Date: 14 Aug 2001 20:32:20 -0700 From: traggatz@cswebmail.com To: dws@archive.phish.net Subject: 4-3-98 comment was just listening to the weekapaug and noticed that there is a defined last tube tease in there.. right before they go into the funk jam trey starts strumming the chords overtop of the rest of the groove.. and i think the 'oooohhh'ing that eventually takes on crosseyed and painless form, begins in sounding very similar to the 'ohhh'ing right before the new last tube lyrics. i dont know.. take a listen... i haven't seen it on any reviews but the chords that trey is strumming are definitely right on. peace, zack
Ok.....
The Nassau coliseum is a relatively decent place to see a show. Pretty easy access from the highway and or/ public trans, and relatively modern on the inside with extremely good, cheap french fries. Reminds me a lot of the Hartford Civic Center with regard to size and makeup. The lot scene was nice basically on account of the superb weather. A little cold perhaps, but sunny and clear. Plenty of edibles, and despite what I was hearing, I didn't see that many overzealous cops in the lots.
I: Mike's> Old Home Place, Weekapaug, Train Song, Billy Breathes, Beauty of my Dreams, Dogs Stole Things, Reba, My Soul
Mike's Song: This began at about 10 after 8, and quite plainly, I was surprised and elated at the same time. A first set Mike's is always a treat, but when it's your first Mike's Song in 15 shows, there's even more reason for celebration. Basically lost my voice from screaming before the first verse, but that's ok. Like most Mike's jams on fall '97, this one was bassy and dark. Just good, consistent, ominous jamming. The move to F major for the post tramps seg. (remember those?) was a little jumpy, but post tramps was nice as well. I'll have to hear it on tape for more detail, but I was impressed. Also, the lights were AMAZING! Full of crazy red strobes and effects which I had never seen before. Unfortunately, these 4 kids arrived from out of nowhere it what OBVIOUSLY wasn't their seat, and proceeded to steal all of my room. More on that later.
Old Home Place: This is probably my favorite bluegrass tune that Phish plays, but I'm not so sure that it works wonders out of Mike's, but I sang along anyway. Two Mike tunes in a row.
Weekapaug: Like most '97 'paugs, this was intense and extremely creative. The meat if it consisted of a not very tight, but quite funky jam with Trey on wah-wah, Fishman knocking down some complex rhythms, and Page on serious clavinet. Eventually, they began to hum the chorus to CE&P into the mics. and then it seems like Trey began to tease the song in a different key for almost a middle eastern type vibe. They eventually return to the main theme, and while there was no ending vocals, Trey kept hitting these power chords, and the beat kept getting faster, and faster...and faster...more power chords...whoa! This was intense. A must hear on tape! I was drenched in sweat by this point.
Train Song: Even more Mike. A Pleasant breather.
At this point I was starting to get pissed off, and basically forced the seat jumpers to leave by trying to get my backpack from my seat which I had been pushed away from. "You know, maybe we should find our real seats" one kids said. No shit buddy.
Billy Breathes: I like this song, and have never heard it live before, but it seemed a little rusty. Trey muffed the solo, and the band screwed up some of the harmonies as a whole. It's always been better on the album, but hey. Now the kids have been forced out of their seats, and one of the kids is angrily flipping me off. Nice. Turns out that their real seats were directly one row below us, but they were confused because somebody else was sitting there when the show began. The moral? Get to your seats BEFORE the show begins and SIT WHERE YOU BELONG. If you're absolutely going to sit somewhere else, be prepared to get kicked out, and go graciously.
Beauty of My Dreams: A cute song, but we already had OHP in the set, and things are starting to get a little too mellow. At this point, some ridiculously wasted high school kid vomited on mine and my friend's seat.
Dogs Stole Things: I like this tune. The lyrics are catchy, and it's got a great funky blues vibe. It seemed to have a rougher, bluesier edge than '97 versions, which I appreciated.
Reba: Haven't heard it since 12/30/96, so I was pleased. Easily the best Reba I've ever heard. Long, melodic jam with a great deal of build up and release. Complete with whistling too.
My Soul: In the past, I've repeatedly ragged on this tune, and it still isn't one of my favs., but this was a particuarly rocking version. Comparable to the Went. Still, as a set closer? I dunno.
Overall, the Mike's Groove was fantastic and Reba was excellent. Everything else was standard, and I was surrounded by assholes. But a Mike's opener is to be comended regardless of the rest of the set.
Over set break I convinced the vomiting kid and his friend to switch seats with me and my friend because their seats weren't covered in vomit, and ours were. Didn't seem like too much to ask. Now, I enter a plea...if Phish is your favorite band, like they are mine, it sure as hell wouldn't be such a bad idea to go sober to shows. You'll be able to enjoy the music for all it's worth, and won't be stricken with paranoia of arrest either. Party after the show (but only after there's no chance of you driving a car!).
II: Roses are Free > Piper > Loving Cup > Antelope
Roses Are Free: This song is a very entertaining, fun sing along (in fact I heartily reccomend Ween's Chocolate and Cheese...one of the few joke albums that you're guaranteed to listen to multiple times...just so lon as you aren't easily offended!). I had a feeling they would jam it out. For the most part, the jam was sweet. A nice, steady, 4/4 rock jam that had Trey smiling, walking around aimlessly, looking like he was bumping into invisible walls. Haha. Plenty of wah, and Mike was turned up high as well. Unfortunately, it sort of degenerated into the dark, sludgy jamming that most people associate with overlong '94 '95 Tweezers. Maybe it'll sound different on tape, but t'was one of those jams where you really couldn't dance to it...just look on in wonder. Eventually turned into....
Piper: Wow. This song is fantastic on tape, but until you witness it first hand, you'll never truly understand the power behind this song. Trey was hunched over in rock star mode, just consistently banging out the chord progression, while everything got faster and faster....easily some of the highest energy of the night. Amazing. They hit the slow part, and proceeded to jam it out. Interesting, contemplative slow jamming that sort of reminded me of the slow stuff from the 12/11 DWD. Melodic, but this too became a little too much of a mess. Eventually, everyone drops out except Page a'la Coil, and he takes about a 30 second solo before hitting the chords to...
Loving Cup: Just a gorgeous song. Unfortunately, near the end, some dude jumped on stage, and jumped back into the crowd before Pete Carini could get his hands on him.
Antelope: Throughout the opening segment Trey and Fish made fun of the recent incident with periodic chants of "Carini's gonna get 'cha" and "Don't attack the drummer". At least they've got a sense of humor about questionable fan behavior. Antelope featured a rockin' glow stick war, but next time, don't throw so many on the stage. Mighty fine Antelope, plenty of intensity, and a VERY funked out "rye rye rocco" section. This closed the set at a scant 60 minutes.
Overall, an action packed set, but I thought it was a little short, and a few of the jams left a little to be desired. Very similar to a fall '97 set.
E: Lucy had a Lumpy Face > Halley's Comet, Tweeprise
Obviously a nice encore, perhaps to make up for the short set II. Carini was brought out in the first song, just like at 12/30/97. Hopefully the tune will be used for something other than encores in the near future. Halley's was good, and Tweeprise is CONSISENTLY excellent.
An above average show with a kick ass Mike's Groove and great jams in Reba, most of Roses, Piper and Antelope. Perhaps a 7 out of 10....who knows....worth having on tape at any rate. On another note, the security guard in section 217 was among one of the nicest guards I've ever seen. Talking to the fans, making jokes, it actually seemed like he was (gasp) enjoying the job. How nice for a change.
"She's in love with a boy from the rodeo, who pulls the ROPE on the CHUTE when they let those suckers Go whoa whoa!" -ZAPPA
-dave
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Subject: Carini's Gonna Get You! (4/3 Review)
From: guyute2001@aol.com (Guyute2001)
Date: 1998/04/04
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Hey guys - 9th show for me, and what a show! I honesty thought it was great -- had some really solid moments. Remember my limo post before? Well, limo turned into town car...had fun fitting five people in that one. 12.28.94 II and 12.30.97 I+E made good listening material en route. Ran into some old, old friends outside, but other than that the lots sucked...very little vending; no shirts or anything. Show started at around 8:07 (?)
Mike's Song - This gave me such a rush...four months without Phish is a long time. Don't remember it too well, except for that the crowd was raging at the beginning. Rather tight, I think, without much experimentation...still a treat ->
Old Home Place - Terrible placement, imo. There are some songs that seem odd but turn out well between Mikes and Groove (see Mango Song 12.28.94) -- but bluegrass doesn't fit here. Still played very well, and one of my more favored bluegrass tunes. No segue into
Weekapaug Groove - Here's where the fun starts. I'll leave this for Dirksen, but it segued into a CE&P jam that was monumental. It was tight as anything, with Fish laying down a fantastic beat and everyone just grooving off it. I don't think there was a seated person in the house. Back into Weekapaug (to much applause), Weekapaug ends and I figure it's break time. Yup.
Trainsong - Doesn't really do it for me, still a pretty song.
Billy Breathes - Okay, two song break is understandable after a Mike'sGroove opener. This is so pretty but Trey does need to review some of the chord progressions before each show where he plays it (yeah, I know, no setlists). The solo is constantly off. BTW, am I noticing some similarities to 11.22.97 I here?
Beauty of My Dreams - This one really doesn't do it for me, but it was a chance to catch a little groove (it was well-played) before
Reba - All I could think was "treat-time"! I was hoping for another good solid jam before the end of the set and we got it. Trey pulled off the first half or so of the composed section flawlessly and then lost it in the fugue. The jam "stalled" a little but picked itself up...I think Page was lagging behind a little in ferocity...two steps behind everyone else -- anyone else notice this?
My Soul - For all the shit this song gets, they do a goddamn good job with it. I think My Soul is all about the live experience...it's not much fun on tape. In that respect, better than 11.26 and 12.30, but not quite as intense as 8.16.
Set ended around 8:23. Also, for all the shit Nassau takes it's a lot more organized than, say, Hartford. We spent our time fucking with this friend of a friend who had smoked too much. He was weirded out. As soon as my friend Ed said "uh, this set break is getting kind of long", the lights fell (approx. 10:07)
Roses Are Free - I did not recognize this at first, but the lyrics clued me in. A hell of a lot nicer than 12.11. The jam was great, though I can't remember much of it. Trey found some excellent little grooves during it. Segue into
Piper - I had been hoping to catch this for a long time. I think it's great how it's initially such an unassuming song but has become to be the climax of many shows. Here it was a false climax, as the true climax came with Antelope. Very well done, with tons of energy as usual. The ending was drawn out into a little Page jam which went into
Loving Cup - Excellent placement! I was in the mood for this song, and it hit me just right. Near the end, this psycho (who will now go down in history) jumped on-stage and did this jumping, crazy dance. The crowd loved it. I was entertained. Carini ran after him but he escaped. So they closed Loving Cup and started
Antelope - This was a monster. To start, during the opening segment, they stopped the music altogether several times and Fish gave a little talk: "We're going to play a game. The game is: don't let Carini get you. Another rule is don't attack the drummer." Then after every few measures Fish and Trey would sing "Carini's gonna get you." It was absolutely priceless and hilarious. This jammed...jesus, this jammed. I haven't heard 12.29.97, but this must have at least rivaled it. Possibly the highlight of the show for me. They slowed down the ry ry rocco segment to about half tempo...had a little trouble picking it back up, but eventually made it. Then during the "run run run" the first few times through, they only played the ending "duh-DUH, duh-DUH". Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Jesus, was that coliseum loud before the encore. Of course, what could follow a Carini performance by another Carini performance?
Carini Had a Lumpy Head: This song is great to hear live. Well played...by this time I had completely drenched myself from the Antelope and could feel the sweat in my eyes. So you knew they couldn't just play Carini, right? And you knew what monster encores it breeds (a la 12.30). So Trey yells at Mike, and
Halley's Comet: Great choice, I never would have guessed it. Fun Halley's, but not jammed at all. But now you're thinking, they never end anything with Halley's. Okay. > (fake segue)
Tweeprise: Perfect choice again. High energy, good closure (not closer) to the whole night. Of course, on the other hand, there's not much else to be said for Tweeprise.
Great show, imo. I do NOT mind the floor-rushers and the guy on stage...it was pre-show entertainment as far as I'm concerned. I really don't care if they can't play Nassau again because it isn't that cool a place.
Such highlights: Weekapaug, Reba, Set II, encore ;-) You had to leave smiling.
So, ratings: Set I: 7.0 Set II: 7.5 E: 8.5
Overall, maybe a 7.5 show. I may be overrating it...I don't know. But I enjoyed it...that's the most important part. And once again, like 12.30, half of it was being there.
Thanks for reading,
Charlie
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Subject: Fwd: Trapped in Time!!
Friday, April 3rd 1998, Nassau Coliseum
Once again, I danced in the Sweet Spot for this show, which seemed to be much
more crowded on the floor, than the previous night. The Mike's Song opener was
great, of course. Who can complain about a Mike's opener?!? Musically, it was
nothing to make you shit your pants (that would come later). It segues nicely
into MOHP, somewhat surprisingly imo.
After MOHP, came one of the best Weekapaugs I have *ever* heard. No shit. This
Week was OUTSTANDING. Easily some of the hottest jamming I've heard, even by 97
standards. My previous favourite 97 Week was 8/9 Alpine, but this takes the
cake,
imo. The first 5 minutes of the jam are typically smokin', but still nothing to
make you forget where you are ;) Then, Page started to dance around on the Clav,
while Mike, Trey, & Fish held a steady, yet relatively slow (for Week) beat...
this jam felt as though it would explode at any given second, yet instead, it
dropped into a very Psychedelic Groove.
At ~7.5 minutes, there was a Trey Funky Breakdown, which jumped back into the
Psychedelic Groove. This groove was very Great Curvey, & was starting to make
me
Dance The Freaknik. At ~9 min, Trey & Mike started "oooh ooh"ing to the basic
melody of the Great Curve. This was followed by some serious Crosseyed &
Painless jamming. This jam is siiiiiick, & must be heard by all!!! When they
brought it back to the Weekapaug theme, it was one of those moments when you say
to yourself, "HOLY SHIT, I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE BRINGING IT BACK AROUND!!!!"
This Week is one of the reasons I go to Phish shows.
The rest of the 1st set is irrelevant, although the Reba was good (I haven't
listened to the Reba on tape, yet, so I will refrain from commenting about it).
The 2nd set opened with the 3rd performance of Roses Are Free.. I have been
fortunate enough to catch all of them, and this one did not disappoint. It went
on for almost 30 minutes, with a lot of excellent jamming, even some playing
with
Psycho Killer. Piper segued out of it, & was jammed out at the end, although in
a completely different fashion from the 12/6 Auburn Hills & 12/12 Albany Pipers.
It didn't rage or explode, it simply jammed fairly calmly, and eventually (at
about 43 minutes into the set), dropped into just Page, who led the band into a
decent version of Loving Cup.
At the end of the Loving Cup, someone jumped on stage, pointed at Trey, jumped
up and down, & then jumped off the stage, over the front-row barrier, as he was
chased by a security guard (it was not Carini, fwiw).
The fourth and final song of the set was Antelope. During the intro, Fish said,
"If you're going to jump on stage, don't let Carini get you..... It's okay to
jump on stage, just don't let Carini get you." Then Trey said something like
that as well, & Fish commented, "Don't attack the drummer." This went on for a
bit before the 'lope shifted gears. The jam segment featured a few screams from
Fish, & then the Marco groove contained some more joking about Carini, some
"start/stop" action, and a guest appearance from the real Carini. A fun end to
the set!
The encore, predictably (no, I'm NOT complaining) started with Carini. I said
predictably, because it made sense for them to play it, although I was still
surprised when they actually did. The Carini was performed excellently, and was
complemented beautifully by Chris.
Luckily for us, they followed this with Halley's. Why do I say lucky? Well,
the band doesn't know how to end Halley's, therefore, we were guaranteed a third
song. The Halley's jam was sahweeeet, & jumped into a scorchin' Tweeprise.
There are few things I love more than rocking out to a Tweeprise.
The Tweeprise closer led us to predict a Tweezer opener the following night in
Providence, but I'll talk about that later.
Once again, please cc comments to me at 102665.2104@compuserve.com
What a beautiful buzz...
P.S. 8/15/93 Stash!
-----
In rec.music.phish on Sat, 04 Apr 1998 23:21:09 -0500,, Sean
"...you can get up on the stage, just don't let carini get ya!" :)
damn, what a show... seemed like they took every song to the
limit...and then some.
just got back from a long, strange train & bus trip back to ithaca.
there were a few heads from cornell on the same bus, but i was too
"out
of it" and really tired to start up a conversation... if you were on
the
bus and are reading this, drop me a line... we could chill sometime
and
smoke something and chat about the show.
some random babble:
set1
mike's: whew! that got things going big time. kick ass as usual..
not
much i can say 'cause it seemed like ages ago and i don't really
remember it that well, sorry... so much more crazy shit went down that
night- its like overload.
old home place: i was psyched/surpised/real happy to hear it. felt
like
it was sort of a break out, but i don't have any statistics or
anything... seemed like a weird song to segue into from a mike's, but
it
definitely worked! and i love blue grass, so it was OK with me :)
weakapaug: wow. seemed like mike's bass intro was twice as long as
it
usually is. then they just took this song way out.... and it settled
down into what i thought could be a new song... in which they started
"ooooing" (if this wasn't a composed song, then damn. what a sweet
jam... very groovy. if i remember correctly, i thought this jam/song
sounded very pink floyd-esque) ..... then it took off again and caught
back up with the weakapaug jam.... this was insane right here. i felt
like i was a bubble and they just kept on wushing me up in the jam
higher and higher for what seemed like forever. they took this song
up
way, way high. it finally ended and i came crashing back down and
they
started up
Train Song, which i thought was perfect song selection. we
all needed
a breather and it was a nice song to just chill and soak in the
lyrics.
the sweet girl next to me let me have a sip of her water which was
like
mana from the gods... i really needed it... so refreshing. she let me
have another sip later on too. Thank you SO much, whoever you are :)
billy breathes: i loved it. such a moving song... love trey's solo
on
this... i was swaying in the sea of sounds. and trey was just
*soaring*... really sweet.
then they took awhile to decide on the next song (i was thinking it
was
time for another huge jam song) but they finally decided and started
up...
Beauty of My Dreams.... i was a *tiny* bit dissapointed at first (its
impossible to be truly disappointed at a phish show), but i took it as
a
dancing warm up... a very gradual energy build. but then my theory was
proved wrong when they played
Dog Stole Things, which was a first for me. I really dug this song.
cool lyrics. i *really* enjoyed it. very groovy... this laid back,
mellow stuff was great. definately OK by me. phish had it all worked
out. then
REBA! :) yes! the audience went nuts (again for the umteenth time that
night :) ) the reba jam seemed really weird to me. it seemed like
trey
was playing on a plane parallel to the plane the rest of the band was
playing on like his playing was offset a bit.... it was really wild
at
the time. very very weird/enjoyable. tho, for the real verdict on
this
one i'd have to check the tapes (which i don't have)... but wow at the
show it was incredible.... and thats what really matters. whew! then
they completed the song w/ whistling.... nice. :)
My Soul: i was all "ughh" at first... but then (and this alway happens
with this song) they just played the crap out of it. unbelievable
heights reached with this. great dancing fun. during this song i was
watching the lights more than i usually do.... chris was tearing it up
as well. each "mamamamamammama soul" part he'd do a cool different
pattern and was keeping perfect time... and you could see him working
it- he was playing that light board like it was a piano or something.
he really is the "fifth member of the band"... (but on the subject of
lights.....ANTELOPE....wow..but that wasn't until much later)
...anyway, that My Soul ended up bringing the house down and was a
great
closer to the fist set.
all-in-all, great set... some *real high* energy stuff, with some nice
mellow stuff in the middle
set 2:
Roses are Free- i was undecided about this cover before going to the
show. it was like on the same level as Circus to me. but not now.
WHOA... did they JAM off of this.... the jam that came out of this
song
was crazy.... its like ( roses are free--> WTF!? ). man, i don't even
know....who would of thought roses are free would be such a launch
pad?.... check the tapes.... then
Piper was like a composed song in the sea of improv... Piper just came
out of the abyss... on the heels of that jam storm.... wow..... cool
very layery textiley song... very cool..... then after lingering for a
bit with Piper, Phish took off again to explore more of the unknown
for
a little bit...and (i guess it was Page's work)
Loving Cup emerged. wow.... this song just jammed way out! (like i
said
*every* song was taken past the limit) ... got way out
there.....WTF?....check the tape. it settled on a groove and a fan w/
an
animal (i think it was a bear) backpack (hmmmmmm, sound familiar to
anyone? was Bare Koala involved in this? is this guy a relative
perhaps? :) ) danced acrossed the stage and was chased by Carini....
which started some stage banter and the "Carini's gonna get ya!"
chant/
jam.....then somewhere in all this
Antelope started up..... some kids got blown out of the colliseum
(myself included) with this song..... INTENSE! lots of unusual
start/stop places in this one....with more Carini chants sprinkled
around...... but the build on this song was HUGE... they built so much
that the climax ended up being somewhere in the upper atmosphere...
wow!
i'd say it was definitely *way* more intense than the 12/29... huge
way
to end the set.
there was a *ton* of funk in this set.... i didn't know Trey was such
a
good dancer. did anybody see what i saw? he was fucking getting
down!
like he had a seriously bad case of the funk...and he couldn't shake
it
off.... a really cool high step type dance..... damn. he was dancing
all over the stage. i don't remember when exactly this occured (maybe
it was even in the encore), but *wow*. someone say something... i
can't
be only one who noticed this.
encore:
Carini: i'm 2-for-2 with U.S. Carinis (last show i saw before this
show
was 12/30) :) (lucky me... :P pbbbtt!) ...nice... it makes a good
encore song....Carini himself came out..a little jamming...then it
quieted down a bit....and MIke started singing
Halley's Comet: nice! not much to say about it. i don't remember if
there was anything unusual about it.. great song, tho.
Tweezer Reprise: when they started this up, i was thinking it was
gonna
be a full blown Tweezer (that seems a little unrealistic now, but at
the
show....).... but i very quickly realized it was Tweeprise..... Very
cool, tho. and surprising (a tweeprise w/o the tweezer?). maybe
they'll
do the Tweezer tonight. anyway, HUGE build and climax and made for a
perfect ending...... WOW.
I wish i was at Providence.... i SHOULD be there, i BELONG there....
but
school work.....ahh, well.
the energy at this show was definitely up there.... comparable to the
energy @ 12/30. but last night the enery *on the stage* was much more
intense.... and i think this will show in the tapes. it wasn't alot
of
intricate jamming (like DWD->Bowie from 12/29) it was more "in your
face" kick ass intense jamming. energy builds... tension and release,
ect.
this assesment of the show should be taken as just a personal account
(i
guess that goes w/o saying).... because i get way *into* the music and
dance my ass off....most of the time i have my eyes closed.... by the
end..... i'm just like WTF?! and its all a big blob of jam. its hard
to
remember details...and i don't stop dancing/concentrating on what's
being played to write notes. so your best bet would be to just give
the
tapes a listen and decide for yerself :)
some more random stuff:
i heard some girl yelling for Bill Marconi before the show, but
couldn't
figure out where it was coming from. i hope whoever was looking for
you, Bill, found you. hmmm...so i probably saw some netters there
and
you probably saw me, but we don't know for sure. :) i couldn't make
the
net gathering 'cause i was on a bus.
at one point during the show, i'm not sure when, it sounded like paul
was messing around with us... all of a sudden all the sound started
whirling around the colliseum for like 10 seconds... it was really
weird. was it just me? probably..
2 points i'd like to make:
1) i love hippies
take it easy,
sean
-----
In rec.music.phish on 4 Apr 1998 16:16:57 GMT,, thisgjord@aol.com
(ThisGJord) posted:
Friday Night:
Mike's Song was cool, I don't know if the next song is Plow, but
Weekapaug
rocked!! Train SOng was a disappointment as is Billy Breathes.
Beauty and Dog
Stole Things I have tapes of somewhere, but never really listened to
them, so
they were kinda new to me last night. I wasn't really in the mood for
Reba,
but it sounded decent. Then My SOul!!! Wahoo!!!
Roses Are Free was a major disappointment. I knew they needed
something to
make this show worthwile, but so far, I wasn't seeing it...Piper and
it's jam
were kinda boring,the jams were getting repetitive...until Loving
Cup!! Then
Antelope had me going wild!!! Especially the glow sticks we were
throwing
around!..Yes, I was on the floor both nights, Then i knew THey would
play
Carini, but I never really heard Halley's Comet...Once I heard the
intro to
Tweezer, I was going nuts. I actually prefer teh Reprise as to the
regular
version.
GRJ
----
In rec.music.phish on Sat, 4 Apr 1998 18:05:25 EST,, slateman
I've read some other reviews, and it seems a mix between those who
preferred the first night over the second and likewise...but I was so
blown away by the 2nd show, I cannot even describe it! Mike's Song & Old
Home Place were both ok...but Weekapaug Groove Rocked! The rest of the
first set was pretty decent, nothing all too special IMO. Reba was
awesome, and a lot of ppl seemed to love this version, but i've always
been a little disappointed in the changed guitar parts. I LOVED the live
version, but I don't think it'll ever be as good as the album version.
Just my opinion of course! The 2nd set, (taken from Phish.net)
II: Roses are Free -> Jam -> Piper -> Jam*** -> Loving Cup^ ->
Antelope
I can't express the euphoria I felt during this entire set. I
don't know how long it lasted, but Every second of this set was magic to
me. This set itself was better than both of the other shows i've seen
combined. I am not familiar w/ most of this set, unfortunately (except
for antelope of course)...and it was simply amazing. And to top it all
off, Antelope!
The crowd was so much better this nite, and the noise for an
encore was almost deafening. I loved it...Tweezer Reprise (Tweeprise as
you guys call it) was a cool ending to such an amazingly fun and excellent
show. Definitely one of my favorite shows i've ever seen...
Just my opinions of course, but now I'm kicking myself for not
trying to go to the Rhode Island shows! :)
-slate.
----
From: Rob Winkler[SMTP:rwinkler@instrument.com]
Rob's Review of Friday, April 3, 1998 - Nassau Coliseum
Figured I'd throw my $.02 in concerning these shows. I know there are
already plenty of reviews posted, but I don't necessarily agree with what
some of the others had to say. If you're one of those people who cares,
I've seen 25 shows and have a big old box of tapes.
I was able to make it out from Arizona to all but the first of these "spring
surprise" shows, and what a treat! The boys came out with a lot of energy
and excitement, and the shows seemed to incorporate all of the best
elements of the Fall and December 1997 tours. There was a "Sneaking
Sally", a funky "Tube", a "Mike's Song" opener, a "Carini" encore, and a
hefty helping of phunk (since we technically aren't supposed to refer to it
as "funk"). The weekend was also marked by a tendency to open each
show with one of the huge jam tunes. The boys weren't wasting any time
gettin' down to business.
The Friday show was my first of the run, and I was hearing good reviews
of the night before. I got to Nassau Coliseum by train late in the afternoon,
grabbed a french-bread pizza on the lot, and went in to the show. From
my limited experience, the Nassau Coliseum was nowhere near the
overzealous security nightmare I had always heard it was. The authorities
seemed relatively relaxed, especially compared to a scene such as
Landover, MD.
Set 1
Mike's Song - The boys opened in style. Nice jam, but I can't remember
much about it. This segued into...
My Old Home Place - This was a legitimate segue. The Mike's jam had
been getting really spacey, and then a bluegrass riff gradually emerged
from the psychadelic groove. It was reminiscent of stuff the Dead used to
do.
Weekapaug Groove - Nice long version with some great phunking
(clavinet jamming from Page). There was one spot where they started
"Ooooohh" - ing a familiar sounding melody, possibly one of the "Remain
in Light" tunes, as some have suggested. I definitely did not think it
sounded "Cross-eyed & Painless" at the show, but maybe the tapes will
change my mind? The Weekapaug definitely had a different ending than
any I've heard before. After Page's long clavinet workout, Trey started
wailing while Fishman kept speeding up the tempo until it was at least
double the normal Weekapaug tempo. Then they finished the song with
some familiar sounding coda, without returning to do the second chorus.
If the ending was something out of another song, I didn't recognize it. It
was definitely not the "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" ending, though.
Train Song - My heart was racing after the furious Weekapaug, so this
provided a welcome opportunity to rest. I really enjoyed this song as
usual. I thought it was a little odd that it was four songs into the show
and all the lead vocals so far had been Mike. Cool.
Billy Breathes - More chill. It sounded like Trey was really off-key in
several places during the solo, though.
Beauty of my Dreams - I didn't enjoy Trey's playing on the bluegrass
numbers this weekend nearly as much as on past tours. Also, this is
my least favorite of the bluegrass numbers. The lyrics don't do anything
for me, and it seems like Trey's voice doesn't do the song any justice. I
started getting a little antsy at this point.
Dogs Stole Things - It was apparent that they were throwing us a mixed
bag at this point to balance out all the crazy jamming we heard to open
the set.
Reba - All right!!!! This song seemed to almost drop out of the rotation
in 97, so it was especially nice to hear. Trey really botched the end of
the composed section right before the jam started, but the jam was
really beautiful. Trey was especially patient in building up through the
mellower part of the jam, and it climaxed quite nicely. To boot, we got
the whistling and chorus reprise! Remember, any song with whistling
is a good thing.
My Soul - High energy to close the set, but nothing special.
Set 2
Roses are Free - I never, ever would have called this to open the
second set. I had been thinking that the second set opening spot was
really becoming a big jam spot for whichever song was featured (see
11/23 Gin, 11/29 Jim, or 12/30 Bag for examples), and this show
continued in that tradition. This was easily the longest Roses ever
played, as the jam went on for a good 20 minutes after the last chorus.
The jam was played mostly at the same moderate tempo as the song
itself, and it featured a lot of clavinet exploration. Trey really did very
little soloing during the whole jam. Eventually Page switched to the
piano as the jam got mellower, and then came the segue into...
Piper - Pretty standard version, which is always a treat to these ears.
Again, all of the soloing was by Page, this time on the piano. The end
of the song morphed into a nice, slow, sort of funky jam which lasted
about 7 or 8 minutes. It featured some noisy "broken airplane" effects
from Trey, and it kept making me think that a segue into Free was
coming. Eventually, though, all the instruments dropped out except for
the piano, as if we were at the end of Squirming Coil. After about 20
seconds of this, Page dropped into the opening notes of...
Loving Cup - Talk about goosebumps!! When I heard the opening notes,
I was instantly covered with them. This was a standard, really nice
version, and we finally got some serious shredding action from Trey.
During the last chorus (after Trey's rippin' solo), some bro jumped up on
stage in front of Fish's kit and proceeded to dance across the front of the
stage. Pete Carini ran out and just as he was about to grab him, the guy
jumped back off the stage, landed feet first in the audience, and walked
coolly away. At first I was pretty annoyed that someone would jump up
on stage like that, but it turned out to have an up-lifting effect on the rest
of the show.
Run Like an Antelope - During the opening section to this song, Fishman
kept stopping the beat to say things like "If you're going to jump up on
stage, DON'T let Carini get you!" and "Also, don't attack the drum kit" and
"Whatever you do, DON'T let Carini get you!". Eventually this evolved
into all of them singing "Carini's gonna get you!" which was just hilarious.
By the time they got to the big power chords that start the second section
of the song, the crowd was practically in a frenzy with excitement and joy,
and as soon as the jam started, a huge glow stick war ensued. Toph even
dimmed the lights to let the multi-colored sticks become the light show.
Many of these were traveling at very high rates of speed, and I saw Trey
in particular have to dodge several which were chucked at the stage. They
didn't interrupt the jamming, however, and the jam peaked ferociously.
They really did some strange stuff with the rest of the song. The Marco
Esquandolas section was played at a much slower than normal tempo,
probably half-time, and then they did some stop-time action with the
"Run, Run, Run..." section. Again, this was quite hilarious, and I was
practically in tears laughing at how crazy it sounded. What a great,
jamming set!
Encore:
Carini - This was an obvious choice after what had happened earlier,
and I was really psyched to hear it. My first live version ever, and thoughts
about that legendary 12/30/97 encore ensued. Again they got Carini to
come out to the front of the stage. At the end, they took the "Carini had a
lumpy head" chorus into a capella territory, much like a typical "My Friend",
but without the laughter. Immediately following the last repetition of the
chorus, Mike started up ...
Halley's Comet - Oh yeah!! Another first for me! The 12/30/97 vibe was
definitely in the air. This was a standard Halley's, and out of the ending
note came the opening notes to...
Tweezer Reprise - Holy smokes!! Never expected this either. Where
was the main part of Tweezer, everyone wondered. No matter, though.
The reprise has a way of building the energy level up to unbelievable heights,
and this one sent us out with a giant rush. What a fantastic ending to an
awesome show! Everyone I talked to after the show was all smiles!
-----
Subject: Island our Highlights - Damn Long
Friday 4/3
Ahh! Mike's Opener! Run for your lives! Actually, Reilly called this
one, figuring after a Tube opener we'd see 4 straight shows with
mind-boggling openers. How did he get to be so smart? :)
This Mike's rocked for an entire 15 minutes, and was considerably good
being in that slot! Certainly better than 12-9 (Penn State) and I'd have
to say just as good as the 11-22 (Hampton) 1st set Mike's opener. Old
Home Place was oddly placed as far as I'm concerned, but Trey turned to
Mike looking for a suggestion and that's what he suggested to a shrugging
"ok," of Trey's.
The Weekapaug however, was stellar and came in at 18 minutes. The jam
segment went on *forever* and seemed to almost segue into a new song then
back into Weekeapug. At one point in the jam, Trey looked to Fishman and
Fish pulled his mic to his mouth, although he never sang anyhting. Again
this jam digressed into something similar from the post Twist jam the
night before (band members "ooh"-ing and Chris doing a similar effect
lighting the band from behind) Suddenly amidst the chaos Trey raised his
finger with the number one and the band launched back into Weekapaug.
The next four songs (Trainschwag, Billy Brothed, Beauty in my Pants, and
Dogs Stole an Otherwise Great Slot for a Song) were painful to hear all in
a row, but better here than a few hours later. But all was saved by the
Reba. Nice jam in there before the dreaded My Soul.
Second set of Friday was probably the best musically of the run. Another
four song set which tore the roof off of Nassau. The Roses are Free went
on for almost a half hour (28 mins for those playing at home) of pure
rock-n-roll bliss, which then segued into an incredible Piper. More
intense than the Palace Piper (the only other one I've seen) and better
(though I can't describe how) that the Utah Piper, which was my favorite
up till then, this is quickly becoming my favorite song. You heard it
first here, I'm calling a Mike's->Piper->Weekapaug to open Portland. ;^)
Out of Piper formed a jam that can really only be described as "niiyce!"
but I think you'd need to hear me say that word out loud to fully gather
its meaning ;^) This unique jam (it was after the traditional end of
Piper but before the Page solo where he started Loving Cup) was an entire
10 minutes, more than enough to warrant a Piper->Jam->Loving Cup imho.
Loving Cup was Loving Cup (which is to say great!) but Antelope was
something else. I was thoroughly geeked to hear the opening of what was
to become the first '98 Antelope - especially with all the "Carini's Gonna
Get You!" madness. 1997 was such a great year for Antelopes, and I feel
safe in saying that 1998 will be as good...but in a different way. This
was not like an Albany nor a 12.29 Antelope, but had an energy all its
own. I'm sure many people will say this was not as good as those
Antelpoes, and some will say better. I can say that it didn't get as
crazy as either of those, and it was relatively short (15 minutes) but it
rocked nonethess. But don't believe me, cause I'm stupid, remember?
The Encore, in the words of Aaron, "Rules all worlds." Carini (obvoiusly)
-> Halley's (whu...?!?) -> Tweeprise...what a night. Who can complain?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 19:45:52 GMT
[it's nice to be back]
I've been wondering about emotions, concentration levels, jamming and the
effect of random occurrences upon any of these at Phish concerts. More
specifically, I've been thinking about these relationships as they pertain to
the second set of 4/3/98 since I just heard it on tape for the first time today
since being in the Coliseum that night.
As a live performance, I found that set to be utterly amazing, but not
necessarily for the general "quality" of Phish music that was produced.
Actually, from this aspect, I found the music kind of average for them, which,
and I say this only for those of us who will take exception to the use of the
term "average" in describing Phish, is still better than any band playing today
(boy what I won't go through to avoid a flame). What I found amazing about the
show was a demonstration of the sensitivity and response of the band to life,
and how those in attendance witnessed a wonderous example of this.
Without a doubt my premise is based on nothing factual. It's purely the
conjecture of another fun loving Phish fan who's willing to share his illusions
with any of you like minded nutcases with very little pertinent activity going
on in their lives at the moment. So I have to tell you that even without the
influence of chemical enhancements, and while performing such a mundane and
tedious task as driving to work this morning, formulating the schedule of
events that would make up my day, rational functioning dissolved in a flash
once I began to listen again to the music of 4/3. Conscious driving control
slipped to the semiconscious, as my heart and mind were lured back to that
night and to the experience I found so genuinely unique. Stay the course with
me a bit, and allow me to try, anyway, to sell this dream to you.
Roses Are Free is a nice song, and if I could say more than that about it, I
would. The jam that followed it that night seemed to me, both then and now, to
be somewhat directionless. I remember Trey settling into a phunky rhythm role
which implied an attempt to pass the driving theme of the jam over to Page.
Actually this appeared to happen a couple of times during this part of the
show, but nothing significantly unique developed. Maybe nothing unique was
supposed to develop. Maybe the intent was to just sort of noodle around in a
deep phunky groove, and repeat the same phrasing pretty much forever. I don't
know enough about phunky structures to say what was happening. I do know my
sweetie fell asleep for a couple of minutes from the mesmerizing effect it had,
and from the overpowering heat of the third tier that night in the Coliseum.
Nothing struck me as important during this jam except what I discover at times
to be a function of jamming in general, and that is, that during a jam, one
member may stray into a musical phrase that reminds them of another song. I
mentioned before that the Mike's Song jam of 12/2/97 led both Trey and Mike
serendipitously to a key note phrase from Simple, which they moved into several
bars later. On this particular night, toward the end of the jam following
Roses, one hears partial Piper phrasing. It almost sounds, from the point that
Trey picks up on the phrase, that the band begins to position itself to start
Piper more formally. I choose to believe, because I'm not a musician in any
way shape or form, that these events are accidents of the jam, and cannot be
planned beforehand. If the concentrative process behaves as it does in other
areas of cognitive activity, it's difficult to imagine one so deeply immersed
in pushing the mental functions of listening, absorbing and responding to the
utmost limits, being capable of intentionally dropping a phrase unless it
somehow "fit" into the specific moment. There are times when Trey will have an
idea to start another song and stop where they're at to move to it, but that's
not what happened here or in the Mike's.
Piper followed the jam, as most naturally it should have. That night I was
swept away by Piper, even though since then, I have heard versions that not
only sweep me away, but dump my sorry ass out with the trash. Nonetheless I
stood in awe of this relatively simple song, as it pumped me up for an energy
level I was happy to see happen. Instead, the level abruptly returned to those
of the previous jam, as it seemed that the boys lacked stamina or interest at
this point in the show. When they began Loving Cup, the house roared a bit
louder at the hope of having the band rock out a bit more. Loving Cup was
indeed substantial, but it wasn't until the end of this song, that the whole
point of this post really begins to congeal.
You're playing nine innings and you started out all hell bent on a good game.
Your first time at bat, energy fresh, you fight the pitcher well and are
satisfied with a single. Fourth inning you lead off, a little more tired of a
game you're up five runs in. So you settle back on your heels and go for the
fences. You give it a good shot as you drive the centerfielder back, almost to
the track. A mild rush when the ball leaves your bat, but you know almost as
quickly, it ain't goin nowhere. Too many brews and the groping session with
Marie the night before has left you, shall we say, satisfied? Your thoughts
tend to slip back there. It's your last at bat in the eigth, and your team is
still ahead comfortably, and you don't quite know what you're going to do as
you step up to it once again. The reliever is kicking back real hard, trying
to prove himself as a starter, and as you play the better-than-average game
that you usually do, you're comfortable to swing at a really bad pitch outside.
Giving the pitcher a smirk because you know you're better than that, you show
him you just don't care about his second string antics as he winds the next one
up and brings it in low. You fall back again upon your heels and dream of
sailing one over the fence when you suddenly realize a high hard one is heading
for your face at 80 mph sending every gland into overdrive in a fraction of a
instant. You drop from fear, avoiding being hit, and as you let you anger fall
away, what's left is the strength, energy and attitude that should be yours
every minute of every game. You return to the plate, composed, but awake,
tuned to the pointedness of mind which is required by what you choose to do.
Knees flexed, back, shoulders and arms in perfect relaxation, the networked
flow of concentrative energy sparkles through your body. Awake as if
dreamlike, the pitch floats into reach. You seem not the doer any longer, but
the observer of atoms colliding in space, as the bat spits the ball heavenward
at the moment that you, the bat and the ball become one in an moment of
reality. You round the bases, and dance across home plate, jubilant that you
have found the vibe of life once more.
It's a tremendous credit to their ability, that the band, deep into the
instrumental return towards the end of Loving Cup did not miss a beat when our
brother fan ran across the stage chased by a rather slow Carini. I would think
on center stage in a massive crowd of twenty thousand or so, one might have a
lingering bit of trepidation over being so vulnerable. It's conveniently safe
to conclude that the majority of us would never threaten anyone, let alone the
individuals whom we cherish so dearly. But shear numbers produce increased
deviations from the mean, and, sorry to say, the likelihood of some whacko
attacking the band increases with the size of the venues. For the band to stay
as transfixed in the music while all of us huddle possibly menacingly at times,
is a credit to their ability once again. But the high hard one definitely came
close at the end of Loving Cup.
Shamelessly, I must admit, I'm glad it did, because something definitely
changed in the band after that event occurred. Whether or not it was an
adrenaline rush isn't possible to know. All I can opinionate on is that the
bands whole attitude changed. Reacting to the event brought changes to their
musical routine and standard psychological patterns. The way the band
typically begins Antelope was interrupted by Fish's verbal reaction to the
stage guest. The whole Carini rap reset the rhythmic opening of Antelope, and
I'm not quite sure if all of the band wasn't quite flushed by the whole thing.
But what's remarkable about it all is how they absorbed what life had thrown at
them and used the slight twist of events to their advantage, and consequently
ours. They worked their concerns into the music and implemented variations
based on events. This is dynamic, incredible showmanship. Its's a
recoognizable function of this band that brings it closer to its audience in
ways that other performers are incapable of doing.
Antelope was not an overly tight version of that song. When you're back on
your toes, at first you're not always steady. This Antelope played different
than most, not necessarily better, but different. They brought in a unique
stop/start routine during the "run run run run" section towards the end of the
song. I found this an amazing example of musical mastery. Trey also signalled
for the glow stick war during this song, which was another way in which they
responded to the "insanity" of the moment, using it to keep the vibe high, the
emotional level peaked, yet controlled. What followed as the encore was simply
an acceleration of the vibe energy. Antelope was the adjustment to the rush of
disaster, and the encore was their homerun. The strongest memory I have of
that night is of Trey doing a guitar dance while Tweeprise raged on stage. In
triumphant ecstacy, they were crossing home plate, dancing to the vibe of life.
I'm old enough, and also lucky enough, to remember being at Yankee Stadium and
witnessing Mickey Mantle drop one in the right field seats to win a game in the
bottom of the ninth. I lived the combined emotion of fifty thousand screaming
ecstatic fans in jubilant triumph as a hobbled old man crossed home plate with
one more coup, giving us all one more joyful memory to fill our simple little
lives. I can honestly tell you all that there isn't really much difference for
me at this point in my life between that recollection and the one of the band
at the end of 4/3.
I sincerely hope, for all of you, many such memories in life.
have a great weekend,
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 10:59:46 -0400
From: "Douglas L. Wertheimer"
I: Mike's > MOHP > Weekapaug!, Trainsong, Billy Breathes, Beauty, Dogs, Reba, My
Soul
II: Roses Are Free > Piper > Loving Cup > Antelope
E: Carini > Hell Is Coming > Tweeprise
Disco Saul AKA DJ Saul T. Nutz
......
2) i will see you all again this summer (maryland--> lemonwheel)....
can't wait
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 1998 4:25 PM
Subject: 4/3/98 review
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 19:26:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Mark Hutchison
From: Fonefono
Subject: Opinion on 4/3/98 .......... and Mickey Mantle
bill