Teases
Axilla tease in Harry Hood, Buried Alive tease in Chalk Dust Torture
Debut Years (Average: 1990)
Song Distribution

This show was part of the "1997 Fall Tour (a.k.a. Phish Destroys America)"

Show Reviews

, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by waxbanks

waxbanks Jesus! I never did give this show a proper listen, just a 'Yep another great Fall 1997 show' spin back in those glorious Maxell XLII days, but thanks to the Demon What Is Called the Internet, I'm finally digging this special outing.

The first thing to say (first point to belabor?) is that no Phish tour can touch Fall '97 for overall, across-the-board quality. Of course all four guys were better musicians, individually and collectively, in 1997 than (say) 1995, as you'd expect. But the music itself had changed too, in ways that go well beyond technical facility. In late '96 and early '97 they'd hit upon a solution to the problem of what to do next after the stylistic exhaustion of Fall '95, and their shaggy-minimalist funk approach led to deeper improvisations, more fluid and gradual transitions between jam 'movements,' and more tightly integrated generic elements throughout their performances. Fall '97 featured more patient improvisation than ever before; Trey stepped back from his onstage leadership role a little, letting the music breathe and transform in performance rather than chasing every idea-rabbit that came within view.

So instead of the maniacally experimental jams of 1994-95, Phish '97 would flow organically from dance rhythms and ambient washes to open improvisatory spaces that preserved familiar or at least accessible elements, preserving the emotional pulse of each jam's source material (i.e. the Song) while still responding authentically to each new musical impulse of opportunity.

The best-known Fall '97 shows - 11/17, 12/6, Hampton, Dayton, the Jim Symphony - are Phish scripture at this point. This one doesn't feature a set-long run of segues, but it certainly deserves to be talked about in the same breath as the best shows of that canonical tour. Like 11/30 Worcester, this is a free-flowing affair in which all four musicians are wholly in tune with the Moment and with one another from the very first note. Even with a half-hour Simple in the middle of the second set, the show isn't dominated by a single jam - it's all of a piece.

The specifics seem less important than the feel of the whole thing, but that's not to say the songs simply blend into one. The jam out of Mike's Song rises from stripped-down cow funk, crests, fluidly changes key, then recedes quietly - making way for Chalkdust via a sparse dancefloor outro and an eerie solo breakdown from Page. Chalkdust is explosive as always, with Trey's solo breaking cleanly into two parts (listen for the lightning-quick Alumni Blues tease). Everyone's listening closely, keeping technique in check, playing quickly as the music demands but never overbearing...Stash is 'unfinished,' which is to say it flames out magnificently, then cools into a crystalline ambient interlude from which H2 emerges. The playing is so empathetic and restrained, especially for a first set! But that's how Fall '97 was - there were so few 'warmup' periods, and no wasted spaces or throwaway notes...

The rest of the set is just as well-played (Weeeeeekapaug!). Presumably no one feels as strongly about Dogs Stole Things as about, say, Mike's Groove. The meat of Set II is the 37-minute Simple > Timber, a completely *seamless* multipart improvisation that evolves from the delicate Simple outro form to a more assertive one-chord rock-anthem groove and beyond. After one of those nervewracking funk grooves that so often acted as bridging passages in those days (the way complex ambient spaces have lately served as musical glue in 2009-10), the jam cools back down. Fish suggests Bowie; Trey has other ideas; amid the resulting engine-room noise Fish transforms the Bowie hi-hat line into the Timber drumbeat, the whole band picks up on the suggestion, and we're right into a slightly mutated take on that song. The Timber jam is, as ever, an eerie minor-key stomp - and it ends wonderfully, in quiet.

Hood must be heard to be believed. I can't quite bring myself to talk about it in any detail, but that's OK. For what it's worth, it's one of the finest renditions I've heard, a closely-held late-autumn secret that's miles away from (say) the joyous, spacious Great Went version of just four months prior. When your friends ask why you need forty live versions of the same song, try playing those two versions for comparison - or forget it, just grant yourself the indulgence of a private smile, turn inward/outward and away, let this singular music welcome you as it always has and will...
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by Palmer

Palmer Gave this one a re-listen and was not at this show however would like to post a review of the events in the Bryce Jordan Centre on that December evening in 1997.

SET 1-

MIKE's SONG- A sick 16+ min MIKE'S!!!! to start things off, one of the most electric openers I've heard in sometime, but 97 was off the chain for the most part anyway.

CHALKDUST TORTURE - Always fun and energizing, not that anyone needed to be awaken after that bone shattering Mike's.

MY SOUL- good cover, enjoy the all out Mah- mah mah mah it's my soul.

STASH- Enjoyable and going places, a very non typical version from a very non typical band.

HYDROGEN- strange placement but I adore this song.

WEEKAPAUG- Energy packed version, energy packed set.

DOG STOLE THINGS- Trey likes to play this, it's just, eh.

BEAUTY OF MY DREAMS- slowing the set down a bit, the guys have to be getting tired in this all out Ironman.

HORN- Good one from Rift, doesn't get much notice.

LOVING CUP- standard cover

SET 2-

JULIUS- Knew it was coming and they delivered the goods.

SIMPLE- Dear God! 30 mins of ambient jamming and unique space. This is why people go to see Phish, because they put on a performance not a show. Really good version, my favorite thus far.

JERRY THE MULE- Love it, kept that spontaneous 1997 energy alive.

AXILLA- came back to the basics and glad they performed Axilla and not sample. Good choice.

HOOD- The hood's in 97 were my all time favorite, yet another to add to the list. All the hood's in this era were spaced out, ambient flowing, and contained that nice percussion from fish. Ideal.

ENCORE- Fire. This show was fire. Very excellent Mikes, Simple and Hood.
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by Bob_Loblaw

Bob_Loblaw Shows that start with Mike's Song almost always deliver it's science.

Mike's is superb to start and get's into the Cow Funk that the other Mike's and Tweezer openers from this year have. My Soul is very strong. Stash is intense as hell, just an excellent version. I love some space between Mike's Song and I Am Hydrogen and I love the contrast between I am Hydrogen and Stash. Weekapaug is explosive and excellent. Pretty solid Loving Cup to close the set as well.

Set two has one of my favorite Simple's ever and maybe even my favorite Jam from this year. It's beautiful gorgeous and transcendent. Also the Bowie tease is one of the best in terms of a "tease" and what makes it even better is how seamless the segue into Timber Ho! is. Axilla is an excellent version and a standout among all others. Hood is excellent and the outro is just gorgeous great version.

More Jimi love with Fire to close the show and it leaves the energy level at an 11.

Great show!
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by direwolf75

direwolf75 phish crissened the new arena with a fast paced rocking show.we crissened the place with a large puff of smoke. but mother nature played the best show of all with a snow storm... good show good time
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by ForgeTheCoin

ForgeTheCoin Forgot about that snowstorm... Thanks Wolf...

One point to make about this show is that the stellar and super Funky Mike's that opens the show continues the start/stop funk jam that was so big a part of the monster Tube two nights earlier at the Nutter Ctr. Worth a listen - stylistically identical and both phenomenal. I remember this Mike's jam wore out on my cassette of this show before anything else did.

And yeah, it was damned smoky in there. And there were near-pscyhadelic rice krispie treats circulating the lot. Mine kicked in with a 'Whoa..." moment during Chalk Dust.... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P634QB9jfgI
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by safetymeeting

safetymeeting Boy, did I need a shower after this show!
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by DaytonDetes

DaytonDetes The venue was brand new... SOOOO clean and new! i dont think the security was ready for the smoke screen. The Nutter Center was off the hook the 2 nights before. Over all good show, but nothing compared to the 12-7 show in Dayton, Ohio. Oh and it was a huge drive From Dayton to State college. thank's for the one day inbetween to travel !!! '97-'98 what a great time to tour !!!
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by JerrysMissingFinger

JerrysMissingFinger Set One Notes:
Mike’s Song kicks things off, and you know that a Mike’s opener usually means a good show is in store. Mike himself gets that bass bumping right off the bat, before the groove starts to widen, with Trey floating triumphant lead lines over it. It builds to a peak before settling into a low-key wah-groove, and the clav gets cranking before Trey’s wah-spotlight moment hits, winding things down into Chalkdust Torture. Energy comes bursting through, a fast, tight, and knotty version, Type-I, crowd approved, with some rock and roll peaking action. My Soul is next. At this point, really? Overplayed. Stash shows up next, in a promising position to add some exploration to the set. As the jam progresses, Trey steers slithering lead lines through a cave of piano note droplets, bass bumps, and tribal-jazz drum pounding. Stash continues to wind, tangle, and build, before peaking and finding its way to its proper ending. But it is not finished, as dissolution into warm ambience occurs, the music flowing through the arena. Hydrogen emerges from the ambience, a fantastic transition, reminding the listener that we are, in fact, still in a Mike’s Groove here. Hydrogen is calm and serene, contrasting with Stash’s tension. Weekapaug hits next to close the Groove, and this is a rocking, full-sail version. “They’re fucking moving quick tonight!” a friend comments. Paug transforms into a very rhythmic groove on which Page lays his piano commentary, Mike playing lead under Trey’s wah-groove, before the true Paug jam re-emerges, really raging into a nice peak. Dogs Stole Things is up next, relaxing the energy for a bit, Page doing work on the organ. Beauty Of My Dreams fills the “bluegrass” spot nicely. Horn shows up next, once again, a great cold-weather, indoor tune, with the beautiful composed middle section erasing any late-fall blues. Loving Cup finishes off a good Set 1 with a big cathartic rocker.

Set Two Notes:
Julius, the high energy big-band tune, kicks things off to get the place moving again. A solid Type-I version, it just keeps building and building on its way to a peak, Fish (?) crying out in approval. Once Simple hits, you know that it is time to settle in for The Show, who knows where we will go? The traditional Type-I “floating jam” is especially energetic, reflecting the energy of the show thus far, but it soon evaporates into a low-key, blissful progression, pushing forward into space towards a new solar system. Mike starts bumping a new riff as the new star system is finally reached, orbited in total calm. The jam then dissolves into nearly freeform playing, Fish tapping the highest toms. After some time spent on the freeform planet, a new sunrise appears in the form of Trey’s distorted, effected guitar chords, presenting new energy, heat, and light. The jam really gets galloping, Mike getting active, the baby grand coming alive, Trey shredding over a locked-in Fish, before the jam descends into a low cave groove. Trey is laying down menacing riffing, Page mastering the Rhodes-space, laying out stereo-swirl chords. The groove picks up as Trey gets plucky with chord hits, Page moving to the wah-clav. Trey soon deploys the wah as well, Mike absolutely bumping along, Fish riding the ride cymbal like a clock. Synth beams and sirens soon emerge until the jam melts into what seems to be a beautiful close. Alien abduction beams persist along with sirens, modulating their frequency, a truly weird ambiance, slightly menacing at that. Fish’s hi-hat emerges, sounding a bit like the Bowie intro. Deep space noises continue, Trey using the whammy pedal to accelerate the stage upwards through the roof, glitching and swirling, before Trey dive bombs some notes into the basement as Mike drops his own bombs. Soon, the Bowie-style beat expands to reveal itself as the Timber beat. Timber-proper emerges, its jam winding the tension up and down as it builds, a solid, contained version, in a great position after that monster Simple. Contact serves as a funky, weird little interlude, a great return to foundational Phish silliness after space-cruising for the last 40 minutes. Axilla has a sloppy intro, where nobody is really sure how many hits there should be, but who cares, it provides high energy to continue the set with. Hood comes next to close the set, but it doesn’t proceed without a Phishy return into Axilla during its intro. The Mr. Miner section rages, and the jam is very calming, bouncing its way towards a gently rising peak, the hose slowly but surely turned on, the dam bursting as everyone feels good about Hood. Fire, in the encore slot, burns the place down as Rockstar Guitarman gets one last chance to conjure his Hendrixian spells.

I think State College is a great show in an all-time tour, with a must-hear jam in the form of Simple. If you asked my friend, though, he would call it “the sleeper show of the tour.” You might as well hear it and decide for yourself.
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by Esquandolas76

Esquandolas76 One of my favs!
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by spreaditround

spreaditround SET 1:

Mike's Song: Great way to open the show. Has the face melting rage that you would expect coupled with a healthy dose of that fall 97 funk. Would recommend. >

Chalk Dust Torture: Buried Alive tease at 6:34 – pretty normal CDT other than that.

My Soul: Standard.

Stash: Mike sounds so good in the early going of this jam. This one doesn’t stray far from the path, but there is absolutely no wasted space. Trey does sort of slide out of the potential big ending, there is no true climax. Instead, they go into this really neat space for about 70 seconds or so and then they segue nicely into Hydrogen. I think this is a really cool version of Stash and I would recommend it for its unique nature and combination with Hydrogen. Of the 443 times Stash has been played this is the ONLY time it was paired with I am Hydrogen. How cool is that? >

I Am Hydrogen: Standard. >

Weekapaug Groove: Very solid version, hard rocking with good length. Great mid set jam.

Dogs Stole Things: Standard.

Beauty of My Dreams: Standard.

Horn: Standard. >

Loving Cup: Good way to rock out the end of the set.

SET 2:

Julius: Straight ahead rocker, nothing like the Cleveland version. Back to normal I guess. >

Simple: Does the typical Simple thing, then mellows out and stays mellow for a good bit. The natives become restless, and the band seems to sense that. Things soon get a much greater sense of urgency and by 13 and a half this sucker is jamming hard! Really beautiful stuff. This mellows out again around 18:00 and we find ourselves in a sort of bluesy type jam. Kind of sort of. Fishman is awesome in here. Page too. 22:00 Loops, synth and introspection. Crowd loves it, CK5 must have been doing something amazing. 25:00 Very psychedelic. 26:00 Fish wants Maze or Bowie. Big loops. 28:53 Fish is on the toms, and you know what that means… ->

Timber (Jerry the Mule) – Played at back to back shows? Huh, that’s interesting. This tune has been played 99 times ( 8/29/1987 and 9/2/1987 and then 12/7/97 and 12/9/97) and it has only been played at back to back shows twice! Interestingly enough the two times this happened there were days off in between shows but the shows were still played ‘back to back’. This is a solid yet unspectacular version versus some of the others from this tour and year. LOL that it’s listed as a jamcharts version. >

Contact: Page funks this one up like crazy, Mike too!

Axilla: Standard. >

Harry Hood: Axilla tease at 0:52. Good enough Hood, nothing to really write home about.

ENCORE:

Fire: Rip roaring good time.

Summary: Good to very good show. For this tour it’s toward the bottom which speaks to the strength of it all. Agree with the current rating on .net of 4.12/5 (159 ratings).

Replay Value: Mike's Song, Stash, Simple
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by MrPalmers1000DollarQ

MrPalmers1000DollarQ This show ought to be rated a little higher, I think. Currently sitting at 4.12, this is the lowest-rated show of Fall '97. It's probably bottom three (cuz c'mon, look at the competition), but I find a few more highlights and noteworthy moments than I do in the 12/5 sets. Mike's opener is great funky stuff and the Chalk Dust in the two slot is one of several from the tour that are full of high octane playing. The Stash->Hydrogen melt is a wondrous departure from typical form, and the Weekapaug closes Mike's Groove with gusto. The second-set Simple is an exploratory behemoth that should be listened required listening--especially with the > Timber to follow (these two just make a great pair don't they). The Hood ain't bad either, and I especially love the Axilla jam in the into.

Let me be clear: you should listen to all of Fall Tour. Including this show.
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by radiator9987

radiator9987 This was a dark horse from 97. There are some fantastic runs with the Stash>I Am H> Weekapaug in the first set and Simple>Bowie Jam> Timber, a Timber that was vastly different than the one they played the night before with the Dayton almost going bliss and the Penn State getting a little dark.

This is a top 5 Simple that covers so many spaces in its 30+ minutes.
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by JerrysMissingFinger

JerrysMissingFinger Set One Notes:
Mike’s Song kicks things off, and you know that a Mike’s opener usually means a good show is in store. Mike himself gets that bass bumping right off the bat, before the groove starts to widen, with Trey floating triumphant lead lines over it. It builds to a peak before settling into a low-key wah-groove, and the clav gets cranking before Trey’s wah-spotlight moment hits, winding things down into Chalkdust Torture. Energy comes bursting through, a fast, tight, and knotty version, Type-I, crowd approved, with some rock and roll peaking action. My Soul is next. At this point, really? Overplayed. Stash shows up next, in a promising position to add some exploration to the set. As the jam progresses, Trey steers slithering lead lines through a cave of piano note droplets, bass bumps, and tribal-jazz drum pounding. Stash continues to wind, tangle, and build, before peaking and finding its way to its proper ending. But it is not finished, as dissolution into warm ambience occurs, the music flowing through the arena. Hydrogen emerges from the ambience, a fantastic transition, reminding the listener that we are, in fact, still in a Mike’s Groove here. Hydrogen is calm and serene, contrasting with Stash’s tension. Weekapaug hits next to close the Groove, and this is a rocking, full-sail version. “They’re fucking moving quick tonight!” a friend comments. Paug transforms into a very rhythmic groove on which Page lays his piano commentary, Mike playing lead under Trey’s wah-groove, before the true Paug jam re-emerges, really raging into a nice peak. Dogs Stole Things is up next, relaxing the energy for a bit, Page doing work on the organ. Beauty Of My Dreams fills the “bluegrass” spot nicely. Horn shows up next, once again, a great cold-weather, indoor tune, with the beautiful composed middle section erasing any late-fall blues. Loving Cup finishes off a good Set 1 with a big cathartic rocker.

Set Two Notes:
Julius, the high energy big-band tune, kicks things off to get the place moving again. A solid Type-I version, it just keeps building and building on its way to a peak, Fish (?) crying out in approval. Once Simple hits, you know that it is time to settle in for The Show, who knows where we will go? The traditional Type-I “floating jam” is especially energetic, reflecting the energy of the show thus far, but it soon evaporates into a low-key, blissful progression, pushing forward into space towards a new solar system. Mike starts bumping a new riff as the new star system is finally reached, orbited in total calm. The jam then dissolves into nearly freeform playing, Fish tapping the highest toms. After some time spent on the freeform planet, a new sunrise appears in the form of Trey’s distorted, effected guitar chords, presenting new energy, heat, and light. The jam really gets galloping, Mike getting active, the baby grand coming alive, Trey shredding over a locked-in Fish, before the jam descends into a low cave groove. Trey is laying down menacing riffing, Page mastering the Rhodes-space, laying out stereo-swirl chords. The groove picks up as Trey gets plucky with chord hits, Page moving to the wah-clav. Trey soon deploys the wah as well, Mike absolutely bumping along, Fish riding the ride cymbal like a clock. Synth beams and sirens soon emerge until the jam melts into what seems to be a beautiful close. Alien abduction beams persist along with sirens, modulating their frequency, a truly weird ambiance, slightly menacing at that. Fish’s hi-hat emerges, sounding a bit like the Bowie intro. Deep space noises continue, Trey using the whammy pedal to accelerate the stage upwards through the roof, glitching and swirling, before Trey dive bombs some notes into the basement as Mike drops his own bombs. Soon, the Bowie-style beat expands to reveal itself as the Timber beat. Timber-proper emerges, its jam winding the tension up and down as it builds, a solid, contained version, in a great position after that monster Simple. Contact serves as a funky, weird little interlude, a great return to foundational Phish silliness after space-cruising for the last 40 minutes. Axilla has a sloppy intro, where nobody is really sure how many hits there should be, but who cares, it provides high energy to continue the set with. Hood comes next to close the set, but it doesn’t proceed without a Phishy return into Axilla during its intro. The Mr. Miner section rages, and the jam is very calming, bouncing its way towards a gently rising peak, the hose slowly but surely turned on, the dam bursting as everyone feels good about Hood. Fire, in the encore slot, burns the place down as Rockstar Guitarman gets one last chance to conjure his Hendrixian spells.

I think State College is a great show in an all-time tour, with a must-hear jam in the form of Simple. If you asked my friend, though, he would call it “the sleeper show of the tour.” You might as well hear it and decide for yourself.
, attached to 1997-12-09

Review by Kipdog

Kipdog Originally posted at: http://kipsphishreviews.tumblr.com/post/40454660895/phish-penn-state-97 />
Almost a year since my first show and the difference a year makes in how a song like Mike’s Song can sound is why we go see this band. After the standard F# minor jamming, they change key and into a funk groove. As mentioned in the 12/3/97 review, this tour brought out the funky side in the band (hence the Phillly Funk jam). Here we get more start/stop funk but unlike the Philly jam, this is short lived. Overall this was no “must hear” Mike’s Song. The version from first night of Philly (12/2) or Albany (12/13) during this same tour is worthy of a listen if you have the time.

The jump into Chalk Dust feels forced but it’s hard to not give into the energy from one of the best rock songs in their book. An abnormal slot makes it a fun appearance version to see and hear live. In fact it is only one of two that have followed Mike’s Song ever. The other being at MSG on 12/29/2011.

My Soul as mentioned in my 12/3/97 review is not one of my favorites. The repetitive chorus lines, "my my my my my soul it's my soul, my my my my my my soul it's my soul", always rubs me the wrong way for some reason. The only thing really going for it is the bass line that Mike so eloquent lays down with his modulus bass.

Then we hit Stash. I have often used Stash has a measuring stick for how well the band is playing at any given moment in their career. If they nail the composed section, build the tension in the jam to a point of utter frustration in the part of the listener only to explode at the right moment, then I know Phish is in a good state of mind. No secret here that Phish in 1997 was in a good state of mind so as to be expected this version has that slowly built tension drawn out to perfection. It’s not a long jam. Nothing like earlier versions from this same tour (11/13, 11/23 or 11/30) but still packs a nice punch. It slowly oozes at the end into the H2 section of Mike’s Groove. Really nice segue.

A well played I Am Hydrogen. You’d be surprised how many versions of this song they flubbed, especially in years to follow (especially in 99). With no flubs to mention, it sets up a standard yet funky run through Weekapaug Groove.

Dogs Stole Things and Beauty of My Dreams add the standard cool down to the first set. Not a fan of the former but definitely of the latter. Wish they played this more often in the 3.0 era (only once so far on 12/31/2010). I love me some bluegrass and the original outfit, Del McCoury Band, is as bluegrass as it gets.

Horn merely is a setup for the rocking version of Loving Cup that ends the set. A set full of mixed emotions where everything was played perfectly. Nothing was extended and even when things seemed promising, such as with the Mike’s funk, they pulled back, which is rare for this era.

Set 2: Julius > Simple -> Timber (Jerry) > Contact, Axilla > Harry Hood

Encore: Fire

Ending the first set with Loving Cup then opening the second with Julius feels more like the end of a show then the middle but with the high octane energy on display all fall tour, this isn’t too out of the ordinary. What takes place next is the heart and soul of this show.

Simple is, well, a simple song but often it’s the simplest of ideas that spawn creativity. This version of Simple does it’s thing for about 8 minutes, and right around 8:30 is when they find it; that special moment in a song when the band has completely left the boundaries of the stage and are now exploring where to go next.

This exploration goes on for a few minutes and then around 12 minutes it seems like it could all collapse but then Fishman brings in a dark drum beat that Trey grabs a hold off and then we are off on our first real change from the slow Simple groove and into a brand new space. This new space grows quickly into a kaleidoscope of sounds, with Fishman and Trey leading the charge. This would go on until 17 minutes when Fishman once again leads the band into a new section, with Gordon and Page adding a soft groove to the background with Trey remaining silent until he grabs a hold of what his band mates are laying down. Trey lays on top of the groove some funky chords and we enter into a little bit of very soft, laid back cow funk.

After a few minutes of funk we enter into a spacey section, with Page using his synth and Trey using his digital delay loop, we get a real Star Trekky vibe. At one point it sounds like the song is ending with only the digital delay vamping from the speakers, but they decide it’s not over yet. This section is real eerie and it ends with Fishman hitting the standard David Bowie symbols and at this point it’s clear they are heading into Bowie. But they keep going and going and going with this eerie intro, especially Trey and his loops. Finally Fishman decides to throw a wrench into the situation and beats on his bass drum like he’s an African tribal chief. This tribal beat segues perfectly into Timber Ho and what do you know, we have ourselves a Ho.

Everyone in the venue is clearly perplexed at this point as preparing for a Bowie is much different from preparing for a Timber Ho throw down. The Timber itself is not the best Timber. While the evilness of the song fit perfectly into the ending of Simple, the song itself fell a bit flat and even when they end the jam and re-enter the lyrical portion of the song the crowd didn’t seem too in to the moment.

They lighten the mood considerably with the always fun yet awkwardly childish song Contact. The best part of Contact, besides the spinning wheel lights that Kuroda throws up on the crowd, is the funk break down where Page rails on his clav and Gordon slaps the heck out of his bass. The energy feels a bit flat, hinting that the Dave Matthews Band type frat boy crowd that is prevalent at Penn State gigs wasn’t totally digging what the band was pumping out from the stage.

Sensing this lack of energy, they rip out Axilla. But it’s not clear whether this may be too little too late at this point to revive the lack of energy. After a quick romp, they back peddle into Harry Hood. Another awkward energy stop and once again sensing this energy drop, Trey pops back into the Axilla riff right in the middle of the Hood intro. This is only a short stint back into the song but clearly it was meant to WAKE UP THE CROWD!

Energy or no energy, it takes a lot to keep a Harry Hood ending from exploding. For a solid 4 or so minutes, this Hood ends very strong with tons of energy to go around.

They must have known coming back for the encore that anything other then Hendrix was unacceptable for this energy deficient crowd so yeah, they come out firing with Fire! A great cover that has been mostly shelved since this 97 tour, only coming out 13 times since.

Verdict: 7.5/10

I would have given this show a 6 or 6.5 due to the lack of cohesiveness and off and on energy if it weren't for the Simple. That jam on it’s own bumps this show up a whole point. But the show is otherwise an off night for a band at an all time high in their career in terms of energy and performance.
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