If Kid Rock's not gonna show up in this newsletter again, what are you gonna do about the 9/29/00 show in Las Vegas, man? Ha, ha ... just giving you a hard time. I still remember walking out of that show hearing how some phans were pissed that Phish allowed Kid to jam with them. To me, it was like, "Well, if they were gonna play with Kid Rock, I suppose a Friday night show in Las Vegas was the place for it..." and I was on my merry way.
Anyway, great article and thanks for answering a question I had just earlier this week---whatever happened to Steven Hyden? (That question was brought on by my iPhone playing the song "Yolk in the Fur" by Wild Pink who Steven introduced me to on one of his podcasts). Glad to know he's got a Substack and I may have to check out that podcast he did on Woodstock '99!
I think we Gen Xers haven't done as good of a job as our Boomer elders in spending some time reminiscing on our 1960s---the 1990s---because those were also world-changing times. Thanks for playing a role in doing that with these posts.
As a 13 year old attendee of Woodstock '99, there to see Metallica (my then-favorite band), Megadeth, Korn, Limp Bizkit, ICP, Rage Against the Machine, Sevendust -- but having my mind blown by the acts my Mom (yes, my mom brought me and my 12 year old sister to Woodstock '99) made me watch: James Brown (one of the most formative live music experiences of my life), Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, George Clinton -- and my cousin made me go see: Dave Matthews Band (at that point a mark of pride to be part of the gang in school that listened to metal versus the gang that listened to "Dave", but who were...really fucking good) + The Roots -- one of the striking things about all the documentaries and media that started to come out among the 25 year anniversary was that, besides the moment on Sunday that my Mom realized the vibes had SHIFTED and pulled us out of there early (before all the real rioting happened), it felt safe and fun and like an absolute blast. Yeah, I remember water starting to be like $10 a bottle on Sunday, insanely long lines at the ATM, and I remember us having to share food from our cooler with the college kids next to us on the campgrounds who were, even in my 13 year old eyes, woefully underprepared for the experience, and I definitely remember the crowds during Korn and Limp Bizkit in particular being the rowdiest I'd experienced then -- but after going to many metal/punk shows since then that have been WAY more intense and violent -- it feels like a very weird hindsight to look back at Woodstock '99 and portray it as just an absolute shitshow from soup to nuts, with a crowd of seething nu-metal fans just waiting for an excuse to start a riot. Was there undeniably awful shit that happened during Woodstock '99? Goddamn right. But it felt like 90% of the festival was fine, if poorly run logistically, and 10% nightmare, half of which was due to entitled white bros (in particular all the terrible sexual assaults from that weekend) but half of which was due to 200,000 people realizing that they were being absolutely taken advantage of by a conscienceless promoter with a Marie Antoinette complex gouged for all they were worth, and on the way out the door saying "you're lucky we couldn't build a guillotine from the plywood fence you kept us in for 3 days."
Rare moment I kind of am in disagreement with your analysis...I'm actually gonna stand with '99 Trey on this one and say his speech was earned and still feels spot on. Phish fans proved themselves throughout the nineties — and even onward in the horrible conditions of Coventry — to basically get along and make things work.
Since I live in NYC, I bring a lot of newbies to MSG shows. And they're always absolutely blown away by the good vibes of a Phish audience, even though many of us are drunk and on drugs. And when you're in the scene, certain people can seem nasty or bother us. But to outsiders — and I believe ushers + security would back this up — Phish fans are generally pretty agreeable and easy. Go to any sporting event or almost any other concert at a big arena and the vibe/energy is so different.
Maybe it's because we feel like we're responsible to the band. Or maybe there's actually something to be said for the roots of the movement this band sprung from and the kind of energy the music and scene attracts in people. Probably a bit of both.
But yeah in '99 after 4 straight years of unprecedented huge festivals with no incidents and another one on the horizon...Trey's speech maybe a bit of rose tinted glasses but also: fuck yes Phish fans.
I think this second set is better than it gets credit for (& don’t sleep on the short but incredibly sweet Gin from the first set). If there was an alternate universe where this second set came at the start of the tour, and not amidst the roller coaster that was this four night run, I think it would be held in much higher esteem. Say this came on 7/4 and Trey teased Hendrix’s rendition of Star Spangled Banner amidst the brilliant cacophony that connected that final suite of songs I think it could be downright beloved. Alas, that’s just now how things went down.
These are my only shows at Deer Creek and I am happy to agree with your opinion and will add that the reason for such an epic Whipping Post was Trey literally singing about his flubbing of the previous show at Alpine-listen closely to this version and see his smiling face as he kindly sings,”oh lord it feels like I’m dyin’” then digs in deep, with the rest of the band roasting with him
If Kid Rock's not gonna show up in this newsletter again, what are you gonna do about the 9/29/00 show in Las Vegas, man? Ha, ha ... just giving you a hard time. I still remember walking out of that show hearing how some phans were pissed that Phish allowed Kid to jam with them. To me, it was like, "Well, if they were gonna play with Kid Rock, I suppose a Friday night show in Las Vegas was the place for it..." and I was on my merry way.
Anyway, great article and thanks for answering a question I had just earlier this week---whatever happened to Steven Hyden? (That question was brought on by my iPhone playing the song "Yolk in the Fur" by Wild Pink who Steven introduced me to on one of his podcasts). Glad to know he's got a Substack and I may have to check out that podcast he did on Woodstock '99!
I think we Gen Xers haven't done as good of a job as our Boomer elders in spending some time reminiscing on our 1960s---the 1990s---because those were also world-changing times. Thanks for playing a role in doing that with these posts.
As a 13 year old attendee of Woodstock '99, there to see Metallica (my then-favorite band), Megadeth, Korn, Limp Bizkit, ICP, Rage Against the Machine, Sevendust -- but having my mind blown by the acts my Mom (yes, my mom brought me and my 12 year old sister to Woodstock '99) made me watch: James Brown (one of the most formative live music experiences of my life), Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, George Clinton -- and my cousin made me go see: Dave Matthews Band (at that point a mark of pride to be part of the gang in school that listened to metal versus the gang that listened to "Dave", but who were...really fucking good) + The Roots -- one of the striking things about all the documentaries and media that started to come out among the 25 year anniversary was that, besides the moment on Sunday that my Mom realized the vibes had SHIFTED and pulled us out of there early (before all the real rioting happened), it felt safe and fun and like an absolute blast. Yeah, I remember water starting to be like $10 a bottle on Sunday, insanely long lines at the ATM, and I remember us having to share food from our cooler with the college kids next to us on the campgrounds who were, even in my 13 year old eyes, woefully underprepared for the experience, and I definitely remember the crowds during Korn and Limp Bizkit in particular being the rowdiest I'd experienced then -- but after going to many metal/punk shows since then that have been WAY more intense and violent -- it feels like a very weird hindsight to look back at Woodstock '99 and portray it as just an absolute shitshow from soup to nuts, with a crowd of seething nu-metal fans just waiting for an excuse to start a riot. Was there undeniably awful shit that happened during Woodstock '99? Goddamn right. But it felt like 90% of the festival was fine, if poorly run logistically, and 10% nightmare, half of which was due to entitled white bros (in particular all the terrible sexual assaults from that weekend) but half of which was due to 200,000 people realizing that they were being absolutely taken advantage of by a conscienceless promoter with a Marie Antoinette complex gouged for all they were worth, and on the way out the door saying "you're lucky we couldn't build a guillotine from the plywood fence you kept us in for 3 days."
Rare moment I kind of am in disagreement with your analysis...I'm actually gonna stand with '99 Trey on this one and say his speech was earned and still feels spot on. Phish fans proved themselves throughout the nineties — and even onward in the horrible conditions of Coventry — to basically get along and make things work.
Since I live in NYC, I bring a lot of newbies to MSG shows. And they're always absolutely blown away by the good vibes of a Phish audience, even though many of us are drunk and on drugs. And when you're in the scene, certain people can seem nasty or bother us. But to outsiders — and I believe ushers + security would back this up — Phish fans are generally pretty agreeable and easy. Go to any sporting event or almost any other concert at a big arena and the vibe/energy is so different.
Maybe it's because we feel like we're responsible to the band. Or maybe there's actually something to be said for the roots of the movement this band sprung from and the kind of energy the music and scene attracts in people. Probably a bit of both.
But yeah in '99 after 4 straight years of unprecedented huge festivals with no incidents and another one on the horizon...Trey's speech maybe a bit of rose tinted glasses but also: fuck yes Phish fans.
I think this second set is better than it gets credit for (& don’t sleep on the short but incredibly sweet Gin from the first set). If there was an alternate universe where this second set came at the start of the tour, and not amidst the roller coaster that was this four night run, I think it would be held in much higher esteem. Say this came on 7/4 and Trey teased Hendrix’s rendition of Star Spangled Banner amidst the brilliant cacophony that connected that final suite of songs I think it could be downright beloved. Alas, that’s just now how things went down.
These are my only shows at Deer Creek and I am happy to agree with your opinion and will add that the reason for such an epic Whipping Post was Trey literally singing about his flubbing of the previous show at Alpine-listen closely to this version and see his smiling face as he kindly sings,”oh lord it feels like I’m dyin’” then digs in deep, with the rest of the band roasting with him