I'd previously listened to the 8/1/99 show without any strong reaction, but the recent remastered official release of this show makes for a pleasant listen, particularly the 2001 > Bowie combo. About ten minutes into the Bowie the boys take one of their patented left turns into a brief major-key jam, which gives way (too) quickly to a sprightly groove in the standard Bowie key - but the digression has opened up some possibilities, and the fellas perform a series of sidesteps and skip-hops and (aaaaaaah) key changes and - huh - even a brief dance-beat interlude reminiscent of the marvelous 2/26/03 Stash before bringing it all home.

A 25-minute Bowie? Nice; but 'silent jam' notwithstanding, this is in most ways a 'Type I' performance, its side passages accenting or punctuating the (conventional) main jam rather than breaking new ground. You'll notice its length rather than its depth, I suspect.

The Simple jam is certainly memorable though: after doing weird things with his effects rig throughout the show, Trey just goes *off* with a crazed effects-laden solo statement during this standalone encore version. It's not particularly tasteful or cohesive, but there are other aesthetic virtues after all - sheer commitment and brazenness among them - and Ernesto Anastasio III possesses no shortage of those.

i downloaded this show last night from livephish. from beginning to end, every song from this show is played so solid and really brings you there. Page's keys on squirming coil are beautiful and brilliant. if you're a phan of phish, please download this show and help out Japan.

This is a very interesting show.

Not too much to be said about the first set. Free has some extra mustard on it, and character zero is extended just a little longer than usual with some extra Trey shreddery.

Set 2 is a very odd set not just in playing but also the setlist is almost some of an illusion. But more on that later. 2001 has some great trade offs between page and Trey who are complimenting each other well throughout. Into Bowie there's this bird sounding effect that is super cool and interesting. You can tell fairly early into Bowie that the guys were wanting to take it somewhere, just a different feel. And although it treads on familiar Bowie terrain it is still fairly long and interesting, and ideas seem to flow into each other very well. A cohesive strong jam.

Now the oddity of this set. You have Velvet Sea > Prince Caspian > Fluffhead. On paper you might think this is a lot of slow for the middle of a set. But Caspian in itself becomes almost a highlight of the night. Just one high peak after another. Fluffhead is slightly below average with some flubbery in it. And a solid coil proceeds it.

The encore is one of the best I've heard. That horn jam is absolutely one of a kind. Truly showing what a completely different landscape does for the band. And features the best Brian and Robert I've ever heard. Just absolutely beautiful with the flute.

4 star show. Worth another listen.

The My Friend opener is extremely well played. Great intro composition section and the drop into the heavy part is flawless. Give it a listen!

I remember really well when the Tibetan guy came out and played with Fishman. I was a little frustrated cause i was ready to jam some more but instead listened to the speech and the Fishman duet. To tell you the truth I was happy when he left but I appreciated the Tibetan's mission to help his people.

Just. Okay. This is how this went down. I am in New Orleans on a business trip. Got back after a day of convention-craze nonsense. You know the drill. Maybe. Anyway, I digress. I get back to my hotel to the various "today" ways of finding out that the new Star Wars trailer hit the airwaves. So. I watch. I get, well, I get giddy. I watch again. and realize part of my giddiness is my love of John Williams. I mean, come on. He's a fahr-ghin genius. So YouTube. Anyway. I see a side-line video recommendation of Phish - Halloween 1996.. Which I watch for a bit. But am sidelined again by this Mount Fuji recommend vid on the side. SO I click. It's Set 2. And it is immediately engaging. Like, from the first hint of a note. Fux-sake. Here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOCQkNUns1c