Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 13:04:54 EDT
From: Shineon2388@aol.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: (no subject)
Phish shows in Worcester are always great. This show is immortalized on Live Phish
Volume 6. The show opens with Funky Bitch and YaMar. Then comes a humorous Carini where
Trey keeps nearly laughing. Runaway Jim provided a nice contrast to the metal sounding
Carini. After an amazing set opener of Buried Alive, the opening notes to...Wipeout? I
never expected Phish to play that again. Then the famous Chalkdust Torture. This is
probably the Chalkdust version of the '94 Tweezerfests. During the song, Mike starts
playing the bass line to Mirror In The Bathroom. Trey follows by singing the first two
verses of the song. After returning to the Chalkdust theme, we go into a blues version of
Dog Log. I bet Paul was happy. Then Sanity and...Wipeout again. They never gave Phans a
break because then they went into a Mike's Groove. The encore had two of my favorites.
Wading and Golgi. And then.....they took another pass at Wipeout.
I wasn't at the show, but from the CD, I wish I was. -Jimmy (and Poster)
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1999 12:07:25 EDT
From: Boudreau66@aol.com
To: dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Cc: PIP3351328@aol.com, shafty@mailcity.com, Boudreau66@aol.com
Subject: FALL 98 REVIEW: 11/27/98 WORCESTER, MA
This show was a blast...just want to say that right off the bat...From the
eight hour drive to my bud's place to the hour drive from there to the
Centrum to the bar across the street to inside the venue...This show was
cool
as cool can be. What a great way to burn off the Thanksgiving calories!!
This is my first review, and I have read many a review to prepare myself for
writing this one, which I feel totally capable of.
Set I:
Funky Bitch: While noone else seems to understand why this song was used as
an opener, I do. It jams. That's all. This Bitch jammed fairly well, not
as well as the Bitch in 12.12.97 at Albany, but she jammed quite well.
Ya Mar: I couldn't understand this one. It drew comparisons to the 8.14.97
Darien Lake Show (with Ken Kesey) where They opened with Ya Mar and then
went
into Funky Bitch. I guess The Guys like to switch it up here and there.
Carini: GREAT SONG!! I don't understand why it came right after Ya
Mar...seemed like "strange placement" for this one, but it rocked
nonetheless. I like the "Piece of Ass" lyrics instead of the "Naked Dude"
lyrics.
Runaway Jim: Like everyone else, I couldn't understand why they chose Jim
for the fourth song, but They did. Who cares anyway?? Jim kicks ass!!
nice
and tight.
Meat: Although this song is cool and funked out...well, who am I to argue??
It kicked ass. Nice pauses .
Reba: Didn't need to understand why They played this...Reba is always
fresh.
always.
My Old Home Place: I couldn't understand the placement of this song,
either...why not after Carini?? Why not after Ya Mar?? Fun song
though...funny to sing along with.
Dogs Stole Things: Why didn't this make it onto the Ghost disc??
Vultures: Why didn't this make it onto the Ghost disc?? TOTALLY understood
why Vultures came after Dogs Stole Things...*wink*
Circus: My girlfriend loves this song. If They're going to do a song about
the circus, I'd prefer it to be Roggae. Not this crap. It's decent, the
kind of song you can play in your church...I just don't dig it as much as
Trey does. And I couldn't understand it's placement, either.
Birds of a Feather: What can I say?? I just don't understand.
While I didn't understand why They played half the songs that They played in
the first set(let's be honest...it must be "The Cool Thing" to second guess
the band's choice of songs and song order, since EVERYBODY DOES IT), the
intermission allowed me to realize that--HEY!! I'm Mike and They're Phish.
I shelled out my money and drove nine hours to see them. Why should I try
to
understand why they play a song when?? Last I checked, it was THEIR songs
and THEIR musical talent that I like to see and hear. Okay, Trey, Mike,
Page
and Jon...I understand now.
Buried Alive: TOTALLY FRESH!! Good as an opener, better with Giant Country
Horns, but hey...I understand now. =)
Wipe Out: Now THIS I was not ready for. I was still trying to figure out
if
that was a Viking Hat Fish had on (my seats were WAY far away from the
stage), and well...it was Wipe Out. We did the Twist.
Chalkdust: I had a feeling that they'd tease Wipe Out in and out of
Chalkdust...they've done it before with other songs...but I had no idea.
Chalkdust kicked, of course.
Mirror in The Bathroom: Never heard it before or since (except on the
tape),
thought Trey made the words up on the spot...but then again, I thought the
same thing about Free the first time I saw it. Different.
Chalkdust>Dog Gone Dog: WHY THE HELL DO YOU CALL IT DOG LOG?? Trey
Introduced it all those years ago as DOG GONE DOG. The new version of the
White Tape lists it as DOG GONE DOG. Where the hell did all of you get Dog
Log?? Heavy, Bluesey...my favorite version. Listened to it as I searched
my
city's blizzard laden streets for my fiancee's dog a couple of months after
the show. We eventually found the good doggie...
Chalkdust>Sanity: Haven't heard from Jimmy Buffett in a loooong
time...COOL!
Buffalo Bill: Quite the welcome surprise...Bill was cool...almost burst my
vocal chords trying to keep up.
Mike's>Hydrogen: Pretty cool, yes indeed. Such a beautiful harmonic little
ditty...I've always been a big fan.
Mike's>Weekapaug: There was once a time when I wondered exactly what this
was. Now, I have heard them all.
Antelope: This song and Rift get my vote for most frequently played.
ENCORE: Wading: What the hell is this?? This is another crap song. This
makes Bouncing and Sparkle just about the best songs on Earth. I really do
enjoy Bouncing and Sparkle is a good song deep down inside, but WADING JUST
PLAIN SUCKS! It's the ONLY Phish song that I don't like and I really can't
stand it!!
Golgi: Classic, just classic.
Wipe Out: At the time, the funniest thing I'd ever heard.
Great show...don't try to understand. Just be. Peace
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 08:51:34 -0600
From: pzerbo@aol.com
Subject: 11.27 & 28.98, Worcester Centrum, Worcester, MA: PZ Review, Pt. 1
Pt. 1: 11.27.98
Standard disclaimer: I have been for the most part thrilled with '98 Phish to
this point, and while I have my pet peaves, I am far from jaded. For context
these were shows #46 and #47, and I've heard most Phish tapes that circulate
with any regularity. My reviews are long-ish and narrative of what was up
overall, so if that isn't your bag, bail! These being the only shows I was to
catch between Vegas and MSG, two big events, my expectations were in check for
a low-key weekend, and I was more psyched to have quality time with good
friends than anything. For the most part, the shows exceeded my expectations.
:-)
Crew & Setup: my core Phishy travel companions Ken, Ann, and Lilly, and at
different times Eroica, Patrick, Ed, Marco, Pete & Tim. Wed. night picked up
Lilly and Ann in Providence en route from NYC to the Cape. Kiler Thanksgiving
day & dinner in Barnstable with the Mortons, including a little late-night
"loop" action, always a treat. After a lazy Cape Friday (I could sure get used
to having more shows where I can wake up on Cape Cod!), made tracks to Boston,
from where I would commute for the weekend, then off to Worcester.
I'm afraid to give away our "secret spot," but given the collective retention
of the group, The Brew City Grill and Brew Pub right across I-290 (15 minte
walk to venue) served as an excellent venue for pre-show grub, brew, meeting
place, and free parking for each of the nights. Friendly staff, great microbrew
selection, good food, not packed, Friday night was a Magic Hat glass and
t-shirt giveaway, I'm not sure what more you could ask from a pre-show meeting
spot. Marco and I busted a move early toward the venue Friday night, visited
the guest list window, then made rounds around the scant-n-sketchy lot scene.
Nothing much shaking, so inside to meet up with friends. So, it turned out I
had pulled a bone-head maneuver and walked from the bar with a friend's keys.
Crisis narrowly averted, temporary stress situation, but all worked out as
groovy as can be expected, mostly due to beyond-the-call chill factor exercised
on the part of my friend Pete. Ken, Lilly, Patrick, Ed and I settled in to our
section 124 seats (Fishman side, back by Kuroda's rig, about halfway up the
first section), ready to boogie.
11.27.98 I: Funky Bitch, Ya Mar, Carini, Runaway Jim, Meat, Reba, My Old Home
Place, Dogs Stole Things, Vultures, Circus, BOAF. (note: contrary to assertions
made elsewhere, to my recollection there was not a single segue in this set)
I'll state from the outset that I am not a huge fan of this set. It doesn't
qualify as a stinker by any means, but neither does it have many highlights, or
any particular flow. Funky Bitch was a fine opener, band looked to me mellow
but happy, possibly excepting Trey who seemed a little more pumped up. CK
obliged their desire to get a look at the assembled crowd by sheding a lot of
light on the situation. Nothing especially noteworthy about the Bitch or Ya
Mar, though you will never see me complain in the face of two of anything from
Mike. I was a little surprised at how pumped I was to hear Carini (first since
12.30.97 for me). It wasn't tight by any stretch, in fact it was borderline
convoluted and had a tough time coming together. Fortunately for us listeners,
the resolution of the tension was through pure energy, they really fought
through it with some gusto! Clearly the highlight of the set for me.
After the last appearance of Runaway Jim in this venue, we all know that
anything can happen, but this is a down-to-earth Jim. Coincidence or no I'm not
to say, but once the glowsticks got any momentum, the band and CK come down on
a hard jam, and -bright- white lights! To me it was hysterically well-timed, as
it wasn't out of the ordinary as far as a lighting maneuver at that point in
the tune, but that extra shot of bright white to say "not now!" just had me
chuckling. Meat. I'm still on the fence here. I didn't groove to it in Vegas,
and I didn't groove on it here. It is a fine tune and all, it just doesn't seem
to have enough substance to stand on its own. Almost like the essence of the
song could be summed up more concisely, perhaps as part of another tune. Or
something could be built around it... or something. Reba follows, and while
others I spoke with whose opinions I respect found a good deal of merit in this
version, it didn't catch a spark with me. It just came across as forced,
certainly nothing approaching the wonderfully lyrical Lemonwheel version (or
dozens of other versions recent and otherwise).
My Old Home Place was a suprise, and not an unpleasant one, and even if you
don't like it, at least it is over in short order :-). I'll be extremely brief
in my comments on the rest of the set. Clearly the most dissapointing half hour
of Phish music I have heard this year (10 shows). It isn't that I have anything
against any of the tunes (Dogs Stole Things, Vultures, Circus, BOAF), but I
just couldn't develop any flow, almost to the point of slight impatience for a
tune (and the set) to end. Section 124 was a bit boisterous for my liking,
nothing too obtrusive or out of the ordinary really, but just a ton more
noticeable when the set is dragging. While I really do like BOAF (really!), I
bailed for the can, it had to happen at some point. I'm told it was better than
average, but I feel no great sense of loss :-). It's really not that the set
was all that bad. It reminded me in spirit of 11.29.97 I, which had some
highlights, very diverse and extensive song selection, but just no flow, no
juice.
I proceded to made tracks downstairs to the Clinic in hopes of finding a
friend. OK, OK, so I wanted to grab a cold one or two, taboot. Almost subdued
compared to my last Clinic visit on Halloween, but those were extraordinary
party circumstances :-), and the room did have extremely positive, chill
energy. I was 1 for 2 on my missions (I got the beer), but after a few minutes
there wasn't any band or anyone I particuarly knew well in the room, so I
bailed in favor of hanging with my friends back in the seats. A good move, as I
got to see a bunch of folks there and in transit I hadn't seen in a number of
gigs. A reasonable (40 minute?) break, and we are off for set II.
11.27.98 II: Buried Alive, Wipe Out -> Chalk Dust -> Mirror in the Bathroom ->
Chalk Dust -> Dog Log -> Chalk Dust, Sanity, Buffalo Bill, Mike's -> Hydrogen
-> Groove -> Wipe Out -> Groove -> "Groove Do-Over" -> Antelope. E: Wading in
the Velvet Sea -> Golgi -> Wipe Out
Hmmmmm, good! I adore this set. Whatever halftime attitude adjustments made
were at every turn for the better! Buried Alive hits the ground running, very
spirited, definitely establishing a more energetic vibe. Wipe Out was
bust-a-nut funny, but no token either, especially from our man Mr. Fishman,
yowza. If you didn't immediately think Hawaii, you haven't been paying proper
attention! Two images flashed in my head during this: the "picture" of Trey
"surfin' gnarley tubes, dude" on the below-the-fold cover of the
November/December '94 Schvice, and that of me sipping a fruity drink with a
paper umbrella under a palm tree on 12.31.99! :-)
I don't recall specifically anything about the transition to Chalk Dust, only
that I was a bit taken by surprise that they would play this twice in the same
show (BOAF set 1 closer), albeit with the alternate lyrics. The transition to
Mirror in the Bathroom found me in joyous stitches, a genuine LOL, get-psyched
moment! Back when we listened to music on vinyl, the English Beat was in solid
rotation among my friends. When MTV first came out, I seem to recall English
Beat getting a lot of play time, or maybe I'm off by a year or two. I know
there are a large number of young folks with wide-ranging musical knowledge,
but I coudn't resist a chuckle in the crowd reaction, going from "can't I live
while I'm young?" to a kinda bewildered WTF? for a large percentage during
MITB, back to a frenzied state on the return to Chalk Dust. Being a tad
illiterate to much current popular music these days, it was a nice reminder
that the band members and many folks their age share an eerily similar musical
background.
The Chalk Dust continued to smoke along, with consistent Wipe Out themes woven
throughout, breaking down into the up-beat, bluesy (some have said almost My
Soul-ish, though I didn't pick that up) groove that would set the stage for a
strange Dog Log. A foreshadowing of Paul's oddly-infamous place in the weekends
events perhaps! I'm a sucker for Dog Log, they can really play it any way they
see fit and I'll be happy, but this one was especially entertaining. Back into
the Chalk Dust ending, someone will be sure to correct me if I missed this, but
there were no additional vocals/chorus on the last return visit to Chalk Dust?
Anyway, swiftly into Sanity, what a fabulous call! A physical, tempo breather
after a taxing opening run of tunes, but without any letdown in vibe; I
couldn't have crafted a list any better! I got into this Sanity a little more
than I did at the Wheel; it isn't that it was especialy better, in fact in many
ways they were interchangeable. I just really need a good visual fix on Trey to
get into this song, I need to get a good vibe on the delivery, attitude,
inflexion and such. Dug it, great version. Bufallo Bill is great from a
standpoint of rarities (though not that terribly rare, I caught the 8.17.97 and
11.29.97 versions). I can't say that I groove to the tune especially, but
Fishman seems to like it and it is nice and short.
Hmmm, Mike's. I'll need to hear the tapes, but was this -eerily- similar to the
Vegas version? That is -not- registered as a complaint, just an observation. To
me the defining characteristic of both versions is how much they "stay inside
the theme" so to speak. Hard driving, very powerful with clear intent and
precise delivery, but not ever straying too far from a primary theme. Good,
very good even, just not terribly exploratory. How can one not be psyched for
Hydrogen? :-) My first (the first?) since 11.22.97, just glorious, save for
some elements of the crowd who were under the mistaken impression I'd rather
hear them yell than Trey play. Again, the crowd wasn't horribly obnoxious, but
enough to distract from quiet moments that should be enjoyed with the ears, not
the mouth. But I digress, constantly.
The Weekapaug will take a while to digest on tape, it takes quite a number of
twists and turns! It begins without any particular fanfare, but then after a
chorus (or two or three?), it breaks down into alternating tight and loose
grooves around Wipe Out. When it finds its way back to the Weekapaug chorus
again, it is -fast-. Any faster it would be 78/chipmunk styled, almost like a
"gag" rendition, just really silly and frenzied. Trey leads everyone into an
abrubt but full ending, talks to first Mike, then Page (via grand-top "cup") as
if to indicate another tune. Instead, we enter what Ken and I immediately
dubbed Weekapaug "do-over" or "alternate version." Or, "what Weekapaug Groove
could have been like with a 10 minute space break-down ending!" It was cool! I
may not be in the majority, but I -love- 10.31.98 III, and this break-down of
Weekapaug is very much in the mode of the early grooves out of Wolfman's from
that set. I was sensing a walk-off-to-feedback ending, but to all of our
benefit, Trey makes the calls, not me :-) so we are treated to Antelope. Good
but not great version, a lot of unresolved musical tension, certainly nothing
aproaching Vegas (or even Lemonwheel, or Va Beach, or any number of recent
versions), but great energy nonetheless.
Quick break, and back for Wading in the Velvet Sea. I love the tune, I thought
the positioning was fine, but I just can't groove when the crowd noise level
competes with that of the band. Folks, please, there is a time to chat, and
there is a time to chill; the slightest bit of attention to the vibe of the
room should indicate which is which. Golgi -> Wipe Out was groovy... again, not
quite the equal of Vegas on the Golgi, but solid, and the "let's give Fishman
one more moment in the sun the 10th time around the Wipe Out theme" was a
fitting ending to a solid show. Too uneven in the first set to immediately
qualify as "great" in my book, but the 2nd set was extremely good, and tapes
and time will tell the story, as always.
After assembling folks and connecting on post-show activities, I bolted
downstairs to again try to visit a friend. All band members around this time...
Trey with his black leather jacket, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and extremely happy
disposition was hanging in the hallway holding court with (I presume) friends
and crew. I passed Page on my way in/his way out, he looked in good spirits,
while Mike & Fishman were chilling inside the small-ish room allocated for
Clinic purposes. Not that I've really ever seen him otherwise disposed, but
I've been really struck lately by how healthy and happy Fishman seems 'up
close'... I guess it is just the difference between the image I've always had
of him with stringy hair, drenched in sweat in a frock (and viking horns or
other bizarre objects) versus him in decent-to-nice clothes, nice haircut,
lookin' sharp and just chill and cheerful as all heck. Anyway, my mission was
still to find my friend, but unfortunately no dice. Had a quick beer and
settled in with the group of 4 or 5 folks chatting with Mike and chilled for a
while. I don't know whether it is a pet name or what, but FWIW I can report the
Hawaii thing being jokingly refered to as "The Big Kahuna." I like it!
I had friends waiting at the aftershow, so temporarily bailing on my mission I
made way to the service elevator, only to find myself followed close behind by
Mike, Bart Butler (if you are ever looking for Bart for any reason, just find
the nearest elevator!) and a number of other folks with similar aftershow
destination. The aftershow itself wasn't especially interesting, but the beer
was free and had someone actually dedicated to serving it (and checking IDs,
providing for comic relief to some of us), a nice treat, and the room was
decent, overlooked the outside goings-on, if a little crowded. Nothing really
happening here, so we bailed back to Boston after a short stay.
In order to party a bit, and get some sleep and rest up to repeat the process
the next day. Which will be the subject of Part II, to be posted, er, sometime
tonight or tomorrow or whenever I finish. Cheers,
-Phillip
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 28 Nov 1998 02:40:23 -0500
From: Frank and Earnest
Subject: Worcester 11/27 review
Just got home from Worcester a little while ago. I still can't get over
the second set. Absolutely phenomenal. Easily the best set of Phish I've
seen live - maybe the best I've heard (20 shows ~500 hours).
Funky Bitch opener was solid. I'm a little bummed they're playing it on
such a regular basis but since I hadn't seen it yet this tour it was nice
to hear. Ya Mar was standard. Carini got the place rocking and a ten
minute Jim hit the spot. Meat is not one of my favorites but this was a
decent version. I was unexcited to hear Reba at first but the jam was
great. I mentioned to my tourmate that I could use a blue grass tune
after that and they started up My Old Home Place. Dog Stole Things
continued the dog theme started in Jim and Vultures was cool - my first
time seeing it live. When the Circus Comes was very chill and Birds of a
Feather was very standard and was a decent set closer. The first set was
your average great phish. Maybe a 5.0 on the SJCRS.
Second Set blew me away. Like I said, this was the best set of Phish I
have heard. After a 40 minutes set break the boys came back on and
Fishman and Mike started up Buried Alive. I was pleasantly surprised
(shocked even) to hear Wipeout next. After a couple of minutes wipeout
led to a chalkdust. At first I was a little bummed to get another
chalkdust so soon after New haven, but oh how wrong I was. Chalkdust had
teases of wipeout all the way through and after two verses Trey sang a
snippet of a song I was unfamiliar with - which later turned out to be an
English Beat song called Mirror in the Bathroom. After going back into
chalkdust they went into a bluesy version of Dog Log which lasted a couple
of minutes. After that it was back into Chalkdust. I have to be honest I
was thinking of the Bomb Factory show and I honestly thought we might get
a whole set of segues in and out of Chalkdust. Silly wishful me. This
was by far the most experimental/coolest/best chalkdust I have ever heard.
Chalkdust finally segued into Sanity and then that was it for Chalkdust
for the night. Sanity was standard, but still a treat because of its
scarcity. Buffalo Bill was a welcome tune and it led into an inspired
Mike's. Mike's was a great ten minute version with some great ambient
jamming. It really lost the Mike's theme after only three or four minutes
but the Jam was unreal. After a simple tease (I swear I heard Trey play
the lick once) they went into Hydrogen. Hydrogen was beautiful and led
right into Weekapaug. Weekapaug was excellently jammed with a segue into
wipeout and back into weekapaug. I can't even remember the last time I
heard a true old school Mike's Groove without stuff in th middle. This
was a truly fantastic Mike's Groove with great jams in both Mike's and
Weekapaug. A hot Antelope finished off the set. Maybe the best Antelope
I've heard. When Page hit the first note of the Wading in the Velvet Sea
encore, I thought it was going to be Coil and was a little bummed but I
was pleasantly surprised to hear WITVS even though it is being played so
much. Golgi was a standard version but it was great. Yet another Wipeout
finshed off the night with a bang. I haven't seen so much energy on stage
in a long time. I was in awe. The second set definitely gets a 10.0 as
far as I'm concerned. Good night to all and see you in Worcester the next
couple of nights.
Sharin' the Groove,
Dan Rubin
-----------
------------------------------
From KAZDEYNA@aol.com Sat Dec 12 16:21:26 1998
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 09:05:29 EST
From: KAZDEYNA@aol.com
To: dan@archive.phish.net
Subject: Worcster Reviews first two nights (long)
-------------
***Set II was one of the best Phish sets I've seen***
Phish - Friday, November 27, 1998
The Centrum, Worcester, MA
Set 1:
Funky Bitch 8:00pm
Ya Mar -> 8:07pm
Carini Had a Lumpy Head 8:17pm
Runaway Jim 8:24pm
Meat 8:33pm
Reba 8:37pm
Plow 8:53pm
Dogs Stole Things
Vultures
When the Circus Comes 9:10pm
Birds of a Feather 9:15pm
9:24pm
Set 2:
Buried Alive 10:05pm
Wipe Out ->
Chalk Dust Torture* ->
Mirror in the Bathroom** ->
Chalk Dust Torture Jam ->
Dog Log -> 10:20pm
Chalk Dust Torture Jam
Sanity 10:22pm
Buffalo Bill ->
Mike's Song -> 10:30pm
I am Hydrogen ->
Weekapaug Groove ->
Jam/Wipe Out ->
Weekapaug Groove ->
Weekapaug Groove Reprise ->
R2D2 Jam ->
Run Like an Antelope 11:10pm
11:24 pm
Encore:
Wading in the Velvet Sea -> 11:26pm
Golgi Apparatus ->
Wipe Out
11:40pm
*Wipe Out theme throughout song and jams
**The English Beat cover (1st time played?)
The energy in the now 15 year old Centrum was high! The place was very
excited and thanks to Phish Tickets By Mail, I had a nice floor seat (with
some nice folks around me ) to observe it all. The ride to the show with Rob
Hoffman, and a pleasant converstion at set break with Dan Gardner made the
whole evening even that more enjoyable.
Set I:
Trey came out on stage excited as well, smiling and pumping his fist,
quickly glancing throughout the front rows to see the fans, already making eye
contact with most. He was all fired up to play! Mike took some quick peeks
but mostly played with his bass and amp, Fish still wearing the Viking Hat (he
must've lost a bet somewhere along the tour and is now relegated to wearing
this hat for the remainder of the tour) also checked out those on his side.
Page was ready to play, but once he saw what the slight delay in the start
was by Trey checking out the crowd he too glanced us over. Throughout the
night the band kept in close contact with each other with various glances and
hand gestures, very much in sync (unlike the second night, but more on that in
the review of Worcester night II).
Funky Bitch to start was a nice standard beginning. Mike doing well with the
vocals therefore probably getting himself another song that being Ya Mar.
Trey tries to tap but pops a big "Peaches" request balloon with the neck of
his guitar.
Ya Mar contained a nice Hammond organ "Play It Leo" solo from Page with the
remaining jam building off of Trey's picking through out it. The jam began to
blend into the first chords to Carini.
Carini had a Lumpy Head was strange. It sounded good and strong from where
I was sitting but Trey seemed a little upset. He kept glancing over at Fish
either asking for help with the lyrics, in which Fish began singing it
together with Trey, or maybe Fish was playing it to fast or whatever, either
one Trey seemed a little irked, however somewhere in the middle of the song
the band began to arrive at what Trey was looking for with Mike pounding on
the bass, and Trey's solo ripped through this song and a very worthy version
was manufactured. Trey ended the song with a shrug of the shoulders
suggesting "at least we finished it off well" and also exchanging small
miniature "thank yous" with Fish (something similar to Weir's small "thank
yous" but even smaller). Weird?!? Definitely an inside joke.
Runaway Jim was good, very rock and rollish, with the jam containing the
Runaway Jim throughout the whole song. Trey contributed many 'high', 'tense'
notes all along the solo/jam. Mike glanced up in the middle of one of the
jams (just before the "by the time he came home he was 17" part) to see an
oncoming glowstick headed for him, he was able to manage to get his head out
of the way, with the glowstick bouncing off his right shoulder. Mike smiled
and slightly shook his head, as if to say "you got me".
Meat followed, and since I have never seen them play this song when I was
up close (except for Prague but it was a first for me then and too new to
appreciate and understand) I was really never able to follow what goes on.
This song is definitely not an arena song, it's more like a jazz club song.
It is amazingly intricate with all four members singing different parts, and
playing different complex structures. They are all doing their own thing and
at the same time all looking at the others for cues. Amazing!!!!!! This is
not an arena song, since the people in the 300 sections probably cannot see
the interplay and therefore don't get the song's concept. Trey is constantly
looking at Fish. (BTW - Trey has a crush on Fish ;) After tonight you can
really tell why Fish was Trey's best man, these two guys really are close
friends and Trey definitely gets off on Fish and Fish's antics). A nice job
with Meat!
Reba's solo started off as a nice three-beat experiment by Trey which the
band quickly picked up and abandoned and then just soared as most good Reba
jams do. Excellent version!
Plow aka My Old Home Place was well done and contained some nice piano
work form Page.
Dogs Stole and Vultures were normal, after the show a friend thought he
heard different lyrics in Vultures, if they were there I missed them.
My first When the Circus Comes and I really enjoyed it. I am a fan of
the Los Lobos and like this song. A nice break in the mood and also well
done, however Albuquerque the next night had a similar placement and was
played better and probably is an overall better selection then Circus for this
spot in the setlist and for this band to play.
Birds ended the solid, straight foward set with Trey's solo trying to
create one sustaining "bending" note which the rest of the band could jam
around.
Highlights of set 1 were Ya Mar -> Carini, Runaway Jim, Meat, Reba.
Set II:
However now comes the ****MONSTER that was SET II****. It's been a while
since I have seen a more energetic, jammed out, well played, all out
set!!!!!!! Maybe never!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ****IT WAS AMAZING!!!!**** To put it
mildly they tore the house down!
I never say this in my reviews, but EVERY FAN MUST GET THE TAPES of THIS
SET!!!! Once I get them you will see an offer!
This historic set opens with Buried Alive, which took this person a while
to figure out since it didn't start out as I remember most Buried Alive's to
start, with Trey and Page tapping around the intro layed down by Mike and
Fish, this one was one of those blended, scratchy introductions. Mike was on!
Then comes Wipe Out, allowing for Fish to solo, and for an introduction of
"John Fishman" at the end. The energy that this Wipe Out created moved
into...
Chalk Dust Torture! I was thinking, wow we already heard BOAF tonight,
after it I was left just thinking WOW! Chalk Dust started out amazingly
strong! Not as strong or with the reckless rockstar abandon as Nassau 4/2/98,
but a more cultivated, controlled energy which the crowd quickly picked up on
(this controlled energetic vibe lasted the whole night). The Wipe Out theme
was poking it's head in and out throughout the beginning of this song. The
strong jam then blended into a quick two verse version of The English Beat's
(or is it just The Beat) Mirror in the Bathroom, it blended in without a
hitch. Out of this Mirror in the Bathroom came one of the band's MOST
INCREDIBLE JAMS I HAVE EVER DANCED TO! :) It just didn't stop, it was
motoring, it sounded like an express train chugging at a million miles per
hour down the track. They just kept aggressively hammering ^Eon this
"pounding" theme. That's all I can say, you will have to listen for yourself.
Plus I don't recall them ever going back and singing Chalk Dust Torture after
Mirror, just jamming it, but they may have sung it as well, however in my
notes I only have written "Chalk Dust Jam" after this point. But mind you I
was more concentrated on dancing then writing at this point. It definitely
lost it's CDT theme (or maybe I just got lost into the whole thing since I
find it difficult to review only thinking man was that great!) and continued
with this motoring theme and then found it's way into an aggressive quick
version of Dog Log and then boom back into the CDT jam as if Dog Log wasn't
even there.
Sanity was good. The stage was mainly lit up in an evil red for a majority
portion of the song, the song's ending jam did a quick stop-start that ended
up going into Buffalo Bill (which a good portion of the older more experienced
New England crowd [more on this in the review for Saturday night] picked up
on).
Buffalo Bill was rough but a well accepted first timer for this reviewer,
and a nice appropriate fit into this special set. I kept thinking of the
irony of the "request ballons" floating around the house all night, none of
which had this one on them. The ending tapping jam segued into the first
notes of Mike's Song.
Once again this Mike's and Weekapaug was not of the reckless energy one hears
in say the 10/31/98 Vegas version, it was again a harnessed energy. Mike's
was very similar to that heard on 10/31 with the Simple theme jam of old (old
as in the days before the actual song Simple evolved out of it). In the
middle of the jam Chris lit up the entire rear seating section producing that
wonderful open space effect of the people behind the jamming band. Eventually
ending up as a throbbing jam and what I can best describe as an "underwater
(Mike, Page, Fish) dolphin (Trey) sound" jam which obviously segued
beautifully into I am Hydrogen!
I checked my personal show files and couldn't believe to see that I hadn't
seen I am Hydrogen since the 10/8/94 Patriot Center show. This makes it even
that much better! The solo was perfect, sweet, so soothing! As with the
solos in Lizards at 10/31/98 and Tela 8/8/98 this solo takes you back (to '94
at least for me ;), and lets the nostalgia flow with it.
Then Weekapaug! 10/31/98 may have been better with regards to
"experimentation" but this one was better with regards to groove, man did it
groove. It was fast and groovin'. My last two shows and two amazing (in
their own ways) Weekapaug Grooves! The Wipe Out teases in this jam went into
a Wipe Out frenzy with Fish speeding up the tempo with every solo, thus
finishing this already fast Weekapaug Groove 2-3X's the speed it should be.
This segued into a blend of noise with Trey even rubbing his guitar on the mic
stand and then....boom back into the Weekapaug theme, or a Weekapaug Reprise.
This theme lasted about a minute and then went into an all out experimental
jam, which mostly consisted of Trey scratching his guitar while Mike continued
the Weekapaug notes the longest of the four, once Mike abandoned the Weekapaug
theme, the band played an ambient sounding jam for the majority of which
consisted of Trey making sounds extremely similar to the sounds of the Star
Wars character R2-D2. At one point Fish just rolled his drums once or twice
that jolted this soft jam with the continuing energy it needed, he is really
great with adding tempo, he knows how to pick his spots!!
After all this, and it being 11:10pm we get a 15 minute Antelope which was
very reminiscent to the Antelope (don't remember the date) that conatined the
Spiderman theme back in the early 90's. That type of steady beat was present
in the whole song. Page also had a nice piano part that sounded very similar
to something on the Loaded album or in that style, but I am bad at identifying
teases, however it was in that vein.
Wading showcased Page with his singing and with a nice piano intro, it was
actually very well done, especially after the preceding set a nice cool down.
Golgi and a "one last time" for energy sake Wipe Out capped it all nicely off.
It really is dificult to describe this set for me. Maybe it was just my
experience at the show, or maybe it was just the energy achieved between the
band and the crowd throughout the night (especially set 2), but the least I
can say is that the second set definitely TORE the HOUSE DOWN! The rest is up
to the other reviews, the tapes, and time!
Thanks for the time,
Peace,
Kaz
Kazdeyna@aol.com
P.S. Finally Jerry was in the building, a little Jerry doll was sitting on the
back of the soundboard throughout the night.
------------
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 21:30:03 -0500
From: Dan Mielcarz
Subject: Worcester - Friday, 11/27/98 Review (long)
If you want context, this show was my 26th, and I have a lot of hours of tapes.
The scene: Not nearly as many ticketless as New Haven. We found a great
bar/restaurant called The Irish Times. Jake, Doug and I ran up an obscene
bar tab considering that there were only three of us. Headed into the show
around 7:15, pretty minimal pat down.
The setlist (courtesy www.phish.net, as I didn't have pen nor paper that night):
11/27/98 The Centrum - Worcester, Massachusetts
I (1:23): Funky Bitch, Ya Mar -> Carini, Runaway Jim, Meat, Reba*, My Old
Home Place, Dogs Stole Things, Vultures, When the Circus Comes, Birds of a
Feather
II (1:18): Buried Alive, Wipe Out**, Chalk Dust Torture*** -> Mirror in
the Bathroom -> Chalk Dust Torture -> Dog Log^ -> Chalk Dust Torture >
Sanity, Buffalo Bill -> Mike's Song^^ -> I Am Hydrogen -> Weekapaug
Groove^^^ > Jam^^^^ -> Run Like an Antelope
E (0:13): Wading in the Velvet Sea, Golgi Apparatus -> Wipe Out+
* - with whistling
** - Fishman introduced by Trey
*** - with Wipe Out teases
**** - The Beat (later known as The English Beat) cover from their debut
LP, I Just Can't Stop It and the greatest hits album What is Beat?; 2
verses played; first time played
^ - possibly inspired by a dog show taking place next door to the Centrum;
very bluesy
^^ - with spacy, ambient jamming
^^^ - with recurring Wipe Out jamming and spacy jam
^^^^ - spacy jamming, basically they stopped the jam out of Weekapaug
Groove and restarted Weekapaug and its jam; about 9 minutes long
+ - with Fishman drum solo before being introduced by Trey again and
finishing Wipe Out
Set I
FUNKY BITCH was a rocking opener, got everyone dancing and YA MAR followed
suit. I don't necessarily remember a segue into CARINI, but it's entirely
possible that there was one. Carini was great, with the typical heavy
metal riffing by Trey. It's one of my favorite songs. I have seen it
posted that this Carini included the lyrics about the naked person...I
didn't notice this, but there was a part of the lyrics that I thought was
flubbed, so this may have been the changed part. The energy was very high
up to this point, and the crowd was really psyched.
RUNAWAY JIM evoked memories of last year, and I was hoping for a repeat
performance of last year's odyssey. Alas, it was not to be and we were
treated to a relatively straight-up, Trey-led jam, which was not very
experimental at all (although still quite good). At this point, after New
Haven and the first few songs of this set, I felt that the band was
heading in a 94-ish Machine-gun Trey direction, and getting away from the
funk and whole-band exploratory jams. As if responding to my concerns,
the band brought out MEAT which was a welcome return to the sparse funk.
Similar to what you hear on the album, but with either 1 or 2 more false
endings, and probably a bit slower. Definitely better than any ballad
which they might put after a high energy opening; and very much a *whole
band* effort. Mike was *much* louder tonight than at New Haven, possibly
because of the weird shape of that crappy New Haven venue. It added
considerably to my enjoyment to be able to really hear Mike spanking the
bass.
Next up was REBA, and a nice Reba it was, too. This song and me have a
strange history...it started out as one of the songs that got me into
Phish, moved on to a song that I didn't really like at all, and now is a
song that consistently gives me a transcendent experience. This version
was no exception, and contained some great tension-filled guitar work by
Trey. Not the "best" Reba, but I have a hard time comparing Rebas in much
the same way I can't really compare Hoods.
MY OLD HOME PLACE pleased me in that it wasn't Ginseng, which I've heard a
lot of lately. DOG STOLE THINGS at least doesn't have the Mound drumbeat
at the beginning anymore to piss me off, but still doesn't excite me at
all. VULTURES is one of my favorite of the 97 crop of songs, and I was
glad to hear it. This version was rearranged, but without a tape of both
of them next to me, I can't really say how, since it's been 4 days since
the show. WHEN THE CIRCUS COMES I could really do without, and would
rather hear any number of Phish-authored ballads (FEFY in paricular!)
before it. I guess it kind of means something when they start a
multi-night run in a city but I just get bored with it. BIRD OF A FEATHER
was nowhere near as good as the Providence version from earlier this year
and I've heard this song on the radio a few too many times to really get
into it if they aren't going to take the jam places. I figured Birds
would be the set closer, and I was right.
Set I recap: Carini was great, Meat funky and fun and Reba transcendent.
Not much to say about the rest of the set, and overall, I give it a 4 on
the SJCRS.
Set II
BURIED ALIVE is one of the greatest set openers, IMO, and was great to
hear at the Centrum since it was the location of my only other Buried on
12/28/95. Really a great song, and it shows off Trey's chops big time.
MIke's bassline during this is nice too. Not very different from the
versions you've heard on tape, however. WIPE OUT was such a complete and
total surprise that it took me longer to recognize than it should have.
Fishman was great with the drum solos and yells; Trey introduced him as
Bob Weaver at one point during the song, but it wasn't very clear what
exactly he was saying.
After the amazing debut of Wipe Out, I didn't mind hearing my second
CHALKDUST TORTURE in one week. As soon as I heard the Wipe Out teases by
Trey in the beginning and nearly every break between the lyrics, I REALLY
didn't mind. Then the jam segued into MIRROR IN THE BATHROOM, which
sounded very familiar but is a song that I don't really know at all. I
could place the decade, but beyond that, my mind was drawing a blank.
This is something I'll want to hear on tape. They sang a couple of verses
of Mirror and went back into Chalkdust. Then what I would describe as a
hard blues jam evolved and the band started singing..."Walking cross the
lawn lawn lawn lawn lawn..."
Whoohoo! My third DOG LOG! (I was at the Dog Log show :) This was much
different from the straight up white album version or the slow lounge
lizard version. I'm not entirely certain that they got all the way
through the lyrics, I was too excited to file these things away in my
head, but the music was soon headed back into CHALKDUST. By this point
the audience was nuts, and nearly everyone joined in the "Can't I live
while I'm young?" singing. The segue into SANITY was definitely of the
start-stop variety, and thus I wouldn't even call it a segue, but that's
the way notation works on Phish.Net (and in the Mockingbird Book as I
understand it, so get used to it!). Sanity was classic, as always, with
unbelievable energy from the band during the "Boom....boom...." part at
the end. They were screaming like the world was exploding!
Fishman's favorite song, BUFFALO BILL, started up next. Looking for owls?
I certainly was, and it was at this point that I realized the set had
entered the realm of the Old School. The jam kind of slowed to a stop and
Trey played (and flubbed a bit) the guitar opening to MIKE'S SONG. The
jam started out normally enough, but then entered a somewhat spacey
territory. It continued like this and I was praying for a Hydrogen, which
was the song I was least likely to have not seen, according to ZZYZX. Not
to disappoint, Fishman started the drumbeat to I AM HYDROGEN. The Mike's
hadn't ended with the driving bass/guitar like Mike's of old, but Fishman
was playing Hydrogen anyway. The rest of the band layed down some space
on Fish's beat which bore no resemblence to any Hydrogen I've ever heard.
After at least 3 minutes of spacey jamming, they started to actually play
the song, which seemed a bit rusty, but was beautiful as always. I think
it just may be the prettiest Phish song. Anyone want to argue?
Pretty standard segue (which isn't that standard anymore, now is it?) into
WEEKAPAUG GROOVE. Mike spanked out a solo and they were off. I would say
that they segued into WIPE OUT completely during this tune, rather than
just jamming on it, but that's a matter of opinion. The jam got a bit
spacey and then sort of died out. Trey then walked around to the rest of
the band and they started up the jam again, leading off with the main
Weekapaug riff and then quickly heading into some space, and this was by
far the most experimental thing I've heard out of Phish this fall. Very
cool, and a great contrast to the machine gun Trey jamming of the first
set and New Haven. If I was writing the setlist I would have called this
WEEKAPAUG REPRISE, but it probably would screw up ZZYZX that way, so I
won't. This is the sort of thing that I hadn't seen too much of this year
at all, and it's glad to know they still have some Type II up their
sleeves!
RUN LIKE AN ANTELOPE came next, and I was shaking my head in disbelief as
it was already 10 past 11. This set just doesn't quit, folks! The energy
was so high at the end of this set that the Antelope blew everyone away.
I would rate this above 5/4/94 New Orleans, the Antelope dedicated to the
baby of Trey's friend that was being born during the show. And I had
never heard a better Antelope than that one.
Set II recap: One of the best Phish sets I have ever heard. Almost as if
they transported 2/20/93 to 1998 and kept all the improvement they've made
as musicians. Without a doubt, a perfect 10 on the SJCRS. A "must have"
set, without question.
Encore
My friends and I were really expecting to hear Destiny. If there ever was
a time where I thought they would play it, it was tonight. The crowd was
EXTREMELY loud during the wait for the encore; when the band did come out,
the crowd was the loudest I have ever heard anywhere. It was almost
painful! You could tell what everyone thought of that amazing second
set. So, when Page started playing WADING IN THE VELVET SEA, I was a bit
disappointed since I just heard it at New Haven. I really like it as a
song and all, but I expected something special. GOLGI APPARATUS followed,
and is a song that I really enjoy in spite of the lack of jamming/short
length. The segue into WIPE OUT was a perfect way to end the evening, and
was by far the best of the three Wipe Outs played. What a great show!
Full show recap: First set started off with a lot of energy, cooled down
some. Second set left me speechless and was among the best ever! Encore
great on balance, would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't gone to New
Haven. I give this show a 9.25 on the SJCRS. (I know the average doesn't
work, but if you felt the way I did after the show, you would give it the
same grade.)
-Dan (I told you it was long)
--
Dan.Mielcarz@dartmouth.edu
"If all the hippies cut off all their hair...
I don't care. I don't care." -Jimi Hendrix
---------------
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 08:45:03 -0800
From: Michael Cohen
Subject: Phish for Thanksgiving - 11/27 Rvw - LONG!
Wow. Where oh where should I start? Thanksgiving in Massachusetts
these days seems to mean two things: Mom's cooking and Phish will
be cooking. Neither disappointed during this trip.
Mom opened up Thanksgiving dinner with a veggie/cheese plate and
some drinks that really set the tone for the evening. Some mixed nuts
segued nicely into a dinner that saw Turkey segue right into Stuffing
where, out of nowhere, surfaced that sweet potato mix and cranberry
sauce. Truly an epic evening that saw the beautiful segues mom
has become known for, with none of them tasting rushed or
forced. A brilliant performance. The encore was pumpkin cheesecake,
chocolate cake and a second encore of a box of chocolates to round out
the evening.
Phish served up an equally memorable performance just 24 hours later:
**
11/27/98 The Centrum - Worcester, MA
I: Funky Bitch, Ya Mar -> Carini, Runaway Jim, Meat, Reba*, My Old Home
Place,
Dogs Stole Things, Vultures, When the Circus Comes, Birds of a
Feather
II: Buried Alive, Wipe Out**, Chalk Dust Torture*** > Mirror in the
Bathroom >
Chalk Dust Torture > Dog Log^ > Chalkdust Torture > Sanity, Buffalo
Bill >
Mike's Song^^ > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove^^^, Weekapaug
Groove Reprise^^^^
Run Like An Antelope
E: Wading in the Velvet Sea, Golgi Apparatus -> Wipe Out+
* - with whistling
** - Fishman introduced by Trey
*** - with Wipe Out teases
mirror in the bathroom originally appreared on the album "just can't
stop it" by the english beat. it is *not* a "special beat" song. it
may have appeared on a special beat album (since they were formed from
the english beat) but the song was written before that happened. -nate
^ - possibly inspired by a dog show taking place next door to the
Centrum; very bluesy
^^ - with spacy, ambient jamming
^^^ - with recurring Wipe Out jamming and spacy jam
^^^^ - spacy jamming, basically they stopped the jam out of
Weekapaug Groove and restarted Weekapaug and its jam; about
9 minutes long
+ - with Fishman drum solo before being introduced by Trey again
and finishing Wipe Out
**
Pre-show festivities included drinks and dinner with Mitch and Janet.
It was great to share a show with you guys! Hopefully we'll repeat
the scene a few more times this coming up year!
The level of excitement in the Centrum Friday night was *VERY* high,
even higher than that of Halloween, but Vegas has a way of depleteing
one's energy reserves. Nonetheless, the crowd was cool, security was
nonexistant, the lights were dim, and expectations were running full
tilt.
The band hit the stage at a relatively early few minutes before
8, and slid right into a nice slinky
FUNKY BITCH. The blues/funk was evident from the onset of this great
song, as the tempo was slowed, and the blues were allowed to flourish.
A nice solo by Page, some key long notes by Mike, and we were on our
way.
YA MAR started up right where FB had let off, and we were treated to our
second vocal appearance by Mike. Page again led the charge in this tune
that was noted more for it's outro jam than any crazy jamming within the
song itself. As YM died down, we were led into our first (of many)
surprises of the night as the raging chords of
CARINI forced their ways into the mellow vibe that the first two tunes
had
set. I was *SUPER PSYCHED* to hear this as I've been craving it ever
since it had premiered a mere year and a half ago. This song is just
crazy,
and borders on violent as the chords crunch and the lyrics offend. I
loved
it! I imagine there have been more raging versions, but this one -- my
virgin flight -- suited me just fine. What a great tune!!
RUNAWAY JIM was up next, and I'm sure I wasn't the only person in
the building thinking back to last year's epic hour long version of the
tune. Even though I have yet to hear that one, I was hoping we'd get
something more akin to the early nineties versions of this song that
just
had the smoking solo that continuously came back to the Runaway theme.
It was to be! Albeit with a bit of a bluegrass tinge to it. Complaint
level of
the author.....0!! Clocking in at somewhere around 10 minutes, this Jim
was
very satisfying!
MEAT next, and I was theirs. Sell the house, give the dog to the
inlaws,
I'm doing whatever this band says! As we waited for our Airport Shuttle
to pick us up only a day prior, I had Meat on the mind, in the ears, and
was
serenading my lady to this wistful little tune at 5 am. I REALLY WANTED
TO HEAR THIS SONG, and it was my most-wanted tune of the night. This
version was sick as Page gave up the MMW sounding keyboard solo to
allow for a full-on Mike rap. The rap was low and slow, and it was
tough to
figure out just what it was that he was saying, but it was right on
the money, and had me beaming! Two endings later, and we continued
with Annie's most-wanted tune of the night:
REBA. Words can never really do justice to a great Reba, but suffice to
say that the jam had three distinct peaks, all different, but all true
to the
tune. With whistling to finish it up, my wife had a look on her face
that
-- alas -- only Phish can provide. She's right there selling the
house with me!
MY OLD HOME PLACE was done with precision and perfection and gave
Mike yet another chance to stretch the vocal chords. Four Mike tunes
already? Sheesh....I wonder if we'll get a Mike's Song tonight ; )
DOGS STOLE THINGS was sweet, as I've always been a fan of this
tune, and it gave Page another opportunity to open up on the ivories.
I'm
glad this tune is back in the rotation, and hope that it stays in the
lineup.
Out of the DST dust comes a familiar sounding song.......what is
that.....
I *KNOW* I know that tune........oh man that drives me nuts when
I know it but can't name it.........what is this song..........
VULTURES! YES!! Too long no hear the Vulture! And wait......they've
reworked it taboot! A raging Trey solo (accompanied by a toy bird
flying low over the crowd) and the signature Fishman drumming (although
the madness of the outro drum solo seems to be missing..........), and
we've
got another rager, and what a great way to end the set.......
wait........there's more???!!!!!!????
A mellow CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN just didn't have the power that
it possessed a year ago, as Trey flubbed the guitar line quite a few
times
during the first half, and Mike wasn't dropping the bombs that he
usually
does during the second half. Nonetheless, they hadn't left the stage
yet,
so I was psyched!
A crazy BIRDS OF A FEATHER followed, and this had to be -- hands
down -- the best I've seen. They really opened up the solo portion to
give us all a tiny peek into the potential that everyone knows this tune
has.
Trey was outta control the entire first set, and has reclaimed his
position
of Set Director. I think that last year's focus on cohesive band
jamming
has really allowed the band to reach a new plateau where Trey can now
just
go NUTS, and then come back into a song that the rest of the band has
progressed rather than having the rest of the band keep the song
at the same place it was when he left to do his thing. Does this make
any sense?
SET BREAK: short, 35 minutes, HECTIC as all hell hallway situation,
cool
tunes by Paul, phone call to the Tevil, Mitch didn't know it was the
answering machine...hee...hee...hee...heee...more time with good
friends!
The lights go down, the place explodes, the band comes back out, and
as they're walking to their places on stage, Fish pretends to push Page
off the stage. Page musta just sewn up the chess championship of the
tour
during the break or something. Anyway, Fish starts in on a drumbeat,
and
before you know it, we're into
BURIED ALIVE. Great choice guys! Long time no hear! What an insane
version too! Gone was the composed Trey section, and he just let
loose with some out-of-this world, psychedelia meets heavy metal jamming
for the entire song. Someone had an espresso or two during the set
break....
And then, the shit came down:
WIPEOUT! The place went nuts! Trey was dancing around, Fishman
was beating the hell outta his drums, and the tune never seemed to end.
Every
time they hit the place it shoulda ended, they went around one more
time.
14,505 people eating out of the palms of their hands, this was crazy!
CHALKDUST started up, and -- forgive me -- but my first thought
was: another Chalkdust? This was my like my fourth or fifth this year.
But Phish again taught me to never doubt. The jam screeched and
careened into places hereto forth unknown to your humbled author, and
just when I thought I was sick of this tune, they showed me the
potential that lies in places you'd never think to look. What was that
that
Jerry once said "Sometimes you get shown the light......". Besides
absolutely smoking, this Chalkdust was saturated with Wipeout, as
Trey filled it in almost anywhere he could, and every time he did, the
place went absolutely crazy! The jam at one point started to meander,
and
my lovely wife tried to convey something to me, but I couldn't
understand
exactly what it was she was saying, and the best I could manage as far
as
a reply goes was: "I don't hear it..." Thirty seconds later she's
screaming
"I called it! I knew it! I told you!!!", and Trey was singing MIRROR
IN THE
BATHROOM. I was so damn
proud of her!! I had no idea it was coming -- and I think she picked
it up
just as the band did!!! The MIRROR lasted for maybe two
minutes as it was quite evident Trey didn't know the lyrics (he half
laughed,
half sang the words he did know), and before we knew it, we're back into
WIPEOUT TORTURE. The jam then took a decidedly familiar turn, and
it was evident that MY SOUL was next. Trey walked up to the mic, but
when he started singing, it wasn't MY SOUL, but instead it was the
chorus to DOG LOG! He sang this maybe four times, and then it was back
into WIPEOUT TORTURE. The craziness then began to die down.........or
did it.......for up next, was the/my second
SANITY of the year!! A very nice, very straightforward version of this
classic Phish tune. 14,505 people were now a collective, and I know
that we all would have done whatever the band wanted at that moment.
Good thing the only thing they wanted us to do was to enjoy the first
BUFFALO BILL in almost a year. Are you freakin' kidding me?? I had
never even heard this rarity of rarities, and had no idea it was BB
until
the chorus. This is a very cool tune and should be played more often!
They were thoroughly enjoying themselves as much on stage as we
were in the audience. Where the band ended and the audience began
was anyone's guess at that point, and we had all entered one of those
rare and special places that the great shows go to.
Transcendence.
So that's why what happened next was greeted with not a deafening
cheer, but more of a knowing nod:
MIKE'S SONG. Of course. It just had to be. I gotta say, that as I
remember it, this was the mellowest phan reactions to a Mike's Song
I can recall. Everyone just knew that there was nothing else that
could have been played at that moment. Just thinking of it again
gives me the chills. Mike's rocked, there was a bit of ambient
jamming before a very deliberate I AM HYDROGEN emerged,
which was followed by one of the best WEEKAPAUG GROOVES
I've seen in recent years. The ending here was kinda crazy though.
They did the big show, big arena, big rock kind of ending thing, and
as I was expecting them to bow and leave they stage, they morphed
into the now familiar AMBIENT JAMMING, and kept it up for almost
10 minutes. This died down, where then emerged the WEEKAPAUG
REPRISE. This was by far the fastest version of WEEKAPAUG
(complete with lyrics) that I've ever seen, and then, the
big show, big arena, big rock kind of ending thing take two, but
as before, more music where I expect bows........what.......c'mon
guys, gimmie a break, I'm exhausted!
ANTELOPE! And a ranging version at that! This was the kind of
Antelope, that, if you're not careful, will put you on your ass, as
the combo of lights and music made me dizzy beyond belief. Thanks
guys!!
ENCORES:
VELVET SEA was superbly done, and was another song that I
desperately wanted to hear. Trey's solo was incredibly passion
filled, and it was great to finally hear Page sing.
GOLGI was fun, but after seeing it in Vegas (for the first time
in years), I was Golgi satisfied. Yet there's always something very
cool about 14,505 people singing the chorus to that song in
unison. By this point in the evening, I should have expected
WIPEOUT to reemerge, but when it did, I was completely taken
by surprise, and was left wondering if the show was ever going
to end. Was it possible that I was in heaven, and they'd never stop??
The triple encore left many a pholk just shaking their head in disbelief
and the outro music of Rocketman spurned a sweet, mellow, sing-a-long
as we all waded out into the unseasonable warm Worcester air.
A great show, great company, and overall, a great trip back East.
Kamp Krusty Lemon-Krew was missed, but there in spirit(s).......
...mmmmmmmm.............
................Lemon Citron Vodka..................................
waiting for the next round of mail order to start-up,
Mike
------
11/27/98 - The Centrum, Worcester, MA
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 18:34:29 -0500
From: Joel Lichtenstein Lictotrane@worldnet.att.net
To: dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Subject: FALL98_REVIEW
Worcester 11-27-98
After seeing 12-30-97 last year, i didn't think i would see a better show
anytime soon. But Friday night's show was mind boggling. The sets were
very different from each other. The first set was rockin. This was my
third time seeing Carini, but i don't mind at all. It is just a hard
rockin tune that i always get pumped for and i didn't expect them to play
it at all. i thought the Ya Mar was also sweet. I just remember being
very wrapped up in it. Meat had the crowd so into it. Since this song
was on the new album, i asssumed the majority of the people there knew it.
Everybody was feeling the funky beat. they slowed it down and dragged it
out, and that was a good thing.The Vultures was the other highlight of the
first set. I saw this last year in Albany, and even though i liked the
Albany one better, it was amazing. The new arrangement is a positive
change and it certainly takes nothing away from the song's power. i loved
it. i wish the band would just stop playing Circus. I know that they
need to slow it down and catch their breath at least once every set, but
this song is awful. it took all the power away from the first set. i
would describe the set closer, Birds, as exciting. and it was. Kuroda
really showed off in this one. His light show was eye pleasing, and it
aided the song in what it lacks. I am surely convinced that they will
never play Birds the way the played it in Providence on 4-4-98. That
version was so sweet, that all others don't really compare.
The second set was one of my favorite sets of all time. hearing buried
alive was just pure sweetness. They were so on. Now, this whole wipeout
business will be annoying after awhile of listening to it on a tape, but
while i was there, it was dope. They played it 3 times, and it really
hadn't lost it's energy. The Chalkdust, in my opinion, is the greatest
Chalkdust ever. It was very un-Chalkdust. All the other times i've heard
or seen this, it is usually the same. it's a fun song to hear, and it
gets the crowd moving. This version was just whacked out. When they went
into Dog Log, i was psyched. This short Dog Log was heavy duty, not my
favorite style of Dog Log, but mixed in with this new Chalkdust, it fit
right. Then they finished Chalkdust, and i said "wow". And then Sanity,
which was very, very good. The Buffalo Bill was even a bigger surprise to
me than the Carini in the first set. And this Bill was great. I enjoyed
it almost as much as any song in the set. Now, i wasn't too excited to
see a Mike's, since it seems every show i see, they play it. but thank
icculus they did.
for without the mike's there wouldn't have been either a Hydrogen, or the
2 jams that came out of Weekapaug. The jam that came just before
Antelope, a sort of ambient jam, (that's what they are calling them these
days)was my favorite part of the show. the jam was spacey and a little
bit scary. I was totally taken in by this jam. i can't truly describe it,
but i was just so into it. I knew they would play Antelope, and i knew
it would be then, but that didn't take anything away from it for me. It's
just a great song. And every time i hear Trey say "Marco esquandolas", i
am deep into the Antelope.
The encore was so weak, i was pissed. i feel the same way about Wading as
i do about Circus. I just think these songs suck. and it truly
enfuriates me at the amount of people selling shirt for that song.
Golgi always gets the crowd into it, but they had just played it in
Albany, so i felt it was totally unnesacery. And the wipeout ending was
alright with me.
While this wasn't a perfect show, it was the best one I've ever seen.
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 10:57:13 EST
From: Mingus160@aol.com
To: dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Subject: FALL98_REVIEW
11-27-98 Worcester Centrum: Almost done near tore the roof off during
their
second set.
Date: Sun, 29 Nov 1998 21:04:24 EST
From: Ender10446@aol.com
To: dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Subject: FALL98_REVIEW
Alright, since I just got back from the first two Worcester shows, I feel
obligated to right reviews on two of the best shows I have ever seen.
So... here we go.
Funky Bitch~ Given any other show, if asked, I would not want this to
open. However, this version was so strong and rockin' with Page really
ripping it up on his organ, and a strong groove as support that it really
pumped the crowd up for a great show.
Ya Mar~ Quite an interesting version. It didn't seem to veer off to far,
but just enough so that we heard some interesting themes and a quite
sparse jam. I actually really liked this version a lot.
Carini~ I hadn't gotten this live before, and I went nuts when they
started playing it. It was so harsh and scary, but just so good. Trey
seemed to have a great time on this one, really putting everything he had
into those frenzied chords.
Runaway Jim~ A solid version (about 12 min)... Obviously not as good as
lastyear's Jim in worcester but strong enough so that fans didn't complain
or compare the two pieces.
Meat~ This was so awesome. The phunk was so slow and deep that it was hard
to dance to. After about the third time through, they just stopped with a
little bit of spacy ambience jamming before they went right back into it.
Incredible.
Reba~ I was always a big fan of this tune, but had heard so much of it
preceding this show. The jam was really intense though, and Kuroda's light
work on this version was great. He really knows how to get the crowd
involved... (with whistling)
Old Home Place~ Standard, as always. A good dance tune.
Dogs Stole Things~ When I heard this song live, I realized how much better
it is then when it is on tape. It's really bluesy with some great solos.
Great Job.
Vultures~ This was great. I really love the new version of this song, as
they move to that deceitful chord for the jam. A really solid version.
Fish really seemed to stand out hear with his fills at the end.
Circus Comes~ Trey seems in to be in love with this song. Every time I
hear it, he seems really emotional. Very standard though, but a very good
song to hear.
Birds~ Not what I wanted for a closer. It rocked although it was very
short. Although after seeing the 15 min. version from 4-4-98, I can't seem
to bring any version of this song to that level of excellence. Very solid
though.
Buried Alive~ When was the last time they played this on US soil (probably
very recently, just overlooking it). Trey was just wailing on that theme,
and then the quick jam was just raging. This seemed to go by quite quickly
as always.
Wipeout~ This seemed to be the song that the whole second set revolved
around. They haven't played this in forever, and was really a historical
moment. Very cool.
Chalkdust Mirror Chalkdust
This was very interesting. The Chalkdust definitely got me pumped, and the
jam definitely took a twisted turn into a strange funky beat that picked
up into Mirror in the Bathroom. I had never heard this tune, but really
liked it even though it lasted only for about 2 minutes, they swerved
quickly back into Chalkdust before into...
Dog Log Chalkdust
DOG LOG. Definitely inspired by the dog show going on in another part of
the Centrum, this was no normal Dog Log. It seemed much bluesier than the
darker original and was much faster. They seemed to want to get out of it
quickly but did play it in its entirety. I am glad I got to see that. They
took us backinto Chalkdust and they into...
Sanity~ This version must of been the slowest version I have ever seen.
They really seemed to take their time with everything on this song as they
stopped and Trey pointed towards the ceiling during "The stars in the sky
are very bright" part. The heavy metal jams after the verses were insane.
Buffalo Bill~ What a sick show. This came out of the circus ending to
Sanity and was really really phunky, (just wanted to take this oppurtunity
to say that Phish is indeed the best band ever), and Gordon was just
slapping away very impressively. They wove this into a sparse phunk jam
before they brought us to...
Mike's Hydrogen Weekapaug
I just have to talk about this as a whole. This was so insane. The Mike's
jam just took off for about 10 minutes into this very spacey (which
defintiely seemed to be the style of jamming for them that night) jam. I
was somesmerized be Trey's effects and everything that the whole band was
doing, as they spaced it out. I was so glad that they didn't go into
Simple, but HYDROGEN... I don't think that they have played that since
12-9-97. Anyway, Kuroda was working with some awesome blue circles during
this song, as Trey just fiddled around before he worked his way into the
melody. The energy was so intense as they built up to Weekapaug. Gordon
just slapped away some more, one of the more impressive Weekapaug intros
that I have seen or heard, and really intense. They jammed forever and
again went into a spacey ambient jam. As they wound up the song with outro
vocals and ended it, I thought the show was over, but with Phish you must
expect the unexpected because sure enough, they started up a Weekapaug-
oriented style jam, that seemed to space out for a few minutes, and went
into none other than the Wipeout theme... and as they started to wind that
down, out came the most incredible version of...
Antelope~ ANTELOPE!!!! Incredible is all I have to say, other than that
this song was so raging and....... loud. However, they once again speced
things outfor a while, before Trey started to wail into what formed to be
a most amazing jam preceding the Marco section. They are so good, and I
was so tired when they were done.
Velvet Sea~ Very nice. Trey seemed really into this version as he played
the most peaceful and beautiful solo. A really solid version.
Golgi Wipeout Reprise
Golgi was standard, but the instrumental section in the middle was great.
It seemed to be very enjoyable for the boys, and very unpredictable as
they had played in the previous show in Albany. They ended the tune, and
Trey said the usual, "We had a great time" but they quickly went into
Wipeout once more for the grand finale. Great Show.
I've been writing forever, so I just wanted to say that it was a great
show, and I will post 11-28's review later.
Peace, Aaron~
<"))