6-30-00 -- Meadows Music Theatre - Hartford, Connecticut
review submisions to me, dan schar at dws@www.phish.net
or dws@gadiel.com
Date: Sat, 1 Jul 2000 08:54:27 -0400
From: Lane Jost jostl@kenyon.edu
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: hartford, 6/30
I don't do this anymore, but after last night, I'm back.
Ok, here we go:
6.30.00. Meadows Theatre, Hartford
I: Ha Ha Ha, AC/DC Bag, Tweezer > Run Jim, Sneakin' Sally*, Ginseng Sullivan, Guyute,
Golgi, Tweez Rep., Possum!
II: Halley's Comet > Mango Song > Twist, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Back on the Train >
Makisupa, Farmhouse, Sleeping Monkey, David Bowie
E: Cavern
After scoring 4 comp tickets through some key friends in the organization (thanks
cynthia!) I was off to Hartford, and my first show since Hampton '99 (night 2 rocked!!).
after failing to lure overworked nyc friends out of the city, it was me driving up the
merritt pkwy alone, but happy to be meeting people at will call. moderate holiday
traffic
a LOT of MAKISUPA policeman as I approached Hartford, so watch out tonight. ok, onto my
34th show and first of 2000!
Beer in hand, as i sat 11 rows back along the aisle (everyone in my sections was sooooo
fun), band walks out very methodically at arounf 8:30 and cranks into Ha Ha Ha. A funny
song, which set the tone for a night that was all about the I-IV-V major rock
progression.
sidenote, at the meadows, you have to sign an "application" to get a beer!! in the
spirit
of 4th of July w/e, are we really free??!! i lost my wristband do i guess i'll have to
do
it all over again tonight! sorry, back to the music...
Bag followed and it was trypically rocking ending with try plucking his guitar in
staccato
fashion, here's that point on the show where the band begings to play around and actually
enjoy what they are doing: smiles all around here, as we head into Tweezer. Like bag,
nothing epic here, just your standard funked out mikey g led hook, i was already tired at
this pt and demanding a nice, fresh cut off farmhouse, which for all the pundits out
there, is a great album. trey then held a d chord with some feedback signaling to page,
and run jim livened the funk after a short 10 minute tweez. this was good, as tweez was
going nowhere and energy dragged. rj however, was fantastic and they nailed the ending
w/o pulling apart the jam too much. i love this song. GREAT ENERGY. this was the
turning pt of the show, and the band never looked back afterwards. i don't listen to
many
tapes anymore, but i will be listenting to this show from run jim on, as my neighbor last
night (thanks gabe!) is hooking me with tapes tonight!!! everyone, from rj on, this show
is a gem.
trey then took a request, and after a LONG band discussion they busted sally. good,
rockin' version. ginseng was the break we all were craving, not to say that this isn't a
remarkable tune. i love norman blake. at this pt, we were waiting for an antelope or
perhaps the inevitable character o to close the set, but OH NO, we got a flawless Guyute
(beer run for me!). ok, golgi closer, right? wrong. tweez rep!!! close? wrong.
POSSUM!!!!!!!!!!!
What a set, i don't time but i'm pretty sure 8:30 was when the first notes of hahaha were
heard, and when gabe and i passed out in out seats my watch said 10:00! 90 minutes
accroding to my shaky math.
intermission nice and short, couldn't have been more than 30 minutes!!
II
mellow halley's to open, which is always joyful to hear, good funk jam which segued
beautifully into mango which gabe had called! here we find the unique, and strongest
part
of the show. mango featured an extended, ambient jam over the d-g-c-d chorus, maybe 8
minutes of melodic perfection from trey and page. but rock reigned supreme last night,
and a FLAWLESS segue into twist followed. now, i'm anal when it comes to good
transitions, so for me trey beginning a tune before a previous tune ends IS NOT a segue.
this was a smooth and drown out move from gm7-Bb-c-d. and, the ensuing jam was hot, what
a tune, trey was loving it.
inlaw josie was wonderful to hear, but it got overshadowed by the show's second
incredible
segue: back on the train > makisupa!!!!!!! listen, i'll say no more. oh, train is my
fav
tun off farmhouse. but, oh, there's more.
farmhouse was perfect, and i was sure that this was going to be the closer, but we get a
great sleeping monkey (personal fave) followed by an epic bowie!! AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhh!
cavern, perhaps the most definitieve stand-alone encore sent me home so happy, and ready
for tnight where i'll be joined in the 10th row w/ my sisters.
see you all tonight have fun!!!
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 15:42:31 EDT
From: Andrew Cairns ac_111@hotmail.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: review
Little late on the review, but here it goes anyway.
First show since 12/12/99, Hartford Civic Center. Me and some friends drove
down from Maine and arrived in the lot around 3:30, on account that one of
my friends had to meet some buddies at will call. Overall there was nothing
too special about the lot or the parking, except for the fact that me and my
friend were able to upgrade our lawn seats to 7th row! We met up with this
guy who was looking for 4th tix, which we had extra, so we gave him 2 and 10
bucks for some great pavilion seats. We were psyched. Ok, on to the show.
The boys came out on stage around 8:10 if I remember correctly. Once they
were settled, Trey hammered the opening chord to.....
Ha Ha Ha: wasn't expecting to see this one at all, esp. as an opener. Not
one of my favs, but short, something different.
Bag: another surprise, provided that the last time they were in Hartford
they played this one in the exact same spot, first set, second song. This
bag rocked, with some pretty good buildups.
Tweezer: I'm not a tweezer fan, but I knew my luck of not seeing this one
would run out shortly. A little funky, short. Good.
Jim: Another surprise. I thought we would see this one as an opener,
definatley not after tweezer. This Jim was pretty standard, nothing too
special.
Sally: Pretty solid.
Ginseng: I was psyched to hear this one b/c the set was beginning to look
questionable. Gotta love bluegrass. Go Mike.
Guyute: The band really began to pick up on this one.
Golgi: This one totally blew the crowd away. I love this one. Old school.
Tweezer Rep: Surprised and glad to hear this one in the first set, since I
am not a tweezer fan, and was hoping for a better second set. Was ready to
go out and chill until I heard .....
Possum: topped off a very long and strange first set. Not a very good
possum to say the least.
Overall the first set was pretty solid, with some odd placement.
After getting a beverage I was back in my seat awaiting the second set,
hoping for something special.......
Halley's: Wow. Wow. Didn't think I would be lucky to see this one again
so soon but I was wrong. What a way to kick off the second set, with one of
my all time favs.
Mango: Ok, things were really starting to roll. Another favorite. They
jammed on this one into....
Twist: I knew we couldn't escape any of the Farmhouse material, given how
much they have been playing it lately. Trey was really smoking on this one.
Inlaw: My friend called this one all the way. A very nice piece to hear.
GBOTT: Funky. I really like the way this one has turned out. Got the crowd
dancing again.
Makisupa: Trey cracked the crowd up on this one.
Farmhouse: My first Farmhouse since they changed it from the key of D to
they key of C. Pretty good.
Sleeping Monkey: A very nice surprise. I love this one, good to see Fish
sing every now and then.
Bowie: Pretty standard. This one tends to follow me around.
Cavern: Good choice for an encore, with some sweet Tweezer teases and some
really weird shit by Trey at the end. (If you saw Hard rock live you know
what I am talking about)
Overall this was a pretty solid show. To me it was all about the second
set, but hey, it's just preference. We'll see what tommorow night brings.
Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2000 18:54:54 -0400
From: Doug Rice drice4@earthlink.net
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Meadows Music Theatre 6/30, Hartford, CT
Now here's some really great stuff in all areas of the band. Full of variety
and packed with fun.
SET I - One of the most unexpectedly cool show openers in awhile. Ha Ha Ha
catches you off guard and serves as a perfect warmup to the AC/DC Bag that
follows. Very energetic Bag. The energy never really stops with tight
versions of Tweezer->Jim,Sally, Guyute, Golgi->Reprise, AND a Possum all in
the first set alone! Even the Ginseng Sullivan was quick and fast and barely
even feels like a breather for the band. Fantastic updated versions of a
packed set that looks like it was clipped from a '94 set!
SET II - One of the (pardon the grammar) "funnest" starts to a set you'll
hear. Haley's->Mango->Twist is top notch smile enhancers. This section is
the highlight of set II. One of the more comical herb references was giggly
blurted by Trey in Makisupa as he looked at Mike and Page, snickering in
childish delight, as he barely got out the phrase while laughing, "One
bourbon, one scotch, one big fat doob!" Made for an intimate touch on the
show watching the bandmembers laugh and it appeared to have some kind of
inside joke feeling to it, probably between Trey and Page. This personal
touch was evident by the very senitmental feeling versions of Farmhouse and
crowd treat of Sleeping Monkey. Bowie showed some of the same inspiration in
its core sections providing for a really super show overall.
ENCORE: Don't let the solo Cavern encore fool you as a generic run through.
It had some jazz sections thrown in with extra thump from Mike and some
restless energy from Fish on the skins. One of the better Caverns to seek
out on tape/cd.
Peace,
G.Rice
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 15:21:21 -0400
From: Scheinberg Seth A CONT NSSC ScheinbergSA@NAVSEA.NAVY.MIL
To: "'dan@www.phish.net'" dan@archive.phish.net
Subject: review: Meadows 6/30 (7/1 to follow)
06/30/00 - Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford, CT
I: (83 minutes) Ha Ha Ha, AC/DC Bag, Tweezer > Runaway Jim, Sneakin Sally
Through the Alley > Ginseng Sullivan, Guyute, Golgi > Tweezer Reprise,
Possum
II: (70 minutes) Halley's Comet > Mango Song > Twist, Inlaw Josie Wales,
Back on the Train > Makisupa Policeman, Farmhouse, Sleeping Monkey, David
Bowie
Encore: (8 minutes) Cavern
Bringing my girlfriend to her first Phish show ever was enough to make this
night really cool. The fact that Phish had never played the Meadows got the
crowd riled up and made the evening special. And the two incredible shows in
Holmdel suggested that the quality of this show would be top-notch. That
being said, this show would've been good even if it wasn't.
Two years to the day after my last Ha Ha Ha (in Copenhagen), Phish cracked
out this little number. I sensed an ominous feel, as though they were
saying, "Ha Ha Ha! You have NO IDEA what's in store for you these next two
nights!" This got my mind wandering...."What if this WERE the show where
Forbin's reappeared?"...."It's been a long time since the last
Harpua..."..."Boy this venue kinda sits on a large Mound"...Ha Ha Ha
definitely got everyone psyched, after all, it's pure energy.
AC/DC Bag....a freakin sweet version to boot. It was pretty standard until
this crazy Trey section where he played some real melodic stuff. It seemed
the night would be huge.
Tweezer is usually not my favorite song, but this version ranks pretty high
up there. There was a chill jam in the center I was real locked into. Just
as I was reaching that place, my girlfriend turned to me and said, "Hey,
this is pretty awesome!" She had latched onto the dark bass groove and the
nice, light treblish solo Trey was layering. It was impressive to say the
least.
Jim picked up right where Tweezer faded and restored the high levels of
energy that had subsided during the Tweezer jam. When Jim slowed to Mike's
bass section, I very distinctly heard Trey teasing the opening riff of
Nellie Kane. I called it right there. At the time, I didn't know that the
tease was hinting to the conclusion of the two-night stand or to the
plethora of bluegrass that would ensue the following evening. But this
rockin' Jim stopped short and there was a pause.
My words at the time, during the one minute plus break in between songs
were, "Look, if it takes this long to make up their minds, they'd better be
playing Fluffhead or something, 'cause why would it take this long to decide
to play Sample or something? Well, Sneakin Sally would suffice! This was a
screamin' funk-filled version. The crowd was bopping right along to the beat
and Ginseng Sullivan reared his ugly head.
I love Ginseng, and it was what I then thought I might have heard during
Jim. This was a clean and precise Ginseng and when it wrapped, they swung
during into...
Guyute. Let me tell you, some jerk behind me was yelling, "Yo dude! Did I
call it or what? Sa-weeet! Guyute! I f*ing called that sh*t!" All the while
I was thinking, "Yeah, they've played this song every third show for the
last two years dude. Relax." But I must admit: this was a very well executed
Guyute. Trey was right on with the hammer-ons and hammer-offs and Fish was
nailing it all the way.
The third "G" song in a row was Golgi, which I was 100% positive would wrap
the set. It was nice to hear Golgi again, and as it wound down I reflected
on an excellent first set.
Out came the reprise, and I wondered when that had happened last. I mean, to
cap off Tweezer in set one of night one suggests monster things are to come.
A nice reprise that was actually extended a few measures was most definitely
the end of the set...
Possum!? Come on, I can't believe we got another song at all, let alone
Possum. The first set left me salivating!
Halley's started the second set off on a good foot. It's a great song, and
the jam was tight. Suddenly, out came
The Mango Song! Maybe the highlight of the night for me, this was an
extended Mango that fulfilled my desire for something fun. It was well
played, showed the skill and diversity Phish possess, and made me smile.
That segued smoothly into Twist, and Twist took off. It almost totally left
the main Twist riffs and then came back around, a la many Split Open and
Melt jams.
Minestrone was next up. A sweet song that chilled us all out, I think it
should be placed in the "light rotation." I fear that too much of this will
eventually ruin its intimate nature.
Back on the Train is not my favorite song, so this one did little for me.
But it slid ever so gently into:
Makisupa Policeman. So nice to hear the simple reggae vibes of Makisupa.
Lots of fun. I feel like this has shown up a couple of times recently. Come
to think of it, so has Mango. Would any one complain if they, along with
MSO and It's Ice returned to the regular rotation? Yeah, I thought not.
Farmhouse was Farmhouse. Clean and nice.
Sleeping Monkey was a nice surprise. Sure didn't expect it! As nice as it
was, it was too slow to follow two fairly slow songs.
That why Bowie worked well. A textbook Bowie that didn't travel too far from
the original's boundaries was a nice cap to a nice set whose highlights
really laid with the first three songs.
Cavern, which I've now seen in concert 167,432 times, was --at first-- a
turn off. But this version, which I've heard referred to as "Tweevern," was
really something else. All the little reprise riffs weaved in made this
version a little special.
Overall, a great show not worthy of "legend-hood," but ranks right up there
in the "Dude, that was AWESOME!" range.
-adam s
sethadam1@hotmail.com
seth adam scheinberg
Naval Sea Systems Command, Help Desk
(703) 602-4111 x415
pager: 5487922@skytel.com
Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 20:10:17 EDT
From: Phish8585@aol.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net, RTH72@aol.com
Subject: Meadows 6/30/00 Review
Phish @ Hartford Meadows, 6/30/00
Let me just start off by saying, I'm not a big fan of Hartford. I've seen a
handful of Phish shows in Hartford, and the shows are always great, but I just
don't like going to Hartford. So when summer dates were released, a lack of
Great Woods, and the addition of the Meadows didn't make me too thrilled. But
alas, a Phish show is a Phish show. Skip to 3 months later, I'm on the road to
CT with some friends to catch these shows. I'm psyched, because I'm second row
for 7/1 (best seats since 97' :). Check into the hotel around 2:00 with tons
of cool folks around, though the staff was obnoxious and rude. Another reason
I don't like going to Hartford is the lack of anything to do. I laid around
for 2 1/2 hrs., bored beyond belief. Finally around 4:30 we left.
I wasn't too sure what too expect. I had never been to the Meadows, though I
heard horror stories about security. All I knew was there were two important
factors. 1 - Phish 2 - New England. When those two are combined it is
guaranteed fun. We arrive at the Meadows, and it is a great day. I'm
exploring, and the place seems really nice...BUT, the lots are a zoo. There
are like eight different lots all over the place, weird stuff. I'm walking
around, and the first thing I notice is, a lot less people there for only
drugs, a lot less kids there because "Phish is the coolest thing," and not
that many all around jerks. Wait a minute...I'm at a Phish shows here. It
feels like the old days again (if you took away 10,000 people). It seemed like
everyone was there for the MUSIC, unlike my last shows in Providence /
Hartford (99') . Those shows were a zoo, the majority of the place just wanted
"E." It seems so weird, the lots took a turn for the better, after being
brutal last year. Even the ticketless seemed down (not all that much, but
still). The scene was one factor which I was not looking forward to in CT, but
I was blown away. So much kindness.
Well, the scene was different, but of course, that is only secondary to the
music. I was still not sure if they were over the some that mini 99' slump.
The setlists looked great, the shows got rave reviews, and the band seemed
rejuvenated, but again it isn't always how good it looks on paper. Around 7:00
(8:00 start, so I knew they wouldn't be on for a while) we walked into the
show. It felt incredible, seeing my favorite band again after 6 months, and
feeling that I was going to get my money's worth times a million. I'm on the
pavilion, but the people I went with are lawn, so I decide to stay with them.
We set up shop in front of the stage, and shoot the breeze for a while. Then I
see tons of my friends, whom I haven't seen in months. This is turning out to
be GREAT! Finally close to 9:00, the band takes the stage...all smiles to be
back in New England.
Set I:
I was calling (or at least hoping) for the Curtain, but it wasn't to be. Not
to be denied they jump head first into HA HA HA. Sweet! Nice song, not one of
my favorites, but I'm happy :) Here we go...AC/DC BAG, and were off. The Bag
had so much energy, an incredible jam. The Last Bag I heard never really took
off (Hartford 99') and contained no real jam, but this one rocked from start
to finish. I expected a slow song, but TWEEZER is just fine. I can't say I
love Tweezer, I can get down to it, and it usually has some nice funk, but it
isn't one of my favorite songs. Redemption! A segue into RUNAWAY JIM! 97'
flashbacks...ahhhhh. I can't stress how much I love Runaway Jim, especially
when the mid-song jam really takes off (which it did). One of my fav.
versions. It's no Starlake 98' or Worcester 97,' but an incredible version
nonetheless. Then comes a song which ever since the dates were announced I was
hoping to hear. I haven't heard SNEAKIN' SALLY since Oswego, but it was well
worth the wait. I was so happy to hear this, it was executed perfectly, and I
was in bliss! I'm loving the bluegrass as GINSENG is a nice break from the
heavy artillery and nonstop grooving. I figured GUYUTE would close the set, I
had noticed the first sets were shorter this tour, though I didn't really mind
because the set was really great. It seemed like a different band then 99.'
Now I'm more of a fan of old-school versions Guyute, but this was still nice.
As I was getting ready to lay down for the end of the set...WHAM! GOLGI! While
not my favorite Phish song, I love to hear it live. Bombastic lights, and
everyone is going nuts. They keep throwing out surprise after surprise, the
end of Golgi trails off as TWEEZER REPRISE surfaces from the background! I
love this song so much better in this placement, then in the encore slot. I
love the Reprise, though I'm not a huge fan of Tweezer itself. Anyhoo, the
band knocks me out again...POSSUM!! Whooooosssshhhh, a great version! Wow,
what a set. An unprecedented four set closers to end set one. Thanks guys!!
Set Break:
I'm thankful that Phish really took it up a notch from last year. Every show I
saw in 99' was really good, but a lot of tapes I heard never really left the
ground as they had in the past. But wow, Phish was smokin' this summer! Set
break was long...they didn't come back on till about 10:30. Finally the lights
dim...
Set II:
One word....HALLEY'S. Holy crap! Opening with Halley's is the sure sign of a
special set, and that it was. Now since I've been a Phish fan, MANGO SONG has
always been one of my favorite songs. Through the many Phish shows I've seen,
I've never seen a live Mango. Imagine my surprise as I hear those familiar
notes segue out of Halley's. The whole place was jumping for joy (and with
good reason). This was an incredible version, one of the highlights of my
entire Phish career. To make a great set even better...TWIST AROUND. The crowd
chimes in with the WOOOO'S. JOSIE WALES and BACK ON THE TRAIN, while good
tunes, weren't anything special. I like Josie for the great acoustic guitar,
but Back On The Train has nothing worth while in my opinion. I'm still happy
we've heard a great set. MAKISUPA, puts that ear to ear smile on my face. This
song just makes me laugh, it is so goofy yet has serious interplay going on.
FARMHOUSE. What can I say? The band can play what ever they want, once it
became so frequent, I lost alot of interest in it. I loved the song when they
first played it on Letterman, and when I heard it live for the first time at
Worcester 97', but once they added all the reprising lyrics, etc., I lost
interest. One thing I noticed was, I heard louder cheers for Farmhouse then
most other tunes. Weird. SLEEPING MONKEY. OK, PHUN is such an important part
of Phish shows, and that's what this song is about. Fish sounded so good
during his lyrics. I was hoping this wouldn't end the set, but this was
Hartford, they were playing incredible, they wouldn't leave on that note. I
was expecting Chalkdust, Character Zero, maybe something else, but BOWIE was a
huge surprise. I was, again, jumping for joy. They took this one for a ride.
Awesome tune! THANKS PHISH!
E:
CAVERN, A personal favorite! I love this song, it was hilarious to see Trey,
you could tell he barely knew what song he was in, never mind remember the
lyrics, but this was another example of the PHUN factor. Throwing a crazy
Tweezer jam during every instrumental section. Then trying to get the band
Fish to go into Moby Dick. Tons of phun. Thanks guys.
Afterthoughts:
The show was incredible, not the best Phish concert I've seen, but definitely
one of the most fun. The music was so pure (and deranged) and the groove kept
flowing. This is the Phish I love.
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 11:02:13 -0400
From: "Pillow, Mathew" MPillow@ameshome.com
To: "'dws@www.phish.net'" dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Hartford CT, Meadows, 6/30, 7/1.
I haven't really been on tour in awhile. So, excuse me for the question I
am going to ask shortly.
6/30. Can't really remember all the songs 'cause I was working. (Not sure
if I should say what I do there or not...) But this was going to be the
first show I have ever worked. 42nd show attended. Not only did the boys
blow me away, (and most everyone else working there that night) but you did.
You as in the Phish community. You guys/girls were the ones who MADE the
show for those of us who worked. Exactly like I've told everyone it would
be. I even had a couple of people apologize to me for doubting a crowd
could be that cool. I wanted to say Thank you to all who were there on
Friday night.
Date: Wed, 05 Jul 2000 14:46:27 EDT
From: Alex & Karla funkship@hotmail.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: RE: VIEW OF HARTFORD 6/30/00
Review of the Music and Scene at Hartford Meadows Music Center Show on
6/30/00
This is the first show I^Òve seen since new years at BIG Cyprus and since
I^Òve been going to shows (^Ò92) and this one is up there. This is also my
first review and please let me know what I can do to make my reviews better!
Alex is my name funkship@hotmail.com is my domain!
PAGE McConnel: were you using the same amp as Mike Gordon in ^Ò92 where you
would go in and out of the mix? Did you loose your amp in a bet or
something? Am I going to have to start a "People For a Louder Page Page?"
The only time I heard the keys were on the bluegrass tunes (you sounded
great when audible). This was unfortunate, but I enjoyed the show
nonetheless.
The day started off with the usual hectic road drama associated with leaving
NYC. Traffic backed up on exit 32b at 6:00!!! However, we were able to
check into the ^Óda, da, da, da... HILTON^Ô in time to miss "ha ha ha",
running through the gates to sounds of AC/DC Bag!!
Ha Ha Ha- the joke was on me as I was outside wondering why everyone was
dancing on the lawn!!! It sounded great from the parking lot though. I
could just about make out every time the band stopped and went ^ÓHa ha ha
ha^Ô!
AC/DC Bag- tight and funky as always. Fishman sounded PHINE on this one
and just watching the boyz have such a good time on stage really made me
smile. The shuffle section of the song at the end (you know, where it gets
faster and accents are on the upbeat) was a little muffled and not as raging
as I would have liked, but nonetheless tight BAG.
Tweezer I must admit I was scepticle of the placement of this song but
after the first measure it had that dark sound to it. Y^Òknow, that evil
first few measures where you know it^Òs gonna rock. Similar to the way the
Bomb Factory starts off (almost an octave lower or in some minor chord).
This Tweezer was not even close to the Bomb Factory version as very few
Tweezers are. The jam made me dance my ass off in a phlowy sort of oozing
fashion. They would get supper tight and funky and then put in the spaces
and air the jam out a little. Every few seconds I would be like, ^Óyeah
fishman, yeah mike, yeah fishman, ooooooh trey^Ô!
Runaway Jim- Glad to hear the Old School Jams like this one!! At first I
was totally annoyed at the singing by everyone on the lawn! I had my eyes
closed and was rockin^Ò out and then I got pissed because peops was screamin^Ò
the lycs. I opened up my eyes to see who was being annoying and I just saw
so many smiling faces, everyone lost in their own world and figured, who the
fuck am I to stop their phun! I was phyced that Mike started to sneak the
Nellie Kane/Ginseng quotes into the song and figured we were in for some
rockin^Ò bluegrass to come.
Sneakin^Ò Salley Through the Alley- Mike Gordon definitely sneaked the
underwater popping bass effect past Trey on this song. Trey was like, I
don^Òt need this underwater reverb effect anymore, it isn^Òt ^Ò93 and I need
some new sounds, ^ÓHey Mike, throw this effect out for me.^Ô Mike replies
with shifty eyes, ^ÓYeah, ugh, sure Trey, I^Òll put this right in the garbage.
I won^Òt use it on my bass or anything like that. Hee hee!^Ô He stole the
song with that cosmic funk pop that cause me to step back, take a step back,
and yet another^Å step back. Veeerrryyy Phunky!!
Ginseng Sullivan- I was right!!! Ginseng commin^Ò through loud and clear!
My favorite sight was watching a women up on the lawn with her little baby,
stopping and teaching her baby how to clap on the upbeat. ^ÓThat^Òs gonna be
one grooovy kid, maaaaaannnnn!^Ô (J. Sebastian-woodstock) So many smiles as
we waded our way through the velvet sea up to the top of the lawn to try to
get a better listen to Page who had a really nice solo. He^Òs a great stride
pianist and he is able to play traditional stride like in the bluegrass
tunes, or create wonderful tension in a Thelonius Monk sort of jazzy way on
the more rock n roll tunes.
Guyute- Cool lights on this one. Pretty standard phare! They are starting
to hit all the right notes!! This is one of those tunes that just keep
moving closer to perfection each time they play it.
Golgi Apparatus- I was glad to have my ticket stub for this show and Golgi
reminded me of just how special the night was.
Tweeprise- Wow, what a short set! I can^Òt believe they are about to end.
Nice build, AHHHHH there you are Page! I can hear you on the organ smashes.
Song^Òs over, why didn^Òt Trey say anything.
Possum- What!?!?! Way to catch the entire venue off guard, people were
like getting out of line for the fried dough and running back up the hill
because the set continued!! Small build up in the beginning. I expect to
hear a fall down or a turn or some secret language (do they do that anymore?
I haven^Òt heard that since New Haven ^Ò95 with a fall down! That^Òs a
great
Possum!) Anyhoo, tight Possum until Trey busted a note at the end of his
solo that made every dog in the tri-state area yelp!!!! It was like off the
fret board, discordant and awful. Then he had the unmitigated audacity to^Å
bust it again and bend it somewhat with a little more clarity and a little
more vibratto, as if to say, ^ÓSee, I told you this note fits!! In your
face, Coltrane!^Ô
Set II
They were all gathered around the drums, in tight and it seemed like they
were arguing over what the next song should be when^Å
Halley^Òs Comet- Good way to open up the second set and still managing to
catch the audience off guard. The harmonies were great and I just really
dig the lyrics. I even thought about goin^Ò down to the central part of
Hartford that night, but luckily, my girlfriend reminded me that it was a
tough neighborhood (and we live in Brooklyn)!!!
The Mango Song- I haven^Òt heard this since 10/29/94 at the Philly Civic
Center! I was so excited to hear it again for the second time. This song
just gets quieter and quieter and chiller and chiller until they are quiet
enough that I can actually hear PAGE. Twinkly Twinkly Chairman of the
Boards! Sounded really nice and took his time on the solo. I did think
that I was drawn out a little too long!
TWIST- not to be confused with TMWSIY. All you peops who love to abrev.
confuse the shit outta dyslexics like myself. SOAM-FOAM is another one.
There is only one word for this song similar to Homer Simpson^Òs feelings on
his pennant winning Isotopes, ^ÓWHOOO!^Ô
The Inlaw Josie Whales- Beautifully arranged classicalesque song. Haven^Òt
heard this since the Tibet Freedom Concert. This is my girlfriends favorite
and we spent a good portion of this song looking up into the beautiful stars
and swaying in each other^Òs arms.
Back on the Train- This little rockabilly numbah makes me dance do a happy
little square dance with everyone around me. I don^Òt know why. There was a
train that actually went by along the outskirts of the venue. This was also
the place where some careless phans took a short cut over the tracks after
the show.
Makisupa Policeman- Possibly busted out for the uneccessairly long wait to
get past the ticket checkers into the venue. I missed the first two songs
of the next show due to the maticulous efforts of Hartford^Òs Phinest. This
song was dank with Mike dropping that bass and Page all over the melody.
^ÓOne bourbon, one scotch, and one big phat doobe!^Ô coming out of trey^Òs
laughing phace up on the screen was classic as hell! The whole vocal jam
^ÓPoliceman, Kingston, came to my house^Ô thing was out of control till I
didn^Òt know if they were actually saying Kingston or if that was a
combination of sounds- That^Òs the point! Great crowd pleazer, nicely
placed, good jam, I give this one two doobes up!
Farmhouse- Looking into my girlfriends eyes on this was priceless and
although I^Òm not the biggest phan of this song, it all made sense in the
long run.
Sleeping Monkey- Have not heard this one since Glens Falls Halloween. When
Fishman sang his part, he tweaked the ^Óhome on the
Trrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnn^Ô part so smoothly and
perfectly! He fuckin^Ò makes me laugh every time he opens his mouth.
David Bowie- I was so excited to be delivered this one because on the way
to the venue we were listening to Ziggy Stardust by the man, himself. The
place was hoppin^Ò non-stoppin^Ò all the way through the little classical
sections and dancing their asses off in perfectly to the melody (thank you
rave culture for finding your way into the phish community! You give us all
a great sense of rhythm and adventure and most of all GLOWSTICK WARS!!!!!!)
Raging lights as well, not to mention, I^Òve been noticing the light work as
spectacular in my recent shows!!! Good tight ending that feels like your
getting punched in the eye!
ENCORE or ENC (for all you abrevs.): Cavern: Tight and great as usual that
was old school sounding minus the kick dance Mike and Trey used to do back
in like ^Ò93. What the fuck was the tweeprise measure, in between verses!
That was really cool! Tweeprise gets so much mileage! I remember back in
^Ò95 at the Spectrum second set of the second night opened with tweeprise
after not closing the show before (that never happened back then). Then all
of a sudden Trey gets tired of the song and says in his best english Robert
Plant accent, ^ÓJonathan Fishman, Moby DICK, Dick, Dick, Dick (Ala Song
Remains the Same)^Ô and goes into the Moby Dick riff for a couple. Then
Fishman does part of the solo where Bonham takes it down and hits very slow
minimal fills before smashing into the huge crescendo (die hards, it^Òs the
part right before the race car in the movie of Song Remains the Same). Time
for the ending and possibly my favorite part of the show, Trey takes the
guitar off his shoulder and holds it by the neck as if to smash it, you
could hear Paul Languedoc screaming, ^ÓNO! NO! What the fuck are you
doing!^Ô I even thought he was gonna do it, and then he swung it in a circle
creating feedback, over his head flicking it slowly at the audience like a
fishing pole or a hose to screaming phans, then he lifted the fucker over
his head with one hand and the note/feedback got higher and higher, at this
moment my girlfriend turns to me and says, ^ÓDoes he do this at every show?^Ô
Only to drop it into his hands and finish the song on the right note!!! WOW.
I haven^Òt seen antics like that in a while and was really happy to see the
whole potential fuck with the audience tricks being recycled (like when they
used to wheel the gong out, Trey would pick up the mallet and just let it
drop along side never striking it!)
The vibe during both nights was really phabulous, I received many blisters
from beating my Djembe before and after the shows, and I believe that I saw
Mike Gordon jogging in the downtown park before the second night!! Can^Òt
wait for the Fall Tour!!!
Date: Thu, 06 Jul 2000 16:18:52 -0400
From: Paul Rizzi prizzi@northernlight.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Lots of Fun
I won't do a song by song here, but I want to write a review as I felt this
was a special show, and IMO the best show of the Hartford/Camden run.
When they open with HAHAHA, you can bet that they will pull something out.
So we get a Sneakin' Sally in the first set. Honestly, after seeing the
setlists from the beginning of this tour, I figured they were done after
Guyute. 7 songs seems like a lot for this tour. But no, Golgi comes out.
Nice surprise, and it stuck with the old school theme (I felt like I was
transported back to a Great Woods show, '94 vintage!). For sure, they were
done now...but they kicked into a Reprise, the obvious oldschool set
closer. But they didn't bow or say thanks or anything like that...and then
there was Possum! Are you kidding me?!?!?! An hour and a half first
set?!?!?!?!
Second set was more of the same. Mango was the most jammed out version
I've ever seen and/or heard. That was a TREAT! I had never heard the
Inlaw Josie Wales before, and it gave me inspiration to pick up the
acoustic and play soft, beautiful music later that night. During Makisupa,
Trey said the "1 bourbon, 1 scotch" bit, but then hesitated for a second.
He finally decided on something to say (inspired by the sights in the
crowd?) and the song continued. However, this was quite a telling moment
for me. This hesitation said to me that they were basically pulling stuff
out of their ass all night, and it's true. From the opening of HAHAHA, you
could tell that they were psyched to be playing. I have not gotten that
feeling from an entire Phish concert in a while, and I believe that's why
his show stood out IMO from the rest. I had not felt that energy
throughout an entire show for several years, and it is part of the reason
why I stopped going to so many shows. Anyhoo, the Monkey was a treat, and
I figured that we were done. BOWIE...kind of like the first set, they
didn't want to get off the stage. Another hour+ set!!!!!
Now the encore-Trey was Tweezing between every line of Cavern, and I was
getting flashbacks to when I heard a Cavern in like '95 or something that
Trey laced with Heartbreaker teases. It sounded very, very familiar. So
I'm sitting there loving this raucous Cavern, dreaming of Zeppelin, when
Trey does the Robert Plant scream and echo from The Song Remains the Same.
ARE YOU SHITTING ME???? They seemed to hesitate here, and I thought for
sure that they would play Moby Dick, and there was a good 15+ second
tension time when it seemed they would go into it, but it never fully
materialized. I didn't think that Fish would actually do a drum solo, but
I thought they might run the riff a few times. Oh well. Don't take that
at all like a complaint-the encore ROCKED! Then Trey does that feedback
thing with his guitar...AMAZING!!!!
The jist here is that the boys were simply happy to be there and were
genuinely enjoying themselves onstage. I don't know if it was ye olde New
England crowd or what, but this was an old school show, and it was awesome!
It took a long time, but I'm definitely back on the train! Thank you Phish!
pcr3
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 23:12:41 EDT
From: Mrturtle@aol.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: review 6/30/00
first set... maybe the best or second best set thus far this year...
HaHaHa
very clear indication that good things were coming and an awesome song too -
induced a lot of energy
AC/DC Bag
there have been some pretty raging versions of this song in the past couple
of years - add this one to the list and put it at the top - jam started off
with a really chill melodic sound that they've been perfecting in the past
couple of years - they used it a lot tonight too - but when this Bag got hot,
it just caught fire, and stayed lit for a long time - absolutely en fuego
Tweezer
There are so many people that very vocally dislike this song - especially
folks I know from this area - well maybe I'm the only one who's noticed but
December at the Civic Center was the first time in six years they played a
show in Connecticut without playing Tweezer - and the New Haven Tweezers (92,
95, & 98) are - by far - the best three I have heard - 95 being the best. The
one from Friday was more of that chill stuff - and it sounded great - it
flowed perfectly - even into D major for Runaway Jim
Runaway Jim
one of my favorite songs - I was ecstatic when Trey started hitting the
chords over the dying seconds of Tweezer - this particular version was long -
which meant more of a good thing cause it was good too - real good - Nellie
Cane or Ginseng Sullivan teases at the beginning of the jam - developed
really well and slowly - the portion with energy was perfection - I can't
wait to hear it for a second time - a classic Runaway Jim, no doubt about it
Sneakin' Sally through the Alley
I love this song - I thought there was a chance we'd get something like the
spectacular 7/7/99 with more of that chill stuff and Trey backing down - and
this one was kind of the same idea, just a little more mellow, and shorter -
nothing mind-blowing, but a really good sound
Ginseng Sullivan
Craftfully foreshadowed in Runaway Jim - Page had a good solo but his sound
wasn't too great at the Meadows
Guyute
Knew what it was as soon as Trey started clicking the strings to count it off
- the crowd loved it as always, despite a few minor mistakes towards the
beginning; finished well as usual
Golgi Apparatus
What a great song - the place erupted when they jumped back into the chorus -
everything clicked - lights and music - could have closed
Tweezer Reprise
I was surprised to hear it because I really thought Possum was going to close
the first set - this was a clean, high-energy Tweeprise - but when Trey
didn't say anything as the last note hit, I realized they weren't done - I
figured a Stash or Possum or Llama was coming...
Possum
...Number 2. I called it. Unforgettable Possum - the energy just poured out
from everybody - the boys, Chris, the crowd - Trey got obnoxious at the end -
he was having so much fun, which was great to see - the sound reminded me of
my first Possum in New Haven - but when he came out of the feedback and
sliding up the neck, he hit a super turbo outrageously high... E I guess it
was - the place went nuts and he looked over to his right in satisfaction -
the band cut off to silence between lyrics when they went back into the verse
- a lot of noise when they did - so much energy - incredible end to an
incredible set of music
set two... a little more on the mellow side but it started and ended well
Halley's Comet
I came when I heard it - I just came and messed in my pants - my third
Halley's Comet in as many shows - what a feeling - probably my second
favorite Phish song - I knew when it started they were going to jam it out,
Great Woods style - this one didn't have the same solid riffs from Trey but
it had a similar sound to it, like the chill stuff I've been mentioning - a
real gift to be able to hear once again
The Mango Song
I would have lost it again if I hadn't about 12 minutes earlier - this is
absolutely my favorite Phish song - they were dialing my number tonight -
very few mistakes, which is admirable because this is an outrageously
difficult song to play - they usually mess up quite a bit in it as a result -
but tonight's version was very solid - they stretched out the instrumental
part beautifully - it made the moment last longer - like I said - they were
dialing my number - I couldn't have been happier
Twist
nice segue from Mango Song - great tune but I like the old arrangement better
- they kept the jam pretty laid back for a while and I thought it might not
get as intense as a lot of the jams had tonight - I was wrong - this ended up
being an absolutely fantastic Twist - they brought it back to the lyrics and
it finished well
The Inlaw Josie Wales
I like this song - I think it has a really nice sound to it, and I think it's
great to hear if it's well-placed - it was that tonight, following that Twist
Back on the Train
I knew they were going to play it tonight - I figured during the first
though. It's a catchy tune but there are things I'd rather hear - they kept
this one short, and Trey didn't try to do too much, so I was happy
Makisupa Policeman
Actually segued out of the jam from Back on the Train - this song is so much
fun - the keyword may or may not have been one of the greatest things to come
out of Trey's mouth - "One scotch... one bourbon... one big fat doooobe!" - I
thought he said doobe not doobie but my buddy thought differently - either
way, Trey hesitated a lot when he said it - made it seem completely on the
spot, which was cool - everyone went crazy, needless to say. The instrumental
part was very enjoyable - Trey busted up some keyboards and everyone cut off
'cept for him for a few bars - a very entertaining Makisupa Policeman
Farmhouse
I didn't want to hear it - but it ended up sounding really good - short and
sweet like the Back on the Train - the last note trailed off into Sleeping
Monkey
Sleeping Monkey
I was surprised how intense this got after Jon sang - a lot of fun as usual
David Bowie
Here we go. Bowie all the way - it never really sounded like Maze - I was
expecting to settle down into a long intro but they busted into it quickly,
which caught me by surprise. There weren't really any noticeable mistakes
from anyone during the beginning - which is pretty rare. I realized when the
jam started, the glowsticks were gonna fly, and soon enough they did - the
jam flowed prefectly - and the last few minutes soared as usual - Trey was
perfect at the finish - a textbook David Bowie - the glowsticks and the
energy made it special
Cavern
Wow. Maybe you have to have seen it to believe it. I remembered how they
added those couple lines of original lyrics when they encored with Cavern in
Hartford in 97 and I wondered if they were going to do anything like that
this time... haha - man oh man - this is where the limitations of the English
launguage shine... the craziness started when Trey very clearly teased
Tweezer between every verse at the beginning - I think he messed up the
lyrics a couple of times due to laughter - then at one point he just
completely cut off a line and yelled "Jonathan Fishman! Moby DICK DICK DICK!"
- whatever that was all about, it must have been pretty funny cause they
showed Jon on the screens and he was cracking up and I could see Page was
too. I can't recall at the moment how the Zeppelin song Moby Dick begins -
but they might have teased it at that point - I do remember that they all cut
off into silence about a few seconds later, during which Jon hit a few things
before more silence before they went back into Cavern. So they kept on
playing and - I think - cut off one more time before the "Picture of Nectar"
part. The place was loving the stuff. Then they hit the final note. The final
note. It will go down in history. They began by holding the thing out for
about thirty seconds - then it seemed like Jon was ready to end it, and it
staggered for a moment as a result - but it kept on going - and as it started
to settle back in, Trey began to lift his guitar up into the air, very slowly
- and as people began to notice, the place gradually erupted again - and then
as Trey reached straight up into the air with his guitar, he started to wave
it around in circles, and then he made sort of a slow throwing motion with
it, and then he started to swing it like a baseball bat - still all the
motions happening very slowly, achieving different feedback effects - this
went on for what seemed like a lifetime - and what was actually a very long
time too - about one and a half minutes maybe - until Trey was holding the
guitar at its base and aiming it down towards the crowd - and that's when it
started - he began to lift the guitar up such that the end of the neck was
pointing towards people sitting increasingly farther away and the feedback
was gradually gaining presence and he lifted it higher and higher and the
feedback started to fill the venue and resonate and everyone responded with
defeaning noise until Trey had lifted the guitar to where his arms were
completely outstretched above his head and the neck pointed straight up
towards the sky, his eyes following it, and the feedback rang through the
city, all of us staring in awe - and he held it there for a few seconds until
Jon hit the snare a few times, indicating that the end was near - and when
they closed it out, Trey dropped his guitar and caught it in midair, and he
must have fingered E as he caught it or something because he got the right
sound out of it when he caught it and that's when it ended. Wow. Good Cavern.
What I want to recognize from this show, more than anything else, is that
they were having fun. While this show didn't beat Great Woods night two as
the best one I've seen, it had never been so apparent to me in any moment of
either concert I had seen before that they were having as good a time as they
were at so many moments tonight - especially Trey. The jams from Friday were
very memorable, and I can't wait to find this show on the internet and hear
it for a second time. We are very fortunate to be able to relive great
memories through the trading of music - and those people who were present
this night in Hartford are even more fortunate because they have some really
special memories from a really special show.
Thanks Trey, Page, Mike, and Jon. Peace.
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 12:21:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dave Lodge kaylis007@yahoo.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: Setlist Times & Review 6/30-7/1
6/30
I.
(8:37) Ha Ha Ha,(8:40) AC/DC Bag,(8:51) ???Tweezer>(9:05) Runaway Jim,(9:18)
Sneaking Sally Through the Alley,(9:28) Ginseng Sullivan, (9:31) Guyute,(9:43)
Golgi,(9:48) Reprize,(9:51) Possum(10:01) -1hr 24mins
II.
(10:46) Halleys' Comet*>(11:03) Mango Song> (11:14) Twist,(11:25) Inlaw Josie
Whales,(11:29) Back on the Train**>(11:36) Makisupa#,(11:42 )
Farmhouse,(11:48) Sleeping Monkey,(11:55) ???Bowie***(12:08) - 1hr 22mins
E.
(12:11) Cavern/Reprize****##(12:18) - 2hr 53mins
*Halleys' inspired by Spotlight
**GBotT inspired by 8:00 Train
***Bowie Glowstick War
****Lots of Reprize teases
# "...One Big Fat Doobie!" Trey on keys
##Short-Short Moby Dick Jam
???Maze teases???
First night ever at The Meadows, so you'd expect the boys to come out
strong and lay down a heavy history for the joint...Oh and they DID!
HaHaHa(3)- 1st timer for me, short and sweet, good opener...It told ya that
this shit tonight is gona get silly!
AC/DC(11)- Gamehendge is Gamehendge dude. The jam came around to a pretty
solid groove that easliy found... Tweezer(14)- Im not the biggest fan, but
they kept it close and very tight. Not too much wandering...Mike was laying
down some nice lines to ease the rythm. Runaway Jim(13)- Always fun...It
totaly blew up, Mike's dropping lines and then Trey comes in...Wah, Wah,
Wah...HUGE!
Sneakin Sally(10)- No way they actualy played this! The whole place was
jumping. Sally comepletly ROCKED! At this point I thought they might never
slow down but I needed a breather, so came...
Ginseng Sullivan(4)- Exactly what I needed, sat down and enjoyed some much
needed leg rest.
Guyute(12)- I wasnt really pumped but they were on for this one. They were
taking it places but, still not really far. So I figure this might close this
set but nope...
Golgi(5)- Yes! This was definatley the ticket stub to have in youre hand. Very
energetic, very on...So, NOW i figure that this MUST close it....NOPE!!!
Reprize(3)- The only upside to any Tweezer, theres always a Reprize...1st set
Reprize? Cool. Ok, so THIS IS THE CLOSER...NOPE!!!
Possum(10)- No way is this STILL goin on...They just didnt wanna get off
stage. This Possum was a rager, it never lost any energy, its just gathered
more and more speed. Finally, the ending of an epic set and a shadow of whats
to come.
Halleys'(17)- Oh Hell Yeah...I wanted it soooo bad, and I got it. Very spacey
and flowing, so much enthusiasm...Trey was into it, he took the lead and let
them follow.
Mango(11)- Will this madness ever end?! I guess not...So clear and groovin, my
dancing got outa control..."Your hands and feet are mangos..." I lost it im
dancing nround in cicles flailing and swinging!
Twist(11)- Love this one...Whoo!...Its definately maturing along with GBotT
and Jibbo. Very tight...and comeback from the jam was seemless...Whoo!
InlawJosieWhales(4)- My 3rd one. I was blessed, its so beautiful...it
transforms a huge amphitheater into a club show...Sit back relax and take it
all in.
GBotT(17)- Wow, they totaly took of on this one, much like the 20min Japan
GBotT...Very tight Mike and Trey were going back and forth. its a benchmark
for GBotT, giving it much more of a pesonality.
Makisupa(8)- They Boys were on and they knew it. Mike just kept bouncing and
plucking, slaming down on the groove.
Farmhouse(6) Eh..So-so, I sang along because the vocals are getting nicer and
nicer with each play.
Sleeping Monkey(7)- Outa nowhere just like the Sneaking Sally, very colorful
put me nice and laid back and got me ready for...
Bowie(13)- Nice...this Bowie totaly rocked...It went up and down and back up
again...Glowsticks were flying and bodies were in motion...the climb to the
apex was sweet, every note right on like they just didnt want to stop...and ya
know they didnt!
Cavern/Reprise(7)- This is MY song! I lost my shoes at BigCypress...I fell
asleep in that crazy traffic and never saw em again. Absolutely rocking! In
and Out of Reprize as well...put a very nice exlamation mark on a night that
was FULL of em!
Date: Sat, 1 Jul 2000 11:43:55 -0400
From: GigaFool gigafool@excite.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: 6/30/00 Review
REVIEW OF 6/30/00:
Well, after about an hour drive back home, I'm still hyped up, and ready
to write my first review... feedback is welcome, because I'd like to write
more of these.
I got a late start because my friend had to finish work, then I hear
that his father (the kid is 19 years old...) isn't going to let him drive,
so we need a ticket for his dad. Now, I have no problem with this guy
coming to the concert, but seeing as he is now driving, we are subject to
his decisions. One of which keeps me from picking up batteries for my
boombox I wanted to use to replace my friend's broken car radio.
Finally we left around 5:30, and headed out to Hartford. Rush hour
was just starting to end, so we hit mad traffic for about 20 exits on
I-84, and I feared I would miss the opening songs. Fortunately, we made
it to the Meadows at about 7:45 or so, and after walking the mile from the
parking garage (remind me never to go late to a show again), we waited in
line with the thousands of other people just recently arriving. The
wonderful smell produced by pot smoke, cigarettes, alcohol, and body oder
was reaching a perfect blend, although it nearly knocked me out on my way
into the venue.
I made my way to the very top of the lawn and set up with my friend
and his dad, while we waited about 15 minutes until the band came on.
SET I:
Ha Ha Ha: I'd never heard this one before at all, and it was a new
experience. Was about two minutes long but rocked for the whole time, and
was very enjoyable. This ended quick and the band jumped into...
AC/DC Bag: I started running down the lawn the minute I heard the opening
chords, and made it to the road between the lawn and the pavilion just in
time to join the others in creating a little dancing space on the access
road. The jam was stupendous... nonstop rock for this one. I didn't stop
moving until the song ended, and I heard the opening to...
Tweezer: Not one of my favorite tunes, although I can appreciate it if it
is kept relatively short, which the boys did tonight. I really did enjoy
this one, and was hoping for a Reprise sometime later. I started to lie
down in the grass after about ten minutes, and suddenly came...
Runaway Jim: The energy during this one was incredible. Trey was so sick
with his licks and didn't let up the entire time, the crowd was just
loving this song, and whoever was getting annoyed at people singing, I
sang the whole time, so hahaha.
Sneaking Sally/Ginseng Sullivan: Time for me to take a breather and sit
down and just listen to the music. Not as much jam during these, more of
just beautiful songs floating around the lawn. I watched the monitors
showing the people in the pavilion dancing with their eyes closed, and
just enjoyed it.
Guyute/Golgi: The beginning of Guyute was pretty much standard, and was
definitely a crowd pleaser. Once it started to build up to trey's riffs,
the song really took off, and I barely even noticed the short Golgi tacked
onto the end of the song. Then I got what I was waiting for.
Tweezer Reprise: I love listening to the modulating chords under the
constant riff, and just stood there jumping up and down while this one
went down. I stepped over to one of the heads jotting in his notebook,
and asked him the last time he got one of these and he said "about 4 shows
ago, and flipped back and showed me his notes for Atlanta." We danced the
song out and thought the set was ending, but then I heard fish start his
drum up again, and we got...
Possum: What a cool song. I just loved listening to this one and singing
along with everybody else. Trey really fit in well with Page and Mike and
Fish, and it sounded like a wonderful compilation, less than just a hard
solo from Trey. They kept pretending to end the song, but starting it up
again, and it was fooling everybody, and I just laughed and jumped up and
down like a crazy kid.
SETBREAK: With that incredible set under my belt I decided to get some
fried dough, and spent the break in line chatting with a 40ish guy who
used to be a deadhead and was actually in pictures in dead books and
stuff. Then another kid in front of me sat down abruptly and his friend
explained about the shrooms he was on. Whoever you are, hope you felt
better, nobody likes a bad trip.
SET II: Made it to my area just in time to piss on the wall and hear...
Halley's Comet: Never heard it live before, and took me a minute to
figure out what it was, so I just sat there for most of it and listened.
Very nice song and I hope to hear it again sometime.
The Mango Song: As soon as I heard the opening, I called up my
girlfriend, who could only make the second show. She loves this song, and
listened to it over the phone while I danced around in crazy circles.
Nice jam by the boys to pull it into....
Twist Around: Very high energy, and the crowd got into it. Some kid got
onto his hands and just twirled his feet around in the air, and I thought
it would have looked incredible with some glowsticks in his shoes.
Inlaw Josie Wales: So incredible to watch Trey with his acoustic guitar,
and a wonderful song to listen to. I wish I had someone to dance to... it
sounds like such a sad song, and it sounded so good tonight.
Back on the Train: Similar to the conan version, sounded short, with a
little jam, quickly moved into...
Makisupa Policeman: I love the way they play it quicker now, and Mike got
the funk down on this one, I love the sound of that bass...
Farmhouse: I kind of like this one, and sat down and sang along with it.
Sleeping Monkey: I don't really have any thoughts on this one.
David Bowie: What a great tune, tremendous energy, the crowd was going
nuts and dancing ALL OVER THE PLACE. I couldn't move an inch where I was
standing, there were people all over the place. Great great bowie.
ENCORE:
Cavern: I love this song, the words are great, the song is great, and
there were tweezer teases included, which made me nostalgic for the first
set.
Final Thoughts: What a show. What a fucking show. The vibe was
incredible tonight, and Trey had a smile on his face the entire time.
Everything was happy there, the security was lax, I saw two arrests the
entire night, and both were outside the venue. People were being extra
curteous, and I enjoyed myself so much tonight. I cannot wait until
tomorrow to see what they pull out... maybe a Reba or a YEM? We'll wait
and see. I'll give another review tomorrow.
--------------------------------
GigaFool
gigafool@excite.com
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 11:20:47 EDT
From: Jpedj@aol.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: 6/30/00 Hartford, CT review
Disclaimer: This is my version of the setlist, take it for what it is.
I: Ha Ha Ha, Bag/Jam/Pause/Jam -> Tweezer/Mike Solo/Jam -> Jim!
Sneakin Sally, Ginseng, Guyute, Golgi -> Tweeprise, Possum
II: Halley's -> Jam -> Mango/Page/Jam -> Twist, Inlaw, GBOTT -> *Makisupa,
Farmhouse, Sleeping Monkey, Bowie
E: **Cavern
*One bourbon, one scotch, one big fat doob
**w/Tweezer jams
They meant business the first show in Hartford!
Taking the stage around 8:45 and opening with a tight and powerful Ha Ha Ha
would make even the most jaded phan crack a big smile. Whoever called this as
an opener, I owe you a drink my friend. The following sequence of songs
immediately impressed me as being better than the shows I had seen last year.
Really!
I began to realize that indeed, this is PHISH 2000! I won't go into great
detail, but they looked psyched to be playing and Mike inparticular was
taking control of a lot of the jams with some liquid bass bombs. In addition,
my friend and I are trying to make out what "toy" Trey is using at any
particular time after reading the Guitar Player article (check that out).
Sneakin Sally! I've been waiting to hear one, and getting it in the first set
was choice. Ginseng and Guyute showed me a new side to these songs. When they
finished the Golgi->Tweeprise segment, I was sure that would be it, but the
opening notes to Possum filled the air and any complaints of a short first
set were put to rest. Solid!
Set II=the next level!
I heard two Halley's last year (7/13/99, 10/8/99) and this one blew those out
of the water hands down. The jam out of it had my jaw hanging open, seemingly
out of nowhere Mango appears. This song possibly made my night and the whole
trip down to CT in the first place. From what I remember, absolutely perfect
with no flubs (maybe I wasn't looking for any!) Fantastic Page work! They
weren't done, somehow Trey carves a segue into Twist! Inlaw is a tune that
the studio disc does not do enough justice. Beautiful. There was train tracks
right next door to us at the venue, so a GBOTT was not too much of a surprise
but the segue into a hilarious Makisupa was (see above for Trey's comment) A
friend of mine told me that they play Sleeping Monkey at good shows. He's
probably correct.
The only tune that didn't impress me as being the best I've seen was Bowie,
with a minor flub in the opening stages. No big deal.
In general, I really dislike Cavern. When Trey slips in the Tweezer jam
between verses, I begin to like Cavern!
This was the best show I've seen since 11/27/98 (Wipeout!) I still need the
discs to verify this opinion, but once again I was blown away by the boys and
was reminded why I keep going back to see them!
Josh
jpedjoe@davisad.com
http://www.phishhook.com/lists/pedj
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 01:49:24 EDT
From: Ruledogg2@aol.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: phish 6/30/2000
hey man what's up,
your review of the concert was sooo right. This was the first phish
concert i have ever been too and oh my god!!!!! it was the best set i had
ever heard by any band. i mean the crowd was into it the whole
show.....everyone outside was so generous and happy. There was nothing but
good karma all around. The whole show trey was smiling and jammin away while
the rest of the band was having just as much fun. I definately cant wait
tiil the fall when they come back to mass. again so i can go to both shows.
i can't believe that i had never been to a show before, but this one was
awesome. Keep it comming with the reviews so i can see what happens on the
rest of the tour,
your new found phishy phriend,
chris
Date: Mon, 03 Jul 2000 16:32:04 PDT
From: dan harvey harvey_dan@hotmail.com
To: DWS@gadiel.com
Subject: 6/30/00 review
Phish was AWESOME on 6/30/00! It was definately a treat to see them come
to CT in the summer-especially for the first time at the meadows.
The first set opener was Ha ha ha which even though i don't particularly
care too much for the song, really got everyone going.
The next song was AC/DC bag-this was what got ME going. A great song
with a great jam.
Next was Tweezer which is always kewl to hear even though they play it so
much.
Next came Runaway Jim which was the first time i had heard this in
concert. Its a kewl song with a bluegrassish sound-very kewl to hear.
Sneakin Sally through the alley I had never heard at all before but was a
decent song.
Ginseng Sulliven was a treat to hear-a great bluegrass tune.
Guyute-I love all of trey's long multi-part songs.
Golgi Apartatus-another great multi-part song!!!
Tweezer reprise got me thinking that it was the end of the first
set-great song that i like better than tweezer.
I was caught off guard when the set still continued with a ten minute
possum!-very kewl to hear.
The second set started with halley's comet which i thought was a kewl
song to start off with.
The mango song followed continuing to keep everyone excited.
Twist Around-Not at all a big fan of this simple song. I was waiting ten
minutes before it ended (although it was a kewl jam).
Trey suprised me on the next song by changing in a completely opposite
direction and playing THe inlaw josie wales-AWESOME!!-my fav. song on the
new album.
Back on the train-kewl bluesy like song-good to hear
Makisupa police man-this is always a kewl reggae-like song to hear,
although the beginning sounds very similar to stir it up.
Farmhouse-kewl song to hear but again very similar to a marley song-no
woman no cry. Not the hugest fan of these simply chord progressions.
Sleeping Monkey-pretty funny when fish sings like a girl.
DAVID BOWIE-awesome song to hear
Cavern ended the set
Overall i think that this show was one of the best i've been to-better
than the second night. For some reason i have the feeling trey might have
picked out the setlist for this show, then mike for the second.
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 04:07:05 -0400
From: Evan Grunwald egrunwal@bu.edu
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: 6/30/00 Review
Let me start this review by expressing how key it was that the band started
late on Friday night. Me and my buddy got to Hartford traffic at the Meadows
exit at 8. By the time we parked in a five-story obstacle course maze that
doubled as a parking lot about a half-mile away from the venue, it was
8:30. We could hear Tweezer distinctly from the road, and it was a
sweet jam. I was annoyed at missing Ha Ha Ha and Ac/Dc, but the Tweezer->
Jim was great, and Sneakin', Ginseng, Guyute, and Golgi were tight, rocking,
and each had great placement. When Tweezer Reprise came on, I was psyched,
as that leaves room for the end of Set II and the encore. I did not,
however, expect Possum to come rolling out of what should have been a set
ending Reprise.
Mind you, we stepped foot into the venue at 9pm, and we still got an hour
long set. Phish blessed the people stuck in traffic, and gave us not only an
80 minute first set, but a fucking freak-show Possum at the end with some of
the coolest tension builds near the end that I have heard from this song. We
were all psyched, and eagerly awaited set II, and an after-midnight
ending....
Halley's was sweet, with a groovin jam, a la Tweeter '99....melodic,
rhythmic, leading nicely into what may be the newest installment of old songs
getting the jam-out makeover: Mango Song. Saw it at RCMH, and it was nailed:
vocals, end jam, but that didn't even compare to this Mango. Great initial
jam, beautiful soft, Reba-esque middle jamming, segued wonderfully into a
spacey Twist. This Twist was slow and funky. Inlaw and GBOTT were played
superbly, and Train chugged on into Makisupa. Big Doobs for all!
Farmhouse was nice, and I hoped it wouldn't close the set (it had before).
Then a great rare Sleeping Monkey. I expected this to be it, but
Noooooo.....we get a short but fiery Bowie to close it out a little after
midnight.
Cavern was fun, with the Tweezer teases and the general fun
sloppiness....Trey lost it and so did Jon, and then it all came back. What a
show!
This is why I love Phish....you can be an hour late for a show and they
recognize....this show ended at practically 12:30....Tweezer->Jim, Possum in
the first rocked out (I heard that Ac/Dc was awesome, but I missed it....).
Second set must be heard by all...especially Mango and Makisupa.....
I shall report on the 1st when I've gotten some sleep......the scene bears
special mention...
Happy Phishing!
Evan
Date: Sat, 01 Jul 2000 13:30:19 -0500
From: Robert Walker rmwalk@worldnet.att.net
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Meadows Review (first night summer tour 2000)
i was never caught so unexpectedly off-guard. Phish first opens
with a HaHaHa (how rare is that) into a pretty decent AcDc bag. Next
was a well-played tweezer into a rather short runaway jim. Sneaking
Sally was really hyped up, and Guyute had the tweaked out sound effects
when Trey's "bouncing like a newborn elf (same as radio city first
night)." Golgi is always nice, especially in the first set, then they
kicked it off w/ a tweezer rep. Everybody thought that was to end the
set but then they busted out w/ an extremely decent Possum.
Haley's comet- rare unexpected treat. Pretty slow, but maxxed out
at the end.
The Mango Song- AWESOME (btw i called it)
Twist around- slow version but i like that one better than the fast
Inlaw - took a breather. at the end trey goes "John Fishman Moby
Dick dick dick dick" Had to laugh at that...
Back on the train - Best version i've heard. didn't overuse the
WaWa's.
Makisupapoliceman - FUCKING NUTS. probably my second favorite part
of the show. Secret Sentence: "One Bourbon, One Scotch, one... BIG FAT
DOOB!"
Farmhouse - not a big fan, but the end was quite impressive with the
guitar riffs. it could have been played without the extra "alright"
Sleeping Monkey - Fishman made himself sound like a little girl-- i
loved it.
David Bowie - Superb. Quite a nice glowstick war as well. Trey was
on fire.
Cavern (with tweezer teases) - such a great encore, i think phish is
going to run out of ideas soon.
First set was about 1 hour 35 minutes long, second possibly longer.
One of the best shows ive ever seen. Thankyou guys =D
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