surprised no one started this one yet, what with derek trucks / willie nelson / plq combo comin our way. guess everybodys preoccupied with tweeter > meadows > spac to notice!! hey enjoy the tour as chocolate town will get rocked on this night

pugs

Hartford was simply amazing! I got there late, and I missed the Disco Biscuits and most of Ratdog, but I was really there for Phil's band anyway. I got to catch Warren's interview with The Litch live at the WHCN booth, so that was a great start to my night. When Phil went on stage I was sober, and was kind of detached through the first set, so I went around performing some magic for anybody who wanted to watch. The music was great, though I don't really remember much of it. During the break I considered "indulging" to help the experience, but decided to wait. They opened the second set with a truly beautiful jam, and at first I wasn't into it; I was hoping for something more upbeat. But it just kept getting more beautiful, and lifted me away. When they launched into Mr. Fantasy I started to cry. Warren can wrench my heartstrings with his voice and I openly sobbed as the song went on. Tears were streaming down my face and I was dancing with sheer joy! St. Stephen changed the tempo, and I told my friend I could leave after that Mr. Fantasy and be happy for a long time. He, of course, wisely recommended otherwise, and I stayed. St. Stephen evolved into a simply astounding jam, and carried the feelings I was experiencing with it. I was just dancing and dancing and never stopped. I didn't think it could get better, and they launched into Help/Slipknot and I started to laugh! I couldn't believe they were capable of what they were doing and was completely blown away. Franklin's Tower had me flying in circles- literally. Utter jubilation is the only way to describe it. I was out of breath and my heart was soaring! I have never experienced anything like that before in my life.
Phil came out to thank us all there for "the best show so far" of the current tour before asking us to become organ donors.
The Built to Last was very sobering, it's a beautiful song, but I was hoping for something different/upbeat.
The whole way home I was vibrating with energy and I stopped by my favorite hang out on the way and found a friend there, snatched her up in a power-hug and told her what I had experienced. I didn't realize it until she told me that I was shaking. And I was still crying.
I have read about people finding God or passing out from the power of music, but never understood how it could happen until last night.
Thank you so very much Phil, Warren, Jimmy, Rob and Jon for the most amazing experience of my life! This will stay with me for a very long time. I only hope that others experienced the same jubilation that I did, and that they took home the love and contentment that I did.

is this venue the stadium? or is it inside the amusement park? what is the security/fuzz scene?fill me in ...thanx

They actually built another stage beside the stadium. I'm almost certain it's not in the park, but I haven't actually seen a show there. Seen plenty at the stadium and the arena though.

Never had a problem with security, but would take the proper precautions just to be sure, i.e. plastic cups, low profile on buds, etc.

Just a note also- if you hear a lot of dogs barking near one of the entrances, have no fear, they aren't k9 units. They have a place where folks can drop their dogs before they go into the park. This really messed with me to the point I didn't bring my stash into a Petty concert a few years back.

Hope to see y'all there,

SI
#89

this venue is the stadium wich is not inside the park. if you want to go to the park on show day just take your ticket to the admision booth to get a discounted price of &17.50 for the park. that is on show day only
the scene is o.k. from what i remember from going here for the furthur tour in '97 and '85 w/dead. but be careful anyway ,you never know........

pugs

Yo Man,
The scene at Hershey is fine. Just don't freak out or do something stupid like try and sell drugs or make deals in the park. The bathroom areas suck and its hard to get back and forth from the field to where you have to take a piss.

Have fun see you all there...
Plus Homdel and Merriweather

i can't wait for this. ..rollercoasters...woo! hoo! have a great time everyone!

this is the stadium, but not really. They like use the back part of the same stage and face away from stadium, where there is a much much smaller area for us (some grass in the far back, but I think it was paved up front). In '97 seemed we used bathrooms on side of stadium, and yes one long crowded walk from show to them when things get going.

It will NOT be 60,000 like stadium shows (Phish last Sept had traffic jams), more like 5,000 which should be fine fun. Not sure of curfew, but look at tix 'cause this starts early (3:30).

Look out, look out. How about a revival of Candyman for Hershey? This will be a nice place, one of the, if not the, smallest venues in the east for the summer. If you go to the chocolate factory they let you stick your whole head in a big vat of chocolate, well they don't exactly let you.

Venue is the Star Pavilion, built to use the back of the stadium's stage. Holds 7000 and sounds fine from the lawn. Just heard Paul Simon (yawn) and Brian Wilson (terrific!) there last week.

Scene isn't terrible, but you should remember there will be 20,000+ people -- mostly families -- at the amusement park, sharing the same parking lots with us. The park management doesn't like complaints from parents about their kids being exposed to overtly illegal behavior in the lots, and can overreact. Also, the State Police Academy is just up the street and undercover cadets have had field days at Phish shows in the larger stadium. But, of course, we're much more discreet than that and our crowd will be much smaller.

Enjoy the show!

make sure if you are drinking some beer in
the lot that you have a plastic cup.. they police
drinking consistently.. the sound at this venue
is wonderful.. paul simon's band was
absolutely unbelievable there the other week..
there was a big difference between the quality
of his band and the quality of Brian Wilson's
band.

And.... get out your raincoats.. calling for rain
all day in Hershey on Sunday.

Later

Bueler?.......Bueler? anyone got a partial list...I's dyin here....first night off tour in 2 weeks...........eahhahaa!!! ok, I'm fine now....

wheres the setlist and reviews?

Setlist is up now.

Set 1:
Jam>
Mississippi Half-Step>
Tennessee Jed>
Cumberland Blues>
Crazy Fingers
*I Know You Rider>
*GDTRFB

*with Willie Nelson


Set 2:
Cold Rain and Snow>
Brown Eyed Women
Beautifully Broken>
Unbroken Chain>
Keep on Growin'
%Viola Lee Blues
%Lovelight

E: Casey Jones

%with Derek Trucks

 

Looks like a hell of a good show that I missed
at the last minute! ~{ : > (

Oh well... Baltimore and Virginia Beach here I
come! Friends & Brothers!!!!!!!!!!!!

again the versatility of the band is displayed as
they rock it with wille. i wonder why claypool
hasn't jammed with him. has he? these setlists are
just disgusting. alpine hartford and camden stands
out to me. camden with the triple sgot to end the
show she said>other one>sshakedown! raw power. to
the heads that have seen this entire tour: hats
off; im sure words cannot express the sickness of
the fattest tour since way bak! 29 shows of
relentless power. anyhoo, i'm cjecking out the end
of tour happenings in atlanta. should be super
sick. oteiland jimmy are fluent, natch. waren
knows ALL the players and phil can play with
anybody! can u say "the return of His Rotundness
Col. Bruce Hampton (ret) ????????

Go amoeba!

what a weekend. i had a great time. nothin but good people good tunes and great times! got warren to sign my ticket stub before he went on. i speechless...awesome shows. all three were amazing. was a bit surprised w/ all the repeats though but it was still a fun time.

My final show of the tour and Phil played a Keep on Growing, a first for me live. Thank you Phil. I couldn't have asked for better shows this summer.

Nice setlist!


Derek is warming up for a monster Viole Lee
interbreeding session down south.

I really thought they were going to go into Mountain Jam, but it was not to be. Oh, well, I can't complain.
A note on this venue, it was tiny and you could hear the music PERFECT from the lot. Most people who showed up without tickets didn't bother looking for one, and I don't blame them (usually I would condem this behavior). There was a nice little shakedown right next to the venue and people were just grooving to the tunes.

it's such a relief knowing that you can arrive anytime for a phil show, and not have to worry about traffic jams. of course for this show, we had to arrive early for some thrills. wasn't sure how hershey would be able to compare to alpine and deer creek. i look forward to the intimate shows but obviously the big crowds bring out big moments. willie was a good start. have never seen him, but was psyched. didn't see many straight up willie fans. after the oklahoma show, expected to see more. willie didn't let anybody down. the crowd was really appreciative, and knew they were in the presence of a legend. phil came out and did a song, but nothing really out of the ordinary came of it. in fact, most people around me didn't even realize he was there.

on to phil:
the show didn't start with the same intensity that i'd been seeing lately, but 1/2 step was a treat for me. the first set was fairly standard, and felt like a dead first set. jimmy did seem to be louder to me than normal, thank god! not much warren in the first set. as much as i love him being in the band, JIMMY NEEDS TURNED UP. he just rips, and i think under appreciated. was expecting willie at the end of the first, and out he came. he seemed a little out of whack during Rider, but brought it back together nicely for GDTRFB. he even pulled out a nice little guitar solo. the first set was about an hour and twenty minutes long.
set II
was expecting big things after the pretty straight forward first set. cold rain was just the ticket. they stretched this out nicely, and the intensity was returning. beautifully broken is perfect for warren haynes voice. the bottom fell out for unbroken chain. the best one i've seen this summer. it turned into an intense jam.
derek trucks reappeared for viola (missed him opening-rides to ride:)) viola somehow melted into a complete jazz jam, and segued into a high speed lovelight. a pretty standard casey jones finished things up. john and rob lit it up for me this night. with all the talk of too much warren (not i) this was definately their show. warren took a back seat tonight. 5 to go........

the unbroken last night smoked- definately better than the one at PNC on Friday, which was great.
did anyone catch that NFA tease they did at the beginning of the second set? i have been front row for my last 3 phil shows...look out merriweather!

Standard first set? I don't know where that comes from. This show was just plain sweet from beginning to end. No monster jam sessions, just guitar solos, and there is nothing wrong with that. Ended the tour last night in the Holiday Inn outside of Allentown sneaking smokes out the window, reliving great moments of July 2001. Five of the seven shows I saw will be all time favorites for one reason or another, and special thanks to BG, for pushing the Hershey thing. As things turned out, that was the thing to do.

We met some really cool people this summer, most of them thru this board, so that says something in and of itself. Thanks everyone for making it quite the summer, and it isn't even half over.

For those that missed this show, wait til you get a copy. The separation, especially with the addition of Willie and Derek is incredible. During the Viola and the Lovelight you hear all three guitars each leading, completely individually, with the other three guys right there too. Never has there been so cohesive a band, maybe ever, and it was pure joy-really a sweet sweet show. Beautifully Broken sounds so much like a George Harrison song, we actually kept thinking it was going to be While My Guitar Gently Weeps, the Keep On Growin, my favorite version...this is a great show all the way around, and fun. Jimmy and Warren never stopped teasing Rob the whole show, Jimmy and Derek never stop joking or smiling when together anyway, and the whole time there is Phil, who is either filled with glee, or waiting to find a way to reign them all in...during the Lovelight we turned to eachother both thinking, wow. Phil is up on stage surrounded by three guitarists, one young enough to be his grandson, and two, his sons, and the reality...

A few weeks ago someone asked me what "we" would do if this stopped, if the music ended. Phil has passed the music on, while simultaneously being part of it all. This wonderful treasure trove of music has a future with these guys, who treat it so lovingly.

To the Stealth Feline, it was great to hang out with you, and I wish you well, until the next time. Brian, we went back to find you during the break, and the row was just gone. Next time we hook up in the lot and get to know eachother. You and your wife are really cool people, and that just made this run fun too.

My one negative note: to the brats disguised as LotRats with the Phish tee shirts, HEAR THIS, the next time I hear you little bastards bragging about how cool it is to freak all the families out with your smell, your cleanliness, and your basic rudeness in front of a main entrance to an amusement park, I will ostracize and ridicule you to the point of mortal embarressment. You give us ALL a bad name. All I can say about yesterday is that I was just plain too tired to kick you all in the ass. Too many of us clearly remember how rotten the Dead scene got when the scourge showed up to beg for miracle tickets and pollute the parking lots. We need a second generation of you all? I don't think so.

Sorry, had to throw that in. I cannot be KIND to a bunch of brats that do that crap.

Thanks band. It was a great July!!! Time to return to my life as I know it, with a little ammunition to make it more fun.

What was going on?


Tour rats were hassling people there for the park and not the show?

Wouldn't surprise me. Some people take pride in their stench.

Literally sitting in front of Chocolate World begging for money, while wearing the trademark TAG Heurer, and being scummy to the families walking in and out...I have such a big mouth usually, I would have trashed them, but was too tired, stayed up way past my bedtime on Saturday night...collective effort, lets just help put society in general out of its collective misery and toss these apples...they are so gross, and their poor animals and children so grossly not cared for, out of the scene....my rant is over, I wont see them for a while, but you Southerners can genteely kick their butts for me...Hey, Cryp-nice to meet you at Camden.

From real close to the front on Warren's side the first set was absolutely perfect for me. Driving through Maryland on my way made the Cumberland seem just right, and Willie at the end was incredible. It seemed that Phil told him the key and/or chord changes before they started Rider, then it was just all smiles. I was really wanting Willie to sing a little on the chorus, but I'm glad he did take a verse of GDTRFB. I was totally ecstatic after running into so many friends at this show, that I would have been happy with just that one perfect set. Anyway, they did play a second one and the CR&S was sweet, and again right on for the weather and what I drove through to get to Hershey. Rest assured that the entire show was FULL ON, and I felt like I understood Unbroken Chain better than ever before, at least while it was being played. Phil's vocals were balanced really well from up close, an improvement from a few other shows where I sacrificed vocals for overall volume on the rail. If I don't mention every song it's not because any of them sucked, but I'm just a little tired and the details of the night could go on and on. The Lovelight was a blast. Dancing toward the back of the floor it looked like just about everyone in attendance got it! There was a couple next to me in the middle of a bunch of twirlers and they weren't moving too much. The girl seemed to be trying to persuade her boy to dance. It wasn't long before he had the best moves around and was groovin' with a dandy smile to boot. EVERYONE...YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO...AND LEAVE IT ON!!!

got to agree w/dewit here. these folks think that by playin the part it should all come easy for them. last night walkin out had some girl beggin for money while walkin to my car wich happened to be at the very far end of the lot. poor soles dont care for the vibe they are supposed to be carrying onward. lots of lost folks who come and go as the tour progresses. heading to the beach to the peach run hoping the south keeps it respectable.
good sounding show as far as the band cohesion, my first of summer. derek at the end kinda like a cherry on top!
see you on the proud highway
pugs

but but but


they are "hippies"...and in their worlds hippies beg for money.


I know now why tigers eat their young.

Same here Dewit...


I was too busy babysitting Rev and Mrs Shabazz, those drunken clowns, to chat.


:^)

So did Warren completely miss Willie's GDTRFB verse (water tastes like wine) or think he could do it better? hehehe
hey, I love that tune, and am glad that for once they played the same song THREE nights in a row (right?) I'll take what I can get and smile on in this case...

Goin' where those mushroom fields do grow...

How about Willie's one-finger-in-the-air-song-change-right-now-cues? it was funny to see the audience doing it back to Willie and then him doing it back to them...

Hey Cryptical-
Pushkin's at my casa now wid his grrl and the makings of like 200 hundred eggrolls, getting ready for Tuesday.
They better clean my kitchen up afterwards and save me some eggrolls.
There was a second encore last night in the lot - Pushkin schwingin' grub singin' "Ridin' that train, high on LO MEIN!"
he's got this hilarious little battery-powered amp cranked...his jingle must've worked...they sold all the grub before I could grab some. Bastard.
The eggrolls will be mine...oh yes... ;)

Tell him i talked to doug and gave doug that phone number to reach mike at...pushkin has my cell number and i told him to call me the day of the VA Beach show so we can hook up


save me an eggroll you Jolly Gargoyle!

>>I was too busy babysitting Rev and Mrs Shabazz, those drunken clowns, to chat.<<

Say what?!? Babysitting? Why, I never! I stayed perfectly vertical for the entire show dancing my lilly white ass off! The Mrs. took a brief "cat nap" during Dark Star, but we were totally in control. Now, if we want to start capping on YackOnTheBus, that's a whole different topic altogether!

I met Ms. Dew and it was a pleasure...I chatted with her for 10-15 minutes before the 1st set. Don't know where you were Cryp...

You know where you go for lying, don't you? Capitol Hill!!

Your feable attempt to get a "rise" outta me has worked this time, but it won't work again!

:^)

just busting ya bro

yeah

BotB was cold, so i let her wear my sweatshirt and then she skips town with it!

i ended up with hypothermia and lost my arm below the elbow because of it

Thanks for letting my gender out of the bag Rev. I am at work now, particularly useless, considering the 9 hours of sleep I got in the Allentown Holiday Inn, and laughing my a.. off at your comments. All in all a very nice run for me, seven shows, and five and them go in the favorites column. How do they do that? Be a different band every night, yet consistently put on the greatest of shows. My worst Phil show is still the best of times...

Hershey was great, but the cops sucked...and the lot seemed to be a little bit littered with shady heads who were there for the wrong reasons...this show was pretty sweet, music aside, because before the show i called the GDTRFB, a ROCKING cold rain, as well as the lovelight closer ...just had a feeling. The cold rain jam was one of the sweetest jams i've ever been present for...crazy fingers is a gorgeous song...lovelight seriously freaked me out, rock on guys. i don't see any reason the lineup should change for a long time. i haven't been able to see nearly enough shows with this lineup, but the ones i've seen have been sick as all hell. ADDED BONUS: derek was walking around in the crowd during the first set and i had the chance to say hi:) everybody shine on and enjoy the rest of tour....see you at VA beach. PS: gorgeous blond girl who was dancing on the lawn ROB side during willie and then right in front of me on the left side of the tapers section wearing patchwork dress with recycle symbol on it....i don't know your name or who you are, but you are beautiful and i had trouble keeping my eyes off of you feeling the vibe. you made the show a little better for me, if it was at all possible. thanx

OK...here's my quick review.
Great show...can't get over how each show seems like a different band, or a different game plan??? Unbroken Chain hit new heights for me last night...felt it a lot more than Mansfield's. On the other side, the Cumberland in the first set was great but seemed to not get me going as much as Mansfield's...love that tune! I had the luck to call Crazy Fingers to my bros ten seconds before it took off full swing. Another great Jer tune sung well by Rob (in addition to the 1/2step and Jed)! I do note, though, that Rob seemed a little less spastic last night than the other shows I've caught this summer. Long weekend'll do it everytime, I reckon.
Willie 'n Phil was WICK!!! It was cool to see Willie doin' his thing, period, but his plunky, nasty, Berry-esque doublestop fills on Rider were just fitting. My buddy Tom was figuring Willie would sing the "headlight" verse, but turned out everybody sang together. GDTRFB was seemingly a no-brainer but we got tickled when Warren came in with the same verse Willie had just sang (water tastes like wine)...so we got three (really two) verses and it was out.
Herring definitely had more of the mix last night, and Warren was surprisingly restrained. I imagine Phil giving out the "plays" in the pre-show huddle, "OK...tonight...we stick closer to SONGS, right?" and it DID seem like they weren't going WAY out into left field like other times I've seen...
more later...maybe

...Keep on Growin' was of course, a big surprise treat, Rob's organ was pumpin'...BEW - so cool to hear Phil sing the "and it looks like the old man..." line..and it was extremely fitting with the spitting rain we were dealing with...nothing bad, though, compared to the downpour we dealt with packing up to go that morning. Great to hear a "straight" Viola Lee and a boogie Lovelight with Trucks, who had started his set with "Rastaman Chant" with tasty slide guitar...reminded me of the "soul steel" I've been hearing lately. Also, great to hear Casey Jones though I wanted more chuggin' at the end, another case where I wanted more rhythm guitar and less one noters...but what do I know?...they did s-p-e-e-d it up, of course, and a prolonged delay before the last "and you know that notion"...all in all an awesome time at a small venue.
The lot was fraught with hazards...bike cops, foot "soldiers," and patrol cars roaming...saw several heads get snagged unfortunately, but don't really know for what.
One funny spectacle was a group of maybe a dozen guys picking up a security car that was selfishly parked blocking an aisle...we were walking up just as they were finishing getting it out of the way and these Gomer security dudes finally realized what was happening and broke into a run, shouting, "Get the fuck away from that!!" So they run up and the deed is done and the guilty parties are already dispersed/ing...what to do? Scratch your underpaid, overly-self-important head and walk on, you goobers...what a job!!!hehehe The bike cops had nifty uniforms with conical helmets and spandex shorts...styleeeee hehehehe
Worst thing about Hershey???? the complete absence of port-a-potties. Had to walk allllll the way to Chocolate World to pee...I suppose they can't have us TOOO comfortable, eh?

Did anyone else notice that Rob stomped ALL OVER Willie Nelson when Willie was taking a solo in IKYR? He'd played one verse and just seemed to be loosening up and getting into it for the next time through when Barraco practically pushed the old guy out of the way. Willie kind of gave him a look like what are you doing? Willie sure could have been more involved, like maybe SINGING A VERSE OF A SONG!, but I thought Rob commited a major faux pas, on a legend no less. Still very cool to see Willie up there as a phriend.

Yes the heat is off Dewit!

Thanks for your help at Camden(Man, that food was a lifesaver!)

Even though I skiped out the other night it was a real good time hangin' out with you. Too bad I didn't see you after the lot in Heshey to say Goodbye, well theres always next time.....

Oh and by the way if you read my review of Polaris & the story of the Spew twins. Let it be known that they are still on tour so keep an eye on the ground, and watch where you step.

Yes the heat is off Dewit!

Thanks for your help at Camden(Man, that food was a lifesaver!)

Even though I skiped out the other night it was a real good time hangin' out with you. Too bad I didn't see you after the lot in Heshey to say Goodbye, well theres always next time.....

Oh and by the way if you read my review of Polaris & the story of the Spew twins. Let it be known that they are still on tour so keep an eye on the ground, and watch where you step.

Very amusing...I suppose the heat is off, for now anyway. Very glad to have been your waitperson for the evening. Probably should have given you the key for a shower before you split. Sorry, very forgetful. Aron and I had a great time with you TC, and in the future hope it includes the one and only LTC. Just part of a great week of music. And you were so right about last nights show. Drove out of there last night, a very happy camper. Meant to stop by the flag and lift a magnet, but couldn't get there. Enjoy Merriweather and on. Pure fun, that is what it is all about. BTW, did the shirt ever appear?

Can someone please confirm the laser light show throughout the 2nd set......hopefully it wasn't sleep deprivation inducing hallucinations. Nice to watch the rollercoaster go on its way as P&F took us on a ride of our own.

TC- looked for Reddy Kilowatt, but didn't see it anywhere. Were you there?

Jill/Liberty/et al....sorry we didn't hook up. Maybe fall at the Beacon or wherever.

Have fun down south all...

SI

There was a laser show. I'm pretty sure it was for the Park. They often do shows like that.

Muadib- I figured it was coming from in the park, and was just a happy coincidence. Just needed some re-assurance...

Most definately Lazers...

this was my first show of three. after arriving in hershey on saturday and going to bed very early I got up on sunday for a lonely beginning. made my way to the venue with my little man around one oclock. Finally met up with some fellow philzonians and began to relax a bit. I'm just not real used to travelling alone. enjoyed hanging with you and your sweet little smile maudib. I loved this lot and the bathrooms, very clean and nice. the weather could not have been more perfect. I didn't mind the drizzle at all, in fact, I enjoyed it.
My car was parked like right behind the lawn and that was awesome cuz i could hear willie just fine from there and could leave a little early at the end without missing anything.
this show was a lot of fun with tc showing up in the first set and being blown away by my making it up there. he was right on with the funnel cake appearance in the second set too.
I literally ate my way through this entire show. funnel cake, sausage dog, nachos, icee, the list goes on and on. the food there was excellent!!!
Also had the pleasure of meeting backonthebus and loved that!
the cold rain and snow< brown eyed women was my fav at this show. absolutely jamming!!!!
also met some very cool west coast people with a beautiful little girl who danced to my sons jerry doll like a little angel. it's people like this who restore your faith when you get fed up with the you know whos. the lot rats had not started to bother me yet at this show, that didn't come up till later.
overall, this was a wonderful show with a lot of good people around. I loved it.
started my adventure with the wacky, dirty footed jill. Between our raging hormones flaring up now and again we had a great time together- once she showed up! just teasing you jill!!!
sihead, sorry i missed you, i really wanted to see your new little ones pics. My little boy was into the laser show so definitly no hallucinations there. and then on to merriweather.....

Hey All,

SHN files from the P&F Portion of this show have been posted to an FTP Site. I downloaded them and burned them to a CD and they sound really good. If it looks like a song is missing it's because Unbroken Chain > Keep on Growin' ! is on one track.

ip address: 24.40.35.64
username: anonymous
password: your email address

There's a 5 user limit so if you can't get in keep trying. It doesn't tell you that there are already 5 users it just refuses your connection.

They were taped by Tom Hoffman. Thanks Tom !
Source Info: AKG 460+CK63->PS2->Zefiro Inbox->D8

Go get em !

This show was damned near perfect. I have been a huge dead fan/Phil fan for about 2 1/2 years. And I gave been to 3 of his shows. Merriweather Post Pavillion (7-29-00), Mounatain Lair (4-21-01), & Hershey Park (7-29-01). And every single time they seem to get better and better. Now, onto my Phil expeirience from my 19th birthday at hershey.

Pre Phil:
I couldn't have asked for a better Phil show. Especially on my birthday.We got there early so we can tour the parking lot scene. After a while, we went into the park. The security was a bitch. They checked my pockets and made me take off my hat. Bloodhounds. But it was all good. I was clean. When we got in Derek Trucks Band was in the middle of their set. And they were pretty badd ass. We went to the concession stand to get some food and walking back my buddy told me that Phil was in the sound booth. Calling bullshit on him, I looked up and sure enough. The greatest concert giver was sitting there. Me and my buddies gave him a thumbs up, and in return Phil GAVE US A THUMBS UP AND THE GOOFY SMILE. Totally stoked that Phil acknowledged our existence gave my this instant high. I was higher than I have ever been and I WAS CLEAN. We went back to our seats and watched Willie Nelson. Not bad. I never really listened to him before but he wasn't bad. I heard a lady say that he gave the same concert he did the previous night, but I wouldn't know. Phil sat in on Milk Cow Blues, but he didn't solo or anything. He was actually kind of hidden. I didn't realize it was him for a couple of minutes.

Set 1:
Phil opened up jamming like he does so often. It was a pretty sweet jam. Then into Missippi half-step. Two words described it BADD ASS. Then into Tennessee Jed which is in my top 10 GD songs of all-time (Eyes of the World topping that list.) After that was over A little bit of tuning went on and then I heard Phil play the Cumberland Blues lick, but none of my buddies did, so I played psychic. I saw Phil play Cumberland at merriweather in the previous year, but this one was a lot better. The jam between cumberland and carzy finger was pretty sweet. I could have sworn I heard a scarlet begonias tease in there. I heard it and so did my buddies so it wasn't just me. So, I was thinking it would be cumberland into begonias, but I was fooled. I have heard Crazy Fingers on Blues for Allah, and I have always liked it, but it is one of those songe that is way better live. Barraco sounds to me a lot like the man with no middle finger. His voice is what made that song perfect. Then Willie came out with his nylon string guitar that looks like shit, but hey, so does he. He played Rider and GDTRFB with Philip and his phriends. They were pretty cool. And that was the end of the first set. I gave it a grade of A++++. I was very pleased.

Set 2:
It was dark now and there was a sprinkle lingering. So Phil came out and played a badd ass Cold, Rain, & Snow. It was pretty sweet. There was some pretty good lighting going on on the tarps on either side of the stage. The he jammed into Brown-eyed women. Which was incredible. I have wanted to see Phil play this live, and finally he did. And it was far better than I could have ever imagined. It was great. Then into beautifully broken. This mellow tune was my piss break tune. It sounded alright, but it wasn't as good as the other tunes I heard that night. Don't get me wrong, Warren has an awesome voice and he's an incredible guitar player, but I wasn't in a mellow mood. And this song wasn't my most favorite. (Warren did a badd ass Tastes Like Wine in Morgantown, WV.) The next song drove me insane. It was so awesome. On the album Mars Hotel, Scarlet Begonias is my most favorite, but Unbroken Chain is right beside it. Phil did this song flawlessly. It was great. I thought I was in heaven. As he was playing it, a laser light show was going on over at the amusement park and that just added to the incredibly, blissful state that I was in. The unbroken jam was by far the best jam I have ever heard. Dead or Phil. It was great. I didn't want that jam/song to end.But like all great things it did, and keep on' growin came on. I have heard this once before on my buddies Derek and the Dominoes cd, so I was a little familiar with it, and i just danced and danced my ass of through this song. Then Derek Trucks came out. Which kind of shocked my. I thought that Derek was already packed and ready to go. I was wrong. I had heard Phil play Viola Lee Blues in Morgantown, but the awesome guitar player which is Derek Trucks made this song so much tighter. It was great and then Turn on your lovelight was even better. This was already the greatest Phil show I have seen. And I didn't even know what awesome encore was about to drive me crazy.

encore:
Casey Jones. It was great. No, wait, great can't even begin to describe it. It had a life of its own. It started out regular tempo. Drivin that train...... yadda yadda yadda. I was going nuts. Dancin my balls off. It was wonderful. Then an accelerando was occuring after every chorus. After a while the tempo was so fast, everybody was soaking it up. I am sure that there wasn't a single sitting soul. Everybody was dancing. And then the tempo ceased and the last, most memorable 9 words ever sung. "And you know that notion......just crossed my.......miiiiiiiiiiind."
It was great. That song did so much for me. It was the kind of tune that was so great it left you high-fiving total strangers, and stroking your hair and awing in disbeleif at how great it was. Everybody who entered that venue left with a smile on their face. After the crowd cleared me and my buddies went over to the trailers to see if we could say hey to any of the band members, we saw John Molo, shook his hand, and thanked him for an incredible show.

This show was just incredible. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday show. I thought that the one in Morgantown couldn't beat too. I was wrong. If the Phil shows keep getting better and better, I can't wait until the next time I get to see him. School starts on Monday and I am kinda stoked for WVU (The college I attend) Fallfest. Blues Traveler is going to be there. Which is pretty cool. Well to all my fellow Deadheads it must be getting early, because my clocks are running late. And I need to get some sleep. Your all beautiful people. Peace.

Kent nice comments.

So here's my take on Hershey.....

I crashed out in a rest area somwhere on the road overnight so I got there like as soon as they opened the lot for the Amusment Park. In so doing I was forced to park out in the big lot(Many people missed the flag due to this)While waiting at one point during the day a cop came up to my window and gave me crap about vending!?!? I knew I was way early and actually crashed out in the lot waiting for Gentle Ben to get there with my 7th row ticket.When I woke up I still hadn't heard from Ben and it was time for the show, suck! I was late so I didn't bring in my whole rig just the decks(which is why there was no Reddy up)Once inside I met Ben & all was cool he ran an extra deck for me so I still got the Derrick stuff. In fact all was taken care of for me at this show so I became a floater for the one & only show on tour.

The weather was cold and misty for the duration which was actually a relife. The Venue itself is strange, most shows are out on a Football field but the smaller ones are where you might normally find the backstage area, behind the stage. This creates a very small an intimate place to see a show.The chairs down front were like Home Depot plastic things tied together and became so disarrayed that I blew off going down to my seat at all.One very cool thing was the ability to climb up into the stadium seats, from the very top I had an Incredible birds eye view of the entire place(but unfortunately was missing my camera). Also tonight was the first ever live Philzone Chat from the venue direct to the chatties out in cyber-space.

Derrick was OK.

Wille was OK, the same show I'd see 3 times this year already.Nuff said. It was cool to see Phil up there with Willie though, even though I think most peole couldn't really see him ( I was up in the 1rst row )or hear him for that matter.

Phil & Co.
Set 1: Let me start by saying that this show might be the most Jam laiden show from the tour,(Need to hear a few more to be sure),this wasn't even a special show.The opening jam had a near country feel to it which continued through out the set. Before you know it we get swept along the Mississippi, 1/2 stepping all the way! Just as sweet as the jamming was going in to 1/2 step, we floated out & into the next Jam the same way. The Tennessee that came around felt like we were on a ride through the country side, it was a pleasent feeling full of warm fuzzies. With the ultra mellow nature of this set it was no surprise that we got a breather. Next up Cumberland,this very repeated that tune took on a different light tonight. Odd in that it was sweet, normally I'd say it was "Balls to the Wall" or something like that but not on this night. The Crazy Fingers that came next was as light as a spider's web, delicate and beautiful, a perfect choice for the evening. Now it's time for Willie to join in for Rider and GDTRFB, and the crowd LOVED it! I loved it, the sound of Willie acoustic was Killer, and, He rocked it out!!! During the GDTRFB Willie kicked in with some vocals 1rst verse & in the chorus, also a nice solo after the 2nd verse. What a Blast!

During the first set a met a few Zoners,Liberty, Muadib, Jill, Got to meet to the cool Mr.Bones. 2 of my Ohioian taper buds showed up as well. I also had a long coversation with LadyTC during the set, she had here own live chat with me and she was in the chat room. It was shaping up to be a great night!

Set 2: To open the set came a Cold, Rain & Snow. A perfect choice for the evening, I think everyone called it at some point, hell they just HAD to play it. But again it wasn't a super hot rockin' version, more laid back than normal but nice just the same. They came out of CR&S with some very jazzy jamming and after a false start they soon found their collective ways to B.E.Woman. Rob took control & shined here for sure. In keeping with the overall feeling of the show was able to pull back and produced a silky smooth version to die for. The Depth of this band is simply Amazing, Speaking of which next up is my NEW favorite tune, Beautifully Broken! Two words are all I need for this tune: F***in' Gorgeous! Then when they transitioned into Unbroken Chain I was weak in the knees, Broken into Unbroken. One word, Stunning! Then as was called by Bones earlier the Lazer show started to the surprise and delight to all(Lasted through mid Viola).During the Unbroken the pace and tempo of the show started to pick up, Warren ripped up the solo to highlight this point. when they brought it back down Phil sang with as much beauty as he can muster, very Nice! From UBC the jam started out sweet and soft but gradually picked up and Intensified till....Whoa Baby! Keep on Growin', Yeah Mama it's Booty Shakin' Time!!!Then after a short break to set up here comes Derrick and Bam! !VIOLA LEE! Emeril ain't got Nothin' that compares to this baby! This is your Viola Lee Blues Guitar & Bass Clinic right here! Then after another short break comes the Lovelight(another clinic).....Warren shined, Jimmy shined, Derrick shined, and Rob shined! But Phil & Molo Blew up! Absolutely Smokin! All I could do was smile, smile, smile! Well not all there was that booty shakin' thang again also :)

Encore....The Casey Jones was, pardon the pun, the Hershey's Kiss! Short and Sweet. When you drive into the place the sign out front is a train an actual small scale train. Once again a perfect choice.


To sum up this show only one word is needed , ex•qui•site adj. 1.Characterized by intricate and beautiful design and execution. 2.Of such beauty or delicacy as to arouse delight 3.Acutley perceptive or discriminating 4. Intense 5.Ingeniously devised or thought out

BTW-BIG BIG Thanks to Cutler for the KILLER sound & perfect levels for Willie & Derrick!

Thanks TC, you saved me the typing. I loved this show, and finally, it is on the way. Some additions, the separation and sound quality at this venue was perfect. For three equally talented, yet totally diverse guitarists to put forth this magnitude of music, all the while not a baby toes stepped on, and for Phil to be looking at this group with such pride, fucking sweet. Equisite is a perfect word, yet sweet just keeps coming back to me. I loved this show, and this venue, all of it, from the retro football bleachers, reminiscent of the '50s and the couples up there sneaking the smoke, to the mellow feel of the place...like Asbury, this show is going to have everlasting memories. The Beautifully Broken, the best I have heard so far, still cant keep the George Harrison feel from coming to mind...I can't wait to get it this week.