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West Regional Report
Edited by sarah bruner syrup@hula.net
Project Four by Richard Melcher Legion of Mary at the Last Day Saloon by Christian Crumlish KVHW by Charles Dirksen Phish Sheds Skin by Jeremy Birchman The Trick Was To Surrender to the Flow by Mitch Goldman
ProjeKct Four
by Richard MelcherThe Fenix - Seattle, WA
Wednesday, October 28, 1998Musicians: Robert Fripp (guitar), Trey Gunn (Warr guitar), Tony Levin (electric bass, Chapman stick, and electric upright bass), and Pat Mastelotto (percussion, acoustic and electronic drums, and electronic rhythm/percussion programming)
ProjeKct Four (P4) is a subset of the six-member band King Crimson, hence the "K" in "ProjeKct". Since November of 1997 the six members have performed and improvised in three other subsets in this series of projects. As Robert Fripp stated:
"The aim of these smaller Crimson projeKcts, or sub-groups, is to function as Research & Development units on behalf of, and for, the Greater Crim. The projeKcts may become as much and as little as they may, recording and touring as stand- alone and independent units. The practical difficulties of King Crimson working together are immense: expectation from audiences - of repertoire, and what the legendary and august Crimson is, or might be; expectation from the group of what it is, or might be about- to-be becoming; major logistical problems in touring; and the huge expense in putting the full team together, whether to rehearse or tour. Our current and alternative approach - for smaller units within the Double Trio to work together privately and publicly rather than for all six of us to clatter and bang away simultaneously, which is often wonderful and frequently invigorating - has already loosened up the band's view of itself and our sense of possible futures."* *Quoted from the Discipline Global Mobile website.My perception of King Crimson's history is comprised of four eras: 1969-1972, 1973-1975, 1980-1984, and 1994-present. One of the original progressive rock bands (along with Yes, early Genesis, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer), they have covered an enormous amount of musical territory between '69 through the present. The sole thread that has connected all of the incarnations is guitarist Robert Fripp. Not far behind is drummer/percussionist, Bill Bruford. The 80's KC was comprised of Fripp, Bruford, Adrian Belew (guitar, vocals) and Tony Levin (bass, Chapman Stick). If you are unfamiliar with the Chapman Stick, it is a 10 stringed fretless instrument resembling an electric bass or guitar, but with a range greater than both. Instead of being plucked or strummed, it is frequently played by tapping on the string with both hands at various points along the fretboard. A similar instrument used in the band is the Warr Guitar. 1994 saw no personnel departures, but the addition of another drummer, Pat Mastelotto, and another Chapman Stick player, Trey Gunn (who now plays a Warr Guitar). SoI2 guitars, 2 Sticks, and 2 drummersIa double trio. Also worth noting is the fact that each of these players has a performance resume outside of King Crimson that goes beyond impressive, toward mind-boggling; not only in sheer numbers of contributions, but also in the stylistic breadth of genres to which they have made contributions.One last note relating to "the 80's and beyond KC." Many readers of this publication are probably familiar with the work the Grateful Dead. Throughout their career (especially during their "Wall of Sound" days and then their run with sound-man Dan Healy) they continued to push their concept of music to the limits. Their musical exploration was not only limited to a choice of notes and phrasing, but it was exponentially multiplied by the use of state-of-the-art electronics. I see this as a common bond in these seemingly disparate entities. Often when I hear a musical ensemble using electronic devices, it seems to me that they are used to define - and sometimes confine - the structure of the music. When I hear ensembles such as the Grateful Dead and King Crimson, the electronics are used to push beyond the known boundaries. Granted, the Grateful Dead and King Crimson may be exploring different worlds with different tools and running different experiments, but I hear what seems to me to be a commonality in mission.
The Show:
The Fenix is close to the Seattle's Kingdome. The place was packed; while great for the group, I would have preferred fewer attendees. Despite positioning myself with hundreds of people along a balcony, the sound was pretty good. At the set break, I moved to halfway-up a stairway at the back of the house. I wasn't as close, but I could see the whole group and the sound improved a bit. I'm quite picky and easily annoyed by poor sound quality, and it was never a problem on this night.
To sum the show up in one line, I exclaim: "DANGER, the sterile and orderly world of techno has become contaminated by an organic virus."
The efforts from all of the projeKcts have been purely instrumental, and mainly improvisational. Thanks to the internet, I knew not to expect structured "songs", but to expect two compositions per set. Each set lasted about an hour. On an aural level, I purposefully let myself attend the evening without any preconceived expectations. I was hoping to get a little bit of aggressively chaotic noise rammed down my throat. I was not disappointed. But there were times where the music was also much softerIthe kind that inspires a more quiet, introspective mood.
Despite their improvisational nature, the songs were not completely without structure. Each individual member was not merely playing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted; there were definitely parts that were arranged. Clearly there were gears ("of the Greater Crim") at work during some of the passages. In some of the pieces you could hear the hints and implications of melodies, counter-melodies, harmonies, and bass lines, but the creative process was turned loose. Sounds were metamorphosing way too quickly for structure to occur. The whole performance had a very fluid feeling to it. The show's encore (the crowd was going nuts) was the only composed piece of the evening; "VROOM," from 1994's EP of the same name, was a bit short, but it was tight, rearranged for two harmonized bass lines, and left grey-matter trickling out of my ears.
Through various parts of the evening, Pat Mastelotto would employ the use of a device similar to an electronic drum-machine. This was probably the most unexpected aspect of the evening; most of the programmed rhythm tracks had the feel of techno/dance music, one track in particular approached jungle music (extremely fast).
Since it's 80's inception there has always been a presence of electronic percussion in KC, but it has never approached what I consider "dance music." That is not to say that the pieces, or the larger drumming/percussion of ProjeKct Four, sounded like dance music. The feel came solely from the machine, but it was blatantly and purposely there. While definitely not bad nor inappropriate, it was unexpected. It seemed that Pat has had much experience using this device; he was quick at manipulating the rhythms to fit the numerous tempo shifts. The sounds that Pat had programmed into the machine were really cool as well. Many of them had a very futuristic/sci-fi sound to them. What I so enjoyed was that as soon as Pat locked in a groove on the machine, he would get to work on his trap set. He just didn't play along, he was playing all over the electronic rhythm he had laid down. At times he would play "inside" the groove, at others he'd play complimentary counter-rhythms, or he'd be laying it down in a different time signature. Plain and simple, Pat Mastelotto smokes!
While Tony Levin expertly covered the low-end of things, Robert Fripp was hanging out in the upper-register. This gave Trey Gunn, with the sonic range of his Warr Guitar, the opportunity to compliment both of the other players and solo at either range (and at any point in between). There was a cool passage where Tony bowed his upright bass to produce some pretty interesting sounds. Suffice it to say that Robert Fripp was incredible. He played great supporting parts, while trading "lead" lines back and forth with Trey. Fripp is a guitar god, but possibly the most unique guitar god associated with the rock genre. There are times when his guitar sounds like a mellotron, sometimes like a string section, and sometimes like a computer sound-effect from a 70's B-Movie. At times it sounded like a ray-gun that is draining your soul and consciousness from your body, leaving you in a tranquil and trance-like state. And still at others he made the guitar scream like he has just unleashed bloody Armageddon on the world as we know it. The few words I have written about him here cannot approach communicating the mastery that Fripp has over his craft. Even if his guitar didn't make a sound, his philosophical approach to making music, running a record label, and living a quality life would still be awe-inspiring.
I am definitely interested in hearing more from this and any other projeKcts that may develop in the future. According to Fripp (on the Discipline Global Mobile website), the Double Trio is scheduled to regroup in October of 1999 for development, rehearsal, and performance of the material that emerges from the projeKcts. It will be interesting to see how much of an influence the techno rhythms have on what comes forth. If it isn't blatantly obvious, I eagerly await squeezing in a few shows of a potential '00 King Crimson Tour.
Legion of Mary at the Last Day Saloon
by Christian CrumlishThursday, October 29, 1998
Martín Fierro: tenor sax, vocals Alex Baum: bass Ray Scott: guitar Wayne De La Cruz: piano, keyboards Paul Spina: drums Kenny Simeone: guitar, lead vocals
A few days before I slipped off to Vegas to "wade in the velvets sea" on Halloween, I finally managed to hear the newly reformed Legion of Mary play a low-key gig in San Francisco. The original Legion of Mary (LoM) featured Jerry Garcia on guitar, Martín Fierro on flute and tenor saxophone, Merl Saunders on organ, John Kahn on bass, and Ron Tutt on drums, performed for only a few years starting in 1975, and never recorded an album, but its live tapes are still hotly traded today. You can read more about the original Legion of Mary and available tapes of its live gigs at the Jerry Site.
LoM thrived during the Dead's hiatus, before the Beast reclaimed Jerry. In the years afterward, Martín and Merl played with Jerry again in Reconstruction (circa '79) and Merl played with Martín in Zero in the early '90s. Now Merl plays with his own Rainforest Band, Jerry's playing in Jimi's band, Zero has become an occasional band, and Martín has resurrected the Legion of Mary (or at least it's repertoire).
The book on Martín Fierro has not yet been written, which leaves him with the responsibility of tending to his own legacy. Part of his story is that of the talented and roadhouse-tested Texas musicians who provided some muscle to the somewhat ethereal San Francisco music scene in the late '60s. Martín's music is blues, R&B, and soul, and his professionalism and confidence as a performer shine through at all times. He rocks big regardless of the scale of the gig. So I was curious to see what this reanimated band could do with only one of its seminal members participating. Rumor had it that the band was well rehearsed.
In my mind was the question, Does Martín have the "it" vibe I first picked up from the Dead (and later Hot Tuna, Zero, even the Radiators on a good day in an intimate setting, etc.), particularly that thirst-quenching soul vibe so valued at Zero shows and not fully present at KVHW? I tried to keep an open mind.
The scheduled opening act flaked, so LoM took the stage early at 10:20, not waiting for the audience to fill out, though Zero Mail subscribers had been told to expect LoM on between 10:30 and 11. They opened with Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her", recently released on Merl Saunders' Keepers album. The feel of the band is instantly recognizable, almost forcing me to physically unwind. Immediately I know the answer to one question. Yes, they have the "it" vibe. So, is it in the material, is it Martín? Something handed down, a lineage?
The second tune is "Let it Rock," one of Chuck Berry's rewrites of Johnny B. Goode, cannibalizing himself. Susan, who came at my behest to photograph the show, tells me that Martín's still got the old LoM dance moves down. Horn leads in the mix I notice on the unison outro.
During the third tune, "Neighbor, Neighbor" I decide that somehow, this is a triumph of the repertoire, as I feel this music is wholly alive, the singing aside. On "It's No Use," the disappointing timbre of the vocals especially grates. I start to understand why some of my friends are having so much trouble accepting the vocals. All the songs so far have been sung by guitarist Kenny Simeone, in a generic blues growl without much melodic expression. See Jerry and Merl's Live at Keystone album for a truly emotional, plaintive reading of the vocals by Jerry (even with flubbed lyrics at one point). I was unable to shake that model from my memory, even as I sang along on the wonderfully sad chorus: "You went away and left me, left me all by my, left me all by my, left me all by myself!"
All the songs have been vocal so far, I notice. On most songs, the keyboard adds grace notes, but the sequence of solos goes soul guitar (Simeone), tenor sax (Fierro), stunt guitar (Scott).
Finally, with the instrumental Fierro-penned "Favela" it all comes together for me: a Martín instrumental familiar both from the original Legion of Mary repertoire as well as from Zero in the last few years and Martín Fierro Quartet gigs in San Rafael on Sundays, a song that never fails to transport me, its playful licks redolent with Martín's warm good humor. Spina contributes a roiling drum solo.
With trademark questionable humor, Martín introduces the next tune as "I Second that Laotian," and it's really a cover of Jerry's cover, retaining his lyrical simplification in the chorus (no "lifetime of devotion" for ol' Jer). It feels learned from tapes. It's 11:20 as the song ends the first set, and I reassure myself again. They've got the energy and groove, definitely.
After a short break, they open the second set with "Tore Up", a Jerry vocal signature tune. By now we are referring to vocalist as MC Yo Yo Yo. The small crowd responds to the force of the rendition. They follow up with another Fierro instrumental "La-La", which also appeared on Merl's recent Keepers album. It's another pure LoM moment for me. Alex Baum is very expressive on bass. I guess the instrumentals are less jarring. Conscious of the context of all this music, Martín talks about the repertoire. "The music we were playing, I think people should hear it now. A few years have gone by. It's still fresh."
They follow-up with Dylan's "Tough Mama," Scott's guitar solo modal like Jerry, but with jazz edge. I dance in the groove. "Mississippi Moon" flows past me as I try to listen past the vocals. Martín then surprises us by singing Merl's "Feel Like Dynamite," a song that's both funky and hokey at the same time, larded with the hip jargon of a past era. Dyn-o-mite! Shakin'! Bakin'!
With "That's What Love Will Make You Do," which follows, again my Deadhead head can't dissociate this from versions by Jerry's various solo bands, such as the one on the last (real) JGB album. Inspirational lyric: "... baby I'm still in love with you."
Partway into "Mystery Train", a cover with wider associations (also on the recent Keepers album - reminding me of the LoM subtext of that release), my energy flags and I have to leave; to my regret, I cannot report accurately on the end of the show.
With this band, the minuses are the vocals problem and the (perhaps related) Jerry band syndrome, unavoidable when so much of the potential audience knows Martín primarily as the reed player on the Dead's Wake of the Flood (and at some live shows in '73) and as a collaborator with Jerry in a few of his non-Dead bands. Still, I maintain that this band understands "it" and knows how to deliver.
Set One (one hour): I Was Made to Love Her Let It Rock Neighbor, Neighbor It's No Use Favela I Second That Emotion Set Two (partial): Tore Up La-La Tough Mama Mississippi Moon Feel Like Dynamite That's What Love Will Make You Do Mystery Train
Kimock, Vega, Hertz and White
by Charlie DirksenSebastapol Community Center; Sebastopol, CA
October 24, 1998Many folks were thirsty after the hour's drive north of San Francisco up to Sebastopol. Fortunate for them, Sebastopol's very good brewpub, "The Powerhouse," was one of the sponsors of the show last night. After enjoying the clear and crisp Sebastopol evening and walking inside, people could choose from various, delicious brews, which were sold at the back of the Center's main room for a modest sum. The Porter was especially good, featuring a robust, roasty - but not too roasty - and subtly chocolate-malt flavor. As thirsts were quenched all over the Center, some people geared up for the gig by means of non-alcoholic intoxicants as well, preparing their minds and souls to drink the music of paradise.
Zigaboo Modeliste opened, and they were very tight. Too tight, in my opinion, like the funky James Taylor Quartet live. There is a serious difference between jamming and improvisation; however the drummer not only has a gorgeous voice, but also rages compellingly on the skins. Zig played with two keyboardists, a guitarist, sax player and bass player, but I don't know if this was his usual team. I really enjoyed "Green Onions" and "Hey Pocky Way". But I won't hear last night's Zig gig ever again, because Zig wouldn't permit taping. I heard discipline, experience and passion in all of Zig's music, but nothing particularly original.
As for KVHW...
A friend of mine, who has seen hundreds of rock concerts, recently told me that the KVHW show at the Wetlands in NYC on 10/17/98 was one of the best concerts that he had ever seen. He had always been a Kimock fan, but KVHW had not quite clicked for him yet. He respected their music, but there was something missing. Whatever it was, he found it at the Wetlands!
Now that I have seen and heard the latest incarnation of the continuously unfolding KVHW, I can share in my friend's joy. KVHW's trademark or symbol is the Chinese character that represents the sound created when the world began. Newly christened fans of KVHW undoubtedly feel as if they were baptized by a harmonious integration of some of those very sounds.
At the Community Center in Sebastopol, KVHW performed a brilliant improvisational concert. Opening with "Tangled Hangers," the band bedazzled the 350 or so attendees with wave upon wave of mellifluous tones. Hangers was comparatively short (~15 mins) compared with most of the tunes played during the evening, and Alan could have been tighter for the first few minutes, but from the get-go it featured blistering, spidery soloing from Kimock.
One of my favorite Hendrix tunes, "Power of Soul" was confidently played. Alan and Bobby pounded out a forceful bottom, as Ray soulfully and richly expressed chords with his voice and his guitar. A first time played live for KVHW, this version didn't stretch out as much as I would have liked. But it is only a matter of time before KVHW takes this one into original territory. It has a spirited melody line that commands attention and demands respect, particularly when KVHW flirts with it. If you haven't heard it before, hear the original, especially a live version, if you can find one.
The instrumental "Five Before Funk" was magnificent! After a typically awe-inspiring jam segment, Kimock led the band into an additional, extended ultra-funky jam. It was possibly the longest version KVHW has played to date. The band seemed as thrilled to perform this version as much as we were to listen and dance to it! Kimock was dishing out notes and chords so generously and thoughtfully, that I was in Lil'-Toaster-Fan-Boy HEAVEN, laughing aloud at how blessed I was to be there. If ever there was a doubt in my mind that this band would one day be legendary, that doubt was terminated with extreme prejudice. And the best was yet to come!
"In Time" was next, a song that I had never heard before. The unusual opening melody line sounded somewhat familiar -- like a lick out of Zero's cover of "Use Me," only in a different key. Though the lyrics seemed odd, Ray's voice was beautiful. I should note that, particularly in the final few tunes of the evening, Ray was especially active verbally, which I found very refreshing. Some people in the crowd didn't seem thrilled by Ray's lyrical and vocal improvisations, but I found that they contributed to the overall "Welcome Back to the Family" vibe of the evening, a vibe that was present from the beginning, despite another obnoxiously chatty Bay Area crowd.
Like "Five Before Funk," "Why Can't We All Just Samba" was equally magical, exploring a new, additional jam segment with zeal and spice. I've heard most of the versions of this tune, which I know isn't saying a lot as KVHW is less than a year old. But this was the most inspired version that I've heard. The grooves all evening were tight-yet-free, trippy-yet-serene, ferocious-yet-warm. Though we were "Beyond Rock and Roll" tonight, the spirit was not Nietzschean nihilism, but Bacchanalian bliss! Neither good nor evil, neither psychedelic nor funky, the jam segment of "Samba" was nevertheless Almighty, and the crowd seemed to concur. And hey Phish fans: If you think that Phish hoses you down better than all others, let KVHW wash the Golgi out of your ears!
"Illinois Enema Bandit" (a Zappa cover) was played by request for an Illinois friend of the band's in the audience. I enjoyed this rousing set- closer, which was performed as though the band members had been playing it since birth.
Spring Water, which opened the second set, was fun and well-played, as we've come to expect. The band wrote this catchy number in the few minutes it took them to get from the room upstairs down to the stage at Dave's Fourth Street Tavern on April 10th of this year. It's still evolving (there's not much to it lyrically or melodically), but this version is up there with the best of them without question. It is hard to knock a tune guaranteed to have at least a five minute jam segment!
But the highlight of the show, in my opinion, and one of the musical highlights of my entire life, was the spanking new "Point of No Return," which closed the short second set. Apparently created in Arkansas and performed for the first time at the final Chester's show in early October, PoNR is a monumental epic of "High and Lonesome" and "Tangled Hangers" proportions. What could well become KVHW's "Dark Star," this song is guaranteed to change lives, as it already has mine. Time and key changes galore. A heady improvisationophile's Nirvana. You cannot wait to hear this song! I'm going to tour with KVHW as much as I possibly can in the future.
The third set was basically just two jams, featuring Kimock, Vega, White, Hertz, Zig, and the bassist, guitarist and keyboardist of Zig's band. "Cissy Strut" is one of my all-time favorite tunes, and this version was powerful, particularly given the rather rowdy, competitive drums from Alan and Zig. There wasn't as much Kimock as I would have liked, though, and too much of Zig's competent but only mildly interested guitarist. However the "You're the One" performed next may have been the most captivating, riveting version ever performed in rock history. If you are unfamiliar with it, it is a melodically enchanting instrumental that moves your soul at least as much as it moves your feet!
I haven't been so excited about circulating a show since 6/5/98, after seeing "The Other Ones'" first gig at the Warfield! I urge you to seek the tapes and to go and see KVHW as soon as possible. For more information on the band, check out http://bands.hive.net/zero/zero-family.html#KVHW.
First Set: Tangled Hangers Power of Soul Five Before Funk In Time Why Can't We All Just Samba Illinois Enema Bandit (Zappa/Mothers of Invention cover) Second Set: Spring Water Point of No Return Third Set w/Zig: Cissy Strut You're the One
Phish Sheds Skin
by Jeremy BirchmanI am a man renewed. Musical repatriation. A revitalization of the auditory senses. PHISH has returned. Can I get a hallelujah from the members of the congregation. HALLELUJAH!
Some may say there had been no decline, no decrease in creativity, no slouching off at the sentry post. I was not of that opinion. So what has renewed this vigor ? The Fillmore, The Greek, and Las Vegas to be exact. I was fortunate to attend all of these shows and would not trade anything for the experience. These four shows, these fabulous, awakening, creative, warm, comfortable, energetic, and yes, soulful shows. Soulful. That is not a word I have equated with the fabulous foursome for some time now. So what was so special about those four shows to return Phish from the brink of average-dom?
Many have realized that the FILLMORE was not the be all and end all, the show where Phish reemerged to blow ceilings off venues and electrify fans with such wondrous creativity and improvisational prowess. If that's all you wanted from the Fillmore show then you definitely would have left disappointed. What I really sought was that connection between the band and the fans, that spark, that look in the eyes of Trey, Mike, Fish, and Page, a bridge between stage and floor, between performer and listener, one feeding off the other. Wholesale vibe exchange. The size and the history of the Fillmore played its role, but that special night had more to do with the band saying "we're glad to be back." That show had something that all the large venues, large crowds, large sound could never create: SOUL. A splattering of emotion onto the walls, the chandeliers, the ceiling, the collective. The band was radiating lighting bolts of pure ecstasy into the crowd and the crowd ate it all up. But what about the music played? Was the show musically impressive? No. However, the evening transcended that; it transcended the hype and expectations. It was a spiritual journey back to my beginnings with Phish, perhaps back to their beginnings as a band.
The seeds of change had been planted.
It was my birthday and I was in Los Angeles, a dreadful city. But I was with m'lady and heading straight toward the Greek Theater, the only outdoor venue of this Fall tour. The Greek is a small, beautifully crafted outdoor venue that shares the surrounding space, not one that takes the space over destroying the sense of nature that was once there. Nestled within a virtual forest of tall standing trees that lurk on the fringes of human outcroppings, the Greek was not something I expected to find in L.A. It was even a beautiful night - the weather was breezy but not cold, the stars were out, the sound was fantastic, and Phish was playing.
I could not help but think back to Fall '96 when Phish played a little hyped show at the West Palm Beach Amphitheater in South Florida. That too was the only outdoor show of that tour. I was at that show and Set II ranks in my top 5 of all time. Was the Greek as explosive, as electrifying, as pound-you-down into the floorboards insane? No, but I never expected it to be. Nevertheless, it was a solid show, an excellent second set, with smatterings of brilliance here and there.
The show highlight was indefatigably the Reba>Jam>Walk>Away>Simple portion of the second set. Similar to the Fillmore "Reba," this version was creative, expressive, and full of intriguing modularities between Trey and Page. Segueing into a distinctive jam, I thought Phish was heading into "Mike's Song" via the back door (see 7.22.97 Raleigh, NC - DWD>Mike's). Mike and Trey were heading down the dark path, treading slowly, building something from virtually nothing, until the first notes of the Joe Walsh tune "Walk Away" sounded. This was a monster Walk Away. A less indirect path led us to "Simple". My giddiness exuded into the night sky as I could not stop bouncing around with joy. After such an energetic, lively set, I was hoping for a "Slave" or "Amazing Grace" encore where the melody could carry me away into blissful relaxation and a near vegetative state. What we got instead was much, much better. The Beatles' tune "Something" was performed exquisitely, true to the song down to the note. Page was Paul McCartney, if only for a brief moment. My body stopped moving and I let the song proceed directly into my consciousness. Standing beside my girlfriend, on my birthday, hearing something so beautiful, so mellifluous, so comfortable and warm, provided an inner peace that I will never forget.
And the wheels of change continued pressing forward.
Las Vegas, the city that sucks energy, the city that requires a man-made marvel (the Hoover dam) to power it, the city that says "We will take your money at all hours of the day, including holidays." I love it! I had not returned to Las Vegas since my student days at ASU years ago and boy, what a difference 4 years makes. There were at least 5 new casinos and the place seemed bigger, badder, and more money-sucking than ever. I love Vegas! With many friends, I called Excalibur home for the weekend, land of cheese.
The Thomas & Mack center was much bigger than I expected, but I was reminded of the Hampton Coliseum. As for the shows, the missing ingredient was repetitive funk - and that was music to my ears. The shows were dominated by older songs for the most part, flowing together smoothly as if the shows were occurring in '94 or '95. Several high energy staples (Antelope, Wilson, Punch You In the Eye, Mike's, Weekapaug, Chalkdust) made an appearance, along with the more melodious and rhythmic (Lizards, Wolfman's, Ghost), with more blues oriented numbers parsed in between (Gettin' Back to the Chicken Shack, Long Cool Woman, Sneaking Sally). Hey, where's the repetitive funk? Not in Vegas! Overall, well blended shows, both in style, feel, attitude, and song selection.
But what would Halloween be without Set II? The Beatles, The Who, The Talking Heads. The Velvet Underground? Yes, the VELVET UNDERGROUND. LOADED was just not the album title but was the mantra for the performance. Phish devoured, RIPPED apart, annihilated, destroyed, and unabashedly proclaimed that their souls, wherever they may have been for the past 18 months, have returned with a vengeance. Dark Side of the Moon? Give me a break. Loaded was unreal! Loaded was one of the best Phish sets that I have heard in a long time. Sometimes it takes the farthest thing from Phish to make Phish sound like the truly masterful, electrified, inspired, brilliant, and soulful musicians that they are. Every note, every chord, every vocal, every refrain emoted pure essence, pure emotion, pure soul.
Think back to when that album was written and when it emerged on the music scene. Those were strange days. Now, realize that Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground were anti-hippies, bringing realities of the street directly into your living room. Listen to the lyrics from such songs as "Who Loves the Sun", "Sweet Jane", "Cool It Down", "Head Held High" and "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'". Visualize what these songs were about - drug use, abuse, dealers, the seedy side of life. While these subjects are nothing new, Reed's chilling directness provided a message loud and clear that went far beyond "If you fall, you fall alone". How often do you hear Phish attempt to sing about things that are so serious, so real, so truly intense with such real life meaning? While the album itself was not difficult musically, summoning the raw power to convey those lyrics, to make them sound real and meaningful was not an easy task.
Through Phish's brilliant translation, I was able to easily understand exactly what Reed was trying to say. All the symbolism and nuance jumped out, sat on my face, bore a hole directly into my brain, and then into my soul. The music was so powerful I had to take deep breaths just to make sure I had not stopped moving entirely. Phish had 100% of my attention and did not let go until the final notes of "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'." I would take Loaded before Dark Side of the Moon without hesitation. Hearing Loaded for the first time was so fresh, so revealing, so awakening that feeling IT was possible once again. IT. Such a powerful word, such a powerful feeling.
As I sat in the airport terminal the following day, still electrified to the bone, I saw the men that created my elation, my revitalization, my repatriation. The opportunity to speak with Page for several minutes about Loaded was incredible. We spoke about the album, about Lou Reed, and the Velvet Underground's demise. It was a great way to end to an inspiring weekend. Phish has returned.
The Trick Was to Surrender to the Flow
by Mitch GoldmanPhish gave a two day Halloween party in Vegas, played five of the most powerful sets of their careers, and still, everybody whined. The incessant complaining on the internet following the shows seemed to be based on the choice of "musical costume" (Phish's traditional Halloween cover set), the experimental third set, and the unexpected post-Halloween cover of DARK SIDE OF THE MOON the following Monday night in Utah.
This disconcerting turn of events leads me to characterize Phish's excellent Vegas sets as "pearls before swine". It's a pity that Friday's show got lost in the shadow of the much hyped Saturday extravaganza; from the red hot opening "Wilson" through the a capella "Freebird", this show was well above average. Set 1 was a nearly perfect journey, thanks in large part to two epics: "Scent of a Mule", which encompassed an amazing blues jam in addition to the usual Page-led jam and the Trey/Mike Greek dance, and the most powerful "Run Like an Antelope" I've heard yet. This 'lope had a gorgeous jam and some Residents-like weirdness toward the end. "Guelah Papyrus" and "Lizards" lightened things up, the latter replete with more instrumental richness than is usually present in this Gamehendge ditty. Then for sheer silliness, Trey announced that since this show marked the 15th anniversary of their first "official" show, they would play the first tune they played that night: a cover of the Hollies' faux-Creedence tune "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress". It was played with appropriate historical sloppiness.
Set 2 contained 30 minutes of tremendous music in the first half. A nice "Stash" led to the breakout of the Dizzie Gillespie tune "Manteca", its first appearance in three years. "Manteca" started jazzy but turned dark, sinister and gnarly as it transformed into "Tweezer". As it often happens, this "Tweezer" was a huge and snarling beast. Stretching for 18 minutes into several modular jams, this segment was the highlight of the set and maybe the whole show. The "NICU/Prince Caspian/Golgi Apparatus" module that followed was well played and well loved by the crowd, but felt abrupt in its placement, as if Phish needed to give us another fifteen minutes of jamming *heft* before winding down. An acoustic "Driver", a new tune composed for the Bridge benefits, and the silly a capella "Freebird" ended a fantastic show on a light note.
Saturday's crowd was greeted with a "Phishbill" announcing that LOADED by the Velvet Underground would be the second set so highly anticipated by the fans. Most stood in the hallways scratching their heads; clearly this is not a hugely popular album, despite being legendary among VU fans. Some of us older folk who were weaned on VU and other less mainstream music could not have been more thrilled.
Set 1 was a seriously upbeat rock-fest of a set. The "Axilla" opener should have been a clue that the boys were here to kick serious butt, not play some mid-tempo contemplative music (they saved that for later!). The entire set ripped by, with only two ballads, both off the new album, and the most intense "Weekapaug Groove" set-ender you're likely to encounter, past or future.
In some ways it was an odd Halloween first set. Trey didn't do any Halloween narration, or welcome to the crowd. At the end of "Weekapaug", he didn't even say "we'll be back in 15 minutes". Nothing. Little did I know he was determined to make this show very different from the goofy and talky 'ween shows of past years, and that he would not say ONE WORD the entire night (a night with a running time of over five hours!). They just left the stage to let us ponder that ridiculously intense and upbeat first set, and to await the VU set still to come.
As for the LOADED set, words just don't do it justice. It's not the best of the VU albums, but it's poppy tone and upbeat tunes were annexed by Phish into their own territory. The shortcomings of the actual album, like Doug Yule's vocals on half the tunes (Doug replaced John Cale after the second VU album, and Lou Reed's voice was strained from live shows the summer LOADED was recorded) became strengths in the hands of Phish; there were few expectations to laden the Phish versions or make them pale by comparison.
This was clearly the best of the four Halloween cover sets the band has played so far; these tunes were claimed by Phish as their very own, vehicles for all their old-school tension-buildup-release mechanisms, as well as an outpouring of emotion, doubt, anguish, and beauty that infused every number. Of particular note were "Sweet Jane" and "Rock & Roll", two of the best played, most intensely emotional performances I've ever heard from Phish. Nearly as powerful were the two "side closers" of the album, "New Age" and "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'"; both songs were moving, passionate, and more accurate in their emotional conveyance than even the original VU versions.
I can't say enough about this set. "Sweet Jane" and "Rock&Roll" were positive rock apocalypses. Jane was nothing like the version played this summer; it contained the original extra intro, it built and built and built, and was then totally outdone by "Rock&Roll", as convincing a Phish performance as anything I've seen yet. They took a 40 minute record and turned it into a one hour and 17 minute emotional roller coaster of a set. It was a positive revelation. They could have left then and we still would have witnessed one of the great shows of their career. But they were not quite done...
Set 3 was the kind of experimental jamming that is the hallmark of the very best and most interesting Phish show. The 30 minute "Wolfman's Brother"->Jam was unbelievable, veering into seriously John Cage-post modern ugliness, at other times getting strangely nasty and spooky; the crowd egged on the dark jamming during a glowstick war, the stage lights were turned off as the glowsticks flew, and the band's music got uglier and uglier....before resolving into a gorgeous and unstoppable "Piper". This too led into a mind-numbing jam; I wanted it to stop but I was positively hypnotized by the music. They took a tiny second of a breather, started "Ghost", and spent nine minutes in contemplative jamming that wasn't as funky as Ghost used to be...and in fact it served to wind down the intensity of the previous 45 minutes. At a point where the music was as delicate and ethereal as a real ghost, Trey said something to Mike and Page, calmly took off his guitar, waved goodbye, and left the stage. The band, nearly as dazed as I felt, followed him off after quick bows. Some people were clearly disturbed by this risky and potentially-alienating set, but I think this is the heart of Phish...out on the edge of themselves, defying expectations.
The "Sleeping Monkey" encore was great but beside the point by now; Fish's vocals were hilarious as usual, but the night was beyond the Let It Be-isms of this little spoof. The "Tweezer reprise" served to remind us that "Tweezer" was unfinished from last night, and that all five of these sets were meant to work as one long piece, which they most certainly did...but the Halloween sets will stand out as some of the most important, intense, and emotional of any sets in their career to date.
This was a great Halloween party, and six-plus hours of phenomenal music. That any fans went home less than ecstatic says more about them than the band. For their part, Phish delivered the goods; it was all treats and no tricks.
October 30, 1998 Set 1 (8:11-9:22): Wilson Meat-> Scent of a Mule-> Blues Jam-> Scent of a Mule Long Cool Woman In a Black Dress Run Like an Antelope Guelah Papyrus Lizards Cavern Set 2: (10:03-11:04): Stash-> Manteca-> Tweezer-> NICU-> Jam-> Prince Caspian-> Golgi Apparatus Encores: Driver* Freebird** *Trey on acoustic **A capella October 31, 1998 Set 1 (8:03-9:23): Axilla 1-> Punch You in the Eye-> Roggae Birds of a Feather Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley Chalkdust Torture-> Lawn Boy Mike's Song-> Frankie Says-> Weekapaug Groove Set 2: "Loaded" by the Velvet Underground (10:13-11:30): Who Loves the Sun Sweet Jane Rock and Roll Cool It Down New Age Head Held High Lonesome Cowboy Bill I Found a Reason Train Round the Bend Oh! Sweet Nuthin' Set 3 (12:02-1:07): Wolfman's Brother-> Jam-> Piper-> Jam Ghost Encores: Sleeping Monkey-> Tweezer reprise
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