From cdirksen@earthlink.net Sat Sep 12 23:35:41 1998
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 00:58:49 GMT
From: cdirksen@earthlink.net
To: dan@netspace.org
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Subject: 11/28/97 Worcester YEM

Just so people know, I do not draft these reviews online.  I do them
offline when I feel like it, and eventually get around to posting them
(for example, I've reviewed Mikes, Tweezer and YEM up through 12/31/97,
but just haven't posted them yet).  I'm not planning on doing any more
reviews after I've gone through April 1998, so if you want more, you'll
have to badger me about it... because I'm planning to retire.


11/28/97  Centrum, Worcester, MA

YEM is surprisingly the second song of the first set.. an odd
location.  Opening is typical. Beautiful pre-Nirvana section (the
usual spacey and enchanting stuff). Instead of "Nirvana," it has been
suggested that I call the section beginning at 3:55 of this version
the "High On Life" section ("HOL").  I don't know if that's "better"
or not.. Do you have a better title?  Anyway, the HOL section is
good.. Mike's solo section begins at 4:38 and is enjoyable.. he is
much more active than usual (gets a good crowd reaction).  Trampolines
are apparently brought out on stage as usual during the solid
pre-charge segment (crowd goes wild).  Trey nails the first shot at
the Note (5:57) and jams well around it... Trey sustains the second
shot at the Note poorly, and then just jams..

"Boy" at 7:15 after a good scream.  WUDMTF segment is funky and phaat.
I could almost swear that someone says "Wash your feets they drive me
to a frenzy" in here.. in fact I'm almost positive of it. =^]  Trey
seems to say it more than once, actually, but only when he's singing
with the others.  Crowd goes CRAZY when the tramps segment starts at
9:28.  There's a really odd scatching-sorta sound in here for a few
measures, too.  Crowd is going nuts.  Isn't this just a normal
trampolines jam?  Something going on on stage that I can't hear??
Very powerful tramps segment -- Page is getting good action out of the
hammond.  Trey comes in at 10:35 or so rhythmically chording along
with the very strong, solid groove pounded out by Fish.  Mike is
accompanying well, too, of course.  Page isn't really raging anymore,
though.

The jam segment basically begins at 11:20 with Trey repeating a very
funky set of chords, and Mike is tearing it up on his bass below..
very groovy!  In fact, Trey drops out for a bit before launching a
digital delay loop, and Mike just FUNKS IT UP!!! =^]  Niiiiice.. Lots
of MIKE (12:30).  Just ripping it.. melodiously, too!!  Might as well
be the B&D segment, given the lack of significant activity from Page
and Trey (13 minutes).  Trey lets loose another digital delay looped
noise aroudn 13:10.. no soloing to speak of.  Mike continues to tear
it up, keeping the groove phaaaat and heavy!!!  Mike fans absolutely
need to hear this YEM.

At 13:49 Trey starts soloing, employing a queer effect (that he'd used
many times before in 1997, actually).  I don't know what this effect
is called.  Adds a chimey sorta sound to his licks, which are pretty
basic -- but still melodious enough to keep me listening.  He clearly
teases Crosseyed and Painless (just one lick, really) around 14:50...
gets a few in the audience excited. There he goes again aroudn 15:30
with C&P.. he's clearly teasing it in a lower key, over and over again
now.. steadily, patiently, soulfully (I would argue).  At 15:56 he
takes off a little, though, apparently ready to rage along with the
others (Mike and Fish are really tearing up the bottom.. they are just
SMOKING!!!!).

Finally at 16:36 Trey picks up his soloing a bit and starts grooving
in a more typically YEM manner.. the riff he repeats in here (17 mins)
is very catchy and compliments the underlying groove quite well (Page
is in here, but he's very, very difficult for me to hear on this
rather nice DAUD...).  Trey takes off into the upper octaves and
starts soloing passionately, but Mike is still melodiously wailing
away... God damn!!  At 18:09 Trey teases C&P yet again, before he
takes off tearing it up (Fish goes OFF in here, too -- he's much more
active than he usually is in YEM, like Mike).  YEAH!!  They just SMASH
OUT a ripping close to this jam!!  It is every bit as funky as it is
rock and roll, in my opinion -- this SMOKES!!  This is unusually good
for 1997!!!  YEAH!!

By 20 mins the jam is raging funk -- but with just enough melody to
keep it interesting.  And then there's a dead stop aroudn 20:30!!
Then they launch back into this dizzying funk groove (I love the shit
that Page is adding to it in the background.. staccato'ed
noodling..).  Another dead stop at 21:12 and then they break back into
it after waiting a measure in silence.  PHAAAAAAAAAAAT.. =^]  Trey
starts soloing melodiously again around 21:40 in the very high
octaves.. he employs a really hooty effect (see that goofy jam in the
Bangor Tweezer, the ALO Tweezer in other words), too.  Mike and Fish
chill things out a little bit in accompaniment.. Mike simply sustains
the same note, actually.  Gets very spacey (23 mins).  Trey employs
the digital delay loop device..

At 23:25 Trey begins the vocal jam, and the band stops playing one by
one..  At 23:50 Trey's clearly svocal jamming "I Didn't Know" and then
they break immediately into Know at about 24 mins.  Not much
of a vocal jam.  Nice real ->segue into Know, though.

"Here to give you his interpretation of the Rolling Stones now classic
album 'Sucking in the '70s' .. WOuld you please welcome for the first
time this tour Mr. Henrietta."  Vacuum solo.  (there need to be more
VACUUM SOLOS dammit.. I still haven't ever seen BIKE played live..
maybe Shoreline!?  Merriweather?!?)

This YEM clearly kicked major butt and anyone who disagrees should
have their ears cut off, because they aren't doing them any good. Easy
must-hear A- rating for this excellent YEM.

two cents
charlie