9-12-99 -- Portland Meadows, Portland, Oregon

 
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 12:46:21 -0500
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Portland show review
 
 
I was in Portland for a wedding on Saturday, and my flight back to Chicago
didn?t leave until 11:20 PM on Sunday, and I thought about kicking around
and exploring the city, but I didn?t really do any research before I went so
I had no leads on any fun stuff to do, and figuring it might be hard for a
stranger to find something to do on a Sunday night in a city in a state with
no package liquor sales on Sunday, I found myself instead in the parking lot
of Portland Meadows, walking up to the ?box office? (a long table with about
4 people behind it, 2 for will call, 2 for day-of sales), and buying my
ticket for Sunday night?s Phish show.  Boy am I glad I did.
 
Showtime was 6:30, and I told myself I would leave at 10:00, assuming I?d
have to miss a portion of the show.  I saw the band?s guitars get carried
offstage at around 6:25, and was hoping for an on-time start (selfish ? the
sooner they start, the more show I get to see), but I wasn?t too
disappointed when they started at around 6:50.  The First Tube opener
brought a huge smile to my face. Those of you not familiar with the song
from Trey tour shows or tapes are in for a big treat.  Trey was jumping
throughout as he ran through the theme (which will loop around and around in
your head once you know it, trust me).  Great to hear!  Poor Heart was fun,
intro a little rough, but nice to hear Mike sing right off the bat.  Pretty
standard version, but all the solos were ON.  The sound was so crystal clear
(Greek Theater-esque), you could hear every note of the solos, which played
a big part in the overall tone of the show, I think.Free Thought was cool
too, another instrumental from the Trey tour, sounded like a happier version
of First Tube (very Caravan-like).  Then a rockin?, smokin?, first-set Gin.  
Nice and extended, excellent Type I jamming, and the clarity of the sound
system let the crowd hear the GREAT interplay between Trey and Mike. I?ve
tried several times to describe it here, and I?m not satisfied with any of
them, so I?ll just say, get the tapes and listen to Trey and Mike fill in
the spaces in eachother?s lines and snake and follow each other around the
jams. Bubbly, I guess people have called it in the past.  Fantastic ensemble
work. Gin came back to the theme eventually, and the older first-Phish-show
Deadhead couple behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked me ?What song
was that? That was great!  Which CD is that on??  They got it.  GBOTT was
country-funkin?, My Mind?s was nice to hear, straight-ahead country, and
Frankie Says and Birds were all just damn enjoyable to listen to because of
the sound ? you could hear and focus on any of the members you wanted to!  
Lawn Boy?s always nice to hear and funny, and provided the only banter of
the night (?Mike Gordon, ladies and gentlemen, Mike Gordon!?).  Possum was
an unexpected treat, and was the set 1 highlight for me, because of the
interplay between Trey and Mike.
 
Set 2 started with the most experimental jam of the night, Ghost, which I
had clocked in at around 30 minutes.  This Ghost went all over the map, from
the funk, to the quiet ambience, to the wailing guitar solo, to the all out
chaos w/Trey on his little keyboard.  Very psychedelic and interesting to
listen to, thanks again to the clarity of the sound system.  Jim was next
and was short but sweet, again featuring just great work between Trey and
Mike.  Trey screwed up the first line of the last verse, but caught it
halfway through the line and rode it out, instead of stepping back and
laughing as he will sometimes. Roggae was next, and the light show and the
dynamics of the quiet and loud parts of the song were incredible.  2001 had
a long, spacey intro before kicking in with the drum beat.  The song itself
was short but nicely funky, and the ending featured the crazy feedback stuff
Trey has been doing lately (Atlanta Wilson, Alpine Chalkdust) with taking
off his guitar and swinging it around over his head. He dropped it back on
for the highlight of the whole evening, You Enjoy Myself. This YEM had
everything I could ask for in this type of show: some amazing solos, periods
of Trey chording over the rhythm-section-driven funk, a long vocal jam.  
This YEM I?ll put up there with any of the ?peak? jams of the summer tour,
and I?ll expect this YEM to be near the top of the list after I check out my
remaining 8 shows this fall and winter.  Whew.
 
YEM wrapped up at 10:05, and I headed towards the gate.  I got on the phone
with United, confirmed that my flight was on time, and said, what the hell,
I'll stick around for the encore, the airport?s only like 15 minutes away.  
I watched Theme from the gate, again, like Jim, it was short-ish but there
was not a wasted note, and I think it was among the perfect encore choices
for this show, which featured one of the best start-to-finish ensemble
efforts I?ve seen Phish put up recently.  Some other shows I?ve seen have
seen higher peaks, and a lot of shows have had bigger flaws, but I can?t
think of one off the top of my head that features group playing like this.
 
I had no problem making my flight.

Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1999 01:47:33 -0700
From: meredith and keith [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Ah yes, Portland

Just for reference, 39th show (since 1993) and 300 hours of Phish in the
collection.

First point:  the sound was stunning.  I was in two spots.  Back in the
stands (new this year!) and about 20 feet in front of the sounboard.
Dead center in both spots.  Everything was crystalline clear and even a
casual listener could pick up nuances and subtleties in the fantastic
music at Portland Meadows on Sunday night.

Second point: The Music.  First set overall had a hoedown feel to it.
Fun and expertly played.  As reviewed, the Gin was superb and probably
the obvious highlight.  A great filler (if it would fit!) for the second
set.  The second set was exhilirating from start to finish.  Each note
sweeter than the last.  To say this was THE best Phish set I've heard is
silly.  But it was as good as any of the other best's.  The
improvisation was filled with a seemingly never-ending supply of ideas.
Inventive and jaw-dropping stuff.  Get your copy today.

Thank you Phish, thank you Paul (for the terrific sound) and thank you
Chris (for yet another tour de force lightshow).  And to all the other
unnamed folks who made a Sunday night in Portland, Oregon a lifetime
memory.

I'm writing this after the first Shoreline show.  It was very good.  So
was the Gorge.  Vancouver and Boise had their high points.  But man,
Portland was the killer-diller.

Third Point:  Driving home.  My friends Ollie and Jen don't puff, drink
or trip.  Neither do I.  We had to wait about 45 minutes in the parking
lot after the show because none of us was in any condition to drive.  We
were all mightily disoriented and just too damn naturally high to
concentrate on something as mundane as driving a motor vehicle.  The
night air and sounds were a better balm for our twisted and happy
minds.

We stayed up until 3:00 am basically just sayin "wow" over and over
again.  You know what I mean....

Cheers!  Happy Phishin' to everybody!  We, as fans, are some dang lucky
folks to have this band to call our own.
 

Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 15:14:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: Corey Richard Lewis [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Portland Meadows
 
        The Meadows show was my 15 show and I have never seen a Phish show
that I have been disapointed in, but there are firsts for everything.
First off, the show was basically a carbon copy of Vancouver: YEM, Ghost,
Free Thought, Birds, all repeated. And, for me, the show lacked any
origionality or energy. I wouldn't bag on anybody's experience if they
liked the show, but with over 300 songs in their repitoire, they should
not be repeating songs in four shows. It's too bad that I had such a bad
taste left in my mouth for this tour. Oh well, makes me excited for the
next time!

Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 09:21:35 -0700
From: Peter  Wootton [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: Portland

Ok, here goes:

We got back from the Gorge around 2 pm and the PDX lots opened at 3pm.
There was little traffic since a lot of folks were skipping this show and
Boise and making a b-line for Shoreline.  During the sound check (Gotta
Jiboo/Heavy Things) a hay truck caught on fire about 100 yards from the
stage and burned completely to the ground- the lots were filled with
smoke, and some doubted the show would go on, but thankfully, it did.

First Tube- The best new song I have heard in awhile- really, REALLY good

Poor Heart- Surprised to hear them play this- hadn't heard that one in
years, but fun anyhoo- the bluegrass was on (being in Oregon an all!)

Free Thought- Another great tune, also played at the Gorge

GIN!!- Hell yeah.

Get Back on the Train-  What a fun tune- never heard it before, but saw
iton lists.

My Mind's- eh, I danced a little.....ha! A lot!

Frankie- Don't remember that one

Birds- This song feels like you're flying 100 mph- great

Lawn-  This one made the "Lawn Boy" guy in the front row REAL happy

Possum- YES!!

Set break:

Ghost-  Not bad- great long jam out of that into...

Jim- ok, not bad since I hadn't heard it in awhile- it seems like they 
played it a lot back in the day and I started to get sick of it, but this
time it brought a smile to my mug-

Roggae- good tune

2001- Go Mike!

YEM- Alright!! I didn't think we were getting this one since B.C. got it

E: Theme- my girlfriend was wanting this tune at the Gorge and she missed
PDX, so of course they played it!

Thanks guys for a great three show run- come back here soon!


Peat

Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 13:27:53 -0700
From: Tayra Marquardt [email protected]
To: [email protected]

Despite TG "The silkiest" of the cape people, dubbing this night Portland
Mellows early on..The show proved to be more than the typical  end of the
weekend, after the big show type of gig, where the band just goes through
the motions. After it was all said and done, this was the best all around
group playing of the four shows thus far.  Trey's playing during Sand, and
(gasp)Caspian, Saturday night was incredibly inspired, but Sunday in
Portland the band fianlly setteled in and found their groove. And Page
seemed to be a little more intrested and in fact aware of the fact that he
wasn't on vacation anymore.
 
Highlights:
The sound- The best I've heard in quite some time.
 
Bathtub Gin- Started slow and then Cactus steered the band in an entirely
new direction, with a nice new melody, generally groovy and upbeat, in the
same vein as Madness' 80's classic "Our House", at least it sounded that way
to my ears. Great Group improv based on this new theme, which will hopefully
appear again, as the 97 funk blueprint have pretty much been mined for all
it was worth.
 
Frankie  Sez- Is always a favorite of mine, and Trey made excellent use of
his backward tape effect (Revolver Era Lennon-esque)
 
The Jam out of Ghost- was thick and exploratory, I would say it ran about
20+
 
Yem- Finished strong, despite seeing this in BC (the rotation is as shallow
as I can ever remember it)The band was locked in last night and were really
hooking up as a unit.
 
Theme Encore- Was a great surprise, and was well executed, with Trey finding
new avenues inside the structure of this underplayed tune.
 
 
***
Overall it was a great, well played gig, the setlist might not look too
sexy, but the playing supassed everything thus far, making this the first
show I'll actually want to hunt down in its entireity once I get back...
 
PAX
 
CASSIUS
(PS I am a friend's place, This isn't my address, I can be reached at
 after Colorado Bisco tour )

Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 13:55:34 -0700
From: "Winchell, Bryan (FRIMCO_FinanceTemp)" [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: Portland Meadows review
 
        Portland review:
 
        First Tube* -> Poor Heart -> Free Thought**, Bathtub Gin, Get Back
on the Train, My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own, Frankie Says, Birds of a
Feather, Lawn Boy, Possum
        II (1:17): Ghost -> Runaway Jim -> Roggae -> Also Sprach Zarathustra
-> You Enjoy Myself
        E (0:10): Theme from the Bottom
 
 
        Three magical days of Phish, including two at the beautiful Gorge,
were topped off by one of the greatest show's I've ever seen: Portland
Meadows.
           First, there was the security. So chill! One dude even told us to
share some nugs with him! And that was at the front of the stage. Coming in,
they all welcomed us and no bag searches. It was quite a different scene
from Saturday night at the Gorge, where they required us to empty our
pockets and patted us down all while the local sheriff stood near by.
           The venue wasn't great, but the vibe sure was. The crowd had that
mellow West Coast attitude, with people talking a lot to each other and
grooving during the show.
           The show: The first set ranked as the most energetic of the three
shows I saw. Opening with First Tube is a great idea, and it sure got the
crowd jiving. Poor Heart, My Mind's and Get Back on the Train all fit nicely
into the Western feel of the drive from the Gorge over to Portland. Free
Thought has a nice Santana/Allman Brothers feel to it, but the set's
highlight was to follow: Bathtub Gin. This was not the funky variety, a la
Ventura '98, but just a blissfully jammed out version that must have lasted
near 20 minutes. Possum closed the set after Page played Frank Sinatra for
us on Lawn Boy and Possum certainly left the crowd buzzing during setbreak.
           While the first set was about energy and songs, the second set
was about spaciness and jams. All five songs played were loooong and they
really seemed to find a groove. Ghost was particularly eventful, with the
longest, tranciest jam I've ever heard them do. Runaway Jim even had some of
the security guards dancing and Roggae was epic and beautiful. Trey really
seemed to be putting his soul into the song's haunting ending: "if life were
easy." Beautiful. 2001>YEM is almost too much to ask for and when YEM ended,
I was glad they didn't play another.
            Theme closed the show wonderfully, sending us nomads out into
the world buzzing from seeing the greatest live act this planet has to
offer. We really all should give thanks for how great these guys are night
after night. they may have down moments, but it's pretty rare that they have
a down set. And the ups! The ups! Yea!! thank you, Phish!!
 
 
   - Bryan

Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 13:50:36 -0700
From: James Hooper [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9-12-99

i spent this last weekend with phish and had a blast.
the portland show had me reeling.  it took about an hour after the show
before i felt ready to begin thinking about what i just experienced
with  the band and the crowd.
 the connectedness of the band and the crowd was soooper!  all the notes
were very heavy.  we were riding on every note.    i felt energy i
hadn't felt since fall 95 at hampton.
  it was a galactic gathering of sorts, with starship phish hosting the
event. totally spectacular.
  and the smoothness of everything including the crowd management and
staff team were thoroughly appreciated.  everyone was soooo chill! 

Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 19:54:16 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: i thought that portland show sucked

I have been to about 100 shows and this portland show was the worst.  you
newbies who write in and say it was good dont know what you are talking
about.  it was lame ass garbage.  Thank god i live in Portland and only
drove 15 minutes to see this junk.


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