Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 09:56:20 EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: SUMMER98_REVIEW

OK, I believe this is my first public review, so bare with me.  If you're
looking for credentials in regard to the validity of my review, well, I've
seen Phish 36 times since 7/15/94 and I think I have about sixty complete
shows in my personal audio library.  So my ears have grown more and more
perceptive, and along with that, critical over the years as the boys have
progressed and morphed into who they are now as musicians.  This show in
particular really struck a chord with me enough that I feel the need that
to review it for whoever cares to read.  And I am suffering from insomnia
at the moment. That being said, lets get on to the music.

7/24/98 Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion, Houston, TX
I. Moma Dance, Runaway Jim, Bouncing, Stash, My Soul, Taste, Golgi, Loving
Cup
II. Wolfman's > 2001, Scent > Ha Ha Ha > Scent, Slave, Chalkdust  
E: Character Zero

The Moma Dance opener gets everyone, band and crowd, all in the same groove
right from the get go.  Nice and slow, thick and funky, this is a safe and
welcome opener by all means.  It's obvious by this point in the tour they
like playing it, and they always find a little unexplored territory in it
somehow. Mike lays down the fatty bass we all jones for.

Runaway Jim follows and is a fantastic version.  Still calisthenics for
the band this early in the show, but it doesn't sound like they need it.
This one is just solid from start to finish.

Bouncing...

Sets up Stash beautifully.  The first three songs selections I think are
what really got all four of them right on with each other and their
respective instruments.  They started out with the simpler songs and
stretched out their limbs, so to speak.  This Stash is so clean and tight,
and tends to steer clear of any dark jam that it sometimes falls prone to.
That unbelievable, almost constant guitar solo is showcased so freakin'
well here, it makes me stop what I'm doing and just put all of my focus on
it.  I guess the words are captivating and mesmerizing for this one.

My Soul rocks.  Just when you thought these guys couldn't get any tighter,
musically that is, they bust out a My Soul like this.  Page breathes *so*
much life into this one, just laying down chops upon chops when he gets
his solo, the other three just take it one notch higher (hear Fishman
yell, "Yeah, yeah!") and all of em never come down from there for the rest
of the show. Probably the turning point of the show right there.

Now the boys are ready to tackle Taste, a song that has come full circle
with me and just won me over.  This version it seems Trey is holding back
still, and no one really jumps in front of this one and steals it away.
This is a perfect example of Phish has changed in recent years, really
grooving together as a unit.  By no means is this a sub par Taste. Even
though there is no lead role ripping this song a new asshole, the mind
blowing improvisation is still there, it's just subtle. Kinda swimming
below the surface.  And this version is long enough to let yourself get
down there with it and get lost.

Golgi coming flying at ya.  This is a pretty standard tune, always welcome
in my book.  This one somehow reminds me of a much earlier version of the
song. But not sloppy like some earlier versions, I dunno, it's weird.
Also, that first, "Status!" is sung in the highest pitch I have ever heard
it sung before. That stuck in my mind and made me giggle.

Loving Cup closer?  You got it.  Now this is where the walls come tumbling
down and a new plateau of jamming is attained.  You know how a set closer
usually rips and holds you over till the second set starts?  Well, if they
just ended the show after this Loving Cup, I would have felt like I got my
money's worth. 

-set II

Wolfman's kicks things off in the same fashion as the first set opener,
thick and funky.  There are some amazing little accents and fills in here
by all four guys.  Its fun to listen to.  But what is unfuckingbelievable
about this Wolfman's is where it goes once the actual song part of it is
over.  If you like improvisation that can make you shake your rump, this
is your jam. It apparent at this point that they are just *ON*.  It is a
rare occasion when they are this *on*, believe me.

This segues sorta into 2001.  Flip the order here and you've got the
opening to another set that blew my mind: 11/19/97 Champaign, IL.  This
2001 I think in a way is Phish telling the crowd, yes we just left the
planet there, but now we're back.  Settle in, boogie down.  Nice little
Crosseyed and Painless teases thrown in for good measure.  And to tease.

Scent of a Mule.  Honestly not one of my faves, probably because I just
haven't figured out how to dance to it.  But this one is fantastic.  An
original Scent, if I may.  In the duel part, I believe Trey whistles that
old western gunfighting melody straight out of a John Wayne Movie, so
appropriate for the venue.  Then out of his ass, Trey starts throwing down
the Ha Ha Ha licks, and the band follows suit.

Ha Ha Ha Ha.  Ha Ha Ha Ha.  Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Then just as this ends, the spirit of Hendrix enters Trey's guitar and
spews out classic Hendrix licks.  As if I wasn't impressed already with
the transition into Ha Ha Ha, he has to get that in.  Back into the 
Russian part of the duel, and Scent is wrapped up.  Nicely done.

Slave to Traffic Light magically unfolds, and a communal "ahhhhhhh" is
felt. The beginning structured part is flawlessly, and powerfully
executed. Fishman accents places I haven't heard before, giving it a fresh
feeling.  And it rolls into that floating, noodly jam that seems like it
could just flow for miles and miles and we'd all walk it without ever
getting tired.  Utopic, euphoric, optimistic, comforting Slave.  Almost a,
"hey, we were on that journey, too" sentiment is felt coming from the
stage.  Trey builds this jam the way only he can.  Pure bliss....

Hey Houston!  Do you wanna rock?  A fiery Chalkdust closes the set.  All
four are just playing the shit out this one effortlessly.  A million notes
just ooze out of Trey's guitar.  This is the point in the show where I
usually start to feel sorry for everyone who hasn't discovered this band. 

-Encore-
Character Zero. I dunno about you, but I love the wah-wah guitar solo in
the middle of this tune.  But Trey aborts the wah-wah real early into the
solo and uses this sound that just hits you in your gut.  This is another
rare occasion where Trey gets downright dirty with his ax.  Over all
though, nothing too impressive with this version, but it makes a swell
encore.

I can sum up this show in three words: they are *on*.  I have a feeling
though that this show is gonna be another dark horse.

Dave Madden



From [email protected] Sat Sep 12 23:35:41 1998
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 12:40:09 -0500
From: Justin Metz 
To: [email protected]
Subject: *SHOW REVIEW* 7/24/98 Woodlands Pavilion, Houston, TX 

7/24/98 Houston, TX
The Woodlands Pavilion
Set 1 :
Moma Dance, Runaway Jim, Bouncin' Around The Room, Stash, My Soul,
Taste, Golgi Apparatus, Loving Cup

Set 2:
Wolfman's Brother>>2001>>Scent Of A Mule>>Ha Ha Ha>>Scent Of A Mule,
Slave to the Traffic Light, Chalkdust Torture

Encore:
Character Zero

A friend and I drove down from Memphis the day of the show.  We left
around 7 a.m. and didn't pull into Houston until 6 p.m.  so we decided
to just head straight to the Venue.  I hadn't seen a Phish show since
Austin in '97 (due to the birth of my first child in the middle of the
summer tour 97) so I was PUMPED to say the least.  The night before we
left I had read a post saying that they hadn't played Runaway Jim yet,
and that they played 4 Moma Dances in the first 5 shows.  I told my
friend they would open with either one of them, depending on whether
they wanted to go with something old or something new.  I was STOKED
when they played both.  The Moma Dance Was DANK!  I like it much better
than BEK, and it gets you into the FUNK right away.  It was the best way
to open up the weekend.  The Intro was naturally funky with most of the
work coming from Mike.  Not much variation from Trey on the intro but
when it came time for him to jam THE MOMA DANCE he did not disappoint.
This Version raged!!  Runaway Jim RAGED HARD.  It kind of reminded me of
a '93 or '94 Jim.  VERY FAST!!  VERY INTENSE!!  after about 10 minutes
of the hard jamming Jim they sunk it down into some PHUNK that really
got me moving.  the phunk ended as Runaway Jim kicked back into full
force and then ended.  Bouncin was next.  I like Bouncin' more than most
people, but it is just standard and nothing special.  I just sat down to
smoke a bowl and take a rest (I WAS DANCING HARD AND IT WAS LIKE 100
DEGREES OUT THERE1!!).  The bowl of nuggets got me in the mood for
STASH.  THIS STASH ROCKED.  It wasn't like the weak version they played
in Austin last year.  IT was more of a conventional Stash, (not like
11/30/98 or 4/2/98).  I read a post that they are playing each note with
precision.  THIS IS VERY TRUE, ANd this Stash was a good example.
Really nice soloing by Trey, and great work by the rest of the band.  My
Soul Came up next. Not much to say - It rocked,  Both Trey and Page are
at the TOP of THIER GAME.  Taste echoed from the stage after My Soul.
This was a good Taste, one of the better ones I have heard.  Page's part
was strong but seemed to lose some luster towards the end, but Trey just
picked it up and carried it forward.  Golgi Came up next.  This isn't
one of my favorites but i DO like it, especially the middle section.  It
seemed like EVERYBODY was dancin' for this one.  SO far Moma Dance was
the only new tune, which surprised me, And it would remain the only new
tune throughout the Show.  Loving Cup closed the set.  OH WHAT A
BEAUTIFUL BUZZ!!
Overall a good first set, nothing too intense, but still Each note was
meticulously chosen.

Wolfman's Brother opened the second set and I was stoked.  I liked the
normal first set shit, but MAKE NO DOUBT ABOUT IT - I GO TO PHISH SHOWS
TO SEE THEM JAM!!  And jam they did.  NICE phunk.  I was really getting
down for this one.  It was about 20 minutes long and dropped off into
space!!  but the space eventually lead into 2001!!  It was a great 2001,
great lights, Really nice work from the band.  Allready the second set
was DANK and we were only two songs inward.  Scent of a Mule came out of
the noise at the end of 2001.  Page had about a 5 minute solo in which
the rest of the band left the stage (probably to puff a bowl of dank :
)  Page's solo was nice, and when the rest of the band came back on Trey
joined him for lest than a minute and then just hit this hard guitar
line that I immediately picked up as HA HA HA!!  it was my first ha ha
ha so that was very dank, and as it ended it just went right back into
Scent of a Mule.  They actually played the Russian folk jam but you
could tell it was a little rusty because some of the notes weren't right
on, and Trey strated Dancing but Mike wasn't.  Then Mike must have
looked over and seen Trey Dancing so he joined in.  Scent finished and
Slave was up.  I thought this would be the closer.  The jam segment was
especially tight and long.  i did catch one Note that was slightly off
early on in the jam, but the rest of the jam flowed very tight and went
VERY HIGH!!!  So high that I thought the show was over!!  BUT NO, WE GOT
A CHALKDUST!!  When this Kicked in I just started thrashing around,
because I love a Chalkdust Closer!!!!   The jam was VERY TIGHT, VERY
HARD, VERY WELL PLAYED.
The Character Zero encore kind of surprised me because, to me anyway,
chalkdust and Character Zero seem very similar in the jam section.  But
Character Zero Raged!!  I enjoyed it totally, and it left us on a high
note!!!
Overall it was a good show, not the best i have seen, but the Wolfman's
Brother>>2001>>Scent>>HA HA HA>> Scent  will definitely be something
I'll be talking about for a LONG TIME!! See you all at ALPINE!!!


-----------


From [email protected] Sat Dec 12 16:21:23 1998
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 16:03:23 -0600
From: Justin Metz 
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/24/98 Show Review

7/24/98 Houston, TX
The Woodlands Pavilion
Set 1 :
Moma Dance, Runaway Jim, Bouncin' Around The Room, Stash, My Soul,
Taste, Golgi
Apparatus, Loving Cup

Set 2:
Wolfman's Brother>>2001>>Scent Of A Mule>>Ha Ha Ha>>Scent Of A Mule,
Slave to
the Traffic Light, Chalkdust Torture

Encore:
Character Zero

A friend and I drove down from Memphis the day of the show.  We left
around 7 a.m. and didn't pull into Houston until 6 p.m.  so we decided
to just head straight to the Venue.  I hadn't seen a Phish show since
Austin in '97 (due to the birth of my first child in the middle of the
summer tour 97) so I was PUMPED to say the least.  The night before we
left I had read a post saying that they hadn't played Runaway Jim yet,
and that they played 4 Moma Dances in the first 5 shows.  I told my
friend they would open with either one of them, depending on whether
they wanted to go with something old or something new.  I was STOKED
when they played both.  The Moma Dance Was DANK!  I like it much better
than BEK, and it gets you into the FUNK right away.  It was the best way
to open up the weekend.  The Intro was naturally funky with most of the
work coming from Mike.  Not much variation from Trey on the intro but
when it came time for him to jam THE MOMA DANCE he did not disappoint.
This Version raged!!  Runaway Jim RAGED HARD.  It kind of reminded me of
a '93 or '94 Jim.  VERY FAST!!  VERY INTENSE!!  after about 10 minutes
of the hard jamming Jim they sunk it down into some PHUNK that really
got me moving.  the phunk ended as Runaway Jim kicked back into full
force and then ended.  Bouncin was next.  I like Bouncin' more than most
people, but it is just standard and nothing special.  I just sat down to
smoke a bowl and take a rest (I WAS DANCING HARD AND IT WAS LIKE 100
DEGREES OUT THERE!!).  The bowl of nuggets got me in the mood for
STASH.  THIS STASH ROCKED.  It wasn't like the weak version they played
in Austin last year.  IT was more of a conventional Stash, (not like
11/30/97 or 4/2/98).  I read a post that they are playing each note with
precision.  THIS IS VERY TRUE, ANd this Stash was a good example.
Really nice soloing by Trey, and great work by the rest of the band.  My
Soul Came up next. Not much to say - It rocked,  Both Trey and Page are
at the TOP of THIER GAME.  Taste echoed from the stage after My Soul.
This was a good Taste, one of the better ones I have heard.  Page's part
was strong but seemed to lose some luster towards the end, but Trey just
picked it up and carried it forward.  Golgi Came up next.  This isn't
one of my favorites but i DO like it, especially the middle section.  It
seemed like everybody was dancin' for this one.  SO far Moma Dance was
the only new tune, which surprised me, And it would remain the only new
tune throughout the Show.  Loving Cup closed the set.  OH WHAT A
BEAUTIFUL BUZZ!!
Overall a good first set, nothing too intense, but still Each note was
meticulously chosen.

Wolfman's Brother opened the second set and I was stoked.  I like the
normal first set shit, but MAKE NO DOUBT ABOUT IT - I GO TO PHISH SHOWS
TO SEE THEM JAM!!  And jam they did.  NICE phunk.  I was really getting
down for this one.  It was about 20 minutes long and dropped off into
space!!  but the space eventually lead into 2001!!  It was A great 2001,
great lights, Really nice work from the band.  Allready the second set
was DANK and we were only two songs inward.  Scent of a Mule came out of
the noise at the end of 2001.  Page had about a 5 minute solo in which
the rest of the band left the stage (probably to puff a bowl of dank :
)  Pages solo was nice, and when the rest of the band came back on Trey
joined him for lest than a minute and then just hit this hard guitar
line that I immediately picked up as HA HA HA!!  it was my first ha ha
ha so that was very dank, and as it ended it just went right back into
Scent of a Mule.  They actually played the Russian folk jam but you
could tell it was a little rusty because some of the notes weren't right
on, and Trey strated Dancing but Mike wasn't.  Then Mike must have
looked over and seen Trey Dancing so he joined in.  Scent finished and
Slave was up.  I thought this would be the closer.  The jam segment was
especially tight and long.  i did catch one Note that was slightly off
early on in the jam, but the rest of the jam flowed very tight and went
VERY HIGH!!!  So high that I thought the show was over!!  BUT NO, WE GOT
A CHALKDUST!!  When this Kicked in I just started thrashing around,
because I love a Chalkdust Closer!!!!   The jam was VERY TIGHT, VERY
HARD WELL PLAYED.The Character Zero encore kind of surprised me because,
to me anyway, chalkdust and
Character Zero seem very similar in the jam section.  But Character Zero
Raged!!  I enjoyed it totally, and it left us on a high note, I think we
were all ready for AUSTIN!!!



-----


Woodlands Pavilion, Houston, Texas:


Set 1 :
Moma Dance, Runaway Jim, Bouncin' Around The Room, Stash, My Soul,
Taste, Golgi Apparatus, Loving Cup

Set 2:
Wolfman's Brother2001Scent Of A MuleHa Ha HaScent Of A Mule,
Slave to the Traffic Light, Chalkdust Torture

Encore:
Character Zero

A friend and I drove down from Memphis the day of the show.  We left
around 7 a.m. and didn't pull into Houston until 6 p.m.  so we decided
to just head straight to the Venue.  I hadn't seen a Phish show since
Austin in '97 (due to the birth of my first child in the middle of the
summer tour 97) so I was PUMPED to say the least.  The night before we
left I had read a post saying that they hadn't played Runaway Jim yet,
and that they played 4 Moma Dances in the first 5 shows.  I told my
friend they would open with either one of them, depending on whether
they wanted to go with something old or something new.  I was STOKED
when they played both.  The Moma Dance Was DANK!  I like it much better
than BEK, and it gets you into the FUNK right away.  It was the best way
to open up the weekend.  The Intro was naturally funky with most of the
work coming from Mike.  Not much variation from Trey on the intro but
when it came time for him to jam THE MOMA DANCE he did not disappoint.
This Version raged!!  Runaway Jim RAGED HARD.  It kind of reminded me of
a '93 or '94 Jim.  VERY FAST!!  VERY INTENSE!!  after about 10 minutes
of the hard jamming Jim they sunk it down into some PHUNK that really
got me moving.  the phunk ended as Runaway Jim kicked back into full
force and then ended.  Bouncin was next.  I like Bouncin' more than most
people, but it is just standard and nothing special.  I just sat down to
smoke a bowl and take a rest (I WAS DANCING HARD AND IT WAS LIKE 100
DEGREES OUT THERE1!!).  The bowl of nuggets got me in the mood for
STASH.  THIS STASH ROCKED.  It wasn't like the weak version they played
in Austin last year.  IT was more of a conventional Stash, (not like
11/30/98 or 4/2/98).  I read a post that they are playing each note with
precision.  THIS IS VERY TRUE, ANd this Stash was a good example.
Really nice soloing by Trey, and great work by the rest of the band.  My
Soul Came up next. Not much to say - It rocked,  Both Trey and Page are
at the TOP of THIER GAME.  Taste echoed from the stage after My Soul.
This was a good Taste, one of the better ones I have heard.  Page's part
was strong but seemed to lose some luster towards the end, but Trey just
picked it up and carried it forward.  Golgi Came up next.  This isn't
one of my favorites but i DO like it, especially the middle section.  It
seemed like everybody was dancin' for this one.  SO far Moma Dance was
the only new tune, which surprised me, And it would remain the only new
tune throughout the Show.  Loving Cup closed the set.  OH WHAT A
BEAUTIFUL BUZZ!!
Overall a good first set, nothing too intense, but still Each note was
meticulously chosen.

Wolfman's Brother opened the second set and I was stoked.  I like the
normal first set shit, but MAKE NO DOUBT ABOUT IT - I GO TO PHISH SHOWS
TO SEE THEM JAM!!  And jam they did.  NICE phunk.  I was really getting
down for this one.  It was about 20 minutes long and dropped off into
space!!  but the space eventually lead into 2001!!  It was great 2001,
great lights, Really nice work from the band.  Allready the second set
was DANK and we were only two songs inward.  Scent of a Mule came out of
the noise at the end of 2001.  Page had about a 5 minute solo in which
the rest of the band left the stage (probably to puff a bowl of dank :
)  Pages solo was nice, and when the rest of the band came back on Trey
joined him for lest than a minute and then just hit this hard guitar
line that I immediately picked up as HA HA HA!!  it was my first ha ha
ha so that was very dank, and as it ended it just went right back into
Scent of a Mule.  They actually played the Russian folk jam but you
could tell it was a little rusty because some of the notes weren't right
on, and Trey strated Dancing but Mike wasn't.  Then Mike must have
looked over and seen Trey Dancing so he joined in.  Scent finished and
Slave was up.  I thought this would be the closer.  The jam segment was
especially tight and long.  i did catch one Note that was slightly off
early on in the jam, but the rest of the jam flowed very tight and went
VERY HIGH!!!  So high that I thought the show was over!!  BUT NO, WE GOT
A CHALKDUST!!  When this Kicked in I just started thrashing around,
because I love a Chalkdust Closer!!!!   The jam was VERY TIGHT, VERY
HARD WELL PLAYED.
The Character Zero encore kind of surprised me because, to me anyway,
chalkdust and Character Zero seem very similar in the jam section.  But
Character Zero Raged!!  I enjoyed it totally, and it left us on a high
note, I think we were all ready for AUSTIN!!!



Hey Phanatics,
This will be short, but I thought I'd let you know how the Woodlands
(7/24/98) went.
First off, I have to compliment the fuzz.  That's right, compliment.  I
spent my last two years of high school in this Houston suburb, and was
busted 5 or 6 times... I thought Phish plus the Woodlands equaled
disaster... WRONG!  The show was most excellent... flawless playing,
energetic riffs, and a perfect vibe led to the best performance of seen
the boys do.  I've only seen 4 shows, and they were all mind blowing,
but this one took the cake.  Sorry I have no setlist, but my memory
isn't as good as I had hoped.

Happy Phishin,
Robb


The Pavilion is a nice new venue about 35 miles outside of downtown
Houston which provided for an intimate experience with the band for
those who could get up close, and plenty of groove space for those
looking to frolic on the lawn.  As I weeved my way up to my "reserved
seats" during the Moma Dance opener, one couldn't help but notice Trey's
bad ass, bug eyed yellow retro shades.  Security was trying to keep the
aisles clear, but since the row the intended to stick my big butt was
nearly filled, I negotiated some space on the right side of the aisle.
The band seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as anyone in the house
early on and the fun was contagious as they spun through classics
Runaway Jim and Bouncing.  Stash followed with a hard grooving My Soul
(which has been, until Houston, a not so favorite song--but man did they
rock it out!).  Taste was very well done.  The sound seems to improve
tour after tour.  As the sun began to go down, taking the heat of
another blistering Texas summer day with it, Phish dug deep into their
big bag of classics for Golgi, which really got the place jumping.  How
do you rap a fine opening set up and leave the crowd greatly
anticipating the second?  How about a rocking Loving Cup!  It definately
made the set for my homeboy Journeyman Jim Craemer.  Just one sip!

After a refreshing break, Wolfman's Brother opened the second.  Damn.
Long extended jamming.  Seemed to go for about twenty minutes before
going into 2001.  Talk about a funked out groove session.  Hats off to
Kuroda too.  The lights were awesome.  Mike Gordon began banging out
those big bass licks as they went into Scent of A Mule, which was
"tight" for lack of a better word.  The super riff Ha Ha Ha Ha was stuck
in the middle of SOAM.  Slave followed in what could have closed a
glorius set, but no, a rocking Chalkdust finished things off that left
me rubber legged and so very satisfied.

Character Zero for an encore was great.  This song is rapidly making its
way to the ranks of the most preferred, although the way the boys have
been playing in the last two years, I am pleased every time out.

The Woodlands is a great place to see the boys.  Even the mounted police
were chill, except for when I slapped Mr. Ed on the mug.  Sap.

-Park Place Paul