Subject:The tour in review so far - Madison Square Garden Night 1
From: AABRAMS@SPRINGER-NY.COM (Allan Abrams)
Another night, another show. I'm in New York City, so this was my hometown
gig. I'm so used to being on tour and on the road to see Phish that it's
kinda strange to see a hometown show. I work only 10 blocks from MSG, so I
got off work at 5 and just strolled on over to the show. It is very weird
to just leave work and be at the show in five minutes.
The band is just starting to groove now. Buffalo and MSG have been the
"tightest" shows so far. Actually most of the shows have been fairly
tight,
but I feel the power and energy of the band really began to take off in
Buffalo. Unfortunately, just like the summer tour, there have been very
few
"monster" jams. However, the jams during the last two shows have been very
good. Not too spacey and full of the groove. Last night was a particularly
good show. The quality of this show is not indicated in the setlist. The
jams during several songs were wonderful, melodic and flowing. Most jams
section were very tight and Trey pulled out several "machine gun" Trey
solos throughout the night. The key word to describe Phish right now is
"tight". They're not really stretching out too far. They're mostly keeping
jams under control and on the energetic side. I've been a bit unhappy with
Phish shows over the summer and so far on this tour because I like the
spacier, more psychedelic Phish. I'm a sucker for 30 minute Bowies and
Tweezers and those just aren't happpening as much anymore. If you dislike
space and like the tighter Phish jams then you will like the direction the
band seems to be headed in at this time.
I'm not gonna post the entire setlist because you'll see it posted
elsewhere. The started out with another redition of the Star Spangled
Banner. The crowd was not nearly as enthusiastic for this version as they
were in Penn State. The crowd loved it, but believe it or not the huge MSG
crowd was not nearly as loud as the Penn State crowd was. This time we
could here the entire version. In fact, I was surprised Phish played this
again so soon. I really didn't expect it to become a regular part of the
rotation. I thought they would only do it once or twice to practice up for
that big Lakers game.
I don't really have too much to say about the first set. It was great to
hear Ginseng Sullivan again. I wish they'd play this bluegrass jam more
often. They seem to always repeat the same old bluegrass songs over and
over. So, Ginsneg was a nice treat since they don't do it as often as they
used to. I want to hear Blue and Lonesome and $2 Bill some more too!!
Stash and Possum had their good jams as usual. I was waiting for the first
Possum of the tour and here it was in the Big Apple. Neither version of
Stash or Possum was "monsterous". They were very good, though.
The second set contained some fine jamming throughout. It was a very
energetic set. The Reba was the first highlight of the second set. A
wonderful, soaring, gorgeous piece of work. This jam was just so damn
pretty. Excellent work from the band. I don't recall this Reba being
anything different or unusual. It was just a beautiful sounding song.
Maze also had a great jam section. Very energetic and frantic. This song
is
sooooo much better than it used to be. Life on Mars is one of the most
powerful slow songs I have ever heard. This song is really growing on me.
If they play it alot I'll be sick of it. But if it stays in light rotation
it's a real gem in the setlist.
The best song of the night was Simple. I rarely say that about Simple, but
this was a fantastic version. It was the only song of the night where it
seemed like Phish was improvising the jam and trying to explore different
sounds and textures. It got a bit spacy, but not much. It started off very
powerful and fast like Simple always does. But, eventually it turned into
a
gorgeous jam similar to the Reba. This Simple just became a thing of utter
beauty. It was kinda of mellow but in a very good way. It was the kind of
mellow jam where you just close your eyes and listen to the wonderful
sounds of the music and imagine you're somewhere else. Just breathtaking
stuff. I want to hear this Simple again to see if I still feel the same
way
about it. Horse>Silent was a nice way to follow up the Simple. I love this
pairing. I think Silent in the Morning is also one of the most beatiful
songs in the Phish rotation and prefer to hear it over any of the newer
ballads. David Bowie rocked out the second set. THe Bowie was good, but I
didn't think the jam in Bowie was quite as good as the jams in Simple,
Maze
or Reba on this night.
Funky Bitch sent us on our Funky way down to the Knitting Factory to Funk
out with Medeski, Martin and Wood.
Funk you,
...AJ...
Don't let ANYONE tell you the sound in MSG sucks. I've been seeing shows
there for years and that arena is one of the best sounding arenas in the
country. And the sightlines to the stage from your seats are great. THe
ushers usually let you hang in most of the aisles. You can sneek around
easily so you can catch the show with your buddies. It's a fantastic
venue.
The most famous arena in the world. It is THE SHIT. And it sounds AMAZING.
Especially on the floor.
--------------------------------------------------
Subject: 10/21 MSG Review
From: stephyny@aol.com (Stephyny)
*****Note from Steph...
This isn't my review, it is my friend Andrey's whom I travelled to Europe
with, so......
Review for Madison Square Garden Monday, October 21st, 1996
The show ended about and hour and forty-five minutes ago.
Set I: 8:05-9:09
Star Spangled Banner, Sample, CTB, Sloth>Divided Sky, Character Zero,
Ginseng Sullivan, Stash, Waste, Possum
Set II: 9:50-11:20
Wilson>Chalkdust>Wolfman's>Reba, Train song, MAze, Life on
Mars>Simple>Horse>Silent in the AM, Bowie E: Funky Bitch
The scene around MSG was wierd. This was my roomates first show and I
hoped everything would be cool, inside and out. There were lots of narcs
giving out tickets for drinking, posession, etc. The security inside the
show wasn't much better at least in my section of the floor, with lots of
kids getting kicked out for what is generally normal behavior at a phish
show. Ticket checking was severe and they were smart. Apparently someone
had told them what crtowd Phish draws and they took it to the extreme in
the treatment of us.
I hope for a crazy show that wouldn't be filled with repeats and would
have high energy. I guessed we would get Cavern and Possum. Maybe Mike's,
maybe Timber Ho. I didn't do to well in my predictions.
Star Spangled Banner a capella was interesting and left the show's
direction still open...and then they played Sample and made me worry about
their intentions here. Cars Trucks Buses is new but I like it and this
version was well played and upbeat, with Trey on percussion. Now Sloth
makes my show anyday but this was slightly undermotivated in the beginning
but ended strongly into Divided Sky which was pretty much perfect in its
rendition. This combo was nice to hear but wasn't as well-played as it was
on 5/5/92 from Cincinatti. Character Zero is much like CTB, its new but I
like it more than any of the other new songs. Ginseng Sullivan was nice to
hear. Stash was the obvious highlight of the set. Building slowly and
deliberately, the jam unfolded at a perfect pace, amazing me every couple
of minutes. The ending was quite rousing. Waste makes me sick. Possum to
close the first set got me my only prediction of the night. It started out
well, with some expansiveness in the intro but then became rushed and
while it rocked, it didn't reallly go anywhere and ended too damn soon. I
had hoped for something stellar to end the first set but this version
paled in comparison to the one from New Haven this past fall tour.
Set II started out with a powerhouse Wilson>Chalkdust. Let me take this
time to mention the glue that helf the show together: Mike Gordon. He
always strikes me as the hardest member to rouse but he was all over every
song tonight loud and present inthe mix and outdoing himself. Wolfman's
Brother caught me off guard but it was a well-played break song. Reba was
nice, with a confindent beginning but much like Possum in the first set,
it didn't take off in the way that these jam-based songs are supposed to.
Reba was to short and while it did sound great, I've heard better. Here's
the weird thing. Twice during Reba, in the fast verses and in the
beginning of the slow jam, the entire crowd started to clap. I don't know
what to make of that. Train song was cute when they premiered it in Europe
this summer but it's lost its novelty. Maze was fat as hell, with great
Page and nice disco lighting by Kuroda. Life on Mars is not a song I like
to talk about. Neither is Simple but the version was cool when it went
exploratory with Trey again on percussion but then proceeded to get boring
and then go into Horse>Silent. Things were way too mellow and Bowie was
the answer. Presumably to make up for the bad one played recently, this
was a monster, much like Stash in its deliberate buildup. The end sounds
like you're taking off in a huge Boeing 747. Listen to it! After the set,
lighters went on everywhere to compliment the cheesy clapping during Reba.
Things are strange these days. Funky Bitch as the encore was much better
than the Cavern I expected.
Highlights were Stash, Sloth, D. Sky, Chalkdust, Maze and Bowie. This is
one of the most solid Mike performances I have heard recently. My friends
loved it. I gave it a 6.5 but I'm picky and don't like total repeat shows
with only a couple of new tunes. But still, it can't be that bad, I'm
going on tour.
Gefilte Phish
------------------------------------------
Subject: Pork Chop's Reviews 10-21-96 (and tour surprises/changes)
From: Chris Glushko
SCENE: Not too rockin outside the garden, lots of security, and they
wouldn't let anyone party in the Park N Lock. It was very dry outside as
far as shirts, food, as well as other 'stuff'. There was way too many
miracle seekers. If I heard the words "kick down" one more time from
some sixteen year old kid in a 420 shirt..........
INSIDE MSG: Pretty mellow, the energy level was high at first, but no
where near that of past shows. Lots of Assholes jumping over people on
the floor and running from security (the same ones asking for a miracle).
THE SOUND: Very good, Mike was loud, but could still get louder. The
major problem was loosing Page in the mix. Paul did a much better job in
the past shows at MSG.
THE SURPRISES: Mike's glow in the dark outfit. Also, Mike's way into
the Jams. He seems very fired up on this tour. Another surprise was a
lack of Page. I thought he dominated Fall 95. He was no where near that
level.
THE LIGHTS: Basically the same light show, however it got to be too much
at points. Chris had the lights spinning and shining into the crowd way
too much. I find it hard to get into a groove when you are squinting
every ten seconds.
TREY: About as cheezey as I've scene him. The wild leg kicks have got
to go. Luckily, he mellow out a little more during the second set.
THE SONGS:
STAR SPANGLED BANNER-awesome opener, the whole place was fired up
SAMPLE IN A JAR-dissapointing, jammed a little harder than usual
CT&B's-good, everybody was dancing, well played and placed.
THE SLOTH-definate surprise, but not as energetic as I've seen. I think
alot had to do with a very new crowd.
DIVIDED SKY-I love this song, and the play was good, but way too CHEEZZY!
It seemed very fake, and kind of stupid. There was no passion to it.
CHARACTER ZERO-good song, but Trey was really being an ASS. When I
closed my eyes I liked it alot better. He was dancing around, kicking
his legs, and doing everything he could to make himself look like a rock
star. I don't mind the antics, but save them for a really intense jam
when they mean something, not on a new song to impress newbies.
GINSENG SULLIVAN-Nice to hear, but at this point I've seen the band play
better.
STASH--Nice, real nice. They made up for earlier with a great rendition
of this one. Trey finally stopped cheesing and started playing.
WASTE--The new song that I wasn't looking forward to seeing live wound up
being a highlight. The music really gives you a nice warm feeling.
POSSUM-didn't think I was going to get it. Pretty standard for a Possum,
but they are all great.
SET II
WILSON-Always fun, but hoped for more
CHALKDUST-great smokin Chalkdust, I'm not a fan of the placement (belongs
in the first set), but this one was great
WOLFMAN' BROTHER-I think this is one of the most underrated songs. The
lyrics are fun, great grooves, nice jam, and most important--everybody
danced.
REBA-Second set Reba, I was psyched. The Reba didnt' set any records,
but there was a Fire on the Mountain Jam in there. This was the first
song to get the 2 Dad's with their 12 year old kids sitting near me to
get up and clap at the end.
TRAIN SONG-I like the song, but I was not a fan live. It doesn't go
anywhere and has no energy. This definately does not belong in the
middle of the second set.
MAZE-I'm not big on maze, but this one smoked.
LIFE ON MARS-My first, and I definately liked it, pages vocals were
great.
SIMPLE-Awesome. At first, I didn't like the placement, but then they
added an extendo jam that made it worthy of its late second set slot.
The jam got totally 70's. Great jam and segue into.....
THE HORSE/SILENT IN THE MORNING-One of my favorite songs and very fitting
after the long simple jam.
DAVID BOWIE-short, but jammed hard. There's not much you can expect for a
bowie 10 songs into the set.
E: FUNKY BITCH-I hoped for more, but Pages extended B-3 solo was nice.
Also, good vocals by Mike.
Anyway, that's it. A good show and considering I was only able to make
one show on summer tour it was great to see the guys playing.
later,
Chris
--------------------------------------------
Subject: MSG 10/21/96 Setlist + Review
From: wrzeszcz@chopin.udel.edu (Kazim Wrzeszczynski)
10/21/96 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
set 1:
Star Spangled Banner* (8:05pm)
Sample in a Jar
Cars Trucks Buses
The Sloth
Divided Sky (8:18pm)
Character Zero (8:31pm)
Ginseng Sullivan
Stash (8:41pm)
Waste (8:55pm)
Possum (9:10pm)
set 2:
Wilson (9:50pm)
Chalk Dust Torture
Wolfman's Brother
Reba (10:09pm)
Train Song (10:21pm)
Maze
Life on Mars (10:35pm)
Simple->Jam->
The Horse->
Silent in the Morning
David Bowie (10:58pm)
encore:
Fun-key Bitch (11:14pm)
*a capella
Well played out show. I asked someone what they thought and they said
they are playing tight and spacey. I don't know whether he meant tight in
a good sense or bad. Personally for me it was tight in a good sense. They
are playing with full concentration. Trey's head doesn't bob up during the
solos, so you know he's concentrating and not just flying by the seat of
his pants. This definitely led to a more mellow, but relaxed show. Not to
many "climactic" tension release moments, but just well played out grooves
and jams. Not the phish of '94 after Hoist came out or the summer before
Hoist came out.
Highlights:
A hypnotic Stash, a great Mike sounding Possum to close set 1. BTW -
This was definitely Mike's show, we had I think 5 songs that Mike either
sang or wrote, and he was great (in that neon green suit, he clashes with
the light show). Character Zero.
Reba. Maze had an incredible Page solo in the middle of it with Trey
playing some great accompanying guitar, he may have been teasing
something, however I'm not so good at picking up teases. The Jam after
Simple was mostly Page intensive, and then faded almost to a stop, but The
Horse came in instead.
Life on Mars had Page once again showcasing both with voice and on the
keys. Great short grooving Bowie and a great closing bluesy FB.
More thoughts on the style of playing after tomorrow night show, we'll see
if they keep up the mellow steady feel. Sounds Good!!!
One last thing, no beer at MSG, concession man said that after the crowds
in Dec. they decided not to sell beer at the concert beacause it's usually
a "young crowd". Hey at least they had the Yankee game on the TV's at the
concession stands. No beer at MSG is like not being able to play Red
Rocks, you know what I mean... ;)
Peace,
Kaz
wrzeszcz@udel.edu
Kazdeyna@aol.com
For those who are interested Trey did not play at MMW's Monday Night Shack
Party after the show.
-------------------------------------------
Subject: 10/21/96 - MSG - Setlist & Review (long)
From: Zach Scheiner
Greetings all,
I returned _way_ too late last night to post a review, so here's my
attempt to do so on three hours sleep :-) It was my 22nd Phish show, but
my first in ten months (god, _ten_ months, that may be the longest break
I've ever had). Anyway, without further ado, here's the setlist:
I: (65 min.) Star-Spangled Banner, Sample, CTB, The Sloth, Divided Sky,
Character Zero, Ginseng Sullivan, Stash, Waste, Possum
II: (80 min.) Wilson, Chalkdust, Wolfman's Brother, Reba, Trainsong,
Maze, Life on Mars, Simple->The Horse->Silent, David Bowie
Encore: (5 min.) Funky Bitch
Pre-Show: Arrived early, not a huge scene outside (this is NYC), no
hassles
getting in, excellent seats (fifth row center, thank you mail-order!!),
met a few kind people, basically a great pre-show ambience. I brought a
friend who hadn't seen Phish seen '92, and although he was a bit in awe
of MSG, he _loved_ the show. Like a few people who added to the "Going to
shows alone" thread, I often feel responsible for the happiness of people
I bring to shows, but last night it was no problem. There's nothing like
reacquainting someone with an old friend :-)
Set I: Star-Spangled Banner opened up and was hardly audible due to the
deafening cheers. I hope the Lakers fans are more respectful ;-) It was
strange hearing this at a Phish show, I think it has too many
associations and connotations for me. Maybe I was expecting to hear Trey
say "Play Ball!" or something afterwards. Sample was standard, but got me
pumped because I knew that I wouldn't hear it again for the next two
nights. That's an unexpected bonus of not repeating songs I guess. Cars,
Trucks, and Buses was nice, although it was rudely interrupted by a guy
pushing into our row and proceeding to tell me how excited he was to be
at the show so close (even though his ticket wasn't for the floor).
Quickly I said, "Hey, don't talk during the song doood. I mean, mellow."
Sometimes it helps to speak the language ;-) The Sloth was rocking, and
Divided was beautiful, as to be expected. Character Zero was a surprise,
because I don't like it on the album (the chorus sounds too cheesy), but
the end had a nice jam that has the potential to be extended a la Julius.
Ginseng Sullivan was a nice break, although I like it better acoustic.
Trey flubbed minorly, and then fucked up _majorly_ in between the first
and second verses of Stash. I was worried that the jam would be affected,
but it SMOKED!! Definitely the highlight of the set. Waste was terrible,
and horrible placement too, following the killer Stash jam. The intro. to
Possum was strange. I'm convinced that Trey wanted to play something
else, 'cause it took him awhile to find that Possum riff _and_ he kept on
looking strangely at Fishman at the beginning. A below average Possum
resulted, with a jam that just didn't really go anywhere. Rating on the
Scott Jordan scale: 5.5.
Set II: Wilson opener, nice choice. Trey seemed _really_ psyched when
everyone was chanting "Willllson!" He just loves crowed interaction,
especially at a place as huge as MSG. A great Chalkdust followed, the jam
surprises me everytime. I expect an average Chalkdust and instead, it
rocks! I guess the average Chalkdust is a lot better than I imagine.
Wolfman's Brother was fine, a nice, funky little break. Next came, REBA!!
One of my _favorite_ songs. Just a gorgeous building jam section from
Trey that made my head spin. Half way through I thought it was one of the
best Reba's I'd heard, but it didn't reach a climax like 10/31/94,
5/16/95, or even 12/31/95. I rank it just below 12/31/95, with an opening
jam section that rivals all of them. Trainsong was nice, Trey's guitar
really gives the feeling of riding on the rails. I wish Mike's vocals
were a little clearer though. A great Maze followed. I was thankful that
this wasn't a "scary" version of Maze (like 7/1/95), because sometime I
think it gets a little dark (not always a bad thing). This one just had a
ton of energy. Life on Mars, blah, they've only found fossils in a
meteorite anyway ;-) A good Simple featuring a spacy jam with Trey on
percussion (I'm guessing that Placid's jam was better) that faded into
Horse/Silent. I usually am a fan of this, but even more so when it's
followed up by Bowie! Our second hi-hat intro. of the night (after Maze)
so there was no doubt about it. This was a smoking Bowie that never
strayed too far (unlike 7/3/95 for example). Lots of great Trey guitar
work. An excellent closer! Overall, a 7.0 for the second set.
Encore: I was prepared for a Cavern or Golgi, in other words, I was
prepared for the worst, but they surprised me with Funky Bitch! A great
song, a perfect encore. Glad they brought this one back with a vengeance.
Overall show rating: 6.5
Thanks for reading this far, I'll see you tonight at MSG or tomorrow
night at Hartford. Tonight I'll be in Section 1, Row Q, wearing a
tee-shirt that says: "Mack: Looking Good '91" (Don't ask....)
Zach
"Phish never listens, to what I say.... play Curtis Lowe!!"
---------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: 10/21 MSG Setlist
From: Hal Charych
Some quick thoughts about the show ( I'll post a full review along woth
10-22 tommorrow)
Star Spangled Banner was a great surpirse!! I guess they're practicing
for that Laker game.
Sloth was a real trea but nothing special....
Character Zero- KICKED ASS!! Great jam at the end, Trey going NUTS!!
Stash....FANTASTIC!! The badn jumped from theme to theme in unison, found
one that really clicked and jammed the hell out of it...really
intense...6.5-7.5 (out of 10, 5 being the average)
Waste>
'Possum was a good 1-2 combo...seamless segue way....
II:
Maze smoked...Page went apeshit and carried the jam on his back, Trey
couldn't carry the momentum though....
Simple>Jam...very distince groove evolved out of the Simple outro jam,
Mike laid it down, Page then caugfht on, and again carried it on his
back....used the piano, synth, and organ. trey stayed onpercussion
kit...and added a little UMPH to the ending....
David Bowie...very intense but nothing particularly special
Funky Bitch, props to the guy in the 2nd-3rd row with the sign, and the
band delivered...
I'd probably give this show a 5.0-5.5, had alot of potential but at times
just didn't click. However, where my seats were the sound wasn't very
clear so I could be mistaken...
can't wait for tommorrow...hopefully a Mike's>H2>Weekapaug is on the
agenda, this tour hasn't seen one yet, what's up with that?
Fitz
----------------------------------------
Subject: MSG 10/21 highlights
From: Nick Johnston
Two words: Chalk Dust. After a fun first set (Sloth and Ginseng made it
for me), I had my heart set on something epic for the second set.
Instead, we found insane improv somewhere new, making it so much more
exiciting (and leaving the chance of a MikeS for tonight). After a
powerhouse Wilson (becoming an NYC tradition ;), they cranked up Chalk
Dust and took that fucker outSIDE! Bleaugh!! So fast, so electric, and
SO intense -- Trey began accentuating each small peak with deeper and
deeper knee bends, and when it all came to a stop, each of them were
grinning that wide "how the hell did that happen?" grin. Reba was more of
a subtle fragile beauty then a soaring wonder, and Train Song was the
perfect way to follow it up. Maze was similarly powerful, and following
the Chalk Dust trend, went a little further then it usually does. It
sounded like they wedged one more jam then usual in there. The Simple jam
was kinda creepy, with Page hunched over his Hammond, making love to it
Medeski-style.. And no one went wrong with the Funky Bitch encore. After
we all filed outside, I remember that I didn't get the MikeS I was wishing
for... it made no difference whatsoever :)
lovin' life,
Nick
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
"These are interesting times. We don't trust the government, we
don't trust the legal system, we don't trust the media, and we
don't trust each other. We've undermined all authority, and with
it, the basis for replacing it...it's like a six-year-old's dream
come true!" - Calvin
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
------------------------------------------------
Subject: 10/21 review
From: juddserlen@juno.com (Judd R Serlen)
Hey Teddy...well here goes...I'm also posting this on the net and it'll
be my first attempt at doing so...it probably won't be as detailed as
some of the postings on the net since I can't fully lose myself in the
music and evaluate all the nuances of the jams at the same time but,
you'll get the gist...
I: Star Spangled Banner (a capella) II: Wilson
Sample Chalkdust Torture
Cars, Trucks & Busses Wolfman's Brother
Sloth Reba
Divided Sky Train Song (electric)
Character Zero Maze
Ginseng Sullivan (electric) Life on Mars
Stash Simple
Waste (electric) Horse-->Silent in the Morning
Possum Bowie
E: Funky Bitch
OK, now for some details...Star Spangled Banner? If you're gonna play
the Garden, what else could be more appropriate to open? It sounds
amazing but it's a little hard to hear them because people are screaming
throughout the rendition (something I guess I'll have to get used to).
Sample...standard, he wails at the end of course.
Cars, Trucks & Busses...nothing unusual...sounded great as always.
Sloth...Oh my lord!! What can I say...this one's always a pleaser and I
was TRULY surprised to hear them play it.
Divided Sky...I always forget how good this song really is until I hear
it again...the middle is truly the most beautifully written ballad of
notes and tonites was no different (except there was one little part
where Mike came in late, but they recovered successfully, as they usually
do)...the jam at the end wasn't as long as usual I don't think, but it
was impressive none the less.
Character Zero...This song ROCKS live as I knew it would...Trey's guitar
sounded a little muddled during the solo at the end but that was probably
a function of where I was sitting and those lovely acoustics in the
Garden.
Ginseng Sullivan...Have they played this since that New Year's in 93? It
was strange to hear it played electric and I had a hard time enjoying it.
Stash...With the exception of one major screw up by Trey during the main
riff of the song, this was a great Stash. Where does it stand in the
continuum of Stash's? I'd say average, maybe slightly above, but not
much.
Waste...truly a beautiful song...Trey gets this real ethereal yet still
rootsy sound to his guitar and Page's soloing was very tasteful (no BB
pun intended). Forget all the complaints about Phish writing slow songs
and pulling away from what drew phans to them in the first place...It's a
great song (and it provided a VERY useful rest as you'll see when you get
to the next song...)
Possum...another song that never fails to please...it wasn't as hot as
some of the Possums in the early 90's, but it's way, way up there...a
great way to end the set. Again, it seemed that Trey's guitar wasn't in
the mix properly because you couldn't hear the usual definition in his
riffs (maybe the acoustics again?)
Wilson...I actually called this one which made it even more joyous when
they came out with that signature "E" riff...this version ROCKED...even
the pre-"blat, boom..." dissonance sounded better that usual.
Chalkdust...What can I say...some songs Trey excels at and this is one of
them...the song actually reached such a height that at the end, when Trey
plays the jam's closeout riff, you couldn't hear the first few bars
because Page and Mike and Fish were jamming with such intensity!
Wolfman's Brother...this used to be a letdown at shows until I really
started listening to it as of late. They've put a funky edge to the song
and it no longer sounds the same...plus, Trey's wah pedal work, combined
with some very well placed trills simply filled out the song...Did Trey
always sing the high end vocals at the end of this song? I always
thought it was Page, but I guess those vocal lessons REALLY made a
difference...He was awesome!
Reba...Again, this is one of those classics that will never die in my
eyes...I can never hear it too many times...the middle fugue section was
nearly perfect, with some very minor flubs (but you try playing the same
part as the keyboard is playing only a half beat away without listening
to what's being played)...the jam at the end was absolutely beautiful (it
deserves SO much more more to be said about it, but how many adjectives
can be used to say the same thing?).
Train Song...Oh boy have these guys learned how to sing and harmonize!
There is such a marked difference between their abilities now and those
of six years ago...I don't think I could have listened to them sing a
song like this then but I stood in awe...again, Trey had that great sound
to his guitar and Mike can really sound angelic when he sings in the high
register.
Maze...I haven't heard a Maze this dissonant in a long, long time...I
think Trey actually put fear in me with some of the bends he was
doing...as usual, my neck hurt tremendously by the end of this one
although I did feel it took Page longer than usual to reach the frantic
beauty his solo usually reaches.
Life on Mars...another slow point, but not necessarily a bad one. I
never understood why they chose a Bowie tune (except that it was
immensely appropriate to play it over the summer to coincide with the
discovery) but they do it very well...Trey hits those scale runs
flawlessly.
Simple...the jury is still out on this one...this is one of my favorite
jam-out songs, esecially for Trey (so have you gotten the hint that I am
a HUGE Trey fan?) but I'm not so sure about where it went when Trey
stopped playing and went to his drums...It was great for a while
especially when carrying the weight of the song fell on Page, but I did
feel it dragged on a little too long and slowed down the second half of
the set.
Horse-->Silent...bad placement I think...based on my opinion above, this
song came at the wrong time. It's a "singalong" and I needed a kick in
the ass since I got bored with the very extended Simple. But, luckily-->
Bowie...Ah, we're back to the "old school" David Bowie...I had become a
little disheartened with Bowie first of all because, as fate would have
it, almost every show I saw had a Bowie in it. All in all, I was hearing
way too many of them and they seemed a little more "spacious" than the
older versions which were "frantic". I don't dislike when Trey takes on
that sort of "textural" mode of playing (ie in the buildup of Slave)...it
definitely has it's place (like in Slave), but my favorite thing about
Bowie was the sheer insanity I was placed in while it was on. Luckily,
the band must have been in that frantic state of mind because, with the
exception of the Bowie I saw on 11/30/92, this was one of the best
Bowie's I've ever seen.
Funky Bitch...this is a great song and it also happens to be one of my
favorite encores...this was perhaps the best version I have
heard...during his jam, Page hit and held a note on the Hammond that
could have shattered glass...It was UNREAL...nuff said!
Even though I had a fantastic time, overall, I would only consider this
show to be an average one...maybe a six (6) thanks to the Sloth, Divided
Sky, & Reba we heard. Let it be known though, that I have a hard time
being really critical of these guys. Last night was my 65th show and I
have yet to say I saw a bad one...Every show is a pleaser and I tend to
go with and enjoy whatever creative phlow the band zeroes in on.
Nonetheless, in my opinion, I can only place this show in the middle of
my own personal continuum.
Hope my first posting is an acceptable one. Feel free to let me know.
*--Long live the Cosmic Hippo!--*
Judd
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Subject: 10/21 MSG Review
From: sydster@ix.netcom.com(Syd Schwartz)
SOUND: The overall sound was a little muddy (at MSG? Shocking!;) I
thought Page's piano sound was thin(sounded more like a toy piano than
a grand) and Trey got very lost in the mix during several key jams
(Divided Sky, Maze). Mike was mixed loud and solid throughout.
SCENE: Mellower than my last MSG Phish experience (12/30/94). Security
was trying hard to keep the aisles clear and people were for the most
part cooperative. Cops outside were trying to keep people moving along
and dumping beers, but not with the degree of animosity I recall from
mid 80s Dead shows. One of them even had a sense of humor.
SONGS:
Star Spangled Banner-Good harmonies, no liberties taken with the
arrangement.
Sample-Is Sample. Not a favorite song, but competently played.
Cars, Trucks, & Buses-Trey on percussion sounds good. This song has a
great groove, and Page seems to really enjoy himself playing it.
Again, nicely played but nothing spectacular.
Sloth-This was a nice surprise. Great fills by Page. Mike was laying
down great basslines.
Divided Sky-This was the Phish song that I walked in on at my first
show (11/27/92 Capitol Theatre, Porchester NY) and to this day it
continues to amaze. This was a really good rendition, though Trey was
lost in the mix as the song progressed. Mike kicked ass throughout.
(Play the 7/15/92 version if you've got it--it rules...)
Character Zero-This song demonstrates lots of potential. I'm not
terribly fond of the BB studio version, but they can do great things
with this live. I thought the jam at the end was well played, but a
little forced. Crowd seemed to really love it.
Ginseng Sullivan-The usual.
Stash-Excellently played. Nice build during the jam. Mike hit a low
note at one point that I was convinced could be felt for several miles.
Waste-The vocals were not as good as the studio version, but otherwise
the song was well done.
Possum-Somewhat uninspired. Page's piano sound was really bothering me
here.
--------------------------
Wilson-I had predicted this would open the first set. Tight and heavy.
Mike's low notes should be registered as lethal weapons.
Chalkdust Torture-Again, very tight, very energetic, good solos
throughout.
Wolfman's Brother-Caught me by surprise. I was really digging Trey's
wah-wah effects. Well played, nothing out of the ordinary.
Reba-Trey was lost in the mix early on, and chumped a couple of his
lines during the intricate drum part. I found this version to be OK,
certainly not the best I've heard. Mike was playing some phenomenal
intricate lines. Great Fishman drums as usual. The crowd was clapping
along at one point which was an interesting addition.
Trainsong-I like this tune. Great vocals.
Maze-Page's solo was the highlight of the evening for me. No holds
barred, lashing out with complete furious abandon, Page proceeded to
instigate a Jackie Chan-esque attack on his Hammond. This solo was
just completely sick in every sense of the word. Trey's solo was also
great, but paled in comparison to Page's onslaught. This was beyond
phat, it was positively obese.
Life On Mars-Perfectly executed. It's clear that the guys are really
enjoying playing this song. Solid all the way around.
Simple-Started off standard, the jam at the end was really good. They
took a couple of sharp left turns towards the end of the jam that were
great.
Horse->Silent-Melodic playing, vocals were slightly off. It sounds
pretty much the same as it always does.
David Bowie-Rocked hard. Really tight overall, GREAT playing by Mike.
Tremendous energy throughout.
Funky Bitch-Glad to see this one. Well played, and clearly a crowd
fave.
Overall, a really good show. It wasn't filled with awe inspiring jams
or free-form explorations, but it was very solidly played. Did anyone
go to the Shawn Lane/Jonas Hellborg/Apt. Q258 show @ the Wetlands last
night after MSG?
Regards,
Syd
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Subject: 10-21-96 Review
From: zomo
10/21/96
Madison Square Garden, New York City NY
I: The Star Spangled Banner*, Sample in a Jar, Cars Trucks Buses, The
Sloth,Divided Sky, Character Zero, Ginseng Sullivan, Stash, Waste,
Possum
II: Wilson, Chalk Dust Torture, The Wolfman's Brother, Reba, Train
Song, Maze, Life on Mars, Simple, The Horse > Silent in the Morning,
David Bowie
E: Funky Bitch
* acapella
I: 65 min, II: 90 min
Wow, let me just say this was an incrdibly fun show, and virtually
stress-free except for the incredibly number of pigs lurking around MSG
and the anal-retentive ticket checkers.
My friends were sitting first level up center, 8 rows back which
was
suprisingly not too crowded for the first set. Ended up sitting right
next to some friends I hadn't seen in years, and two cool middle-aged
guys who fed us reese's peanut butt cups.
STAR-SPANGLED-BANNER- a nice-opener if I could've heard it over the
noise level. I had to be a complainer, but when will people learn to be
quiet during acapella numbers?
Sample- pretty standard, but it gets the blood-rushing.
CTB- Yes!!! 3rd time I've heard this song and I always love it. Trey
messed around a little on his drum kit.
SLOTH- Good song to hear, though nothing about it really sticks out in
my memory.
DIVEDED SKY- a great song, but fairly standard. Very drawn out guitar
by Trey towards the end.
CHARACTER ZERO- I don't know, this song just doesn't cut it with me. I
feel like Kiss should be playing this song and not Phish.
GINSENG SULLIVAN- hell yeah! I'm a big fan of Ginseng, even though it's
not heavily improvised upon, it's great to hear.
STASH- the highlight of the first set. Trey fucked up after the last
verse, but made up for it with some incredibly spacey guitar work
that never got boring.
WASTE- I sat down for this, thinking that it would be the end of
the set, but no->
POSSUM- Kind of standard but an awesome way of closing out the set.
SET BREAK-Lots of sweaty people flowing through the halls and long lines
at the water fountain. Found some friends and checked out the new Phish
merchandise.
WILSON-Ah, man. Third time in a row I've heard this song,
unfortunately. This wilson didn't sound as slick as it usually does so
it was much more enjoyable.
CHALKDUST TORTURE-Don't remember it well so I won't try to describe it.
WOLFMAN'S BROTHER- I love this song because it is so damn happy.
REBA- A clean nicely jammed Reba, very tight. Not as good as Hershey's,
and too bad, no whistling. Have they stopped the whistling all
together?
TRAINSONG- This is one of my favorites of Billy Breathes, but seemed
very out of place in a arena the size of MSG. A cozy song like this
needs to be played in a theater.
MAZE- My third maze, and without a doubt the craziest. Very tweaked out
super spacey jamming towards the end, coupled with the incredible
lighting made this alot of fun.
LIFE ON MARS- Took me a minute to figure out what song it was; straight
up standard.
SIMPLE- This was another highlight, an insane simple with Page tearing
it apart for nearly ten minutes going from keyboard to keyboard and Trey
and Fishman providing superb percussion. Anyone else hear Page tease
"Another one bites the dust"?
HORSE>SITM- Normal version, nothing out of the ordinary. I felt the set
winding down so I sat, but was thrust out of my seat when I heard the
first chord of...
BOWIE!!!- Thank you Phish, this almost made the second set for me. It
was kind of short, but tight and fast an above-average version.
ENCORE
FUNKY BITCH- Didn't except to hear this though a welcome suprise.
Shorter than usual but an excellent way to close out the night.
SUMMARY- A great show, and a good time had by all.
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Subject: 10/21/96 2cents, and other assorted stuff
From: INTIFADA!
Hi all, I'm usually just a lurker, but I figured I'd pipe up with
2 cents, since my feelings about the MSG 10-21 show is a bit different
than others. Then again you may not be interested anyway because you've
read a thousand and one reviews already.
Also, for the person who wanted to know when 'Hoist' and 'Rift'
were released, I believe 'Hoist' was April, 1994, and 'Rift' was February
1993.
And one thing that really bothered me was Mr. Paul Jones's
remarks. It's one thing to express an opinion of not liking the album.
It's another thing to make an insulting remark, with horrible grammar, by
saying of those of us who like it, "you're don't know what's going on
anyways." Just a bit aloof and pretentious, wouldn't you say.
Now about the show...
Before the show/general venue notes--I was a bit surprised that my
seats were to the side of the stage (not realizing that my ticket said
"Side Stage" on it--DUH!). I got a great view of Fishman's back, which
was actually pretty cool because I was able to see every little thing he
did on the drums. Plus, I was looking straight on at Page (I LOVE that
man!), and got to see his every facial expression.
I also successfully located the .net's very own aLi before the
show, whom I'd never seen before. Of course the big sign I was
carrying that said "Hey aLi" might have helped. I also met Darius as
well. Wonderful people!
And as for the mix, Trey's guitar was VERY audible where I
was--in fact, there were times when I wished he was less audible because
Page was a bit difficult to hear over him. But I could barely hear Trey's
percussion. Hm, oh well.
The one major disappointment was that there was no spectacle,
nothing goofy or humorous, not much showmanship. Hey, I'm a Kiss fan, I'm
used to that kind of thing. I guess I should have went to the 10-22 show,
huh?
Now, the show...
THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER--After reading the previous set lists, when I saw
the mikes for a-capella, I knew this would be it, and it was great, even
with the crazy girls next to me singing along in their wasted state.
SAMPLE IN A JAR--3rd time I've seen this one (out of 5 1/2 shows). This
absolutely rocked. I think too many people dismiss this too easily. They
spend their time grumbling and they don't realize that the song can really
kick major ass! (And it did!) ( :P to aLi ) I shook my ass a LOT!
CARS TRUCKS BUSES--I have no idea what anybody but Page was doing in this
song. I couldn't take my eyes and ears off of him. Fabulous!
SLOTH--Mmmmmmmm. Deliciously rockin' tune.
THE DIVIDED SKY--This follows "Sloth" nicely. I love this tune. It was
wonderful until Trey's solo section (where he does the melody by
himself)--the reason it stopped being wonderful for me was not the band's
fault. One of the aforementioned crazy girls next to me suddenly plopped
down into her seat (I swear, it looked like she just DIED!!). I asked her
if she needed help and she said yes, so I escorted her to the bathroom
during Trey's solo. She thanked me and assured me that she'd find her
way back to the seat. I came back in time for the most heart-stopping
"Sky" jam I'd ever seen (well, I've only seen 2).
CHARACTER ZERO--Man, this tune just keeps getting better and better. It
rocked so fiercely!
GINSENG SULLIVAN--I'd never heard this song before, and was quite pleased
with it. Long live bluegrass!
STASH--Here's how I felt during the jam: YEAH!, Cool!, okay, hmmm,
ho-hum, let's pick it up please, ooh!, Whoa!, WOW!!!, HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!
In other words, it started to drag, but my oh my, did they recover and
just blow me away!
WASTE--I really like this song, and I love the new album (but I guess I
just don't know what's going on, right Paul Jones?). This was very pretty
and sing-along-able.
POSSUM--This seemed a little shaky at first, but it picked up into a cool
jam, but not stellar. But hey, it was my first "Possum", so I enjoyed it
just for that.
WILSON--Ahhhhh memories of 12-30-94. Trey had the same pleased look on
his face as he did that night as 30,000 people chanted
"Wiiiiiiilllllsoooooonnnn". And this shit ROCKED!!!
CHALKDUST TORTURE--I thought for sure with this that the 2nd set was going
to be a bona fide ROCK show. This rocked so fiercely, that it made me
feel my heart was going to just explode!! I was so into this. But did
anybody else catch the immense screw-up when the post-jam, composed solo
section started? Fish and Trey were so off from each other!
WOLFMAN'S BROTHER--This was a pleasant surprise for me, mostly because I
have never seen this one live before, and I only have one live one on
tape. I don't really like that Trey sings it up an octave, but I got
past that, to find that this really smoked. The harmonies were
sweeeeeet. Trey's vocals at the end were startlingly good. I didn't even
realize it was him! But there's just one thing that I missed--that damn
BOTTLE!!!! I'm consumed with that freakin' bottle!!
REBA--I couldn't have been happier at this point. A wonderful "Reba".
The jam was spellbinding. Trey built it up so nicely. I was in heaven.
This is as good as live "Reba"s get. But dammit, why don't they do the
whistling anymore? I was hoping they'd do it. I was hoping in July '94
and 12-31-95, too, but to no avail. BRING BACK THE WHISTLING, AND THE FUN
ENDING!!!!
TRAIN SONG--pretty. Nothing else needs to be said. Well, 1 more thing;
great vocals.
MAZE--I groaned when it started. Even before the show, I said, "I hope
they don't play "Maze"". This was my 5th "Maze" (out of 6 shows). But
when this jam got going, I ate my words. The 12-31-95 "Maze" got really
boring, so I was expecting some boredom. But, by God, this was INTENSE!!
Page was a MADMAN!!!! Best "Maze" I've seen.
LIFE ON MARS--This was incredible. I don't know why a lot of people
didn't think this was all that great. Page's vocals were beautiful.
Great tune.
SIMPLE--One of my favorite Phish songs, and the most boring of the
evening. The song itself was fabulous, as usual, but the jam got sooooooo
boring.
THE HORSE--This was very welcome. I haven't seen this since July '93.
Very nice.
SILENT IN THE MORNING--BEAUTIFUL!! By the way, the aforementioned crazy
girl who I escorted to the bathroom during "Divided" finally came back
during this song feeling "much better". Awesome backing vocals from Trey
and Mike.
DAVID BOWIE--Another big fat moan and groan from me when this started.
aLi predicted this one, and I didn't doubt it. Especially when they
played a Bowie cover, I thought "Now watch 'em play "David Bowie"". This
is one of my LEAST favorite Phish tunes. And yet, like with "Maze" I
totally got BLOWN AWAY. I mean this totally turned me into a puddle of
emotional goo. I was so impressed with this jam. (You see, unlike the
anti-"Sample" and anti-"Bouncing" people, I groan at first, but then open
my mind and give it a fair shot.)
FUNKY BITCH--Great tune, first time live for me. Great, but I was still
kind of wishing for more.
Well, I went into this with the intention of being brief, but I
guess I failed at that, eh? Thanks for reading. Respond at will.
Phishingruven,
--Danny G.
10-24-96
0029
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