Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 13:04:53 -0500
From: ddeaton1@humana.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net, dws@gadiel.com
Subject: 11/14/98 Cincy
Hey all you netters
I just recieved an excellent copy of Cincy from 98 and I was just
reminiscing on what an excelent show it was. I had a great time like many
of you had. I went with my buddies Neil, Jason, and Kate. We headed down
about an hour or two before the show and puffed a nug and drank a few
beers. One of Jason's buddies didn't have a ticket so we tried for a
miracle for him, but to no avail.
We went in to our seats and got ready for a great show. We were
anticipating our long-time friend Kate to join us from college and she made
it around the 2nd song i think. They opened up Funky Bitch and it was
awesome. I was having a great time. The reason was that my fav group was
actually playing my home town of Cincinnatti Oh. I couldn't believe it
when the rumors started circulating that they were coming here. I was like
no way this town isn't big enough for Phish. We are known for our
conservatism as displayed in our slaying of Larry Flynt and all the
censorship that occurs through city council and the Human Values committe.
So I was amazed to say the least.
We started really enjoying ourselves and digging our feet into the
jams when they break out one of my favs. Reba. I love it when the music
changes tempo and puts you into a new world. I am not sure when this is
but I can tell. I remeber saying to myself, This is so Phatty, Phish in
Cincy.
The 2nd set was just as great as the first. An awesome rendition of
Sexual Healing by the Horns player Jon Fishman. I believe it was inspired
by a pretty fucked up lady that decided to go the full monty and bare all
to the people. The police came down and tried to put a cover on her but
she was as squirmy as a fish out of water.
So know we have seen Reba, Piper, My Soul, and a vacumm solo, what
next? YEM I went nuts. This song just gives me tingles all over
evrytime I hear it. And to top off the whole YEM, tramps, and a very phat
1st light show. It is so amazing how insync CK5 and the band are. He
truly is the fith member.
I think by now they were just leting it all hang loose. I thought to
myself what could they do to top the light show. How about a little barber
Shop. This was my first time hearing one and it was quite nice to see live
after i have heard so many on tape.
All in all this will be way up there on my fav show list. One because it
was in my hometown and second because it was such a great 2 sets!! my 2 sense
Flea What are your thoughts on Cincy 98.
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 23:55:01 GMT
From: Darian Johnston johnston@NOSPAM.COM
Subject: 11/14/98 Crown Review (long)
11/14/98 The Crown, Cincinatti, OH
I: Funky Bitch, My Soul, Reba, Bouncing Around The Room, Tweezer > Moma
Dance, Sparkle, Character Zer0
Well, I'm back from my last show of 1998 and here's how it went
down. The Crown was my 26th Phish show and I have heard around a thousand
hours on tape. None of this necessarily means I know what I'm talking about
so you'll just have to trust me.
The show started off with the one, two blues combo of Funky Bitch and
My Soul. Kind of an odd pairing as they are quite similar in style but well
played none the less. I used to love Funky Bitch but it has been played a
little too much recently and is no longer the "rare treat" it once was.
This is the same feeling I get when I hear Guyute now.
Reba kicked off the "Phish originals" part of the show in
good fashion. Pretty standard take on it with nothing unexpected occuring.
I would have LOVED to be at the Greek and witnessed a jammed out Reba, oh
well.
It had been a while since I last heard a Bouncin' so hearing it tonight
was "almost" a treat.
TWEEZER! Finally some meat! I knew that Tweezer was long overdue at
this point and I was expected it or a Mike's Groove sometime during this
show. This Tweezer wasn't funked out like most of the '97 tweezers, it
worked it's way into a pretty little jam that reminded me alot of the Alpine
Valley '98 summer version only not quite as good. Alpine gets my vote as
show of the summer by the way.
Some people have complained that Tweezers should only have scary, dark
jamming but I think Phish should take their songs in any direction it leads
them. Why limit songs to only a specific kind of jamming? Anyway, this
mellow little jam wound down into space from which Moma Dance emerged. Not
really a segue, and certainly not worthy of
the >> that the "Tour Journal" page labeled it as.
Moma was pretty much the same as every other version. This disappoints
me, I listened to the Black Eyed Katy from Hampton '97 leaving this show and
was blown away again. This song can RAGE if they let it but they are holding
back. Holding back on all the new songs actually, hopefully next year when
they aren't pushing the new album so much they will work on exploring these
new songs. They have alot of potential, I am much happier to hear this set
of new tunes then I was to hear the Billy Breathes material back in '96.
Sparkle, coupled with bouncin' and Golgi made this a real newbie show.
Probably really exciting for a newcomer but pretty boring for me.
Character Zero raged to close the set, I like when it closes the first
set so I can get a head start to the bathrooms and food line ;)
II: David Bowie, Something, Piper, Golgi Apparatus, Guyute, HYHU > Sexual
Healing >HYHU, You Enjoy Myself > Julius, Hello My Baby
The past few shows have shown at least one thing to be true, if the
second set is going to have a BIG jam then it's going to happen right off
the bat. I was hoping for a little more from this Bowie but unfortunately
it was pretty much standard. "Something" was nice to hear, I had forgotten
that they broke this out at the Greek.
Piper is really coming along as a song, I think of it as the next
Antelope with a glorious building jam and release into the lyrics. I think
it needs something else though, maybe if they jammed more consistently at
the end. Some versions cut to the soft outro after the second verse, others
jam on for a while in splendid fashion (like Halloween). I of course like
the latter, if anyone can post which versions of Piper really jam out I'd
love to see it. I know there are a few people out there watching this songs
development carefully.
No segue (of course) out of Piper and not really any jamming after the
second verse. Golgi and Guyute I already mentioned and I felt a little
disappointed at thier placement in the set. The middle of the second set is
prime real estate and they just didn't live up.
Sexual Healing, woo hoo! Hysterical, I sensed with the lack of any
real jamming that, like Madison, we would see a Fishman number. I like the
fact that he is adding some new tunes to his ensemble. By the way, Fishman
was wearing a Viking helmet with big curved horns on it all night. Trey
mentions it a couple times during the show.
He introduces him as Hagar the Horrible and as their horn section. HA!
YEM, Yes! Saved the show! Really similar to the UIC version with
maybe a little tighter of a funk jam. This time however no Bass and Drums
segment (mike's solo part), they segued into the vocal jam right out of the
jam. The vocal jam waw VERY similar to UIC and really fit nicely with the
lights. It's fun to see the band and Chris improving together during the
vocal jams. Julius and Hello my Baby closed out the set.
E: So Lonely*, Tweezer Reprise
* Police cover, 1st time played
YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!! So Lonely is my all time favorite Police song, I went
absolutely nuts when they played. It became clear by looking at those
around me that most had never heard it. The performance was right on the
money, I'm still happy just thinking about it. It's as if Phish reads one
persons mind a night this year to come up with what song to cover and
tonight they picked mine. I love that song!!
Tweezer Reprise put a high energy cap on the show.
All in all a pretty below average show with no segues or out there
jamming but the encore made me so happy I won't speak ill of it. Well this
is it for my tour, I look forward to reading all of your reviews as the tour
winds down.
Peace
Darian Johnston
johnston@mtco.com
------------
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 02:22:52 -0500
From: Jonathan Piercy
Subject: Report from the Queen City (long)
Just rolled in from Cincinnati. I'm sure you've seen it, but here's the
setlist:
I: Funky Bitch, My Soul, Reba, Boucin', Tweezer, Moma Dance, Sparkle,
Character Zero
II: David Bowie, Something, Piper, Golgi Apparatus, Guyute, HYHU> Sexual
Healing> HYHU, You Enjoy Myself, Julius, Hello Ma Baby
E: So Lonely (Police cover), Tweezer Reprise
My sixth show, this one did not disappoint. It took a while to get going,
though--Funky Bitch was great, but Reba and Bouncin' just sounded tired to
me. Tweezer made up for it, though, with some killer effects jamming
between Trey and Page toward the end. Character Zero put Trey in Guitar
Hero mode, and he never came out all night.
Setbreak was interesting--in the corner behind the stage some girl got
completely naked and laid down on the steps. Some of the security folks
(rented, like all good arena security, from the Morbidly Obese Security
Company) tried to reason with her and cover her up, but she refused. She
was finally dragged out--actually dragged, still naked--by the real
honest-to-god non-rental po-lice, as the crowd cheered her on. Does anyone
know who she was, or what she was on?
Anyway, the second set--you've seen the setlist, you tell me. There wasn't
a loser in this set. Bowie is one of my favorites, and this was a great
version. My friend with me said he heard some "Riders on the Storm" teases
from Page throughout the middle part.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again--they can play Guyute at every
single show I ever go to, and I won't complain. That makes it four out of
six. For you Guyute technical perfectionists, they nailed it, I do believe.
I saw Sexual Healing coming, since the naked chick had set that sort of mood
and Fishman had a really swank horned Viking helmet. ("Sammy Hagar the
Horrible", Trey called him.) The YEM vocal jam was probably the highlight
of the show, meshing perfectly with the lights of Mr. Kuroda.
(Unfortunately, this will not really transfer to tape.)
I figured on a new tune for an encore, since someone taped a sheet of paper
to Trey's monitor. I never would have guessed this Police tune, which I
wasn't really familiar with but remember from listening to 98.1 WKQQ in my
younger days. Page really hit those Sting notes--I was impressed. I always
thought the Police was all about the drums; I wonder if this was Fish's
choice? You can't have learned to play the drums when he did and not
worship Stewart Copeland.
The one thing I kept thinking about this show was that it would have been
the perfect show to take a beginner to. It had several of the favorites and
classics (Reba, Tweezer, YEM, Bowie, Golgi, Guyute), a little barbershop, a
little Fishman, some nudity, a little of everything Phish is about.
Other notes--I heard people complaining about security at this show, and I
have no sympathy for many of them. Most of them were just told repeatedly
to go back to their seat. Is this asking too much? I don't care that
you're dancing in the aisles, and the people from Morbidly Obese Security
don't care, either. The one who cares is the fire marshall, and he cares a
lot. I know you can't properly noodle dance at your seat, but such is the
sacrifice we must make. Sit in your damn seat. Oh, and what's the deal
with seat-jumpers? I've had pretty bad seats to the last few shows I've
been to, and I was still always surrounded by people who weren't in their
right seats. Were theirs really that bad?
That said about security, though, did anyone notice the guy getting chased
down and tackled by a couple of MOS's finest in front of Section 230? Does
anyone know what he did, other than run from the security folks?
So that's the word from Cincinnati. Somebody offer these damn tapes up soon
so I don't have to resort to groveling.
Jonathan
PS: Does anyone have a time on the second set? It was really long; if it
has trouble fitting on an analog, the Bouncin' from the first set can be
excised safely and the overflow will probably fit on the tape with the first
set.
------------
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 19:40:02 GMT
From: Ghoti16335
Subject: cincinnati thoughts/ tape offer
hey all you glides,
Just thought i'd ramble a bit about cincy. Great show. You don't get Tweezer,
Bowie, and YEM all in one night too often. plus the YEM had a great vocal jam,
really spacey and *totally* in sync with the vertically swirling lights, made
you feel like you were on a swingset but going all the way over the
top.....guess you had to be there ;) "Something" is a beautiful song and very
well played, Sparkle is worth three minutes of set time any day of the week as
far as i'm concerned. It was nice to see sexual healing (with a well played
electrolux). After which Fish took a few bows, slapped a few fans hands, and
did what can only be described as a tribute to arena rock (i don't think Trey
wanted to stop playing drums). Believe it or not i think i enjoyed the "hello
my baby" accapella as much as any other song they played all night, the crowd
stayed relatively quiet so you could hear really well. They have great singing
voices, don't believe the naysayers ;) The cover song by the Police (i forget
the name) was really good too...at first i thought it was Bob Marley, it had a
really reggaeish sound, they could have went right into "no woman no cry" a few
times. I love Guyute. I missed the Funky B opener because i was in the
horrendus lines to get a $4.50 draft beer (i know, it's a terrible vice). Did i
forget to mention....forget to mention: My Soul, Reba, Moma Dance (out of
Tweezer), Character Zero, Piper, and Julius. A truly ROCKING show!
One other quick query, from my seats with bad eyes it looked like Trey had an
acoustic guitar ready to be used. Does he usually have this with him or did he
play a song with it and i didn't catch it?
My only complaints are about the *scene*. I saw no fewer than a hundred
ticketless fans. It's not even the fact that people come to the venue with no
ticket that bothers me, it's that a lot of them yell at the top of their lungs
to let everyone w/ in a quarter mile know they need a ticket. One notable
instance i heard "WHO'S GOT MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY TICKET?" That's going to earn
us a good reputation! Also, kill the glowsticks already. If you bring them in,
or especially if you sell them, you are a FUCKHEAD IMHO. People were throwing
them from the upper levels. When a projectile of that size and weight is thrown
four storys down onto unsuspecting people just trying to get a groove on it
will probably ruin their whole show, not to mention leave a mark where-ever it
hits them. Some people are still putting the band in their sightline too.
Pathetic. OK...i feel better now that i've vented.
Oh yeah, you want a tape offer too right? Thanks to Ben Greenfield i have a
very nice copy of 11/22/97 Hampton. I recently acquired it on cd, so i'd like
to finance an all expense paid trip for these analog tapes right to your door.
First person who mails me saying "i want those tapes" with subject line reading
glowsticks suck gets them.
PEACE! and thanks for listening,
Jeff
------------
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 18:37:58 -0400
From: Jonathan Shedletzky
Subject: 11/14/98 'natti Dread Hindsight.
What I know about Fall '98 shows is quite limitted as I had only seen/heard one before this here Cincinatti gig -- that being the Cleveland gig from the preceeding night. A little background on yours truly to prove the "validity" of this review; I have seen 422 shows and own every Phish tape known to man...
11/14/98 The Crown, Cincinatti, OH
I: Funky Bitch, My Soul, Reba, Bouncin', Tweezer->MOMA Dance, Sparkle, Character Zero
II: David Bowie, Something, Piper, Guyute, Golgi, HYHU->Sexual Healing->HYHU, You Enjoy Myself >
Julius, Hello Ma Baby
E: So Lonely, Tweezer Reprise
THE SCENE: Compared to Cleveland, I was completely overwhelmed as we drove into Cincy. It's not what I would call a nice city (in the picturesque sense, although driving into the valley was nice). It's definitely what I would call a interestingly laid out city. It seems really, disorganized and cramped yet in a good way. Oh, the weather was so nice, so balmy. I'm from Toronto and its kinda chilly, but Cincy/Kentucky is like a totally different climate. I don't know about the crowd outside and inside the show that night......I had never seen a show this far south in the States, and it was interesting to finally do so with a different crowd. Less wookies, more farmer-type heads. Everyone was very chill outside, and I felt that vibe would continue on throughout the show. Inside, though, it was way too loud which hindered certain aspects of the show. People gotta learn to shut up, just sometimes, when the moment is right....
THE VENUE: Quite large, compared to the CSU Conv Center, but no bigger than any other ordinary arena. The acoustics, although tainted by an extremely loud crowd, were superb. I've been hearing alot of complaints about security, but I didn't see any around me during the entire show. That is, except for one (*see setbreak)...
The FIRST SET of THE SHOW:
FUNKY BITCH -- Definitely a suitable opener. I've had good experiences with Funky Bitch as an opener, and this one was no different. It was very standard really, nothing out of the ordinary. It was NOT a "14-15 minute" version as depicted on the On-Site Tour Updates page.
MY SOUL -- I liked this song the first time I heard it, but since then I've become bored and even irritated by every version I hear. Phish has a habit of placing it in weird positions, too. Take the temporary buzzkill caused by the My Soul encore in Albany last year. It's placement here is a little out of wack, too. Two blues tunes to begin the show?
REBA -- Now, THIS is what I came to hear! For over a week prior to the show I was calling a Reba. I had studied the setlists, accounting for factors such as frequency of Reba played and whatnot, and was calling a Reba to nearly everyone I knew -- Phishhead or non. With the lack of one in Grand Rapids, it became imminent that a Reba awaited us in Cleveland or Cincinatti, although I predicted the latter. Musically, this Reba was very tight throughout the compositional portion of the tune. I noticed no noticeable flubs. The jam, although I was hoping for the spacy, extended type that I heard of from LA and Chitown (I think), was beautiful though not unlike many you've heard before. The crescendo and inevitable peak were incredible. This tight version definitely quenched a thirst I had for a Reba. Whistling, as always, was a treat.
BOUNCIN' -- This was the first time I actually liked hearing this song live. It has followed me to nearly half the shows I've seen and I became sick of it. It's supposedly becoming rare -- although I can't tell the difference -- and was the first of the tour, no? I think BATR just fit alright behind the Reba.
TWEEZER -- Following one of my penultimate Phish experiences caused by the Tweezer of 12/6/97 Auburn Hills, whenever I hear them start this tune up at a show I'm psyched but a little reluctant to expect too much. It just seems as if there has been only a few mentionable Tweezers in the last two years, and I feel fortunate to have heard a sick, SICK version at the Palace last year. This Tweezer, from what I can recall, was extremely funky. Cactus couldn't seem to stop slappin' for the entire song. The jam didn't really travel anywhere, but it was groovy and a little spacy. This solid first set Tweezer kinda melted into......
MOMA DANCE -- 'Twas a nice segue. The only thing I really remember about this intoxicatingly funky tune is that it was comparitively short. I read somewhere that it was ~7 minutes, which I guess is a little short. It was, as well, a standard version but a pleasure to groove to. One comment about the lyrics; I really feel that Fishman, as on the new album, should sing the "He'll bring out wine, all will be fine" line. It's so much rawer and simply suits the song better.
SPARKLE -- *see notes on Bouncin' above. Remove the part stating "I actually liked hearing this song live".
CHARACTER ZERO -- I was starting to get a little sketchy in my opinion of this set, which would undoubtedly end after CZero, upon the start of this tune. Yet, I was left feeling foolish for lacking faith in this song. It was truly hyped, and was a powerful closer. It jammed for a little bit but the main attraction was its sheer intensity. It followed and expanded on what seemed to be a common theme for the weekend -- rock 'n roll. Trey loved this version, as he pumped his fist in approval as the jam ended.
This set was overall a very good set. Yet, I feel it would be inaccurate to describe it as a solid set. It evidently has its share of holes -- My Soul and Sparkle, could have done without Bouncin'. Fortunately, I think the pros of this set far outweigh the cons. The Reba made the set and the night for me, Tweezer->MOMA was definitely pleasing. Thankfully, and somewhat surprisingly to my ears, CZero saved what otherwise could have been an aesthetically displeasing set! A very good start to the night.
Setbreak: Normally, I wouldn't mention anything about setbreak, but the Naked Chick cannot be left out. I applaud her, and the security guards' feable attempts to cover her up/remove her from the venue. I, along with everyone else, expected a Makisupa opener in honour of the mad busts at setbreak...but....
The SECOND SET:
DAVID BOWIE -- I'd take a Bowie over a Makisupa any day. Accompanying Fishman's highhat was just a touch of space to set the tone for the tune. The composed section was executed flawlessly -- the band was very tight all weekend. The jam I recall being very spacy from its beginning until it got progressively louder and returned to the Bowie outro. In other words, it was like many Bowies of the past. Every jam differs from another, if only slightly, so I'll have to hear this one again to distinguish how good it really was.
SOMETHING -- I was raised on The Beatles, and was ecstatic to hear this played for only its second time. I think Page sings on this. They do a really good rendition of this classic tune. I'm all for Something joining the ranks of the numerous and somewhat obscure songs which have formed an interesting repetoire of covers. Very good placement after a hot Bowie.
PIPER -- Piper was the other tune which I guaranteed for this weekend. I still flipped out, though, when its delicate notes emerged out of Something. Piper is my favourite song right now (it tends to change, although the 12/6/97 version sweetened my perception of this song and 12/12/97 Albany has had me leave Piper on this pedestal ever since) when it jams. Due to the lack of set II jams in Cleveland, I figured that this set was materializing perfectly for an insane Piper, but it didn't come. I still love the song, though. Its not so good when its your favourite song, but I can respect the fact that Piper can serve as an energetic song and/or an excuse to jam. A very solid version, with the lyrics and and post-lyrics jam being not overly rushed. I'll tell you though, it's quite the tease when they abruptly mellow out to the Piper outro lick....
GUYUTE -- I was disappointed to hear this start up only because I was searching for some jams. Mid-second set placement is a little awkward for this wonderful song. Nevertheless, this was an extremely tight Guyute. I'd almost go as far as to say that it was flawless.
GOLGI -- Weak, weak placement. They can't do that! A Golgi in the middle of a set traditionally reserved for musical exploration?
HYHU->SEXUAL->HYHU -- It seemed fitting that they'd insert a Fishman thing here. The jams appeared to be at alack, and this fun was appropriate for this set. Hagar/Horns/Fish does a beautiful Marvin Gaye. I adore the body language he makes when he sings these love songs. They were having tons of fun up there. The first real hindrence caused by the loud crowd; Fish's vacuum solo was really short. As soon as he started up, everyone started yelling to the point where the Elecrtolux was almost drowned out. Fish cut his solo short after sucking several drawn out high-pitched notes. The HYHU outro was longer than normal with Fish taking countless bows.
YEM!!! -- I flipped my lid! I totally was not expecting this to come, and y'all know what its like to have such an insane song hit you out of nowhere. Again, everything was played very tightly. I don't remember too many specifics about this YEM, though. The composed was executed beautifully, and drawn out slightly with a little bit of space. The jam was appropriately funky, as I recall, with Mike taking much of the lead. The tramps segment was entertaining as always, with Trey and Mike doing synchronized moves. What this YEM lacked was a drum and bass segment. Mike had somewhat of a solo towards the end of the jam, but, contrary to YEM's of the past, it quickly faded into the vocal jam. The vocal jam was quite a spectacle. Again, the audience made a valiant attempt to end this vocal jam prematurely, but the band and Kuroda persisted. This was the kind of vocal jam you had to see to believe. The boyz followed Chris' light patterns with their voices resulting in a what would be more accuratelydescribed as a vocal light jam, I guess. Truly mind blowing, this whole YEM was!
JULIUS -- I really wasn't expecting much more to be added on to this set. The YEM would have made for a solid finish, but I love Julius and was ecstatic as it started up. Chapnick, you know what I'm talkin' about -- you called this. This proved to be yet another hyped, energetic jam, with Trey taking control. It was nothing like the pure, unadulterated exploration that is the 12/5/97 Cleveland Julius, but it fit perfectly in the set. The addition of the song to the set made it that much stronger.
HELLO MA BABY -- And to top it all off, a nice a cappella tune to provide closure to the set. You guessed it, the crowd was damn loud.
Encore:
SO LONELY -- This was the ideal time to debut a tune, following a very tight, and energetic show. It had a great reggae-ish beat to it, and Page does an impecable near-falsetto Sting impression. I've got to hear this one again, but it seemed to be played well, and enough people knew what the song was and were able to get down to it. Great way to end the show.
This was a solid set. At certain points I became somewhat pessimistic -- specifically, with the mid-set Golgi -- but I've just got to remember that Phish never disappoints and that anything and everything is possible. The highlights of this set for me were the Bowie opener, Something, Piper, Guyute, Sexual Healing, and YOU ENJOY MYSELF.
I enjoyed myself thoroughly at this show. It's not often that you get a Reba, Tweezer, Bowie and YEM all in one show. Then again, it's not often that you get My Soul, Bouncin', Sparkle, Golgi and whatnot all in one show. However, these songs really didn't bother me. Like I said, I enjoyed Bouncin', and Character Zero, a song I've grown tired of, has renewed my faith that it can jam and it can rock. I've written enough, really, and you'll get a much better idea of this show should you get your hands on the tapes -- which you should do. In fact, I'd love to get my hands on these tapes....
If you could hook a brother up with hq, low gen copies of this show and Cleveland, and any other fall shows, I'd be eternally grateful. Until then.....
Thanks kindly. Peace.
-------
11/14/98 The Crown, Cincinnati, OH
Hello! Just got back from the
Crown show and thought I'd offer
up some suggestions for your listing(s)
(these are some things I wrote down
during the show, including times,
which are approximate:)
11/14/98 The Crown - Cincinatti, OH
I (70 min.): Funky Bitch, My Soul, Reba*, Bouncing
Around The Room, Tweezer** Moma Dance,
Sparkle, Character Zero
II (80 min.): David Bowie, Something, Piper,
Golgi Apparatus, Guyute, HYHU Sexual
Healing*** HYHU, You Enjoy Myself@,
Julius, Hello My Baby
E: So Lonely#, Tweezer Reprise
* w/ whistling
** w/ long free-form jam
*** w/ vacuum
@ w/ trampolines. Some guy jumps on the
right side of the stage during the
trampolines act and is caught by
security.
# Cover song, original by Police,
first time played (ZZYZX has this
song listed as being played 2/20/97,
Milan, Italy, between "Chalkdust"
& "Taste". The song that was
actually played between those two
songs was "Love Me", the Elvis
Presley cover. Tonight was the
debut performance of "So Lonely"
by The Police as played by Phish.)
- Just thought I'd fill in some
details, especially on that last
one. I E-Mailed ZZYZX and let him
know about the Stats error. Hope
all this info helps -- it is all
correct to the best of my knowledge!
Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 00:03:07 EST
From: Oopap@aol.com
To: dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Subject: FALL98_REVIEW
11/14/98 The Crown, Cincinnati, OH.
I just wanted to write in on this one to maybe offer a different view to
the show.. Great opening to the show! Funky opener always does the
trick and I hadn't seen a My Soul since Deer Creek '97. Then came the
Reba. I don't if it's just me, but when I get a Reba and Funky Bitch
within the first 3 songs, I start to get very excited about the rest of
the show.. Then phish surrendered to the air (the majority of the people
around me thought the best time to refill their beer was during the Reba
jam) and chopped out the favorites. The crowd couldn't get enough of it-
I mean, Sparkle and Bouncing and Character Zero- all in the same set! The
Tweezer Dance was the only thing- for me- that even held a staple to the
rest of the 1st set. Well I guess that's why they do 2 sets. Again,
fantastic choice openers. Bowie Something was a magical, adventure for
me that began at the first note generated form fishman's hi-hat. Bowie is
one of my favorite tunes and I had been askin for it all day.. Then Piper,
not as good I think as the one before in Chitown, followed by Golgi..
with a sticky bud in your hand.. but after golgi, the set, again,
depleted to me. A typical Guyute, followed by...
HYHU. Here's where they could have saved the day. A wacky new cover?
Syd Barrett? No- Sexual Healing. To me, this is just going through the
motions..
Don't forget to say "the sounds of love".. Maybe this was due to the
naked girl before the show, but I think the Crown show needed anything but
another Sexual Healing. Then a fairly lackluster YEM (with an identical
vocal jam to Chicago's), followed by a "You gave it to me, but I really
don't want it" Julius. The So Lonely encore was something different,
funky and raggaeish, though the vocals seemed a bit strained, and the
Tweezer Reprise E: was anything but a surprise. Don't get me wrong, this
show had it's definate moments ( Funky Bitch My Soul Reba, Moma Dance,
Bowie Something Piper Golgi ). I suppose what I'm trying to expose
was the Crown's over abundance of.. "Saturday Night/ Life of the Party"
folk who took a break from the football game to go check out the Phish
show. The Reba jam glides and soars, the crowd goes nuts for Sparkle.
Bowie into Abby fucking Road, the place freaks out for the YEM Julius.
It's hard to feel the "togetherness" with everyone when you can't figure
out what Boat all these people just got off of. MTSU, luckily, proved to
be a quainter, more personal venue, with a much friendlier, (phish)
oriented crowd. Basically, the Crown was a good show, I just can't stand
to hear when I run into someone who "checked the show out" and declares
that phish "couldn't possibly play a better show". Maybe it's just the
front pages of the magazines, or the cheesy articles Rolling Stone does,
or Birds and Ghost on the Radio... but I do believe phish has officially
gone maintstream. (under going on MTV and co-hosting a show with Marylin
Manson and Hanson. ) I don't know.. because now of course I am one of
those people who bitch about the scene. I have no problem with "the
scene"- my problem lies within those people who go looking for it.
I'll stop ranting.
Thank Goodness for New year's! Matt
Even with a 3 hour return trip tonight from Cincinnati, coffee was not even
necessary. It's now 3:15, and I am still giddy from tonight's performance at
The Crown. I can't comment much on the tour thus far, as this was only me 2nd
this Fall, but tonight's energy was the most intense I've ever witnessed after
34 shows dating back to spring '92.
Ok, here's my take on the show, please excuse the incoherent babble, such
intensity is hard to translate with a keyboard.
I didn't make to the lot until about 7:10, so I pretty much cruised straight
into the arena. Cincinnati seemed interesting, with a few neatly designed
"skycrapers" tucked in tightly along the wide Ohio River. The Crown sits
bascially right on the Ohio in downtown Cincinnati, next to Cinergy Field
(Riverfront Stadium).
I arrived at my seat, 8 rows up from the floor and about 35 feet from Page
(thank you Tickets-By-Mail!) feeling fatigued from the previous night, and
already dreading the drive back. Also, The Crown is a LARGE arena, which must
have a capacity of atleast 17,000, so I was a little bummed, as I had expected
a more intimate venue. However, all this pre-show nonsense was immediately
wiped away once the band hit the stage. Fish walked out first donning his
Viking Hat equipped with horns and was fist-pumping to the crowd even before
the show started! I knew it was going to be an energetic evening.
Funky Bitch tore open the show, and the band gave us some solid 12 bar blues
mixed with that '97 funk which we've all come to love. This was a fitting
opener for such a large room, and it translated well. Solos were solid all the
way around, and Trey's head-bobbing was a welcome sight. My Soul was up next,
in which the band merely moved down to G Blues. I LOVE this song, sure it's
simple and played a lot, but again the place was just electric. From then on,
the band just kept picking up steam. Reba was splendid, and the composed
section was absolutely nailed. I can't say that the jam was anything that
hasn't already been done before because it wasn't, but it was beautiful and
tight all the same. Even Bouncin' countered Reba's energy with Trey's grin
shining out. I tend to loathe this tune but seeing the band enjoying
themselves is good enough for me, and they certainly did tonight! The Tweezer
-- Moma Dance was undoubtedly the set's brightest, creative momement. Tweezer
RAGED, with powerful rock melodies by Trey powered by Page's eerie work on the
clav. After Tweezer peaked at around the 15 minute mark, the jam melded into a
wonderful melodic space sequence (ala the previous night's Wolfman's) this was
just beautiful, with Fish doing some great fills on the high hat. As the jam
softened, Trey whispered to Mike, who whispered to Fish -- it was MOMA time!
The funk picked up the end of the beautiful Tweezer and rocked it out again. I
LOVE this tune, loved it when it was BEK, and love even more with its
hilariously silly lyrics. What fun!!!! At this point, I was having such a
ball that nothing seemed to matter, including what the next song would be...
...ok so Sparkle was up next, I thought it was My Mind, but it turned out to be
Sparkle, not one of my faves. However, I can't lie, the energy remained and
the crowd was LOVING it! Character closed and again, this song does NOTHING
for me when it's on a tape, but live it kicks MY ASS! WOW! Tonight's version
absolutely floored me. Yahoo! I will even that next to Antelope Character
is Phish's most epic set-closer.
Long setbreak, everyone was stunned at the show of energy. At the end of
Character, Trey introduced the band and gave us all a SOLID pumped fist to
signal his excitement, the emphasis was definitely on the "we'll be back soon"
bit of his schpiel.
I'll let someone else comment on what happened in the crowd during setbreak, as
it almost ruined the night for me...
Spaciness emerged and so did a wonderfully played David Bowie. I like it as a
second set opener the best, as it just wails open. This version wasn't
particularly long or spaced out, just great momentum shifting jamming, that we
all love, what an opener. I'd seen Brad tape what looked like lyrics to Page's
piano during setbreak, so I was expected a cover but not a perfect rendition of
The Beatles' Something! Page sang this so well! And, I have to admit that I'm
a sucker for any tune from Abbey Road. Trey's solo was tasteful and we had
ourselves a rare treat. I wonder how this one compared to the one debuted at
The Greek? Piper followed and the band began to regain the scorching attitude
it left behind in set I. I LOVE this tune as well, and although the ending was
a bit premature, this version was fanstastic. Trey immediately whispered
"Golgi!" to Page, and we were treated to a now rare Golgi Apparatus. The arena
was WAILING during the chorus and people even were waiving their ticket stubs,
how perfect. This was very surpising and well-placed.
Trey then called for Guyute, which no matter how much they are playing lately,
is ALWAYS a treat. And, I think Trey's right when he says that he thinks
"we've gone beyond the notes" as tonight's performance was FLAWLESS!!! Well
done!
Trey then took off for the kit, and Fish jumped out w/ Electrolux to sing an
hysterical Sexual Healing. I almost rolled over laughing during this one, what
a man! The usual fist pumping followed as Trey kept reprising HYHU. I just
love these antics! Trey then introduced Fish as "the horn section" with a nod
to his cap. Ok, I haven't seen YEM since NY run '97 and I was hungry for one
this weekend. But with Tweezer and Bowie already played, I figured I'd have to
wait for Hampton....not so...
YEM kicked in and was just too good to be true. I assumed that we'd get only
one more tune but the band was loving EVERY minute of the show tonight, so were
being generous. I'm quickly becoming quite whipped, so I'll only say that YEM
was *ON* and wonderful funk jam segued into a vocal/light jam. The band sang
with Chris, as if they were riding the lights like a roller coaster. This is
hard to explain but as the vertical lights would sing up and down the band
would sing acoordingly:
"Whoooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, etc! Too great, But was this it? No!! A ROCKING
Julius followed, the energy was still amazingly high but I do think the boys
were losing a bit of steam. I would have been happy with YEM as a closer but
hey, I'm not complaining about the Julius! No way! And, we were treated to
Hello My Baby (wanted Freebird) to close an electrifying set.
Oh, but things were STILL far from being over. The boys jumped into Police's
So Lonely out of nowhere! Page did a fine Sting impersonation, and hey, that
takes serious talent. What a great tune, and an impressive rendition of it. I
don't know about you all, but I grew up on the Police! Tweez. Rep. capped
(like Antelope, has got to be the most epic show closer) off a RAGING night of
music!
Trey ended by saying, "What a fun night it's been..." WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Phish, if anyone still reading thank you. Hope you all have a
wonderful time on this tour. I think the band is playing as well as it ever
has. See you all in Hampton, I am going to sleep!
take care,
Lane
First off, the crown is a nice venue, but, for the love of god they need to
get rid of at least half their security people. When I was walking around the
place it seemed like every five feet there was another security person and it
was even worse inside the arena. I saw alot of people get hastled, but the
show more and made up for the overabundance of rent a cops.
Set I;
FUNKY BITCH: Out of nowhere. Great version, perfect way to start this kick
ass show off with.
My Soul: YES. My Soul jams. Bluesy and rocked out, I could already tell I
was in for a treat on this night.
REBA; Here we go! Awesome Reba, the jam was so smooth, I felt like I was
floating on a puffy pink cloud. Complete with Whistling. Incredible.
Bouncin': Not a Bouncin' fan, but it was short and sweet.
TWEEZER: Mid-first set tweezer!!!!! Alright, really jammin' , not to
crazy, but just right, sounded really good. At the end Trey hit the Delay Loop
thing and I thought for a moment they might go into 2001, but instead...
MOMA DANCE: YEAH!!!!! Awesome. Moma Dance is so good, and this version
was up to par. Nice and funky. A little short, but really sweet.
Sparkle: This sparkle was flying. They played it so fast. I don't
understand how they went that fast, but it was cool.
Character Zero: For some reason this version was really smokin'. I've heard
it alot so sometimes I wish they would have played something else, but not
this time. It just fit the mood perfectly. Good set closer.
SET II:
DAVID BOWIE: At the start, I thought it was going to be Maze because they
were doing the wierd Maze sound effects at the beginning, but they kicked into
Bowie. And this Bowie was something special. Absolutely jammin'. Sounded
perfect. I would put this Bowie up against any other version as number 1. It
was great.
Something!!!!: YES. I am a big Beatles fan, and this sounded note for note
just like the original. Page sounded great on the vocals, and Trey's guitar
sounded just like George Harrison's. I was extatic.
PIPER; All I can say is wow. This piper was Awesome. Rocked so hard,
Fantastic!!!!!
Golgi Apparatus: As usual Golgi was great. Good solid version. Always puts
a smile on my face.
GUYUTE: YESSSS!!! It was so good.
SEXUAL HEALING: Fishman was having a really good time, as was the rest of
the band. Trey was laughing the whole way through. The crowd went
absolutely crazy and Fishmen sang his ass off. It was absolutely hilarious.
I loved every second. At the end they kicked into HYHU and Fishmen proceeded
to thank everyone in the crowd many, many times. It was great. Fishman
introduced the band in a crazy voice, and then they kicked right back into
HYHU one more time. fishman was going nuts. There is nothing more I can say
but PHISH is the best band in the World.
YOU ENJOY MYSELF: For some reason I knew that YEM was coming when Trey got
back to his guitar, I don't know if it was a flashback to Lexington 96 or what
but for some reason I knew this was going to be the next song. This was a
great YEM, but aren't they all?? Everything was done to as close to
perfection as possible, the jam after the Boy--Shit part was really funky, and
Mike sounded awesome. It was really tight. The jam led right into hands down
the best vocal jam I've ever heard. You had to have been there to know why.
The lights, the roller coaster effects, madness. Breathtaking.
Julius: I thought the set was over with YEM, but oh no here comes a ragging
Julius. Pretty standard, but really good. Not as ripped up as some previous
versions, but really good. As were all the songs in the show, it was very
tight, the boys were havin' fun and were really into it. Sweet set closer...
but WAIT there's MORE!
Hello My Baby: As I said before, Phish is hands down the best Band in the
World. This Hello My Baby was a giant thank you to everyone in attedence.
Phish is so good.
ENCORE:
So Lonely: Sweet, Page's vocals sounded really good as did his solo. I was
really glad they broke this out for the encore.
TWEEZER REPRISE: ROCKIN" A little longer than most Reprises, and that was
O.K. with me. Sounded great. Fitting end to a Fabulous show.
OVERALL: I loved every song (with the exception of boucin') so much that
it's hard to pick out the highlights. Everything was great and the boys were
having such a good time. I consider myself very fortunate to be in
attendence, GREAT CONCERT. WOOOHOOOO.
Peace,
Cory Tressler (Osuwsp1997@aol.com)
WHERE'S CLIFFY?? Graffius, sorry i didn't make it during set break,
i'll explain it later...
Well, I have to start off by saying that I expected a My Friend opener,
and I was one day off. I hadn't been to an arena show since NYE, and
hadn't seen Phish this since this summer in Europe, so the Crown was a
nice venue.
Unfortunately my crew and I were a little late, so we were stubbling to
our nosebleed seats for the Bitch opener. I thought it was a rather
well done Bitch, got the crowd off to the right start. My Soul isn't
one of my favorites, so I guess I can't really say much about that.
Reba added a nice touch, and i haven't seen the whistling before, so I
was kind of excited (how's Bera doing elrod??) Bouncin' was funny as
shit to hear because a had brought a newbie to the show, and the only
songs that she knew were Bouncin' and Reba and Sparkle, and fortunately
for her, they played them all in the first set!! (sorry T + A) I knew
after bouncin that they would have to pull out a mike's or something
crazy to satisfy the rest of the crowd. thus, tweezer busted out with
fury and melted into moma dance... i dunno know, maybe it's me, but i
liked Blackeyed Katy i lot better, but it's still cool to hear fish sing
. Ah yes, Sparkle and Character Zero...well, you can figure that out.
Cliffy is back!!!
Bowie or Maze...i don't think that i'll ever know the difference between
the spaces in each song, maybe i'm just fucking retarded, but i can't
tell unless mike plays the bass lines in maze. Well, it turned into
bowie, and a rather nice bowie. I was still hoping for a mike's, but
after that bowie i knew they'd mellow the energy down with a slow tune.
Something was a good call, always love when page sings. well, for the
most part. Piper was the absolute perfect song to get the energy back.
Piper just keeps getting better and i still seem to get more and more
into it. Golgi kept everyone dancing, even picking the energy up, then
Guyute (good call linds). When i just can't hear enough of Guyute, god
damn i love that tune. I figured that the set would just either take off
from here, or go nowhere...but fishman knew what was up. sexual
healing was fucking awesome!!! his little dance after ward was a nice
touch too. (that one was for you cliffy!) now, i wore my YEM tshirt
just hoping for some luck, and i felt like they now were playing this
show for me!!! yem was flawless, one of the best i've heard. kuroda
tore up the lights during the vocal jam. it was so good that i just sat
there and stared!!!!! julius was dissappointing for me, i've seen it too
much, and i don't get a kick out of it anymore...Hello my baby was neat,
but i think we all were hoping for freebird ( i know jon, you saw it)
during the afternoon on saturday i was listening to the police live cd.
So Lonely has to be my all time favorite police song. just a couple
days ago i saw moe. play walking on the moon inside of meat. i thought
about it during the moe. show that phish could play the police
incredibly. So when they started out with So Lonely i lost it!! (sorry
for the screaming spain) trey did a good sting. good
encore...tweeprise was good as usual, but i was still thinking about the
so lonely....good show...see you at msg
The Crown seemed huge compared to last night in Cleveland.
The band started at 7:35 with Funky Bitch,very tight, very rocking. The
whole show last night was all about phish playing rock'n'roll. Next was
My Soul, sometimes I love it, sometimes not, it did not reach the
intensity it usually does.
Then came Reba, clocking in at about 16 min. this Reba was very mellow
and had lots of ups and downs. It would peak then fall, it actually
never reached max. peakage, but was still an awesome Reba. Bouncin
S.O.S. Tweezer was fantastic, not too funky, trey playing lots of
licks, very up tempo, best Tweezer I've heard ever. Moma was good, but
not Super Funky. Sparkle was lots of fun and unexpected.Zero was also
fun.
Second set was absolutely great. Very rockin'. What was so cool
about this set was most of the songs in it were either closers or
encores! Bowie was tight and very well done. Perfect version of
Something, sounded a lot like the Beatles. Piper was good, with some
Weekapaug teases. Then out of nowhere, Golgi! Perfect, really jamming.
What next, a million songs went through my mind but none of them were
Guyute. Then came Fishman, with his Thor hat on. very good Sexual
Healing, at the end taking several bows. Beautiful YEM with long silent
part, very smooth jam into vocalz. After this anything would be great,
so they played Juilus, rock'n'roll again. Encores were fun and all in
all a really fun and unpredictable show.
After the Cleveland show, anticipation ran high as to how good the next
night in Cincinatti was going to be. I had only heard bad things about
the Crown and their security, but as I made my way into the venue, not a
probing hand or even a single secutity guard impeaded my entrance. I
found my seat right as Funky Bitch started. The three song start of
Funky, My Soul, and an amazing Reba really got me into this show. Reba
is a song that seems to follow me around, but I am definitly not
complaining. This Reba was something special and the crowd was totally
into it (except the two sorority girls who pressed their way into our
killer row and made my friends and I smash against each other in an
attempt to keep dancing) next, unfortunatly, was Bouncin' Here's where
the two girls go crazy and scream how Phish is playing her song at her
first show. Oh well, the Tweezer that followed MORE than made up for the
previous smoke break. Now, I love the jams in tweezer and have heard
some really great ones. This one was on the same level as most of the
greatest, but i feel that it centers a lot on just how good Phish has
been playing this tour - they ripped this twwezer apart. Trey seemed to
be assaulting the audience with each lick, leaning over his monitors as
Chris pointed the lights from behind the band at the crowd. The Moma
Dance was the thick funk and beautiful as always. Again, I was
disappointed with a Sparkle in the same set as Bouncin', but every other
song was just that much better that I could EASILY forget about them.
The Char0 ripped the first set to a close, but definitly left me wanting
to be led to collapsing in the second set.
One of my friends brought his dad to the show and another brought his
little brother for each of their first shows and what they got in the
second set was the stuff dreams are made of. Bowie, after a long spacy
intro, rocked so goddamn hard that they had to play a slow song next. I
go hot and cold with Bowies, sometimes I love to hear one and others I'd
rather they just go into Maze, but I was SOOO glad they chose Bowie. By
the end jam, I was really spacing so it's hard to remember specifics,
but I do remember almost reaching that point of collapsing from
exhasution (it was so hot in there too) and it was only the first song!
Something is such a great Beatles tune and I'm happy they chose to cover
it again so soon. The Piper that followed got me right back in the
dancing groove, though. Now, I've heard people complain about Piper
because it lacks some of Phish's trademark changes, room for
exploration, whatever, but i really love this fucking song. It's build
is so intense that you look down at you feet and sometimes it's hard to
fathom how fast it has you moving. A mid-set Golgi was killer. I love
this song, but not as a closer, so it's placement was perfect.
Even though they've been busting out more and more Guyutes, I could
still hear it every show. They were so on in Cinci that this Guyute hit
so perfect and wonderfully on every note. The build was terrific and the
end started so softly that it was hard to even hear trey singing at all.
Now, let me tell you something, this Crown crowd went NUTS for fishman.
Once trey headed for the kit, I knew this was going to be something
special - Sexual Healing! The HYHU afterwards went on forever. Fishman
had this Viking-style horned helmet on the entire show and was leaning
on the monitors like he was going to spear them or something. He did his
"arms overhead, dip to each side fishman thing" over and over again.
People were going apeshit. He went back to the drums, but trey waved him
back to center stage. I love seeing trey pound on fish's kit and he was
really laying into them. Now i figured one more rocking closer and onto
the encore with a definite Tweezereprise at the end (they should close
every show with it) but wait, what...YEM!!! after a Bowie and a
Tweezer!!!! This YEM was really, really, really cool. Chris' lights were
INSANE in the vocal jam, they REALLY tripped me out hard. The whole time
i'm thinking what more could a person trying to explain what we love
about Phish ask for than to use this show. Tramps, Fish w/ vac, great
exploration in "the big songs", cool covers, trey on drums, a cappela.
The julius was good, but i was suprised to hear it again after only 2
shows ago when they closed Grand Rapids first set with it. The HMB was
nice and left me wanting that Reprise really bad, except with something
really cool before, of course. So Lonely was good. Trey had a little
grooving solo in it, but nothing too special. A little suprised at a
Police cover, though (maybe i'm just not a Sting fan, I guess) Then the
reprise kicked, as usual, for a terrific ending to an amazing show. I
almost tumbled over into the people infront of me due to lack of
balance, something that happens to me a lot during reprises. Just
thinking about the Bowie and the YEM makes me sick with aniticipation
for Hampton in a coupla days. Hope to see you all there. Get this second
set when it floats your way, it's smiles all the way through!
The only other shows I'd seen this tour were the 7th, and 8th in Chicago and new the boys had it all together -- so I was psyched as I began the
drive from St. Louis to Cinci...
...and WOW!! what a show!
Unfortunately my tix were behind the stage, so I was hoping for easy security, and after running into an old friend from Fl, we entered the Crown
around 6:00, and found a virtually empty areana with maybe one guy checking tickets at every other aisle -- so we made our way down 3 rows up
Page's side --same seats I had for the 7th (great). Nobody questioned us and I saw many of early shitty ticket holders make it down to the floor.
Around 7 the phans started pouring in and @ around 7:35 Phish began a monster show!
I. Funky Bitch -- Great opener, jammed out to perfection! The boys came out in costum, so you knew it had to be a good evening. Trey kept
the jam going with some nice funky chords, and Page's made his way up to the Clavi a few times, making this nothing shorty of a great FUNKy
Bitch way to open up the show.
My Soul -- I had heard them sound check with some blues, so I wasn't surprised to hear this one, pretty standard, but jammed hard and long, and
the jams moved well right from the start -- very tight.
Reba -- Always glad to hear this tune, and the written out sections were played near perfection, then the jam section kicked in and Chris took
over. The lights were definitley moving the crowd as the jam began nice and mellow, Trey playing several concise (very melodic lines) in massive
repetition, this mellow / spacey built slower than most Rebas but found some really nice movement as it began to build. Fish and Mike were
tight as ever, and Page was complementing Trey's lines beautifully. The jam built gradually and the Chris put on a tremendous spectical of
lights. This became one of the most intense Reba jams in a while and ended with the ever famous whistling. Great Reba (great lights).
Bouncin -- they should jump on trampolines throughout the entire tune for variety.
Tweezer -- I was slightly afraid of this, only b/c of the inevitable Reprise to end the show, but this turned out to be my 2nd fav tweezer ever (1st
being Tweezer Taste @ the WENT). The head of the tune was played rockin, and the Uncle Ebineezer part was very cool. Then the jam began
-- rocking very hard. My whole section was groovin hard to this jam and it just kept getting heavier!! After a few more minutes I saw Trey give
the signal to drop it down, and as if it were written out this way, they seemlessly began to enter the world of planetary funk. The jam got
mellow/spacey/ and funky and I felt a Ghost coming on .. or maybe a....
Moma Dance -- This was the only song I had written in stone for this show and was overcome with joy as the openeing chords continued to
funkitfy the crowd. Nothing special to the Moma, but played well and jammed hard.
Sparkle -- If I ever have to use the bathroom so badly it hurts, this is the only song that will put me there -- heard to too many times and and I
find it annoying, but I found Chris's work quite nice during the "laugh and laugh and fall a part" section -- don't remeber the lights being so much
fun in the past during this one.
Character 0 -- Not my favorite tune, simply b/c they love ending sets with it and it gets a bit repetitious, but this was hands down the best
Chracter Jam I've seen since the Went, and it had great energy, and really put an exclamation mark on the first set!!
high points -- Funky Bitch, Reba, Tweezer Moma
During the set brake I went to find some friends who were sitting more or less were I was, but on Fish's side, and while hanging w/ them we
encounterd NAKED CHICK! THis women just began wlaking around one section over from us stark naked -- people cheered, some laughed (me
personally, I cheered) then this poor old Crown employee went over to ask her to put some cloths on and she pushed the guy (boos from the
crowd). He tried to get her to stand up and walm, but she fell down, and believe you me, It was not a pretty sight. then Phish security approached
her from the below, and she fell again (cheers and boos). Then Crown security, all decked out in Military uniforms came from above and togethre
they took NAKED CHICK away.
high points -- Naked Chick :)
II. Bowie -- one of my buddies was killing to hear a bowie so when the openeing drum beat began we all got happy. The intro went on for a
few minutes and was very spacey -- boys using every effect at there disposal. Tune had a tone of energy and an amazing jam section ( lots of
movement). Once again the boys moved Bowie very nicely building it's intesity until everyone around me was jumping (we had left the realm of
dancing and felt bouncing all over theplace the only appropiate way to express our thanks. Great ending jam and one of the most intense openers.
Something -- Was very happy to hear this cover, one of my favorite Beatle's songs, and page sund it to perfecton, as well, Trey found the
perfect tone on his guitar -- like a mirror image....
Piper -- always intenese and strong, I was especially pleased with this Piper, b/c the one on the 8th got a little nuts (Trey seemed zoned "out" of
the music, and the Piper never hit the brake, which is my fav aspect of the tune). this one was well played and built up a lot mor energy.
Golgi -- standard, well played, and rare as of late, so I think everyone was pleased to hear it.
Guyute -- WOW!! what can I saw my first Guyute in West Palm, Fl back in '95 and was so impressed with it, even though I had had no idea
what it was at the time, and I'm still impressed with it now! I was still on Fish's side and watched him throughout the song -- he was unreal, I
never realized how complicated the drum parts were to Guyute and was only fair to let him shine infront of everyone now....
Sexual Healing -- I knew fish was coming out the second the show started and he had doned the Vicking horns, but could we be so lucky to
hear a Sexual.. Fish sung the best one yet and took a little vaccum solo as well. Then he introduced the band in a panic and began his usual run
around the stage routine. Everyone loved it...
Yem -- This was so ideal, so perfect (Yem, Guyute, Bowie, Tweezer, and Reba in one show) I was in heaven. TheYem had a nice delay section
and Page to a beautiful solo. The jam found the form of Funk and moved very well funkymellowfunkya little rockfunkmellowvocal
jam. the vocal jam started off more old school, but quickly became new school with more drawn out notes and soon moved into the roller coaster
jam, where chris moves the lights as if your rising on some sort coaster and Phish screems "Whooooaah accordingly" (done in Atlanta this
summer) I thought that was the set, but the boys decided for more...
Julius -- ROCKED, it's amazing how much energy they still had left, you could tell they were getting a bit worn, but somehow they still
jammed Julius out wonderfully.
Hello My Baby -- Would have liked to hear Freebord since I had to miss it in Chicago, but knew that was unlikely, so it was a nice ending --
had the place screeming for more (as we always do)
E: So Lonely -- got to love the POLICE, they played it real funky, and Page sung brilliantly -- He's sooooooooooo damn good. I loved this
tune so much. and The Tweezer R, rocked as usual.
High points - Bowie, Something, Sexual Healing, Yem, So Lonely
Until NYE - -Peace
adam
Wow! I knew something was up when Fish came on stage wearing a horned
Viking helmet. I was not wrong. I was so excited as it was my wife's
first show, and she really seemed to be good luck!
The first set was pretty much standard fare Phish, as they tended to be
Fall Tour, but we knew something was up when the wierdness vibe of the
place set in. During set break, a woman (must have been on SOMETHING),
was wandering around in an aisle behing the stage on Fishman's side BUCK
NAKED. Eventually, the cops had to drag her out, passive-resistance
style. As they took her out backstage (to the waiting cop car, I
suppose), I saw Page's surprised, yet laughing face. The second set
began...
WHAT A SET! Kicking off with a really spacy "Bowie", then right into a
great "Something". "Piper" is where is went nuts. They just tore things
up, faster and faster, then they went to... GOLGI! Where the hell did
THAT come from? DAMN! Next was a solid "Guyute" (I'm a sucker for the
pig). The HYHU-Sexual Healing-HYHU seemed almost inspired by the
setbreak woman. Fishman REALLY soaked up the love THAT night, I tell you.
A great YEM (w/ tramps!) and a VOCAL JAM FROM HELL!!! A vocal jam in
COMPLETE concert with Chris' swirling, spinning, looping lights. WOW!
Julius and Hello My Baby were great caps to a great show.
An encore of a 1st time played (Police) was nice to see. So, let's recap.
For my wife's first show: Fishman, Vaccuum, Tramps, Vocal Jam, Cover
debut. All that was missing was some secret language! She got a great
treat. The first of many, methinks!
i forgot my name...11-14-98:
a friend of brock landers
I had not seen Phish since 12-7-97 (Incredible show) and was really hopeing
to catch a show w/ great potential again and boy was I treated to just that!
Fishman comes out w/ this vicking hat w/ horns on his head and the crowd is
Ready to get nutty! They swing into Funky Bitch and the crowd is in boogie
down time! They follow up w/ My Soul which was a first timer for me and it
was great live! Lots of energy, I like the building up of this song. Reba
followed and the crowd really got into it. The jam was beautiful...I love
what they are doing w/ the lights!! Very very nice. Bouncing was next and
into Tweezer it went. Needless to say we were having a great time. Moma
Dance was good and Sparkle, w/ Character Zero which they completely rocked
out, was a wonderfull 1st set closer..............O.K its halftime and
things are as usual, bathroom break, a pretzel and lots o water......we've
found our way back to our seats and its @ that time for the boys to take the
stage again when we hear the crowd roaring to the right of the stage we
are surprised by this girl who is totally naked and just sitting there, very
peacefull....so a security guy tries to take her ny the arm for a little
walk and she struggles w/ him and she is now out in the isles and he is
somewhat perplexed on how to approach this young lady and of course the
crowd is eating this up not to make a big deal out of this but it just
goes to show that this crowd was here to have fun and did we ever! She was
removed and the fellows took the stage w/ a Bowie opener......hmmmm I've
heard this one to many times, I think it follows me from show to show.
Something by the Beatles was next and Page did an absolutely fantastic job!!
He has a great voice! I love hearing this man sing, and was treated again
later in the show...but thats later. Piper was next....another first for me
and I liked it but could not tell what Trey was saying, I'll have to make
myself more familiar w/ these lyrics. Golgi folowed and as usual was a
pleaser! Trey was smiling alot. You could tell they were really having fun!
Guyute a personal fav was next...Incredible!! We were throwing down hard at
this point, the music was taking us there. Thankyou!!! Now Trey and Fishman
switch up and the crowd is going nuts!! out comes the vacum!! and HYHU jam
into to a loving Sexual Healing!! Fishman feeds the crowd....really hams it
up and the end, This is the only man that can really make me laugh at a
musical event and at the same time you love his sincere ability to pull
these songs off!~ Trey was laughing and rippin smiles over his companions
performance, Woopps got to to Tennesse...but YEM, Julius, Hello My
Baby........ WOW Page again for So Lonely by the Police he sounded dead
up like Sting.... scary took me five minutes to figure out who it was by
and I'm 30 years old...actaully lived in the 80's.....any how the reprise
was sweet....gotta go my rides a waitin...later daze.....Chris Phish is
smokin walstib@ntr.net
It was my first show of the fall '98, and I was ready to get down.
Chalkdust was a phat opener, but I kind of fell asleep until It's Ice.
It all started to fall into place with CTB and a killer Farmhouse.
The Sloth and the Antelope had to be the best first set ending I've ever
heard. The second set was all about jammin out hardcore. They
absolutly blew my mind with the phriday, the thirteenth, Scary Meat
Scary Harry Hood. Preety good end with a whalin Goodtimes Badtimes
but I wish they would not have jammed it out, instead they should
have ENJOYED THEMSELVES. Oh well, mabye in Cincy.
Hey all, This is my first time reviewing a show, so be gentle in your
criticism. I'll start with a little pre-show fun. My Wife and I drove
far out of our way after a bit of a disappointment at the Cleveland
show. The boys played great as usual but nothing seemed over the top if
you know what I mean. So we drive to Bowling Green, eat a greasy lunch,
then start toward Cincy at about 2pm, which had us both a little nervous
because our directions to the Crown were from the east, not the north.
After some minor neurotic episodes in the tangle of interstate exchanges
around Ohio's southerly Metropolis, we were guided into a rather small
lot just east of the venue. Wearily we began to cook out Mama Diaz's
Quesadilla's, and after selling about 15 and giving the rest away, we
walked up the stairs and into the venue.
One thing set this venue apart from any other I've ever been to. . .No
one took our tickets. Some security people looked at our tickets as we
ascended the stairs outside, but up top we just strolled right into the
venue. It was the darndest thing, really. After only a short time at
our seats, the house lights went down, the crowd went crazy, and the
best band in the world walked onstage. They dickered with a couple of
notes then blasted into
Funky Bitch: I have always liked this song, especially when it comes in
the beginning of the first set. It just seems to get the groove flowing
in a venue, especially one as big as the Crown. We were in the upper
level straight back from the stage, so I couldn't see the always-telling
expression on Trey's face, but from the sound of the jamming, he was
smiling big. Page also must have had a largish grin because he was
really pounding the keys, and so early in the set! Much to my wife's joy
the band then began playing. .
My Soul: We had been waiting for this one since we did a mini tour in
97, and it didn't disappoint. Like my wife, I get a real charge out of
this song. This soon led into. . .
Reba: I cannot hear this song enough. I love listening to all the
intricacies of the fugue. I must look like Joe Cocker standing there and
letting all my fingers play the notes on my air- instruments. This Reba
was a winner.
Bouncin : came next. Short. Sweet. Note for Note. A great addition to
any set as far as I'm concerned. Then things got serious with. . .
Tweezer: I have been jokingly predicting this song at every show I've
been to since 96 (13) and I finally got one. Not the "big, fat, scary
Tweezer" ala Cleveland 95 that my wife was getting tired of hearing
about, but a fast and hot one. Clocking in at a mere 15 min. This
Tweezer was not experimental but was a tight jam lover's dream. I seem
to have the best time when Trey and Mike are bobbing their heads in
synch. This goody turned into. . .
Moma Dance: The only other version I had heard was from the album and
Farm Aid, and I have to admit I was a little disappointed when Trey
didn't get to the emotional state he seemed immersed in on my Farm Aid
video. Too soon, the boys started playing
Sparkle: Fast. Fun. I would have bet anyone a million dollars that the
would end the set with. . .
Character Zero: This was the typical set ending rager it always is.
The set break was a little longer than the night before, and for good
reason I think. Although we were very far back, there seemed to be some
kind of ruckus going on on the floor, stage left, right behind and below
Fishman's kit. I'm not sure, but I think Nudity was involved, as well
as several uniformed police officer's who received alternating
installments of applause and boos. After they escorted. . . .someone. .
. .out the back, the lights went down for the second time, and the guys
from up north began playing. . .
Bowie: I'm finally getting to where I can tell the difference between
the opening of Bowie and Maze. It's actually obvious now. This was a
good one, although they didn't take it too far out. Instead, groove
was the name of the game tonight. Like Tweezer, this Bowie was sparse
on the experimentation but FULL of good funk. They then blew us away
with. .
Something: This song was absolutely beautiful. I enjoy the fact that
they don't stray too far from the Beatles version. Some things are
better left in their original, pristine and emotion evoking state.
Thanks for this one boys. The next song was. . .
Piper: It was ok. But I was very glad to hear them bust into. . .
Golgi: We had heard this one as a encore at Starlake last summer. It
brought the house down then, and came close to doing it again tonight
but for some reason the set seemed like ot was beginning to sag. That
is, until they started playing. . .
Guyute: As I looked around, I saw no one who was not thrilled to hear
this gem. With every note, the line graph of the show began climbing
toward the ceiling once again. It definitely rose sharply when Trey got
behind the drum set, the band started playing HYHU, Fishman came out in
his Medieval viking helmeted glory, and began singing and swaying to his
unique take on. . .
Sexual Healing: I had heard the rumors. . . but had never dared dream
that I would have the fortune to be present when Henrietta covered
Marvin Gaye. You have to see it to believe it. After a HYHU segue and
many well-deserved victory arms by the band's namesake, they played. . .
YEM: I was really happy to hear this one. During 96 I heard it at all 3
shows I attended in the fall and got fairly sick of it, and, as Forest
Gump might say, just like that. . .it was gone. They finally played it
for me tonight because they knew I was sorry for those hurtful things I
said lo those 2 years ago at the Palace of Auburn Hills, when the crush
of security guards and the squishy sound of the Jr. High kids necking
beside me brought me to my all time lowest Phish experience. Ahhh
redemption! Ahh Joy! This YEM peaked the line graph I was talking
about earlier, even though it lacked a Mike hike. A great deal of
credit must be given to C. Kuroda for an expansive and sense heightening
light show during the vocal jam. It was like being in a 20 thousand
seat disco. Incredible.
Julius: Followed. I figured this one would bring us back to a level akin
to normalcy, at least normal enough to use the steps after the show and
not try to ride the vibe down to the street. And I was right, although
the boys had one last song to end the set, and it was. . .
Hello My Baby: It was great. The encore also blew me away because just
a couple of days before, I was driving with my wife listening to an old
Police cd i had tucked away and telling her how neat it would be if
Phish covered something like. . .
So Lonely: I was flabbergasted. This is one of those creepy "Phish has
had me under surveillance" moments. Page did a fantastic job covering
Sting's sound. Is there anything these guy's can't do? Not likely.
The Tweezer reprise was an easy call and brought the night to a
wonderful close. My wife and I then left, and smiled all the way home
to West Virginia. See you all in the Spring or Summer. Bye now.
Dan (diaz1@mtec.net)
This show was my 14th show, and my 4th out of 5 this phall. It was
definitely the best of the 5 I saw, and for overall shows, it was the
second best ve ever seen.(1st being Dayton december 97) But as for
single sets, 2nd set of cincy was the best single sset of phish ive ever
seen. Ever since the beginnig of the phall tour started, I had this
hunch that cincy was gonna be an awesome show, and I was always real
excited about it. My hunch was right. This whole fall tour there were 3
songs that were the TOP 3 I wanted to hear this phall....the first three
shows didn't give me any of them, but this show gave me all three!
As we were on our way to the crown, we had about an hours drive to
get there, we got a flat tire. This got me bummed because i didn't
think we would make it. But we finally got on our way and got lost a
little in downtown cincy, but eventually parked at 7:23. The show was
supposed to start at 7:00 so I knew we had better be in our seats by
7:30. We finally got in and as soon as my ass hit the seat, the lights
went down......then fishman came out w/the viking helmet, mike in a
jersey, and trey wearing a hat, so I knew something phat was probably
gonna go down.
FUNKY BITCH was awesome. Never heard it live, and what a great opener
it was. They jammed for about 12 minutes or so, a little funk added to
the blues. then......
MY SOUL-I had just heard this in Chicago, but was happy to hear this
little blues combo opener they were doin. Very phun song along
comes.......
REBA-Wow, I knew the show would be stellar, the composed part of the
song was nailed to a T. I was beautiful, then the jam was incredible,
not as good as first nite chicago or deer creek this summer, but very
good.
BOUNCIN- I was very stoked to hear this. It was the first phish song I
ever heard, adn this was my first time to hear it live out of 14 shows.
I loved it. But i knew after Bouncin they would do something phat......
TWEEZER, ching! Perfect just what I wanted, this was my first time to
hear this one as well, it was such a nice free flowing jam. So
awesome......lead right into the
MOMA DANCE- THis was the first of the three I really wanted to hear. I
was so extactic when the baseline was dropped for MOMA! It wasnt as
smokin as the one at Farm-aid, but it was still great to hear. Then....
SPARKLE-HAdn't heard this one since deer creek 97, it was very phast,
and was phun an got everyone in a frenzy after the funk....then
CHARACTER 0- Ive heard this song quite a few times, and when I hear the
opening guitar, I'm kinda indifferent about it, but then I get eal into
it as it goes along. On tape this song doesn't do much for me, but live
its such as great closer. Very Rockin so end set. Very solid set, very
phun...but I knew second set was where it would all be at.
Ok, after a 50 minte set break, the lights went out and I heard the
delay loop and I was wonderin if it would be the secnd out of the three
i wanted to hear, and it was!!!
BOWIE was so incredible, not anything compared to Bowie from Deer Creek
this summer or Gorge this summer, but still great. EXCELLENT opener.
SOMETHING was awesome, very chill and beautiful. My friend with me who
doesn't see phish all that much is an extreme beatles phan, i was glad
they played that when he was there.
PIPER-very phat and rockin, I love this song, it keeps getting better
everytime I hear it. trey was goin nuts, kinda like the piper from
vegas. On into
GOLGI-WOW! I was blown away, never seen golgi before and was so
impressed with this song live. The chorus part is so powerful, I was in
awe. what better could follow golgi better than.....
GUYUTE-Very solid version, at the end they went away from doin the end
solo out of the piano like on the studio version. They have been doin
tat alot this summer and phall. But this one was back to the old live
Guyute with full piano and guitar at end. AWESOME
I knew that we would get a henrietta song tonite and then trey puts his
guitar down and the drumbeat to....
HYHUSEXUAL HEALING- This was hilarious, fish was wearing his viking
hat all the while dancing while singing sexual healing. I was laughing
so hard. Fish ran sround blowing kisses, saying "your too kind". Gave
a bow to the audience behind the stage, and came back out for another
round of bows. then back into HYHU. Like someone ssaid earlier, I had
a feeling that shit was gonna happen like 11-7-96 adn my third and no. 1
choice from my top three was busted out.....
YEM- Very tight, the jam was funky yet very free and flowing, great
energy. Guy jumped on stage during trampolines, but was caught. I
thought that was stupid and kinda ruined the moment,(for me anyways).
the vocal jam was so incredible. The lights were the most fucked up
lights I have ever seen. I cnt understand Kuroda...for a while, he was
leading the jam, the band was definitely following him. the
rollercoater jam with the
woaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoooooooaaaaaaaahhhh!
It was so crazy. The lights spin around hitting the cealing the the
floor....it was just too much...man o man! I figured the set would be
over, but then the opening notes to....
JULIUS- Again, on tape this song doesn't do much for me, but
live...damn its an awesome song. This was the highpoint of the show for
me, so much energy, the orange lights were fucking amazing. Again, i
thought the show was done but then the acapella mic and.....
HELLO MY BABY- I would have like a freebird, but i knew they had
already done it, so I hoped for Adeline but hello my Baby is an awesome
song, i love acapella stuff. great closer, the band had a great time
and everyone could tell.
I figured there would be a PYITE or something before the tweeprise for
an encore, but...
SO LONLEY was so phat. The police are awesome and page did a wonderful
job. What a phun song...
TWEEPRISE was great as always, I love that tune.
This so was so great, the venue was quite large compared to cleveland or
Murfreesboro, but it was such an awesome vibe. Security was very lax
from what i saw. I didn't see one problem except for the guy on the
stage and NAKED CHIC. Get these tapes, especially second set...you will
be amazed. Thanks for readin this far
marcus Reynermb@miavx1.muohio.edu
From: Jonathan Shedletzky Jonathan_Shedletzky@mail.Bialik.on.ca
Subject: 11/14/98 'natti Dread Hindsight
What I know about Fall '98 shows is quite limitted as I had only
seen/heard one before this here Cincinatti gig -- that being the Cleveland
gig from the preceeding night. A little background on yours truly to prove
the "validity" of this review; I have seen 422 shows and own every Phish
tape known to man...
11/14/98 The Crown, Cincinatti, OH
I: Funky Bitch, My Soul, Reba, Bouncin', Tweezer-MOMA Dance, Sparkle,
Character Zero
II: David Bowie, Something, Piper, Guyute, Golgi, HYHU-Sexual
Healing-HYHU, You Enjoy Myself Julius, Hello Ma Baby
E: So Lonely, Tweezer Reprise
THE SCENE: Compared to Cleveland, I was completely overwhelmed as we drove
into Cincy. It's not what I would call a nice city (in the picturesque
sense, although driving into the valley was nice). It's definitely what I
would call a interestingly laid out city. It seems really, disorganized
and cramped yet in a good way. Oh, the weather was so nice, so balmy. I'm
from Toronto and its kinda chilly, but Cincy/Kentucky is like a totally
different climate. I don't know about the crowd outside and inside the
show that night......I had never seen a show this far south in the States,
and it was interesting to finally do so with a different crowd. Less
wookies, more farmer-type heads. Everyone was very chill outside, and I
felt that vibe would continue on throughout the show. People gotta learn
to shut up, just sometimes, when the moment is right....
THE VENUE: Quite large, compared to the CSU Conv Center, but no bigger
than any other ordinary arena. The acoustics, although tainted by an
extremely loud crowd, were superb. I've been hearing alot of complaints
about security, but I didn't see any around me during the entire show.
That is, except for one (*see setbreak)...
The FIRST SET of THE SHOW:
FUNKY BITCH -- Definitely a suitable opener. I've had good experiences
with Funky Bitch as an opener, and this one was no different. It was very
standard really, nothing out of the ordinary. It was NOT a "14-15 minute"
version as depicted on the On-Site Tour Updates page.
MY SOUL -- I liked this song the first time I heard it, but since then
I've become bored and even irritated by every version I hear. Phish has a
habit of placing it in weird positions, too. Take the temporary buzzkill
caused by the My Soul encore in Albany last year. It's placement here is a
little out of wack, too. Two blues tunes to begin the show?
REBA -- Now, THIS is what I came to hear! For over a week prior to the
show I was calling a Reba. I had studied the setlists, accounting for
factors such as frequency of Reba played and whatnot, and was calling a
Reba to nearly everyone I knew -- Phishhead or non. With the lack of one
in Grand Rapids, it became imminent that a Reba awaited us in Cleveland or
Cincinatti, although I predicted the latter. Musically, this Reba was very
tight throughout the compositional portion of the tune. I noticed no
noticeable flubs. The jam, although I was hoping for the spacy, extended
type that I heard of from LA and Chitown (I think), was beautiful though
not unlike many you've heard before. The crescendo and inevitable peak
were incredible. This tight version definitely quenched a thirst I had for
a Reba. Whistling, as always, was a treat.
BOUNCIN' -- This was the first time I actually liked hearing this song
live. It has followed me to nearly half the shows I've seen and I became
sick of it. It's supposedly becoming rare -- although I can't tell the
difference -- and was the first of the tour, no? I think BATR just fit
alright behind the Reba.
TWEEZER -- Following one of my penultimate Phish experiences caused by the
Tweezer of 12/6/97 Auburn Hills, whenever I hear them start this tune up
at a show I'm psyched but a little reluctant to expect too much. It just
seems as if there has been only a few mentionable Tweezers in the last two
years, and I feel fortunate to have heard a sick, SICK version at the
Palace last year. This Tweezer, from what I can recall, was extremely
funky. Cactus couldn't seem to stop slappin' for the entire song. The jam
didn't really travel anywhere, but it was groovy and a little spacy. This
solid first set Tweezer kinda melted into......
MOMA DANCE -- 'Twas a nice segue. The only thing I really remember about
this intoxicatingly funky tune is that it was comparitively short. I read
somewhere that it was ~7 minutes, which I guess is a little short. It was,
as well, a standard version but a pleasure to groove to. One comment about
the lyrics; I really feel that Fishman, as on the new album, should sing
the "He'll bring out wine, all will be fine" line. It's so much rawer and
simply suits the song better.
SPARKLE -- *see notes on Bouncin' above. Remove the part stating "I
actually liked hearing this song live".
CHARACTER ZERO -- I was starting to get a little sketchy in my opinion of
this set, which would undoubtedly end after CZero, upon the start of this
tune. Yet, I was left feeling foolish for lacking faith in this song. It
was truly hyped, and was a powerful closer. It jammed for a little bit but
the main attraction was its sheer intensity. It followed and expanded on
what seemed to be a common theme for the weekend -- rock 'n roll. Trey
loved this version, as he pumped his fist in approval as the jam ended.
This set was overall a very good set. Yet, I feel it would be inaccurate
to describe it as a solid set. It evidently has its share of holes -- My
Soul and Sparkle, could have done without Bouncin'. Fortunately, I think
the pros of this set far outweigh the cons. The Reba made the set and the
night for me, Tweezer-MOMA was definitely pleasing. Thankfully, and
somewhat surprisingly to my ears, CZero saved what otherwise could have
been an aesthetically displeasing set! A very good start to the night.
Setbreak: Normally, I wouldn't mention anything about setbreak, but the
Naked Chick cannot be left out. I applaud her, and the security guards'
feable attempts to cover her up/remove her from the venue. I, along with
everyone else, expected a Makisupa opener in honour of the mad busts at
setbreak...but....
The SECOND SET:
DAVID BOWIE -- I'd take a Bowie over a Makisupa any day. Accompanying
Fishman's highhat was just a touch of space to set the tone for the tune.
The composed section was executed flawlessly -- the band was very tight
all weekend. The jam I recall being very spacy from its beginning until it
got progressively louder and returned to the Bowie outro. In other words,
it was like many Bowies of the past. Every jam differs from another, if
only slightly, so I'll have to hear this one again to distinguish how good
it really was.
SOMETHING -- I was raised on The Beatles, and was ecstatic to hear this
played for only its second time. I think Page sings on this. They do a
really good rendition of this classic tune. I'm all for Something joining
the ranks of the numerous and somewhat obscure songs which have formed an
interesting repetoire of covers. Very good placement after a hot Bowie.
PIPER -- Piper was the other tune which I guaranteed for this weekend. I
still flipped out, though, when its delicate notes emerged out of
Something. Piper is my favourite song right now (it tends to change,
although the 12/6/97 version sweetened my perception of this song and
12/12/97 Albany has had me leave Piper on this pedestal ever since) when
it jams. Due to the lack of set II jams in Cleveland, I figured that this
set was materializing perfectly for an insane Piper, but it didn't come. I
still love the song, though. Its not so good when its your favourite song,
but I can respect the fact that Piper can serve as an energetic song
and/or an excuse to jam. A very solid version, with the lyrics and and
post-lyrics jam being not overly rushed. I'll tell you though, it's quite
the tease when they abruptly mellow out to the Piper outro lick....
GUYUTE -- I was disappointed to hear this start up only because I was
searching for some jams. Mid-second set placement is a little awkward for
this wonderful song. Nevertheless, this was an extremely tight Guyute. I'd
almost go as far as to say that it was flawless.
GOLGI -- Weak, weak placement. They can't do that! A Golgi in the middle
of a set traditionally reserved for musical exploration?
HYHU-SEXUAL-HYHU -- It seemed fitting that they'd insert a Fishman thing
here. The jams appeared to be at alack, and this fun was appropriate for
this set. Hagar/Horns/Fish does a beautiful Marvin Gaye. I adore the body
language he makes when he sings these love songs. They were having tons of
fun up there. The first real hindrence caused by the loud crowd; Fish's
vacuum solo was really short. As soon as he started up, everyone started
yelling to the point where the Elecrtolux was almost drowned out. Fish cut
his solo short after sucking several drawn out high-pitched notes. The
HYHU outro was longer than normal with Fish taking countless bows.
YEM!!! -- I flipped my lid! I totally was not expecting this to come, and
y'all know what its like to have such an insane song hit you out of
nowhere. Again, everything was played very tightly. I don't remember too
many specifics about this YEM, though. The composed was executed
beautifully, and drawn out slightly with a little bit of space. The jam
was appropriately funky, as I recall, with Mike taking much of the lead.
The tramps segment was entertaining as always, with Trey and Mike doing
synchronized moves. What this YEM lacked was a drum and bass segment. Mike
had somewhat of a solo towards the end of the jam, but, contrary to YEM's
of the past, it quickly faded into the vocal jam. The vocal jam was quite
a spectacle. Again, the audience made a valiant attempt to end this vocal
jam prematurely, but the band and Kuroda persisted. This was the kind of
vocal jam you had to see to believe. The boyz followed Chris' light
patterns with their voices resulting in a what would be more
accurately described as a vocal light jam, I guess. Truly mind blowing,
this whole YEM was!
JULIUS -- I really wasn't expecting much more to be added on to this set.
The YEM would have made for a solid finish, but I love Julius and was
ecstatic as it started up. Chapnick, you know what I'm talkin' about --
you called this. This proved to be yet another hyped, energetic jam, with
Trey taking control. It was nothing like the pure, unadulterated
exploration that is the 12/5/97 Cleveland Julius, but it fit perfectly in
the set. The addition of the song to the set made it that much stronger.
HELLO MA BABY -- And to top it all off, a nice a cappella tune to provide
closure to the set. You guessed it, the crowd was damn loud.
Encore:
SO LONELY -- This was the ideal time to debut a tune, following a very
tight, and energetic show. It had a great reggae-ish beat to it, and Page
does an impecable near-falsetto Sting impression. I've got to hear this
one again, but it seemed to be played well, and enough people knew what
the song was and were able to get down to it. Great way to end the show.
This was a solid set. At certain points I became somewhat pessimistic --
specifically, with the mid-set Golgi -- but I've just got to remember that
Phish never disappoints and that anything and everything is possible. The
highlights of this set for me were the Bowie opener, Something, Piper,
Guyute, Sexual Healing, and YOU ENJOY MYSELF.
I enjoyed myself thoroughly at this show. It's not often that you get a
Reba, Tweezer, Bowie and YEM all in one show. Then again, it's not often
that you get My Soul, Bouncin', Sparkle, Golgi and whatnot all in one
show. However, these songs really didn't bother me. Like I said, I enjoyed
Bouncin', and Character Zero, a song I've grown tired of, has renewed my
faith that it can jam and it can rock. I've written enough, really, and
you'll get a much better idea of this show should you get your hands on
the tapes -- which you should do. In fact, I'd love to get my hands on
these tapes....
If you could hook a brother up with hq, low gen copies of this show and
Cleveland, and any other fall shows, I'd be eternally grateful. Until
then.....
Peace. WORCESTER AWAITS!!!