Since everyone is doing Halloween shows, I figured I’d do a two show run-up to Halloween. This is gunna be a long post since I’m throwing in imaginary show reviews, too!
10/29/06
Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia
Set I
David Bowie (14:09), Rift (5:16) -> Hampton Jam #1* (6:00) > Mountains in the Mist (6:48), Waves (9:33) -> Scents and Subtle Sounds** (12:57), Friday (9:32)-> Undermind*** (7:18)
Set II
Water In The Sky**** (5:31) -> Hampton Jam #2 (3:14) -> Tweezer (19:58) > Tweezer Reprise (2:02) > Frankenstein (5:44) > Tweezer Reprise (1:53), Mock Song (3:55), NICU# (4:16) -> Theme From The Bottom (17:01)
Encore
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (6:00)
Show Notes
*a jam that sounds like the With portion of The Curtain (With). **With Harry Hood and Slave To The Traffic Light quotes from band. ***First time played; previously played in soundchecks and by Trey’s solo ventures. ****with Rift teases in intro. #with “Play it, Henrietta!” call; unfinished.
Show Review
Since the band encored with Bowie the last time they played Hampton, it was only apropo that they open with it. A slightly tenative version, but hey, they haven’t played together since Coventry. Next up a tight Rift fluidly segued into a jam that was either a full on The Curtain (With) jam or just had a similar feel to it. See the Island Tour Weekapaug Crosseyed and Painless possible jam for similar contention from fans. The highlight of the night for me was when Waves normally would end with the band singing the “on the wind and underwater”, but instead they sustained the jam while beginning Scents. Fans of the earlier versions of Scents will be delighted to know that the band have taken to playing it the old way, with the intro and song not separated like they are on the studio version. A lot of fuss has been made about the Friday that segues into Undermind, but I thought it was kind of forced.
Setbreak was its typical long self. It felt like an hour, but it was probably only half that. My friends and I struck up a conversation with a taper taking a smoke break. Rumors were still flying about what they would play for Halloween, since they not only didn’t tell anyone ahead of time but they also didn’t promise to play an album cover taboot.
Set two, as the setlist might reveal, was apeshit. Water In the Sky looks like a weird opener until you know that it was raining like a son of a bitch outside. I would have liked to hear a Drowned, but once Water segued into a jam that led into Tweezer, I was not complaining anymore. This jam was very syncopated and rhythmic, a bit like the Island Tour Stash mixed with Crosseyed. I felt like Trey’s guitar was slowly unraveling and when he began the Tweezer riff it was winding back together. The Tweezer was similar to many summer 03 versions in that it was a full on rocking jam, but Mike was clearly leading this jam. Topher’s lights were going nuts as usual and I remember my friend leaning over and shouting that this must have been what it was like to see the Dead in their prime.
Next we got a Tweeprise Frankenstein sandwich. What more could you ask for!? Mock Song was nice to hear live, but the NICU was where the fun was at. Rather than the usual “Play it Leo!” or less common “Play it Cactus!” Trey called for a Henrietta solo. Fishman obliged with one of his pattented anti-drum solos, instead tapping out the introduction to Theme. Now I’m no fan of Theme but this version could convert any doubters! There’s this gorgeous one or two minute section where Trey and Page are dancing around each other’s notes and I honestly thought they had segued into a Reba jam! With a decent WMGGW encore, we headed back to our hotel for some much needed sleep.
10/30/06
Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia
Set I
Cavern (6:14), The Lizards (9:40), Glide* (4:50), Hold Your Head Up (0:53) > I’ll Be Your Mirror** (3:40) > Hold Your Head Up (2:27) -> Timber (12:34) , Vultures (9:18), Sleep (3:09) -> The Divided Sky*** (20:27)
Set II
Buried Alive (5:14) > Prince Caspian (7:14) -> Piper (13:45), Gumbo (10:50) -> Manteca (1:56) -> Hampton Jam #3 (4:30) -> 46 Days (6:59) -> Ha Ha Ha (1:33) > Big Black Furry Creature From Mars (2:45) > Icculus (4:55) > Trey Speech**** (1:13) > 5:15# (7:04)
Encore
Crosseyed and Painless (10:24)
Show Notes
*Trey jokes afterward about flubbing lyrics. ** Velvet Underground cover, debut. *** with a long ambient jam during the middle ‘silent’ section. ****Trey talks about the Halloween tradition and wants to bring out some guests. #with a reunited Giant Country Horns; each member takes a solo at the end.
Show Review
The weather was much nicer today; in fact it was almost unseasonably warm. Shakedown Street wasn’t the ghost town it was yesterday. Somebody was playing a copy of 8/8/98 set II really loud and spirits were very high after last night’s show.
Trey was in a giddy mood all night. A shit eating grin was on his face after the band finished Glide. “So we’ve been practicing.” Much audience applause and cheers. “I think I got the lyrics right, too!” More audience applause, Fishman laughs in a high pitched voice. Trey was bouncing up and down during Cavern and The Lizards while Mike looked on incredulously. Henrietta returned to the stage for a debut of the Velvet Underground’s I’ll Be Your Mirror which was hilarious as he sang it leering toward Page. Thankfully the vacuum was back in action and not that lame musical suit. I was not expecting the post-HYHU jam in which Trey and Fishman switched places without missing a beat. Soon enough the band was trying to end the song but Fishman wouldn’t stop, taking them into Timber. A great jam ensued with Page really rocking out on the Rhodes, something I’ve never heard him do before. I swear, Page just gets better and better as time goes on…
Next up was a rare Vultures. For Sleep Trey played his acoustic guitar and to everyone’s surprise began Divided Sky on the acoustic, just like the Junta version. That alone would make this Sky interesting, but the long ambient jam in the middle was mesmerizing. I should qualify that it wasn’t ambient in the way that most post-97 jams have been termed ambient; rather this was much closer to the Brian Eno style and wasn’t just loops and spacey sounds. Instead the band played very minimally. The audience annoyingly cheered whenever they paused, but I’m betting this Sky is going to sound amazing on the downloads.
Setbreak showed that rumors were becoming even more ridiculous. The only plausible one I heard was that Tom Marshall was in the building and would sing something. He may have been there, but as you can see from the setlist, he wasn’t on stage.
As the band came back out on stage, we could see the band conferencing as if Trey had something up his sleeve. Soon enough Fishman was starting up Buried Alive, a crisp and strong version. I adore this song so I was jumping up down like a little kid. Caspian was its usual self, though the sneaky segue into the opening of Piper was well done. However I like my Pipers to have a longer, more patient opening build. The jam was excellent, with Trey playing those beautiful arpeggios he sometimes does while Fishman and Mike played rhythm tag on the bottom end.
I only have one word for what happened next: GUMBO!!! They never played this song enough in my opinion, but when they did, it was almost always spectacular. The segue into Manteca was butter smooth, though I could have done without the jam afterwards. It helped bridge into 46 Days, but it felt too much like the last half of a Saw It Again, all repetitive descending chords from Trey and showing off. I can take or leave 46 Days, but the Ha Ha Ha and BBFCFM section was great. I held out hope they might give us a bunch more short weird songs like Kung and Catapult, but what we got instead was far, far better: Icculus! Hearing this live is so much better than on recordings. I didn’t think I’d ever find myself laughing at a Phish show, but I sure was now. Fishman is a genius at playing off Trey’s passioned speech. Trey even took a few jabs at himself, including one about taking too many drugs and recording an album. After we’re finally told his name…the name of the man who wrote the book…the author who…sorry couldn’t help myself.
Anyway the band kept up the lock step of Icculus while Trey talked about Halloween and said he’d like to bring some guests out. The audience began screaming, thinking it was Tom (did they not hear him says guestS?) but instead it was the Giant Country Horns. We got a 5:15 that, while not the equal of the 95 version, was a dream come true to hear live again, let alone with the GCH. Each GCH member took a solo and then the set was over. Encore was yet another treat and another nod to Halloweens past with Crosseyed! We all remember how good the summer 03 version was, and this one did not disappoint.
