11.29.03 Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

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Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2003 03:54:03 GMT From: Lenny Stubbe Subject: TERRIBLE Philly experience My normal everyday "it's all good" attitude is going to be put on hold for this post while I jump on my "What the hell happened in Philly?" soapbox. Negative or not, this post is not being sent with the intentions of making it into Rosemary's digest, nor with intentions of passing off a less than stellar performance to just a bad night. Setlists ARE good indicators as to what was going on with any given night. The way songs flow off one another, whether there be a pause or segue, certainly can lead one to believe it may not be the greatest of shows. This show was no exception. A less than average setlist, and an absolutely horrible musical showing by 4 guys I hold to a VERY high standard, one that even I can digest an average show and say I had a great time. Folks there was absolutely near nothing going on this time in Philly. (disclaimer I have been following these guys very close for 11 years, and understand a good and bad night, with 90% of my shows being good to great). I just refuse to sit back and keep my thoughts to myself. High Points: LimbXLimb - I truly love this tune. Average rendition. Not a whole lot going on here. Dirt - I'll take this tune anyday. Not really a high point as the peak musical moment went really nowhere, couple with a few Trey flubs. Divided - Average rendition. Again, these were the HIGH points. FEFY - Nice version. Very tasty. Seven Below - nothing like anything version from the summer, but this tune is still a keeper, even in a bad show. Twist - Highest point of the night. This one was tough for Trey to screw up. Average Points: Julius - ehhh. that's it. Low Points: (I really don't have enough time) Simple - they didn't even TRY to take this tune anywhere. Taste - One of the worst 3 versions I have ever heard. Trey could not save this tune to save his life on this night. Makisupa->Buffalo Bill - this was pure and simple a self indulgent non-musical Phish moment. They had ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST in getting anything musical out of these two tunes. You have to understand, I *LOVE* Tom, as much as anyone. But it's SOOO not necessary for him to come out on stage for this. It completely took from the entire musical experience. Trey was more focused on his Tom spiel than he was on playing the damn tunes. The 10th Buffalo Bill ever, my second, and they use it as a vehicle for some hokey story about Tom writing this tune in 1969. Honestly, who cares? Actually... I care, I just don't want to hear about it in the middle of a Holiday Run show at the Philly Spectrum that I just drove 1000 miles for. Tell me about it in the next book! One thing that I came to realize after being force fed this ridiculous attempt at entertainment was, at least Robert Hunter was wise enough for *30* years NOT to get into the way of the fans time with Jerry on stage. He KNEW even though he wrote the tunes, the fans were there to hear JERRY sing the tunes, NOT Robert Hunter. I go to Phish shows to hear TREY sing Buffalo Bill, NOT Tom Marshall. I don't care when he wrote the song, I just want TREY to sing it. Tom was sooo badly off key I just had to stand there and shake my head. I could go on all night about this really... Bowie - I thought this was the point where they were going to attempt to save the show, but then I realized it was SUCH a bad night, even the Bowie was terrible. Who would have ever thought a Bowie could be bad? I had yet here a bad Bowie until Sat night in Philly. I won't go into details, just try to make it through this. You won't listen to it twice I guarantee it. Strange Design - my GAWD they threw in the towel. They paused after a terrible Bowie and Trey walked over to Page, then Fish, then Mike, and I actually thought they were talking about a way to salvage this whole thing, but they came back with Strange Design. I think Trey must have said something like "Guys I'm having a real bad time up here, it's just not happening, let's wrap this up with Strange Design and C. Zero". Want to bet that's what was said? Character Zero - I just stood there almost with a tear in my eye. I am not in any way a spoiled Phish fan. That is NOT what this review is about. I can take an off night, or an average show, but this was plain PATHETIC. Trey needs to take his head out of Dave Matthews ass and start thinking about Phish, the most important thing in ANY of their lives. If you take your eyes of anything that is anything in your life, whether it's your family, your career, your hobbies, or any of your passions, you will most certainly lose your edge, or lose focus when you go back to it. I am VERY concerned these guys are far too wrapped up in umpteen solo projects, that they sometimes forget how to be Phish. I would almost bet Trey has been working a LOT harder on preparing for this Dave Matthews rock star guitar gig, than he has about what puts him in the lifestyle he has become accustomed to. Lastly, I absolutely LOVE Friday. And don't even mind it as an encore. Best setlist position? Try the Deer Creek show from this past summer. I was under the pavilion having a religious moment during that tune this past summer. I have thoroughly enjoyed most everything from 2003 up until this point. 2003 has been an excellent comeback year, I can go on and on about what I love about 2003. But this Philly show was a very bad experience. Trey had NO CLUE whatsoever. And since I'm on a roll, will someone tell me if they can find a worse segue than the AC/DC Bag-->First Tube from Nassau? Sorry for all the negativity folks, I just love these guys way too much to let them off the hook on this one. We deserve better. We're way too good to these guys. 2 sense.... LAS
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2003 11:40:54 -0500 From: [email protected] Subject: Phish show review 11/29/03 Phish back in Philly. Sounds so right. And so well placed on a Holiday Weekend Saturday Night. Old friends in town, and the phab phour, who would be welcome at my holiday dinner table anytime, were simply the icing on the cake. Thanksgiving is truly a warm and wonderful holiday, and I am sure we are all thankfull for the band Phish (and their entire crew) and all that they have provided for us over the past 20 years. And so I found myself with an ear to ear grin as I made my way into the hallowed halls of the Spectrum (no corporate sponsors deserve to be named). My incredible seats, on the center aisle on the floor not 15 rows from the stage, allowed me to take it all in...I paid my respects to the greats handing on banners in the rafters...from Bernie Parent and Bobby Clark to Dr. J. I noted the banner honoring the Gratefull Dead's incredible run of 56 sold out shows and knew I was in the right place. I can honestly say, and I know I am not alone in this, that there was absolutely NOTHING in the entire world that I would rather be doing than what I was doing. I was definitely in the right place. AND THEN THE LIGHTS WENT DOWN AND THE ENERGY ERUPTED, emanating from all around the eliptical arena and the familiar opening chords of Wilson resonated, seemingly from above. Trey was smiling, and so was I as I shouted "Wilson," along with 15,000 other rabid phans back at our heroes. So here it goes, a song by song recap of PHISH IN PHILLY, a 20th Anniversary / Thanksgiving Celebration: I. Wilson, Cars Trucks Buses, Limb By Limb, Dirt, Seven Below, Divided Sky, Fast Enough For You, Julius II. Twist > Simple, Taste, Makisupa Policeman, Buffalo Bill*, David Bowie, Strange Design, Character Zero E. Friday Wilson: A perfect song to pump the crowd from the get go, well played and just fun. The Spectrum seemed to shake during this song at times as the energy level was through the roof. CTB: It was during this song that I knew Mr. McConnell would be joining us for the evening, and because this realization came so early, I knew we would be in for a treat. Page was on fire, and seemed to be communicating with Trey and the rest of the band in ways I wish I hear more often when listening to live Phish. One of the many reasons Phish is so incredible is that they boast incredible musicians at every instrument on the stage, but at times, for better or worse, many of these musicians get upstaged by their frontman...I mean no disrespect, and if a musician were ever to be upstaged, it damn well better be by someone as talented as Trey...but these boys got skillz, and I love hearing them all contribute to the delicious sounds Phish delivers...especially Page, who adds distinction to this band. When Page is on, things happen onstage that just don't seem fair. And he was on!!! So I strapped myself in and braced myself for an incredible ride. LBL: I really enjoy this song, especially live. The energy level in the building was still pulsing, and this song in no way let that slip. All parts were played / jammed to perfection, and the beauty of the harmonization shone brightly. Dirt: Ok, the arena was ready to boil over so the heat needed to be turned down a notch so we could all catch our collective breath and collect our thoughts. Dirt answered the call. Well played, melodic song. No complaints. 7 Below: I don't know about anyone else, but this song gets better every time I hear it. And the way Phish played it on 11/29, I am not sure that can ever happen again!! Wow. We had our breather, now right back into ROCK AND ROLL! They nailed this song. Divided Sky (The): They didn't come right out and play it. I was listening closely and I heard them feeling this one out...getting their barings...finding the perfect pitch with which to begin. So I must admit (or brag) that I knew it was coming. But even knowing it didn't detract from my excitement when reality hit. This may be my favorite song of all time...not just Phish song...but song in general. There are so many things about the song to like...especially when on a long drive, or immersed in a long, hot shower...or even while engaged in naughty acts with a lucky lady. But I apologize for my digression. They blew the roof off the place with this one...Page, who was in rare form tonight, was even capable of "competing" with Trey as the jam neared its crescendo. The two maestros seemed to be dueling up and down the scales and the result was a fever pitched and furious ending that nearly caused me to soil myself. I smiled and shook my head in disbelief. FEFY: What placement. Sweat was streaming down my face as the melodic chords began this, my favorite "thinkpiece" off of Rift, which is laden with them. The themes of this song made me think of time, naturally, and I was hoping time would stop, so that this moment would never end. But the water was slowly trickling out, and the song ended despite my pleading. Julius: The band always seems to play this one at least once a tour in Philly. They played it in February, and I was expecting it on this blissful night as well. Any band that has a deep respect for the Doctor deserves props. I know that is why they always seem to play this tune in Philly, and I am not complaining. They jam this song out the way it needs to be jammed, and gave the crowd a nice set closer, a little reenergizer before the break to prime us for what was to come. Setbreak: The spectrum, while a great place to see a show due to its accoustics...does have some major drawbacks...and these are glorified during intermission. The bathrooms suck. They are too small, too few and DOWNSTAIRS. This prompted the stragest of phenomena to occur. Those who know what I am talking about will laugh, but the lines were actually longer to GET OUT of the bathrooms than to get in!!!! Yes, at one point, every fucking urinal in the men's room was OPEN (yes, this is during the set break), while a long and daunting line struggled to inch its way back upstairs. But we finally made it. Then the concession stand I waited in line at for 20 minutes RAN OUT OF WATER! AND PRETZELS! Whoa nelly. That ain't right. So set break didn't go nearly as smoothly as Set One...oh well. I still had A full set and an encore of Phish coming at me. Life could be worse. Twist: The opening chords of Twist were echoing throught the arena as I made my way back to my seats. I reconvened with my friends just in time to hear Trey start singing. Twist is not, IMO, the greatest set opener or closer because its energy just stagnates. But it is a fun song, and its energy level is higher than that I gleened from waiting in a friggin line to exit a smelly bathroom. So I enjoyed Twist... Simple: And it flowed so nicely into Simple, a song that is difficult not to love. Taste: Another song the band loves to play in Philly, but who cares. Page was on the motherfucker. Wow. They nailed this in February, and they nailed it again in November for good measure. And I do love when Fish sings...so extra bonus points. Makisupa: It just felt time to get Reggaefied...The first 3 songs of the set slowly built the energy level up near its apex once again, and this was a well placed, albeit unfinished, respite Buffalo Bill: Why was MP unfinished, you may ask...because Trey invited none other than his writing partner, Tom Marshall, onto the stage to help celebrate the "true 20th anniversary of the first time the band played together." Trey spoke of how Makisupa was the first Phish song, but Tom is going to sing something else...what would that be? Buffalo Bill. Not a resounding effort, by any measure, but what I can say is Tom knew when to exit the stage and gets plenty of bonus points in my book for that realization. His presence onstage seemed like a minute long...it was good to see him, but, and again I mean no offense, Tom is not who I came to see that night. So his expeditious retreat backstage was well received. And I am quite certain he has no problem with his short appearance. After all...he is one of the luckiest people alive (like Chris Kuroda), and surely would be partying with our heroes in no time. Bowie: The familiar long cymbal infused drum roll intro let us know right away that the band was back to business. Put your game faces back on. We are not done partying yet tonight. And the song did not disappoint. Strange Design: Perhaps a reward for being on fire that night, Page got to seranade us all with one of his more beautiful tunes before the mad dash for the finish line. CHAR0: Hello cootchie. Overplayed, but definitely a song guaranteed to bring the energy level up from zero to infinity in less than three minutes. This song rocks. The band knows it. And that is why they choose to play it so often. I have no problem with that. Do you? Friday: Ok. I loved the show...and the song selection...all night, until now. I have no problem with a ballad encore. Wading or Waste would have been beautiful endings to a magical night. But on a Saturday night of a holiday weekend, the lyrics of Friday struck a nerve. Why isn't it Friday? Because it was Friday yesterday, and there are seven days in a week. So we all had to leave the Phish show (hard to do on any day, and in any circumstance) AND had the fact that the holiday weekend was over and a long week awaited drilled into our heads as the aftertaste of an otherwise stellar performance!!! Poor ending, but great show overall. Page lovers will love this one. Thank you boys for adding your usual cheer to my holiday season. See you in Miami. Todd M. Cohen [email protected]
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2003 15:26:23 -0500 From: Alex Rogowski Subject: Phish show review - 11-29-03 I kept hearing about the glory of the spectrum. I had never been to this place. It seemed to have good enough acoustics for me...of course, I just may have been sitting in the right place. I haven't seen a whole lot of Phish inside but I'm quickly becoming a fan of the inside venues. I think I can trade the space and dance of a lawn venue with the trapping and collection of the music inside. No lot scene outside. The wind was bitter cold. Got inside the venue and got to my seat. Lights went down and... Wilson - "Wilson!". I love it when people around you look at ya like you're nuts when you're singing your balls off to the intro. A little rocky in places but got to the point of the rock right away. The energy of the crowd seemed to get shifted up a gear. Cars Trucks Buses - Page let his fingers do the talking here. Very jazzy and rip-roaring with excellent themes. Limb By Limb - Very nicely done. Fishman got the kids dancing. Even the drunk 14 year old girls in front of me got their bodies shakin. Although I had to keep them from falling a few times, I found this tune to be quite the energy builder. I didn't think I was going to make it through the first set at this pace. Dirt - Phew. Nothing remarkable here except good placement. Seven Below - Now, this song keeps growing and growing into a monster. I think at some point fans everywhere will realize that Round Room has some gems on it. You just have to be there for them live. This was absolutely tight and rocking. They got back to the theme and brought it down perfectly. The Divided Sky - "Ahhh....". Good Divided Sky. The tension in the air was palatable during the "note". A mini glow stick war was trying to bust out. Just crazy tension and release as they finished it up. Fast Enough For You - I had to take a breather during this one. Sat down for a spell but got back up to bask in the warmness that is Trey's solo. Julius - This Julius was rockin! I've never heard it so flambayed into a hodge-podge of rock. It had so much energy (much like the first set). Tight, tight, tight. SETBREAK: Beer please. Twist > - Wasn't sure about this as a second set opener but I decided it doesn't really matter and just listen to the damn song and quit trying to pick apart everything. Good stuff. Got the crowd back up from setbreak and got it rocking into... Simple - Finally! I got this teased like homer simpson's floor pie all during my run from Burgettstown up to "IT" this summer. They segued into this flawlessly and Mike was dropping some serious bombs. Taste - Boom. Best Taste I've ever heard. Makisupa Policeman - "Woke up this morning....in Hempstead". At least they can joke about Mike's "umm...Indiscretion". Buffalo Bill - Hey, Tom Marshall. Tom Marshall! Had a smile on my face during this one. Tom is such a good guy so it was nice to see him get some anniversary love. David Bowie - Well, if you ever wanted to hear David Bowie just come to a show with me. I get it 45% of the time (according to Mr. Steinberg). So having become a student of it (and oddly enough that other song with the slightly different opening is my personal favorite) I'd have to say I'd rank this Bowie an 8. Very heavy and peaking but lost some of its flair at the end. It did however bust the roof off of the place having juiced the crowd so. Strange Design - I love Page songs. Page is the glue to this band. Plus I had a hankering for this song for it had been in my head for days. Character Zero - I know, its zero, but it was rocking and it was Phish Encore: Friday - Sang us a lovely ballad and sent us on our way. Anything else would have caused a riot. All in all a good show. Very tight. Lets face it folks, Phish rocks. Cheers, Alex Rogowski
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 19:58:41 EST From: [email protected] Subject: Phish show review 11/29/03 The Spectrum scene was pretty chill, especially because of the weather. There wasn't much being slung and people were mostly sitting in their cars drinking beer and puffin. Once we got inside, the usual Spectrum energy was there. The band came out and greeted us with Wilson, which was cool because my friends and I were staying in King of Prussia after the show. Next was Cars Trucks & Buses; I personally love this tune and enjoy it when I get the chance to hear it. The Limb x Limb was sweet. I love the layered jams and the peaks that Trey hits. At this point, the crowd was ready to rock, but they decided to bring it down and play Dirt, which is standard but still nice. Next, the Seven Below was pretty tame compared to a few from earlier in the year, namely the Gorge and Alpine, but was solid. The Divided was awesome, I don't even have to elaborate. Trey nailed it. Then again, with the crowd in the palm of their hand, they kill the energy again and play Fast Enough for You. Come on?! Poor placement that took the crowd out of the show enough to not be revived by a standard Julius. Uh, Trey, this is the Spectrum. What are you doing?? Set 2 opened up with a Twist that took off in a pretty cool direction. It went into a heavy/spacey jam, then into a darker Page ray-gun jam, and then into Simple. The Simple took everyone by surprise and was a good, solid version. Next was Taste and it was pretty smokin'. That's another like Limb x Limb that has some of the nicest peaks. After the solid Taste, they dropped the Makisupa. Sweet, sweet nuggets. Then we were graced with the presence of Tom Marshall, who came out and snag Buffalo Bill for us. What a nice guy. Trey was talking about how this song was written in the early 70's maybe even '69. Pretty funny. The Bowie they launched into next was damn smokin, and I always love it. At this point, I forgave Trey and thought the show was saved. They had people by the balls and decide to keep the energy pumpin', they better jam Strange Design. Bad choice and bad placement. Again the crowd was stunned and everyone lost the groove. They capped the show off with Character Zero, which is rockin', but standard. The Spectrum reputation was really tainted when Friday was the encore. I was totally disappointed in the show. It had its high points, but more lows with bad timing. I'll be back though because you gotta take the good with the bad, but the Spectrum show didn't even come close to pleasing the devoted fans in attendance. Eric Glen Dale, WV
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 15:59:48 -0800 (PST) From: Allan Morris Subject: Phish show review 11/29/03 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA Set I: Wilson, Cars Trucks Buses, Limb By Limb, Dirt, Seven Below, The Divided Sky, Fast Enough For You, Julius Set II: Twist> Simple, Taste, Makisupa Policeman1, Buffalo Bill2, David Bowie, Strange Design, Character Zero Encore: Friday 1 Trey notes Makisupa is the The official first Phish song 2 With Tom Marshall on vocals Last night's show was a classic. Floor seats, up close, made all the difference in the world. The vibe was much better, and there were a lot of heady moments during the show. A Wilson opener is always a good sign, and then CTB was a nice treat. I always enjoy it when Page gets the spotlight. Limb by Limb was a good choice, and Dirt broke up the set nicely before the crazy set ending. Seven Below is becoming an amazing jam vehicle for Phish, and tonight was no different. If I thought Trey was on at Nassau, he blew that out of the water last night. The solos were all so fluid and melodic, almost like he was playing composed sections. The Divided Sky was called by a friend of mine, towards the end of 7 Below. He "just had a feeling". Fast Enough For You is a beautiful song, and was a treat. Then Julius! This was a serious rocker, and everyone was getting down hard. Right after the lights came on at setbreak, the ticker behind the stage had an advertisment for a David Bowie show. So I turned to my crew and said, "I bet we get a Bowie second set". And I got it! Anytime you have a Divided Sky AND a Bowie in the same show, you know it's gotta be sick. Twist was not what I wanted to hear, but the jam was nice, and not too long. I caught the segue into Simple right away, and was one of maybe 5 or so people up front jumping up and down. Then about 15 seconds later, the whole crowd erupted as it was apparent. And I mean ERUPTED. I can take or leave Simple, but this just felt like a really special one. The jam in this version must be heard, it was sick! There were multiple times during the show where I found myself just screaming out that word...SICK! This was follwed up by one of the best versions of Taste I have ever heard. Trey and Mike hooked up with Page in what can only be explained as a "sublime" jam. It was pure hose. This went on for a long time, then Trey botched the return to the Taste theme. It was subtle, but definitely a botch. But this didn't diminish the power of the song at all. A must hear. Makisupa kind of started out of Taste, and the energy level was incredibly high in the Spectrum. The key word was...Hempstead. This is a reference to "Hemp", and also the location of the courthouse where Mike dealt with his "charges". It's also near Nassau Coliseum. Trey cuts Makisupa short, feeling the love, and explains that Makisupa is the first "official Phish song", and that Tom Marshall wrote it in the 3rd grade, back in 1969! Then Tom comes out to sing Buffalo Bill, which was pretty awesome. I got my obligatory hugs for the Bowie call ;) And Bowie raged as always. Then a beautifully sung Strange Design...one of my favorite slow Phish tunes. Character Zero was perfect placement in this set, as normally I'd be like "eh". But how could I not pump my fists and sing along? Ok, I was pretty disappointed in the Friday encore, as were most people. But you know what? It was really well done, and the jam here was really nice. Not a rocking blowout finish, but I couldn't complain. It kind of made sense; it was Saturday, and we were all wishing it was Friday again. It was almost like the band was bummed that half the tour was already over. I know I was.
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 22:09:34 -0500 From: Jordan Eisman Subject: Phish show review 11/29/03 over the last 10 years i have been to over 20 shows, not a crazy amount, but enough times to know good Phish when i hear it.. one thing about last night...worst show ever, totally sloppy, and unmoving, poor song placement, SHITTY encore, and well to say it bluntly after 10 years of a silly obsession, I am done! Jordan Eisman
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 15:01:40 -0500 From: David Goldstein Subject: Phish Show Review Philly 11/29/03 notes Hey now. FWIW, Philadelphia was a fun gig. Not incredibly special, but very well paced throughout, and some extremely hot first set highlights in the Limb and Seven Below. The former may have been the best version of this tune I've yet to hear. Set II was similar in tone...well played and well paced, but little more than very solid. The Tom Marshall 20th anniversary shtick in the Makisupa and Buffalo Bill was amusing, and a mellow Strange Design sandwiched between Bowie and Character Zero was a well placed treat. Reasonably priced Sierra Nevada Ales too. My biggest beef and the impetus behind me posting these notes? A Friday encore. The latter is IMO one of the least interesting, poorly written, lifeless ballads of Phish's career, and it should be quickly retired from the repetoire, and never played as a solo encore ever again. It's one of the few encores that can completely eclipse a decent second set with its lameness. Extremely dissapointing. Still, my theory with jambands is that I will continue to see them until they've bored me to tears at one of their shows, and 31 shows later, Phish, unlike moe., Widespread, or the Disco Biscuits, have yet to do the latter. Therefore, I will keep going. It wouldn't be a Philadelphia gig without the requisite dirtbag nitrous dealers in the lots after the show, and this one didn't disappoint. And while the new Phillies ballpark looks extremely cool, and while Billy Wagner is still an excellent addition to the team, they will never come in first in the NL East. Why? Because they're the Phillies. Rock on. -dg
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 18:05:52 EST From: [email protected] Subject: Phish show review ---------------------------------------- Philly, killer, I wish the dudes would have paid more attention to what they've played while in the philly region. Last night started out absolutely smokin', WILSON, CARS TRUCKS BUSES, LIMB BY LIMB. totally great, esp. limb by limb. but then the last 5 songs of the first set mirrored 5 songs they played in 2003 in the camden / philly area, which kinda brought me down. Don't get me wrong, 7 BELOW, DIVIDED SKY, and the always pretty FEFY were off the hook, but I could have done w/o DIRT and the obligatory JULIUS. This 7 BELOW was fuckin smokin, I shit you not, heard it 3 times now, and this one was THE ONE. The second set was phenomenal. KILLER TWIST, it was like a jungle jam or something, really, really cool, probably the only raw jam of the night, again, very , very cool, into SIMPLE, while is always a phun time. TASTE was great, reminiscent of 2/25/03, a great version, then MAKISUPA POLICEMAN, into BUFFALO BILL w/ TOM MARSHALL, which was total fun, he's a big dude, man. BOWIE was amazing, a close second to the TWIST jam, absolutely perfect. TREY was on fire during this one. STRANGE DESIGN followed, I was super psyched to hear this, what a great tune. Set ended w/ 0. Encore was FRIDAY. C'Mon dudes you kick our asses all night and end with ZERO, and FRIDAY???, anyways, GREAT guitar work on FRIDAY, even though TREY fucked up, sorry man, I noticed that little blunder. I LOVED the show, had a great time throughout can't complain at all, I heard 8 songs repeated tonight from the past three philly / camden shows, but I was blown away all night, great feat musically 2nite, by all four, new bass lines, TREY was ON FIRE, PAGE IS MY DAD, and FISHMAN was KICKIN, thanks ya'll.
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 14:40:47 -0500 From: Robert Walford Jr. Subject: Phish show review (11-29-03) Wachovia Spectrum 11-29-03 Got to the lot about six o'clock, with my eye on the seven-thirty show time. Lot scene was smaller than usual, probably due to the bitter cold winds whipping through the Philadelphia area. But there were still plenty of smiling faces, plenty of beer-swillin' pholk, and an abundance of good vibes to go around. The boys went on a bit later than they had the night before in Nassau, allowing more people to make it into the venue for the opener, which was a thumping, energetic "Wilson". I had predicted this before the show, remembering that the boys opened with "Wilson" at the very first Spectrum show they ever played, which, I believe, was 12-15-95. I heard the opening notes of this monster from the bathroom and came running up the stairs full-steam ahead, singing the lyrics at the top of my lungs. The crowd was absolutely ecstatic! This was followed by a mellow "Cars Trucks and Buses", a "Billy Breathes"-era instrumental that I hadn't heard in a very long time, and an obvious phan phavorite. "Limb By Limb" was up next, and I can honestly say that the ENTIRE crowd was singing along on this one, especially the opening line, "The shoulder that I leaned on was carved out of stone, but when I'm done freezing I want to be alone." Probably had something to do with the cold weather outside, I figured. After jamming on "Limb By Limb" for awhile, the boys brought the energy back down again with an appropriate "Dirt", along with all of the borderline-melancholy images that song is capable of conjuring. A tight "Seven Below" was next, with all it's references to "new flakes of snow" and trippy, underwater jamming. Then came the highlight of the first set, IMO, a raging "Divided Sky" that had the crowd firmly in it's grip. A long pause from Trey had me running for the bathroom again (is it me or is the beer at the Philly Spectrum soooo watered down?), but I was back for the tail-end of the song and it's power-packed conclusion. "Fast Enough For You", another slow number, pulled us all back down to earth again, and was a pleasant respite before the thumping bass and driving guitar of "Julius", which closed out the set with a lot of energy and class. One extremely enjoyable set break later, the boys took the stage again for a long, experimental "Twist", eventually winding the jam around to an unexpected and highly-energetic "Simple". Even though that doesn't sound great on paper, it sure as hell rocked my world! It's been a long time since I've heard "Simple" outside of a "Mike's Groove" sandwich, and this one didn't disappoint! Then came "Taste", a song that I honestly thought they would play the night before, due to it's references to the "fog that surrounds" (there was a lot of thick fog on the way up to Nassau). But it was a welcome addition to this show, and reached a suitably soaring climax soon afterwards. Then something truly amazing happened. The boys started playing "Makisupa Policeman", and the crowd went absolutely berserk. There were huge smiles and dank smells all across the arena. Right in the middle of "Makisupa" Trey started talking about how the December 2nd Boston show marked the twentieth anniversary of the band, an announcement that sparked a furious round of applause. But "Makisupa Policeman", Trey told us, was the oldest song in their repertoire, a song that Trey's friend Tom Marshall had written while in the third grade (!). Trey even ducked offstage to confirm that with Tom himself, prompting even more applause. He talked about Tom's inspiration in writing "Makisupa" and then brought out Marshall himself for "Buffalo Bill", which they started singing over the "Makisupa" music. At this point the crowd was going completely nuts, and I was screaming as loudly as I could. I couldn't believe it! A "Makisupa" shout-out followed by a rare "Buffalo Bill" -- two reggae songs in one! Does it get any better than that??!!! Well, the phun wasn't over yet. The next thing we knew, Phish had launched into a tight "David Bowie" that blew every single mind in the audience. No extended noodling here; this was a fast and furious jam monster that threatened to blow the roof off the Spectrum, especially towards the end. When this song roared to it's conclusion Page treated us to a beautiful "Strange Design", followed by an outstanding "Character Zero". Some pholks may not enjoy this song, but it sure as hell had the entire arena singing along on that night. A high-energy jam ensued, and a very memorable set came to a close. People expecting a rare or mind-blowing encore may have been disappointed by the "Friday" they eventually gave us, but it was a nice, mellow end to a spectacular show, IMO. Sure, "Friday" isn't my favorite new song, but it was a good cool-down after the jamming madness that preceeded it. All in all, a phantasic show with a lot of memorable song choices and performances, and a "Makisupa>Buffalo Bill" sandwich that will surely be discussed in Internet chat rooms for years to come.
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2003 09:11:18 -0800 (PST) From: Todd Cohen Subject: Phish Review 11/29/03 Phish back in Philly. Sounds so right. And so well placed on a Holiday Weekend Saturday Night. Old friends in town, and the phab phour, who would be welcome at my holiday dinner table anytime, were simply the icing on the cake. Thanksgiving is truly a warm and wonderful holiday, and I am sure we are all thankfull for the band Phish (and their entire crew) and all that they have provided for us over the past 20 years. And so I found myself with an ear to ear grin as I made my way into the hallowed halls of the Spectrum (no corporate sponsors deserve to be named). My incredible seats, on the center aisle on the floor not 15 rows from the stage, allowed me to take it all in...I paid my respects to the greats hanging on banners in the rafters...from Bernie Parent and Bobby Clark to Dr. J. I noted the banner honoring the Gratefull Dead's incredible run of 56 sold out shows and knew I was in the right place. I can honestly say, and I know I am not alone in this, that there was absolutely NOTHING in the entire world that I would rather be doing than what I was doing. I was definitely in the right place. AND THEN THE LIGHTS WENT DOWN AND THE ENERGY ERUPTED, emanating from all around the elliptical arena and the familiar opening chords of Wilson resonated, seemingly from above. Trey was smiling, and so was I as I shouted "Wilson," along with 15,000 other rabid phans back at our heroes. So here it goes, a song by song recap of PHISH IN PHILLY, a 20th Anniversary / Thanksgiving Celebration: I. Wilson, Cars Trucks Buses, Limb By Limb, Dirt, Seven Below, Divided Sky, Fast Enough For You, Julius II. Twist > Simple, Taste, Makisupa Policeman, Buffalo Bill*, David Bowie, Strange Design, Character Zero E. Friday Wilson: A perfect song to pump the crowd from the get go, well played and just fun. The Spectrum seemed to shake during this song at times as the energy level was through the roof. CTB: It was during this song that I knew Mr. McConnell would be joining us for the evening, and because this realization came so early, I knew we would be in for a treat. Page was on fire, and seemed to be communicating with Trey and the rest of the band in ways I wish I hear more often when listening to live Phish. One of the many reasons Phish is so incredible is that they boast incredible musicians at every instrument on the stage, but at times, for better or worse, many of these musicians get upstaged by their frontman...I mean no disrespect, and if a musician were ever to be upstaged, it damn well better be by someone as talented as Trey...but these boys got skillz, and I love hearing them all contribute to the delicious sounds Phish delivers...especially Page, who adds distinction to this band. When Page is on, things happen onstage that just don't seem fair. And he was on!!! So I strapped myself in and braced myself for an incredible ride. LBL: I really enjoy this song, especially live. The energy level in the building was still pulsing, and this song in no way let that slip. All parts were played / jammed to perfection, and the beauty of the harmonization shone brightly. Dirt: Ok, the arena was ready to boil over so the heat needed to be turned down a notch so we could all catch our collective breath and collect our thoughts. Dirt answered the call. Well played, melodic song. No complaints. 7 Below: I don't know about anyone else, but this song gets better every time I hear it. And the way Phish played it on 11/29, I am not sure that can ever happen again!! Wow. We had our breather, now right back into ROCK AND ROLL! They nailed this song. Divided Sky (The): They didn't come right out and play it. I was listening closely and I heard them feeling this one out...getting their barings...finding the perfect pitch with which to begin. So I must admit (or brag) that I knew it was coming. But even knowing it didn't detract from my excitement when reality hit. This may be my favorite song of all time...not just Phish song...but song in general. There are so many things about the song to like...especially when on a long drive, or immersed in a long, hot shower...or even while engaged in naughty acts with a lucky lady. But I apologize for my digression. They blew the roof off the place with this one...Page, who was in rare form tonight, was even capable of "competing" with Trey as the jam neared its crescendo. The two maestros seemed to be dueling up and down the scales and the result was a fever pitched and furious ending that nearly caused me to soil myself. I smiled and shook my head in disbelief. FEFY: What placement. Sweat was streaming down my face as the melodic chords began this, my favorite "thinkpiece" off of Rift, which is laden with them. The themes of this song made me think of time, naturally, and I was hoping time would stop, so that this moment would never end. But the water was slowly trickling out, and the song ended despite my pleading. Julius: The band always seems to play this one at least once a tour in Philly. They played it in February, and I was expecting it on this blissful night as well. Any band that has a deep respect for the Doctor deserves props. I know that is why they always seem to play this tune in Philly, and I am not complaining. They jam this song out the way it needs to be jammed, and gave the crowd a nice set closer, a little reenergizer before the break to prime us for what was to come. Setbreak: The spectrum, while a great place to see a show due to its accoustics...does have some major drawbacks...and these are glorified during intermission. The bathrooms suck. They are too small, too few and DOWNSTAIRS. This prompted the stragest of phenomena to occur. Those who know what I am talking about will laugh, but the lines were actually longer to GET OUT of the bathrooms than to get in!!!! Yes, at one point, every fucking urinal in the men's room was OPEN (yes, this is during the set break), while a long and daunting line struggled to inch its way back upstairs. But we finally made it. Then the concession stand I waited in line at for 20 minutes RAN OUT OF WATER! AND PRETZELS! Whoa nelly. That ain't right. So set break didn't go nearly as smoothly as Set One...oh well. I still had A full set and an encore of Phish coming at me. Life could be worse. Twist: The opening chords of Twist were echoing through the arena as I made my way back to my seats. I reconvened with my friends just in time to hear Trey start singing. Twist is not, IMO, the greatest set opener or closer because its energy just stagnates. But it is a fun song, and its energy level is higher than that I gleened from waiting in a friggin line to exit a smelly bathroom. So I enjoyed Twist... Simple: And it flowed so nicely into Simple, a song that is difficult not to love. Taste: Another song the band loves to play in Philly, but who cares. Page was on the motherfucker. Wow. They nailed this in February, and they nailed it again in November for good measure. And I do love when Fish sings...so extra bonus points. Makisupa: It just felt time to get Reggaefied...The first 3 songs of the set slowly built the energy level up near its apex once again, and this was a well placed, albeit unfinished, respite Buffalo Bill: Why was MP unfinished, you may ask...because Trey invited none other than his writing partner, Tom Marshall, onto the stage to help celebrate the "true 20th anniversary of the first time the band played together." Trey spoke of how Makisupa was the first Phish song, but Tom is going to sing something else...what would that be? Buffalo Bill. Not a resounding effort, by any measure, but what I can say is Tom knew when to exit the stage and gets plenty of bonus points in my book for that realization. His presence onstage seemed like a minute long...it was good to see him, but, and again I mean no offense, Tom is not who I came to see that night. So his expeditious retreat backstage was well received. And I am quite certain he has no problem with his short appearance. After all...he is one of the luckiest people alive (like Chris Kuroda), and surely would be partying with our heroes in no time. Bowie: The familiar long cymbal infused drum roll intro let us know right away that the band was back to business. Put your game faces back on. We are not done partying yet tonight. And the song did not disappoint. Strange Design: Perhaps a reward for being on fire that night, Page got to seranade us all with one of his more beautiful tunes before the mad dash for the finish line. CHAR0: Hello cootchie. Overplayed, but definitely a song guaranteed to bring the energy level up from zero to infinity in less than three minutes. This song rocks. The band knows it. And that is why they choose to play it so often. I have no problem with that. Do you? Friday: Ok. I loved the show...and the song selection...all night, until now. I have no problem with a ballad encore. Wading or Waste would have been beautiful endings to a magical night. But on a Saturday night of a holiday weekend, the lyrics of Friday struck a nerve. Why isn't it Friday? Because it was Friday yesterday, and there are seven days in a week. So we all had to leave the Phish show (hard to do on any day, and in any circumstance) AND had the fact that the holiday weekend was over and a long week awaited drilled into our heads as the aftertaste of an otherwise stellar performance!!! Poor ending, but great show overall. Page lovers will love this one. Thank you boys for adding your usual cheer to my holiday season. See you in Miami. Todd M. Cohen [email protected]
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2003 10:50:02 -0500 From: Lane Jost Subject: Philly 11.29.03 Short Review Folks, Here goes: 11/29/03 The Spectrum Philly I: Wilson, CTB, Limb By Limb, Dirt, 7 Below, Divided Sky, Fast Enough For You, Julius II: Twist > Jam > Simple, Taste, Makisupa Policeman, Buffalo Bill,* David Bowie, Strange Design, Character Zero E: Friday * w/ Tom Marshall and Trey explaining the history of his relationship w/ Tom. Ok, after 10 years of shows here, there and everywhere in between, we were set for the gig at the Spectrum and lucky to have scored seats through the lottery. I won't dice this show into pieces, but just offer a few thoughts and notes. It was a frostbitten parking lot along Broad Street, and there was zero scene to speak of, at least that I could see. I headed straight into the 'ole barn at 6:30, which was empty, yet already toasty. The band rolled onto the stage just after 8, and went almost directly into Wilson-this was ragged, splendid, action-packed and SLOPPY! It didn't much matter, as we everyone in the house was on their feet brimming with excitement as was I. Unfortunately, Trey's eagerness cost him a bunch of changes, but hell it was Wilson, and we were back in front the band that we all know rocks and takes risks-the dual theme of the evening. After the heavy metal breakdown, which has become almost routine, CTB emerged which was actually very tight, with Trey staying rhythmic and Page leading the way. An excellent and succinct version, with everyone sounding focused and alive. I was psyched about this, as it's an excellent change of pace, esp. after the ferociously sloppy Wilson. Limb by Limb was one of the highlights of the gig easily for its jam and solid execution. CTB/Limb were an exotic pairing due to the frantic time signatures of both tunes-dancing was only for the truly skilled (e.g., not me). Dirt was weak and performed with very little passion-a bummer as it's an excellent song. Now, I really deplore 7 Below on RR, but this one was another highpoint of the show, with a nailed "woked out" section and a rockin' melodious jam, which segued nicely back to the head. Bravo guys, this one will only get better and tighter. Loved it, admired it and would download the show for it. We were all thrilled about the opening chords to Divided, and again, this was excellent. The jam was strong and short, but nothing overly remarkable. The youngsters around would not shut up during "the note" but I will stop with my decrepit, crusty critique of phish's majority fan base-surly, bearded, teen-age men. FEFY was gorgeous! Now, for me, Julius was the gig's "keepah!" You won't believe the delta blues/Jimmy Smith/Albert King bass line Mike was playing and tension/release jamming was Phish at their very best form. Excellent, dirty, yet melodic guitar licks by Trey, who was "el fuego" all night-playing with some of the most fire I have ever heard. SETBREAK long, sweaty, and stanky.... Twist was right out of the '98/'99 ambient exploration era, with a complete departure from the theme and large synth washes from Page and loopy guitar from Trey. If you're into risks, this one you'll want to hear , though it got a bit tiresome and the segue into Simple saved it from falling straight on its ass. This was a true SEGUE maybe the best I've heard since 7.22.97 (DWD> Mike's) and you'll dig it when you listen to it on the recording. Sweet version, though Trey was way off key on the chorus and many of the lyrics from other band members left a lot to be desired. However, the crowd was fired up, as this obviously had great significance to the 20th anniversary tour. Taste was started right as Simple ebbed and it was a welcome sign-another odd time signature. The composed section was very strong, but the jam was epic, maybe not one for the books, but certainly one for the ears. The climax was very like a Bowie (which oddly followed Taste) with strobes and ascending chromatic guitar licks from Trey. The band could not get the atonal fugeseque ending down after several passes, but the tune still closed to a bombastic halt. Now, my favorite part of the evening was the Makisupa/Buffalo Bill run, when Trey brought up Tom and acknowledged his influence in the band and how crucial he has been to their history. Tom sang (badly) on Bill and seemed pleased and touched by his much-deserved moment. Kudos to Trey and especially to Tom. Bowie was a welcome sign, though it was brief and train wreck city folks. A weak Bowie, but after the excellent Taste, I was cool with it. Trey really lost the changes between verses and the ending lacked its usual machine-gun fire. Strange Design was blah and oddly placed. Character Zero, which is not a tune I care for, was next and we knew it was the obligatory closer. Unfortunately for us "hard cores," this Character kicked ass and Trey was again "el fuego." Another peak of the night. Now, Friday was not the encore we were looking for and even though I like this song, it's a regrettable finale. I don't feel alone in this opinion, as the energy in the entire room slacked. An odd end to a fiery and ragged evening of adventuresome music-not at all with the theme of the 2 sets. Oh well... Nonetheless, I had a ball and the 7 Below, Divided, Julius and Taste were all exceptional, not to mention the unbridled energy, which the brand impressively has retained. Like my buddy Nish said during Twist, "Everything changes, but Phish stays the same." Also, seeing Tom get his due, was very cool. Hope everyone has fun in Albany, Boston and everywhere in between. Please don't let the Friday encore deter you-it's their band I admire them for playing whatever the hell they (Trey) wants. Happy Holidays, Lj NYC ____________________________ Lane Jost
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