7-8-03 - Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA

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

Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004 19:31:54 -0700
From: eric tipton 
Subject: Phish 7/8/03 review

So the four of us made our way into the lot shortly after it opened. As I
saw in 2000 here, it's an extremely laid back lot, Southern California
style. Lots of really cool folks out there. Ran into some buddies of mine
from Denver (two of which would do Deer Creek > Burgettstown w/ us).

Like Phoenix, I was sitting 8th row again; but Page side on this night.

When I got into the venue, I saw Bill Walton stride into the 200 section
w/ his better half. I'm thinking to myself, I have better seats than
Grateful Red? Hell, this is going to be a fine night for sure! Well sort
of - onto the show...

Set One:

Guyute - This is one of the songs I was really happy to see back in 97
when it was being dusted off the shelf. Now I see it way too much. But
it's good as an opener. A few minor Trey flubs at the end but generally
very well played.

Horn: Nice placement, played really well. This song can always be a bit
hit and miss but it was a hit for me tonight.

My Sweet One: Standard.

Tweezer: Here we go! I love me some first set Tweezer. This one was 13 +
minutes. Very good Tweezer, had a little bit of everything even a tempo
wind down at the end.

Limb by Limb: Very clean version.

Fast Enough for You: God I love this song. Fantastic version, just as
good as Rosemont 2/22/03.

Frankie Says: Bye Momentum! This song is so trancy for me for some
reason. It makes me feel like I need to sit down and smoke a cigarette
and I don't smoke cigarettes!! [smile.gif]

Taste: Wow! This Taste just rips. If you are a fan of this song you will
want to seek out this show. I remember at the time not being very happy
about the set being closed by Taste but in retrospect it definitely
works.

Setbreak - First set highlights: Tweezer>LxL and Taste. Pretty solid
first set.

Set Two:

Down w/ Disease: Hard driving version! At 12:00 it gets downright funky
as hell and I'm thinking of a segue into Sneakin' Sally. Three minutes
later they were done with the funk theme and by 16:45 they were jamming
much like the Wolfman's the night before: very dark and heavy. Pretty
sweet DWD, by 19:40 it is done.

Vultures: Nice! I've really liked seeing this song since seeing it at
Deer Creek in 97. Very tight version especially w/ all the tough lyrical
parts and being so early in the tour and all.

Secret Smile: Another TAB > Phish debut. Attention Phish - Please stop
playing this song. It's not good. Leave it for Trey's band or not at all.

Hood: Holy shit! It's so refreshing to see the boys take a song like Hood
that's never had any serious improvisation before (not along the lines of
say a Tweezer or DWD etc.)this year and really push the envelope. They
played Hood this night with absolutely no fear, just four guys playing
the hell out of their respective intstruments. At 18:10 I have this
seguing into Carini (no segue on Phish.net) >

Carini: Holy mean, nasty and dirty! Look out, Carini's gonna getcha! This
version was so intense and wicked. Awesome.

Discern: Yet another Trey > Phish debut. At the time I was really unhappy
about it. The placement is just no good! But in hearing the tapes, it
does in fact have alot of potential. Potential or not why mess w/ a set
that is seriously going somewhere?

Waste: Fuck! Why? Wha the f*** happened?

Encore:

Bouncin: Christ!!! As the opening notes rang out I headed for the gate.
Trey was flubbing pretty good at the end. Segue into >

Tweezer Reprise: Big suprise. I heard Trey was doing his little bouncing
up and down thing. Great. Too little to late.

Second set highlights: DWD, Hood and Carini. But the extremely laid back
SoCal groove permeated the band by mid second set or something. I walked
out very disappointed. Ask Malcolm, Lee or Tony. I was a major gloomy
gus. All of that would change big time the next night in Shoreline.
Shoreline reviews tomorrow.

I give this show a 6 on the Tipton-o-meter.


peace,


et


Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 23:40:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mrs. God 
Subject: Coors review by J. Rhodes

07/08/03 Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
Set I: Guyute, Horn, My Sweet One, Tweezer, Limb By Limb, Fast Enough For You, 
Frankie Says, Taste
 
1st Set:

    I've reached the point in my Phishing career where the boys could just wear 
diapers, sit in kiddy pools filled with lima beans on stage, and punch 
handicapped Ewoks with brass knuckles and I would be thoroughly satiated. My 
God, man, you must take what they give you and go for the glory, no matter how 
much your homie complains about a weak song list, weak bladder, or weak drugs.
    That being written, holy goddamn shit I didn't realize C Orch C 23 on your 
ticket meant - YOU'RE THIRD ROW, CHUZZWUZZER!!! 
   As I stared directly into the scrunched crotch of the balding keyboardist, I 
felt the tickly prickles of millions of wet willies on my extroverted vagina 
when Jon Jon gurgle-whispered, "I'm bouncing like a newborn elf, I can't remain 
inside myself….." as the sonic surgeons sliced open the Coors corpse with a 
bumpin' G opener. 
 So fun to hum in the Southern California sun. 
   As it stood, H (Horn) kept up my horniness. I looked back and noticed that 
everyone I could see in the crowd was performing the WORSHIP HEADBANG - wherein 
they bow and bang their heads in unison to the unmistakably yummy-rugged, rock 
riff. The seasoned worship headbangers convulsed with one and/or two arms held 
in the air in Black Panther, 'fight the power' fist form. It was just like a 
Billy Graham experience but without the ferocious brain washing and homicidal 
hillbillies. 
   A spunky MSO stimulated memories of the incarnation years where I looked up 
'herbivore' in the dictionary because I always got herbivores mixed up with 
omnivores and doubted the accuracy of the lyrics. Obviously, herbivores just ate 
herbage hence "their food didn't ever run" thusly they "ate well". Those 
bisexual omnivores will suck down anything. Wow, I sure do love interracial, 
bisexual lesbian porn.
    At this point, the gentleman in front of me vomited into an empty beer cup. 
He exploded at the end of MSO right when the boys paused after singing, "from 
far awayyyyyyy"….(pause)….puke guy pukes….."I say your naaaaaame." That name was 
RALPH and it smelled like a lot fish taco. When the closest security dude got 
distracted with a gate crashing Johnny Patchwork, the puke guy just chucked the 
cup of fomenting yak over the barrier in front of the stage. This regurgitorious 
episode reminded me that I needed to eat the UNDULATING CHOCOLATE STARS I 
purchased in the parking lot by the water rides and gushing slides. 
   Damn that was a great afternoon…….I shat in a Burger King to-go bag in 
between a Jeep Cherokee and an Isuzu Amigo in order to avoid catching crabs in 
the Port-O-Poo. When the puke guy apologized to everyone around him, I told him 
my shitbag story and we shared a moment of knowing that only two men who ejected 
waste into disposable paper goods in public could appreciate.  Indians and 
Mexicans are so exploited in this country…….
   Gadzooks! So the boys shock the monkey and bust out a rambunctious T that 
reminded everyone in the crowd who forgot their baby seal skin hoodie that it 
was going to be cold, cold, cold, cold, cold. 
    After the gravy T gave us all a fun, pube-plucking-palooza, the boys became 
unglued in mid air and landed to reform into a hellacious fit of improvisational 
sprinkles and toe-tapping toots with a spirited LBL which seemed to extend into 
the zone of whispering ogre belches and visionary jizm shisms as Mike's modulus 
offered symphonic hellos and festering Uncle Fester-esque bellows.
   FEFU was next and I do love FEFU but I also knew I was about to enter the 
haunting realm known as THE PISS OF NO RETURN. Everyone has done this. It's 
where you go to relieve yourself and end up conversing with the catsup dispenser 
for three hours about the uncertain sexual orientation of E.T. You end up 
missing most of the show but still proclaim to any and all who inquire about the 
quality of the concert: "It was the best show ever!" 
   I was not going to be that guy tonight. So I had to be one of the tricks who 
bolted during FEFU for the funnel and urinal cakes. I wish I could have told 
everyone I walked in front of, that I really enjoy this tune but shucks, I was 
reaching The Piss of No Return!!! Then they would have understood my plight 
flight. I felt them all thinking, "that poser can't take a slow song; he doesn't 
get 'it'; he's not on the otha level". Actually, I bet some of them were 
thinking - "Am I chewing bubble gum or is that my supple tongue?" or "Fuck, I 
gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. 
Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work 
tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Damn, am I 
tripping? Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I 
gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. 
Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work tomorrow. Fuck, I gotta work 
tomorrow."
   I returned to the living room just in time for a sweetly demonic FS. Mike's 
falsetto voice was on point during the "I lost my mind, I lost my way…." part. 
As we were relaxing, I noticed the bubble machine lady a few rows behind me 
frantically trying to reload her bubble-blowing device. In her haste, she tried 
ripping off the plastic seal of a new bottle of bubbles with her teeth. As she 
tore it open, she accidentally splattered some of the toxic, joy juice in her 
mouth. She spat into her half full beer, realized her monumental error, shrugged 
her shoulders, immediately downed the contaminated saliva-laden concoction, gave 
the thumbs up to her bewildered buddy, reloaded her bubble machine, and 
maddeningly cranked out a pulsating plethora of bubbles all before Mike stopped 
singing his falsetto lines…."I'm bound to lose, you don't know where I am…."
   They then tore up T like a tantalizing, woodland tiger named Woody would tear 
up that timid turkey Tiger Woods if Tigger told Woody the titillating tiger that 
Tiger Woods threatened to thrash Woody's tepid wang worm and wontons.
   All in all, it was the best set I've seen in quite some time and I've been to 
every Phish show that has ever occurred.

    -----  J. Rhodes 
 
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 18:12:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mrs. God 
Subject: chula vista review - 2nd set

07/08/03 Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
Set II: Down With Disease, Vultures, Secret Smile1, Harry Hood> Carini, 
Discern1, Waste
Encore: Bouncing Around the Room> Tweezer Reprise

    DWD commandeered the second set and innocently took us into a virtual zone 
of trip hop and pop locking. Or at least it did for the kid next to us who was 
spastically breaking it down in Funkytown until the security guy cleared the 
aisle. The kid lightheartedly challenged the guard to a Soul Train style dance 
off wherein other members of the crowd encircled the two competitors in a 
boisterous sphere of dazzling dance. The security guy gathered himself, took a 
deep breath, and did the old Kid 'n' Play, one legged, jump rope wherein he 
grabbed his left leg with his right hand and jumped through the appendage loop 
with his right leg. Everyone cleared the aisle and kept it clear for at least 
three minutes to show their mad respect! Unreal!!
   Much more must be said about this DWD. These Vermontonianite knuckleheads 
teabagged the entire crowd with veiny, bubble scrotum notes that twisted into 
mental zones that have never been explored like a shady Uncle grabbing his 
naughty nine year old niece's no-no zone at noon for the first time. 
     At one point, Trey wandered over to Page and communicated with his 
electrified wood, as if the guitar was saying: "Yes, yes, Yes! No!!!!!!!!! 
Yeeeeesssss!!! Yes, yes, yi-ye-yi-ye-yi-ye-yi-ye-yi-ye-yi-ye-yi-yeeesssssss, 
motherfucker!!" and "Damn, I hate trick bitches who throw glowsticks at me. I'll 
blast the next busta who tries to gaffle me with my nickel-plated neena, yo!"    
    Vultures was great to see from the third row because of the fast-paced vocal 
parts wherein everyone in the band sings different lyrics at the same time. From 
this point of view, you can actually see who is singing what part. But there was 
one lyrical stanza in the middle of Vultures that Trey sung which was not 
repeated again in the song. He steps up to the mic and sings in a decidedly more 
evil voice about Sado-Masochism or coprophilia or something. It sounded like: 
"Don't over extend yourself when you get down and dance/that's when the Devil 
loves to make you shit your pants." I don't know if it was part of the song or 
some dope freestyle but I know I wasn't the only one clenching my chunk-chooking 
cheeks for the rest of the set.
    This is where it gets weird. Do not get me wrong. I like it when the band 
members stare at me. But when they do it for over five straight minutes - 
especially during a slower part of the jam - it just gets awkward. I mean Trey 
was just blatantly gawking at ME all through Secret Smile. It was quite 
embarrassing for the both of us. In my head, I was like, "come on you Homer 
sexual, I'll still be here after the show; concentrate on getting it on and 
banging a gong, man!!!" but I just could not summon the will to look away from 
His transcendent, twinkly, effervescent, giggling glow of apocalyptic 
gracefulness.
   (Dearest Trizzey: I know you are a fly-by-night cowboy but I am willing to 
make the sacrifice and take the emotional and physical abuse that comes from a 
one night stand. "Wherever you are, whatever you do, I'll be right here waiting 
for you…")
   After Trey was done mind humping me (and probably a couple hundred other 
chumps behind me who thought He was mind humping them but were too stiggity 
stupid or stoned to recognize Trey was truly staring at me and only me!!), they 
pulled the Hood over our heads and gave us the funky cold medina! At one point 
during a piano-heavy part, God made some jerkass in the crowd throw a red 
glowstick that hit Page's top right keyboard. The smack was right on time with 
the beat and made me think about murder, garlic fries, and murder. Then I 
thought about how if people are going to throw stuff at the band they should 
throw something totally fresh like whiskey balloons or fancy hamsters wearing 
parachutes.
   Carini was great because it fucking raged like a cranked-out tranny on 
Robotussin DM. From my fantastic vantage point, I got to see the real Carini ham 
it up and share a good laugh with the boys. I have only seen Pete in pictures 
but in real life, he looks like the bald trumpet player who holds the high notes 
until he is red in the face from the Max Weinberg 7. 
      During the diggity def, new tune Discern, some intoxicated twit was 
boisterously flaunting his "killer" mobile phone ringtone directly next to me. 
He kept playing it over and over for his meathead frat buddy. 
    "Dude, guess what song this is! You know you know it, man, come on, dude! 
Here I'll play it again for you louder, dude."
   I finally squashed this nonsense by gently stating: "Fuck your whack A-Team 
ring tone, you are totally bumming me and my girl out." I motioned to the 
beautiful San Diego blondie next to me, who gave a look that said: I ain't this 
motherfucker's boyfriend; I don't even know this fool but now that he said that, 
I do feel strangely attracted to his saucy, Caucasian ass and luscious beer 
belly. Maybe, I'll give him a palmjob after the show……..and then, ta-dowwww!! 
The boys dropped a heartfelt and well-played Waste to close out the set! 
    During the short break before the encore, I dashed to the pisser and was 
confronted by a young chap decked out in pleated khakis, hushpuppies, a long 
sleeve button down dress shirt, and a maroon cardigan. He asked me: "Is that 
IT?" He annoyingly said this as if he did not really enjoy (or understand) what 
had just transpired. He had black olives for eyeballs and a look of longing for 
his prep school chums.
   I repeatedly replied: "The Mack Dad will make you jump, jump. Daddy Mack will 
make you jump, jump."
   I incorporated the jumps into my flow. The prep school hippie jumped with me 
like a trained dog-faced douche bag. I reached out for a handshake, grabbed him 
by the hand with my own two hands, and said, "Welcome to the jungle. We've got 
fun and games. Oh yeah!!" - in my best Macho Man Randy Savage voice.
   I then bounced around the pavilion like a jack-a-ninny, half-trying to find 
the familiar faces in section 201 that were to take me to Shoreline - 
half-trying to feel the groove and bust a move without yellow coat interference. 
The Tweezer reprise conjured up memories of Chula Vista 1999 where the boys 
ended the show with a maddening Tweezy Reezy. At the end of that show, my friend 
Jeff was shrizzooming so hard he thought I was black! I had to tell him: "It's 
me, J. Rhodes! That cracker with an attitude! Get it together, brotha!"
   "Dude are you really J. Rhodes? You look black and my friend J. Rho…whoa……the 
lights, the spinning lights……I'm gonna puke, man, oh shit….I'm gonna puke, man…"
   Just before he launched half-digested, fungus-covered pork rinds and Bud Ice 
all over the place, the song ended and we walked around the lot trying to try 
every single fatty grilled cheese every filthy hippy could slang our way. God 
bless the stank ass hippies!
   All in all, it was the best set I've seen in quite some time and I've been to 
every Phish show that has ever occurred. 
		------ more Phish show reviews @ www.lushmag.com/jrhodes



Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 07:35:30 -0700 (PDT) 
From: Ryan M. O'Malley 
Subject: 7/8 Chula Vista Review

Let me start off by saying that this is probably the coolest venue that I've
ever seen Phish in.  Now, I haven't been to the Gorge or the brand new one in
Utah, but as far as sponsored venues are concerned, this has to be in the top
5.  No pavilion and speakers everywhere.  Also, an additional ascetic pleasure
at this show was the fact that basketball great Bill Walton was seated just in
front of us.  Finally before the review begins, let me say that perhaps the
best seat in the house for a Phish show is directly in front of the
sound-board.  Not only was the sound incredible, but I got the chance to watch
the crew at work.  Very impressive.  Anyway.......

Set 1: Guyute, Horn, My Sweet One, Tweezer, Limb By
Limb, Fast Enough For You, Frankie Says, Taste
Set 2: Down With Disease, Vultures, Secret Smile#,
Harry Hood, Carini, Discern#, Waste
Encore: Bouncing Around the Room > Tweezer Reprise
Notes# first played

Of the four shows that I saw (Phoenix, San Diego and San Fran), this was the
best.  Not by far, but it was definitely the best for me.  A lot had to do
with our seats, but even more had to do with how the boys played.  Almost a
completely flawless show.  Almost.

The Guyute opener was a great way to get the show going.  Played very very
well, and really got the crowd pumped up for what was in store.  The Horn to
follow was also well played.  Not too much to speak of though.  My Sweet One
was the only bluegrass tune of the four shows, so I was thrilled to hear it.  
Again, well played.  It seems like it's been a while since I've heard Trey
yell out a "Play it Leo!!", so this got me jumping.  The Tweezer was RAGING!!  
From start to finish, this might be one of the best jams of the four shows.  
It included a dark, distorted, heavy bass portion as the Wolfman's from the
night before did.  Great musicianship here.  The Limb to follow was nice, but
I was really hoping for another rager like a Axilla or Carini after the dark
Tweezer.  Frankie Says was a first for me, so I was happy to hear it.  I like
the combination of the dissonant music with the soft, subtle vocals.  Good
tune to hear live.  The Taste closer didn't really do much for me.  This and
Limb are too similar to play in the same set, in my opinion.  Good good set
though.

During set break I was watching the sound and lighting guys at the board.  I
noticed Chris checking out a pretty girl just down the isle from me.  
Wouldn't you know it, two minutes later, he comes down and hands her and her
two friends back stage passes.  Not only have I never been back stage, but
I've never even seen someone get the passes.  Needless to say, I was very
jealous at that point that I don't have breasts, but what can I say.  I hope
you girls enjoyed yourselves.

The second set was a great great set.  Coming out with the DWD was a great way
to let everyone know to put their dancing shoes on.  While I can only get so
excited to hear this song anymore, as I've seen it upwards of 10 or 15 times,
it was a raging jam, again highlighted by this dark, dissonant, distorted jam.  
Seems to be something they picked up over the break from Winter tour.  
Vultures is always a fun tune in my opinion.  Nothing experimental to speak
of, but a good tune nonetheless.  Secret Smile is another new one, and a good
one at that.  I think Trey played this acoustic on his most recent tour as
well.  It has translated well to Phish.  The Harry Hood was a great way to
pick it back up again.  -side bar-

Let me just take this quick moment to thank the beautiful people of the west
coast for not throwing glowsticks.  This has become so old to me and a lot of
other fans.  I don't know if this is something that just doesn't happen on the
west coast or if it is fazing itself out, but either way, kudos to the fans
for finally realizing that throwing hard plastic objects at the very source of
our enjoyment and entertainment is probably not a wise idea.  Except for the
dumbass sitting next to me that decided he was going to try to hit Mike with
one.  For some reason the people around him cheered when he hit the stage.  I
quickly decided to let this moron know that that's not welcome here.  So, if
you are reading this, QUIT THROWING S$#T AT THE BAND!!!!!!!  -end side bar-

I was thrilled to hear the Carini after the Hood.  What a great way to keep
people guessing.  Take a happy, go-lucky jam like Hood and follow it up with a
dirty, raging, angry song like Carini.  Awesome.  This one got in my head and
actually had me thinking angry thoughts about tying up the guy that threw the
glowstick and hucking hundreds of glowsticks at him.  I laughed in amusement
when I figured out that this was all coming from Carini.  The Discern and
Waste to close the set weren't exactly what I was looking for as show closers,
but they were very well played and good tunes regardless.  The Bouncing as the
first encore is never really exciting for me.  Fun tune, but for an encore I
will always take something else, EXCEPT A WADING, I can't take that as an
encore anymore.  The Reprise however was raging as always, and Trey was eating
it all up.  He was jumping up and down from start to finish.  Great way to end
a great show.

What a great evening of music!!!  This is a must for downloading.  However, if
they play the rest of the tour as well as they played this show, it will be
very hard to decide which to download and which to skip.  I hope everyone who
was there had as much fun as I did.  All opinions are welcome!!


Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 10:19:59 -0700
From: Chris_Bertolet@Countrywide.Com
Subject: Chula Vista review


My quick two cents on last night's show, as I'm gonna try to squeeze in
another hour of sleep before heading to work.

Coors remains a great venue. I love coming back here, but I do wish that
Coors didn't have a stranglehold on the beer vending, which is not likely to
change anytime soon. Free parking is always nice, as were all the kind
people. Very subdued and friendly crowd.

I called Horn in the middle of the well-played Guyute, which freaked out
Jeremy Goodwin just a bit (side note: twas an absolute pleasure spending the
night seeing Phish with Jeremy again after missing the chance on NYE). Soon
thereafter I wound up also calling my very first Fast Enough (a crystal pure
version) right before it happened. I sometimes have The Shining.

Tweezer was truly excellent. They barrelled through a straightforward '95-ish
jam to begin, then circled back around to the main theme for a tease.  There
was some more odd exploration and then a grinding tempo wind-down, again a la
'95-'96. Very cool. Limb By Limb was probably the best version I've heard
since '97, and by this time it was quite apparent that they weren't going to
mail in any jams this night. Gotta say though that the highlight of the first
set was probably my favorite Taste ever. This one was very atypical in that
it got quite dissonant and took a dramatic departure from the beat.  It built
to a terrifying, white hot frenzy before dropping suddenly back into the
scripted ending. I can't quite find better words to describe it but everyone
was more or less in awe at the setbreak -- you could hear the word "Taste" on
everyone's lips. Very satisfying way to cap a kinda up and down first set.

The second set was marvelous until it wasn't.

Disease was a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned... so many places and
colors and shapes and moods in 19 minutes that my
head was spinning. This will be the perfect accompaniment to a drive home
from work. My first Vultures in quite some time was enormous; I love this
tune and to hear such a strong version was a really pleasant surprise. Among
the new tunes, I can't remember which one is which, but I really did not like
the ballad, and absolutely loved the one that sounded like Pebbles and
Marbles (in my younger days I would have been careful to get the deets, but
I'm old and don't have the time, so there you go.

The Hood, however, rivals the Disease as the show stopper. I had grown so
tired of this tune in the years before the hiatus, and I think the band had
too, but I'll be damned if I haven't heard two of the best versions ever
played the last two times I've caught it (Vegas being the other). This
version last night was remarkable. EXPLORATORY and GUTSY and EMOTIONAL and
played without a shred of care for how they would tie it up at the end, which
in the context of a Phish show is always energizing. I have never heard a
more purely improvisational version of this song and may have never heard a
more impactful one. Feel good, indeed!

The Carini was a deliciously evil meltdown, far tighter and far better than
either the NYE or the Forum versions, but we didn't know at the time it would
be the band's last gasp of improv.  I think they were a little jammed out --
like me they're getting older -- and they brought the show home in an
unspectacular fashion. This was akin, but not quite as bad, as closing the
Sunday Vegas show with Friday (the
song). It's sort of a Grateful Dead move... but what are you gonna do. Mike
did detonate two rumbling bunker busters at the beginning of Tweeprise to
wake the crowd up again, and that was cool. He was en fuego all night.

Speaking of Mike, his "wet" tone is a little different now and seems to
project quite a bit better.  Trey now has a new guitar, and both it and the
"old" Languedoc are positioned for him on stage (I guess it's been a while
since he's been walking on stage with his axe).  Trey has a new tone he uses
sparingly that sounds an awful lot like a steel drum, and it's very cool.

Overall, there were HUGE highs in this performance, and the lows were pretty
much tolerable. When Phish is On (Tweezer, Taste, DWD, Hood!, Carini), they
are at the height of their powers, and I'm sure that Shoreline and the Gorge
will be anywhere from extremely festive to downright epic.

Chris Bertolet

Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 16:52:21 -0400
From: Mrkious@aol.com
Subject: Chula Vista 7/8/03 review

Discerning Phish (or How I had better seats than Bill Walton)
Chula Vista 7/8/03
M. Ryan Kious

It seems appropriate that Bill Walton, one of the most critical basketball
commentators and fans in the world, was sitting a few rows behind me in brisk
and refreshing Chula Vista. You see, after Phoenix the night before, I was in
a critical mood myself. I could only imagine Walton commentating about the
show along side me the previous night, in the way that only Walton can. "Those
licks were TERRIBLE Trey!" "Throw it DOWN Fish-man!" etc... Had I turned that
page? Was I now a jaded oldbie? I shuddered at the thought and took some
solace in the knowledge that at least I wasn't standing behind Big Red.

The Guyute opener was met with mixed reaction by the more preppy than usual
looking crowd. It made me giggle, but only because it made me think of the
shrill PETA group in the lot, wearing pig suits, and how good a Guyute,
lettuce and tomato sandwich sounded at the moment. Horn always sounds the same
to me, the unwavering ballad of love scattered, and so was it with this
version. My Sweet One got the crowd fired up, the vocals were great, and left
one extra large tie-dyed fan to the rear of me screaming "throw it DOWN Leo!"
The dirty opening chords of Tweezer kept the crowd going, and well they should
have been. With the sun just having set, Big Red banging his head, and the
other red head smiling and doing his favorite chicken neck thing, all seemed
momentarily right with the world. It seemed as if this Tweezer might go
somewhere cool, or at least into another song, but instead they boys just set
it down nicely. I had threatened to punch one of my distinguished touring
partners if they played Limb by limb the night before, so when they went into
that he was understandably worried. This was a really good version however,
and warranted no such violence. Frankie Says was its hypnotic self, though the
boys seemed to flub the lyrics a bit. I would have preferred to hear Taste
come out of Tweezer instead of as a set closer. The vocals were strong, the
playing was tight, but the song itself, like many tonight and the night before
seemed short.  "Where's the effort?" I could imagine Bill Walton saying.

The opening dissonance of DWD is unmistakable, and this was a really great
version. The composed part was very rocking, and you can just tell how much
Trey loves playing this song. The jam segment was interesting to say the least
At one point during a particularly bluesy jam it sounded like the boys were
going to break into the Real Me. Instead they went into more of an ambient
jam, and then nicely back into DWD. This was the highlight of the night so
far. Vultures was a surprise, and seemed a bit risky given that, in my
opinion, the boys were still knocking off some rust and the vocals on this one
are challenging. They nailed the vocals however, and sounded great. Secret
Smile, like Spices, is another Trey song that I prefer as a Phish song, though
I might be in the minority on this one. Harry Hood, in the past, had merely
been a fun song for me to hear. That is to say, I have never heard a hands
down, gut buster version live. That all changed for me, for good, during the
jam segment. The beginning of the song sounded great, but standard.  However,
the jam segment of the song was so powerful, so interlaced with both funk,
ambient, and tension and release jam elements, that it literally left me
speechless. I had one of those blissful, gut-wrenching moments, that only
Phish can deliver, and it made all my other questions and opinions regarding
the future of Phish seem, well, cliché. Instead of me screaming at Phish in my
bad Walton impersonation to throw it down, it was I who had instead thrown
down my expectations in favor of accepting that 1993 happened and it won't
happen again, but there is a lot of great music that is still happening.  
Phish kept the energy and groove high with a mean version of Carini. Ever
since winter tour Carini seems to be getting nastier and nastier, and this
mother was no exception. Discern, another newbie, started off with a beautiful
Page solo, which had that going for it, which is nice. The rest of the song
seemed like it needed rehearsing, but it should be in high form come Limeston
e. Waste is a great set closer, and a reminder that even a mediocre phish show
is a better waste of time than complaining in front of your computer. The
Bouncing>Tweezerprize encore was about what I call text book Phish, a perfect
way to close the night, and great reminder of why I started listening to Phish
all those years ago.

I'd like to return back to the subject of Bill Walton and criticism for a
moment. Bill is recognized as being on of the more cynical and critical
commentators around today. However. That is only because he loves what does,
he still loves basketball, both for what it was, but also for what it is and
continues to be. In contrast, on the way out of the show I stumbled across a
crestfallen looking kind tour brah. He was saying how disappointed he was, and
was still waiting for the big break out show. "I feel like Trey's bitch," he
told me. "But look at Pizza guy," he went on, referring to the man selling
French bread pizza a few yards away, "he's made enough to buy a house while
I've still got my finger in the air." I asked him what exactly the big break
out he was waiting for happened to be. "You know, like My Friend, my friend,"
he said. "Isn't your opinion of what constitutes a big break out, purely
subjective though?" I asked. Without answering, and still looking disappointed
he trailed off into the lot, unable like many, both still on tour or
complaining online, to discern between their expectations from the Phish of
the past and living in the present.


Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 14:31:33 -0700
From: Tom Bellanca tomthumb@well.com
Subject: 7/8/03 coors amp review

phish 7/8/03
chula vista

07/08/03 Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
Set I: Guyute, Horn, My Sweet One, Tweezer, Limb By Limb, Fast Enough For You, 
Frankie Says, Taste
Set II: Down With Disease, Vultures, Secret Smile* , Harry Hood> Carini, 
Discern* , Waste
Encore: Bouncing Around the Room> Tweezer Reprise

* - first time

very very interesting show.  the playing was superb but the song choices 
seemed not weird, but...interesting...
everything except my sweet one, disease, carini and tweprise were very very 
mellow.  if the playing was not as sharp it was, I may have had some problems 
with this show.  But they were just so on and hitting some very interesting 
places during the jams - it was a very enjoyable evening.

Guyute was a good opener and you know when they hit this one just right - 
things are going to be a-ok.
Horn- yay!
Tweezer had a couple real nice peaks, and Trey just about took it over the top 
with some real good licks.
Hearing both limb and taste in the same set felt funny.  to me, they are just 
about the same song.  Both had great jams and were played as well as I can
remember.
I always enjoy fast enough and frankie says and after trying to get past the 
distracting crowd chatter- was able to settle in and really get off on these.

Disease was jammed out nicely, hit the reprise (I can't remember if it was 
instrumental or vocal) and then went off for some more jamming.  Right into 
Vultures which I hadn't heard since '97.  very nice.  and another excellent 
jam.
The 2 new songs were very very mellow.  I think Discern took off into a nice 
jam, but will certainly need another listen.
Hood was awesome.  The first 2/3 was standard good (which reinforced to me 
just how _great_ the vegas 03 hood was), but in the final jam they hinted at 
wrapping 
things up and then went off to parts-unknown before coming back to finish with 
a bang.  Very exploratory!  As the din of hood was quieting - they slammed into 
Carini which was just what my ears wanted to hear.  I've been listening to a 
lot harder rock these days (moe. and pearl jam) and Carini felt very comfortable 
and exciting.  Good jam here too.
Standard/good waste, but definently not set closer quality.

Bouncing was bouncing.  Fun to hear and dance and sing to.
Forgot about Tweprise, so that was a nice fun surprise and it brought things 
up and notch to end it on a high note.

This should be a great tour.  It will be interesting to see if these mellow 
tunes keep showing up in such large quantities or if last night was an 
aberation.


Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 18:19:17 EDT
From: Spit9@aol.com
Subject: review of Chula Vista

Out of 22 phish shows, this was perhaps one of the worst.
Its all  about the tunes, so here's the review:

Gayute - i missed it, I was still outside.
Horn - nothing special, horn is horn
my sweet one - really good.
tweezer - best tune of the night..great jam but they didnt end it.
limb by limb - getting there...not mindblowing, but still good
FEFU - bathroom break
Frankie says - sweet, really nice to hear
Taste - great jam...trey messed up the ending...as usual
DWD - sick, untill the end of the jam,,,then they got lost and didnt recover
Vultures - INSANE....not so technically good, but i f***ing love that song
Secret smile - really slow and boring
Hood - good hood
Carini - ROCKING, Hard licks
Discern -  long sweet piano solo intro...really cool, good song, Epic quality
               has TONS of potential...its not there yet though
Waste - NOT a show closer...what the f***?
Bouncin - sucked
Tweezer Reprise - ROCKIN HARD...thank GOD!

SOo ...overall, not the best show, but some really cool moments..

see you in MAINE....

Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 18:56:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: M. Hillson soamelt99@yahoo.com
Subject: Chula Vista 7/8/03 review

here's a chula review: drove into the lot at 7:10 pm. ticket time was 7 pm. i
hate showing up late because there are so many friends to say hello to and
little missions like hitting the bathroom and puffing one before the gig. but
i took care of it all and was on the floor 6th row with my eyes lined up to
trey's mic stand by 730 pm. pretty sweet, if you ask me. best phish ticket
i've ever bought from ticketbastard (or mail order), besides GA shows of
course.

first set was mostly a rehash of stuff played in LA and vega$ during february
tour, with one notable exception - TWEEZER!! i was thrilled. timed it at
around 13 minutes. ripping!! i liked limb by limb, taste and relax but it
wasn't anything that knocked me on my ass. FEFY was a nice treat, i had
forgotten they played it until i read the setlist this morning. set was 1 hour
5 minutes. too short, if you ask me.

2nd set was different. the band seemed looser. in fact, trey barely cracked a
smile at all in the first set. they were tense or just not feeling it
entirely. DWD had a jam reminiscent of "the real me" before reprising the
refrain. a friend i drove with said he thought was more like "drowned" but i'm
sticking with "the real me". HOOD and Carini both tore me up! nice choices to
anchor the middle of the 2nd set. i liked the 2nd half of discern. trey
switches guitars twice during the jam for effects if you hadn't read about
that yet. waste was another fine choice. hadn't seen that one since summer '00
in polaris. and then....encore break?? d'oh! hoped for a slave or melt but i
guess not.

encore was fine. bouncing is harmless after a 3 year break and tweeprise sent
us off rocking.

good show, good sound - maybe a bit TOO loud in the
front? - bill walton was in attendance. he got a
rousing ovation from the crowd before the show. 
we had fun.

Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 15:00:06 -0700
From: Ryan R. Kane ryan@tsunaminetworks.com
Subject: Review of Coors Show

The show went off, good crowd, good vibe. All I have to say is when I looked
in front of me I saw Bill Walton with his arms up in the air along with his
son Luke, who was just drafted by the Lakers. I could just hear him yelling
to Trey "Throw it down Big Man!" or "You the band Phish,  are men fighting
for the ultimate prize" Viva La Phish and viva La Socal. 100 Times better
than the Show in LA to start off the Winter Tour. They own amphitheatre's,
look for the Gorge Shows to be special.
-Ryan
 
Ryan R. Kane

Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 14:08:08 -0400 
From: Jesse Kaplan ithacajesse@hotmail.com
Subject: Review of 7/8/03 Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA


Let me begin by saying although I am a huge phanatic, last night's show was
only my second.  But what a beginning.  Following my explosive first show at
the Forum, I was psyched to see the boys down in So Cal again.  Unfortunately
this meant a 3 hour ride from Hollywood to San Diego, but fully loaded with
snacks and supplies it wasn't a bad trip at all.  Arriving at 6 50, with the
band to go on stage at 7 pm, I had more then enough time to peruse the great
parking lot scene.  Security is a complete joke here which made for some
fun.  After a beer or 2 and a bathroom break (and there were many), we
finally made it to our seats in the 204 section.  Great venue... reminds me
of Jones Beach with a lawn and no security.  Anyway the first set began with
GUYUTE and it was a great laid back way to start.  Fantastic middle section
which gave way to HORN and MY SWEET ONE.  Trey's voice sounded great and it
seemed like they really were into the crowds energy.  TWEEZER was all the
band needed to find the perfect rhythm for the night.  It seemed endless, and
the hordes of people dancing, smoking, and singing loved every second.  An
endless jam followed, which with the great lights was unbelievable.  LIMB BY
LIMB began after a drawn out outro and things slowed down with a really sharp
(as in good) FAST ENOUGH FOR YOU.  FRANKIE SAYS and a whispy TASTE finished
the first set.  They were great songs, but Tweezer pretty much owned the
first set and was phantastic.

 

Act II (I like to call it) began with a pulsing and jamming DOWN WITH
DISEASE, it really reminded me of Live Phish 11's 14 minute version and was
perhaps just as long.  Seque into VULTURES which was dead on.  After what
some people called a lackluster opening set in Phoenix, this was certainly
not the case as the vibe continued to escalate and I was preparing for
something big.  Would it be YEM?  Divided Sky?  Nah, how about a version of
HARRY HOOD which pretty much tore down the house.  Glowsticks were out, and
it seemed as if everyone, even the phishy-virgins (and there were lots)
wanted to know where he went when the lights went out.  CARINI was next and
the pulse of the lights was perfectly synched to the chords.  DISCERN I don't
know too much about, it was nice though, as was the closer, WASTE which had a
3 to 4 minute extended jam in it. 

 

The band didn't even go off the stage or take any time before going right
into the pretty short but electrifying encore.  BOUNCING AROUND THE ROOM was
great and well, bouncy, and of course the TWEEZER REPRISE is the 2 best
minutes in Rock n' Roll.  Three and a half hours after getting in, I was
completely floored by the band and the set.  Somehow I crawled into bed
around 2 30 and made it to work this morning.  Great show... too bad I gotta
wait till IT.  See you in Maine.  I'm out from Hollywood. 

 

Jesse

Watching for Pigs on the Wing

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