12-31-02 - Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 17:31:30 -0800 (PST)
From: donald baxter fluffdon@yahoo.com
Subject: nyc new years review

This review isn't going to go song by song through the show, it is going
to be my over all feelings about the music played.  Let me first say that
the show was a great time and it was a huge party going off.  The music to
me was tripped out rock and roll.  I didn't hear much funk at all.  It was
hard to get my groove truly on becasue of the lack of funk.  There were
some sick jams but no funk.  I also think the sound wasn't to good....i
had a hard time really hearing Mike's bass.  After Phish's two year break
i expected there to be some serious funk, because i thought that the party
was where the funk was.  I am a little sick of people that are brained
washed by Phish.  They think Phish is the only band and the greatest band
ever.  Phish is a great band...but is just another great band out of
many.  For example: HERBIE HANCOCK.....now that was some sick funk.  After
the Phish show i went and saw DENSON and ROBERT WATERS:  the funk was
happening there!  Over all the show was fun but nothing near as funky as
Herbie or as Dirty as Bitches Brew and MMW.


Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 00:51:19 -0700
From: jmacaule jmacaule@du.edu
Subject: Phish New Years Eve 2002 Review

Phish- New Years Eve 2002-2003- Madison Square Garden- New York, NY

The best way to describe this show is simply overwhelming.  Having only
seen a handful of shows before the hiatus and really getting into the band
during it, NYE was huge for me.

As with many other fans, the process that was this run and particularly
this show began for me back in August.  I found myself on summer vacation
in North Carolina missing the announcement and not hearing about the
return until a few days later when my roommate called me and in passing
said ^Óso- got any plans for new years eve?^Ô with a laugh.  I made him
read me all of the official release from phish.com before I believed him.  
For the rest of that vacation, and the remainder of the year, I found
myself thinking about the shows constantly.  It began with intense
nervousness in North Carolina over missing the announcement.  I knew I had
to get tickets to all the shows and that I was going to do whatever it
took to do so.  I also recognized that it was far easier said than done.  
I had plans to go with about four different people to go to New Years and
everyone put in a mail order request.  The denials started to roll out to
all of my friends, and to me and hope was fading.  I was randomly checking
my email when I saw an email from a friend with the subject ^ÓWE GOT
THEM!^Ô Most of the people I know had put in for this show and no one had
gotten tickets and no one knew of anyone who had.  Back in my home town of
Wilton, CT, where phish is widely popular and NYC is 45 minutes away, no
one had anything.  I was incredibly fortunate.  It changed the way I lived
for the entire fall pretty much.  I became an intense believer in ^Óthe
good you give is the good you get^Ô in a reverse sense because I had
already gotten a huge ^Ógood^Ô and I felt a need to prove to myself that I
was worthy.  In summation, before I ever attended this show, it changed my
life.  Then, in going to it, my life was again changed.

The buildup was perfect for the show with getting tickets, then hearing
that an album would be released before the show since practices were going
so well, then actually receiving the tickets, then listening to the new
album, then the fun TV appearances, and all of it, as Mike had put it
^Ópointing towards one tiny pinnacle of excitement and there it is.^Ô
After stages of excitement and then a week of total numbness despite
trying to prepare myself, suddenly I woke up on December 31, 2002.

It was a totally nondescript day for me until getting on the train and
going to NYC.  The city is undoubtedly THE place to be for new years eve.  
It always has been and always will be.  There is a vibe that permeates the
entire city of happiness and excitement.  Its like mandatory good mood
day.  The police presence was not too overwhelming.

There was an enormous rush that hit me when I finally arrived at the
garden and looked up to see the 7th avenue sign reading only ^ÓPHISH
TONIGHT- SOLD OUT.^Ô The scene outside the show was pretty wild.  The
sidewalk area was absolutely jammed with fans, some with tickets and some
without, but all thrilled.  About every five minutes, the crowd just
started screaming.  I have been to the Garden many times and it was
totally unique being there (before inside the arena) for Phish.  Although
Phish is nowhere near being able to overtake NYC and become a phenomenon
larger than the city, it does do so with Madison Square Garden which is an
accomplishment in and of itself.  It seemed like an absolutely enormous
crowd for the room where I had seen sold out shows before.  After a series
of lines and herdings, we were let in.  It was great to look back out at
the ^Óhallway^Ô of people screaming with delight.  Security was shockingly
light.  Could this show have been much more high profile and yet not even
a look inside my bag!

Stupidly, I went for the first merch table only to discover that the ones
in the arena had all the same shit.  I dealt with a hugely messy poster
situation at a number of different counters before finally going in.  We,
along with most there, had been sure to go in as early as possible to soak
it all in for a while.  We had nice seats in the second row of section 65
to the left of the stage (thanks PTBM!).

I loved the variety of cheesy comeback songs that were played (many to
cheers) before the show started.  Everyone in the section was friendly and
really excited to be there.  Most were from all across the country.  I
found myself just staring at the stage that would soon hold my favorite
band.  The crowd continued with the frequent cheers.  It was hard to
ignore the energy running through the building.

Completely catching me by surprise, the lights suddenly dropped and
everyone seemed to suddenly realize ^Ówait- Phish is coming out now!^Ô and
a roar took over the Garden.  The band started right up without soaking it
in at all. They played for a while before the crowd settled enough that I
(from the second row) could distinguish Piper.

It was the perfect opener that I had never considered.  It almost demands
a lot of noise in the beginning.  They even have crowd noise on the album
version.  Piper seemed like an excuse to basically come out with what they
do best, jam.  The ^Óbuild-up^Ô part was very quick before they let loose
into a very free-form jam.  Guyute and NICU and Horn were all well-played
but fairly standard songs to come back with.  They gave the show a feeling
of ^Óhey- everyone- its just a phish show!^Ô Horn did feature the first
delicate Trey solo, which was nice.  Just then they showed the ^ÓWilson^Ô
part of Castaway on the jumbotron screens.  Wilson was an absolute must at
the show.  Everyone wanted to hear it and its first set spot was predicted
by many.  No one seemed to find the Wilson from Castaway thing funnier
than the band as they worked it in with the intro to the song.  Wilson was
great and really got the energy going before they fooled everyone by
asking ^ÓTom Hanks^Ô out on stage.  We were about as close to him as you
could be and were still completely tricked into thinking it was really
him.  Mound was a real shock to hear (first since 96) and they played it
flawlessly.  It^Òs a really fun song and was great to hear. It was also
nice to know that they still are interested in older stuff. Squirming Coil
was standard and beautiful to hear but I heard the cymbals coming before
Page ended his solo and it sounded great when they did.  Coil flowed
really nicely into a great David Bowie that had the place going wild. The
first set really flew by and suddenly they were back off stage.  It was
nice to know that there was plenty yet to come.  I also noticed that the
first set had consisted of no new material, which I liked.  It was
basically a very solid classic Phish show.

water fountain to fill my bottle which eventually happened.  The only
fountain at the Garden (at least on the sixth floor) lies behind gate 65.  
I don^Òt remember much of the setbreak music other than ^ÓSeptember^Ô and
^ÓShooting Star.^Ô The band returned and immediately went into Waves, the
last song on the album and one of my favorites.  The song sounded great
and went smoothly into Divided Sky.  This had been THE song for me for a
long time and I had waited a long time to hear it.  Again, I was so
captivated that emotions were kept at bay.  I thought this was a pretty
standard version, but with a nice long jam at the end.  The crowd did go
absolutely wild which Trey loved.  Carini was EXACTLY what I wanted to
hear.  I love this song and it was their first opportunity to really hit
us with some dark, evil ^Óin your face^Ô rock, which they did.  The stage
was immersed in red lights and they really worked it. Lawn Boy may have
been my favorite moment of the show since I was right next to Page.  Trey
was so amused by the old classic which was fun to see.  Page seemed to be
loving it as well.  As he rounded the piano to walk out front, I did a
little ^Óshooter^Ô to him which he returned which was very cool to me and
I will look for if and when there is a video of the show.  Even in being
so close, there was a strong feeling for me of the separation between the
band and crowd.  This gesture from Page suddenly made me think0 ^Óhey- its
just four guys playing instruments!^Ô Rift was standard.  It was the
combination of a truly gorgeous Harry Hood and Character Zero that really
made this show take off in my opinion.  Hood had a nice glowstick war and
Character Zero was its huge (in this case appropriately) self.  It was
certainly an interesting second set and one that was much appreciated.

The second setbreak was certainly a cool one because it was everyone^Òs
last opportunity to mingle during 2002.  We were well into the show and
Phish had shown us the goods, so it was cool to see everyone in a great
mood.  I ran into numerous people from home in CT, all of whom were in the
best of spirits.
 I also got everyone in our row a glass of champagne (which was being sold
at booths all around the Garden in addition to waiters and waitresses
bringing around cups of it).  The booths even put strawberries on every
little glass. The buzz from the hiatus ending earlier in the show had now
returned as we prepared to be launched into the new year by Phish.

Phish took the stage at around 11:30 and quickly went into a standard
(rocking) Sample in a Jar.  This definitely appeared to be something quick
to play to kill a little bit of time before launching into the last song
of the year, which ended up being ^ÓSeven Below.^Ô At first, everyone
looked at each other surprised that they had chosen a new song, never
played live before, to do the job.  As light snow began to fall on the
stage with the song line ^Ónew crystals of snow,^Ô the new years stunt for
2002 began to take shape.  With the snow, people and midgets dressed as
snow creatures began to creep out across the stage and eventually out into
the crowd.  As the pace of the song picked up and the Garden timers showed
that the year was running out, snow began to fall all over the crowd.  
What was so cool about this was they took an incredibly high energy
situation and were able to largely chill (no pun intended) everyone out
with a very well executed ^ÓSeven Below.^Ô It is this moment that still
gives me chills.  There are minutes left in the year and Phish has
everyone entranced with a beautiful new song- it just felt really cool to
be there right then.  As the song built, the snow creature people began to
dance around.  They then were lifted up on huge stilts which were covered
by enormous dresses they had on.  Their midget leaders stayed on stage
and, with their staffs, commanded the snow to fall with great fury on the
crowd.  The creatures then took little powerful spotlights and moved those
through the snow and around the crowd like search lights.  There was also
a huge disco ball spinning below the jumbotron.  As all of this went on,
the band jammed out ^ÓSeven Below^Ô until midnight at which point fire
went up and down big lines that connected the stage to the ceiling and
huge balloons, which had been roped to the ceiling during the show, fell
on the crowd.  The balloons were either white or clear with big snowflakes
on them.  The Garden was entirely transformed.  Immediately, they launched
into a quick ^ÓAuld Lang Syne^Ô that ended before everyone had finished
exchanging their ^ÓHappy New Years^Ô wishes and launched into ^ÓRunaway
Jim^Ô through the New Years madness. As the crowd screamed and balloons
crowded the stage (which Trey delighted in popping with his guitar), the
band attempted to play Runaway Jim.  There should be some great pictures
from this part of the show as I watched Danny Clinch walk all around the
stage taking some cool shots.  Jim was a good choice for the first song of
2003 although I don^Òt remember many specifics because I was so
entertained by the balloons and watching the band cope with them and
taking my own pictures.

Jim flowed very smoothly into ^ÓTime Loves a Hero,^Ô a cool cover that
they played well with appropriate lyrics.  I really enjoyed ^ÓTaste^Ô and
they rocked it out very nicely.  Page then sang Strange Design, a song
that I have always enjoyed a lot and one that was fittingly reflective.  
Walls of the Cave was the new song that I wanted to hear more than any
other.  This version had some real highlights and was highly enjoyable.  
It also was an appropriate closer to the journey that was this show.  
This song to me illustrates Phish 2002 better than any other.  I still
have yet to figure out the ^ÓSilent Trees^Ô shirt that Trey wore for most
of the NYE run.  Primarily, the song confirmed my belief from the album
that the song has enormous potential.  It will be great to watch this song
develop during the February tour.  It is an epic.

Phish then let the crowd go, having already blown our minds, with the calm
music of ^ÓWading in the Velvet Sea.^Ô Although many have criticized their
choice of encores, I thought it was a great way to send us back to Earth
after the incredible evening.

The Garden has an unbelievable vibe and is truly a perfect full-size
arena. It was so great that Phish decided to come back to that room first,
and they lived up to their self-imposed hype.  Whether intended or not,
Phish seems to always live up to the occasion.  This was the best way they
could have ended the hiatus.

I went on to the Karl Denson show up at Times Square but I was worn out
from Phish and wanted to get back home to prepare for what would turn out
to be an incredible weekend at Spaceship Hampton.

I feel so lucky to have been a part of the return of my favorite band.

Jimmy Macauley- January 15, 2003- Denver, Colorado
jmacaule@du.edu

Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 19:57:16 -0500
From: St.Jean stjean@suscom-maine.net
Subject: Review of NEW YEARS RUN

Hello Phans!   Let me start by stating three important facts:   1. Stats:
39 shows since '89. 2. This is a review of all four New Years Run shows
combined. 3. I had to wait until I downloaded the shows and listened to
them each in detail - hence the delay.   I had some SERIOUS fun at all
four of these shows, due simply to the fact that - hey - THEY ARE BACK
LIVE. MSG setlist was just OK for me, but the Hampton setlists were
KILLER. Some of my dream setlists. Energy here was obviously high and
contagious.   I am, however, a bit concerned:   With the energy of these
shows, enthusiasm, tailgating libations, reverb from the venue etc, only
the blatantly obvious flubs were noticeable (i.e. Simple, YEM) and I just
chalked it up to "hey - they're two years rusty". We all did.   After
listening to the downloaded shows more intently, alot was revealed.  
Firstly, don't get me wrong - ALOT of the jams were DANK. (Bowie, 46,
Walls, YEM, etc) However (take a deep breath, here it comes), I feel that
I will never be able to bring myself to listen to a set like Hampton 1/3
set I, because it just makes me cringe. At first I thought it was "hey,
THEY are rusty". But listen to that set among others, and a painful fact
becomes clear. It was all TREY. (ooohhh the blasphemy, I know). We're
talking multiple vocal flubs, wrong key chords and forgotten leads. At
some points he just stops playing for seconds at a time, at a loss for
what should be played. And not just the complex worked stuff either.
Listen to the beginning of Tweezer. I'm sure he could play that in his
SLEEP (sober, that is).   Why am I saying this, you may ask? I'M
CONCERNED. Can someone from the inside please tell me that it is just
plain too much to remember after two years off? Are there outside chemical
influences involved here? Alcohol? Pot? Something else? Is he losing
interest in Phish?   It seems to me that, with respect to Phish songs
live, Mike and Fish have improved, Page is great as always, but Trey's
attention to detail did not do the songs justice, I'm sorry. Keep in mind,
that, in all of these cases, all is redeemed as soon as the jam starts,
Trey stops kicking pedals and looks up, CK5 kicks in.....you know the
deal.   In summary, once again, I ENJOYED THESE SHOWS IMMENSELY live. It's
Treys recollection of Phish songs, or lack thereof, that has me concerned.
Hell, I know I could never remember every lyric, chord change, key change,
or scalar run of all those songs! So let's just hope that's all that is
happening with our beloved Trey.   I'm sure Trey and the boys
will practice hard for the February run, and remember, the "no analyzing
rule" was intended for the band only - not the fans.   =) Respectful
Sincerity and Peace, Steve St.Jean Harpswell, Maine USA   P.S. Regarding
the negative responses I will surely receive - I ask only this - PLEASE
LISTEN TO THE SHOWS FIRST.


Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 18:43:22 -0800 (PST)
From: Jen Malfet jmalfet@yahoo.com
Subject: NYE Review


here's my review:

It was awesome. No song by song review here folks, just plain and
simple--it was awesome. The energy level in the garden was like no other
I have ever experienced in my life, and this show was the most wonderful
thing I have ever seen...... as some one said to me in passing on the
stairs in Hampton, "Welcome Home, Sister"...... well put, my
friend....... because Phish is back, and I remember how much I truely
just LOVE this band.

Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 14:20:51 -0500
From: "Counts, Kevin" kcounts@rivertownecountryclub.com
Subject: Nye Review from Kevin Counts

Kevin Counts
1/10/03
ksmuv72@hotmail.com

Nye’s Eve was absolutely unbelievable!  I was so excited to get
back and see everyone.  I stayed at the New Yorker and when we crossed
the street to go over to MSG the first person I see is TREY!  I said
hello and wished him a Happy New Year, despite how excited I was to see
him I kept my cool pretty well.  Trey was walking around handing out
tickets to people needing miracles.

  I went to the show with my recent girlfriend who had never been to a
Phish show!  Since going out with me for about a year now, she has become
a fan by osmosis.  The show itself was truly magical.  I’ve been to
a lot of highly anticipated shows Phish, Widespread, Trey, Bonnaroo, Big
Cypress, etc….    but I’ve never felt as much energy as in
MSG 12/31/02.  I still can’t wipe the smile off my face.  On some
other reviews I’ve posted, I’ve critiqued songs and whined
about not getting to hear a certain song but never again.  I did not take
one moment for granted and my girlfriend who experienced her first show
was blown away (I wish you guys could have seen the look on her face)!

.  Other than the first time we had sex she said it was the most
incredible experience she’s ever had. (I think she just threw in
the sex part to make me feel good)

Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2003 22:09:56 -0500
From: James Segal jamesegal@adelphia.net
Subject: NEY 2003

great show...my 31st...had incredible moments in typical Phish phashion.
But in the Wading encore--a song in which I was perfectly happy to hear
as the closer to an otherwise kick-ass good time-- it was painfully
obvious that Trey was so coked out, he temporarily forgot how to count,
what key the song was in, and how to play the guitar altogether. Trust
me, few of the notes within that 5-minute solo were intentional.
(Trey--if you're reading this, anonymously e-mail me somehow and tell me
if I'm right...  jsegal77@netscape.net )

Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2003 13:29:56 -0700
From: phil plucks@attbi.com
Subject: 12/31/02 review

this is my first review since seeing phish play msg in 96.  how things at
the garden have changed.
having seen every show there since, its always interesting to see how
things have changed going to a show there.  Never have i seen such
insanity at any show througout the country.  People were so stoked, and
everyone was having a blast outside on broadway and 34th. 
the security points getting into the garden was different that the past,
you now needed a ticket to get into the main outdoor hallway which is
usually packed with people.  That was a good change, b/c it made getting
inside much easier.  the only jam was where the tickets were scanned...it
got to 100 degrees and took a while. 
Finally in and up 4 flights to get to the lower level.  i was with a
bunch of friends who have never been to msg or new york period and seeing
their faces as we walked in to get that first view of the arena was worth
the ticket price alone.  you could just feel the energy coming from the
inside and what raucous it was trying to get to out seats.  The preshow
music was loud and the cheering was louder, but when the lights go off...
thats what it's all about: the blue/purple lights and the loudest crowd i
have heard at msg or anywhere, it actually ended up being louder than the
music and for the first 20 minutes of the show, it was kind of a blur. 
it took a while for everyone including phish to settle in, but once mound
kicked in, thats when things started kicking off with a bang. 
Mound, Coil>Bowie was magical, definetly this was the best playing by
phish i have seen since 12/29/98, and you probably wouldnt be able to
tell that they had 2+ years apart.  As far as the quality of music, it
seemed that it was more inthe style of 95-96, where the jams were shorter
and less experimental than 97, but contained a lot of raging and great
buildups to great peaks.  the end of bowie was nailed and left everyone
in bliss....time to rest up
set 2 was the best set of the show by far. the new album isnt anything to
shake a stick at, but waves is one of the better songs off it.  it didn't
dissapoint either, great jam kinda that bouncy sound with a good build up
and then > divided!!!  people were losing it, the vocals "ahhh....divided
sky, the wind blows high.." was sung by everyone in the building, great
energy and a good version too.  carini was rockin for sure, rift was
flubbed a bit, and hood was on the same level as divided.  shorter
version that others, but a great buildup from the low end on trey's
guitar up to the end, Character 0 was rockin and you can tell they were
having fun on stage...they (trey) love to play that song.  This set had
great song placement (which was missing from 99-00) and people knew that
set 3 was coming soon
overall, this 3rd set, was sort of anticlimactic, with a sample opener
and velvet sea closer.  the 7 below jam into new years was tight.  the
best was when they played time loves a hero, b/c one of the security
guards stopped, turned around raised his hand and started getting down! 
hell yeah!  the tast was tight also and ck5 had the lights going on
during that.  WOTC is an ok song thought they were gonna go into YEM at
the end, but to no avail. 
Overall, a grreat show to start off the new tours and i can only imagine
that vegas and denver will be better
PHiL

Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 10:19:59 -0700
From: Jen Vedrani jen@rolinc.com
Subject: NYE, Incredible!!!

It's 6 pm on NYE, do you know where Phish is???  Hopefully they had front
row seats to the  scene outside of MSG.  Never in any of my years of
seeing Phish have I felt such an intense feeling of happiness, excitement
and energy. 
In regards to the show itself, I could go over every song and say what I
liked and didn't like, but to me this show wasn't about that.  It was
about all of us getting together and doing what we love to do, see
Phish!!  
And for anyone who has complaints, please imagine that since they haven't
played a show in 2+ years, they were probably just as overwhelmed as
every person in the crowd...
I think the show was perfect just as it was, because it was Phish and us,
all together again dancing and laughing and having fun...what more could
you ask for on NYE? 
A special thanks to everyone in my section (203) for being so friendly,
generous and smiley!!  And of course thank you  Phish!!!  I had a
wonderful NYE!!!!

Date: Sat, 04 Jan 2003 02:46:32 -0500
From: Jacob Cohen jacob.cohen@tufts.edu
Subject: Review for Phish 12/31/02

I've been trying to describe to my non-Phishy friends the excitement and
anticipation and immensity of this show for weeks now. I think in almost
all respects, everything I had expected out of this show was met and far
superceded. Truly the greatest concert experience I've ever had.

Pre-show: Got to MSG around 4:30 and already there's a huge crowd. We
could hear a roar of people coming from the Penn Station area already
around 38th st.  It seemed like everyone was running into everyone they
knew outside the venue, reunions everywhere. I found about ten kids from
my school and hung out with them. Very chill, people just getting excited.
We started a few Wilson chants, and sang Halley's Comet for a while, and
then every 20 minutes or so "the roar"  would start up and just keep
getting louder as it got closer to showtime.

Went in around 7, very loud Wilson chanting going on in line to get in. No
pat- down was very well appreciated. Took a seat next to some friends for
set I, Mike side, in the 200s.

"Mike-side" is the new term for stage left because the band orientation
and setup has changed again, and I think for the better again. Trey is now
in the middle of a line with Page on his right and Mike on his left. Fish
is still in back, but now trey is next to Page again, and Mike seems
closer to fishman.  more to come on this later.

Set I: Lights go off at 8:18 and the sound in there shook us from 3 floors
up.  Everyone walks out onstage, mike all in black, Trey in black shirt
and jeans, fish in mu-mu. It was funny that they opened with PIPER cause I
couldn't even hear the quiet beginning because of the noise. It was
deafening. We just hit Phish with about as much energy as 20,000 people
can muster, and they certainly took it in and gave it back to us in the
form of the music. Piper was RAGING!  And for real too, not just Trey
going off on the high neck. If this jam is a hint of what '03 jamming is,
then I like '03 Phish :). Piper was tight, with a lot of really good notes
from Trey. They seemed to have a melodic direction almost, but all this
over a really tight mike/fish groove, with page banging away on all kinda
of crazy inversions. It's not the unabashed guitar work and
experimentation of pre-95 Phish, but it's better than 98-00 Phish. It's
tighter, it seems to have more purpose, and more direction. Good things
come with a little practice.

To show off this practice, GUYUTE came next and the boys proved that they
still had all their technical chops. The composed section was flawless.
The fast end section rocked out really nicely. And Chris Kuroda certainly
hasn't lost his touch either. Still the best concert lighting out there.

NICU was a great follower to Guyute, and so far really good song placement
and selection. HORN to follow was sweet and I got to take in one of my
favorite guitar solos in the entire Phish repertoire. Again, great
placement, and so far no new songs. They're really trying to tell us that
the old Phish, and the old songs we all love and remember are back too.

Then the lights went out and they showed part of "Cast Away" on the
jumbotron, the part where Tom Hanks loses his ball and then freaks out
looking for it.  Which led to a whole lot of him yelling "Wilson."
Everyone starts going nuts, and as Tom is screaming "Wilson!!" over and
over, the band intrudes with a quiet "duh-duh, duh-duh." And then the
loudest WILSON chant I've ever heard, good thing we all practiced outside
beforehand. The Tom Hanks onstage thing was funny, and believeable since
they were on Letterman together. I was fooled.

What happened next was unthinkable. The beat to Dogs Stole Things starts
up but Trey, Page and Mike are all clapping. Could it really be? Yes! The
rhythm changed slightly by 1/2 beat yet the boys kept the clapping steady,
creating a crazy polyrhythm, and signifying the first MOUND in six years!
Anything after this could've been fine, but COIL and BOWIE to close out
the set were just a dream.

Setbreak was nice, got down to floor and ended up right next to the 
soundboard.

Set II: WAVES was really good. Had a very nice jam, with a lot of the
comments I made about the Piper jam applicable to this one. Out of the
swirling guitar strumming and piano work in the jam, Trey begins the
opening to DIVIDED SKY and the band follows. When the hell is there ever a
segueway into Divided??  People all around me are losing their shit, going
nuts! Palindrome is executed perfectly, and the solo too. Then the pause.
More than 5 minutes I think, and with no waves of applause, but rather
just a constant berage of noise.  They were gobbling up every second, you
know trey loves that moment. The jam at the end seemed to start quiet and
low on the neck, and then built up to the end, something which divided
doesn't always do.

LAWN BOY was a great change of pace, needed after the divided workout, and
it was great as always to see Page do his thing. CARINI came next and
again, great song selection (divided, lawn boy, carini). new lyrics it
sounded like, for some parts of the songs at least (definitely beginning i
think). really rocked out, with a good, slightly experimental jam,
touching past the normal bounds of a carini jam. lots of energy.

RIFT was another great choice, putting the bluegrass right after the
harder rock. HOOD was sublime. except for the glowsticks. rings people,
rings!!!  I got knocked in the dome by a stick, and one almost hit the guy
who was recording the show for LivePhish. just think, one glowstick
could've ended our hopes of having SBDs of this show. luckily all
survived.

CHARACTER ZERO is the last song I ever want to hear close the second set,
except for NYE cause it's a 3-setter! nice way to close a set which was
probably the musical highlight of the night, with unbelieveable song
selection and placement.

on the contrary, set III had somewhat mediocre song selection, but does it
even matter at this point? SAMPLE is still Phish, and phish is still back,
and so what if it's 15 minutes to 2003 at they're playing Sample and not
2001 or Mikes? with 7 minutes to go, they start up SEVEN BELOW. I hope
that this song rocks out when it's not supposed to be a crystalline, snowy
and peaceful background song. although it served that purpose well. the
snow was neat, and the many different colors of blue the floor was bathed
in were cool. I really liked the searchlights the stilt dancers were using
to shine all around.  finally, we all countdown, followed by the AULD LANG
SYNE, which is played best by Phish, right into RUNAWAY JIM. The major
problem with this Jim was the balloons which they dropped at midnight were
all on the stage, and instead of playing, trey spent the next 15 minutes
or so breaking balloons with his guitar ala Bittersweet Motel. kinda
annoying, cause it just ended up being the band jamming but expecting a
lead instrument on top of what they were doing, and it not being there.
next year, no balloons, more music.

TIME LOVES A HERO i didn't know, but the segue was really nice, completely
smooth. Cool song too. TASTE was great, and longer than most tastes.  
STRANGE DESIGN was a nice treat, and WALLS OF THE CAVE was a monster as a
show closer.  clocking in at just under 20 minutes, the song was great,
composed parts all there (including page's opening). sounded much tighter
than on RR. then the drum part comes in, and they took it really far,
jamming out like they do on the album, and then jamming out the ending
section too. this jam was really long, coming all the way down to a murmer
before coming back into the theme.  finally, VELVET SEA ushered us all
into the NYC night with a great feeling:
Phish is back!


It seemed like a long time coming, but our boys are finally back on the
road.  and it seems like they have something to prove. the jamming is
tight and the technical stuff is flawless. I can't wait to hear stuff like
fluffhead and reba with all the right notes! i really like the new setup
too. I think that Trey next to page is the way to go, the whole jazz setup
thing going on. And Mike is closer than ever to fishman, which only means
they will get locked into even deeper, funkier grooves than before. I
can't say that this review is entirely unbiased, because this was one of
those nights when you feel f*cked up but you haven't taken anything. i was
on cloud 9 all night, just beaming at the sight of the stage and the
lights. the intoxication was all in the energy and magic of the show, and
the music. if you're going to feb. tour, feel lucky, cause Phish is ready
to make you believe and remember all over again.

My very long-winded, but extremely detailed $.02,
Jake

Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 00:13:35 EST
From: 
Subject: Review of New Years show...

Happy New Year everyone!  I've seen well over 100 shows (not that it
matters) and have never been a fan of nitpicking or a nitpicking fan so
I'm not going to do a song by song breakdown or anything like that.  Just
want to talk about the overall performance.  The fans were ready for
action screaming their lungs out before the lights even went down as can
be expected, but I'm afraid that we have layed it on too thick over the
years and it's gone to Trey's head. 

I can honestly say that after eleven years of Phish shows for me this was
the sloppiest show I have ever seen Trey play.  Page was markedly
improved and Fishman and Mike seemed reliable as always, but Trey seems
to have lost touch with the fanbase and I understand that he might not
give a shit, but that is the problem.  Ticket prices are higher than ever
and downloads of shows are being sold online (Phil makes them available
for free).  I wonder why the boys need the extra money suddenly?  I know
Trey always says how grateful he is for the loyal fanbase and I believe
he is, but I also believe he is taking them for granted. 

Peace, Love, and Constructive (I hope) Criticism.

[please keep my e-mail address anonymous...not intrerested in hate mail
:)]


Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2003 21:48:51 -0800 (PST)
From: Brandon Ciancimino branciano@yahoo.com
Subject: nye 2002 review

my review is my first review but here it goes anyway. the vibe was so
special and the scene so chaotic it blew me away.  the show was AWESOME
anybody with negative feedback should have given their ticket to someone
who was waiting to go at any cost  outside and just wanted phish to be
back like me. because they would have appreciated the show no matter what.
as long as they were inside. after 2 years it was super. just like
everyone and their brother i wanted to hear certain songs as much as the
next person but once they came on and they started i could care less what
was played because i know what the last 2 and a half years felt like and
anybody who really wanted phish back should have felt the same way.  only
a hanful of songs were on my wish list for the evening but in return
everything they played was magical and i appreciate so much i was able to
go since about a million people would have died for my ticket so lets get
on with the show.

set 1

piper- chaos, pure ectasy,  15 minutes of joy they raged

guyute- standard but good nice tohear after over 2 years

nicu- standard but welcomed

horn- unexpected but sweet and as usual rockin

wilson- expected to open a set so it was an awesome suprise and the bit
with the tom hanks look alike was an awesome nye prank just read the
papers and  see how many were fooled and believed he was their (al la pnc
99 with bruce springstein)

mound- great to hear unexpected played well

squirming coil- thought would end it but no page was great

david bowie- hoping for maze at the start butdid'nt dissapoint and closed
the first set in fine fasion

set 2-

waves- would like to hear more flowed into divided sky great awesome song
with some serious potential 

divideed sky- spectacular silent part was unforgetable 17 minutes of
heaven

lawn boy- typical, short page lounge style at his best, having fun

carini- heavymetal at it's best one of the shows definate highlights raged
all the way awesome real gem

rift- great to hear few flubs but who cares nye comeback remember people

harry hood-  fun and expected

charecter zero- great, i can't bitch, i havn't heard that in a setlist in
2 and a half years have you? quiet down please

set 3-

sample in a jar- goodbut unexpected thought we'd get something that would
rage the whole 13 minutes

7 below- lyrics fit, one of the better songs off round room glad this as
opposed to other round room selections

runaway jim- should have raged longer but fun except for the poopping of
the balloons

time loves a hero- unexpected and great welcome suprise

taste- not raleigh 97 but fun tohear non the less, jam was o.k.

strange design- so glad they played it fit so well on the night and since
page really stepped up it was nice to hear him besides lawn boy which i
could do without any show

walls of the cave- raged, awesome, someday this is gonna be a classic no
doubt highlightfor me besides maybe carini

encore-

wading on the velvet sea- got a lot of negative feedback but a la big
cypress and shoreline it really meant something and was fitting so anybody
with complaints maybe next time you'll get the charecter zero or the
bouncin encore you were hopin until then don't bitch please. it was sweet

Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2003 11:50:16 EST
From: SkaTay@aol.com
To: dws@phish.net
Subject: review of the new years show

not since the plattsburgh have i felt such a  sense of togetherness at a
show. everyone seemed to be on the same head all night. the music was hot,
the band was tight and the people grooved well together.  it may have been
the best new years i ever had.  thanks to the band for the awesome
experience.

skatay@aol.com

Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2003 22:09:56 -0500
From: James Segal jamesegal@adelphia.net
Subject: NEY 2003

great show...my 31st...had incredible moments in typical Phish phashion.
But in the Wading encore--a song in which I was perfectly happy to hear as
the closer to an otherwise kick-ass good time-- it was painfully obvious
that Trey was so coked out, he temporarily forgot how to count, what key
the song was in, and how to play the guitar altogether. Trust me, few of
the notes within that 5-minute solo were intentional. (Trey--if you're
reading this, anonymously e-mail me somehow and tell me if I'm right...


Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2003 15:23:50 -0800
From: John Erganian jkerganian@earthlink.net
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: nye review

i attended and have listened to it once in its entirety. after reading
some (but not all) of the reviews here, i thought i'd add the following:
 
trey rips an amazing solo in sample. yes, this song choice caught
everyone off guard, but who cares?
 
mike's sound was unbelievable. so thick and enveloping. for the most
part, it does come through on the livephish download.
 
character zero sounds slightly re-worked at the beginning, although that
could just be rust (i'll just have to hear the hampton repeat to be
sure!)
 
most thrilling was the debut of walls of the cave. i was FLOORED. what an
incredible debut. unfortunately, livephish can't capture what kuroda was
doing, so i can only go with my memory here. he threw out every trick in
the book, plus some i'd never seen. he employed that new circle w/ the
spiraling lights wonderfully. i've been seeing shows for 9+ years now,
and this single song performance is easily one of my five favorites (up
there with the reba from nye 95)
 
finally, i LOVED hearing velvet sea as an encore. first, i will always
prefer a mellow encore after a blistering set close. i would guess that
the band does too. how can they be expected to equal or top the energy
that finished the set? second, i find this song sincere, beautiful and
enigmatic. i always think about the lyrics, and what they mean to me, and
that seems to change over time. third, the band really throws all they've
got, emotionally, into this one. think about some of the landmark
performances of this song: the end of big cypress, the last show before
the hiatus, and the first show back. this song obviously means something
to them, too.
 
in many ways, this was just another phish show. it just occurred under
extraordinary circumstances!

Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2003 15:55:50 -0500
From: Marcus Thunich marcust99@cogeco.ca
To: dws@phish.net
Subject: 12/31/02 Review

Having been fortunate enough to have attended all of the NYE runs since
'95, I certainly knew what the band was capable of on such a big night.
Would things be much different after a 2+ year lay off? How much rust
would be present? Would many of the old warhorses really be retired?
These were questions myself and I'm sure many of Phans have pondered
during the days leading up to 12/31.

The scene outside The Garden was one of utter chaos from about 2pm
onwards. Never before have I seen such a mass of ticketless people
wandering around for that elusive extra. Many had made up elaborate
signs or were offering staggering amounts/tickets/other "things" for an
extra. This was almost certainly the toughest ticket in Phish's history.

Unlike previous Phish shows at MSG, getting in was extremely difficult
as mostly everyone went in early causing the 2 entry points into the
arena to be seriously congested as the mass of bodies made the
temperature about 100 degrees of stifling heat. Not a good way to start
off the night. After about a 30 min wait herded like cattle, we were
finally in. Phish shows at MSG in the past have always been raucus
affairs crowdwise, but tonight was absolutely over the top. Never before
have I heard the crowd so hyped up and noisey during pre-show. Most were
happily singing along to the pre-show music which was cranked up much
louder than normal. 

Rather than do a song by song analysis, here's some points from last
night which really stick out to me:

-The roar as the boys hit the stage was louder than anything I've ever
heard at a show before. EVERYONE was going absolutely insane. Even
pre-show, people were going nuts and singing along to the music on the
p/a as if the band were on stage. The Divided Sky pause and the Wilson
chants were the loudest I've ever heard by far. Definitely some
goose-bump moments.

- Stage setup is the same except Page's piano is now turned around and
faces the crowd.

- Insteresting seeing the clip from Castaway then Trey rip into Wilson,
which "special guest" appearing onstage.


- Went to look at the t-shirts at 2 different booths after set 1 and
they were completely sold out of just about everything except 1 or 2
designs in small sizes. I guess after 2 years, everyone needs some new
threads to wear. 

- Mostly everything was played with very little signs of rust or
sloppiness which was so prevalent in many shows in '99 and 2000. Let's
hope the boys don't forget to keep rehearsing.

- Aside from "ladies and gentlemen, Tom Hanks", Trey spoke not a word
the whole night.

- The dancers during set 3 were cool but not much different to the
dancers during the NYE '98 show.

Musical Highlight: Walls of the Cave. This was absolutely spectacular
and is destined to become a Phish classic. Amazing.

Musical Lowlight: Velvet Sea encore. I personally can't stand this song
and was hoping for a cool treat a la the '97 NYE show (NY, NY) or
something a little more special on such a big night.

Musically speaking this was not a show for the ages. While things were
surprisingly well played and showed little or no rust, there were really
no "best evers" played this night, nor were there any groundbreaking
solos or jams. Can't really be too critical given the circumstances of
it being a "comeback" show and a super high profile gig taboot. All in
all this was a well played fun show and a great party. And a most
welcome return. I'm sure Hampton's just gonna rip.


click here to return to the 2002 reviews page


hits (many)