dpurcell@uclink3.berkeley.edu
(Daniel Edward Purcell)
RED ROCKS, MORRISON, COLORADO, 6/10/95
A lot more cops at the second show, no doubt because of the gate crashing
the night before. Generally a lousy night, maybe 45 degrees with a light
drizzle that increased to a steady misting rain during the second set.
We were down much closer than the first night, which was nice, although
folks were crowding us something serious throughout. Maybe I'm a
curmudgeon, but it seems sorta rude to me to force one's way into an
already-occupied seating area and stand in front of the people who
actually bothered to get to the show early. To me, this is not much
better than the mosh-pit-as-legalized-violence atmosphere that pervades
so many shows; it's just selfish. It's unsettling that so many people
seem to think that their enjoyment of the show is more important than
anyone else's, and that they therefore have license to do whatever they
please.
Enough ranting; on to the review...
FIRST SET
Makisupa Policeman ->
Am I the only one who doesn't love this song? I understand that it's
fun to cheer when Trey sings about waking up at 4:20 and all, but it
doesn't go anywhere. Compared with the other reggae-flavored songs
(NICU, Fee, or even Lizards), it's a little weak. Is it just the
rarity? (They're playing it a lot more often these days.) Anyway, it
was a nice enough rendition, with Trey using the digital delay to
create little bursts of feedback and droning sounds. Moved into...
Llama
A good choice; the crowd needed to move a little or hypothermia would've
set in. Pretty standard, with an energetic solo, and surprisingly
funky fills by Page, which was an omen of things to come.
Prince Caspian
I picked it up with the first chord, which surprised me. I suppose I
like this song a lot. This version seemed much less captivating than
the Salt Lake version, but given how simple this song is and how little
it probably deviates from one version to the next, that might have been
my imagination. No solo, just two and a half or three minutes of build
and a big finish. The crowd didn't seem particularly into it, but I
still argue that this is the strongest (or one of the strongest)
melodies Phish has come up with. While it's not their strength, it's
nice to know they can write memorable pop songs, too. Now if they'll
only avoid turning this into the next Sample...
It's Ice
Figures. "Ice," get it? It was cold out, get it? Nice decrescendo
by Page, otherwise pretty standard. Page's fills were imaginative
both rhythmically and melodically all night; it was his show.
Free
Also seemed shorter than Salt Lake's version. I still like it; the
theme-and-variation riff at the beginning is very simple, but real
catchy, even if it is a bit classic-rock for my tastes. By the fall
tour, this'll be a favorite.
Rift
Yeah, sure, I *want* to be hit with that hammer. No, really, hit me
a couple times. No, I like it. If you read my earlier message, you'll
know I dislike this song. I know it's a matter of taste. I suppose
my big problem with this song is that a) it doesn't go anywhere, b) it's
played much too often (50-some times last year) and c) it's six and a
half minutes long, taking up valuable time in the set. Other Rift-like
songs (that is, somewhat intricately composed songs that don't really
jam), like Horn or Glide or Golgi, at least have the common courtesy to
be relatively short. Anyway, sorry: this complaining is doing no one
any good. As Rifts go, this one was actually pretty good. Page was
once again the star. In the three shows I saw (SLC and the Rocks), this
was the only non-new-song repeat. Bad luck for me.
You Enjoy Myself
Of course, they redeemed themselves in a big way. They teased the
piano intro out of the early void for quite awhile; Mike's solo was
very nice, both arrhythmic and melodic; Trey held the note for the
entire second guitar solo; and the vocals were tight. The jam was nice
and long, getting very spacy at times, and again featuring more tonal
and ambient work from Trey than usual. I think this is definitely a
trend. My only complaint with this one was the vocal jam, which went
on about twice as long as it should've. The whole thing was likely
around 22-25 minutes.
Lonesome Cowboy Bill
The vacuum is back. This was, truthfully, easily the best vacuum solo
I've ever heard Fishman do. It was short, and worked in the context of
the song, which I like very much. (To whoever suggested that Fish do
"Afterhours," another VU song: I agree!) I also prefer Fishman's spot
in the first set, for obvious reasons.
Suzie Greenberg
I was betting on Golgi. Again, my guess was useless. A very rocking
version. "Forgotten my name?" Fish yelled. "That's okay; I forget it
myself sometimes!" The second solo was dragged out forever for Page,
and he made the most of it.
SECOND SET
Maze
By this point it was raining steadily, and the wind was blowing the
rain under the stage. "Get ready for a short second set," my friend
Jeff said to me. Maze was hot, with Page again going berserk on the
organ. I always enjoy a live Maze; it's usually very intense. This
show is surely worth getting on tape for Page's performance alone.
Fee
Another Page song, Trey with the megaphone. Solos were short, pretty
standard.
Uncle Pen
Absolutely at the top of my list in terms of bluegrass songs (closely
followed by Paul and Silas and SOAMule, then Poor Heart and Ginseng,
with Two Dollar Bill and Nellie Cane bringing up the rear). Nice
version, with Mike in good voice. To those who know the Bill Monroe
version of this one: did Phish write the middle section, or is that
Monroe's as well? Mike took a nice solo, his second of the night.
Mike's Song ->
They had to do it; they'd played every other jam they had in the first
seven sets of the tour. I absolutely love this song. No trampolines;
I forgot to mention they'd done the tramps during YEM, so I assume
they chose not to repeat that trick. The opening segment was tight,
as it always seems to be these days; not quite as tight as Binghamton
4/9/94 or NYE, but tight. Major Simple tease; Trey diddled around the
theme for a while, not sure whether to take the leap or not. I made a
fool of myself by yelling "SIMPLE!" at this point; the woman beside me
thought I meant "Sample." Finally Mike's descended into space. This
was both the longest and the spaciest Mike's I've ever heard; I'm sure
it was at least 15 minutes by itself. They returned to the little
F#m-A-E-F bit they do again eventually, this time going into...
I Am Hydrogen ->
Always welcome. While it's fascinating to guess where they're going
with Mike's these days, Hydrogen is as good a bet as anything. Very
nice and subtle. By this point the rain was really blowing onstage.
Trey was blinking and wiping his forehead. The slow and languid
version moved into...
Weekapaug Groove
Mike's solo was hot, coming close to making him co-MVP with Page. A
long groove, around 15 minutes again. Not as spacy as Mike's, with
Trey staying closer to traditional soloing. Fishman fucked with the
beat in particularly brilliant ways around halfway in.
Amazing Grace
They started out underneath the overhand, then realized the rain was
just as heavy there as out in the open, so they moved the mikes to the
front of the stage and off they went. A good version.
Sample in a Jar
The woman beside me turned to me and said, "Well, you got your Sample."
I chose not to correct her. I don't mind this song, but I wanted
another jam. I didn't expect a Hood, but maybe a Guyute, a Stash,
anything. It was not to be. Trey stretched the solo out a little
more than usual.
ENCORE
A Day in the Life
My friend Scott was sure they had something bit up their sleeve. We
speculated that they'd do the Tweeprise they'd omitted in Salt Lake.
Later we all admitted to each other that we'd been hoping for a Hood,
but were afraid to jinx it by saying so out loud. Of course, I
generally always hope for Hood when I see Phish. Sadly, I've never
seen it. (I have seen RIFT several times, though.) This was an
absolutely wonderful closer to the show and the weekend. Any
complaints I might've had about the shortness of the second set (with
a 30-35 minute Mike's Groove, it really wasn't that short) vanished
with the first chords. It sounded like Sleeping Monkey to me
initially, but Jeff pegged it as the Beatles classic. Page's vocals
on the verses were a little tentative at first, but the backing was
brilliant, the crescendos were amazing, Fishman's drum fills were
poetic. A great closer. Afterwards, Page got up and left, which was
unfortunate, because Trey was staying put, almost as if he wanted to
do another one. Another one would have been nice, but the mood left
by this new cover (first time ever, right?) was better left intact.
Overall, I'd give this a strong 6, maybe a 7. A really good show, but
I'm trying my best to restrain myself. Definitely bodes well for the
rest of the tour. A message to all those with East Coast tickets: do not
fear the new songs! Love them! They are very good! Over time, they
will become even better! I mean this!
Also, if someone could convince the band to do a three-night stand at the
Greek in Berkeley in late September, I'd be real appreciative. If that
actually happens, free tapes for everyone!
Thanks for reading, and thanks to those of you who've given me feedback.
I really appreciate it. And sorry to Rift-lovers everywhere.
Dan...
Kim Hannula
hannula@middlebury.edu
Lots of setlists & comments on the Red Rocks shows so far, but no what-
was-it-really-like reviews? Ok, I'll try...
My weekend was wedged nicely between a milk carton on the plane from
Burlington that informed me that I could feel good about Hood, and
"Bouncing" on a Denver radio station on the way to the airport to fly
home. (Now if only United would put the DLCD Tweezer on the in-flight
music selection, I'd be set!)
I got to the parking lot early Friday, since there were plenty of rocks
around to ogle while waiting. Although tickets were checked at the
entrance to the park as promised, there were a lot of people doing
unicorn impressions in the lot. People selling t-shirts, etc. with
Phish logos (etc.) on them were being rounded up, as promised (don't say
they didn't warn you!) The scene didn't seem as potentially violent as
at Sugarbush or Halloween, however (I was surprised to hear about the
pepper spray, although I saw people on the rocks Friday night and
wondered what kind of fools they were).
I spent soundcheck sitting on the steps from the lower parking lot,
waiting to be let in. There were a lot of things I didn't recognize
soundchecked -- anybody know if those were other new songs, or was I
just not listening closely enough?
The amphitheatre at Red Rocks is fascinating. The seats lie between two
rock walls whose red sandstone beds slope towards the stage at about the
same angle as the seats below do. At the top of the amphitheatre, the
rock walls end abruptly, and the ground drops into a valley that
parallel the mountainside. At the bottom of the amphitheatre, the stage
sits in front of another wall of rock, with buildings of red sandstone
built on either side of the rock as if they are growing out of it. The
layering in the sandstone behind the stage provided the only backdrop,
which Chris Kuroda used to great advantage during the second set on
Friday. (If anybody has any brilliant ideas about how erosion managed
to make something that shape, let me know.)
Friday's show began a little after 7:30 with a typically menacing "My
Friend". The "Divided Sky" which followed seemed particularly
appropriate, looking back up the amphitheater to the blue sky framed by
red walls of rock. After "Divided" ended, there was a pause as Page
took a breath (as if to mentally prepare?), and began "Strange Design"
with keys and vocals alone at the beginning. As folks who were at the
Lowell show mentioned, there's some Beatles influence in this one,
especially in the vocal harmonies. "Oh Kee Pah" immediately followed by
a rocking "AC/DC Bag" picked up the energy again. The next two songs
were new, introduced by Trey (who thanked us for listening to brand new
stuff -- you're welcome, it was my pleasure -- and based on the reaction
of the crowd, I think it was many other folks' pleasure as well!) as
"Theme from the Bottom" (I'm 90% sure he said "Theme") and "Taste". I
like both of them a lot -- both songs have a lot of potential to open
up. There are catchy parts to the lyrics, but they aren't the focus of
the songs. They also don't have the extremely complex arrangements of
songs like "Rift" or the how-fast-can-they-play adrenaline-rush feel of
"Llama" -- in other words, I don't know what they're like, but I'm
pretty sure that if they stay in the repertoire they'll get even more
interesting. I think "Theme from the Bottom" is a love song from a
catfish to a loon, but then I think a lot of silly things sometimes.
"Bottom" ends with a vocal/instrumental build-up reminiscent of
"Bouncing" ("From the bottom/from the top") which has stuck in my head
ever since. "Taste" is in 6/8, or some other time with a circular kind
of feel to it, but doesn't have the Celtic feel that "Guyute" has. Like
DownerMan, I wasn't quite sure what to make of the lyrics, but the music
was interesting so I didn't listen to them. "Sparkle" followed by a
typically mind-blowing "Antelope" (this is the song I think is most
likely to set off an earthquake) ended the set.
The moon, stars, and Denver city lights were out by the time the second
set started. "Split Open & Melt" started the set off with the energy
level that ended the first set. The jam had an angular feel to it that
reminded me of the 12/1 Salem SO&M. I didn't immediately recognize the
"Wedge" that followed. The intro is different yet again from the 1993
Red Rocks "Wedge". A great song to hear so close to the Great Divide --
it stayed in my head most of the next day. "Scent of a Mule" was the
only "Hoist" offering of the evening. Page's solo included some
spontaneous accompaniment by Trey and Mike that added a lot musically to
the solo. (I think these solos are more like composing than the whole-
group-improvising-jams are.) "Cavern" rocked us next, followed by a
"David Bowie" that I enjoyed, but don't remember the details of.
Roadies brought out four stools and four acoustic guitars for "Acoustic
Army" (who found out the title of this one?) next. The crowd was nearly
silent except for cheering wildly at the false endings. They remained
quiet for the "Sweet Adeline". A beautiful "Slave to the Traffic Light"
ended the set. The "Squirming Coil" encore was marred only by one fan
who decide to dance onto the stage, but was quickly whisked away by
security. I don't usually like Page's solo as the ending of a show (I
enjoy Page's playing in the context of the whole group much better than
any piano solo alone), but I enjoyed this one quite a bit (this was the
second time I listened to Page soloing as a spontaneous composition, and
I appreciated the solo much more as a result).
The atmosphere surrounding the second night was a contrast to the
previous night. The weather was cool and cloudy, with scattered light
showers, cutting into the sales of iced cappuccino and turning the
taper's section into a sea of little umbrellas on top of the mike
stands. There were mounted police riding around between the parking
lots and the amphitheatre, and tickets were checked at several points on
the way into the venue. On the other hand, we were let in immediately
and I wasn't searched at all on the way in -- security's main concern
was obviously to keep ticketless hordes off the rocks.
Trey introduced his grandparents, who were sitting on the edge of the
stage, before beginning "Makisupa Policeman" (in reference to the police
presence?). At the end, they sped up the jam before breaking into
"Llama" (would this be a one-and-a-half arrows segue?). "Prince
Caspian" gets a bit repetitive ("Ooo to be Prince Caspian/ upon the
waves" (or sea? I don't remember) over and over). On the other hand, I
bet Suzi Balleisen loved the Narnia reference! They continued the
"moving fast on top of water" theme with "It's Ice". Next came "Free"
-- up there with "Bottom" and "Taste" as a new song to watch for. I
want to hear it again. "Rift", typically structured and tight,
followed. "YEM"'s beginning got a big cheer from the crowd. The vocal
jam featured a disco-ish theme in places. An unusual first-set drummer
change followed, with Fishman out front, vacuum in hand, announcing that
"Usually, I play the trombone on this song, but tonight..." to wild
cheers from the audience. The vacuum solo in "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" was
short, but it was long enough to let us know that the vacuum hasn't been
put away forever (if playing music with heavy machinery is "industrial
music", should Fishman's songs be called "custodial music"?). Little
Suzy G rocked us out of the set ("forgotten my name..." "that's ok, I
forget it too!"), with Trey telling us not to do anything he wouldn't do
(like fall off wet rocks?).
The light rain that had been threatening all day finally started to fall
steadily during the second set. We started out lost in an intense
"Maze", followed by "Fee" (just to keep the setlists confused and let
people sing along, after new songs in the first set?) and "Uncle Pen".
But those were just warm-ups for the main attraction of the second set
-- Mike's Groove. This was the first MikeS that I've seen live. Holy
moly. Are they always like this? I want to read Charlie Dirksen's
review of this one (somebody get him the tape before he gets to '95!).
The jam went in and out of varying amounts of spaciness. They started
to go into the ending theme (that sounds similar to the Simple riff)
several times, only to jam away from it, then come back, then jam away,
etc. Meanwhile, the lights used the raindrops as a new effect. Finally
we mellowed in Hydrogen, then took it to Weekapaug. (Is Mike's Song
still a tramps song? Is it unusual that there were no trampolines?)
After Weekapaug, they put down the instruments and came forward (while
roadies covered the keyboards with towels -- it must have been a little
wet on stage too) to sing "Amazing Grace". The crowd wasn't quite as
respectful as the previous night, but they weren't hideous. Then back
to the instruments (removing a couple towels from the keys) to end the
set with a powerful "Sample in a Jar" (sorry if you don't like this one,
but it ended the set with a fine intensity. You've got to come back
from spacy jams somehow!) I'm not a big Beatles fan, so although I
recognized "A Day in the Life" as a Beatles tune I didn't know the name,
and I'm not sure exactly how it differed from the Beatles version. Page
sang most of it (he has a great voice for Beatles stuff), with Trey
singing "Woke up, got out of bed..." etc. Between verses they broke
into noisy, thrashy jamming reminiscent of BBFCFM (is this where the
orchestra plays in the Beatles version?). I really enjoyed it (in spite
of not being into the Beatles).
All in all, a great weekend. I think the tour's going to get even
better as the new songs progress. To those who haven't heard the new
stuff yet -- open your ears and minds and listen when you first hear it.
There's something great about hearing something new -- that's why Mike's
Grooves and last year's Tweezer madness are so wonderful. I'm looking
forward to SPAC, Great Woods, and Sugarbush! I just hope that this
isn't the last year they are allowed to play some of these beautiful
outdoor venues.
Kim
Bruce "surrogate-ZZYZX" Willner
brucew@stripe.colorado.edu
Red Rocks Notes, 6-9/10-1995
David "ZZYZX" Steinberg could not make the shows due to car
trouble. I got his tickets on the condition that I time the
shows in his stead. I decided to do a very complete job and
have the approximate lengths of each song.
June 9
Set 1
-----
My Friend 6:30
Divided Sky 15:00
Strange Design 3:00
Oh Kee Pa> 2:00
AC DC Bag 8:00
Theme From the Bottom 10:00
Taste 7:00
Sparkle 4:00
Antelope 10:30
Total 63 minutes
Set 2
-----
Split Open & Melt 14:00
Wedge 4:30
Scent of a Mule 9:00
Cavern 5:00
David Bowie 14:00
Acoustic Army 5:00
Sweet Adeline 2:00
Slave to the
Traffic Light 12:00
Total 65 minutes
Encore: Squirming Coil 10:00
==============================
June 10
Set 1
-----
Makisupa Policeman 5:00
Llama 4:00
Prince Caspian 3:00
It's Ice 9:00
Free 7:00
Rift 6:00
YEM w/ Vocal Jam 23:00
Lonesome Cowboy Bill 2:00
HYHU
Suzie Greenberg 6:00
Total time 69 minutes
Set 2
-----
Maze 10:00
Fee 6:00
Uncle Pen 4:00
Mike's Song> }
I am Hydrogen> } 35:00 !!!
Weekapaug Groove }
Amazing Grace 1:30
Sample in a Jar 5:00
Total time 62 minutes
Encore: A DAY IN THE LIFE (Beatles) 5:00
=============================
Timing the show was interesting, but I don't think I'll make a
hobby of it.
Brief comments:
Both shows were great. I preferred the second overall (but that
may just be because I love Mike's>Groove).
I don't think the first show was as good as the sum of its parts.
There were a lot of great jams and versions of songs, but it didn't
seem to gel together as well as the second night, if you get my
meaning.
A very light rain fell for much of the second show. This made things
a bit cold, but Chris really took advantage of it with the lights.
The new songs:
Strange Design (Page sings) - I really don't like this one much. It
is mellow and lounge-like (similar to Lawn Boy).
Theme From The Bottom (Trey, Page, and possibly Mike sing together) -
This song was just OK but has tons of possibility. Watch
for it to develop over the course of the tour (and future
years). Lots of jamming. Good name too. :)
Taste (Trey sings) - I liked this one from the start to finish.
Great tune.
Acoustic Army (Instr.) - All four of them sitting on stools and playing
acoustic guitars. Different. Intense. Highly recommended.
Prince Caspian (Trey sings) - It was short and I can't recall much
about it. Not particularly memorable, I guess.
Free (Trey sings) - Excellent new tune. This one wins hands down.
Lonesome Cowboy Bill (Jon sings) - It's a Fishman-preformed tune,
I don't know what else to say about it. There was a vacuum
solo in it, but Jon said that normally he plays trombone
in this song.
A Day in the Life - Have they played this before? Page and Trey
alternated verses. Good performance, but not all that
different from the Sgt. Pepper original (without an
orchestra, of course).
On a serious note: Phish will probably never play Red Rocks again. It
seemed unlikely anyway, because they sold out two dates in 20 minutes.
But on the first night a bunch of ticketless people rushed a fence.
50-100 people apparently made it in. Even once the security and
police were there with spotlights, people kept rushing up that
particular hill. I heard rumors that the police had to resort to
pepper spray to get the ticketless to stop charging them.
If this keeps up Phish will be prohibited from performing at places
throughout the country. Can't people find are better reason to
"question authority" than to get into a sold out concert?
Bruce "surrogate-ZZYZX" Willner