I agree vegas was sloppy but the setlists were nice and can make up for bad playind SOMETIMES! That being said the Hampton 04 show sucked balls! One of the few times i felt the trip was not worth it. Oh well i still had fun in the anticipation but that long drive up to Boston was painful after that show!
I think that post-hiatus, more than almost any other tour, depended more on how songs were played than what was played. You could naturally say that about any Phish tour, but hear me out. What 03 Phish shows caused the biggest ruckus? The ones with the sickest jams. Since Phish was generally so sloppy and unpracticed post-hiatus, enjoyment of shows often rid on whether they really nailed a great jam rather than a tight composed section. I love the 6/20 show, but the Twist is miles away from not only the studio version but most 00 versions in terms of tightness–yet the jam is so transcendent that I don’t mind. So, to me, the worst post-hiatus shows aren’t necessarily those with boring song selection. They’re the ones with no great jams. That’s why when people say the 03 summer tour didn’t heat up until 7/15, I shout out DID YOU LISTEN TO THE FUCKING GORGE SHOWS?! Both Gorge shows have amazing jams in them.
Well, I have talked about Hampton so much I won’t go into it to much, howeverI think it was a very different but good show. A kickass first set, and then instead of a raging second set, we got a very beautiful mellow one, think was a powerful statment from the band. Look at the setlist. I have thought for a long time that the Vegas shows were what made them decide to break up.
^ the vegas shows were pretty damn bad, and i can see what you’re saying about the break-up. it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. trey was too coked out to sing ANYTHING. he even flubbed DWD mid-section after the second chorus. there were some GREAT moments, especially if you were there, but the lack of vocals and sloppy playing outweighed anything else. hey…at least we were in vegas.
i used to listen to a lot of the post-hiatus shows, pretty much only during ‘03-04 so i could get a feel for what they were puttin’ down before i went to shows. but now, i RARELY pop in a post-hiatus show. maybe i should dust some of’em off???
bottom line, you can’t compare post and pre-hiatus phish…totally different vibe. IMO.
yeah!
2-15-03
2-21-03
2-22-03
2-26-03
2-28-03
7-9-03
7-22-03
7-29-03
7-30-03
IT
^ granted, those are some of the choice ones i listen to when i do. i’ll also add…
6-24-04
i’ve said it before, but this is one of my favorite post-hiatus shows. BEST antelope post-hiatus, easy.
then i pop in the last disc of day one from coventry if i want to cringe with every note…WORST HOOD EVER!!! dodges tomatoes
::tosses a tomato up and down in his hand, then takes a bite out of it and walks away::
^ LOL!!! good choice. i had frozen snowballs to throw back.
Take cover everybody…
Pulls out the Potato Gun
post hiatus shows i saw that were ‘meh’
2003-07-07 TMWSIY was good…thats it
2003-07-08 Hood -> carini was pretty good
2003-07-12 first set was so bad…but then again it’s the gorge
2003-11-2X (nassau) after bouncin opener first set was pretty good but nothing worth making the trip for
2003-11-2X (philly) twist -> simple was pretty good, if i remember correctly
saw 27 post hiatus shows so ill take a few bad ones in the mix
I have to politately disagree on the Gorge show. The first set wasn’t the greatest, but the Maze really gets things moving for a stellar second set.
I will agree that the Maze was solid. The second set looks good on paper but from what I remember being there it wasn’t anything special. Maybe I’ll have to give it another listen.
The GHOST from that set is great. Its not as long as the IT version, but the jamming has near the same quality for a five minute section. I have to listen to that again…
The GHOST from that set is great. Its not as long as the IT version, but the jamming has near the same quality for a five minute section. I have to listen to that again…
sorry about the double post…my computer froze up a little
the philly 03 show was pretty damn good, i was pretty close to the band, and they nailed the divided sky, FEFY was nice, Julius rocked prettyy well, and as you already said, the twist-> simple was great
I’ll second that about the Ghost from the Gorge. I was lucky enough to catch it on Live Phish a few times, and I loved it. I have not heard a weak post hiatus Ghost yet.
I am sure someone will point one out now just to spite me.
^
SPAC '04
NO! Well, OK. Hear me out!
- It’s probably the weakest post-hiatus Ghost if only because all the other ones are so great.
- If you listen to this Ghost out of the context of the set it’s in the middle of, it will not sound like an all-time great version. But…
- …in the context of this set, it is golden. You can’t tell me that “Seven Below -> Ghost -> Twist, YEM” isn’t one of the best looking second sets OF ALL TIME. Then you listen to it and it’s every bit as good. They were going out with a fucking bang on the summer 04 tour, and they knew they were playing their asses off during the SPAC two-night stand. The energy during the peak of the YEM is tits.
^ full heartedly agree, i am actually listening to this set right now, and although i dont think the SPAC ghost reaches its monster potential, the end of it and the -> into twist is really great. and paired with that 7 below, this is def one of the best 2nd sets post hiatus