Customer Reviews

Phish - Live in Brooklyn

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is not a very good show, but it still beats just about any other live act that was around in 2004. By this time Trey had pretty much stopped listening to the other three members of the band and arrogantly wanked off on solos that stretched for far too long while the other guys awkwardly kept the rhythm going. Any fan of Phish knows that the essence of their beautiful, transcendant jams was based on their ability to listen to each other, "connect" with each other, and build stunning new creations in unison.

Many of the songs in this show rock, for sure. But it's not just about the buzz, the party, and the shredding. What made Phish special was their unique ability to jam as one. By 2004 it was mostly Trey tearing the crap out of his guitar and using the rest of the band as a backing unit. What's worse is that the band had obviously gotten lazy and cut way back on rehearsing, and it shows, as many of the more intricate tunes are flat-out butchered. Still, it's Phish, it's pretty good, and probably worth the money, depending on how diehard you are.

Thought about going for 1 star to counteract all the mindless 5-star [cough] reviews [cough] on this page.

Here's the rundown. Fanboys and girls will eat it up. 5starz, ez! Jaded heads will talk about how phish peaked, and it's been all downhill ever since 90/93/95/97/Big Cypress. Whatever.

Truth, as always, is in the middle. This isn't a bad show. But it isn't a particularly good one, either. The first set is hit or miss. Aside from "Dinner," the first 45 minutes are mostly forgettable. Moma>Free is a genuine highlight. Maze, Fankenstein are hollow shells of their former selves. 2nd set starts well. 46 Days > Possum, Oh Kee Pah > Suzy are all strong, without too many strey notes. From that point on, though, it's fairly disappointing as several would-be climaxes fizzle, failing to live up to potential. The encore is brutal.

Recommendation:
Ignore the hype; this is not "the one." Buy it for Moma and the first 45 minutes of set II.

Being that Phish was a couple years before my time, i never saw a phish concert. I've heard plenty of live performances and they all sound great. This is about as close as alot of ppl will ever get to seeing phish live. Now the performance is not the most inspiring thing i've ever heard, but it's still phish. they still look like they're having fun, jamming hard, and this dvd isn't like IT where it was 1/2 interviews and 1/2 concert. this dvd is straight through the entire concert. hopefully we'll one day get a dvd where we see phish at their best in the mid 90s, but the performance was great and the dvd well worth the money.

"Jaded head" checking in here :)
Yes, the lights are pretty. And the production quality is *way* better than the Vegas release. That alone makes this release worth considering, as the only high quality complete show release on DVD. And no, it's not about the songs. It's about the execution. I'm not writing a review to bash LiB, and I'm not going to praise it uncritically either. That's a waste of time.

I'd describe this DVD as a well-packaged, well-produced release of a show that, well, is what it is. It's got some highlights and some lowlights. Kung is performed so ironically that it pains me to see folks taking it seriously. Mike's Groove and Divided add nothing to this release. It's as if the band is trying to put an exclamation point on what began as a really good set, but they just can't do it. They keep reaching. And keep coming up short. And in the end, it really is sad to see them unable to put together even a serviceable, workman-like performance of the classics that once made them. Instead of trying to do more than they were capable of, it might have been more effective just to play a fast and loud Piper that nobody would have expected anything more from. This shouldn't be a controversial point. After all, the band didn't disband because they were tired of success; it was their respect for the fans, and their unshakable conviction that the vitality that defined their rise to greatness was gone.

My bottom line: This release shows *both* what made phish great, and what made them eventually pull the plug. I agree that it has $20 worth of material on it - easy. But it still leaves me hoping that we might someday get something that really shows what made this band great. Maybe something along the lines of, say, an anniversary reissue of the Great Went on DVD. I think the band deserves it as much as the fans do. So, for me, it's disappointing to see them embrace mediocrity when greatness is out there. Subject line says it all.

"Live in Brooklyn" is a good DVD with issues. True, the show choice is odd considering that there are probably more worthy shows within the Phish vaults. It seems that in the previous reviews, the musical quality has been exaggerated to both extremes. The simple truth is this is an average show -even if it was during their decline. It is true that this performance features unexpected sloppiness. While one would expect a DVD concert to be above average, let's remember "Live in Vegas" -the show where phans actually cheered the impending hiatus. Add that to "Bittersweet Motel" and the band has a lukewarm video offering. Yes there are issues, but let's also remember that on such an average night, Phish still outshined most of their musical peers. Highlights include 'Moma Dance,' 'Free,' '46 Days' and 'Weekapaug Groove.' While the music may have issues, the video is high quality. Without bells or whistles, the camera work and video editing is straight forward. Listening to Phish in 5.1 surround sound is deeply satisfying. Especially during the jams, the audio editor spread the psychedelic sounds around the room to maximize the experience. Some believe that it is their duty as real phans to hate this DVD because it shows a moment long past the band's climax. Instead of being hypercritical, appreciate "Live in Brooklyn" for what it is: an average night. While not as strong as "It," "Live in Brooklyn" is an entertaining snap shot of an emotionally charged time in Phish history.

i'm a little jaded, so i might be bias, but wow, whyd they choose to release this show? tons of mistakes, not just by trey but by fishman as well, the band just doesnt seem in synch for a lot of this show. its always great to see shows dvds, but if this is the impression that younger phish fans will have....yuck! jams dont really go anywhere and composed sections of most songs are bad. second section of divided sky made me especially sick. the dvd extras of trey singing anything but me and the connection sends the message clear to fans what market they're going for...

Order from Dry Goods and you get a bonus CD with the following tracks:

Exclusive Bonus Disc:
Camel Walk (6/18/04)
Stash (6/18/04)
Cars Trucks Buses (6/18/04)
Tweezer (6/18/04)
Chalk Dust Torture (6/18/04)
A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing (6/17/04 Soundcheck)
Undermind (6/17/04 Soundcheck)
Crowd Control (6/17/04 Soundcheck)

i get sad when i hear some of the songs on this. its historic for showing the fans that trey(he is getting older and the dexterity is bound to suffer some) seems to have stopped caring about fulfilling his pivotal/crucial role in the evolving sound ball that is phish. the dismal maze and divided sky have literally brought a tear to my eye but so has the ecstatic moma dance for completely different reasons. its a roller coaster ride as far as the execution of the songs go but if you're tripping on acid you probably wont care. it was the first of their concerts i ever saw and i enjoyed it then but time hasnt been so kind to this show. newcomers should look to the mid nineties for a taste of what phish could do when they were on fire.

This is the Phish of the next millenium. Die-hards can bitch about how they went downhill post-hiatus, or post '97 or whatever, but these guys were still tremendously awesome right up to Coventry (warts and all.) There are some obvious flubs in the choreographed portions, but the improv and jamming is still top notch. And what I like most about the later years, is Phish got so much funkier. The camerawork is great in this show. My only beef would be that they don't pan back often enough and let us enjoy Kuroda's amazing art. Closeups of each band member are great, but when the lights are really off the hook on stuff like 2001, I could personally take a 5 minute break to watch the light show.

This is definitely better than the Vegas DVD. I won't compare to IT or Bittersweet as they are different animals all together.

My rundown:
Song/Ocean- cool but not outstanding
Dinner/Movie- good but sloppy
Curtain With- yawn, not one of my favorite tunes
Sample- set starts getting interesting (my fav singalong tune)
Moma/Free- AMAZINGLY FUNKY
Nothing- has some cool moments, woulda liked to have seen this song evolve in future shows
Maze- rip-roaring, very good version, high energy as always
Frankenstein- good solid set closer.

Set 2:
46 Days->Possum (amazing, both songs)
Oh Kee Pah->Suzy- probably my favorite portion of the show. Excellent Suzy, very experimental
Axilla I- good version, lotsa energy, not one of my favorite tunes
2001- good funk, short version
Birds- great jam not on the level of IT but still a very tasty version.
Kung- phish silliness
Mikes Song- ok, but I'm not crazy about the new ending/transition.
Hydrogen- pretty straight forward
Weekapaugh- great fast paced closer. High energy. What's up with the lame fans never getting the glow stick war going? Musta been all the Yankee fans in the audience...go Sox. Seriously though, a GREAT Weekapaugh Groove. Excellent way to end a set.

Divided Sky- probably my fav tune by Phish, but not a particularly great version.

All in all, a great DVD. I'd agree with the previous reviewer that the best parts are the unscripted jams (which is really the main thing that I love about Phish). How you feel about this DVD will mainly depend on which songs you love and which elements of the band you love. It still proves yet again that this was the best live rock band ever. Even mediocre shows are an extraordinary experience unlike any other band. Happy trails to Phish...until we meet again.

You Unemployed Myself > jam > Ganja Goo was awesome! best versions ever!