YEM review - 12-15-99

Date: Sat, 06 Jan 2001 13:02:13 -0800
From: Charles Dirksen cdirksen@earthlink.net
To: rmp@archive.phish.net
Subject: 12/15/99 MCI enjoyed itself (not?)

I hope everyone is enjoying their 2001.  This review is from the
"Some things are better left un-reviewed" department, so to those of
you who ever even attempt to skim these "reviews" -- don't
bother with this one.  This is more for the phish.net archives, I 
suppose.  Not
for human consumption.  I reviewed this a long time ago and there
are still a bunch of other reviews I haven't posted yet that I
reviewed a long time ago and I'll post those in due course.  If
there are any versions of Mike's, YEM and Tweezer from 2000 that you
feel are excellent, well-above average versions, I'd love to hear
from you.

12/15/99  MCI Center, Washington, D.C.

Hey, it's a first set closing You Enjoy Myself!  Opening is
uneventful. Snoopy at 3:59.  Mike's solo section begins at 4:42, and
he tools around melodically and mysteriously.  Brad brings out the
trampolines during the pre-charge segment (given the roar from the
audience), which is well-played.  Trey's soloing towards the end of
the pre-charge segment is excellent.  He sustains the second "NOTE"
really well.  Charge at 7 mins, and

"Boy" at 7:16 after a strong scream.  BMGS segment is not standard.
Trey started to say sssssshit when he was supposed to say God.  You
don't hear that very often. ;-P  "Boy, man, wash uffizi drive me to
Firenzi."  Doesn't get much more clear than this.  If anyone is still
asking WATSIYEM, then they should be thrown up against a wall and
shot.  Mike is really upfront in this mix, huh?  Tramps jam begins at
9:30 or so.  Page sticks to the keyboards in his jam.  He doesn't
really go out there, though.  Typically awesome Page.  Nothing over
the top.  Anyone else wish that Page took everyone for strong more
often?  Stepped out more often, like say, Kyle of String Cheese?

Jam segment basically starts around 11 mins, when Trey lets loose a
digital delay loop (not much else, though).  Fish and Mike funk
along the bottom of this jam well (11:34).  There's still no one
leading.  Just grooving along.  Page accompanies Mike's strong
riffing well. Where the fuck is Trey?  (12:09)  Mike is cruising
along the bottom melodically, to be sure, and Page plays really well
in here (12:30).  But the jam still sounds bottom-heavy.  At 13:06,
there's still only digital delay loops in the background of a Mike,
Fish and Page driven jam.  I don't hear anything from Trey until
around 13:50 or so, when he starts noodling on his 'doc, employing a
rather queer effect.  He isn't very active, though.  There's still
no leader to this jam (14:30), no direction... just coasting along.
Was Trey on keyboards?  Anyone remember?  I'm having trouble
discerning it if he was.  Was Trey having equipment trouble during
this jam? What was going on on-stage?

Around 14:57 Trey starts rhythmically chording along with the
groove.  This jam seems really through the motions and uninspired to
me.  Like they are "just Jamming."  There's no climax to this jam
segment and nothing that sounds the least bit passionate or inspired.

At 16:16 Trey starts vocal jamming, and the others join in rather
quickly (let's end this set!).  By 16:33 it's just vocal jamming with
a digital delay loop fading out in the background.  The vocal jamturns to screaming 
(exciting the crowd) at one point, but it otherwise
is also uneventful, like the jam segment was before it.  Total time
19:10.

This YEM was weak and forgettable.  B-/C+ rating.  Probably the most
"blah" version from the last few years.

two cents, add your own,
charlie
 


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