, attached to 1999-12-02

Review by n00b100

n00b100 I've seen December 1999 called one of the best tours (if not the best tour) of the late '90s; I haven't done enough listening to it (outside the monster 12/11 show and Cypress), so I figure I should give some of the shows a shot.

The first set here is nothing particularly special; the Antelope's probably the highlight, but I've heard better. The second set, with a standard Boogie On and Jibboo, does not promise anything either. However, Bathtub Gin saves the day by bringing an groovy, souped-up jam that builds momentum like a boulder rolling down a hill; it's not Type II (in case you needed it to be), but it's a solid version nevertheless, especially for a set that was crying out for a big jam to save it. The Gin jam then goes really big, Trey really ripping off some manic solos, then collapses into a fog of white noise, from which you'd expect Also Sprach Zarathustra to emerge, but instead comes Alaska...no, just kidding, Also Sprach Zarathustra does indeed emerge from the pea soup and bring some manic (maybe a touch too manic) energy to the proceedings. Page plays a really weird and interesting descending 3 notes throughout; otherwise, the version is fun but not one for the record books. But then comes the real highlight of the set - a YEM that starts off pretty standard until Mike starts teasing the bassline to I'm Eighteen (great call by @metawhy - give the song a listen on YouTube, it's pretty much the same), and the band picks up on it and goes into an incredibly hypnotic groove that could pretty much go on forever without getting old to me (kudos to whoever's adding the ghostly, spot-on harmonies). It's something entirely different from YEMs, and definitely worth hearing, especially as the vocal jam sticks with the I'm 18 jam for a bit before taking a crazy left turn into Little Drummer Boy, from which everyone takes off except Fish, giving us an incredibly charming end to the set. That's an hour of music that not only saves the set, but makes it one to listen. You can give the rest of the show a miss, but that Gin/2001/YEM is worth the download time.


Phish.net

Phish.net is a non-commercial project run by Phish fans and for Phish fans under the auspices of the all-volunteer, non-profit Mockingbird Foundation.

This project serves to compile, preserve, and protect encyclopedic information about Phish and their music.

Credits | Terms Of Use | Legal | DMCA

© 1990-2024  The Mockingbird Foundation, Inc. | Hosted by Linode