8-2-01 - Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA

Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 14:41:56 -0400
From: "Ruppe, Dan [CNTUS]" [email protected]
Subject: mann review
 
Ahh back at the mann for one last time.I was last here for an orchestra
event a few years ago, and a few years prior I saw a couple of phish
shows(95ish). This was once a place where towering rock stars (including
phish) came to play, just  an incredibly serene area in the middle of urban
downtrodden. Now in oder to see those same rock stars we must cross the
river to camden and visit the tweeter center, formerly Sony blockbuster
center. No more acts play at the mann, I assume because they cannot make as
much dough as the Tweeter center. This is not a cry against commercialism or
materialism, I simply want to set up in words what the Mann has meant to a
select number of concert goers. So when I heard Tres was coming in town and
visiting the Mann I was very excited, the good ole days were back, if not
for only a few hours. I am a phish fan but most of all a fan of the concert
going experience. For at least one day out of the year we can step outside
the world we live in and join the circus.
My friends and I arrived around 7 pm, I would have loved to get there
earlier but being 23 and 9-5er, life can be a little difficult. We didn't
have anything but warm coors lite, but what the hell, you gotta do what you
gotta do. Upon walking the green lanscape I realized how young the scene has
become, this is not a bad thing at all, I just realized that I have grown so
far apart from the scene I did not realize until I revisited it on thursday.
To those who enjoy going to shows but do not have the time or money to do so
like myself, remember this, it is still FUN.  A lot of shit has been said
about the degenerating life at phish shows, this is certainly true but
hasn't there always been degeneracy at such events. ANyways, I do get the
point, the vibe is not what it used to be but thats life, deal with it. Well
I would like to rant more about the changing tides but my thoughts are
confused so I should just get to the EVENT.
THe man comes on around 8pm, I was in line getting a beer of course. Just to
let you know this was my first ever tres show, I am smart enough to know
that Phish was not in the building. I did not want any Phish! I wanted to
hear the newer material. THe stage looks like a little city with the
numerous members all playing there shiny instruments. I did not know any
songs except a marley tune and ooh child, It was very refreshing. Well to
keep things short, everything sounded great, everyone was happy including
the security. There were lots of musical highlights but I couldn't tell what
the hell the names were.This new band is great and I hope they continue to
tour. I think for myself this is the last tres show I will see.

Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2001 16:12:03 -0400
Richard Otto   [email protected]
Subject: Mann Music Center Review of Trey
 
Absolutely Beautiful.
 
        That is how I would describe the show on Friday at the Mann Music 
Center,
Philadelphia PA.
Let me set the scene...Get to the show early from NE PA, park in a sweet
spot in the shade. We grab some beers and begin to wander the paths of the
show, the scene is mellow and happy. The venue is surrounded by a large
wooded park, so there is a very serene vibe in an otherwise urban area. Up
on a hill near where we parked a band is playing in a small pavilion, people
are hangin' in the shade enjoying the music. We walk to will-call to get our
tickets (that damn ticketmaster monopoly put my buddy through hell to get
these tickets). On the way back we peruse the various commodities offered
from burritos to tasty beers and more. Lots of smiles along the way, as the
day slowly passes in happy goodness evening. We need to find some friends to
give one of them an ticket, and wham! there they are. So we all walk the
paths again until show time, when we head into the venue a little early, as
some of us are tapping, Thank you tapers!!! :) The venue is sweet, easy to
get into, mellow security, well designed, great acoustics, all in all a fine
place. We head towards our seats, and the taping crew moves off to set up,
while one of our friends and I somehow are sent by security to the front
row, behind the vip area, well if security is gonna move us somewhere, it
might as well be closer, we were all smiles! Chill before the show, grab
some beers, negotiate my way back to the front, lights go down, A killer
show begins!
        Being that close was a revelation, watching the interplay of the 
musicians
as they journeyed through this nights jam. Burlap Sack and Pumps was grand,
I Done Done It had a nice edge to it, and the twists and turns in the jams
was electric, with the first set closer a rockin First tube. I thought the
entire first set was tasty, with long periods of tight jams, that flowed
well throughout the set. We couldn't wait for set two.
        Intermission mellowness, watching all the different people stroll by,
trippers, chillers, old school stoners, families with kids, dancers,
rollers, beer drinkers, smokers, all blending in a rippling current of happy
humans at a show. Meet back with friends, and head to the tapers section
area, get there in the first few seconds of the second set, and find room to
dance in the aisles. Total Intensity! The set was smoking, with multilevel
jams happening constantly. You could hear the musicians moving into new
territory, uncharted jams, and as one would go, the rest would follow and
crash like waves toward the jam. Cayman Review was funky and all around
tasty, Mister Completely flat out blew my mind, and Last Tube just kept
going into new levels of jam. There was one moment late in the set that was
so transcendent that I felt like my feet would lift off the ground. The
encore of Push on Till the Day was delicious and sent us to the lot in that
post show chill, when everything is as it was meant to be, the world seems
to flow, and the sweet wind carries the sound of contented sighs and bright
smiles.
        Post show chill, friends gather, the party slowly ebbs as the coals of 
a
once blazing fire, a 4 hour in the ice chill beer cools the body, the
afterglow of a great show sweetens as it flows into memory, pack up, on the
road, home is far, but the journey was paid for in superlative jam.

Date: Sat, 04 Aug 2001 16:55:41 -0400
From: Hal Hansen [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 8-2-01 Philly Review
 
I'm finally writing a review after many many shows, as I feel everyone should
know how good these Trey solo shows are.  It seems too many people are going
into these shows expecting a "Phish show" and these are the people that feel
ripped off or cheated.  In my opinion the only ones cheated are those that do
not go to the shows.  The Mann Music Center in Philly was the second of two
shows I saw this summer, with PNC in Holmdel NJ being the first.  While both
were very good, Philly just seemed to be tighter in my opinion.  On to the
review...
 
Set I
WEE WEE HOURS.......Heard this one at some point during the winter, and it
wasn't anything special.  No crazy improv here, just rockin enough to be a
nice set opener on a nice clear night.
 
BURLAP SACK AND PUMPS......One of the gems of this new crop of songs over the
last year and this one did not disappoint.  Seemed to be a little faster than
usual, thus making it more of a rocker than a thick funky number.  I look
forward to hearing this one live for years to come.
 
BATTLE AXE......nice and mellow to slow it down after Burlap.  Whats to say
about this one?  Its Bob Marley.....Very nice placement as everyone had now
found their seat for the night and realized how nice of a night it was.
 
DONE DONE IT.......Another not so exciting rockin/bluesy number.  Nothing too
exciting, but good.
 
MOESHA - I had heard a lot about this one, as there were many people bitching
about Trey playing it all the time.  I thought it was pretty good.  Kinda
catchy lyrics and they seemed to rock it out pretty well.  I don't know what
the problem is about him playing it all the time as its a fun song.  By no
means a show stopping Trey anthem, but fun nonetheless.
 
TUBE TOP WOBBLE.....Similar feel to Battle Axe, just a mellow bop and sway
kinda song.  I liked how this used to follow immediately after Push on til
the Day, but its nice to hear on its own as well.
 
OOH CHILD......Here's where the show really got going.  I believe this was
the first of this summer tour and what a joy it was to hear again after
Roseland in the winter.  The only song that Trey plays now that has the
mellow-fade out guitar solos I love so much.  Similar to the ending of
Simple, where Trey starts soloing and just kinda drifts away with it til you
can barely hear the high notes he hits on the guitar.  Sounds especially good
with this song.  Once they start saying "Right now....right now...." in the
chorus, its time to close your eyes and drift away.  Absoultely perfect!
 
THE WAY I FEEL......Holy Shit!!!!  My God is this song thick.  Ever since I
got the CDs of the Roseland show, I cannot get this song out of my head and
to hear it once again just made the whole show for me.  Its such a simple
song but just kicks it so deep you can't help but have your whole body groove
to it.  I noticed that they play it very infrequently which made it all the
btter hearing it during my last Trey show of the summer.  Definitely will be
obsessed with this one for a long time........
 
SIMPLE TWIST UP DAVE.......another repeat from PNC Bank but another new song
so I could care less if they repeat it.  I have to learn all these just like
the guys (and gal) in the band.  This one is a really cool song with a great
horn section like Burlap Sack and Pumps.  Just seemed to keep on rockin, and
should be a good one for a long time too.
 
FIRST TUBE......what can I say, such an intense song, and so nice to hear
again!
 
Set II
CAYMAN REVIEW.....if I hear this song live one more time down the line, it
might become my favorite of all the new songs.  Soooo funky, and a great
choice for a set opener.  Another one that already seems ready to be a
classic.
 
MISTER COMPLETELY......wow......first time hearing this one other than One
Man's Trash.  This song is very intense and very heavy, keeping you going
from start to finish.  Great guitar work during this one and I can see how
this one could go on for 30+ minutes.  Pretty much left me breathless when it
was done, which was the perfect time for.....
 
QUANTEGY......another One Man's Trash song and easily the most bizarre.
Nothing much to this song except a simple, hypnotic bassline over and over
again.  I had already needed to sit down after mr. completely, but I would
have anyway as I got a little creeped out during this one.  Very Floyd-like
as far as how strange it was.  Good to hear live......
 
LAST TUBE.....Holy crap again!  I had heard this one at PNC but didn't know
it was called Last Tube.  Now that I know the name I can say officially that
Last Tube f'ing rocks!  Just keeps building and building into very catchy
quick horn sections that makes you think its going to end.  But no, just
keeps building up and exploding every time the horns come in to close out
each jam.  Make sure you seek this one out as it a great one.....
 
ENCORE:  PUSH ON TIL THE DAY......I like the way they reworked this song with
all the start-stop stuff.  Made it a lot more entertaining than the straight
up way they used to play it.  Left everyone with a nice, feel good feeling
about them, which is the way it should be.  Or maybe it was just the way I
feel.
 
Overall these shows are/were not to be missed.  I've heard so much about Trey
ripping people off by playing all the same shit.  For once lets stop blasting
Trey for his decisions and just enjoy what we hear.  This a very new group of
musicians playing together so they need to play these songs a lot to get used
to them.  Furthermore, lets think about how cool it is that Trey has people
from high school in the band jamming alongside him.  Could you imagine
spending your summer vacation after 11th grade playing with Trey every night
in front of 15,000 people?  Anyone who bitches about hearing Trey Anastasio
play for three hours doesn't deserve to be there.  If you're going to think
so negatively about it, don't go, and please don't post it up here.  For
anyone looking for a great night with a superb group of musicians, this is
it.  Don't think you're going to see Phish, as it is definitely not.  I will
admit there are some times when I close my eyes and hear that machine of
music just jamming away, thinking it really was phish.  But this group is
exciting in their own way and their own style of music, and should not be
missed.  This is a time of new directions for Phish and all of them should be
given the space they need to do what they want to do.  For me, I think this
is a very exciting time as in a few months I'll get to see Trey jam with Les
Claypool and who knows after that.  I really think there will be a time for
Phish again, but for now lets just enjoy seeing Trey and his smile on stage
once again
 
Hal Hansen

Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 16:36:23 -0400
From: "Martino, Mike" [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: Mann Music Center Trey review
 
I had no idea what to expect going into this thing.  I had heard everything
from "Trey has lost it and should hang it up" to "his new band is even
better than Phish".  I was expecting the truth of the situation to lie
somewhere in between those two extremes and I was right.  I left loving the
Trey solo experience as the unique event it is.
 
Set I was very laid back.  Let me rephrase that, most of it was very laid
back.  Burlap Sack and Pumps kicked major ass, showcasing Trey's new groove
oriented/guitar climax/cosmic orgasm style.  This band seems to play three
types of songs, funked out ravers (like Burlap Sack and Pumps, Push On Til
The Day etc.), ballads (Battle Axe) or 12 Bar Blues in the big band
tradition.  I believe the latter two styles are what causes a lot of
negative comments about Trey.  I was just bored for most of the first set.
Aside from the already mentioned BS&P, a rocking First Tube was all that
differentiated the long drawn out ballads or 12 bar blues.  I'm just not a
big fan of either style and I think there are other bands out there that do
it better than Trey.  Still, it wasn't like it sucked or anything, it just
wasn't suited to my taste.
 
Set 2 was where the revelation kicked in.  Wow!  Funk Funk Funk on top of
great guitar solos, screaming horns, crazy improv, drum solos everywhere,
place going apeshit.  The highlight, peak after peak after peak being
explored during the Push On Til the Day encore.  The energy level was as
high as it will ever get at any show you ever go to, Trey reached the top of
the mythical music mountain and we all got there with him.  I'm so grateful
and happy I was able to experience it.  Thanks so much to the band (and to
the enthusiastic crowd).
 
So I'm walking out of my first solo Trey experience amazed at what the man
can still do, but wishing that the blues and ballads take a back seat going
forward.  I would give it an A-
 
For all those bitching about how you feel ripped off on this tour, you are
too immature to realize what's happening right now.  Trey is putting
together a NEW band of musicians WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED TOGETHER THAT OFTEN.
There is a growth period where everyone learns telepathy (for lack of a
better word) for improved improvs.  Given this, the fact that we saw a set
like set 2 last night is amazing.  If you're not willing to go through some
growing pains (like a set 1) to reach these new highs then you don't belong
there, stay home.  Nobody is forcing you to go to anything and you are
annoying.  There are plenty of other bands out there with which you can
achieve some sort of poseur countercultural cache by showing up to shows
clueless as to what comprises quality music; but still have fun wearing your
Guatemalan clothes, smoking weed and saying things like "phat" (String
Cheese comes immediately to mind).  Leave the rest of us to enjoy this
amazing new band.
 
My two cents


Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 12:53:05 -0400
From: James Schulze [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Mann Music Center show
 
I did not know what to expect.  It was grand.
 
I really like this band.  Alot of energy.
 
To those that complain of the same sets and the merits of the backing
musicians, get a life.
 
These guys have a lot of soul, and their own sound.  They are not Phish.
 
This is very good for Phish.
 
--JS

Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 09:50:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: Glen Burnie [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: the mann
 
last night was spectacular.  amazing lot.  staff at
the mann were just the best of hosts.  first set never
stopped.  did you feel it.  it was crawling all over
the place. absolutely amazing.  took my consciousness
to another dimension.  a little girl named lindsay
danced like the world was ending.  it has only begun.
thanks everyone for such a great show.

Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2001 08:58:26 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Mann Center Review
 
Well, after waiting all summer for my first Trey show (and reading the often
disparaging reviews of shows so far), I have to say I was worried about what I
was in for. After last night at the Mann, however, it's obvious that those
who've been blasting Trey have gone into these shows with a closed mind and
the wrong attitude. The band played their heart out, Trey's new material holds
it's own and is of the kind of caliber suitable for phish shows to come. The
fact that it doesn't smell of phish is a good thing, considering that the
whole idea behind the break up was for band members to branch out and grow,
and it's obvious that Trey is doing just that. Songs like Caymen Review,
Mister Completely, Done done it, and others rocked the venue and unlike
previous reports, the crowd was on its feet and jamming throughout. Yes, it
was different, but that used to be a good thing, remember?  Back before Phish
was "Phish"?

The people who bitch and moan about the band's breakup and the new song
styles, in my opinion, are so wrapped up in the phish identity they've
forgotten the band's commitment to improvisation and improvement, and the very
thing they've always fought to avoid seems to be what many fans are stubbornly
insisting: That they stay defined by a single sound. Bravo to Trey for taking
risks, and bravo to us fans who are willing to keep an open mind.


Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 02:33:54 -0400
From: TJ CAIN [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: TREY SHOW MANN MUSIC CENTER!
 
Just got back from the Mann and let me tell you.........WOW!!!!!The TREY
ANASTASIO BAND ripped up Philly!They had the crowd going wild!This was my 4th
Trey show(2nd this year PNC)and this was the best of them all!First of all
the security was so lax.Especially,after being at Nazi PNC the show
before!Smokin was no problem!the highlights for me were MOESHA,BURLAP SACK &
PUMPS,FIRST TUBE,LAST TUBE,MR.COMPLETELY and the encore of PUSH ON 'TILL THE
DAY!They nailed all of these songs and had the crowd goin berserk!during PUSH
ON 'TILL THE DAY another horn player emerged and tore up his own solo(sorry
didn't catch who it was)All in all a great night of music!Can't wait for
Great Woods and SPAC this weekend!To all you phans pining away for Phish's
return,your missing one hell of a tour!Trey's new band is the real deal and
w/ each passing performance there getting tighter and tighter!LATER
MANGS-----TJ
 
P.S.---PHILLY-- STILL HOME OF THE NITROUS!!!!!
 
COOL,SWEET,& DECENT

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