I made the drive from Greensboro, NC for this show. I had met a few friends working at a summer camp the year before, one of which lived in Wichita, KS. So what better reason to catch up with a friend than to throw a phish show in the mix! This was a solo drive in my '93 Honda Accord, a year after highschool, so I was 19 (always keep water handy in older cars, especially if making a drive halfway across the country). It was also my first time taping phish (believe it or not, my source was one of the only three that is in existence: http://db.etree.org/shn/18583) .

Anyways, holy hot. It had to be one of the hottest days I can remember. I managed to sit in my car, a/c running for about 2hrs before gates opened. I met up with Cory, a fellow taper from Chicago and he managed to get my gear into the section (didn't score a tapers ticket).

Truthfully, this show was so long ago, not even sure about all the details. However, listening back to the show the Tweezer > Makisupa was a highlight for the night. A no-nonsense Antelope to be checked out as well. It's pretty high up there with intensity.

Beside the show, the other highlight was getting a speeding ticket in Lawrence (cool town, however). This show is often overlooked for the '03 years, and there are no "on-paper" standouts. However, This is one to get for the highlights mentioned above.

This was my first show and it still holds up as a decent show years later. The opening Chalk Dust, while not remarkable, is good and you can tell the band is having fun as you can hear Fish on the SBD recording say, "We should just play that again." The Wolfman's is a well played version with a cool slow down to close out the jam. Maze and Dirt are typical. Pebbles was a pleasant surprise in the opening set and had a good high energy jam. Strange Design was a nice cool down. The closing BOTT and Divided Sky were both well played, especially the Divided.

I will disagree with the other reviews at this point and say that the Tweezer is well worth a listen or two. I will admit there are some meandering moments but they are not nearly as bad as the others would lead you to believe (somehow this type of searching is dull and not listenable and the '18 Hampton GA is the band's greatest gift of 2018). I won't dissect it but I think it's well worth your time. The Makisupa is humorous with the Tobin story and has a cool tease of "Dust in the Wind" at the end. There's also some funny banter following that fans of banter would want to seek out but again this shows that the band is having a good time. The Limb is above average and the next four are what they are. The Antelope to close things out is definitely above average, especially for the time period. Contact and Tweeprise sent me home happy.

Not a bad first show but definitely left me wanting more.
Highlights: Wolfman's, BOTT, Divided Sky, Tweezer and Antelope.

So far summer tour has been inconsistent, to say the least. 7.9.03 holds serve as the best show of the tour with 7.15.03 and 7.13.03 hot on its heels. Then you have a series of incomplete shows, albeit each show with one (if not multiple) truly standout jams (looking at you 7.10.03 Divided Sky and 7.12.03 Ghost). But really, even with those jams, the shows themselves lacked that consistent, radiating energy that permeating each and every set of Winter 03. So with a stretch of three consecutive shows form Gorge through Utah, each building more momentum, how would the tour fare when it rumbles into the Great Plains? Would the momentum continue to swell? Are we due for a sigh? Let's find out.

The show starts out with a burst. A straightforward and typically hot Chalk Dust moves us into the right direction from the get go. A little loose, perhaps, but still a nice, exclamatory peak allows us to settle into, and subsequently speculate, on *just how good* this show might be. A swampy Wolfman's follows up and you know what, there is no such thing as a bad Wolfman's Brother. There just isn't. Not quite as gooey and locked in as Gorge's, and nowhere near Phoenix's nastttyyyy version, this one continues the mood that Chalk Dust set of positive speculation on where this show is headed - and the trajectory of the tour. [author's aside: I feel this show was a probing hinge point for the band. I sensed a little apprehension, perhaps? I'm not quite sure how to write it out... the *feel* of the show... to this listener... 13 years later... who wasn't in attendance... just seemed a little ---- off Almost too inside the head, if that makes sense]. Anyways, Maze comes next and has a little bit of a disjointed feel to it. Quintessential Maze organ work from Page and quintessential guitar work from Trey anchor this relatively benign (but still Mazey) Maze. Dirt is neither here nor there in terms of flow or energy. It adds little, and takes away nothing. Pebbles and Marbles is performed well enough, with an energized jam segment, but still... Phish seems to be... hmmm... trying too hard? I dunno. It just doesn't seem to be clicking at the moment for them. Strange Design really sucks the energy out of the venue and now I am wondering what's going on. Not *seriously* wondering, but maybe this is the inconsistency resurfacing - that which we have seen a pattern on during Summer 03 thus far. A valiant attempt during Back on the Train gets some energy back, trying to reel in that latent Nassau Train energy, but doesn't even come close to its Winter brethren. A punchy Divided Sky redeems a relatively pedestrian first set, as the Divided Sky jams really soars, with fantastic work from Trey. If you are sensing a lack of energy in my writing, you are correct. as I am sensing a lack of energy in Phish's playing. Hmm. Weird.

When that Tweezer lick growls through the loud speakers, you know it's party time. Another good-old effort from Phish this version, although clocking in above the 20-minute mark, has little to write home about. Normally I like to break down these extended jams segment by segment, but Phish appeared... well, not hasty, but, almost too concerned on forcing a "big jam" to happen. This Tweezer is inorganic, meaning, it feels forced, unnatural. The closing 4 minutes are definitely the highlight, as the jam's looseness leads to, ironically, more tight jamming. A very clean -> Makisupa was fun. This version features a couple of noteworthy achievements: 1) AGAIN great interplay between Mike and Fish 2) Some very playful, inspired banter. HA! It's almost as though Trey kinda knew they weren't playing too well tonight, so he decided to make up for or, (or try to) by joking with the crowd. Ohhh Trey. A really kick-ass Limb by Limb spirals in next and might be the highlight of the show. Its dizzying climax and and frenetic jam are exceptional to my ears. Great placement of this song! Perhaps the band loosened up after Trey's antics? Maybe? Annnnnnd it's gone. Anything but Me takes that wind right out of our sails and I'm left scratching my head as to what's happening this night in Kansas. Horn was played well enough, but didn't fit the set very well. Waves was choppy and jumbled (and I LOVE Waves) so it pains me to say this version was a little flat. A botched Cavern added some indirect comedic value to the set. An above average, but still perfunctory Antelope closed the set. Contact > Tweezer Reprise was fine. Ugh. I hate being negative in my reviews, but this show just doesn't really pack a whole lot of heat. Sorry, Kansas. If you gloss over this review and/or show, don't feel bad, I sure don't. Can't hit a homerun every at bat! Onto Alpine!

Must-hear jams: none
Probably-should-listen-to jams: Wolfman's Brother, Divided Sky, Tweezer, Limb by Limb, Run Like an Antelope

20+ years later and I'm ready to review my first show. Spoiler: This band is so incendiary that being straight-edge sober at one of the worst shows at a breathtakingly bad venue mottled with the stanky variety of neo-hippies on an overlooked tour they still affirmed I was seeing the best in the biz that day.
......

Backstory:
Phish from Vermont wasn't anything that infiltrated my suburban Kansas City high school (shout out Class of '98) in any capacity and I guess I missed the three days MTV played Down With Disease so it took music major nerds in college to introduce me to my favorite band on a KC to South Carolina road trip in spring 2000. "Hey Walsh, here's something you'll dig dude," they said as the opening jangle of the Rift CD hit my maroon Ford Taurus to start that trip and I was hooked.

I actually went to class in college so couldn't make the fall stop at Sandstone ("Verizon Wireless" can piss off) and had to wait through a whole-ass hiatus to finally catch them in that golden, liminal summer post-graduation and pre-Peace Corps where I cleaned swimming pools all across the metro area with my brother and friends, including the one responsible for the Phish intro three years prior. So while I climbed aboard in the waning moments of 1.0 I'm the rare 2.0 show baby.
.....

The Show:
Hotter than boiling piss, Sandstone is a scratchy-grass hill that tends to host bad iterations of Van Halen* and [insert Sexy Tractor country act here]. No natural shade in sight, no pavilion roof, just old-school pile 'em in and turn on the sound, Chester. No seasoned vets in our crew of ten or so, virtually everyone was a first-timer but we still got a decent spot center stage if not a bit farther back than I'd like.

You could do far, far worse than having your first chords of live Phish being a mid-summer Chalk Dust Torture. Eight minutes of rock and I was sold. For some reason I was annoyed at Wolfman's generally but got right back in it for the cookin' Maze. Dirt hit me in the feels, as it does, and we were sweaty as the first set wound down.

S2 launched with a robust (22:32!) but not totally zany Tweezer and I felt like I'd seen all the secrets that music had to offer. Maybe I had? Maikisupa is forever etched in my brain as with the callout of the head of security arrest. Bless this site for years after the fact solving the riddle of what the tease was. Was thrilled to get a personal favorite Limb By Limb (and had to wait twenty whole years to get another). At the time I thought him forgetting Cavern lyrics was hilarious the way a person wholly ignorant of the addiction unraveling the man and the band might. My early twenties body was fluid with delight to get an Antelope closer.

Contact was the encore fun that it is and everyone leaves smiling from their first show with a Tweeprise. It's funny. I don't have many memories of what happened after the show. None of us were connected to the taper community to secure the show for relisten but I know that was the best complete night of music I'd seen and wanted more.

Little did I know this would be the last shot I'd get until fifteen years later but that's another story.
.....

*Fun side story:
The only other Sandstone show I saw was in 1998. Van Halen with Gary Charone on the mic was so incredibly undersold that when I ordered a Cheese Lover's from Pizza Hut, the driver handed me two promo tickets that came with every delivery that night.

My eighteen-year-old eyes had hardly seen any live music at that point but I went on a lark and it was awful. Kenny Wayne Shephard opening was when I first realized - independent of any blog or fancy music critic - that white dudes stole the blues sound but not its soul.

To date the worst thing I've ever endured.

PHISH, THURSDAY 07/17/2003
VERIZON WIRELESS AMPHITHEATER KANSAS CITY
Bonner Springs, KS

We got into the lot pretty early, no later than 4pm. I had an extra lawn to get rid of, so I went straight to the line of incoming cars. W/in 10 minutes I sold my extra lawn for 40 bucks. I felt really lucky to unload it for basically face! The lot scene was ok. I did see quite a few undercovers though. Also it was quite hot! I did run into some friends from Denver who really ended up helping our cause (thanks Meg!).

SET 1: Chalk Dust Torture: Cool opener, can’t complain! Around 5:05 Trey flubs a little. Something I rarely hear but did tonight: Page in the wrong key at 7:23. Still a pretty good, energetic Chalkdust opener.

Wolfman's Brother: This Wolfman’s really bored me. By four minutes into the jam it does nothing and continues to do so until it ends at 11 minutes.

Maze: Sloppy! Trey botches/forgets the lyrics at the "I try to reverse the course that my tread had already traversed" part. More sloppiness at 7:55 when Trey is waaaay off key right before the climax to the jam.

Dirt: Very clean, concise version. I love Dirt.

Pebbles and Marbles: Very good version that never meanders too far off the path.

Strange Design: Decent version but some of Page's vocals seem a little stressed.

Back on the Train: Quite sloppy/tentative for the first 1.5 minutes. At 5:23 you can hear Trey struggling on this. >

Divided Sky: Page and Trey seem a little tentative for the first 1.5 minutes here. At 3:08 Trey actually has to re-do a riff after botching the original. However, after that, this Divided really takes off and soars. There is a minor flub after the pause but it's gravy after that. I was really impressed w/ this version after it seemed the band was a little scared to play it in the first place for whatever reason.

SET 2: Tweezer: Easily the highlight of the night – longest Tweezer of the tour by far and best version of the summer. At 4:55, I swear Fishman speeds up his drumbeat really quick and teases Brother and then drops back into typical Tweezer mode! This Tweezer really rocks out hard until 13 minutes. From there it gets pretty quiet and spacy. Really nice segue at 22.5 > ->

Makisupa Policeman: Keyword – spliff. LOL at Trey mentioning Jim Tobin getting arrested. Note that they have never been back to this venue.

Limb By Limb: Flawless version!

Anything But Me: Head scratching placement. Momentum comes to a screeching halt. >

Horn: Again, placement is just putrid. This has been played 174 times and only 32 times has it been played in the second set. The last time it was played in set two was at 6.18.94 and the next (and last) it was played in the second set was 7.2.11. >

Waves: For me, the set is ruined now. After those two sleepers they played, it they are going to keep my attention: it best be a heavy hitter. Waves IS NOT A HEAVY HITTER. For me. At least yet.

Cavern: Worst Cavern ever. I was quite embarrassed for Trey here. "Take it Page". Jesus H.... >

Run Like an Antelope: Little Cavern tease in the intro. From 6:00 until 7:40 Trey is playing a theme I just cannot place but it sounds oh so familiar. Anyway this was quite the raging 'lope at just over 13 minutes. Too little too late.

ENCORE: Contact: We needed this one what with the horrible drive we faced going from basically Kansas City to Milwaukee overnight – 550 miles!

Tweezer Reprise: Standard.

Replay Value: Tweezer! Limb by Limb and Antelope were very strong too.

Summary: Walked out of there really disappointed. Faced with an overnight drive to get to Alpine did not help the mood. My least favorite show of the tour. I would rate this as a 2.75 out of 5.

This show is incredibly deceiving.

On paper this show looks fantastic, Chalk Dust opener, Divided Sky to close a set, Tweezer 2nd set opener that segues straight into Makisupa, Antelope closer. It seems like a homerun from start to finish, how can a setlist like this not deliver?

Well unfortunately for the most part it does not. But the failure of this show is not necessarily in sloppy playing or short ripchorded songs. But more in the aimless meandering in their playing. Sure Wolfman had some decent stuff coming out of it, but it was a replica of every Wolfman from this year. The majority of the first set seems mailed in.

I look at the setlist for the second set and see a 22 Minute Tweezer to open. This seems like a no brainer for a great fresh jam to reset the show. Unfortunately the aimlessness continues as the guys relentlessly try and find something to connect to, what is left is a series of failed attempts and nothing at all interesting in 22 minutes. Most of the rest of the set also feels mailed in and has a heavy sense that they have no idea what they want to play. The saving grace and star of the show IMO is Antelope. It's pretty solid from beginning to end and a great version, unfortunately the damage has already been done. A very boring encore only adds to this.

Definitely on the low end of shows from this tour. But Antelope is worth checking out.