1997-06-24 Strasbourg, FR

 Happy Easter everybody!!!!

Onwards with Euro 97, this time it's 6/24/97 Strasbourg

After two festival gigs and a few very strange shows, tonight we get the most "balanced" looking setlist since the Albert Hall gig.

Set 1

Split Open and Melt - Surprise Melt opener! Great version. Teeters on the edge of falling apart. It never does, but there are several distinct moments that make you perk up and go "Oh? What's happenning?". Not really must hear, but it definitely shows promise, threatening heavily to go deep. It's like the ultimate "tease" version.

Beauty of My Dreams - is Beauty

Dogs Stole Things - is Dogs

Vultures - Good version but nothing special.

Guelah Papyrus - Trey abandons the song after the "Asse Festival" part because he forgets the lyrics. Must hear just for this, lol

Runaway Jim - KILLER!!!! Another "Gypsy Queen" version!!!! Nearly 13 minutes, this annihilates worlds!!!! MUST HEAR!!!! The jam is raging along, then all of a sudden the rhythm shifts and they bust into "Gypsy Queen". Trey is absolutely shredding it up like a madman! Then all of a sudden again, the jam magically, and smoothly, morphs back into Jim! X FACTOR MAGIC ALERT!!!!

Talk - Another rare full-band Talk is next. A little flubby on the lyrics, but always a treat to hear.

Free - Stellar version!!! 12 minutes on this sucker! HOLY MOTHER OF PORNOGRAPHY THIS IS ONE FUNKY SUCKER!!!!! During the section when Trey should "lay back" and let Gordo solo, instead, he funk-vamps it up to the extreme, moving to the wah and going nuts. Page joins in on the fun and the whole thing becomes the grooviest, slickest slice of music heard since the 70s. This isn't your typical "funky" Free. No, this is about 10 steps beyond that. I can't begin to describe how funky this is - it's RIDICULOUS! X Factor Magic for sure!!!!!

Prince Caspian - Very strong version, over 8 minutes long. You think it is over and it just keeps going and going! Killer!

Rocky Top - Is Rocky Top


Wow! What a set!!!! On the whole this was one of the most consistently strong, start-to-finish sets of the tour so far, if not THE strongest overall first set of the tour so far! The Runaway Jim through Prince Caspian is essential listening, especially that ridiculous Free and Jim/Gypsy Queen. A great listen, it flows like butter. A great mix of the old and the new. Solid stuff!!!  

Set 2

Wolfman's Brother - Yet ANOTHER excellent Euro 97 version!!! This one clocks in at a mammoth 17 minutes - was this the longest version to date at this point?!
Absolutely ridiculous, X Factor version. The destructive funk of the prior Free returns with a vengeance. Then, magically, around the 11 minute mark they shift into total Type II. Trey kicks on his "Great Went 2001" looper and we go into a more ambient-yet-rocking zone (yes, I'm aware that doesn't make sense!). This is absolutely must hear in every way. X Factor Magic abound! By the 14 minute mark, the ambience is totally abandoned and Trey is straight up spitting fire, doing chunky riff work, then laying down the leads. HEAVY METAL WOLFMAN?! Sometime around the 16 minute mark, the craziness subsides and the jam drifts into an uber-delicate haze as it fades itself out....It's like they simply, and slowly, turned the volume knob to zero, one notch at a time.....

Reba - And into a blazing 15 minute Reba we go! This is an absolutely exceptional, must hear reading of the song. The technical portion is executed flawlessly. And at quite a speed as well!!! Terrifically patient solo that builds so slowly and perfectly, Page playing along with Trey (or is Trey playing along with Page?!). This is a stupendous Reba that everyone should know. A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

NICU - Great little version out of Reba to pick us back up. Good stuff but nothing special.

Twist - Strong, Type 1 version. Nothing special but still really, really nice!!!!

Piper - See Twist. Still stuck in "short land", though at 5:30, it's starting to grow! Longest intro ever? Holy hell guys, start the song already!

Wading in the Velvet Sea - Absolutely epic 9 minute reading. Killer version. Not really worth highlighting, but it's great.

Ghost - Hell yes! Uber-beast 16 minute version to close the set!!!! Incredible version, as expected they lay hard into the funk and proceed to just tear it the F up. If you want the funkiest Type I Ghost out there, seek out this sucker. Fantastic!! Incredibly funky type 1 HEAT. Must hear!!!!

Loving Cup - Standard excellent version to close the show


Wow!!! This show killed it!! Maybe it didn't go as far out into the strange as some of the more recent gigs, but this was hands down the most consistently excellent, front-to-back, top-to-bottom show of the tour so far. Most shows so far have been "piecemeal" affairs with highlights, but this is the first one to actually feel like a unified unit from start to finish (ok London did, but this so far exceeds that show it's not even funny). A fantastic gig - Wolfman, Reba and Ghost are all MUST HEAR in the 2nd set, and don't forget about the 1st set highlights too!

BEST SHOW OF THE TOUR SO FAR. HANDS DOWN!

2018-11-03 Las Vegas, NV - 2023 revisit

 Finishing my replay of Vegas 2018 today.
Onwards to 11 3 18.

Set 1 is oddly pedestrian in the first half, then Tube wakes it up and it gains traction. The Jukebox song choices dont help at all.

A standard hot Moma to open. Not a scratch on the Albany rager but a fine version regardless.

KDF is strong overall and has a nice jam, but ultimately feels too restrained for its own good.

Roggae, Water and 555 all do their thing, and none are particularly strong or noteworthy.

Then comes Tube. Not as strong as the insane Chicago version, but its another legitimately jammed reading that Id say is Must Hear. This seems to wake them up and from here the set is gravy.

Farmhouse follows perfectly and is a STANDOUT reading, ultra delicate and quiet.

Then a crazy Mikes-Lifeboy-Paug (huh?!) to close.

Not my favorite set at all but it definitely hass character.... 

Set 2

Carini/46 Days/Scents is the unholy X Factor Magic trio of the damn year.

Thats gotta be in the top 6 or 8 versions of Carini played in 3.0 to this point. Incredible jan with Gordo up front and a good dosage of ambience. Outer Space Carini.

46 Days may just have bested my lauded 7 24 18 version. Insane.

And Scents is a multi part Type 2 journey with several moods and styles, all terrific.

Holy hell....  

Yea, that Scents and Subtle Sounds is something truly special. Another one to toss in the Jam of the Year competition - it wouldnt win, but it would make some headway for sure.

And then its followed by the most insane, space traveling, EXTRAORDINARY must hear version of Crosseyed ever.....holy mother of god.

No exaggerating, that Crosseyed was.....no words.

And the segue into 2001...damn.... 

Ok, so then how about that nightmare hellscape, 21 minute Split Open and Melt?!

What is even happening anymore ...this set is unbelievable

After that we get Velvet Sea/C Zero encore



All in all, set 1 was mostly skippable but set 2 was magical x factor perfection from start to finish. I lost my mind and you will too. Holy hell.

 

 

 

2018-11-01 Las Vegas, NV - 2023 revisit

 Night 2 of Vegas 2018 this morning

Set 1

13 min Type 2 Everythings Right. WOW! Doesnt top the Chicago opener, but its close! Damn!

Then a raging, energetic Bag keeps us rocking next.

Then, oh boy, oh golly...this friggin Wolfmans Brother. X FACTOR MAGIC! NEXT LEVEL! INCREDIBLE! MUST HEAR!

Nellie Kane and Funky B are both loaded with extra energy and kick butt. But Funky B aint just hot, its damn nuclear! Check out Page the Rage!!! Wow

No, im not exaggerating, that Wolfman and Funky B were both Phish-1.0 levels of...well, next level. Holy hell. Did they take steroids before the set or something?!

And up next is.... a 15 min Chalkdust! Thats unusual! Extraordinary, it gets dark and sludgy right off the rip! Sink in the murk! Holy hell this is incredible!!! NASTY!!!! Incredible, magical version. Certainly in the top ten of all time....

No, im not exaggerating. That was in the top 5 jams of the year so far, easily

After a rare I Been Around to gather ourselves, Joy makes us cry our eyes out. Great stuff. Joy is ridiculous tonight, turning in the greatest guitar histrionics workout ever. Insane. A shredding Joy, eh?

And then a killer Walls to close. Perfect.

Holy sweet jesus mother of hell on a cracker, what just happened. THEY KEEP GETTING BETTER! Everytime they play the best set ever, they come and top it a few shows later. This set was unbelievable. All timer Chalkdust, exceptional Wolfy and ER plus a ripping version of Joy. EVERYTHING was loaded with red hot rocket fuel and the guys were just exploding from start to finish. A++++++++++

Compare this to the likes of 8 12 18, aka the hottest show ever played, lol

20 min Blaze On bliss adventure to open set 2. Pretty dang must hear! Thats was killer! It just kept going and going and going!

Then a killer 10 min rager No Men keeps the fire burning hot. Spray that hose! Incredible type 1!

Up next, Fuego keeps the headbanging going. Short but nasty Type 2. Gets very dark and spacey for a few awesome minutes

Twist is killer. Does its usual thing then shifts into a brooding and tense, slow build kind of jam. Darker but still jazzy. Synths creeping in but not really. Is it bliss or not? Very interesting and odd! It patiently winds its way through several sounds and styles befoe ending up in a lengthy "how did we get here?!" part that sees the band making a wacky, swirling, circus style racket with Mike proclaiming "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" at the top of his lungs like he is peaking in orgasmic bliss or something. Very funny and fun.

The OHHHHH of course causes Trey to later lead the band into a briefly ripping and inspired Caspian before heading back for a Twist reprise to close.

Holy hell. What is even happening anymore!?

After a lovely and perfectly placed BATR, we get a terrific Harry Hood

At nearly 17 minutes, Hood is extra exploratory tonight. During the "building bliss" section, we get a killer WACTOOB semi-jam/extended tease. Gordo picks up on it and does a vocal reprise of it and the crowd goes nuts. But then back into Hood....just jam WACTOOB, dang it!


After a great Contact and encore-nobody-wanted Rise/CT the show comes to a close.

And what a show it was!!!! Top 7 or 8 of the year, imo. A stellar 4.3 or 4.4 kinda show. Set 1 felt perfectly magical like 10 26 18. Set 2 was less "perfect" but almost everything had unique moments or terrific jams, etc.

A MUST HEAR SHOW!!! BLEW MY LITTLE HEAD!!!!!!  

 

2018-10-31 Las Vegas, NV - 2023 revisit

 Kasvot Vaxt in the dump truck this morning.

10 31 18 today

Opening Buried Alive is rare and fun

11 min Ghost to follow. Perfect choice for Halloween! This one is an underrated sleeper for sure - it does way more with its abbreviated run time than you think. Id say it goes Type II and Trey even gets a Buried Alive reprise thrown in. Go revisit this one!

Then we got a perfect, totally organic and unexpected segue into Crazy Sometimes! It keeps the groove going and packs a puch! Killer version. It almost lifts off into a massive jam but unfortunately they kill it.

There is totally a massive 25 min jam lurking inside. Seriously, it was at the point of liftoff and they just go "nah not tonight"

Free is next. Awkward start but a good version. Nothing that special.

A rocking version of More in the 5th slot is very unexpected and great!

The following Halley is MUST HEAR!!! It rages hard then turns into a Tube-style jam for about 5 glorious minutes before they, again, prematurely kill it

Also, I swear Trey is quoting the Crazy Sometimes vocal melody in his solo!

And awkwardly we slide into....Ocelot?! Ok.... 

Incendiary must hear, dark and angsty Ocelot!! Surprisingly killer!!!

And the following Theme just EXPLODES! Theme felt incredibly strong tonight, almost next level.

Then an incendiary First Tube as shock set closer!!


All in all, set 1 tonight felt like the best warmup tease ever. Strong readings with great little jams that showed a strong promise for greater things to come.

It felt like they were teasing us all set.

 

 KV thoughts:

Turtle kills. Great song.

Stray Dog was excellent. Way better than you remember some absolutely choice leads from Trey

Everything is Hollow KILLS!!! This has always been my sleeper favorite of the bunch. Would love so much to hear this exploded, so to speak

WACTOOB - Magical! A genuine near classic imo, and a great song that would fit perfectly in a normal Phish album. We all love WACTOOB, right?

SANTOS is awesome

The Final Hurrah is another classic. INSANELY GREAT! GET IT TREY! FACEPLANT INTO ROKK!!!!!!

Play By Play - my personal least FAVORITE, but I cant deny its one of the strongest songs here for sure. I totally understand why everyone wants this pulled out of mothballs. There is 100 percent a massive, black hole, Melt style jam waiting to be unleashed. Hell, this is the debut and they just about get there! Would love to hear a fleshd out studio reading of this.

DDHVL - Another killer, lucky to catch this live. Killed. 46 Days has met its competition!!

Cool Amber - one of the weaker songs for me, but still very enjoyable. Good and fun but one of the least "interesting"

Passing Through - strange song, I never got it, but I still like it, lol.

These songs are so STUPID but still so much fun! Why do they work?! They are strong songs but also stupidly crazy at the same time.

They arent technical but they are still very musically interesting and catchy. Hooks galore!
In other words, none of this should work, let alone be this excellent.

Set 1 was very good but not quite next level. A great warmup. It was excellent but it "felt" a little inconsistent or something.

Set 2, KV, was terrific. The "x factor" vibe was present throughout. They must have been excited as hell to play the songs because these debuts are all strong, and some versions are already as good as they have ever been played!!! WACTOOB, The Final Hurrah....

Set 3 opens with a red hot SYSF that is a compact 12 minute type 2 odyssey. More exploration than the Ghost from earlier, add this to the sleeper classics playlist!

And into a 16 min Tweezer we go....  

Tweezer is good but not essential. It basically stays in its lane for 16 enjoyably groovy minutes. Gets into beach party mode for a while which is cool.

 ASIHTOS

9 minutes of masterful playing. One of the best versions in recent memory. Patient and thorough, they explore the depths the come up for sunlight.

One of the hosiest, most climactic peaks ive ever heard.

TRANSCENDENT

Hands down, the best improv of the night so far and its not even close. Friggin insane.

This felt like a 20 min adventure.

It blows my mind that song as "primed" for jamming as this languishes in a pile of 8 to 12 minute version. Why do we not regularly have 25 min Ocean odysseys?!?!

 Following Ocean, we get a barnstormer Number Line that feels extra poignant tonight. It brings the heat but also seems to have that extra FEELING about it, big time. Great stuff.

After a fun Meatsick and a cooldown Bug that kills, we get a rip roaring 12 min Antelope!

Loving Cup into Tweeprize for the encore


All in all a great show. Set 3 was definitely the "musical" highlight. If you remove set 2, id give this show a solid 4.0 or 4.1 rating, something like that. Not the best of the year top to bottom, but no major flaws either. A very strong show, but in a year full of INCREDIBLE gigs, this one has to fight its way to the front of the pack.

Set 1 would be in my top 8 or 9 first sets of the year for sure, except the "we are holding back" vibe that keeps it from transcending. Set 1 was really, really good, but it was like "haha, gotcha!" or something

 

 

2018-10-28 Rosemont, IL - 2023 revisit

 10 28 18 today

A damn 15 minute bliss-rager Everything's Right to open. Incredible.

A darkly jammed, almost heavy metal version of Destiny Unbound follows.

Then an album-perfect Heavy Things. Seriously, this HT was outstanding!

A gorgeous Miss You follows. Actually very refreshing in this set placement, though im sure Im the only one that thinks so

Miss You SLAYS

Outstanding, magical, 12 minute Tube with a kickass "Im a Man" style dark funk jam. Holy mother of god that killed.

Wow, good stuff so far! 

Petrichor kills. I think Alpharetta is better buts its close. Great version.

There is a definite "x factor" vibe again tonight like on 10 26...

Then I Always Wanted comes and destroys worlds. A massive rock and roll face melter version.

When it concludes, the crowd ERUPTS and demands they continue the set so they fake us out with a nice version of Grind


Wow, what a set!!! If you get over your hangups about "omg 3 Big Boat songs, the horror!" and the odd-seeming set construction, you will be rewarded with one of the finest first sets of the year. If 10 26 18 didnt have that damn Mercury, no joke, id probably say this set played even BETTER.

A+, "dont judge a book by its cover" set!!!

Set 2

Carini into an apocalyptic nuclear bomb No Quarter....dude
And that segue into Cities was no joke! 

Short bu potent Cities into a RAGING Jibboo!!!

Twist had a legitimate type 2 jam that was actually noteworthy for once. And it segues magically into WTU and out again for a Twist reprise.

Then a gorgeous Shade before a RIDICULOUS 13 minute (!!!!!) Plasma!!!!!

Plasma is stupid amazing. Probably the 2nd best jam of the whole show!!!

HOSE EXPLOSION!!!!!

C Zero takes us home to chompertown

A shock surprise Fluffhead for the encore!!

All in all, this was a terrific set. All about segues and making the most out of a little, this set felt very 2019.

Killer set and show and likely underrated in the wake of the other 2 killer nights

DONT SLEEP ON THIS SHOW!!!! 

 

 

 

 

2018-10-27 Rosemont, IL - 2023 revisit

 On to night 2 of Chicago 2018

10 27 18

Set 1

If you take away the Mercury from night 1, Id almost be inclined to say this set was even better than set 1 from 10 26!!!

The opening Stash tries hard (A for effort) but ends up being much ado about nothing. Its all up from here though!!!

The Dogs rocked hard

Blaze On was MUST HEAR! 14 min with a SOARING jam reminiscent of the Went Gin or Camden 99 Chalkdust. Incredible!!!

Ya Mar and Water were excellent.

Vultures and Roses are Free were both A+ readings full of x factor energy.

46 Days went nuclear bomb.

And then a killer Bowie to close.

Maybe not as magical as last nights first set but it damn well held its own and then some!!! One of the best first sets of the year! 

Set 2

Raging Moma to begin before a ridiculously EPIC and gigantic 25 min No Men.

No Men is like a lumbering titan, traversing the landscape, crushing all in sight.

Excellent but nothing special Type I readings of Steam, CDT and Fuego follow, keeping us rocking before a nicely timed Joy cools us down perfectly

Great set so far, but not the effortless magic of night 1. Its excellent but different. Last night had that special flow, this night feels much more self aware and trying.

Terrific Suzy and surprise Rock and Roll to encore!!

I'd compare this show to something like Gorge 1, 7 20 18. Terrific show but not "magical".

Great stuff! A blast to listen to! 

2018-10-26 Rosemont, IL - 2023 revisit

 Onwards to 10 26 18

A great Punch to open. Slightly slower and more groovy, and its not flub-free, but its about as close to it as you can expect from 2018. A really great opening that sounds confidently relaxed!

Martian Monster is wah pedal and sample abuse. Absolutely insane, its pretty must hear.

Axilla keeps the momentum going perfectly.

And then Reba....holy mother of Reba!!!! NOW THIS IS HOW YOU REBA!!!!
10/10, A++++, stars aligned perfection.

The composition is nailed perfectly, and again, sounds CONFIDENT! None of this "skating by and hoping we dont flub it" stuff. Then the solo is just jaw droppingly epic. Goodebumps will be down your arms and legs. That Reba was MAGIC. Oh my goodness....

Up next is a rare and excellent My Sweet One that is the perfect come out from the Reba whistling section. They were meant to go together! Shred it, Page!

Now we get a 19 minute Mercury in the middle of set 1...

What the hell is going on...

Mercury turned in probably its finest reading.

All killer, no filler. The jam was like butter throughout. It stayed in that cool Type 1.5 zone where they got way out but never too far from shore. Just far enough.

And the playing itself was so good. The jam was PATIENT and organic - none of this jumping from section to section for no reason.

Also, before Sigma Oasis came out, this was the version of Mercury I preferred for me "non album songs 2017-2018" compilation.

When I say this Mercury is perfect, im not exaggerating.

The outta Mercury comes a "jesus effing christ!" version of Moonage Daydream that will leave your jaw on the floor!! Seriously - go replay this - this was one of the single finest short performances of the entire year.

Fiery Walls to close this special first set!  

Set 2

A 20 minute Tweezer (that feels a lot longer, in a good way) to open!

This Tweezer lays waste to my heralded version from Hampton a few shows ago. And that Tweezer was superb, that is saying a LOT!

Organic seems to be my buzzword for tonight as this one does that "10 different themes and sections" thing oh so spectacularly and perfectly.

This Tweezer goes from chill to hot to Party Time jam back to funk then to a crazy hose peak before slowly, and again, ORGANICALLY, morphing into a perfect-set-call Golden Age.

Now that is how you evolve a damn jam!

That Tweezer was absolutely on par with the Hampton Golden Age audiobook Odyssey in the Jam of the Year running.

No joke, that Tweezer is just...you need to replay it several times to comprehend it. SO MUCH IS GOING ON! But it never feels rushed or impatient. They play everything just the perfect amount of time.

Guys, where do you go when you have nothing above A+ ????!!!

And then into this 16 minute Golden Age.... 

Golden Age

A terrific 1999-style jam. Trey does a high pitch repeating loop and the guys drift into uptempo bliss for a bit.

It sounds like its getting dark, but at the EXACT perfect moment, Trey kills the loop and we head into a Leslie-led funk jam instead!!!!

Hell. Friggin. Yea. The magic from that Tweezer is still going. You know they are in the zone when Gordo turns on his FX!!

This is incredible!

After several glorious minutes, they move out of the funk and towards an impending peak. Swirling piano, Trey rocking out, hints of Golden Age returning.

This is like a meteor heading towards earth - brace for impact!!!

However, they avoid it and instead turn the coming peak sideways, outta nowhere, into Type 2, outer space, blackhole ambience.

Fishman reintroduces the Golden Age beat, but instead decides to drop out as the jam turns into FULL BLOWN AMBIENCE!!

And with that, they take the perfect moment to move into the ultra-rare Frost (that, again, who the hell saw coming).

What is even going on anymore. Im losing my mind here!

Frost is gorgeous - play this more!

Then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Limb By Limb comes to pick us back up. Great type I version!  

After that great little Limb, we go into a standard-short, Type 1 rager version of Sand. Unique to get it so late in the set!!

And great googly moogly, this sucker is more destructive than a nuclear BOMB!!!!! GOOD LORD!!!

Holy crap....

After A Day in the Life and a red hot Possum, we get a Wilson into Tweeprize encore.


All in all, I dont know what they did differently, but this show was next-level. The Alpharetta shows and the 2nd MPP gig have been the "benchmark" to beat. Hampton night 3 almost achieved that, but this even surpassed that wonderful show.

For my money, so far in this relisten, 10 26 18 is the new show to "beat".

I said it the first time I played through 2018, but it still remains true - they are just getting better and better and BETTER with each passing show! Every time a certain jam or show hits that top level, they go and bury it a few shows later.

If there was an "official" Live Phish series for modern shows, this would absolutely be a candidate.

This show was damn incredible....

 

2018-10-24 Nashville, TN - 2023 revisit

 A 12 min Soul Planet to open set 1. Hell yes. An interestingly chill and patient jam on this!! Worth a listen! Very unique!!! Even get some cool synth work from Page.
Genuine Type 2 in the first song!!! Must hear!!

Pretty sick!

And then a screaming through space 2001 in slot 2?! Decent jamming on it as well. Great stuff! 

And then hot damn, that slide right into 555 out of 2001 was friggin cash money....Great call!!!!

555 has serious legs and turns in a gnarly, dark reading. A truly excellent version

Then we get derailed with a just ok Farmhouse for no reason before terrific Halfway to the Moon picks us up

Then....Waste. Huh?!?!

Waste is, thankfully, terrific on all fronts and worthy of its place.

My Friend is next...  

Myfe is Myfe. Good, but nothing special in the slightest

Then Maze comes along and does its thing, turning in a pretty strong reading that is as close to perfect as you can get from 2018 Phish. Great stuff!!!

Then...oh boy...a friggin 18 MINUTE Gin to close the set!!! Where the hell did this come from?!

Gin is interesting, but it cant decide what direction it wants to pursue. This leads to some clashing, unsettling sections before landing upon the rocking bliss jam we expected, before sliding sideways into funky darkness....

Its all over the map and a little awkward, lol

The funk jam is very 2021...the last 5 or 6 minutes of this Gin are outstanding

I wont call this a masterpiece, but it was great overall. A+ for effort

Worth it to note, despite the slow songs, this set is not chill. It feels slightly "relaxed" compared to night 1, but when they are rocking, they are going hard.

Purely based on the PLAYING as opposed to the set selection, I feel no shame in stating this is the better first set, for sure. Sure, night 1s first set rocked, but it was also very "rote". Energy does not equal greatness, ya know?

Wolfmans was terrific, but otherwise, nothing in that set was remotely special from a playing standpoint (though KDF almost got there). Not a knock, just interesting to compare the two. 

Disease-Crosseyed-Scents

Holy crap

Disease was 14 gloriously dark and sinister minutes. Felt like a 20 min Carini instead. Gordo even busted out the drill for a minute or two!! Genuinely scary type II

Unfortunately they stop it dead in its tracks, but thankfully they launch into a killer Crosseyed that has several fantastic type II minutes of funky wonkiness.

It hits a natural, budding bliss point and Trey takes the moment to shove in the Scents lick.

A for effort - there are way worse spots to cram it in.

Scents has a great kinda rhythmic jam. Very classic rock, lots of piano. Then they riff off of Run Through The Jungle before tossing in some Crosseyed teases.

Somehow it then morphs into a full blown Party Time jam!!!!!!!!! Dude, this is a RIOT!

Very cool little underrated Scents!!! Not the psychedelic monster you expect - give it a go and youll have a friggin blast!!!!  

Following Scents, we get bar burner Type I readings of No Men and Boogie On before a great Hood.


Set 2 of 10 23 was genuinely next level. That was one of the best sets of the year - easily in the top 7 or 8 ive re-heard so far

Set 2 of 10 24 is excellent, but its a totally different beast. It goes deep in spots but this is a "party rager" set instead of the grand mythical odyssey from night 1.

Any show would be lucky to have a 2nd set as strong as this - thats saying a lot.   

Harry Hood

Terrific reading with tons of "extraneous" playing from everyone. A Party Time jam here, a kille wah/clav solo there, etc. Eventually building to the pounding, piano led peak.

Seriously, this is an outstanding Hood. Dont sleep on it!!!! 

Antelope to close

All in all, I understand the argument that Night 1 is better, but on the whole, I really feel set 1 of 10 23 was lacking while set 2 was mind-blowing.

But 10 24 felt much more like a complete, whole show experience, ya know?

Similar shows but also quite different. Both are WELL worth your time  

 

 

2018-10-23 Nashville, TN - 2023 revisit

 After Big Cypress and rainy days screwing things up for me last week, its back to 2018 with 10 23 18 this morning.

I always remember thinking 10 24 was a terrific show but 10 23 didnt stick with me quite the same, though I have always remembered "Nashville Ghost" talk.

Anywho, finishing up set 1 as I type

An excellent, no pretense, get on your dancing shoes and just ROCK OUT kind of set. Almost nothing in the way of "exploration", and almost nothing you NEED to hear right this instant (though KDF comes close).

Just killer ROCK AND ROLL kind of set.

Tweeprise to open - always a welcome sign of good things to come

Party Time follows and leads us into a decent but stiff version of Free

The Old Home Place sounds great - play this more!

Lawn Boy is next and leads us into a shaky but most welcome Cool It Down. Again, play this more!

A good Theme that almost gets hot is next. A raging Funky B follows and leads us into an almost-jammed Kill Devil Falls (perfect song choice out of FB!!!).

Terrific funky jamming in Wolfman that leads to a raging peak, and C Zero to bring us home to Chomperville

The set felt like it was kinda fumbling around, a little stilted and unsure up until Cool It Down or Theme. From there it gained new momentum and really started to build.

Felt a lot like set one of Raleigh 2018, actually, but with a less adventurous setlist.

Ok, overanalyzing done, this is a fine, no frills kind of set. Just put it on and rock out. Dont think about it too hard.

For the must hears? Eh, Wolfman for sure and probably KDF. 

Set 2

A 12.5 minute Mike's Song to open. And its dark and gnarly right out of the gate....
Deep space, psych funk Type 2!!! Its incredible!!! MUST HEAR!!!  Mike's into Ghost! Best segue ever! 

EXCEPTIONAL second set!!!

Mike's -Ghost is a masterpiece. Other than the horrific ending, Ghost is among the absolute best jams of the year.

And the following ER into SYSF is fire, with lots of great Type 2 sprinkled in. Incredible.

Then a better than most version of Circus before a great jammed out Paug....

Then a Loving Cup encore

All is right with the world

Mandatory listen, this set. A++++

This set was total x factor magic. Just spectacular. Its got a reputation and it more than live up to it

Set 1 wasnt anything to write home about, but set 2 was INCREDIBLE!!!! 

 

1999-12-31 Big Cypress, FL - 2023 revisit

 Tackling The Big One again today.

50/50 chance on it being a perfect "driving day", so to speak.

So im starting it and seeing where we end up lol

12 31 99 Big Cypress
.
Killer RJim to open. Funky B was great as always.

Tube was something special. Really terrific version that seemed about twice as long as most.

And then some vacuum action with I Didnt Know.

Good stuff so far
Its great to be replaying this with four more years of listening "experience"..... 

Punch You In The Eye - Very underrated version, imo! Absolutely smashing, tight as hell, and rages hard. 97 through 99 was definitely peak time for this song!  

Where I left off before, Split Open and Melt was a monster. About 22 min or so. It was a little "all over the place at once" for me, but im sure most will love it.

Guyuute, like Punch, was a surprising standout. One of the most nailed, badass versions ive heard. Amazing.

Great first set. Almost a show in itself!  

Clocked in at 545 am today and restarted the midnight set.

Currently in the middle of the shredfest Llama.

I have mixed feelings on that Disease. Its 20 minutes long, 12 of which are pure Type I guitar rape before it slowly starts to chill out to a close.

Hot take, its not a great Disease. It does too little with it's runtime and, quite frankly, gets kinda boring at times.

But its a friggin face melter all the same so I cant be too harsh

On to Gin...  Gin is crazy. Whacky-ass rhythmic, vocal led kind of jam!!! Super unique and awesome!
Then it slowly morphs into a weird, kinda ambient, eastern sounding jam. Yo, this Gin is a masterpiece 

Twist was objectively excellent. Not the jam I wanted, but it was really good. Basically morphed into ambient bliss.

This led to Caspian. And check it out - its way better than you remember.

Up next was one of my favorite jams of all time, the 30 minute Rock and Roll. A shred fest of headbanger proportions, about halfway through it gets a cool NICU-esque jam going which in turn leads to a lengthy ambient section before returning to a peak. Must hear, all day long

Currently in the middle of YEM. This one is refreshingly unique with a super chill, kinda jazzy, late night vibe. Awesome.

CHEESECAKE VOCAL JAM!  

Crosseyed and Painless

For some reason I had completely forgotten about this. Jesus christ on a cracker. This is one of those monster "how much more insane can this get?!".

In competition with the 7 23 99 Birds of a Feather and the Red Rocks 96 Mikes Song as the hottest piece of music ever unleashed on mortal ears....

Then after Josie we get the Sand/Quad Top odyssey!! Probably the overall best jam of the night and serious contender for a top 10 jam ever played imo. Tied with Rock and Roll as my favorite thing from Big Cypress

You all know this sucker. Go revisit it.

Slave to the Traffic Light.

This feels like the turning point of the set or something. Most of the super jams have now passed and things are deep and hazy.

This is a spectacular 15 min version well worth your time!

There is only about 2 more hours of soundboard (well, video feed) before my composite switches back to AUD.

Yes I know there are cuts, but ill take 5.5 hours of pro audio with 3 or 4 short cuts over an AUD all day, every day. Im gonna "patch" the sbd one day but just havent had the time.  

Reba was impressively flawless and full of energy. Terrific slow build solo as well. In light of the other monsters in this set, I can't help but think this Reba is underrated!  

Bowie felt ramshackle but had a decent jam

Axilla, My Soul, Uncle Pen - all good

Drowned/After Midnight - perhaps the most underrated of the evenings super jams? Pretty kickass.

Bittersweet Motel is the perfect break.... 

Piper - ok, THIS is the underrated jam. Holy hell. If you like NOISE, this is the jam for you

And talk about perfect timing, I got through Free. The sbd ends and I get through Lawn Boy and I get called in.

Day is over. Rain last night screwed things today...
Talk about a perfect pause point for tomorrow though!!!  

Just finished that last 100 minutes or so of Big Cypress

So that 35 minute Roses are Free...that sure was...somethin', I guess. Definitely "music" to zone out to, lol.

Love the Meatstick ending of the show. It SOUNDS like what you feel like after staying up all night.

What a crazy show and vibe... 

 

 

2018-10-21 Hampton, VA - 2023 revisit

 Just started 10 21 18

Ive replayed this several times in the past and know that, despite the super weird setlist, I thought it was excellent.

So far the opening Stealing Time is absolutely melting faces. Holy moly, talk about volcanic eruption....

That was TERRIFIC! And I abhor it as an opener! 

Incredible set so far

Skin It Back - FREAKING AMAZING! WHY IS THIS NOT IN REGULAR ROTATION?!

Brian and Robert - achingly gorgeous

Timber - awesome

21 min Simple in the middle of set 1?! Not super out there, but mega awesome. Picture the jam slowly building upwards in intensity at a 45 degree angle. It just goes and goes and goes Must hear.  

Hands down - and its not even close - the best of the 3 shows, and easily in the top 3 or 4 shows of the year so far, IMHO.

X factor magic EVERYWHERE

A crazy setlist with no flow that somehow works great, "lesser" songs producing terrific jams (the Waves into Rise/CT is legitimately incredible), not one but TWO huge Type II jams, spectacular playing from Trey and extra energy all over the place....

A+ show all around. Please go revisit this. The only bad part is The Line cropping up after Light for no reason.

Oh yea that Light - 2018 has been a great year for it and add this one right to the top of the pile. 16 minute, multi part adventure with many moods and styles. 100 percent must hear.

Ok, gotta go finish my afternoon, but had to post that.

My memories of the show being great were confirmed and then some.  

2018-10-20 Hampton, VA - 2023 revisit

 10 20 18 Hampton night 2

Holy friggin crap that first set was spectacular.

Killer slow Llama to open.

A raging Fuego in slot 2 that threatened to go somewhere special....

A MUST HEAR all timer Runaway Jim with pretty unique jamming/sounds

Bug comes early and pounds. Mound makes a much welcome appearance. Tela follows and is EXCELLENT. Very strong Tela!

Then we get a NUCLEAR BOMB 46 Days. If 7 24 18 has the best one of the year so far, this was absolutely number 2.

And to close, one of the most incredible, bombastic, full-of-energy versions of Fluffhead.

Holy moly. A+ first set. 

2nd set is destroying worlds. The most insane, where did that come from, nuclear bomb First Tube opens and leaves us with our jaws on the ground.

A multi part Tweezer, easily the jam titan equal of last nights Golden Age, blows out mind for 18 incredible minutes before a gorgeous and poignant Dirt rises from its ashes.

A perfectly placed Number Line is next...


1000 percent this show puts night 1 to shame and we arent even done....

Wow.  

NmiNML

12 min

Deep space black hole for like 2 whole minutes. Pure evil ambience. Then Fishman slowly reintroduces the beat and Trey abd the guys jump back in to conclude it. Sick. Must hear!

Cavern is Cavern. Felt extra hot tonight.

Jibboo that follows is really frustrating. Trey is thrown off from the start and spends a long time AWOL in the jam. If you want to hear Jibboo without guitar, this is your version. Then he spends the back of the jam trying to play catch up. The band is killing it but Trey just cant latch on. Its like flicking a lighter over and over just getting sparks but no flame

Thankfully the following Suzy is a type I rager.

An excellent reading of Shine a Light to close.

All in all, another great set, but it did kinda go slightly downhill after No Men.

Not a top to bottom perfect show, but a solid 4.2 or something. Maybe a slight step below one of the Alpharetta shows

A million times better than night 1 tho.

2018-10-19 Hampton, VA - 2023 revisit

 10 19 18 Albany

Holy hell is this first set over yet? Atrocious song selection - good songs, I definitely do not need most of these all in the same set.

Strawb 23 is great but not my favorite cover so it loses points

Blaze On gets darn hot and has a budding jam that show promise but gets abandoned...

Uber rarity Mock Song kills the set dead in its tracks. Ugh, put it back in the closet!

Divided Sky is ok but flubby. Very "stiff" reading. Not great.

Roggae is less impressive than every other version played so far this year.

Sparkle is not needed

Undermind is hot but nothing special.

Meat is good but another slow song?!

Rift is decent - Trey nails his parts but its not a great version otherwise.

The only truly amazing cut is the world destroying Walk Away to end the set.

A 4.5 rating on .NET?! The second set better be the 2nd coming of Big Cypress, cuz this first set was in the top 3 worst of the year so far, holy hell 

On to set 2 of 10 19 18 Hampton

A ripping monster of a Carini opens. Its only 10 min but feels like a 20 min epic. Terrific.

A+ type I Sand to follow. Super annoyingly, it winds up at a terrific Type II "launchpad" moment. The Sand beat morphs into the 2001 beat!!! Everyone picks up on it and Trey even picks out his notes to play it, but then Fishman stops it dead in its tracks.

Full stop.

And they begin a 23 minute Golden Age...

WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?! BLUE BALLS RIPCORD IN THE EXTREME!!!!  

So that Golden Age, huh? How about that. Jam of the Year out of nowhere.

Crazy how they be doin that....  

Set 2 of 10 19 18 Hampton was excellent overall, though if you remove the Golden Age Odyssey there have been many better 2nd sets in 2018.

If I had to compare the set to anything though, it felt kinda like 7 24 18 set 2.


A strange show. If you remove the Golden Age, I honestly dont think it deserves more than a 3.8 or a 4.0 at most (and thats stretching it).

Set 1 was mostly lacking and set 2 wasnt anything special at all outside of the Golden Age

All that being said, that Golden Age took the crown for jam of the year. Easily. No joke, that was likely a Top-20-of-3.0 jam. It was THAT next level. Incredibly UNIQUE!!!! Basically, the "usual" jam evolves to Page playing a story from the Chilling Thrilling samples, and the band providing the soundtrack to the samples!

Its like listening to an insane audio book or something!!!!!

And the way it flows is like butter ...no stupid ripcords or botched segment changes. Hell, we even get a lenghty section of pure evil dark ambience at the end that lasts longer than 30 seconds....

That Golden Age Super Odyssey was a MASTERWORK.

Honestly? It gave me Phish 1.0 vibes in a way as well.

That wasnt a jam. That was a damn experience

So its a shame that the rest of the show is merely "pretty good" at best and lackluster elsewhere.

2018-10-17 Albany, NY - 2023 revisit

 10 17 18 Albany

Set 1

Kickass Crowd Control to open. Better than most versions.

Type II, 16 minute, as good as 7/20 Chalkdust in slot 2!!!!

Excellent and rare All of These Dreams next

Wolfman is dark and VERY jammed! A+++++++ Wolfman!!!!

Mule, NICU and Gumbo were all excellent Type I readings.

Steam exploded - as good, or better, than my lauded 7/31 Austin version! Wow!

I Didnt Know brought the vacuum hijinks

Nice, if unspectacular, Type I Gin to close


All in all, sure this set is a step down from the first set of 10 16, but what set wouldnt be?!

A terrific set on the whole, if not as "perfect". If the first set on 10 16 was an A+, this was a solid A

Most shows beg for a first set this good, ok?

Steam, Wolfman and Chalkdust are the must hear material from this set. Steam and Wolf were both A+++++ readings, and Chalkdust was a 16 minute "hold on to your hat!" adventure! I think I still think the 7 20 18 version is more epic, but this was still one of the best jams of the year!!!!!! 

Set 2 of 10 17 18 opens up with the Set Your Soul Free equivalent of the Chalkdust from set 1.

14 min, A+ rapid fire type 2 adventure. Add it to the best of 2018 playlist!!

An awkward and short BOAF follows it, but at least it rages hard and keeps the heat, even if its not must hear.

The following sequence of Mercury-Light-Wedge-Velvet sea is incredible.

Mercury is a top 3 of 2018 so far version. Doesnt get super out there, but has an incredibly cool jam that sounds like a spy movie theme or something!!!

Then the segue into Light is astonishing. Light itself is remarkable. An absolutely A+ reading in every way.

The Wedge starts so so then becomes hotter than hell. Id rank it possible as the 2nd best of the year so far!!!

And Velvet Sea is utter perfection.

Wilson is Wilson

Slave sounds special tonight, the equivalent of last nights Hood. Absolutely terrific.

Julius and Rocky Top to close.


This show was awesome but the 2nd set is where its at. If you took the first set of 10 16 and coupled it with set 2 of 10 17, I reckon youd have a genuine contender for show of the year. Amazing 2 night stand!!!!!

Chalkdust
Set Your Soul Free
Wolfman
Mercury
Light
Slave

All MUST HEAR!!!!!

2018-10-16 Albany, NY - 2023 revisit

 Currently in my dump truck on the side of the interstate.

After about 10 days off, Im beginning the legendary Fall 2018 again today for my 2nd run through of these shows.

Super excited. The summer shows blew me away on relisten and I cant wait to replay all of these. I remember Vegas and Nashville destroying my mind

On paper, these two Albany shows have pretty damn terrific setlists as well.

Anywho, 10 16 18 Albany starts the tour with a fine, if slightly restrained Moma.
Thankfully they get it together and turn it into and absolute FIRE FROM THE SKY RAGER! SHRED IT, BOYS! HOLY CRAP!

MOLTEN LAVA MOMA!

Ooh, an 11 minute Tube to follow! And it is killer. Page Synth Heaven. Seriously, this is dark funk paradise. Trey doesnt shred much, but he leads the way with a sick ascending wah motif that leads the song to a fiery, raging peak/conclusion.

You cant ask for much more from a Tube! Every version deserves this! No more 5 minute quickie versions.

Theme is up next. Seems rare to get it so early in a show, but its very refreshing and great to hear after that insane FireFunk opening duo.

When all is said and done, its nothing that special, but its an excellent Type I rager with Trey going ham on the fretboard. Always a plus. Great version!

Theme concludes with a surely-planned-out segue into Free that nobody saw coming!

Free has a really unique breakdown jam in the middle where Page and Fishman completely drop out for about a minute or two, leaving Gordo and Trey to "duel"!!!! Very unusual and frickin cool! Then Page comes back in with his piano and Trey turns on the Leslie...

Ooh, baby this is some special stuff right here!

THAT WAS FRIGGIN AWESOME!

Army of One is up next. Good spot for it! Not my favorite song but it seems that each one I hear is better than the last. Flawless soloing from Trey and this sounds super tight and rehearsed. Great version!

Halleys is up next. It sounds excessively chill tonight. Thankfully, Page busts out the Clav/wah combo and turns up the heat, prompting Trey to keep it going. This ends up being a damn strong Type I reading full of firery energy by its conclusion. Awesome!!!

Up next is a 13 minute Everything's Right. For the first couple minutes, the jam is in laid back, funk groove territory. Then Page turns to his watery keys and leads the jam to a laid back bliss style. Definitely BLISS, lol. But its super chill!!

Eventually Trey stumbles upon a "Divided Sky" sustained note. The crowd roars and this signals the jam to change once more. Fishman starts pounding the skins and we are picking up steam. Things are getting a good weight about them.

This "almost" peaks and things turn dark! Trey on Leslie, Fishman returning to the ER groove....we are definitely not in Blissville anymore. If this was 2021, there would be Robo Goose honks all over

At one part, the jam dies out for a split second, then they have a change of heart and keep ir going! Huh!

It develops this syncopated groove that turns into a natural segue into... CITIES!!!!

That segue was some X Factor Magic stuff!!!!! I refuse to believe that was planned, but it was incredibly perfect!!!

AND WE ARE STILL IN THE FIRST SET!!!!!

Cities sounds great. It delivers exactly as you expect, but it also gets really quiet and mysterious as well! Pretty interesting little version. Awesome!!

And then of course a destructive Walls to close.


All in all, holy mother of hell what a first set! Nothing was less than excellent, and Moma, Tube, ER-Cities were all MUST HEAR.

That ER was 13 minutes, but felt like a 25 min journey!

First sets dont get much better than this!

 

Set 2

Ghost opener. Starts dark but quickly turns into a bliss jam. Warewolf95 Drinking Game, 2018 edition - take a shot every time a jam quickly goes "feel good".....I enjoy the playing but it's getting kind of old at this point.

Also, everyone blames Trey, but actually go listen - 90 percent of the time its PAGE that forces us out of the dark!!!!!

Ok, back to Ghost. Nothing super special, but it is an really excellent "get your feet wet" kind of version. Just hot on the whole. Trey is being patient with his playing - if you like sustained notes, this is the version for you.

In the back half, it gets downright rockin. Page hints at some synths but returns to piano instead and it turns into a straight up face melter rocker. Killer. I mean, it has one of those "unresolved" anti-peaks going on that they keep doing.

Instead of EXPLODING, they opt to reel it all back in. Kinda annoying but sometimes cool, like the one in this Ghost - it leads to a Twist ish style jam, but fades out into ambience quickly before launching into......

No Men In No Mans Land. A perfect 1 2 punch like thar Moma and Tube in set 1!!!! When all is done, its an A+ Type I rager of the highest order for the first 7 minutes. Then around 730 the synths creep in and things get dark. The jam is slowly going sideways. The final 4 minutes see the whale siren make an appearance and the whole goes into outer space!!!!

And then Trey ruins it with a Piper audible.... JUST LET THINGS EVOLVE, DANG IT! I forgive him, even though this was a super clunky transition. He basically shoved Piper in there by force when he easily could have just started strumming it and let it naturally blossom.

But whatevs.... As with most modern Pipers, the jam aint long but its very sweet. It gets a kind of darkish, slightly latin tinged feel about it, but its still very uptempo at the same time. I dont know how, but it winds down and Trey leads us into....

Twenty Years Later? Ok! The famous Albany 2018 version! 14 minutes tonight. The jam is a red hot type I heater for a while. Then eventually everyone latches onto a rhythmic beat, sending us DEEP into Type II outer space like that MSG 2012 Disease and Carini!!!!

Weird drum beats, dark synthesizers abound....this is incredible unsettling. If this doesnt frighten you....holy hell.

It just keeps getting darker and crazier and zanier!!!!!!! Dude!!!!

Hold me, im scared!!!!!


No joke, thats gotta be in the top 10 "scariest" jams theyve ever played! And it even returns to the song proper to close!!!

Somehow we manage to escape the fiery hellscape of doom and return to dry land with the most perfectly placed Show of Life.

Is this the only version NOT played as an encore?!

Wow.....Great version that even has a jam!!!!! Dude!!!! What even is this show?!?!

A nice but nothing special red hot duo of 2001 and C Zero lead us to an A+ magical Harry Hood to finish the show!

Hose bliss! Hose bliss everywhere!! Insane Hood!


All in all, the Ghost through SoL as well as the Hood was all must hear. A terrific set and an astonishingly great show!

1997-06-22 Koblenz, GER - Loreley Festival

 Home early from work so onwards with Euro 97

6 22 97 Koblenz, GER - Loreley Fest

A mediocre Taste opens. The final couple minutes are grear but 2/3 of it is just not up to snuff, unfortunately. Tech issues? Fishman even drops out and stops at one point. Solid climax though.

After the slow Water In the Sky we get a lengthy, and downright spectacular reading of Stash. It absolutely explodes in the best way. A+!!!

Typically gorgeous Dirt follows for a great breather before a ridiculous Uncle Pen gets us moving once more. Then, after C Zero, it's time for Theme.

Theme is very strong. Someone on .NET labeled it the best ever but I certainly wouldnt go that far. Its about equivalent to the Stash. Strong but typical Type 1.

Following a very random Hello My Baby, we get the highlight of the set - a raging 11 minute Ghost! Incredibly funky right off the bat - check out Gordo's liberal use of FX! Slowly the funk gets heavier and eventually they are just straight up spitting rock and roll fire. Fantastic.

This festival set ends with Taste Part 2, I mean Limb By Limb.

Overall, this set is nothing really to get overly excited about, but at the same time its a better listen than you expect it to be. Stash and Ghost are the highlights, imo. A festival set is a festival set though. Fine for what it is!

1997-06-21 Scheessel, GER - Hurricane Festival

 Onwards with Euro 97.

6/21/97 Schesseel, GER - Hurricane Festival

Only Phish would play a festival set and include SEVEN unreleased/non-album songs in their set!

Opening Sample in a Jar is standard. The following 2001 is fantastic though. Obviously the 1997 funk feel escalates this one. Great stuff. I guess in the grand scheme it's just a "standard" 2001, but it really is loaded with energy. Good version!

Up next, a hot Poor Heart shreds it up before another ripping, 11 minute version of Taste wipes the floor with our faces. It's a very dynamic version, up and down, tension and release. First Page rips it up then Trey cleans up his mess. Killer Taste!!!

After a standard Dogs, it's onto Theme. As with Taste, Theme is excellent. Trey just taking his time, slowly building his solo up and up and up. Not any kind of all-timer, but a strong "standard" version for sure.

Following the sleepy Swept Away>Steep, the guys choose Limb By Limb to slowly build us back up once more. Very much like Taste, building up the fire from the cool base. Great stuff, however, after already having Taste and Theme kinda filling the same roles, no matter how great this Limb is (it's great, by the way), it's all starting to feel rather samey at this point.

And Dirt cooling us back off doesn't help. But hey, Dirt is Dirt and I'll always take it. Following dirt, this oddball set continues on into a 13 minute Harry Hood. Hood is sleepy to start but gets going strong during the "heavy metal riff" section with tons of bass FX from Gordo, lol. Quickly it quiets back down and the whole "build up" section of the song is positively quiet. Overall a solid Hood, but nothing to get overly excited about.

FINALLY, 12 songs into the show, we get something to get our blood pumping - Chalkdust Torture. Chalkdust definitely gets it going with some serious guitar strangulation and mutilation, ala a good Maze. Probably THE highlight of the set to this point and would be a highlight in any regular show. This Dust is demented!!!

Super strangely, we then get the live debut of.....the Samson Variations! WHAT THE HELL?!?! WHY??!!! WHY AT THIS SHOW?!?!?!?! Ok. Weird as hell, glad it only stuck around for one more performance....

Even stranger, they follow it with another new song, and an 18 minute version of it at that!!!!! Taste begins it's jam by getting down hard into the funk, laying it on uber-thick. Somewhere around the 7 minute point the jam suddenly morphs into a quiet and downright bluesy piece of music! The drums completely stop and the focus is on Mike and Trey. Slowly Fishman emerges once more and you don't know if it's gonna go all jazzy or funky or whatever!!!! Slowly it builds back up into a kind of twisted type of blues playing, Trey just wrangling the hell out of his guitar. Eventually everyone is back in, raging harder than the sun, but at half the tempo of a funky Llama, doing their hardest "cowfunk blues" or something like that. Actually, this is very Zeppelin - have you heard the jazzy jamming in the middle of a good No Quarter? Something like that!!! Then it suddenly dies down to a whisper once more. By the 14 minute point the jam has devolved and deconstructed itself into dark ambience. What the hell is going on?!?!! Welcome to Type II X Factor Magic!!!! Then, around 16:30, just when you think the song has concluded, the LAUNCH back into the bluesy, Zeppelin jam once more!!!! Dude! This is incredible!!!!! And from THERE, they bring it to a close....

Standard Cavern closes the set with a disappointing encore choice of My Soul to tie it all together.


All in all, this was an ok show. Nothing wrong with it at all aside from the constant need to keep it "sleepy", if you will. Kinda strange set for a festival, but if this were a standard show, that'd be different. In no way a poor gig, but nothing to get excited over either. Few highlights, but not many - the demented Chalkdust, the debut of Samson and the must-hear Twist are about all you need.

Eh, it was ok!

P.S. - That Twist was in the top 3 or so jams played so far in 1997, imo. Pure X Factor ridiculousness. 1000 percent must hear on that sucker.

1997-06-20 Prague, CZ

 Today it's 6/20/97 Prague, CZ

Set 1

Taste - A terrific 11 minute version to open the show! An absolutely phenomenal version, it just goes and goes and goes, peaking and raging hard. Totally bombastic in the best way!!!! Stellar way to open a show!!!

>Jam - Out of the end of Taste comes a very strange jam! This is separate from Taste, hence the segue. Trey begins a quirky rhythm while Gordo hits bass FX. The mood is tense! Fishman spastically tries to enter the jam and the whole thing gets a screwed up, quasi-latin feel going. This is bananas, I've never heard anything like this. This is strange, X Factor Phish as it gets!!! Things proceed to get even stranger and more screwed up the longer this weird "jam" goes one. What the hell even is this. I have no words. Just go listen to it. What the corn, man!?

>Cities - Eventually the strange, weirdo jam morphs into a more steady rhythm and Trey takes the chance to launch the band into a spirited and uptempo, ULTRA FUNKY version of Cities. A wonderful 7 minutes of awesomeness. Absolutely stellar, A++++++ version of Cities. Perfection in every way. A type 1 GOAT for sure.

Horn - Strong version with a cool bass solo outro jam!!! Very unique!

>Ain't Love Funny - Dude, where are they pulling this stuff from tonight?! The guys plod through this weirdo song and then....take it Type II!!!! X FACTOR MAGIC LET'S GO!!!!!! They spend the final few minutes working in some amazing, delicate areas, just moseying along, relaxing it up all strange-like. This is really hard to describe, I've not heard another jam like this. Dude!

>Limb By Limb - And into Limb they go perfectly!!!! A solidly strong version building off of the momentum established with the Taste opener. The guys take their friggin' time and just lay into it in the most perfect way.

I Don't Care - Second and final performance. Ever. This lasts nearly 7 minutes and goes into full blown Type II dark, ambient space!! Truly unique and absolutely must hear!! Psychedelic meltdown!!! What the hell! X FACTOR MAGIC STRIKES AGAIN!!!!

Run Like An Antelope - Out of the psychedelic insanity comes a red-hot Antelope to close the set. Great stuff and great version!


All in all....WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS SET?!?!??!!? The strange choice of cover, full-blown black hole Type II out of nowhere, that I Don't Care....The show is only half over and it's already the show of the tour so far by a MASSIVE margin! The boys are deep in the X Factor tonight, and it's oozing out of every pore. They need to release this show, pronto!!!!!!!

 

Set 2

David Bowie - Talk about yer massive opener! This one exceeding 20 minutes!! Massive in every way, this is an ultra-lengthy nuclear meltdown, basically. Not my cup, but if you're a Bowiephile, it's a must!!!

Ghost - 11+ minutes on this one. This is type 1 uber-funk all the way. So incredibly fantastic in every way, it just lays into the funk HARD. Ghosts do not FUNK like this anymore!!!!!

Bye Bye Foot - Very rare BBF. BBF is BBF. Good stuff.

Ginseng Sullivan - Odd to get in the middle of the 2nd set. Sounds great but Ginseng is Ginseng.

Cavern - Is Cavern

Twist - Ooh, 13 minutes on this bad boy! Does it's regular Twist thing all the way until 8:45 when it suddenly gets real quiet and chill-like. Late-night Twist, yo. From here it proceeds to get all "porno funk" vampy. The guys just lay into the vamping and ride that wave hard until Page reintroduces the Twist theme around the 12 minute mark. This one didn't go SUPER deep, but it sure went deep enough and absolutely impresses. Fantastic.

Bouncing Around the Room - is BATR

Julius - is Julius

Circus - Is Circus

Rocky Top - is Rocky Top


All in all, this was by far the strongest gig of the tour so far. The first set was the better of the 2 imo. Set 2 had a few highlights (Bowie, Ghost, Twist, but was mostly just excellently played Phish-by-numbers, so it loses points for that. Still, a heater of a show with a great balance of the strange and the normal. They need to release this one, pronto, imo. Killer.

1997-06-19 Vienna, AT

 My dump truck run today allows for a review of the next Euro 97 show so onwards I go to 6/19/97 Vienna.

Lowering the bass and upping the treble this becomes a damn fine listen in here (at home it would sound terrific).

Set 1.

Limb By Limb is a surprising choice for opener, easing us into the show nicely. Slow build on this one. Nice version but nothing amazing.

After the obligatory and way overplayed Dogs (this song is a dog...) we get very nice Theme. As with Limb, not much to say. Solid but nothing special.

FINALLY with Punch this sleepy set starts to awaken. Punch is a bit flubby but at least gets us moving.

After a nice Water, we get a blazing Maze. Then the set grinds to another halt with Waste. Lovely, but not what we needed.

Solid Vultures and Jim to close.

Odd set. Up and down. Not bad but no true highlights to speak of. Huh. Just a lackluster set overall.
Ok, Jim transcends, but thats all.

 

Set 2

Epic 21 minute Type 2 Stash to open the 2nd set. Begins very boring and lackluster again. Slowly it begins to evolve into an epic, swirling, dark kind of mess. Very, very cool. Eventually the darkness suddenly morphs into a porno funk dance party. Typical 1997! This section is terrific and lasts a good long while, going into a Cities -style jam after a bit. Major funkage!!! . Kinda fades out from here.  

The following Ghost is un friggin believable!!!!! X factor magic!!! 9 minutes of ripping, gooey, meltdowny madness. They completely deconstruct it and build it back from nothing. Incredible!!!!! MUST HEAR!!!

Then the set nosedives. After Saw It Again, Velvet Sea brings us down and Piper Intro keeps us disappointed....

Then Jesus Just Left. Golly, just what I want. Another downer! To be fair, Jesus is fine, but another slow song was just not needed, thank you.

AND OF COURSE THE SET CLOSES WITH CASPIAN. * rolls eyes *

Lame encore.

Good golly this show was a nightmare. Other than the glorious 30 minutes of X Factor (Stash>Ghost), this show is pretty much garbage bin material. Its not bad but its so up and down and sleepy. It cant get out of its own damn way! This was one of the worst Phish listens Ive ever had.

Good riddance!