2019-12-08 North Charleston, SC - 2024 revisit

 Finishing my fall 2019 replay this morning with the much-maligned-for-no-reason 12/8/19 North Charleston #3

Not being able to attend night 3, I friggin DIED when I saw the setlist the next day...new song debut?! About 40 major rarities?! The one KV song I wanted more than any other (besides Turtles!)?!

I was not a happy camper, lol. BUT SUCH IS LIFE AND WE CAN'T WIN THEM ALL. BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT WE DO GET!

All that being said, lets get on with the dang show!

12/8/19 North Charleston
Set 1

The debut of Sigma Oasis opens the show. Already sounding pretty tight and confident, the boys definitely sound enthusiastic about playing it! A great debut!

An excellent Buried Alive follows - everyone nails their parts, its full of energy and Trey even reprises the Little Drummer Boy fun! Zero complaints here!

All the same for Guelah Papyrus! Sounds damn well rehearsed to me with nary a flub in sight! Why is this a rarity?! This should be in regular rotation!

My Sweet One kicks butt before they launch into the hard grooving Everything Is Hollow. I never understood why this song got less play tha other KV songs - not that its better or anything, but its such a great party-stomper, ala The Howling or something. Youd think theyd be all over it. Great version. LETS PARTY!!!

Set 1 is going great so far. Also, Trey's playing is abs more "fluid" tonight than whatever stiffness he was working through on 12/7.

Bit of an odd placement but up next is The Curtain....Without! IIRC a Without version hadnt been played in a long while so this is like an ass backwards rarity and a half, lol. There is some slight hesitancy to the playing, sounding rehearsed last minute, but they still basically nail it pretty damn well!!! It's honestly a great version for 2019 without any flubs, just a general sense of "looseness" at times. Excellent!

Best part, it concludes with a perfect segue into....Mound!!!! As with everything else, it sounds genuinely excellent, and tighter than you expect it to be. Another success!

Giving us a break from the onslaught, the rarities continue with a lovely Brian and Robert. Genuinely terrific.

They continue onwards with a perfectly placed Crazy Sometimes to get us moving again. Man I would love to catch this song - seems so much FUN! This version SLAPS with a great party funk jam that is such a blast. Terrific!!!

Back down with another ballad, but its an extremely rare Frost - is this the most current version to date?? This sounds terrific and Id welcome them adding this to Phish rotation.

And back up again with an excellent Breath and Burning. Type 1 raging, this one is all about that hose, baby! Awesome!

They keep the energy going with a PERFECT Alumni Blues Suite - everyone NAILS their parts and youd think theyd been playing it every night all year on tour! Must hear!

One of the few true mishaps occurs next with Its Ice. Very rough, it sounds like i was played on 12/7, ya dig? Fitting right at home with Guyuute or Reba. Trey has major problems but A for effort....at least it has a nice funk jam during the breakdown section!

The set ends nicely with a strong Walls, typical version, but they unleash everything they have and give a great little send off to the set. Well done!

All in all, no this set isnt a masterpiece and, musically, there really isnt anything must hear aside from maybe the Alumni suite, but c'mon folks - they played GREAT (for the most part!) and it was almosy entirely rarities! For a tour ender, surely this merits some leeway?! Flow issues aside (from cramming so many songs in...) there is honestly nothing wrong with this and it was a genuinely enjoyable party of a set!

Great stuff and I would have killed to be there! 

Set 2

The set gets off to a great start with a genuinely blazing After Midnight. Definitely a show highlight, it kills!

Right away though, they fumble into Faulty Plan and you think "oh no!". Thankfully the song comes together and actually delivers a jam with some meat on its bones - Trey lays hard into his sustained notes and feedback and this thing just about goes Type 2 before they kill it. Absolutely worth a listen!!!

Rushing into a sloppy Energy, it gets axed quickly in favor of Soul Planet. Soul Planet produces probably the best jam of a night mostly lacking in them - they go deep into type 2, taking us on a glorious journey soaring through outer space. Ethereal, beautiful, whatever you wanna call it, before slowly turning dark and angsty and strange. Now THIS is must hear! A proper Type 2 deep dive, this goes head to head with anything played the entire weekend. Fantastic! Im calling this an underrated/forgotten gem!

Out of the synthy ashes of that Soul Planet rises Wingsuit. I dont care what anyone says - go listen to this. That transition is spectacular!!! Excellent dynamics, this version is powerful! Trey is even doing great guitar fills in the verses and what not! And of course the solo just explodes. Must hear - there is extra mustard all over this!!!!! X Factor Magic on this one!

IAWITW backs off a tad but keeps the energy going nicely, delivering a strong rock and roll type 1 version. Nothing special but a fine reading.

In an extremely controversial set placement, Petrichor follows. Petrichor delivers good tonight. Everyone nails their parts and, while it's not an exceptional reading, it is a GOOD reading, if a bit... unnecessary, lol. "Hey lets just effing throw Petrichor in the middle of everything for no reason whatsoever!"



The set ends awkwardly with a good but average Boogie On into a disappointing Rise/Come Together. Look, I personally dig the song and think it CAN be amazing when they put their all into it, but this is just a limp version with no extra anything about it. Total bummer!

The encore gets off to a bad start with th worlds most uninteresting Pebbles and Marbles followed by a supremely sloppy and underwhelming Sea of Stars. Ugh!

They thankfully end on a high note with a hot Izabella and the strange CDT Reprise.

All in all, set 2 is a MESS!!! It starts ok, gets pretty good, then limps to the finish line. Soul Planet>Wingsuit is must hear but nothing else is essential. Everything else is either subpar or good-but-not-anything-noteworthy.

I will die on the hill that set 1 is a great listen, but set 2 is just...hell, even I gave up defending it.

2019-12-31 New York City, NY - 2024 revisit

 12/31/19 New York

Set 1

A shredtastic, wah drenched Martian Monster opens the show, absolutely crushingly. Killer little version as ever.

And somehow they segue brilliantly out and into a raging Buried Alive! Talk about a 1-2 punch!

Solid Bag into the first major highlight of the night - a 12 minute Halleys! Halley goes through several excellent sections of type 2, before Trey basically ripcords them out and into an ill timed and perfunctory Caspian.

Halleys is must hear! Thats a wonderful little jam!!!

Following that Caspian, Sparkle and Axilla, we get the lengthy continuation of the Pan saga from the night prior. Much hilarity ensues.

The Maze that follows is very hot by 2019 standards. It wont blow you away but it totally gets the job done!!

Surprise segue into a pretty good Fluffhead as the penultimate track of the set. This Fluffhead is loose around the edges but not totally sloppy. Not as good as Charleston, but by no means poor. Good stuff!

Surprisingly, the final song of the set is honestly one of the biggest highlights next to Halley!! Rise/Come Together turns in the smashing, triumphant, heroic, hose filled, peak laden rendition the failed version from Charlston could on dream of achieving. No, seriously, this is sick!!!

All in all this set plays way better than you expect and does not reek of the warmup vibes that 12/31 first sets usually have. Halley and Rise/CT are both genuinely must hear and the majority of the rest of the set kept us moving and rocking very nicely for the most part! 

Set 2

Set 2 begins with a very good but slightly flubby Punch. Other than one phrase, Trey basically gets it down. Solid version.

Wolfmans rages type 1 roc and roll, then comes a stupendous, 12 minute Light. Light is MUST HEAR! Traveling seamlessly through several different play styles peaking out in a tropical bliss peak, this sucker just kills!!! Awesome!!!! Dont overlook this little Light! Its terrific!

But thats just the beginning! An 11 minute Twist follows and they kick the X Factor Magic into high gear! THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST JAMS OF THE YEAR!!!! Going deep and thick into a late night Moma style dark groove, at a snails pace they increase the tempo until eventually they are shredding it to a massive hose peak. Must hear! Must hear! Must heae! HOLY CRAP! THEY DONT MAKE TWISTS LIKE THIS NO MORE BOYS AND GIRLS!!!!

That X Factor Twist leads into a 7 minute Soul Planet that is so much more essential than it has any right to be. The jam immediately drops into a darkly aquatic and tenseful area and Trey does a lengthy and extended solo building his waterfall delays....Its seriously bad ass. 4 or 5 of the best minutes of jamming of the year, again, I swear. MUST HEAR!!!!

Mercury is very well played but when it comes time to jam, Trey instead leads them nicely into a ripping Possum to close this better-than-you-think set.

All in all, go give this set a listen! The Light/Twist/Soul Planet trio is genuinely must hear, up there with the best music of 2019, and the rest of the set is a well played selection of high energy rock and roll keeping the vibes UP! A much better listen as a proper set than it has any right to be!!!! 

Set 3

The fun begins with the band "talking amongst themselves" to the entire MSG crowd, lol.

The a capella Send In The Clones ushers in the insanity nobody was prepared for...

Musically, set 3 is nothing special. Of course its about the spectacle! Everything is played fine but nothing really noteworthy. Ok, I lied - Drift with the choir sounds amazing!!!

This is definitely one gag you need to watch (the rising platforms), what with Trey getting stuck and the clones running all around the stage, etc. Visually its genuinely a great watch!

All in all, a pretty dang enjoyable show! It delivers enough musically and the gag is definitely interesting. A winner in my book and a great cap on an immensely underrated year of Phish!!!!!

Light>Twist>Soul Planet!!!!!

2019-12-30 New York City, NY - 2024 revisit

 Onwards to 12/30/19 this morning, site of the 36 minute Tweezer!

Set 1

The show begins on a fun note with a rocking Wilson into a party-tastic Final Hurrah. Hurrah seems to have some extra spunk and really gets it going.

46 Days is fresh in slot 3 and whoah boy this is MUST HEAR! Short or not, this version is outstanding! Complete nuclear bomb annihilation!!! They raze the Garden!

After a well played Curtis Loew bustout, we get a wonderful 17 minute Blaze On! A terrific exercise in full-band jamming (in other words, not a solo fest), this is a bubbly, feel good jam that is all kinds of must hear. Page is all over this one.

Corrinna is a beautiful and probably must hear as well.

A fun surprise is the Mikes/Contact/Groove that follows! All 3 pieces are excellent if none are completely mind blowing. Still a totally must hear trio!

Ripping About to Run into a nice More to close.

All in all, this was certainly a much more interesting set 1 than that of 12/29. Blaze On, the Mikes Groove, maybe Corinna and 46 Days are all must hear. Slightly old school kinda "experimental" vibes on this one, which is great! The flow was all over the place but that is nitpicking. Great stuff!

 

Set 2

Set 2 opens with a massive 35+ minute Tweezer. I believe I did a "proper" writeup of it at the time and I dont dare to break it down via phone posting, lol. Its awesome though.

Worth noting I think is that this version is quite "tame" musically compared to other mega jams such as, say, the 7/14/19 Ruby Waves etc. This is not some crazy outer space adventure through the bowels of type 2 (though of course it is type 2...), this is more like a fantastic beach party, just relaxing with all your friends, letting the music FLOW in such a natur way....No crazy soloing or motifs, just pure FULL BAND interplay kind of jamming, if you will.

Its awesome, but its very much about listening to and appreciating the ridiculous ease with which they navigate the myriad of sections so flawlessly that you dont eve realize its happenning. Its like the band is unaware that anyone is listening and are just off in their own world playing totally for themselves.

This one is all about the nuance and subtlety for me. Really great version to listen to "closely".    

So, after the Tweezer, we get the funny "pan story" interlude before they launch into a 13 minute Ruby Waves. Ruby is solid but has a hard time achieving liftoff, floundering for quite awhile before Page and Trey finally sync up and drop into bubbly funk zone. They stay there for several minutes. They slowly build the heat and rage that sucker hard to a close! Pretty interesting version. Good stuff!

Ruby gives way to a blazing Steam. Trey says forget the jam and yanks them perfectly back into a Tweezer jam followed by a RW jam!!! What rhe hell?!?! That was SICK!!!!!

Following that, the set proper closes with one of the finest Slaves of latter 3.0 Seriously, if you thought 6/19 was a great one, check out this mother. Absolutely must hear!

The show closes in the most perfect way with Rock and Roll. And everybody NAILS their parts delivering a nuclear bomb version as fine as any ever played. A++++

All in all, set 2 was obviously ridiculous. My only complaint is that it felt a little short - like it needed another song or two in the middle somewhere. Other than that it was all gravy. I still vastly prefer 12/28, but im not gonna argue if you prefer this one!

An excellent show overal. The 4.5 rating is honestly probably 3 or 4 points too high if youre talking as a complete show, but the highlights were massive so it all balances out.

On to 12/31!

 

1999-07-08 Virginia Beach, VA

 Been 2 weeks since I paused my "no hurry" 1999 listen through. Resuming this morning on my neighborhood walk, lol

Up next was....

7/8/99 Virginia Beach

Odd - on the truck stereo this sounded pretty sub par but listening through high-end in-ear earbuds it sounds TERRIFIC!!! Strange!!!!

Anywho, set 1 gets off to a nice start with a standard hot Julius. Total fire as expected. Awesome.

Out of friggin nowhere, we get probably the first true "What in the love of God is even happenning?!?!?" moment of the tour when they follow Julius with....a nearly 22 minute gosh darn version of FEE. Not Free - FEE!!??!?!

!?!?!???!?!?!?

Fee itself sounds excellent coming out of Julius. Smooth transition and great set flow with that!
---The fun begins at the 5.5 minute mark when the song winds down into a beautiful, kind of swirling piano outro, accented with Trey doing this repeating motif over and over....
----This is absolutely gorgeous!!! This is like the aural equivalent of the sun peeking through the clouds after a rain storm or something....
---This initial phase persists all the way to the 9 minute mark, whereupon the jam begins to increase in rhythm and intensity, slowly and perfectly. What the absolute hell is going on. This is incredible!!!!!
---Over the next couple of minutes they slowly build the jam ever skywards, quickly approximating something akin to a more low-key version of "that" section of the Camden '99 Chalkdust!!!
---At the 12 minute mark Trey hits the pitch shifter and we ascend fully into the clouds!!! We are soaring through the skies!! Twisting and turning and flying with the birdies!!! This is incredible!!! X FACTOR MAGIC, BABY!!!! LETS FRIGGIN GO!!!!!
-HOLY CRAP THIS IS ONE OF THE SICKEST THINGS IVE EVER HEARD!!!!!!!
---Sometime around the 17 minute mark the heatseeking missile jam slowly begins to turn into a more ambient kind of beast. Fishman keeping the rhythm super fast still, but everyone else is slowly turning this into some kind of ridiculous, swirling, vortex of psychedelic ridiculousness!!!!
-WHAT ON GODS GREEN EARTH IS GOING ON THIS IS BLOWING MY MIND!
--Around 20 minutes, 20 light years deep into outer space, the maelstrom FINALLY reaches a sort of conclusion point. Fishman slows down to a lower tempo kind of jungle beat and they end the jam unceremoniously at the 21:30 mark......

The Virginia Beach "Fee", Ladies and Gentlemen.....

 

After an "Ok, thank you..." from Page (as if they didnt just take us to Neptune and back...), they launch into Guyuute! And holy mother again...this Guyuute is FLAWLESS!!! Played at warpseed and with extra mustard, there isnt a hint of flubbage from anybody. This is Dream Theater-level execution on this one tonight. Holy CRAP!

A top tier Dirt is our first cool down of the night. Again, extra mustard all over this one with everyone laying perfectly into their fills and the dynamics of the piece. This sucker is delicate and its an absolute joy to behold. Honestly one of the best live versions Ive heard. Wow.....

A shockingly gorgeous Nellie Kane isnup next. Seriously, this one is actually must hear, imo. Its very nicely laid back and Page SHREDS so perfectly... totally unexpected!

The penultimate song of this nearly perfect set is a 14 minute Stash. Considering the perfection of that Guyuute, its very surprising that Trey is having very sticky fingers with Stash instead. Yucky, this sounds like 2019 Trey! Thankfully the jam more than redeems any flaws in the playing! When I say this version goes dark, I mean.....it goes DARK!!! I mean, this is basically what getting sucked into a black hole would sound like, Id imagine (actually, itd likely be silent but you get my drift!).

Absolutely incredible jam once again and another true must hear piece of music. Wow...Evil Phish at its finest....

Set 1 closes unceremoniously with a fine Cavern.


All in all, this set is absolutely RIDICULOUS!!! Honest to god, it is almost flawless aside from the start of Stash. The X Factor Fee, the all-timer Guyuute, Dirt and Nellie both being legitimately wond, that black hole Stash .... Is this show regarded highly?? Because this is just the first set and I cant imagine the 2nd will top it.

Also worth noting, that vague "drunkenness" or whatever that was going on with the Charlotte gig ain't present tonight, so thats a huge plus!

Jeez......Phish 1.0, amirite???  

Set 2

Set 2 begins with a fantastic 19 minute Birds of a Feather. The 7/23/99 Columbus rendition is my go-to, so I'm all about some '99 Birds! The song has barely even entered the "type 1" portion of proceedings when already, around the 4:45 mark, hints of "drifting" begin to appear. In other words, they are announcing they are subtly letting us know they will be taking it for a ride.
---Around the 6 minute mark, Trey and Mike begin to play more "in sync" with each other in a more rhythmic kind of fashion. Around 7:30, just as it sounds like they are going to drift off into the sky, Trey finally manages to begin to solo properly for the first time since the song began. Very interesting how he "delayed" his initial round of soloing and instead focused on building the jam together with the boys. Great stuff!
---Sometime around the 10 minute mark, Trey's soloing starts to go mightily askew. He begins playing with feedback squeals and the whole jam (still rocketing at 90mph, thank you) starts to get that crazy kind of "falling apart" vibe going on. Gordo and Page soon link up with Trey on a repeating back-and-forth motif (you'll know it when you hear it) and the jam starts to move into another area slowly....
---By the 12 minute mark the jam begins to quickly quiet down bit by bit. Fishman is still going nuts, but everyone else is playing as quietly and delicately as possible. This is pretty disjointed! If only we could anticipate the ridiculousness about to hit us!!!
--- Trey very soon starts to play the "If I Only Had a Brain" melody from the Wizard of Oz. He full on lays into it, playing it over and over and over again, FOR OVER 5 FRIGGIN MINUTES, until even Fishman gets in on the vocal action.... It's incredibly odd - the jam basically proceeds to "deconstruct" istelf to the tune of "If I Only Had a Brain" and ultimate concludes at the 19 minute mark....

Ok, all that being said, that was obviously must hear for the strangeness factor. I wasn't blown away musically like I hoped I would be though - honestly, that jam wasn't a patch on anything in the first set and kinda just sounded like Trey got high during set break and decided to play around, lol.

Your mileage may vary. Very fun but if I'm judging it's musical "greatness"?.....Yea, it's cool but not really anything mindblowing.

So with that being said, the Wizard Of Oz comes to a close and Trey leads us perfectly into Caspian. This one DRAGS big time like they trying to haul a log up a hill while fighting sleep. Good lord, boys! What happenned?! Wake up! Thankfully they lean into this excellently and Caspian has a wonderful outro solo with a bluesy tinge to it. This Caspian is 10 minutes, but somehow doesn't feel like it despite the tempo and feel. Just accept the vibe and sink down into it!

The bluesy outro solo of Caspian leads them to segue perfectly into a giant 12 minute Jesus Just Left Chicago! This sucker is MUST HEAR! Trey absolutely goes OFF!!! This is pretty much one massive guitar solo shredfest. Not much to say, it speaks for itself. Absolutely spectacular version!!!!!

The oddball set choices continue when the show moves onwards with Saw It Again. Not much to say at all, it stays type 1, doing it's gnarly, destructive thing, Trey just melting faces and the whole thing coming crashing down etc etc etc. Good stuff.

A very rare performance of Sleep gives us a nice cooldown afterwards. It honestly fits very well with the vibe of this set and the flow into felt great to me! Sounds good!

Up next is Meatstick. Hey, if we are just gonna throw caution to the wind with these song selections, why not Meatstick, eh? Trey does his usual Summer '99 "Meatstick Dance Public Service Announcement" as usual. Solid jamming, perfectly enjoyable, but nothing to freak out about either.

This "perfectly-enjoyable-but-is-it-really-going-anywhere??" set picks up some WELL needed steam with it's final two numbers:
Tube is pretty solid with nicely slick jam, running about 6 and a half minutes. Right away the jam dives into that "late-night" 1999-style of playing. Trey sets his whale-siren looper and that sound appears. Heck yes. Slowly and patiently they work their way through this thick groovefest. Gordo and Fishman keeping that beat on LOCK while Trey layers his vibrato notes atop. Just awesome. Unfortunately this is as deep as they take it and around 5 minutes in, Trey begins vamping, returning the song to the bluesy B section and out to finish. Up against the clock or something? That sucks! They were GOING FOR IT and then just "nah, no more jam". Bummer!

The set proper concludes with a very nice Simple. Very odd choice for closer but it fits the "we don't know what to play" vibe of the set so, hey, why not! The song proceeds beautifully as usual until around the 8 minute mark everybody slowly leaves the stage one by one until Page is left alone by himself to play out the show as if this was a Squirming Coil closer!!!!! Wonderful!!!

The encore consists of the injoke of Terrapin (because they played Terrapin Station HAHAHA at the 1998 show) with Character Zero to close.


All in all, this was certainly a highly enjoyable show. I one hundred percent enjoyed the first set more in almost every way, but it's not like set 2 was bad or anything, it just seemed to struggle to get it together at times. The song placements/selections felt "grasping at straws" and the jamming felt underwhelming, though still enjoyable. It's as if.....let's say the second set felt enjoyable but a tad undercooked. Whereas set 1 honestly felt like damn near perfection from start to finish. That might have been the best set of the summer so far!!!!

A very good show, definitely in the upper-tier of the 6 I've played so far! Probably an underrated show on the whole. Obviously Fee, Stash, Birds and that JJLC are all must hear. But seriously, that first set was just PERFECT!

2019-12-29 New York City, NY - 2024 revisit

 12/29/19 New York

Set 1

Show opens perfectly with a footstomping Turtle In the Clouds. Hell yea. This version is exceptional, totally loaded with extra mustard throughout. A+

The same goes for the following Moma - not the hottest ever played, this one lays hard into the dynamics. The FEEL of this one is just perfect!!! I don't know how else to describe it. Just sublime.

A tasty KDF in slot 3 keeps the good times rollin. KDF has a very nice jam starting slow and chill before eventually building to a fiery climax. Not must hear but great nonetheless.

I would dare call Yarmouth Road must hear tonight. Insane full band grooving, this sucker funks hard. Awesome version!

After a decent Wedge we get a hot version of my favorite Page tune Beauty of a Broken Heart. Slightly shakey lyrically but together musically, its better than most versions they play, haha. Great stuff!

An unexpected first set Fuego brings the heat next. It doesnt particularly jam and is only 9 minutes, but it does the job and does it well. Trey unleashes fire and its an excellent type 1 reading of the song.

MyFe follows and turns in another hot but standard reading.

A raging hot BOAF picks things up in a major way. Trey lets loose and annihilation is served. Short but oh so sweet. Stellar little Birds!!!!

After a shocking bustout of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, the set concludes with a good Walls of the Cave.


All in all, there isnt much here that is "must hear", but the set was still an excellent listen. The energy and playing level was high and there was a tightness to the playing that was just great. This is a set to listen to for the subtle nuances in the playing rathe than some massive jam highlight, because everything was excellent, even if not much went next-level, ya know? This was like a great 2011 first set or something. Its an excellent, HIGH ENERGY ROCK AND ROLL kind of set, ya dig? 

Set 2

The 2nd set gets off to an exceptional start with a must hear, X Factor Magic Carini! This one goes DEEP into the alien vortex! Starting dark and swampy, turning into strange kind of 1999-style ambience before getting crunchy again and slowly "deconstructing" itself, only to shift into an ethereal chill bliss to close. My god. That was a friggin small-scale masterpiece!

Unexpected and semi-failed segue into Back On the Train. BOTT delivers majorly. An utterly destructive type 1 reading with peak raging for days. Fantastic.

And into a 15 minute Gin!!! Unfortunately the Gin fails to live up to the opening Carini. Its a powerhouse "full charge ahead" kind of version, but only becaue they sound like they are lost for what to do for the majority of it. Fishman keeps them tight but they are very disconnected. Its not until the friggin 12.5 minute mark that anything remotely interesting finally happens when things get dark and Page steps on the synths. But almost immediately they group-ripcord into some ambience! Wtf! Yea this Gin is a messy cluster and not in a good way. The energy is there but its just some kind of strange, massive, failed experiment with a capital F.

Not good.

The following Golden Age gets going nicely and is pretty good overall, going deep into type 2, yet it still struggles with "structure", once more faltering to a conclusion and botched segue into....

2001. 2001 has a pretty good jam featuring cool stop/start jamming throughout. The jam proceeds to get heavy and dark, really laying it on thick! Id call this one must hear! Serious deviation on this sucker!

A rocking type 1 Sally comes along and keeps the party going nicely. Good stuff. Unfortunately its a bit short and feels like its already ending just as its begun...

The penultimate song of the set is a firebran type 1 Chalkdust. Short again like Sally but its got extra rocket fuel in spades and can melt diamonds with the heat it exudes. Fantastic!

18 minute Hood to close the set! Very tight on the composition and absolutely bursting with energy. Upon the beginning of the chill out, Trey begins to just deliver a series of the most perfect guitar fills, backed up by Page and Gordo. It almost starts to feel bluesy. This is terrific!!!!
---Very slowly, over the course of several glorious minutes, they take their time increasing the intensity bit by bit. THIS IS SPECTACULAR!!!!!
--&They do a sick stop/start motif and then seamlessly burst back into the Hood chillout like butter!!!!! X FACTOR MAGIC!!!
And then Trey hits it - a 115 second friggin sustained note. Are you kidding me. And the crowd erupts!!! And they bring it on home....

Yo, forget the rest of this set (except Carini!), that dang Hood was ridiculous!! Now THAT was next level!!!!

Show of Life into a standard Antelope to close.


All in all, this show is a pretty big step down from night 1. In set 2, all you need are the opening Carini and the closing Hood. The rest of the set is either too straightforward (or short) for its own good or just downright bad (that Gin....).

I know ratings aint everything, but I have no clue how this has a 4.3 over on .NET. In no universe is this show more than, say, a 3.8 or so. A really friggin enjoyable 3.8, mind you, but I must be deaf as 12/28 is a vastly superior show yet it only has a 4.1.....Just fun to think about lol.

Seriously though, set 1 had no flaws, it was a tightl played rock set thar brouht the heat, it just didnt really bring anything beyond "pretty hot". Nothing offends in any way but nothing wows, really.

Same goes for set 2 aside from the ridiculous Hood and Carini. Its like a sandwich of mediocrity with two slices of X Factor on the ends.....

2019-12-28 New York City, NY - 2024 revisit

 Onward with the 2019 New Years run.

12/28/19 this morning.

Set 1 opens nicely with the calm debut of Evening Song before a hot bliss-funk No Men really gets the party started! Really excellent version!

Even better is the tight and blazing hot, 13 minute Disease in slot 3! Raging hard for a while, it slowly morpha into wonderful chill bliss-fire!!! HOSE EXPLOSION!!! HOLY CRAP!!! X FACTOR MAGIC! MUST HEAR! WHERE DID THEY PULL THIS FROM?!??

Faces duly melted and jaws on the floor, we move on to the excellent but totally weird cover of 20 20 Vision. Huh. Very strange. Its honestly just too WTF for its own good.

Following that we get a great 12 minute Ghost, not as amazing as Disease, this one still tries very hard and almost pulls it all off, spending a long time in aquatic bliss zone before morphing into hot fire dark psychedelic kind of raging. Great overall but perhaps a notch below "must hear".

After a nothing special but still excellent Gumbo we get a "poor by 2023 but hot by 2019 standards" Rift. Trey doesnt flub anything and his playing is only a little "softer" than it should be. Good version for the era!!!!

After an excellent, wah soaked reading of Weigh, the even rarer Dog Faces Boy gives way to a nice but non jammed 20 Years Later.

The set closes with the hot duo of Tube and SANTOS.

All in all, this was a highly enjoyable set. Musically everything was base level excellent with the exception of the MUST HEAR Disease. Little else rose above, but nothing disappointed either. A great "warming up" kinda set. 

Set 2 begins with a 13 minute Everythings Right. This one grooves HARD and the boys are locked in tight! Bliss rages hard before peaking and diving into dark and strange type 2 territory. MUST HEAR!! FANTASTIC!!!

An inspired section of alien bliss sees them segue out and move into an outstanding Sea of Stars. Absolutely remarkable versions. Holy moly.

That pair was complete X FACTOR MAGIC. MUST HEAR! HOLY CRAP! Both were magic!

They waste no time picking us up with a FIRESTORM Set Your Soul Free! The jam on this is so sick - they do a crazy funk dive on "On Broadway" and the whole thing is just fire on top of fire. Another X Factor, MUST HEAR version!!

After a botched segue and failures setting his looper, we get a very rocking Jibboo complete with a full blown SYSF reprise! Not must hear, but its still awesome in the context of everything!

Free is up next. Of course Trey butchers the arrangement as always but its still a smashing hot rendition with highly inspired full band jamming throughout. Id call it Must Hear. Stellar!!!

Piper follows and rages hard, starting slow and uneventful before the X Factor kicks in and it EXPLODES into the biggest nuclear bomb hose annihilation of 2019! MUST HEAR! JAW DROPPING!!!

And the fun doesnt stop there! We get a Type 2 Drowned!!!! 13 minutes of synth laden ridiculousness!!! They dive deep into the whirlpool before catching the riptide and riding that wave back to shore! GUY FORGET!!!!! X FACTOR MAGIC BABY!!!!!

And we are just getting started!!!

Up next is friggin Ass Handed. Funny as ever, they actually extend it and rock it out for a minute. Afterwards, they lose their damn minds and.....we get Ass Handed Reprise!!! They play CDT Reprise while singing Ass Handed and they rock/jam it for a hysterical couple of minutes. OUTRAGEOUS!

Standard C Zero to close with an appropriate Life into Rocky Top encore.


Holy mother of X Factor Magic - this was hands down one of the best sets of the whole year, on par with, say, 8/31 imo. Pretty much the entire set is MUST HEAR from front to back!! ER into Stars and SYSF were all genuinely fantastic, but then Piper kicked it into 20th gear and blew the door down for the rest of the set.

A truly ridiculous set of music. My god. I am replaying this soon.....

2019-12-07 North Charleston, SC - 2024 revisit

 Onward with my 2nd show this morning, 12/7/19, North Charleston

Pretty funny that last night they played The Connection for the very first time since this show, eh? Synchronicity!!!

Ok, I was on the floor again for night 2 and I remember being exhausted from night 1, but that was to be expected, no?

On with the show!

Set 1

The show opened with something everyone needs to experience at some point in their lives - a Fluffhead opener. I cannot begin to describe the dopamine rush that occured when I realized what was happening!! They are OPENING with FLUFFHEAD! HOLY CRAP!!!!

By 2019 standards, Fluffhead is ever so slightly loose around the edges but 99% nailed! Its an excellent, if not transcendent version if you are just listening at home. In person, this was friggin life changing stuff though. This was akin to Harpua last New Years or something. WHITE LIGHT! SO MUCH BLINDING WHITE LIGHT!!!!!

Being able to scream along FLUFFHEEEAAAADDDDD!!!!! is a "forever" memory I will cherish until I die.

10/10 show opener. Good god..... 

Ok, now that I got Fluff out of th way....

Ocelot came next and was a great choice. Its really an excellent version if not must hear. Treys playing is red hot. I was thrilled to get it and be able to sing along - Ocelot has always been a favorite of mine!

Funny that they played Nellie Kane next. I was THICK in the middle of reviewing 1993 at this point and I remember thinking it felt like a personal reference to all the bluegrass I was hearing in those shows! This is an excellent version and, as with an a capella song on night 1, I got to say I could check a bluegrass tune off the ol list!

The Dogs was a GREAT surprise!!! Put this on the "didnt expect that!" Highlight reel! I have a distinct memory of thinking this was fantastic but having no idea, at the time, what song this was. Short, sweet and to the point! PLAY THIS MORE!

Up next was maybe the biggest highlight of the two shows for me thus far regarding song selection - REBA!!! This was a BIG deal! 12/31/95 was the show that converted me and, next to Punch, Reba is absolutely my favorite Phish song ever. I was hoping, praying, dying more than anything to bear witness to one! I remember watching the setlists for the tour going "thank god, no Reba last night!" lol.

This Reba has a rough go compositionally, but thankfully the solo is X FACTOR MAGIC. Trey annihilates and sends goosebumps down my arms!! My jaw is and was on the floor! Now for a modern Reba its probably a B+ overall, but that solo was CASH MONEY!

Up next is a great Halfway to the Moon. Really strong version, Trey tears it up once again. Big highlight. I have a really distinct memory of the intro, Trey shrouded in darkness. I didnt recognize the song at first and had to check .NET, lol . I do remember thinking afterwards that it ROCKED! 

After a lovely little Train Song to cool us off, its into friggin....GUYUUTE!!! Unfortunately again, Sticky Fingers Anastasio strikes once more and we get a not-quite-a-trainwreck but definitely not tight reading. I mean, 3/4 of it is acceptable, but there is a full 20 seconds where Trey just stops playing like its 2004 and becomes disconnected from Fishman. Doesnt matter - I got a friggin Guyuute, Reba and Fluff all in one set. I could care less, lol.

Strange Design is beautiful. Im ashamed again to admit that, at the time, I did not know the song at all. For it being such a huge rarity, I am kicking myself over this. I would KILL to get one at a show NOW. I had no idea.

Set ends with a standard hot Moonage Daydream. Another I thought id never get to hear!


All in all, this set is totally about the in person experience. Strictly as a listen it isnt that impressive aside from the insane setlist. Musically Trey is very stiff but the Reba solo and Fluffhead are probably must hear. Shoutout to Ocelot and Moon.  

Set 2

So they open the set with....The Connection. Aka, a super rarity that almost nobody in the building knew, including myself, lol. TERRIBLE choice, ot was DEAD ON ARRIVAL. There was NO energy in the room! Awful!. Glad I got it in hindsight, but good lord, Trey! NO!!!!

Sensing to correct the mistake they just made, they waste no time launching into a still-a-rarity 16 minute Mr. Completely!! Another awesome version, it spends a good amount of time rocking it type 1 before moving into Party Funk zone (complete with No Men teasing!) before shifting into some kind of outer space funk weirdness with a great reprise to close. Not as incredible as the Camden (I think?) version from the summer, but damn strong either way and id rank it number 2 for 2019!!! Knowing the rarity and loving the song, I was PUMPED to get this!

Following with Crosseyed was a genius move. I will never, ever forget the experience of seeing an entire building EXPLODE at once like that when the riff began. My god it was incredible. This version is pure X Factor Magic! MUST HEAR!!! They go full blown WTF type 2 into a strange Little Drummer Boy jam of darkness that is just ridiculous and terrifying. Holy moly. THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY IN OUTER SPACE!!!!

Trey sees his chance and out of the darkness comes a fine reading of Dirt that plays out like a coda to the madness just prior. Good stuff.

I have great memories of this section, just losing my mind at this insanity, lol. 

Cool Amber picks us up before Melt drops us on our faces. The composed section sounds perfect but the jam is AWFUL. I hated it in person and I hate it today! The transition from song to jam is non-existent (Fishman straight up just stops playing!) and the jam itself is boring and disjointed.

The best part is that instead of reprising Melt to finish, they do a full on Crosseyed reprise for like 2 glorious minutes. And its AWESOME!

A Life Beyond The Dream was next and I remember enjoyinf it immensely in person - it really felt poignant in the moment. Still a fresh song at that time, Im glad I got one before it became a little overplayed.

Wilson wasnt anything special, though of course it was another "check off the old list" to get to yell "WILLLLSSSOOONNNN!!!!" with everyone, so that was great!

The set proper closed with something special - an excellent Coil that brought down the house. Yet ANOTHER checkmark off the list (Coil closer...), I remember standing there, head in hands, thinking my life was finally complete. Mindblowing.

Tasty encore of Grind (Yay, another a capella!) and the first Frankenstein since the Bakers Dozen!!!!!

This show was a BLAST in person!!! Honestly, I may actually remember it better than night 1! That being said, it is definitely the inferior show when compared to night 1 - Trey has problems technically and there are times they struggle to lock together, but the setlist could not really be much better (seriously, its insane, no?!) and when it did click, it was beyond words.

The kind of show that doesnt necessarily live up to scrutiny under a microscope, but will absolutely stand the test of time if you were there to EXPERIENCE it!  

2019-12-06 North Charleston, SC - 2024 revisit

 Been a couple weeks off of my 2019 replay.

After diving into some more 1997 and 1999 shows, as well as a ton of Fall 2023 relistening this week, the time is right today to continue onwards....

Up next is a VERY special show - my first!

Context: I discovered Phish in May of 2018. 12/31/95 was the music that converted me.....

12/6/19 North Charleston, SC

On paper, it must be said, this is a weird/bad looking setlist, no? I STILL think so! That being said, bias aside, it was an amazing show and experience so you cant judge a book by its cover!!!

On with set 1!

The most appropriate Carolina is the acapella number of choice to get the party started. I remember being THRILLED I was able to get one of these, knowing how rare they are these days. Great stuff.

The band then launches perfectly into Party Time and its a HEATER! Simple type 1, but Id call this one must hear. It rages hard, everything is tight, and it serves as the PERFECT announcement that, well...ITS PARTY TIME, LETS GO!

And that is EXACTLY what it felt like!!!!

Seriously, this was absolutely the opener nobody wanted but the one we all needed, ya dig? The place ERUPTED!

They continue the party vibe into a still rare Strawberry Letter 23. 4th one to that point if memory serves - I remember someone nearby boasting they had seen each one so far This is pretty excellent, sounds well rehearsed, and was a great unexpected call! I sure as hell didnt know what was going on! Great stuff!

Undermind is hot but ordinary but keeps the party vibe going strong. Then we get anothe massive rarity-nobody-is-chasing with I Been Around. Keeps the "fun" vibe still going. Its funny, I felt like one of the only people nearby that recognized it - I had just done a 2009 marathon and that song was still "fresh" from all the Joy-era deep diving I'd been doing....

Ok, so at this point in the set, I was having a BLAST, but Id be lying if I sadi I wasnt disappointed with the song selection. That being said, it literally taught me - in the moment! - that song selection ain't everything! I remember thinking during this "ya know, it sucks this isnt Its Ice or Disease, etc, but who cares when Im having SUCH a great time regardless!!!"

 

So, just as Id become resigned to my fate of having to deal with a setlist "not to my taste", they kick move out of party ville and slam us with a Junta/early Phish triple threat outta nowhere!!!

Divided Sky begins and I lose my friggin mind. Outside of Punch, Fluff and Disease, its probably my favorite Phish song and has been since the beginning. You bet I yelled the loudest "YEAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" ever when it began! Getting to sing along and slow-jump along.....life changing stuff, for real. A memory that will be with me until I die....

Anywho, the song itself, thankfully is EXCEPTIONAL! For a modern version, its hands down next level!! They NAIL the composition like its the 90s and the playing is energetic and confident. Trey's solo section is delightful - trilling out the wazoo, it sounds like the soundtrack to a majestic bird soaring through the sky, sun in the background....must hear version!

Then, the fun continues with The Sloth! Considering 12/31/95 was the first show I listened to, and this was one of the very first Phish songs I heard, this song holds a special, stupid place in my heart. Unfortunately, its the weak link of the set tonight and Trey totally goes Flubs McGee throughout. Oh well, at least I could say I saw The Sloth!

Lost my mind for a third time in a row when they whipped out... Destiny Unbound?! Not the Uber rarity of days past, its still rare to get and I was not expecting it! Even better, it turns in one of the best jams of the run! Color me SHOCKED that they were playing a multisectional, type 2 Destiny Unbound in front of my very eyes. It quickly dissolves into great funk playing before moving into a great hose bliss explosion. All smoother than butter. True X Factor Magic on this one!!!

Good lord!

This being my first show, I clearly remember this being the "dividing line" in the set for me. Maybe I was just tired from being on the floor or something but I don't remember much of the rest of the set at all.....

We get a lovely WACTOOB up next. I feel lucky to have caught one considering the rarity of these songs these days. This was always a favorite and I was very happy to get it. Good stuff.

My Friend into About to Run gives us a great double dosage of darkness. I have zero memory of MyFe, but I do remember being really excited to get About to Run! Of the new 2019 songs, it was absolutely at the top of the pile for me and I was STOKED to get that! About to Run killed as hot as any other. Total headbanger, still fresh at this point (love it, but its sometimes kind of "stale" these days, ya know?).

The Horse and Silent lead into Bowie to close. I remember being really exhausted by the time of Bowie, lol. Also, Ive never been a massive Bowie fan so, despite being thrilled to get one, I was also thinking "ok, Bowie usually closes sets these days, 10 minutes until I can sit down..."

Bowie is solid - not a flubfest but nothing remarkable either. Its a GOOD version in a sea (at the time) of not amazing versions.


All in all, you guys have no idea (or maybe you do, lol!), what it feels like to replay this show again. This first set is weird - its like a set in two halves! The first half is all FUN and PARTY and th second half they dive into old school Phish big time. Plus they go nuts with the 2nd-tier rarities as well!

Musically, Party Time, Destiny Unbound, Divided Sky and maybe About to Run are must hear.

Destiny Unbound is an all timer (if there is such a thing), and Divided Sky is remarkably well performed! 

Set 2

So, a raging Axilla gets the set off with a BANG! Terrific choice for opener and I remember headbanging like a lunatic and singing along

Immediately though, they drop headfirst into a massive, 19 minute Scents, complete with intro. Still being a pretty fresh fan at this point, I wasnt as familiar with 2.0 as I should have been and Im ashamed to say, looking back, I didnt know what was being played until I heard the chorus and it clicked, lol.

I have little memory of this other than just kinda "zoning out" because it was all so overwhelming, ya know what I mean? Just trying to make sense of it all!!!!

---So the jam begins with them in a laid back kind of chill zone. Very slowly they move the jam into a rockier zone, picking up more and more steam by the second - Trey even full on plays the Axilla riff! (I remember catching that and loving it!).
---After another minute or two, the rocking takes a turn towards a more upbeat/bliss kind of feel. Fishman is still going nuts, but Page has jumped on the church organ and its total bright sunny day vibes.
----Very quickly, Trey begins to play with FX and we start moving into a heavy funk kind of zone! Things are slowly turning more....moody.
----Trey takes the lead and they move into a slightly ethereal kind of "sideways" sounding bliss jam. Total power and energy, but theres a brewing uneasiness hiding beneath the beauty!! Look out!!!
-----After a soaring peak, things shift into "bubbling robot bliss"!!! All tenseful synthesizers and stoccato rhythms from Trey. Gordo is going nuts with the bombs, of course.
-----Slowly, the maelstrom begins to recede and the crowd ERUPTS! Shifting seamlessly into spastic uptempo SPACE FUNK SUPREME, Trey lets loose again with the Axilla teasing.
----Kicking on the delay, wonderful Page and Trey interplay occurs. Heavy dark funk! Then, Trey hits gold and begins this super NASTY descending, stop start, funk motif!!!! Nastier than the Dicks 2019 Piper! My god!!!!
---Only lasting a brief glorious moment, the motif gives way to further wah drenched funk jamming before stopping on a dime and dissolving into about a minute of pure 1999-style ambience to conclude....

THIS JAM IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!! MIND BLOWING! X FACTOR FRIGGIN MAGIC! TOP 10 JAM OF 2019, EASY!!! MUST HEAR!! 

So that mind blowing Scents dissolves into ambience and they transition, perfectly, into No Quarter.

You bet I lost my god-d mind. Holy mother talk about a slap in the face you never could have expected. Utter perfection that segue/song choice was ....I remember the girl next to me shouting "LED ZEPPELIN!!!!"

I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS!

No Quarter is awesome is fits PERFECTLY out of that jam, just like how MyFe and About to Run were perfectlt paired in set 1. Trey tears it up big time. Sick.

Up next is Your Pet Cat. Love this song and was very pleased to get it, but HOLY HELL SOMEONE STOP PAGE AND THOSE SCREAMING CAT SAMPLES!!! THEY WERE SO LOUD I THOUGHT MY HEAD WAS GONNA EXPLODE!

Thankfully all is well with a 13 minute Mercury. Unfortunately, its merely a pretty good "B+" version that doesn't jam much and isnt played spectacularly well. Still, I was SO PUMPED to get this! Of all the new songs at the time, this is the one I wantes more than any other. And I couldn't believe I got it!!!!!

I must admit, even at the time, I was bummed out that they played the song I was dying to hear and instead of getting some sick 20 minute jammed out version (like most to that point), I instead got shafted. I mean, it's a fine type 1 version, but it never feels like it properly gels and never achieved proper "liftoff". They are striking the match but it just wont catch flame.
Bummer, but ya take what you get, lol.  

So out of Mercury they pick us up with a zany Saw It Again. Good stuff! That leads to the next big highlight - Limb By Limb.

14 minutes in length, its complete X Factor Magic!!! They quickly eschew type 1 in favor of dark funk, leading into some strange outer space wormhole section completed by Trey reprising Divided Sky and Fishman singing This Old Man.

Pure old fashioned x factor magic type 2, baby!!!! This is one of those "What the F is going on?!" kind of jams. Just ridiculous.

I have a great memory of watching this in awe, jaw on the floor, trying to make sense of what the hell I was witnessing. I was definitely aware I was seeing something special and was insane....

Out of the ambient noise Trey executes the most flawless segue of all time into....THE LIZARDS!!! 10/31/90 was one of the first shows I hears and I always have particularly loved that version of the song. Getting to see it was such an incredible experience and the Skippy The Wondermouse part literally made me shed a few tears. Effing incredible....

As if constructed perfectly, the set rages to a terrific close with a smashing Suzy. Total party rager. Another one I was absolutely beside myself to get to see!!!

Great encore with Bittersweet, Death Dont and Loving Cup.

At the time I didn't appreciate Bittersweet. A massive rarity, Im kicking myself for not knowing it better, lol.

DDHVL was standard but excellent.

Same goes for Loving Cup. But Loving Cup, like The Lizards or Mercury....man, it felt like they played it for me or something! Its literally been my favorite Stones song since I was a kid (I couldnt believe when I found out Phish played it regularly!) and its always been, maybe, my favorite cover of theirs (top 5 for sure).

Talk about a storybook perfect ending!!!

All in all, as a listener, this is a weird show with a lot of highlights. Its way better than it has any right to be. Scents and Limb are all timers and in set 1, Divided Sky, Destiny and Party Time are essential as well.

I got so lucky with this show (and the next night) and I count my blessings every day I got to experience them.

1997-07-05 Como, IT

 Onwards with 1997 this Monday morning!

Next up is 7/5/97, Como, IT
*Free, one set, 2 hour outdoor show

On paper, this show looks utterly boring from a setlist perspective. Thank goodness we dont judge books by their covers, though!!!!

The show opens with a red hot Julius and its apparent immediately that the boys are EXCITED to be playing this show!!

Julius, Bouncing, Uncle Pen and Sample are all perfectly ordinary type 1 excursions, but there is a definite sense of "oomph" to proceedings.

With Theme, however, the set ascends to the friggin stratosphere!!! Liftoff has been achieved!!

Theme and Caspian are both, honest to god, A+, 10/10 type 1 versions rivaling any you can think of. Trey is absolutely melting faces on both of them. The Theme is particularly must hear. Absolutely ESSENTIAL listening!!!!

Building upon this newfound sense of X Factor, they move out of that blazing Caspian and into the MVP of Europe 97 (well, next to Ghost...), Twist. 14 minutes on this one, it is the jam centerpiece of the show. Exploring multiple different sections of extreme funk workouts with fun vocal scatting abound, this is like the Dicks 2014 Simple dance party on super steroids.

Or something like that. Total X Factor Magic baby. Essential!

They lead out of that with another "does nothing" Piper, BUT, it must be said, I actually really dug this one. The slow-build was executed at exactly the perfect pace, allowing you to just melt into to building maelstrom. But then of course it aborts right at the point of liftoff....* Sigh *

Thankfully the hits keep coming and we get a perfectly placed Hood in the next spot. This Hood is pretty exceptional, imo. Not sure if it tops my fabled 2/13/97 London version, but its up there. A truly excellent reading full of passion and patience and energy in the exact right amounts....A+!

Now for the final stretch, the hijinks begin!

The Love You/HYHU vacuum medley is followed by a ripping Poor Heart. Character Zero and Good Times Bad Times smash our faces and send us out with a smile!!!!

Terrific choice of Squirming Coil for the encore. Page's piano outro will never not be amazing as an ending....



Wow! I am honestly REALLY surprised by this show! Considering that so many of the PROPER Europe 1997 shows (spring AND summer) have been, honestly, less-than, its quite a shock that this little side-gig rises above the pack to stand in the lower rungs of the top tier of shows from the two tours.

I will honestly replay this again sometime. I THOROUGHLY enjoyed it! The pacing was perfect, the energy and enthusiasm was sky high, there was enough X Factor where needed.....

Also, this show is FUN!! They lay into "having a good time" part but also deliver the goods musically.

If you're looking for something to really SURPRISE you, go check out this show!!!

WOW!!!

****Also, major props to the taper - no exaggerating, this has to be the single finest AUD of 1997 to this point. EQ in some bass and its super clear, up front, damn near SBD like capture. They mustve been right next to the stack or something....

1999-07-07 Charlotte, NC

 On to Charlotte today. This show looks downright incredible on paper and all the reviews appear to back this up, so I have very high hopes for this one!


7/7/99 Charlotte

Set 1

The show gets off to an easy start with a typically solid and laid back Back On The Train. Nothing impressive in the slightest, lacking even standard Trey soloing. Hm.

Getting its 2nd appearance in as many shows, the boys keep us on our toes by going right into a 9 minute Whats The Use. Ok! Thats a great move! Its a fantastic version - Trey sets a massive "screaming seagull" loop that lords over the song. Man oh man this is Haze Annihilation Supreme...... And of course it winds down beautifully into nothing. Wow!! That was absolutely sublime!

And into Billy Breathes. Normally Id complain about another ballad so early in the show, but good lord does it not work great building out of WTU like that?! Billy has a slow start, never really peaking like it should. Its a very good version but not an exceptional one.

The set finally awakens with a punchy My Mind before we go into a rare Sneakin Sally. Sally is the first must hear of the set. 12 minutes long, Trey wastes no time ripping it up before the whole band dive into a heavy funk jam led by Gordos popping bass and Treys loops. The funkiness eventually gets really quiet abd they slowly turn the volume down on this jam over the course of a few minutes, fading it out.... Sally was a resounding success! Must hear!

Up next is a raging Axilla 1 coupled with the Axilla 2 ending. Great blast of fire but kinda sloppy overall.

Really great and unexpected segue into Rift though! That segue was on point! Rift is very, very clean and Page's piano is surprisingly jazzy in a subtle way. Im calling this one a winner. Maybe not must hear, but worthy of a listen! Check this Rift out, its really, really good!

The hits keep coming with Wolfmans Brother. 10 minutes, this one reprises the the thick, soupy funk of Sally. I wouldnt call it must hear, but its a terrific type 1 banger worth checking out. Great stuff.
Page's jazzy piano shredding is awesome!

Wolfman fades itself out and we move into a 12 minute Maze. As expected. Maze annihilates in every way. Nothing to say!

Loving Cup is a great choice for set closer!
Trey really lets loose, going full nuclear bomb like its still Maze or something. KILLER!

All in all, this was certainly the most interesting set played in several shows, and the song selection was fine, but it felt like Trey, in particular, was not completely "on". Not excessively flubby, its a "feel" thing. Seriously, could this be drugs? Hard to explain.

Id say Sally and Maze were must hear but Rift and WTU were both top notch as well.

I feel like Set 1 of 7/4 is somehow better than this even though on paper this walks all over it.... This set feels less....INSPIRED, I guess. Does that make any sense? It feels a little tired in the slightest of ways - not tired, but its not FULL THROTTLE, ya know?

Just interesting stuff to compare and overthink about! This was an excellent set and Im thinking WAY too deeply about it!  

Set 2

Set 2 begins with a MASSIVE 23 minute version of 2001! Putting that "1999 sound" on full display, the first EIGHT MINUTES are a dark and tenseful ambient soundscape. Wow, they dont be playin 2001 like this anymore, eh?
---Finally, they launch into the drum beat and the jam begins its life. Very uptempo, this one! Egging on the audience, they build the jam slowly, working towards the theme but never dropping into it as if going "wait! wait! wait!" They tease the HELL outta that theme until it FINALLY appears at 13:45.
---Utter peaky madness ensues for the next two minutes with the crowd going insane and the band riding that theme for all its worth. Around 15:30 Gordo takes over and they all start to play around with the jam, messing with the rhythms etc
---The guys go back to vamping for a long while, Fishman leading the jam with his rhythm switchups until they decide to peak that theme again around the 20 minute mark. The song concludes afterwards with several minutes of screeching, ambient hellscapes to make our brains explode...

Um....yea. That was fantastic! Must hear!  

And out of the noise, Gordos bubbling bass intro signals the arrival of an 11 minute Disease. The overly "loose" Trey from set 1 is noticeable again (drugs?). Trey is rocking hard and soloing fine, but his playing has a noticeable "faking his way through it" quality that you cant ignore.

He's SUCH a good player that he can coast his ass off and fool everyone, basically. That is what this Disease sounds like. I mean, its still awesome, but REALLY LISTEN to Trey on this and Im sure youll catch what I mean....

All that being said, I would still put this in the must hear pile for this show. Even when faking-it-til-making-it, the pure heat and intensity of this version is something to behold. Hose annihilation....

This is the most SPECTACULARLY WORLD DESTROYING Disease of all time, and yet there is just something a little.....off about it.... 

So that nuclear bomb Disease melts down into a fascinating trio of My Left Toe>Velvet Sea>My Left Toe!!! This is freaking SICK!! MUST HEAR! Talk about a unique section of music!!!!! My Left Toe screeches and snarls like a scared animal in the night, waiting for its chance to bite. The perfect "outro jam" for that Disease!

I cant imagine being in the crowd for this - first that insane 2001, then that more-hose-than-Big Cypress-Disease into this strange, otherwordly piece of ambient soundscaping.....Welcome to 1999 Phish!

So, MLT fades down and they perfectly rise on into a beautiful Velvet Sea which in turn somehow returns to MLT. Dude.

After MLT fades away for good, they move into Bug. Normally Id complain about so many ballads in a row, but this just works!!! In the context of this set its perfect! And Bug is outstanding tonight, nearly rivaling the debut from Bonner Springs. FANTASTIC!

The set proper comes to a close with an ok YEM. It brings the party but its clear as day Trey is pretty "off his rocker" during this one, lol. No trainwreckage or major flubbage but it, again, wreaks of "fake it til you make it". Good but inessential.

Amazing encore of Possum and Funky B, both with Derek Trucks! Nothing I really need to say here!!

All in all, this show is SICK! Set 1 was great throughout but had few true highlights, while set 2 was pretty much flawless from start to finish with ridiculous jamming, inspired set placements and segue, and Trey losing his mind throughout.

And that damn encore!!

Hands down the strongest show of the tour so far overall, imo, even a tad above my much beloved 6/30 Bonner Springs

Alas though, it must be repeated, is this show a warning sign regarding Trey? He is just...he is clearly in some other world at times. Like a tipsy person walking around a party high fiving everyone, lol