6-19-04 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

please review the show, not the other reviews....

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2004 10:42:49 -0400
From: glenn roth
Subject: Phish show review, Sat. June 19, 2004, SPAC

This was my last show and I just wanted to say thanks to the guys because
when the dust settles and people go back and listen to the tapes this
will go down as one of the greatest shows of all time. If you were there
you know what I'm talking about. If you missed it, I'm truly sorry. I
left on such an emotional high and made peace with the band's decision to
disband. I could not have asked for a better way for them to say goodbye
to me. A first set that included Reba, Runaway Jim, NICU and Wolfman's
Brother - I was laughing with excitement. And the Piper jam in the second
set was out of this world. I thought they were going to continue the jam
the rest of the show. That 40-minute jam is why we loved this band so
much over the years. Once again - thanks Trey, Mike, Page and Fish for
making this world a better place.
Peace and love
Glenn



Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 20:29:08 EDT
From: Srandallf
Subject: show review 6-19-04

Saturday June 19, 2004 S.P.A.C
by Scott Ferraro
Im 32 and have been going to phish shows since 1990. Honestly, I lost my
deep interest in the band a few years back for various reasons. The past
5 or 10 shows I have seen in the past 8 years have in my opinion, been
dissapointing compared to the experience of the earlier club days.
However, when I got a chance to go to this show I was very excited. To my
delight, I was introduced to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. It is
hard to put into words just how perfect this place is. The wonderful tall
trees, pathways through woods, streams and bridges and the stage and
building. wow! An architectural delight set amongst a natural setting so
perfect that Im still feeling the positive energy 24 hours later. So,
starting off on such a good note, I was bound to be happy no matter what
the music turned out to be like.
The music. Well, the music was not much different that the previous
dissapointing shows that I had been to. There were some really great
musical moments as usual, but overall, their later period sound tends to
give me a headache eventually. Still, I could not help but be swept away
by the great energy and passion the band displayed. Maybe its been a
while for me, but I do not ever remember seeing Trey so completely insane
with his head! Man, the guy must have a great chiropracter. He was
totally into the moment as was the band and the 25,000 fans, including
me. I loved it, every minute of it and unlike my more recent phish
experiences, I forgot about analyzing it all and making judgments about
all the musical shortcomings. These guys are very very intense and
powerful. Im so glad I was there.
--just prior to the show I was walking to the restroom when the girl
walking in front of me skipped off to the side.....then I see a stream of
water coming from the sky, look up and see a guy taking a piss from way
up in a tree. The bathroom lines were very long, obviously. I will never
forget this image.
Also, to add to the delightful surrealism that was engulfing the entire
venue, there was a screened in porch area connected to a building at the
far end. Behind the screen were candle-lit tables and people dining with
formal clothes on, not paying any attention to the oddities just inches
from them, including the many girls and guys pissing behind the shrubs
just feet away from them. (did anyone else notice this?) It apeared to be
a wedding reception or something similar. It was very unusual and a great
way to end my phish experience.
---to the overly aggresive security people constantly grabing at my
camera....get a life! And, $5 for a water is a bit much. And, how about
an exit sign in the parking lot?
I put a couple photos here
http://www.scottferraro.com/photos04.html



Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:23:05 +0000
From: d.f. wagener
Subject: Phish show review 6/19/04 SPAC

drove up from DC just for saturday's show, and had a great time.  my last 
show prior to it was the sub-par 11/29/03 philly.  last night's was much 
better by comparison.  i didn't think there was a dull moment, not to 
mention few flubs that i could hear (except the cavern lyrics).  the reba 
opener reeled me in from the beginning.  the band seemed to be in a very 
focused, creative mood, with the result being a lot of intense, 
exploratory 
jams, the best of which was the piper.  there was a nice glowstick war 
during this one, and everyone was into it.  cavern, to me, was a great 
closer.  wading is not one of my favorites, but a lot of people appeared 
to 
be digging it.  the venu was nice and so was the weather.  i wasn't at the 
keystone shows, but i'm guessing the atmosphere at SPAC might have been 
better.  it had a more woodsy, open feel to it.  overall an excellent show 
from a band on its way out.  i support their decision to go out on top and 
i 
think if they play at the level they played last night for the rest of the 
summer, they'll do just that.

hope tonight's show rocks.  see everyone at coventry.

-dan




Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 10:23:13 -0400
From: Alejandro Tamargo 
Subject: 6-19-04 SPAC review

What a great weekend.  The weather was perfect- 70 degrees and sunny.  We
got into the lot both nights right around 4:00 with little or no traffic.  
We parked in almost exactly the same spot both nights, had plenty of time
to chill out, cook some good food, drink some beers and explore the lot.  
No hassles, just fun and good times.  It was just a fun weekend overall.  
Now onto the show:

Set I: Reba, Runaway Jim, NICU> Scents and Subtle Sounds, Wolfman's
Brother, Walls of the Cave> David Bowie

Reba was completely unexpected.  I was bouncing up and down.  So much fun.  
The jam part at the end was as usual, beautiful.  No whistling this time 
though.  Instead onto...

Runaway Jim-  Nice!  Another bouncy fun dancing song.  And this version 
absolutely ripped.

NICU- One of the songs I really wanted to see at least one more time
before it was all said and done.  So happy to hear it.  Another really fun
song.

Scents- Took me a second to figure out what it was because there was no
intro.  Probably the only lowlight of the show for me.  I love Scents.  
But the intro is the best part.  I also feel like they really need to
start from the beggining and work their way up to the jam part.  I don't
like them starting Scents in the middle any more than I'd like it if they
started YEM in the middle.  As a result, I felt the jam fell a little flat
and lacked energy.  But whatever, this is the last tour ever, so in my
book, they can do whatever they want and I'll be dancing.

Wolfmans- Woohoo!  I've now seen three Wolfman's post hiautius (1-3-03 and
12-1-03) and they've all been fantastic.  Page controls the jam with the
funky clav and the other three add their parts beautifully.  Groovy phish
phunk.  I love it!

Walls- I was dissapointed when I heard the opening notes, but not because
I didn't want to see it, but because my good friend from Oregon was coming
in for the second night of SPAC only and really wanted to see his first
Walls.  Unfortunately he missed it by one night.  And even more
unfortunately he missed an incredible version.  Highlight of Set I.  They
actually returned to the Silent Trees referain twice.  The first time they
did, I thought that that was it and that they hadn't taken the climatic
jam high enough to be ending so soon.  But then, they rocked on for at
least another five to ten minutes and this time they did take the climatic
jam (and the crowd) as high as can be before bringing it back down and
finishing the song.  It would have been okay by me if they had gone right
into Bowie there, but instead, an unexpected crazy space jam that segued
beautifully into the high hat.

Bowie- Not a standout version.  But come on, how often are they really
going to play a standout version.  1 out of every 20, 30 times?  It may
have been standard, but it was Bowie and it was good.  A great way to
finish off a great first set.



Set II: Song I Heard The Ocean Sing, Piper> Tweezer Reprise Jam> Jam>
Gotta Jibboo> Limb By Limb, Cavern Encore: Wading in the Velvet Sea


SIHTOS- I think I'm repeating what a thousand other people have said- but
it is such a shame they're leaving because in another year this song could
be one of the best in their repitoire, once they had time to really
develop it.  It's not there yet though.  However, after a slow start to
the jam, it really took off.  Funky grooves and Simple teases were abound.  
Nice jamming.

Piper>Tweezer Reprise Jam-  OH MY GOD!   The highlight of the show for 
sure. 
  What was going on here?  After some nice funk laid down beautifully by
Page and Mike, they launch into a Tweezer Reprise Jam.  I've altered the
setlist to read the way I think it should read.  This was no tease.  This
was a full on Tweezer Reprise without the lyrics.  I'd have to hear the
discs to be sure, but I thought I even heard Page do the Tweezer theme
once on his piano.  Anyway, this Tweeprise jam was the pinnacle.  I was
watching the monitor, and Trey was shaking his head around like crazy
making jam faces and jumping around.  Kuroda cranked up the lights and the
crowd was insane.  Wow!  Moments like these are why I come to Phish.  
After the Tweeprise jam more nice funk from Page and Mike.  Then a long
exploratory jam that just wouldn't stop.  They were on fire.  Depending on
who you ask, there were several diifferent teases heard here.  I was
hearing Simple (again) and Ghost.  My girlfriend swears she heard Back on
the Train. This guy we met at our campground heard Boogie On.  Then of
course alot of us heard Jibboo, and that's where they decided to go next.

Jibboo- I've read a few posts on message boards and reviews where people
have said that the setlists were obviously preplanned.  I think this is a
case where it clearly wasn't planned.  They just went where the spirit
moved them to go.  And that's beautiful.  How often do you see a mid-set
Jiboo coming out of a jam like that? Not often, if ever.  And it was a
great Jiboo.  Great fun.

Limb by Limb- I was shocked to hear a late second set Limb. I wanted to
hear this song, but thought I would have to wait for the following night.  
But girlfriend actually called it, saying that almost every time she sees
Piper she sees Limb.  Never would have guessed it myself.  This was no
ordinarly Limb.  Clearly the band was feeling like exploring this night,
and wouldn't let themselves be confined to the normal jam structure of a
typical Limb by Limb.  They just did what they felt like doing, and it
resulted in a fantastic jamming session.  They didn't ever return to the
theme however, because they had just gotten so out there that it wouldn't
have made sense.  So instead they just stopped jamming so they could end
the set with.....

Cavern- Nice closer!  Great energy.  So what if Trey flubbed the lyrics
again?  People who complain about that obviously never saw the Dead in 95.  
I'm thinking back to 7/8/95 in Soilder Field, the second to last GD show.  
They encored with an instrumental version of U.S. Blues, with occasional
moans and groans from Jerry, which I guess were his attempts to sing.  I
don't ever want to see Phish reach that point.  Which is why I'm okay with
them quitting on a high note.  Anyways, I digress.  Great Cavern,
incredible set!

Encore:  Wading.  Slightly dissapointed, but you know what, it's the last
tour, and this song is beautiful.  They certainly don't need to jam
anymore, they've done plenty of that for one night.

What a great great show!  And a really fun time.  Second night would prove 
to be just as great.  But I'll post that review with the other 6-20 
reviews.


Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 09:35:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: Redmond Haskins
Subject: june 19th phish review

It was my 18th birthday and we drove up from rochester New York very
excited. First set I was on the lawn and I was cramped up against the
rails with out any room to dance. The sound was alright nothing special,
but still good enough to keep the crowd moving.
 
SET I
 
Reba- nice to hear this, the composed section was nailed pretty good and
the jam following is always fun, pretty solid reba nothing outstanding
but a good song to open the show and set the vibe of what was to come
 
Runaway Jim- song followed Reba very quickly, one of my favorites it was
very nice to here.
 
NICU- decent version, nothing special
 
Scents and Subtle Sounds- i could hear this during soundcheck so it
wasn't a surprise it was coming. My favorite song of the new album i love
the very chill and relaxed jam. It is calm and still get things moving.
 
Wolfmans brother- love this song, when pages stands up and starts nailing
keys on the clavinet everyone starts feeling the funk. A very funky
version, well played.
 
Walls of the Cave- also played during soundcheck wasn't a surprise. When
trey starts wailing on those power chords in "the silent trees" section
everyone feels that jam
 
David Bowie- pretty rushed into, solid short jam, a good set closer
 
SET II
 
 
A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing- the 2nd set was fired up with the playing
of this song, a very vibrant and powerful jam, though still very
surprised that was played only 2 nights after Brooklyn...? Who knows
 
Piper- seems to be the song on everyones mind. I can't depict how much
energy was in SPAC during this jam. Every note each member played
coincided with the others making this the best live experience i've ever
seen. One needs to check this jam out
 
Gotta Jibbo- i knew it was coming, i heard mikes bass rift, and i knew it
was coming. I didn't really like this version, nothing like Burgettstown
last year, but fun to hear i guess.
 
Limb By Limb- very excited to her this song, one of my favorite phish
songs, very calm relaxed jam following is always a plus!
 
Cavern- what a set closer, got everyone fired up and wanting some more
 
Wading in the Velvet Sea- A good song but wanted something diffrent, you
can't always get what you want.
 
Over all this show gets a B/B+ it was a great B-day present, thanks phish
for the great weekend




Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 14:40:49 -0500
From: Bill Davis 
Subject: Phish show review - 6/19/04 SPAC night 1

Phish, Saratoga Springs, NY
6/19/04 SPAC

This trip was a spur of the moment decision, brought on by two of my
friends having an extra ticket for this show and the second night of SPAC
as well.  We drove the 13 hours from Chicago to SPAC, a beautiful venue
near Johnstown, NY. I have just one gripe: handle your drugs people! While
the majority of the people we met at the show were kind and
non-threatening, some people on the lawn really need to make sure they can
handle whatever they^Òre taking. Besides some rude people that have no
concern for anyone else^Òs personal space, my buddy got thoroughly elbowed
in the back of the head by some dude wasted out of his mind. My friend
wasn^Òt necessarily pissed off that he got hit^Å he was furious that the
guy went back to yelling at the top of his lungs and flailing about
without even attempting to apologize. But enough bullshit^Å this show was
unbelievable. This was my other friend^Òs 50th show, and he had been
fairly disappointed with the 3 Vegas shows he attended. The smile across
his face and the occasional, ^ÓWow^Ô or ^ÓThis is unbelievable^Ô coming
from his mouth made it all worth it.

Set 1: Reba, Runaway Jim, NICU -> Scents and Subtle Sounds, Wolfman's
Brother, Walls of the Cave -> David Bowie

Reba: What an unlikely opener. I knew the show was going to be tight when
they nailed the composed section of this song, one of the toughest ones
they play. The jam was just mesmerizing, beautiful and fulfilling. What a
great way to start off the show.

Jim: The lawn let out a roar when they started off Jim, only my second
ever.  The beat and power they put into this song made it feel like the
perfect selection to play on a brisk summer evening. Again, the jam was
focused and thrilling. I couldn^Òt believe how unbelievably tight they
sounded, especially Mike. This Jim was great.

NICU: Besides Ya Mar, this is my other quintessential Phish summer song.  
Nothing unusual, just a great composed song to get everyone dancing.

Scents: NICU segued into Scents, and the intro was real interesting,
taking me about a minute to understand what they were playing. The timing
of this song seemed a little out of place, but the jam made up for it once
again.  They really played this well and a thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wolfman^Òs: Mike fucking owned this song. I felt like I was going to drown
in the funk! This Wolfman^Òs was absolutely off the charts, so deep and
funky that my legs hurt by the end of the song. The highlight of the show
at this point.

Walls: I love this song, but I was a little bummed thinking that this
might end the set. The Walls I saw last year at Deer Creek was tremendous,
so I was expecting this one to exceed it^Å and of course it did. This song
was even better than Wolfman^Òs, hitting a few peaks that were out of
control.  Chris did such an amazing job with the lights during this song,
perfectly anticipating when they were going to build tension and then
busted out huge lights when they hit their peak. I would have been more
than happy if the set ended here, but instead^Å

Bowie: Fish started the drum tap to Bowie, and all I could do was smile. I
can^Òt add anything except to say that this Bowie closed the set on such a
high note. The last 3 songs of the set made this one of the best sets of
Phish I have ever heard live. The three of us collapsed on the lawn,
eagerly awaiting the second set.


Set 2: A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Piper -> Gotta Jibboo -> Limb By
Limb, Cavern

Song: I haven^Òt listened to their new album, so I had no idea what song
this was. However, once it got going, it raged. What I had noticed at this
point is that Trey wasn^Òt going off on huge tangents anymore. Instead,
the whole band was playing so beautifully together, which I loved. This
song confirmed this.

Piper: I like Piper, but I^Òve found I can only listen to a select few on
tape since the song tends to get too spacey for me. Nevertheless, a
concert is different, so I nodded my head in agreement as they started the
song. I was praying for some focus in this song^Å what I got was so much
more. I believe out of all the many Phish shows I^Òve seen, this may have
been the best jam I^Òve ever heard. This song alone made the 26 hours of
driving worth it and reminded me of why I love this band. There were so
many peaks and levels played in the 30+ minutes that my mind totally let
go. They teased Walk Away and Tweezer Reprise a bunch of times and the
lights were just crazy the whole time. It was just orgasmic^Å if you can
handle it, LISTEN to this Piper!

Jibboo: Somehow, they segued into Jibboo. I^Òll be honest, I really don^Òt
remember this Jibboo at all^Å I was still recovering from the Piper. I do
recall that I enjoyed it, but it was nothing special.

Limb: One of my friends has heard over 20 Limb^Òs, so he was a little
upset as they segued into the song. However, he even remarked later that
this song was great. Just wonderful improvisation from the boys.

Cavern: The venue went nuts when they started Cavern. Trey was doing great
until the last 4 or 5 lines of the song, and then we went blank. I wasn^Òt
annoyed at all. In fact, I found it hilarious. From the giant screens, we
could tell from his facial expressions that Trey was laughing at himself
and he redeemed himself during the chorus. A solid way to end a great set.


Encore: Wading in the Velvet Sea Personally, I love many of Phish^Òs
ballads, such as Wading, Dirt, FEFY and If I Could. After such a rocking
show filled with so much hose, I was extremely happy to hear Wading. This
was my 4th Wading and it also happened to be my 4th encore^Å go figure.
This song was unbelievably beautiful, with Trey hitting those precious
high notes in just the right way. It left me teary eyed.


Besides some rude people on the lawn, the only other thing that sucked
about SPAC was their total lack of preparation for traffic. It took us
just under 2 hours to make it out of the venue, and I consider us lucky.
Over all, this was a quality show with many highlights. I can^Òt wait to
listen to the tapes. Enjoy the rest of the tour!

^ÓWhatever you do, take care of your shoes.^Ô


Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 22:15:01 -0400
From: Jon Berliner
Subject: Phish show review 6-19-04

Instead of wasting everyone's time trying to recapture the entire show, I
am going to get straight to the point.  PIPER.  The best song I have ever
seen in concert, any concert.  As soon and the opening notes began to
play the crowd exploded.  The energy level could not have been any
higher.  The beauty of SPAC, the music, the lights, the glow stick war -
every aspect of the 30+ minutes of piper were perfection.  This
song fully captures what Phish is about.  The boys feed off the crowd who
feed off the band.  Words cannot do this song justice.  After seeing the
boys play this one I feel at peace with the impending break up.


Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 10:31:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: dom lange
Subject: phish show review - 6/19/04
 
I have to admit....I was very hyped for these shows, and there was no way
that they could have lived up to my expectations, but I will say that
they were memorable, and there was one Jam in particular that stands out
in my mind.  I will go so far as to say that it was one of the 10-best
jams I have heard in my 80+ shows.  The Jam that I am refering to
is.....the ....... 6/19/04 Piper!  Now I will tell you that I am not a
huge fan of this song, and when the opening notes came out I rolled my
eyes, but man, this was something else.  The boys were totally on for the
entire tune, and although I'd like to think that they are always trying
to be "on" we all know that in recent past they had not always been
giving it their "all".  Having said that I will add that in recent jams
of this length I had found myself getting bored...but not tonight...not
on this tune...nosiree!  By the mid-point of the song I found myself
high-fiving the phans around me (yes that was me in the back of sec 8). 
The song bridged all of those different styles that one has come to
expect from a solid all-encompassing phish jam, and trey diddn't do too
much or too little...and he left space for mike page and fish to add that
special something that isn't there when trey is off all on his own.  I
won't go in to too much detail on this but I will tell all of you that
could't be here for this show...go out and get it and let me know if you
agree that it was something special.... because I only have 2 shows left
- 8/10 and 8/11 ( you know I'll probably limp into coventry) and I
hope...just hope that I get to feel that magic at least one more time!
 
-Dom




Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 08:48:51 -0400
From: william meland
Subject: 6-19-04

Had not seen Phish in 5 years (since Alpine Valley 1999).  It was a 
farewell.  Very respectable show.  The super long jam in set 2 was 
surprisingly interesting.  Picture of Nectar was a chill, yet very 
meaningful send-off to the crowd, & so was Velvet Sea.

The Phish crowd is unlike any you'll see.  It's like an Eden, by now 
all renewed since my early days (1996).  Most people at this show were 
way younger than me, and I'm 23.

By now, it's not relevant if this was or wasn't the greatest technical 
show; time is short.  The guys are still playing well... the climate of 
occasion is really there for the reasons we all know.  Thanks Phish.

Will Meland

Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 10:12:53 EDT
From: EnigmaKing88
Subject: Phish show review for 6/19 SPAC

6/19 Saratoga Preforming Arts Center, Saratoga, NY
 
Phish and SPAC. There are few combinations that are more perfect. We
arrived at 3, beat all the traffic (we heard it got so bad that friends
of ours walked a few miles to speed up the pace), and got a nice parking
spot under a tree. Nothing like shade in a lot. Speaking of the lot,
shakedown seemed rather subdued. We met up with our friends, went in, and
picked a nice spot on the spacious SPAC lawn.
 
Set I
 
Reba: I had been calling a Divided Sky opener for months before the show,
but, they played it in Brooklyn, so I changed my mind to Wolfman's. Out
of nowhere, Trey starts up the old familiar riff to Reba, that great
tale. The composed section was pretty much nailed, and the jam was its
usual moving self. The abrubt ending to Reba just seems so perfect: how
else can you end such an amazing song.
 
Runaway Jim - Trey started this one up pretty quickly, and the band
seemed eager to play this. In many ways, I view Jim as the ultimate
outdoor Phish song because it has that open and bouncy sound that just
goes hand in hand with summer.  
 
NICU - As soon as Jim ended, they started up this one. A nice, standard
NICU. Nothing remarkable, but a standard NICU is a great song
nonetheless.
 
Scents and Subtle Sounds - It took me a few moments to recognize what
this was because i lacked the intro that I always think about when I
think about this song. They went right into the rocking section. The
outro jam was sweet and the band was so clearly into it. They were into
it the entire night.
 
Wolfman's Brother - My fourth in four shows. This was the first song in
this show that I had called, and it was a nice version. Not as great as
the classic Albany Wolfman's from last December, but great in its own
right.
 
Walls of the Cave - We had heard Page practicing the intro during
soundcheck, so it wasn't that much of a surprise to hear him start this
one. At first, I felt a little dissapointment, but that was washed away
in a few moments. The "Silent Trees" section was jammed out incredibly,
sinking down a nice ambient jam before building back up to the "Silent
Trees" chords. Finally, Fishman started up that old familiar hi-hat
tapping and we all knew what was coming.
 
David Bowie - We knew this would be the set closer, but, no matter, this
was a song that I had wanted to hear, and I finally got it. The energy
during this song on the lawn felt amazing, but, then again, Bowie always
gives off high energy. This was not that long, but, after the long first
set they had given us, it was not bad that this was not insanely long.
 
Setbreak - Setbreak was an adventure between bathrooms, filling up water
bottles, and buying a pretzle. We made it back to the lawn just a bit
before the lights went down and set two was underway.
 
Set II
 
A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing - I was very surprised that they played
this one because they had played it just two days earlier on 6/17. This
jam got really far out there with the entire band clearly clicking
together. When I first heard this song, I had a feeling it could develop
into a monster, and, on this night, the monster was unleashed.
 
Piper - Trey started this one up pretty quickly after the last one. They
did the build up pretty quickly, getting to the words, and probably eager
to get to the jam. The jam is probably the best piece of live phish music
I have ever seen. My trying to describe it would be impossible. Everyone
should hear this version at all costs. Piper and A Song I Heard the Ocean
Sing combined for about 50 minutes from what I understand.
 
Gotta Jibbo - This came right out of the incredible Piper jam. The segue
was a little abrupt, but it didn't matter much. This song is just a
naturally great song to groove to. This jam was sweet, not as long as
Piper, but with just as much energy.
 
Limb By Limb - I did not see this coming at all, but Phish likes to
surprise me. A pretty nice version with an exceptional jam at the end.
This second set was all about jamming. The band was clearly having such a
great time enjoying the vibe at SPAC and enjoying their music.
 
Cavern - Another one that I had called, this Cavern was, in my opinion,
the perfect way to end this set. It brought us back down to earth as far
as jamming goes, but this was still
high-energy. Trey forgot a few of the words, but, who cares? I certainly
don't know them by heart.
 
Encore:
 
Wading in the Velvet Sea - Simply perfect. Looking back, there was no
encore that would have been more perfect then this. It was beautiful,
surreal, and magical. This song is beautiful to begin with, but combine
it with all that had come before it at this show, it goes beyond
beautiful.
 
Overall - Amazing. No further adjectives needed.

Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 10:44:19 -0400
From: Dominic Agostini

As a veteran phan who's never written a review, I've decided to write one
about my last phish show ever.  Let me start with the lot scene.  What lot
scene?  I have to admit, I was disappointed.  There are two main parking
lots at SPAC and we had to walk across the bridge to the far parking lot
to get any kind of scene.  Even there, we saw some police shut down some
vendors, which put a damper on things.  I saw some very cool shirts
though.  Early on I saw a shirt that said "Mike Says Yes" which put a big
smile on my face.  Funny enough, I saw one later on that said "Mike Says
No"...they both meant the same thing, it was just funny to see the irony.

The weather was perfect though - Mid-70's sunny and a nice breeze!

What I'm going to miss the most about pre-show festivities is the pure
energy there is entering the venue.  Its enough to give you goosebumps.  
Last night, there was some strong organic energy flowing through the
crowd.  It was definitely cool.  We scored amazing tix for the show and
ended up stage right, at about the 11th row.  Perfect location to be keyed
into Page.
  Quick statement about the security at the show - at least in my section,
they were tough on alot of people.  It wasn't until the 2nd set, when they
realized it was futile to try to contain the crowd, that they let us take
over the venue and enjoy ourselves.  Hopefully they learned their lesson
and will lay off during tonight's show.


Set I:
Reba, Runaway Jim, NICU ->, Scents and Subtle Sounds, Wolfman's Brother, 
Walls of the Cave ->, David Bowie

The first three songs kicked the show off in a BIG way.  Reba was solid
and the jam on Runaway Jim was inspired.  About mid-way into it, you could
see Trey take flight.  I was expecting more out of NICU, but still
appreciated its placement.  On the contrary, S&SS wasn't well placed at
all.  I'm beginning to like this song more and more, but I just wasn't
feeling it last night.  The next song didn't disappoint - Wolfman's was
crazed!  One of the better Wolfman's I've heard, the band's timing was
there and I thanked God again for being placed right in front of Page.  
It wasn't the setlist anchor like the 12/1/03 version at the Knick, but it
was still stellar.  Walls of the Cave - decently played, but as far as I
am concerned it was just a bridge to get us to DAVID BOWIE.  Great
placement in the set and really left us with the same energy we had coming
into the place.  Overall, I'd give the first set a solid B.


Quick note about the food at the venue - FUCKING $10 for a burrito, are
you on crack?!?!?!  Then you run out of cheese?!?!  That's just sinful.
Set II:

A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Piper ->, Gotta Jibboo ->, Limb By Limb, 
Cavern

Maybe I was in denial, but the band's permanent departure hit me during
ASIHTOS.  I had visions of Phish playing this song for years to come and
really having it take on a life of its own.  The band's still feeling
their way through this song.  Piper was NUTS.  I actually circled this on
the setlist I used to track the show...complete with a Tweezer Reprise
tease, the jam was f'in ON!  I was feeling Mike during this song and it
was one of a few times where I actually welcomed the high number of notes
Trey was playing.  It brought the place down and was the highlight of the
show.  The jam into Jibboo caught me off guard which once again made me
think about their departure.  After all these years and the hundreds of
hours of live shows I've listened too, they can be so unpredictable!  I
love that and will miss that.  Limb by Limb was solid and Cavern came in
as the set closer.  Once we heard the beginning of Cavern, the place went
wild.  One quick editorial on Cavern...it can be amusing when Trey flubs
the words, and Cavern - true to their earlier canon of work - is lyricly
intense, but the last 5 times I've heard Cavern, Trey's f'd up the lyrics.  
Trey left whole verses almost untouched last night.  Overall, I'd give the
second set an A(-).

Encore:

Wading in the Velvet Sea

Hmmm.  Not what I would have picked for an Encore.  Well played, but just 
not the closer I needed for my last show.

Overall, I'd give this show a B+.  There were moments of disappointment,
but Phish on an ok night is still 1000 times better than most bands.  
Would have really enjoyed Scent of a Mule...but it just wasn't the night.  
To Phish - thanks a great 20+ years.

Dominic Esquandolas (Marco's brother)


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