12-13-99 -- Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island
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Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 14:03:11 -0500
From: James Cunningham [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/13 Providence Review
This was my fourth show and a good and decent one at that but I liked this
summer's Great Woods first and second night a little better. I was at a Phish
show so how could I complain, right? Anyhow. Lots of security in the lot and
I just wanted to get in cause I was already a little late but so was the band
I guess because they didn't come on until about 8pm. Here we go.
Tube: Awesome! Just plain great. Everyone was on and I have really wanted to
hear this live for a while. Not really jammed out but still incredibly
smoking.
CTB- Yes! This was a tune I always thought I'd never hear live and was
thrilled that I did. It was standard and Page was smoking. A stellar show
thus far for sure.
Gumbo- Yippeee!! Probably my favorite tune of the night. I never thought
they'd take Gumbo into such an incredible Jam but they did it with ease.
Spectacular work from Page and Trey. Nice jam and I was wondering what they'd
pull out next after such a cool version.
Moma Dance- Bring in the funk! Wow! This version blows away the version at
Great Woods first night. Nice funky jam that didn't last too long. They
paused and went into...
Piper> - This is where, in my opinion, the show took a little bit of a
nosedive. This version, in the beginning, was incredible but they drew it out
too damn long. I like this song but I really wanted to hear some more stuff.
I shouted out to my friends "they're either playing a Bowie or a Theme next."
Everyone looked at me like I was nuts but low and behold...
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999 13:12:10 EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Providence review
I know this is a late review of this show but wanted to add my take of it.
Having hit the show in Hartford the night before, I thought this show was
far better than Hartford which I thought was a really mellow show. Parking
prices around Providence was jacked up due to Phish being at the Civic
Center and Barenaked Ladies across the way at the Performing Arts Center.
I also heard the traffic was bad on 95 getting into the city, but since I
am from RI, I knew other routes to get into the city and had no problems
at all. The rt. 195 downtown exit is so much better to enter the city for
all of you next time you come. I parked for free right on a street
downtown near the Fleet Skating Center which was closeby. The scene in
front of the civic center was crazy. I have been to so many shows in
Providence and I always find it funny the way people just hang outside
before the show moreso than any other show. I love checking out the scene
and talking to phriends. As for the songs:
Tube - I always think this is a great set/show opener and was not
disappointed with this selection. Not as funked out as I would have liked
it, but good all the same.
CT&B - Awesome! They haven't been playing this one lately and this was a
very welcome spot in the show. Was jammed nicely and everyone was into
it. Contrary to what some other people have said, I think this played out
fine in the arena setting. Glad to see it make another appearance.
Sweet!
Gumbo - I am not a huge Gumbo fan and always seem to catch the one or two
they play each tour, but this one was probably the best Gumbo I have heard
yet live. Kept everyone into it and was nicely played.
Moma Dance - Was one of my favorites of their new songs when this came
out, but have heard so many other great versions now and this one did not
live up to those. Was great to have that funk that I love in the building
though so I wasn't disappointed.
Piper - Was weird for me to hear them start a Piper from scratch since I
am so used to hearing it segue out from another song. Typical Piper until
the end. They found a sweet ass jam at the end of this version!
Theme - Another surprise and was nice to see them dust off this song.
Not one of my favorites but I appreciate songs like this more when they
play them fewer on tours. Would have liked a better set closer, but this
was a sweet set and already better than the entire Hartford show. Setbreak
was long as usual.
Set 2:
Gotta Jiboo - Nice, very nice! I like alot of Phishs new songs and this
one is right up there on that list of mine. Great set 2 opener and would
like to see this stick around more and get jammed out more.
NICU - standard
Sand - The highlight of the show for me. This version had everyone
grooving. They found such an awesome goodgroove in their jamming of this.
I like how they can turn their music into a rave style setting at times.
Yet another of their new songs which I like. I can already tell this song
is gonna be one of those songs that gets jammed different show to show and
you'll have to be lucky to catch the perfect version. Sweet!
Minestrone - Nice tune with Trey soloing. Nice change of pace.
Mountain in the Mist - bathroom break, this song does nothing for me
Limb by Limb - This gets almost the same review as Moma as that it used to
be one of my favorite of their new songs from back at that time when it
came out, but I have heard way to many better versions. This one was nice
though and soared pretty good, but again, I have heard many better.
Golgi - Pretty standard, but had the crowd into it big time.
Slave - Not as long as usual but was nice to catch again. I always
welcome a Slave!
Silent in the Morning - Not the encore I thought we would get since they
had just played this a few shows before, but was surprised to hear no
Horse. Still a great song nonetheless!
Heavy Things - Was so happy they decided to play a two song encore and
then they played a song which they had played the night before. This song
opened Hartford. I really do like this song though and just like Jiboo
and Sand is one of my favorite new tunes.
All in all I thought to be a great show. Not the best I have ever seen,
but a solid great show and went home happy. One last note: the crowd here
was so much more energized than most crowds. Providence appreciates all
the great shows here by Phish and they never let us down. They always
seem to be "on" for Providence.
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 21:25:23 EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/13/99 Providence Review (meanderingly long)
12/13/99 Providence Civic Center - Providence, Rhode Island (courtesy of
Phish.net)
I: Tube, Cars Trucks Buses, Gumbo, The Moma Dance, Piper* > Theme From the Bottom
II: Gotta Jiboo, NICU, Sand**, Minestrone, Mountain in the Mist, Limb by Limb,
Golgi Apparatus, Save to the Traffic Light
E: Silent In The Morning#, Heavy Things
* - with funk jam
** - tease of the Jiboo bass line
# - not accompanied by The Horse (last Silent w/o Horse - 7/3/94 - 412 Shows
- ZZYZX
Thanks to Adam Bramam & Phish.Net
Ah, Providence. Certainly a historic venue and city in Phishtory. After
sitting in I-95 traffic for over an hour, I was damn psyched for this show,
the only one I would be catching for this ever-so-accessible tour due to
being forced to save my funds for Big Cypress. (not that there's anything
wrong with that... ;-)
Show started at around 8 as usual.
TUBE is always a fantastic opener, although some of its luster has imo been
taken away by its frequency. This one had a decent jam, certainly nothing
out of the ordinary for a post-12/7/97 Tube, seemed a little on the short
rock&roll-y side rather than the unadulterated funk that has permeated the
best of the Tubes.
CTB came next; my first and fun, although it kind of feels like the reason
it's become a rarity is it doesn't fit in the arena setting; Page soloed
nicely but it was hard to hear... Unfortunately it seems like this one might
fall into the "jazz tunes that don't translate well to 10,000 person venues"
category.
GUMBO is one of those hit or miss first set tunes. This one hit, big time.
It seemed to take no time at all for them to leave the structure of the song
and go into a purely Type II jam. Trey stumbled upon a nice little riff that
eventually became the theme of the jam... it was four descending
notes/chords, sort of reminescent of the way old-school Tweezers would slow
down over the riff, only this was much more late-90's Phish, ie. fuller
sound, more ambient, and in a major key i think. In any case Gumbo was
simply awesome, and the jam ended very cleanly, didn't just space out.
MOMA was pretty standard (unfortunately). Damn they should start jammin this
one out! The opening seemed short but at least Trey and esp. Mike were
messing around a little bit with their normally standard lines. This
looseness seemed to translate to a tiny bit of sloppiness as the song went
on.
PIPER seemed to be oddly placed; not to mention oddly reworked. The whole
thrust of the song imo, the build, is gone. But read on, this ain't a bad
thing: Basically what happened was from the opening notes they brought the
energy up to full strength and hit the chorus in no time at all. I can't
remember if it was in Piper, but I think it was, where Fish was repetitively
hitting the high-hat in a somewhat annoying manner. In any case... first
chorus comes in, strong energetic jam, second chorus, and the jam continues,
normal Piper style for about a minute or two. Then they go funky! There was
an extended jam that kind of reminded me of the July '97 Amsterdam run, very
bare essentials kind of jamming, not the wall of sound we hear in a lot of
98-99. Extended jam, and excellent taboot. I haven't heard Oswego so i
won't call this the best ever but it's must hear for Piper fans (and fans of
Amsterdam '97 Gin>Cities!).
THEME - not much of a segue, the notes came in as Piper faded. Very nice to
hear again, love to see these great songs making less frequent appearances so
they're easier to appreciate. The downside is it wasn't really a standout
version, but I was happy. (Although not ecstatic with the set length)
Setbreak was long and tense. I knew they'd be pulling out a YEM, Gin, or
Wolfman in Set II, so I was anxious to get it on (little did I know...)
JIBOO was pretty standard. These Trey songs are fun and danceable but except
for rare occasions don't seem to allow for a heck of a lot of group improv.
FUn opener though.
NICU - odd placement again, maybe switch these two up... Fun as always, if
you guys are reading this Phish JAM-IT-OUT!
SAND was where things started to get interesting. My initial thoughts were
unenthusiastic, as this and First Tube don't really excite me that much. And
the song was as subdued and trance-like as it always is. The jam seemed to
go on forever in typical Sand mode, which imo was insanely boring and
repetitive. We got osee live music to hear improv! If i wanted this I'd be
at a rave. But it was eventually redeemed by an absolutely gorgeously
melliluous subtle transition into an incredibly high energy MAXIMUM ROCK AND
ROLL JAM! (the genre not the song ;-) This was also somewhat repetitive but
(much) more pleasingly so. Mike did indeed extensively tease Jiboo. Trey
was trilling beautifully. Then they equally subtly eventually brought this
back into Sand mode...a Sand reprise here would've capped it, but the jam
ended smoothly and I was far from complaining.
MINESTRONE - whatever this is called, it was beautiful. My friend thought it
was Zeppelinish, and I concur. Not like acoustic army, this was complex and
Trey really got to show his chops. If you saw a first set from the Trey tour
you know what I'm talking about.
MTNS IN THE MIST - pretty song, I prefer Dirt or one of the oldies (Fast
Enough, Tela, Lifeboy) but it's very pretty and it was clear we were about to
get something big after the double slow songs.
LIMB - this was an excellent Limb! It reminded me of a Type-I Disease - all
high energy, and Trey has really figured out how to solo coherently. This
would've been a great set closer, it was that powerful. Luckily it wasn't.
GOLGI - one of my most dreaded, but I managed to have fun. If Golgi bores
you and you're lookin for something to do, the funniest thing you'll ever see
is 10,000 ppl pumping their fists and singing along when the floodlights come
on "I saw you!"... Of all songs, it also featured a glowstick war... my first
on the floor, a little frightening eh?
SLAVE at this point was totally unexpected, an added bonus, and always my
perfect way to top off any night. Not much to say here, I was too caught up
in the standard beauty to be critical. :-)
Crowd seemed unusually enthusiastic during the Enc. break, maybe it's just
louder on the floor.
Enc:
SILENT - talk about unexpected! From the looks being exchanged on the stage,
this must have been played as an inside joke or something, after all they
just played it w/Horse 4 shows ago, maybe somebody flubbed and was being
given a shot at redemption or something. Nice, fun, standard.
HEAVY THINGS - seems to be getting shorter each time, otherwise I won't
complain. A little overdone with the cheese coming right after Silent
though. I was for some odd reason pulling for a PYITE here.
Overall this was a fun show. The theme was "let's show the audience we can
put on a good show with almost all newer songs and none of the big jamming
giants." The big jams were w/o a doubt Gumbo, Piper and Sand (Slave and Limb
were great but nothing out of the ordinary). Minestrone and Limb were the
other major highlights. Meaning: pick up set II and hear the Piper taboot!
Tube, Gumbo, NICU, Golgi, Slave and SIlent were the only pre-'95 songs played
tonite. I guess that's not so unusual these days though. A fun show, served
it's purpose as a warmup for me to NYE. :-)
...the heat goes on....
Dave
Date: Sat, 25 Dec 1999 08:21:46 +0000
From: Jerald Saval [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Providence Thoughts (12/13/99)
okay, I don't have much to say about Providence, but I really feel it
may have been one of the best shows I've ever seen (and I've seen some
pretty darn good ones). I won't review the show song by song, because
honestly I don't really care what they play anymore, I don't get psyched
to hear a particular song, I'm just listening to what they do with it
and how the band is communicating. I've never seen the band so tight,
and although some of you may feel that the Sand was boring and
repetitive, it was very spiritual for me and put me in this incredible
trancy state. It is so amazing to see when the band is locked in this
groove and to see it metamorphosize really showly and organically. (I
highly recommend that all of you check out Mike's interview in Relix
magazine from a couple of years ago when he talks musical metaphysics).
So anyways, i really thought the show was incredible. But in the same
light, a phish show is only as good as you perceive it, and maybe i was
just able to pick things up i might not have picked up at another
show...it's always relative.
One last thing...I think the new setup is so much better w/ fishman
center stage and trey and mike switching places. it allows mike to lock
up with fishman and page so much better, which i think definitely
contributed to how tight they were.
happy holidays,
dan s.
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 16:06:17 -0800
From: Zach [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: providence
After refusing to pay $30 to park, and driving around for almost 2 hours,
and not finding a spot... i some how managed to sell my ticks for face
value, so i didnt go in.
I would like to thank all the people who didnt go in, even though ticks
were selling for $5....stay at home, dont take all the parking. its ok,
Hartford was nothing special.
-joe d
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 19:51:41 PST
From: Michael Carey [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Providence Show
Ok, here's my take on the show last night:
Not really a lot scene to talk about. There was no one in the parking
garages, so everyone was out in front of the building, drinking and
carrying on like the phish community sometimes does.
You know you live in America when you register to vote at a phish show.
So anyway, show started at 7:00, but the band didn't stroll on until
around 7:45. I sat Page side, 100 level, about 30 heads back, right under
the Rochester Amerks banner, go figure.
Tube: Phatty opener. Got the crowd going and was very full of energy. I
was in a good mood for this song too.
Cars, Trucks, Buses: Good to see Page jamming. Kept the energy alive. I
dropped my pen, so I was looking for it for the first half of the tune
Gumbo: Not one of my favorites anymore, but played very well. The band
proved that they were having an on night.
Moma: I've heard this song about three or four times now so its getting
pretty repetitive for me. I like it and all, but i'm sick of it.
Piper: Trey was on keys. They jammed the hell out of this one and got
out of the moma dance rut.
Theme From the Bottom: I don't remember seeing this before. It was a
nice song to hear, and again it was played very well.
Set came to a close at 8:49 and left me with a smile on my face. The
crowd was hectic. I felt the air thinning out.
Second set, band comes on at 9:39. Typical long ass set break, they must
have been playing playstation or something.
I was expected a good opener to get the crowd back in to it. I was
correct, guessing Jiboo, which became the reality. I love this song, and
was pumped to here it. They jammed it out, nothing drawn out though.
NICU: I only have this song on tape and it has become one of my
favorites. I was reluctant to hear it in a night full of my favorites.
However, it didn't sound finished, nor did Gotta Jiboo.
SAND: This was the first time i heard this song and I can immediately say
that it is a good one, atleast on this night. Long jam on it, almost too
long, Trey once again jumped on the keys.
MINESTRONE: No had any clue what song this was, including myself. Trey,
pretty much solo, on the acoustic. The crowd wouldn't shut up, but what i
heard was excellent. I think that Trey especially was out to prove
something.
MOUNTAIN IN THE MIST: I'm not to fond of this song, but it was a nice one
to dance to after they got in to it.
LIMB BY LIMB: It seems as thought they want everyone to here this before
it gets retired for a while. I like it alot, and they as they had all
night, played this one with a lot of soul. Best jam i've ever heard on
this song.
GOLGI: OK song. Glowstick war was sweet, perfect timing about half way
through the tune
SLAVE: I could have called this one. it seems that every show i go to
that they close the set with this. That's ok by me. The light on this
were absolutley sick. Came to a close around 10:53. I was smiling from
ear to ear.
Encore: 10:59 Silent in the Morning: Played without Horse. Shocker to
me, as it was to the other guy next to me writing down the set. Page
should really sing more tunes more often. He's down right incredible.
After this came Heavy Things, which i didn't find all that appealing, but
it's only my opinion.
To sum things up: it was an excellent show. The band didn't seem too
fucked up. I only wish i didn't wait to Summer tour until my next series
of shows, but what are you gonna do, i'm a poor college student and can't
afford to get to NYE. But until this summer, i'll be thinking about this
great show in Providence, RI.
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 13:59:22 -0800 (PST)
From: Bart Tantillo [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review 12/13/99
Well some things are just not meant to be I suppose.
After missing the 40 minute Drowned in Hartford on Sunday, a Drowned
described as a friend who was there as "The best thing I have ever heard
from this band", I set off for good old Providence, Rhode Island early
Monday morning. One of my favorite Phish venues, the Civic Center just
oozes with New England charm. It has an intimate feel, a nice downtown
location, the sound is superb, and all the snack and drink vendors have
those infectious accents that I have come to love over the years. After
two incredible nights in Philadelphia over the weekend, I was hoping that
the band had stepped it up for this final week, and was ready to tear the
roof off the place. They did.
I.Tube, Cars Trucks and Buses, Gumbo, Moma Dance,
Piper
>Theme From the Bottom.
II. Gotta Jiboo, NICU, Sand, Minestrone, Mountains in
the Mist, Limb by Limb, Golgi Apparatus, Slave to the
Traffic Light
E:Silent in the Morning, Heavy Things
Seeing a Phish show from the front few rows is an experience I have only
had the pleasure of experiencing on a few occasions, last night being one
of them. It is a completely different and unique privilege to be able to
watch every move from only a few feet away, so much so that it makes me
never want to sit anywhere else again. After finding our seats in the
10th row, then realizing that security wasn't really a factor in the front
of the floor, we selfishly moved to the front, making sure we weren't in
anyone's way (we weren't). The lights dropped at 7:45, a nice surprise
given the 8:00 start times that have become the norm for this band, and
things started the way I had hoped, with Tube. Killer version. When you
are up front, Trey commands your attention to the point where it seems
like you have to make conscious decisions to even notice the other band
members. He (Trey) was as "on" as I have ever seen him last night, taking
the band with him and creating one of the ten best Phish shows I have ever
seen. Set I was intense, not one singular note struck wrong. I feel my
arsenal of adjectives to be limited, so forgive me if I use the words
incredible, amazing, or intense once too often. Not easy to pick one
highlight from the first set, but if I had to I would say that, besides
Gumbo, a song I love and only appears once in awhile, that the Piper>Theme
was what got me going. Arguably the best Piper I have heard, with all
apologies to the "People for a lesser Piper". I suppose my disdain for
Down with Disease makes me equally guilty, but this song, when played to
it's potential, is a Phish classic. Some said they preferred the first
set to the second set last night. Though I respect those opinions since
set one was stellar, set two overshadows it for three reasons, Jiboo,
Sand, and Minestrone(?). Gotta Jiboo, even as often as it is being
played, is still far from the stale sound that now accompanies fifteen
year old songs like Divided Sky and Harry Hood. Every version I have
heard has been better than the previous one, and I have a feeling it will
be a long time before that stops happening. Sand didn't impress me the
two times I had heard it live previous to last night. All I could think
about was First Tube, and how bad I felt for Mike having to play the same
bass line over and over again for fifteen minutes. However, much like the
Halley's Comet in Maine last Tuesday, this Sand was one of the best pieces
of music I have seen or heard from Phish. All I know is that when it was
over I turned to the guy next to me to gauge his reaction, and he looked
at me, eyes wide, jaw dropped, like he just won the lottery. Trey was in
a zone like I have never seen him before, and when it was over, he turned
to Mike and jokingly smiled and made a face much like the guy next to me,
almost as if to say "Holy shit, I am 'that' good". From there it didn't
matter anymore, but before I could catch my breath Trey had put down his
electric guitar, pulled out a stool from behind one of his speakers, and
strapped on his acoustic. A beautiful piece, mostly just him, but with
some nice accompaniment from Page and a few Gordon bass notes, it sounded
familiar, but I wasn't sure. The Phish.Net says it is Minestrone from
Trey's tour, but I know their track record for setlist labeling, so I'll
wait before writing it in blood in my trusty notebook. Mountains in the
Mist was nice as well, another ballad I really like. I hate to say this,
but I felt as if Trey was playing a few of these songs as a sort of
tribute to his grandfather, who passed over the weekend. He was all
business during the slower numbers, and took a humble bow after each one
(including Silent in the Morning). Limb by Limb, damn this song is good.
It has settled nicely into it's role as a major player in a Phish show,
either as an opener, or featured in a second set. Golgi was great, as
always, and it was interesting watching the band look around the arena
during that monumental chorus, when Chris has those bright white lights
shining on the crowd. Pretty cool seeing Trey, who always looks like he
is watching YOU, actually make eye-contact with everyone he could. Slave
closer, still cool, stale and all. I'm probably nit picking anyway.
Good thing everyone threw their glowsticks at the band during Golgi,
making for the first "safe" Slave in some time. Cool encores, of course I
was hoping for something else, but isn't that always the case?
Nonetheless, Silent in the Morning, as odd as it sounded without The
Horse, a gesture that left me wondering why they would even play it,
besides to prove a point that it can hold it's own, and it seemed like a
cool idea to Trey, was very nice to hear. Heavy Things, receiving heavy
play this tour, but a great song regardless closed out one of my favorite
shows ever. Not that it matters. What does matter is that D.C. is
tomorrow night,and I am two days past my deadline for the Walicki
Millennium Top Ten List. Talk to you folks on Thursday. By the way, I
have a feeling about D.C., but I will decline comment on whether it is a
good or bad feeling until after the show, so as not to rain on any hippie
parades. If you know that venue, and those "types" of venues, then you
can probably guess what I am saying. Now I've confused myself. Oh well.
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 13:46:41 EST
From: Jehosaphat Mamasboy [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/13/99
Dude, phish concerts are so the best. This wasn't one of my favorites,
(I've seen 9) but we had a rad time. My and my buddies cruised out of the
burbs at like 3:30 and had plenty of time to get to the lot. There was
alot of traffic which sucked the assgas out of my brand new Range Rover,
luckily I had my parents credit card so we were good to go. We drank down
a couple phatty Newcastles, grabbed our glowsticks, filled our
flask/hitter box, and headed in, dude.
Set 1
I was hoping they wouldn't open with Tube, it was sooooo much better in
1991. Where's my phatty Harpua opener!!! Cars and Trucks was cool, when
your stoned and you listen to Fishman play the piano, you're like Holy
Shit Dude!!! Gumbo rawk!!! Totally different than A Live One, they didn't
have any horns(which is bullshit) but it was still sweet. Then right into
Ghost(without the end part) we took this chance to smoke it up a little. A
security guy saw me puffin and didn't do shit. SO COOL PIPER PIPER PIPER
My favorite Song!! Finally this show was pickin up! I freaked so hard
during the buildup my dugout flew fight out of my new A&F patchwork
knickers. I'm not even sure what they played next cause I was lookin for
it.
Set Break was awesome, We were slamming down the Bicardi 151. We planned
out the perfect time to throw the glowsticks. Right when the play
Destiny!!!
Set 2
Finally my first Jiboo, I hadn't heard it yet but my buddy just got Jiboo2
on his license plates.(Look for us at New Years. We have phish stickers
all over the Land Cruiser) The lyrics were like "Got to keep Drinking!!!"
Oh man we were!!! It was sweet. Next was NICU, this is another song they
play way to much. I've got it on like 10 tapes and it's not even that
good. Another new song came next and Tre was rippin it up dude. It was
really funky. Then they played two brand newwer songs, I think they were
Jennifer Dancing and something else. This gave us a chance to chill out.
We needed it. Limb by Limb was pretty standard. I heard it last summer so
I was kinda hoping for a Timber Ho instead. Golgi was pumped full of
energy. It kinda sucked though because my buddy fell over on the total
hippie dude and they almost got in a fight. We would of wasted that guy.
Slave Closer. This was perfect, Trey was going off. We finally got a
chance to get the glowsticks out, I almost got one to stay up on Page's
drums. He the encore was going to be phat.
Encore
Trey walked out, looked right at me and smiled. I got to hang out them at
Hampton, WHEN IT COMES ALIVE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!
All in all it wasn't a very good show,(NO Destiny or Col. Forbin's) but
that's cool because I don't have a job so I'm seeing the rest of the tour.
I accidentally bought like six extra tickets for Raliegh and Hampton so
look for our car and I swing you a deal.
PEACE AND LOVE,
PHISHIN99
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 13:50:59 -0500
From: Rob Price [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/13/99
12/13/99 Providence Civic Center - Providence, Rhode Island
I: Tube, Cars Trucks Buses, Gumbo, The Moma Dance, Piper > Theme From the Bottom
II: Gotta Jiboo, NICU, Sand, Minestrone, Mountain in the Mist, Limb by Limb,
Golgi Apparatus, Save to the Traffic Light
# - not accompanied by The Horse (last Silent w/o Horse - 7/3/94 - 412
Shows - ZZYZX
Welcome to Providence! Got an early start down from Boston, flew through
'the bucket' and hit a dead stop hour long traffic jam within throwing
distance of the venue - and my fastball isn't what it used to be! Nice
freaking urban planning Providence. The new interconnector of 44/6/95/195
is one of the silliest pieces of trafficking i've ever seen.
We ended up getting in to will-call at 6:30 as planned and thankfully met
the crew all up. Great tickets on the floor, trey's side, Q rows back.
The floor was hot, sticky and full of some great energy. Fun crowd last
night. Elder Daryl and I were operating on about 3 hours of sleep and
looking forward to another late night and early morning of work, but it
was all worth it!
Just like Hartford I think the first set blew away the second. The
Phunk-theme of the night was immediately revealed at 7:45 in the welcome
guise of TUBE. Ripping version from the getgo. The crowd energy was
phantstic. Trey had a "Jah Volunteer" shirt on and a bad ass black wool
hat - couldn't read what is said. The sound was very loud on the floor,
but not damagingly so. Page was coming up huge on this and Mike was
really sounding crisp.
CARS TRUCKS AND BUSES blew the roof off. This was way better than the too
busy New Orleans version - all business. Page took off from the start on
his composed piece and really let us have it. A smoking version of this
song.
8:05 GUMBO was up next - payback for skipping this tune in Nawleans.
They really did a stellar job with the song and the singing was so sweet!
You gotta love the Gumbo! This was a funkdified southern style rager...i
was hearing Moma Dance teases all over the place from Trey. They really
spaced out the funk, slowed it down to a crawl and just dropped out of the
song. Woohoo!
MOMA DANCE. I knew i wasn't hearing $hit! They ripped into this Moma,
the bass was bumpin, Fishman was getting some tight, tasty funk snare
syncopation working, Page was playing around and Trey was in the zone,
including at least one distinct Gumbo riff. It was a night for the
Bootie-shakers and funkateers...Free Your Mind and Your @ss will follow!
Moma was easily 10-15 minutes long with tremendous energy. They never
once let the groove drop out, it was all fire and energy. The funk alchemy
was happening that just shakes your booty loose, stretches the smile on
your face and courtesy of the phenomenal light show - blows open the
corners of your mind.
PIPER jumped in with a flourish at 8:43. They started at the tempo
usually reached about 5 minutes in...Trey only strummed it out for a few
seconds and let go an absolutely scathing series of notes...he was at like
4000 rpms...this Piper quickly returned the vibe to the DEEP SPACE FUNK.
Blazing wacky funky stuff. Already a must get CD - 1st set Providence.
THEME at 8:43 - nice version, not too short, not too long, just right. End
set: 8:53.
Set 2 - They returned at 9:40ish and immediately declared New Song night.
For the record, I for one, was not complaining.
GOTTA JIBOO is really becoming a great launch-pad for the second set. 13
minutes in length and very nicely played. Fishman took charge in the
second set.
NICU started a little off, but quickly picked up on the chorus, and really
tightened up nicely.
After a quick converse they blew into SAND like the 10 o'clock AMTRAK.
They nailed this song in so many ways, i cannot possibly hope to describe
it in words. The pornofunk was released all over the place. I was
freaking exhausted and i couldn't help but boogie and smile. I might be
dropping into my conspiracy theories again, but i heard tons of Moma Dance
teases in this...also one very distinct pass at Manteca by Trey. How did
it end? 25minutes easily. GREAT FREAKING LIGHTS! Especially the high up
dark blue short flashers, that create that icy cool strobe effect above
and behind the stage. Bring it on.
Trey went and grabbed his acoustic and played MINESTRONE. I had a funny
aside with a neighbor, "purple hugh? minestrone?who the f. knows!" The
crowd did a mostly good job of keeping quiet for the beautiful acoustic
stylings. The rest of the band threw in a note here and there, but mostly
it was Trey on the stool with the acoustic. Why doesn't my Yamaha sound
like that?!
MTNS IN THE MIST. Kind of amazed at all the Trey tour songs they were
throwing out, but i will not complain about good music.
10:30 LIMB BY LIMB - Very cool Limb, about 10 minutes in length...nice
buildup, with Trey doing some really great things; the dropout to Fishman
only vocals and drums always brings elation. Had to love it.
GOLGI at 10:40. In the old days, i used to think this was a total throw
away. What was i stupid? - this song is so freaking rocking! I'll take a
Golgi like that anytime,
Thought we were all done, but they let go a nice and classic SLAVE.
Nothing too out of control - although Trey did insert a quick Moma lick at
one point early on = ) Plus i nailed this on phantasyphish - so i coudn't
complain.
11 pm return for the Encore. A really surprising SILENT IN THE MORNING,
sans Horse. Ironically i was at the last show they did this at: although
due to some crucifix-related subplot I have very shady recall. Good
stuff. Harmonies were tight, but seemed like they might be starting to
tire a little on the instruments. They stayed out after Silent, and the
crowd was really silent. Maybe people were bummed? not sure.
The really surprising surprise was HEAVY THINGS. It was the opener in
Hartford so i was kind of shocked, as were many. No complaint from me, I
really dig this hooky song, but it did seem weird for them to use this
instead of working out a Will it Go Round in Circles or another newer
tune/cover.
That's it for my December Tour - wish i was going to Hampton, but reality
kicks in until 12/29 when i can leave it all behind. See you in the
swamp.
PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT.
RESPECT THE LAND. RESPECT EACH OTHER.
NO DOGS ALLOWED - Gators like doggies.
Robbie
[email protected]
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 14:03:09 -0500
From: James Cunningham [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/13 Providence Review
This was my fourth show and a good and decent one at that but I liked
this summer's Great Woods first and second night a little better. I was
at a Phish show so how could I complain, right? Anyhow. Lots of security
in the lot and I just wanted to get in cause I was already a little late
but so was the band I guess because they didn't come on until about 8pm.
Here we go.
Tube: Awesome! Just plain great. Everyone was on and I have really wanted
to hear this live for a while. Not really jammed out but still incredibly
smoking.
CTB- Yes! This was a tune I always thought I'd never hear live and was
thrilled that I did. It was standard and Page was smoking. A stellar show
thus far for sure.
Gumbo- Yippeee!! Probably my favorite tune of the night. I never thought
they'd take Gumbo into such an incredible Jam but they did it with ease.
Spectacular work from Page and Trey. Nice jam and I was wondering what
they'd pull out next after such a cool version.
Moma Dance- Bring in the funk! Wow! This version blows away the version
at Great Woods first night. Nice funky jam that didn't last too long.
They paused and went into...
Piper> - This is where, in my opinion, the show took a little bit of a
nosedive. This version, in the beginning, was incredible but they drew it
out too damn long. I like this song but I really wanted to hear some more
stuff. I shouted out to my friends "they're either playing a Bowie or a
Theme next." Everyone looked at me like I was nuts but low and behold...
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 00:45:13 -0500
From: minestrone
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/13 Providence review
This was my sixth show and is my second review, my first review having been
for the pretty poor, souless Virginia Beach show this past summer. This one
was MUCH better.
1
Tube: Not one of my favorites.
Cars Trucks Buses: Page doing some terrific, mind-bending work on the
piano. The sort of thing I love him for, where he takes the chord
progression and works around it in his own way. Still, the show hadn't
quite taken off the ground until...
Gumbo: Who'd have thought such a great jam could come off of this? That is,
type II. An elegantly orchestrated minor key jam, complex but never in a
way that obscured its individual parts. Terrific.
MoMA Dance: Rocks. Terrific.
Piper: I was excited to finally see this, after having it heard it
frequently on tape recently. Unfortunately, I think it ended up being the
low point of the night. Like First Tube, it seems as if it could almost be
a real song, but there just isn't enough to it. It got so loud, and the
acoustics were so bad, that during a lot of it I just heard nothing but
indiscriminate fuzz. The one really neat thing that Trey did was this
looping bird chirping sound on his keyboard that I hadn't heard before.
Added interesting texture. Otherwise, just utter silliness that lasted
forever.
Theme from the Bottom: Holy smokes! Who would of thought that this could be
a powerful set closing song? The jam was just gorgeous. It's hard to
comment on. For me, this was perhaps the highlight of the night.
2
Gotta Jibboo: Weak. Nowhere.
NICU: Standard. Like Tube, an apparently popular one that doesn't do it for
me.
Sand: Very long jam. I've got to think that Mike must just get bored out of
his mind on some of these Trey songs with repetitive bass lines. Jam
started out with Page doing an interesting set of descending chords on the
rhodes not unlike the creative Gumbo jam. When he jumped over to piano, the
jam suddenly went into neutral for a very long time until Trey brought it
back into something truly raging.
Minestrone???: I didn't know this song. Trey on acoustic, absolutely gorgeous.
Mountains in the Mist: Ho hum. Far outshadowed by the previous slow pretty
song. I suppose they needed a long break after that endless Sand.
Limb by Limb: What strides this song has made since I saw it 12/29/98! What
was interminable noodling before has become grooving improv with all band
members contributing as equally as Trey. Very nice. John was acting funny
and chanting during his last bit on the drums. Ha ha. Thought it might
close a short set, until...
Golgi Apparatus: Great set closer! But wait!
Slave to the Traffic Light: Holy cow! This, personally, was one of those
rare moments where I thought "Wow, after Golgi, wouldn't it be great if
they played Slave as an encore." When Trey started, I hugged two of my
friends standing next to me. The minor key parts just before the jam were
especially dark and effects laden. A standard lovely slave with a couple of
peaks and returns.
Encore
Silent in the Morning: Without a Horse in front of it, I first thought
Trey's guitar line might be Vultures. They flubbed the timing a bit in the
beginning, but the rest of the song was strong. When it ended, I wondered
what they could possibly follow up with.
Heavy Things: I wasn't in Hartford to see this song open last night, and
I'm sure it probably wasn't a very popular choice, but I personally thought
it was absolutely magical. This and Limb are the only two viable pop rock
songs Phish does, IMO. Trey's opportunity to solo in this song highlights
what I think is his biggest strength: light, jazzy, emotional playing. The
beautiful, sensitively choreographed harmonies of this song were like a
lullaby for us all. Absolutely wonderful way to end the show.
PA Music
Before show: Latin music of some sort (please excuse my cultural ignorance
of specific varieties).
Setbreak: Reggae/adult contemporary???? Really odd.
Afterwards: Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas Album, "Christmas Time
is Here." Hooray!!! One of my very favorites, fitting with the lullaby
quality of the encore.
All in all: An average great Phish show. The high points of the night were
the great variety of pretty songs (Theme, Slave, Heavy Things, Limb,
Minestrone, Silent in the Morning). We also got a couple of great, high
energy rock/funk tunes (Sand and MoMA), and one interesting little type 2
(Gumbo). Overall, a very sweet and endearing show that got me dancing and
made me feel good. Are there any especially spectacular, far-out moments of
improv that make me declare the tapes a must have? No. I enjoyed the show,
but unless you're the sort of person who tries to get every tape, there's
nothing in this show that isn't in a lot of other average-great Phish shows.
Peace
-Joe
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 13:55:32 -0500
From: Tim O'Neil [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12-13-99 Phish-Providence, RI
Here is my review of last nights Show in Providence-
The afternoon started out with my brother bailing out on us at 3:30. We
now had 2 extras to get rid of at the last second. I made a few calls
and couldn't find anybody who wanted them. No problem i figured, we will
get rid of them at the show.
We rolled south down 95 at 4:00 pm and made it into the parking garage
around 4:45 or so. There was no traffic getting into downtown which is
always nice. We strolled out of the garage and walked down Washington
Street into Blakes Tavern. I put down about 4 beers inside and me and my
Girlfriend munched on some Nachos. We headed for the Civic Center
around 6:15 to try to sell the tickets.
We got to the main area where everybody was hanging around. I saw a few
people with their fingers in the air. It seemed people didn't want to
pay face for the tickets or anything at all. Some dude overheard me say
i had extras and said he would pay 50 for the pair. I took a trade
instead from him and we walked into the Civic Center around 7.
Inside i had a few more beers before the show and we just sat down and
relaxed. We were Section 111, Page side about 30 yards up. Sweet
placement to see a show. We had the whole row to ourselves for most of
the first set. Plenty of Dance room!
The show opens with a nice Tube. It got the room going in the right
direction for a nice night of long extended jams and some heavy funk.
On the way in we had Billy Breathes on the CD player and mentioned to
Sandra how much i loved Cars,Trucks and Buses. Low and behold, Boom.CTB!
It was nice. I was glad to hear it. Gumbo to MomaDance was a sweet duo.
Moma Dance had that funked out Black eye Katie beginning and was
wondering if they were going to do some vocals and sure enough they did.
Piper was raging, it seemed to be super triple speed fast. THeme from
the bottom was beautiful. It was so smooth. "AND I ASK YOU WHY, AS I'M
SWIMMING BY". Nice way to close the set.
Set Break was long. I forget the set break tunes...
Second set Starts with Jibbo, i really dig this tune. Unfortunately
there was some altercations right behind us for the start of the second
set which was a buzz kill. The rest of the second set right up to
LimbbyLimb was so stretched out and jammy it was awesome.. I was taken
on a musical trip that extended my inner thoughts and brought me to new
places in the theater of the mind. Golgi was a rager. I thought the glow
sticks were out of control. PLEASE KEEP THEM OFF THE STAGE.
The lights on Golgi were cool. Then Slave! It was the highlight of the
show i think. Awesome way to end the show. I had a feeling we were going
to get a Character Zero to end it but I am so glad to hear Slave. The
encore was Silent in the Morning, i have a feeling they wanted to brush
up on this. I bet they pull this one out around 4:30 AM NYE! Beware.
this jam could be crazy Saturday morning. Heavythings is another cool
tune..
We watched some of the crew break down the stage after the show. Those
guys had that stage broken down within minutes it seemed. They were a
well oiled machine..
Overall i would rate this show a 9. The jams were super funked and
spacey. The sound quality was the best I've heard and the tightness in
which the band played was righteous. They were definitely right on as a
whole group, Sound, Lights, great setlist...Goood Times.... Have a kind
Day.
--
Timothy P. O'Neil
Account Executive
Nemonix, Inc.
(P) 800-435-8650
(P) 508-429-3660
[email protected]
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 11:40:28 +0000
From: bradly bifulco [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: sorry its late...prov. 12/13
anyhow, i wanted to get a review in because i hadn't seen phish since this
past summer for both nights in mansfield, ma at the tweeZer center. i came
down from boston after work and met at my buddie's house in pawtucket. we
both work career type jobs, so we never get out until later than most, so we
knew we would be late for the show (we ended up walking in as piper was
starting). we gathered up all the narcotics we could and jumped in the car.
with a mouthful of e and xanax, a few lungfuls of herb, and some ritalin for
later, we strolled into the providence civic center - a favorite venue of mine
all due to phish's performance there in 1994 (12/29 new years run). if you
don't remember, i'll refresh your memory - set II - guyute, bowie (30 min),
haleys...etc etc.
it just didn't stop. so, i was psyched for tonight even though i'm not a big
fan of the "new sound". anyhoo, the music was really quiet. my friend and i
had a conversation without having to yell or anything. i'm not going to go
song for song, i just want to give some impressions. phish is a different band
than they've been in the past. and phish has always been about change. i
remember in 93 - 95 when people would say that phish was changing and that
they couldn't listen to it anymore. and i would always say "well, you have to
trust them. they're gonna change, you just have to trust that it's for the
better." and the changes in those years were absolutely for the better.
they were absolutley impossible to pin down. however one thing was for sure -
they were up there trying their asses off to drive people crazy with their
scientific approach to making live music. for a while, it was spaceship phish
- a fucking psychedelic sci-fi, rock-opreatic freak show which was so utterly
complex, intelligent, and precise and every night was basically better than
the last. i realized tonight in providence, that phish is not that at all
anymore. and i wish i could eat those words i spoke a long time ago, about
trusting them to change for the better. from my perspective, they have
changed for the worse, and have given up doing what I thought made them
"Phish". everything was so loose and reserved in providence, a limited number
of "moments", no musical mayhem where you didn't know which end was up. no
one was scared, no one was frightened no one was anticipating the raw
hysteria. and i know that lots of people like this phish, and i want them to
enjoy it, but their performance in providence cemented in my mind that phish
is not the band i used to follow around anymore. they are a band that a new
audience is following around for different reasons. people say that it's such
a great thing to go see phish, and the friendships, and the this and the that,
and the scene and all that garbage. but all that stuff is garbage. it should
be about the music. i miss the phish i used to go see, and i feel bad that i
have to wonder if they have changed to what they are today because people
stopped paying attention and listening. i am glad that phish is still touring
hard. there will never be another band that will affect me like phish has.
they are the most talented dudes i have really ever witnessed. but why piper?
why heavy things? why gotta jiboo? why are these songs seen as the makings
of a "fat" setlist??? i kind of know the answers, and i'm not trying to be an
asshole (although people will think i am), but i feel that the phish audience
has made phish to feel that songs like YEM and divided sky are not appreciated
for the unparalleled masterpieces that they are. and believe me, they are
masterpieces. YEM is composed, arranged, phrased, and performed better than
most original scores of film or classical music that i've ever seen. so
please, everybody, don't forget about or underestimate the history of phish.
take some time to go back and check out old shows - find out what brought
phish to where they are now. and if everybody starts paying attention instead
of worrying about making friends in the lot and the latest hippie fashion
trends, maybe phish will start to create complex music again. or maybe they
don't want to, but that's their deal, i just would hope that more people pay
attention and make the phish experience all about the music rather than all
the shit in the parking lot.
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 13:44:08 -0500 (EST)
From: [email protected]
To: Daniel W. Schar [email protected]
Subject: Re: review 12/13 providence
well, now that i've slept an adequate amount of time for the first time in
three days, i can write this review with a clear head. This is my last
phish show for a while (next summer perhaps?), and although it didn't
really wow me like my first one (6/26/95 SPAC) i was pleased nonetheless.
It seems this tour is one of those that would fall under the "album year
syndrome" category, even though the album isn't due until next spring. Yet
it shows all of the classic "symptoms" - lots of new stuff, played often
(maybe a little too often in some cases), some old stuff sprinkled here
and there, no classics (except for maybe that one show that I don't go to
because its 1000 miles away and i have a final the next day) and probably
the most acute symptom for me - nothing mind-blowing.
Indeed, 99 is the first year I can say I didn't see anything that
completely blew my mind away. Maybe i went to the "wrong" shows, maybe
i've just been around the block too many times (when you've seen chalkdust
torture 18 times, well...) maybe i'm too much of a grump, who knows. All
I know is I have yet to walk out of a show with that feeling of being
completely "wowed" since probably 12/29/98 or 11/27/98. This doesn't mean
i didn't enjoy some of the shows this year - highlights for me are
below... (not every show i went to is listed)
7/4 - meatstick dance and fireworks, cool mike's song, ghost -> slave
7/10 - the chalkdust at this show really did it for me
7/13 - wolfmans, halley's->roses->n20
7/18 - icculus jam
10/8 - we're not gonna take it. i love the who and although this wasn't
jammed or anything, i loved it
10/9 - 2001 - this was also my 21st birthday in my hometown - need i say
more?
10/10 yem - nice and long, still nothing like 12/9/95 (my favorite jam
possibly ever...)
and then this tour - mike's->meatstick from 12/5, drownded and div sky
from hartford and tonight...
tube opener: i usually see this as an opener, so surprise surprise. Yet
its also one of my favorites. having seen what might have been the
longest tube ever (20+ minutes -12/29/97) it fails to compare yet it is
one hell of a way to start a show
CTB: I was pulling into one of those rest stops on the mass pike and saw
the sign for Cars ->, Trucks Buses <- so i had to laugh and then realize i
hadn't seen this since 12/29/97. Fun.
Gumbo: yeah. nice funky jam.
moma dance: hadn't seen this since oswego. more phunk woohoo!
piper: i like how they are trying not to segue into this after every long
jam in the second set like they usually do. In that placement it is
probably the ultimate cop-out song (besides sparkle and maybe taste). I
hate it when they have nothing else better to do towards the end of a jam
but go into this song HOWEVER as an opener (10/8/99) and here it is pretty
cool. And MORE PHUNK! this jam is killer
->theme: another one i haven't seen since...11/29/98. not a bad way to
close a set in my opinion, although i think bowie or perhaps split open
and melt after this would've made this show much more rounded and better
on tape.
setbreak: smoked hash, sat there. my friend decided to wait too long to
get tickets so i went solo. what fun. saw some kid flip out near section
108 right before the lights came down...
gotta jiboo: here we go with the overplayed album stuff, although the trey
tunes are the best in my opinion. Whatever happened to completely
destroying new tunes? ghost was just sick in 97 and these songs have great
potential yet they relegate themselves to just playing it for 10 minutes
and then that's it.
NICU: can't get sick of this, ever/
sand: WOW. i hadn't heard this yet but i'd seen it on some setlists. this
is such a good tune, and the jam out of this was just sick. the highlight
of the evning for me. if you liked the trey-solo style of jamming (lots
of delay loops n' shit) this is your cup-of-tea. almost 20+ minutes
long.
minestrone - i like this tune. aw it on the trey tour but didn't
recognize it until the end. it sounds very similar to that acoustic part
after the delay loops in N20
mountains in the mist - yawn. hey whats happening here?
golgi - see above
slave - started out cool and then pooped towards the end
enc: silent - hey i love seeing them do something wierd like this without
horse or the hydrogen after rocky top on 10/7/99. oh well
heavy things - i guess this was treys way of getting back at the fans for
throwing glowsticks at them "hah, take that more new stuff that was played
last night!" funny, this was the first song at hartford, and then its the
last song here. i guess the i ching is right "all movement occurs in six
stages and the seventh brings return" set I, II enc at hartford, set I II
and TWO encores at prov..... eery
Ultimately i think the band needs to do several things...
1) take a fucking break! like, a year or something. trey should go walk
around his cabin and smell the roses or vermont outdoor or something.
2) write some better songs. the new new stuff is just lame when compared
to the older stuff, although it has its merits. jamming over the same
progressions get s old after a while, yet thats no excuse to crank out
top-40's sounding tunes.
3) do something innovative. I'm beginning to see phish as just another
rock band, not as phish. keep this up and the scene will transform itself
into something akin to dave matthews. i really have something
against those kids who decide they want to be billboards for abercrombie
and fitch or old navy, ever since i was in junior high (yeah i was one of
those kids who got the crap kicked out of them every day).
well, that's it whew! any responses/replies are welcome...
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 10:45:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Schrader brian [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Providence
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of Providence! Scott Murawski of Max
Creek had floor seats (Great Woods Summer '99 - Tuesday's Gone..) and
people were saying hello to him. He tried to walk through the tunnel
opposite the stage to go backstage presumably but was denied entry by the
security guard...interesting. Mike Gordon's parents??? sitting to the left
of the soundboard for the show - his father brought to his feet during
golgi beaming with pride! Very grooving show with Sand the highlight for
me. I couldn't help but think of the tape I have of Phish with Jah Roy
guest appearing at Nectar's when he reggaed "the bass and the drums are
the foundation" while Mike and Jon laid down a thick foundation for trey
and page to weave through. Much better venue and atmosphere compared to
Hartford the night before. Cannot wait until Florida - leaving on the
27th!~Brian.
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 02:23:39 -0500
From: derek william byron [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/13/99 heavy things
it's been a few years since i have consistently followed phish, but living
in providence i would be crazy not to check them out. i really only have
a couple question: 1)is there anyone still left from the old days, or have
you all been as turned off by the scene as i was last night that phish
shows have been put on the back burner. 2)has phish become a daycare
center - i realize the boys are multifaceted, but expecting them to look
after the pre-adolescents is a bit much. perhaps one of those height
charts (like on the rollercoasters) should be placed at the front door of
each venue. kids please stay at home if you are unable to handle yourself
responsibly. i remember being irritated by the "fans" at the tibet house
show that thought it was cool to yell "trey" for the evening during
everybody else's act. the scene is not there to put on your patchwork
cords, talk like a stoner/surfer about the nugs on tour, and be generally
disruptive to the town, arena, fellow fans and the band. the glow sticks?
that was great the first time it happened and it remained in the crowd.
i don't see the need to throw them at the band. almost as stimulating as
the laser pointers that everybody had a few years back. that came and
went, perhaps you should do the same. you see when the next fad comes
along you will drop phish and move on accordingly. unfortunately the
actual fans will be left to deal with the carelessness brought upon by
those who simply do not understand. phish has done some amazing things in
the past ten years, but i think most would agree the scene has been
transformed negatively. those who know whats up and still see shows
regularly start administering routine beat downs or something to deter
these fuckers from showing up. besides their parents must be looking for
them. save the scene, act responsibly, enjoy the music.
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 10:15:02 EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/13/99 Providence, Civic Center
Set I was pure magic again last night as tidings were certainly continued
from the previous two night's shows. To me, that was a string of five
gorgeous sets of deep musical bliss held together by the gooey globs of
space funk and unabided inspiration.. I almost couldn't believe my ears.
Set II continued this chain, much more mellow and spacy though with
integral jams out of keys and songs. Beautiful acoustic mellow out
mid-set, into waves of color and a cocogny of sound..
Then it happened, when the musical moment was at it's peak, it had to
happen.. It was bound to happen. Out came the glow sticks. Flying
everywhere but in the crowd. Seemingly aimed and poised at the band while
they reached for Golgi's climax.. Trey ducks, Mike moves back as the stage
is bombarded with those stupid toys. Never have I seen such a ruthless
display as I did last night. I was absolutely disgusted and embarassed by
this. I'm talking about gowsticks friggin' flying hardcore at the band
members, for a period of about two minutes straight, for those who weren't
there and didn't have to lay eyes on such a thing.. Who luckily didn't
have to . Who are you morons who feel this is fun? Why do you continue to
do this? The stage was a myraid of color after the shelling was complete.
I've been waiting a year and a half for a Slave since my last and oh what
a perfect moment to end the set with one. Long and drown out, melodic to
the last drop. It's too bad, certain people like to throw glowsticks at
the band though. We were rewarded for the one's in the audience who's lack
of respect and decency is quite obvious, with the most rushed, sloppy, and
unattained Slave these ears have ever heard. Band looked absolutely miffed
as they left the stage. Silent in the Morning with no Horse and Heavy
Things again for the second straight night.? for you who are still as daft
as a doorknob too just what I'm getting at, check out the lyrics to Heavy
Things.. It truly explains it all
I did have a great time though at yet again, a great show. Please leave
your glow toys at home.. They were pretty cool back in 97' but they're
pretty beat now. I seriously hope you who like to throw the glowsticks at
the band don't follow me to NYE in Florida. We really don't need you there
peace, Brendan
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 18:11:18 -0500
From: "McGilivray, William J." [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: Set break Prov. ????
does anybody know for sure what they played between sets. Somebody
thought reggae, but it sounded more funk to me. Definetly a group with a
female singer, possibly an all female band? If somebody could get the
name of the band that would be great !
Thanks,
Bill
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 22:50:25 PST
From: Jake Cohen [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review for 12/13/99
Well, I was hoping Providence would be a great show, with a whole lot of
older stuff mixed with newer songs. I couldn't have been more pleased.
Tube - My friend called it, my first one ever! Got the place really
rocking right off the bat. Extra funk.
Car, Trucks, Buses - Fun song, don't hear it very often (at least I
don't...)
Gumbo - Always a fun song.
Moma - Absolute FUNK!! Great jam, no dancing though.
Piper - The rocked, really carried, lots of energy.
Theme From the Bottom - Great way to slowly but sweetly close a good set.
I figured that the second set would upstage the first. The first set was
lots of fun, dripping with funk, but I thought that the second set held
the potential for some great rocking songs and some spacey jams like those
at other shows this tour.
Jiboo - Fun, Fun!! Got the place going again.
NICU - Everyone loved this one, kept the groove going.
Sand - The downpoint of the show in my opinion. Even though it was a great
show, I just don't like this one. Not my type of space.
Minestrone! - I almost went completely psychotic when I saw Trey go for
the acoustic! When he started it up, I remembered it as sounding like
Minestrone from the Trey tour. And it turned out to be. Definitely a fun
and creative way to insert a slow song into the set.
MITM - Another slow song, I was ready to groove again.
Limb By Limb - I just heard this in Portland, but you can't complain,
great jam and lots of fun on the chorus.
Golgi - I love this song. Short, sweet, always almost the same every time.
One of my all-time favorite guitar solos.
Slave - This rocked out nicely, fast, high-energy way to end the show.
Encores - Silent in the Morning without a Horse before it, but I had no
problem with it. Everyone went nuts on the "just last year" line. Great
ending with the guitar solo over the lyrics. Then, HEAVY THINGS?!? We just
heard this last night as the opener in Hartford. Oh well, still fun, I
just can't stand that one high beeping noise throughout the entire song.
Overall, a great show. Energy, a fun setlist, an acoustic song from just
Trey (with a little help from Mike and Page) and I got to hear Fishman
sing. See everyone at Big Cypress.
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 05:43:30 -0800 (PST)
From: Keith Harnick [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review of 12.13.99 -- Providence, RI
what a show!! i cant believe i was considering selling my tix cause i was
a little under the weather --- boy did this show solve that problem...so
heres the setlist:
Set 1: tube, cars trucks buses, gumbo, moma dance, piper->theme
Set 2: jiboo, NICU, sand->minestrone(trey on acoustic), mt. in the mist,
limb x limb, golgi, slave
E: silent in the morning, heavy things beautiful venue -- not as small as
portland but the prov. civic center still has a very close feel to it.
this show had a start time of 7:00pm (unlike philly, hartford, portland,
etc. which were 7:30pm) anyway 45 min later the lights went out:
tube: you just have to love this song. great lyrics - great groove - fun
as hell - standard version...but standard equals kick ass when it comes to
phish..ya know
cars,trucks buses: this is a cool tune and they rocked it. page sure can
wail on those keys
gumbo: i was hoping they would bust this out and they did. good version
although i perfer when the tempo is a little more up beat - not that
anyone cares what i think -
moma dance: yes this is an awsome tune. they start out with what used to
be black eyed katy (right?) which is a 5-10min funk jam thing (which
rocks) that suges into the vocal part from story. then at the end trey
rocks out while fish sings with him...this was pretty damn good...gotta
get the tape...gotta get the tape..
piper: always a crowd pleaser. this is a great song to bounce around
to..or...well...yea. i caught piper at portland on 12.08.99 and that was a
real crazy time. this one was good but i guess i liked portland a little
more...but i'm not complanin' ok!
-> theme from the bottom: i love this song. from fishs subtle hihats, with
mikes groove, then pages theme...well what is a phan to do but dance? this
was great set closer nice power to end it.
Set 1 was about an hour (1:01 to be xact) a little short in my taste but i
want them to play 3 hr sets. this was a very fun and phunky set. i mean
look at the setlist--i would consider tube, gumbo, moma, and theme all
phish phunky tunes whereas cars trucks buses and piper don't really always
fit that description..but...thats why we go to the concerts..cause i'll
tell ya piper has got this new phunky twist thing to it...ya gotta check
it out...or maybe you-----
gotta jiboo: great new tune that came from the trey tour i think. this was
my forth jiboo i think and..yup...its still getting better..the bass line
in this song rocks!! i promise u when you first see or hear this tune
you'll dance--its great.
NICU: well..ummm...its NICU...not much different...standard..which still
equals great....yea
sand: still trying to know this song's name before trey sings it in the
lyrics but oh well this song is cool and the jam reminds me of 2001 but a
little slower..good song-check it out
-> minestrone: right at the end of sand trey picked up his acoustic and
suged into minestrone...never heard this before but it was nice it
reminded my girlfriend of a led zepplin tune (kinda like the end of rain
song) very mellow
mountians in the mist: good song..nice moderate tempo..sorry nothing else
to say
limb x limb: this song has really been picked up lately..they really
jammed this song..all 4 guys were doin wacky stuff that made for some
great jamming--for instance you know how fishman sings the "limb by limb"
as "And i am takin far away" is sung? well fish added a triplet feel to
the phrase every once and a while and its really cool. i think i've heard
him mess around with that before but tonight was clear and
delibrate...awsome version
Golgi: like this tune but for some odd reason i wasnt excited about
hearing it...but not for long..why? well not only did this version rock
but the crowd seemed to be electrified and i must admit that soon went
nuts too...oh yea there was also a good glowring war (not to many
glowsticks :)
Slave: Wow! i thought golgi was going to close it but no...another great
slave...this was some good stuff and trey took us home with a very peaky
end.
Set 2 was an hour and twelve min long...not to bad..but i'll lose a song
or to for quality like that...i'm not sure what the 'theme' of set 2 was
but i'm pretty sure it had something to do with blowing the roof off the
place. i was impressed
silent in the morning: what no horse->silent!!! whats happening??? on
10.07.99 I am hydrogen was played outside of mikes and weekapaug......my
lord....whats next--landlady on its own with no PYITE????????????? ahhh
who knows but solid standard version anyway
heavy things: they opened with this yesterday and closed the entire show
with it tonight but i'm not bitchin' cause i really love this song the
groove is so nice and then the jam...well you just gotta hear it...i
thought they might bust into first tube or even bug to finish but no such
luck oh well...
great encore...overall great show and i'm sorry for anyone who missed it
but don't worry it will be ok cause the tapes will be around soon and then
you can bask in the glory that is--that was--Providence 1999...
keith
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 07:20:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Anthony Pierce
To: [email protected]
Subject: 12/13/99
This is my 21st show and for the most part it was
mediocre. I may feel this way about the remaining
shows becuase I still can't get over the second night
in Philly...WOW
TUBE:Woooohooooo! Love that! Nice way to open up
CTB:Great for page to display his talents but other
than that....
GUMBO:I used to be a big fan of this song, until they
included the long jam in the end.
MAMA DANCE: NICE.
PIPER:Just plain awesome, very tight and concise
THEME:eh. hear it too much
Set II
JIBOO!!!!!: I'm in love with this song. The boys
opened the second set of the 10th with this song and
it rocked! And it sounded great tonight man
NICU:very predictable...but always a favorite
SAND:extremely long jam with a whole lot of energy,
especially from page.
Minestrone:Beautiful, acoustic song
Mountains in the Mist:Loved it on the solo tour and
love it now!
GOLGI:I was hoping it wouldn't close the set.....and
SLAVE!!!!!!!: Yeah! Very nice boys :) :) :)
E:
Silent with no Horse....Interesting..not every day
this happens...
Heavy Things!...I am a big fan of this song...the
vocals are extremely well placed and it just clicks
...Good show overall....but nothing that special...
*Just want to say: Van if your reading this, we love you man! Peace out
-Anthony (Chipper)
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 13:19:01 -0500
From: Andrew Clayton [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: 12/13
Providence. This was my last of four nights (2 Portland, Hartford).
This building is always a rockin' place for a show. Messy streets just
like last year when the city of Providence threatened future shows (not
good). Great first set. Loved that Gumbo and Moma mid-section. Am I the
only person that doesn't think Piper is "all that"? It seems very
cacophonous at times to me. Theme was a great closer. Set 2: I've been
waiting for a Jiboo that is as rippin as Nassau 10/7, but this was a much
more mellow version. The "new" jams like the one in this song are fun to
follow with a strong consistent bass line. Sand was awesome. They are
starting to develop this into a fine tune with lots of room for
improvising. Once again, that consistent bass is nice to dance to.
After the Mountain/Limb by Limb nap, I was very happy to hear Slave, a
song I have loved since my first one almost exactly six years ago in
Portland. By the way, enough glowstick violence. Not only did a friend
get hit hard in the eye, but watching the guys on stage dodging them is
ridiculous. If you people love this band, stop hitting them with HEAVY
THINGS. Glow sticks onstage=back to back repeats (heavy things) in a spot
where they really could have busted out a kick ass encore to compliment a
great show. Overall, a great bunch of nights. I envy all o'yall going to
Hampton!!!
Got a jiboo and ya keep on drinking too.
Andrew C
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