Date: Sat, 15 Feb 1997 18:20:15 -0600
From: Bob Metz
Subject: 11/6/96 review

This was my sixth show. And before i start out I first must say that i
saw my first show a little over a year ago (11/29/95 which was a great
show!!)  and every time i see them on a different tour I notice how they
have improved.

although this show wasn't superb it did have some great highlights.
let's jump in-

split open and melt:  third time I had heard this one, and never
expected to hear it as an opener.  it started off standard.  i noticed
that when Mike came in his bass was a little hard to hear.  The Jam
though- THe Phucking JAM was AMAZING.  Now in the other reviews people
have called this standard, but in the show I realized it and now that i
have the tapes i realize it- this is in no way standard.  trey takes   
this jam to a new level that is really pleasant to here.   this was a
definite highlight

cars, trucks and buses-  great song to get down to, but not a whole lot
of variant jamming- phun, good placement.

fast enough for you-  great placement.  the more and more shows i go to,
the more i realize that phish knows when to slow down and when to speed
up.  fefy is a wonderful slowing down song.

taste-  third time i had heard this also.  i fell in love with it in
deer creek.  the jam was really nice, better than some of the other
taste jams i've heard.  This song has one of the coolest endings, i
think.

train song-  heard this in deer creek too, acoustic though.  i liked it
better acoustic, but i really really like this song because it's a great
deviation to what phish normally does- JAM

poor heart-  played well.  not much to say about this.  phun song

punch you in the eye-  this song I must say is really really DANK.
landlady jam was great, as well as was the rest of the song.

billy breathes-  this song is ok but it's just not up there on my
"really want to hear tonight" list y'know?  anyway i needed the rest
for-

david bowie-  HELL YEA BOWIE!!!!!  this is the best closer to any set.
it was well jammed but somewhat standard.


set 2
wilson-  ba dum ba dum  Wilson!  i caught it right away and was stoked 
because i think this is the best opener in the phish repertoire besides
ac/dc bag.  I thought it was well played.

the curtain-  i've waited a long long LONG time to hear this and i must
say it was worth the wait-  this song is DANK and was right on.  great
placement.  this was a highlight (for me anyway)

->mike's song-  hell yea this was turning out to be a good show.
mike's song is always great.  although i didn't think it was as good as
the deer creek mike's- it definitely rocked

->swept away->steep-  when i first heard this on billy breathes i was
like what the fuck!  but i must say i really liked this live.  i really
don't know why other than i think it's serves as a really cool and short
slowing down point before something that requires you to DANCE YOUR ASS
OFF!  great placement.
                                     
->weekapaug groove-  i've hear a thousand weekapaug's on tape and two
live and i must say that this is the best one i've heard yet.  mike's
intro was so phucking bad it was scary.  and the jam just soared really
really phucking high.  definitely a highlight

scent of a mule-  i love this song but i think they play it too much.  i
heard it in alpine and was really surprised at the addition in the
middle where trey does some vocal work that matches his guitar.  then
page does some too.   that was really cool to here.  the russian
dance/jam was dank.

sample in a jar-  great song, great placement.  standard version

fucky bitch-  i'd never heard it before but this is such a cool song
that everybody should here it.

encore:  rocky top-  knew it was coming.  great encore to a great show. 

i just want to add that i thought both sets were really solid and that
it would not be a waste of tape to get this show.  peace all.... 

------------------------------------

Subject: The Late, Late, Late Reviews (PART I - Knoxville)
From: "Brian P. Kelley" 

As I am posting about this Knoxville show, several others are posting
about the shows in Michigan.  Well, I must say that I have been busy as
hell and haven't been able to get on the 'puter for several days.  I
was meaning to post about the bitchin' and awesome Halloween and
perhaps a three-part mini-series of Hampton, Charlotte, and N.
Charleston.  (Take a number, please ;)  I'd rather post about the most
recent shows just so they don't become too dated.  (But I thought shows
were supposed to be dated! . . .)

Anyway, after coming back from the Knoxville --> Lexington run, I needed
time to rest and recapture my thoughts.  Boy, man!  What rest will do for
the Phish-Fried mind!  Between working (yes I have a job, thank you :) and
seeing 6 shows in 6 states in 2 weeks of Fall tour, I've hardly had time
for anything else.  But now, I can sit back in the EZ chair, pop my
knuckles (ouch!) and give my "crazy fingers" a workout for a while! 

11.6.96    knoxville, tn

I                                                              II
split open                                            wilson
cars trucks buses                             curtain -->
fefy                                                        mikes -->   
taste                                                      swept away -->
trainsong                                             steep -->
poor heart                                           weekapaug
pyite                                                      soamule
billy breathes                                     sample
bowie                                                    funky bitch

E
rockytop

Driving up from Atlanta was such a beautiful, little trip!  Rustic orange
and brown leaves of the poplar trees lined up and down I-75.  Autumn time
along the Smokie Mountains is just wonderful.  Oh, oh, anyway, back to the
review!  (Sorry, I was reminiscing again ;)  Stayed with a couple friends
in Lenoir City, about 20 miles outside Knoxville.  Headed up to the
Civic Center with an hour-and-a-half to spare and do a li'l vending!
(Yeah, yeah, they say not to do it - but hey, I needed gas and nug
money!)  They had a pat-down just outside the entrance to the venue.
My friend freaked as they looked at her enclosed, darkened jar: "Don't
take it!  IT'S MY MEDICINE!" The lady humbly gave it back to her.
(Whoa!  =0  Didn't want to do without our anesthesia  ;)  Once inside
the Civic Center, it was *everything goes!!* A bunch of ol' ladies were
present around the fronts of every section, but once showtime came on,
they were like Rutherford the Brave in the quicksand
- HISTORY!!

Set I opened with a solid, but standard SPLIT OPEN.  Always a great opener
to get you right into the mood.  A groovy CARS TRUCKS BUSES followed and
Trey was on his second-favorite(?) prized possession - the drum kit!  Page
was belting away those sinister, twisted melodies on his Hammond as Trey
was smiling from ear to ear on his kit!  Two uppity feel-good songs to
start the ball rolling and then, the pace dramatically changed with
FAST ENOUGH FOR YOU.  Though its such a beautiful ballad, I felt that
it was out of place this early in the set.  The highlight of this song
was this blonde chick right next to our row who was obviously X'ed out!
She proceeded by taking off her green T-shirt, grinning skywards, to
expose her "pair of mangos"! Towards the end of the song, she put her
shirt back on and wandered off in her oblivious state.  (At least it
wasn't one of those old granny ushers - whew!  :o)  The sideshow was
over and TASTE followed.  Though it has a nice flowery jam and a good
Fishman "fog" vocal, the song doesn't really go much anywhere.  It's
static until the dynamic ending when you actually appreciate the fact
that it's over.  Next came TRAINSONG, which was a pleasant treat. I
just wish they would play it acoustic just like 8/13 Deer Creek. 
There's this sweet, elegant quality  you get acoustically (such as on
"Talk") that you can't capture live electrically.  POOR HEART kicked in
seconds afterward - a fast, non-shuffle version that made me dance my
ass off!!  (For this was my first "Poor Hear"!)  Always a treat to hear
back-to-back Mike songs (and I don't mean "Mike's Song", that comes up
later in the 2nd set ;)  PUNCH YOU IN THE EYE in its "Landlady Dance"
splendor was a typical, average version - hard-rocking and fun, but
doesn't hold a flame to 12/31/95 which opened that show!  BILLY
BREATHES followed and it was my second one since Hampton.  A very
tender, beautiful ballad which shows Trey at his "heartfelt best"
(especially his Gilmour-like ending solo). However, as some others have
said, the essence of the song is captured more on the album than in
concert.
Still it's wonderful to hear live!  As the song came softly to an end, it
segued into those weird, spacy chirps and echoes rendered throughout the
arena.   Trey's loop delay was in full swing!  I quickly discounted "Maze"
and called a "Bowie" for they were due for one!  It seemed to last forever
until Trey and the boys broke loose into the intro.  DAVID BOWIE!!!  Yes!!
Knowing this was probably to be the set closer, I felt that it was gonna
be an exceptional one.  And boy, they didn't disappoint!  Probably one
of the most hard-driving, climactic ones I've ever heard.  They built
up to the coda slowly but surely, and while keeping the momentum going
and not letting down!  Trey was like rolling thunder with lightning
precision as he ripped
those notes out and setting off an explosion of cheer in the arena.  This
"Bowie" was just plain sick for I was left in a drenching sweat!  It
definitely saved this set from slipping into mediocrity!

Set II opened up with two more first-time songs for me.  I couldn't help
but
feel a shiver up my spine as the infamous "duh nah... da nah" emerged.
Could it be?  Could it be?  Of course it is! WILSON!!!  In an arena which
holds 4000-4500 people, the Wilson chant didn't quite have the dynamics as
say a 20,000-seat MSG but still great to hear!  I was singing along to the
whole song and screaming "I beg it all trune for you!" at the top of my
lungs!   I wanted to hear like a 30-40 second silence before the "Blat!
Bloom! Blah Blah...!" part, but hey - for my first "Wilson" I wasn't too
picky!  Next came another sweet gem: THE CURTAIN (another first!)  This
one
got me dancin' as hard as "Poor Heart".  This is probably one of my
favorite
non-album Phish songs.  Page adds a great countermelody to Trey's
"ukulele-on-speed style" playing before the first verse.  Such a great
composition (almost like something Mozart would've written today).  And
now,
heeeeeeeere's MIKE'S SONG!!  Usually a set with a Mike's>?>Weekapaug
means:
Look Out, It's Gonna Get Nuts!!  Though it was a thoroughly solid 15+
minute
Mike's, it was nothing out of the ordinary.  The dry ice creeped out when
Trey was on guitar and the whole stage was blanketed in smog.  You
couldn't
see shit!!  Then, the cloud slowly lifted to show Trey on the drumkit!
Pretty cool!  The strobe jam was decent but didn't really wow me like past
versions!  SWEPT AWAY-->STEEP served as a great breather for what was to
come: A truly funkin' and rockin' WEEKAPAUG!!!  This was a different Mike
than from several minutes before - for he was thumpin' those riffs harder
and fatter than I have heard in a while (since...you guessed it,
12/31/95).
The whole arena was dancin' away and totally "sharing in the groove".  At
the end of the show, it would surely prove to me that this was indeed
"Mike's night".  He really shined on this version, one of the highlights
of
the evening!  SOAMULE was average, with the "Mule Duel" with Page and
Trey.
It's so funny hearing Trey sing the exact notes he plays up to the
high-pitch "daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!"  Would've been great to see Page
with the Theremin here such as in N. Charleston 10/27 (during the end of
"Catapult" which segued between "Scent").  Nevertheless, the bluegrass
quality of the song got many a Tennessean dancin' away - but the "big
shindig" was yet to come!  SAMPLE came next. Not much to say here, a
standard version.  Got many of the "Hoistheads" (Phish's equivalent of
"Touchheads") singing along.  Praying they wouldn't close with this,
divine
intervention came down and struck in the form of FUNKY BITCH!  Woo hoo!!!
Been dying to hear this one for a long time!  Mike was in top form singing
his verses and was actually the best I heard Mike sing all night!  I can
see
why alot of people love this song so much!  Though it's a bluesy song, it
has such hard, raw, ferocious energy in it!  Great closer for putting the
exclamation point in "WOW!!" for the second set!

As expected for an encore, it was the quintessential University of
Tennessee
fightin' song - ROCKY TOP!  Again, Mike did the honors in yodeling out the
leads while everyone (even the security and ushers, yes the grannies too
;)
were jammin' away!  I felt like I was attending a halftime show at a UT
game
and I even fantasized about hearing the trumpets and French horns in
there.
My first and only previous Rocky Top was at Deer Creek, but being in the
Volunteer State and hearing this song made me feel such pride and honor
for
my fellow neighboring state.

Overall, the show was just slightly above average but was redeemed
mightily
by great versions of Bowie, Weekapaug, and Funky Bitch!  Especially being
a
Tennesee show, Rocky Top put the icing on the cake for a 7.25 overall
rating.  See y'all next time in my next late review from the Bluegrass
State: Kentucky.  (Mmmmm....I love Bluegrass  :)

------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Knoxville review (sort of long)
From: Randy Little 

I:  Split Open and Melt, Cars Trucks Buses, Fast Enough for You, Taste,
      Train Song, Poor Heart, Punch You in the Eye, Billy Breaths, David
      Bowie 

63 min.

II:  Wilson, The Curtain Mike's Song > Swept Away > Steep >
      Weekapaug Groove, Scent of a Mule, Sample, Funky Bitch 

Encore: 
Rocky Top

77 min.

Myself (Randy) and my friend Brandon returned from Knoxville last night 
from our 4th and 5th shows this tour respectively.  We were both in 
agreement that while ALL phish shows are fun and great, this was the 
weakest we had seen this tour, and possibly the weakest I've seen in 
about a year.

Before I begin the review I have to get something off my chest which has 
been bothering me for a while.  We came to the show with an extra ticket 
(on the floor) for one of our friends who was sick.  I said "No problem, 
I'll just sell your ticket at the show."  So I get to the show and try to 
sell it for face value only to be berated by every ticketless individual 
who I passed.  People were angry when I would not sell the ticket for 
less than half what I paid for it, or worse some were angry that I would 
not simply give it to them for free.  Anyway, I feel better now.

Here is the review:

Set I

SOAM : When they stepped out with this tune I thought the show was 
showing some potential.  The last set I saw which opened with SOAM was at 
the Ball and that turned out to be a great set. Unfortunately this melt 
was a shadow of what it could have been.  It started out ok, and they 
grooved rather lazily, only to finish before reaching the usual peak.  So 
I'm thinking ok, first song, their just stretching.

CTB : Ok, this is a fun song to dance to, got the crowd moving a bit but 
nothing out of the ordinary.

FEFY : This was nice to hear because it is not played too frequently.  
But it mellowed the crown out too soon.  I was beginning to be  a little 
concerned for this set.

Taste : The composed section was normal and the jam was good although 
nothing I haven't heard before.  Still nothing great.

Train Song : This song does nothing for me and while it seems they like 
to play it, this song did not add to the set for me.  It did leave Trey 
smiling.

Poor Heart : This is not a spectacular song although I like to hear it 
and it did help to rouse the crowd from its coma with it upbeat pace.  
Another standard version.

PYITE : Again, I like this song, it was fun to hear, but yet another very 
standard version.  Trey was not even playing some of the notes he 
normally does in the opening section.  However this did maintain the 
energy of the crowd.

Billy Breathes : First a comment: when I heard this song on the new 
album, I thought the new arrangement was great and was really excited to 
hear this at a show. I have seen it 3 times since and each time it is 
played note for note off the disc except in concert it loses the 
perfection which can only be accomplished in the studio.  So when they 
began to play this I was HOPING they would finally do something with this 
potentially great song.  Maybe at New Year's ...

David Bowie : When this began I really thought they were going into maze 
not only because of the sound but also because of the way the set was 
going it did not seem that Bowie would fit into this set.  Let me preface 
this by saying that Bowie may be my favorite song, and thus I think all 
Bowie's are great.  However, following suit with the rest of the set, it 
was standard for a bowie, although it was the clear highlight so far.  
The jam was building nicely only to be cut short :( .

The overall rating of the this set was about a 3, the Bowie pulled it up 
from a 1 or 2.  (Remember, this is in relation to other Phish shows, which 
are all good)  Even though we were disappointed with the 1st I have 
noticed a trend of stronger 2nd sets, so there was definitely still hope.

Set II

Wilson : Sort of expected this one as they hadn't played it in 9 shows.  
With a crowd of what I was told was about 4500 people it did not have the 
overwhelming chanting effect which it normally does.  But I was happy to 
hear it, but standard again ... at this point I am very worried that they 
would never catch fire.

The Curtain : It is hard to rate this one because I was busy being 
hassled by the event staff for being in the improper seats although we 
were in the right row.  Last time I checked that is usually good enough, 
but not last night.  Therefore it would not be fair to rate this one.

Mike's Groove : FINALLY!!!! Something I could sink my teeth into.  This 
Mike's was great, and I broke a sweat at last.  It had a grooving jam 
section into a cool spacey extended jam. This rocked.  The huge plume of 
smoke at the beginning is always a welcome touch although Chris seemed to 
be searching for the proper light pattern to penetrate through the fog. 
Anyway I am very excited at this point.  Now the last time they did the 
Swept Away > Steep segue, I read lots of people complaining.  I think 
that these songs are perfect for Mike's groove and it almost seems they 
were written for that purpose.  As they did at Halloween Chris flicked on 
the strobes foe the final scary scream at the end of steep. Very cool.  
Then out of the fading screams arose what would be the clear highlight of 
the show - Weekapaug.  Mike was more dominant than in the the post- 
lyric section of Mike's Song.  This was a real tight and intense version. 
The crown loved it, the band seemed happy, all was right in the world.

Mule : I was sort of excited to hear this although I think it has been 
overplayed.  While I used to look forward to the battle of wits between 
Trey and page, it seems now to be like just going thought the motions of 
the competitions which it once was.  Trey's rebuttal had its usual vocal 
sort of jam, but this time page added a little vocal jam to his retort as 
well.  I was happy however that Fishman was not permitted to solo like he 
was at the ball which I was not happy about.  

Sample : Sample was ... sample. The crowd enjoyed it, and as samples go 
it did have lots of energy.

Funky Bitch : This was a great show closer.  It was jammed out nicely, 
had lots of energy, and was fun to dance to.  It was rockin'.


Encore:
When they returned Trey commented on enjoying his stay the past 2 nights 
in Knoxville and conceded that they could not resist this next song:

Rocky Top :  The crowd exploded when they started playing it.  This is a 
song which I really enjoy compounded with the huge crowd enthusiasm.  
Left me with a smile.

The second set was about a 5.5 - 6.0. Between the Mike's and the Funky 
Bitch, I was happy with it.

Overall, I am going to have to rate this show as a whole at about a 4.0 
- 4.5 .  Although the second set had some great highlights, it could not 
erase the memory of the first.  

------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: we couldn't resist... (very long)
From: [email protected] (KHW)

hey there,

   i got home from knoxville this morning at about 2AM, weary and sore,
tripped down and scratchy-throated, with a smile on my face ten miles wide
(imagine that ;)  last night, my friends, was a marvel.  i was in atlanta
on the 31st, and i said that night that remain in light was better than
either of the other two sets.  i say to you now that the two sets
saw/heard/felt/tasted/smelled last night topped I and III from halloween
as
well.  now, halloween was an INCREDIBLE performance all around.  they
started off shakily with mistakes in sanity, DWD, YEM, AND reba.  of
course, they pulled it together in the former two cases for incredibly
high
energy renditions.  and in the latter two superjams, the mistakes were
barely there (e.g. in reba, fishman halfway changed beats one measure too
early but recovered brilliantly, leaving the crowd and the band
chuckling).
i forget the exact nature of the YEM flubadub, but i'm pretty sure it was
there.  i would argue that the boys were under more pressure to perform
that night than ever before.  assuming the mistakes were, in fact, theirs
and not mine :), they are completely warranted.  i know this is turning
into a ween diatribe -- just bear with me.  the other thing that
diminished
my enjoyment by the slightest bit on the 31st was the complete lack of
rapturously joyful jams (slave, hood, antelope, divided sky, etc.)  BUT IT
WAS HALLOWEEN, you say.  IT WAS _SUPPOSED_ to scare you shitless, you say.
it did, it was, and you're right.  all i'm saying is that i expected to
have at least a few tears of joy in my eyes that night, and i didn't.  i
like that kind of phish the best, and they didn't play it.  no biggie --
i'll be at new year's (knock on cellulose) for all the crying, kissing and
weekapaugrooving i can handle ;)

now back to our regularly scheduled program.  here comes 11/6/96 song by
song.

SPLIT OAM:  i wrote down bathtub gin when they started.  don't ask me :)
this was by FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR the best version i have ever heard.  it had
me
leaping into the air, and i was soaked by the end.  the beginning was
standard, as expected.  from "we breathe..." to the GLORIOUS finish,
though, i was absolutely transported.  i was not transported on 10/31.  i
was misty-eyed at the end.  thank you, phish.

CT&B: i said "time to rest" when they started this one, and for the most
part, it was.  i haven't seen this since atlanta last year (is that
right?).  trey added much more than he used to towards the end of the
song.
at the pause, the crowd went nutso and then shut up quick when they
started again.  neat.

FAST ENOUGH: sure.  more rest.  the solo was great -- they made this one
sound like an old classic -- i do suppose the rift songs are moving in
that
direction though, aren't they...

TASTE: i was a touch disappointed here.  i was looking for a ROCKER.
PYITE.  antelope.  oh well...  fish did a decent job with his part; they
all made the song sound great -- i didn't like the placement.

TRAIN SHIT:  no offense, mike -- that's just what i have written down on
my
setlist.  as much as i have ever been at a phish show, i was PISSED at
this
point.  is noone buying the album, or what???  my anger lasted only a
moment, though, as the lights shining down on mikey's 'fro, making his
eyes
big black shadowy circles as he sung made me crack that inevitable smile.
okay, okay... promote.  as long as you play the songs PERFECTLY.  and they
did.  after this song was over, i saw trey telling the others something...
two words...  i can't really make it out, "what is he saying???" and then
in a bluegrassy blaze came

POOR HEART: THANK YA JEEEEEZUS!  i can DANCE again!!!  this was so much
fun
after the four song lull.  energy energy energy, screams out the wazoo.
go
jonny go...  and you can imagine my unfettered joy upon hearing exactly
what i was looking for in the opening notes of

PYITE:  easily in my top five.  this is my favorite nonsuperjam phish
song.
i remember, from my first show, an old guy with a long frizzy gray beard
standing next to me holding up a cardboard sign saying "punch you in the"
and a little picture of an eye.  one of my phondest memories (they DID
play
it that night, too).  kicked ass.  landlady dance had the crowd screaming,
and me copying -- running all over the bastardo security guard trying his
damndest to keep me out of the aisle.  what could possibly top this
incredible peyeitey?  well...  i sure as SHIT wouldn't have picked

BILLY BREATHES:  i mean, come on.  i know i sound like i'm complaining an
awful lot about these bb tunes.  i am.  i did.  i can feel myself becoming
more of a snob even as i type.  these _were_ less than perfect choices,
though.  i saw last year's knoxville show, and the crowd kind of sucked.
cheese ball people screaming during the acapella in drunken southern
accents (i was born in knoxville, but there's just something about that
drunken southern yell that makes my skin crawl).  perhaps they were
playing
to the cheese.  i don't know.  this song sounded spectacular, except for
the part where trey is doubled during the solo on the cd -- that HUGE pink
floydy bend that slowly settles into balls out (that's four, not the
customary two ;) soul-shearing distortio-soloation.  that cannot, as of
yet, be reproduced it seems. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> is that a high hat i hear?
why yes, i believe it is...

DAVID BOOOOOOOOOOOOOWIE: oh my lord.  i knew (hoped) they would finish
with
this, if for no other reason than to keep character zero off the list ;)
this kicked my ass, and everyone elses, as far as i know.  but it always
does, doesn't it?

SET BREAK: MMW on the speakers.  big ass coke in my hands, and just a
sprinkling of the old _psylocibe cubensis_ on my tongue.  don't forget the
shiva shanti in the upper deck.  the cops at this place were ubiquitous
and
tyrranical.  i saw people being thrown on the ground, chased, and
generally
harassed.  it just goes to show you (venue security operators) that a low
security profile (a la atlanta) facilitates control, order, and happiness,
while the knoxville thug squad ready to tear out every dreadlock in site
at
any HINT of insurrection just ends up in a lot of out of breath blue boys
and 50 paddy wagons full of the gentlest people on the planet.  it was a
farce.  i was humming mike's in the bathroom...

WILSON: sure.  great.  this set is going to kick.

CURTAIN: i don't know this song well enough to comment extensively (aren't
you lucky), but i sure as hell didn't notice any obvious mistakes.  this
song is EXTREMELY phishy, don't you think?  i mean nobody else could have
written anything even remotely like it.  we follow the lines going south
:)
|>>> i called the hell out of...

MIKE'S SONG: wow.  they played this so incredibly well.  lots of smoke and
strobe lights.  mike disappeared for a minute, i think messing with
equipment, and i thought something wacky was going to happen.  they
brought
it down low (not as low as some i've heard), and locked on a groove that i
thought i recognized...  of course, the groove that comes out after the
low
section is usually pretty teasy sounding, so i don't know.  they
continued,
probing my brain with wickedness and left me drooling -- what are they
gonna stick in the middle???  i'd love a little hydro, they already played
poor heart, i was looking for a day in the life, maybe harry hood
(WOULDN'T
THAT BE CRAZY?!?!? with all the other placements tonight, who could
tell...) but the little seed of someone's post from a few weeks ago, "they
pulled that shit at MSG" referring to what you could probably call a
nightmare, considering my previous complaints >

SWEPT AWAY>STEEP: NOONE cheered.  for god's sake, i hope they got the
fucking picture.  this would have blew my mind i think, had it not been
for
the seemingly start to finish rendition of bb during the first set.  maybe
not.  in two years i could hear this and feel like i got something... out
of this world.  right now i feel cheated a little bit.  putting these
songs
in the mikesgroove shows a reverence for them by the band. on that level,
it makes me respect them more.  on another level i was dissapointed.  keep
those expectations realistic, i guess. > (get me out of billy breathes
world...)

WEEKAPAUG: groovin.  reciprocity.  'preciate it, guys.

SOAM: better stop that laser game.  this was the "intellectual" highlight
of the show for me.  page had solo worthy of coil -- he just kept going,
and going, and at one point, mike and trey were facing him -- quiet,
smiling, hands muting their strings.  i got heavy chills.  they love it
more than i do.  when page settled down, trey took the floor with a
FLAWLESS scat session, mimicking the notes on his 'doc with his voice.
this is where i saw that 10 mile wide smile :)  badass.  you could hear
the
laughter in the coliseum.  then page says "oh yeah?" (not really) and does
the same thing trey did, not _quite_ as well imho, and leading back into a
more standard solo.  trey begins to encroach, then mike and fish, and they
pick up this jewish-wedding-sounding jam with trey and mike dancing just a
little bit (and me kicking my straight legs up full force, clapping my ass
off) they got faster and faster, the audience clapping it out (this was a
MANDATORY clap, btw), and jon throws in the "hey!" that was on everyone's
mind.  just spectacular.

SAMPLE: big time, kept that energy up.  good choice, would have rather
heard hood, antelope, divided, slave. picky, picky, picky.

FUNKY BITCH: every time i see her she's got new fancy clothes...  (nice
purple silk shirt, mike)  this rocked my butt.  where's carlos when you
need him ;)  they moved out of the 12 bar with the funny turn around, into
a straight up jam, and back again.  nice.  i love moving my feet to that
turn around, if you know what i mean -- the little extra bit they throw in
at the end of the chord set.  i was shaking my sweaty hair all over the
security guard who was just starting to cause inhuman feelings of rage and
murderous hate to rise in the depths of my soul.

E: ROCKY TOP: trey thanked the entire town, several restaurants, and said
"we couldn't resist..." wish that i was on old rocky top...  it was great.
no real jam to speak of, but they certainly phished it up.  strangely
enough, i thought the best thing about this song was that the security
guards (no matter how much they despise phish and their fans) MUST have
been fighting so hard to keep their mouths shut and their feet from
moving.
i love it.  it felt soooooooo good to have the guards watch me let myself
go while they had to stand there and look mean.  they'll all die of heart
attacks before next tour anyway from the stress.  knock on wood again; i
shouldn't say things like that.

   well, there you go.  i said the two sets were better than halloween.
that's probably not true, really.  my seats last night were incredible.  i
was in the upper deck on the 31st.  i need to feel the lights on my closed
eyes.  i need to hear the echos of the show in my ears at the end.  above
all, i need happy stuff.  oh well.  see everybody on the holidays...

ken "long of breath" williford
---------------------------------------------------------
ubject: Phish in Knoxville, 11/6/96
From: &ee Jones 

Hello all,
  Last night was Phish's first show after a few days break - the much
needed  break was obviously a great help to the band - they were really on
fire!!   They  played the Civic Coliseum, which unlike last year actually
sold out completely.  And yet we had a quiet and well-behaved crowd.  Go
figure.

  Set One opened with SPLIT OPEN AND MELT.  I never ever expected to hear 
this as an opener.  I never ever expected it to work so well either!  It
was 
pretty slow and low-key overall, but the tail part of the jam really took
off 
and was just an amazing study in "How to build up a jam seamlessly."  Wow
- 
my legs were weak at the end of the song.  Next came CARS TRUCKS AND BUSES
- 
pretty standard, but a really neat song.  FAST ENOUGH FOR YOU - OK Phish, 
what are you doing here?  This was just a weird order for these songs.
And I 
was to find out that the whole set was to run this way - much coherence
but 
little continuity.  The solo for this song, by the way, was gorgeous.
TASTE 
- also standard.  TRAINSONG - much better than it was at the Charlotte
show 
from this tour - the deep drone from Page really came across well beneath
the 
vocals.  POOR HEART was a nice treat, but again weird to see this right
after 
Trainsong.  Fishman was having a helluva lot of fun throwing in the
backing 
"vocals."  PUNCH YOU IN THE EYE - I'd wanted to hear this someday, and I
was 
not disappointed.  During the first Landlady jam, Trey and Mike began
doing a 
hilarious dance.  The end of the song with its stop-go-stop sequence was 
really cool and very high energy.  BILLY BREATHES - this didn't fit after 
PYITE, but it was a great version nonetheless.  Trey solo is really
starting 
to go somewhere, and I look forward to hearing it on the next tour after
it 
has matured on the road a little.  The set closed out with DAVID BOWIE.
All 
I can say is that I have never heard another Bowie that can compare.  It
was 
just incredible - group communication must have been going particularly
well 
as the song continually, slowly, but evenly built up and concluded with
bang. 
 Trey will never cease to amaze me.
    Set Two opened with those familiar four notes, over and over;  the
crowd 
begins to chant;  WILSON - ahh, a Gamehendge song.  Then begins what I 
thought was Slave, but then pinned down as THE CURTAIN.  Shivers ran up my 
spine when the harmonies came in, thena cool jam begins but is cut short!!  
They're launching into MIKE'S SONG.  This is why we love Phish - they
jammed 
this song for a long time, doing some wild stuff, including fogging the 
entire stage and adding strobes, while Trey took to his drum kit and let
his 
guitar go hogwild.  Page was about as innovative as I've heard, and he
seemed 
to take charge at the end.  He brought it down fianlly, I heard the key 
change, and just as I called at the beginning of Mike's, they segued
straight 
into SWEPT AWAY and the STEEP.  I knew what was coming at the end of
Sttep, 
but I still was scared out of my mind - right after the song ended, the
stage 
went black for a second, then they all just SCREAAAAAAM into the mikes.  
Whoa!, but they're still playing - WEEKAPAUG GROOVE.  Thousands of
smiling, 
dancing and just plain happy Phisheads seemed to love this song as much as
I 
did.  OK, wow, if the first set taught me anything, then a quiet song must 
follow and tone it down a notch.  WRONG - SCENT OF A MULE - as crazy as
they 
come.  The jam began as expected with Page, but then Trey plays guitar
while 
vocalizing the notes simoltaneously, but with some other strange effect 
added.  Wild.  Then Page comes in for his solo, doing the same thing, but 
without the extra effect.  Trey looked really shocked that he was doing
this 
- obviously an unplanned thing.  Anyhoo, the jam just kept going into the 
Turkish style jam, complete with Trey and Mike dancing in that style, then 
more jamming.  Very cool.  Everyone again built up the song evenly and 
everyone was together.  Next came SAMPLE IN A JAR, which showed a lot of 
growth over last year's fall tour.  Segued into Funky Bitch, which
surprised 
me - they closed with it in Knoxville last year too.  Nonetheless it
rocked, 
although Trey took the forefront a bit too much.  Of course he didn't 
disappoint either...
  Encore - Trey begins to tell the audience about the past few off days, 
spent hanging out in Knoxville at our fine restaurants, coffee shops,
etc., 
and then makes the obvious selection - ROCKY TOP.  And the crowd goes
wild...
                                           -Andy Jones
-------------------------------------------
Subject: My BIKE in Kentucky!
From: [email protected](Peter T Carvalho)

Hello everyone:

Once again I have been graced by the mighty Icculus and Shelly and
received phat tickets. First row directly in front of Fishman. So since
this was my first time being front row I made a sign. I wanted to use a
song that they would never play but would find it funny to see. How
about bike? I was with my two friends Lewis and Billy B. 

As soon as the band took the stage I held up the sign. Trey looked
directly at it and smiled. I must admit I was very intimidated to be so
close to the band. Everytime they looked at me dancing and singing I
looked away. So I decided to dance as hard as I could.

Chalkdust opened and rocked. Weigh followed the first of this tour. The
rest of the set was standard. I was thinking what has not been played
this tour so I yelled Guyute about 5-6 times and Trey started something
and then stopped, looked at Fish and dove right into Guyute. It was
amazing, better or as good as Rosemont but not Providence's Guyute.The
set also had Tela and an in your face Character 0. This was the first
time I have heard this other than Third Ball. The song wails.

During set break everyone around us decided that fishman needs to sing,
no matter what it was. As the band takes the stage the ten people 
around us started yelling "We want Fishman, we want fishman" Trey and
Fish start laughing and Trey says "You're going to need to do better
than that" The entire crowd cheers, fishman waves. They go into suzie,
then a crazy Bathtub that had some of the best jammin I've ever heard.
They were fooling around with these bells. Gordon had one at his feet,
Trey had one by his drums. Anyway it was the best Bathtub besides the
Centrum "Real Me" bathtub. After that was segue to HYHU. I could not
believe it. Trey says something like, " Fish has not been singing to
much this tour. We cut him off and put him in the penalty box" So Fish
gets out and says "I am out of the box!" Into *Bike*! Unbelieveable. I
cannot believe he played it. After the song was done Trey said to
me"This guy right here is the reason you got Bike" I cannot remember
exactely but he was talking about me. I figured out what it felt like
to be that guy at Clifford Ball who Trey singeled out. 

If anyone has the tapes of this show could you tell me what Trey says
to me? Also if possible could I send you some blanks? I am going to put
a picture of my Bike sign on my web page. It's located at:
www.netcom.com/~mcgrupp/phish.html. Thanks for putting up with this
long winded, non-sober description of this show. I hope everyone
enjoyed the BIKE! Take care and write me if you have any comments.

Pete (...incased in orange rinds.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Knoxville 11/6 Notes
From: [email protected] (Shaggy)


Greetings, net.folk! Whew, a bit worn out today after last night's treat
at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum! Setlist has been posted, so I'll just
make a few notes.

I was disappointed to hear on "Billy Breathes" that Trey hangs back during
Taste. Listen to some older shows (before Taste becomes Fog), and Trey
really takes the front in the instrumental portion. Last night he brought
this back, and just melted me away :)

I'm fairly certain that Bowie started out as Maze. I'd love some
(constructive) commentary here. At least as far as Fishman's role, it
sounded like Maze. There was an exchange of looks, smiles, and possibly
some confusion between Trey and Fishman, Trey pulled a sustained note
or two and then a chord. Almost as if it were a signal, or a request of
sorts, Fishman inserted a beat and the pattern changed to Bowie. Nothing
else happened for a few measures, and they launched off into a really
siiiiiiiiiiick Bowie. Loomy sick jam. Excellent lights; Chris was doing
a funky dance with the whites on a triangular tramp above the stage.

I was about to note that, other than PYITE and Bowie, things were faring
pretty middle-of-the-road.. I asked a blessing earlier in the day at work
and said I would deem this a top-notch show if we got a Mike's>Weekapaug.
We were blessed :) In fact, the Swept Away>Steep worked so wonderfully..
I am H2 is a sweet piece, but I didn't expect to hear it, at least not
here. The fog and strobes were just crazy. Page did some sick synth work,
and Trey had a moment back on the kit. After the "much ado" line they
belted forth a scream, then Mike steps up into the soft blues with a
kick ass bass hammer -> Weekapaug. Major energy here.

Scent of a Mule: _SURELY_ they must be closing the set! But no! I
listened to this from 6/25/95 (Mann Music Ctr) on the way up to Knoxville,
so got adequately prepped to hear this. Page does an almost
Peanuts Theme-ish > classical piano before "polka." Page = virtuoso
pianist.
Trey went into some wild vocal play with the guitar. Page was laughing out
loud, then joined in the fun with the piano. The notes on the instruments
followed their voices beautifully. This was akin to what Oteil Burbridge
does with his bass. Is there a technical music term for this practice?
Mike backed to the right of the drumset but filled with some hammering.
Helluva climax to finish. My legs hurt! I followed Trey and Mike's
orchestrated stepping; they stopped - I didn't! The security guard in our
area freaked out, wondered what kind of hippie freak I was, but was really
into the music and cool with all of us bouncing around. He even retrieved
a camera for a friend of mine that another less, ah, "understanding" guard
took earlier in the evening. (It was a quick-snap, no harm done.)

Sample: expected this, but wasn't bad. I mean, they're musical geniuses,
what else can be said?

Funky Bitch: This one goes out, in my mind, to Taz. We had just conversed
about this on her visit to our fair city. Third time I've seen this;
Mike's
got it to an art. Truly a funky feel, nice groove.

Rocky Top: Went back to the apartment before departing to grab 6/26/95,
where they encore with Sleeping Monkey and Rocky Top. Wanted to hear it
on the road because it was to be expected as an encore. Trey thanked the
folks they'd met and hung out with, the downtown restaurants, Cup-a-Joe,
and everyone in general. Commented on how it'd been great for them to
have a few days off after Gainesville. "We just can't resist" or similar
was the lead-in to a fast-paced Rocky Top that everyone (it seemed)
enjoyed. Someone commented earlier that it was likely a curfew that caused
this to be the only encore :(

Ken writes:
> i thought the best thing about this song was that the security
>guards (no matter how much they despise phish and their fans) MUST have
>been fighting so hard to keep their mouths shut and their feet from
moving.

I noticed this. Some stood around trying to look important, but the ones
in
our area (floor right, stage front) were all over this one.

Hope everyone had an excellent show in Lexington tonight! We'll be getting
the tapes soon to see what we missed, so keep the vibe running! Thanks,
Jonathan for the _timely_ posting of the setlist! Sounds incredible! Hate
that I missed HYHU and the vacuum solo. Hope the parties were lively.

Bright blessings,
:: Shaggy ::

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful | [email protected]
 committed citizens can change the world;     |
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/
 indeed it is the only thing that ever has."  |
~gt5685d/shaggy.html
                             -- Margaret Mead
----------------------------------------------------
Subject: thoughts about 11-6 assembly hall (long)
From: Gabriella Ann Amabile 


hello all!
      this review is dedicated to new friends katie and sarah and old
friends dana and dom.
     
      pre-show:  after driving the unexpectedly long 6 1/2 hours from ann
arbor (and the last 2 hours without headlights) my friends and i found
ourselves running into the venue so as not to miss the opener, according
to my watch it was 8:00. i was a little surprised to see so many people
still in the lots.  so i get in the arens, and i'm thinking it's a little
late for it to be this empty, but i made my way down to my seat (9th row
center, bless you mail order) anyway.  so, it still took me like 10 more
minutes to realize that we had driven across a time zone and had gained an
hour in the process.  the guys sitting behind me got a good laugh out of
my surprise.  i then had tons of time to sit and wait alone because i had
no idea where the friends i came with were sitting (not with me was all i
knew).  a few minutes later, a polite little voice asked over my shoulder
if i knew what row this was.  i turned around to see my friend who i
haven't seen in months and months.  we screamed and hugged!  this ws so
exciting!  it turns out mail order gave us seats right next to each other!
so, the night was off to a good start.

    setlist: 1: runaway jim, axilla 1*, all things reconsidered, mound,
down with disease, prince caspian, reba**, gogli apparatus, antelope

             2: 2001-> maze, bouncin, simple, lovin' cup, mike's song,
star spangled banner, weekapaug groove

             * with some guitar problems for trey
             ** with whistling (yea!), clapping (boo!) and some antics
             from trey on the drum kit
             
selected song reviews: even with the guitar problems, this axilla rocked
hard and definately got me dancing.  the girl next to me stepped aside to
give some more much needed room.  reba was absolutely phenominal. it
brought me outside of myself.  being so close to the stage, i could see
all the guys' facial expressions, and they were definately loving the
night. antelope was the best i've ever heard in 14 shows and 100's of tape
hours. the energy kept building higher and higher.  the energy flow did
not stop in set 2.  maze had so much tension and release play that i felt
like i was going to explode until the song finally climaxed.  the simple
jam was awesome, the first i've heard it so i don't know about in relation
to others this tour, but it rocked hard!  during loving cup after the line
"i know i play a bad guitar" i had to cheer for trey.  this night belonged
to him.  he was jamming so hard, it seemed like he couldn't contain
himself. a perfect example of this was the beginning of weekapaug when he
played the opening section for a few seconds at super-high speed and was
grinning away the whole time.

rating:  over all, this show had so many highlights.  a killer setlist
with many jamming tunes and phenominal playing.  i give this show an 8 ,
even taking into account that all phish shows are awesome blah blah blah.
get these tapes at all costs, just as i will be trying to do.

thanks for listening, 
gaby
-----------------------------------

From: Daniel Ritchey  Subject: 11/6/96
Knoxville Thoughts.... Date: 28 Jan 1997 20:21:07 GMT

Hi all, I have seen a couple of posts about Knoxville being a great
show...one under the underrated shows thread.  I must say I agree,
although at the time I didn't think as highly of it as I do now.  I
recall after the first set describing it as below average, which was
incorrect now that I have listened to the tapes some.  I think I was
still thinking about Halloween and wasn't judging it fairly.  The boys
were off for a couple of nights before this one and clearly had lots of
energy and were ready to play!  They were tight and together the whole
night, and there are many extra licks and fills and small extraordinary
things that make this show as a whole better than average. They were
just warming up for Lexington though :-). 

I: Split Open & Melt, CT & B, Fast Enough, Taste, Train Song, Poor
Heart, PYITE, Billy Breathes and Bowie

II: Wilson, Curtain, Mike's > Swept Away > Steep > Groove, Scent of a
Mule, Sample, Funky Bitch

E: Rocky Top (in Knoxville, home of U of Tenn, whose school theme song
is Rocky Top, which you hear 1000 times at any football game) 

Thoughts on some songs... 

Splt Open opener:  This is a very pretty version of this song, if that
makes sense.  The jam is a good length, not as intense as some, but
after the "breathe deep" break the jam begins to twist and become very
melodic.  Trey repeats this haunting series of licks over and over,
varying them some, and it is fast becoming a favorite version of one of
my favorite songs.  Trey doesn't get as fast as usual, seeming to pay
more attention to the melody. Mike is thumping along mightily
throughout the whole thing.  He sounds great. 

Fast Enough For You:  I had 3rd row at this show, and this guy who
started out next to me but ended up right behind me had a cardboard
sign that said "FEFY".  Trey gave it to him third song, and man the
look on that kid's face was great.  It made me happy to see someone so
happy.  Needless to say he was jumping up and down and smiling like his
face was gonna bust.  We were discussing before the show how he was
gonna go to Deer Creek and didn't and was very upset about missing it
there.  Bike the next night in Lexington was very upset about missing
it there.  Bike the next night in Lexington was the result of someone
with a sign also. 

Taste:  Good tight, great jam at the end. 

Bowie:  Pretty damn good bowie, nice closer. 

The second set opened with Wilson Curtain and Mike's falling one after
the other in a 1-2-3 punch that scored a TKO with me.  Nothing
particularly noteworthy about the Wilson or Curtain but... 

Mike's Song:  This song starts out great, you can tell they are into
this one...Trey is particularly active and everyone is playing above
average in the beginning.  It eventually winds up in one of the coolest
jams I have ever heard in a Mike's...I can't describe it at all, you'll
just have to seek out the tapes. 

Scent:  Not much unusual except Trey's part of the duel was really
cool, he was into it and doing that deal a' la Oteil Burbage(sp?) (of
ARU and Surrender to the Air) where he is playing and making noises
with his mouth at the same time. Pretty cool duel, it didn't get lame
like some of them. 

Funky Bitch:  I figured they would end the set with Sample and when
Trey ripped into the opening notes of Funky Bitch as Sample was winding
down I was elated.  Very cool. 

E: Rocky Top was Rocky Top, but the place went nuts as soon as the
words started and the crowd realized what it was. 

Seek out the tapes of this night and the following in Lexington, they
make a great pair of shows. 

Take care, Daniel Ritchey [email protected], [email protected]
Tapelist at http://ua1vm.ua.edu/~dritche1/tapelist.html "Even if the
aliens are short, dour, and sexually obsessed--if they're here,
 I want to know about them."  --Carl Sagan