11.28.03 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY

please review the show, not the other reviews....

Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2003 20:01:18 -0800 (PST)
From: Keenan 
Subject: Phish show review - 11/28/03 Nassau Coliseum

I must say before writing this review that I was pretty much displeased with this show.  It
had its moments but the song selection seemed akward and misplaced and the band sounded a
bit off.

Here's why.  To begin Bouncin' opened, this isn't really a kick ass opener and I think it
threw a lot of people off hearing it as the first song.  But at the same time we didn't have
to worry about it killing a set, right?  Runaway Jim was solid and got the energy going,
typical version.  Ghost felt really short and I guess in actuality it was a short version
but not as short as I felt it was.  It segued into What's the Use?, which is a song I
couldn't recall the same of.  Went well with the jam for Ghost.  Then came AC/DC bag.  This
was one of the highlights of the show in my opinion.  The version was very fast paced and
got a little insane at the end before seguing into First Tube which was absolutely rockin'.  
I didn't feel the place really move until these two songs.  Frankie Says brought the vibe
down a notch (this is personally one of my least favorite songs) before going into the
beginning of Bathtub Gin.  As usually, Page was going crazy during the intro and for this
one his playing was exception.  I felt Page was really on for this show despite Trey's
constant overwhelming guitar solos.  The Free was good too, nice jam but after seeing it as
part of a segue marathon (Cincy 2/21/03) I wasn't too impressed.

Set two opened with Waves.  Again, I think this is a terrible set opener.  I do like this
song a lot and this version sounded nice but didn't get the energy flowing like an opener
should.  Like I said, this show was making me somewhat uneasy.  I wasn't too impressed so
far and going from Waves into Sample in a Jar really cemented that for.  The version was
typical and just not what we needed to hear at this point in the show.  The Down with
Disease was THICK.  Lots of different styles of jamming and they all were cool.  However,
the band just wasn't nailing it like they usually do and even with the variety of this jam
it didn't measure up to other versions I've heard.  Although DWD was probably the best part
of this set I was happy to hear Walls of the Cave.  I hadn't seen this song before so I
can't compare it but it is definetly one of my favorite post-hiatus songs.  I like the
different composed parts and Fish's drum solo to transition within the song is extremely
phishy...I like it.  Two Version of Me was next to bring it down a notch.  This song makes
me want to gag.  As my friend kept saying, "this isn't the stuff I want to hear but Two
Versions of Me is probably the best new slow song".  I have to agree with him but at the
same time this song stuck a nail in the coffin as far as this show goes.  The new song was
kinda cool but poppy.  Made me think about how Phish feels about their music/fanbase
nowadays.  This sounds like a song Phish would put on the radio or something.  A song to jam
into the middle of a set to calm people down but keep em dancing at the same time.  Then
came the Mikes/Hydrogen/Weekapaug trio which I felt was totally unnecessary.  I usually hear
these songs in a killer set and they are good version.  But I really wasn't in the mood for
a Mike's right then and by the sound of the band I don't think they were either.  It went
into a mediocre I am Hydrogen and then into Weekapaug.  The Groove was funky and fun but
bittersweet because I knew the set was ending and really was craving something sick to make
me rethink the show.

Although the Dude of Life came out for the encore I still felt like I got cheated at this
show.  The encore was fun and it is always good to see the dude.  Good way to end a subpar
show I thought.  Instead of giving us a good version of a calming song (like philly the next
night) we got an off the wall version of an old song with a special guest.  Thanks Phish.

Overall I really do appreciate every time I see Phish but I did want more out of this show
and therefore I was disappointed.  I think myself (along with many others for or against
this show) need to listen to it again and formulate some real opinions.


Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 13:49:56 -0500
From: Schoenherr 
Subject: Phish show review - 11-28-03

11-28-03
    well for this  trip it was me and my bro. drivin from detroit to long island for what
is my 10th and final show of the year. nassau never disapoints and friday didnt either.
    as for the show. this was a great first set BOUNCIN got things started a good placement
for this song.after that was a PLETHERA of oldie but goodies. RUNAWAY JIM is always a good
pickme up. GHOAST wow so soon my bro and i were blown away and this was a great exploritory
one as well. right into WHATS THE USE  this jam is so heavy and awsome, it was well placed
as was most of the first set.AC/DC BAG  was next( you gotta be kidding me at this point)
into>FIRST TUBE all i can say is it kept getting hotter and hotter as the set went on. a
little coll down with a FRANKIE SAYS played real nice. and the BAM-- BATHTUB GIN at this
point of the set what else can they play, big hitter after big hitter.  the gin was
segwayed nice into a set closer with one of the best versions of FREE i have ever heard. 
this was top to bottom a GREAT set full of energy. the boys picked up right were they left
of on summer tour.
    2 set
NO EXPECTATIONS> 
    my first WAVES,  one of my favorites off round room and a great song to hear live.this
version was top notch. next was the high energy SAMPLE IN A JAR  this was very solid and
maid way for the always furious DOWN WITH DISEASE no matter how many times i hear it it is
always awsome. this one was to. some realy heavy jams came in and out of this one.WALLS OF
THE CAVE, the band was very on this evening. as you can tell by the monster set list. walls
was great  i really think round room has many great songs on it and walls is definatly one
of the epics." were gonna play some new songs if you dont mind" trey says to the audiance.
personally this was great. CHANGES i'm not sure of the name of this first time played but i
thought it was rock n roll."now were gonna play an old song, and its called "his song"
referring to mike." this MIKES song was off the hizel for shizel my nizel. > hydrogen was
just ok> weekapaug was ok also. all in all a great show top to bottom. the encore was great
CRIMES OF THE MIND with special guest "the dude of life" great rock n roll with the dude
cheers to phish for 20 years and heres to 20 more. what a great way to end NASSAU.
     this was my first ever NY  show. the energy was great. i started off the year in
hamton went alpine the creek and nassau. thank fish for 10 great shows caped off with a
happy 20th anniversary. HERES TO 20 MORE YEARS.......

Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 15:52:58 -0500
From: Schoenherr 
Subject: Phish show review
----------------------------------------

11-28-03NASSAU
    1st set, BOUNCIN well placed as an opener. RUNAWAY JIM  was next and it was as usual
great. i was callin for this so i wasnt to surprised. i called for the next one not even
thinking i would get  GHOAST !  great version got really trippy at the end. right into>
WHATS THE USE  i speak for us all that  this was awsome, so heavy so intense. then when you
least expect it BAM  AC/DC BAG everyone was surprised and happyas could be.the jam segwayed
nice into BAM FIRST TUBE wow things were off the hook lot of energy HIGH ENERGY. FRANKIE
SAYS was well timed and played very tight. IN COMING  BOMB>>>> BATHTUB GIN     brought
things to an all time high in the first set. jam afetr jam after jam, it left everybody
speechless. the gin was jamed well and led way for one of the sickest FREE  ever played.
WOW  what a first set. NYC dosent dissapoint.
    2nd set
    let me just say round room has alot of good sings on it that will end up being phish
epics. even the new material from summer is really good. with that being said WAVES  came
out first and was awsome i love this song.SAMPLE IN A JAR got everyone dancin. then the big
hitters came a callin DOWN W/ DISEASE was great as usual with some intense jams.WALL OF THE
CAVE what an epic this is turning into. great song. what could the play next. slow it down
fo 2 VERSIONS OF ME.  i also like this one. trey>" were gonna play some new songs if you
dont mind" CROWD CONTOL. turnd out to be the highlite of the show for me.1st time played i
think phans will come to like this one  a lot. trey>" now were gonna ply an old song and
its called his song" MIKES>HYDROGEN>WEEKAPAUG. always a great combo the mikes was off the
hizzel fo shizzel my nizzel no joke folks.
    encore(* CRIMES OF THE MIND w/ the dude of life
great song for a high energy night. dude gave cheers to the band saying heres to 20 years
of phish and most importantly HERES TO 20 MORE YEARS.
    wow what a great show as most are. thanks to jason for takin me on this trip to NYC a
truly great time was had. i started this year out at hamptom maid my way ti cinncy>
alpine>the creek>ending up at my 10th anf final show of the year at nassau. what a year.
the band sure does remind me of the creative prosess the DEAD went through in the mid 70s.
thankyou phish and heres to 20 more years.
     DAN SCHOENHERR PHAN SICE 91

Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 16:46:17 -0500
From: justin m busch 
Subject: 11/28/03 nassau review

Set I: Bouncing around the room, Runaway Jim, Ghost>What's the Use, AC/DC Bag, First Tube,
Frankie Says, Bathtub Gin> Free
Set II: Waves> Sample in a Jar> Down With Disease, Walls of the Cave, Two Versions of 
Me, Crowd Control, Mike's Song> I am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove
Encore: Crimes of the Mind (W/ Dude of Life)

I thought the nassau show was a pretty great way to get the 4 day anniversary run started.  
The nassau crowd, as usual, was extremely amped and ready to rock, and phish answered with a
more than solid show, that kept us guessing and groovin'.  4 to the floor bass drum/rim
knocks can only mean one thing... bouncin'.  I had to laugh, and turned to my friend and
said, "at least we don't have to worry about them playing it anymore".  bouncin' was
bouncin'.  Runuway Jim started to get the crowd rockin' a little more, and with each peak
the inevitable screams of joy came.  Runaway was fairly standard, but there ain't nothin'
wrong with Jim in my book.  When they kicked into ghost next i was very pleasantly
surprised.  I loooove me some ghost.  Was hoping to hear shades of fall 97 with this ghost,
but instead got a lesson in ambiency and relaxation.  As ghost poured musical layer after
musical layer over the crowd, I had to laugh again.  Here we were, 3 songs into the show
with a FREN ZIED crowd, and Phish lays on the ambience.  I liked this ghost.  Wasnt the
best, wasn't the worst, but it was quite different, and thats why i love this band... the
element of surprise.  Some ghosts turn into balls to the walls rockers, others get downright
funky, and this one just got way mellow, till it eventually slid into Whats the Use.  The
transition felt a little forced, but whats the use gave the jam more direction, and an
eventual end.  After all this ambience, AC/DC bag was exactly what the frenzied island crowd
needed.  I thought this bag was fantastic, with a really energetic ending.  As they started
the jam, it was all fairly standard, and they did the usual double time switcheroo, but they
just couldn't stop.  Peak after peak after peak... each time i thought they were gonna end,
they turned it around one more time.  eventually it just disolved into noise, with everyone
strumming/drummin/bangin' as fast as they could, till the noise stopped, and we were left
with
 Fish's funky drum beat that brought us to First Tube.  This was quite a surprise to most,
and turned out to be a great decision by the band.  First tube ended up the same way Bag
did, as the music just got thicker and denser and brought us closer to the "phishgasm" as I
sometimes like to call it.  Again, peak after peak, and trey was jumping up and down, back
and forth, total rock star fashion... and all i could think was "how are they gonna end
this??"  usually first tube will end when trey hits that crazy high note, and it all just
kind of stops... except the entire band was at that crazy high note, so that kind of went
out the door.  Gradually however, fish started to slow up the beat, and they ended nicely.  
Frankie says was a nice breather after Bag and First Tube.  I dunno, to me Frankie Says all
depends on placement.  when they debuted it at nassau 5 years ago, it came out of a really
thick dense layered twist jam, and caught everyone off guard.  I loved it.  But its pl
acement here was a little strange.  Bathtub Gin seemed to catch everyone by surprise, but we
certainly weren't gonna complain.  The jam segment was really nice, it wasn't quite the gin
of february at nassau (which, i think was the best gin of the year), but it was very melodic
and groovin'.  the segue into free was nice.  Short funky jam, and into set break...

Second set opened with Waves, which i think is one of the better new songs.  I still feel
they haven't really played this to its full potential yet, and this waves left a bit to be
desired.  Still, it was very pretty, and led into a standard rockin' sample.  Some bass
feedback and traces of the flanger could only mean DwD.  I think Disease has hands down been
the allstar of 2003 phish.  Each Disease jam i've heard has been absolutely raging, and this
one was right on par.  The jam was damn near ferocious.  Eventually it teetered into a "oye
como va" type rhythmic jam, and it seemed they were having trouble figuring out a direction,
so they just ended it, kind of abruptly.  WOTC was pretty nice.  They executed the actual
song nicely, and the jam raged as always.  WOTC characterizes the "new phish songwriting" to
me perfectly - ok song, GREAT jam.  Two versions of me came next, and again, same kind of
opinion (it varries slightly though).... ok song, but not exactly a "great" jam .  It was
nice, but its still a fairly new song, and i guess they're still workin' out the kinks.
After some discussion trey says "we wanna play another new song for you.. brand new.  thank
you guys for being so patient".  Crowd Control (as we all found out this song was called
when we got home later that night) was alright, kinda holds true to the new phish writing.  
Fairly poppy, but a little more rockin'.  It was a pretty short tune, with no "jam".  It
wasn't great, didn't suck, it just sort of... was.  I'll have to hear it again to formulate
a better opinion.  So, after a bit more discussion trey steps up to the mic and says "now
we'd like to play an ooold song.  mikes gonna sing it.  its called.... his song".  and off
we were.  The Mikes Groove trio was very nice.  Rockin' jam outta mikes, standard hydrogen,
and a fist pumpin' weekapaug.  Weekapaug didn't peak as much as it has at other times, but
no one was complainin.  great way to close the show.

The encore completely caught me off guard.  Trey announced the dude of life and i nearly
lost it. I never expected to see the dude live, and there he was!  Crimes of the mind, which
they hadn't played in nearly 10 years was reallly rockin' hard and made for a pretty
idealistic encore.  I was smilin' ear to ear, watchin' the dude do his thing.  He was
screamin' out to the crowd "20 years!!!  heres to 20 more!!" and was havin' the time of his
life.  BRING ON THE DUDE!!!


Date: Mon,  1 Dec 2003 01:27:48 -0500
From: [email protected]
Subject: phish show review... 11/28

helllllo all,
   dont have much time here, as im running off to bed. but i feel compelled to
write a review, as i cant seem to get my mind off the wonderful performance on
friday night!!! this particular show was extra special for me for a number of
reasons. first off, im from long island, and i always miss phish when they come
to the coliseum cause they always seem to come when im away at school. so,
needless to say, when i saw that they were planning to play over the
thanksgiving holiday weekend, i was pumped. second, i've been going to nassau
coliseum my whole life for islander hockey games, so it was def cool to see my
favorite arena transformed in a way only phish can transform a dumpy old arena.
 on too the show...a quick review...not song by song... i sat directly behind
the stage, about 10 rows up. to be honest, i loved these seats. it was
certainly a different perspective than i'd been used to...from back there you
really notice the lights and how much they rock. sooo, everything was set for a
great night, despite the monsoon in the parking lot beforehand! bouncin around
the room as an opener?!?! who cares, it was solid and definitely worked.  ghost
was perfect..definitely wasn't expecting to hear it. the rest of the set was
amazing. ac/dc, bathtub, tube, free...all in the same set!!! couldnt ask for
anything more. waves to open the 2nd was interesting, and sample in a jar got
everyone going again..especially the seg. directly into disease, as mike was
just rolling at this point. i really liked the new song, i think it hints
toward a solid next album.  ending with mikes groove was perfect...definitely
was hoping to hear it since i missed it by one night this summer. the
encore...well i wouldn't have chosen crimes of the mind, but it was certainly
entertaining nonetheless, and a great finish to a great night. hope the boys
continue to return to the coliseum for years to come...great show, best band!
adios

Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 13:26:44 -0700
From: jmacaule 
Subject: Nassau 11-28 Review

Nassau Coliseum- November 28, 2003

        This was a very good, solid opener to this little Thanksgiving tour.  Weather 
was pretty horrible which made for not much of a lot scene, but people still 
made a huge mess in the lots.  We used the convenient Marriott hotel bar and 
still were completely drenched by the time we got into the Coliseum.  Our 
seats were in one of the cool little "Gateway Boxes" which are in front of the 
300 level.  Back corner, Page side.  View was great but the sound was 
mediocre.  Felt like it had been no time since IT even though it had been 
almost four months since I last saw the band.  Nassau's crowd was definitely 
rowdy which fit the little hockey arena nicely.
        Lights down- Bouncing opener.  Bouncing and Runaway Jim both were standard 
opening fare- nothing to notable.  I couldn't believe it when they dove right 
into Ghost in the third song.  There have certainly been better Ghosts this 
year, but this one was decent.  It got very spacey and ambient which made it 
flow very nicely into What's the Use, which sounded great.  The Bag>First Tube 
is where they really brought the heat.  ACDC Bag got so rocking it was losing 
focus- just over the top.  Then Trey started to shuffle and they dropped 
perfectly into First Tube - which was certainly a welcome treat and was rocked 
really hard.  Frankie Says was a nice break and then Bathtub>Free worked 
really nicely.  Bathtub has been better in 2003, but had the good guitar work 
that makes me love the song.  Going into Free was interesting but a nice way 
to end a great opening set.
        Setbreak made me not like Nassau between the bathrooms and the overly crowded 
halls.
        Waves was nice but fairly standard- perhaps the spaciest thing we got all 
night.  Sample, Disease, and Walls were all rocking.  Walls is really getting 
much better.  A lot of people didn't like Two Versions of Me but it is one of 
my favorite new songs and always welcome in my book.  The new song, Crowd 
Control, has a lot of potential- I really liked it.  Trey said after it that 
it was "a new song, and now we are going to play an old song which will be 
sung by our bassist Mike Gordon.  Its called 'his song.'"  This was a great 
Mike's but the Hydrogen was marred by crowd clapping and the Weekapaug was 
fairly standard. The "Crimes of the Mind" encore was great from Phish but I 
wasn't a big fan of the Dude's voice.
        All in all- great show to get me psyched up for the run.

Jimmy Macauley
[email protected]

Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 12:47:19 -0500
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 11/28/03 Review

    Alright, heres my take on the 11/28/03 Nassau show.
Set I: Bouncing around the room, Runaway Jim, Ghost>What's the Use, AC/DC Bag, First Tube,
Frankie Says, Bathtub Gin> Free
Set II: Waves> Sample in a Jar> Down With Disease, Walls of the Cave, Two Versions of 
Me, Crowd Control, Mike's Song> I am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove
Encore: Crimes of the Mind (W/ Dude of Life)
    Got to the venue about an hour and a half before show started.  Lot scene was
alright, shakedown street was hopping.  Got great seats in the lottery, 21st row
center.When the band came out at around 7:40 there was a great energy flowing around
that room.  Such an energy that a bouncing opener could still be acceptable, even good!
After the bouncing they went into a pretty standard runaway jim if my memory serves me,
but what came next was anything but standard.  A ghost which turned into an extremley
chill jam, and then... Whats the use.  I knew it after the first riff, but most people
around were pretty confused.  It has some great climaxes though, so if someone wasnt
into it in the beginning of the song, they sure as hell were by the end.  AC/DC Bag was
great to hear, and then First Tube got everyone really rocking.  My section went crazy
when they went into it, they really nailed the buildups.  A nice frankie says allowed me
to catch my breath.  Now came the first song i was came expecting to hear, Bathtub Gin.  
I dont remember the specifics of it, but i thoroughly enjoyed it, and the segue into
free was good.  I saw Free this summer at camden, and this one seemed worlds better.  
It was almost like one of their more old school Free's, touches of funk laced this set
closer.  They were much more into the Jams throughout the first set, Trey was clearly
loving what they were playing, mike was smiling, and everyone was enjoying themselves.  
As I walked to the bathrooms, I saw hugs exchanged, people felt that this night could
actually live up to the hype.  They open the second set with Waves, one of my favorites
off of round room, and it was a very nice waves, this song is definitely a glimpse to
the future of phish imo.  Then they segued into sample in a jar.  Now if i didnt go to
this show, and i had read the setlist and seen sample squeezed in between two normally
killer songs, i would have thought, well that sucks.  But NO! This was (i dont believe
it) a truly ROCKING sample! Good Tight Jam.  They ended with Mike doing crazy things
with his bass, Tower Jam -esque.  Thats when i felt IT.  "Come on Mike, its inevitable,
DOWN WITH DISEASE" I shouted over and over again.  When they went into it my section
went crazy as did I.  I was calling it for a good 2 minutes.  On top of this, it was
probably imo the best jam of the night.  Everyone was really into it and they had some
great great energy throughout it.  The Jam section was so tight, my friends and i kept
assuming that they were going into something else they sounded so composed and
structured.  The whole room was tuned into this DwD.  After this, they go into Walls of
the Cave which i was happy to hear, the last time i had heard it was New Years and I
recalled it being one of the best of the night.  A lot of people werent into the song
untill they got to the jam section, but i dont remember it being anything special.  
Pretty good, but not really in the same league as the DwD they had just unloaded on us.  
There was a lot of discussion after WOTC, and the croud started going crazy.  I myself
thought they were going to play something huge, just unload something on us.  I was
thinking a huge Tweezer jam was going to come.  They went into Two Versions of Me which
I am not a huge fan of, and then more discussion! This was really whipping the crowd
into a frenzy.  Trey came to the mike and thanked us for our patience and told us they
were going to try a new song.  "Crowd Control," as its called, was pretty good.  It was
in line with their new stuff, except more toleratable; a little bit more upbeat and fun,
but still borderline cheesy, possible jam potential.  After this even more discussion,
mostly between mike and trey and trey comes to the mike, thanks us again and says "now
our bassist will sing you a song, its his song," and voila, mikes groove.  I was a
little bumed that they chose mikes groove. It was clear they felt they owed us something
after three poist hiatus songs in a row, i just wished they had chose something other
than Mikes.  But it was good, the mikes was solid, hydrogen was beatuiful as always
(although i wish they had spiced it up a bit and thrown something else in there) and the
weekapaug was also good.  After this was expecting something huge for an encore, which
is what we got... kindof.  They brought a third mike out which no one seemed to notice
in my section but me.  I was pretty psyched, and they finally came back out with the
Dude Of Life.  I was going nuts expecting to hear a Run Like an Antelope or Suzy
Greenberg, but they go into a song i, and most people, had never heard before.  then i
heard that chorus line "drink some wine, crimes of the mind." oh. its the dude's song
from his album.  Now dont get me wrong, it was a pretty good song, Phish did a nice job
with it and they seemed like they were having a really good time.  But the Dude is just
kind of corney.  Seemed kind of like a sleezy lounge lizard type.  He was talking over
Trey's jam, saying stuff like "Heres to 20 years of Phish, and 20 more! ... Im not
talking now, cause trey is playing... not talking..." And so on.

Overall id Say this is a good show.  First set was rocking all the way through, and the
second set was Great in the beginning, and then alright through the end.  The theme of
this show was on point, tight jamming, with huge climaxes.  Fun show, good time as
usual.

Jesse

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