R14/W06: 04-06-1991 The Evergreen State College - Olympia, WA

[Buffalo Budd]

^ I thoroughly enjoyed reading that. Thanks for sharing.

I love it when people share their show experiences and not just the song by song analogy. 
Still waiting on caravan's next installment on his blog.

[Augustus]

Sweet recap!

[Caravan2001]

Thanks Pholy, k+

Review up soon, I have played the show twice this week....

[Pholy M. Pia]

In this song by song review, I have tried (and failed) to objectively review the song, followed by any memories that floated up. This, of course has gotten muddled up here and there so bugger all anyway. Here goes.

Set One:

TMWSIY - Flowing,  beautiful way to start things off. Building smoothly as Page and then Fish come in to fill into a nice rich flow. Entrancing.

We were standing listening to them noodle around in a nice tuning sort of way and it just kept jelling until they had this nice cadence going, I was sort of expecting something SCA-ish when they dropped into>

Avenu Mulkenu - Whoa! Fish hits the crazy cowbell rhythm, and they are off into some intense Israeli funk, with Mike stepping up to punch us repeatedly, and then tickle, then tumble back to the depths, the gusto of the return to the verse is resounding. Slam to a stop and then >

This is the Mike Moment I referred to in the first half of my review. I was sold. This was a year when Phil was the name in the mouths of all the deadheads. Terms like, "lead bass" and "sick bass" were sprouting like mushrooms from the Greener patter. And Mike just destroyed. I had an instant new favorite bass player.

TMWSIY - Ok, back to this? Are they starting over? I was confused. But lovely, it winds delicately into a blues tinkle before >

Tweezer - The building starts dropping around us and This groove, is the groove that will haunt me for the following months until the release of Nectar. So smooth and loose, growling and rolling it around. Mike slamming and twisting it up into pointy shapes. They drop to the jam and let it soak, with mike hitting low tones, and then sproinging around some more. They roll into a typical tweezer grinding jam structure with Mike, Oh shit, Mike still just so out there. They start to fall toward chaos with Fish holding them together. Page starting to bang around noisily and they begin to climb. Trey is sonic backwash and screeching tones. Classic slow-down ending with a nice return to the theme to thump a few more bars until they drop off.

I remember being a little scared during this jam. Mike and Fishman had impressed me most at this point in the show.

Esther - Story time! Amazing rendition of this tune, other than loosing sync as mentioned by others. Such a treat. Page's tone is so perfectly old-time carnival. On this listen I am drawn to the crispness of Fishmans cymbal work during the composed sections. Puffy soft. As much as the warble is a cool effect, I remember the pureness of the tone Trey had and hope for an upgrade someday.

We were enthralled as Trey made cartoons in our heads.  The gravity in the room got palpably weaker during Esther's flight over the town and I felt the floating. And I know I'm not the only one.

Oh Kee Pa - Delightful! Jazz dexterity!

The sheer variety was making us giddy.>

AC/DC Bag - Oh my god, the rock! They are at full steam now. Punching percussive version, with a dirty, dirty dance groove. Trey's solo is interesting in that it sounds to me like he starts to go off, backs off, and just plucks for a while as though he is thinking things through and then begins to weave it into an enormous machine-gun peak.

The dancing became a frenzy at this point. The fun meter went through the roof  but when Trey built into his ending solo, the crowd slowed and watched as he caught fire.

Fluffhead - Fantastic. All members put this incredible piece to a thorough work out. Seconding the appreciation of the fuzz bass Mike has going during "check it out". Can't really do this one justice with words. Fishman's closing "off your head!" fills me with glee.

This one made us laugh in the beginning. Fluff's Travels was immense and I remember during this time people meandered around, hugged and found new vantage points, there being nowhere you could go that was not in fair sight of the stage.

Tweezer Reprise - Spooky return! Love this here! The sounds Mike generates are unbelievable.

If the show had ended here, I would have been a happy man.

During set break, we stood out front, shellshocked, with maybe 25 people, passing amazed smiles and other goodwill around. It didn't even occur to me to stroll around the building  to see if maybe the other hundred people were hanging out with anyone interesting in the loading zone. D'oh!

Set two:

Ya Mar - It was confusing all right. Calypso! This has a great early sound to it, Fish the man with the kick drum! They sound like they had some loosening up fun during the intermission with the locals. Lotsa fun energy. Leo, when called in such an extravagant  manner sounds just a little shy, and takes it in a fairly restrained fashion. New car. Cigar. Trey weaves growing green lattice basketry out of coconut fronds. Piña Coladas circulate.

Too much magic, no clear memories other than wanting to limbo.

Melt - Things are getting dangerous again, I like hearing this so slow, it really gives you time to hear the complexity of the composed section. They stick the harmony bridge, and drop to a nice jazzy tick-tock jam. Mike thudding.  This sounds better the louder I play it. Cacophonic, spiraling, space-pulling-apart jam. Trey in full control of his wailing dissonance. Great return to the finish.

This one blew me away, No dancee, all watchee.

Jim - This is a great version of this song, but the energy stays pretty even. Love Fish's Boom-tish beat.

This was super fun, and it was all starting to blend together at this point.
Trivia time!
For a long time the setlist for this show was unconfirmed and thought to be missing songs in addition to not having a circulating source. If I recall correctly, this was the missing song!

Magilla - Jazz interlude! Someone in the audience is very happy about this song.
Musical chameleons indeed.  In the true jazz style, they all take solos, hot ones.

Llama - Fishman really does miss it hard, but they recover nicely. Mike makes this one a real juggernaut. After a shaky start, T finishes his solo with a flaming run.

YEM - You hear Trey try to start into Gin, and Fish stops him with a "whack". They get it together and launch. Every one is very focused sounding. Mikes solo bridge is so lofty and burbling.  Superfunk vocal section into cool keyboard space with Mike flatulent while they pull out the tramps. Trey's intro to his solo is so fluently bizarre and unflashy but just prescice. Mike mutating like a beast from the Outer Funk Belt of Planet Booty. My visage runs like hot wax.  Vocal jam has lilly-octopussy. And then you go and get a flat tire.

This was IT for me. I thought I was in already, but this changed my DNA. I'm pretty sure that's partly me you can hear screaming during the first lull after Trey's first break. Then the vocals, oh the vocals...
When the tramps were pulled out, I ran around to the top, as I mentioned, and watched them do the jump segment. My mind reeled as they hit the beat, returned to playing and began to do 1/4 turns back and forth in gear-like synchrony. I stayed for the rest of the jam, watching fingers twist and writhe until the vocal jam when I decided it was time to find my Sweetie.

Bathtub Gin - Some mellow space-age pop to groove along with. I love this song. Short early version, gets (nice and) sloppy at the end.

My girlfriend and I were giggling and trying to dance and hug at the same time to this one. To discover she was loving the music almost as much as I was was a joyful surprise, as she is a mild dead-head at best with zero tolerance for FZ (a hero of mine). We were so all in.

Icculus - Bringing us into the fold. Tart it up with a camp sensibility.

Freakin comedians.

Antelope - Slinky jazz intro, love Pages sound! Somebody sings "Doop-doo" in there. Huge rolls from the drums and Mike digs in deep. Trey makes lovely melodic trills over the top. Too much to describe here, I've been listening to this since it popped up a couple years ago, and it is still beyond me. The rhythm breakdown is so beautifully unhurried.

I thought it was over. I was spun. Just jelly. Mostly sober, but soooo high.

HYHY > Terrapin > HYHU - As awesome as this one gets. Trey rocks the drums up, the band gets up behind Henrietta and he gets gurggly.

This was so crazy. That's all I remember.

Possum - Heartfelt rendition, sounds like they are having so much fun! Trey's performance during this one, especially the quiet part of the jam, before they crank it up, is my favorite kind of playing from him. Awesome Possum!

They left the stage without a word and quickly returned.

JJLC - Ah Page, so young. This is a nice version of this song, I love Page's extra ham after coming in early. His solo is mellow and smoky, and Trey does sweet things with his.

I was initially a little let down  by a standard sounding blues number as an encore, but by the end, with such great solo's I didn't want it to end. Then they leap into >

Alumni Blues - Page attack! This just kills. Letter to Jimmy snaps bogglingly tight.

This was so intense. That year the Evergreen graduating class had chosen "Do you want fries with that?" as their motto, due to poor job outlook in the last recession. Thus the ironic chorus "I'm alright...'cause I got a degree" rang a bittersweet chord to close it out.
"Thanks a lot, see you in the fall."

And we did, at a funky little dive called the North Shore Surf Club.
but that's another story.

Thank you guys for letting me share, it has brought back many details that were lost in the tangle of my synapses.

[Superfreakie]

^ I thoroughly enjoyed reading that. Thanks for sharing.

[rowjimmy]

^ I thoroughly enjoyed reading that. Thanks for sharing.

Ser.
Nice slice of Phish history and nicely written taboot.

[khalpin]

Definitely never heard this one before.

TMWSIY > Avenu Malkenu > TMWSIY - "Ballsy" is a good way to describe it.  Aren't concerts supposed to start with a big opening number?
Tweezer - Right into this already...some big bombs by Mike and then into some heavy dissonance and general craziness with some screaming.  Pretty intense!  They simmer out of it and then a quick reprise to end it.
Esther - Despite Fishman being rock solid here, they get a bit out of sync a couple times in the second half.  It still sounds great, though.
Oh Kee Pa - A playful intro here.  Solid
AC/DC - I much prefer this combo over Suzy.  Funky version that ends up raging pretty hard.
Fluffhead - Nice and tight.  This set isn't slowing down.
Tweezer Reprise - Great end to the set.
Not a dull moment in the whole set.

Yamar - Kicking the set off right.  Take it Leo!
Split Open & Melt - Real slow tempo here.  Makes it seem a little less cluttered, in that you can make out what they're doing individually.  Speaking of which, Mike sounds fantastic ~6:00.  Nice bouncy groove.
Jim - Solid.  Still no signs of slowing down at all.
Magilla - Switching things up here.  This is a great break from the rock.  Page drives this train, Trey comps along nicely until he gets a chance with a subtly gorgeous solo.  Mike anchors it walking all over the place.  And I love the Fishman solo spot!
Llama - Just in case you thought things were slowing down.  This must've really raged in a small setting.  Love the pounding sound of Fishman's bass drum.  Great stuff.
YEM - Pretty solid composed section.  As the jam starts, Fishman's kick drum is front and center.  It doesn't take long for the jam to come together.  Chock full of funky goodness.
Gin - Really short.  They start to have a little fun with it with a lot of off-beat and dissonant moments but it ends before it goes very far.
Icculus - What a treat.
Antelope - God, could imagine getting a setlist like this nowadays?  What great tension.  This one rocks hard.
Terrapin - A bit of levity
Possum - Big time rock.
JJLC - Minor flub followed by a nice solo spot by Page.  Some slow blues, quickly followed by:
Alumni - Fast and awesome.  They're playing so tight here.  Page sounds fantastic.  What a great end to the show.

Really hot show that would be an amazing introduction to the band.  I'm jealous.

[whatapiper]

TMWSIY>Alvenu>TMWSIY - Aug pulled the stats on this already but what an opening to the phish for Pholy!  Makes me feel 21 years younger along with the recording.  Love hearing the band so young and energized. 

Tweezer - Oh man this is awesome, I'm loving the early funk by Mike and Page has his moments.  Super playful and green, picking up nicely around 9 min in leading to what sounds like the ending!  Then a little extra love bump before dropping into >

Esther - This set is dripping with nostalgia, before a time when they almost sound embarrassed to play this.   Played how it was intended.   Very Nice

Oh Kee Pah - yep

DC bag - fast and furious with the old school pick ending

Fluffhead - Sounds good to me aside from the massive cut.

Reprise - Really cool after Fluffhead!! Not as "big" of an impact as it seems to have today but exceptional placement. 

Ya Mar - fun

Split - Interesting slower tempo to start.   Energetic and early precursor of Splits to come

Jim - Always done it for me, love this song in just about every era.  Great work by Trey in the solo.

Magilla - sweetness, love the mixup

Llama - Trey sounds so young!   Love the organ work here, big boost here!

YEM - sounds like they are about to jump into Gin first.  Early on Page comes out really clean on the recording and he owns throughout.  Mike emerges towards the end with a furry of bass bombs.   Interesting vocal jam

Gin - Vocals set in the reality of a very young Phish!   Riverport Gin this was not, pretty short

Icculus - Love it! Still chasing this and plastic dinosaurs.

Antelope - Solid! Love the drop back into the rye section, plenty of energy to be had here.

Terrapin - This is what these early shows are all about!

Possum - Fun version with Fish giving a little extra.

JJLC - Still chasing one of these as well, interesting placement, very short and sweet.

Alumni>letter>alumni - Holy shit! Give it to me Page!  Love this to close the show! 

Overall a really fun listen, can't imagine this as a first show, well done!

[Caravan2001]

OK...I've been slacking big time on this....I will make it short and sweet.  I have never heard this show before this selection, so I was psyched to hear it.  1991 is one of my favorite years and the year I saw the most shows in (I think 55 or so).  Obvs, I love 91 big time....Since this show was posted I have listened to the whole show 4 times.  While the sound quality is pretty meh, the playing is dank.  I am sure that the Evergreen Library was a great place to see a show too.  My wife's first show was also at Evergreen, at the Rec Center in 92.  This show, I'm sure was a lot more intimate, even though my wife told me the Rec Center was half empty.

Set I

1. The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday >
2. Avenu Malkanu >
3. The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday---- Great opener, and not too common.  Can't say I have heard these as an opener before.  Very well played.
4. Tweezer-- Right to the meat of things, this is funky and the jam is typical '91.  Kind of rushes into the shredding, but hey, that's '91.
5. Esther- storytelling Trey.  I would have been digging it.
6. The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony- This is the way to play it.
7. AC/DC Bag- This is the way to play it.
8. Fluffhead- This is the...I mean, awesome Fluffhead, they are well seasoned after 3 months on the road
9. Tweezer Reprise- early version, only 4th ever.  My first was 4/22/91.

Set II

1 - Ya Mar- one of my fave openers.
2 - Split Open And Melt- more 91 goodness
3 - Runaway Jim - solid
4 - /Magilla- they should bring this back
5 - Llama- typical 91 llama, which means it rules.  Love it.
6 - You Enjoy Myself- funktastic.  The 'brary must have been popping off.  Good stuff.  Mike breaks out the Dr. Q!
7 - Bathtub Gin- short and nutty...jam is one of those that is kind of falling apart but keeps going
8 - Icculus- a highlight and out of the blue...I would have to wait until 96 to see this one....Good work from Mike...Cool to hear the tour story...
9 - Run Like an Antelope- sweet...relaxed and tight...they are heated up and stoked to be playing....this tour rules face! Mike again!
10 - HYHU >
11 - Terrapin- Fish does his thing....
12 - HYHU
13- Possum-  Spring 91 was a great time for this song..Always a welcome closer (unless they played it the day before!)....
(encore)
14 - Jesus Just Left Chicago- unexpected and cool encore...This is one song I liked more in the later years, but even the young whitebread Page gets it done in this version.
15 - Alumni Blues- A top 5 song for me....I saw this as the encore a few weeks later on 4/20/91 and it was tits mcgee....This is awesome too!

Great show and an awesome first show that would have made a convert of anyone, I am sure!  Nice one Pholy!  Give it an A....now we just need a minty copy of it.....

[Caravan2001]

Also, I  just finally got Pholy M. Pia's name! I am so burnt... :hereitisyousentimentalbastard...I always thought it was Foley Emm Pie-uh....duh... do you still live in Oly?

[Pholy M. Pia]

  More or less. I'm out in Shelton, about 20 min. out on the peninsula. Still work in Olympia though, right across the street from the the building that, for about a year and a half was known as the North Shore Surf Club. It's now a boutique shoe store.  :shakehead: The Olympia music scene isn't what it used to be.

+k for loose end tying!

[Caravan2001]

More or less. I'm out in Shelton, about 20 min. out on the peninsula. Still work in Olympia though, right across the street from the the building that, for about a year and a half was known as the North Shore Surf Club. It's now a boutique shoe store.  :shakehead: The Olympia music scene isn't what it used to be.

+k for loose end tying!

Nice...I am heading up to Seattle next week with Hicks to meet up with whatapiper at Radiohead at the Key..any chance you're going?  Love the N. Shore Surf Club show btw, it has long been a fave....

[Pholy M. Pia]

More or less. I'm out in Shelton, about 20 min. out on the peninsula. Still work in Olympia though, right across the street from the the building that, for about a year and a half was known as the North Shore Surf Club. It's now a boutique shoe store.  :shakehead: The Olympia music scene isn't what it used to be.

+k for loose end tying!

Nice...I am heading up to Seattle next week with Hicks to meet up with whatapiper at Radiohead at the Key..any chance you're going?  Love the N. Shore Surf Club show btw, it has long been a fave....

Cool, but sadly no, not going to the show. I will def. look forward to meeting/raging with you guys for something or other. I have paug-designated homebrew to spread around! Oly is real central to you and whatapiper, so we should be able to swing it sometime.

[Caravan2001]

More or less. I'm out in Shelton, about 20 min. out on the peninsula. Still work in Olympia though, right across the street from the the building that, for about a year and a half was known as the North Shore Surf Club. It's now a boutique shoe store.  :shakehead: The Olympia music scene isn't what it used to be.

+k for loose end tying!

Nice...I am heading up to Seattle next week with Hicks to meet up with whatapiper at Radiohead at the Key..any chance you're going?  Love the N. Shore Surf Club show btw, it has long been a fave....

Cool, but sadly no, not going to the show. I will def. look forward to meeting/raging with you guys for something or other. I have paug-designated homebrew to spread around! Oly is real central to you and whatapiper, so we should be able to swing it sometime.

Cool....Pulling for the Gorge this summer!

[Pholy M. Pia]

More or less. I'm out in Shelton, about 20 min. out on the peninsula. Still work in Olympia though, right across the street from the the building that, for about a year and a half was known as the North Shore Surf Club. It's now a boutique shoe store.  :shakehead: The Olympia music scene isn't what it used to be.

+k for loose end tying!

Nice...I am heading up to Seattle next week with Hicks to meet up with whatapiper at Radiohead at the Key..any chance you're going?  Love the N. Shore Surf Club show btw, it has long been a fave....

Cool, but sadly no, not going to the show. I will def. look forward to meeting/raging with you guys for something or other. I have paug-designated homebrew to spread around! Oly is real central to you and whatapiper, so we should be able to swing it sometime.

Cool....Pulling for the Gorge this summer!

Agreed!