Here ya go. a True Club show, 250 people or so. I love the first set, we'll see what you all think. This is, IIRC, a schoeps source. The other source on etree is a little bassy, IMHO.

I'll have the lossless source up on etree a little later on today. Until then, Happy Spring!

QuotePhish
02-21-97
Tenax, Florence, Italy

Source: Lemonsource fer now..its prolly the same as the 2-18-97 source. ill let ya know as soon as i do.

Set1

1. My Soul
2. Foam
3. Down With Disease
4. Lizards
5. Crosseyed and Painless
6. You Enjoy Myself

Set 2

1. Ya Mar
2. Run Like an Antelope
3. Wilson
4. Oh Kee Pa Ceremony->
5. AC/DC Bag
6. Billy Breathes
7. Reba
8. Waste
9. Prince Caspian
10.E: Character Zero


Notes: Disk 2 needs an 80 minute cd..if u dont have one i suggest you get with the times and get a spindle!

any problems: lemon2@squirming.co.il

MP3 Link:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/6jd3bh

Lossless:
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=514094

a great show from a great run.

nice pick!

Not sure if I ever heard this one.  If I did, it was a long time ago.

First Set:
1. My Soul – Blech. What a terrible way to open a show.  Not that they played it poorly.  I just don't like the tune, although if this was only the fourth time played, I wouldn't have been totally sick of it yet.  Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating my distaste.
2. Foam – Aahhh.  Much better.  This never disappoints.  Totally turns things around.  The set has redeemed itself.  Great playing, as usual.
3. Down With Disease – Set continues to pick up steam.  Strong jamming all around up to about 8:00 in and then it starts to settle down in intensity.  Kind of subtly meanders around for a couple minutes and then starts to get funked out around 11:30.  Page takes a solo spot on the piano for a bit.  Eventually they shake off the funk and it seems it's about to go the "soaring" route around 14:30.  Lasts for 30 seconds and Trey brings them back to the DwD theme.  Good version.  Enjoyable listen.
4. Lizards - Great song.  I can never complain about this anywhere in a set.  Pretty standard version, which is a good thing.
5. Crosseyed and Painless – Love it.  This set's got everything. Nice and tight during the lyrics section.  For the jam section, Trey gets to have his fun while the rest of them try to spice things up.  This song's really so simple, I would be bored to tears if I played it in a band because it's so repetitive, but they all do a great job mixing things up.  It dissolves a bit around 8:00.  Is that Trey on percussion there?  Seems to be no guitar.  Gets a little spacey for a bit and then eventually fades out.
6. You Enjoy Myself – This set just doesn't stop.  Ouch, Trey struggles in the beginning there.  The rest of the composed section is good, though.  Fishman remarks that "This is our dream come true" after enormous cheers during the watsiyem portion.  Good stuff.  I guess you had to figure they would be playing this that night.  Great jam.  Page has a great spot on organ followed by a nice all-round jam.  Not a standout version, but well-played and enjoyable.  Would rather have heard a BBJ than a vocal jam, but what're you gonna do?

Fantastic first set.  I give it an A- bordering on A, but it didn't have a "holy !@^%, this totally rules" moment to really elevate it to the next level.  Definitely one of the better opening sets I've heard.  Hopefully the second set maintains that level.

-Kevin

i like this show, but it's not in my upper tier of favs from this tour.
sort of sits in the middle, let's say.

first set is hot.

My Soul works for me here, after all, they'd only just started playing it.

Foam is hot.

DWD gets a nice groove going, beginning to show signs of the funk to come this year (this tour).

Lizards is lovely as always.

Crosseyed is hot, more of the nascent funk.

YEM is also a hot version, not a best ever or anything, but you've gotta love fishman's 'this is a dream come true!'

an A- first set.

second set doesn't thrill me that much. songs are good, with a decent flow, but nothing pushes the set over the edge into something great.

unfinished Antelope has the fun heavy metal groove into the heavy metal Wilson (which heavy metal groove trey brings back later in the tour, in Possum from 3/1 and Slave from 3/2).

a B second set.

The second set:
1. Ya Mar – Nothing out of the ordinary.
2. Run Like an Antelope – Great jam.  Quite a rager. Unfinished.
3. Wilson – Well, this is rather strange.  The Voivod cover version?  A nice change.  Pretty much a joke, but an interesting listen nonetheless.
4. Oh Kee Pa Ceremony-> A nice treat
5. AC/DC Bag – Good jam.
6. Billy Breathes – bathroom break
7. Reba – Pretty good jam, although nothing too special.  Also unfinished.
8. Waste – Another bathroom break
9. Prince Caspian  - Yet another bathroom break
10.E: Character Zero – Nothing special here.

A bit of a let down after such a great first set, but still not a bad second set.  I'd give it a B-.  Making the show pretty much a solid B+.  Highlights for me were Foam, DwD, and Antelope

Wow.....I'm almost embarrassed to say I have never heard this show-  THis kills, from start to finish.  I am surprised by the previous reviews, because for me, this show has it all....This show has a ton of repeats from last weeks selection (Fillmore 98) that did not work for me in that show.  Here, Character Zero, Caspian and My Soul are all hot, containing an energy throughout that IMO was sorely lacking at the Fillmore.  Plus you can hear the club vibe/energy jump out of the speakers.  Can't believe I've missed this one...

My Soul- nice, short warm up. Well played and upbeat
Foam:  Excellent, stretched out version.  Impressive, and great playing in the second song slot.
Disease- awesome.  Not the Diseases we would hear in Fall 97, but smokin' nonetheless.  Keeps the energy high...
Lizards:  I fell asleep on the plane during this...woke up to the start of:
Crosseyed:  almost always a kickdown regardless of placement, a mid-first set version is almost unheard of- killer
YEM-  IMO an alltime classic version, or as Jon says, "A dream come true"  Incredible version and off the charts energy.  This would have been a no-brainer call, but I would not have picked it to close the 1st set- always a welcome 1st set song....

Yamar: standard fare, but a good warmup
Antelope- sick, sick,sick....builds and builds and the tranny into Wilson rules
Wilson- an all-time great "heavy" wilson...I would have been freakin
Oh Kee-pah- nice and loose...Trey loses it there for a sec, but it actually ends up sounding really cool, and they pull it back in time for the :
ACDC Bag: starts a little shaky, but powers through and we get a good jam that ends rocking with a nice drop into:
Billy Breathes:  for a ballad/slow song, this has always been one of my favorites.  I love this version too...raw and soulful, this might be my favorite version ever?!?!
Reba- soild, and good jam.  Not an all-timer, but rocking
Waste: another ballad that for me either works, or doesn't, usually depending on placement.  This version had me rocking out at the end.
Caspian: another great version of a song that could wreck an otherwise good set.  They keep the tempo up enough and deliver the goods in the jam
Character Zero:  This was a bit of a let-down after the way the rest of the show was played.  Not terrible, but pretty regular

All in all, this is a very hot show.  I'm going to give it a B+/A-...I really liked it.  Never heard it before 6 AM this morning and listened to it twice today, both sets.  I really, really dug it.  Maybe cause it's new to me, but I'll revisit it again at some point and see.  Great choice!  Thank you....

Just getting to this today.  I hope to give this a listen this morning and get my review up this afternoon.  If not, I may listen to it at the gym this evening. 

My Soul - I'm one of the few that like this tune. Still new and it sounds good for a club show.
I like it better when the solos are Page and then Trey, which they did later on.

Foam - Nice solos by Page and Trey. Played well and in a good spot (a la Jim/Foam)...

Disease - Lengthy. Slight "Ice Ice Baby/Under Pressure" tease by Trey. Pretty decent, gets the crown going with that dirty Euro Funk.

Lizards - Great Page solo. Played well. NIce placement.

Crosseyed - Way better than the 02-16 version. Spacey jam with Trey on the Mini-Kit.

YEM - Trey messes up the composed section a bunch. Nice crowd reaction for the WUDMTF section. Ferocious jam! I love 5-6 song first sets, btw...

YaMar - Solid version.

Antelope - Another solid one. Unfinished and finds it's way into >>>

Wilson - I used to hate this version, but have grown to like it a bit. Cool stuff.

OKP - Trey gets pretty effin' lost and improvises a bit

ACDC - Solid version.

Billy - Played rather well, surprisingly.

Reba - Decent composed section and jam

Waste/Caspian - PeePee

Cust. Hero - Aye Aye.

I give this one a B+/B.
Stronger first set.
a

First timer here but I loves me some Euro 97s. 

I'm just gonna go ahead and pretend that this one started with:

Foam:  Mike brings a bit more funk than usual in the beginning and Page burns it up as always, at times I wanted to tell the crowd to shut up which was an unfortunate theme of this show.

Disease:  No f-ing around in this set they bring it early with a big DWD.  It got a little aimless toward the middle, but had a nice return to the DWD theme. 

Lizards: Pretty much perfect placement for this tune after a meaty DWD in the number three slot.  Page brings it again, he was playing so fast at the beginning of his solo I felt like the other guys were having trouble keeping up! 

Crosseyed:  Never met a version I didn't like, Trey goes nuts on the mini kit!  I liked the super quiet section toward the end too.

YEM:  It almost seemed like Trey just didn't feel like playing the intro rather than flubbed it, either way the jam section is HOTT and Mike tears up the B&D segment, good stuff.

Pretty epic first set if you ask me, not a clunker in the bunch.  I give it an A.

Ya Mar: Pretty standard, nice silky tone from Trey and cool psuedo-latin percussion by Fish.

Antelope: Unusual placement, but a welcome addition at any point in the set, a fairly laid back noodler until about two minutes before the end when all hell breaks loose!  The segue into Wilson took me by surprise.

Wilson: Pretty sweet if you ask me, dunno that I've heard Trey get quite this heavy before and Fishman's metal breaks are awesome, very cool!

OKP:  Like Caravan mentioned, the f ups actually made for a kinda interesting version

AC/DC Bag: Nice version, Mike brings the funk in the middle section while Trey busts some country style licks, cow funk is born!

Billy Breathes: A bit of a momentum killer, but I consider this one to be a kick down and rarely is it executed as well as it was here.  The first chorus features some exceptionally wack audience clapping, damn Euros! 

Reba:  Back to the action, nice chill section build too a smooth peak nothing crazy just some more support that this is an all around sweet show.  Nice alternation between rapid fire Trey and soaring jam toward the end with nice contributions from Mike as well.

Waste:  ehh, swap the position with this and Prince Caspian and you have a much more flowing set IMO.  Trey nails the ending though.

Prince Caspian:  I go back and forth on this one, usually throughout the course of each version.  During the intro I'm not so stoked on it, but by the end I'm feeling it.  This tune works best when Trey brings a lot of feeling to the table and I felt like it was "broughten" by not only him but Mike as well.  Page sneaks in a mini-solo in the quiet part too. 

Character Zero: Sure its overplayed, but Trey brings enough heat to make this version above average.  I might have heard a Black Dog tease in there somewhere toward the end but that might have been my imagination.

Second set was a bit up and down in terms of energy, but a really nice batch of tunes IMO and a late second set Reba helped redeem the couple of slow songs.  Wilson through Bag was pretty frickin' hot as well.  I dunno, I'm on the fence between B and B+.  Put Waste in the encore slot and close the set with Zero and it might even be an A- set, whateves its still some great Phish either way. 

Nice pick Shoreline, you should review it  :wink:, overall I give it a B+/A- very enjoyable listen and you can tell the band is having fun as well in a very small (but loud) room. 

gonna review it later today. been a hella week and i'm sick as a dog, but on the mend

21Feb.97

My Soul - 4th time played, 1st as a show opener, never really got into this tune although I was intrigued when I first heard it. 

Foam - solid, nice energy.

DwD - after bombastic versions in '96 this tune continued to grow particularly during this tour (i.e. 17Feb, 1March et al.)  Nice intimate sound which is why most shows from this tour rule combined with the consistent and at times mind-blowing improv.  Real classic sound of that era, super tight and evolved.  Nice note selection by Trey, Page comping well, band begining to get fired up.  When Trey lays low the jam really opens up more, its nice to hear the fast tempo trio of Fish, Mike and Page.  I've always enjoyed Trey as a lead player and soloist, one of the best from his demographic but he became even more appealing when he began leading the Phish into a more collective sounding unit because even still, he could shred at any moment.  Slight circus vibe in the jam, Page comping on his B3, cool riff by Trey back into DwD mode, nice transition jamming. 

Lizards - stellar.

Crossyed & Painless - dropping the bomb, I love how Trey drops into his solo in this tune, esp. from this era, edgy, trippy melodicism.  Page adding mini-fills with Clav then switching back to the ivories, Mike and Fish hooking up nicely.  Trey on his mini-kit, setting up loops, throbbing Mike, estatic Fish.  Page playing some very cool music, major sounding.  Slight swing vibe, Page continuing to provide a lot of tonal coloring.  Trey back on the 'doc, howling, great music here, crowd becoming more noticeable.  Nice version.

YEM - like others have said, great 1st set placement.  Nice energy, closing one circle of Phish history, crowd loving it.  For the natives who this was their first time, surely their minds were being blown or they experienced some level of musical enlightenment.  Solid playing by all, nice sustain by Trey at the "note", crowd loving Boy!  Firenze, "This is a dream come true!"  Trey chording nicely before dropping into some country leads, slight Credence sound by Trey, playing mostly bends in this solo, really feeling it(there must have been a few hotties in front;)  Active Mike out of jam, solid accominiment from Fish> vocal.

II.

Ya Mar - fun opener.

Antelope - fun intro, native crowd naive but after that stellar 1st set most definitely hooked.  Jam opens nicely, again everyone sounding solid.  Fish rocking his cymbals/ride, slight DwD vibe in this jam comparatively.  Nice Trey and Page.  Interesting heavy jam into >

Wilson - inspired Trey.

OKPa >

Bag - nice energy.

Billy Breathes - nice version, another lullaby fav.

Reba - any set enhancer, playing in these smaller venues allowed the band to reconnect with its early bar band roots, a definite treat for band and audience.  Nothing unusual in this jam per se but solid, consistent jamming.  Soaring Trey to close, solid jam, cool ending, into >

Waste - BB was still fairly new which is what this tour was supporting, interesting to note although in support of its latest studio LP the band was simultaneously using the shows for their next evolutionary step in their musical alchemy.

Caspian - ok set closer.

E.

Zero - 7.5

Conclusion: similar to last weeks pick(15Oct.98) I thought the first set outweighed set II.  Great club setting made for added intimacy which is why so many people like this tour, that intimacy certainly shining through on this recording. My highlights include DwD, CandP and YEM.  17Feb. is my fav. from this tour with 23Feb. not far behind.  Great pick, grade: B+

MVP: Trey, Page, Fish, Mike

02/21/97- Show Review
I.
My Soul- Soulful. I liked it.
Foam- It's Foam... How can you speak poorly of it?! Page was on the money as usual, as was Trey.
DwD- Sick Disease.  Nice energy...seemed to stay away from the really spacy territory which was great to hear.  I like the stuff around 13:30 building up. Standard jamming but rocking nonetheless...leading back into the Disease riff...awesome job Trey!
Lizards- Lately I haven't been digging the Lizards as much, but this version was pretty kickin'.
Crosseyed and Painless- Really a tight groove, and I liked the way Trey used the infinity setting on his delay for those effects with Fish's yells in the background...Tight jam on this one....I loooove when Trey gets on the percussion rack....soooo much.  How tight is that groove?  I like when it goes into that diminished territory- sort of reminded me of '99 Phish for a little bit in there..anyone else get that vibe?  Nice resolution to set up for YEM.
YEM- Solid YEM...Mike's solo was alright- the build up to Boy was pretty cool.  Wow got chills when everyone was singing along with "Wash Uffitzi Drive Me to Firenze" and the "this is a dream come true"- I really felt like I was there and connected with the band... Evidently the band was enjoying themselves as well :-D  Nice jam and all...during Gordo's solo I'm hoping for a playful vocal jam to compliment the mood, and this one seems to be what I was looking for in a vocal jam, very happy and fun...blah blah I'm not going to analyze the vocal jam...shoulda done that with the jam :lol:  Anywho....

Overall, this set gets an A in my book.   I would have loved to have seen this set- so much energy, nothing absolutely Jaw-Dropping, but oh so good....  Good pick!  I hope set II keeps it going.

II.
Ya Mar- Nice, way to ease back into the show and get people dancing again.
Run Like an Antelope- Veryyy nice... really tight jam, really rocking. I liked the 'elated' territory of around 9:45, although that went away quickly, as did the song itself....
Wilson- HEAVY METAL!! ROAR!! Haha love their sense of humor.... they can still have fun :p  I liked the fact that they never actually went on the chord progression-> Trey's shredding -> hits over the lyrics-> real heavy metal section....so evil...must have been a blast to be there.  Eddie Van Anastasio lives in this version
Oh Kee Pa Ceremony-> Liked the way this picked up in the wake of that evil Wilson.  I rarely hear this one so it was nice..good song.
AC/DC Bag-  Good segue.  Really gets cooking in the jam... damn they are so on tonight- Trey is just on fire.
Billy Breathes- Breathe indeed. What a beautiful song.  It came as no surprise to hear Trey soloing beautifully on the tune.
Reba- Tight.
Waste- Pretty.
Prince Caspian- Okay that was cool.

E:
Character Zero- Yeah not my first choice but w/e.

Overall- Dynamite show- A- bordering a solid A.  Like khalpin said- it didn't have any moment that stole your face, but the collective energy of this show probably melted it.  Ahh that YEM was nice.

Set I
My Soul- meh.  Decent song, but I could do without it here.

Foam- tight, concise version.  Nice way for the boys to warm up and get the set "started"  :wink:

Down with Disease- nice version in my opinion, but I dig the Disease -> Carini from 02/17 more than this version. This one does have a few spectacular moments though. 

Lizards- standard, but I'm always down this number. 

Crosseyed and Painless- sick version with nasty soloing by Trey

You Enjoy Myself- how else do you close out a great first set?  The composed parts get a little "iffy" in my opinion; however, the jam does make up for it. 

Set II
Ya Mar- nice version, and always a delight as an opener imo. 

Run Like an Antelope- Major shreddage, get ready to change them undies. 

Wilson- Nice n' Heavy version.  I'll admit like the evil versions of this song.  Great placement and a really good version imo. 

Oh Kee Pa Ceremony-> AC/DC Bag-  Always a treat to hear this tandem, and I absolutely love the "segue" of this pairing.  Great version of both songs.  I like the influx of funk in this version, but it also rages hard. 

Billy Breathes- Beautiful song and well placed in the set.  Trey delivers a stunning melodic solo. 

Reba- good version, and again nice placement. 

Waste- I love the placement here, as you go from the mindset of a child (Reba) to that of an adolescent teen (Waste).  I almost see this as a metaphorical message from the band, the growth of the new sound from its infant stages on the 97 spring tour to a raging funk machine in fall 97.  Anyway, I enjoyed this version and thought it served as a needed cool down. 

Prince Caspian- This one bores me.   :|

E: Character Zero- Smokin' encore choice. 


Overall, I liked the second set better than the first set, however the first set was played better.  I'd give this show a solid B.  Great pick, thanks again. 

soory for the delayed review, last week was crappy and then i had to go down to Atlanta for a business trip.  Just playing catch up now...

This show is fantastic! It has not left my car/ipod since I started listening to it.  It show cases the boys at the height of their game, just throwing down great song after song.   I really like the spring Europe run because it allowed Phish to take their knowledge of arena size rock into a small club scene and the results were stellar.

my soul In its infancy, this straight up 12 bar blues number was electric. Great opener.
Foam Very solid foam, Page shines, and Fish is all over the kit.  Mike sounds like he got a new juicy funk pedal as he really stands out.  One thing I noticed all through out the show is how loud the crowd is.  It almost sounds like they are ignoring the band, and conversely Phish treats them to an amazing show.
DWDGood version of the show. Rather than having Trey showboat, the whole band takes turns leading this one.  Ending is tight
Lizards keeping it old school.  Page sounds lovely
Crosseyed and PainlessOh its going to be like that? No mercy for this crowd.  Great playing by all, although Trey steals this one.  Jam slows down near the end...
YEM Fish saying "This is a like a dream come true" during the BoyMan segment, pretty much sums it up. Not the best version, but the playing is passionate and a great first set ender

YamarGreat opening number, gets you up and moving
AntelopeA blistering Antelope that scorches from start to almost finish
Wilsonsung over the end to Antelope, dark, heavy, and very evil
Oh Kee Pah>AC/DCvery rocking versions
Billy Breathes ie everyone breathes.  They have not slowed down since the opening My Soul, and everyone needs a chance to unwind. Solid version with nice vocal harmonies and playing by Page and Trey
RebaWinding things up again, this is a good version that does not quite deliver, but that is only because everyone is exhausted
WasteGreat solos near the end. I like the interpretation in the previous review about the growth of the band
Caspianmeh.  Good version, again, everyone is too tired to really pull off anything spectacular

Character Zeroslighty energized by getting off stage for a minute, this number reminds everyone of how rocking an evening it was

The opening My Soul through AC/DC is pure energy.  Not every moment is perfect, but the playing is inspired and there are many highlights.  However the end of the second set peters out as everyone is collectively spent.  B+/A-