FORUM:   Private E-Mail                       HOST: LEADING
DATE:    Feb-17-95 6:20pm                     MSG:  353 PVT
FROM:    Digestifier
TO:      Dbn
SUBJECT: Phish Digest #624

(Continued from last message)

concerts which are never the same show.

This band, with the support of fellow Canadian Dan Akroyd as the host, will 
appear on Saturday Night Live on March 25, 1995. (ODC: They Cancelled 
their Texas shows ;-).

What follows is a Review of the concert for fans or the Curious who dare to 
read on.

(please let me know what you think of the writing style and content)

        To make a long story short, the person we were supposed to go with
is a lawyer who got stuck in court all-night while a jury was out 
deliberating. So off we go, his son, his son's step-mother, and the son's 
mother's boyfriend, me. Ah, the nuclear family has changed hasn't it ;-).

        We get to the venue, and we get our tickets, the special ones, 
about 3 inches by 6, Gold and white, and very aesthetically pleasing. 
They reminded me of a wedding invitation. It read " a evening with the 
Tragically Hip "with guests ODDS and Change of Heart".

        Well we missed Change of Heart, and were told the volume was too low.
This is a band who has been around for 12 years who just won a 100,000 
dollar contest for "unkown band"!! Ah Canadians ;-). We were told the 
volume was too low For Change of Heart. The Odds on the other hand suffered 
from a awful mix. Cool thing is they make their living as a cover band, 
so that they can actually record their own music and tour as the Odds. 
Each band played about 35-40 min. 

        It was now 9:16 pm and the Gardens was about to rock!

        The Hip started the show with Gord Downie, vocalist, saying "What 
a Dump!" and he giggled. The crowd moaned. Such is the Enigma of Gord. 
You gotta see them live to believe it.  They kicked into  Grace Too off 
the new album. It really went over well live, with an extended jam after 
the verses, during which Gord proceeded to mime a crotch rub, followed by 
some Monkeying around. Next was Fully Completeley, followed by the 
"Inevitibility of Death you pussycats!" which was preceded by the 
statement that They were in the Navel (Toronto), had been to Kingston, 
which was the Vagina, Hamilton the Hammer, which is another name for "Cock". 
Bizaare indeedee!!

        The thing that really struck me about this band was the audience. 
They were on their feet from the get-go, singing all the words and screaming 
every time Gordie went into some wierd move or dance. It reminded me of when 
Garcia does a guitar solo and the fans tend to drown it out by sreaming 
thier approval. Luckily the sound was at the level of Mettalica or Big Sugar!

        A setlist will follow. Some other highlights were "Last of the 
Unplucked Gems", a song I never expected in an Arena (its a slow marching 
sort of tune). Of course, "50 Mission Cap" , a song about the Leafs 1951 
overtime Stanley Cup hero, Bill Barilko's disapearance. It was deadicated 
"for the people walking around with the MapleLeafs on their coats!"
"100th Meridian" included a 'Drop me down in the boiling Water' beat 
poetry Jam. Anyone else heard this? Gordie picked up an acoustic, and I 
thought "Scared"? Nope they played Daredevil, then Scared, with Paul 
Langois on acoustic :-). All the Bic lighters were in the Grey seats 
(read: cheap seats), which I found a rather interesting demographic split.
Poor people in the shitty seats?? Pigeon Camera, from the Canadian film 
"I Love a Man in Uniform" featured a really melodic, gripping solo by 
Bobby Baker on electric guitar.

Nautical Disaster Ripped!!

Little Bones followed and the crowd awoke. Finally "New Orleans is 
Sinking" was played. It lasted about 15-16 minutes, which most 
improvisational fans would have loved. 
In the  middle jam the band thundered away, while Gordie improvised new lyrics
.. Some of which were "If your freaked and fucked, life don't mean that much".
This is where any musical fan could see the magic happening on stage. They 
closed with Fire in the hole, it was 10:55. 

Encore ?? 
YES!! 
Surprise we got "Lionized", plus "3 Pistols". Then they left the stage. 
The end? I put on my dry shirt, as I was soaked from dancing in an aisle 
all night. With pen in mouth, Three girls from Bancroft came by me to sneak 
onto the floor, and told me to mention them in my review! 
Finally the security guard says "They will play another?" I said "Nah". 
Wrong!
Impossibilium, folowed by "Shakespeare my ass, this is for my 3rd sister" 
from Gordie and they ended with Cordelia.

We got backstage, and met the drummer, Johnny Fay, and saw bassist Gord 
Sinclair. It was like a high school house party, with a who's who of 
family, friends and Toronto musicians. Johnny told us about Saturday Night
Live and European success, and the release in the States.

I saw Gord, but he was busy being normal. Johnny says he is very 
different offstage, quite normal actually. 
I got my prerelease cassette of "Up to Here" autographed
and back to home we went, the son, the step-mom, and the boyfriend.
Oh Canada indeed ;-).

Setlist 2-10-95 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
Start: 9:16

Grace Too
Fully Completeley
Inevitability of Death
Locked in the Trunk of a Car
Last of the Unplucked Gems
50 Mision Cap
Thugs
100th Meridian
Daredevil
Scared
Pigeon Camera
Nautical Disaster
Little Bones
Titanic Terrarium
Greasy Jungle
New Orleans is Sinking->
New Songs Jammed->
New Orleans is Sinking
Fire in the Hole
(10:55 p.m.)

E1: Lionized
    Three Pistols

E2: Impossibilium
    Cordelia
(11:20 pm)



                                                By: Stephen A. Maltais

PS. Can people on the Hip newsgroup continue to post setlists
        I really love to see them.
Thanks

PPS. Anyone got a DAT of the show ??


------------------------------

** FOR YOUR REFERENCE **

Requests to be added to or deleted from the Phish mailing list and requests
for old digests to be resent (please provide digest #s) must be sent to
phish-request@phish.net.

Questions about the list and requests for the current version of the
Frequently Asked Questions file, Phish Stories, the Helping Phriendly Book,
or the lyrics file must be sent to phish-archives@phish.net.

You may send mail to the entire list (and rec.music.phish) via phish@phish.net.

End of Phish Digest
******************************
--------------------
-- END OF MESSAGE --
