9-18-99 -- Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, California
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Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2001 11:32:59 -0700
From: Matt O'Malley [email protected]
Subject: Re: 9/18/99 Review
Great! Here is the edited version for posting:
9/18/99, Coors Amphitheater, Chula Vista, CA.
Reviewed: 9/28/01
The purpose of this review is primarily to do ^�justice^� to the exalted Boogie
On Reggae Woman that opened the second set at this show. Clocking in at
ver seen and I had the
21:33, for a song that seldom spans eight minutes, it is a noteworthy jam in
itself. This is an overall great show and seems to have been overlooked.
This was my third show of the fall ^�99 tour (after both nights at the Gorge),
and 53rd of my Phish career, if that matters. The Coors Amphitheater, despite
the gaudy, corporate feel inspired by the neon Coors signs everywhere, is a
*great* outdoor venue. No roof and an expansive open seating set up. I had
seats in Row D of section 103 ^� lower Trey side in the band^�s (then) newer
on-stage arrangement. Sound and sight was great from my vantage, but I
digress^�
This show needs to be understood in the context of the tour up to that point.
The band was playing for its third consecutive night after a long haul from
Shoreline, near San Jose. Their destination was the southernmost urban region
of the West coast, barely 5 miles from the Mexico/US border.
My expectations for this show were decidedly low after hearing what had
happened the previous night. I figured the band would be exhausted from the
travel and the excitement of the Shoreline run they finished the night
before. The first night at Shoreline was one of the longest (apart
from12/31/99) two-set shows of the year and night two contained a You Enjoy
Myself, replete with bass duet between Mike Gordon, and his professed bass
idol, Grateful Dead Bassist Phil Lesh. Phil remained with the band for the
remainder of set II and Warren Haynes joined in for the Viola Lee Blues
encore. The band must have flown down to SD very early that morning. Based on
the circumstances, I guessed that this would be a through-the-motions, ^�fun^�
show with no serious jams to speak of. I was wrong.
Trey lazily starts the opening riff to Tweezer and the smallish crowd went
nuts. Trey^�s body language confirmed my suspicion that he, and the rest of
the band, would be tired. He was slouched over the ^�doc, head down,
methodically keeping the time with both feet in a weird, ^�two-step^� dance
move. At one point he sang the wrong verse, but recovered quickly. But this
Tweezer jam segment has a majestic, haunting quality to it and is definitely
worth checking out. It contains one of the few delay loop jams that really
Works. The Tube from this set is must-hear for fans of the song. The jam
winds down with a legitimate Cross-eyed and Painless theme tease that
consummates a standout disco/funk version. The band had played a
disappointing 4+ minute Tube to open the 9/11/99 Gorge show. This one was
closer to 11 minutes, over nine of which were improvised.
This was a short first set, but the Wilson and Maze were both above average
versions and the Tweezer and Tube were spectacular. Not bad for a tired band,
eh?
Let me preface this review by stating that I was in the 9th row of the floor
for the 11/29/97 Runaway JAM at my ^�home^� venue (Worcester Centrum), so very
little surprises me when it comes to set II openers. This Boogie on Reggae
Woman (BORW), which opens the second set at Chula Vista, is musically superior
to the Runaway JAM despite being only slightly more than a third of its
length. I am a BORW fan, but rarely expect it to evolve into any serious HOSE
jamming. It^�s usually a ^�breather^� song placed before/after show stopper
material. The 9/18/99 version stands apart from every other version I have
heard. It FLOORED me then and even now when I listen it to it over two years
later.
The Chula Vista BORW is a case study in Phish musical idea-ology. The band
improvises off several different musical ideas as only serious music
performers/listeners can. Trey starts the set off, chording in ^�C^�, and Mike
and Fish quickly join in with the groove. The opening verse segment is wholly
ver seen and I had the
standard, which only adds to the stunning nature of the ensuing jam. Trey^�s
second pass at the theme with the ^�doc is nailed after a shoddy first try and
Mike^�s bass work around the 4:06 mark is Torrid. Mike is the lead guitarist
for most of the 4 minute mark, and the rest of the band accompanies. Page
moves to the clavinet for some solo work around 5:20. The band is cruising
along in standard BORW mode at 6 minutes even. Fish begins some syncopated
drum fills around 7:16 and it sounds like the next tune is right around the
corner. Very quiet, spotty jamming around the groove starting at 8:06 and
continuing for about the next 40 seconds The song fizzles out terribly around
8:38. A total SPAM ending to an otherwise solid, standard version; BUT THEN,
almost apologetically, Fishman kicks
the beat in once more around 8:58 and the band is back into full BORW groove
mode. Crowd roars! At this point, this version of BORW should be set apart
from every version that preceded it. Trey instinctively picks up Fish^�s
musical notion (to continue) and begins some fine, melodious soloing around
9:32. The foundation is still BORW, and Page is still working from the
clavinet, but the song is diligently morphing into uncharted HOSE territory by
10:42. Fish moves to th Ride cymbal and Trey builds the improv with some
patient, dark soloing, a la a premier Gin jam. A melodic theme develops from
Page^�s Grand around 11:07 and Trey steps back and lets him run with it until
he gracefully catches the thread and pushes the next musical idea onward with
more tasteful guitar soloing. Fish's syncopation on the Ride cymbal frames
the exchange perfectly. By 12:05, the band has broken free from the BORW axis
and is in melodic improvisation mode. Inarguably transcendent music from this
point forward. The primary theme features a descending chromatic scale that
bears no resemblance to anything in BORW, but the transition into this theme
was gracefully uncoerced. Trey begins repeating a symphonic, arpeggiated theme
around 14 minutes. Fish is double-timing the rhythm. Page sneaks in a
shortish piano solo while Trey breathes around 14:44. The 'doc starts HOWLING
some melodic, chordal HOSE at around 15:04. From this point, until 18:35,
Phish treats its fans to nearly three and a half minutes of STUNNING
IMPROVISATION. A routine Sunday night in San Diego has turned into a RARE
brush with Greatness!!! And I was expecting the least from this show. At
16:16 the band is just tearing the sky off of Coors Amphitheater. A veritable
WALL OF SOUND. Brilliant. Melodic. Incendiary. Toneful. Sublime. PHiSH.
At 18:38 the whole band kicks back into BORW mode. I clearly remember being
seated at this point of the set, thoroughly hosed by what I^�d just seen and
heard. At the point where I thought I^�d heard everything this song could
possibly have to offer: Mike takes a goddamn BASS SOLO that lasts 19 seconds!
.Fabulous ^�STOP/START^� jamming in Fall ^�97 tradition. The rest of the band
completely drops out and it^�s all Mike. Fish kicks the rhythm back in and
after a few more bars of straight-ahead BORW groovin^�, Trey funks away on the
chords while the other band members drop out Next, it^�s Page^�s turn, on the
clavinet. No solo by Fish, unfortunately. The band wraps it all up in unison
at 21:33. Yes, you read that correctly: 21:33.
Other notes on 9/18/99: During Meatstick, immediately after BORW, Trey invited
audience participation from two young ladies in the front rows. One of them,
visibly ^�in the bag,^� wouldn^�t let go of Trey when he hugged her ^�goodbye^� at
the end of the dance and had to be ^�helped^� away by Carini, if I^�m not
mistaken. High comedy! The ensuing Free, Harry Hood>Frankenstein (where Fish
gets "his" solo) and Contact>Tweezer Reprise encore are good listening, but if
all you hear from this show is BORW, you^�ve heard what must be heard
~Matt
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 15:59:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: Greg Kuchar [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review - 09/18/99
After a 600 plus mile drive down from San Francisco...I made it to the Chula
Vista parking lot around 3:30 PM. I parked in the back parking lot...right
adjacent to the large hill that overlooked the entire venue. The lot scene
was pure southern Cali coolness...everyone smiling, beautiful California
women everywhere, the sun was shining (the ocean breeze was a bit cool
though), shakedown street was happening and I was partying!
After I got out of my truck I looked around at my neighbors and noticed a
familiar vehicle...it was my buddy's pickup truck. He and his brother drove
all the way from Las Vegas (where I'm from as well...but I was on tour) that
day to arrive in the lot to meet me before the show. I was supposed to meet
them at the will call booth at 6:00 PM...but they ended up parked right next
to me!
This was an unusual situation...these two guys have never scene Phish
before. In fact, they have never experienced anything remotely like the
Phish scene...so, you could have imagined their expressions when they first
saw me...afterall, I was on tour for the entire west coast run...and my
appearance was indicative of this. They came up to me...asking "Hey, man
are you alright?" Of course I was alright...they just haven't seen me in my
Phish tour gear! After I reassured them of my sanity...I began showing them
around the lot. We walked throughout the back parking area and then
proceeded to venture to the front lot...so we took a short cut and walked
around the venue. Phish was jamming "Free Thought" (as I recall?) at that
time...and my friends mentioned that the venue's sound system sounded really
excellent. They thought that it was the stereo playing! I explained that
those soothing sounds were in fact the Boys...getting ready for the night's
adventures. This was their first experience to the beautiful music of
Phish... :)
After our voyage throughout the lot...and their procurement of some "treats"
for the show...we decided to head on into the venue. We got in line at the
back entrance and was treated to a short line with a friendly staff taking
the ticket stubs. My friends then grabbed a bunch of "tall boy" Coors
lights (what else would they sell at the "Coors Amphitheatre"?) and we hung
out in the vendor area...just looking at all of the sights. Now, this was
my 36th show...so I know what was going on...but, it was enjoyable to
witness these two guys just stare at the entire scene in a complete stupor.
I started having flashbacks (no...not from liquid!) from my early days of
Phish. It was quite cool to see their facial expressions and hear their
comments..."Look at Him!"..."Look at Her!"..."Boy, is that guy excited to be
here!"...stuff like that. I could tell they were starting to be influenced
by what was transpiring before us...all of this was happening before we
heard one guitar lick! Well, these guys had sets in the second
level...while mailorder hooked me once again with 10th row center stage. I
said "Have a great show!" and we split up with the plan in place to meet in
front of one of the beer vendor areas at intermission...
I got to my seat about 15 minutes before the show...said hi to all of the
familar faces (I love how mailorder delegates their seats in groups...so I
saw the same guys that I saw at Boise, Shoreline....etc.), popped a purple
hugh cap and proceeded to get mentally ready for the show...
The first lick of Tweezer sent my emotions in a tail spin. Trey was soooo
tight! They jammed and jammed...segueing into "Roses are Free" by Ween. I
knew my two friends were Ween fans...so I could only imagine their reaction
to this song. It was a really good version...not a 04/03/98 version...but
it still was pretty darn good. From there... "Wilson!", "Wilson!",
"Wilson!"... By this time the magical fungus started hitting my soul. My
smile got larger...larger...larger! As I was chanting "Wilson" at the top
of my lungs I thought to myself..."I hope my two friends are dealing with
this OK. After all, I treated them to a sample of my veggies...so, they
were probably dealing with what I was dealing with at that moment...PURE
BLISS!
The "Maze" that came after "Wilson" was pure energy...I felt like I was at a
"Metallica" concert (Ok...I've seen Metallica a few times). Trey was in his
pure rock star mode...head banging and swaying back and forth...you could
tell he was having a great time. "Brian & Robert" gave me the opportunity
to "gather my senses" and I chilled out for a bit and turned around and
faced the crowd. "Wow", I remember saying to myself...there are alot of
people here... Isn't it amazing how those magical mushrooms can make you
feel like you are the only person at the show...just me and the Boys!.
"Tube" was the typical funked out, jammed out version...they kept on
deviating off the jam...to come right back into it again! "Rocky Top"
closed out the first set...
After the set...I ran to the bathroom...and proceeded to stand in line for
almost a half an hour. Why is it that there are 3 women's rooms to every
one men's room? I stood in line trying to figure out the mentality of the
engineer/architect that construction this venue. Obviously, they never went
to many concerts before! After the adventure of the bathroom...I found one
of my friends. He was "feeling pretty good" at that moment and I asked him
where his brother was...Mike said to me..."Tom kinda left the seat and
proceeded to wander in the crowd.". OK. So, they apparently are having a
good time...I thought to myself. Mike was grinning quite broadly...so I
said goodbye and headed back to my seat to enjoy the second set.
"Boogie on Reggae Woman"...ok this is going to be one of those shows. They
jammed "Boogie on" for about 23 minutes...deviating off the jam...and then
right back into it again. I was delirious with emotion at that
moment..."Meatstick" was next and we got a full description from Trey on how
to do the dance. The west coast crowd wasn't really into it...I think there
were alot of first timers there...all thinking "What is going on here?".
Trey and Mike asked a few people from the crowd to join them on stage to
assist in the dance steps. One girl was so obviously wasted...that she
grabbed Trey and wouldn't let go for a few moments. Trey, had to take her
hands off of him and ask her to stop. He seemed in good spirits regardless
and the teaching of the dance proceeded. "Free" was next, followed by
"Bouncin"... At this point of the night, the glow sticks were being flung
all around...along with the pitas. I noticed a few "surfer dudes" at the
show and they had the bright idea of picking up the glow sticks and throwing
them directly at the band! At that point, I started getting upset with
these jokers and I asked one of them to stop it. However, there were so
many of them around me that there wasn't a way for me to stop them all...so
I just watched as they would aim right at Trey and throw the glow sticks
right on stage. Thank goodness none of these guys are professional baseball
players...they missed everytime...But, I could tell that the Boys were
taking the attitude..."come on, you can't hit us!". Trey seemed to be
egging on the crowd...staring at the guys throwing the glow sticks...and
showing the facial expression like..."Bring it on...jokers!". So, when they
busted into "Harry Hood" I almost fell over...This is the song that started
the so called "glow-stick war"! During the start of the jam...which I get
goose bumps over by the way...I could see how all four of them were really
paying attention to the crowd and side-stepping any type of thrown
object.... So at that point, the energy level of the music and the crowd
was mind-blowing. It was one of most intense shows that I've ever been to!
Then...they did it again...They busted out "Frankenstein"! Talk about
another rocking tune! I started laughing when I saw some of these "surfer
dudes" with their arms in the air...with their thumb and pinky finger
extended...like some of the meatheads do at metal concerts. The crowd
wanted a metal type show...well the Boys provided that! The "Cavern" ending
to the set...was well, Cavern. I love Trey and Mike's little gig...
There was some maniac about 3-4 rows in front of me that was continually
yelling out "Contact", "Contact" "Contact"!!! over and over again. So, when
they played "Contact" as the encore it didn't really surprise me. Trey
especially was really paying attention to the crowd...especially right in
front of him. There were some amazingly beautiful San Diego women right in
front of him going nuts throughout the whole show. They were yelling all
types of things...like "I Love you Trey"...or, "Trey you are so
hot"...cheesy stuff like that...but, I could tell that Trey was feeding off
of it...and giving them his best rock star impresssion. "Tweezer Reprise"
was the icing on the cake...Trey was jumping up and down throughout this
version...pumping his fist... WHAT A SHOW! When they finished up the
Reprise...Trey said "We,ll be Back...I promise!" to the crowd. I can tell
how much fun they had that night...they were in their rock star modes...so
the idiots throwing stuff at them just fed their energy. What a night... I
know the Boys will be back to San Diego...
As I made my way out to the lots of the show...I ran into my two friends.
They were both silent for a bit...probably trying to evaluate what they just
witnessed. This was my 36th show and I had trouble evaluating what
happened...I couldn't image what it was like for this one to be my very
first show.
Thank you Phish...as always,
Greg Kuchar
Las Vegas, NV
[email protected]
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 23:58:31 GMT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: fyi
roses are free is a frank zappa song, which is covered by ween.
e.
Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 20:28:12 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: roses are free
THIS IS A WEEN SONG off of Chocolate and Cheese will u please say
something about it. No one at the show knew the song but a select few,
people should know a lot more about WEEN. Thanks the show was on 9-18 in
san diego
"Sheehan, Jay" [email protected] on 09/21/99 11:51:31 AM
To: Aric Mayer/LA/SPE@SPE
cc: "Martin, Buck"
Subject: Coors Amphitheatre & Phish
Just wanted to take a minute to say thanks for your kind words regarding our
venue and staff here at the Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista. We take pride
in providing the highest levels of customer service to our guests, whether
you are here for Elton John...or Phish...we try to treat everyone equally...
I was in Atlanta for the two 4th of July shows, and set a goal for
myself...to be the premeire venue on the west coast to see a Phish show...I
hope that we took strides to meet the high expectations that we put on our
staff...
To often, we, as venue managers only hear the bad comments...so, again, I
thank you for your posting... Take care, and know that we do read your
reviews!!!
Regards,
Jay Sheehan
Director of Operations
Coors Amphitheatre
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 15:13:04 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9/18/99 Chula Vista review
9/18/99 Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista CA
Thoughts on Chula Vista: We took our time getting to Chula Vista, we were
enjoying our time with Ashley's family, especially her baby sister. The
whole drive down we had a big old grin on our faces, even through the flat,
boring, maneur-infested I-5. Shoreline had put our minds at ease about many
things. When we got to Chula Vista, they were well into the 1st set and the
parking lot was a ghost town. Coors is a really nice venue, but I felt we
had to run the gauntlet just to get in there. There was a strange vibe in
the air, they wouldn't let us keep the caps to our water bottles...needless
to say those were kicked over within seconds. Interesting difference
between
here and NorCal as my friend put it "where is the love?" I felt like I was
in a college town, which is something I am definitely not used to. The vibe
cleared up once we got situated, I guess. Everyone was pretty mellow.
Set I: Tweezer, Roses Are Free, Wilson, Maze, Brian and Robert, Tube.
Rocky Top-This is when we found our seats...perhaps a little too late.
Set II: Boogie On Reggae Woman-My gal called this one....but who knew? I
love the feel of this song, Phish actually adds more reggae to it than
Stevie
Wonder does...but he's still the man. This grooved really tight, everyone
was really moving! Page was a monster on the clavinet, he really took the
limelight for a lot of this show. He went on for a long time until
something
really weird happened. They went into Phish high speed jamming mode and
totally changed the feel. I couldn't believe it! New direction for this
song...the best and most unique version I've heard. They really jammed it
out and finally they seemed to die down when....back into the original
groove!! They even stayed on this groove for a while before
finishing...man,
what a fun set so far!
Meatstick-This was inevitable. I'm not too crazy about the song itself.
Last time I saw it there was no dance lessons and it jammed for a while. I
like Page's keyboard in this tune. Some folks got up to help teach the
dance...all in all, it was quite fun and you bet yer ass I'll be helping
Phish break as many records as they need!
Free->-This sounded immense here! Great basswork from Mike...real thick
stuff. I felt more concious of this song this time as the Gorge seemed like
a bizarre dream.
Bouncin'-Ha!!! Our first Bouncin in 15 shows!!! My buddy was amazed at this
statistic!!! Bouncin was...Bouncin. I like Trey's guitar in this song, they
could easily jam it out.
Harry Hood-Not much to say about this until the end...very nicely jammed,
brilliantly intense as usual. This Hood did not disappoint. I love when the
"You can feel good" comes in at the end...
Frankenstein-This rocks every time, but nothing is really different except
for the vacuum section. It's nice to see Jon take solos too.
Cavern-This signified the end of the set of course...besides a few nice
highlights it seemed like sort of a greatest hits show. 'Twas fun
nonetheless.
e:Contact-Yes!!!! I love this song and this was our first. I like to think
that it was for us...after our long travels in our Pod. The middle section
was super funky and they gave us a great performance. Thanks Mike!!!
Tweezer Reprise-We may have missed Tweezer, but we did catch this! This
song
always kicks my ass, just the size of it!
All in all, a fun show. I met up with a good friend from the internet and
there was much rejoicing (yaaaaay!). We stayed at this very strange
campground that night...
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 12:15:46 PDT
From: Julia Pruitt [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Chula Vista Review
Hi, I felt I needed to add my words of awe and undying devotion to these
reviews. It was hard for my friends and I to imagine what they could play
after the Lesh/Haynes thing the night before (east coast meets west
coast!), but all my fears of a mediocre show were alleviated as soon as i
heard that Tweezer. Tweezer Roses Wilson Maze.....oh my god!! I was so
glad to hear a roses again, and the Wilson was the best one I've ever
heard, it put tears of joy in my eyes to hear him singing, "can you still
have fun, Wilson?" HELL YEAH! I didn't even sit down for the Brian and
Robert, but when I took my head out of the music and surveyed the whole
conglomoration on the stage, it struck me how Right On Kuroda was that
night, he had it DIALED IN! needless to say I was very impressed with the
fifth member. The Tube was sooooo funky good, with Page really putting out
the funky keys solos, (danced SO hard for that one), and to continue on
the tribute to "Leo", we get a Rocky Top closer. At the set break all I
could say was Tweezer Roses Wilson Maze, Tweezer Roses Wilson
Maze.....whoa! Now, I have been wanting to hear a few songs since New
Years, and Boogie On is at the top of my list, for whatever reason, I just
love the funk on that one, and from the first openeing chords I knew what
I was finally getting, I danced with every person I passed on my way back
to my seat, I thought for sure the funk was going to dominate the second
set. Then the most amazing thing happened. They took Boogie On to an
entirely different level, it seemed to me to stop for a second, and then
it was like the Funk could not be stopped. They surged on, even breaking
it down with mini funk solos by Mike, Trey, Page (ohhhhhh yeah), and I was
sad to have it ended by Fish, but that whole song had me turned into a
laughing, dancing purveyor of FUNK. Moving on, we get the "west coast
introduction to the meatstick dance, the dance craze that's Sweeping the
nation!" My traveling companions were waiting to hear their first
meatstick, and at the Shoreline shows I prepared them with the meatstick
Dance, so when it came, we were READY! Needless to say, with the "lesson"
and everything it was great fun to hear it again. Seegies, were you up
there? NOw, since when did people want to have a glowstick war with Free?
that really upset me, especially because Phil got hit with a glowstick the
night before, and just for my two cents, I think glowies are fun, but keep
it in the crowd! Or in your hand, or whatever, you don't hit Phish, and
ESPECIALLY you don't hit PHIL! agggg. So after that, they go and do a
bouncin, and then Hood. I'm thinking, are they encouraging the glowsticks
(with the Hood)??? DO they LIKE it? this is running through my head during
the whole of hood, but I was so relieved when the Phans denied the
glowstick war. I saw maybe 10 total go out, but I felt like it was a sign
of respect, or maybe a nod to the fact that it went too far when Phil got
hit. ANYWAYS, Kuroda's was so good on hood anyway, he didn't need any help
from the crowd. Frankenstein was a MONSTER of a song to come out of that,
it felt like a super duper Page night, especially for me being a pianist I
love the sets like this. He really tore it up, and Fish got his cameo
"solo" as well. Funky funky cavern, to end it all, whatever you do take
care of your shoes.... and trey letting us all know how much they enjoyed
the venue(yeah, we too!), and the encore Contact complete with waving
hands all around, and tweezer rep to sandwich it all in. All in all, it's
in my top 3 now, it was a truly incredible, beautiful unique show and I'm
so glad I got to be there. Enough already, huh? Now it's just work work
work until N Y E ! ! !
"I'd like to thank you, for a real good time!"
-Jules
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 01:00:20 PDT
From: J.P. Coghil [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Coors
SAN DIEGO ROCKED!!! About the same size as creek. They fucking jammed. I
havent been to a show since '95 cuz I havent been to thrilled with what they
have been putting out. I was stoked on the Coors show. I have probably
seen the band 20 or 30 times, and this show rocked!!! I am dying to find a
tape!!!! Great energy, good vibes, and a great show.
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 17:25:05 -0700
From: John Warner [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Coors Amplitheater
Let me just say one thing! San Diego is my home town, now that I've been
transplanted from Binghamton New York and This was Phish's Phirst Show In
San Diego since The Sports Arena Show in Dec of 96 right before that
Phattie Vegas show at the Aladdin. I did the whole west coast this year
and it was awesome to hear contact in my own back yard right before I was
going to sleep in my own bed for the first time in 2 weeks. This
particular show was completely outstanding and if it wasn't for Phil
coming out at Shoreline would have been the best of the west. The night
was completely magical and kind of felt like a good New York show back in
the day. I'm really pleased that our Amphitheater is definitely the best
venue I've seen on the west coast. I've seen a number of shows there and
I have never left Coors Amphitheater disappointed. I even had decent
seats, but for the second set I chose the lawn vibe because no matter
where you go in that place the sound is great and I like to dance on grass
grass. I'm not going to bother with a song by song review because I
really have nothing different to say than anybody else that posted
reviews. A top notch show this was indeed my only complaint is that the
boys should have skipped Irvine (I HATE THAT VENUE even though the show
was good) and did 2 nights in SD. I hope they will next year. See all
you kids on New Years Eve!!!!!!!
john
Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 01:59:44 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review: Coors Amp 9/18
Let me first say that out of the odd 20 or so shows I have seen, this was
the greatest Phish experience of my life. The vibe was absolutely magical,
and the song selection was great: excellent covers (Roses, Boogie On), some
of my favorites (Tube, Hood), and some wicked freeform jamming (Tweezer,
Free). Maybe it wasn't just the music that made this show so special. The
band and the phans all seemed to be having a great time. eg Trey bringing
out kids to teach the Meatstick dance, even though it's kind of of a hokey
song IMO reminded me of the old school days. Also, this was just a
blessing: my buddy and I didn't even have tix for the show so we showed up
at the box office at Coors expecting lawn seats, or maybe some crappy
reserved seating. But what we got was front row orchestra, dead center,
seats 15-16. The band was looking directly at us, what an experience. It
sounds nutty as hell but I swear Trey was making eye contact with me for
most of the show and giving me some really funny sometimes painful looks as
he rolled out those sweet licks. I honestly felt as though he was vibing
off me. I can't express in words what a wonderful feeling was in the air
that night. Thank you Trey and all of the beautiful phans who were dancing
their asses off with me at this show. I've never had such a good time in my
life.
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 18:42:48 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Roses are Free
Hey clown this is not a Prince song it is WEEN. You are misinforming
people.
I know what I'm talk ing about
Thanks
Bro-Dude
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 00:52:13 -0700
From: Scott Sandler [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review of 9/18/99
Chula Vista----show # 66 for me---just saw both Shoreline shows.
Extremely high quality was this one located just inches North of the Mexico
border--beautiful venue---my favorite outdoor venue 2nd too only Coral
Sky(FL)--very low attendance--4 or 5 thousand max probably less-----plenty
of room inside all over----anyone who chose to miss this one because it was
too far between Mountain View and Chula Vista to then go back to
Irvine---YOU MISSED OUT!!!
Tweezer opener opened everything up to all possibilies---its was a
nice rock freeform jam they landed on instead of the more recent
funk/groove of moma and ghost they have been developing.it went off for
about 12-15 min and then they just kinda stopped, they never really ended
or went somewhere else---they just kinda stopped--...I've been waiting for
a roses and it lived up to all I expected---but here is the point of the
show----ITS ALL ONE BIG TWEEZER SHOW----each song seemed to expand off into
a continuance of the TWEEZER jam that was started with the 1st set
opener-----Wilson> brian and Robert (sweet song , that's when I took a
break to see FLORIDA kicking Tennessee's Rocky Top Ass all over the
swamp---I could still hear the show ok)-----got back just in time for
TUBE----this I've actually heard 4 times now---this one rocked completly
going off into that Tweezer like jam I mentioned---seemed to be a near 20
min TUBE-----then F-YOU TOP TENNESSEE boy this song sucks---I'm glad they
lost ---
Go GATORS------!!!!!!!----here we come FLORIDA NYE
2000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
set 2
Boogie opener---what a great groove to get everyone up-----smooth
reggae rythm ...but wait its a TWEEZER SHOW>>>time for a rock jam-----and
then eventually back to Boogie----Amazingly enough I was at the Arts Center
7/15 show that Trey explained the Meatstick at-----It when over much better
on the East Coast, many more participated---I loved that Trey brought
people on stage with them out of the crowd ----but most did not join
in--------more tweezer jam out of meatstick-----FREE--no real comment it
just completely captured the vibe of the show---more tweezer
jam------batr---had to give the college kids a song they would recognize at
some point, I knew they were getting ready for something---figured it would
be---and it was Harry...Hood----no tweezer jam here just a classic
Hood---Frankenstein, tight as usual and the Cavern was the perfect 2nd set
closer to the perfect classic show
E: gotta love that they played CONTACT---after driving 648 miles from
Mountain View>LA>SD>Chula Vista---for this show the lyrics "on a freeway to
Los Angeles" and the whole tire /road thing in contact were just
perfect----oh yea we need to end this TWEEZER JAM at some point--ok ---time
for Tweezer Reprise....LIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! --piper
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 13:32:50 -0700
From: Josh Heydorff [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: San Diego
Prologue:
Phirst show in '99 for me, but my 15th show overall. Needless
to say, I had beeen looking forward to this night all year, and figured
since they didn't come out here for the summer, that it would burn,
burn, burn. The Venue is brand-spanking new, and felt like Shoreline's
parking lot, due to all of the dirt, and hay. Very nice little scene
outside. It was the kind of lot where you could get anything you wanted
(wink-wink). I noticed that the lot is starting to look more and more
pre-'95 Phish scene, which is nice, more serious phans, and a lot less
kooks (they must all be swing-dancing now!) As my friends and I made our
way into the venue, we walked right past a golf cart containing a
smiling Mike Gordon!! Never had that happen, and It was so cool to see
him just wizzing around. I knew that the show wouldn't be going on for
at least another 45 minutes, so we proceded to sesh it out a few more
times in the lot. Once inside, we were treated to a venue with an
amiable staff, who was more than helpful, and respectful to all in
attendance. (One complaint-food prices-shesh)
SET I:
THE GREATEST TWEEZER EVER!!!!!!!!! I have plenty of shows on
tape, and I have seen many rocking openers, but this BLEW EVERYTHING
AWAY!!!!!! My jaw was wide open for most of it. And then,,,,,ROSES ARE
FREE!!!!!!!!!!!, I could have left right after this, and not even gone
to Irvine the next night, because nothing could have topped it. If you
haven't checked out Ween, you're missing out IMO. I saw Ween lastmonth, and
they played this, and It made the show. My God, and this was
only the first two songs. The Wilson, and MAze, and then TUBE (my first)
How could you beat that set?only with...........
SETII:
BOOGIE ON REGGAE WOMAN!!!!!!! Trey was having the time of his
life, and Page really took it with the Clav.
This went on for a while. Then MEATSTICK!!!! i have heard about this,
but I finally saw it. I loved how Trey got into it, and taught us how.
And it was funny to watch Trey push these girls off. Free Raged, and
has always been a fave.Then Harry Hood, and I thought that was it but
then FRANKENSTIEN!!!!! How great did Trey Sound on that one?
Encore;
Contact-Great, never seen it, missed it plenty.into a predictable (but
not always) Tweezereprise.
All-In-All, The Best Show I have ever seen. Sick Jamming, SOOO MUCH
ENERGY from both the Crowd and the Band, The Phunk was thick, and
plentiful (Boogie On, Tube), and a setlist of nothing but old Favorites,
and instant classics, a real sweetheart of a show Better than 10/30/98,
Better than 07/29/97 Great vibe, Great Crowd, Bitchin' Band. This show
was LIGHTYEARS better than Irvine, IMO. I NEED THIS SHOW !!!!!!!!!!!!--
Josh Heydorff
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 14:37:42 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9-18-99
i went to all four shows in california this weekend and let me say this they
were perfect. i felt that each night the band read the crowd beautifully and
gave us exactly what we deserved. being from san deigo i was particurarly
pleased that irivine was the worst.... anyways, i would just like to comment
and say thanks to all the guy for an awesome weekend, now i can go kick ass
in school. bowie, piper yem from friday were ridiculous, tweezer, wilson,
maze boogie on from sat. were spectacular. it seemed to me like trey really
liked san diego, i hope so because i have been to many shows there and no
one has even come close to rocking that place like they did on saturday.
thanks so much phans, crew and band.
troy
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 10:23:18 -0700
From: aric_mayer [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Chula Vista 9/18
Let me just begin by thanking the Coors Amp staff (not that they will
read this) for being friendly, accessible and contributing to a magical
Phish night. No charge for parking, no hassles in the lot (if you were
careful), and a security staff that had "SAFETY TEAM" written on their
shirts instead of "STAFFPRO" or "SECURITY." I thought that was cool. The
parking area is huge, we had no idea we were in an auxillary lot away
from the mayhem until we started walking to the venue. Wow, big place!
Great tailgate vibe before the show too. Met some great people (hi Dina!
;-> )
When the band opens with "Tweezer," you gotta feel optimistic about
things to come. Am I wrong? Great cover to follow, I saw Ween in LA and
fell asleep, but Phish revs this tune hard. Wilson rocked, good
placement for me, and a killer Maze follow up. The lights were
exceptional this night. I love the climax of this tune, so much like a
big gnarly orgasm! (ahem)
The Brian and Robert was lovely, one for the ladies...
I was dancing with this girl and she turns to me and says "Sure would be
nice to hear a Tube" as B&R concluded. WOW, was she dialed in or what?
Tube smoked, fat funky frolicking Phish! Good to hear Rocky Top, much
better closer than "Ragtime Gal" acapella, don't you think? The cowgirl
in front of me (complete with hat, boots, denim skirt and line dancing
moves) loved this song, and it is contagious, so we cut a rug!
Not enough can be said about Boogie on Reggae Woman - this was a moment
of Phish that you want to seek out and listen to a couple of times, I am
so serious! I don't know about the true length, but it seemed like half
an hour that they played with tempos and soundscape and motion. Great
song, great version. Yummy. Meatstick was ok, Mike's bassline is so
cool. But getting a bunch giddy, high girls onstage to do the dance is
just a mistake. Ugh. FREE was flowing and a bit slow, but it worked.
Killer bass breakdown jam, then a huge ending. Bouncin' was fun, I heard
it once in four shows and that was good. But not as good as Hood!!
Woohoo! I was seriously thinking they could have gone out on Hood. Great
version, good dancing freakshow. But FRANKENSTEIN?!? Page created havoc
on the clav, and Fish kicked down the fills, and we danced hard. The
energy was flowing out there under the stars on the Mexican border, it
was fab. Oh, Cavern didn't suck either. Wow. Big. Fantastic end.
The encore was one for the frat boys in attendance, never been a fave
tune of mine, but the funk break was cool enough, I was just thanking
god I had the Tweeprise to look forward to! Mike dropped thunder bombs
and we received them with smiles and begged for more. (We had seen Mike
in the lot on a golfcart, chatting about playing with Phil - he was
stoked) A magical night in a great place. Find the recording of Boogie -
you will be pleased...
Thanks for listening!
A
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 14:23:38 -0500
From: Michael Witt [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: San Diego 9/18/99
I was lucky enough to coordinate a business trip around this show, which I
most likely never would have been able to make, seeing that I live in the
midwest. Spending time in beautiful San Diego debuked a myth I had that it
was always warm there. It is not. The venue was gorgeous, seemingly out in
the middle of nowhere in the rolling hills, but not far from the city at
all. The crowd seemed to be very, not to be stereotypical, laid back,
compared to the midwestern crowds of which I am accustomed to.
I was lucky enough to be about 8 rows back, right in front of Trey. This
gave an entirely different perspective to the show, being able to watch his
facial expressions and interactions with the other band members. Tweezer
opened and contained a very nice jam that left the confines of the
traditional framework of the song a bit. This was followed by Roses Are For
Free. This was the first time I had seen the song, and I can say that I am
looking forward to the second. This was followed by Wilson into Maze. I
was surprised at the enthusiasm shown by Page and Trey during the beginning
part where the audience chimes in "Wilson". They were both looking out to
the crowd and looked really into the fact that 20,000 phans were singing
back to them. Maze was superlative after a spacey little meltdown out of
Wilson. Page's solo was mindbending as usual, but Trey's jamming at the end
led them to a state of musical chaos which was utter magic. They then took
it down about twenty notches with a very nice Brian & Robert. The set
closed out with Tube and Rocky Top. This is the second time I've been to a
show when a U of Tennessee football game has been on in the local area, and
both times they have played Rocky Top. The Tennessee band plays the tune
after almost every play, so if you're watching the game you get it going
through your head. Were they watching the game before the show? Who knows,
but I looked pretty cool after I had told some folks around me that they
would play it.
Set II began with Boogie On Reggae Woman, in which contained the highlight
of the show. They broke off into a jam coming out of the song, led by a
marvelous bass line laid down by Mike. One by one, they all entered in on
it, eventually hitting a fever pace. Trey was doing these runs that made it
sound so good, it is hard to put it into words to describe it, but it was
one of those moments that we all live for. I can't wait to get a tape of
the show to be able to hear it again. They came out of this jam and went
back into Boogie On to finish it up. This was followed by Meatstick, which
I had unfortunately not been able to catch at any of the summer shows I
attended. A good number of phans were doing the dance, and a few minutes
into the song Trey stopped playing and mentioned it. While the band kept
the groove going, he said that there was a dance to the song that was going
to be sweeping the nation, that it was going to be the next macarena. He
said that they showed the east coast how to meatstick in the summer and it
was time to show the west coast how to do it. He then selected four very
happy souls to come onstage and lead the crowd in the meatstick dance. What
added more humor to an already fun situation was that one of those selected
to be onstage was a particularly messed up young girl. She kept trying to
hug Trey as they were all doing the dance. Very funny stuff.
All this was followed by a nicely jammed Free, then Bouncin'. Then came a
wonderful Harry Hood which really seemed to fit the mood of the show. The
set culminated with rocking versions of Frankenstein and Cavern. The encore
consisted of Contact and of course the ending of the Tweezer that had
started it all. Watching Trey's face during the song just added to the
monent, he had a huge expression of YES!!!!!, which made for a fitting
ending to a fine show.
The next day, before my flight out, I made it to Black's beach, where
apparently nobody wears any clothes. I can say that you have not lived
until you have played naked volleyball with 9 total strangers on a beach
with hundreds of naked people, but that is another story.....
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 21:12:01 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: The 18th.
I think this is the first time Phish has been to San Diego since..I think it
was since 93 when they played a small venue call the BackDoor at San Diego
State. It has definitely been awhile since I have been around real
Dead/Phish Heads. The energy from everyone was simply electric. I walked
around and conversed with people carry a vibe that it was going to be my
first communion...I was stoked. Wanting more than anything...I went into the
Amp. right when they opened the gates. I felt drawn.....like I need to
prepare for contact. I was quiet most of the time. Setting my eyes forward
toward the empty stage...I stared at beautiful purple
illumination...waiting. The crowd crepted in...I looked at them...trying to
figure out..if they knew the secret of life....what life is...shit like
that....we were all going to be baptized... They came on stage......an
explosion of music and rays of light....it was like a laser shooting me...I
could feel my chest opening up.......all I can say is Tweezer. Absolutely
FUCKIN' Incredible, man. I apologize for the profanity, but that is the
only way I can describe it. I swear to God/Universe...It really grabbed my
soul....it just opened me spiritually. I remember the rest of the
night..people going "I missed the Tweezer!" It followed by Roses are red and
Wil---------son! Then an incredible version of Maze...the lights followed
everything.....everything they were doing. Then just a (sorry, but it was)
INCREDIBLE Brian and Robert....it was crazy...the lights during the song
were dark reds and greens. Soft and beautiful along with the tempo. They
played a few more songs...I was really taken away...I felt like I got the
wind knocked out of me..but not in a hurtful way...the music really made me
rise. I was taken to a world of unbelievable explanation. The night was
cold..people don't realize that San Diego at night gets cold...Coors Amp is
out in the middle of nowhere in the deserty mountains near the Mexican
Border/T.J. I breeze was blowing right through..but it did not stop people's
energy. You could feel it. They took a break for 35 minutes..a lot of people
around me said that was unusual for them. They came back on strong with
Boogie on...then got into a great interpretation of Meatstick.....where Trey
in the middle of the jam exclaimed that the West Coast does not know the
Meatstick Dance and that we were the first people on the West coast to learn
the dance...so Mike and himself pulled some people out of the audience and
they dance around as Fish and Page jammed and sang. I also remember a groovy
slow down version of Free...it was just rocking me so hard. It was just
flowy and smooth..then they broke into a Bouncin' Around the Room... simply
a gift from God. As the cool night continued...right above the stage the
moon was passing..it was moving slowly..i believe it was a quarter
moon...from left to right across the sky..it was magical...along with the
UFO like lights..it was a religion that truly converted me. This is the 4
time this summer I have been to Coors..I have seen Bob Dylan/Paul Simon,
Dave Matthews, Tom Petty, and Phish..Phish definitely packed it more...more
people, more energy, more of everything...and I will say again REALLY
FUCKIN' INCREDIBLE!
Thanks
Shawn Boyle
San Diego
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 21:45:51 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: PEOPLE NEED TO MORE ABOUT WEEN
hi maybe you should alert some people that "Roses are Free" Is from the
WEEN album Chocolate and Cheese. Many people were very puzzled at the
sounds made from this awesome tune thanks.
BRO-DUDE
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