7-10-99 -- E Centre, Camden, NJ
review submisions [email protected]
or [email protected]
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2003 09:04:13 EST
From: [email protected]
Subject: 7/10/99
�� This show is so perfect and beautiful that I have always felt
bewildered by the heavy criticism it receives.� This was the end of a
four night run from Charlotte to Camden and everybody, myself included,
expected the boys to be tired.� This was not the case at all as they
opened up in strong fashion with a killer Wilson.� Now I must tell you
that this was my buddy Matt Wilson's first show so I got a real kick out
of this particular Wilson.� Chalkdust came next and oh man what a fucking
wicked Chalkdust this was.� I mean it totally left behind any resemblence
of a normal Chalkdust and wandered into this sick fucking jam.� It starts
sounding atypical to the normal Chalkdust jam at around the 6-7 minute
mark, and this is only the begining of the insane jam!!!!� At around 9
minutes a jam developes that is so beautiful it sounds like a Hood jam.�
I am overcome with emotion whenever I hear this jam and I'm so lucky to
have witnessed it first hand.� Trust me this is like no other Chalkdust
you've ever heard before.� It's truly mesmerizing....like a breath of
fresh air.......ahhhhhhhhhh
Anyway, this total hose jam *melted* into Roggae, a personal favorite of
mine.� This tune never dissapoints and is always gorgeous especially on a
beautiful summer afternoon.� Water in the Sky came next and I must say
this is hands down the best version of this tune out there....easily.�
The jam after the lyrics is so on it's amazing to hear.� Trey's solo is
so perfect and emotional it will bring you to your knees.� So here we are
just four songs into the first set and already we have in my opinion two
*best ever* song versions, Chalkdust and Water.� Chicken Shack followed
and fit the phlow oh so perfectly.� A very bouncy blusey jam with some
nice licks by everybody.� You could just tell by this point they were
having a great time on stage.� I forgot to mention that Trey was wearing
his Mia Hamm jersey in support of the U.S. women winning the World Cup
against I beleive China but I'm not totally clear on that.� Anyway it
added to the fire of this show.� They were just playing so damn good I
was loving every minute of it.� A standard Sparkle came next and was fun
as usual.� I have no gripes about this tune so long as it appears in the
first set.� A quick segue into Bathtub and away we go again.� Now I've
said before how much I adore this tune and needless to say I was thrilled
to hear the opening notes.� Trey always has the biggest smile on his face
when they play this tune and he sways from side to side.� This version
kicks some serious ass.� The composed section is flawlessly performed
leading into the always glorious jam section.� This jam started out in
typical Bathtub fashion climbing and climbing into a nice peak, but soon
after the peak it shifted into a very groove oriented jam that was just
mouth-watering.� I love this Gin and I put it up there with some of the
all-time greats.� Of course it doesn't touch versions such as 8-13-93,
8-17-97, 11-20-98, or 12-2-99 but it's up there.� Golgi closed out this
perfect set in style and left us begging for more.� Setbreak at this show
was possibly the longest I'd experienced to that point.� The boys waited
for night to completely fall upon us before they came out for set 2.� Now
the E-Center in Camden is such a shit-hole it's hard to beleive Phish
ever chose to play there.� However the beautiful star-lit skyline that
overlooks the river below it is a breathtaking sight, and Phish emerged
in the second set and proceeded to play an enchanting background
soundtrack to the beautiful sight.� Tweezer opened up this set to
engulfing cheers from the crowd.� The composed section was slow and funky
which spring boarded into a delicous jam.� This Tweezer is so underrated
it's sick.� The jam is so funky and fluid it seems composed.� Trey starts
repeating a lick at around the 10 minute mark for at least 2-3 minutes.�
It's awesome and it slowly leads into a laid back ambient section that
fades into Mountains.� Brilliant segue to say the least.� I love
Mountains so I was ecstatic when I opened my eyes and heard Trey sing,
"Several times unconsciously I've stumbled on the path".� This version is
sublime and it worked so well comming out of the ultra-mellow Tweezer
jam.� A nice little solo from Trey followed and wrapped the song up.�
What followed was a discussion on stage as to what they were gonna play
next.� I was very surprised to hear Birds start up since I had just seen
the awe-inspiring version from Va. Beach.� This song along with a few
others seemed to be the trademark song of the tour.� They really began to
shred on Birds starting with this tour and this version is one of the
prime examples.� They ripped it to shreds and put it back together.� The
initial jam that followed the composed section was brutal.....in a good
way.� There were so many hair raising peaks I thought I was going to
melt.� Just when I thought they were wrapping it up the jam shifted into
a very groove-oriented style, much like the Bathtub earlier in the show.�
Now what followed this jam is my only minor qualm with this show.� They
still had a nice groove going but instead of carrying that into a groovy
song like NICU or Tube like I was thinking, they brought the groove all
the way down to almost nothing and made a quick segue into Circus.� Now I
truly do love this song with all my heart but I just felt it was poorly
placed.� However about one minute into it I've forgotten about my
dissapointment and enjoyed the serene peacefulness of this tune while
looking at the awersome Philly skyline.� Circus wound down and once again
there was conversing going on on stage.� I knew the show was winding down
at this point and I was thinking of what haden't been played over the
past four nights.� I figured we were going to get a Bowie or Antelope or
something along those lines.� Needless to say I was astonished to hear
Fluffhead.� It actually never even entered my mind.� This version was
flawless I mean flawless.� I get chills listening to it.� The Arrival in
particular is awe-inspiring.� It just seems to go on and on untill
finally exploding in a Trey-led peak which closes this superb show in
style.� The encore WMGGW->Tweeprise is very nice and was the perfect
capper to a truly awesome underrated Phish show.�
AJ
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2000 02:35:30 EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/10/99 Camden Review
Let me just say this...Chalkdust, chalkdust chalkdust. If I ever hear a
version half as good as this one I'll quit my day job. Unbelievable.It starts
off with regular jammin and then modulates to a cool chord, then goes back to
regular jammin for about 45 seconds and suddenly theyre in a major chord and
they compose this majestic sounding yet simple jam that just blows me away. I
was there but on tape hearing the crowd roar during the climaxes of this
particular jam is just awesome. And then the beat cuts in half and we start
getting thick and funky in a jam led by a sick Mike bass line, and
then...roggae. All good things come to an end. But for Chalkdust, man you
gotta be kiddin me!
Peace Matt
Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 09:02:06 -0500
From: connie [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/10
7/10 Camden
Like most other people who reviewed this show , Camden is not a pretty
site.But to see it overrun by hippies like me , I felt at home.This was
my first show , and I was pleased.
(I was not completely there so Ill write what I remember)
Wilson : Blew my mind!!! This is a great tune to start with.
Bathtub Gin : Always liked this tune , and the live version was
incredible.I love that little melody.It gives me a felling like Im a
little kid at the circus.
Tweezer:That riff is one of the first Phish tunes I learned on Guitar.I
knew this could evolve into a great jam.
Fluffhead:Nuff Said :)
Enc: I never saw this one comin;....Great tune
For a phirst show , this was cool...I'm seein them again 12/11 F.U
Center ...email me at [email protected] to talk about setlists for winter
99 tours.Thanx Trey..
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 17:39:33 -0400
From: Joel Lichtenstein [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden 7/10
This is really really late to be writing a review, but I felt the urge.
I felt this show had some serious highlights, but lacked in overall
intensity. The sets were short, but i liked the crowd and the venue,
eventhough Camden isn't too pretty.
First set:
a Wilson opener, what can you say. Just one of those great crowd sparkers
that lets everyone know where they are. I'm always psyched for Wilson.
next came Chalkdust and I was blown away. Seriously, one of the finer I've
heard - live or tape-. it ventured into new territory. It left Trey's
standard Chalkdust jam, if you call it that, and took us way out there.
And it in my opinion hadn't reached its peak, when it was halted by Roggae.
I actually got very pissed. I don't like Roggae, flat out. So when I was
robbed of a very intense rhythm with this spaced out Chalkdust, I wasn't
too pleased.
Water in the Sky, well, I appreciated it more on 12/30/97, when it was just
a slow tune. at the time of that show it made me take a seat, but this new
version doesn't play well with me.
And then Back to the Chicken Shack. very good. I must admit, I didn't
recognize it initially. I had an old Deadhead behind me telling me it was
an instrumental Sodom and Gomorah, and a chick to my right saying it was
Caravan. so that fucked me up a bit. But nothing but smiles from me on
that one. Big Jimmy Smith fan as well, so very pleasing.
Sparkle... whatever.
and boy did I love this Bathtub. just a very, very strong jam. and it
really encapsilated me, so to tell the truth, i couldn't give musical
description, i just remember gettin seriously lost in it. Sweet.
Golgi, I wish it wouldn't have closed the set.
Set II
I've heard way too many Tweezers, but thats okay. Once that jam gets
started I'm very content. And this jam was definately on.
Mountains in the mist, i could do without it.
Birds, there have been some strong ones, with some great jobs by Chris, but
I'd say i liked Trey's solo the first time when it was called Chalkdust.
Circus... no comment.
Fluffhead, my first (took long enough), I was feeling it. Very sweet. It
had the whole place moving, and I could feel the vibe.
Encore:
Gently Weeps is a great Beatles tune. I'll leave it at that.
Tweeprise, seen it end shows more times than I care too remember, but I'm
almost used to it.
Overall, a very enjoyable show. Chalkdust was one of the best ever,
Bathtub wrapped me real tight and wouldn't let go, and Fluffhead,well, hell
Peace,
Mookie
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 00:26:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: Mike Bies [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden 7/10
Hey everyone,
Well, I hadn't seen Phish since Last phall at the Crown, so I was
absolutely psyched to check them before they hit New York and Toronto
since I'm from Rochester, NY.
We arrived in Camden(what shitty city, if you call it that) very
early at about 10:30 in the morning. There was about ten cars lined up
along the street across from the entrance to the lot which was still
closed. We finally got in around 11:30???
The lot scene was cool, I have to say I definetly was in the best
lot. The first hour we were there we were offered the sickest nugs I
saw all summer!!! We kindly accepted the man's offer and sat around
eating garlicy grilled cheese waiting for the show.
When we got on the lawn we set up right in the middle and waited....
When the boys came out we got a...
SET I
Wilson: NICE!!! Great song to start out my summer with phish. It
definelty jammed.
Chalkdust: I even more pleased with this and had no idea what I was in
for. The jam in this was great, like no other I had heard. I thought
Phish was covering new ground this summer, maybe I was just too HIGHly
spirited.
Roggae: I really like this tune, the vocals is what do it for me,
they're so trippy but nothing compared to the end jam. Really dug it.
Water: I thought this tune was kinda cheesy when I first heard it, but
I can appreciate the harmonies and the new version isn't all that bad.
Back @ the Chicken Shack: I was the only one in my group that knew
this one. I have the Bi-Lo center on tape, so I was aquianted with it.
It definetly grooves in the blues.
Sparkle: Yippy, it's not the best song, but it's good for an energy
builder, thought they would do more with the set but......
Gin: was nice to hear, really dig these jams, but thought Oswego
version was the best I've heard since the WENT.
Golgi: Awesome, hoped it didn't close the set though
SET II
Tweezer: #### yeah!!! Wished it was a little more faster and raging,
but whatever, absolutely dug the jam
Mountains: Hadn't heard it before, knew it was an original, but
thought it sounded like a Dead tune for a second. Very calm and cool
tune.
Birds: Never really loved this tune, it gets the energy up, but I've
never, ever heard a jam like this. It was unbelievable, the feather
was no where to be found, it simply morphed into this fabulous jam that
wwould have killed ,me if I had eaten any 'cid.
into
Circus: Decent tune, not too great
Fluffhead: Can someone give me a f%#k yeah!!! Killer, now that I look
back at the set list, wished they had put another short tune in before
this, but oh well. This absolutely rocked, really dug it too the max.
Encore:
Guitar: Love this tune, Trey really goes off these. It seemed like
they were forcing it a little, but I thought it done pretty well.
Twee Rep: Mike really jumped out during the intro, my body was
vibrating even from the lawn.
All in all, great show to start off my few shows this summer. Really
dug the Chalkdust, Gin, Tweez, Birds, Fluff and Guitar.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 13:59:13 -0400
From: Joanne Cummings [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden Review
First, I'll say this. Camden is ghetto. Like Atlanta, this is what one
might call an "inner city" venue. Not that there is anything wrong with
that. My friend remarked to me that this was one of the shows that he
didn't fear the cops because they were out to protect us, not to get
us. Before the show, we walked over to the pier near the front gate. A
couple of Puerto Rican or Dominican kids, no older than 10 were
preparing to go fishing off the pier. I smiled and asked if they'd
caught anything...."None of your business white boy!" was their
response. Being a Sephardic (middle eastern) Jew and someone who
doesn't consider themselves White (the same Klansmen who hate them hate
me) I was a little offended, to say the least.
The show was like many that I attended (every show from Kansas to
Toronto) this summer. It wasn't spectacular and it wasn't bad either.
It just wasn't mind-blowing, though it was lots of fun. The new r ocked
out metal version of Wilson was fun and Chalkdust continues to be a
crowd pleaser. Back at the Chicken Shack and Gin had some bluesy,
sixtiesesque jamming that is antithetical to most of what Phish's improv
style is these days. In fact, this Gin was great, and so different from
other Gins in that instead of going OFF into outerspace, it stayed on
EArth, morphing into a Spencer Davis group jam. I had lots of fun
dancing my ass off with my crew to this, but it wasn't interstellar or
anything. I went to the bathroom early. Golgi is so boring to me now,
after doing fall tour and this summer it has become overplayed again and
it bores me. I went to the bathroom early because I had a turtle's head
;) and wanted a clean toilet.
The second set was solid, no real flaws, but again nothing spectacular
or out of the ordinary. Tweezer was funky fresh, very urban and
cityish, taking in the Philadelphia surroundings. It seemed to imply
that we were back in the Northeast, the hometurf and we couldn't be
fucked with. Phish, MUHFUHS! I actually really like Mountains in The
Mist. Who would have thought a few years back that there would be a
"slow Trey song" slot at many shows, like the "Other Band". Mountains
is a littly hippyish, but Trey sings it beautifully and the lyrics have
some real fnord importance. I HATE Birds of a Feather but the jam
segment was excellent...and then another slow Trey song. Fluffhead was
a triumphant closer, but they could have thrown in something to rount
it off. WMGGW is a favorite of mine, and neither encore disapointed.
My real point here is that I saw 15 shows this summer and not since
fall 96 have the setlists and shows been so predictable. But its my
ride and I'll continue to take it. Bigups to "Canada" and all the other
Unclefuckers and honorary Canadians out there.
Yorgos El Guapo
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 14:51:20 -0400
From: John "the living legend" Tallman [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden 7/10/99 review
It's taken me quite a while to rationalize making my way down to Camden
to see the show, and I was hoping that the boys would make me glad I
went. Unfortunately I don't feel like they played at the level I
I thought they would. I got in late so I missed Wilson and Chalkdust,
which immediately bummed me out. I actually didn't make it in until the
middle of Sparkle, so I have no one to blame but myself for
underestimating the traffic, but as the show went further, I waited for
something outstanding to happen. I figured that maybe, just maybe,
Bathtub was a little hint of something special. But then the second set
came around and I was completely disappointed within 2 songs, Tweezer was
listless and Mountains went nowhere fast for me. It felt like nap time
for phish until they broke out Fluffhead. Then I was psyched to see what
they would pull out for the encore, I figured on seeing a Tweezer
reprise, but I also felt like the band had bottomed out and would bring
out something unbelievable. Unfortunately Trey's guitar wasn't the only
thing weeping when I left the E-Centre. Now that I have been able to
compare this show with the ones at the former Great Woods, I feel like I
gotted conned out of 25 dollars. I should probably give them the benefit
of the doubt, but shows like Camden make it hard.
John Tallman
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 09:34:42 -0400
From: Patrick Finan [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden Review
7/10/99-E Center, Camden, NJ
Patrick Finan
Before I begin, I'd like to note that this is opening paragraph is
an addition to the original document. I hadn't considered submitting this
but after reading all these reviews bashing the band, I felt like I needed
to get my two cents in. First of all, just because I found this show to
be absolutely marvelous, I should not be considered an "average" phan. We
are all on different planes going into the show, and I was definitely
content with the slower, more precise Phish that we all saw out there
Saturday night. They are playing this way for a reason. A band that
talented does not get crazy one year and then just lose it. They are
trying to refine their music and make it more technically sound-and I
think it sounds great. So, that's what I have to say about that.
Thank you Phish for being so good. I've listened to a lot of music in my
day, spending countless hours simply zoning out to the melodious
messing-about of jazz big-wigs like Jon Scofield and Medeski Martin and
Wood. I've also spent numerous car rides bouncing my head to the hardcore
mischief of 2pac and Rage Against the Machine. Now, after years of
dragging along as a multifarious, yet misguided music listener and thanks
to a recent accessibility of bootlegs, a realization has come upon me:
there is absolutely no band better than Phish right now. Their celestial
harmony lends credence to the assumptions made by the Pythagoreans of long
ago while their pure funk supports the movements made by Parliament
Funkadelic, not too long ago. If they have one flaw, it's that they can
lose themselves in an intense jam and stray from the original tune of the
song. However, their supernatural musical telepathy and on-stage charisma
is so strong that if their music gets out into space, they all seem to
either find their way back to the tune or simply stop on a dime. Either
path they choose always leaves the awe-struck phans with their mouths
resting on their knees.
This is the attitude I took into Camden for (thanks to my job) my
one and only show of the summer. I had to make the best of it, but I
figured that wouldn't be too difficult. After deciding upon a quaint spot
on the front and center of the lawn, I simply sat and waited for the band
to appear knowing that, because of my lack of concert-going this summer, I
would have to give my undivided attention to every single nook and cranny
shelled out by the band. Recent setlists forced me to lower my
expectations for an outrageous cover, a rather common spectacle from last
summer's tour. Instead, I prepared myself for an incredible array of
Phish tunes, surely to be performed with maximum precision.
What do you know? I prepared correctly.
From the beginning, it was easy to notice a new trend in the
band's style. They opened with the familiar blood-boiler "Wilson," a sure
crowd-pleaser and intensely rocking song. However, this "Wilson" did not
emanate with the normal intensity of hardcore rock n' roll. Rather, the
band made sure to soften it up a little bit, add more funk, tone the
lyrics down, and hit every note perfectly. I was quite impressed and
anxious to discover if this would be a continuous trend for the rest of
the show and perhaps the rest of the tour. Sure enough, the very next
song, "Chalkdust Torture," followed suit. Again, instead of opting for
the hard jam that normally accompanies the David Letterman favorite, the
band chose the more mellow, funky jam, stopping in unison when the jam
appeared to be out of hand.
The remainder of the first set can be summed up with one word: eclectic.
Beautiful jams ensued from album songs like "Roggae" and "Water in the
Sky", while they showed a well-known bluesy side with "Back at the Chicken
Shack." The song I was most impressed with in the first set, however, was
"Bathtub Gin." It was just exciting to hear how much the band has evolved
since they put that song on the early album, Lawn Boy. Maybe I just
wanted to get phunked up.
After what seemed like an incredibly long set break, everyone was more
than ready for a second set that promised nothing less than absolute
fluidity and magic. "Tweezer" was a good opener to the set primarily
because it's a song that almost every phan or pseudo-phan has heard
before. The next song, a new one entitled "Mountains in the Mist" allowed
the crowd to ingenuously sit back and digest the flair of the show and the
mysticism of the night sky. At least that's how I enjoyed the song.
Next, the catchy "Birds of a Feather" was supported by an extraordinarily
moving jam with Mike setting the pace and Trey providing the musical
antics. The set was concluded by the old school beauty, "Fluffhead,"
undoubtedly the crowd favorite. They hadn't played the song at all this
year, so everyone was eager to hear how it would sound with a different
twist. Although they lost themselves a bit in the jam, they quickly found
the tune that put them all in synchrony and concluded the song and the
set, ending with their patented bow to the crowd and receiving a typical
phan response. All the lighters soon went up and the tension built
waiting for the encore to arrive.
Once back on stage, Mike and Trey entered into a quick discussion and then
broke out "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." No other song could have ended
a show so sweet as the famed Beatles' cover. And if that was not enough,
they segued the song into "Tweezer Reprise," providing an uplifting end to
the evening. The show was phenomenal, I got to hang out with my friends,
and I made it back to the car safely. Wonderful.
I. Wilson, Chalkdust Torture, Roggae, Water in the Sky, Back at the
Chicken Shack, Sparkle, Bathtub Gin, Golgi Apparatus
II. Tweezer, Mountains in the Mist, Birds of a Feather->When the Circus
Comes to Town, Fluffhead
E. While My Guitar Gently Weeps->Tweezer Reprise
Date:
Mon, 12 Jul 1999 13:55:30 -0400 Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 19:56:07 -0400
From: estimatedeyes [email protected]
To: gadiel [email protected]
Subject: Review of Phish @ Camden 7/10/99
Well, since this was going to be my only show of the tour, and for as
hard as it was for me to get a ticket, perhaps I was expecting a little
too much.
Wilson and Chalkdust back to back to open had me excited, I felt like it
was 1995! The Roggae brought me back to earth, and slowed things down
quite a bit. Not what I was hoping for, couldn't really say what would
have pleased me there, maybe Funky Bitch, who knows. :) Anyway, Roggae
was alright.
Chicken Shack was damn cool blues playing, and I dug it in a big way.
The Gin was pretty good, but I can do without Golgi, . As for Sparkle,
I'm starting to really not like that song, almost as much as Bouncin and
Contact, and Water in the Sky seems kind of boring.
The opening notes of Tweezer got me excited, but it never went anywhere.
:( This was my first Mtns. and, while it sounds like a beautiful song, I
couldn't help but feel as if I'd rather wait for it to come out on the
next album to give it a good listen, and hear something else right now.
Birds of a Feather was not what I expected next. In fact, during
Mountains, my buddy Squiggy jokingly pointed out that a Birds or Bouncin
right then would doom the entire set. I laughed then, but was groaning
moments later when I heard them break into it.
Circus really took the life out of me. It was if they had let all the
air out of a balloon. I like the song, but was hoping for something
else; but for what? The question still gnaws at me now, three days later.
What would have been good enough? Like I said earlier, maybe I expected
too much. However, Fluffhead was fantastic. Bar none.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps was nice to hear, as I'm a big Beatles fan,
and despite having gone to 32 shows, had never seen it before. Tweezer
Prize kicked ass, but then, doesn't it always?
Overall, the show was mediocre, but I can't wait to hear that Chalkdust
on tape. Best moment of the show, and only the second song. Man, it was
sublime!
Mike Kavanagh
From: "Piccione, Michael" [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Whats the deal with people bashing other people for giving an honest review
of a show they thought was not that good, isn't that the whole point of
reviewing a show. If someone doesn't like a show then I would rather hear
that than someone who thinks that every note they play is the best thing
ever. By the way, Camden was the worst show I have seen since Hershey
Stadium. I don't know what show some of you were at, but it wasn't the same
one I was at.
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 12:13:21 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden Review
Well, I don't know if it really is a Hood, I was only there about a half hour
before the show and parked about 100 yards from the venue, but eveyone says
it is, so whatever.
7/10/99
Wilson: For those that read my post of a Merriweather review, the same thing
happened to me at Camden. I was far back on the lawn, and the sound was far
too light for me. The wind was blowing fairly strong, so I had to get
closer, but this Wilson was jammed like most recent versions. There was
nothing really mind boggling here, but I like the jammed Wilson's.
Chalkdust: I took this time to take a leak, the bathrooms were atrocious to
get into before the show, but this was a perfect time, in and out in a
second. Got back in the front part of the lawn as the jam opened up, and boy
did this CDT really blow you away. Typical jamming for awhile, but it picked
up into blazing territory. Trey was ripping it up (love the Mia Hamm jersey)
and this was really awesome. People will really dig this version on tape.
This was by no means going to go back into CDT, but instead segued into Roggae.
Roggae: Really dig this tune, I love Trey's parts. Hampton last fall really
opened me up to this one. Mike was much more prevelant in this one, really
loud unlike 98 versions and jammed a little over Trey for a bit. Good
version.
H20 Sky: I think the reworked version of this song is cheezy, but they
extended it a little that got me moving. Still nothing too spectacular.
Back at the Chicken Shack: Didn't know this one to be honest. I didn't get
too many 98 tapes, so I did not have the 10/30 show. I really dig this
though, a bluesy instrumental with Page doing really nice stuff. Great tune,
wish I would have known it.
Sparkle: I have always liked this one, nice tune to get you grooving.
Bathtub Gin: This version had a bunch of highlights. I really enjoyed it,
this song rarely disappoints. Funky stuff to start, then into the I am a Man
stuff. This really rocked, I loved it. It makes the Gin very memorable and
worth a lot more listens. Golgi: High energy, sort of a song that doesn't do
much for me though.
A rather short set, but the CDT, Chicken Shack and Gin were really legit.
Very good first set. For the 50 minute setbreak, I took the time to go to
the backside of the lawn with some friends and stare across the water at the
skyline, which was BEAUTIFUL! It really made me happy, and the fact that the
BF bridge was in plain view the whole show was really awesome. Otherwise,
the venue didn't impress much.
II
Tweezer: Along with others, I thought this would be saved for GW, but I was
psyched as hell to see it now as I will not be at GW. Heavy Trey Delays in
the back and front. I love that warbling siron. This was Phish Phunk at
it's best, really 97 style stuff. I love this song, and this one was close
to monstor proportions. I was really expecting Ghost to come out of it (Trey
Delays) or hoping for a Cities, seing as Philly was in plain view for the
band. Instead....
Mts In The Mist: Nice cool down, first time hearing this one for me. Trey
was very audible with powerful lyrics. We knew something rocking was coming
up and...
BOAF: Can't say I wasn't disappointed here, this was the set maker or
breaker and BOAF was not what many wanted. But, this version really was the
best I have heard. The jam was typical BOAF for about 6 minutes and I
thought it was going to just finish up, but it dropped into untypical
realms.
It got groovy, and Trey was doing some nice stuff here. Fish was still
playing over the Birds beat, but it was in limbo whether this would finish
up. Got dissonant and spacey, much like a What's The Use intro, then into Circus.
Circus: There went the set. This is a nice song, but for the middle of the
second set, it just bums you out a little. High School kids making out in
front of all thier friends was funny, there really are all walks of life at
these shows now.
Fluffhead: This was really nice. Sometimes I am indifferent to this tune,
but it was the first for me in about 2 years and I was happy. This was a
very powerful version, well done with minimal flubs. The jam at the end was
on, very cool. Trey was literally jumping up and down for this at each peak,
and there were many peaks. He was really into it. But then the set ended, a
very short one considering the first was just a little over an hour.
Encore: WMGGW: A large conference before this one started in the middle of
the stage, had to wonder if they talk about this stuff while offstage or just
wait until they get out there to figure it out. Nice song, but I was hoping
for something bigger, maybe an antelope.
Tweeprise: Knew this was coming right away, and this song is great. Mike
was really loud at his intro, which I think really makes a great version. At
the end, Trey took the Doc' off and pointed it above the sky creating
interesting feedback, probably much like the Atlanta Wilson. It was
enteretaining.
All in all, this show was mediocre, with definite highlights but nothing to
really get over excited about. As stated earlier, the CDT, Chicken Shack and
Gin were really cool. The Tweezer was deep and funky, very good, and the
BOAF was much better than the average. It was a short show, and the second
set had so much potential with that Tweezer and faded pretty quickly. The
whole show reminded me of my Cleveland experience in the fall, lots of
potential that sort of went downhill. Oh well, I will take a break for a
week, then Oswego will be a treat. Have fun for those seeing shows, they are
definitely worth the price of a ticket, and are better than most 98 stuff in
my opinion.
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 10:14:40 -0400
From: Ed Looram [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: Camden 7/10/99 review
Hi all.
Well this is my first review (after reading the others for Camden thought I
would pitch in my thoughts). This was my 49th show, and it's true, the band
has come a long way since my first show (4/4/90 Boulder, CO; which, by the
way, was played in a room off of Quigley's Pizzeria/gameroom. This is
something that has gone undocumented. Capacity was around 75.)
I sat in some pretty typical traffic before the show, the venue being in the
middle of a city. This venue definitely reminded me of the World Ampitheatre
in Tinley Park, IL. Big, looming, dark in the pavillion. I was just waiting
to see what the band would do in these surroundings.
First Set:
Wilson: Powerful, a good way to get the kids' attention
Chalkdust: What I was calling as the opener. I always feel if T gets down
and dirty on this one it sets up a "feel" for the rest of the show. Well he
got down and dirty for sure but it led into>
Roggae: Which was crafted nicely, each of the band members taking their stab
at the lyrics. I felt that this song was handled with care.
Water in the Sky: Took my chances in the big walkway between the pavillion
and lawn for this one. Got some room to move, dance a bit. The picking was
fast and spirited, I found some nice clean patches of sound; overall, very
good. My first. Have to say I was distracted yet again by the drug dealing
pseudo gangster tourheads who should go to the top of the grass to TALK for
THE WHOLE SET or wait till the set break to brag about their bizness; too
much preening and bullshit talk from those guys, interferes with the
dancing....
Back at the Chicken Shack: Loose and groovy, one of Jimmy Smith's finest,
first time I heard them play it. Thought the energy was drifting toward the
mellow but the playing was definitely sound.
Sparkle: I can take or leave this one for sure, but the guy next to me was
having such a good time he kept me focused on the band's end of song
mayhem.
Gin: Back in the pavillion in my seats (section 104, row Y), the fans all
around me took it easy. I have to say the end of Gin is absolutely one of my
favorite spots to watch the band create. Trey was playing the beautiful,
drippingly sweet notes. A really pretty jam, with a bunch of slow funkiness,
Fish really nailing the secret beats...into that "I'm a Man" by the Spencer
Davis Group repetition. Lots of vim and vigor. For me, the high point of
this set.
Golgi: I have to say I had the greatest group of fans near my seats. I was
in the aisle most of the time, doing that "play nice to the guard with the
flashlight and tattoos" thing. I must say, the most power-mad security guy
changed his whole disposition at the end of this song. I think he realized
that we would do no harm, I guess his whole schtick belonged at the OZZFest,
not at the p_hish. By set 2 he was swaying in the aisle, still trying to
pick up the girls. Golgi delivered, of course, the high energy goods. Trey
flubbed the end notes, what are you gonna do?
SET 2:
Tweezer: If I had not mentioned it before, it seemed at if some of the songs
were slowed down just a hair, not like they were not into it, just that they
weren't raucous. This Tweezer was a bit studied, a little cautious at the
beginning. They got loose though, my friend Chris and I both thought that
Mike was aserting himself nicely throughout. Then fade out into>
Mountains in the Mist: Another first for me. My friend Chris was truly
impressed, I thought, "They really have been dropping in the slow one's
tonite....." But for what it's worth, I can deal with Trey the songstress
and was happy with the overall playing on this one.
BOAF: Wham. The jam in this was quite sick and nasty. Trey found a couple of
insane phrasings and kept belting us with them. He was definitely in the
zone with his band. Wasn't doing the full left leg kick yet but he was
thinking way out of the box. Good stuff. Another solid highlight.
Circus: I would have taken the Horn. Have you ever heard Lo Faber of GSW
sing Epilog? I couldn't help to think of it. Again, my first one and I need
to hear it again.
Fluffhead: My boy Chris had not seen this and this was the grail he had
searched for for years. How it evaded him I don't know... but they went off
on this one. Our section was absolutely bugging out. Smiles everwhere.
Through every technical note the band stuck with it to deliver the jam at
the end that had my hands in the air rejoicing with the guy who was wearing
the yellow cape...A total blast, just looking across the crowd when Kuroda
put the lights on us, everyone was locked in. A truly fine rendition.
ENCORE:
Weeps>Tweez reprise: Weeps encapsulated the dark and the theatrical. No
irony in this one. Seemed dedicated to somebody since it was so full of
feeling. Not my favorite closer but it was played so convincingly I had do
approve. The reprise was some icing, good and funky. Did anybody else feel
Mike's first couple of notes right in the gut? Good up note to end on, Trey
waving his guitar like a broadsword, good clean fun.
Overall I had a good show but I'm looking for a few more ringers. Can't wait
for Holmdel, I've got front row Thurs so if they play a Forbin's>Mockingbird
it's because of my Jedi mind tricks not because they thought it was about
time.
have fun,
Ed
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 23:43:10 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: camden
It is very comical to read all of these reviews of a moment in time. Do you
people realize that you could be somewhere like work, or in jail? Enjoy the
moment!! Just because they didn't play a 3 1/2 hour antelope or some crazy
shit doesn't mean it was a horrible show, it means there have been better,
there could have been worse, but the sun will rise again, and the band will
blow you away on another day. Just leave it at the venue. Phish is a band
comprised of HUMANS, and they will have their off nights, just as you do. If
you want to see a prefabricated show and hear all the awesome songs, go see
N'sync, I'm sure you'll hear their fan favorites. I cannot say that I am an
expert at all, but I have witnessed Phish since 1994, and have seen the
cycles they have gone in. Just because they are taking ZERO chances this
summer (so far) does not by any stretch of the imagination mean they are
washed up. Enjoy every show as it is your last, each song obviously means
something to you or you wouldn't be at these shows now would you?
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 08:32:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jennifer Phillips [email protected]
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: 7-10-99
Okay - I don't know if this is the right place to submit this or not,
but here it goes...
I saw something at Saturday's show that I have NEVER seen at a Phish
show before - someone beating the shit out of someone else. I don't
know what to say - all the people involved seemed to be phans, and
something was going drastically wrong. It was a really telling moment
for me - my friends and I had just been saying how nice it was that we
never saw cops and the lot scene was pretty much a free-for-all where we
were. Then we saw those guys fight...and fight, and fight. It took
forever for the cops to come, and we were all forced to admit that maybe
police aren't bad per se. Anyhow, the point is...personal drug use is
just that - personal. But please don't get so fucked up that you get
violent - because that threatens a lot more than physical safety, the
energy of our community is at stake. Have fun but KEEP YOUR SHIT
TOGETHER at least enough to keep your fists to yourself. And to the guy
who got beat up - I hope you're okay and I'm sorry that I couldn't get
my own shit together enough to stop that from happening.
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 20:33:32 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: worst phish show ive ever seen!!!!
I feel bad for everyone average phan at this show who thought that "phish
rocked" because they truely didnt!! Im not going to bore you you with the
setlist because you all know it by now. Lets just say, it started off great.
Most jammed out chalkdust ive ever heard, after that it was all down hill!!!
Roggae?!? What a horribly repetetive song, the jam goes nowhere. Bathtub,
normally a show stopper had a short and not sweet jam. Highlight of the
first set, Golgi. Never thought id say that.
Set 2 started out with the slowest, worst, pointless tweezer ever. The worst
part is that people liked it. The went nowhere, Trey jammed on one chord for
five minutes, thats no fun. The rest of the set was sloooooow, "highlighted"
by a slow circus, they need to drop that one. Now heres the part i dont
understand, Fluff Head is perhaps one of the best songs ive ever heard phish
play live and ive heard alot. The jam was energetic and excellent which
brings me to my next point, why wasnt the whole show like that?!?! Its a
crime. Encore: Great song always played in the wrong spot, along wth NYE
this song did not belong as the encore, play that instead of circus or
mountains in the mist and its fine. Reprise was typical. Cops=assholes
venue was nice show was horrible sorry if i offended anyone
Mitch
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 18:36:16 +0100
From: Daniel D [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: ECentre
Alright...
I've sat in traffic before... maybe my girlfriend is not an aggressive
driver... but I sat in traffic for 3 hours... It was a 4 hour drive from
the suburbs of Philly... that is flat out outrageous... Anyway... I
finally got into the amphitheater during Golgi... Like other reviewers I
felt that all the songs were slowed down a bit... they dragged... but it
was a good drag... I thought Fluffhead and Circus was great... all in
all it was worth it... I think Phish is the only band that if you miss
half the show you still see a whole show...
The exodus from the Centre was great... Phans can't be beat... except
the Cops looked as if they were ready for World War III... maybe they
should focus more of their energy on their lovely rat hole of a city.
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 19:02:58 -0400
From: Joseph H. Lee [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden 7/10/99
Well after all the mixed reviews, I figure I would add another opinion,
not about each song but the energy as a whole. In my opinion Phish is a
totally different band from what perspective you see them. Some of the
many factors that go into the perspective include your actual seat
placement (lawn or pavillion or even where in each of these areas), your
pre-show attitude, and I must admit your level or lack of level of
sobriety. Anyway, this show in particular, for me at least, was high
energy as long as I was up close and really follow the changes and
interactions of the band. The farther away from the stage I went, the
less energy I felt from the band. Could have been my fault. There were
two highligts of the show. The first was the Kevin Shieldseque solo on
Chalkdust Torture. I'm a new listener to My Bloody Valentine, ever since
Trey mentioned Shields as one of his top five guitar influences in
Guitar Magazing, and I must say I really like that style. He simply goes
away from traditional riff layiny and note picking and just conquers
the whole mood of the song with interesting chord phrasing with sample
and overdrives. I highly recommend Loveless, My Bloody's Valentine's
first album, if you haven't already, to see where this influence comes
from. The second highlight was the second set and was Birds of A
Feather. That song has developed into the Down With Disease of its
respective album. In both songs the lyrics just kind emulate the riff
that everyone is waiting for at the end of the jam. Anyway, that's my
two cents. Also to those who hate the negative reviews, instead of
telling people what to write and not to write, why don't you just follow
your own advice and stop playing an active part in the reviews. See you
in the 'swego.
--
Rich
[email protected]
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 11:04:26 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Merriweather Post
I am an old person, one who has seen many shows, all artists included. After
reading all of this shows reviews I quickly noticed that NO ONE said anything
about the bunk Pre-Show scene in the parking lot. Outside of the Meadowlands
Dead Show where Adam Katz dissappered, I have NEVER seen Cops react so
violently twards Phans. Did'nt any of you see what I saw? I was appauled
with what I saw the cops doing. Would they dump all of the beer from coolers
at a JIMMY BUFFETT concert? No way! How about all of the arrests? Did any
of you see what was going on? Oh yea, I forgot, I think my wife and I were
the only ones SOBOR! Wake up Phans! Phish's music DOES NOT REQUIRE A BUZZ,
it creates one, Just like the DEAD did. By the way this show WAS one of the
Best Shows I've seen in years, despite the Cops.
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 09:41:47 -0400
From: Aaron Westendorf [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish, mail.phish
Subject: Camden review
Before heading out to Greatwoods this morning, I thought I'd write up my
review of the Camden show from Saturday night. Let me preface this
review by saying that I went into this show with a completely open
mind. I've been getting myself down about Phish recently, and I think a
lot of it was because I was always expecting the absolute best, like a
Bomb Factory, 11/27/98, or a Went. After realizing that the main reason
that I was digging Agent Porridge was because they were just a couple of
guys that got up on stage and did what they loved, I decided that I
needed to approach Phish with this same kind of open mind. They are
just people after all, and while they're amazing musicians, when they
get up on stage, all they're looking to do is have a good time, and I
want to be there to watch it happen, and dance my butt off. That's
exactly what I did at Camden.
This was my 25th show, and also marked a very important anniversary for
me, which I didn't even realize until just before the first set. It was
the 5th anniversary of my first show, 7/10/94 in Saratoga, the beginning
of a long and great trip, and a great show (shameless DAT grovel, it's a
tough find). Camden also marked the first time that I've been back
indoors for a summer show since that time, so all around I had reason to
feel good.
The scene was great, and really helped to get things going. We arrived
at about 4pm, and things picked up just after we got there. By a stroke
of luck, I think we ended up in one of the more happening lots, and were
surrounded by a lot of great people. There were a few idiots here and
there, but they weren't causing problems per se, they just weren't all
that nice. I was under the impression that the lots would be swarming
with cops and security, but it was exactly the opposite. I think the
only time we ever saw anyone but phans in the lot was right when we
pulled in, and after that, it was completely clear. Easily one of the
most relaxed lot scenes I've seen in awhile. We headed into the venue
about 7, and easily got some water, stopped at the restroom, and made it
to our seats in a few minutes. I don't know what it was like outside,
but inside, I've never had as little trouble getting to the bathroom and
water fountains as I did here, it was great. They were unusually later
coming on, not taking the stage until after 8:15, but when they lights
went down, the crowd was at their feet for a great:
Wilson: an excellent opener, and it really got the crowd moving. The
sun had just set over the Philly skyline, the weather was *perfect*, and
a high energy Wilson was just right for the mood.
Chalkdust: this had all the makings of a great opening to the first set,
and the jam in here was nothing short of beautiful. After flowing
through the normal Chalkdust jam, they moved into this beautiful theme
that was gorgeous. It probably lasted about 15 minutes, and is the
first of several must-hear jams of the evening. This segues beautifully
into
Roggae: I'm not a big fan of this song, and so when they kicked into it,
and the isles were clear, I went straight to the bathroom. I got back
just in time too, and was able to hear the ending which I actually
enjoyed this time around.
Water in the Sky: I thought this was interesting, it hadn't rained, and
they don't play this often, but I was willing to go along. What I
thought would be a standard WitS turned out to be another of the
must-hear jams from the night though. It took off into a land of it's
own, and the band turned it into a grooving and upbeat jam that ran for
a good while (10 minutes?), and they pulled it back perfectly at the end
to finish up the song.
Back at the Chicken Shack: wasn't up to date on my fall history, and
didn't realize what they were playing at the time. I can't say much
about this, other than it was deep, dark and dirty blues, and I liked
it.
Sparkle: I'm always up for a good Sparkle, usually because it precedes
something really good, and can get the crowd energy going. Nothing too
exciting to say about this version though.
Bathtub Gin: excellent! I love Gin, and this one didn't disappoint me
at all. It wasn't as powerful as others have been, but it was still
great, and picked up a theme similar to the Went version. I can't say
much about it, but it's definitely worth hearing, and so I'll throw it
in with the other must-hear jams from the evening.
Golgi: high energy, great set closer. I can't say much more about it,
but I liked it a lot.
Setbreak wasn't too exciting, just got some more water, and otherwise
chatted with those around me. We were lucky enough to meet up with a
very good friend right before the first set opened, so we had a chance
to chat with her and the couple next to me during the chilled break.
Security was just as lax inside, so even with the lights up, it was not
uncommon to see people lighting up. They took an abnormally long break
though, probably 50 minutes or more, and finally the lights came down,
and we were ready for whatever they would throw at us.
Tweezer: wow, thought they'd save this for Tweeter, but hey, I'm not
about to complain. This was a great Tweezer IMO, very 97-ish, and
funked out. They picked up a groove fairly early on, and stuck with
that for a good while, eventually toning it down before the segue. This
is another must-hear jam IMO, especially if you like the funky Tweezers
that came out of the fall 97 tour.
Mountains in the Mist: this song was ok, and since the segue was so
smooth and great, I was willing to go along. It was a decent song, and
I enjoyed it for all it was worth.
Birds: I've loved this song ever since it's debut on 4/2/98, and this
was the best version I've heard yet. They once again took off and
jammed on a beautiful and moving theme that is definitely another
must-hear, and this segued perfectly into
When the Circus Comes to Town: great song, not much different than usual
about it, but I still enjoyed it.
Fluffhead: I was hoping this wouldn't close out the set, but it did, and
was one of the best Fluffhead's I've heard. The energy throughout was
very high, and the ending was nothing short of magnificent, with an
incredibly intense energy leaping from the stage into the crowd.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps: I like this song, and I know it's somewhat
rare, but I've seen it 3 times within the past year, so I'm kind of
ready to hear something different for an encore. It's not a Rocky Top
though, so that's cool. This was a good version, but not too different
than any of the others. They topped the show off with a Tweezer
Reprise.
All in all, this was a short but sweet show, and I had a great time.
The lot scene was great, the weather was perfect, and 25000 people got
to see Phish play what I consider to be a great show. I definitely wish
it was longer, they lost about 30 minutes by coming out late for both
sets, but I had a good time as it is. The jams were *great*, there were
some excellent teases, and I think they're only going to be getting
better this summer. For those of you that were complaining about the
show, I think you need to do the same thing I did, and start looking for
the positive aspects of the show, and not so much of the negative. It's
easy to fall into the trap, but getting yourself out of that makes the
show a lot more enjoyable. Hope everyone had a good time down there,
take care,
Aaron
--
----------------------------------------------------
Aaron J. Westendorf
DAT List -> http://www.rpi.edu/~westea/dat
"Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but
that we are powerful beyond measure"
----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 15:40:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: Merton Ouderkirk [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: camden phish
This is a review of camden 7 10 99
Ok, lets start of with the basics:
camden was my 1420th show. I hate 12 sheets of acid, 9 pills of x,
1/4 of shrooms, 7 microdots and smoked 15 joints laced with pcp.
the show was great!!, every year i see them they sound different, and
this was no exeption. i wont go through every song, but the overall
feel for me was real spacy loose jams, mixed with straight forward rock
when it needed it. i could help thinking of SONIC YOUTH several times
throughout the show, and being a big fan of ambient, noise, ect. rock i
really enjoy this new sound. the highlight of the whole show for me
was the absolutly fabulous fluffhead. this was the best version i have
ever seen, it seemed like they just didnt want to end it. the
monumental ending just kept coming back, and i kept loving it, the last
trey solo ( which is one of my favorites ) litteraly brought tears to
my eyes. for me is was all icing after that, and i dont understand why
everyone rips on tweezer reprise, i think the energy build up and
release of this song is the perfect way to end a true rock and roll
concert, when they are done, you know they're DONE.
after the show i stumbled from the shed to my super headie parking
spot, bought sold smoked shot drank anything i could get my hands on
and fell asleep on a used syringe as a pillow, you gotta love all the
super dank kids on the lot.
[email protected]
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 09:23:15 -0400
From: Maria Valiente [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: Camden Review
I got an email last Thursday that said I still got some Camden tickets...you
want them? So Saturday morning I was in Hoboken picking up tickets from
some net guy and suddenly I'm on my way to my first show of summer 99. The
traffic was definitely tolerable, the parking a little hectic, but my lot
was FUN! (lot 11?) At first the whole atmosphere felt a little seedy but
then when we started walking towards the venue, it became beautiful. The
venue itself felt a bit impersonal but come on now, the view was amazing.
But alright the show:
SET I:
WILSON- Great way to start the summer because you can't help getting
totally psyched. The crowd was loving it and a lot of people around me
(lawn, page's side) called it so there was extra nonsense around.
CHALKDUST TORTURE- Always a rocking tune, but DAMN! This was no ordinary
chalkdust...it ripped into a completely beautiful jam and then floated
into....
ROGGAE- nice~ the sweetest one I've ever heard, and the sunset to my left
made it so memorable.
WATER IN THE SKY- didn't really make sense as far as placement goes, but it
worked. I had a good time dancing to it and enjoying my surroundings.
BACK IN THE CHICKEN SHACK- totally mellow and jamming. Good song to sit
down and have a smoke to (which is what I did and it was quite nice.)
SPARKLE- damn they've been playing this a lot. But they were real tight at
the end and I couldn't help letting it suck me in...I was dancing like a
lunatic.
BATHTUB GIN- Always fun...come on, it's a great song. It had a a nice
haunting jam through the middle (Santana?) anyways, nice.
GOLGI APPARATUS- Loved it. Something missing in the end though...sounded
strange.
Setbreak: All I gotta say for this venue is that they had some of the best
munchie satisfying food I have ever tasted. did anyone have those chicken
fingers and fries? what! they were so good...
SET II
TWEEZER: Yeah! I love this song and they really jammed it...it went into
MOUNTAINS IN THE MIST: I missed the Trey shows so I was looking forward to
getting a sample of the new stuff he had been jamming. This song was very
pretty and Trey's voice is so absolutely mystical (but that's in every song
he sings).
BOAF: Totally ROCKED! Easily the best version I've ever heard...
WHEN THE CIRCUS COMES: I was surprised they played this...but not unhappy.
Like I said before, I love becoming mesmerized by Trey's sweet sound.
FLUFFHEAD- I love this song, I really do...and the crowd was so into it.
For me it was the funnest part of the show...
BUt I can't believe it closed the set!!!!!
E: WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS- let's put aside the fact that I'm the
biggest Beatles fan in the world...regardless, I love it when they do
this...I really feel it with them...Trey is up there totally getting off on
the fact that he is jamming the Beatles on stage...he's gone, they are all
somewhere else. BUT did anyone notice he flubbed the lyrics in the end!?
he sang "noone alerted you" twice and well those 4 lines at the end were
completely wrong...I noticed this because I am insane Beatles fan as I said
before. But other than that it was good...but nothing next to 10-31-94 the
best Guitar I've ever heard in MY life...an then, TWEEZER REPRISE: ROCKING!
Trey was totally excited jumping up and down and waving his guitar in the
air
WHERE was MEatSTick???? Oh well, I'm sure people might be getting tired of
it but I haven't heard it yet! I'm sure I'll get my chance at PNC and
definitely at Oswego...
also, I thought last night was a Trey centered show, which is great, but
step up to the mic Mike!
The lot post show was jamming with fireworks and there was even a little
rave party going on. It was sweet! Alright, everyone, have fun! See you
at PNC!!!!
Lil' Maria
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 08:32:09 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review
I have to give my review on some of your phan reviews. First of all you all
have to mention how many shows you have been to, or better yet how many times
you have heard each song, that makes no difference to people who just want to
hear about the SONGS!! Being a dead head for 16 years I have never heard such
critical fans in my life. Who made you people such musical geniuses? You
should be happy that for what ever reason you are able to not work and go on
tour. The Camden show was my only show this tour and I thought it rocked.
Being 5th row the phans around me must have agreed because we were dancing
our heads off. Every show cannot be your "perfect" show, but it is all good.
You should enjoy every show you can because you never know if it is your
last. When you give your reviews who cares about the traffic you had, the
vending, the drugs you ate, the parking, we have all been there, just tell us
about the show. Be kind and dont be so harsh about some of the best musicians
I have ever heard.
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 23:27:53 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: E centre
all right...seems to me like I was at a different show than most of the other
reviewers. I'm happy for them that they enjoyed this show so thoroughly, but
I can honestly say that last nite was one of the weakest phish shows i've
ever seen. Chalkdust was phat, bathtub started to go somewhere then
didn't...Birds of a Feather the highlight of the whole show??? WHAT?!?!?
Fluffhead had some extended jamming, but it wasn't enough to save this lame
set. Overall the show had zero energy and almost zero jamming...sorry to be
so negative but last nite was the first show i've been to where I came away
very dissapointed. At least I found a Friday nite Holmdel ticket...
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 00:18:33 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review
I just want to put in my view here a little. I have been to over 40 Dead
shows and only 4 Phish shows, its seems like the people who write these
reviews have much to say about the bands performences. Like these people are
rock critics, if you are so displeased with the performences why do you
continue to go to shows? All shows are good, some are definetly better than
others, but your review should reflect the songs effort, the reaction the to
the crowd its not that you like or dislike the song, or if you took a piss
during it. These bands are the best fucking musicians ever, thats why you
people continue to follow them around, why are you so critical? What makes
you so much better? I loved this Camden show, I was 5th row and everyone
aound me was dancing their head off!! FLUFFHEAD!! Come on, what show show
were some of you at?? If you think the band sucked so much, dont go and give
others a chance to see them.
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 19:51:32 -0400
From: David Goldstein [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden 7/10/99 Review
7/10/99
Camden, NJ.....safe, oh so safe haven one stop away from Illadelph.
Getting into the venue was basic summer tour stuff. Pretty substantial
backup on the highway, but the venue was relatively close to the exit
ramp, making for little stress. Then again, parking was a bit of hassle
as the boyz in blue directed cars to random Camden lots (sketchy!)
which had little to do with the venue itself. Heck, had it not been for
the hordes of people, we might've never even guessed where the hell the
place was. Oh well....why complain. This show marked the big 20 for me.
The E Center itself is actually one of the nicer summer sheds in the
Northeast. Right on the waterfront with a gorgeous view of the
Philadelphia skyline on the left alongside various boats. Well
maintained lawn and decent acoustics. A pretty average summer shed
setup, but small touches make it good.
The setlist as such....
I: Wilson, Chalkdust > Roggae, Water in the Sky, Back at the Chicken
Shack, Sparkle, Gin, Golgi
Wilson: Always a fine way to kick off a show, but I think it loses an
atmospheric touch when it's played in broad daylight as it was here.
Typical '98 style Wilson with extra heavy metal chords and trilling that
didn't appear in the song until last year. Incredible Trey scream after
the "Bap Boom!" section! A man possessed! Feedback leads into
Chalkdust: Goddamn. Like the 25 minute version of Fee which was played a
few days prior, this was not your father's Chalkdust. Starts out
standard, but the jam eventually evolves into a darker, sparser animal
that has the Chalkdust drum beat, but a signifigantly different flavor.
This continues on for awhile before leading into a gorgeous, teary eyed
jam which...don't quote me on this...may have well been a full blown
"Mind Left Body" jam a'la GD circa '74. At least it sounded a heck of a
lot like that...virtually composed, effortless, and GORGEOUS. The
highlight of the show springing from the second song in the first set.
No shit. T'was that good. Eventually winds down into...
Roggae: Nice placement! Standard Roggae, which is to say wonderful.
Also, in a "had to be there" moment, the song hit right in the midst of
a beautiful sunset over the Philadelphia skyline. So serene...so good.
Unfortunately, it's at this moment I realize that unless I use the
facilities really fast, the rest of the show is going to suck. Good
thing they played...
Water in the Sky: Woohoo! Only better concert piss I ever had was during
the Funky Bitch opener at 11/28/98 (not that I don't like that
song...but when ya gotta go). Seriously though...I like this tune a lot
better sped up, but it's still a standard ditty that makes a good excuse
for the restroom.
Back at the Chicken Shack: Was surprised to hear this one. Fun blues
with some nice torrid organ fills courtesy of Page, but I thought the
whole affair was a little too polite over all. Should've been a little
downer and dirtier. Jimmy Smith (who wrote the song) is the man. If you
like this, check his record "The Sermon".
Sparkle: ....and H20 in the Sky in the same set? C'mon now. If nothing
else, this version was surprisingly tight, and the band did not "fall
apart" as they so often tend to do at the end.
Bathtub Gin: Definitely solid, if nothing spectacular. Ever since the
legendary Went Gin, most of the versions of the song seem to follow in
similar fashion....with bright, fluid jamming based on C major. This one
was no exception and seemed to get extra legs with some funkdafied
jamming towards the end. Ended a little lamely, and there was a 3 second
pause before...
Golgi: Fun set closer which rawks the ampitheater. Trey absolutely
choked on the tiny lick before the ending chord, and his embarrasment
was clearly visible on the ampitheater monitors. Oh well.
Overall, a quite good, if somewhat uneven, first set. The Chalkdust >
JAM > Roggae is plenty enough to reccomend it though, and the Bathtub
Gin ain't nuthin' to fuck with either.
setbreak....just under an hour long! I think the music was Tom Waits.
II: Tweezer > Mtns. in the Mist, BOAF > Circus, Fluffhead
Tweezer: First one on this tour if I'm not mistaken. Composed section
seemed a little sloppy. A slow start, and it didn't seem like Trey and
Fish were in sync. During the post-"Uncle Ebeneezer" scream, they muffed
the re-entry into the song because of all things, it seemed like the
strobes were left on too long, confusing the band. The Tweezer jam
itself was a little uneventful. Very Page dominated with much Clavinet,
but Trey seemed too content to throw down basic chords as opposed to
carrying the song with fiery leads. The band was in sync, but there
seemed to be a lack of ideas and/or direction. Eventually Tweezer leads
into a thick, ambient soup which led into...
Mountains in the Mist: I missed the Trey solo run, but I imagine this
was the same song he road tested during the solo gigs. Very pleasant
Trey-sung ballad which sounds like it has its closest cousin in Fast
Enough For You. Similar melody and key signature, but not as corny. I
was impressed with the lyrics, which I assume Marshall wrote. His craft
has improved immensely these past few years.
Birds of a Feather: ...as the third song in the second set? Sort of
dubious placement if you ask me. Another show highlight. What started
out as a standard BOAF takes a 180 with a fantastic original jam in the
middle. At one point, it seemed like Trey kept repeating part of the
closing lick to "The Entertainer" (think of the ending to "Foam"), and
this morphed into a very intense jam packed with strobes that was unlike
anything usually witnessed in BOAF. Sounded like it was in F, and
reminded me of a Mike's post-tramps jam. Very impressive. The jam
becomes more sparse, staccato, and leads into...
When the Circus Comes: Ugh. Buzzkill. This is IMO the lamest song in the
Phish repetoire, and particuarly inexcusable considering we already had
a Trey ballad in the same set. Example: Stella Blue and Wharf Rat are
great tunes, but if Jerry sung BOTH of them in the same set, the energy
level would go DOWN, and it certainly did here. A weak choice to follow
a stellar Birds.
Fluffhead: Great fun as always, but I prefer it in the first set because
while enjoyable, there's never much change between any version. Not
unlike the evil pig. Ok though because we're just being revved up for
something like Bowie or Antelope to close.
Wait....is the band taking off their instruments? Trey bowing? Huh? They
closed the set at 65 minutes with Fluffhead? C'mon now.
While My Guitar...> Tweeprise for the encore was a little tame for my
tastes. Instead, why not make Guitar the set II closer instead? (freeing
up...I dunno....Frankenstein >Tweeprise perhaps?)
So what we've got here is a show with monumental performances of
Chalkdust and BOAF, not to mention a nice Bathtub. But the band played
it a little too safe nearly everywhere else, and closing a five song, 65
minute, second set with Fluffhead ought to be punishable by law.
Dang...that was bitter. I really get way too critical about these
things. Blame it on somewhat of a spent song bank, as well as general
tiredness resulting from 4 nights of straight performance with no
breaks.
Here's hoping GREAT WOODZ (fuck this "Tweeter Center" crap) rages. peace
dave g.
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 17:40:33 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: E-Centre Review
Let me just start by saying that this was one of the best shows so far this
tour. On paper, the Merriweather show might look better, but the energy at E
Center was stronger.
The scene was awesome. I have never, in over 50 shows, seen as much nitrous
as I saw in the E Center parking lots. Getting into the lots wasn't too bad
either, unlike Merriweather which is just a mess (but phun). Spent a few
hours before the show hanging out by the River drinking and smoking a few.
Here's the show...
Wilson: The group busts out on stage and the anticipation grows. What will
it be? Then we heard that unmistakeable opening note of Wilson! This Wilson
absolutely rocked, there is no other way to put it. They totally jammed it
out too, real heavy and then found their way back in. You could tell that
the band was not afraid to get their hands dirty early in the show....
Chalkdust: Damn, when you get Wilson and then Chalkdust to start a show you
know it's going to be a loud and raucus night. The Chalkdust was solid and
unfinished as Phish kind of jammed it out until they could no longer claim
that it was still Chalkdust. Then a beautiful segway into...
Roggae: It's good to see this song gaining acceptance. The opening few notes
were beautiful and the jam was so sweet. can't comment too much on this one
because it was pretty standard.
Water in the Sky: Amazing Water in theSky. Lovely jamming in the middle. I
never was a huge fan of the song, but I became one after hearing it last
night.
Back in the Chicken Shack: Fun, bluesy jam.
Sparkle: All hell was breaking loose by the end of Sparkle as my head was
just everywhere. Then it wound down into...
Bathtub Gin: Yes!! Everybody was boogieng down to Gin. I thought it would
go a little longer than it did. Not the greatest Gin I've ever heard but
pretty solid nonetheless.
Golgi: Closed the 1st set in a loud manner. As old and worn as this tune
may be, it still gets the crowd pretty fired up, which is why I prefer it as
an opener than a closer. I thought there might be another tune coming up
after it (Antelope???) but was proven wrong, like always. End of 1st Set.
Tweezer (2nd set): Band comes out. Crowd goes crazy. Trey busts into a
slow, sweet Tweezer rift. Gordon slaps down some phat bass. Damn, I was in
heaven. The tweezer jam was tight, not as drawn out as it can be sometimes.
But I knew there was still a Reprise lurking! Tweezer led perfectly
into...
Mountains of the Mist: Nice tune. Don't really know too much about it so I
can't really comment. 1st time I've ever heard it.
Birds of a Feather: This is a song that can either be spectacular or
standard. Tonight it was spectacular and then some. Sounds came out during
BOAF that I have never heard in this song before. Probably the nastiest part
of the whole show if you can believe that. get the tape for just this jam!
By the time it was over I was ready for a nice break...
Circus: Sometimes this song can bring down a set but tonight it was
perfect.
Everyone was singing along and having a ball. The jam, although standard,
was beautiful. After Circus ended the group had a 2 minute conference where
I guess they were deciding what to play. Then Trey turned around towards the
crowd, and the crowd went nuts with anticipation. Trey got this big grin on
his face, turned around again and said something to Gordon, and then led
into....
Fluffhead!: The crowd and the band were absolutely screaming the words
throughout the whole song. The jam was absolutely flawless. When the
triumphant ending came, Trey was jumping up and down with excitement as we
all greeted Fluffhead home from his travels. This was as fired up as I have
seen Trey in a while. He was having a ball. We all were and were sad but
exhilerated when the song ended the 2nd set.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Encore): This song has the pure power and
emotion of Slave. When Trey ripped into the solos chills went down my spine.
Every note was cutting through me like a knife. I fu&%ng love this
song!!
Tweezer Reprise: We knew it was coming and went nuts when it came. Once
again Trey was going bezerk. He was jumping up and down on stage and
screaming and everything. At the end, he took his guitar off his shoulder
and just waved it around in the air, making some wild feedback noises. Then
he put it back on and slammed into the last note, ending the show with a
vengeance!!!! Great show.
By the way, getting out of the parking lot (Lot 6 I believe) was an absolute
nightmare. we sat there for over 2 hours without even moving. Those morons
pack thousands of cars into that lot, but only have one small exit. Duh!!
Who came up with that plan??? Obviously not someone who has been to a Phish
show. But there was no way that this mess was going to ruin a great
night!!!
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 18:47:19 -0400
From: "Kresge, Matthew S." [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: camden 7-10-99
This is my first review so bare with me. Just as a
reference(although i really don't like discussing how many shows i've been
to or you or him or her because i think some people take their show counts
way to seriously) Camden brought me just shy of 40.
Traffic and lot aside (nothing too out of the norm), I would like to
discuss a few points of the show. I had tenth row so maybe i am biased, but
Wilson is a kick-ass opener, I don't care how many times you see it. I like
the fact that they jam it for a minute now in the middle-end. I always
thought they should fool with that every once in a while. Aside from the
usual favs [fluffhead,golgi(oh, the power of that ditty)], I would like to
discuss something that has been a growing concern to me: The new material.
Now remember, this is just my opinion, so don't get edgy. I can't help but
feel that the band has past its prime song writing days. Now by all means
this is not a complaint. Trey has given us soooooooooooooooo many great
songs that i've got no problem with it. But what i do have a problem with
is my fellow fans who feel that everything Phish does is golden. It's O.K.
to admit that trey/phish writes a bad song(Christ, Maxwells Silver Hammer-
ever heard that Beatle song?). I'm just so sick of hearing people talking up
all these new songs that, when you get right down to it, are no more
compicated than stuff Matchbox 20 is playing on the local top 40 station. I
know this sounds harsh but seriously, if you heard songs like Prince
Caspian, Ghost, or Shafty(what the...) on the radio, would you really be
compelled to follow that band around? I'm just finding myself sitting down
to rest at more times during shows than i did 3 or 4 years ago. Don't get
me wrong, I love the new funk jamming, but these dime-a-dozen 3 chord songs
are really slowing down the sets (just my opinion). Wilson, Chalkdust, then
Roggae? Could you stop a freight train more quickly? All I'm saying is to
realize that these guys are in their mid-thirties now, have families, other
projects etc; So I am sure they are not dedicating the time they use to to
writing. Can you blame them? But people, please, if a song sucks, admit
it!!! If we rant and rave and cheer for these new songs (don't get me
wrong, there's a few good ones) we may never get another golgi or guyute.
I had a fun time, but I've had funner. Does ANYONE agree with me or
am i a guy who has completely lost touch with this scene?
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 20:57:35 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: camden review
To all,
Alright, I need to add my 2 cents to the show I saw last night at the E
centre in camden. Out of this summer tour, I have gone to 3 shows (va.
beach, merriweather and camdem) and IMO, I think merriweather was w/o a
doubt, the best show of the 3. But anyway, I need to comment on this camden
show b/c for some reason I did not think it was an amazing show. Yes, I
believe they played some incredible versions of songs, but I had some
problems w/ a little bit of what they played. Of course, I had a GREAT time
at the show and I had so much fun, as I always do at every show I go to, but
I came away a little disappointed. Anyway, I don't like camden as a venue.
I don't like the parking situation (we had to pay $7 to park where we parked
and I think even more for other areas), I don't like the area of camden, and
I had a VERY VERY VERY big problem w/ the security. Of course I know that
Phish has a bad reputation for venues and Phish shows usually get it hard w/
security, but last night was the worst I have ever seen security at a show.
I was in the pavilion for a change, I usually love dancing w/ all my PAGE
SIDE KIDS in the portals, in between the lawn and pavilion, or elsewhere, but
last night I decided to sit w/ my friends in the pavilion. The security was
tight and the show was sold out (hehehe.... worcester 98). Security walked
through the rows of the pavilion throughout the entire show and were checking
tickets throughout the entire show. People were getting flashlights shined
on them for any little movement that looked conspicuous. I heard the lawn
was crazy and that people were buggin' out cause security continuously walked
through the lawn the whole night and people were getting busted left and
right. I even got caught smoking a bowl, but I dropped the piece and they
didn't walk down the row to get me (THANK god and plus the piece didn't
break!). Anyway, I think the security definitely put a downer on the show,
IMO, and from what I heard from other people as well.
Oh, and by the way, Trey had a Mia Hamm jersey on... I guess b/c the
woman's championship world cup game was on earlier on saturday and I assume
the US won since trey was wearing the jersey.
OK, enough about that... onto a brief review of the show.
Set I:
Wilson: Wilson was so so TIGHT!! They got the crowd all worked up!! This
was a smokin wilson w/ a phatty jam in the middle of the song. ~>
Chalkdust: Wow, this Chalkdust was HOT, real HOT and the crowd ate it up.
Two high energy songs in a row was a great opener. Chalkdust had a sick jam
at the end of the song.... Trey was going crazy. ~>
Roggae: This is not what I wanted the sick jam at the end of chalkdust to go
into. I am not a big fan of this song. Sorry all... I just don't like...
what can you do? The segue was phat, but I didn't like what they segued into
(IMO).
Water in the Sky: I also don't really like this song, but this was the best
version of Water in the sky that I have ever heard (although TN. from this
tour might be good w/ guests playing.. I haven't heard it yet). Very fast,
and Fishman was laying down phat beats. Very tight.
Back at the Chicken Shack: Damn... I wasn't really sure of the name of the
song until after it. It was very bluesy and I LOVED it. Trey was in charge
of most of this song and played phatty blues riffs. Very cool.
Sparkle: What can I say?... this is a fun song... nothing special but good.
Good energy.
Bathtub: I LOVE Bathtub. Page was slammin down on the keys!! And the rest
of the band responded. Very good bathtub, a little out there at the end, but
still rockin.
Golgi: Very fun and was a crowd pleaser. My friend was laughing at the
people who were holding up their ticket stubs. Sorry, didn't mean to offend
anyone, but it makes me smile in a humorous way.
Set II:
Tweezer: This 20 minute Tweezer was unreal!! Mike was going off in this
tune and trey followed up w/ an incredible riffs. Incredible jamming. Very
mellow and very sick. ~>
Mountains of the Mist: The segue was pretty neat, but I don't really like
this song either. It is slow and didn't allow me to dance my ass off as
usual.
Birds: This birds was real sweet. I know a lot of people have a problem w/
birds, but I like it b/c in the back of my mind, I'm hoping that they will
play another birds like the one in providence (4/4/98) which was so sweet.
Actually, this version has been the closest Birds that I have seen to being
like 4/4/98. Very phat jam that had trey going crazy. Very sick. ~>
Circus: Hmmm.... not exactly what I wanted them to play. Didn't like the
placement on this. I don't mind the song, but it just didn't fit for me. It
was a normal version.
Fluffhead: I knew this BIG GUN was bound to be played and it was... I
looked at a few of the other reviews and people said it was a "flawless
version," but from what I heard, trey was f*#king up a fair amount. I think
it's b/c they hardly ever play it anymore and they just weren't ready to
handle it (IMO). Still, it was ridiculous. Page was on, and trey was on
(when he wasn't messing up). Trey played those incredible riffs at the end
and crowd roared!! Not the best fluffhead, but a good version of fluffhead,
although just a good version of fluffhead is always welcome by me, and it's
still sick.
E: WMGGW: Well, I'm not really sure about this song. It's a great song,
but makes it hard to dance your ass off to, which is what I love doing. Of
course it was a great version, and trey was throwing down mad riffs. It was
short... maybe 6 minutes, and I thought it could have been jammed out a
little more. Still it was good.
Reprise: I really enjoyed reprise, even though I knew it was coming. It
finally let me dance, even though it was only about 4 minutes long.
Definitely got the crowd moving. Very sweet. Trey was hopping around, and
it was fun to see that.
Overall, this show was disappointing a little. Had some sick moments, but
had a few songs which I didn't want them to play (i.e. Roggae, mnts. of the
mist, and circus). The highlights for me were wilson~>chalkdust, bathtub,
Tweezer birds and fluffhead. Also back in the chicken shack was great and
water in the sky was a good version.
But, for some reason I just didn't get that feeling of, "oh my gosh, that was
show was SICK" afterwards. Usually after a show, I am exhausted, dirty,
sweaty, and tired from dancing my ass off (i.e. merriweather friday night),
but last night I was none of the above.... well, maybe dirty, but I'm always
dirty. Phish just didn't play the songs that allowed me to dance and go
crazy. I don't know. I know I'm being a little negative, but trust me... I
still had a great time and a lot of fun. I just wanted to add my 2 cents and
say that I didn't think this was the best show of the tour, nor do I think it
was an amazing show. It was an average show, IMO, which still makes it a
great show compared to other bands.
As for Phish, I am done w/ phish for a while. I was going to go to PNC and
oswego, but I decided I would rather go see KVHW at the wetlands over this
time instead.
Well, for any of you still reading this review, thank you for your
patience... as a bonus I will offer Friday nights Merriweather show for B&P
only. It takes 2 tapes, one 100 minute and one 90 minute. I will take the
first 5 people who respond to me w/ nice/funny e-mails. I am a uni-decker,
but my tapes are straight from my friends DAT who taped the show. E-mail
me.
Thank you all, and I hope that everyone enjoys the shows that they are going
to this summer, even if the show isn't Phish.
See you in the PHALL!
matt
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 20:57:10 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Another review. 7/10/98 Camden
Ok, I hate to be the minority and to bitch, but..........THIS SHOW SUCKED TO
ME!
Maybe it was seeing Phish a bunch of nights in a row, maybe it was the songs,
maybe it was that there was so much potential that was never reached.
Anyway:
Wilson>Chalkdust>Jam>Roggae, Water in the sky, Back at the Chicken Shack,
Sparkle, Bathtub Gin, Golgo
Tweezer>Mts in the mist, BOAF>Circus, Fluff
WMGGW>Tweeprise
Wilson: Cool opener, but not what I wanted. CAN WE SAY MY FRIEND MY FRIEND?
OR THE CURTAIN??? Man. This -> into
Chalkdust: Ok, this was beginning to sound like 12/30/98 (all we need was
BBFCFM and Roggae). Unfinished Chalkdust which went into a pretty sweet jam.
This -> into
Roggae: And now we have 12/30/98 folks (which happened to be a kick ass
show!). Yet, I do like Roggae. I like all these songs, but I'd rather here
other stuff.
Water in the Sky: BLAHHHH, do not like this song. Here, I would have liked to
see Get back on the train which is the sickest new song on tour!
Back at the Chicken Shack: This was cool to hear, I'm glad I got to hear some
"Down and Dirty" Blues as many were referring. Now I was thinking that the
set could get going....
Sparkle: Oh jesus. Fun, but once you hear it, you don't need to hear it
again.
Bathtub: Sweet, complete with "I'm a Man" tease by Santana. I was hoping for
a segue into an Antelope or Fluffhead, but instead we got...
Golgi: which, believe me, is quite awesome. The lighting during the "I Saw
You!" part is unreal! I've seen two Golgis (the other was 12/29/97) and have
seen Trey butcher the shit out of the endings both times.
Overall: Eliminate Water and Sparkle, throw in a sick Antelope after or
before Bathtub and you've got a good first set. I'd rate it a 4 out of 10,
and I'm usually the guy to give 10s to everything.. so... I thought the boys
would pull out all the stop in the second set like Merriweather.
TWEEZER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!! Funky funky funky. You guys had to
be impressed. I was thinking "PIPER PIPER PIPER PIPER AND THIS WILL BE AN
EPIC SET!"
-> Mountains in the Mist: Damn. Pretty song, but I do not wanna hear Trey
ballads ruining sets. Just my opinion.
Birds: Saw it at VA Beach, and was psyched to hear it again. IT GETS BETTER
AND BETTER. It doesn't even sound like Birds once they get into the jam. YOU
GUYS SEE THE LIGHTS DURING THIS??? CK5 is the shits. Page was also better
than everyone during this song, I couldn't believe him.
-> Circus: When I heard this, I felt like crying. Again, I thought a Piper
would save this set from "so much potential which was never reached." I was
quite upset.
Thank god for
FLUFFHEAD! It had to come soon. It was apparent that this was shelved for a
while due to Trey messing up the Who do? We Do! part, but sweet nonetheless.
I love Fluffhead and lost my voice singing it.
I'd give this set a 6.5, which easily could have been a 10 (add a Piper and
an Antelope or a Yem and you've got a perfect set)
Encore"
WMGGW: Ok, not bad, as long as they played Tweezer Reprise, I wouldn't care
if they played Sparkle again.
Tweezer Reprise" Put my arms in the air, tilted my head back, and closed my
eyes. I opened them in time to see Trey taking off his guitar and waving it
around in the air. This is my favorite song; i wish they would have played it
at a show I would have more thoroughly enjoyed.
Sorry folks, I know 98% of you liked it. IMO, Va Beach was my favorite show,
Merriweather Set 2 was my favorite set.
See you at PNC and I have a feeling they'll do something special there
(wouldn't a Harpua, Camel Walk or Dog Log be pretty sweet) haha, wishful
thinking.
See you then.
For now,
Peace,
Dave Salvo
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 23:30:12 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: E centre
Alright I'm kickin it in Boston waiting for Great Woods, and a review of the
E Centre, whose name was fitting for me, is in order. This was only my
second show of the summer, seeing MD the night before, but I'm closing in on
50 total. The scene was chill, and the aftershow cops were not the nazis I
thought they would be. Basically, I thought the first set was a great
performance, just bad song selection. The Wilson jam was really tight and
rocking. The Chalkdust should go down in the books for its uniqueness. Never
has a Chalkdust been played like that. However, this is what most songs are
turning into. It's hard to hear a classic played classically, which is good
for Phish is learning and moving on. But, many of the tight, crunching jams
are turning into more freeform Trey rippages, which is fine as long as songs
don't start meshing too much, like Summer '97 when the funk was in the blood
Anyway, listen to this Chalkdust when you can. They ripped it into Roggae,
which left something to be desired, much like the next few songs. Water was
a great Water as far was Water's go, but it's still Water. The Back at the
Chicken Shack was nice, but still not incredibly energetic, which I was. The
Erkle was as Erkle always is, but Gin was different. I was pumped to hear
it, but the jam was unique, yet less energetic, and didn't do what some Gins
have. The Golgi was the most energy the set reached since Wilson. Basically,
the set was mellow, which isn't a crime, I was just jacked and ready to
groove, but I sat down with hopes for the second set.
The Tweez opener was a great selection, and the slow funk was immaculate.
The segue into Mountains was much more powerful that most people would give
credit to on paper. I had not heard Mountains live yet, but I really liked
it. I just hope they don't overplay it. The Birds as a choice was not the
greatest, but I think they jammed it because they thought they could've done
something different with the earlier Chalkdust. And, the jam was sick. The
best Birds I've heard and many said it was the best of the summer. Birds
took into Circus was another mellow choice, and no different was expected by
this time. However, the following Fluff was sick. It saved the show for me.
I love Fluffhead, and boy did I dance. About time, huh? Anway, the sick
ass Fluff ended the set, leaving it "short".
The encore was a song I wanted to hear, and boy did it fit the show. Gently
Weeping was the theme of the show. Into Tweeprise was no surprise. I danced
for a bit, and then took to the lots to sell some H2O.
Dustin Bambic
[email protected]
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 17:21:05 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review for camden 7/10
before i begin, let me say that i just read some of the recent posts on r.m.p
and it seems to me a lot of people are just expecting way too much out of
phish lately. i myself expect a lot from them, maybe a little more than some
other people, but man you can't realistically wish for and receive a show
that's a perfect "10" every time you see them. most of time they're just
good shows, with a few gems here and a few bombs there. when someone says
they just saw an "average" show, chances are they nothing overtly spectacular
but at the same time it was good, because if it wasn't "good" they'd probably
call it "bad" and not "average" (i hope so at least, otherwise why are you
seeing them so often if you don't think at least a majority of all the shows
you've been to are "good"?)
i think we were spoiled with such a phenomenal year like 1997 only to have it
not be followed with another phenomenal year (granted, 1998 had its moments,
but was no '97). to think that phish was just going to continue playing like
that forever was foolish, because the band has demonstrated and stated
themselves in many interviews that phish is an experiment, pure and simple.
How can you keep on experimenting if you're playing the same way all the time
(even if that way of playing is highly experimental in itself)?
I've only been to 3 shows so far this tour (atlanta and camden), and I must
say that anyone who didn't like this show either had a chip on their shoulder
that day or a tampon up their ass or something because this show was the best
i've seen since probably 4/2/98 or earlier, and i've seen 15 since then. The
jams were absolutely wonderful to hear and very refreshing, enough to
rejuvenate my desire to see these guys again and again.
the venue itself was neat (pretty big too i guess, like 25,000) and it liked
being able to see the lights from philly while being right next to the
soundboard. The lot scene was about 10 times better than i thought it would
be since I kept hearing from people how harsh the fuzz is in NJ, especially
near camden. i only saw one person get yelled at for selling nitrous, but
they just had to put the tank away.
some of the people parked next to us were wierd; they were nice to us but
complete assholes to everyone else. maybe it was because they were locals or
something :) (i'd be a dick too if i was from jersey, i'm sure... its not
their fault its the air or the water or just the overall negative aura that
surrounds the state).
anyways, to the song by song....
set I:
wilson: saw this at atlanta, but i was hoping for another beauty and i got
it. i like what they're doing to this song a lot....
chalkdust: already we have one reason to get the tapes to this show. By far
the best chalkdust ever played IMO, in that the jam was absolutely
unfuckingbelievable. one of those moments you never really forget. by this
time i was already glad i came to the show...
segued into
roggae: i love segueways and this one was somewhat smooth but not like
ghost->slave from 7/4. this was played a little better than normal
water in the sky: wow. another reason to get the tapes. i've heard this
song a lot but it never really mesmerized me... until now. jammed out well
beyond normal but not too crazy, just very beautiful and tight...
back at the chicken shack: had never heard this before except from that
10/30/98 show. no flubs here.... good way to slow down the show without
really slowing it down...
sparkle: kept the energy going....
gin: another great version of this song, and another reason to get the
tapes.
there were some teases at the end of some older tune, but couldn't put my
finger on it...
golgi: very enthusiastic way to close the set. standard, but very upbeat
and fun.
set II:
tweezer: thought they were gonna save this for one more day until the
greatwoods/tweeter shows for obvious reasons. excellent, with delay loops
from beginning until well into the jam. the jam was great and everntually
mellowed out into one of those ambient type jams they did in '98. segued
into...
mountains in the mist: heard it and some others played at this show at
atlanta. its a nice song but not very catchy...
birds: wooooo!!!!! absolutely smokin' version of this song. better than even
4/4/98 IMO, although i wasn't at that show. nice to see this one jammed out.
segued into
circus: yet another one i heard at atlanta. yet from what i've heard this is
one of trey's favorite songs in the whole universe, and the way he plays it
shows his appreciation for it.
fluffhead: nice. very nice. first time since 12/29/97 and this did not
disappoint, especially as a closer. excellent way to maintain the crowds
interest from beginning to end. hearing 25,000 fans scream "but i sure got
some powerful pills AWWW YEAHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" just late in the show was so
much fun.
e: while my guitar gently weeps: standard, except i have never seen it
before, so i like it. if i had i probably wouldn't have liked it...
tweezer rep: i usually hate seeing this song because i always know when its
going to be played (like everyone else), however i didn't mind too much
tonight. it kept the energy high until the very last note.
to summarize my opinion of this show, it was better than either night at
atlanta in terms of jamming and tightness, although it lacked some of the
meatier songs they have in their rotation which were present at atlanta.
still, that goes to show how much the jamming matters more than the actual
songs, because i consider this show to be a gem, hands down. i stood up a
grooved the entire time they were playing, and i was actually "blown away"
several times throughout the show, which is something they haven't done in a
while for me. being blown away once in a show makes it special for, but
several times makes rank this show in the top 10 of all the shows i've seen.
for you quantitative freaks, i'd say this was an 8.5 on the 1-10 scale. even
thoug h i saw like 6 songs they played last weekend it didn't matter this show
rocked, thats how good the jams were....
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 06:07:02 -0400
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden review
Hello,
This is my first time reviewing a show but I enjoy reading them and hope
others enjoy them as well. This was my 38th show and I have about 1200 hours of
Phish on tape so I wouldn't consider myself a newbie. Well, we traveled down
from MA on Friday nite and found a nice campground about 30 miles south of the
venue. On Saturday, we left about 4:30 and hit traffic about 5 miles from the
venue. Unfortunately, we didn't stop for gas on the way up and played the fun
game of "do you think we'll have enough gas to make it to the venue?" Always a
blast. After some kind directions from your local policeman, we were able to
get to a gas station and then we were corraled into the nearest parking lot. I
found that to be a little sketchy. Depending where you were coming from, you
were forced into one lot and told that all others were full. A little strange.
Once in the venue, I found the E Centre to be like many other summer sheds
except the view was incredible. A shot of the Philadelphia skyline was
incredible at sunset and throughout the night in general. On to the show, the
Wilson opener was great (except I like it better at night) and the Chalkdust
that followed was another blast of high energy. Roggae was next and I really do
like this tune but I was hoping for another upbeat tune to keep the energy
flowing. Water in the Sky was okay and though I did not recognize Back at the
Chicken Shack, I was getting into it. Sparkle is usually a bathroom tune for me
but this time I decided to check it out and found it to be your standard
Sparkle. The next time I hear it, I think I'll be rolling to the drink stand.
Next up was Bathtub Gin. I thought the jam in this song was really great. I
have heard so many epic Gins, from the Ball Gin to the Real Gin and found this
one to be a very solid version. The Golgi closer was decent but it seems as if
they've been playing it a lot lately. So first set highlights for me were the
openers to the set and the Gin.
I don't remember how long the setbreak was but I would guess it was around 45
minures or so. Second set opener was a Tweezer (1st one of tour?). I love
Tweezer but if the jam segment doesn't pull me in, I'm usually not too psyched
about it. This one kind of left me checking out the skyline and thinking how
cool the venue was. I wasn't really into it. They went into Mountains in the
Mist which I hadn't heard before but thought was a decent slow tune.
Birds of a
Feather was next and they ripped the hell out of it, It was Wicked Cool. =^).
I could hear people around me going "Ugh, BOAF" but I love this song and the jam
always has so much potential. This was no exception. They smoked the jam
section. Out of Birds, they went into When the Circus... , I decided to go to
the lavatory. Slow songs at Phish shows never really do it for me. I think
they sound great on tape but I can't really get into them when I see it
live. I
guess you have to have them in there to take a breather but "they really aren't
fast enough for me". Fluffhead was a welcome treat. I thoiught it raged but
was kind of surprised that it was the closer. The second set seemed kind of
short. WMGGW was a great encore, Trey was looking like the total rock star and
I found it to be quite enjoyable. The Tweezerprise was pretty standard, I was
really hoping for another tune before they busted out the obvious show closer.
Second set highlights were BOAF and the Fluffhead. Overall, I thought the show
was alright, the view of the skyline was great but the divided up lot scene and
the song selection just kind of mellowed out the show. After sitting in 5hours
of traffic the next day getting over the G.W. bridge, I'm real excited to
finally be home and hitting the next two at Great Woods, hopefully we'll get
something special. Thanks for reading and have a great time at the
shows....peace....M
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 17:53:04 GMT
From: Billy F. [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review!!!
Well, last night was just one of those nights when everything seemed to be
just right. The E-Center at Camden is cool, security in our section was
dancing and playing with baloons and beach balls virtually the whole show,
they didn't seem to let anything bother them. It didn't appear as though
Camden has a police force either as I saw only about 5 cops in the lots the
whole day, although I didnt see many cops, I did see Mike driving around in
a golf cart in the lot, he stopped right where we were hanging and got a
slice of French Bread pizza, it was cool seeing him.
On to the show... They opened with Wilson which got everyone up and involved
right away, it was a fun way to start the show.
After Wilson, Chalkdust Torture, the boys really belted this one out, the
band was all smiles and they seemed to be having as good a time onstage as I
was having in my seat.
Roggae was next, I think this song is really cool, the lyrics are beautiful
and they played it with the emotion that the lyrics suggest, a few people
sat down during Roggae, but I kept dancing the whole way through.
The people who were sitting were brought to their feet by Water in the Sky,
this song just happens to be my all time favorite Phish song, I know they
play it frequently, but I haven't seen it since The Grey Hall in Copenhagen
last summer, just keep missing it I guess. Anyway, it was alot of fun,
everyone was dancing, everyone was all smiles everywhere I looked too.
After that they played this blues jam that I never heard before, it had a
Southern twinge to it, I guess that's what hanging out with Derek Trucks
does to a band, anyway, it was awesome, and it made me reasserted my
position that Trey is truly one of the top notch guitar players in the world
today.
Sparkle was cool, they can play so fast it's amazing sometimes, but everyone
was jumping all around everywhere.
Bathtub Gin was mellow, and trippy, I liked it alot, again some weary folks
who were dancing too hard took a break during this song and sat down, again
I couldn't leave my feet.
I thought the set was over, I almost started to get a head start to the
bathroom, when they exploded into Golgi Apparatus, it was awesome, everyone
seemed to love it too, overall it was a great first set.
They opened the Second Set with Tweezer, and I knew right away what we were
in for, and I was right, a trippy, fun, wierd second set, and that's what we
got. Tweezer was cool, but the rest of the set was amazing.
Mountains in the Mist was sweet, I was really glad to hear it.
Then they played Birds of a Feather, this song is amazing, they jammed hard,
I was sitting in the 5th row for this show, and my eyes never left Trey's
hands while this song was playing, BOAF rocks, it's becoming one of my
favorite songs to see at a show.
They played When the Circus comes to town next, it was nice, and sort of
signified the calm before the storm that was about to break out.
Well, I've been to quite a few Phish shows over the past few years, and the
one song that I've been dying to hear forever was Fluffhead, and I got it
last night....all I can say is WOW, it was amazing, it was the best song of
the night, my buddy hurt his back from jumping up and down during Fluffhead,
everyone was jumping up and down during Fluffhead, I could have left the
show completely satisfied and happy after that, but I decided to stick
around for the encore.
The Encore was While My Guitar Gently Weeps, I've always loved this song,
since I was a little kid this has always been one of my favorite Beatles
songs, Trey was wonderful, the song was beautiful. Tweezer reprise reminded
us of what this second set was all about in the first place. This was truly
an awesome show, the energy level in the E-Center was the highest I've ever
seen it, my face hurts today from smiling so much last night. When the show
ended, all I could say was THANK YOU, and I yelled it at the top of my
lungs, as did many others around me.
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 17:41:26 -0400
From: Jeremy Pinquist [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review of 7/10/99 - E-Centre, Camden, NJ
Feel free to ignore any of my opinions in this review at your own risk...
This was show 22 for me, with one trey show as well, and strangely enough,
just like the other review posted, my first show was also 6/28/95.
Coming from Long Island, there was nasty traffic in quite a few places,
which might have been a pain in the ass execpt for the listening pleasure
the radio gave us this fine afternoon. I brought with me some choice
selections such as the 3/93 gamehendge show and the trey show from the
flynn, but the most exciting and captivating regular season baseball game
was coming through perfectly as the Mets and the other new york baseball
team battled it out the entire ride to Camden. In fact, the game winning
pinch hit with 2 out in the bottom of the ninth happened just as we were
pulling into the parking lot. Now normally I like to get psyched up for a
phish show by listening to shows on the way to the concert, but I have to
say that we were really pumped after the Mets came out on top of a game
like that! So the Mets won, the humidity was dropping, and we were walking
over to meet some people at a phish show - the day was getting better and
better.
Now, I knew from reading the website that the E center has a 24,000
capacity, and only 8400 parking spots. That seems like a bit of a low
number, and I wouldn't be surprised to find out quite a few people lost
their cars in that morass. I think my friend said he parked in a CVS
parking lot. We didn't hang out in the lots too long, but I thought it was
pretty cool to see tons of heads parked and hanging out in a Lockheed
Martin parking lot. Lockheed's Security must have enjoyed that. We
wandered around the Will Call/Box office area looking for friends that
never showed up for a while before bowing to our hunger for overpriced
chicken fingers and fries.
This was a strange venue. It looked fairly new, and seemed well designed
in general, but the people staffing it had some fairly inconsistent
practices. Number 1 Gripe: They didn't sell water. This seems
unbelievable, considering you couldn't bring more than one bottle of water
in with you. Number 2 Gripe: after conceding to an usher before the show
and smoking in the passageway between the reserved and the lawn, we were
told not to sit on the small ledge behind the last row of seats. Fine. we
didn't need any trouble. But later on, when the yellow-shirt is sitting up
exactly where we were, with other folks on either side... well that's
inconsistent. More about security later.
Oh yeah, there's a show about to go on too. They started a little bit
late, even for phish - about 8:15 or maybe even after that, and yes, I did
predict a Wilson opener. It was nice and got the place moving, with a
slightly extended jam before the fake ending.
Chalkdust- Maybe the highlight of the show for me. Wilson, then Chalkdust
-
I was a little down, the vibe at the beginning of chalkdust hinted at
general mediocrity. before the show, me and the phans around me were
discussing how crazy merriweather was, and since this was my first show of
the tour, i felt cheated out of some of the big guns they used the night
before. so as you can imagine, when they started jamming in chalkdust i
began feeling as though i could do without it, very what i believe was
'type 1' - nearly just soloing over chalkdust. Then, magic occured - they
took Chalkdust to an entirely different place. I've never heard a
chalkdust like it in the 8 times i've seen it (second only to 9
tweezers/tweeprises, btw) and 80 some odd shows i have on tape. At one
point, after about 10 mins or so of inspired jamming, it seemed as though
they were about to head back in and finish the song, but Fish found a new
beat and they were completely gone. A few more minutes of this sweet groove
and it winded down as trey began the opening licks of
Roggae - though the crowd didn't seem so into it, I love this song. I love
how each band member sings a line in the opening, I love the huge power
chords, complete with blood red light bathing the stage, and I love the
rolling bass, which seemed prominent in the mix tonight. Standard fare,
but as i said, it really hit the spot for me.
Water in the sky - This was all about Fish. He immediately established
himself with a beat different from the album as well as the previous times
i've heard the fast version. Very Impressive. I dig this song since i've
felt page really captures the image of a waterfall with his glissando's
down the entire piano at the beginning and end of the song, but it wasn't
100 percent tonite. I felt the same way about page's work in Gin, but he
made up for it in fluffhead.
Back at the chicken shack - my first, and as i said earlier, i was having a
great day, not much to be blue about, but I've always said that no other
genre of music is more aptly named. I don't know about others, but when i
play the blues on guitar when i have a reason to be blue, it comes out 10
times better. Well since there was no reason to be blue yesterday, BATCS
came off as just a nice place for trey to solo, and that's it. give me the
tapes when i'm down, and you might get a different review all together.
Sparkle - it's sparkle - a little rough, but nothing to get hung about.
Bathtub Gin - we needed a nice big jammer at this point, and here it was.
As i said earlier, it always seems to me that when Page goes nutty on the
piano in this song, it really gets a rise out of the crowd. I love watching
him pound away with reckless abandon, yet last night, well, it was somewhat
subdued. That set the tone for the jam as well. It was a tad slower than
most of the gin jams i can recall, which was chill, but it didn't seem to
go too wild. We heard the 'i am a man' tease, but couldn't place it at the
time.
Golgi - the 'end of the set' signal - it rocked as usual, the build up to
"i saw you" was intense, and by now, it was dark enough out for the lights
to be enjoyed in their full splendor. Highlight of the first set: without
a doubt - chalkdust>Roggae.
Set II
Tweezer - Trey started it up, and though there was no doubt it was tweezer,
he was accenting different notes, giving the intro a different, but cool
feeling. This tweezer sounded great. It was solid and Mike really stood out
in the jam. The jam went on for a while, and it was big, but not huge, and
by the time it started winding down, there was the scent of a segue in the
air.
Mountains in the Mist - i really dig this song. I liked it when trey did
it, and the thick vocal harmonies make it that much better, though there
was a bit of feedback during this song. It was new to most of the people
at the show, id venture to say, and got a nice response when it was over.
my question is, when are they gonna play "jiboo" dammit!
BOAF - honestly, this is one of my less favorite songs on SOTG. Yes, it
does move, and last nite it gave Trey a nice place to rock out a solo over,
but i'm generally more impressed with the lights on this song than anything
else. wtg, chris! this was also unfinished as we segued into
When the circus comes - I'm of two minds on this one. I like the melody and
it is nice and relaxing, but BOAF wasn't long enough to warrant a sit-down
song at this point in the set. We were glad to have it though when the
opening of the next song popped everyone off their butts cheering.
Fluffhead - generally unexpected but never unwelcome, Fluffhead made it's
mark in style on tonight. the band was right on, and page really stepped
up for his little piano licks. Trey's solo at the end really rocked, but
first a quick aside: The security at this place was hit or miss i guess -
the other review of the show i read said they were chill, but where i was
they seemed like they got training from the SS. I was in the second to
last row from the end of the pavilion, so when someone tried to jump the
rail, they'd go past us. THERE IS NOTHING I HATE MORE AT A PHISH SHOW THAN
HAVING A LIGHT NOT CONTROLLED BY CHRIS SHINING IN MY EYES!!! after the
third time someone dissapeared into the crowd and i was blinded by a yellow
shirt with a halogen light, i started making sillhouettes of animals with
my hand (dog, butterfly, etc..) on the back of the guy in front of me. The
yellowshirt gave me the look of death, but i just smiled and waved till he
left. score one for the little guy. look, we know people are gonna jump the
barriers. its part of the show. if they can grab the guy right away, fine.
if he's dissapeared into the crowd, let him go - shining the flashlight in
my eyes will definately not help. trust me. At another point in fluffhead,
an usher ran down our aisle to make someone put out his cigarette, running
past other people who were smoking all manner of organics. you explain that
one to me. we all danced real hard as this wackjob headed back to the
stairs. Once we finally were able to concentrate on Fluff again, we were
treated to a huge ending and immense solo by Trey, who was jumping around
with glee for a few extra turns around that ending solo.
Encore - WMGGW - after a bit of a conversation, i got WMGGW as an encore
for the second time in a row. I like it a lot, and you won't hear it done
live better anywhere else, but i'd have liked something a bit wierder i
think, considering the number of straight, non jamming trey solo's we'd
heard that night (wilson, chalkdust, boaf, and fluff especially) followed
by the required
Tweeprise - it rocked as usual, with killer lights, and trey loved it. He
was jumping around, and fell to his knees as the song ended, only to get
back up, take his guitar off his shoulder and wave it about triumphantly in
the air, as though he was sacrificing it to the gods of feedback.
Overall, a great big ball of fun, after 6.25 months without phish, and
left plenty for me to look forward to at PNC and Oswego!!
2 more things - 1: people were discussing the US win at the women's world
cup at set break, one more thing to be happy about, and in the lots after
the shows, there were a ton of fireworks. Didn't you guys use them up on
the 4th like the rest of us?
See you at PNC!
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 99 22:19:31 Eastern Daylight Time
From: bonnie solish [email protected]
To: dws [email protected]
This was my fourth show of the run, and overall, I would not give this the
best reviews. Every song was well played, but after saying that, Phish
has taken almost ZERO chances this summer.
After a sloppy night in maryland, the boys came out tight, but never got
things going throughout the night. One of the most important things about
a show is the momentum in a set, and when you start things off with
Tweezer, you should be able to build off that. Instead, we recieved
Mist(or is it fly lesbian seagull?), whatever, anyway, it killed the
nergy. Then a solid BOAF got crushed by Circus. Then a Fluff to close?
Come on now. Where are the segues of fall tour, the bustouts of Europe,
and the wacky new covers that have been present with Phish since the
beginning? Let's hope that being back in the Northeast inspires them to
take some chances, scarp playing Wilson, Roggae and Circus every third
night, and lets see the band we all truly love.
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 10:34:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bart Tantillo [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review 7/10/99
Well, after 2,600 miles in seven days I have returned home to
Yardley, Pennsylvania for a one night rest from the rigors of what is
shaping up to be one of the best tours in Phish history. So hello to
all who shall receive this. Last night, in beautiful Camden, New
Jersey, Phish played one of the best shows I have ever seen, and I am
writing to tell you about it.
After a week of intense heat and humidity up and down the east coast,
I returned home to find a cool breeze awaiting me on Saturday. I have
been to the E-Centre in Camden many times before last night, and have
never been a big fan of the venue. However, after last night, I take
back all I ever said about the place. The police in the lots left us
alone, which was a nice change after the military like actions of cops
in Virginia Beach earlier in the week. The venue is huge, and when
that place sells out, they really mean it is sold out. I scored a
fifth row seat from my roommate, who had a connection with someone at
Ticketmaster, so when I arrived I was pleased to see the stage
practically within arms length. There are two large atriums adjacent
to the pavilion, one on either side. Both are heavily air-conditioned,
have large restrooms, and tons of vending stands, all of which are
accessible to both pavilion and lawn seaties, and provide a
comfotorable spot to catch a breather if needed. The sound was superb,
better than anywhere so far on this tour and probably equal to
Lakewood. However, I have been victim to bad sound on the Camden lawn
before, so imagine my location up front aided the sound quality. Not a
better place so far though, it caught me by surprise that the venue
closest to my home would feel so good, I was kind of proud of it.
The band came on around 8:05 with Trey in a Mia Hamm jersey, a
tribute to events earlier in the day, and ripped into a rock solid
Wilson that was ten times better than the Atlanta Wilson, then
immeadiately went into a Chalkdust where the jam was so damn good they
never went back into the song, just rocked it out until it weaved it's
way into Roggae, and we all had a chance to catch our breath. Water in
the Sky, one of my least favorite Phish songs reared it's ugly head
next, although I must admit the middle part was pretty good. Then Back
at the Chicken Shack, a ripping blues instrumental that I first heard
in Las Vegas last fall really got the crowd going, with Trey playing
like he was posessed. Sparkle was next (see Water in the Sky), then
Bathtub Gin, one of my favorite songs came out for the first time since
opening the tour last week. I hadn't heard a great version since
Chicago last fall, and this one did not dissapoint. Page was wailing
away throughout, and the jam out of the song was beautiful, amazing set
closer I thought. The band thought otherwise and played an awesome
Golgi that ended the set on a high note. So far the band was right on,
and it appeared as they walked off the stage at the break that they
knew it. Trey was pointing and pumping his fist, and even homophobe
Mike sent a smile towards the crowd.
Set two is simple to describe, classic! First Tweezer of the tour,
and a surprise since I thought they would save it for GreatWoods as a
play on it's new corporate name, the Tweeter Centre. It rocked, and
eventually found it's wat to Mountains in the Mist, another beautiful
version of this ballad. Birds of a Feather was so good that, like
Chalkdust, the band never returned to the song once they hit that high
gear in the middle part of it. This was the best version I have heard
of this song, and was followed by the best version of When the Circuc
Comes to Town I also have ever heard. At this point in the show, the
band could had a few options since the crowd was wrapped around their
collective finger. They could play two or three more songs, and end the
show with a Sample or even an Antelope or Bowie, or they could play the
best Fluffhead they have ever played. They chose the latter. When I
say it was the best ever, I mean it. They nailed every last inch of
the song, the crowd nailed their parts, and the energy in the place was
at an all-time high. It was so good Trey was jumping about three feet
off the ground, kicking his legs all around, and sprinted off the stage
when it was over.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps provided a fitting end to a great show,
it seems like a song the band only plays in places they feel really
good about (UIC, Limestone, MSG to name a few recent ones). After a
Tweezer Reprise that saw Trey on his knees going nuts, Camden had come
to an end, and with my Great Woods departure a few hours away, so must
this review. I'll talk to you all this week. Later, Bart
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 10:29:36 -0400
From: Erik and Elizabeth Swain [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Subject: REVIEW: 7/10/99 Camden
This is one of those shows that was MUCH better than its setlist looked.
It may seem like a bit of a downer after Merriweather and VA Beach, but
those who take the time to get and listen to the tapes will be rewarded,
IMO. As there were by our count 27 mic stands in the tapers sections,
plus the guy 2 rows in front of us who was stealthing on minidisc, this
one shouldn't be too hard to find :)
This was my 7th show. I have seen 1 per year, every year since '93. This
year I will finally be breaking that pattern. :)
I went with my friend Carl, who lives in DC but is staying in NYC at the
moment on a project for work. He had been with me for 4 of my 6 previous
shows.
I live near Princeton, NJ, and we began the outing by grabbing lunch at
Hoagie Haven, which has the best cheesesteaks outside of Philadelphia.
This was appropriate because at the last show we saw, 8/8/98
Merriweather, Trey was wearing a Hoagie Haven T-Shirt.
We hit the road around 3:30 PM and hit traffic just after we got on
I-676 going north. Traffic wasn't pretty, but anything is better than
what we sat in at Merriweather last year. We sat in traffic for about
1.5 hours, which was actually better than we expected. At 5 of 6 we
pulled into the first lot we could find.
We then walked to the far lot by the Ben Franklin Bridge to meet up with
David Hull (a great trader and possibly the only other Phish fan besides
me who works in the packaging industry), from whom I got tix for both
Holmdel shows. It was a long walk, but we could use the exercise.
Our seats were in Sec. 201, on what is now the Trey side. So we entered
at the far gate, where there were few people. My front pockets were
stuffed with random things (but no drugs or taping equipment), and the
guard asked me to empty them. I emptied the left pocket - cell phone,
keys, business cards (why I brought those, I don't know), and then I was
about to empty the right pocket and the guy said "don't bother"!
The concession pavilion was virtually empty. It just can't compete with
the goodies in the lots, I guess.
Now, to the music...
1st set - approx. 1:10
Band takes the stage at 8:15, futzes around a bit, and then Mike hits
the 1st note to...
Wilson - which wasn't apparent to most on the 1st note, as they had been
tinkering and tuning. By the 2nd note, everyone got it and the chant was
in full force. Standard up until Trey's solo, which was longer and more
psychedelic than usual. An excellent version.
Chalkdust - in our first example of a show being better than its
setlist, this was a JAMMED Chalkdust. You heard me right. This may be my
2nd favorite version (after 11/27/98, of course). The first part of the
jam was Trey going off Allman Brothers-style, but the 2nd part was very
spacey and atmospheric, reminiscent in spots of "My Left Toe." In fact,
I turned to Carl and said "I think we're getting into Siket Disc
territory here," upon which from out of nowhere, Trey plucked the first
notes of...
Roggae - I love this song, and I was so glad to hear it for the first
time at a show. Standard version except for a slightly drawn-out ending.
Water in the Sky - For the first part of the song, I focused on
Fishman's work, especially on the cowbell, which was really driving the
song. Then Trey played a solo that was much better than in previous
versions I'd heard. It had the bluegrass-picking virtuosity that this
song calls for.
Then they started up a blues instrumental, which I think was...
Tops Off - if in fact that's what it was (at the moment, Phish.net is
calling it something different, but I was pretty sure about this at the
show), it was an excellent version, well served by the addition of
Page's organ. It was tight, it was grooving, and it was colorful.
Sparkle - first thought: Ugh. Second thought: The guy in front of me
took off his shirt to reveal patches of back hair. Double ugh. But it
got faster and more frenzied than usual at the end, sparked by Page's
piano pounding and Kuroda's light work. So it wasn't a total waste.
Bathtub Gin - YES! This is not up there with the epic Gins of '98, but
is still well worth listening to. The beginning was slow and deliberate,
as the band stepped back and let Page have plenty of space on piano.
Then they worked up into a grinding funk groove, nothing flashy, but
very much a team-building exercise for a set that had so far been
dominated by Trey on some songs and Page on others. And then the payoff
- Trey starts the riff to "I'm a Man," originally done by Spencer Davis
Group and later covered by Chicago.
As they built the jam into a crescendo, Trey started playing the main
riff - after a few seconds, the rest of the band kicked in. They jammed
on the intro part of the song for a few minutes, and then Trey started
playing the vocal part on guitar. They did not sing it. This was
INCREDIBLY cool. After one "verse," the jam veered into space and then
wound down, never coming back to the "Gin" theme, making this an
"unfinished Gin."
I figured it was time for a rockin' set closer. I called Suzie, but we
got...
Golgi - standard version. The crowd went nuts, so it had its desired
effect.
They left the stage at about 9:25.
Overall, this was the 2nd best 1st set I've seen, behind only 12/2/97.
Highlights were the jamming on Chalkdust and the segue into Roggae, Tops
Off or whatever it was, and the climax of Gin into I'm a Man. The 1st
part of the set was dominated by Trey, and the second part by Page. Mike
wasn't really a force, and except for Gin there was little of the "group
jamming" that they've done so well since '97. That would change in the
2nd set.
Setbreak was an unusually long 50 min. But that's understandable - since
we're in Trey's "home territory," I'm sure he had lots of family and
friends backstage. I struck up a conversation with the guys next to me,
who were doing the whole tour. They talked about getting thunderstormed
on at Nashville. They seemed to have taken it a lot better than I would
have.
2nd set - approx. 1:07
They re-took the stage at about 10:15.
After some conferring (which was to be a hallmark of this set), they
went into
Tweezer - my first. I was not expecting this at ALL, what with the
Tweeter Center coming up. But that's the hallmark of our boys - just
when you think you've got them figured out, they change things up on
you. I think they pulled it out here to try to re-establish the group
jamming vibe that was missing from most of the 1st set. And to return
Mike to prominence. In those, they succeeded. This version was tight and
funky, albeit without crescendos or flash that some look for. (Think of
live versions of Zeppelin's "No Quarter".) There was lots of intricate
work from Trey and Page (who was tearing it up on the synthesizer), but
no monster soloing. Tweezer aficionados will find many subtle charms to
this version. Non-aficionados might think it sucks. I liked it. As with
Gin, the jam veered off into serious space before seguing into...
Mountains in the Mist - used here in the way they often use Lifeboy - as
a mellow wind-down after a big jam. But I like this song much better
than Lifeboy. The harmonies at the end were very nice.
At this point, Carl says "it's time for an uptempo song." After another
long conference, the band obliges with...
Birds of a Feather - Here we have our 2nd lesson in shows that are
better than their setlists. Many of you have pined for a BOAF as good as
4/4/98. Well, here it is. I think - (heresy!) - that this might be even
better. I knew something was up when they began the song and Page was
playing clav during the verses, a great improvement in the arrangement
from last year. Then it got VERY jammed out, first as a rock blast with
everyone firing on all cylinders, reminding us of the Allmans at their
best, then as a funk groove reminiscent of Piper from Merriweather last
year. This was the culmination of what they had been trying to do -
grafting the firey soloing of the first set onto the group groove of the
Gin and Tweezer. Those of you who hate this song reflexively need to
seriously re-evaluate. This was the BOMB. I bet this is the early
contender for most improved song of '99. The funk jam wound down into...
When the Circus Comes - standard version. I like this song regardless of
what others say. Very passionate solo from Trey.
Then an even longer conference, and...
Fluffhead - YES! This was one of the most energetic and passionate
Fluffheads I have ever heard. A must-have for Fluffhead aficionados. The
Arrival section was even jammed out a bit.
Then Trey took off his guitar, and the rest of the band followed him
offstage at about 11:22. Highlights - BOAF and Fluffhead.
They took a long time to come out for the encore, it seemed. After
"Circus" Carl said "they haven't played any famous covers yet." During
this break, I said "maybe they'll give us Voodoo Child (Slight Return)."
Not quite, but close.
They came back out around 11:26, and Trey, Mike and Page huddled for a
conference by Mike's mic. A few people thought they were gonna stay
there and sing "I Didn't Know." But then they broke from the huddle,
Trey went over to Fish to tell him of the decision, and they began...
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - a fine version, much better than NYE '98,
even if Trey couldn't hit all the high notes with his vocal.
Particularly welcome was Page's organ coloring at the end. And then a
segue into...
Tweeprise - it's not often you get a Tweeprise that stands out, but this
was one of them. They played the song itself in a standard way, but then
instead of ending with that big keyboard-drum flourish, they continued
with a feedback jam. Trey took off his guitar and shook it, then waved
it over his head, each vibration making a new sound. After a few minutes
of this madness, they finished at around 11:37 PM.
This show is to VA Beach and Merriweather what Winston-Salem was to the
Hampton shows in '97 and '98. This was a show where they dug their heels
in and dazzled strictly with their musicianship, and not with antics or
surprises or setlist curveballs. On paper it suffers in comparison, but
on tape, I believe, it will be just as rewarding.
A few have commented that on this tour they have finally embraced being
an arena-rock band. I wholeheartedly agree, at least for this show. They
recalled in spots the Allmans, the Dead, Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, among
others. They offered all the grandeur of those bands at their best, and
none of the excesses. Long may they run.
See you in Holmdel,
Erik
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 14:39:27 -0700
From: ~Mark Palmer~ [email protected]
To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: 7/10/99 Camden review
no introduction about how many drugs i did, because i dont do drugs... so
here we go
set I
wilson was a cool opener, as usual. i liked the heavy section alot, they
played it for longer than i am used to. this is always a good way to start
a show.
chalk dust. when trey started it up, i made a sour face. usually, i do not
enjoy this song. but as the regular section was completed, they went off
into a jam which i have never heard before in chalk dust. it had nothing to
do with the song and was absolutely incredible. without question, it was
the best chalk dust torture they've ever played. the jam went on for a good
period of time and they never finisihed chalk dust, but as they were
jamming quietly, it lead into
roggae. i love this song. its so fun to see trey sway back on forth while
he solos. it also reminds me of my little brother because it's his
favorite song.
water in the sky. another one of my brother's favorites. i've never seen
the new version of this, so i was excited. fishman is an animal. nice
soloing from everyone and this was much longer than any water i've ever
heard. really fun stuff here.
back at the chicken shack. i had no idea what this song was. on my setlist,
i wrote "Any Blues Song" because it's very generic blues with monster solos
from everyone over it. it wasnt bad, it was actually really cool to watch.
sparkle. well, sparkle is fun at best. the lights are always cool
BATHTUB GIN! woo! my first bathtub in 25 shows. thank god. i had been
wanting to see this very badly. i didnt stop moving for the entire thing
although a few of the people i was with weren't into it very much. i was
bugging out, it was so damn great. i just wish they either finished it or
went into something besides..
golgi. yeah, fun set closer. who knew?
set II
tweezer. on my way back up to the lawn, i said to my friends "well, they
are going to play tweezer but i don't really want to see it." so, they
played it. first of all, every single time they play this song, it is
dedicated to one of my best friends Frank Laurtia. when they start playing,
i want everyone in the crowd to scream his name. alright.. so, they were
playing it and when they got to the jam, i found myself loving it more than
any tweezer i'd ever seen (and i've seen tweezer 14 times). the jam was
phenomenal, especially page. page was the mack all the night long. jeez, so
was mike. he was killing shit. after not wanting them to play this, i took
back that statement many times by saying "wow, this is insane" because it
was. nice segue into
mountains in the mist. a song i had never heard before this. extremely
beautiful. trey's guitar part is very soothing and the lyrics are
terrific.
i look forward to seeing this again.
birds of a feather. i like this song because it stays firece and never
slows down. they just tear it up for a while. its really fun to dance to.
segue into
when the circus comes. los lobos in the house. i wanted to see this song
again. trey just looks so cool when he plays the solos. a very purple
atmosphere during this lovely ballad.
fluffhead > fluff's travels. i called this before the show. not much to say
about fluffhead because everyone loves it. the crowd went ballistic,
especially my friend hillary who is completely obsessed with fluffhead. the
best part about this song is watching them play all the different parts...
i dont know, it just seems so hard to me and they do it perfectly (well,
almost). the arrival was huge, they brought it back about 4 times. just
climax after climax. a blissful time.
encore
while my guitar gently weeps. the third time i've seen this as an encore. i
called it (man, i'm good). you gotta love the beatles, but come on... why
not Something or Happiness is a Warm Gun?
tweezer reprise. wow, surprise! fun. again, this song is always dedicated
to Frank Laurita. scream for him. the swirling lights via CK are dumb good
to look at.
alright then, i'm done. this was my first review for this tour and i plan
to review every single other one seeing as i'm going to every single other
show. have fun everybody.
take care,
mark
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 13:34:21 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: (no subject)
I just got back from camden, NJ. I was looking for a sweet show because the
night before's show didn't have the greatest vibe. The show started slightly
over 8:10 scheduled for 7:30
Wilson:Gee what would be a phat song to open with???
What else Wilson!!! perfect perfect!! I swear the crowd screaming wilson was
10 times louder then the bass!!
Chalkdust Torture:My First Chalkdust came next. It's one of my favorite
songs. Very nice little jam to follow.
Roggae:Roggae was the song for me with bears and clowns and noise. I loved
the shiney helicopters flying overhead.
Down and Dirty Blues:I knew it was played down right dirty and very bluesy,
Kinda weird it's called "Down and Dirty Blues" Never heard it b4 but if you
catch this one in a set you are in for a real treat.
Sparkle: Man this one was placed in the right spot. Really picking up the
pace and it just kept going
BathtubGin: Wow what a song with a sweet jam to follow. I have seen this song
played many times, this so far is my favorite version.
Golgi Apparatus : Holy Shit!!! Taking some old school shit into the mix to
close the set in style!!!
I was talking to some nice dudes from Vermount and Connecticut at the set
break so i didn't even look at a watch to see how long it was Sorry. One guy
was looking for some David Bowie or Buried Alive in the next set i was
thinking something big to top the first set. But the guys from Connecticut
were thinking/hoping/wanting some Fluffhead(One was wearing a Marshmallow
shirt with some Fluff wrtting on it...like a lot style t-shirt) I guess will
we see who gets what
Tweezer: This is a Jammin opener and boy did they ever jam. A little drawn
out i thought but then i come to find out that there was Mountains in the
Mist in there.
Mountains in the Mist: like i said above i didn't know it was in there, i
thought i was a really trippy tweezer.
Birds of a Feather- this was perfect, trey started the solo like it's on the
CD but half way through he went off and tore that shit up!!!! Best Birds i
have ever heard, live or on tape
When the Circus come to Town- This was very good to chill the pace down. i
didn't recognize it at first but then it hit me.
Fluffhead- The dude behind me is going nuts along with all of the
E-Center!!!
I was singing so loud just as everyone was, and i wouldn't be surpised if you
can't hear trey singing on tape.
E: While my Guitar Gently Weeps- Ahh man while this isn't the hardest
heaviest or fastest song it just stole the show!!! Perfect selection I
thought it was it until
Tweezer Reprise- Why not go for it , they opened the second set with it so
let's bring it on home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On a Scale of 1 -10 this show was a 15..seriously it was. Well i haven't been
to that many shows but definately a 9 or an extremely high 8.
P.S.- Just a side note, I figured out at the end of the show that Trey sang
everysong with words, Of Course Mike , Page, and Fish sang backup in some
songs but it was mainly trey. I Don't know if that's ever happened before,
just checking
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 10:46:34 -0400
From: "Lindsey, Joel" [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: Camden review
Well I must begin with a note of serious disappointment at how poorly the
entry system to the ECenter in Camden is set up. In fact I was convinced
we'd get Strange Design as an opener because of it:) Needless to say, I and
my friends missed the first 4 1/2 songs as we slowly made our way into the
venue. Still, I was excited and this was my first show this tour. I didn't
even want to know what we missed, I just hit the lawn halfway through
Chickenshack and started jamming. So from there:
SPARKLE: I was totally up for it seeing as how it let me keep dancing. I
don't recall it being a particularly outstanding rendition, but I was
smiling.
GIN: Rocked. I wasn't expecting this here, but I was pleased to hear them
get into a nice groove. Trey, in particular, seemed to enjoy this one. By
the way nice jersey he was wearing, eh?
GOLGI: I don't want to sound like a broken record, but this one kept me
moving too. It sounded really tight and came around pretty furiously at the
end. A good set ender, only "Hey, I just got here."
II: TWEEZER: Seemed really slow, which I didn't care for so much in the
beginning, but as the jam came around I was interested where they went. It
sounded absolutely beautiful at times and I got lost in it until some kid
next to me passed out. He really whacked his head on the "lawn" or, as I
refer to it, the Nubian Desert. I think he was ok though.
MOUNTAINS IN THE MIST: Hadn't heard this one yet. It was ok. I always
respect Trey's slower moments, and generally enjoy them. I think this time I
was just starving for some more dancing which came quite surprisingly in the
form of...
BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Admittedly, when I heard the opening licks to this one I
was a bit disappointed. I've just seen it a lot in the last year. But man oh
man did they take this one to a new place. For me this was the highlight of
the show, because it proves (not that there is really any need to) that
these guys put so much effort into what they believe in. They obviously
believe in Birds or else they wouldn't have given it so much attention. And
finally it comes around to a wonderful jam like I heard in Camden. It was
really moving and twisting. A lot of fun. Nice work.
WHEN THE CIRCUS COMES: My first one, and well it was ok. I'm glad I've got
it under my belt.
FLUFFHEAD: As always a great set closer. Trey was bouncing by the return
from Fluff's Travels and he had the whole place rocking. He seemed really
happy tonight. Close to home I guess.
WHILE MY GUITAR: Glad to hear it. I knew it would be something they hadn't
done in a while when Page, Trey and Mike huddled before starting it.
Probably remembering lyrics. It was a nice encore.
TWEEZER REPRISE: Once again Trey's excitement took over, even for this most
expected ending. He took off his guitar and started waving it around the
mics and monit
to watch.
Fun show. Sorry I missed the beginning. Oh yeah, after the show My friends
and I stopped at a 7-11 and I found 4 pints of my favorite and now defunct
Ben and Jerry's flavor, Cool Britannia! I bought them all and luckily they
made it back to my freezer without much damage. Lucky me.
Peace,
Joel
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 12:14:29 -0400
From: kpberg [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Camden Review
Let me begin by telling you about Camden, New Jersey. It is the
ghetto capital of the world with nothing but run down aprtment complexes,
burnt down buildings, and trash everywhere. There are dogs running loose
in the streets with no owners and the people are all ignorant and mean,
even the little kids. When I first arrived in Camden at about 5:00 p.m.
after a 6 hour drive from Virginia Beach, ( I didn't see the Maryland show
which I regret very much after seeing the setlist for the show) I felt a
relief about being back near home again. I live in the suburbs of Philly and
was thankful that after the show I would be able to go home for a day
before moving on to the next venue.
Anyway, right after exit 3 on 676 north there was a major
traffic jam and because I was used to going to the E-centre for other
concerts, I knew that the exit for the show was 5a which wasn't for
another 2-3 miles. Since I just traveled from Virginia I was in no mood
to sit around for an hour before getting into the parking lot, so
I jumped off of exit 3 right into the backstreets of Camden. I didn't
know where I was going but I knew the general direction and proceeded
down Broadway. What a name for a craphole of a road. So I continued almost
running over 2 dogs while hoping I didn't get car jacked at all the red
lights. Eventually I made it back to civilization right into a parking
lot with parties everywhere. I think getting off of that
exit was the smartest thing I ever did because I would still be sitting
out on the interstate with the rest of the unfortunate ones.
My friend and I then went straight to the amphitheatre and got into
the throng of people waiting to get in. At six sharp they started letting
people in and searched everyone blah blah blah. The same old routine you
go through everywhere. We went to go to the lawn but for some reason they
wouldn't let us up in the lawn area. What the hell are these people trying
to prove? Just let us sit down dammit. After ten minutes they finally let
us up. People started running up the side of the hill, but I calmly
walked up the access steps.knowing all the room that was up there. At the
top of the steps, you get one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen.
You look out over the Deleware River with boats sailing around and in the
background is the skyline of Philadelphia. Not the best skyline to see but
it isn't bad at all. The best thing about it was that the sun sets right
behind the city making the view even more wondrous than before.
The show didn't start until 8:30 or so. They really made us wait
this time. But before you knew it the lights flickered out and the crowd
erupted with cheers. Here they come with Page in his usual button down
shirt, Fishman in his dress, and Trey and Mike in their usual clothes.
They opened with Wilson which wasn't bad but I've heard better. Trey
jammed in this song foretelling that he would be on his guitar tonight
which is always a treat when he is.
Right after Wilson they jumped into Chalkdust Torture. This was
better because it was typical Phish, the stuff that reminds everybody why
we love this band so much. Trey once again ripped up and down the guitar
delighting everybody and several times got people screaming in the middle
of the jam. Near the end the band segued into Roggae, which I might add
was cool because Trey and Page seemed as if they were fighting for which
way to turn the next song and eventually turned into Roggae.
Water in the Sky. Wow they really pored a lot into this one. The
whole crowd was singing along to this one. It is really odd how a song
can seem so normal on CD but when played live is just so awesome. This
again shows the power these guys have when they are on stage.The next song
I never heard before so I couldn't really remember how it went but it was
a nice bluesey song which I enjoyed nevertheless.
The familiar ring of Sparkle came on which was a pretty basic tune
for the night. But then Bathtub Gin came on and there is something about
this song that struck me from when I first started listening to Phish. It
was one of the first songs that got me into this band, and every time I
hear it brings a smile to my face.
As soon as that ended, they instantly started playing Golgi
Apparatus. Once they started playing this you knew it was the set closer
but nobody cared because this was a feel good song. I love how they
climax this song and when they did. it sent shivers down my spine. Wow!
That's all I could say or think.
The intermission lasted about :40 minutes. I didn't have a watch on
so I am really only guesstimating the times. But when they came out it was
time to rock. The opener was Tweezer which was done differently then I
ever heard before. It wasn't the standard 8 to 9 minute version or the
20-30 minute version but somewhere in between. It was still really cool
with a lot of effects form Trey's pedals and Page's organ. They segued
this into Mountains in the Mist which when they first started playing it
sounded like Prince Caspian nad was surprised when they started playing
that song.
Birds of a Feather. All right they played this song enough. Not that
it's bad but they just played it two nights ago and I wanted to hear
something else but what can you do. It still featured Trey going nuts on
guitar like ususal and was performed better than in Virginia so it still
was cool. Once again they went from jamming into playing with the tempo
into Circus which put a nice touch on the night. I enjoy this song
and really demonstrastes the range these guys have.
Then they started playing Fluffhead, probably in the top 5 to 10 of
my favorite Phish songs. This song played live really is a treat for
anybody and at the end when all the lights are shining on the crowd and
they sing Fluffhead really loud really sentshivers up and down and
everybody was jumping up and down as they really jammed out the end for a
good five minutes. Whoa, I'm getting chills just thinking about it!
The encore was really quality because it is rare that you get to
here While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Right before they played this song it
appeared as if they had a quick one minute meeting possibly discussing
what song they wanted to play. It was pretty much known that Tweezer
Reprise was going to be played. That is a usual event whenever they play
Tweezer and wrapped up with Trey holding his guitar upin the air while
jamming and swinging it around like it was a sword or something which
really capped off an exciting show.
The show really got a lot of adrenaline flowing while spicing it
up with a blues song and a couple of slow ones with a lot of real good
jamming going on. It was really nice to see Trey play his guitar like he
did tonight and convinces me once again that he is the best guitar player
on the planet. Great show fellows!
Submitted by Kevin Berg
[email protected]
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 01:43:44 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: phish review from a fan
hey-
phish put on one hell of a show. all hail the phish!
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 09:58:51 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: very short camden review
not one of the better ones...the 2nd set was disjointed...the 1st set was
basically "whatever"...hey they cannot all be great...the facility was
nice...highlights to me were Fluffhead & Tweeprise...I leaned on the front
rail & watched the encore only a few feet away from the band...the crowd at
these things is not getting any better...selfishness & immaturity seem to be
the rule of the day
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 05:21:12 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review of 7-10-99
greetings fellow phans,
this is my first review ever, but i've been to 17 shows (and 2 trey
solo) and i feel i am ready, so here I go. I've been on tour since carolina
,and i just got home today. I got a quick one night break, and i've been
dying to post something about tour.
First let me say that as a whole the E centre is the best
amphitheatre i've seen yet. It wasn't a dump like merryweather, nor was the
security tight, which made for a nice lot scene, and a comfortable
atmosphere. (security caught me smokin, and just gave me a dirty look). And
like VA and NC the venue was nice. Plus as the sun set, over philly, w/ the
clouds...well it was pretty. I was sober and i was in aww. I also found a
ticket for great woods in the lots, (I have 2 lawns for the first night of
deer creek to trade for any great woods) - thank you who ever hooked it up
On to the show. The wilson opener rocked, it had the energy to get
the crowd movin, and it was also the perfect time for me to stoke out a spot
in the pavillion. securtiy didn't really mind and by the time they were
cruisin into chalkdust, i was only about 50 feet back from stage center. And
what a ride it was as trey went tearing through the solos and shouted the
lyrics which rang so true within my heart "can't i live while i'm young?".
they jammed out on it for a while and went into roggae to cool things down a
bit. I allways enjoy roggae, but I was hoping for a little more craziness
first. Water in the sky was to follow, and everyone was jammin.
The blues jam was nice. I love it when they play blues, but after
seeing my first jesus in Virginia, this just seemed pretty tame. Sparkle was
sparkle. Bathtub was pretty cool and it gave me the time to go up to the top
of the lawn to watch the sunset. I expected bathtub to close the set, and
was so impressed when they broke into golgi - which was right on.
I was expecting a jam heavy second set, and tonight (being sober) i
was more in the mood to hear some old jams, rather than the newer ambient
ones off the siket disc, tweezer was sweet. the jam seemed very mellow,
which was nice, but i was really excited to hear mountains in the mist. What
was once a beautiful acoustic song, was brought new life by the band.
Then to shake things up a bit, they went into birds of a feather,
which is IMO one of the better ghost tunes. Then they slowed it down again
and played circus, which was nice too, but the closer is what i think really
made the show. It's one of my favirotes - fluffhead is just one of those
songs that you never get sick of. I think they did it pretty well tonight,
not as good as the 12/29/97 one that i saw, but it was my tourbuddy Adam's
first, and we went nuts.
Encore. hmmm, you never ever now...We were all guessing it would be
Reprise, but we all knew the boys would play something else with it, but
what? Now I wasn't sure if this was a great show until they played While my
guitar gently weaps. This was the encore at my first show (6/28/95) and at
the moment i thought it sucked. Then at the garden (12/31/98) it literally
brought tears to my eyes. So tonight as i lestened and felt trey's guitar
weeping, i looked over at the philly nightline, and i had a moment. And for
that one moment everything was perfect, and i knew that i was lucky to be in
the right place at such a right time. Thank god i have this month to do
tour.
then came tweezer reprise. Loud. Hard. Right on as usual. Bang.
Done. House lights, on comes night fever over the PA, and thats it.
It's now 5AM and my review is done so i can sleep. I need the rest,
b/c i gotta leave for great woods soon. I hope to see everyone there and
everywhere else untill deer creek.
Chadwick
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 11:09:34 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: ECentre addition
Bathtub Gin contained a rather searing instrumental version (not just a
tease) of "I'm A Man (Spencer Davis Group-also top 40 hit for Chicago).
Dave
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 11:56:26 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Fwd: review of 7-10-99
greetings fellow phans,
this is my first review ever, but i've been to 17 shows (and 2 trey
solo) and i feel i am ready, so here I go. I've been on tour since carolina
,and i just got home today. I got a quick one night break, and i've been
dying to post something about tour.
First let me say that as a whole the E centre is the best
amphitheatre i've seen yet. It wasn't a dump like merryweather, nor was the
security tight, which made for a nice lot scene, and a comfortable
atmosphere. (security caught me smokin, and just gave me a dirty look). And
like VA and NC the venue was nice. Plus as the sun set, over philly, w/ the
clouds...well it was pretty. I was sober and i was in aww. I also found a
ticket for great woods in the lots, (I have 2 lawns for the first night of
deer creek to trade for any great woods) - thank you who ever hooked it up
On to the show. The wilson opener rocked, it had the energy to get
the crowd movin, and it was also the perfect time for me to stoke out a spot
in the pavillion. securtiy didn't really mind and by the time they were
cruisin into chalkdust, i was only about 50 feet back from stage center. And
what a ride it was as trey went tearing through the solos and shouted the
lyrics which rang so true within my heart "can't i live while i'm young?".
they jammed out on it for a while and went into roggae to cool things down a
bit. I allways enjoy roggae, but I was hoping for a little more craziness
first. Water in the sky was to follow, and everyone was jammin.
The blues jam was nice. I love it when they play blues, but after
seeing my first jesus in Virginia, this just seemed pretty tame. Sparkle was
sparkle. Bathtub was pretty cool and it gave me the time to go up to the top
of the lawn to watch the sunset. I expected bathtub to close the set, and i
was so impressed when they broke into golgi - which was right on.
I was expecting a jam heavy second set, and tonight (being sober) i
was more in the mood to hear some old jams, rather than the newer ambient
ones off the siket disc, tweezer was sweet. the jam seemed very mellow,
which was nice, but i was really excited to hear mountains in the mist. What
was once a beautiful acoustic song, was brought new life by the band.
Then to shake things up a bit, they went into birds of a feather,
which is IMO one of the better ghost tunes. Then they slowed it down again
and played circus, which was nice too, but the closer is what i think really
made the show. It's one of my favirotes - fluffhead is just one of those
songs that you never get sick of. I think they did it pretty well tonight,
not as good as the 12/29/97 one that i saw, but it was my tourbuddy Adam's
first, and we went nuts.
Encore. hmmm, you never ever now...We were all guessing it would be
Reprise, but we all knew the boys would play something else with it, but
what? Now I wasn't sure if this was a great show until they played While my
guitar gently weaps. This was the encore at my first show (6/28/95) and at
the moment i thought it sucked. Then at the garden (12/31/98) it literally
brought tears to my eyes. So tonight as i lestened and felt trey's guitar
weeping, i looked over at the philly nightline, and i had a moment. And for
that one moment everything was perfect, and i knew that i was lucky to be in
the right place at such a right time. Thank god i have this month to do
tour.
then came tweezer reprise. Loud. Hard. Right on as usual. Bang.
Done. House lights, on comes night fever over the PA, and thats it.
It's now 5AM and my review is done so i can sleep. I need the rest,
b/c i gotta leave for great woods soon. I hope to see everyone there and
everywhere else untill deer creek.
Chadwick
click here to return to the 1999 reviews page
hits (many)