Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 01:41:31 EST
From: CJGSky@aol.com
To: dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Subject: Sum 98 Review
 
Midwest Magic encircled by cornfield delieght, tucked in Glowood light were
off to see Phish tonight.  :-)
 
 
The Oooeeeyyy, Goooeeeyy, Goo Phest at Deer Creek 98 !!!
 
  8 - 3 - 98, WOW!
 
  She Knows, why yes she does know, swimming in phish goo during a surprising
opener that was nicely done.  The band sensing the magic already in the air
drop into "How would you like your strawberry goo", Incredible Halley's.
  Into the second song and Trey, Mike, Page, & Fish are soaring within the
collecting electricity abounding and surrounding this energy field known as
Deer Creek, Phew!
 
  At this point I didn't Know that I was that far gone, pure magic!  The band
glassy eyed and tingly, understanding that this is one of those magical
moments to run with being goooeed by the magically enlightening energy pouring
straight out of the universe into the surrounding atmosphere, collecting into
what we know as thunderstorms.  Ride Captain Ride, upon your mystery ship, to
a place that some of us might have missed.  Within improvisational goo.  
Phuck Yeah!
 
  How about CTB, just lettin it ride baby!  Into the sick jamming of Moma
Dance, as we pheel winds blowing differently than ever before and they're
pushing us further into the storm.  Upon which we see as a Strange Design, at
this point we're all doing ohh so phine.  Trey wanting one more dive into this
non stop jam set and to quench his fill until the second set he set out on a
quest of goo jamming, jamming out a deep character zero.  Pheeewww!!!  
Awesome set!!!
 
  Set Two:  Gumbo goo coming up, Yeeaahh, right on.  Let's swim in Phish goo.
The boys wasted no time diving back into the goo.  Splashing it all around
with their musical abilities.  This is such an incredible show!  Axilla, a
noting reference of song selection by the band that seems to acknowledge an
appreciatively strong show to their liking, dank!  The band slipped in some
meat Limb by Limb and Page touched the spirit within the storm and the entire
moment, night escalated toward the upper reaches of the atmosphere.  I've Got
a Bike, you can ride it if you like, I'd give it to you but I borrowed it.  
Why you're the kinda girl that fits in with my world.  Cosmic, phuckin
beautiful, filled with tingling enlightenment!
 
  To be with the beauty of my dreams on such an incredible evening and to
 
  To be with the beauty of my dreams on such an incredible evening and to hear
the band so playfull and ecstatic to be playing, swimming in goo and to throw
Fish up on center stage for his second vacuum performance of the night and to
choose to play Bike.  Purely pheels like being connected with the band, the
storm, with love, the beauty of my dreams, and the universe all at once.  
Purely Beautiful :-)
 
  Totally sick at this point, Deer Creek, simply said Deer Creek!!!  Trey on
drums jammin it out frolicking like a kid, the band reassembles into their
punctuating alignment then they just let it rip!  Asteroid crashed but nothing
burned, it made me wonder?  Is this show so phucking sick, to be here with
such a soulfully beautiful chick!  Tubein Baby, Tubein for our third Tube of
the summer run, lettin it phlow!  Seats positioned standing jammingly dancing
all show long in the mid - section of the lawn, with a huge video screen in
view, the sound for the lawn section at Deer Creek is huge.  Best I've heard
yet for a lawn section.  With a view able to clearly see the band, the screen,
the audience, above the pavilion and the surrounding trees and sky, Tube has
summoned the climactic moment of the night.
 
  A wonderfully jammed Tube has stirred up the goo into an uncontainable
mixture of electric goo that begins exploding in the atmosphere as the band
opens itself to the powers of the universe.  Wedged for the first time, phuck
yeah!!!
  Lightning exploding all around and rain gently falling down, a mystically
orgasmic moment of being gooed by true beauty and cosmic power.
 
  What a wonderful way to top off the most incredible of shows.  They say she
can feel my heartbeat, but ohh, how I will never know, for it's the salt
that's in our tears and it's the ocean in our veins.  Says it all.  A touching
Circus in the encore and into an Antelope that simply put came right out of
the universe herself, you could honestly feel it.  Antelope floated right over
and upon us, Incredible.
 This song means so much to me and my girl, we are like bound by it, and to
hear it to cap the show is divinely beautiful, especially since this was our
last show of the summer of 98 tour. :-)
 
  Thank You Phish, for all the wonderfully, magically, enlightening moments
and experiences within and throughout this world we all live in.  Peace &
Enlightenment to all.  :-)


From cdhoard@umich.edu Sat Sep 12 23:35:41 1998 Date: Fri, 07 Aug 1998 21:01:46 -0400 From: Christian David Hoard Cc: Dan Hantman , traders@umich.edu, andy@gadiel.com Newsgroups: rec.music.phish Subject: 8/3/98 Deer Creek Review Good evening. Following a hyped 8/2 show and some good vibes amongst the phans, I was really looking forward to this show. I had great seats (Section C, right side, row E), perfect for studying Fish, my personal hero. For all of you wondering about the Phish connection with other jam bands like Ekoostik Hookah, I was hanging out before the show and I spotted Hookah's Ed McGee (the rhythm guitarist/singer, NOT the one with the really annoying voice). He talked about the upcoming live album, Hookahville, and said that he "hadn't been to a Phish show in a while." Pretty cool. Anyway, Phish also played... Monday, August 3, 1998 DEER CREEK - "Holy shit! Hold Your Head up!!" Rhinocerous: Continuing with the trend of slow songs and first-time covers for openers, this one sort of plodded out. I probably would have enjoyed this more had I not been spending so much time trying to remember where I knew this song from... Halley's Comet: Yes!! I hear this song so infrequently that I can't help but hope for it. Very cool a cappella part with Trey really getting into it. Aa for the jam...I read that some people really liked it and some thought it did nothing. I'm more inclined to agree with the latter viewpoint. I'll check it again when I get the tapes, but at the show I was unimpressed with this jam. I Didn't Know: The Nancy Taube 1-2 punch, eh? Good version. I believe Fish played the vacuum solo in Dorian mode, while instructing Page to back him in d minor, which I find to be the saddest of all keys. Anyway... Ride, Captain, Ride: No. It can't be. Wow. It is. I've only heard this once before (on tape). I'd much rather hear Phish hit me with a great jam, but breakouts like this are lots of fun, too. CTB: Great crowd reaction. I love hearing Page shine like this. Excellent choice. Moma Dance: Yes!! I was expecting this, since it's been in heavy rotation this summer. This funked HARD. This entire song, like Ghost, is a mo-fo funk THROW-DOWN. Maybe this wasn't the best version, but it was exactly what I needed. Strange Design: "And now, for your Top 40 pleasure..." Nice break here. Ahhhh, Page sing. And the set-closer is... Character Zero: Doh. Haven't we heard enough of this already? Actually, this was a nice, high-energy version. However, like too many songs on the Alpine-DC tour, my impression was that it was stopped short before it really got out there. The CTB and Moma Dance plus the Captain breakout made for an enjoyable set, though a little thin. I was hoping for more in set II... Gumbo: Cool opener. This is a perfect example of how the funk has bled over into non-funky song (Wolfman's is another). Though I miss Page's ragtime solo to end, the jam more than made up for it. Great jam here! Very funky. If anyone watching this show had any doubts that Jon Fishman is one of the most creative drummers out there today, this should have assuaged them. Axilla: Yes! Great follow-up to a mellow funk jam. This rocked HARD. A great experience. Limb x Limb: Again, good placement. I was expecting this one, too. -> Taste: Haha. Kidding. Limb jam does sound an awful like Taste, however. This was quite a jam. Fishman was, again, incredible in this tune. Awesome drumming. Anyway, this jam went places. Good lights, too. The best jam of the night, besides the encore, I think. Meat: A good aside. Nice tune actually. I love that little start/stop syncopated lick. They stopped, had a conference, then played sort of a "Meat Reprise." HYHU->Bike: Bum, bum, bum, bum-bum, Bum, bum, bum, bum-bum...No. It can't be. Yes it is! As Trey took a seat at the drums (looking quite foolish, I must add), the crowd went nuts! Fish said something I couldn't understand, then the band segued into...Bike! Yes! Fishman is just a hilarious troll when it all comes down to it. Wow. When he went to the back of the stage as Bike ended, I thought he was gonna get naked. But he didn't, which was probably a good thing. Anyway, a moment I'll never for get. Tube: Yes! Definitely on my wish-list. A solid version, not nearly as good as the 12.7 Dayton version from last fall, but who's complaining? Good segue into the 12/8 blues/Hendrix part. Especially since the next song was the closer, I wish they'd have stretched this out. Wedge: Great to hear, but I hoped it wouldn't close the set. A solid version. Why couldn't they extend this? Anyway, this set was leaving me feeling a bit under-nourished. As my friend Mike mentioned that this set was about as short as last night's second set, which was followed by a Hood encore, we were hoping for an Antelope... When the Circus: At least they played this BEFORE Antelope... Antelope: Yes! I expected the crowd to go a little nuts when Trey started this one up, but actually everyone sounded a bit confused (I went nuts). Fishman also went a little nuts on his jam blocks during the intro, to the point where Trey looked over and laughed. I was so hyped during the jam segment. VERY intense jams here. Awesome lights, too. Wow. We all, of course, went nuts for "Set the gearshift..." What an incredible way to end the Alpine -> DC run. Honestly, this Antelope brought this show up to above-average for me. Awesome. Mmmm, nuts. Anyway, a decent show. Lots of cool songs, but again, not much of it stuck. For what it's worth, the first night at DC was my favorite of the run, with Alpine and second DC close behind. My overall impression of Phish in summer '98 (forgive me for making such a judgement on the basis of only 3 shows) is that the whole vibe of "Phish is really exploring new ground and playing mind-blowing jams" felt last fall was not very strong here. The band is as tight as ever, but they just didn't seem to stretch out much musically. The sets were not coherent; they didn't flow together very well, and the jams were not well defined with a few notable exceptions. Also, the funk wasn't even that prevalent. Is Phish stuck in transit as they move to a new direction? I don't know. Anyway, I don't mean to give the impression that I was dissapointed. Phish is still the greatest band on Earth, and these shows were a lot of fun. Thanks for reading! Later, CDH ------------ 8/3/98 DEER CREEK, NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA I: Rhinoceros*, Halley's Comet, I Didn't Know**, Ride Captain Ride***, Cars Trucks Buses, Moma Dance, Strange Design, Character Zero II: Gumbo, Axilla Pt. 1, Limb by Limb, Meat, HYHU > Bike > HYHU, Tube, The Wedge E: When the Circus Comes, Run Like an Antelope ok, back at the creek for another round. Whats this opener? Vaguely familiar, but I cant put my finger on it. OK, a smashing pumpkins song - I can like this, well grooved, for sure. This followed by some thick strawberry goo!!! I was expecting the extended funk jam like ventura, but it kinda went its own way (still rocked-out, though). I didnt know was a nice treat, fishman is the shit, no doubt. His vaccuum solo was way nutty. The people around us must of thought we were loony when we started jumping up and down and screaming at the begiining of the next song, but when page started singing, they caught on pretty quick. It was awesome, I hope they put this into the repertoire. A short CTB, followed by THE FUNK!!! Its about time, the last 3 shows were surprisingly thin on the funk, largely due to the fact that they arent playing moma every show anymore. So that was pretty much the first set, strange and zero after that just served to close it up. So remember above I said that 8/2 was one of the strongest first sets, this is damn close, if not better! allright, set II ,time to rock, whats it gonna be? When they busted the gumbo, the first thing I thought of was the extended-funked out version of the gorge. Believe it or not, this gumbo completely blew that away. It had so many different musical turns and twists, its hard to label it as one song. They should just rename this song 'hose' or something, it would be much more accurate. This is one of the best extended free-form jams I've ever seen them do, I'll put it right up there with the 2/17/96 amsterdam DWD. I cant wait to hear this tape (grovel, grovel, big grovel, huge grovel, hint, hint, grovel). After they turned the hose off, Axilla steamrolled us. I love this versoin, there's nothing like a good prostatic ream to make your loins dissolve.... Limb by Limb was so tight, they really have this song down these days. Meat was great, the start/stop thing is really trippy. I thought the one from the gorge was kind of long and dragging, but this one was so hot it didnt have that effect. Whoa, time for more fishman. Bike was the shit, once again, fish rules!!!! He hid out, and just when you thought it was over, he busts out onto stage to make everyone go nuts again. OK, then tube and wedge. I was far too hosed by this point to even comment on how fat these songs were. Get the tape. Circus was a sit-downer for me, you know my love of slow encores. But trey wouldnt leave me hangin like that- antelope to the rescue!!! We were all ready with the spike, and were surprised and delighted with trey's 'spliff'. Gotta be the first since the 80's. Allright! Extra spike for all!!!!!!!!! Whew, at this point, its getting tough to rate these shows. Every single night is so sick and unique in its own way. If you thought phish was addicitive before, you're in trouble. My fiancee mindy and her brother rick are now on their way to atlanta after this fatty (they originally planned on skipping it). Rick originally planned on doing only portland>phoenix. Currently he hasnt missed a show 'cept for columbus, and is doing thru the wheel. They are busting out so many great songs, imagine when they pull it all together at the wheel, with sets like moma>tube>cities>ride captain>camelwalk>reggae woman>ramble on>(insert next fat song to be broken out here)>dog log. I would have to say that this second set of 8/3 was up there with the best I've seen, the gumbo was SO SICK!!! But I havent heard phoenix, kansas, or st louis yet ;-) have fun and be safe on tour all... Jamie ---------------- 8-3-98 Deer Creek, Noblesville,IN compared to the nite before i thought this show was well short of topping either of last nites sets. Wedge was probably placed in the worst spot possible, but it was good to hear it. Ride captain ride was a fucking unreal treat for me and my kind brother miguel. It took us about 15 secs. to realize what they were playing but once we did, we went pretty bizerk! The bike was hilarious and it was pretty obvious that the boys were just trying to enjoy themselves, not rage with the intensity of the nite before. I thought that they should have played a YEM or a cavern or a something to bring the energy level back to what it was in tube. In other words i was glad to hear halley's, ride captain ride, bike, and the wedge but i wish they would have been in different spots in the setlist. Good evening. Following a hyped 8/2 show and some good vibes amongst the phans, I was really looking forward to this show. I had great seats (Section C, right side, row E), perfect for studying Fish, my personal hero. For all of you wondering about the Phish connection with other jam bands like Ekoostik Hookah, I was hanging out before the show and I spotted Hookah's Ed McGee (the rhythm guitarist/singer, NOT the one with the really annoying voice). He talked about the upcoming live album, Hookahville, and said that he "hadn't been to a Phish show in a while." Pretty cool. Anyway, Phish also played... Monday, August 3, 1998 DEER CREEK - "Holy shit! Hold Your Head up!!" Rhinocerous: Continuing with the trend of slow songs and first-time covers for openers, this one sort of plodded out. I probably would have enjoyed this more had I not been spending so much time trying to remember where I knew this song from... Halley's Comet: Yes!! I hear this song so infrequently that I can't help but hope for it. Very cool a cappella part with Trey really getting into it. Aa for the jam...I read that some people really liked it and some thought it did nothing. I'm more inclined to agree with the latter viewpoint. I'll check it again when I get the tapes, but at the show I was unimpressed with this jam. I Didn't Know: The Nancy Taube 1-2 punch, eh? Good version. I believe Fish played the vacuum solo in Dorian mode, while instructing Page to back him in d minor, which I find to be the saddest of all keys. Anyway... Ride, Captain, Ride: No. It can't be. Wow. It is. I've only heard this once before (on tape). I'd much rather hear Phish hit me with a great jam, but breakouts like this are lots of fun, too. CTB: Great crowd reaction. I love hearing Page shine like this. Excellent choice. Moma Dance: Yes!! I was expecting this, since it's been in heavy rotation this summer. This funked HARD. This entire song, like Ghost, is a mo-fo funk THROW-DOWN. Maybe this wasn't the best version, but it was exactly what I needed. Strange Design: "And now, for your Top 40 pleasure..." Nice break here. Ahhhh, Page sing. And the set-closer is... Character Zero: Doh. Haven't we heard enough of this already? Actually, this was a nice, high-energy version. However, like too many songs on the Alpine-DC tour, my impression was that it was stopped short before it really got out there. The CTB and Moma Dance plus the Captain breakout made for an enjoyable set, though a little thin. I was hoping for more in set II... Gumbo: Cool opener. This is a perfect example of how the funk has bled over into non-funky song (Wolfman's is another). Though I miss Page's ragtime solo to end, the jam more than made up for it. Great jam here! Very funky. If anyone watching this show had any doubts that Jon Fishman is one of the most creative drummers out there today, this should have assuaged them. Axilla: Yes! Great follow-up to a mellow funk jam. This rocked HARD. A great experience. Limb x Limb: Again, good placement. I was expecting this one, too. - Taste: Haha. Kidding. Limb jam does sound an awful like Taste, however. This was quite a jam. Fishman was, again, incredible in this tune. Awesome drumming. Anyway, this jam went places. Good lights, too. The best jam of the night, besides the encore, I think. Meat: A good aside. Nice tune actually. I love that little start/stop syncopated lick. They stopped, had a conference, then played sort of a "Meat Reprise." HYHU-Bike: Bum, bum, bum, bum-bum, Bum, bum, bum, bum-bum...No. It can't be. Yes it is! As Trey took a seat at the drums (looking quite foolish, I must add), the crowd went nuts! Fish said something I couldn't understand, then the band segued into...Bike! Yes! Fishman is just a hilarious troll when it all comes down to it. Wow. When he went to the back of the stage as Bike ended, I thought he was gonna get naked. But he didn't, which was probably a good thing. Anyway, a moment I'll never for get. Tube: Yes! Definitely on my wish-list. A solid version, not nearly as good as the 12.7 Dayton version from last fall, but who's complaining? Good segue into the 12/8 blues/Hendrix part. Especially since the next song was the closer, I wish they'd have stretched this out. Wedge: Great to hear, but I hoped it wouldn't close the set. A solid version. Why couldn't they extend this? Anyway, this set was leaving me feeling a bit under-nourished. As my friend Mike mentioned that this set was about as short as last night's second set, which was followed by a Hood encore, we were hoping for an Antelope... When the Circus: At least they played this BEFORE Antelope... Antelope: Yes! I expected the crowd to go a little nuts when Trey started this one up, but actually everyone sounded a bit confused (I went nuts). Fishman also went a little nuts on his jam blocks during the intro, to the point where Trey looked over and laughed. I was so hyped during the jam segment. VERY intense jams here. Awesome lights, too. Wow. We all, of course, went nuts for "Set the gearshift..." What an incredible way to end the Alpine - DC run. Honestly, this Antelope brought this show up to above-average for me. Awesome. Mmmm, nuts. Anyway, a decent show. Lots of cool songs, but again, not much of it stuck. For what it's worth, the first night at DC was my favorite of the run, with Alpine and second DC close behind. My overall impression of Phish in summer '98 (forgive me for making such a judgement on the basis of only 3 shows) is that the whole vibe of "Phish is really exploring new ground and playing mind-blowing jams" felt last fall was not very strong here. The band is as tight as ever, but they just didn't seem to stretch out much musically. The sets were not coherent; they didn't flow together very well, and the jams were not well defined with a few notable exceptions. Also, the funk wasn't even that prevalent. Is Phish stuck in transit as they move to a new direction? I don't know. Anyway, I don't mean to give the impression that I was dissapointed. Phish is still the greatest band on Earth, and these shows were a lot of fun. Thanks for reading! Later, CDH I: Rhinoceros*, Halley's Comet**, I Didn't Know***, Ride Captain Ride, Cars Trucks Buses, Moma Dance, Strange Design, Character Zero (65 min.) II: Gumbo, Axilla I#, Limb By Limb@, Meat, HYHU Bike% HYHU, Tube, The Wedge (56 min.) E: When The Circus Comes, Run Like An Antelope^ (20 min.) *Smashing Pumpkins cover, first time played **w/ extended jam ***w/ Fish on Vacuum # w/ "Axilla II" ending @ "second pause" before solo % w/ vacuum ^ Trey says, "Been you to have any spliff?" Last RIDE CAPTAIN RIDE - 12/30/92 (486 shows!) Last BIKE - 11/7/96 (128 shows!) RHINOCEROS - When it started, it sounded pretty cool. But I was thinking, "What is this"?? At first I thought it was a new Phish tune, but neither the lyrics of melody were coming to me. Then, after a couple of minutes, I caught somebody near me on the lawn who was singing the words and they told me it was a Smashing Pumpkins song. I figured that explained why I wasn't familiar with it, me being about the furthest away from that band as you can get. But the song sounded pretty good, and even though I had not heard the original version, I sure was liking Phish's version. HALLEY'S COMET - I was hoping for a PYITE or something completely stellar and fast-paced for the band to go into at this point, but "Halley's" was grooveable for me & I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the jam they went off on for a while, but I was more surprised than anything else to hear the band go into the first few words of: I DIDN'T KNOW - Halley's into IDK? I thought this was some sort of sick joke. It was neat and interesting, but here I was three songs into the show and I still hadn't heard any killer Phish originals (but I had heard a pretty enjoyable jam in Halley's.) IDK was fun as usual, and Fish's crazy vacuum solo had me laughing, so I started to wonder if maybe the band wasn't going to be so epic-based as they were the night before at Deer Creek. I thought maybe they were just trying to have fun up there... RIDE CAPTAIN RIDE: ...and, I was RIGHT when they busted out their almost- forgotten cover of this tune, which I recognized instantly. I knew the band hadn't covered it in a while. It didn't really do a whole heckuva lot for me, and what I needed was a good jam or epic. But it was only four songs into the first set, I sure as heck wasn't gonna start ragging on the scene yet. CARS TRUCKS BUSES: A pleasant move. Page's handiwork is always gladly accepted by my ears at shows, and CTB was the first piece I heard that really made me glad I had picked up the second D. Creek night's tickets. Some really fine keyboard jamming made the perfect segue into the jammed-out funkyness of... MOMA DANCE: I hadn't heard this song before this night, so I didn't quite know what it was until hearing the refrain. This night the band played it out with a really long intro, and so I finally was able to recognize it as "Black-Eyed Katy" with lyrics. A crowd-pleaser, I can see this song being in heavy rotation on Phish sets for a few years. I could really tell the band seemed to be having a lot of fun up there jamming to these laid back songs. So it was no surprise they kept the mood up for at least one more song. STRANGE DESIGN: This beautiful piece left over from "Billy Breathes" sessions really had me singing along. I had heard it on many tapes but was kind of surprised at its triumphant return since its abandonment from such heavy rotation in '95-'96. Too bad the band hadn't decided to include it on the album, it sure is a peaceful & tranquil number... CHARACTER ZERO: This being probably one of my most over-played Phish songs, I know it front and back but yet have not grown sick of it. Probably the biggest highlight of the first set, the band had it going on especially with the jam, as Trey took the song to new heights with a wildly explosive guitar solo. Kind of saddened me, not because of they chose to play it, but because Character Zero is a famous choice for a first set closer, so I knew this would probably be it for 30-40 minutes. And I was right... but what a killer jam to end such a fun set! According to my watch the set totaled about 65 minutes. GUMBO: One of those songs that's always good to hear, the words to Gumbo were fun to singalong with and the jam out of it was great. But the energy of "Character Zero" had left me wanting more of that urge to get down heavy, which I would get in a matter of minutes with the head-banging assault of... AXILLA I: YES! I couldn't help but dance like crazy to the drum & guitar barrage that encircles this song. The lyrics are quite a bit more zany and mysterious than those of Axilla II, yet because the music is basically identical, I didn't know which words I'd be grooving to until hearing "I dropped the buzzard in the sand..." Makes me wish for an Axilla Axilla II, oh well... maybe someday! LIMB BY LIMB: The band paused for a minute right after the long refrain which made me think they were ending it early. Then the solo just came in without warning and left me really puzzled. Except for this, it was basically the standard live Limb By Limb. Nothing too exciting. MEAT: I was glad to get to hear this crazy funked-out Mike song. It does really make a good sequel to "Ghost" (which I've heard was the band's purpose in doing this song...) It seemed pretty short, but the craziest thing about the song was how the band would end it, pause for a minute or two, and then go back into it. I thought twice throughout the song it was over! It's a really fun piece of music, though, hope to hear it on the new album... HYHU: When the notes of "Hold Your Head Up" came on and I saw Trey and Fish change places, I got extremely excited and couldn't wait to hear what Fish would do. It seemed like the band really was going crazy tonight, and I mean CRAZY! But nothing I had ever heard in the world that Fish had done compared to what he would do with... BIKE: From the Syd Barrett-Pink Floyd days, this crazy song was hammed up so much by Fish that everybody in the place was dying with laughter! The most unbelievable thing about hearing this was that my buddy next to me had told me before the show, very nonchalantly, "They are going to play BIKE." I knew, of course, he was only kidding, as the song hadn't been played in about 2 years, and what were the chances they would pull it out tonight? Either my buddy was psychic or had connections, or it was just part of the fun and mystery which is Phish (and especially Fish.) I was screaming throughout the whole song to my buddy at how unbelievable (and hysterical!) the whole thing was! Fish took up his vacuum again (saying something like, "I just can't stay away from the vacuum tonight!") and got so much laughter & applause that I knew this show definitely redefined the word FUN. HYHU REPRISE: Fish ran all over the stage, really hammed it up, after which Trey called him "Bob Weaver". I was going crazy and as far as I was concerned, the night had already been set in my mind as so special it was groundbreaking. TUBE: And just to make sure everybody in the place wasn't dead from laughter, "An asteroid crashed and nothing burned!" came from the mouth of Trey as the band got back into a heavy boogie with this song. The jam was great and I was dancing like crazy. THE WEDGE: Wow! Wow! Wow!!! Couldn't believe they chose to end the set with this song! It was played near-perfectly, and I think was a real good way to end a really great set, and night in general! This set I timed at about 56 minutes. WHEN THE CIRCUS COMES: I know this is a popular encore cover for the band, it has sad lyrics on top of a soothing melody. Not what I would request for an encore, but the band would not let us down that night. The last few notes of this ballad trailed off into the beginning notes of the epic... RUN LIKE AN ANTELOPE: This song is the sole reason the night was a success. An unbelievable jammed out intro, a crazy middle section and a non-stop build up right before the "Marco Esquandolas" breakdown. The band had it on "MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE" with this one. Trey's key phrase tonight was "Been you to have any SPLIFF, man???" which had quite a bit of audience response and had me smiling. "SET THE GEARSHIFT" was high energy and when they hit the last chord of the song, I couldn't help but have a non-stop smirk on my face. "Ride Captain Ride". "Meat". "Bike". "Rhinoceros". "Antelope". WOW, WHAT A NIGHT. In Summation: If you're wanting a very fun show with less epic value and more musical craziness, get these tapes. The jams out of "Zero" and "Antelope" make it worthwhile from a full-throttle musical standpoint, but otherwise it is more or less a collection of a killer band having a laid-back, good time on stage. Just got back from the shows and was overwhelmed. I was getting kind of worried what they would play at the Creek since they played a lot of good stuff prior to the shows. But I was not dissappointed afterwards. The scene was and is the best of all lots. Maybe with the exception of Hampton. Surprisingly, tickets were not hard to come by at all. People couldn't even get rid of lawn seats for less than cost. And the people were nice and friendly as always. Now on to the show. Rhinoceros- A feedback build up and then the solid 4/4 beat just like on the CD to start. I didn't know what it was til Trey started singing, and then I knew. I've been a fan of SP for a while so I knew the song. There version I would say was not as good as the original, but definitely a nice change of pace. Trey's vocals didn't match the soft,girly sounding Billy Corgan and Fishman is no Jim Chamberlain. But a good version nonetheless. Halley's Comet- A long conference between members and then Gordo kicked it. The place went bonkers. A great version. Ranks up there with Hampton. A great jam at the end and very solid all around. The jam slowly melted into nothing and then... I Didn't Know- Another crowd favorite. With Fishman on vacuum it was hilarious. What is up with his hair anyway. Ride,Captain,Ride- Very solid. Page was getting off big time. I love this tune and am glad I had the chance to see it. The crowd was really into it now and they knew that we were ready for a huge show. Cars,Trucks,& Buses- I've never heard the crowd roar as much for this song as I heard it that night. It was placed beautifully in the set. Page would not let the song end. He just kept pumping the keys. Never really liked this tune. But liked it here. Moma Dance- I had heard this on one of the Europe tapes I got before the show and thought, WOW! It is Black-Eyed Katy with lyrics and some zip. It really rocks. Especially, towards the end. This will be a crowd pleaser to come. Strange Design- I had been waiting for this tune. And this set reaffirms Page's strength to the band. He carried this tune. It was a bit different from past versions I have heard. A bit spacey. And Fishman and Page kept fighting with the rythym the whole song, but it was great to hear. Character Zero- People have expressed I desire for less of this song, and I tend to agree. But I also say if it placed well in the show it can be very energetic. I would say it was the latter. The crowd went bolistic. And Trey did not disappoint. The jam was stellar and climaxed to end the set. Set Two Gumbo- This was another great change of pace. I like this song a lot. And when it opens a show it is better. A great solid version. A very long spacey jam at the end. It kind of reminds me of Wolfman's in that respect. The jam got really dark as Mike was leading the way. And as the jam came to an exhillarating climax it stopped and then... Axilla- The pulsating drums of Fishman. I thought I was gonna get caught in a mosh pit, but luckily I didn't. I don't know why some fans don't like this tune. Maybe, it is because it resembles nothing like what should be going on at a "hippie show" or maybe cause it is so fast. Anyhow, the crowd seemed to rock out to it and so did I. The end jam melted into.... Limb x Limb- Starting to be a crowd pleaser, this version did not disappoint. The rearrangement leads to more jamming and they did. The jam was a bit lost for awhile but was picked up again by Mike and then slowly just melted away and stopped. Meat- I heard this song on a Europe tape and was ready for it. This is an incredibly funky tune with some start/stop intracacies. You think it is over and then right back into it. It was funny cause they stopped, conversed about what to play next and then went back into Meat. When the song ended it went right into HYHU. Bike- Fishman came out and the roar of the crowd was deffening. I had no thought on what he would do since he hasn't come out in a while. But "Bike" was a pleasant surprise. Fishman said he couldn't get enough of the vacuum so he was up there again. If you have never heard this tune, it is the funniest thing in the world. And Fishman was hamming it up. Big thrust motions and funny facial expressions and just overall making a fool out of himself. Back to HYHU and Fishman started running around the stage taking his kudos from the crowd. Tube- a big conference on what to play. Every member had some input. I think they got to all the tunes but played this one first. The new and improved funky version is quite nice. But I prefer the solid, structured old rock version myself. The jam was tight. But I felt it could have been better. Wedge- No way. Phish has been fiddling with this song for years. Not sure on how to jam it or where to put it in a set. I think this is the first time they have ended a set with it. It was great to hear. No mess ups. A real great tune to here in the middle of cornfields. The end was repetitive, and I think Trey said, "Well, whatever and thanks for coming out tonite". Circus- I think people were ready for a mammoth encore. Maybe something rare or something. When they started this I felt as though people were let down. Maybe cause Rocky Top might be coming next and that would not be cool to end a great show like that. This song was very slow in tempo and was decent. I liked it. Antelope- Now it was on. If you ever get this tape. You have to hear this Antelope first. It will blow your mind. They climaxed like 5 times before going into the marco part. It was complete pandamonium. The light show was crazy, and had everybody worked up. Then Trey kicked the "spliff" reference and busted into the drum role. What an ending and what a show. Personally, not as good as some I have seen but definitely up there in the top 5. peace scott