4-15-99 -Phil & Friends- Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA
if you have a review of this show, email it to me at dws@www.phish.net


Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 16:47:10 -0500
From: Dustin Naughton 
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: 15th review 

After reading JD petersons review of the show on the 15th I have to put
my 2 cents in.  I usually refrain, but I apparently wasn't at the same
show as him.  What really suprised me about the Phil & Phriends shows,
especially the 1st night is how hard they jammed and the tightness and
intensity of the jams.  When these tapes start flying I only hope they
can do the Volcanic Viola Lee Blues justice.  I mean it's almost enough
that they attempted such a classic, but to rip it apart for as long and
as hard as they did was astonishing.  I mean in my 30 Dead/Phish shows I
have never seen anything as good, period.  When they came back out of
nowhere back into "The judge decreeded..."  I almost lost my mind.  I
could have died happy right there.  There were some moments of
awkwardness to the show, a flub or 2 but how long have these guys been
playing as a unit?  3 days?  It was much better than even my
expectations, and they were high.  I could go through the whole show but
others have done that.  Let me just say in all fairness to JD.  IT WAS
OUT OF THIS WORLD.  PERIOD.  Also, the I know you Ryder>Row Jimmy>
Shakedown>Wheel>Not fadeway will go down one of the greatest times of my
touring life, if I live to be 100.  TREY RIPPED!  Also I haven't heard
this too much, but I think everybody got a real kick out of Phil doing a 
little shuffle dance before ripping into each new tune.  This was their
most enthusiastic performance of the run and certainly my favorite of the
3.  D 


Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 18:27:04 -0500
From: "Murphy, Jonathan" MurphyJ@staff.abanet.org
To: "'dws@www.phish.net'" dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Review 4/15/99

At about 8:30 the lights dimmed and out from behind the curtain came Phil,
Kimock, and Phil's two young sons.  At the first sight of Phil the crowd
went absolutely berserk, and Phil was obviously moved.  After thanking
everyone for the warm reception and for the support he'd received during the
past few months, Phil announced that before things got started they were
going to play a tune with the help of his "two best friends."
They proceeded to play an emotional version of "Hello Old Friend," an Eric
Clapton cover, which seemed appropriate given the circumstances of Phil's
return to the stage following major surgery.  Phil's vocals weren't
brilliant, but they were better than on some of the later tunes, Generally,
the performance was enthusiastic and appealing, with Phil's kids adding a
nice laid-back feel to the tune.
A few minutes later, the curtains parted and the band was officially
revealed - although the t-shirts being sold in the lobby had already listed
who Phil's "Phriends" were, finally verifying the rumors everyone had been
hearing for weeks.  From left to right: Page, Kimock, Molo, Phil, and
Trey.

The band tentatively launched into a tune that at first sounded like
Chinacat, but the vocals soon began, with all three singers belting out, "I
wrote a letter, mailed it in the..."  Viola Lee Blues!  God knows when the
Dead last played this one, probably the early seventies.  The vocals were
great, and the jamming that ensued was simply incredible.  The band was
playing incredibly well together, and in particular, Kimock and Trey seemed
as though they had been performing together for years.  Before peaking and
returning to the chorus more than a half hour after it began, this Viola Lee
jam covered more ground than any Dead version I have ever heard.  It was
alternately intense, melodic, and spacey.  Given its 32 minute length, it
was not at all boring.  It must be heard to be believed.
Big Railroad Blues followed, with Trey on lead guitar and vocals.  I enjoyed
this version more than the most versions I've heard before.  Particularly
with his soloing, Trey gave it a real edge that I'd never heard before.  A
very tight, solid version.
Jack-A-Roe was next, with Phil singing.  Nothing too incredible, but it was
a good version, despite Phil's stiff vocals.
Before beginning the next song, Phil turned to all the other band members
and gave a sign that I interpreted as "let's stretch this one out a bit."
It turned out to be Cosmic Charlie, complete with rough vocals, circa 1969.
The jamming on this tune was very good, although it didn't reach the highs
that Viola Lee did earlier in the set or that Uncle John's would later.
Eventually, as often happened this night, the jam just dissolved into
delicate spaceyness, before surrendering to the next song, which in this
case was a great Wolfman's Brother.
This was the funkiest tune of the night, (although not nearly as funky as a
recent Phish version) and Kimock's pedal steel guitar added a nice new
twist.  Both Trey and Page seemed to be on the verge of laughter when Phil
sang Fishman's "Shirley Temple" lines, and I must say it really was pretty
amusing.  At this point, thoughts akin to "I can't f@#%ing believe Phil is
playing Wolfman's Brother" were dominating my thoughts, and I must confess I
had a hard time really getting into the jam that followed as a result.
Suffice it to say, though, it was much spacier than any Phish Wolfman's jam
I've heard, and I can't wait to hear it on tape.
A familiar melody arose from the space out of the Wolfman's jam, and at
first I identified it as The Wheel, but it turned out to be Uncle John's
Band.  I've heard some people compare it to the calypso-style versions The
Other Ones did, but I must say that I did not hear it that way.  What I did
hear was an amazing, jaw-dropping, melodic, slithery Trey led jam that was
one of the absolute highlights of the night.  At this point in the show, the
band was working extremely well as a unit; it is incredible to think that
they had only been playing together for a few days.  I will take this
opportunity to note that Trey's playing these two nights was much more
melody-oriented and less groove-centered than usual.  Perhaps it was a  
reaction the material or a subconscious emulation of Jerry, but it any case
it was generally quite beautiful.
The jam out of UJB closed the nearly two hour set, and almost everyone in
the venue seemed deliriously exhausted.
The second set began with a fine Alabama Getaway with Trey singing and
playing a blistering lead.  Sugaree followed, and Phil's wooden vocals were
not good.  Trey took the first solo, and played a very nice, understated
lead that was characteristically melodic and soulful.  After the next verse,
Kimock took a building, energetic solo that sounded like a good Other Ones
version.  He seemed to be engaging in a little one-upsmanship with Trey, as
if he were saying, "I learned how to play this one last summer, and this is
how the solo goes."  After the second verse trey took another beautiful
solo, but seemed to decline Steve's invitation to beef up the jamming.
On Like A Rolling Stone, Phil's vocals sounded as good as they would all
night, and I enjoyed this version more than the one TOO version I've heard
(Camden).  The Kimock-led transition into I Know You Rider was fantastic,
perhaps the only true "-->" of the night.  Once again though, I was fooled
by the beginning of the tune, and thought Rider was going to be Goin' Down
the Road Feelin' Bad until the vocals started.  This was a very fun version
- vocally strong, enthusiastically played.  Phil took the "headlight" verse
and didn't play it up the way Jerry did.  It's probably just as well.
A very well played and surprisingly well-sung version of Row Jimmy was next.
Trey put everything he had into the vocals on this one, and it sounded
great.  It's never been a favorite of mine (see also Must've Been the Roses,
High Time, To Lay Me Down) but I did enjoy this version quite a bit.  But
not as much as:
SHAKEDOWN STREET!  This one really whipped the already-exhausted crowd into
a frenzy.  The Trey/Page vocal delivery was tremendous, and the interplay
between Trey and Kimock was amazing.  Ironically, this was one of the tunes
the Dead used to showcase tight grooves, but on this night, groove-master
Trey eschewed that style of jamming and went along with Kimock's more
melodic style.  The result was fantastic, probably the highlight of the
second set.
Once again, the jam dissolved into space, and out of space came The Wheel
(not surprising, given the Shakedown--> Wheel which was reportedly played
during soundcheck).  This Wheel never seemed to get rolling, and in my
opinion was the weakest tune of the night.
A very well-played but not spectacular Not Fade Away followed, closing out
this 110 minute set.  Mr. Tambourine Man seemed an odd choice for the
encore, but Phil was clearly having a blast, instructing the band to go
through the chorus one last time before ending the marathon show.  After
nearly four hours of performing Phil still seemed to be having a blast and
didn't want the night to end.  And neither did I, knowing that I didn't have
a ticket for either of the following nights.  Things would work out though.
Somehow, I knew they would.  


Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 10:51:24 -0700
From: "J.D. Peterson" jdpeters@microsoft.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: review

JD's review:

Well, the date I was eagerly awaiting has come and gone. Last night heading
into to the Warfield there was a distinct buzz in the air. A buzz of great
anticipation for a bigtime show and historic event. Anyone who is a diehard
Dead/Phish fan like myself could not help but anticipate that this would be
a night of nights. But then, after the buildup, I saw the show.
The show was a good one. A very good one. But I was looking for something
out of this world. At least something I could call fantastic; and I simply
cannot. Maybe this is partially my fault for over-expecting, but who can
blame me? Anyway, lets get to the meat:
Show started with Phil,Steve, and Phil's kids singing "Hello Old Friends" in
front of the curtains.  Just seeing Phil on stage and hearing his voice
literally gave me goosebumps. Just so happy the man is healthy and playing
again. Next, the curtain opened and the boys were present with full smiles.
Never could have guessed a Viola Lee opener. I am not going to get into the
setlist and go through every song as I am sure you have all seen it. On
paper, this setlist looks unreal; for Dead fans in particular. However, it
just did not do it for me. Most of the songs seemed to be lagging and never
had the proper tempo or energy. This Jack A Ro needs to be forgotten. Cosmic
Charlie was very cool as was the only Phish tune of the night, Wolfmans.
These were clearly the highlights of the first set. The Uncle Johns had its
moments but that is about all I can say. The problem IMO, with this show and
mainly this first set is that every tune was jammed out to extreme lengths.
That in itself is not a bad thing (in fact usually a great thing!), but the
jams just never went anywhere. No funk, few driving mind benders, no out of
bodyies. All the jams basically were of the same variety; mellow and spacey.
I was shocked to read Dick Latvala's review because I never felt like Steve
or Trey "went for it" like I am accustomed to seeing.
Second set was better, but still never got me where I wanted to go.
Highlights were "...rolling stone", "I know you rider" (I am a sucker for
a rider), "Row Jimmy", and "Shakedown". These were all in a row and made up
the best segment of the night. Trey did the vocals for Row and Shake.
Still, much like the first set, the jams just rarely got into the
stratosphere. Kimock and Trey each had their moments, but rarely together. I
felt like they were each trying to give the other guy his space, and noone
every grabbed the moment by the throat and took off.  This was true of
everyone really. Page was extremely mild. Molo was far from special on drums
and I think contributed to the overall lag in a big way. Also need to point
out that lyrics were flubbed often, and everyone got "lost" at least once
or twice.
Overall, I may be acting a little harshly. Seeing Kimock and Anastasio on
stage together I just really expected to have my brain stirred, my heart
shaken, and my body flying. I really want to read more reviews and see
what others are saying. Keep in mind I was about as sober as I have ever
been for a show. But the music should have gotten me high enough.  But it cant
just be me; the crowd sat for nearly every jam and the cheers never were as
loud as the moment Phil came out in the opener. They got weaker all night. I
am glad I was there and it was really fun to hear these tunes and see this
lineup on stage together. Sahweet t-shirt as well! (Phil& Phriends with
the PH!) I am writing this one off as the guys not playing together enough.
The best way to summarize was a lack of cohesiveness. I have little doubt
that the next 2 shows will be far superior. I only wish I could see it
with my own eyes and more importantly, hear it with my own ears. Extras?

Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 11:06:39 -0700
From: "Florek, John" jflorek@alldata.com
To: "'dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu'" dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Subject: Phil & friends 1st night review

4/15/99 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, California
Trey Anastasio (Phish): Languedoc Hollowbody
Page McConnell (Phish): Grand Piano & organ
John Molo (Other Ones): Drums
Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead, Other Ones): Lead Bass
Steve Kimock (Zero, SK&F, KVHW, Other Ones): Guitars (6+)
Pre-set: Hello Old Friend*
I:  Viola Lee Blues**, Big Railroad Blues, Jack-a-Roe, Cosmic Charlie
Wolfman's Brother -> Space -> Uncle John's Band -> Jam
II: Alabama Getaway, Sugaree, Like a Rolling Stone > I Know You Rider,
Row Jimmy, Shakedown Street, The Wheel, Not Fade Away
E:  Mr. Tambourine Man
*   Just Phil and Steve, with Phil's kids
**  Nearly 39 minutes, with long jam before returning to Viola Lee Blues.

*WHEW!* After mortgaging my dog, pickup, and ex-wife trying to get in to the
Fillmore last fall, when i was shut out for phil & friends 10 minutes after
the outlets opened, i didn't even think about trying for these shows...but
lo and behold, the jam gods were smiling down on me last night. Despite
the fact that i had the insurmountable task of doing my mother's and my own
taxes, and being 90 miles away, when i got the call at 5:30pm, i knew i was
destined to be at the warfield. Much thanks to Dave Chase for surrendering
his prized ducket at the last minute...Dave, like i said, i'm really sorry
you couldn't go, but i have a hard time feeling sad for you! I'm still on
cloud 99 after seeing what i saw last night.
        Fortunately, the tax thing wasn't too difficult- due to my mom's eye
surgery she can't fill out those damn forms very easily, but she had
everything sketched out so it was just a matter of checking math and inking
the final copies...and driving across town to the only open post
office...but by 7:45 i was on the I-5 headin' for the city! Parked at about
9:15 (on the street [gulp]) and RAN into the Warfield...they were playing a
sprightly Big RR blues with everybody hopping, the balcony bouncing and
swaying like it tends to during the best warfield musical moments...then
came Jack-a-roe, with Phil on vocals, and Trey playing Jerry's lines...no
lengthy solos, but a nice showpiece...THEN...COSMIC CHARLIE!!...Page, Trey
and Phil sang together on this one...unison at first, then they were able
to bust out the harmony once they got rolling...and the jams were nice...i've
heard Kimock on tape, but seeing him live is pretty extraordinary...his
Jerryisms are just unbelievable! Of course, he has a definitve style of his
own, but the similarities are remarkable...both Trey and Steve GOT OFF
allnight long...the sound board was run by the guy who did all the Jerry
shows (is that John Cutler?)and i don't know if it was his doing or what,
but Trey's tone was just awash in 'verb most of the night...i couldn't tell
if it was Trey trying to match Kimock, or if it's Trey's new sound, or the
doing of the soundperson, but nonetheless it was very effective. Trey did
bust into some traditional Trey Tone, but not until the second set got
rolling (of course i missed the first part of set I, so i can't say how it
sounded then)...Wolfman's found the groove, the whole place was just rockin'
at this point...but none of jams really got to that fever pitch that the
Dead and Phish can so easily hit...maybe tonight or saturday...things just
kind of flowed, not many hard stops or any tricky unison playing, but it was
obviously all about the jams, and they delivered! Wolf's wound down into an
ambient jam reminiscent of Summer/Fall '98 Phish, then wound it's way into 
UJB!! Molo was all over it at the beginning, playing a heavy Carribbean type
thing before layin it down straight for the vocals...then they RIPPED IT UP
after the first verse...i can see why the Other Ones got such rave reviews
last summer...Molo, Kimock and Phil play SO WELL together! About the time
the second verse rolled around, i was expecting the rumored special guests
(Grisman and Carlos, who didn't show, but IT DIDN'T MATTER!!), especially
with all the freakin' guitars lyin' around the stage...Kimock must have had
close to 10 different guitars on stage, including pedal steel...Page seemed
kind of reserved most of the night...almost all of his solos were short and
(dare i say) unremarkable, with him hitting up the B-3 only a couple times,
mostly just piano, which was hard to hear with the guitars...
        set break was about an hour (the first set had to be over 100 mins!)
and then they kicked off set II with a zippy Alabama Getaway, with Phil
singin lead, then, oh my god, SUGAREE! We all knew we were in for a treat
when this started up, and i for one was totally floored by both the
guitarists...even though i had no intention of going to this show until 2
1/2 hours prior, i still had pretty high expectations (like most of us
heads with discriminating tastes) and Steve and Trey far exceeded them! Each
arrangement had that kind of loping, trademark Phil beat to it, but the band
just SWUNG! The numbers Phil sang were typically a little changed-up
arrangement-wise, but the band found the groove every time. During Sugaree,
i was almost laughing...Phil sang it very straight, like:

When            they come               to take-you down...
 1       2       3      1       2        3   1           2      3

but it was allgood...y'know...Rolling Stone was a nice treat, Phil nailing
all the lyrics (actually he did have a music stand in front of him, and trey
had lyrics on his monitor, which somebody stealthily changed between each
tune) and some good soloing, which flowed right into Rider! Yeah! nice to
hear (even if these segues and set orders were planned, the effect of a
totally imrov approach was there)...the whole place was dancin' and singin',
even the girl who asked me SIX TIMES "Is this row C?"...then they played a
beautiful Row Jimmy, with Trey singing lead, and the band nailing all the
tricky phrases...then came the Mothership: SHAKEFUCKINDOWN!! Woo-hoo! Trey
wah-ing, Steve zippin up and down his guitar like lightning, and then
FINALLY Page hopped on the Clavinet...only for about a minute, because
unfortunately neither he nor us could hear the Clav...i hope for everyone
else's sake they work that out by tonight...so after shakin' and rockin' and
funkin' they wound down into ambient land again, which i swear was going to
evolve into Piper or Caspian- another Phish tune or 2 sure would've been
nice- but it eventually found it's way into the Wheel, which was fun, but
the lateness of the evening was beginning to show...they went back into the
"Won't you try..." refrain so many times it was almost comical...then they
->'ed into NFA for a burning closer, Trey bustin' out his nasty tone and was
ROCKIN'! After a minor a capella deal at the end (like the Dead) they put
a
bow on it by playing the opening NFA chords and the big rock'n'roll
finish...
        after about 3 or 4 minutes Phil came out and spoke of the importance
of organ donation, then walked off...i was thinking "what a rockin' encore!"
but then the whole band came back and did a seemingly messed-up Mr.
Tambourine Man...it started off innocently enough, with Trey playing the
original guitar intro, though a little slow, then Phil started singing the
verse double time! it was so weird and messed up i had to stay and see if
they would do something else or at least solo over it, but it was just
verses and out...and even though it was double time, it was still
interminably long...the only weak spot of the evening...
        got to my car (all windows intact) at 1:30AM...nothin' like not
having an 11:00 curfew, eh?.....tahnks again Dave Chase, for giving me this
once in a lifetime opportunity...i am at peace with the world...i am "The
Most Happy Fellow!"

john florek
jflorek@alldata.com
voopa@2xtreme.net
voopa@voopa.net
dental_floss_tycoon@yahoo.com

Date:    Fri, 16 Apr 1999 04:59:20 -0700
From:    Charles Dirksen cdirksen@EARTHLINK.NET
Subject: 4/15 Lesh and Friends Review

With a few modest quibbles, this was the best show ever in the history
of the universe, at least until the next KVHW gig that I see. ;-)
(thanks to L. Bruce Higgins for that good one..)

But, seriously..  A DISCLAIMER (to provide a context):  These are
merely the TWO CENTS of someone who has heard around 2000 hours of
Dead shows; almost every Other Ones show; every Phil Lesh and Friends
show; almost every KVHW show; and most of Phish's shows.  No matter
what or how much YOU'VE heard, if you were at the show, for the sake
of the tens of thousands of Interested Parties, I sincerely hope you
offer your two cents! =^]

Thursday, April 15, 1999
THE WARFIELD
PHIL LESH & FRIENDS
Trey Anastasio (Phish): Languedoc Hollowbody
Page McConnell (Phish): Grand Piano & organ
John Molo (Other Ones): Drums
Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead, Other Ones): Lead Bass
Steve Kimock (Zero, SK&F, KVHW, Other Ones): Guitars (6+)

Special Guests: Phil's kids, Brian and Graham


"Hello Old Friends" (front of stage; the curtain was still down; Lesh,
Kimock, Brian & Graham -- Phil's young kids -- only) (it was about
five mins; just a cute tune/number/ditty; then a few minute break,
then:

SET ONE (1:40)
Viola Lee Blues (32 mins)
Big Railroad Blues (Page & Trey vocals)
Jack-a-roe (Phil vocals)
Cosmic Charlie
Wolfman's Brother ->
Space ->
Uncle John's Band (w/ Boo Boo) ->
Jam/Space/Jam

SET TWO (1:48)
Alabama Getaway
Sugaree
Like A Rolling Stone ->
I Know You Rider
Row Jimmy (Trey vocals)
Shakedown Street
The Wheel
Not Fade Away

ENCORE (6 mins)
Tamborine Man (Phil vocals)

If you've never been to the Warfield, it's a theater with a large
balcony, a floor, and several separate tiers of space (underneath the
balcony) at varying heights above floor level.  It holds approximately
2300 or so people.

It's 3am Friday morning, and I'm in no shape to offer a coherent or
credible account of this evening's show. Nevertheless, since I know
that if I'd missed the show I'd want to hear a detailed account of
what went down:

First, get the tapes and hear this incredibly improvisational (not
simply "jammy" -- but improvisational!) show for yourself.


Second, I was on the floor, one person back from the stage, between
Trey and Phil.  I hadn't been this close to Trey since 10/6/89 at the
Paradise (although I was fairly close on 10/8/94 at the Patriot
Center).  That shit-eating grin never looked so good! 8^)  I hadn't
been this close to Phil since 6/4/98 Other Ones. He looked GREAT!!!

OVERALL:  Page sounded BEAUTIFUL all night.  His vocals
were strong, and his playing was just PERFECT! =^]  He took only a
few, modest solos, but his accompaniment all evening was PROFOUND,
imo.  Lesh was INCREDIBLE, too.  Simply GORGEOUS bass playing.  I'd
forgotten how much I absolutely LOVE HIS STYLE! =^]  Molo was
consistently good, too (at times, EXCELLENT, in that he carried a jam
or improvisation foward;  but, a few times, I wondered whether he was
listening at all to what the others were doing).

I've heard many better performances overall from both Kimock and
Anastasio than this night's gig, but they were listening closely to
one another, and playing off of one another a great deal ALL NIGHT --
which was a dream come true for me (my two favorite rock guitarists?
I think so).  They were alternating lead and rhythm repeatedly,
sometimes many, many times even in a single song or jam (yes,
REALLY!).  Add PHIL LESH playing LEAD BASS to this mix, and IT was
honestly Quite Something to Behold, and IT *will* Translate to Tape!
(there were bazillions of tapers at this gig... tapes are already
spreading, I'm sure)

Individually speaking: Kimock was HOT and cold.  When he was HOT, he
blew the damn roof off the Warfield!  =^]  When he was cold, he
noodled and/or tooled around.  I expected a lot more passionate,
soulful, eyes-closed, gorgeous-start-to-finish solos from him. He
still -- like Trey -- played EXCEPTIONAL rhythm guitar, though! I
thought K played better in the second set, generally speaking, but
that he was still inconsistent when he led (or was SUPPOSED to lead).

Trey was consistently great (as he usually is), and I even enjoyed his
vocals on the Jerry tunes (I'm saying that because I can already hear
Deadheads giving him shit for singing "Row Jimmy" -- a song which I
never thought I'd ever hear *live* again).  And though Trey played
more soulfully and noodled much less than I expected, he didn't step
out and **RAGE** on his 'doc very often (if at all.. he was pretty
laid back..).  No Rock Star Trey, in other words.. which, frankly, was
probably intentional, and may have been for the best, since such
behavior probably would have alienated the others on the stage.

All things considered, tonight was a GROUP EFFORT, but I think this
will be the weakest night of the run.  They are only going to learn to
communicate more effectively with each other, and to hear each other
more clearly, in the two nights ahead.  They'd only been rehearsing as
a band, of course, for about five days before this first gig.  And in
light of this fact, well... tonight's show was Genius.

First set featured some spectacular full-band grooves and
explorations, particularly in "Viola Lee" and "Uncle John's Band."
"Viola Lee" really was 32-33 mins (not 39, sorry!), and though it had
an episode of confusion -- where the band didn't quite seem to know
where to go next -- it was mostly GLORIOUS!  Very, *very*
exploratory!  "Big RR Blues" and "Jack-a-Roe" were fun and solid (if
memory serves), but not exceptional.  "Cosmic Charlie" was by far the
weakest tune in the set, imo (and I've always loved this tune).  They
just didn't have it down, and Kimock didn't solo for shit (he had the
room!). The harmonies weren't that good, either (but then again, I
don't think they have EVER been that good in this tune! ;-).

"Wolfman's Brother" was EXCITING, and a total shock not only because
Mike Gordon (Phish's bass player) -- who was there but not playing --
wrote it, but also because Kimock employed a dual-necked stand up lap
steel on it (Kimock uses this for "Why Can't We All Just Samba," at
KVHW shows, fwiw).  Unfortunately, though, Kimock didn't take his
Wolfman's solo far enough into the Funk (too spacey).  Wolfman's jam
just dissolved into a devilish, haphazard, arguably boondoggling
Space.  The highlight of the Wolfman's for me was hearing Page and
Trey dance expertly around Kimock's slithery and splintering slide
work.

"Uncle John's Band" contained some blistering full-band jams, and
needs to be heard to be believed.  It ended uneventfully, I'm afraid,
with a mere note sustained from Trey (ok, a mere note DRAMATICALLY
sustained by Trey... with Phil making a Monumental Hand Gesture to
signal The End of the Set on Trey's sustained note... but IMO it was
still a weak ending, given the Enormity of the preceding efforts by
the entire band).

The second set opened mysteriously with an eight and a half minute,
through the motions, BUT FUN, "Alabama Getaway."  (btw, did I say that
Jerry was present tonight in spirit?  JERRY WAS PRESENT TONIGHT IN
SPIRIT!) "Sugaree," which Phil sang, contained very soulful, melodious
soloing from Trey.  Kimock's soloing was, uh, different (not "better"
or "worse" than Trey's, mind you... just not the Kimockian
Story-Telling Genius Solo).

On the other hand, the jam out of "Like A Rolling Stone," and the
AWE-INSPIRINGLY MAGNIFICENT AND MESMERIZING SEGUE into "Rider,"
featured Kimock at his Damn Near Best, and accompaniment that was
Flawless!  The Rider was also a lot of fun... I can't WAIT for
you to hear this! (and I can't wait to hear it again myself!)

"Row Jimmy" (one of my favorite Dead songs) was interesting. Trey sang
it very respectfully, I thought.  And I was *extremely* proud of him
for having the BALLS to sing this in the Warfield (of all venues).
THANK YOU, TREY!!  Unfortunately though, for whatever reason, Kimock
didn't launch into any mind-blowing, heavenly solo to accompany Trey's
performance on rhythm and vocals.  Kimock was clearly given the room,
too.  Maybe he didn't feel comfortable soloing in a territory so close
to Jerry, I DON'T KNOW, but I was hurting for some soulful lead guitar
in this one.  And it was there only in spirit (which might, of course,
have been Kimock's point...).

SHAKEDOWN was unf@$kingbelievable! In the first round of soloing, I
was distracted by an enormously rude aging control hippie couple who
decided to give a girl dancing passionately beside me a Good, Loud
Talking To.  The girl (who was, of course, doped up on something),
then freaked out on them by dancing wildly into the aging control
hippie wife, and the aging control hippie husband practically threw
the wildly dancing girl into a bunch of other people on the floor
behind me.  I don't know what happened to the girl, but I think I
heard her SCREAMING (she was by this time a good five feet behind me
or so, I'd bet) about having been pushed violently by the aging
control hippie husband ...  ANYWAY, Back to the Shakedown: hear it for
yourself!  The most exciting god damn version I think I ever heard.
Fantastic playing from everyone!  (I should probably listen to 4/17/82
Hartford again, though, to be sure, though.. =^).  It was definitely
the most incredible Shakedown I've ever seen *live* (I only saw around
50 dead shows between 1986-1994).

Ok, I'm REALLY tired now.. "The Wheel" wasn't flawlessly played.
Definitely shaky in the composed section.  But it was still very
pretty overall, as you'd expect.  "Not Fade Away" contained some
brilliant soloing from Kimock and Anastasio, and was -- all things
considered -- a good full-band effort.  But they could have really
blown this out of the water... and it did NOT quite reach THAT point.
(it was still pretty damn improvisational!! =^)

The encore ("Tambourine Man") was, well, like the opening "Hello Old
Friends," very cute.  I couldn't help but laugh hysterically (and
smile brightly), given what a strange choice it was.  It seemed
obvious that no one wanted to play it except Phil. The looks on Trey's
and Steve's faces were Precious.  I hope someone was taking pictures
of them at this point. :-)  They both looked mildly amused -- but
otherwise disenchanted (and tired).  I love this song, I really do,
but the Byrds did it right, and I doubt I'll ever hear it done better.

If you weren't there tonight, we missed you.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO PHIL LESH AND TO THE UNBROKEN CHAIN
FOUNDATION FOR PUTTING ON THIS WONDERFUL SHOW!! =^]

two cents,
charlie

p.s.  If you enjoyed this review, please let me know, because I'm
exhausted now, and will be this weekend... and I won't bother
reviewing the next two shows ASAP after them if you don't inspire me
to do so (even with a few words), and give this more meaning (it's
just two cents, after all..). :-)

Date:    Fri, 16 Apr 1999 05:15:19 -0700
From:    Charles Dirksen cdirksen@EARTHLINK.NET
Subject: 4/15 LESH & FRIENDS AT THE WARFIELD review

(big snip of tired review)
Some Tired Moron420 wrote:
>"Uncle John's Band" contained some blistering full-band jams, and
>needs to be heard to be believed...

I can't believe I failed to mention that Kimock went ABSOLUTELY CRAZY in
UJB, soloing on "Kissing the Boo Boo" (a poorly named Zero instrumental,
which KVHW has also played a couple of times recently).  More than a quote
or a tease.. Kimock was wailing away a la "Boo Boo."  Hence my reference
to
"Boo Boo" in the setlist besides Uncle John's Band.

two cents, and g'night,
charlie

Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 14:05:04 -0700
From: ali@mail.well.com
To: dws@archive.phish.net
Subject: Phil & Friends Review

 ok, random thoughts since i'm not thinking very well yet:

 Excitement was so over the top that you could practically touch the vibe
in the room. when the lights went down and phil stepped into a spotlight
on the stage, the crowd erupted exuberantly and it brought tears to my
eyes. so did the first song -- kimock, phil, grahame & brian singing "old
friends." phil's kids can really sing!

 Opened w/ viola lee blues, which i didn't immediately recognize. a really
 ambitious jam -- they just dove into second set-style madness right out
of the gate. however i think they had kind of a rough start, and though
there were some amazing moments this jam left me a little apprehensive
about the rest of the show to come. john molo in particular seemed to be
having a hard time following what was going on. also the sound was fairly
quiet and muddy, though this problem improved as the set went on and
things sounded great by the second set. (but i digress.)

 Railroad blues & jack-a-roe were wonderful to hear and it was clear that
the band was still just getting warmed up, but things got better by the
minute. a funny thing about the first three songs or so was that it seemed
like at an given point in the jam they were invoking china cat, dancing
around it, *almost* playing it -- maybe it was just me -- but there was
this bouncy china cat lurking back there somewhere. (so when they pulled
out I Know You Rider i the 2nd set, it seemed natural!) cosmic charlie was
indicative of the sheer ridiculousness of the setlist last night. of all
the things i would have predicted them playing, that wasn't one of them.
In fact, the entire setlist was just a constant surprise.

 When they broke into the delicious funk of wolfman's it seemed like trey
could hardly contain himself. when the band first got on stage i had this
moment where my head exploded as i watched trey lean close to phil to talk
about what they were doing, and i thought: trey. is. playing. with.
PHIL!!! i think trey had the very same moment during wolfman's. he just
started cracking up at the end of a verse because it seemed to occur to
him that he was playing the Warfield with Phil. (or maybe he was laughing
at phil singing backup -- "shirley temple!")

 The spaces they went into between wolfman's and uncle john's were
indescribable. They began to discover this incredible style of
communication where kimock and trey merged into a single thought that
often mingled with page, and had long conversations with phil's bass.
Kimock's tone went far beyond the boundaries of what I think of as
electric guitar, into spaces where he sounded like a horn section or a
keyboardist (he used about twenty different guitars, it seemed)...
 Trey was just one long liquid beautiful noodle after another. They just
fused into happy calypso funk for uncle john's and took off.

 The band created this sound that was very Grateful Dead in energy and
vibe, and sometimes very Phish in style and direction, but was both of
those things reborn into a new and joyous place. Trey and Kimock's guitars
merged like layers of rippling cirrus clouds over Phil's riverbed bass
riffs, with Page flowing through them. The overall effect was one of
fluid, translucent layers of music unfolding one after the other, shifting
and transmuting through the melodies. (I felt all of this, and I was
*completely* sober. I swear.)

 The entire second set was one of the best sets of music i've ever heard.
The sugaree in particular was transcendent, and reminded me at times of
the best parts of the sugaree on DP III (one of my favorite pieces of
music). By the time they launched into I Know You Rider out of Like a
Rolling Stone, they had taken off into a galactic nebula of enlightenment.

Of course the evening had some rough moments -- the band got lost during a
few songs, and the Cosmic Charlie & the Tambouine Man encore were pretty
awkward at times. My qualms - More Page! and, I wasn't the biggest Molo
fan... finally got used to him by the second set. But overall it was so
much more than I expected, and I can't wait to hear it on tape to find out
if it really happened.

 "And on cosmic guitar sounds... Trey Anastasio," Phil said as he
introduced his friends during the encore. And that's what the evening was
-- a whole lot of cosmic guitar.

 Thanks, Phil.


Date:    Fri, 16 Apr 1999 23:55:58 -0700
From:    crowley9@IX.NETCOM.COM
Subject: Re: 4/15 LESH & PHRIENDS AT THE WARFIELD review

Charlie, I'll respond to some parts of (and interspersed throughout) your
interesting review and add aspects, if I think of any, that you didn't
bring up.

Charles Dirksen wrote:

> With a few modest quibbles, this was the best show ever in the history
> of the universe, at least until the next KVHW gig that I see. ;-)
> (thanks to L. Bruce Higgins for that good one..)

It was a kick no doubt.  I thought there was way too much hype about these
shows and told myself to just go and expect to see human beings playing
some music and not to have outrageous expectations.  Well it clearly
exceeded all my expectations and was a treat to be there (and lived up to 
any hype that I had).  I enjoyed every minute of it.

> If you've never been to the Warfield, it's a theater with a large
> balcony, a floor, and several separate tiers of space (underneath the
> balcony) at varying heights above floor level.  It holds approximately
> 2300 or so people.

My favorite place.  Excellent sound.  After all the JGB shows I've seen
there, that place is like a church for me. 

> First, get the tapes and hear this incredibly improvisational (not
> simply "jammy" -- but improvisational!) show for yourself.

I agree.

> Second, I was on the floor, one person back from the stage, between
> Trey and Phil.  I hadn't been this close to Trey since 10/6/89 at the
> Paradise (although I was fairly close on 10/8/94 at the Patriot
> Center).  That shit-eating grin never looked so good! 8^)

Yeah that grin brings good vibes (as does the way he plays the gee-tar).
BTW I was also on the floor on the first level against the wall separating
the bottom level from the midlevel on Kimock's side.

> I hadn't
> been this close to Phil since 6/4/98 Other Ones. He looked GREAT!!!  

He did and he played fabulous.  I was just digging his playing so much
last night.

> OVERALL:  Page sounded BEAUTIFUL all night.

Yep.  He was the rhythm foundation and his solos were beautiful as you
say.

> His vocals
> were strong, and his playing was just PERFECT! =^]  He took only a
> few, modest solos, but his accompaniment all evening was PROFOUND,
> imo.  Lesh was INCREDIBLE, too.  Simply GORGEOUS bass playing.  I'd
> forgotten how much I absolutely LOVE HIS STYLE! =^]  Molo was
> consistently good, too (at times, EXCELLENT, in that he carried a jam
> or improvisation foward;  but, a few times, I wondered whether he was
> listening at all to what the others were doing).

I agree with all that though I didn't get that sense about Molo that you
did.

> I've heard many better performances overall from both Kimock and
> Anastasio than this night's gig, but they were listening closely to
> one another, and playing off of one another a great deal ALL NIGHT --
> which was a dream come true for me (my two favorite rock guitarists?
> I think so).  They were alternating lead and rhythm repeatedly,
> sometimes many, many times even in a single song or jam (yes,
> REALLY!).

I've seen Kimock many times but this was only the second time I've seen
Trey (saw Phish once in '95 or so).  Excellent playing from both.

> Add PHIL LESH playing LEAD BASS to this mix, and IT was
> honestly Quite Something to Behold, and IT *will* Translate to Tape!
> (there were bazillions of tapers at this gig... tapes are already  
> spreading, I'm sure)
>
> Individually speaking: Kimock was HOT and cold.  When he was HOT, he
> blew the damn roof off the Warfield!  =^]  When he was cold, he
> noodled and/or tooled around.  I expected a lot more passionate,
> soulful, eyes-closed, gorgeous-start-to-finish solos from him. He
> still -- like Trey -- played EXCEPTIONAL rhythm guitar, though! I
> thought K played better in the second set, generally speaking, but
> that he was still inconsistent when he led (or was SUPPOSED to lead).

Like I said I've seen Kimock many times so I knew he was great but I
didn't really know Trey.  Well I thought his playing and singing were real
treat to the ears.  I really liked the intricate rhythm patterns he was
playing while backing up Kimock when Kimock was soloing.  Together with
Phil blasting away on bass it would build up into these climaxes. And his
solos were excellent as well.  

> Trey was consistently great (as he usually is), and I even enjoyed his
> vocals on the Jerry tunes

I agree.  He's got a good voice and I like his vocal phrasing (something
Phil could use some work on some songs IMO).

> (I'm saying that because I can already hear
> Deadheads giving him shit for singing "Row Jimmy" -- a song which I
> never thought I'd ever hear *live* again).

I'll admit Row Jimmy is not one of my favorite Dead tunes (just too damn
slow) but he sang it well.

> And though Trey played
> more soulfully and noodled much less than I expected, he didn't step
> out and **RAGE** on his 'doc very often (if at all.. he was pretty
> laid back..).  No Rock Star Trey, in other words.. which, frankly, was  
> probably intentional, and may have been for the best, since such
> behavior probably would have alienated the others on the stage.

Actually I got the sense that he was frustrated that he wasn't turned up
more so this might have been part of it.  I saw him once motion to the
sound guy on the side of the stage to turn him up.  Then a little later, I
saw him look over again at the guy with a real look of frustration that he
still wasn't loud enough.  I too thought he was too low in the mix though
eventually he did get turned up (but probably could have been even  a
touch louder).  I thought Kimock had more volume for most of the night.

> All things considered, tonight was a GROUP EFFORT, but I think this
> will be the weakest night of the run.  They are only going to learn to
> communicate more effectively with each other, and to hear each other
> more clearly, in the two nights ahead.  They'd only been rehearsing as
> a band, of course, for about five days before this first gig.  And in
> light of this fact, well... tonight's show was Genius.        

Well I don't know how much better it could get because it seemed to be
hitting on all 8 cylinders except for some of the singing but I guess
we'll see.

> First set featured some spectacular full-band grooves and
> explorations, particularly in "Viola Lee" and "Uncle John's Band."
> "Viola Lee" really was 32-33 mins (not 39, sorry!), and though it had
> an episode of confusion -- where the band didn't quite seem to know
> where to go next -- it was mostly GLORIOUS!  Very, *very*
> exploratory!

Yeah it was more of a Viola > non-viola jam > viola.  I dug it all.

> "Big RR Blues" and "Jack-a-Roe" were fun and solid (if
> memory serves), but not exceptional.      

Jack-a-Roe was an example of where I thought Phil's phrasing needed some
work, some smoothening out.

> "Cosmic Charlie" was by far the
> weakest tune in the set, imo (and I've always loved this tune).

I disagree.  I thought they did it excellent, especially the singing by
Trey and Page.

> They
> just didn't have it down, and Kimock didn't solo for shit (he had the
> room!). The harmonies weren't that good, either (but then again, I
> don't think they have EVER been that good in this tune! ;-).

I disagree again about your comments on the harmonies.  First that's a
tough tune to sing as there are some real high (in terms of pitch) notes
that are hard to reach for most people but I thought Trey and Page naile
it and were right on key.

>
>
> "Wolfman's Brother" was EXCITING, and a total shock not only because
> Mike Gordon (Phish's bass player) -- who was there but not playing --
> wrote it, but also because Kimock employed a dual-necked stand up lap
> steel on it (Kimock uses this for "Why Can't We All Just Samba," at
> KVHW shows, fwiw).  Unfortunately, though, Kimock didn't take his
> Wolfman's solo far enough into the Funk (too spacey).  Wolfman's jam
> just dissolved into a devilish, haphazard, arguably boondoggling
> Space.  The highlight of the Wolfman's for me was hearing Page and
> Trey dance expertly around Kimock's slithery and splintering slide
> work.

I don't know that song so I won't really comment on it except to say I
liked the way they did it.    

> "Uncle John's Band" contained some blistering full-band jams, and
> needs to be heard to be believed.

Yes it was something else though the jam it evolved into seemed to be
separate from any UJB connection but that didn't prevent it from being a
treat to the ears.

> It ended uneventfully, I'm afraid,
> with a mere note sustained from Trey (ok, a mere note DRAMATICALLY
> sustained by Trey... with Phil making a Monumental Hand Gesture to
> signal The End of the Set on Trey's sustained note... but IMO it was
> still a weak ending, given the Enormity of the preceding efforts by
> the entire band).

Really?  Weak ending eh?  I didn't think so at all.  I thought it was an
appropriate end to the previous ferocious 25 minutes (or whatever it was)
of jamming on it.  I liked that ending.  All and all, I thought the first
set smoked and was way beyond anything I was expecting.  Only complaint
was the talkers (of which I'll say more below).

> The second set opened mysteriously with an eight and a half minute,
> through the motions, BUT FUN, "Alabama Getaway."  (btw, did I say that
> Jerry was present tonight in spirit?  JERRY WAS PRESENT TONIGHT IN
> SPIRIT!)

Yes he was but he always is for me when I'm at the Warfield.

> "Sugaree," which Phil sang, contained very soulful, melodious
> soloing from Trey.

Yeah, that was sweet stuff.  Reminded me of Garcia's '77 soloing on
Sugaree.         

> (snip)
>
> SHAKEDOWN was unf@$kingbelievable!

That was the one song I was really hoping for and got it.

> hear it for
> yourself!  The most exciting god damn version I think I ever heard.

Well it's hard to compare to Dead versions because the form of the jam was
so different.  The jam last night seemed to be a jam more independent of
the Shakedown melody than the Dead's were.  Though I still prefer Garcia's
take on it, I really dug last night's version.  Phil, as usual, was having
a blast bopping away powerfully on that bass.  Great stuff.

> Fantastic playing from everyone!  (I should probably listen to 4/17/8

> Fantastic playing from everyone!  (I should probably listen to 4/17/82
> Hartford again, though, to be sure, though.. =^).  It was definitely
> the most incredible Shakedown I've ever seen *live* (I only saw around
> 50 dead shows between 1986-1994).
>
> Ok, I'm REALLY tired now.. "The Wheel" wasn't flawlessly played.
> Definitely shaky in the composed section.

Yeah shaky's a good way to put it, especially the singing.

> But it was still very
> pretty overall, as you'd expect.

Yeah it was.     

> "Not Fade Away" contained some
> brilliant soloing from Kimock and Anastasio, and was -- all things
> considered -- a good full-band effort.  But they could have really
> blown this out of the water... and it did NOT quite reach THAT point.
> (it was still pretty damn improvisational!! =^)

I was really digging this.

>
>
> The encore ("Tambourine Man") was, well, like the opening "Hello Old
> Friends," very cute.

It's hard to like Phil's phrasing of it and the tempo he had since I'm
used to the Byrds version of it and I just like their phrasing of it and
tempo so much better plus I'm much more used to it after twenty years or
so of hearing it their way.  

> I love this song, I really do,
> but the Byrds did it right, and I doubt I'll ever hear it done better.

Yeah I agree.

Overall I was blown away by what I saw and heard.  Phil's bass playing
just sounded excellent all night and it is such a treat to the ears (and
soul).  They had his bass volume and sound perfect last night.
Unfortunately I couldn't see Page McConnell for the most part but was
really digging his playing and the important role it in the complete
sound.  Kimock was great as usual.  I was really into Trey's playing all
night.

My only complaint was people talking during quiet points (and not-so-quiet
parts).  Like another poster said who was in the balcony surrounded by
chatterboxes, it makes it really hard to concentrate on the music (and I
was pretty close to the stage).  I heard some serious chatterboxes around
me EVERY time the band mellowed at all during a jam.  The amount of loud
talking during the quiet points of jams really surprised (and distracted)
me since tickets were so hard to get for this show.  I wanted to say
something but I bit my tongue except for a couple of quick looks but it
sucks that lots of people momentarily completely lose interest in the
music and think it's okay to ruin it for others.  The chatterboxes are
being rude to the people who want to hear the music (imagine wanting
that?) and to the musicians on stage.

But besides that and a little bit of singing that could use some work, it
was excellent.

Thanks Phil, John, Page, Steve, Trey and all the crew and everyone else
who worked to put that on last night.  Had a blast!  :O)

Bill        

Dick Latvala
02:11am Apr 16, 1999 PDT (#312 of 330)
 
ok, let me be the first to give a first hand account of the monsterous
magic that occurred at the Warfield Theater last night. (4/15/99) I deliberately
stayed away from the worksite this past week so that I didn't hear what
these guys were working on. I was afraid that I would be greatly
dissappointed if they simply did renditions of GD or Phish tunes. I wanted
a free form jamming experience from these awfully talented group of
musicians. I figured that Trey wouldn't stand for anything half-assed and
boy was I not prepared for what ensued. This was one of those nights where
you knew while it was happening that miracles and magic was at hand. This
was easily the finest most brilliant music that I have seen live in many a
year. Another apprehension that I was operating from was that Steve would
"lay back", as is his style. Last night the man was playing like Warren
Haynes, and Trey and Steve showed a sense of communication that has far
outseeded anything that I have ever heard before. It was like these 2 guys
were in some kind of mind meld. It seemed like they had been playing
together for all their lives. It was extremely smooth in delivery. Page
and Molo were perfection. Phil was appearing to me to be looking quite
proud of what he started. I still will never recover from the awesomely
aggressive manner in which Steve and Trey layed their lines down. This was
indeed an historical night. And what could be better than getting to go
for the next two nights.  John Cutler and Jeffrey Norman recorded these 3
shows on 24 track A-DAT. I can't help but see this show come out in its
entirety. These guys were serious and they delivered the real goods. 
I'm somewhat anxious to hear what anybody else, that was there, felt about
the music. I was amazed and thrilled and proud of the effort. Sometimes it
seems very clear that special music can "cure" any sickness you have. This
experience was right up there with the closing of Winterland. Is that
enough hi-per-bully?