MarcO Posted January 5, 2004 Report Share Posted January 5, 2004 Hey everyone – just a few quick thoughts on the Miami run here. I’m swamped at work so I won’t dissect every little thing but just give my overview. I trust everyone had a happy and safe NYE! Hope so!! First, to set the scene. Weather was fantastic, mid-20’s and sunny everyday. Shakedown took place at the lots across from the AAA and it was way intense: *anything* you wanted, anywhere, crowded marketplace, no police presence anywhere to be seen. All you had to do was walk 3 feet in any direction and you’d find what you need and then some. Some creative vendors around, business seemed good indeed! The arena was ok, nothing special on the inside, though the façade of the buildng looked great at night, all lit up. Musically, there were more highs than lows, in my estimation. Night one had a killer setlist but seemed like a play-it-safe, warm-up show for the rest of the run. The interetsing thing about this show was that the night’s most remarkable jams did not take place in the heavy-hitters like Bowie or Tweezer or Jibboo, but rather in Frankie Sez and Suzie Greenberg, where Phish let it all hang out Friday was seriously heart-felt – if you don’t like this song yet, give this versiona chance, it got real deep and emotional. Harry Hood was experimental, as it has been in 2003, another great jam. Notably, Trey played a lot of full-on solos this night, largely in a blues mode, a real guitar fest on night one. For my money, 12-29 was where it was at, my favorite show of the run . The first set was amazing, halfway through the opening Piper, they had already come out swinging stronger and bolder than anything from night one, and the whole set (show!) unfolded like that. Limb x Limb, Foam, Wolfman’s – exceptional jamming in all of them! But the second set was superlative, my favorite set of the entire run. Folks, believe me, that opening sequence going from Rock and Roll > > > Free was Phish just putting the jam setting on “hose” and letting it flow. The movement from Twist > Boogie On Reggae Woman caught the audience by surprise at just the right time, the transition from the post Boogie On jam into Ghost was flawless, and the Free was the best I’ve ever witnessed, and maybe one of the best I’ve ever heard. After they finally stopped, the audience gave the band an ovation normally reserved for the end of a classic show; they knew what had transipred was something special, and let the band know it. Divided Sky was perfect, and Good Times Bad Times even had a little free-form elctronic dance grooves jamming through it. No wonder they played a second encore this night, it was something special! Epic, almost!!! Night three’s first set picked up where the second night left off, for me. A jaw-dropping set filled to the tits with left turns and choice selections. If you see a setlist that says Wilson > Sand > Shafty > NICU, well, that’s exactly right, those arrows should be in there. Cities was a stand-alone masterpiece and the Bathtub Gin even had a few Steely Dan “Hollywood Kids” licks thrown in before giving way, unfinished, to a snappy, funky 2001 with an obvious foreshadowing of what was to come. The jams weren’t super-extended or anything but flowed with great grace and imagination. The two 12-29 sets and this one set - as well as 12-31 set 2 - represent the highlights of the entire run for me. The second set was the loosest and craziest of the run, with top-notch explorations in Tube and especially Birds Of A Feather giving way to sloppy, unfocused meanderings and general goofing around. Let’s just say that I am not a big Doors fan, so LA Woman was more a matter of bearing with it for me rather than general excitement. The P-Funk section was a blast – my main visual memory of this run is that of the stage being overrun by Clinton, a dude in daipers and a small, seemingly handicapped boy running on the spot and doing jumping jacks for the entire segment. Insanity!!! However, musically, there was little you’d really want to hear over and over again here – I felt George Clinton in particular wore out his welcome pretty quickly by basically screaming a medley of his best known tag phrases into the mic for 20+ minutes. It was a relief when he finally left . I wonder how this section sounds on the LP recordings, it was pretty obnoxious at the show, but tons of fun, don’t get me wrong. Down With Disease was a late set revelation and contained a beautiful, pretty jam before finishing up perfectly. They played some great stand-alone DWD’s in 2003 and this is another one. It took me until Weekapaug to get settled on NYE, so I can’t comment on the opening segment but the YEM was real nice and seemed to have a longer than usual vocal jam. The First Tube > Tube Reprise was a rollercoaster ride. However, the real goods on this night for me was the amazing 2nd set. A long, patient, jammy Stash contained a full-on “Slave” tease, a good sign of things to come, this was a great Stash! Seven Below, one of my favorite new songs (that would be only complaint about this run – where was the new material?? I for one like most if not all of it so this was disappointing!) had a good, self-contained jam. But the Chalkdust > Slave > Chalkdust sandwich was as good as you’d want from Phish in 2003, a novel presentation of a couple of classics, played with great exploration and clarity. Excellent set! The final set was party-time and it’s kind of hard for me to comment on much before the Simple (which was standard) because of all the commotion and celebration. Basically, Runaway Jim was a balloon-poppoing jam rather than anything of note. Reba was beautiful and well-placed but to be honest, this was one of the weaker sets of the run, in my opinion. Antelope felt anti-climactic and almost predictable – any more surprises from Phish would have to wait until the 2004 touring season begins, it seems. So there you have it – some thoughts on Miami 2004! We had a great time, staying at a cottage on a beautiful horse farm outside Ft Lauderdale, enjoying group breakfasts and swilling beer by the pool, relaxing before each show. We met a great couple from Ottawa – Jay and Lee (Leigh?) – on NYE, who partied with us for a bit. They said they were good friends with Velvet, as well as Rusty, the ex-manager for the Fat Cats, so whaddya know? Small world! Very kind people indeed. I got to frolic in the ocean on New Years Day, my first time in an ocean, and lay like a beached whale on the shore for a couple hours and I didn’t even get sunburnt! So, this was a great trip to have been on and I can’t wait to see what hish have in store for 2004! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon. Posted January 5, 2004 Report Share Posted January 5, 2004 Thanks for the thoughts there - I was listening to 12/29 first set on the way to work this morning and was very impressed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooly Posted January 5, 2004 Report Share Posted January 5, 2004 hey marco glad you got out alive brother did you see the kids from the green vibes crew holding up their crystals in the arena on the 29th or 30th? they were making some shape all around, wondering what it was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kung Posted January 5, 2004 Report Share Posted January 5, 2004 That's what I needed. I know it takes a while to process but I don't get when people are at these mother of all shows and all they have to say is 'it was awesome'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\/\/illy Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 Wow. I am so jealous. But, happy for those that were there! Glad you had a good set of shows MarcO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shainhouse Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 MarcO, I didn't see you there man, but I agree with many of your thoughts. I love the Doors, so LA Woman blew my mind! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted January 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 Probably best we didn't cross paths, dude, my buddy Brian was really looking forward to kicking you square in the balls. "I want to see him dance for me", I think he said. No real reason, nothing nefarious, he was just looking forward to hoofing ya. Hasn't seen you for over a year. I told him not to but, boy, when he gets a notion, he sticks to it like a wookie's hand on a swilly bottle of warm brew. Best to wear a cup to any future PJC gigs. You've been warned. You can kick back, ya know! see you soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted January 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 I am totally just kidding, btw.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberHippie Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 MarcO, just an FYI, I look forward to giving you a proper kick in the nuts next time I see ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted January 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 That'll be nice! Me, I can't wait to just lay into Willy's jewels with a steel-toe and just let the laughter rain down. That'll be a nice night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\/\/illy Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 quote: Originally posted by MarcO: I can't wait to just lay into Willy's jewels with a steel-toe and just let the laughter rain down. That'll be a nice night. Now what did I do to invite this aggression? Dammit! Now I'm mad! When I see you MarcO, "...I'm going to shove a sausage down your throat and stick starving dogs in your butt!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted January 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 Good. You'll need that anger to keep you from focusing on your rapidly groaning nutsack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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