Of all the reasons to be grateful that the spreadsheet exists (speaking as an obsessive Dylan bootleg collector during the B&P/super-slow CD burner era, there are many indeed), I personally think that the biggest reason is that you will find yourself listening to shows that you wouldn't make the effort to seek out if they weren't a mouse click and 10/15 minutes away. And, again speaking as an obsessive Dylan bootleg collector, the second biggest reason is that you can have your own "pet shows", the ones that a) you hang on to as your own secret, the show that you know is a classic on a Bomb Factory/Island Tour/UIC 2011 level, or b) you trumpet to everyone you can find that THIS is a pantheon Phish show, and if you'd only listen to it instead of 6/22/94 for the 200th time you'd be able to find out for yourself. And this, to me, is as much a part of the Phish experience as anything else; the act of *discovery*, which can happen quite often with a band that has played this many damn shows.

I don't doubt that I haven't told you all anything you know already, but I still had to tell you anyway, because I'm about to go Option B on you and say that this is (IMO, of course) one of the great Phish shows, one of my personal favorites, and a show that I will probably keep stumping for official release as long as I remain a Phish fan. Sadly, with the release of the Boogie On on the last From The Archives, that seems entirely unlikely now (FTA will release songs from shows already released all the time, but have yet to go the opposite route); at least that jam, which pretty much everyone knows or should know is one of the year's finest, is now readily available in pristine sound. Thank goodness for small favors, I suppose.

By this point in their evolution Phish had smoothed out the darker, more razor-sharp edges of the Fall '97 funk sound, replacing it with more spaciness (or ambiance, if you want), and that is perfectly heard in the Tweezer here, a close relative to the brilliant 8/1/98 version. It's not the longest version in the world (although I don't think that's as big a deal as someone else might), but it locks into a really mellow, blissful groove right out of the "Uncle Ebenezer" verse and stays there all throughout. The Boogie On has already been touched on (I think the term "hose jam" fits quite nicely for it), and those two songs alone would put this show in some pretty strong company, but there's also a blissful Harry Hood that leads into an always welcome Frankenstein, a super funky Tube, and a really fun Roses > Wilson > Maze stretch in Set 1 to serve as icing on the cake. And there's Meatstick, but it can't all be perfect, right?

Whenever I think of 1999, The Year That Phish Forgot (even the big summer festival doesn't seem to get any love), the first thing that pops to mind is Big Cypress, the second thing is 12/11 (my pick for show of the year), and then 9/18, a very strong second place and the crown jewel of Fall 1999, maybe the greatest underrated tour of them all. And I wouldn't have thought about it at all without the spreadsheet. Thank you, Phish, and thank you, Kevin Hoy.

this show is stacked. i am not a huge fan of '99 phish. there are a few good shows in the summer, and the fall/winter tour was pretty much a wash, outside of the spectrum shows, imo. then there is the september 99 shows; the glorious exception to the rule. this one kind of gets overshadowed by the neighboring shoreline show with the big phil lesh guest spot, but personally, i'll take the chula vista show.

tweezer opens this one up in fine form. this is not the longest version in the world, but it has some nice funky explorations. roses are free follows it up nicely, and wilson gets the crowd in a rocking mood. then maze really lights this one up. trey and page bounce back and forth like maniacs before bringing this one home. not a big b&r fan, but this one gives everyone a well deserved cool down. tube brings the funk back in fine form, and transitions nicely and somewhat comically into rocky top.

after a very funky first set, the boys came out blazing in a ripping boogie on. this or the cuyahoga falls '00 are neck and neck for best pre hiatus boogie on. they leave the normal "song" part, and they just keep bouncing along until they have drifted into uncharted waters, and nobody handles uncharted waters quite like phish! after some heavy funk jamming, they eventually find their way into meatstick. i'm not too into this song but the free that follows works very well. trey takes over the middle section, while fish just pounds away. the bouncing that follows completes a some what odd 3 song pairing. harry hood really does the job before driving into a rowdy frankenstein. oh yeah, check out pages playing through out hood...bueno. cavern, as always, serves as a great set closer.

this is one of those rare shows were they are really nailing things in both sets, from start to finish. the playing is sharp, and the set list is superb. great show.

highlights:

set 1:
tweezer, maze, tube

set 2:
boogie on(must hear), free, harry hood

@N00b100 Hey man you got your wish today on LivePhish! You're 100% correct this show is straight fire. I've listened to it a few times on phishows.com and instantly fell for that slow moving first set Tweezer which seemed pretty common in '99.

The entirety of this show is amazing but both set openers were just killer. So happy for the official LivePhish release today! Enjoy all!

I'm unlike the majority. I love '99. There were some major heaters from the summer and fall had some legendary and deeply over looked moments like Chula Vista. Despite being stopped by border patrol agents on the way back to LA and being all yanked out the car and getting all of our herb confiscated (except mine because I was a defiant 16 year old that refused to empty my pockets... in hindsight we could have all been arrested so it wasn't all bad but doses, rolls and federal agents seemed nightmarish at the time... laughable now), this show is a gen. If you have a non-phan that you're trying to sell the jam concept on... boogie on. If you're with another veteran that's heard everything from 92-95 a million plus times and refuses to believe that there was anything of legend post 96... boogie on. If you're high as balls and need something to groove to... boogie on. If you're sad as fuck because your dog died and your girl just... you get the idea. This is THE boogie on to end all boogie ons. It's the quintessential version that has as much replay value as anything in the entire phish repertoire. It's is the definitive example of the stop/start style that is so often overlooked. The show blazes from start to finish. I was on the rail for the first set and had my mind blown (again doses and rolls will do that to a 16 year old but this wasn't the drugs talking... I've heard it so many times since without anything in my system). Good standard tweezer opener. Roses was fire oh AND... during Rocky Top when the lights turned on Mike and Trey was in the dark, a fan was holding up a solid half ounce (maybe a 1/4 now that I think about it) and dangled it before Trey. When the lights would go off of Trey he would motion over to the kid with a come hither kind of motion. Like a gimme that! Bare in mind this was not too long before Treys drug habit started taking a major toll. I'm very glad he and I are both sober now. It was still fun to see.

this was my very first phish concert. I walked in during tweezer, and I remember that moment very well--amazing.

The most memorable moment for me was the meatstick > free > bouncing > hood. I don't know if you call that just a moment, but it felt like a moment... a very amazing moment, that ended with lots of hood glowsticks. The venue was awesome, and I really wish phish would play there again someday.

Who would argue with a Tweezer opener? Sometimes when they open with a song that’s usually a second set song I get worried. They haven’t warmed up yet, it’s light out, and people aren’t buzzed up yet so there’s a possibility that the song will kind of suck and then they just played a song that I would have loved to see in the second set. I worry too much. This was a good Tweezer and a great way to start the show. One of the best things about Tweezer is that you know you’re gonna get that Tweeprize at the end of the night. Next of note is the Tube! I’ve listened to this Tube a lot. It’s amazing how much slower this sounds than modern day Tubes. I think by this time in Phish history they were starting to get away from the cow funk but this Tube definitely brings it. The Boogie On to start the second set is, of course, a lot of fun and totally awesome. I kind of like Meatstick but I don’t really like the whole dance instruction and how the song drags on forever. Now they also do the Japanese lyrics which makes it drag on for another 5 minutes. This Free is great. Free was always one of my top 5 or 3 Phish songs. I remember hearing it for the first time in 3.0 and thinking to myself “what the fuck just happened...why did the song just end.” I still have hope that they’ll bring it back to the monster it once was. The rest of the show was pretty standard but I must say that I really like the Contact->Tweeprise encore.

As the previous review suggests, this Boogie On - in an era of not so many Boggie Ons - is simply a must hear version, boasting a stellar funk jam and over twenty-minutes of audio pleasure.

New livephish release - $$$ once again!

Set I

A throbbing Tweezer opens the show and by 5:30 is oozing with loops and textures as Page and Mike cook up a simmering groove, Fish accenting the downbeat nicely. This is a full on groove machine within seconds. Trey really takes his time in emerging and lets Mike and Page drive first, before a delicate 4 note pattern fills some space. By 7:20 he’s in the mix, without taking over, and the playing very nicely with Mike complimenting (or Trey complimenting Mike). This is slow head bobbing stuff. By 9:40 they are cooking something with a bit more spice and Trey’s run starts a full band crescendo, which gains in purpose and intensity in patient fashion. It must be noted that Mike is straight thumping here, and Page is playing admirably as Big Red does more with less here (sticking with a 4-5 note pattern) until he starts screaming at 11:30 and kicks in the reverse delay. It’s ’99 now, and Trey fires off some screaming notes and trills and gives us some good peak playing. The rest of the band is on-point and this full band groove reaches a satisfying conclusion. Fish is back on the hi-hat at 13:45ish and they lower the volume as Trey kicks in some final siren loops over a boiling low bass bump from Mike. End song. What an opener!

Following that up with Roses is a fine choice and a very good pairing to start the show. Nice song selection. There’s a small lyric flub and a small “flub” in the middle by Trey, although to be honest he makes lemonade out of one little lemon note.

Wilson drives some purposeful rock and roll into the show, which is a nice change of pace from a mellow (but fantastic) Tweezer and a fun romp through Roses. Rockstar Trey drives a nice heavy jam mid-Wilson and, it being ’99, Trey throws on the reverse delay over a thumping Mike and some cool (keytar sounding) work from Page. A nice loopy bridge out of Wilson threatens to go into a space jam, but does not.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the ensuing Maze that emerges, however. There’s a lot right with it in fact. Some loops persist at the beginning giving this one an even more sinister than usual feel. A fiery version ensues and yields to a mellow Brian and Robert, the set’s first breather.

A nice, long, funky Tube is an inspired choice to bring a good dose of dance party time to the set. This is a standout version and is easily the set’s second highlight, just behind the Tweezer. Enjoy this one, as it finds Rocky Top to close out the set.

Overall, this is great first set, although it doesn’t fee particularly long (at least by today’s standards). Some fabulous jamming in the opening Tweezer, the spacey outro of Wilson, a well executed Maze and a funktastic Tube make this an easy winner. Roses, B&R & Rocky Top serve their purpose well.

On to set II!

Boogie On starts with Trey and the rest of the band enters, Mike shining (of course). The band runs through the song in fine fashion, with a good solo and a little more rhythm play at the end that slows down and appears headed for a conclusion. Just as you start to wait for the next tune to kick in, Fishman jumps right back in and the band Boogies Onward. Well, they churn through to a pleasant ’99 style jam, with good playing from the full band as Trey leads the band into nice upbeat melody. This puppy cruises serenely along, settling into hose land, with the full band unified via an uplifting groove that patiently peaks and showcases some fantastic textures and playing from an underrated tour (year?). The eventually resolve back into the tune and conclude. It’s not my favorite jam, but boy it is certainly good.

Meatstick is up next and has some fantastic commentary from Trey about needing to teach the west coast the “new macarena”. Well after a fun romp through the song, the band tacks on a nice funky churning jam at the end, which resolves nicely in Free. Great version.

Free is plenty of fun. It’s not super atypical, but Trey makes fantastic use of the reverse delay during the solo, before shifting into high gear and just slaughtering the climax. Very great ribbon on top of an excellent three song opening segment.

Bouncin’ fits nicely here. It’s a good little mellow addition to the set, which, while full of great jamming still manages to feel pretty laid back.

Harry Hood pops up next and this is a fine version. Like Free, it might not be 100% atypical, but it is totally worthwhile and has some fantastic sections. The 7 minute mark initiates some fine soloing and great coloring by page. It’s nice and ethereal. Trey stumbles a bit, but around 10 minutes starts to cook and finds some good climbing patterns which manifest into some rapid playing around 11 minutes and picks up momentum replete with trilling and peaking notes throughout the remainder of the jam. A fine note at 12:20 brings the victory lap and a fantastical finish ensues with 13:25 sticking out as a rapid fire Hood jam explosion. Nice version.

Frankenstein appears to signal the finish of the show, but a nice version is followed by a rocking Cavern, sending everyone home full of adrenaline.

Well, the Contact encore is always a good choice and the Tweezer Reprise serves as a fitting bookend to the first song masterpiece.

Overall, this show is pretty damn good soup to nuts. Great song selection (set II looks pretty odd on paper, at least no formulaic set II songs aside from Hood, which still pops up late/mid set in a slightly altered placement). Lots of good '99 spacey textured stuff, very easy to lose oneself in these jam.

If you had to pick on something - let’s be honest, this show has its share of slop. But let’s also concede this produces some inspired jamming. Maybe Rolling Stone got something right when they wrote this about Trey:
"His epic solos balance technical finger-work against screaming climaxes, and they're exciting even when he's sloppy. Especially when he's sloppy.”

5/5 Great Show!

The woman was a dream I had
Though rather hard to keep
For when my eyes were watching hers, they closed, and I was still asleep
For when my hand was holding hers
She whispered words and I awoke
And faintly bouncing round the room
The echo of whomever spoke
And I awoke, and faintly bouncing round the room
The echo of whomever spoke...

I had something to say about this show and then Bouncing came on and I just wanted to sing along.

Much has been said about this outstanding ~22minute "Boogie On", but I'd like to add that they do a jam very similar to the outstanding 7/10/99 Chalk Dust about 5 minutes from the end, right before they return to the song structure to close the jam. Good stuff.

The Tube from this show is also out of this world and there's some good banter during Meatstick.

PS. It should be noted somewhere that it was at this show that they decided to teach the west coast crowd the Meatstick for the first time... they brought ppl up on stage for it, etc. LISTEN!

That Tweezer that opens the show, whew buddy it’s ridiculous and has got a ton of play from me over the years, probably as much or more than the Boogie On. I am a huge fan of the loops which this one has in spades so naturally I am a big fan of this Tweezer. It has such a slow burn and a major funk aspect to it. I can imagine Trey bobbing his head to this one. Big peak on this version too.

Roses is a great way to follow up. Little lyrical flub (Page?).

Love how Wilson gets all spaced out at the end with a bunch of loops. Almost think they are going to keep rolling...nope

> big 'ol loops keep rolling into the Maze intro, evil Phish. Really solid Maze!

Brian and Robert: perfect placement, great tune

Tube: Dance party USA, Trey takes a backseat for the most part and let's his mates drive the bus.

Boogie On: I think we have Fishman to thank for getting this from a standard Boogie into the jam as the tune is closing out it kind of is over and then he resurrects it. Stunning jam, all timer. 11:50 through 12:00'ish - anyone else hearing some Ramble On type stuff from Trey? Tons of hose in this jam and I love how everyone gets a solo at the end. Epic.

lol Trey, refers to the Seattle show as the first west coast Meatstick. Seattle is like 2 hours away from the Gorge!

This Hood is freaking fantastic!