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Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 01:57:40 GMT
From: CS
Subject: MTV reviews 8/6 Lakewood
Though you guys would maybe appreciate this :
reprinted without any type of permission from www.mtv.com
PHISH Takes Atlanta By Storm
Seeing PHISH in concert is a lot to take in at one time. First, you
have four incredibly talented musicians playing three hours of
free-form improvisational "rock." Next, you have a spectacular light
show, complementing every note the band plays, as if the guy behind
the switchboard knows what they're going to do even before the band
does. And, of course, you have some of the most devoted fans in the
world dancing in their seats, enjoying every minute of the show.
Although many of them couldn't be spokesmodels for personal hygiene,
they are some of the nicest, coolest people to party with you at a
concert.
In the tradition of some of the "hippie bands" from the past, the
parking lot scene is pretty eventful. Almost immediately after getting
out of the car, you're bombarded with something of a swap meet.
Shirtless hippies rolling around on coolers seem to come by the
dozens, offering inexpensive beer and soda to compensate for the hot
and humid Atlanta weather. If food is what you want, then you have a
variety of items to choose from. Homemade grilled cheese sandwiches
and veggie quesadillas seem to be the most popular food in the lot.
You can also get such popular favorites as "phatty French bread pizza"
or homemade Rice Krispie treats to tide you over -- and save you from
the ridiculous prices inside. As for me, $5 got me two Diet Cokes, a
grilled cheese, and an incredible veggie quesadilla made on a portable
grill by a dreadlocked hippie named "Mikey."
So that was the scene at the Atlanta stop of PHISH's annual summer
tour at Lakewood Amphitheater. The band hit the stage about a half
hour late, opening with the doodling instrumental "Oh Kee Pah
Ceremony." They rolled through their 75-minute firstset with songs
like "Suzie Greenberg," "Fluffhead," and a plethora of new tunes that
will be on PHISH'S new album The Story of the Ghost -- hitting stores
on October 6, courtesy of Elektra Records.
The highlight of the extended set came from drummer extraordinaire Jon
Fishman, who took lead vocals on the surprise NEIL DIAMOND tune
"Cracklin' Rosie" while guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio manned the
drum kit. Fishman, with his signature red and black polka-dotted
dress, had the crowd in stitches. He ran around the stage begging for
attention before finally taking his final bows and exiting stage
right. Overall, it was an incredible end to an incredible set by
Vermont's finest band, PHISH.
But, of course, the concert was only half over. The second set was
when the band really shone, with songs like the tranquil "Prince
Caspian," and crowd sing-alongs "NICU" and "Mango Song." When time
came for the encore, PHISH proved to have saved the best for last.
Infamous for pulling out unexpected cover tunes, the band launched
into VAN HALEN'S arena-rock classic "Runnin' with the Devil." At the
end of that one, the band seemed to be as excited as the crowd was,
claiming it was the first time they had ever played the song.
The night's finale was "You Enjoy Myself," an untouchable classic off
the band's first album Junta. The crowd went absolutely berserk. In
the middle of the song, guitarist Trey and bassist Mike Gordon hopped
on a pair of trampolines for a little synchronized jumping routine --
which has become a tradition for the duo when playing the song.
By the end of the show (which clocked in at three-plus hours), you
could tell that both the crowd and the band were exhausted. Bidding
their farewells, the band members quickly disappeared, leaving the
crowd to head back to the swap meet.
-- Rob Goldstein
MTV College Stringer
feedlocal@mtvmail.com (August 10, 1998)
peace
--
CS
"Hey now, babybaby, make a way, make a way,
It's Lampshade comin your way"
--
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8/6/98 - Lakewood Amp, Atlanta, GA
I: Oh Kee Pah Ceremony Suzy Greenberg, Roses are Free, Roget,
Beauty of My Dreams, Vultures, Train Song, Billy Breathes, Fluffhead,
Moma Dance, HYHU Cracklin Rosie HYHU, My Soul
II: Birds of a Feather, Wolfman's Brother Talk, NICU, Prince Caspian,
The Mango Song, Down with Disease (86 min. with enc)
E: Running with the Devil **, You Enjoy Myself
* -- Trey called Fishman Bob Weaver again
** -- Van Halen tune, first time played
Thanks to Laura Heifitz, Ellis Goddard, and Owen Renn
Unfortunately, this Atlanta show is the only show of the tour that I was/am
able to catch, on the other hand, I got a helluva show. This was my 4th Phish
show, the other 3 being last year's Atlanta show and both Hampton shows from
the Fall. I would have to rank this show second best to 11-22-97, because
that was just an amazing show. Anyway, here's my review.
Set I:
Oh KeeSuzy: I was very very happy to hear the opening notes to Oh Kee as
I've never gotten to hear it live before. As usual, it was very jazzy and you
know, the good ol Oh Kee Pa. I was wondering where it was gonna go though,
since it hasn't been takin its usual course to Suzy very often, but when Suzy
started up, I was happy!! It was a very energetic version and a great way to
start off the show.
Roses are Free: I have this song on tape from the spring island shows and I
really like it on tape and this version didn't dissapoint. The boyz always
amaze me with what they can do with other people's songs.
Roget: I haven't heard this song before. I thought it sounded very Billy
Breathesish, as do a lot of the new songs, and that's about all I really have
to say about it.
Beauty of My Dreams: Another fun, energetic song that just gets ya dancin
away and grabbin at yer belt buckle and yellin out a YEEEE HAAAAWWW!!!
Vultures: I liked this song after hearing it on Summer '97 tapes but wondered
what happened to it in the Fall. I was happy to hear it although it took me a
minute to relize what it was. A very strong song though and I think it has
great potential.
Train Song, Billy Breathes: I put these two together because I always seem to
hear them played together. I sat down for Train Song and for Billy Breathes
until Trey's guitar solo in Billy Breathes began, because I like the solo.
This was no solo though, Trey took this song the furthest I've ever heard it
go with an amazing solo, almost making me enjoy the song.
Fluffhead: OOOHHHHH YEAH!! I was very very happy to hear the opening riff of
this one, as this was a song I was hoping to hear at this show. As always, it
was a great version, lots of energy and lots of jams.
Moma Dance: This began and I was like, yeah Black Eyed Katy, funk at its
finest. I was groovin and dancin and havin a great time, then they suddenly
started singing. I had no idea what was going on, finding out that it was a
reworked version after getting home and checking out the setlist. Not a bad
song but I enjoy Black Eyed Katy more, this song doesn't need words its such a
grooooove.
HYHUCracklin RosieHYHU: YES! I've always wanted to see Fish take the stage
and sing us a balad and he didn't dissapoint. Grabbing his cymbals he made his
way center stage and entertained us all. He sounded very very good, as
compared to old school Fish I guess. Banging away at the cymbals and taking
about 4 bows at the end, he looked like he was enjoying himself. Trey called
him Bob Weaver as he was taking his bows.
My Soul: Another fun, energetic tune. I was sure this would end the set
though, but what a way to go.
Set II:
Birds of a Feather: Yeah! Once again, I heard this song on tapes from the
spring mini-tour and I instantly liked this one. It was a normal version
until the guitar solo at which time Trey completely amazed me. He was all
over the place, quoting the song on the guitar here and there and just
exploding. I swear that I heard a Mango Song tease during this song or maybe
it was during Wolfman's.
WOLFMAN'S: Gooood god. This was the spaciest most insane version of
Wolfman's I've ever heard. It went on for around 20 minutes I bet and
journeyed into Deep Space. I wondered where it was going, since from the
space it could've gone anywhere at all, but instead it went to:
Talk: I can do without this song. It is a beautiful balad and is only like 2
minutes long, but don't you think we've had enough Billy Breathes already? I
don't understand why out of the bad ass Wolfman's jam we had to go to Talk.
NICU: This is a fun song too. Some guy near me started wiggin out though
right at the beginning of it. He was on the ground like having a seisure or
something "Appendages flailing, you're running at me..." I wondered if he was
just dancing.
Prince Caspian: I wasn't extremely happy at the opening notes of yet another
Billy Breathes tune, but this was the greatest version of Caspian I've ever
heard. It was jammed out very very far and just weaved in and out of
different themes.
Mango Song: I knew I had heard it teased earlier and here it was in the full.
I like this song, especially since it isn't on Billy Breathes. A rare tune to
hear and a fun one, plus, I love Mangos.
DWD: As Mango Song was ending, I noticed Mike screwing with his effects and
said to my friend, "This might be Down With Disease," and what do ya know. An
excellent way to end the set as it was all over the place, Trey and Mike led
this song through everywhere and anywhere that it could have possibly gone.
Encores:
I noticed that it was 11:10 when they came back on for the encore so I figured
they had 20 minutes to play with, a long encore it would be.
Running with the Devil: Oh yeah! Van Halen ala Trey. The boyz had the Van
Halen harmony down perfectly, if you closed yer eyes you probably could have
seen Van Halen on stage dancing around and being all cheesy and stuff.
YEM!!!: With about 15 minutes left on the encore the opening notes of YEM
came through loud and clear. Somebody had told me on the bus from the Marta
station that we were due for one but who would've thought for an encore??
Everything was normal until they got to somewhere in the middle and they just
kind of messed around for awhile. I was definetly hoping for a vocal jam to
end the night and once again I was not dissapointed. Kudos to the lights on
this one though, as we were rolling around and around, faster and faster, very
very dizzying but very very fun.
Overall I had a great time at this show! The first set was about 85 min. long
and the second was about 100 minutes I think. What a great way to end the
night with YEM, it was the perfect ending to a wonderful night. Thanks to the
boyz for always surprising me!!
I)Oh Kee II.Birds of a Feather
Suzie Greenberg Wolfman's Brother
Roses are Free Talk
Roget NICU
Beauty of My Dreams Prince Caspian
Vultures Mango Song
Train Song Down w/Disease
Billy Breathes e)Running with the Devil
Fluffhead You Enjoy Myself
Moma Dance
HYHUCracklin RosieHYHU
My Soul
First off the facts: only seen 11 shows, saw Deer Creek shows before
Lakewood(only Summer Tour shows seen), have around 350 hours on tape, 23
year old nerd who is pissed they won't have enough money in time to mail
order any shows for fall.
Anyway, to begin with, Lakewood is way cooler than Deer Creek. Yes, I said
it! Deer Creek doesn't even have a lawn(dirt with wood chips and five
hundred million cigarette butts). Deer Creek does have one hell of a camp
situation though--leading me to believe this is the only reason for Deer
Creek's "legendary" status. Anyway, on to the show.
I:
OH KEESUZIE: Very good opener, in my opinion. Tight and fairly normal.
Energy level going up.
ROSES ARE FREE: Yes! I was very excited to hear this.(Especially since I
got the Spring Tour shows and heard the Nassau version). It was pretty
short; maybe six or seven minutes, but well played for sure.
ROGET: Nice song. Short but I can definetly tell this has potential to jam
longer, and when it does watch out. Very catchy tune. This version seemed
tighter and certainly longer than the Deer Creek version.
BEAUTY OF MY DREAMS: One of my top five bluegrass songs from them. Good
placement.
VULTURES: Yippee! One of the three songs I wanted to hear at either Deer
Creek or Lakewood(the others being Twist Around and Relax) that I hadn't
seen before. Fabulous tune that seems to be reworked somewhere in the
middle. Good version but a little short if I remember correctly.
TRAIN SONG: Oh well.
BILLY BREATHES: I might have been dismayed at this but the fact that four
more songs were on the way seemed to erase the memory. I do remember
thinking, "they usually don't have any kind of real jam here". But they
did! Still, it's Billy Breathes.
FLUFFHEAD: I hadn't heard this song since Winston last fall and didn't
particularly like that version. Not true here. Almost perfectly played.
The energy and speed at the end seemed higher and faster then normal.
MOMA: Heard it at Deer Creek and this one probably wasn't as good. Still,
this song will probably be around for a while. Fine with me, I loved it
since BEK started.
HYHUCRACKLIN ROSIEHYHU: Three vacuum solos in two nights? Kick ass.
This Rosie was pretty damn good(I don't even know why I'm reviewing a Bob
Weaver song). I don't think Tubbs forgot any lyrics.
MY SOUL: Good way to end a set. Better this than C. Zero.
II:
BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Way cool. I heard this to open up the first Providence
show. I think it really gets expectations up for a great song to follow
when it's placed here ala 2001 in '93-'94. It wasn't nearly as long as the
Providence Birds though.
WOLFMAN'S BROTHER: Oh yes! I like the funk style shitloads and no song
better explores this style than Wolfman's in my opinion(except maybe Ghost).
This version didn't dissapoin as it was the centerpiece jam for the night.
Probably twenty minutes long, this song overwhelmed me completely. The
lights for this song were probably the most beautiful also.
TALK: A good segue but not a great song. I guess it follows the slow
psychedelic funk of Wolfman's well. Forget it, I can't B.S. I don't like
this song whatsoever. Low part of the show. At least it's only a minute or
two long.
NICU: Fun and tight. Thought for a moment Stash was coming. Oh well, I
know better than to have any expectations whatsoever.
CASPIAN: Don't like this song too much. BUT, this was pretty cool. Pretty
long for a Caspian and had good intensity for the lst three or four minutes.
MANGO: Yes! The unpredictability of the last six or seven shows has been
wonderful. This is a shining example of that. Great Nectar song that was
played flawlessly.
DOWN WITH DISEASE: What a great way to end the set. Long and very
tight(like all Diseases). This was very emotional for me also as a friend
of mine was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease a few weeks ago. Also, the way
the set was begun and ended with raging hard rock improv seemed perfect.
Nice set:Hard fast improv rock...funk...Hard fast improv rock.
ENCORE:
RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL: Holy shit. First Ramble On, then Been Caught
Stealin, then Rhinocerus, and now Running with the devil? Yippe! New
covers to delight Generation Whatever. Good version. Trey sounded a lot
like David Lee Roth. Of course, the guitar parts didn't trouble him at all
either.
YOU ENJOY MYSELF: Is this gonna continue? Complete 15-20 minute epics for
encores? I hope so, that's what encores are for in my opinion: to showcase
some of the best songs a band has to offer. That was probably one of my
only complaints about Phish in years past. Many lame encores(SleepingRocky
Top, Sample, etc.) Anyway, this YEM was great the middle space part was
very long as was the vocal ending. Also, the lights during the vocal jam
was dizzying. Unbelievable way to end a crazy show.
OVERALL: I liked this show better than either of the Deer Creek shows for a
couple of reasons. While the camping and lot scene are awesome at Deer
Creek the venue--to me--has something to be desired. Also, the jamming was
better at Lakewood(thanks to Wolfman's and Down w/ Disease) Well, on second
thought the Ghost from Deer Creek was incredible. And last, but certainly
not least, the sets were about 20 minutes longer at Lakewood. Obviously, a
definite plus. Watch out Raleigh, the Boys are back in town!