Phish's 'Hampton Comes Alive' February 9, 2000 - Iowa State Daily by Trevor Bleedorn Album Review - Hampton Comes Alive In a move typical of artists whose live music is frequently downloaded from the Internet, Phish fires its latest rocket in the battle against piracy of tunes. "Hampton Comes Alive," a boxed live set recently released by the group, captures the psychedelic, good-times attitude in a six-disc collection. Recorded from a two-night stint in Hampton, Va. on Nov. 20 and 21, 1998, "Hampton Comes Alive" features almost six hours of non-stop rockin' and rollin'. This third live release from Phish ("A Live One," 1995; "Slip Stitch and Pass," 1997) is easily the best yet. "A Live One" centered heavily on Anastasio's guitar solos, pushing the bass, piano and percussion to the rear, while "Slip Stitch and Pass" was entirely too brief for a live album, consisting of only nine tracks. This effort combines solos from each group member and uniquely balances jams so that the listener can appreciate any instrument at any moment. Instrumental harmony is particularly impressive on the ten diverse covers spread evenly over the weekend performance. Covers amazingly vary from "Nellie Kane," an upbeat bluegrass tune released in the '70s by Hot Rize, to Will Smith's contemporary rap tune "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," which Phish bookends with Argent's "Hold Your Head Up." The first set appropriately kicks off with Gary Glitter's famous, crowd-chanting "Rock and Roll: Part 2," which incites "Hey" cheers from the crowd. Phish also covers and puts its unique spin on Dylan's "Quinn the Eskimo," Hendrix's "Bold as Love," The Beatles' "Cry Baby Cry," Stevie Wonder's "Boogie On Reggae Woman," Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" and Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" (if you can imagine the song being any more goofy). It's always nice to hear a new cover from the Vermont ensemble, but the greatest listening treat comes from the original Phish tunes on set lists that will floor even the most dedicated Phishheads. Ranging from the classic rock sound of "Funky Bitch," to the acoustic tune "Driver," the weekend's first set is the most impressive. Phish cleverly mixes short, vocal heavy songs with extended instrumental jams exceeding 11 or 12 minutes in length. Live versions of the band's latest studio release, "The Story of the Ghost," add freshness to each concert. The songs of choice are some of Phish's older tracks. "Bathtub Gin" teases the listeners with its pauses and bounces the crowd with its catchy, circus-like melody. Other old faves include the rambunctious "Stash," a harmonic "Train Song," the sweet funk of "NICU" and the pounding grand piano of "The Mango Song." Like many other performances, Phish involves guest performers such as Tom Marshall, who writes a lot of Phish's stranger lyrics, on vocals in "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It." For fans of live, hard jammin' tunes, this two-concert collection is unbelievable and worth a dent in your checkbook. If you are not a devoted Phish fan, the sticker price of $ 65 to $ 70 at retail stores is a little rich for the college pocket. Regardless of price, "Hampton Comes Alive" is hard proof that a four-piece band can pump out solid music of any genre.