Set 1: Passenger> Cumberland Dire Wolf> Wharf Rat> GDTRFB, Casey Jones
Set 2: *Rainy Day Women Jam> I Know You Rider, Darkstar> *Blues For Allah> Darkstar> Night of 1000 Stars, Help> Slipknot!> I Am The Walrus> Franklin's Tower
E: *And It Stoned Me> Bid You Goodnight
*1st time ever

From:  MOOOODIB  4/22/2001 7:03 pm

This show was incredible. It was too easy to get someone to walk you in but you didn't even need to as it was outdoors and you could hear the music perfectly from the street. A friend stayed out the whole first set to be able to dance with his dog.

The scene was different, to say the least. Full blown spring fling with four frat houses throwing parties across from the venue. The entire street was filled with college kids getting wasted beyond belief. For a couple bucks you could go into a frat house and drink all you want all night. There were not many people at this show who ever saw Phil before (or even the Dead!) and I know Phil blew some minds that night. Look at the setlist. Everything was played amazingly. Scarlet>Fire opener! Viola! At the end of the show for Phil's little speech he asked "did the dead ever play here before?" and then commented on how they were having quite a party there.

In the lot after the 4/20 show I would say everyone still there at 1:00am knew about this show. Many thought it a rumor. Others already had plans for Widespread or something (whatever). They do not know what they missed.

Muadib Posted - 4/23/2001 8:47:46 AM     

A little more about this show. You could walk up stage right and get within thirty feet of the band with room to dance. Lots of room to dance. For the most part I stayed in back (where the sound was beautiful) and there was more room to spin than anyone could ask for.

Non-alcoholic drinks were free inside, although the taps weren't working very well so you got 5/8 head and 1/8 warm flat soda. But hey, it was free. I didn't check the beer price but I think it was very cheap.

There were lots of cops around doing absolutely nothing. It was their weekend to turn their backs and let the college go crazy.

I think there were only 3 tapers at this show, one of which was Tapecat who I had the pleasure of meeting in person, along with Jill. Yet another highlight to a amazing weekend.

Iko Posted - 4/23/2001 12:51:10 PM     

just curious as to the details of this show... when was it announced?? it does not appear on any websites and I definitely would have made the trip, had I known. I'm kinda pissed that Phil was in my back yard and I never heard even a rumour.......

muadib Posted - 4/23/2001 1:21:55 PM     

Iko, this was a secret show. It was never officially announced anywhere other than the colleges website because it was a closed event for students only. Someone found it and posted their website on the old message board and it had a number to call. I called to confirm it was real and still had a hard time convincing some people that it was more than just a rumor. One guy at the 4/20 show was going around telling people false info (said it was at one of WVU other campuses and cost $30). He was doing this only to keep people away.

Tapecat Posted - 4/23/2001 1:32:29 PM     

Well folks I'll start by saying...If you knew about it & didn't go....TOOO BAD! If you didn't find out about it Too Bad.

After the Atlanta show Jill and I were cruising the zone, I happened to check out the rumors for any new summer stuff and found the info on the W.V. show. Instantly we called the university and found out that yes indeed there was a show, but they said that only students were allowed into the show.

All we needed to hear was the show was there and we knew that we were going, screw the rest!!!! I'm gonna get in!!!

For the next 2 shows I didn't say anything to anyone but kept my ears open for anyone else talking about it, nothing. Then as we were tearing the rigs down after 420 a few folks that knew I was a zone guy asked if I knew anything, "I think it's in Morgantown & Yes I'm going come Hell or High Water"!!!

So as soon as the MIND-BLOWING 420 show was over(Review to come when I get home), We hopped in my truck & were off for W.V.     

On to the show....

Getting there way early we found the plaza in which the show was going to be held, when I finally saw the stage setup & I knew we hadn't driven all this way for nothing, I WAS STOKED!!!!!! to say the least. When we went up to the security guard and talked to him about it and found out it was FREE I nearly lost my marbles!!

So we went down to the brewery in town to wait(The chick tending bar was too cool & charged my phone while we waited) 7:00 pm time to go in and we have to find someone to let us in, after a little begging I found a couple willing to take us in & were off as we get around the building to the line I see ton of people waiting with guest to get in and I was concerned about being last setting up. just as I get to the head of the line I see a familiar face inside and he says don't worry about anything, just head inside! no sooner said than I break ranks from my willing students and cut through the line grab a ticket and blast into the show!!! NIRVANA!!!!

The Venue was the coolest I may have ever been to for a major act let alone Phil or the Dead. The plaza is surrounded by swanky frat houses & a huge dorm building. As I survey the scene I see people everywhere, hanging out of windows, cruising the sidewalks outside and dotting the hillsides everywhere.(Good thing it was a secret, the town would have imploded with an additional 15,000 people). The security consisted of a lot of Police and various kinds of other rent-a-cops, so way LOW key was the nature of the herbal scene. All that was left to do was to set up my rig and wait...

Enactive Posted - 4/23/2001 2:02:55 PM     

I first heard about the show about a week or two before it was to happen. I didn't believe it either but the daily college paper confirmed it a few days later. My girlfriend sat with some guys who live about a half hour drive from Morgantown and had just found out about the show two days before. Anyway, a friend and I walked on campus, found two students who got us (free) tickets as their guests, and by the end of the first set we were in the front row right in front of Barraco. Phil seemed to really enjoy the surroundings. The dorms and houses were all lit up and the place looks a lot nicer with a little darkness to hide some of the Morgantown grime. I've lived in Morgantown for about six years and this is the coolest thing the school has ever done for people like me. After traveling thousands of miles and spending thousands of dollars to see shows, there was no way I'd miss a free one in my own backyard. Obviously, the music was terrific. I'm not taking this for granted, but I expect an awesome show from these guys because they are just that good, in my opinion. I hadn't heard Celebration before, but recognized it right away just from the feeling of the song. Pretty ironic because with the upbeat/reggae fell of Friend of the Devil I didn't recognize it until the lyrics began. The FOTD/Bertha was the highlight for me...incredible energy! I guess Springfest provided one time when the rest of the country can be a little envious of West Virginia.

Tapecat Posted - 4/23/2001 2:22:19 PM     

OK really...On to the show....

Set 1

What little light there was goes down, Candice fires up and after several fake outs the band comes on to a kinda quite audience. So few people you had elbow room 30' from the stage.

The boy's open with and nice little jam and slide into the Scarlet, really nice! after some noodling around they get into Fire and the place is rockin'! Stopping, they boys collect themselves and they start a mass conversion to Phildom with a smoking "Blue Sky", Hippies and Jarheads, it didn't matter who you were, you got into this one, our personal security for the tapers section even had a few moments of uncontrolled dancing. Taking another breath the band fired up a SMOKING Stephen>11>Stephen, outrageous! I think Phil might have lost some folks with this combo, but in others I could see a deepening of the conversion. To end the set they did the new song Celebration, I am diggin' this tune a little more every time I hear it, and once again it makes me have to say wait until they get to the East Coast,(I Think Roam the West will pale in comparison). You people are going to love the new tunes.

By the way "Midnight Train" still has not been played, nor has a couple of other new Dead tunes, so there’s still plenty to look forward to.

Set 2

THE DEW! Warren is the man! Chills up & down my spine, what more can I say, then when they slid into the, She Said, whoa baby, it was simply beautiful!!!!

From there they cranked out the FOTD again as usual it is HOT the first 2 set of vex then the long winding jam then back into the final verse, then pretty quickly jumped into a rousing bertha which had all in attendance up and jiggin' around! Next up a nice but seemingly uninspired Tastes like wine, this song definitely had a downer/bathroom effect on most all of the students and most of the rest as well.

-----------------------A line to stress intensity!!!!!!!!!!!!

Viola Lee was Rippin', smoking, Hot as Hell, Mind blowing, shit whatever you want to throw at it. (Phil....Play this every night!!)

After the second set of vox they were jamming hard then suddenly dropped into the Golden Road for some student pick me up, after quite a long time in the Golden(I think the longest to date, I need to check this out when I get home), they Burst back into the Viola! I do believe that Phil had the Glasswares shaking in their cabinets up to a 3 mile radius! This was the end of the set, after the boys left the stage there were lighters in the crowd like I haven’t seen since the late 80's.

Encore:

I had HIGH hope of seeing Tom Constantine in the show tonight, Jill and I were very sure that we were seeing him on the stage during an early sound check, also the B-3 isn't standard for the friends so, I was kinda bummed when he didn't show. This was changed just after the started up, I don't know if it's a repeat or not but it was Very hot to say the least.

THANK YOU FOR THE MOST EXCELLENT ADVENTURE PHIL, IT WAS A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Moondogg Posted - 4/23/2001 10:43:40 PM        

Just want to add that yes this was an EXCELLENT show, I stayed front row for the first set then I went to get free food and soda intermission then stayed back to dance second set. if anyone has a tape or cdr I would be more than happy to send you a couple of bucks for the time and material, my email is moondogg18@hotmail.com so please get a hold of me at all possible, I’m a newbie trying to get started and want this show so bad to listen to all the time. it was just excellent.

Schrba Posted - 4/24/2001 2:14:58 AM     

I'm a West Virginia University Student and I thought that this concert was the BEST. Phil played a great 2 sets with lots of Dead songs. I also like the how the mountainlair was so chilled out. WVU had very little cops there and we were all able to do our own thing. I liked how everything was free and I was able to bring my friends in with no problems. I also liked seeing the whole student body trashed. Nobody cared. I loved it.

Adam Perry Posted - 4/24/2001 12:52:48 PM     

Man, I'm pissed. I transferred from WVU to Pitt this year and didn't know about this show, which was right in front of the dorms I lived in. I could've literally watched Phil from my front porch! My girlfriend, who's a dirty dirty Phish fan and hates the Dead, hit me Sunday with "guess who I saw for free last night??" Fuck. At least I have tickets for the 25th.

JillLuvsPhil Posted - 5/1/2001 5:17:23 PM       

What I will say is my fave thing 'bout this show {of the million fabu details from A~Z: the secret magic BrewPub TC conjured, I swear, the soundcheckin' Phil acting silly, the vast grassy space & the stars above} was the row of frat hoses & dorms that had been rockin' & ragin' all day w/ everything from Van Halen to techno trance, & how they transformed into a sea of mesmerized happiness by the end of the show...

Nothing has pleased me more this tour than the radiant joyous love bursting from all the former Phil virgins who now KNOW.

Love You All