Date: Wed, 19 Mar 1997 16:49:44 -0500 (EST)
From: [email protected]
Subject: Stuttgart Show

Well, at first thought you might think enlisting in the army is a bad
idea. However, if your recruitor told you that you would see Phish in
Europe over 20 times in one year I'm certain your opinion might change.  I
am enlisted in the army, and am currently staioned in Stuttgart Germany.
When I am not off saving democracy I like to take long stretches of leave
and follow Phish around Europe.  This time I was able to hit every show
but Paris, and I must confess it was the best damn time of my life.

Anyway, when I called the hotline and heard that Phish was going to play
my "Hometown" I naturaly became very excited.  I was particularly happy
because I knew that I was going to be able to take some folks to their
first shows; this is always interesting.

As always I did not know what to expect out of this show.  The night
before in Munich was absolutely the worst show I have ever seen (with
trey giving up on My Friend and more or less playing awful all night) so I
was expecting maybe the band would make up for a lame effort in Bevaria,
and oh were my expectations met.  This was just one of those shows that by
looking at the setlist you start drooling!!!

Set 1

Camel Walk:  Nice and rare, well played and funky.  Not since 7-2-95, all
the virgins I was with were baffled at my excitement over this :)

Llama:  Not the best Llama I have heard, but again I thought it was niffty
playing it right after a Camel.

My Friend:  I guess Trey decided to make up for his dismal Munich
performance,  oh did he, nice and scarry with trey just pounding on the
distortion pedals.                              

Harry Hood:  Wow, 4th song in set 1; this was becoming a gem real fast!!!
 Hood was pure magic.  To tell you the truth before this tour I wasn't a
big Hood fan; I once thought that it was just to slow and borring.  The
Rome Hood changed my opinion, and this Hood just dropped my jaw.  Get the
tape!!

My Soul:  I like this tune even though it was overplayed on tour.  The
newbies that I brought to the appreciated it's basic bluesy structure.

Tube:  Yes, my first one!!  I had only heard it once before on a crappy
audience; this was nice and well jammed.

Song for Corini:  My favorite of the new tunes; it just rocks, very grungy
and sadistic.  this version was not quite as good as Courtammagiore, but
well played just the same.

Rockowilliam:  funny new tune.  I brought a cake to the show that I gave
to Fishman; Written on it was the order "Raise Your Hammer High" (lyric
from the song).  After the show Trey told me they played the song in
dedication to the cake :)

Dog Log:  Ok boys just keeep playing the rare ones!!!  Wow, this is
getting mighty wierd.

Gently Weeps: another rare one, the band was hitting all the right notes.
I couldn't begin to imagine the jamming that was to come in set two
though.

Set 2

Buried Alive:  This what set up a theme of nifty instrumental work for set
2, and again another rare tune.

Poor Heart:  Nice and blistering as usual.            

This is when the show starts to realy take off

HA, HA, HA > JAM, YEM>KUNG>BOTTOM>MAGILLA>SCENT>SCAT JAM>SCENT:  Wow this
was amazing jamming, as good as any on tour.  there was a nice nasty Jam
after HAHAHA, and while the YEM had been great all tour; this was the best
I had ever heard anywhere!!!  YEM went on forever with the longest Bass
solo I have seen i had ever heard Mike execute, this excursionwas then
Jammed into a fantastic Bottom (the only billy Breaths of the night!!).
After that Jamming the band then turned their sights on scent which
featured Page leading the band through some tasty scat Jamming, with Trey
syncronizing his guitar licks with vocal scat runs.  It is quite difficult
to describe the show after HA HA HA, you must realy get the tapes to
believe the wierdness; it was the Phish of old!!!

Slave:  I couldn't believe they were going to close this show with a
Slave. to get a HOOD, YEM, and Slave in the same 2 set show was astounding
to me. On top of that throw in that we got a Camel Walk, tube and Dog Log;
what a On top of that throw in that we got a Camel Walk, tube and Dog
Log;  what a set list!!!!  Anyway slave was well jammed, but after what
came before it was actualy a breather.

Encore:  Highway to Hell, like anyone on tour isn't eventualy going to
hell.

Get the tapes!!

I saw every show but Paris,  trust me there are certain shows that you
must get on tape.  Here are my top five from the tour, you must get all
these tapes:

1.  Courtamaggoire (amazing Fluffhead, awesome Mikes>Do it in the Road,
Good times Bad times with a tweezer jam)

2.  it's even between Hamburg and Stuttgart.  Hamburg features an amazing
extended Jam after Wolfman's Brother into a sweet Jesus left chicago in
the first set, again the band played an amazing Mikes into a wierd jam
wich featured the lyrics to The End.

3.  Amsterdam:  Divided Sky made me cry, Bathtub was the best I have ever
heard!!  The jamming after DWD was just too much.

4.  Florence:  First set was the funkiest I have ever heard, there is
serious MMW themes going on here, listen to the Cross eyed and Painless!!
Second set Antelope into Heavy Metal Antelope, just wierd I tell ya.       

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