The weather was so gorgeous in the Bay Area this weekend, that combined with the NBA playoffs on Sunday, I haven’t been in front of a computer much this weekend to write an extensive post. Sunday afternoon, however, in between playoff games, I jumped behind the wheels of steel to create another Fall ’97 Mix-up contest! I thought about using other tours, but I figured we’d keep it simple and stick with the beloved and well-circulated tour, thus eliminating all the jams from the last mix from contention. And who can get enough Fall, 97?
So, in honor of sunshine, the playoffs heating up, and Phish Tour in TWO WEEKS, we have another Fall ’97 Mix-up contest to kill some of your time during this penultimate week of waiting. This round, however, we are upping the ante to encourage more participation. For this contest, the winner will have their choice of a Sec 23-135 Row KK ticket to the tour opener at Fenway, a lawn ticket to Phish’s much-anticipated return to Star Lake, or a Sec 119 seat for Knoxville’s sleeper show. Yup- admit one to the winner- for free! The ticket will be shipped to the winner at the end of this week. The runner-up will able to choose three “Downloads of the Day” next week, with short, accompanying write-ups. So put off that task, procrastinate doing your work, and get checkout the newest mix. Here’s the details on the contest:
This is the show directly following Utah’s Dark Side show which gets understandably overlooked by many who weren’t there. While not sharing the level of fireworks as Utah, this follow up to Denver ’97 was no slouch. With a first set that centered on the “Bathtub Gin > Yamar” combo, it was book-ended by “Buried Alive” and “Bowie,” creating an high energy first set; and the second set didn’t slow down at all. The meat of the set came in the “Moma, Piper > 2001, Chalk Dust,” with the “Piper > 2001” being the gem of the show. A psychedelic roller coaster into the cosmos, the transition into “2001” is sublime. A dark horse offering amidst all the fire of Fall ’98.
I: Buried Alive, Character Zero, Guyute, Bathtub Gin > Ya Mar, Birds of a Feather, Brian and Robert, Frankie Says > David Bowie
II: Runaway Jim, The Moma Dance, Piper > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Chalk Dust Torture, Loving Cup
E: The Squirming Coil
Source : B&K 4011 > Lunatec V2 > Apogee AD1000
The weather was so gorgeous in the Bay Area this weekend, that combined with the NBA playoffs on Sunday, I haven’t been in front of a computer much this weekend to write an extensive post. Sunday afternoon, however, in between playoff games, I jumped behind the wheels of steel to create another Fall ’97 Mix-up …
With summer tour just around the corner, things are setting in motion. Ticket re-releases are happening, mail orders should be coming in the mail soon, and our routes to Boston have been planned. On the verge of embarking on the first full tour in five years, excitement fills the air of spring.
Summer tour is a uniquely blissful experience. Combining daytime summer fun with the all-night Phish parties, life becomes a vivid and cyclical barrage of the senses as you roll across the country. Traveling from state to state overnight or during the day, life becomes a singular mission- get to the show! Reminiscing over so many summer tours past, I came up with a short list of things that are special and unique about summer Phish tour. Let’s keep the list going in Comments all day and see where we get to!
—
1. The ability to walk in to the show with nothing but a t-shirt, shorts and your ticket
2. The nightly sunset jam
3. The Hari Christnas that rage the lot at Star Lake
4. The drive from Alpine to Deer Creek, or vice versa
5. Kicking it in the lot post-show, casually gathering your wits
6. Sunrises- whether on the road, camping, or wherever you may be
7. The the west coast drives (though not totally applicable this year)
8. Deer Creek campgrounds and their “nitrous-is-ok” policies
9. Succesfully finding an few open sqaure feet to rage in the Alpine pavilion (they are few and far between)
10. Freely puffing joints on the lawn during setbreak
11. Raging RVs for festivals
12. The woods and setting of SPAC (and Merriweather)
13. Summer evenings in uptstate New York
14. Camden’s post-show open-air drug market
15. Finding backroads to avoid the traffic
16. Deer Creek “Antelopes” and Alpine “Tweezers”
17. The sound at open-air venues like The Gorge or Sandstone or any venue without a roof
18. Looking out at the water at Jones Beach while Phish grooves fill the air
19. The “Yamar” opener
20. The ability to see all your friends raging during the first set
21. The unexpected lot tan (my wife’s contribution)
22. “Rebas,” “Rebas,” and more “Rebas”
23. That first post-show beverage- beer, water, Gatorade, or otherwise
24. How Kuroda’s lights pop out when its just getting dark
25. Hearing “Divided Sky” – whenever it shows up
=====
R1’s DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY– (Written by contest winnner- R1)
For my final download, I bring you another reader request. This one from cOwfunk.
The final show of 1998. My 21st birthday show as it just so happens.
Phish @ MSG
I think one word sums up this show: Joyous. The music is just incredibly jubilant. Starting the night off with the highly-anticipated Prince cover “1999,” Phish came right out and explained the manner in which we were meant to party that evening. This number set the cheerful tone for the night. And what tune brings a larger smile to one’s face than “Mike’s Song?” This one has an early, triumphant peak before a lovely and enchanting, mellow jam ensues. The classic Mike’s Groove is wrapped up with a “Weekapaug” that contains a “1999” tease and bodacious bombing from Miguel. The “Ghost” features a bright, layered groove that kept the light mood afloat. It never really enters into murky territory . Crowd-pleaser “Ha Ha Ha” had everyone laughing with mirth and the sing-along ending to “Cavern” closed things on a high note.
“NICU” reintroduced the same gleeful tone to open the second set. “Tweezer > Cities” is a definite highpoint of the night. This “Tweezer” is a patient, undulating seether that, like the “Ghost”, for the most part keeps its distance from the realm of the truly grimy. Yet the jam does seem to take a turn to the darkside just before making an immaculate segue into a damned sexy “Cities.” A hot “Antelope” with another “1999” refrain and a raucous “Frankenstein” left the crowd giddy.
MSG, NYC
The special New Year’s third set was kicked off by a “Runaway Jim” that mounted with intensity right along with crowd’s excitement for the countdown. Now, the “Auld Lang Syne” at a Phish NYE extravaganza has repeatedly proven to be a singularly emotional moment for me, and I’m sure many of you hold it in similarly special regard. The lights come up to let you see everyone, you’re hugging your dear, sweaty friends, an enormous grin on your face (perhaps a tear in your eye) and you can’t imagine being ANYWHERE else in the world. This is sweet JOY. Enough said. A quintessentially merry Phish song, “Simple” is disrupted for several minutes by balloon-bursting, but ironically develops into a a pretty dirty, snarling jam. These were some highlights from a great night in Phistory!
I would like to thank Mr. Miner for allowing me to contribute to his site. I’d also like to thank everyone for their show requests and kind words. It’s been great fun, but I must admit I am happy to be done with the responsibility! See you all in 16 days!
-R1
I: 1999*, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Ghost > Ha Ha Ha, Cavern
II: NICU, Character Zero, Tweezer > Cities > Wading in the Velvet Sea, Run Like an Antelope, Frankenstein
III: Runaway Jim > Auld Lang Syne > Simple, Harry Hood, Tweezer Reprise, Llama
With summer tour just around the corner, things are setting in motion. Ticket re-releases are happening, mail orders should be coming in the mail soon, and our routes to Boston have been planned. On the verge of embarking on the first full tour in five years, excitement fills the air of spring. Summer tour is …
Phish’s three stops at Darien Lake in their career have not only made the venue a legitimately Phishy destination, but all three shows illustrate, perfectly, the band’s musical development at that point in their career. With performances in ’93, ’97, and ’00, the band had ample time between gigs to evolve into a completely different animal each time; every show providing a snapshot of Phish’s musical place in time.
The first show at Darien Lake’a amusement park setting, on August 7, 1993, saw a much younger Phish, amidst a peak month in their career, incorporating all of their eclectic musical trickery and zany humor into an absurdly intense show. One needs to go no further than the opening of the second set to uncover this. A newly-conceived “2001” upped the psychedelic-ante, blasting into a blistering “Mike’s” that carried a suicidal intensity that could only have been produced in ’93. The band was jamming hard- like their lives depended on it- and the quality of the music was wholly overwhelming. While squeezing in secret language cues, the band abruptly entered an enthusiastic rendition of “Kung,” and a return to “Mike’s” that had the place blowing up with musical fireworks. “Speedjazz” at its finest, the band was ultimately precise and shredding with a purpose on this evening.
Darien Lake PAC
Typical of their insane month of August ’93, defined by breakneck jazz-rock psychedelia, the show also included dense, layered adventures in “Stash,” “Antelope,” and “Maze.” Offsetting some of this crazed improvisation was a segue into the reggae rhythms of “Makisupa” out of an unfinished “Stash,” a relaxing and groovy ride through a first set “Reba,” and a serene second-set stop in “McGrupp.” Additionally, many compositions stood at the top of their game during this month, and on this night, the band threw down “Llama,” “My Friend,” “Forbin’s > Mockingbird,” and “The Sloth.” If someone asked you to illustrate what Phish sounded like in the Summer of ’93, this show would be a good starting point. In Trey’s own words,this was “a roller coaster of the mind!”
***
If Phish’s first Darien Lake show was a portrait in time, their second gig in ’97 was an absolute definition. Culminating their funk revolution of Summer ’97, Phish stopped in western New York before leading the circus up to Limestone for the very first time. The theme of this show was the theme of this summer- raw, bass-driven funk. Quoting Trey, “The funk was too deep,” in the second set, and the band never emerged from their Bozo-laced funked up adventure into Colonel Forbin’s Gamehendge. Averting “Mockingbird” in favor of further groove, the band took a left turn into “Camel Walk.”
Ken Kesey
One of the finest outings of the summer was highlighted by one of the best “Harry Hoods” ever played. Smack dab in the middle of the second set, this jam was the unfolding of a mystic fairy tale, and included a post-“Hood” jam that needs to be heard to be believed. In addition to the heavily improvised second set, the first included a second-song “Fluffhead,” an early-funk-era “Free,” and a ferocious “Antelope” to close. But beyond the divine music, this show held cultural significance as Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters joined the band onstage in a Wizard of Oz-type skit. Kesey was looking for the “Bozos” who had been missing since 1995 (when Jerry died and Dead tour ended.) Finding the Bozo’s on Phish tour, Kesey gave a stamp of approval to the Phish scene as the rightful inheritors of America’s counterculture. (A detailed write-up of this show and its historical significance can be read here.)
***
Fast-forward to the year 2000; Phish was on their final tour as they passed through Darien Lake one more time. Though the band’s energy and creativity was on a decline at this point, you could never tell from listening to this show. One of 2000’s most impressive efforts, 9.14 turned out so well that it wound up mastered as a Live Phish release. The no-brainer highlight of the evening was the colossal mind-fuck that emerged out of “Drowned.” Delving into abstract psychedelia and ambient madness, this was arguably the craziest and most “out-there,” terrorizing, and successful jams of the fall- all wrapped into one. Accessing alien atmospheres during this mind-bending excursion, this jam illustrated the ’99-’00 millennial exploration of abstract soundscapes, an element of the band’s creative direction during these years.
Segueing from an epic “Drowned” into a dark “Crosseyed and Painless,” the band combined the two covers to create a definitively dirty forty-five minutes of millennial Phish. Beyond this central section of the show, we were treated to an incredibly energetic first set that opened with a “Punch,” “Reba” combo, with the latter being a choice version. After a mid-set “Carini,” the band ended with a smoking “Oh Kee Pah > Suzy” that included a dynamic funk explosion after the song’s natural conclusion.
Looking back on the theatrics Phish has pulled off under the circus tents of Darien Lake, it is no surprise that the community is amped for the band’s return. Coming during the final four shows of the tour, you can be sure Phish will be firing on all cylinders when they pull into the amusement park this August, and something tells me this is a can’t-miss show. If the band’s history at Darien Lake is any indication, this will likely be a highlight of Summer ’09.
I: Llama, Bouncing Around the Room, Poor Heart, Stash > Makisupa Policeman, Reba, Maze, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Famous Mockingbird, Cavern
II: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Mike’s Song > Kung > Mike’s Song > TMWSIY > Avenu Malkenu > The Sloth, Sparkle, My Friend My Friend, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters > Purple Rain, Run Like an Antelope
“The fellas ate their Wheaties before this one. This is a high-energy Phish show. “AC/DC” opens the first set forcefully and “Fluffhead” keeps the juice pumping. “Tube” brings the funk and “Antelope” closes the set with more of the unbridled power.
This second set is straight nasty. Trey simply rips the shit out of the first portion of the “Mike’s” jam before things slow down a bit and get seriously funkified. Mike is throwing around Molotov cocktails, as the band fully locks in, slowly building, with Page moving from clav to piano, as Trey just relentlessly assaults our ears and minds. The always natural-sounding segue into a bopping “Simple” is followed by a beautiful evolution into the debut of “Bittersweet Motel.” “Weekapaug” ripens pretty gently before Trey begins to dig in and the band speeds up, with Fish keeping up a blistering beat. Another highlight of the set, “Ghost” follows a steady upward trajectory along Rage Mountain, before cooling out and strutting into Taj Mahal’s “She Caught The Katy”, featuring some nice organ from Page.”
I: AC/DC Bag, Fluffhead, Roggae, Tube, Sparkle, Cavern, Frankie Says, Run Like An Antelope
II: Mike’s Song > Simple > Bittersweet Motel* > Weekapaug Groove, Brian and Robert, Ghost > She Caught the Katy**, Funky Bitch
E: Sleeping Monkey, Rocky Top
*First time played **Last played 04-29-87, 862 shows before.
Phish’s three stops at Darien Lake in their career have not only made the venue a legitimately Phishy destination, but all three shows illustrate, perfectly, the band’s musical development at that point in their career. With performances in ’93, ’97, and ’00, the band had ample time between gigs to evolve into a completely different …
The 1995 New Year’s show at Madison Square Garden is often seen as the coronation of one of the greatest years of Phish, and also the culmination of their their career to that point. Showcasing a musical smorgasbord of all things Phish, the band tore the roof off the most famous arena in the world announcing their definitive arrival to the music industry. After years of grassroots touring and dedication to their craft, Phish had proved to themselves, and to all, that they had succeeded. Peaking their musical style of the fall with boisterous arena improv and tightly wound compositions, Phish was at the absolute top of their game, and it showed.
Churning out what many consider to be the finest Phish show ever, the band played several top-notch versions of their most popular jam vehicles. The towering highlights included a divine first set “Reba,” second set adventures in “Drowned” and “Runaway Jim,” and a third set that featured a celebratory “Weekapaug,” and a near-flawless “YEM.” But despite these multiple peaks throughout the night, none were more engaging, vicious, and masterful than the “Mike’s Song” that concluded set two- the final jam of 1995.
The band built on the outrageous momentum created over the fist two sets, and as they approached their second setbreak, the piercing riff of “Mike’s” jumped off the stage like a shotgun blast of adrenaline flooding our collective consciousness. The Garden was soon engulfed in the heaviest improv of the evening, and with their razor sharp chops of December ’95, Phish created a timeless piece of improv that is still revered today.
Gamehendge Time Laboratory (C.Taylor Crothers)
Launching into the jam, Page brought his classic organ swells as the band climbed into a fierce and dirty “Mike’s” groove right off the bat. Fish and Mike developed a tight pocket in this initial part of the jam, allowing Trey to freely express his thoughts within the framework of a slammin’ groove. Trey got into some vicious lead lines quickly, and the room transformed into a sinister sonic dungeon as the band furthered their foray into darkness. The intensity of the music was palpable, as there was no laying back during ’95 “Mike Songs.” The band attacked the music with aggression and created a smoke-filled monster out of the first jam, but the real improv started when Phish dropped into the second.
For years, the most creative section of “Mike’s Song” was the second jam, following the power chords- the same chords that signaled the song’s conclusion in latter years. Somewhere along the way in the late ’90s, the band neutered one of their greatest songs, lopping off its ballsiest segment without notice. But we were still in ’95 here, and when Phish dove into the more menacing and improvisational jam, what resulted was the stuff dreams are made of. Following the drop, Trey almost immediately entered some solo-shredding that led the band into the meat of the song. On point and playing like one entity, Phish locked onto Trey’s pattern, entering some full-band grooves that got the room shaking in earnest.
Fall ’95 (T.Mosenfelder)
As the jam progressed, it got more and more coherent as they collectively created passages of pure improvisation, related, but not connected, to “Mike’s” structure. This was 1995 Phish doing their thing, exploring outer rings of the musical galaxy with enthusiasm, determination, and a sense of unbridled adventure. Unsure of where they would end up, the band was squarely focused on the moment-to-moment progression of this masterful music.
Bringing the jam to a dissonant crescendo, the textures fell away, and the only sounds left audible were Trey’s multiple loops at the onset of a digital delay jam. One by one, the other band members left the scorching stage, eventually leaving Trey on stage, silhouetted by the smoke and lights, continuing his innovative one-man jam. Providing a psychedelic denouement to one of the raunchiest pieces of the entire Fall, the drone patterns created a fitting end to a raucous set. In the midst of this sonic collage emerged Trey’s voice, bringing us out of our meditative dreamstate, quietly saying, “We’re gonna be back in about 15 minutes. Don’t go away. Thank you.”
It was safe to say that no one was going anywhere. We had just witnessed a piece of Phish history, one of those moments you didn’t need to hear on tape to confirm its magnitude. Phish was in the process of annihilating The Garden in their first New Year’s Eve performance in the building, and we were all lucky to be along for the ride. When the band came out to “Auld Lang Syne > Weekapaug,” 1996 had arrived, and though many lasting moments came from the last night of ’95, this “Mike’s Song” was a crowning homage to one of the greatest years of the band’s career.
***
***
=====
R1’s DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY– (Written by contest winner, R1)
“Continuing my trend of showcasing sick first sets, I come to you with another reader-request, suggested by several folks.
On an obscenely hot weekend in upstate NY, Phish matched the intense temperatures by bringing the heat, albeit a slow burn, for their weekend mini-festival. Busting out of the gate with a fiery, funktastic “Tube” replete with ubiquitous ‘Crosseyed’ phrasing, followed by a smooth “Boogie On,” it was clear that the fellas were in a dancing sorta’ mood. The highlight of the first set is the “Tweezer > Have Mercy” combo, featured in Miner’s Pick’s: Summer ’99. The jam starts off gooey thick, with a descending progression, before the band takes a collective inhale and releases as Trey’s notes seem to ping-pong between Mike’s bass bombs. Wonderfully melodic, yet full of searing Trey work, this relatively laid-back version segues sublimely into the Mighty Diamond’s plaintive reggae gem.
The second set saw the band welcome to the stage “Funky Bitch” sribe, blues guitarist Son Seals, to join them for a ripping version of the frequent cover as well as another one of his tunes, “On My Knees.” From there, the set blasted off with a ferocious” DWD.” What followed was some more of the relaxed summer flow, with a beautiful, fluid “Wolfmans > Sally > Timber” sequence and a “YEM” that struts to a similar reserved groove. This is some oxymoronic chilled-out, summer heat.”
I: Tube, Boogie on Reggae Woman, Birds of a Feather, Guelah Papyrus, My Sweet One, Roggae, Tweezer > Have Mercy*, Taste, Character Zero
II: Funky Bitch**, On My Knees**, Down With Disease*, Wolfman’s Brother > Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley > Timber Ho!, You Enjoy Myself
The 1995 New Year’s show at Madison Square Garden is often seen as the coronation of one of the greatest years of Phish, and also the culmination of their their career to that point. Showcasing a musical smorgasbord of all things Phish, the band tore the roof off the most famous arena in the world …
In retrospect, there have been many different opinions posed about Phish 2000. Many point to the year as a downward spiral to Shoreline when the band officially went on hiatus. Others feel the band’s playing was inconsistent on a night to night basis, yet recognize that they still created some very memorable moments. And others tout 2000 as something wholly different, and not such a musical decline at all. To be fair, if we were to negotiate these positions, we could most likely agree upon the fact that despite a loss of momentum and creativity towards the end of the year, Phish was still Phish and created many amazing evenings during the year 2000.
After the incredible peak of Big Cypress, and without adding any innovation to their sound, the band seemed to lack a new musical direction, something they had traditionally incorporated every year, if not every tour. Nonetheless, 2000 doesn’t get the credit it deserves and is usually generalized by jaded fans as a year worth forgetting- well, that’s simply not the case. Let’s take a look back at the year that was.
Radio City Soundcheck (C.Taylor Crothers)
The hype couldn’t have grown greater after the band announced their first post-Cypress shows of the year would take place in New York’s Radio City Music Hall in May. With a capacity of 5,900 on a weekend in New York City, and with a national ticket demand that shot through the roof, these were certainly the hardest Phish tickets to date. This would be the first Phish ticket mission in which many people didn’t succeed, something that had become commonplace in this day. But those who did were treated to two standout performances- specifically the second- that took on an enhanced quality and elegance in the storied venue. The immortal remnant from this weekend was the masterfully extended “Ghost” that came towards the end of 5.22’s second set.
Following a fun, but sardine-packed, surprise gig at Roseland for VH-1, Phish would take off for Japan in only a few weeks. Their seven show run over eight days provided some of the most lasting musical highlights from the year 2000. On their first outright tour of Japan (they had played the Fuji Rock Festival in ’99), the band treated the incredibly respectful, mostly Japanese, crowds to some absolute gems. The exploratory and adventurous Tokyo “Tweezer,” that opened up the first show’s second frame, set the bar quite high for the week’s jamming, and the band wouldn’t disappoint. Highlights oozed from every show- the “Disease” and “Piper” at Zepp Tokyo, the “Wolfman’s”, “Antelope” and “Sand” from Nagoya, the entire show from Fukuoka, the “Ghost” and “Disease” from Big Cat in Osaka, the “Runaway Jim” from Zepp Osaka- and those are just the creme de la creme. With these Japanese tapes getting immediate circulation, many stateside fans were unaware of the magic going down in tiny rooms across the Pacific. This week abroad was truly a cultural and musical adventure to be reckoned with, and one of rhe most unique Phish experiences ever.
Deer Creek 2000 T-Shirt
Upon returning to America, Phish hopped right into their amphitheatre circuit, announcing their presence on night one in Antioch, TN with a blistering “Jibboo > 2001 > Sand.” Songs from the recently released Farmhouse would dominate summer setlists, as every other night you were sure to hear “Jibboo,” “Sand,” “Twist,” and “Heavy Things.” The summer was highlighted by the two-night stand in Camden for July 4th, which featured a heavily improvised July 4th second set, which many consider to be the best music of the US summer tour. The month wound up in the Midwest, with one show at Alpine, a first-ever three night stand at Deer Creek, and the tour closing two-nights at Polaris. This last week of shows provided some of the most exciting playing of the tour, as each of the final five shows included some incredible high points. Such peaks included “Fee > What’s the Use, Limb” from 7.10, the Moby Dick set from 7.11, and “Curtain With” and “Crosseyed > Caspian” from 7.12- all Deer Creek. The entire second set of Polaris’ 7.14 show featured incredibly dark and intense jamming, as the band squeezed a “Mike’s” “Bowie” and a “Sand” into this ominous frame. And while the tour closer didn’t hold up to the first Polaris gig, Phish played a shredding “Disease > While My Guitar Gently Weeps” that stood out among the rest as the farewell jam of the tour.
All in all, Summer 2000 was a very successful run. While some songs may have been overplayed a bit, Phish still had their improvisational chops with them, and hadn’t begun to fully lose steam yet- that would take place in the fall.
Fall Tour Opener- 9.8.00 Albany, NY
Beginning in Albany, and traversing the country to Shoreline over the course of a month, Phish’s playing grew more inconsistent over this tour. There were still scorching pieces of improvisation- they just came a bit less frequently as the band’s creativity wasn’t always quite as prevalent. Don’t get me wrong- Phish was still Phish- and I never once left a show with an inkling of disappointment, but when looking back and comparing the many eras of Phish, it was the consistency of excellence that slowed. Phish brought us on exciting full-length psychedelic treks at Great Woods on 9.11, Darien Lake on 9.14, Merriweather on 9.17, Rosemont 9.22, Minneapolis 9.24, Desert Sky on 10.1, and Shoreline to end it all. However, while many other shows boasted great individual highlights, the entirety of these efforts was not always up to snuff.
But despite all the nay-saying in the scene about Phish 2000, I enjoyed the year to the last drop and believe it has a lot of music to offer. As said in the very first sentence of this piece, these observations come in retrospect, and there certainly wasn’t a prevailing vibe of bitterness or negativity at these shows of Fall 2000. Phish was, and always will be, a celebration of life, and all of its mysteries and splendor, and that element was never lost. Phish was still our soundtrack as we broke into the next millennium.
9.8.00 Albany, NY
But after Shoreline, we would be forced to wait; the band needed a break. After touring incessantly since 1990, the guys wanted some time to themselves, and went on an indefinite hiatus. Some believed that was all we would ever see from the band, while some knew that it wasn’t. But Phish would be back at it before we knew it, and probably a bit too soon, re-taking MSG’s stage only two years later for New Years 2002- and the rest is history. Lasting only a year and a half before needing to disband once again for health reasons, Phish would “retire” after Coventy’s debacle. But here we are in 2009, and while it’s taken us a long time to get back on the train, our train is about to leave the station in a mere few weeks- this time, bound for glory.
To commemorate all that was good in the year 2000, I present to you two editions of “Miner’s Picks: Phish2k- ‘Summer’ and Fall.” Trying to be as comprehensive as possible without overdoing it, I collected 12 hours of jams from the Summer and 9 hours from from the Fall. (These are the compilations that chomp tons of bandwidth, so if you decide to download them, please consider a small donation.)
I chose to leave out out the must-hear entire sets of 7.4 II (Camden) and 9.17 II (Merriweather) and 10.7.00 II (Shoreline) for sake of file size, and because those sets shouldn’t be broken up. These shows are available on Phish Thoughts in their entirety. I also had to leave out Live Phish releases (Alpine, Darien) for which I don’t have AUD sources handy. Otherwise, there is a ton of great music contained within that chronicles Phish’s last year featuring something from just about every show. But don’t listen to me, check it out, and come to your own conclusion on the great debate of Phish 2000.
“This one comes from reader Al’s request. In their 4th show back on U.S. soil following their famous European tour, Phish put together a sweet little show in the currently-threatening-to-secede Longhorn state. Another show with a very hot first set, the boys didn’t take long to delve into a bit of improv with the combo of “Wolfman’s > Maze.” The “Wolfman’s” features a syncopated jam that moves into a spacier realm- with a tight pocket and the beloved “Crosseyed” teasing and line-ripping from Trey- while the “Maze” is a pretty much a straight rager. The rest of the first set includes an uplifting “Bathtub” into a “Makisupa” that turns a bit bluesy at the end, finished off by a super-energetic “AC/DC.”
The second frame here had renowned jazz drummer Bob Gullotti playing along with the boys on a second kit. I think, had I been in attendance, the out-of-nowhere cymbal crashes and such throughout the set may have hampered my groove a bit. However, Gullotti’s additions definitely do not hamper any of the grooves in the set’s highlight of “Ghost.” Fish and Bob seamlessly churn the beat throughout this exotic rendition, which morphs into a sonic whirlpool unto which cascades of drum fills pour.”
–
Miner’s note:The entire second set is a dark-horse scorcher, filled with top notch improv from start to finish. Gullotti fit in beautifully with the band and certainly added to the show. This is an overlooked highlight along the long road of Summer ’97
I: Beauty of My Dreams, Wolfman’s Brother > Maze, Water in the Sky, Bathtub Gin > Makisupa Policeman > AC/DC Bag
II: Chalk Dust Torture > Taste > Ya Mar > Drums*-> Ghost > Character Zero
E: Theme From the Bottom
Entire second set with Bob Gullotti on drums. *Trey turns the jam in Ya Mar over to “Leo and the Drummers”; Page drops out of jam leaving only Fish and Gullotti.
Source: Schoeps CMC641 > Oade Preamp > SBM-1 > D8
In retrospect, there have been many different opinions posed about Phish 2000. Many point to the year as a downward spiral to Shoreline when the band officially went on hiatus. Others feel the band’s playing was inconsistent on a night to night basis, yet recognize that they still created some very memorable moments. And others …
