[I was looking back on some 1999 shows I attended but didn't remember much from, so I decided to give them a download and re-listen to figure out if they were any good.]

Foreplay/Long Time is an amazing way to start a show, and a nice nod to being back in Boston (well, the Boston area at least). This first (and at the time of this writing, only) electric version is played with tons of energy, and nearly flawlessly. Page on the keys in the Foreplay section is great. This bustout was my main memory from the show, and I and the rest of the crowd were going crazy. The band hops without a break from Long Time into an uptempo DWD. Cool jam that headed into a chill somewhat spacey section around 12 minutes in and finishes up with the main riff. Not bad for the second song at a show. BOTT has never been one of my favorite tunes, and kind of lumbers along for a few minutes. What's the use? is a great spacey anthem that was still fresh in the live department, having only debuted a week earlier. Melt has an excellent dark Type I jam. WITS and Zero are fairly standard Set I closers, with the exception of some fun introductions by Trey at the end of Zero.

A funky Twist starts off the second set, and the funk gets deeper with Moma. Makisupa code phrase is "Stink Kind," which gets a huge cheer (of course). Great bass solo by Mike. Fun funky start to Set 2. Things get serious with the start of Bowie. Really really cool quiet jam section in Bowie around 7 minutes in, with a surprisingly attentive crowd response, made all the more awesome as the song slowly builds back up in tempo and amplitude. Some really great stuff in this Bowie, not quite type II, but with multiple tension/release cycles. Lizards is a nice come down off the Bowie, but nothing special (beyond the inherent fun the song typically possesses). Guyute is always fun, a few flubs but overall pretty solid. Funny banter from Trey at the end of Guyute letting people know that the "G" in Mike Gordon is a soft G, and yelling "Air Jordan on bass." Rock and Roll is a great finale for the show, letting Trey get some final shredding in.

Overall a fun show, highlights being the only electric Foreplay/Long Time, the DWD and a really cool Bowie jam. Would give it 3.5 stars if I could, but I can't, so I'll round up to 4.

Excellent! Three big highlights, in the Foreplay/Long Time (bustout, only electric version to date), Split Open and Melt, and David Bowie! It sounds on the audience recording I have as if Phish had really pulled a fast one with the Foreplay/Long Time electric bustout, as the roar of recognition doesn't really happen until well into Page's organ intro with the first "hits" from Trey, Mike, and Fish. It sounds great--certainly not just a novelty--and Trey's singing is really good here, even though I think he mixes the lyrics up a bit. The Down with Disease to follow is well-placed and nearly 20 minutes long, but it tends to kind of meander somewhat undynamically (though it is finished!) Split Open and Melt builds a head full of steam that culminates in a stormy sort of peak that's not razor-sharp in the same way as a version from 1994 would've been, but is still very satisfying (maybe even moreso to a phan like me, who often prefers the heady narcoticism of '99 to earlier or later years. This kind of jamming would be revisited during the 2.0 years with a far different result.) The David Bowie in the second set is one that I would highly recommend. Over 20 minutes long--thereby giving you plenty to sink your teeth into--it takes the kind of musical path that I've always thought the composed portion begged for. It's kind of like the section of Fluffhead called Fluff's Travels... the music just suggests that it be given room to get up and walk around for a while, which I realize is to anthropomorphize the songs, but honestly, aren't they just as much of a presence at shows as the band or the audience in many cases? Who wouldn't want to hang out with Esther or Poster Nutbag, for example? The Rock and Roll encore feels a bit anticlimactic to me, but this show is well worthy of an attentive immersion, which is the only apostolic form of Phishing!

BOOM & BUST(OUT)

This show will forever be known for its "electric" Foreplay/Longtime bustout, but features some nice ambient moments. Please note that their really is no "big" ambient jam in this show. Many of the ambient moments and jams are conducted with creativity and pensive precision, as Phish is clearly "locked in," only the delicate building ambient tinged jam in DAVID BOWIE is noteworthy.

SET 1
Starting with a BANG! the band loads up and fires off a FOREPLAY/LONGTIME bustout for the Boston faithful and has the crowd amped early and often. Obviously they didn't take the jam of F/L to crazy ambient dissonance, but neither did they with the follow up 18 minute DOWN WITH DISEASE. Instead, Trey and the boys opted for a "meat and potatoes" guitar lead DWD with a pretty mild "ambient style" lower-tempered jam for the last 4 minutes before bringing back the central guitar riff and closing out the uneventful tune. A standard BACK ON THE TRAIN came and went with little fanfare. A bit of a pause before... WHAT'S THE USE slides into a great first set slot. Bringing a beautiful texture, the ambient tune dipped and swayed it's way through a very lowfi but awesome jam section that chose Radiohead sparsity over swirling "wall of sound" effects laden landscapes. Great minimalism ambient style. The gorgeous underwhelming continued with a rhythmic lowfi ambient tech jam in SPLIT OPEN AND MELT. A very understated but sonically strong version for Phish, probably overlooked by most. Trey channels his inner Hendrix on a scathing Character Zero set closer.

SET 2
TWIST opener is always a good idea. The band decided to go minimalist again, but opted for a bluesier take and really only hinted at the ambient jam that could have been. Playing it safe. I get it. It's a two night run and maybe they are saving the "weird" for the next night. MAKISUPA features some spacey weirdness started by Page and Mike, and finished off by Trey throwing down some reverse loops. Real reggae fans may shudder to think of Bob Marley approaching a reggae jam with alien sounds and reverse guitar loops, but this is Phish and this is what we want to hear! The rest of this set and encore are standard summer fare, aside from the DAVID BOWIE. The BOWIE has a really gorgeous and intricate building jam that starts off with almost complete silence and slowly builds through some clouds of ambient fluff and mini whale calls from Trey. Gordon plays some of his most thoughtful bass runs during this jam as clearly the band is seeking more from this BOWIE than any other song not called FOREPLAY/LONGTIME.

Follow me @TimberCarini on Twitter

Incredibly strong show.

This show just oozes confidence by everybody.

A extremely solid 1-2 punch with the immaculately played Foreplay/Longtime with a fire DWD. Talk about starting a show! And just in case that wasn't good enough we'll give you a solid SplitOAM as the cherry on top.

2nd set is an all around immaculate set little to no flubbery on Trey's part. Moma>Makisupa is a top notch groove from front to back. A Pulsing Blissful Bowie for the ages. And a Guyute with an exceptional peak (coming from some one not all that fond of the song).

Fantastic Show!

This is a great show from start to finish. Foreplay/Longtime is a ballsy way to start a set. The energy never seems to let up. I'm surprised this show is regarded more highly, as it's all killer, no filler. I like songs from this show that I'm not normally as fond of. People who say that Mansfield hasn't seen may great Phish shows are wrong.

Foreplay/longtime is must hear stuff.

My phirst phriggen show! I can't believe I've only seen 60 shows now seeing as this is how it started for me. I didn't even know who Boston was or why they were playing this but the whole crowd was in on it. It was love at phirst sight. The Twist was great but The Lizards really finished my phace melt. I also met my good phriend hashish at this show and was like "What the hell is going on?!?!" hahaha. I love this band so much.

Great show, we had caught on ATL for the 4th, MPP and va bch (sucked) traveled up to Martha's after the Camden show. We drove up in my buddy's parents ride and got to bypass all the traffic because of a handicap placard and park right next to the entrance to the venue.
Very intense, first mass show. Great fun, page started in on foreplay on keys and I was shocked because I had heard an acoustic version on tape before, I was thinking was gonna go acoustic at any moment, nope.
Then trey blared out on the electric, incredible. The crowd went nuts.
It got a little customary at that point into down and get back. What's the use was the same as merriweather, the Camden show had all the what's the use teases at different speeds, but no what's the use so it was cool to hear it again before I left to go back to Memphis.
The sec set was tight, a lot of props to mike by trey, "it's Jordan". Bowie was tight, moma was nice. They did a great job on lizards and R&R. Loved the Tuesday's gone the next nite with Mikey's buddy from max creek. Would love to get this show.
Phun as usual. Then I had to come home and no Oswego.