PHISH, THURSDAY 02/20/2003
ALLSTATE ARENA
Rosemont, IL
SET 1: Rift: The place was just as electric as the Vegas shows leading up the first notes. Every bit as electric as 9.22.00 and 9.23.00, the joint was hopping. We all collectively exploded hearing that Rift was the opener. This Rift was far from perfect, but not sure many cared. >
Rock and Roll: Never saw this coming in the two slot. I was floored thinking this was a harbinger of an amazing show to come. This one is pretty standard, felt like everyone but Trey wanted to take this for a ride. But alas, he wasn’t feeling it I guess.
Guyute: Actually, quite solid!
Driver: Good stuff, everyone needed a breather or risk spontaneous combustion.
Waves: Most standard version ever? >
Simple: Lyrical f ups in multiple places. No worries, Trey sounds like 12.11.97 in all the key parts you can imagine from Bittersweet Motel during the composed section. Just sick. That signature 03 sound is realized in the late 9’s – can still see that chick spinning hard down in the front row in front of Page, saw her all tour – had to be next to or close to Lope G. Things take a turn for the dark and crunchy in the mid 12’s. IT’s on. Trey is conjuring Hendrix a couple minutes later. Heavy on the effects. Very dark, very 03. It doesn’t do much out of this headspace but it is still very sick and an absolute microcosm of what a nasty 2003 jam is/was.
Gotta Jibboo: Ahhh, those familiar loops to kick the jam. Trey lights the world on fire in the late 8’s and beyond. Rock star. Things finally start settling into a groove in the mid 12’s with Page getting very funky. Even though this jam gets into groove, Trey never truly gets out of attack mode. He stays aggressive throughout, Fishman drives this behavior. Listen to Mike in the early 15’s, an absolute rock. Check out the theme Trey creates starting at 16:10. This just grows and evolves. Trey is picking and grinning. NASTY. Just completely aggressive and in attack mode. As the kid in the taper section on the aud says after this monster ends, Best Jibboo ever, EVER!!!
SET 2: Tweezer: Will never be able to accurately describe how great it was to hear this slowly open up the second set. We were throwing elbows and getting down hard to this intro! Trey really drops out of the intro to the jam and Mike and Page rule, but he is back in the mix in the early 6’s. Cannot remember what the big crowd cheer was for around 6:20? But it is prominent. Trey is very dark and nasty in the early 10’s and things get repetitive and more sinister from there with Mike laying it down. This really starts devolving in the 14’s, getting very ugly – Fish just crashing cymbals over and over. Aggressive – in your face. Blissy 3.0 crap, this is not. This would wreck 3.0 kids. Trey starts WAILING in the early 15’s. Listen to Fishman in the 16:20 range, so talented. Trey crushes rock star riffs and peaks this hard in the late 18’s. Late 19’s they opt for the traditional ending – just an incredible Tweezer >
Punch You in the Eye: Never, ever saw this coming in a million years. Absolutely awesome. >
Fast Enough for You: Nice! Only my 4th time and last time seeing this epic tune. Just stood there in awe and appreciated the respite. >

Seven Below: I adore how this one melts into almost nothing around 11 with Page leading and then Trey comes out of the ether to share the spotlight with Page and they create the coolest groove. I love how sparse this one gets in the late 16’s and Mike is echoing and out of this world in the early 17’s. Ethereal. This just gets incredible in the mid 19’s briefly and then back into the song proper. A bit choppy and raw, but who cares? It’s amazing.
Pebbles and Marbles: Intro is a mess. Beginning of the jam is dissonant with Trey busting out that 99 sound and Page pounding the baby grand and not always quite in sync with Trey. Tremendous wall of sound so reminiscent of 99 is forged in the early 10’s and goes from there. Trey channeling Jimi. Just incredible. The last few minutes the band really does struggle to connect with each other, it’s not that great. The effort is there, the connection is not. The crowd as you can tell is kind of like, um – that’s it?
ENCORE: Golgi Apparatus: Remember clearly being very meh about this being the encore, especially thinking this might be the last song of the night.
Anything But Me: Swaying back and forth… >
Tweezer Reprise: Yesssssssssssssss. Elbows flying, look out below. Got to get nasty one more time before the drive to Cincy. Major bombs being dropped.
Let me be completely honest with you. I loved the first set. I love how the second set started. At the show I did not love the back half of the second set. I wanted and was begging for old school Phish. I got lost in the jams and was very spun out and couldn’t completely appreciate it in the moment. Looking back and listening back, I love this show. Funny how this show was universally hated but grew into a show that was sought out much like 7.30.03. Aged like fine wine. Show is pretty damn sick! 4.3 out of 5.