10-9-99 -- Pepsi Arena, Albany, New York

Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 09:30:29 -0400 (EDT)
From: Thomas Torbik ttorbik@rs01.kings.edu
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: Review of Albany 10-9-99

I was very excited to be heading to the Knick for two shows to close out
fall tour I.  Memories of 97 danced in my head and I knew these shows
would rock.... if I only I knew how:

Night 1

PYITE-  Very predictable opener.  In the intro, Trey got some real cool
grooves going on, as he often does.  The dude right to me made the comment
that he never saw a bad show that opened with Punch, I agreed.  This show
would live up to our expections.

Wilson- Another predictable song.  Couldn't they have played Wilson, Punch
instead of the opposite so I could get some points for Phantasy Phish?
Oh well, this raged too, another good jam.

Guyute- Predictable, though I didn't see it in the third song slot, but I
did see eventually this set, hey it's Guyute, it rages, it was fun.

Ghost-  Here we go!  This was by far a fantastic Ghost, probably the best
I've heard and it was only the fourth song of the weekend and already the
band is at peak intensity.   I felt a segue coming on, what is it??

Free-   Shit!  I didn't know they were playing two second sets tonight!
This wasn't the best Free ever, but it was very good.  The set is getting
of control with intensity.

Sparkle-Continued the intensity theme of the set, standard, but tight.

Possum- Speaking of intensity.  The set came to a roaring after the band
nailed this one, the second in three days, I didn't hear any compliants
though.

*All in all, the set raged, I have only ever seen such intensity a few
times before, there were no pauses whatsoever and no slow songs, just 75
minutes of raging!

2nd set

Limb by Limb- Honesty, I expected 2001 to open set 2 and expected Limb in
the first set Sunday, but I was glad to hear it.  How could I not be?
This was the best Limb ever, hands down!  There was a brief Other One
tease(I know I heard it)before the segue into:

2001- there we go.  I was happy to catch an Also Sprach, but this was also
a great version.  There were several times when I thought they were not
going to finish it.  Trey just got so far off the theme that I figured
they were going to segue early, but some power chords brought them back 
around and led 2001 into:

DWD-  The most common 2001 segue in recent years has yet to let me down.
This was a fabulous Disease with the band, esp. Trey flying very high,
jumping up and down and what not, then they just bulit the song to an
exhilatorating climax and the band faded out after the chorus and Page
started a little piano serenade.  I thought Sea and Sand for a second, but
then he hit that familar G chord that we all know as:

Velvet Sea-  Good.  I really needed a breather and I was thinking to
myself, what is going to follow this?

Simple-  And there's your answer.  You tend to forget about this puppy.
At least I do.  However, it always gets great grooves going and this
version is no different.   Not the longest version, but a good exploration
before it was time to close.

Lovinc Cup-  Aww what a beautiful buzz.  Trey's solos were very tight and
it is so hard NOT to smile when this song is playing and I love it as a
closer.

ENCORE:

Slave-  Honestly, the surpirse of the night, I called it as a encore, but
only because I really wanted to hear, you know, the way you call Harpua
for every show cause you want to hear it.  But I found out later that
there was more to this than just a surprise encore.  I stayed with some
friends at the Omni, and one of the kidz there informed me that Slave was
played for a kid they knew who died in a car accident the week before.  He
was supposed to be at those shows and some friends of his got
backstage(this kid I was talking to being one of them> and told Mike about
the whole thing, how he was supposed to come to those shows and how Slave
was his favorite song and it would be fitting to play it, considering the
manner in which he died.  So please, I have heard people complaining about
the fact that this Slave wasn't strong or it was weak or it sucked or it
this or that or whatever.   This was EXTREMELY cool of the band to play
this in this person's memory, so let's not tarnish the kid's memory, but
this is HIS Slave.

Second night coming soon.

-Tom 

Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 19:03:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bart Tantillo btantillo@yahoo.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: Review 10/9/99
 
  First a disclaimer.....I'm crazy.  O.K.  Another fall tour has come to a
close for Phish, four former misfits from Vermont recently crowned by Rolling
Stone magazine as "The most important band of the nineties."
 Before I give my highly biased opinion of the last two shows of the
aforementioned tour, I wanted to get a few general thoughts out there.  First
and foremost, Albany is a great town.  Of all the cities Phish plays in, few
are as welcoming and hospitable as the capital city of the great state of New
York as far as I am concerned.  The downtown area, with it's various bars,
clubs, coffee shops and restaurants, is situated as nicely as anywhere I have
ever visited.  Hotels all within walking distance (at least mine was) of the
venue, plenty of reasonably priced parking, and no visible effort from the
local police to do anything more than keep us all safe. Take note Iowa and
Illinois state police, maybe you morons were asking for trouble.  Also to the
guy sitting next to me in Section 121, Row BB, Seat 10 on Saturday night who
had brown medium length hair, wore glasses, and had a New Years Eve 98/99
shirt:  Congratulations!  You have won the award for "Most Annoying Phish Fan
in History!" Never before in my life have I met someone with the complete
disregard and lack of courtesy for others that you possess.  I wish you all
the luck in the world as you make your way through life, however, I also
sincerely hope that our paths never cross again.
  That being said, and without going further, let me get down to the good (and
not so good) stuff. Actually, before I do, let me say this as well. Regarding
segues, whomever is calling in the setlists to the PhishNet, please pay closer
attention from now on.  You have been mistakenly labeling perfectly clear
segues as breaks between songs for some time, and in other cases the exact
opposite; What is a clear stop after a song is labeled as a segue.  Perhaps it
is nitpicking, however they are a "jamband", therefore when they "jam" from
one song into the next, it would be nice for them to get credit for it.

I.  Punch You in the Eye>Wilson, Guyute, Ghost>Free,
Sparkle>Possum
II.  Limb by Limb>2001>Down With Disease>Wading in the
Velvet Sea, Simple>Loving Cup
E:Slave to the Traffic Light
 
  Being accustomed to Fall Tour closers in November and December, with
temperatures below freezing, getting out of my car in Albany on Saturday and
being greeted by 70 degrees and sunshine was a great feeling.  The city was
buzzing with anticipation, as I found out in my 45 minute trek around the
downtown area in search of my hotel.  It was similar to the "Look kids, Big
Ben, Parliament." scene from National Lampoon's European Vacation.  After
finally settling in and resting a bit to the sweet sight of Todd Pratt
homering the New York Mets one step closer to a Subway Series, we headed to
the arena, about a 3 minute walk away.  "Shakedown Street" or more
appropiately "Fakedown Street" as I have heard it called, was right in front
of the main arena entrance on South Pearl Street, making travel from one side
to the other quite an undertaking.  Just a sea of people, less vending than
usual, and lots and lots of ticketless folks. Police on foot and horseback,
making their presence felt, but by no means looking for trouble or even
bothering anyone, surrounded the arena.  I like the "Get 'em in safely, Get
'em out safely" mentality that city cops seem to have as opposed to the
militant like force small town cops like to exude.  So after perusing the
landscape for a bit, it was showtime. I will spare you the details of the
antics from the fucking idiot next to me, and tell you instead that the
pre-show chatter consisted mainly of talk concerning the new live album
"Hampton Comes Alive", encompassing the two classic shows last Fall at the
legendary Hampton Coliseum.  What an ingenious name. Set one opened in style
on Saturday night with the great pairing of Punch You in the Eye and Wilson.
Both played to perfection, the crowd was very loud and very alert right off
the bat.  Guyute, being played quite frequently this tour, was equally strong,
and when Trey started those delay loops immediately after it ended, it was
time to get serious.  The Ghost>Free that followed was amazing, the former
full of funk and after a perfect segue the latter was probably the best
version I have heard.  Easily the highlight of the the first set, if not the
highlight of the five sets I had heard so far beginning in Nassau on Thursday.  
Sparkle was Sparkle, whipping the crowd into a frenzy before Possum ended the
set.  I didn't mind hearing it for the second time in three nights, it was
shorter and to the point but they nailed it.  A pretty good start to the
weekend.

Limb by Limb is a cool way to start a set.  I loved it as an opener this
summer at Merriweather, and Saturday's was nice.  The 2001 was great, a very
long spacey intro that made it tough for the band to get into the climax parts
smoothly.  It showed, as Trey just ripped into them, making for an odd
transiton. Every time I say to myself that I don't want to hear Down with
Disease ever again, I hear a version that blows me away.  Deer Creek this
summer was one instance, and Saturday night was another.  Trey proved once
again that when it is all said and done, Phish is in a way "his" band, with a
solo that left me in awe. Wading in the Velvet Sea was a nice way to settle
down, and for me, so was Simple.  The jam, very Page heavy was nice and
mellow, but sounded almost deliberately standard and very short.  However
Loving Cup, my favorite Phish cover for obvious reasons if you have seen them
play it, closed things on a big note.  All out rocking version, Trey jumping
up and down, playing guitar like he had eight fingers on his fretboard instead
of just five.
  Slave was a disaster.  Sounded like they put on an old tape of them playing
it and just let it go. Probably will get plenty of raves for the simple fact
that it is Slave to the Traffic Light, and they played it as an encore, but
don't believe the hype.


Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 16:50:26 -0400
From: Danny Weinstein weinst98@matrix.newpaltz.edu
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: 10/9/99 review

 
  So this was my first show of the falltour and since I only could catch 1
show over the summer I was so excited for these shows. First off the lots
were way to crowded. To many people were there and the police were all over.
So I went in. I was on Page side on the 200's in the middle. Good seats even
though high up. Note that the ventalation system in the pepsi arena is one
of the best things ever.
 
PYITE- I have heard this a few times. Allways as the opener so I was not
surprised at all. It is allways cool to hear this song. It has a lot of
different parts which makes it diverse and great to hear. The Landlady solos
were quite good.
 
Wilson- It was an okay version. Picked up the crowd a little bit. It was
really hard and rockin. Solid trey distortion in the jam. At this point I
thought to myself could it be a gamehendge.....
 
Guyute- My gamehendge theory was wrong but I wasn't expecting anyhting at
all. It was a good version. I have seen alot of guyute's but htis version
Trey was on. He didn't mess up that much at all and everyone sounded great.
Probably one of the more solid ones that I have heard.
 
Ghost- This wasn't that big of a surprise. I knew they were going to play
this. It was good. Mikes base slaping was awsome but short. I thought they
could have put more funk into it but instead it rocked out and built way way
up. The jam was good. I wish it was funk but I loved it anyway. Ghost is
awsome.
 
Free- Free was one of the highlights of the show. Mike set up the jam
perfectly. His base solo was long and great. If Mike had more solo's like
that it would be great. After Mikes solo trey set up a sollid groove to be
best Free I have ever heard.
 
Sparkle- I was surprised that after that amazing Free that sparkle they
played sparkle. It was misplaced in the set. But they allways look like they
are having fun playing it so if they have fun I ghave fun. It was sparkle
not good not bad just there.
 
Possum- This was an awsome way to end the set. It rocked hard. Trey and Page
sounded amazing as usual. This brought the crowd dancing and jumping around.
I was glad to hear this song. I think the last time was Lemmonwheel.
 
Over all this show was a great rockin show. I had alot of fun at this show.
I give it a 8/10. I had a really great time and was excited for the next
night!

Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 14:37:24 -0400
From: Dan Buckley dbuckley@Bowdoin.EDU
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: 10.9.99 review

this was somewhere around my 25th show (maybe 26thor even 27th, i cant
remember), and i was psyched for the show, after hitting last year's
thanksgiving eve rocker.  the scene was the usual albany scene outside,
too many people and too many cops, so i decided to head in.

Set I
PYITE:  great opening song, i had a feeling we would get this one, if
not curtain.  i took my girlfriend to this one, her 2nd show, and she
loved the salsa/landlady middle, and of course the dance that trey and
mike do, good solid opener

Wilson:  after being overplayed in years past, wilson was a welcome 2nd
song to get everyone into the groove.  musically solid w/ some good
lighting

Guyute:  after hearing this one 3 out of my 5 shows this summer, i was
getting a little sick of it.  my girlfriend even pointed out that it
lacked alot of energy in the beginning, which i definitely agree with.
it wasnt an especially poor guyute, but it was very far from some of the
real good guyutes i have seen, like the one in the encore from last
year's albany show.  my overall feeling is that this tune could use some
time on the shelf (this from a guyute lover)

Ghost:  after seeing the ghost from the molson amphitheatre in toronto,
i felt as though seeing another ghost would be too soon.  and i was
right.  the composed part went well, but it seemed as though the jam was
heading somewhere, but it took forever and never really came together.
which is fine w/ me, since ghost is a song which they always try to play
differently every single time.

Free:  ahhhhh, yes.  great segue which caught me by surprise.  i havent
seen this one in literally years, the last one being in the 97 worcester
run, i think.  the boys have really improved on this one, using that
lame album version middle part and extending it into a great jam
section.  this may have been the song of the night, it really seemed to
lift the place up.

Sparkle:  i thought that they would play something like a SOAMelt here
or something of the sort, but sparkle, if you dont hear it alot, can be
fun, and it was.

Possum:  another great version.  incredible trey/page interplay on this
one, and on that note:  PLEASE TURN PAGE UP!!!  anyone else have real
problems w/ how overpowering trey is alot of the time?  that was the
case w/ this one, but the jam worked out well, some great intricate
playing here, real fun possum, one of the better ones i have seen.

set break was 45 minutes.....hurry it up, please.....less waiting time,
more music

Set II
Limb by Limb:  i think that they have played this one at every show so
far, so i was expecting it sooner or later.  i really dont have any
complaints though, i fel that this was a real good version, a weird
little funky, scratch jam going on at the end, which carried over to...

2001:  never disappointed by this one, and once again, chris kicked some
ass at the lightboard.  i dont know how i feel about trey's little
keyboard deal, it seemed as though page (again) wasnt quite loud enough
to get the full interplay effect, but this song really turns the crowd
on, and it did.  good version

Down w/ Disease:  i hate to say it, but i have seen this one a little
too much.  i felt as though  it was a good time for a maze (where did
that one go?) or even something a little more riske, like a divided
sky.  i think that i have just seen this one too many times, and maybe
it would benefit from some downtime.  a good version though, and they
boys brought it back nicely at the end.

Velvet Sea:  wow.  what a beautiful song.  easily one of my favorites
off "ghost".  that really all i can say, page once again showed us why
he is one of the best out there today.

Simple:  i honestly cant really remember this one too well, which may be
a sign that is wasnt too spectacular.  a nice mellow jam, as always,
ensued.  another song i have heard too many times, a more lively song
probably would have been a better choice here, maybe a theme here....

Loving Cup:  i was really disappointed the last time i heard this, and
felt that it was too much of a crutch for them to fall back on when the
set was going bad.  but it seemed like they put it away a little, and
resurrected a classic for the closer.  this one really brought the house
down, a great song to just get down and boogie to.

E:  Slave:  i have much better slaves than this, and felt that it was
somewhat anticlimatic.  trey just seemed to come in too heavy to early,
kind of spoiling that beautiful page rhodes euphoria.  oh well, you cant
ask for too much, there was another show to be played


overall this show ranks as a 6 or at best a 7 out of ten.  it filled the
phish void that i had been feeling after the summer, and will certainly
hold me over until december.  just too many songs that i have seen quite
often......

dan buckley

Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 15:26:35 EDT
From: Piper190@aol.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: 10-9-99 Albany
 
first off, let me say that the staff and security at the Pepsi Arena were the
rudest and most belligerent f$%ks i've ever had the displeasure of dealing
with.  as the show had already started five minutes ago, the whole right side
of the crowd outside was stopped from progress by a fat pig with a megaphone:
 "back up folks or you'll be out here all night." well, we did already pay
$30 for the privilege of being allowed inside, so i didn't feel it was that
unreasonable that at least 3,000 were pretty upset to miss the beginning of
the show due to some pompous pig's power trip.  also, security on the floor
was none too pleasant either.  but anyway, let me also say that i thought
friday night at nassau was just amazing, rivaling the marathon jam session
held there last year on april 3rd from the island tour.  just as the
providence show after that was not overwhelming, this show left me with the
same impression.
 
set I: i was expecting after a night of relative rarities before, that
tonight would open up, and probably stick with, the old familiars.  PYITE,
Wilson, Guyute are three songs that were played just about to death this
summer, and though i was going with the phlow, i can't say i was thrilled.
all three of these songs are always the same, so when the feedback intro to
Ghost began, i was ready to get down.  this Ghost was reminiscent to Columbus
this summer, great lights and strong rocking grooves that eventually landed
into Free.  this version was not as good as 7-23-99 nor Columbus 7-31-98 (the
best Free of the modern era).  it was ok, got the crowd rocking, and was
pretty amusing.  then came *Sparkle* which i haven't heard for awhile, but
Sparkle gave way to Possum, not my favorite tune at all and also a repeat
from thursday.  the set closed, i shrugged and said ok, and sat down to smoke
a bowl.  and then another, and then another...
 
Setbreak:  this was one long f%&king setbreak.  the first set was short and
imo not too exciting, and the boys really took a good long rest after it.
when i see a weak first set, i don't expect much out of the second, but the
long break gave me hope for something special.  finally, after 10:10 p.m. the
lights FINALLY go down and its time
 
Set II:  Limb by Limb is my highlight for the Story of the Ghost.  the jam is
sweet and spacey, and the lyrics intriguing and mysterious, egyptian likings
to the dead's blues for allah.  this version, like almost any second set
opener, kicked.  the space was phlowing and phlipping around, and when the
jam finally subsided, fishman played with the lyrics alittle before a mellow
jam not unlike 12-29-98 emerged.  i was thinking maze, but 2001 came instead
and you will get no complaint here.  this was a very well explored version;
i'm not sure how long but it was long enough.  then came DWD which though
common is nonetheless good to hear.  this version was neither here nor there,
but trey was bouncing around like a little kid and having a good time so that
was fun to see.  then a short noodling from page and the dreadfully boring
though pretty velvet sea arose.  here i sat down and did not really rise
again.  simple couldn't bring back the energy from before and i didn't feel
that this was a particularly powerful jam.  loving cup was good; i expected
it to close nassau especially in light of the chaos that erupted there last
year, and i rocked out with trey- "thanks, we've had a good time, goodnight."
 okay, not exciting, not expecting much from the encore...
 
Encore:  slave to the traffic light is a song that has been more or less left
alone these last few tours, and i will admit that it is not one of my
favorites, especially as the final song of the night and considering that we
had to drive back to dc that night.  this slave, imo, was one of the weakest
of all time.  the jam built for a few minutes, reached about 40% of the
intensity of a regular slave, and then trey just ended it.  no climax, no
skyscraper jamming, no heroics, just slave, short and not so sweet.  i know
i'll probably be ripped for saying this in light of all of the other
favorable reviews of this show, but i think that this was a night to get us
excited for the tour closer.  first night shows need to be topped the next
night, but i was satisfied turning around, almost wishing i'd quit with a
good feeling after nassau.  anyway, maybe it was just my mood.  see you all
in december!
 
peace

Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 14:56:49 -0400
From: FSchraderMonroe FSchraderMonroe@compuserve.com
To: "dws@gadiel.com" dws@gadiel.com
Subject: Albany


I had a great time @ Albany this past weekend! Anybody else see Mike
Gordon Saturday walking outside? He walked past me near the Twelve tribes
bus and no one was following him or noticing him at all.....very exciting
for me though..when I said hello he gave me a Billy Breathes style cover
smirk and kept on trekking. Good enough for me it made Saturday special!
Sunday I was right behind the stage and had a great view of Fishman
drumming. Does anybody know the story of the tap dancing girl who tap
dances to every show for the past several years on a riser behind the
stage? Superstitious phish? Also noticed Trey talking into the mic cup a
lot on Sunday which was interesting. I had a lot of fun at the shows and
can't wait until Hartford and Providence!


Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 12:18:01 EDT
From: GSend2224@aol.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: review of 10/9/99
 
Gotta love it when Phish decides to rock. First all, I live all of 20
minutes from the Knick, so its the easiest show to get there. A home dinner
with phriends and phamily and then its off to Albany. I didn't really spend
too much time in the lot scene, but I did notice just as the last two years,
the garages seemed to be the place to be.
 
Anyway, into the seats, right in time to make our pre-show calls. My typical
companion has never heard Bouncin' live, and keeps saying he'll see it. I
grinned and said the boyz would rip out Punch You in the Eye, since they've
played it at EVERY show I've been too so far!!!! (My luck must be good orr
something... not like I could ever get tired of that one...) Another
phriend, this was his first show ever, and he's always liked the tight Down
with Disease. So as the lights went down we watched...
 
PYITE- Yesssssss... heh heh... another one for me. My friends and I laughed,
this one has pretty much become MY song, they've yet to go a show without it
for me.  Intro was good, the middle seemed a bit slow, and Trey seemed like
he was stillwarming up on 'Landlady.' I love this song, but this version was
nothing special since what I've seen. The set was rolling a bit until...
 
Wilson- Nice! The "wilson" tunes back to back. Trey was strumming pretty
hard, and the crowd really got up for this one. Rocked hard and the set was
really on...
 
Guyute- The opening of this song again seemed a little choppy, but once Trey
and Page got down to the middle jam, they really settled in. Faster then
usual, and about as clean as I've been privledged to hear it. As the closing
chords rung out Trey turned on his reverb setting up...
 
Ghost- This was funky and the jam was very tight. It seemed like they'd
warmed up enough to be tight by now. I like Ghost, but I do miss the older
more rocking Ghosts of the past (the one '97 here at the Knick was
unbelievable) The crowd really stuck with this one too, clapping during one
section of the long jam instead of just sitting and staring at the lights
(Chris was incredible, like always...) Once the funk cleared out Mike
started getting loud, my friend and I thought DWD was coming but instead
they hit...
 
Free- This one was excellent, I love this song, and they sit on that jam as
the lights go all red- well-  I was dancing my head off. The crowd was
roaring at this point and they set into...
 
Sparkle- My phriend who had never been to a show before loved this one.
Otherwise, it was the same as it always has been...
 
Possum- YESS!! They played this the other night, but this was still a hot
closer. Trey ran the whole jam with what sounded like a slide guitar as
opposed to a more distorted electric sound, it was pretty cool... between
sets was crowded, the walkway is just packed all the way around in the
Knick, saw a phriend tho so I can't complain... set II
 
Limb- Not a usual opener, but very nice. The jam was more spacey then I'd
expected, and I kept thinking they were setting up a 'Catapult' or something
in there, but it never panned out. Oh well, it was still sweet and then the
drums kicked up for...
 
2001- Ahhhh yes, this was just rippin!! It took them forever to get around
to actually playing the theme, but it didn't matter. I was a little peeved
that Trey was overpowering Page so much- sometimes I wish Trey could mic
down just a little to let Page shine up a little more, and this was one of
those times. It was very long, and funky to the extreme! The ending come
down led right into Mike's solo for...
 
DwD- Aww right! My phriend was totally jamming at this point, and this was a
very tight DwD. The balance between the boys I thought was really good, both
in volume and phrasing...
 
Velvet Sea- I think this song is absolutely beautiful, and they gave the
crowd a quick breather.
 
Simple- Fish opened this one being very active, stomping the bass drum for
about all it was worth, and Trey did some nice be-bop licks. The vocals were
tight, and the jam at the end was great - I love this one when Page is on!
But we knew the set was coming to a close soon and so they went right
into...
 
Lovin' Cup- WHAT?!?! I haven't heard this one since Lemonwheel, and I was
getting down!!! The crowd was totally nuts, and this is one of my favorite
covers by the boys.
Ohh what a beautiful buzz......
 
Encore: Slave- A good ending, although after the Lovin Cup, anything would
have been a little anti-climactic. I love this song a lot, so I was leaving
with a smile on my face. Overall this show was excellent, and my phriend
declared that he was a phan for life after this show. Thanks to all of them
for converting yet another true phan for me! =)
 
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 14:58:47 -0400
From: Cluster User First_Last@brown.edu
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Phish Review Albany 9.10.99
 
 
First night Albany wasn't the best of the tour by any means, but was a
good representative of the Phish '99 style...it was my girlfriend's
first time to a Phish show, and she had a blast so I can't complain...if
anything was the theme of the Albany shows it was probably "Calm down,
Trey, turn down your guitar a little, try playing with the rest of the
guys, and stop wiping your nose..."
    PYITE opener was definitely exciting for all, and got the entire
crowd moving...not too extended of an intro, but not bad...standard
version.  WILSON was definitely in the line of the Hardcore Heavy Rock
Wilsons that have become the staple these days...nowhere near the
version from the E-Center in Jersey in Summer '99.  GUYUTE was nice to
hear, another big crowd pleaser, although again it wasn't the tightest
version they've ever played...Trey was struggling to keep up with some
of his own melodies...then...GHOST...okay now the show is really going
to take off...it started with Trey setting up some loops...very, very
slow version of this song.  I'd have to agree with other reviewers that
the long Am7 jam following always seemed like it was going somewhere,
but never quite got there.  Just a lot of noodling from Trey and Page on
different melodies, but they never found anything new or inspiring in
this one...so it quiets down and they Trey ripps the opening D-chord to
FREE....yes, great choice here!! Everyone was loving it...very deep bass
work from Mike here, and they were playing with renewed intensity.  very
nice version overall, not too long, but they all came back on the m6 Bb
chord with perfect timing...then a SPARKLE...not much to say here,
standard version, got everyone dancing...then POSSUM...once again, I
agree with everyone, turn PAGE up, and turn TREY down, he is just too
overpowering sometimes...he needs to lay off the ego-juice, maybe I
should give him some leeway b/c he wants to party for the last two
nights of the tour, but come on Trey, your solo tour is over!!! other
than Trey's ego, Possum was a pretty good version, and it ended the set
nicely...
 
SECOND SET:
    Okay, after a long setbreak, Phish decided to drop some bombs in the
second set...I don't think anyone was expecting a LIMB by LIMB openener,
but that was okay, since they played an excellent version, and the jazzy
3/4 jam at the end was excellent...Trey really playing some nice melodic
lines in here, one of the better Limbs that I've seen live...then, you
knew it was coming soon, the space ship noises began, and it was time
for 2001...super Phish phunk time.  I thought this 2001 fucking rocked!!
It had a lot of intensity, and Fishman had the beat going pretty damn
fast.  Page was definitely not loud enough once again, we need more
Rhodes in the mix Paul....However, I for one really like Trey on
Keyboards...his mind is so fucking tuned melodically that he can
definitely pick up any instrument with ease.  A lot of nice c-minor
riffs swirling back and forth here, and Chris is always great on the
lights to this song.  They did two different Strauss C-major
buildups...and then busted into DWD...another nice choice..played well,
the jam was really sick!! I thought they all kept building towards that
Phish climax you here in every Phish major chord jam. Very triumphant
sounding, with lots of high notes from Trey...very life-affirming as
Nietzsche might say...a pretty VELVET SEA followed that made my
girlfriend very happy, into a SIMPLE...that to me was not very
impressive...the I-IV jam following lacked the beautiful layering and
buildup that they usually accomplish in a good Simple jam...set ended
with a LOVING CUP...always a good ender, nice rock song with Trey on
full throttle, finally some more chances for him to release all that
"stimulated" energy. Encore was SLAVE - fucking great choice
here...played well, and the jam after was not particularly spectacular,
but built very nicely, and made me feel great about seeing my 60th Phish
show, and brining my girlfriend to her first...
...one thing her that I would like to comment on...the new direction
Trey and the boys seem to be taking for their jamming style in '99.  I
for one think that the new songs are really starting to sound like
GRATEFUL DEAD...does anyone agree with me here...I mean Meatstick is
essentially the chords to Fire on the Mountain, played in the same layed
back Mixolydian style that the Dead used for so many years...and even
all the new songs have something of a poppy, but Grateful Dead feel,
think of Heavy Things for example...does anyone agree here?? I also
think that in terms of their jamming style, they are still trying to
create musical landscapes, but are doing it in a different way...Trey
seems to be creating a NOTE CLOUD, a big mass of notes from whatever
scale he's in that all kind of feedback at the same time...then when he
thinks its appropriate, he will highlight or enlighten certain notes
from this cloud, so they like JUMP OUT of this big mass of notes, and
then swirl back into the tornado cloud...think for example of the
DISEASE from this night or the 2001, same idea...
Anyway, that's my two cents for Albany, see you all in PROVIDENCE!!!
 
 
Doug E. Fresh

Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 02:26:00 -0400
From: Jeff Tyler tylerj@sunyit.edu
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Review of 10/9/99

Hey phriends,

This was a great show.  very good vibes in the air, ya know.  PYITE
opener was sweet, i always love this one, but my friend who has only been
to 3 shows, has seen this as the opener all 3 times. hhahaha.  Wilson was
cool as usual.  GUYUTE is one of my personal favorites.  I love the jig.
Then OH MAN, 24 Minutes GHOST was incredible.  SO SWEET.  Free was
rockin'.  I had never seen Sparkle live until tonight, and it was really
sad.  My best friend who was coming up sunday, couldn't make this show.
They played Sparkle...her song, the first phish song i ever played for
her.  Kinda a downer that she couldn't be there.  Possum was groovin' as
usual.

Set 2 began with a sweet Limb by Limb.  then 2001.....my friend was
wishing for this, and he got it.  Smokin' jam.  Down with disease is
always fun.  VElvet Sea was so sweet and mellow.  Made me feel like i was
floating.  After a Simple with a nice jam in it, they closed with my
favorite cover.  Loving Cup.  I LOVE THIS SONG.  

SLAVE ENCORE WAS SO SO GROOVY.
See you all soon,
Jeff    

Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 11:32:10 -0400
From: Matthew_J_Cardullo@keane.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Albany 10/9/99 review
 
Pepsi Arena Albany NY 10/9/99
 
I thought I'd review the past 2 shows I was able to catch in Albany.  I've
been to about 40 shows in the past 6 years and have almost 1400 hours of Phish
on tape so I have a pretty good sense about what makes a show and what does
not. Saturday night looked to be a real tough ticket.  I saw hundreds of
people with fingers in the air and not many tix being handed out. I also saw
Mike chilling out in the lot talking to some people.  I waved, he waved back
and that was about it.  I didn't really want to bother him but he looked like
he was having fun. After making my way in, my friend told me that Phish would
open with PYITE since they didn't play it in Nassau.  Well, he was right.  
Punch has always been a great opener.  This one did not disappoint.  Wilson
was up next, and the crowd was louder than I have ever heard, chanting Wilson.  
There was a lot of energy with those two tunes opening up.  I knew we would
get a Guyute, I was just hoping it wouldn't be so early.  I love Guyute but I
enjoyed it so much more in 94 and 95, when it was a once in a while treat, and
not an every other show kind of song.  I went and got myself a drink and made
back in time for the dark evil jam.  They really ripped it up during the jam
and next up was one of my favorite jams of the evening, Ghost.  Ghost was
super funky.  I don't keep times of songs, but it seemed like a decent sized
jam.  Awesome light work. After the Ghost jam they went into Free.  I was
never a big Free fan until this past summer.  With Mike now heavy in the mix,
Free is one of my favorite tunes to see live.  The jam really rocked.  After
these last 2 songs, I was pumped. This is what I drove three hours to see.  
My elation was short lived though as they busted right into Sparkle.  Sparkle
was sparkle, which is okay because its short.  The band was playing at warp
speed near the end of Sparkle.  It always amazes me how fast the boys really
go at the end of that tune. To close out the set, Phish played Possum.  As my
friend Jeremy says, Possum is Awesome.  I felt some trepidation when the guys
played this one.  I knew that they had just played Possum in Nassau.  There
aren't many Phish songs that I don't like but I reallly dislike Prince
Caspian.  I knew that if they had played Possum, they could also play Prince
Caspian.  I quickly made the No Caspian prayer and got down to the possum.  
This was a typical Possum, which means purely rocking. It was a great way to
close the set.  After about 45 minutes, the guys came out for the second set.
Limb by Limb was the choice.  I was psyched.  I love Limb. Great jam right
into 2001.  My favorite show from the NYE run from last year on tape was the
second night, the 29th.  That set also had a Limb by Limb>2001. Great 2001 jam
then, great 2001 jam now.  Definitely a highlight.  The lights were incredible
as they always are but it looks like Chris got some new toys to play with.  
Very cool.  After a 20 minute jam, next was Down with Disease. Another tune
that I have seen a ridiculous amount ot times but that I still enjoy.  
Disease had a rocking jam and wasn't too long which was nice.  After that, I
could have sworn they were going to break into Slave.  I was jumping up and
down and then it happened, page started playing, as my friend odb calls it,
I've been waiting in the line to pee.  Waiting in the line to pee was the
perfect break to do just that. I think Waiting has some good lyrics but slow
tunes are not my gig.  It seemed like a really long song but then again, it
could have just been that it was so damn slow.  After that, they ripped into
Simple.  Simple has always been one of my favorite tunes, especially when its
not part of the Mike's Groove.  Last year in Worcester, the boys played an
incredible Simple and this one was just as nice.  Very nice mellow jam with
some great light work.  Next up was the ever energizing Loving Cup.  The
energy inside the Pepsi was almost palpable during this tune.  I felt so
great, it was such a beautiful buzz.  The place was hopping, everyone was
getting down and it was just a great way to close the set out.  Phish came out
and then I heard it. The first notes of Slave.  I knew they had teased it
earlier and I was pumped! I just love the mellow jam, Chris really works the
lights out during Slave. There were so many beautiful moments during the song,
where the band would be just sparsely playing notes and the lights would be
sweeping all around.  I find that song so mesmerizing.  It was such a peaceful
way to end the show.  A fantastic Slave and just some awesome jams throughout
the evening made this show for me.  It was definitely a great time. Leaving
the venue, I couldn't wait for the next night's show to start.

Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 09:14:55 PDT
From: Josh Cohen joshcohen4@hotmail.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: Albany Review
 
Just some general comments about the shows.....
 
Saturday Night-
 
Tonight was a special show.  The band really seemed to play to the
'traditon' of Albany, or maybe it was just respect for this very old and
charming city.  The entire first set was a highlight.  Wilson rocked and the
Ghost-Free was unbelievable.  I couldn't help but notice how nicely Sparkle
and Possum fit together.
 
The second set was also phantastic.  Limb by Limb really moved me and
although I would never have believed it, it was a great set opener.  The
2001 intro was really funky (and long) but the timing during the climax
might have been off a little, didn't matter though, the lights were what
counted.  I couldn't help but feel that the band was making their pitch for
NYE tonight and can't imagine what 2001 will be like in Florida.  Maybe a
set that is just 2001 with many twists,turns, and long corridors?.....
 
Disease was nice and tight and very to the point.  The Velvet Sea was so
thick! Page's intro was beautiful and sounded like an enhanced Day in the
Life intro.  Simple was a highligh unto itself.   The band started to slow
it down last year, and this has afforded more opportunity for little
statements from everyone.  Trey's lick was was straight from the heart and
will not be forgotten.  The Simple jamed out for a while and sequed
flawlessly into Loving Cup.  Wow, what a beautiful buzz...
 
I couldn't think of what the band could possibly play as an encore.  It
turned out to be probably the only thing appropriate- Slave.  But everyone
(including the Band) seemed so blown away by the night that I don't think
anyone was really listening.
 
I'll take that condition anytime.
 
Special Show- Thanks Guys.

Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 22:25:33 GMT
From: Tree Top treetop78@hotmail.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: review of 10/9/99 in albany
 
so i came to this show after having seen them on long island on friday
night.  first off, let me say that getting into this venue sucked!
especially after the ease of driving into and walking into nassau coliseum
the night before, i can say that i am not a fan of trying to get into the
pepsi arena.  ran into some friends on the street that i really didn't
expect to see, which was a nice way for the night to begin.
 
SET I: because of the huge lines to get in, i missed pyite and the first
half of wilson, but i made it in time for "can you still have fun?!" and
rocked away for the end of that one.  having missed those openers, i was
glad to have guyute to help me get into the set.
 
then came ghost with a great, long, spacey jam....great way to settle in.
and then my friend calls the move into free....several minutes before it
happened.  and wow!  i love free.  i will probably always love it.  this one
had some great jamming and kept me moving pretty hard through the end.
 
sparkle was a lot of fun.  did anyone else hear runaway jim at the
beginning?  i was almost positive that i heard them start up jim, which got
me really excited (while standing on the street earlier that day, a nice
phellow in his car held his tape player out the window, blasting jim, so i
could dance to it while he was stuck in traffic....thanks).  the end of this
one got so fast and fun, i was bouncing like crazy.  possum got me rocking
to finish up the set, but i don't know how you could listen to that song
without having to bounce a bit.
 
setbreak: lines weren't nearly as bad as the crowd you had to move through
to get to the lines....found the friends from earlier along with others, but
got back to my spot to secure myself a bit of space for dancing....
 
SET II:  i heard the chords of limb start up, and wasn't quite sure if this
song would be the type to get my energy sky-high for the rest of the set
(like halley's comet did for me the night before), but wow!  this version
just rocked!  by the end of that jam, i was pumped and ready for whatever
they could throw at me.
 
and they worked into 2001!!!  so great to hear.  man, that light show is
incredible!!!  thank you chris!  wow.  and the jamming on this was just
great....as soon as it started up, the funk took over my body for the next
long while.  the energy on the climaxes is just incredible.  i was very very
happy to have seen this.
 
dwd!  mike fired that one up nicely at the beginning, and the crowd seemed
excited for it.  nothing too spectacular about this one, but then we settled
down for....wading in the velvet sea!  yes!  the first time i ever heard
story of the ghost, i knew i needed to see this in concert.  it was a first
for me, and i loved it.  of course, how could you not love getting to hear
page play and sing such a sweet song?
 
thanks for that breather, boys, but can we just dance hard for the end of
the set?  the answer was a resounding yes.  simple got me right back up and
dancing hard, with a nice jam at the end.  this couldn't be the end
yet....loving cup!  yes!  well boys, if you REALLY want me to dance as hard
as i can, i'll oblige....
 
ok, now i was tired....what would they bring us for the encore?  a beautiful
slave.  what a nice way to end such an awesome set....a really nice tune
that just makes you feel so much....i wish more people had been willing to
toss their glowsticks/rings....you've had fun with them the entire
show....just let 'em fly by the time we're nearing the end, so everyone else
above you can enjoy the view....
 
great two days.  thanks, boys....i'll see you soon.
 
~brl

Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 20:40:22 EDT
From: SStecor@aol.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: The Funkiest Bitch

                        First of all, the guy that wrote a "review" before
me was not at the same show last night. In fact he wasn't in Illinois or
even on earth for that matter. I think that he has been apprehended by a
race of aliens calling themselves the "greys" and has been interrogated to
the extreme.It seems that these "grays" have learned how much fun goes
down at these shows and have become a bit jealous. So, lately they have
been abducting kidz and turning them against theyre own Phamily....
                      Although I'm embarrased to admit this, I had my
doubts going into the show. Coming off of Summer Tour I decided to bank
for December Tour and Phlorida. But with the endless amounts of negative
reviews , one of my boys came down from northern Michigan and we rolled
into Chicago to see what was up.
                      I try to not worry about what anybody else is doing
( custies, teeny boppers, etc. ) and kick it with kidz and phamily. Don't
Wade in the Custie Sea bacause that type of shit will only bring you
down.Y'all know the potential of goodness on the lot so find security in
kickin it with your own kidz.
                      The usual shit went down in the lot (except for the
shwag weather wich made cooking scarce and not enough shwills to be
bought-- which made this Shwill Kid a Pill Kid ). Sorry girl, I think I'll
pass on the P.C.P. Although It might have been legit for the Big Black
Furry Creatures.
                      I"m really into all the new shit. So if you keep
reading these bunk ass reviews and think that Phish has taken a wrong
turn, don't worry, theyve just gone in a new direction. Afterall , isn't
Phish an experimental band . I think all you oldschoolers should drop all
your Antelopes and Tweezers and Slaves and YEMs and get ready for what's
to come. Mozambique is dank ,GBOTT is funky and Heavy Things is fun to
dance to. I hear people complaining that this song is too poppy--I think
the sickest cover Phish plays ( although they haven't in a while ) is
Crosseyed and Painless, by the Talking Heads, an 80"s POP band that
obviously has been a big influence on Phish. Anyways, if you're just gonna
complain then shut the fuck up and sit in the upper level so us kidz can
have room to groove --or even better , stay home. And to the "oldschooler"
who was complaining to me on the floor between sets that there isn't
enough GAMEHENDGE lately, I agree. I also want you to tell me how many
times they've played Famous Mockingbird w/o the Col.? I'd really be
interested to learn some "old school" shit from such an "oldshool" expert
as yourself. Sorry for being so sassay.....
                    The highlights for me were Div. Sky ( next time you
catch it live or just listen to a tape, the trey section after the
"note"--imagine seeing a beautiful rainforest for the first time --- I
personally had never seen one until the 4th song of the first set ) .
BBFCFM was beautiful as always and maybe a little bit extended. The Encore
was absolutely SSSSSIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!  Suga Blew !!! And
blew and blew and blew and blew the soul outta that harp!!!!!!!  Son Seals
kinda scared me when he first came out, but hey that's between him and his
leg. IMO that's how PHUNKY BITCH should always be played. Once you hear
this, you won't go back to all those ol' BITCHES. I love when Cactus
sings, but from now on they should play a recording of Son Seals singin
the Bitch.

                                Later-------Juicetin

P.S.-- To Mr. Cactus Gordon: "Why do you try to kill me ? " --------
Because you play a sick ass bass and you know it!!


Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 02:27:06 EDT
From: IDefy5@aol.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: review of pepsi arena show night one

First off.. getting into tonite's show was an event in it's self..  over
40 doors to be let in through.. and i would say only about 20 were active.
if that..  standing in line i hear Punch You in the Eye.. i was still
about 5 minutes from entering the arena.  But finally i get in.. WILSON..
had started when i found my spot on the floor.

it was and average Wilson..  there some good energy flowing from trey's
screaming. ..".. Can You still have Fun!!!.. "

Guyute.--- very pleased to have this as my first full song of the night...
wonderfully placed to get this enormous crowd pumping.    played to near
proximity of recorded version.

GHOST !!!  incredible.. need i say more.. mike's playing ... so good..
harmonies of singing were on.  the jam just blew me away.. then as it got
slower.. and quiet.. They go right into: FREE:........ there was some
unusual jamming througout this tune.. i believe only the second time of
this tour.  i enjoyed it.. not my favorite song.. but great jams.. but
only to hear the next tune.. which i've been waiting for..  nothing a
little blue-grass cant help ... Sparkle.. very good..  fishman kept the
beat on this one so well..  and it's great that they were all on singing
for the fast.. " laugh and laugh and fall apart.. etc"  i recall them
playing providence for the april 98 show.. trey just laughed his way
through it.. it was quite amusing. anyway back to this show..  after
sparkle.. i was expecting the set to end... but then.. a very enthused :
POSSUM..  although they played it the other night(10/7) at nassau..  this
one i must say had a bit more energy to it.  the intro was more groovy..
the jam was oh so wonderful as well..  I danced myself silly.. that it was
nice to have a set break afterwards..

after a nice smoking setbreak...  here comes set  2..

LIMB BY LIMB-- a nice song to start the set off with..  it's a great
song.. but i would've liked a more funky song to start the set off with..
being that it's following tune.. was .. : 2001....... OH my... about 9
minutes of just pure jam till the song actually lifted off..Trey just
manhandling his keyboard like no one else's business.. Page looked a
little annoyed that trey kept going on.. i guess taking the attention away
from him.. haha.  a little humor there.... then trey went into the
traditional 2001 sound..  but not to let down.. they went back to the
keyboard jam.. Awesome.. very exciting..  then anticipated what could come
next.. .. :

Down with Disease:...  not to exciting..  some good jams at the end
though.. Trey was strutting his legs around.. feeling good.. some bluesy
jams throughout.. but wasn't the tightest DWD i've seen.

Velvet Sea--  what can i say.. i love this song.. it was good to hear it..
but Page's voice was a bit weak. for this one.. not that i was too let
down..
  just an observation i made..  nice placement though to take a little
break and sit for a minute.

SIMPLE-- always a nice rockin tune..  Trey through in some nice stevie ray
stuff for the small solos in between the regular riff of the song... good
jam to close out the song..  a bit drawn out.. but not to shabby. then..
not expected.. they throw out.. LOVING CUP..  stick a fork in me.. i am
done..  Not too many words for this one.. too much energy involved..
everyone.. just jamming out.. fishman.. doing some great fills..  treys
solos.. just pure Rock n' Roll.  great way to end the set.
  

encore: wasnt sure what to expect.. then i heard those chords.. i knew it
was slave.. Slave to the Traffic Light pretty groove oriented song for the
nights end.. a mostly average version..  got pretty experimental in the
middle.. almost as if they were going to kick into something else.. Mike
was fiddling around with some funky bass line.. Trey looked confused for
awhile like he wasn't sure what to do.. but he found the groove.. and the
song picked back up.. the end really well.

I had a great show tonite.. i am hear in my hotel room.. still partying
going on out on the street..  tomorrow should be a grand night..  i can't
wait..

sorry the review was jumbled.. it's been a long night.

-chris 

hDate: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 23:59:44 -0400
From: todd clouser cclouser@uvm.edu
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: albany 1st night
 
 I headed to Albany for the show, having the albany 97 shows in my mind.
Those were perhaps the best shows Ive seen. The infamous bringin the
dude jam, the ghost, 2001 > camel walk. My god, anyhow, what I got was
not much compared to those shows, but a memorable one.
PYITE was standard. Its a great opener, and I dont wanna sound like a
complainer, but Ive seen this opener a few too many times - last
summer??
Wilson and Guyute - both fun - exciting, not too special as far as
versions go, but nonetheless fun.
Ghost - phat. Ive never heard a ghost jam and been dissapointed.
although I prefer the old version, like others, as compared to the new,
the jam was great and set a mood I looked forward to hearing more of.
Free - another one Ill never get sick of hearing. Mikes bass solo in
this one wasnt as long as this past summers, but it was an intense jam
that kind of led into
Sparkle - you know how it goes.
Possum - i was very excited to hear this one start up. Good jam, not
great compared to others, but it was great.
Limb - phat, a cool opener, the jam was great, with trey working his
shit, I was stoked for a great set and the spacey effects led into
2001 - this was the shit. It was very mellow and spacey with page doin
some cool shit. Page is the greatest, I wish he had nore time to shine
in this show. The climax was nice as this one was especially spacey and
it headed into Mike and
 DWD  - this was cool. Ive heard it a lot lately but its always a great
jam for trey to shine and some good dancin around.
Wading - this is a great song. It was nice and continued the mellow
attitude of the set with a nice solo by trey.
Simple - another one that not too many get people excited about, but it
was cool, with a beautiful jam and some nice work by page and trey. i
really enjoyed it.
Lovin Cup - a standard closer - intense , great song, with page
providing the always inspiring intro, but I was kinda bummed cause I was
hopin there was gonna be a showstopper in this set, but i aiont
complainin, at least we have a chance to see such a great band.
Slave - phat. Out of many shows, ive only seen this a few times, and its
always great. It was a great encore, remindind me of deer creek 98m with
bittersweet motel and hood. dont know why, just the vibe of the
beautiful mellow songs- ya know? I guess I cant rave about this version,
but its enough just to hear, and it was played very well.
Stoked for December

Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 10:46:24 PDT
From: Brendan Smyth nogoodpah@hotmail.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Review of Saturday 10/9

Well, this was my 54? show and fifth show seeing Phish at the Knick since
'95...and I have a few things to say about last nights show. I have caught
the Nassau shows and man, they were SLAMMIN', highlights for me included
that killer Mikes (listen to Page rip it up!) and McGrupp, and the Tweezer
on Friday was rompin' stompin' groove...The whole Tom Marshall gig was
pretty funny, (you can never take Tom seriously, and I loved when Trey was
doing the windmill guitar swinging...it was Trey, rocker style!) but of all
things to stick out, the Fee was really nice.. I didnt get to hear that Fee
from Va. Beach 99, and I heard it was really similar...but the quiet,
melodic space-like jam that follows Fee is really something else...so on to
the Saturday show...
The lot scene was jam-packed, people were moving around like sheep, Albany
definetly gathers all the kids from NY and new england...lots of VT. peeps
were here too, well, It was jam-packed because the Knick is enclosed by
another street and theres no where to go, but there was limited vending,
lots of mushrooms and Northern Nuggets, and nobody really selling any
food...most of the time kids were looking for other kids, and all lost in
the shuffle...it took a long time to get in. when my kids and I were at the
top towards the entrance we all bum-rushed in because we started to hear the
rumbling of Punch You in the eye...I thought it was First Tube from the
outside, so on to the set review...
First and foremost this show reminded me of Worcester 11/29/98 Sunday, I
guess because the song arrangement is similar....
The first set was slammin' but not extraordinary...The Ghost was really long
and spacey, and I kinda miss the choppy old style Ghost...remember Albany
'97..that Ghost RAGED! >>> Free, on which Mike totally rips it up with that
Funky Bass we all know of...man this song got the groove, definetly the bone
shaker of the set...and Sparkle is fun, thats it...Well, I already caught a
Possum in Nassau and it is obvious that they needed to play it again, man,
what energy!, what energy!, they do something right whenever they play
Possum...the crowd was so energetic! I loved it!
Second set was good shit too...The jam on Limb by Limb was sorta like that
Limb>Kung from Worcester 98..it had that quick, melodic groove, and I swear
that I was going to hear a Catapult or something...>>> 2001...man this was
so damn long, and really mellow, the reat of the set was full of energy,
especially the Lovin cup,they were right on, on this set..
At this point I was kinda expecting a little more, like maybe a Fishman
song, or a story, or something amusing...but the set was over, and I felt
like they needed to play more...but WHAM...they hit us with a killer
Slave...such an emotional song, this one really did it for me, it capped off
the show in such a nice way...!!! yeah, and next time they play Slave,
please be quiet during the quiet parts of the song, people were whistling
out of control. See you all Tommorrow!!!!!
Brendan.

Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 17:29:01 -0400
From: TODD NATHAN tnathan1@nycap.rr.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: albany

 
I'm off for another great night at the Knick and just wanted to note
something that neither posts acknowledged. I'm sorry you miseed an awesome
PYITE.
The post about Trey not letting  Page keep on with that awesome funky synth
was right on. Page was on fire!!!!!  We all love Trey but know that he
sometimes powers over Page. I was loving what Page was doing. Chris was
absolutely brilliant!!! I wasn't booming but didn't need to.
ABOUT POSSUM!!!!!- tons and tons of energy with this Possum. Phish has
always treated area to some of the best Possums (SPAC 95) and did so last
night. Has to be considered one of the best ever. I simply can't believe
that the other reviews missed the biggest part.  Trey let Mike play lead
for Possum. I was second level but front row right next to the stage and
watched in amazement. Trey just sat back by his amp and let Mike go fuckin'
nuts. It looked like Mike had has regular Bass but It certainly didn't
sound like it.  My friend and I had just been talking of how hot Mike and
Page were and Mike just amazed me.
Sorry to rant on my friends, but MIKE was SO ON FIRE for Possum.
Looking forward to another great show at the Knick in a few hours.
Peace to all.

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