YEM review - 7/26/98 Starplex Amphitheatre, Dallas TX

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 22:55:17 -0800
From: Charles Dirksen [email protected]
To: [email protected], Daniel W. Schar [email protected]
Subject: 7/26/98 Dallas YEM
 
7/26/98 Starplex Amphitheatre, Dallas TX
 
Mucho thanks to Dave Harryman for this set!
 
Strangely enough, Trey starts this YEM before Fish.  I don't think
I've ever heard it open like this.  Trey also flubs a bit about 40
seconds in, which is also unusual.  Definitely not a strong opening.
The "pre-Nirvana" section is typically spacey and eerie, with
sustained notes here and there (nothing melodic, unfortunately). The
build up before "Nirvana" is definitely longer than usual (you know,
the two-note riffing between Trey and Page, as Fish whips the
hi-hat and Mike plays one note).  This is really bizarre (5:46).
 
I have never heard this part of the pre-Nirvana opening section go on
for this long!  Weird.  For whatever reason, there's some serious
cheering from the crowd in here (stage antics as well? fill me in and
cc RMP, you folks who were there..). It isn't as tight as it could be,
but it is amusing to hear this part of YEM be dragged out like this ad
nauseum, including some flourishes from Trey. "Nirvana" at 7:07.
Finally.  Christ.  Mike's solo section at 7:53 is melodic and
soulful.  Crowd goes crazy at 8:23 during the pre-charge section, so
presumably Sands brought out the trampolines.  Good pre-charge
segment, but I've heard smoother and tighter. Fish sounds *on*, but
Trey seems a little behind -- perhaps intentionally, though,
admittedly.  (though he isn't all that clean in his playing)  Whatever.
 
"Boy" at 10:47 after what sounds like screaming from Trey along with
someone else -- maybe Mike? Damn that was a long opening section.  The
only version I know to be longer pre-"Boy" is 7/16/93 ("Boy" comes in
at 10:47 into the version, but that version's opening contains
Jerusalem City of Gold in it!).  Wash Uffizi Drive Me to Firenzi
segment is very loose.  A "WHAAT!?" from Fish, sounds like, at one
point.  Trey speaks, under his breath, WUDMTF, when he was supposed to
have gone "Boy, Man, Wash Uffizi Drive Me to Firenzi."  Very loose,
even though they are all funking through through it well.  Loose in
spirit moreso than form, I suppose.
 
Trampolines segment at 13:05, and Page takes off on the clavinet
accompanied only by Fish.  Mike starts signaling for the tramps moves
as the crowd gets into it.  Page moves to the keys and starts going to
town. Mike drops signaling the moves in favor of accompanying Page and
Fish.  And Trey comes back in at 14:06 chording along funkily, much
like he's done in YEM for the last few years as a matter of course.
Page's playing is strong through this tramps jam, but nothing
amazing.  Around 14:40 he repeats a descending riff that sounds
familiar (it's a four chord descending progression that I suppose
might remind one of Mind Left Body, but this isn't really that).  Trey
lets loose some digital delay loops. Page picks things up around 15:15
and concludes the tramps jam segment mightily.
 
Jam segment begins at 16:02 or so.  Page sustains a chord or two, as
Trey funks along groovily, as he's been oft heard doing in YEM jam
segments regularly over the last few years.  Mike starts riffing on
THAT bass line -- that same line you've heard him play in numerous
other YEMs, which reminds me of "You've Got the Look" but I've been
told that's not what this riff is from (someone told me it is from a
James Brown tune, but what tune!?  do you know?).  Anyway, Mike
continues to repeat this same bass riff throughout this YEM.
 
Fish gets down and funky with a very intricate, complex, yet still
phaaaat groove (17:45).  He's accompanied by Page on clav, Trey on
funky chords and digital delay loops, and Mike repeating THAT RIFF.
Very groovy jam segment, but extremely, extremely repetitive. Page
adds some nice melodic fill here and there, to be sure, but this is
still a very straightfoward funky jam.  Nothing terribly complex or
engaging, but fun to chair-dance too! ;P
 
Rich, funky jamming in here (20 mins) to be sure, but god damn is
this repetitive.  Jams like this are why some people think Phish gave
up improvising in 1998 only to play covers and jam funkily.  ;P  At
21:14, Fish and Page drop out completely for several measures, but Mike
and Trey continue funking along.  Mike plays a couple measures,
accompanied only by audience clapping and digital delay loop sounds
from Trey.  He's still funking along on that same RIFF as noted above
(see also the 11/14/98 YEM, to which this YEM bears a funky
resemblance; and many other YEMs, for that matter).  The full band
eventually comes back in, and then stops again -- well, all but Mike
stop.  And Mike is once again playing that RIFF, and is once again
accompanied only by audience clapping and digital delay loops.
 
Repetitive?  Damn straight.  Funky?  Damn straight. The band comes
back in and goes at it again for a few more measures, and then once
again stops dead -- only it's Trey's turn, this time, to rhythmically
chord along all by his lonesome for a measure or two.
 
It isn't until around 24 minutes into this YEM that Trey starts
melodically soloing.  Fish is throwing down a very cool rhythm, and
Page and Mike also accompany Trey's lead soloing intricately.  (24:45)
Trey's soloing is strong, to be sure, but nothing fiery yet.  It
doesn't peak at all, actually.  Page moves to the piano.  At 25:44 the
bottom drops out and Trey plays a couple funky licks (meanwhile there
are still digital delay loop sounds in the background), and then
starts noodling aimlessly.  Mike and Page drop out, and by 26:30 it is
only Fish lightly accompanying Trey's noodling.  Trey plays a riff
(26:45) that sounds similar to something you'd hear Santana play in
"Oye Como Va."  Within a measure or two, soft vocal jamming begins
around 27 minutes -- with digital delay loop noises still in the
background.  Sounds like they might be speaking words -- now and then
-- in this vocal jam, but the heck if I can make even a single one
out. Wait.  Fish seems to say something about "inside of me."  "I'm
never.."  What?  Anyone make this out?   Trey joins in.  Very
bewitching vocal jam.  Total time: 30:38.
 
Well.  What can I say?  I've heard plenty of more inspired YEMs than
this one.  But the funk was still thick enough to give this version
what the 11/14/98 Cincy YEM got.  And the opening was exceptionally
long, which is very unusual. B+.  If you want to hear a YEM with funk
so thick it will knock you out check out 11/28/97.
 
two cents,
charlie

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2000 22:13:14 -0800
From: Dave McGuriman [email protected]
To: Daniel W. Schar [email protected]
Subject: 7/26/98 YEM
 
***
"It was hotter than hot that day.  Well there was a glowstick war and Trey
picked one up off the stage and threw it back.  He then tried to catch a
bunch of them, whiles sustaining a note with the other hand, the ones he
did catch he threw right back out.  And was being very hammy, but more
importantly to me there was a water balloon war that was also going
on.  Anyway, so Trey was clowning around, hence the extended pre-nirvana
segment. - Dave McGuriman."



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