Mike's Song starts up on the last note of Avenu Malkenu (the TMWSIY,
by the way, had a Digital Delay Loop Jam opening, not a Dave's Energy
Guide).  The opening segment of Mike's is fine... perhaps a bit too
loose, though.  Trey doesn't play cleanly at all times.  "Tramps
segment" at 2:47, which is a little later than usual.  Mike and Trey
weren't on tampolines for this, and there wasn't any FOG or STROBES
either, if I recall correctly.

Trey finds a groovy theme of sorts within about twenty seconds, but
doesn't do much.  It is primarily Page and Mike and Fish funking away
for the first couple of minutes.  Trey doesn't really add a damn
thing, until around 4:35, when he starts repeating a somewhat pleasant
theme (that is vaguely similar to the sort of lick one might usually
hear in YEM, but not in Mike's). Neverthless, there is no off-key
wailing/soloing from him, and I prefer this very laid back, groovy,
textural, somewhat blah Type I jamming to that old off-key erie, scary
stuff found in Mike's Songs of Olde.  Trey's soloing around 5:30 is
based around the aforementioned YEM-like theme, and he really doesn't
even try to melodiously solo. Steady-as-she-goes.. Stay The Course..
At about 6:56 or so it sounds like Trey or someone yelled. (!)

The jam at 7 minutes gains more steam.. Page and Trey pick it up a
bit.  Around 7:40 Trey starts soloing fairly melodiously and
passionately, clearly building the groove into something closer to
Music.  He starts fudging it around 8:30, though.  At 8:40 the closing
Mike's Song tramps segment chords FINALLY kick in.

At 9 minutes the post-tramps segment begins with a note of "Simple,"
and Fish quickly picks up the beat!  Ahhhh.. finally some inspiring
MUSIC begins titillating the auricular nerves..

Someone commented at one point that this jam was basically a
"Simple-Jam," and that's absolutely right.  At least for a minute or
two around the 10-12 minute period.  Trey's soloing, and the
accompaniment (especially from Page and Mike and Fish), is Absolut
Simple.  Just gorgeous, mellifluous, blissful jamming as one would
expect in a Fall 1996 "Simple" jam.  Mike even appears to tease
"Midnight Rider" at one point, fwiw.  Anyway, this really is a
*GORGEOUS* Simple jam, until about

11:40 or so, when Trey becomes enveloped in a strangely repetitive,
spine-tingling groove, that is INTENSELY FAMILIAR!!! Indeed, the
jamming around here (12:24) is remarkably similar to part of the
incredibly melodious 4/21/92 Tweezer jam segment (one of my favorite
versions).  NOT THE SAME (different key, not the same exact melody..)
... just similar enough to remind me of this Tweezer.  This jam
dissolves into a melodious fog in which everyone just noodles around.
Fish is only lightly on the cymbals now (a little snare work.. but
soffftlly).  He's given up pounding out a groove.

At the show, I was quite charmed by this beautiful jamming
(12-16mins). Page is all over the piano, Trey is melodiously noodling
-- and so is Mike!  Fish lightly and respectfully accompanies.  One
really can't dance to this.. just stare at the stage or towards the
heavens in rapturous awe.  Mind-splitting segue into Strange Design.
At the show I had really hoped that they would segue into "Sea and
Sand," because this jam is/was certainly up there with the 12/31/95
ending of Weekapaug.  Very pleasant MUSIC in here, that was worth the
price of admission for me on 12/28/96.  Improvisation that truly
**worked**.  This jam preceding Strange Design was, outside of the
Digital Delay Loop Jam before TMWSIY, the only highlight of the show
for me personally (I still had a wonderful time.. especially running
into so many folks pre-show).

At around 16 minutes Trey, Mike and Fish quietly drop out, and by
16:30 Page begins "Strange Design."  I think the vocals are somewhat
strained on this version.. I'd much rather have heard Leprechaun or
Hydrogen.. :)  It'd be nice to hear Leprechaun brought back.  I think
Leprechaun could have fit snugly on "Billy Breathes," fwiw.

At 19:19 Fish kicks in the 'paug drums.  Mike's opening bass solo
seems TWICE as long as usual, simply because Trey decided not to come
in at The Usual Time.  Mike has certainly played longer, more fiery
openings, though.. At 19:53 Page and Trey come in on the Weekapaug
chords.

At first, typical weekapaugian groove... Trey's soloing is passionate,
but not especially remarkable.  Fish, Mike and Page accompany well,
but this Weekapaug really isn't at all uplifting, until around 22:49,
when Trey picks it up a little bit.  (Weekapaug, btw, is one of my
favorite Phish songs)  Trey practically teases NICU around 23:10 (but
doesn't).  He starts jamming more profoundly around 23:25, and the
crowd erupts! =^]  Still nothing all that impressive for Weekapaug (at
23:46 Trey briefly hints at "Dave's Energy Guide" by the way, and I'm
not kidding.. that same Discipline-like harmonic play).

At 24:25 or so the "quiet mode" kicks in, and Page starts funking out
heavily on the clavinet.  Mike plays in fairly typical fashion for
Weekapaug, and Fish modestly maintains the groove.  Trey moves to his
percussion kit and starts BANGING AWAY on it with a hell of a lot more
brimstone than he usually does, fwiw.  Page is playing very well on
the clav, providing a very juicy bottom.  At almost 26 minutes Mike
melodiously solos a bit (very pretty!).  At about 26:40 or so Page
plays with the "moog" I think it is (or maybe I have the damn "moog"
and "clavinet" backwards.. I really could use some help here.. I
should probably know this (!)).  Sounds like he is throwing out some
effects in here, too.

Anyway, at about 27:30 or so Trey comes in chording, and the groove
has a TRIUMPHANT "We're BACK!!!!" feel to it, that made me smile with
GLEEEEEE at the show (but also wonder why so many people were sitting
down around me!!!).  Very awesome return to the jam, but Trey hits a
bad note around 28:20 which bums me out.. Oh well.  At 28:40 or so,
the closing Weekapaug chords kick in at an ultra-fast tempo, and with
a somewhat different edge.  There's no lyrics, though.  Page just
starts TEARING IT UP on the piano!!  By 29:35 or so Mike, Trey and
Fish drop out completely.

At 29:57 Page started playing like he was seguing into the theme song
to "Peanuts," but he dropped that quick.  Page (presumably) starts
scat-singing around 30:40 or so, very softly.. he comes in and out
scat-singing over the next several minutes (accompanying his
playing).  Page is really pounding the damn keys around 32 minutes..
(fwiw, at the show, I was pretty far away from the stage, and I
thought that FISHMAN was scat-singing along with Page's playing.. I'm
not sure which one of them scat-sang, but a majority of people insist
it was/is Page)

This really was PAGE'S SHOW, folks.  He was truly ***ON*** tonight!
Thanks very much to Gordon Paleo550 "Old Man" Sharpless for the tapes.

No rating for this odd version.. I wasn't terribly excited about the
first ten minutes of Mike's Song, but the Simple-like jamming before
Strange Design is MUST HEAR and wonderful, in my opinion.  It is
certainly comparable to the Vegas Simple, in my opinion (I have yet to
hear the Auburn Hills Simple, or whatever Simple it is from early
November that is well-recommended).  The solo out of the Weekapaug
from Page, too, adds another Element to this Mike'sGroove that really
makes it Uncomparable with typical Mike'sHydroGrooves, in my opinion.
I'd recommend this version for people more interested in "classical"
Phish, as opposed to hard core Llama/ChalkDust/Bowie type Phish.  Some
very beautiful improvisation in this version, in my opinion.  Total
time 35:14 or so.

Thanks Page!! =^]
 

two cents
charlie