Customer Reviews

Phish - Live in Vegas

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

So here we are with Phish's first official home video (DVD). How much Phish had to do with it's production I don't know. What we end up with is fine stuff. It must have been maddening deciding what to put out, what show to do, what location etc. It looks like they said fuggit and just went with a random selection. Nothing really amazing happens yet nothing less than above average happens either. Pure Phish. Two longish sets with two cover tunes as encores. The video quality is fair. Way above bootleg quality but not pay per view multi camera zillion dollar quality either. The sound is perfect. Fantastic 5.1 seperation, if this were released as a live DVD-Audio with no visuals people would be losing their minds. Instead they will take the audio for granted and gripe about the image. I'm totally happy, there's even nearly a half hour of bonus footage and a photo gallery! My big beef is with WEA and the fact that all of their DVDs are packed in the cheapest materials. Flimsy, paper thin snap case design with tray teeth just waiting to break off. C'mon guys, I can't imagine that a keepcase could be much more $$.

I agree very much with the review before mine - the audio quality of the new Phish DVD, Live in Vegas, is superb in Dolby Digital 5.1 - however, the video quality is suprisingly mediocre. I too was very much looking forward to this DVD as I thought Bittersweet Motel was a good movie but a bit of a tease for live concert footage. This DVD here is all concert footage and has an interesting set list with a lot of favorites (Mike's Groove, Curtain, Maze, AC/DC Bag, Simple, Twist, Sand), but also some odd choices (Walfredo, I Saw it Again) and rarities (Colonel Forbin, Timber, Emotional Rescue). There is even some extra footage from the next night's concert in Arizona, including the songs Camel Walk and Piper. The band is in good form in concert and are animated throughout. The music is loose in spots but scorching in most others. The sound, when cranked through my Marantz SR-18EX receiver's processors is "you're there" quality with great separation of instruments, a huge soundstage, and nice crowd ambience and some neat reverb. The picture quality is so-so and had me wondering at times what was wrong with my TV, as it is somewhat grainy, blurry with motion artifacts and just not that razor-sharp picture one would come to expect with DVDs (in other, this ain't no Lord of the Rings, but it's far better than a bootleg). There are nice multiple camera angles, but no cool editing effects or band interviews. Other than the extra live footage and a photo collage, there are not a lot of DVD extras. However, considering the DVD costs less ($$$ at Best Buy) than any of the Live Phish CD offerings out now, this is a bargain and must-have for Phish fans. If you don't have a DVD player yet, and have been waiting, what are you waiting for? VCR is as dead as analog tape. DVD players can be had for so little (on average 1/4 the price of the DAT player which I hardly use). The hardcore phans may still wonder, why not Big Cypress or Clifford Ball (two of Phish's best concerts ever) on DVD? Considering the band has had a film crew on hand at their shows for years, one has to think there are more DVDs to come in the future. In the meantime, crank this baby to 11 and enjoy 3 hours of Phish. 4 stars.

I was so anticipating this DVD to be a home theater showpiece, to display the capabilities of my new 5.1 surround sound system and HDTV rear projection TV....but Phish only delivered on half of those expectations.

First let me start by saying the audio quality is outstanding, for this alone the DVD is well worth it. They did a terrific job of creating a crystal clear sound out of a live concert, as well as projecting the music and audience through Dolby 5.1 Surround...hats off to the audio crew.

Now for the not so good part. I was very disappointed with the video clarity. The picture is grainy and blurry, especially on the distant shots of the band. The only time the picture quality seems ok is when it is a close up shot highlighting only one or two of the band members. Once the camera pulls back, it is difficult to even make out the faces (say nothing of the expressions) of the band members. I was hoping this DVD would bring me closer to capture the expressions and actions of the band as they played, instead many times I felt as though I had another upper balcony ticket to the show! At first I made excuses for the video quality (well there shows are not well lit and all the lighting effects make it difficult for good video quality...etc.), but then I compared it to the clarity of the live clips from Bittersweet Motel and realized that displaying a clear live Phish video is not impossible.

To wrap things up, do buy this DVD. If you like Phish, you will appreciate the playing and quality of this show. As long as you don't have high expectations for video quality and know this going into it, you won't be disappointed.

I was lucky enough to catch 27 Phish concerts before they finally pulled the plug, but I'm not one of those overanalytical types that dissect their shows inside & out...I've mostly been a happy & satisfied customer, warts n' all. Having said that, however, this DVD really doesn't do much for me. On paper it looks like an intriguing setlist, but apart from a handful of songs, the performance isn't too inspiring IMO. Looks more like one of those "you had to be there to appreciate it"-type shows, actually. Visually, it varies from bootleg quality to barely above average. I mean, the first time I watched this, I cleaned my DVD player after the first few songs, thinking that's what was responsible for the poor picture quality...but nope, no difference. I mean, this was filmed in the year 2000, right? To put things in perspective, the picture quality of the Led Zeppelin DVD blows this away, and some of THAT footage is 35 years old!! The audio is top-notch however, so that offers slight redemption. Bottom line: spend your money on the far superior "IT" DVD, and avoid this one...

As a huge Phish fan I have heard better performances. Don't get me wrong, plenty of the material was well played. The Curtain With is a great old tune to hear, Mike's -> Simple is always great, although the Mike's was clearly a substandard and short version. Esther is a wonderful old tune, another one, and was great with exception of Trey flubbing the lyrics at the end. This DVD contains the most smokin Weekapaug Groove I have ever heard. Ever. Timber is a fun song, the AC/DC Bag is very tight. Colonel Forbin's Ascent leaves something to be desired although the Trey Speak was quite nice, as was Fly Famous Mockingbird. Twist and Sand are two great Farmhouse songs and were rocked out, perhaps not to the fullest, but well done none the less. A Day in the Life is a great cover, very well done. Emotional Rescue is just plain strange, although very entertaining. I won't give anything away. The audio is great, the video is not, but we all know that already. The closeups are good, the shots from the crowd look as if they may have been shot by a fan with a home video camera. A good Phish performance, although I am hoping the upcoming IT DVD blows this out of the water.

I was thoroughly pleased to hear of the release of this DVD, however, the first few I got were bad copies (thanks for the quality assurance Warner). When I finally got a working copy I thought it was a lackluster performance, and the video quality, as most people say, is absolutely horrible. There was some guy giving the facts about lighting, well I too work in television, and if you use video equipment that is any good at all, you can work with lighting and make it look great. Phish appears to have used the low-end of video equipment and it looks horrible. As for the show, we all know there are phans out there that think everything and anything the band does is brilliant!!! And then there are phans, like myself, who can admit that the boys are human and aren't always on fire and ocassionally have a boring show, this one is a boring show!!! Out of all the great shows on that particular tour (Tweeter,AllState,Target,Shoreline) why did they pick, IMO, one of the worst? If you are a discerning Phish phan and appreciate the music more than the scene/vibe, avoid this one and wait for the next DVD release. If you think Phish can do no wrong, than obviously buy this one, you probably won't be disappointed.

Great audio, subpar video, a sleepy performance. Anyone who is familiar enough with Phish to shell out money to buy a dvd will know what this band was capable of on any given night. There were amazing jaw-dropping nights, great nights and occasionally an uninspired, low-energy performance. This dvd release falls under the latter. I don't buy the take-whatever-you-can-get-and-be-happy argument. Not when you know there are probably tons of releasable videos sitting in the Phish vault. I would even be glad to buy a dvd of the stationary-one-camera videos being offered on LivePhish.com if it was of a transcendent performance like 12-29-97 currently available there for download. Why they chose to release this evening in Vegas from 2000, I'll never know.

This release was the second of two shows in Vegas and Trey's birthday. The show from the previous night included Kid Rock and it's probably not a stretch to assume they all celebrated Trey's birthday into the wee hours of the morning because you can't help but get the feeling from watching this dvd that they are all very sleepy. It is reflected in two low-energy sets.

The show begins anticlimactically with the band swapping instruments for Walfredo and it sets the tone for the entire show. A person seeing Phish for the first time was probably like, What the...?
Mike's Song can carry a show on it's back, and it closes out the first set - it segues into Simple and then loses steam meandering into I Saw It Again and Esther before chugging into Weekapaug. The second set is dominated by Col. Forbin which includes a long description of a dream Trey had and then he thanks the road crew. In a high-energy jamfest, Trey's monologues are a welcome, usually entertaining break, but on this night it brought an already slow show down to a crawl - probably at the expense of another song or two, or three. A forgettable Twist follows and then a very long Sand has Trey plunking around on his keyboard where it quickly loses momentum and stays there. They close with The Beatles, A Day In The Life and the encore is the Stones, Emotional Rescue to put everyone back to sleep.

In closing, I would suggest NOT playing this dvd for anyone who never had the pleasure of seeing Phish live. Steer them towards IT or maybe Bittersweet and in the meantime hope that Phish will release a dvd you would be proud to turn others on to......Big Cypress?

"Phish - Live in Vegas" does not deliver Phish's best show - not even one of their greatest shows. Yet, it delivers a significant show being their final pre-hiatus show.

During a break between songs, Trey comments on the significance of the show. He explains that the band has enjoyed nineteen great years, how they are taking a break, and how he hopes for nineteen great years after the break. We now know that will not happen, since Phish played their farewell concert in Coventry, Vermont at the end of their 2004 Summer Tour.

Speaking of Coventry, Phish's last song at that festival and last song of their career as a band together, "The Curtain With," also happens to round out this DVD. Another notable song from this DVD is "Mike's Groove," a slow instrumental snippet of "Rift," a rendition of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life," and an interesting "Walfredo" with Trey on piano, Page on drums, Fish on Bass, and Mike on guitar. Another highlight of this DVD is Phish's rendition of "I Didn't Know," an a cappella number that features a Jon Fishman vacuum cleaner solo.

This is a great DVD to add to your Phish collection or to get introduced to Phish's material.

I am dissapointed that Phish would release this. Someone was asleep at the wheel. The video is almost unwatchable. Why they chose this night to release and not the night before is strange.

No establishing of the scene. This show could have been anywhere. Koruda's lights are not given the presentation they deserve. Save your money.

I have to saw that before I bought this DVD, I pondered to look at some misleading reviews by some of the overly critical consumers. I had faith that Phish would not let me down and I was right. Not only am I a huge Phish-head but also am an audiophile as well.

As for the Audio, each song on this 172 minute DVD is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital sound which really gives you the feel of a live concert once you hear all the screaming fans around you. The Video was a little different story though. Once I laid the DVD in my player I watched closely and examined the DVD for any flaws. First I found that the Digital Video seemed to lack some sharpness and camera angles do get overused in the end but this could never detract me from the true meaning of Phish, the music. Yet, the Digital video does add some-sort of rough live feeling to the DVD.

At first I found the setlist to be a bit cumbersome, I had wished for some more tunes from Junta, rift, or farmhouse, but when I took the chance I found many songs which I really enjoyed and sounded great.

The Audience was ecstatic and seemed to reflect off of Phish, yet their live performance was not the best it still far exceeded any other band in that the sounds were tight and the house was kickin'. I did miss synchronous tramp exercises that they often perform but I guess I will just see them doing it live at my hometown.

As for the complants of Packaging, the packaging was fine, besides I'd rather watch them than look at a stupid box any day, and a descent video mixed with unbelievable sound makes this DVD well worth it.

So buy this DVD if you are a true Phish fan, and buy this DVD if you are not a true Phish fan.