8-11-04 - Tweeter Center, Mansfield, MA

review submisions to me at please include the date in the subject line...
please review the show, not the other reviews....

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 20:50:01 EDT From: VikingDethChant Subject: Phish show review 8/11/04 Incredible show. First off, I've been an enormous Phish fan for about 15 years now and this was my first show! It seems that for some reason or another, when Phish came around here (New England) Tix were never to be found. With that being said, The show was truly a breath taking experience and very, very emotional for my wife and I. We both are life long musicians and have a deep admiration for the musicianship and creativeness of the band. As with every other devoted Phish fan, the thought of the band just going away is a bit too much. It's utterly heartbreaking to be honest. In a time where record companies are making the current music scene absolutely sterile and mundane, Phish was (is) a pure and genuine breath of fresh air for passionate musicians everywhere. This isn't really quite the detailed review of the show but I wanted to be honest and share my heartfelt sentiments towards, in my mind, the single most important band to come out in the past 20 years. What can I say, Incredible band, Incredibly emotional show. Thank you, Trey, Page, Mike and Fish. From one musician to another, ...................Man, This is too hard.
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2004 01:07:40 -0400 From: matt frawley Subject: Phish show review - 8/11/04 I hadn't seen Phish for 6 years prior to this show. Over the last 5 years or so, I had been hearing mixed reviews and boring tapes of their live shows. When they announced they were finsished I wasn't surprised or dissappointed.   That all changed after seeing this show. If they can still pull of what they pulled off that night, they should at least still do a festival or New Years show every year. They sounded, tight, revitalized and incredibly focussed all night long. I'm sorry to see them go. I had no idea they were still capable of playing like this.     Matt in MA
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2004 10:16:43 -0400 From: Rich Schieferdecker Subject: 8-11-04 - Tweeter Center, Mansfield, MA Review Antelope minus the lyrics. They never got to it...go figure. Awesome show. Definitely better than the night before. I loved the energy. The commitment. The musicianship...and yes, the silliness and the heart. I won't be going to Coventry, so it was my last show. I didn't leave all sad, because this show was so darned good. I will definitely download it for the memory, but also because it was a really up show.
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 15:40:16 -0400 From: "Dionne, Henry" Subject: Phish show review I have to second the emotion that this show was one of the best Phish played in years. I fell away from the band (my wife and I spent too much time with Widespread Panic...if that's possible!) after 1995 or so and only caught a handful of shows since. Both Lori and I agreed that Wed. night at Great Woods was like a 1993-95 show. Vintage and wonderful with all the joyous emotion and musical variety that made the band famous. I particularly like Phish when they are heavy, grungy and ELECTRIC and we got a lot of that at Great Woods. Not that the tender or silly stuff wasn't there too, but... well I just got exactly what I wanted. I hope someone can address something for me though. I couldn't figure out what song opened the 2nd set. I thought they were teasing several heavy jams (including Antelope) that eventually became Also Sprach/2001. I asked a friend of a friend who was sitting near me what they were playing and she replied "Antelope" long before 2001 began. Now I see that Antelope is listed on the set list from this website. However, I don't remember hearing the lyrics to Antelope. Am I crazy? Too much lot candy? Or, was Antelope played as an instrumental? I guess I'll have to buy the download, but if someone could shoot me an answer, I'd love it. I'm really sad that Phish has decided to call it quits. They were a big part of so many lives and a true musical phenomenon. If the band reads this, let me say 1. Thank you - from my very first show in Tampa in '93 (scheduled for the Cuban Club but moved to...?) when Mike Gordon came out into the lot and fed me and several others from the band's catering after the show, to Wed. at Great Woods, it was one hell of a run. 2. I wish you all happiness in life. 3. Should you decide to come back, you will be welcome with open arms. I won't feel a bit bad about the "false advertising" of this last tour. 4. It seems a shame to end such a unique bit of Americana and art as your band, are you sure you won't reconsider? 5. And this is touchy: Mike Gordon, the incident at the Jones Beach Dead show is more than troubling. Whether it is behind the breakup of Phish or not, I hope that you will seek out and find whatever it is that you need to ensure that another such question never arises. I don't judge you, but innocent or not, better judgment should have been exercised. Any phan with children knows what I'm talking about. And nobody hates you over it. Still, impart the beauty in you, not the ugliness. We all have demons. OK, I'm getting off my soapbox. Last thing I want to say is that one of the big reasons I stopped following Phish was because of the ugliness in the lots. I've seen so many sketchy things over the years. But as my friend Corey pointed out on Wed., the phans were so well behaved on this tour. You should all be commended for helping this great band end things with style and flair. And to whomever was SO cool as to give me a fourth row, dead center seat at face value 30 minutes before show time when hundreds of people were offering hundreds of dollars in cash and trade...thank you, thank you, thank you. May the gods bless you with good karma for many days. You deserve it. Peace and love everyone. Enjoy yourselves at Coventry. A special big thanks and goodbye to Corey, Mike, Matt and the whole NC crew. You guys rock....Henry p.s. someone please answer about that Antelope; it's driving me nuts!
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 19:45:39 -0400 From: Karen Fair Subject: Phish show review i just want to say thank you phish for wed. show at mansfield, ma. i've only seen maybe, 20-25 phish shows, but i've seen over a 1000 concerts, and last night's show, is my #1 show ever.   thank you.   i'll miss you guys.
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 16:30:33 -0400 From: Daniel Goldenberg Subject: Phish show review The show was amazing. Drum Dou.
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 08:57:37 -0400 From: Carmine Nardone Subject: phish show review 8-11-04 After an Ok first night, I could only hope for the best on this LAST SHOW at Great Woods. WOW!!! This was vintage Phish. From first song out, they never came down. Trey was fantastic, Mike was ever so solid,Page was funky, and Fish was killer. More than anything else, they played together, and they played well. Real well. This show helped me to believe again in the magic of Phish.
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 08:52:10 -0400 From: Robbie Subject: Phish show review Last night at Great Woods (I refuse to address it as anything else) marked the birth of the greatest Phish show ever.  Prior to this monumental event, Tuesday's show was par for the course; given the obvious fatigue of the guys in the band, what else could we expect.  However, they must have had a peaceful nights rest because they started the show somewhere over the rafters and ended it at the gates of St. Peter.  To review all of the songs would be an arduous and tedious task, but to try my best to convey the feeling of the night and the major events that directly caused that feeling is easy.  Two words - Smokey Robinson.  Two more words - Hot Chick.  What do they have in common?  Nothing, unless Trey and Page both forget the words to Tears of a Clown and Trey asks the audience if anyone knows the words; enter hot chick from first row who got up and attempted to sing, but succeeded at making every guy in the place drool over her gift of being well endowed, meanwhile every woman in the place envied her ability to smother Trey with kisses.  Bouncy breasts aside, Trey and Fishman topped that act with a double drum solo on Fish's kit; (this was accompanied by an explanation as to how they use to have drum jams in college together and Trey has always wanted to start a song with a drum solo of this nature).  Being a drummer of the semi-professional persuasion, I was awestruck and impressed with Trey's ability to not only keep up with Fishman, but his ability to inspire many of the rhythms they ventured through on this once-in-a-lifetime event.  I expected to leave the venue heavy hearted and down-trodden, but on the contrary, the show was so good that I felt at peace with the fact that this would be my last time seeing them.  It was as if we were brought back ten years ago.  The band was vibrant, every member made a joke at Fishman's expense in regard to his vacuum solo that evening, the energy was high, and all was right with the world.  For the past few years I have been praying and searching for a show of this magnitude; by the blessing of irony my prayers and dreams came true.  Only this time as the band walked off stage, all members facing stage left, Trey looked at the crowd and pumped his fists as if to say, "We did it, all 30,000 of us, we did it."  And as the lights came on and the cattle herd began to go to pasture I said a silent thank you to John, Trey, Page, Mike, 30,000 people, and the cosmos.  We did do it.  Thank you for bringing peace to us all.
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