2-18-03 - Pepsi Center, Denver, CO

review submisions to me at dws@netspace.org or dws@gadiel.com

ate: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 12:42:46 -0600
From: Justin Hydrick jushyd@hotmail.com
Subject: denver show review


Phish Show in Denver 2-18-03

I was glad to hear the boys play a lot of old songs and not too many news 
songs because I still can't get into their new album. A few songs are 
growing on me but overall it's too damn mellow. Just my opinion of course. 
The Pepsi Center is a great place to watch hockey but not a very good venue 
for bands. I don't think it sounds very good in there. My seat was at the 
bottom of the first "upper tier". We had a good view of the guys but you 
could barely hear them. Trey and Fishman were the loudest. I couldn't hear 
Mike or Page at all and that sucks because it looked like they were ripping 
it up. As for the songs; I thought they played them all well but they never 
really reached that one high point, where they just hold out a jam for a 
very intense amount of time. Maybe it's because of their time off or because 
they are almost 40 but I remember the jams of the early 90's and back then I 
remember thinking I was going to loose my mind because the jams were so 
intense. I didn't feel any of that at this show. With the exception of a 
couple of beers, this was also my first sober show so maybe that had 
something to do with it. I almost wish they had played the Filmore instead 
of the Pepsi Center. Maybe the statue of limitations will expire their being 
banned from Red Rocks. After all, that was a kick ass place to see any band, 
especially Phish. But my friends and I had a great time. The crowd was cool 
and respectful. Overall I give the show a B-. I noticed there are no other 
reviews on Phish.net for the Denver show and I wish I could include the 
setlist. I remembered it that night but that was last week. Sorry. So Mike, 
if you're reading this, have Paul turn up the volume for you and Page and 
quit charging so damn much for tickets. Even at $20 a pop, you would still 
make a bundle. Peace.   Justin

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 11:56:24 -0700 From: abjerke abjerke@du.edu Subject: Denver Review I'm am complete accordance with anyone who believes our crowd is being too critical. If we could just take our minds off which notes are flubbed, or if there is a "weak" setlist, then we might be more engrossed by the music. PHISH IS BACK!!!! What else matters, and who else is better? Compared to any other jam shows I've seen this year, everyone makes mistakes or plays songs that you might not want to hear. Just keep in mind, you're hearing them live, and not on released shows from past years to try to hold you over during a hiatus. This is the best band around right now, so just sit back and take it in. How would you like it if you had a fan base going around critiquing your life? You'd be pissed to hear about all the boring shit that goes on and imperfections you have, just like they when people are soo fucking critical. This show was awesome!! Runaway Jim - was amazing, to say the least. Definitely didn't wee that coming! A tight jam indeed, welcome back boys!! Water in the Sky - is always a good song and I liked the jam and what Fish was doing on the drums. A nice way to take it down before bringing back up with... Twist - an absolutely sick version with some nice funk and well correlated jam. The Squirming Coil - One of my all time favorites, another that I was just blown away by. A very tight version with an awesome jam at the end by Page, though a little hard to hear b/c of the crowd. I guess they're a part of the song,, so the sheer energy was actually pleasing to me. Brian and Robert - A nice come down and segueing into this one when Trey sustained that note to start it off and the end of Page's solo. This is a very touching song and holds a place in my heart. Thanks guys! Stash - Fucking rocking!!! Awesome lights to match a raging jam. This is one of the better versions I've heard, Trey was just on fire, bringing back memories of the older days. The Wedge - Who doesn't want to hear this. Nice for anyone who crossed the Great Divide to get here, or crosses it every weekend to ski here. Very well placed. Birds of a Feather - This was a very unique and rockin' jam. It surely brought the energy up yet another level, and brought a face-wide grin to me! Lawn Boy - Awesome! Page you sexy bitch! Walls of the Cave - My favorite off the new album and they gave me a very nice version. Great set closer! Set 2 Moma Dance - Great set starter and the first time I've heard this, a great one off of Ghost. Everyone around me was groovin' to this tune. Limb by Limb - A great rendition. Nice funky jam that took off into a spectrum off differnt areas and moods, awesome lights! Thunderheads - Another one of my better liked off the new album. A really cool jam on this one. Threw me off for the upcoming... Divided Sky! - This is possibly my favorite Phish song, if it's possible to have only one. The long break set the crowd wild and the jam was just awesome. the band was jumping up and down, dancing with the crowd. Very touching and brought a tear to my eye. This is such a beautiful song! I don't see how anyone could think this version sucked. Pull your head out of your ass, this song fucking rocks!! Thanks again Phish! Carini - Where did that come from?! An erie jam with some crazy stop/go jamming and down tuning by Gordon that rumbled the whole arena. One of the longer versions I've heard, absolutely raucous!! YEM - Fucking awesome! The band was really into it on this one with the trampolines and Trey little jig across the stage during his section on the jam. Then he busts it out and fucking rocks the place. didn't expect the vacuum to come out, but low and behold there is came. A very unique vocal improv and smooth segue into "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Really awesome version guys!! Encore NICU - Awesome! Mexican Cousin - Nice end to "all the good times and the sad" throughout the show. I'm sure plenty of people were going to be kissing him after the show, nice placement, and a really cool jam. I hate to cause tension in the community, but quit being so overly critical. This is the band that has made our lives have a higher meaning and provided assurance that we can be crazy and they'll be here to see us through. Remember they love us dearly as we do them and to be so critical is just killing the good vibe from their ended hiatus. PHISH IS THE BEST, and they surely proved it to me tenfold on this night. Hats off to the start of another 17 years (or more hopefully)!!!
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 07:53:02 -0800 (PST) From: Jammin Jim jamminjimshow@yahoo.com Subject: Denver Review Critical Energy Patrol by Jammin Jim I am writing this review to get a message accross to all of us kids who consider ourselves to be Phans of Phish. People are being way to critical and that Sucks. Period! We should be recognizing the good and lightening up on the minor. After reading reviews people just talk about how they made a mistake in this song, or they played too many new songs. Pardon me, but Who the Fuck Cares. Little mistakes do happen, but Phish has the skill to beef it up the next precession. I see Phish so I can absorb the energy and music through the undescribable moments they create. You know the feeling, where you are dancing and you think to yourself "Can life get any better right now?" Let go, Enjoy what is in front of you, and Have fun. That is what Phish is all about. The new Phish is so enjoyable and fresh. There has been nothing repetitive in the jams that have ever been done in the past. To say the least, the way they are playing older material is some of the best versions of the songs that I have ever heard. So I ask the question to our phans, "What are you listening to?" All I keep hearing is negative comments about the band, instead of a couple of positive notes to add into a review. Please, Lower your expectations of wanting to hear kick down songs. People felt Vegas Sucked for that reason. I look at it this way. It was 2 years 5 months and 11 days since I saw the last show at Shorline. It brought so much joy to my heart, seeing these four great musicians on stage for my hiatus ending show in Denver. Seeing Phish is an absolute pleasure and something we have all taken for granted over time. So, now they are back performing again. It just baffles me why people reacting critical instead of appreciative. The Denver Show was awesome. The scene was something that I was proud of. I'm sure as things head out East they will get more Schwilly. Tickets for this show were plentiful. It was actually hard to sell a ticket at face value. This made me happy seeing everyone get into the show with no problem. Okay! The Show. 1st Set was EPIC to say the least. Some of my favorite songs thrown in the typical Phish curve-ball-fashion. The energy was up and down in very neat ways. Water in the Sky reached to me in ways that it has never done before. It sounded very good. The band appears to be having so much Fun together. Their new stage set-up is more effective and very unified. Trey does not even have his keyboard on the set anymore. It is all business now folks. Twist was super nasty. Squirming Coil and Brian and Robert were great. Stash is always sick and was definately bumpin. Living in Colorado is magical, and Phish probably embarked on those aspects from travelling experiences earlier on in their career. It is always a highlight seeing them play The Wedge. That song does a great job of simplifying things in life and providing a great feeling for all of humankind. Oh yeah Phish crossed the Great Divide to get here. Next we see that Trey gives the signal for Birds. I really thought that the set was done after a fatty outro from Birds of a Feather. I thought wrong. They are not even close to done yet. mmmm. Lawnboy! Page is such a Pimp. We all know how that one makes us feel. Then one song I have been really itchin to see was Walls of the Cave. The jam of B-D-Db-C is so cool. Of the new material, this song is probably my favorite. It covers so many aspects of a Jam, Super-Spacey (but not over doing it) and up-beat Rock N Roll power chords. This was one of my favorite sets Phish has played in a long time. 2nd Set. Well 1st set was very long, I knew that second set was the Jam set, and it was just that. Moma Dance was soo sick, as always. I was really surprised that Phish didn't bust that out in earlier shows. Just happy I got to see it. Limb By Limb had some of the greatest moments in the entire show. I have to go back to my comment earlier. "Everything phish is playing is very enjoyable and fresh." This was one of the best versions I have ever heard. Then they busted out Thunderhead. I really like this song, as well. I can not emphasize this enough. "The new material is being performed very well." I think there is a lot of truth to Page's comment about them getting so much new energy from the new material. He added, before the tours began, that they have not practiced older songs. Lets face it, Phish has been doing this for over 20years. It is just going to get better and better. New songs and of course the old favorites. Divided Sky. Not much to say about this. It is always awesome. The end of it was so hot. Wait!!! Get ready cause here comes Carini. I was scared from this one. It got so erie I almost lost my mind. Very hard and something you are just going to have to listen to for yourself. This Carini ranks up there. Trey did a lot of effects for this one. His tube-screamers rule. Phish's communication is like I have never seen. They are not over-doing anything. When things get dull or repitative they move on. This was an aspect that I really compliment them on, as a band. Then the ever so famous YEM. I listened to Trey get pissed at himself from the Hampton show. See that is funny to me. We seem to forget that they are performing live. They are not digital like Britney Spears and other people in that Pop image. This YEM was solid. It seemed like they got back to the end of the black eyed katy jam from the set opening Moma Dance. Im gonna have to listen to that again, but they ended the music on such a higer note than most YEMs. The highlight of the Lion Speaks Tonight was such a heart warmer for the entire crowd. Doing it in the vocal jam was such a neat surprise. Encore: NICU!! I was at the first show when Phish opened with NICU. "This is Fun," I said to myself for an encore." Mexican Cousin. I listened to the entire albulm in one sitting the first time I ever heard the new material. I thought that this was such a lyrically creative song. Mexican Cousin is a Fun and definatley has space for improv. Everything about this show was great. Can't wait til the next time. Thanks for kickin it down in Colorado. Not to try and portray a negative image, but I do need to express this in open fashion reguarding people's attitudes about what they think they know so much about. Critics!! God knows the world already has enough of them. So why be critical in Life? www.livephish.com can provide you with the opportunity to purchase the shows, instead of needing to go to them. If you are coming to the show with this critical energy, please do the Phans a favor and stay home. Phish is becoming a lot harder to see. Increased ticket prices and small venues make it difficult for appreciative people to be in the show. Take this as you will. I am just blowing off some steam about Critical Energy. Let us try to Bury the critical attitudes and blanket the less Evolved with Positive Energy. Yeah, There are so many people who haven't even read the Book yet. Pass the great knowledge on. A phan's perspective. Increase the Peace!! jamminjimshow@yahoo.com www.juggletime.com
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 13:03:27 EST From: Jek8@aol.com Subject: denver this show was unbelievable in my viewpoint.  thats right unbelievable. this was my first phish show, but ive been listening to them religiously for the past two years, and prayed every day that they would play again.  the show was sick..i havent really heard runaway jim, but after this show it is one of my favorite. i enjoyed the rest of the first set a lot because i know what they played this year, and it was toatally different..a bunch of songs from story of the ghost, one of my favorite phish albums. i thought stash, the wedge, squriming coil and walls were all dope.  the second set was everything i could ask for..the moma opening was really well played. limb by limb was easily the best song of the show. it blew everything they played earlier out of the water. next thunderhead..i enjoy this song, and i think trey played it really well..it was a good pace setter for what was to come...divided sky..my favorite song..i thought it was played great..i practically crapped myself. carini was kick ass..props to mike on this one..YEM was perfect.nothing else to say..i liked how they went into lion sleeps tonight, because i have never heard anything like it live. the encore was dope too. no complaints whatsoever...so now i have something to say about all those negative reviews.i know this is my opinion so you dont have to listen. for all those bashing phish, saying they;re no good anymore. fuck you..if you want to cry like little bitches do so at home listening to the studio versions, while lamenting on what was. if you come to a show, come with an open mind. i know this is my first show so i cant really say anything, but i cant wait till they tour again..hopefully soon.
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 11:33:12 -0600 From: Sara & Scott Eidam SEIDAM@mn.rr.com Subject: my 2 cents about Denver and Phish... Denver was the first Phish show I've seen since October 99, and in my opinion the boys are hotter than ever!  Denver was such a sweet show, the energy within and between the band was so visible.  I have to say two things...the new songs are fantastic and were such a joy to hear "for real" after having been "introduced" to them on the album.  Also, Chris K is as hot as ever, the light show is always amazing...but I was really moved by the intensity- he was the fifth member to the most serious degree.  Yep, hooked again...and so happy to be!  Welcome back, everyone...see you this summer! Peace, Sara phishhead@mn.rr.com
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 16:10:11 -0800 (PST) From: Robbie Lefebvre bleachersfan@yahoo.com Subject: Pepsi Review This was my first show, so I will not go review the songs because I do not feel I could do a decent job. The atmosphere is where I will spend my time. I got to the parking lot later then I wanted do to Denver Light Rail Problems. Getting off the train and seeing all the Phans that were there to see Phish was unbelivable. Everyone was calling their picks for songs and talking pure phish. I was in awe, I have read about the phan base but finally seeing it made me realize how great the boys from vermort truly are. We were all there for one reason, to see a band that is unmatched. I have been reading reviews and some of you really need to calm down, who cares if Trey drops a pick, or Page hits the wrong key, they are still playing fucking awesome music, nobody is perfect, give them a break. The show itself was unbelivable. From first set to encore I was into the show. I thank all that attended the show because you make Colorado Colorado. I must say that my first show will be a tough one to beat, but i have faith in the boys. See you all on the summer tour.
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 16:42:05 -0700 From: "King, Ryan" Rking@pilbal.com Subject: Pepsi Center Show Review Got back from the Phish show. Mixed feelings. First of all, like the hockey team that plays at the Pepsi center, the sound sucks ass well. I think there's a small sweet spot on the floor, but although we though we had decent tix the sound was very muddled although for some reason it did seem to improve as the show went on. Here's the setlist: Runaway Jim (very cool opener, and a song I hold dear to my heart. It was tough to hear Trey's solo though at this point in the show), Water in the Sky (nice job on the song, pretty standard. I still like the less busy version of the song, without Fishman's crazy drum part), Twist Around (very well done! cool song) > Squirming Coil (cool song to hear live, of course. Page's solo at the end was drowned out by a lot of crowd noise, and this stupid chick sitting next to me kept going SHHHhhhh to the crowd, which kind of annoyed me), Brian and Robert (nice work on the vocals on this one), Stash (completely badass...flawlessly done) The Wedge (I almost shit my pants when they played this song. Definitely one of my favorite Phish songs, although Trey seemed very ackward, as if he forgot how to solo to this song. He ended up playing the solo a lot like it sounds on the album, but didn't do a very good job at it. I heard them play this song at the Great Went, and it was fucking sick, and I've also heard them change the songs up a lot with different chord progressions between the verses, which they didn't do this time. This could be the first time they played it since the hiatus, which would explain why it was ackward. Still sounded really cool, though), Birds of a Feather(nice jam, cool song), Lawn Boy (standard, cool bass solo by Gordon), Walls of the Cave (awesome jam!!! this was a cool song to hear live, and had a ton of energy. off the new album) 2: Moma Dance (pretty good, although I liked the version we heard at Great Woods a lot better. I attribute it to the sound, cuz the part where Trey explodes into a solo at the end wasn't as dramatic as it sounded at Great Woods) , Limb by Limb (all I have to say is that Fishman is the man. That drum part makes me feel like a kindergartner), Thunderhead(another cool song off the new album that had a great jam live...it was apparent that the new songs have been played a lot this tour, and they had them fresh in their minds and jammed them well), Divided Sky(sucked....it was really a bad version of the song. Trey was all over the place, and it lacked that "holy shit" you get when you usually hear this song live. just pretty sloppy in the transitions...showing that they are still not sharp from their hiatus) , Carini (dragged on a bit, although the stop/go jams were very cool; they were more like changes in dynamics rather than stop/go, but still a cool, ominous song), You Enjoy Myself (this song is really sweet, and the vocal jam at the end was sweet. light show during the vocal jam was amazing) E: NICU (standard, and very well done) Mexican Cousin (actually a cool closer. i like this song, cuz it's funny and the jam was pretty cool. again, the 3 songs they played from the new album were pretty cool jams cuz they were fresh and practiced, i think)
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 22:57:39 -0700 From: jeff lemire jeffl51@cox.net Subject: Denver Show Malinda Phoenix, Arizona 3rd show (in person)   I've never done a review before and I'm trying to figure out where to start. The whole evening was filled with so many little nuances and synchronisities, I'll try to keep this to the most impressive stuff our posse' noticed. My apologies in advance if this gets long.     First of all, what a venue! I do like a well built ship, the whole structure with its ovular shapes set in steel gave the sensation of of it being streamlined, overhauled, with bigger engines, better skill and plenty of new road. And all that glass... Crystal. The rainbows cast by hanging prisms in the window at the entrance would set the visual tone for the night. I was particularly impressed with the all the color in the t-shirt choices of the crowd. All the hues were completely represented and so delicately dispersed it seemed as though we were in the prism itself. Nice work everyone!   I loved the lighting, as always. Color in all shapes, sizes directions, and speeds. The rig looks great, upgraded but still simple, with this portal like screen in the middle. Nice touch. The light totally filled the room. Especially nice was that cue shift in Thunderhead on ..."dissipate". But our favorite was the white light tickling fingers during the accapela Lion Sleeps Tonight. Totally made us giddy and giggly. The lighting on the crowd was prime. For those of you behind the stage, the neatest things we noticed that you probably couldn't see was the shifting colors on the portal and Mike's spotlight was shaped like big white square. Wonderful use of the conventional washes to create the mood.   The crowd was definitely excited, waves of cheers rolled through sounding like a friendly welcome before, acknowledgement in the middle, and a cheerful C-ya after.   I too had some issues with the sound but attributed it to the number of people there who seemed to have some pretty good head colds. Catching a collective "lumpy head"? And along those lines the crowd truly was kind of loud, though I couldn't help but wonder if their extra loud voices stemmed from hearing loss by being at the last two or three nights. Many in the crowd had been to Vegas and a brave few at L.A. too. Earplugs???? Though I too can be shamefully accused with hindsight.   The first set rolled on like a dream, the songs just kept coming. We got to hear it all. I'm not going to go through the whole set list, there are many things I'd like to hear again, thank you for downloads!, but Runaway Jim was spectacular, Squirming Coil a gift (that would have made my night right there), but there's more. The people behind us changed Birds of a Feather around for me forever. I wasn't sure how I felt about it's appearance in the set so sitting it out seemed like a good idea. I was in my seat for just a few seconds when I started to feel something raining down on me, I got up to find out what it was and pulled something out of my hair. That's when I noticed what it was, shells from the sunflower seeds the people behind us were eating. Laughter took over the moment, the groove seeped in and I now have a new affinnity for the song. Lawn Boy was a dream come true, need I say more? And then the something new. Our wish was granted. Walls of the Cave. Looking forward to getting more of that. We really like it's potential to be split up.   Set break was filled with cat naps to the sounds of Beck which seemed appropriate to us only because it was at a Flaming Lips/Beck show that our friend Nan decided to come see Phish in Denver in the first place. Real glad she did. After all the napping some calenstenithcs were needed which prompted a slow stretchy wave session. And just as that moment ended...click...Moma Dance. Yeeeaaaah!   It just kept getting better from there. >From those in our group that were there in L.A. the concensus was thankfulness for the opportunity to repair some damage done to Limb by Limb and Carini. I guess some distractions and weirdness that night caused a derailment of these loved tunes. The second chance was rockingly flawless. The bass in Carini brought that feeling of bringing the house down. Nice work Mike. We loved every resonance. Divided Sky was another wish come true, the sustain was lovely though I personally could have done with a little silence from the crowd there. No love lost though. Just wasn't the way it was going. Then an epic YEM which eventually just took off into a sweet vocal jam of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Our posse' connetion... Jeremiah's dad would sing him to sleep with this song as a child.   The enchore was two. WOW! Needless to say NICU rocked. An all time favorite of mine. Thinking it was the last song I was suprised when they started Mexican Cousin, mostly because I thought I had gotten through the show unscathed. Admittidly I hadn't seen the potential here at all, being so close to the border here this song had since been too silly for me. But the band has done good with this one, just like on the Homer Simpson's opinion during the film festival showing of "Man gets hit in groin with football", Mexican Cousin works on so many different levels. Muchas Gracias Senors!   Totally excellent. In one word? That was the SHIZNAT!   Last I'd like to acknowledge the bravery and efforts of those who were caught in Utah with things better left unsaid. Careful vigilance when you are out there. We'd like everyone to be able to keep seeing shows. Thanks for taking one for the team.   Peace and Love, Malinda
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 18:09:00 -0500 From: RipJr0808@aol.com Subject: DENVER SHOW Greg Zaranski Denver, CO 25th show??(lost track) Can you say BURNOUT? The Pepsi Center show to me, blew the Vegas shows out of the water. The vibe in Vegas will always be electric no matter how Phish plays but to me they were flat in Vegas. Sin City got the best of them in my opinion. But this is about Denver.... Walking in to the show was great. To hear the screaming phans and see the smiling faces made me feel like this was going to be the night they made up for some bumps in the road during the Vegas stint.... Runaway Jim- To start with an old favorite like Jim made me almost too excited to hear what was coming next , so I don't even think I paid too much attention. Water in the Sky- Love this song. It is such a happy flowing song and they played it perfectly. Twist- SOLID!!!! Squirming Coil- Haven't heard this in a while. Made me smile :) Brian and Robert- A nice change of pace....for now! STASH!!!!- They rocked this out. Great song! The Wedge- Absolutely awesome. Across the GREAT DIVIDE!!! Birds- I personally didn't like this song a few years back but in the latter part of "Phish the first 17 years", I really started to enjoy this jam. Sounded great! Lawnboy- Mike's solo with Page coming out front to use Trey's mic and to just see them all smiling from ear to ear was a great moment. End of first set? No, No, no... Walls of the Cave- When Round Room came out, I was very dissapointed with the end result but I made myself listen to it all the time and I grew to enjoy MOST of it. The way they are playing these songs live is incredible. Walls was perfect for the first set closer. Good Jam. Set II Moma Dance- Uh Oh! What an awesome start to the second set. Sounded great and they were sooooo tight! Limb by Limb- Another fabulous jam. This is starting to become a dream show! Thunderhead- I always enjoy hearing new stuff for the first time. Not bad at all. They will fine tune this in the months to come and should be an enjoyable song. Divided Sky- Holy SH!T!!! From the Thunderhead to the Divided Sky. They sounded so tight throughout this song. Only gripe I have is the extended "statue" pause. How bad do we have to jerk you fellas off? Just play the music white boys! But if it is between Phish not playing Divided and the long pause? Take as much time as you would like guys. Carini- Great suprise! Enjoyed the devilish sound. YEM- It has been soooo long since I've heard YEM. They always play it the night before or after I see them. They were right on every single part from the lead in, to Kuroda's lights, to the vocal jam, and through the Lion King song. FANDILLYASTIC! Thank You, Thank you, Thank you!!! Encore(s) NICU- One of my favorite Phish tunes in 95/96. They did not dissapoint. Very happy with that encore as compared to Vegas 2nd night Friday encore. Oh, Wait! They are doing a second encore! Mexican Cousin- Last song I listened to before I left my house for the Pepsi Center. Not my favorite song but it has definitely grown on me! All in all... This was my favorite out of the 3 shows I saw between Vegas and Denver. Don't get me wrong, Vegas was FUUUUNNN! Hell, it's Vegas! Great weekend culminated by a great show in my hometown of Denver!- See ya all REALLLL soon! Anyone ever in Denver and want to see a show at a beautiful theatre. Gothic Theatre in Englewood Co. 3263 South Broadway. Great jam bands. Check it out at WWW.NIPP.com!!! :)
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 18:34:38 -0500 From: Mrkious@aol.com Subject: 2-18-02 review LA>Vegas>Denver (or how I learned to stop worrying and love the Phish) by M. Ryan Kious Part IV. 2-18-03 Denver (getting off the road and back on the train.) I must admit I thought they would play Tweezer in Denver. After all, the drive there from Vegas was filled with more snow than Robert Downey Juniorâ^À^Ùs trailer. The lot in Denver seemed like a cold idea, and a bit of overkill considering the over the top lots in Sin City. Instead we did most of our pre-partying at a bar in Denver called Sanchoâ^À^Ùs Broken Arrow. There are three our four Dead bars in Denver, all owned by the same guy, and all Don Quixote themed. I highly recommend them to any and all. When we finally got the lot it was, as advertised, nipple erector cold. Not Denver 97 cold, but cold nonetheless. The Pepsi center is a very cool looking venue and I was glad to finally have an excuse to see a show there. The Runaway Jim opener told me this might be the hot show many predicted. It was a good version, nothing like Worcester 97, but what is? Water in The Sky seemed like an apt choice for anyone who did the tour thus far as there was a lot of water in the sky throughout the trip. Ever since BC the kids seem to like this song, I personally miss the old bluegrass-ier version. The Twist was good but too short, it reminded me of the Vegas 00 version. The Squirming Coil is great as a set closer; it really doesnâ^À^Ùt seem to fit anywhere else quite as well. I still love this bad boy though. Brian and Robert is such an interesting song, so slow and funky and weird. This seemed like another misplaced song, but the band was probably more tired than I, so who was I to bitch. Stash is a very special to me, the first song I ever heard, and always a favorite. This was a great version with Trey playing some interesting licks and a great segue into the Wedge. Considering I had crossed the Continental Divide twice this trip, this song also seemed very well placed. Birds of a Feather seemed well received, though people were probably hoping for one of the groundbreaking versions of this song. Instead this version was rather short but there was an interesting jam in the middle. Lawn Boy is always great, and this one even had a little mic mix up at the end. Walls of the Cave had to be the end of this very long set. The LA WOTC was better, though this was still a good version. Again, even though this song isnâ^À^Ùt my favorite, itâ^À^Ùs definitely original, and is slowly finding its groove among fans. The BEK segment before Moma Dance is one of my favorite pieces of music and Moma itself was jammed out nicely. I was hoping for a funk jam in Moma but got it instead in Limb by Limb. Having heard only five days ago I found myself complaining a bit, but I hate to act like a little bitch so I snapped myself out of it and remembered that Phish was back. Thunderhead, again, seemed appropriate because of the Thunderheads that followed during this very wet trip. This song isnâ^À^Ùt one of the best and I predict that it will go the way of the Fikus after one or two more tours. If Thunderhead sucked the energy from the room (as one jaded â^À^Üoldbieâ^À^Ý next to me suggested, then Divided Sky put it right back in. The pause was probably the longest Iâ^À^Ùve seen and, despite a few flubs, it was great to hear this old gem again. I had already heard Carini in LA and was about to make a break for the bathrooms when I remembered just how sick the LA Carini was. This one was, in fact, even better. Very dark, start stop jamming, the works. YEM!!!! Enough said! Whatever mistakes Trey made in Divided Sky he made up for in YEM. It sounded absolutely beautiful. The jam was also very jammed out and included some good Page and Mike moments. The vocal jam afterward was the best vocal jam Iâ^À^Ùve ever heard. It started out very groovy, got very dark, and then went into the lion sleeps tonight. Are you kidding me? This was the perfect ending to a long four shows for me and other west coasters not going to Chi town. The lights during the lion sleeps tonight portion of the vocal jam reaffirmed Kurodaâ^À^Ùs place as member #5. The NICU encore was pretty standard but nice to hear, and I felt the Mexican Cousin encore was played on behalf of my Albuquerque tour posse, your New Mexican Cousins. This Denver show was the sleeper show of the tour but it wasnâ^À^Ùt an â^À^Üin betweenâ^À^Ý show either. Instead it was, in my long-winded opinion, an above average example of Phishâ^À^Ùs new sound and direction. 7 Days, 2500 miles, 6 states, 4 shows, 8 sets, and 1 YEM. So how was it? It was Phish, pure and simple. Will they get tighter? No doubt about it. Are they phoning it in? Not on your life! Theyâ^À^Ùre playing like a band reborn, flubs, off nights, and all. I have a hard time picturing Phish plotting their return saying â^À^Üyou know what guys, itâ^À^Ùs too bad we canâ^À^Ùt return to 1993 so we can keep our music in the same place and be able to fulfill peopleâ^À^Ùs expectations of us.â^À^Ý Phish obviously has a new direction, and the further it leads from the Hiatus, the better.
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 13:50:53 -0800 (PST) From: Matt Kochman kochmamss@yahoo.com Subject: Denver Show Matt Kochman Vail,CO My 18th Show Well I got back from Vegas a little disappointed by the song selection of the shows. The energy was great and of course you want to hear the songs you never get to hear, but heh, you can't have everything. So, I had really high expectations going into the Denver show. I felt like they left out a lot in Vegas that they were going to pour out in Denver. Overall, the first set was longer than normal. The Wedge was truly the highlight, but I have to say the sound quality for the set was not as good as usual. That final stretch of Stash, Wedge, Birds, and Lawn Boy were great though. In the second set I don't think I could have asked for anything better. A Moma Dance opener, which I was waiting forever to hear; a Divided Sky, my first and favorite Phish song, and then a sick YEM closer with the Lion King theme song or whatever it is called. I loved the second set and thought it was one of the best I had ever seen in my lengthy 18 show career. (Peanuts compared to most). NICU encore was the shit, but a Mexican Cousin finale was definitely a bummer. I think that song sucks and it is definitely my least favorite on the new album. I had been joking all tour that they were going to encore with that song and sure enough my nightmare became true. I don't understand why Trey insists on playing the slowest songs from the new album as the finale. I got a Friday the last day of Hampton and Vegas, and then a Mexican Cousin yesterday. Come on Trey, send me home with something to remember? Overall though I was really happy with the show. I have to rank it top three for me because I heard Divided and some of my other favorites. On another note, I have beef to pick with the crowd at the Denver show especially. I agree with the previous review by Ben. There was definitely no vacuum played at all in the Denver show. As for the segue, who knows? But what did bother me was the crowd. It was so LOUD during the first set especially. I had some idiot standing behind yelling to his buddies the entire show. I mean what is the point of going to a Phish show if you're going to talk the whole time. Go to a bar across the street and talk there. A Phish show is for listening and listening only. All you talkers please shut the hell up during shows. It is like talking during a movie, a definite pet peeve of mine. However, part of the problem was that the sound was not loud enough. I shouldn't be able to hear anyone else talking because the music should be loud enough to drown it out. The Pepsi Center is enormous though and that probably had something to do with it. The last part of my review deals with the lot. One, there were more drugs available then I have ever seen in my life. You could find anything you wanted. Which is good if you want any, but bad because I think a lot of the stuff was junk. There nothing like paying good money before a show and getting screwed in return. Two, I felt like the lot in Denver was run by the Pepsi Center. There is so much merchandise and food/drinks in the lot that it has turned into a business. I'm all for people making money and selling stuff, but at what point does it go to far to say that people aren't there for the music and experience but instead there to make dough off the most loyal fans in the world. I saw too many $5 burritos when the cost for a pound of chicken is only $3. The Phish scene has definitely changed a lot since they got back together. Which is good and bad. They have more publicity and respect now from maintstream America which is great. But you pay a price of selling out a little for fame. How many more magazine covers can they do? I guess not enough. In the end, since this is suppposed to be a Denver review and not an editorial piece, I gave the show a 9 out of 10. The scene at Vegas was twenty times better but the show in Denver was better, except for those assholes behind me. The sound quality could have been better, but I have a good feeling I'll probably go to another show. Thanks and keep rocking, Matt
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 09:52:03 -0700 From: "Sommers, Eric" Sommers.Eric@tchden.org Subject: Pepsi Center - 2/18/03 Since I haven't seen a review for the Denver show yet I'll post one for the interested fans out there. First of all, coming off the monster 2 night run in Vegas I think it's hard to capture the energy and excitement that one typically finds at shows in Sin City. With that said there were many huge tunes left on the table to play in Denver, so expectations were high for the band's first show at "the can." Overall the playing I felt was very good but the energy was up and down, particularly set 1. Runaway Jim is a terrific opener and it was solid if not great, but following up with a clean Water in the Sky brought the room back down. The Twist was standard but picked everyone up and then the bounce left us with a Coil > Brian and Robert combo. Thankfully after that the rest of the set really took off. Stash was tight...tighter than I remember it being in Hampton, so the familiarity of playing together after the hiatus is clearly evident. Then the Denver crowd got it's real treat of the night with a very well played and groovy Wedge. The band was obviously having fun with the crowd giving us a "Mountain" theme. Trey must have felt great after making turns all day in Vail. Birds was also very well played and kept the crowd moving. It was not an epic Birds so we knew the set was not yet finished. Page actually came out to the front of the stage, used Trey's mike and sang Lawn Boy directly to the adoring crowd. After a huge ovation Page made his way back to the keys and started Walls of the Cave. Even though they played it in LA I was glad they finished the set with it here. Set 2 opened with the first Moma Dance since pre-hiatus and it was welcomed with some serious grooving by the ecstatic crowd. I think we all anticipated a monster set, possibly a Mike's Groove to follow or perhaps a 2001. But this is the magic of our "new" Phish. They can play anything these days and it's going to be good, so just sit back and enjoy. Limb By Limb did not disappoint too many people and then Thunderhead gave us the only breather of the set. Divided Sky got everyone in a craze after the cool-down and then the momentum just carried forward with Carini. I haven't heard the LA version yet, but I'm told it was slow and meandering. This was your typical hard-rocking Carini and Denver loved it. I figured we had one more big jam left and it came with YEM. No stopping and re-starting this one...it was tight and it was ON! The band locked in and played it as well as ever, albeit not experimental. Still, it was the best way to close out the set, and the vocal jam was very well done, culminating in a Lion Sleeps Tonight chorus. After hearing that the Loving Cup encore in LA was sub-par I thought they might hit the mountain town with a repeat, but I was wrong (again). NICU was a really nice surprise encore and instead of rushing off the stage to catch a plane to Chicago they followed with (the growing in poplularity) Mexican Cousin. I don't know about you, but I wanted a shot of Tequila after that! I am looking forward to hearing this show again on CD, but I also don't think it will make my top 5 of the tour when it's all said and done....but hey...I could be wrong. You are free to disagree....E
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 12:56:52 -0700 (MST) From: Ben Knowles knowles@kestrel.ciclops.swri.edu Subject: denver review question: who are the people writing these setlists, and what are they on? i don't remember anything coming close to a legitimate segue in this show, no start/stop jam, and if there was a vacuum solo i must have missed it. am i going insane? anyway. lots: pretty shitty. very spread out, fucking ridiculous bastard fee of $15 for parking. energy seemed high though, lots of spontaneous screaming, much more than vegas. pretty easy to find beer and food, but very few dry goods venders that i saw. crowd: very different than vegas - much more colorado-ish, more fratboys and older couples and less of the headier-than-thou crowd. people were also really LOUD for some reason, which will become apparent in my song-by-song breakdown. oh yeah, and i caught trey's grandparents sitting near us, directly to the left (page side) of the stage. they were at last summer's TAB shows at red rocks too, i guess they live in colorado... venue: meh. it's huge, and the sound was only decent. i was behind the stage and to the page side, which was actually a really good angle for seeing everyone in the band, particularly fish and page. bad place for lights. song-by-song: Runaway Jim - i would like to give a favorable review of this song, because it's one of my favorites and i semi-called it as an opener, but i can't because SOME FUCKING ASSHOLES BEHIND ME WERE LAUGHING AND YELLING LIKE DRUNK MORONS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE THING. what i heard seemed like good jim though. Water in the Sky - assholes still talking, can't concentrate... Twist Around - assholes left, thank GOD. okay, this was a quality version. pretty good vocals, nice wandering jam that rocked out a little and floated nicely back into the vocals. Squirming Coil - SUHWEET. good coil, not too many flubs. i was super-psyched for the page outro, but was chagrined to find that i COULD BARELY HEAR IT BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD NOT STOP SCREAMING. what the hell is going on here? i hope this trend of "ooh, mike/page is doing something, let's scream at the top of our lungs!" doesn't last long, because it's unbelievably obnoxious. Brian and Robert - not much of an opinion. bad placement. Stash - shit yeah. this was pretty good stash, although i thought the ending didn't peak as hard as it could have. so far, this show was all about the hard-rockin', raging minor-key jams. the spacey, melodic ambience of vegas was nowhere to be found. it was like watching a completely different band. The Wedge - KICKASS VERSION! again, i thought trey kinda flubbed one of the peaks, but other than that it was pretty much nailed. i was dancing my ass off. Birds of a Feather - normally i'm not a huge fan of this song, but i dug this one. they took it way out into some interesting territory before bringing it back somewhat mundanely to where they started. Lawn Boy - mike solo. holy jebus. i got a little choked up. Walls of the Cave - damn this set is long! well, this version was good, not great. much like the album version, if i remember correctly. i won't compare it to hampton or anything, because i think it's still a bit early in this song's development. side note: some guy in front of me REFUSED to do anything during this song except scowl, because "third time since new year's - this is bullshit!" boo-friggin'-hoo. the entitlement some people feel towards phish never ceases to amaze me. setbreak - show discussion in the bathroom, water refill. Moma Dance - nice and long. funkay. actually, i take it back - much more rock than funk, like everything else in this show. also like everything else in this show, it fit the same standard formula of jam it out for awhile, bring back the vocal segment, end. Limb by Limb - NIIIICE. great, gorgeous version. the newbies i went with really liked this. fishman was on. trey wailed. for awhile they went into this really bass-heavy (i mean everyone was playing the low notes) funk jam that was pretty sweet, before bringing it back to the melody like usual. Thunderhead - uhhhh.... why? bleah. i thought i liked this song on the album, but now i'm not so sure. either way, this was definitely another case of piss-poor placement. Divided Sky - okay, here's where i might get some flak. i thought everything up to the pause was fantastic, they sounded really on, trey was nailing most of the parts. quality. then the pause (which seemed to go on longer than usual, but don't they always?), and then.... train wreck. trey just fell apart. at least from where i was, it was like he just couldn't get out the notes he wanted to play, and just kept slopping his way through. the band seemed to sense it too - like they were all waiting for him to get his shit together, but it wasn't happening. i found it almost painful to listen to, and it went on forever, just a barrage of uninspired muck. i'm curious to hear if anyone else agrees with me, but man, i thought this part of the show was a huge downer. i hate to be so negative - especially after criticizing others' negativity, but this is a critical analysis, and that's how it seemed to me. Carini - i think the reasoning behind this one was trey needed something he couldn't fuck up. good god was this jam dark. just evil, hard, thrashing metal. for awhile it got a little spacey (but dark-spacey, mind you), before going back to the main carini riff. You Enjoy Myself - they started the arpeggios, and i'm thinking "oh shit, i hope trey knows what he's getting into." well, wonder of wonders, this is one of the most flawless YEM composed sections i've ever heard. absolutely nailed. i was fuckin' impressed. way to recover, trey! tramps were great - trey managed to do the 360s and stay on this time. jam was good, but by no means epic - more of a group-jamming vibe than a trey-ripping vibe. the B&D segment was interesting, because it was really just B - mike ripped up a ridiculous funkified solo, before the WUDMTF came back in. damn solid YEM. Vocal jam - okay, i liked this a LOT. maybe i'm a sucker for the cheesy stuff, but how can you go wrong with "the lion sleeps tonight"? it maybe went on a little longer than it should have, but i was really impressed with a) the band-kuroda interplay, b) the rhythmic stuff that was going on, and c) the harmonic stuff going on. the ending especially was just really well done - they brought it back exactly where it needed to be, and kept it harmonized almost perfectly. very, very solid and enjoyable way to end the set. E: NICU - i love this song. it was well-played, "play it leo" and all. you'll get no complaints from me. Mexican Cousin - i was just psyched to get a 2-song encore. i like this song on the album, and i liked it here. a fine ending. general comments: i found this to be a very odd show for some reason, difficult to wrap my head around. i came out feeling slightly disappointed, but i'm not entirely sure why, since a lot of it was really quite good. maybe it was the botched divided sky. maybe it was that i didn't get a mike's. who knows, but the bottom line is i definitely preferred both of the vegas shows to this one. this one just seemed really formulaic in a lot of ways - most of the jams were structured somewhat similarly, and there wasn't the daring, melodic exploration i was hoping for (and got, in vegas). denver was more about straightforward rocking out, but without the huge trey-led peaks that really make it work. ah well, that's my take on it. i still had a lot of fun, and my vegas->denver run will always be warmly remembered. looking forward to seeing how the rest of the tour goes...
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 11:01:43 -0700 From: David Katzberg DKatzberg@fischerimaging.com Subject: 2-18-03, Denver I was at the first four nights of Winter Tour.  Denver is the last show I will see this tour, my 71st show overall, and they left me with a great feeling about the future of the band.  When Phish went on Hiatus, it should have been clear to their fans that they needed it badly- if it was not, seeing them on this tour should clear things up quite a bit.  There is a renewed enthusiasm, they seem very relaxed, and musically they are very sharp.  There was almost none of this in the years right before the hiatus.  Also, there seems to be a renewed zest for the songs on the bands part, and for me as a fan as well.  I will say honestly that songs like Disease had become tiresome after seeing it so many times in the past, but hearing Disease in Vegas played with renewed energy was special a experience.  That goes for just about everything they played.  The difference between this run and New Years is the quality of their play, everything was very technically tight and strong. Here are some specific comments about last night's show, with some reflections on the entire West Coast run: 02/18/03 - Pepsi Arena, Denver, CO 1: Runaway Jim, Water in the Sky, Twist Around > Squirming Coil, Brian and Robert, Stash> The Wedge, Birds of a Feather, Lawn Boy, Walls of the Cave 2: Moma Dance, Limb by Limb, Thunderhead, Divided Sky, Carini *, You Enjoy Myself ** E: NICU, Mexican Cousin After such a long time off, you have to love a classic opener like Runaway, it was nicely played in general with good energy. Water in the Sky is not my favorite song, but it was the first of the tour, and they carried the theme of renewed enthusiasm as they seemed to be really into it. Twist was solid, I prefer the way they played this in 96/97, but this was a good version of the new slower Twist. First Coil of the tour, technically nice, solid energy, very pleasing as usual. Brian and Robert, another song I don't love, but it is nice live and this was a good, crisp version STASH, here we go, first of the tour (like everything else so far) this is where things really began to take of, nice technically with a typically strong Stash jam, although the mood of the jamming this tour was fairly mellow, they did it with a power and skill that was lacking from the mellow jams of the late nineties.  Although they stayed fairly mellow throughout their jamming so far, nothing was too slow, the perfect balance of light and heavy in my opinion.  This is a good Stash for sure. Wedge, yes!  Keep it coming.  Solid technically, crowd pleaser, it is hard to beat Wedge, especially in Colorado (The Great Divide).  I thought this might be the set closer, all of the sets have been relatively shorter so far this tour, but they were not done. Birds, very nice upbeat jamming, not my favorite song, but I love songs that set up powerful jams.  Again I thought the set was over as they built up the end a few times, but they came out of the jam fairly mellowly before the chorus, and indication they were not done. And they were not, Lawnboy, crowd pleaser, great Mike bass solo.  On an unusual note, although Page always sings the last verse out in front of the crowd, last night was the first time I ever saw him walk over and sing the last verse at Trey's mic, Mike, Trey and Page were standing right next to each other, smiling very big, it was a nice moment. Set Closer-  Walls of the Cave, the first tour repeat-  The thing is that this song has evolved a lot over the first three live versions, and I thought that last night was the best so far.  Not that different in structure, but crisper, the vocals were better (more pleasing), and the transitions were nice.  I was not disappointed to see this again, it was nice to see it played better than MSG or LA.  This was a solid first set, a few very enjoyable older tunes, good energy, and it was about 1 hour and twenty minutes.  Certainly not as good as the first Vegas set, but very good. However this show was really about the second set as you can tell from the setlist. Moma is a good second set opener, it sets a nice funky tone, they were tight and they did a typical second set opener jam out of Moma which is a little unusual for this song.  It definitely got everyone in the right mood. Limb by Limb was another repeat from LA, but this version was tighter and very nice, again not an overly disappointing repeat.  Notice that Fishman no longer plays an ending solo while singing at the end (at least in the three post hiatus versions). Thunderhead was a very pleasing slower song, I figured they would slow it down plus I wanted to see this live.  It is very mellow and has a nice mood.  Trey's riffs are nice.  The best thing though is the transition from a mellow, slower Thunderhead, to the storm clearing... Divided Sky.  Again very good technically which matters with Divided, typical as far as the usual tricks, the bouncing up and down, as well as "statues" at the usual time, for the usual long time.  What else can you say about the first Divided of the tour, it speaks for itself.  Great! Carini was the third LA repeat, but it is always enjoyable, rocking, and creates good energy, especially before... The tours first YEM!  First Yem and Divided of the tour in one set, plus Stash, Wedge and Coil earlier?  Wow.  This version was technically much better than the New Years run, they were great, the vocal jam was great (in the jungle).  Very good version!  Again, what else can you say, they made everyone very happy for sure.  Classic Phish second set closer as well. Encore:  The first two song encore of the run, NICU was typically nice and uplifting, Mexican Cousin was placed nicely and gave everyone the right energy for the last song, plus it was also the first of the run. So, if you were disappointed by what you heard on the New Years run, or you thought that Phish was second rate in 99/00, this is a practiced, strong, tight, grooving band that is coming through the Midwest next week.  The jamming has been great!  Enjoy, I certainly did!  Musically one of the best runs I have ever seen.  As far as live Phish, get all of the first night of Vegas, the second set of the second night of Vegas, and Denver's second set as well.  Although, if you have the means, I truly recommend all of the sets so far.  They are off to a good start. David K.
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 11:11:48 -0700 From: Brian Warden Subject: Review: 2/18/03 so this was about my 15th show, first was red rocks 95....i don't mean to rip the show overall, but i was disappointed. please, no email reference, i don't need to fill my inbox... Set One (8:05-9:20): "The trainwreck...." -Runaway Jim: typical opener, we thought we were in for the old school.... -Water in the Sky: boring sotg song, so much for old school -Twist Around: the first of my top two most hated phish songs...total throw-away...piss and beer break -Squirming Coil: nice, but seemed weird in the middle of a set. low to no energy -Brian and Robert: i have no recollection of this song... i was sober -Stash: the only highlight of the set -The Wedge: i usually like this song even though i never remember what it is called. this one was horrible -Birds of a Feather: do i really need to say anything...number one most hated phish song -Lawn Boy: see squirming coil -Walls of the Cave: round room number 1, i thought this song had promise....wrong...boring as hell. Set Two (10:05-11:25): "So was the first set some sh***y opening act?" -Moma Dance: cool enough, but i was worried... -Limb by Limb: holy s**t, phish has finally entered the building...my favorite story of the ghost song..included a jam that actually had energy. -Thunderhead: and they leave again....rr number 2. i could actually hear collective snoring -Divided Sky: there is a god. very tight and well played....worth sitting through the first set. -Carini*: cool led zeppelin rip off, but good energy, nice jam -You Enjoy Myself**: Probably don't need to comment here, this was real deal, i am now glad i came. Encore (11:30-?): -NICU: perfect choice, nice short encore song, gave us a good last dose... -Mexican Cousin: named this song in two notes and was in stairwell on note three. Notes: * - with start/stop jamming ** - vocal jam ended with a vacuum solo which segued into a short rendition of The Lion Sleeps Tonight why so many sotg songs, 5 total? i guess i am just one of those who feel the band quit writing good songs after billy breathes...i know plenty of folks disagree, but.... So, I suppose when it was great it was really great and when it was bad....whew, really bad. If they had come out in the second like the first, I may have seen my last phish show. As it stands, I will have to give them another chance if fiddler's happens in the summer, not really worth travelling. Later.... brian
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 10:50:39 -0700 From: Ryan Allen Ryan_Allen@ceo.cudenver.edu Subject: The Pepsi Can and Did!! What an amazing show!! My first in over 2 years and it didn't fail to blow me away. I could feel the energy and atmosphere of the "family" from the second we pulled into down town Denver. I could tell it was going to be special from the cheers of anticipation and excitment leading to the doors. Nothing was going to let this crowd down even if Phish decided to cover Barry Mantelow's latest album. But you could sense in the air it was going to be a "sick show bro"!! If you were there or you've seen the setlist you can see that the band was not holding back anything on this night. Sometimes the lack of oxygen in the mountain altitude gives you a euphoric or even energizing feeling rather than fatige, and that's how many of us were feeling last night. Great choice for song line-up. Phish truely loves Colorado--their western home away, ever since making their first trip out of the North East to Telluride. They really show their appreciation for their wide ranging fan base. Only complaint: Pepsi Center?? Soooooo many better places to see a show!!! I know they're BIG now, but... wouldn't 3000 people having an incredible time be cooler than 30,000 people having a good time??? Last comment: Divided Sky, unreal!!! gr8fulcolorado
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 08:31:04 -0800 (PST) From: Phish Phan smellslikephish2002@yahoo.com Subject: 2/18/2003 Review Wow!  My first show ever, and boy was it a great one! The setlist - 1: Runaway Jim, Water in the Sky, Twist Around > Squirming Coil, Brian and Robert, Stash > The Wedge, Birds of a Feather, Lawn Boy, Walls of the Cave 2: Moma Dance, Limb by Limb, Thunderhead, Divided Sky, Carini*, You Enjoy Myself** E: NICU, Mexican Cousin Notes: * - with start/stop jamming; ** - vocal jam ended with a vacuum solo which segued into a short rendition of The Lion Sleeps Tonight Wow!  I've been listening to Phish and collecting shows since 2001, and well, the show was all I had hoped it would be and more.  I was a little loaded, and didn't know a few of the songs, but I loved every one of them!   I was really psyched to hear Thunderhead and of course, the epic You Enjoy Myself.  I was loving every second of that.  My first show and a YEM!  How fucking cool is that?  Great version, by the way - the intro was so fucking tight!  I don't know what the hell Fishman was doing with that vaccuum cleaner at the end of it though.  That was just weird.  It was funny, though.  Twist Around was good, too.  The Wedge was a nice treat, not as good as the album version, but OK.  Mexican COusin was a nice treat, too, since I had snuck some tequila in with me, and took a couple of shots while they played it.  I had been hoping for that! Well, like I said, it was a great show.  It was certainly better than I had hoped, and better than most of the shows I have on disc.  I had a blast, and the lot scene outside the venue was unreal.  Unlike anyhting I've ever experieinced.  It made me feel like I was on the corner of Haight-Ashbury.  I really loved my phirst show, and rest assured, I'll be back for more.  I hope you liked my review. Take it easy, everyone, and be kind to one another! smellslikephish2002@yahoo.com
click here to return to the 2003 reviews page