9-9-00 -- Pepsi Arena Albany, New York
review submisions to me, dan schar at [email protected]
or [email protected]
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 19:32:07 -0400
From: sjm1801 [email protected]
Subject: review of albany 9-9-00
I hadn't been to a show since Pepsi last year, so you can imagine how stoked I
was for this one. Now I have to admit, I was definitely let down after Friday
night's show. I mean it had some hightligths (full respect to Bowie, Ghost,
and Taste which were all tight), but overall it seemed to be a sub-par night.
So I was going into Saturday night with expectations of a much better show,
and better turned out to be a huge, HUGE understatement.
Set 1
POSSUM- Oh yeah! I was calling Ya Mar, but I love Possum and I don't think
they could have pegged the opener any better, great call. One of the best
songs all night among a huge list of great songs. And it got the place jumpin
right off the bat... yeah, the crowd energy would only get bigger when they
busted out...
MFMF- I hadn't listened to this song in so long that I had almost forgotten it
existed. And damn! What can I say, it rocked the place.
GUMBO- This one came out of nowhere, and it was definitely a pleasant
surprise. Throwing a Gumbo in the mix never hurts, just always a great tune.
MAZE- Ok, all I can say is: Holy Shit! It was right before this song started
when I turned to my friend and said, "Dude they are just rockin the place
tonight, I've never seen Phish with this much energy before, I mean just look
at Mike; he's actually weaving back and forth, instead of his usual head bob.
I'm telling you they're feeling it tonight, something big is coming up." And
of course the Phab Phour delivered. I didn't think they could rock any
harder, but oh my sweet Lord, Maze just kicked it up three more notches.
Everyone was on for this one, and they abesolutely nailed the jam- just
unreal!
BOOGIE ON REGGAE WOMAN- Booyah! The crowd really got into this one, and I
just plain love the song. Pretty, pretty dancing!
ROGGAE- I'm not a huge fan of this one, but at this point I had been dancing
so much for the first five songs that I probably would have passed out without
this breather. So, all in all, it was a good call.
GUYUTE- I was hoping to hear this one, I LOVE Guyute, and as far as Guyuties
go, this one was top notch. When they busted out those first four chords I
think it was the loudest I screamed all night... definitely a crowd pleaser.
ANTELOPE- Alright so at this point I'm thinking, "so far I've danced more than
I've ever danced before and this set is just abesolutely kickin ass, so how do
close a set this great!?!" Well they answered my question and then some. Oh
my God- I was hoping to hear this song, and it still took me by surprise. I
almost cried, it was just unreal. I was dancing and dancing and just when I
think it can't get any better who walks out on stage buy my man, Tom Marshall!
I was just in awe. Everyone was screaming and I was just speechless. And if
that wasn't enough, after Marshall did his thing, the close to Antelope was
probably the best I had ever heard. When they started in with the "run like
and antelope" it was one of those moments when you just feel like everyone in
the place is joined in a maddening exctasy, I mean everyone was just going
nuts. What a closer! What a set!!!
Set 2
GOTTA JIBOO- Wow, this was this first new song of the tour, and a damn fine
choice. I like Jiboo, it's fun, it's happy, it's a feel good song.
CURTAIN- This was a first for me, and I was abesolutely blown away. It was
just an unbelievable song. I was just speechless afterwards, it was just...
wow, I loved it, I just loved it.
SAND- I like Sand, so I was pretty pleased when they started into it, and
there wasn't really a glowstick war, so when one broke out during the jam it
made the song all the much better. But Holy Shit, when when Michael Ray came
out on stage all pimped out carrying his trumpet I thought I was going to shit
myself. I was hoping for some unusual stuff this weekend and I thought a
vacuum solo and Tom Marshall's appearance would suffice, but horns?!? Yes!!!
The rest of the song was awesome, when he started blaring away on his horn,
man o man, what a show this was turning out to be.
MAKISUPA- Another first for me, and yet again, I loved it. Maybe it was teh
horns, maybe it was the excitement, or maybe just plain and simple this was a
great tune.
CTB- This rocked! Wow... Page, you are the man, you were on fire this entire
song. He went abeslotely insane on the organ, and I was dancing harder than
ever. Tight, tight jam.
FUNKY BITCH- Ok, I had always been a fan of this song, but this was amazing.
In my opinion this was the best song all night, I have never heard Phish get a
place jumping like they did on this one. Trey and Mike were hot, and did
anyone else see Trey start lashing all over the place? Wow the whole band,
the crowd, everyone was just really into it, and the trumpet just put it over
the edge to make it my tune of the night.
CAVERN- Carven rules!!! Sure its a typical closer, but wow, it was just a
perfect end to the set. So much energy, so many great feelings going all over
the place, and a great song to end it all. Just remember, whatever you do take
care of your shoes.
Encore
HOOD- The whole weekend my friends and I were calling for the Hood, and we
were getting a little scared that we would be disappointed. But Phish came
through in a big way. Crowd participartion, an awesome jam, a new crazy
outfit for Michael Ray, and oh yeah- Trey pulled people up onto the stage!
Wow! I can definitely feel good about this Hood, even though they left it
unfinished. Thank you Mr. Miner, thank you.
Overall all I can say is, I am so greatful to be able to be a part of this. I
think Phish and their fans have got something so special going on that it
can't be expressed in word. Thanks for letting me share this with you, and my
only regret is that I won't be there for the rest of the tour. I wish Trey,
Mike, Page, and Fish a safe and happy vacation, and look foward to being
reunited with all you beautiful people. Until then, take care of yourselves
guys.
Josh
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 01:31:46 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: September 9th review
Well as it has been said before, words cannot and will never do this show
justice. It was my 12th show and the show the previous nite was a little
scattered, therefore we were expecting great things from the boys and
needless to say they didn't disapoint.
It was one of my friends' second show, and another her third so they were
really in for a treat. The Possum opener took a hold of me as soon as the
first note was heard, and then My Friend My Friend for some dark and cool
jams. It was a first My Friend for me and needless to say the album version
does not compare.
After these two songs i realized that we were going to expereince something
delicious, i cannot explain why but i felt it. The Gumbo was tasty and jammy
at points and it was a crowd pleaser- the Maze wasnt long but it mirrored the
Bowie from the nite before in that it had a long intro and a very solid and
well put together middle part with only about 3-4 minutes of pure jams.
The Boogie, Roggae (props to Neil cause we knew we would hear this), and
Guyute (which i called seeing as how we had Golgi the nite before) were all
just a dope prelude to the antelope.
NOw this Antelope wasnt merely extraordinary, it was absolutely ridiculous
and at the peak of it all i swear my moment of zen came and i knew that this
band would take me places that i could only hope to dream. From the lights,
to the raging crowd to the boys on stage just playing as loud and hard as
they could it was incredible...and what a treat- Tom Marshall who is always
good for a laugh and some lyrics. It took me all of setbreak to just get over
this Antelope and convince myself that there was a whole other set to be
played.
THe second set actually was just as ridiculous as the first
From the 25 minute Sand which was jammed out and ever so funky to the
Makisupa and the odd Michael Ray, the show definitly was a special event.
Michal Ray's trumpet seemed to echo throughout the arena as he stretched my
undersdtanding of sounds and tonality.
Then another first (besides the Curtain and Sand) a funky policeman, named
Makisupa came around much to my delight. This song was so hardcore phish i
almost broke my cheeks from smiling too hard. More props to my homies Neil
and Hugh cause when that Funky Bitch came around it was a complete
re-energizing and re-awakening expereince. So dope!
Then a cool Cavern for a closer that took me back to Roseland and the set was
complete. Only one thing didnt make sense though- why loeave out the YCFGAH
in the encore? it seemed like they were all so tired and just done that
instead of finishing the song they just brought 5 poeple on stage and
played...which was allright with me but it somehow lacked the final oomph
that any show could use. Nevertheless, it was an amazing show and deifnitly
in my top 5 of all time.
Security was a joke and we all had fun...peace and love to all...see you at
Darien, stay safe...THANK YOU PHISH
Jeremy, Ithaca College
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 10:46:29 -0400
From: Gary Nader [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review of Albany 9/9/00
I am very glad that the boys chose to go back to Albany- what a great venue!
I love that the cops block off the front and let everyone have at it! I was
at Albany last year and it is a great place. My uncle works for Pepsi- so we
were hooked up w/ Suite tickets.
This is about my 65th show or so- all from 95-present! I love Phish b/c its a
good time, tons of friends and we get to boogie ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!!
As for the show- WOW! We only hit the second night (and yes I am bummed that
we missed Mellow Mood, but what the he;;?)
I
Posssum, My Friend, Gumbo, Maze, Boogie On, Roggae, Guyute, Antelope
II
Gotta Jiboo, Curtain, Sand, Makisupa, CTB, Funky Bitch, Cavern
E
Hood
We got in and ten minutes later the madness started- POSSUM opener! Sweet-
Right off the bat- Craziness! This Possum was a good, hot version. The band
was pumped and so was the crowd. Page was hot fom the beginning! Then- BAM-
My Friend! I always hope this is the opened, but 2nd song is even better!
This is when my girl, Holly, and I started to get a little loopy! Trey was
Raging! Next was Gumbo- not as Funky as Star Lake (7/7/00), it was a little
more rock n rollish, then Trey noodled towards the end and finished it
nicely. Loops, Noises---MAZE- Yes- This is when I knew that things were going
to get a bit out-of-hand! This Maze kicked my ass......
The ending part got all crazy and was so fun! Everyone around me was freakin!
Boogie On was welcomed w/ open arms! A nice jam as the set just kept going at
full speed! Roggae was placed very nicely! I am a big fan of this song. The
ending jam was a bit longer (or at least it seemed to me).
Guyute was a placement. Actually I took a much needed rest and drank about a
gallon of water. Great ending as usual! Then Antelope- which I have not heard
since Big Cypress- and I was an Extremely happy person when the opening
chords of Antelope came off of Trey's Langedoc! This Antelope did NOT
dissappoint and kicked ass! Then to top off an amazing set- Tom comes out!
WOW!
The set break was a blast- friends, fun and hanging out!
The band came out and started the opening chords of Gotta Jiboo- very jammed
out and fun to hear! We started to move around, then they bust out Curtain! I
love this song! The band was really having a good time on stage! I love to
look up and see smiles galore- and thats what I was seeing. God, I love Phish
and all that they stand for!
After Curtain ended...they started a small jam and I thought that they were
going into 1st Tube, but it proved to be Sand- Yes! This jam was pretty and
long and went some places. Honestly- I really like this song, but time when
I've heard it- the jam does not seem to go anywhere, but this Sand was good
and quite entertaining! It was much sweeter b/c Michael Ray came out! I saw
him w/ them at Jazz Fest and I knew that this was going to get better! I have
also seen him at a few clubs in New Orleans- great guy and he kicks butt on
the trumpet!
After Sand ended, up came Makisupa- Schwag- what- how about more Heady
Niggets like Columbus!! This Makisupa was pretty cool, interesting jam that
involved MRay quite a bit...nice touch to the show! I told my friend, Andy,
that after I saw MRay on stage w/ them that we would hear Cars, Trucks,
Buses... and we did- it was a great version w/ MRay going off. Funky Bitch
kicked ass, as it always does! Then of course, Cavern closer! The last two
songs rocked the house!
All in all one of the best shows that I ahve seen in a while! My favorite
part of the ride home was when my girl told me that she was bit by the Phish
bug! I was bitten again!!!
I hope that the craziness continues tonigth in Darien Lake, I bet it will!
See you at Blossom and 2nd nigth of Chicago!
Take care- Gary
nothing I see can be taken from me.......
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 06:30:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: "MacDonald, Brent" [email protected]
Subject: 9/9/00 review
I am not one to look back upon a show and overanalyze every single aspect like
an ESPN analyst so here goes..
First set: Non stop energy from the Possum opener, My Friend ^2.. right
through to a hot antelope with Tom. Smokin'.
Second set; Jibboo a nice start...Phat sand..Michael Ray!!..just a great vibe
start to phinish in Albany. Hood encore, what better to end two nights of
musical bliss.
Side note - dug the cowboy shirt Trey was sportin'
Enjoy the tour - Brent
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 18:46:51 GMT
From: Josh Cohen [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Albany- Sept 9, 2000
Thank you Phish for the best sweat of my life.
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 03:54:01 EDT
From: Jake Cohen [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: 9/9/00 review
Here's a review for Saturday night's show:
OK, I felt that I didn't really have to say anything about the first of the
two Albany shows. It was decent, with a few surprises and a new use of the
vacuum by Fish. All around a par show - but I was expecting an over-par show
for the tour opener. I wanted something memorable, with some crazy shit
going on too. I guess I just wanted Saturday night's show to open it. This
second show was, in my opinion, one of the best I've heard in a while
(although I missed a good deal of summer tour) but this could be the one
they talk about all tour long (kinda like second night deer creek). Anyway,
onto the show:
Usual horrible Albany crowding problems when trying to get into the venue
(Providence and Hartford have the same problem!). Unlike Friday night, where
I completely missed Mellow Mood, I walked through the door as the build up
to the opening chords of POSSUM were going. This was just a fun Possum (it's
always awesome when they open a set with a normally "set-closing song"),
with some great rock jamming from Trey. He didn't fuck around - he skipped
all the quiet blues noodling and went straight for the hardcore "Funky
Bitch" style blues lead all throughout, building with intensity and volume
as the song went on.
MY FRIEND, MY FRIEND came out of nowhere and I was psyched to hear my first
one. Trey flubbed it a little (as he did with Glide and NICU the night
before) but it was nice to hear. Standard version. GUMBO started and was a
fun, not too funky and kinda rocky version. During the a cappella chorus,
Mike was just slapping the shit out of his bass!! Dropping bass bombs on
every beat - sounded extra-dank! Some great jamming from Trey before getting
very chill and then kinda dark and empty. The emptiness led into the hi-hats
and bass drum beat for MAZE!! Yes!! Psyched to hear this one again!!! You
always know you're getting some sick Page soloing from a Maze, and tonight's
was no exception. Page ripped it up on the Hammond, the organ sound grinding
and getting intenser until it finally exploded and settled into some equally
ripping Trey soloing. Maze ended as usual (fun!), and BOOGIE ON, REGGAE
WOMAN came on. Yes! The fourth reggaeish tune of the weekend (NICU, Mellow
Mood, and Windora Bug being the others) starts up and the entire place is
grooving along with the funky reggae beat. Lots of audience screams on the
"you can make me scream" line. ROGGAE is a beautiful song, nice breather -
very well placed, especially given what was coming up next. GUYUTE was it's
basic self, Trey wasn't hitting every note of the fast section, but it was
still great, and Kuroda makes the climaxes in this song so much more
explosive with the lights. The best was that right before the "I'm bouncing
like a newborn elf" line, the band just held that spacey, dissonant chord,
and Trey put that little strumming that he does in there on the loop pedal,
and then goes over and plays his keyboard, adding to the space. This goes on
for a good minute or so, then he comes back, sings a line with Fish on the
scary voice, and goes back to play his keys again! This goes on until he
finishes the verse, and they end the song in its usual grand style. Antelope
starts and this was just raging. They took the energy from the set and from
the audience and definitely put it all into this Antelope. Kept building and
building until you figured it couldn't get any higher, and then stops on a
dime - every time! (how do they do it?). Anyway, as soon as the chill
section starts, who else but Tom Marshall appears onstage to sing his lyrics
(spliff, mon?).
Second set starts with the first new song of the tour, and of course it's a
set 2 opening JIBBOO. But since I didn't see much of the summer tour, I was
happy to hear it start this one off. The Jibboo was tight, and Trey had some
really nice jamming in there - less groove and more Type I oriented, pre-'95
style Trey jamming. Led into what was in effect my first CURTAIN, since I
missed the first two songs of 12/30/99 set 2. This was great, very well
played, not a note missed, and clean too. Chris made it amazing with his
flashes of lights timed with Fishman's cymbal crashes. I was hoping they'd
do a Curtain With, but then Fish started playing the drum beat to First
Tube, while Mike played the bassling from SAND. Trey was still playing with
the feedback from the end of Curtain, so he wasn't helping, and Fish
actually had to stop playing to hear which bassline Mike was playing, first
tube or sand. I guess Henrietta is human after all - although I believe he
still has many godlike qualities. Anyway, Fish starts the Sand beat, and
pretty soon Trey starts his chords too. After some groove-oriented jamming
that went in many horizontal directions (different colors, rhythms, waves of
sound) but very little volume or intensity changing around, Michael Ray
comes out onstage!!!!! All done up in headdress and full '70s funk clothes.
He comes jiving up on stage, pumping his horn in the air. Then he takes
over, and let me tell you, this Sand is the reason to get this show in your
possession ASAP! Ray's soloing on Sand is absolutely phenomenal - it was
very funk oriented but not necessarily major or minor, it sounded like he
was definitely drifting into some modes, which gave this solo a great sound.
He also did some crazy trumpet sounds, like making it wail while jumping an
octave - some of the most complex sounding and difficult playing you can do
on a trumpet. After his solo, he just stayed onstage and funked around,
dancing around completely insane, it was great! Then he soloed some more and
they finally went back into the Sand theme. When they went back into the
main riff, Ray teased First Tube, but the band finished up the sand and
started up MAKISUPA. So danky!! Ray is going nuts onstage - dancing around
rasta style while the boys reggae it up again! Trey summed up the way
everyone felt that morning with "Woke up this morning, schwag" since it was
such a crummy day. Ray soloed a little on Makisupa, but mostly just danced
around. They finished and started the organ bass line to CARS TRUCKS BUSES.
This was awesome, since Ray had obviously practiced with the band and had
learned this song's melody line, which he played along with Page. It sounded
so nice - the trumpet gave everything such a new, crisp and funky sound,
really a lot of fun and great music. After some Page, Trey and Michael Ray
soloing, they finsih CTB and head straight into FUNKY BITCH! Now the entire
room is going nuts! Ray is still onstage, and he takes some solos along with
Trey. They finally build up the blues jam so hard with Trey and Ray both
playing these loops of notes on their instruments - there was so much energy
and intensity in this part! They ended it with a huge bang, and then Fish
started up the drums to CAVERN. Unfortunately, Michael Ray left the stage as
Cavern began. Cavern was fun, especially since there was a Miller Lite sign
over the bar across the street that read "Welcome Phish Phans. Whatever you
do, take care of your shoes". The four boys came back on alone for the Hood
encore - which Trey began singing by himself and without harmony or lights
for the first "Harry!" - and then when the jam started Michael Ray came
onstage with his trumpet, and he was accompanied by 5 random kids. They just
looked like random heads that were pulled out of the crowd. They sat on
Fish's drum riser, looking out from the stage, and just had a good time! One
of the chicks got up and started dancing with Michael Ray, which was funny
and entertaining to watch. The band jammed a nice Hood, building to a great
YCFGAH section, but instead of singing the jingle, Ray started playing his
trumpet. They went into the song ended craziness and Trey thanked Ray and
the people who cam onstage to keep Michael Ray company since he wasn't going
to be playing until the end of the jam. They just ended the show like that -
no singing, but it was an amazing end to and amazing show.
Multiple guests, a second set with trumpet for the majority of the songs,
some choice rare tunes like My Friend, Curtain, Makisupa, and some all
around ragers like Antelope, Maze, Possum, Hood, Funky Bitch. Get these
recordings at any cost, you will thank me later. Hope this wasn't too
long-winded, just wanted to give everyone a little glimpse of how epic this
show was. And as always, I have to say that even though I've seen it so many
times, the light show keeps getting better and better even on songs where
the lights are always the same (like Guyute). I must complement Chris and
his team for what they do, because they get you as close to a natural
psychedelic experience as you can find without drugs. Hope everyone had a
good weekend and we'll see you at Great Woods (I refuse to call it the
Tweeter Center).
My $.02,
-Jake
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 09:28:33 -0400
From: Kristen Hurd [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: my faith is restored....
YES! YES! YES! BEST FUCKING SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN.
Unreal, just unreal. You had to be there but the energy was amazing, i
am truly blown away. I had so many of those perfect moments that I
thought my heart would burst. You know those moments when you just feel
so connected to everyone in that room? When there is so much positive
energy flowing through everyone that you feel perfectly in tune with
the phlow? Words do not do justice to feelings I had last night,
absolutely mind boggling. That said, here's my play by play:
POSSUM: fantastic opener, this set blew me out of the water from the
get go. We were down in front tonight, 20th row, and this one put me
in mind of the energy I felt at lemonwheel. This is the one I was
singing when we got back to Jeff's at the end of the night....totally
jammin out from memory, I love this shit!
MY FRIEND: 1st time live for me, very nice. I was hoping for the space
to hear the crowd chanting "my friend, my friend," but fab nonetheless
GUMBO: he, he, he, he, he........so happy, sooooo happy :)
MAZE: I will never get out of this phase, as long as there are shows I
will go. period.
BOOGIE ON: you know, i really love how when a set is on, a set is on.
I feel like they can read my mind, not necessarily in terms of exact
songs, but in terms of what mood and energy is needed
next....phenonmenal.
ROGGAE: Great breather, shit I needed a breather right then. And I
love the undulating tones and shapes that unfold through my
body....just drowning in the music.
GUYUTE: my mind just melted, thank you very much.
ANTELOPE: Ok, can I quote myself? Something like "Shit, no shit!
Shit!!" Even sitting here, 24 hours later, I am speechless....tight
jamming, soaring up, and up, and up, and up...I swear, they love to
tease us, they eat that shit up. And then, Tom Marshall. What a
treat, it was just so sick and incredibly tight and then to top it off
with that....ecstasy, pure ecstasy baby. Lastly, CK5 overall:
Antelope has to be one of his favorite songs, it's just a huge
playground for him!!
Overall on Set I, I'm going to quote my exact set notes: "My faith has
been restored, awesome fuckin set.....completely speechless."
Set II:
JIBOO: ahhh, i feel something in the air.....10 minutes of Jiboo and
then.....
CURTAIN: blessed, we are truly blessed this lovely evening.
SAND: was bummed this summer when I missed this by one night and a few
hundred miles......but oh, was it worth the wait. By far, one of my
fave's off Farmhouse. Mellow glowsticks and Michael Raye (sp?), man
can he dance.... everyone clapping along, utter bliss, but then, when
he started to play?!?!?! No shit, this set is fucking fabulous! 20
minutes of this totally funked out, heavy Mike, killer trumpet....I am
in heaven!!
MAKISUPA: PFLM, you should be happy about this show. Heavy bass
throughout the whole show but very evident on this one. More MR, this
is just too good to be true, "Schwag," how appropriate.....
CTB: play it page baby, play it......it's shit like this that actually
makes me stop dancing and just watch. Magic rolling off fingers,
unbelievable groove and connection with the rest of the jam....he, he,
he, he, he,......I love it when they make me giggle with joy.
FUNKY: Mike, mike and more mike......this is just sublime. CK, you
are truly devine some times....i just love that green, gold, blue and
purple mix. That musical duel between MR and Trey at the end was a
blast!
CAVERN: predictable closer...killer tune but I've heard it in this
slot way too much. But I was really happy they played it because it
was my friend Dave's first show and he LOVES this tune!!
HOOD: "Thank you mister miner" I know it was unfinished, but shit,
Trey was hauling people out of the crowd onto the stage...can't top
that for me. And then, those moments when MR and that woman were
dancing......I was just overflowing with the beauty and magic that is a
phish show. Never forget how incredible it is to be a part of this,
never.
Overall:
WORDS DO NOT DO THIS SHOW JUSTICE.
Thank you Trey, Page, Mike and Fishman...you bring me more happines
than I can ever express. And thank you to spirit for thinking you four
up and bringing you together so that you could bring all of us
together!!
I am well stocked up on energy to get me through till they decide to
come tour again. I have utter faith that this rest will be good for
all of us. They need to recharge, and we always, but particularly
these days, need to be reminded of how precious these moments with each
other are.
Sweet dreams and summer laughter, let that be all that is this space
that we create when we come together. I envy those continuing on the
tour - be safe, dance hard, laugh and love and live....
nothing I see can be taken from me.....
your sister in love and light,
Kristen
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 19:18:56 -0400
From: Ann Nirenstein [email protected]
Subject: Albany shows(9-9-00, in particular)
It has been four years since my last "experience". I became disillusioned
during the mega-concerts and disapproved of the many people that were spoiling
the scene. I will never question the musical ability or wonderful use of
music to create a mood by this band. The first night nearly brought a tear to
my eye... the second night delivered one of the best shows that I have ever
seen. Mind you... this is not my first or twentieth show. I have realized
that the scene can offer a great deal of uncompromising love for complete
strangers. I have to thank a small posse from UMASS Boston for the
reassurance that good people do indeed exist (special thanks to Dave, Dave,
Dave(birthday-boy), Joe(afro-boy), Allison, Josh and Matt). No that my love
has been reaffirmed, I fear that the unknown tour plans will give me an ulcer.
Thank you all, especially PHISH, for an unforgettable and spiritual weekend.
I look forward to the next opportunity.
Enjoy Every Fucking Moment!!!!
Keith
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2000 09:00:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: David Jones [email protected]
Subject: review of albany 2nd night
This is not really a review per se, but a quick story bout me and my friend's
experience at the show saturday night.
first off, we were lucky enough to be hooked up with 3rd row tix, thanks to
some cool guy at ticketmaster in Raleigh NC who told me he'd keep trying till
he scored good tix. then we were lucky enough tobe taken to the wrong seats
by the usher, so that were were placed 3rd row, right in front of trey rather
than being leaned up against the boards with a view of only the guy with the
soundboard at the side of the stage.
sure we felt like geeks, but how often do you get that close? so we decided to
make a sign for my buddy's fave song of the one's he hasn't heard in his 30
something shows: My Friend, My Friend.
So they come out, he holds up his sign, no one notices, they rage possum, then
during the possum jam, he holds up the sign again as trey's eying the crowd in
our general direction, and trey clearly notices the sign and gives a little
nod. I thought it was possible it could all be just in my head, was trey
really nodding at my friend's sign? then VERY NEXT SONG, they bust it out.
needless to say, our little section was going nuts, everyone was taking
picutres of him holding the sign during the song etc. it was great.
I guess it's possible that it was an insane coincidence that they play his
first MY FRIEND MY FRIEND at the show in which it woulda been tough for trey
to miss the sign right in front of him. but that would be a huge coinkidink,
no??
anyway, the rest of the show was incredible. Awesome Antelope, Trey was
actually flawless on the guyute, whole MRAY thing in 2nd set was great, and
then the hood....ahhhhh
it's a very good indication of htings to come for the rest of the tour...
Dave
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 19:21:23 -0400
From: Sean Alexander [email protected]
Subject: 9/9/00 Albany
My turn to write a review:
First of all, Friday was a great show. So I expected Saturday to be good
too....
I had no idea.
However,the place was packed. I'm convinced these shows are being over-sold,
or a lot of people are getting in with fakes. Whatever, as long as I'm in, I
don't care.
Set 1:
POSSUM- great way to start a show, that's all there is to it
MY FRIEND- how many shows have i seen, and how many mife's? the answer to
both is "not enough". i was going nuts
GUMBO- again, not enough gumbo's, i loved it. and going into...
MAZE- normally not a big fan of maze, but they blew it up this time. long
hallways, sharp turns, a couple dead ends. i'm a changed man.
BOOGIE ON- please. play this song again and again and again. just reach out
and milk the funk.
ROGGAE- it was good. could have easily interupted the flow of the set, but
didn't. it made me that much happeir when they went into...
GUYUTE- who doesn't love guyute? it is the victory anthem of rock and roll
pigs. great version too.
ANTELOPE- how does this song keep getting better and better. it was loud,
long and f*cking awesome! and Tom Marshall too, way to go, you are
a rock-star!
After a relatively short break,
Set 2:
GOTTA JIBBOO- obviously, no energy leaked out of the arena during setbreak.
it's not a choice. when it's that strong you gotta jibboo too.
THE CURTAIN- i always want to hear curtain. it just amazes me everytime.
page goes up as trey goes down and everyone in the place is screaming the
lyrics. incredible.
SAND- that phat phunk from the summer is not gone. i love it when they jam
so long i forget what song they're playing (i wonder if that happens to
them). Michael Ray tears it up with a trumpet solo, and dances around the
stage. So good.
MAKISUPA- that's right!
CARS, TRUCKS, BUSES- jamalicious. throughout all this Michael Ray is still
dancing all around the stage. I'm not sure when exactly, but somewhere, Page
goes off! Michael Ray dances over to the piano and grooves out to Page,
bowing with his hands in the air (i'm not worthy-ish). Understandable. He
looks so nice, but Page is an evil pianist.
FUNKYBITCH- i mean, FUNKYBITCH! i think they got my letter! FUNKYBITCH!
CAVERN- it's so good. and it's a true story. two thumbs up!
Encore:
HARRY HOOD- the best part about the encore was that Michael Ray put on a
different wacky cape and headdress, but forgot his horn! i can't believe that
trey pulled people on to the stage, and they sat down! dance fuckers, dance!
and, they didn't finish the song! one reason i love hood is 'cause it's got
three major parts (movements?) and i get to dance three different ways during
it. but they cheated me out of the "feel good" part. that's the best part!
it's like i have to sneeze, but it's stuck.
Oh well. It was still one of the best shows, ever. It's nights like that
that let us know that they love us.
-Thanks guys, back at 'ya.
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 17:14:47 -0400
From: Mark Maynard [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9/9/00 Albany Review
Oh what fun it can be to be at one of the better Phish shows in recent
memory!! AFter seeing the first night, I knew that in all likelyhood, we
would get a much better setlist on Saturday. That was just the case.....
The street in front of the pepsi was packed at about 7pm.. and I mean
packed. We waited for nearly 45 minutes to get in along with at least 5,000
people out front. My friend was lucky enough to score a ticket at the last
minute for a decent price (not face but "decent" :-) just before the gate. I
lost track of all my friends b/c security wasn't letting anybody wait once
they got past the checkpoint... can you say Bullshit!!!!!
After being herded quickly into the arena I ran half way around the top in
search of a Molson Canadian Vendor since they were the only decent beer in
the place for a decent price. Possum started as I was in line and everybody
was jamming out in the aisles and in line.
I got to my seats in sec 104 just for the start of My Friend ^2 and was
pleasently surprised we got to hear it. I am not one to do a play by play
and idiotically scrutinize the band's placement of songs so I'll just mention
the highlights!!! The whole show WAS a highlight I have to say but the
curtain, antelope, sand, jiboo, funky bitch were all top notch. The crowd
down in front was going nuts jumping up in down and I mean,,,, GOING NUTS in
front of trey and this spurred trey to give us some high gear playing!! The
energy levels were remminiscent of new years shows from the Mid Nineties if
you can picture that. Very cool crowd for the most part. I met so many nice
people inside and in the lots.
Thanks to the crowd in the parking lot under the highway for putting up with
all us wild frisbee throwers on Saturday!!! We all had a blast..
Til Next time,
Keep your wings low,
Mark Maynard
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 18:23:59 -0400
From: Robert Hack [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9/9/00
Never been a huge Phish fan but this show may change my mind. Feel damn
lucky to have been there. Kind of like the St. Stephen show I was
fortunate enough to see in 1983 before that song vanished from setlists
forever. I honestly knew only 1 song the whole night and it didn't
matter worth diddly. Danced that mess around.
Could kiss my cousin for providing me with a ticket. Darien Lake here I
come?
-- Rob Hack
[email protected]
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 08:09:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Blane Harvey [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9-9-00 comment
Hey, won't bother to review since a million people already have, but needless
to say, it was killer.
I thought I'd write in and mention that they did indeed start 1st Tube and
switch to Sand. Fish and Mike kicked it off, then Fish stopped, Mike changed
the rhythm of the bass line (which is pretty much exactly the same in both
tunes) and then Fish came back in with the Sand groove. An excellent choice if
you ask me!
See ya in Darien!
Blane
=====
Check out my page at http://members.xoom.com/scentofamule/home.htm
my dat/cdr list is now at:
http://www.phishhook.com/lists/Unitmonster
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 14:27:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: Joe * [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9-9-2000
I'd like to submit my annual Phish show review. Unfortunately finances
prohibit me from making more Phish shows than I'd like to but I am glad
I was able to make the trek to Albany to catch this weekend of shows.
Friday night's show was nothing worth writing home or to Phishnet about,
but Saturday's show totally made up for the lackluster performance given
the night previous. Coming into Albany and the Pepsi Arena was really
easy with no traffic to speak of.
From what I saw of the city, it is really clean and contained nice
architecture, including "The Egg", otherwise known as the Albany
Performing Arts Center. We got into the venue and climbed for days to
get to our seats in the upper reaches of the nosebleeds. The air was
thin up there with a touch of snow on the ground. Fortunately, I had my
oxygen mask with me.
Getting to my review, as mentioned previously, Friday was not what I
would call a good show, with several musical and vocal miscues and
flaws. Something must have happened overnight because the show on
Saturday was virtually flawless with kickarse music.
Set 1
From hearing every song from the last 3 albums the night before, I wasnt
expecting anything spectacular when we got to our seats for the second
night. I was pleasantly surprised with the selections for this show. I
had never seen Possum open the show. It was a great start to a great
night. Possum glided into My Friend, My Friend which slid into a funky
sing-along Gumbo. Phish definitely came to play tonight. After
reflecting on snowbound mice for a while, we sailed into a Maze which
we're never gonna get out of. The reggae women were dancing and Phish
promised to do it till we begged for more. We didn't have to beg! Going
to the farm to see that ugly, dancing pig Guyute was certainly a fun
journey because while on the farm, we also saw an antelope running out
of control. During Antelope, Tom Marshall came out and treated us with
his lyrical and vocal prowess.
Setbreak was people watching time and there was a crazy gentleman
climbing up to the nosebleeds, pretending he was climbing a mountain,
binoculars and all. After numerous failed "wave" attempts, the lights
finally went down again. During the setbreak, I started singing Jibboo
because I felt one somewhere in the thin smoke-filled atmosphere of the
arena.
Wouldn't you know what they opened the second set with! I was so
psyched that Phish was so in tune to my mind. Jibboo traveled into
Curtain! and I knew that the first set's explorations were hardly done.
Going to the beach and playing in the Sand was an excellent choice. Sand
slowed down and then the stagehands set up another microphone on the
stage. Michael Ray came out, festooned in island Indian garb. After
stirring up the already pumped up crowd, he started playing his amazing
trumpet. What ensued was an hour of the most incredible music I had seen
to date. What is a beach without a Policeman to keep the order? The
"schwag" smoking cop floated around the room for a while to ensure
everything was on the level. After the cop was sure it was cool, we got
into our Cars, Trucks and Buses to pay a visit to the Funky Bitch.
Michael Ray bid us goodbye and we went down to the Cavern.
After the incredible music we had witnessed, Trey thought it would be
cool to drink a nice big glass of Hood milk. "Got Milk"? Phish certainly
had an overabundance of dairy products and for the next 15 minutes we
were treated with the journey of the milkman whom everyone knows. During
Hood, Trey grabbed 5 people from the audience and backstage areas and
had them dancing on the stage. Harry faded before the finale because the
venue's curfew had been exceeded. All in all this was a fabulous show
and I am glad I had the opportunity to introduce my fiance to the
nuances of that band called Phish.
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 21:52:23 -0400
From: soxphan [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: pepsi 9/9
Hey all,
just a couple thoughts on albany. I love shows at the pepsi arena, it's
always a chill atmosphere mixed nicely with anticipation and excitement for
the shows ahead. Ya you still get some of the sketchy characters in the lot,
selling drugs I wouldn't force my worst enemy to consume (to the kid who
offered me herion...just go away, far away, and don't come back). You know
who these kids are...pitbull on leash in one hand, empty beer bottle falling
to the concrete from the other. Is it that hard to throw trash in the
trash? Sorry about that, to the show. I'm not gonna go song by song, but
there was some really special moments, like the first set for starters. When
you hear My friend, My friend in the first set you know it's gonna be a great
show, not to mention possum, MAZE, a absolutley raging antelope, with tom
marshall ta boot, and a deep, heavy, funky,saturated with sweat gumbo.... oh
ya don't forget boogie on reggae woman. Man what a great set!
2nd set was full of surprises. The curtain...such a great song, and to
listen to the band play this song so tightly is pure joy. what I thought
started out as 1st tube turned into sand, and the surprises
continued...Michael Ray came out with horn in hand, and played with the band,
and the crowd. He was dancing up a storm which really got the crowd going.
Ofcourse Page was the man on cars trucks busses. So much going on and before
you know it the set was over. I remember thinking how bummed I was at that
moment, realizing that this was my last phish show for well... no one really
knows how long, and then Harry Hood. Absolutley perfect...trey invited some
fans on stage, and michael ray came back out to enjoy a beautiful harry hood.
A great moment that capped off a great nite of phish. Last nite was my 50th
show since 94'...modest to some, extreme to others, but regardless of how
many shows you've been to, or when you started. If you really enjoy phish
and really respect what phish is about, then you would have left last nites
show with a little bit wider of a grin than usual. thank you phish for so
many great memories. when your ready to get the show on the road again i'll
be waiting. Everyone enjoy the rest of the tour, and be good..lets end this
chapter on a high note.
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 12:24:10 EDT
From: JM (reba616)
To: [email protected]
Subject: Albany reviews
09/09/2000 Pepsi Arena - Albany, New York
Set I (73 min): Possum, My Friend My Friend -> Gumbo > Maze, Boogie On
Reggae Woman, Roggae, Guyute, Run Like an Antelope*
Set II (80 min.): Gotta Jibboo > The Curtain > Sand%^ -> Makisupa
Policeman^#, Cars Trucks Buses^ > Funky Bitch^, Cavern
Encore (17 min.):Harry Hood^+
* With Tom Marshall onstage to say the "Marco Esquandolas" part
% with glowsticks
^ With Michael Ray on trumpet
# Keyword was "schwag"
+ Unfinished; also, after the "thank you, Mr. Minor" part, 5 people were
taken out of the audience to sit on stage to keep Michael Ray company, since
Phish didn't want him to play until the last part of the song. Trey thanked
"Michael Ray and the Michael Ray Chorus".
Post-show music was the Bee Gees' "More than a Woman"
Possum- SWEET opener. I wanted to hear a PYITE, but this was just ten times
better. Set the mood for the night, this song alone tore every song from
Friday night apart!
My friend my friend- Definitely cool to hear. Rarity.
Gumbo- I was groovin. Funky jams.
Maze- not one of my favorites, but a great version nevertheless, energy
filled.
Boogie on Reggae Woman- YES!! Stevie Wonder cover, thrilled as hell when I
heard the opening chords to this one. This one proved Trey was on, he didnt
flub the lyrics or the lick. Awesome.
Roggae- A breather.
Guyute- Awesome version, near perfect. I was grooving the whole song, but
not nearly as hard as when they started the opening chords of....
ANTELOPE!!!- By far my favorite song of the night, killer killer version. I
had never danced so hard before, the crowd was going nuts when big goofy Tom
Marshall came out to say the words right before the gear shift. Blew away
every song in the first set, but Possum and Guyute came close.
*~SETBREAK*~ Just chilled out, stayed in my seat the whole time, waiting
patiently....
Gotta Jibboo- Called this one. Wasn't all too thrilled they opened with it,
but I was still grooving.
The Curtain- NOW WE'RE TALKING! Never thought they'd play it.
Sand- Usually don't like this one, but the funk was too deep not to dance my
ass off for the 20 minutes. HUGE glowstick war, I've never seen anything so
cool in my life. This big guy comes on staged dressed all fruity to play
the trumpet, this guy could dance! Got the crowd going without a doubt.
Makisupa Policeman- Alright! The reggae theme continues, the crowd goes
nuts again, so nuts I couldn't hear the keyword, which I found out later was
"SCHWAG".
Cars Trucks Buses- There was some pretty serious jamming during this song.
The trumpet player was going nuts on this one.
Funky Bitch- After Cars trucks buses, I called Cavern to be the set closer,
but they played this, which was damn fine with me! Energetic, it was a
great version. Thought it was the set closer but...
Cavern- I called it, but called it too early! Cool version, Trey didnt mess
it up once! Could have done without it, but it was still cool.
~*ENCORE*~
I wanted a Loving Cup, or a Rock and Roll, thought that Tom Marshall would
come out for the encore and bust out a new cover but we got...
HARRY... HOOD!!! HARRY... HOOD!!! WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT??
I would have never called it for the encore! It was great, but they didnt
finish the last part, which is my favorite. A bittersweet ending to these
two nights, considering they were great shows, but it will be about two
years before Phish comes around to Albany again.... Take it easy- J.M.
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 17:33:33 -0400
From: caitlin murray [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Albany 9/9/00
It has always been a struggle. A fight to get better. The reasons for
fighting were once so plentiful and obvious that few would rest in
contentment and settle for less. Today life is easy. Most of the world
lives in comfort and convenience, and there is no great evil starring us
in the face. There are still problems but one must pay close attention
and even search a little to recognize their severeness. Still with our
growing knowledge and technology we have not gotten much wiser.
However, there is much greater progress towards awareness of our outer
world then within the human mind and spirit, our inner worlds.
Curiously, we lend ourselves to dullness inside. Most moments are
obstructed by fear and we are unable to truly live them. Artists have
forever held the fight against this, screaming Carpe Diem at the top of
their lungs, drawing our attention towards life, our emotions, and
reality. Last night was the Quintessential artistic/spirtual
experience. United, we became aware of the moment with a profound
perception of reality. The moment stood alone with a such-ness that we
could all feel. That alive-ness is a state of mind reached by a high
level of awareness and focus. We can all live more aware and thus more
a part of the moment and divinity. The more we experience the moment
the more we add to our memories and our lives become richer. Thank you
Phish for helping us get to that place.
Neil 9/10/00
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 12:28:06 -0400
From: Trevor Rogas [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9-9-00 review
Possum - great, well-done and riled up the crowd.
My Friend, My Friend - fast, crowd interaction with the chorus part at
the end ->
Gumbo - amazing song, played great ->
Maze - wonderful to hear again, Trey did an amazing solo
Boogie on Reggae Woman - they entered a Hampton phase, and this was
great
Roggae - not a great version, some confusion about the words
Guyute - long version, good solos
Run Like an Antelope - TOM MARSHALL!! This was amazing
Overall, Set I was good, it was lacking some slow stuff, but the band
was loving the energy in the room.
Gotta Jibboo - This was great, first song off Farmhouse on the fall tour
->
The Curtain - good, some confusion about the transition into the song ->
Sand - Michael Ray was amazing, coming out with an Indian headdress and
dancing around while he was not playing, glowstick war was weak ->
Makisupa Policeman - good to hear this song again, well-done
Cars, Trucks, Buses - I heard a First Tube tease in the beginning, then
Fishman stopped and slowed it down and it became this, maybe I'm wrong
->
Funky Bitch - AMAZING!! Trey had an awesome solo, and this just pumped
the crowd up so much
Cavern - Great!! This plus Funky Bitch before it almost made me pass
out, the energy was unbelievable. Trey fumbled some words at the
beginnings of verses, but got them eventually
Overall, I would say Set II was better than Set I. It had more variety
and the end was amazing.
Harry Hood - great, Michael Ray came back and danced for a while, then
went to find his trumpet (techies had moved it offstage). When he
returned he brought 5 fans up with him. After the song, Trey kissed one
girl on the cheek, and hugged one of the guys. This was a perfect song,
people had been talking about it all day.
This concert was amazing, lots of variety and unbelievable energy. GO
SEE THIS TOUR!!!
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 14:08:22 -0400
From: J.Rennie Hamilton [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: 9/9/00 WWWOOOOOWWWWW!!!!
Phish is ON!
Friday night was like an old diesel truck that hadn't been started up
in a while,the gears were grinding and the engine was sputtering. Second set
the rig was getting warmed up!
By the time Saturday night rolled around that "gear shift was in HIGH
GEAR and the boys were at full speed with the cruise control on!!!!! Hands
down the best phish show I have ever experienced!!! Top to bottom every tune
was phenomonal!!!
TREY, PAGE, MIKE, JOHN, ------> THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
P.S. It is tough to review a show like this because it is one of those
deals where you just had to be there!!
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 11:59:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: Iii William F Luke [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 9/9 Review
Possum Opener, My Friend, Antelope, The Whole Second Set, Hometown Show,
Micheal Ray,The Whole Second Set(I know i've already said that, but it was
just that good). SEE YOU ALL IN DARIEN!!
DANK YOU PHISH
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 04:05:23 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: ridiculous second night in Albany
I have seen many good Phish shows at the ''Pepsi Arena" over the years, but
tonight had to take the cake as my personal favorite. The show got started
on the right note with a rippin' Possum followed by the all to rarely played
My Friend My Friend. Way to go on this number boys. It was extremely tight
even though I can't remember the last time I have heard it. The rest of the
set matched the intensity, and blew both sets from the night before out of
the water.
After a long set break, one knew what was to come in the second set. Just
another absolutely ridiculous set of music played by mine and yours favorite
band. Gotta Jiboo and Sand have been set regulars over the past couple of
tours, and it seems every one just keeps getting better. I felt tonights
were the best Phish has ever produced. The jam out of Sand was moving to say
the least. The rest of the set was great too with a higher than average
energy level. Hood was probably the perfect encore for Phish to close out
one of their favorite close to home venues. I think this tour is going to be
so special because of the extended break coming up. I cannot wait for Geat
Woods and everything else. See you on the road kidz!
Mikey O
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 10:14:46 -0400
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Albany Saturday night
Wow!
What a great show! Friday night was fantastic, but they definitely saved
the best for last here in Albany. Went with my cousin who called "My
Friend" in the first and "Jiboo" to start the second. Energy was very high,
no police/security problems...and no "Guy running around in underwear" from
night before. "Makisupa" is always fun. "Possum", "Guyute", "Run Like an
Antelope", "Funky Bitch", and "Cavern"....all just explosive. "Sand" had a
great groove happening. This was the first show that I could give someone a
miracle, and I did twice, so, hope you enjoyed the show girls!
- Joe
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 04:03:42 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: (no subject)
let me tell you this was one of the best shows i've ever been to. i was front
row, on the rail 10 feet from trey. i was standing right next to the kid, and
if you were in albany and saw the newspaper he was in the paper.
possum...short but, raging. it really got me dancing. a classic.
my friend>gumbo>maze...i've never heard this combination before, but i liked
it. pretty standard.
boogie...great yet again, if you can't move to this song then you've got a
problem.
guyute...this was great. as phish started building for the climax of the
song, trey was mouthing to everyone in the front "you want some more?, yeah?"
while swaying back and forth in tune with the highs, then he started jumping
up and down. it was great.
antelope...this was great to see at the front of the room. when tom came out
the room exploded, i saw tom w/ trey in binghamton, so this is my second
occasion seeing the pair on stage. after marco esquandolos, tom says "me to
smoke spliff wit you mon" and points to the kid next to me. it was great.
later in the show i was along the edge of the floor and tom walked by with
his wife(?), i shook his hand. then he walked by me again. it was great. in
binghamton he walked right by me and my buddies too. always great to see tom
on stage then in the crowd.
second set....i guess you had to be there.
sincerely yours, ken
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