11/19/95 - Charlotte, NC Review

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 07:54:46
From: Jason Link 
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: 11/19/95 - Charlotte, NC Review


I sent in the setlist last night, but screwed it up somehow that the list
didn't get posted. Sorry. I should have Winston in around 2 a.m. Here's
the
Charlotte list and my thoughts on it.

Set 1 (1hr 15min):  Makisupa>Maze, Poor Heart, Rift, Stash, Strange
Design,
Ice, Ragtime Gal(w/mics), Julius, Squirming Coil

Set 2 (1hr 31min): Theme from the Bottom>2001>Curtain>Tweezer, Billy
Breathes, Scent of a Mule, Hood, Suzy G.

EC: Life on Mars, Tweezer Reprise

Makisupa opener was nice to hear. I couldn't make out what Trey said after
first chorus due to crowd noise. Maze was pretty average. Nothing terribly
fancy. For those of you who aren't overenthused about hearing Poor Heart,
tonight would have been a good night for you. They slowed it waaay down
(slow enough that it was tough to catch until the opening lyric). I liked
it. I don't know if it was because it was nonroutine or not. It actually
allowed Page to do a nice little jam in the middle of it. I don't remember
hearing Fish screaming between lines (I don't think he did). Rift was,
well,
Rift. Stash was jammed out nicely. I didn't pick up on the James Bond jams
that someone else posted, but they might have been there. Strange Design
was
standard along with Ice. I thought they might go into something else
during
Ice when it almost stops before the ending. It was unusual for that part
anyway. I thought maybe a Catapult or Jerusalem City of Gold, but Ice
finished routinely. I might have enjoyed Ragtime Gal a little more if the
crowd would have ever quit yelling. (I don't understand why people can't
be
quiet during those acoustic, a cappella number. It happened during
Acoustic
Army in Charleston as well. I think the band would appreciate it a lot
more
if we were as quiet as possible. For instance, after Acoustic Army at the
Mann this summer, Trey said something like "We've been playing this song
all
tour and that was the quietest you guys have been. That was great." Keep
your mouth shut and go nuts after the song.) After Julius, the Coil closer
was nice. I love having a set end on a phenomenal Page solo and last night
was no different.

I liked the Theme opener, especially the jam at the end. I wasn't
expecting
2001 out of it, but it was nice. Not quite as nice as The Curtain that
followed however. They had a huge black curtain blocking off the whole
upper
deck of the coliseum and I'm not sure if it influenced that song choice or
not. Tweezer was next. It went just over 20 minutes. Standard opening.
After
the lyrics and a brief jam, they went into what sounded like a 2001 jam.
Everything was there except for Trey laying down the BIG five notes, which
he never did. I kept waiting for him to play them or at least tease them,
but he didn't. After awhile Trey when to his drum kit. Page took over from
there. He carried the jam for about 4 or 5 minutes starting with his
synth,
then to the organ, then to the piano, then back and forth. Really nice.
Trey
then went back to his guitar and the jam started slowing down. Up to this
point, Fish had pretty much kept the beat up. Then the jam kept slowing
down. I thought it was going to spacey for a while, but the jam gradually
slowed down until it ended. The Scent was nice. Page, once again, won the
duel. Trey's playing and scat singing were nice, but Page's 2 solos blew
him
away. I was not expecting the Hood that followed, but I was glad to hear
it.
It was my 4th one and I would say my favorite. It went over 16 minutes. It
seemed like they got through opening and Minor portions fairly quickly.(I
think they finished Minor after 7 min.) The buildup that followed was
gorgeous (as usual). It kept building until I thought they would finish
it,
but Trey kept taking it just a notch higher. What seemed to be the peak
before the final verse seemed to last 2 or 3 minutes until they finally
sang
the end. Great Hood. The Suzie that followed was extra nice. After each
chorus, Trey would do a little soloing. It wasn't real clear, but it
almost
sounded like a quick Tweezer Reprise jam(a little faster). These didn't
last
too long before Page played some blistering leads. I enjoyed it.

I hadn't heard Life on Mars before. It wasn't my ideal encore, but it was
nice to hear. The Tweezer Reprise was pretty standard.

On the Concert Review Poll Scale (1-10), I'd give it a 7.5.

I'll try to crank out a Winston review on Wednesday.
Jason