7-1-00 -- Meadows Music Theatre - Hartford, Connecticut

Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2000 18:54:54 -0400
From: Doug Rice [email protected]
To: [email protected]

Meadows Music Center 7/1, Hartford, CT
 
THERE IT IS, folks!  There's that Buried Alive we've been calling for quite
some time.  Yet we all knew it was going to be a summer tour type bust out
and the only New England shows of the summer were a likely bet.  What
followed was a super performance of the '99/'00 regulars.
 
SET I - This whole set is fantastic and you'll find some really stand-out
grooves throughout.  ***Hands down highlight is the TUBE!!  This is the MUST
hear.  In my opinion, the best version of Tube I've seen live in my 50 shows/
7 years.  The funk level in this Tube is exceptional - it will make your ass
shake right off your pelvis, spin around, and start grinding what's left of
your body.  It's tight, bright, bold, and shiny.  Seek it out.  First set
honorable mention goes to Vultures which because of the low rotation was
surprisingly clean and smooth.  Also a must hear - many Phish jams are
saturated with the theme of flight, but this Vultures will make you think you
can actually sprout wings and flutter away.
 
SET II/Enocre - It seems Jibboo set II openers are a dime a dozen this tour,
so if one needs to be singled out - it is the Camden version just nights
later.  This one didn't do anything noteworthy however didn't have anything
wrong with it either.  The Mikes Groove is better here than in Holmdel with
the help of the very melodic Swept Away/Steep in the middle of Mike's and
Weekapaug.  Interesting segue into Weekapaug, as each bandmember clouded the
intro causing Mike to creep into this basslines instead of his usual blatant
thump off Fish's introductory smack.  Still shaking off the amazing RCMH
version of Ghost, this show closing Ghost seemed a little forced and quick to
me and a little out of place, but is a clean, precise execution of it
nonetheless.  While My Guitar Gently Weeps saw some really inspiring guitar
work by Trey to end it.  Very strong and ceremonial.
 
Peace,
G.Rice

Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 00:37:59 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/1/00 review-Hartford Meadows
 
    Scene- Great mood in the many parking lots that surrounded the Meadows.
People were chatting, trading, and having a good time. The Boys were
obviously very pumped when they got on stage, so i knew we were going to be
in for a treat.......
 
SET I-
    Buried Alive- Solid opener. Hasn't been played too often lately, so it
was a good treat to hear it. This set the stage for.....
 
    Wolfman's- Great, great funk. Mike was working his shit here, and
everyone in the place was eating this one up. Solid 10 minutes of groove.
 
    Axilla-  got the place jumping as usual. They kind of messed the part
leading into the chorus, but noone seemed to notice. OTher than that, this
one got the crowd pumped.
 
    Poor Heart- THis was your standard Heart with two solid solos by mike and
page.
 
    Sample- was just the regular sample that we always here. Didn't do too
much for me. It seemed that the boys hadn't shown their stuff, but they were
obviously saving up for the next song.....
 
    Tube- This could go down as one of the funkiest tubes ever. THey
developed a tight groove and kept it going for a solid 7-8 minutes.
Incredible playing by the boys here.
 
    Beauty- I was sort of surprised to see a second bluegrass tune in one
set. regular beauty...didn't do too much for me.
 
    Roggae-A beautiful, soft song, but i was looking for a faster one at this
point. It was a very relaxing song, but i really needed to hear trey go to
school.
 
    Vultures- I don't know if i have ever heard this song go over 10 minutes.
This is hands down my favorite vultures ever. Great, hard playing by trey
here. amazing version.
 
    Dirt- THis is my favorite slow song out of the new album. Beautifully
played, this song continues to grow on me.
 
    SOAM- solid version- Jammed out a little, but not too much. A little
under 15 minutes. got the crowd pumped for a nasty second set.
 
    Setbreak- usual 45 minute break. i had high expectations for the next
set. I felt that they boys hadn't opened things up much in the 1st set. I
knew that they were going to blow the roof off in this next set...
 
    SET 2--
 
    Jibboo- This is my favorite song that phish has put out in the last 3
years. This song always gets me dancing my hardest. I couldn't keep a smile
off my face throughout the song. THe entire place was bouncing around to this
one. amazing song.
 
    Bug- powerful song. i used to not like this when was first out. but this
is my 3rd time seeing it, and its starting to grow on me.
 
    1st Tube- THe best version of this song that i've heard. Trey was
bouncing around the stage and playing his hear out. amazing version. THere
was a nice glowstick war on the lawn during this one.
 
    Mike's- WHen the first chords rang out the entire place went nuts. GReat
version with an amazing groove. The enite place was digging this one. Great
light work by chris.
 
    Swept>Steep>Hydrogen- didn't really expect them to play these, but i was
not the least bit upset. Very peaceful songs, i sat down and relaxed during
this one, which helped me save my energy for...
 
    Weekapaug- smokin' version. i danced my balls off to this one. very nice
solo by mike to open it up. I wouldn't say this version was out of the
ordinary, but it was definitly a solid tune. To my surprise, they segued this
song right into...
 
    Nellie- To be honest, i was actually kind of pissed that they played
this. I love their bluegrass, but not towards the end of a show.
 
    Ghost- I went nuts when i heard them begining to play this. Amazing
version- first ghost of the tour. Incredible groove by the boys. Mike was
ripping shit up here. Solid 15 minutes of Da Funk. Great way to end the show.
I was all smiles.
 
    Encore-
 
        WMGGW- Phat tune. I was hoping for a lizards, maybe a Divided, but i
was still digging this one. Trey tore the solo up. Solid way to end the show.
 
Here are my ratings for the show if anyone cares:
 
    SET 1- 8/10
 
    Set 2- 9/10
 
    Encore- 7.5/10
 
    Incredible show. I never thought i would say it, but i loved this place.
great two shows played here. I hope they come back next year. thanks for
reading my thoughts. see you in the fall.....JW

Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 16:30:06 -0400
From: Scheinberg Seth A CONT NSSC [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" 
Subject: Review: 07/01/2000
 
07/01/2000 Meadows Music Theatre - Hartford, Connecticut
 
Set I (1:11): Buried Alive, Wolfman's Brother, Axilla, Poor Heart, Sample in
a Jar, Tube, Beauty of My Dreams, Roggae, Vultures, Dirt, Split Open and
Melt
 
Set II: Gotta Jibboo, Bug, First Tube, Mike's Song > Swept Away > Steep > I
Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug -> Nellie Kane, Ghost
 
Encore (0:08): While My Guitar Gently Weeps
 
None of the reviews I've seen so far have described my experience, so here
goes:
 
I've now seen quite a few shows, and the first night of Hartford was a
whopper, so I had high hopes for this show. The "Ha Ha Ha" opener from the
night before had hinted that they laughed at us not knowing what they'd
unveil. So I was still waiting for something big.
 
The first set opened with Buried Alive, so I was thrilled. I haven't seen
one since Prague 98, and this version was awesome. The energy was on tap and
flowing, so we were psyched. Most folks love Wolfman's Brother, but for me
it's hit or miss. I wasn't crazy to hear it, but this was a nice version.
Axilla followed, and though it was fun to have an upbeat rocker, it was
still a regular. Poor Heart was great, good and speedy, and Sample was clean
and well played. But still, the set was shaping up to be entirely standard
fare. No great jams to speak of, no real rare gems...
 
Tube relieved the tension. This funk-a-rific version featured a few
measure-long start/stop section that really brought my head back. I mean,
who could be disappointed at a show?!
 
Beauty, which I usually consider a great song, started strangely. It took me
until the lyrics to identify this one, which is strange since I know the
song pretty well. I think the intro was kind of muddy. But the high of
Beauty subsided into the carefree-ness of Roggae. I've loved Roggae since
it's debut in Europe, and I still love it. This relaxed me and got me
perfectly prepped for the highlight of the show, the super-underrated
Vultures. Well jammed and extremely high energy, this one grabbed me and
rescued the first set from blandness.
 
Dirt followed, but, in my opinion, the new Farmhouse version doesn't compare
to the 1997/1998 versions. Sorry folks, I really dug it, and now it's losing
it for me. But Melt is one I'm starting to appreciate more and more. It was
the Big Cypress version that got this one on my hot list, and this one
supported that by ripping shit up.
 
Overall, a fairly tame first set whose highlights included Buried Alive,
Vultures, and Melt.
 
Setbreak: After a pretty normal first set, high hopes for second set. Some
Mass-holes behind me spread loads of bad karma around after insisting that
everyone around had brought in weed but that we're all dicks for not letting
them borrow our bowls. Tuned him out and sat back.
 
Gotta Jibboo was about twice as fast as usual. The super version made up for
the hyperactivity, but the lyrics sounded really rushed. Very cool. Bug was
actually better than the last few times I've heard it. They're really
milking that whole "rock-star" thing, and I can't say I disagree. Say what
you will: it really rocks. First Tube -- wait a sec -- THIS ONE really
rocks. I mean like crazy! I was losing it. I was transported by the chaos to
that place. Trey was jumping around like a Mexican bean. Absolutely nuts!
 
Mike's Song, pretty nice. Pretty regular version. No teases, no other-jams,
nothing really unique here (ps no Simple teases, just that one note that
often throws off newbies), just the dark rich groove that sets in pretty
reliably and moves you so well. I could smell the Hydrogen from a mile away.
I was thrown off by the Swept Away > Steep. Nice to hear, it's been like 2
years for me on those songs. But sure enough, then came my favorite sweet
instrumental -- Hydrogen. Always, and I mean always, a treat, I sat back and
let the mellow vibes of H2 surround me. Very very very cool.
 
Weekapaug is smoking and of course this was no exception. I was happy to
hear this. I'll need a second listen before I can say whether or not this
was great. Ghost was like the cherry on top. If I recall correctly, I really
enjoyed this version. It was played like they wanted it to be great.
 
Encore: A fantastic rendition of the White Album classic While My Guitar
Gently Weeps served as the perfect encore. It's always been one of my
favorite Beatles songs, and short of them busting out Dear Prudence again,
exactly what I would've wanted to hear. It almost made me cry. Trey had to
strain to recall all the lyrics, but he got em all and they pulled off a
perfect end to a great show. I'll have to say that this was a great show,
but I don't think it topped 6/30. But you know what? Hartford two-nighter
was a blast.
 
And my girlfriend loved her first two shows. Ha Ha Ha!
 
-adam s
 
seth adam scheinberg
[email protected] 

Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 16:06:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: James Andrew Hunter [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/1 Review
 
         This show is all about the second set.  A solid show from start
to finish but the second set was absolutley sick.  Maybe I'm biased
because I got down to row 6 for the second set after being on the lawn for
the first.  I have to say that at shows like these, being close to the
stage in the pavilion makes all the difference in the world.  The lawn is
a different place entirely.  Anyways the first set was long and full of
suprises.
 
Buried Alive-solid opener, always a treat to start a show.  Well played,
nothing spectacular
 
Wolfman's-awesome, played perfectly, not too long, lots of funk
 
Axilla-yeah, always a pleasure.  They fucked up the climax a bit but I
shouldn't complain.  I love this song.
 
Poor Heart-standard version
 
Sample-Hoist was getting a workout tonight.  Again, standard
 
Tube-alright, I was pumped to hear a Tube, and I was not dissapointed.
Trey on keys.  This is one of those Phish songs I always want to hear.
Slow, thick Tube.
 
Beauty of my Dreams and Roggae were alright, I didn't really want to hear
them necessarily but they were well played.
 
Vultures-By far the most jammed song of the first set.  If your a Vultures
fan then this is a keeper.
 
SOAM-I called this as a set closer.  Most of the jam dragged and then they
picked it up at the end.  Not the best I've heard but good enough.
 
So, overall the first set was solid.  Oh and they played Dirt, which I
thought was cool.  I haven't heard a Dirt since 97.
 
During the setbreak I got a ticket stub for the sixth row dead center and
I worked my way down.  Security was insane.  I had to show my ticket over
a dozen times on my way down, and they wouldn't let you stand or dance in
the aisles.  Fucking pricks.
 
Anyway the energy level was high as the boys took the stage.  It was hot
and crowed near the stage and when they went into Jiboo the crowd was
hopping.
 
Jiboo-my first time hearing this.  Awesome awesome awesome.  Tight and
loud and funky.  By the time they finished it I was sweating like a pig.
 
Bug-Yes!! This song is epic.  Can't say enough about it.  This version
might be better then Hartford (12/12) last winter.
 
First Tube-Hell yeah.  Again, a first for me. Trey was having a blast
playing this.  Pure fucking energy drove this song.  And they stoppped on
a dime.  I loved every minute of it.
 
Mike's-Icing on the cake for me since I haven't heard a Mike's in awhile
and I didn't think they'd play it so soon after Jersey.  But I'm not
complaining.  I was so blown away by the First Tube that when they went
into the opening chords of Mike's I had no idea what song they were
playing. After a lull in the beginning of the jam the intensity picked up
and what a Mike's this became! Holy shit, this Mike's rocked!!!!
 
And to make it better, they didn't go into Simple (thank you) but instead
went into Swept Away-Steep, which kicked ass in my opinion.
 
After seguing into Hydrogen, the opening chords of Weekapaug rang through
the air and what a Weekapaug this was.  Not one of those pure groove
Weekapaugs where Trey is doodling, but one where Trey was dominating.  He
was ripping it up on this one folks.  This is a keeper.
 
Nellie Cane began out of Weekapaug and well, it's Nellie Cane. Fun to
hear.
 
I though they were going to end the set after Weekapaug but no.  The boys
ended with what became the highlight of the show by far:GHOST!!!!!!!
 
I don't know what to say about this Ghost besides that it started out like
the Ghost we all know but at some point in the jam Trey and Fish just took
off at ludicrous speed and turned the jam into something special.  At some
point I couldn't even comprehend what was going on because it was
happening so fast but I can say without any doubt that this is the best
Ghost Phish has ever played.  Period.  And I've heard tons of Ghosts.  All
I gotta say is get the tapes.....
 
The encore could've been better.  I love the Beatles but they tend to
butcher this song a bit.  I'm used to the Halloween 94 version.   Wanted a
Lizards, but oh well.  This show will become legendary.  9.5 out of 10 or
whatever. Peace

Date: Sun, 02 Jul 2000 13:44:29 PDT
From: Mark Sherrick [email protected]
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: 6/30-7/1/00-Phish @ Hartford
 
Wow...what a pair of shows. Phish came to Hartford, and blew the Meadows
Ampitheatre away. From the first night opener Ha Ha Ha, to the second night
encore, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, an insane weekend. Highlights for me
included: Makisupa, Tweezer/Tweeprise, Runaway Jim, FIrst Tube (w/ huge all
venue glow stuff war) Gotta Jibbo, the insane Mikes Groove, aww, hell...the
whole weekend was awesome. Some may say that there was a little too much
from Farmhouse, but the boys picked the right time to play the right songs
from the new album. ...and god damn, did Mike nail the bass intro to
Weekapaug. My girlfriend's jaw dropped several times this weekend, that
being one of them. Kuroda seemed really really on with the lighting this run
too. A definate highlight for the two of us was Bug (second night second
set), but my complete highlight was the encore on the second night, WHile My
Guitar Gently Weeps...I'd called the song as my long shot for the weekend,
and they busted it out...I nearly cried...my girlfriend said she'd not seen
me that happy in a while...as I stood there with my eyes closed and my head
back just soaking in the music coming from the stage. All in all a great
weekend...hopefully Phish comes back to the Meadows next year.

Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 11:02:13 -0400
From: "Pillow, Mathew" [email protected]
To: "'[email protected]'" [email protected]
Subject: Hartford CT, Meadows, 6/30, 7/1.
 
7/1.  What happened that night?  It's hard to describe, but the scene was
totally different.  Not only from 6/30, but in general.  I saw the first
fights I have ever seen at a Phish show.  People seemed different.  Not
quite violent, not quite anxious, just... different.  Then, I saw things I
hoped I would never see at a show.  I personally saw 15 different people
throw up.  (Add that to the others people saw, and, well  I'm not gonna go
there...)   That nights crowd was not the same "family" I feel in love with
in '95.  Hell, wasn't even the same as '99.  After the show, I had a chance
to talk with some people hanging out a relaxing on the lawn after the show,
and they agreed that the scene was very different.
 
Then I was able to put it all together.  Remembering back to NYE200, and
something I noticed there.  "E"  My question is this, WHEN THE HELL DID THAT
DESTRUCTIVE, BRAIN KILLING, MIND NUMBING, DISCUSTING, ONLY PRODUCED FOR THE
SAKE OF MONEY, PIECE OF SHIT DRUG ECSTASY BECOME SUCH A HUGE PART OF THE
SCENE?  Please, as many of you have experienced I'm sure, ecstasy destroys
lives.  Yes, it can kill you.  Yes, it can and will cause severe brain
damage.  Yes, it is extremely addictive.  NO, it is not a safe over the
counter drug slightly modified.  NO, people CAN tell right away when someone
is on X.  Guess what, it's giving the whole scene a bad name.  And I blame
Ecstasy for the shit on 7/1.  More importantly, why the fuck doesn't Phish
take a stand against this shit, the same way they do for Nitrous?  Unless
the boys are taking it also.  I truly hope that is not the case.  For if it
is, we might as well say goodbye to them now.  Phish 2000?  More like Phish
FOR THE BRAIN DEAD.  Let's bring it back people, back to where it should be.


Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 12:34:41 -0400
From: GigaFool [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/1 Review (sorry i'm late)
 
This is my second review of a phish concert, and my third concert total, so
forgive me if this review is not up to par.
 
At my very first show, Hartford 12/12/99, I had seats behind the stage, at my
second, 6/30/00, I had lawn seats.  Last night, I had lawn seats, but I was
able to procure one pavilion seat.  I was trying to come up with ways to get
my girlfriend and I (her first show!) into the pavilion, because the seat was
front row of upper section on page's side, basically I was like last row of
lower section but elevated, so I could actually see.
 
SET I
 
Buried Alive:  Good opener, high energy, danced this one out on the lawn,
also never heard this before, so I didn't recognize it, but I enjoyed dancing
to it.
 
Wolfman's Brother:  Always a good selection.  At this point I chose to leave
my girlfriend and see what the scene was like in the pavilion, and see if it
was possible to get my girlfriend in there with me.  As soon as I walked in I
realized that everybody was dancing their asses off in the aisles, and
security would never be checking anyone for seats unless they were out in the
open...
 
Axilla:  So during this one I made it back to my girlfriend to tell her,
although it took me the whole song to find her.  When I reached her, she said
she needed the bathroom badly, so instead of paying attention to this song,
we started making our way to the bathroom.
 
Poor Heart:  On our way down, I was singing along to this, and my girlfriend
was happy because I played this for her in the car on the way, and if you're
new, it's great to recognize the songs you know.
 
Sample In A Jar:  Then, in the middle of our travels, she stopped, because
she loves this song, and we danced together at the bottom of the lawn...
short and sweet and just the way I like sample.
 
Tube:  During this song, I went to the first entrance of the pavilion, showed
the guy my stub, then went to the rail, put the stub in a $10 bill, and
handed it to my girlfriend.  We made our way down down down to the front row,
then moved into it, and saw plenty of room for both of us.  Some guy was
dancing there who also didn't have a ticket to the seats, and he asked us if
he should leave, but who am I to ruin good karma?
 
Beauty of my Dreams:  I love this song, and didn't stop dancing.  My second
one, and I love the energy and quickness of it.  I had never been this close
to the boys, and I smiled broadly every time I saw Mike's head bobbing with
his groove.
 
Roggae:  My first, a good slow one to dance with my girlfriend on... led
to....
 
Vultures:  Wow.... I never heard this one before, but the boys really got
down on it, and topher's lights were sick as hell.  Trey was soloing like
mad, and I was just dancing and staring at them with big wide eyes.
 
Dirt:  One of my favs from the new album, love the words from page over trey.
 
SOAM:  HELL YES!  I love the dissonance at the beginning, and the way it
leads to the "breathe deep" part, but the coolest shit is going from the
"breathe deep" back into the SOAM jam... fucking crazy way to end the set.  I
was going crazy, as was everybody else.  What a fucking rocker... great
lights from chris as well.
 
Setbreak:  actually took time to walk around the meadows and just talk to
random people, and bought a couple glowsticks in anticipation of a nice war.
Made it back to the pavilion just in time for....
 
SET II
 
Gotta Jibboo:  Love this song, and it was really jammed out.  I didn't notice
the new lyrics, but I was dancing so hard and trying to get my girlfriend to
really move that I didn't hear the lyrics well, only the music.
 
Bug:  My second one, always cool to hear, seemed to last a while.
 
First Tube:  HELL YES!  One of my favorites from the new album, one of my
girlfriend's favorites as well.  Great solos, and it lasted a while, which
made me happy.  This was my first concert where I wouldn't stop moving the
whole time.  I think there was a seat behind me, but I only used it as a
place for my bag... what energy... and my girlfriend saw her first
glowstick/ring war... not a huge one, but it was nice.
 
Mike's Song:  Oh my god... my first one ever, and I knew I was in for a
treat.  I love Mike's voice, and I love the song, and so does everyone else,
it seems.  This segued into...
 
Swept Away, Steep, I Am Hydrogen:  I didn't recognize any of these three
until they got into the lyrics, but they were very nice, no need to rage on
them, because what else would be coming up next, but...
 
Weekapaug Groove:  Mike took an extra long time whacking on his modulus
opening this one up, and it made my heart leap every time he hit a note...
the music, me being up close, watching them have so much fun, I almost died
of happiness right there.  Moved quickly into the jam, and Trey's solo was
really really good.  I had never danced so hard in my life... or at least...
so far.
 
Nellie Kane:  I didn't know this one, but was sure it was Mike's idea... nice
and quick.
 
Ghost:  I have had mixed feelings about Ghost before... about how I don't
really like the beginning, but last night, hearing the whole thing, made me
change my mind.  It's a great buildup to what was a fucking rager of a set
closer.  WHAT A JAM!  My girlfriend said I was dancing so hard and fast it
was giving her a headache, because she was dancing hard too.  The lights were
incredible on this, and Trey was really getting down.  I could see fish doing
all the little interesting things that drummers do, like holding cymbals to
keep them from ringing too long, it just made me happy seeing all of that.
When they left the stage after this one, I could finally sit down and cheer
for the encore.  Someone started a foot stomp for a few seconds, but that
died out, and finally they came back to a huge uproar.
 
Encore:
 
While My Guitar Gently Weeps:  Came out of nowhere for me... I was expecting
a composed piece, Reba or Divided or YEM, but this was a treat.  I've been
listening to the White Album for years, and this has always been my favorite
track.  The boys were on this one tonight, Page opened it up with his piano,
and Trey had the leslie effect going, very clapton-like.  The lyrical part
was nice, but my favorite part was the way Trey copied clapton's solo
perfectly, but with a little bit of a Treyish lilt to it.  They closed this
one out and I was a very happy kid.
 
 
Final Thoughts:
 
For my first time seeing them up close, it was a great time to do so.  They
seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, and me and my girlfriend enjoyed
ourselves just as much.  The "karma" must have been great that evening,
because we had no problems in the pavilion, and the people around us didn't
seem to mind that we had an extra in there (don't worry, if there wasn't
room, we wouldn't have stuck around).
 
Thanks for reading this far,
gigafool
--------------------------------
GigaFool
[email protected]

Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 00:18:43 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: review for 7-1-00
 
Hey, I was at this show (7-1-00), and I wanted to write a review for it,
because I liked it so much, and it would mean everything to me if you put it
up o the webpage. Pleeeeeeease put it up, I loved the show soooooo much.
Anyway, here is my review, it's kinds long, but I've seen longer ones on the
hpb, and I think you'll like my review.
 
 
OK, last night was my third Phish show, so I hope that my description of it
is satisfying to you guys who weren't there. The First set was very weird in
itself, it started out with a classic Buried Alive into Wolfman's, where the
crowd was very happy. Wolfman's made everyone get into a nice solid grove for
a jam that lasted probably around 7 or 8 minutes, I don't know the times yet,
as this is being written on July 2nd, at 10 in the morning. After that solid
jam, I was expecting something groovy and mellow to go with the mood, but
Axilla kicked in and the crowd was bouncin! Everyone seemed to be dancing and
jumping like they loved this change of pace; the band kept with the pace and
went straight into Poor Heart, and by now the show had this '94 kinda
feeling, Hoist and Nectar and all. Poor Heart was especially good because the
band was doing it a little faster than they usually do, and the rest of the
show would boast some mighty fine bluegrass playing. When Sample came next,
it seemed to fit, even though you don't usually see a Sample in the middle of
a set, but again, the band was hot that night, so it was a good sample. After
Sample the band held for a little while, and then started Tube, which was
weird, cause it seemed like a jump to a few years later into '97/'98 land,
and when Beauty of my dreams (more bluegrass), Roggae, and Vultures popped
in, it was clear that they were just moving along towards some Farmhouse
songs. Dirt was like a break from all the dancing and jumping, it isn't one
of my personal favorites, but it was a nice time for a rest. Before the show
I was talking to my bud about which songs they might play, and I said I had a
feeling about SOAM, and when they closed the set with it, I was ecstatic.
Everyone was back into a dancing, jumping, hoppin atmosphere, and for the
next, maybe nine minutes, all I saw was people coming and going, dancing
through the crowds; what a great set.
 
The second set began simply enough with gotta jiboo, not a personal favorite
of mine, but they have opened sets with it before and were in a farmhouse
mood, so it fit. They played it well, but nothing special happened, it was
just long, and fun - it's a fun song. Bug followed that, so they were now out
of the past, and into the present, playing Farmhouse stuff, and bug rocked
the house, with everyone singing along. You could probably hear the crowd on
the bootleg singing "Bug! It Doesn't Matter!" When First Tube kicked in, man!
The whole place seemed to get up and move like their was no tomorrow. This
was a great First Tube, with the whole band playing and soloing really
quickly, uptempo, with heavy energy. Towards maybe about four minutes into
this, I turn around and see that everyone in the crowd is tossing up their
glow sticks into the air, and with the crazy shapes those things come in, it
was awesome to see that - hundreds of glowsticks and rings flying through the
air, from the lawn to the seats and the seats to the lawn. Anyway, we all
knew they'd do Mike's Grove, as they did Tweezer on the 30th. This Mike's was
very cool, it had the same old opening, which is always good to hear, I was
almost crying by now because this had been the greatest show I had been to,
and one of the best I had heard out of dozens. The Jam was very slow and
spooky, and it was a dark night, so it fit, but I didn't know what to expect
next. Here is where I do not agree with the posted setlist. I can safely say,
and a bunch of my friends concurred with me, that we heard a simple tease
before swept away. I might be wrong, but I would bet money on it that that is
what the band was playing. Anyway, swept away was shorter than I expected,
maybe like 2 or 3 minutes, and then steep was equally as slow, and then H2
made me confident that a kick ass paug was coming our way. About 20 seconds
before paug started, I started to feel it. I turned to guys next to me and
was saying "It's coming, it's really close, I can feel it dude, it is sooooo
close!" and then when Fishman bolted into the paug intro, I was literally
jumpin up and down out of my happiness. The paug, aside from my "I could die
now" happiness of the show, was bitchin. Mike was rippin it up on the stage
and the rest of the band followed into what I will call the greatest paug
I've ever heard. Paug went into Nellie Kane, which I would not have seen
coming from a million miles away, but it fit, and I was so happy about it.
They had done some nice bluegrass stuff that night, and this topped off the
cake. They played it very well. When the stopped with that, I was waiting for
YEM to close the set, but we got ghost, and a totally sick ghost at that. I
don't usually like the song, like, if it were any other version, I probably
would have had something bad to say about the show, but this ghost just took
me to another place. Towards the end of it, the jam got so fast, so wild, and
also because the chords matched, I felt like the band had gone back into
paug. The setlist will disagree with me, but again, I am confident that we
were back into paug-land. Then Trey gives his speech about how they thank us
for coming out, and it's been great and all, and then they end, and walk off.
After a good two minutes maybe, they came back on, and I had by now almost
convinced myself that they would play YEM tonight, so I was expecting that.
Before I go on, I must say something. I am one of the biggest Beatles fan's
around, I live for their music, I feel they are the greatest band to ever
have lived, and nothing will ever surpass their greatness. When Phish started
with the opening for While my Guitar Gently Weeps, I was probably crying, and
laughing, and jumping all at once due to my happiness at that time, and the
crowd loved it too. All I could do was just stand and listen and marvel at
its greatness. When they ended that at like, maybe seven minutes, the only
thing I could say was that that show was gorgeous. It ought to be put in a
museum for everyone to admire for the rest of human life. It was like a
spiritual experience for me. Everyone should hear this show for themselves,
and I will get the bootleg and maybe just send it out randomly to traders who
have done nice things for me as a token of my appreciation, because this show
was one of the best I've heard, after Lemonwheel and Halloween '94 and
2/20/93 at the Roxy. I apologize for my newbiness at doing a review, and I
know I've probably focussed on my experience more than the show, but I hope
I've given you guys a sense to how great the show was.
 
-Adam Feinberg

Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 12:21:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dave Lodge [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Setlist Times & Review 7/1

7/1
 I.
(8:15) Burried Alive,(8:20) Wolfmans',(8:29) Axilla>(8:33) Poor Heart,(8:36)
Sample,(8:41) Tube*,(8:47) Beauty of my Dreams,(8:51) Roggea, (8:58) 
Vultures,(9:10) Dirt,(9:15) SOaM,(9:27) - 1hr 12mins
 II. **
(10:17) Gotta Jibbo,(10:30) Bug,(10:40) First Tube***,(10:50) Mikes'>(11:00)
Hydrogen>(11:02) Swept Away>(11:04) Steep>(11:09) Weekapaug>(11:15) Nellie 
Cane,(11:18) Ghost, (11:35) 1hr 18mins
 E.(11:37) My Guitar Gently Weeps(11:46) - 2hr39
 
*Trey on keys
**FIREWORKS!!!
***First Tube Glowstick War
 
        How could you possibly excpect them to top themselves...you
couldnt...while 2nd night was good show it was no match for 1st night...They
took a different approach tonight and kept it very mellow and laid back.
 
Burried Alive(5)- Never heard it live before, had to ask what it was...Nice
beats were coming out of it anf it told ya that tonight theyre gona take it
slow.

Wolfmans'(9)- Very laid back, nothing strong, just light licks from Mike and
good color from Page.

Axilla(4)- Kinda jumped out of this set but, it had great energy and set the
speed for...

Poor Heart(3)- Not a fan of this one though I knew it was coming out somewhere
said the Burried Allive.

Sample(5)- Very loose and mellow, just perfect...my buddy wanted this one all
week.

Tube(6)- Bring in the PHUNK! This was a jammin Tube and Trey had his fun on
keys

Beauty of my Dreams(4)- Ok more Bluegrass, its cool...but wheres Nellie Cane
at?

Roggea(7)- Very nice placement. The perfect song for a show with tones so
mellow, good rising and falling.

Vultures(12)- Sweet! This Vulture was flying so to speak, they started to cut
loose and I was ready for them to start the first real jam of the night.

Dirt(5)- So beautiful...exactly what I wanted to hear..."Waaaaaashed
aaaaaaaaaaa Shoooooore..." My first in the line of many I hope.

SOaM(12)- Lets JAM peoples...The perfection of this off-key tune was reached.
Page looked absolutely possed! When he looks like he doesnt know where he
is...that means its ALL over and Leo is ON! I knew this was the closer...and I
was right.
 
Set Break...FIREWORKS!
 
Gotta Jibbo(13)- Called it...Jibbo has been opening alot of 2nd sets and I
expected it. They found the groove right away Page was taking the lead on this
much more mature and evolved Jibbo, very seemless very tight.

Bug(10)- My favorite song on Farmhouse, this was my 6th Bug, and it surely had
jump. I was just screaming at the top of my lungs "It Doesnt Matter!" I
thought they were gona keep it short around 5 or 6 but they didnt...good!

First Tube(10)- Perfect...Mike started laying down the law and Trey started
playing with the feedback so I was now convinced the 1st summer tour Ghost was
coming. Glowstick War got fierce...lots of casualties!

Mikes'(10)- Oh man, its all over now...Its time to get lost. Very ambient and
flowing, drifted nicely into...

Hydrogen(2)- Chris triggered the smoke switches and IAMH2 started floating, or
sweeping...

Swept Away(3)- Nice placement out of the Mikes'>IAMH2 very calm and easy for
the...

Steep(4)- Very dramatic and mellow with a nice rise right into...

Weekapaug(6)- Needless to say Mike was thumping and this Groove was solid and
to the point.

Nellie Cane(3)- Singing this to myself all day actualy, it was cool that they
gave it to me...sat down got some rest for the big Ghost that I had felt and
then it happend...

Ghost(17)- Easily the highlight of the show...Nice feedback intro and it faded
into a nice coozy jam until it started to pick up and totaly EXPLODE! I saw it
coming all night and it was worth it!
 
My Guitar Gently Weeps(9)- I was talking to the dude next to me and we were
both like..."Ok, what cover is it gonna be?" He says "Maybe My Guitar Gently
Weeps..." "Ya, Good luck with that one" Well, I ate my words but they tasted
soooo good. Great close out to what will surely be a great place to see a show
from years to come!
 
This Review was brought to you by Kaylis...Could you do me a favor and at the
times and extra details to your main page setlits and give Props to the 700
Club..thanx
 
PEACE...

Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 11:39:11 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7/1/00 Hartford, CT review
 
I: Buried Alive, Wolfman's -> Axilla, Poor Heart, Sample, Tube, Beauty Of My
Dreams, Roggae, Vultures, Dirt, Melt
II: Jibboo, Bug, First Tube, Mike's -> Swept Away -> Steep -> Hydrogen ->
Weekapaug -> Nellie Cane, Ghost
E: WMGGW
 
With a Buried Alive opener I figured I was in for another epic set like last
night's.
This wasn't to be, but it was a nice and varied first set. Instead of a song
by song review, how about the highlights! TUBE! Best one I've seen (11/28/98,
10/7/99)
Vultures, I haven't heard this one since 98 and I like this tune! It took a
while to "get off the ground" (groan, pun intended) but with a little help
from CK, this version points to this song being a welcome addition to the
repertoire. Nice!
Melt. Interesting, dark, cerebral. Just what I want in my Melt jam. Nice work
all around as several musical pathways were explored. Solid closer.
Set two highlights: This was my first First Tube. Man, it's like f'n candy!
The energy in the venue by this time was busting out at the seems.
I was expecting a YEM this night, that was not to be. Instead an interesing
Mike's Groove sequence took place. Mike's was good and when they seemed to
start to roll into Simple, they melted down to Swept->Steep. Interesting
choice, but getting Hydrogen out of that muck was all the more satisfying.
Weekapaug as always was good but the curveball of the night was the segue
into Nellie Cane! Wow!
Ok, let's get to the highlight of the whole show.
GHOST! It builds from nothing ala the studio version and then take it to the
PHISH 2000 sound! (I don't know any other way to explain it) I'm particulary
a fan of the 97 versions of Ghost (11/28/97 inparticular) but the one from
this night can certainly deserve to sit in the collection of "best of"
versions. Time will tell.
Solid show with enough highlights to satisfy me. I personally enjoyed the
first night better, but now I can't wait for the Tweeter Center (the Artist
formerly known as Great Woods) in the Fall.
 
Josh
[email protected]
http://www.phishhook.com/lists/pedj

Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 12:54:35 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review - Hartford 7/2
 
One always wonders what Phish has in store for them while sleeping the night
before a show, doing whatever one does the day of a show, and anxiously
awaiting the roar as Phish takes the stage minutes past 8:00 P.M.  Could they
possibly take the musical experience to the same or next level as it was at
your past show?  Whether it was Radio City, NYE 2000, etc....one wonders
where this could all go.  Due to their passion, soul, and unbelievable
appreciation for what they have, it just keeps on getting better.
 
The 7/1/00 show at Hartford, CT was no exception.  The Buried Alive opener
was filled with energy and flowed right into the mellow, smooth, reggae,
funky Wolfman's.  Then, it was right back into the energy of axilla, axilla,
axilla... tight and precise.  Then, a 95' esq. Poor Heart, Sample, and funky,
fun Tube.  The set closed with four more slower, more mellow songs which
everyone deserves at an outdoor summer show on a beautiful summer evening....
listening, dancing, talking w/ friends.  Split Open was fun as always.
 
The venue itself was extremely unaccommodating.  Long walks to water, food,
or the restrooms.  Loud, intense, and obnoxious ushers (especially in the 500
section)... I decided to bypass my seats and enjoy the show from the lawn.
 
The second set was a perfect mix as well.  Gotta Jibbo is a great opener to
fill the air with energy one again.  Bug is a bit of a boor.... What doesn't
matter?... slow, and the only real exciting part of it is Trey's anthem
guitar to close out the song.  First tube is best song off of farmhouse.  It
is a powerful display of rhythm, funk, and energy.  The best first tube
opened the Radio City Shows and had the place bouncing.  Mikes >Swept away >
steep > hydrogen > Weekapaug....!!!!! Unbelievable.  Classic Phish.  Swept
away gives a numbness to think of trey's thoughts while composing the song.
Hydrogen allows for a complete loss of body and soul.  The bluegrass of
Nellie Kane and the funky and spacy ghost closed the show.  A classic
encore...
 
basically, a great show...with strong flowing set-lists and the diversity of
Phish.... it just keeps getting better.
 
ggradz

 
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 20:02:01 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 7-1-00 Review
 
The 2 shows at Hartford were fantastic.  Not only was the weather beautiful
but the venue allowed for some great vibes as well.  The lots were packed
both nights with vendors selling everything but the kitchen sink!!!  Thanks
to all those people who made it possible for me to eat like a king all
weekend long........
 
As far as the shows go... second night was the better of the two and the
second set was top notch........ (aka fucking incredible)
 
Anybody who thinks the new album is mediocre has simply not heard them play
these songs in concert.  Gotta jiboo and bug were JAMMED!!!!!!!!!!!!  Mike's
Groove was a highligt as well.....  I have never heard a base solo carry over
as crazy as it did into the groove.... Gordon was incredible this night...!!
Too much for words to explain....
 
This was my first show since Chula Vista last fall........  I have been
picking the right ones to attend I think.....everybody should get this on
CDR!!!......  email me for trades of these shows...... I have lots of SCI
boards

Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 15:17:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: Iii  William F Luke [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: 7/1 Review
 
 I just wanted to drop my two cents and say thanks to the band for yet
another great time. The show was great, and so was every one around me. I
just hope I have as much fun in Camden as I did in Hartford(i'm sure i
will). See ya in Camden!!  BILL

Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 15:23:02 -0400
From: Evan Grunwald [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review of 7/1
 
Just wanted to add this quick blurb about July 1st.  The songs, both quality
and placement, were excellent.  They showcased their ability to throw out
tight, groovin' versions of all the songs, and they saved the segues for the
second set, which featured a great Mike's Groove, with a fine Nellie Cane
bridge between the rythmic Weekapaug and the _insane_ Ghost.
 
For those who arrived early, we were treated to one of the most laid back lot
scenes, with no security hassle.  Vendors had a field day, and anyone who
didn't procure what they needed was looking in the wrong place.  Anyone who
was in the Jai-Alai parking lot had a great pre-show time.  Shakedown was
hopping!!!  I have never seen glass at such low prices.  But anyway, I get
ahead of myself.  The combination of scene and music was perfect at these two
shows, and for all those who are lucky enough to continue on with the tour
(alas, I have to work), have fun....the boys are on fire this summer!!
 
Peace,
    Evan

Date: Sun, 02 Jul 2000 00:48:26 PDT
From: Jake Cohen [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review for 7/1/00

Well, I had the option of either going last night or tonight...

What I think I missed in song selection and setlist last night I made up
for in groovyness tonight!! It was such a tight, phat groove heavy show,
with some of that great new "Farmhouse" groove that's so dominant in songs
like Sand and 1st Tube worked into old classics like Tube and Mike's. Lawn
seats, right in the middle, below a video screen. This was going to be
fun.

Started it all off with BURIED ALIVE! Oh my god, how long has it been
since this one was last played!??!! My first, and with a rare classic to
start it all off like this, how can you not have a great show??? It was a
pretty standard version, played well. After the final chord of buried, we
were treated to the opening piano choard of WOLFMAN'S. Ah so solid! A
great first set warm up song, and played very cleanly. Trey's voice
sounded superb on this one. FOr the jam, it started out with some basic
but well-played noodling from Trey before being led into a dark, sinister
and groovy beat. It stayed there for a while, never realy leaving ther
boundaries of a Wolfman's jam, before finally drifting back into the
theme. I couldn't believe the AXILLA I we got next!! I was going nuts,
jumping up and down, just happy to hear a fun rocking song. Hmmmm, so far,
three relatively short songs - I think I see a long set coming up ahead.
And oh was I right! POOR HEART followed to give everyone a break and to
start off one of the night's three bluegrass tunes. And oh how nice was
Page's solo during Poor Heart??? Virtually no Trey soloing, concentration
on the baby grand the entire time. Page was ripping up and down some happy
bluegrass licks, with a lot of support from the rest of the boys. Next
came actually my first SAMPLE. Well, no big deal, fun tune, good melody,
and "I am a rock star" soloing from Trey. You know, the same type he does
during "Bug." I called TUBE as one of the songs tonight, and I was psyched
to hear I was right again!! When the jam started, it was right away that
super-groovy summer sound that Phish has been putting on most of the new
album and a lot of other things too! This was a very tight, crisp jam,
with some loops from Trey, and his very own keyboard solo. BEAUTY OF MY
DREAMS followed, with some dank Mike soloing. ROGGAE was a beautiful song,
and Chris helped make it a true "circus of light" with his incredible
show, as always. It seems that every tuime I see Phish, the lights are
even better. The next song puzzled me at first, but then I realized it was
one of my long-forgotten newer favorites, VULTURES. Great com[posed
section, with a new vocal arrangement that suggests to me studio reworking
has been done on it. Look for Vultures on the next Phish studio release.
The lights at the end were intense, with Toph rotatiog the lights around,
so incredibly fast! And, along wiht those lights, Trey was giving a
distortion heavy, metal jam with power chords and everytthing! Dirt was a
fun cigarette song, and then MELT started. Ah thank you, Phish gods. A
well-played and energetic Melt finishes off the first set in [phine style!

JIBBOO opened up the second set after a typically long break. This was a
lot of fun, with Trey talkikng about Toph and Sands in the lyrics. But the
amazing thing about tonight versionw as its new and classic style of
jamming. The jam actually built from the typically laid back and playful
Jibboo lines to a raging, chord heavy and crash cymballing finale before
resting back to the Jibboo theme. This build was similar to a Hood or
Slave build, putting a great classic spin on a new tune. BUG followed, and
I was SO PSYCHED!! I liove this song! FIRST TUBE just plain rocked, and
then the glow stick/ring war broke out on the lawn. WOw!!! First Tube went
on for a while, Trey jumping up and down on stage, and jamming on the
major section for a long time. The opening notes of MIKE'S started up and
we knew we were in for a treat. But little was I to know that this would
be the best Mike's I have ever heard! It started nicely, typical, until
the jam started, when they settled into a heavy groove. The bass was wet
and sloppy, Page was on the Moog, and Trey was adding color and hue to the
sound. They put a new spin on this classic piece, which grooved just as
hard as the first Tube that preceded it! Then, as the groove wound down,
Trey started playing some classic, choice Mike's licks, which were very
reminiscient of older shows' sound. It was great how in the same jam they
put together their old and new sounds. They segued into what I thought
sounded like Simple, but it was really just a change of pace and key and
that's when the fog came out. They took it down, in the fog, really slowly
and chill, and Tr4ey started to play SWEPT AWAY! Wow, a while since this
one! And it was such a perferct segue out of Mikes, I couldnb';t believe
they pulled it off. After an obligatory STEEP, Trey was making loud
wailing noises from the doc as the rest of the band took the slow pace of
Swept Away, and added the drums and bass to HYDROGEN! I didn't get to hear
a H2 or a Weekapaug at the last Mike's I heard (5/23/00) but this was a
beautiful and slow versionb of H2. Extended it seemed, I didn't remember
it being that long! It went naturally into WEEKAPAUG, with Mike slapping
the shit out of his bass to start. Some great Trey soloing in this
weekapaug when, after a good deal of jamming, Trey began to tease a
bluegrass song I knew. it turns out that the whole band heard it and
segued SO NATURALLY! into NELLIE CANE. This was a bluegrass song that I
love that I had never heard before! My other prediction of a GHOST closed
the set, with an extremely intense and fast jam at the end which sounded
nothing like the Ghost we know and love, but it still sounded fuckin
amazing!!!

wow, encore was WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS, and that's just what it did.
Trey cryed his 'doc into the night and we left with smiles and veggie
burritoes in our hands. The highlight?? This Mikes>Swept
Away>Steep>H2>Weekapaug>Nellie Cane MUST BE HEARD IF YOU LIKE GOOD,
SEAMLESS
SEGUES! So dank...
AH well, catch you all on phall tour..

-Jake 

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