Completely agree! This was one of our last Phish shows for a long while. 94-2000. The scene, the heroin, the music felt like it was all falling apart after such an amazing run. I think the last show I saw at Polaris was TAB in 2000 or was it 2001 and I’d say that show was even less than this. Thanks for all your reviews. Reliving my experience with you has been great! HBD!!!
Happy Birthday and really loved this post and the insight. I actually thought you were less harsh on summer 2000 than I expected, which was refreshing — and I like the tour more than I once did after following along.
I think to take the sort of flip side on your "the essential engine of Phish is evolution," is that another component of Phish is they're an equal quartet of 4 friends. And when friends get together and hang out, fun + amazing things happen and there's lots of spontaneity + growth. You see it on teams or even just friend groups/conversations. When they're kind of sick of each other? Maybe even actively disliking each other for the first time? Well — not so fun. And it just feels stagnant like "hey I see these people all the tune, who cares//they're annoying me." And you were astute to find that in the Have Mercy transition...which does feel super tense + strange. And even though 2003 does bring in new songs + equipment + explorations...I think that social dynamic on stage remains off for the 2.0 era, which does no one any favors.
I closed out my 1.0 run after the Summer ‘99 Deer Creek tour closers. I started college that fall and while I paid attention to the setlists and a couple of tapes from fall ‘99, I had much less interest in going back to Rosemont Horizon that fall. My tastes evolved, and from Phish the music felt less urgent and important than it did even in Summer of ‘99, which felt like the end of the party to me. The shows/crowds felt more aggro that summer and the band was noticeably a bit more sloppy (Alpine 99 especially was kind of a dagger, despite some deep jamming). I didn’t go back until summer of 2013, and I’m glad I did.
Once again, a lovely essay. I am looking forward to seeing what you say about that uneven but occasionally glorious fall tour.
Though for what it's worth, I LOVE WMGGW from this show. It plods, yes, but with so much fire esp from Trey, and it just captures something swampy, thick, and intense. I also love the Bug from this show. But YMMV, as they say.
Happy birthday Rob, mine was Sunday and I ended up seeing Max Creek in Maine instead of catching a 30min Tweezer in CHS. Not a strategic decision, just happened to be.
Everything you've said tracks, I was living in the mountains of NM summer 2000 and only caught the Deer Creek run until the Fall. That run was a blast, but more for the adventure than the music.
Things pick up a little in the Fall - Great Woods, MPP, and Rosemont put out some classics - but you can absolutely sense the end coming. I did most of Fall tour and remember the feeling after they finished YEM at Shoreline was just....depressing. I can still remember it vividly today, such a contrast to the feeling at 7am in the Everglades just 10 months prior.
This band thrives most when they are creatively challenged and are forced to evolve. This year felt like they were riding the last beach break wave in before sunset. Love the project and everything you've put into this, much thanks.
Dark Review - but that was the scene at that point and I very much appreciate this take as it reinforces my feelings I had at the time where ambivalence was starting to set in about giving any more energy over to this band. It’s basically at the point where a cult falls off into varying sects and then implodes. Hard to believe 25 years later that was the state of the scene.
Now, I'm just not sure whether my belief that Sky Blue Sky (and most Wilco that followed it) is pretty much apex dad rock is my opinion, or your opinion that I parroted. Thanks for gaslighting me. haha
I'd pretty much given up on Wilco, due to this middle of the road path the band has been on with a few rarely exceptions being the first and last track on The Whole Love. I did however read a few reviews for their latest album Cousin, and the general consensus was that Wilco was getting weird again. I gave it a few listens and was not disappointed. Your mileage may vary, but if you've given up on dad rock Wilco, give Cousin a listen. You might be pleasantly surprised.
I definitely fall on the side of support weird and will check it out, thanks! Honestly, it would be nice to feel good about a Wilco album again. It's been minute.
Come for phish talk, get sidetracked by hyperlinks to retrospectives on the unexpected results from critical reviews and oughts era indie music.
Completely agree! This was one of our last Phish shows for a long while. 94-2000. The scene, the heroin, the music felt like it was all falling apart after such an amazing run. I think the last show I saw at Polaris was TAB in 2000 or was it 2001 and I’d say that show was even less than this. Thanks for all your reviews. Reliving my experience with you has been great! HBD!!!
Happy Birthday and really loved this post and the insight. I actually thought you were less harsh on summer 2000 than I expected, which was refreshing — and I like the tour more than I once did after following along.
I think to take the sort of flip side on your "the essential engine of Phish is evolution," is that another component of Phish is they're an equal quartet of 4 friends. And when friends get together and hang out, fun + amazing things happen and there's lots of spontaneity + growth. You see it on teams or even just friend groups/conversations. When they're kind of sick of each other? Maybe even actively disliking each other for the first time? Well — not so fun. And it just feels stagnant like "hey I see these people all the tune, who cares//they're annoying me." And you were astute to find that in the Have Mercy transition...which does feel super tense + strange. And even though 2003 does bring in new songs + equipment + explorations...I think that social dynamic on stage remains off for the 2.0 era, which does no one any favors.
Articulated exactly as I would have.
I closed out my 1.0 run after the Summer ‘99 Deer Creek tour closers. I started college that fall and while I paid attention to the setlists and a couple of tapes from fall ‘99, I had much less interest in going back to Rosemont Horizon that fall. My tastes evolved, and from Phish the music felt less urgent and important than it did even in Summer of ‘99, which felt like the end of the party to me. The shows/crowds felt more aggro that summer and the band was noticeably a bit more sloppy (Alpine 99 especially was kind of a dagger, despite some deep jamming). I didn’t go back until summer of 2013, and I’m glad I did.
Thanks again for the great work on this project!
Once again, a lovely essay. I am looking forward to seeing what you say about that uneven but occasionally glorious fall tour.
Though for what it's worth, I LOVE WMGGW from this show. It plods, yes, but with so much fire esp from Trey, and it just captures something swampy, thick, and intense. I also love the Bug from this show. But YMMV, as they say.
Happy birthday Rob, mine was Sunday and I ended up seeing Max Creek in Maine instead of catching a 30min Tweezer in CHS. Not a strategic decision, just happened to be.
Everything you've said tracks, I was living in the mountains of NM summer 2000 and only caught the Deer Creek run until the Fall. That run was a blast, but more for the adventure than the music.
Things pick up a little in the Fall - Great Woods, MPP, and Rosemont put out some classics - but you can absolutely sense the end coming. I did most of Fall tour and remember the feeling after they finished YEM at Shoreline was just....depressing. I can still remember it vividly today, such a contrast to the feeling at 7am in the Everglades just 10 months prior.
This band thrives most when they are creatively challenged and are forced to evolve. This year felt like they were riding the last beach break wave in before sunset. Love the project and everything you've put into this, much thanks.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Happy bday, Rob! You enjoy yourself 83 and 84 🥳
Dark Review - but that was the scene at that point and I very much appreciate this take as it reinforces my feelings I had at the time where ambivalence was starting to set in about giving any more energy over to this band. It’s basically at the point where a cult falls off into varying sects and then implodes. Hard to believe 25 years later that was the state of the scene.
Now, I'm just not sure whether my belief that Sky Blue Sky (and most Wilco that followed it) is pretty much apex dad rock is my opinion, or your opinion that I parroted. Thanks for gaslighting me. haha
I'd pretty much given up on Wilco, due to this middle of the road path the band has been on with a few rarely exceptions being the first and last track on The Whole Love. I did however read a few reviews for their latest album Cousin, and the general consensus was that Wilco was getting weird again. I gave it a few listens and was not disappointed. Your mileage may vary, but if you've given up on dad rock Wilco, give Cousin a listen. You might be pleasantly surprised.
I definitely fall on the side of support weird and will check it out, thanks! Honestly, it would be nice to feel good about a Wilco album again. It's been minute.
Come for phish talk, get sidetracked by hyperlinks to retrospectives on the unexpected results from critical reviews and oughts era indie music.