Thanks to Peter B. for the tapes so quickly..

Really cool DWD to open this second set, although the opening segment
isn't that pretty.  The jam segment contains a lot of upper octave
diddling-around and double stops from Trey, with some nice clav and
moog work from Page.  Very unusual jam segment for DWD.  About 10
minutes into the jam segment, Fish drops the beat into something akin
to "Fire on the Mountain" (see also the Bathtub Gin from 11/7/96
Lexington or whenever that was), while Mike, Page and Trey continue to
jazzily jam.

Around 11:30 into the DWD jam, they begin to sound like they could
easily segue into Lucy with a Lumpy Carini Head (or whatever that song
ended up being called)... they basically jam in Lucy with a Lumpy Head
fashion in here (15:20 from Mike's DWD-opening effects).  They don't,
however, sing the Lucy lyrics -- Trey starts noodling in a rather
steady, bluesy, Bathtub-Gin-like manner, climbing up and down and all
over the frets of his Languedoc custom (Fish maintains a Lucy
rhythm).  The crowd starts clapping along to this slow, bluesy "DWD"
jam (although the jam at this point sounds NOTHING like DWD's typical
jam segment -- see 8/16/96's DWD for a DWD jam segment that stays DWD
throughout..:-).  Trey teases Lucy with a Lumpy Head again around
18:11 (timing from the start of Mike's opening effects), and then
repeats a melodious lick that climbs the 'doc's octaves.  There's a
tease at this point of Mike's Song's opening lick, only in a different
key... and then another one.. and another..

At 19:30 into the DWD Jam, Mike's Song solidly begins, after a GREAT
segue that was basically repetition of the Mike's Song opening lick --
with each repetition played more quickly than the lick preceding it
... very dramatic crescendo taboot taboot.  Although this is a good,
smooth segue from the jam preceding it, I don't agree that it is that
beautiful, and I frankly prefer the much more melodious segues (such
as Runaway -> Foam from 12/29/94 Providence or the Makisupa -> NICU
from 12/1/94 Salem or the Gin -> Real Me -> Gin of 12/29/95 Worcester).

(re-setting the timings at 00:00)

Opening segment of Mike's is standard, outside of the nice segue, of
course.  At 2:28 the trampolines segment funkily opens, with Trey
jamming along with Page and Mike in the opening.  Around 3:30 into it,
Trey teases the same sort of catchy lick that he plays in the jam
segment of Suzy Greenberg, and often in Weekapaug (during the "quiet
mode" of some versions).  Ultra-dank grooving from everyone in here..
just slinging it out phhhhhhaaaaatly.  No freaky off-key weirdness
from Trey.  He's just grooving along.. (what do you guitarists call
the pedal he uses for this effect?  is this just a simple wah-wah?).
Has a total Shakedown (Dead) feel, fwiw (but no, there's no Shakedown
tease..:), akin to all the versions of Ghost that I've heard so far
(about 4 in all from July).  Niiiiice bass-work from the prominent
Mike (thanks PLM).

Nothing much to say about this funky Mike's Song -- except that it
makes for some great BOOGIE-ING.  Trey finally starts noodling
melodiously around 6 mins or so, but there's no design behind it.  The
jam picks up into something more typically Mike's around 6:45 -- harsh
chording from Trey (and some trilling around 7:20).  Trey practically
teases Spooky's main lick around 8 minutes, but not quite.  At several
points in here, I'd swear that Page was trying to start the closing
chords for the tramps segment..

At 9 mins, the jam is still chaotic and un-centered.. very un-Mike's.
Directionless.  Page and Trey seem to be doing their own thing,
frankly, while Fish and Mike keep everything kosher for Mike's Song.
Trey lets loose and sustains some effects (and Page hops on the moog)
around 9:30 or something, and by 10:30, the jam begins to get very
spacey.  Trey starts chording beneath the effects that he previously
unleashed in a mysteriously dark, repetitive manner, around 10:40, and
Mike joins him.  Trey continues to play this dark, catchy lick over
and over again (is this a tease of something?  I don't recognize it).
Page chords and sustains as well.

Trey continues playing this same dark lick over and over with help
from Mike, and Fish has kicked the beat back into something
complementarily sinister.  The groove at this point (13 minutes) is
spooky and plodding, with minimal activity -- Trey continues to repeat
That Same Lick, until 13:38 when he SUDDENLY stops and quickly
launches into the closing chords of the tramps segment of Mike's
Song.. and then Simple begins right away at 13:55 or so.

By 14:12 they begin singing Simple.  I'm still in shock from the
rather prompt close to the Mike's Song after that repetitive, evil
(closing) groove, which I honestly thought might go somewhere more
inspiring.

Simple's jam segment continues merrily along.  Typically Simple, and
no, there's nothing approaching the majesty of the Simple-jam from
12/28/96 or the 12/6/96 Vegas Simple, UNTIL around 23:20, when there's
an outright, blatantly obvious tease of Hydrogen, which segues into
the picture.  Trey begins Hydrogen in an enormously gorgeous and
unusual manner, mimicking Mike's opening notes in an upper octave. It
frankly sounds substantially similiar at this time to part of the
Dead's beautiful song "Crazy Fingers" (the part preceding the jam
segment of that song).  So, all of you who heard this MAGICAL,
ALMIGHTY SEGUE into Hydrogen out of Simple and were wondering What
Else You Heard Other Than Hydrogen, you may have heard Crazy Fingers.
I wouldn't call this a "Crazy Fingers" tease, however, since there's
no blatant tip of the hat to Fingers' main melody line, and Fingers is
a different key anyway.

Weekapaug kicks in out of the rather WONDERFUL Hydrogen at 26:14.
Mike's opening soloing is typically quick, funky and snappy, and
whether you thought it was or not, it *IS* a measure longer than usual
since Trey & Page took a little extra time before kicking out the
opening Weekapaug Chords.  Weekapaug's jam segment begins at 27:53,
and Trey melodiously and passionately begins steadily soloing from the
get-go with a tease -- in a different key -- of part of Hydrogen's
melody line.

The jamming for the first two minutes is typically fired up, balls to
the wall, spectacular Weekasoloing.  Page gets on the piano around
29:40 for a wee bit before Trey begins funkily grooving a la the jam
segment of Ghost, Suzy Greenberg, and of course, Weekapaug.  Mike
steps up and starts ripping out melodious licks while Page, Fish and
Trey funk beneath him!!!! =^]

Page gets on the clav around 31 minutes and GETS DOWN AND FUNKY!!!
Around 31:35 or so there's a subtle key change from Mike which is
remarakably original for Weekapaug...  Trey begins melodiously soloing
o'er top it patiently.  Fish gets more prominent in here with some
nice fills, before the jam kicks back into something more Weekapaugian
around 32:15.

Around 33:30 the jam is back into true Weekapaugian Hose Mode, and
Trey reallllly starts tearing shit up overtop the fiery bottom from
Mike, Page and Fish.  Trey starts trilling and employs the Leslie a
little bit around 34:05.  At 34:28 Trey chords what ordinarily closes
'paug but the take a little longer with it and the closing chords
don't leap in until 34:40.

Closing vocals are fairly straightforward (Page is tearing it up in
here on the piano, though.. hmmmm), but then Trey grooves a bit and a
teases "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" (Rolling Stones tune) for about
ten seconds (around 35:45 or so) but it is dropped rather quickly...
and the jam just fucking dissolves and dries up into a spacey sustain
around 36:30.. Hello My Baby follows after about a minute.  (not the
typical 'groove ending, especially when the closing lyrics had been
sung)

Total time basically 37 minutes for this Mike's Groove.  I thought
some of the jamming of this version was especially cool, particularly
the segue into Hydrogen and the Mike's Song.  The segue into Mike's
Song itself, obviously, is quite unusual and original, too.  I have no
trouble at all rating this a basic Kickass Mike's Groove A-, though.
There are plenty of versions from December 1995 alone that are far
more intricate and impressive, imo.  And even the 12/6 Vegas and 11/6
versions from last Fall are more musically inspiring than this
version, imo.

FWIW, I've heard about 6 shows now from July, and I strongly encourage
anyone having any Doubts about whether to hit a certain show or not TO
JUST GO.  Phish is playing consistently well, and many of the new
songs are GORGEOUS.  Limb by Limb (jam segment in 6, like Taste's jam
segment), Vultures and Ghost in particular strike me as good tunes to
jam on.  (Ghost is basically the next Tweezer, fwiw, although its jam
segment is closer to the Dead's "Shakedown" than it is to Tweezer;
Ghost's opening segment is strangely very STEELY DAN-esque, so I
imagine Steely Dan fans will be especially amused by it)  Funny as it
Seems, Piper and Circus are also pretty decent, imo, but I wasn't
blown away by them.  I am thrilled, though, by Phish's more radical
use of vocals, though.  It takes a lot of BALLS to sing some of this
stuff -- a lot of these new tunes have challenging vocals and it will
be interesting to see how often Phish is capable of Pulling Them Off.

I also really like Dirt, but although Craig will flame me, I'm not at
all impressed by Waiting in the Velvet Sea (or wading in velveeta
cheese, if you will), although I suppose I enjoy hearing it more than
I do "Strange Design."  But remember I'm a huuuuuge fan of Lifeboy and
Fast, which probably makes my opinion RETARDED when it comes to
"sappy" songs.  I have honestly not carefully listened to Velveeta
Cheese, though, so my opinion could change.

Of the shows I've heard so far this summer (including the first three
shows of the US tour), the Jam To Hear At All Costs simply has to be
the 7/9 Lyon, France version of You Enjoy Myself with Bela Fleck and
the Flecktones, which segues mightily into Ghost.  It is **EXCELLENT**
and this YEM for its jam segment alone will get an "A" (thanks Bill
H.! for the tapes) or at least an N/R (given that the usual YEM
structure is transcended).  The SOAM from Lyon is also remarkably
groovy, with a very unusual jam segment (but I wished that they had
carried out this ultra-funky SOAM a bit more than they did!).

I haven't given the Amsterdam shows a careful listen, yet, but from
what I've heard so far, they also ain't shabby (Reba is especially
Kind).  It was particularly cool to hear the Billy Breathes version of
FREE return!!!! :)  I really enjoy Free's closing segment on the CD,
and I'm glad that Phish is playing that again.  The Jam->Cities of the
6/20/97 Prague first set is also probably must-hear.

two cents
charlie