Copying here the "My First Show" piece I did for STTF last Summer:

"I hadn’t even known about Phish for long. My mate Stuart had given me a compilation tape “1 Hour Of Phish” that I listened to in my car a few times on my daily commute to work and found it strangely growing on me - despite not being at all like my usual preference for all things Brit Invasion-influenced and power-pop. The songs were long, and veered dangerously close to unhip prog, and where there were lyrics I found them a bit silly if not to say embarrassing. Oh, and the singer didn’t have much of a voice either.... but still I kept being drawn back to this tape and particularly the longest track “You Enjoy Myself”. How do you describe this music? It’s not really a ‘song’ is it – certainly not in the classic verse/chorus/middle eight/chorus sense.
I was unaware that they had already played in London twice in the preceding 12 months and was again (and eternally) indebted to Stuart who bought prime location box tickets for their Summer Tour ’97 show at the Royal Albert Hall. I still knew nothing really about the band although by now I had copies of Billy Breathes and Hoist.
My memory of the night has faded over time – of course we were pretty smoked up by showtime – but what stuck in my head was....
- An unusual (but nice) vibe outside the venue. An earlier start time than I was used to – still light outside on a pleasant Summer evening – and a ‘different’ crowd milling around. A lot of American accents , a lot of college kids on tour, plenty of girls, and a smattering of ‘hippies’
- A great vantage point from our box on stage right. Box 32 is recognised as one of the best tickets in the Albert Hall - perfect for a group of friends to see all the action, in comfort, without distraction
- I recognised almost none of the songs, didn’t get the YEM or Stash that I’d been hoping for, and my concentration drifted for long periods at a time as I looked around the hall and just thought how strangely different this was to the last time I was there, or to a typical gig experience of the time which would have been something like Oasis or Primal Scream.
- I strongly remember the red-uniformed old men and ladies trying to make everyone sit down in their seats and how unjust it was when they occasionally escorted someone out for smoking in the hallowed hall. What a pisser to miss the gig just for smoking a bowl – at a Phish concert… c’mon…
- I came away thinking that I’d seen something I’d never seen before. Now, I would describe it in terms of ‘tension and release’ and I would have much more of a sense of the song selection, and the crowd’s awareness of old classics, bustouts, debuts, and the general flow of the set, but then I was left fascinated by what it was that the band were doing that caused a song to slowly and almost imperceptibly rise up in intensity, carrying the audience mood with it, with the band and the audience feeding off each other, until hitting an orgasmic peak... then calming again until at some point later slowly building again. How did they know to come back in from a jam at just the right moment? They seemed to have a telepathic understanding with each other.
- I tried to describe to people afterwards how this was such an unlikely band to have such a devoted following. This was not a hot-looking NME band of trend-setters. This was 4 scruffy, bearded, relatively-old (or old-looking) musos, with very little ‘show’ and virtually no spoken interaction with the audience.... yet there seemed to be an unusually high percentage of females in the audience. The thing I find most strange now is that I don’t particularly remember anything regarding the lightshow. Was CK5 around for that tour?
Looking back on it now with the benefit of another fifteen years and an audience tape of that night, what an amazing show to be at.... and a stat collector’s dream. 19 songs – 8 of which hadn’t been played before the two Dublin shows a few days earlier. The first (and there has only been 1 other ever) performance of ‘I Don’t Care’, the second-ever performances of ‘Water In The Sky’, ‘Olivia’s Pool’ (or ‘Oblivious Fool’ at this point), Ghost’, ‘Wading In The Velvet Sea’ and ‘Dirt’, and the third-ever performances of ‘Dogs Stole things’ and ‘Limb By Limb’ – not to mention only the seventh-ever performance of ‘Beauty Of My Dreams’. Have there ever been shows with anything like the number of bustouts as those first three Summer ’97 shows?!?
Highlight of the show is a Reba, which is just beautiful and is the jewel of a second set of all new songs before closing with a majestic Hood. Everyone was convinced they would encore with ‘A Day In The Life’ but having done that at the Shepherds Bush show the previous July they went for Cities instead - “Think of London...” - before a romp through Poor Heart to close.
A review on Phish.net says “….Overall not a bad show, playing was good I just thought it lacked inspiration which I thought would be the easy part being in Royal Albert Hall”...... and it does feel slightly lack-lustre, which may actually have had something to do with the setting. The Albert Hall is an amazing venue in many ways –– after ‘Taste’, Trey says “Thank you, what a beautiful room, thank you for being here, it’s just incredible...” - but it can also be a bit intimidating and sterile. It is also almost-always a sellout, but for this show was only half-full (max capacity 5,250 – on return to the States, Phish would go back to playing to 20,000 every night).
Outside afterwards, I scored a Doniac Schvice – very impressed that this ‘unknown’ band had such a cool publication. I don’t think we hung around long and I don’t remember us talking with any of the heads thereabouts so I didn’t really appreciate how many of them must have already been to the two Dublin shows and would be setting off in the morning for the next show, 3 days later in Vienna. I was also unaware at that point that I was on my way down the rabbit hole towards a full-scale addiction to the Phish"

Third show of the European stretch of Summer '97 and we're in a historic venue -- The Beatles played here multiple times in the '60s, and one of my favorite Jimi shows was played here as well (2/24/69). Would Phish pay homage? Would they play ADiTL? Did they figure out how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall? The short answer is no, they did not.

This show is the epitome of the rapid metamorphosis of the band's sound. On the European Winter Tour in 1997 they started going deep on a lot of their repertoire, but they hadn't yet introduced the Story of the Ghost material -- by Fall, they were going deep on *everything* including the new stuff. But on the Europe Summer Tour, it was sort of a mix of the depth on the old stuff and, at least in these first few shows, a palpable tentativeness on the newer material. Tonight's show they played Dogs Stole Things for the third straight show, and were clearly trying to do some battle testing on these new songs by straight repetition. The reason this show doesn't get much hype is because they didn't take anything too deep, new or old. That being said, Taste is typically great (by '97 they were *killing* Taste -- check out the lightning storm version from 7/22, the awesome Gorge version from 8/3, or the 12/30 version that Trey just *shreds* -- there are many other great renderings in Summer and Fall as well though!). The first set highlight is probably the Wolfman's -- damn this tune really blossomed in 1997. Ghost goes a little deeper than in its debut, and again segues into another debut. The Reba is a real blue-baller -- just when it seems like they're about to break into a full on Reba funk jam (?!), Fishman mashes the toms signaling the end -- too soon! After Reba they pull the double slow song -- *hate that* -- even though I like Dirt just fine. Velvet Sea is a tough one for me. I think it's beautiful but I can't not think about Coventry every time I hear it. It's a sad song now... Anyway, it's always good about Hood, and a short Cities ("Think of London! Small city!" -- reminds me of my best in-attendance Cities experience: the 8/6/10 "Home of Elvis / and the / Ancient *Greeks*!") and Poor Heart encore brings us home. I was hoping for something more special given this special venue, but I guess it was not to be. In fact, the beginning of this tour starts a little slowly, and then they have a couple festival sets, but then... comes... Amsterdam! More on that when I get back there in my listening adventures.

N.B. These AUDs are great so far!

This was a pretty underwhelming show considering the venue. There was one great moment during set break, a prim and proper woman came on stage and made an announcement in her very British accent, "Ladies and gentlemen, please be advised that smoking is NOT permitted in the Royal Albert Hall." This was met by a rebellious roar from the mostly American crowd.

With the setting being Royal Albert Hall I expected two things, one the band would bring it! And two, they would NOT play anything by The Beatles. As good as they cover the Beatles, I don’t think they would feel confident enough to cover them at this venue. Having said that, on to my review of the show. Once again, nothing scientific or in depth here, just my opinion on the music.

Like I said before, I thought they would just rip it in this venue, but the first set was basically filled with standard versions of old songs and “carefully played” versions of new songs. Highlights for me were Taste and a pretty funky Wolfman’s that showed signs of what was to come for the rest of ’97 and into ’98.

The second set was better, not great, but no doubt enjoyable. Ghost >I Don’t Care>Reba was nice, and I thought I heard a Franklin’s tease around the 12:10 mark in Reba? Solid Hood to close out the set, and then the encore.

Overall not a bad show, playing was good I just thought it lacked inspiration which I thought would be the easy part being in Royal Albert Hall.

A very average show.

Taste is very strong and well played. A top tier Theme in terms of playing. Wolfman has a nice mellow '97 style jam to it. Besides that the rest of the first set is fairly forgettable.

LxL is the best version yet with Fishman all over it. Ghost dips a little deeper into experimentation but not too deep. The "I Don't Care" sequence is pretty cool and seamless. Strong Reba not peaky or particularly beautiful but well played. Hood is strong and pretty.

Cities is always a welcome encore and this one is short but pretty sweet.

Overall more messing around by the guys implementing there new songs into their sets. It doesn't make for anything noteworthy or memorable but still a well played show.

Pretty mediocre show. Limb x limb and Dogs Stole Things were played for the third show in a row. I will have to say, though, that limb x limb has seen a ton of progress since it was first played a few nights before. I'm not the biggest fan of Reba but this one was pretty memorable in my book. It has an awesome build that could've kept going hadnt Fishman ended it abruptly. Nevertheless, take a listen but don't put it at the top of your to do list

@phishfillet -- that's not quite a Franklin's Tower tease, but it's likely an allusion to it. It's gotta have that V-IV-I-IV-V structure and the I never makes it in there... but the strumming and phrasing are spot on!

What a historic venue this – think of all the legends that have graced this stage. This was the one and only time Phish played here. SET 1: The Squirming Coil: Only five times has this opened a show: 6.5.90, 10.13.90, 6.16.97, 7.16.98, and 8.10.10 out of 366 times played, pretty big deal! Excellent version here. >

Dogs Stole Things: Standard. >

Taste: Pretty average version here.

Water in the Sky: Standard.

Sample in a Jar: Standard.

Beauty of My Dreams: Standard.

Theme From the Bottom: Thought the Dublin version was a bit more spirited but this one is solid in it’s own right. Interestingly enough, after the From the Bottom/Top lyrics at the end, they do sort of rock it out.

Chalk Dust Torture: Rocked this one pretty well, but pales in comparison to that awesome version from Dublin.

Wolfman's Brother: This one definitely gets funky and has that signature 97 funk feel to it. Just not nearly as good as Dublin. Fine version in its own right though.

Olivia's Pool: Standard.

SET 2: Limb By Limb: Standard.

Ghost: Excellent version for it being brand new has a nice, hard edge to it that segues perfectly into I Don’t Care – it’s like they made these two songs for each other as good as the segue is. ->

I Don't Care: Interesting tune, has a heavy metal vibe – one of only two to have ever made it to the stage >

Reba: Love how low and quiet they take this one down to in the early 8 minute range and then eventually build it back up. Love Trey’s strumming in the early 12’s. Must have been some miscommunication between Trey and Fish because Fish just rolls the toms and ends this before Trey has a real opportunity to go for the climax. Too bad b/c the body of this jam is very cool. This is a jamchart version. Personally, I won’t be seeking this one out again simply for the lack of climax.

Wading in the Velvet Sea: Standard.

Dirt: Interesting that they would pair Velvet Sea and Dirt – two ballads – deep in the second set – I get playing the new songs but here? Gorgeous Trey solo.

Harry Hood: Quite the clap along crowd on this evening. One here in Hood and one in Reba. Would say this is an average Hood, nothing stood out to my ear.

ENCORE: Cities: Big cheer of course for the London line.

Poor Heart: Meh, it’s Poor Heart.

Replay Value: None. Maybe Reba.

Summary: Very average Phish show. Don’t see myself ever coming back to this one. Would rate this as a 3 out of 5.

25 YEARS AGO I WENT EURO-PHISHIN' ...

- SET II -
Limb by Limb to open sounded like a distant cousin to Taste, BUT also oozed influence from the '96 Halloween musical costume -- the layered vocals and rhythms seemed born out of the Talking Heads study the band had done the previous fall. I remember marking the title of this song on my setlist as "I Am Taken Far Away" because I really focused on Mike's vocal in the chorus ... next up began my love affair with Ghost -- the 2nd live performance of the tune, unlike Limb which was played for the 3rd time after 2 Irish renditions -- but back to Ghost: WHOAH! When that hard funky groove began I was hooked right into the Story of the Ghost ... I don't feel they ever told me before ... and this Ghost, moreso than Ireland or any since, is closer to the Tom/Trey version we got to hear in the demo released on 'Trampled By Lambs & Pecked By the Dove' - this is a VERY raw Ghost, returns to a more heavy rockin' "I feel I never told you!" before sliding right into the debut of I Don't Care -- what is this?!? The band is sounding HEAVY to my ears but I'm digging! At this point in the set my head is swimming a bit trying to grab onto what I know about this band but loving the overwhelming new sounds ... then Reba sings out so beautifully in this old building, really wonderfully, one of 3 we'd hear in the coming weeks, all found in different spots in a show's 1st/2nd set and all building in a different way ... this London version has a nice groove section before the final build that I just love ... then the 2nd live performance of Wading In the Velvet Sea (or as I noted the title in my setlist, 'I Am Taken Far Away' -- again focusing on Mike's part) and this song really sang well in the space of the Royal Albert Hall and I welcome this side of the PHISH sound into the overall repertoire, but again the layered vocals and such seemed like a lesson learned from the Talking Heads ... same with Dirt ... a lesson then applied to ballads, the band involvement overall in the vocals really helps sell these songs to me ... and then the set-closing Harry Hood, like Reba earlier, was a nice reminder of the PHISH I knew but now with different ears and played with a new energy, that '97 energy, it again just soared out through that space ... just wonderful to hear and think back on ...
The encore of Cities ("Think of London!") seemed appropriate and was VERY cool to hear! Wasn't expecting the band to pull this out again but happy they did ... this version would end up being the most straightforward funky version of the tune I'd hear this year (Amsterdam and The Great Went being my other live experiences with the tune in '97). At the time the tune was a rarity so I was stoked to hear it at all, let alone have the band weave it so wildly the next couple of times I'd catch it ... and Poor Heart was a hilarious tune to finish on in the fancy room we were in ... we waded out into the London night, made our way back to our campsite and then ... onto Vienna!
Seeing the band in The Royal Albert Hall was a unique experience for me, for sure, and would turn out to be the largest venue we'd see them in, by far, over the coming weeks ... the sound in the Hall was epic and beautiful ... moving onto Vienna, this tiny club, was a whole new unique experience ... such an incredible time to be following the band, in restrospect, hearing these sounds and new tunes develop ... very grateful for the times I had ...

#dugEuroPhish97

enjoy the grooves,
dug
http://theshackproject.com - Live MMW streams/downloads!

25 YEARS AGO I WENT EURO-PHISHIN' ... ????????????????

PHISH in Europe. PHISH at the Royal Albert Hall ... the adventure begins! After passing some time camping outside London before tour, playing tourist around London and surrounding area (Stonehenge was a cool place to stand and explore the area around the tourist trap that is Stonehenge), then foolishly missing the Ireland shows (had to meet friends, made plans to meet in London at a specific time on the 14th and no cell phones to notify a change of plans, I stuck with meeting my phriends), and then it was finally time to begin the PHISHin' excursion across from the British Isles and across the Continent.
The London show was surreal -- as much of the tour felt to me. I'd been getting deeper into the band for about 5 years at this point but walking out of the Royal Albert Hall, my 13th time seeing the band live since late '94, it felt like I'd just seen a new band, a band I hadn't seen before.

- SET I -
Opening with The Squirming Coil was an oddly beautiful choice that rang out sweetly in the old Hall ... and the night progressed from there into many *new* songs that had debuted in Ireland, and one that hadn't ... Dogs Stole Things, of course, tricked us into thinking we were being treated to Mound ... Taste had become a favourite of mine and we'd hear it a number of times over the coming weeks, and LOVE it every time ... the original slow Water In the Sky plodded along nicely, digging the band writing a tune in this vein and the lyrics seemed cool ... Sample is a tune I can rock to for 4min any time ... I knew Beauty of My Dreams from the few shows I'd acquired from the Winter Euro tour, so it was fun to hear it live ... Theme From the Bottom, like Taste, was a fav so always welcomed that watery groove into the climax ... Chalk Dust was fun and rockin', but the following Wolfman's perked my ears up to some of the new sounds I had on tapes from the Feb-Mar Euro tour (Amsterdam, Marktehalle, for example), I just loved the funked out sounds I was hearing -- the band had found a way to play this tune live without horns! -- it really is a nice little jam and very cool to hear in the development of Wolfman's live and the band's sound at the time ... the set-closing Oblivious fool was a fun romp (10 months later reappearing as the slinky Shafty).
Whew ... it was quite a set to swallow, first for me of the tour and with a small collection of local East Coast Canadians in attendance, 8 of us in total all from home, with only 4 of us moving on after this show to carry on to Amsterdam ... but pre-show the group of us all got together in Hyde Park for some phun and chillin', then we were in different spots inside ... the set break allowed us to chill in this beautiful building, I was with my other 3 fellow Canucks on Fish's side in the lower bowl, about halfway back (2 of us were really into PHISH, one was kinda into them, and for the other London was her phirst show!) ... I was especially glad to still be inside after almost getting tossed during 1st set for following our usual PHISHin' ritual of sparking up, only to be grabbed by an usher, drop the offending item, plead I don't know what he's talking about, and then got to stick for the remainder ... glad I did because 2nd set is where this show grabbed me completely, the power of the band's new sound ...

#dugEuroPhish97 ????????????????

enjoy the grooves,
dug
http://theshackproject.com - Live MMW streams/downloads!