7-15-00 -- Polaris Amphitheatre - Columbus, Ohio

Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 19:03:29 -0400
From: Dan Rapp [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Top line review:  7.15.00
 
With this post you'll get only the highest highlights of the show -- the kind
of stuff that makes you "need that tape."
 
Tonight, as always, the whole freaking show was hot.  But in particular,
GUITAR GENLY WEEPS is a treasure.  Played slowly, with each note being drawn
out, you could hear -- and feel -- the guitar's sadness.  Played like I've
never heard before.
 
PIPER -- always different; always hot as hell.  Fast paced, so be ready.  Not
for the weak of heart...
 
Hot all the way through:  1st Tube, Limb by Limb, Lovin cup.

Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 11:23:19 -0400
From: Jeremy Welsh [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Fwd: Phish - 07.15.00, Polaris Amphitheater
 
     During the last song of the second set on Saturday night, I was reminded
of what could be my favorite part in all of Phish's music - "That is a pretty
bold statement!" my brother said as I tried to explain what I meant.  I don't
know if it is bold - or just overly simple.  The part I am referring to is one
drum beat played by Fishman, a simple tap of a wood block during in the
beginning of You Enjoy Myself (I believe the section that follows is fittingly
referred to as Nirvana by Mr. Dirksen; usually around the 3:00-mark).  I am
always moved by that one tap, and the music to follow - the anticipation,
knowing what is going to follow, the beauty of YEM.  It is interesting to look
back on Saturday, on the fun I had with my family and friends, and think of
how the festivities and the music that filled that day in Columbus all led up
to one tap of wood . . .
 
     Saturday unfolded to be great day, from start to finish.  What a better
way to start a day than cooking on a wood fire at a camp, playing cards,
relaxing . . . my brother, his girlfriend Molly, my sister, and I took our
time in waking up and getting ready for the show Saturday morning.  After the
night before, and the rather hard ground at the KOA, it took some time to
shake those damp cob-webs from our heads.  We headed out to the venue around
three or so, hoping to beat the traffic and enjoy the lot for a bit.  We had
no traffic problems and made it in just fine, under a gorgeous sky.  No rain!  
The only bad thing was that they were parking four cars deep, and we were the
second behind a big RV.  Might be hanging out late after the show . . .
     I was rather amazed by the hustle and bustle of the lot - I guess
everyone wanted to get rid of their excess wares being that it was the last
day of the tour. There were some moments when it was so packed I couldn't even
move - kind of amazing.  And we did our part by handing out as many
Mockingbird magnets as we could.  My sister was loving it, lol.  Actually ran
into David "ZZYZX" Steinberg by way of the magnets - as I handed him one, he
introduced himself and said his batch got ruined in the rain on Friday, so I
helped replenish his supply.  For the most part, everyone was pretty positive
- didn't see any Nitrous during the day, lots of people looking for miracles
but most had smiles, was a bit surprised/disappointed by the lack of variety
in T-shirts (at least four different vendors were selling the same shirts -
where is the creativity?; grovel - anyone know where I can get a "VWs are
People Too" shirt?!).  I loved the people with the stationary bike-blender for
their smoothies - completely organic, no electricity!  As 6:00-6:30 rolled
around, we walked around to the other side of the lot (Fishman-side of the
amphitheater) - it was eerie how quiet and different this section was!  I
guess it was the VIP parking as we entered the venue through the "VIP"
entrance.
 
     After a few hours of walking around, pre-show was relaxing.  With the
great sounds of Buena Vista Social Club coming out of the PA, we hung out,
chatted, and played some cards; we were pretty low on the lawn, just Page of
center.  My good friends Marc and Barb (and Crew) were actually a few feet
behind us; it was great to see everyone and spirits were high for the show
ahead.  I really didn't dwell on the fact that this was going to be my 20th
show (in almost six years of seeing Phish - I had paced myself, lol); I was
going to let things flow and have fun. And I certainly did that.
 
Set One: AC/DC Bag, First Tube, Limb by Limb, NICE, Dirt, Roses are Free,
Wolfman's Brother, My Soul, Julius
 
     AC/DC Bag is such a great opener, kicking things off around 7:45.  I was
hoping for a Tweezer, but the Bag was good - slower, building funk under a
sunny sky.
     After the seven minute Bag, a nine minute First Tube followed.  Nice and
driving, without too much variation.
     I have always been a fan of Limb by Limb and while this version didn't
chart any new territory, it was good none the less.  My brother can't get
enough of Trey's spiraling solo in this tune and I have to agree with him.  
Kind of in the same genre as Taste and Free - piercing and spiraling.
     I was pretty excited to hear my first NICE - I kind of lump NICE with
Timber Ho!, Ya Mar, and Punch as songs that are upbeat and very danceable.  
This was both, albeit quick (4 minutes).
     They pretty much nailed the Dirt.
     After much discussion, Trey sounded off the beginning of Roses are Free.
Along the same lines of NICE, it put a big smile on my face.  The crowd
especially loved the "Land of the Great and Free" line.  While I was expecting
some sort of exploration in this one (maybe comparing a bit too much to Big
Cypress or the Bittersweet Motel version from Rochester 97), it didn't go too
far and ended at only five minutes or so.
     They kept everyone grooving with Wolfman's Brother.  Good version, around
ten minutes long.  Nothing out of the ordinary, though, as I can remember.
 
*At this point, I got into a bit of a conversation with a guy next to me about
placement and thinking too much into songs.  I said to him that I thought they
would wait for the full moon to come out before they played Wolfman's Brother
- make it fit, you know?  But we agreed that we, the fans, probably think into
song a bit too much, predicting or analyzing a lot more than the band ever
does.  I mentioned to him all of my expectations for November Friday the 13th
of 98, thinking they were going to play Wolfman's and all these other crazy
things - and nothing out of the ordinary happened.  I guess Friday night they
made a slight reference to the rain in Punch ("The Rain had gone, the Storm
had passed").  I was just reminded that I think a bit too much into what is
played when, and I shouldn't guess what Phish's intentions are . . . and then
I remember the Dead in 95 at Three Rivers when they played four rain songs in
a row following a storm, or in Buckeye in 94, right down the road from
Polaris, when they played five songs with rain references . . . oh, well.  
They are different bands, right?
 
     I thought the set would end with the My Soul that followed.  I was
actually impressed with the long bluesy solo that Page took - Page took a solo
and I could hear it!  I was thinking this might end the set, cutting it close
to 60 minutes. But a bit of a discussion followed, and I thought a YEM would
close out the set (a la YEM following Saw It Again at Shoreline in 97), but
they launched into . . . . . . Julius.  This would definitely close the set,
and was much better than My Soul, imo.  The last Julius I saw was the great
jammed out version from Cleveland 97 and I was happy to hear them jam this out
a bit.  I would love to see them continue to push the envelope on this song.
 
     The set timed-out at just around 70 minutes.  Not a bad set - no real
complaints, but not much in the way of adventure, either (even with First
Tube, Roses, and Wolfman's).  It was a bit different from the night before,
when the set ended when it was dark outside; Saturday night, it was still
rather bright. We made our way up to Marc, joining their crew, wanting to
share the second set with some more friends.  Why not find more?  So I went
and found my friends Rich and Dave at set-break.  Great to see everyone, and
gather them around for the closing set.  Macy Grey was over the PA.
 
Second Set: Down With Disease->While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Makisupa,
Piper>Mango->Have Mercy tease, Bug, YEM!
encore: Loving Cup
 
     Had some hopes for a Tweezer to open, thinking we may still get YEM,
maybe a Ghost.  But at 9:30, I was far from disappointed to hear Mike slap out
Down With Disease.  Great, great stuff.  It was fast from the start and really
never let up. Around five minutes in is when it started to take off, with some
nice playing by Page.  At this point, I had a feeling we were in for a bit of
a ride.  ; )  14 or so minutes in, it got just a bit mellower.  That didn't
last long, though, as Trey starting playing some reggae licks.  Around 17
minutes, I thought I heard a bit of a Crosseyed tease - did anyone else hear
that?  Was this the tease/jam that they have been playing all summer?  20
minutes, Trey added some texture on the keys as the rest of the band quickened
things up.  At this point, I wrote down that "Fishman is a machine!"  It is
amazing as to how long he can keep a beat/rhythm going - does he get tired?  
(Thinking of the DJ Logic jam session down in New Orleans that lasted well
into the morning, or the jam I just read about in Indianapolis . . . ).  
Fishman actually changed things up a bit around 25 minutes, playing a bit of a
swing beat.
     A minute or two later, I heard Page playing something a bit different,
teasing a song . . . I couldn't place it (boy was it bugging me, lol).  And it
became clear, just as my brother exclaims "It's the Beatles . . . ": While My
Guitar Gently Weeps!  Wow.  Very, very cool.  Wow . . .  A glow war occurred
during this tune, and while it didn't seem to go well with the music, it was
pretty cool to watch.  This version stretched out for about seven minutes - as
my brother described it, it was very "breezy".  I thought Trey sang and played
very well during this song (*There was a couple times during the two shows
that I noticed Trey flubbed some lyrics.  oh well . . . )
     Makisupa was fun, and "Heady Nuggets" received a huge ovation from the
crowd. I was surprised at the roar, as was Trey as the screens showed him
laughing and smiling.  This was actually jammed out a bit, and Trey even moved
over the keys for this one (rather surprised by this).
     I love how the opening notes of Piper seem to just float out into the air
- I do wish, though, that Piper finds its role as a conduit again, floating in
and out of jams (a la 06.25.97, DWD->Piper->DWD - still, one of my favorites).  
But who is complaining?  This Piper turned out to be rather unique, with a
rather different opening, with weird rhythms, and an absolute raging section
before the second verse was sung - don't they usually build through the second
verse, raging afterwards? Page stood out in the beginning of this version on
the piano; Kuroda chimed in with those really cool "running" lights, just
driving everyone into a frenzy. Around 8 minutes into the raging (Rich, loved
to see you dancing during this one!), they sang the verse for the second time,
with Trey adding the high "Red red worm". As the jam slowed down, around 12
minutes or so, I noticed the bright beautiful full moon, with the clouds
passing in front . . . . . . as they moved into Mango.  Very fun.  Page again
stood out on the piano. This moved out into a pretty mellow jam, which
transitioned into a clear Have Mercy tease.  I was so happy, along with some
friends, to be hearing this song! . . . and then they stopped.  WTF?  I don't
know who was upset, or disagreeing with the song choice, but after the abrupt
ending there was long debate.  If there ever was a tease in all senses of the
word, this was it.
     After the debate, I was really hoping for Have Mercy to start again, but
Bug began.  I was a bit shocked by the lack of reception that it received - no
Bug fans in the audience, I guess?  And while it wasn't the song I wanted, I
was hoping to hear this and was happy with the 10 minute version.  I really
love the lyrics to this song, and enjoy how the song climaxes with the chorus.
     No matter how much I like Bug, I don't ever think it will make me feel
the way the opening notes to YEM makes me feel (or, as I talked about above,
that simple wood block).  I was pulling for a YEM for three and a half sets -
I was so happy to hear this!  This version got very funky, nice and deep, and
included some really cool keyboards by Page and Trey.  I don't know if I was
imagining things, but I thought I heard some "Thank Yous" in the vocal jam -
maybe like Peter Frampton's song?  What a great way to end the tour, with a
YEM.  Trey didn't really give a long talk afterwards, but did thank everyone.
     As for the encore, I thought we might be getting a nice, upbeat Possum.
But I was pleasantly surprised by the Loving Cup - I always can go for a
drink!  I just love this song.  It was actually the first tune in my three
summer shows that featured Page singing - what I was waiting for!  Certainly
left me with a beautiful buzz . . . as the Bee Gees filled the air.
 
I thought it was a good run to close the Tour.  Nothing crazy like the Tuesday
before, the Moby Dick show, but just two days of strong songs.  No real
throw-aways, and nothing too adventurous.  Highlights, imo, include: Timber
Ho!, the Foam and Dog Faced Boy, Mike's->jam->Frankie Sez, the acoustics
during Inlaw, definitely DWD->While My Guitar Gently Weeps, the interesting
Piper, and the Have Mercy tease (come on, play it!).  It was great to share
these shows with my brother and sister (and Molly) (it's a family affair),
camping out and braving the monsoon, and it was good to groove and dance and
smile with Marc, Barb, Rhett and Pam, Rich, Dave, Dave, and everyone else.  
Good to meet the Timer, Mr. ZZYZX himself. And happy to see all the smiles and
happy faces.  I have always said, I will keep wanting to go to Phish as long
as they make me smile and dance and groove.  So far so good . . . But I am not
ignorant to bit of ugliness - we all need to work to keep it positive, as I
did catch glimpses of the underbelly (the pissing incident, dealings in the
lawn, offerings of opium - wtf?!).
 
Thanks for reading.  Keep spreading the music, and Be Good Family.
 
 
jeremy welsh
 
"I call Architecture frozen Music."
     -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, (1749-1832)

Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 00:13:16 +1000
From: Cris Coey [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7-15-00 review
 
 
By Cris Coey
 
Okay, I won't bore you with all the details of my day or anything. So
lets just talk about the show, shall we?
 
Anyway, there were high expectations for this show, and rightfully so. I
mean it was the end of the tour and there was a torrential downpour to
delay the show the night before. So this night should have been intense
from the first note to the very last, right?!? Unfortunately I have to
say "No it wasn't!"
 
It was a beautiful night when the boys finally came out, casually late as
usual. The AC/DC BAG opener was really intense. Not one of the best AC/DCs
I've ever heard (i.e., 12/03/99), but it was really solid. After playing the
traditional AC/DC coda, they didn't waste much time before jumping into FIRST
TUBE. Okay, not one of my favorites (none of their new songs are) but it still
kept the energy up high. FIRST TUBE was very well played, but might have
lasted a few minutes too long before it got old. Also, I know it's pretty new,
but didn't they just play this at Deer Creek? (And what's up with them having
a song called TUBE, and now a new song called FIRST TUBE?)
 
Next came LIMB BY LIMB -- or the first mistake of the night. Now I'm not a
LIMB hater or anything, I actually like the song. But it's way too slow to
play after the first two. And again, didn't they just play this one at Deer
Creek too? I mean, give us a break guys!
 
After LIMB, the opening strains of NICU were heard and all was well once
again. A sweet and mellow, but still funky version, it got the crowd back into
it. And I know NICU is overplayed, but at least it's a great Phish classic for
crying out loud and not some newcomer.
 
But then came DIRT (second mistake). Oh boy! At this point I was saying to
myself, "This show is gonna be up and down all damn night!" I hate DIRT...
it's too slow and way too boring. All it's good for really is to pack up a
bowl and talk to your friends for five minutes.
 
After the suffering of DIRT subsided, they again decided to pick it back up
(way up) and bust out ROSES ARE FREE. Being the first since New Year's, it was
a more than welcome treat for this show, which had already become more like a
roller coaster ride. ROSES was truly dank and the definite highlight of the
set. They performed it so tightly that it had the crowd truly pumped up.
Thankfully it was a nice and neat version with a little jam and not one of
those half-hour long set wasters.
 
WOLFMAN'S was next and is always welcome. The jam afterwards had some really
great potential, but didn't quite get up there. I was hoping to hear something
like another WOLFMAN'S> MIND LEFT BODY JAM (11-13-98), but to no avail of
course.
 
An enthusiastic MY SOUL followed, which is about all you can say. I mean MY
SOUL is always exciting and good fun, but they could have played something
better. Which brings me to reluctantly mention big mistake number three, a set
ending JULIUS. JULIUS? JULIUS?! They ended the last first set of the summer
with JULIUS?!? It was bad enough that they encored with it last year at Deer
Creek to end the American summer tour, but now this -- doing almost the same
shitty thing twice! Ugggghh! When I heard the first notes of JULIUS I actually
collapsed on the ground in dissapointment (luckily I was in the lawn). But I
had to. I despise JULIUS and have already heard way too many, especially since
I've only attended a modest twenty shows. I just hope that one day soon JULIUS
will hit the shelves for a long, long time.
 
And then bam, that's what they left us with for the set break. What were they
thinking? Overall it was a very, very average set, and definitely not even
close to being tour ender worthy in my opinion.
 
The initial sounds of the second set was the swirling bass effect from Gordo,
so right away I knew DOWN WITH DISEASE (mistake four) was coming. Come on now!
I just heard this one at Deer Creek as well. Did they just forget that fast or
what? After it started I said, "Well hopefully they'll split it with MOBY DICK
again." But no, they decided to do something even better, and out of DISEASE
came WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS! Now this was something exciting. The
introduction was nice and drawn out, and then the whole thing proceeded to be
majestically jammed and breath taking. There was even a nice glow stick war
that went along well with Trey's solo. And I was also happy to finally hear a
Beatles cover besides A DAY IN THE LIFE.
 
An oddly placed MAKISUPA POLICEMAN then followed GENTLY WEEPS, which was
really fucking tight. The whole thing was just phat, with Trey even throwing
in "heady nuggets" as the key word and doing some SEASTONES (or PHIL & NED)
like electronic jamming during the break.
 
After the GENTLY WEEPS/MAKISUPA powerhouse I was hoping they'd keep it up. But
no, the ridiculously standard PIPER (or mistake number five) was next (which
they also played at Deer Creek dammit). Like LIMB, I don't mind a good PIPER,
but not two within the last three shows of the tour! And regardless, it was
just your average PIPER. But I do like how Trey has started yelling his part
at the end.
 
Mmmm, MANGO SONG began soon after the PIPER faded away, to again pick the show
back up by its boot straps. Being my very first MANGO, it was especially nice
to hear at such a lackluster tour ender. Everything about it was beautiful,
although I was a little dissapointed they didn't do the typical MANGO ending,
going instead with some weird bass funk jam or solo from Mike. I think I heard
someone say it was HAVE MERCY, but I couldn't tell to be sure.
 
Then the show went back down again, with them playing yet another new one
titled BUG. I don't care much for this song either, and all it did was bum me
out because it made me realize that at this point in the second set, I
probably wasn't going to hear the HALLEY'S, SCENT, or FLUFFHEAD I really
wanted. Sure, there was around at least a half-hour left in the set. But I,
along with everyone else at Polaris that night, knew what was coming after
BUG.
 
Then, of course, the obligatory YOU ENJOY MYSELF began to the surprise of no
one. I mean, YEM is great and all, but they play it so damn much that it gets
frustrating once in a while. Don't you think it'd be more special and welcome
if they only played maybe one YEM a tour? Plus, I've heard tons of better YEMs
than this one, in person and on tape. It was a good one, but definitely not an
epic one. One notable is that the trampolines segment was really sloppy and
short, with Trey and Mike not even in sync with each other until half way
through it.
 
After an unusually long encore wait, they came out with LOVING CUP (mistake
six). Again, dare I say something like this, but a LOVING CUP to end the
frickin' summer tour?! Are you kidding me??? First of all, like so many other
songs played at this show, they played this only a few nights ago at Deer
Creek. Secondly, there are tons of better Stones songs to play than this one
(which has grown somewhat tiring over the past few years to say the least).
"Oh, what a beautiful buzz!" just eventually loses its zip after a while.
 
So all in all, what can I say about this show? I guess I'm just going to be
blunt and speak my mind by saying it was a let down and a dissapointment, and
it absolutely was! Only sparse highlights throughout each set prevented this
show from being a total bust, and I myself can't stand to be writing this
about a tour ending Phish show, but unfortunately I am.
 
A show like this leaves me to wonder if the boys will ever get their act
together again. It just seems like they're not trying that hard to impress
people (especially their long-time fan base from the early 90s, etc.). I wish
I could ask them why such great original songs like COL. FORBIN, WEIGH,
ESTHER, MOUND, TELA, BROTHER, DINNER & A MOVIE, OH KEE PA, HARPUA, and SANITY
have fallen by the wayside! I wish I could ask them why excellent newer songs,
like SPOCK'S BRAIN, get left out in the cold for what is seeming to look more
and more like forever! But unfortunately for all of us, I can't. All I know is
that I went to the last night of Polaris expecting something that was at least
remotely special with maybe even a break out or two, but instead all I got was
just another average Phish show that ended their summer 2000 tour no less.
 
Come on Trey, Mike, Page and Fish... relax and regroup over these next
few weeks and then come back and try to goose us a little bit on this
upcoming fall tour! I wish they would try to mentally grab us once again
and say, "Take this!" and "Remember this one? Well we missed it too!"
And I wish they'd stop saying, "We want you people to really like all of
our new songs!" and then play a half-hour long GOTTA JIBBOO!
 
Cris Coey

Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 20:43:57 -0500
From: dbalocch [email protected]
To: dws [email protected]
Subject: 7/15/00 Review
 
Ok, here is part two of my Polaris review.  If credibility is an issue in how
much you value a review then check out the 7/14 review and that will tell you
some specs about my experiences with phish.
On to the show.
Set I;
AC/DC Bag- While I think this is a good opener and fun song, this version was
very weak.  There was barely a peak at all.  But hey they were just warming up
I guess.  They did the standard Bag ending.  Maybe the band just wasn't
feeling the vibe of jam that DC Bag usually gives them.  Oh well.
First Tube- great energy here and Trey was just laying down some really cool
loops inside the ending section of the song.  I must give props to Mike and
Fish for being so tight on this tune.  Just solid rhythm section.  Everyone
was pumped during this tune.
Limb x Limb- The jam in this was pretty good except for the fact that they
just didnt really peak out the jam like the limbs I had heard before (most
recently the 10/1/99 Limb).  All in all though, very nice interplay with Mike,
Page, and Trey.  Honestly, this jam kind of reminded me of the Timber Ho! jam
from the night before- everything was clustered and not enough space in the
music to do much.  Fish did the ending drum solo really well- entertaining.
NICU- fun song and very welcomed by the crowd.  I love the lead line on this
tune wow very creative.  Everything went smoothly- no flubs and much energy.
Dirt- I'm not a big dirt fan but I do like the "new" arrangement.  Brings the
song together really well for the final chorus.  Its not like I'm pissed that
they played this song but I could have gone without it.  Anyway.
Roses Are Free-  hell yeah.  I dont care where you stick this tune it still
rocks and lyrics were so appropriate for the end of the tour ("get in you car"
line).  Mike forgot the bass line to the pre-solo section but it still sounded
cool.  No jam afterwards but I didnt mind (would have been nice but hey I'll
for sure take it).  It was a nice change of pace for me considering the Roses
that I saw at Cypress (WTF!)  Insane Roses.
Wolfmans- I really still dig this tune even though most the time these days it
doesnt get the treatment that it did in 97 and 98.  This version was funked
out yet conservative as they stayed in the basic domain of the song.  Mike was
tearing it up at times but at other times he was playing very conservative.
Trey was pretty much just giving us a solo fest- no chording or rhythm lead
stuff, just straight up solo.  this lasted maybe 8 or 9 minutes.  They ended
by going back into the main riff. And then the blues festival closed out the
set.
My Soul- trey had a cool new lead vocal twist I was diggin on the chorus which
kept me interested in the tune.  Very standard version (arent they all?) but a
pretty cool song anyway.
Julius- I really dont like this song as a closer (but I dont like Character
zero as closer either so maybe its the big bluesy jam songs that I have a
problem with as closers).  I was just a little worn out of the bluesy stuff by
time Julius kicked in and to top it off it was pretty fair if not a subpar
version.
Set II; short set break (for the record)
Down W/Disease-  I love this song to start out a set (I love it anyway but
especially here).  This was a pretty tight version and some great Trey led
jamming here with some really spectacular peaks. But after about 5 minutes
into the jam, Trey started laying off the lead stuff and settling down into a
more atmospheric-type mood.  I think Trey went over to the keyboard after he
laid down some wah-pedal-induced loops and that is where the DWD jam segued
into a
JAM- I label this a jam because of three things; the key changed, the rhythm
changed, and the chords changed.  Mike was the man on this jam- just phat as
hell playing.  He has now in my book transformed from kickass bass player who
play with anybody into kickass bassplayer who anybody can play with.  What I
mean here is that Mike has the ability to completely take over a jam and
change its direction without causing anyone to be confused and does it very
smoothly.  He proved to me at this show (and I have over 300 hrs of phish and
been to 20 shows) that he knows exactly what to do when he wants to change
keys permanently and at the same time do it smoothly and take over the jam.
It just blew my mind how well he played during this jam- it was Mike like I
had never seen or heard him before.  The only other time Mike has blown my
mind (not as bad as this but close) was in the 8/1/98 Tweezer.  After the
intial mindblowing Mike dominance, I thought that they were going to go into
BOAF but I didnt think it was in the right key (I think it was in E and Birds
is in C I think).  Trey was playing Birds like chords and Fish had that kind
of drum beat going on-very up beat and high paced.  With Mike going to town
and Trey and Fish on rhythm, Page was left to get a nice merky solo on the
moog- great work by page.  This is a must hear jam here people!  Get the tapes
or Cds or whatever because this was some solid shit.  the jam started to wind
down a little and something was going on as Page snuck a riff in and Mike
quickly grabbed onto it, then Fish and then finally Trey (who basically played
rhythm guitar through the majority of the jam).  I couldnt figure out what the
hell it was and then trey started singing...
While My Guitar Gently Weeps-  This was really cool because I didnt see it
coming and it was a great segue.  Trey made up for not soloing in the previous
jam by just wailing on this Guitar.  I'm not sure but this might be one of the
longest versions they have ever played.  trey just would not stop shreading
the guitar.  Any guitar god would be drolling after being at Polaris and
seeing and hearing the energy coming out of Trey's guitar during this jam.
Solid, Solid, Solid.
Makisupa Policeman- great choice here.  I love reggae and this song is just
classic reggae with a twist of jam in it.  trey on the keys here and oh yeah,
keyword; "heady nuggets."  Everyone when crazy after this and Trey could not
stop smiling and laughing.
Piper- really cool opening as they probably went through the initial chord
progession four times and then just jammed in an ambient type way for about
two minutes and then came crashing into the chords and we were off.  This
piper just fuckin raged.  I cant believe the lights and the energy coming from
that stage.  Hyperspeed piper with Trey building the wall of guitars effect
into a shreading frenze.  Crazy piper with the band trying to get back into
the chorus again but it being too fast.  Finally they slowed it down just
enough to start singing over it.  Lyric segment finished and then another
short jam before a segue into...
Mango Song- Very very well played Mango from what I heard.  I love this song
too and it was really cool to see a well played Mango after seeing that
absolute disaster of a mango at Alpine last year.  The jam segment was really
nice and page had a really cool solo, but trey started playing this reggae
thing and I didnt know what it was.  They jammed on it for about a minute and
it looked like they were going to jam into another tune but all of a sudden
they just stopped.  Mike was shaking his head before they stopped so maybe he
forgot how to play it.  I later found out that this was a Have Mercy tease.
Oh yeah:)
Bug- I like this song and the lyrics to it.  Very cool heartfelt tearjerking
jam after the chorus and another thing that was cool was that it was not too
long.  trey moves around on the fretboard so well, nice to hear him is such
fine form these days.
YEM- Well played yem and pretty much as nailed as you can get.  The jam
section included a really cool techno jam that featured Mike using his filter
(wah type deal), Page on the moog and rhodes, and trey using octave, wah,
phaser, and pitchshifter to make this really electronic type jam.  this was
phat as hell.  This jam lasted for about 5-6 minutes and then into the vocal
jam.  Very cool vocal jam in general and the lights were very nice.
Encore;
Loving Cup- as soon as they started playing this I knew it was going to be a
one song encore.  Average cup is a good cup and that what this was.  Note;
this song contained the only non-trey solo vocal part of the night - Page
sings one part that trey does not "I feel so humble..." part.  Just noting
that this was another trey dominated night.
     Overall, the first set was really just an average set at best.  First
Tube, Roses, and NICU were the highlights for me.  The second set is probably
one of the top 5 sets I have ever seen (not heard).  DWD>jam, Guitar Weeps,
and Piper were simply unbelievable.  Get this set, period.
Peace
Dino


Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 08:51:04 -0600
From: "Wagner, Reid D." [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: 7/15/00 Polaris
 
 
First off I'd like to point out in my opinion, Polaris is the best
amphitheatre around.  The sound is good in the lawn, the security is lax, and
it only took 15 minutes to get out even though we were parked way in the back
of the lot.  Anyway, about the show.
 
After seeing the set list from the 14th, I was really bummin' to have missed
Foam and Timber Ho! among others.  As this was my 81st show since 1990, I
would have loved to have seen those classics.  I've learned over the years not
to get overly hyped up about what they're going to play.
 Yet, I could not help myself as this was the last show of the tour.
 
AC/DC Bag opener was nice (I called it).  The jam was a little short and did
not end with its usual craziness (listen to Star Lake '99).
 Nevertheless, it's a great way to open a show.
 
First Tube was really cool.  Happens to be one of my favorite new tunes.
 Everything was very solid.
 
Limb By Limb was ok.  Sometimes this tune has tremendous emotion, sometimes
it's just another good jam.  I think this version was just average.
 
NICU was nice to hear.  Who is Capernicus anyway???
 
Dirt was incredible.  This tune has rapidly ascended my chart of favorites.  
I really like Page's piano work and was glad that I could actually hear it.
 
When they started Roses Are Free, all I could think of was the 40 minute
version from Big Cypress.  Anyway, I really like this tune.  It's a good song
for Phish to cover with its quirky lyrics and off-beat sections.
 Contrary to prior reviews, I was actually glad this was a short version.
 Why, I don't know.  Some things just can't be explained.
 
Although I think Wolfman's Brother is a good tune, I'd prefer not to see it
live.  It just doesn't do it for me. This version sounded very similar to all
the versions I've seen in the last 3 years.  Maybe that's the problem.
 
My Soul was solid.  Trey was really nailing it.  The people in front of me
were going absolutely nuts.  Brief story...  During the set break I asked
these guys if My Soul was their favorite tune.  They said yes.
 Then they told me "that song, Foam, from last night, sucks".  I was in
complete shock!!!
 
Before My Soul ended, I told my show mate that if they play Julius, I'm off to
the bathroom to beat the crowds.  By the way the show was going, Julius was
one of the easiest calls I've ever made.  Julius happens to be my least
favorite Phish tune but I do enjoy watching everyone else's enjoyment.  The
bathroom was actually kind of crowded.  I guess there are more non-phans of
Julius.
 
When the 2nd set opened with DWD, I was excited for a great jam (which
was delivered by the boys incredibly) but slightly dissappointed by the
song choice.  I was figuring since it was the last show of the tour, the
2nd set would open with something a little more classic (Wilson? Runaway
Jim?).
 
When they ventured into WMGGW, my dissappointment was validated.  DON'T
GET ME WRONG, Trey absolutely kicks ass when he plays this one but I
wanted to hear some good ol' Phish tunes.
 
My desire was answered with Makisupa Policeman.  I haven't seen it since
'95 and was very psyched.  This version was quite solid to boot.  "Heady
Nuggetts"
 
Piper.  WOW!  Previously this tune impressed me only mildly.  This
version, however, was insane.  Also, for those of us on the lawn, we were
treated to some of the most trippy and incredible camera work I've seen
at a show.  The screens were amazing.  I'm glad I re-baked during
Makisupa.
 
For the last few years, the one song I've wanted see most is The Mango
Song.  Thank you Phish for making this wish come true.  I haven't seen it
since '94 and its delightful melody made me so so happy.  I only wish
they would have finished it though as I think the ending jam is a very
cool jam.
 
Bug was real nice as well.  Every time I hear it (live or on CD) I like
it more.  Trey was on fire!
 
You Enjoy Myself was great as usual.  Go Mike!
 
The Lovin' Cup encore was as predictable as the Julius 1st set closer.  I
feel the same way about this as I do about WMGGW.  Slave would have been
much more appropriate.
 
All in all it was a good show.  The jams were crisp and tight and the
sound was great.  Personally, I would have been better suited for the
14th but what can I do.  I always enjoy watching others phans having the
time of their lives during songs I'm not to crazy about.  See y'all in
the phall!

Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 14:58:09 GMT
From: Dan Daly [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Polaris 7/15
 
Set I
 
AC/DC Bag opener - Excellent opener!  Nice and funky - very well played,
really got things off on the right foot.
 
First Tube - (well, there it is guys) - Another 'two opener' night in my
opinion.  First tube took the groove that Bag started and 'heightened the
bar' so to speak.
 
Limb by Limb - Very well played and the chorus at the end sounded very
sweet.
 
NICU - Wow!  I can't say much more than that.  This was just incredible -
with EVERYONE singing along.  The crowd is going nuts at this point.
 
Dirt - I think that this looks like a weird placement when I look at the
setlist, but somehow it fit very well.  It slowed things down while keeping
the groove going.  The whole place was totally into it.  Just as I noticed
the night before during the quieter songs, the whole crowd was silent at all
the right parts.  Sitting among 18,000 (?) quiet fans on the lawn listening
to a song like this is simply awesome.
 
Roses are free - I didn't expect this one at all and it was great.  They hit
the vocals on this one better than I've heard before and Trey's playing
would make Ween proud.
 
Wolfman's Brother - I needed a bathroom break here, but what I heard was
very funky.  They sounded like they were really into this one, and so did
the crowd.
 
My Soul - I thought this might close the set and it could have.  I love this
song, the band nailed it, and the crowd was going crazy.
 
Julius - very hot, excellent closer.
 
Set II
 
DWD - Continuing the 'album rock' theme of the night before, this was great.
  I've heard spacey jams in this song before but never like this one.  It
was very interesting and everyone seemed to be digging it.
 
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Definitely one of the biggest highlights of
the evening - incredible.  Trey couldn't have sung or played this one any
better.  Wow!
 
Makisupa - Another Wow!  This one carried the perfect groove that these guys
started the night before and was played perfectly.  Trey's "Heady Nuggets"
lyric was spoken with a familiar awe and the place exploded.  His resultant
grin almost kept him from being able to sing, but he managed to get the
words out while keeping the giant smile throughout the song.  I don't know
if it would be considered a new ending or what, but these guys kept the
chorus going in a very cool round that pleasantly surprised many of us.
Very, very cool.
 
Piper - Tight, excellent
 
Mango Song - Another weird placement that worked well.  I think there were a
few flubbed lyrics, in addition to the intentional ones, and maybe a tad
sloppy - but very well received, nonetheless.  A big favorite and very
pleasing.
 
I didn't know what the jam was at this point (reported as "Have Mercy") but
it was short and sweet.  I was disappointed that this didn't develop into a
whole song.  But they quickly beat my disappointment with...
 
Bug - Yes!  What a great song to hear live.  I was fairly confident that
this wasn't the closer, but again, it could have been.
 
YEM - What more can be said?  Sounded great, fancy trampoline work,
perfectly executed.  The voice jam at the end was fairly mellow but cool.
 
Encore - Loving Cup - Not expected - The place was going nuts and the band
had a great time with this one.  This one song encore was strong enough to
stand alone.
 
There were little drops of rain throughout the night that gave us flashbacks
of the hell we went through the night before, and the sky still looked a
little ominous at times, but very cool.  And yes, Joepa, the burgers at
Steak and Shake are very good.

Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 18:04:16 -0400
From: Ben Meyer [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/15/2000
 
I don't know if it was just me or what but saturday nights show was the
biggest let down of any show that I've seen to date.  Being my 21st show, I
am not the most experienced fan but I've seen enough to know.  As a show in
general, it was mildly entertaining at times to exciting at others. But as a
tour closer following what was probably one of the top three best shows for
me (7/14/2000) It downright sucked.  I mean every song that they played was a
total repeat and standard at that.
 
AC/DC- I called it and was psyced to hear it.  at this point I was like right
on, this is gonna be a funked out show.
First Tube- always good, but the fourth time I had heard it in 7 shows and my
8th time all together so getting a little old.
Limb by Limb- oh my god shoot me.  I swear to god they know what shows I am
at and play this every time on purpose.  Standard version, no heart, suitable
for maybe a phish cover band.
NICU-happy to hear it but they just played it the same way that they did at
Alpine.
Dirt- my first and a beautiful version but they might as well have put on the
album and left the stage
Roses- Now we're talking. Rareity and a good one at that. solid with some
good funk.
Wolfman's bro-  see above explanation for limbXlimb
My Soul-Same as NICU. awesome version but it sounded just like alpine less
than a week earlier.
Julius- good jamming and a crowd favorite.  Shouldn't have closed the set.
 
DWD- good jam. Can't believe how obvious of a set opener it was though.  what
is this the letterman show?!
WMGGW- Awesome.  Probably my highlight. tight jamming, beautiful guitar work.
Makisup- Always ready to hear this. HEADY NUGGETS; nice
Piper- even though I've heard it so much I never get enough of it. second
best version I've heard. Best was alpine.
Mango- I was sooo psyched to hear this.  And then they fucked it all up.
Trey and Mike started arguing and the show lost some momentum that could have
saved a great night
Bug- After how bad they messed this up at Antioch it was nice to hear them
play this tight, phat, all together pretty perfect jam.
YEM-Did they forget how to jam the end of this song?
 
I'm hoping for something to remind me that yes this IS the tour closer.
LOVING CUP- I was happy to hear it but I was not so much when the
house lights came on and that was it.
 
All in all this was the worst show that I saw this tour.  Highlights were the
WMGGW and the Bug and the Roses and that's it.  Skip the tape. This tour
ended the night before.  Goodnight
PEace

Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 20:58:28 -0500
From: Jon lake [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/15/00 Polaris Amphitheater
 
    My anticipations were extremely high for the last show of the tour.
Luckily, I was granted a first row ticket by the Ticketmaster gods to this
special show.  The band came out and busted right into a rather standard
AC/DC, I'd predicted this opener so I was rather enthused. Next came an
energized 1st Tube.  I could feel the power of Trey's guitar within my soul,
strong version, however not in the same league as the Alpine 1st Tube.  Limb x
Limb and NICU were rather standard, but always good tunes to hear.  Dirt was
strong, at least they aren't overplaying this Farmhouse selection.  Roses Are
Free!!  I was so pumped to hear this one.  Not the greatest Roses of all time,
but still a thrill for me.  Then came the handsdown highlight of the set, a
phunked out Wolfman's.  This surpassed the 7/8/00 version in my opinion.  
They just settled into the most outrageously funky groove, I was lovin' it
down.  Mike was in rare form, god bless Cactus.  The set ended with average
renditions of My Soul and Julius.  Besides the Bag, Roses, and Wolfman's, this
set was quite forgetable.  Needless to say I expected a lot more from the
second set.
    On this tour it hasn't been as much of a question of whether a song would
be played, but rather when.  Hearing DWD again didn't surprise me one bit.  
This was a fantastic version, I prefered this one over the DWD>Moby Dick>DWD.  
It really stretched out and by the end I had absolutely no idea which song
they intended to go into.  This was pure improvisational jamming at it's very
best.  At last While My Guitar Gently Weeps became barely recognizable.  
Great placement of this song. Next came the most humorous part of the show,
Makisupa.  My friend and I had been making fun of the over usage of the term
"Headies" all tour long, and to hear Trey bust out the "Woke up this
morning........Heady Nuggets" was a classic moment.  Then came my third Piper
in the last six shows, not even close to the Alpine Valley Piper, but the boys
were quite enthusiastic.  The familiar intro to Mango put a huge grin on my
face, strong jam.  During Mango this dumb security guy proceeds to ask me what
Trey had said that made all the people laugh during the previous song.  I
don't believe that guy had ever previously purchased any headies.  I actually
really wanted to hear a Bug on this tour, so I was content with the next
selection.  I could feel the anticipation building after the conclusion of
Bug, the crowd almost knew what was next, and of course they busted out only
the third YEM of the summer tour.  The part following the "Boy, Man" section
was absolute gooey funk.  Earlier this summer Kyle Hollingsworth had displaced
Page as my favorite keyboard player, however when Page began pouring out that
outer space phunk from his Hohner I knew that Mr. McConnell was still the
reigning champion. It's always fun to see the Tramps come out, and the vocal
jam was short, yet tight.  Great ending to an awesome second set.  Trey
thanked the crowd for the great tour, and they returned to play a rocking
Loving Cup encore.  Very solid show indeed.  Of course the mark of any good
show is the presence of The Bee Gees on the P.A.after the show.  The selection
of "More Than A Woman" always makes me smile.  I can't wait until Fall Tour.
 
Jon Lake

Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 20:36:54 -0400
From: John Dunn [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Polaris Night 2
 
As usual I will give my QUICK, to the point review.
 
VENUE: I personally love Polaris. The lots are easy to get around and the
staff are great. The actual amphitheatre is really nice and ALWAYS serves up a
great show!!
 
1st SET: Nothing too out-of-the ordinary. Very grooving version of Roses Are
Free, but NO JAM !!!! Couldn't believe it. (Check out Roses from 4/3/98!!)
 
2nd SET: I've heard a lot of DWD's but this one takes the cake. Unbelievable.
Not so much rocking as it was SERIOUS DANCE MATERIAL. While My Guitar Gently
Weeps is usually a song I am not overly excited for, but this one continued
the DWD groove. Great Piper, fun Makisupa and standard everything else, IMO.
 
ENCORE: Would have LOVED Rock n' Roll, but can't complain, this Cup was hot...
 
Do your self a favour and get DWD->WMGGW on tape. You'll thank the me
later....

Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 11:05:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jay Sell [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Polaris 7/15 review
 
This was my 11th show of the tour and I had a great time last night at the
closer. Polaris isn't my favorite venue, but it was really nice to have the
tour closer ten minutes from my house. We had seats right behind and to the
side of the tapers. on to the show...

Set I
AC/DC BAG~
Sweet opener. Played pretty solid version but w/ no crazy climax like some
versions(7/4/99). Still, its bag, so you can't complain.
 
First Tube~
Solid version of a good newer song that Trey loves to play. It was high
energy, but nothing like the orgasmic Alpine version imo.
 
Limb X Limb~
A welcome song in the first set. This one wasn't as spacey as 12/3/99, but had
a good peak once Trey plugged into the zone.
 
NICU~
Another great first set song. Standard, but enjoyable as always. This got the
place moving.
 
Dirt~
One of the better more recent slow tunes imo. It was a good break for the rest
of the set to rage.
 
Roses are Free~
Gotta love it. Great tune w/ perfect placement in the last show of the
tour(get in your car and cruise the land of the brave and free). This version
seemed kind of cut short, but next came was the first funk song of the
night...
 
Wolfman's~
This was your average funkfest 2000 Wolfman's, w/ Mike slappin' away and
leading the groove. Nice Wolfman's at around ten minutes.
 
My Soul~
I had to piss and this was the song I picked to miss. My girl said it was
standard.
 
Julius~
I have been sick of this song lately for some reason, but this one got me
going nuts. Solid Julius to close a solid first set. Nothing too crazy, but a
lot of fun.
 
Set II
DWD~
A repeat from Deer Creek, this Down was long and jammed out thoroughly. I
heard a bunch of teases/directions that this could have gone. They jammed on
the classic Trey jam (you all would recognize it if you heard it) for a while,
then slowed things down and segued into...
 
WMGGW~
This was great to hear in a spot other than the encore. Trey was getting off
in a big way on this one as usual.
Then a total change of pace...
 
Makisupa~
Hell yes! The "heady nuggets" call from Trey was classic. This Maki was fun,
w/ Mike taking a non-bass solo and Leo tweeking on the mini-moog and the
synth.
 
Piper~
Another repeat from the Creek, but this version blew my mind! The lights were
probably the best I've ever seen during Piper w/ the spinning and twisting
lights going all over the place(major props to Kuroda). Then they brought it
back down and went into...
 
Mango song~
My first! This was a solid version with page stepping it up a bit here. The
crowd responded well to the classic and then ?@?@???, more reggae?...
 
Have Mercy tease~
I would call this a tease. It was probably only about 30 seconds of the Have
Mercy chords, then they just stopped. I was thinking maybe a little start/stop
jamming, but instead...
 
Bug~
This is s really good song, w/ great potential in the jam section. This
version was jammed out nicely in the same manner as usual with Trey going all
out, then returing to the chorus/ending. A better first set song imo.
 
YEM~
Everyone in the place knew it was coming and and it was very well received.
Pretty tight intro and nice work by Leo and fish keeping a tight beat(as
always) in the funk section. This YEM was more old school jammed w/ less Mike
Liquid bass and more raw band sound. Short, but nice vocal jam w/ awesome
lights again.
 
E: Loving Cup
Another repeat from Deer Creek, but it was a solid Loving Cup and put a good
close to the end of a super solid summer. This show was a very good tour
closer, a lot better than 7/26/99 and 10/10/99, but not close to 12/18/99.
Second night Creek is the best show of the tour hands down, so seek out those
tapes first. See you in the fall, Jay Chalkdust tortuuuuuurrrrrrre! 

 
Date:Sun, 16 Jul 2000 09:03:57 -0500 From: 
Eric Zielinski [email protected]
To: [email protected] 
Subject: 07/15/00 Polaris Amp.,
 
Last night of the last night of the tour in my hometown.  I was not as
pumped as I had been the past couple of nights, but I still was interested
in what the band would pull off tonight.
 
Also please see my Polaris review of 07/14/00.  At the bottom were my picks
for the 07/15/00 not bad guesses, maybe I should take up some Phantasy
Phish sometime.
If you see a * that means I predicted this tune.
 
ACDC BAG I love this opener, one of my favs instantly brought me back to
the New Orleans Jazz fest in 96'.  I was a moving!!
 
First Tube * - I had not heard this live and I was ready for it.  I love
the instrumental guitar work very kind tune.
 
Limb By Limb - Good choice an oldy but goody well it's not that old but I
have seen this tune a lot pretty tame last night.
 
NICU - Well they played this tune last year at Polaris I love the song and
it does make me groove a bit, pretty tame...
 
Dirt * - good to hear another tame one,  I really enjoy the words to this
song..
 
Roses Are Free - I knew it!!  I knew they'd get me back in the groove!!
They did it with the classic Ween tune.  I totally forgot about this one..
Loved it loved it loved!!
 
Wolfmans Brother - I used to really get hiped when they would bust this one
out, but now it's just like Red beans and Rice, You start to eat your RBAR
and it's not bad not your fav but when you get to the bottom of the bowl
you say Boy Man! That was not that bad...
 
My Soul - Bringing down the house with some blues!!!  My daughter missed
the show tonight but I wish she could hear her fav tune..  She's only 2 but
she can sing the "mamamamamamamamama My Soul it's my soul."  I told her
they played it and she started singing it.
 
Julius - typical set closer had me moving abit.
 
Set break was great this time around I got to hang in the VIP lounge and
avoid all the bathroom lines, thanks to my wifes mom for hooking us up with
those VIP passes..
 
Set II: DWD - they started with some intense feedback that got the crowd
all worked up then they hit the beginning notes to the tune, the jam had
its ups and downs, but it did go on for a long time I heard teases of Maze
and GBOTT during this jam get the show see if you can hear it. right near
the end of DWD they went into WMGGW - Holy shit!!!  They really had me
pumped..  Glow stick war in the middle of the jam the longest version of
WMGGW I have heard from Phish..
 
Makisupa Police - Trey played keys for a bit, I thought he said Phatty Nugs
not heady but I guess we will have to hear the tapes to find out. Great
vibe and also I must point out the diversity at this show, reggae, blues,
and jams..  Not bad. Then they go into Piper and the lights on this Piper
were by far the highlight of the song!!!  Crazy lights!! Good intensity by
the band...
 
Mango * typical with Have Mercy jam.
 
Bug - Not reviewed
YEM *- Not reviewed
Loving Cup - Not reviewed
 
Sorry guys I had to leave a little early to get my daughter home for bed.
Wish I could have seen the Loving Cup / YEM
 
Great little run I had the people were very kind this tour keep it up I
will see you in the fall..
Peace, luv, nugs
Eric
http://www.ericz.org

Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 17:44:59 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7-15-00 polaris
 
The second night of a show is always a little more relaxing because you've
gotten past the obstacles of where you're going to stay and getting there. The
later being quite an ordeal on the Ohio interestates. Saturday morning my
friends and I awoke on the river bank of a beautiful farm. The rain had passed
and my friend and I spent the afternoon under a willow tree strumming guitar
while others fished and tossed a frisbee. Everyone must have had such a day
because the amphitheatre was beeming with excitement and enthusiasm before the
show. Trey said recently in an interview that they really feed off the energy
of the audience. Opening with AC/DC Bag into First Tube was perfect. The place
was movin' as they slowed the momentum and flowed into Limb By Limb where I
realized in the middle of it that my body was moving to the delicacy of the
cymbals and percussion.  This song has the haunting beauty of several of their
newer numbers that I'm delighted to hear. Keeps things a bit wicked. This jam
flowed into NICU a crowd favorite obviously.I love hearing that organ roll
through. Back to that haunting beauty I was talking about with Dirt. Everythin
just kept getting better and better as they played Roses Are Free which was my
favorite of the set. This song was an uplifting piece that complemented Dirt
well. It's filled with great lyrics and verse. Wolfman's Brother picked things
back up slowly and funky again continuing the diversity of the set. I love
this song and each time I hear it, it's easier and easier to celebrate
through. My Soul was the intensity that was waiting to explode followed off by
a nice Julius- "wake up in the morning we'll be gone." Set2 opened with Down
With Disease which flowed into a 15-minute jam that was sick. Liquid base that
segued into that organ and finally Trey peeking out. The jam had me laughing
outloud at times as I was estatic and happy that it was so easy to get lost in
the music.  This jam drifted down and into a slow and beautiful While My
Guitar Gently Weeps. Makisupa Policeman was a transition from the dark to the
light with it's humorous beginning with Trey laughing through the intro "heady
nugs" or something like that. He smiled through the whole song as they played
to a dancing crowd. This was appropriate after the hour ride in on Polaris
Pkwy where 8 officers on bikes wove in and out of traffic pulling people over.
Many folks were cuffed on the side of the road. I'm very disheartened to see
folks be so careless out on the scene with so much to lose. It's like shootin'
fish in a barrel for the police. Play it cool! Piper was next and we were back
into intensity reminiscent of My Soul. Piper and all it's chaos turned into
harmony with The Mango Song and a beautiful Bug. The set closed with the last
long dance of summer, You Enjoy Myself. The fellas encored with Loving Cup
which is one I was hopeing to hear and got as a goodbye until Fall. I can't
say enough about this run of shows. There's so much diversity in the sets
which offers you everyhting from calm to chaos and it's woven like a beautiful
quilt. It's great to be back on the train!


Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 04:29:32 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7-15-00
 
The last show of tour always has something magical about it. Although the
lots and masses of people weren't as large as they were at Deercreek, but I
had a great feeling about tonight. Last night's show was fun, but a soggy me
lacked the energy to move much, so tonight I was extra ready to share in the
groove. I got in the venue around 7:30, and by the time I'd reached the lawn
the band had just walked on stage. From the moment the tunes started I was
hypnotized. The energy in the crowd was great. By the time the first set had
rolled into force following the quick AC/DC bag, I was positive that a great
show that would leave me wanting more. That's exactly what I got. I just
rolled though the first set, and the songs seemed perfectly placed. Everytime
my weak smoker lungs started to tell me to take a break, the jams just seemed
to slow down just enough for me to catch my wind. Wow, I was having the time
of my life when setbreak came. Knowing how awsome of a time I had during the
first set, I just knew that the second set would just be an explosion
everything that the boys had left in, and needed to get out before tour
ended. That it was and so much more. The DWD was wicked cool! I've never
busted my ass like that before. Everything just seemed to flow together and
just got better and better. I was under the complete control of the sounds
that were flowing from the stage. I've never enjoyed a tour ending show as
much as I did this. By the time the show had come to a end, I had no clue
what to make of what I'd just experienced. I was so overflowing with feeling
after that set, I felt more human than I did when I walked into Polaris
Amphitheatre. In otherwords, this show was as close to perfect as perfect
gets. 2nd night Deercreek was good. Starlake was good. From what I heard
Memphis was unreal, but in my humble opinion this was better. A perfect ten!
      -RT 

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