9-11-99 -- Gorge Amphitheatre, George, Washington

Date: Tue, 14 Sep 99 23:02:58 -0700
From: Craig Jefcoat [email protected]
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: Gorge 9/11/99 (Longish)
 
The Gorge 9/11/99
Phish at the Columbia River Gorge:
Good camping experience...cooked up some s'mores that hit the spot and
settled in to sleeping bag...we were exhausted but everyone around us
seemd to revel in the moment...and why not. Tomorrow would be a long day
so you gotta relax and let the vibes soak in.
 
I'll skip the long day...it was all pretty chill.
 
Last nights show was long and very spacy, but they keep bringin on the
phunk. So watch out you never know. I gotta say that tonight would be THE
night. If Friday night was Trey's night this would be a band night, pure
and through.
 
Pick a spot waaaaaay up on the hill watch the sunset, which pretty much
already happened, get some cool vibes, save the dancing for later on.
 
Tube gets us satrted and this is the only tune besides PYITE and The
Curtain, that I want to start the first set more than any other. Good
funky Tube, Nice funky Funky next, but this does not reach the unbridled
intensity of the Star Lake Funky from the summer in which Page let us
know who the Chairman really is. Very Funky Limb, complete with Fish
singing the end drum part, more shades of 97!!! Dog Stole lacks the
deceptive drum intro which seems to signal the long lost Mound, but this
is a good Dog Stole Things, but why not Vultures??? Oh well.
 
For the end of this we hop up on the ledge to watch the superlative
Punch, maybe the best I have ever heard. I look up and see Mike running
around, then Trey doing this funny little running dance. Punch gets me
really going as the Landlady section really cooks. Schweeet!!! The ledge
is really neat and I take a few snaps from there, too bad I was too slow
for the dance. Oh well, its always kind of cool to see Mike actually move
on stage...one for the memory banks!!!
 
Billy rears up her head for the next jam, and it is goood, quite
surprising actually, such a late bloomer. Very nice and sweet, Trey
soaring up on those long notes at the end. He misses his Billy on the
long road away from home. Cool.
 
So, Heavy Things...I like it from the Trey tour, good vocals and who can
forget...beep, beep, beep!!! Crowd seems uninterested, maybe from
unfamiliarity, maybe just didn't like it...but no complaints from this
peanut gallery. Guyute is a great treat, the evil pig rears its oogily
nose...But here...(expletive deleted)...I am off the ledge up on the
fence above the floor, watching this scarrrry mother. Tortillas
start-a-flying during the fast middle jam, got a shot but it will be
difficult to see exactly what is flying around...most of them seem to end
up on stage but still pretty harmless. Best Guyute ever?? Very
frightening, almost too much, no chance to breathe before Free...I have
always loved this tune, ever since I first heard the Lowell, Mass. tape
way back when. This one has end of set written all over it, which is a
good thing. Very powerful Free, long funky bass jam in the middle, Trey
seeks his groove, Trey is a little more restrained thus far, don't want
him to over do it. Free tails off and we go gently down to the floor to
get a good Page side spot for the second stanza.
 
Breaks are good, but long, chance to catch a breath after that set. Very
good set, group mind, Mike bringing on da
Phish-patented-white-guys-from-Vermont Phunk, Page deft as ever and the
Fish/Trey mind very in synch.
 
Wolfman, great second set starter, is very Wolfman-like...not a bad
thing, not nearly segues into Sand (Pistol, Symptom) and I can feel the
phunk Mike getting down to the bottom of the groove...Sand is long and
freaked out it builds a steady base on which Trey and Fish can soar off
of, they sound so good together...almost like it was meant to be.
 
You can almost feel the Meatsick starting up, good 'stick...had the damn
thing in my head ever since I heard it for the first time at Oswego,
thankfully the dance part is kept to a minimun, the 'swego version
enticed the Meatsick dance long enough to get the entire event recorded
for prosperity and the Guiness book, but of course it was not to be. But
the Meatsick bears down and the build up mid-jam gets very intense, kind
of Stash-like intensity, but with a more funky base, and of course Page
on Organ, tearin up the place. Trey jumping around like a possesed guitar
God...Rock Star Trey!!! Maze relents into Caspian and wow does this song
get freaky, a far cry from the 95 days before the Talking Heads phase
really allowed this one to flourish into quite the jam spectacle, Trey
growing more and more excitable.
 
It's cool how it ends...shall I tell ya...Well after the first night 97
show encore, you can guess that they will have to try it again and we
get...Hood. Could this be THE Phish song? Maybe to some (to me for sure),
you get it all, but that goes for a lot of the others too. You CAN feel
good!!! This brings to an end a truly great set and the end to a perfect
weekend.
 
I am not going to really get into the Circus encore...Don't get me wrong,
I love this song, when Trey broke it out at Shoreline in 97 I was in
heaven, one of the best songs off of one of the best albums I know...Kiko
by Los Lobos. As much as I hate to say it, this was really a let down as
an encore without a song to follow it. I am sure a Golgi would have made
this a much better ending, but what the hell...I am going home from this
whole weekend a very happy and blissed-out dood...Ho-hum...On to Portland!
 
Craigdog  "[email protected]"
                   or
"http://www.concentric.net/~cjrun/"

Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 10:02:19 -0700
From: aric_mayer [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Sat. Gorge 9/11
 
I wasn't going to write one of these, but Aaron dissed the "Circus Comes
To Town" Gorge run encore/finale, and that cannot go unanswered.
 
I was on the edge of tears during that tune!! Each to their own, I
understand that a ballad encore doesn't work for everyone, but it
touched me deeply. Trey's voice sounds fresh (especially after seeing
the round of Phil and Friends shows, lacking a singer when Warren is in
the wings), and even the high parts of Fee on 9/10 were well done!
Circus was great too. It actually took me back to the days when Garcia
would encore the Dead shows with "All Over Now Baby Blue." It was that
good. It wasn't Brokedown Palace, but c'mon!
 
Let's begin with the beginning:
Tube was a groovin opener, Funky Bitch tore it up, and I love Mike's
singin on that tune. Limb by Limb is all about the beat, and Fishman
kicked ass.
Not a big fan of Dog Stole Things - is it supposed to be a blues tune?
Lame ass lyrics. Whatever. And while I am on the down note, Heavy Things
is the most sophomoric attempt at a catchy chorus I have heard in a long
time. That was a painful tune.
 
PYITE however did not suck, not by a long shot. Great tune, reminded me
of spring tour '94 down in San Diego. Much of the weekend took me back
to days gone by, actually.
 
Billy Breathes is a nice composition, well played here. Guyute was
outrageous, the tortillas were flying in the air and up to the stage,
and the fugue was ferocious. At the end of the set, we all felt FREE!
 
SET II
 
Again somebody didn't like the Wolfman's on this review board - they
were in the beer garden during the beginning. Well that sums it up,
right?
Seriously, this was the set. Wolfman's is a fine tune, thick and funky
and delicious. They played this tune for 20minutes. I didn't recognize
Sand, but I don't remember being upset by it! Meatstick was an
experience, my first. Sort of catchy, again too silly, but I love the
fact that Mike plays it with such conviction. Definitely the bass is the
best part.
 
MAZE was wicked, man. Deep and dark. Page's B3 solo was grumbling and
rumbling - the ground beneath my feet was shattered! The only complaint
on this version was Trey's choice of effects. I like the freaky
backwards signal and all that, but he should spend more time just
playing straight out! His tone is great, he doesn't need to muffle
everything with trickery!! Still rawked though.
I was converted to at least neutral from a pretty scathing dislike of
Caspian - this occurred at Ventura last summer, the first time I heard
them jam out the tune. It was nice to be under the stars with good
friends and a bitchin light show while listening to Caspian, I must
admit. And that brings us to the magic of the Hood. I was ecstatic. Yes
the glowring thing gets old, but it worked at the Gorge. It made me and
my thousands of friends in attendance feel good. We danced, we saw
tracers, we threw them as high as we could, but mostly we felt good
about Hood!
 
Thanks to everyone for sharing water and smiles and dance space. See you
Saturday night!!
 
Aric Mayer

Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 14:25:59 -0700
From: Mr. Clambake [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9/11/99 - my 2[ISO-8859-1] �
 
Howdy ho- almost a month since the show and I finally got my copy on CD.
    WHOA! It wasn't just the drugs; this was one hot show!
    No big review here, just a shout out to "the boys" - RIGHT ON GUYS! YOU
ROCK MY PHUNKY WORLD.
    Being a west-coaster, I just don't get the chance to experience these
guys enough so that magical Saturday was just the best a lil' slacker could
ask for.
    One thing I'd like to say, for the record, I had never heard any of the
Trey solo stuff before so "heavy things" was quite a treat (even if people
think it's trite.) but SAND..OH MY GOD! What the hell was that? I'm still
shaking. I put the CD in just to hear it again and make sure I wasn't
delusional. Nope, it was RAW!
    I remember this very clearly from that evening: I was dancing like I've
never danced before (ask my fiance, I think she was starting to worry I
might have worms) and when SAND came on, it took me several minutes to
realize that I had completely stopped moving. Actually, it was the
Clapton-esqe segue into SAND that hooked me, but never-the-less, I found
myself just staring at the masters with my jaw fully agape. I think I've
already worn that track out on my copy of the show.
    having slacked on making covers for almost 6 months now, I believe that
this show will be the next cover I make, if only I could find some excellent
photos to use. *hint hint*
 
Peace!
-Beau
aka
Mr Clambake


Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 09:54:24 -0700
From: Johnny Hubbard [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: 9/11/99 review

WOW!!  Another weekend at the Gorge...  This venue is so AMAZING.. Damn, I
could be seein' Hanson & it wouldn't bother me.. Just to be there, gazing
at the VIEW would bug me out alone!!  But to be Phishin' there is pure
bliss!! The first night was interesting..  Lots of new songs & jams to
figure out. I hear some people complaining about the new stuff.  WAKE UP!!  
Let your body absorb something fresh, new & exciting...  That "First Tube"
thing is WILD!!  Totally catchy & fun..  The show seemed a little
disjointed, but thats not a complaint.  Believe me, there was some tripped
out GOO happinin'!!  Divided Sky was a journey... Again, many people
complained about that hilarious LONG pause..  Sure, it broke the songs
vibe.  But people, REMEMBER, our boys known as Phish LOVE to do randon
*comic* things to their music.  This pause had me jiggling.  Pure Phish
comedy.  The rest of the show was good. The lights seemed to be a little
off. But then again, the music was strange & new.  Our funk nugget of the
night was DEFINATELY Moma Dance. Like tar, this was THICK!!!
        I'll just go to the secong night, remember, words NEVER equally
describe a MONSTER Phish show... (Oh yea, to all you reviewers.. Please
refrain from being CRITICS!! Knowbody likes 'em.  I would rather hear your
experience, how you tasted the vibe, not whether a song sucked or not
..NOTHING sucks..It's music!!!...thanx)
        You know it's a huge show when you can't remember what song it is
they are playing 'cause yer so far out there yer just trying to figure out
when and HOW you MIGHT return!!!  Good gravy some of these JAMS were
sickening!!  Tube>Funky Bitch>Limb by Limb went byby!!  PYITE was a
version for the books!!  Phunky, quirky, strange & ALL THAT!!!  Now can
someone tell me when GUYUTE became such an EPIC?!?!?  That song is
becoming a monsterous thing..  Totally HUGE!!  Oh, Free, such a beautiful
song for the Gorge.  I could have left at this point.  After a little
whistle wetter in the beer garden, we were ready for the secong set.  I
tell ya, i had butterflies. I was that excited.  Deep down I knew I was
about to disappear for an hour or so....  Wolfman's>Sand.. I was floating
over the audience. The peaks just kept coming.  Thank allah for Meatstick
'cause the entire Gorge would have been seriously brain damaged if there
was another FREAKOUT song.  Man, SAND is one spooky mofo!!!!  Meatstick
was a blast.  Fun & catchy, a perfect song to get yerself grounded again.
It's a blessing it happened because Maze & Prince Caspian picked us right
back up and spun us silly!!  Boy, i'm not sure where I was but, it was a
strange trancy swirling place. Thanks Trey?!?!?!  HARRY!!!!  A Gorge
staple!!!  Circus was really sweet, but SHORT!!  Thats OK, we had gone far
enough.............................LOVE......STARS.......THE GORGE

Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 12:36:02 -0700
From: "Given, Craig" [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: Gorge Review

It looks like almost everyone has covered the bases pretty well on both
Gorge shows. If I might add, this was my first time at the Gorge Amp. What
a great place to see a show. I've heard that this is the place to see a
show...so I went. Amazing venue.

I'll throw in my 2 cents in a Reader's Digest format.

Friday Night: Something was up. I felt the band was "off"...for lack of a
better term. Flat. I was not impressed. The highlight of the show for me
was 3 songs from Junta (Fee, Divided, Bowie). That's pretty unusual these
days to get 3 in one show from Junta.

Saturday Night: Amazing. This show ranks in my personal top 10 favorites.
I've heard better renditions of "Funk Bitch", but overall...this show was
OUTSTANDING! I have seen many shows since my first at a small dive in
Ithaca, NY in 1989 and this show was certainly a treat. Jam-o-rama! I was
surprised by the Harry Hood. We expected that in Portland. A buddy of mine
brought in 250 glow rings with the sole intention of breaking them out for
a Harry Hood (The band reciprocated nicely with a sweet Hood jam and
darkness for about 10 minutes). We told him he would be bringing them to
Portland. We were wrong. The only thing that would have made this show
even better is a double encore, ending with an upbeat tune, but I am
definitely not complaining about the "When the Circus Comes" as a closer.

See you at Shoreline.

C...

Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 22:11:02 -0700
From: Dawn M Douglas [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: GORGE 9-11-99

Please see the 9-10-99 review for my opinion of the Gorge(the BOMB!!) and
my qualifications(44 shows).
 
After last night's rage, I felt it would be a "coast thru" type of show.
Wrong!  They smoked again.  The first set opened with a rocking Tube.  The
sound where we sat was impeccable.  Perhaps the best ever.  An average
Funky Bitch was answered with a tremendous version of Limb.  I seem to
never get tired of this song.  One of their best written tunes in my
opinion. The jam was long and Fishman nailed his drum ending.  Dogs Stole
Things was just a pacifier 'till my PYITE.  This version wailed with Trey
nailing the "Landlady" section.  Billy Breathes was a very welcome treat as
I've only seen one other.  They seemed to pull it off rather nicely.  An
unwelcome treat was another Trey solo tour song.  This time Heavy Things.
"What are they trying to prove?" my friend asked.  I have the same
question.  Don't get me wrong, it was well played, but I saw this song on
the Trey tour 3 months ago and wasn't impressed.  Guyute brought the crowd
back into it with Trey whistling his brains out.  The set ended with an
excellent Free.  I'd give the 1st set an 8/10.
 
Who could complain with a Wolfman's 2nd set opener?  This one wailed as
usual with Page laying down the funkiest groove.  This jam led into the
highlight of the weekend:  a 25 min Sand(I thought it was Pistol on the
Trey tour).  Trey reached nirvana on this jam.  He wailed for well over 15
min and had the crowd on fire! This jam reached numerous heights.  Hear the
tapes and you'll see why.  My first Meatstick was relatively short and was
pretty entertaining.  The song I had waited for all weekend for was Maze.
This was not the best version, but perhaps the spookiest.  The effects Trey
had on his guitar were way cool.  Prince Caspian should have ended the set
but just like last night, they botched the ending(Cavern) and had to do
another song.  Harry Hood had the usual glowstick war and it was well
received.  Circus would be the only encore tonight although I had hoped for
better(Antelope)  A solid 8.5/10 for the show.  Can't wait till Rosemont
and Normal!
 
MIKE GAGS

Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 08:50:02 -0500
From: Naughton [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9/11

 
I had the maost amazing show.  27th birthday and 30th show.  I have to put
this in my personal top 5.  I won't do a review of this show except to say
the band FORCED me to have an excellent time.  They were just ON.  Love the
Trey tunes especially SAND.  I feel real good about Hood right about now. D

Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 17:32:04 -0700
From: Roger Grahn [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Gorge 9/11/99
 
Unfuckinbelievable, that's what. Huge. Transcendental. Epic.
Indescribable. Moment after moment of utter heaviness, profond delicacy
and crystalline beauty. People will be talking about this show years from
now. The recordings of this show will not be able to bear out the energy
level that was present at the venue. People were beside themselves,
totally blown away, in a beautiful, suspended shock and disbelief. None of
this is exaggeration. Trey is an extraordinary channel for universal
music. At this second night at the Gorge, Phish attained a level of power
and majesty that is undeniably beyond "normal" boundaries of creative
expression. We are priveleged to be a part of it.


Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 17:44:11 -0700 (PDT)
From: jason martin [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: GORGE 9-11-99
 
 
On Friday, I sensed a little tension in the band, especially in the first
set. It seemed as though Trey came out ready to blow our minds and did not
allow the crowd or the band to build up to it. His solos were a bit
overbearing, as the band was given no room to contribute. He just seemed to
decide that it was going to be his show. The long pause was indulgent and
unnecessary. The campground morale was low after the show, and many of us
were puzzled and disappointed.
           BUT ON SATURDAY.. They worked magic! We all felt it, looking
around in total disbelief as they merged and melded in total unison. Trey
was still in control, but allowed the guys room to work incredible mojo.
Mike had a groove that was unstoppable. Page dropped beautiful delicacies.
Fish was powerful and precise. Undescribable and near perfect. Only a few
missed notes reminded me that these guys are human. Chris pulled all the
stops and the lights tickled our minds. (I don't like the red center light
though)
 This one will be talked about for a long time!
           PHISH- FROM THE DEPTHS OF OUR HEARTS, WE THANK YOU.
                           The Bird Wizard


Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 19:29:47 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: gorge review
 
I just returned from the Gorge, exhausted and pleased.
 
Friday night was really not a good show, in my opinion.  It's one of those
cases where the set lists look great, but the feeling wasn't there.  The
songs didn't flow, the band wasn't particularly tight, and the crowd (at
least near where we were dancing) was loud and distracting.  Divided Sky was
the first set's highlight, though I have to say, Trey's 5 minute pause in
the middle of the song was frustrating.  (side note - that pause, waiting
for the last note before the Divided jam, seems to just break up the song's
flow). Circles is going to be a fantastic song for Phish.  What a fierce
riff!  But the versions of the electric Trey Band songs that Phish performed
(Circles, Gotta Jiboo, First Tube) weren't as exciting as the trio's
renditions this spring.  The jams weren't as focused or driving, and
eventually lost steam. Second set - Down with Disease was excellent.  I
didn't particularly enjoy the rest of the second set, probably because I was
freezing my ass off on the hill.
 
Saturday night!  This is the bootleg to have.  Rock solid from start to
finish.  The Tube > Funky Bitch opener set a rocking tone, and it was clear
right away that Trey was on.  But it wasn't until PYITE that I realized how
hot the show would be.  PYITE is a song that, frankly, I'm kind of tired of,
but this performance made me realize why I liked it so much in the first
place.  A stretched out intro section led into super tight transitions.
Trey's touch was light as a feather during the beautiful landlady jam.  I
like Billy Breathes more and more, and it was a nice to catch my breath
before an absolutely monumental Guyute!  The first set was fantastic, but
not particularly jammed out.  We expected some serious improvisation in the
second set, and we got it.  Wolfman's brother was an excellent opener -
funky but more aggressive than I remember it.  (another note:  In interviews
over the past two or so years, the band has spoken frequently about how
they're more into grooving as 4 members jointly, rather than Trey leading
all the jams.  A result of this was that Page was featured much more than he
had been in the past, and many jams settled into nice grooves and stayed
there.  If these two shows are any indication, the old Phish is rearing its
head. These shows were all about Trey - he was upfront, leading the way.  
And don't get me wrong, it sounded great!  Trey's sound was snarling.  And
did I mention that he was LOUD!  Beautiful.).  I recognized Sand from the
Trey tour, and this version was absolutely stunning.  Long, intense and
rockin'.  Possibly the highlight of the show.  And it was so nice to hear
Fishman and Mike laying down that super-fat rhythm - just like Markellis and
Lawton had done. What can I say about the rest of the set except it was just
excellent.  I like Meatstick, Maze smoked, and Caspian and Hood were both
spiritual.  When the Circus Comes to Town sucked - a disappointing encore
but it was my only disappointment all night.  Great show!!!!!
 
I'm curious to hear other reactions.
 
Simon Canick

Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 22:46:25 PDT
From: Bertrand Salivario [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Gorge shows
 
I have to remark that it's interesting and a bit disappointing to see people
actually complaining about what the band chooses to play. As was pointed out
earlier, it is in fact a privilege to be present for great moments of
creative music. That every single song on a given night is not stellar- can
this really be a surprise? Those who see fit to complain about something
like a Phish concert are not only wasting their own life energy, they also
lower the common denominator of enthusiasm in what should be (and is) a
synergistic art. What a bunch of spoiled rotten american babies. One post I
saw actually referred to the writer's own "qualifications"(!). To these who
complain and criticize I would suggest that one's own perspective, or lack
thereof, ought to be the focus, followed perhaps by something meaningful
and/or genuine, such as a fresh acknowledgment of how amazing and cool the
Phish experience really is, and how much we have to be thankful for.
Anyhow, here's the Big Idea: wouldn't it be cool for Steve Kimock to sit in
with Phish at Shoreline...?

Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 11:48:53 -0700
From: Lipp/Wight [email protected]
To: [email protected]

Maze was the absolute climax of the Gorge show on the 11th.  A heavy bass
line that shook the whole venue coupled with clear laserlike Trey guitar
work gave this maze an unmistakably Star Wars kind of flavor.  This was
also the LOUDEST Phish that I had ever heard.  A huge mountain of a maze
that left the crowd stunned.

click here to return to the 1999 reviews page


hits (many)