2-20-03 - Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

please review the show, not other reviews...

Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2003 16:05:59 -0500
From: Matt Allen mallen@hpidirect.net
Subject: Chicago

After some 800+ days since my last show at home in Atl. I could not have
been more stoked to see the boys back on stage. We just happened to visit
our old tour buddy in the Windy City the week the band was there - nice
timing, eh?  Unfortunately, that was about the only good timing for the
show...................
The first buzz kill was waiting in line to get in the show. After all the
concerts and clubs that have recently had terrible accidents with large
crowds trying to get out, you'd think they would have all the doors open as
possible.  But as a result, it took an hour to get into the show. We got the
2nd level just as the guys took stage so we scrambled to our seats that were
off to the side & slightly behind Page and could see the lights reflecting
off his bald spot!  Ha! Ha!
A Rift opener!  My first since the steller Rift at Hampton Alive. This is
one of a handful of tunes I would trade a limb to hear live. I was so
stoked - but apparently so was everyone else b/c I couldn't hear a thing -
so we scrambled to get closer which still didn't improve the sound too much.
I was soooo disappointed!  The sound was about as poor as when we saw Panic
in the streets of Athens a few years ago. But that was in the streets of a
city - it ain't supposed to sound that good. How I wished to be on the
floor!
A solid Rock n' Roll followed which kept the arena pumped. First time I've
ever heard the boys finish this tune - it was pretty standard but very
psycho at the same time.
Guyute was a perfect fit here - they were much tighter than I expected with
this jam - I almost lost my voice.
Ahh, Driver - was a great time to slow down and listen to Trey's vocals -
which I was glad to hear were much smoother than when he visited Atl. last
Nov. And from what I've heard, much better than NYE.
Waves - one of my favs off the new album - A friend that caught NYE said
this one wasn't that great.  But WOW - is he an idiot or what!  This was
such a beautiful, euphoric jam - the sweetness of Trey's guitar was
jaw-dropping - I felt like I was floating.  This was one of the biggest
highlites of the set.
I kind of felt this Simple coming - this was the first time I've heard this
outside of a Mike's.  It was more of it's own jam - Mike was viciously
thumping and they rocked it right into Jibboo.  Man the last time I heard a
Jibboo in TN I felt like I was flying and  I was worried that was a one time
feeling.  No way!  This jam is the jam that just gets better every time they
play it b/c there are so many ways to play on the beat to this song.  They
were total rock stars during this jam - and this was the peak of the night
for me and for the energy in the audience.

I moved to a better location for the 2nd set to get that mindnumbing sound I
couldn't hear in the first set, but to no avail I still couldn't hear the
beginning of Tweezer or PUnch.
I don't know if it was the crowd that sucked the life out of me or the poor
sound. But it was like there was cotton in mine and everyone elses' ears.
This was one of the best Tweezer's I've heard - they took it to three
different levels from what I can remember, and I remember thinking what's
wrong with this?  Is everyone here deaf?  This is an amazing jam but with
the exception of the lucky folks on the floor, the crowd was not paying
attention and was having their own little conversations. Punch did draw the
energy and crowds' focus back.  This was a tight version.  FEFY came along -
this along with Frankie are my fav chilling tunes.  Trey's guitar was
singing perfectly and I again felt as if I were floating away.  Seven has
got to be the coolest and most unique tune on RR - this was the newbie I
really wanted the most.  The first 3 min. or so of the jam seemed difficult
for the band to bring together - but as always they pulled it off into this
jam that was like no other I have heard.  Instead of peaks, it had lots of
plateaus that were long (a good long) and slowly ea. plateau climbed higher.
Unfortunately no one else there seemed to notice - the crowd and energy were
nowhere to be found. I have never felt like sitting at a show before, but I
came damn close here. Pebbles was even more amazing than I had thought, a
very sharp build - but it had the same blah effect on the crowd. Had the
sound been better, I think the roof would have blown off the arena.
The encore was one of the best I've heard (or could almost hear) - it
brought the energy back - but still not to the level of the first set. Golgi
was nailed, and  Anything was sweet.  I did notice Fish laid a bit of a
slower beat than usual during the Tweeprise- but that may have just seemed
that way from the dismal energy of the set.

I think the guys are much tighter than they were in 2000 - but they seemed
like they were holding back a little. This was the strangest feeling I've
ever had at a show.  I knew this was an amazing show - but the missing
energy made me feel like I missed a wonderful expericence. Note to the
newbies on tour - it's not about the songs you want to hear b/c each tune is
a new version for the books. So enjoy each one like it is your first one!
And stop talking and shouting obscenities during the show!

Matt Allen

Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 17:00:39 -0600
From: tmlplus tmlplus@ameritech.net
Subject: Phish 2-20-03 Review

I'm ever amazed at the variance in opinion about these shows. It still blows me away
how two people can see the same show and have opinions on either end of the spectrum.
I personally must admit that I've heard the board from 2-15-03 and I was disappointed
that it didn't live up to my memory of being there, as I worshipped and praised it in
the Thomas & Mack Center Lots on 2-16. So now I don't even know if I want to listen
to the discs from the Allstate Arena show, because I definitely loved this show and
was telling people afterward that up to that point it was the best show of the tour.
I don't know what to make of the Cincinnati reviews and I'm going to wait on AUD
taped shns for the rest of the tour.
 
So let me just say this about Chicago 2003, I hope you had a buzz on, 'cuz I'm pretty
sure the band did!   Let me begin:
Rift - Unless this song is played perfectly, it's a frustrating waste of time, and
this was far from perfect.
Rock & Roll: Decent, loud, relatively contained within itself
Guyute: Falls into the same category as Rift, but this version was played well enough
to create good energy in the arena and I feel like I can actually see those notes
being machine-gunned out into the stadium.
Driver- Played in a manner that reminded me of the old, slow 1997 version of Water In
the Sky
Waves-Now we're talkin'. My second favorite song off the new album was stretched and
pushed here from Round Room style to ambient to 11-22-97 Halley's style Trey
freak-out. I l'm starting to like what Trey's doing with his effects this year.
Instead of creating a bunch of those Ghost-style fade loops, he's now stacking riff
upon riff then jamming on top of that, and I feel that for most of these jams, the
band is backing it up and more. Evenutally it wears a little thin but that's where
the non-sober part of audience experience comes in.
Simple - The jam just kept gettin' out there, regenerating after the basic outro solo
from where the vocals cease (Sim Bop & Bebaphone, Skyballs & Saxscrapers...)
Jiboo - Way, Way Way out there!  I definitely loved this in the moment. Not sure how
it will play back, but I was in a different universe for the 20 or so minutes this
was going on. It was a nice universe.
 
The setbreak was of average length for this tour, which still too long, but I had a
chance to sneak into a lower deck seat to enjoy the lights for the 2nd set. Yes!
 
Tweezer- Sick! Trey actually played the organized part correctly, correcting his
Hampton brainfart of 1-3. Then it went for a ride. I was really diggin' the band's
groove and teamwork, even while Trey was stacking the layers and sniffing the
ethereal.
PYITE - The beginning part sounded great and overall it was played just well enough
to bring it nicely into-
FEFY - Up Yours if you think this song sucks the energy!  I love this chord
progression for soloing, and unless Trey's hitting bad notes, which I definitely
don't remember him doing, this song is flat-out gorgeous. The new ballads are
destroyed by this song. I think Trey is doing his best soloing work on these types of
songs right now, as the organized chord progressions keep him focused and challenged
in a good way. The Frankie Sez from 2-15 was another example, and could have honestly
been the best song of that night in retrospect.
 
Seven Below- Here we go again!  I like the rudiments of this song and I'm amazed how
they build the jam from this tricky little groove. I get tingly and touched more than
Michael Jackson visiting the Vienna boy's choir.  While Trey did stay out there a
little too long perhaps, I thought the other guys created some great music in the
meantime and provided an organic, lively canvas for Trey's Krylon Slo-Dry
spraypainting ear candy. This sucker had many good rocking moments as well and kind
of made the jamming on the following Pebbles and Marbles seem redundant and a little

tired. I thought the P& M from 2-16 was definitely better, but I still enjoyed this
one none-the-less.
 
Encore Break - Get out your lighters!
Golgi: Oh Yeah!   I'm normally not a big fan of this song, but it was played so well
with so much enthusiasm that it kicked ass. It's nice to hear any of their
complicated songs get played so well right now.
Anything But Me- Third time's the charm here, as Holiday run and Vegas versions
sucked ass bad. I like the melody lines of this song and I'm so glad they pulled it
off here or it would have brought down what was a great encore for maybe the first
time of this tour.
Tweeprise. I thought this rocked extra hard, as Trey recorded the opening riff into a
loop that was playing during the ascending notes of the build up to "Won't you Step
Into The Freezer!"  Hearing it like this made me feel like it might be the best one
I've ever heard. It was so thick and solid that biting it would break your teeth.
 
So I definitely left with a great feeling, as did everyone in my party, which
includes some very critical and picky phans, all of whom have great memories of a
beautiful Thursday night in February.
 
Thanks for this forum.

Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 10:03:54 -1000
From: Matthew Breen staticme@hotmail.com
Subject: 2/20 Chicago Phish Review (short)

Let me say this was the worst Phish show that I have ever attended in my 
career of god knows how many.   The only thing that was enjoyable was the 
improved light show.  The jamming included some kind of hideous frequency 
that left me with one of the biggest headaches of my life.

And for all you bitching like me out there, we are to blame also.  Right off 
the gun in Rift for the "silence contagious in moments like these" part, 
everyone went absolutely apeshit.  Now i know not everything is as it seems, 
but this does not seem to be a sign of an in tune audience that the band 
might be motivated to play a great show for.

They might be testing boundaries, limits of sound, etc. but I would have to 
argue that many points of this show wouldn't even count as music, just 
noise... or just Trey being a pissed Wilson (whoever said that before, 
thanks for the laugh...)... I want the Icculus Trey back!!

Then I think to myself, charging as much as they are for tickets, and even 
charging for their live show downloads eliminating them from free downloads 
on internet sites like furthernet, what has become of Phish?

A new generation is coming up quickly and the older phans have to try a 
little harder to help the intuneness come.

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 15:57:49 -0500
From: "Guzaski, Mike" Mike.Guzaski@bovislendlease.com
Subject: Chicago Disappointment

Not what I wanted to hear. Too many peaks and valleys. Started strong, but even
Guyute has lost the momentum built during Rift and Rock n' Roll. I feel as if I have
been overloaded with Antelopes and Guyute's, which seem to be Midwestern played songs
since 98, but understood. I was hoping for a mammoth show that never came. The Simple
into Jibboo really was the moment the show ended for me, as the second set took off
with Tweezer, and floated in that atmosphere where a dripping Split Open could have
came out of the emotion of Punch. I was in the back of the stage, and was hoping to
be a part of the colorful back drop of Split Open jam like the one of Madison's Kohl
Center on 11-6-98...the 2nd best Split Open (only to 12/31/99). But as my hopes were
released into the opening sounds of FEFY, my energy never returned the rest of the
evening. A shame, because the Seven Below, and Pebbles and Marbles were great, they
should not have made for the bulk of the 2nd set of Chicago! This is Chicago, not
Normal, IL....Chicago! The encore further carved the disappointment into my
recollection of getting shut out by mail order, or Phish cyber ticketing, resorting
to Ticketmaster, and nearly coming up empty, and then...a weak showing in the windy
city. With ticket prices skyrocketing, and this Phish show wavering on mediocrity, no
matter how much anticipation and energy of their reunion can offset some of the pain,
Widespread Panic is becoming more and more of a likelihood with having to become more
selective of expensive show tickets. I forewent Galactic on Friday for this at the
Vic, and in retrospect, am second guessing myself.
 
Are the days of Chicago area indoor shows like U of I '97, UIC '98, and even All
State 99 and 2000 gone? I live for a full show with CK, and while he kept his end
flying high, the band did not work with him. Sorry to see the 2 Cincy's looked
sobbing with what I wanted. 
 
The people I came across were possibly the meanest and down right rudest "phans" I
have ever encountered as well. It's a shame the time away did not shake this from
the tree.

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 12:13:18 -0800 (PST)
From: Jeff Salinger curiousliza@yahoo.com
Subject: chicago review


Rosemont was a real scratch your head kinda show. Terrible crowd control getting into
the show, bizarre parking arrangement, way too hot, terrible sound during the
majority of the first set and a general crowd malaise seemed to have stacked the deck
against the band.  None of that, however, was Phish's fault. 

First set highlight was a mammoth Jiboo, where they finaly seemed to plug in to each
other.  That was it for the first set.  Totally uninspired guyute, simple and waves,
and a perfectly predictable rift and rock and roll rounded out a painfully average
first set.  Page and Fish seemed really energized -- Mike and Trey were persona non
grata.  And 2 out of 4 ain't enough.

Major improvements in the sound boded well for the the second set, which
included stellar versions of fast enough for you and 7 below.  But when you're
talking about a stellar version of fefy, you know you haven't caught phish at their
best.  Tweezer got a little lost and Pebbles, though with periodic flashes of
brilliance, lacked cohesiveness and staying power. 

It's rare to leave a show without at least one absolute highlight -- or at least,
without one song that at least rivals the best you've ever heard -- but this show was
just such a rarity.  i've been around long enough to know (first show in '89) and
seen enough of these to be critical -- and phish didn't make the grade tonight. 
that's too bad. 

fortunately there's continental arena and the nassau coliseum next week.

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 13:19:43 -0600
From: Eric Haugee eric.haugee@senate.mn
Subject: 2/20/03 review

02/20/03 Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL 
I: Rift, Rock and Roll, Guyute, Driver, Waves, Simple, Gotta Jibboo 
II: Tweezer, PYITE, Fast Enough For You, Seven Below, Pebbles and Marbles 
Encore: Golgi Apparatus, Anything But Me, Tweezer Reprise 
___________________ 

Reading all the reviews of the last Thursday's show, I sometimes think I was a  
different show. Maybe its because I was sick with excitement and anxiety walking  
into Allstate, and they coulda pissed in my ears and I would have had a good time.  
  

After hearing the Holiday Run, I was agreeing with most that their time off hadn't  
been evident in thier playing yet, and they didn't really have a "2003" sound (no  
surprise after only, what, 9 shows?). I haven't heard any of this tour yet, but I 
think I  
got a good idea of what that sound might be in Chicago. Evil. Dark. Proving Trey *is*  
Wilson. I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet. I guess I should have known when I  
saw the tee at the merch table with Trey giving the bird. Or maybe it was because  
Trey was wearing his Wilson shirt. Or the growling effects during Simple. And the  
lunges Trey took at the audience. Even 7 Below, which was "slow" by some people's  
standard (I prefer ambient), had its moments of hell. I loved it.  

And they have improved. This was so evident by the end of Guyute. Without having  
heard the tapes yet, it sounded like they nailed every note.  

Some people have said the energy level wasn't too high. What?!? I do think the  
crowd fizzled a bit when they launched into FEFY, but cmon they had just wrapped  
up a ripping PYITE, and the break was needs besides. I was glad to catch my breath.  
What it seemed like to me is there were a lot of wasted kids there, and by the time  
they launched into 7 Below, people were preoccupied. Granted I was a little  
disappointed when the crowd didn't go apeshit over the first notes of that song, but 
its  
one of my favorite on the new album. In any case, I loved hearing where they took it. 

I guess the only downside to the show was the lot scene. Where the hell were the  
vendors? Lets see, it was veggie burritos or...veggie burritos. And mine was cold,  
despite the guy's assurances they were hot. Also,  it was way too warm and smokey  
inside the barn. Ever heard of vents? 

While the show doesn't compare to the last couple times the played in Chicago, I  
don't think it was nearly as dreary as some might have you believe. Their "new"  
sound--at least as displayed in Chicago--was fresh, inspired and a relief. I had an  
amazing time, and that's all that matters.  

Eric 
St. Paul, MN

Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 19:12:14 +0000
From: David Polkow polkz@hotmail.com
Subject: 2-20-03 chicago review

Hey Dan, I've really enjoyed all the work that makes up the awesome phish.net. 
Thanks.
 
This is my first Phish review.....
 
Chicago 2-20-2003
 
Chicago was my 18th show and 1st and only of the tour unfortunately.  After being
blessed with two fantastic unforgettable nights in Hampton earlier this year, I was
jacked to see Phish in Chicago -my sweet home.  Seeing numerous fantastic shows in
Chi-town by the boys, my emotions were running high for quite some time.  I guess the
best words to describe mine and others feelings about this show was excitement and
anticipation.  I could barely stand the exitement the day of the show.  It was 50
degrees outside that day with bright sunshine-best day of the year by far for weather
in the windy city ----beautifull!!!  Nothing less than a smile on my face since the
moment I awoke the day of the show-YES!  So, we journied down to the venue, and after
sitting in a little bit of traffic we finally arrived in the lot around 5.  We all
exited my car to the sight of a 747 flying right over head rumbling the whole area
WOOOOHH!!! we all yelled as a chain of yells followed throughout the lot.  Me and my
best friends chilled at my Honda and kicked it with some nice folks.  As far as the
shakedowns: pretty unimpressive.  We walked through them and it seemed like their
were very few vendors, just a lot of wall to wall people.  After the temp dropped
about 30 degrees we decided to make our way into the arena.  Little to our knowledge
we didn't expect only two of the 8 doors at the south gate to be open.  That sucked. 
We waited in line with about 500 people for about 30 minutes. It was getting a little
tense because the 8:00 hour was quickly approaching and all of us couldn't get it. 
We finally got in with a camera, and as we were walking in the lights went down--
here we go!!! 

Set I: Rift: very nice opener, really fun start to a highly anticipated night of
great Phish music.
 
Rock-n-Roll: Love it, Page sounded extraordinary, and everyone was starting to feel
it, I knew we were in for a special treat tonight.
 
Guyute: Nice Suprise, but welcomed it with open arms- I love to whistle along, nice
jig as always
 
Driver: First time I've seen them play this. I thought Trey sounded better than usual
vocally.  Maybe the night off between Denver and this night helped his voice
 
Waves: Okay, I'll accept this, but two slow songs in a row??? 
 
Simple: Nice version, called this one, nice placement
 
Gotta Jiboo:  Sounded pretty good, Trey missed a couple of chord changes, and I
thought it was a little long for Jiboo, I wanted the set to end with something else.

Set break:  I told my girlfriend they are going to rock out the second set....
 
Set II: Tweezer: Oh Yeah baby, here we go!!! I called this one and was really pumped
to hear it.
 
P.Y.I.T.E:  I thought the crowd started to come alive with this first Punch of the
year.  Very nice lights.  The night could of  taken off with this song, but the boys
had other things on their minds I guess-they put on the brakes with Fast Enough.
 
Fast Enough for you:  It was a nice version, but I decided to use this time to go and
find my friends, walking around on the second level, I heard a lot of people talking
and not really into the song.
 
7 Below:  I was kind of hoping for a Fluffhead at this point, or maybe a Meatstick
dedicated to the Meathead that jumped up on stage, I don't know if they got pissed
about that, but it sure kinda seemed like it.  Nice experimentation with this new
tune.
 
P&B:  Nice jammin with this one, but I thought Hampton's version earlier this year
blew it away.  I was suprised they ended the set with this one.  The guys looked at
Trey at the end of the song probably thinking one more, but Trey took his guitar
off--doh!
 
E: Gogli:  Nice surprise, I wasn't expecting this one at all, but it was really fun. 

Anything but me:  Not too happy with this call, with a Suzy here, they could of
redeemed themselves for somewhat of a dull night in my opinion.
 
Tweezprise:  knew it was coming, but it was cut a little short, I wonder if that was
because Trey was whacked in the face with a glowstick?  The rock-star ending by Trey
throwing around his guitar was cute, but nothing new. 
 
Overall, the show was good, but I wouldn't rank it in my top ten or fifteen for that
matter.  I felt the show was lacking the phunk and the energy that I was expecting. 
The crowd never really seemed to get going, and the band totally feeds off of that
energy, so maybe that had something to do with the night.  No glowstick war, no crowd
participation, dull.  Looking forward to a summer tour.

Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 13:57:21 -0600
From: Mike B craziskier@hotmail.com
Subject: 2.20.03 review

WOW. I was a pretty big phan until last nite.  But now... I am a manic for phish.  i
cant get enough.  i have downloaded over eight shows in the last 2 days and plan to
continue this path.  I am only 16 so it was my first show but it was amazing
everything from Pebbles to Tweeprise i was trilled to be attending such a show.  I
fear to go on because I feel I cannot give the show the credit it deserves in
writing.  so all im going to say is thanks for the great show and PLEASE, PLEASE come
to alpine valley this summer.
 
Mike

Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 16:24:44 EST
From: PrintDDD@aol.com
Subject: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

Over two years had past, and I was finally a few hours away from seeing the 
boys in action, once again.  The lot was full of smiles, sunshine, brews, and 
music.  Being a regular at Allstate, I have never seen such a scene.  The 
show was another story. For weeks I was ranting and raving how Rift was the 
song I wanted to indulge in... FIRST SET opener.  My first in twenty-six 
shows.  Then came rock-and-roll giving Page a chance to show Chi-Town how 
much his voice soars.  The Guyute was not a surprise but rocking as always.  
A sweet and settle Driver appeared in a set that was dominated by fast paced 
jams.  I started to find myself not a big fan of Simple but the version in 
Chicago sure made me change my mind.  The band proceed to throw a furious 
Jibboo which got the crowd raging before set brake.  The second opened with 
an outstanding Tweezer (thanks to Mr. Kuroda behind the lighting) and into 
the song of the night PYITE.  The only word to describe this is energy.  
Energy from the crowd that led into the band.  At one point Trey was jumping 
up and down only to see thousands of beloved phans copying every step.  This 
is where I found a drop in the intensity level as well as the playing level.  
They proved to hit the right notes on the every so smooth FEFY but keep the 
slow pace into 7 Below.  A long slow jam sent many phans into their seats as 
they were getting restless by the feedback and slow loops Trey was giving 
out.  What seemed to start off as a classic "Phish" show turned into a Trey 
maybe I am too messed up, Page, Mike, and Fish what the hell is he doing type 
of show.  But then I came to my senses and felt goose bumps arise once again 
as I realized that I am finally back seeing the mother ship of all bands 
explode into the scene once again.  And I knew
there was a reason why I had a "ticket stub in my hand".  Golgi, with help 
from Kuroda once again, set the frenzy crowd into high gear.  Anything But Me 
was an outstanding showing of how Phish and Tom have brought their lyrics to 
another level.  The Reprise was expected and thunderous as always.  Trey 
ended by throwing feedback at the crowd and extended his head out to 
everyone, every section of the crowd.  He was even throwing kisses off his 
guitar to some lucky someone's in the front row only to finish up holding his 
guitar above his head as the crowd went crazy.. What a god, a king, a total 
and complete master of all master musicians.  Not one of the best shows I 
have been to but was good to see the boys back again.  Loved the dude on 
stage for 7 Below and cannot stand the punks throwing glow sticks at the 
band.  Please stay at home, with you shady pals, and listen to your Rave 
music.  I can only hope the summer tour is packed with dates, great sets, and 
lots of fun!
mad

Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 23:30:41 -0500
From: jb jb004@mchsi.com
To: dws@phish.net
Subject: Allstate, Chicago, Ill

Ok, Here we go,

Show # 13

I am a long time phish and dead head.  I canot go to a lot of shows
because of family and work but I will say I am up to date on all.  

Rift:  Great opener, good melody and sounded strong and tight.

Rock and Roll:  I farted when I herd the boards from Page.  Just
don’t over play

Guyute:  Can not go wrong.  Great jam.  I was on cloud nine could not
wait for the rest.

Driver:  Nice, nothing else to say.

Waves:  Did not expect,  Nice also did not give me bumps though.

Simple:  Holy shit, its about time.  This song did it for me it took me
to a new universe.

Gotta Jibbio:  I thought here is a repeat of past years but the jam was
so crazy and out of control it gave me a new insight to the song.

Tweezer:  OK,  the rift was great but I really got into the jam, it took
me to another universe.

PYITE:  Fucking great, just what I needed as a older phish phan.

Fast Enough For You:  Good song sounded great.

Seven Below:  I have listen tro this song on disc but Holy Shit this is a
new era of jamming, keep it up.

Pebbles &  Marbles:  Don’t stop I have an erection.  My blood is so
thick I cannot breathe.  I am so excited I canot stand it.  

Golgi Apparatus:  Nice touch,  I was singing like a fool.

Anything But Me,  I accepted it because I knew what was coming.

Tweezer Reprise:  Just the way to send me off back to Indiana.  I loved
to be blessed by Trey’s guitar.  

LIGHT SHOW:  Kris is defiantly out doing himself.  If he keeps this up, I
will have to commit mysrelf.

Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 15:20:40 EST
From: LilCaboose55@aol.com
Subject: 2-20-03 review

2-20-03 Allstate Arena

       This was my first show of the tour, which is unfortunate, but i
was fortunate enough to see this show.  It was the a show, just as every
PHISH show is. It was a spectacle.  And what a spectacle it was.
      
       Set 1-Rift, Rock and Roll, Guyute, Driver, Waves, Simple>Jibboo

Rift-I did not expect to hear this at all, not to mention as an opener. I
love this song, it just gets me goin. Real nice work and an especially
pleasing solo by Page. A nice way to get things started.

Rock and Roll-Is it just me or do they keep rocking this song out better
and better.  The jam was really rock star Trey style.  His note were
piercing and began sending shrieks down the rows.  It felt everybody
around me was playing guitar and we began channeling everything to Treys
guitar. Nice...real nice.

Guyute-One rocker after another, a chain reaction of a jamming vehicles,
with the boys driving and all of us on lookers playing the role of the
passengers.  I was really felling this one.  Everyone was on, IT was one
instrument controlled by four. And the preverbial IT was controlling all
of us.

Driver-And drive they did.  I love this song and it was a well needed
breather for them and for us. 

Waves-This song is just great.  It relaxed me, I felt like i was swimming
in a sea of people.  The fliud jamming was like water pushing against my
viens forcing me to breathe in all the music. I was left breathless.

Simple-I was now breathing and ready for this.  It started off just like
normal.  They brought it a very loose, "simple" type jam with lots of
loose ends. Ambient in a sense.  but those loose ends started to tie
knots around us and we being pulled into a dark jam. Very slow and off
putting. Menacing lights and even more menacing sounds.

Jibboo-Not a big fan of this one.  But the jam threw me through a loop. 
It was a little funky and fun. It culred up and down and then back again.
At the end Trey played a little of DIvided Sky. His last four notes
sounded like the composed section.

       Set2-Tweezer, PYITE, FEFY, 7 Below, Pebbles and Marbles

Tweezer-Nice start to a great set.  Average great tweezer as for as
tweezers go.  I really enjoyed after the break.

PYITE-This one got the crown goin.  Fists pumping through the air. We had
found our anthem for the night and we were not going to let it go.  Trey
was just on fire this set and it was appearant to us all.  Nice work.

FEFY-I enjoy this song alot.  It was just fast enough.  Everyone was
sharing in its bliss of wonder, wondering were it will lead us to next.

7 Below-Pebbles and Marbles- This was the highlight of the show to me.  I
didnt move for the entire duration of these two.  My body was lost in the
crowds of people but my mind was focused. Fixated on letting the music
take me.  I cant describe in words where i went, where i was, where i was
going.  The band was doing more than making music, they were making
memories.  They did more than hose, they were locked.  Four doors of
music opened all at once but yet, locked open? My body was still but my
mind stepped through. They went above and beyond with these two.  They
were locked and i was locked, but never was anything more open.

E-Golgi,Anything But Me, Tweezprise

Golgi-I love this song. it hit the spot. nuff said
Anything but Me-Not what i was looking for.
Tweezprise- It showes us it was the end.

I dont think it matters what i think i want to hear before the show.  It
wouldnt be the same if i got what i wanted. I helped create music with
them. Everyone else there did the same. we becomed locked.


Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 13:37:00 -0600
From: df djMurray25@hotmail.com
To: reviews@walfredo.com

Well, I'll be brief.  Last night was my 40th show and my first since the
hiatus.  Maybe I had built it up too much in my head, but I was rather
disappointed with last night.  The first set was really strong with good
grooves and a solid setlist.  The venue itself was horrible.  It took an
hour to get in the door and all the seats my friends and I had were
taken.  So we had to snake someone else's seats, which got us some bad
looks.  The second set started great.  The first three songs were really
strong and had the crowd into it.  But after that, the crowd seemed so
flat and bored that it bored me.  All I wanted to do was do lay down. 
I've never sat down during a Phish show, but last night was a first.  I
don't really blame the band, I blame the crowd.  I was born in Chi-town,
so I was excited to get to see a show hear.  I felt that everyone just
sucked, they were rude, and had no idea what it really means to be a
Phish Phan.  I've never seen so many people pushing and shoving, cursing
people out, and screaming stupid obsenities during a show in my life.  I
beg of the phans to keep it real, keep it old school.  BE KIND!!!!!!!

Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 09:39:57 -0600
From: David Arndt darndt@koziebear.com
Subject: 2-20-03 Allstate Review

2-20-03

Allstate Arena

The first set was great, even though the show started almost 30 mins 
late. The jam sessions were long and very tight. Guyte was an 
incredible; Trey^Ys guitar loops were insanely deep. As usual the sound 
in Allstate Arena was less then desirable. The amount of feedback and 
muffled acoustics were over whelming at times.

The second set was a mess. Page^Ys piano was off key, and off from the 
rest of the band. You could see the tension in the band was high. I'm 
not sure if I'm being too critical, but I've seen PHiSH enough times to 
know that they were not at their highest capacity.

Either way I'm glad to see the boys are back. The new songs are great. 
Pebbles and Marbles I feel will become a live staple much like Guyte.

Nobody is perfect so perhaps I just heard it wrong.

Naked Dave

Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 09:11:55 -0600
From: Todd TTeer@msn.com
Subject: Allstate

I'm a long time Phish fan, so this is not intended to offend anyone.  The
show last night was nothing short of boring.  The jams were long and
completely uninspired.  Wow, I never thought I would be saying that about
Trey, but that's what I'm saying.  I was hopeful, and anxious, but
thoroughly let down.  Even Tweezer fizzled out.  I mean f -i-z-z-l-e-d
out....  Long, drawn out rhythmic daze... 
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......  Maybe I'm growing out of
that silliness, but I have been to Phish shows where they rocked my
soul.  This new Phish didn't have the build-up, didn't have the climaxes,
didn't keep me interested.  More power to their future.  I'll still check
them out, but if they don't get some inspiration, I'll be off this
particular bus.  The good thing is, there are plenty of quality "busses"
running these days...

Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 14:32:27 -0600
From: Nick Timme kittenpuke@hotmail.com
Subject: 2-20-03 - Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

To be honest this is my first phish show. I do have a vast collection of
live phish stuff and tons of albums but I was really looking forward to
seeing them live. Unfortunatly I didn't plan very well on traffic and got
to the door at about 7:20 then with the huge freaking line outside I
didn't get in until half-way through Rift, which made me sad. But when I
finally got to my seat, about the begining of Waves I felt like the set
ended very strong.  Gotta Jibboo totally rocked. It was very long but I
loved every minute of it. Tweezer was a very good opener and had a good
jam in my mind also.  Probably the only other good thing to come about of
the second set, other than Tweezer was Punch You In The Eye. That really
had the crowd going.  But I completly agree that after Punch the set died.
Pebbles, yeah ok. I was really looking forward to Wilson, maybe a good
Mike's/Hydrogen/Weekapaug, or 2001. If they had finished that set with a
really tight rockin' groove the crowd would have been much more into it.
But Pebbles kind of went no where.  Now keep in mind I really like Round
Room, but with a mellow ending to a set where everyone seemed to be dead
anyway kind of made it all worse. Golgi was good in the encore, but I
would have also liked a longer Tweeprise. Also Page did seem to be very
off. I mean several times they kind of handed the melody in the jam off to
Page and it didn't sound good so they just quickly went back to Trey, but
admittedly it might have had something to do the sound. I can't really
comment on the Phans. People seemed to be much more polite than when I saw
Dave this summer. All in all it was a mild first experience with live
Phish. I know I'll go back though if they come through this summer or
fall.


Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 01:41:57 -0700
From: CHRIS RANKIN jackstrw21@msn.com
Subject: 2/20/03 Review

Let me begin by saying I usually don't write reviews but after this show I 
needed to vent. After hitting Vegas and Denver I was pretty psyched to be 
hitting my hometown Chicago for the first time in a long time (1997 at the 
World to be exact). Vegas and Denver both had incredible energy from the 
crowd, but from the beginning I felt the crowd was nowhere to be found in 
the Horizon, plus the sound was horrible in the venue, it needed to be 
turned way up. Anyways here is a song by song breakdown.

Rift: Great opener, but from the first note I was scrambling to find a new 
seat because I couldn't hear a thing!

Rock n Roll: I always love this song no matter what.

Guyute: Must admit I didn't want to hear this again after Vegas but I was 
still groovin'.

Driver: Very pleasant suprise. I enjoyed this sing along.

Waves: Starting to get many repeats from Vegas, but still fun.

Simple: One of the highlights of the night, the jam was amazing.

Gotta Jibboo: Not much has been played off Farmhouse so I was shocked by 
this one. It made me feel like it was 2000 again.

Second Set:

Tweezer: Things started great with this one, good jam, a bit mellow. 
Finished off with a return to the main theme played slowed down, I think 
it 
was like how the album version ends.

PYITE: Another highlight, intro was short which bummed me out, but 
otherwise 
the crowd was diggin' on this one.

Fast Enough For You: Loved this for personal reasons, my first since '95! 
After this the crowd was lost.

Seven Below: I really love this song, but for some reason they took it out 
really far and no one seemed to be into it. First time in the four shows 
I've seen where I looked around at the crowd and no one was dancing.

Pebbles and Marbles: I thought for sure this would tear the roof off like 
it 
did in Vegas, but again the crowd seemed lost on it. I think the band was 
feeling it too, because they didn't draw out the "pebbles and marbles like 
things on my mind" part like they previously have.

Encore

Golgi: Standard, but fun, still missing the crowd energy.

Anything But Me: Bad placement, an already boring crowd didn't need a slow 
song.

Tweeprise: Finally some people started to come alive, but it was too late. 
Oh well.

All in all I still enjoyed the show, but next time Phish comes to town I 
hope we as Chicagoans can represent the windy city with a lot more 
enthusiasm. See you this Summer.


Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 09:29:26 -0800 (PST)
From: D. Gurevitz dtmchitown@yahoo.com
Subject: 2-20-03 Review

First - the scene - Way too hot in the arena!!!! Plus
- for the first time, I encountered mass seat scamming
in the 200 levels - Phans are becoming MORE RUDE!!!!!!
Plus - when did not showering become a pre requisite
for a show (I havent smelled people that bad since
1990 Dead shows) NOT TO BE RUDE BUT COME ON - I'D
RATHER SMELL 3 DAY OLD PASTA ALL NIGHT THAN RANCID
BODY ODOR!!!

Set 1: Rift - great opener - 

         Rock And Roll - crowd began to get more and
more pumped - Page sounded very nice. Solid # 2 slot.

Guyute - Ive heard this tune live soooo many times -
this one was good, not great. 

 Driver - Trey vocally sounded excellent - his summer
tour kept his voice in fine shape. The band sounded
tight on this one.

 Waves - My first one - I thought it was excellent -
great jamming!!! (Round Room will stand the test of
time live)

 Simple - Excellent - For me -Highlight of the first
set! A little short but still sweet.

 Gotta Jibboo  - Not bad - but there could have been
50 cooler set closers - It didnt need to be 18 minutes
but it was still groovy. (How about a 6 minute Jiboo
and a 12 minute 2001 next time?)


Set 2: Tweezer - Excellent - nothing to say here but
excellent set opener!!!

 Punch You in the Eye - again excellent - sounded
tight - could have been longer though.

 Fast Enough for You - Sounded Beautiful  - my
highlight for the second set. This one alone makes the
show worth having.

Seven Below - My first one - I very much enjoyed it -
clean and tight! Perfect length, good jammin - 

Pebbles & Marbles  - Very nice jam - I heard this way
too much during Trey's summer tour - Looks like it is
becoming a staple during tour now. Personally - i
thought it should have been shorter and they should
have thrown in one more before the set closed.


Encore: Golgi Apparatus, - short but awesome! Did not
expect it!!

 Anything But Me - nice, but should have been skipped
in favor of a much longer Tweezer reprise

 Tweezer Reprise - awesome but way too short.

SHOW WAS GOOD - BUT NOT GREAT - ALSO, WAAAAY TO MANY
13 AND 50 YEAR OLDS GOING TO SHOWS JUST BECAUSE ITS A
HOT TICKET!!!!

SORRY FOR THE NOT SO GOOD REVIEW - BUT HONESTY IS THE
BEST POLICY!

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