2-28-03 - Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY

please dont send reviews of other peoples reviews...let them have their opinion

Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 10:47:45 -0800 (PST)
From: Aaron Friedman aaron11778@yahoo.com
Subject: Nassau Review

My 12th show, my 6th year, my first review.  This show was way up there on my list.  
I was at Hampton 98 and I think 2nd night was the best I've seen.  But this ranks
2nd, above NYE2000 and NYE2003.  I really like Birds of a Feather and this was a
good one.  Perfect start.  What happened next blew my fragile little mind.  I only
heard Destiny Unbound once before on a '91 bootleg, so I must admit I did not
recognize it at first.  But once I realized what was going on and recovered from
shock, I enjoyed the moment and tried to explain to my brother and friend, whose
first show this was, just how lucky they are.  I've seen enough Horns.  No
surprises.  But the crowd sure loved it.  I think they were drunk on Destiny
emotion.  Sleep was another first for me.  Bathtub Gin, an answer to a "Got Gin?"
sign request, was really really good.  This show was pumpin' now - they always seem
to take it up a notch somewhere during Gin.  And it was hands down the best Back on
the Train ever, no shit.  I like Bouncing.  It hasn't been overplayed for me yet, I
guess.  I don't like Walls of the Cave.  Sorry guys, I just don't like it.  BUT, I
did like how they almost ended it and then dove back into the jam.

Second Set.  This was not one of the funkier Tweezers, but man the jam was great.  
I feel bad for those who got pelted with glow sticks, especially Fishman.  C'mon -
don't aim for the stage!  We LIKE them, we don't want to HIT them!  OK, on with the
show.  SOUL SHAKEDOWN!  The singing was off, but who cares.  2 serious break-outs
in a night!  And then one of the sickest David Bowies I've ever heard.  I think
Round Room is cute, and they're starting to jam it out a bit.  This Harry Hood was
incredible.  Every song where a great jam was possible, a great jam was had.  A
long show followed by a triple encore.  Sweet.  I always love contact.  40,000 arms
moving in unison.  Mexican Cousin is great, even though I don't drink.  And
Tweeprise brought the house down.  At the end, Trey lifted his guitar (and its
tone) up high and brought it down to the ground to end the music.  Perfect ending.

This was seriously an amazing show.  Get it.  You'll see.  Everything was great,
from the lots to the music to the traffic.  Ok, the bathrooms sucked.  By the way,
I strongly recommend sitting right behind the stage if possible.  Band's view of
the crowd & lights, close view of the band, no need to stand up if you don't want
to cuz it's all right in front of you.

I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

See you in the summer (hopefully)!
__Aaron__

date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 12:49:17 -0500
From: Andrew Rose logowriter@hotmail.com
Subject: 2/28/03 Review (telling it like it is)

This is for all you skeptics out there who think Phish has been over and done with
since at least 1997 (because I was, until very recently, one of you). Friday
night's show at Nassau was very simply as good musically as any you'll find in any
top ten all-time list. I remember telling someone in Philly (who had obviously had
a fabulous time that night) that they had put on a fun show, but had a long,
LONG way to go before it was like the old days again. Little did I know that that
long journey was going to happen very quickly over the course of the two next
shows (because, yes, Worcester was also phenomenal).
 
Forget for a moment that they played Destiny Unbound. Consider this: the 27 minute
Tweezer rivals any jam Phish has ever put together. After a good 5 or 6 listens, I
see it standing next to the 12/6/97 Tweezer and the 11/17/97 Ghost as one of my
top two of three all-time.
 
I didn't have high hopes for a third Bathtub Gin on this tour. After seeing it pop
up twice before my east coast run started, I was disappointed at the prospect of
not hearing what is probably my favorite Phish song, by virtue of the fact that it
has been delivering excellent jams show in and show out since the Great Went. This
tour was no different, and bless those folks with the "Got Gin?" sign in Nassau. A
nice long first set Bathtub (and they had already played Destiny at this point)
had me going, "uh oh ... tonight is getting GOOD"  Back on the Train was all out
rock and roll, and screamed through its 12 minutes. Tops the Japan 2000 version in
my books. 
 
Setbreak saw me searching the halls for others who were aware of what had just
gone down. I'm not one to scream things out in the lots, or whatever ... but found
myself yelling "who has a destiny? you all have a destiny!" And, like inside, not
everyone caught on. But what was special were the handfuls that did ... the hugs
that were thrown around, the knowing looks ... the quiet "dude, they PLAYED
DESTINY" between strangers.
 
I'm sure I wasn't the only one who yelled "TWEEEZEEEER!" as the boys took the
stage again. Not a tough call to make. But an oh so satisfying one when the
Tweezer they delivered was as good as it was. It deserves its own review, surely.
I'll just say that it's perfect, from opening note to the end. Trey's soloing out
of the Tweezer theme is focused and creative ... Fish has one of his best shows in
years, and nowhere is it more evident that this jam (or maybe the whole set ...)
Mike carries over his amazing intricate playing from Worcester, and Page finally
lets loose on the east coast with amazing fills, Pink Floyd-esque layering ...
just beautiful. 10 minutes->16 minutes on this Tweezer is what Phish is about.
Glory through and through. There's also a terrific rocked out jam section that
cools down and lands in ...
 
"Windora Bug? ... wait ... is that ... Soul Shakedown Party?!?! Yeaah!!" Another
nod to February 97, and a great one at that. There was a reason they played this.
Oh, and it was no novelty either. Listen to Mike on the middle and outro sections.
Wow.
 
I'm not a Bowie fan, exactly ... probably because the song has been more or less
the same since it's great 94 and 95 versions disappeared. Well they've breathed
some new life into it, and this version smokes. A long intro that definitetly
segues out of the Soul Shakedown Party, the last 7 or so minutes are old-school
bliss. Round Room delivers in much the same emotional fashion as the SSP. And I
loved the lilting melodic jam that came out of it.
 
Sure I would have loved to hear a Piper, a 2001, a Fluffhead. But at this point it
just didn't matter. A shorter but beautifully executed Hood (ala Jersey) is fine
with me. In all honesty, repeats didn't make me groan once on this tour. A
flawless set.
 
And--a legendary show. Maybe everyone there didn't get it. But I did. And I know I
wasn't the only one. Can't believe this is all happening again .....
 
See you on summer tour, I guess! And make sure to hear Worcester, too (oh, what a
Moma ...).
 
andrew
 

Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 07:37:44 +0000
From: Daniel Carlucci dcguitar@hotmail.com
Subject: 02.28.02 Nassau Show Review

I haven't done a review in a while, and to tell you the truth I never 
thought I would again. But there I was at a familiar venue with some good 
memories and BAM just like that, everything changed. Instead of just being 
home to the now classic 4/2/98 and 4/3/98 and two highly enjoyable shows 
from fall tour 99, it was home to the most definitive moment in my history 
with the band. As it turns out, Nassau was my 48th show, I jumped on in 96 
and have seen some gems over the years, too many to list here, but I never 
thought things would be the same after the "hiatus". I was right. Things 
weren't the same, all the kidz who used to flood the parking lots were now 
just a part of a much bigger scene. A scene which has grown over the years 
and turned into a phenomenon. The truth is, is that Phish have been together 
now for twenty years and they are no longer the best kept secret. Sorry to 
digress here but I want to make it clear that there were a lot of people I 
wanted to experience with when "things went down" at Nassau, who were'nt 
there. I did experience it with some old school phans so it was appropriate. 
Anyways here is my review of my 48th and most definitive show ever:
Set I

Birds of a feather-I've always like this song ever since its debut at the 
4/2/98 Nassau show. How fitting in retrospect to have them open with this 
song and showcase it's accelerated improvement over the last few years. 
Excellent opener, good energy and precursor to:
Destiny Unbound-Well here it goes, for the first five or so seconds I was 
searching my mental rolodex of the phish catalogue and had no idea what they 
were playing, and no sooner had I heard the first scream did I start losing 
my shit...now "I'e lost my mind a couple of times" before but hearing 
destiny unbound was surreal, it was magical. Besides the obvious history 
surrounding the song, the real amazing moment of clarity came to me after 
the show, I was way to lost in the moment to rationalize this thought during 
the show. It marked a moment where Phish's destiny had truly become unbound, 
they proved it in a version that was as crisp as any 91 version I have, that 
they had arrived at being the band that everybody loved and everybody wanted 
them to be. It proved they still cared about the phans, even though everyone 
wasn't there it does say something about their constant affinity for the 
Phish community. After hearing the lyrics again, you too may agree that this 
moment is a truly definitive momemnt in their 20 year career. Anyways on 
to....
Horn-At this point they could have played anything but they chose the very 
apt and suitable horn. "Now that you've decieved me and played my name 
around" an interesting bit of lyric to play right after destiny don't you 
think? Perfect Horn, couldn't believe it, Trey nailed the solo, the band 
nailed the rest sounded like an old 93 version.
Bathtub Gin-Well I've seen a lot of gins, and this one is up there. Great 
jamming here. The band weaved in and out of several explorative themes 
throughout this nearly 22 minute version which was tight and energized.
Sleep-Wow, last song in my mind, but a great short song with some nice chord 
arrangements. I've heard a couple before, but the spontanaety and placement 
of this one makes it my favorite version.
Back on the Train-When I said earlier that Birds has come along way, the 
same must be said about this one. They played it perfectly and even toyed 
around with some possum like jamming, take a listen. This 12 and a 1/2 
minute version was the longest and possibly the best I've ever seen. The 
band was really tight tonight, no bullshit, some of the tightest stuff in 
years.
Bouncin-Fine with me. Four minutes, perfectly played, short and sweet, next.
Walls of the Cave-My first one ever, good song, not great, but well played 
with some really nice jamming, good set closer and if experience has taught 
us anything by now Phish songs tend to get better with age.

I rememeber saying to someone at setbreak that I didn't even care what they 
played in the second set because I was so besides myself from the first set, 
but staying true to form the boys took us back in time and treated nassau 
coliseum to some of the finest sounds from their past.
Set II

Tweezer-Well, I've seen some amazing tweezers before but do yourself a favor 
and get your hands on this one immediately. This tweezer explored more 
musical landscapes than I thought possible, the energy at times in nassau by 
this point was beyond words. I have never felt a room vibe this hard before, 
the band sounded like they never left, in fact they sounded more discplined, 
more patient, allowing the jams to evolve on their own, there was nothing 
forced here everything was pure excitement. This 27 minute version is a must 
here, it was remarkable and so was....
Soul Shakedown Party-First in the US, third ever, hmmm, my soul was most 
certainly shaking at this point, great version with some really nice page 
work here, him and trey are establishing some serious energy as of late as 
are mike and fish, and then when the whole band is in sync with each other 
they take off...such was the case with .....
David Bowie-Shit they really nailed this one. The composed section was 
nearly perfect and the jam section got so intense I was crippled with joy. 
This 19 minute version was absolutley epic, the band kept building and 
building and releasing and building again and again...such was the case in 
the Bathtub and Tweezer as well, pure enjoyement maybe the best version I've 
ever seen
Round Room-Nice Change of pace. This is my favorite song on the album, I am 
so intrigued by Mike's writing style and this one is very cool. I think it 
will go on to fit very nicely into their catalog, I was thrilled to hear it 
as it was my first, nicely played, and fun.
They did a good job of incorporating new songs in with old ones tonight.
Harry Hood-Seen a lot of hoods, lot of good ones, few not so good ones and 
this one. For starters I had heard it earlier that week in New Jersey so 
initially I would have prefered something else, but the way they were 
playing tonight it didn't seem to matter. They played a great hood with lots 
of emotion and everyone at Nassau Coliseum was grinning from ear to ear. 
Great old school set with a nice new dong thrown in the mix.
Encores:Contact, Mexican Cousin, Tweezer (rep)
Well a three song encore was welcomed by everyone with open arms. No epic 
jams here, just another great version of Contact, a very well played Mexican 
Cousin, which I initially disliked but now find rather funny lyrically, 
again good placement of a new tune and then came Tweezer (rep)! Ever since 
the epic 4/3/98 show and encore, Tweezer reprise has been played by Phish 
each year they have played there, Trey was jumping up and down a la 98 
(check out the video, its great) and the place was rocking once more. They 
seem to really like playing this here.

When Elvis Costello came on the house speakers and the lights went up I sat 
and took a deep breath and welcomed Phish back for good. This night was 
memorable for more reasons than I will ever be able to convey with words. 
The night was filled with the kind of experiences that you dream about, the 
ones that are to good to believe, the ones that you never forget. On a side 
note during Phish's hiatus my father passed away and things were tough for a 
while. I took my brother to his first Phish show in 99 at none other than 
Nassau Coliseum. To experience this moment with him was very spiritual for 
me, I felt like we had come full circle as siblings and in dealing with our 
fathers passing and I felt like Phish had come full circle too. This night 
was defined by good vibes, good friends (Cons you know who you are) and epic 
moments of euphoria. Thank you Phish for being the band I always knew you 
were! In closing I would like to say, keep the scene clean, you know what I 
mean, whoevers on tour from now on, don't destroy a truly magical thing.
Much Love From A Happy Phan
And Remember BE GOOD FAMILY!

Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 08:56:50 -0800 (PST)
From: Jonathan Blattmachr machr15@yahoo.com
Subject: Nassau 2/28/03 Review

Wow.  This was my first show since MSG 12/29/98.  By
then I really thought they were going downhill and
that they wouldn't be able to recapture any of the old
magic from 95 and before.  I mean I had seen and heard
some ok stuff since, but nothing that compared to say
Lincoln 10/21/95 or Worcester 12/29/95, and especially
MSG 12/31/95.  But this was unreal.  They kept coming
out with song after song that just rocked, and never
disappointed.  Maybe the best part of the whole thing
was that they weren't lazy about playing the more
structured parts of the songs, like Horn especially. 
Trey just completely nailed it- before this it seemed
like he was just trying to get that part over with so
they could jam out, but he got every note down.  

The other thing about Trey is that when he used to
make minor mistakes in a jam, he'd bug out a little
and try to get back in a groove he was in.  But now
he, and the band, follow a misplayed note into
something new.  Check the Tweezer out to see what I
mean... which brings me to another point.  We were
sitting there at the break talking about going to the
bathroom, but DREADING it because people were lining
up to pee in the sink.  So I said to my friends, look,
I will go with you as soon as the 2nd set starts as
long as it's not Tweezer.  Thank God we didn't listen
to my own advice and we went before it started.  Such
a good Tweezer, with a Bowie and HH in the same set.  

For the encore, I was really really hoping for the
Reprise, which I had figured they wouldn't necessarily
play.  And after Mexican Cousin, which was fine, but
nothing huge, they busted it out.  So necessary.  So
fine.  And did anyone else know what was going on with
Trey holding his guitar aloft at the end?  So cool...
best show in 7 years.

Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2003 22:21:58 -0500
From: art timberho@optonline.net
Subject: Nassau review

        First off let me just say what an incredible show. I^Òve seen a lot of shows
over the past 8 years and this definitely rides in the top three. This was
the first show I was privileged enough to see them since their triumphant
return, I tried to get tickets for new years but^Åwell you all know the
story. I^Òve been listening to all the shows through live phish and I really
haven^Òt heard any rants from trey, so I was curious to see if any rants were
edited out for time. But to my surprise it was strictly business from trey,
no nonsensical monologues to speak of, just balls out music. Destiny I think
caught everyone off guard, I figured they would have saved that for some
special show like cypress, but I believe they want nothing left up their
sleeves and to start completely fresh with nothing held over the heads of
the audience. Soul shakedown blew my mind. What a fantastic Gin, the
beginning was average but the end was phenomenal. I thought this was funny
so I have to mention it. I was sitting a couple of rows behind the stage and
I had a great view of the band and the front row of the audience, so during
Back on the train there was a girl in the front row holding up a sign that
read ^Ósay happy birthday to Tali^Ô. Trey looked at the sign and chuckled and
almost immediately Trey gave this girl a grimace and started playing with
such ferocity and making the sickest sounds with his guitar, all the while
just staring at this girl. The (glow) war is over and no one won. About
four-four and a half minutes of the wildest Tweezer I ever heard, Fishman
got pegged in the back with a glow stick that actually caused him to stop
playing, Kuroda also got beaned with a stick during this song. Although the
spontaneity of the early glow wars, especially THE war at went, have left me
in awe, some people still haven^Òt learned that the sticks hurt like hell
when you get hit with them. And if the band is too preoccupied with dodging
them, or if instruments get busted, they can^Òt throw down the grooves we all
want to hear. I have noticed also that Kuroda has a set of lights that he
uses, when the glow sticks get too out of hand on the stage, that match the
color of the sticks and renders them useless, thus ending wars prematurely.
This may be the reason why there was no war during hood. Sorry if that was
too preachy, just had to say it. One thing that sticks out in my mind about
the show, since I had a great view of Fishman, I got physically exhausted
just watching him during the longest Bowie intro I have ever heard. The man
is a machine and didn^Òt falter one bit. Maybe it was the incredible energy
in the place, or maybe it was just the urine in the sink, there is just
something about Nassau coliseum that produces some of the best shows.

P.S. Get these Shows

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest,
Art

Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 10:26:06 -0800 (PST)
From: jeffrey spittel 
Subject: review 02/28/03

Phriends,

My earlier two word review of this show (see bottom of the page) was labeled as a
reaction to another review or a review from someone not at the show Friday. In
actuality, I was indeed at the show and was absolutely blown away by the
performance. I won't be enough of a jackass to tell you where my seats were, but
suffice to say I am a very lucky man.

This was definitely one of the best shows I have ever seen. The setlist and
quality of play was nothing short of mesmerizing. They were so tight it
was ridiculous. I'm sure I speak for most of us when I say I can't wait for the
summer tour.

Spitt

Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 12:49:07 -0500 
From: "Cassidy, Amy" amy.cassidy@gs.com
Subject: Nassau Review

That show was It. With a capital "I".
I am still digesting what went on out there.... it was literally PERFECT.
I'm STILL reeling....it was just unbelievable!!!

During Tweezer, I turned to my friend and just hung my mouth open - and said
I dont think Music can BE any better than THIS!!

Sheer genius. Everyone, and I mean everyone, should get these discs. 
It was a really really special show. The Boys were SO into it! Trey was on
top of the shit all night long. 
I cant do song-by-song review ... because words are frustrating at times
like this.

Suffice it to say -- this show blew the roof off the place. I thought my
head was going to pop off during Destiny. Just *amazing*.

Thankyou thankyou thankyou - to Phish - and to all of you who were there. 
All I can say is Wow.

Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2003 17:42:48 -0500
From: justin m busch jbusch8@lycos.com
Subject: nassau 2/28

02/28/03 Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY
1: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound*, Horn, Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on the Train,
Bouncing Around the Room, Walls of the Cave

2: Tweezer, Soul Shakedown Party**, David Bowie, Round Room, Harry Hood
E: Contact, Mexican Cousin

Notes:
        * - not played in 788 shows since 11/15/91 !
        ** - not played since 2/20/97, only third time ever

well well well, what do we have here?? thats right, a SOLID phish show in 2003.  
Expectations ran high after the marathon mass. show on wednesday.  This was to be the
fifth "new phish" show i've seen (nye, l.a, n.j., philly previously) and although i
had great fun at all, i still wasnt' completely satisfied, and completely convinced
that this band was worth going coast to coast to see.  Nights like Friday night at
Nassau, however, reminded me why i've dedicated so much time and energy (and money) to
this band over the last 10 years or so.

Set I

Birds- I was there in '98 when they debuted Birds (at nassua, "coincidentally"), and
i've always loved it since.  was damn excited to hear the first birds of '03, however
it didn't really get off the ground like the birds of old.  it was real short, but got
hot at some points, and certainly pumped the crowd up for one of the biggest surprises
in phishtory

Destiny- speechless, utterly speechless.  i laughed, jumped, danced, even hi-fived
some of the cats around me.  we were all witnessing what Phish swore nobody would ever
witness again, and we couldn't be happier.  Immediately it became evident that this
was gonna be a show for the ages.  Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming amoung of
highschool kids there, not as many people understood what they were witnessing as i
would've liked, but how could i possibly complain????  to be frank, it doesn't matter
whether it was even good or not, they fucking played DESTINY UNBOUND and i was there.  
made my (mini)tour.  period.

Horn- the crowd roared as soon as trey played the opening lick, one of the largest
cheers of the night, mostly due to the excitement still in the air over destiny.  I
think this was fantastic placement.  they had us in the palms of their hand, and horn
was introspective enough for us to fully understand and appreciate how lucky we were
to have our phish back.  after destiny it wouldn't have even mattered what the next
song was.  i don't even remember much about the actual horn itself, other than that we
were still hugging over destiny.

Bathub Gin- perfect way to bring the crowd back up.  Song was its tight quirky self,
and the jam was blissful.  truely awe inspiring interplay going on between the 4 of
them.  another highlight in a night packed with highlights.

Sleep- again, i found myself surprised, but in a good way!  too many times on this
tour i felt they killed the energy in the wrong places.  Sleep however, hit me right
where i wanted it to.  Great placement again for this extrememly short folky trey
tune.  i was feelin' it, plain and simple.

GBOTT- this was my first time hearing the "new" back on the train, and i was groovin'
the whole way.  They've slowed it up a bit, and featured the groove a whole lot more.  
entered some nice country funk/twang realms, and led it into a nice rolling jam for a
few minutes. for most of the crowd, like me, this was our first "new" train, and we
were all caught off guard by how good it was, how much better its gotten, and how much
potential it seemingly has.

Bouncin'- i started to notice that i really had to go to the bathroom during gbott, so
bouncin' worked perfectly for me as i quickly crept away, took care of business and
found my seat again just in time for....


Walls of the Cave- I think i might hold the record for most "walls" seen, haha, this
is the 4th time i've seen them play it (out of 6 total performances i think), and i've
loved it each time.  still not sure how i feel about the actual "song" itself, but
damn that jam at the end always hits me just right.  a bit shorter than the other ones
i've heard, but i think this works really well as a first set closer.  despite its
mellow beginnings, the "silent trees" refrain at the end will certainly leave any
crowd juiced and desparate to hear more, which is exactly how you should end a set, on
a HIGH note.  damn right.  farmhouse my ass....

set II

Tweezer- Tweezer either works, or it doesn't work, which is why most phans probably
don't rank it in the upper tier with songs like "mikes or 2001" or whatever y'all
consider to be the heavy hitters.  Well, lemme tell you, this Tweezer was as good as
it gets.  Started off with a bit of funk, mixed in with the newer rockish sound.  The
jam went everywhere though, and for nearly 30 minutes they had our full attention as
they indulged.  and goddamn was it good.  i get the feeling i'm not really doing this
tweezer justice with these words, but what a hell of a good way to open up the second
set, eventually leading into.....

SOUL SHAKEDOWN PARTY- another bust out!!!  how friggin' lucky were we to hear destiny,
and now soul shakedown!!! only the third time they've played it EVER.  its opening
bass line reminded me alot of windora bug (perhaps thats where they got the windora
line from)  which had me real excited, but then the lyrics started, and it was
pandemonium again, everyone flipping out.  gotta love the reggae.  we all were still
groovin' hard as the high hats led us into

Bowie- this was a highly original bowie.  after the usual rounds through the
compositional parts they quickly lost all trace of the typical bowie jam and headed
into uncharted waters for a solid 7 minutes or so, eventually heading back into the
themes we all know so well, and then leading to Treys epic, written out, guitar
wailin' ending.  Pure energy and emotion.  I was still dancing like a lunatic.

Round Room- I like round room on the album, but i'm not sure how i felt about it live.  
they extended the end a little bit, and the jam was nice, but....i dunno, i'm a bit
hesitant.  i'll have to hear it again to get a true opinion.  at the very least, i
wasn't pissed off like some of the song selections earlier in the week had left me.  
(farmhouse encore was arguably the most pissed off i've ever been at a phish show, and
up until that point i'd never used the words "pissed off" and "phish" in the same
sentence ....sorry, thats just the way i felt), so i guess it wasn't all that bad
afterall.  mike at his best/quirkiest

Hood- Despite the fact that i just saw them play hood a few days earlier, i forgot all
about it, and thought about the set i'd just heard, and realized how perfect a Hood
set closer was.  The emotion pouring out from the band drenched the audience, and we
gave it right back to them, creating a really great band/audience unity that led to
one hell of a great closer.  It was beautiful.


Encore-

Contact- i think this worked really well, and watching the entire crowd sway back and
forth (i was pretty high up...) while singing about the tires on our cars was
priceless.  talk about band/audience unity again.  all smiles into....

Mexican Cousin- this was the most disappointed i was all night (other than bouncin',
since i was actually happy for the bathroom break, heh), which actually isnt' as bad
as it sounds.  I don't particularly like the "song" in and of itself, but the refrains
at the end always leave me smiling.  Reminds me of a sleeping monkee encore, the way
trey chooses to solo, etc...  we all knew what was coming next.

Tweeprise- standard, which is to say HIGH FUCKING ENERGY!!!!!  we all rocked out and
pumped our collective fists high in the air, letting those demons out as kuroda came
through heroically again (he's been the most solid band member this tour, his light
show is worth the price of admission alone) with neon lights spinning and dancing
crazier than ever before.  As i said, ending a set with a balls to the wall rocker is
a sure way to leave a crowd feeling great, and we all sure felt that way.

Overall- what else can i say? they had us from the first note to the last in a way
they haven't since before the hiatus.  This was the phish that i first heard, that
made me fall in love with these fuckin' weird songs way back when.  that made me join
that "weird hippie cult" as some of my relatives like to call it.  This was "the
phish" that sold out MSG on new years eve despite the fact that the press didn't know
a damn thing about em' and therefore chose not to give any media coverage too (in 95
that is).  THEY'RE BACK!!!!!!  oh lord how they're back.

get a copy of this show, at all costs, do whatever it takes and listen for yourself.  
If you're not convinced, get off the train, cause i'm sure as hell back on it!



Date: Mon,  3 Mar 2003 20:02:50 -0500 (EST)
From: Ann Saxby _saxby@excite.com
Subject: 2-28-03 - Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY


This was my first Phish show of the new tour. I was so excited and ready for
anything. I'd been looking at the set lists and was disappointed that I was going to
miss a few of my favs that they had recently played. When they took the stage
though... all bets were off. 

This was quite possibly the best show that I have seen Phish put on in a long time.
They were so tight, so in tune with each other... And I felt I was better in tune
with them than I had been in a long time. The break had definitely been good for
their souls, it all seemed fresh again.

I was a little disappointed with the Birds of a Feather opener but, since it was my
first show in 2+ years I was thrilled to be back "home" again. I'm not going to go
into detail song by song but I will highlight a few:

Bathtub Gin - - Amazing! Mike had some funky stuff going down (actually was the
entire show)

Get Back on the Train - - The Security guys around us were dancing! - 'nuf said!

Tweezer - - second set opener? it's always amusing for me to see... just about every
show I go to seems to have a Tweezer and Tweezer Reprise... it was nice to see things
didn't change "that" much! At least it wasn't followed by Chalkdust!

David Bowie - - what can I say.. this was great and very welcome...

I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing the new stuff off of Round Room. I know many people
aren't fond of the album as a whole. I think it's a great new direction. Seeing it
live proved it! Walls of the Cave was beautiful, Round Room - - great Mike song, love
the beat, and Mexican Cousin - - classic Phish sense of humor...

All in all... a TOP, TOP show...

However, I have to make a couple of comments regarding the scene:

The glow stick war was typical Phish show stuff... BUT there were MANY that I saw
hitting the stage, hitting the piano, and drums and coming close to the guys - not
cool! I know *I* wouldn't want to be up there playing, getting into my groove and all
of a sudden have a glow stick pelt me or my instrument. I think these guys deserve
more than a little respect! We should be thankful we have them here to play for us.

One more thing -- the parking lot....

I was disgusted to see how much garbage and beer bottles were strewn around the
place. Please! Hang out, cook, eat, drink whatever... but bring a bag and clean up
after yourself. Or at least, put the garbage in the bins....It's great that Phish
still plays arenas even though they are big enough to play stadiums.. If we can't
keep it clean, arenas aren't going to welcome Phish the way they still do. Keep it
clean guys!

Alright... I'm off my soap box.

This turned out longer than I thought!

Thanks for reading! See you next time around!

Ann

Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 21:43:11 EST
From: CPS27@aol.com
Subject: 2-28-03 - Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY

67th show.  It was sweet.  Much better than NYE.  

(By the way, got to love a venue where the line in front of each men's urinal 
is 6 deep, the line to piss in the sinks of the bathroom is 4 deep, and the 
line to piss in the bathroom trash can is 3 deep.  No f-ing kidding!!!!!)

boogie on...

Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 20:03:37 -0500
From: Todd Maloof toddmaloof@hotmail.com
Subject: Nassau Review

I would just like to start out by saying that I have been seeing Phish for the past 9
years and I honestly think that the show at Nassau was the most intense, crazy,
energy filled show that I have EVER been to.  I was very impressed with New Years and
the overall show they put on and just happy to be back in the groove and whole scene,
but there was this buzz about the crowd that words just simply cannot describe.  Once
you entered that arena to get your seat, you could just look around and see that
people were just so happy and excited and that there was this arora floating around
the crowd that was just simply unbelievable.  I have also never been to Nassau before
and I think that with the venue being so small, it just created a more intimate
relationship with Phish and the crowd.  On to the review......
 
Bird of a Feather - rockin' opener!  Solidly played.  First BOAF since PHilly in 99. 
They came out hard and you just knew at this point that this concert was going to
rock, and rock very hard.
 
Destiny Unbound - WOW! Talk about pulling a song from the shelf at random.  It was a
great suprise to hear this and they played it awesome.  If you weren't happy at this
point, you should have just left.
 
Horn - Brought the crowd back to reality.  Nicely fit tune to an insane show opener. 
I love Trey's guitar as he talks it through the jam.
 
Bathtub Gin - Now it was time to bring the crowd back in insanity.  You knew this was
a specialy place to be once the opening chords were played.  Fun fun fun song to get
the crowd hoppin once again.
 
Sleep - Out of nowhere!  I love this song!  At this point they are just teasing the
crowd with these slow songs.....
 
Get Back on the Train - ARE YOU KIDDING ME!??!!?  At first, it sounded like the
opening of Meatstick so I wasn't really into it.  Then I made out GBOT and was
starting to groove again.  Once that jam came on, I think I died and went to heaven. 
I was so blown away by this song and it was definatley my highlight of the evening. 
I mean, this song was so on point and everyone was just going crazy over it.  WOW!
 
Bouncing Around the Room - Guess they have to please the newbies at some point......
 
Walls of the Cave - I'm obsessed with this song.  To me, it soungs like two songs
combined into one.  Great piano, great jam, great everything.  I like this song as a
set closer.  Leaves you with a smile.
 
Setbreak - I couldn't move.  I was so pleased with my surroundings and everything. 
People around me were awesome.  Had great conversation, blew up a few baloons and
passed them around with a few 'etchings' on them (some of you might have seen
them....)  If you didn't realize that this show was special at this point, then you
really should have just left the building.  The wave during setbreak went on for what
seemed like forever and everyone was just having a great time. 
 
Tweezer - It was finally good to some kind of a glow stick war.  Nothing from what
I'm used.  The best glow war I saw was in Hampton from '99 during that Hood opener. 
Regardless, they jammed this song long and hard and it was a lot of fun to boogie
down to.
 
Soul Shakedown Party - Again, another WOW! goes for this.  A well placed song and
everyone was just partying it up to this tune.
 
David Bowie - Always a pleasure to hear Trey rip it up and show off his guitar during
this song.  Definatley one of my more favorite Bowie's that I've seen
 
Round Room - Nice!  I'm a fan of the musical changes that happen in this song and
really show you what Phish is all about.  Great tune, thoroughly enjoyed this one. 
 
Harry Hood - Is this becoming their new frontline song?  This is the 3rd consecutive
Hood I've seen in as many shows.  I love this song to death, and I hope it doesn't
become the next Guyute.
 
E: Contact - You can't complain when they play this song, or for that matter, any
song off of Junta.  It's a good song to bring everyone together for a sing-a-long
 
Mexican Cousin - I'm VERY impressed by this song.  Never gave it a chance on the
studio version, but now that I saw it live, I love how it all comes together...
 
Tweezer Reprise - One of the best yet. 
 
I've seen some serious stuff in concert with Phish ranging from every New Years show
from 1995 on to all of the random shows inbetween, and I must say, that this could be
my top favorite Phish show.  Up until Thursday, the Continental show was my favorite
due to the fact that BB King showed up (which by the way, I still don't understand
how people were saying that was a horrible show).  This was my 27th overall and I
plan on doing their next tour in its entirety.  After Nassau, they are back and I am
fully convinced.  I hope they crank out another 17 years and hopefully they'll do
that concert when they are all 80 year old!!!!! 

Date: Sun, 02 Mar 2003 17:08:16 -0500
From: Richard Sdao rsdao@optonline.net
Subject: nassau 22803

Having not been able to enjoy the lot scene on monday i was hell bent on getting to
the show early..and boy did i ever..after much craziness I was getting quite psyched
for the boys to go on..the Birds was ok as an opener, i'm not much of a fan of it to
begin with but mike had a nice funk going with it......then in my opinion an amazing
treat followed this typical opener as soon as they hit the first few notes of destiny
i went ballistic, ps i was in the front row over by mike, and that made it even more
amazing, highlight of the show i thought, the horn was nice followed by a sweet
bathtub with a great jam and sleep is always a nice short breather I thought
the funked out start to  back on the train was really awesome definately one of the
better ones i've seen, a bit disappointed to hear bouncin b/c i wanted harpua but i
guess i'll have to wait on that one and walls of the cave , which i was hoping to
get, was sweet i thought they had a nice build in speed into and through the
jam...fish seemed to be nailing that syncopating drum rhythm.....solid with first set
all around and the crowd's energy level seemed 100x higher than on monday.....i
thought mike was in such a groove and trey looked lost in the music......and of
course DESTINY !!!! 
    My hat's off to the crowd for a hugh wave during intermission.....there was
barely a ripple on monday....excellent effort !!!!!!
    When they kicked into tweezer i was all set for another round of musical insanity
and the boys certainly delivered on this one and i was hoping they would have gone
back and finished it to round out the set....when they started to play soul shakedown
i originally thought it was makisupa, not having seen the set list from the night
before, so when they started singing i was so surprised and psyched at the same
time..loved the marley cover and the ensuing bowie rocked out with some serious
jamming.......the boys then slowed things down a bit with round room, it seems alot
of folks don't dig this offering from mike but i like the bouncing lilty quality to
this one and it also offers the boys several locations to slip in and out of jams and
i thought they jammed it out nicely .....i can't say i was totally disappointed to
hear Hood having been at monday's show but i love this song too much to care and they
seemed to go fairly straight forward with this one with more winding up at the end
jam whereas monday's seemed more in the middle....nice job with the glow sticks as
well by the crowd but i think folks should try not to throw them on stage.it's just
fucking dumb....eventually you will hit one of them seriously enough.i say go glo
stick crazy..but not towards the fellas.......back to the action which ended with
hood and i was surprised I thought the set seemed short...but hot.........the triple
encore is always nice, they pulled one of these on a recent trip through nassau in
the past, contact is one of my faves but not as an encore....i'd rather they speed us
on the way but some nice jams were provded....mexican cousin is a hysterical song
that im pretty sure everyone can relate to and i was glad to hear this one and 
tweezer reprise is always a nice capper on the evening...KURODA IS A MAD GENIUS
!!!!!!!.......bb king aside a  better show than monday
 Phatguy

Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 19:40:29 -0800
From: Brian Macdonald rosesrfree@attbi.com
Subject: 2/28/03- Review

Let point out quickly that I have never written a review about a show before. I have
been to 65+ shows and have never felt compelled to write a review. After ten years
and as many shows as I stated previously, I really think that Friday's show was the
best show I have seen in years. Possibly ever. Better then NYE 2000. Better then
either show at the Clifford Ball? I think yes.
 
I will not banter on and review each song as so many have already done. I dont think
I could say it as eloquently as some of the other people here. Friday's show was
everything that I dream about when walking into a show.
 
I only hope there were enough fans that really appreciated what they saw on Friday. I
had many people who didnt know what they were playing or the significance of what
they were playing at the time. 
 
Any way.........thanks for listening. This was an unbelievable experience that the
setlist does no justice to.
 
Thanks for listening.
 
Brian

Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 20:46:03 -0500
From: Heather and Peter heathandpete@earthlink.net
Subject: NaCheese Review

Who knew that NaCheese would deliver the goods. This was far and away 
the best show since the hiatus. My personal 4th favorite ever, coming 
in behind 10/31/94, 12/31/95, and 12/31/93. This is Phish in a whole 
new era. Really fresh versions of old standards. This band clearly 
needed a break and it has become evident that time is indeed on our 
side. Enjoy this show and listen carefully after you've downloaded. Be 
prepared, this will go down as an all-time classic in phishtory. As 
much as I hate to say it, Long Island has become strong island.

Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 10:43:33 -0500
From: irma haraschak irmalh5916@earthlink.net
Subject: nassau was sick

the boyz were perfect, they didnt miss a note . defenitely no complaints,accept i
thought thry could of played something in the spot of hood , that was the only thing
that didnt sit right. well i guess its time to get ready 4 spring or summer tour .  


Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 12:10:04 -0500
From: Graham Jacobson g.jacobson@mindspring.com
Subject: Nassau

During Nassau's amazing love fest,  I started to get a notion.    Trey 
is such a perfectionist and a real go getter.    But what is the one 
thing that he has failed to do?    Answer:  become a true rock star 
with Madonna or Bruce type fame.    Why is this?   Are "Borderline" or 
"Badlands"  better songs than Birds of  Feather,   or...  you pick one?

Nassau was a "greatest hits"  show,  (I'm not complaining,  I loved 
it).     My point is that I feel that there must have been a ton of 
record company people in the crowd (NYC Friday show) that Trey was 
making the point to them,  "Hey,  your Grammy awards are a joke (9 to 
one person?),  all the music on MTV and Rolling Stone are so basic,  
and without soul,   let me show you what we are doing."

I applaud Trey for this,   Phish is just the sort of outift that could 
really raise the bar for the entire record industry in all terms,  
songwriting, integrity,  live shows,  and music sharing.   They deserve 
it.


From: Neil Sharma mailto:nms2001@columbia.edu
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2003 2:49 PM
Subject: Nassau Review


Holy-good-golly-miss-moly!  That was one of the best Phish shows - if not
THE best - I've ever seen.  I can give these guys a tough time sometimes,
and can be pretty critical (see my Monday discourse), but this monster
rocked my boots off.

02/28/03 Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY
1: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound*, Horn, Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on
the Train, Bouncing Around the Room, Walls of the Cave

2: Tweezer, Soul Shakedown Party**, David Bowie, Round Room, Harry Hood
E: Contact, Mexican Cousin

Notes:
        * - not played in 788 shows since 11/15/91 !
        ** - not played since 2/20/97, only third time ever

BOAF: Good opener.  This little bird was trying to chirp its heart out, but
juxtaposed with the rest of the lot that followed, remains a tweety in
comparison.  Good stuff though, got the juices flowing.  I don't remember
anything super standout in the jam, but it felt right.

Destiny Unbound:  No acronym here.  This road gets its full highway name.
Besides the fact that this was as big of a bustout that they could pull out
of their magic hat, it was played with vigor and fury.  I was singing along
like a kindergartener.  New upper tier tune for me, and my only exposure was
from MP3's and the such.  This one live is a treat, and I hope they keep it
rare, but not entirely out of reach for another 12 years.  Crowd gave it its
props, and I thought it delivered on time.

Horn:  Pretty, and I just love the middle guitar structured part.  Hard to
remember as distinctly after Destiny, but well placed and floaty.  By the
way, this is around when I began to realize that they were ON FIRE, and
there was no water in site.  Everything gelled into one cohesive show from
here on in.  So from these words onwards, its almost silly to break it up
into paragraphs.

GIN: Gargantuan.  So freakin' tite.  Typical fun gin stuff, large piano
trills by Page, fun sing along part, etc.  Then the exploration of the
theme.  Hard to describe, but just fluid and spot on.  I love the yellow
laser beams around the green headlights that come with the thick part at the
end.  Gin deserves is own dissertation, but you will have to take my word
for it that it was dead on.

Sleep:  A welcome respite from the Gin and tonic that just went down.
Really just beautiful, and floaty, and gentle.  I've never liked Sleep this
much in concert.  And the placement was scientific almost.  Perfect.

GBOTT:  I made the bonehead move of going to the bathroom during this song,
since I was not that enthralled with it in Hampton, and its of my least
favorites on Farmhouse.  Based on what I could hear from afar, and more
based on the input from those that I came with, it was the best Train ever.
They explored, they gave it some power and legs.  And they felt it, past the
obvious lyrical significance.  Sorry I essentially missed this one, but
cheers to all that caught it.

Bouncin':  Sorry Bouncin' haters.  This worked, and then some overtime.
Great placement.  Great energy.  Great to see the triple vocals at the end,
to remind us that they can all be doing totally different things, but it
still sounds like the most cohesive blanket of sound that you will ever
hear.  When Page came in with his lyric above the other guys, it was just
blissful.  And I awoke.

Walls:  First time hearing this for me.  Fuck all ya'll shit talker on this
tune (pardon the harsh words, but I heard some negative banter about this in
the hallways).  Great new tune, unbelievable.  This is proof that they are
still creating, and at the peak of their musical generation capabilities.
You gotta be psyched for them hearing this new stuff.  They JUST created
it - post-hiatus - and its what they are most excited about, and it rocks,
and it's still an infant, waiting to age like a fine cabernet.  I love the
various parts in the first half of the tune.  Despite its potential lack of
connectability, it does the polar opposite, and melds and flows like the
Mississippi, all the way down to the delta.  Pure fucking genius, and played
with soul.  Thanks for all this new stuff Phish, looking forward to more in
the future.  You still got it.  The Listen to the Silent Trees part kicked
high, Bruce Lee high.  I really enjoyed this.

Setbreak:  The right amount of time for things that needed to get done.

Tweezer:  God damn Sam.  This was the definition of large and in charge.  A
never-ending meld of musical motifs.  (i) First you had Tweezer.  (ii) Then
some sort of hardcore rock and fuckin' rage roll music, that was blinding.
Quick aside, normally Tweezer is not my top tier big, second set tune, but
this made me born again.  I was im-motha-focker-pressed.  (iii) After the
rock and roll jam Mack truck, there were a series of teases.  I'll give my
take and ear.  (iv) I heard a return to the Destiny Unbound theme.  Which,
by the way, rocked, and was a perfectly fitting way to remind the crowd what
had gone down earlier in the evening.  (v) Then, I'd swear I heard some of
the I Know You Rider riffs coming from the front.  Subtle, but I am
convinced it was in there like Prego.  (vi) Finally (and I am sure there
were a ton more, just that I forgot to register into the mind), a DEFINITE
"nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye."  Whatever the
official name for that song is at the end of basketball games when the loser
is DONE.  Thing is, Phish was nowhere NEAR donzo.  Not by a long shot.

Soul Shakedown Party: I did not realize that this had been played before,
but let me tell you, it was a gem.  First, b/c it WAS a soul shakedown party
in the Coliseum last night.  Second, Trey gave his all on the lyrics.
Marley is a tough act to follow, but he would have been proud and smiling
ear to ear as he toked his spliff, listening to Mr. Anastasio.  Trey was
crooning, and in the best way.  I honestly cannot remember this one as much
musically, b/c things were really melding into one piece of music for the
whole night by this point.  Song titles and lines and boundaries are an
injustice to the set.  Brilliant, apropos selection.  Stellar, memorable
performance, and a chestnut for the vault.  Mmmm Hmmm.  Thanks Phish.

Bowie:  Believe it or not, Bowie is also normally in the lower tier for me
as far as the big ones go.  BUT, holy lord.  This one worked.  That's the
thing about this show.  It was a giant curveball setlist-wise, but a fluid
musical odyssey that worked better than any setlist I could have
manufactured.  I mean, they were tighter than wet Levi's two inches too
small in the seat.  They made all the changes, and then changes on those
changes, and then the rest of the changes.  When they came back to the fast
notes at the end, you knew they just nailed this one.  Again, a PhD could do
his/her thesis on last night's Bowie, but I'll just leave you with these
Cliff's footnotes.  Ibid.

Round Room:  Definitely one of my least favorites in the rotation currently.
You know though, this somehow worked, and Phish pulled it off proper.
Lyrically, this is another fitting song, as these guys spend their lives,
blood, sweat and tears in these round arenas.  The song is short, you
definitely needed a bit of a break from the prior soundblast.  And, still,
they took it places.  It was not completely straight up.  And not a break
for them.  It was spiked with something vicious.  Who knew.

Hood:  I'll get out of the way the mr. minor complaint that I could've used
a different musical theme after having JUST heard this at Continental on
Monday.  BUT, this gallon Hood made Monday's look like a little pint size.
This is how Hood should be played.  Second set closer, with all the gusto
and heart and emotion that they can muster.  Definitely one of the best - of
many - Hoods that I have had the pleasure and honor to experience live.
Each part of it was just in it to win it.  Bravo.

Let me pause and say here that mere words to nothing, NOTHING, to describe
this set/show.  Again, if I were to just read the setlist next-day-air as I
usually do, I would not blink twice looking at this.  You had to be there.
Again, everything just molted and melted and flowed and ran into each
others' territory.  But there were no trespassing signs.  Everything was
fair game.  Reggae, funk, rock, more rock, chill, spacey, bluegrassy, and
genres that surpass definition, classification, and nomenclature.  That is
Phish.  That's what I come for.  And they delivered with extra credit.

Encore:

Contact:  Somehow, they topped the Hampton Contact, which was at the time,
the biggest that these ear drums have ever heard.  It had everything Contact
should - Mike's quirkiness and campiness.  Pages trill and thrill, and then
onto some funkadelia that he definitely picked up off the road while taking
his own time to find his groove with Vida Blue.  Huge addition to this band.
And then who does not like the 20k some odd crowd all just swaying along
with Phish's good times?  That is a quintessential capsulation of what makes
this shit fun.  Trust me, in the real world, I am not Charlie Browned out
with my head high in the air and that elated.

Mex Cuz: Again, to all the nay Sayers, kiss my big bootsie tom collins arse.
And twice cuz I didn't feel it the first time.  Tune is here to stay.  And
count yourselves lucky.  Boy this song was doin' it and doin' it and doin'
it well.  Zippadeedooda, my oh my what a glorious tune.  That is some
ending.  I was crooning along like it was mandatory third grade chorus.
With a tambourine and a triangle.  For all the "eh" encores that have been
passed around like a shwag joint, this fatty rolled right over them.  Keep
this Prima Mexicana in the rotation.  Puff puff give.  And give some more.

Tweeprise:  Though Tweezer is not normally the horse I choose to run my race
(tonight an exception), Tweeprise is ALWAYS the best way to leave a stadium.
More power than a Lamborghini, cruising down the Audubon, top down, sun
shining bright.  P.S., there were moments when the sun was shining indoors,
and it was blinding to look into that light.  Phish created another planet,
and one that others revolve around - moon and the stars above.

Okay.  I am parched, and drained from this output of verbage.  And it
doesn't even come CLOSE to trying to describe the epic journey that Phish
captained.  This was a clinic, and I need to return for more.  Thank you
Trey, Page, Mike and Jon.  You guys are back, and staying put.  Gracias,
senores.

Neil Sharma

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 20:56:58 EST
From: MRMET1027@aol.com
Subject: NASSAU REVIEW

I live about 30 minutes from the coliseum so my girlfriend and I arrived 
around 5pm. Shakedown street was pumping already. We got a few beers and just 
hung around and enjoyed the scene. The spirits were up and the sense of a 
good show was in the air. We just returned from Worcester and if this show is 
like anything we witnessed in Mass we will all be in for a big treat. We left 
shakedown feeling nice and pumped around 6:15. They opened the doors and 
herded the cattle in around a quarter to 7. Our seats were on the floor to 
the right of the sound stage on the isle, right next to CK.

SET I

Birds of a Feather - Very unexpected (not as much as YEM in Worcester) but a 
surprise nonetheless. I never would have thought this would be a good 
opening, but it was very energetic and it got the crowd pumping.

Destiny Unbound - I have never heard this tune before. I liked it. Very 
Dead-like and it kept the energy going.

Horn - Believe it or not, the guy in front of me turned around before the 
ending of destiny and called this song. I don't know how he did, but he 
should play lotto. Very good version, vocals were dead on and they boys were 
tight.

Gin - The opening circus riff from Trey got the crowed jumping. Trey was in 
the zone on the jam, it was very up beat and he kept to the main theme all 
the way through.

Sleep - Great placement after a killer Gin jam. This was very beautiful and 
serene, and gave the crowd a little breather before...

Back on the Train - Killer jam. I like the steady rhythm from Fish and Mike 
and southern style licks from Trey and Page. Very tight jam.

Bouncing Around the Room - Smooth and tight. Vocals were dead on. Flawless 
version.

Walls of the Cave - This is one of my favorite newer songs. The "silent 
trees" part was great and led into a phat jam. This is definitely a crowd 
pleaser and everyone dug this tune.

Set Break
I have to give props to this crowd. A steady wave circled the coliseum for a 
strong 6 to 7 times. I have been to a lot of NY Mets games and I have never 
seen a stronger wave. It was a cool thing to see, especially being on the 
floor.

Set II

Tweezer - Hearing the opening riff, we all know we were in for a killer set. 
Great version witha very spacey jam. Again, the word of the day: TIGHT.

Soul Shakedown Party - I have never heard Phish do this song before. But what 
a great version of this Marley tune. Page was the star of this song. 
Excellent melodies from him.

David Bowie - When the high-hattin' part started I knew it was Bowie, being 
they just played Maze in Worcester. A nice intro, very Tree's like (for any 
Rush fans out there) after a sweet 3 minute intro the kicked in with the 
unmistakable Bowie. Very early to mid 90's tightness. Great version great 
jam, good flexing of there chops.
Round Room - I like this song. It pretty much sounds the same live as it does 
on RR. A flawless performance.

Harry Hood - WOW. The definite highlight of the night and what a way to end 
the set. Again TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT. Any kinks they may have had were ironed 
out by the start of this show. CK did a nice job the whole night but kicked 
major ass in this song. The lights were right on especially on the big rock 
star ending of this song. They boys flowed nicely with each other. What a 
great version.

Encore

Contact - I'm glad they played this, this is one of my girlfriend favorite 
songs and I'm happy they player it for her. Good version nice little jam 
during the funky part.

Mexican Cousin - I'm not a big phan of this song, but it was nice. Good 
placement because we knew that this song wasn't going to send us off on our 
way......

Tweezer Reprise - I can't ask for a better song to end a show. Hearing this 
song makes a feeling of completion. A nice short but TIGHT version.

Yes, I said it a fewtimes in this review...TIGHT. That is the best way to 
describe this show. Even the flowing airy jams were tight. The boys were in 
the Zone for this show and they all looked like they were having fun, as were 
we.
After the show we took a stroll back to shakedown were the party continued 
fiercely. We got a couple of egg rolls and sodas and left with a smile 
knowing we saw one of the best shows on the tour (about the same or a little 
better than Worcester). But thats just my opinion.

Keep Rockin'
Matt Pannullo - Long Island, NY

Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 16:30:53 -0500
From: Frank sciphish4221@comcast.net
Subject: 2/28/03 Nassau Coliseum Review

This was my first Phish show ever and i must say I was truly amazed. The energy was
flowing from every corner of the venue, which I might say is a great place to
see concert. We got a hotel room right across the lot and walked right into the lot
it was awesome. My seats were in 306 and i could see great although the sound during
the first half of Birds of a Feather was on the quiet side, but eventually it got
turned up a bit and began to kick ass.
 
Birds of a Feather- a great opening song , it got everyone ready to jam and dance the
night away.
Destiny Unbound - Once i figured out the deal behind this song i knew that this night
would be a great great show, and this song was real good and sounded sweet especially
for a song that hasnt been played in 12 years.
Horn- This is always a nice short little song to hear and it was well placed to get
the crowd pumped for------------------------>>>>
Bathtub Gin - I wasn't expecting this song at all but when Trey played those two
opening chords the crowd went nuts and was totally feeling this song. They played it
perfectly and the jam was really good and not just a defined guitar solo, page was
playing perfectly on this song with alot of clavinet wah playing which i felt added
alot to this song.
Sleep - I didnt even think that they'd play this but it was a perfect version. Trey's
vocals were right on key and it was a nice break before the next song which might
have been the highlight of the show.
Back on the Train- I really wanted to hear this song and when they played it i was
psyched. After the verses and the normal beginning of the song fishman started to hit
the ride cymbal and something great happened. This jam was Awesome and i cant wait
for livephish.com to release it so i can relive it. The climax of Trey's solo
reminded me of climaxs in great versions of YEM. It was a unique version and was
crazy to hear and dance to.
Bouncing Around the Room - This is my friends favorite song and when john played that
beat he went nuts and the harmonies and song was perfect and gave us a chance to
relax for a few minutes before Walls of a Cave.
Walls of a Cave- I knew this song was gonna be played and when it started i was ready
to hear it. Page's solo was great and everything about it was great . Phish seems
like they really love to play this song and with good reason. The end jam was great
and I knew this was the end of my first Phish Set EVER.
 
THe Setbreak was real fun and was a chance to chill and partake in a sweet Arena
circling wave started by a few guys next to my section. I didnt know if that first
set could be topped but it just might of been.
SET 2
Tweezer- They started this song off great and it was one of the best versions i've
heard. The jam waas really mellow and nice to hear. The glow sticks were sweet to see
during this part. This jam was really good and it had a few minor climaxes and then
began to get really good. At first i was worried that the jam would be spacey and
crazy but it turned out just the opposite. It was a perfect second set opener.
Soul Shakedown Party- Phish enjoyed playing this one and it got the Crowd ready to
dance again. I am not a huge Bob Marley Song so i didnt really recognize but it was a
great reggae/ funk song for phish to do.
David Bowie- A hands down great version with a different style jam in the middle. It
was really mellow but then they built it and once those end riffs started coming the
crowd was going nuts dancing.
Round Room- I really didnt expect this song at all but they played it perfectly. i
thought i was in love with mike gordon during this. oh well.
Harry Hood- Perfect timing , i wasnt expect to see or hear this but it started and
the crowd flipped. Everything was right on and sounded great. They finished it off
with alot of energy. and i was ready for the encore
ENCORE
 
I really thought they'd only play one encore but three! wow
 
Contact- This is such a mellow song and yet so nice to hear, it could have been more
funky but it was still great.
Mexican Cousin-The end of this song sounds soooo good especially with the whole crowd
yelling WHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO in I wanna wanna kiss your WHOOOO. Crazy jam that lead into
the expected song---->
Tweezer Reprise- This song has soooo much energy and it pumped the crowd up after a
great show. Trey's looping was perfectly done and they ended it in a great way. Trey
was moving his guitar around like a guitar duel against an imaginary person while
Page used his little pitch making device, i forget the name of it, and synched the
noise with the guitar movements. Then Trey began to raise his guitar above his head
to the ceiling !!! the crowed went crazy and raised their hands towards the sky along
with trey. then they cut it off quietly and nailed the final chord...
 
This was a great show in writing and it was a perfect show for my first one.

Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 16:52:27 -0500
From: beth belletete babelletete@hotmail.com
Subject: sms review of 2/28/03

the show last night was spectacular.  i especially liked the curious grin on trey's
face during bouncing round the room and mexican cousin.  and he sure did play like a
bad ass during the second set.  unfortunately the sexy med student was drinking
tequila alone after the show...
 
bab

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 15:40:51 -0500
From: bkries bkries@mailbox.syr.edu
Subject: nassau review

The setlist was incredible...
1: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound, Horn, Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on the 
Train, Bouncing Around the Room, Walls of the Cave 
2: Tweezer, Soul Shakedown Party, David Bowie, Round Room, Harry Hood 
E: Contact, Mexican Cousin, Tweezer Reprise

This was my 7th show, and holy jesus am I glad that I made that decision to 
get ripped off with a ticket price in the lot.

Lot-Got there pretty late due to some traffic on the local highways, 
particulary going through the bronx, arrived around 5:30-6 and went directly 
to shakedown strasse to find my show goodies.

BOAF-Beautiful opener.  I've always loved this song, and thought it was a 
great opener.  Those first few notes I swear my hair stood up and i started 
grooving.

Destiny Unbound-As you've heard, the main vibe here is HOLY SHIT. My buddy 
recognized it first note, and went CRAZY!!! I loved it, totally rocking 
song..thanks guys for breaking this treasure out!

Horn-Smooth.  At this point i decided to take a jam/walk around the floor.  
Ended up behind the tapers, then took an escape route to the 300 level and got 
my smoke on.

Bathtub Gin-Mystical. Ever since i saw bathtub in the rain at Camden 7.3.2000 
i've loved it.  This version was absolutely rocking, with page going nuts!!!

Sleep-Good song, great placement, nothing out of this world...but the show was 
already on its way to epic status, so took a breather.

Back on the Train-As much as i tend to dislike farmhouse, i really do enjoy 
hearing this song.  This version was incredible, bringing the already 
pulsating energy through the roof and into the starry night.  I don't think a 
single person was sitting, i looked around and from the floor to the last row 
in the 300's, people were feeling this jam.
>From here, i was wondering where they'd take us...

Bouncing round the room-Ah, ok.  I enjoyed it, and i'm not going to complain.  
Always a solid song.  Now its time for the big jam, i was hoping for 
fluffhead, i don't know why, but i was feeling it..but no...page hit the piano 
and the first notes of

Walls of the Cave-came blowing into our ears.  This is my second WOAC since 
the hiatus.  I saw it at MSG on newyears, and loved it then.  The energy was 
up there as well, people were grooving harddddd.  The build up to the rockout 
section was great, and the rocking jam was superb.

setbreak-i thought this would be a nice breather, but we all were soooo 
excited from this first set that even during setbreak the pulsating colliseum 
kept on beating.  The wave was so crazy, everyone was throwing the hands up in 
the air. great time.

Set 2:
Tweezer-YES!  What a great second set opener, I jammed soooo hard, and the 
glowstick war was great.

Soul Shakedown-great song.  for a second i was thinking windora bug, but then 
i caught the notes and joined in on the jam. this was probobly the highlight 
of my show, i absolutely love this song.
Then i heard the highhat going.  highhat, highhat, highhat, and

David Bowie-BAM!!! What a great jam, and awesome lighting by kuroda.  I can't 
really make words for my emotions at this point in the show...incredible.

Round Room-Ah, a breather.  I needed it too. Some people weren't happy with 
this, but i was.  I like it a lot, and am happy their playing some new stuff 
for the newer phans.  its 2003 phish guys, let keep on track with their master 
plan of blowing our minds for years to come.

Harry Hood-When i heard fish hit the drums, i was reallly happy.  This is my 
3rd harry, and every time its a pleaser.  Everyone was singing and having a 
great time with it. glowwar, or was that just a battle...ha.

Encore:
Contact-now three years ago i would've been bummed out with this selection due 
to the mellowness of the song. but not anymore...phish has turned this into a 
funk oddysey.  i love page's clav going after the chorus is sung.  great song. 
i was thinking its reprise time, but no!

Mexican cousin-this song is hilarious first off, the lyrics crack me up.  the 
jam was nice, and everyone had a great time with this instant singalong.

Reprise-ROCKING!!! trey had a little fun at the end with the feedback from the 
guitar and the microfone.  He seemed to be "fishing" out of the audience too, 
thought it was great.

Final Thoughts: Epic of a show...I'm definatley going to get this one asap.  
I'll pay the xtra cash.   Had an awesome time, and boy...i cannot wait till 
summer.  See you all then.  Peace.

-ries

Brian K Ries
Haven Hall
Syracuse University

Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 15:24:58 -0500
From: Alejandro Tamargo treebeard_tamargo@hotmail.com
Subject: Nassau Review

My 50th show, and wow what a 50th! This is what it's all about.  This is why 
I keep coming back for more.  This was truly a show I will never forget.  
The band played in Nassau the "unbelievable blow my mind off OH MY GOD!" 
show that I had hoped for, but didn't quite get, in Worcester.  (See my 
Worcester review).  I realize that I'm in the minority with this opinion.  I 
can't for the life of me possibly comprehend why this is, but hey, everyone 
has their own opinion, everyone sees things differently, enjoys Phish for 
different reasons. No sense in arguing about it. But for me personally, 
Nassau didn't just blow Worcester completely out of the water, it blew the 
two Hampton shows that I saw out of the water, and was by far the best show 
I've seen since Big Cypress.  And quite frankly, only Big Cypress and the 
infamous Dark Side of the Moon show were higher times for me in my 50 shows. 
  And if you think I'm saying this just because they brought back Destiny, 
forget it.  You can throw Destiny in the trash and I'd still be saying this, 
just because of that second set.  Unbelievable!

Now the songs:

BOAF: Not a stellar opener like Worcester, and not usually one of my 
favorites, but it was a nice energetic version to get the show going.

DESTINY:  Oh my God!  It took me a few seconds to believe what I was 
hearing.  I was thinking, "this sounds like Destiny but it can't possibly 
be, because they're never going to play it again."  See I was 100% convinced 
it was never ever coming back, and that people speculating on when they 
might bust it out were just being silly.  But wow, Destiny.  I'm still in 
disbelief.  Judging by the reaction of the people around me (way up there in 
303), I thought that other people were experiencing the same delayed 
response that I was.  Turns out they just really didn't know what was 
happening.  Throughout the arena there seemed to be pockets of people going 
crazy and losing their shit, and pockets of people standing around 
scratching their heads.  Not the reaction I would have hoped for, but this 
was special none the less.

HORN: nice little song to let us (those of us who knew) soak in the Destiny

BATHTUB:  This was the first sign that this show was going to be much more 
than just the bustout of Destiny.  This is honestly the best jam out of a 
Gin I think I've ever personally witnessed. All I can say is wow!

SLEEP:  I like this song.  Nicely placed too.  Good breather after that 
incredible Gin.

GBOTT:  I've always enjoyed this song as sort of a fun dancy/groovy kind of 
tune and never really had any expectations for any kind of jam out of it.  
But oh my god if this wasn't the most amazing GBOTT ever.

BOUNCIN:  I have some shocking news.  I'm not a newbie and I like Bouncin. 
(GASP!) It seems like it's become really trendy to hate Bouncin'.  It's as 
if you're not a "real" phish phan until you declare your complete and utter 
hatred for it.  I can understand if you were going to shows back in the days 
when they played it every other show, because I think if I heard it that 
often I'd probably start hating it too.  But since 1995 this was only maybe 
my 5th or 6th Bouncing.  And I've enjoyed each and every one.

WOTC:  My first time seeing it, and it did not dissapoint. I've heard it 
said that they jammed out the Philly version more.  If this is true then 
I've got get myself a copy of that Philly jam, because this was a raging 
jam.

Second Set:
First off, I'd like to say that Phish.net and Phantasy Phish have made a 
slight error in the setlist, ommitting all the segue (>) symbols. Hopefully 
they'll correct it.

The setlist should read like this:

Tweezer> Soul Shakedown> David Bowie, Round Room>Harry Hood

Make no mistake about it, they did not stop playing from the opening notes 
of Tweezer on through the ending of Bowie.

TWEEZER:  Oh my God oh my god oh my god!!  Before last night, I had only 
heard Tweezers like this on tape (or CD).  This was epic. There were several 
times during the latter half of this nearly 30 minute jam, where I found 
myself thinking "Okay, they don't have to keep jamming.  They could stop 
here, move onto another song, ANY song, and I'd be completely and utterly 
overjoyed with that Tweezer."  And whenever I thought that they'd move into 
a new section of the jam that would just blow me away all over again.  Is 
there such a thing as too much joy?

SOUL SHAKEDOWN PARTY:  The Tweezer jam moved into a slow psychedelic space, 
and then they started out with a reggae tune.  Makisupa? No we got that in 
Worcester.  It must be Windora Bug then.  Cool.  That's a nice bustout. SOUL 
SHAKEDOWN!! ARE YOU KIDDING?!! I never could have possibly dreamed that they 
were playing Soul Shakedown.  Like Destiny, it's one of those songs I just 
never expected them to play ever again.  In many ways, this was even a 
better bustout for me than Destiny. I have a much more personal connection 
to the song.  "We're going to have a Soul Shakedown Party tonight!"  Yes we 
did.

DAVID BOWIE:  Now, I thought would surely be one of those slow Round Room 
tunes to give us a breather, and I was okay with that.  But instead, the 
hi-hat.  This can't be real!  Oh my God!  I couldn't have fantasized about a 
better setlist than this.  And it's more than just a list on paper, it's an 
incredible sequence of amazing TYPE II jamming.  This Bowie was dark, 
spacey, rocking, then back again, until the amazing climax.  I was in 
heaven.

ROUND ROOM:  Now the Round Room slow song.  And that's fine because at this 
point they can do whatever they want.  See, this is the point I was trying 
to make in my Worcester review.  A nice, slow, non jamming song in the 
second set is more than fine when it's sandwiched between a stellar Bowie 
and Hood.  But that Guyute>Waves>Caspian sequence in Worcester almost put me 
to sleep.  But I digress.

HARRY HOOD:  Did I say I was in heaven during the Bowie?  I went back there 
and beyond during the Hood.  I felt like I was wrapped up in ecstacy (not 
the drug, the real thing).  Wow!

ENCORES:  This was a combintation of the encores at the two Hampton shows I 
saw.  Contact was funked out again.  Although not quite as much as the 
Hampton version, as Mike didn't get his chance to funk out this time.  
Mexican Cousin is my least favorite of the new album. It's like an anthem 
for alchoholics.  Not my thing.  But like I said, at this point I don't care 
what they're playing, as long as they're still on stage, I'm still in 
heaven.  Then of course comes the expected Tweeprise, always a good way to 
send off a show.

What else can I say?  Best show I've seen in a very long time.  A true 
classic.


Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 14:05:38 EST
From: NazarianD@aol.com
Subject: 2/28/03 Nassau Review

I wrote a review for the Meadowlands show on Monday. I was honest (in other words, I
was pissed about some stuff and I made it known). I made a lot of people very upset
(dozens of e-mails- some rather hostile). I don't apologize, though. I stick to my
story.

But last nights show gets no complaints. Not a one. This was the show I've been
waiting for... the show that affirms my faith in the band.

SOLID first set. BoaF was raging. Carried on for a good 10 minutes. I was making my
way to the pisser when they began to close off the jam. Everyone stands still for a
moment, listening to what it's gonna be, what's gonna be next? No... no, it couldn't
be. 'Tis. Destiny. So what if it's the rarest of the rare... it's a hot song. And it
was jammed out beautifully. Then, when the crowd is an inch from rioting, they take
it into a lovely little Horn. Great solo by Trey, loud, emotional, good stuff.
Bathtub Gin came at the perfect time. Page was literally slamming on the boards for
all his fills. Then a nice jam. Good interplay by Trey and Page... no one got too
greedy. And the jam carried on, too. It was not your typical "middle of the first
set" jam. It was heavy. It was progressive. It was all good. Sleep. Perfect. The
right song for the right moment. And it's nice to know that Trey isn't getting too
carried away up there... he's still right on top of his game. BotT was tight.
Funky... crisp... not too short, not too long. Bouncing was standard, but good to
hear, nevertheless. And Walls of the Cave as the closer. It's a great first set
closer. Almost as good as Slave, in my opinion. This was the third Walls for me. And
it's growing on me. Good structure. And they were all over it last night. God bless
'em.

Tweezer... awesome. I wasn't floored by the jam, but I was so damn happy to hear a
Tweezer that it seemed perfect to me. A lot of progress. I thought for sure I could
smell a segue, but it was just Trey exploring. He eventually brought it down nice and
slowly, and closed it off. ~15 minutes. Then... Windora?! no. Soul Shakedown! Even
better. Great easy-going reggae jam which lasted long enough really let you shake
your thing. Terrific. Then the high-hat kicks in... Has to be Bowie since Worcester
got the Maze. But Trey is too jazzed up for a mellow, psychadelic high-hat intro...
He starts running up and down his scales, noodling away, and then takes 'em right
into the song... no long wait... no messing around. Right down to business! The
composed parts were tight... all four of them were loud and laying it down thick. And
the jam didn't waste too much time, either... it seemed like the four of them
couldn't be mellow at the same time... Three of them would be grooving, but the
fourth would be banging something out, and then another would pick up, and it would
get heavy again. And it carried and carried. The jam went so long and built up to
such an incredible peak that I thought for certain they were gonna wrap up the set
right then and there... and then it carried out some more, Kuroda going ape-shit on
the lights... surely they're gonna make this a three song second set... but it's
still going... and going... I didn't look at my watch, but if I was guessing, I'd say
it was a 30 minute Bowie. Round Room was great. This is really a good, good song. And
it has such a heavy groove, mellow... but heavy. And it WORKED perfectly at that
exact moment. That's the something that's been missing from this tour... Everything
was WORKING last night. They jammed with that for a while... then they broke out the
Hood. Obviously, no complaints for a Hood, although that's my third this year and
there are sooo many things I want to hear... but it was too good of a Hood for me to
dwell on.

Lately, encores have been SUCKING! Damn that Farmhouse in NJ! To hell with the Friday
encore! They've been so sucky lately, on average, that I have a hard time clapping
through the encore break. But this time, after such a perfect show, and knowing that
there's a Twe-prise on the way... I was standing on my seat screaming. Contact was so
nice.... so nice. The perfect time for an old favorite. Interestingly, instead of
Mike laying down a thick solo before the "I woke up one morning in November..." part,
Page and Trey just both went nuts. They rocked out this Contact... and we were all so
damn happy! Add a little Mexican Cousin to make us happier... and then start a riot
with Tweezer Reprise.

Closing comments: When is summer tour gonna get posted? The boys are back, people...
I hadn't been too sure about them this year. But my doubts were unfounded. Damn fine
show... damn fine.

-david 


vDate: Sun, 02 Mar 2003 09:47:47 -0500
From: Harry Hood izmhound@hotmail.com
Subject: THE Show of All Shows

Ok.  I'm a local northeastcoast head.  Been to over 30 shows up here.  I 
usually stick around here and see em whenever I can.  The farthest I've ever 
gone to see the boyz was flying down to Georgia for what turned out to be 
the "Remain in Light" show, which I thought changed the band in itself more 
than any other project...tangent...ok...

BTW this is my first review ever.  I read em alot when I'm not there to find 
out what to get but up til now have never graced these pages with my 
presence.

Just finished our little 4 show minirun BB>Nassau and I can honestly say, 
without any type of hesitation or reservation, even after seeing Destiny and 
being involved in all of that energy at Nassau (which totally kicked ass 
btw) that Mass was the best Phish show Ive ever experienced.  Get this show! 
  It ranks up there as one of the best shows I've ever heard, ..  The 
setlist, which looks good on paper does absolutely no justice to this show.  
Any phan that doesn't listen to this at least 2 or 3 times is missing out on 
a very potent bit of our time and age.  And no this isn't Trey writing this 
review either :).  GET THIS SHOW!!!!!  It's your Destiny.

-Jay W

ate: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 13:59:50 -0500
From: Steven Koch koch_steven@hotmail.com
Subject: Nassau

What a show!  I was so psyched to hear Destiny Unbound.  They have only 
played it live like 3 times in their phistory, so it was a real treat.  And 
I was lucky to even of gotten in!  Tickets were really, really tough for 
this show.  Maybe because the wealthy kiddos of Long Island didn't have 
school Saturday.  Not at all like Monday night in Jersey, where phans could 
use tickets for veggie burrito wraps.  I had to cough up some serious green 
for this gig from a scalper.  And, as going through scalpers is always a 
shady enterprise, I breathed in hard before the ticket zapper guy scanned my 
ticket and I got in!  The yellow shirts were tight for pass backs on the 
floor, and I was actually led out the door buy some mook who grabbed my arm 
hard with a stern warning.  No matter.  I went around the other way and was 
rocking again in no time!  Highlight of the first set was a great 
gin/sleep/train.  Walls of the Cave is fast becoming a live epic, especially 
with grat lighting.  Crisp and well placed.  The crowd wave during the break 
was insane!  The only downer is that Hood and Bowie seem to overplayed this 
tour.  However, they were expertly performed by a band, it seems, that was 
on top of their craft tonight.  WELL DONE!
-Steve Koch
koch_steven@hotmail.com

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 14:05:20 -0500
From: Ryan Maloof ryanmaloof@hotmail.com
Subject: review of 2-28-03

I cant wait to download this show!!!
 
Birds of a Feather - ripped.... hot opener.....
Destiny Unbound - Nuff said!   
Horn - Tight!
Bath Tub - ripped again
Sleep - ahhhh, a favorite of mine.  Soothing....
Back on the train - Very impressed with this jam. Twisted my brain at this point
Bouncing - Bouncin'
Wall of the Cave - another great jam...  Solid close to the set!
 
First Set:  High energy, great vibe, I was very pleased.
 
Tweezer -  twisted my mind
Soul Shake Down Party - never heard it live, loved every note...
David Bowie - sick!  More energy from da boys.
Round room - Made me happy
Harry Hood - Had just seen it in NJ on Monday night, I like Mondays better but always
great to hear.
 
Second Set:  No slowing down here at all.  Fully rocking the Coliseum, throughout the
entire show.
 
Contact - Mike sang great.  Very tight with tricky timing that was all right on. 
Very creative yet silly and I love it!  Haven't heard it in a while.
Mexican Cousin -  Hilarious!
Tweezer Reprise - Ripped, great close!  Trey stage antics were great on the close
also.....
 
I LOVE PHISH!!!
 
 
Madloof72

Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 13:59:50 -0500
From: Steven Koch koch_steven@hotmail.com
Subject: Nassau

What a show!  I was so psyched to hear Destiny Unbound.  They have only 
played it live like 3 times in their phistory, so it was a real treat.  And 
I was lucky to even of gotten in!  Tickets were really, really tough for 
this show.  Maybe because the wealthy kiddos of Long Island didn't have 
school Saturday.  Not at all like Monday night in Jersey, where phans could 
use tickets for veggie burrito wraps.  I had to cough up some serious green 
for this gig from a scalper.  And, as going through scalpers is always a 
shady enterprise, I breathed in hard before the ticket zapper guy scanned my 
ticket and I got in!  The yellow shirts were tight for pass backs on the 
floor, and I was actually led out the door buy some mook who grabbed my arm 
hard with a stern warning.  No matter.  I went around the other way and was 
rocking again in no time!  Highlight of the first set was a great 
gin/sleep/train.  Walls of the Cave is fast becoming a live epic, especially 
with grat lighting.  Crisp and well placed.  The crowd wave during the break 
was insane!  The only downer is that Hood and Bowie seem to overplayed this 
tour.  However, they were expertly performed by a band, it seems, that was 
on top of their craft tonight.  WELL DONE!
-Steve Koch
koch_steven@hotmail.com

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 14:19:47 -0500
From: Jurgen Fauth jurgen@jurgenfauth.com
Subject: nassau review


great great show. certainly the best of the three i've seen this week (skipped
wooster), and in the top five of the 26 i was at. dream setlist, and not a dud in the
bunch. bowie and hood were highlights, both outstanding. destiny was exciting and very
well played, like everything else. trey took a beautiful solo in round room -- that
tune works great live, as does mexican cousin. fun contact. funky gin and possibly the
best back on the train I've heard. tweezer>soul shakedown party! fine flow, a very
generous song selection, high energy crowd, and a mature band pulling the music to
funky, dark, strange, and honey-sweet places. buckets of fun.


Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 14:45:30 -0500 
From: "Singer, Ted" TSinger@exchange.webmd.net
Subject: 2.28.03 Nassau Review

Since I spewed some bile in this space after Monday night's show at the
Meadowlands, I thought I'd add a little perspective after being at last
night's amazing performance at the Nassau Coliseum.  The recent Rolling
Stone article mentioned Trey's love of team sports and practicing.  To use
an athletic similie, Trey's was like the star athelete who gives a poor
performance the first night of back to back road games in the same city and
refuses to leave town before showing that town that he still has his stuff.
Kind of like how Jordan always put a hurting on the Knicks at MSG, he loved
being the star in front of fans that knew their stuff.  Trey came out
possesed last night with BOAF and never looked back.  He drove the jams with
relentless energy and was focused the whole show, pushing and pushing and
pushing.  Destiny Unbound was historic...it's interesting that the young fan
base didn't quite grasp the significance and were a bit confused that 40% of
the audience was going apeshit for what appeared to be a new bouncy Mike
ditty.  The crowd energy was spectacular, I think Nassau is an intimate
venue for its capacity and it showed with much superior acoustics compared
to Monday night.  I was bowled over by Walls of the Cave, great new live
number.  Sleep was a great treat, as was Soul Shakedown.  The epic jam
pieces (Gin, Back on the Train, Walls, Tweezer, Hood, Bowie) were tight and
focused and HARD, DRIVING, ENERGETIC.  After Monday night I was bummed, but
last night re-established my default persona...a slack jawed with awe fanboy
jonesing for my next phix.

Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 15:36:10 -0500
From: Mark L Goldberg marqos@lycos.com
Subject: review of nassau

Without going into a play-by-play, this is the strongests Phish I've seen in years
(hence compelling me to write my first review in maybe 8 years).  After about '96 I
felt like the shows had started to lack something for me.  I felt that way after the
BB King yawn-fest on Monday.  Seriously, having remembered what a killer show was from
my personal peak in the mid-90s, I couldn't understand why people get so overhyped by
mediocre shows like that one.  Sure it was quite novel for BB King to come onto stage
and jam for 15 minutes; yes he's a legend playing with Phish, and yes it had its
moments, but really the truth is that it was boring and no-energy.

Last night though was something else.  Finally I think that everyone can agree that we
were blessed with an outstanding performance.  It was the type of show that I always
hope for.  I wasn't sure if Phish would still go (what I consider to be) full-throttle
anymore, but this was it.  The entire show was very fulfilling from the tightness, to
the killer song selection, to the jamming and the lights.  The crowd was pumped, the
band had Unbound energy and the vibe was peaked out head-to-toe.  This was a
rock-n-roll groove fest and I couldn't be more pleased with the experience.  I did
notice however that perhaps trey has lost some of his pointed accuracy/chops over the
years -- during Bowie i noticed that perhaps he gets a bit muddied when he plays fast
rifs, but this is minor in the scheme of a great night altogether.  I seriously
haven't been this hyped up after a Phish show in years, and I feel my satisfaction has
been restored, even if for just one night!

2^3
NYC

Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 05:22:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Jared Siegel j_siegel31@yahoo.com
Subject: Nassau 2.28.03


Wow.

Trey playing like man possessed.  I've felt a tramor in the force, one I have not
felt in years.

This was possibly the best show I've ever seen from the phab phour.  Two parts
extraordinary vibe and eclectic material, with one part hole-in-the-wall venue
equaled for an unmatched night of ear to ear smiles.  Thanks for letting me
experience the love. 

They are back . .  1993 revisited!

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 13:50:59 EST
From: Snobrder6@aol.com
Subject: 2/28/03 review

Last night's energy was absolutley insane. The first set was beyond quality & the 2nd
was out of control. Now to the setlist......

Birds-Great way to start off the show. The jam was intense & got everyone pumped.

Unbound-............HOLY SHIT! At first I was unfamiliar with what they were doing.
But then it clicked & everyone went nuts.

Horn-Nice, chilled everything out & was GREAT placement.

Bathtub-This is when I started to realize that this show was going to be something
great. This jam was very tight.

Sleep-Great placement. This song has become a rarity. The vocals are just perfect
though.

Back on the Train-I don't think they have ever gone to this level of jamming before
in any other back on the train. Trey was out of his mind (as he remianed for the rest
of the show).

BATR-Perfect placement. Its short & to the point, & it lets you know that something
great is going to happen next (which it did).

Walls of the Cave-I was very happy to see my first WOTC. The jam was raging & the
crowd was out of control. Perfect way to end off a great set.

Setbreak-Crowd was going nuts. Awesome wave that maintained for a while!

Tweezer-Couldn't ask for anything else. This tweezer went to a place that no other
tweezer has ever gone to. Peaking multple times in different ways everytime.>

Soul Shakedown-ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Out of control! This was "THE SHOW" allready.
What could possibly happen next?!>

Bowie-Speachless. This bowie was so unique. Trailed off into multiple euphoric but
raging jams that just trailed back into the sound of bowie. Trey was deffinetly out
of control on this one. The band was moving so tight together!

Round Room-Yes! Perfect placement! Very to the point, but as soon as it trailed
off........>

Hood-I dont know how to explain the energy in the coliseum last night. This show was
rediculous & now they play Hood?! This ended the best set of music I ever heard. The
jam was played perfectly. Very tight & flowed into an amazing climax!

Encore:
Contact-Very cool, no problems with this one, But we still had tweezer rep. which
would end this night off perfectly!

Mexican Cousin-Jesus christ!!!!!! This jam is so good, & the crowd was so into it.
Now........

Tweezer Reprise-This summed up the whole night's energy into about two & a 1/2
minutes.

Overall: This was my 4th show (2nd since the hiatus). My first show was at nassau in
'99. But this show was the most amazing show I've ever seen. Deffinetly get the
soundboard off of phish.com. Its worth the $10!!! 2003 is turning into "The Year" Now
for summer tour..........................

 Date: Sun, 02 Mar 2003 11:07:07 -0500
From: skip dumas skipdumas@comcast.net
Subject: Funky Nassua


WOW another great show by the boys ……they just keep bringing
it!!!!!!!wow……still destiny unbound was only played to divert attention
to the best show of the tour 2/26/03. Although this show was smoking the mass show
was EPIC INSANITY!!

 

DAnk

Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 08:08:06 -0800 (PST)
From: Seth Bowen scarecrow1776@yahoo.com
Subject: Nassau Review

This is as tight as I have ever seen Phish play. 
Ever.  Just absolutely mind-blowing.  Every song
became a treat simply due to how they were playing.

And Destiny Unbound?  My wife and I have just entered
into a group comprised of less than 0.01% of the total
Phish fan population!  Unbelievable.  I have waited my
entire Phish-life for a moment like that.  After
almost 10 years and dozens of shows, it finally
happened.  

This show made my year.  No joke.

-Seth

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 13:49:49 EST
From: DJcraze77@aol.com
Subject: nassau review

BOAF- Not a big fan and was surprised to hear it as an opener, but man they
opened nicely with this, really got the crowd going.
DESTINY UNBOUND- yes they played it, its over the streak is broken. Crowd
flipped out was nice to hear.
HORN- nice song to hear. Did a nice version not too over the top.
BATHTUB GIN- okay this was sweet to hear. A very sick version kuroda kicked ass
during the song.
BACK ON THE TRAIN- okay not a big fan of this either but the jam to my surprise
was really good. Possibly surprise of the night for me since i don't have high
expectations for this song.
BOUNCING- Always nice to hear, standard version.
WALLS OF THE CAVE- not quite sure what i thought when they first started
playing it but after finishing the set with it they really played it out well.

Intermission: the wave got kicked around a few times.

Set 2:
TWEEZER- I was hoping for SOAM but it was still cool to hear tweezer  which
seems to follow me to every show i go to. This one went on for awhile, they
kept going in and out of jamming it. Nice glowstick war got goin.
SOUL SHAKEDOWN- crowd got into this one and the band seemed to enjoy playing it
getting it goin on the funky side a bit.
BOWIE- and then came the hi-hat. then came a short jam - then came the hi-hat
again and BAM David Bowie. And the last time i saw bowie was 12-29-97 and i
didn't really like that version. This time they erupted with a sick ass
version. Totally blew me away.
ROUND ROOM- gave me a minute to sit down
HARRY HOOD- didn't think they were gonna play this since it was played in
Jersey early in the week. Nice version mellow jamming. Is always a nice song to
hear, however i was hoping they would close with divided sky, oh well.

E:
CONTACT- Was ok nothing special
MEXICAN COUSIN- Nothing special
Tweezer Reprise- Nothing special knew it was coming

Overall the playing was well above what i was expecting. Amazing jams and they
were very tight the whole night. Great show!

-Dan

Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 13:52:33 -0200
From: Lane lhjost@netscape.net
Subject: Reflecting on Nassau, 2/28/03

2/28/03
Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, NY

I: Birds of a Feather, Destiny Unbound!!!, Horn, Bathtub Gin, Sleep, Back on the
Train, Bouncin', Walls of the Cave

II: Tweezer, Soul Shakedown Party, David Bowie, Round Room, Harry Hood

E: Contact, Mexican Cousin, Tweez. Rep.


Last night was powerful, tight and for me, a very emotional performance.  I won't
pull apart the show,  but just  share some of my thoughts  for those of you who
couldn't make it.  This was my first show since walking out of Shoreline to the
gentle strains of "Let it Be," and something like my 42nd since Feb. '93.  Needless
to say, since it was first show since the hiatus and on the tenth anniversary of my
relationship with the band, I was excited.

It's always a little bittersweet seeing the band in such a big room, but as for arena
shows, Nassau was just fine.  Very patient and mellow security, and the sound was
clear, albeit as many have mentioned, a bit quiet..  The ride out on the LIRR from
the city after an exhausting week at work, only raised for me an already impassioned
anticipation. Once the band walked on the stage, there was little doubt that their
confidence had yet to be reeled back in.  For those of you wondering if the band is
back, rest assured people, they are.  Yes, the sound is different and there are new
songs in the rotation.  However, the energy is as high as it has ever been, and the
Round Room songs that I heard last night, were executed wonderfully.  Also, for those
of you "setlist heads," set II was a concise sandwich of old and new very much in the
spirit of 6/26/94, Charleston, WV.  I think it's important to respect and allow the
band to play their new material.  Because indeed, they always reward our patience
with a set of staples -- "Tweezer," "Bowie," and "Hood" together in a set?  I think
it's safe to say that the mix of new and old is thoughtful and relevant to where the
band is right now.    

 The breakout of the "Destiny" was incredibly poignant, and established the mood of
the show after a very nice "Birds" opener.  People were going wild, as of course was
I, and it was a real treat for those of us that have spent so much of our life with
these guys. Mike's lyrics again made so much sense last night, as the band was indeed
back on the road and letting it all hang out once more.  This show flowed very well
all the way from "Birds" to the always bombastic "Tweez. Rep."  I loved every note
and I would suggest that everyone treat themselves kindly and download this show from
LivePhish.  I am eagerly awaiting it's arrival myself, and hope the rest you will
have as much fun listening to it, as I am sure to.

For those of you going to Greensboro, have fun and be safe.  For those of you
debating whether or not to see the band again, stop.

my $0.02.

Cheers,

Lj
NYC

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 13:19:29 EST
From: ER7000@aol.com
Subject: nassau show

two words....KICK ASS

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 09:52:49 -0800 (PST)
From: alec rieger alecrieger@yahoo.com
Subject: nassau

quite frankly the best show i've ever seen.  i've seen
these men play since they were boys and last night was
a pinnacle.

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 12:27:39 -0500
From: David Fitzgerald lauraanddave@hotmail.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: Destiny

Well well well...........Destiny Unbound.  That sorta sums up the whole night,
doesn't it?

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 10:19:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Todd Zander tzander@yahoo.com
Subject: Nassau show review

Confusion and apprehension clouded my mind. 52 shows and 11 years later. Could these
be my final days on the bus? Yeah, ^Óthey^Òre never gonna play like ^Ò93 again, so
just get over it and enjoy the band and the scene and the experiment for what it is
today.^Ô But will they ever inspire me enough to travel to Vegas again for a long
weekend? Or is it just me, getting older and married now, in a demanding profession
and with different priorities; a post 9/11 world creating different emotions and
passions in my life?  The illustrious return seems to have been rather rocky, foggy
rather groggy. I couldn^Òt make heads or tails out of the overall direction the band
seemed to be headed.  Were they still just getting the kinks, rust and Led out, like
they were during the Hampton shows ^Ö and I should be patient and just give them more
time to get back on the train?  Or are they just not caring like they used to about
driving the crowd into a mad frenzy, night after night, mastering the art like no
other band has during countless performances the past umpteen years?  Should I sit
back and accept the fact that Phish will be playing Heavy Things, All of these Dreams,
Sample and Farmhouse during the second set and encore like they did in Jersey?  Of
course I should.  And then have them come back the next night in Phili and rage with
the best show I^Òve seen out of 7 since New Years? Perplexing.  But what has Bug-ged
me lately is wondering ^Öwhy-- the Boyz were purposely not creating the
energy-building, cathartic head-buzzing experiences they perfectly well know how to
generate?  The band knows which songs will drive a crowd berserk and what songs will
be challenging to win us over. And over time I have grown to accept and embrace the
fact that Phish will continue to do whatever the fuck they want, and they love that.  
And this morning I certainly do.

Last night^Òs show at Nassua, as we are all aware of by now, is purely legendary.  I
said the most significant Phish show I^Òve ever witnessed, after 5 memorable new years
runs and even the Elvis^Ò Vegas show.  My wife was confident the Big Cypress still
took the prize, no matter what went down last night.  But of course Nassau will be
legendary for years to come due to 2 still unbelievable words ^Ö Destiny Unbound.  
People are always quoted as saying they love going to Phish shows because they never
know what the band will play, and generally what vibe to expect.  We love the element
of surprise; the more we know about their songs, the more thrilled we are with
anticipation during the silence before the first chords are strung.
 Phish hit the deep long-ball last night, Barry Bonds style.  Not one phan saw this
one coming, and I wished people next to us in the nosebleeds were aware of the
significance.  Destiny Unbound is the ultimate in Phishlore.  The SONG that the band
shelved in ^Ò91 and (most) everyone wanted it back.  Written by Mike, Trey was quoted
as hating the song and it sounded too much like the Dead.  I fell in love with is from
a Colorado ^Ò91 tape I^Òve listened to about 150 times the past 8 years. I remember
being at shows when people passed-out Destiny^Òs lyrics to the crowd and we sang them
to the band as they were coming on for second set.  I really think everyone just gave
up hearing it because we were certain that nothing could ever bring it back.  So
Destiny was history.  The song is indeed great and truly groovy, and its rarity status
makes it stupendous.  In the mid-nineties people went to shows dreaming of being there
to witness the band playing Destiny^Òs opening notes.  I can^Òt really find anything
to compare it to in rock and roll today.  Someone at the show compared it to the Dead
playing Ripple^Å.  I bet anything Mike spearheaded Destiny^Òs return, just as Mike
spearheaded Phish^Òs return.

I was reminded last night of once again why I travel across the country to see these
guys perform their magic.  Not to mention musically this show was outstanding,
hair-raising energy from the band and crowd, seamless and intuitive segues and flows
from start to finish. Not one song triggered the bathroom break (although I took mine
after the opening arrangement of Bowie 8^)  Quintessential Phish on display last
night, from the best show I^Òve seen in 2003 musically to a first rate setlist to the
biggest musical gift everyone could have ever hoped for.  Will Destiny resurface
again? What could be next, a^Å.mmnnn^Å. Fluffhead?!  The Band knows a lot more about
what they play and how they rile up the crowd than many give them credit for.  They
are not on stage anymore to bring the crowd to places we^Òve learned to love from
them.  They are now playing music for themselves, to make themselves fulfilled as
musicians and not as crowd-pleasers.  I am witness to how things change with age,
priorities and emotions tend to shift and skew.  These guys are friggin pushing 40, so
we all have to accept the Sample closer and the Friday encore here and there.  And
just when you^Òre not paying close-enough attention, just when you think YOU know what
the Band^Òs all about and where they^Òre headed and where you^Òll choose to go, you
get an earthquake Unbound by Destiny, and you remember why you jumped on the bus in
the first place.  Thanks once again Phish. So what's next?


Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 13:20:24 -0500
From: mar
Subject: 2.28.03 review

so there i am sitting 16th row for destiny...
is what id be saying if i had been. cause i was sitting 16th row before the show
started with my mail order tickets until 2 guys with tm tickets came to get their
seats which happened to be the same ones i was in. so the coliseum usher takes us all
to the security supervisor to figure it out. thirty minutes after they took us
upstairs they finally decide to give the seats to the ticketmatser ticket guys and
they move us back a row with our mail orders. unbelieveable but what do you expect
with the power of ticketmaster? we were just happy to get back in so we could see the
show. while we had been waiting they came on and went into birds. we missed all of
birds but i was told it wasnt jammed out all that much. as we're about to return to
the floor, i hear the second song. im like OH MY GOD, then i think no way. mental
mind trip double take. THEY ARE PLAYING DESTINY. we walk onto the floor and the place
is a madhouse. people dancing all over the place. we manage to get back to our row
and are still in shock. good karma with the ticket thing and here we are on the floor
hearing the first destiny in 12 years. shit. the smile never left my face the rest of
the night. i had never been that close to the stage and watching trey was fucking
wonderful.
horn (the one i missed at nye!), and GIN which i had been hoping for at this show.
sleep, gbott, bouncin = pee and more beer. wotc was spectacular.
second set destroyed me. enough said. i saw woosta's setlist and seriously thought
that they couldnt top the 2nd set but they did at nassau. it will be interesting to
see what they can come up with for g'boro. AND THE SUMMER.
phish has blown me away once again. they are the hottest theyve been since 97.
seriously.

Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 10:10:55 -0500
From: Jeremy Willinger jeremynewyork@hotmail.com
Subject: 2/28 Nassau Review


I feel this was another strong phish show in a string of strong phish
shows that have gone down this past week. Tonight they were tight on
every song and seemed focused and really having a great time. Maybe it is
Long Island that make bands want to play sing along popular songs but
tonight was no exception. Bouncin, Walls of the Cave (first song released
off of Round Room), a stellar Gin, Contact were all sing along bouncy
songs. At certain points I was hoping they would come out with "My Old
HOme Place" instead of mexican cousin or "My Mind Has a Mind of Its Own"
instead of Contact but what can you do?

To compare this show to the other local show at E Rutherford on Monday is
unfair- this show blew that one out of the water, BB KING and all.

Lot scene was good and anything you wanted was very plentiful, security
was non exisistant and one of my boys snuck into the show during
setbreak. A good time was had by all.

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 01:04:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Jeff metastock69@yahoo.com
Subject: Review of 2-28-03 Nassau


It was cold outside, but hot inside at Nassau Coliseum this evening.


1st Set- Birds set a great tone, the bustout of Destiny Unbound was
very cool, sounded like they'd been playing it for years. An truly
beautiful Horn was followed by an exceptional Bathtub Gin..I mean this
Gin reached places...at one point I thought a totally new song was being
born!   Sleep, a phunky Back on the Train, Bouncing and Walls finished
things up well.
I was very impressed with the level of play during this set.  Though
there were some fine peak type jam moments, better still, I thought, were
the pretty, perfectly struck notes during some of the more delicate
parts, like in Horn...just exquisite!

2nd Set- The wheels came off tweezer fairly quickly into jams away from
the theme then back nicely. Soul Shakedown was phat, The Bowie was huge,
again going places never gone before, and back.
Round Room was my water break, but what I heard sounded nice, but not one
of my favorites of the new songs I'm afraid.  A momentous Hood was
performed brilliantly with a wonderful contrast of beautiful melodies and
powerful jams.  I 

Encore- Contact was awesome with Page tickling the ivories early on then
busting out the serious phunk, great vocals as well.  Mexican cousin was
solid. The Tweezer reprise was strong and powerful coming to an amazing
ending with Trey raising his axe high over his head delighting the
frenzied crowd...at that moment, having already been been mezmorized by
what I had just seen, I felt like I was in some kind of musical cult! 
Well, maybe I am?  And if that's wrong, I don't wanna be right.

All in all I'd have to say this is one of the best performances I've
seen.  Not one or two, but all memebers of the band seemed to be "on",
and at the top of their game.  I thought this show had something for
everyone.  The band really displayed alot of verstility, jumping from
musical style to musical style (reggae, classic rock, bluegrass,
classical arrangements, funk, etc.) with an ease that comes only with
mastery of the musical art.  There were great peaking jams and delicate
melodic tapestries.  Masters of their craft indeed Phish proved they
were, on this night at Nassau Coliseum. 

Teases/Quotes:  I know I heard some "Roggae" theme during one of the
jams, I think maybe the Gin?  Also a little "Do you feel like I do"
during another jam... Looks like yet another show I'll download as soon
as livephish.com puts it up...I freely admit it, they've got me by the
balls, I'm hooked!

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 03:28:08 EST
From: MRMET1027@aol.com
Subject: No Subject

2/28/03 

Living only 30 minute away, my girlfriend and I hit the Coliseum around 5:30. 
We took a stroll to "shakedown street" to lube up with a few beers. The vibe 
was great, unlike the worcster show, the pre party atmosphere was a good way 
to start the show off right. Nothing but smiles and high energy. 

Set I

Birds of a Feather - this took me by complete surprise, not as much as YEM in 
Worcester, but a surprise non the less. The boys played it very well filled 
with high energy and a pumping jam. I would have never thought this would be 
a good opener but they proved me wrong.
Destiny Unbound - I have never heard this song before. I really liked it, had 
a nice Dead vibe to it. Very upbeat and kept the energy flowing nicely.
Horn - I don't know how, but the guy sitting in front of me turned around and 
called this song before Trey even started his opening riff, he should play 
lotto tonight...anyway it was played very well, vocals were right on.
Bathtub Gin - Yes! Now the place is really pumping. Great jam, CK was right 
on with the lights. Trey took control of this jam while fish, page and mike 
provided phat grooves and sweet melodies behind him.
Sleep - Beautiful and serene, Trey's vocals were smooth and flowing. Perfect 
time to mellow out after the first 4 songs.
Bouncing - Very tight. Again, vocals on point.
Walls of the Cave - One of favorites off the new album. This is 10 times 
better live than on round room. It is definite live song and an obvious crowd 
favorite. Great jam during the "silent tree's" part.

Set Break
I know not many people review the set break, but the crowd was great. I was 
on the floor watching the wave go around the coliseum 6 or 7 times strong. 
Now I have been to a lot of NY Mets games, and I have never saw a stronger 
wave than tonight. A really cool thing to see.

Set II

Tweezer - Great, I had a feeling that this was going to be the opener. A very 
spacey jam, yet not tiresome, very energetic. A fierce glowstick war during 
this song too.
Soul Shakedown Party - Another song I have never heard. At first I thought it 
was boogie on. A good reggae tune. Page was great in this song, he stood out 
big time with nice grooves and melodies.
David Bowie - As soon as the high-hattin' kicked in I knew it was going to be 
bowie, being they played maze in worcester. A very nice intro before they 
kicked in, reminded me of the Trees (for any Rush fans out there). Then they 
kicked in and the crowd went crazy. This song was very tight, early to mid 
90's tight.
Round Room - very good, pretty much the same as the album. I really like this 
song and I'm glad they played it.
Harry Hood - BALLS TO THE WALL JAM. Great version, one of the best I have 
ever heard. Again CK right on point with the lights, I was sitting right next 
to the sound board area and I was glancing over at him now and then, he is 
something to watch. Great big rock-star ending. Very tight.

Encore
Contact - This is one of my girlfriends favorite songs, I'm glad they played 
it for her. Very good, typical version.
Mexican Cousin - I'm not a big phan of this song but the placement was pretty 
good. And of course......
Tweezer Reprise - EVERYBODY going nuts during this song. One of the best 
songs to end a show with.

To sum up the show in one word "TIGHT". The boys are back in full force with 
their chops mastering their instruments. They sounded a bit rusty at the 
starting gate at the beginning of this tour, but it seems  they have worked 
out all the kinks and back in the groove. Finally we took a walk back to 
shakedown street for nice egg rolls before we hit the road. It was mad packed 
out side with balloons flowing and people partying. A very good scene to see.

-Matt - Long Island, New York


 reviews of other reviews, or by people not at the show

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 00:22:39 -0800 (PST)
From: jeffrey spittel jeffspittel@yahoo.com
Subject: review 02/28/03

sweet Jesus.

Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 22:17:59 -0600
To: dws@netspace.org
Subject: 2-28-03 - Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!
 
11 YEARS...77 SHOWS...AND THEY PLAY IN FRONT OF 15,000 PEOPLE WHO AREN'T
ME!!!!
 
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!!
 
DESTINY UNBOUND HAS BEEN MY DREAM FOR 10 FUCKING YEARS!!!
 
IT'S MY FUCKING EMAIL HANDLE!!
 
ITS MY FUCKING LIFE!!!!!!!!!!
 
I AM SO HAPPY THEY PLAYED IT I SCREAMED IN MY OFFICE!!!!!
 
I STILL CAN'T EVEN FUCKING BELIEVE IT!!!!!!


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