Live in Chicago, IL, Park West, 01.06.1999
Text written by Mike Baker
Photos taken by Mike Baker
I arrived at the Park West at about 5:30, a half an hour before the doors were to be opened. There were a couple people standing outside, but what really caught my attention was how nice this place looked, even from the outside. A little before 6, a security guard instructed us that the doors might not open since David Garza was still soundchecking. Hoping to hear a little bit of the soundcheck, and escape the cold, I made my way around the side of the venue and in a back door. Appreciating the heat and comfort, I kept quite in a booth towards the back of the venue. This club is truly beautiful. In all my years living in the city I had never been here and it is far above it’s main competition for shows, i.e. the Metro, the Riv (I still prefer the former for most shows due to it’s history as a "church of music," e.v.). It had been recently remolded had booths and tables, a great lighting and sound system, as well as waiters, (which personally through me off,) and a full, very expensive, wet bar and kitchen, not to mention the bathroom attendants, but we don’t need to get into that.
When the doors were opened, I found my friend who I inadvertently left out in the cold, explained my luck and we secured our spots in the front, a little left of center. From my seat, (literally seat, the floor was covered with tables and chairs, not a wild venue), I could see most of the four fish’s instruments including Robbi’s collection of exotic instruments and Jeff’s usual arsenal of basses, (including his 'Daughter', 'Nothingman', 'Elderly Woman', etc. stand up bass, his "Smile" Gibson hollow body, and his classic yellow / orange bass that used to sport a New Orleans Saints sticker but now just has the outline from where it used to be.) David Garza and his band took the stage promptly at 7:30 and played a 45 min set of some very funky, blues oriented music with their stand up bass player taking the show. During this set, I saw Robbi Robb by the bar and talked to him for about 15 minutes about the previous surprise gig in Missoula and the Yahoo chat.
Three Fish took the stage right around 9:00 mainly to the cheers of "Jeff", "Ament", etc.
This is my one complaint of the evening. I understand that PJ fans may be interested in
hearing Jeff play, it’s understandable, he is an incredible musician. As a huge PJ fan,
it was my interest in PJ that turned me on to Three Fish, but that’s it. I wasn’t there
to see Jeff Ament, I was there to see Three Fish as a fan. I don’t expect every one there
to be enormous Three Fish fans and for everyone to forget where Jeff came from, but it is
incredibly rude, not only for Jeff, but for the rest of the band to hear cries of "Pearl
Jam" and "Lowlight" (I am not making this up.)
They opened with 'Shiva and the Astronaut'. Jeff and Robbi were sitting on crushed velvet stools with Jeff playing his stand up bass and Robbi playing acoustic guitar. Next the played 'Transporting' and than 'Tremor Void'. 'Tremor Void', which is the first single off The Quiet Table, is an incredible song with Jeff playing bass, Richard playing acoustic guitar, and Robbi playing one of his sitar-like instruments and the fourth fish, Steven, made his presence known for one of the first time of the night playing bongos. 'Song For a Dead Girl' is next, and the band looses their stools. Robbi plays a 12-String electric with Jeff talking up his "Smile" Gibson. The first song that I really knew, (the Quiet Table was released today) and it was a big hit. Richard began to show off his incredible skill which surprised the hell out of me and only glimpsed at the way he would play later in the show. 'Half Long' and 'My Only Foe' followed, both excellent rock songs. 'Timeless' featured an introduction by Robbi saying that it was written for two women they really admired and hoped that the effects of their lives would be seen soon. He went on to reveal that the women are Mother Teresa and Princess Diana. The closest that the night got to a Pearl Jam reference also came here when Robbi quoted 'Teacher leave those kids alone' from Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick In The Wall part 2'.
'Laced' was next and was spectacular. Really got the crowd into it and featured some more
top notch drumming by Richard. 'Myth of Abdou' followed and is a very Indian, trance type
feel, even featuring some chanting by Robbi and Jeff. 'Once In A Day' and 'All Messed Up'
sort of blended together and featured some incredible playing by both Robbi (lead guitar)
and Richard. Jeff really got into it for the first time during these songs featuring some
huddling over in front of the drums, etc. a la Pearl Jam moves, (but no 'Even Flow' type
jumps). Robbi was on fire giving us jumps, spins, even some Pete Townsend windmills.
The band left on a definite high note and came back surprisingly soon. The first song
they played, I am not sure of the title, but Robbi sat down and sang while Jeff played
acoustic guitar. It was quite beautiful. They closed with a window rattling version of
'Resonate' with all four fish in top form.
It was a freezing cold, thunder storm night when we stepped outside of the venue. We had been inside for a while
and they were starting to make people leave so we braved the rain. After about 25 minutes waiting for Robbi and
Jeff who I wanted to thank for their kindness earlier, Richard walked out the back door. We talked for a minute told
him how much we enjoyed the show, especially his drumming and "indian drumming". (He was playing this drum
kit that looked like all the drums were hand made, they were wrapped in leather and he played them with mallets.
He also had a normal drum kit.) He said thanks and that he really didn’t know exactly what he was doing, but he
had a good time. After having realized that he forgot the key to the tour bus, he went back into the venue, and I
followed. I only wanted to get out of the rain =D. To my delight, I found Robbi and Jeff talking calmly with 4 or
5 fans and some roadies. Incredibly nice guys, we talked for a while about the show, PJ’s 98 tour, Mike’s album with the
Rockfords, my visit to Missoula, how nice the Park West is, what’s going on with TFC, etc. I thanked Jeff for hanging out
and talking to all of us for so long, he said you guys seem like a cool, mellow bunch.
He was incredibly gracious for autographs and pictures, as well as the rest of the band, all though he had the most
requests. At about 11:30 they left for Minneapolis and politely said goodnight. We thanked all of them for their
generosity and for an amazing show. If you get a chance to see these guys, they are definitely worth the effort.
Note:
There are many more beautiful pictures from the gig taken by Mike at his own web site.
Have a look!
