, attached to 1995-12-15

Review by Captain_Fantasy

Captain_Fantasy Set 1
CDT – Quick, efficient, and energetic Type I to open this up. Not anything out of the ordinary, but a solid opener.
Harry Hood – This is a happy duo in combination with the CDT. Trey does some really nice things with his guitar during the post-“Thank you Mr. Hood” buildup. Quick and satisfying Hood. This is how the short Hood’s should sound. Ends abruptly into
Wilson – Really cool start out of Hood. This is one reason why you should not look at a setlist while listening to a show for the first time. Surprises like these come out of nowhere. Standard Wilson.
Maze – I’m normally the kind of person who thinks that all Mazes are absolutely killed, but I felt like something was amiss here. Page’s first solo was really cool, but after that it seemed pretty bland until Trey began some dark descending rifts and ultimately building back up to the climax. There is a period of about 3 minutes or so when I feel like nothing good’s happening. Impressive bookend solo’s though.
Ha Ha Ha – Other than Trey saying he’s really happy to play here tonight (remarking that his first concert was at the Spectrum for Jethro Tull), Maze and this are a dark duo.
Suspicious Minds – Ha ha ha indeed. Fish is hilarious doing his Elvis impersonation. It’s always fun to hear Phish cover songs with such ease.
HYHU – Fun song to cap off Suspicious Minds.
Cars Trucks Buses – I love what Page is able to do in this song.
Bouncing – Not much to say here.
Free – Once again, not much to say. Free is just a song that provides a lot of space for Mike and Trey to maneuver freely in.
Possum – Awesome closer. This one is awesome and, in the first few minutes, somewhat resembles the 3.0 Blossom Possum. The end of this jam segment Trey absolutely shreds. Also of note, there are a few secret signals played.
Tweeprise – Unexpected way to start off a set. This is yet another example of why you should fight the urge to look at the setlist before listening to a show.
Runaway Jim – This feels a bit too monochromatic for me, even for a Jim. It bores me a little bit almost.
It’s Ice – Obviously this one is typically never too abnormal, but this one is impressive. The descending segment gets especially weird and intriguing. Under the influence of drugs, it is creepy. Cool stuff.
Gin > Rotation Jam – This rotation jam is pretty special musically methinks. While other rotation jams sounds somewhat bland and basic to my ears, this was interesting. Play this to a phan without telling him/her it’s a rotation jam, he/she may not notice.
Mallory – More goofiness from Fish.
2001 – Wow this one is short-lived. It’s odd because looking at the setlist, one would think it is used merely to segue into a murky Bowie intro. But this 2001 doesn’t smoothly flow into Bowie at all. Instead it ends abruptly.
Bowie – The beginning of the jam segment is really interesting. It starts off with a dark, lurking rift from Mike that almost gives the effect of a sneaking thief. Trey and Page do well not overstepping their grounds by playing chords more spaced out, giving the music more space to develop. Then around 7:50 or so, Trey and Page switch places with Mike. Mike now follows Trey’s suit while Page echoes the spirit of the dark, building jam. This one just gets better and better as it slinks along building tension.
Sweet Adeline – A Cappella is great.
Encore:
Good Times Bad Times – Nothing too interesting going on here. Really cool transition into Tweeprise.
Tweeprise – Good way to cap off the show, reprising the kick-start of set II.

Highlights:
Set I - Possum, Ha Ha Ha > Suspicious Minds
Set II - Gin > Rotation Jam, Bowie

Overall this one is hard for me to give over a 3 star rating. I enjoy the flow they managed to create for the sets. In the 3.0 era when set flow is a gift, this is one to appreciate. However I was not too impressed with the show overall. A few good jams are sprinkled here and there, but nothing to go to nuts about. If you like '95 shows, this one may be for you. If you like the more serious, intense shows of the late '90's more, this one won't impress too much. As for me this show is a 3/5 star rating.


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