Verizon Wireless Amp., Noblesville, IN

Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 19:06:32 -0500
From: "Fleek, Eric" [email protected]

I recently attended the TAB show @ Deer Creek and was totally amazed. I saw
Trey in Cleveland last February and again on the Summer Tour at the Creek.
However, those shows could not even ATTEMPT to touch what I witnessed this
past weekend. Anyways, I wanted to ask you whether or not you knew how long
the Money, Love & Change was at the Creek? I'm guessing at least 20 minutes
and possibly 30. Would you happen to know?

Thanks!
Eric Fleek
Fort Wayne, IN

Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 16:47:23 -0400
From: R Mottice [email protected]
Subject: Trey Review, 6/8/02

Ahhhhhhhh Deer Creek. Forget about calling it "Verizon Wireless Ampitheater". All that changed was
the signage. The hot Indiana summer sun, the cornfields, the campgrounds, the clear blue
midwestern sky...all still intact.  The music? Well, that's changed a bit. Trey and his 9 piece
band are getting more and more fearless as the dance party plows it's way across the country for
another season of musical debouchery. Whew, my legs are sore.

This summer's tour is bringing a little more dimension than last year's, thanks in part to the
added musicians, a lot more practice and a few more songs. The songs are getting longer, spacier,
and most of the time the band romps through them without looking back. On Saturday night in
Noblesvile, Gotta Jiboo, Money/Love/Change & Mr. Completely blasted off for other worlds and were
left unfinished and topped 20 minutes or more with ease, only to have the horns and drums take
them into another direction. Trey waved his wand at them, made a few hand gestures, and
then...BAM! They all stopped on a dime and Jennifer Hartswick played a minimalistic solo that
seems to battle logic in a beautifully simple way. The rest of the band charged back in and it all
came together until it was someone else's turn to shine in the spotlight.  It was a combination of
individuals at times, while the other moments saw the force that is the sum of all parts. There
was greater beauty in the latter of these parts, but they only seemed to appear when the song was
confined to it's structure. As Jiboo snuck off to never-never land, it's became a cacaphony of
ideas that never seemed to arrive at a cohesive destination.  Someplace else?  Definitely.  A far
off place of togetherness and musical cohesion?  Not always.  But as close as 10 people can
collectively go without a script, that's for sure. Don't get me wrong, the jams were tight and
exciting, but they didn't get there without being pushed. It wasn't automatic. Maybe it's hard to
let go knowing that a 30 minute "Mr. Completely" won't segue into "Down With Disease", without the
use of hand signals, anyway. It proved to me that the cliff-jumping explorations that Phish used
to make at any given moment were the fruits of them playing together for so many years. They
didn't start really stretching things out until almost 10 years after being together. Remember
what happened to "Tweezer" in the mid-nineties?  Trey's new band is attempting these departures
after only a year together, and 6 more people in the mix. At these times, it was obvious what
members of the band are born leaders and born followers.  When a trippy horn innuendo would end,
leaving Tony, Russ and Trey, the percussion saw it's chance to feed into the mix.  And how about
that percussionist? There's no doubting the talent of Cyro Baptista (w/ his hair in pig tails),
but the several occasions that drew my attention to his side of the stage only found him banging
on trash can lids, dangling shards of seashells tied to chicken wire, and rattling large orbs
filled with dehydrated goat testicles. A little too much free time on his hands? I thought so. At
one point, the entire 5 piece horn section wandered over to the "Tambourine Tree" and started
picking up random instruments while huddled in Cyro's play area. The fun ceased when Uncle Trey
pointed and signaled at them to "get back to work". They dropped their toys and meandered back to
the horn riser to complete the marathon jam session. I can picture it now: no bedtime snack for
the horn section. That Cyro Baptista kid and his noisy scrap metal collection is a bad influence
to the good kids way over there on the other side of the stage.  All the while, no other kid was
having as much fun as Trey was. Like a hypoglycemic in Wonkaland, he was wound up all night,
dancing around the stage, the Mayor of Trey-ville.  In all my years of seeing Trey perform with
Phish, by himself, with Oysterhead and with this band, I've never seen him take a guitar solo all
by himself between songs. Somewhere in the second set, the whole band stopped playing as he just
stood there and tore it up, distortion and all. I had flashbacks of Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption"
while I watched the jumbotron's close-up camera work of Trey's fingers gliding all over the
fretboard of his axe. I'm glad he doesn't overindulge like this often, but it was refreshing to
see him take the bull by the horns and just rip it. I mean RIP IT. After all, it was his show.

I knew Trey would make a nod to this venue, a phan favorite, but not sure in what form. An encore
of Billy Preston's "Will It Go 'Round In Circles" would be the treat, and it sounded as tight as
Trey's band has ever played it. Not too many pholks had a reaction to this tune, but I pranced
around the lawn like a puppy with 3 sets of genitals. I felt like breakdancing.

So what's next in the Phish universe? Another supergroup collaboration? An acoustic tour? A Phish
reunion? Who knows, but if you're going to a Trey show this tour, be sure to take your viagra and
a good pair of shoes.

Rob Mottice

Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 16:30:05 -0500
From: Andrew Katz [email protected]
Subject: REVIEW


Not as hot as DeerCreek. �Was waiting for the Mozambique or First Tube or Sand.� Someone through
a water ball at Trey and hit him in the head, Trey didn’t miss 1 LICK!� No solo during the
Ether Sunday from Trey, was waiting for it.� Overall a high energy show.� Thanks to the prick who
threw the water bottle we missed some stellar stuff. �Although Trey did get angry and let some
great chords loose.� Some great highlights, however night as high-level as UIC!!�

Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 23:18:52 +0000
From: holly isbister [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Deer Creek Review

This was my take of the show and the first time I've submitted a review, 
hope it meets your standards.

Thanks,
Holly Isbister

First set Deer Creek was a real treat.  A Cayman Review opener got everybody 
dancin', yet left room for higher peaks later in the set.  Burlap Sack and 
Pumps was more or less standard, though it definitely had a harder, faster 
edge than those of the spring 2001 and summer 2001 tours.  Less funk, more 
jazz.  Small Axe was properly executed but seemed to drag in an otherwise 
very energized set.  Push On Till The Day brought the crowd back around, 
with several peaks and a sweet jam.  But the highlight of the first set was 
definitely the closer - this is what they had been building to throughout 
the set.  Money, Love, and Change had the standard beginning, but after the 
verses and choruses were sung, the band swung into a no-holds barred jam 
session that went everywhere.  Funk, jazz, space, this jam was definitely 
moving into that spiritual experience kind of territory.  I was bummed that 
the set was over, especially when it seemed they were really starting to 
groove.

The second set was a whole different story.  After Simply Twist Up Dave I 
remember turning to my boyfriend and saying, how the hell do you follow 
that!  It was one of the sicker jams I've ever heard as a seasoned Phish and 
Trey Band fan.  The band was totally in sync, and the jam was explosive.  
The opening notes of Jibboo were the death notes of the second set.   
Someone threw a water bottle at Trey during the jam and for the rest of the 
set, it appeared as though Trey couldn't shake it off.  They finished the 
Jibboo jam and Trey leaned into the audience and had words with the rabble 
rouser.  For some unknown reason security wasn't able to get the guy and 
throw him out, but the damage was already done.  Plasma was angry, as was 
Mister Completely.  During these jams Trey wasn't playing to the audience, 
he was playing to piss this guy off.  His guitar licks were angry and 
aggressive, and the rest of the band appeared dumbstruck.  The saving grace 
was Jennifer Hartswicks' masterful solo during Ether Sunday.  The encore of 
Circles was tight and energized and much welcome to a crowd who more or less 
endured, not enjoyed, the second set.  Much thanks to that asshole who 
ruined it for the rest of us.  Judging from the first set and the Simple 
Twist Up Dave I though we were really in for a great second set.  This just 
goes to show that it only takes one jerk to ruin it for the rest of us.

Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2002 19:03:41 -0500
From: SARAH E DILLON [email protected]
Subject: review verizon wireless center

�Hey folks just wanted to weigh in on the�smokin show at the former "deercreek". I had some great
seats which really allowed me to see how much fun Trey was having- until the middle of the second
set. Some idiot throws a full bottle of water and hits Trey with it! This guy was in the first
few rows and couldn't have picked a worse time to show his upbringing, the band as on. At
first,as I'm sure it was for Trey,this was a huge buzzkill for me,but Trey finished the song! If
you guys could have seen the look that Trey was giving this guy all through the rest of that song
your buzz would have been killed too, I just could not believe how big an asshole this guy was.
To me at this point the show was over.....NOT OVER TREY'S WATER SOAKED DEAD BODY!!!!!!! Trey, a
real professional, sent the guy packing and then didn't miss a beat went right back into the set.
There was no way Trey was going to let anyone bring him down and rocked the rest of the show.
This is the reason that I will go see Trey anytime,anywhere he really loves what he does. Great
show.

click here to return to the 2002 reviews page


hits (many)