------------------------------
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 1998 07:06:48 GMT
From: Yance Davis
Subject: NYE review
First thing I have to do is give kudos to the security at MSG for being So
ridiculously lax. Never before have I been to a venue that would let me
get two large bottles of champagne in with so little difficulty. I'm
generally not too into drinking at the shows, but New Years and champagne
just go too well together (and the little shotglasses of it for $5.50 was
a little nutty). My seat was up in the 400s, but MSG had fairly decent
sound throughout this little run, so it wasn't a problem. Thanks again to
all who helped me into the show!
First thing I noticed was a huge white semicircle hanging from the middle
of the arena covering the black cube which would have video and scores on
it were this some sporting event. Small bulges within the hemisphere
hinted at balloons, though since they had just done that last year, I
wasn't expecting a repeat. In the four corners of the venue were large
video projectors aimed at the white area of the ball in the middle.
When Emotional Rescue began, the projections began and a huge
three-dimensional, computer rendered animation of an "udder ball" appeared
on all four sides of the hemisphere. Already, I was seriously envying
anyone there who had partaken in hallucinagins, since the visuals were
clearly meant to enhance a good trip. Throughout the night other
animations popped up with more and more frequency. The first ones all had
an evolutionary motif, like small underwater creatures from millions of
years ago, swimming in a blue background. After a while though, things
from Trey's story the night before began to appear, like olives, steaks
and fried eggs (never saw a slim jim tho). One of the MOST irritating
things of the night was the people with the laser pointers, aiming the red
lights right over the little animations. I mean, here the band had some
people go through the trouble of creating these incredible graphics that
ebbed and flowed to the music with hundreds of colors, and some asshole is
thinking to himself "You know, that would really look better with a red
dot on it!" Did anyone else hear Trey say at one point for the people to
turn it off? Maybe I was just too pissed at the time, but I swear Trey
broke away from the jam to say something about it. Anyway, it was cool to
look at, but not enough that it took away from the music. Emotional
Rescue had a decent jam at the end, though not as spacy as the one at
Hampton. It's crazy listening to Mike get his voice so high to sing this
tune, but cool at the same time in its own way.
I was expecting a bit more from Ya Mar just because of all the Albany
hype, but it was just its regular short sweet self, with a quick Auld Lang
Syne jam around the middle which got incredible applause. I don't know
how much the band knew about the "My Sweet One chant" (there were actually
FLIERS going around, which, for MSO, seemed bizarre as hell), but
apparently they wanted to quell the audience early on and so Fishman went
into it right after a short drum solo at the end of Ya Mar. Wolfman's and
Limb by Limb, two tunes that can really go places, well...didn't. I mean,
I grooved to both the whole way through, but I guess NYE '95 spoiled us to
the point where most people expect these crystal jams all night, and they
just weren't there. Sloth was cool, but Fire was almost irritating.
Trey's solo at the end surpassed energy to the point where it was just
noisy. I mean, paying attention to Mike and Fishman for a while, they
were still trying to keep a little structure to the jam, but Trey was just
hitting notes at maximum volume to the point where I just wanted to get
away. Maybe I'm getting old early. The setbreak was long, but didn't
seem as long as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary this time, like
Fishman getting a haircut...just a setbreak...
Timber Ho started off the second set, which left me uneasy since this
song, much like Tweezer, can either Really go places or go absolutely
nowhere. This one, while the 'song' part of it was cool, the jam just
didn't do much for me so I sat back with some Champagne to chill a bit.
Next up was Mike's, which you really can't go wrong with. It was a fairly
standard Mike's, but enough to keep me fully into it. After a fast jam
for a while, it got slow all at once, and got really mellow, yet very nice
to listen to with some great licks by Trey that was just a little too
short for my tastes before it just faded out. I've been waiting for a
Mike's->Piper for a while, since it seems like it'd fit beautifully. I
mean, the song has a slow, soft intro with a Hydrogen feel to it while the
end of it speeds up enough to flow into Weekapaug beautifully (which this
didn't though, opting to finish Piper first before going into When the
Circus comes to Town :( ). Now, WTCCTT isn't that bad a tune, but its
placement here was a true downer to the set. Sure, sure, it's a nice
song, but 'nice' doesn't always do it for me. Roses are Free was cool
since I'd never seen it before, though I can't say much about its jamming
potential since the song seemed cut and dry. Decent tune I guess, but
mostly because I'd never heard it before. I think the best part of it was
hearing it end and get into Weekapaug. Yes, this jam was one of the few I
felt was NYE-caliber! Plenty of energy and synergy between the band.
Fast funky jams, and the first few times it felt ready to end, I was
surprised to see them build back the energy again and keep going. It
finished with Weekapaug which was truly a shame. A 60 minute set on NYE?
Well, at least set three would kick much ass like last year. During the
set break, two mysterious ballroom dancers came out for one of the
setbreak tunes. Around 11:50 the lights began to dim...
Also Sprach Zarathustra as an opener into the new year? Not a huge
surprise, but hell, it's a fine tune. The visuals up on the bubble were
kicking much ass here, showing all that had come before as well as some
new things, like an egg and a sphere which said "school bus" on it.
Finally the egg came to the center and slowly turned into a little baby
which danced around before dropping down in the center of NYC and turning
into the Statue of Liberty holding the lightbulb that was flying around
all night, rather than her torch. After that, the bubble opened up and
all the disasterous balloons, many much bigger than last years, fell down
over the floor. Disasterous only because, like many large objects on the
floor not attached to anyone, they all slowly got sucked towards the stage
to wreak havoc on the now-Tweezer-playing band. Page and Mike's mics got
battered down, and techs ran around the stage close to a state of panic
while the band kept playing on. After a while, Trey tried to get some of
the balloons himself which clearly affected the jam (poorly). Maze was
next, but seemed a little half-hearted. When Caspian came around I just
sat down and waited for a bit. Loving Cup was decent as usual, but I got
the sinking feeling early on that it would be the last of the set, and
sadly I was right (anOTHER 60 minute set). There was still the encore,
which, as we saw the night before, can be a great great thing..
Maybe I'm sounding too harsh here. It was a fun show..I mean hell, it was
New Years and no one wasn't in a great mood that I could see (though
apparently some one decided it'd be fun to jump out of the 400 section).
The visual display was great, the sound was fine and the people were kind.
Musically though, I felt bad for the ppl who traded off 12/30 tix to go to
12/31 only. Encore was Page doing New York, New York, the old Sinatra
tune. It was kind of cool watching Page cheese it up lawn boy style while
Trey kicked out his legs like a Rockette, but would have been better as an
intro into say...Reba. Sadly, all that was left was Tweezer Reprise
followed by almost immediate lights on. Still, there was a lot of smiling
and happiness in the air and some random girl hugged me and wished me
happy new year, so I gave her the last of my champagne and wished her one
back.
There was a fair amount of revelry on the street outside, including a
homeless man jamming with a cheap plastic flute while heads danced around
him tossing money while he played Auld Lang Syne and the themesong to
Sanford and Son. A guy with a box of gooballs was selling them and this
girl who Clearly wasn't at the show came up asking what they were, but she
was so fucked up that she started rambling about how she wanted one but
her dad was a crack additct so she can't eat them if there are any drugs
in them. It was a great crowd outside the garden so obviously the police
had to break it up and send people on their way (for a city that never
sleeps, it seemed they wanted us all to get to bed). Anyway, I hope that
everyone has a great year and that your NYE was fun. Peace
Yancy D
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 19:57:49 GMT
From: Lushington
Subject: ***(late) 12/29 12/30 12/31 review***
Hello,
my 13th, 14th and 15th Phish shows. I couldn't have asked for anything better.
I will save everyone my pre-show and after-show experiences and get down to
my attempt at a review. i've never done this before, so just humor me.
12/31/97
I Emotional Rescue# > Yamar#* > My Sweet One, Beauty of My Dreams, Wolfmans#
} Limb by Limb, Horse > Silent, Sloth, Fire#
II Timber Ho!#, Mikes# > Piper# > Circus > Roses Are Free# > Weekapaug#
III 2001# > Auld Lang Syne** > Tweezer > Maze > Caspian, Loving Cup
e: New York, New York > Tweezer Reprise
* fishman solo, auld lang syne tease
I'm sure everyone has heard about the projection thing at MSG. it was used
during any song that has #
Set I
Emotional Rescuse. i dont like the Stones at all and i've never heard this
song done by Phish. it was jammed out pretty long and it's definitely a
great song. i hope they keep playing this.
Yamar. my favorite cover song. Fishman amazes me every single time i see
this. he had a nice little breakdown which he segued into..
My Sweet One. all i can say is, thank god they got this out of the way so
that lame chant never happened.
Beauty. a nice song, never seen it live.
Wolfmans. when i heard the intro, i knew we were in for some extreme funk
once again. really tight, well played funk. this another song, like Tube,
where its great to listen to old versions and then hear a really sick
version from this tour.
Limb by Limb. one of my favorite new songs. the lyrics are so amazing,
sometimes i was on the verge of tears.. i dunno, i guess its hard to
explain. its a really sad song. i could go into a lot more about the
meaning, to me, of Limb by Limb but this is a review of the shows :)
Horse > Silent. Trey messed up big time in Horse, but thats ok. Silent is
nice to hear.
Sloth. pretty crazy, the crowd went nuts. i've always thought this song was
pretty damn strange. it was cool to see it again.
Fire. i remember being mesmorised by Trey. he was in a totally different
world. the jamming got really hectic and furious. amazing.
Set II
Timber Ho! another song i have waited a while to see live. such a fun song.
Mikes. this is on my top 5 list, along with Carini. after the funk version
at Albany, i really wanted to hear a rocking Mikes. it was half and half,
more rock than funk though. Mike tore shit up. it broke down into some
really beautiful jamming and i knew what was next.. another on the infamous
top 5 list...
Piper. at Albany, when they played this, i lost control of myself. and it
happened again at MSG. something about this song reaches a place inside of
me and makes me forget about everything else and just dance uncontrolably.
its tough to explain how i feel when i see Piper live, but its very intense.
Circus. a pretty mellow song to calm me down a little.
Roses Are Free. havent heard this song, ever. i just think its really funny
that Phish covers Ween for some reason, i dont even know Ween that well. its
such a cool song though.
Weekapaug was pretty big and Mike started to tear shit up again. this song
is about having a damn good time and not making sense. perfect way to close
in on 1998.
Set III
2001. i figured this was going to happen. its great to see live for the
lights and for the excitement. especially when its NYE. the graphics that
were projected got into the NYE theme with a clock and such. its too hard to
try and explain what was going on with that, you had to be there.
Auld Lang Syne. people all over the arena were hugging and laughing. the
whole place was filled with love and happiness. balloons fell out of the
projection screen and added to the fun.
Tweezer. So much chaos was going on during this song. Trey was popping
balloons that made their way on stage. He hardly had any time to jam because
he was assaulting the balloons, it was really great.
Maze. havent seen this in a while. really fast and furious jamming going on.
Caspian. eh.. nice song..
Loving Cup. another Stones song? weird. this is probably one of the few
times where Phish has played two songs by the same band, with the exception
of a Halloween show, of course. i know there was that one time where they
played two Beatles songs after the 94 ween show.. Blackbird and Cry Baby
Cry.. ah well, never mind. this is a really cool song, got the crowd going..
especially "..and I know I play a bad guitar". the crowd loved that. the
whole "what a beautiful buzz" reached many hearts, as basically the whole
arena was wasted.
Encore
New York, New York. heading into 1998 with style. Page is The Chairman of
The Boards.
Tweezer Reprise. fantastic, crazy ending to a truly incredible show.
Alright.. there goes my attempt of reviewing something. i hope everyone had
a good time reading that. if anyone has any responses, or whatever, email me.
oh yeah, my infamous top 5 list goes like this, in no order : Mikes, Piper,
Carini, Faht, Lushington.
peace out,
Mark
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 1998 07:32:19 GMT
From: Charles Dirksen
Subject: *NYE Run Thoughts*
You're probably sick to death of reading/skimming NYE run reviews by
now in the Eigest, so I will try to keep my comments reasonably brief
(yeah, sure, charlie). It was wonderful meeting so many folks at the
Mustang Sally's gathering on 12/30. For those interested, the
arm-wrestling match between CLF and myself did not occur, primarily
because my non-net girlfriend wasn't at all amused by the prospect
(and presumably didn't want me -- intoxicated as I was by the time
Corey showed up -- to humiliate myself (she's not entirely privy to
the truth that I regularly humiliate myself in front of you folks)).
I hereby dub CLF "KingMoron of Lamehendge" by default (there will
always be only one KingMoron420, however). Strangely, I have no
difficulty conceding said title to Corey, worthy 6'5" bitch that he
is. He would have beat my drunk old ass, anyway!
It seems to be in vogue these days to MOCK the articulation (in the
form of a DISCLAIMER) of one's Phish experience prior to one's two
cents on a particular gig. Far from being "irrelevant," though, a
sentence explaining your Phish experience in general terms before you
review something helps provide a context for your comments (such as
that "the [Name of Song] was Excellent"). At least give references to
other versions (!). I'm thrilled that so many folks are reviewing shows
these days (makes for meaty Eigests), but I think that a review
without a serious preface contextualizing the two cents is *arguably*
a waste of bandwith. (I say *arguably* because there are plenty of
examples of enjoyable, thoughtful, helpful and intelligent reviews
that are NOT contextualized by the experience of the author)
ANYWAY, I'm a jaded fan who has only seen around 60 shows since
10/6/89 (which I still haven't found on tape, btw). I have heard most
of the Helping Friendly Book (which is not to say that I'm better than
you (of course I am), but simply to contextualize my TWO cents).
I didn't take notes at any of these shows, so please forgive my lame
memory.
12/31/97 Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Emotional Rescue opened the show quite well, although I'm
partial to the Hampton version. Ya Mar, like numerous versions since
7/30 Shoreline, was jammed out but not exceptionally so, imo. MSO was
an interesting choice (first one in a long time) and standard. Beauty
and Horse Silent were as you've heard them before. Wolfman's Brother
was very good, but not nearly as enchanting as most summer versions
(and not even as enjoyable as the Hamburg version on SSP, imo). Limb
by Limb was excellent -- I love this new tune -- but didn't match the
majesty of the 7/30 Shoreline version (still my fave). Sloth was
another interesting choice and fun to hear. The Fire closer was
wonderful, and I can't think of a more ferocious version, although one
might exist.
The second set was short but FIRED UP!!! Timber Ho was fairly
standard (great), but the Mike's Song was quite good (no closing of the
tramps segment chords, fwiw.. just a > into Piper). Piper was good
but not as good as Hampton (or was it Champaign?). I thought Piper
would ->segue into Weekapaug (since it could easily do so AT ANY TIME
at any show). Circus was Circus. Roses Are Free is a waste of a
cover, in my opinion. Ween? Is this a joke? Weekapaug was
magnificent to behold *live*, but I'm not so sure you will find it
that great on tape. It isn't at all typical. Trey chords heavily and
doesn't melodiously wail as he usually does during 'paug. This is
nevertheless one of the Sickest versions of 'Paug out there, in a
non-melodious, kickass sense of "Sick." I still prefer the more
melodious 12/31/95 and 12/30/93 (and many other) 'paugs to this
version. Strong second set, though!
The third set was a Very Mixed Bag, imo. I enjoyed the Also Sprach
opener, and about the first ten or so minutes of Tweezer, but Trey's
guitar may have gone flat thanks to his balloon-popping... and the
post-NYE music suffered. Maze featured a brilliant Page solo, but was
otherwise one of the nastiest, lamest versions I've ever heard.
Fuckerpants went absolutely nowhere, although Trey did let loose a
single Kind Phaaty Lick at one point. I thought Loving Cup was a
fantastic closer, even though it was sloppy in the opening
(appropriate, though). New York New York was amusing, and Page sang
it quite well (under the circumstances). It wasn't played as well as
it could have been, but I'm sure the band was totally exhausted by
that point. I sure as hell was.
All and all, a typically great, fun NYE show. I can't give a three set
show anything less than a 7.0 (yes, I thought 12/30 as a whole show
was 1.0 better than 12/31). The run as a whole was definitely worth
the trouble, but it wasn't nearly as good musically as the '95 NYE
run, as I heard it. I'd recommend checking out 12/29-12/31, though,
if you can spare the blanks. There are many 1997 shows I'd recommend
hearing sooner, though. I've enjoyed listening to Detroit 12/6/97's
second set (THANKS GREG!!!) a lot lately, for example.
Thanks to Mike, Jon, Page and Trey for yet another great NYE run!!
(and money well spent!)
two cents
charlie
p.s. The most amusing thing I overheard on tour was definitely Mark
Toscano's remark, several hours after NYE, to Dan Nooter: "Dan, you
know, over the course of this entire trip, I haven't heard you use
'Ass' as an adjective?!"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 11:51:02 -0800
From: bertolet
Subject: The Utter Ball, part 3 -- 12/31 in Review - LONG
>
> We strolled Fifth Ave. in the bitter cold that afternoon, and my great
find
> was a pair of glow-in-the-dark glasses shaped like the number 1998. The
> eyeholes were the loops in the nines. Around five, we styled ourselves
> with a GREAT Italian meal at a restaurant called Trattoria Dell'Arte,
right
> near Carnegie Hall. I could review the food, but you'd rather hear about
> the music.
>
> NOTE: My impressions of this night may have been colored by my
> expectations. We had just come off of two Very Different but Very Superb
> nights of Phish, and most people around me were convinced that tonight
> would be even better. I knew it was possible, and slowly started to
> believe it as showtime approached.
>
> Our seats were in 223, which was up at a right angle from Fish, not far
> from the speakers at all. Quite nice. The most notable thing you saw as
> soon as you walked in was this huge white half-bubble hanging from the
> ceiling. I assumed it was a shitload of balloons, though some guy beside
> me named Chris insisted that the record-breaking balloon drop from '96
had
> way more heft than that. Thinking that the band would never do LESS in
any
> category, I figured it had something to do with the light stations that
> were placed at the four corners of the arena. I was right. Please note
> that I made predictions about a new Chris Kuroda gadget that would blow
> people's minds, and that there would be a huge backlash against it.
Well,
> I'm waiting. I won't say much about the screen except that it's a little
> disappointing to know that the Harpua narration was as pre-planned as it
> must have been to prepare for the Udder Ball and breakfast food images.
> I'm a glutton for sponaneity.
>
> On to the music.
>
> EMOTIONAL RESCUE. What a great, great opener. I can't believe this is
> only the second Emotional Rescue. There was some disagreement as to
> whether the first one was a goof, but this one certainly was not. Mike's
> voice was perfect, a dead-on Jagger falsetto, and he took some great
> liberties with Mick's "knight in shining armor" rap -- which I can't
recall
> right now. Right about eight minutes in, there was a Sneakin' Sally
tease,
> shades of the night before. They could have quite easily reprised it if
> they wanted to, but that would have been anti-climactic. Instead, they
> continued to build to new levels, funk-driven the whole time, until the
> song became a statement of the Truth that we've all come to witness in
> 1997, which is that this band can jam anything. Could the Stones take
> their own song to these levels? Puh-lease. I do believe there was a
full
> on -> into
>
> YA MAR. This was the second Mike song in a row, a good sign. As it was
> explored, it was clear that it was certainly the best version I've ever
> heard live, though I was not present for any of the outrageous ones of
> late. Trey teased a Harry Belafonte song with which I'm vaguely familiar
> (I think it's the one with the chorus "So is life!" but I may be
mistaken).
> He then proceeded to play his guitar like a steel drum. I'm not
kidding.
> It was the intonation, the rhythm and the feel of the steel drum, all
> coming through the 'doc. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. There was a
> full-bore Auld Lang Syne interlude (tease is much too weak a word for
> this), and a little Fish solo. Trey Screamed "LEO" and Page ripped it
up.
> All in all, a very playful, well-built YaMar and a great way to keep up
the
> momentum.
>
> MY SWEET ONE. At first, this could have easily been Poor Heart, and I
was
> thinking, "There goes everyone's chances for MSO." But MSO it was,
thereby
> averting a potentially embarassing chant debacle. I don't love the song
> enough to chant for it, but I'm always game to hear something I haven't
> yet, and so it was quite cool. Love that "you a ewe" line.
>
> BEAUTY OF MY DREAMS. Second bluegrassy tune in a row. Wondering whether
> they're building a theme or just getting their kicks. This is a pretty
> song melodically, but it's a wee bit out of Trey's vocal range. So be
it,
> it was fun.
>
> WOLFMAN'S BROTHER. Here we go. I figured this could be a marathon, a
> monstrous Wolfman's to end all Wolfman's. After all, this was the year
of
> Wolfman's Brother, and while I'd called Tweezer to open 1998, I thought
> Wolfman's had a pretty good chance because it was so prominent in its
> improvement this year. This version continued the trend of stop-start
> jamming that permeated all three nights on this run. They've mastered
this
> little trick, and I just hope they don't overuse it. Anyway, the Wolf
got
> alternately delicate and funkily down and dirty, but never really broke
> through to the kind of heights I'd hoped for. I love the Gorge version
> where they just erupt at the end out of the funk and into the screaming
> rock and roll, but that's just me. This middle-of-the-road Wolfman's
(for
> '97 anyway) came to a complete close, I believe.
>
> LIMB BY LIMB is already one of my favorite Phish songs. Of the new ones,
> I'd have to say that it's my absolute favorite, with Ghost and Vultures
> close behind. The lyrics give me all-over goosebumps, and the 6/8 jam
> always reminds me of Crazy Fingers, The Other One, Taste, and other great
> songs in that time sig. This version was epic. It felt like it was
going
> to lose its structure at various points, tension just boiling out of the
> noise, and then like a turn on a dime, the band was on the one, soaring
on
> updrafts to new levels of joy. I had tears streaming down my face by the
> end of this song, though I don't think it blew Jenn's socks off quite as
> much as it did mine. YMMV.
>
> The HORSE>SILENT that followed was so poor I couldn't get away from it.
> The intro and the first verse of Horse were so badly flubbed that I had
to
> take a bathroom break, but I could hear it in the potty anyway. The
Silent
> that followed was pretty clean, but by that time you could hear the
energy
> being sucked through the roof of the arena. The band must have known
they
> made a wrong turn, and the
>
> SLOTH that followed did the best that it could to get it back. Here's
> another song that I'll get up for every night even though it has no jam.
> This version was a typically smoking Sloth, if maybe even a little
cleaner
> than most. A pleasure.
>
> FIRE was another barn burner (whoa, bad pun, but I'll leave it in there).
> It was actually horribly sloppy at the beginning, but who listens to this
> song for anything but the jam anyway? The jam caught fire and became
sick
> and frenzied a la the GTBT encore from the first night. It was a
highlight
> of the show for my friend Ben.
>
> SETBREAK....
>
> Some kid came up to me, turned my glasses upside down, and said "8661.
> Always think of the future." I wore them that way for the rest of the
> night in his honor. We were a little late getting back into our seats
for
> the
>
> TIMBER HO. Very nice. I've been begging for one of these for a while,
and
> finally got it. Nice climax in the jam before it was brought back into
the
> lyrical ending. Quick jump into
>
> MIKE'S. Really terrific Mike's. Trey was spitting out digital delay
> phrases at one point in the jam, and there was another unidentified tease
> in there (side note; someone total up the teases in these three shows,
it's
> ridiculous). If it wasn't a tease, or the seed of something that's being
> composed, it was absolutely the Hose. I just couldn't put my finger on
it.
> They modulated downward, and then wound up playing something that
sounded
> vagulely like the middle part of Harpua (this may be complete bullshit,
but
> it's what I heard) before segueing into
>
> PIPER. Well, what can I say. People are really crazy about this song,
and
> I like it a lot, but I can't understand the
> eyes-rolling-back-in-their-heads-with-insane-bliss thing some of them
have
> for it. It's nice to lock into the groove, but the lyrics are
> near-unintelligible. Can someone please tell me what I'm missing? It's
> grown a lot since Summer, but so many other songs have as well. This
> version didn't blow the doors back, but it was alright. I was hoping for
a
> Gin in the middle of this Mike'sGroove, but no such luck. Instead, we
got
>
> CIRCUS. Umm. I guess this song is sort of obligatory now at big "event"
> Phish stops like the Went and New Years. OK, I get it. Phish is the
> Circus of allegory, and they've come to town. Cool. As far as the rest
is
> concerned, this song is too cheesy to use as filling for Mike's and
> Weekapaug on New Years Eve. Contrary to what many overblown music
critics
> say, Los Lobos is NOT the most underrated band in the nation, and this is
> not a Phish song. If you're going to regale me with cheese, at least
> regale me with some of your own cheese. Not even a great solo by Trey
> could have redeemed this song. Fortunately, it wouldn't get any worse.
>
> ROSES ARE FREE. OK, this is a little better. Someone had to refresh my
> memory as to what it was. I like Ween, but based on what Ween I've
heard,
> this is one of the few Ween songs, frankly, that Phish or anyone else in
> their right minds should cover. There isn't too much texture or room to
> move in this one, and it was a bit too long for this slot, but I can
safely
> say I'd like to hear it again sometime. I don't think it can touch *any*
> of the Talking Heads covers still in infrequent rotation -- or any of the
> Who covers for that matter -- and it didn't make up for the Circus
debacle.
> But it was a pleasant enough diversion to prepare us for the madness
that
> was
>
> WEEKAPAUG. Oh, gorgeous, redeeming Weekapaug. Oh, water of life that is
> Weekapaug. My favorite Weekapaugs are 12.31.95 and 12.6.96, so obviously
I
> think December is a great month for Weekapaugs. This was no exception.
I
> wrote nothing down, but I distinctly remember the roof coming off and
> sparks showering out the top of MSG. I believe there were more
> stop-starts, and the end was broken down the same way Antelope was the
> first night. Mike took another solo (because I don't think he got one at
> the start), and Trey taunted Fish into another solo of his own. A KILLER
> Weekapaug to be heard at all costs; I'd just fast-forward through the
> Circus to get there.
>
> SET BREAK. We looked for champagne, only to find that the champagne cart
> was OUT OF CUPS. Umm, if you're going to run out of cups, please don't
do
> it at the champagne cart several minutes before NYE. My only gripe with
> the otherwise friendly and fast MSG vendors. I barely had to wait in a
> single line all weekend.
>
> 2001 was no surprise. This was a nice, funky version perhaps eclipsed by
> the goofy shit going on on the screen above. I'll have to wait to hear
it
> on tape to know whether it holds up, but to my recollection it was a bit
> better than the last version I heard live, which was Vegas '96. A nice
> sing-along to AULD LANG SYNE and then the Countdown, which was flashed on
> the screen in big '70's sci-fi-style font. Given that the year 1997 was
> most notable for FUNK, I had called a specific song to cap off the year,
> and got it:
>
> TWEEZER. Nice opening. The balloon drop was cool, with a lot of HUGE
> balloons falling heavily on the heads of some people on the floor.
> Inevitably, the balloons started making their way forward and onto the
> stage, hitting the drums. Mike seemed a little annoyed for a time, and a
> tech actually came out at one point to try to clear them, but then Trey
> started popping them with the ends of his strings, lunging out in time
with
> the music. Believe it or not, they actually kept the song together while
> this shit was going on, and it all climaxed when Trey burst one of the
> biggies and a small cloud of talcum powder erupted all around him. To
the
> best of my recollection, this Tweezer belonged to Fishman. I won't
explain
> it...I can't explain it...he was out of control...but Charlie should
review
> this as soon as possible. I don't think it was a great Tweezer, but it
was
> undeniably interesting for its energy and rhythm.
>
> The MAZE that followed had an unmistakable Llama tease (if you can't hear
> it, you're Fucking Deaf). I was actually hoping for a Llama segue, but
> never got it. My notes say only "sick jam," which doesn't help me at
all,
> because almost every Maze is a sick jam (except for that awful schwag
they
> played in Salt Lake City this Fall...yeesh). I assume it was duly sick.
> My notes tell me that this Maze wound down into a digital delay loop jam
> that then wound into
>
> CASPIAN. Here's another choice that really made me scratch my head at
the
> time. Yeah, this is a pretty song with nice images. It's a mood. You
can
> sing along to it. Trey seems hell-bent to make us love this one, and I
> love that about him. But this is NEW YEAR'S EVE. Fortunately, the solo
at
> the end was pretty damned glorious. By the time I got to thinking this
> wasn't such a bad call after all, it was over. > arrow into
>
> LOVING CUP. If Jenn and I have "a song," this is it, and this was a
golden
> version to end the set. I've heard pretty many recent versions of this
> tune, and don't really think that any of them stand head and shoulders
> above the rest. It's just really full of the right kind of light and
> energy to end a show...I think it sends people away with the right vibe.
> Plus, they opened the show with a Stones cover, and it fit as a closer.
I
> guessed that the encore was going to be a monster, since the last set was
> under an hour, and the encore had been so long the night before. I was
> wrong. Maybe the band was chastised for playing long the night before,
and
> had to get offstage. But
>
> NEW YORK NEW YORK was a great surprise. I love this City, and it treats
> Phish well, so I think it was a fitting and heartfelt tribute.
>
> TWEEPRISE. Well. OK. I thought we'd have something more afterward, but
> the band had given their blood and guts over these three exhausting
nights,
> and I was grateful to have been there.
>
> IN SUM...
>
> FIRST SET: One additional point for Emotional Rescue and one for Limb by
> Limb. Two dismal points off for Horse. 5.0
>
> SECOND SET: 7.5. Would be a 9.0 if you replaced the Piper->Circus
> buzzkill with an average Gin.
>
> THIRD SET: 8.0. Would have been a 9.0 with an average Vultures after
Maze
> instead of the Caspian buzzkill.
>
> ENCORE: 5.
>
> SHOW: 7.
>
> Personally, I found the first Phish Show of the three to be the best from
a
> purely musical, quality-of-jams perspective. From the perspective of
> energy and surprises, the second night was the best, but I tend not to
> think that way. In both regards, I think the last night lacked a little
in
> comparison, though this may have come from my expectation as I said
before.
> IMPORTANT NOTE: I had the time of my life at these shows, and I think
> Phish is by far the best rock and roll band playing today. I think that
> the loss of a band like this would be no less than tragic, and by no
means
> should my criticism be interpreted as anything else than encouragement
for
> the band (if they're really bored enough to care) and fans to take this
> crazy shit to a whole new level. If it's remotely possible to take as
> large a step in '98 as they did in '97, I pray they do it, and we'll be
> celebrating NYE 1998 on Jupiter's moon of Io.
>
> Thank you, Jon, Mike, Page and Trey. God Bless you all in 1998.
>
> --
> Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the
> basic building block of the Universe. I dispute that. I say that there
is
> more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the
> Universe." -- Frank Zappa
>
> Chris Bertolet
>