2-28-03 - Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY

review submisions to me at dws@netspace.org or dws@gadiel.com


please dont send reviews of other peoples reviews...let them have their opinion

Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 10:47:45 -0800 (PST) From: Aaron Friedman aaron11778@yahoo.com Subject: Nassau Review My 12th show, my 6th year, my first review. This show was way up there on my list. I was at Hampton 98 and I think 2nd night was the best I've seen. But this ranks 2nd, above NYE2000 and NYE2003. I really like Birds of a Feather and this was a good one. Perfect start. What happened next blew my fragile little mind. I only heard Destiny Unbound once before on a '91 bootleg, so I must admit I did not recognize it at first. But once I realized what was going on and recovered from shock, I enjoyed the moment and tried to explain to my brother and friend, whose first show this was, just how lucky they are. I've seen enough Horns. No surprises. But the crowd sure loved it. I think they were drunk on Destiny emotion. Sleep was another first for me. Bathtub Gin, an answer to a "Got Gin?" sign request, was really really good. This show was pumpin' now - they always seem to take it up a notch somewhere during Gin. And it was hands down the best Back on the Train ever, no shit. I like Bouncing. It hasn't been overplayed for me yet, I guess. I don't like Walls of the Cave. Sorry guys, I just don't like it. BUT, I did like how they almost ended it and then dove back into the jam. Second Set. This was not one of the funkier Tweezers, but man the jam was great. I feel bad for those who got pelted with glow sticks, especially Fishman. C'mon - don't aim for the stage! We LIKE them, we don't want to HIT them! OK, on with the show. SOUL SHAKEDOWN! The singing was off, but who cares. 2 serious break-outs in a night! And then one of the sickest David Bowies I've ever heard. I think Round Room is cute, and they're starting to jam it out a bit. This Harry Hood was incredible. Every song where a great jam was possible, a great jam was had. A long show followed by a triple encore. Sweet. I always love contact. 40,000 arms moving in unison. Mexican Cousin is great, even though I don't drink. And Tweeprise brought the house down. At the end, Trey lifted his guitar (and its tone) up high and brought it down to the ground to end the music. Perfect ending. This was seriously an amazing show. Get it. You'll see. Everything was great, from the lots to the music to the traffic. Ok, the bathrooms sucked. By the way, I strongly recommend sitting right behind the stage if possible. Band's view of the crowd & lights, close view of the band, no need to stand up if you don't want to cuz it's all right in front of you. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! See you in the summer (hopefully)! __Aaron__
date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 12:49:17 -0500 From: Andrew Rose logowriter@hotmail.com Subject: 2/28/03 Review (telling it like it is) This is for all you skeptics out there who think Phish has been over and done with since at least 1997 (because I was, until very recently, one of you). Friday night's show at Nassau was very simply as good musically as any you'll find in any top ten all-time list. I remember telling someone in Philly (who had obviously had a fabulous time that night) that they had put on a fun show, but had a long, LONG way to go before it was like the old days again. Little did I know that that long journey was going to happen very quickly over the course of the two next shows (because, yes, Worcester was also phenomenal).   Forget for a moment that they played Destiny Unbound. Consider this: the 27 minute Tweezer rivals any jam Phish has ever put together. After a good 5 or 6 listens, I see it standing next to the 12/6/97 Tweezer and the 11/17/97 Ghost as one of my top two of three all-time.   I didn't have high hopes for a third Bathtub Gin on this tour. After seeing it pop up twice before my east coast run started, I was disappointed at the prospect of not hearing what is probably my favorite Phish song, by virtue of the fact that it has been delivering excellent jams show in and show out since the Great Went. This tour was no different, and bless those folks with the "Got Gin?" sign in Nassau. A nice long first set Bathtub (and they had already played Destiny at this point) had me going, "uh oh ... tonight is getting GOOD"  Back on the Train was all out rock and roll, and screamed through its 12 minutes. Tops the Japan 2000 version in my books.    Setbreak saw me searching the halls for others who were aware of what had just gone down. I'm not one to scream things out in the lots, or whatever ... but found myself yelling "who has a destiny? you all have a destiny!" And, like inside, not everyone caught on. But what was special were the handfuls that did ... the hugs that were thrown around, the knowing looks ... the quiet "dude, they PLAYED DESTINY" between strangers.   I'm sure I wasn't the only one who yelled "TWEEEZEEEER!" as the boys took the stage again. Not a tough call to make. But an oh so satisfying one when the Tweezer they delivered was as good as it was. It deserves its own review, surely. I'll just say that it's perfect, from opening note to the end. Trey's soloing out of the Tweezer theme is focused and creative ... Fish has one of his best shows in years, and nowhere is it more evident that this jam (or maybe the whole set ...) Mike carries over his amazing intricate playing from Worcester, and Page finally lets loose on the east coast with amazing fills, Pink Floyd-esque layering ... just beautiful. 10 minutes->16 minutes on this Tweezer is what Phish is about. Glory through and through. There's also a terrific rocked out jam section that cools down and lands in ...   "Windora Bug? ... wait ... is that ... Soul Shakedown Party?!?! Yeaah!!" Another nod to February 97, and a great one at that. There was a reason they played this. Oh, and it was no novelty either. Listen to Mike on the middle and outro sections. Wow.   I'm not a Bowie fan, exactly ... probably because the song has been more or less the same since it's great 94 and 95 versions disappeared. Well they've breathed some new life into it, and this version smokes. A long intro that definitetly segues out of the Soul Shakedown Party, the last 7 or so minutes are old-school bliss. Round Room delivers in much the same emotional fashion as the SSP. And I loved the lilting melodic jam that came out of it.   Sure I would have loved to hear a Piper, a 2001, a Fluffhead. But at this point it just didn't matter. A shorter but beautifully executed Hood (ala Jersey) is fine with me. In all honesty, repeats didn't make me groan once on this tour. A flawless set.   And--a legendary show. Maybe everyone there didn't get it. But I did. And I know I wasn't the only one. Can't believe this is all happening again .....   See you on summer tour, I guess! And make sure to hear Worcester, too (oh, what a Moma ...).   andrew
Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 07:37:44 +0000 From: Daniel Carlucci dcguitar@hotmail.com Subject: 02.28.02 Nassau Show Review I haven't done a review in a while, and to tell you the truth I never thought I would again. But there I was at a familiar venue with some good memories and BAM just like that, everything changed. Instead of just being home to the now classic 4/2/98 and 4/3/98 and two highly enjoyable shows from fall tour 99, it was home to the most definitive moment in my history with the band. As it turns out, Nassau was my 48th show, I jumped on in 96 and have seen some gems over the years, too many to list here, but I never thought things would be the same after the "hiatus". I was right. Things weren't the same, all the kidz who used to flood the parking lots were now just a part of a much bigger scene. A scene which has grown over the years and turned into a phenomenon. The truth is, is that Phish have been together now for twenty years and they are no longer the best kept secret. Sorry to digress here but I want to make it clear that there were a lot of people I wanted to experience with when "things went down" at Nassau, who were'nt there. I did experience it with some old school phans so it was appropriate. Anyways here is my review of my 48th and most definitive show ever: Set I Birds of a feather-I've always like this song ever since its debut at the 4/2/98 Nassau show. How fitting in retrospect to have them open with this song and showcase it's accelerated improvement over the last few years. Excellent opener, good energy and precursor to: Destiny Unbound-Well here it goes, for the first five or so seconds I was searching my mental rolodex of the phish catalogue and had no idea what they were playing, and no sooner had I heard the first scream did I start losing my shit...now "I'e lost my mind a couple of times" before but hearing destiny unbound was surreal, it was magical. Besides the obvious history surrounding the song, the real amazing moment of clarity came to me after the show, I was way to lost in the moment to rationalize this thought during the show. It marked a moment where Phish's destiny had truly become unbound, they proved it in a version that was as crisp as any 91 version I have, that they had arrived at being the band that everybody loved and everybody wanted them to be. It proved they still cared about the phans, even though everyone wasn't there it does say something about their constant affinity for the Phish community. After hearing the lyrics again, you too may agree that this moment is a truly definitive momemnt in their 20 year career. Anyways on to.... Horn-At this point they could have played anything but they chose the very apt and suitable horn. "Now that you've decieved me and played my name around" an interesting bit of lyric to play right after destiny don't you think? Perfect Horn, couldn't believe it, Trey nailed the solo, the band nailed the rest sounded like an old 93 version. Bathtub Gin-Well I've seen a lot of gins, and this one is up there. Great jamming here. The band weaved in and out of several explorative themes throughout this nearly 22 minute version which was tight and energized. Sleep-Wow, last song in my mind, but a great short song with some nice chord arrangements. I've heard a couple before, but the spontanaety and placement of this one makes it my favorite version. Back on the Train-When I said earlier that Birds has come along way, the same must be said about this one. They played it perfectly and even toyed around with some possum like jamming, take a listen. This 12 and a 1/2 minute version was the longest and possibly the best I've ever seen. The band was really tight tonight, no bullshit, some of the tightest stuff in years. Bouncin-Fine with me. Four minutes, perfectly played, short and sweet, next. Walls of the Cave-My first one ever, good song, not great, but well played with some really nice jamming, good set closer and if experience has taught us anything by now Phish songs tend to get better with age. I rememeber saying to someone at setbreak that I didn't even care what they played in the second set because I was so besides myself from the first set, but staying true to form the boys took us back in time and treated nassau coliseum to some of the finest sounds from their past. Set II Tweezer-Well, I've seen some amazing tweezers before but do yourself a favor and get your hands on this one immediately. This tweezer explored more musical landscapes than I thought possible, the energy at times in nassau by this point was beyond words. I have never felt a room vibe this hard before, the band sounded like they never left, in fact they sounded more discplined, more patient, allowing the jams to evolve on their own, there was nothing forced here everything was pure excitement. This 27 minute version is a must here, it was remarkable and so was.... Soul Shakedown Party-First in the US, third ever, hmmm, my soul was most certainly shaking at this point, great version with some really nice page work here, him and trey are establishing some serious energy as of late as are mike and fish, and then when the whole band is in sync with each other they take off...such was the case with ..... David Bowie-Shit they really nailed this one. The composed section was nearly perfect and the jam section got so intense I was crippled with joy. This 19 minute version was absolutley epic, the band kept building and building and releasing and building again and again...such was the case in the Bathtub and Tweezer as well, pure enjoyement maybe the best version I've ever seen Round Room-Nice Change of pace. This is my favorite song on the album, I am so intrigued by Mike's writing style and this one is very cool. I think it will go on to fit very nicely into their catalog, I was thrilled to hear it as it was my first, nicely played, and fun. They did a good job of incorporating new songs in with old ones tonight. Harry Hood-Seen a lot of hoods, lot of good ones, few not so good ones and this one. For starters I had heard it earlier that week in New Jersey so initially I would have prefered something else, but the way they were playing tonight it didn't seem to matter. They played a great hood with lots of emotion and everyone at Nassau Coliseum was grinning from ear to ear. Great old school set with a nice new dong thrown in the mix. Encores:Contact, Mexican Cousin, Tweezer (rep) Well a three song encore was welcomed by everyone with open arms. No epic jams here, just another great version of Contact, a very well played Mexican Cousin, which I initially disliked but now find rather funny lyrically, again good placement of a new tune and then came Tweezer (rep)! Ever since the epic 4/3/98 show and encore, Tweezer reprise has been played by Phish each year they have played there, Trey was jumping up and down a la 98 (check out the video, its great) and the place was rocking once more. They seem to really like playing this here. When Elvis Costello came on the house speakers and the lights went up I sat and took a deep breath and welcomed Phish back for good. This night was memorable for more reasons than I will ever be able to convey with words. The night was filled with the kind of experiences that you dream about, the ones that are to good to believe, the ones that you never forget. On a side note during Phish's hiatus my father passed away and things were tough for a while. I took my brother to his first Phish show in 99 at none other than Nassau Coliseum. To experience this moment with him was very spiritual for me, I felt like we had come full circle as siblings and in dealing with our fathers passing and I felt like Phish had come full circle too. This night was defined by good vibes, good friends (Cons you know who you are) and epic moments of euphoria. Thank you Phish for being the band I always knew you were! In closing I would like to say, keep the scene clean, you know what I mean, whoevers on tour from now on, don't destroy a truly magical thing. Much Love From A Happy Phan And Remember BE GOOD FAMILY!
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 08:56:50 -0800 (PST) From: Jonathan Blattmachr machr15@yahoo.com Subject: Nassau 2/28/03 Review Wow. This was my first show since MSG 12/29/98. By then I really thought they were going downhill and that they wouldn't be able to recapture any of the old magic from 95 and before. I mean I had seen and heard some ok stuff since, but nothing that compared to say Lincoln 10/21/95 or Worcester 12/29/95, and especially MSG 12/31/95. But this was unreal. They kept coming out with song after song that just rocked, and never disappointed. Maybe the best part of the whole thing was that they weren't lazy about playing the more structured parts of the songs, like Horn especially. Trey just completely nailed it- before this it seemed like he was just trying to get that part over with so they could jam out, but he got every note down. The other thing about Trey is that when he used to make minor mistakes in a jam, he'd bug out a little and try to get back in a groove he was in. But now he, and the band, follow a misplayed note into something new. Check the Tweezer out to see what I mean... which brings me to another point. We were sitting there at the break talking about going to the bathroom, but DREADING it because people were lining up to pee in the sink. So I said to my friends, look, I will go with you as soon as the 2nd set starts as long as it's not Tweezer. Thank God we didn't listen to my own advice and we went before it started. Such a good Tweezer, with a Bowie and HH in the same set. For the encore, I was really really hoping for the Reprise, which I had figured they wouldn't necessarily play. And after Mexican Cousin, which was fine, but nothing huge, they busted it out. So necessary. So fine. And did anyone else know what was going on with Trey holding his guitar aloft at the end? So cool... best show in 7 years.
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2003 22:21:58 -0500 From: art timberho@optonline.net Subject: Nassau review First off let me just say what an incredible show. I^Òve seen a lot of shows over the past 8 years and this definitely rides in the top three. This was the first show I was privileged enough to see them since their triumphant return, I tried to get tickets for new years but^Åwell you all know the story. I^Òve been listening to all the shows through live phish and I really haven^Òt heard any rants from trey, so I was curious to see if any rants were edited out for time. But to my surprise it was strictly business from trey, no nonsensical monologues to speak of, just balls out music. Destiny I think caught everyone off guard, I figured they would have saved that for some special show like cypress, but I believe they want nothing left up their sleeves and to start completely fresh with nothing held over the heads of the audience. Soul shakedown blew my mind. What a fantastic Gin, the beginning was average but the end was phenomenal. I thought this was funny so I have to mention it. I was sitting a couple of rows behind the stage and I had a great view of the band and the front row of the audience, so during Back on the train there was a girl in the front row holding up a sign that read ^Ósay happy birthday to Tali^Ô. Trey looked at the sign and chuckled and almost immediately Trey gave this girl a grimace and started playing with such ferocity and making the sickest sounds with his guitar, all the while just staring at this girl. The (glow) war is over and no one won. About four-four and a half minutes of the wildest Tweezer I ever heard, Fishman got pegged in the back with a glow stick that actually caused him to stop playing, Kuroda also got beaned with a stick during this song. Although the spontaneity of the early glow wars, especially THE war at went, have left me in awe, some people still haven^Òt learned that the sticks hurt like hell when you get hit with them. And if the band is too preoccupied with dodging them, or if instruments get busted, they can^Òt throw down the grooves we all want to hear. I have noticed also that Kuroda has a set of lights that he uses, when the glow sticks get too out of hand on the stage, that match the color of the sticks and renders them useless, thus ending wars prematurely. This may be the reason why there was no war during hood. Sorry if that was too preachy, just had to say it. One thing that sticks out in my mind about the show, since I had a great view of Fishman, I got physically exhausted just watching him during the longest Bowie intro I have ever heard. The man is a machine and didn^Òt falter one bit. Maybe it was the incredible energy in the place, or maybe it was just the urine in the sink, there is just something about Nassau coliseum that produces some of the best shows. P.S. Get these Shows Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, Art
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 10:26:06 -0800 (PST) From: jeffrey spittel Subject: review 02/28/03 Phriends, My earlier two word review of this show (see bottom of the page) was labeled as a reaction to another review or a review from someone not at the show Friday. In actuality, I was indeed at the show and was absolutely blown away by the performance. I won't be enough of a jackass to tell you where my seats were, but suffice to say I am a very lucky man. This was definitely one of the best shows I have ever seen. The setlist and quality of play was nothing short of mesmerizing. They were so tight it was ridiculous. I'm sure I speak for most of us when I say I can't wait for the summer tour. Spitt
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 12:49:07 -0500 From: "Cassidy, Amy" amy.cassidy@gs.com Subject: Nassau Review That show was It. With a capital "I". I am still digesting what went on out there.... it was literally PERFECT. I'm STILL reeling....it was just unbelievable!!! During Tweezer, I turned to my friend and just hung my mouth open - and said I dont think Music can BE any better than THIS!! Sheer genius. Everyone, and I mean everyone, should get these discs. It was a really really special show. The Boys were SO into it! Trey was on top of the shit all night long. I cant do song-by-song review ... because words are frustrating at times like this. Suffice it to say -- this show blew the roof off the place. I thought my head was going to pop off during Destiny. Just *amazing*. Thankyou thankyou thankyou - to Phish - and to all of you who were there. All I can say is Wow.
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2003 17:42:48 -0500 From: justin m busch jbusch8@lycos.com Subject: nassau 2/28 02/28/03 Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY 1: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound*, Horn, Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on the Train, Bouncing Around the Room, Walls of the Cave 2: Tweezer, Soul Shakedown Party**, David Bowie, Round Room, Harry Hood E: Contact, Mexican Cousin Notes: * - not played in 788 shows since 11/15/91 ! ** - not played since 2/20/97, only third time ever well well well, what do we have here?? thats right, a SOLID phish show in 2003. Expectations ran high after the marathon mass. show on wednesday. This was to be the fifth "new phish" show i've seen (nye, l.a, n.j., philly previously) and although i had great fun at all, i still wasnt' completely satisfied, and completely convinced that this band was worth going coast to coast to see. Nights like Friday night at Nassau, however, reminded me why i've dedicated so much time and energy (and money) to this band over the last 10 years or so. Set I Birds- I was there in '98 when they debuted Birds (at nassua, "coincidentally"), and i've always loved it since. was damn excited to hear the first birds of '03, however it didn't really get off the ground like the birds of old. it was real short, but got hot at some points, and certainly pumped the crowd up for one of the biggest surprises in phishtory Destiny- speechless, utterly speechless. i laughed, jumped, danced, even hi-fived some of the cats around me. we were all witnessing what Phish swore nobody would ever witness again, and we couldn't be happier. Immediately it became evident that this was gonna be a show for the ages. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming amoung of highschool kids there, not as many people understood what they were witnessing as i would've liked, but how could i possibly complain???? to be frank, it doesn't matter whether it was even good or not, they fucking played DESTINY UNBOUND and i was there. made my (mini)tour. period. Horn- the crowd roared as soon as trey played the opening lick, one of the largest cheers of the night, mostly due to the excitement still in the air over destiny. I think this was fantastic placement. they had us in the palms of their hand, and horn was introspective enough for us to fully understand and appreciate how lucky we were to have our phish back. after destiny it wouldn't have even mattered what the next song was. i don't even remember much about the actual horn itself, other than that we were still hugging over destiny. Bathub Gin- perfect way to bring the crowd back up. Song was its tight quirky self, and the jam was blissful. truely awe inspiring interplay going on between the 4 of them. another highlight in a night packed with highlights. Sleep- again, i found myself surprised, but in a good way! too many times on this tour i felt they killed the energy in the wrong places. Sleep however, hit me right where i wanted it to. Great placement again for this extrememly short folky trey tune. i was feelin' it, plain and simple. GBOTT- this was my first time hearing the "new" back on the train, and i was groovin' the whole way. They've slowed it up a bit, and featured the groove a whole lot more. entered some nice country funk/twang realms, and led it into a nice rolling jam for a few minutes. for most of the crowd, like me, this was our first "new" train, and we were all caught off guard by how good it was, how much better its gotten, and how much potential it seemingly has. Bouncin'- i started to notice that i really had to go to the bathroom during gbott, so bouncin' worked perfectly for me as i quickly crept away, took care of business and found my seat again just in time for.... Walls of the Cave- I think i might hold the record for most "walls" seen, haha, this is the 4th time i've seen them play it (out of 6 total performances i think), and i've loved it each time. still not sure how i feel about the actual "song" itself, but damn that jam at the end always hits me just right. a bit shorter than the other ones i've heard, but i think this works really well as a first set closer. despite its mellow beginnings, the "silent trees" refrain at the end will certainly leave any crowd juiced and desparate to hear more, which is exactly how you should end a set, on a HIGH note. damn right. farmhouse my ass.... set II Tweezer- Tweezer either works, or it doesn't work, which is why most phans probably don't rank it in the upper tier with songs like "mikes or 2001" or whatever y'all consider to be the heavy hitters. Well, lemme tell you, this Tweezer was as good as it gets. Started off with a bit of funk, mixed in with the newer rockish sound. The jam went everywhere though, and for nearly 30 minutes they had our full attention as they indulged. and goddamn was it good. i get the feeling i'm not really doing this tweezer justice with these words, but what a hell of a good way to open up the second set, eventually leading into..... SOUL SHAKEDOWN PARTY- another bust out!!! how friggin' lucky were we to hear destiny, and now soul shakedown!!! only the third time they've played it EVER. its opening bass line reminded me alot of windora bug (perhaps thats where they got the windora line from) which had me real excited, but then the lyrics started, and it was pandemonium again, everyone flipping out. gotta love the reggae. we all were still groovin' hard as the high hats led us into Bowie- this was a highly original bowie. after the usual rounds through the compositional parts they quickly lost all trace of the typical bowie jam and headed into uncharted waters for a solid 7 minutes or so, eventually heading back into the themes we all know so well, and then leading to Treys epic, written out, guitar wailin' ending. Pure energy and emotion. I was still dancing like a lunatic. Round Room- I like round room on the album, but i'm not sure how i felt about it live. they extended the end a little bit, and the jam was nice, but....i dunno, i'm a bit hesitant. i'll have to hear it again to get a true opinion. at the very least, i wasn't pissed off like some of the song selections earlier in the week had left me. (farmhouse encore was arguably the most pissed off i've ever been at a phish show, and up until that point i'd never used the words "pissed off" and "phish" in the same sentence ....sorry, thats just the way i felt), so i guess it wasn't all that bad afterall. mike at his best/quirkiest Hood- Despite the fact that i just saw them play hood a few days earlier, i forgot all about it, and thought about the set i'd just heard, and realized how perfect a Hood set closer was. The emotion pouring out from the band drenched the audience, and we gave it right back to them, creating a really great band/audience unity that led to one hell of a great closer. It was beautiful. Encore- Contact- i think this worked really well, and watching the entire crowd sway back and forth (i was pretty high up...) while singing about the tires on our cars was priceless. talk about band/audience unity again. all smiles into.... Mexican Cousin- this was the most disappointed i was all night (other than bouncin', since i was actually happy for the bathroom break, heh), which actually isnt' as bad as it sounds. I don't particularly like the "song" in and of itself, but the refrains at the end always leave me smiling. Reminds me of a sleeping monkee encore, the way trey chooses to solo, etc... we all knew what was coming next. Tweeprise- standard, which is to say HIGH FUCKING ENERGY!!!!! we all rocked out and pumped our collective fists high in the air, letting those demons out as kuroda came through heroically again (he's been the most solid band member this tour, his light show is worth the price of admission alone) with neon lights spinning and dancing crazier than ever before. As i said, ending a set with a balls to the wall rocker is a sure way to leave a crowd feeling great, and we all sure felt that way. Overall- what else can i say? they had us from the first note to the last in a way they haven't since before the hiatus. This was the phish that i first heard, that made me fall in love with these fuckin' weird songs way back when. that made me join that "weird hippie cult" as some of my relatives like to call it. This was "the phish" that sold out MSG on new years eve despite the fact that the press didn't know a damn thing about em' and therefore chose not to give any media coverage too (in 95 that is). THEY'RE BACK!!!!!! oh lord how they're back. get a copy of this show, at all costs, do whatever it takes and listen for yourself. If you're not convinced, get off the train, cause i'm sure as hell back on it!
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 20:02:50 -0500 (EST) From: Ann Saxby _saxby@excite.com Subject: 2-28-03 - Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY This was my first Phish show of the new tour. I was so excited and ready for anything. I'd been looking at the set lists and was disappointed that I was going to miss a few of my favs that they had recently played. When they took the stage though... all bets were off. This was quite possibly the best show that I have seen Phish put on in a long time. They were so tight, so in tune with each other... And I felt I was better in tune with them than I had been in a long time. The break had definitely been good for their souls, it all seemed fresh again. I was a little disappointed with the Birds of a Feather opener but, since it was my first show in 2+ years I was thrilled to be back "home" again. I'm not going to go into detail song by song but I will highlight a few: Bathtub Gin - - Amazing! Mike had some funky stuff going down (actually was the entire show) Get Back on the Train - - The Security guys around us were dancing! - 'nuf said! Tweezer - - second set opener? it's always amusing for me to see... just about every show I go to seems to have a Tweezer and Tweezer Reprise... it was nice to see things didn't change "that" much! At least it wasn't followed by Chalkdust! David Bowie - - what can I say.. this was great and very welcome... I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing the new stuff off of Round Room. I know many people aren't fond of the album as a whole. I think it's a great new direction. Seeing it live proved it! Walls of the Cave was beautiful, Round Room - - great Mike song, love the beat, and Mexican Cousin - - classic Phish sense of humor... All in all... a TOP, TOP show... However, I have to make a couple of comments regarding the scene: The glow stick war was typical Phish show stuff... BUT there were MANY that I saw hitting the stage, hitting the piano, and drums and coming close to the guys - not cool! I know *I* wouldn't want to be up there playing, getting into my groove and all of a sudden have a glow stick pelt me or my instrument. I think these guys deserve more than a little respect! We should be thankful we have them here to play for us. One more thing -- the parking lot.... I was disgusted to see how much garbage and beer bottles were strewn around the place. Please! Hang out, cook, eat, drink whatever... but bring a bag and clean up after yourself. Or at least, put the garbage in the bins....It's great that Phish still plays arenas even though they are big enough to play stadiums.. If we can't keep it clean, arenas aren't going to welcome Phish the way they still do. Keep it clean guys! Alright... I'm off my soap box. This turned out longer than I thought! Thanks for reading! See you next time around! Ann
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 21:43:11 EST From: CPS27@aol.com Subject: 2-28-03 - Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 67th show. It was sweet. Much better than NYE. (By the way, got to love a venue where the line in front of each men's urinal is 6 deep, the line to piss in the sinks of the bathroom is 4 deep, and the line to piss in the bathroom trash can is 3 deep. No f-ing kidding!!!!!) boogie on...
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 20:03:37 -0500 From: Todd Maloof toddmaloof@hotmail.com Subject: Nassau Review I would just like to start out by saying that I have been seeing Phish for the past 9 years and I honestly think that the show at Nassau was the most intense, crazy, energy filled show that I have EVER been to.  I was very impressed with New Years and the overall show they put on and just happy to be back in the groove and whole scene, but there was this buzz about the crowd that words just simply cannot describe.  Once you entered that arena to get your seat, you could just look around and see that people were just so happy and excited and that there was this arora floating around the crowd that was just simply unbelievable.  I have also never been to Nassau before and I think that with the venue being so small, it just created a more intimate relationship with Phish and the crowd.  On to the review......   Bird of a Feather - rockin' opener!  Solidly played.  First BOAF since PHilly in 99.  They came out hard and you just knew at this point that this concert was going to rock, and rock very hard.   Destiny Unbound - WOW! Talk about pulling a song from the shelf at random.  It was a great suprise to hear this and they played it awesome.  If you weren't happy at this point, you should have just left.   Horn - Brought the crowd back to reality.  Nicely fit tune to an insane show opener.  I love Trey's guitar as he talks it through the jam.   Bathtub Gin - Now it was time to bring the crowd back in insanity.  You knew this was a specialy place to be once the opening chords were played.  Fun fun fun song to get the crowd hoppin once again.   Sleep - Out of nowhere!  I love this song!  At this point they are just teasing the crowd with these slow songs.....   Get Back on the Train - ARE YOU KIDDING ME!??!!?  At first, it sounded like the opening of Meatstick so I wasn't really into it.  Then I made out GBOT and was starting to groove again.  Once that jam came on, I think I died and went to heaven.  I was so blown away by this song and it was definatley my highlight of the evening.  I mean, this song was so on point and everyone was just going crazy over it.  WOW!   Bouncing Around the Room - Guess they have to please the newbies at some point......   Walls of the Cave - I'm obsessed with this song.  To me, it soungs like two songs combined into one.  Great piano, great jam, great everything.  I like this song as a set closer.  Leaves you with a smile.   Setbreak - I couldn't move.  I was so pleased with my surroundings and everything.  People around me were awesome.  Had great conversation, blew up a few baloons and passed them around with a few 'etchings' on them (some of you might have seen them....)  If you didn't realize that this show was special at this point, then you really should have just left the building.  The wave during setbreak went on for what seemed like forever and everyone was just having a great time.    Tweezer - It was finally good to some kind of a glow stick war.  Nothing from what I'm used.  The best glow war I saw was in Hampton from '99 during that Hood opener.  Regardless, they jammed this song long and hard and it was a lot of fun to boogie down to.   Soul Shakedown Party - Again, another WOW! goes for this.  A well placed song and everyone was just partying it up to this tune.   David Bowie - Always a pleasure to hear Trey rip it up and show off his guitar during this song.  Definatley one of my more favorite Bowie's that I've seen   Round Room - Nice!  I'm a fan of the musical changes that happen in this song and really show you what Phish is all about.  Great tune, thoroughly enjoyed this one.    Harry Hood - Is this becoming their new frontline song?  This is the 3rd consecutive Hood I've seen in as many shows.  I love this song to death, and I hope it doesn't become the next Guyute.   E: Contact - You can't complain when they play this song, or for that matter, any song off of Junta.  It's a good song to bring everyone together for a sing-a-long   Mexican Cousin - I'm VERY impressed by this song.  Never gave it a chance on the studio version, but now that I saw it live, I love how it all comes together...   Tweezer Reprise - One of the best yet.    I've seen some serious stuff in concert with Phish ranging from every New Years show from 1995 on to all of the random shows inbetween, and I must say, that this could be my top favorite Phish show.  Up until Thursday, the Continental show was my favorite due to the fact that BB King showed up (which by the way, I still don't understand how people were saying that was a horrible show).  This was my 27th overall and I plan on doing their next tour in its entirety.  After Nassau, they are back and I am fully convinced.  I hope they crank out another 17 years and hopefully they'll do that concert when they are all 80 year old!!!!! 
Date: Sun, 02 Mar 2003 17:08:16 -0500 From: Richard Sdao rsdao@optonline.net Subject: nassau 22803 Having not been able to enjoy the lot scene on monday i was hell bent on getting to the show early..and boy did i ever..after much craziness I was getting quite psyched for the boys to go on..the Birds was ok as an opener, i'm not much of a fan of it to begin with but mike had a nice funk going with it......then in my opinion an amazing treat followed this typical opener as soon as they hit the first few notes of destiny i went ballistic, ps i was in the front row over by mike, and that made it even more amazing, highlight of the show i thought, the horn was nice followed by a sweet bathtub with a great jam and sleep is always a nice short breather I thought the funked out start to  back on the train was really awesome definately one of the better ones i've seen, a bit disappointed to hear bouncin b/c i wanted harpua but i guess i'll have to wait on that one and walls of the cave , which i was hoping to get, was sweet i thought they had a nice build in speed into and through the jam...fish seemed to be nailing that syncopating drum rhythm.....solid with first set all around and the crowd's energy level seemed 100x higher than on monday.....i thought mike was in such a groove and trey looked lost in the music......and of course DESTINY !!!!      My hat's off to the crowd for a hugh wave during intermission.....there was barely a ripple on monday....excellent effort !!!!!!     When they kicked into tweezer i was all set for another round of musical insanity and the boys certainly delivered on this one and i was hoping they would have gone back and finished it to round out the set....when they started to play soul shakedown i originally thought it was makisupa, not having seen the set list from the night before, so when they started singing i was so surprised and psyched at the same time..loved the marley cover and the ensuing bowie rocked out with some serious jamming.......the boys then slowed things down a bit with round room, it seems alot of folks don't dig this offering from mike but i like the bouncing lilty quality to this one and it also offers the boys several locations to slip in and out of jams and i thought they jammed it out nicely .....i can't say i was totally disappointed to hear Hood having been at monday's show but i love this song too much to care and they seemed to go fairly straight forward with this one with more winding up at the end jam whereas monday's seemed more in the middle....nice job with the glow sticks as well by the crowd but i think folks should try not to throw them on stage.it's just fucking dumb....eventually you will hit one of them seriously enough.i say go glo stick crazy..but not towards the fellas.......back to the action which ended with hood and i was surprised I thought the set seemed short...but hot.........the triple encore is always nice, they pulled one of these on a recent trip through nassau in the past, contact is one of my faves but not as an encore....i'd rather they speed us on the way but some nice jams were provded....mexican cousin is a hysterical song that im pretty sure everyone can relate to and i was glad to hear this one and  tweezer reprise is always a nice capper on the evening...KURODA IS A MAD GENIUS !!!!!!!.......bb king aside a  better show than monday  Phatguy
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 19:40:29 -0800 From: Brian Macdonald rosesrfree@attbi.com Subject: 2/28/03- Review Let point out quickly that I have never written a review about a show before. I have been to 65+ shows and have never felt compelled to write a review. After ten years and as many shows as I stated previously, I really think that Friday's show was the best show I have seen in years. Possibly ever. Better then NYE 2000. Better then either show at the Clifford Ball? I think yes.   I will not banter on and review each song as so many have already done. I dont think I could say it as eloquently as some of the other people here. Friday's show was everything that I dream about when walking into a show.   I only hope there were enough fans that really appreciated what they saw on Friday. I had many people who didnt know what they were playing or the significance of what they were playing at the time.    Any way.........thanks for listening. This was an unbelievable experience that the setlist does no justice to.   Thanks for listening.   Brian
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 20:46:03 -0500 From: Heather and Peter heathandpete@earthlink.net Subject: NaCheese Review Who knew that NaCheese would deliver the goods. This was far and away the best show since the hiatus. My personal 4th favorite ever, coming in behind 10/31/94, 12/31/95, and 12/31/93. This is Phish in a whole new era. Really fresh versions of old standards. This band clearly needed a break and it has become evident that time is indeed on our side. Enjoy this show and listen carefully after you've downloaded. Be prepared, this will go down as an all-time classic in phishtory. As much as I hate to say it, Long Island has become strong island.
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 10:43:33 -0500 From: irma haraschak irmalh5916@earthlink.net Subject: nassau was sick the boyz were perfect, they didnt miss a note . defenitely no complaints,accept i thought thry could of played something in the spot of hood , that was the only thing that didnt sit right. well i guess its time to get ready 4 spring or summer tour .  
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 12:10:04 -0500 From: Graham Jacobson g.jacobson@mindspring.com Subject: Nassau During Nassau's amazing love fest, I started to get a notion. Trey is such a perfectionist and a real go getter. But what is the one thing that he has failed to do? Answer: become a true rock star with Madonna or Bruce type fame. Why is this? Are "Borderline" or "Badlands" better songs than Birds of Feather, or... you pick one? Nassau was a "greatest hits" show, (I'm not complaining, I loved it). My point is that I feel that there must have been a ton of record company people in the crowd (NYC Friday show) that Trey was making the point to them, "Hey, your Grammy awards are a joke (9 to one person?), all the music on MTV and Rolling Stone are so basic, and without soul, let me show you what we are doing." I applaud Trey for this, Phish is just the sort of outift that could really raise the bar for the entire record industry in all terms, songwriting, integrity, live shows, and music sharing. They deserve it.
From: Neil Sharma mailto:nms2001@columbia.edu Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2003 2:49 PM Subject: Nassau Review Holy-good-golly-miss-moly! That was one of the best Phish shows - if not THE best - I've ever seen. I can give these guys a tough time sometimes, and can be pretty critical (see my Monday discourse), but this monster rocked my boots off. 02/28/03 Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY 1: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound*, Horn, Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on the Train, Bouncing Around the Room, Walls of the Cave 2: Tweezer, Soul Shakedown Party**, David Bowie, Round Room, Harry Hood E: Contact, Mexican Cousin Notes: * - not played in 788 shows since 11/15/91 ! ** - not played since 2/20/97, only third time ever BOAF: Good opener. This little bird was trying to chirp its heart out, but juxtaposed with the rest of the lot that followed, remains a tweety in comparison. Good stuff though, got the juices flowing. I don't remember anything super standout in the jam, but it felt right. Destiny Unbound: No acronym here. This road gets its full highway name. Besides the fact that this was as big of a bustout that they could pull out of their magic hat, it was played with vigor and fury. I was singing along like a kindergartener. New upper tier tune for me, and my only exposure was from MP3's and the such. This one live is a treat, and I hope they keep it rare, but not entirely out of reach for another 12 years. Crowd gave it its props, and I thought it delivered on time. Horn: Pretty, and I just love the middle guitar structured part. Hard to remember as distinctly after Destiny, but well placed and floaty. By the way, this is around when I began to realize that they were ON FIRE, and there was no water in site. Everything gelled into one cohesive show from here on in. So from these words onwards, its almost silly to break it up into paragraphs. GIN: Gargantuan. So freakin' tite. Typical fun gin stuff, large piano trills by Page, fun sing along part, etc. Then the exploration of the theme. Hard to describe, but just fluid and spot on. I love the yellow laser beams around the green headlights that come with the thick part at the end. Gin deserves is own dissertation, but you will have to take my word for it that it was dead on. Sleep: A welcome respite from the Gin and tonic that just went down. Really just beautiful, and floaty, and gentle. I've never liked Sleep this much in concert. And the placement was scientific almost. Perfect. GBOTT: I made the bonehead move of going to the bathroom during this song, since I was not that enthralled with it in Hampton, and its of my least favorites on Farmhouse. Based on what I could hear from afar, and more based on the input from those that I came with, it was the best Train ever. They explored, they gave it some power and legs. And they felt it, past the obvious lyrical significance. Sorry I essentially missed this one, but cheers to all that caught it. Bouncin': Sorry Bouncin' haters. This worked, and then some overtime. Great placement. Great energy. Great to see the triple vocals at the end, to remind us that they can all be doing totally different things, but it still sounds like the most cohesive blanket of sound that you will ever hear. When Page came in with his lyric above the other guys, it was just blissful. And I awoke. Walls: First time hearing this for me. Fuck all ya'll shit talker on this tune (pardon the harsh words, but I heard some negative banter about this in the hallways). Great new tune, unbelievable. This is proof that they are still creating, and at the peak of their musical generation capabilities. You gotta be psyched for them hearing this new stuff. They JUST created it - post-hiatus - and its what they are most excited about, and it rocks, and it's still an infant, waiting to age like a fine cabernet. I love the various parts in the first half of the tune. Despite its potential lack of connectability, it does the polar opposite, and melds and flows like the Mississippi, all the way down to the delta. Pure fucking genius, and played with soul. Thanks for all this new stuff Phish, looking forward to more in the future. You still got it. The Listen to the Silent Trees part kicked high, Bruce Lee high. I really enjoyed this. Setbreak: The right amount of time for things that needed to get done. Tweezer: God damn Sam. This was the definition of large and in charge. A never-ending meld of musical motifs. (i) First you had Tweezer. (ii) Then some sort of hardcore rock and fuckin' rage roll music, that was blinding. Quick aside, normally Tweezer is not my top tier big, second set tune, but this made me born again. I was im-motha-focker-pressed. (iii) After the rock and roll jam Mack truck, there were a series of teases. I'll give my take and ear. (iv) I heard a return to the Destiny Unbound theme. Which, by the way, rocked, and was a perfectly fitting way to remind the crowd what had gone down earlier in the evening. (v) Then, I'd swear I heard some of the I Know You Rider riffs coming from the front. Subtle, but I am convinced it was in there like Prego. (vi) Finally (and I am sure there were a ton more, just that I forgot to register into the mind), a DEFINITE "nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye." Whatever the official name for that song is at the end of basketball games when the loser is DONE. Thing is, Phish was nowhere NEAR donzo. Not by a long shot. Soul Shakedown Party: I did not realize that this had been played before, but let me tell you, it was a gem. First, b/c it WAS a soul shakedown party in the Coliseum last night. Second, Trey gave his all on the lyrics. Marley is a tough act to follow, but he would have been proud and smiling ear to ear as he toked his spliff, listening to Mr. Anastasio. Trey was crooning, and in the best way. I honestly cannot remember this one as much musically, b/c things were really melding into one piece of music for the whole night by this point. Song titles and lines and boundaries are an injustice to the set. Brilliant, apropos selection. Stellar, memorable performance, and a chestnut for the vault. Mmmm Hmmm. Thanks Phish. Bowie: Believe it or not, Bowie is also normally in the lower tier for me as far as the big ones go. BUT, holy lord. This one worked. That's the thing about this show. It was a giant curveball setlist-wise, but a fluid musical odyssey that worked better than any setlist I could have manufactured. I mean, they were tighter than wet Levi's two inches too small in the seat. They made all the changes, and then changes on those changes, and then the rest of the changes. When they came back to the fast notes at the end, you knew they just nailed this one. Again, a PhD could do his/her thesis on last night's Bowie, but I'll just leave you with these Cliff's footnotes. Ibid. Round Room: Definitely one of my least favorites in the rotation currently. You know though, this somehow worked, and Phish pulled it off proper. Lyrically, this is another fitting song, as these guys spend their lives, blood, sweat and tears in these round arenas. The song is short, you definitely needed a bit of a break from the prior soundblast. And, still, they took it places. It was not completely straight up. And not a break for them. It was spiked with something vicious. Who knew. Hood: I'll get out of the way the mr. minor complaint that I could've used a different musical theme after having JUST heard this at Continental on Monday. BUT, this gallon Hood made Monday's look like a little pint size. This is how Hood should be played. Second set closer, with all the gusto and heart and emotion that they can muster. Definitely one of the best - of many - Hoods that I have had the pleasure and honor to experience live. Each part of it was just in it to win it. Bravo. Let me pause and say here that mere words to nothing, NOTHING, to describe this set/show. Again, if I were to just read the setlist next-day-air as I usually do, I would not blink twice looking at this. You had to be there. Again, everything just molted and melted and flowed and ran into each others' territory. But there were no trespassing signs. Everything was fair game. Reggae, funk, rock, more rock, chill, spacey, bluegrassy, and genres that surpass definition, classification, and nomenclature. That is Phish. That's what I come for. And they delivered with extra credit. Encore: Contact: Somehow, they topped the Hampton Contact, which was at the time, the biggest that these ear drums have ever heard. It had everything Contact should - Mike's quirkiness and campiness. Pages trill and thrill, and then onto some funkadelia that he definitely picked up off the road while taking his own time to find his groove with Vida Blue. Huge addition to this band. And then who does not like the 20k some odd crowd all just swaying along with Phish's good times? That is a quintessential capsulation of what makes this shit fun. Trust me, in the real world, I am not Charlie Browned out with my head high in the air and that elated. Mex Cuz: Again, to all the nay Sayers, kiss my big bootsie tom collins arse. And twice cuz I didn't feel it the first time. Tune is here to stay. And count yourselves lucky. Boy this song was doin' it and doin' it and doin' it well. Zippadeedooda, my oh my what a glorious tune. That is some ending. I was crooning along like it was mandatory third grade chorus. With a tambourine and a triangle. For all the "eh" encores that have been passed around like a shwag joint, this fatty rolled right over them. Keep this Prima Mexicana in the rotation. Puff puff give. And give some more. Tweeprise: Though Tweezer is not normally the horse I choose to run my race (tonight an exception), Tweeprise is ALWAYS the best way to leave a stadium. More power than a Lamborghini, cruising down the Audubon, top down, sun shining bright. P.S., there were moments when the sun was shining indoors, and it was blinding to look into that light. Phish created another planet, and one that others revolve around - moon and the stars above. Okay. I am parched, and drained from this output of verbage. And it doesn't even come CLOSE to trying to describe the epic journey that Phish captained. This was a clinic, and I need to return for more. Thank you Trey, Page, Mike and Jon. You guys are back, and staying put. Gracias, senores. Neil Sharma
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 20:56:58 EST From: MRMET1027@aol.com Subject: NASSAU REVIEW I live about 30 minutes from the coliseum so my girlfriend and I arrived around 5pm. Shakedown street was pumping already. We got a few beers and just hung around and enjoyed the scene. The spirits were up and the sense of a good show was in the air. We just returned from Worcester and if this show is like anything we witnessed in Mass we will all be in for a big treat. We left shakedown feeling nice and pumped around 6:15. They opened the doors and herded the cattle in around a quarter to 7. Our seats were on the floor to the right of the sound stage on the isle, right next to CK. SET I Birds of a Feather - Very unexpected (not as much as YEM in Worcester) but a surprise nonetheless. I never would have thought this would be a good opening, but it was very energetic and it got the crowd pumping. Destiny Unbound - I have never heard this tune before. I liked it. Very Dead-like and it kept the energy going. Horn - Believe it or not, the guy in front of me turned around before the ending of destiny and called this song. I don't know how he did, but he should play lotto. Very good version, vocals were dead on and they boys were tight. Gin - The opening circus riff from Trey got the crowed jumping. Trey was in the zone on the jam, it was very up beat and he kept to the main theme all the way through. Sleep - Great placement after a killer Gin jam. This was very beautiful and serene, and gave the crowd a little breather before... Back on the Train - Killer jam. I like the steady rhythm from Fish and Mike and southern style licks from Trey and Page. Very tight jam. Bouncing Around the Room - Smooth and tight. Vocals were dead on. Flawless version. Walls of the Cave - This is one of my favorite newer songs. The "silent trees" part was great and led into a phat jam. This is definitely a crowd pleaser and everyone dug this tune. Set Break I have to give props to this crowd. A steady wave circled the coliseum for a strong 6 to 7 times. I have been to a lot of NY Mets games and I have never seen a stronger wave. It was a cool thing to see, especially being on the floor. Set II Tweezer - Hearing the opening riff, we all know we were in for a killer set. Great version witha very spacey jam. Again, the word of the day: TIGHT. Soul Shakedown Party - I have never heard Phish do this song before. But what a great version of this Marley tune. Page was the star of this song. Excellent melodies from him. David Bowie - When the high-hattin' part started I knew it was Bowie, being they just played Maze in Worcester. A nice intro, very Tree's like (for any Rush fans out there) after a sweet 3 minute intro the kicked in with the unmistakable Bowie. Very early to mid 90's tightness. Great version great jam, good flexing of there chops. Round Room - I like this song. It pretty much sounds the same live as it does on RR. A flawless performance. Harry Hood - WOW. The definite highlight of the night and what a way to end the set. Again TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT. Any kinks they may have had were ironed out by the start of this show. CK did a nice job the whole night but kicked major ass in this song. The lights were right on especially on the big rock star ending of this song. They boys flowed nicely with each other. What a great version. Encore Contact - I'm glad they played this, this is one of my girlfriend favorite songs and I'm happy they player it for her. Good version nice little jam during the funky part. Mexican Cousin - I'm not a big phan of this song, but it was nice. Good placement because we knew that this song wasn't going to send us off on our way...... Tweezer Reprise - I can't ask for a better song to end a show. Hearing this song makes a feeling of completion. A nice short but TIGHT version. Yes, I said it a fewtimes in this review...TIGHT. That is the best way to describe this show. Even the flowing airy jams were tight. The boys were in the Zone for this show and they all looked like they were having fun, as were we. After the show we took a stroll back to shakedown were the party continued fiercely. We got a couple of egg rolls and sodas and left with a smile knowing we saw one of the best shows on the tour (about the same or a little better than Worcester). But thats just my opinion. Keep Rockin' Matt Pannullo - Long Island, NY
Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 16:30:53 -0500 From: Frank sciphish4221@comcast.net Subject: 2/28/03 Nassau Coliseum Review This was my first Phish show ever and i must say I was truly amazed. The energy was flowing from every corner of the venue, which I might say is a great place to see concert. We got a hotel room right across the lot and walked right into the lot it was awesome. My seats were in 306 and i could see great although the sound during the first half of Birds of a Feather was on the quiet side, but eventually it got turned up a bit and began to kick ass.   Birds of a Feather- a great opening song , it got everyone ready to jam and dance the night away. Destiny Unbound - Once i figured out the deal behind this song i knew that this night would be a great great show, and this song was real good and sounded sweet especially for a song that hasnt been played in 12 years. Horn- This is always a nice short little song to hear and it was well placed to get the crowd pumped for------------------------>>>> Bathtub Gin - I wasn't expecting this song at all but when Trey played those two opening chords the crowd went nuts and was totally feeling this song. They played it perfectly and the jam was really good and not just a defined guitar solo, page was playing perfectly on this song with alot of clavinet wah playing which i felt added alot to this song. Sleep - I didnt even think that they'd play this but it was a perfect version. Trey's vocals were right on key and it was a nice break before the next song which might have been the highlight of the show. Back on the Train- I really wanted to hear this song and when they played it i was psyched. After the verses and the normal beginning of the song fishman started to hit the ride cymbal and something great happened. This jam was Awesome and i cant wait for livephish.com to release it so i can relive it. The climax of Trey's solo reminded me of climaxs in great versions of YEM. It was a unique version and was crazy to hear and dance to. Bouncing Around the Room - This is my friends favorite song and when john played that beat he went nuts and the harmonies and song was perfect and gave us a chance to relax for a few minutes before Walls of a Cave. Walls of a Cave- I knew this song was gonna be played and when it started i was ready to hear it. Page's solo was great and everything about it was great . Phish seems like they really love to play this song and with good reason. The end jam was great and I knew this was the end of my first Phish Set EVER.   THe Setbreak was real fun and was a chance to chill and partake in a sweet Arena circling wave started by a few guys next to my section. I didnt know if that first set could be topped but it just might of been. SET 2 Tweezer- They started this song off great and it was one of the best versions i've heard. The jam waas really mellow and nice to hear. The glow sticks were sweet to see during this part. This jam was really good and it had a few minor climaxes and then began to get really good. At first i was worried that the jam would be spacey and crazy but it turned out just the opposite. It was a perfect second set opener. Soul Shakedown Party- Phish enjoyed playing this one and it got the Crowd ready to dance again. I am not a huge Bob Marley Song so i didnt really recognize but it was a great reggae/ funk song for phish to do. David Bowie- A hands down great version with a different style jam in the middle. It was really mellow but then they built it and once those end riffs started coming the crowd was going nuts dancing. Round Room- I really didnt expect this song at all but they played it perfectly. i thought i was in love with mike gordon during this. oh well. Harry Hood- Perfect timing , i wasnt expect to see or hear this but it started and the crowd flipped. Everything was right on and sounded great. They finished it off with alot of energy. and i was ready for the encore ENCORE   I really thought they'd only play one encore but three! wow   Contact- This is such a mellow song and yet so nice to hear, it could have been more funky but it was still great. Mexican Cousin-The end of this song sounds soooo good especially with the whole crowd yelling WHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO in I wanna wanna kiss your WHOOOO. Crazy jam that lead into the expected song----> Tweezer Reprise- This song has soooo much energy and it pumped the crowd up after a great show. Trey's looping was perfectly done and they ended it in a great way. Trey was moving his guitar around like a guitar duel against an imaginary person while Page used his little pitch making device, i forget the name of it, and synched the noise with the guitar movements. Then Trey began to raise his guitar above his head to the ceiling !!! the crowed went crazy and raised their hands towards the sky along with trey. then they cut it off quietly and nailed the final chord...   This was a great show in writing and it was a perfect show for my first one.
Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 16:52:27 -0500 From: beth belletete babelletete@hotmail.com Subject: sms review of 2/28/03 the show last night was spectacular.  i especially liked the curious grin on trey's face during bouncing round the room and mexican cousin.  and he sure did play like a bad ass during the second set.  unfortunately the sexy med student was drinking tequila alone after the show...   bab
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 15:40:51 -0500 From: bkries bkries@mailbox.syr.edu Subject: nassau review The setlist was incredible... 1: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound, Horn, Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on the Train, Bouncing Around the Room, Walls of the Cave 2: Tweezer, Soul Shakedown Party, David Bowie, Round Room, Harry Hood E: Contact, Mexican Cousin, Tweezer Reprise This was my 7th show, and holy jesus am I glad that I made that decision to get ripped off with a ticket price in the lot. Lot-Got there pretty late due to some traffic on the local highways, particulary going through the bronx, arrived around 5:30-6 and went directly to shakedown strasse to find my show goodies. BOAF-Beautiful opener. I've always loved this song, and thought it was a great opener. Those first few notes I swear my hair stood up and i started grooving. Destiny Unbound-As you've heard, the main vibe here is HOLY SHIT. My buddy recognized it first note, and went CRAZY!!! I loved it, totally rocking song..thanks guys for breaking this treasure out! Horn-Smooth. At this point i decided to take a jam/walk around the floor. Ended up behind the tapers, then took an escape route to the 300 level and got my smoke on. Bathtub Gin-Mystical. Ever since i saw bathtub in the rain at Camden 7.3.2000 i've loved it. This version was absolutely rocking, with page going nuts!!! Sleep-Good song, great placement, nothing out of this world...but the show was already on its way to epic status, so took a breather. Back on the Train-As much as i tend to dislike farmhouse, i really do enjoy hearing this song. This version was incredible, bringing the already pulsating energy through the roof and into the starry night. I don't think a single person was sitting, i looked around and from the floor to the last row in the 300's, people were feeling this jam. >From here, i was wondering where they'd take us... Bouncing round the room-Ah, ok. I enjoyed it, and i'm not going to complain. Always a solid song. Now its time for the big jam, i was hoping for fluffhead, i don't know why, but i was feeling it..but no...page hit the piano and the first notes of Walls of the Cave-came blowing into our ears. This is my second WOAC since the hiatus. I saw it at MSG on newyears, and loved it then. The energy was up there as well, people were grooving harddddd. The build up to the rockout section was great, and the rocking jam was superb. setbreak-i thought this would be a nice breather, but we all were soooo excited from this first set that even during setbreak the pulsating colliseum kept on beating. The wave was so crazy, everyone was throwing the hands up in the air. great time. Set 2: Tweezer-YES! What a great second set opener, I jammed soooo hard, and the glowstick war was great. Soul Shakedown-great song. for a second i was thinking windora bug, but then i caught the notes and joined in on the jam. this was probobly the highlight of my show, i absolutely love this song. Then i heard the highhat going. highhat, highhat, highhat, and David Bowie-BAM!!! What a great jam, and awesome lighting by kuroda. I can't really make words for my emotions at this point in the show...incredible. Round Room-Ah, a breather. I needed it too. Some people weren't happy with this, but i was. I like it a lot, and am happy their playing some new stuff for the newer phans. its 2003 phish guys, let keep on track with their master plan of blowing our minds for years to come. Harry Hood-When i heard fish hit the drums, i was reallly happy. This is my 3rd harry, and every time its a pleaser. Everyone was singing and having a great time with it. glowwar, or was that just a battle...ha. Encore: Contact-now three years ago i would've been bummed out with this selection due to the mellowness of the song. but not anymore...phish has turned this into a funk oddysey. i love page's clav going after the chorus is sung. great song. i was thinking its reprise time, but no! Mexican cousin-this song is hilarious first off, the lyrics crack me up. the jam was nice, and everyone had a great time with this instant singalong. Reprise-ROCKING!!! trey had a little fun at the end with the feedback from the guitar and the microfone. He seemed to be "fishing" out of the audience too, thought it was great. Final Thoughts: Epic of a show...I'm definatley going to get this one asap. I'll pay the xtra cash. Had an awesome time, and boy...i cannot wait till summer. See you all then. Peace. -ries Brian K Ries Haven Hall Syracuse University
Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 15:24:58 -0500 From: Alejandro Tamargo treebeard_tamargo@hotmail.com Subject: Nassau Review My 50th show, and wow what a 50th! This is what it's all about. This is why I keep coming back for more. This was truly a show I will never forget. The band played in Nassau the "unbelievable blow my mind off OH MY GOD!" show that I had hoped for, but didn't quite get, in Worcester. (See my Worcester review). I realize that I'm in the minority with this opinion. I can't for the life of me possibly comprehend why this is, but hey, everyone has their own opinion, everyone sees things differently, enjoys Phish for different reasons. No sense in arguing about it. But for me personally, Nassau didn't just blow Worcester completely out of the water, it blew the two Hampton shows that I saw out of the water, and was by far the best show I've seen since Big Cypress. And quite frankly, only Big Cypress and the infamous Dark Side of the Moon show were higher times for me in my 50 shows. And if you think I'm saying this just because they brought back Destiny, forget it. You can throw Destiny in the trash and I'd still be saying this, just because of that second set. Unbelievable! Now the songs: BOAF: Not a stellar opener like Worcester, and not usually one of my favorites, but it was a nice energetic version to get the show going. DESTINY: Oh my God! It took me a few seconds to believe what I was hearing. I was thinking, "this sounds like Destiny but it can't possibly be, because they're never going to play it again." See I was 100% convinced it was never ever coming back, and that people speculating on when they might bust it out were just being silly. But wow, Destiny. I'm still in disbelief. Judging by the reaction of the people around me (way up there in 303), I thought that other people were experiencing the same delayed response that I was. Turns out they just really didn't know what was happening. Throughout the arena there seemed to be pockets of people going crazy and losing their shit, and pockets of people standing around scratching their heads. Not the reaction I would have hoped for, but this was special none the less. HORN: nice little song to let us (those of us who knew) soak in the Destiny BATHTUB: This was the first sign that this show was going to be much more than just the bustout of Destiny. This is honestly the best jam out of a Gin I think I've ever personally witnessed. All I can say is wow! SLEEP: I like this song. Nicely placed too. Good breather after that incredible Gin. GBOTT: I've always enjoyed this song as sort of a fun dancy/groovy kind of tune and never really had any expectations for any kind of jam out of it. But oh my god if this wasn't the most amazing GBOTT ever. BOUNCIN: I have some shocking news. I'm not a newbie and I like Bouncin. (GASP!) It seems like it's become really trendy to hate Bouncin'. It's as if you're not a "real" phish phan until you declare your complete and utter hatred for it. I can understand if you were going to shows back in the days when they played it every other show, because I think if I heard it that often I'd probably start hating it too. But since 1995 this was only maybe my 5th or 6th Bouncing. And I've enjoyed each and every one. WOTC: My first time seeing it, and it did not dissapoint. I've heard it said that they jammed out the Philly version more. If this is true then I've got get myself a copy of that Philly jam, because this was a raging jam. Second Set: First off, I'd like to say that Phish.net and Phantasy Phish have made a slight error in the setlist, ommitting all the segue (>) symbols. Hopefully they'll correct it. The setlist should read like this: Tweezer> Soul Shakedown> David Bowie, Round Room>Harry Hood Make no mistake about it, they did not stop playing from the opening notes of Tweezer on through the ending of Bowie. TWEEZER: Oh my God oh my god oh my god!! Before last night, I had only heard Tweezers like this on tape (or CD). This was epic. There were several times during the latter half of this nearly 30 minute jam, where I found myself thinking "Okay, they don't have to keep jamming. They could stop here, move onto another song, ANY song, and I'd be completely and utterly overjoyed with that Tweezer." And whenever I thought that they'd move into a new section of the jam that would just blow me away all over again. Is there such a thing as too much joy? SOUL SHAKEDOWN PARTY: The Tweezer jam moved into a slow psychedelic space, and then they started out with a reggae tune. Makisupa? No we got that in Worcester. It must be Windora Bug then. Cool. That's a nice bustout. SOUL SHAKEDOWN!! ARE YOU KIDDING?!! I never could have possibly dreamed that they were playing Soul Shakedown. Like Destiny, it's one of those songs I just never expected them to play ever again. In many ways, this was even a better bustout for me than Destiny. I have a much more personal connection to the song. "We're going to have a Soul Shakedown Party tonight!" Yes we did. DAVID BOWIE: Now, I thought would surely be one of those slow Round Room tunes to give us a breather, and I was okay with that. But instead, the hi-hat. This can't be real! Oh my God! I couldn't have fantasized about a better setlist than this. And it's more than just a list on paper, it's an incredible sequence of amazing TYPE II jamming. This Bowie was dark, spacey, rocking, then back again, until the amazing climax. I was in heaven. ROUND ROOM: Now the Round Room slow song. And that's fine because at this point they can do whatever they want. See, this is the point I was trying to make in my Worcester review. A nice, slow, non jamming song in the second set is more than fine when it's sandwiched between a stellar Bowie and Hood. But that Guyute>Waves>Caspian sequence in Worcester almost put me to sleep. But I digress. HARRY HOOD: Did I say I was in heaven during the Bowie? I went back there and beyond during the Hood. I felt like I was wrapped up in ecstacy (not the drug, the real thing). Wow! ENCORES: This was a combintation of the encores at the two Hampton shows I saw. Contact was funked out again. Although not quite as much as the Hampton version, as Mike didn't get his chance to funk out this time. Mexican Cousin is my least favorite of the new album. It's like an anthem for alchoholics. Not my thing. But like I said, at this point I don't care what they're playing, as long as they're still on stage, I'm still in heaven. Then of course comes the expected Tweeprise, always a good way to send off a show. What else can I say? Best show I've seen in a very long time. A true classic.
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 14:05:38 EST From: NazarianD@aol.com Subject: 2/28/03 Nassau Review I wrote a review for the Meadowlands show on Monday. I was honest (in other words, I was pissed about some stuff and I made it known). I made a lot of people very upset (dozens of e-mails- some rather hostile). I don't apologize, though. I stick to my story. But last nights show gets no complaints. Not a one. This was the show I've been waiting for... the show that affirms my faith in the band. SOLID first set. BoaF was raging. Carried on for a good 10 minutes. I was making my way to the pisser when they began to close off the jam. Everyone stands still for a moment, listening to what it's gonna be, what's gonna be next? No... no, it couldn't be. 'Tis. Destiny. So what if it's the rarest of the rare... it's a hot song. And it was jammed out beautifully. Then, when the crowd is an inch from rioting, they take it into a lovely little Horn. Great solo by Trey, loud, emotional, good stuff. Bathtub Gin came at the perfect time. Page was literally slamming on the boards for all his fills. Then a nice jam. Good interplay by Trey and Page... no one got too greedy. And the jam carried on, too. It was not your typical "middle of the first set" jam. It was heavy. It was progressive. It was all good. Sleep. Perfect. The right song for the right moment. And it's nice to know that Trey isn't getting too carried away up there... he's still right on top of his game. BotT was tight. Funky... crisp... not too short, not too long. Bouncing was standard, but good to hear, nevertheless. And Walls of the Cave as the closer. It's a great first set closer. Almost as good as Slave, in my opinion. This was the third Walls for me. And it's growing on me. Good structure. And they were all over it last night. God bless 'em. Tweezer... awesome. I wasn't floored by the jam, but I was so damn happy to hear a Tweezer that it seemed perfect to me. A lot of progress. I thought for sure I could smell a segue, but it was just Trey exploring. He eventually brought it down nice and slowly, and closed it off. ~15 minutes. Then... Windora?! no. Soul Shakedown! Even better. Great easy-going reggae jam which lasted long enough really let you shake your thing. Terrific. Then the high-hat kicks in... Has to be Bowie since Worcester got the Maze. But Trey is too jazzed up for a mellow, psychadelic high-hat intro... He starts running up and down his scales, noodling away, and then takes 'em right into the song... no long wait... no messing around. Right down to business! The composed parts were tight... all four of them were loud and laying it down thick. And the jam didn't waste too much time, either... it seemed like the four of them couldn't be mellow at the same time... Three of them would be grooving, but the fourth would be banging something out, and then another would pick up, and it would get heavy again. And it carried and carried. The jam went so long and built up to such an incredible peak that I thought for certain they were gonna wrap up the set right then and there... and then it carried out some more, Kuroda going ape-shit on the lights... surely they're gonna make this a three song second set... but it's still going... and going... I didn't look at my watch, but if I was guessing, I'd say it was a 30 minute Bowie. Round Room was great. This is really a good, good song. And it has such a heavy groove, mellow... but heavy. And it WORKED perfectly at that exact moment. That's the something that's been missing from this tour... Everything was WORKING last night. They jammed with that for a while... then they broke out the Hood. Obviously, no complaints for a Hood, although that's my third this year and there are sooo many things I want to hear... but it was too good of a Hood for me to dwell on. Lately, encores have been SUCKING! Damn that Farmhouse in NJ! To hell with the Friday encore! They've been so sucky lately, on average, that I have a hard time clapping through the encore break. But this time, after such a perfect show, and knowing that there's a Twe-prise on the way... I was standing on my seat screaming. Contact was so nice.... so nice. The perfect time for an old favorite. Interestingly, instead of Mike laying down a thick solo before the "I woke up one morning in November..." part, Page and Trey just both went nuts. They rocked out this Contact... and we were all so damn happy! Add a little Mexican Cousin to make us happier... and then start a riot with Tweezer Reprise. Closing comments: When is summer tour gonna get posted? The boys are back, people... I hadn't been too sure about them this year. But my doubts were unfounded. Damn fine show... damn fine. -david
vDate: Sun, 02 Mar 2003 09:47:47 -0500 From: Harry Hood izmhound@hotmail.com Subject: THE Show of All Shows Ok. I'm a local northeastcoast head. Been to over 30 shows up here. I usually stick around here and see em whenever I can. The farthest I've ever gone to see the boyz was flying down to Georgia for what turned out to be the "Remain in Light" show, which I thought changed the band in itself more than any other project...tangent...ok... BTW this is my first review ever. I read em alot when I'm not there to find out what to get but up til now have never graced these pages with my presence. Just finished our little 4 show minirun BB>Nassau and I can honestly say, without any type of hesitation or reservation, even after seeing Destiny and being involved in all of that energy at Nassau (which totally kicked ass btw) that Mass was the best Phish show Ive ever experienced. Get this show! It ranks up there as one of the best shows I've ever heard, .. The setlist, which looks good on paper does absolutely no justice to this show. Any phan that doesn't listen to this at least 2 or 3 times is missing out on a very potent bit of our time and age. And no this isn't Trey writing this review either :). GET THIS SHOW!!!!! It's your Destiny. -Jay W
ate: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 13:59:50 -0500 From: Steven Koch koch_steven@hotmail.com Subject: Nassau What a show! I was so psyched to hear Destiny Unbound. They have only played it live like 3 times in their phistory, so it was a real treat. And I was lucky to even of gotten in! Tickets were really, really tough for this show. Maybe because the wealthy kiddos of Long Island didn't have school Saturday. Not at all like Monday night in Jersey, where phans could use tickets for veggie burrito wraps. I had to cough up some serious green for this gig from a scalper. And, as going through scalpers is always a shady enterprise, I breathed in hard before the ticket zapper guy scanned my ticket and I got in! The yellow shirts were tight for pass backs on the floor, and I was actually led out the door buy some mook who grabbed my arm hard with a stern warning. No matter. I went around the other way and was rocking again in no time! Highlight of the first set was a great gin/sleep/train. Walls of the Cave is fast becoming a live epic, especially with grat lighting. Crisp and well placed. The crowd wave during the break was insane! The only downer is that Hood and Bowie seem to overplayed this tour. However, they were expertly performed by a band, it seems, that was on top of their craft tonight. WELL DONE! -Steve Koch koch_steven@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 14:05:20 -0500 From: Ryan Maloof ryanmaloof@hotmail.com Subject: review of 2-28-03 I cant wait to download this show!!!   Birds of a Feather - ripped.... hot opener..... Destiny Unbound - Nuff said!    Horn - Tight! Bath Tub - ripped again Sleep - ahhhh, a favorite of mine.  Soothing.... Back on the train - Very impressed with this jam. Twisted my brain at this point Bouncing - Bouncin' Wall of the Cave - another great jam...  Solid close to the set!   First Set:  High energy, great vibe, I was very pleased.   Tweezer -  twisted my mind Soul Shake Down Party - never heard it live, loved every note... David Bowie - sick!  More energy from da boys. Round room - Made me happy Harry Hood - Had just seen it in NJ on Monday night, I like Mondays better but always great to hear.   Second Set:  No slowing down here at all.  Fully rocking the Coliseum, throughout the entire show.   Contact - Mike sang great.  Very tight with tricky timing that was all right on.  Very creative yet silly and I love it!  Haven't heard it in a while. Mexican Cousin -  Hilarious! Tweezer Reprise - Ripped, great close!  Trey stage antics were great on the close also.....   I LOVE PHISH!!!     Madloof72
Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 13:59:50 -0500 From: Steven Koch koch_steven@hotmail.com Subject: Nassau What a show! I was so psyched to hear Destiny Unbound. They have only played it live like 3 times in their phistory, so it was a real treat. And I was lucky to even of gotten in! Tickets were really, really tough for this show. Maybe because the wealthy kiddos of Long Island didn't have school Saturday. Not at all like Monday night in Jersey, where phans could use tickets for veggie burrito wraps. I had to cough up some serious green for this gig from a scalper. And, as going through scalpers is always a shady enterprise, I breathed in hard before the ticket zapper guy scanned my ticket and I got in! The yellow shirts were tight for pass backs on the floor, and I was actually led out the door buy some mook who grabbed my arm hard with a stern warning. No matter. I went around the other way and was rocking again in no time! Highlight of the first set was a great gin/sleep/train. Walls of the Cave is fast becoming a live epic, especially with grat lighting. Crisp and well placed. The crowd wave during the break was insane! The only downer is that Hood and Bowie seem to overplayed this tour. However, they were expertly performed by a band, it seems, that was on top of their craft tonight. WELL DONE! -Steve Koch koch_steven@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 14:19:47 -0500 From: Jurgen Fauth jurgen@jurgenfauth.com Subject: nassau review great great show. certainly the best of the three i've seen this week (skipped wooster), and in the top five of the 26 i was at. dream setlist, and not a dud in the bunch. bowie and hood were highlights, both outstanding. destiny was exciting and very well played, like everything else. trey took a beautiful solo in round room -- that tune works great live, as does mexican cousin. fun contact. funky gin and possibly the best back on the train I've heard. tweezer>soul shakedown party! fine flow, a very generous song selection, high energy crowd, and a mature band pulling the music to funky, dark, strange, and honey-sweet places. buckets of fun.
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 14:45:30 -0500 From: "Singer, Ted" TSinger@exchange.webmd.net Subject: 2.28.03 Nassau Review Since I spewed some bile in this space after Monday night's show at the Meadowlands, I thought I'd add a little perspective after being at last night's amazing performance at the Nassau Coliseum. The recent Rolling Stone article mentioned Trey's love of team sports and practicing. To use an athletic similie, Trey's was like the star athelete who gives a poor performance the first night of back to back road games in the same city and refuses to leave town before showing that town that he still has his stuff. Kind of like how Jordan always put a hurting on the Knicks at MSG, he loved being the star in front of fans that knew their stuff. Trey came out possesed last night with BOAF and never looked back. He drove the jams with relentless energy and was focused the whole show, pushing and pushing and pushing. Destiny Unbound was historic...it's interesting that the young fan base didn't quite grasp the significance and were a bit confused that 40% of the audience was going apeshit for what appeared to be a new bouncy Mike ditty. The crowd energy was spectacular, I think Nassau is an intimate venue for its capacity and it showed with much superior acoustics compared to Monday night. I was bowled over by Walls of the Cave, great new live number. Sleep was a great treat, as was Soul Shakedown. The epic jam pieces (Gin, Back on the Train, Walls, Tweezer, Hood, Bowie) were tight and focused and HARD, DRIVING, ENERGETIC. After Monday night I was bummed, but last night re-established my default persona...a slack jawed with awe fanboy jonesing for my next phix.
Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 15:36:10 -0500 From: Mark L Goldberg marqos@lycos.com Subject: review of nassau Without going into a play-by-play, this is the strongests Phish I've seen in years (hence compelling me to write my first review in maybe 8 years). After about '96 I felt like the shows had started to lack something for me. I felt that way after the BB King yawn-fest on Monday. Seriously, having remembered what a killer show was from my personal peak in the mid-90s, I couldn't understand why people get so overhyped by mediocre shows like that one. Sure it was quite novel for BB King to come onto stage and jam for 15 minutes; yes he's a legend playing with Phish, and yes it had its moments, but really the truth is that it was boring and no-energy. Last night though was something else. Finally I think that everyone can agree that we were blessed with an outstanding performance. It was the type of show that I always hope for. I wasn't sure if Phish would still go (what I consider to be) full-throttle anymore, but this was it. The entire show was very fulfilling from the tightness, to the killer song selection, to the jamming and the lights. The crowd was pumped, the band had Unbound energy and the vibe was peaked out head-to-toe. This was a rock-n-roll groove fest and I couldn't be more pleased with the experience. I did notice however that perhaps trey has lost some of his pointed accuracy/chops over the years -- during Bowie i noticed that perhaps he gets a bit muddied when he plays fast rifs, but this is minor in the scheme of a great night altogether. I seriously haven't been this hyped up after a Phish show in years, and I feel my satisfaction has been restored, even if for just one night! 2^3 NYC
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 05:22:21 -0800 (PST) From: Jared Siegel j_siegel31@yahoo.com Subject: Nassau 2.28.03 Wow. Trey playing like man possessed.  I've felt a tramor in the force, one I have not felt in years. This was possibly the best show I've ever seen from the phab phour.  Two parts extraordinary vibe and eclectic material, with one part hole-in-the-wall venue equaled for an unmatched night of ear to ear smiles.  Thanks for letting me experience the love.  They are back . .  1993 revisited!
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 13:50:59 EST From: Snobrder6@aol.com Subject: 2/28/03 review Last night's energy was absolutley insane. The first set was beyond quality & the 2nd was out of control. Now to the setlist...... Birds-Great way to start off the show. The jam was intense & got everyone pumped. Unbound-............HOLY SHIT! At first I was unfamiliar with what they were doing. But then it clicked & everyone went nuts. Horn-Nice, chilled everything out & was GREAT placement. Bathtub-This is when I started to realize that this show was going to be something great. This jam was very tight. Sleep-Great placement. This song has become a rarity. The vocals are just perfect though. Back on the Train-I don't think they have ever gone to this level of jamming before in any other back on the train. Trey was out of his mind (as he remianed for the rest of the show). BATR-Perfect placement. Its short & to the point, & it lets you know that something great is going to happen next (which it did). Walls of the Cave-I was very happy to see my first WOTC. The jam was raging & the crowd was out of control. Perfect way to end off a great set. Setbreak-Crowd was going nuts. Awesome wave that maintained for a while! Tweezer-Couldn't ask for anything else. This tweezer went to a place that no other tweezer has ever gone to. Peaking multple times in different ways everytime.> Soul Shakedown-ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Out of control! This was "THE SHOW" allready. What could possibly happen next?!> Bowie-Speachless. This bowie was so unique. Trailed off into multiple euphoric but raging jams that just trailed back into the sound of bowie. Trey was deffinetly out of control on this one. The band was moving so tight together! Round Room-Yes! Perfect placement! Very to the point, but as soon as it trailed off........> Hood-I dont know how to explain the energy in the coliseum last night. This show was rediculous & now they play Hood?! This ended the best set of music I ever heard. The jam was played perfectly. Very tight & flowed into an amazing climax! Encore: Contact-Very cool, no problems with this one, But we still had tweezer rep. which would end this night off perfectly! Mexican Cousin-Jesus christ!!!!!! This jam is so good, & the crowd was so into it. Now........ Tweezer Reprise-This summed up the whole night's energy into about two & a 1/2 minutes. Overall: This was my 4th show (2nd since the hiatus). My first show was at nassau in '99. But this show was the most amazing show I've ever seen. Deffinetly get the soundboard off of phish.com. Its worth the $10!!! 2003 is turning into "The Year" Now for summer tour..........................
Date: Sun, 02 Mar 2003 11:07:07 -0500 From: skip dumas skipdumas@comcast.net Subject: Funky Nassua WOW another great show by the boys ……they just keep bringing it!!!!!!!wow……still destiny unbound was only played to divert attention to the best show of the tour 2/26/03. Although this show was smoking the mass show was EPIC INSANITY!!   DAnk
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 08:08:06 -0800 (PST) From: Seth Bowen scarecrow1776@yahoo.com Subject: Nassau Review This is as tight as I have ever seen Phish play. Ever. Just absolutely mind-blowing. Every song became a treat simply due to how they were playing. And Destiny Unbound? My wife and I have just entered into a group comprised of less than 0.01% of the total Phish fan population! Unbelievable. I have waited my entire Phish-life for a moment like that. After almost 10 years and dozens of shows, it finally happened. This show made my year. No joke. -Seth
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 13:49:49 EST From: DJcraze77@aol.com Subject: nassau review BOAF- Not a big fan and was surprised to hear it as an opener, but man they opened nicely with this, really got the crowd going. DESTINY UNBOUND- yes they played it, its over the streak is broken. Crowd flipped out was nice to hear. HORN- nice song to hear. Did a nice version not too over the top. BATHTUB GIN- okay this was sweet to hear. A very sick version kuroda kicked ass during the song. BACK ON THE TRAIN- okay not a big fan of this either but the jam to my surprise was really good. Possibly surprise of the night for me since i don't have high expectations for this song. BOUNCING- Always nice to hear, standard version. WALLS OF THE CAVE- not quite sure what i thought when they first started playing it but after finishing the set with it they really played it out well. Intermission: the wave got kicked around a few times. Set 2: TWEEZER- I was hoping for SOAM but it was still cool to hear tweezer  which seems to follow me to every show i go to. This one went on for awhile, they kept going in and out of jamming it. Nice glowstick war got goin. SOUL SHAKEDOWN- crowd got into this one and the band seemed to enjoy playing it getting it goin on the funky side a bit. BOWIE- and then came the hi-hat. then came a short jam - then came the hi-hat again and BAM David Bowie. And the last time i saw bowie was 12-29-97 and i didn't really like that version. This time they erupted with a sick ass version. Totally blew me away. ROUND ROOM- gave me a minute to sit down HARRY HOOD- didn't think they were gonna play this since it was played in Jersey early in the week. Nice version mellow jamming. Is always a nice song to hear, however i was hoping they would close with divided sky, oh well. E: CONTACT- Was ok nothing special MEXICAN COUSIN- Nothing special Tweezer Reprise- Nothing special knew it was coming Overall the playing was well above what i was expecting. Amazing jams and they were very tight the whole night. Great show! -Dan
Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 13:52:33 -0200 From: Lane lhjost@netscape.net Subject: Reflecting on Nassau, 2/28/03 2/28/03 Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, NY I: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound!!!, Horn, Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on the Train, Bouncin', Walls of the Cave II: Tweezer, Soul Shakedown Party, David Bowie, Round Room, Harry Hood E: Contact, Mexican Cousin, Tweez. Rep. Last night was powerful, tight and for me, a very emotional performance.  I won't pull apart the show,  but just  share some of my thoughts  for those of you who couldn't make it.  This was my first show since walking out of Shoreline to the gentle strains of "Let it Be," and something like my 42nd since Feb. '93.  Needless to say, since it was first show since the hiatus and on the tenth anniversary of my relationship with the band, I was excited. It's always a little bittersweet seeing the band in such a big room, but as for arena shows, Nassau was just fine.  Very patient and mellow security, and the sound was clear, albeit as many have mentioned, a bit quiet..  The ride out on the LIRR from the city after an exhausting week at work, only raised for me an already impassioned anticipation. Once the band walked on the stage, there was little doubt that their confidence had yet to be reeled back in.  For those of you wondering if the band is back, rest assured people, they are.  Yes, the sound is different and there are new songs in the rotation.  However, the energy is as high as it has ever been, and the Round Room songs that I heard last night, were executed wonderfully.  Also, for those of you "setlist heads," set II was a concise sandwich of old and new very much in the spirit of 6/26/94, Charleston, WV.  I think it's important to respect and allow the band to play their new material.  Because indeed, they always reward our patience with a set of staples -- "Tweezer," "Bowie," and "Hood" together in a set?  I think it's safe to say that the mix of new and old is thoughtful and relevant to where the band is right now.      The breakout of the "Destiny" was incredibly poignant, and established the mood of the show after a very nice "Birds" opener.  People were going wild, as of course was I, and it was a real treat for those of us that have spent so much of our life with these guys. Mike's lyrics again made so much sense last night, as the band was indeed back on the road and letting it all hang out once more.  This show flowed very well all the way from "Birds" to the always bombastic "Tweez. Rep."  I loved every note and I would suggest that everyone treat themselves kindly and download this show from LivePhish.  I am eagerly awaiting it's arrival myself, and hope the rest you will have as much fun listening to it, as I am sure to. For those of you going to Greensboro, have fun and be safe.  For those of you debating whether or not to see the band again, stop. my $0.02. Cheers, Lj NYC
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 13:19:29 EST From: ER7000@aol.com Subject: nassau show two words....KICK ASS
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 09:52:49 -0800 (PST) From: alec rieger alecrieger@yahoo.com Subject: nassau quite frankly the best show i've ever seen. i've seen these men play since they were boys and last night was a pinnacle.
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 12:27:39 -0500 From: David Fitzgerald lauraanddave@hotmail.com To: dws@gadiel.com Subject: Destiny Well well well...........Destiny Unbound.  That sorta sums up the whole night, doesn't it?
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 10:19:02 -0800 (PST) From: Todd Zander tzander@yahoo.com Subject: Nassau show review Confusion and apprehension clouded my mind. 52 shows and 11 years later. Could these be my final days on the bus? Yeah, ^Óthey^Òre never gonna play like ^Ò93 again, so just get over it and enjoy the band and the scene and the experiment for what it is today.^Ô But will they ever inspire me enough to travel to Vegas again for a long weekend? Or is it just me, getting older and married now, in a demanding profession and with different priorities; a post 9/11 world creating different emotions and passions in my life? The illustrious return seems to have been rather rocky, foggy rather groggy. I couldn^Òt make heads or tails out of the overall direction the band seemed to be headed. Were they still just getting the kinks, rust and Led out, like they were during the Hampton shows ^Ö and I should be patient and just give them more time to get back on the train? Or are they just not caring like they used to about driving the crowd into a mad frenzy, night after night, mastering the art like no other band has during countless performances the past umpteen years? Should I sit back and accept the fact that Phish will be playing Heavy Things, All of these Dreams, Sample and Farmhouse during the second set and encore like they did in Jersey? Of course I should. And then have them come back the next night in Phili and rage with the best show I^Òve seen out of 7 since New Years? Perplexing. But what has Bug-ged me lately is wondering ^Öwhy-- the Boyz were purposely not creating the energy-building, cathartic head-buzzing experiences they perfectly well know how to generate? The band knows which songs will drive a crowd berserk and what songs will be challenging to win us over. And over time I have grown to accept and embrace the fact that Phish will continue to do whatever the fuck they want, and they love that. And this morning I certainly do. Last night^Òs show at Nassua, as we are all aware of by now, is purely legendary. I said the most significant Phish show I^Òve ever witnessed, after 5 memorable new years runs and even the Elvis^Ò Vegas show. My wife was confident the Big Cypress still took the prize, no matter what went down last night. But of course Nassau will be legendary for years to come due to 2 still unbelievable words ^Ö Destiny Unbound. People are always quoted as saying they love going to Phish shows because they never know what the band will play, and generally what vibe to expect. We love the element of surprise; the more we know about their songs, the more thrilled we are with anticipation during the silence before the first chords are strung. Phish hit the deep long-ball last night, Barry Bonds style. Not one phan saw this one coming, and I wished people next to us in the nosebleeds were aware of the significance. Destiny Unbound is the ultimate in Phishlore. The SONG that the band shelved in ^Ò91 and (most) everyone wanted it back. Written by Mike, Trey was quoted as hating the song and it sounded too much like the Dead. I fell in love with is from a Colorado ^Ò91 tape I^Òve listened to about 150 times the past 8 years. I remember being at shows when people passed-out Destiny^Òs lyrics to the crowd and we sang them to the band as they were coming on for second set. I really think everyone just gave up hearing it because we were certain that nothing could ever bring it back. So Destiny was history. The song is indeed great and truly groovy, and its rarity status makes it stupendous. In the mid-nineties people went to shows dreaming of being there to witness the band playing Destiny^Òs opening notes. I can^Òt really find anything to compare it to in rock and roll today. Someone at the show compared it to the Dead playing Ripple^Å. I bet anything Mike spearheaded Destiny^Òs return, just as Mike spearheaded Phish^Òs return. I was reminded last night of once again why I travel across the country to see these guys perform their magic. Not to mention musically this show was outstanding, hair-raising energy from the band and crowd, seamless and intuitive segues and flows from start to finish. Not one song triggered the bathroom break (although I took mine after the opening arrangement of Bowie 8^) Quintessential Phish on display last night, from the best show I^Òve seen in 2003 musically to a first rate setlist to the biggest musical gift everyone could have ever hoped for. Will Destiny resurface again? What could be next, a^Å.mmnnn^Å. Fluffhead?! The Band knows a lot more about what they play and how they rile up the crowd than many give them credit for. They are not on stage anymore to bring the crowd to places we^Òve learned to love from them. They are now playing music for themselves, to make themselves fulfilled as musicians and not as crowd-pleasers. I am witness to how things change with age, priorities and emotions tend to shift and skew. These guys are friggin pushing 40, so we all have to accept the Sample closer and the Friday encore here and there. And just when you^Òre not paying close-enough attention, just when you think YOU know what the Band^Òs all about and where they^Òre headed and where you^Òll choose to go, you get an earthquake Unbound by Destiny, and you remember why you jumped on the bus in the first place. Thanks once again Phish. So what's next?
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 13:20:24 -0500 From: mar Subject: 2.28.03 review so there i am sitting 16th row for destiny... is what id be saying if i had been. cause i was sitting 16th row before the show started with my mail order tickets until 2 guys with tm tickets came to get their seats which happened to be the same ones i was in. so the coliseum usher takes us all to the security supervisor to figure it out. thirty minutes after they took us upstairs they finally decide to give the seats to the ticketmatser ticket guys and they move us back a row with our mail orders. unbelieveable but what do you expect with the power of ticketmaster? we were just happy to get back in so we could see the show. while we had been waiting they came on and went into birds. we missed all of birds but i was told it wasnt jammed out all that much. as we're about to return to the floor, i hear the second song. im like OH MY GOD, then i think no way. mental mind trip double take. THEY ARE PLAYING DESTINY. we walk onto the floor and the place is a madhouse. people dancing all over the place. we manage to get back to our row and are still in shock. good karma with the ticket thing and here we are on the floor hearing the first destiny in 12 years. shit. the smile never left my face the rest of the night. i had never been that close to the stage and watching trey was fucking wonderful. horn (the one i missed at nye!), and GIN which i had been hoping for at this show. sleep, gbott, bouncin = pee and more beer. wotc was spectacular. second set destroyed me. enough said. i saw woosta's setlist and seriously thought that they couldnt top the 2nd set but they did at nassau. it will be interesting to see what they can come up with for g'boro. AND THE SUMMER. phish has blown me away once again. they are the hottest theyve been since 97. seriously.
Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 10:10:55 -0500 From: Jeremy Willinger jeremynewyork@hotmail.com Subject: 2/28 Nassau Review I feel this was another strong phish show in a string of strong phish shows that have gone down this past week. Tonight they were tight on every song and seemed focused and really having a great time. Maybe it is Long Island that make bands want to play sing along popular songs but tonight was no exception. Bouncin, Walls of the Cave (first song released off of Round Room), a stellar Gin, Contact were all sing along bouncy songs. At certain points I was hoping they would come out with "My Old HOme Place" instead of mexican cousin or "My Mind Has a Mind of Its Own" instead of Contact but what can you do? To compare this show to the other local show at E Rutherford on Monday is unfair- this show blew that one out of the water, BB KING and all. Lot scene was good and anything you wanted was very plentiful, security was non exisistant and one of my boys snuck into the show during setbreak. A good time was had by all.
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 01:04:21 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff metastock69@yahoo.com Subject: Review of 2-28-03 Nassau It was cold outside, but hot inside at Nassau Coliseum this evening. 1st Set- Birds set a great tone, the bustout of Destiny Unbound was very cool, sounded like they'd been playing it for years. An truly beautiful Horn was followed by an exceptional Bathtub Gin..I mean this Gin reached places...at one point I thought a totally new song was being born!   Sleep, a phunky Back on the Train, Bouncing and Walls finished things up well. I was very impressed with the level of play during this set.  Though there were some fine peak type jam moments, better still, I thought, were the pretty, perfectly struck notes during some of the more delicate parts, like in Horn...just exquisite! 2nd Set- The wheels came off tweezer fairly quickly into jams away from the theme then back nicely. Soul Shakedown was phat, The Bowie was huge, again going places never gone before, and back. Round Room was my water break, but what I heard sounded nice, but not one of my favorites of the new songs I'm afraid.  A momentous Hood was performed brilliantly with a wonderful contrast of beautiful melodies and powerful jams.  I  Encore- Contact was awesome with Page tickling the ivories early on then busting out the serious phunk, great vocals as well.  Mexican cousin was solid. The Tweezer reprise was strong and powerful coming to an amazing ending with Trey raising his axe high over his head delighting the frenzied crowd...at that moment, having already been been mezmorized by what I had just seen, I felt like I was in some kind of musical cult!  Well, maybe I am?  And if that's wrong, I don't wanna be right. All in all I'd have to say this is one of the best performances I've seen.  Not one or two, but all memebers of the band seemed to be "on", and at the top of their game.  I thought this show had something for everyone.  The band really displayed alot of verstility, jumping from musical style to musical style (reggae, classic rock, bluegrass, classical arrangements, funk, etc.) with an ease that comes only with mastery of the musical art.  There were great peaking jams and delicate melodic tapestries.  Masters of their craft indeed Phish proved they were, on this night at Nassau Coliseum.  Teases/Quotes:  I know I heard some "Roggae" theme during one of the jams, I think maybe the Gin?  Also a little "Do you feel like I do" during another jam... Looks like yet another show I'll download as soon as livephish.com puts it up...I freely admit it, they've got me by the balls, I'm hooked!
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 03:28:08 EST From: MRMET1027@aol.com Subject: No Subject 2/28/03 Living only 30 minute away, my girlfriend and I hit the Coliseum around 5:30. We took a stroll to "shakedown street" to lube up with a few beers. The vibe was great, unlike the worcster show, the pre party atmosphere was a good way to start the show off right. Nothing but smiles and high energy. Set I Birds of a Feather - this took me by complete surprise, not as much as YEM in Worcester, but a surprise non the less. The boys played it very well filled with high energy and a pumping jam. I would have never thought this would be a good opener but they proved me wrong. Destiny Unbound - I have never heard this song before. I really liked it, had a nice Dead vibe to it. Very upbeat and kept the energy flowing nicely. Horn - I don't know how, but the guy sitting in front of me turned around and called this song before Trey even started his opening riff, he should play lotto tonight...anyway it was played very well, vocals were right on. Bathtub Gin - Yes! Now the place is really pumping. Great jam, CK was right on with the lights. Trey took control of this jam while fish, page and mike provided phat grooves and sweet melodies behind him. Sleep - Beautiful and serene, Trey's vocals were smooth and flowing. Perfect time to mellow out after the first 4 songs. Bouncing - Very tight. Again, vocals on point. Walls of the Cave - One of favorites off the new album. This is 10 times better live than on round room. It is definite live song and an obvious crowd favorite. Great jam during the "silent tree's" part. Set Break I know not many people review the set break, but the crowd was great. I was on the floor watching the wave go around the coliseum 6 or 7 times strong. Now I have been to a lot of NY Mets games, and I have never saw a stronger wave than tonight. A really cool thing to see. Set II Tweezer - Great, I had a feeling that this was going to be the opener. A very spacey jam, yet not tiresome, very energetic. A fierce glowstick war during this song too. Soul Shakedown Party - Another song I have never heard. At first I thought it was boogie on. A good reggae tune. Page was great in this song, he stood out big time with nice grooves and melodies. David Bowie - As soon as the high-hattin' kicked in I knew it was going to be bowie, being they played maze in worcester. A very nice intro before they kicked in, reminded me of the Trees (for any Rush fans out there). Then they kicked in and the crowd went crazy. This song was very tight, early to mid 90's tight. Round Room - very good, pretty much the same as the album. I really like this song and I'm glad they played it. Harry Hood - BALLS TO THE WALL JAM. Great version, one of the best I have ever heard. Again CK right on point with the lights, I was sitting right next to the sound board area and I was glancing over at him now and then, he is something to watch. Great big rock-star ending. Very tight. Encore Contact - This is one of my girlfriends favorite songs, I'm glad they played it for her. Very good, typical version. Mexican Cousin - I'm not a big phan of this song but the placement was pretty good. And of course...... Tweezer Reprise - EVERYBODY going nuts during this song. One of the best songs to end a show with. To sum up the show in one word "TIGHT". The boys are back in full force with their chops mastering their instruments. They sounded a bit rusty at the starting gate at the beginning of this tour, but it seems they have worked out all the kinks and back in the groove. Finally we took a walk back to shakedown street for nice egg rolls before we hit the road. It was mad packed out side with balloons flowing and people partying. A very good scene to see. -Matt - Long Island, New York

reviews of other reviews, or by people not at the show
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 00:22:39 -0800 (PST) From: jeffrey spittel jeffspittel@yahoo.com Subject: review 02/28/03 sweet Jesus.
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 22:17:59 -0600 To: dws@netspace.org Subject: 2-28-03 - Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!   11 YEARS...77 SHOWS...AND THEY PLAY IN FRONT OF 15,000 PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ME!!!!   ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!!   DESTINY UNBOUND HAS BEEN MY DREAM FOR 10 FUCKING YEARS!!!   IT'S MY FUCKING EMAIL HANDLE!!   ITS MY FUCKING LIFE!!!!!!!!!!   I AM SO HAPPY THEY PLAYED IT I SCREAMED IN MY OFFICE!!!!!   I STILL CAN'T EVEN FUCKING BELIEVE IT!!!!!!
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