dpurcell@uclink3.berkeley.edu (Daniel Edward Purcell) RED ROCKS, MORRISON, COLORADO, 6/9/95 This really is the most beautiful place on earth, or at least the most beautiful place to see a concert. Security was fine on the way in, though they did examine my tickets at length for signs of counterfeiting. I didn't see any of the gatecrashing later, so I can't comment on it. When I went up to the bathroom between sets, there was a rather tense standoff between the security folks and rent-a-cops on one side of the railing, and potential gate-crashers on the rocks just outside the auditorium. FIRST SET My Friend My Friend Not what I'd hoped for, but good enough. This song never really moves me, but the sheer joy of seeing Phish at Red Rocks was plenty to keep me smiling until... Divided Sky Not the best version. In fact, one of the weaker ones I've heard. Trey sort of flubbed the middle section, and the jam, while good, didn't take off as it has in other playings. Strange Design/I'm Fine I like this song. It's very short, contains no solos, and will most likely not be very different from show to show, if at all. The first chord change in the song is very Beatlesque. Does anyone know if Page wrote this, or if Trey wrote it for him? Oh Kee Pa Ceremony -> Fine; the big question, obviously, is what's coming afterwards. AC/DC Bag -> Good choice! A powerful version with a nice, long solo. The loud-soft and rhythmic dynamics in the "brain-dead and made of money" section are particularly tight. Theme from the Bottom Trey starts it with a faint, snakelike guitar riff. It begins very quietly, moves through a couple of verses, then into the chorus. It repeats, and then moves into the middle section; I can't tell how much of this is composed and how much is jamming. At any rate, it ends and they start in a capella, "From, from from the bottom/From, from, from the top," and building a nice Slavesque jam behind them. At about 10 minutes, this is the longest new song, and probably my favorite. I certainly think it has the most potential. Taste Bouncy new Trey song, with mean lyrics. As the song goes along, the band slowly starts breaking apart, playing different things in different tempos as Trey sings on top. Then they come back together for the chorus, which is "I can't see through the lines (light?)." Hard to get a handle on the first time, this is a very interesting song. Sparkle I'm not a big fan of this one, but it was placed perfectly here. The crowd was beginning to flag after the new songs, and this got them going again for the triumphant set-closer... Run Like an Antelope A great high-energy jam. Highlight of the first set: instead of building the jam to a peak and then dropping down for the lyrics, they EASED it down. I was expecting them to go back up again for another crescendo, but Trey started playing the chords to the lyrics segment, and there they were. A brilliant little back-door move. SECOND SET Split Open and Melt I like it better in the first set, but this was a nice long version, funkier than usual, with Mike as the star. The Wedge Not like the '93 versions, this has the piano intro and the noodling jam at the end excised. It's basicaly just the album version. Still, after the long absence (and given the suitability of the surroundings) I was very glad to hear it. Fishman handled the beat with aplomb. Scent of a Mule Trey was actually shadowboxing with Page during the duel. Later he brought out a white towel and waved it in mock surrender. Very cheesy; they were clearly enjoying themselves. Basically the same as always, though it gets sharper every time I see it. Mike blew his vocal reentrance after the jam, but who cares? Cavern -> Very tight, very enjoyable version. I don't hate this song the way so many seem to, but I would rather have it here than as a closer. David Bowie A couple minutes of diddling with the digital delay before the song actually started, a nice, spacy middle, and a rousing ending. It seemed longer to me than the 14 minutes posted, but that's probably just my mind deceiving itself again. Page and Trey were working off one another beautifully; they seem to be very interested in creating a more ambient soundscape these days, to really get deep into texture. All three nights (Salt Lake and the two Rocks shows) they stuck a very spacy jam in the center of the second set, where form was basically left behind entirely and traditional soloing was forsaken. I guess we know why they liked the Bangor Tweezer so much. Acoustic Army Was this introduced as "Acoustic Army" at Boise? If not, I wonder what its actual name is. All four sit on stools at the front of the stage with acoustic guitars. Starts with a whispery, haunting, repetitive guitar figure which they build from. It reaches a peak, stops, and returns. I was actually impressed with the crowd during this one; they kept quiet and listened. The song itself was beautiful, which I'm sure helped. Initially I thought this was just a jam, until it became too structured and beautiful to possibly be improvised (if they can improvise that, they can do anything). Sweet Adeline Fine, with Fishman in nice voice. Slave to the Traffic Light And now the highlight of the second set. The beginning was very tight and energetic; then they totally blew the harmonies. (Generally I find that the harmonies are a precursor of how the jam will go, so I was a little dispirited.) It didn't matter, though, as they built and built and built the jam until I was sure they were going to come out of it, and then it built more, and more, and more, and I was sure they were coming out of it again, and it built yet more, and totally caught me flat-footed when it did end. I haven't heard the legendary NYE Slave, but this was up there with Binghamton and Glens Falls, for my nickel. ENCORE The Squirming Coil I was hoping for it; my friends were hoping for it; the people next to us were hoping for it; thankfully the moment wasn't ruined by Golgi or Rocky Top or Free Bird or something. A beautiful rendition; just before the bridge, a woman ran onstage, jumped about in front of Trey for a couple seconds, and was summarily dragged offstage and pummeled by security. During the final chorus lightning started to flash to the southeast. Page's final solo was very eclectic, and about five or six minutes long. Another lightning bolt flashed as he hit the final chord. Definitely the best Coil I've seen or have heard, though this probably just testifies to my lack of experience. GET THIS SHOW. So, overall, I'd give this one an 8, I think. Maybe a 9. Phish are so consistently good these days, it seems, that we may need to create a new scale altogether; I have no idea if this show will be an exceptional one in the greater context of the whole tour. However it holds up, it was incredibly satisfying at the time. Dan...