Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 21:17:12 -0700
From: Mike Powers fenwaypahk@hotmail.com
Subject: 3 years later a Ventura '98 review for the Review page!
7/20/98 Ventura, CA - Ventura County Fairgrounds
I: Gin, Dirt, Poor Heart, Lawn Boy, MY Sweet One, Birds, Theme, Water in the
Sky, Momma Dance, Melt
II: Drowned ->Makisupa, Maze, Sea & Sand, Prince Caspian, Hood
E: Sexual Healing, Halley's Comet
Sitting here in San Francisco on a mellow night with a gorgeous sunset going
down and just realized it^Òs been three years since Venutra ^Ò98. Three
years since ^Ò98??? Three years to me seems like it should be ^Ò95 or
^Ò96^Åtime keeps on slipping. Anyhow, I^Òve got the discs flowing right now
for this hidden gem of the West Coast ^Ò98 run and it^Òs bringing back some
memories.
Ventura was the final show of my Gorge > Shoreline > Ventura run with 2
buddies from the east coast and and a fellow LA^Òer at the time. I recall
driving back to LA immediately after Shoreline to make it back for work on
Monday^Åand then cutting outta work early to get back up on the 101 and head
up to Ventura County. As we pulled into the lots of the Ventura County
Fairgrounds and found a fairly large, but tame west coast scene. Walked
into the old dust bowl where there was actually a pretty extreme depth
difference from the dirt floor to the stage^Å we were maybe about 15 rows
back Trey / Fishmanside^Å.^Ò98 old skool set up^Åhaha.
An absolutely magnificent Bathtub Gin soared straight from the beginning.
It may have actually been my highlight from that west coast run of shows.
This Gin took off into the Pacific and kept on climbing. Trey threw the
funk/wa-wa and had us in an ambient boogie. This Gin is at least 20 minutes
long and I highly recommend tracking this one down folks. It^Òs a
beauty^Ånice west coast secret. As this Gin was reaching 35,000 feet, Trey
pulled her back in. An appropriate Dirt was the number 2 hitter tonight.
Lots of venue/environment themes during this whole show^Ådirt was definitely
part of the scene at the Fairgrounds^Åpeople do bag this venue, but man you
are so close to within reach of the smiling Pacific and palm trees at the
Fairgrounds. Next up was a Poor Heart that didn^Òt want to end^Ålots of rock
endings to this one, with a "Mike Gordon^ÅPoor Heart^Å.Mike Gordon," from Trey
with a chuckle.. The band was having fun and it was apparent with the mellow
vibe of a sunset Lawn Boy ("Page McConnell^ÅLawn Boy" ^ÖTrey) and My Sweet
One. Trey was especially talkative with the audience too all during this
set. The crowd was shouting our for new material and I recall Trey saying,
"You want something new? Ok. How about Birds?" We were all psyched for
the Birds of Feather^Åvery young version. Next up was Theme. Always love a
Theme^Ålittle did I know that it would be the last Theme I^Òd get for the next
three years. (so badly wanted a Theme the last week of 2000^Åoh well).
Water in the Sky, newly sped up than the ^Ò97 ones, graced us next continuing
the chill So-Cal vibe. A baby Moma Dance hit us again for the 3rd time in
4 shows. It was obvious that was to be a band and fan favorite. A ripping
Spit capped off a fairly long playful 1998 summer first set.
As the sun went down and set II was near, I don^Òt think anyone anticipated
the type of set we would get. Another killer, not really well known set
from the West Coast. Drowned kicked things off^Å.once again extremely
appropriate for the proximity of the Pacific and the beach. Hadn^Òt heard
Drowned since NYE ^Ò95..and I was psyched and ready to cherish this one. Out
of the Drowned comes a smooth seg to Makisupa. A good time right there.
The next thing we know, there^Òs a Maze kicking in rocking the dust bowl.
More flashbacks to NYE ^Ò95^ÅSea and Sand. I believe it was the first Sea and
Sand since NYE too. A very nice tip of the hat from the band to the
surrounding environment^Åcontinued some good old holiday run memories for me
from the east coast days. Don^Òt really remember the Caspian^Åit probably was
the one slug of the second set. Hood closed set II off with a minor glow
stick war and everyone overall was smiling.
For the encore Fishman walks out with one of those "Phish ^Ö Temple of Fire ^Ö
Summer ^Ñ98" flyers^Å.you could tell he had lyrics written on it. He kicks in
with Sexual Healing and the crowd erupted. Looking back, Sexual Healing may
have kinda been the kick-off of all the random covers of ^Ò98. Didn^Òt really
expect another tune in the encore^Åbut low and behold^Åa powerful ferocious
Halley^Òs. The ending of this Halley^Òs just echoed and echoed and
echoed^Ålots of just hanging spooky feedback. Silly phish and dark sly Phish
for the encore. I^Òll take it. It was the end of a mini-summer vacation
for most of us. Some carried on to Phoenix the next day^ÅI almost called in
sick, but didn^Òt. A very good show here in Ventura. As everyone says, I
encourage you to seek out this show^Åit is a gem. The Gin and Set II make
this special. The discs and tapes have your classic outdoor wind hiss^Åjust
like Sugarbush.
Crazy to think three years later we all just saw Trey here in Berkeley.
Hope in a couple of years we possibly get Phish back at the Fairgrounds or
(in a perfect world) a multi night run at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Thanks
for reading.
Mike Powers | San Francisco
fenwaypahk@hotmail.com
From cdirksen@earthlink.net Sat Sep 12 23:35:41 1998
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 16:02:32 GMT
From: cdirksen@earthlink.net
To: dan@netspace.org
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Subject: *REALLY a Ventura 7/20 Review*
Thanks very much to Dave Donohue for getting me down to Ventura, and
to Dan Purcell for getting me back to San Francisco!!!
I haven't read any reviews of Ventura, yet, so read all the
reviews you can get your hands on to get all the details (because you
won't find them all here!!!).
DISCLAIMER: I have been seeing Phish off and on since 1989 and have
heard a majority of the shows in the Helping Friendly Book. I still
LOVE Phish, but am jaded, having liquidated nearly 500 Phish tapes
within the last three years. If I were to list out the Phish songs I
never want to see again *live*, the list would probably be more than a
page long. I prefer several of Phish's newest songs to the vast
majority of their older songs (which I think is really, really weird..
this band is incredible! =^). I think it is wise to distrust all
opinions on music, regardless of experience, until you hear something
for yourself, because your opinion is all that matters. I
nevertheless also think it is important to contextualize your opinions
on the Internet, for greater hermeneutical harmony.
7/20/98 Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura, CA
This venue is a dump. If I remember the person who told me that this
was a nice venue, I'm going to have to throw them up against a wall
and shoot them. Yes, this "venue" is next to a beach and the gorgeous
Pacific ocean. Yes, palm trees were visible about 50 feet or more
behind the band members. But this "venue" is in fact -- RACE FANS AND
HOT RIDERS -- a RACING PIT!!!! It is a DIRT DUMP!!! A
CRUD-FILLED-FENCED-OFF HOLE!!! SO WHAT if it is near the beach,
though, if all you can see around you from the pit are dirt &
advertisement splattered walls and fencing. The Greek Theater is much
nicer (near L.A., which Phish played on 9/29/95, I think) as is that
place in San Diego (which was *beautiful*, imo, and REALLY next to the
water..where Phish played on 9/28/95, I think). The sound at this
dump was also not very good (muddy), unless you were in front of the
soundboard (then it was fine, but not even vaguely as impressive as
Shoreline's sound from that vantage point).
The show opened up with Bathtub Gin, which I really enjoyed hearing.
It went nowhere for a long time, though (or what seemed like a long
time), at the beginning of the jam segment, until Trey finally started
leading the groove into Hose Everyone Off Mode. A really fired-up
Gin, which reminded me of other Hose Everyone Off Gins, like 8/13/93
Murat and 8/17/97 Went. It didn't last as long as I'd hoped, though.
I nevertheless look forward to hearing it again sometime.
Dirt, Poor Heart, Lawn Boy, My Sweet One, Birds, and Water in the Sky
followed. (get it? lots of soil & water songs at this show..
because.. we were on dirt.. and really near the water.. (!)) Poor
Heart had an enhanced, FREEBIRD ending, which reminded me and Chris
Bertolet of the 7/9/97 Lyon version (which also ends MIGHTILY!). Lawn
Boy and MSO also had endings that were a wee bit dragged out (the band
was clearly having a great time.. Trey kept saying stuff like "Mike
Gordon on Poor Heart, everyone" and "Page McConnell on Lawn Boy!!").
Birds was worthless. This is a great song, but it has no business
being in a set unless the band rips it up like a good Crosseyed and
Painless. It wasn't nearly as good as the Providence version from
April 1998, for example. Phish apparently has yet to truly take this
jam places, which makes little sense in light of the song's obvious
similarities to C&P, and, say, the 11/2/96 must-hear C&P. The new,
upbeat version of Water in the Sky is ok, imo.. I'm not very fond of
this song. I think I might actually prefer the original version,
since it would give me more time to go take a leak or get a beer.
Theme from the Bottom rescued the set, in my opinion. It was an
excellent version (I love this song), which -- though it didn't really
get OUT THERE as much as I wish this song WOULD sometime -- was
nevertheless strong. MOMA DANCE came next, and well, I love this
song.. they can play this at every show I see. Unfortunately, though,
what I'd hoped would become a FUNKASAURUS that would kick dirt up into
everyone's faces, was about as BLAH a version of the song that there
could be. Even the 6/30/98 version, which features a lot of banter
from Trey about *the* moma *dance* itself, is a more groovy version.
The Shoreline version was faaaaaaar better than this Ventura one.. I
was bummed by this, but still pleased to hear it again. I love the
song.
Split Open and Melt was huge. Just huge. Not an unusually
"experimental" version, but there was an exciting, thrilling jam that
you'll just have to hear for yourself sometime. Easily one of my
personal favorite versions of the tune. Just LOVED IT!!! It ended the
set on a real high note, I thought (which the set really needed, imo).
Second set BLASTED OPEN with an SHREDDING version of Drowned. I
prefer the 12/31/95 version to this one, easily, but I still loved
hearing this tune again (I also thought this version was much more
inspired and impressive than the Fall 1997 versions.. except maybe
12/11 Rochester). Drowned segued spacily -> into Makisupa. Makisupa
featured a cute little noodling solo from Trey, but was otherwise too
slow and dead for my tastes. It wasn't even half as cool as, say,
most Fall 1995 versions (e.g., 10/7/95 Spokane). Maze came next, out
of a segue which sounded 2001-esque (I thought for sure we'd be
getting Also Sprach..). I'm really no longer amused by Maze at all,
but this was a tight, decent version. (no, it wasn't nearly as good
as 11/8/96 Champaign.. a must-hear Maze, imo!)
Sea and Sand was next, and seemed to surprise everyone except Mark
Toscano, who almost called it pre-show. It wasn't even competitive
with the brilliant, almost flawlessly-executed 12/31/95 version, and
well.. I think Page knew that (he didn't seem too happy about the
performance). He flubbed a lyric and his voice was cracking. He
probably just hadn't rehearsed it, but he may have also been *very*
ANNOYED (as many folks were) by the NASTY ECHO.. which was heard
'round the venue, beside and behind the soundboard, during this tune.
Fuckerpants came next and well, to be fair, it was the most profound
version that I'd ever heard or seen. Trey's soloing was wonderful
(once he dropped the repetitive chords). I'm looking forward to
hearing it again sometime, to see if it really was as great as it
sounded at the show..
Harry Hood came next, and yes, there was a glowstick war (which was
amusing for about a minute, and then very distracting). And yes, some
people still yelled out "Hood" after Trey's "Harry"s during the
opening segment. (Note to Self: find Darius Zelkha and kill him for
starting this obnoxious, stupid gimmick) I enjoyed the jam segment of
this Harry, even though it doesn't hold a candle to truly
awe-inspiring versions like 11/12/94 Kent State and 10/7/95 Spokane
and 7/1/95 Great Woods. I love the song. Great set closer, even
though I expected them to cough up Cavern next.
The encores were, well, very bizarre. Sexual Healing was hysterically
funny, and I was holding back tears while laughing. Many people
seemed to take it very seriously, though, which I found very, very
disturbing (where do you people come from?!?). Fish made a complete
jackass of himself and it was very refreshing. I think the version
would have been improved by a vacuum solo, but others seemed to think
that Fish did just fine making an ass of himself without need of the
vacuum. I miss the vacuum. :-( Anyway, this encore was a real treat
and Fish's "sexual" dancing made it all the more amusing!! (and no, it
didn't jam)
The Halley's encore was exciting at first (it was a Halley's encore,
after all), and I LOVE this tune.. but this version was, well,
Questionable, At Best, in my opinion. Trey started the jam segment
out with a funky vibe, which I found very encouraging. I was hoping
that they would whip this small funk vibe up into a MONSTROUS
FUNKALICIOUS ASS-SLAPPING BOOGIE, but instead, it just sortof farted
around repetitively for awhile and then fizzled out. Trey left the
stage very hurriedly after setting off some digital-delay loop
effects. I wasn't close enough to see his face, but given the basic
BLAH-ness of the Halley's jam, well. I assumed the worst. Fish wasted
little time before he left the stage, and then Page and Mike promptly
followed suit.
ANYWAY, despite how cool "HALLEY's" as an encore was at first
(especially after an amusing "Sexual Healing," with HYHU after it),
this Halley's was probably the lamest ending to a Phish show that I'd
ever seen, outside, of course, of the 8/7/96 Bouncin Golgi. I'll be
interested to hear it on tape again, though, to see if I'm forgetting
something. I would be really interested to know, though, if any of
you were close enough to the stage to have been watching Trey shortly
before he left the stage.. because I'm wondering whether there was
some bad vibe in the air that he picked up on, and then hurriedly
split. What I thought might easily have become the most amazing
Halley's that I'd ever seen or heard, quickly went nowhere, and then
became the most depressing Halley's that I'd ever heard.
As a whole, this show had some very high points (Gin, SOAM!!, Drowned,
Fuckerpants!), and was fun (and worth the drive!!!)... but it can't
touch 7/19 Shoreline musically, imo. I would still recommend hearing
it for yourself, given the highlights (which are HIGHLIGHTS, imo).
The band was clearly having a GREAT TIME (at least until
Halley's, maybe(?)) at this gig! Check it out!
two cents
charlie
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 01:07:08 EST
From: CGSkywlkr@aol.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Review: 7-20-98
Continuing down along the California Coast on a wondurous begining to the
tour of 98... We find tonights show literally on the ocean front, yards from
the Sea & Sand... Schwaggy venue, though trully a Dirt show... Long journey
from the previous night in Shoreline... With added vibe from local phriends,
the evening takes on a soulfull, laidback apeall, the goo is begining to
ooze... The Bathtub Gin envellops the moment, splashing Phish Goo
everywhere, a fantasticly phun jam. Into Dirt, perfect fit... Couples hand
in hand, a nice love vibe seems to permeate the vibe... Poor Heart, Lawn
Boy, My Sweet One, Water in the Sky, Moma Dance ( Again ) all in the first
set... felt wonderfull, Birds was nice to hear again, the Theme refrenced the
ocean and the Split was great! I could feel the energy above the band in
Split, I was saying! ! to myself, Trey the energy is above you guys man,
you've
summoned it once again... Towards the end of the song, Trey raised his hand
high in the air and looked above him, waiving his hand straight above him
while looking up in the air, I was like saying; That is sooo cool!!! A nice
moment of connection to the moment....
Drowned ~ Makisupa was laidback with "Skunk" which is typical West Coast
style. A tease Maze emerged and Sea & Sand felt mystical. A nice Caspian
floated upon the waves and Harry was phun to hang with, a soft soulfull
evening of Phish.... The encore was a godsend, with a humorous Sexual
Healing, Phantastic Fish!!! My girl called a Halley's in the first set... I
was like get real.... Then they play Halley's after the Sexual Healing, WOW
!!! This tour is alot of phun, and it has only just begun!!!
Come On, lets make Luv tonight,,, Ohhhh Baby!!!! Phish Rules !!! ~
Peace ~
---------
From markah@umich.edu Sat Sep 12 23:35:41 1998
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 14:57:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: Mark Hutchison
To: traders@umich.edu
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Subject: So Far...
7/20/98 Ventura, CA
I: Gin!!!, Dirt, Poor Heart, Lawn Boy, MY Sweet One, Birds, Theme, Water
in the Sky, Momma Dance, Melt
II: Drowned!!!->Makisupa, Maze, Sea & Sand, Prince Crapstain, Hood
E: Sexual Healing, Halley's Comet
The Gin was great! Honestly, really good. Kind of like the Went's, but
not. Birds was good again, as was the Melt.
And then...Drowned! Drwoned AND Sea & Sand in the same set?
Bizzare...this show must've been the wierd one of the tour with those two
and the encore. Fishman came to the front to sing Sexual Healing in his
frock (which he's been wearing the whole tour, not at just Shoreline and
Ventura, FWIW...) with the words written on the back of a Phish "Temple of
Fire" poster. Halley's was strange again, as I thought there'd surely be
another tune, since Halley's has no ending. But, they just kind of
fizzled it out like NYE '95 II or the Ball or the Went's encores.
But now I have to go up to Dallas. I'm sorry I can't talk about Pheonix
right now, because I think it was the best so far. Houtson and Austin
were both kind of "ok" (meaning good.)
See y'all in a week,
- Mark ("Texas is hot") ah
----
traders@umich.edu
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~markah/traders
"It's kind of silly when [fans are] making pie graphs
about set list openers.
But then, I always liked a good graph."
- Mike Gordon in an interview
with the Detroit Free Press
December 5, 1997
7/20/98 - Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura, CA
The lot scene: I don't like talking about this part much, but on a
brief note, it was mellow. Yes, security was present, but it was
definitely an improvement on Shoreline the night before. I didn't see
any kids get busted for vending, and staff didn't do a full pat down at
the gates as they often do at many venues.
The venue: I hear people ranting about what a horrible place the
Ventura County Fairgrounds are to see a show. Personally, I like this
venue. True it is a dustbowl, but you don't go to a Phish show to floss
your new threads. Besides, I was dirty enough from being on the road
that a little dirt couldn't hurt. It is located right on the beach so
the climate was nice. And best of all, it wasn't hard to find good
seats; no matter where you were, you were fairly close to the stage.
The crowd: Hmmm...I met some cool pholks and rapped with the dude who
brought the funk bus to the Gorge. He said Mike dropped in for a short
while and that I should look for the funk bus in Maine. There were a
lot of drugged out people there who seemed like they belonged more at a
rave than at a Phish show, but this is the reality that we all must deal
with. Especially in southern California, no offense to those of you
from the southland. Now onto the show........
I. Bathtub, Dirt, Poor Heart, Lawn Boy, MSO, Birds, Theme, Water in the
Sky, Moma Dance, SOAM
II. DrownedMakisupaMaze, Sea and Sand, CaspianHood
E: Sexual HealingHYHU, Halley's
The Gin opener was, in one word, PHAT. Clocking in at over 21 minutes,
it was extremely long, and I loved every minute of it. I'd been waiting
for a Bathtub the whole tour thus far and felt this one coming. I love
this song as an opener. In the middle, the boys launched into a massive
funk jam and on my setlist, I actually had it labeled as Ginfunk
jamGin. Amazing.
Dirt was a very fitting song given the venue. I think this is a
beautiful song and was afraid that maybe it had been dropped from the
lineup.
Poor Heart was phun, nothing special, except for the crazy
Crosseyed&Painless tease at the end. Well,
then again, maybe it was special...
Lawn Boy is a cool little song. I enjoy the lyrics
My Sweet One was next. After Poor Heart, this one came completely out
of left field. Again, it is a phun
song and got the crowd dancing, but I was fiending for some jamming. At
least it was short and sweet.
Birds of a Feather are flocking outside! Yes!!! This is one of my
favorite new songs. I was very happy
to hear it after a string of really short tunes which highlight the
personality of the band and who they
are, but don't necessarily bring out their amazing musical capabilities,
IMHO.
Theme was good as usual. I really like it and I called this one. It
was another that I'd been waiting for.
One of the highlights for me.
Water in the Sky. To be honest, I liked the old version better. Don't
get me wrong, the new H20 is very
danceable and all, but somehow it doesn't seem to fit. The old version
I thought was a very pretty tune
and this new one is well, uh, kinda strange.
It was followed by the Moma Dance. Without a doubt my favorite of the
new songs. Big improvement
on Black-Eyed Katy. Katy was a sweet instrumental, but the Moma Dance
is on a completely new
level. This was the 4th time out of 5 shows so far, and each time it
got better. This one started off
really slow and methodical and built up into tremendous energy.
Split Open and Melt closed set one in style. It wasn't as long as some
of the versions from last year if
I recall correctly, but it was definitely well played.
Set two opened with Drowned!!!! I love this song, what a treat. Not
quite on par with NYE 95, but then
again, what is? Nothing but smiles here!
Out of drowned emerged the familiar notes of Makisupa. Very phun song,
a crowd favorite indeed. I
wasn't expecting it at all, having just heard it at the Gorge a few
nights before, but no complaints here!
Key word was "skunk." Makisupa segued nicely into
Maze. This is a nice pairing. I think these two songs go well
together, even though they are of a
completely different style. Apparently the band thinks so too, because
they have done nice transitions
from MakisupaMaze in the past as well. Maze was ok. It was shorter
and tighter than many versions
I've heard, but this one didn't quite do it for me. The space jam in
between though was phat.
Sea and Sand. Nice work by Page here. Sort of killed the momentum, but
nonetheless a wonderful
song. I just thought the placement coud have been better.
Prince Caspian is one of my favorites. It's a beautiful song and this
one had to have been one of the
best versions ever. Caspian segued into
Hood!!!!! This was a repeat from Portland so I didn't see it coming,
but I can never get sick of Hood.
As usual, Hood was beautifully played, one of the best Hoods IMHO, an
improvement on Portland.
Real long at about 18 minutes. The ending was absolutely beautiful.
What a way to close the set.
Sexual Healing!?!? Go Fishman!!!! Totally hilarious, Fishman did a
funny dance, you had to see it to
believe it, and then started walking around the stage like a robot.
Hey, that guy Trey isn't too shabby
at the drums! --
HYHU. No surprise here.
Me and everyone else were a little surprised when the boys picked up
their instruments again. Halley's
was a shocker. I had never heard it before, so needless to say, this
one sent me into ecstacy. At the
end, there was this low buzz which I can only describe as stoney, and
one by one, Trey, Mike, Page,
and Tubbs exited the stage.
Overall thoughts:
Set I: 8.5-solid with some definite highlights (Gin opener comes to
mind)
Set II: 8.8-the boys were really playing well this set, so much energy,
and the encores were wacky
This was a very magical evening. Perhaps not as powerful as the 2nd
night of the Gorge, but this
show was probably my favorite of the west coast. Get the tapes!
Four quick Ventura notes :
1) Split Open & Melt
was noticeably slower and slightly
funky (....imagine that). The jam
gets crazy (i.e. non funky), but then
returns to the ending segment of
the song with a big slowdown in the beat.
I love a good Melt, and you sure
as heck can't beat some slowfunk Melt.
2) Lawn Boy was the "sunset" tune.
With the pacific ocean directly behind
the audience, the band was treated
to a sweet sunset, and Kuroda didn't
put on the stage lights until it was basically
dark. I was like 15 yards back from the
stage and could hardly see Page cheesin it through
the barely-there sunset light.
3) Trey seemed a bit tipsy on the alcohol early on.
He took a shot of something out of a clear
plastic cup (I'm guessing it was some quality tequila)
right after the crazy 22 minute Bathtub opener.
After Poor Heart, Trey introduced Mike as "Poor Heart".
He then repeated the humor after Lawn Boy and
MSO, by calling Page "Lawn Boy" and calling
Fishman "My Sweet One" after each of those
tunes were done.
4) The lot scene was killer, with a beautiful
public beach literally running alongside
one part of the parking lot. Gotta love that they
kicked down 7 songs at this show with water
imagery (Bathtub, Theme, Water in the Sky, Moma Dance,
Drowned, Sea and Sand, Prince Caspian).
Oh yeah, there were a bunch of hotels REALLY
close to the venue, so I imagine the killer scene
just moved over there (and to the nearby, beachside
campgrounds).
======WATCH THE SAIL========
" t h e m o m e n t e n d s "
============================
webersan
Ventura has always been my favorite place to see a show. I love how you
can get as close as possible and not have to pay outstanding prices.
And who can complain about the scenery, can't get any closer to the
water. I like the old jams, so i was psyched to hear bathtub to start
it off, but it took me a little while to get through the set till an
incredible Split open and melt finished it off. Out of all the funk that
they are playing now, Makisupa Policeman is fast becoming my favorite.
Which madfe me happy when the jammed it in the second set. When they
ended that, and went right into Maze, i didn't knoiw how things could
get any better. Maze has always been an intense song live for me and i
think most audiences. Yet the most enjoyable part of the night came
when the flowing jam of Harry Hood started, and the lights when out.
The audience turned into a sea of glo-sticks jumping out and falling
through all the people. For a while this went on, and i'm sure the band
enjoyed the visual stimulation from the crowd. This ended the second
set, and i'm sure most were thinking how this could possibly be topped?
well, fishman took care of it by serenading all the ladies in the
audience and making all the men laugh by grooving to sexual healings.
what a night!
mike pettit
California
Disclaimer: Ventura was my 18th Phish show since 1994. I've heard about
300 hours on tape. My wife's cat has heard approximately 200, which means
that even our pet probably knows more about Phish than you do. But I
digress. This was to be my only Phish show of the summer, and my
expectations going in (especially after seeing Shoreline's stellar
playlist) were minimal.
The setlist, as best as I can recall and from Eric Burns' recollections,
went like this:
Set One:
Bathtub Gin, Dirt, Poor Heart, Lawn Boy, My Sweet One, Birds of a Feather,
Water in the Sky (not sure about the placement of this one), Theme, Moma
Dance, Split Open & Melt
(approx 80 min)
Set Two (aka the Beast that Ate the Beach):
Drowned - Makisupa Policeman - jam Maze, Sea and Sand, (something here,
and I'm bummed I'm forgetting it), Prince Caspian, Harry Hood
e: Sexual Healing, Halley's Comet
(II + E 90 min)
The scene was the same as last year -- very chill despite cops on
horseback. Some fellow insisted that he saw a horse throw his badged
rider...I may have paid to see this, as the guy wasn't hurt. We went in as
the gates opened, and quite easily dropped a blanket on the cracked dirt
surface about halfway between the soundboard and stage -- perfect seats,
imo.
I called GIN, and was quite happy to hear it, though I prefer it as a
mid-set jam setpiece instead of an opener. Well, this Gin wasn't as
glorious as the Went version (my personal favorite), but it quite easily
bested the Gorge's Gin opener from last year. It was very exploratory as I
recall, with Fishman and Page really shining. I had no idea until Eric
Burns told me so that this was a 20-minute version. Honestly, I got so
lost in it that time really meant squat. It was perfectly apparent that
the boys were on, and that I'd picked the right show to see. Probably the
strongest opener I've ever seen next to Sneaking Sally on 12/30/97.
DIRT was perfectly played and very appropos given our dusty surroundings.
Nice song. Nuff said. It started a stretch of tunes that most people out
there will read and say, "lame." I can't really put into words why it
wasn't, but it wasn't. Honestly, who knows whether the energy from this
run will translate to tape, but it was crackling. The POOR HEART saw Fish
more than his usual animated self, and Mike's solo drew props from Trey --
who, by the way, was having a fucking *blast* all night. They rawked out
the ending, and then coda'd with the closing licks from Freebird much as
they did in Lyon last year with Bela. At this point, the crowd was going
bananas.
The LAWN BOY was well-timed, and rendered in typical supercheese fashion.
I always like to hear this tune, though I think some folks think of it as
Yawn Boy. MY SWEET ONE was a surprise, given that they'd already played
Poor Heart -- two songs I speak of in the same breath. It came out of the
gates sounding like Mule, which was due, but MSO was a nice treat for a
west coast crowd that hasn't heard that tune in a long, long time. Energy
was still popping, but momentum had sagged the slightest bit. Time for a
recharge.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER was my first and, along with Moma Dance, the new tune
that I most wanted to hear. This version did not disappoint. Jenn turned
to me as the jam began and said, "this sounds a lot like Talking Heads."
Bwahaha...indeed. If Phish is wearing their influences on their sleeve a
little lately, they're doing it quite well. This BOAF ripped.
Straight-ahead, type-I dissonance groove. By this point, the crowd was on
its heels, and Phish was charging right at them again.
I don't think this is where WATER IN THE SKY was placed, but if it was, it
was terrible placement. The new arrangement of this song is certainly more
"Phishy," but it's really not appropriate to the lyrics. I rather liked
the lullaby version, but I suspect I'll get used to this one. Regardless,
two minute tunes don't really get in the way much.
THEME scratched an itch I didn't even know I had. The last few versions of
this song I'd heard live were a little uninspired, and this one had it.
All I remember is grinning ear to ear, and the fact that it was very *loud*
by the end.
The MOMA DANCE, SPLIT combo to finish the set seemed to me like a great
dichotomy. Here we had a song that epitomizes Phish's "new sound" -- a
total showcase for the new mode of simple, focused and thoughtful playing
-- and the complex wackiness of old-school Phish. I agree with most of
Darius's remarks on Moma, except for his assertion that it sounds like MMW.
To me, it sounds like Phish...a much spacier tone than MMW typically
grooves to, and less earthy. Anyway, I turned around as this tune began to
see Dirksen grinning like a cheshire cat, and turned back around as it
ended...same grin. I called the Split seconds before it happened, and as
Splits typically do, this one screamed. Trey especially was on fire for
this one, just kneeding the lower registers of his 'Doc patiently. Very
meditative groove a la many 1994 Stashes, which just then detonated at the
end. I was seriously impressed.
Long set break as I recall. Perhaps a full 45 minutes. Discussion at the
break was very positive, but a little reserved. I was maybe more effusive
than most, seeing as how I'd heard the two tunes I called, and the two new
tunes I wanted to hear. The second set was gravy...and what gravy it was.
Let's be honest...has Phish ever played a "bad" version of DROWNED? This
was my first, and I'm a huge fan of the Who, a huge fan of Quadrophenia,
and a huge fan of some of the jams it's produced (12/31/95, 12/11/97). It
was also appropriate because, as you all probably know, Quadrophenia is the
story of rival factions of teens who live near the beach...much like the
West Side Story of industrial Britain. Perfect for the venue. Anyway, I
jumped around like a maniac as Page rang out the first licks on his grand,
and my enthusiasm was rewarded with a *scorching, heartfelt, hosedown.*
This was, to my ears, absolutely titanic type-II Phish jamming. Of course,
I'll have to hear the tapes to know whether I'm blowing smoke, but I was
moved. This must have been twenty minutes long, and it segued seamlessly
and melodiously into
MAKISUPA. What a great breather. "Woke up in the
morning....ssssssssskunk." As my wife and I have a family of them living
under our house, skunks are sort of a theme with us. They're all over the
place in SoCal, and I wake up to the smell of them all the time.
Though...wait...maybe Trey wasn't talking about that kind of skunk...;-)
Anyway, he played a terrific little solo at the end of this tune, playful
and reminiscent of the post-Hood jam from Darien last summer (though not as
developed). segue (more of a meltdown, really) into
MAZE. Short version. Crackling version. Page just shredded the Rhodes.
I can't comment enough on how *together* this band is right now. Synched
up, lean and mean. This was an "old school" Maze -- far, far tighter than
some of the disasters that were played last year (Utah, NYE anyone?).
Major, major props to Chris Kuroda for his work last night -- he just took
this song to another level.
As Eric Burns has noted, this Drowned - Makisupa Maze combo clocked in
at about 35 minutes. Yesssss.
You could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard Page start to
play SEA AND SAND. Not only was it completely in keeping with the beach
theme of the show, but I never thought I'd hear it. Ever. Beautiful
version -- a perfect example of how a ballad can sustain the energy of a
crowd if it's played with heart. Does Page's voice sound more practiced
and steady to anyone else, or is it just me? My apologies if I'm missing
something in here...
Make no mistake about it, fans...this PRINCE CASPIAN was no Fuckerpants.
While I was afraid it'd vacuum the vibe right out of the bowl, I was dead
wrong. Trey simply shone on this extended version, leaning into the 32nd
notes, smiling and dancing around the stage -- it was just a real treat to
see them nail a tune that's been so uneven and fairly maligned.
Saul...hear this.
Around this point I was thinking Slave, which I'd have preferred over HARRY
HOOD at the time. I'm (1) not a fan of glowstick wars and (2) not a fan of
the Trey-takes-the-backseat versions that this song seems to have spawned
since 1996. Honestly, I find 12/30/97's Hood to be almost unlistenable.
Well, the composed section of Hood was really nice and clean, with a
playful little high-end flurry from Trey right before the "Harry!" I got
doinked in the head by a glowstick as the whole thing was petering out, but
was pleasantly surprised at the thoughtfulness and patience of the jamming
to that point. Then, the jam got serious. And to make a long story short,
sports fans, Trey is back in the SADDLE on this song!!! It wasn't what I'd
call a teary-eyed version, but rather extended, scorching and purposeful.
Really, really beautiful, and it didn't suffer at all for Trey's
showmanship. Bravo.
I sort of figured on a long encore, as we were at around 67 minutes. I did
*not* expect
SEXUAL HEALING. Who did? I think someone once suggested this one, maybe a
year ago, on r.m.p. Now, I've seen Fish do Cryin'. I've seen him do
Suspicious Minds with Elvi. I've seen him do Purple Rain in the purple
rain over Red Rocks. And this topped them all. Not only was he dancing
around at the front of the stage like a drunk muppet, but he actually
lifted the mu-mu and wagged his ass and private parts at the front rows
(someone who was on the rail, please remark!). If it went on a little
long, who gave a fuck? No one near me. There was one moment in the HYHU
fanfare where he ran to the front of the stage and pumped his arms on the
one as the band came down on the same beat -- and Chris *jacked* the bright
whites. And for a moment frozen in time, Greasy Fizeek was the biggest
rock star on the planet.
I was sort of surprised to see them going back for their instruments after
that one, and absolutely floored by Doop-Choop... HALLEYS was, as best as
I can describe it, stoney. It descended into a super-goop funk jam, maybe
four/five minutes long, until Trey started to bust off some loops. "I hope
they just walk off now," I said to Burns, and they did.
What a magnificent show. Apart from some fantastic bust-outs, the playing
actually surpassed the setlist. The band had a raucous blast onstage, and
seemed to truly appreciate the crowd. I sit here this morning sated.
Thank you, Phish.
--
"You remember what happened to the boy who suddenly got everything he ever
wanted, don't you?"
chris bertolet
Just a short note to let everyone know that it was a great show.
For those of us paying attention, Mike Gordon and Fishman could be seen
darting through the crowd on the ocean boardwalk outside the venue on an
electric cart right before the show. They were going fast enough so that by
the time you realized who was ripping by you, it was too late to stop and
talk. With Fishman at the wheel, there was of grave danger to limb and life
in attempting to stop that maniac.
The first set was not an easy space for me to get into. New songs and a new
sound and poor positioning in the audience on my part kept me less than
fully satiated. Don't get me wrong, the stuff is good, but I really hope
that this "funk" sound is just a part of the overall growth of the Phish
sound (as I'm sure it is) and not something that they're firmly sinking
their teeth into for the long term. As you can well imagine, the majority
of these songs will be around for a long time, but I believe that they will
be representative of one aspect of the many-faceted Phish.
The second set was more old school. I placed myself in front of the
soundboard and the sound (for me) improved dramatically. The songs were
familiar and the band and the audience were having fun.
The Ventura County Fairgrounds is a great venue for these guys and I hope
they continue to play there forever. General admission is the only truly
democratic form of concert attendance. You want front row positions, you
make damn sure you get there early and stake out your place...all of you
comped ticket holders can take your chances like the rest of us.
Peace,
Marty
great show monday nite! the bathtub gin went off. it could've gone on
the whole set, but trey pulled it back in for us. i was glad to see a
pretty solid theme from the bottom and finally get a split open and
melt... drowned and sea and sand were unexpected (but quite fitting for
the surrounding environment). brought back memories of new year's 95
to me... great transition to makisupa as well. pretty fulfilling
show. they boys seem to be kicking it into gear now.
where's runway jim? phoenix?
First of all, I had a blast. The proximity of the venue to the ocean is
paradise, and obviously the band was inspired by their view from the
stage to do a "sea set." Lots of water references - a great thread
running through the show.
There was a time when nitrous balloons and beer in the parking lot would
be my stadard M.O., but last night I decided to walk on the beach and
skip rocks into the surf, and look for whales and chill to get in the
mood. Sort of communing with the surroundings...and the show was right
in my stride.
I was pretty psyched at the prospect of a Gin opener - I have been
watching the setlist rotate, and excited to see this tune back in
action. I have not seen a show since last year here - I can't give
accurate comparisons to other shows. But I can say that I like the new
tunes. Dirt and Drowned were interesting lyrically. And I danced and dug
on Birds of a Feather as well. The vocals sound good, and I was in a
good spot in the crowd - for the first time I had enough Mike in the
mix, and that was pretty perfect. Great job on Lawn Boy solo and driving
Melt to close the set.
MakisupaMaze was spectacular. Huge rock and roll showmanship right
there, with the backdrop of palm trees and a few stars in the mist. Sea
and Sand was a nice short nugget that I liked alot.
I am not and cannot be a Caspian fan. Sorry.
Then a fat Hood. Fun encore - Sexual Healing is perfect for Fishman. I
have to say that Ben Harper has been closing shows with this too, and
his version brings me to tears. But Fishman is a charmer too. Then
Halley's Comet was groovy and I was happy to be kicking up the dust one
last time before hitting the road.
Trey is driving the wah-wah into the ground. The jam in the middle of
Bathtub sounded an awful lot like Moma Dance to me. Was that a tease or
just a rut he is in? Still the subtle playing of Page underneath the
drone of the wah works well, and Fishman is great at mixing it up and
driving it harder. I think I already mentioned that Mike Gordon is a
god.
I left in a great space. Cheers guys! How about playin the Greek again
next time through?!?
Peace
Aric