8-3-03 - Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, ME

please review the show, not the other reviews....

Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 20:58:20 -0700
From: eric tipton 
Subject: 8/3

From Phish.net:

08/03/03 - "IT" - Loring Commerce Centre - Limestone, Maine

Set 1: Daniel (Saw the Stone), Saw It Again, Punch You in the Eye, Army
of One, Chalkdust Torture, Wilson*, Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen >
Weekapaug Groove

Set 2: Mellow Mood, Ghost** > Mist, Pebbles and Marbles, You Enjoy Myself
> Chariots of Fire^, Loving Cup

Set 3: 46 Days, Julius, Lizards, Secret Smile, Run Like an Antelope^^

Encore: Good Times Bad Times#

* - Trey said something to the effect of: "Hey, Kevin, there's a
post-able version of 'Wilson.' Ladies and gentlemen, the Shortest
'Wilson' Ever! I'd like to dedicated that to our archivist, Kevin
Shapiro... And now: the longest 'Bittersweet Motel' ever - I'm kidding!"
Then the crowd started an enormous chant for 'Fluffhead.' After
conferring with the band, Trey said, "Mike says no" - and the band
launched into 'Mike's Song'; ** - with massive glowstick war; ^ - Phish
played the song in the background as the winners from the '100th Running
of the First Annual Runaway Jim 5K' were brought up on stage and
announced by Trey with photos on the video screen (the women's
second-place finisher was actually Trey's neighbor "from right down the
road" and the men's winner, from nearby Presque Isle, had a time of 15min
for the 5k); ^^ - after the "downshift," Trey thanks the crew and the
crowd; when the band returns to the song, they skip the "Rye rye
rocco/Marco/Spike" lyrics section; # - with fireworks behind the stage
during the close of the song; thanks to James Dean Young, Maria Valiente,
and Andrew Saskin for corrections.

The hours leading up to the first set for somewhat bittersweet for me.
After having done the whole tour, I was thinking a lot about all the good
times. Not only that but I knew I had to face going home to Denver and
the awful drive that would be. But as always, once that first note hit my
ea rs, it would all be gravy from there. Phish seems to have that effect
on me!

Daniel: I was taken aback a bit with this selection. After seeing it in
PA I kind of thought it would just be a one time bustout kind of deal.
But the band must have had so much fun with it then that they just could
not help themselves but to play it again here in Maine. Cool by me, I
love the middle part of it with all the scatting and whatnot. Very tight,
could have been straight out of summer ?93. Sorta segue into >

I Saw it Again: I have a love/hate relationship with this song. The intro
kills me (in a good way), I really enjoy everything up until the chorus.
At that point it just gets so freaking repetitive for me. I would love
for them to re work this somehow. Standard version, nothing to crazy.

PYITE: Nice! As soon as this started up I was thinking that hopefully
Trey could redeem himself from the god awful version he had played at
Deer Creek. Redeem himself is exactly what he did, solid.

Army of One: I really enjoyed just standing back and watching Page belt
this one out. It?s a pretty basic song, but to me; anything featuring
Page is a very good thing. Nice little ditty.

Chalkdust: Perfect tune to follow up that little, mellow interlude. At
six minutes in it is very apparent that this version won?t be your
average Chalkdust. Nice quiet band groove with all four members
contributing equally. Trey gets to playing on a relatively dark theme in
here. He uses a loop in there unlike any I have heard previously ? and
then plays around it very nicely. The jam begins to get up a head of
steam and at 10:35 ? 10:40 there is a slight tease of Izabella thrown in
there by Trey (how killer would that have been if it would have actually
been played?!). At just over 13 minutes the jam once again settles back
down and I distinctly remember thinking that it would certainly segue
into something. Alas it did not, but it did continue to funk away. I
think the best way to describe this Chalkdust would have to be a very
steady, whole band style groove. To those that think it?s the best
Chalkdust ever, well you need to check yourself and throw in a copy of
7/10/99 ? That my friend?s is full on Phish hose right there. This was
very good, don?t get me wrong but not the best ever, IMO.

Wilson: Yeah, it was really short. Yet somehow managed to get botched,
yargh.

After this, the crowd went nuts with a Fluffhead chant. My tourmate Tony
had gotten very close to the front and was shown on the big screen
numerous times with Lee?s Fluffhead sign. This managed to rile up the
majority of the 70,000 in attendance enough to get a sweet chant going.
Trey confers with the rest of the band and then tells us that Mike says
no. To this, Cactus was thoroughly booed. Incredibly amusing and
something that I will never forget. I sure hope a DVD comes out of IT at
some point and time, Tony will be made famous!

Mike?s Song: Right on, bring it! This versions is straight ahead and
rocking! Nothing too out of the ordinary but a very, very good Mike?s.
Plenty to dance to and get your feet moving, that much was for sure. >

Hydrogen: Beautiful! Simply beautiful.

Weekapuag: Great Weekapuag! I have read a lot of reviews that place this
in the standard category. While I will tell you that it certainly wasn?t
epic, it was far better than standard. I thought the jamming was quite
inspired and danced myself into a frenzy. Awesome! I was extremely happy
with it.

First set highlights: Chaldust and Mike?s Groove. The Mike?s Groove being
nothing to mind blowing but very, very well played.

Mellow Mood: Meh, why go mellow again? Played at a non festival show
would be fine with me, but I wanted something out of the gate that would
rock my socks off to start the second set. This definitely did not do
that. At least it was really short, for that I can be happy.

Ghost: Oh hell yes! I was so pleased to be hearing the opening notes to
this, great placement ? should have opened the set actually but what are
y ou going to do? Little did I know the visual spectacle that I was about
to be involved in! From the get go in the jam segment, it was readily
apparent to me that the band was very focused and ready to bring the heat
unlike a lot that had been played the night before (don?t even get me
started) or that which was to follow (46 Days). At just seven minutes in,
you will some ferocious jamming and interplay between Trey and Page. The
playing during this jam seemed to confirm to me why I go to the lengths I
do when it comes to Phish. Moments like these make all the obstacles
(traffic, no sleep, mud, etc) in your path seem like tiny speed bumps. At
12:30: here come the glowsticks! Holy eye candy Batman ? simply stunning.
The band really seemed to feed off of this energy as did the fans. At
15.5 the jam is really getting ballistic and the Phish fire hose is in
full effect. Gorgeous. For me, this jam defines what Phish is all about.
I personally would put it in the top five ever, yes people; it is all
that. By twenty minutes, the jam melts down and is clearly waiting to
segue ? but into what? The next eleven minutes were extremely
psychedelic, in perfect contrast to the shredding that had come before
it. Turned yours truly into a space cadet but also made for some great
dancing opportunities too! God that was a monster Ghost and easily the
best jam of the festival >

Mist: Absolutely seamless segue, wow! I was floored. Since seeing the
debut on 7/3/99 from the front row in front of Page, I have adored this
song. After that mindbending Ghost I needed a tune such as this and I
loved every second of this one. ?I?m worn and bruised, but I am here at
least.? You said it brother, never were lyrics more poignant for me.
After seeing the whole tour, did that ever hit home.

Pebbles and Marbles: Good placement! Nothing to crazy about this, well
played ? it pretty much featured machine gun Trey shredding for the
majority of it, good stuff!

YEM: Woo hoo! No matter how many times I see this live, I will always
love IT. The Mike funk after the tramps segment is especially deep. Those
are some very thick bass lines right there. Following the funk, you will
find Trey lighting it up pretty well. The boys really tear this one up ?
I would not say it?s as good as the Camden version but it is pretty
close. The drums and bass segment is pretty sick too, plenty of funky
Mike going on led of course by Henrietta. Nice, solid YEM! >

Chariots of Fire ? Chhh chhhhh chhhhh! Big ups to the winners in the
Runaway Jim 5k. >

Loving Cup ? Appropriate and predictable way to end up a great set, the
best set of the festival. This Cup smokes through and through. Pure rage
? a ? hol!!!!

Second set highlights: Ghost (WOW), YEM.

46 Days: I thought this was a rocking way to start off the last set of
the festival. Of course I did not know it would turn into a 45 minute
wank fest. At the time, I actually thought it was pretty cool. But
looking back on it and giving it another listen, they could have kept it
at a respectable length. With those 35 minutes they would have saved they
could have played two extra big guns in place of the noise that 46 Days
resulted in. An experiment, but a failed one at that. .02

Julius: After what had preceded it, I thought they could have done better
than this. Yes, it was a relatively raging Julius but it was no 12/5/97!

Lizards: Very cool, but should be played in the first or maybe second
set. End of the third set? That is confusing to me. It feels tacked on.

Secret Smile: WTF!!!!!!! Worst placement EVER!!

Antelope: Nice Ice Ice Baby and It?s Ice tease in there! Yeah, they
skipped the Rye Rye Rocco part but big deal, it did in fact smoke. Very
nice ?lope I thought. Trey?s speech at the end was funny, talk much in
public Trey? [wink.gif] Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul,
you gotta!!!!!!!!

Encore: Good Times Bad Times: Very poignant encore. It of course rocked
out, but why could n?t they have played something besides a one song
encore after all the crap we had to put up with to get onto the grounds?
Driving in the steady downpour from ghetto town NJ, no sleep, mud,
bullshit traffic, etc. This was my third Phish festival overall (Ball,
Wheel, IT) and IT was definitely my least favorite of the three. There
were some good points but a whole lotta bad points.

Tipton ? o ? meter: 7.6


peace,
et



Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2003 00:48:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: jeffrey spittel 
Subject: review 08/03/03

Words can not justify my appreciation and love for
these four supremely talented musicians. Where else
would you have rather been last weekend? I understand
that the weekend included its share of headaches, but
who cares? As I squinted into the distance at the
illuminated tower from my comfortable tailgate early
Sunday morning I knew I was exactly where I belonged.
They are not only at the height of their musical
powers, but they are also on a mission to surprise and
astound us after so many years. Phish is like the
jelly of the month club, Clark. They are the gift that
keeps on giving all year 'round. 

There's no need for me to give you a song by song
breakdown of the shows, IT (and the Went and the
Wheel) was about showing the band enough love to drag
ass to southern Canada and having them repay us all
weekend. Big ups to the band for playing their asses
off for us again. 

Texhaus

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 11:19:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: justin littlefield 
Subject: Review of 8-3-03

My 53rd show, spread out since summer '94.  All of the hassles of the weekend -
the completely absurd traffic backup that erased my Friday, the confusion after
parking about where to pitch a tent, the mud so sloppy at Saturday's show that
my dancing position was locked into mudholes 5 inches deep, the portapotties
with less-than-stellar maintenance - they all are just small inconveniences in
my mind today.  Just bumps in the road, because what happened Sunday will not be
forgotten.

The first set was fantastic - fun, jovial, tight, with a great Weekapaug to
close it out.  My 3 friends agreed with me that from an energy standpoint, it
had a better feel than anything that took place Saturday.


I can only speak for myself - what might be the musical experience of my life
might be a directionless jam to the person next to me - but that 2nd set Sunday
was everything that Phish means to me, musically.  I don't know if I've seen a
better set of music in person in my lifetime.  The Mellow Mood opener was short
and fun - I love the feel of it (vintage Marley).  The Ghost merits full-blown
reviews of its own.  This Ghost, from start to finish, was IT.  My memory of
this entire weekend will be the Ghost.  There was a 10-15 minute launch out of
the composed section that I can't put words to.  Mr. Charles Dirksen, please
review this show for me, tell me you liked this Ghost, tell me it was hose
unlike no other - come out of retirement for this one ; )  This Ghost was
POWERFUL, all 4 musicians so tightly together weaving a masterpiece - building
and building and building steam, charging ahead, beautiful and ultra-groovy and
steadily layered by Trey with unbelievable guitar on top of the mesmerizing
rhythm behind - I have to hear it again, I can't wait to hear it again.  Time
stood still, as glowsticks popped off the crowd.  The band was on fire.  The
music was flexing, exploding in front of me, and there was nothing that would
stop its momentum - nothing.  I had chills for the majority of this Ghost jam.

I was sucked in from the moment this set began to the moment it ended.  From the
catchy Mellow Mood, to the Ghost bomb that followed, the Pebbles and Marbles
which was spectacular, the Mountains in the Mist which was perfect - not just a
slow tune to catch your breath, but a beautiful and critical component of the
set that fit perfectly - the Chariots of Fire with 5k awards, and the monster
YEM - the set was unbelievable.  I loved the YEM - I thought the jam was just
ripping, just as groovy and thematic and tight as you could ever ask for.  Was
it Albany '95 good?  Probably not, I need to hear it, but it sure was a
phenomenal version.  I've heard enough YEMs to know that Trey nailed this one in
the bullseye.

I gave everything I had to this set.  The band had me from the moment it
started, and I was just flat-out spent for the 3rd set.  I can't review the 3rd
without hearing it first.  My recollection is that the 46 days was a little
directionless at times, and the Julius shorter than I like - but I was pooped.

Many shows go by in their entirety where I never fully lock-in, never really get
that emotional rush that sends tingles down my spine and gets a somewhat stiff
guy like myfelf to dance wildly out of control without inhibition.  I thought
Set II was *easily* the set of the weekend.  I was absolutely drenched in sweat
by the end of the YEM.  I thought the Ghost was as hot as anything I've heard by
the band in the 9 years I've been watching them.

One final thought:  these boys are clutch.  With 70,000 fans out there, with
many reasons to be disappointed from the stress of the weekend, all Phish does
is come out and DELIVER.  Boy did they ever.

Talk to me Charlie.

Whew.  

Justin Littlefield


Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 17:34:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: Matthew Gerber 
Subject: Review of 8-3-03

That show was worth the pain in my back caused by 24 hours of traffic, the pain
in my back caused by intense-ever-sinking dancing, and bitching from the
females that were along for the ride! The highlight is obviously the ghost/2nd
set. I thought one of the coolest moments of that set (Aside from the raging
glowstick war, during which a giant inflatable penis hit my head!) was during
the bass and drums segment of the YEM. Trey handed mike the reigns, and he took
over. Trey commenced to dance--not just the swaying, hippyish dance that most
people do--but a real genuine-"Mike is kicking ass dance". Did anyone else see
that? I was really close, so I"m not sure if it was on that screen. Speaking of
the screen....That camera man was a horny toad, eh? I was cracking up at that
girl with the "Not every thing in Kansas is flat" Shirt during the pre-show!
Phish rules! I hope that fall comes soon!

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 15:37:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: Brendan Opiekun 
Subject: review for 8/3/03 Limestone

Yes IT was it.. The surprise tower show, the parade,
the 5K race, the traffic, Sunk City, the mud, etc..
You can have all that. The only thing true phans
really ever need to know about is the second set GHOST
from the second night..

This was by far perhaps the single greatest phish jam
EVER. I won't or can't go into details for you, but if
you're a hardcore listener you'll have the tapes and
try it out for yourself. It goes right up there with
the 8/17/97 Bathtub Gin or the 4/3/98 Piper. It was so
good my face fell off.


Don't you EVER take this band for granted

Brendan

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 18:37:15 -0400
From: Jon JB Brysh 
Subject: Review 8.3.03 Phish

Lots of good things happened this past weekend, and lots of not-so-good things
happened.  Our party drived from Akron, Ohio, up thru Boston, then up towards
Limestone.  16 hours of driving time and we got to the Limestone area round 10
AM on Friday.  We didn't get to our camping area to set up camp until Saturday
morning at 6 AM.  20 hours of traffic.........and we were at the front of the
line. But we got in and got to the music.......
 
 
I:Daniel (Saw the Stone), Saw It Again, PYITE, Army of One, Chalkdust Torture,
Wilson*, Mike's > Hydrogen > Weekapaug
After a pretty rockin' first day of IT, even without a lot of bigtime jams, we
were expecting much more the second day and recieved. Daniel was a sweet opener
and PYITE was a nice treat(half expected them to open a set this weekend with
PYITE).  After Mike denied us Fluffhead, they went into Mike's Groove and
nailed the whole thing.  There was some amazing playing from all of the Phab
Phour this weekend, very tight. 
 
II: : Mellow Mood, Ghost**, Mist, Pebbles and Marbles, You Enjoy Myself >
Chariots of Fire^, Loving Cup
Night rolled in and Chris got his chance to show us what he's made of and he
sure did.  Lights were amazing this set as was the music.  Mellow Mood get
everyone on their feet and dancing.  The glowstick war for Ghost was the
biggest, raunchiest, brightest war I've ever seen.  The Ghost jam was long and
rich.  Mist was a nice mellow downer to cool things off.  Pebbles and Marbles
was probably my favorite jam of the weekend.  Everything was nailed and the
lights were fab....extremely pumping version.  Things couldnt have gotten
better, but they did with YEM and a sweet, wierd vocal jam at the end with trey
laughing through parts of it.  Ended it all up with Loving Cup........I don't
think a better song could have been chosen.....everyone was dancing and singing
bout the "buzz".
 
III: 46 Days, Julius, Lizards, Secret Smile, Run Like an Antelope (E: Good
Times Bad Times)
 
Interesting closing set by the looks of it.......but some huge jams.  46 Days
was enormous and never ending. pushing 45 minutes.  They touched every corner
of the jam spectrum proving once again that our boys are back and only gettin
better. Julius was jammin as always and Lizards was a great treat.  Run Like an
Antelope was a great set closer.  Also, GTBT couldnt have explained the weekend
any better.
 
Thru all the mud n traffic.....this was defenitly worth my 150........but next
year I am riding my 10-speed up.

Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2003 22:00:54 +0000
From: runaway trey 
Subject: IT: Day 2

Holy shIT.

Never in my life has my jaw dropped, but that all changed when I laid eyes 
upon the spectacular sight that was the bonus Tower Jam.  Stumbling away in 
a bit of a trance, I was absolutely unable to fall asleep, and stayed awake 
until Day 2's set.

Now, having left the previous night's performance somewhat disappointed, I 
was preparing myself for a night of absolute sensory overload.

Boy, have I ever been so satisfied in my entire life.  I'm strapped for 
time, so I'll cover my personal highlights.

PYITE -- Nice, high energy jam.  Rockin until the very end.

Mike's Groove -- I couldn't have asked for anything more.  After a hilarious 
denial to the Fluffhead request, just the first notes of the song sent me 
into a screaming fit.  Absolute kickin version, raging on right through a 
seamless I am Hydrogen, into an extended, thumping Weekapaug.

Mellow Mood -- They nailed it, segwaying into...

Ghost -- My second prediction for the weekend, coming true in full force.  
Not only was it the most powerful version I've ever heard, the glowstick war 
had to be seen to be believed.  However, I must note; guys, when Trey says 
Stop.  Stop.  I'm glad nobody got nailed in the head, but Page came damn 
close to getting clocked (why is it always Page taking the abuse?)  
Regardless, a spectacular performance.

You Enjoy Myself -- NICE.  A steady YEM, with a trampoline jam that has 
definitely gone down as the most classical

Antelope -- My only gripe is that they totally missed the Rye Rye Rocco 
part.  Otherwise a solid Antelope.

And after the encore, a 5 minute explosion of fireworks behind the stage 
sent us off into the night, pondering what the boys could possibly have in 
store for us next.

But I would have killed to hear a Sand.

-Dylan

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 15:12:06 -0400
From: Mark Linnen
Subject: Re: IT festival- both shows, 8/3/03

08/03/03, Sunday

Set 1: Daniel (Saw the Stone), Saw It Again, Punch You in the Eye, Army of
One, Chalkdust Torture, Wilson, Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug
Groove

After what I thought was a terrible show by festival standards the night
before, I said that they'd have to earn my presence at the muddy venue that
evening.  Daniel and the opening notes to Saw It Again accomplished this.
PYITE, a weirdly botched Wilson, and the Mike's Groove added to the
justification for me being there; Army of One (boring) and Chalkdust (waaay
too long- the jam went nowhere) did not.  I saw a fat dude with a mullet
wearing a t-shirt that said: I Beat Anorexia.


Set 2: Mellow Mood, Ghost, Mist, Pebbles and Marbles, You Enjoy Myself >
Chariots of Fire, Loving Cup

By far the best set of the weekend.  Highlights:

- Ghost, to me, is a jam vehicle.  I'm always, at the very least, satisfied
with the jam that flows out of the funk of that song.  This one blew me
away- tight and thoughtful with at least 4 or 5 different compelling themes
throughout.  GET THE TAPE.  The glowstick war that ensued had to be the
best since the Hood one at Limestone in '98, if not better (I wasn't there-
can't be sure).

- Pebbles and Marbles- by far the best new song that they played all
weekend.  Tons of energy and they didn't jam it out for 40 minutes.

- Chariots of Fire- the dude who won the Runaway Jim 5k ran it in 15:01-
that, my friends, is BLAZING..


Set 3: 46 Days, Julius, Lizards, Secret Smile, Run Like an Antelope

They shouldn't play 46 Days for more than 10 minutes- tops.  They played it
for 40.  That and the horrid Secret Smile couldn't ruin this set though.
Julius  and Lizards (how they compensate for the lack of horns in these
songs is beyond me- both sounded like they had 10 musicians up there
playing 'em)  brought down the house and the serviceable Antelope gave us
one last reason to boogie.

Encore: Good Times Bad Times#

VERY impressive fireworks display.

Retrospective: All of the old stuff sounded better than ever- the composed
songs sounded leagues better than did pre-hiatus and they bring a ton of
energy with them.  Maybe they just weren't 'on' this weekend with respect
to jams, but most of the jams didn't do anything for me at all.  DWD, most
of the 3rd set on Saturday, Chalkdust, and 46 Days were pretty pedestrian;
only Ghost satisfied, but - OH MY GOD - did it ever satisfy.  The new
songs, for the most part, were terrible.  The lyrics are all pretty cheesy
and the music to these lyrics is boring as hell.

I'm sort of glad I made this trip, but I'm never doing it again.  But, I'd
already decided this ahead of time.
See all of you next time in a big city where the infrastructure of the USA
was set up to support us in the first place.

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 18:06:35 EDT
From: DjKonkeyDong@aol.com
Subject: Day 2

15th Show, sick ghost, Almost guaranteed a 2001 after the 46, but no. Ran into
Mike in the lot and called for the Mound, which was the third time I''ve asked,
but once again no. A little dissapointed in the crowd requesting fluffhead,
have they not heard of mound. Oh Well solid weekend

Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2003 11:50:21 -0400
From: Dominic F Perella 
Subject: Phish review


A brief review for those of you out there wondering how Day 2 went. I'll just
cover highlights. (68th show, first show in Feb. 1993, for those interested):

I: Daniel (Saw the Stone), Saw It Again, PYITE, Army of One, Chalkdust Torture,
Wilson*, Mike's > Hydrogen > Weekapaug

Nice to see Punch, but I've seen tighter versions. The real highlight here was
the Mike's Groove. They got into a bass-heavy, lilting jam that made the Mike's
Song a fun dance number, Trey nailed the Hydrogen, and the Weekapaug
featured strong Trey-Page interaction that kept the jam moving. The Weekapaug
was especially encouraging; it never fell into a rut like some pre-hiatus
Weekapaugs I can think of. Had a smile on my face from beginning to end.

II: : Mellow Mood, Ghost**, Mist, Pebbles and Marbles, You Enjoy Myself >
Chariots of Fire^, Loving Cup

This was a sick set, pretty much from beginning to end. The Ghost was
well-played, heavy rock & roll Trey work throughout, and it featured the most
enormous gowstick war I've ever seen. Just kept going & going. By the end the
stage was littered with glowsticks, and Mike had taken to swinging his bass at
them to fend them off. Whoever was running the video screens (Kuroda &
Co.?) pulled a neat trick by going black & white with the exception of the
glowsticks. Nice touch. Pebbles & Marbles was tight & raging -- it's gotten
much stronger since I saw it on New Year's run. YEM was YEM -- beautifully
played, had the crowd shouting and moving. The vocal jam was especially
bizarre, and they kept the weirdness coming by playing Chariots of Fire
throughout much of Trey's presentation of trophies for the winners of that
morning's 5K race. They closed it with a roaring Loving Cup. Great placement.
Not much more I could have asked out of this set.

III: 46 Days, Julius, Lizards, Secret Smile, Run Like an Antelope (E: Good
Times Bad Times)

This may look like a mediocre set list for Set six of a two-day festival, but
don't be fooled -- it was nasty as hell. The 46 Days went on and on and on --
and not in a bad way. Very dark, very exploratory. Everything I had heard about
Phish getting more openly experimental this tour and not trying to push jams
down a predictable path was proved true on this one. Didn't time it, but had to
have been 45+ minutes of nasty, spacey experimentation. Very cool. Can't wait
to hear how it sounds on tape. Julius was fun, as always, Lizards was a treat,
and Antelope was its typical intense self -- almost had a heart attack. Trey
took a break before the "Run run run run" section and repeatedly thanked the
crowd. He also made a hilarious comment about how good the band's caterer was
-- and pulled a classy move by acknowledging the terrible traffic problem and
promising to fix it for next year.   Finally, I had been hoping for a Hood or
Tweezer encore, so I was a bit disappointed to hear GTBT start, but that faded
quickly -- it was a dead-on, rocking version, and a very cool fireworks display
(they set them off so low & close that fans in front of the soundboard were
being pelted with debris from the explosions).

Overall, I'd say the Day Two highlights were the Mike's Groove and the 46 Days
(OK, and YEM -- that's always a highlight). A very strong show. I left more
than satisfied. 

-Dom

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 13:07:04 -0500
From: Brandon Kropp 
Subject: IT Night 2

Let me first comment on the "Tower of Power Jam" since technically it did
happen on 8/3/03. I would have to say the best way to describe it would be
worrying that it is Armageddon or something like that, and then remembering
that it's only your favorite band playing. I am guessing that it was Chris who
was doing the lights, but they were the most visually spectacular demonstration
of visible light possible. The jam sounded kind of what a long drawn out out of
hell or heaven tweezer would sound like. Mike and Trey were really the only
one's that really sounded like they were playing their instruments. Trey
scratching his guitar in a timely fashion and Mike working on those one note
sonic bombs that make you remember how it was in your mother's womb. Page and
Fish created the mood. Made me paranoid at first, had my spine tingling, also
had some great danceable grooves more towards the end.  This was IT.

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2003 20:44:58 EDT
From: NCatoggio45@aol.com
Subject: 8/3/03 Two Words:

Religious Experience

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