From: jdl00@hampshire.edu
Subject: 12-30-93
this may be coming a little late.
i was just reading the review of the Mike's/Week from 12-30-93, which is found
through the link within the setlist in the HPB.
and this is a good review of those songs. i just wanted to add one muscial
observation left out by the author and not added as an editor's note.
one of the riffs that trey hits in Mike's, which in my opinion is the most
notable one which he repeats for a while after they have all followed each
other to that point, gets repeated in Week. trey is moving super fast, but it
is the same riff. and it only beefs up the stigma of that string of songs.
because i know that when i heard the riff in Mike's I was blown away, and then
to see trey bring in all back together was really sweet.
i'm just sayin...
--jon
Subject: revised 12/30/93 mike's review
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 13:04:29 -0800 (PST)
From: Charlie Dirksen
To: dan@netspace.org
12/30/93 Cumberland Cty Civic Center, Portland, ME
(Rvwd 9/95)
This show was released on SBD (well, not a clean DSBD but a
DATmaster->cass->DSBD.. so a cDSBD) by the band, so most people should
have nice quality copies. It is an above-average Phish show, and the
MikeS is no exception. The opening of the MikeS is more upbeat than
usual, even for 1993. The tramps jam is fairly standard at first,
with the typical jamming from Mike and Page in the beginning. As
usual, Trey comes in with his typical off-key stuff at first, but,
soon, he starts jamming along the same groove as Mike and Page, and
produces some especially pleasant fills. The post-tramps segment is
extremely strong, upbeat, and centered, for some odd reason. Page and
Mike are clearly listening to Trey, and following his lead (you can
actually HEAR this). They all jam really well immediately. This isn't
at all like the MikeS that I've been reviewing of late, in this
sense. I mean, this jam actually appears to have a theme, and doesn't
sound like the typical clashing of various themes that oft occurs at
this stage in MikeS. IT IS REALLY QUITE GOOD!!
The jam just climbs in intensity, and then around the 7 min mark,
there is a fantastic melodic, playful groove that occurs. Trey really
wails in this, folks! At first he just quickly picks at this theme
note by note, but then he actually starts wailing on it.. for a minute
or two (I hate it when they get into a really cool theme-jam and then
completely drop it after only 20 seconds.. there's a Reba somewhere in
my collection that has this amazing little 15 second groove in it that
I wish they had stuck with for many many many minutes..). This MikeS
is Phish improv at its finest (well, for 1993, to be fair to them).
This little jam not only works, but gets better, so after a minute or
so, you really want them to keep with it for awhile (which they,
graciously, do for a couple mins). Just a ragingly decent,
harmoniously groovy jam during this section. An inspiring Phish
impov'ed theme jam -- if only every MikeS could just be this
wholesome! This and 2/20/93 are clearly my favorite MikeS of 1993..
Even though the jam kinda cools off and gets repetitive after the
9-9:30 min point, it is still a sound, centered jam -- it is not
disjointed, chaotic, off-key and spacey as it often is during this
final section. Indeed, by 10:30, the jam sounds like it might segue
into some Tom Petty tune (hey, it IS a tease.. at 10:53 precisely, of
a Tom Petty song, but since I am not a fan of Tom Petty.. what is
this? it is a fairly well known Petty tune that is teased). [Editor's
Note: Jaime Boike emailed me and believes it is "Refugee" off of
"Damn the Torpedoes."] The jam at this point -- 11 mins or so -- is
really quite cool (sounds like this Petty song, sortof.. very mellow,
enchanting, psychedelic country) ... By 13 minutes, the Petty jam
dies out (no return to the MikeS theme to truly end the MikeS), and
Trey comes in on ACOUSTIC guitar, accompanied by Page, and then Horse
segues in stealthily. A 13 min MikeS!
Silent follows Horse, AS ALWAYS (just ONCE why don't they give us a
Horse-> ANYTHING -> Silent or just a Horse -> AnythingBUTsilent.. I
mean GEEEZUS is this boring), BUT THEN, AFTER THE SILENT, a fantastic
PYITE->McGrupp's occurs! OH, to have been at this show! I get chills
just HEARING PYITE right after Silent! I don't think I would have
been able to make it ALL THE WAY to Maine through the cold and snow
for this show.. I remember just getting to A.U. for the Bender show (a
mere 10 minutes from my house) was a pain in the ass, because of snow
and ice (that was a great show, though.. the Fast and Hood are
excellent.. good YEM, too .. Yamar in the winter!). ANYWAY, PYITE is
mighty, as always.
Weekapaug segues smoothly out of McGrupp's (an excellent McGrupp's,
although I know of no bad versions). Mike has a typically great
opening solo (well, Fish accompanies him as usual, of course, so it is
never technically a "solo"), but it isn't that varied and certainly
not his finest work. The opening Weekapaug jam is exceptionally hot,
with some really fine stuff from Trey. He dwells on this clever
little groove that I've never heard him do in any other Weekapaug, but
which sounds as if it could readily lend itself to any Week jam! This
is improv that doesn't sound like improv, and it is very, very sweet
-- and fast! Everyone clearly listens to each other, and soars
triumphantly on their instruments.
Trey is all over the place, sustaining here and there, but more often
than not playing as many snappy notes as he can and as skillfully as
he can. This is an above-average Weekapaug for this era, for damn
sure. Trey's wailing in this is reminiscent of his jamming at the
Catalyst in April 1992, the 19th I think it was. This is one hell of
a Weekapaug. The fiery opening jam doesn't stop -- there is no quiet
section in this version. The final verse or "segment," aka the final
Week-theme ending measures, is preceded by some verrrry funky stuff
from Mike. The actual final segment itself is unusually good, with
some Yeah-ing and OOooh-ing from Mike and Trey in a funkadelic
original roots reggae/bluesy fashion. This stuff basically just dies
out into Page's Purple Rain piano intro, at around 7:23 or so into the
Weekapaug. This is an excellent, decent-lengthed no bullshit
Weekapaug (no weird segments or teases, but damn this is a hot
version). Get this Mikes/Week combo at all costs, especially since
PYITE and McGrupp's are wedged in between them. "A" rating. MikesWeek
total time is 20 minutes or so, which, frankly, is a hell of a lot
considering that this doesn't count a H2 or Leprechaun ...