8-15-98 Limestone, ME Loring AFB
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 13:04:56 EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: SUMMER98_REVIEW
Hey there again.
Here is a review for your reviews!
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Phish
LemmonWheel Review
8-15-98 Limestone, ME Loring AFB
I: Mike's> Simple, Beauty of My Dreams, Roggae, Melt, Poor Heart, Moma
Dance,
Divided Sky, Water in the Sky, Funky Bitch, Cities > Weekapaug
II: The Wedge, Reba, Gumbo > Sanity, Tweezer, The Horse > Silent In The
Morning, Chalkdust Torture, Slave To The Traffic Light
III: NICU > Feedback Jam > David Bowie, Strange Design, Limb by Limb,
Brian and Robert, Loving Cup E: Halley's Comet > Cavern > Tweezer Reprise
After not seeing Phish since the last Worcester show in 97, I was so
excited to see Phish once again. Not only was this a concert, it was a
festival with thousands of people and many things to do up in Limestone,
Maine. A place that I never thought that I'd want to go ever in my life.
The Ride-
This ride I heard was going to be about eight hours from York, Maine,
where I started. We left around 12 or so, not really that sure, and popped
in the tunes and we were off. This was Friday, our plan was to stop at a
camp sight that we reserved for that day. That way we would only have to
drive half way on Friday, then start up again on sat. WE got there around
4 maybe. It was perfectly sunny at this really bad campsite. We really
didn't want to stay there. Eventually, we decided just to keep going to
Limestone that day. A good choice. Eventually we made it there, after a
few stops for food and made it in. After getting our wrist bands for the
show, almost everyone was either on the roof of the car/bus, or walking
with the cars, to the sounds of VA beach encore. It put us all in the
mood for what was to come this weekend.
Saturday-
After having a little problem falling to sleep last night
(sneezing/allergies/wanting to see
Phish), I woke up and got out of the tent. It was cloudy, maybe a hint of
rain, but I was still happy. We ate, walked around, and eventually around
12, we head off to the gates, waiting to run to the stage. We made it
there, hung out, went through the three gates and RAN---- to the stage.
(One of my friends was the real runner who got the good seats). We
made it to the seats and what great seats they were. About 15-10 rows
back! The stage was right there. It was huge! For the next 3 and a half
hours, we waited for the music.
Set I - 4:45
The band finally came on. A lot of us thought it would start at 4:20 like
last year, but this was later. Trey had the look on his happy face, that
he was happy. Then he ripped out- Mike's Song!- YES! We really wanted to
hear this one. I never thought they would open with it. I mean, they just
played it at Vernon Downs. Many times, Page would turn around
and look at the sea of people who came this weekend. They were amazed as
much as us. The jam to this was really cool, but was really short. Instead
of jammed out "F jam", they went right into
> Simple- like many times this summer. I was happy to hear this. This was
only my second show and I hadn't heard many songs. This jam was beautiful.
I loved it.
Beauty of My Dreams- At first I thought it was My Old Home Place, my fav.
bluegrass cover, but this was still cool.
Roggae- at the time, I didn't know the name to this one. Relax? Rote? This
was a nice song. I loved the guitar and piano that starts the song out.
Then the whole band started singing. The loud/hard cord section put a
smile on Trey's face.
Melt- This was requested from a little boy Trey said as the drums started
up. The next night, we saw a boy on stage between sets who had glow rings
on. WAS THIS HIM? Anyways, this was really cool. My friend and I didn't
think that this was such a great song until we saw it there. The jam was
great.
Poor Heart!- This was really funny. Fishman made me laugh real hard. Each
solo by Mike, Trey and Page was very good.
Moma Dance- I had only heard Black Eyed Katy once on a tape, so I knew
what this song was, but didn't know how it really was. Very funky intro.
Divided Sky!- Great choice! I really wanted to hear this, but didn't even
think about hearing it this weekend. It was so much longer then I thought
it would be. I loved it.
Water in the Sky- I liked this version more then the slow one. The third
bluegrass song of the set!
Funky Bitch- This was my second time hearing this. This was what I thought
would close the set, maybe with a Weekapaug. But...after Trey and Mike
talked, they had another song. When Mike told Fishman that they would play
another, Fishman laughed and knew that this was a longer set then normal
Cities- I expected to hear this since it was played at the Went. This was
a different version then normal. With different lyrics about the land
around. "Did I forget to mention the garden of infinite pleasantries? Home
of the lake that shoots steam out of it" and something else. The band also
breaks it down for the people on the Ferris wheel after Trey says to let
the people on the wheel to sing. I heard nothing from them. I want to know
if they really sang or not.
> Weekapuag- Great slapping by Mike. Mike was playing great this set. I
play the bass, and was amazed this whole weekend. I wasn't sure of this
was going to end the set, the day or the whole wheel. They picked the set.
At the end, they gave "Bob Weaver" a somewhat solo. Then Trey said that
they would be back for more.
Set Review- This set was a great one. I figured that it would be long
since the Went first
set, first day was also a long one. Our bud who came up on the bus, found
us as we were walking to get some water. Really cool. He loved the set
also. The highlights were Mike's>Simple, Poor Heart, Divided Sky, Cities>
Weekapaug. Let's hear some more!
Set II-
Wedge- YES. The lights were on for the first time, and the WEDGE!. I love
it. There couldn't of been a better opener. Besides like Harpua or
something. Then...
Reba!- During the moment when we had to wait to get past the first gate,
we passed the time by singing Phish tunes in our heads. My friend's was
YEM, mine was Reba. This was on the top of my "want to see" list". This
was a great version. Everybody was digging it. With whistling too. That
always adds goodness. The light's were great. The two cord jam is one of
the best Phish jams.
Gumbo- I used to play this song with my bud in a old band we had in 97'.
We joked when we heard this great version of the song, compared to our
version. This was incredible. I didn't know this song went to this level.
I love Gordo's bass hitting thing that he does after the vocal part.
Complete with a Tweezer Reprise jam.
> SANITY!- What? They hadn't done this since Halloween of 96'. What a
great surprise!. This was also really funny. I laughed hard when I they
played it. Trey during the song, kept looking over to the side of the
stage like a guest was going to come on the stage to sing. The dude of
life? No one did, but I didn't care at all. The stars really sucked
tonight. As the song slowly faded out, with each member silently playing
licks from the song...
Tweezer- Man, this was a starting to be a jam fest of a set. I loved
Page's solo during the song. I never knew that it was Gordo singing the
loud scream. That was great! This one was super funky with a Walk Away
jam. I really thought they were doing Walk Away. That would be later in
the year to come.
Horse> Silent- Things slowed down here. But what a way to slow it down.
The lights in Silent were cool. Christ shined lights on each of the band
members separately. "Same thing happened to me, just last year!!!", made
everyone cheer (The Great Went).
Chalkdust- This was great to hear too. I thought this was the end of the
set. But...
Slave- would put end it. I was so happy. The most beautifulist songs that
Phish have. I'm not sure if I like this or Hood better. This had Glow
Sticks. Of course, I knew about the Great Went's Harry Hood with no lights
and glowsticks, that made Trey and the rest of the band extremely happy.
This was similar. I had never seen something so great. The lights were off
and all there was, was lights flying by me in the sky. Incredible.
Set Review- This set, and the second set of the next day, were my two fav.
sets of the weekend. It had the most jams and just did it for me. I would
pick the best parts of the set, but I can't decide, it was all too good.
Set III-
NICU- Yes. This is a great song that I love to watch the people dance to.
I could of sworn that I saw Trey flick off someone in the front row. Maybe
as a joke, or just because he was sick of the glowsticks being thrown at
the band. But he wasn't mad, he was just making a point I would think.
Bowie- This had a very long intro. Very long. I love the part at the end
with the guitar lick. You know what it is. It was perfect.
Strange Design- I didn't ever think I would see this song. Good one to
see.
Limb by Limb- What a great song. On the lines of Taste. This summer, the
Limb by Limb had a new arrangement. It is ok, not much of a difference.
Brain and Robert- I never heard this song, so I didn't really like it at
the time. I like it now though. This set was starting to be very slow.
Loving Cup- Good song, but not the best to close the day with. Very short
set.
Set Review- This was a very short and slow set, besides NICU and Bowie. I
didn't care though. We still had the encore, a whole nother day, and
judging by the past two years, Phish would do something on the lines of
Disco Jam and the Went and the Flatbed Truck jam, and the Went. Highlights
were Bowie and Limb by Limb.
Encore-
Halley's Comet- Great song, not very long, but still a fun version. Trey
also made up some new lyrics to this one. Like he did in Cities this
afternoon.
Cavern- I would of liked to seen a super funky Cavern, such as 4-5-98 that
was on the radio on Friday, but this was fine.
Tweezer Reprise- I figured they would end the day with this. Better this
today then the whole weekend. I like the song, I just wouldn't want to
weekend to end with it. After this, Trey explained the idea for the fourth
set, with the ambient music. This was just like the Went and Ball! I was
really happy about this. Set IV
Ambient Jam- this was very nice and peaceful, me and my friends were all
on the ground half asleep. It was great, except for the feet that stepped
on me, but oh well. I was really tired. My back was dead, me and my friend
decided to leave it half way through. I wish I would of stayed to watch
the rest, but I had just seen a great day of Music. Now to sleep and wait
for the last day of the summer tour.
From [email protected] Sat Sep 12 23:35:42 1998
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 22:23:22 GMT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Subject: 8/15/98 Lemonwheel Review (very long)
Okay, sorry this review is so late, but I've been really busy since I got
back from the 'wheel. I have a lot of non-music comments because I think
that a show like the wheel is so much more than just a Phish concert.
Disclaimer: This was my 23rd Phish show and I have 300+ hours on tape.
The drive: Jake, Ann and I picked up Doug in Durham at about 8:30 on Thursday
night. We then proceeded to the grocery store in Portsmouth and spent $120
on food, beer, ice, bug spray, paper plates, etc. Ouch! We loaded our cooler
with some of the food and a 50lb. block of dry ice. Thanks to Tara Fowler
for this tip; the dry ice kept stuff not only cold, but frozen for the entire
weekend. Next it was time to start up 95 to Jake's grandparents' house near
Lewiston, ME. This ride took about 3 hours, so we figured we would be able to
get to Limestone no problem the next day. We were wrong.
The drive to Houlton was fine, no traffic at all. In fact, it was smooth
sailing through Presque Isle at about 2 pm, and we figured we would make it
to the show much earlier than we had last year. But as soon as we got
through Caribou, traffic completely stopped. (This was on Route 1; was 1A any
better?) We sat in stop and go traffic until we finally got to the gate at
around 4:30. While we were sitting around, we tuned in to "The Badger" which
was the name for the Lemonwheel radio station. The truck driving songs (like
"I'm a truck" and "I'm a people") and bluegrass kept us calm. Some
born-again christians had set up a tent with free food and drink; Ann ran out
to see what that was all about. They had some crazy propaganda, let me tell
you.
Anyway, so we finally got to the gate and exchanged our tickets for bright
yellow wristbands. They did divert larger vehicles to another lane, and I'm
not sure if they were searched or what, but I decided that a minivan did not
qualify (and we only had 3 cases of beer for 4 people, so I don't think we
had to worry). As we entered the grounds, we discovered that no one was
directing traffic. So we just drove up the runway until we saw someone with a
reflective vest. She had no idea where to send us, so we just kept driving
toward the stage. We ended up paralell with Section 8 or so, but two runways
over from the main campground. It seemed really disorganized, and I wonder
if this had to do with the fact that they opened up a day early.
The campsite: As we started trucking stuff from our car to the grass, each
with a much-needed beer in hand after the crazy traffic, we left Ann to watch
over the campsite. As she sat there, a girl comes up to her and told her:
"There's going to be a rave here" in an attempt to get us to leave,
presumably. We stuck it out, though, and the rave never really seemed to
amount to much of anything. After we set up camp, we cooked up some dinner
and listened to the archives show on the Badger. There were some choice cuts
in there, including 5/3/85 Set I Mike's Song>DEG sans Page. At this point,
it was time to head over to the rmp gathering. There, I got to see Phillip
Zerbo, Hall, Heidi, Jen Marshall, SeaBass and others who I don't really
remember, as the several beers I had consumed up to that point were kicking
in. A big thanks goes out to Phillip for putting on the gathering and hooking
me up with a Harpoon IPA and Hal for passing around the SoCo. We didn't want
to make Doug feel too uncomfortable since he isn't much of a net head, so we
moved on to the Phunky Bitch gathering next. There I saw Allison and others
who I don't remember. After a brief visit there, we went back to the tent.
We turned on the radio and heard this blues jam that seemed to go on for at
least ten minutes. It took us a while to realize, but they were brodcasting
the soundcheck! This was really cool, and I hope someone taped it who was
getting better reception than we were. Included in the soundcheck was the
song (which some of you probably remember from Animal House) "I gave my love
a cherry that had no stones." Trey and Fishman were hamming it up, with Trey
saying "I gave my love a garden of infinite pleasantries." and Fishman "I
gave my love a boner." Hilarious! We turned in somewhat early, hoping to get
to sleep before the rave started kicking it (which it never did).
We woke up obscenely early, around 7, and couldn't fall back asleep due to
the anticipation. Instead, we turned on the radio, and heard some VERY chill
world music, and then some bluegrass. What a great way to start the day. We
whipped up some breakfast and instant coffee (those coffee tea-bags aren't
that bad...). At about ten AM, we realized that we were going to have to
start drinking beers if we were ever going to finish them at a sane pace. It
wasn't as bad as I thought, drinking at ten AM ;) We basically sat around all
day and mapped a little while we waited to go to the show. At about 2:30, we
started the trek to the concert grounds.
The grounds: "AMAZING" just about sums it up in one word. The "Garden of
Infinite Pleasantries" had an asian theme, and many attractions for one's
enjoyment. There was some walk through sculptures made with sweet-smelling
maple shoots, large mounds to walk up and over, and arch-like bridge, a round
step-pyramid, several thatch-roof huts a blue pond with a lemon tree growing
out of it and much more. Closer to the stage on the right was a ferris
wheel, that was pretty noisy. It is very hard to explain all of this, but
MANY people had cameras, so there will hopefully be pictures on the web.
A slight drizzle started as we first got to the grounds, so we went to the
beer garden for some shelter. They had a good collection of microbrews,
including Otter Creek Octoberfest, which is yet another Otter Creek that I
like. Okay, enough chatter, it's time to discuss:
THE SHOW: (I used my crappy FMs to take some notes on the tunes. But it
wouldn't be appropriate for me to trade them because the quality is so bad.)
Here's the setlist for quick reference:
08/15/98 Lemonwheel - Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, Maine
I: Mike's Song > Simple, Beauty of My Dreams, Roget, Split Open and Melt, Poor
Heart, Moma Dance, Divided Sky, Water in the Sky, Funky Bitch > Cities*,
Weekapaug Groove (111 min)
II: The Wedge > Reba, Gumbo^ > Sanity, Tweezer > The Horse > Silent In The
Morning, Chalkdust Torture, Slave To The Traffic Light^^ (85 min)
III: NICU > David Bowie, Strange Design, Limb by Limb > Brian and Robert,
Loving Cup (80 min w/ encore) E: Halley's Comet > Cavern, Tweezer Reprise
IV: Ambient Jam+ (55 min)
SET I MIKE'S SONG is a great opener, IMO. Granted, it usually doesn't
stretch out as much as it can when placed otherwise, but it really gets the
crowd going. This version mostly featured machine-gun Trey on guitar in the
jam. The segue into SIMPLE was very abrupt; it was not a smooth transition
but came after the "end" of Mike's (the end being what the usually play
before H2). Trey gave us the screaming guitar riff after the be-bop line,
which I love. The jam stuck to the simple theme/chords, and was very mellow
at times. BEAUTY OF MY DREAMS was next, which we had just heard the original
of on the Badger in the morning. Leo had a nice little solo after Trey told
him to play it. ROGET, which I had never heard, is a great new song. The
main lyric is "The circus is the place for me" if you want to be able to
recognize it. Unfortunately, there is nothing even remotely about a
Thesaurus. The whole band sings on this one, trading lines like Page and
Trey "Rift"-style. There is a short jam that I can only describe as
psychedelic. The lyrics continue the contemplative nature of latter-day
Phish, IMO. After the song, Trey says "Thanks for coming everybody, I hope
you're having as good a time as we are." Then, "By request from a tiny
little boy named sam" come SOAMelt. I would describe this version as medium
length and typically great. POOR HEART featured some nice yelling by Fishman.
Before I heard it, I thought MOMA DANCE would suck the life out of Black
Eyed Katy by adding sing. I'm very happily mistaken. The song begins like
BEK and featured some Simple teases. The lyrics are very cool, and I'm going
to have to run to dejanews and check if anyone has transcribed them. I look
forward to hearing this on the album if it is indeed there. Since the sun
was just starting to peek through the clouds, we knew what was coming next.
DIVIDED SKY is one of my favorite songs to hear outside and was played very
tightly. It might have been a bit longer than usual but I can't be sure.
The new arrangement of WATER IN THE SKY followed, continuing the sky theme.
The new version reminds me of the CD single of Strange Design, with some
great percussive work by Fishman. FUNKY BITCH was what I thought might be the
set closer, based on the length at this point. Page was all over the organ
in this Bitch. While a segue is noted between Bitch and CITIES, I didn't
hear one on the tapes. Trey messes with the lyrics a bit, asking us "Did I
forget to mention the garden of infinite pleasantries? Home of the portalet
pagoda and the pond the steam comes out of. And the Hojo dojo." This version
was nowhere near as good as the Went, however. They then break it down for
the people on the ferris wheel into an almost bluesy jam and segue into
WEEKAPAUG GROOVE. Trey gives us an anthem-like guitar solo which ends in a
jam off the main riff of Weekapaug to close the set.
Setbreak: We headed out to the garden of infinite pleasantries and tried to
figure out what was going on with the people who were heating up the rocks.
As we watched, scared of the giant sentry, 4 or 5 people in yellow arabian
costumes ran past us with a giant tree branch and a chainsaw, yelling
"Chainsaw Bonzai!" Ever curious, we followed them as they ran to and up the
step pyramid to the top. They then proceeded to start up the chainsaw and
cut the branch, in a great parody of real bonzai gardening. Soon, a man on
stilts came and chastized the bonzai practitioners for "killing trees" and
tried to get the audience to join him. It didn't really work, however, and
as soon as the guy with the chainsaw was done with the tree branch, he
decided to go after the stilts. He cut them down to short stubs and then
they solemnly brought the bonzai tree away from the pyramid. As we were
following them to see where they were bringing the tree, we encountered some
masked individuals wheeling a cart with 2 red-hot rocks in it. They brought
this cart to the blue pond, and ,in a very serious manner, dumped them into
the pond. The pond steamed as the rocks were dropped in, but very little.
The mask people left, as seriously as they had come. We then walked around
some more and checked out the shopping and other such stuff (who would have
thought that they would sell phatty glass IN the venue?). We then moved back
a to the second speaker tower on the right of the stage, which turned out to
be a very chill place to hear the concert.
SET II THE WEDGE got things going and was an obvious choice with Limestone in
the lyrics. It was similar to the version at the Went. Next came one of the
songs that, IMO, defines Phish, REBA. There was a pretty mellow jam (beyond
the typical composed part) that had some nice interplay (echoing, etc.)
between Page and Trey. This version included the whistling, which I was
happy to hear. GUMBO followed Reba, and included the the best jam of the
night, if you don't count the 4th set. It was long and funky, and left the
funk to build using chords similar to Tweeprise. I was hoping for a segue
into Walk Away, but instead, I got the rare treat of SANITY. Trey probably
looked up and noticed that the stars sucked, and got a big cheer when he
announced that fact. There was a little spacey messing with the mnain riff
at the end of the song by Page, Trey and Mike, which ended when Trey played
the beginning of TWEEZER. Page gave us a little Frankenstein style-keyboard
work in the beginning and Mike was laying down a thick groove throughout.
Trey was playing in true machine-gun style, not funk, and then the jam slowed
to a hard rock groove that slowed to a stop. THE HORSE>SITM was standard,
but that doesn't mean I (and everyone else) didn't cheer at the "just last
year" lyric. CHALKDUST was a typically rocking version that didn't stand out
in my eyes, but was fun to dance to. The glowstick war during SLAVE was
amazing to watch, and Limeston secured its status as the best place for such
a war. Slave was definitely great, but I don't feel like I can say
objectively how great, just because all of my senses were working overtime.
Setbreak: Quick run to the bathroom and then an hour or so of chilling
(literally and figuratively) before the next set.
SET III NICU is a song that I've been hearing a lot lately, so I'm getting a
bit tired of it. It still has some of my favorite lyrics, which Trey flubbed
a bit with a laugh. It melded into BOWIE, or as I termed it, the space
intro, because it was at least 8 minutes long. The band pulled out all of
the space effects that they have; Fishman started and stopped the bowie
cymbals several times before they kicked into the beginning of Bowie. The
jam was mostly guitar-based, and didn't stray too far from the song
structure. In between climaxes at the end of the song, Trey mixed it up a
bit, bending notes like crazy. STRANGE DESIGN, far from being "dreadful" as
the Bangor paper called it, actually served as a nice comedown from Bowie.
Had very appropriate lyrics, considering the long drives everyone had made
with their companions. Next up was LIMB BY LIMB, and I really enjoyed the
stop after the lyric section and the way they bust right into the jam after
it. Has this been happening all summer? This was a very good Limb, but not
quite up to the standards of the Went. BRIAN AND ROBERT has some very cool
music, but the lyrics leave me a bit perplexed, as Phish usually doesn't
write things this dark. If anyone wants to take a chance on interpreting
them for me, I'd love it. LOVING CUP is a classic sing-along cover and a
great set closer. The solo may have been a little longer than usual, but
maybe not.
ENCORE HALLEY'S COMET was nothing like the Went, but more similar (if a bit
shorter) to the Ball, with a building jam. Trey again referred to the garden
of infinite pleasantries in the lyrics. CAVERN followed immediately after
Halley's, and I was disappointed to see no one throwing shoes at the band
like in days of yore. We all knew TWEEZER REPRISE would follow, and we
weren't disappointed. At the end of the song, Trey tells us all about the
Ambient Jam that would follow.
Setbreak: We made our way back to the tent as fast as possible in order to
change into some warmer clothes. We figured we had plenty of time; so we
grabbed some great organic coffee from a vendor to warm and wake us for the
fourth set. As we attempted to go back to the venue, we were met with a large
exodous of fans leaving the jam. Was it that bad, I thought?
SET IV The AMBIENT JAM was wonderful, and my only regret is that the damn
setbreak was too short for me to get into my warm clothes and get back into
the venue in time to hear the whole thing. This was the ideal Phish
experience for me: sitting down on a blanket and taking in a completely
improvisatory set. I was extemely happy they didn't make us wander around
the parking lot this year to hear the experimental stuff. Take your favorite
moments from the Type II jams over the years and meld them into a long jam
and you will have this set.
After the jam, we waited until the lights turned on to be sure they were done
playing, and then went home to sleep.
Stay tuned for my thoughts on Sunday. They should be much shorter since I
didn't even bother to tape due to the reception problems.
Thanks for reading,
-Dan
--
[email protected]
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~mielcarz/
"One fast move or I'm gone." -Jack Kerouac
-------
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 13:32:19 -0400
From: Mark Choh
Subject: Wheel 8/15/98...slightly late...
The Lemonwheel, Loring Air Force Base, Limestone ME
I: Mike's Song > Simple, Beauty of my Dreams, Roggae,
Split Open and Melt, Poor Heart, Moma Dance, Divided Sky,
Water in the Sky, Funky Bitch, Cities > Weekapaug Groove
II: The Wedge, Reba, Gumbo > Sanity > Tweezer > The Horse >
Silent in the Morning, Chalk Dust Torture,
Slave to the Traffic Light
III: NICU, David Bowie, Strange Design, Limb by Limb,
Brian and Robert, Loving Cup
E: Halley's Comet > Cavern, Tweezer Reprise
IV: Ambient Jam
After I had gotten back to Boston after Vernon, I realized I had come down
with a bad cold.....really bad, I could barely breathe through my nose at
all....so needless to say, after catching two shows (Star Lake and
Vernon), I wasn't sure whether I wanted to make the trek up to Maine to
see the two shows and risk getting sicker...constant thoughts in my mind
all weekend were, "Was it worth it coming here?" All doubts were erased
when Phish started to play...especially second set first
night...ridiculous. Anyways, I'm sure you've all heard about the
scene...the Garden, etc. so I won't go into it too much....all I have to
say about it is that it was amazing....I love this band. What other band
has the balls to put on an event like this.....the closest thing I can
think of is either Lollapalooza or the Tibetan Freedom Fest, and as
concerts, those don't even come close to the sheer uniqueness and
qualities of the Ball/Went/Wheel type of show. Whoever thought they'd see
a friggin' ferris wheel at a rock concert. Anyways, on to the show:
Sound was really bad for much of this set, thanks to wind and some other
factors, I guess....just sort of zoomed in and out...
Mike's Song - I was just telling my friend how they weren't going to play
Mike's this weekend because they played it in Vernon....Trey walks on
stage....no discussing, no nothing...just rips it out. I was
psyched...not a ground-breaking Mike's, but solid. I was hoping they'd do
something other than Simple given that they did it in Vernon..
Simple - oh well, straight segue...no Simple jam prior...just busted right
into Simple at the key change. solid Simple....excellent jam, one of the
better one's I've heard (NYE'96 is sick, BTW). I was thinking either
they'd go into Weekapaug after this, or after the set, or after the whole
weekend (that would be the ultimate Mike's Groove, although we'd all see
it coming....)
Beauty - eh....it's a day set, so they're allowed to go nuts with the
bluegrass...
Roget - Another repeat from Vernon....kind of strange, but I didn't mind
hearing it again. It's a nice song, and has potential to be a mid-range
jam song, like Limb by Limb....the chord progression/riff that opens and
closes it has a real nice feel to it.
SOAM - nice choice, can't really remember it much, but as far as I can,
'twas a solid Split....I melted...after two shows and five songs, I was
still waiting for my MOMA...for some reason, I felt it coming on.
MOMA - nice....the guy standing next to me had one of the new "Feel the
Phunk...do the MOMA" shirts on and started getting down....as did
I....phat version....much better than the Ventura one I had heard. Like
the lyrics, although I think Mike would be better singing Fishman's part.
Maybe not...
Divided Sky - YES!!!!!! My first in a good year and a half, I was
extremely psyched to hear this. Sky wasn't great that day, slightly
overcast, but the brief rain stint (about fifteen minutes) right before
set one, made this an excellent choice. Small flubs by Trey and Mike, but
well-played, nonetheless...great soloing at the end...pause was the
pause...everyone was yelling, as usual.
Water in the Sky - set was getting pretty long at this point, much like
last years first set. I like the new arrangement of this song better than
the old one, but it's still not a song I really like to hear.
Funky Bitch - I am sort of sick of this song...they seem to play it every
show I go to...another repeat from Vernon, which didn't help things...but
by the time Trey starts his solo, I always get into it. Straight bluesy
rock and roll is always good....nice stop on a dime segue into...
Cities - pleasant treat - changed lyrics..."Did I forget to mention the
Garden of Infinite Pleasantries? Home of the port-a-let pagoda and the
lake that steam comes out of..." Trey was definitely checking it
out...that and the ferris wheel....also the "I will...build a city, build
myself a city to live in." Bold, but true. mid-jam he says, "we're going
to stop this for a second to try and get the people on the ferris wheel to
sing" So they stop for like twenty seconds, and everyone's cheering
pretty loud so we can't hear anything coming from the ferris wheel (unless
maybe you were right near it).
Weekapaug - what can I say? I love this song...probably my favorite Phish
song....just makes me so happy. Short Mike solo...nice, standard
Weekapaug jamming for a few minutes, then some funky Weekpaug, then back
to rock-out Weekapaug...then end of set...almost two hours...phew.....
Out of sheer length, this set gets a 8.0....and you can't go wrong with a
Mike's or a Divided Sky...daytime sets never get the huge jams, though and
this one wasn't really an exception. Even with all the repeats from
Vernon, I was satisfied.
SECOND SET
The Wedge - the boys walked on stage and Fishman started playing this even
before Page got a chance to sit down (seemed to be a theme of the
day...just walk out and bust right into it...no discussing, no arguing
about what to play)....great Wedge, the glowsticks had already started to
come out...I was psyched to hear it, nevertheless.
Reba - repeat from Starlake, but who can complain about Reba? It amazes
me how well they play this every time....the "chase" part right before the
jam is one of the most amazing things Phish plays, IMHO (In case you don't
know what I'm talking about, listen about two minutes for the jam....Trey
and Page play this whole progression in unison...then right after they
play it again, only Page plays it a measure before Trey does...it's
incredible how they do it perfectly every time). Great Reba jamming....I
love it.
Gumbo - Surprised the fuck out of me....but it always does. Gumbo's just
one of those songs you're never expecting. And I definitely wasn't
expecting this Gumbo to kick as much ass as it did. I can't wait to hear
this again.....it strayed away from normal funky Gumbo towards a heavier
rock progression....hear this Gumbo at all costs...the highlight of the
Wheel, IMHO. For the jam and the segue into....
SANITY!!!!!! - ok, so I got a semi-SSanity in Worcester last fall, but I
don't count that. Musically, not too exciting, but fun to hear....the
stars did suck pretty bad, too. This set was turning out to be a
killer....In fact, this set alone made the ten hour drive from Boston
worth it.
Tweezer - I won't say anything about this, because I don't really remember
it at all. I sthink I was still writhing form the Gumbo->Sanity
combo....I do remember a phat segue into...
The Horse->Silent - another pleasant surprise...a little noodling in the
Horse intro by Trey...nothing too special...always nice to hear.
Chalkdust - can't complain about this either...rocking Chalkdust...nicely
placed as a pick-me-up after SITM....figured it would close the set, but
afterwards, Trey started chording...
Slave - awe-inspiring in the same sense of the Hood at last year's Went.
The glowstick war was immense....it fed off the jam and the jam fed of f
of it.....I had said before that no other glowstick war would ever be as
good as the Hood one last year, but I was wrong....while the spontaneity
of the original one wasn't there, the feeling of it was. This Slave was
ridiculous too....great climax, not too early or late as it often
is....perfect way to end the set.
Set 2 gets a 9.3 in my book. You don't get much better than this...amazing
song selection...no throwaways...everything well-placed...good mix of
composed and jams...no complaints.
THIRD SET
NICU - Again, Page didn't even get a chance to sit down before Trey
started this up....not much to say about NICU....well played, nice choice
for an opener.
David Bowie - looooonnnnng intro...actually got kind of tedious after
awhile....finally they busted into it. solid Bowie...mostly type I all
the way through..kick ass ending as usual....
Strange Design - Perfect placement...I was actually pretty psyched to hear
this too...being as I had hadn't heard it since the Ball, I believe, and I
had never heard it in its electric form. Beautiful...
Limb By Limb - I still have mixed thoughts about the new arrangement...I
loved the way the jam sort of melted out of the lyrics segment in the old
version....and I miss Fishman's solo as well...don't think they should
have touched this or Ghost (more on that in my 8/16 review). Maybe I've
just heard this song too much in the last year. Anyways, still good...
Brian & Robert - this set began to drag around here...this song is really
kind of cheezy....maybe it'll grow on me. I don't hate it or
anything...it's just I know Phish can do better...
Loving Cup - one of the more rocking LC's I've heard....lots of people
singing along on this one, which was kind of annoying. Trey does play a
bad guitar.....was hoping this wouldn't end the set, but I knew the
tradition of long first set/short third sets at festivals like
this...personally, I think they should do it the other way around.
Set gets a 4.0...pretty weak...nothing really noteworthy...everything was
solid, but not good. Probably the worst set of the weekend...not
including the encore
ENCORE:
Halley's - nice choice...I didn't think they'd play this all weekend...but
there were a lot of stars out that night....well played, nice jam at the
end....nothing too exploratory, they just kept on changing soloing around
key changes in typical Halley's fashion until Fishman changed the beat to:
Cavern - pleasant surprise....I love this song...this version was no
4/5/98, but it was still good nonetheless...has anyone noticed the little
dance Trey and Mike do during the "Give the director..." part...high
energy....waiting for the Tweeprise
Tweeprise - nice. Trey announces fourth set afterwards...I get really
psyched, eeven though I'm really tired.
Encore gets an 8.0 on the encore scale...can't go wrong with three songs,
especially three good songs.....
FOURTH SET - the stage looked really cool with all the candles. The jam
was interesting....I think they purposely kept it sort of quiet...but it
was nice....it was like phish was lullabying us....as far as I can
remember, the jam evoked memories of the flatbed jam two years ago (but it
was nothing like the Disco jam last year). Some really tight points in
the jam....
Anyways, there's my review...hope you like it...if anyone wants to trade
for some summers, e-mail me.
-Mark
"An asteroid crashed and nothing burned, it made me wonder..."
-Fishman
"We will be back in EXACTLY fifteen minutes..."
-Trey
----------
8/15/98 - The Lemonwheel, Limestone, ME
After I had gotten back to Boston after Vernon, I realized I had come down
with a bad cold.....really bad, I could barely breathe through my nose at
all....so needless to say, after catching two shows (Star Lake and
Vernon), I wasn't sure whether I wanted to make the trek up to Maine to
see the two shows and risk getting sicker...constant thoughts in my mind
all weekend were, "Was it worth it coming here?" All doubts were erased
when Phish started to play...especially second set first
night...ridiculous. Anyways, I'm sure you've all heard about the
scene...the Garden, etc. so I won't go into it too much....all I have to
say about it is that it was amazing....I love this band. What other band
has the balls to put on an event like this.....the closest thing I can
think of is either Lollapalooza or the Tibetan Freedom Fest, and as
concerts, those don't even come close to the sheer uniqueness and
qualities of the Ball/Went/Wheel type of show. Whoever thought they'd see
a friggin' ferris wheel at a rock concert. Anyways, on to the show:
Sound was really bad for much of this set, thanks to wind and some other
factors, I guess....just sort of zoomed in and out...
Mike's Song - I was just telling my friend how they weren't going to play
Mike's this weekend because they played it in Vernon....Trey walks on
stage....no discussing, no nothing...just rips it out. I was
psyched...not a ground-breaking Mike's, but solid. I was hoping they'd do
something other than Simple given that they did it in Vernon..
Simple - oh well, straight segue...no Simple jam prior...just busted right
into Simple at the key change. solid Simple....excellent jam, one of the
better one's I've heard (NYE'96 is sick, BTW). I was thinking either
they'd go into Weekapaug after this, or after the set, or after the whole
weekend (that would be the ultimate Mike's Groove, although we'd all see
it coming....)
Beauty - eh....it's a day set, so they're allowed to go nuts with the
bluegrass...
Roget - Another repeat from Vernon....kind of strange, but I didn't mind
hearing it again. It's a nice song, and has potential to be a mid-range
jam song, like Limb by Limb....the chord progression/riff that opens and
closes it has a real nice feel to it.
SOAM - nice choice, can't really remember it much, but as far as I can,
'twas a solid Split....I melted...after two shows and five songs, I was
still waiting for my MOMA...for some reason, I felt it coming on.
MOMA - nice....the guy standing next to me had one of the new "Feel the
Phunk...do the MOMA" shirts on and started getting down....as did
I....phat version....much better than the Ventura one I had heard. Like
the lyrics, although I think Mike would be better singing Fishman's part.
Maybe not...
Divided Sky - YES!!!!!! My first in a good year and a half, I was
extremely psyched to hear this. Sky wasn't great that day, slightly
overcast, but the brief rain stint (about fifteen minutes) right before
set one, made this an excellent choice. Small flubs by Trey and Mike, but
well-played, nonetheless...great soloing at the end...pause was the
pause...everyone was yelling, as usual.
Water in the Sky - set was getting pretty long at this point, much like
last years first set. I like the new arrangement of this song better than
the old one, but it's still not a song I really like to hear.
Funky Bitch - I am sort of sick of this song...they seem to play it every
show I go to...another repeat from Vernon, which didn't help things...but
by the time Trey starts his solo, I always get into it. Straight bluesy
rock and roll is always good....nice stop on a dime segue into...
Cities - pleasant treat - changed lyrics..."Did I forget to mention the
Garden of Infinite Pleasantries? Home of the port-a-let pagoda and the
lake that steam comes out of..." Trey was definitely checking it
out...that and the ferris wheel....also the "I will...build a city, build
myself a city to live in." Bold, but true. mid-jam he says, "we're going
to stop this for a second to try and get the people on the ferris wheel to
sing" So they stop for like twenty seconds, and everyone's cheering
pretty loud so we can't hear anything coming from the ferris wheel (unless
maybe you were right near it).
Weekapaug - what can I say? I love this song...probably my favorite Phish
song....just makes me so happy. Short Mike solo...nice, standard
Weekapaug jamming for a few minutes, then some funky Weekpaug, then back
to rock-out Weekapaug...then end of set...almost two hours...phew.....
Out of sheer length, this set gets a 8.0....and you can't go wrong with a
Mike's or a Divided Sky...daytime sets never get the huge jams, though and
this one wasn't really an exception. Even with all the repeats from
Vernon, I was satisfied.
SECOND SET
The Wedge - the boys walked on stage and Fishman started playing this even
before Page got a chance to sit down (seemed to be a theme of the
day...just walk out and bust right into it...no discussing, no arguing
about what to play)....great Wedge, the glowsticks had already started to
come out...I was psyched to hear it, nevertheless.
Reba - repeat from Starlake, but who can complain about Reba? It amazes
me how well they play this every time....the "chase" part right before the
jam is one of the most amazing things Phish plays, IMHO (In case you don't
know what I'm talking about, listen about two minutes for the jam....Trey
and Page play this whole progression in unison...then right after they
play it again, only Page plays it a measure before Trey does...it's
incredible how they do it perfectly every time). Great Reba jamming....I
love it.
Gumbo - Surprised the fuck out of me....but it always does. Gumbo's just
one of those songs you're never expecting. And I definitely wasn't
expecting this Gumbo to kick as much ass as it did. I can't wait to hear
this again.....it strayed away from normal funky Gumbo towards a heavier
rock progression....hear this Gumbo at all costs...the highlight of the
Wheel, IMHO. For the jam and the segue into....
SANITY!!!!!! - ok, so I got a semi-SSanity in Worcester last fall, but I
don't count that. Musically, not too exciting, but fun to hear....the
stars did suck pretty bad, too. This set was turning out to be a
killer....In fact, this set alone made the ten hour drive from Boston
worth it.
Tweezer - I won't say anything about this, because I don't really remember
it at all. I sthink I was still writhing form the Gumbo-Sanity
combo....I do remember a phat segue into...
The Horse-Silent - another pleasant surprise...a little noodling in the
Horse intro by Trey...nothing too special...always nice to hear.
Chalkdust - can't complain about this either...rocking Chalkdust...nicely
placed as a pick-me-up after SITM....figured it would close the set, but
afterwards, Trey started chording...
Slave - awe-inspiring in the same sense of the Hood at last year's Went.
The glowstick war was immense....it fed off the jam and the jam fed of f
of it.....I had said before that no other glowstick war would ever be as
good as the Hood one last year, but I was wrong....while the spontaneity
of the original one wasn't there, the feeling of it was. This Slave was
ridiculous too....great climax, not too early or late as it often
is....perfect way to end the set.
Set 2 gets a 9.3 in my book. You don't get much better than this...amazing
song selection...no throwaways...everything well-placed...good mix of
composed and jams...no complaints.
THIRD SET
NICU - Again, Page didn't even get a chance to sit down before Trey
started this up....not much to say about NICU....well played, nice choice
for an opener.
David Bowie - looooonnnnng intro...actually got kind of tedious after
awhile....finally they busted into it. solid Bowie...mostly type I all
the way through..kick ass ending as usual....
Strange Design - Perfect placement...I was actually pretty psyched to hear
this too...being as I had hadn't heard it since the Ball, I believe, and I
had never heard it in its electric form. Beautiful...
Limb By Limb - I still have mixed thoughts about the new arrangement...I
loved the way the jam sort of melted out of the lyrics segment in the old
version....and I miss Fishman's solo as well...don't think they should
have touched this or Ghost (more on that in my 8/16 review). Maybe I've
just heard this song too much in the last year. Anyways, still good...
Brian & Robert - this set began to drag around here...this song is really
kind of cheezy....maybe it'll grow on me. I don't hate it or
anything...it's just I know Phish can do better...
Loving Cup - one of the more rocking LC's I've heard....lots of people
singing along on this one, which was kind of annoying. Trey does play a
bad guitar.....was hoping this wouldn't end the set, but I knew the
tradition of long first set/short third sets at festivals like
this...personally, I think they should do it the other way around.
Set gets a 4.0...pretty weak...nothing really noteworthy...everything was
solid, but not good. Probably the worst set of the weekend...not
including the encore
ENCORE:
Halley's - nice choice...I didn't think they'd play this all weekend...but
there were a lot of stars out that night....well played, nice jam at the
end....nothing too exploratory, they just kept on changing soloing around
key changes in typical Halley's fashion until Fishman changed the beat to:
Cavern - pleasant surprise....I love this song...this version was no
4/5/98, but it was still good nonetheless...has anyone noticed the little
dance Trey and Mike do during the "Give the director..." part...high
energy....waiting for the Tweeprise
Tweeprise - nice. Trey announces fourth set afterwards...I get really
psyched, eeven though I'm really tired.
Encore gets an 8.0 on the encore scale...can't go wrong with three songs,
especially three good songs.....
FOURTH SET - the stage looked really cool with all the candles. The jam
was interesting....I think they purposely kept it sort of quiet...but it
was nice....it was like phish was lullabying us....as far as I can
remember, the jam evoked memories of the flatbed jam two years ago (but it
was nothing like the Disco jam last year). Some really tight points in
the jam....
Anyways, there's my review...hope you like it...send comments to
[email protected]
and will someone e-mail if they've got Starlake tapes....Runaway Jim is
waiting for me somewhere....
-Mark
"An asteroid crashed and nothing burned, it made me wonder..."
-Fishman
"We will be back in EXACTLY fifteen minutes..."
-Trey
i loved the shows. i thought that the entire experience was
unbelievable. The amount of creativity and effort on the behalf of
phish and company was fucking amazing . The people of Limestone, as
well as people of the surrounding towns, were the nicest and most
generous people I have ever encountered.(and I'm not stretching the
truth!) A friend of mine is still stranded in a nearby town called
Presque Isle, because his bus brokedown. Some locals that stopped by to
help him have put him up in their house, fed him, set him up with a
mechanic, all out of the kindness of their hearts.....for free!!! He has
been there for about six days now and is still waiting on parts. I have
only one complaint. I awoke on Monday morning after the festival to
wasteland. The former airforce base looked like waste landfill in
Jersey. I felt embarrassed. For people who try to act like they are
down with earthly causes, it sure as hell didn't show. The people who
organized this event made it very easy to clean up after yourself, and I
would say that maybe ten percent utilized the facilities. The previous
year took two weeks to clean the place. I can't amagine that this year
will be any better. I won't even begin to discuss the Port-o-lets,
thats a whole other bitch session. The way things like this get ruined,
is by people not taking any responsibility for their own actions. It's
too bad.-----thanx todd
First of all, let me say a thank you to the people who emailed me
agreeing with my Vernon review. I like hearing different opinions from
other people regarding the music. I don't think I know more or less
about anything regarding the band and the music then the next person. I
think the whole thing is about experiences you feel when you're at the
show. There are so many factors that constitute what makes a good show,
and the band is only part of the formula. If you're in a bad mood for
whatever reason (like the parking took to long, or you got a speeding
ticket on the way to the show--which I did!!), then a Mike's song that I
dig, may not be seen seen in the same way from another person't view.
That's my attitude towards most shows, but this weekend was totally a
different vibe, because I didn't see one person not having a good time,
and that's what it's all about.
What can I say about the whole experience. It was the peak of all
experiences. I won't go comparing it to the past festivals because they
are each in their own realm. The Went was great last year and even
though this was at the same location, with 80+ some odd thousand people
there, it was truly a different city depending on where you wandered.
The shows were good, not anything overly amazing, but this event is about
the experience of living freely amongst others who all have the same
goal, and that's just to have some free form fun with no hassles from big
brother. Actually the majority of people I was hanging with weren't even
big fans of Phish. They just came to party down and have a good time.
Usually I'd be critical of this, but as I said, that's what these
festivals are about, just having fun. It's more then the music.
Speaking of which, Phish did play, and my review is as follows.
Set 1
MIKE'S--Very surprised to hear this open just after they played it in
Vernon. This version was the weakest I've seen (and I'm not saying that
because I saw the Vernon show). It was short, and it was tough to focus
considering that not too many people were settled in their space yet. I
still enjoyed it as I always do (how could you not at this place?).
SIMPLE--Again??? Read my Vernon review on how I feel about this tune.
Had I not seen it two days earlier, I may have enjoyed it more, but I
can't stand this song. They can usually balance this tune out with a
good jam after, but they didn't. Oh well, I was a little disappointed,
but I'll tell you that I was a minority in that feeling, as people were
digging it big time.
BEAUTY--I like this little bluegrassy tune. Doesn't really change at
all, but if they're going to play these tunes, I'll take this one.
ROGET--Another Vernon repeat. I liked this one a bit more, but this song
needs a lot of work. It has a Floydish feel to it. As with most tunes,
the early stages don't justify what it'll become.
SOAM--I wanted to hear this really badly. It seems to be falling into
the thinning out category. Not even close to being a tight version, but
I was digging it. Trey dedicated it to someone, but I didn't hear who.
MOMA--I was really looking forward to hearing this one. I really dig
B.E. Katy, and knew that this would be played today. I can honestly say
that the lyrics are not not needed. They should have just left the song
as a funky instrumental. The novelty of Fishman singing is great, but
too much Fish takes away from that. I enjoyed it, but can't say I'd like
to hear the vocal part again. Go back to B.E.K.
POOR HEART--A fun old classic that's becoming rarer by the tour. I still
like this one. When I think of country at a Phish show, I think of Mike,
and enjoyed this above standard version. Still surprised to hear it
after hearing Beauty in the same set.
DIVIDED--Another of my favorites which I really wanted to hear. Haven't
heard it live since the '96 New Years run. This one wasn't anything
exceptional by the norm, but for me it was. The highlight of the set for
me.
WATER/SKY--My first time hearing this newer version and I still am not
crazy about this tune. I actually liked the country version better. It
seems like the band is trying to make this song into something that it's
not. The lyrics are fantastic, but the song just doesn't go anywhere.
FUNKY BITCH--Weekapaug.....NO, not yet. Another Vernon repeat and I
didn't care, I love this tune. It's fast and it rocks as always.
CITIES--This set just kept going. I like this song. I really enjoyed
the slower version last year at the Went. My buddies who are huge
Talking Heads fans were loving this. Trey had some fun with this one
too, improving some lyrics regarding the built village way at the back
and the ferris wheel.
WEEKAPAUG--I still wanted Hydrogen to precede this, but once again it
wasn't the case. Wow, a long set sandwiched between Mike's Groove. This
song is always great. Trey introduced the new Fish alias from this tour
(Bob Weaver) again.
**Musically this was nothing spectaclar, but throw in where we were, the
atmosphere and the length of the set, and it changes everything. Started
off weak and then picked up immensly. A great start to an amazing two
days**
SET 2
This was easily the best played set of the 6 (7) sets that they played
over the weekend.
THE WEDGE--They opened day 2 last year with this and it was more than
welcome again. Just a great show tune that seems to be frequented more
in the past year. Keep it around, we all love it.
REBA--I've re-fallen in love with this tune again. There was a time a
few years ago that I was hearing it all the time, and really didn't want
to hear it. But today, I'm a REBA-lover again. The crowd loves it, and
they played a really tight version with a nice jam in the middle. With
the whistled ending.
GUMBO--Not a big fan of this song. I find it too predictable, or at
least I did because Phish did what Phish does, they turned simplicity
into a monster. I was expecting the typical Page solo ending (which I do
enjoy), but instead they played a nice 5-6 minute jam instead which is
what I prefer anyway. Probably the highlight of the set mixed with the
trail into....
SANITY--Only seen this song once before (12/31/95). I like this song
because it's silly and a rarity. The I'll bet the majority of the people
around me didn't know what it was, because only me and few others seemed
to be really getting off on it. This song sounds great at a big venue.
But still, they should keep it as an occasion pop up tune.
TWEEZER--I dread this song. It bores me. I'd usually like to fast
forward until the improv part. But who cares what I think, because fans
love it, and the band does to. To each is own. But, I did really get
off on this one, it was up tempo the who way with a tight jam segment,
and not too long. Reminded me of the pre-94 Tweezers.
HORSE/SITM--A crowd pleaser, but I still don't like it. Played well as
always, but I still chilled and had a smoke. To each is own, and this
one is not mine.
CHALKDUST--I'll never get sick of this song, I'm convinced. Whether it's
long or short, it's still a kick ass tune that nobody sits too.
SLAVE--Good choice not to quit after Torture, the crowd wasn't ready to
sit yet (for 2 hours mind you as were all the breaks). The glow stick
war was intense, and seems to be a staple at shows these days, but with a
crowd this large it was just that much more intense.
**Great set of older classic Phish tunes. This set could have been
played 4 years ago, meaning no new songs to spoil the charge** The
tightest set of the 6**
SET 3
NICU--I like this song, though I think they play it way too much. Always
sounds clear and is enjoyed by all.
BOWIE--Yessssss!!! To me this song represents a decade of Phish in my
life. Never get tired of a song that has 2 names and is over 20 minutes
long. Who else could come up with a better excuse to jam. I'll take a
Bowie all the time. As far as I'm concerned I'll never hear one as good
as 12/29/94, so I stopped comparing better versions and just enjoy it for
what it is. They trailed into it from NICU via a really spacey 5 minute
intro.
STRANGE DESIGN--Bummer! A beautiful Page song if you like Page songs. I
get off on his playing, but I just find his songs are too sappy.
LIMB BY LIMB--My first taste of the reworked version. It's better now
for an album cut, but the original one from last year was waaaay better.
Just my opinion though. I really liked the old version.
B & R--First time hearing it, and I really thought it sucked. Do
something with this song or shelve it. Too many Floydish songs being
experimented with already.
LOVING CUP--They play it so well, but play it so much. Another Vernon
repeat. Would have enjoyed it more if I didn't just hear it two nights
ago. A solid version, but not as good as Vernon. I was hoping to get
the Tweeprise out of the way, but it wasn't the case.
**Enjoyable with a lot of weak spots. The crowd was getting tired in the
middle, and the BRIAN & ROBERT didn't seem to be enjoyed by anyone around
me**
ENCORE:
HALLEY'S--Great choice. A great song to see live (aren't they all).
Seems to be making its way as an encore these days. I like it there,
considering that it's a song with no ending so it means they have to
continue. And they did.
CAVERN--Another song that I'm starting to like again. I'd like to see
them play the funkier version that they did in Providence in the spring.
A fun classic Phish song that was overplayed in the past and is great to
hear again. Haven't seen it since Philly '96.
TWEEPRISE--Always the same, but so energetic. I'd love to hate it, but
just can't. I was expecting fireworks, but not this night. Then Trey
explained the whole Candle-freeform jam set, and it sounded like an
amazing idea.
IMPROVE SET--I can't wait to get this tape. If you weren't there, then
you missed out on the most relaxing beautiful experience. The crowd was
exhausted and the sky was clear and nothing but the candles lit the stage
and they played some beautiful background scenic sounds that a tape won't
justify, but it'll still be enjoyable. I heard some ODD Couple theme
riffs, and some other songs I can't place. This set was something we
might never get again, so cheers to all that stayed for it.
**Overall a good show that lasted forever and the jam set was the icing
on the cake**
Ari Petroff ([email protected])
Lemonwheel Day 1
I dont have the setlist in front of me, and this is going to be a brief
review, because there are no other posted reviews of this show yet.
Set I:
Mike's Song opened, which was a major surprise, and also a bit of a
disappointment, yes disappointment because it also opened Set II to Vernon
which I attended so I wanted a bit of variety. Let me say that the Mike's at
Vernon blew the pants off of this Mike's Song. I thought it was a rather flat
version, and the only thing in my opinion which could have salvaged it would
have been if it had gone into Hydrogen then Weeka paug. This of course did
not happen, and when into Simple again, just like Vernon. I really wish they
had saved Mike's for later on in the weekend, but life goes on right. The
whole set in my opinion was kind of flat. The highlights for me were Poor
Heart, Funky Bitch, Water in the Sky, an intense Melt, and Cities. The Weeka
Paug was not that hot nor was the Divided Sky. Despite a killer setlist this
set was probably the weekest of the weekend.
Set II
Now this was a great set. Opened up with the Wedge, which had a mini glow
stick war, and was a standard version. This is a good song, but I am starting
to get sick of seeing it as an opener seeing as this is my third Wedge opener
since the Great Went. Next up was a smoking Reba with whistling, and very
good jamming. Not the best Reba ever, but still good. Next up I think was
Gumbo which was very, very good. Of the long Gumbo's I have heard this is
probably my favorite. Gumbo of course melded into SANITY. This was just
amazing, Sanity seemed a bit longer than normal, and kicked serious ass.
After this they did a sort of space jam intro into what I thought would be
2001, but instead was Tweezer. This was a great Tweezer which was pretty
funked up, and good. The Tweezer - The Horse segue I thought was absoblutely
brillaint. I loved it, a great way to cool off. Next up was Chalkdust, which
was an okay version, a big thing with me at shows is placement, and for some
reason I did not like Chalkdust too much here. Luckily though Chalkdust did
not close the set. An amazing Slave did. This Slave contained the
adrenaline, feel good rush of the weekend for me being intrenched in a MASSIVE
glow stick war which was totally amazing. The Slave was great, and a great
way to end this set which I think was the second best set of the weekend
behind the second set on Sunday.
Set III:
This was a short set, but a good one. NICU opened it up which is a song that
I do not get sick of and I thought was just a great way to open up a third
set. After this was an amazing space jam which was super extended. This jam
kicked ass I figured it would go into Bowie because I could hear the high hat
in the back ground, but I really wanted Maze. It was Bowie. This was a great
Bowie, not too long, but not short either very nice. After this was Strange
Design. Like I said, I am big of placement and this placement of Strange
Design was perfect. This song is great after something like that. I loved it
after the Jim marathon in Worcester also. This was followed by either Limb by
Limb or Brian and Robert, I can not recall which came first. The Limb by Limb
was great, and I think B + R is kind of hokey, a lot like Bittersweet Motel.
Anyway, after this was Loving Cup to close which is another song that I do not
tire of. This was another quality version, and a pretty good set albeit
short. The encore I figured would be kind of long and it was . Halley's
kicked it off, and this was a solid version, not that jammed out, but maybe a
five minute jam attached to it, which went very smoothly into Cavern. Cavern
was followed by Reprise which I will not say much about except that both were
standard, which means that both rocked, and this was a good way to end the
show.
Overall a pretty good show, but the second day was definitely better.
I'd just like to say that the lemonwheel was fantastic, even though there were
a few of the "not heads" type people there...there was enough of the family to
have a blast.
and to anyone who missed the 4th set on saturday night...phish actually
succeeded in bridging the gap between awake and dreaming. it's really the
only way to describe it, and it was the first time i have heard them actually
do it.
-Justin Garrison