YEM review - 7/15/99 PNC Bank Arts Ctr., Holmdel, NJ

Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 13:35:50 -0700
From: Charles Dirksen cdirksen@earthlink.net
To: rmp@archive.phish.net
Subject: Re: Summer '99 = sucked musically?! (7/15/99 YEM in review)
 
At 05/29/2000 07:52 PM+0000, Jeremy wrote:
>... every show proclaiming it to be the best ever, in fact I was very down
>on Summer '99 for a while...but if you -really- listen, there was some
>AMAZING stuff going on during Summer '99.
 
Damn straight!  Like the 7/15/99 YEM, which you included on your excellent
list of great 99 jams! =^]
 
7/15/99 PNC Bank Arts Ctr., Holmdel, NJ
 
How about the SOAM in this show?  Christ.  Clocks in at 30:03.  I know
some people didn't like it, but whether you like it or not, it is the
most improvsational SOAM Phish has ever played... right?  I think as a
whole it hearkens back to 1994-1995 Phish.  Very risk improvisation
that worked at times and didn't at others.  Check it out for yourself.
 
Opening segment of this YEM is decent. Trey flubs a wee bit here and
there.  The spacey "pre-Snoopy" section (where Fish whips the hi-hat)
is, like the 7/1/99 version, rather monotonous.  I suppose they try to
create a "Vibration of Life" effect, at times, in this section, and
this, to some extent, achieves that.  But it doesn't last long before
Page starts playing the lead-in to the Snoopy segment on piano. (what
ever happened to the Vibration of Life, anyway?  I guess like the Big
Ball Jam it just got old..)  Snoopy at 4:16.  It's played well as
always.  Mike's solo section kicks in at 4:59, and he plays a few
soulful notes.  The pre-charge segment begins and the crowd roars,
signifying Brad Sands Bringing Out the Trampolines.  Trey nails the
first shot at "the Note" and schreds off some nasty riffs.  Trey
sustains the second note pretty well.  The charge, to a strong roar
from the crowd, and then
 
"Boy" after a strong scream at 7:35.  Man God Shit.  Wash your FACE
and drive me to Firenzi?  Trey clearly says 'Wash Uffizi Drive Me to
Firenzi' in here when he's most prominent, but otherwise, the vocals
are kinda vague and half-hearted (intentionally so).  Tramps jam
begins around 9:41, and Page plays well on the keyboards, but nothing
more fierce than usual.
 
At 10:50 or so, Trey begins repeating a two chord theme, as Mike
thunderously funks away beneath him.  Fish keeps up a steady,
straightfoward YEM rhythm throughout this jam.  Page chords a bit here
and noodles a bit there on the clav and the keys, but is not very
prominent.  Trey continues repeating this very simplistic theme
(12:13).  Mike is by far the most active and melodious of them all at
this point of the jam (12:30).  Trey kinda tools around a bit around
and between Mike's Lead Bass.  Fish is coasting on the high-hat...
Around 13:26 Trey kinda hints at Moma Dance for a measure or two with
quick staccato notes from the Moma melody.
 
Trey picks up the pace around 14 minutes, noodling (somewhat
repetitively) in a quick staccato-like fashion.  Fish picks up the
rhythm as a result (14:45).  This jam in effect segued from a somewhat
laid-back funky-groove mode to a more fast and fiery Rock jam...  By
16:20, Page is pounding away on the keys, Fish is nailing the cymbals,
and Mike and Trey are just belting out notes!  Around 17 minutes Trey
wails away in typical inspired closing YEM jam segment fashion,
overtop excellent accompaniment from the others!!  Trey starts GOING
TO TOWN around 17:40 -- the intensity of this YEM continues to pick
up!!!  (crowd goes apeshit!)  HALLELUJAH!!!!!  (18:20)  YEM jam
segments simply do not get more intense than this one at this point
(18:45).  And they just keep wailing away!!!  Where's the
breather!?!?  TONS of cymbal work in here from Fish as Trey shreds the
hell out of his 'doc, and Page pounds away on the keys and Mike rips
shit up on his bass!!!  =^]  =^]  =^]
 
AAAAAAAAaaahhhhh... They take a step back finally around 20 mins.  And
they all drop out smoothly as vocal noises begin from Trey and Page
around 20:30.  (No WUDMTF lyrics!) The vocal jam begins as kinda an
upbeat Small Furry Creatures Groovin With a Pict vocal jam (like many
from the early years), but soon segues into the more recent Harmonize
On Whatever The Hell You Want To theme.  Total time 23:58.
 
Given the climactic closing few minutes of the jam segment, I really
have no choice but to give this an A-range grade of some kind.  A-.
This is a must-hear YEM from the last few years, easily.
 
two cents
charlie
 
p.s.  Anyone who thinks 1999 "sucked musically" is only looking to
cause trouble.  You want to have your brain sucked out through your
ears?!  Listen to the god damn Stash from 9/9/99.  (thanks, Dan H.!)
Short but very sweet... a thrasher!



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