From: brian.feller@um.cc.umich.edu
Subject: Atlanta Review
Reply-To: brian.feller@um.cc.umich.edu
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1993 19:31:45 GMT

 
        So, we leave Michigan at about midnight on Thursday/Friday, itUs a
balmy 5 degrees in Ann Arbor, but weUre psyched to go to Atlanta. The
rental car had no cassette player, so we were forced to listen to classic
rock the entire trip(except through Tennessee, where it was all country).
At about 4am we were hit by a deer, which means the whole trip could end
up costing me a few hundred dollars:-(. We were unharmed and the car was
only hurt just a little, and we made it to Atlanta with hours to spare.
The doors opened at about 8pm all three nights, and the scene outside was
mellow and the number of ticketless was small. Show three didnUt sell out
untill Sunday morning, so if you wanted to see at least one of the shows
you could. The Roxy is a great place, it seats around 1200 people, but it 
looks smaller than that. I went up front to grab a space and met Ellis of
Lemuria and his friend. The front of the stage turned out to be the net
gathering place, with Ellis, Matt Laurence, his firend Amy, and Shelly
Culbertson. For all of you wondering how the Diamond Girl is doing, she is
doing great. Hopefully we will see her soon on the net again, but for now
things are a little too hectic in Boston. On to the shows!!!
 
First night: FishmanUs Birthday/PageUs Parents in attendance
        Set I: You could tell right away that the band was serious about
making up for last yearUs Atlanta show. Everyone seemd in great spirits
and the music completely rocked. The highlight for me from the first set
was Split Open and Melt. Trey continually drooled through the whole jam
section, which seemd like it would never end. As has been said, during the
ForbinUs rap, Trey brought us back to the last Atlanta gig, and we were
standing in water. Rwe will make it up to youS was the chant that induced
the time travel. Only this time, instead of cancelling the gig, the water
started to bubble, and we all turned into a steam cloud, slowly rising
into the air, where we became a floating cloud in the sky. Then we turned
into a thunderstorm(forshadowing Sunday nightUs real storm) and rained
back down. As we fell, we expanded into people again only we werenUt in
Atlanta anymore, we were in GAMEHENDGE. Then the story was the standard
Mockingbird intro after that. Then there was Bowie. They jammed the
Zepplin tune Moby Dick in the intro, and then Fish took a vacuum solo
before returning to the Bowie intro. Trey also played Happy Birthday
during the intro. The song itself cooked, and Moby Dick reappeared in the
end jam. This is the second Moby Dick IUve seen, the other was during
Bowie in Ann Arbor 12-11-92. They had jammed on moby Dick during the
soundcheck at Ann Arbor and it worked its way in Bowie in the first set.
Has anyone heard them do this song other times?
        Set II: Jim was great, the energy level was super high. ItUs Ice
was was wonderful. During the jam Trey and Mike played each otherUs
guitars with the necks of their guitars, which was very weird. YEM was
supercharged, and the vocal jam was phenomenal. For Lawn Boy, Page came
out from behind the organ and stood up in front of it, then dedicated 
it to his parents. His voiced squeeked once, probably from a little
nervousNESS, but the rest was great. Then came Jimmy. My, oh my!!! He was
using TreyUs backup guitar, which is an exact replica of his stage guitar,
and played through one of TreyUs two mesa boogie heads, so their guitar
sounds were identical. The sound was perfect. Jimmy blew everyoneUs mind
with his playing. After Funky Bitch, Trey looked at Jimmy and said, 
RThat was fucking bad!!!S My Sweet One was wonderful. Trey told Fish to
keep it slow for Jimmy, but he refused, and Jimmy was superb. It sounded
like he had been playing the song for years. Fish picked up TreyUs guitar
and attempted a guitar solo, which was hilarious!!! He couldnUt get it to
work at first, and then he could only make little twangy sounds. He
defintley has no carrer as a guitar player ahead of him. Llama raged like
a ball of flaming foam, and Jimmy once again blew the doors out.
Definitlely some of the best Phish I have ever seen. Page dedicated
Amazing Grace to his father, and it sounded wonderful. Saturday I was
talking to him and he said the whole band is taking barbershop lessons and
they really love it. Maybe weUll see some new a capella tunes soon! For
the encore Trey talked about their new friend Hack, and said they were going
to play one for him. Fish wanted to play Sloth but Trey said he promised
Hack that he would play a certain tune. AC/DC Bag!! Whoopiee! It was a
little rough in spots but it was great to hear that one again. It had been
almost two years since IUd seen it.  All in all one of the top shows
played by them in the last year or two.
 
   Okay, I have spewed enough. I was truly moved by these shows. Hi to
Shelly, Matt, and Ellis!!!
                                        -Brian Feller
 
zero.man@um.cc.umich.edu
 
 

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