4-16-99 -Phil & Friends- Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA
if you have a review of this show, email it to me at dws@www.phish.net

Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 20:01:15 EDT
From: Phillip Zerbo PZerbo@aol.com
To: MBIRD-JAM@netspace.org
Subject: [JAM] Phil Lesh & Phriends, 4.16.99, The Warfield, SF, CA,
                  PZ Review (long)

Phil Lesh & Phriends, 4.16.99, The Warfield, SF, CA, PZ Review

Friday we were again treated to weather better than could be possibly expected
for this time of year (mid 80s and sun!), so we spent the day in the Haight
(may I heartily recommend 'Crepes on Cole' for your next visit to the area :-)
and in the park, doing the things one does in the Haight and the park. No will
call to deal with tonight, but after the sardine experience that was the floor
on Thursday, we hit Market Street relatively early in hopes of trading our
floor tickets up to the balcony. Thankfully there were takers, and we set up
shop in the middle of the second row of the upper balcony... about 5 rows from
the very back of the venue, but still an awesome view and great sound. More
importantly, no obstructed view of Trey, and actual personal space, with Kmo,
Marco and myslef having about 5 seats between us to boogie. :-)
 4.16.99 I: Help (Trey) -> Slip -> Franklin's (Page), Wish You Were Here(Phil),
Tennessee Jed (Trey), Stella Blue (Instrumental, Kimock solo), Alligator
(Phil).

Help on the Way! What a moment, with Phil's bass lines pulsing through every
nerve receptor of my body, and Trey stepping up to the mic... "Paradise waits!"
:-) I just knew immediately that tonight was going to be so much more
enjoyable, I can actually dance and not be constantly nudging for floor
position... and our "usher" was clearly tripping face, so no hassles there (for
those of you who haven't been to the Warfield, the "security" is self-policing,
with all heads on usher duty). The Slipknot! jam was magnificent, a perfect
balance of Kimock's fluid melodies, Trey's rougher edge, the ever-present
subtleties of Page and Molo, and Mr. Lesh on lead bass, weaving tapestries of
musical joy and wrapping them around my soul like a warm blanket on a cold
winter night, woo hoo! Sure, it wasn't the tightest Slipknot! jam I've ever
heard, but better than any I've heard live in 10+ years, so no complaints here.
The opening notes of Franklin's provided the first of many goosebump waves
through my body... wow, do I ever miss that feeling, its good to know that all
sensory perception is still in working order! :-) It took me a few lines to
adjust to Page's vocals, but only a few lines, and I think it was confidently
and warmly delivered, and certainly well received by the hyper-enthusiastic
crowd, at least in balcony land.

The intro to Wish You Were Here was really odd. For those of you not familiar
with the current Phish repertroire, they do a cover of Neil Young's
"Albequerque" with Trey singing, and it has an intro that is eerily reminiscent
of the (first 5 note) intro to Wish You Were Here. Every one of the two or
three times Phish has covered Albequerque, for the briefest moment I think it
is going to be Wish You Were Here, but then snap into the realization it is
Albequerque. On Friday it was reversed, where I thought it woud be Albequerque,
only for the intro theme to continue into Wish You Were Here. :-) From a
surprise setlist persective, it was awesome, but frankly the tune didn't do a
whole lot for me. I love Phil as much as the next person, and I -do-  love his
vocals on many a tune, but this just didn't work IMHO, and it was the -only-
non-highlight of the set for me. OTOH, they played almost the entirety of Wish
You Were Here at setbreak on Saturday, and it was -perfect- as setbreak
music!

Tennessee Jed! OK, I admit it, I fall firmly in the Mitch Cohen camp on this
one (apologies to the non-long-time-RMGDers for the obscure reference), and I
haven't thought much of this tune since the early 80s when I was but a tad
newbie lad. No offense to our dearly beloved Fat Man, but the last time I
-really- enjoyed this tune live was when Reagan was in his first term, until
Friday night! If there was ever a Jerry tune that fits perfectly into Trey's
vocal and instrumental style, it is this one (not the only one, but certainly
one of them). Wow, can that hollow bodied Languedoc ever sing! Wonderfully done
and enthusiastically received! You go, Trey!

Stella. The opening notes were spine-tingling, but I was distracted by the
thought of who was going to take the vocals. Trey? I hope not, you have to draw
the line somewhere. Phil? Urgh. Page? Maybe he could pull it off... but no need
to worry, as the lead was not a vocal at all, but a SOARING solo by Kimock. I
appreciate Kimock a ton, but don't come anywhere close to the hero worship
showered upon him by some... but perhaps I "get it" now, as his Stella solo
evoked the first actual tears of the weekend. Wow. Get the tapes. As to the
Alligator, my humble words cannot possibly do justice to this absolutely
stunning, earth-shattering version. I won't event try. Get the tapes, they will
BLOW YOUR MIND! Wow!

Very, very chill setbreak, I made one trip to the balcony lobby for a quick
bathroom break (surprisingly easy line) and a scotch and Anchor Steam, great
vibe in the room, with Miles Kind of Blue followed by something I didn't know
on the PA... nugs, hugs, et cetera.

4.16.99 II: Bertha (Trey), Prince Caspian, St. Stephen  (Trey)-> The Eleven
(instrumental, Unbroken Chain, Chalk Dust Torture, Mountains of the Moon,
(Phil) Scarlet (Trey +) -> Fire. E: Ripple (Phil).

The curtain opens to Bertha, and who could that be at the mic between Steve and
John...? Donna! I got on the bus in 1981 (at the tender young age of 15!) and
so not only am I in total bliss zone (tangent: the "Bliss Blimp" rode high
above San Fran all that day! :-), but it's my first Donna show, taboot, taboot!
Again, I've probably heard better Berthas, but none in a -long- time that got
my juices flowing like this one. I love Trey for the player and person that he
is, i.e. I'm not looking for "The Next Jerry" (what an utterly stupid concept)
but just for a few moments in this tune, there was a momentary transport to a
day ... where if you closed your eyes... well, just get the tapes, it may or
may not transfer, but in any event it was great.

Prince Caspian. For the benefit of the non-Phish fans out there, let me
esplain'. When Phish started playing this tune, I liked it. When it first came
out on Billy Breathes, I liked it. I still liked it for a year or so, even
though it followed me to every other Phish show I attended. I started liking it
progressively less when it followed me to every other show in Europe, and then
back in the states when it was played every other show, and on -every- good
show, just in time to issue the ultimate buzzkill. I -still- like the jam,
sometimes, but the lyrics section makes me want to run screaming from the
building. I mean, there has to be -some- reason Trey likes it, who possibly
knows what it could be, and if it makes Trey happy, at some level I'm happy.
The knowing look between me and my friends Marco and Ken (similarly plagued by
this tune) was, I dunno, just odd, like "we can't run, we can't hide!" ALL THAT
SAID, the jam -was- really pretty good! :-) I'm sorry, I just can't appreciate
the song, the history is too deep, the moments of joy crushed by its appearance
too many times. I hope others can retain some sense of objectivity and enjoy
the tune on its own merits, because I cannot. Oh well!

Any wierd vibes were, of course, immediately dissolved by the first few notes
of St. Stephen! My first one live since 10.11.83 (it eluded me on TOO tour),
and a killer version taboot! Trey on lead vocals, with Kimock taking much of
the lead guitar duties... frankly, I don't remember much of either this or The
Eleven (my first one ever), but not because me memory is shot (well, that,
too), but I was just lost in the ultimate groovy space. I'll need the tapes for
an objective viewpoint; rather, I'll need 15 or 20 listens to the tapes until I
can render an objective interpretation, as I was just thoroughly absorbed with
the music! :-) One quick note about The Elven, though: it was an instrumental.
Conscious or not, The Phil Zone, at least on this weekend, was a Bob-Free Zone,
with not a single Bob vocal delivered by anyone... at least not a lead vocal.
Coincidence? I dunno, ask Phil and Bob, it ain't my beef.

Unbroken Chain! This was only the second time I've had the priviledge of seeing
this tune live; after the 3.19.95 breakout, I immediately bagged out of work
and hit tour, with the good fortune of catching this tune on 3.23.95, 4th row
Phil side in Charlotte (your "typical"  Unbroken Chain -> Scarlet -> Fire
Set II opener! :-) May I humbly suggest, and with the utmost respect to those that
have played this tune previously, that this version -blows away- any that have
come before. The pure energy and joy of 3.19.95 excepted, I haven't heard
anything that even comes close. Phil, you are the man! But may I take this
opportunity to thank also your "side men" on guitars, what a wonderfully
melodious version! Tears # 2. Thank you, all!

Chalk Dust Torture... OK, so we all know (one would hope) that Phil is in fact
the best bass guitar player in the known universe, and in fact my favorite, and 
I can't think that there will be anything that will ever change that feeling.
That said, and as much as I liked Phil's interpretation, may I take a moment to
acknowledge Michael Cactus Gordon as my second favorite bassist, and that not
even Phil can deliver this tune like Mike does. ANYWAY, what an odd tune  for
this setting. No offense, and at 32 I'm no spring chicken, but "Can't I live
while I'm young" just didn't reverberate with this crowd. I dunno, I guess I'm
just used to the power of the delivery among a crowd signifcantly younger than
this one, and significantly younger than myself... but it just didn't translate
very well, at least for me. Phil certainly didn't miss a beat, though, and
dropped a few bombs for good measure! :-) It shouldn't come as any surprise,
and this is NO diss of any members of the ensemble, but Phish tunes played with
members of the Dead (and others), to my ears, just didn't translate as well as
Dead tunes played by members of Phish (and others). STILL, an enjoyable
tune!
:-)

Mountains of the Moon, with all due respect, bored me to tears, and was the
only tune of the second set that didn't light a fire under me. I'll leave it to
others to comment on this tune further. Scarlet -> Fire!?! At this point in the
set? With Donna!? Woo hoo! Trey -nailed- the Scarlet vocals, and the playing on
Scarlet was incredibly tight. I've heard better transitions, even in the 90s,
to Fire, but no complaints here. I wish I had more to say about the whole
tune(s), but again I was just lost in the moment, and frankly was not listening
with a critical ear... rather, it was all groove, all feeling, and what a
feeling it was!

Ripple. Wow. I'm hearing Ripple in the Warfield! :-) All feeling, all vibe, all
emotion, maybe it was played well, maybe half-assed, I don't know and don't
especially care. Get the tapes, they will tell. When they turned the "la la la
da la" over to the crowd, I actually tried not to, but the tears were back, and
I just went with the flow.

Thank you to Phil, Trey, Steve, John, Page, and Donna, and to everyone involved
with putting on the show, and everyone in attendance. I've been putting off
more general comments on the whole weekend, mostly because I've yet to come to
grips with my feelings, and am having extreme difficulty finding the proper
words. Perhaps by tomorrow. For now, I must go send off my friend Phoebe to
Europe... gotta run! Love to all,

-Phillip

p.s. I'm sorry I couldn't provide a review "with *real* substance and
creativity," can't make -everybody- happy, dontcha know...


Date: Sun, 09 May 1999 10:19:16 -0700
From: Charles Dirksen cdirksen@earthlink.net
To: Daniel W. Schar dws@gadiel.com

Thank you for all of the responses to my review of Thursday's show.
Overwhelming, to say the least. I will respond to as many of you as I
possibly can.  Thank you!  You were inspirational! =^]

I should add:  Phil wants us all to consider telling our loved ones of
our "irrevocable desire" to -- in the event of our death -- have our
organs donated.  Please make it clear to your family (preferably in a
signed writing) that you would like your organs donated upon your
death.  Your death could help others to live.  There is perhaps
nothing more selfish than to die and take your useful organs with you.
Phil Lesh is here today because a family was thoughtful enough (in a
time of enormous suffering) to donate the organs of their recently
deceased kin.

Friday, April 16, 1999
THE WARFIELD
PHIL LESH & FRIENDS
Trey Anastasio (Phish): Languedoc Hollowbody
Page McConnell (Phish): Grand Piano & organ
John Molo (Other Ones): Drums
Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead, Other Ones): Lead Bass
Steve Kimock (Zero, SK&F, KVHW, Other Ones): Guitars (5+)

Special Guest:  Donna Jean Godchaux

SET ONE (1:21)
Help on the Way (Phil lead vocals?) ->
Slip Knot ->
Franklin's Tower (Page l.v.)
Wish You Were Here (Phil l.v.) >
Tennessee Jed (Trey l.v.)
Stella Blue (instrumental)
ALLIGATOR

SET TWO (1:42)
Bertha (Trey l.v.; w/Donna)
His Majesty, King Caspian
Saint Stephen ->
The Eleven ->
Unbroken Chain
Chalk Dust Torture
Mountains of the Moon >
Scarlet Begonias (w/Donna) ->
Fire on the Mountain (w/Donna)

ENCORE:  Ripple =^]

I was only a few feet farther back on the floor than I was last night
(I was straight out from Trey; Page was stage right (audience left),
then (from audience left to right) it went Kimock, Molo, Phil, and
Trey.. and Fishman, Phish's drummer, was off-stage Trey-side, during
the first set).  There were a lot more young Phish fans on the floor
this evening than last night, or so it seemed.  The area of the floor
where I was practically became a mosh pit (to a graying 28 year old
control attorney) for the first five or so Trey-led minutes of Chalk
Dust Torture.

The "vibe" in the Warfield was, once again, magical. Overall, the show
was more focused and tight than Thursday's gig, even though it was
about a half-hour shorter, and still contained a great deal of very
exploratory improvisation (a hell of a lot of dueling noodling 'tween
Trey and Steve, frankly).

Trey was definitely *on* this evening, and offered tasteful vocals
(try to sound like Jerry much? it worked well, IMO). His playing was
-- as Phil called it when he introduced the band before the encore --
"downright nasty, dirty funk guitar."  Kimock, on the other hand,
played -- again as Phil aptly called it -- "anti-gravity guitar"
almost all evening.  Once again, I don't think Steve was at his
finest. Maybe I'm just holding him to too high a standard, since I
know what he's consistently capable of at his own gigs. He jsut seemed
more self-conscious than usual tonight, and continued to play with his
equipment (particularly in the first set) far more than he ought to
have (he's a perfectionist, after all.. only trying to get That
Perfect Tone for the musical event at issue).  Saturday night we'll
hopefully get more of the Fierce Kimockian Genius that led Thursday's
pre-Rider jam.  Tonight was a much more ethereal, mystical, rhythmic,
playful Kimock (which, of course, might have been The Plan?).

Page and Phil were, yet again, outstanding.  Stellar, perfectly
attuned playing from them.  Phil's vocals have improved so much over
the years!  Molo was very good, too, even if he seemed to tire towards
the end of Fire (Kimock was forcing everyone to be more creative with
the rhythm in Fire.. he didn't want to be in four -- except during the
refrains).  And Donna Jean?  Never looked or sounded better, in my
opinion!

The show opened with a majestic 37 minute Help->Slip->Franklin's,
which propelled many a spirit into the infinitely expansive, heavenly
realm of **IT**.  The improvisation was, as you might expect,
INSPIRING, but the composed section of Slip Knot was unfortunately a
train wreck (they laughed about it, though, and we laughed with
them).  The rest of the Slip, on the other hand, needs to be heard to
be believed -- intense, awe-inspiring playing from everyone (but Trey
led most of the time). And Franklin's!?  It too was excellent, even
though the ending was rather tepid.

"Wish You Were Here" was appropriate, of course, but nevertheless
unexpected.  The "jam segment" was gorgeous, imo, and will make for
pleasant listening, even if it dissolved into space.  Trey started
"Tennessee Jed" out of this space, and though he didn't nail all of
the right chords all of the time, I enjoyed his vocals very much.  It
was fun to hear this, but I've heard plenty of more spirited Dead (and
even Other Ones) versions.

"Stella Blue" (instrumental!) featured Kimock on lap steel,
accompanied well by the rest of the band.  The Mighty Little Toaster,
however, didn't seem to be able to truly find IT.  His soloing wasn't
the start-to-finish Story That Brings Tears to the Eyes that I yearned
to hear -- even though it did peak  (check out the July 1996? Missing
Man Formation Fillmore version!! CHRIST ALMIGHTY!!! =^).
Nevertheless, many in the audience were clearly touched.

Kimock -- and everyone else -- tore it up on an upbeat,
Franklin's-tempo, set-closing "Alligator."  **WARNING:  THIS
RAGED!!**  Hear it and prepare to dance your ass off!

Second set opened up with a strong, fun BERTHA, with Donna Jean on
supporting vocals.  A much stronger second set opener than Thursday's
Alabama Getaway, as I heard 'em.

This Caspian is absolutely must-hear for Phish fans.  This was no
"Fuckerpants!" When I first heard Caspian in June 1995, I enjoyed it
(really), and hoped that it would one day truly SOAR.  It finally did,
earlier tonight, given the festive, mystical, and mellifluous
back-and-forth noodling that Trey and Steve engaged in.  Trey, from
the start of the jam segment, chose to avoid the textural la-ti-da of
Caspians past -- and to actually SOLO to glorious effect.  And
Kimock?  "Anti-gravity" to say the least!  =^]  Kimock didn't really
know this song, though, and it showed towards the end of the jam.  I
think this Caspian lasted around 15 minutes.. probably the longest
version Trey and Page have ever played.  If memory serves, Caspian
just sorta dissolved into a soft, wussy ending.

The rest of set two, in my opinion, was some of the most enchanting,
wondrous full-band (rock) improv that I've ever heard.  Words won't
even come vaguely close to doing it justice, I'm afraid.  You'll just
have to hear the tapes.  I'll try to communicate the power of this
set, though, by saying that I couldn't help but reflect on all of my
"favorite show experiences EVER."  Dead 9/26/91, etc.; Other Ones
6/4/98; Phish 10/31/94, 12/31/95...; as assortment of Zero and KVHW
shows.

Can I take another night of this!?  I think so.  I could probably take
AN ENTIRE BLOODY TOUR OF THIS!! (A Wise Man said, after the show, that
this was his favorite band.. I have to agree!!)

EVERYTHING in the rest of set two seemed to contain beautifully
intricate, mesmerizing, hypnotic, and brilliantly complementary
playing, that reminded me of some of the finest Dead shows/tapes that
I've heard over the years (late 60's and early 70's, mostly..).  Trey,
Page, Steve, Phil, and John were all listening closely to each other
and feeding off of one another, in varying degrees at different
moments.

I could quibble here and there (Kimock could have learned "Chalk Dust
Torture," and torn it a new a$%hole, if he'd only made the effort, or
even pretended to care; the bridge into "The Eleven" could have been
stronger...), but what's the point?  Saint Stephen:  AWESOME.  The
Eleven: MAGNIFICENT.  Unbroken Chain:  GLORIOUS. (all these versions
moved me profoundly more than any Other Ones or other recent version
that I've heard.. although, then again, the 6/4/98 Eleven breakout
really did IT for me, given the context!)  Chalk Dust Torture: KICK
ASS (for the most part, thanks primarily to Trey).  Mountains of the
Moon: CHARMING, STUPENDOUS, ALMIGHTY!  Scarlet->Fire:  OH MY LORD, CAN
YOU BELIEVE THIS!?  How blessed we were.. and are!

And the Ripple encore?  Many were moved to tears.

Hear this show at all costs.

And so to bed,
two cents,
charlie

p.s.  I wasn't able to read/skim even half of the emails that I
received on Friday concerning my Thursday review.  Thanks so much for
inspiring me to get this out. I will try to reply to as many of you as
I possibly can within the next several days. If you do not hear from
me, I apologize.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you!  If, though, you
groveled to me for tapes already:  I'm sorry, I can't help you (I'm
dubbing ZERO right now;  besides, I don't even have the tapes yet..
and there will be THOUSANDS of tapes of these Philsh shows spreading
within the next few weeks, I'm certain).


Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 19:43:22 -0500
From: "Murphy, Jonathan" MurphyJ@staff.abanet.org
To: "'dws@www.phish.net'" 
Subject: 4/16/99 review


On Friday night, I didn't score my ticket (balcony, 2nd row) until 8:15, and
I felt like I had to eat something before going inside.  Unfortunately, the
lousy burritos from Taco Bell caused me to miss the opening Help on the
Way.

I did hear the jamming out of Help and into Slipknot!, which Trey and (I
think) especially Kimock teased for a while before plunging in after getting
the go-ahead from Molo's crack of the drums.  The Slipknot! was very tight,
but brief.  It was not at all jammed out like Dead versions (unless I
actually entered during the Slipknot! jam and not the Help jam, in which
case it was quite jammed out).  In any case, the transition to Franklin's
Tower was flawless, and had the balcony rocking up and down, a la RFK Stadium.
Page's vocals on Franklin's were great, I don't understand why he didn't
sing more lead.  The jamming/soloing on Franklin's was awesome - the wasn't
a face in the house that didn't have a huge smile on it.  Trey, Kimock, and
Phil were all laying down wonderfully melodic lead lines, each
instrumentalist weaving in and out of the others' paths.
Page's playing (on this tune and generally both nights) provided great
color, but he rarely stepped out front, and when he did, he had a hard time
competing with the guitarists.  This is BY NO MEANS a knock on Page's
playing, on the contrary, he seemed to regard the keys as a means of
supplying great fills here and there, rather than trying to lead things
Hornsby-style.  I prefer Page's style to Bruce's by a few miles.
A Phil-sung Wish You Were Here followed Franklin's, and I must say I don't
see the point of covering this song.  (In all fairness, it is a good song,
but what can these guys add to it?)  I think only the die-hard Floyd fans
enjoyed this one, and not because it sounded good, but just because of the 
amazing fact that they were playing it.  A buzzkill in my opinion.  Things
picked up a little bit with Tennessee Jed, but given how well the band
worked together the previous night, things sounded a little bit off to me.
When Stella Blue started, I feared the worst: that Phil would try to sing
it.  Thankfully he didn't, and instead, Kimock provided the lead vocal part,
courtesy of his lap steel guitar.  It really was carefully (and beautifully)
played, although I'll bet the Phish fans who were unfamiliar with the song
probably didn't quite "get it."  Probably a wise move to treat it as an
instrumental, although I think Page might've been able to handle the vocals.
Surprising everyone, Alligator was next.  Phil's vocals were sung sort of
rap-style, and due to this fact and to the out of synch playing, I was
beginning to write this one off just as an amazing jam began.  Much more
intense than anything heard earlier in the set, this Alligator jam was
terrific, although here (and throughout this show) there were times when
Steve seemed to ride off into his own space without listening much to the
rest of the band.  His lines were exciting up until the point when he would
lose the rest of the band.  At that point they just sounded like generic
arena-rock grandstanding.  But when he stepped down a notch, the band
regained its footing, and Trey took the helm with more group-oriented
playing.  [Note: This dynamic was sort of surprising to me.  I had thought
of Trey as being more prone to "rock-star" playing (a la some Phish versions
of Fire, Bold as Love, and Loving Cup), and had Kimock pegged as more of a
subtle player.  Judging from these two shows, especially this one, these
assumptions are flat wrong].  In any case, aside from Kimock's occasional
over-playing, the Alligator jam was a treat, closing out a fairly short set.
When the curtains parted for the second set, Donna Jean was onstage, beaming
a huge smile, and predictably, the crowd went nuts.  She actually sounded
pretty good on Bertha, but Trey stole the show with a fine vocal delivery
and exciting guitar work.  Both nights, he never really sounded Jerry-like
to me, except perhaps on this Bertha.
Prince Caspian followed, and unfortunately, it never really took off. I've
heard many versions of this song, and unlike many Phish fans, I don't dread
it.  Sure, it can be repetitive and doesn't vary much from version to
version, but there have been times where it actually salvaged a set (Madison
'98).  It was amusing to hear Phil add his vocals, but I think his monotonic
delivery robbed Trey and Page of some emotion.  The jam petered out before
too long, and gave way to St. Stephen.  Things really picked up here, with a
great group vocal delivery, and wonderful playing from Trey and Kimock (I
found it difficult to distinguish between the two at this point).   This
version of St. Stephen was far more jammed out between the verses than any
version I've heard, and unlike a lot of longer jams over the weekend, it
sustained some real intensity.
It was very disappointing to me when that intensity was not carried over
into The Eleven.  I was tickled when they stopped hinting at The Eleven and
finally dove right in, but Trey played the lead part, and it had no edge
whatsoever.  To me, it sort of sounded like Trey's imitation of what the
song might have sounded like had Jerry still been playing it in 1995.
(Sorry Jer, RIP).  To me, that song must be played at a breakneck pace with
lots of energy, or it just won't work.  I'm sorry, but this version was
really pretty weak.
When it dissolved, the band noodled around for a little bit before stumbling 
into Unbroken Chain.  When a roadie brought out a music stand and sheet
music for Trey to read, I braced myself for a rough version, but they
surprised me and delivered a great performance.  The middle jam over Phil's
rhythm bass part seemed to go on for a while, and it was really captivating,
with Steve doing most of the work, as I recall things.  When the time came
to snap over into the concluding part of the tune, the band took Phil's lead
flawlessly, and Trey played the lead lines very well.  Much better than the
Soldier Field '95 version, which is the only live Dead version I've heard.
That's one tune that I don't mind Phil's voice on.  (But where was Donna?)
Surprising the hell out of me, Trey started up Chalkdust Torture.  This
version was well-played throughout, and featured a longish jam in the middle
that was far, far spacier than any Phish version I've ever heard (and this
is not necessarily a good thing).  But generally, the song sounded good,
with Kimock deferring to Trey, who did a nice job of pulling the lead line
out of the spacey jam and closing the tune in fine form.
Mountains of the Moon was next, and it just sounded weird.  Weirder than a
TOO version.  One of the guitar players seemed to be playing a rhythm part  
(Trey, I think) that simply wasn't Mountains of the Moon.  It was like they
had never heard the original and learned the song from the Strange Remain
version or something.  I couldn't really get into it.
They closed out the set with a great, but not show-stopping version of
Scarlet --> Fire, with Donna joining in.  Let me just say that I am really
partial to Scarlet --> Fires, and I may be a harsh critic.  The Scarlet
portion was awesome, Trey's vocals were tight, the playing was appropriately
playful, and the groupmind seemed to be operating well.  The transition into
Fire was pretty good too, although it was little more than a very good
Scarlet jam with a fairly abrupt transition into Fire.  One thing that was
missing was Jerry's secondary lead part that generally follows the
introduction of the main Fire theme.  Trey hinted at it near the end of the
song, but they never busted it out, and this self-described harsh critic
really missed it.  I don't want to poo-poo this Fire on the Mountain too
much, because it really was very well-played and featured some great jamming
by Trey, Phil, and Kimock.  It's just that Fires used to be the high-point
of a show in terms of intense jamming (with Jerry fanning away), and this
one never reached that level.  (Which is not to say I can't wait to hear the
tapes).
When the boys returned to the stage and grabbed acoustic guitars, Ripple
seemed like the obvious choice for the encore.  I don't think this version
will translate well to tape, but suffice it to say EVERYONE enjoyed the hell
out of it.  It was pretty emotional, with Phil beckoning the crowd to sing
along at the end.  When this song concluded, everyone walked offstage and
Phil gathered everyone together and they shared a group hug.  Never saw that
at a Phish show.  It was pretty special, and confirmed what seemed apparent
throughout both nights: that Phil was having a really great time. 

From: mrcoasters@aol.comet (MrCoasters)
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Subject: Phil & Phriends 4/16 review 

Hi all,
I just awoke after a few hours sleep and I couldn't find any reviews, so I
thought I'd write a few words about last nights show at the Warfield. After
missing the first night, I was really glad to get to San Francisco early on
Friday. Oh man, a bright warm beautiful sunny day, perfect weather. The buzz
was in full swing as everyone anticipated another great show.

>From halfway back in the balcony I had an unobstructed view of the stage. The
line-up from left to right: Page (rotated from his usual position so that he
faced the audience while seated at the grand), Kimock (who occasionally sat on
a small stool), John Molo (center stage), Phil (he kinda hung back by Molo most
of the night) and then Trey at stage right, and turned so that he faced back at
the group. Trey was standing on a small carpet that reminded me of Jerry. For
most of the night Trey stayed in his area and never really looked out into the
crowd. (of course I was in the balcony so ymmv)

The first set started about a half hour late I believe. I was in the lobby
sippin' a Sierra Nevada and I just handed it to my friend and ran for my seat.
(The Warfield doesn't allow drinks -other than water- into the balcony : ( ) By
the time I got to my seat, I had already realized that Trey was singing Help on
the Way!!!! I dropped my pack and focused on the stage. HOLY SHIT! nothing
could have prepared me for that moment. It was one of THOSE moments in time
that you never forget. Seeing THEM on stage and playing dead songs. Wow, I'm no
good at describing music, but I can tell you that a few tears started welling
up when the spotlight went to Page and he started singing Franklin's
Tower.

>From the first few notes I recognized WYWH. Pink Floyd was my mainstay for
years until I found Phish. Phil sang and it was so real and moving, man my
hair's standing on end right now just thinking about it. Tennessee Jed, another
of my favs, followed with Trey singing the lead. Then Stella Blue instrumental
with Kimock on the steel. he is such a craftsman. Definitely check out KVHW,
their live stuff translates very well to tape, I highly recommend seeing them
live if at all possible, you wil not be disappointed. Alligator ended the first
set, I was not familiar with this tune, but it was fun. First set - WOW!

When the curtain went up and the second opened, Donna was on stage and they
opened with BERTHA! with Donna ferchrissakes!!! The second set was probably the
most powerful set of music I've ever seen. The setlist is unbelieveable. It
looks like an april fool's joke or something: Bertha, Prince Caspian, St.
Stephen, The Eleven, Unbroken Chain, Chalkdust Torture, Mountains on the Moon,
Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain!!! St Stephen was awesome and Scarlet >
Fire was a dream come true, they did not dissapoint. I'll have to defer a
second set review to those with better vocabularies (and more sleep) than me.
Suffice it to say that last night was THE BOMB and I feel very priveleged to
have been there.

They really, really jammed and it wasn't Phish jamming or Dead jamming, it was
special and new and fresh and vibrant and so emotional and full of life. Just
knowing that anything could happen and that they could literally play
*anything* made this show one of the best I've ever witnessed. Right now it
seems to me as if it were all a dream. Maybe it was. Back to sleep.

   -Randy out


From: deadledder@aol.com (DeadLedder)
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Subject: Re: P&F 4-16-99 Complete Report

Now that I've had a couple of hours of sleep, let me elaborate
a little, though words will do poor, pathetic service to the
grandeur of what we heard and saw last night.

It was a supernova.  It was the molten center of the earth.
It was all that is good about humanity concentrated into
one tiny little theater in San Francisco.  This was the
big bang, folks.  Predictions of historical significance
were miserably understated.

In reaction to Charlie's puzzlingly tepid review, I gotta
say that, from my spot one man and one dog deep from
the stage, it was just a tiny bit better than my most
optimistic expectations for heaven.

Kimock played gloriously.  They all did.  One of the funnest
parts of being so close was watching the looks of stunned
amazement on Trey's face when Kimock soloed.  Trey Anastasio,
my friends, is a Kimockhead.  Trey played (and sang!!!) brilliantly.
Page *RAGED*.  Molo was a wild man, holding that monster to
the earth, grinning his ass off.  And Phil stood amidst them,
looking like a happy lizard, sunning himself on his favorite rock.

I just don't know where to begin to tell you the details.  I truly
didn't think there was a *moment* of this show that wasn't superb,
amazing, transcendent.  It was so much more than mere technical
wizardry.  The artistry was both subtle and profound.  This *is*
the Heart of Gold Band, kids.

On a personal note, the last time I saw Donna Jean perform was
at my first Dead show, 22 years ago, 5.8.77.  (In fact, they played
a few of the same songs that night.  Can't these guys come up with
any new material, fer chrissake? ;-))  It was the icing on the cake
for me to see her last night.  She looked *fantastic*.  She sang
beautifully.  She was utterly delighted to be on that stage,
in the middle of that magic.  What a treat!

The jams!  The jams would come out of nowhere, swirling,
delicately dancing, rising suddenly monstrous, then vanishing
into a whisp of smoke and ruins, going into directions that
seemed to surprise the musicians as much as they did us.
Space was everywhere.  Disregard any suggestion that either
Steve or Trey is "holding something back."  There were no limits,
only infinite kindness.  And the truly astonishing thing was how
they'd go off into these fantastic realms and then magically alight
back at the song.  It will melt you.

Page played (and sang) magnificently.  Why doesn't he solo more?
He seems to feel his role is "color," and his pallette is the rainbow.
(From our vantage point, we could only see his feet and legs under
the grand piano.  He has very nice shoes.)

Since the early P&F shows, going back to the first time Phil
"sat in" with Gans' band for a few hours, through the Other Ones,
and during the odd "special event" like David Murray's octet, I'd
come to feel that it was possible that other guitarists and various
instrumentalists might manage to do justice to Jerry's playing, to
at least put us back into "that" space.  But, I'd concluded that,
somewhat ironically perhaps, it was Jerry's *voice* that was
lost to the ages--that no one would *ever* find that quirky,
ethereal place where Jerry's singing took us, that that had left
with his soul.  Well, without exactly "doing" Jerry, Trey found
that soulful voice last night.  Listen to Slip, Jed, SCARLET!!!!!!!
And, to follow that rockin' Tennessee Jed (with joyous audience
participation, of course, and, if memory serves, a truly weird and
inspired jazzy midsection) with a Kimock-centered (on slide steel)
*instrumental* Stella, was perhaps the most exquisitely tasteful
decision of the night.  I think that was Jerry's time on stage last night.

Wish You Were Here.  Safe to say it was the biggest surprise of the
night?  Did anyone else hear it as being addressed to the Fat Man?
Phil sang it passionately.

Alligator achieved exit velocity.  She's gone.

One tiny, eentsy weentsy quibblet:  um, how about a Kimock tune?

I won't try to describe it, so find a photo.  For those who were there,
I have a name for the "sculpture" on the stage behind the band.
"Forces of Nature."  Check it out.  A lot of thought went into it.
I'd love to know who is responsible for it.

My take on a comparison to Thursday's show (which was indeed
phenomenal):

        Thursday ---> dressed rehearsal
        Friday ---> performance
        Saturday ---> ????!!!!

According to Mr. Latvala, these shows are being recorded on
24-track tape.  These shows *must* be issued, in their entirety,
ASAP!  Are you listening, Dick?  :-)

Folks, I'm looking at the second-set list and I just can't believe
it wasn't all a dream.  I don't know where to begin.  I think I'll give
it a rest and pass the conch shell now.  My daughter wants me to
play with her.  "But, what are you writing about, Daddy?  Did you see
another good concert last night?"  She's five.  What a relief that
there's such music in the world for our kids to enjoy.

Without love in the dream it'll never come true.  Oh, shit.
Now I'm crying again.  Oh, did I forget to mention Ripple...

Peace,

~mark


Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 20:21:44 -0700
From: KandD mrbob@monitor.net
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: 4/16/99 PhilnPhriends

Last nights show was astronomical!
Phil looked so good, and everyone played so well, that I could totally
ignore the gate crashers and nasty staff at the Warfield.
Maybe they will do it at the Fillmore next year! Much more appropriate.

All I can really say about last nights show is...
Prince Caspian > St. Stephen ... I can die now!

Dan.


Date:    Wed, 21 Apr 1999 01:03:33 GMT
From:    ali@WELL.COM
Subject: Phil & Friends Review - 4/16

4/16/99
Phil & Friends at the Warfield
The card is covered in scrawls of blue ink that melt into each other - I was
writing in the dark - and smeared in the places I clutched it while I was
dancing. Near the bottom of the card it looks like I was frantically trying to
take notes holding the pen with my left foot. Across the top I^�ve written,
^�Playing to raise the Dead.^�

I defaced this lovely concert souvenir - a card printed with ^�Box of Rain^�
lyrics and a thank-you from Phil - because in the thirty seconds after the
lights went down and the sound of ^�Help On The Way^� thundered up from the
stage, I realized that I^�d sure as hell better document every second of this
event. And I wasn^�t going to trust my brain to remember this one, because it
was about to shoot through my skull and into the gaping hole in the
space-time continuum that the band had just ripped open.

I had been anticipating this particular Help On The Way ever since I first
heard an inkling of rumor that Trey and Page might be playing with Phil - the
complex Slipknot tapestry is the essence of a Trey jam structure and a big
fat launchpad for veteran psychedelic master Phil Lesh. But I never could
have anticipated the Help > Slip that resulted from the meeting of the minds
at the Warfield on Friday night.

Recipie for this Slipknot: Take the distilled essence of a spring ^�77 Help >
Slip. Throw it into the center of the Crab Nebula. Better yet, have Phil Lesh
throw it in for you. Add a boiling sunrise, light rays refracted through
water, the Northern Lights, and the sensation of warm sunshine washing over
you. Top with exquisite joy at knowing that Franklin^�s Tower is coming next.
Bake it in the nebula at the temperature reality melts.

The Franklin^�s Tower that followed was triumphantly ecstatic. Kimock jumped
the gun exiting the Slipknot nebula and was reined in from the wilderness by
Trey, but to make up for this, Kimock took a solo with a blisteringly
beautiful guitar tone that shredded my concept of what music could be.

After the Help>Slip, I was pretty much out of the ballpark. The band could
have played Nelson^�s Greatest Hits for the rest of the evening and I would
have been happy. (But, of course, they didn^�t do this.)

The rest of the first set was an exquisite sequence of jewel-like passages,
culminating in a raging Alligator bonfire. Trey delivered a dripping,
ethereal solo during Wish You Were Here that he finished with a delicious
Gilmour twinge. (Reality check: Phil, singing Pink Floyd? What?) Tennessee
Jed went down to the old home place, drinking whiskey by a roaring campfire.
Stella Blue was breathtaking and delicate, lonely, melting, warm. My card
says, ^�Stella Blue. Kimock lap slide guitar. Most beautiful thing ever. Jerry
is here for this one.^�

You can^�t read my card in the middle. That^�s because of the Alligator
jam.
It says:
Alligator!!
TREY!!???????? explosion!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????

By the time the first set ended I could no longer process information. I had
ingested no psychedelics of any kind, but I was orbiting the Warfield at about
ninety thousand miles. I remember saying things like ^�Gaaaah^� and ^�Wheeee-ah^�
when asked how I was liking the music.

If the band set up a beacon to channel the Grateful Dead in the first set,
they were receiving live transmissions by the second set. The lovely,
ebullient Donna came out to sing Bertha for the set opener; Phil slid up and
down the bass in joyous noodles. There was no fooling us with that Prince
Caspian we knew we were in the seventies throughout the second set. Because
as my card says, between smudges of ink, the next song was St. Fucking
Stephen. The stage lights went red. The band careened into the medieval
hinterland of pre-dawn and conjured up prehistoric deities and rituals at
Stonehendge, loving every single note that they were playing, finally
galloping into the Eleven with sheer happiness.

I think they played other songs after that, and I^�m even pretty sure that one
of them was the best Unbroken Chain I^�ve ever heard. I ran out of room on the
back of the card and flipped it over to finish the set. The card says:

Scarlet Begonias >
AM I WRITING SCARLET > FIRE?
Fire on the Mountain

If someone had told me that I would live to witness music like the music that
happened in the Warfield on Friday night, I would have told them to pass me
whatever they were smoking. I^�ve been convinced for years that the best music
ever created happened while I was in diapers. On Friday night, I was
wrong.

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