6-24-00 -- Lakewood Amphitheatre - Atlanta, Georgia

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 20:44:29 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Phish Review ATL 6/24/2000
 
A pilgrimage to the ATL.  I am old.  I went to my first on 1/26/1989 at the
Paradise in Boston and have caught a few each year since.  I am so impressed
with how the band continues to reinvent themselves and out do themselves year
in and year out.  At over 15 year together and coming of a spiritual
revelation at Big Cypress - Phish is peaking.
 
Moma Dance - My set timing on this was about 15 minutes.  Mama dance always
lays down a killer groove and everyone at Lakewood appeared 4 inches shorter
as we all bent at the knees to dance phunky-like.
 
Runaway Jim - Classic.  Trey was belting out the lyrics as the band ripped
this one off for about 12 minutes.
 
Bouncing Around the Room (4 minutes) -- (Just in case they release another
live album).  Thankfully this tune has no potential for exploration and it's
typically over before too long.
 
Tweezer (27 minutes)!- As you've read from the previous reviews -- this was
EPIC.  A journey that begins in familiar thumping Tweezer land and meanders
its way into an intergalactic jam which loses all touch with its Tweezer
reality.  They covered my epochs here finding new territory every step of the
way.  Dazed and bewildered we step into. . .
 
Strange Design (5 minutes) - A beautiful ballad.  I also like to see Paige
involved asserting himself because I feel he is the hinge by which a great
show swings.
 
Cavern (5 minutes) - Closes the set.
 Trey lifts his guitar and uses his microphone cord like a lasso -- producing
feedback and wild footpedal art. then he wraps the cord around the microphone
stand and contort the cord into more screams, tipping his mic stand and
finally cupping his hands about 12-24 inches from the mic and touching
nothing he raises and lowers his hands producing wacky sounds with each
movement.
 
Birds of a Feather - A great tune.  This song has some very concise built-in
jams.  While I don't feel they are actually in creation mode when they play
this tune -- it's apparent that this song has jam at it core.  Very well
delivered.
 
Bug - This some is gratuitous but always well received.
 
My Sweet One - Oh yes.  Fun.  As this song get botched (they sound check it
the next night in NC) and makes a left turn Trey  yells out "Drum Solo
Fishman" (Fishman is notorious for his aversion to drum solos), Then I think
Trey or maybe John passes it to Mike saying "cactus, cactus, cactus" and Mike
lays down a bass jam then Trey yells "Leo, Leo, Leo" and Paige play a brief
solo.  The mayhem concludes with Trey telling everyone that John does not
write many tunes (maybe a reference to Trey's recent interview where he says
he's trying to get John and Mike to write more songs) but that My Sweet One
was about a relationship John had and that John had also written Dog Faced
Boy about the same person - "One of these songs was at the beginning of the
relationship and one was at the end, you decide which."  Trey then says that
their concerts are not typically about banter and proceeds to announce that
Mike Gordon will conduct tonight's installment of "banter."  Mike says a
couple of words -- and says he'd like to show us his "fight bell" which is a
boxing bell.  He lifts it up and bangs his ring finger on the bell a couple
times then sets the bell down and announces "This concludes the banter
portion of our show."  We are all having fun, band and phans alike. . .
 
Run Like an Antelope - I know of now tune more fun than this.  The crowd is
going CRAZY.  "Lie Lie Rocco, Marco Esquandoles."
[I have a show (12/31/1993) where Tom Marshall (writer of many Phish lyrics)
gets up and sings that portion of the song.  Trey, laughing, confesses that
these are the first lyrics Tom wrote for the band.]
 
Frankie Sez - From Cavern, weird mic play, long set break (the band was
enjoying themselves I assume), Birds, Rockin' Bug, MSO screw-up, solos,
banter, Antelope!  The whole venue needed a break.  This is a beautiful
overlooked song from Ghost - we all just needed a reality check.
 
Carini - clearly the band did not approve of the reality check. . .Carini has
a lumpyhead.  Great tune, rock ever so hard - chanting over and over "Carini
has a lumpyhead, " Trey bobbing back and forth grinning - the whole band at
the mics repeating "carini has a lumpyhead."
 
Squirming Coil - Beautiful.  I saw this at Radio City Music Hall on
5/22/2000.  Paige indulged in a nice piano jam that was right on the money.
CK5 had the lights down with a sizzling white light on Paige.
 
Prince Caspian - We knew this was the end
.  Everyone sings along.
 
Encore (0:21): Guyute - I believe this to be the quintessential Phish song.
It has some many movements and invitation for jams and searching.  We were
expecting the gratuitous Reprise. . .
 
The In-Law Josie Wales - Trey on acoustic, alone (I was hoping for Bela Fleck
and/or Jerry Douglas to assist).  The rest of the band and the phans just
hung back and we were thankful for the extra encore.
 
Driver - Hello.  This band does not want to go home.  We are at about a buck
40 for the second set and there is now stopping them.
 
Tweezer Reprise - Damn.  Can I get a hell yeah!

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 00:21:00 -0400
From: Tara [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6-24-00 my 30th show review
 
hey
 
lakewood rules once again,  the scene was great, it was HOT , as were the
shows
 
6-24-00 was my 30th show my last 4 shows were december hamptons and 12-30,
and 12-31-99 in big cypress
 
on to the show,  I was in the lawn and the crowd was really laid back
 
MOMA:  I can't believe that no one else mentioned that this started off as
cities for a couple of bars or 2 and then became moma dance, I was psyched
to get my 1st cities but could not complain as this moma raged for almost 15
minutes.  The funk was thick and deep like a '97 black eyed katy, with trey
just raging the end jam.
 
JIM:  very nice off to a great start, this was more of an old school jim
just straight jamming nothing out of hand, just a real nice tight version of
runaway jim. the crowd again was singing every word this was about 8-10
minutes

BOUNCIN:  whatever,  I was going with it thoug no complaints here right into
 
TWEEZER:  WOW!!!  this is not only the longest tweezer I have seen but the
only 1st set tweezer I have seen and definatly the best.  Everyone in the
crowd was yelling "won't you step into the freezer" and the funk raged out
of control into a GREAT extended jam that kept going back and forth from
space to funk to
a straight phish jam, totally out of control jamming for almost 30 minutes
til trey brought it back for the tweezer "breakdown"
 
STRANGE DESIGN:  did not expect this one, the 1st one I have seen and it was
great. sort of rare now a days and page nailed it,  sort of like
cars,trucks, busses the 1st night
 
CAVERN:   another old school tune in the 1st set, trey sort of flubbed the
lyrics but this really got the crowd going ,  could of used another tune but
the 30min tweezer made up for it.  Nice but short 1st set
 
SETBREAK:   really long for some reason, saw a naked guy, and a big black
security guard who was checking out peoples nugs and eventually formed a
circle in the back of the lawn with some other black security guards and had
a session,  only in atlanta !!!
 
 
BIRDS:   this was AWESOME, the best version I have heard since the island
tour '98 version, raged for almost 10 minutes of killer trey jams
 
BUG:  easily the best version I have heard of this as well, awesome jam, get
the tapes and you will be surprised, I am not a huge bug fan but I think I
am after this version. just awesome
 
MSO:  this was interesting, they had no clue where to come in at all, kuroda
had the lights on cue but the guys could not get it together so trey yells
out for each to do solos and after they start the 1st part over and
they nail it, it was so fast I could not keep up I was dancing my ass off.
trey gets mike to banter and mike holds up a boxing bell and messes with it
 
ANTELOPE:   AMAZING, they nailed this one, the jam started off like a bowie
jam with mike playing the deep antelope groove and trey coming softly and
building it up slowly, all with a huge glow war on the lawn
this was just great,  the crowd was loving it
 
FRANKIE SEZ:    ahhhh nice little break
 
CARINI:    this ruled also,  longest version I have ever heard with a sweet
space jam at the end with crazy lights,  very nice.  this was probably like
8-10 minutes
 
COIL> CASPIAN:    I was hoping for a mikes groove but this was really good,
coil was flawless with a huge grin the whole time from trey, and caspian was
really well played
 
ENCORE:  (this was a show in it self)
 
GUYUTE:  can't go worng with a nice guyute, fireworks exploding on the lot,
the crowd was pumped, I thought they would break right into the tweezer
reprise but we go
 
INLAW JOSIE WALES:  I forgot I saw a guy tuning the acoustic at setbreak,
this was awesome.  25,000 people were dead silent to hear trey this
flawlessly
 
DRIVER:  hell yeah , I like this song alot. really , really nice to hear
 
TWEEZER REPRISE:  best reprise I have ever heard, everyone was waiting for
it so when it finally happened the place erupted.  mike had a cool offect on
his bass that just added to the intensity.
this was just really awesome. great way to end it
 
 
overall this show was great,  the scene was great like always, how about 3
nights next year
 
comments, suggestions or if you have these on tape or CD
 
[email protected]

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 19:54:32 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: ATL Review 6-24-00
 
SET 1
MOMA: As I stated in the comment that got posted with the setlist, "this was
the best version of this song since it stopped being Black-Eyed Katy." From
the beginning this absolutely kicked ass, combining the phunk and rock
elements of this song perfectly, and Trey just kept taking what's usually the
end and going around, and changing tones, and wow. This version is a
quintessential Moma Dance.
RUNAWAY JIM: This was my 7th Jim in the last 12 shows, so I'm way jaded, so
much so, I apologized to the people around me for being a Jim-magnet. That
said, if YOU like Runaway Jim, this Jim rocks.  It was long, it never got too
slow like some do, it just kept on rocking.
BOUNCIN': Whatver. Bouncin's Bouncin'. They're all the same, and they're over
before you can finish complaining about them anyway. Besides, something cool
always seems to follow Bouncin'....
TWEEZER: I cannot express how elated I was.  I didn't think they'd play it
again that soon (2 shows before). Now I have seen many Tweezers, and it will
never come off my list of songs I could hear every night.  This began as a
rockin Tweezer and took very little time to open up into some sick sick
Phunk. It was a Tweezer phan's Tweezer. One question though... after spending
the afternoon in that broiling hot lot, when exactly was it "gonna be cold,
cold, cold?" Just wondering.
STRANGE DESIGN: If you thought I was happy Friday with CTB & Jesus, I yelled
"YES! THANK YOU PAGE" so loud when this started people who didn't recognize
the song looked at me like I was insane, until they heard him sing a few bars
of it, then everyone seemed to know why I was so happy. This was a beautiful
version of a beautiful song.  Page came to Atlanta in perfect voice, and it
filled that ampitheater, and the way Kuroda lights that song is so sweet.
Thanks again Page, I will never forget my first Strange Design.
CAVERN: Ok, so who doesn't hear Cavern and instantly think "end of set 1?"
Regardless, this is the first Phish song I'd ever heard, and made me want to
hear so much more that 9 years later here I am still loving this band. Cavern
always rocks, and Trey was playing Tone-Jedi at the end with some feedback
after he'd put the guitar down, just waving his hands and playing with the
pedals. Someone behind me asked how he was doing that. How? Because Trey is a
serious bad-ass, that's how.
 
SET 2
BIRDS: My first Birds and it was spectacular.  Mike's bass lines were strong,
and the singing part was perfect. The jam was long and so rockin' I almost
expected a reprise of last night's glowstick war.  When I want to hear this
jam at shows, I prefer Birds to its twin Chalkdust, of which I've heard
plenty.  If you didn't (don't) like this one, check your pulse.
BUG: I love this song, but was surprised at first to hear it so early in the
second set, until it started to build and build. I think Phish has a Monster
Ballad on their hands. This song has great lyrics, although I wish the
backing lyrics (ie, "don't feed it," etc) were more audible.  Kuroda's
lighting during this was unreal.
MY SWEET ONE: We went in to these shows wanting banter. Ha! We had no idea.
First, I love this song to begin with so I was psyched. I love Fishman-penned
love songs.  Then the madness begins as keys change, Mike gets very confused,
and they are about to seemingly start it over again when Trey yells out "Jon
Fishman drum solo," which was then followed by exactly that.... "now Cactus
Cactus Cactus"... "Leo, Leo, Leo!," and finally Trey himself took a solo.
Then comes the highlight of my weekend... Trey tells us we are in for
something out of the ordinary, "Mike Banter" and then, my intellectual hero,
Mike "Cactus" Gordon leans into his mic and says (in that Mike voice we all
know, "I don't usually banter...." How I remained standing laughing that hard
is one for Steven Hawking to figure out, but it got even better when Mike
showed us his fight bell. This is the Phish I love most, and this was classic
stage strangeness. Over right? Wrong. Next Trey tells us that Fishman wrote
both "My Sweet One," and "Dog-Faced Boy," which most of us knew. Then he adds
that what we may not have known, was that both were written about the same
person, one at the start and one at the end of the relationship, then askied
us to guess which was which.  Now, we all know weirdness is always followed
by rock...
ANTELOPE: This Antelope smoked, and the glowsticks were flying again. My
friend Jeff suggested the keyword would be "Mike banter" but alas it was
spike. Regardless, this is an Antelope phan's Antelope, just ask my friend
Steve, or anyone near his dancing space during this song.
FRANKIE SAYS: You think Page knew I came to hear him sing? I was saying in
the lot I wanted this or Strange Design, never guessing both would be an
option. This song has beautiful lyrics, beautiful music, and sounded perfect
to my ears.
CARINI: Like the Friday Contact, a song I was so bummed to miss in Atlanta
last summer. What a rockin' version of an already rockin' song.  People were
singing "Carini had a lumpy head!" at the top of their lungs, and Kuroda was
going all out on this one. It jammed so hard and so long I was almost
surprised there was more set left.
COIL: After telling the kid behind me twice what the song was called I got to
enjoy my first Coil in five years. This was a solid, not overly spectaular,
but very cool version of Coil. I was watching carefully during the Page outro
and the other three didn't leave the stage, so I knew one more was coming,
but they did let Page play real pretty for a few minutes.
CASPIAN:  Love the riff that comes out of the spacey beginning to this song
(it was the first thing I learned to play on the guitar - thanks Emil).  This
was a solid Caspian, and a great way to end that set which combined pure
strangeness with pure rock.
 
ENCORE
So we all figured it'd be _______, Tweezer Reprise.
GUYUTE: Guyute Tweezer Reprise? Didn't seem right to me. Guyute was Guyute.
As cool of a song as it is, it never sounds any different. It's fun to listen
to, fun to dance to, but if they continue to play it as often as they do,
then it needs to evolve a bit. The people in the lot were setting off
fireworks which was really pumping everyone up.
INLAW JOSIE WALES: In my head it's still Minestrone, but I do love the new
title. This piece of music is really pretty, and the Trey's playing carried
evenly throughout the venue. He played a perfect version of this song.
DRIVER: I was totally expecting Reprise at this point, so any other song
would be a bonus for me, but whooooooooooo hoooooo, my first Driver. I have
loved this song since the first time I heard it on tape in 98 and have always
wanted to hear it. I think the lyrics are so simple yet say so much, and Trey
sang it perfectly. Thanks!
TWEEZER REPRISE: A kickin' reprise for a kickin' Tweezer. This was a great
way to end two sweet shows. They were all on fire, including CK-5, and
everyone was so into it that the lot had such an up air about it for hours
and hours afterwards.
Overall, two solid shows at a fantastic venue.
Thanks,
Jayson
Tampa FL

Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 10:54:14 -0700
From: david moss [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6-24-atl
 
oh atlanta, my home town, havent missed a show here since 97
and the boyz dont dissapoint!!!
i was @ both shows w/ phat seats under the pavillion, but my seats for the
24th were right by the sound board, during setbreak i was talking w/ KURODA
and LANGUEDOC and i must say both are very cool guys, but anyway here is my
review for the 24th since that was my phavorite of the 2:
set 1: MOMA to start, one of the phattest ever!!!
JIM next, and were OFFF!!!
BOUNCIN, nice crowd pleaser
WONT YOU STEP INTO THE FREEZER!!!!! 30min. TWEEZER
CREAMY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!!!!!!!!
STRANGE DESIGN, havent seen this one inna while, niiiiiiiiccccccce
CAVERN, started very phunky, one of the greats
setbreak, like i said above, i was talking w/ KURODA AND LANGUEDOC, got my
stub signed, took a couple nice pics, those guys are very kynd!!1
set 2: B O A F, i called this one and it was PHINE
BUG, definitly one of my phavorite newer songs
M S O, this my sweet one was insane, TREY and MIKE completely phukked it up,
so it just morphed into some classic weirdness, hilarious
now phor the epic; ANTELOPE, NICE LONG REGGAE TYPE INTRO, SWEET!
FRANKIE SEZ, nice and mellow
CARINI HAD A LUMPY HEEEAAD!! !!! !! !!!!! YES!!!
SQUIRMING COIL, ah the return of PAGES long solo
CASPIAN, OH YEAH, THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT MY ALL TIME PHAVORITE SONGS, I WAS
IN HEAVEN
now for the encores:
GUYUTE, JOSIE WALES, DRIVER, TWEEPRISE,
i called every one except DRIVER, I WAS OVERJOYED TO SAY THE LEAST!!!!!!!
this may not go down in anyone elses list of highlights but it sure is in
mine, both days were amazing but this one was very special, cant wait for the
tapes

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 11:17:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: Joshua Millard Reed [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Lakewood 6-24-00
 
Hello all!!  Good to see some familiar phaces in Atlanta this weekend.
What a great weekend!!  Do the boys love Atlanta or what??  Both nights
were absolutely everything I was hoping for (except maybe a PYITE or a
Reba, but who's complaining?).  I'm only gonna give a review for the
second night, but a brief reflection of the first
night....ahhhh.....Hotlanta--the boys home away from home. how about Trey
lifting the guitar at the end of Character Zero.  I pretty much lost it.
Can't wait to get that pic. on to the show..
 
Moma Dance:  yeah...bring the funk baby.  still walkin' when they kicked
it in.  walkin' and bouncin'. damn I love this song.  the usage of the
pedals just blow me away.
 Runaway Jim:  Love this tune. going old school is never a problem, and
this was an old school Jim, very straight up. Loved it.
Bouncin':  I still love to hear it.  There's always the suspicion of the
"Bouncin'" fan (you know what I'm talkin' about) but its still great to
hear this tune.  The vocal rounds were nailed.
Tweezer:  Didn't see this coming in the first set, but DAMN ARE YOU
KIDDING ME??? 27 minutes of transcendence man.  I lost myself in this jam.
My girlfriend really doesn't like this song, and I think this one changed
her thoughts.I mean really, all of our crowd and everyone around just had
these
HUGE
grins after this.  Really really really smokin'. The boys were in the
element this weekend, but then again they always are.
Strange Design: never seen this, but really sweet and melodic. I like this
song and it fit well in between Tweezer and Cavern.
Cavern:  Always great to catch a Cavern. I was surprised about some of the
songs they played this year due to what they played in Atlanta last year.
But hell I love what they put together for us this year. A solid, very
rare 6 song set highlighted by a ridiculous Tweezer.
 
Setbreak:  we just kept it real during the setbreak:  nothing out of the
ordinary.  met some folks from Auburn, my former school.  good to see
that they are still producing some phans.
 
Birds:  From the initial Trey licks, I knew this was going to be sick.
Love this song.  Hadn't seen it since '98 and man I've been missing it.
Jammed hard towards the end sending us into a phrenzy.
Bug:  First time seeing this and they did a great job. Even the jam was
strong, showing no signs of slowing up.  "It doesn't matter...."
MSO: Comic relief for the night.  Even though the song was botched, it was
still great to hear it. Trey mentioned Fishman writing this and finally,
finally we get to hear a rarity, Mike bantered.  Good to hear from you
Mike. I dig the bell.
Antelope:  Marco Esquandolas is in the house!!!! Man oh man oh man two
years in a row, what a treat!!! Absolutely flawless, maximum build-up, out
of control.  I was running in place as fast as I could.  Phenomenal.
Frankie Sez:  Great place for a cool down, even the boys need a breather
after an Antelope.  Went to catch the 10:30 cut off for beer.
Carini:  Always good to hear Carini.  Powerful and strong riffs all the
way through. Excellent Carini.
Coil>Caspian:  Wasn't sure what they were gonna do.  Very impressive.
Hadn't caught a Coil in a while.  Very melodic and transient.  Page's solo
was stellar as always and the transition was superb.  The weird thing is
on our way to Lakewood we passed by Caspian street and said to everyone, I
wonder if it's a sign.  Thanks for covering me guys.  Absolutely beautiful
version of Caspian.  This is of my girlfriends favorites.  The crowd was
singing backup the whole time. Wonderful second set.
 
Encore: Wow!! My first Guyute and it was everything I had hoped it would
be.  I love this tune.  The whistle and then spooky voice, it was all
ridiculous.  Could've easily been the end, but the boys reward Atlanta
with....
Inlaw Josie Wales:  Absolutely beautiful.  It's tough to quiet down wild
phans during an encore, but the whole place was silent to hear supreme
acoustic work.
Driver:  Will this encore ever stop??? We were all waiting for Reprise and
they through this in.  Another wonderful tune.  The whole place was still
jammin' all the way up to......
Reprise:  Stepped right in where the other left off.  Very aggressive and
powerful, Trey was all into it.  I bet if they could've, they would've
played all night. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, I don't know what Atlanta
did to deserve the treatment (i.e.Halloween '96, Ghost '97, the sick '98
show, and the wild wild two nights last year) but man we certainly
appreciate it. See ya'll in a couple of weeks.
Josh

Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 04:42:15 -0700
From: Greg Peeler [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review Lakewood 2
 
Lakewood night Two:
Words for the day: "What! Do you see the size of that pipe!?!?!
 
 OK a little background here. We all know the annoying people who wander
around the Phish lot and try to sell you Grateful Dead stickers and shit (BTW
where did the Krishnas come from all of a sudden? Very surreal). Anyway, were
sitting next to our car having a brew in the shade and getting it on with this
EMORMOUS dank bowl when one of those clowns walks up and gives us the satndard
"Hi you're busted for not partying hard enough." Well one of my phriends just
looks right at him and with perfect timing says "What! Do you see the size of
that pipe!?!?!
 
OK another hot and dusty day in Hotlanta. I pretty much gave up walking around
and hid in the shade we had set up between our travelling cars. Got a REAL
nice one on before walking inside. As usual our heroes are on at about 8 and
open up strong with a long funkee Moma and a intense involved Jim. Bouncing
brings us back for a few minutes and then they launch into Tweezer. First set
Tweezers are nice. This one was probably the best first set Tweezer ever and
one of the best all time period. Unlike most of the 30min Tweezers ive heard
this one stays moving and interesting keeping the crowd interested as it goes
on and on. Im like "man, this is one long ass Tweezer and the thing still
keeps going." I gotta listen to the tape to see if it really was as good as I
think it was. I think so though. Definately the highlight of the set and
probably the whole show. Strange Design (havn't heard it in a while, but who
really cares) and a good old Cavern end it up. Nice set. Definately a keeper.
Now for set2...OK, not a big Birdies fan but I can live with it. Not strong on
the song selection here though with Bug following (hey guys it matters to me
dammit, I really am getting to dislike that song). MSO would have brought back
everyone, but instead fell into the comic relief portion of the weekend. Trey
was right, they butchered it allright, but I am a huge phan of banter and
listening to the rap from Trey and Mike made it all OK. No problem.  A
screaming Antelope (much better than Cypress) more than mode up for it. Man
they took this one up, up, and up full freaking bore I felt like the guy in
Reefer Madness going "faster...faster...play it faster!" a truly worthy
version that left me in a steaming pile. Now things kinda went dowmn the
toilet. Except for Carini (not too long not too short:) ) the rest of the set
was flat out dog ass crappy. Yeah I wanna be put to sleep late in the second
set of a Phish show. I wish they could have saved at least one lousy song for
PNC or something because they heaped all of them on us for the rest of the
weekend. I guess they got tired or something because damn, a Coil Caspian run
will put a world at war to sleep. Not to mention Frankie Sez.  Hell Caspian
alone is so boring it could be a Dead tune, its that bad. UGH. At least they
did a decent encore, no errors in Guyute (which is what I listen for
now,....are they going to beef it?) two slow songs that were really
unnecessary and the manditory Tweeprise.  Generous? Maybe, but the song
selection except for Carini was very pedestrian and low on risks.  I think
they were getting tired and my suspicions would be confirmed the next night.  
After all, theres only so long you can leave Phish out in the heat...
 
  Greg Peeler

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 13:44:43 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 06/24/00 lakewood tweezer
 
Instead of reviewing the whole show I thought I'd just focus on the massive,
orgasmic tweezer that took this phan to new heights once again.  Now, I've
heard Tweezer before, like mostly every one else, and this tweezer was balls
to the walls joy from start to finish.  After nailing the opening segment
perfectly, the band dove straight into the unknown sonic depths.  Trey set a
real laid back loop effect to begin the jam and Gordon was just doing "laps"
around the other band members.  Mike's bass playing has been phenomenal
lately and it seems that him and fishman were leading the jam at times.  One
thing I love about Lakewood, besides that security is chill as hell, is that
it is near the airport.  As planes flew across the sky they provided perfect
visuals for this soaring jam.  In my psychedelic state I had mental pictures
of the band not being a band...but a rocket ship headed straight towards the
sun.  This tweezer showcased just how far the band has come and their
willingness to create new and limitless soundscapes.  This was "the" jam of
this show, kind of the center piece.  Check this one out for a stellar mental
journey!
 
Mike s

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 15:21:49 -0500
From: "Hanby, Tim" [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Atlanta 6/24/00 review

Phish:  LakeWood Amp. Atlanta, GA.  6/24/00

Lakewood situated in downtown Atlanta, frequented by Phish since 1995. Tonight
as they wrap up their last show in the deep south , I still am buzzing about
the second set they pulled off in Tennessee. I know it was 2 nights ago but
that SAND!! They were truly "Hooked Up". Tonight I was eager to hear more. The
lots in Atlanta are always one of the best. Shakedown Street was bumping. Show
started at 8pm.
MomaDance- Highlight of the first set for me. Always thought it would be a
good opener and it got everyone grooving quick. This was Moma from start to
finish, no doubt about it.
Runaway Jim- Standard, novel jam.
BATR- I liked it even though I have seen it 10 times. I think its just a
great, well written song.
TWEEZER- The big jam vehicle. Got the crowd really fired up with Mike dropping
bass bombs all over my ears. The jam started very mellow and smooth. I really
like the way it was going for the first 10 minutes but Trey seemed to get
stuck in this pattern that he couldn't break. The jam started sounding very
repetitive. Fishman had a very fast paced rhythm and it didn't vary. So it was
around a 27 minute tweezer but it fell short of others I have heard although I
am glad they took the risk. I am not complaining.
Strange Design- Finally after 31 shows I heard this wonderfully written tune.
Page really shines and it felt good.
CAVERN- Really got the crowd moving. I thought trey nailed the lyrics. Sounded
like he got it right to me but I may be dreaming. It seemed to be the one song
that got everyone in the whole place moving with Trey and Mike doing their
little kick dance. 

This was the first time the first set ended and it was still light outside.
Only 6 songs. Probably the quickest set I have witnessed. Highlights being the
Moma Dance and Strange Design. Looking forward to a long second set.

BOAF- reminded me of 98. A nice jam section with chris reminding us why he is
the best.
BUG- At first was bummed cause I just heard it in Tennessee but the jam on
this was unbelievable and reminded me why they are playing it so much. Trey
just poured his soul into this jam as it took many textures and forms. They
really seem to be exploring their new songs better than the older ones.
My Sweet One- This sounded like a mixture of every bluegrass song they do.
Someone was definitely out of key and the words went to hell. Its funny to
watch them mess up though. They are such perfectionists so you know they hate
it but we got to watch Fishman do a drum solo(which he hates to do) along with
Mike and Leo Leo Leo. Trey then thanks Atlanta for their patience and since
they just butchered that song and they never do much bantering. Mike was now
going to banter. Mike does not like to be on the spot. He took the opportunity
to show off his bell and rang it twice. Then stated that the bantering was
over. I was really happy to hear My sweet one nonetheless.
ANTELOPE- Raged�.it raged. Very loud, very fast, very tight. As good as you
remembered it. Highlight!
Frankie Sez- I am going out on a limb here but the sooner they shelve this
song, the better we'll be. Bash me now but this song seems so�.la la. 80% of
the people took a seat.
CARINI- talk about contrast. This song was a complete 180 from what they had
just played. One of the few songs the band has written together, it showcased
treys distortion. They stretched it out for a long time and got kind of
repetitive but was a great crowd pleaser.
S. COIL- Finally. I have waited 5 long years to hear this song live. It was
really wonderful to get it especially in this placement. Beautiful solo by
Page. It is to bad allot of people felt the need to scream and holler during
this beautiful section.
CASPIAN- Trey all the way, alone in the spot light. A strange set closer but
caspian jam can catch you off guard and rock! Love the pause and heavy return
ending.
Encore- Guyute- They nailed it. The ugly pig showed his face.
Inlaw Josie- beautiful�still wish people didn't feel the need to yell during
quite jamz.
Driver- nice..keep em coming.
Tweeprise- may have been the rockingest thing all night. Absolutely lit the
place up with Chris electrifying the crowd with the rotating lights. Didn't
want it to end but alas. Trey took a extra long bow�very humble.
Overall a standard show with some definite highlights but fell short of the
energy and improvising that went on in Tennessee. Just my humble opinion. Take
care of your shoes!
TJ
 
 Date:
Sun, 25 Jun 2000 21:22:17 EDT From: [email protected] To: [email protected]
Subject: Phish Review - 6/24/00
 
Hey, all you phunky Phishheads!
 
This is my first time writing a review for a Phish show (you'll probably be
able to tell when I comment on the songs :) . My name is Joel, and this is
only my 4th show. In the past, I saw the Lakewood show on 8/6/98 which
honestly didn't mean too much to me. Last year, however, when I saw the
Memphis(h) show, 9/29/99, I was completely blown away by pretty much
everything they played. Since then, I've been hooked (no pun intended) on
Phish.
 
The third show was the previous night's show in Atlanta, 6/23/00. Why am I
not reviewing that show as well, you may ask? Well, truthfully, I thought it
was pretty good, but I think I was a bit let down. There only seemed to be a
handful of great moments ("Bathtub Gin," "David Bowie," "Rock & Roll,"
"Character Zero," and "Possum" were first-rate). It's not that the other
songs chosen were bad; I just felt that they were uneventful. Nonetheless,
the show is worth listening to on bootleg at least once if you didn't get the
opportunity to experience it for yourself.
 
This show, 6/24/00, completely blew the previous night's show out of the
water! Nearly everything was a joy to hear, and I was sharing in one hell of
a groove! So, anyway, here's the lowdown each of the songs:
 
Set I:
 
"The Moma Dance" - Honestly, I couldn't tell what this was. I had to ask my
brother since he's more familiar with the tunes from The Story of the Ghost
than I was. Nonetheless, it had an excellent rhythm, and all four guys were
really jamming. Great way to get things started.
 
"Runaway Jim" - Unlike the last tune, I recognized this immediately. It was
great to hear it again since 9/29/99. A fun-filled jam that put my mind at
ease and my body into motion.
 
"Bouncing Around the Room" - I know that generally Phishheads have some sort
of code that says they have to hate this song (why else would it always have
a bad rep?). It may have a pop sound (which isn't always bad), but it's
short, so what's the big deal? Anyway, this was a first for me, and I enjoyed
it.
 
"Tweezer" - I was thinking before the show that I wouldn't mind if they
played this as long as they don't jam on forever. Well, unfortunately, in my
case, 26 minutes equaled forever. Actually, some parts of the jam were
interesting to hear, but I think that if each portion in a single key
would've been truncated about 2 or 3 minutes apiece, I would've enjoyed it
much more.
 
"Strange Design" - First time I've heard this song anywhere. After that long
"Tweezer," I needed to sit down, and this provided a very pleasant atmosphere
for about 3 minutes. Good job, Page. :)
 
"Cavern" - As soon I'd heard that opening drum beat from Fishman, my brother
and I jumped out of our seats simultaneously, screaming the title! This
really got me going. Believe it or not, it was the first live performance of
this song that I've seen, and it did not disappoint. The lengthened ending
was killer with Trey moving his guitar around and swinging his cord while
Page provided some excellent sound effects! Awesome!
 
I was hoping that there would be at least more song before the set break, but
there wasn't, which is OK. My only complaints about the set was that there
were too few songs and too much "Tweezer." Other than that, it was quite
impressive. Little did I know at the intermission that the second set would
almost bring the first set to shame!
 
Set II:
 
"Birds of a Feather" - I was actually pretty surprised when they busted back
into the show with this one. I didn't think they would play it, but they did,
and it was nothing less than phat and phunky! At about 10 minutes, the jam
was absolutely perfect, not too short, not too long. What an excellent way to
kick things back into action!
 
"Bug" - I admit that when I heard this song on Farmhouse, I didn't really
think much of it. This is a good example of a tune that sounds much better
live than it does on the studio album (then again, for which song is the
opposite true?). The jam at the end was a bit lengthy for my tastes, but the
song was still very enjoyable.
 
"My Sweet One" - I've heard the song many times before, but I didn't place it
until the harmonized vocals came into play. Lots of fun on this one with Trey
allotting solos for Fishman, "Cactus," and "Leo." What a treat! Trey's
comment about Fishman's songs, "My Sweet One" and "Dog Faced Boy," was very
funny as was Mike's banter about his fight bell. It's always a pleasure to
see the boys have so much fun onstage!
 
"Run like an Antelope" - OH, MY GOD!!!!!! This was far and away the highlight
of the entire show! This jam was absolutely incredible!!! Trey's guitar work
reached a zenith by building up so much intensity bit by bit. The light work
was crazy, and when Trey did the simulation of ambulance sirens, I was going
totally nuts! I could hardly control myself! When the vocal section was
finally completed, I was shouting my lungs out at Phish for one of the
greatest instrumentals ever! There is only one word to describe this song,
and that is "sick." Sick, sick, SICK!!!!!!!!! If there is only one reason to
get this show on bootleg, "Antelope" is it.
 
"Frankie Says" - Something else from The Story of the Ghost with which I
wasn't familiar. It was nice, but for that type of style, I think I preferred
"Strange Design." That's OK. It was short.
 
"Carini" - Yet another first for me. Nice and rockin' with a jam that was a
good length.
 
"The Squirming Coil" - My second-favorite song of the night. The slower
groove was very relaxed, and I savored every moment of it. Everything was
absolutely beautiful, especially Page's end solo was magnificent. I just wish
that some obnoxious guy hadn't yelled out loud for 5 seconds during the
ending! Anyway, it was wonderful to hear this song played so beautifully.
 
"Prince Caspian" - I wasn't too wild about hearing this for the second time
when it started, but the relaxing tones were very pleasant to hear, and Trey
looked like he was enjoying himself on this one, so it was pretty well done.
I hoped that it wasn't going to close the set, but it did.
 
Encore:
 
"Guyute" - YESSSSSS!!!! Excellent selection for the first of four encore
tunes. I was grooving all around on this one and going hysterical during the
fastest part. Damn! What an awesome song!
 
"The Inlaw Josie Wales" - Trey did very well on this mellow acoustic number.
It's just too bad that some individuals in the audience felt they had to made
themselves heard.
 
"Driver" - Very good choice. I had heard this at the Memphis show and was
actually quite impressed with the songwriting. It couldn't have been executed
any better.
 
"Tweezer Reprise" - I may be relatively new to the world of Phish, but when I
noticed they didn't close the second set with this one, I saw it coming a
mile away as the closing of the encore. Nonetheless, it was a phunky way to
end and incredibly sick show! Thank you so much, Trey, Page, Mike, and Jon!
 
Joel

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 18:06:30 -0500
From: John Cassibry [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/24 review

6/24/00 - Lakewood Ampitheatre, Atlanta, GA
 
   Moma surprised me as an opener, but I really like this tune so I was
excited for it.  This was not a typical Moma of '98 or '99, they actually
jammed out at the end for quite some time before bringing it back in....
some nice groove jamming.  Mike was turned way up in the mix, and he was
a'groovin'.  Runaway Jim was a great way to continue the set, very
high-energy.  The jam went on for a while, in more or less typical fashion.
Bouncin.... Anyway, Tweezer was great!  As crazy as the DWD jam from the
night before, if not crazier.  In some ways, reminded me of the insane
Tweezers from '94 and '95, they just took it all over the place!  I believe
it was timed at 30 minutes, which seems about right.  Definitely check this
out on tape/CD if you can.  Can't say enough about it.  Strange Design was a
nice call for a mellow break, Page sounded sweet on it.  Cavern was very
rockin, also noteworthy because (I think) Trey nailed all the words
correctly and in the right order.  No old-school lyrics. :-<  Tweezer
definitely anchored this set, and made it all balance out pretty well.  Lots
more Trey Jedi action at the end of this set.
   BOAF was great as the Set II opener, jammed out very well.  They took
their time with it, which was nice...  Bug was awesome.  AWESOME!  Lately I
can't get enough of this tune, and they stretched it out perfectly.  Trey
kept the jam going, weaving in and out of the groove, accenting all the
right beats.  I loved it.  After that, Fishman began his stock bluegrass
beat, and I couldn't tell what it was going to be.  I was thinking that Trey
was about to start the intro to Poor Heart or Beauty of My Dreams, but
instead they began singing My Sweet One.  Somebody mentioned there was some
off-key playing, I couldn't tell exactly but something was not right.  This
was a very half-ass MSO, sometimes they only sang the last word or two in
each line as they tried to remember it.  But the cool thing was, Trey told
Page, then Mike, then Fish to take a solo.  Maybe Mike was first.  He
changed the beat/groove to something not as upbeat, but as soon as Page came
in for his solo he was right back into the MSO/bluegrass beat.  His solo
rocked, they took it all the way through a bunch of times, much longer than
his normal solo in this tune.  So after this little interlude Trey decides
to talk, referencing MSO and Dog-Faced Boy (recently back from the dead) as
2 songs written by Jon Fishman about the same person, one at the start and
one at the end of the relationship. "Can you guess which is which?"  Then he
decides to make Mike talk, which was funny.  Mike said, "No, I don't usually
banter much.  I don't really do much bantering.  I guess I'll take this
opportunity-" (bends down to pick up bell) "-to show off my foot bell.  Here
it is."  He holds it up for everyone to see, then holds it up in front of
the microphone and bangs it a few times with his hand.  The thing looks like
a school bell with a small metal kicker device attached in the middle.  Then
he said something like, "OK, that's it.  The Mike-bantering portion of the
show is now over."  Trey was already strumming the intro to Antelope, which
was a rager.  Kind of a quick buildup, I was hoping they would take it
around a few more times, but that's cool.  Trey actually said "Spike" this
time.  After this came Frankie Says, another first for me.  I just love the
changes and the melody in this tune, it's haunting in a cool kind of way.
Nothing special about this version, though.  By this point in the set, the
rhythm of the set wasn't really settled, and I had a hard time determining
if the set was almost over or if we were only half-way there.  Trey started
up Carini, which I was pretty sure would close the set.  Very heavy, sweet
as always.  They kept singing "Carini has a lumpy head" throughout the jam,
which was interesting -- it went on for quite a while.   So obviously the
Squirming Coil took me by surprise, a pleasant surprise, and it was nicely
done.  They jammed out on the main theme at the end for a bit longer than
usual, before turning it over to Page.  Now I was expecting the band to take
off, but they didn't, so I knew we had something else waiting for us.  Page
cut his piano solo a little short, and Trey did a quick intro for Caspian.
Very tight, Trey left out some of the "...to be Prince Caspian" parts when
they're all holding the "Ohhhhh"'s.
  So at this point I'm wondering, this is the third show in a 4-day straight
run, will they bust out a 2-song encore or play one tune and retire?  Boy,
was I surprised.  Guyute was excellent, no note flubbing on Trey's part,
just a killer Guyute.  After it was over Trey took off his electric and I
thought, well that's it.  But no, he walked back to pick up his acoustic and
a stool (mad props to Trey for carrying his own stuff up to the front of the
stage).  He sat down and treated us to a brilliant and flawless Inlaw Josie
Wales, and I thought, that's it.  Sweet show.  But no, the band stayed on
stage, and they went into Driver.  That made 4 songs I hadn't seen before in
2 shows, which is pretty cool.  I like this tune, and was very glad to hear
it.  Now I'm thinking, that's REALLY it.  But no, Trey goes back and picks
up the 'Doc again, and I'm getting deja vu from 12/30/97 and 12/6/96... 4
song encore.  I must admit I was completely surprised to hear the opening
licks to Tweezer Reprise, and I was struck with wonder how I had forgotten
completely the Tweezer of all Tweezers in Set I.  Almost like when they jam
so hard you forget what song they're playing, I forgot to expect the
Reprise.  As always, it was super-high-energy and a great way to end the 2
night stand.  Trey seemed really pumped, and the tour has just begun my
friends.  Although the setlist doesn't look really solid on paper, I thought
this was a great show.  Songs that normally don't change too much had some
great jams added on, the band was really extending themselves in all areas.
Again, the "warmup" week in Japan is evident.  Summary: TWEEZER!!! Check it
out.

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 11:54:04 -0400
From: S. Maurice Jones [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review of 6/24/00 Lakewood Amphitheatre
 
This will always stand out as a special show in my heart. We received
some very kind treatment from the good pholks at Lakewood. The night
before we had lawn seats and had them again for this show. Problem was,
my wife is six months pregnant (think we got pregnant during Hampton 99
trip) and she didn't do very good on the lawn the night before. On top
of that she hurt her back in the shower that morning which made it even
worse. We were going to just rent one of those chairs, but were told
that would not be for rent at that show. However, never let it be said
that the staff at Lakewood lacks compassion. A kind lady named Keisha
upgraded our tickets from lawn to the handicapped section in 207. Great
seats Page side. (we could only see his bald spot during the show, but
that was okay.) So much thanks to Keisha and much thanks to Lakewood.
 
My brother-in-law went with us. This was his first show. He is mostly a
parrotthead and makes an annual effort to see Buffett. Now having been
to a Buffett show (and I won't take anything away from him or that
scene) I knew my brother-in-law would not believe how much different the
scene is at Phish. Less red-faced drunks, and a whole lot more dancing
and activity in the lot. Plus the phans are so much more polite!!
 
The first set was killer!!! Moma Dance was long and funky. I love the
funk and wish they'd play more of it. Then Runaway Jim. I had been
hoping for this song since this was my ninth show and I'd never had one.
I guess it was pretty standard but I was just tickled to get it.
Bouncin' was about the same as any other Bouncin' I've ever heard.
Nothing new here. I can see why some Phish heads don't particularly like
it. It's always the same. Now Tweezer was a different story!! The boys
took their time with this one and really stretched it out doing quite a
bit of exploring. I danced with reckless abandon the whole time (well as
much as my 39 nine year old bones would allow.) Normally I don't like
the ballads that much but Strange Design was a good breather after that
incredible Tweezer. And the set ended with the best Cavern I've ever
heard. I was up dancing again and had a hard time catching my breath at
the set break. It's tough staring 40 in the eye!!
 
Set II started with a pretty good Birds of a Feather. My wife had
predicted this so she sat there all smug and pregnant. My brother-in-law
and I just danced and enjoyed. Bug wasn't bad. It didn't do much for me
when it began, but the song just built and built in intensity and ended
on a high note. My Sweet One was utter chaos. They screwed this one up
really bad, but ended up having fun with it anyway. One thing I like
about this band is they can be less than perfect and just laugh about
it. Run Like an Antelope (one of my favorites) was next and started out
kind of blah but quickly picked up. By the end we were all dancing
wildly. Frankie Sez just didn't do it for me. It's an okay tune, but was
sort of a let down after Antelope. I know the boys have to rest up after
playing a hyper speed song, but personally I didn't care much for the
one they picked. Carini was next. I know a lot of phans really love this
tune, but it just didn't do it for me. I thought it was basically just
long and redundant. Squirming Coil was next. This was my third version
of it and I found myself waiting until the piano solo (which I enjoy
most.) The set ended with Prince Caspian. This song has never been a
favorite of mine but this version made me a convert. What a great ending
to a pretty good second set!!
 
The only other time I have ever gotten a four song encore was Bilo
Center in November 98. But this one beat it to shreds. The Guyute was a
good version. (Did anyone besides me pick up a JS Bach tease from Page
in this?) Inlaw Josie Wales grows on me everytime I hear it. One thing
that does annoy me is phans yelling during the song. Occasionally I just
enjoy sitting and listening. Driver was good, but nothing spectacular.
Tweezer Reprise had us up dancing again. Knowing this would be it, we
went pretty wild this song and left the show with hearts beating fast!!
 
My brother-in-law enjoyed the show and said he would be willing to go
back again. Hopefully I'll have him converted pretty soon.
 
Again thanks to kind Keisha and Lakewood for making this a special show
for us.
 
Hope everyone has a safe summer!!
 
http://www.shelby.net/mojo/

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 09:16:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: Eddie Currie [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6-24-00 -- Lakewood Amphitheatre - Atlanta, Georgia
 
review
 
only my third show and they keep getting better, moma and antelope were
highlights definately cool to have a show start in the day and end at night
with fireworks
 
<*|||\\\><
 
eddie

Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 15:40:11 -0400
From: Thomas Laws [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Atlanta Show's (the scene and so on)
 
What up folks
         I just want to say after beeing dissappointed with the amount of
gutter trash on tour, and the crap that they started during the show while
hanging out in the lot (breaking glass,fighting OD'ing passing out,
ect.....) last year --I had a much better time in an amazing scene the
family vibe was alive in Atl. and the kidz were all beautiful I was thinking
a little neggative before the show wondering if I would see the same crap i
saw last year-(-ex. Charlotte lot---god that was wierd) but everything
seemed in tune with what I thought it should be----if this isn't your
opinion OK thats cool this is about what I thought----The bend was better
the kids were better and the lot scene in Atlanta was awsome we were a free
flowing functioning community and I just want to say What up to all my kidz
Atl. in the house and thank you for making my little brothers first PHISH
experience a good one Much loveI am out
 
Thomas Laws
Service Coordinator
[email protected]
 
White* Magnetic* Wizard
I Unify in order to Enchant
Attracting Receptivity
I seal the Output of Timelessness
With the Magnetic tone of Purpose
I am guided by my own power doubled

Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 09:55:27 -0400
From: Bruce Brown [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/24/00 Review
 
Lakewood Amphitheatre 6/24/00
 
This was one of the most stupendous shows I have ever seen.  It was my friend
Dave's first show and what a show he got.  We breezed through security and
found a spot dead-center, toward the back of the lawn.  The sound was
awesome.  Anyway, when they opened the first set with a sick, 15-minute Moma
Dance we knew we were in for something special.  Funky as hell.  A VERY solid
Runaway Jim followed - I always love hearing this one.  Bouncin' was a nice
transition into...Tweezer!!  This was the highlight of the entire show.  It
was an absolute monster!!  Dave couldn't believe the head-spinning,
ass-kicking type II shit he was hearing and neither could I.  We just smiled
and got our groove on for this 30-min. tour de force.  After this they took a
little breather with a beautiful Strange Design.  Page sounded great on
vocals.  They closed the set with a rockin' Cavern.  SICK first set.  Moma,
Jim and especially the Tweezer were outstanding.
 
Set II started with a HOT version of Birds of a Feather.  My feet got moving
again instantly.  Next was Bug, which I really like.  They extended the outro
quite a bit before returning to the "It doesn't matter" chorus again.  My
Sweet One was hilarious.  They fucked it up badly.  Trey sang something like
"If we play in a different key!" and the rest of the band sort of stopped
playing and looked around.  I don't know if someone was playing in the wrong
key or what, but Trey laughed and said "That song we just butchered was
called My Sweet One."  He talked about how Fish wrote very few songs, two of
them being My Sweet One and Dog Faced Boy.  He said they were about the same
relationship, one being written at the beginning and the other at the end and
to guess which was which.  Then he had Mike, Fish and Page take solos, then
said something like, "sometimes we get up here and banter a little with the
crowd.  Well tonight you're in for something special.  Ladies and gentlemen,
tonight Mike Gordon will banter for you."  The spotlight focused on Mike, he
said he didn't have much to say, but he showed us his bell taken from a
boxing ring, rang it, then said time to get back to the show.  Pretty funny.
Next was Antelope, which really got the crowd back into it.  Great version.
Frankie Sez was a nice change of pace, sort of a rare one to hear live.  Then
they ripped into an EVIL Carini!!  Lots of red lights from Chris and it
lasted for a while.  Next, to the crowd's delight, came Squirming Coil.  Page
closed it out with a quiet, gorgeous piano solo which segued into Prince
Caspian perfectly.  The crowd was again screaming and on its feet for this
hard-driving, celebratory set-closer.
 
They topped off this special night with a four-song encore.  Guyute was
great.  Well-played, lots of energy.  During one part Chris seemed to get the
lights a little out of synch with what Fish was doing, and Fish adjusted to
mimic the lights.  Very cool.  After this Trey grabbed his acoustic and
played Inlaw Josie Wales, which was pretty & ethereal.  Next came Driver,
with a short solo from Page.  Finally they closed out the two-night stand
with a bombastic, colon-purging Tweeprise.  Extremely satisfying.  The whole
Lakewood stand was, as usual, fanfuckingtastic.  Especially the second
night.  This one should be great on tape/cd-r.  I look forward to someone
doing some justice to this Tweezer with a detailed review.
 
See you in Denver,
 
Bruce

Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 09:57:49 -0400
From: Beaten Worker [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Fw: 6/24/00 Review
 
Lakewood Amphitheatre 6/24/00
 
This was one of the most stupendous shows I have ever seen.  It was my friend
Dave's first show and what a show he got.  We breezed through security and
found a spot dead-center, toward the back of the lawn.  The sound was
awesome.  Anyway, when they opened the first set with a sick, 15-minute Moma
Dance we knew we were in for something special.  Funky as hell.  A VERY solid
Runaway Jim followed - I always love hearing this one.  Bouncin' was a nice
transition into...Tweezer!!  This was the highlight of the entire show.  It
was an absolute monster!!  Dave couldn't believe the head-spinning,
ass-kicking type II shit he was hearing and neither could I.  We just smiled
and got our groove on for this 30-min. tour de force.  After this they took a
little breather with a beautiful Strange Design.  Page sounded great on
vocals.  They closed the set with a rockin' Cavern.  SICK first set.  Moma,
Jim and especially the Tweezer were outstanding.
 
Set II started with a HOT version of Birds of a Feather.  My feet got moving
again instantly.  Next was Bug, which I really like.  They extended the outro
quite a bit before returning to the "It doesn't matter" chorus again.  My
Sweet One was hilarious.  They fucked it up badly.  Trey sang something like
"If we play in a different key!" and the rest of the band sort of stopped
playing and looked around.  I don't know if someone was playing in the wrong
key or what, but Trey laughed and said "That song we just butchered was
called My Sweet One."  He talked about how Fish wrote very few songs, two of
them being My Sweet One and Dog Faced Boy.  He said they were about the same
relationship, one being written at the beginning and the other at the end and
to guess which was which.  Then he had Mike, Fish and Page take solos, then
said something like, "sometimes we get up here and banter a little with the
crowd.  Well tonight you're in for something special.  Ladies and gentlemen,
tonight Mike Gordon will banter for you."  The spotlight focused on Mike, he
said he didn't have much to say, but he showed us his bell taken from a
boxing ring, rang it, then said time to get back to the show.  Pretty funny.
Next was Antelope, which really got the crowd back into it.  Great version.
Frankie Sez was a nice change of pace, sort of a rare one to hear live.  Then
they ripped into an EVIL Carini!!  Lots of red lights from Chris and it
lasted for a while.  Next, to the crowd's delight, came Squirming Coil.  Page
closed it out with a quiet, gorgeous piano solo which segued into Prince
Caspian perfectly.  The crowd was again screaming and on its feet for this
hard-driving, celebratory set-closer.
 
They topped off this special night with a four-song encore.  Guyute was
great.  Well-played, lots of energy.  During one part Chris seemed to get the
lights a little out of synch with what Fish was doing, and Fish adjusted to
mimic the lights.  Very cool.  After this Trey grabbed his acoustic and
played Inlaw Josie Wales, which was pretty & ethereal.  Next came Driver,
with a short solo from Page.  Finally they closed out the two-night stand
with a bombastic, colon-purging Tweeprise.  Extremely satisfying.  The whole
Lakewood stand was, as usual, fanfuckingtastic.  Especially the second
night.  This one should be great on tape/cd-r.  I look forward to someone
doing some justice to this Tweezer with a detailed review.
 
See you in Denver,
 
Bruce

Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 05:34:04 -0400
From: Paul Loiodice [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review
 
Hello everyone,
 
    What a show that was put on tonight.. My first show of the new year and
what a show to see..  Great Nuggets in the parking lot got us off to a good
start.. And regardless of not having tickets we were determined to get in and
did finally...
    Around 8:10 they came out and started out Momma dance to open it up.. Got
the crowd off their feet immediatly, not that it took much anyway..  Killer
Runaway Jim which definitely got the show heading in the right direction..
Bouncing came out good, and even though I was a little disappointed at first
it was good timing to hear it...Tweezer as well wasnt one that I personally
requested but the guys tore it up tonight and  I had a great time dancing to
this one.. Strange Design, didnt see this one coming and it was the first
time i have cought it live so I enjoyed it as well....   Cavern to end the
set..  Good closer and it got me prepared for the second set..They left the
stage around 9:15 or so from what I could tell..
    I think around 10:10 they started off the second set with BOAF which got
the crowd going insane and definitely the best glow stick war I have ever
seen..  Literally the sky was flooded, and with the evening sky behind it
looked magical.. What a site...Great crowd particiapation and lots of
entheuism...Bug also a good one.. Suprisingly the first tune played off of
the new album but that was perfectly fine with me.. Great Bug and I think
they picked a great tune to keep the crowd right where they wanted them...
Always happy to hear My Sweet One.. At the end of  the tune Trey told the
story how Fishman had written My Sweet One as well as Dog Faced boy and both
songs were about the same relationship.. Also nice solo's on each members
part  with the suggestion by Trey... At this point something big had to
happen.. Played a wild Antelope and I hadnt heard this one live in a while..
I had an awesome time with this it... Lasted for quit a while maybe 12-15 min
but I am really not sure... Frankie Sez.. Good tune.. Never heard this one
live to so another treat..Carini was Pimp... They band obviousally was having
fun with this classic and the crowd responded fittingly...Squirming Coil was
great... At this point I wasnt sure what was coming next and they blew my
mind with a squirming coil.. Prince Caspian to close the show but the crowd
knew there was more fun to come.. Around 11:20 or so they left the stage..
     5 minutes later they came back and started the encore with Guyute..
Enjoyed this tune but there had to be more.. Nice In-law Josie Wales.. Trey
played beautifully on the acoustic and this piece definitely calmed the
mood... Brings back memories of Trey solo...Nice Driver but we still had a
Tweezer-Reprise coming.. Knew it was coming and what a closer it is.. Gets
the crowd jumping again and going nuts.. I left wanting more but being
satisfied with what I had seen.. Overall I had a great great great time.. The
Lot was a blast and you could see that even though it was 100 degrees that
wasnt about to stop the crowd from being insane and having a great time...
Hope everyone had as much fun as I did...
 
Have a great tour,
 
Paul


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