--==Set One==-- BR> Mike, Page, Fish and Trey finally took the stage at about 8:05pm. They all looked very happy to play, Fish in his frock, Page in his usual outfit, nice pants and shirt, Trey just in a pair of jeans, a black shirt and his pair of sneaks, and Mike in his infamous 'black shirt with the flourescent orange stripes on the sleves', which seemed to be glowing all night long. The floor was pretty crowded, but not too bad. Antelope Greg was there, right in the front, with his cast still on, and there seemed to be a nice 2 foot free area around him, were nobody dared to stand. Unless they felt like getting smacked in the face all night. Phish didn't waste anytime, and busted right out into the first tune. **CHALKDUST TORTURE - Pretty standard, but with a great jam in the middle. As soon as they started this tune, and I could feel the energy they were putting into it, I knew we are all going for a ride throughout this show. **WOLFMAN'S BROTHER - This was a great tune to pull out. Although it wasn't a 33 minute version like the 'ween one, but it was still pretty long with a great jam in the middle. I don't remember too much about it, but I guess I will when I hear the tapes again. **ROGGAE - Pretty standard, but always great. A great "cool down" for us. Nothing out of the ordinary, but a great chance for the band, as well as the audience, to enjoy a nice, slow, relaxing tune. **GINSENG SULLIVAN - Being a big fan of bluegrass and also a big fan of Mike Gordon, I love hearing this tune. It was a pretty standard version, with solos from both Trey and Page, and a few flubbed/forgotten lyrics by Mike. **IT'S ICE - This was a nice surprise. This hadn't been played in a while and, it being one of my favorite tunes, made it even more enjoyable. It was a pretty standard version, although the piano solo in the middle was great. Durring which, Fishman balanced on his little stool, and did a little dance for us. Just picture him Hoola Hooping on top of his drum kit, without the Hoop. He seemed to be having fun with this. I am always amazed by the guitar work in this song, and as usual, Trey was right on target. |
**CARS, TRUCKS, BUSES - Pretty standard, but always Funky. I love seeing Page get the chance to show off for all of us, and he never disappoints me. He really seemed to be getting into this, bouncing all around and such.
**FARMHOUSE - (I am pretty sure this is called 'This is a Farmhouse'. That's what Trey introduced it as at Farm Aid, and that what Page calls it in 'The Phish Book') Anyhow, this was a nice treat. I love hearing this song, and it seemed that most of the audience does as well. They got a very welcoming cheer when they went into it. It was a pretty standard version, but still great. **WATER IN THE SKY - Pretty standard. I don't remember too much of this. **THE SLOTH - The crowed went nuts when they started this, and for good reason as well. This tune is so high energy. There was only one flub by Trey, durring one of the verses, but nothing to noticeable. It was very nicely jammed out, and Page especially stood out. **RUN LIKE AN ANTELOPE - This was a very tight jammed version, and is was amazing. After the show I talked to people who thought this was the best antelope they've ever seen, but I guess you'll have to hear the tapes tp decided for yourself. It was complete with a "Marco Esquandolas", but lacking "Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul". Instead, Trey screams "Set the gearshift for this side of the hole!". What he meant by that, I couldn't tell you, but couldn't seem to control his laugher after he said it. The jam was long, and full of energy, and it was a great way to lead us into setbreak. When they finished, Trey says that they are going to take a break, and that they are having a really great time so far, and they hope everyone sticks around. Hey, at least he's not saying "We'll be back in about 15 minutes" anymore. All in all, set one was very enjoyable, very jammy and full of nice suprises. --==Set Two==-- BR> The boys took the stage again, after about a 49 minute setbreak. Before they started to play, Trey introduced Bruno Bradley, their Monitor Engineer, and then tells us how Bruno got too drunk at the Flats lastnight, and came in late for work today. Trey then tells the audience how Bruno loves it when Chris shines a neon purple spotlight right on him (kind of like the 'yellow light' incident with Fish at the Fillmore show last month). Chris puts the light right on him, and Mike suggests that they play the entire 2nd set with that spotlight right on him. They turned it off soon after. There's some historic stage bantor for you all. **DOWN WITH DISEASE > JAM > DOWN WITH DISEASE - I was loving this. It was a great, energetic second set opener, and they really seemed to be getting into it and having a lot of fun. Trey was bobbing all around the stage for this one. About halfway into the song, they totally veared off into a jam. Trey was just fumbling around with some neat chord progresions. After noodling around for a while with these, they swung back into DwD. **SAMPLE IN A JAR - This was played very nice, but I think the best part about this tune was seeing the 250 lb, very built and clean cut, securtiy guard smiling and bobbing his head around durring the jam. You could tell Phish was starting to rub off on him. The jam was very tight, and this was one of the better versions of this song that I've seen. |
**DIRT - This was a great 'cool down' after the intense jams played earlier. There was nothing to different about it, except for the fact that Mike didn't sing the "never hear your voice again" lines under Trey's whistling.
**BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Despite what other people think of this song, and though I don't like seeing it on the lists for every show, I was definatly glad they played it tonight. I'm not sure how long it was, but I'm guessing it was about 8-10 minutes, most of that time was spent in a long jam. I don't think I've heard this tune played as well as the first time they pulled it out on the Island Tour in the spring, but this was very close to it. **MEAT > DIGITAL LOOP JAM > MEAT - This was, without a doubt, the best Meat I have heard. Before they started it, they were all talking to eachother for a while. Probably a good 2 minutes or so. Mike and Trey were laughing about whatever was being said, and then Trey walked over to his cup, and talked into it for a while. For those of you who don't know, the cup has a microphone in it, and that's how Trey talks to Page durring the show. Then they broke into the first chords of Meat. This was a very funked out version, and Mike's vocals sounded great. They stopped and started it about 4 times, leaving a pretty long time span in between each re-start. After about the 3rd stop, Trey created a Digital Loop, that he kept going while the other band members quietly play over it. After the show he said, all together, he had about 4 loops going at a time. Then, with the loops still going in the background, they started 'Meat' back up again finally, and when they reached the part where they would normally end the tune, Trey looks over at Fish and tells him to keep the groove going, and they break into an *Extended 'Meat' jam. Instead of ending it with the standard "dun dun dun" they pull it back into another jam which segued right into...... **HARRY HOOD- I am contemplating whether this was the best Hood I've ever seen or not. If not the best, the definatly 2nd best. They busted right into this, everyone with glowsticks in hand. There just seemed to be a 'funk factor' built into this version. There was even a rare, eerie organ solo by Page before the "Harry..Harry, where do you go when the....." The begining seemed to be longer than normal (before the quiet jam). The glowsticks came out, and I was very happy to see that only about 4 glowsticks were tossed towards the stage. Unfortunatly 2 of those 4 hit Trey and Mike. The one that hit Trey created a loud "pop" over the PA. I don't know if it just his his mic, or his guitar or what, but if you get the tapes, you will have no trouble picking out when this took place. This Hood was a great set closer, and full of energy, as much of the second set seemed to be. --==Encore==-- BR> **GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES - This was a pretty standard, jammed out version. Everyone, especially the audience, was getting into it, jumping around, singing along, and the best part about it was the crowd noise after Page wails "I know what it means to be alone.." It gives me the chills. But it was a great choice to close this increadible show. Bravo! |
*Wednesday, November 25th, 1998 - Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY
Albany Review - By: Julia Mordaunt / (fahtharpua@aol.com)
I: (1:20) Punch You in the Eye, My Soul, Roggae, AC/DC Bag, Lifeboy,
David Bowie, Sleep*, Driver*, Good Times Bad Times
II: (1:14) Also Sprach Zarathustra > Golgi, Drowned > Caspian > Piper***,
You Enjoy Myself**, Been Caught Stealin' > Llama
E: (0:18) Something, Guyute, Freebird^
*With Trey on Acoustic guitar, and Mike on a different black bass
**With Trampolines
***With glowstick war
^ A Cappella
The boys took the stage at 8:09 - Page walked on first in his nice pants, shirt and shoes. Next came Trey in his Mickey Mouse shirt and jeans, then Fishman in his frock and horned hat (he got quite a loud cheer when he showed up). Then finally Mike snuck out in a bluish-green shirt and a pair of jeans. They were ready to go! (Don't ask me why, but people are always so interested in what they are wearing, so I figure, why not give the people what they want? hehe..) The crowd was very welcoming last night.
8:10pm - Let's get the show on the road!
PUNCH YOU IN THE EYE - Trey ripped right into this. This was the longest begining
(begining meaning, before the lyrics started) that I have ever seen/heard. It really built up the energy for the rest of the tune. This was a great version. You could tell that this was going to be a great show just by looking at all of the energy the boys had (Trey especially) One of my favorite things about this tune is the chance that I get to see Mike and Trey swing their hips in the 'Landlandy' section. They didn't let me down, and they got quite a reaction from the crowd (I'm telling you, this was one of the loudest crowds I've heard in a long time) Even the security guards around me got a nice laugh. Anyhow, this version of PYITE was great. No flubs or anything.
MY SOUL - I know people have mixed reactions to this tune, since it was played so much last fall, but I really enjoyed it last night. It included a great piano solo by Page, and everyone seemed to be enjoying it very much.
ROGGAE - I wasn't expecting to hear this tune so close to the opening of the set, but I am not complaining. It seems like I hear this song at every show I catch, but I can't really say that this version was much different than the others. Nothing too special about it, but I was definatly glad to hear it.
AC/DC BAG - I will never be able to get enough of this tune live! It seems that all of them have a really nice, long, tight jam in the middle of them that's totally different everytime. The crowd was totally getting into it durring the fast jamming towards the end of it. After this, the fast jam was kept going, then it just got slower and quieter, until it was finally
barely audible. It stopped and that's when Trey went into..
LIFEBOY - Such a great version. From the look on Trey's face it seemed like he was really meaning every word in the tune. His voice was nice and soft, and it was just a really nice cool down for everyone.
BOWIE - Fishman started the intro, and Trey and Mike got some digital loops going. They kept this going for a while until they finally broke into it. (At this point everyone in my section was having such a great time watching Trey, the kid next to us, dance his brains out) It was a great, high energy version, and Fishman especially stood out. He was going nuts. It was a pretty standard version, but what standard version of Bowie is not great?
SLEEP - This is my favorite new tune that they have, and I've been waiting to hear it live,
since it first debuted at Bridge School this year. As soon as I saw Trey switch guitars, and pick up his acoustic I knew I would get to hear it. Mike also switched basses for the next two tunes. Instead of playing his Modulus, he picked up a smaller, black bass. It was not an acoustic, but it didn't have a lot of *punch* to it, like his Modulus, so I am guessing that's why he was playing it for these acoustic numbers. This was a beautiful version of this tune, and at this point, I was the only person still standing in my section. There were about 40 people sitting all around me (I just can't seem to figure out how anyone can sit down at a show, even if it's a slow number). Trey and Page sang the lyrics very softly, capturing the spirit of the tune. For those of you who are not familiar with this song, it's often refered to as 'Glisten', but Trey and Mike confirmed that the name was 'Sleep', after Bridge School. There's not much room for jamming or anything in this tune, or at least not so early in it's exsistance, but perhaps in the future it will include something to that effect. I can see a nice solo by Page somewhere in here.
DRIVER - Trey seemed to want to keep playing the acoustic, so they broke into this. Another great new tune, first debuted at Bridge School. This was a pretty standard version, but it was most enjoyable. What can I say? I am a sucker for acoustic Phish!
GOOD TIMES BAD TIMES - The closed the first set with this, as they did last year in Albany (12.13.97) It was jammed out for a while and Page definatly made this version great. The crowd was jumping all around and Trey was really getting into it as well. They were on fire!
The first set ended at 9:29pm, making it a one hour and twenty minute set! I was already completely blown away by this set, and I had an entire one left to hear!
They took the stage again at 10:06pm, quite possibly making it the shortest set break of this tour? Perhaps Hampton beat us with that one, but a 37 minute break is very rare for these guys as I'm sure you're all familiar with : ) Page first, then Trey, Fish, and Mike finally strolling on stage once all the other members were ready to start. Fish kicked right into...
ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (2001) - I must say, this version was so enjoyable thanks to Chris. He put on an amazing light show for us. It almost seemed that the band was backing the lights, instead of the lights backing the band. It was great. Another thing that made it so great were Mike's bass lines throughout the tune. They were all so punchy. This was a very spacey, jammy version, and I loved it.
GOLGI APPARATUS - This was a pretty standard version, with lots of loud, audience participation. The entire arena was singing "I saw you..." along with the band, not just a few fans. As soon as the tune came to an end, Page started right into....
DROWNED - Yes! I cannot get enough of this tune. Mike's vocals were so increadible last night, and hearing him sing this tune, hitting all the notes head on just topped it off. It was such a tight version, one of the best I've heard. Trey was getting so into it, jumping all around, swinging his head around making it such a high energy number. Towards the end of the jam, Trey kind of brought it down a notch, getting slower and quieter, and that's when they broke into....
PRINCE CASPIAN - Pretty standard version. Nothing too special about it, but Trey's vocals were really great durring it. It seemed like a more *quiet* version than normal.
They kept the ending going with a very high pitched tone by both Trey and Page which lead into....
PIPER - This was an increadible version of one of my favorite songs to hear live. The glowstick war in the middle was so great, except for the fact that there are still some immature people in the audience who feel the need to whip them at the band while they are trying to perform for us. The only person up there who did not get hit was Fishman. Even Bruno, the guy who runs the monitors got a few tossed at his head. I saw Mike get hit many times, and Trey's guitar got hit once as well. The glowsticks look great, but keep them in the audience, not on the stage. Ok, back to Piper. This was a very quiet, tight jam, and it lead to an excellent ending, getting faster and faster. This, to me, is one of those tunes (like the jam in Theme from the Bottom), where you feel like you are going to explode as the jam gets more and more intense. The great thing about Piper, is that they take you to that point, then let you down slowly with that little, slow, calming ending. Know what I mean? Anyhow, all in all, this was a very strong version. At this point, I thought Piper would be ending the second set. I was wrong.
YOU ENJOY MYSELF - They didn't let me down! It was totally unexpected, but when it started the audience was extactic. Including myself. It was a very spacey but increadibly strong version. Durring the middle, Brad brought out the trampolines for Mike and Trey. They both did their bouncing routine, Trey turning the wrong way a few times, but quickly correcting it with a few 360*'s. It was histarical. It was especially funny watching the security guards trying to figure out what in the hell they were doing. It ended with a vocal jam, which included Chris turning off all of the lights except for the white lights towards the back of the stage, and along the top row of lights. He was spinning them all around, with Fish, Mike, Page and Trey following the speed of the lights, going faster and faster, then suddenly stopping. The crowd was going nuts at this point. Hey, why not do it again? So that's what they did. Once again, the lights were spinning all around, the band screaming, along with the audience bringing the tune to an end. Then..
BEEN CAUGHT STEALIN' - It was a pretty standard version, but it didn't include trampoline act like the others did. Still enjoyable to hear.
LLAMA - They quickly broke into this, and it was so fast and full of energy, I thought everyone in the band and in the audience was just going to drop. What a great tune to close the set.
The second set came to an end at 11:20pm, so I figured we were in for a quick, Rocky Top encore or something. A group of fans towards the front row were holding letters that spelled out 'Carolina', hoping to get an A Cappella tune. The boys took the stage again at 11:23pm. Trey was jumping all around (I don't think he stopped moving once durring the entire encoure) They went right into....
SOMETHING - (in the way she moves). Page's vocals were beautiful as well as Trey's solo's. This was my first time seeing them play this and I loved it.
GUYUTE - This was great. Trey made a tiny flub at the begining (he started a bit too early) but it didn't mess the rest of the tune up at all. Even though they were past cerfew at this point, they didn't try and cram it all together or anything. Trey was getting so into it as well.
Trey started to bounce up and down onstage, while they brought the mic stand out. They all had a little huddle, Trey still jumping all around, and finally made a decision.
What would it be? Non other than..
FREEBIRD - This has got to be the funniest thing to witness. All of them were playing their air guitars, and they were all perfectly harmonized throughout the entire tune. When it was time for Trey to start his guitar solo, he was hitting these high, high notes, and he was totally belting them out. At one point I actually got this shooting pain in my ear from them being to loud and sharp. Gotta love that guy. When it finally ended, Trey was just giving the audience this look like, wow, what an amazing show! He was giving everyone his little "rock on" fist, laughing the entire time. What a great show!
The show ended at 11:41pm. All together this was an increadible show! I would have to say the top performers in this show were Trey and Chris Kuroda. Trey was so full of energy throughout the entire show, and Chris played a huge role in setting the mood of the show tonight. The only thing that disapointed me about tonights show was the fact that I couldn't really hear Page. He was kind of drowned out by Trey's guitar. I just hope we're not running into the same problem we had with Mike. Other than that, it was a great show. I didn't see Antelope Greg at all in the front row durring the show, but I ran into him at about 1:15 am after the show, back at the Omni Hotel where was meeting some friends. I talked with him for a little bit (what a joke he is). Phish was staying here so here were so many people outside of the Hotel waiting for them to arrive. I'd say close to 50. I met up with my friends and then at about 1:30am, decided to begin my trek back to Buffalo. And that was that. Anyhow, it's time for me to eat dinner with the fam, so I'll let you all go. If you get the chance to get this show on tape, definatly take the offer. It's one show that everyone should hear! I hope you all have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!
*Julia Mordaunt*
*••Meet the Press••
Phish out of order: Contract will allow band record freely
By Steve Morse
Boston Globe Staff
11/27/98
Gordon, who studied film at the University of Vermont, has a new feature film that he expects to release next year.
"Yeah, there are 50 hours of footage that went into it and 1,500 hours of editing so far,'' says Gordon. "I've been working on it for three years now, in between tours. It's called ' The Outstructional Video.'
It's the story of a boy who gets this thing called the `Outstructional Video' to learn how to play guitar. It's a drama and it's weird, but actually the editing style is very conventional.
"It has Colonel Bruce Hampton in it,'' Gordon says, referring to a musician friend of Phish. "It stems from my perspective on his philosophy of unlearning, instead of learning [how to play guitar]. There also will be some Bruce Hampton music in it and, after this tour, I'm going back to my home studio to maybe record some ambient music and ambient sounds.
"I also have a cameo in it,'' says Gordon. ``I play a country music star. My name in the film is Mike Gizzard.''
After 15 years of playing together, Gordon says it's ``necessary'' for Phish members - who include keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman - to branch out into side projects in order for the group to be fresh when it reconvenes.
Phish has branched out with some unexpected activities this year. The group played the Farm Aid concert (jamming with Neil Young on "Down by the River'') and joined Young's Bridge School benefit for disabled children in San Francisco.
"Neil invited all the bands to his ranch. I guess he has a party every year, the night before the show. It was a real joyous occasion,'' says Gordon.
Phish also surprised observers by performing songs from a Velvet Underground album ("Loaded'') on Halloween, and soon after playing the entirety of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon'' during a show in Utah. "We learned the record in two hours and played it in the middle of the second set. We were all familiar with the album and that made it easier ... It wasn't perfect, but it was fun.
"We did it in Utah partly because it was one of the only shows on the tour where there was only a small percentage of the house that was sold. So we decided to teach a lesson to [fans] who were on tour with us but skipped Utah. We wanted to show them that the really unexpected stuff is gonna happen in the middle of nowhere.''
Speaking of happening in the middle of nowhere, Phish is still reveling in the success of the ``Lemonwheel'' concert festival in upstate Maine this summer, attended by 60,000-plus diehards. The festival had a ferris wheel and a rock garden, among other things, on the premises.
"We've talked about another spectacle next year, but we might vary the setting. It may be in the Southeast or halfway down the coast, or maybe in Colorado. But it wouldn't be quite the same. It might be a medium spectacle. Then we'd save it up for a big millennium thing, which is sort of being worked on now, but nothing's being said yet.''