holy crap did it rain on the way from indiana to columbus. we actually had to stop under a bridge because we couldn't see more than 5 ft in front of us. after battling the elements, we made it to our hotel and finally to our 7th row seats for this beauty.

set 1
sample: this is hardly what you battle the elements to see... come on now

the rain started really coming in strong at this point. the boys packed in for about 25-30 minutes before coming back out.

set 1 again:

pyite: here we go! they played a really sharp snappy punch here.

timber ho!: now this is why you travel... timber ho! 3 songs deep in the show. good version, nothing out of this world.

jibboo: i was kind of sick of hearing this in the 2 nd set. it seemed to be eating up some prime spots, but i welcomed it with open arms here in the first set. they explored the funkier realms of this song with good interplay between gordon and fishman before working into....

boogie on reggae woman: another killer first set selection. they did not take this one for too long of a ride, but it still worked very well.

stash: this was a good strong first set stash. as always, they spaced it out a bit before really storming back to close it out. worth hearing for sure.

batr: standard

foam: bringing out the technically difficult stuff. well-executed. good pick for this point in the show.

dog faced boy: another quasi rare selection. standard

farmhouse: pumping the new album. saw this one coming since it hadn't been played in a littl while. standard

taste: page was on point on this take of taste. this really brought me back into the set after dfb and farm house.

golgi: standard. kept the energy up going into set break.

set 2

mike's song: aw, i was really hoping to hear this close out the deer creek run, but fuck it, i'm in the 7th row and they're playing it now! good version, not a best ever or anything but good. they appear to be poised to slip into simple before jamming back on the mike's theme for a couple more minutes. eventually they space out and work their way into...

frankie says: i always liked this odd little number. it worked well out of mike's. i was expecting weekapaugh but they had other plans

david bowie: they had a nicey spacey intro coming out of frankie says that they played with before slamming into david bowie. this is probably one of the better versions of this tune that i had seen in a little while. they really worked the middle section over before turning the corner to hit the ending sequence.

waste: this was a good opportunity to burn one after another hot start to a set.

sand: having had just burned one, this worked really well for me. like most sands by phish at the time, this one did not stray to far from that basic sand framework, but they explored it nicely within that framework. this eventually gave way to...

the lizards: always a crowd favorite. this one got the crowd boppping before they jumped ship into...

weekapaugh's groove: mike, as usual, came out of the gate hot on this one. fishman was also playing really sharp on this 'paugh.

enc:
inlaw: well-executed
driver: hmm....
guyute: good version, nice exclamation point to a good solid show.

overall:

both sets started out hot and petered off a bit torward the end. the 2nd set did not peter off quite so much. having had followed a terrific 3 night run at deer creek, this show stood up really well. good times.

high lights:
set 1: timber ho!, jibboo>boogie on, stash
set 2: mikes>frankie>bowie, sand

My third show, and I have a lot of good memories. By this time I was well on my way to becoming a hardcore fan. My friend and I had a good time driving through Ohio and trying to find our hotel (this was the days before GPS, after all). Prior to departing for the show, we inadvertently set off the hotel's fire alarm! Such are the adventures of the young, naïve Phish fan.
During the first song (Sample), it started to rain like nobody's business. After finishing the song, Trey said they would be back in 5 minutes... it was more like 30. We huddled under the pavilion, but the rain still soaked us to the bone. It was a very sobering experience. For whatever reason, one of my clearest memories is of hearing a nearby fan call Water In The Sky... alas, it was not to be. Taste was great!
By set 2, I was really having fun. Mikes > Frankie Says worked very well (I wish they played Frankie more). At the time, I thought it was so cool that Mike was willing to sit on the same repetitive bass line for all 15 minutes of Sand. Josie Wales was truly a remarkable moment of bliss for this fan. I hope they bring it back at some point.
On the way out of the venue, I was very chatty, turning to people left and right, exclaiming, “Gosh, wasn't that a great show?” Everyone nodded to me appreciatively, with discerning smiles. However, upon listening to this show again, I must say it's not terribly impressive (my aud could be better quality, too). Typical, average playing for this time period. If you're looking for the very best of 2000, you can safely pass this one up.

Epic storm. A truly terrifying cloud came over that place. I crashed the pavilion for cover and still got soaked to the bone thanks to the blistering wind that was blowing the rain due sideways (left to right) under the roof. It was nuts for about 10 minutes. Once it trailed off the sun came out, and so did the band. Epic show.

Epic thunderstorm with a Doomsday looking cloud hovering over the area. I have pictures that I'll have to scan an put up later. A tornado touched down a several miles from the venue which is nuts. I remember seeing the fear in peoples eyes waiting to get in the gate as it rained as hard as it possibly could. Thank god we missed all the lightning and wind.

Turned out to be a great show, people slip and sliding down the lawn and mach speed was a sight to see. Sick encore!!

PHISH, FRIDAY 07/14/2000
POLARIS AMPHITHEATER
Columbus, OH

SET 1:

Sample in a Jar: Couldn’t believe they were on stage playing through this. We were super lucky in that we had great seats – basically middle of the pavilion and we were still getting soaked. Those poor people on the lawn. Scary storm and situation. Polaris Death Cloud. We couldn’t hear what Trey was saying after this song ended but on tape you can hear him say they were going to take a 5 minute break (lol) and to Enjoy the Storm (lol, really dude?).

Punch You in the Eye: The storm lyric got cheers. >

Timber (Jerry the Mule) - Good stuff right here, we needed this. Nice and intense.

Gotta Jibboo: Definitely a strong version for Trey, he does rip this one. >

Boogie On Reggae Woman: Standard.

Stash: Standard.

Bouncing Around the Room: Standard.

Foam: Unique version. Trey just strums his way through his solo part. Would recommend just for that unique aspect.

Dog Faced Boy: Standard.

Farmhouse: Standard.

Taste: Standard.

Golgi Apparatus: Standard.

SET 2:

Mike's Song: Typical first jam but the second jam it what inspires replay value with this version. Introspective and quiet, this one definitely adopts that ambient approach. Would recommend. >

Frankie Says: Interesting placement. This was the second and last time it was paired with Mike’s (10.31.98) >

David Bowie: Never saw this coming, very cool placement but this one is average.

Waste: Trey has some extra mustard for this one.

Sand: This one has a cerebral section to it like 7.10.00 but unlike that one, it doesn’t get bogged down and wallow in that. Instead, it quickly ramps back up and Trey goes on to burn the place down with this one with tons of reverse reverb. Loved this and would recommend. I think this was my favorite since the first one they played at the Gorge. >

The Lizards: Wow, exceptional placement! Could not have asked for a better song at this point in the set!!!

Weekapaug Groove: Standard.

ENCORE:

The Inlaw Josie Wales: Standard.

Driver: Standard.

Guyute: Standard.

Summary: The lots for these two shows were some of the most fun and lawless that I have ever seen. Everything goes/went. Absolutely nuts. This was the second longest show of the tour, and man that first set is some jukebox Phish. Solid show all things considered; we had a blast. Would rate this as a 3.8/5.

Replay Value: Foam, Mike’s Song, Sand.

After Sample, the show was stopped for 26 minutes due to a major thunderstorm.
SHOW RATING
Ratings are currently offline.
Overall: 4.073/5 (>50 ratings)
JAM CHART VERSIONS
Timber (Jerry the Mule), Gotta Jibboo, Foam, Mike's Song

Set 1: Nice long first set,Jibboo>Boogie was real good, I like how they came out strong after a night off.
Set 2: Mike's was killing it until they went into Frankie. It started to sound like they were going into Simple but no. Great rest of the 2nd set. and a 3 song encore got to love that.