Subject: Review, 11/14/96, Ames, IA
From: sareidel@eta.k12.mn.us (Steve Reidell)

11/14/96, Hilton Coliseum, Ames IA

I:   AC/DC Bag, Uncle Pen, Wolfman's Brother, Cars Trucks Buses, Free,
     All Things Reconsidered, Bathtub Gin, Talk, Julius

II:  Llama, Sample In A Jar, Taste, Swept Away > Steep > Scent Of A Mule,
     Life On Mars?, Demand, Run Like An Antelope, A Day In The Life

E:   Stash*, Ragtime Gal**

* 007 tease
** acapella, with mics

Before show, first set

On the way to the Iowa State Center, the weather turned to absolute shit.
It wasn't raining, it wasn't snowing, it was... sleeting!  In fact, it was
almost hailing!  This kind of killed the lot scene, most people were too
busy trying to protect their faces from being pelted by small bits of ice.
Fortunately, Ryan and Kristian and I didn't have to bear with it for too
long - we got to the doors just as they started letting people in.  We
were seated lower level,  exactly parallel with the stage.  A definite
disappointment compared to the previous night's ninth row seats, but
nothing to complain about.  Really good sound, actually, and we also could
see the entire effects of the lights.  Almost seconds after Ryan looked at
me and said "Let's get this show on the road" came

AC/DC Bag
A very good choice for an opener (gotta love those Gamehendge tunes).  Got
the crowd moving.  This particular version, I noticed, was very concrete -
no real daring jams or anything to that extent.  Still, I was having a
good time.

Uncle Pen
I'm not too familiar with this one, but it was cool to hear a bluegrass
tune.  I would have preferred Paul and Silas, but that's probably only
because I know it better.  Phish didn't seem like they were too into it,
but then again, how could I tell from where I was standing?

Wolfman's Brother
I dig this song.  I think it can really, really groove hard.  I'm partial
to wah pedals, though, so that might be part of the reason.  Anyway, a
cool song to hear - not one I'd want to hear often, though, unless they
started REALLY jamming it out.

Cars Trucks Buses
Only the second time I've heard this song, and I like it.  But, it's too
short, IMHO.  They really should jam it out longer - I imagine if they got
MM&W on stage with them (10/14/95 Austin style), they could blow people
away with this.  Crowd clapped during the pause.

Free
The only reason I would have wanted to hear this is to see if the
arrangment changed after the release of Billy Breathes.  Surprisingly
enough, it didn't all that much, so I was kind of bored.  Trey on
percussion.

All Things Reconsidered
Right on!  They don't play this live very often (as far as I know), so it
was pretty cool to hear.  The crowd was DEAD at this point.

Bathtub Gin
This was pretty good, although I admit I wasn't very into it (I was tired
from last night's show, plus I had to wake up early to go to class before
I left for Ames).  No specific comments on this.

Talk
Three songs from Billy Breathes in one set!  Kristian looks at me and
says, "We've almost heard the whole album!"  Granted, this is the post-BB
fall tour, but this was starting to get annoying.  I wanted to hear tunes
like Halley's or Guyute, stuff like that - but as the Rolling Stones said,
"You can't always get what you want."

Julius
Woo-hoo!  I've never heard this live before, and it really smoked.  Trey
was REALLY getting into it from what I could tell.  A perfect set closer
for a questionable set.

Perhaps saying that this set was "questionable" is authoritive and rude,
but, damn it, this is a review!  I was really really tired, so that could
very well have been part of the reason I didn't enjoy it as much.  But, I
think that is was too concrete of a set altogether, and I was anticipating
different songs.  Not to mention that the previous evening's second set
was so good - I may have unconsciously set expectations.  I could only
hope that this show's second set would be as good.

Second set

Llama
This made Kristian happy, mainly because he wanted to hear a song from PON
- so he called this one before the set started, and there it was.  Trey
screwed up the intro, he was too busy playing with all his effects pedals.
But they all landed on the right beat.  Taboot!  Real concrete, hard jam -
a good effect for set openers as far as I've experienced.

Sample In A Jar
I really could have done without this song, the third Hoist tune of the
evening.  One of Ryan's favorites, so that was cool for him (they did play
it really well).  At this point, however, I was sick of album tunes.
Where was Tube?  Where was Brother?  I guess it could have been worse,
though, it could have been another song from Billy Breathes.

Taste
Oh, wait!  Another song from Billy Breathes!  Oh, wait!  They played this
last night!  This was my first experience of seeing two shows in a row, so
I guess I was under the impression that they rarely if ever did songs two
nights in a row.  I don't care at all if they do, it's just that I really
didn't want to hear it (again).  Standard.

Swept Away > Steep
This makes ten songs from Billy Breathes in two days.  Wow.  Waste, and
Bliss > Billy Breathes, and we would have heard the whole album!  Anyway,
this was pretty much book - except for a piercing scream accompanied by
strobe lights to segue into...

Scent Of A Mule
Yeah!  A great Mule.  This three-song-segue (plus the upcoming Antelope)
was (were) probably the highlight(s) of the show for me.  Mike disappears
during the Mule Duel - and during Trey's part, he's HARMONIZING with his
guitar (at the third or the fifth, I think).  That's gotta be hard to do.
Not only that, he's doing this rhythm instead of the usual solo - with the
crowd clapping along.  Fishman on vacuum, Mike reappears when his part
comes back in.  Nice!

Life On Mars
Everyone around me sits down!  What's going on?  This is Life On Mars!
Things are picking up here!  I enjoyed this - it's a really catchy tune,
and I dig catchy tunes.  Plus, David Bowie wrote it, and Phish wrote a
song about him, so...

Demand
Well, you know, it's Demand.  And, well... it's Demand.

Run Like An Antelope
Right on!  I wasn't expecting this, and I definitely enjoyed it.  The band
seemed to be really into it, which is of course cool.  I don't have any
particular comments except that this picked me up BIG TIME.

A Day In The Life
Well, you know, it's A Day In The Life.  And, well... it's A Day In The
Life.

Encore

Stash
We kind of figured they'd play this sometime tonight, and they did.  No
noticeable extra clapping from crowd, so that was cool - James Bond 007
tease during the jam (Ryan pointed it out, it was very clear).  Cool.

Ragtime Gal
Acapella (of course), and I like the acapella tunes.  Plus, two-song
encores are nothing to ever complain about.

After Phish leaves the stage, someone frome the Iowa State Center warns
the audience to be careful leaving - it's really icy on the roads.  (The
next morning, Ryan and Kristian and I saw countless cars on Interstate 35,
from upside down Volkswagen buses to semi trucks on their sides.  Wow.)

This would best be classified as a run-of-the-mill Phish show.  No
incredible jams, but a couple good ones (Gin, Antelope).  Mostly short,
concrete album songs.  Kind of boring, but still fun.  I was very tired,
so I think my outlook on the whole thing was generally negative - but I
danced all night and had fun anyways.  Phish is a good band, and I'll keep
seeing them.  I'll never get any more critical than that.

See you on summer tour!

Steve

------------------------------------------------
Subject: Ames (11/14) thoughts and comments
From: rrenken@unlinfo.unl.edu (roger renken)

I've included a copy of the setlist from the Phish-info list
for reference.  My comments and perceptions follow the list.
Roger
 
Hilton Coliseum, Ames IA  11.14.96

I:   AC/DC Bag > Uncle Pen, Yhe Wolfman's Brother, Cars Trucks Buses,
     Free, All Things Reconsidered, Bathtub Gin, Waste, Julius

II:  Llama > Sample in a Jar, Taste, Swept Away > Scent of a Mule,
     Life on Mars, Demand > Run Like an Antelope, A Day in the Life

E:   Stash, Hello Ma Baby

I:  55 min, II: 55 min
(show may have been cut short due to an ice storm)

Thanks to Mark Linton for the setlist!


        Joni, my SO/lifemate, and I missed the entire first set
due to the freezing rain storm.  When we left Lincoln, we had about 
four hours to make a 3.5 hour drive, which would have been ok.  But,
the storm had other plans for us.  Traveling was truely dangerous and 
very stressful.  The tension and release concept was fully realized
upon arrival at the venue.  Many other folks were also just arriving,
happy to have made it.  We let the wind help us slide across the 
parking lot to the venue.   
        Our eighth row floor seats were sitting empty waiting for us.
This is the closest we've ever been at a show, which was kind of bitter
sweet having missed half of the show.  But, better to be there for half
than
for none at all. 
        I was somewhat dissapointed by the music in the second set.  Most
songs were played pretty straight forward, with full stops and silence 
between songs.  Musical highlights included:

        The Page/Trey duel in SOAM, Page really attacked the keys,
hunching
over, taking on a slightly ominous/dark presentation.  As mentioned by 
others, Trey responded with a wonderful voice allong with guitar melody.
It appeared to me that he was encouraging the crowd to clap allong with
his sounds.  This was due to his rhythmic, exaggerated, side to side
swaying
while playing.  His fuzzy grin grew, as the crowd followed his lead.  
  
        Demand was my first live.  Having never heard it on tape either,
I don't really have a decent perspective, but the song had no jam
at the end as on Hoist. (Yes, I realize that the hoist version is actually
a recorded live jam tacked on to the end).

        Antelope ran full of energy, even though I can't think
of anything unique about it.  Oh, it reminded Joni of how our cat
Libby runs around our house, out of control.  We had a nice chuckle
as we danced, mimicking Lib.  


        I thought that Stash was an attempt to save the night.  It was
played well, with Trey finding a familiar melody to quote and play off
of for a while towards the end of the song.  I can't place the melody.
The tapes will tell.  I'm almost 100% sure it's not FOTM.

        The rest of the songs were just songs.  Well played, but nothing
really more than that.  Of course, I'd love to get a copy of the show,
so I could hear what was played in the first set.  grovel, grovel..

Roger Renken
Lincoln Nebraska

        We messed around  Ames for a while after the show before
heading back to our hotel in Des Moines.  Travelling S. on I-35,
we came upon three of  
Phish's tour busses slogging along at 30 MPH.  Joni had to do the
obligatory wave as we passed each one.   Now, she says that Mike, Page,
and John were all nice enough to remove a hand from the steering wheel
and wave back to her.  No sign of Trey, maybe GODs don't have to
drive busses.  ;-)  More on that later. 

---------------------------------------------------
Subject: 11/14 Ames setlist and review
From: cusherb@carleton.edu ( )

Setlist and review:

Ames, Iowa; Hilton Colisuem  11/14/96

1:AC/DC Bag, Uncle Pen, Wolfman's Brother, Cars Trucks Buses, Free, All
Things
Reconsidered, Bathtub Gin, Talk, Julius

2:Llama, Sample in a Jar, Taste, Swept Away->Steep->Scent of a Mule, Life
on
Mars?, Demand, Run Like an Antelope, A Day in the Life

E:Stash, Hello Ma Baby


Here's my take on this show:
Set One:
AC/DC Bag- Kind of strange as an opener, in my opinion.  I'm usually used
to
hearing this song about three deep into one of the sets, but it was still
cool
anyway. The problem with this song was that it was WAY too short. They
kept
their jamming to the bare minimum here. If I can remember correctly, it
seemed
that fish kicked it into double time kind of early and the jam died from
there.

Uncle Pen- Yes!!! My friend Jeff wanted this one so badly and he got it. I
think it was the first one of the tour. Pretty good version, and the solos
in
the middle were nice, but it seems to me that Trey used to do REALLY
complicated guitar work when Mike would sing the verses. Here, he just
played
rhythem, which was kind of a downer.

Wolfman's Bro- This was a first for me, but again it really went nowhere.
At
this point it seemed that shorter jams were going to be the norm of the
show.

Cars Trucks Buses- I haven't seen this since St. Paul last year and i was
really excited. What a funky tune! Page was really on in the jam, and I've
gota
say that finally it seemed like they were on in this set. Trey on kit.

Free- This was the old free that we all know from 95. The only problem was
that
it was pretty much exactly that. The jam was with trey on kit and airplane
noises, but their changes always seem to be the same from show to show.
One
thing though was that the into was superlong! I loved that so much. I
could
listen to that intro for the entire set.

All Things Reconsidered- OK, this one was a weird one. I think this was
the
second of the tour (Champaign=first), and it was great to hear such a rare
song, but there was no energy at all here.  The crowd was pretty lame
during
this song, just standing there, but the band didn't really give them
anything
to move to. Oh well

Bathtub Gin- Yea, I was really excited after seeing it for the first time
at
Alpine this summer, but again the jam was uninteresting and bland. It
ended way
too quickly.

Talk- Break song, nothing more, nothing less.

Julius- Obviously the highlight of the set. I guess I'm of the opinion
that
every julius is good and that you'll never be let down. Trey was finally
starting to get into it with the rest of the band here, but it was too
late. A
good way to end the set, though.

Set one comments- Really dissapointing, though i'm not really one to be
mad
when a band of such skill and feeling as phish has a bad set. It just
seemed
like the energy from the night before was all gone. Highlights: Julius,
Pen.

Well, Languedoc walked right past me after this set was over. I wonder if
he
was going backstage to talk to the boys or something? Also, I bet that the
boys
had a talk amongst themselves, because set two SMOKED:

Set two
Llama- Trey looked like he had sooo much pent up energy that he flubbed
the
beginning. Good thing to see. This was a pretty hot version and a good way
for
the band to get back into it. Trey was kicking the air all over in this
one!

Sample in a Jar- I know that they play it too much, but this one really
fit
at the beginning.  It was pretty standard, but there was a lot of energy
in it.
It was obvious that the band was having a lot better time here than for
set
one. Mostly they all had smiles on thier faces and they were really
groovin
during this one.

Taste- Strange because i heard this one last night at Target Center, but
this
one was just as good (I though the TC version was phenomenal). I really
love
the jamming at the end of this song. Page was hot and trey matched his
energy
on the build after his solo. Lots of electricity in this one

SweptAway->Steep- again, more great ones for a break after a really
intense
one. I heard trey kind of flub swept in Detroit last sat, but this was
perfect.
I also love mike's vocals on steep. -->

Scent of a Mule- OK, OK...I know that they always do the duel and it can
get a
little old after a while, but this was intense. Page's first solo was
really
well played, but other than that, nothing special. Then Trey did this
really
funky, groovy type almost Motown solo that got EVERYONE moving. It's so
hard
to explain my feeling when i heard this because the other two times i've
heard
a scent he has done some sort of latin sound. This was way different and
way
cool. The Russian jam was standard, and they closed with what seemed to be
a
faster tempo than what I've heard before.

Life On Mars?- A great song that I will never get tired of.  After hearing
the
clifford ball boards I have a lot of respect for mike's work in the chorus
and
as always i love the decending guitar of trey.

Demand- What? Holy shit! They haven't played this since Madison last year.
I
could see trey looking at fish with a huge smile and saying something like
"OK,
are you ready?" so I knew it was going to be something good. Trey flubbed
the
lyrics in the middle, but it was easily corrected. What a good time I was
having.

Antelope- Ummm, a second set antelope? Only in dreams I guess. The version
was
really hot too, and it looked like they were kind of tired during Marco,
but
they kept it going. Mike and Fish's work during the jam was supercool.

A Day in the Life- I've seen this too many times, but it's still nice.
Good set
closer.

Encore
Stash- Holy shit! I guess I was calling a long one because it was only
10:30 ,
but I never would have dreamed of stash. The build was great as usual, not
as
good as Great Woods 94 or orlando 95, but still an unbelievable way to end
the
night....or so I thought...

Hello Ma baby- A nice touch on a VERY salvaged night.

Set two thoughts. Hot Hot Hot. The demand, antelope and mule were
obviously the
highlights. One impression was that all of them seemed to be having a
great
time which bodes well for the future of the band and our happiness now!

In general, I'm reminded of the 10/11 Compton Terrace show where they must
have
had a talk backstage during setbreak because the first set was just ok and
set
two was mindblowing. Anyway, it was a good time in all even though the
midwest
was drenched in huge sheets of rain during the show. It made interstate
driving
really hard. Oh well.

Brent Cusher
cusherb@carleton.edu
-------------------------------------------
Subject: 11/14/96 Ames Thoughts..(lots of 'em) :)
From: "Peter A. Herr" 

Hey all,

        It was one crazy night for me, as was for many people travelling 
to this show.  We left Iowa City at around 4 o'clock, and as soon as we 
hit Des Moines, all hell broke loose.  Freezing rain that turned the 
interstate into an ice rink.  Semis were everywhere in the ditches, along 
with numerous cars....and this was just on the way TO the show.  
        Anyway, we arrived in the lots a little after 7, so we actually 
had some time to go inside, relax and warm up before the show started.  
The lot scene was non-exsitent...lots of wind and sleet makes it hard to 
keep the grill lit for those grilled cheeses.  Still, there we MANY 
ticketless people outside, even though the show wasn't anywhere close to 
being sold out....I got asked "if I could spare a little change, dude" 
more than once.  It pissed me off, but that's another story which we are 
familiar with...
        I had great seats for the show, 12th rows straight back from 
fish, so I was very ready for things to get started.  I'm not sure what 
Paul was playing for the Pre-show music, but it kind of sounded like The 
John Lurie National Orchestra "Men With Sticks" album.  I meant to ask, 
but I forgot.  

Anyway, the setlist: 

Set I: AC/DC Bag, Uncle Pen, Wolfman's Brother,Cars Trucks Busses,
Free, All Things Reconsidered, Bathtub Gin, Talk,Julius

Set II: Llama, Sample In A Jar, Taste, Swept Away > Steep, Scent Of
A Mule, Life On Mars?, Demand > Antelope, A Day In The Life

Enc: Stash
Ragtime Gal (accapella)

AC/DC Bag:  A great opener, one of my favorites to help kick off a show.  
This one had potential too, but it didn't seem to go anywhere.  They 
seemed to be working on getting something going halfway through the jam, 
but then I saw Trey point at Fish to cue the double-time.  Usually this 
just happens naturally (see Alpine Valley's AC/DC Bag...HOT!), but not 
this time. 

Uncle Pen:  Fun stuff..Trey looked around the place during the 
instrumental jam....probably noticing that the place was only half full 
at this point due to the weather...

Wolfman's Brother:  I thought this was Gumbo at first, but was still 
excited to hear this nevertheless.  They didn't jam this out too much 
either, but I had fun watching (and trying to listen for) Fish's "Shirley 
Temple" line.

Cars Trucks Busses:  This was my first for this tune.  Page was doing it 
up on the piano...it cooked.  I wanted it to last longer, but maybe the 
exploring will come with time on this one.  Just look what has happened 
to Simple this tour so far.  I can only hope.

Free: Good placement of this tune, got the crowd into the show.  Not too 
much extra stuff to talk about though...just the average Trey on 
percussion and delay/wah-wah pedal.  I still love to hear the sound echo 
through the venue.  I think this tune's "jam" section is more of a 
experiment in sound textures than anything else.  It's cool to just look 
at the lights and listen. 

All Things Reconsidered:  Trey told the crowd that his mother was born in 
this state, and that a few of his relatives were in the audience at the 
beginning.  It was pretty cool.  Standard ATR though...I already heard it 
at Champaign.  Blah.

Bathtub Gin:  NOW, here's where they got me excited.  Page was going 
apeshit on the piano at the beginning...Trey and Mike were both laughing 
at him.  A pretty good jam followed...I wanted more, but it just kind of 
got cut short.  Lots o' Fun though....one of my all time favorite tunes.

Talk:  Ok.  Gave me a chance to take a "breathe"r  :) :) :)

Julius:  I was hoping this would not be the last of the set, but they 
jammed it pretty damn hard towards the end.  The lights were ON during 
this one too.  Pretty much a classic "tension and release" blues solo for 
Trey.  Nice.

The set lasted less than an hour, it kind of bothered me.  I expected 
great things in the second set though....and i was rewarded.

Llama:  Pretty hot Llama..Trey was kicking all over the place...I think 
he really wanted to make up for the mediocrity of set I.  He gave it to 
us too, even though the beginning was kind of botched.  A great opener to 
a second set IMHO.

Sample:  Yeah, ok, got the kids singing.  

Taste:  Nice job on this one...keeps getting better.  The jam seems to be 
getting more and more stretched out.  I just love the feel of this 
tune...definetly not your standard hard driving rock, but it still makes 
you want to move.  Great solos from Page and Trey both...

Swept Away > Steep:  I LOVE Steep.  It's kind of haunting in a way, but 
the way the vocals meld together on this one sounds great, as it did last 
night.  The lights were killer here too.  Especially the part where they 
all scream their heads off and the strobes come on.  Very cool!

Scent Of A Mule: What?  They played this last time when they were in 
Iowa!  I'm not a huge fan, but this dueling jam was not to be missed.  
Trey layed down a great latin beat complete with singing ala George 
Benson over the top of what he was playing.  The crowd's clapping was 
actually cool during it too, Fish started clicking the hi-hat.  During 
Page's second solo, Fish started playing the vacuum very inconspicously
while 
behind his drumset.  It seemed like Mike might have encouraged him to do 
this, since he was back near Fish.  It was great.  Tight ending too.

Life On Mars?:  A great tune.  A great version.  I seemed to be the only 
one who knew it though within a few rows.  Nice.

Demand:  VERY cool...I had a prime spot to watch Fish do his stuff on 
this.  I have no idea how he does it.  Trey flubbed the lyrics and 
laughed it off.  I predicted a Bowie after this one...

Antelope:  Nope, just an antelope.  But this was not a typical Antelope.  
I almost thought I might have to change my pants a few times during this 
one.  The jam came to a climax about 4 or 5 times...Trey just wouldn't 
quit.  Hot as hell.  I loved it.  Kicked the Champaign Antelope's ass.  

A Day In The Life:  Fun.  The set was over.  but it was only 10:30.
What??

ENCORE  Stash:   YES YES YES!  This was so fucking hot.  I love this 
tune, and as an encore, it made it even more special.  Trey was so into 
it.  Mike stepped up to the mic to close it out with the "maybe so, maybe 
not" part, but Trey just kept on ripping it up, so Mike backed away.  It 
was hilarious.  

Ragtime: Fun.

Synopsis:  A fun show, short, but fun.  I caught Citrus at a local bar 
afterwards...they made the evening complete.  The first set was pretty 
lame, but the second made up for it bigtime.  Oh well, no more shows for 
me until the summer.  Have a good rest of the tour everybody!  

Later all..

-Pete
paherr@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
----------------------------------------------
Subject: Ames 11-14
From: Jeremy Berliss 

The drive to the show was fine, untill it started sleeting with cars 
skidding off the road, then it became less fun.  The parking lot was a 
sheet of ice, which was cool to walk on but there was a strong wind and 
the temp was in the low 20's.  We ended up just going inside.
The show was very interesting, a stark contrast from Target center the 
night before. Ames had a bunch of songs, that were played very well, but 
had little flow.  The band started and stopped a lot, and almost seemed a 
bit out o fit.  Both sets were under 60 minutes, which I thought was odd, 
but what was played was played superbly so the short times could be over 
looked a bit.  What did other pepole think?
I-AC/Dc Bag, Uncle Penn, Wolfman's brother, Cars, Trucks, Busses, Free, 
All Things Reconsidered, Bathtub Gin, Talk, Julius
II-Llama, Sample, Taste, Swept away->Steep, Scent of a Muel, Life on 
Mars, Demand, Antelope, Day in the Life
E- Stash, Rag Time Girl (acapella)

Jeremy
--------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------