oysterhead - 10-31-01 - The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO

Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2001 16:34:30 EST
From: Gworm767@aol.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: 10/31/01 Oysterhead Review
 
The band really stepped it up for the second night, but more importantly
Halloween night, at the small Fillmore Auditorium in Denver.  After my
experience on Tuesday at the show, I didn't really know what was going to
happen on Wednesday because the band left themselves open for just stepping
up their normal show or pulling out something crazy like a covered album.
They chose the former, but significantly enough that I was basically not
disappointed by the lack of something really wild.
 
I had gotten to the first Fillmore show at about 7:30 and there had been no
line outside, people selling extras, and I got to stand in the second row.  I
had been fairly amazed by this but didn't think I could expect it for
HALLOWEEN night.  I was right.  The scene was COMPLETELY different for the
second night when I reluctantly (not my choice) arrived at 7:30 again.  It
felt like a circus.  I imagine that those who have been to say, phish, on
halloween would know to expect something like what I encountered outside the
fillmore.  Complete wall-to-wall people, almost everyone in a wide variety of
costumes.  I heard that there were extras being sold, but I sure didn't see
any being sold!  Everyone was in a great mood- that "this is going to be
something special and we are a part of it" mood.  People were handing out
candy and everyone was friendly and patient as we waited through a LONG
security line for upwards of an hour.  Security was especially tight- serious
pat-downs.  Eventually we got in.
 
When I walked in and made it through all the people- it was evident to me
that this was very different than the night before- there were tons of people
everywhere.  I managed to catch the last song of drums and tuba- who are
actually pretty good.  They were in costume- but I forget what they were..  I
managed to find myself a spot in front of the soundboard in about the tenth
row- everyone was MUCH tighter for this show.  I was really excited to have a
spot with a good view of the stage- but decided to risk it and head for the
bathrooms.  Interesting side note- there are bathrooms at the fillmore behind
the stage!  And there is a pathway behind the stage to get to the other side.
 I came out of the bathroom just as the band took the stage.  I had asked the
people around me to try and save my spot and I actually managed to squeeze
through everyone and find the people I had been with before!  I was thrilled!
 
It was great to see Trey in the signature Fishman dress- very funny!  Les had
a pig mask which was pretty funny and Stew had army paint on- pretty wild
stuff!  The energy of the crowd was ENORMOUS when the band came out- everyone
was so excited to see whatever was about to happen.
 
The first time I heard "Little Faces" on the CD- I thought "this is the
perfect introduction to this band!"  The way that song begins is like-
welcome- this is oysterhead!  First you hear this spacey feedback emerge from
nothing, then Stew's drums come in very nicely, then Les's bass sort of
rumbles, then a little bit of classic Trey, then they all build together and
then Les's weird voice and lyrics begin...
 
So, that was a perfect opener.  Next came the always crowd-pleasing "Mr.
Oysterhead."  The rest of the show was basically all of the best oysterhead
material played better than I had heard them played before- some far beyond
how I thought they would ever be played.  The band kept the crowd glued for
the entire show.
Oz, Rubberneck Lions, Radon Balloon, Pseudo Suicide and Army's on Ecstasy
each contained some incredible jams- much more than we saw the night before-
they really got a groove going.  I loved hearing "Radon Balloon" because it
is one of my favorites on the album.  Of course, everyone went nuts when they
did some of "Stash"- that was great to hear.  They did a few covers in the
middle of Army's on Ecstasy.
 
All through all the covers and jams, I kept thinking that at any moment, the
band was going to launch into something crazy, I never stopped thinking that
until the show was over.  The show was that good.
 
Wield the Spade was really cool and kind of funny- with Stew screaming the
words into the mic- you want them to play this song at whatever show you go
to- it is quite a site!
 
Birthday Boys was one of the big highlights of the show.  It is my favorite
song on the album and I had been disappointed by the version we saw on
Tuesday.  Wednesday night they really did the song justice.  Once again, it
was just Trey alone on stage with an acoustic and a big smile on his face.
He was in a much better mood for Halloween night.  He screwed up the
beginning a little (I guess, I didn't notice) but then he stopped for a
second and said "I'm sorry guys!" to which everyone in my area responded
"It's fine Trey!"  Things like that really give an intimacy to a show.  Trey
did a perfect "Birthday Boys" and then sang a compilation of old Jon Fishman
classics much to the delight of the crowd.  Everyone was cracking up as he
sang Bike, Love You, and Cracklin' Rosie.  When he finished he said something
like "And now the entire Jon Fishman collection can be yours for just 19.99!"
 
Owner of the World was surprisingly jammed out, with more Stash teases.  It
was a great way to end the set and was fairly long- really took it far beyond
the album!
 
I still was thinking that they might do a second set, but they didn't- they
just played "Changes" and then they were gone.
 
As I left the building and walked past the buses under a full moon on
Halloween night, I was definitely satisfied with what had transpired.  Others
were disappointed, but I had a great time in the show.
 
I wish I could go to more shows on the tour, but the two nights at the
Fillmore will have to suffice- I have a feeling this tour could get really
good for the final east coast dates- especially the two-night Roseland stand!
 
I will see all of you on the Spring Trey tour- that should be fun!
 
Jimmy Macauley
Gworm767@aol.com

Date: Thu, 01 Nov 2001 15:33:18 -0700
From: steve gilmore stevegilmore1@hotmail.com
To: dws@netspace.org
Subject: Oysterhead Halloween Review
 
Full moon, Halloween, Phisheads in costumes, Trey in Fishman's dress, Les in
the Pork Pig mask, Stew in Camo... What could go wrong, or better yet what
couldn't go right with this supercharged night?
 
Little Faces, Mr. Oysterhead, Oz Is Ever Floating, Rubbernecking Lions,
Radon Balloon, Pseudo Suicide*, Army's On Ecstasy > All Day and All of the
Night** > Walking on the Moon*** > Army's On Ecstasy, Wield The Spade****,
Birthday
Boys#, Owner Of The World##
Encore: Changes
 
If you've been following the setlists from this tour at all you'll notice
that this one is quite different. Granted to all of our dissapointment we
did not get the "costume set" that we were all hoping for (what happened to
that "Band of Gypsies?!), yet from the opening notes this show had a
completely different energy than the previous -"Little Faces," started off
extremely trippy, slow, I would almost notate it as "Space Jam"---> "Little
Faces." The Halloween feel was in the air as Les crept around in the smokey
dark in his spooky mask, and Trey fiddled subtely with his rig dressed as
Mr. John Fishman, Stew was subtle also, a more determined than usual stature
to his presence. The "Space Jam" led into a ripping "Little Faces," easily
the best one (I would say all songs performed last night were "best ones")
of the tour yet.
I'm not going to go song to song other than saying that the highlights of
the set for me were "Psuedo," and the scarcely played "Weild the Spade." The
set was a beast that just sort of rolled over us all, with the band playing
more in sync than ever before. Trey was touching on specific Phish jams such
as the "Stash" teases, and his guitar playing was much less selfish than the
night before. The crowd was as charged as ever before, some really cool
costumes were floating around the auditorium, ranging from Vikings, to what
I believe was a cardboard box!
So, it was Halloween, the fabled Oysterhead Halloween show. It was a full
moon and we all danced under it with grins on our faces and sparkles in our
eyes.
That's it for my Oysterhead run, three shows in a week and I'm all done. I
wonder if I'll ever get to see this super trio again, this reincarnation of
Cream for our day, Stew Les and Trey.
 
Peace
Steve G.


Date: Thu, 01 Nov 2001 18:34:06 -0700
From: Jon Kirsch kirschjon@hotmail.com
To: dws@gadiel.com
Subject: 10-31 review
 
I attended Oysterhead on Halloween. It was one of the best concerts I've
ever been to. And I've been to alot of concerts. The band took the
Oysterhead songs from the previous night and exploded them inside and out.
That was the trick. There would not be a cover albulm played. Rather, the
band gave the audience a night very few in attendence will ever forget. Trey
was a mastergod guitar player. There were blazing fills and mindblowing
psychedelic melodies coming from all over the place. Les Claypool is my new
hero.
I took LSD for the first time in years and it was so good! Very therapudic
and refreshing. I was Hugh Heffner and the friends I hung with were the
Crusaider, Zorro, and the evil clown.
After Oysterhead the night was still young. The Crusaider and I decided to
go out. What happened next is crazy. We saw a dead homeless person on the
sidewalk. The Crusaider and I were freaking. We're dosed and we just found a
dead guy on the street. We went to a nearby hotel and I called 911 and told
them about our ghoulish discovery.
After that, we went to Sancho's Broken Arrow and partied like rock stars
till they kicked us out. There were many hot ladies there and a fiecely good
time was had by all. A virtual puppy pile.
Hugh
PS- favorite costume- bio-terror guy
 


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