, attached to 1999-10-10

Review by n00b100

n00b100 Set 1 is pretty standard in terms of song selection (well, at least it seems so these days - back in '99 these songs were still relatively new), albeit with everything played reasonably well, until the end of the set brings one highlight with an extended and pumped-up Vultures (rather similar to today's Type I Gins) and another with a personal favorite Stash. This Stash starts off in the usual darkness, Trey occasionally going to chords instead of simply playing notes, before hitting a nice major-chord jam. You can really hear Mike's bass insistently pushing things along on the SBD version as Trey's guitar work lifts the jam towards the heavens, before things neatly drop back into the usual Stash jam and Trey starts picking out some staccato notes (per the jam chart). The jam seems to sway back and forth, with Page and Mike now combining to move the jam forward, before building to a furious finish. That's a darn fine way to end any set.

Set 2 kicks off with a warm, patient ambient jam, with Page building a fog amid Trey's piercing solos and Fish's cymbal washes. This is exactly what ambient era Phish is all about, and it leads into an absolutely big-time You Enjoy Myself (leading off a set, no less - well, kind of). The first jam segment is powerful right of the gates, Page really showing off on the keys as Trey is content to sit back and crank out licks, and rolls into a gloriously assured groove as Page goes to the piano and shines there as well. Fish starts hammering away as the jam continues to build energy and Trey pushes his way into the forefront...then Page goes more contemplative and the jam relaxes into what feels like the usual YEM finish before the vocal jam. But, instead, the band keeps rolling with their groove, with sharper stabbing notes from Trey, as Mike now gets a turn in the spotlight, before things seem to come to a close. But that's another false finish, as they pick the pace back up and turn on the hose for a triumphant finale. All told, this is as good as YEM ever got outside Fall '95 (and 11/17/97), and is also a personal favorite.

A nice ambient jam followed up by a heart-stopping YEM is probably enough for an entire set's worth of jamming, and things take an understandably more mellow turn with Caspian and Train Song (which I miss), but Gin brings another swell rockin' jam (Fish's clanging rhythm work is the star here IMO), and a nice double-rarity encore sends things off nicely. I wouldn't call this show any sort of upper-echelon show or anything, but both the Stash and the YEM (ESPECIALLY the YEM) are worth hitting up on Phishtracks.


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