From: Charlie Dirksen
10/25/95 St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN Thanks to Steve Reidell for the tape! The Reba that opened this set is over 16
minutes and has plenty of peaks and valleys.. it isn't as grand as it could be, to be sure, but nevertheless is a very good opener.
Mike's Song opens up after a decent CTB. Opening segment is quite plebeian, with Mike singing the lyrics without any undue
flair. Typical tempo for 1995 versions, too. Tramps segment at 2:29, and Trey is actually jamming in here!! He doesn't just
leave it to Mike and Page for the opening thirty-forty seconds!! Trey's soloing is quite melodious (and Page adds some NIICE
clav work, taboot!). Very upbeat and groooovy tramps segment!! Trey's soloing is quite active and, unlike the vast majority of
Mike's Song tramps segment jams, is delightfully mellifluous and funky! Everyone's accompaniment is equally fantastic, too, with
Mike and Fish and Page jamming away underneath Trey's pleasant soloing. Wow!!!!! No awry off-key sustain b.s. in here!!
This ain't no dark & evil Mike's Song.. At 6:20, Trey employs an effect (I don't know what this is called) that really adds to this
magnificent Mike's jam!! Still no sight of the closing chords of the tramps segment... just another wonderful jam with enormous
contributions from everyone!! Trey does add some effects around 8 mins again, and the jam is more Wall of Sound-like than
melodious, but this is HUUUGE even for Wall of Sound jams... very powerful stuff!!! FINALLY, at 9:17 or so, the closing
chords to the TRAMPS SEGMENT jam kick in, and at 9:32 the post-tramps jam begins, sounding a lot like Simple. Mike
actually teases the bass line of Simple in here big-time. But Trey moves to his percussion kit (btw and fwiw, I love it when Trey
goes to his kit, even though I wish he did more with it than merely keep the rhythm with Fish... I mean, when Trey goes to the
kit, it is a signal that everyone should Prepare to be Hosed, or at least Prepare to Dance Thy Butt Off, and if you haven't figured
that out yet, you're a bigger moron than I am). Mike takes over, and starts melodiously soloing!! Trey is on the kit (11 mins)
and Page and Fish are lightly accompanying Mike's dank noodling. Trey is also adding some 'doc effects in here, it sounds like,
and even Mike is toying around with some effects!! Very enchanting groove around 12:30.. spectacularly hypnotizing, actually.
WOW!!!!!!!!!! Talk about Psychedelic Rock.. I'd be shocked if this groove didn't give IT to many people that night!!!!!!!! At
13:53, Trey leaves the kit and gets back on the 'doc, and a very spacey phog takes over (almost akin to an Also Sprach
opening in a sense). At around 14:30, Mike starts playing a theme (made up of only a few notes, that isn't "Breathe", fwiw, but
is close enough I guess... ;). Fish lightly kicks in a "Breathe" rhythm on the ride, snare rim and bass. Trey plays eerie
sustained-out notes that don't sound like Breathe.. yet. An extremely soooooothing jam after all of the aforementioned hose!
There are some "ch-ch", very soft sounds from someone in here.. and Trey starts whispering something under his breath. I can't
make out what he is saying. What a SPACEY MESMERIZING JAM!!! =^] =^] Just gorgeous Phish space! At 16:42 Trey
lets out some potentially Breathe-like notes, and starts playing them steadily, and then begins chording around 17:20 -- utter
Breathe chords. And the crowd erupts. This isn't nearly as "Breathe" as I know they could have made it, fwiw. So if you get this
version expecting to hear Phish play "Breathe" you will be surprised -- this is a Breathe *JAM*. Very nice, too! =^] Trey
employs the Leslie effect.. At 19:30 the Breathe jam is basically over, but it ends just as it had begun.. spacey and gorgeous,
with Mike playing a few notes very slowly. Page is not doing anything around 20 mins, btw. Just Mike at 20 minutes, actually,
and then Page plays a note or two on the piano, mimicking Mike. Pretty dull around here (20:15) when at 20:27 or so, Trey
starts playing, of all things, SPARKLE!@?%$@^#$ I mean, WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?!? When Trey starts singing the lyrics,
he isn't even singing them while laughing or joking around, as he should have been, given the LUDICROUS placement of this
tune in here. It is an ABSURDITY to have this song so close to such gorgeous hose, in my opinion. This may have crossed his
mind before he started it, of course.. ;) Anyway, the Sparkle isn't even that good for Sparkle. Not one of them sounds terribly
psyched to be singing it or playing it. I'm sure it got their blood flowing again, though, to prepare them for the Weekapaug... that
"Breathe" jam really slowed things down. Typically crazy Sparkle ending.. hoo-ray.. At 24:06 Fish kicks in Weekapaug, and
Mike funks out the opening (Trey kinda tools around in the opening too, but is somewhat loose). Great stuff from Mike to open
this 'paug up, too!! Trey is playing rhythm guitar for the opening, and PAGE just starts WIGGING OUT on the clav!!!! At
25:53 Trey starts melodiously soloing in typically Weekapaugian fashion. He gets into a nice little theme around 26:50 or so that
he repeats for a little while.. The accompaniment is typically awesome for a Fall '95 'paug. Great interplay between Trey and
Page especially around 28 minutes!!! Fish and Mike are just laying down a strong bottom.. PAGE IS REALLY HOT IN
HERE, FOLKS!!!! Page goes off on the piano around 28:45 for awhile, and Trey plays rhythm guitar some more. Trey breaks
out soloing again around 29:30 or so, but nothing too profound for Weekapaug. Still, plenty AWESOME!!!! At 30:30 the
groove drops a little, sortof into the "quiet mode," which witnesses some Suzie Greenberg-esque jam segment licks from Trey..
before he starts playing the closing Weekapaug theme, very quietly.. but steadily building.. niiiiiiiice crescendo with PHAAAAT
licks from Mike!!!! At 32:27 the closing lyrics come in, and they finish Weekapaug powerfully. Total time 33:15. Well, this
MikeSGroove was quite an Event in many ways. The Mike's Song > Breathe Jam was GLORIOUS!!! Just
WONDERFUL!!!!! The placement of Sparkle in here, however, was a Lame Mistake, in my opinion. It just doesn't sound
good after all that hose. The Weekapaug was slightly above Awesome as far as 'paug goes, thanks really to Page and Mike...
But because of the Sparkle, I just can't rate it fairly. I mean, I'd probably give this version only a "B" rating because of the
Sparkle... and it really is around an A-. N/R. two cents KingMoron420