7-12-99 -- Great Woods, Mansfield, MA
review submisions [email protected]
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Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 10:20:56 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 07.12.99 Great Woods Review
First of all, let me just say that if you weren't at these shows, you missed
some of the best jams that I have ever had the chance to witness from Phish.
They came out and rocked very tight and with a lot of energy. The new stage
set up has truly affected the sound and the presence of the jams. I for one
felt honored and privileged to be there. TREY CUT HIS HAIR.
7.12.99
I: Foreplay>Long Time>DWD, Get Back On The Train>What's The Use, SOAM, Water
In The Sky, Character Zero
II: Twist Around, Moma Dance, Makisupa Policeman, David Bowie,
Lizards>Guyute
E: Rock And Roll
Foreplay>Long Time: Well, I've never been a fan of Boston and that is not
going to change anytime soon, but for some reason whenever Phish covers a
song, it just sounds great and this was no exception. Good clean Jam.
DWD: Awesome. Nothing more to say.
Get Back On The Train>What's The Use: Good Jam for Train, nice and clean.
The tempo was great and the song was just about flawless. I don't yet have
The Siket Disc, so I had no idea what the hell was going on for What's The
Use, but it sure sounded cool, what with all of the....nevermind.
SOAM: I can't say enough about this one. Great Jam, one of my favorite
songs ever. Ever since I was at the 10.19.96 show in Buffalo, I always felt
that this song was Phish's Theme Song. All the cards just get laid out on
the table for this one.
Water In The Sky: Good Bluegrass Jam
Character Zer0: Rockin way to end the set. Niiiice.
Twist Around: The best version I have heard live yet. Tight and energetic.
Jammed well as always.
Moma Dance: This song is epic. Anyone who tries to tell you different is a
government agent trying to subvert the Phish Community.
Makisupa Policeman: What can I say?? "Stay Kind"
David Bowie: UNREAL. Definitely the Highlight of the show. They must have
jammed this one for two hours or so. I didn't think it was ever going to
end...sweet.
Lizards: Good Old Gamhenge
Guyute: Shouldn't have been put on the CD. It's much better live.
Rock And Roll: Didn't really catch all of it; was still trying to get over
Bowie
"Everybody has gotten it wrong all these years; The 'G' is soft...it's
Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan on bass....Air Jordan on bass everyone!!"
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 23:23:00 -0500
From: Justin Antos [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: 7/12/99 Mansfield Review
Well, last night was my 19th birthday, and it was the best thing in the
world to spend the first day of my 20th year with great music, soothing
vibes, and good fun. I find myself with a few hours to kill before I head
right back down to the Tweeter Center, so I'll write down my thoughts from
last night. For those of you who care, this was show #7 for me, and I've
got about 300 hours on tape.
Scene: I thought it was fine, but I didn't get a chance to spend much time
taking it in. The parking at this place has remained horrendous since the
first time I came to a show here in 1995, I'll say that much. The funniest
thing I saw all night was on the sign on the off-ramp to the venue. We
were inching along in traffic, and saw someone had pasted a piece of paper
with a big "Z" on it over the second "t" in "Tweeter Center, Exit 11B." It
was hilarious, and I wish I had a camera.
The new stage set up makes for a more focused sound, in my opinion. Gone
are the days when Trey seems to be off in another world, jamming the hell
out of some rock+roll rager, or blowing the roof off of a Maze. He seems
to be more restrained, sometimes chording lightly while letting other
members step into the fore, and sometimes noodling tastefully around the
constructions of Mike or Page. Very rarely last night did I see him take
the reins and refuse to let go,vis a vis 11/27/98 II. Fish does seem to
have a stronger presence, and I thought it worked well in places, and in
some places it didn't. Read on for more explanation.
Set I: Foreplay > Long Time, Down with Disease, Get Back on the Train,
What's the Use (Siket tune), SOAMelt, Water in the Sky, CharZero
I'd never heard that opener before, but I thought the Boston/Boston
connection was tasteful, as was "It's been a long time" (Phish hasn't
played Great Woods since 1994).
The DwD was the centerpiece to the first set, along with SOAMelt. In this
DwD, the rest of the band kept moving away from the main theme, and Fish
seemed like he was stuck in a rut. He wouldn't budge for at least a few
minutes, and when he did great things started happening. The band found a
wonderful, mellow, groove, Trey noodling and Page a strong presence as
well. It was that much-sought-after "whole band jam." They stayed with it
for a few minutes, and then Trey brought them back into the chorus. Very
fine piece of music. (P.S. I can't believe the writer for the Boston
Globe thought this was jammed for "too long." Good grief!)
The tune from the Siket Disc was very appropriate, fitting with the whole
"mellow" theme. It was wierd to experience a very jammish tune out of
nowhere, though. I prefer these new introspective fragments that riddle
Story of the Ghost to come tucked away in little corners of bigger jams - a
perfect example of that would be 4/2/98 Wolfmans>Sneakin Sally>Frankie
Sez>Twist. My friend, who usually likes rock+roll songs like Chalkdust and
Character Zero, even liked this one.
The band really sank their teeth into SOAMelt, and it was solidly executed
until the very end, where I felt Trey decide to give the energy a boost,
and it didn't seem natural. It was like he felt he needed to up the energy
level of the jam so he could end the song. I had the same feeling at the
end of the Bowie in set II. More on that later.
Set II: Twist Around, Moma Dance, Makisupa, Bowie, Lizards, Guyute E:
Rock+Roll
The Twist opener was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting it because of
it's appearance two shows earlier. Nice funk, solid jam -- a tasty treat.
Moma was fine. Makisupa was longer than some I remember, which was fun. I
thought Trey said "stink kind" not "stay kind," (cf. the HFB) but either
way it was amusing, and the reggae was thick.
Then came the Bowie. Oh, the Bowie. This was by far the best part of the
whole show. Of course, you're getting my biased, pro-type-II opinion, but
you know well to take it for what it's worth. The high-hat intro wasn't
particularly long or out of the ordinary (no secret language, etc.), and
things didn't start to get good until the jam segment (of course, I think
that about every song). They immediately backed off the jam, bringing the
level waaay down. Down down it went, until Fish was barely tapping a
cymbal, Trey was quiet, Mike was tickling one note, and all that was
noticeable was the occasional plunk of Page's piano. The jam rolled around
down there for a while, emerging from the ooze to take a quick breath, and
then back down under again. The band was taking us down... way down, into
the depths of black, blue, purple goop, exploring and probing at every
turn. Not spacing out 1998-style, just digging down, and digging deep.
Some call it mellow, I call it damn good. Things started to heat up again,
Page taking over and gently nudging up the energy level. Fish followed
suit, and soon the jam began to sound more like a normal Bowie again. But
sure enough, With Trey mostly on the sidelines, it fell back again. Down
to near quietness, like something from Set IV Lemonwheel. Then back up
again, up and down, it seemed like three or four false climaxes spaced out
by a good four minutes or so each.
But the jam's novelty started to wear off after awhile, and no one in the
band did anything to change its direction. No big shifts from Fish, so
Trey went into the normal sliding Bowie riff. But he wasn't riding on the
crest of a natural energy from the audience, like in Antelopes and the
previous SOAMelt. I felt like he was being constrained by the fact that
the song had an orchestrated ending and he needed to reach a certain point
for that ending to work. I would have been much more satisfied had they
bagged the ending altogether and drifted out into space some more, like
11/30/97 Stash drifted effortlessly into Free.
But in any case, this Bowie is something to remember. It was by far the
highlight of the show for me, and others too. This song is probably the
only reason I'll trade for the tapes in a month or two (in case you didn't
get it, that was a hint to all you people posting grovels for shows that
happened five days ago).
The next two songs are very jam-unfriendly, which made me wince a little,
but I still enjoyed them. Not much to say, really, except nicely executed.
It was very cool to watch Trey's fingers fly up and down his guitar on the
video screens they had set up on the lawn.
I'm going to write a review of Tuesday night, too, where I want to say a
few things about the sound and style of Phish in general. So I'll keep the
generalizations minimal.
Recap: fair first set, opener was fun, Disease was highlight, What's the
Use was nice, and the SOAMelt sounded like it was going to be something
wonderful and then kind of fizzled prematurely.
After a solid, smoking Twist, the band played one of the best Bowies I've
ever experienced.
Anyway, please write back with comments, criticisim, concurrences,
disagreements, etc. CC: any replies to me at [email protected].
------------------------------------
Justin Antos
[email protected]
http://www.erols.com/antos
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 16:51:29 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: my review of 7/12/99
what up cat?! all i have to say is "wow.." the last two nights were
absoulutely incredible. soooo much energy flowin' this way and that. now i
still haven't come down off my cloud yet. i woke this morning still with the
buzz that i get after and before every time phish performs. to bad i have to
work tomorrow or else i've would have been goin down to jew jersey:( and for
the record, let me also state that these two shows were number's 17 & 18 for
me. i'll try to give you a mini reviewin standard format; as to the best my
memory serves:
7/12/99 Great Woods (Tweezer Center), Mansfield, MA setI
Foreplay > Longtime: was a scream, totlay rocked. honestly, the last show
i've ever seen at great woods before these two phish shows, was two
summer's
ago when i saw boston!! how funny is it that phish open's with their most
famous tune???!
had me and my girl who was also at that boston show with me, shakin' out
heads
Down w/ Disease: not what i'd expected. phish's sound is much deeper now with
fish's new setup causing trey and the boy's to produce an odd bunch of
musical layers and flavors floating around out there giving the jam more life
and textures than normal. i have to hear it again, but it could be a new
favorite of mine
Get Back on the Train: first time i heard it. nice tune with a cool
beat.."chug-a-chug-a-chug.."
What's the Use: reminds me of a huge slow moving mass, like a blob. dark &
ominous with deep undertones rolling about. lenghty and repetituious, this
song posses the ability for a wide room to jam
SOAM: i really love the versions best from 93' & 94' and i thought this song
was done as of recent years but this version ended up being the very best
i've ever heard live.. wow!! you have to hear it, very cool
H2O in the Sky: a whole lot better than i'd seen it played on 11/29/97..
Character0: not a favorite but definitley rocked with many cresendo's at the
end closing a somewhat average set. down w/ disease, soam & foreplay >
longtime were the best tunes of set..unbeleivable
set II
Twist Around: nice to hear a song which i thought had completely disapeared
from rotation. solid jam which didn't stray to far from the basic chords and
theme, but came back around again into the lyrics for its finish. got the
crowd fired up for..
Moma Dance: best version ever!! i though the jam would never take us to
trey's opening lyric segment. it jammed longer and harder than i've ever seen
or heard it done before. we danced so hard and never wanted it to end
Makisupa: long and extremely experiMENTAL. the song just continued to stretch
out and widen with trey on his small keyboard goin' nuts. i was happy to hear
this as i was calling it before the show. it ended up in..
Bowie: best version since 11/29/94, nuff said..
Lizards: i thought the song was well placed and had high energy. page was
crazy on the boards as was chris on the lights
Guyute: not what i wanted, another solid performance of this song, even
though trey hacked the ending guitar lines a bit, but was soild
non-the-less
IMHO: good show though the boys never really seemed to be "on" all night at
all. every song was it's own masterpiece with no catchy or beautiful segues
at all. i was just soooo psyched to see a show again. see you'all in NY
<"((>{
peace,
brendan
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 14:58:24 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Great Woods 7/12/99
I must say this was quite a show, but I feel that we have all seen better.
Sets are getting shorter, and ticket prices going up. I don't intend to only
complain, phish can move me in any way that is possibale.
The ocasion was perfect: July 12, my 17th birthday DWD was a nice switch.
Bowie and Lizards was quite a susprise followed by guyute. Rock and Roll was
a little mellow, but fun.
The best part of the show is the crowd, but the massive numbers of k-9 is
getting out of control.
However something to think about: the horse's that the cop's ride shit all
over the place, and they leave it on the ground for us to walk in. But dog
shit is rare, this is because some people have a little common decency to
pick up the dog shit, and this makes it quite clear that the thick headed
pigs don't really give a damn about our comfort, or saftey, what happens when
the horse spooks and tramples 15 people? Well i was just thinking about that
last night when i almost walked right into a huge pile of shit.
See you all tonight. No More Rain Tonight!!!!!!
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 11:09:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dan Ford [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Phish certainly has changed. I long for the days when I was in college
and could blow off work and catch a few Phish shows. Last time I saw
the fellas was down at MSG (10/22/96). I am 26 and carry a cell phone
so it's becoming more difficult to relate to the masses at the shows.
Take almost three years off from seeing Phish and you realize they are
not going to wait around for you. That's good and bad. It's good for
the band to continue to evolve bad for me because there were a few new
songs I didn't really know.
For the show....not the best I've seen (35 shows strong spanning 8
years). Second set was much better than the first, however, Foreplay -
Long Time was great. They could have trimmed some of the fat on the jam
in DWD. Definetly the most mellow Split Open and Melt I've ever heard.
Check for a tape of Binghamton, NY spring of '96 for a great SOAM.
Great set closer with Character Zero.
Set II was much better than the first and more up tempo. Policeman,
Bowie, Lizards, that was a great stretch. Guyute was terrific. Fun
encore.
Overall sound was okay. A lot of crowd noise bouncing off the ceiling
of Great Woods. Couldn't hear the nice pin drops of Pages fingers
tickling the ivorys.
I get older and the crowd gets younger. I can't stand seeing parents
picking up their 15 year-olds at the flag poles.
Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 22:38:00 EDT
From: Michael Brown [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Comment on your review of Great Woods
As I was reading your review I generally agreed with what you were saying
until the very last part about hating to see 15 year olds being picked up by
their parents. I'm not 15, but I was, a few years ago. I'm now 18 and have
been to 24 shows, my first one in 1996. Although I will admit I am
definately annoyed by the teeny-bopper kids who looked as if they belonged
at woodstock rather than a phish show, I feel I must speak up and say that
phish has invaded high schools all around the country. Every little brother
of every head I know is listening to Phish now. Alot of the kids whom you
are probably referring to will never see another phish show again, but alot
of them will turn into really cool heads. So what if they were being picked
up by their parents? We all have to start somewhere. And you'd be surprised,
Bouncing sometimes isnt the only song they know, I know when I saw my first
show I had been collecting tapes for about a year prior. Anyway, I didnt
mean to rant on and offend you, just wanted to comment and say that while
some of the kids may be annoying, in a few years they will be well regarded
members of the Phish community at large. Why discriminate? Though they may
be in over their heads, their only there to have fun.
Thanks for your time,
Mike
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 12:48:01 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: 7/12/99 Tweeter Center
IMHO this was a wonderful night of Phish.
The crowd and the scene were as good for a Great Woods show as I can
remember - not too many a-holes, not too many rowdies, cops were relatively
chill, especially compared to horde last summer! At least you could drink a
beer in peace.
Aside from the ridiculous amount of dogs in the lot (please leave
pooches home or at a kennel) and the even more riciculous appearance of the
Tommy Hilfiger blimp, everything went smoothly getting in and hanging out.
Spent the first set on the lawn - and just like Camden, i thought
their was a good vibe in the crowd, and unlike almost everyshow last summer i
didn't have some tone-deaf meathead screaming errant lyrics in my ear - and
the second in section 2 about 1/3 of the way back. The sound was good in
both spots and the videos were pretty diverting up top.
The opener was totally appropriate and masterfully played (I'll try
to stay away from the standard format review). Nice touch from the boys
after a long absence in Mansfield...basically their homecourt.
I liked the D w/Disease. The new setups seems to be leading towards
somewhat different jams then i've gotten used to over the last few years (oh,
incidentally, 49 shows after last night, first show: 12/7/91). But i've seen
so many d w/d's it was the perfect time to go find a dank, painfully
expensive harpoon ipa and watch the sunset from the edge of the stairs on the
lawn. "Train" and "What's the Use" were nice, but didn't fire me up too
too much.
The SOAM was one of the best i've ever seen and i cannot wait to
listen to it again, once the cd's make it my way...hint hint. Mike and
Fishman were really throbbing some bottom-end way out into the crowd.
Zero was disappointing at first - i wanted an antelope - but they
went nuts on it, crescendo after crescendo to a huge explosive finish...like
you read about it.
I was in line for a water when the Twist around started...my first live twist
and i had alot of fun with it. Moma Dance was a great followup to it and
kept everything moving along really nice. Pheel the phunk.
Makisupa was fun, especially with a straight on view of Mike, dropping bombs.
Short segue into Bowie. The Bowie was great, but for the first time in my
experience NOT the highlight of the set. That came in the form of the
back-to-back Lizards and Guyute. These two songs put me into a great mental
space: lizards is as vibrant as it was 8 years ago and the chorus still makes
me jump up and down uncontrollably, smile gleaming.
Guyute was superb, phenomenal, wunderbar!!! Trey was really into it and the
lights, the crowd and the music combined for an amazing feeling.
Rock and Roll was a fitting encore and raged just like you would expect.
They finished with 2 minutes to spare before the dreaded 11 pm mansfield
curfew.
Tonight should be special.
RWP
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 10:24:51 -0400
From: David Goldstein [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/12 Great Woods show
7/12/99 Great Woodz (a.k.a The Tweeter (or some would say Tweezer)
Center).
At least from where we were coming in, traffic was remarkable minimal.
Venue was really close to the exit, and there were plenty of folks
directing traffic, so maybe this is why. Unfortunately, we were directed
to what me and my friends ended up calling a "bait" lot, a section of
the lot sanctioned off from everything else, and swarming with cops. We
basically witnessed tragedy 5 cars down from us. These two biker pigs
spy some average looking guys sipping Bud Light out of a can and go to
investigate. No warnings were given. One kid gets arrested, his friends
get kicked out, everything gets confiscated, the pigs take some brews
for themselves, and the whole process requires at least 9 authority
figures to get rid of four kids. You've got this kid in handcuffs scared
shitless while this cop is sprouting legalese and saying shit like
"...you're lucky I'm in a good mood.." Talk about redneck bullies trying
to make an example. Suffice to say, I didn't feel like finishing my
Newcastle anymore, and the whole incident sort of brought me down to an
extent. People try to tell me that the vast majority of officers are
model citizens who merely exist to help others, but after witnessing the
demeanor of cops at Phish shows, not to mention the tales of brutality
at the hands of the NYC and Philadelphia PD, I simply can't believe that
all of the time. Ok...off of the soapbox.
Bacon aside, I've lived in New England all my life, but until recently
had never been to the Tweeter Center. Nice place. Heavily wooded with
scenic walkways and more places to go during setbreak than your average
venue. Acoustics from the lower pavillion Page side were pretty awful,
but the place has some charm, unlike say, The Meadows in Hartford, CT
(which I hope Phish never plays...ever).
I: Foreplay/Longtime, DWD, Get Back on the Train, What's the Use, Melt,
H20 in the Sky, Character 0
Foreplay>Longtime: I was thinking...hmmm...it's Great Woods, so first a
novelty opener, and then Down With. I was correct. This was a blast.
Much more effective when it's played with electric guitars as opposed to
the bluegrass setup. Of course it's appropriate because they haven't
played there in four years, and we're right next door to BOSTON
(although probably the former more than the latter). Great rock n' roll.
Down W/: A solid Type I Disease that seemed to drag on for a little too
long before Trey went for the reprise. Good, just a little less
interesting than ones I've heard in the past. Right now I'm digging
11/24/98 from New Haven.
Get Back on the Train: A first for me. Cool tune, needs a little more
spice. A bluesy ditty that's similar to My Soul, and sort of has a
clickity-clack beat reminiscent of the train which it encompasses.
What's the Use: I've yet to hear the Siket Disc, and this tune, if not
danceable, was at least interesting. A huge, hulking, mass of somewhat
scary pyschedelia, it had most of the audience (myself included)
scratching their heads. Vaguely reminiscent of the "Feedback" portions
of late 60's Dead shows (see Live Dead). I'd be happy if I never heard
it again.
Split Open and Melt: Very good version. Most of the recent Melts I've
seen are extremely dissonant and noisy, while this one had a suprisingly
mellow mid-section that could be even described as melodic. A different
direction for the Melt. This was of course before Trey went for the
killer traditional ending. A set highlight.
Water in the Sky: ....hello...Camden ?....the last time this song was
played in my presence, I was in the john, but I was able to hear it this
time. I like the reworked version much more than the original, and it
gives us yet another opportunity to see why Page is the man. A pleasant
ditty which will put a grin on your face, but there's only so much that
can be done with it.
Charcter Zero: "There's one thing that you can bet, that Zero closes
every set! ........AIE AIE!!!" Does it rock? Yeah. Is it predictable?
Yeah. Did I want to hear something else? Yeah.
A fantastic opener was contained in this set, as well as a great Melt,
and an average version of DWD, which is still ok by me. Everything else,
however, was relatively unspectacular.
break muzik: Luscious Jackson's "Fever in Fever Out". This is a great
album. So is their new disc, "Electric Honey". Buy it. Apparently Paul
likes them, and you should too.
II: Twist, MOMA, Makisupa, Bowie, Lizards, Guyute
Twist: I love this song, and I'm glad that they seem to have put it in
regular rotation. That said, the jam, though containing plenty of rock,
seemed to just sit there, without much direction. They seemed to latch
onto a groove near the end, but Trey brought it back around to the
chorus. Regardless, this was enjoyable. For an unbelieveable version of
the song, check out 4/2/98.
MOMA Dance: Good placement. It's about time there was a number that lent
itself to some 'gettin down. Solid version of the song with a longer
Trey solos at the end than usual. It just seemed to have some added
punch that made it a remarkable version of an already good song.
Makisupa: Strange set placement which I suppose worked. I was hoping
Trey would get up and say something like "Woke up in the
morning...fucking pigs in lots", but instead, the word 'o the day was
"stink kind". This was a particuarly experimental version of the song.
Trey goofing with his mini keyboard, wierd Page noises, Mike spanking
his bass like it was an insubordinate child, and heavy doses of
tomfoolery throughout. Fun.
David Bowie: The centerpiece of an already unorthodox, but good, second
set. Rather lengthy with a dark, menacing midsection that will probably
across better on tape than it did in person. Hammer-on ending was solid
of course. Nice.
Lizards: Woohoo! Never changes a hell of a lot, just a great, happy song
that sounds good just about anywhere.
Guyute: A groaned a little when this kicked in, but for some reason, it
had an added resonance being played late in the second set, and I
enjoyed it thoroughly despite the obvious lack of variation. One of the
tighest versions I've seen, with Trey flubs at at an almost non-existent
minimum.
There wasn't much in this second set that made my jaw drop, but it was
still extremely well played, and very enjoyable. It benefitted from good
song placement, and band enthusiasm. Nothing mindblowing, but nothing
amiss either.
The "Rock and Roll" encore was simply awesome, and probably the greatest
thing they played all night. Sent everyone off in a good mood.
So the verdict for night one is a tentative thumbs up. First set was a
little weak, but the second was definitely good, if not great. The
encore boosted everything up a notch however. Bummer about the 11pm
curfew. But, I raise this question...if the band knows they have to be
off by 11pm, then why go on 45 minutes late all the time? I dunno. More
on night two later. peace
dave g.
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 12:48:01 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: 7/12/99 Tweeter Center
IMHO this was a wonderful night of Phish.
The crowd and the scene were as good for a Great Woods show as I can
remember - not too many a-holes, not too many rowdies, cops were relatively
chill, especially compared to horde last summer! At least you could drink a
beer in peace.
Aside from the ridiculous amount of dogs in the lot (please leave
pooches home or at a kennel) and the even more riciculous appearance of the
Tommy Hilfiger blimp, everything went smoothly getting in and hanging out.
Spent the first set on the lawn - and just like Camden, i thought
their was a good vibe in the crowd, and unlike almost everyshow last summer i
didn't have some tone-deaf meathead screaming errant lyrics in my ear - and
the second in section 2 about 1/3 of the way back. The sound was good in
both spots and the videos were pretty diverting up top.
The opener was totally appropriate and masterfully played (I'll try
to stay away from the standard format review). Nice touch from the boys
after a long absence in Mansfield...basically their homecourt.
I liked the D w/Disease. The new setups seems to be leading towards
somewhat different jams then i've gotten used to over the last few years (oh,
incidentally, 49 shows after last night, first show: 12/7/91). But i've seen
so many d w/d's it was the perfect time to go find a dank, painfully
expensive harpoon ipa and watch the sunset from the edge of the stairs on the
lawn. "Train" and "What's the Use" were nice, but didn't fire me up too
too much.
The SOAM was one of the best i've ever seen and i cannot wait to
listen to it again, once the cd's make it my way...hint hint. Mike and
Fishman were really throbbing some bottom-end way out into the crowd.
Zero was disappointing at first - i wanted an antelope - but they
went nuts on it, crescendo after crescendo to a huge explosive finish...like
you read about it.
I was in line for a water when the Twist around started...my first live twist
and i had alot of fun with it. Moma Dance was a great followup to it and
kept everything moving along really nice. Pheel the phunk.
Makisupa was fun, especially with a straight on view of Mike, dropping bombs.
Short segue into Bowie. The Bowie was great, but for the first time in my
experience NOT the highlight of the set. That came in the form of the
back-to-back Lizards and Guyute. These two songs put me into a great mental
space: lizards is as vibrant as it was 8 years ago and the chorus still makes
me jump up and down uncontrollably, smile gleaming.
Guyute was superb, phenomenal, wunderbar!!! Trey was really into it and the
lights, the crowd and the music combined for an amazing feeling.
Rock and Roll was a fitting encore and raged just like you would expect.
They finished with 2 minutes to spare before the dreaded 11 pm mansfield
curfew.
Tonight should be special.
RWP
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 09:23:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: Daniel Alford [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Last night
Just a precusor... I like phish... a lot. That's why I go to see them.
I'm not someone who goes just to have an excuse to bitch about what
they played or didn't or why it's not as cool as some other show. I
do, however, take my music seriously and don't think everything is
awesome just because I'm at a show...
Ahhh... the long wait has finally ended. From the second that first
set list scrolled across my screen I have been anxiously awaiting the
boys^� glorious return to Great Woods, a venue with rude security and
horrible parking; just the sort of place that churns out great shows.
Since New Year^�s I ^�ve caught a handful of solo acts and enjoyed them
all but Phish^�s return to Boston after almost three years was bound to
be something. And what better way is there to say hello than with a
ragin^� Foreplay > Long Time opener? It^�s stuff like that that makes
these guys absolutely kick ass. (For those not well versed in classic
rock the paired set of tunes is by Boston.) It was lengthy but not
long and had a screechy transition into Mikes bubbling intro to DWD. A
fun version at about 20 minutes, the jam started with an up tempo jam
led by Trey... traveling on that Type A course for about 10 minutes to
a point where Mike thumped out a series of low end clusters that sent
Trey into a staccato Trey noodle that lingered throughout the rest of
the song. A launch pad for serious jams in the past few years, this
DWD never really lost itself but, as I said, was fun nonetheless.
GBOTT is a great groove that moves along slowly, clacking over the
rails... sort of similar to Caution in that respect although this is a
trip through a river valley, whereas Caution is a train wreck. It
wasn^�t much different from TAB versions. For me the highlight of the
set and probably the night was the following pair of songs. First
What^�s the Use is awesome. I hadn^�t heard it yet (problems at Dry
Goods) but it was obvious what it was from early on... a slow,
plodding, delay looped brontosaurus of despair...Absolutely
breathtaking! It^�s like the deepest recesses of a jam, but it^�s a
song. That was followed by a weird SOAM with Mike driving the song
structure which was followed by the nights best example of ego less
jamming (with the possible exception of Bowie). I could do without the
Bluegrass stuff all together but H2O had some nice work by Page and
proceeded the Zero set closer. Some folks like to get their rock n
roll fix with Chalkdust but for me it^�s Zero. It simply blazes. I was
out of my head.
Short set break... 30 minutes... A fun Twist opened with Trey grinning
away... a good upbeat jam with a pretty yellowish segment in the
middle. A drop segue went into a smokin^� Moma Dance. This set was
owned by Mike... he has become such an incredibly strong player; he is
a skyscraper sending out tsunamis of sound. Also the pre-lyrics jam
was more improvised than recent versions, which is great because it had
become too scripted for my taste. Makisupa, laden with swells,
followed... Key word Stay Kind (I think it was Stink Kind)... into
Bowie. Twenty five minutes with a short intro and long quiet jam... so
pretty and absolutely mesmerizing... into Lizards, the first I^�ve seen
in almost three years. Such a fun song with a gorgeous prayer segment.
I^�d almost forgotten what is was like to see it live. Also Page
dominated the drowning jam, I mean absolutely dominated. He also added
some really cool color at the end of the Guyute closer before lighting
up the crowd with a romping Rock and Roll encore. A solid night of
good music and lots of fun.
Just some general notes: I was on the lawn and the sound was great on
Pages side. Also the people were cool, not talkative and very
friendly... definitely there for the music. Also I like putting Fish
in the center of the band; he is so skilled and people should really
focus on his playing.
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 12:11:21 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Great Woods Review for 7-12
I really wasnt all that impressed by the show......You would think that being
away from Great Woods for five years would make Phish want to do something
special........It just didnt seem there last night. The Forplay/Longtime
opener was incredible I will say that....It was appropriate for obvious
reasons and it made me think that the night was going to be something
special.....
DWD-It just didnt do anything for me...I will have you know that I have never
been a big fan of this song....so I guess that my opinion is not really that
good .....but this is just one of the songs I could do without hearing
Get Back on the Train-Funk.....very good......playing it so much....very bad
Whats the Use-Hard Rocking and no words......very good.....playing it so
much.......very bad
SOAM-Excellent........always good to hear.....especially since it was the
first of the tour
Water- I have no problems with hearing this song in the first set....and it
definitely calmed me down after a great SOAM....again though....they just
played it the last show.
CharacterZero-You knew that it was the end of the set once they busted this
out......which is my only complaint
Setbreak-Scored my friends front row ticket........very good
I dont know if I should do this......but I would like to take just a second
to let you know.......I was in heaven for the second set (or so I
thought).....I was no more than 10 feet from Trey.....and I just couldnt wait
for the set to start.....much better than sitting way in the back of the
pavillion which is where I was for the first set.......Unfortunately once the
set started this guy felt the need to dance so fucking obnoxiously that he
was pissing everyone off.........and everytime somebody got within 10
freaking feet of him he would tell them to move because he payed for his
seat.........what a freaking jack off this guy was.........
Twist-Nice way to open
Moma Dance-good funk.......Dont stop a rockin
Makisupa-This is what I am talking about.......First of the tour......Nice
and funky......who cares if they were off???It was a lot of fun.......One
thing I was noticing was that Trey was making much more eye contact than
usual with audience members........hmmm........
Bowie-Very nice placement I thought.......but I was getting worried that the
set was going to be done there because of the god damn Great Woods 11:00
noise curfew......boy was I wrong
Lizards-One of my favorites.....2 words for this......Page rocks
Guyute-Knew that it would close the set......but its all good......Trey was
having so much fun.......
Encore-A husband and wife who had there wedding take place at a Phish
show.......HOW COO IS THAT.........wanted to get in the front row.....so of
course I let them get in front of me......but in order to do this I had to
move back 3 or 4 feet.........I was apparently invading this asshole in the
front rows territory.......He told me to either move out of his way or tell
the bride and groom to move.......I love The Velvet Underground....and Rock
and Roll was just an awesome choice I thought........
Hopefully tonight will be something a little bit more special.......if you
see the asshole in the front row.....tell him that he just doesnt get
it.......Hope to see you all tonight thru
Toronto......yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 11:25:49 +0000
From: Mark Reading [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Phish@Great Woods 7-12-99
I thought the show was one of the better ones i've HEARD since following
the boys in 90'. The drug scene great if you were doing, horrifying for
the sober. Personally, if the drugs around you bother you dont come. If
you cant close your eyes and listen to the riffs[by the way, that's why
you are there] maybe you belong at an Englebert Humperdink
show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't get all pissed off because the kid next to
you is trippin his ass off or puking etc.. just be happy it is not
you!TED!
FIRST SET: personal highlights SOAMawesome as usual! DWD
one of my favorites, Trey was drooling by the way!H2O in sky was a big
let down but the boys certainly turned it back around in a hurry. Blah
Blah Blah!
SET BREAK:Freaky as hell, I loved it. It reminded my of
being at Highgate Vt @ the Dead looking out at 75,000 people who were
looking right back at me ALL OF THEM! Very cool! Good company all around
in pav. DAN from Chicago, Scott from CAlifornia, and me Dave from down
the road. LOL GOOD TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SET 2: AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME (sorry about the
northeast words) We made our way up to the lawn. You could feel the
aruora in the air it was overwhelming yet refreshing. The set list
rocked, the band rocked, the phans rocked, Page rocked,THE SHOW JUST
ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LEAVING THE LOT: Probally the longest time i've ever
spent sitting in one spot in my car besides Phishbowlin'. I live 20
mins. from Great Woods, of course we hung out for a while but, we got in
the car at 12:52 and We were home by 3:00 I LIVE 20 MINS AWAY. Oh well
i'm not really bitching but what do you say we maybe pay a little more
attention to leaving once you are in your car rollin' THANX MUCH
See ya 2-nite,
DAVE FROM DOWN THE ROAD!
p.s Hope
Fishman comes out doing some crazy sh_t tonight. He is known to put on a
hell of a show in Mansfield. i.e Purple Rain w/ vacuum. "MORE
LIGHTERS!!!!!"
PEACE Y'ALL : )
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 08:48:53 -0400
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: great woods review
Well, it was good to be back home. It took me all of 45 minutes to get to the
show. A little different than the trip to Camden. The lot scene was good but
there are just way too many cops around mansfield. It looked like they were
bringing them in from all areas of Mass. On to the show. Show time was about
7:45 about 30 minutes earlier than when I thought they would go on.
Foreplay>Longtime was totally unexpected. I thought it sounded great. I was a
pretty big Boston fan as a child and as soon as I heard the opening notes to
Foreplay, I was screaming the name of the tune. People were looking at me like
I was an alien. After longtime, you could hear Mike getting ready for the
DWD.Great spacy jam. Next up was Get Back on the Train. I had never heard the
song before but I thought it was pretty groovy. After train, they went into
some weird feedback type jam. I personally thought they were playing some old
Pumpkins' tune. I guess it was What's the Use. I thought it was really awesome.
Next, they rolled into one of my favorite tunes. Melt. I had actually called
this for an opener so was especially pumped. It raged. Unbelievable jam. Water
in the Sky and Character Zero finished it out. After the melt, the last two
were just throwaways. Setbreak was about 45 minutes. Twist opened the second
set, another of my favs. It had a great segue right into the Moma. I was
actually hoping that it would be BEK but I still love the phunk!!! It was
great. Next up was Makisupa. DANK! trey was goofing on his little keyboard
during the jam segment. Next up was David Bowie. The song ripped. It was
amazing. Definitely the best bowie I've seen since 12-29-94. After Bowie, they
rolled into Lizards. I was so pumped. Looks like no gamehenge for Great Woods
but I've already seen one there so I'm cool with it. Lizards was such a treat.
Guyute was next, and if it wasn't perfect, it was pretty damn close. The second
set just raged throughout. As an encore, they played the VU classic Rock N
Roll. Page was going crazy. It was so phat. Easily, one of the top 5 shows
that I've ever seen. Expectations were high for this show and were totally
fufilled. Looking for another epic tonight.....peace.....M
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 10:51:10 -0400
From: Jesse S. Cunningham [email protected]
Reply-To: "[email protected]"@erols.com
To: [email protected]
Subject: Great Woods Review
Great Woods Review Part I:
Wow, that show last night was absolutely incredible. I'm really at a
loss for words. The scene was great, the venue was great, and the band
was spectacular. This was my eighth show and it beats all of them hands
down. Despite bad traffic, a long setbreak and a mediocre encore, the
show was HOT!!!! here's how it went
Foreplay/Longtime- I knew exactly what song this was the minute they hit
that first hard chord. It was so appropriate to not only play a Boston
song but to also play this one since they have not played the Woods in a
long time. Awesome opener!
DWD- WOW! this was by far the best version of the song I've heard(it was
my fifth) the jam was very tight. It was very driven by Trey and
Page(this would continue throughout the night) and the jam was something
else. very spacey. seemed to drag on a tad too long.
Get back on the train- very funky. my first so it was very nice to hear.
a cool and calm song to hear after a rippinfg DWD.
What's the use- Very few folks around me knew what this was and a lot of
people went to the bathrooms. why? I have no clue because this is the
best song on the Siket Disc and it was nice to see the sun setting
behind me in the lawn. I happen to love this song, so i was very glad to
hear it. Mike was especially hot on this one(he was the whole night!!)
SOAMELT- Yes!! This was my first time hearing this and it is awesome
live! It was perfect length and Fishman and Mike dominated. Incredible.
WitS- Why do people dislike this tune so much? It seemed to be another
pee break. Luckily i did not have to go. Anyway, this was another calm
one after a fast and furious Soamelt.
Character Zero- had a feeling this one was coming as a closer. Just
amazing. Trey was going crazy waving his axe around. this was a great
version and the crowd was lovin it! Trey thanked the crowd and they left
abruptly.
Set Grade- a well deserved 10! There was nothing bad you could say!
Set 2
Twist Around- this was my first and i did not know what it was until the
chorus. It got me dancing and thats always a good thing. Mike was really
showing his prowess with this one and throughout the whole night.
Moma Dance- Another one that got me dancing. 100% funk. all smiles from
Trey even though he was flubbing a little bit.
Markisupa- I was ecstatic when they played this. Not the best version
I've heard but it just fit. I was so excited to hear it that it almost
did not matter how it was played. Good stuff from Page.
David Bowie- Wow! this beats the DWD jam I'm afraid. this was awesome.
it was a little slow going but when it got going...it was nasty!! Trey,
once again, was acting like a madman. Great jam and must have on tape
along with the DWD.
Lizards- my first again! tonight was the night for my firsts! I really
love this cute little song. very appropriate after Bowie.Trey was
looking over at Page a lot and smiling. They all looked like they were
enjoying themselves on this one.
Guyute- one word= Spectacular!! Just the one I wanted to hear. was not
jammed out but thats a-okay! very cool and Trey ends the song with
calling Mike Michael Jordan because the G is silent. I burst out
laughing and so did Mike.
Set Grade- A well deserved 9. my only qualm was that Markisupa was sorta
sloppy.
Encore- Rock and Roll- Huh? wow, not at all what I was expecting and I
was overall disappointed with this choice. I don't love this song but it
did not really put a damper on my evening. I hope they pick a more
monument encore tomorrow though.
Concert grade- a 9.5 . a great show, with practically no lowpoints. the
energy was there and the house was rockin'! see ya tomorrow.
Jim Cunningham
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 10:26:09 EDT
From: Nate Hereford [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: great woods
foreplay->longtime- simply amazing, the crowd loved this one and so did the
band. They sounded so good doing this and it was a perfect opener becuase
it had been a long time gone.
DwD- tight. the jam after this was so intense and tight, great solid
jamming from all the band. Their sound was crystal clear and heavy.
GBOT- good song, like the way it feels like the song is a train moving on
through space, by the way they start it and then end it.
what's the use- did know this one, but loved it. it seems to have a pink
floydish trippy sound.
SOAMelt - another rocking tight jam, the crowd was so into this one
h20 - standard water, but the jam after the verses was pretty nice, page was
really letting out.
char. 0 - after an heavy/ rocking first set, this was a perfect closer. The
crowd was going nuts during the build! great first set, but more to come
twist- psyched to hear this one, it rocked, tight and great. Jammed out so
nice. then came the funk...
moma dance - fantastic funk, great jamming and great way to change the pace
of the set
in the eyes of all the coppers out in the lot nothing was more approaite
then 'makisupa'...stinky kind. this had a nice jam inside it and they held
onto it for a bit, which is always good with that one.
david bowie - was next, for a bit i thought the space was gonna form into
maze, but hey, bowie was better imo. The jam in this was so chill at one
point they completly stopped and then got going once again to rip out the
end in only ways that phish can. they seem to do one thing great and that
is tease sections on their music to build intensity and feeling, and boy
does it work.
lizards- hadn't heard this one since my first show and 20 later it sounds so
sweet. great gamehendge song and was great for the feel of the show.
guyute - never gets old, at the big hits at the ending trey was dancing
around like some coke out 70's rock star. i like the switching of the
stage, cuz it allows more freedom for the whole band esp. trey. oh by the
way the g in mike gordon is silent, so it actually pronounced jordan.
r and r - wow. can u say perfect encore, love this song and was perfect for
the feel of the show.
the feel of the show.
well ill be back there tonight
peace
nate
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 02:41:27 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/12/999 review!
Forewarning: MA native review
Foreplay->Longetime....What else needs to be said pholks. Amazing. The
reports are true, arena rock at it's most finest. DWD segue, great.... spacy
intro. Get Back on the Train... nice comeback after opening the set with that
madness. The What's the Use>MELT! is beyond description. Get this Melt and
compare to your favorite one on tape etc. Trust ME! Wow :) H2o in the Sky, I
thought this was going to be a down point...then they built in a jam, nice 0
closer. SECOND SET!
My buddy gets back with a beer.. listening to the Long Island 98 tape before
the show... TWIST opener! Great jam, as expected 97 funked out Moma, thought
they were going to pull a BEK.. lyrics kicked in. MAKISUPA!... I'm guilty
they were on I called this one before the show.. no disapointment. BOWIE
was.. nice built in space for the jams. Lizards..nice Gamehendge energy..
Guyute closer..the boyz were on..they nailed every transition.
Encore...back
to 10/31, on Page's side tonight Rock & Roll sounding better than the CD I've
heard! Not to mention his solo on Lizards. All in all pholks I must give this
show a 10 out of (this goes to eleven?) 10. Great energy and jams, great
happy lot and show vibes. Phish kicks it back to old school. 99 tour!
Peace...
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 04:10:54 GMT
From: Ted Rogers [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7-12-99 Great Woods
What the hell is going on at these shows? Tonight I had some kid just
colapse right next to me during the first fuckin' song! He looked like he
was dead. He seemed to be okay for the rest of the show. Then during the
third song, some other kid started puking his guts out. And the music, it
didn't seem to me like Phish was too happy tonight. The whole show just
lacked in something I know not what. Guyute was good, just like it should
be. I don't think I like this new direction Phish has gone. Maybe Great
Woods just sucks. It seems like the whole scene revolves around drugs. If
anyone else thinks it's time for a clean scene let me know. Peace out.
TED
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