7-29-03 - Post Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA

review submisions to me at dws@netspace.org, dws@gadiel.com, reviews@walfredo.com

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

Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 17:26:43 -0700 From: eric tipton Subject: Re: Phish 7/29/03 review From Phish.net: 07/29/03 - Post Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake - Burgettstown, Pennsylvania Set 1: Daniel (Saw the Stone), Camel Walk, Gotta Jibboo, Cool it Down, Scent of a Mule, Fee > Timber (Jerry) > When the Circus Comes, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Golgi Apparatus Set 2: Crosseyed and Painless > Thunderhead, Brother, Harpua > Bittersweet Motel, Harpua, I Fooled Around and Fell in Love* > Hold Your Head Up > Harpua, David Bowie Encore: Farmhouse * First time played, w/ Fishman on vocals and vacuum. None of the first nine songs had been played this tour. Daniel had not been performed in the previous 280 shows, Harpua in 167. We got to lot and waited in line for it to open, we were probably within the first 40 cars in. It was really hot out all day, enough to necessitate my always handy Kelty sun shelter! Hung out w/ Mike (nestamarley) and his girlfriend Kelly for awhile. I managed to tie on one hell of a buzz before this show, I am so glad I did seeing as how crazy this show would be! I ordered the whole tour on mail order. I only got three pavilions although I upgraded many as I went along. But Burgettstown was the one show that PTBM hooked me up with: 15th row DFC. Absolutely amazing seats ? I will never bitch again (did I just say that!!). I have to think someone was looking out for me on this night ? and lo and behold that surely came true. I was by myself in that seat. But it did not matter one bit, so many cool people were around me ? I?ll never forget some of the conversations I had w/ those around me at setbreak and after the show! Just one more reason why I love Phish and the people that follow the band! Daniel: Holy Shit you have got to be joking! This was the first Daniel for me. I honestly never thought I would hear it. It was very tight and true to form that I have heard on disc. What an opener! Tour bust out. Camel Walk: Well I will be damned. Apparently the band is really feeling it tonight. I think we might just be in for it! Only my second time seeing this (10/1/00 in Phoenix). Funky as hell as you would expect. Again very tight and true to form. People around me are going nutso as am I! Tour bust out. Gotta Jibboo: I laughed to myself a bit here. After the two songs that came before, it is almost a justification to play Jibboo! Actually that is not really true considering the song has been put on the shelf for the most part. It was only played once in Chicago and then once this tour. I personally do not think this Jibboo was as good as Chicago. But that only means this version is the second best ever (yes, both are better than your precious Camden 2000 or any Trey solo 1999 version). This one just rips! Wonderful interplay between Page and Trey to begin the jam segment. It is so cool watching these two from so close locking up with each other and leading the band to new heights. Not a dull moment at all in this Jibboo, just straight ripping throughout. Nice! Tour bust out. Cool it Down: This one caught me so off guard (you may see that statement quite a bit in this review!). I did not know what it was until someone close to me figured it out about 20 seconds in. What has gotten into the band tonight I am thinking? Very frisky! Another first for me and a very good one at that. Very bluesy feel to this song. Page just banging away on that baby grand ? awesome! Tour bust out. SOAMULE: Yeeha! I love the fact that this tune has become a once a tour treat. I used to see it all too often in 95 and 96 and it became old hat. Mike is all over his foot bell during the duel, always a sign of a hot show to come. Trey ends up on top when the dust clears from the duel. Tour bust out. FEE: Woo hoo! The hits just keep on coming! Excellent (read: non ? flubbed version) FEE, doesn?t get any better than that. Tour bust out. Trails off into the ambient space that has followed FEE around quite a bit since summer 99. Absolutely filthy (read: awesome!) segue in to > Timber Ho!: This cements the fact that the band means business to me on this evening in Pennsylvania. This Timber is pure shredding material. Sinister, scary and dark ? it totally blew me away! Wailing guitar rifts by Trey that really put me on another planet! This is another song that I just cannot get enough of, having only seen it 7 times! Awesome, searing Timber Jerry. Tour bust out. Circus: Everyone needed a breather after all that! I have had kind of a love/hate affair w/ this tune. Tonight it was all about the love baby! Totally right on version and sweet placement too. McGrupp: Holy shit! I believe the last time I saw this was 4-5-98! Was it played perfectly? No? But it certainly was not botched either like some would have you believe. I thought it was played admirably well considering the frequency of which it is played. Mike owns this version, he shines above the rest. Tour bust out. Golgi: What an appropriate way to close out an amazing first set! I saw you with a ticket stub in your hand indeed! Trey?s quiet little solo in this choked me up a bit: just thinking of everything I had seen on this tour and the great people I had met! It was all coming together so nicely here in Pennsylvania! Nice rendition of Golgi. Setbreak ? First set highlights: Geez, where to begin? Daniel, Camel Walk, Cool it Down, Timber Ho! Best first set I have seen since 12/7/97. Yep. Second Set: Crosseyed and Painless: Holy fucking shit. This cannot be. My brain is melting. I had chased this song big time until I finally got it at 7/12/00. I was shut out by PTBM for 10/31/96 and felt cheated since then when it came to Crosseyed. God did they ever deliver the goods with this version. Fish has a little trouble w/ some of the lyrics but who the hell cares! My section was a mass of people hugging, high fiving and smoking everything they could get their hands on, it really was a sight to behold! At around 2 minutes this breaks into the jam segment with Mike really throwing dow n some downright funky licks. Very uplifting jamming at 8 minutes ? Trey and Page lock up and take it up and up. Back to Trey led jamming at 10 minutes. Page is so good throughout the middle part of this. I know I say it too much but Page and Trey play so well off of each other ? it is like they know what one another is thinking. I can?t explain this section other than pure bliss. Beautiful music! At 18 minutes Trey goes for a harder edge and by 19 minutes everyone seems to be regrouping abit. (Tour bustout) Two minutes of some serene ambience later, segue into > Thunderhead: Man, I will tell each and every one of you: hearing the opening licks was like waking out of a dream; but not in a bad way at all. I rather enjoyed the placement of Thunderhead. C&P was extremely intense for me. Flame on, but I loved hearing Thunderhead here, loved it. Brother: Holy shit! The boys at this point just keep reaching into that bag of tricks. On the board you can hear Fish ask if he should start it ?so it?s comfortable.? Funny stuff. ?Here he goes now, JUMP!!? Even listening to this right now on disc, I am still blown away. Phish at their collective best. Trey just goes totally machine gun from the 4 to 5 minute mark. Jesus Christ people, my mouth was hanging open at this point. Sick, sick, sick. (Tour bustout) At 7 minutes after Brother is over and the band is discussing the next tune someone nails some gear on stage w/ a glowstick and Trey says, ?That?s it, we are out of here!? kind of jokingly. Harpua: Oom Pa Pa Oom Pa Pa?. Oh my sweet Jesus. Harpua. People losing their shit all around me, myself being one of them. Jimmy = ?directionless and listless?. ?He?s searching for IT.? Segue into > Bittersweet Motel: NICE! An obvious huge, huge cheer for the ?halfway between Erie and Pittsburgh? line! Harpua: Jimmy gets into a rock band and finds that everything is leading to IT (?despite the fact that he wears a silly little dress!!!!? LMFAO). Segue into > I Fooled Around and F ell in Love: Fishman: ?This is what happened to Jimmy?. Hilarious! A song that parodies Fishman?s womanizing and his current situation w/ his new baby. Complete with vacuum solo. Segue into > HYHU: Segue into > Harpua: ?And then just when Jimmy found love, life came up and bit him in the ass again? ? Trey. Not sure what that was all about! Great harmonizing at the end, just like the Harpua?s of old. Was it perfect? No. But I loved every damn second of it, reveled in it. It is Harpua people, and if you want to pick it apart so be it. I thought it was amazing. A DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG! Bowie: Overplayed or not, are they trying to break my feeble brain? If so, they are doing an A-1 job of it! The intro is spooky as all hell thanks to some Trey loops w/ a little heavy Page synth taboot. The composed intro is close to perfect. This is Bowie is dark and nasty. Personally to this point on tour I think it really pushes Alpine as the best of the tour, just slightly behind it though. I still need to give the IT Bowie my first listen. This one never lets up one bit. Plain rocking throughout. Left me weak at the knees, I was glad to have a seat between this and the encore! Great, great Bowie. Encore: Farmhouse: Haters ? you were not at this show if you are ripping on this as the encore. It was perfect as the encore for me. For me, it felt like a Farmhouse in the face of what we had just seen on stage, a bunch of like minded people in one space celebrating our favorite band and an amazing show. I thought this was a poignant way to close out the evening. Great encore and a perfect way to send us on our way to NJ. Second set highlights: C&P and the segue into Thunderhead, Brother, Harpua, Bowie. We must have hung out in the lot until 2am, whenever the cops kicked us out. We hung out w/ Mike/nestamarley ? dude I must have told you 10 times how cool it was for you to go home on such an incredible high point. You deserved that show Mike, big tim e bro. This is why people follow tour; to find that one show that will keep them talking for years and years. Well, we got it tonight in Burgettstown, PA. I felt like I had been baptized after seeing this show, born again in The Phish. Everyone I saw after this show seemed to be smiling from ear to ear, this was a show for the ages; of that I am convinced. Attention stat geeks: I will give out a 6 disc freebie (EASY, I am unemployed and poor!) to the first person that can tell me the last show that had this many tour bustouts. IE A show that is at or more that 17 shows into a tour. Tipton-o-meter: 9.8. I have not seen a show that was this good, this pure; since 12-7-97. Sick people, sick. peace, et
Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2003 12:17:58 -0400 From: Chris Waltz Subject: 7/29/03 Burgettstown review I read the other reviews and thought I'd throw in my $.02. (short and sweet)   This show absolutely ROCKED!!!!!!! Been checking the boys out since 1994 and this absolutely ranks in the top 2-3.  It might be #1 after I listen to it again and again and again!!!!  Really no words can describe it.  I was with my buddy Mike and surrounded by heads that have been on tour since AZ and just guys coming to this show and everybody and I do mean EVERYBODY was losing it - total sickness!!!!!!!!  Best Gotta Jiboo I've heard - so many highlights in both sets!!!!!  Only thing that could have made this better was a better encore, but c'est la vie and I really don't care!!!!! Amazing!!! Thank you boys, THANK YOU!!!!!!! I can't help but think, since Jimmy looks alot like Fishman, that Fishman singing "Fooled around and feel in Love" was his own story about finding his own girl and having a baby - his own little way of sharing that with all of us!!!!!! Thank you!!!!  Get this show!!!!!!!!!!!!!   "Why did I stop seeing these guys???" - my buddy Mike (quote of the night)   Thanks, Chris
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2003 09:07:21 -0700 From: bertolet@earthlink.net Subject: p'burgh review A few months ago I decided to dovetail a business trip to Pittsburgh with a Phish show. Honest Injun, it was a legit piece of business; I'd needed to get there for a while, and July 28-30 seemed as good a time as any. I had managed to see only one other show on summer tour -- an excellent Chula Vista gig that petered out in the homestretch -- and was itching to get just a little bit more. I don't give any credence to rumors of another hiatus on the horizon (gosh, Phishheads sure are a jittery bunch after enduring those years in the dark) but it never hurts to see what you can, especially when the band is at the top of its game. My colleague Donald and I worked a hard day in the metaphorical salt mines on Tuesday trying to convince piece-rate workers that they were empowered to affect change (don't ask). When we were done, we doffed our corporate vestments and headed out to the venue to scope out the scene. There was a Shakedown Street in swing (several, in fact) but the whole circus was a little subdued, seemingly the result of constant harassment by venue security. I heard many of these bumblebee ass-clowns pestering the citizenry and being verbally abusive throughout the lot, enforcing non-existent statutes (e.g., you can sell beer and sell bootleg videos, yiz hippies, but you can't hold a ticket in the air), and just generally being insufferable pricks. I wondered if the Post-Gazette would see fit to publish a story about the Stalinists who are minding the store at the venue that bears its name. I pegged the chances at slim to none, with slim having recently departed. Anyway, the Post-Gazette (once the Star Lake Amphitheater) is structurally and sonically a nice venue, and it has lots of interesting vending choices, including a piercing booth. Personally, I have a hard time imagining asking some Swiss cheese tweeker to hook me up with a Prince Albert at a Phish show, but far be it from me to slag others who decide to go that route. The biggest criticism I have of the physical surroundings is that the parking lot is "paved" with huge rocks, many the size of a fist, that make plain old walking a unique hazard. I turned my ankle over twice and was fortunate not to sprain it. What brain surgeon made this call? I put the day behind me, settled into my thirteenth row seat (thanks, Herschel), and quickly watched this innocent little business trip of mine turn into a headlong tumble through the Looking Glass. As I sit here in the airport typing, I'm fairly convinced that this is the finest two-set Phish show I've ever witnessed, and that it will compare favorably with shows like 5/7/94, 12/30/93, and 12/29/94 to name a few from the canon. The only thing that soured the experience in any way was not being able to share it with the loved one(s) and friends who have shared so many others with me. I spilled some seven dollar beer in the dirt for my homies in tribute. My first Daniel was a killer surprise (among many to follow) and the scatting in the middle was dead-on. But if Daniel came from left field, Camel Walk (also my first) came from Phish's collective heinie. This was a filthy, skanky, seething version that built to a fine growl and held together from start to finish. My neighbor and I decided that the band seemed to mean business, but we had little idea how truthful that statement was. Jibboo appeared next, and quickly bloomed into a muscular, chromatic rock declaration. Most decidedly not your Aunt Sally's Jibboo. There was nothing "textural" or patient about it -- they just blew the doors off. This will go down as many people's favorite Jibboo. Cool It Down followed, but did nothing of the sort. CID contained a wonderful, Tweezer-esque jam in which Fishman and Trey (who was wearing a white t-shirt that featured an image of the face of Fishman, circa 1992 or so) paved the way for some terrific group jamming. Palpably, the band locked all the pieces together at once, and began to deconstruct and reconstruct rhythm and key and tempo, careening around from one theme to another and surfing a wave of rippling magma. If Phish has played this tune since the 10/31/98 show, I'm not aware of it, and I've been pining recently for a Velvet Underground tune that isn't called Rock and Roll. What a great fucking pull this was. By this time my show was made. Everything else, I thought, would just be the sauce. I used Scent of a Mule to go buy much needed water and a beer but from my vantage in the concourse it sounded like there was some good business there in the jam. I'm sure the gentleman who ranted the whole way into the venue about how it was time for his Mule was very pleased. I'm also fairly certain that the Fee that followed was incomplete in some way (did Trey not sing the middle verses?) but a neat little ambient outro gave way to a perfect segue into Timber. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but you should probably get used to it: this was a stupendous version of Timber. As in Jibboo, there was no noodling around and no grab-ass whatsoever before Phish collectively decided to bring the mojito and crush skulls. There may be a few 1995, straight-to-the-jugular Timbers that can hold a candle to this one, but I can't name one off-hand. We were exhausted by the time the band dropped into a well-placed and well-played Circus. The set was over an hour deep before they finished and I was sure that they would have to break soon, since I had assumed the curfew was 11:00. It wasn't and they didn't. My first McGrupp since L.A. in 1998 was immensely enjoyable, and tight as a drum. Page gilded the lily with some remarkable piano work at the end of a very unusual jam. My neighbor, an attorney from Columbus named Chris, turned to me and joked, "Gee, what's next, Crosseyed?" The crowd was so appreciative of what was clearly a special first set that the obligatory Golgi was met with great approval from all. I love it when even the jaded fan-boys get in the act and head bang to the standards. I'll skip setbreak, as it mostly consisted of sitting around on asphalt (the Post-Gazette folks rope off huge swaths of grass around the concourse so you can't sit on it; thanks, fellas). As we took our seats, one of the crew members came out and placed sheets of paper at every band member's station on stage, which led me to believe that some kind of wacky cover was planned for set two. Heh. Crosseyed, as I'm sure many folks have alluded to on Phish.net, was a voyage of Vasco de Gama proportions, a nine-course meal of moods and movements. This was Trey's version from the start, and the first fifteen minutes or so were quite dark and pointed. In fact, Trey almost seem to be angrily snarling the vocals; I got the feeling that this song was a statement of disgust at the family of rodents who have infested the Oval Office and the general morass into which they seem hell-bent to lead us. We are innocent and we hang our hopes on statesmen and speechmakers. And for the things they promise us? Still waiting... The angry jam led into a more melodic and delicate section where Kuroda literally took over the band, and then it all spiraled back downward into the form of the song. The entire trip lasted about thirty-five minutes if I had to guess, before it segued neatly into Thunderhead. I am not the hugest proponent of Thunderhead, but it served as case in point that placement is everything. This worked out wonderfully for me, and proved to be exactly the breather I' need to make it through the rest of the set. I went bananas at the start of Brother and could not stop for the next ten or twelve minutes. Before launching into the jam proper, Trey yelled something into his mic that I could not quite identify, and then everything came wonderfully unhinged. This was the fourth "first" for me in this show, and by this time I was fairly certain I was dreaming. Brother reached a searing, soaring peak, and as it ended I prepared myself for the inevitable Discern (or the like) to follow. Instead, Trey made his rounds and started giving some quite specific direction to his bandmates. The crowd near the pit started cheering wildly, having picked up on the chatter, and the place went absolutely nuts as everyone stepped to their mics to harmonize the opening lines of Harpua. All I could do was shake my head -- and attempt to use my cell phone to call multiple friends, none of whom would answer. What the hell was happening here? The composed section of Harpua was laid out really, really well, and Trey began to weave a tale, which I will reconstruct to the best of my memory. What we didn't know about Jimmy, he said, was that he was sort of lost and adrift in his teen years and felt like he didn't really have purpose, or direction. He needed that thing that was missing in his life. He needed IT. So Jimmy is lamenting his waywardness with Poster Nutbag as they sit together around the fire, which is when they take out their guitars and begin to sing a sad song. A beautiful Bittersweet Motel follows, with the crowd showing gracious appreciation at the Erie and Pittsburgh lines. In the wake of the Crosseyed, the "everything looks like a nail" lines came off more like social protest than the romantic lament I've always taken them for. Very nice. Trey continues on to say that Jimmy figures out what he needs to do to find IT -- so he joins a rock band. For a while it's great for Jimmy -- lots of one night stands, lots of adoration, lots of everything else -- but then the chicks lose their allure, so Jimmy decides that maybe it's time to settle down. In fact, Trey says, Jimmy "looks a lot like this guy" -- pointing to Fishman's face on his shirt -- and "there's a t-shirt out there on tour that says 'Jimmy Hit On Me.'" Hilarious. So Trey invites Fish to the stage, who says some strange things, and they launch into Fooled Around and Fell in Love -- which it somehow becomes apparent is dedicated to Fish's daughter. This proves to be what Cryin' was supposed to be -- a great Fishman cover in the vein of Purple Rain, delivered with great panache and quite a virtuosic Electrolux solo as well. Harpua finished sloppily despite some tasty B-3 work from Page through the "dog in the station" section, and then I swear to God I thought that was all she wrote. The hi-hat intro to Bowie came as the night's final surprise, not just because there was another hard- hitting jam vehicle left in these freaking androids, but because for most of the lead-in it sounded more like Maze (which was also far more pregnant). This was a smoking, to-the-point Bowie that I'm guessing lasted 12 minutes or so, but they were a blistering 12 minutes. Dear Lord. I was so sated and giddy after this that I dug in my heels and accepted the Friday or Wading encore that I was certain they were going to play. This approach may have something to do with how blissed-out I felt during the Farmhouse. Again, here was an illustration of the importance of placement. It's okay to play a mellow tune as an encore now and then if it appears once or twice a tour, and especially if you've just capped your hands down show of the tour with rock solid versions of Brother, Harpua and Bowie. I thought it was a fitting way to end the show. As good as this gig looks on paper, I'm sure that there will be some skeptics who assume that the playing must have been sub-par or lacking or inconsistent. It wasn't. My theory is that Brad Sands or someone read the band the riot act for the prevalence of repeats on this tour, or said something to the effect of "you haven't played this or this or that or this..." Finally the band got sick of it and said, "Fine, we'll play all of that old school shit if it'll shut you up." It just so happened to coincide with a night of red hot chops. [This could be nowhere near the truth, of course.] So I'm now over the Great Plains somewhere, thinking how incredibly lucky I was to catch this performance, and about how much fun is in store for those of you bound for Camden and Maine. You may not get the preposterous setlist full of rare gems (though you may, of course, since Destiny and Icculus and Sanity and Peaches and Fluffhead (etc.) are still ripe for the picking), but you will certainly share an evening with a band that can do literally anything when the intention is right and the stars line up... as they decidedly did in Pittsburgh. Chris Bertolet
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 19:29:34 -0700 (PDT) From: redmond haskins Subject: Phish show 7-29-03 review Ok lets start here, rolled up from rochester New York at around 3 o clock. This would be my 3rd time seeing these guys, first time after the little hiatus. VERY HOT OUT. The lot was pretty sweet and packed alot of fun times i had in the lot. Okay to the show...   Set 1:   Daniel (Saw the stone)- Nice tune. What a way to set the groove for the first set. Everyone clicked in this tune and it really cooked.   Camel Walk- WHATTTT!!! Rediculus, funky and just right on tune the hole song. It was awsome seeing Page and Trey battle it out that song with some sweet licks.   Gotta Jibboo- This was a great version, the band had multiple orgasims throughout this song. Great to here some of this I haven't heard it live and it was a please too.   Cool it Down- Velvet Underground cover, sick cover. My friend dan was going nuts when he heard the opening chords to this and had to do a double take.   Scent Of A Mule- Fantastic, Great set placement, trey went off a little bit at the end of the song, but who cares great to hear.   Fee- YES FEE i wanted to here something from Junta and i got it. A great version which the crowd was really lovin' and everyone was singing alone too.   Timber- TIMBER OHHH. My friend Den could not stop talking about this song after. This was one of my favorite tunes the whole night and the band was def on in this one.   When the circus comes to town- Nice set placement way to through it in there for a little breather.   McGrupp- It felt good to here some Gamehendge always a plus. I thought this might close the set but.....   Golgi Apparatus- My buddy Dan wanted to here this song and When the cirbus comes to town and he got what he wanted. This is the best live version i have heard from tapes and in concert wow. Sick version get the tape   Set 2   Crosseyed and Painless- My pal dennis said that he new they were going to open with Talking heads and when i heard that first sweet rift on the Clavinet i new i was in for a treat that clocked in at about 20 minute long jam.   Thunderhead- Im not that ken on this song, i think its off round room but it was really pretty guitar work by Trey.   Brother- I haven't heard this one but it was nice to here   Harpua- WOW the story was really funny and it was nice hearing it the crowd was loving and i heard about this alot in the lot after the show   Bittersweet Motel- Appropriate for the occasion "Somewhere between Erie and Pittsburgh" everyone was loving it.   I fooled around and fell in love - A nice ballad that Fishman was singing haha i nice slow one.   HYHU-Fun to see Fishman fly around the stage and bang Cymbals together while trey was rocking it on Drums   David Bowie- YESSSSSSSSSS i was waiting for this one all nice the band was all really into, so happy i got to listen to this one.   Encore   Farmhouse- Alot of songs would have been better, it was well played but i still wanted to here something upbeat but oh well I had a great night, thanks phish u made my summer hopefully i will see u guys this fall and winter. This was a great show, get it on tape   merry phishin' red
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 21:59:32 -0400 From: garyshow@juno.com Subject: Star Lake Let me add my thoughts to those of the many singing the rightfully deserved praises of this show.   "Are you kidding me!!!??"  I kept finding myself saying that over and over again, starting with McGrupp in the 1st set.  That was already the 4th bust-out tune of the night.   The day of the show, I prepared a list of songs that I'd like to hear and scratched out the ones that had been played the previous three notes.  I wrote in mostly songs that they play of often enough to think I'd get a realistic chance to hear them.   Instead, they played song after fucking song that I'd never heard before, or wanted to hear but dismissed the possibility that I'd ever hear them, because, my thinking went, they don't play them at shows I go to.  And they fucking RIPPED!   Like Brother, for instance, I had a hard time believing it even as that triplet rhythm and Mike's opening riff began the song.  I was only familiar with one version of this song:  10/31/96.  This one rocked far harder and longer than that Halloween performance.  Afterwords, when I saw Trey in intense conversation with Mike, I knew something big was up.  Bigger than what had happened already?  That could mean only one thing, but no way, they wouldn't play THAT here, they're saving THAT for IT, right?   OOM PA PA OOM PA PA OOM PA PAAAAAAAHHHHHH1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Thank you Phish for fulfilling a dream!  I've wanted to hear Harpua since I knew it existed.  This version didn't disappoint in originaliy or zaniness.  Sure, there were no Elvis impersonators, but that's been done.  The ending, especially is mesmerizing, breathtaking; the harmonies, the light show, awesome!   But the best jam of the night was definitely Crosseyed.  That's one I did have a sense might get played.  Others have described this jam very nicely.  And that's where my one complaint of the show became frustrating - turn up Mike for Chrissake!  I could hardly hear any bass at times, let alone feel it like I love to.  That was a problem during Brother as well, but by then I was blown away almost beyond caring.   That's a relatively minor point on a night that was stellar beyond my wildest dreams of what this very phine band is capable of.   By the way, did anyone else catch the My Fair Lady tease in Scent of a Mule?   The Star Lake scene was much more mellow than I'd expected, and much mellower than what I've heard in other places.  I didn't see anyone getting busted for ganja, or beer in the lots, or selling T-shirts.  That's always a good thing, since my fear level around that is high enough already.    Gary
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 16:28:02 -0400 From: Bob Wright Subject: Pittsburgh....7-29 This show will no doubt go down in history as "That fucking weird Pittsburgh Show. !!" I mean, they played a set list that you will find nothing like in any recent history. I have been to at least 40 shows...my buddy at least 30...and we spent half the night asking each other..."have you ever heard this live before ??.....Bob Wright
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 17:36:06 EDT From: J.C. AKA Braman 420 Subject: phish at star lake        What can I say about the Phish concert in Burgettstown? It was definitly one of the best I've been to in my 7 years of seeing this band. First off the lot scene was great, an improvement over previous years here. This was my first show since the hiatus, and I' was definitely pumped, after seeing the setlists from day-to-day leading up to the show. I thought they would play well with the day off, and they had never played a bad show here. They exceeded my expectations on both accounts. Got a decent view, about 20-25 feet back in the lawn, dead center. My stepbrother was with me, it was his first show, but even I couldn't expect what happened that night:        Set I: Daniel Saw The Stone- I could not believe my ears!! what a great rare treat well-played too, alot of people don't know how rare this was, I can't think of them playing this anymore than twice in the last decade. then...        Camel Walk- another bust out. At this point, I knew it wouldn't be a normal show. Nice funky,dirty version.        Gotta Jibboo- My first Jibboo, and an epic one at that. I would urge someone to find a more intense version.        Cool it Down- Velvet cover, but not RocknRoll, The boys are really going for it tonight. Jammed-out great version.        Scent- Always nice to hear mike tunes. A semi-rarity.        Fee>Timber>Circus- This was a great segue, a good fee into a sick Timber, one the best I've heard, into a gorgeous Circus. Breathtaking.        McGrupp- Another rare one. Gamehenge is Gamehenge. Beautiful as always in this was no different. Great work by page in the solo section.        Golgi- good set closer, knowing that there was a whole set left.        Set II: Crosseyed and Painless- They weren't taking any prisoners, and they threw the fuck down. They chugged good for 20 minutes, and kind lethargically for another 5, but it couldn't ruin what at all, an epic lilting vesrsion into...        Thunderhead- A nice version, I have a feeling this song could get better and better        Brother- Holy Shit! This is one of my favorites, and this was sick, dense version.the was really moving along for this one, and some inspired vocal work by trey on this one. Mike was good all night, but particularly here.        Harpua- Om-paah-paah!! When I heard these words that's when I knew this shoe was a classic. Tight but loose vesrion(just the way it's supposed to be). Trey told the story of Jimmy, but this time Jimmy played a song for his dog...        Bittersweet Motel- Would you guys stop with the bust-outs? Do you wanna make star lake the show of the tour or what? First time for me hearing this live, great tune.        Harpua- Trey explains that Jimmy looks alot like the man on his shirt(Fishman's on his shirt), in moment which reminds me of was this band is so fun. Into another moment, Fishman center stage with vacuum cleaner in tow(yes!)...        I Fooled Around and Fell In Love- First Fish sarcastically says " I tell you about Jimmy" Then goes into this one. What great cover downright hilarious, and great at the same time. At the end Fish tells us that Jimmy fell in love, and know he's loving girls,guys, it doesn't, and then says "yup, that's where jimmy's at these days" PRICELESS into...        HYHU- Alright, the signature pick-on Fish tune. Cruel and hilarious.        Bowie- What way to close out, epic as always.        Encore: Farmhouse- nice building version to close out the show, wouldn't have been my choice to close, but do I really have anyrthing to bitch about?        Overview- Great show one of the three best I've seen. Phish played thier balls off in this show. Your talking 6-7 good bust outs, and some overall great playing. This show was a 9.25 out 10 on the Sick scale. Wow. Great the tapes, cds, mp3's whatever, just get it.
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 11:52:37 -0400 From: glen crippen Subject: 7/29 review Luckily, I had a "PIT" third row Page sided seat for this show. I knew that when Trey walked out baring an old "Fishman" shirt that this show was gonna rage. Instead of explaining each song, Im gonna try to convey the feelings this show brought on. The opener was energetic> really nice playing and Trey and Mike were staring at each other laughing, it just made your heart feeel good to see these guys doing IT for what IT is worth. Right from the very beginning of this show, it was on. After Camelwalk, everyone knew, and there was this certain aura in the air that this show was going to get better and better. Treys new guitar playing is so wonderful as displayed with Jiboo, very melodic, and flowing nicely. Everyone could feel, up front by the stage, that the Phish wasnt going to slow down at all this night. Perhaps one of the highlights of the first set was the Fee>Timber with CK5's purple splendor bringing it all home. Purely SIK. Its a given that this show should be highly circulated. I hope everyone gets the recordings. Well, set 2 surely isnt a haze but if anyone trys to explain it, good luck. It is some of the purest Phish I have ever witnessed. Not only there playing but the way they decided what and when to play certain material. Being very close to the stage should be something everyone gets to experience. THE CrossEyed>Thunderhead>Brother was over the top, left me awe-gazed. At this point, I wondered, is this real, am I real, or is this a dream. Half the fun was watching the band have so much fun. >> After a good 30 second conversation between Trey and Mike, there it was. HARPUA. They blew the top off that place man. You have to hear it to believe it. This show was truely a snowflake in the sand. THANKS PHISH. GlenC
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 11:56:22 -0400 From: Jay Sell Subject: I already posted this on PhantasyTour...but I thought I'd send it to you as well Let me just preface this by stating that this band has provided me with many great moments and nights in my life and that I want to give a big shout out to the boys for stepping up and 'opening up the book' last night. Words will not do this show justice... This was the darkhorse show of the tour without a doubt. Nobody said much about it beforehand...while people were calling Harpua 2nd night Camden because people were gonna skip the show to get to IT, this show loomed out there on its own. Sorry Utah...but this show takes the cake. Daniel- LTP 2/23/97 281 shows A great start with a rare traditional bluegrass tune that hasn't been played in a long long time. Nice little jam, very unexpected and welcomed start. Camelwalk- LTP 10/1/00 37 shows Here we fucking go. Camelwalk 2nd song?!?!? I am starting to officially freak out. Jammed very nicely, think and funky as all hell. Jibboo- First of the tour The Chicago one from the Winter was very good, so it was nice to here. Well played and to the point. Cool it Down- LTP 9/24/00 42 shows Another bust-out?!?!? The theme of the night is developing quickly as you can see. This was awesome...one of the jams of the night. Trey really got into this and it shined. Scent- First of the tour I love this song...goofey Mike with a wierd Page/Trey duel...Mike hitting his foot bell?!?!? I thought they might sandwich it with something else...but it ended. Fee- First of the tour Great selection for a slow song. We needed a breather. One request: Bring back the megaphone please ;-0 Well played and definitely --> fiercly into... Timber Ho!- LTP 9/30/00 38 shows This jam was hot, Trey felt the energy from the kids up front and just kept vibing off of it...keeping with the bust-out theme of course. Permagrin in full effect by this point. Soft > into... Circus- LTP 10/1/00 37 shows Fitting song, it worked very well. McGrupp- LTP 9/18/00 46 shows YES! This is one of my personal favorites and put the unnescesary icing on top of the best first set I have ever seen. I shit you not. The Page jam was very nice. Golgi- More icing...great view looking back at the crowd from the 11th row dead center. Trey was LOVING IT! SET II Crosseyed- LTP 9/14/00 49 shows This kid Andrew next to me actually called this right before they came out onstage. This was the jam of the night clocking in at about 25 minutes. Up, down, and all around this jam went. Get the discs. soft > into... Thunderhead- I don't know what others thought, but I was about to fall over and needed a break BAD. Thank you Phish. Well played...the Trey solo from this song is really cool and this song is growing on me personally. Brother- LTP 9/27/00 40 shows You gotta be fucking kidding me. My 4th song that I am seeing for the first time @ my 67th show?!?!? WHOA!!! Very good Brother. Thinking that they've GOT TO slow it down... Harpua- LTP 11/2/98 168 shows HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I'll let someone else describe the story, it would take to long. I'm sure you can all here it when they release it on LP. The Story went into... Bittersweet Motel- LTP 9/15/00 48 shows Very short and sweet...had personal significance of recently losing a friend that passed away after the Raliegh show. Back into... Harpua- See above I Fooled Around and Fell in Love- FTP Very Very Funny. Classic Fish. You gotta here this for yourself. Trey was cracking up bigtime when Fishman started talking R&B breakdown style about how he likes a short girl...a tall girl...and about ten other girls. What a pimp. HYHU- Fishman with the Cracklin Rosie Cymbals...only did one trip to the front of the stage. Back into... Harpua- Yep. Great finish. Bowie- They got to the point QUICK in this Bowie as the curfew was closing in. This Bowie raged hard and left a lot of people including myself shaking their heads. Holy shit! I didn't care what they played for an encore one bit. E: Farmhouse- First of the tour Solid Farmhouse with Trey loving the jam and really playing it as well as he possibly can. Houselights on. This was the best 2 set show I have ever seen...maybe better than anything from Big Cypress. All of the bust-outs *AND* the playing was steller. Sure you can find a few notes here and there that were missed, but overall the playing was very very strong. The crowd was kinda weak, but for the ones that were there that knew what was going on, this was the ultimate...as good as it gets. I was sober fyi because I had to drive back to C-bus and get into work this morning. I have never felt so naturally spun from a show before. This show was for you Mike. RIP. Jay Sell
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 13:13:21 -0400 (EDT) From: JOHN Subject: 7-29-03 Review Where to start. I have been seeing Phish sence 98 and have over 80 shows on tape/cd. NOTHING.. I repeat NOTHING compares to last night. First of all you couldn't have picked a nicer day to see a show. It was absloutly perfect outside. And the lot scene was alright. The guys in the staff shirts were a bit pushy but a pretty good vibe all around. Set 1 Daniel (Saw the Stone)- Great way to start off the show. I wasn't really familiar with this one but man it really cooked. Camel Walk- Who with the what now? This was a first for me. I had heard it on tapes but never thought I would catch a live one. This version was defiantly solid. Gotta Jibboo- My friend and I were kidding around about hearing this one before the show. We were not looking forward to hearing it cause we saw it so much in 2000. With that being said wow what a great version! Great jam all around. Cool it Down- Your kidding right. This is one of my favorite Velvet Underground songs and they nailed this version. Everyone around me seemed to be loving this song as much as I was and I was on top of the world then... Scent of a Mule- Fantastic. Great placement here and a fantastic version to boot. It got a little strange near the end before they went back into the song but who cares at this point. Fee - When I heard the drums I knew it. Another first for me and I was absolutely blown away. Honestly my brain was on overload. I was starting to thing that nothing could really top this. Then comes... Timber(Jerry) - Amazing. I was basically flipping out. I hadn't seen this one in quite some time and it did not disappoint. And then it goes into.. When the Circus Comes- Beautiful. I needed a breather after all of that and Circus was perfect for that. I love this song everything was very euphoric. McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters- HE LOOKS TO MUCH LIKE DAVE! Of all the things that are holy stop it already. You got me. I am hooked. Wow. I thought that this might close the set and if it had I would have been just as happy. Golgi Apparatus- Just as fun as always. Pretty standard in a set that had nothing standard about it. But a great way to close it out. Set break- Bathroom, water, and talking to people about what they just saw. Set 2 Crosseyed and Painless- OH MY GOD! This version floored me. Get these tapes now. Better yet build your self a time machine and travel back to this show. Unreal jam section. Thunderhead- I am not crazy about some of the slower stuff off the new album but tonight I could care less. It was well played and a nice break. Brother- Words can't describe this. People were seriously loosing their shit around me. Great song. First time for me that for sure and probably the first one for a lot of people. When brother finished I thought man they can not possibly beat that. Then.... Harpua>- AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Are you serious!!! An energy filled the place like I have never seen before. I don't know what else to say. The story was about Jimmy later on in life looking for IT (insert applause here). Then it talks about how he on the side of the road and he plays a sad song on his guitar. Bittersweet Motel- Great sing along. I haven't seen it sence 99 and what better place to see it than near Pittsburgh. Then Trey starts talking about what Jimmy looks like and points to his shirt with a picture of Fishman and sure enough out comes Fishman. I Fooled Around and Fell in Love>- This was fun. You could tell the guys were just eating this up. Whats more I think that Fishman is getting better at his vacuum solos. Of course that leads into.. HYHU>- Fun to see Fishman run around like an idiot banging on cymbals and Trey doing a drum solo. Fantastic. Harpua- Unreal. Thats all I can say about this. David Bowie- Short but sweet. Well placed. It looked like Mike went off stage durring the intro of the song so there was a extra long intro (when nature calls..). Great composed section and the jam was well done. Overall a pretty nice bowie not great but who the hell cares. Encore Farmhouse- Hmmm. A lot of things would have been better here but I really can complain. The boys were probably worn out from that monster show and who could blame them. Walking back to my car you could not have seen a happier group of people. Highfives all around. Scene- 9.5 (Great weather crappy "staff" guys) Set One 10 (Unbeatable) Set Two 10 (Unbeatable) Encore 7 (Could have been better but who really cares) Overall 9.9 (LADIES AND GENTLEMEN YOUR UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.... PHISH!) For all of those who thought that Phish might never return to the level they were at before. Shut up and get this show. John Hogsett
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 14:16:54 -0400 From: David Stone Subject: 7-29-03 Star Lake review I've never written a review before, but for those who weren't there, I think they need to know what's up.... I had a pleasent drive down from Cleveland, excited for my final show of the tour (did Alpine and Deer Creek). I got in around 5 and and headed in around six. The band walked on around 8:10. Daniel- Mike rolls pants up. Was expecting a Bag, but I was pumped to hear this one. "A bust out!", I thought. Little did I know. The PA sound was pretty bad for this song, but they got it straightened out in time for... Camel Walk- Sweet. Played flawlessly. Funky grooves all around. Gotta Jibboo- Im cool with this song, pleasent jam, probably around 10 minutes. Cool It Down- Only two or three people around me seemed to know what this was, I went crazy when they started. Lou Reed rocks. A very nice jam in this one. Get the tapes. Mule- At this point we were in awe. All I could do was dance, dance, dance. Fee- Fishman starts the Fee beat, we cheer, Fee ensues. Nice little jam and Trey plays duh duh-duh, duh duh-duh... Timber Ho- Awesome. Very scary jamming going down. The band is truely locked in at this point. Circus- Cool us down a little bit with a fine Circus. McGrupp- I was priveledged to be present at the last McGrupp played (9-18-00). This was played beautifully. Page nailed the solo and Trey only flubbed one small part at the end. Golgi- End the set with some rock and roll. Like the other guy said, this set was enough, but we were in for a second set treat. C+P- Just marvelous. Page was grooving , Trey was grooving, I was grooving. The jam kept shifting, dark, happy, mean, happy, s l o w... Thunderhead- Chillin out after 20 minutes of pure heaven. They kept this one short and sweet. Brother- Good God, this was a chaotic Brother. Everyone was jumping around. A nice heavy solo from Trey got me all pumped up. What next? Harpua- The other reviewer described this one pretty well, lets just say I almost shit my pants after oom pa pa. Erie and Pittsburgh (crowd cheers) Bowie-Very nice Bowie, nothing special Send us off with a bang Farmhouse- Farmhouse. Do yourself a favor and buy the sb for this one. I would pay 10 bucks just for the C+P. Have a good time at IT, Props to the Phellowship! Dave
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 23:58:29 -0700 (PDT) From: sigmund bloom Subject: 7-29-03 burgettstown PA Youll have to excuse me, its 230 and my mind is shot, but i just had to post a review of this absolute atomic bomb of a show. in the words of the great penguins announcer mike lange, if you missed this one, shame on you for 6 weeks. great energy in the crowd and band from beginning to end, and the results show it. ive seen over 100 shows, my bud darren and jane have seen over 100 and 50. we were unanimous that this one of the best shows of all time. no need to compare between the best shows - just know that this one was an instant classic, on the level with 2/28/03, 4/3/98, you name it, this show compares. just a magic night all the way through. I: DANIEL- my bud darren and i were talking about how you have a good shot at a rare cover opener at star lake - this one did not disappoint. what a way to get the show started... WHOOOOOOAAAAA DANIEL SAW THE STONE. great upbeat gospel vibe to open. first one in 6 years. CAMEL WALK- at this point we were so giddy. i cant remember another show with back to back bustouts to open. first since hiatus JIBBOO - very welcome jammed out fantastically and euphorically. COOL IT DOWN - ok, beside ourselves. jammed out well and a very tasty treat. first since hiatus. 3rd ever. SCENT OF A MULE. fun fun fun page did the standard if i were a rich man solo. trey did a version of the Digital delay loop jam - almost sounded like he was playing a tune over it FEE-> welcome, great nostaglia song. TIMBER HO! ok are you kidding me!??! intense jam. the band was so locked at this point. we were all agape at what we were witnessing. first since hiatus. WHEN THE CIRCUS COMES - beautifully played. a great needed breather. MCGRUPP - almost perfectly played. GOLGI - A Rocker to close the set. At this point the show could have been over, and we would have had no complaints. we talked at set break about how they could finish this show - we were thinking mikes groove, maybe antelope, maybe fluffhead if they were really feelin frisky, but after that set we expected a nice standard second set with some new songs and a nice jam or two... whoa were we wrong. CROSSEYED. At this point we were agape. this is one of my absolute favorite covers phish plays, and i know im not alone. you could just feel that it was going to be a launching pad. first since hiatus JAM - 20 minutes long including some extremely uplifting euphoric trey-led jams - at least 4 or 5 specific sections of the jam. definitely rivals Mr. completely utah and tweezer nassau as best post hiatus jam. THUNDERHEAD another needed breather. beautiful delicate playing by trey - sometimes jerry-esque BROTHER - ok phish. really stop. youve got us. what adjectives were left? we were smiling ear to ear. this one included a HOT antelope-ish energy overload jam. first since hiatus. then a pause. trey talks to mike. trey talks to fish. trey talks to page. trey goes back to mike. something like 2 minutes passes. the tension and anticipation for the next song was huge. then the OOOOOM PAH PAH. The total jubiliation in the place was probably only surpassed by the nassau destiny (i wasnt there, but i have to assume it was similar) we were just cracking up maniacally during the opening verses - just priceless, out of a dream. Harpua narration about jimmys life. he's getting bored, listless, so he goes looking for the meaning of life. looking for IT. lots of IT talk. then jimmy gets into an adventure. he stops and gets out his acoustic guitar and plays BITTERSWEET MOTEL. this would have been sufficient in a normal harpua, but no, tonight jimmy had to have some romance. trey was wearing the fishman t-shirt and commented on how jimmy was really fishman, and he FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE. with all the feeling you expect from fish in such a ballad. then a proper HOLD YOUR HEAD UP sendoff for fish with the cymbals and a few laps. then the end of HARPUA. first harpua since 98. i believe first proper fishman song since hiatus. BOWIE was just gratuitous at this point. a tight hot solid bowie that was everything you could ask of a set ending bowie. explosive. encore FARMHOUSE. playing lovingly and mellifluously. yea a chill encore but we've come to expect it. an all time great phish show. playing impeccably. at least 7 songs (daniel, camel walk, cool it down, timber, crossyed, brother, harpua) that you're happy to hear once in a year, if not every few years. passionate jams. get the tapes, sure, but this was a show with THAT feeling. a show that brought you right back to how this band made you feel the first time you "GOT IT". im sure a lot did tonight. just trust me. this was one for the ages. Sigmund Bloom
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