Phish - Hampton Comes Alive

There is a level of trust given to Phish by their fanatical audience that is quite liberating to the band. The folks stroll into the venue and give themselves up to the band, allowing the musicians complete freedom to take them wherever the moment dictates. Anyone who saw Phish during their club-playing days can attest that the quartet has always operated under that principle: Fishman was singing "Purple Rain" and playing vacuum cleaners long before fan devotion and major-label support bore them out. Herein lies the key to Phish's appeal, a precarious balance between artistic integrity and self-deprecation that allows them to blow fans away musically while convincing them that they're just regular goofy guys--valedictorian and class clown in one package. So then, what to make of this creatively packaged six-disc set, which collects in their entirety two back-to-back shows recorded in Hampton, Virginia, in November 1998? Well, for one, the range of covers is vast, including Gary Glitter, Bob Dylan, bluesman Son Seals, Ween, Will Smith, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, bluegrassers Hot Rize, Jimi Hendrix, the Beastie Boys, and Chumbawumba. The original tunes are equally as eclectic and span the whole of Phish's career, many of them making their initial official appearance on CD. The real joy is in hearing it all magically and seamlessly unfold as they move from intense focus to astute parody to sheer buffoonery. Make no mistake: Phish requires effort on the part of the listener, not to mention patience, open-mindedness, and flexibility. Those unwilling to invest the effort will inevitably be disappointed. However, those who are either trusting or carefree enough to write them a blank check are just as inevitably rewarded. Or to quote from the movie Airplane: "They bought their tickets. They knew what they were getting into." --Marc Greilsamer Amazon.com

God Bless Phish

This is nothing crazy, but good solid jamming with some rare songs. A must have. January 9, 2008

Simply Put - Awesome!

If there has been a band that has had the most success of being an "underground" band, it would have to be Phish. Phish has long had the reputation of being a band with an "open audio taping" policy and as a result they built up a great following - especially as a live act. . In fairness to the quartet, this is a band that produces some of the most innovative music anywhere on the music scene. Phish's reputation both as a studio band and a live act really took off in the mid 1990s. Phish would release two live albums in the mid 1990s - 1994's "A Live One" and 1997's "Slip Stitch and Pass". Both were terrific live sets, but the best was yet to come as Phish would release in 1999 "Hampton Comes Alive" - a six CD boxed set that chronicles a two night 1998 gig in Hampton, Virginia.

"Hampton Comes Alive" is the third live album by Phish. The first one was 1994's "A Live One". "A Live One" was a good introduction to Phish as it really showcases Phish's jams in top form. "A Live One" was a double CD set with only 12 songs, but contained 131 minutes of music. During the mid 1990s where Phish would not only cement themselves as a jam band, but they also would establish themselves as a premier improvisational band. In fact, they might just be one of the greatest improvisational bands of all time. They put a mix of Folk, Rock, Jazz, and Country into their music. "Slip Stitch and Pass" does a great job at showcasing the live improvisational skills of Phish while performing an an intimate setting. At the same time, the mid 1990s saw Phish emerge as one of the great cover bands in a live setting. Covering other artists' songs would be a natural extension of the improvisational skills of Phish. "Hampton Comes Alive" would not only showcase Phish's jam and improvisational skills, but would also continue to showcase Phish covering other artists.

"Hampton Comes Alive" is a six CD set. The first three CDs are from the November 20th show and the second three CDs are from the November 21st show. Although this is a six CD set, there is not a equal distribution of material. This could have probably been compressed to less than six CDs. However, Phish does divide the material up by the sets they play on each night. In the groupings for each night, the first two CDs (Disc 1,2,4,5) contain Set 1 while the third CD (Disc 3,6) contains Set 2 for each of the two nights.

Here are ten facts about this collection:

1-Phish performs two separate playlists on each of the nights (typical for Phish) with no repeats. I happened to think the November 20th show has the slight edge. However, on each of the two nights I consider the second set of the night stronger than the first.

2-Phish performs eleven covers. These include: "Rock and Roll, Part 2" by Gary Glitter; "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)" by Bob Dylan; "Funky Bitch" by Son Seals; "Roses Are Free" by Ween;"Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" by Will Smith;"Cry Baby Cry" by The Beatles; "Boogie On Reggae Woman" by Stevie Wonder; "Nellie Kane" by Hot Rize; "Bold as Love" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience; "Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys; and "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba.

3-The two best covers are "Gettin Jiggy Wit It" and "Tubthumping". These performances show a knack for Phish being able to improvise. Longtime Phish lyricist, Tom Marshall guest vocals on "Tubthumping". Phish improvises by injecting a humorous spin on these tracks. A honorable mention goes to "Rock and Roll Part 2" - this is a song that fits the musicianship of Phish just perfectly.

4-The band overall delivers top musicianship. Throughout the collection, you can hear Page McConnell's keyboards, Mike Gordon's bass, Trey Anastasio's guitar, and Jon Fishman's drums all shine. I give Fishman's performance a lot of credit - he is often overlooked as a drummer, but on these performances he shines.

5-Perhaps the one negative is that there is one only one song from "Hoist" - which I consider one of their strongest albums. The lone representative song is a good version of "Axilla".

6-Phish brings in their longtime trumpet player named Carl Gerhard who provides horns on the final tracks of each of the shows - "Cavern" (11/20 show) and "Tubthumping" (11/21 show). Gerhard's horns are perfect on "Tubthumping" and add a whole new dimension to "Cavern".

7-On "A Live One", it featured two Phish classics in "Wilson" and "Simple". On "Hampton Comes Alive", we are also treated to these songs - however we are treated to longer, extended jams of these songs on "Hampton Comes Alive". These songs adapt well to the extended jam perfectly.

8-There is sort of an extended "Mike's Groove" included on the final set. This is the strongest block of the collection. "Mike's Groove" normally consists of "Mike's Song", "I Am Hydrogen", and "Weekapaug Groove". We are still treated to "Mike's Song" and "Weekapaug Groove", but sandwhiched in between are "Simple", "The Wedge", "The Mango Song", "Free", and "Ha Ha Ha". The segue from "Mike's Song" to "Simple" is perfect.

9-This collection treats us to live versions of "Piper" and "Farmhouse". These songs would actually be released several months later on the "Farmhouse" album. In particular, "Farmhouse" is outstanding on this collection.

10-Other standout performances on this collection worth noting (and not mentioned above) include "Stash", "Split Open and Melt", "Bathtub Gin", "Character Zero", "Foam", and "Guyute".

The six CDs are packaged in a unique two sided opening box. Each CD is packaged in an envelope (a little difficult to pull in and out). Unfortunately there is nothing in the way of liner notes. Still overall, this is a premium live collection by Phish - and really gives a great flavor for what this band is all about. Highly recommended.

October 6, 2007

Oh yes.

Oh yes. This is nice. Funky B*tch, Simple, The Wedge. Lots of hilarious covers. You can't go wrong here. Sounds quality seems to be very good. January 3, 2005

Solid, but might be too pricey for casual fans...

I'm biased 'cuz I was at both of these shows. Of course, I had an absolute blast. Having said that, if you weren't there, there's probably a few songs on this boxset that might not do much for you. For starters, let's just say I doubt any fans have "Get Jiggy Wit It" or "Tubthumping" on their own compilation CD-Rs...lol Overall 'tho, it's fairly solid. But really, the last disc (2nd night, 2nd set) is the high point. With the exception of the already mentioned "Tubthumping", Phish delivers the goods with authority, and several hair-raising moments are sprinkled throughout the set...some moments in the unlikeliest of places, too. For example, there's a briefly unexpected buildup during the "Mango Song" that never fails to give me goosebumps, and I've never gotten that on any other version...go figure. It's a worthy two nights' worth of music, however the price tag will probably only appeal to completists. So if you're just a casual fan, you're probably better off investing in something from the Live Phish series (much less expensive). But for what it is, Hampton Comes Alive is a good release nonetheless... November 29, 2004

... comes alive in my living room

Received Hampton Comes Alive as a Christmas gift, and it's a live set I'd been eagerly awaiting. Having read the reviews I was almost worried but after listening to discs 1-5 over the weekend while on a roadtrip, and listening to disc 6 right now, I have to say that I am not disappointed at all. What some fans comment on as lackluster or otherwise imperfect performances, I embrace. Those so-called "glitches" serve as a valuable reminder - these boys are real, they're genuine, they're everything that cookie-cutter, over-rehearsed "musicians" are not. They're human, and I think that any serious musician can appreciate that. That said, I love it. There are tracks on here that I haven't heard live yet and in a couple cases, hadn't heard at all. All six discs will definitely be in heavy rotation from now until... I dunno, I download this year's NYE run? A great buy, for either the hardcore Phishhead or the unlucky soul who has yet to see a live performance. January 29, 2004

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