Greetings Everyone,

Here’s one from 7/23/88 Pete’s Fabulous Phish Fest!
Pretty nice and laid back show... lots of jazz stuff and some rare tunes
like Alumni, etc.  I obviously skipped over a great version... 7/12/88...
and why??  Why would I do such a thing? 
Well, I already reviewed it, so check it out on the AIR homepage.  

Antelope -- Intro:  Trey and Fish collaborate to bring this one into
effect.  The pace is a bit laid back and mellow, not to mention that the
rhythm is a bit more lackadaisical then usual.  Page chimes in with some
ringy tones.  Mike makes his statement masterfully, as usual.  Nothing
special here, but Trey is very much in the back ground and low-key.  We
prepare for the transition into the Opening and...

Opening theme: (2:40)  Nice powerful start!  Then it quiets out
immediately as Trey keeps the clean tone on.  Mike and Fish laying it down
very smoothy tonight, that’s for sure, but you immediately get the feeling
that this version will be loose as Trey is choosing some very orthodox
riffs but still altogether not going bananas....  

Trill!: 3:15 Interesting yet not suave!  Trey seems very apprehensive in
these early ones.

Key Change to Em: 3:30 A deep, dark transition that really delivers on
power.  They noodle a bit and then Mike emerges laying down a nice, fat
bass line that seems to feed the others.  Trey is still in the clean tone
and Page is chiming along, keeping up the jam.  Absolutely nothing special
for a long time, but Mike is nevertheless noteworthy.  The Page/Trey
jamming continues as they seem intent on a similar theme.  I believe that
they are attempting the dual solo a la 3/12/88..(5:20). pretty well done,
but Trey sounds so cheesy with that tone, it is hard to listen to.
Finally, Trey cuts away from the group (5:55) and emerges with a nice
solo-distortion tone and really gets things going, his solo quickly
digresses and we are off on a tangent... Mike slaps him in the face with
some nice slap-work (6:38), brings him out of it and back home.  Trey is
now joined by Page who is intent on jamming as well.  Trey breaks off
again and heads for the jam-zone...  There is a pause for a time which
allows Page to clink a few choice notes ( 8:06), and again we are driven
back into the intensity with a particularly groovy bass line from Mike.
Trey picks up on it and just goes crazy for a second!  He really reaches
and Page is right there setting him up with a nice chord frame work.  Trey
explodes as he heads for a gear shift, the building is so essential before
the shift and Trey is really working hard to bring one around.... it’s
just not happening, no matter how high or strong he goes the others just
refuse to follow with the peaks...  
Second gear 9:20:  finally, they allow the essential combination which
brings about a nice shift and they continue with some really nice jamming
for a couple of seconds... then it all goes wrong.... Mike and Page kind
of flub the transition into the PMG, not too bad, but it is noticeable as
there is an awkward pause before....

Pre-Marco-Groove: 10:20 Mike is in charge again as the groove keeps going.

Ry, Ry, Rocco!!
 
MARCO ESQUANDOLAS: 10:55

‘Been to have any spike, man?

High Gear Theme:  11:25 An immediate transition, really nice sounding, but
lacking any remnants of power.  The runs come in with little or no power,
but it seems pretty cool in this version.
Trey:- Set the Gear shift: (in a very slow, low voice!)
Nothing significant to the end, but the intensity rises ever so slightly
and they finish it out with a nice bang!  
End:  (12:55) Trey caps it off with a funny single high note! altogether a
really laid-back version.  Not bad, except for the flubbed transition to
the PMG, but not horrible.  There was a definite degree of comedy here and
they were definitely not looking for intensity, but instead relying on the
easy, loose jam to carry them.  I would have preferred to see a crazy all
out jam, but oh well, I guess mellow can be nice.   Mike is pretty
outstanding through most of this, but this is pretty typical, so it really
is nothing that special.

On the Victor scale, I give this version a  3.5

Thanks everyone and till next time,
                                        -Victor Szalvay
AIR homepage: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~vlaszlo/AIR/AIR.html



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