman did a good job on the lyrics. Page gave Silent in the morning everything he had. Very inspireing. Love You had fishman first standing infront of the crowd motion less until he said " oh there is a concert going on". He then ran arounD the stage like a nut. He ratteled off everyones name and said " We are Phish 2000". BUG was unbelievable with the sunrise as it had become mostly cloudy with a burning red glow of sunrise. They then tricked everyone with the opening of Harry hood sliding directly into 2001...these guys are unblievable. Meatstick i honestly dont remember. I now it ended with them taking it down real slow to like a basic beat until it just stopped. That was it. Call it what you will...I call it Epic. Everyone did a great job of cleaning up after themselves and each other. I met some really cool people and shared the groove with 75000 of the best damn people in the world and will carry this experence around with me as long as I am breathing. Thankyou Phish. Peace, TJ Gr8tful
Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 10:21:57 PST From: Jon Welch [email protected] To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: NYE2000 Amazing! Yet again they've done it. Before midnight they entered through the crowd on a giant hot dog. They came to the stage playing Meatstick and gave father time many links of sausage. 7.5 hours of jamming!!! This was the most intense anything I've ever seen. The guys didn't let up for one moment. The crowd was ready for the new year, but not for the show. Much of the crowd couldn't take it; much of the crowd consisted of "newbies." They kept building and building and left us with a setlist that is breath taking. You can tell that the band's happy with this new style of jamming, it is solid, intense and defines ensemble. At the end everybody was ready for more. Warm weather, and awesome music, great. Only one complaint from me. I seemed to be surrounded by people not concerned with the show so much as a lack of nugs. As the show went on people became extremely restless and kept moving about the venue. I was pushed and moved, and "excuse me" around too much. Something's wrong here people. Anyhow the show was worth every minute of the 12 hour traffic jam.
Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 17:22:21 -0700 (MST) From: Mike Hanley [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 review Hey all, I just returned from big cypress and since i've only seen a coupla revies posted, i thought i would tell you what i saw on my 22nd show. i'm still grinning from all that went down!! I was with my buddy matt, jim, tiffany, sara, debbie, pasta, jen, todd, dustin, robbie, and a host of others during the event. i'm sure that many others will talk about the scene, traffic, and weather, so i won't do that here. i will say that every thing about nye2000 was amazing but i'm curious to know if anyone left the shows in less than 8 hours during the day yesterday...all day long, there was a line of cars going absolutely no where! onto the show....i won't review every song, but i'll talk about what sticks out in my mind the most. our seats were near the soundboard tent, so we had a great view of kuroda's magic. the vibe was unbelievable intense....unlike any other show for certain. as we waited for the first set to start, i took in the surroundings and just couldn't believe that this day had finally come. set 1: jim was all about the runaway jim opener, and it was a great way to kick off the day. tube was nice an funked out, and it was a nice solo by trey which put his guitar more in the spotlight during the jam segment than usual. i didn't know was GREAT -- the vacuum solo was standard -- and then came PYITE. great buildup and release. soamelt was really jammed nicely and it segued into catapult, played over the song similar to alpine 99. gbott is a new favorite of mine, and it was standard, along with horn and the pig song. :) but the highlight of the set was the After Midnight. Never played before, it made absolute perfect sense and we were all jazzed beyond belief at this point..we're about to experience the zenith of phish!!! setbreak: my buddy and i went back to camp and cooked some grilled cheese and relaxed for a bit. around 930 we went back to take a late seat saving "shift" for the others with us. jim had gotten us a whole pizza and a few gallons of water so we would all be set until sunrise! the buzz was beyond beautiful at this point...the band had set up a black curtain behind the stage, so we knew SOMETHING was up...and at 11:30, the curtain falls to show a huge wall clock, with Father time on the left on a stationary bike keeping time going, and on the right was a pendulum. everyone is like, wtf?? we're loving it but it only makes the anticipation more intense....WHAT ARE WE IN STORE FOR?? Well, how about an Airboat!! The band comes out about midway through the crowd on the left side in this huge airboat, which then explodes and leaves behind the HOT DOG made famous five years ago! The band rides the weiner to the stage, where they are greeted by dancers. the band takes to the stage, during which meatstick was being played over the pa, and they started playing aud lan syne, and WELCOME TO THE YEAR 2000!!! What followed was a MAJOR fireworks display, which folowed into the disease they played next.....a fireworked disease was one of the most amazing things i've ever seen.....words can't describe how incredible it was. so now we're on our way....i got my first llama, and a nice gin, and then trey talks us appearing on abc for 5 minutes. he wanted us to do someting other than clap after the song was over, so he says, "say cheesecake after the song is finished. chant it....cheesecake, cheesecake, cheesecake." so the house lights went on (so abc could show the world a phishy audience) and the band plays heavy things, to which we do a pretty good job of not clapping and grunting "Cheesecake..cheesecake...cheesecake...". "Ok guys, 100 million people are gone now." Back to business...first project? a lovely twist->caspian. i was psyched to hear the rock and roll, since i was at vegas for halloween when they first covered it. You can't ask for much more than a 2 am YEM, and this one was a short but sweet rendition. Crosseyed was the first time i think we had liftoff -- the jam in it was full of energy. at this point, trey takes his acoustic guitar and we have the first band member to surrender to mother nature and use the port-o-let which was placed on the stage, fishman. after he finished his business, the band breaks out a crazy Sand, which was taken into the sky with a huge funky jam. definitely not your typical Sand, but it's almost 3am, we're not even HALFWAY finished, and you could tell the band was letting the music play them. we get a great reba, and the the band breaks into axilla, which i think woke everyone who had passed out. i would say most of the crowd was standing, but if i didn't have that pizza and water, i don't think i could have standed the whole time. uncle pen was a great song to hear, my first and it didn't let me down. a bunch of people were calling for a 4:20 makisupa, and i realized that this might be the first concert in which the band was actually playing during 4:20! add to that the fact that this was the first 4:20 of the millenium, and you've got a lot of people prepared by the time bowie comes on. bowie continues through four twenty and goes into my soul, so no band acknowledgment of the occasion. now we get drowned!! a great song, and this too was taken into another realm with a sick jam...it evolved into aftermidnight, and back into drowned and you couldn't be any happier. i know i'm not really giving many details of the jams and how the songs were played....all that is on the tapes. i'd rather give a good picture of how it was to be there.. i was wondering if the band was trying to see how many people they could lullaby to sleep with bittersweet motel. i like the song, but at 5:30 or so, it was tough to not fallasleep to it. piper got us all going again, this version raged and segued into a nice free. the free wasn't as mind blowing as i've heard, but it was still a good run. page schmoozed the crowd with lawn boy, and then fishman has his turn with the "elvis portion of the night", Love Me. And his vacuum performance was hands down his best in my book. definitely one of this longest, he produced sounds of his vac which i've never heard before. next came a true highlight of the evening....the 20 -plus minute Roses are Free. this jam was all over the map, with lots of keyboard goodness from both page and trey, along with many different explorations. about this time i could see the sun trying to peek its way, and wen bug started, the band acknowledged the blown-out-of-proportion y2k "bug". so it's finally nearing end time...the band is putsing around the stage, discussing what to do. fishman starts the drum into to ... HOOD? what? we just saw this last night! but....after about 10 seconds, the band does a 180 and dives headfirst into a beautiful 2001, on the dawn of a new millenia. Absolutely stunning. they close up 2001 with page striking the opening keys to velvet sea. i've come to really like this tune, and watcing it in the now-daylight sea of brain-shocked phishheads was pure bliss...but we were wondering about the meatstick, sicne they didn't play it yet (the opener was just pre-recorded music), and at about 7 am , they start it up. but there was no mention about the world record, and i don't think many people were doing the dance, we were all too fried from what we've just experienced. sometime near meatstick trey says, "thank you so much...this was unbelieable. unbelievable. thank you!" or someting like that and after the song was finished we get the bows and that's it. we all hugged each other and just stood in a daze at what just went down. it was the best thing i've ever seen live, the best phish show...it lived up to the hype. the band was definitely playing better becasue they didn't have any time limits. you could feel that in the music. definitely on another level. as the beatles Here Come The Sun played over the PA everyone just walked back to their campgrounds..the vibe was really cool but strange...we all couldn't believe that we're leavinga phish show at 7:15 in the MORNING! our whole group met up at our circle of tents and we compared notes. all positive, needless to say. traffic leaving was a nightmare at best, but i think that was to be expected since there was only one 2 lane road leading out. we all chilled for the rest of the day and into the night, and matt and i left around 12:30, when traffic finally started moving at a semi regular pace (that's 1230 am, 17 hours after the show ended) and we were on the highway at 4 am. so that was my new years at phish. your milage may vary, but i hope that those who were there had just as good as a time as i did. gotta jiboo, mike ++ "Cheesecake. Cheesecake! Cheesecake...cheesecake..cheesecake.." -Trey Anastasio ++
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 14:26:32 -0500 From: Charlotte Forman [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE2000 For all those who keep bashing NYE and weren't their.....wait.....I'll establish my credibility(NYE was my 55th and 56th shows)......AND IF YOU WEREN'T THERE...YOU JUST DON'T KNOW HOW RIDICULOUSLY SICK EVERYTHING WAS!!
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 19:40:50 -0500 From: Ron Taylor [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: nye at big cypress Hello wonderful beautiful people... I have just arrived back to my abode after drivin and flyin my way home. First I must say CHEESECAKE.... I have never in my 23 years of existence experienced such immense bliss and joy as Phish radiated into my heart and soul on Dec. 31 1999. There's really too much to say about it.. I want to say HEY BOOGIE TARP members hope you all made it home safely. Meghan, Briggsey, Jamie, Jeanette, Davie boy, Jonah, Lee and all of my other phine Burlington VT buddies.... you all rule!!!!! I will never forget the glow rope we formed and the exciting moments we shared. I want to say a special thank you to my 3 traveling companions...Pete, Isadora and Nic. You 3 are the most wonderful kids ever!!! Funky days are back again....partee (with a double e , eh?) anyway to Page, Mike, Jon ("Oh, I'm sorry are we at a concert") and Trey (yeah...say it like youre pissed) you are the dankity dank of the dankiest. I love you heart and soul and hope to make my 33 shows double before you take your break! For anyone who wasn't there....I'm sorry. You missed the best ever!!! Love and eternal happiness, Elayne Parrish
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 23:44:07 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: quick review I think everyone has just about addressed the amazing musical merits of the new year's shows...I would just like to thank Trey, Mike, Fish, and Page for a life-changing experience. I am forever changed by the wonderful experience that I had down in Florida. I have finally found the route to happiness and can never fully express my gratitude for the enlightenment that I found during my three day stay down in the swamp. Brian Davis
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 20:39:35 -0500 From: kathryn [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE2000 I just want to say mike's song was amazing...the lights made me feel like I was flying. RIGHT ON KURODA!!!! CHEESECAKE! Jennifer Massena, NY "May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 20:30:50 -0500 From: "Haessler, Dan" [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: NYE 2000 All day i have been trying to think what could i possibly say about the New Year's show. I guess the best word that described it best is WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you everyone and thank you Phish for putting on the best damn party I have ever been to. And thank you for Piper! I found out a lot about myself during that song. And I found out exactly what I love about the music! Thank you! Maybe next year I'll see you guys after midnight again! dan
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 16:47:50 -0800 (PST) From: Yaniv Cohen [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phish review Hello fellow brothers and sisters, I have yet to attend a Phish show and not have a distinct & direct spiritual experience. Everything was so lovely! Even the traffic! It was the traffic, both in & out that forced me to drop all excess baggage and lose my identity into the multi-dimensional swirly groovin' Phish mothership. I hardly had to speak a word but all around me I heard & saw my thoughts reflected at me. Thank you everyone! Thank you for the dude next to me who got me laughing as hard as I ever have for voicing "Cheesecake for nuggets" ... one of the funniest things I ever heard that came at the exact right time. Thanks for the dude leaning on on the way to the bathroom. Thanks for your love everyone! Let's send up our prayers for our brother who lost his life on the road. He was with me in spirit all along. For all of us who saw the aliens, yay! We all knew they'd show up anyhow ... And lastly, Thank you Phishman for giving Syd a tribute! If there was any cover I wanted to hear, it was a Syd Barrett one ... Love you all!
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 00:43:35 -0500 From: deborah a. havens [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE 2000 Hey all you PHANS, OK I dont want to comment on the not so practical layout of camping, the heat, bugs, lack of toilet paper and phones, etc. I only want to comment on the fact that these two shows were not only as close to perfection as possible (setlist and quality wise), but ( and Im not insane ) spiritually moved and enlightened me. I must admit I now, because of this NYE show, know what it is like to truly be alive. This band put energy and love into this show and everyone who experienced it knows that is the truth. Some of the major highlights for my friends and I besides the set, entrance, lights, fireworks, balloons, and glowsticks, was obviously the music. Many phans passed out, But I stayed up and saw the whole thing I had to and those eight hours may have been the best of my life. Ok so the music... 12/30/99- Great set....great variety, great sound, awesome jamming. highlights for me...farmhouse....ghost (was the tease here guyute? whatever it was phantastic), character zero, golgi apparatus, taste, antelope, Mike's song, I am Hydrogen, and Weekapaug Groove. The whole night rocked out, but these especially sounded great to my ears. 12/31/99 * Major credit to the stamina and spirit of PHISH to do this all for US...Oh and CHEESECAKE everyone! Highlights? THE WHOLE THING...but especially, Funky Bitch, I didn't know, Punch You in the Eye, Bouncing, Split Open and melt, Guyute and After Midnight....... Then........DWD, Prince Caspian, YEM (so good), SAND, REBA, AXILLA, My Soul, After Midnight (again), Bitter Sweet Motel, FREE!!!!, 2001, Wading in the Velvet Sea! I especially loved the end of the show, pure perfection, in the middle of nowhere, the sun is rising and you've got a tired band, a tired crowd and a completely perfect Wading in the Velvet Sea to top it all off. PHISH you know what we want, and you do it so well, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE, see you in the summer, I HOPE!!! Samantha
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 17:12:57 -0500 From: Shane Atkinson [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: Cheers! [ The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set. ] [ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set. ] [ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ] Best wishes go out to the entire Phish community for making this adventure one of the highlights of my life. The positive energy that emanated out of thin air is still swirling around my mind (and I thought I'd be all phished out by the time this december was over and done with....these reviews bring it all back in vivid color). For those that couldn't make it for whatever reason under the sun, don't worry-we indians danced our silly little asses off for you. Here are a few highlights that conjure up a whirlwind of emotions inside: playing in "traffic" along alligator alley; picking up monica on the ride in-turns out she came without a ticket but found one walking along darkened snake road (proved to be our positive karma deed for festival); setting up camp along 5th and murat to the tunes of thin air radio; checking out the enchanted forest for the first time (was it me or did some of those stumps come to life and start dancing like elves?); guy passing out free "jah love" stickers along hampton; riding the sick mike's song; trey golf carting out to video tape those of us baking under the sun waiting for prime nye afternoon seats!; the wild antelope sprint to reserve those prime afternoon seats-survival of the fittest at its best (or worst); eating wacky sugar cubes; making balloon animals with our friendly neighbors who helped us blow up those enormous red, yellow and green balloons (thanks for the early morning new years day slave!!); ripping up the reservation to the tune of "after midnight"; frolicking back to the homestead under a sea of pre-midnight fireworks; rolling back to groundzero to the tune of shakedown street, decked out in full nye regalia; seeing the world through those fine glowing 2000 glasses while sipping on a Magic Hat; sharing the mindblowing moment of the countdown with all 80,000 of my brothers and sisters; riding an ecstatic crest for most of the 7.5 hours (thank you Reba, Bowie, Roses); sending love out on the stars above to all those that couldn't be there with me; strolling out of the divided sky only to return shortly thereafter to grab a few bags and help with the trash pickup at the concert site. I think I nailed most of them. I'd love to hear yours. We all have waited and planned for that moment quite along time and now it is behind us yet propelling us forward into uncharted waters. Take that love, that positive overwhelming feeling that you had when 2000 struck and incorporate it into your everyday life. The Phish experience doesn't have to be confined to a concert site....make your everyday life a damn circus and enjoy the results. Peace and Jah Love to You All- shane
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 23:05:54 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE 200 I just wanted to let everyone know how I felt about the show. I think that this was the single most amazing experience and I will never forget how sizk it was. Not only was the nearly 8 hour long set a trip, but let's not forget some of the classic tunes they played. First off, Light up or leave me Alone may have been the highlight of the weekend. Never thought i'd hear them play it, and they jammed the hell out of it. The curtain...need i say more. Curtis Loew in their wed. night soundcheck. I could go on naming countless songs but i won't. Just realize that if you were there, you can appreciate phish in a way only the people that were there can. This weekend was so truly special i almost wepped when it was over and trey was saying thanks to everyone. Phish...thanks for the weekend, i will never forget it. To everyone who missed it, don't bother getting the tapes, they wouldn't be able to express what really went down. Cheesecake to all, and to all......PHISH2000 kicks ass!!
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 18:59:19 -0500 From: "Cotsibas, Jason" [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: New Years Show As for contention that the band might be money-grabbing, I doubt that. The problem with getting into the show seemed to be the relatively slow pace the guards that were checking tickets had. As for the shows, I believe the 30th was a much better overall show. Being "old-school" though, I have one comment. The scene at Big Cypress compares to nothing I had ever seen before. The good vibes from everybody, the pleasantness of the security, and the fact that in three days there I saw no cops at all was awesome. Yes I still wish they were playing for 2,500 people, but you can't have help the fact that people like them. In 1993 I was fortunate enough to have dinner with the band, and Trey made this comment, "We never want to play a stadium." Luckily for every Phishead out there, they have been men of their words. Makes me wish I was 18 again.
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 21:04:22 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: thank you i just wanted to take a minute, now that i have had some time to rescue and gather my mind to say the biggest thank you to Phish for the best experience of my life. i might have lost part of my mine out there on that field NYE night for a brief period, and what i witnessed was truly one of the most amazing things anyone can ever want to be a part of. i'll do my best here to talk about what it was like to be there NYE night. the afternoon set was smokin and i was feelin fine. the way the crowd felt when 'After Midnight' came on was just undescribable. i paused for about 30 seconds doing circles watching the joy on everyones faces and hearing lots of "oh shits!!!'" from the corwd, myself included. can you say "boogie"? as the crowd filed out the roar was long and sustained. it would start at one xit and continue on across the whole field for 10 or more minutes. wow. we were all riding so damn high and the smiles could not be contained. if you were smart like me, you prepared yourself wisely for what was to come. i returned to my tent and slept for a few hours and gathered myself, drank lots of juice and then commemced to partying with some special party favors at about 11:15. i high fived the security on the way into the field while holding a bottle of champagne in one hand. they seemed as happy and free as we were! my friends and i had 2 bottles of champagne and were ready to boogie. the anticpation was tremendous. i want to take a second to try and find my wonderful neighbor of that night, jennifer from New Jersey. I hoisted you onto my shoulders so you could watch the band come in on the hot dog and didn't let you down till after midnight where we shared a beautiful hug. i wish i had gotten your info, but maybe you will read this and remember! After i let my new friend down we boogied and boogied and boogied. the fireworks display was better than any i can remember even as a kid. it went on and on and was so powerful. to see the band ride the hotdog through the crowd gave me chills and tears in my eyes. i looked all around and was so thankful to be with 80,000 people who really seemed to know what it was all about. i mean it. everyone there was so beautiful that nothing will wipe the smile off my face when i think of this night EVER. my roommate and friend said it looked like i had won the marathon b/c my arms were raised in triumph for a good 30 minutes until i realized it felt good to let them down also. hehe. party favors will do that to you. anyhow, can i just say that the people i met as i rotated about in my 15 yard radius were all so great. i shared my bowl with as many as i could as this wave of happiness washed over me. i want to say thanks to that guy next to me. he had rolled the "millenium" joint of all joints. it was as big around as a coke can and it took me about 30 seconds to realize what it was! i am not kidding about the size either. as he passed it to me i looked at the end which was pure bright KIND green. this guy had rolled the biggest joint i had ever seen and it was all kind bud. wow. if you were within that 15 foot radius i heard you coughing as you hit it!!!!! i hope someone out there remembers that thing! god bless that man. that really got me roaring and then there was the glow stick war. how incredible. can anyone estimate the number of sticks going? 25,000??? i mean it was something else. i haven't really commented on the music too much b/c so many others have. all i can say is that they never let up. there was no such thing as "too long of a jam" although i remember a point around 6 am where i almost had to sit. but NO!!! i danced all night long damn it. so here i am at home now and i wish to simply say to phish that i hope you read these reviews b/c what you did out there on that concert field for 8 hours was what i call magic. is that as close a word as we can come up with to describe it? magic. :) i think so. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU!!!!!! the best experience of my life! Dave Regan Charleston, SC CHEESECAKE!
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 21:48:04 -0600 From: Jeremy Scott [email protected] To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: Big Cypress 2000 I am a new Phish phan. This was my first show and man was everyone right. Thanks to Brad (quite possibly the biggest Phish phan of all) for introducing me to the greatest band I have every heard and now seen, unfortunately due to finaces Brad couldn't make it. I want to thank everyone around me during my two sets I got to see you don't see fans like that anywhere for any other band. This was the far most greatest experience my fianc�e and I have ever experienced. The music was beyond great,the aura was awesome, and the tracers WOW!! set to the music of the greatest band of my time, I will never forget this. Again thanks to Phish and all the people I met from all over the place for making this new year the bet year of all. "wish you were there Brad" later Jeremy and Laura
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 12:37:09 -0500 From: The Gendells [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99-1/2/00 review really, what can anybody say about that night except for GODDAMN, and also CHEESECAKE!! HAPPPPPY root beer!! -bathtub Jim
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 21:04:57 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 2000 i just wanted to throw my 2 cents in. these guys are troopers. they sounded soooo tight all week long. i had the best time of my life at these shows, no exaggerations. most of all, WE ALL need to thank eachother for the vibe that was there. the crowd was peacfull, respectful, and simply having a great fucking time. onlt PhisH could throw an event this massive nowadays with the energy that was at cypress, peace out and hopefully i'll see you all sooner than later.
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 10:50:08 -0500 From: Jeffrey R. Killion [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: I'll take one Cheesestick and one Meatcake please..... Well, this is my first review. With the 31st being my 20th show, I figured it was a perfect time to say a little something. After such an indescribable week I really don't know where to start, so I'm just going to babble a few thoughts. First off a big THANK YOU to Trey, Page, Mike, Jon, everyone behind the scenes who made this possible, the Seminole Indians, and everyone one of you for making this experience so incredible. I really can't imagine being anywhere else in the world this past week. I already miss you all. Who else could turn a 12 hour traffic jam into a positive experience? Even if I could sort it all out in my head, I wouldn't give an in depth review of every song. It only needs to be said that the performance our boys put one was unbelievable. They got me to twist a glow ring, and myself, for 7 hours straight....... Well, to spare from repeating what everyone else has already said so well, I'm going to say goodbye for now. I know this isn't really a review, but I just wanted to express a little of the ecstasy which I still feel every time I close my eyes and filter out the everglades. I hope this happens once again. See you all soon, Killion P.S. Anyone in the D.C. area, let's work together to get copies of this amazing event to anyone we can. I'm working on getting it myself right now, but hope to have it soon. Drop me a line if you've already got it, or just want to babble.
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 16:23:39 -0600 From: Pat & Janeice Williams [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE comments The New Years shows were great. We all passed the patience exam with flying colors. I think the fact that everyone knew we were in for unknown territory musically caused everyone to explore unknown territory within themselves. Really a very inspiring event. Im a changed man, at least for now. Bryan
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 15:08:36 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected], [email protected] Subject: g given the unprecedented and unpredictable nature of this millenium-culminating event, my crew and i conjured only abstract expectations of what could be. we regrettably missed the first set due to illness and other delays but thankfully arrived in time for the rest of the festival. the second set was nothing extraordinary save 'the curtain' and 'jiboo' which, for me, made the set engaging. the third set was pure adrenaline with only ephemeral reprieves in 'circus' and 'hydrogen', which were ostensibly much needed for trey who seemed utterly exhausted from his earlier endeavors. these endeavors reached one energy-debt summit after an excitingly unique 'antelope', featuring a sustained pre-marco segment with trey on keys. however, the apical performance was the 'mike's' and the ensuing jam, where trey commonly laid a subtle delay loop upon which he founded unusually percussive riffs. kuroda complimented the dark jam with thick bursts of smoke that consumed the stage like i had never seen. the energy-deficit was most evident after the 'mike's' jam where they predictably segued into the pedestrian 'simple'. at this point trey seemed in desperate need of a second wind, which he most obviously acquired in order to sustain a fun 'weekapaug'. as trey thanked the fans, he told us to be aware of the enchanted dancers of the forest, which hinted at the band's emergence from the forest to left of the stage the following night. the afternoon set featured 14 songs, including a phunky 'tube' and a sensational 'after midnight' debut that left us all in wonder and anticipation for the final set of the millenium. the black backdrop raised immediately after the afternoon set was released at :35 to the millenium, where a gigantic clock powered by a fatiguing father time was evident. he peddled for about :20 until he passed out from exhaustion. no sooner had he slumped over the handlebars of his cheesy exercise bike, did phish arrive in a gigantic airboat from which the boston garden nye hotdog emerged containing the band tossing candy. as the attention of the fans was diverted away from the stage, 'meatstick' came over the p.a. as the 'meatstick' dancers took the stage. phish was assisted from the hotdog by the dancers, fed father time some huge link sausage to rejuvenate him, and played 'meatstick' momentarily before performing 'auld lang syne' with fireworks and balloons over the audience. a turbo 'dwd' got everyone dancing feverishly. 'disease' was just one of i believe 4 songs they jammed for a half hour or more. i truly enjoyed the subsequent song selections. whether the list exemplified the band's roots and evolution is o'f no importance. the list was heavy with new tunes, which was appropriate in showcasing the band's musical direction and experimentation into the new millenium. the network broadcasted 'heavy things' was a lot of fun, where the fans received the performance with a unanimous cheesecake chant in satisfaction of trey's request. 'sand', 'minestrone', revamped 'twist', 'bug', and the incessant 'crosseyed', 'piper' and 'roses' jams were breathtaking and replenishing despite the hallucinating fatigue plaguing the waning attention spans of the fans at dawn. trey maintained a somewhat consistently high energy level throughout the 7.5 hr morning set, no doubt with some help from the frequent trips to the port-o-potty to enjoy it's magical provisions. mike should have made a few more trips to regenerate. the steadfast epics they chose to play were more than adequate for me, namely the ''reba', 'slave' and 'bowie'. with only minutes left, the pre-'asz' jam was tight and creative despite the convecting exhaustion throughout the atmosphere. perhaps, the 'meatstick' should have been performed earlier, but the song served merely as the theme and by no means the set's backbone. the fact that trey did not choose to synchronize everyone in hopes of setting the record, was befitting of his ego-removed nature and a subtle message to all. but, if he felt everyone was simply to tired to engage in such an event, that is cool, too...whatever. one of phish's greatest attributes is their equivocally unpredictable nature in nearly everything they do. my crew and i left the reservation more than just satisfied that we were part of the most magnificent millenial party in the world. we left with the consequence of phish's literal persevering musical brilliance, a tangible experience of their reciprocated devotion and appreciation for their followers, and that temporal fervor for this band cannot exist, for i cannot wait to experience them again.
Date: Wed, 29 Aug 1956 23:03:58 -0700 From: Jenny Gregory [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: phish new years eve I just made it back to santa cruz and can squeeze out a few words before sleep finally takes over. Big Cypress was amazing in almost every way. The site was perfect, the vibe was good and the music (especially the 31st imo) was amazing. it is so rare to come away from such a big event with so much hype and expectation and feel so totally satisfied. The 30th had some peaks and a great setlist but Trey seemed unengaged for a lot of it, though the third set got pretty sick. The collective experiment/experience of the 31st is why i'm writing. it should go without saying that every experience is subjective and concerts are no different. I was raging as hard and feeling as good as the band last night (and that's saying something) and my buzz no doubt influenced my perspective, that said: the first set was great with a sick "after midnight" featuring a blistering solo from trey. but the monster set was on a different level from anything ive seen in a long time. there was a feeling in the air, it connected the crowd and band (i was at least a quarter of a mile from the stage and i know the energy i produced dancing was felt on stage) and it connected the four on stage. It was a spiritual night. they seemed open and conscious to a degree that made 75,000 people feel intimate. they were so locked in and thoughtfull in their interactions. in a word, i experienced last nights seven plus hour set as the finest music I have seen phish play in the 30 shows i've seen since 91. Not every solo was great and not every song was played to potential (how could they all be) but there was a continuity and flow to everything they did and it just got better and better. the musical integrity was so high it seemed like no note was waisted or out of place (and thats rare in for phish these days). the songs were good but the space between songs that connected them all was trascendental. a phishified brew of jazzphunkrave2000 was just flowing and they couldn't have turned it off if they wanted to (thus them playing an hour and a half longer than the six promised hours.) there was gooey gelatinous groove juice that had settled in on the band and got thicker and thicker. I wouldn't try to break the whole thing down song by song but a couple of memories: the best vocal jam on yem i've seen in years, a mind blowing reba, FREE (people were crying hugging and dancing during this, the spiritual peak in any phish show i've seen) and the best 2001 this year. Not to mention a sick cross eyed and painless, drowned and the most bittersweet albequerque of all time. Phish's music has changed rapidly. Less is more now. i've wondered where phish was going musically, more than once this year. i've listened to more shows than i can count from years past and wished phish still sounded like that but there is no music played by phish in the past or any band now that i would have rather seen last night. as 97 brought the phunk and 98 added rave\electronica sensibilities to the equation i've wondered what would come next. i never thought i would be saying this but i think where phish went with the liquishish swirling spiraling phunk in that monster set made it clear to me that they have evolved to yet another level (not totally different from the last few years but unmistakably separate) that i like even more than the last. as a friend said to me in '91 "i don't know what it is but they just plays exactly what i want to hear." phish has matured once again. im not saying that they are as consistent as other times or that every show will get this high but given the right venue and enough time to really get it going, they have more to say in a more beautiful, articulate and painfully perfect way than ever before. Get the tapes or cds. listen to a lot of it at once to catch the feeling of the night. the last few hours are pure magic. enjoy! -almost asleep now scott
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000 20:33:49 -0600 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] my friend was drinking at the show and passed out right before midnight he missed the whole thing!! but i guess he has a story to tell even if it isnt a very good one.
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000 20:33:46 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: my review of nye started out nice but as you know it just kept going every one was severly cashed by dawn but the weekend was a blast wouldn't trade this mellienium for anything ! awsome piper and they should've done the meatstick sooner no one could move . keep playin and we will see you at new years in madison square next year ! keep it real , ETHAN C.
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 18:39:28 -0800 (PST) From: Chuck Ronan [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE Review Don't even want to review (I am so tired). I just want to say thank you to every one who was there for a great time and tell every one who couldn't make it that we missed you, but you were there in spirit. The greatest thing about the whole event was that after all the speculation about what would or could happen, the band just jammed. Jammed for 7+ hours. It was amazing and the stories and reviews will take weeks. A happy cheese cake to every one.
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 18:48:04 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: 12/31/99 wow, i dont think i can go to another show after that one. first off though, first set on the 31st runaway jim- knew it was coming up as an opener for one of the two sets, nice version, though i think phish wanted to save some jamming for later funky bitch- another cool song with lots of groove tube- cant beleive they busted out with this- very phat version with a really "on" jam in the middle i didnt know- just standard version with a cool vacuum solo...but wait, i guess all vacuum solos are cool PYITE- just great, trey nailed every note of landlady...absolutely phat Bouncing- i figured theyd have to play it somewhere, almost hoping theyd play it that night and jam it out...oh well poor heart- pretty cool, though this set wasnt shaping up to be like the previous nights, gotta wonder if phish was i ntentionally playing short songs or not....? Roggae:see poor heart SO & M- thanks guys, they finally busted out with a phat jam and segued it into catapault, which was pretty cool...my first catapault gbott- nice little version. pretty tight horn- another first- id been wating a while for this one. holding back on the jamming once more though guyute- another song not to be jammed (is it ever though) however i still love it, figured that would be the last song until after midnight but... after midnight- great selection and very well played, had me pumped for midnight set- i dont think this one can be described by anything they had father time on a bike to start and then fish came in, first on an airboat, then on the famed hot dog throwing miniature meatsticks to the crowd which i was luck enough to snag. anyways, they fed father time a meatstick, and that was the last thing they did i could possibly understand. there was just so much jamming and the setting was just so amazing that it will never be replicated. i know it will take me months just to sort out what i heard and realize how it affects the rest of my concert going life. the dwd was really cool. nice jamming; they werent quite into stellar mode yet, but still the best i had heard up to that point. llama was really cool, same jamming as tweezer but bathtub is where it got insane. they just started playing from their souls, and it was unbeleivable. i think the quote of the night was, "so this is what raw phish is like, maybe they should call this the sushi set" said by some guy who i dont even know. anyways, it was raw phish.. not curfews, they knew they were gonna be up there for a while, and they came to show us what they could do, and man im blown away twist -> caspian -> rock n roll -> yem was a religion all in itself. every note was just too much, and there were a lot of em. crosseyed was beyond me so i wont say much about it. minestrone doesnt belong here, no jamming at all...wonder why they played it?? sand was one of my highlights, but then again it wasnt sand that was the highlight, it was the jam that followed. A beautiful trafficlight followed, then an albequrque that wasnt as transcendent as everything else, but then followed by an excellent reba. axilla just was pounding straight into me and everyone else, and kinda brought the crowd back to the realm of earth for a second, before the band launched into another phar out jammed bowie...one my soul later and i was back in a trance, listening to the band i thought i knew go deeper and deeper with songs i had heard so many times before. drowned -> after midnight was supercharged, i think this is where the band hit the deepest level yet. horse-> silent was great...so much emotion coming from guys who had been on stage for almost 6 hours. bittersweet was really cool, and piper was as transcendent as any i had heard. i felt like the boys were plugged into my soul. after they jammed piper into a sick free, they cooled it off with a lighthearted lawn boy and another fishman song. i thought that wouldve cooled them off, but they busted out with an amazing roses are free, which was another highlight. i dont know why they chose bug, but it was very deep, and when they emerged fishman was started the hood intro. they kinda did that for a minute, and then went off into a wild and crazy 2001, just as dawn was visibly approaching. velvet sea was really beautiful and just fiilled with everything the boys had left. i was expecting a mention of the record in meatstick, but i think the crowd was too dead to move. maybe phish knew that and chose not to do it, or maybe they simply realised that after all that insane jamming, there was no way they could do the dance...who knows. anyways, they didnt encore, but they didnt have to. they couldve played a whole show for an encore, and it wouldnt have sufficed for the show. the only way to recreate the feeling would be to put yourself many many hours away from anything, get almost a hundred thousand of your close friends and a band that can groove from midnight on....anyways this will never be recreated. sorry if you missed it becuase this was the best show ive ever seen, even beats dead. hands down. i dont think tapes can do it justice, but for all those people that were there, im just glad i had a chance to share this experience with all of you. see "yall" on tour matty
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 23:22:46 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phree Phlowting I know how long everybody else's reviews are because I just read them so I will keep this short.....what more could you ask for from life than phloating with the love of your life on a double ferris wheel during a Free over 75,000+ people having a kick ass time? I love my life and all the people that know what I am talking about!!!!!!!
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 12:28:21 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: What a NYE ! It took lots of patience, but (as we all knew it would be) it was all worth it. My bros all car pooled down from Atlanta, and we thought we had it when we made it to Alligator alley. Little did we know we had another 6hrs to go when we hit Alligator Alley(6 hrs to go 30 miles?!!!!) Any way they blew it out like I knew they would The boys played all the hits and then some. After Midnight was the damn FIRE! I was lucky enough to be on abought the 12th row for the all night set, and I must say, the played it all.The only song that I can say that I wanted to hear was 1st tube, but I have seen it twice already, so I can overlook it. The clock at the first of the set was so eary, I abought lost it. They just kept on and kept on, I absoutly loved it.The scene was so cool, too.It was like PHISH came in and set up their own little town.I have never seen anything like it. We saw cars from at least 25 different states and even some from Canada on the way down, so there was a wide variety of people there.It was an awsome weekend and I will remember it forever. Brent "norm" Waldrop
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 13:03:04 -0500 From: "Cohen, Evan" [email protected] To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected] Subject: nye2000review To all who attended, When you sit back, take a deep breath and remember what all of our eyes witnessed over these two days in December just smile and realize that you were part of something so extraordinarily special and magnificient. Besides for the music which through my many Phish concert experience is always fantastic, the overall experience, the overwhelming energy, and the unbelievable feat of human endurance that Phish demonstrated all adds up to one truly special experience that none of us shall ever forget. Thank You Phish , Thank You Phans, Thank You Florida Weather Evan Ohh Oh Shocks My Brain
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 00:00:09 GMT From: Oscar Tache [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phish New Years I know waiting in traffic for 12 hours sucked but as soon as me and my friends got our camp set up I put all of that behind me and I had one of the best times of my entire life. Phish put on a show that may never be topped for a long while, if ever. Playing for seven hours is incredable. I hope ever one else had as much fun as I did! Happy New Year! If anyone has any good pictures of the show let me know, not all of mine turned out. Oscar Tache [email protected]
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 12:03:13 -0800 From: "Creon\\" [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Big Cypress NYE show! Hello folks! The Nye show was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Yeah the 12 hr. wait on I75 was pretty rough, but really we had fun partying on the expressway. The show, was seriously the best sets of Phish I've ever seen (and I have seen many) The fisrt set's jam of Traffic's "Light up or Leave me Alone" was very very cool. Other memorable moments included dancing on the ice steps to Tweezer. Watching the Band come out on the giant hot dog was so cool. Other than the show, the Enchanted Forest, (The cool wooded area with rave music and cool trippy lights) was a wonderful place to find. There were so many suprises all over and it was a really great place to have the show. I had a blast. I am definately there if they do the same thing next year! Marty H. Chicago Il,
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 13:00:49 -0500 From: Charles F Kozlowski [email protected] To: [email protected], Chuck [email protected] Subject: Y-2-Trey What an awesome time. Top notch Phish sets (II and III on the 30th really smoked), festival organization was great except for all the full Port-a-potties, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous the whole time. If it weren't for all the goddamned snakes, spiders, alligators, wild boars, and scorpions (who would have thought?!?), it would have been paradise. Happy 2000, and remember.... CHEESECAKE!!! ~C~
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 18:52:24 -0800 (PST) From: robin dzvonik [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: TREY IS A DRUG ADDICT !!!!!, read on --- TREY IS A DRUG ADDICT !!!!!, read on --- my name is robin dzvonik and I am going to write on possibly the most important point of the entire concert, since it seems everybody is too caught up in phish's fleeting greatness to even truthfully admit that yes, EVEN THIS GREAT BAND IS GOING DOWN THE TUBES. I will state that for the past three years my usually regular attendance at phish shows has gone down because the consistancy of the bands quality has also. I will say that I have noticed an increased usage of drugs by TRey and I could not be more disimpressed. Over the summer at both PNC bank shows in NJ, Im sure Trey could barely remember his name he looked so fucked up. I dont know what he was doing but it was definatly not helping his playing. whatever, that is old shit and in the past, this is a review for NYE2K!! a two day celebration of phish led by phish, of which Trey participated in far too deeply. Albeit, the last night/dawn show rocked, I have a feeling it was due to the other band members pleading with trey to sober up a little for the show, good thinkin guys. The first night was absolutey even worse than the PNC bank shows. I really wish all you "Phans" would have cared enough about phish and really paid more attention to the band, YOU WOULD HAVE NOTICED TREY POURING COKE INTO HIS NOSE BY THE THUMBFULL EVERY FIVE MINUTES. You would have seen Trey walk off the set during the middle of some jam, I think it was around gotta jiboo, it was a song or too right before hood I think, he walked out on a jam to go get a fix!!!!!! HE LEFT MIKE STRANDED THEIR JAMMIN ON HIS BASS WITHOUT ANY ACCOMPANYMET SIMPLY FOR A FIX!!!. Did any of you oh so attentive "phans" ever pick up on why phish had so many mellow jams? IT WAS BECAUSE MIKE WAS THE ONLY GUITARIST FOR MOST OF THEM!!!! I will never forget the look Mike gave Trey at the opening of Hood as if to say, "havent you had enough? because i am tired of playing for you." But phish must play and dead air is not good, so,mike begins song with a bass line rif for a couple of minutes so trey can get another fix. honestly, by the end of the show, I thought Trey would drop dead, I really was worried. his closing words during Antelope about some fairy's in the enchanted forest or something? (trying to be funny making a joke about the woods near the delta, wasn't funny, none of his jokes were that night, and he wasn''t corny like usuall, simply wasted and incoherent) I thought antelope was a phat jam, I definatly had never seen anything like it with trey all fcoked up running around on stage pounding strait noise into the keyboard, so was hood, I will admit that too. wilson was allright, so was golgi, gotta jiboo, tweezer ... everything was alright because Trey SUCKED !! He simply didn't hit those high notes with the same spirit as he normally does. by the end of the night, Trey could barely stand and appeared to be holding onto life by his guitar as he constantly swayed backwards and forwards. Honestly, Trey would be a just a regular guy if were not for his guitar so in a way he is holding onto life with his guitar and that isnt working out so well right now either. I love Trey and I love Mike, Fish, and Paige. the latter three played their instruments with the same accuracy if not with more because of their lagging "rock star" phriend. thanks guys for holding it together. I saw you guys watch trey the whole show. Even though I was at the second row of speakers, I could see the problems with Trey, Hell he was snorting and wiping his nasal drip in front of the entire audience on the big screens. I saw him always sneakinbg back to the amp with a couple of candles on it to Fish's left for something whenever the lights were dark. I feel bad you guys have to put up with that selfish drug-addict, asshole, sellout. TREY HAS A PROBLEM AND I WANT HIM TO FIX IT FOR YOUR PHANS. As for Trey, you are an ass!!! I thought you were about the music man???!!!! obviously not if you are standing on stage posing as a musician being nothing but a drug addict.!!! the next time you guys invite us fans a couple of thousand miles for a 150$(that is alot of money), come to make music and put on the best show of your life. I will be honest, I have seen better 30$ shows from you guys, (12/29/98, vernon downes '98, the gorge in '98... all the way back to the begining). this was not worth the 150 beans, i did have a good time though. love and unity, robin dzvonik
Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2000 17:39:22 -0500 From: black47 [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Phish NYE As much as I wanted to, I could not afford to go to Florida for these phenomenal shows. I downloaded the m33s, waited for the setlists, and when the people that I know who went returned, I kept them up for hours (despite their obvious exhaustion) to learn of all the fun I had foolishly missed. My point is this: to all you people bitching about traffic and other stuff, SHUT THE HELL UP. By all account I have heard, it seems to me that you all witnessed the most incredible musical adventure of your lives. I wish I was there. You complainers need to realize the point and purpose of your journey to Florida. And I'll make you this deal, if it was so bad, next time send me your ticket. I don't mind waiting for 10 or more hours to see the greatest band I have heard. Thank You
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 17:29:20 -0000 From: Shawn Davis [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE 2000 Review This was absolutly amazing! I had such a wonderful time! Although the traffic was a little frustraiting, it was still a good time to meet a lot of wonderful people. The best part of this concert for me would have to be how well the phamily came together. Everyone was so helpful and nice. It was absolutly amazing spending my New Year's Eve with 85,000 of the coolest people on this planet. The security also kicked some ass! They were great! It was just a damn good environment. I was also absoluty amazed that Phish could jam for so long - I couldn't do it! But let me tell you haw there is nothing better than passing out to live Phish!
Date: Sat, 01 Jan 2000 20:16:17 -0800 From: Mark Midford [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: should have gone to wsp well all you phish phreaks feel riped off? spent how many hours in traffic, spent how much money? was it worth it?let me know iam interested to hear at [email protected] if you got the nerve leave your real addy so i can reply matt
Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 12:44:24 -0500 From: sanick [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE 2000 Got back from the show on Jan. 1st. I left right after the show and made the track back to Atlanta. Today I recoup and try and fathom what just occurred. The first night and 1st set of the festivities had shaped up to be an overall great time. I would say it equalled Cliff Ball and Oswego as well as any other shows I had been to(50 to date)....until the 8 hour marathon that transpired and now I am scarred for life. I can no longer attend another Phish show because I have now seen the best and everything after it will be average. You know how most people say "you had to be there." Yet when you get it on tape you can pretty much gaige the level of intensity and get a good feel for the show....well, it can't be done here. All rules had been broken....all walls had been torn down. This show....this set is a landmark in Phish history. When you look at the setlist you see songs, I see 20-30 minute explortations. I will now try and relay my experiences. I will not go song by song, that would be impossible, but hit the highlights and give you a feel of what it was like for people who were not there. The crowd was as pumped as any show anywhere...imagine 80,000 people all smiling, carrying champagne bottles, yelling and screaming, hugging, laughing, and genuinely having a blast after the first set ended up until the midnight. The band came out in what looked like a computer on the left side of the stage and went out in the crowd and blew up....inside the computer was the hot dog with the band and they threw out candy or something as the hot dog flew over the crowd to the stage and they fed the guy meatsticks and then did ALS and the place went bonkers. Everyone was so happy...it was the best place to be. They had a huge fireworks display and kicked DWD which raged for like 20 minutes as people went completely bonkers and balloons were everywhere. The place stayed electric for like 2 hours...I would say until YEM and then people started to fall out like flies. I guess some people just couldn't hang. No matter though, I would say 75% of the crowd stayed awake the entire time. And for those who didn't, I really feel sorry for you. You missed legendary jams and moments. As if the set up until YEM wasn't crazy enough, what followed was incredible. Imagine, if you can, not worrying about set openers or closers or what followed what or when they did this song last because it was 8 freaking hours and the band had no boundaries and just let it all hang out. They had no time table in which to stop or start. They could do whatever they wanted and the band took control. The songs were very precise and the jams were intense and very creative. When they release a "best of" like thing of all versions of songs, it will say (see 12/31/99). For me, the magic took place in the Roses are Free jam which lasted I would say about 30 minutes, maybe longer. The jam transcended from night to day. The jam really fed off the day break and can only be described as earth shattering. To see night transform into day with this mind-numbing jam of epic porportions setting the tone, it was incredible. The set had everything you would want. I experienced so many emotions during the set. From complete hysteria and bewilderment of YEM to laughter of the cheesecake reference through the entire set and other fans comments to absolute tears due to happiness. I also remember looking at my clock when everyone was screaming 4:20 and Phish was in the middle of the most insane Bowie, and saying to myself this is the best moment ever. Yet, when they ended with Meatstick and left the stage and the PA music was "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles and you look over your shoulder and you see the most intense sunrise...it brought tears to my eyes and I had to fall to my knees and kiss the ground at what I had just witnessed. I don't think Phish ever reads these things, but if they do...I want to thank you for giving me the best moment of my life besides getting married. I know all of this sounds a little bit over the top, but I have never felt this way after an experience as one where you spending an ENTIRE night with the band and people you love. -scott
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000 09:45:56 -0800 (PST) From: Ernie Melchiondo [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE pholks, my phriend just phoned me from phlorida. she said second set was phucking 8 hrs. long and the band (jam kings phish) looked like they were going to collapse. she said that Highlights included the DwD and a balls to the wall Piper. oh, and the meatstick at the end was a disaster--nobody could phucking move. :) oh well... she has more news coming when she gets back on the road. happy new year. Love, Ernie Melchiondo http://www.thirsty.8m.com/

below are reviews of the above reviews, reviewers or the opinions expressed by the authors
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 18:24:50 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: a supplement to my 12/31 review... Thought you folks might be amused by this, the thanks I get for my review, and my reply: from: Dberko To: Garrettph i just read your review of nye i was there too you are a negative fuck who should not be aloud to write for anyone let alone the positive vibes of phish, i am actually pissed after reading your review. you don;t seem like you enjoy many people don;t come to phish shows if that many people piss you off, you are also ungrateful to the majesty of phish. fuck you and your divided sky You are kidding, right? If not, take a look at your E-mail to me and tell me who's negative! Other people are entitled to opinions and I'm sorry mine didn't match yours, but that's life. Lastly, if you think my review suggested nothing of the "majesty of Phish", then you are as big a moron as the pathetic punctuation in your E-mail suggests. Garrett P.S. Have your Mother translate what I mean.
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 11:56:47 -0600 From: Katie Gavaghan [email protected] To: [email protected] I first want to say that to whomever submitted the weak reviwe that read " no gamehendge...not to return to a show ever again because of that". is obviously a pro at taking things for granted. I was unable to go to the event because I work on computers and could not leave the state...I thought heavily about quitting my job, but was advised by my closest phriends not to. With that I honestly wiped my tears as they left in a caravan of eight cars and suffered through the following four days. I came to the conclusion, I should have quite my job shortly after I saw the setlists played. How could you have anything negative to say about such a beautiful experience, I get the feeling that it was somewhat spiritual too...I understand now as I did the day my phriends left, I was missing something that would never take place again. Many people I spent the new years with continued to say " there will be more shows"....I laughed and realized all the people that would understand what I was going through were in Florida. The only thing that lifted my spirits was when I heard about "cheesecake". Oddly as it is, I sat at home and devoured a few pieces of cheesecake on new years...I guess I was with you all in spirit. Thank you all for being safe, giving my closest phriends a great memory, appreciating the music and retreating back to your grounds in silence....as it should be done. Peace and happiness in the new year to all. Kathleen
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 12:41:54 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: NYE Just a few words after reading many reviews. I've been seeing them since 93, (over 50 shows)and I wanted to comment on those of you who were dissapointed that they didn't play Forbins, Tela or Destiny. Sure I was saddened also, but keep seeing the band and you'll catch these songs. But what was played, words give no justice to. In the sixteen or so years that the band has been together, there experiences both good and bad have culminated into this one point in time. Sure you may have seen a show where they played your favorite song, but never before in phishtory have they played so TIGHT and FUCKING HARD all night long. Ever single song that was played in THE set Raged to an extent not describable in words. This is why I will give no song reviews. There was more energy exchanged between band and audience than ever before at a phish show, and probably won't be duplicated ever. Those who were there know how fucking nuts it was as midnight approached. It was sad when it! ! was all over, but it was exciting to see sooooo many people having the time of their lives. It seemed to me that 75% of the people were grooving the majority of the show. At least where I was. I didn't sit the ENTIRE time. From midnight to sunrise, I danced harder than ever before. (i'm still sore) Thanks a million for everyone who was there. This event will never be forgotten; I'm mean, can you name another band that would play all fucking night long without stopping for a break once!?!
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 14:19:29 -0800 (PST) From: jay von Lehe [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: what a shame A memo to poor impatient Heath Anderson Undoubtedly, this isn't the first response you have received to your "traffic report" posting. What would you have the band do, build a six lane highway through what is basicly a swamp? As far as there being so many more people than there were 7 years ago, I'm not doing sumersaults either. I started going in '91..... shows with less than 30 people present..... you could say things have changed. But to imply that Phish fucked you blah blah.... BULLSHIT. There was more than ample warning given that 75,000+ people were going to be bottle-necked onto a two lane road. Anyway, I hope you made it home or wherever in time to still salvage something out of the whole experience. Next time go see Widespread, they are basicly the same band they were seven years ago and your bitchy attitude will fit right in with the crowd! Best wishes, Jay von Lehe Charleston, S.C.
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