11/21/95 - Winston-Salem, NC Review

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 07:59:45
From: Jason Link 
To: [email protected]
Subject: 11/21/95 - Winston-Salem, NC Review

11/21/95
LJVM Coliseum
Winston-Salem, NC

Just got back. First, the setlist:
Set 1 (1hr 8min)Fee, Chalkdust, Prince Caspian, Divided Sky, 2 $ Bill^,
Blue
and Lonesome^, Gyute, My Friend>Dog-Faced Boy, Runaway Jim

Set 2 (1hr 22min)Simple, David Bowie>Take Me to the River>Jam*>David
Bowie,
Glide, Ya Mar, Mike's Song>Jam**>Keyboard Kavalry>Suspicious Minds>HYHU,
Carolina (w/mics), Day in the Life

EC: Good Times, Bad Times
^acoustic instruments, Crowd actually quieter than past 2 nights :^)
* After Take Me to the River, they went into another jam of some sorts that
sounded more like a song than an improvised jam (although it could've been)
** After Mike's died down, Trey played some really nice leads over the rest
of the band who were playing quietly. Sounded Hydrogenesque, but wasn't.


Fee was a routine opener. The Chalkdust that followed was one of the better
ones I heard. The jam segment of it seemed to go a little longer than normal
with Trey tearing it up. Prince Caspian was nice. Divided Sky was great and
it seemed to be right on without any miscues. Gorgeous as usual. The crowd
was nice and quiet for most of the bluegrass songs getting loud at a few
points (Fishman's mandolin solo). Trey made a few remarks ("We're Burlington
VT's own Bluegrass Band" then a little joke about Fish which I didn't pick
up on). I was psyched to hear Gyute again. I love it. Here's a phishy
coincidence. Driving down I-40 to the show, we were in stop and go traffic
for a while. There were 2 Transfer Trucks full of pigs that kept passing us
and vice versa. Gyute was the first thing that came to mind when I saw those
pigs and when they played it, I couldn't believe it. My Friend, My Friend
was normal until the end when Trey cut short the ending and went into
Dog-Faced Boy. Mike was still singing the ending when Trey went to his drum
kits then back to his guitar for some spacey guitar riffs before starting
Dog-Faced. Runaway Jim was a surprise at this point in the set. No real
thoughts on it except for that it was played well and jammed hard like what
was to come in the 2nd set.

Simple was one of the better versions I've heard. It went 10 minutes. There
was a whole lot of nice work after the Cymbops and Beebaphones. As simple
was winding down, Fishman started on the familiar Bowie beginning, but
everyone else noodled around. Trey was doing most of the experimental work
playing with all his toys before and after a spacey little jam. Reminded me
a whole lot of the Providence intro. This intro lasted 4 1/2 min. After they
went through the early stages of Bowie and Trey played that long and loud
strum, they never really slowed down. This was after 8 minutes when they
just picked up a new jam which evolved fairly quickly into Take me to the
River. Very nice. Trey sang the first verse and the chorus. The crowd loved
it. After 3 minutes of River, they broke into another jam. Like I said in
the set list, I couldn't place it, but it sounded awfully tight to be
improvised (I need some help here; I was trying to pick up on things but
having a hard time). They continued this jam, picking up a few things here
and there until they finally got to the ending of Bowie (a few bars of slow
lower riffs alternating with the fast high pitch bars). Even this section
was different. Every time they slowed it down, Trey played something
completely different. Unbelievable Bowie. If you thought Providence was too
spacey (I loved it anyway), and you didn't like this version I don't know
what to tell you. This version rocked. It lasted 20 minutes (including the
drawn out intro), but I swear it never slowed down, got spacey, or anything.
It wore me out. Glide was a well-received break for us and them. The pause
before the last "Gl-ide" was shorter than usual. Next came a smoking Ya Mar.
They were loving it. The part where Mike usually yells something barely
understandable tonight was Mike just repeating something over and over (at
least 4 times) in a low voice. Did anybody make out what he was saying.
Trey's quiet guitar work was great as well.
When they started Mike's, I was thinking Holy Shit. They had basically
jammed hard for 44 minutes and now they were starting Mike's. Charlie, you
really need to hear this Mike's. Different from any of the more recent ones.
I think Trey was out to do something aside from what he normally does. It
had one of those drawn out openings where Fish stretches out the drum beat.
No tramps on this one. It's tough to remember what all went on it. I was
thrown off throuh the whole thing by the way it was played. The ending was
the same, but there was no Simple type jam. It seemed like a lot of the
stuff in the middle was noticeably different. After the usual ending, I was
waiting for what was next, but they kept working on something. They fooled
around for awhile still fairly upbeat and not really quietly. Eventually,
they slowed down and they played something Hydrogenesque, but it wasn't.
Since I've never heard a Leprechaun, I'm not sure if it was that. There
wasn't any tremendous crowd response, so it may have just been simply Trey
shining. Eventually, they marched over for Keyboard Kavalry. On the way
back, it was pretty funny, Fishman tried to give Mike a flat tire (step on
the back of his shoe to make it come off). It must have been because Mike
had on a brand new pair of shoes. These high-top Champion basketball shoes.
The tongue on the shoes went halfway up his shins. Folks, these shoes were
big. He had them untied which might explain Fish's antics (Might have been
good they didn't do the tramps; with these shoes, Mike may have ended up
in the E-room). After Kavalry, Trey went to Fish's drums who went back stage
and came out in his Elvis gear. I didn't think the jam while he was gone was
HYHU, because when he came out, it didn't change much before he started
singing. There was a brief HYHU afterward. An a cappella Carolina w/mics was
a crowd pleaser. Day in the Life closed the set. I liked this song before
Phish started doing it, so no complaints here. They came out and smoked a
GT,BT to cap a great show.

No Weekapaug tonight. Has this happened since 8/13/93? I think they were
worn out from jamming hard for the past hour. No real songs to slow down on
from Simple through Mike's(Glide was a mini break, but not much). That first
hour up to the Kavalry was some of the best Phish I've ever heard. They just
didn't let up. Relentless jamming by Trey.

I thought Charlotte was more of a Page night, but tonight was mostly Trey. I
don't know where to rate this one. The past 3 shows have all been great. I'd
have to hear them again to get a better idea of how I'd rate them. I've
never been more satisfied after a 3 show mini-tour in my life. I can't
imagine what Hampton holds for me.

Dreading class in 6.5 hours,
Jason