Customer Reviews

Phish - It

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like a lot of others, my phish experience started winding down well before the hiatus, never mind Coventry. Years pass, obligations accumulate, the thrill fades . . . as did the musicianship.

I remember several years ago thinking that even at 60%, PHiSH would blow away anything else out there. It seemed so obviously true. Then they actually went out and hit 60%, if that, and I wasnt so sure.

As overwhelming as Coventry was emotionally, it was underwhelming musically (at least as heard via cinema simulcast). Enter IT. This is how IT would have ended had the end been scripted. This is phish at their finest. The highest compliment I can pay is that slipping into this DVD is like stepping back to 1993 or 1995. The band is on. The scene is alive. The songs soar. 10 years from now, this is the farewell that I'll remember. As Fishman put it, at IT PHiSH was a band that could still earn ITs keep -- that deserved to be where it was. For all the memories Phish gave me, they deserve to be remembered as they were at this show. This performance may not have been the last. But, then, in some respects, IT was. $.02

to all regarding seven below. . .if you change the audio options to dolby surround the audio will be synchronized with the video.

I watched this last month as it was shown on WTTW out of Chicago. This is wonderful. I wasn't at the show, but to see the Tower Jam was awesome. This is a must have for us collectors. You'll love this. Put it in the DVD player and crank up the surround sound. Top Notch Quality audio and visual.

Pharewell Boys.

JD

After reading all of the rave reviews already here, I decided to point out a few of the GLARING screw-ups on this DVD, as well as a few things that I didn't like. First of all, I cannot believe that no one has mentioned the HUGE mistake in Seven Below. Whenever the DVD cuts to the close-up shot of Trey's hands, the video isn't timed right with the audio. I was absolutely shocked when I first saw this. How could such a high budget production make such a huge error? It's extremely annoying to see Trey play something three or four seconds before it is actually played. Another mistake (more proof that it was hastely rushed to release) is the fact that it says Aug. 2 & 3 2004 on the DVD case when the festival took place in 2003. While this doesn't REALLY make a difference, it is an error that you wouldn't expect to see.

Other than this, I was disapointed with the poor job they did cutting out long jam sections. While I am personally against cutting out a jam no matter what the circumstances, I understand why it has to be done. That being said, there is a right and a wrong way to do it. For example, in Chalkdust Torture on disc 1 most of the jam is cut for time. This would be alright except for the fact that the outro lick in Chalkdust was played at a very fast pace at IT. This makes for an extremely abrupt cut from the begining to the jam to the end of the jam, resulting in a sudden change in beat that just sounds extremely awkward.

Another complaint is the speed at which all of the cuts are made. When watching a DVD of a concert I like to focus as much as possible on the music. However, with all of the really fast cuts and weird effects and stuff that were put on this DVD, it's very hard to do. I found them distracting and annoying throughout disc 1. Disc 2 was much less manicured and I enjoyed it much more.

Lastly, Page, as usual, gets very little attention. But I've grown to accept the fact that Page never gets the attention he derseves on any DVD.

Everything about this DVD is top notch. Disc One is the PBS special about the "IT" festival...and if you haven't seen it, it provides a great mix of music and interviews. The camera work is very good (shot in HD), and the sound is pristine. Disc Two gives you straight up songs (uncut), and once again, the camera work/sound is dazzling. I like the selection of songs throughout both discs, and although I wasn't at the festival, the crowd and venue shots really give a good representation of what it must have been like. Another great thing about this DVD is the packaging. I have about 20 concert DVD's in collection, and the packaging on this is hands-down the best and most professional I've seen. I give my highest recommendation for this DVD.

I purchased "Phish: Live in Las Vegas" a while ago, and I was somewhat shocked at the poor quality video throughout the DVD.


This DVD, however, is excellent. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this concert. It is particularly of interest to those who have never been to a Phish concert (like myself), as this DVD provides not just video from the concert, but interviews of the band and clips from around the festival. I feel that it was designed as a work of art of sorts, as it includes a lot of artistic video effects, such as slow-motion, and granulation. The jams are cut short, and there are some interviews that come up during spacier jams, but it keeps things interesting. If you want to hear the band jam, listen to a Live Phish cd. If you want to have a look at what goes on during a Phish concert, buy this DVD.

Some claim that the band is not having any fun while they are playing, and so the concert is not a good one. I feel differently, as i think the band is really concentrating on making the music to be art, and not just spur of the moment jam.

The DVD is not perfect, but i am sure that in any DVD, there will be some minor errors pertaining to sync and what not. The errors made are only aggrivating to those who are looking for something to be angry with. It is obvious that the producer spent large amounts of time working on this DVD, and it shows thanks to how well every aspect of the DVD is worked together, from the interviews to the clips of random sightings at the festival to set up for the festival, etc.

The point is, this high quality DVD captures an incredible concert, giving the viewer a taste of the entire festival.

This is Phish's best and most accessible DVD thus far. The mix of songs is incredible, as is the high-def production. The PBS special is very insightful, and may be especially enjoyable for newer fans or people altogether unfamiliar with Phish. I found it to be much more useful as a documentary than Todd Phillips' "Bittersweet Motel." It focuses equal attention on every member of the band, which is nice to see in place of Trey-worshipping. The cinematography is sometimes flashy, but always tasteful and useful in the purpose of presenting the music in its live element. For fans, watching this DVD will be somewhat bittersweet, but it will also remind them why they listen to Phish in the first place

Having been at IT, it was great to relive those moments. Also, anybody who was not at the festival will surely be blown away by these boys playing at the top of their game. The only complaint that I have is that of the sound and picture on "Seven Below" on the second disc. Both the sound and picture are out of sinc by about 5 seconds. I know other people who have bought the dvd and their copy contained the same problem, so it's not just my copy. Aside from that, this is everything anybody could ever ask for in a Phish video.

extremly hard to try and capture the vibe of that weekend but this dvd will bring back memories for those who were their and help to show what those who werent missed , also it has awesome jams. waiting for coventry DVD mud mud mud

Watching this DVD brought back some memories...I wasn't at this particular Maine festival, but I did attend the one in '97 (aka The Great Went), so I can definitely recognize & appreciate the effort that went into what was surely another unforgettable weekend.

Nothing could actually top being at a Phish show in person, but this 2-DVD set does a pretty remarkable job recreating the vibe. Not much on here is filler...even the photo gallery is worth checking out, as it is accompanied by audio from "IT Radio". The PBS documentary is well done, and all four bandmembers get a fair amount of interview time. The camerawork is top-notch, and it carries over to the bonus tracks on the second disc as well...BTW, the video absolutely buries the Live at Vegas DVD, and you'll notice right away.

Some unlikely MVP performances (from the second disc) are included here, including a fiery "Julius" jam, an exploratory "Chalkdust Torture" (clocking in at 24 minutes, never derailing), and a worthy payoff from the buildup in "Pebbles and Marbles".

One negative is that you may notice the audio is out of sync during "Seven Below"...it can be fixed by changing the audio settings, but it's still a minor inconvenience. And honestly, I wish some of the song highlights from the PBS special were included in their entirety on the second disc...it woulda been nice to have a complete "Antelope", "Bug", or "You Enjoy Myself" to round things out.

Nonetheless, "It" should satisfy Phish fans, and might even entice non-fans to look into the band...