OK I’m going to start this with a spoiler because I can’t
contain myself anymore! After an excellent first night in Vegas, Phish would
deliver, hands down, the best show they had played in the 2.0 era to this
point. 2/16/03 may not be as well-known as 2/28/03 but I could actually see
someone enjoying this show more, depending on a few different factors. This is
also one of those rare shows where the setlist kind of does tell the tale, with
some exceptions we’ll soon get to!
Set One
Hearing a bunch of loops and Fishman on the ride cymbal, so
is it Maze? No, holy shit! What else can you say to a David Bowie opener?! It
was the first in nearly a decade, it seems, but what makes this even more
special is the Catapult sandwiched in the middle. Trey is not doing his best
during the composed parts, at one point seeming to stop playing altogether and
try to get back on the horse, as it were. This Bowie jam, thank god, is one for
the ages, with interesting staccato jamming sort of like the beginning of some
Stash jams, a Manteca quote around 8:40 from Trey, a non-riproaring Trey mostly
playing abstract repetitive lines and letting Page and Mike lead for awhile, a
fun Catapult appearance, and a strong ending. This Bowie -> Catapult ->
Bowie segment would set the scene for the rest of the show. After a dependable
Horn (no segue) and a fun Guyute (still one of my least favorite composed songs
but it’s growing on me), Round Room starts up.
It's no hyperbole to say this Round Room jam is one of my
favorite jams ever. Ever! It’s just such an insanely unique and interesting
jam, with Fishman starting us off on woodblocks and the jam becoming bouncy and
rhythmic. Trey mostly hangs back and plays textural stuff as the jam gets more
energetic and abstract/dark, with an excellent ending that feels like a storm
cloud passing overhead and away into the distant horizon. Sublime! As a bit of
a chaser to that magnificent cocktail we get super rarity Golden Lady, played
here for only the second time to date. To be honest I’m a very selective Stevie
Wonder fan though I will say this one is pretty great and a good fit for Phish,
so I wonder why it isn’t played more. Boogie On Reggae Woman is better, ok
sure. Anyway. Setlist yet again shows a > where there clearly is none. Poor
Heart is up next. It’s fun, almost feels like it’s playing the part of a short
high energy song to set up the set ending song. Where I wish there was a > there
isn’t one, though. Ah well. Pebbles and Marbles closes out a stellar set one.
Set Two
The opening of set two is sure something! “He’s gunna fuck
it up! Fishman doesn’t know this song!” Oh Trey, you who live in the glassiest
of glass houses, maybe don’t cast stones? Anyway, another rager of an open to
set two, with a fucking killer Down With Disease -> Seven Below -> Down
With Disease sandwich, complete with one of those rare non-unfinished
Disease’s. Enjoyable but standard DwD jam, starts to get spacey before Fishman
drops the Seven Below drum beat and Trey picks up on it immediately as the rest
of the band slowly gets on board and we hit a near-perfect -> into Seven
Below. Despite forming the meat of this sandwich the Seven Below jam doesn’t go
super deep before we head back to Down With Disease. Well -> back into DwD I
should say. After a big loop ending to DwD we > gently into Anything But Me.
This is one of my favorite Phish ballads, so happy to hear it! Especially since
my understanding is they don’t play a lot of Round Room album songs because it
brings up bad memories for Trey. After a good but not great version we get a
minute or so of ambience before Piper starts up. This Piper, often dubbed the
Viper (for Vegas Piper, get it?!), is a monster type II beast (not necessarily
in a spacey/experimental way though) and is one of the best versions ever. 2.0
really was a great time for this song, as next year we’ll get to the phenomenal
SPAC version. But I digress, back to 2003! You simply have to hear this one to
get a full grasp but at one point toward the end they start playing the DwD
ending/riff but in the musical key of Piper, it’s nutso. Around 19:05 it sounds
like Trey is starting up Rift for a few seconds, maybe just a tease? Fishman
plays the Seven Below drumbeat as the jam just keeps going. Soon, before you
know it, we’re -> to Makisupa Policeman. Keyword was ssssssssssssSpliff. Fairly
high energy Makisupa too, some excellent solos from Mike and Page. Trey keeps
emphasizing the word “house” in this version for whatever reason.
I’m still not happy hearing so many Character Zero’s on this
project so close together. This is actually a pretty good version with a decent
solo from Trey, though I do wish if they’re going to close a set with this song
they either jam it out a bit or segue into something else to be the proper
capper. Anyway, the mood deflates with Friday. Ugh, another single song encore,
and a Friday encore to boot. Unlike 1/4/03 version, which had killer soloing
from Trey, this one just lands like a wet hunk of sod. Page tries his best but
it’s just a meh ending to an otherwise killer show.
Overall
Well, 2/16/03 is easily a 5 out of 5. It has some of everything
that’s great about this band: insane jamming, fluid and fun segues, a rarity (and
a cover to boot!), excellent set pacing, etc. My only complaint is the show
ends on a bit of a downturn, as neither Character Zero nor a single song Friday
encore are acceptable in my opinion.
On a bit of a side note: 2/16/03 is useful as the kind of
show that exemplifies the difference between a 5 out of 5 and my top tier S out
of 5. It’s just not quite there in the pantheon of the all timer shows, but it’s
still a truly exceptional show and is the best of 2.0 thus far.
[Highlights]
Set One: Bowie -> Catapult -> Bowie, ROUND ROOM
Set Two/Encore: DwD -> Seven Below -> DwD, PIPER ->
Makisupa
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