POST HIATUS PHISH - Winter 2003

Almost two and a half years after Phish decided to take a break, the band returned for a rare winter tour, making stops in the Midwest. Apparently I could have gone to the New Years show had I known that an extra ticket had come available sooner, but it is just as well I didn’t because I heard the show (and the subsequent shows at Hampton), were not a lot to write home about. So I would have to wait my turn until 2-20-03 at the Rosemont near O’Hare airport in Chicago where I had seen some solid shows back in 99. I hadn’t noticed it before, but airplanes landing at O’Hare fly directly over the arena, probably no more than a few hundred feet above. This seemed a bit strange to me in the post 9/11 world, but I guess if something bad were going to happen, at least I would get to see Phish in my final moments J.

In any case, CC and myself departed good ole G.P. (we were both recent unemployed graduates), made a stop to see a friend in K-Zoo, and made our way onto Chicago where we would crash with AJ. PS, JH, JMc (aka Wooderson), JB, TM, Poochie, and others would also be around for these shows and I think KP was there somewhere too (but you know how KP operates….jk). We arrived at the Rosemont quite early and it was f’in COLD! Tail gating consisted of sitting in the car and pounding beers. Here’s the setlist from 2-20-03.

Thursday, February 20, 2003
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

Set I: Rift > Rock and Roll, Guyute, Driver, Waves > Simple, Gotta Jibboo
Set II: Tweezer > Punch You in the Eye > Fast Enough for You, Seven Below, Pebbles and Marbles
Encore: Golgi Apparatus, Anything But Me, Tweezer Reprise

I have to be honest when I say that this show was a HUGE disappointment for me. While it may not look all that bad on paper, I thought it really blew. Since then, I have listened to the Gotta Jibboo which was actually pretty solid, but I still don’t have fond memories of this show when compared to the following two nights in Cincinnati. A friend of mine (who is much more of a noob) swears that this was a good show, but CC and I both agree that this show was pretty lame and sounded bad. And it’s not that I didn’t like the new songs (except Seven Below, man that song sucks), it’s just that Phish definitely didn’t sound as crisp after hiatus as they did before the break. The Jibboo is a good song to work out to, however.

After crashing at AJ’s house in Chicago, we departed for Cincinnati where the Phish scene would literally take over the downtown. Our crew stayed at the Crown Plaza in Cinci in rooms just across the hall from one another. The Crown Plaza was a great place to party, especially in light of the fire at the Sheraton which forced the evacuation of the hotel at 5am after the first night.

After driving to Cinci, we didn’t have a lot of time to pre-party, but that didn’t matter because the show was spectacular. Here is the setlist from 2-21-03.

Friday, February 21, 2003
U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH

Set I: Wilson > Frankenstein, Down with Disease, Lifeboy, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Run Like An Antelope, I Didn't Know
Set II: Mike's Song -> Free > Waste -> Also Sprach Zarathustra, Harry Hood, All of These Dreams, Possum > Cavern
Encore: Wading in the Velvet Sea
Show Notes: Lifeboy was played for the first time since November 25, 1998 (129 shows). I Didn't Know included some dancing antics from Trey, Page, and Mike, while Fishman took his vacuum solo. 2001 included teases of Stash, as well as Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

I sat next to a kid who was at his first show and kept nudging him the whole time about how awesome it was. I remember sitting with CC, lower bowl, dead center. I think the show peaked with the 2001; I still get goose bumps listening to this particularly when the Bach teases end and Mike turns up the base. Listening to the recording, it even sounds like someone is talking a bit during the beginning of 2001, a voice that sounds like Son Seals although it was probably Fishman. This is one of the few shows I have ordered off of www.livephish.com. The rest of the show speaks for itself except for the Wading encore, a bit of a let down even though the Wading Encore would become the classic closer to some great shows (6/19/04, 12/31/99, and others).

After the show, we took over a small bar for some drinks and food and partied into the night at the hotel. I remember we waited 2 hours for a pizza from the hotel, and played cards in the lobby. I think some airline pilots were particularly pissed with the noise the Phish fans were making in the hotel.

The next day, we scoped out parts of downtown Cinci and took our time getting ready for the show. AJ and I took so much time that we walked in after the first tune. None of us were disappointed by the show however. While the music couldn’t compare to the first night of Cinci, the concert was still solid. Here is the setlist.

Saturday, February 22, 2003
U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH

Set I: The Sloth, Dogs Stole Things, Piper -> Weekapaug Groove, Dirt, Scent of a Mule, Walls of the Cave, Mountains in the Mist, Sample In a Jar
Set II: Tube > Bathtub Gin, Friday -> David Bowie, Bug
Encore: Suzie Greenberg
Show Notes: For the first known time, Weekapaug was played without Mike's Song (possibly to bring closure to the Mike's Song a night earlier). Gin included a down-tempo DEG tease.

We had seats in the lower bowl, Trey side as it was then I believe. The crowd really liked the breakout of Weekapaug to complete the Mike’s Groove from the night before. The highlight of the show for me was the start/stop jamming in Tube, and the Bathtub Gin was one of many great Gins played during that tour (2/14 and 2/28 top it IMO). I have lost most of my recording of this show except for the Tube and the Bathtub Gin which became a filler on another disc.

After the show, we again made a light night out of it at the Plaza hotel. While I wasn’t there, apparently some of the U of M kids ran into a kid who went apeshit over the Suzy Greenburg, and from now on, it will be known as Thuzie Greenberg. “Are u therious?”

So this was “theriously” a great little winter run of shows, with nice accommodations and great times with friends. I will remember them fondly. It was nice to see Phish back although I thought the music was less crisp as before hiatus. Still, I would be prompted to see 15 more shows in 2003, and 29 shows post hiatus, so obviously the magic was still there.

Thanks for reading, especially JCT. Sorry you didn’t make this edition; my memory is hazy but I’m sure you were chilling with your Miami folks.

Peace.

Phish in the Year 2000

Despite the ability to see more than the 6 total shows I saw in 2000, I had become burnt out on Phish, and my priorities just were not straight in life. I ended up skipping some great shows at the beginning of the tour in Tennessee and Atlanta (that NB and PS went to) and where I had a great time the previous year, and I also skipped out on the final two shows of the tour even though I had tickets. To top things off, my car broke home on the way back from the final show I saw in Deer Creek, and after dropping the car off at a shop to get fixed, ended up having my car broken into, probably by the guy who ended up towing us. There I lost perhaps all the tour t-shirts that I had collected so far, some great CDs, my high-school lax shorts (the comfort value), and whatever other stuff that I’ve accepted by now. To top off the summer tour, I discovered that I had a tick on my body, and having been in a place called Deer Creek, I ran the risk of contracting lyme disease. So I made some dumb choices and ended up having some bad luck in 2000 with Phish, but whatever. I feel that some of the great times I had post hiatus (especially in 2004, except for Vegas) more than made up for this lull in my Phish career. This isn’t to say that I didn’t have fun because I genuinely enjoyed every moment except for the bad karma that came my way from not doing it “right.”

We began our journey from Ann Arbor on July 6^th 2000 in KP’s Jeep Cherokee with her dude of the time N (you know, I don’t even remember the dude’s last name, so let’s call him BFW for Bagel Factory Wook), and KP’s now long term dude, my personal hero from Hotlanta, Mr. BB. Of course then all 3 of them were hooked on the patchwork, but we all have phases. Anyways, I made a dumb call in suggesting we go through Sarnia on our way to Toronto. Well, because BWF’s wallet was made out of hemp, and the anal Canuck’s sniffing dog got a crazy scent from the wallet, we were delayed more than an our at the border. (No offense to our neighbors to the north, we think you’re cool, but we just ran into a neurotic agent at the border that never found anything on us because we weren’t that stupid to go into Canada with anything bad.) So we got to Toronto a little late, but the show went on. Here is the setlist:

07-06-00 Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, Ontario

1: Reba, Dog Stole Things, Taste, Dog Faced Boy, Heavy Things, Moma Dance, First Tube, I Didn't Know, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Prince Caspian > Golgi Apparatus, You Enjoy Myself (1:50)

2: Limb by Limb, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Bug, Piper, Driver, Harry Hood*, Loving Cup

E: The Squirming Coil

*Trey commented on how beautiful Toronto is.

The biggest thing to note about this show is the length of the first set, but also the great choice of songs throughout. I was very impressed by this show, but really have failed to listen to since then. So I can’t really comment on the quality in retrospect although I remember the YEM was a great time. I spent half the show chilling alone until I ran into 99 vets LE and finally NB who I had tickets with. Or maybe that was 99? Like I said in a previous blog, I don’t remember a whole lot about 2000.

We skipped the show at StarLake since it had been a bit of disappointment the year before although on paper the setlist looked pretty darn good. Instead after Toronto we made the long drive back to Ann Arbor and chilled a day before heading to Alpine Valley, or we might have gone to Chicago early…whatever. Let’s just say the regulars were there, CC, NB, PS, and KP. JCT, CC2, JB, and even QB were around by the time we got to Deer Creek. And AJ (shafty) came with us to Alpine and I’m pretty sure we crashed at here place. Alpine turned out to be a great show. Here is the setlist.

07-08-00 Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI

1: Punch You in the Eye, NICU, My Soul, Poor Heart, Wolfman's Brother, First Tube, Llama, Guyute, Run Like an Antelope

2: Heavy Things, Piper -> Rock and Roll, Tweezer > Walk Away, Twist, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Possum

E: Suzie Greenberg, Tweezer Reprise

I explicitly recall calling the PYITE opener, the Antelope was great, and the whole 2^nd set was solid. After the show, we dropped AJ off in Chicago, and me, NB, and PS continued on to Deer Creek in the early dawn, claiming out campsite under the tree at 40 Acres campground from the year before. CC2 (who I recall was in neck brace from a car accident), JB, also stayed at 40 Acres while KP, Mr. BB, and BFW stayed across the way at Dead Creek. Even before the 3 night run of Phish started, we took in the Phil and Friends and Bob Dylan show at Deer Creek. Phil and Friends was brief and Bob Dylan was, you know, a Bob Dylan concert.

Deer Creek was hot as usual, but we definitely found ways to pass the time with cold Sammy Smiths, NB pawning off Red Stripes, trips to Steak and Shake, and everything else there was to enjoy in the middle of corn fields in Indiana. I remember a couple of fun nights down there when the serenity and laughter were truly surreal. The most amazing thing to happen all weekend outside of the great music was sleeping in one morning until 11am, something unheard of at Deer Creek in the middle of the summer.

Anyways, here are the setlists:

07-10-00 Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

1: Cars Trucks Buses > Wilson > It's Ice > Bathtub Gin, Buffalo Bill, My Mind's Got a Mind of it's Own, Split Open and Melt, Sparkle > Funky Bitch, David Bowie (1:17)

2: Gotta Jibboo > Sand, Twist, Fee > What's the Use > Limb by Limb > Loving Cup (1:07)

E: Run Like an Antelope (0:11)

07-11-00 Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

1: Ya Mar*, The Moma Dance, Uncle Pen, Drowned > Chalkdust Torture Jam** > Chalkdust Torture, Theme from the Bottom, Cavern (1:09)

2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Down with Disease -> Moby Dick > Down with Disease > Runaway Jim -> Moby Dick, Back on the Train -> Moby Dick -> Back on the Train, Harry Hood# -> Moby Dick, Hold Your Head Up > Terrapin## > Hold Your Head Up > Moby Dick^ > Hold Your Head Up, Character Zero (1:19)

E: First Tube > Moby Dick > Chalkdust Torture Jam^^ (0:10)

*With Trey on keys. **Bizarre jam, with the words "chalkdust torture" (not the lyrics to the song of that name) sung over it; lasted about 5 minutes; previously played 12/10/94. #With "Moby Dick" teases during the intro. ##Fish introduced as "star of the film Gladiator, Russell Crowe"; with vacuum solo; Fish introduced the entire band; a small cactus was put on stage by Mike's amp; Trey introduces Chris Kuroda. ^With Trey drum solo and Jon vacuum solo. ^^Reprise of the "Chalkdust Torture Jam" from the first set; afterwards; Trey said he hoped everyone who is camping has a good time, announces that "we are the Phish from Vermont," and suggested that if people missed anything that they read the book or see the movie

07-12-00 Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

1: My Friend My Friend* > The Curtain With > Tube > Heavy Things, Billy Breathes, Beauty of My Dreams > Free, Axilla**, The Squirming Coil (1:12)

2: Birds of a Feather, Piper, Crosseyed and Painless -> Prince Caspian > The Meatstick# (0:58)

E: Wading in the Velvet Sea (0:06)

*Unfinished; no "Mife" or laughing at the end. **With "Axilla [Part II]" ending. #Dance done by Trey and Mike; Trey thanked the crowd for this being their sixth year at Deer Creek, and dedicated the song to the fans who didn't get in.

I have listened to all of these shows at one time or another. Obviously, the second set the 2^nd night will go down as one of the zaniest live performances ever with the crazy Moby Dick jams, and Trey babbling. I was really happy to hear the Crosseyed and Painless on the 3^rd night, and the Jibboo and Sand from the first night were very smooth and spacey. The 2^nd night really overshadowed the other 2 nights. If not for the Crosseyed and Painless on the 3^rd night, I could have seen the first 2 shows and be just as happy (The Meatstick was pretty old by that point). We had seats on the lawn all 3 nights, so nothing like the set up we had for past years.

After the last night, I sold my remaining tickets for Columbus, chilled with my boys, headed to C Bus with them, and was picked up by AJ who had gone back to Ann Arbor after Alpine. She picked me up in my car at a hotel just north of Columbus which is when all the bad karma of leaving tour early set in.

Overall, Summer 2000 was great music and good times, but a bit lost otherwise in my collective memory of Phish. No worries because I have others who remember it better than I who might elaborate on the story someday.

I saw one show in the fall of 2000 at Cuyahoga Falls, just south of Cleveland Ohio. I absolutely loved this venue and ended up getting some pretty good seats close to the stage. If I recall, AJ and PS went to this show with me, and JH might have come along too. The show was pretty average, but I have always wanted to find a good excuse to go back to Blossom to see a show since then. Here is the setlist.

09-18-00 Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH

1: Carini, Sparkle, The Sloth, Maze, Guelah Papyrus, My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own, Sample in a Jar > Rift, Sleep, Prince Caspain

2: Boogie On Reggae Woman* -> Twist, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Halley's Comet

E: Axilla -> Taste

*The jam into 'Twist' featured Trey on keys.

The show was good except for perhaps the encore and the fact that Trey seemed very out of sync with the rest of the band. They left him on stage wailing his guitar out during Halley’s, which while is one of my favorite songs, turned out to be messy.

I probably could have gone to the show in Cinci a few nights later and I should have made the voyage with my U of M kids to the shows in Chicago over the next weekend, but the ending of the show at Cuyahoga symbolized my burnout with the music itself. And that was fine because the band was taking a break and I was taking a break from Phish as well, so it worked out nicely. When the post hiatus shows would come around, I would get psyched up again for the whole Phish experience even though there ups and downs post hiatus as well.

Hoped you enjoyed another story in the whole Phish experience. The post hiatus shows should have a few more vivid details and some better times. When you see a band 66 times and balance life with something that you enjoy as much as seeing Phish, you are bound to learn a lot of lessons about life and your priorities.

Peace.