"The Wookie was uncapa-- uhh incapable of making the move tonight.  So
we'll skip the audience chess move until the next gig." (Trey starts
laughing as he finishes this last sentence) People start booing loudly
(I'm sooo amused when this happens (see also 11/28/92 MSO)).  Fish's
infamous "Everybody knows Wookies can't play chess." line comes
shortly thereafter (but, strangely, no one seems to loudly boo him for
this lame one).

YEM is such a sweeeet way to open a third set!  Opening is fine, and
the pre-Nirvana segment is especially ominous, with some eerie
vibration of life effects from Trey in particular.  Nirvana at
approximately 3 minutes, and Page takes his time for the first twenty
or so seconds (he usually comes out more strongly).  Fish fumbles a
bit before the pre-charge, but corrects himself rather quickly.  The
pre-charge section is otherwise quite forceful (remarkable in light of
all the work the band had performed so far this night!). Trey's
soloing is also very profound around the first Note.  No bullshit.
Second Note at 5:44 and it is sustained well, but is a little sharp
and off.

"Boy" at 6:18 after a Hale-Bopp scream from Trey.  Extremely funky
BMGShit segment, with serious funky schnappin' from Mike & Trey. Ditto
for the WUDMTF segment, which seems a bit more sped up than usual,
frankly.  Trey jams exceptionally well, too, before the second round
of WUDMTF lyrics!  Trey is noodling all over the damn Languedoc in
this segment!  He's extremely active!!

At 8:20 the trampolines segment begins with Mike letting loose the
signals and the crowd going nuts.  Page starts playing rather
pleasantly, but Trey lets out a chord by 9:16 (he wasn't on the tramps
that long, eh?).  And around 9:30 the tramps segment **COOKS** nicely
with some King Kong accompaniment from Trey and Mike of Page's
jamming.  At around 9:50 Trey begins repeating four chords over and
over again, which I'd swear tease some chords of one of the Quad
numbers (Real Me, sorta(?)).  I'm no guitarist.

At around 10:40 the jam segment begins with Trey delicately and
mellifluously noodling, but the band enters a "stop/start mode," in
which the jam halts and drops dead every measure or so for a beat or
two.  At 11:39 the groove returns more commandingly with Trey sparking
up the 'doc nicely, and Fish, in particular, adding some especially
kind fills.  The band is listening very closely to what each other
member is doing throughout this jam...  Makes for excellent listening
with a tasty pair of Koss 'phones.

At 12:48 or so Page starts letting loose with some Oye Como Va chords,
but Trey begins ONE HELL OF A RAGING JAM on the 'doc, and drives the
Full Band to an thrilling, passionate, fiery climax after a siiiiiiick
build!!!  Trey starts quickly firing off licks repetitively around
13:50 before sustaining a bit. Mike Page and Fish jam magniloquently
in support, and DAMN does this jam ***BOIL*** around 14:30!!!!  A
climax..

At 14:48 or so Page moves to the clavinet and the jam drops down a
notch, but Trey keeps noodling.  Mike starts plugging away more
phaaatly with Fish.  Page ERUPTS into a smoking clavinet jam around
15:20!!  But he soon moves back to the piano for a bit..

The jam around 16 minutes is still pumped up, and Trey's still on the
'doc, but everyone is blending so well.  They are playing a jam that,
though reasonably "typical" for YEM (right key and style), it has an
improvisational majesty that few versions have.  At around 16:30 the
jam gets spacey (Trey sustains a note on the 'doc, creating a
vibration of life effect).  Trey moves to the percussion kit, Fish
drops the beat a bit, Mike slows down, and Page starts noodling on the
clavinet I believe (not the moog(?)).

Around 18 minutes the jam is very Peculiar.  Fish and Mike keep the
groove going, but there are some effects coming from Trey's 'doc (he's
still banging away on his little percussion kit, though).  Page is
toying around with the clav.  Trey's 'doc lets out some effects
that remind me of the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now."  I don't know what
this effect is called.. pretty cool, though.  (Trey is off the
percussion kit by now it sounds like, and though Page has returned to
the piano, he continues to jam spiritedly)

Around 20:30 some "Owww Owww Owww" noises from Trey, it sounds like
(reminiscent of a vocal jam).  Fish drops the beat entirely around
20:45 and the jam dissolves into true Spaaaaaace.  =^]  Some of the
most gorgeous space I've ever heard Phish perform.  Mike slowly plucks
away melodiously, and Page lets out notes with a Floyd-like effect and
Spirit to them.  Fish dances on the cymbals, and Trey melodiously
sustains out various notes.  A beautiful spacey jam around 23
minutes.  Everyone tools around, but it doesn't sound directionless or
aimless.  It *WORKS* -- excellent improvisation that sounds like
composed music.

At around 24 minutes, a bewilderingly intense jam builds!! :)  Trey
starts eerily and repetitively noodling (and skat-singing in
accompaniment, a la many recent Scents), and Mike, Fish and Page swing
solidly in tow!  A spell-binding, mysterious groove that I'm sure
charmed many folks at the Rosemont!! One of the most odd and sinister
YEM jams in YEM history, imo (see also 12/31/95 YEM's jam segment for
another deeply mystical groove).  This groove ends within two minutes,
however, and

then around 26:38 Trey briefly toys with the Dave's Energy Guide theme
over and over again, only in an odd key (and Fish rides a cymbal,
before kicking out a groove).  Page accompanies well, too.  At around
27:23 Trey seems to be quickly uttering something -- sounds like
nonsense (can anyone understand him?).  This is yet another crazy,
strange, queer groove (28 mins).  Page hammers out some chords on the
piano (Mike seems kinda lost).  This jam dies quickly, though, too,
and around 28:35 the groove turns yet again to space... Trey gets on
the percussion kit again while Page leads.

Mike lets out some phaaaat licks around 29:45, just after Fish begins
busting out a swampy, climbing rhythm.  Trey continues to toy on his
mini-kit (the 'doc is sustaining a note or something throughout this
jam).  Page is playing on the clav.  At around 30:30, Trey returns to
his 'doc, and belts out a couple chords from another Quadrophenia
tune, only slowly and in a different rhythm than the tune I'm thinking
of (nice, subtle teasing, Trey!).  At 31:17 Trey still hints at a Quad
tune's chords for a weee bit..

By 31:47 Trey is jamming melodiously along with Page, and Fish and
Mike lay down a mellow, but compelling, bottom.  Trey's mellifluous
bluesy noodling around 32:30 is quite soulful and enchanting!
Somewhat anti-clamactic ending to this jam, but given all that went
before..

At 32:56 Trey begins whispering WUDMTF (and everyone's playing slowly
dies out).  This WUDMTF whispering/chanting begins into the vocal jam
around 33:50 or so when Fish starts "Awww"-ing in between the others'
shots at WUDMTF.  At 34:27 the vocal jam basically begins with
what is practically harmonious singing.

This is the most choirboy-like of all of the vocal jams I've ever
heard.  It is actually quite spooky in parts, especially around 36
mins or so, when they all harmonize haphazardly, practically
screaming.  The first few minutes of this vocal jam witness
vocalization along a Wash Uffizi and Drive Me To Firenzi (especially
"Firzenzi") theme, btw... :)

At 37 mins or so they harmonize softly for a little bit before a
whispering vocal jam ensues.  In this whispering vocal jam (which
takes a break for some heavy harmonizing for about twenty seconds),
Trey repeats something like "I'll take you and I'll fuck you up
the ass" a couple times (around 38:33).  This whispering jam again
dissolves into some effects-laden harmonizing and HISSSSSING noises
around 39-39:30.  Just a psychotic god damn vocal jam.

Total time 39:45 or so.

Well, this is one of the most intense versions of YEM that exists,
obviously.  The opening segment wasn't as strong as it could have
been, but it contained a pleasant pre-Nirvana section.  The other
sections of this version were Magnificent, though.  This version has a
jam segment that is arguably more powerful than the 5/5/93 YEM jam
with ARU (and perhaps is even a little longer than that version!).
This 'ween vocal jam is also still the longest to date, I believe.

To rate this version seems especially crass, but it would deserve an
"A" were I so sad as to rate it.  If any version of YEM deserves an
"N/R" rating, it is this one (then again, 5/5/93 had "N/R" written all
over it, but I still gave it an "A").  There wasn't a bass and drums
segment, and the Jam and Vocal Jam segments were HUUUUUGE and
structurally different enough to warrant the

N/R     Not rated.  This basically means the version is
        insane, and it wouldn't be fair to rate it.
        I would recommend, strongly, that you hear it
        for yourself.  I may have liked, or disliked,
        it immensely.

You'd be an Absolut Jackass not to get a copy of this version and hear
it for yourself.  I recall that some people who were at the show
whined on the net that this version was too long.. I imagine they are
the same sort of people who would leave during the Bozeman or Mud
Island Tweezers, or yawn during the intense 12/29/94 David Bowie.  May
Icculus have mercy on their Bouncin' and Sparklin' souls... ;)
 

two cents,
charlie