Phish
Polaris Amphitheater, Ohio 7/14/00

By Jeremy Welsh

Friday afternoon started off well, as I left work on time, picked up my brother, his girlfriend, and my sister, and headed out on the road from Pittsburgh to Columbus.  As we made our way through the first storm, we thought that would be it for the rain, as it rained for quite a while; the clouds made way for a nice blue sky in time for us to make camp at the Buckeye Lake KAO (aside, off in the woods, with the rest of the fans).  Although we left the campground in what seemed like enough time, I felt as though we were cutting things close as we sat in a bit of traffic on 71, waiting to get up onto Polaris Parkway and into the lot. 

As we finally made it to the lot and started winding our way through, we started to notice a huge monster of a black cloud start to bear down on us from the west -- the sky quickly turned black.  We parked, and on hearing the notes of Sample in a Jar, started jogging for the gates.  The jog turned into a sprint as we stopped worrying about missing music and started to fear for our lives (well, that is a bit of an exaggeration; it did feel like a monsoon, though).  As I made sure all of us were together, we hurried through the gates; it was kind of crazy, and the ticket-taker actually waved me through without ripping my ticket.  It looked as though some of the security was contemplating locking up the gates while we waited it out.  We found shelter outside of the lawn area under a beer pavilion with a hundred or so other fans -- we were all soaked, shivering a bit, wondering if the band had left the stage (we were assured they had, and I was happy to hear that we only missed Sample).      

As things let up, we made our way into the lawn, noticing that the pavilion was just jam packed with people - I guess they let everyone under cover as the rains started.  We found a spot at the back of the pavilion Page side, and just hung out for a bit.  After what I guess was about 25 minutes, the band came back out, and treated us to what seemed like a Marathon first set!

Set One: Sample in a Jar, rain delay, Punch You In the Eye, Timber Ho!, Jiboo, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Stash, Bouncin', Foam, Dog Faced Boy, Farmhouse, Taste, Golgi

The Punch was acted as a good song to get everyone back into the show -- nice normal and strong with crowd participation on the "Heys". Timber Ho! (a first for me in 19 shows) featured one of the best jams of the night.  Very well played, with the end jammed out rather darkly.  During this time, my brother and Molly left to get something to eat.  Soon afterwards, my sister and I noticed that the ticket-checkers were back, and they started to weed out the pavilion.  Knowing that Josh and Molly wouldn't be able to join us, we decided to find a spot up on the lawn - we had tons of room to ourselves, high up on Page side. Gotta Jiboo I guess should have been expected at some point during the two shows, and this version was pretty good.  Nothing stands out, though. I was surprised a bit to hear Boogie On Reggae Woman, since I heard it at Star Lake - but I might be able to hear this song at every show!  I can't help but get down to this one, and while a segue like the one into Funky Bitch the earlier week would have been good, I was happy with what we got.

Always psyched to hear Stash, this one was well played.  Again, it was not jammed out as much as it could have been, I remember it as nice and tight.  I also remember really wishing Page was more authoritative and/or turned up more.  As in all three shows I saw this summer, Trey stepped back a bit during the opening of a jam and let the other members fill in.  And during the beginning of the Stash jam, Trey was almost inaudible - I struggled to hear Page filling in this spot, and I guess he was playing a bit, but this was the perfect opportunity for him to shine!  Just like Mike stepped up during the Ghost at Star Lake. Page would come through later in this show, and especially the next night, but I just noticed this one instance. Bouncin', well, it was Bouncin'.  Actually hadn't heard it live in a while. Foam was a huge surprise!  Wow.  I don't know if I had heard this song since my first show back in 1994.  Put a huge smile on my face.

Dog Faced Boy was another surprise.  I remember reading that they had played it earlier on in the tour.  Always a sucker for the slower songs. I thought with the opening notes of Farmhouse that it would close the set - we were already at ten songs.  I don't remember anything too spectacular here.

A song on my wish list, Taste did not disappoint.  I just love Trey's roaring solo and jam in this song (along with most of the Billy Breathes-era songs, like Free).  Very happy to hear this. Golgi was Golgi.  This song follows be around a bit, so I didn't get too excited about it.  Fun closer that gets the crowd going.

All in all, I think we got our moneys worth in this set.  Maybe they felt as though they wanted to give us a little more after the rain or something - 12 songs, including a half hour break (almost two hours, from Sample to Golgi)!  Nothing huge or interesting in the way of jams, though.  The Timber Ho! might have been the best jam of the set. We moved down from our spot high up on Page side to a bit closer on the lawn,  and bit more towards the middle. Nicer views and a bit better sound.

Set Two: Mike's Song->pretty jam->Frankie Sez, David Bowie, Waste, Sand, Lizards, Weekapaug

encore: The Inlaw Josie Wales, Driver, Guyute

In my wish list, I had a couple of long-shots.  One of them happened to be a Mike's Song without Simple, as Pittsburgh's Simple was a bit lacking and I was hoping for a bit more exploration (surprises).  So as the opening notes of Mike's started ringing, and after I finished with the high-fives, I listened and waited to see what would happen.  The Mike's didn't get as dark as Big Cypress or Star Lake, and the wind was a bit too strong for the smoke effect that they have been using.  The forceful jam worked its way into the pre-Simple jam, but to my great surprise, the Simple theme slowed down.  I was very happy by this; I am not too sure which of the band members took the lead in this, but it was very well done as the Simple beginning was slowed and turned into a very pretty, slow jam.  The transition into Relax, er, I mean Frankie Sez was pretty fluid.  This was very well done, IMO.  As I mentioned above, I always enjoy the slower stuff; the song choice was a successful one.  I did find myself thinking of how Hydrogen could have easily come out of the end of Frankie Sez. David Bowie did a great job in getting everyone back up again.  Not too drawn out, but played well.

Waste was as pretty as always.  By this time, though, the four of us were rather chilly.  And while the music coming from the band was good, I think we had a bit of a time trying to stay warm.  Not complaining, though. Sand did a great job of getting me dancing, just like at Big Cypress (when I think I wore myself out for the whole night).  This version was droning and drawn out, with Trey adding some texture on keys.  I think I may enjoy this song a bit more than First Tube, which is from the same genre.  I was thinking of myself of how cool it would be for Weekapaug to emerge from Sand. >From the dark, techno-like jamming of Sand to the up-beat, boogying notes of Lizards.  Very enjoyable. And as soon as Lizards ended, we heard the notes for Weekapaug.  Mike did  well slapping away; fun closer, but didn't increase in tempo and speed like the Star Lake version.  The set made for a tasty Mike's Groove sandwich, that is for sure.

Looking forward to heat and dry clothes, not wanting to get stuck in the lot, we made our way up the hill to the back entrance for the encore.  I was amazed by the silence of the crowd and the clarity of The Inlaw Josie Wales from the top of the lawn - it was great to hear Trey's acoustic picking, so clear and so beautiful . . .  The beauty of that song went well with the great lyrics of Driver (another first for me).  When Driver finished, we headed out, thinking not much would follow.  When we head the beginning of Guyute, we hesitated - but we didn't think anything different was going to be played.  A good choice, I think, as we made it out of the lot in no problem.

All in all, it was a pretty enjoyable show.  But due to the uncontrolled forces of the weather, I think we were a bit distracted (getting chilly, worrying about my wallet and Saturday's tickets, not having my set-list book, not being able to meet up with friends).  I am certainly not disappointed, but you all know how state-of-mind can effect your take on a show.  The first set was a long one, full of well-played songs.  Like I said, I think the Timber Ho! is the stand-out, but I was happy to hear Taste and Stash as well, and the Foam and Dog Faced Boy were great treats.  In the second set, I think the Mike's->jam->Frankie Sez was very well played.  I was really looking forward to the next day's festivities - I knew it was going to be a great tour closer.

Phish
Polaris Amphitheater 7/15/00

By Jeremy Welsh

After a few hours of walking around, pre-show was relaxing.  With the great sounds of Buena Vista Social Club coming out of the PA, we hung out, chatted, and played some cards; we were pretty low on the lawn, just Page of center.  My good friends Marc and Barb (and Crew) were actually a few feet behind us; it was great to see everyone and spirits were high for the show ahead.  I really didn't dwell on the fact that this was going to be my 20th show (in almost six years of seeing Phish - I had paced myself); I was going to let things flow and have fun.  And I certainly did that.

Set One: AC/DC Bag, First Tube, Limb by Limb, NICE, Dirt, Roses are Free, Wolfman's Brother, My Soul, Julius

AC/DC Bag is such a great opener, kicking things off around 7:45.  I was hoping for a Tweezer, but the Bag was good - slower, building funk under a sunny sky.  After the seven minute Bag, a nine minute First Tube followed. Nice and  driving, without too much variation. I have always been a fan of Limb by Limb  and while this version didn't chart any new territory, it was good  nonetheless.  My brother can't get enough of Trey's spiraling solo in this  tune and I have to agree with him.  Kind of in the same genre as Taste and  Free - piercing and spiraling. I was pretty excited to hear my first NICE - I kind of lump NICE with Timber Ho!, Ya Mar, and Punch as songs that are upbeat and very danceable.  This was both, albeit quick (4 minutes). They pretty much nailed the Dirt.

After much discussion, Trey sounded off the beginning of Roses are Free.  Along the same lines of NICE, it put a big smile on my face.  The crowd especially loved the "Land of the Great and Free" line.  While I was expecting some sort of exploration in this one (maybe comparing a bit too much to Big Cypress or the Bittersweet Motel version from Rochester 97), it didn't go too far and ended at only five minutes or so. They kept everyone grooving with Wolfman's Brother.  Good version, around ten minutes long.  Nothing out of the ordinary, though, as I can remember.

At this point, I got into a bit of a conversation with a guy next to me about placement and thinking too much into songs.  I said to him that I thought they would wait for the full moon to come out before they played Wolfman's Brother - make it fit, you know?  But we agreed that we, the fans, probably think into song a bit too much, predicting or analyzing a lot more than the band ever does.  I mentioned to him all of my expectations for November Friday the 13th of 98, thinking they were going to play Wolfman's and all these other crazy things - and nothing out of the ordinary happened.  I guess Friday night they made a slight reference to the rain in Punch ("The Rain had gone, the Storm had passed").  I was just reminded that I think a bit too much into what is played when, and I shouldn't guess what Phish's intentions are. And then I remember the Dead in 95 at Three Rivers when they played four rain songs in a row following a storm, or in Buckeye in 94, right down the road from Polaris, when they played five songs with rain references... oh, well.  They are different bands, right?

I thought the set would end with the My Soul that followed.  I was actually impressed with the long bluesy solo that Page took - Page took a solo and I could hear it!  I was thinking this might end the set, cutting it close to 60 minutes.  But a bit of a discussion followed, and I thought a YEM would close out the set (a la YEM following Saw It Again at Shoreline in 97), but they launched into Julius.  This would definitely close the set, and was much better than My Soul.  The last Julius I saw was the great jammed out version from Cleveland 97 and I was happy to hear them jam this out a bit.  I would love to see them continue to push the envelope on this song.

The set timed-out at just around 70 minutes.  Not a bad set - no real complaints, but not much in the way of adventure, either (even with First Tube, Roses, and Wolfman's).  It was a bit different from the night before, when the set ended when it was dark outside; Saturday night, it was still rather bright.  We made our way up to Marc, joining their crew, wanting to share the second set with some more friends.  Why not find more?  So I went and found my friends Rich and Dave at set-break.  Great to see everyone, and gather them around for the closing set.  Macy Grey was over the PA.

v Second Set: Down With Disease->While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Makisupa, Piper>Mango->Have Mercy tease, Bug, YEM! encore: Loving Cup

Had some hopes for a Tweezer to open, thinking we may still get YEM, maybe a Ghost.  But at 9:30, I was far from disappointed to hear Mike slap out Down With Disease.  Great, great stuff.  It was fast from the start and really never let up.  Around five minutes in is when it started to take off, with some nice playing by Page.  At this point, I had a feeling we were in for a bit of a ride.  Fourteen or so minutes in, it got just a bit mellower.  That didn't last long, though, as Trey starting playing some reggae licks.  Around 17 minutes, I thought I heard a bit of a Crosseyed tease - did anyone else hear that?  Was this the tease/jam that they have been playing all summer?  20 minutes, Trey added some texture on the keys as the rest of the band quickened things up.  At this point, I wrote down that "Fishman is a machine!"  It is amazing as to how long he can keep a beat/rhythm going - does he get tired?  (Thinking of the DJ Logic jam session down in New Orleans that lasted well into the morning, or the jam I just read about in Indianapolis).  Fishman actually changed things up a bit around 25 minutes, playing a bit of a swing beat.

A minute or two later, I heard Page playing something a bit different, teasing a song.  I couldn't place it (boy was it bugging me).  And it became clear, just as my brother exclaims "It's the Beatles . . . ": While My Guitar Gently Weeps!  Wow.  Very, very cool.  Wow.  A glow war occurred during this tune, and while it didn't seem to go well with the music, it was pretty cool to watch.  This version stretched out for about seven minutes - as my brother described it, it was very "breezy".  I thought Trey sang and played very well during this song (*There was a couple times during the two shows that I noticed Trey flubbed some lyrics.  oh well.)

Makisupa was fun, and "Heady Nuggets" received a huge ovation from the crowd. I was surprised at the roar, as was Trey as the screens showed him laughing and smiling.  This was actually jammed out a bit, and Trey even moved over the keys for this one (rather surprised by this).

I love how the opening notes of Piper seem to just float out into the air - I do wish, though, that Piper finds its role as a conduit again, floating in and out of jams (a la 06.25.97, DWD->Piper->DWD - still, one of my favorites).  But who is complaining?  This Piper turned out to be rather unique, with a rather different opening, with weird rhythms, and an absolute raging section before the second verse was sung - don't they usually build through the second verse, raging afterwards?  Page stood out in the beginning of this version on the piano; Kuroda chimed in with those really cool "running" lights, just driving everyone into a frenzy.  Around 8 minutes into the raging (Rich, loved to see you dancing during this one!), they sang the verse for the second time, with Trey adding the high "Red red worm".  As the jam slowed down, around 12 minutes or so, I noticed the bright beautiful full moon, with the clouds passing in front  as they moved into Mango.  Very fun.  Page again stood out on the piano.  This moved out into a pretty mellow jam, which transitioned into a clear Have Mercy tease.  I was so happy, along with some friends, to be hearing this song! and then they stopped.  I don't know who was upset, or disagreeing with the song choice, but after the abrupt ending there was long debate.  If there ever was a tease in all senses of the word, this was it.

After the debate, I was really hoping for Have Mercy to start again, but Bug began.  I was a bit shocked by the lack of reception that it received - no Bug fans in the audience, I guess?  And while it wasn't the song I wanted, I was hoping to hear this and was happy with the 10 minute version.  I really love the lyrics to this song, and enjoy how the song climaxes with the chorus.

No matter how much I like Bug, I don't ever think it will make me feel the way the opening notes to YEM makes me feel (or, as I talked about above, that simple wood block).  I was pulling for a YEM for three and a half sets - I was so happy to hear this!  This version got very funky, nice and deep, and included some really cool keyboards by Page and Trey.  I don't know if I was imagining things, but I thought I heard some "Thank Yous" in the vocal jam - maybe like Peter Frampton's song?  What a great way to end the tour, with a YEM.  Trey didn't really give a long talk afterwards, but did thank everyone.

As for the encore, I thought we might be getting a nice, upbeat Possum.  But I was pleasantly surprised by the Loving Cup - I always can go for a drink!  I just love this song.  It was actually the first tune in my three summer shows that featured Page singing - what I was waiting for!  Certainly left me with a beautiful buzz as the Bee Gees filled the air.

Mandril Brass Construction
Robin Hood Dell East Philadelphia, Pa.   7/17/00

By George Schaefer

Many jamband fans dig 70's funk like Parliament-Funkadelic, War and Maceo Parker.  Quite a few young bands like Deep Banana Blackout base their sound on this extraordinary music.  There is, however, a band from the 70's that is largely unheralded.  That band is Mandrill.

Mandrill is a full sized funk band complete with horns and all.  They along with War and Santana were ahead of their time by incorporating Latin sounds into a rock or funk setting.  I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to see these guys play at the Robin Hood Dell East in Phily.  This is an outdoor venue that sees a lot of urban performances.  When I saw that Mandrill was playing, I marked my calendar to make sure that my schedule was clear.

This show was worth it!  First up was a band called Brass Construction.  These guys put on an adequate show.  It was pretty standard though.  A few thrills and spills but nothing too exciting.

Then came Mandrill.  These guys know how to funk it up.  They did a few of their old classics like "Fencewalk", "Rollin' On" and "Peace and Love".  They also did a lot of new material for an album they are working on.  I would expect the new album to be a tasty platter of funk because what they were playing at the Dell sounded great.  This was my first time seeing this grossly underrated band but I am hoping it won't be my last.  Jam fans who like 70's funk and smokin' jams would do well to look this band up and catch them if they play in your area.

Miracle Orchestra
Knitting Factory Tap Room, NYC 7/20/00

By Jim Crichton

M/O are a hard-core 4 piece that will test your stamina every show. They recently started touring more widely after being primarily New England based (with occasional NY forays to the Wetlands and a notable weekly gig at the Knit Tap Bar last summer). They've reprised the Tap Bar gig throughout July this year and the 7/20/00 show was the best one yet.

Garrett Sayers (bass, with and w/o frets) and Bill Carbone (drums) relentlessly challenge listeners (and bandmates) to keep up with them. Jared Sims (sax) has a sweet tone on the alto and mixes it up well with the tenor, and Geoff Scott (guitar) lurks underneath, soundscaping beautifully, then pouncing with well-timed riffs. They have a large repertoire of originals to choose from, and have been dabbling with covers such as Michael Jackson's Thriller and Steely Dan's The Fez, both of which were played this night. 

The Tap Bar is an intimate place to see an up and coming band, the riser is only about 1' high, and the foursome barely fit on it. These are free shows that don't start until 11pm, so the crowd is varied, ranging from longtime fans who travel from Boston, to New Yorkers who are out for some cheap after movie fun, to the colorful characters who drift down from the more outro stages in other parts of the building. It's not the easiest place to boogie, but folks manage, steering clear of the bar just to the left, tables and chairs along the wall to the right, the aisle only a few feet wide and jammed solid early on, easing as the night progresses. M/O opened with a newish tune, Show Me Your Moves, a festive, Nawlin's feel to it, each player getting a chance to get loose for a bit, a good place for this one. If you've seen Star Wars, you know the Imperial March, Darth Vader's theme song ;) This has been with them for quite a while, another good icebreaker. Call it Nine is an oldie/goodie, they colored that dream nicely, Jared all over the tenor as Geoff lays out the lyrics, a crowd favorite for sure, and this one took a real excursion before coming back to familiar ground.

Let Go is another new one, Garrett opening it with a real distinctive line, Jared over the top, Geoff comping him after a while, adding some sugary lyrics and a buttery guitar solo, yummy stuff. Canvis is a monster, often segued into late in the show, but standing mighty fine all by its lonesome here. It has several levels, Garrett opens with a repetitive note for a minute or two as the others skate over the top, then he and Geoff start romping, Jared begins screaming on the alto, Bill bashes away, then it calms to where Geoff is scaping quietly, Bill barely audible as he ticks the rims, Jared whispering, Garrett again repetitively thumbing a note lowly, then it blows up even bigger than before, rages, Jared adds in some synth, a new thing that is very welcome, a treat to hear this early on, knowing they'll be digging deeper for the finish  5 songs, a bit over an hour in, and we get What A Mess, not a tune that you can really rest your feet on, but it has some space.

Backscratch follows, a happy feet tune, anyone slacking on the last one is back in action now. Finally a cover, Down at the Nightclub, a short but groovy number, dug up to surprise Garrett's dad a while back, and it stayed in the mix. Maha Parusa Das is next, a composition that really melds all their strengths, Garrett is piledriving, legs shifting back and forth as he grooves himself into the floor, Bill's hitting everything on his kit, the floor, the wall behind him, etc., Jared needs oxygen badly afterwards, and Geoff is testing the wear on his strings throughout. Plenty of sweat to go around at this point. Yes Alone is restful, upbeat but not crazy, a good breather. Very needed, since Thriller burns all my reserves. It was called out from the crowd, and was actually on the setlist for just that spot, meant to be. Jared shreds this one, by far my favorite version, but I've only heard it 4-5 times. The crowd is nuts in this small space, MJ seems to have that effect, and these 4 get him just right. They go back to an original, and The Secret Life of Juan Valdez is a journey, you're looking over your shoulder for llamas by the end.

Youthful Agenda has an addictive beat and fun lyrics, it's pushing 1:30 and they haven't stopped for more than a minute or 2 between songs. Abstractions>She is a common segue, always fun to hear, although I miss the Miracle Theme that usually precedes Abstractions. During this, Garrett goes solo with a big Oteil-like section. They've wiped out the crowd by now, those still tottering are dying happy. So Steely Dan gets a call as Garrett puts on The Fez, Jared once again in charge, nailing it. After this they're in overtime and getting flagged for piling it on.  The bartender loved the SD so she allows it. They flash Boob, and I stumble around deliriously happy, reveling in the knowledge that I've witnessed another tasty marathon from these 4 and it's all on tape. Anyone interested in hearing this one can pick my name off the tapers list on their homepage.

Groove in the City
July 22, 2000
Uncle Sammy, Addison Groove, Peter Prince & Moon Boot Lover, Grove

By Margot Main

"Jump in the shower and catch the train.  I'll meet you at The Lions Den at 11:00pm", Nicole said to her married-in-the-suburbs friend Pam.

Addison Groove Project was already playing when Nicole got to Wetlands around 9:15pm.  She ordered a Sierra Nevada and went toward the stage are.  It took a city minute before the sweet jam took hold of her body and she got into her groove.

She felt the elation of John Hall's bass and Andrew Keith's drums.  She started to sway a bit to the beat. Nicole closed her eyes for a moment and heard Rob Marscher-Rhodes on the organ play notes that touched her like the summer breeze from her earlier cab ride's window.  She opened her eyes and saw Brendan McGinn's guitar play a game with Dave Adams' alto sax and Ben Groppe's tenor sax.  She didn't understand the language but knew she was hearing a game of follow the leader.  Brendan's guitar would lead with the sax team right behind him.  They'd switch off and Ben Groppe would comfortably lead followed by Dave Adams taking the front.  At several points Brendan switched to his trumpet and the sax players followed with energetic flight.  The three horns flew through the bass and drums then hovered around Rob as he alternated between the organ and what Nicole thought was a clavichord.

She had met up with a few people she knew and danced with them while Max Delaney from Uncle Sammy stepped on stage and kicked in the groove until the end of the set (well, it was Uncle Sammy's CD release party).

At the end of the set Nicole hopped into a taxi and went over to the Lion's Den. She ordered a beer when Grove started to make their noise.  She was wondering how to describe this music when Pam walked in.  They hugged, kissed each other's cheeks. As Pam ordered a shot of Cuervo and a beer Nicole tuned back into the music.  Grove had gone from hodge-podge rap to acid hip-hop.  While Pam spoke Nicole turned on the MP3 player in her brain and tuned back into the happy melody of Addison Groove's perfect instrumental cover of The Average White Band's "Pick Up The Pieces" until Grove left the stage.

"What's the name of the band we're waiting for," Pam asked Nicole.

"Peter Prince and Moon Boot Lover.  I saw Prince up at Gathering of the Vibes in June".

Nicole immediately noticed the difference between the first time she saw Peter Prince and now.  Up at the Vibes he played an undulating rhythm of funk with an exotically deep beat.  What she was hearing now was most surely funked up rock. 

She smiled as her head and shoulders kept pace with John Hawe's playing his Schector bass and Andy on the drums.  Nicole turned to Pam and she could see Pam's tension being absorbed by the synergism of Peter Prince's guitar and magnetically charged voice. Nicole watched John's finger dance circles over the bass strings.  She gazed at Peter Prince and muttered out loud, "Move over Chris Robinson there's a new guy in town".

Nicole and Pam finished cheering and clapping the end of Peter Prince and Moon Boot Lover's set and headed toward the door. Nicle then saw her friend Bob, and after Pam said goodbye they returned to Wetlands around 2:00am just in time to catch the last part of Uncle Sammy's last set.  They said hello to a few people they knew and started dancing.

Nicole moved to Brian O'Connell's bass beat gently accentuated with Tom Arey's drums.  Max Delaney's guitar captured her smile as Walter Sasser's keyboards soothed the air.  They weren't playing a game, they were telling her a story. Nicole watched the quartet play as if they were one entity.  Each note from each instrument gave rise to another like the ebb and flow of a smooth tide.  Overall, the story was about letting go.  As described in the lyrics of Uncle Sammy's final set song "Waiting For Life", "She's waiting for life to make a change, to rearrange; A frown to a smile; And hold it for awhile".

Responding to the way Uncle Sammy's music made her feel purely content, Nicole's smile broadened and stayed.

She was smiling as Addison Groove Project joined Uncle Sammy in an encore jam of "Shake Everything You Got". She did.  The band could have played for hours more. Nicole would have been right with them grooving on The Wetlands floor.

Bob Dylan and Phil Lesh
Waterloo Village, Stanhope, NJ 7/30/00

By Steve Apple

It's been a long time since an event has created such excitement for me; this was my first Bob Dylan show and the energy brought me back to JazzFest 1989. This Dylan Virgin saw hopping, smiling, pointing and dancing from a genuinely exuberant artist, not to mention the high caliber of musicianship that makes him a legend.

The adventure started with my favorite Long Island ladies and me in the Stealth Guidomobile heading west into the hills of New Jersey. Rain was the forecast but precipitation kept its distance in the magical twilight. Dbmojo and I had a mission. Debramen's early morning, early warning wuss alert went off, but we knew she couldn't miss the show. We broke 3 state laws: kidnapping, carjacking and something else I can't remember right now.

As we approached Waterloo Village, they were making the latecomers (like us), hike a mile and a half to the show, as all parking areas were full. Somehow, we bypassed all this and landed a few yards from the main gate, smack in the middle of the vending area.

There were two ways into the show, "Full Body Cavity Search" and "Express: 5 Items or Less". We formed the express line ourselves, as the other line looked long and painful. We only took the essentials-3 All Terrain Chairs w/cup holders, tarp, blanket, and big-ass backpack and camera.

The crowd's positive energy was synergistic and infectious. Dylan began, we dropped our gear and headed to the stage for a better view of the kick ass band.

Dylan played his heart out and seemed to genuinely enjoy performing in the middle of the woods to a field of reverent dancing fans. The show was mixed with acoustic and electric tunes (See set list below). Music gods also graced us with guitarists Charlie Sexton and Larry Campbell. During the hit Like A

Rolling Stone, the crowd gelled as one smiling, swaying and singing entity. I didn't need the American Flag waving in my face to feel patriotic. Dylan's music is pure Americana, looking back at the field, hearing the last of a five song encore, Blowin' In The Wind, reminded me I'm a Proud American. I went out and Registered to Vote, Registered my Car and turned in my parents.

Bob Dylan SET LIST: Duncan And Brady*, Song To Woody*, Desolation Row*, My Back Pages*, Tangled Up In Blue*, Searching For A Soldier's Grave*, Country Pie, Blind Willie McTell, Tombstone Blues, I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met), Cold Irons Bound, Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat, Five Song Encore: Things Have Changed, Like A Rolling Stone, One Too Many Mornings*, Highway 61 Revisited, Blowin' In The Wind* (*Acoustic)

Phil Lesh took the stage strong going right into Dark Star. When I heard this tune, a bolt of energy came down from the stage and knocked me backwards to somewhere in the 70s. A deadhead's delight, Lesh touched on other Grateful Dead tunes like Terrapin Station and one of my favorites, Box of Rain. Having two of Little Feat's personnel in this configuration of Phil and Friends added a fresh sound to the show, playing an extended killer Dixie Chicken. The band went into Allman rifts and elevated the crowd even higher.

Phil Lesh SET LIST: Jam, Dark Star, Mirror of Thalassa/ Dark Star, Foolish Heart, Dixie Chicken, St Stephen/ The Eleven Jam/ St Stephen Reprise, Terrapin Station, Cold Rain & Snow, E: Box of Rain

Phil Lesh on bass and vocals was joined by John Molo - drums, Robben Ford - guitar, Paul Barrere - guitar, Bill Payne - keyboards.