Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 00:45:27 -0400
From: hillson [email protected]
Subject: 8/17/97 II
being that the great went was my first show(s), i was able to fully open my
mind to what phish is.
day 2 set 2 me and a friend (evan) decided to get a bit closer to see
exactly what was going on. down with disease opened the set and being a
newbie i was ecstatic to hear a tune i knew from hoist. this jam was long
and involved but did not capture me the way the next 20 minutes did.
let's skip to the meat. bathtub started up and i was all ears. the way
this version ** builds to a pinnacle of intensity adding layer upon layer of
energy and music ** was something i had never experienced before in music
(live or recorded)
this crescendo is one of my favorite moments of my personal phistory. hope
you all have yours........
oh, then they quickly segued into uncle pen and i was shocked that phish
could follow an epic tune such as gin with the bluegrass pickings of pen,
not letting the audience respond to gin with applause. but that's phish for
you (I won't even attempt to describe the 2001 > Art > Hood now to talk
about audience participation)
thanks for reading
see you atlanta > deer creek
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 19:49:14 -0700
From: "David M. Goldstein" [email protected]
Subject: 8/17/97 review
Night deux revisited.
For starters, the weather was 20 times nicer than the day before. About
70, with a slight breeze, and a gorgeous blue sky dotted with large
cumulus clouds. Everyone was dry, and in high spirits. When the hell are
they going to learn to use a Divided Sky opener when the weather is this
beautiful at an outdoor venue? A curious show to be sure....with some of
the greatest, and lamest, moments in Phishtory.
set I: The Wedge (!), Beauty of My Dreams, Dogs Stole Things, Vultures,
Water in the Sky, Maze, Bouncin', Tweezer > Taste, Carolina
The Wedge: Huh? If they ain't gonna open with Divided, we should at least
feel privledged to hear this. One of the most unfortunately underplayed
tunes finally gets it's due. Sounded just like the Rift version up until
the end, where they stretched out a pleasant little jam that tacked on
about 4 minutes. Gorgeous I tell 'ya.
Beauty of My Dreams: Trey singing bluegrass? Works for me. A nice
addition to the bluegrass lineup. Catchy as always. Fun to hear.
Dogs Stole Things: I heard the drums kick in, and everyone around me
called out for Mound, but I knew better ;). This is cute. I like the
vocals, and think the lyrics are actually relatively humorous and clever.
A throwaway nonetheless, but I'd rather hear this than say, Guelah. Alas,
I used the song to work my way through the crowd to take a much needed
piss (and what a piss it was!).
Vultures: I heard most of this from a bathroom stall, but it sounded
good. Interesting vocal interplay (although whoever said it sounds like
moe.'s Seat of My Pants was right), complex time signature, and Fishman
really gets to go off at the end. Potential for a nice jam.
Water in the Sky: Pleasant country corn that'll put a smile on your face,
but not much else.
Maze: Sick....just plain sick. This became a powerhouse on Fall '96, and
there was no looking back. Here's one that's improved leaps and bounds
since the last one I saw back in '95. Trey was inserting these heavy,
dark chords over Page's hammond madness, and the intensity reached a
fever pitch. Hear this one for yourself!
Bouncin': They didn't play Bowie this weekend, or Mike's, or Antelope, or
Runaway, or even Cavern, and they play this? C'mon. You know the deal.
Tweezer: About 20 minutes. Slower than usual, and as you may have
guessed, loaded with groovy PHUNK. Me and my friend basically titled this
one the "Pornography" Tweezer because the whole thing sounded like one
big soundtrack to a 70's skin flick. In other words, tons of wah-wah,
scratching, HEAVY bass (I think Mike likes his new axe a lot...) and a
groove that made the P-funk show I saw last month seem like a Hootie
concert. Reminiscent of 11/3/96 w/ Karl Perazzo because the phunk was so
thick! Awesome.
Taste: The composed parts were played cleanly, and the jam was gorgeous
with several peaks and valleys. A far cry from summer '95!
Carolina: If they're gonna do acapella, they might as well do this one,
which hasn't been sung in awhile (right?).
Overall, a nice set that dragged a bit with the new material, and was
nearly killed by Bouncin', but has plenty of good stuff in Tweezer, Maze,
and Taste. And don't forget the Wedge opener!
During setbreak, we were treated to the Went orchestra playing some
Debussy as well as a Stravinsky suite complete with convincing narration.
Sort of a spin on the classic, "man sells his soul to the devil" tale.
Cool!
Set 2: Down W/ > BATHTUB GIN! > Uncle Pen, 2001, Trey's Speech > Hood
DWD: You hear the bass slap, and here we go. A nice long jam, that
sounded ok, but for some reason didn't seem to go anywhere particuarly
interesting. Good version, but I prefer NYE '96, SPAC '95, or even
10/22/96. Just an opinion perhaps. Towards the end, Page and Jon drop
their instruments, and let Trey and Mike perform an amusing duet.
Meanwhile, Jon and Page are painting these large pieces of cardboard with
spray paint cans....more to follow. Down W/ led into...
Bathtub Gin: God damn. Wait 'til Benjy Eisen hears this one.....Composed
section performed smoothly with few flaws, and Page went nuts during the
Rhapsody in Blue inspired sections. But the jam section was HUGE. I kept
thinking we'd hear more phunk, but instead, we were treated to an upbeat,
bright, shining, 4/4 jam, that really can't be put into words, other than
the fact that it was awe-inspiring and just seemed to be BRIGHT. That's
the only word I can really ues to describe it! Takes my favorite Gin
(12/29/95) and rips it to shreds. Unbelieveable.
Uncle Pen: Ok I guess. A nice break in the action. Good solos from all.
2001: I always forget what a fan-fucking-tastic job Chris does with this
song. Easily the longest 2001 ever played, and the best way to describe
the lights would be ***** ****** on *****. Fog, strobes, spinning lights,
you name it. At the beginning, Mike and Trey drop out to go paint their
cardboard masterpieces while Page and Jon pick up the slack. Once again,
the funkiest 2001 I have ever heard. I swear...if these guys ever stop
touring, they could make the greatest porno soundtracks ever. Things got
a little dull towards the beginning when Trey and Mike weren't involved,
and I wonder how it will hold up on tape, but awesome.
The song ends, and then Trey tells the audience why they spent part of
the set painting cardboard. Throughout the weekend, phans were helping to
construct this tall wooden tower near the vending areas. The tower
contained a good deal of fan painted artwork attatched to it, and
basically, the band wanted to contribute their own piece of art to the
structure. Mutual art between the band and it's fans. The 4 cardboard
pieces were linked together, and the crowd passed the piece head over
head over head to the waiting structure outback, at which point it was
hoisted up. Guess you had to be there...but it was a sight to behold.
Hood: Phans in front of me were holding up this huge banner that said
"You can Feel Good" and whether or not this lead the band to playing song
we'll never know, but it was a nice touch. Gorgeous Hood. Like he did in
Gorge, Trey asked Chris to kill the lights so the band could jam in
darkness. While this was going on, a huge glowstick, glowring war
erupted! Everyone was throwing these glowing things into the air, and it
looked so cool! Just so long as you didn't get hit on the head I suppose.
Overall, an absolutely amazing set that probably won't hold up on tape as
well as it did live due to the long "had to be there" segments including
Trey's speech and the painting of the carboard pieces. But who cares, the
Gin is worth it alone, and 2001, Hood and Down w/Disease aren't anything
to scoff at either.
Alas......there as one set to go....
set 3: Buffalo Bill > NICU, Weigh, Guyute, Scent, Dirt, Caspian
Buffalo Bill: A big difference between Phish and the Dead is this....
When the Dead shelved songs, they were usually among the best songs in
their repetoire (Dark Star, St. Stephen etc.) and they were dropped for
no apparent reason other than to piss fans off. When Phish shelf songs,
it's usually because they just aren't good. Case in point. A cute tune
that hasn't been played since 12/31/94, but still weak. A tiny jam lead
into...
NICU: A good song to be sure, but they never really jam on it, and this
was no exception to that rule.
Weigh: See above.
Guyute: I like this song a lot, but considering this would have been a
perfect place in the set to toss Mike's Groove, one can't help but feel a
little annoyed by the placement. When are they ever going to jam this
out, or do something else to make it a little less predictable?
Scent: Horrible set placement. Not ever one of my favorite Phish songs,
but an interesting mid-section can change my mind, ala 12/30/96 or
11/27/96. Here, they opted for the delay loop jam (see 12/28/96 or
12/29/94) and while it was a good attempt at change, it didn't really do
that much for me.
Dirt: Good tune. Reminds me a lot of Billy Breathes, and Trey gets some
gorgeous licks off at the end. Nice, but nothing special.
Prince Caspian: Long, jammy version. Phish has transformed this song from
a throwaway to an anthemic powerhouse. This closed the set.
This was clearly the most uninteresting set of Phish I have ever seen,
and considering that it was the 3rd set of night 2 of the Went, and
considering that Mike's Groove was left unplayed, I expected much, much
more. When Caspian is the highlight of the set, you know you're in
trouble. They had an opportunity to tear the roof off, and while it
would've been hard to top sett II, they could've tried.
E: When the Circus Comes to Town, Tweezer Rep.
Circus was OK. Nothing special, and Tweezer Rep. speaks for itself. But
then something occured that got me thinking.....At the end of Tweezer
Rep., A giant match planted by the band proceeded to to burn the gigantic
wooden sculpture to the ground. All of the work done by the fans, the
cardboard structure created by the band, all up in flames! Why did they
choose to do this? Dang...this seemed a little too "cult" like for my
tastes as I usally associate huge bonfires and 75000+_ people with things
like Klan rallies...although I'm sure this was not the band's intention,
they have to get over themselves! C'mon! What sort of strange message was
this supposed to relay? Take some advice from Zappa and "Shut up and play
'yer guitar". This is just my opinion, but I would have felt a lot better
about the evening had the structure stayed intact and had the 3rd set not
sucked. How does everyone else feel about this?
At any rate, get the first two sets, and get the third if only for
posterity. Here's hoping they learn to control their ego, and keep
shelling out great stuff like Maze and the Gin in set II. Peace out.
Dave G.
--
"If I die of vanity,
promise me, promise me to bury me
somewhere I don't want to be, or dig me up,
and transport me, unceremoniously, away from the
swollen sea breeze, garbage bag trees,
whispers of disease and acts of enormity,
and lower me slowly and softly and properly,
get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy!!!!"
-"The Tragically Hip"
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: 22 Aug 97 00:09:59 EDT
From: "Daniel W. Mielcarz"
Reply-To: "Col. Forbin"
Subject: The Great Went - The Rest Stayed (part 2, 8/17/96)
Okay, by now thousands of people have corrected me for thinking that Trey said
"blue balls" in Makisupa on the first night. It was definitely "goo balls." I
do think blue balls is funnier, though. I guess my mind is in the gutter.
If you really need a disclaimer, check out part one.
Right now, I would like everyone who is complaining about the Went scene to
wait until they get the tapes, listen to them, and then see if you still feel
like complaining. I doubt you will. (Unless you, or someone you know had stuff
stolen. In that case you have every right to complain and I feel for you.
Anyone who had tapes stolen at the Went can take a look at my list and see if I
can replace any of them and I'll help you out. See my sig for the web address.)
8/16/97 was quite possibly the best show I've seen, and I've seen some damn
good shows (12/30/93 comes to mind) and Set 2 from 8/17/97 was the best set of
Phish I have EVER heard, live or on tape. If it comes down to a choice between
your food money for the week or one XLIIS for this set, choose the tape. You
won't be disappointed.
Here's the setlist for quick reference:
8/17/97 Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, ME
Set I:
Wedge
Beauty of My Dreams
Dogs Stole Things
Vultures
Water in the Sky
Maze
Bounicin
Tweezer>
Taste
Carolina
Set II:
Down with Disease>
Page and Fishman Painting Jam>
Bathtub Gin>
Uncle Penn
2001>
Trey and Mike Painting Jam>
2001>
Art Moving Jam
Harry Hood
Set III:
Buffalo Bill>
NICU
Weigh
Guyute
Dirt
Scent of a Mule
Caspian
E:
When the Circus Comes To Town
Tweezer Reprise
On to the music:
Preshow tunes over the PA were a mixture of Elton John, Star Wars and the
Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. I liked it. I also checked out the Beetroots
for ~10 min. Pretty eclectic, and not really my style. But I guess if you are
into the world music thing you might want to check them out.
Set I
Wedge: I'm pretty sure that this was my first Wedge. I was psyched to hear it,
because it is one of my favorite sing along songs in the car. I did restrain
myself at the show however. By now I think everyone has picked up on the
"LIMESTONE blocks so large" thing, but in case you haven't I guess I'll mention
it. This Wedge didn't seem like anything too special, but it was just kind of
special to hear it in the first place.
Beauty of my Dreams: A fun little bluegrass ditty, but nothing to write home
about. It seems like the vocals in this song aren't as solid as in Ginseng or
Uncle Penn, but they haven't been playing it that long.
Dogs Stole Things: I hear the drum beat, I yell with joy, get out my index
card that I am writing the setlist on, write down Mound, then cross it off as
Trey comes in with the opening guitar riff to DST. DAMN!! Oh well, this is a
pretty fun song, and I think the vocals sound good. (Actually, I think the
singing in the new songs is better than some of the old songs; maybe they wrote
the parts closer to their ranges. Fishman in particular, during Ghost, sounds
GREAT.) I would have rather heard mound, but it was good to hear some new
stuff live. It is a pretty cheery song, considering the somewhat dark subject,
IMO.
Vultures: Where have I heard that opening piano riff before? Oh yeah, Keyboard
Kavalry. This was a VERY cool song, with its Irish Jig feel. I can't really
compare it to other versions, but I like it a lot, and hope to hear it again. I
think there could be a pretty interesting jam out of this song, the way it is
set up. We'll see.
Water in the Sky: Okay, it's sappy, cheesy and doesn't have much substance.
But I like the countryesque feel to it. I had fun; what more could I want from
this one?
Maze: This had a little bit of a space intro, which made me feel for sure that
we had a Bowie on our hands. But the Hi-hat turned out to be the Maze version.
This was a pretty ripping version of Maze, but not much more so than a regular
version. I'd say it was above average, just due to the energy of the show, but
nothing to actively seek out.
Bouncin': was Bouncin'. Lots of people signing off-key, like a birthday party
where no one has a clue. I just kept my mouth shut and turned around to see
thousands of people bouncing up and down. It made it worth it.
Tweezer: Now we're getting somewhere. About 20 min. (thanks, ZZYZX) of pure,
unadulterated Phish-style funk (did I see someone call this Type III jamming?).
This was most definitely an above-average Tweezer, and beats the Ball Tweezer
by a lot. This tweezer showed Ghost who was boss in the funk department. The
jam deconstructed into a neat little segue into...
Taste: I was very psyched to hear Taste after some of the reports on the net
about the jams coming out of it. The jam at the end had the now-standard Page
solo and then went into a great Trey solo before finishing up. I'd definitely
recommend this Tweezer>Taste combo as filler, if you aren't into the rest of
the set. (And there really isn't that much to get into, BTW)
Carolina: To my disappointment, Fishman didn't sing the Boy Scout Anthem ;-).
Before the song, Trey talked about the orchestra and all that. Very soon after
they finished up, the orchestra started playing.
Orchestra Set:
I liked last years orchestra set a lot better, and I'm glad that I have the
tapes. This year the orchestra was not that good, IMHO. The started off with a
Debussy string quartet which was SO LOUD. It was louder than Phish. It was
painful. I could not even listen to it without grimacing. They got the sound
turned down a bit for the next song which was a very long fable set to music
about this soldier who sells his fiddle to the devil and gets tricked yadda
yadda yadda he gets his fiddle back and all is well. Trey had introduced this
song by giving a short history of it, which was kind of neat, because it showed
that the band was really into the orchestra. The guy doing the narration to
the story was VERY good, and it was worth listening to just for him. Next
came "Claire de Lune" which I know I am spelling wrong. They repeated the
glider aerial ballet thing from last year which was beautiful. I hope they do
this every year. If you haven't seen it, I feel bad, because it is just that
inspiring. The glider got SO low this year, and landed right outside the
concert grounds. I hope someone told the pilot just how loud the applause was.
The orchestra packed up and it was time to wait for set II.
Set II
[I am going to say once again that this may be the best set of Phish of ALL
time. If you can only have one more set of Phish in your life, this should be
it. It is everything Phish is meant to be.]
Down With Disease (listening to it right now): I heard the spacey intro and I
knew what was coming. Mike slapped the bass riff out and the band got going on
DWD. After the lyrics segment, the jam quickly headed off into Type II
territory with some GREAT work by Fishman. I could feel him holding the whole
thing together. The band was doing some serious listening to one another.
Mike lays down a really fat (yes, with an f) bassline and it slows the whole
band down into a DEEP groove. Pages switches over to the funk synthesizer and
acts as another guitar. Trey takes the lead and throws down a bluesy solo.
Then it mellows out and Trey takes a quiet little guitar solo. Then a slow,
three note repeated line from Mike with Page soloing in the background on the
synth. Trey takes the lead from Page and starts some nice interplay with Page
and Mike while Fishman backs it with a swingish beat. This is definitely the
coolest part of the jam. Then Fishman and Page get up a Mike and Trey play...
Page and Fishman Painting Jam: This jam consists of Mike and Trey having a
sort-of duel (at the same time, not a back and forth thing) while Page and Fish
spraypaint on oddly shaped pieces of plywood on easels at the sides of the
stage. Page finishes way before Fishman and joins in the background of the
jam. Fishman really takes his time with his piece of art, making it look
almost as if it is bleeding. He walks back up to the drum kit and Trey strums
the opening riff to...
Bathtub Gin: [I'll leave the extensive review of this to Benjy, which he will
hopefully do soon] It started off normally. No one knew what was in store with
the jam. We are all dancing around, oblivious to what is about to happen.
Then the jam starts up and BAM!!! We are hit with the Hose. The Golden Hose.
(Again, I don't use this term lightly) This is the type of jam you only dream
about. I got IT. I could see that everyone around me got IT as well (I've
NEVER seen anyone else get IT). My face hurt from the intense smiling. The
tears welled up in my eyes. My friend made a motion of spraying me with a
garden hose. I then made a motion of spraying him with a fire hose. This jam
hit you THAT hard, folks. It built and built and built and built. Pure
transcendence. If I could stop my life at any moment, it would be during that
jam. This IS Phish.
Uncle Penn: came out of the Gin jam. Very fun, we all needed a break. Well
played, no flubs from anyone.
2001: Started of with a spacey little deal that I thought would lead into
Bowie. Then Fish started with the drumbeat to 2001. Mike and Trey then went
to the sides of the stage to do their painting.
Mike and Trey Painting Jam: Page REALLY showed his stuff here. He jammed liked
crazy over the steady 2001 drum beat supplied by Fish. Page impressed me more
during this jam than he ever has. He created and illusion of way more than two
people playing up there. Trey and Mike finished up and then we returned to...
2001: They finally played the main theme to the song, and then delved into a
funky jam that lasted probably 10 min. before they played the main theme again.
This is definitely the best 2001 EVER.
Art Moving Jam: This was right at the end of 2001. Trey explained the whole
art thing, which you all have heard about by now. This was a very mellow jam
while the audience passed the band art over their heads over to the gigantic
sculpture. It sounds a bit Floyd-ish (the mellow parts of Shine on you Crazy
Diamond, maybe).
Harry Hood: The Art Moving Jam ends with Fishman giving the opening drum riff
to Hood. I always find it hard to describe Hood, and this one is no exception.
Trey told Chris to kill the lights so we could look at the stars and the
sculpture. It was beautiful. The massive lightstick throwing during the final
jam was one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life. There was an
unbelievable amount of mutual energy between the band and the fans. I got IT
again. The only time I've ever gotten IT twice in one show, let alone twice in
one set. It was sheer beauty. And the only way they could have ever finished
off the set.
Set III
Buffalo Bill: I was rushing back to my place (with my Tasty Maine Potato) near
the tapers section when they started this song up. I couldn't place it at
first, but it was cool once I figured it out. Nice to hear something they
haven't played in ages, but aside from that it was nothing too special. The was
a neat little segue into...
NICU: as much as I like this song, it was pretty standard. It was still a lot
of fun, though.
Weigh: Woohoo! I always like to hear this one. A fun time was had by all.
Not much else to say here.
Guyute: Oh man, I love this song. It puts the biggest smile on my face. There
was only one little flub from Trey. I'd definitely put this version in second
place behind the 12/29/94 Providence version. And Trey did the dark ending
lyrics which really make the song.
Dirt: This is a very nice new song. Strong imagery. The slow feel let everyone
know the weekend was winding down.
SOAMule: Standard until the duel section. Page went off into this jazzy
little jam which the whole band then joined in. The did this for a little bit
until Trey started on his section. Trey kicked it with the Digital Delay Loop
Jam a la 12/29/94. Now is this jam a derivative of Dave's Energy Guide? I've
never heard Dave's, so I'd like someone who has to tell me. They finished up
Mule without Mike saying the
weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll part, which I didn't
like, but the jam in the middle was neat enough to make up for it.
Prince Caspian: This was an above average version of this song with a
hard-hitting jam at the end. I did hope the set wouldn't end, but I was to be
denied.
The 60000+ lighters before the encore were amazing.
Encore
Circus Comes To Town: I knew they were going to torch the sculpture with the
combination of the lyrics to this song and the gigantic match next to the
sculpture. I thought it would be during this song, but then I remembered that
there was one more song that had to be played...
Tweezer Reprise: If there is ever a song to light something on fire to, this is
it. The fire was HUGE, and the sparks reminded me of that scene in the Right
Stuff where those aborigines make those sparks that John Glenn sees orbiting
the earth. I don't think it left a bad vibe at all; I think it was a
demonstration of the way that Phish starts anew every show. Other people are
more eloquent on this subject, so I'll leave it to them. I would have enjoyed
one more song, however.
Summary:
This was unequivocally the best weekend of my life. The music was SO amazing
that I still can't believe some of it. Get these shows as soon as you can!
I love Phish!
-Dan
--------------------------
[email protected]
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~mielcarz/
"Hello, my name is Dan Mielcarz. I sniff lots of glue."[email protected]
Member of PLM-http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/4489/plm.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 01:30:36 -0400
From: Andrew Van Alstyne
Subject: WENT Review, Pt. IV
Hello,
I haven't yet given the standard review disclaimer. Here goes:
The Great Went featured my eighth and ninth shows...I've been seeing
phish since the summer of 94 and have been listening to the seriously
since 93. I have heard over 400 hours of Phish (probably more) and my
current list includes only a small portion of the shows I have heard.
Although each show I see profoundly affects me, I feel that I can also
be subjective and not ruch off and give every show I see a glowing
review. I've seen "good" and "bad shows" (12/9/95 and 10/16/96, for an
example of each). I feel that 12/95 features the greatest Phish
musically that I've ever heard, and before the second night of the Great
Went, I would have said that 12/31/95 was far and away the greatest
Phish show that I had ever heard -- now it has been challenged.
The Great Went, 8/17/97, Set One
The Wedge, Beauty of My Dreams, Dogs Stole Things, Vultures, Water in
the Sky, Maze, Bouncing Around the Room, Tweezer > Taste, Carolina*
* a cappella
A note on segues...I only denote real segues, and they are marked with a
">"
The preset music was amazingly fun. I got to the gates as they were
opening, and besides a few minutes wondering the concert grounds, most
of my time was spen hanging out at my area (for reference, between the
Soundboard and stage, but closer to the stage; Page side, but close to
the center railing, so more in line with Trey). We sat there and
listened to some mellow Elton John (Rocket Man, Benny & the Jets, etc.)
Some themes from Star Wars were also played at different times to large
eruptions of applause from the audience. The last two songs before
Phish came out were from, imho, the greatest studio album ever: Kind of
Blue by Miles Davis.
The Wedge is a rare song that is a treat to here live. If Phish were to
plug this one into the regular rotation, I feel that it would get very
old very quickly. However as a rare song it's fun to hear. A slight
reference to the Went in the lyrics that went "Limestone blocks so
large." There was a brief jam at the end before it wrapped up.
Beauty of My Dreams followed, and this is one of the best bluegrass
covers the boys do; it has sentimental (cheese) lyrics and a nice fast
tempo. For beauty I prefer Blue and Lonesome, and for dancing I prefer
My Old Home Place (one of my all time favorite bluegrass songs -- if you
like it, check out J.D. Crowe and the New South). This song will not
change much, if at all, from show to show, but it is fun to dance to,
and serves as a capable warm up.
Dogs Stole Things is another slow funky bluesy new song. The opening
fooled lots of people (myself included) because it shared a strong
similarity with the opening drum beats of Mound, but the guy next to me
knew this one immediately, which saved me the trouble of scribbling over
a mistake :)
This song may have potential, but not much was done with it.
Vultures is one of my favorite new songs (along with Ghost and Waiting
in the Velvet Sea). The lyric segment rips with some overlapping fast
lyrics. The jam segment was (unfortunately) brief, but if they ever
kick ass with this one, it's gonna be a scorcher.
Water in the Sky followed, and I really dislike this song. I've only
heard two versionsm, but it's basically a slow ballad, that is musically
boring -- slow and undanceable.
The Maze that followed whipped my ass into shape, especially after the
respite provided by Water in the Sky. I thought that this song had
stagnated beginning in 1995, and that it had been revived during the
Fall of 1996. Dark and Evil don't begin to describe how this Maze
exploded. It was ominously funky. If Type III is a further explanation
of Phish jamming (sort of funky type II from what I gather) then this
song had moments of Type III. Trey had some trouble nailing the
harmonics, but Page pounded his way through the song, and Mike's bass
created an unbelievably evil groove.
After Maze, the band stopped and conversed about what to play next. I
caught Trey mouthing Bouncing, and tried to tell myself that my eyes
were deceiving me (I said to myself: "Maybe he was mouthing 'Mike's' --
Both song titles sound similar :)
However, I was not quite that lucky. I suffered through Bouncing, and
was grateful for the Tweezer that followed.
The first segment was standard -- a decent scream, though, but the jam
was slooooooooow and funky. I think I might have set a record in this
review for the greatest usage if the word "funk," but there is no other
way to describe it. This Tweezer would be the very definiton of Type
III (Phish 2000) jamming. Although Trey sort of led the way in this
song, Mike was extremely solid. The Tweezer was about 20 minutes long,
and was much more akin to the slow Fall 96 Tweezers (esp. the 11/3/96
Karl Perazzo one) than say the 12/95 Balls to the Wall Tweezers
(11/30/95 and 12/2/95, for example). There was some permagroove on this
Tweezer, but it was slower than some of the uptempo permagroove from 95
and 96. I would love to hear Perazzo make another guest appearance with
the band now that they are in their current funky state. I think that
worlds would end, but it would be worth it.
The segue into Taste was a true segue, and the Taste was a lot more
upbeat than the Tweezer. Antone notice a similarity between Taste &
Limb by Limb (the Fog part of Taste, with the Oooh Ooohs, and Fish's
lyrics)...hmmm, they're the same. Now isn't that special (as the Church
Lady would say).
The whole Tweezer >Taste ran just over 30 minutes, and containe a brief
amount of hose (although this is could be argued.)
Carolina to close. Trey told everyone to listen to the String Quartet
play "one of his favorite works," a Debussy String Quartet.
This set was an above average Phish set. There were few surprises as
far as song selection (maybe the first set Tweezer, considering it was a
three set show). There was not only some nice jamming, but a nice segue
between Tweezer and Taste. The Maze was also exceptional. The only
surprise was The Wedge. I'd give the set a 6.5; maybe a 7.0,
considering it was a first set. I'm wavering. I don't know enough
about the new songs to review them properly (I have so standard set in
my mind of what a typical version of each song would/should be like, but
I can guess). My decision will probably change after I hear the tapes,
but I think I'll go with the 7.0
The next installment of this review will deal with the GREATEST set of
music that Phish has ever played. A Set that was almost pure hose. A
set that I still dream of at night.
Long Live the Funk,
Andrew Van Alstyne
http://www.stlawu.edu/x0avana:http/home.htm
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Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 14:31:19 -0400
From: Andrew Van Alstyne [email protected]
Subject: WENT Review, Pt. V
Hello,
The Great Went, 8/17/97, Set II
Down with Disease > Bathtub Gin > Uncle Penn, 2001 (Also Sprach
Zarathustra), Art Story and Jam > Harry Hood
Between the first set and the second set, I had one of my most
entertaining between set experiences. Normally, the crowd tosses beach
balls around during this time. Well, because the crowd was divided in
half by a narrow walkway^� (for security guards and emergency personnel)
we were able to play a game of "volleyball." Everyone got in on the
act; we had a strong chant of "Page side Rules" going for a little
while. There were many balls going, but the "official" one was an
orange cheetoes ball. The game became so catchy that the security
(excuse me, safety) guards even got in on it a little bit.
Onto the set. If you're one of the people that feels Phish has gone
downhill rapidly recently, this review may annoy you.
The boys walked out and began a brief spacey jam that signaled wither
2001 or Down with Disease; Disease it was. I seem to have luck with
Disease...this was my third time seeing it (the other two were SPAC 95,
and last year's Ball). This Disease started off slow, and the jam
segment didn't scream much. The boys were extremely tight, though.
Without tapes, I'm not going to be able to get into the specifics, but
there was not a lot of raging in this Down with Disease...once again,
this was Phish 2000, Type III, pure hose. I don't term something hosed
very often. Of all the shows I've seen, I would only list the SPAC 95
Dwd, and the Albany 95 YEM as hose. This set was the purest of hose.
After about twenty five minutes, the band wound down until it was just
Mike and Trey playing. Before Fishman and Page stopped, they were (as I
recall) all playing licks off of each other, but they were so quick to
pick up on each other, that it was amazing. As Trey and Mike continued,
Page and Fish walked over to their respective side of the stage, and
began spray painting on pieces of cardboard that had been set up before
the set began. For the approx five minutes they were painting, Trey and
Mike were jamming...they weren't just filling time, they were playing
such great dual licks that it was somewhat reminiscent of the Allman
Brothers Band (note: only in sound, there were no teases or anything of
that matter). Page came back, and Mike and Trey had begun the segue
into Bathtub Gin. However, Fishman hadn't made it back yet, so they
toyed around with the intro for a little while longer than normal (not
much).
This Gin was (in my opinion) the greatest ever. Page's keyboard fills
were on fire (for beauty, they're one of my favorite parts of the
song). The composed part was virtually flawless. I only caught one
minor miff from Trey. This song stood out completely from the rest of
the Went, because it contained upbeat Type II jamming, not the slow
funky jamming that is being called Type III. This Gin rocked. Trey
deviated from the normal Gin theme almost immediately, and we dance
forever. ^�As the gin went along, they unleashed more hose on us. The
transition into Uncle Penn started after about fifteen minutes of
intense Gin. We're talking 180 proof, imo.
Uncle Penn was its standard upbeat self, but the segue into it was a
treat.
After Uncle Penn, 2001 was started up, and Trey and Mike went over for
their turn at painting. Again, when there were only two people playing,
it was not fluff or filler, it was outrageous jamming. Fish's drumming
was nice and steady as Page went sick. When the other members returned,
they continued the Type III funk. I felt like I was listening to George
Clinton, it was that funky. This was the greatest 2001 ever played. It
was well over twenty minutes long, and it was as dark and evil as ever.
They built up to Trey's main theme gradually, and they would near it,
back off, near it again, etc. until they finally unleashed.
After the 2001, Trey explained what the spray painting was for. He
spoke of the spirit of improvisational music, and how the band depends
not only upon themselves, but upon the audience. The band has explored
this idea many times, and one of their ideas for the Went was to create
a piece of art with the audience.
To explain, there had been an opportunity to paint almost everything
throughout the weekend. There was paint set up next to the walls
bordering the concert area, there was also a car (a woody station wagon)
that had been painted.
As Trey told his story, the lights pointed two a sculpture that was
about two stories tall that the audience had created. Trey explained
that the band's art was intended to add to the audience's art.
The band passed their art through the audience, where it was added to
the sculpture. They jammed along while this happened, and once their
art made it there, they started up Harry. The first segment was high
energy, but somewhat standard; the Mr minor part was dark anbd funky,
and the final segment was what brought this set to yet anither level.
Trey asked 'topher to kill the lights so the band could jam to the
moon. Well 60,000 people started throwing glowsticks around, and it was
an impressive sight. The band jammed off the glow sticks (in a similar
fashion to how they used to jam off the Big ball jam). When there was
a flurry of glow stick activity the band would be going nuts, and when
they calmed down, the band also mellowed out. It fit so perfectly after
Trey's talk about the importance of the band/crowd interaction.
Near the end, Trey began throwing the glow sticks that he had on stage
into the audience. There was just a general feeling of awe coming from
everywhere....we had all witnessed a beautiful thing, and we knew it.
Trey thanked the audience and told us to get more glow sticks, because
"that was really cool."
This was the greatest set of music that I have ever heard from Phish.
It gets a 9.99 on the concert rating poll. It would be a 10.0, but
there was no Disease reprise. Ok, it was a 10.0 set even without the
Disease reprise.
I feel the need to explain/defend this. Since a 5.0 set features great
jamming, it took hose from every song to attain the 10.0 rating. I feel
that this set featured the best Gin and the best 2001 EVER PLAYED, along
with a top ten disease and Hood. The only non-Hose number was Uncle
Penn, but the transition (>) between the Gin and Uncle Penn made even
that song special. It will translate well to tape.
Please, comment; agree or disagree.
Andrew Van Alstyne
http://www.stlawu.edu/x0avana:http/home.htm
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Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 21:09:50 -0400
From: Andrew Van Alstyne [email protected]
Subject: WENT Review, Pt. VI
Hello,
Here^Rs the final installment:
The Great Went, 8/17/97, Set III:
Buffalo Bill > NICU, Weigh, Guyute, Dirt, Scent of a Mule*, Prince
Caspian
Encore: When the Circus Comes to Town, Tweezer Reprise
*with Mind Left Body Jam
Between the second and third sets, all of the people who were sitting
between the soundboard and stage, on the left side of the center barrier
(when facing the stage) watched one seriously fucked up guy perform. He
fell over once, but Safety was there to talk to him and make sure that
he was alright. He claimed to be Sir Lancelot, and he was looking for
the round table. Everyone was sitting down, and since he was walking
around, he stood out. He lost his shirt at one point, and then his
pants, and then his boxer shorts. In no way were we laughing at this
guy, we were laughing with him. I also want to stress that at no point
did he appear to be in any physical danger (from whatever he had
ingested); he was merely having a good time.
On to the set:
Buffalo Bill is a lyrically fun song. Because it is such a rare ditty,
I didn^Rt really pick it up until the ^Slooking for owls...^T Fun to hear,
I wouldn't mind seeing it appear somewhat more frequently (considering
this was the fourth time it had ever been played, and the first since
12/31/94). Nice dark lyrics, and a brief segue into
NICU. I like this song, but the potential for the jam always goes
unfulfilled. Decent I guess, but this was a let down compared to the
last set (of course, 99% of Phish is a let down when compared to
8/127/97 Set II, imo).
Weigh came next. Another fun little song, but this felt more like a
first set than a third set. The energy was dwindling, but to save the
day, the ugly pig reared its head.
Guyute. Extremely well done. No major flubs on the composed section
(amazing considering the difficulty of this song). The whistling
sounded nice, although I prefer older versions of this song. There was
some nice evil jamming near the end. It was upbeat evil, not the evil
funk jamming that has been featured of late.
Dirt followed, and all the momentum that had been gained with Guyute
evaporated. There was no jam, and the energy during this song sucks.
I^Rve heard other versions I like (ones that seem a bit heavier) but this
version was pure cheese; it reminded me of Strange Design (ok, nothing
that bad).
Then came Scent of a Mule. I^Rm usually ambivalent toward this song, but
I really liked this version. There was no real Mule duel to speak of.
Instead, they all went along, with Page playing his part, and then Tray
doing his part. Someone (I don^Rt remember who) introduced the theme
from the ^SMind Left Body^T Jam. (If you don^Rt know this, check out Phish
6/18/94, set II the jam into Bowie, or the Grateful Dead^Rs album Dozin^R
at the Knick, it^Rs the track called ^SMud Love Buddy Jam.^T)
The Mind Left Body Jam is a fun theme to hear (it^Rs basically a
descending riff). Trey eventually plugged it into his digital delay, so
they were actually doing a digital delay loop jam based upon the Mind
Left Body theme. It was entertaining. SOAMule ended without Mike^Rs
^SWeeeeeeeeelllllllllllll...........^T A fun, strange version of the
song.
An eleven minute Prince Caspian ended the set. I really love this song,
because simple as it is, it builds and releases energy. Trey^Rs trills
were typically gorgeous. I would consider this a well above average
Caspian. No uncharted territories, but plenty of high spirited jamming.
The first encore was When the Circus Comes to Town. A nice song.
That^Rs really all there is to say.
The second encore was Tweezer Reprise, and halfway through it, the huge
sculpture that the band had talked about during the second set was lit
on fire. This was quite a sensory overload. The pure chaos of Tweezer
Reprise was pumping through my ears, and here^Rs this huge pile of stuff
(that^Rs what it was, stuff) blazing. I think the metaphor of the
sculpture carried through its destruction. The band creates music WITH
the audience, but however glorious a thing it is, it^Rs not permanent.
I^Rd give this set a 5.5; I^Rd say it^Rs slightly above average. The Mind
Left Body Jam, the Guyute, and the Caspian contain typically awesome
jamming, and the Buffalo Bill was a rare song, but nothing was mind
blowing. However, it^Rs a bit more than the typical set of Phish.
As for leaving the Went, my friend and I decided to leave immediately.
Of course, we got stuck in traffic, but it was brief. However, since he
was driving it was my mission to walk along side the car and try to find
a grilled cheese sandwich for him. I ended up walking next to the wrong
car, and to make a long story short we got separated. I walked about 5
miles that night trying to find the car. I ended up locating it at 3
am. He had pulled off to the side of the lot, turned the car off, and
gone to sleep. He had no idea that time had passed. Of course he had a
big laugh at my expense :)
We ended up driving for about two hours, and then pulling into a closed
gas station and crashing until the sun came up. The gas station was
hilarious: it was closed, but it was probably more crowded than it had
ever been at any one time before this weekend. There were even people
pitching tents out back.
One final note. We stopped at a rest stop on the way home, and I saw
two elderly women talking to a tour rat about his puppy. It was an
interesting sight to see them so engrossed in his dog that they were
able to ignore his appearance. Northern Maine is a pretty cool place
:-) I hope the festival is there next year.
Andrew Van Alstyne
http://www.stlawu.edu/x0avana:http/home.htm
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