2-14-03 - Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA

Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 17:19:28 -0800
From: Mike Indgin

Phorum Phish 2/14/03
My 35th show (first was Hollywood Palace 3/17/93, has it been almost 10 
years since my first show already?) 

My Sweet Set One First of all, it was so nice of the band to start the
tour ten minutes from my house. We bent over and paid the $15 for parking
and went in search of a veggie burrito before the show. Can I just say it
was the wierdest lot scene I had ever seen. Absolutely no food or vending
anywhere, but HUNDREDS of extra tickets. At one point I was so hungry, I
was going to buy a few tickets just so I could eat them and get some fiber
in my system. Finally found some kind veggie sushi with almond butter and
a veggie bagel. We went in because it was 7:20 and we had GA floor seats.
I figured we would have to make due with standing in the back, but when we
got in we saw the floor was practically empty and we could walk right up
to the stage. Unbeliavable. I haven't seen such a light crowd since San
Diego Sports Arena 12/4/96. It may have been sold out, but the place never
got more than three quarters full. Later I heard tales of people sticking
their extras in the fence on the way in because they couldn't give them
away. Must have something to do with the new place as many orders as you
can, all or nothing mail order system. Anyway, we planted ourselves about
20 yards back center Trey.

On with the show: My Sweet One, very sweet and a nice nod to V-day. I
thought Cover of a Rolling Stone was Achy Breaky Heart for a minute until
the chorus. Hilarious. Sad that they look like such dorks on the magazine
cover. I never would have let them dress me like that. But, hey, they are
dorks after all and that's why we love them so.

Chalkdust: At exactly 6:35 into this song all my fears of their lack of
commitment or rusty chops evaporated with Trey's stunning lead. THEY ARE
BACK AND AT 100% POWER. This version shreds Hampton and that's a pretty
shreddy version in its own right.

Fee was perfect and the ambient jam that followed brought me right back to
the second set of my last show, Vegas 9/30/00. Great to see them
experimenting and listening to each other and just playing for each other
rather than for us.

Taste was just OK. I'm spoiled by the Albany 9/8/00 version. This one felt
forced and Trey went with the old tried and true tricks during the peaks
rather than inventing something new for us to taste.

Bathtub Gin was amazing. The high point of the show, next to Chalkdust.  
The jam shows what Ver. 03 Phish will be at its best. Be afraid, be very
afraid.  Best Band on the Planet status has been reclaimed.
Congratulations, boys.

Heavy Things was a nice light selection. Golgi was golden. A really fun,
really fine, well-played set 20 yards from Trey with no Round Room songs
to alter the energy. Ahhhh.

Set 2: 
Possum: Nice to see they can still make themselves sound like 1998 when 
they want to. Well done. 

Walls of the Cave: Once they got past the out-of-tune harmonies it flowed
nicely. The jam was intense. Carini was its typical scary self. 

All of These Dreams began a trend that would plague us through Vegas: the
loud collective noise of wind being knocked out of sails all over the
venue when a slow Round Room song got played.

Limb By Limb regained some momentum but was not profound or jawdropping. 

Oh Kee Pah: Always a pleasure to hear a lost treasure. Would it go into
Suzy G.? No even better, AC/DC Bag!! I waited 25 shows before I finally
got one in Vegas 2000 and now I'm getting Bagged at my very next show. I
thought "I'm going to put this version on my next sampler"...but wait,
some f***ing asshole had to ruin it by running onstage, knocking Trey off
his mic during the vocal bridge and killing the momentum. The second set
would never recover. I hope you are banned for life and had a painful
hangover, a**hole. The AC/DC jam felt meandering to me after that and
Caspian was its usual repetitive buzzkill self.

However, the Loving Cup encore was flawlessly played and had the most
energy of any version I've heard. Nice finish, especially compared to the
horrendous encores of Vegas.

Looking back over the three shows which started the tour, I think the high
point of the run I saw was between 6:30 and 6:50 of Chalkdust Torture and
15:46 to 16:30 of Bathtub Gin (of course, some consideration has to be
given to 2/15's Antelope and 2/16's David Bowie). Thank goodness for
LivePhish.com.  And congrats to all the pholks who caught the elusive
Divided Sky and YEM in Denver. Those of us who put all our money on the
table in Vegas hoping to hear those tunes came up with snake eyes. "Always
leave them wanting more..."


Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 14:23:30 -0500
From: 
Subject: 2-14-03 review

Date: 2-14-03 L.A. Great Western Forum
From: Jeff Olek

First show back, needless to say, I was psyched. Show # 128 to be
exact.  Although I know tour-starters sometimes can be somewhat rusty,
especially on the left-coast. Anyhow it took me all of getting on the
plane in NY to meet up with some o' my kidz whom I haven't seen since
last shows. Man, that kind of shit is what non-phans just don't
understand. Spent the day in a supa-sketched hotie a few blocks from the
arena and I was digging the weather with some of my East coast, sick of
snow friends. Tix were everywhere.
       Anyways, got to the show with party-favas in hand,(then in nose,
then in mouth....). When the lights went down I was expecting the Cup,
Valentine's and all. MY Sweet One  didn't dampen my mood, however..NO
PHISH SHOW EVER DOES. I don't let 'em. Every show isn't going to be
12-31-95. Get that straight reviewers.
      Next song was Cover Of the Rolling Stone, and I too, thought it
was Achey-Breaky Heart, which would have been kind of funny. The
Chalkdust was the perfect choice that I really got into. It had been 2
1/4 years. I was thankful for the Fee, then the Taste. The Gin, however
was more up my alley in terms of getting down hard. I spent the majority
of the evening in the walkway behind the stage. I like to see, but also
need room. The Gin jam was what theboys needed to explore "out there".
Alas, they descended back to earth and finished with Heavy Things, which
I always dig, especially the memories and lyrics. Big Golgi finisha'.
       Set Break,  Chilled with long-time friends, although I couldn't
puff,,hmmm...first Phish show were I didn't puff.
      Really hot Possum opener, but, I think they could have let the
intro drum roll build more energy, more tension. I think Fish jumped the
gun too quickly. The audience was into it though. Next up wa s my first
Walls . I especially dug the outro jam that lead us into an usual
Carini. It was slower than usual, almost tentative. The dude next to me
put it best: "Not as evil as usual." My favorite new ballad All Of These
Dreams was next, I love this tune. LImb By Limb afterwords...Then I
actuaklly wrote the next Oh Kee Pa> Bag on my prediction sheet for the
three shows I was going to see(including Vegas). Stage-jumper, nuff
said. Props to Trey for his composure, nerves of steel.  Caspian closer
bringing back my Narnia daydreams as a kid, anyone else...? Cup encore,
solid sing-along.
       Solid opener. Not top-chakra exploding, but, it was so good to be
back. My favorite band ever......................

Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 18:26:17 -0500
From: [email protected]
Subject: LA review

LA>Vegas>Denver (or how I learned to stop worrying and love the Phish) 
by M. Ryan Kious

Part I.  LA (Phish in the Hood is always hard.) On a freeway, in Los
Angeles, I realized the hiatus would soon be over for me.12 hours in the
car and $2/gallon gas be damned! Before I had to see the lot again, (say
what you will about the kids, but I missed em' dammit!) I had to see the
ocean first. That task having been completed in Venice Beach, it was on to
the hood and the Great Western Forum. Traffic is to LA what lobster is to
Maine, and needless to say this may have been my first and last Forum
show.
 
I heard a few calls for the My Sweet One opener in the lot and this one
was appropriately short and sweet. One the Cover of Rolling Stone was
exactly the fun, tongue in cheeky Phish I remembered and missed so dearly.
This version was predictably rusty but the boys pulled it off nicely, and
Mike looked great in his spanking white fedora looking hat for the first
few songs. Big Ern loves to play Chalkdust, I love to hear it, and
everyone just has to love watching Trey do the chicken neck think. Fee
sounded a little shaky from the start but they got into the groove and the
jam into Taste was very cool. Gin. I have heard a lot of Gins, and this
was definitely the best one I�^�^�ve heard live.  There were a few jams
I�^�^�ve never heard in this one and it was just an all around monster!
Heavy Things was a nice breather after the Gin sweetness and Golgi is
always a nice way to end a set.
 
Possum, possum, possum! I love this song, always have, and I thought it
made for a solid set opener. Walls of the Cave was, how do you say? Ah
yes, great! I believe that this much-maligned number is indicative of
Phish�^�^�s new direction, (more on that flammable notion later.) If this
song isn�^�^�t your brand of vodka, that�^�^�s understandable. It�^�^�s
not necessary to love the musical structure of every song. However, to say
that this song does nothing musically is a short cut to actual thinking,
in my opinion. The composed parts were played very well, and Phish was
channeling Nick Mason during the drum section. Additionally the jam into
the slower version of Carini was nothing if not original. All of These
Dreams makes for a great sitter (or a chance to pick a $9 Forum beer.)
Limb by Limb always gets a C from me, but this version was better than the
last few I�^�^�d heard. At this point I�^�^�d like to mention that the
lights on this tour are better than ever, and can even salvage a mediocre
song choice. Oh Kee Pah told me something good was coming and AC/DC Bag
was it. I must comment briefly on the stage jumper. I support nearly
anything that�^�^�s going on at a Phish show, as long as it doesn�^�^�t
interfere with my enjoyment. Eat your molly, dress like the Spice Boys,
whatever! But ruining a tour opener Bag isn�^�^�t fun for anyone,
including the band. Fortunately Trey was able to shake it off and finish
the jam in fine fashion. The Prince Caspian got a warm reception and this
version seemed similar to the Vegas 98 in both sound and feel. Loving Cup
was a terrific encore for this show, and this version was very well
played. The Forum wasn�^�^�t the best place for a tour opener but the show
itself was above average. This was a James Worthy show in a Kurt Rambis
venue. Nothing very exploratory here, (the Gin had its moments) but I
think that the direction Phish is taking their career and new material is
exploratory in itself.  Now it was back to Venice Beach and on to
Vegas�^��


Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 16:31:09 -0600
From: [email protected]
Subject: belated review of LA...

ok, i think its imperative that some people take the time to submit
reviews after having a chance to listen to the show a few times. It's easy
to get caught up in the spectacle of the show and miss an astute analysis
of the music. I love the reviews that start with, "i just got home from
the show and..." but come on, how can you not be biased at that point. I
know I am. That's also why this new live phish phenomenon is so huge. It's
been five days since the LA show and I've now listened to a quality SBD of
the show at least 10 times. That said, here's my two cents on the LA show
and the second coming of the boys.

MSO opener - Cool. Not what I wanted to hear after 800 or so showless
days, but fun enough and it was valentines day. Wholly uneventful, but
looks cool on paper.

Cover of the Rolling Stone - Head scratcher at the show. I turned to my
buddy who was singing along and asked what the hell it was and he said he
"didn't know, but knew the lyrics." Of course, its clear now with the most
recent rolling stone issue. Upon further review, actually kind of a funky
little song with somewhat complex vocals. Dig it. Pretty sure it was both
the first and last version. 

Chalkdust - OK. here we go. Took three songs to get to why we were all
there. A ripping chalkdust too. You can tell that they, and probably
mostly trey, had been aching to play this song during the break. It's, at
once, tight and all over the place...as it should be. I always assess a
chalkdust by how smoothly they get back to the major scales that lead to
the final chorus, and this one was practically seamless.

Fee--->Taste - There was a time long ago when I was wondering if I'd ever
hear Fee. Finally got it at the last show and then again at this one.
Shoreline '00 version felt like it was out of obligation, this was much
different. Fee itself was, well, Fee. Not much variation, though Page was
definitely on his game between verses. The subsequent jam was truly a
thing of beauty. "Delicate" is the best way to describe it and thats an
adjective that might be in rare use with this new brand of phish. It was
obvious that it was headed to another tune and it wound up being Taste.
Not a big Taste fan, and I thought the Fee jam deserved a better
finish.... Upon further review, its a good Taste as far as Tastes go. And
much like pizza and oral sex, even the average is pretty damn good when it
comes to phish songs.

Gin - Still has me reeling. Absolutely perfect in almost every way. If
there was a minor flaw it is only that they actually were on in a really
good groove when the jam ended and it seemed like they backed out of it
prematurely just to get to another song. 20 minute Gin, coulda been 30 and
I don't think anyone woulda minded. Easily the highlight of the show.

Heavy Things - Cool enough. Very stoked on the set not ending after the
epic Gin. Um, I remember before the break not liking this song cause it
was on the radio, and it prompted my 14 year old neighbor to adorn her car
with phish stickers.  It also, in turn, maybe had a hand in the current
ticket scarcity but it was a minor hit cause its a good, tight song. Trey
went to town on the solo too. That scale down the neck at the end always
gives me chills.

Golgi - Typical. Like the tune. Wanted something nuts, but the wants and
needs of "dude in Loge 4, row O, seat 1" are not all that important. I
know that. Why do so many reviewers seem to not?


Set break seemed like it was 3 days...


Possum - Great, great opener. The intro to Possum is usually a pretty good
indicator of what its gonna be like and this one was heavy. Hopefully gone
are the Big Cypress-esque Possums which almost try to sound like some
pop-blues fusion thing. This one was a true ass-kicker. Fired me up at the
show and further review has it as one of the best I've ever heard. 

Walls of the Cave - OK, this song has really done strange things to me.  
When they released it on the net, I was just so stoked to have a new phish
song to listen to that I thought it was cool. Then the albumn came out and
I thought it was crap. I thought it sounded like the patchwork leftovers
from 4 or 5 other songs and was just the requisite epic for Round Room.
Hearing it live caused a total 180 (go figure!). The beginning section can
make one gasp, largely due to Fish's work. It's just nice and it all
blends together much better than on the albumn. Moreover, the lyrics are
in the deep end of the pool. Then we get to the jam section. I wish this
was just instrumental cause its really quite good but I have a hard time
respecting a song that entreats me to "listen to the silent trees." One of
many poor and shallow metaphors on Round Room if you ask me, which no one
did. The jam is sick though, feroicious at times, funky at others. When I
pop in my copy of this show, this is where I go first. It's gone from mess
to masterwork in my book.

Carini - Big Carini fan and it was a good call for where Walls ended up.  
Dug it. I wish they'd write more songs in this vein. Solid on review too.

All of These Dreams - Whatever. Good enough for a phish ballad. Fun to
sing with, but kind of an interruption in the set. Felt like an album
promo.

Limb - Big Limb fan too, which is weird cause its essentially the same
song as Taste musically and it does bug me when both make it into the same
show. This is one that I had to go back and listen to to truly appreciate
how great it was. Get the tapes on this one and listen to it in your car.
Its a winner and full of stuff that needs close attention.

Oh Kee Pah - Why doesn't anybody ever talk about how fun this song is by
itself, always the forgotten little sister of Suzie or Bag. Whatever.
Thought it meant Suzie. Hoped I was wrong.

ACDC Bag - YES sir. I was wrong. I'm sorry but I love how the first three
chords of this song just flip 15,000 people all at once. The written
section was pretty much flawless and lets not even grace the asshole who
jumped on stage by talking about him. The jam to this was much much
different than usual and mde it clear that it wouldn't be closing the
show. It's a great version in its own right, but the typical build up to
the frenetic that can give a unsuspecting listener a seizure is the way to
go in my book.

Caspian - If not for the hiatus I woulda been disappointed. Suddenly,
everything's new again though. And I had an ex-girlfriend that I loved a
lot who tried (bless her heart) to get into phish. Caspian was as far as
she got. So that, with Valentines day, choked me up a little. Shame on
them for ending the show with it though. I honestly thought stage jumper
caused it, but they tell me it was an 80 minute set so I could be wrong.

E: Loving Cup - Wanted it. Called it. Got it.  Great version, but I've
never heard a bad one. I think its an easy song and they couldn't screw it
up if they tried. 

All in all, I think I'm rebitten. Surprise, Surprise.  In this age of
political uncertainty and orange alert I'm left to seriously contemplate a
few things, like why do I eat right, why do I come to work and most of
all, why am I not on tour?  Don't get me wrong, I DO care if the world
explodes, but if its gonna, where would you like to be?


Marty Pacino - Planet Orange County, Ca


Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 02:18:50 +0000
From: Nathan Seright [email protected]
Subject: Review of Phish 2-14-03

This being our phirst show since early phall 2000, we were pumped and
ready for our Phix, but we were in LA with two hours to kill. Coming from
the North, we decided to take advantage of the day in sunny California and
headed to nearby Manhattan Beach. There we saw some guys riding the waves,
and though what a beautiful day to be on tour!  A traffic jam, and soon we
were in the lot, where the pulse was beating strong, and the goodies (and
tickets, from what I hear) were easy pickins^�. The scene looked fun, lots
of great people under a blue sky ready to see a Phish show. What could be
better?  In line, I was especially happy to catch a nice juicy orange
rolling down the ramp and hear some guy yell, ^�Welcome back everybody!^�


Set One: 1:08

My Sweet One:  A nice Valentine^�s tune to start of the show, but from
behind the stage we couldn^�t feel it quite like we wanted. But it was
still nice to hear the great drum beats and ^�Play it Leo!^� It was not as
pumping of an opener as expected, but good.

Cover of The Rolling Stone: Good Phishy humor and it seemed that the band
was having a blast basking in the lights of the ^�Rolling Stone^� March
cover shot.

Chalkdust Torture: The energy in the beginning was not as high as it could
have been for an opener, but then again we were behind the stage.  Then,
Trey^�s solo came and with it the first real pumping energy of the show,
which was nicely balanced by Page^�s keys.  People were happy to finally
get their groove on.

Fee:  The lyrics were really clear and the jam was the most impressive
improvisation among the whole band so far. At the start, we decided to
move to the upper level center isle where we found some great people and
got down, with room to spare. Mike was laying down a solid groove and Page
and Trey had some dark exchanges towards the end, then right into^�


Taste: This is a great song, and I was super stoked to hear it.  The first 
piano part with Trey and Mike embellishing the groove was, as always, 
astonishing! The jam was nice and balanced with some intensity from Trey 
towards the ending, which I thought, was absolutely perfect.

Bathtub Gin: The intro was powerful and grabbed everyone^�s attention.  
Once the jam started, it all came together and there was nothing but shear
joy and dancing madness for all of us, yah! Within were the deepest and
most moving jams of the night.  Everyone was into it and the sound was so
cohesive that the ambiance was filled with love.  People were realizing
that this is a great show. The lights were purple, green and
encapsulating. The late jam was intense with Trey releasing some grinding
notes, Mike booming it down, Fish opening the jams up and Page putting it
all together.  Possibly the best Gin I have ever heard in concert!

Heavy Things: Trey hit a note to the chorus and we instantly knew that the
show was heading towards some fun. Memories from Big Cyprus always come
into my head when this one is in the air. The nice high notes made us want
to bounce all around the place, and we did!

Golgi: More fun! Irony of ticket situation was some good Phish whit. The
quiet part to this song is so nice and tranquil. Everyone had love in
there eyes at this point. Then the build up, and back into the intensity
level that was present in B.T.G. A little shaky on the way out, but
everyone knew this closed an excellent set.


Set Two: 1:19

Possum:  All right! The build up intro is great for an opener, and then
bam, everyone is grooving. Seeing Mike step up to the mic was awesome, woo
hoo!  Overall: pretty dam good

Walls Of The Cave: Definitely a good choice for first song played off of
Round Room for Pheb tour.  Though the lyrics aren^�t really romantic, this
song has some pleasing- ^�Valentine^�s notes^� in the early parts that
made me look to my right and smile.  Then they ripped up both choruses,
and the rest of the song was heavy jams, out of control at times, but
intense as hell.  People were going nuts, and then it moved from a
trance-like jam into:

Carini: During this one I was thinking that this song is the band^�s way
of telling the crowd that they better behave, or else^�..Carini will get
you, but I guess it didn^�t work (see AC/DC bag). Besides the
authoritativeness, I think this song rocks: evil sounding tones and super
danceable intensity.  People were getting down and dancing out whatever
tensions they had in their bodies; for some, possibly an exorcism, ha, ha,
ha. The ending faded off to lurk in the corners of the Forum.

All of These Dreams: Valentines Day, and mine and myself play and sing
this one all the time, nice! There was a lot of hugging going on and I
think, despite the drop in energy, people really enjoyed the song.

Limb By Limb: We were still sitting at the start of this one, and then the 
bouncy chorus convinced us to stand and get our bodies back into it. The 
energy level was pretty medium around me at this time, and it didn^�t help 
that the guitar solo to start off the jam was weird.

The Oh Kee Pah Ceremony: Nice little tune to straighten things out. It was 
pretty tight and perfectly placed within the set; then went into:

AC/DC Bag: ^�..lets get the show on the road.^� With the first chords, the
energy started to climb.  After about five minutes, some attention starved
dude in plaid jumped the stage and yelled, what I thought was: ^�Ble, ble,
I love you phucking bastards,^� but some heard: ^�I love you Phish.^�
Whatever, but it was a little nerve racking. The cool thing was that the
band did not stop, but miraculously kept on playing, and then went right
into Trey^�s solo (no Carini tease as expected.) During the jam you could
everyone was listening to each other, because there was a really groovy
clap; everyone could hear the unity in the music and loved it. This was
one of my favorite jams of the show. Not the best Bag, but pretty dam
good.

Prince Caspian: This one just kinda floated in, and Mike was hitting some
nice high notes on his bass. I love this song! Dancing to this one is a
nice side to side relaxation thing. During Trey^�s solo there were nearly
tears of joy realizing that they are back! This was a great version and a
perfect set closer for Valentines Day, I thought.


Encore: 8:14

Loving Cup: I called this one (me a lot of others) and in my opinion there
couldn^�t have been a better choice for the Day.  The band was right on,
and again the vibe of unity was transferred right into all of us. I was
digging the vocal harmonies, then the jam started and Trey absolutely
whaled on his guitar, bringing the atmosphere of the place to, what I
thought, was the show^�s peak energy. Then, once more the ^�Beautiful
Buzz^� vocals, and we were Phixed and off onto Phebruary 03 tour!


Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 14:43:34 -0600
From: Jeff frawley [email protected]
Subject: 2/14/03 review

Way too excited about this one!! From 7:30 until the boys came on, I
couldn^�t sit still. The Forum was great^�tiny and really old-school.  
The sound on the floor was perfect, although I heard some gripes about the
quality in the seats. I hate the Lakers, but it was almost eerie being in
a room with Johnson, Chamberlain, West, Abdul-Jabbar, and Worthy jerseys
hanging overhead. The crowd was in high spirits, full of energy, and not
too out of control out in the lots (except for an abundance of nitrous
mobs).  Tons of extra tickets in the air(same as vegas) and my buddy
couldn^�t find someone to give his away to for free until we were going
through the doors.  He had to give another away 2nd night vegas too. Guess
the sold-out situations aren^�t as bad as I thought they^�d be. All those
poor scalpers lost a lot of money during the west coast shows. Ha!!

MSO- Never saw this coming, but afterwards I realized how much sense it 
made.  Great, fun way to kick it off^�Mike had on a funny hat.

Cover of Rolling Stone- Another one more for fun, but again appropriate. 
Trey was laughing pretty hard at Mike^�s singing.

Chalkdust- Alright!  Chalkdust has seen some serious improvement over the
break^�no more six minute versions! When chalkdust gets stretched out,
it^�s always beautiful (7/10/99, Hampton ^�03).  This one wasn^�t as
jammed as those two, but this one was definitely interesting^�long, dark,
and intense.  At one point, trey looked like he was going to pop he was so
into it, but then they hit the peak, and the crowd went nuts.

Fee->Taste- I had a feeling they would jam fee out, seeing as they gave
chalkdust more effort than usual.  The jam out of fee was beautiful^�soft
of course, but so much energy was flowing through those high, spacey
notes.  Mike was hitting some incredible arpeggios on the high end of his
bass.  To me it always seems like dropping into a taste is a cheap way to
end a spacey jam, and so I wasn^�t too excited when trey started the
chords.  But again, they have re-invented even the most-played of songs!  
This taste was also pretty dark, and for awhile, I didn^�t know if they^�d
make it back around.  Interesting

BATHTUB!!- wow. Jam of the west coast if you ask me.  Again, totally new
style of jam in another of the phish standards.  Right off the bat in the
jam, trey dropped into some pretty heavy riffing, and at this point, I
realized that the dark, heavy rock we^�d been hearing so far must be the
way they^�re heading with their sound^�almost ^�95-ish with some ^�99
trance and space, imo. This bathtub went from heavy to funky to heavy to
funky again and I started to feel a ghost or 2001.  But then, they latched
onto an incredible, slave-like progression and the jam blew out of the
fucking roof!
  Everyone was going nuts.  The last � of the jam reminded me a lot of the
12/16/99 tweezer.

Heavy things- thought they^�d continue with the pattern and jam this one 
harder than normal.  They extended a little, not much.

Golgi- high energy Set break stretched on forever for me.  Lots of time to
think about the new souns we were getting.

Possum- didn^�t expect as the opener, but a great possum.  Lots of peaks
to get the crowd back into it.

Walls- I was excited when it started after hearing the NYE version.  
Crowd was way to loud and unappreciative during the opening^�felt bad for
trey and page who were both concentrating very hard.  The jam got things
moving, and went way out there.  It had its ups and downs.  Just when I
thought they started to push it to the point of ruining the jam, they^�d
hit an odd key or rythym change, and it would suck me back in. Another
heavy, spacey jam section, and the next thing we knew ->

Carini- way slowed down, but a great transition. Good energy boost once 
everyone realized what it was, but for me the slowed down rhythm was too 
awkward and the jam seemed to suffer.  I wanted something fast to pick up 
the pace, but instead

Dreams- I really do like all of the slow stuff off of Round Room, and I
feel spoiled saying this, but when they started this up, I felt the set
just stop.  For me, too low key after the awkward carini.

Limb- I love limb but have never really enjoyed it in the 2nd set,
especially after a slow ballad.  This one was definitely different, and
again, the jam was controlled by trey dropping into some heavy chords and
the rest of the band following. Was a little awkward in limb and pretty
uninteresting, imo. By this point, I wasn^�t disappointed by what was
happening, but just waiting for a boost. On any normal night, I think
people would be griping about what was happening in this second set.

Oh Kee Pah ->ACDC- Nice! Thought suzie would close the set after the oh
kee pah, but instead we got a Bag. The crowd went nuts! But of course, the
zoo that was the majority of the audience over this night and the 2 vegas
shows threatened to kill everything intimate about what was going on (more
on that during the vegas reviews). The guy running onstage was so in that,
unlike past stage divers, this one was running straight for trey like he
was going to tackle him!  He threw his arm around him, which startled the
shit out of trey. Trey managed to smile a bit, and I started to think
maybe it was planned, but the guy literally pushed trey out of the way to
grab the mic, and he yelled something. Not the least bit amusing, but at
least security got this one. People around me looked pretty disgusted as
was I.  The band actually stopped playing for a second, and I was worried
about what would happen next, but they just started up the acdc jam, and
all 4 just looked like they were responding to the guy through their
playing...very heavy and intense. The jam went out pretty far, but the
whole time it was controlled around some ferocious chording and guitar
effects by trey. Most fans I heard said the stage runner killed this jam
and this song, but I thought it actually made for some interesting
playing. Check it out for a different type of bag, but with the previous 3
songs and the guy on stage for this one, I wasn^�t too excited about the
arrival of Caspian.

Caspian- Was hoping it wouldn^�t end it, but sure enough trey put down the
guitar and walked off.  Page and Mike didn^�t look ready to go yet. When
they came back out, someone threw a glowstick and almost hit page^�he
stuck out his hand in a half-assed attempt to catch it.  Unlike normal, he
didn^�t have his happy page smile on, but rather looked slightly
disappointed with the crowd and didn^�t even look at the audience. I hope
the boys weren^�t as frustrated as it appeared to me.

Loving Cup- Awesome, if there was any frustration, they took it out in
this jam. All 4 were really into it (even mike was going pretty wild with
his head bob).  Good closer.

Overall, this show gave me just what I wanted. While the second � of the
second set was a little awkward, for a lack of a better word, I left this
show excited about some new sounds coming out of old songs, confident that
the 2 shows in vegas would really begin to flow, and also slightly worried
how the crowd in vegas would act. Get this one for the bathtub, chalkdust,
some of the walls, and the bag jams. If you weren^�t at the show, I think
you^�ll be surprised and impressed with these versions and the refreshing
new approach given to them.


Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 16:41:00 -0600
From: bgrono1 [email protected]
Subject: L.A. Review

My first Phish show on the west coast. Also my first show since fall 2000.  
Lots of nuggets in the lot..hardly any lot security and LOTS of extra
tickets goin around. A lot of people got in this show for free. The Forum
seemed smaller than i thought it would be. I enjoyed the retired lakers
jerseys and championship banners from my seat. Not really a bad seat in
the arena sightwise. Sound could have been better in the upper
level...Phish went on pretty late..

Set 1 My Sweet One - I was expecting PYITE or Tube, but we got this
instead. I kinda expected it sometime during the show being valentines day
and what not.  The sound wasn't quite there in my upper level seat but it
got better as the show went on. Page had some nice piano leads for this
one.

Cover of the Rolling Stone- Didn't recognize this right away, but then it
hit me what it was. Phish has a great sense of humor and it showed in this
selection. I danced and laughed my ass off during this one.

Chalk Dust Torture - Good chalkdust. Trey really on top of it

Fee- Kind of thought I'd see this one. Its one of those tunes that reminds
me of when I first started listening to Phish.  The end was really
extended although keeping with the basic theme. This then segued into

Taste- Really a good one. Trey got slightly evil during the end jam. I
really like this song.

Bathtub Gin- I was really happy to hear this one. Really good version.. It
was really tight and then it took a funky turn..I almost thought they were
going to go into 2001 but it never happened. Somehow Trey brought it back
from the funk into the Gin theme to end it.

Heavy Things- not bad, but i decided to use this as a piss opportunity

Golgi Apparatus- what can you say..golgi is golgi..but the words did
reflect what was going on in the lot with all the extras...Look in to the
finance box becase you couldn't sell your extra..DOH!!

overall a really good set..the Gin really stood out for me as the song of
the set..Happy to have my Phish back again..

Set 2

Possum- Awesome Possum..This was the possum that wouldn't end (in a good
way)  Trey keeping the end going and going really hitting some high peaks.

Walls of the Cave- I liked hearing this for the first time, although some
people around me were a little distracting until the jam picked up. Great
jam followed..I remember it getting into a really beautiful section which
i was really liking then it started to sound like Trey was pushing it
towards Caspian..but all of the sudden he drops it into a really evil
place and out of this breakdown they segue perfectly into

Carini- I love this song. Very dark riff and lyrics. I just hope they
don't start to play it too much.

All of These Dreams- I sat down for this one which i didn't mind for the 4
minutes it lasted. I think this is a beautiful song and Trey really means
what it says. A good quick break from the jamfest that preceeded it.

Limb by Limb- Very glad to hear this. Probably not as good as the one in 
Hampton but still good

The Oh Kee Pah Ceremony- good old classic Phish..They pretty much nailed
it from what I heard. Thought we'd get a Suzy but not tonight..

AC/DC Bag- Not the best bag I've heard but certainly good. That idiot
jumped on stage though and i think it brought down the rest of the set.

Prince Caspian- well Trey was teasing it before and now he plays
it...Goood soloing at the end but not what i wanted as the closer. It
seemed like Trey walked off befor the band expected him too also. I think
he was a little wigged out by the guy stage crashing..

Encore:
Loving Cup- Perfect Loving cup.. Page sounded good and the band sounded
like 94 phish i kid you not

Overall, a really good show. Sound could have been a little better but
wasn't that bad. This should be a really good tour!! See you in Chicago
and Cincy!!


Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 22:52:17 EST
From: [email protected]
Subject: LA show review

� I didn't get to head out to Vegas this weekend, but did manage to
travel south for the show at the Forum.� I had never been to the
legendary arena in Inglewood, but was very impressed with the place.� It
looks like it has been untouched since its initial construction in what
we were guessing was the sixties (besides probably some seismic
retrofitting).� Lakers championship banners and retired jerseys still are
hanging up top though the team moved downtown.� Even this Kings fan let
out a "hell yeah" as we drove up Kareem Court to our parking spot.� The
lot seemed hassle free, though I didn't cruise through too much of it;
stuck to base camp with bottle and pipe. Our crew was blessed with floor
tickets, and we made our way down to center court at around a quarter
after seven. The band came on about an hour later. Mike was sportin' a
full brimmed felt hat, pimpin'. The whole band seemed to be very happy to
be playing, and the crowd energy was outstanding.� The first set was the
stronger of the two, hugely danceable (but isn't it all).� Chalkdust and
Golgi really lit the place up; Bathtub Gin and Fee also great.� The
Possum that started the second set got what I felt was the strongest
crowd reaction of the night, everyone was shakin'.� I was totally
unfamiliar with any of the new songs before the show, and the ones that
were played were alright.� They definitely offered some variation from
the generally "up" first set, but Walls of the Cave plain dropped all of
the momentum that that place had built up during Possum.� The rest of the
second set was great, though the continuity was broken by the new (and to
me, unfamiliar) songs.� AC/DC Bag was a great treat, though some dumb ass
jumped up on stage and started yelling into Trey's mike.� The band
totally stopped playing while the guy was dragged offstage and picked up
the song after a few seconds, again releasing some amazing energy that
had built.� Prince Caspian was a disapointing set closer.� Loving Cup, on
the other hand, was a perfect encore.� Saw some really spun out kids
exiting the show, hope they didn't have to drive.� Inglewood PD was in
the skies not more than 15 minutes after the show; their helicopter was
shining down the spot light and telling us to hit the road.� Overall
though, I had a blast.� Definitely a good
"I'm-only-seeing-one-show-on-this-tour" show.� Have fun everyone.


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