6-29-00 -- PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, New Jersey

Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2001 20:40:11 -0400
From: levine [email protected]
Subject: 6/29/00

Hey,
    I know it has been a LONG time since this show, but it has deffinetly not gotten the
attention it diserves! It was a great show, and although the tapes that are going around
are not the best quality ever, it's still a great show whether you went there or not.
 
1: Funky Bitch>Wilson, Limb By Limb, Drowned>Rock & Roll
 
        Funky Bitch-Ok, you could not ask for a better opener of Funky Bitch (besides
Punch You In The Eye). As soon as it started, the crowd just went right to work, by
dancing their asses off!
        Wilson-Where in god's name did this come from?!? But hey, I'm not complaining! I
love this song, and this was a great version. Trey was getting into it, and when Trey's
into it, you know it's gonna be a great show.
        Limb By Limb-Called it! I knew they had to mellow it down some how! But a GREAT
jam, very under rated! I hate when people compare Phish to The Dead, but this jam proved
why....If you closed your eyes, you would of thought that you were at a Dead concert.
        Drowned- Nice! Nice! Nice! What a great place for this song! This song gets
everyone happy, and the jamming was above satisfactory. The jam was obviously soaring 
into
another song, but I had no idea. I kind of thought either Walk Away, Sneaking Sally, or
Roses Are Free, or maybe even Ghost. But instead, they rocked their asses off into....
        Rock & Roll-Who could complain about this? Drowned into Rock & Roll?!? Standard
version, jamming wasn't as long as was hoped for.
 
INTERMISSION?!?!?-What a short set! 55 min. I thought maybe they were doing this to get
ready for a great second set, and whether I was right or not, it sure seemed that 
way.....
 
Birds Of A Feather-Ok, ok, could of had something better, but jam was VERY nice.....
 
Catapult-Oh my god! Haven't heard this yet! Souded very good.....
 
Heavy Things-Called it! I just LOVE this song, great jam too!
 
Sand-Haven't heard it live before! SICK jam! Amazing!!!
 
Meatstick-I was dieing for them to play this! Loved how Trey talked through the whole
thing! Monumental! And I loved how it went right into........
 
Cities-Wasn't expecting this, allthough you never do, it just comes out of nowhere. I 
also
loved how it very quickly went into.....
 
Walk Away-This got me pumped! And I was really curious about what else they could play to
make this even better......
 
Antelope-What?!?What?!?What?!?, Great jam! Crowd went nuts! As it allways does during
Antelope!! And then......
Frankenstein-NOW I CAN DIE IN PEACE! They've done this once before, but who cares! How
many times has Dead done Cina Cat>Rider?!? I also like the Wolfman's>Sneaking Sally
pattern!
 
I though it was over now, but.....more couldn't hurt......
 
Velvet Sea....Very nice! But, very sad! Got me depressed that it was over, but happy that
it was a great show!
 
Encore: I was guessing-Divided Sky, Possum, or I had a crazy idea of even Fluffhead, but
instead I got.....
 
Character Zero-Now, I won't complain over this, but after playing the great show, they 
got
to end with a great encore, but whatever, it was a good standard jam, that did not upset!
 
Thanks Phish for a great show....GET THE TAPES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GREAT
JAMMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 19:42:32 EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: June 29, 2000 Story you might want to add to the hpb
 
Hey.  I don't know if you've heard the show, but just before the second set,
as the band is taking the stage, you hear six airhorn blasts; three, then
three.  Then you can hear part of the crowd trying to chant something.  My
friends engineered all that.  The idea was to get the band  to play Destiny
Unbound; we handed out flyers and they posted to as many message boards as
they could to try and get it done.  We worked really hard, and I can swear
that you can hear it on the show.  You can also tell because the crowd goes
almost silent when they break into BOAF.  The band takes a while to start,
and I distinctly recall them talking and looking out at the audience as
though they could tell we were trying to say something.  Of course, they
probably did, and Mike probably made them do BOAF instead.  But I thought it
was a good story, worth adding to the review and setlist.
 
-Sarah

Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 06:46:19 GMT
From: g mcg [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6-29-00 review
 
Hey all,
Its been awhile since this show but it is still fresh in my mind.  And I had
to write something about it.
Anyway PNC second night, first night was insane, personally my first show of
the tour so I was more than happy.  Found my miracle a generous phan sold me
a pavillion seat, 10th row trey side for not much more than face value, plus
I was able to get my friend down as well, so we were both in for a great
night.  Security was a little shitty, and I was already about out of money,
but the venue was gorgeous and phish was taking the stage....
Funky Bitch-Very sweet opener, the energy in the place was very nice
tonight, we all danced like the rythm challenged honkeys we are but it was a
blast, very funky...->
Wilson-Nice, wasnt expecting it but was glad to hear the band playing so
well, lots of energy, crowd chant was intense and trey really played well.
Limb by Limb-Cool little kind of breather, Ghost is an incredible album and
this is one of the reasons why.  Very groove based and melodic jam, nice way
to chill and sway in the seats even if I could sit down at the time I
wouldnt have
Drowned-Here we go I was expecting a large jam, and this delivered.  The
whole vibe of the concert now was insanity, we all were grooving to this
song.  It changed patterns and rearange several times exploding back into
fervish improv when it got repetitive suddenly flowing seamlessly into.->
Rock and Roll-Cool song great energy flowing from Drowned, the only thing
that got me was it that this ended the set.  I was not dissapointed, it was
an insane jam lasted up near 30 minutes...but I had hoped for more
 
The set break gave us time to sit and relax and make our 2nd set
predictions, none of which really happened.  Met some new friends snuck in a
spliff while security looked on, then the insanity started
 
BOAF-wow, another great Ghost song, very fast and nice love to hear it live
the dismension is so altered from the studio cut, its a pleasure, especially
when they twist spacy funk jams out of it like they did tonight lasting 15
minutes than making its way into->
Catapault-very nice to hear out of BOAF well played, a little standard but
nice and short than unknowingly trey hit the first few chords of...->
Heavy Things-Its a cool shorter song, they could do more with it but thats
ok, actually the jam seemed rather scorching tonight, trey seemed really
pumped and the audience was feeding off it, nice guitar licks
Sand-Cool shit.  Nicely played, when the jam started getting spacy and more
spacy, beginning to sound very dark and moody.  Cool to hear phish
experiment, sounded very good.
Meatstick- shaping up to be a crzy set also we were hoping it to be a long
one. This is an especially catchy and fun song.  The band was really
enjoying it, as was the audience not misssing a step.  Sofi came out to lead
the dance, and was followed by Trey saying the meatstick was a dance craze
in Japan, some funny shit.  Mike and Trey started singing the meatstick in
Japanese sounded good and was pretty damn funny to boot fading out when
suddenly->
Cities-what can i say, i love this song and this was my first live one, very
happy I made it in tonight the place was grooving and feeding off the
energy, the whole night fishman was keeping steady hard rythms, mike was
dropping bombs, page was grooving rythmically filling in perfectly and trey
was playing ferociously.  It was great when he made the Tokyo references
Walk Away-We wanted to hear another cool cover and this was it perfect,
everyone really getting into it having a great time. standard end going
right into..->
Antelope-wow this was intense, everyone was moving and shaking like crazy
the band was really on point and this antelope was incredibly nice, just an
insane se that we thought would end here but they stopped we all applauded
than
Frankenstien-Sick this is such a cool instrumental and it really gives that
70's rock vibe, everyone was jamming and dancing and the band finished up in
grand style we all thought it was over as did the rest of Phish, except trey
who told everyone to go back to their instuments...could it be Destiny
Unbound, the audience was trying to get the chant going during setbreak, I
didnt think we'd see it, maybe a harpua, now thatd make this a set of
historic proportions
Wading in the Velvet Sea-Well I like this song and it gave me the chance to
rest, which is what I really needed, I was hoping for something else but
this set was varied, long jamming, and full of energy, probably one of the
best sets Ive seen, I really liked it, a lot.
Encore
Character Zer0-Cool song once again the band was really on point, trey
really going off on his guitar part.  Not as good as the First Tube Loving
Cup encore of the second night, but the perfect way to end this show.
 
Overall I enjoyed my stay in holmdel this year immensly they always put on
great shows in this venue and tonight was not an exception.  Definitly get
the tapes, I thought this was one of my best shows ever for the originality,
creativity and overally joyous vibe of all involved.
 
Questions, comments, thoughts, email me at [email protected] or if you
have these shows email cause I want to trade
Greg

Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 11:32:00 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: my review on 6/29/00-PNC
 
first off, I have to say that it was a great show! I was a little pissed that
the 1st set was so short, but whatever.
    I was with my brother and a couple of his friends, & we all got great
seats on the lawn. I was so excited for this show, because i haven't see
Phish in a while. So they came on, & I can garuntee you that no one knew what
they were going to open up with......
 
Funk Bitch: I did say that they were going to play it tonight, but no one
guessed this as an opener. In the beggining of the song, they kind of started
it out weird, so it sounded like Moma Dance. But the song was great! the jam
was awesome, & it was a great place to start the night off.
 
Wilson: another weird spot for this song, expecially right after Funky Bitch.
But this was a really good Wilson. Trey's soloing in this song was great!
 
Limb By Limb: I knew after Funky, & Wilson, that they were going to slow
down, but I really didn't want them to play like Dirt or something like that.
So instead they just melowed it down w/ Limb. This was an amazing jam! You
can tell that Phish has gotten better, because each part of the jam was
played w/ perfection, & it wasn't one of those pointless jams that don't go
anywhere.
 
Drowned: At this point, I was looking for Y.E.M., but I will settle for
Drowned anytime. This is such a good song, & Mike got really into it, & it
was a graet jam. I thought the jam was going into Roses Are Free, but instead
it went into....
 
Rock & Roll: This song just makes everyone happy. Trey was dancin' on stage
during this one. It was a really good jam, & great way to end of the set.
 
Intermission: durring intermission, I felt so dead, that i wanted to die. I
was lieing on the ground, & I just wanted to get the hell out of there. But
when they came back on for the second set, I just suddenly started feeling
better. And they started the 2nd set w/ another song that no one probally
guessed....
 
Birds Of A Feather: I never heard this live, & I never really wanted to,
because I never heard live from tapes or anything, & I didnt think that this
was gonna be good, but trust me, this jam was so funky and amazing! I loved
it, & I'm dieing to get the tapes for this show, just to listen to this song!
This jam was pretty long, & it was obvious this was going into something, but
I didnt know what....
 
Catapult: There's not much to say about this song, it was like 3 minutes
long, but at the end of it, Trey started making that sound w/ his pettle (do
do do do do do do do), & that's when I knew what was next....
 
Heavy Things: What a great place for this song! A lot of people don't like
this song, & whenever I ask them why, they allways say,"Well, it's not their
type of song." I know what they mean, but that doesn't make it a bad song. I
think its a great song, & trey soloed for a while in this song.
 
Sand: I never though that this would be good live either, but it was amazing.
The jam was SICK! Trey started doing some messed up crap on the keyboard,
which was really cool!
  
Meatstick: I was so happy when they started playing this song! what a great
place for it, I kind of guessed YEM instead of it, but I was so happy that
they played this. They had Page's wife, Sophia, come up on stage & do the
dance w/ Trey & Mike. Then he started talking about how Phish went to Japan,
& how they never knew about the Macarena, so they loved the Meatstick. Then,
they started singing it in Japaneese, which was funny as hell! But, before
this happened, some guy ran up on stage, & Trey started saying, "Don't let
Carini get ya." & then he said, "There's a song about Carini, & his lumpy
head, but there's no song about Corona." I loved how he was talking threw out
the whole song, & then out of nowhere, they go right into....
 
Cities: I was expecting a Reba, but this was also very good, it that good
short jam, & they did the song very well. They then went into this song, that
I haven't heard before....
 
Walk Away: Well, I've probally heard before, but just haven't relised it. It
was a graet song, & a very good jam, w/ a cool glowstick war towards the end.
Right after they ended this song, I knew it was time for Antelope, & I was
right!
 
Run Like An Antelope: This was a great jam, & it started going fast at the
end of the jam, & then they just suddenly stoped, for the verse, & trey was
into this song, which is allways great to see! Since the first set was so
short, I thought this was the end of the set, but I was wrong....
 
Frankenstein: I love this song! it's short, & to the point, & they extended
it a litlle, w/ a little spacey jam at the end. Now I knew the set was over,
but I was wrong again....
 
Wading In The Velvet Sea: Another song that I didn't think was good live, but
it sure as hell was. they were all really into this one! Expecially Trey. His
soloing was amazing. Now I knew that the set was over, which was upseting,
but there was still the encore! They came out for the encore only 8 to 10
minutes after the 2nd set, which is pretty short.
 
Character Zero: This was a great jam, it's jut that in the middle of the jam,
one of the speakers wasn't working, but then it got fixed, 5 minutes later.
 
All in all it was a great show, I didn't go the 1st night, but I talked to
people that did, & they said that this was better than the 1st night. If
anyone has these tapes, please e-mail me , I will do
BIGtrade for these tapes, thanks a lot!

Date: Wed, 05 Jul 2000 16:16:31 -0700
From: jason lehigh [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/29 holmdel review
 
It's so great to see the boys again. this was my second show of holmdel
> hartford > camden run.
the lot scene wasn't bad, and we had great weather. I had heard about
the whole on site court and
judge thing, but never saw anything like that. the cops were pretty
tight, busting some vendors early
on, but eventually they let us do our thing. the first night was great,
so I was getting pretty excited
as the day the went on, and finally I headed into the venue at around
7:30. I was in the lawn with
a descent view of the stage and lights. there was an announcer before
the band came out, and did
the national anthem. a couple minutes later, the boys were on stage!
funky bitch- nice song to hear, standard version. got the show off to a
good start
wilson- this got the crowd going. always a fun song
limb by limb- one of my favorites from story of the ghost, always
portrayed nicely in concert.
this version was about 12 minutes, nice and jammed out
drowned- YES !!! I've been wanting to hear this for a while. I love what
they do with this who song.
absolutely jamming, like 20 minutes long and right into
rock and roll- I was'nt sure what it was at first, but then I recognized
this great velvet underground
song. a great cover song.
well that was it for the first set, short but sweet. I knew that they
would probably unleash in the
second set, and they did!
birds of a feather- good song to start the set off with. not much to say
about this one
catapult- this was great! a really fun song. I assumed something crazy
to follow
heavy things- not what I expected. It really isn't that bad of a song. I
did not mind hearing it
sand- there was some crazy stuff going on up on stage. this was so
funked out. it went into
this really dark and slow jam, with trey on keys. It sounded kind of
rave-ish, and got really spaced
out. this was an excellent version.
meatstick- me and my buddy where hoping for this one the first night.
this was worth waiting
an extra night. a standard version until some guy runs on stage, and
runs off again to escape
carini. trey switches up the lyrics, talking about "languedoc and kuroda
not having a song, but there is a song about carini and his lumpy head"
somewhere along those lines. I was going nuts!!!
they start talking about the dance compared to the macarena and the
whole record thing. then tray
says that the dance is huge in japan, and that people over there are
probably dancing to it right
now. then he says there going to do the meatstick in japenese. the crowd
was off the hook!!!!
It was such a cool moment
cities- awesome. one of my favorites. trey switches up some of the
lyrics " alot of people in
tokyo...what do I smell ... I smell sushi" CRAZY !!!! we were just going
nuts!
walk away- first time for me. always liked what I heard on tape. good
version. I thought it
would be over at this point, but wait
antelope- awesome, another song i was hoping for. this version was so
nice. always a crowd
pleaser. I thinking end of the set, but it's not over yet...
frankenstein- awesome tune to hear, kept the crowd going
wading in the velvet sea- finally a breather that would end the set.
such a beautiful song. there
were some meatstick teases towards the end
what could the encore be...
character zero- was kinda hoping for something else, nice song to end it
all off with though
This show was awesome the second set made up for the short first set.
this show was awesome
If you can get this on tape. I'd really recommend it. the highlites of
this one were Sand through
wading in the velvet sea. I hope everyone there had as good a time as I
did. See you all at the
next show.

Date: Sat, 01 Jul 2000 02:07:50 -0400
From: "[email protected]" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Subject: REVIEW: 6/29/00 Holmdel, NJ

This is a show that is going to be talked about for a while. Not
necessarily because of the performance (though it was excellent), but
because of all the strange stuff that went on the the 2nd set. I for one
will never forget it.

This was my 12th show, 2nd of 4 this tour, and one of the two most
unusual of the whole bunch (the other being 12/29/96).

Anyway, the boys came out around 8 and started up:

Funky Bitch - picking up where they left off last night. Very
hard-rocking and tight.
hard-rocking and tight.

Wilson - more of the same! This was similar to the last version I saw,
7/10/99.

Limb By Limb - far superior to their attempt of it at this venue last
year. At first Trey tried to take the jam into different places than
usual. It wound up back in familiar territory but was very satisfying.
Gotta love the Fish solo spotlight at the end.

then the floodgates opened....

Drowned - helly shite! At 20 min. this was shorter than last year's
Hartford version but every bit as good. They managed to hold a tight
groove while getting all exploratory - kind of like Mike's from the
previous night - or like some of the best stuff from '97. At the apex of
the jam I was thinking "Go to the clav, Page," and soon enough he did!
But the clav was hard to hear in the mix and Page soon reverted to 
piano, where he could pound out a rhythmic groove and be heard. I
imagine the Allmans and Derek and the Dominoes sounded like this back in
the day at the Fillmore. And if that wasn't enough, we get a huge segue
into...

Rock and Roll - 10 more minutes of bliss. They really pounded this one
home.

And then, like the previous night, they left the stage after less than
an hour. They had hosed us plenty, though, and I figured a long second
set was coming.

They emerged for the second set, and the airhorn sounded three times,
and we began our chant:

"Mbrufh blirphr yrulufr ptlifr"

At least that's what it sounded like to me, and probably the band as
well. People chanted the first line once and then stopped, forcing the
airhorn guy to sound it again. The renewed attempts didn't sound any
better, though.

Trey got this puzzled look, shrugged his shoulders and looked at Mike.
Mike did nothing. So the band started up...

Birds of a Feather - This was like no other BOAF I've heard. It was even
more out-there than the exploratory '99 versions. It yet again featured
the kind of jamming we heard in the 1st set's Drowned and last night's
Mikes - groove but with tension-release interplay or something like it.
Very focused, not drifting like some of the space-groove stuff last
year. We need a name for this style: "Groovecore?" I dunno, help me out
here. And - get this - they teased Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" or at
least Santana's version of it (see the Sacred Fire live album). As it
went on, Trey added some effects, and the jam started to sound like a
spaceship descending - very appropriate since the ceiling from this
venue looks like something out of Close Encounters. Kuroda's lighting
played this up perfectly. While in the midst of this madness, Trey
walked over to Mike and whispered something. They approached their mikes
and started to sing not Destiny but...

Catapult - you knew this was going to be a special set when they pulled
this out. The music didn't change at all, we just got the Catapult
lyrics. This whole thing was the equal of BC's SOAMelt -> Catapult, IMO.
After the lyrics were over they continued this freaky jam for a few
minutes (how it should be noted in a setlist is open to debate) before
quieting down and Trey firing up...

Heavy Things - you might think "buzzkill" but the crowd went nuts! Say
what you will, but this served its purpose, to get the crowd excited.
The version itself was tight and energetic, nothing wrong with it at
all. Then it was over soon enough. They stood around conferencing about
what to do next, finally Trey strums a familar riff and off they go
into...

Sand - This is my favorite of the newest batch of songs and I was really
hoping to hear this at some point. This version did not disappoint. It
was very different from most others I heard. Trey spent an extended
amount of time on the mini keyboard and created this dark and spooky
soundscape with Page. Yet Fish and Mike kept pounding out the groove and
there were no delay loops to clutter things up. I think this passage was
the closest I've heard to Phish playing straight-up Rave Music. And when
Trey finally picked up the 'doc again, his initial soloing had lots of
impact after there being no guitar at all. That didn't sustain, as
subsequent guitar passages were more meandering, but then the band
locked into that "spaceship grooving" as they had in BOAF and brought it
to a fine conclusion. More conferences and then...

Meatstick - This was wild and wacky. The references to crew members, the 
dance demonstration, the stage-rushers (three of them total in this
set), the Japanese lyrics, yes, it's all true. I especially liked how
Trey referenced the 7/15/99 version from the same venue, talking about
how they practiced it here to try to break the world record, but lost
out to the Macarena, but they found out that in Japan the Macarena never
caught on and the Meatstick is "a bona fide dance craze"! Lost in all of
this was how tight and funky they were playing it, especially toward the
end. Trey was sufficently impressed that he called for a segue into...

Cities - more Meatstick and Japan references, what a blast. Standard
funk version that unexpectedly segued into...

Walk Away - and the crowd went nuts. This was cogent and powerful. They
could have ended the set right there but no, it was time for...

Antelope - at the start of the show I figured they might do this since
they had hinted at it during the intro to Weekapaug the previous night.
But I was so caught up in the set that I had forgotten about that until
they hit us with it. They took all the momentum that had been building
in this exceptional set and just ran with it here. It was fast, furious
and flawless. Everyone in sync and raging at full speed. Just total
insanity. Not 7/16/94 insane but not too far removed from it either. Not
that we needed our asses kicked any further but they proceeded to do so
by seguing into...

Frankenstein - unbelievable energy. If it's not a set for the ages by
this point then it's awfully close. They closed it with a bang and
everyone figured that HAD to be it. Page certainly did, as he stood up.
But Trey motioned for him to sit back down and start...

Wading in the Velvet Sea - I have a theory about this. Trey's speech
during this song was very unusual. He gushed about how much they love
playing the venue, and thanked the crew and the fans for making the two
shows so great, and the community so special. He NEVER makes speeches
like that except on tour closers. My theory is that he desperately would
like to return here next year and this was his "goodbye" speech in case
they're not allowed to. And he called for Velvet Sea to evoke the
peacefulness of the community at Big Cypress - and maybe to prod
everyone to act the same way here. I was quite moved.

My theory about the Destiny chant turned out to be right. I figured
there was no way they would play it, but they might feed off our efforts
and produce an exceptional set.

The encore is beside the point after a set like that, so I'm sure some
groaned when they came out and started....

Character Zero - but screw them. I like this song. There, I said it.
Indeed, I was happy that this version tried to be more than just Wanking
Trey. His playing was unusually restrained for this song, as he tried to
build up a group jam. It didn't really work and he went back to Wanking 
Trey for the conclusion. But at least they tried. Effort is NOT a
problem on this tour.

It's too early to tell but I would not be surprised if this show becomes
one of the year's must-haves. The Drowned -> RnR is a keeper, and the
2nd set just has to be heard to be believed.

In closing, I can't believe how "on" they were for these two shows. The
last time I can remember them playing so cogently and providing so many
"Holy Shit!" moments was, dare I say, fall '97. Who knows whether this
tour will become as revered as that one. But if they keep playing like
this, the odds are pretty good.

See you all in Camden. I can't fathom how they will top this, but
something inside me is telling me that they will.

Erik Swain 


Date: Sat, 1 Jul 2000 12:58:56 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/29/00 Review

Hey y'all, Night 2 was anything but Night 1.  This was the "Let's showcase
everyone else night, but still combine all the elements to produce Phish
music!"  It was ecstacy. The only bad thing was the length of Set I, but
it was so well played that it can be overlooked.

I'm glad I picked this show to be on the lawn. The lights and sound are so
much better up there. I was in the front row of the lawn, wearing my blue
NYE 98 Holiday Tour shirt.

FUNKY BITCH:  Ok, this was on my "not want to see" list, but it was my
first Funky Bitch so I was happy. Plus, Mike sang and Page soloed! YAY YAY
YAY!!!! I was happy and dancing my jigga ass off.

WILSON: My 800,000th first set Wilson.  But that's ok, it was short and
the first one of the tour and it was Gamehenge and it was fan
participation and i'm writing a run on sentence.

LIMB BY LIMB: Also on my "not want to see" list, but it was the best Limb
by Limb I have EVER heard (besides 11/28/98 into Catapult and Kung).  It
featured a collective groove with Trey playing melody but everyone else
filling the sound nicely.

DROWNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO HI! HI HELLO! HOW YA DOIN??? 15
PHANTASY PHISH POINTS FOR SALVO!!!!!!! I WANTED THIS ONE SOOOOOOOOOOO
BAD!!! Mike is SOOOO HOT! I LOVE WHEN HE SINGS!  SET ME FREE!!!!!!  Page
was featured nicely on this one too.  God, I was in heaven. THen it segued
so nicely into

>ROCK AND ROLL:  Oh man, another first timer for me!!! Jesus Christ, it
couldn't get any better than this. All this set needed was like a YEM next
and it would have been the perfect set.  Even so, Rock and Roll raged and
IT WAS ALLLLLLLRIGHT

it was alright!


Set 1 gets a 9.5/10 for musicality, and an 8/10 overall b/c of the length.

Set 2 might have been the best set I've ever seen.

BOAF:  I called it. Yep, I announced it to my whole section that BOAF
would open.  So obvious! I am the man...I love BOAF, it is one of my
favorite songs and of 4 versions, 3 have been epics (7/8/99, 7/10/99, and
last night). This one immediately ventured away from the BOAF theme into
the Key of D.  It somehow modulated into the Key of G, where Mike was
thumping away prominently.  Trey went over to him and had a conference.
Then the spotlight went on Mr. Mike and he stepped up to sing

>CATAPULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS WAS HEAVEN!!!!!!  What can I
say, they had a solid groove underneath Catapult.

>JAM This should be labeled JAM in all the setlists. They jammed back in G
for about 3-4 minutes.  I thought they were going to return to C and
finish off Birds, but they stayed here and Trey set off the boomerang.
Gradually, the boomerang became quicker and there was an obvious segue
into

>HEAVY THINGS: which I enjoyed immensely.  Trey kept the boomerang on
throughout the whole song, which gave it an extra twist. It seemed slower
than normal, but Trey was awesome during the solo.  I liked it a lot.

SAND: Highlight of the show (until the craziness that ensued afterwards).
I mean, holy shit, this was the first Sand I'd ever heard live, and it was
the best version I'd ever heard (i have like 2000 Sands on tape).  It was
a wall of sound and noise (same thing, i know) and it was the first time I
appreciated Trey's keyboard. He was making all sorts of crazy shit. I was
so focused on Mike's bassline throught the whole thing though. Get the
tapes just for this Sand. It made this set epic.

MEATSTICK: Finally, I was waiting for the return of Meatstick to PNC. They
don't screw around either when Meatstick comes to PNC. They go Nuts!!!!! I
thank the fan who jumped on stage, for it was he who provoked the
craziness. You, anonymous fan, I am forever greatful.  Thank you.  Trey
ad-libbed a whole verse about Carini, how he has a song named after him
and his lumpy head, how even though they like Paul and Chris, they don't
have songs named after them, etc. I was laughing my ass off. Then, Trey
bantered about Sofi and Page and their baby and doing the meatstick, and
Mike, Trey, and Sofi did the Meatstick again for us.  Shocks my brain
indeed! Sofi is HOT! Finally, Trey started talking about Japan and
learning it in Japanese and my jaw dropped. They were gonna sing it to us
in JAPANESE!!! YES YES YES! THAT WAS ON MY WISH LIST!!!!! HAHAHAHAH! I was
ecstatic. ATMAGA SHOCK INDEED!!! Finally, some stop/start jamming with
Fish soloes, led to a brief jam before segueing into

>CITIES! WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!! THIS WAS THE
SET OF A LIFETIME! MY FIRST CITIES!!!!  Comeplete with "A lot of people in
Tokyo....Doing the Meatstick... I smell...sushi." or something like that.
Greatness. Then out of the outro jam there was a segue into.

WALK AWAY: ok, that was it. I could go home now. Are you joking? WALK
AWAY?????????????????????? I never thought I"d hear this! It was short,
but Page sang, and he is DAMN good at it too!

ANTELOPE: In my Top 5 on my Wish list! jesus christ, this was ridiculous.
Meatstick tease in the beginnning. A complete Frenzy with Trey wailing and
Fishman going nuts on his kit.  Just mayhem. Not as good as 12/29/97, but
who cares, it was Antelope.  I knew they'd repeat NYE 98 and segue into

>FRANKENSTEIN: Yes, Called this one!  Not much to say except it raged as
it always does. Thought we were done until Trey motioned over to Page to
sing

VELVET SEA: Ok, I know people will bitch about this song ruining this epic
show, but I loved it. Any song that Page sings I love.  A great way to end
the show and a good run at PNC. Trey thanks crew, fans, wishes all of us
could be on stage with them (or did he say that during Meatstick??), etc.
End on a resounding G Chord. Complete with Meatstick Tease Again.

E: CHARACTER ZERO: Ok, i could deal with this. EXCEPT THE PA SYSTEM WENT
OUT! Damn, that sucked, but it came back on just as the boys crescendoed
into the AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHH!!!!  OO AHH AHH OO!! And all
rejoiced. well, Salvo rejoiced.  I was hoping for at least a Julius, but
that's ok. I walked out of there a happy man.  I thought there was another
Meatstick tease at the end, but maybe not.

Ecstatic,
Salvo

Date: Sun, 09 Jul 2000 17:47:47 EDT
From: Sean Quinlan [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: sorry if i sent this twice  (6/29 review)  - thanks
 
I just need to say that this was one of "those" shows.  You know, the show
that makes you reaffirm why you spend all of your money seeing one band.  It
was a show that was held together by a common theme, each song relating to
the last.  The boys and kuroda blended together in a mixture of sound,light,
and oozing goo that covered the crowd.  The lights dancing on the ceiling
let us know that there was something extra terrestrial taking place.
It was the best show out of the six east coast ones that I saw this
summer.  PNC is also a really awesome venue, outside and in.
As far as the songs, the highlights of the first set were undoubtedly the
Drowned>Rocknroll, i don't think that I have ever heard a better segueway
(except maybe the Tweezer>cities from 12/31/98).  Trey simply, yet
triumphantly, threw in the A6 chord of RocknRoll out of the Drowned
jam,without missing a beat - pure musical ecstasy.
Second set was where the shit got serious though.  The birds was spooky and
much more experimental than it has been in recent shows (like summer 99 but
better). Who can complain about the catapult that followed?  The Heavy
things started out with a loop that came out of the Birds/catapult jam, as
the cheesy yet lovably catchy chords came in in time with the loop that ran
throughout the song.  I have to say that Trey's guitar work on this song has
become impeccable.  the solo he took danced around the theme, meandering
here and there, but was lightining fast and in true trey style.  I still
don't know how he can spontaneously compose such intricate guitar lines.  He
has phrases that can last measures on end.  It was his soloing that allowed
the Heavy things to hold its ground.
What came next was to be the highlight of the show (for me anyway).  They
busted out Sand, a song that is simple yet powerful.  What is so good about
it is that since it is new they can do whatever they want to with it, and
they do.  The first time I saw them play it was at NYE, and it blew me away.
  This version was just as smoking, with some insanity thrown in by all.
Mike's bass line can become a bit repetitive, but tonight i thought that he
played it well.  He had a very driving techno beat that Trey painted some
crazy sounds over, first on the keys, then on the guitar.  there were points
during this jam that i felt like i was immersed in liquid glass, thanks to
Kuroda.  It was one of the most intense psychedelic phish experiences i have
ever had (and i have had quite a few).  I will say that at points at felt
the jam got a little too mechanical for me, but atleast it was different.
This song really launched the spaceship of an arena into the next galaxy
over.  I feel like I should talk about this jam for longer, but it is
something that words can not describe, you have to experience it.
Meatstick was fun, I really like this song, and am happy to see it whenever,
they usually bust it out at phat shows too.  The japanese thing was crazy,
although I was having problems hearing him talk.  The jam was decent, but I
have seen better (personally i love the meatstick closer from NYE, the jam
is perfectly mellow). i love cities, and this one was pretty good, yet
pretty standard.  Still, it is real rare these days, so I was extra psyched.
  It flowed well out of meatstick, giving that feeling of set continuity
that I love, the same goes for walk away - a rare song that comes out at
phat shows, but isn't anything too special to me.  By the time Antelope came
things had already gone off the hook, and the antelope just took it out
there further.  By this point you could feel the good vibes between the band
and the audience, there was definitely an unmistakable bond.  During the jam
trey led us on an exploratory journey.  It was like the music was there for
all of us and he was simply the interpreter - kind of like a sooth sayer or
a medium.  he was
no different than us up there and the music was driving him just as much as
it was driving us.  At one point in the jam he was kind of milling around
the stage and bumped into his amp.  He seemed to turn around and look at the
amp as if to say "excuse me".  The shit was absolutely out of hand.  he then
brought the jam into some wah stuff, eventually leading inot the all too
familiar climax.
Frankenstein was the perfect follower, especially in a show like this.  The
Frankenstein was like the icing on the cake, reminding us not to forget the
ever present theme of the night.  the melody rang though with hints of set
we had just heard throughout. velvet sea was kind of an anti-climactic way
to end such an amazing show, but who am I to complain, i was expecting
frankenstein to end it.
upon hearing the encore I was a little disappointed, but this character zero
was one of the best ones I have ever heard, with the possible exception of
hartford (11/26/97).  It wasn't the cock rock, loud, screaming, half assed
regurgitated blues lines of treys guitar, but instead, a nice groove, that
again, fit perfectly with the groove based theme of the night.  The show was
exactly what I look for in a phish show - good songs, awesome jamming, and
pure mindfucking craziness.
the next night in Hartford was equally sick, and the two shows were the best
that I saw this summer. i wound up seeing the six northeasters, being my
first summer in four years not doing most of the tour, and i was pretty
satiated.  I thought that during the six night run they played too much
farmhouse stuff, but the jamming made up for that.  When they weren't
playing farmhouse stuff they were usually playing something real phat.  they
were good about throwing in the old gems, such as glide, halley's, mango,
buried alive, etc.  My three favs were 6/29, 6/30, and 7/3, although the
other three were pretty tight as well. The boys are hotter than ever, and I
look foward to my next two shows in shoreline.
Peace out
Sean

Date: Tue, 04 Jul 2000 23:25:22 -0400
From: Scott Norton [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/28 - 6/29
 
hows it going.

I will say right away that i was at both shows at PNC because i was working.  
Yes I am a security guard there.  I had the opportunity to meet a lot of you
phans in the outermost parking lot early in the day. I even ran into some of
the same people on the lawn later on once the show began.  I would like to
take this opportunity to apologize on behalf of some of my fellow guards who
had never worked this kind of show before.  They became a little over-zelous
the first night and took it upon themselves to take "goodies" away from people
instead of asking nicely for the people to be a little more discreet.  I truly
am sorry. I wish that every show had a fan base like phish.  I look forward to
seeing you all at PNC next summer and implore you to campaign for the boys to
come back for a third year in a row.
 
Thank you for bringing great times to PNC
See you all soon
 
Scott

Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 22:55:00 EDT
From: Robert Kistler [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6.29.00

Hey all
Well, this is my third show, and i have to rate it second songwise, but
first funwise.

Funky Bitch - This was a great opener.  Really great way to get the crowd
pumpin.  Got me too excited for the rest of the show though.

Wilson - Great song.  Awesome crowd participation.  I was right by a
taper, so i couldn't yell to loud.

Limb by Limb - Definitely the low point of the set.  It's a great song and
all, but right after Wilson and f.Bitch?

Drowned - Wow, i've only heard this on tape once.  It was really rockin.  
Awesome jam to go with it too.

Rock and Roll - Page was great on this song.  He has a great voice and
played really well.  He played a lot that night, and this was only the
beginning.

Intermission!?  Second night in a row.  What the hell is goin on here?

Birds of a Feather - Certainly not a song i wasn't expecting.  ON the car
ride down, my friends and i were discussing how we should've gotten an
It's ice, or a yem. still good though.  pretty psychadelic jam.

Catapault - Very Very funny.  Made me laugh a lot.  Coolest catapault i've
ever heard.  Caught a lot of people by surprise.  When trey went over the
mike, a lot of people were expecting something big, like bust into a yem,
or some long jam song.  But catapault was a pretty funny sub.

Heavy Things - I was pissed.  I had my hopes up to high.  When they
stopped the jam.  They started to do some weird, psychadelic sounds, for
like a 2001.  When they busted into this, i was let down. definitely the
lowpoint

Sand - Good comeback!  This is always a funky song to dig.

Meatstick - The traditional long speech explaining the meatstick by trey.
Sofi coming out was cool too.  Now i know how to "meatstick"

cities - i was glad to hear this.  It's a fun, funky, sweet song.

Walk Away - wow,  this was too cool.  I can't believe what i built up
to...

Run Like an Antelope - This was too damn cool.  Most definitely the high
point of either PNC show.  wow.  The build to the climax was the best i've
ever heard for a lot of songs i've heard off of bootlegs.  They just kept
getting faster and faster.

Frankenstein - I was sure that that was the end.  But when the busted into
this, the rockin groove just kept flowing,.  Hot damn!

Wading in the Velvet Sea - Page rules.  What a great song.  It's certainly
not my fav, but they performed this very well.

Character Zer0 - I was hoping for a Possum, but this was a cool song. 

Date: Sun, 02 Jul 2000 10:37:52 -0500
From: Robert Spruill [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/29/00 PNC Bank Arts Center review
 
6/29/00 PNC Bank Arts Center
 
During the one-day break, a few words on the show to have seen from this
summer run in the northeast....
 
Sing the national anthem...what? Everybody stood for it, flags waving on the
jumbotrons, "rockets� red glare" seemed to be popular. Security was mellower
this night than they had been Wednesday, maybe finally realizing we weren�t
there to ruin the bucolic peace of Holmdel, NJ.
 
Nice, groovy start with Funky Bitch, nothing too special about this
rendition. Kinda wish Trey would step out front a little more on this song
the way he used to, but I�m biased. But this definitely set the tone for the
night, and they wasted no time with the downbeat of the next song....
 
"Wiiil-sonnn"...and this was where the show took off. Rockin�, well jammed,
not at all perfunctory. They had a ball with this and so did we, as you could
tell from the bemused looks on Security�s faces, not quite believing the
frenzy the boys whipped us into. They wind it down, much cheering and
screaming....
 
At this point I�m thinking another something to dance to, then a smoke ^�em
if you got ^�em song, then we�ll see. Boy was I wrong.
 
Limb by Limb starts up. Always thought this song had serious jamming
potential, but I haven�t seen a rendition that comes close to living up.
Until tonight. Trey was hot the whole night and hit a high point here, riding
right on top of the groove, shifting it from floaty to fast and intense and
back seemingly at will. If you like this song, here�s a recording of it to
get your hands on. Trey played to the crowd very much here, looking right up
onto the center lawn and playing it out to us. Then....
 
Drowned, the highlight of the first set. Long, groovy, melted jam, Trey still
playing to the crowd now down more in front of him, the band all four of them
racing ahead and jamming very strong, the tempo picking up, and I didn�t
really hear how they did it but there�s a keychange and they shift directly
to....
 
Rock ^�n Roll. Straightforward but energetic as hell. This sounds a lot like
a closer to all of us, and we�re dancing out whatever energy we have left for
the first set. A short set, but they kept us working all the way through it.
 
Over setbreak...the rain comes, but gently, just enough to cool us down and
get us ready to have that second set laid right down on top of us, and oh my
did they....
 
Birds of a Feather. Never understood why this was the song off of Ghost that
got radio play, but live it�s a treat. Hot and fast jam coming out of the
lyrics, and they keep it up, keep us dancing hard. We�re all waiting for the
refrain to come back around after the jam peaks, but they keep holding it,
melting it, and now Mike�s singing and it�s...
 
Catapult, just as trippy as anything they�re playing these days, a
psychedelic groove that seems like it�s standing still and going 200 miles an
hour at the same time, and then the downbeat for...
 
Heavy Things. Waiting through the lyrics here, letting the boys have their
moment of pop, and Trey�s voice cracks on one of the last choruses and they
kinda all look at one another, and then when the jam comes around I�m
crossing my fingers, because this song depends entirely on Trey and he is
ripping everything up tonight. This song is no exception: longer jam than
usual, holding you just at the peculiar pitch of joy this song sounds.
 
They wind it down and we wonder what�s coming next. Trey�s probably going to
try and save his voice, and indeed he does: Sand. The repetitive bass line
here is a bit of an annoyance, but they definitely deserve a rest at this
point and they take it, Trey on keyboards after a while, but the song isn�t
going much of anywhere. Then he steps downstage from the keyboard and starts
laying down these evil paint-splatter lines that I�ve never heard out of this
song before, hope he uses these again, and now he�s back at the keyboard and
wailing with it, picking up the dark refrain he�s just started, and then the
light breaks over all of it and they�re in...
 
Meatstick. Well, okay. This was in some ways the most typical song of the
show...just giving to us, talking to us, Trey making up a lyric about Carini,
then one about the rest of the crew, then bringing out Sofi (looking too good
to have just given birth) to do the dance, then telling us about Japan,
joking about how famously the dance has caught on there, then doing the
Japanese lyrics (wow), and now dropping it down finally into....
 
Cities. A verse about Tokyo is a treat, and this groove leaves plenty of room
for the boys to subdivide, which they do at will, not jamming it out
incredibly but just keeping us moving ahead, good points here, liking where
we are, and finally they come to the next song and it�s....
 
Walk Away! This was the treat of the show for geezers like me, and as they�re
winding the song down I think maybe this is the second-set closer, that
they�ll extend that rockin� jam out to the end, bring it to some hot climax,
but they�re in a little bit of a hurry to wind it down, and they do.
 
They�re not going anywhere, good news! One more song, I�m figuring. Then they
crank up Antelope, and we�re all just fine with getting this as a closer, hot
as they are tonight, and I swear this is the most impressionistic rendition,
the Antelope splattering and melting and...well...running as they come into
the quiet upbeats (and I swore that Trey did a measure of bbfcfm here, just
at the second before he cut out). Trey gives a little Meatstick tease and
then they�re on their way up the hill again, then at the top, then blurring
downslope and again Trey is only barely paying any attention to the
underlying song, just blowing this Antelope way out of shape. We�ve all heard
it nine million times, but this is an Antelope worth getting your hands
on....
 
Okay, so they�re winding up the closer, right? Nope; Trey takes a drink of
water and they drop into Frankenstein, and I�m thinking this is an even
better way to end the set. Now how do they find space in this song?
Nevertheless they do, Fishman showing off mightily on this song, a little
escape into space that goes far far away before they hit the theme again, one
last time, and now they wind it up and it really is over, it seems. They�re
looking at each other, and for a second Trey fakes going up and taking a bow,
everybody else takes a half-step in that direction too, but no: another drink
of water and....
 
Velvet Sea. By this point anything�s a bonus, even a ballad, and this one has
a sing-along quality that makes it pretty and peaceful and hypnotic, and now
Trey has a chance to sing as he solos the song out, and as they wind it up
he�s thanking the crew and thanking us...thanking us? Sure thing, guys,
anytime....and a big finish and much much screaming. They left it all out
there tonight, nothing held back.
 
The Character Zero encore, complete with sound problems with the PA, is
almost the definition of anticlimax, but by now it doesn�t really matter. If
you like hard, funky grooves this is a show to pick up. And it was definitely
the place on Earth to be that night....

Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 13:03:34 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6-29-00 PNC Review

Great show. Totally exceeded my expectations. The first set was just a
damn good time. Funky Bitch was a great way to get the crowded moving
right from the start. Wilson was very tight. I don't ever remember digging
a Wilson as much as I did last nights. Limb by Limb.... didn't I just hear
this one? It was a welcome repeat, nonetheless. Drowned into R&R! Two of
my favorite covers, back to back. I was all smiles.

Second set: BoaF- not one of my favorites but it provided me the
opportunity to jump that damn fence. I wanted to get the hell out of the
rain. I found a great seat up front just in time to hear Catapult. There's
something about Catapult that I just love. This was a great one, too. They
were picking up this dark, electronica theme to the jam and Catapult fit
over that nicely. Trey lets some of the loops carry on as they all fade
out and slowly make their way into Heavy Things. Although I've now seen
this song nearly a dozen their way into Heavy Things. Although I've now
seen this song nearly a dozen times in the last dozen shows (or so it
seems) I have to admit that this version was pretty hot. You could still
hear Trey's loops through most of the opening. Then gently sliding into
Sand... a welcome repeat. Not quite the Antioch version but still
incredible. Trey on keys. CK on lights. Wow. I was having a blast....I
was... until EVERYONE STARTS CLAPPING! This is Phish, people... not a
fucking Garth Brooks concert. They're in the middle of some intense groove
and these people start clap.... clap... clap... clapping. I was about to
turn violent. Anyway, I was lead to believe that Meatstick was created
specifically for Big Cypress. (Sorry Rufus... there goes your theory).
Meatstick is always a good time as far as I'm concerned. So is watching
all these 'tarts running on stage and getting nailed by Carini. Trey was
having fun with them, too (which only encourages them). Finally Trey says
something about how he wishes that everyone could be on stage with them.
Into Cities... they slowed it down and softened it up at one point to let
Mike get funky. He was laying it down thick for about 4 or 5 minutes. Hot
shit. Walk Away was very tight. They were totally on top of their shit by
this point. Another Antelope with another ambient jam. I love it that way.
Great show. I don't think we'll see anything this good in Hartford. I
think we'll have to wait until Camden.

As Always, Dave N.


Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 11:33:07 -0400
From: John Tringle [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: PNC 6/29/00
 
Great show. Like the night before this show just packed it in. I heard no one
complaining about the "short" first set again.
 
For me the Funky, Wilson were straight forward but the show really kicked in
with awsome versions of Limb, Drowned and a stellar R&R. Again, these guys
are as tight as can be and there were smiles all around.
 
About 25 minutes into the set break (I was on the lawn) I notice that
*everyone* is standing and more ready to go than almost any crowd I've seen.
For ten minutes everyone was just standing, facing forward, and hungry....
 
Set II: My son's Dream set to start.....
 
Birds, Catapult, Heavy Things, Sand, Meatstick.......If you have a kid I
think you'll know what I mean....
 
Birds of a feather is really coming into it's own. It seems like the band is
starting to master this song. The end allows for a great climactic jam and I
just think they feel more comfortable with it overall. Heavy things is just
one of those nice, happy feeling songs that get you up and make you smile. I
don't think it's any more complicated than that. But SAND!!! WOW!!! Funky
Spacey Dance Groove Psychedelic.......almost like a Sprach alternative. This
might be one of thier best songs going forward. The song allows for endless
possibilites, long grooves, and a myriad of Jams. They were quite simply
posessed.
 
Meatstick was like therapy after that insane Sand. I love the Dead feel. It's
laid back and that's good too. Sofi (sp?) you are beautiful and what a treat
to see them sing it in Japanese.
 
Again, as my boy gets a little tired after all that groovin' we slowly head
back to the car....very slowly. But I won't review the rest of the show
because I wasn't directly in the mix.
 
Two hot, tight, solid shows at PNC.....great job guys. Thank you. On to
Hartford, then Camden, then about 12 hours of
sleep..............................
 
I would love an Esther.
 
Peace
jt

Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 15:07:26 -0500
From: Peter Norman [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Just a little note on 6-29-00
 
I wasn't there, but I was playing at an open mike in Illinois (where I
live).  I played Drowned (as well as DMB's "Tripping Billies" and STP's
"Interstate Love Song") in tribute of the Who concert I'd seen on 6-25-00
and because Phish occasionally covered it.  Little did I know that all the
way in New Jersey, Phish were playing the same song at approximately the
same time.  Whoa, what are the odds?  How often do they play that song?  Not
very often I believe.  When I heard that they played it that night, I felt
as if Phish knew I was playing it.  It was a touching moment.  See you on
Sept. 22 & 23 when Phish plays Rosemont.  Keep the phaith!!!
 
________________________________________________
Erik Norman
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.prairienet.com/banjo

Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 10:29:29 -0400 (EDT)
From: Janthony Dipolvere [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/29/00 review
 
 
Last night was my first show of summer 2000 & 14th overall.  A pretty
solid effort by the band and  a very enjoyable time save for the
overzealous police presence at PNC.  As a side note, to those of you
expecting to go to Cmaden w/out a ticket, good luck.  There was nothing as
far as extras were concerned and it seemed like everyone was looking for
one.  My friend went up both nights and couldn't find a ticket either
time.
 
First set:  Pretty standard from Funky Bitch through LimbxLimb then
opening chords of Drowned.  I was psyched to see my first Drowned but it
seemed like no one else even knew what it was.  Pretty long with a nice
jam that segued well into Rock and Roll.
A really rockin version of the Velvet Underground tune with really nice
work done by the film crew that does the stuff that is on the lawn
monitors.  About three minutes in, a birght light shined out onto the
middle of the crowd and you could tell Page was really digging it.  He
started smiling and got really into the "alrights" then Trey started
feeding off this and then the camera guys started to feed off THIS and
they did a killer job of cutting between Page and Trey.  Lots of energy,
and you could tell the band was having a great time.
Overall, a short set but I kind of expected that because it would leave
room for a monster second.
 
Set 2: Light rain during the setbreak made me worry this could be a repeat
of Antioch 99, but a soon as the boys came back on stage, the rain in the
air was replaced by a kind of unspoken potential energy, rumors were
swirling that the second set opener would be Destiny Unbound.  The three
air horns were sounded and the crowd, especially in the reserve seating
started with the opening lines.  Very exciting like we were about to see
something big...Trey starts talking to  fish...
Birds of a Feather...I used to not really like this song but this was a
really good version.  The BOAF's of 99 were extremely Trey based with lots
of solos, last night's was a complete band jam that went really deep and
into places I never thought birds could go, very dark and scary jam w/
lots of red lights, you could kind of feel somthing was about to happen...
Catapult...always seems to appear during some intense long jams...real
cool, this set is starting to shape up like the  one from PNC last year
(Meatstick>SOM>Kung>Jam). Post-Catapult jam slow down to just Trey playing
high notes and right into Heavy Things.
Nice version, trey muffs the words and starts to crack up, you can tell he
has great time playing here. Pretty long for Heavy things.  Happy to hear
it.
Some spacey stuff comes next I'm thinking 2001 or Bowie. Muffled opening
chords of Sand. OK this was my low point of the show.  I know some of you
are going to really disagree with me and that's cool. Vocals and the
beginning part of the jam were good.  Trey on small keys came up with a
nice riff right in the beginning but then we were treated to ten miniutes
of trey doing his best Nigel Tufnel Spinal tap homage.  This Sand really
lost me. I was worried the show would kind of tail off in Bouncing and
leave me wanting a lot more.
Meatstick...cool version with trey sofie and mike doing the dance and
alternate lyrics about carini being the only crew member to have a song
and also w/ japanese lyrics.  Trey really breaks down the foruth wall
here, a result of flubbing the words during heavy things.  This jammed
right in to Cities which is always fun.
During the cities jam you could tell they had just warmed up.  I was just
hoping they wouldn't play only one more.  Cities goes right into walk
Away, another cover (that's five for those scoring at home, with one more
on the way)  The glowrings started flying and I thought this would be the
closer.
Wrong again: Antelope>Frankenstein...yum.
A really mellow Velvet Sea closer and  a nice one at that. I still contend
the highlight of  Radio City night 1 was velvet Sea.
Character Zer0 encore (I was expecting Carini or Beauty of my Dreams) The
house amp totally broke down about a minute into the jam and it sounded
really quiet, and I was in the front row of the lawn.
All in all a good show, minus Sand, I'll get the tapes.  It just goes to
show that you can never predict what they are gonna play.  My two
stone-cold mortal locks for the night were YEM and farmhouse and there
wasn't even a sniff of them.
I just hope Phish decides to play PNC next year eventhough the security in
the lots was of Germany circa 1939 proportions.  See you all at Camden.
WHO'S GOT MY 4TH?!?!?!

Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 02:54:15 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Review 6/29 PNC Bank
 
First of all, I just wanna say that this show was all about the second set...
In fact both shows were. I have no idea why they played only mid 50 minute
first sets both nights, but the second set made up for it - especially
tonight...
 
Funky Bitch - Good way to get the crowd going, nice licks from trey. Average
version which would lead into...
 
Wilson - This basically kicked ass. No doubt about it, the jam was intense
and you saw the devil side of Trey as Chris flashed out some Red lights. This
really got everyone into it, and we were ready for the show
 
Limb x Limb - Always nice to hear, the jam was more exploratory than usual,
almost ambient and rhetorical at points, but a good version, better than
normal
 
Drowned - Clearly the highlights of the set, everyone was into it. They
jammed this one out pretty hard, another extremely exploratory jam - not as
long as the Hartford 12/12/99, but it went on for a while. Always a pleasure
to hear
 
Rock and Roll - Put us all in a great mood, can't complain, the jam was
rocking. It really took off in the middle, but the end was a bit weak. All in
all a great versios, and then... What it's over already - we're all pissed
that two nights in a row they leave early
 
WELL this second set, (although the song selection may not have been as
quality as the previous night - (Hood, Mikes Groove, DWD), killed the first
set - basically doubled it in time with the encore.
 
Birds of a Feater - WOW. I never thought this song could be drawn out and
jammed like this. Great Jam, we knew we were in for something special.
 
Catapult - always fun to hear then
 
Heavy Things - Finally the boys decided to strech this one out a bit, longer
than 4 minutes this one was about 8. The place was hopping to this, the jam
really took off at the end, and could be one of the best endings to this song
I've ever heard - get the tape.
 
Sand - This is where everything started to get interesting. This wasn't your
normal sand. It was more of a gloomy type jam. The repetive bass line can get
annoying but it keeps you in the groove. Nice touch by Trey with some
Keyboard action, and loops. We were all into it.
 
Meatstick - Never been a favorite of mine till now. Boy did this one blow
every meatstick ive ever heard out of the water. Trey talked about Japan and
sung it Japanese. Mike did some really REALLY cool stuff on the bass, you
must check this out on tape.
 
Cities - Surprising, fun to hear though. It was all the same as usual till
trey did a line about Japan and that he smells sushi. We were all laughing as
Trey talked, which he is doing less and less of late.
 
Walk Away - I thought this was still Cities so I can't give u a review
 
Antelope - Damn intense version. Longer outro jam than usual, this was a long
Antelope period though, about 17 minutes. I cant describe it, you gotta get
the tapes. And we all thought it was over and then they busted into...
 
Frankenstein - The sets more than 1:10 in now so we're all just thankful to
get another song, and what a song it was. Really just put us all in a great
mood and got us back to normal after the killer antelope. Well now the sets
actually over, Page is up taking his bow... but no, Trey puts one finger up
to play...
 
Velvet Sea - I dont know if people like this song or not, but I've always
loved the slower songs Phish plays, cause you can really hear the precision
of the notes. This was jammed out pretty long like 10 minutes, and it was
just unbelievable. Better than NYE, more melodic jam, it was real special to
hear.
 
II set - Well after 1:30 we're all happy and its really been a journy.
 
Encore - Zero - I actually went back up to the lawn for this one to meet my
friends and the sound was messed up for like 3 minutes which sucked (anyone
else notice?) but it seemed like Trey was really digging in, to tap off a
great night and weekend.
 
-Mike

Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 00:10:56 EDT
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: 6/29
 
I wasn't at the show tonight, I was chillin' in my kitchen when a friend
calls. Sean Cochran. He heard me answer and proceeded to hold the cellular
phone in the air while the sweet chimes of Antelope>Frankenstein flowed to my
ear.
For a moment I was there, hearing at times the roar of the crowd react to yet
another soaring plane from the guys onstage.
The ending sequence of Antelope was quite unique, but when Frankenstein
reared it's ugly yet glorious head, I almost collapsed into the stove and
whacked my head on the fridge.
Thank you Sean, for taking me to Holmdel tonight. You made my day!
 
Can't wait to do the Creek/Columbus shows with you, TBriggs, Hemlepp, James
A, & Wilkinson for another summer journey of musical bliss and fellowship.
Long live Rock!
 
Rob Mottice, your goddamn daddy.
 
Hit Me!

Date: Fri Jun 30 03:31:52 2000
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Destiny Unbound--failed attempt
 
Destiny Unbound---there were plenty of rumors going around about why this show
would be it--1000th phish show?--its trey's home theatre---etc three air horns
were to be blown for the chant (Hiway bill's on a rotary still and he cant
even feel the pain)  and it was s'pose to continue to the beginning of the
second set--the air horns blew after the lights went out and phish came on and
the chant never got going in time---by the way--GREAT 2ND SET--all the boys
were on top of it!---esp CK5!


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