6-26-04 - Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI

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

Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 10:07:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Scott Blue
Subject: Phish, Alpine, 6/26

my buddy told me that my review for 6/25 was too sappy and too
over-the-top ^Ö oh well,

i was THAT happy about 6/25 ^Ö it was for me, better than the 2nd day at
the Went (yes, I

did love it THAT much);  it was better than Halloween ^Ò95;  it was
better than the 7/29/98

Big-Gin show;  it was better than anything I heard from ^Ò94 (save for
maybe 11/12/94) ^Ö and

WHY??  Because the jamming they play now (read, 6/25, 6/26), is the work
of masters ^Ö

what the jams lacked in outright insanity (like in ^Ò94) or
permagroove-consistency (like in

fall/winter ^Ò95), or even space-funk (fall ^Ò97) was made up w/
masterful, great-idea-lets^Ò-do-it,

execution..........these jams people, are the best jams they^Òve played
^Ö i^Òm sorry, flame me

as much as you^Òd like ^Ö but as much as i loved the younger, mid-90s
Phish, i always believed

they weren^Òt quite as good as everybody said  ^Ö they were ballsy and
reckless and beautiful,

but they had a long way to go to reach God-like status, and yet, they^Òd
already achieved God-like

status by ^Ò94 and ^Ò95..............so to me, we lost growth in ^Ò96,
^Ò98, ^Ò99 and ^Ò00.........they^Òd started

to believe their own press...........they were great, okay?  really
great. the best.  but the jams i heard

on friday and saturday were, quite simply, BETTER.  More intense.  More
focused. More intersting.

They had better flow ^Ö like a DJ at a rave..........dancing flow.  
Wondeful stuff.

 

Saturday took a while to get going ^Ö I wasn^Òt really touched until we
hit Stash and got that monster,

major-key, jam at the end........the Zero was INSANE too........and I was
hot for the 2nd set.....

the Boogie that came out in set II was a funk monster.............and
again, to me, this is better funk

than ^Ò97 ^Ö i can^Òt explain it ^Ö it^Òs just hotter, nastier funk, and
far more rhythmically intense than the

^Ò97-^Ò99 funk.   Period.    A great Free, played perfectly w/ a great
jam, a funkathon Ghost, and w/ the

exception of the heavy-overdrive, guitar part in Hood, which Trey
butchered HARD ^Ö another monster,

2nd set.

 

But lets stop wasting time and cut to the real story ^Ö PIPER.

 

I won^Òt waste time even trying to describe this tune ^Ö I^Òve never
heard a band play anything like this

PIPER ^Ö drum and bass (i^Òm talking electronica folks) galore ^Ö this
tune is SO tight and so hot and

so CRAMMED full of creative energy ^Ö a liquid-smooth version that does
not bore and grind ^Ö it flowed

like liquid, metal down a hot, steel, slide..........up and down;
stop-start;  HOT!!!

 

And the last Possum I^Òll ever see to end the show and my touring career
w/ the band???

Screw the naysayers ^Ö these guys have never touched me this much in 8
years of heavy-duty listening.

We had 10 monster jams in 2 days (doubt me, get the torrents my
friends);   Somebody said they

were going through the motions......what???   Dig out your 7/8/2000
Alpine show if you want to hear, ^Ógoing

thru the motions^Ô, please!!!!

 

Thank you boys ^Ö we^Òll miss you.



Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 13:39:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: David Miller 
Subject: 6-26-04 Alpine Valley Review

Alpine Valley, WI

6-29-04 - My 60th show

 

We got to the lot around 2:30pm and we were the first hundred or so cars
there^Å.

They really packed people in and I felt bad for folks whose cars
were sandwiched between two others with no escape until they pulled out.
Great venue overall but security was out of control. They were more like
the US Army on House to House searches in Iraq, busting people left and
right, I felt bad for the folks next to us that got their entire large
ziplock bag of nugs taken away but they weren^Òt being too responsible
passing a bowl around in broad daylight. They were lucky they didn't get
arrested and locked up. Thank to Alpine for the plentful and clean
porto-johns during the pre show.On to the show..

 

SET I

Access Me  - Fun song but bad choice for an opener^Åthis might be the
first and last time they play this song so I guess that^Òs cool but the
song isn^Òt very good^Åhas a neat country tinge to it but very short and
too new to get the crowd going. After sitting and waiting for 5 hours for
the show to being, this was not my idea of an opener^Åwhat happened to
Punch or Buried Alive?

Scents and Subtle ^Ö Nicely played, wish they had a couple more years to
develop this one^Åsort of has that ^ÓYou can feel good about Hood^Ô jam,
mellow stuff here.. Trey leads this jam and it goes in the same direction
for the first 8 minutes and then tapers off when the lyrics come
back^Åmuch like Hood.

 

Stash ^ÖSaw this in NYC (more on this later) so I wasn^Òt so psyched to
hear it, plus they aren^Òt playing this song like they used to. Stash
used to be the Tweezer of the first set, with crazy explorations of
sound, now it is much like the album version.

The jams goes on and on and peaks without much exuberance^Å.

 

Moma Dance ^ÖAnother song I heard in NYC^ÅI was getting a little bored at
this point.

 

Then Divided Sky^ÅAnother song I heard in NYC^ÅI was happy for people
(like my fiancé) who have not heard this before but Divided Sky is
beautifully composed and I appreciate it but becomes boring to me after
hearing it so many times.

 

Wilson ^Ö This is getting ridiculous^Åthe 4th song in a row that also
heard just last week. I consulted my friend Josh and he said ^Ówell
that^Òs what you get when a band doesn^Òt practice for a few years^Ô but
I said (after Dinner and a Movie, Curtain with, Rift  and Glide on this
same tour) they have played a ton of old material.  This Wilson was only
4 minutes, not much happening here as far as extended jamming is
concerned.

 

Funky Bitch ^Ö Always a pleasure to hear^ÅNice organ work from Page, he
really took this one over and nailed it.

 

Character Zero ^Ö Why didn^Òt they open with this?! That would have
gotten the place rocking and got the show of to a decent start^Åsolid
hard drumming form Fishman on this one^ÅTrey had some nice effects going
too.

Overall this set was probably the weakest 1st set on tour. One of the
weakest sets I have ever heard live^ÅThere just weren^Òt many moments of
bliss here^ÅI was hoping for something memorable in set II, this was my
(and probably many other folks^Ò) last show ever!

 

SET II

 

Boogie on Reggae Woman- Very nice^Ålet^Òs get this party going^Åvery
funky version. Mike is on FIRE!!! during this one, the base line form
3:00 minutes -6:00 is pretty much a solo^Å Page is on the mini moog and
organ and playing with a  fever^ÅSounded very Phish 97^Ò throughout!  At
around 6:00 the jam begins.. Really thought they were going to go into
^ÓLet Me Take You to Funky Town^Ô  But that part kind of tapered off
after a few bars and they I would not label this as ^ÓAlpine Valley Jam^Ô
or whatever the Phish people want to call it, the theme of Boogie on was
there throughout the entire song and it was only 13 minutes
long^Åanything over 20 minutes I could see labeling it ^ÓDarien Jam or
Pittsburgh Jam, etc but this jam did not warrant this label.

At around 8:00 the jam becomes more rocking and natural sounding^Å.Trey
is playing straight electric guitar without much effects, Page is on
piano and Gordon has switched off the funky bass. At 9:45 the jam is in
full gear^Å.literally raging here^Å(one notch down for the Piper Jam from
SPAC) that was an explosion! This was raging rock music, not much funk
here until^Å.12:30^Å.they bring it down a little and Trey is definitely
leading this one^Åhe knows exactly where he wants to take this jam^Å

 

Ghost -  very smooth transition here, the funk has been resurrected^Ånot
as natural as a perfect segue but darn close^ÅStandard opening^Å.from
4:00 ^Ö6:00 minutes the jam kind of meanders a bit. Around 6:05^ÅListen
to Mike and Trey^Å.They both are playing really fast notes, sounded a bit
like a light machine gun, they are definitely playing off one another and
it works quite well^Å.Trey brings the jam up a notch at 7:55 with some
sizzling high pitched guitar licks^Åin the background Page is making some
really cool spacey fills. Sort of like a space ship coming in for a
landing^ÅThe band is not even close to being out of control or even
spacey but there is an ambient/funky element happening here^Å.very
ghostlike^Å9:30 Trey with some more great guitar effects^Å.this time
incredible use of digital delay^Ånot the usual high pitched long looping
sound but very short subtle bum bum bum effect! Still a very mellow jam
here at 11min..Page is back on the organ and breaking through this morass
of sounds^ÅAt 12 minutes Trey does some really cool octave-bending
jamming^Å.At 12:45 it was beautiful and lasts for a few more minutes.
This is what I hope to hear at every show!!! Thank you for playing such
an inspiring jam during my last show^Å.The crowd was really into it here
and we all knew that the band had finally reaching that higher level we
all know and love. The Boogie>Ghost was 29 minutes of bliss^Å Ghost kind
of ends and Free begins

 

     Free ^Å.I wouldn^Òt call this a true segue but they band did not stop
                                    playing.

This was only song I was very psyched to here after the NYC shows because
it was so well played there^Å.they are loving this song right now and
most definitely will play Free in Coventry^Å.I think Trey was getting
kind of emotional during this one, his voice was cracking a bit^Åmaybe I
was the emotional one^Å.Nice placement after too very funky songs^Å4:00
Mikes gummy bass kicks in 5:00 Trey comes back with some licks of his
own^ÅMike and Trey are going at it..Fish bangs in at 6:00 and keeps it
moving^Åthe jam is slow moving right now, with Trey playing very subtle
tones^Ånice smooth funk happening now^Å7:55 more nice licks from Trey^Åhe
is choosing his notes wisely here and not just playing faster to get the
jam moving^Åjust playing a few tear jeaking type notes^Åbluesy and funky
here..Mike still squirting the bass line out. 9:45, Jam heads to the
closing refrain^ÅPage is going nicely on Piano now^Å

 

Friday Unexpected and surprisingly GOOD placement here^ÅAfter Phish Jams
about 40+ minutes, Friday was  a great breather^ÅThis some was played
with great emotion^Å.

(I would have loved a sleeping monkey or horn but Friday did just fine)

5:15..I really like the guitar part here, it really translates well with
the lyric and overall tone of the song.

 

Piper  Another one of those ^Ówe are clearly enduing this song but we are
not going to stop playing altogether^Ô segues. After hearing about (and
finally hearing ) the Piper Jam at the SPAC (probably the jam of the
tour) I was expecting something good^Å.5:00 Fishman is wailing away, Trey
is playing the breaking effect on his guitar and things are sounded
pretty good. Fishman is really keeping good pace with this one^Å.He is
blazing with great rolls and fills^Å(5:45 ^Ö7:00) It is ALL Fishman at
7:45!!! He is just kicking it here^ÅTrey and Page are playing some fast
moving notes. Crannnang Baaaanggg. Baaaanng from Trey^ÅDun dun dun
duuunnnn from Fishman^Åcool baaang from Trey and stutter step rifts from
Fishman! 10:00 Sounds like Birds of a feather for a few
measures^Å11:30^Åjam slows^Ålight jamming still excellent playing from
Fishman, very spacey acid jazzy stuff happening, Fish is just banging and
Trey at 12:25 just finds this great effect^Å.sort of harsh sounding but
really innovative here^Å14:30 jam moves into more rock territory and
becomes more familiar. Fishman ruled this Piper. I have to listen to the
SPAC piper again, I^Òm curious to see if Fishman has this much influence.
Overall, a very strong interesting piper. 16:00 the FUNK somehow returns
but^Å^Å.the jam ends and just tapers off^Å.very bizarre they could have
really gone off hear but Hood was next..

 

Hood ^Ö  Hood was Hood, good but nothing out of the ordinary^Å.

 

      E. Possum -  ^ÓYour end is the road^Ô glad this will be my last live
                             Phish song^ÅI love it!

           Great 2nd set 2nd night at Alpine...I enjoyed it immensly.

         Enjoy Coventry^Åit will be historic, musically emotionally and
      culturally, sad that I am not going to be able to make it. Wanted to
     thank Andrew (Gadiel.com/phish) , Dan (http://www.phish.net/reviews/)
         Ihoz.com (not sure of your name) thank you for setting up this
    incredible database!!! I have consulted it so many times during so 
many
                                   bustouts.

 

Also, wanted to thank the countless other people who have took the time
to run phish related websites, post show reviews, put up setlists,
initiate FLAC feeds etc. Bye everyone^Åbe well and keep listening to
enlightening music. peace -David Miller





Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 15:39:03 -0500
From: Bill Mutter
Subject: Phish show review 06/26/2004

After the last 8 years of going to Phish shows and witnessing my final
show at Alpine Valley
I thought I'd put my two cents in with my first and last review.
 
I will not be doing a song by song review but more of a quick summary.
 
Set One: Great Set!! Stand outs for me Stash and Moma dance but all and
all a solid set.  Oh and let me just say what all you "wanna be" guitar
players don't ever say.  Good playing TREY
 
Set Two: Very Nice but a little short.  Boogie on was jammed more than I
have heard well...ever.  Free and ghost were tight and welcome in the set
as well. 
 
Encore: Possum. The First song I ever saw live and now will be the last. 
I like everyone else was hoping for more but, hey it was a tight possum.
 
Extra note:  Fishman druming was incredible.  He is the most underpraised
drummer in the buisness today.(In my opinion of course ; )
 
Let me just say one last thing about Phish and there fans.
I came into the scene not ever hearing the band before, not knowing about
there loyal fans or anything.  I was won over by incredible music and a
fan base that was respectful and welcoming of newbies.  Thats what I will
alway remember about Phish.  Those of you that think you have any right
to bitch about Phish and the scene and the price of tickets and the Trey
and Dave tour Etc.. should be ashamed of yourselfs.  You know what ended
the fun.YOU.  Phish does not control the concert tickets Ticketmaster and
Clear Channel do so if you don't like high prices do something about it. 
I heard one person saying Trey is an ego maniac and its his fault because
he has sold out.  You know what, NONE OF YOU can do what he does and for
so long so you are not in any position to complain.  We are here to have
a fun and an experience not bitch about Trey flubs and rising ticket
prices.  Those few people sucked to life out of Phish.  I shouldn't
matter what they play for this tour at all.  Just enjoy it while it's
still here.   Trey, Mike , Jon, Page. Thank you for taking chances (even
if they sometimes didn't work) Thank you you for putting in over half of
your lifes for the enjoyment of others like me, and most of all Thank You
for showing almost all of us what "Jamband" really means. So good bye to
Phish and goodbye to the true phans and over all great people I have met
at shows in the last 8 years. You have, in ways, made me what I am
today.  Always a fan! Pharewell.    Peace,      Brady



Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 08:40:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ryan O'Malley
Subject: Alpine -- June 26th

Okay, this was my last Phish show ever, after seeing
somewhere in the 30's since the fall of '96.  I made
it to the Friday night show too, so I after that show,
I considered this one a bonus, as the night before
rocked the house!  So, here's my last Phish review:

Access Me: I thought this was a great way to open the
show.  I'm sure some disagree, but this song is fun
and short and new.  It's bouncy too, so it just
started to get everyone moving again after what had to
be a long night for most.

Scents: Same segue as is on the album out of Access. 
I personally like this song better when they have the
first part in there, but you just can't beat the jam
at the end.  Very Hood-esq.  Made me feel happy and
glad to be with my family for one last show.  Good
version.

Stash: Another great tune.  Great version as well.  If
you check phish.com, it says that Trey and Mike
adjusted their mic stands in jest.  I saw this, but to
me it just looked like their stands needed to be
adjusted.  If someone can explain the joke, please let
me know.

Moma: Good funky Moma.  Not the best that I've seen,
but again, I was glad to see it one last time!  Good
stuff though.

The Divided Sky: They've been playing this song a lot
more frequently than they used to, which I don't
really like because I put this up there as one of the
most special Phish songs ever.  But to hear, again,
one last Divided Sky at sunset really got the tears
flowing.  They played it flawlessly too.  Just a GREAT
Divided, start to finish.  No mellowed out jam or
anything.  A Divided the way it used to and should be.
 

Wilson: Heard this a lot now, so it's hard for me to
get excited about it, but it was good.  

Funky Bitch: I saw Mike in the parking lot the night
before and someone yelled this at him as he drove by,
so it was fun to hear them actually play it.  Good
solos by Page and Trey.

Character 0: Good stuff.  ALWAYS a rockin' tune. 
Great first set closer.  Keeps you wanting more.  

Set 2

Boogie On: The title pretty much explains it all.  I'm
not usually a huge fan of this song because I get
tired of the one chord jam at the end.  This was not
that though.  They got off the boom-chick jam and into
some serious funk.  I don't think I've danced that
hard in a while!!  Good stuff.

>Ghost: I'll always take a Ghost because it's one of
those tunes where you never know what you're going to
get out of the jam.  Another GREAT jam here too. 
Carried the funk out of Boogie and put it right into
Ghost.  

>Free: Heard too many of these too, but this was AGAIN
funky as shit.  I think they took the funk pills at
setbreak because, man did they come out with some
serious shit-your-pants funk in this set.  

Friday: The first line of this song says it all "I
crashed I burned".  Yes you did!  Why?   WHY?!!! 
Totally ruined the mood.  SO disappointing to hear
this.  You could almost hear a collective groan
through the crowd the very second they started this. 
It was like hitting a brick wall at 80 mph.  I almost
cried I was so disappointed in them.  

>Piper: Still to disappointed in the Friday to get
excited about this.  I can't explain in words how much
that ONE song killed this set.  I've heard a lot of
Piper's too, so that didn't help, but DAMN THEM for
playing that Friday.  

Hood: Okay.  I'm back.  Feeling good about Hood! 
Yes!!  No better way to end my Phish career than with
a Hood in my opinion.  Great Hood too.  Thank YOU Mr.
Minor.  

>Possum: After the Friday, I really thought that a
Wading encore was in the works, so when Trey started
the Possum riff, I was one relieved phan.  Good Possum
and a very fun way to walk away from the whole thing,
as it was one of the first Phish songs I ever heard on
tape.

Overall, I would rate these shows very high on my
scale (which has become very critical lately).  The
energy and tightness that once was there was back
again.  They are obviously not holding anything back
on this tour.  They are leaving everything on the
table, playing with a vibrancy and love that you would
expect from a last tour.  I will inevitably feel an
emptiness once this whole thing is over, but I am so
glad I got to experience it one more time with my
family and friends.  Thank you Phish for everything
you've done for me and every other phan around the
world!!

Ryan




Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 10:24:16 -0400
From: Jason Wheeler
Subject: Phish show review


Alpine...6/26/04

 

This was about my 22nd/23rd show- cant exactly recall and in my opinion
this may have been the sickest night I've seen! They had energy and I was
feeling every tune they played. In a way, it was almost depressing to
have it close for me- this may have been my last show and I feel like I
lost a little something. On the other hand, it has been a truly magical
experience over the last 6 years and I will surely miss it. Phish has
brought a lot of joy and pleasure to the phamily over the years and any
true fan should be grateful for the gift and wish them well with their
lives and their solo careers, if they so choose. Any way...

 

Access>S&SS- super sick for the new album- just goes to show where they
could have taken some of the new material. I was really into it for
hearing it only 1 or 2 times before

 

Boggie>Alpine Jam>Ghost>Free- this was a highlight for me through the
whole DeerCreek/Alpine week- I could not believe that shit! Truly
amazing- in boggie on trey slipped on the 2nd verse, fine with me- saw a
little smile and they made up for it with the most energetic jam I think
I have ever seen! This was seriously hot shit. Ghost was rad- I love this
tune and was calling for Boogie and Ghost all weekend so I was pretty
stoked to hear this. Free was beautiful as usual- a heavy jam, trey go
into it pretty deep and you could see them in the trance.

Divided Sky- GREAT GREAT GREAT!- WHAT THE HELL! This was the best divided
sky I've heard in a long time- there was a big pause before the swooping,
melodic work on trey/page section- when trey was standing there I could
just feel it- they played like it was the last time that they would ever
play these tunes, ya know? There was a real intensity, and honesty in the
music this night. The gods must have even smiled to this one- I made some
real strong mush tea and snuck it in- by this time I was on cloud 9 and
really pheeling the whole experience- jus being part of the music lets me
realize how important what Phish did really was, and still is

Friday- a good tune- they got heavy and very involved here- it was a good
come down for a few- a little relfection

Funky Bitch- props! They stuck it perfectly. I love the blues so this was
a treat

Character 0- awesome- I have heard this tune a lot but it still is great!

Mikes>I am...> Weekapaug- yeah yeah yeah! Heavy shit. This was a great
section in the show- I could see weekapaug coming- mike had a slight
tease throughout the show here and there if you listen close

Possum- this was great! Probably the last tune I will ever hear, unless I
can find a decent priced Coventry ticket. I really enjoyed this as an
encore tune and was so into it at the time..."Your end is the road!"

 

To phish- thank you from the bottom of my soul- I am so grateful to have
experienced the things I did over the years on the road, with phriends,
in the lot, the shows, everything- it was all positive and it all had its
place and reason. All good things must come to an end some day I guess. I
hope everyone else had as good a time as I did- the lot sucked but Deer
Creek was nice and friendly- good beers .good buds. All in all this was
the shit- enough said

 

Peace to all you heads and stay in the scene- MUSIC IS MAGIC, MUSIC IS
TRUTH AND WISDOM




Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 17:32:37 -0500
From: Peter Runge 
Subject: Phish show review - 6/26/04

This was my 4th and final Phish show (I saw the two Alpine shows last year
and this year). This may not be very impressive at all when compared to a
veteran 'head but I love Phish just as much as all of you. I may be only
14 but I really do understand the boys. I really do. On to the review...  
Friday night was amazing. It was easily better than either of the Alpine
'03 shows and the second set was the most important 80 or so minutes of my
life up until Saturday night. No one was sure what to expect except for a
huge effort from the boys. I heard a few Fluffhead rumors (but I'm pretty
sure they're saving that for a huge breakout at COVENTRY) and other
interesting guesses but the opener turned out to be Access Me. I love
Mike's songs and this is no exception. It was very upbeat and fun. A nice
opener. Not much different than the Undermind version. > into Scents.
Nice. I love SSS and this was the best version that I have heard yet with
possibly the exception of the debut (7/7/03). It was incredibly beautiful.
However, it seemed that a lot of the crowd wasn't into it. How could you
not love such a beautiful moment? Anyway, it was possibly the highlight of
the set. After a lot of discussion, Trey stepped up to the mic and said
something along the lines of "we figure the more time we spend between
songs, the longer we'll be out here tonight." This recieved a huuuge roar
of applause from everyone. They were having a great time already. Stash
was slower than usual and everyone nailed the composed section. When the
jam started, Trey was playing these really nice bluesy licks. It got kind
of old though and the jam didn't sound so nice anymore. I didn't like it
that much until suddenly something changed late in the jam. Everything
fell into place and it felt so good. Suddenly it turned around and was
sooo good. Trey almost hit the peak but they missed and decided to bring
it home. An average, almost great Stash. The energy was climbing. After
more discussion onstage and Trey and Cactus rearranging their microphone
stand things, they funked right into Moma. The intro was incredibly
surreal. So funky and perfect. Trey's solo was the best I've heard in this
section of the song. Everything was perfect. But then, when the jam should
have started, Trey just played a few seconds or improv and then dropped
back into the Moma riff and brought The Dance to a close.  What??? It was
going so well! Oh well... it was good until the sudden ending. The energy
was still climbing. Dvd Sky was so beautiful. It's my buddy Dave's
favorite song and it was the tune that turned me onto Phish in the first
place so it was great to see at my last show. The composed sections were
played very well and with emotion. The quiet section was incredible. It
soared as did the jam. Trey peaked us right back into the theme. Great
Sky. The crowd erupted as the boys started up Wilson. This was a standard
version with no jam to be seen. The post-blat boom solo by Trey ripped
though. The energy at this point was peaking. > into Bitch was oh so
timely. Everyone was on their feet dancing like no one was watching.  
Page's solo was groooooovy and Trey's was inspiring. The energy had
reached the roof as C.Zero kicked in. A nice way to close the set but
nothing over the top (the C.Zero I mean). Overall, an average set I
suppose. It had it's moments though, that's for sure. We knew something
big was coming our way.  Everyone was excited; the boys were obviously
having a good time and so were we. It was many people's last show so we
knew they wouldn't just play another standard set. When they took the
stage and started talking, we knew they were ready to drop the first bomb.
BOOGIE ON!!! Man, they nailed it!  Mike and Page funked like this was his
last day on earth and even though Trey missed some lyrics, it felt like a
true effort. I don't know why livephish.com has the Boogie On jam labeled
as a separate jam because it isn't. It's just the first time that they've
jammed Boogie On since (I think) 9/18/99. Incredible. The jam kept
building and building until all of a sudden the tension was released and
the pavillion practically collapsed.  Trey was going insane and the whole
band was peaking. It was incredible.  After that they seemed to drop the
jam down into what I call the victory laps. They did 'em yesterday after
the 7Below jam peaked and they did it today after Boogie On, Ghost, and
Piper. Just like the frosting on the cake.  It -> perfectly into a slow
Ghost (which Al called). The Ghost was surreal.  Trey just grooved as
Page, Mike, and Fish funked around. Finally Trey entered and they started
messing around with all sorts of crazy rythms and themes. The peak of the
jam was so inspiring. They stuck with a theme for quite a while and they
kept increasing the volume and slowly speeding up.  Before we knew it,
they were all wailing and the place was bouncing! After the peak they took
it down into the victory laps again. This time it became ambient for a
second before the -> into Free. FREE!!! We truly were.  Everyone had their
hands in the air. We were all one with the band. Quite the moment. It was
definitely slowed down and I loved it. Mike's solos in the jam were deeeep
and funky. They broke it down a few times too. Page was funking around as
well. When Trey entered, he was just playing some simple yet perfect fuzzy
riffs. Before we knew it, the jam was far out and Trey was making all
sorts of noises. When they returned to the jam we're used to, Trey wailed
out the peak and everyone followed. Man, they sounded so good!  The return
to the theme was as good as it ever was and the ending was wonderful. The
best version I've heard of Friday was up next and provided a great
breather. Piper got a huge round of applause. It felt like a beautiful
wash of light and sound. They were like one united jamming machine that
kept speeding up... faster and faster. The verses faded in perfectly and
were right on. When the jam started, everyone was into it. They kept
grooving and grooving. The jam was mindblowing. Fish was so incredibly,
undeniably on fire! Trey was ripping out rythms and chords that I've never
heard out of him before. Mike and Page sounded incredible. This was
exactly like something that I've heard Trey talk about; riding the wave.
And they nailed it. They were jamming as one. Wow. The peak was
incredible. Surreal. Whoa.  And then after a few victory laps they dropped
right into Hood! EVERYONE LOST IT! Hood was played so well and
beautifully. It didn't cover any strange non-Hood territory. Just
straightforward Hood-hose. I loved every second of it. For many, the
encore would be the last song they would ever see Phish play live (myself
included). Possum was a great pick. Everyone was jumping up and down and
dancing like crazy. This Possum got leveled by a semi! Jesus! Incredible
energy and peak. What a way to go out. Thanks Phish



Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 11:14:53 -0600
From: Erik Steffenson esteffenson@careerpros.com
Subject: Phish show review 6/26/04


it is my responsibility to review this show because of some kind soul
that got me in the left gate at alpine.  i didn't have a ticket for
alpine so i used my deer creek ticket and was denied once.  the second
time i tried, the instant i was denied, some kid crashed the gate and
knocked the turnstyles over, thus letting me slip in!  the security
pounced on him and threw him out and i got in!!  THANK YOU SO MUCH DUDE! 
I OWE HIM THE BIGGEST DEBT OF GRATITUDE! 

 

anywho . . .let me backtrack to the lot.  security was HORRIBLE!  they
busted one of us for selling water!  give me a break.

 

other than that it was great to be around everyone for one last show.  i
began my phish experience at alpine and it was a perfect way to end it =
i traded some nugs for a cap which treated me very nicely;-P drank some
heady beer, was surrounded by all of you guys, and got in for free! 

 

on to the show. . . this was my 26th since my first in '98 and the boys
never once ceased to amaze me.  by the time i got in, they had just
finished S&SS (damnation! i missed access me, i love that tune cuz its
mikes quirky way about his voice that makes it one of the coolest tracks
on the new album)  so what!!  stash started up and then it was ON!!!  the
first set couldn't have been better, funk, divided sky, blues, and rock! 
what else could there be?  set 2!!!  holy cow the jam from boogie on was
so intense then they found their way into GHOST!  holy cow again!!!  free
was amazing and i will never figure out how they found harry hood in the
midst of that piper jam!  good lord what a day!  ups, downs, jams, ups,
and then to top it off 2 hours of traffic to get to the damn interstate! 
classic!  i was there with my best phriends in the world!  what could
have been better!  see ya'll later and enjoy coventry everyone!!!!!

 

eRIK sTEFFENSON



Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 10:23:31 -0500
From: Justin Bulla
Subject: alpine 6/26/04 review

Okay, my first show in 4 years, my fiances first show....both our
last.....kinda sucks but oh well.  From the setlist you would think okay,
fairly average show, no bust outs like you would think, but the setlist
does no justice.  they wanted to jam tonight and they did.  on to the
show.

Access Me: I was thinking a bluegrassy tune for the opener but wasn't sure
about this one, but would you classify it bluegrass?  good tune, but
missed a lot cuz the place was packed and i couldn't get back to my spot
in time.  Everyoen seemed to enjoy it though.

Scents: I like this song, 2 in a row from the new album, and I believe
they are in this order on the new album.  Good tight version, well played.  
i like the new album stuff.

Stash: Hell yeah, gotta love it.  real good version, very tight jam.  
solid all around.

Moma Dance: I have seen a few that say they don't like this song, but I
love it.  Nice and funky, can't go wrong.

Divided Sky: The energy started picking up with this one, mike and trey
were jumping up and down almost like trampoline stuff.  very good tight
version, my fiance loves this song, and who could blame her.....good stuff
here.

Wilson: Can't go wrong with wilson, except it seemed kind of rushed, maybe
it was just.  The "Can you still have fun" part was awesome though, kind
of symbolic but the boys should they still have fun.  We got the asshole
wilson out of the way, why not
the-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------->

Funky Bitch: Hands down, my favorite cover they do.  I just get so pumped
by this tune.  I was bouncin around like a little fuckin school girl on
this, good and tight again.

Character 0: okay, its a normal phish show now, they closed a set with
character....suprise suprise.  oh well, i like this song, always have and
always will, i don't give a shit if it was/is overplayed as a set closer,
because it is a good set closer.

Set II

Boogie On: What the hell is going on in this one.  Sick bass opening by
Mike, almost weekapaugish.  I think trey flubbed the lyrics but i could be
wrong, anyways this jam got so hype, i think on the "LivePhish" download
site they are calling it the Alpine Jam or something.  But it was killer,
very energetic.  The boys were just feeling very energetic and pumped.  
Sick

Ghost:  The aforementioned jam lead into ghost and i about soiled myself.  
I love Ghost and was hoping for it all night.  The jam had me so tranced
previously though that i wasn't even sure if trey had the boomerang flowin
on this one, but i think he did.  A nice Jam ensued out of this one as
well, but i am having trouble gaining my memory on it due to some slight
inebriation.  I just remember great energy and just good tight jamming.

Free:  Shit, I love this song to, it was funny because my buddy loves this
because of how sick mike's bass sounds during the jam.  side note: i think
mike got some new kind of envelope filter or added another component to
that liquidous sound he gives us...i liked it though!!!  The jam was full
of energy, i don't think you can go wrong with this song ever, its so good
live.

Friday:  I know a lot of people don't like shit off Round Room, but i dig
this tune.  Great version of it, they jammed out the ending real hard, it
got real loud, kind of like a Lifeboy or waste ending. Like they didn't
want it to end and wished it was friday again to do it al over.

Piper:  Okay, my fiance had a called, Moma, Divided, Wilson and of course
this tune.  She loves it and why not??  good song leads to a great jam, i
remember some glow sticks getting goin but didn't get too
many..........yet.
  The song was good and tight all the way into..........

Hood: You can't say anything about Hood, just awesome, may rival hood of
Creek 98.  Glow sticks flowin but not as big as i thought it would be.

Encore:  everyone thought they ended early so people were hyped for maybe
a 2-3 song encore, but nope.....the one was just fine.............

Possum:  good version, good jam, good night!!! This was a great show, lots
of energy and enjoyment, i would get it as fast as you can.  Great jams
and great times.  During the encore I was watching the screens and just
happened to notice Trey's face smiling and laughing during the
"Possuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmm" part and just picked up on his feeling, like
man these tunes are fun but its time to go.  You could almost sense what
Trey was talking about during is announcing of the end, the whole
nostalgia of it all and things aren't getting played for music but just
getting played.  I had a great time the past 8 plus years of seeing the
boys, but its time to move on.  Thanks so much.  They are ending doing
what they love............touring, But their "end is the road"  may it be
a great ending.  and the hell with bad reviews.  if you really love em'
you shouldn't give a shit what they play or how they play it, there is
always some kind of magic in the air when you are there so just enjoy and
let them enjoy it.


Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 09:57:44 -0500
From: Jeff
Subject: Phish show review 6/26/04 Alpine

This was my 32nd show. Boogie On > Ghost > Free was the finest segment of
music I've ever seen. Throw in the unbelievable Piper and Hood, and this
might be the best set I've seen them play. I'm so proud that they
delivered in such a big way at my last show. Thanks to everyone everywhere
for everything.

Peace,
Jeff



Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 16:40:19 -0500
From: Blaine Hubbuch
Subject: Phish show review 6-26-04

Last night i witnessed Phish at their best.  They played their last night
at Alpine Valley to a capacity crowd and sent everyone home
smiling.  I've been seeing the band since 1995 and have seen some
wonderful, inspired performances, but last night had some special
magic.  The weather was cool, the skies were sunny, and the music was
flowing effortlessly from the band.  The overall theme in the music for
me last night was the blues.  most of the songs had a bluesy element and
Trey's guitar tone was beautiful and soaring.  The rest of the band
followed suit and kept the music tight, clean, and crisp.  The music was
truly inspired and the energy was constant.
 
I'm not much of a song-by-song reviewer, but i will say this.  If anyone
is considering getting the downloads for this show, you should get it for
the Possum alone.  Quite simply, they nailed it!  Earlier in the night,
my good friend was commenting on how this might be the last time Phish
performs some of these songs, and after the Possum encore, i turned to
him and said that they can go ahead and lay Possum to rest 'cause it
can't get any better.  We both smiled and then sighed.  I enjoyed the
entire first set and thought it created a nice tone for the rest of the
evening, but the real meat of this show came in the second.  The opening
medley of Boogie on Reggae Woman > Ghost > Free was unexpected and
unbelievable.  The Boogie was bouncy and sweet and got everyone up on
their feet dancin' right away.  Ghost was solid in the middle and Free
went off the charts.  It was powerful and bold and beautiful at the same
time.  That's why i like the song i suppose 'cause it wraps all those
elements into the song in such a subtle way.  I suppose it's hard for me
to describe, but i'm sure some of you know what i'm talking about. 
Finally, to end the second set, with Piper > Hood was some nice frosting.
 
I will never forget this show and will never forget the good times Phish
has provided.  They are simply the greatest rock-n-roll band of my
generation.  Thank You Phish!
 
Blaine

Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 14:17:30 -0500
From: C.Edgin 
Subject: Phish show review

Phish 6-26-04 This was my 60th and Final show! After Fridays GREAT Show I
had some high hopes for Saturday, but then Phish played and proved why
they are calling it quits.  They played Access Me to open -nice followed
by Scents and Subtle Sounds- boring not as good as on the album. This was
followed by Stash, Moma Dance Divided Sky Wilson, Funky Bitch.None of
these songs really stood out but the set was improving, Maybe this show
has hope. Character Zero closes the set. I hate Zero. The 2nd Set was the
worst 2nd set I've ever seen. Boogie On opener this was the best part of
the set kind of sad because it's a cover song. Kudos to Stevie for writing
a great song. Then Ghost> Free not quite the bust-out I was hoping for!

Then Friday happened it was the single most crowd disappointing song they
have ever played. They crowd went dead! They went right into Piper (boooo)
Then Hood to close the set. Not feelin very good about Hood! Possum would
be the encore Nice version. This show in my opinion was in the bottom five
shows I've ever seen. The First night was in the top 5. A tale of two
bands! I will miss those guys but Alpine 2nd night made it a little easier
to say GOOD-BYE!


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