Even if you share my inability to get amped up about Sand, this show's divine Wading > Tweezer combo will make you a believer (in, um, *something* or other). Within a certain stylistic envelope this was actually a pretty swell month of Phish, and if you can dig this second set then you have a musical treasure trove awaiting you in December '99. If not, well, time to bust out the Bozeman Tweezer again...

this second set is so good! some say the sand is overrated, but i think it is a masterpiece in dark, ominous, ambient groove. the mango is incredibly well played and adds a "phishy" vibe to the set. as stated in other reviews, the wading>tweezer is absolutely wonderful: soulful, uplifting, exploratory, and melodic. then a jim set closer, tension release. a 5 star set in my opinion. if you like the ambient soundscapes of '98-'99 you will love this set.

The first set doesn't really do much for me (although that Roggae IS quite nice, and a Camel Walk is always welcome), and I think the second half Sand is decent but overrated (it's not as good as 12/8, let alone Cypress or Dick's 2012). But the second set does have one top notch sequence, as a truly epic, panoramic Velvet Sea gives way to a Tweezer that splashes major key, soaring hose jamming all over the place (Page's deceptively simple piano work behind the wall of guitar noise is worth rewinding to hear again). The Jim is mainly a victory lap, although the crowd's clapping along, so amped up from the previous jam, is truly thrilling. Most of this show is optional for listening, but the Velvet Sea and Tweezer are mandatory.

The big highlight is the Velvet Sea>Tweezer>Runaway Jim. Trey is feeling it, Page is right there with him, Mike and Fish lay down the foundation. It's probably my favorite Velvet Sea, complete with a Siket Disc like jam at the end. Then the Tweezer. Phish builds and builds until a Fish drum fill turns on THE HOSE. Gorgeous. And Jim is the tension release.

Pretty darn good show overall. Sand goes long, sort of deep, but I like other Sands more. First set has some cool stuff, Limb smokes, Roggae is beautiful, and this Camel Walk is really fun. You can really imagine leading a camel train down to the city at night, a "Midnight at the Oasis" kinda thing.

A pretty solid show from a good month of Phish. Enjoy!

This is on the shorter side as far as Phish shows go, but it packs a wallop. Wilson seemed to get extended every now and then, even if just a little bit, during 1999; you can hear this on the other archival releases from that year. Chalkdust excels in energy, as does Possum, and everything in between is played well, however succinctly. Trey seems to be in frontman mode for this show. Sand is a very long version, but Mike mostly sticks to Tony Markellis's bassline throughout the jam. It's still a great jam, though, IMO, and is characteristic of 1999. Tweezer is even better, reminding me of Fall 1997, with the loops and ambient washes undergirded by a strong foundation of cowfunk. I could've dealt with the Runaway Jim being longer, but this is a show I am really into right now and love to hear.

A very strong show. You can tell by how into the fans sound.

Wilson starts things off pretty sloppy. Luckily CDT comes in and gets things back on track. LxL has some nice hose and intensity in its jam. BOTT is strong, as is Camel Walk. Possum is top notch and a great way to cap the set.

The 2nd set is absolutely fantastic and one of the very best of '99. Sand gets the improv going quickly. The jam starts off with siren effects and gets very spacey and trippy. Lot's of peaks and valleys. Mango Song is always welcomed and this version is beautiful! Wading has some cool extended spaciness going into Tweezer. Tweezer gets weird pretty early and collapses into a black hole sucking you in. For a little while it has the feel of a Mikes Song Jam. It then explodes into a full blown beauty jam that grows more and more beautiful by the second, they were truly firing on all cylinders. Jim concludes the set on a high note and is very strong.

Bittersweet Motel and Tweeprise? Meh.

This show is another one of those that is so close to a perfect 5. But the first set in my opinion isn't strong enough and the encore is rather drool (unless you're a bittersweet motel fan that is).

This release was a cool one - you don't get a lot of '99 stuff at times.

The set opens with a nice Wilson>Chalkdust Torture combo. The Wilson is pretty typical and works well in the opening slot. The Chalkdust has a nice patient jam. It's one of the better moments of the first set.

Lawn Boy is it's usual self.

LXL is really solid. I like this version a lot. Pretty patient, good jamming, and Trey is on fire at the end.

Horn and BOTT are both perfunctory.

Roggae is serene, although I prefer the modern incarnations of this tune.

Heavy Things.

Camel Walk and Possum are both welcome treats in a pretty mellow set I, without being overly necessary listens.

Not the finest first set, but nothing bad really. There are some energy lulls with a lot of more mellow song selections, but LXL, CDT and Camel Walk, Possum are plenty of fun.

Set II opens with a long Sand. This versions doesn't necessarily do a ton for me personally. That said, it's a pretty good version, and carries some of that '99 mini kit keys jamming from Trey and some cool sonic layering. It does come to a strong conclusion as well. If you like '99 this might be right up your alley, if not, I still think its worth a listen.

Mango Song follows and I like the placement. It's nice after the spacey Sand jamming.

Most fans might look at Wading here and groan, but this is not your grand-daddy's Velvet Sea. This is a great expansive version that finds it's way beautifully into Tweezer with some excellent spacey stuff.

Tweezer is the big ticket item, and I LOVE this jam. It's long, it's got plenty of layering and looping, giving it a beautiful serene feel. Even when Trey puts the guitar down, the jam remains very engaging for me. Trey comes back in with a cool rhythmic intent, providing some delicate notes to compliment the rhythm section. They play around with this for a bit and then navigate to a nice chord vamp. Trey fires of some bluesy soloing, but then takes and inspired (Page led?) turn to the major key with a beautiful full band shift. They milk this am segment for all it's worth, really with Trey just offering different shaping of a two chord sequence (although he throughs in some tasty melodies here and there) and the band builds to a glorious sound. The hose is turned on full blast here. Must listen. Eventually they give way to some new space that winds into Runaway Jim.

Jim is a good version as well, although it's more of an afterthought after the Tweezer. That said, this contributes well to the sequence and ends the set in considerable style.

The encore is Bittersweet Motel> Tweeprise, which is a nice pairing if for no other reason than to juxtapose one another.

The second set is quite good. Perhaps my least favorite part is the 23 minute opening Sand!? So with that in mind, you will be likely to enjoy this set quite a bit. Much like the Boise '99 release, the big jams of this era are really great listening in SBD form with all the looping and layering that they were doing.

Comfortable 4/5 with a must listen Velvet Sea>Tweezer

This was a fun show. First set highlights include a great Back on the Train, Heavy Things, Camel Walk and Possum 4 song end of set run. The Possum had serious energy. The second set started with a 20+ minute Sand that ended with beautiful, soulful soloing by Trey after some keyboard experimentation. Very trace-ish at times. Mango was solid but the Velvet->Tweezer was to die for. I don't remember a -> into Jim, but everyone wants to throw those things around for little reason. I swear, if Trey drops his pick inbetween songs someone is going to post a -> to get everyone who wasn't there worked up. Can we clean up some of these set lists????? Ok, made my point. Very solid 2nd set and a show worth downloading.

One morning after a night of partying in NYC I stood on the subway platform waiting for my train when someone started playing this Sand jam on a boombox. I looked around to find the culprit only to realize there was no boombox, or no sand jam playing, it was just the train approaching the station. Shit slaps!