7-18-01 - Red Rocks, Morrison, CO

review submisions to me at [email protected] or [email protected]

Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 16:29:45 -0600
From: Justin Smith [email protected]
Subject: Red Rocks 7*18
 
I'm not usually one for sending reviews, but things are a little slow around
the office today, so what the heck. I've been to 40 odd shows over the since
1993 and I was as excited about these as I've ever been.  It was like seeing
Phish for the first time, except for the fact that it wasn't Phish obviously.
First of all, Red Rocks is amazing. The scenery is incredible, security is
non existent, the sound is huge, and where else can you roll in early, gather
space for you and 10 of your closest friends, and never hear a word about it.
The vibe inside is just amazing, everyone in the place is as psyched as the
next to be there. I'm not really sure of the names of any of the songs, or
exactly what most of them are supposed to sound like, but that was nice. I
wasn't worried about hearing my favorites, or trying to duck Harry Hood or
Mike's, every song was like a new adventure. After the first night I was
actually excited to hear some repeats, just so I could get the feel of songs
I'd never heard before. After a sweet Mozambique opener and couple other
bouncy little numbers, I was feeling a little mushy and decided to go for a
little jaunt around the venue. "It's GA" I figured so I headed for the front.
Being used to the cutt throat crowds of venues such as Hampton and
Merriweather, I was amazed at the ease of getting right up on the rail, or
rope to be more specific. I found plenty of space and a chill group of people
who didn't even know I was there. I caught the end of huge Last Tube, a dub
like Windora Bug, a nice Burlap, and an  amazing Money Love Whatever. The
last one starts out kind of Heavy Thingsish, but turns into Trey just getting
ballistic. It's kind of ironic too, with ol' Trey singing about "If I had
more money." Yeah.
I ventured back to my crew which was 20 or so rows back and was planning on
hanging there for the rest of the show.
I quickly realized that most of gang was feeling like myself and had
scattered to various parts of the venue. So when the lights went down the
sounds of a nasty Sand started flying around and friend and I headed right to
the front again, with even more space to be found. Sand was selarious, start
stops, deep bass, and once again Trey just mauling his guitar, this was
pretty much the story for the 4 or so tunes.
The horns are a great touch, but when Trey goes off, they might as well leave
the stage, and they often do. Not that I don't want to see the horns, but
when Trey goes ape shit, he might as well be up there alone. As things slowed
down I headed back up, just in time for some solo acoustic. This was a big
treat for me, for I'd missed out on the other solo tours. Big Radon Balloon
was a great number, but Bathtub Gin was incredible. With everyone in the
place singing along, it was one of the best musical moments I've ever
witnessed.
With a nice Moesha encore, I can say that this was one of the best shows I've
ever seen. Throw Team Hampton up in the mix we've got an easy number 1, if
it's not already. And just on a final note, for all you salty ass people just
stay home. Boo hoo, they're repeating stuff, Boo hoo people (inlcuding
myself) are hooting and cheering during the jams (sorry if were excited and
you're not). It's not Phish and it's not supposed to be, and at this point it
may be better, cooler crowd, new tunes, what' not to like. Take it light from
Breckenridge.
 
Pauly
 
Justin Smith

Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 22:25:46 EDT From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Red Rocks 7-18-01 Colorado, in all her love... Trey Anastasio ~ Red Rocks ~ Wihtin the Red Rockian garden, moments within the breezes, recollections of the good ole days. The magic, the power, the passion, the connection to the phlow... again we commune to the Red Rock palace.. Powerfull the place is, within the grace of Trey, the tour, is soulfully touching... atmosphere, smooth and welcoming... The power that resides and phlows within the rocks and the hillside feels heavenly. The sun dipping into the big mountains, the winds blowing through, gazing out into a view... hmmmm... the view and beyond, watching thunderclouds drift across the mountains out into the plains, collecting into huge thunderheads, the colors of sunset glowing upon the clouds, the rainbow floating over the mountainside valley, the lightning during the show !!! , the fireworks over the rocks and venue, :-), the friends... hee, hee, The GIN !!! We all realize how special this place really is... :-) The first set is strong and gracefull, trance inducing, we transcend into the moment, phew Trey's guitar sound, mmmmmmmm. The band is so polished at this point in the tour. Well within the set, at one point... the music lays inbetween songs, the skies draped with dark blue clouds, the rocks take up a purple hue, unlike their usual red, then as if a calling from above... Thunderous rumbles bellow within the skies above... Trey immediately was pulled to the power, looking directly into the clouds... As if a sign from the Spirit above, the power once again touched at Red Rocks... Why, we're on top of the cliff, we're on top of the cliff, and we're wondering if we should leave... :-) Enticingly, with Trey's intriguing touch... Windora Bug emerges, a soulfull moment of connection, a sweeeeet jam floats throughout Red Rocks... All the Marshmellows and Tortillas, the ballons, the streamers in the wind, the streamers you could see them dancing in the wind. Sand opens the second set and becomes an incredible extended jam, the Jibboo, acoustic, Oh Raddon... Raddon Balloon, The BATHTUB GIN !!! WOW !!! In's and out's and back again, the music funky, gooey, rolling oh so smoothly, the music, the feeling, on this night is amazing !!! Tearfully touched Trey & Audience sings out GIN over Trey's guitar... Incredibly Stoked!!! An incredible night of magic @ Red Rocks !!! :-) LONG LIVE RED ROCKS !!! Peace ~
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 20:21:35 -0600 From: Dan Walsh [email protected] Subject: 7-18-01 Red Rocks Kudos Trey, tonight was soooo much better than the previous. I actually wrote an unfavorable review about 7-17-01, but I decided to go back and give it another shot, and from the opening song on, it was 1000x better. I didn't even mind hearing the repeats, because I'm still getting use to them, and they were played much better tonight. I was also stoked to hear some familiar songs (i.e. Sand, Jiboo, W.Bug, and Bathtub Gin). Now that acoustic Bathtub was truly cool when the whole crowd took over the melody, and Trey was flabbergasted that we all nailed it. I think what really made the difference in the two nights is that Trey took more of a standout roll in the band and really tried to make things happen, and all in all, he did. The light show was even better, I gotta say they did some cool shit with the lights in this show. Anyway, I just wanted to write in and let everyone know that I did have a good time at this show, but I still stand behind my review of the previous show. Oh, and don't let my last review steer you from going and checking this show out, because you just might catch a smokin' show like I did.
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 15:14:45 -0600 From: Craig Lindsley [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Reviews-Red Rocks 7/18/2001 It's kind of funny, opinions are like assholes we all have one. One person thinks the shows are grrreeaaat, another say they suck. Please go see for yourself, Please think for yourself. The fact that some of the reviewers loved the first night of the Greek but not the second could be attributed to them being so high one night and then way beat the next. I'm quite a bit older than your average phan (41) but I've seen this over and over during the last 24 years of seeing live music. Both Red Rocks shows and both Greek shows were very entertaining high energy affairs. As far as song repeats go , yeah there are some but there were only 5 between the two Red Rocks shows, thats not too bad. For those who complain so much, is there someone or something that is making you go on tour? I find alot of young kids "playing hippy" quite amusing, they're far from "hip" the root meaning of the word "hippy". They chug down venue beers at $7.50 a pop and chain smoke cigarettes ( supporting two of the giant corporate industries they claim to disdain, all the while making the giant corparates rich and slowly killing their self in the process ) while virtually ignoring the musical magic taking place in front of them. May those who have ears to listen - hear. And now off my soapbax and on to the review. The show started off with a powerful Mozambique displaying the masterful interplay in the horn section. It was apparent from the start that the band was ready to have some big fun on their last night on the rocks, as the horn section danced on to the stage shortly after Trey, Tony, Russ, & Ray were getting things started. Jennifer, Tony, Andy & Russ2 were quickly joined by Trey in their playful choreography. It's nice to see Trey having so much fun! A solid Caymen Review followed by a fun and up tempo Happy Coffee song set the stage for Last Tube. This version is a new arrangement and has lyrics. The crowd for the most part were up and dancing the whole set. Windora Bug seemed to be a crowd favorite, probably because more people had heard it before and knew the words. Burlap Sack & Pumps was next ,which Trey obviously loves, is my prime candidate for less rotation . I 've seen it seven times in eight Trey shows. However the Money, Love & Change, also in heavy rotation, to end the set just keeps getting better and better and provides a sort of tour theme. Sand opened the second set with a sonic boom. Seems that some people complain if a song that Phish played doesn't sound exactly like it did when they played it. Isn't that the reason why we see so many shows? I think it's refered to as variations on the theme. A new song played for the first time at the Greek I think is called Plasma was next, followed by a rocking Mr. Completely!! Trey rips it up on this one. Jibbo of couse was another crowd favorite. Trey then slowed it down just a bit to do two acoustic solo songs Raydon Balloon, which according to Trey will be on the new Oysterhead disc and was called something else (waves) but now has words and a new title. He also said "And you heard it hear first !". Bathtub Gin with crowd sing along was next, the Red Rocks choir in it's full glory!! The encore was very special for me because during a rousing rendition of Moesha Trey added the line " Moesha be Jerry, Moesha be Trey " an obvious reference to the late great Mr. Garcia. What fun on just a gorgeous night at one of the most beautiful settings in this country!!! Good times were had by almost all , one notable exception being the drunken tour rat in the rest room late in the show lamenting his fate. A line from a song from the afore mentioned Garcia seemed to sum it up best " whining boy ain't got no place to go".
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:36:16 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Kesler [email protected] Subject: Trey Anastasio 7.18.01 The first person that speaks to us when we arrive in the lots on Wednesday is a cop. "Hey guys, how you doin' today?" "Oh man, we're great!" "Alright...here's the deal: don't sell any beer or t-shirts...everything else is okay!" "Can we give away Jaeger for a smile?" "As long as no money changes hands, I don't care if they moon you for it." Colorado. I almost asked him if he'd be willing to go speak on concert ettiquete to the Va. Beach PD. Gorgeous day, blazing sun filtered now and again through a wispy haze of clouds. Hawks in the canyon, frisbees in the air, excitement in the crowd. This place is beautiful. Most of the reviews I heard from the night before were positive, although there are some who just aren't into what Trey's doing. I don't mind people who don't like the band. I definitely mind whoever it was down near the front who was passing out stickers that said "Trey is Gay-Same Set Every Day". But that's their issue, and doesn't affect what comes out of the speakers. *solo acoustic high notes- Mozambique to open up...good song, gets the crowd moving...shaking, dancing, pausing only long enough to watch the wacky marching band thing going on on stage w/Trey and the horns. Double rainbow over northern Denver during Cayman Review. Good horn solos in Happy Coffee Song. The sun cleared the furthest visible part of the horizon during this one. Tony's first bass note in Windorabug coincided perfectly with an ominous peal of thunder from behind the venue, but the grey cloud hanging there never let fly with the rainstorm...(thanks grey cloud). Trey and Ray had a dual keyboard jam during this one...Trey's use of the keys was a bit more judicious than it had been in the past. Burlap started out slower than the night before, but worked into a much stronger jam by the end. Andy took the first solo and easily held his own, then Grippo on the Baritone, and then Jen, who continues to happily (suggestively?) trade licks with Trey. Everyone on stage (save Tony) is playing with their entire body...it's obvious how excited they are. Money Love & Change was also longer and stronger than the night before. Very upbeat, rolling jam. Setbreak Jam: Midnite Vultures...some stand and dance, many sit and puff. Full night is upon us. Out they come, a little noodling (Trey isn't afraid to run an arpeggio or talk through the monitors to the band...gone is the Micromug), and then into a monstrous Sand. I heard lots of different timings for this one, but I'm with those who claim it was in the 25-30 minute range. Really intense...with this band the jams don't build in a straight arc from low to high ala hood or slave etc...they achieve plateaus, ride them until your head wants to burst, and then storm forcefully to an even higher plateau. They brought it back down at the end, then Tony took a couple of solo bars, back into the jam, then Ray and Trey took a long chunkofunky break, staring one another down. Lots of wide-eyed smiling kids hugging each other at the end of this one. The next song was a low and slinky jam with a mediteranean feel to it...not sure of the title, as I was in motion at the time and didn't catch the lyrics, but there was a lot of clarinet work. Spooky (but not that spooky). The jam eventually worked itself down to nothing, spaced out casually for about three minutes, and then ripped into Mister Completely. Possibly a little shorter than last night, this song is still a sweet little haven for anyone who grew up as a metal fan...Tony's bass line could easily be worked into a Helmet song. This is also where Trey gets into some of his most ferocious stab you in the spine soloing. Trey is still a Jedi. Jibboo didn't stand out in my mind as any more or any less incredible than other versions I'd heard...by which I mean I thought it kicked ass. Instrumental after this...I'm guessing at the Barbecue b/c it had almost the same feel as at the Gazebo does. A nice three minute breather; drink some water, close the eyes, listen to the music. Then everyone walks off the stage, Trey brings up the acoustic and the stool, CK9mm brings up the spotlight. "I'm gonna play a song now that's... actually ..going to be on the Oysterhead album." -audience explodes, then gathers itself- "anyway, it's called Radon Balloon......I used...it used to be called something different when I played it but now it's changed and it's got lyrics and it's called Radon Balloon." Peaceful, soulful tune with quirky lyrics sung from the point of view of (surprise) a radon balloon. Guitar work was all trey, but the lyrics had a little les claypool flavor to them. I can't wait for the fall tour. Trey puts that guitar back and picks up another one. He plugs it in, strums a few times, then abruptly jumps up and goes back for a third guitar, which seems more to his liking. The audience, incidentally, is as respectful as I've ever heard a crowd during an acoustic moment, Trey, Phish or otherwise. And out comes Bathtub Gin. The crowd explodes and then immediately silences itself...no one wants to miss a note. The air is overflowing with energy. When Trey gets to the chourus part he starts to whistle it, but he only makes it two notes before the audience takes over, singing the part in tune and softly enough to compliment the guitar work rather than drown it out. Trey lets the crowd take it, punctuating now and then with quick strums. He's easily sixty or more yards away from me, and I can tell that he's laughing. No jam to speak of at the end of this song...he plays a couple of lines past the last chourus and then stops, saying in a flabbergasted tone something like "guys, that was so great...incredible...thank you so much. Thanks." Everyone (around me anyway) is radiant. Back out for the encore with the full band and before they start Trey gushes a bit more: "Thank you guys so much for being the most supportive, patient...this is really just an incredible...thanks..." etc etc. in his classic disjointed style. The band then rips into Moesha. This song is so damn hokey, but so damn danceable at the same time. This is another of the tunes where Trey's soloing is not joking around...he steps straight to the meat and breaks off a hock o jam. The key to the encore was the additional lines added at the end, which I hope becomes a staple of this song...There were a lot of extra lines; these were the ones I caught: Moesha me down, Moesha me up Moesha me Avalanche, Moesha me Cup Moesha me straight, Moesha me gay Moesha me Jerry, Moesha me Trey and the final couplet- Moesha me Red, Moesha me ROCKS. And that was it...out into the night to watch the occasional firework (hopefully headed up and not towards), have a beer, and stare at the lights of Denver. Trey is not phish, and I wouldn't see TACo a hundred times, but they're easily one of the best bands out there, if you can hang up your hang ups and shake that ass.
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:58:13 -0600 (MDT) From: Ben Knowles [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: trey@redrocks, 7/18/01 this is my first review. i'm fairly new to the scene (couple years) but i'm passionate about the music. i'm not gonna do a track-by-track (since the setlist hasn't been posted yet and i don't know the track titles well enough yet) but i'll throw out some general comments: the lot scene: in general pretty mellow, somewhat sparse. lots of extra tickets floating around, which made it hard to get rid of mine. someone finally offered me $25 which was probably about as good as i was gonna get. oh shit, but i have to comment about something that REALLY pissed me off: some people were passing out little flyers that said "TREY IS GAY - SAME SONG EVERY DAY." whoever the unappreciative homophobic assholes are that thought that up do not belong anywhere near a trey or phish show. i'll reiterate what others have said - THIS IS NOT PHISH! sure he could go out and play phish tunes, but he's been doing that for 17 years - give him a break! absolutely ridiculous how childish some people can be. if you don't like it, go somewhere else, don't try to impose your shitty vibe on the people that are there to dance and have a good time. anyway... the venue: well duh, it's red rocks. near-perfect weather, a couple small rainbows even... there was some threat of rain, but it never quite happened, thankfully. the music (general): i guess my opinion on this band and their material is that sometimes it works, sometimes not. they are very tight, they know how to control intensity and respond to the crowd, but i think they are often limited by the format. i mean, trey obviously is going for a very solid rhythm/bass thing, mostly pre-arranged horns, and then improvisation of horns/guitar/keyboard over the top. this is okay for, say, the first 10 minutes or so, but some of these jams were just going on forever! with phish this would be great, but there's just not enough going on outside the guitar/horns to make it interesting for that long. the songs themselves are fine, i don't think that's a problem, but the jam format needs a little work. note this is not to say i didn't enjoy the show - i thought it was pretty great, with occasional moments of brilliance, but there were definitely parts that dragged. the music (first set): since i don't wanna guess at which songs were played and get them wrong, i'll just try to describe the feeling of what happened. the first set was, i'm pretty sure, all new material, and seemed VERY long. dragged at times, rocked at times. crowd seemed pretty into it, although... well, i guess the energy just wasn't entirely there. but we were all entertained. trey was taking a lot of solos, which i was told was a big change from the previous night. i remember a lot of blues-y riffs, and also lots of builds and releases and jams that seem to fall over the edge before bringing you back to the chorus or beginning or whatever. pretty cool stuff, but bottom line: it's only the first set, let's wait and see what happens... the music (second set): they definitely stepped up the intensity for the first couple songs, then brought it back down with some slower spacey ska-ish stuff (including windora bug and ?). honestly i can't remember what was played - i was somewhat distracted by my girlfriend not feeling well - but i do remember dancing my ass off through a lot of it. a few glowrings were being thrown around, but no war ever broke out (unfortunately!). the set culminated in (i think - forgive me if my pot-addled memory fails me!) a sand -> gotta jiboo combo that was utterly rocking, and (aside from the sand) a bit unexpected. this was some quality, intense, energetic jamming, and the crowd knew it. then at the end of giboo and a VERY short set, the band just walks off stage and i'm thinking "what now?" the answer to that question gets a new section: spiritual enlightenment pt 1 - the new song: trey comes back out alone and picks up one of three acoustic guitars sitting at the front of the stage. then he decides he doesn't want that one and grabs another. then he introduces the next song as "from the oysterhead album - you heard it here first." man, what a song. some very intricate all-over-the guitar almost leo kottke-esque fingerpicking (i swear i'm not kidding!) that i'm sure gave goosebumps to anyone there with a pulse. pretty vocals too. beautiful, beautiful stuff. and just when you thought he'd outdone himself, he fucking starts up with... spiritual enlightenment pt 2 - bathtub gin: total surprise. the crowd was beyond psyched, of course. how can i describe this 'gin? there really are no words. i mean this was something to be experienced. trey sang the verses (with the obligatory crowd chanting along with "we love to take a bath!") and when we came around to the intrumental chorus part, everyone knew the notes and "doo-doo-doo"-ed right along. it sounded amazing. at that point i felt like the bond between trey and the music and the audience was complete and total. it was a beautiful, teary, life-changing experience. afterwords you could tell trey was a bit choked up, as he left the stage with what sounded like an almost-overwhelmed "thanks." thank *you* trey. denouement: people will probably complain about the "moesha" that closed out the show, but come on... it would have been impossible to follow up that 'gin with anything, i don't care if he played fucking YEM on solo guitar. all they could do is play something rocking, which is what they did. it was fine. before they started he thanked the crowd again, something like "thank you for being so patient... i want you to know that it's really appreciated" - he sounded very emotional. now by "patient" i'm not sure if he was referring to the phish hiatus, or the wait between songs, or referring to the solo tour in general... maybe all three. but in any case it was a good thing to hear. the end: when it was over the crowd was pretty much drained. the long walk down the steps was quiet - almost silent at times. everyone just reflecting on what they had seen and heard. i heard a few people - frat boys! - saying "wow, that was really special" and stuff like that. so you know it had to be. thank you thank you thank you trey, for everything. peace, nub ps. the guy that thought the night before sucked and sold his ticket for 7/18 lost out BIGTIME. i just want you to know that, dude - you missed something very beautiful and special. i'll never hear 'gin the same way from now on...
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