It has been awhile since I reviewed one of my own shows. We are on to show #8, which is day two of the Lemonwheel. Not only was it the last day of the Lemonwheel, but also the last day of summer tour. The last day of summer tour is always a crap shoot. There have been absolute throw downs (see: Clifford Ball Day 2) and let downs (see: Coventry Day 2) Lets see how this one would fare to close out one heck of a summer tour.
Set 1
Ginseng Sullivan, Bathtub Gin -> Rift, Punch You In the Eye, Lawn Boy, Ya Mar > AC/DC Bag > Frankie Says, Birds of a Feather, Guyute, Possum
Set 2
Down with Disease > Piper, Ghost > Fluffhead, When the Circus Comes > Wading in the Velvet Sea, Hold Your Head Up > Sexual Healing > Hold Your Head Up, Run Like an Antelope
Set 3 / Encore
Sabotage -> Also Sprach Zarathustra > Wilson > The Mango Song > Character Zero > Bittersweet Motel, While My Guitar Gently Weeps
E: Harry Hood -> Jam -> Baby Elephant Walk
The first set is pretty standard first set material from a summer tour. Nothing quite stands out but just like with the first day, everything is played aggressively well and they are clearly having fun. The one standout worth mentioning is the Bathtub Gin. While this doesn't come close to the Gin from the Went, not many do, it still packs its own special punch.
Slow and steady always wins the race. The magical part about the Limestone festivals is not only were you at a Phish festival where anything goes, you were also all the way up in the middle of nowhere making the experience feel that much more infinite. Whether the jams were 10 minutes long or 30, every note was handled with care and this infinite feeling was a strong contributor to how the band played up there. This slow rolling Gin is a good example of this style of playing on display. As the song enters the 13 minute mark it almost seems like we might be headed into epic jam territory but Trey has other plans in mind - Rift. While I'm not the biggest Rift fan, this seque is pretty slick.
The only other real highlights include the section that starts with a super chill Ya Mar that leaks into a fast and racous AC/DC, which creeps into Frankie Says who then lands on a fierce Birds of a Feather.
Closing us out in style is Possum, and with the jam stretching this version out to 15 minutes, the "we have infinite" time vibe is once again on full display. No crazy teases or grooves to mention in this extended Possum, just good old fashion groovieness from all four members.
[Photo Credits: cshubs]
The DWD that opens the second set is a whopper as it maintains it's DWD rock out for a solid 10 minutes and then around the 13 minute territory we enter areas of exploratoin. The groove turns into a slow one, almost in the vein of layed back Chicago style blues. Trey must have been jamming some Muddy Waters before the set. We eventually move into some funky territory, because lates face it, you can't have at least a little funk when we're talking about 98.
Ah, remember when Piper slowly climbed up to its peak and it would be a solid 3 or 4 minutes before even one line is sung? No, well then give this version a whirl because this is like the Mt. Everest of climbs to the songs eventual peak where the lyrics come oozing into the picture. It takes them a full 5 minutes in fact, a normal length of a song, just to get to the singing portion of this Piper. Love it.
This Ghost is a must hear. Very relaxed playing and around 11 minutes the playing is so chill that the crowd gives a big roar in appreciation for the ambiance being performed on stage. A clear carry over from the Ambient set from the night before. The calmness picks up around 13 minutes but not in a Trey noodling kind of way but rather more of a soundscape. Like a wall of sound emenating from the stage. And when it all comes slowly to an end, they glide right in to one of the all time classics - Fluffhead.
While yesterdays Gumbo -> Sanity -> Tweezer supplied perhaps the best section of music, this second set starting with DWD up till Fluffhead is perhaps the best set of music so far at the Wheel. And we still have one more set to go!
The rest of the set is pretty tame, with some classic Phish antics. Fishman's section originally sounded as if he was going to play Terrapin - "a love song about a turtle", he proclaimed as Trey and company were caught in an HYHU groove. But then Page must have changed his mind as the love song they chose has nothing to do with turtles but rather the act of makng love - "Sexual Healing". Also, don't overlook this Velvet Sea. The Antelope is fantastic so I'd say this is definitely the winning set so far. But we still have one more set so it ain't over till the phat lady sings.
If anyone was at all tired after a long weekend and 5 straight sets of phenomenal Phish music, they got a nice boost of energy from the 3rd set opener as the boys nailed yet again the Beastie Boys classic, "Sabotage". The memory of the Merriweather encore was still fresh on my mind and that versoin left tingles up my spine. I can't say I remember this version doing the same but it's still fun to hear them crank out this song.
Moving right into a 2001 means the boys aren't ready to hang up their hats just yet and simply glide on in to the finish line. They are ready to boogy down. Once again, patience and care are the center piece of yet another jam. Stretcing out the first stanza till about 9 minutes in before reaching the first cressendo, the groove is relatively tame but nonetheless groovy. A little Crosseyed tease from Trey in the middle of the first cressendo is fun.
But it's in the second half of this 2001 where interesting things happen. A cool lttle vamp takes place with Trey scratchig away, Gordon softly tapping his bass, Fishman tapping his sticks along side his kit. It's subtle but dangerous sounding. Like a spy movie building up anticipation that something big is about to take place. This groove goes for awhile until Fishman starts to pick it up around 14 minutes. Page's organ enters back in to the picture and we are on our way to the final cressendo. A well played 2001 but definitely doesn't top the Went version.
The next section consisting of Wilson, The Mango Song and Character Zero acst as a nice stretch of music that is both fun and energetic. Just enough to keep the crowd into it before they put a cap on the night.
"Next year, we'll see ya", says Trey at the end of WMGGW. If only we knew then what we know now that this would not be the case. But I'll take that lie since it meant they could instead blow out the Everglades for new years eve in 99. I love me some Limestone but I'll take Big Cypress over any summer festival to date.
[Photo credit: Eli Faen]
But we're not quite done yet here at Lemonwheel. Still have the encore.
Harry Hood is special no matter where it's played but something about the Went, Lemonwheel and Limestone in general that makes it all the more special when it acts as a closer to a weekend of fun with friends and likeminded Phish heads. The ambient jam that proceeds is more of a setup for the finale that included a fireworks display and a giant elephant that meandered through the crowd while Fishman tooted his trombone making the sound simliar to that of an elephant's trunk. Then the Henry Mancini instrumental, Baby Elephant Walk, is busted out for the first time since it was sandwiched in the middle of a David Bowie jam on 12/1/92 (514 show gap).
The Verdict: The 2nd night of the wheel proves to be both a great festival finale as well as a summer tour closer. Packing a punch in the first set, epic jamming in the second and a keeping it alive 3rd set, an all around fun night that deserves a better rating from night one where yes, there were some fun jams but the 3rd set left a lot to be desired. I can't really say the same about this night, although for festivals, there could have been some more epic jams overall, which is why this festival gets an average rating all around.
