6-30-99 -- Sandstone Amp, Bonner Springs, KS
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Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 16:13:01 -0400
From: Elizabeth Rickards [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/30 review
Aloha Kids,
Well, my outrageous summer tour has finally come to an end...14 shows from
K.C. through Oswego...and many great moments. I'll do my best to keep my
"review" palatable and on topic, but I'm writing this mostly to validate my
thoughts, so please take these words with a grain of salt. And a
meatstick.
My specs: 33 shows, crazy amount of tapes, living in Hawaii so not much of
a tour-head, but have seen shows consistantly since '96 and on and off
since '92.
General Thoughts on the new '99 Phish:
- I love the new stage setup. Fish and Mike seem to be better connected,
and I like the fact thatTrey can look down the line and communicate with
the other three. I'm not a huge fan of that dinky keyboard Trey seems to
hind behind at times...why not lay down another loop Trey? Page seemed to
be down in the mix, or perhaps Mike's presence was overbearing? Nah, its
good to hear Mike nice and clear.
- The new "Trey Section" (the first ten rows or so on his side of the
stage) is waaay too much fun. Do anything you can to get in this section.
- I'm not sure what to make of their "ambient" style of jamming (ie. Left
Toe, Whats The Use?). I think placement is they key for these. They can
improve the flow of a show or totally kill it depending on the songs prior.
- Fishman can make or break a show. He has really improved. I've felt
this with other tours, but on a couple of occasions when he was really on
(ie. 7/7II) he can lift the band to another level, and to a point the other
three can't.
- A constant source of humor: Trey talking into his Thermo-mug thing
resting on his amp instead of yelling across the stage to Page. I thought
it was pretty damn funny that they'd hide a mic. in a mug. I betcha Trey
loved sticking his face in that mug.
Anyways, on to the Sandstone review:
The venue/scene:
Traffic was relatively harmless, although the wait in 5 lane traffic
entering the venue wasn't the most fun. The rain was threatening to make a
grand appearance, making for a surreal way to open the much anticpated
summer '99 tour. Security/Event Staff/Possible buzzkillers were pretty
much non-existent, and nothing, including the entire Pacific Ocean landing
on the Sandstone lot in a matter of an hour, could drown out the energy
created by eager Phish-addicts. Many folks were hoping for a repeat of
last year's unpredictable show, but after dodging raindrops to hear the
soundcheck, I knew this year would be a bit different.
Set I:
I thought we'd get something completely standard (Chalk, Birds) to warm
things up...boy was I suprised at the magnitude of the opening BATHTUB GIN.
The bouncy opening is just a damn fun way to open a show, and the "we're
all in this together, and we love to take a bath" was just too perfect
after the torrential downpour. Right off the bat the guys established a
nice band/audience relationship, and I think the they fed off our tour
opening energy as they jammed through the first 25 minutes of the show.
What other tours have opened with such a jam? I was smiling afterwards,
excited as to what lay ahead for the tour.
FARMHOUSE came next, complete with a new look and slightly different
sound. This version seemed much more powerful than Farmhouses of old,
maybe driven by Trey's soaring solo? This one gets thumbs up from me.
TUBE. Yes! You can't go wrong with a Tube. I really wish they'd keep
the song funked out to the max though...some of the ambient sounds coming
from Trey didn't seem to mix well with Fish's driving 16th notes on the
hi-hat. No reprise either. Nonetheless, it was Tube. It was impossible
to keep my booty still.
HORN, another treat, followed Tube. Trey's solo in the middle can
completely make or break this one for me, and as I remember he pulled it
off pretty well. If I was choosing I would've gone with another tune
(Roggae maybe?), but the Tube/Horn combo was nice, pretty rare, and
definitely enjoyable.
I've seen mixed reviews of Trey's song GET BACK ON THE TRAIN...why? It
features a funky, steady groove from Fish (boy can he keep a steady groove
these days!), digestable lyrics, and some great harmonies from Mike and
Page. Couldn't you see Possum coming out of this one? As with Tube I
couldn't stop my booty from shaking throughout this relatively short, fun
song. Good job guys!
MAZE followed, and consequently kicked my ass. I was expecting huge
swooshes of sound, space layered with pedal-effects, and atonal bombs from
Mike. Rather, I got a straight -up, driven to the peak,
oh-my-god-I-am-so-glad-I-am-here Maze. This, to me, is what Phish is all
about. I was a happy boy. Btw, take a listen to the Gin tease frmo Trey
somewhere in the begining of his solo section...its there. Following the
Maze the guys got to show off their new sound-effects by treating us to a
short medley of phrases that resembled what I called "carnival sounds".
Each member would take a turn playing a simple, Esther-esque, phrase to the
delight of the crowd, each trying to out-do the previous effort. Trey
almost won the battle with his piccolo sounding effect, but Page held true
and domintaed the competition by blasting us with a low-synthetic ditty.
He gave the crowd a thumbs up, Fish ceremoniously ended the rally with two
floor-tom hits, and were off again...this time into the land of LIMB BY
LIMB.
I actually have this labeled as LxL->Jam, as I've never really heard a
LxL like this before. The jam was very light sounding (almost
Simple-esque), and as many have mentioned it seemed to fall apart. I'm not
sure if this was on purpose to keep with the lilty feel of the jam , or
they just ran out of ideas, or what. I have definitely heard better LxL's,
but I did enjoy this one just for the fact that it was different.
GOLGI closed the set in typical fashion. I used it as a restroom break
before the setbreak madness. It was nice to have the 6/30/99 ticket stub
in my hand...a fine 1st set, especially for the tour opener. We got a
couple great jams (Gin, Maze), some rareties (Tube, Horn), and some fun
Phishyness (Carnival sounds). I was suprised only to hear one new tune,
and was preparing myself for more new material in the 2nd set.
Setbreak was spent trying to figure out why the water vendors would not
give the tops to the bottles to paying customers. How were we supposed to
cap our water? Damn vendors. :)
Darkness crept in as folks dried out. Anticipation was at an all-time high
for the 2nd set, and I think most folks were really suprised by the
SQUIRMING COIL 2nd set opener. Wtf??? Maybe Trey was feeling bad for not
allowing Page to step up in the 1st set...maybe...hell, who knows what they
were thinking. I never expected this as an opener though. This is one of
those songs that, if Trey flubs the composed part, can really be downer for
me (usuallly 'cause it signals the end of a set or show). As I remember he
made it through in fine fashion, paving the way for a mellow Page
solo....but....wait...whats this? They jammed for just a bit on the outro
of Coil before melding into FREE. No Page. Oh well. By the time I
realized that Page's solo had been cut short I was already grooving along
to Free. Boy, was Mike ever big on this one. He was laying down some
downright funky-slapping fills during the jam segment. I like these
versions soooo much better than the spaced-out Free's of '95. Trey seemed
to be really pleased with Mike's efforts, as did the crowd.
There was quite a bit of discussion before the next tune, which always
leads me to believe they are concocting something out of the ordinary. But
alas, we get BIRDS OF A FEATHER.
(side note: has anyone noticed that the opening chord of Birds is the same
as Forbin? As Trey was prepping for Birds he hit this chord, whatever it
is, which led me to believe Forbin was coming which consequently sent me
into brief hysteria.)
I'm not a huge fan of this one, but wasn't suprised that they'd want to
play it considering its heavy rotation last year. I was suprised, however,
at how bad they botched the begining up through the first chorus. I was
sitting 2nd row right in front of Trey, and it was damn clear that either
him or Page was waaay off. Trey had a constant glare going towards Page
(at first I thought he was trying to grab the monitor board guy's
attention), and was visibly upset and embarassed. Page was head down all
the way, which made me believe it was his wrongdoing...but, the bottom line
is the begining was crappy. I thought they'd abort the song altogether.
Luckily for them (and us), they salvaged what was left, jammed a bit, and
without delay went right into SIMPLE. I liked this one much better in the
first set when it was called LxL. I really think Simple's true place is
after Mike's and before Hydrogen. The jam is predictable - light, with
pretty Page piano, slowly decreasing in intensity allowing Mike to sing
some catchy, lyrical phrases on his 6-string...blah, blah, blah. The only
thing I look forward to in this song is the fill after, "We've got
be-bop"...thats the only thing that changes in this song. Simple dissolved
into SWEPT AWAY->STEEP. Very well placed, bringing back memories of NYE
'96. I laughed to myself watching Mike do nothing during Swept Away, and
remebered his quote in the Phish Book: "Swept Away needs a bass line."
The ending of Steep made for a nice segueway into PIPER. Ahhhh, sweet
Piper. I've heard much better, and more exploratory versions, but just
like Tube you really can't go wrong with a Piper. And although I'm not the
biggest Simple fan, I thought the flow through the whole Simple->Swept
Away->Steep->Piper was very good. Segueways are a good thing. It means
the guys are thinking on their feet, which is always a good sign for the
tour opener.
BUG followed the Simple/Piper sandwich. It, to me, represents what the
new '99 Phish is all about: Layered, flowy sounds (much different than the
punchy cow-funk of '97), repetitive lyrics, and an intense jam segement
which has the opportunity to stretch to 15-20 mins. I enjoyed the new song
thoroughly. Somewhere in the jam portion of Bug they transformed the
sounds into MY LEFT TOE. At this point I had not heard the Siket disc, so
I thought we were experiencing a great new '99 style jam. It was only
later that I realized what was happening. MLT was well-done...I really
like Page's pitch-bending synthesizer sounds and the washing effect they
seem to portray.
STASH closed out the set, again thwarting the crowd's efforts to
predict the opened and closer. Just like LxL, the jam made its way towards
the quieter side of things, growing more intense until Trey seemingly
abruptly ended the jam, and the show. He took a bow, and that was it. I'd
never guess they'd end with Stash. Wierd.
The dreaded BATR/SAMPLE encore left a bad taste in many folk's mouths.
Granted, an Antelope would have been more enjoyable, but to me an encore
like this arouses some of the Phishier feelings inside. Both tunes are
basic, but have withstood the test of time. They signal the presence of not
just a great jam-band, but of Phish - The minstrels from Gamehenge. Most
importantly, the encore ensured I wouldn't hear BATR in Nashville.
Overall: A very strong tour opener. I was very pleased, even though the
2nd set was on the mellow side. Gin was the highlight of the show for me.
On the Scott Jordan scale I give it:
I: 6.5 (the Gin)
II: 5.0
Warm Alohas,
- billy
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 1956 02:10:52 +0000
From: Karen Chronic [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/30/99 Review
Hey all, isn't great to have the boys back together!! I had been
looking forward to summer opener, since I left the Garden (of course)!!
Anyways to the show; I barely slept the night before, because I was sooo
excited & then I had to go to class in the morning before we left (talk
about not being able to stay in your seat). I thought the moment would
never come, but finally there I was walking around the lot, with the
biggest phish-eatin' grin on my face. Saw some great shirts, loved the
Harpua lager & if the creator reads this drop me a line, I want one
(couldn't find you after the show)!!! My apoligies for the rambling;
can everyone say "downpour", good God!! Soaked to the bone and ready to
shake a leg, we entered the ampitheatre & were greeted with the soothing
sounds of....
Bathtub Gin: Felt like I was having a flashback to St. Louis last year
(great flashback!!); I cannot explain how excited I was to be listening
to the phab phour again!! I thought this was an excellent version, as
the boys sounded air-tight!! The jam didn't match the length of last
year's St. Louie Gin, but who could expect it to!! Then we get treated
to ....
Farmhouse: I love this song and I love the new intro. This song is so
pretty and it took me back to 12/28/98. Nice choice!!
Tube: Let's get rockin'!! By the end of this one, I was definitly in
the groove and I was thouroughly impressed with how well the boys were
sounding.
Horn: My first and I must say I was quite satisfied. I think this is
a great song & this was a great version of it!!
GBOT: Finally some new material!! I was hoping for more new stuff,
but I am not one to complain. I really like this song and I am glad to
see that it is here to stay.
Maze: Oh yeah!! I was so psyched to hear this song and I thought it
was an excellent version. The jam was excellent; I can't wait to hear
the tape of this one, because I was so caught up in the moment that I
barely remember it!!
Limb by Limb: This is one of my favorite songs off the Ghost and my
first live, so I was very excited when they busted into it. It seemed a
little slow to me and the ending seemed to fall apart, but I was just
happy to hear it.
Golgi: I knew this would be the set closer, once they started it, so
that kind of made me sad, but oh well. Always a good tune, but I just
wasn't ready for a set break.
Loooooooooooonnnnnnnnnngggggggg
Seeeeeeetttttt-Breeeeeeaaaaaaakkkkkk!!!!!!!!
Set II:
Squirming Coil: Another first for me and I must say: Absolutly
gorgeous!!! I liked this song alot before I saw it live and know I just
love it. Page showed us why he is the man, once again.
Free: Definitly my favorite song of Billy Breathes and another first,
so I almost soiled myself when they busted into it and I mean busted
into it!! Excellent Jam!!!!
Birds: I have seen this song at every show I have been to, but it is
still a treat to hear. Not the best version I've heard, but it made me
move!!
Simple: Another first, so it was welcome by me. Well played and nice
and slow.
Swept>Steep: One of my favorite slower songs, I just loved this one.
I felt so good during this song and it made everything seem so peaceful;
just plain awesome.
Piper: This is probably my favorite Phish song (if I were forced to
choose one), so I almost exploded with excitement when it started. The
boys took me so high on this one, I felt like I was flying, the feeling
definitly trancends any words I know.
Bug: Wow, I could not make myself stop moving to this song, if I
tried, which I didn't, of course. I like this song alot and can't wait
to hear it again.
My Left Toe/Stash: I was distracted from the music a little bit during
these, so I don't feel I can give an accurate account. But I do know
that My Left Toe is a wonderful ambient jam and a welcome addition to
any setlist I see in the future.
Encore:
Bouncin': My first and I must say I was hoping for something bigger
and better for the opener encore, but I was not disapointed. This song
just makes you feel good and after it was over I was glad to have heard
it.
Sample: Not my favorite, but I do like it, because it really includes
the whole crowd, as even the newest of newbies probably knows this song.
All in all an excellent show, but it just left me yearning for
more.
I was very suprised by the new stage setup, I like that they are closer
together. I am counting down the days until Alpine/Deer Creek; I'll see
you all there!!! If you have access to the tapes, please email as I am
dying to get my hands on them.
Peace,
Chronic
[email protected]
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 23:58:55 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review: 6-30-99
I had to write a quick review of this one because my experience of the show
was so much different than everyone else's who has reviewed it so far. In a
word, I was dispapointed. They seemed not to have it together at all. There
were frequent and very long breaks between songs--not a good sign at any
Phish show. The Limb by Limb just plain fell apart at the end. I don't know
if I've ever heard the boys give up on a jam quite the way they did here.
Without Trey on guitar, it lacked drive and muscle, and the band seemed to
sense it. Whoever suggested that Trey was kind of taking over, seemed right
on to me. And Mike didn't seem the most at ease, as one reviewer said, he
seemed really on edge. Some friends of mine who sat right in front of Mike
saw him put his head in his hands and shake it back and forth at one point in
the second set. The jam in Free was an exception. In a burst, Mike stepped
up and just layed it down thick for this terrific version of Free, but this
just made me miss him all the more at other times. The Stash was really
fresh--original ambient, notes-as-paint kind of jamming there. And the
"green light jam" (my left foot?) was earth-shaking: the aliens are landing.
But these were high moments in a disjointed show--with a screw-you-guys,
bullshit encore--Bouncin' and Sample, what a shame. Compare it to last
year's encore at Sandstone: Camel Walk, Squirming Coil. Sandstone itself was
a mudpit, with tons of newbies and a bunch of Budweiser guzzlin' good-ol'
boys. The best part of the show was the fantastic Cottonwood Campground a
mile up the road. I thought there was some ego friction going on. I wonder
if the new songs from the Trey tour (some of which aren't "new" but go back
to the Bearsville sessions in '97) combined with the long time spent apart
and all the various individual projects they've been up to hasn't caused some
weirdness with the band. Why on Earth did they hide a great song like
Windora Bug for two years, and why aren't they playing it (so far) on this
tour? I hope the boys get it together before Alpine and Deer Creek.
Matt Miller
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 1999 22:24:03 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Sandstone review. Little late, but i was tired
I'll start by giving all of the usual preface information. My first show was
4-9-93 and the last time I saw Phish before Sandstone was 11-21-98. I saw the
Trey solo Madison show and Wednesday night was my 68th show. I usually get
most of the tapes from a tour but seldom keep them all. Either for quality
reasons or lack of interest, I tend to tape over those tapes with favorite and
top quality shows and give them out on tour. This is my first time
submitteding a show review .
We had several reasons for wanting to see this 6-30-99 show. First and most
important was that it was the closest show to us until end of tour and 1100
miles roundtrip is nothing for a Phish show. Second was that we had such a
good time at Sandstone last year. Hell, who didn't. Third, June 30th was a
frinckin blast last year. Easily one of our favorite Phish experiences before,
during and after the show. My mind will be forever filled with thoughts of
those 4 days at Den Gr� H�l, which includes 6/29, night of soundcheck and
rapping with band.
Michelle and I left St. Cloud at 6:30 am with set one of the E Center in the
deck and hit some of the craziest traffic I've seen in Mpls. I've traveled a
lot in my years and the Twin Cities has some of the worst traffic for an area
that size. After picking up a friend right off I-35 we were off and running.
We were in Kansas City by 4 pm and didn't get into the lot until 5:15. The
idea of having the access to an amphitheater or any large facilty right by the
start of a toll road is beyond me, but most things with city planning seem to
be. But then you get the people who have to try to drive to the front and
block everything while they try to merge.
Not much going on in our part of the lot. We were about 4 rows back by the
entrance to the theater. Met our neighbors for the next couple hours and one
said he get get hold of me to send me a CDR of 12-31-95. Oh it's good to be
back to old Shady Grove. I was expecting the rain (always good to check the
Weather Channel before leaving for tour) and it really came down for about half
hour but after that I didn't think it was too bad. When I left the theater I
was dry so I can't really complain about the weather. I thought they might
start early due to the weather so we went in about a half hour earilier than
usual. It was my first time with rain during a show since the Red Rocks run in
'96 and it didn't bother my one bit.
As you've already read, the stage setup is different. Time to change your
Simple shirts Mr. Adler. It's now Page, Mike, Jon, Trey's little keyboard,
Trey. They also look a lot closer together than before and I read some of the
speculation about reasons for the change earlier on RMP and I too think it has
something to do with communication on stage. But as the night went on it
seemed like they had the usual thing going. Trey talking into that cup on his
stack and having to tell Jon what was coming next, so it looks like a new stage
set up might not be the solution. My first fear upon seeing the stage was that
it was going to turn out to be the Trey Anastasio show with, to my right, my
band Phish. And with the song selection over the last two nights, it's not
band Phish. And with the song selection over the last two nights, it's not too
far off. Give up the mic Trey and lets hear Mike and Page sing too. One song
in two shows isn't the norm, to me anyway. Yes it's early in tour and I know
it will change so please don't concentrate on that aspect for now.
Right after using the bathroom and buying a $3 water we took out seats in sec 5
row Z, Page side and 2 minutes later out they came. It was 7:38 by my shitty
little beat up pocket watch and because of the rain that was falling, the first
song of summer tour 1999 is...........
Bathtub Gin. A very obvious choice considering the weather but I still was
looking for PYITE with the very long shot call of Tweezer Rep. The Gin was
fun. I'm not too into reviewing each song down to every note or change, but am
glad we have you out there that do, because I really enjoy reading those. It
did seem to get out there like the St. Louie Gin of last year and for awhile I
wasn't sure if Trey was going to bring out the ending or just segue into the
next song. But they finished it up nicely and I'm guessing it was over 15 min.
I like a jam tune opener compared to a Sample or Julius and I was
satisfied.
This is a Farmhouse. Slightly different opening. Very similar to the way Trey
played it on the solo tour. There is some playing before they start singing
and until they did I wasn't sure what it was going to be. To me Farmhouse is
Farmhouse in that one doesn't differ too much from the next unless one is
played better one night. Unlike other Phish songs this one doesnt have as much
room to roam. I have nothing against this song, just wasn't looking for it
here. Wierd little ending by Trey with help from his ever expanding effects
pedels.
Tube. Now this is what I was looking for. Started out pretty much the same
until the "Do tiger sleep in lily patches" line when the rest of the band comes
in and you could tell that they were trying to play it a little slower. Maybe
some of the influence that Page brought back from playing with those Funky
Meters, but by the end it seemed like it was back to regular Tube speed. Maybe
some of the curse of those same Funky Meters. Remember reading somewhere that
Phish would play along to a tape of the Meters, turn down the volume and play
for awhile and see if they could be at the same place when they turned the
volume back up, and finding out that they were always too fast. Well thats
what went through my head after the song. I was hoping for one of those nice
jammed out Tubes, but a Tube is better than no Tube at all.
Horn. I was expecting this for some reason. The song seems to follow me
around. It was a little rough around the edges, but I was expecting that too.
It sems like the last couple of times I've heard this it has been that way.
That seems to happen to song of those songs that don't get the play they used
to. Look at Mockingbird when it comes out. Last couple times I've heard that
it too was pretty rough.
Get Back on the Train. I knew we would get some of the solo Trey material. I
was really hoping to hear Windora Bug. That song stuck in my head for weeks
after hearing it at the Madison show along with Heavy Things. I really like
what they have done to this song. Seemed like it went from more of a blues
based song when it was done on the solo tour, to more funk now that Phish got
their hands on it. Surprise surprise. I wasn't surprise to see it show upon
the Tn setlist and look for it alot more. The ending was really
disjointed for
lack of a better term. It really looked like they didn't even know how to
finish it. Will be interested to hear how the end of the next version
was.
Over all I think this is a phine addition to the Phish repertoire and look
forward to hearing it again. The monitor guy stage left was dancing and
swaying to this one too.
Maze. Welcome back to a Phish show. This is the stuff that I come for. Damn
fine Maze. Trey went over to his little keyboard for the first time during
Pages solo which started out in typical slow fashion and turned into a runaway
train. Very explosive and fun. Didn't think Treys keywork added much to the
song and looked as if Page was having a harder time finding his groove with
someone else in there too, but still found it as he always does. I love the
man! Little Gin tease by Trey at the beginning of his solo then he brought it
down very very low. Lots of pedel/effect work going on and a sound that I
personnally don"t ever remember hearing from him before emerged for the first
half of his solo. Just very deep sounding almost gruntlike. Second half of
the solo was all out Trey ripping it up. I wouldn't know how to discribe his
solos so I won't even try. But for the opener of tour, this was a Maze that
should please most ears.
Next we got some musical banter in the form of each member going over those
comical closing notes of Maze. First each very high, then low, wierd and slow.
Page even stood for more applause at one point and then Jon closed it out with
two slow final drum beats kind of a dum...........dum thing if that makes
sense.
Limb by Limb. This sound has gone from a bathroom break for me (summer '97
except the Gorge) to a set maker. I really love all things of this song. All
of the lyrical interplay, the new little break in the beginning and how it can
totally lose itself in such a nice subtle jam. This reminded me of the E
Center Limb from fall '98. Michelle and I both thought we heard anoth Gin
tease at the start of Treys solo. Trey also went over to his keyboard at the
end which was again very disjointed, maybe because of this maybe not.
Golgi Apparatus. Just not my favorite song. We all have them. Heard that Zoo
tape from '88 the other day and that brought new life into it for me, but I
just don't like it as a closer because thats where I've heard it the most.
Just like Cavern. Like the song, but not as a closer because when I hear it, I
know we're done. And for sure not as a solo encore, I don't care who is
playing trumpet.
They tried to bow together at the end which too was disjointed and by my watch
it was 8:50 so that gave us a 72 minute set. Not the longest and easily not
the shortest. My first set was fun. Good Gin opener, Tube, a debut, and a
great Maze, Limb section with some goofiness in between. Wonderful to be back
and well worth the drive already.
Set break was long, maybe trying to make up time for coming out early. Headed
over to the row of Johnny-on-the-Spots stage left that looked like they would
topple down the hill if a big wind came up. A major lean once inside reminded
me of a funhouse I was in as a kid. Michelle hit the Waterwheel table to make
a donation and try to meet up with some people. Very mellow in my section
during the break and not too many familar faces. Lights out at 9:38 and second
set opener is .......
The Squirming Coil. Hum? That doesn't happen too often. I've always liked
the song, but it did seem odd hearing it at this point of the show. Use to
hearing it as an encore and like having Page say goodnight to us with that nice
piano solo. I know a lot don't agree with me and wouldn't expect you to. We
all have different tastes to a point and that's just the way I feel. After
that I wasn't really sure on what we would get next and very very happily
surprised with.....
Free. This song grabbed me the first time I heard it and we heard it a lot
there for awhile but then it kinda slipped away. It took me by surprise in
Worcester '97 when I had almost forgot about the tune and then in Hampton with
the Ha Ha Ha sandwich. Well I had the same feeling on Wed and especailly when
Mr. Gordon stepped up and laid down some major bass slapping much to the
delight of Trey and the rest of us there. The song really left itself later
and I thought it might just segue into something, but they slowly brought it
back. Great version of the song and hope it comes back alittle more regualrly.
Lots of discussion next and was getting alittle excited about my chance for
Windora Bug and even told Michelle it was going to happen when they
started........
Bird of a Feather. Needed all of the discussion for this. Another tune that
catches rides with me from show to show. In the start, Page was putting in
some really full fills during the opening lyrics and you could tell that it
caught Trey over guard. Lots of looks over to Page but Page just kept on
filling. You'll notice once you get the tapes and also notice that Trey misses
a line or two because of this. But after that it turned out to be a very good
Birds. Even a little longer than what it usually is for me. I wish they could
all be similar to 4-4-98. Next they went into.........
Simple. Not really a segue. Just Trey starting Simple immediately after
Birds. I mean immediately. If you want to hear a great segue, do your ears a
favor and pull out Tempe '95 and listen to the Weekapaugh>Llama. Amazing work
and the true definition of a segue. Two songs blending into each other. Well
this wasn't the case here. Its was a quality Simple that I'm sad to say I
don't remember much about. It really doesn't stick out in my mind, but I
remember enjoying it. So I don't want to say anything behind it's back.
Swept Away>Steep. It's been awhile for me. At least a year:-) It's always
been a nice little interlude but I liked the juxtapostion of the scream at the
end they they seemed to have taken away in recent tours. This did segue into
the next song......
Piper. Which isn't really all that hard to do. Just set up a nice bank of
music to let those first notes of Piper start coming out of. I'll really like
this song a lot too. It goes to show you that the music is more than the
words, but again can really heavily on them. I know that doesn't make much
sense but it seems like words don't always have to tell a major story, but can
just be an addition. The song is great and could be by itself. (i.e.
Black-eyed Katy) But the song makes it for me when those lyrics come back in
the end. The jams in the middle can be great and varying (Oh to hear another
like Prague) but when it all comes together is when they all start singing
those very simple lyrics and parts of lyrics repeatedly again. That probably
might not make all that much sense to some, but again, that's just how I see it
and that's what makes us individuals. Right!?
Bug. I knew I heard heard this somewhere before, but it didn't come to me
until much later. When they first started it I thought it was Oh! Sweet
Nothin' off Loaded from the Halloween set and even told this to Michelle. I
was pumped because it was my favorite song from that night and plus Page sings
which we need more of. (Where the hell is Curtis Lowe anyway!!) Can't tell
again much of this song because I couldn't get my mind off trying to figure out
where the hell I've heard this before. Well the major difference that I can
tell now is that there is some major heavy rocking going on during the chorus
that wasn't there in this extreme fashion during the solo show I saw. Also,
there for sure wasn't this big heavy thing that came next. At the end of Bug,
Trey pointed down to his foot and they went into......
My Left Toe. I haven't heard Siket disc yet. So at the time it seemed little
a totally inproved piece of hose/wall of noise. I also was thinking that they
could call this Monster as it's the kind of thing that scares the hell out of
the first or second time Phish concert goer. Enough so that some don't make it
back. Reminded me of that great Bowie in Mpls in '94. I talked to several
after that show that said they would not go to another Phish show. So to that
I say, keep it up. Open shows with it. Play it every night. Lets scare some
people!! At the end, Trey told us "Thats off of our newest album. It's called
My Left Foot." Which was met with much laughter from the crowd. Jon responded
by saying something to the point of "It's true."
Stash. My first thought again was how weird the placement was thinking that
this doesn't happen much, or upon limited closer inspection, ever. It was a
good Stash that got very quiet during the jam portion. Almost quiet enough to
go into one of those things they use to do during Foam where they would mimic
playing. Quality Stash all around and different from most I've heard. Can't
tell you any more than that. They all bowed except for Jon and at 11:07 set
two came to a close for a total of 89 minutes.
I had high hopes for the encore considering the Camel Walk of last year and
with a whole plate of options out there this being the first show. So what did
we get.
Bouncing Around the Room. I like this song. Just not live. Just
kidding. I just wish it could change somewhat, somehow. But I knew they
wouldn't just leave it at that. No they had to put the knife in deeper
and give us
Sample in a Jar. I really like the end of this song. It's the best part and I
really am not trying to slam it. I just really like the solo at the end.
Time 11:20 pm.
We walked the lot for about an hour and then took off as there was some driving
ahead. Pulled over and slept for about an hour acouple times and had breakfast
at Perkins in Albert Lea, Mn. with four highway patrol officers acouple of
booths over. If your looking for a good show Aug. 8 in Albert Lea; String
Cheese, Galactic, Govt. Mule and moe. are playing Harmony Park Music Garden.
Shows on the 6th and 7th too featuring local talent. Camping and no cops for
$30. Anyway, dropped our friend off and we're home in St. Cloud around 12
noon. Another successful journey under our belts.
All in all there are very few places I'd rather have been on June 30th 1999,
and they all include very expensive airfare and the bands there can't hold a
candle to our band. I love these guys and even though it wasn't 6-30-98 I had
a great time like I've had 67 time before that. I'll get used to the new stage
set up as you all will and Mike and Page will be singing their hearts out at a
venue near you soon. I didn't hear my Windora Bug or Heavy Things but I'd
expect those to come out soon. I don't get to see another show until Alpine and
Deer Creek and have to work a lot between then. But the memories of a live
show will always get me by til the next.
Thanks for reading and safe travels to your next show.
Jason
Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 11:50:33 -0500
From: mark and jen courtney [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Sandstone, 6/30/99
What a great show! The night brought a lot of rain down on the phans, but
I didn't hear anyone complaining. In fact, most of us just danced in the
puddles and waited for the storm to pass. I can't figure why someone would
buy tickets to an outdoor show and then expect it to be sunny and 74 the
whole time.
The first set had a very intimate feeling. In past shows I have seen, the
band is so tight that I felt like I was listening to an album. Tonight, I
felt like I was sitting in a bar in Burlington, sipping a beer, and
listening to some friends do their bit. There were a few missed notes,
some chatting between songs, but it only seemed to make the whole
experience more personal. They were able to feel when jams lost their
momentum and closed them out, instead of trying to drag them into a
stereotypical crescendo.
Very cool music at the break. Wish I knew who.
By the second set, it had gotten pretty dark. Good thing, because the
light show in the second set was spectacular. By the end of Free, they had
the crowd in their hands. The set was a good mixture of old CD favorites
(for the new phans) and some beautiful jams I hadn't heard before. I'm not
sure whether it's them or me growing older, but I got the feeling this was
a different group of guys then I had seen in '97. More relaxed, maturing,
with wisdom to share. Not in a Carlos Santana preaching to the crowd kind
of way, but more of a listen and you'll understand kind of way.
Anyway, enough of that tangent. My thanks to my partners on the lawn. You
hold me up, I'll catch you. Great energy in the crowd and phabulous show.
see you next time...
Date: Thu, 01 Jul 1999 16:18:16 CDT
From: Scott Heffner [email protected]
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: Bonner Springs 6/30/99 show review...........
Well, last night was the first show of the summer tour for our phor boys.
Even though the rain poured down on almost all that attended, it did not
seem to dampen any spirits for a great show. I'm sure everyone there
anticipated a triumpant return from a well deserved break (if you can call
it that!) for the guys.
Let me just start off by saying that no matter how many times I see a Phish
show, which isn't all that often compared to some, I must say that I become
overwhelmed with the generosity, curtiousness, and fun loving spirit that
everyone has at the shows. In my experiences, the people that travel miles
and miles to attend one of the greatest spectacles known to music lovers of
all kinds have been nothing but kind and true to one another. That's saying
a lot. So hats off to all of you that were there that glorious evening, even
if you were harrassed by a blue or red shirted usher (particularly a certain
woman near the lawn). She was something huh!!!
Ok, now the show. I won't go through each song in it's entirety, but will
give an insight or two into some special moments. This was my 13th show, and
although I feel I am no expert on writing reviews, I do know how much I love
the music, and appreciate how damn good these guys are at what they do.
The first thing I noticed and said when I got my terrific spot on the front
of the lawn was "Hey, why is the drum set in the back?" I figured it had to
do something with the rain, and maybe they would move it when the down-pour
had subsided. However, that notion changed when I saw the phab phor come
onto the stage. This was a change. Then to my surprise, Mike and Trey had
moved also. What was this??! More changes. But then again, I felt that any
change from these guys is usually for the better, so I quickly let the new
setup sink in and waited for the music.
As soon as they opened up with Bathtub Gin, I could tell it was going to be
something good. Trey was getting right in the groove with those first two
chords. Page seemed to whack furiously at off-set chords throughout the
opening, and Fishman gave us those patented swaying motions unlike any other
drummer I have seen (plus the dress - always a nice touch). Mike was, well
Mr. Gordon himself. Although throughout the night he would prove to be a
little bit of a puzzle. Explanation later.........
The song seemed pretty tight, with a good jam at the end. It ended without a
segue into another song, and this would be a theme throughout the night.
Farmhouse was pretty standard, for the exception of the different intro into
it (quite nice actually). It seemed the song was tuned down a couple tones
though, played with different chords possibly, but I could be wrong. And so
the set seemed to progress in this way - Farmhouse/break/standard
Tube/break/Horn (oh so sweet. Hadn't heard this since Binghamton, NY
'95)/break/GBOT/break.....Thought for sure they were going into Also Sprach,
but Maze instead, which was good, but not astounding. After this they played
around on the last little rift of Maze. That was cool to see. This also
seemed to be theme for the rest of the night. More on that later......good
Limb by Limb, then ended the first set with Golgi (another pleaser). The set
seemed to fly by, but probably just because it never lasts as long as you
want it to.
Break - this lasted for at least 40 minutes. I was getting a little antsy by
this time, and wondered what was taking so long? But as soon as they
appeared on stage, my worries vanished, and I was ready for the second set.
Squirming Coil - this got the crowd going. Good harmonization by the boys,
and pretty clean throughout. The jam at the end was nice, but nothing
extraordinary. However, great segue into Free. As soon as the first chord
was played, the crowd responded with an emphatic roar. Pretty good all the
way through, with a MUCH elongated jam in the middle. Through the whole jam,
it seemed like they were all getting used to each other again, and working
out new effects and such. The crowd seemed to lose attention a little bit,
for I looked and heard a lot of conversation going on. The song came back
around to the end, with Birds of a Feather starting up after a short pause.
Pretty standard for this also, except for the fact that Trey wasn't hitting
the usual notes he sings during that song. I think he realized this, because
he had looked over at Page, had a huge smile on his face during the second
verse, and could hardly get the words out from almost laughing. That was
classic. The song ended, and went into a SLOW Simple. It almost seemed to
drag at parts. I was wondering if this was because of the jam they have gone
into at the end, which is always very soothing and beautiful. From out of
this right into Swept Away. Great harmony, leading into Steep (standard).
Then sped up into Piper and Bug(?) with a jam at the end. This was all
pretty dramatic, and seemed to pick up the crowd again after a mellow
stretch. Then finally, a Stash that kind of seemed out of place, although I
was ecstatic to hear it. It was pretty standard throughout the main part of
the song, but technically strong (minus a couple missed notes from Trey).
One thing I noticed was that Trey could almost hardly sing the final phrases
(Control for smilers, Solar Garlic, Was it for this....). This was actually
cool, because it seemed like he was really getting into the jam that they
were about to partake in. The jam began very quietly, almost haunting -
with all four of the guys starting off those long crescendos that make them
so great. I think that Phish probably are the masters of the extended
crescendo. Anyways, the jam slowly built, and was starting to gain
intensity. However, it just didn't seem to reach that climax from shows
past. It kind of just ended with Trey hitting the final notes of the solo,
because Page and Mike didn't hit the first "Maybe so, maybe not" at the end.
But when the song was over, the crowd had picked up in energy again from a
great song, and was ready for more. But it seemed that that was it, or at
least to Trey it was. He said thanks and bowed, Fish, Page and Mike kind of
stood there for a second, and then exited the stage after. That was a little
unnerving.
The encore saw two songs that might have had a real purpose. Bouncing and
Sample both are kind of pick me up songs, and the crowd responded
overwhelmingly. I think that may have been strategic on the band's part. Who
knows? Maybe I'm just over-analyzing. All in all, it was great to see them
again, and I can't wait 'till the next show.
My thoughts on the show were a little mixed afterward. I love every show I
go to, but this one seemed a little strange to me. It was my first to a show
that kicked off a tour, and I was wondering if maybe it was just the guys
way of getting accustomed to each other again. Throughout the show, it
seemed they were getting back into the feel of things. They didn't segue as
much, and they talked a lot between songs. That gets me back to Mike,
because he actually seemed the most relaxed out of all of them (which to me
seems unusual), at one point actually leaning up against Page's piano
talking to him!
I know that they have been straying from writing setlists throughout the
years, but that still hadn't stopped them from running a continuous array of
songs one after another. This night saw them getting used to each other
again I think, which is actually great to see. A lot of times I think people
feel that because they have been doing this so long, and because of how
professional we sometimes see them, that they are unlikely not to get
nervous or the like. This show was a great example of how they are not
necessarily Godlike robots, but four guys who even though know each other
and music so well, still need a refresher from time to time. I feel that
this was one of those nights.
But for all of you there, I'm sure you know that this was a good show to
see, and one that will more than likely kick off another great year for
Vermont's phinest. So until your next show, keep smilin', and you can feel
good about Hood too! peace............
[email protected]
Date: Thu, 1 Jul 1999 17:28:38 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6-30-99 review
Last night was quite an adventure. Me and my friends drove from AR to see
PHish and got to sandstone and were commenting on what i nice day it was to
bew seeing a concert. We chilled in the lot and listened to soundcheck during
which they played a nice "Funky Bitch" which had everyone listening dancing
outside the venue. about this time it started to rain and continued to rain
for a long time. We had foolishly left our raingear in the car and got very
drenched so by the time she show started we were freezing and wet. They
started off with a phat bathtub Gin, which fit the water logged situation
very well," We're all in this together and we love to take a bath", those
lyrics never seemed so cool before:). They then broke into a Beautiful
Farmhouse which blew me away, it sounded so awesome. It just kept getting
better when they broke into the best and funkiest Tube i'd ever heard I was
freezing cold and it was hard to dance , but i couldn't help but move to this
song. I'm a big Tube fan so along with farmhouse,this was my favorite song of
the first set, About this time a girl friend i was with started having fungal
complications so by the time they got to Maze and were singing,"You'll never
get out of this maze, never get out of tis maze..." it seemed pretty freaky.
Limb by limb got me jamming again though, But by this time everyone was
pretty cold and having a rough time so we had to leave during setbreak, it
sucked , but sad to say, we just couldn't stay. I still had an awesome time
all things considered and just being able to see the frist set was WELL worth
the 5 hour drive. Plus we met an awesom guy named Jeff, who gave us tapes of
the clifford ball just because he felt like it. Thanks JEFF! I think we're in
for a summer of absolutely awesome concerts because they sounded really
tight. See you in Mansfield through Volney!!!
peace
A.K.
Date: Thu, 01 Jul 1999 08:18:00 -0800
From: FrankHeuvos [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Sandstone Ampatheater 6/30/99
There was a great Phish show last night outside Kansas City at the
Sandstone Ampetheater, after the drenching rain, Phish put on a great
perfomance that lasted from 7:45 or so till around I think 11:30. Sets
included lots of good songs, great atmosphere and friendly people
about evreywhere. Personally it was my very first Phish show, but I
thought it was great and plan to attend many more before all is said
and done.
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