2001: Every Show Ranked (part 1)

A Note on the Methodology

When I did this project for 1999, I shot completely from the hip. I listened to and reviewed the shows, and then scored them out of five and moved on. At the end of the year, when it came time to rank, I mostly went from these scores and from memory.

When it came time to tackle 2001, I wanted a more regular system. I utilized a jam-scoring method adopted from Treemaculate, in which good jams received a point, great jams received 1.5, and all-timers received a 2. When it came time to rank, I used these scores as is. This meant that one-set shows were not penalized, and three-set shows did not have unfair advantages.

The idea was that a regularized scoring system would lead to a more definitive ranking, but in the end I’m not sure it did. Of course, the difference between a 0 and a 1 was completely arbitrary, and would depend on a variety of variables. There were many jams that I listened back to that I had scored highly originally but no longer resonated in the same way. A few scores were adjusted as I began to plan out jam charts, but overall nothing major has been changed. If I were to try to go back and second-guess my scores, I’d lose my mind.

With that caveat, I present: every show from 2001, ranked least-best to best.

99. 6/28/01 - Thursday, Roseland Ballroom - New York, NY

The band’s performance at the first Jammy Awards in 2000 featured a sit-in with Les Claypool and some psychedelic jamming. This performance features a sit-in with John Popper and two perfunctory standalones. Not in the same league, and the only show of the year to not score even a single pity point.

98. 3/17/01 - Saturday, South By Southwest - Austin, TX

The first show of the year is a pretty standard festival set, notable for the first ever performance of Spacebird (although it would be a few more months before the Bird would grow its wings and fly). The Munchkin and Confrontation are pretty enjoyable, but not groundbreaking.

97. 11/23/01 - Friday, The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA

Nestled in between the PacNW Halloween run and the popular late-fall southern run is the oft-overlooked California “run,” consisting of three shows played over two weekends. There is some good material hidden in this run, but almost none of it in the “middle-child” 11/23, which featured guest singers and some still-rusty new material. Check out the Sven > Crickets and skip the rest.

96. 5/1/01 - Tuesday, Fitzgerald’s - Houston, TX

I get that Phish was broken up at the time, and maybe the band thought that some gimmick segments might appeal to their less-discerning phans, but come on—Bazaar > Stone > Liquid Lazer is as bad in theory as it is in execution. While that segment is certainly the low point, the show rarely rises above mediocrity, which is especially disappointing as the opening Very Moon > Pygmy segment is actually a fantastic start.

95. 9/25/01 - Tuesday, Cajun House - Scottsdale, AZ

A rare miss for September 01, 9/25 contains my least favorite (but still pretty good) September Sound 1, as well as a strong Waves > Aceetobee > Waves segment. Pretty much everything else in the show is a downright slog.

94. 12/2/01 - Sunday, Jake’s Roadhouse - Decatur, GA

The radio promo show contains a nod to the original King of the World jam from 5/6/99 (King of the World had just debuted as a proper song a few weeks prior), but overall the jamming in the show is mostly straightforward.

93. 4/16/01 - Monday, The Wetlands Preserve - New York, NY

The super-jam set is fantastic, as is the Electron show. The “Perfume” portion of the show doesn’t have much going on. The House Dog is pretty cool, especially the intro jam, but the rest of the show is optional.

92. 9/4/01 - Tuesday, Toad’s Place - New Haven, CT

Connecticut has the dubious distinction of hosting one of the worst shows of the tour less than a week before hosting one of the best. The setlist here isn’t particularly inspiring, but check out the Lai—it gets type two, and portends a mini golden age for the song.

91. 3/22/01 - Thursday, Palookaville - Santa Cruz, CA

The band opens the spring tour in their “new hometown,” and it’s pretty much dullsville. Cool versions of Crickets and Shimmy, and the second ever Ladies sandwiching a decent I-Man, but not much else.

90. 9/18/01 - Tuesday, Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN

Tuesdays in September 2001 do not have a great track record. This is the strongest of the four, but still one of the weakest of the month. Don is probably the highlight, as the two segues of the show are messed up on the only circulating copy.

89. 7/7/01 - Saturday, Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

The band’s first show at Red Rocks is also the weakest of the Phil and Friends opening slots (although, realistically, they’re all basically interchangeable). Munchkin and House Dog are pretty strong, but short, and there’s a lot of filler.

88. 7/21/01 - Saturday, Meadows Music Theatre - Hartford, CT

Another Phil show with a good bit of filler. Characteristically strong 01 versions of Svenghali and Crickets are worth a listen.

87. 3/29/01 - Thursday, The Paramount - Santa Fe, NM

Though there’s a lot of filler, this show contains a great early version of Highwire that is 100% worth hearing.

86. 5/11/01 - Friday, Fillmore - San Francisco, CA

Two massive sandwiches that should have been earth-shattering and transcendent (respectively) are both just kind of fine. The band seems to just be going through the motions on the last night of tour.

85. 11/17/01 - Saturday, The Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CA

Shimmy > Bazaar > Shimmy > Bazaar rules so hard.

84. 12/8/01 - Saturday, 9:30 Club - Washington, DC

Such a disappointment for the last show of the greater fall tour. The opening segment shows great promise, but the rest of the show is largely made up of perfunctory A > B segments.

83. 6/9/01 - Saturday, Cooper River Park - Camden, NJ

Perhaps the weirdest shared billing in the band’s history (Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Disco Biscuits? All righty then) yields a surprisingly solid Jigsaw Earth. Also worth checking out is the Floes, which has an almost deconstructed middle jam and portends great things for the song coming later in the year.

82. 6/30/01 - Saturday, Greek Theatre - Berkeley, CA

The first of the Phil and Friends shows contains some strong segments, including Shimmy > RLH > Shimmy and M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Hope > Waves, as well as little filler.

81. 12/5/01 - Wednesday, Cat’s Cradle - Carrboro, NC

While this show has gotten lots of press in recent years with the official spotify release, it is still a pretty weak show. Yes, the Reactor > Crickets > Big Happy is amazing, and yes, there’s a lot of fantastic Barber moments (M.E.M.P.H.I.S. comes to mind), but there’s a lot of filler and not a lot of deep jamming.

80. 3/27/01 - Tuesday, Rialto Theater - Tucson, AZ

The March shows (with one notable exception) are not particularly cohesive, and pick up points here and there with a few stronger-than-average standalones. This show has a strong segment in the form of Overture > Unspoken Rhyme (><) > Overture, with some characteristically strong 01 dnb.

79. 5/8/01 - Tuesday, Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR

This is a real “tale of two sets show.” The second set is entirely forgettable, but the first features some really interesting material, including one of the first interesting Spacebird jams ever, and a perplexing Confrontation with an excellent jam (and a double ending).

78. 4/4/01 - Wednesday, The Barrymore Theater - Madison, WI

One of the more interesting setlists of the year doesn’t always yield interesting material, but the Sven > Plan B makes up for some of the more boring parts, and the Boop and I-Man are strong.

77. 6/29/01 - Friday, Gathering of the Vibes - Red Hook, NY

A great starter set that coincided with the band’s opening slots for Phil and Friends, and an influx of new fans. The 7-11 > Basis fakeout > Magpie is the clear highlight.

76. 3/23/01 - Friday, House of Blues - West Hollywood, CA

The Party Favor jam, with extended vocal jam, is probably the most noteworthy, but the Vass > B&C, Svenghali and Spaga all have something to offer. There’s also one of the more perplexing sit-ins: a harmonica during Basis.

75. 7/22/01 - Sunday, SPAC - Saratoga Springs, NY

The final Phil show. Shelby and Jigsaw are strong enough to (barely) give it the edge over the others.

74. 12/6/01 - Thursday, The NorVa - Norfolk, VA

An uneven show, with a truncated first set and a second that consists of a massive “palindrome plus” segment. Most of the segment is standard, but there are moments of brilliance: the Munchkin outro is particularly compelling.

73. 4/3/01 - Tuesday, Mississippi Nights - St. Louis, MO

The first show of the midwest leg of the tour, which is typically very hit-or-miss, historically. This show is more miss than hit, but it has one huge highlight, a spectacular version of Dribble, that is enough to knock it up a few places.

72. 7/4/01 - Wednesday, Levelz - Steamboat Springs, CO

The band played a couple shows in Colorado leading up to their first Red Rocks appearance. The second night is the much-loved first Bisco Inferno, but the first night is largely forgettable. Svenghali, Story and Helix are all worth hearing once.

71. 9/16/01 - Sunday, Canopy Club - Urbana, IL

A surprisingly dull Sunday-in-September show. The band seems mentally drained after having played five straight shows following one of the worst disasters in American history. The Shem > M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Shem is disappointing, but check out the Story—MONSTER version.

70. 4/15/01 - Sunday, The Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA

The band leveled up over Easter weekend. On 4/14 and 4/15, the band played new venues in major markets that were more than double the capacity of any venue they had played there previously. 4/15 is a three-set show at Philadelphia’s Electric Factory, a venue where the band would eventually hold the record for most appearances. The show loses points for having a lot of filler, but there are plenty of highlights, including The Very Moon > Nughuffer and Waves > RLH > Lai.

69. 4/22/01 - Sunday, The NorVa - Norfolk, VA

A pretty dull show overall, but noteworthy for containing the first ever Dublights, as well as strong versions of Shem-Rah, Grass is Green, and I-Man.

68. 3/28/01 - Wednesday, Cajun House - Scottsdale, AZ

The second set is celebratory and sloppy, and it sounds as if the band has been celebrating. Both sets are interspersed with filler, but there are highlights in the M.E.M.P.H.I.S. and Boop.

67. 4/27/01 - Friday, Five Points Music Hall - Birmingham, AL

Some very interesting setlisting that pays off in parts (Morph > Down to the Bottom > Morph) and very much doesn’t in others (Basis > Widow > Basis).

66. 12/4/01 - Tuesday, Ziggy’s - Winston-Salem, NC

A pretty average show in the midst of a pretty average run. There aren’t any massive segments, but the Spaga, Voices, and (especially) Astronaut are very strong.

65. 9/29/01 - Saturday, Ventura Theater - Ventura, CA

One of the least adventurous shows of the month from a setlisting perspective contains some interesting nuggets in the Shimmy > Lai and Waves > M.E.M.P.H.I.S.

64. 4/13/01 - Friday, Lowell Auditorium - Lowell, MA

This show is probably most notable for the first (and, until 5/27/07, only) inverted Spacebird. It’s a beast on paper, although it is a bit of a paper tiger.

63. 4/6/01 - Friday, Rave Underground - Milwaukee, WI

The Basis is strong (especially the main jam), as is the Grass is Green > Pygmy, but both also have long stretches of staleness.

62. 5/7/01 - Monday, Wild Duck Music Hall - Eugene, OR

The third quarter is the strongest, with the first-ever inverted Munchkin followed by the most inventive segue into The Very Moon.

61. 9/19/01 - Wednesday, Union Bar - Iowa City, IA

The decidedly weaker second set drops this one down several notches, but the first, including one of the best Aceetobees ever, is more than worth your time.

60. 4/25/01 - Wednesday, The Music Farm - Charleston, SC

The Aceetobee > Confro, Boop, and M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > I-Man all merit your attention. Nothing really next-level, but not much filler either.

59. 10/14/01 - Sunday, Asagiri Arena - Asagiri, Japan

The second show of the Asagiri Festival is the weaker, but still impressive for a festival set in a foreign country. The Helix and Crickets are both solid, but definitely check out the 7-11.

58. 9/30/01 - Sunday, Galaxy Theater - Santa Ana, CA

The last night of probably the greatest tour ever is a mixed bag. The second set does just about nothing for me until the second House Dog jam, where it ends on a strong note. The Dribble is characteristically fantastic (in fact, this is the lowest-ranked September 01 show in which Dribble is played, a testament to its strength in September), as is the Spectacle outro.

57. 7/5/01 - Thursday, Mishawaka Amphitheatre - Bellvue, CO

The longtime fan-favorite, and first ever Bisco Inferno, 7/5/01 is plagued by a very filler-heavy third set, which drags the average down a good bit. The beloved second set is something of a paper tiger, where it is the first set, particularly the Shelby > Overture (><) > Shelby segment, that shines brightest.

56. 3/30/01 - Friday, The Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO

The Vassilios jam is one of the first usages of Crickets funk that is actually interesting. The Munchkin is one of the strongest of a tour full of strong Munchkins.

55. 10/31/01 - Wednesday, WOW Hall - Eugene, OR

The turgid Alice in Wonderland jam is probably the most notable portion of this show, but the first set is much more enjoyable, especially the Radiator > Reactor (><) > Nughuffer.

54. 4/10/01 - Tuesday, The Tralf - Buffalo, NY

Noteworthy for the first inverted I-Man and (until 2016) the last Unspoken Rhyme. Musically, both of these footnotes are actually very strong, the Rhyme especially.

53. 4/19/01 - Thursday, The Metropol - Pittsburgh, PA

Shimmy > Basis > Confro is, unsurprisingly, the main highlight.

52. 11/24/01 - Saturday, The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA

The strongest of the oft-forgotten California runs. Sound 1 > I-Man is the clear highlight, with one of the best I-Mans of the year and the first great post-September Sound 1.

51. 4/1/01 - Sunday, Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO

A perfectly solid show after the earth-shattering previous night, 4/1 suffers a bit from the “three set curse.” Pygmy > Basis > Waves (><) > Basis is great (although, on paper, you might expect more), but the Pat and Dex > Floes is probably the highlight, and the show falls off after that.

50. 4/21/01 - Saturday, The 9:30 Club - Washington, DC

Another strong show living in the shadow of a much stronger show. Musically, I give it to Pygmy > Nughuffer as the highlight, but the Hope > Waves is probably the most interesting (and one of the first jams into the “Corinado Swam” section).