Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 14:09:06 -0400 (EDT) From: [email protected] Subject: 8-9-97 Alpine Valley Review 8-9-97 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI I : Theme From The Bottom, PYITE, Ghost -> Taste, Dogs Stole Things, Reba, Lawn Boy, Crossroads II : Wilson, Foam, Mike's->Funny As It Seems(?)->Simple->Swept Away->Steep-> Scent, Slave->Weekapaug E : Circus Comes To Town, Rocky Top BACKGROUND : Just barely got into this show in time for the opener. Definitely a much less comfortable venue than any I've been to in the last few years. But the concession stand did have the best hot dog I've eaten in a while. (The one at Deer Creek last year tasted like it was made out of tofu.) SET I : THEME - I've never been a huge fan of this song on live tapes or the CD, but it came across very well here. The jam peaked nicely. Well executed. PYITE - My second in five shows. Perfect. The "punching" segments got pretty involved, and the intro was a bit extended, but otherwise nothing surprising. GHOST - Not hard to hear why this tune has gotten the reputation it has. The jam went along well in the same funky/stacatto mode as last night's Gumbo and Wolfman's, but things got interesting when Trey unleased this high-pitched, "teary-eyed" (to use Dirken's term) motif, which the band rode on for a few minutes. Then... TASTE - Huge peaks in both Page and Trey's solos. Don't know if this measures up to some of the other much-raved-about versions from this tour, but very well done. Page clearly lost whatever was bugging him in Tinley Park. DOGS STOLE THINGS - I figured they had to ease up the pace at some point. An amusing throwaway. REBA - YES!!! My first Reba - finally. Jam was well-developed, though nothing out of the ordinary. Good to hear a trace of the old compositional complexity in the midst of all the funk/groove-oriented new stuff. LAWN BOY - So I finally get to see Page abandon his position behind the keyboards. Dedicated to my Oberlin friend and fellow phan, Curtis "Olfactory" Hughes. (Sorry.) Then they started playing this blues riff which I knew I'd heard before, but I didn't realize until Trey started singing that it was... CROSSROADS - Another nice surprise. Great Trey soloing, clearly inspired by the Clapton/Cream version but original. As setbreak arrived it was clear that the group was here to play. SET II: WILSON - So this isn't gone for good. Some weird two-handed tapping from Trey in the instrumental breaks made this unusual. FOAM - Another flashback to Trey's old-school composing style. Good solos, especially from Trey. MIKE'S - My third Mike's in five shows. (Mike's, Simple and Weekapaug are the only songs I've seen more than twice.) This was SLOW. Trey took his time even starting to play during the jam, and after a while it entered into a very subdued mode, reminding me of 7/23/96 Hamburg. They didn't make it to the end of the F# segment of the jam before they went into... FUNNY AS IT SEEMS - This is the Mike song with the lyrics "Ain't love funny that way" and so forth. Embarassed to admit that I can't remember the real title. Nice tune. Then Trey started soloing in F above a drone and cymbal rolls, looking like he wanted Fish to kick back into a 4/4 beat. I was figuring that they would drop back into Mike's and then go to Hydrogen. Fish eventually did start playing, and after a while we got... SIMPLE - Well done. The jam decrescendoed in the usual sweet way and led to.. SWEPT AWAY/STEEP - Isn't it funny to listen back to the studio version of "Steep" now that we've become accustomed to the live arrangement? This went into... SCENT OF A MULE - By now it was clear that we were in the midst of a crazy set. Another song that I wasn't a big fan of before, but this version was insane. First Page did a solo which made me think that they should ask Cecil Taylor to sit in sometime. Then Trey & Mike went into their antics which will probably be talked about by many others (frantic duet leading to explosive chords with both of them lying on the ground doing bicycle kicks). Perhaps the highlight of the two shows. SLAVE - A fitting contrast to the preceding horseplay. The set could have ended here and I wouldn't have been dissatisfied, but Trey signalled the band to go into... WEEKAPAUG - What a set. Trey unleashed this riff which sounded like a classic rock tune I couldn't place, and the band rode that well to a large climax. As the set ended it was obvious that the band was in a giving mood tonight, which more than made up for their weaknesses in Tinley Park. ENCORE : CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN/ROCKY TOP - Haven't heard Circus before. It seemed appropriate enough at this point. As with last year's Deer Creek shows, Rocky Top serves as a fast-paced formality to conclude my summer Phish experiences. I have some other observations and criticisms to share later, but suffice it to say that this was an epic show. Hoping for more good surprises through the rest of '97. - Pat Buzby ------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 16:46:52 -0500 From: Creighton [email protected] Subject: RE: Reviews of 8/9 Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI 8/9/97 We were all pumped for the show. We had all got 4th and 5th row mail through mail order so I was hoping for a great show. Did I ever get one. I: Theme, PYITE, Ghost>>Taste, Dog Stole Things, Reba, Lawn Boy, Crossroads. II: Wilson, Foam, Mike's>>Funny as it seems>>Simple>>Swept Away>> Steep>>SOAMule>>Slave>>Weekapaug. E: Circus Comes to town, Rocky Top I: Theme. Great build up in this song. Starting to like it alot. I used to not like the direction they were taking it in but it has renewed itself to me. PYITE: Standard version with dance and all. Always good to hear. Who Does'nt like this song? Ghost: I knew I would hear it again. The really love this tune and so do I. Slow funky jam as usual went into a great Taste: This is my favorite Billy song. The composed section and the jam are so uplifting. When Trey kicks into the ending jam he stepped wide left to emphasis its greatness. Well done boys. Dog stole things. Really good song. I am really starting to enjoy the more vocal aspect of their new songs Reba. Standard Reba if there is such a thing. Kind of a quick version I thought, Still got me going Lawn Boy. What a stud Page is when he sings this song. Walkin all around the stage. Kneeling down to a girl in the Front row. Such a fun song to hear and see. Crossroads: Whoa. WHat a song selection these guys put out this tour. I recognized it right away but had to pinch myself to see if it was true. Such a treat The energy level of the first set was amazing Hope they still had it in them. II: They did! Wilson: Not your standard version. Opened up with this second set last year. Really rock this one with Trey doing his Eddie Van Halen finger tapping impression. Foam. Haven't heard it in a while. Really glad to hear it again. Alot of people don't like this one I can't pick out why. Mike's Song: It was real early in the set. Of course the place errupted as always. Good Mike's with a s short jam that led right into Funny as It seems. This is an alright tune. Nothing to special about it. It really didn't fit in to the energy that was kickin but oh well. right into Simple: The Mike's jam picked up into Simple that is always fun to hear. Good solid jamming on this one that kwpt going for a while. I was really groovin hard at this point. I was hoping for another tune i in the groove I got: Swept Away>> Steep. Starting to be a standard filler in the groove. I really have mixed emotions about t his one. Tonight is was alright though. SOAMule: I thought for sure we were getting weekapaug, but the kept going with a hilarious jam in the middle Trey and Mike robot walking and doing bicycle exercises. It was obvious that the boys were having fun. Slave: totally unexpected and definitely welcome it brought a special moment. What a great song. Really gets you happy at the end. Just like Hood. Weekapaug. Really short version but that doesn't mean it didn't rock. Thanks boys for this gem of a set. E: Circus Comes to town. Neat song. Cool soloing and beautiful lyrics. I can't picture Los Lobos sing it though. Rocky Top. Standard end of the show jam. Overall this was my favorite of the tour. 1 to 10 I give it a whopping 9. Still Deer Creek To Come Eric Creighton [email protected] www.mindspring.com/~creighton/eric/ --------------------------------------------------------- From: [email protected] (Sugaree101) Subject: Alpine 8-9-97 Review & Setlist Date: 10 Aug 1997 15:57:47 GMT Phish August 9, 1997 (two years ago was a sad day) Alpine Valley Music Theater East Troy, Wisconsin Set I: Theme from the Bottom Punch You in the Eye Story of the Ghost Taste Dog Stole Things Reba (Unfinished) Lawnboy Crossroads Set II Wilson --> Foam Mike's Song --> (New Song) --> Simple --> Swept Away --> Steep --> Scent of a Mule Slave to the Traffic Light --> Weekapaug Groove Encore: When the Circus Comes to Town Rocky Top What a day. We left Chicagoabout 4:00pm and met some friends on the North Shore for the ride up to East Troy. Good thing, traffic sucked and it turned out the real party was on the road heading into Alpine Valley. People were all over the place, and I think I saw one cop the whole time. It didn't matter much, traffic was soooo bad we barely got to the show on time. Fortunately they parked us near the back of the lots, so it would be pretty easy to get out after the show. We were walking into the show when we heard the begining of Theme from the Bottom. I heard thisin Champaign last year, so it was big thing, and by the time we had found a nice spot on the law about 1/3 of the way up on Fishman's side they were just finishing their first song/warm-up/soundcheck. Now they were ready to let it all hang out. Then they started into Punch You in the Eye, which was our first indication that Tinley Park was an anomoly. I figured they had to have more energy onthis tour than they showed on friday night. PYITE was smokin, Trey was clickin, Mike was thumpin', it was all clickin'. The Landlady section was played real fast from the way they used to play Landlady as its own thing. Everybody at this point was dancin'. Next up was the new tune, The Story of the Ghost. A real nice song with cool jams. A definately good sign that the next album will be jam happy. This somewhat lengthy jam flowed straight into Taste. They have really worked hard on their segues, and they are smoothing well. Taste was awesome!!!! The harmonies were just perfect. The jams on all parts were tight. After Taste they played another new song, Dog Stole Things, but this song didn't really stand out, but it was a nice break for the lavatory. I got back in time for a killer Reba. It was jammed out well, but not finished (no whistling, etc.). The song itself is one of my early phish favorites from way back, though, so I was quite into it. After the Reba, Page stood up and gave us the lounge act version of Lawn Boy, which was quite enjoyable. And then.... I heard it, I didn't knew they played it, but I named this tune in 4 notes.... A killer Crossroads, and no folks, this is not a Clapton song, it is by Robert Johnson, but Clapton made it famous with Cream. Trey got to do his best Clapton impressions though. I'll tell ya, whenever I watch Trey, I always think he looks like Clapton, ths was just some icing. The setbreak seemed short, but who knows, I had "forgotten about the time." The second set was pure classic Phish. I had a feeling, but you never know. They opened up with wilson which bode well for the rest of the evening. It was ROCKIN' given the fact that it was a set opener. Bap Boom Bam...Killer stuff, man. This segued into a sweet Foam. I don't think I have heard a Foam since like '93 or something. I always liked this song. Good jams, a little spacy, a little goofy, as I said, classic Phish. Then the real craziness began. They opened up the Mike's Song and I knew we were in for a wild ride. The Mike's was well played and the jams were this was the show to be at. After seeing all of the Europe and recent setlists, I was sure we were in for a night full of new tunes....not tonight. Nonetheless, the next song was a new one that I didn't know and I don't realy remember. Nice theory huh! Fortunately...I was right! Out of this new, short ditty came a monsterous Simple. Not quite the Milwaukee OJ Simple, but still quite impressive. And again, Classic Phish...Good jamming, here. Everyone around me was just nodding their heads with smiles on their faces. This led into a nice Swept Away --> Steep. A nice quiet tune, and another perfect chance to head off to the john and to do a little people watching in the Beer Garden. By the time I got back to our spot on the lawn, they had already started to jam Scent of a Mule. At this point, either you were wiggin' or you were dead. Our section was dancin' up a storm. Trey and Mike did some theatrical stuff, dropped to the floor, did some bicycle kicks, etc. It was Classic Phish. They just don't do this stuff as much as they used to, they must be getting a little to serious about their work at this point in their careers. I think they play better when they lighten up a bit (please no flames). After the SOTMule, they jammed a beautiful Slave to the Traffic Light, during the second set no less. This must have been in honor of the monster traffic jams getting into the parking lots. This tune was sweet and well played and jammed. Yet still no Groove? Ah, don't fret these guys know their business. Slave segued into a killer Weekapaug Groove to finish the set. "And everybody was dancin.'" The set ended on this happy note. Yes, my friends this was Classic Phish. For the encore, they played another new song, When the Circus Comes to Town. I first heard this on a video from a show in Germany from last Spring. It's a nice song, but just CD filler IMHO. Then they finishedus off with a Rocky Top. We danced our way, more like crawled, back to our car and shot out backto Chi town for a good nights sleep. We must have been the first one'sout cause their was no traffic leaving, contrary to what I have heard from others this morning. Anyhow thanks for reading my long review. --------------------------------------------------- From: Ron Reese Subject: Review, Tinley/Alpine (long) Date: 13 Aug 1997 21:48:48 GMT The next night opened with good versions of both Theme and PYITE. Ghost followed, and is another keeper (IMO) out of the new tunes. That night, it had a minimal Funk jam, but most importantly...for the future...room to EXPLODE! I look forward to hearing it again. A great Taste came next which eventually got pretty crazy, ending in an extended exploratory jam (I missed the segue out of Ghost). At this point, I was hyped. The first four songs of this set were better than all of last nights first set, and I was ready for more. Dog Stole Things has some funny lyrics, but was otherwise unremarkable. After this, Reba (unfinished), which was right on time...a treat. The jam had a BEAUTIFUL beginning, but didn't reach any real peaks. Still, it was nice to hear. Lawn Boy was another treat, with a nice solo from Mike. Page, however, was left in the dark. Someone behind us yelled, "get the spotlight on that man", to no avail. Crossroads smoked, and ended a hellish set. I was finally happy! ;) The second set opened with a nice, tight Wilson (which is usually a good sign), which segued into Foam. Foam is a song I've never really cared for, but I was into this one, and it was well played. Mike's followed, and to be honest (as if I'd been lying all this time;), seemed a little weak. It may not have been, but I've heard a lot of these, and nothing in this one seemed to stand out. I do have the tendency to judge most Mike's alongside 11-11-95, so I'm harsh on this song as it is. Not much to say about this one though. I was forced (by exhaustion) to take a seat toward the end, where I stayed for Funny As It Seems. I don't have much to say about this either...unremarkable. I do have something to say about a powerful Simple...above average, and a GLORIOUS jam which got oh so sweet on the way to Swept->Steep (note: this Simple is highly recommended). Scent came next, and was simply INSANE. If Alpine had a roof, Page would have blown it off. I had laid down to be hosed by Simple (and tweaked by Swept->Steep), but Page's solo made me jump up so fast I nearly passed out. This is one of my favorite songs to hear live because of the duel, and tonight's did not disappoint. Hats off to Page. Next, was some crazy shit. Mike and Trey began their part with some STUNNING interplay before all hell broke loose. It was a scene you really had to see to believe...not because playing while on your back doing bicycle kicks is all that impressive (it didn't sound all that good), but simply because it was f*ckin' NUTS. Everyone was going crazy, and there was a ton of energy in the air. Good stuff...it rocked. My buddy and I had listened to the Seattle '96 Scent earlier, so we were psyched for a little chaos. What we got was a LOT of chaos. Slave came next, and was very cool. A beautiful jam to close (like always), and I expected this to be the end of the set, but noooooo...they threw down with Weekapaug, which smoked...thoroughly (perhaps making up for that half-assed Mike's). WHAT A SET! The encore seemed to upset a few people, but not me. I like When the Circus Comes, and Rocky Top has always been a happy tune. I would rather hear these than Amazing Grace (although I like Sleeping Monkey in that first spot too). I highly recommend this show. I have to go to work, so I'll get to Deer Creek later on tonight. We decided not to hit the road for these shows, so there's not much to say about the scene. There was a half-naked (because of alcohol, not by choice) freak ranting about Mother Earth while we were getting some grub, but that's about it. The boyz came back HARD after Friday's show...get the tapes at all costs. Ron --------------------------------------------- From: Joe Thompson Subject: Tinley & Alpine thoughts (long) Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 23:59:35 -0400 The next day, after some boring Chicago sightseeing and haggling with a parking attendatnt who was trying to scam us because of our MI plates, we made made the two hour drive to East Troy, WI. Two hours to East Troy, 2 1/2 to the Alpine Valley Music Theatre, a distance of about 15 miles, I think. I suggested that my friend walk to the venue and save us a good spot on the lawn, not knowing that traffic was backed up as far as it was on Highway D. I heard of undercover cops going up to cars asking fo rextras only to smell the inside fo probable cause to search. I think there was only one entrance to this venuse, and I finally got there at about 7:35, I think, and was way in the back of the lot. I practically ran into the venue, going to the gate on the left until a bitchy woman on a horse yelled w/megaphone in my ear that that gate was closed. I could just barely hear Theme being played, and wanted to get in as quickly as possible. When I finally got in, the opener was about over, and I still had to find my friend in the sea of people. I went from the left side of the lawn along the front, climbing over stair-rails on the way, to the right-center of the front lawn row, all while Theme was ending and PYITE was beginnig. I figured I wasn't going to find him, so I took an open spot on the lawn and began to groove a little. I was somewhat pre-occupied looking for him and could not fully enjoy this Punch, but I liked it nonetheless - you can't really go wrong with that song. I recognized Ghost at the intro chords Trey played, being that it was the third time I've seen it, and decided not to worry about my friend so that I could get into it. I really like Ghost, especially Mike's part. This version contained a nice jam, and as I danced, not too wildly as I would have slipped down the unusually steep lawn, I looked to my left and saw Paul (my friend's name) along the rail, and quickly made my way over to him. He was excited to see me, and we found an open spot near one of the stair cases and directly behind the taper's section - I found it odd that the tapers were positioned to the left of the board. We talked a little as Ghost ended in a slow jam that I didn't especially enjoy, although I enjoyed the song as a whole very much. Ghost went into Taste, which I was very excited about - I think they've improved this song a lot. They didn't disappoint, providing us with an excellent version. Taste was where my perma-grin began to surface, though I was completely sober (a state I highly recommend seeing Phish shows in). Dogs Stole Things was next, and the more I hear this song the more I like it. I guess we needed to slow down a little after that Taste. Then they brought back Reba, which was the song Paul wanted most to hear. I was very impressed with the one orange and purple cone effect Chris did, but other than that...just kidding. This song brought me closer to tears than any music ever has. I closed my eyes and just let go, and then IT happened. Not teh IT where you understand and love the band, but a different kind of band. It's been said by many people that music exists independently of us and that musicians are jsut conduits to project it into the world; I've also heard that Phish try to hear the notes of the music before they play them. As I closed my eyes and soared with the music, I began to actually hear the song a split second before they played it. I'm usually quite skeptical and actually question this experience as I look back on it, but I know that for a few moments there I had IT, and it was one of the best feelings I've ever encountered. Paul tapped me on the shoulder and brought me out of that state, and then I began to notice all the people talking around me - that really is annoying, Lamehendge was right ;-) I couldn't say anything worth saying after that, so I just laughed when they began to play the opening notes of Lawnboy. It's amusing to see Page stand up and walk aroud crooning about "olfaactory hues" or however it goes. An energetic Crossroads closed the set, and I wasn't let down at all (i.e. a Character Zero closer or something). After the set we just sat down and didn't say anything, except that that was the best set of Phish I'd ever seen. We both felt speechless and awestruck, which I had never experienced at a concert ( I don't think I've experienced that feeling ever, actually). We didn't know if we could handle another set. Wilson opened the second set. I like this tune, and it was nice to get the old singing voice going again ;) A standard version, but good as a second set opener. It went into a good version of Foam, but I don't think it wsa a true segue. I enjoyed foam, as it was fairly long - actually, I really enjoy anything where Mike is prominent. I had wanted to hear Mike's Groove since I got into Phish, so I was a little excited when I heard Trey play the opening notes. Unfortunately, I had to miss this one to go to the restroom and change my shorts. Seriously, this was a spectacular jam, as most Mike's are, and it went into a nice little number I though was called Ain't Love Funny, which Mike sings. Simple was next, and there was a true segue into it, if I remember correctly. It was a good Simple, but my memory is beginning to fail me since I'm gettin pretty tired. Simple went into Swept Away/Steep, both standard versions, followed by a hilarious version of SOAMule. It was standard up until the duel, where I though Page played hsi part very well. At Trey's turn, he and Mike played a little jam together, and them eveyone joined in. They brought it up really loud and Trey and Mike began walking around mechanically as though randomly but at the same time intentionally, then they got on their backs something like five seperate times to kick their legs into the air. There was one time very near the end where only Trey was on his back, and each time he kicked both legs up they would play a note loudly. When you hear the tapes, there will be a long pause - this is where they are frozen, with Trey on his back with his legs up in the air waiting to kick again to siganl the next sound. This SOAMUle was too funny, with a standard ending. Slave followed, and I was a little disappointed because I thought it was the set closer and I *really* wanted to hear Weekapaug. It was you standard beautiful Slave, and I enjoyed it, but I neatly fell down when it went into Weekapaug. This was not the greatest Weekapaug I've ever heard, but it was still very good. I was surprised that the crowd was not more into it - how can you not love that beat!? When the Circus Comes to Town was teh first encore, and this song has beautiful lyrics which I had never noticed before, and I really enjoyed it. I also like Rockytop, so I was very excited when that followed, especially because I like to leave a show on an energetic note. 8-9-97 was the best Phish show of the seven I've seen, and I'm still in awe of it. This was the last show I'll be seeing until Dec. 5, I believe, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. It more tahtn made up for the previous night, and I was left wondering waht they could possibly do the next night at the Creek. :-) | -Joe ------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 15:42:12 -0400 From: Randy Bee [email protected] Subject: 8.9.97, Alpine 8.9.97 Alpine East Troy, WI I. Theme From The Bottom, Punch You In The Eye, Ghost->Taste, Dogs Stole Things, Reba, Lawn Boy, Crossroads II. Wilson->Foam, Mike's->Funny As It Seems->Simple->Swept Away->Steep-> Scent Of A Mule->Slave To The Traffic Light->Weekapaug Groove E: When The Circus Comes To Town, Rockytop Theme: Nice, familiar opener. Nice jam, good harmony. PYITE: Perfect, crowd-pleaser(including me). I loved it, version was absolutely smokin'. Ghost: Mike's got the funk!! This song is great, it really gets people movin, the jam was stellar, great playing by Trey. Taste: This Taste was executed perfectly, outstanding solos by Trey and Page. At this point I'm thinking, what could be better. These guys are taking Taste to places I've never seen it go before. It was amazing. Dogs: Nice catchy, jammin tune. Short, Trey song, really enjoyed it. REBA: Highlight of the show. They hit Reba so hard, and fast, and as I was groovin in the restriced grass part of the pavillion, I honestly believed that this Reba would go down in history. Anyways, killer Reba. Lawn Boy: Page. That's it. He was shaking people's hands and just being a big dork. I liked it. X-Roads: What the hell?!?! This song is SO phat, never thought I'd hear it live. Outfuckingstanding. Great set-closer. Overall, best set of the tour so far, IMO, see what happens. Wilson: So it's still in the rotation!! Unbelievable how relieved I was. Otherwise standard Wilson with nice yelling. Foam: Heard Mike's bassline and made the song. Trey took Foam pretty far too, and it was fairly long. Nice. Mike's: Ecstatic to hear it, then pissed. Really pissed. Trey was playing this like someone was making him. Totally half-assed. Funny: Nice slow song, perfect follow up to a lame Mike's. Simple: Picking up the pace, jammin, really nice peak and a nice slow to Swept Away->Steep: I love this transition. Right in the middle of Steep I yelled MULE, MULE!! Sure enough-> Mule: Really good Mule, with a good duel and bicycle kicks from Trey and Mike. After this craziness I'm thinkin Harpua or Forbin or something but-> Slave: The most beautiful Slave I've ever heard. Light breeze, Trey didn't trip it out, just a nice roller coaster of Slave. I was in heaven-> Weekapaug: Slightly slow Week, but on the money for sure. I was expecting this, and it was really played tightly. Crazy second set, but doesn't match the first. E: Circus, Rockytop: I think Circus is a great song and I was really pleased with this version. Rockytop was as predictable as anything, and I enjoyed it thouroughly. Good show. --------------------------------------------------------------------