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R1/W04: 12-09-1997 Bryce Jordan Center, State College, PA

Started by disco, June 04, 2006, 11:33:35 PM

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jedifunk

Much Respect
(the other resident mac guy) [macbook air]
"Good Funk, real funk is not played by four white guys from Vermont.. If anything, you could call what we're doing cow funk or something.."
- Trey Anastasio

cactusfan

we're starting to lag with the show of the month posts.
no reviews yet?

okay. here's mine. not to be contrarian or anything, but...

Mikes - nice. i love the funk, and i love how they get funky at the end. but once they're in it, they just give up. it goes nowhere, they stop abruptly and we're into--

Chalkdust - a nice rockin version.

My Soul - the most played song of fall '97. go figure. i actually like this song in fall '97 shows, though everywhere else it kind of bores me. this is a nice, typical version. though really every version is typical.

Stash - good, rockin version. i prefer stash when it goes somewhere freaky, but this one is nice. excellent segue into--

Hydrogen - which is fine, but trey screws it up a little. including the segue into--

Weekapaug - again, a good version, but nothing really different or interesting. just good intensity.

Dogs - i like this song in summer '97; everywhere else it's okay. this is a typical version.

Beauty - one of my least favorite bluegrass tunes.

Horn - fine, well played.

Loving Cup - perfectly fine, rockin version

so basically set I rocks out just fine, but there's nothing interesting or noteworthy in this set whatsoever.

Julius - same as set I, it rocks. not nearly as enjoyable as the 7.10.97 version we just heard.

Simple - everyone's talking this up, but it's not all that. it's good. hell, it's fall '97, what do you expect? i just don't think it compares very well to the many, many great jams of this tour. still, the one interesting song of the show. a bowie fake-out and then a very nice segue into--

Timber - which song i love. this is a short, tight version. not as good as the other timbers this tour (11.28 being my favorite), but a great song, well played.

Contact - yeah. fine.

Axilla - the beginning is totally tanked, but by the end it's really intense.

Hood - nice little axilla tease, but until the jam starts, this version is very weak. the jam is hot.

Fire - it smokes.

set II at least has the Simple, but it's just not that great a jam in light of the rest of fall '97. which tour is my favorite.

so yeah. this show isn't bad; nothing in this tour is really bad. but it's definitely down at the bottom of fall '97 for me. i have to say i'm a little mystified by how this show is talked up so much by everyone. hoping to hear why everyone loves it so much.

jedifunk

Quote from: cactusfan on June 07, 2006, 03:49:33 AM
Simple - everyone's talking this up, but it's not all that. it's good. hell, it's fall '97, what do you expect? i just don't think it compares very well to the many, many great jams of this tour. still, the one interesting song of the show. a bowie fake-out and then a very nice segue into--

we must not be listening to the same simple then... this jam is EXACTLY what fall 97 was about!  Exploration, my friend...  this jam has it all...  some really beautiful space (but not the all out space- except the ending) with excellent pace and feel... a great segment of funk (not really the deep cow funk)... and that signature fall 97 exhilirating, soaring jamming that really stretches out...

IMO, this is one of the top jams of that tour.....  (full review coming)
Much Respect
(the other resident mac guy) [macbook air]
"Good Funk, real funk is not played by four white guys from Vermont.. If anything, you could call what we're doing cow funk or something.."
- Trey Anastasio

jedifunk

ok, here's the full review.

overall a great show.  i will agree that its probably towards the bottom with regards to fall 97... but that just means it kicks ass.  but its a creeper show.  if your not careful- it'll grow on you ;)


mikes - nothing like a mikes opener to get the crowd moving!  jam starts out very rocking, which is nice, travels thru standard mikes, and then at the end, trey transitions into a funk jam which is very tight. nice stop start stuff...  but then they suddenly end it... kinda weird.

chalkdust, my soul - very standard rocking chalkdust. my soul - again (very sick of it at that point of the tour) - but jams a bit more than usual.

stash>h2o>week4paug - great pace and flow here... stash was great, not a killer version, but great and moves nicely into h2o IMO... and paug was just the right amount of paug IMO.

dog stole, beauty, horn, loving cup - felt a little "tacked on" as if they wanted to end with the paug, but realized there was still time.  i do enjoy horn when it is played.

julius - not a fan of this one as much.

simple - see above comments.  and add that i really feel like this is one of those hidden gems from fall 97.  this show looks bland on paper, but you have to hear the simple and you'll realize its magic... what i like about this jam is that it does fall into a category.  its not 97 funk or 98 ambience... ok, so its in another category: fall 97 exploration... there are a lot of spots on fall 97 where they are breaking more boundaries than they ever had before... 11/14 twist, 11/17 jbg, 11/19 wolfmans, 11/21 ER ac/dc, 11/29 jim, 12/3 bowie, 12/6 tweezer, 12/7 ac/dc->psycho killer, this simple, 12/11 dwd drowned, 12/13 yamar - just to name a few...  all those have some great improv outside of the funk.  amazing togetherness, all ears on each other, one band one sound one feeling...  that more than anything, more than the funk! is why fall 97 is my favorite, and the best tour in phishtory.  it surpasses even 95 in terms of pushing the envelope, raw improv, and the mood/headspace the band was in... pure bliss.

anyways, the show

timber - nice segue out of the simple space into a bowie-esque intro.  also enjoyed that they played this several times this tour.  actually they played this the night previous.

contact, axilla - after the serious workout of the last 2 songs, i think they took a moment to regroup, and these were ok for me.

hood - fine version.  would have like to see them stretch it just a bit more, but it was fine.

overall, B+... i would take this one over the first three simply for simple>timber, add in the mikes & horn and its a winner.  the simple simply has more to offer than anything else presented thus far. 

nice choice, as it fits the bill for under the radar with a very substaintial version of a song, and hopefully opened some eyes.
Much Respect
(the other resident mac guy) [macbook air]
"Good Funk, real funk is not played by four white guys from Vermont.. If anything, you could call what we're doing cow funk or something.."
- Trey Anastasio

Itsnotanexperience

okay, so i suck b/c i haven't had a single moment to re-listen to 12/9/97 and am not being a very good member of this club.........so, i sent a dude back in time to actually view the show, live and in person, and here's what he had to say (okay, yeah, this is a weak steal from phish.net, but i figure it offers some "in the moment" perspective to go along w/ these 9 years later, reviews:

Date:    Thu, 11 Dec 1997 04:19:29 GMT
From:    Untoot
Subject: 12/9/97 Penn St. Review

I think you've all seen the setlist

Mike's:  Nice opener and a pleasant surprise.  I knew they were gonna play it
but I didn't expect it to be the opener.  This was not an intense Mike's like
earlier ones  circa '94.  It was very slow, funky, and pretty mellow.  They
were doing this stop and start thing and when they would stop Trey would play
this funk riff that sounded pretty cool.  They did this about three times and
then at the end of the fourth one Trey launched right into...

Chalkdust:  This was a good Chalkdust.  It was just good solid old-fashioned
jammin'.  Trey was wailin' as usual and this version got the crowd going.  I've
heard better ones but this was definetly up to par.  I liked how they placed
this.  It was definetly a nice complement to Mike's and a good mood and
intensity change to jumpstart the show.

My Soul:  I know, they play this tune all the time but I enjoy hearing it.  I
don't understand why everyone rags on this song.  This was just another good
version.  Not great but again well placed in context with the set.

Stash:  Now we're talking.  I love this song and I'm glad they played it.  This
was another solid version with some good climaxes and spacy parts.  Nothing
really out-of-the ordinary until the end.  The jam got real quiet and they sang
"maybe so, maybe not" just once or twice.  Then the jam segued beautifully
into...

Hydrogen:  No flubs by Trey or Page in this version.  At the end there was a
bit longer of a pause before they finally went into

Weekapaug:  I thought that this was an excellent version and that Mike was
kickin' ass on the bass solo.  A very nice Weekapaug with some nice work by
Page in the middle.  I enjoyed this version a lot.

Dogs Stole Things:  I like this song and it served nice as a little mid-set
ditty

Beauty of My Dreams:  I could've done without this but who cares.  It's still
fun to dance to.

Horn:  I think that this song is beautiful and they nailed the lyrics.  This
was played to perfection.

Loving Cup:  I am in love with this song!  I was so psyched when I heard Page
play the opening notes.  Trey was really gettin' down during his solo and he
looked like he was having a good time which is always nice to see.  This was a
great set closer and they jammed it out nicely.

I thought that set I was a decent set.  It was very tight and there weren't a
lot of mistakes.  It did lack a lot of jamming which they made up for in the
following set. Overall I think it was a solid set with the highlights being
Chalkdust, Stash>Hydrogen>Weekapaug, and Loving Cup.

Julius:  Another nice opener.  This was a decent Julius and Fish let out some
random hollers throughout the song.  A good way to start off a great set.

Simple:  I hope that some of the people who were dissapointed with the
Worcester Simple had the privelage to see this one.  This was easily the best
version I've heard and I loved every minute of it.  This jam definetly broke
the 20 min. barrier.  The lights were excellent.  The jam had a little taste of
the funk at times.  Other times a relaxed latin feel.  Then it got very quiet
and Fish started playing the Bowie beat on the hi-hat.  I was almost positive
it was Bowie.  They sure fooled me!  After about a good 2 minutes of space,
effects, and anticipation from the crowd, Trey led the band into Timber Ho!

Timber Ho!:  I love the lyrics to this tune and that's about all I love about
it.  I'm not  really to fond of the jam but this version was not bad.  It was
very Stash-esque.

Contact:  Nice!  I was stoked when I heard the intro to this one.  The crowd
definetly appreciated this rare song.  This tune is so much fun to hear live.
I love it when they do that wave thing.  It's so cool to see them lead the
whole arena like that.  Great placement, great song.

Axilla:  Another well placed song.  This is so much fun to dance to.  It
sounded like they botched the beginning a bit but it rocked anyway.  Is this
the first one of the tour?  When they held out the last chord, Fish led them
right into...

Hood:  About 15 seconds into this, Trey played a couple notes of the Axilla
riff and then the rest of the band joined in.  They teased this for about ten
seconds and then without losing a beat, just went right back into Hood.  This
was a nice Hood. I can't really say too much about this, being that I saw the
ultimate Hood on 12/30/95.  This was a nice way to end a great set though.

Fire:  I've been waiting to hear this for quite a while.  Fish got a little
drum solo in the beginning because Trey played that riff in unison with Mike
about ten times before he started singing the lyrics.  It was pretty cool.
This was a real rockin' version with a HIGH energy level.  Trey was wailing on
this tune and was doing a little windmill thing at the end like Pete Townsend.
A very fun encore.

I thought this show was very good and the 2nd set made up for the lack of
jamming in the 1st set.  I can't wait for MSG!

Itsnotanexperience

also - of all the great fall '97 shows, this one has generally fallen near the bottom of my list........but I agree with Jedi that this Simple is very, very, tastey..........perhaps not the best jam of fall '97 to these ears, but a definite top 10.

word

susep

Mike's opener(2nd. of the tour=w/ the release of Slip on 28Oct.97 the material from that album seemed to have been in more then regular rotation)>funky chording by Trey, band sounding very full>hint of transition but back into solo by TA>heading to the stratosphere(Trey has mentioned how he listened to Band of Gypsys shows before heading on stage this tour)>wha-wha riffage, back into funk>before the transition I thought I heard Trey say "A"?  Funk cont...Nice playing>stop/start, Page claving out, Trey playing solid rythym, end.

'Dust>they have a long hty playing at Penn St.>charged soloing>

Stash>mellow outro/jam beginning(somehow fitting on another soaker in the NE :-D)>super relaxed playing>jam cont. to grow>Fish accenting>jam follows Fish's lead>Trey repeating theme>Fish coming in hard on the cymbals>everyone responds, tension into quick release(nice!)>maybe so>Mike grooving at 12:00>beautiful jamming>I Am Hydro

Weekapaug>jam begins to funk at 3:40>sweet jamming, collective 'paug music>nice turn into sweeping Trey>smoldering jam>nice sustain, everyone is raging>trippy soloing effect by Trey>rythym>back in.

Beauty>a plenty at any show :-D

1st. set:  Cool Mike's Groove standing in the shadow of 7Dec. Dayton.  

Simple>love the Went version>liquid Trey, Page raging the ivories>energy is high>7:15 kicks off a jam>,mini-march>beautiful playing>nice beat by Fish>cool effects by all>this is sndchk jamming=killer>nice theme by Trey at 10:00>active mellowness>Trey forcing a vortex the result is good>groove ensues>free for all, classic Fall '97>Mike and Fish creating a phoenix foundation, a comping Page w/ fills and runs and a psychadelic Trey>trill>mellow dissonance>flatening out(reminds me of After midnight reprise)>sprightly Page>mellow funk playing but again active>nice variations>this funk series and the journey the band took to get there and after defines the tour>super mellow outro w/ trippy Page>23:30 theme played in other jams this tour>extended ambient outro>very cool>maze/bowie teases>Cypress-esque>nobody knows?>people must have been losing it :evil:>

Timber>saves the day>Trey jumps right into the same wave that sustained the previous jam>at 2:50 he comes in Stash-esque :-D>
raging>atonal runs>building tension, sounds like Trey was applying Stash's modality>jam rages to close>

Hood>cool axilla rages in beginning>good as always>maybe a little more ambient then usual>nice version.

Fire>Hendrix is always +

Set 2:  Simple was the obvious highlight>here's an unpopular Phish opinion: I'll take this any day of the week over 23Nov.97 Gin. :wink:

Grade= B-

ps.  this was the first time I've heard this show, it has eluded my collection for sometime>cheers and ty :beers:






VA $l!m

Quote from: shoreline99 on June 06, 2006, 09:34:43 PM
Thanks.

Oh, and Rescue Me. Best f*cking show on television...

thats funny i just read this entire thread supposedly about this show... :roll:
trying to see if i could slip in a coment on "rescue me"-- :beers:
last nights episode was off da chaahtts!!


oh yeah, i give this show  8.3
:phish:
-I'm still walkin', so i'm sure that I can dance-

August

Mikes- i really like this version.sure it doesnt really do much (for a mikes) but it does what it is supposed to do and that is set the tone.......the key change in the middle of the jam is as smooth as can be and the start/stop is typical fall 97 funk.
Chalk- i dont mind the abrupt end of mikes into this chalk......kinda like it.....and this version rips!definitely on fire.
My soul- i will go on the record and say that i like this tune alot.it gets alot of flack, and was played to death in 97, but i like it.grill me up for it.good version.
Stash-another winner!just like the mikes this stash doesnt really do anything out of the norm, but is just the right amount of spacy and dissonant.i really enjoy the fact that it is in the middle of a mikes/week sandwich.really good version.
H2-cool intro.........i thought it was played rather well.i can forgive the slight flub at the end into....
Weekapaug- i am not a huge fan of weekapaug but not  real hater either.this is a great week and really fast.....cool version....
DST-Beauty-Horn-all short non jammy tunes.well played.you can take them or leave them.horn solo was played well.
Cup- hey trey and page..it is "i see your face shining in the flame"! i say about 75% of the time they say something like "i see your saash finin in the shea"......good version....

solid first set.
julius-another song that gets bashed that i really enjoy.this is a really high energy rendition with plenty of fishman screams.something about mike laying down the 12 bar scales that makes julius so funky......love this version...
simple-the meat of the show.jam starts off with your typical major jamming...then slowly falls apart(in a good way)......it slowly gets spacier and spacier......i like when page gets way out......the bowie intro is sick......there is something about a bowie intro at a show when you are out there that takes you even more out there.and that is the uneasy feeling of knowing that for the next however minutes, your mind is gonna get fucked with but you also take comfort in the fact that they will eventually drop into the intro and give you something to move to (unless you are really getting down to loops and random sounds!)........the fact that they go into timber really fucks with your head.....and since they palyedit at the nutter.......
Timber-great version...i like most timbber's and this one doesnt let me down......timber in my mind always sounds like how they did on fall 97 tour.........just like this....
and from here on, the show kinda falls apart for me.....
Contact/Axilla-Axilla was butchered.Contact was alright.
Hood-short intro with an axilla measure.....jam was cool...
Fire-not a big fan, but usually means that the band had a good time.....

Definitely a darkhorse from fall 97, maybe 11-16,12-5 and 12-12 being others.
i give this bastard a solid B+.

thanks!
a

sls.stormyrider

Enjoyed the show.
Set 1A
Mikes - good version. Thinking about the other 97 Mikes show openers (7/2, 11/22) and I'm psyched.
Chalkdust - a little uncoordinated in the beginning, but once the jam and solos come, it's hot.
My Soul- I don't like this song, but Page and Trey played Great solos
Stash - highlight of the show. great 97 spacey stash. the transition into hydrogen is very cool
Hydrogen was good
Weekapaug average to sub par
Set 1B - starting to lose some energy here
Dogs - OK
BOMD - eh
Horn - solid version, good song
Lovin Cup - Great version of a great song. by the jam section, all 4 are at full steam with nice interplay

Set 2
Julius - love this as a set opener. Not a great one but no complaints
Simple - At first listen, it didn't do much for me. But - I read the comments here and listened again. there really is a lot going on, especially under the surface. Changing moods and landscapes. I prefer some of the other monsters from that tour - Haleys 11/22, Ghost 11/28, Jim 11/29, Tweezer 12/6; but this is a very cool jam.
Timber - loved the Bowie fake out. How did they do it? Was anyone there? Did Trey run to everyone and tell them to change or did Mike just start playing the groove under Fish's highhat. Anyway, this version is hot.
Contact - liked the short funk jam in the middle
Axilla - never cared much for this song; this version doesn't change that
Hood - not my favorite, but still, I can feel good
E - Fire - trey does jimi, always fun.

Bottom line, very good show. Personally, I would put it a notch below 7/10/97, but a very good show.
Thanks, disco

And also gotta thank Birdman again for coming up with this.  :beers:It's good to hear songs I might otherwise not have checked out. Also, the format is great. Listening a bit more intently, checking out what other people are thinking as it's fresh in your head can give a different perspective on the music and allow you to hear things in a different way than you might otherwise. Very cool.
:phish:
"toss away stuff you don't need in the end
but keep what's important, and know who's your friend"
"It's a 106 miles to Chicago. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."

cactusfan

Quote from: august on June 07, 2006, 08:59:41 PM


Definitely a darkhorse from fall 97, maybe 11-16,12-5 and 12-12 being others.
i give this bastard a solid B+.

thanks!
a


is 12.12 a darkhorse? i always loved that one. in fact i just listened to it today. it rocks. i love the funky bitch > 2001 segue, so smooth you don't notice it's happening until it's happened. also for the first time i noticed the little buried alive tease in antelope.


birdman

   Finally finished listening to this weeks show today. Work has been crushing me recently and it wont let up until after July 4th. :frustrated: But my wife goes away next week with the kids, so Birdman will be flying solo for awhile   :banana:, yes, lots of  :banana: and  :beers:...plus loud :phish: in the house. :mrgreen:
On with the show...
Any time Mikes shows up as the first song in a show its a sign of good things to come. While the jam doesnt rage, it certainly gets the show off on the right foot. Sounds like they are listening to each other well. Solid Mikes.
Chalkdust rages...nice opening duo
  My Soul...meh, not a bad version, but the energy is certainly there and shows no sign of letting up
Stash is the highlight of the first set. Fish is all over this one, keeping the ship afloat while the others jam around him creating the perfect amount of dissonance. Somewhere in the middle of the jam, Im sitting in my car at a light, and I just get this vision. Perfect clarity, standing at a show, the stage obscured by those dancing in front of me, but the purple and yellow lights shining through and around them. That smell. The sweat. The feeling in my body as wave upon wave of growing energy pumps outward from the foursome and in turned absorbed and re emitted from the audience. Goosebumps...god I miss that. Thankfully some of the magic is captured in moments like this.
   I love the segue into H2, melodic and beautiful, stash just drifts into this hydrogen.
While the hydrogen isnt note perfect it does its job as the intro into Weekapaug. Not the best transition, I LOVE when hydrogen and Weekapaug mesh perfectly and Mike just dops perfectly into the bass solo. Doesnt happen here, but they cant all be perfect.
Dogs and Beauty, good 1st set filler no more.
I love a good horn
Loving Cup...a little late to save the second half of the set but I love their effort.

Set II
Julius...not my favorite opener, like last weeks version better
  Simple ...love these 97 simple jams. While not mind blowing nor discovering much new ground, the jam is tight and the listening exercisesare certainly paying off. Would have danced my ass off however.
Love the bowie mindfuck and the drop into timber..thanks fishman!
Timber, nice, short,  dark...perfect placement
Contact...love the song live, on tape I could forget about it
Axilla...nice energy boost before..
Hood,  not much to say about this , typically great, though average...its Hood after all. I feel good

Fire is a fun encore, love to watch Trey wail.

   Never have listened to this show before with the exception of the Simple. Not too upset that I didnt see it live, but I would have been happy to be there. Thanks for the pick disco. I give it a 33 out of a 48.
Paug FTMFW!

August

Quote from: cactusfan on June 08, 2006, 06:26:59 PM
Quote from: august on June 07, 2006, 08:59:41 PM


Definitely a darkhorse from fall 97, maybe 11-16,12-5 and 12-12 being others.
i give this bastard a solid B+.

thanks!
a


is 12.12 a darkhorse? i always loved that one. in fact i just listened to it today. it rocks. i love the funky bitch > 2001 segue, so smooth you don't notice it's happening until it's happened. also for the first time i noticed the little buried alive tease in antelope.



well, compared to 12-13, or all the other big shows from fall, i would consider it one.
sure we all know it and love it, but overall, it doesnt get the hype as say,hampton,denver or philly.
a

susep


jedifunk

Much Respect
(the other resident mac guy) [macbook air]
"Good Funk, real funk is not played by four white guys from Vermont.. If anything, you could call what we're doing cow funk or something.."
- Trey Anastasio