------------------------------ From: grateful@leland.Stanford.EDU (Sirna) Subject: Bay Area Weekend Here's a little review of the West Coast weekend. The Warfield- I showed up early and was surprised to see a huge line outside of poeple waiting to get in. It almost looked like a Jerry Band show except no vendors. I was amazed at the difference from last Octobers Great American Music Hall show where I showed up early and was the only one in the place. Got inside and was feeling very at home in the beautifulbut big (for Phish) Warfield. I scrambled around for awhile trying to set up my taping equipment and couldn't find anybody set up for Widesporead so I didn't get a tape. This sort of bummed me since I'm used to very organized tapers at Dead shows where there are tons of them who really know what there doing and are set up early and ready to tape the soundman going "check" if they want to But I got a patch before Phish started and the tapes came out good but a little boomy. I'd waoit for the boards to come out before asking for a copy of my tape. Also got cut during the Reba jam :( Anyway Phish is alot harder to tape than the Dead since they don't really pause between songs and play really long songs, so you think you're safe at 47 minutes into the tape and then they play 10 minutes without stopping and you get cut. So have sympathy for any tapers and don't complain if you get a tape with cuts. The show was really great. They played a lot of old favorites and a lot of PON stuff and they really had a rockin time. There were cool reflective oplastic things hanging behind the band with streaks of paint on them that you could see the band reflected in if you were in the balcony. very cool. They did all there old tricks -Trampolines, Vaccuum cleaner, bouncing, synchronized sort of dancing by trey and Mike, and they fell down in the middle of this one song and I expected the audience to dfollow suit but I guess it wastoo crowded on the floor. Then at the beginning of the second set they had a friend of the band sitting in an old style bathtub on the right side of the stage. Other friends of the band then proceede to one by one jump in the tub and shake his hand. throwing suds at each other and the ausdience. It was very funny and I think Trey sang something about someones jumpin in the tub with .... I was dissapointed that there was only one encore but then i realized it was almost 1:00 and I realized they should have started the show earlier if they were going to let Widepsread play for an hour. Anyway enough about the warfield. anyway gotta goi to class -- grateful@leland.stanford.edu Tony Sirna Always looking for High P.O. Box 5406 Sound quality Tapes Stanford, Ca 94209 and have same To trade ------------------------------ From: CT.MSM@forsythe.stanford.edu (Michael Mulcahy) Subject: Warfield Well, finally found some time to get thoughts on line about Phish going 3-for-3 in their Bay Area at-bats. They're keeping me dancing up and down the Peninsula. First, the Warfield. Phish has certainly been doing The City venue climbing in 1991-92. DNA Lounge (500-1000), Greta American Music Hall (1000-2000) and now Warfield. By showtime, Phish nearly had this 3000-4000 seat theater filled. I caught about half of Widespread Panic and enjoyed their sound, to me, somewhere in a style line between Phish and the Radiators. Then, what I had come to see and hear...a few highlights were a rocking Runaway Jim to open, fine Cavern and excellent Reba...and always a delight to hear the song that got me started, Bouncin' Around the Room. The second set satisfied my desire to hear Tweezer and lots of fun getting my first Cracklin' Rose (well, second since I had seen Neil Diamond do it at Blossom Music Center in Ohio when I was 9, maybe 10 years old). ------------------------------------------------- From: darius zelkhaSubject: 4/17/92 - Tape review 4/17/92 @ The Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA This is a review of a tape, I wasn't there, but the tape is a very high-quality soundboard, so the music is very clear and clean. First of all, the Warfield is a great room. The acoustics are unbelieveable, and I think Phish has the perfect sound for this room. It everything sound very clean and lively. That being said, on to the show... Set 1: Runaway Jim: Very nice opener to any show, and this version is no exception. Excellent version, with both the quiet jam and the jam at the end being very tight and musical. Great way to start it off. Foam: Very musical, tight, together, and jamming. Page's solo builds very nicely and Trey's does as well. Excellent. Sparkle: Nice placement, but nothing special. Stash: Again, very musical. They are TOTALLY together on this song - the tightest I've heard, they sound just completely on. Nice solo work by Trey, good jams, very musical. I didn't know: While I don't really care for this song, this is a great version. Not too fast, not too slow, with a "Doug" jam at the end. Cool stuff, nothing too special, great segue into Cavern. Cavern: I think that most of the time they take Cavern just too damn fast for it to be enjoyable. Luckily, this version is just a tad faster than the album, and the great acoustics of the room and the great musicality of the band make this a great version. Very nice. Reba: Definitely the highlight of the show. By far the best Reba I've ever heard. In my opinion, this version of Reba is the best playing Phish has ever done, and clearly, that's saying ALOT. Great playing during the written part, and the solo is just incredible. VERY musical - it's obvious that they are all tuned in and completely listening to one another. AWESOME. Trey begins the solo with a repeated lick and takes that to another lick - all the ideas are fused together perfectly by the band. Fishman makes great smooth transitions between the ideas in the solo, and Page and Mike's backing is flawless. Again, I think that this Reba is the best thing phish has ever done. Maze: Tightest version I've ever heard. Not too fast, not too slow, just a great, tight version. Not spacey at all (which I happen to prefer to the "spacey" versions I've heard), tight, clean solos by Trey and Page, great tension and release by the band. Excellent. Bouncing: Standard - vocally very nice, standard. The Landlady: Very nice, standard version. Great piano work by Page in the beginning. David Bowie -> Catapult -> Bowie: The other highlight of the 1st set. Again, the best version of this song I've EVER heard (and I have A LOT of tapes). Totally tight, with clean, jazzy solo work by Trey and great backing by the rest of the guys. Very enjoyable, musical, and the Catapult is put in at the end where the band trades fours with itself. Very cool, the 1st Catapult ever, this was a great addition to an amazing Bowie jam. Again, not spacey at all (which is GREAT to me), just totally musical, jazzy, and tight. On to set two... Set 2: Brother: Cool song, standard as far as Brothers go (I haven't heard that many), with a ripping solo by Trey. You Enjoy Myself: Perfect placement, amazing version. Totally tight and together, you can tell that the band **LOVES** to play in this room. I wish they had jammed the middle vamp a little more, and Trey didn't hold that one note for his solo, but the solo section more than makes up for it. The band is so together, totally listening to everything being played, and several group ideas are tossed back and forth, each one repeated a few times. Great version, again, possibly the best I've heard. Standard vocal jam. Fluffhead: I love this song, and this version is WITHOUT A DOUBT my favorite. No question. Because almost all this song is written out (not much jamming), it's great to hear them so tight. This song was perfect, and the release at the end from the "Bundle of joy" section to the "FLUFFHEAD!!!!!" is incredible. This version makes the one on Junta (which is pretty good) sound dead and buried. Yet another version of a song on this tape that has become my favorite. Squirming Coil: I really dig this tune, but this version is weak. It's a fine version, no mistakes, but Page's solo is short and not that great. It sounds as if he doesn't want to be highlighted on this evening, but rather play another tune as a group. Tweezer: Cool version, this is back in the days when Tweezer was only like 15 minutes or less. Nothing much to say about it. Uncle Penn: Best version i've heard - very tight, fun, extreamly lively and fun. Cracklin' Rosie: They even sound tight on this! Funny song, Fishman sings it with alot of emotion. I was touched. Tweezer reprise: It's too bad that the Warfield has a curfew, because it sounds as if the guys want to play forever that night. Standard closer. Encore: Golgi Apparatus: Before the encore, Fish says: "We've only got 2 more minutes" which refers to the fact that they aren't allowed to play for longer than two minutes, which accounts for the short encore. Great version, pretty standard, but very tight and with alot of energy. At the end, trey says: "Thank you very much, we had an AMAZING time here tonite, this is an INCREDIBLE room, we hope we can come back here REALLY soon. Thank you." He really sounds as if this was a memorable show for the band. In summary, the fact that the acoustics of the Warfield are incredible, coupled with the fact that Phish is just so focused on this tape make this show my favorite (and I have 180+ hrs. of phish on tape). It is the most musical, together, and strong I've ever heard phish play. Some of the individual songs from this show (Reba, Bowie, Fluffhead) are the best I've EVER heard, and the ENTIRE show is just incredible, and it sounds as if the band feels the same way. Thanks for reading, I would really reccommend getting this tape. - Darius sdz2483@oberlin.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tom Kennedy Subject: 4/17/92 -- Phish Tape review 4/17/92 -- Warfield Theatre -- Set 1 General Comments: I have over 120 hours of Phish, and this is my favorite tape, far and away. Nothing else has even compared. Acoustics are great in this room, so everything sounds clear, crisp, and full. The band is listening to each other very well, which makes their jams intense -- they feed off each other. Almost no sloppy playing tonight -- clearly they were focusing on making great music. Also almost no humor, another indication of the band's musical intensity. Overall Rating: 9.5 Runaway Jim: Fast, tight, crisp. Tons of energy. Solo section builds beautifully, with Trey slowly working from the lower registers to the high -- peaking his solo with the perfect high note. Band backs him wonderfully. Great opener. Rating: 9 Foam: Tight, energetic, jazzy. Band comes way down for Page's solo, which is the best I've ever heard him take on this tune. Likewise, Trey nails the changes like no other Foam I've heard. He has great licks, it flows beautifully, and once again he saves the higher register for later in the solo. Great transition back into head. Rating: 10 Sparkle: Standard as usual. Doesn't get too fast, but stays together. Not too exciting. Rating: 5 Stash: Head is tightest I've heard them play it. Fishman omits woodblocks on the breaks, so the crowd fills them in with on-the-beat cheers. Cutoffs are flawless. Energetic solo, some great licks. Rating: 8 I Didn't Know: Standard as usual. Up to tempo, sounds good. Some cool vocal jamming in the middle. Rating: 6 Cavern: Standard as usual. Good speed, some cool rythmic strumming by Trey at the beginning. Energetic. Rating: 6 Reba: Best part of the tape. Written section played clean, standard. Solo section incredible. Trey takes a few seconds to come in, and the groove is layed down really nicely. Page fills holes in Trey's solo; sometimes it becomes a band solo instead of a Trey solo, but eventually Trey leads and plays the best licks I've ever heard him play. It's obvious everyone in the band is listening closely -- they have some tight transitions between ideas. Trey really digs in towards the middle and end of the solo, and the band is just wailing behind him. Fishman has some great kicks. Very musically exciting. Probably my favorite all-time Phish excerpt. Usually gives me chills, even after hearing it hundreds of times. I can't really stress how incredible this Reba experience is. Rating: 10 Maze: Fast, tight, rockin'. Energetic. Page's organ solo is one of the only ones I've ever really enjoyed. Some awesome licks and ideas. Trey's solo rocks as well. Played very tight -- ripping solos, energetic head -- great version. Rating: 9 Bouncing: Standard as usual. Clear and full, energetic, fun. Rating: 6 Landlady: Standard as usual. Cool piano beginning -- very clear, not muddy like most. Cool Trey solo, nothing too special, head played nicely, cleanly. Rating: 7 Bowie: Second best part of the tape. Energetic, clean. Solo section is incredible. Starts out soft groove -- sounds full and clear. Trey has one lick that is one of my favorite licks ever. The band is jamming softly together at the beginning of the groove, then Trey brings them out of it with a beautiful, rockin', jazzy, bluesy transition lick. The kind of 10-second lick you play, rewind, play, rewind, play, rewind, over and over again. Cool Catapult transition -- whole trading fours section sounds great. Rating: 9.5