This 11/29 show is the last non-MSG, non-NYE show of the year, and it epitomizes the ambivalence I've felt for much of this fall tour and, in a way, for much of '09 in general. You've got some great technical playing, some fantastic energy, but a noticeable lack of improvisation compared to later years of 3.0 and (obviously) earlier eras of Phish. I certainly don't listen to Phish exclusively for the jams, but when you're listening to 50+ shows to rate the band over the course of a year, you really, really want something more to sink your teeth into than just the fifteenth "well-played" version of "Cavern." The first leg of summer tour provided the occasional excellent jam amidst all the standard takes on well-practiced classics, especially when it came to "Tweezer," "Disease," and "Piper." The second leg of summer tour expanded the improvisational content to encompass some truly great jams, especially near the end of the run, but by Alpine, the blueprint for The Summer Jam was starting to show a bit, and it's obvious that by fall, the boys were looking for a new way to get into weird jam spaces. It's just as obvious that, by 11/29 at least, they haven't found it yet.
This show is stellar in terms of energy. If I wasn't a jam-hound and was just going to a live Phish show to have a good, fun time and hear some top-notch rock and roll, a show like this would blow my socks off in the flesh. As it is, it's fun enough on tape but largely nothing I haven't heard yet this tour, and it's a bit of a bummer to keep following this tour when the real highlights (like 11/20 S2 and 11/28 S2) are so few and far between, especially compared to the end of summer when it seemed like the band couldn't be stopped by a brick wall.
Anyway, enough griping. "Possum" > "Disease" as an opener is pure fire, and the sort-of-segue is pretty neat, taboot. "Weigh," for such a heavily composed tune, is played really loosely here and is, strangely, the better for it. "When the Circus Comes" and "Water in the Sky" are both played faster than usual, and "Stash" is drawn-out and stays within its usual confines, but is a hard-charging version.
The real meat of this set (sorry) comes with "Meat" and "Undermind." "Meat" starts to descend into goofy Phish antics, with Mike changing his name from "Cactus" to "Prince," but then things get weird when the band heads into a space jam instead of a funk jam. "Prince" and "Princess" (Fish) both get solos, and then there's some fantastic minimalist Page/Trey interplay. This sonic weirdness carries through right into the "Undermind" jam, which is also top-notch guitar-led space. Clearly, the guys have the chops to go deep at this point, but they rein it back in and stay in jukebox mode for the rest of the show. Trey and Mike give "Mike's Groove" the nuclear treatment, and we're on to the second set.
You can pretty much imagine how the rest of the show plays out by reading the setlist. Hot versions of "Moma" and "Rock and Roll" are followed by a potentially phenomenal "Light": halfway through, Trey and Page lock together on a set of fast, bubbly arpeggios and it seems like things might really take off, but the band quickly falls back on the ol' '09 ambient fadeout trick, and though "Light" is followed by a surprise "Crimes of the Mind" which Trey rocks into oblivion, that's the extent of surprise you'll feel listening to this second set, unless you really like "Pebbles and Marbles," in which case this could be the best version from 3.0 (which isn't saying much).
The encore is a weird one. I absolutely love the band's "cover" of "Free Bird," so it's impossible to go wrong there. It was hard to listen to this five minute "Carini," though, after listening to the song grow into a ridiculous hydra-headed beast over '13 tour. Finally, after the cacophony of "Carini"'s screaming (literally, thanks to Fishman) peak, we end the show with..."Waste." I like the sentiment behind ending a show this way, but especially at the wrong end of a three-song encore it feels a little flat.
I feel bad complaining so much about a run of what are essentially energetic, solid Phish shows, but I'm looking forward to getting to '10 in hopes that there's something more interesting around the corner...
Nov 25, 2013
Nov 22, 2013
2009-11-28 Times Union Center II
Earlier this year, the Tahoe Tweezer unseated the 12/31/95 "Reba" as my all-time favorite Phish jam. I'm a little biased because I was actually there for the former and not for the latter, but it's my favorite instance of jamming from the band out of all of the ones I've heard so far, hands down. Yet, I saw all eight shows of the west coast run that spawned the Tweezer and Tahoe II was probably my 6th or 7th favorite show overall. I feel similarly about this second Albany show.
The "Seven Below" > "Ghost" combo to start the second set is just mind-blowing. In '09 terms, it's like jamming from another planet, from the past (or, considering how much it sounds to me like a pared-down version of some of the bigger '13 jams, the future). It's like nothing else the band has played in '09, at least thus far. Plus, "Seven Below" and "Ghost" are probably my two favorite Phish songs to see jammed out, so that's a little extra bonus for me. This segment of the show is just as good as everyone's been telling me it is. The rest of the show, though, is largely more of the boilerplate Fall '09 stuff that I've been so bummed out about recently.
The first few songs are standard, then we get a major "d'oh!" moment when Trey tries to start "Uncle Pen" and totally biffs the intro. It's a little funny because he clearly started playing the song on 11/27 before calling an audible and going with "MMGAMOIO" instead...apparently he forgot to practice overnight. Anyway, he recovers and it's a perfectly serviceable version of the song, but it sort of speaks to how most of the rest of this first set runs: Fall '09 Super-Song-Choice Mode is still engaged here, but so is Fall '09 Sloppy-Playing-And-Uninspired-Solos Mode. So. Yeah.
"Sanity" is a great choice for the four-slot, and getting a following "Foam" and then "Walk Away" > "NICU" is awesome in theory, but even the "Walk Away," while solidly played, doesn't reach its usual frenetic rocksplosion heights. I'm happy to hear "Vultures," but this version is a slopfest. "Number Line" is short, but features what is, frankly, one of the best, most consistent flat-out rock solos I've ever heard from Trey. So there's that.
Aside from the "Number Line," though, the only highlight of the first set is "SOAM," but what a highlight it is. On any other night, without the massive opening pair of songs coming in set two, this "Melt" would be the highlight of the show, or even the run. I've really come around recently on this song in general, but part of what's historically put me off about it is that the jams get too abstract, too sharp-edged too fast, and while I'm all for exploratory jams, there's typically nothing to really latch on to that resembles music or emotion in a "Melt" jam. It's like watching two robots beat the shit out of each other: it's loud and abrasive and a little terrifying and you have trouble looking away, but it doesn't really make you feel anything.
This "Melt," though, manages to strike a balance between the jam's usual abrasiveness and a melodic quality that makes it more approachable without taking out the heart of what makes a clangy, bangy "Melt" jam (in theory at least) a "Melt" jam. And, in case you couldn't tell, I love it.
The second set is purely all about the "Seven Below" > "Ghost." Typically I would spend a bunch of time here explaining each jam step-by-step, but in this case this duo is so goddamn essential to Fall '09 that I'm just going to link to them and assume that if you don't know them already, you'll go listen now. It's fine. I'll wait.
Back? I'll wait for you to put your socks back on.
Okay. "Cool It Down" is a neat bustout, but honestly the rest of the second set was just sort of filler for me. Like with the Tahoe Tweezer, I vaguely remember being happy that they played "Tela" after, and then I promptly forgot what the rest of the set even was because I was busy picking my jaw up off the floor.
The encore "YEM" is a great victory lap version, though. First of all, YEM encore. Second of all, this "YEM" is like your mom: everyone gets a turn, and they're all sexy. "YEM" is typically a song that doesn't do much for me outside of the awesome composed sections, but lately (in '09) the guys have been doing some interesting things with it. That continues to hold true here.
So yeah. While this show is not strong overall, to the point that I'm willing to recommend you just skip it beyond the "Melt," "Seven Below" > "Ghost," and maybe "YEM," Those highlights are so high that this is probably, by default, the high-water mark of Phish for fall. Maybe the entirety of '09, though I'm still pretty partial to the Gorge since it was my first show.
On to the last pre-MSG, pre-NYE show of the year!
The "Seven Below" > "Ghost" combo to start the second set is just mind-blowing. In '09 terms, it's like jamming from another planet, from the past (or, considering how much it sounds to me like a pared-down version of some of the bigger '13 jams, the future). It's like nothing else the band has played in '09, at least thus far. Plus, "Seven Below" and "Ghost" are probably my two favorite Phish songs to see jammed out, so that's a little extra bonus for me. This segment of the show is just as good as everyone's been telling me it is. The rest of the show, though, is largely more of the boilerplate Fall '09 stuff that I've been so bummed out about recently.
The first few songs are standard, then we get a major "d'oh!" moment when Trey tries to start "Uncle Pen" and totally biffs the intro. It's a little funny because he clearly started playing the song on 11/27 before calling an audible and going with "MMGAMOIO" instead...apparently he forgot to practice overnight. Anyway, he recovers and it's a perfectly serviceable version of the song, but it sort of speaks to how most of the rest of this first set runs: Fall '09 Super-Song-Choice Mode is still engaged here, but so is Fall '09 Sloppy-Playing-And-Uninspired-Solos Mode. So. Yeah.
"Sanity" is a great choice for the four-slot, and getting a following "Foam" and then "Walk Away" > "NICU" is awesome in theory, but even the "Walk Away," while solidly played, doesn't reach its usual frenetic rocksplosion heights. I'm happy to hear "Vultures," but this version is a slopfest. "Number Line" is short, but features what is, frankly, one of the best, most consistent flat-out rock solos I've ever heard from Trey. So there's that.
Aside from the "Number Line," though, the only highlight of the first set is "SOAM," but what a highlight it is. On any other night, without the massive opening pair of songs coming in set two, this "Melt" would be the highlight of the show, or even the run. I've really come around recently on this song in general, but part of what's historically put me off about it is that the jams get too abstract, too sharp-edged too fast, and while I'm all for exploratory jams, there's typically nothing to really latch on to that resembles music or emotion in a "Melt" jam. It's like watching two robots beat the shit out of each other: it's loud and abrasive and a little terrifying and you have trouble looking away, but it doesn't really make you feel anything.
This "Melt," though, manages to strike a balance between the jam's usual abrasiveness and a melodic quality that makes it more approachable without taking out the heart of what makes a clangy, bangy "Melt" jam (in theory at least) a "Melt" jam. And, in case you couldn't tell, I love it.
The second set is purely all about the "Seven Below" > "Ghost." Typically I would spend a bunch of time here explaining each jam step-by-step, but in this case this duo is so goddamn essential to Fall '09 that I'm just going to link to them and assume that if you don't know them already, you'll go listen now. It's fine. I'll wait.
Back? I'll wait for you to put your socks back on.
Okay. "Cool It Down" is a neat bustout, but honestly the rest of the second set was just sort of filler for me. Like with the Tahoe Tweezer, I vaguely remember being happy that they played "Tela" after, and then I promptly forgot what the rest of the set even was because I was busy picking my jaw up off the floor.
The encore "YEM" is a great victory lap version, though. First of all, YEM encore. Second of all, this "YEM" is like your mom: everyone gets a turn, and they're all sexy. "YEM" is typically a song that doesn't do much for me outside of the awesome composed sections, but lately (in '09) the guys have been doing some interesting things with it. That continues to hold true here.
So yeah. While this show is not strong overall, to the point that I'm willing to recommend you just skip it beyond the "Melt," "Seven Below" > "Ghost," and maybe "YEM," Those highlights are so high that this is probably, by default, the high-water mark of Phish for fall. Maybe the entirety of '09, though I'm still pretty partial to the Gorge since it was my first show.
On to the last pre-MSG, pre-NYE show of the year!
Nov 15, 2013
2009-11-27 Times Union Center I
So, I'll say this right up front: this show is the epitome of the solid "song-based" Phish show. There are a few brief moments of improvisational cleverness here and there, but no real jams to speak of. However, the song choices are superb and the playing is generally up to or above par throughout the entire show. So, you can probably come to a verdict on this show for yourself without really having to read much further. Just look at the setlist, and if it looks like fun to you, dive in. Generally speaking, for once, what you see is exactly what you get.
As is increasingly the case in this fall tour, the band annihilates the opener right out of the gate. This is a flaming hot blowtorch of a "Bag," followed by a clever segue into "Maze," and some absolute madness from Page especially during his spotlight in that song. Then, we get a few neat little ditties like a slightly-more-barroom-than-usual "Driver" and a "Gumbo" with some extra spice. "It's Ice" is basically a straight reading from Rift (take that to mean whatever you want), and since I love me the occasional Undermind rarity, "Two Versions of Me" is fun, though Trey has a bit of trouble with the lyrics. "Timber" is absolutely shredded, and "Light" is a short, pre-improv Type 1 version that ends with a serious '99-sounding ambient space that lasts for a few minutes. It sounds at first like the typical set-ending crescendo of noise, but then it just keeps going, building on the ending note(s) a bit like the Worcester '12 "Roses," but not as good. But still pretty good; and it and closes the set on an intriguing note.
No building on weirdness in the second set, though! We kick off with the strangely but effectively placed "MFMF," and then there's a mini-segue into the first-ever cover of "Golden Age." Predictably, this version is a bit rough around the edges, but blossoms into a full-blown Type 1 jam briefly before we're moving on to "On Your Way Down." This is probably, frankly, the highlight of the show. Trey slays his leads, Page nails the vocals, and Fish appropriately beats the hell out of his drums, and for a moment I was reminded that Phish can just flat-out tear up a good rock and roll song when they want to.
"Fluffhead" and "Harry Hood" take up the lion's share of the rest of the set, and both are solid-but-standard versions. The only other thing really worth mentioning in this set is the "Piper" -> "Tomorrow's Song" combo. The "Piper" has a pretty fantastic, if brief plinko section that dissolves nicely into an ambient wash that resolves itself in the opening of "Tomorrow's Song" (debut!). But the success of this pairing probably depends on your enthusiasm for Undermind rarities. For me, it was great to hear the song and the little jam that gets tacked on to the end of it, but for most I imagine it would be a potentially interesting "Piper" "derailed" by a "momentum-killer."
I enjoyed this show more than I imagine most fans would, because I like a good song-based show occasionally (at least on tape, if not when I'm in the audience live), and this one's constructed and built to perfection for my Phish-y tastes.
But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to diving into 11/28's second set and hearing some real improv again.
As is increasingly the case in this fall tour, the band annihilates the opener right out of the gate. This is a flaming hot blowtorch of a "Bag," followed by a clever segue into "Maze," and some absolute madness from Page especially during his spotlight in that song. Then, we get a few neat little ditties like a slightly-more-barroom-than-usual "Driver" and a "Gumbo" with some extra spice. "It's Ice" is basically a straight reading from Rift (take that to mean whatever you want), and since I love me the occasional Undermind rarity, "Two Versions of Me" is fun, though Trey has a bit of trouble with the lyrics. "Timber" is absolutely shredded, and "Light" is a short, pre-improv Type 1 version that ends with a serious '99-sounding ambient space that lasts for a few minutes. It sounds at first like the typical set-ending crescendo of noise, but then it just keeps going, building on the ending note(s) a bit like the Worcester '12 "Roses," but not as good. But still pretty good; and it and closes the set on an intriguing note.
No building on weirdness in the second set, though! We kick off with the strangely but effectively placed "MFMF," and then there's a mini-segue into the first-ever cover of "Golden Age." Predictably, this version is a bit rough around the edges, but blossoms into a full-blown Type 1 jam briefly before we're moving on to "On Your Way Down." This is probably, frankly, the highlight of the show. Trey slays his leads, Page nails the vocals, and Fish appropriately beats the hell out of his drums, and for a moment I was reminded that Phish can just flat-out tear up a good rock and roll song when they want to.
"Fluffhead" and "Harry Hood" take up the lion's share of the rest of the set, and both are solid-but-standard versions. The only other thing really worth mentioning in this set is the "Piper" -> "Tomorrow's Song" combo. The "Piper" has a pretty fantastic, if brief plinko section that dissolves nicely into an ambient wash that resolves itself in the opening of "Tomorrow's Song" (debut!). But the success of this pairing probably depends on your enthusiasm for Undermind rarities. For me, it was great to hear the song and the little jam that gets tacked on to the end of it, but for most I imagine it would be a potentially interesting "Piper" "derailed" by a "momentum-killer."
I enjoyed this show more than I imagine most fans would, because I like a good song-based show occasionally (at least on tape, if not when I'm in the audience live), and this one's constructed and built to perfection for my Phish-y tastes.
But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to diving into 11/28's second set and hearing some real improv again.
Nov 13, 2013
2009-11-25 Wachovia Center II
Considered within the context of a Fall '09 tour that has so far been largely underwhelming compared to the late Summer '09 fireworks, the Wachovia Center run feels a little like a practical joke.
Night 1 had a totally flat first set, and some uninspired jamming in the second set flagship "Disease," but teased real brilliance at the end with an unreal "Simple" > "Slave" > "Weekapaug" segment.
Night 2 starts off strong, dashes hopes with weird setlist choices, then comes back in the second set, starts strong and...dashes hopes with weird setlist choices.
There's still a slight upward curve to the quality of these fall shows in general, but it's frustrating because the peaks are (so far) few and far between. And it's not for lack of playing ability or energy, because when the band actually makes contact, they hit it out of the park, as with the last quarter of 11/24 or 11/20's second set. But everything else is just sort of...bleh. Maybe it's just that I've been listening to 2013 shows too much lately and the lack of consistency in '09 stands out more than usual in comparison. Anyway, 11/25.
The "KDF" and "46 Days" pairing that starts this show is absolute fire. Trey is firing off melodic rock leads like it's the mid-90s, and a good time is had by all. It feels like the momentum from the end of the previous night has carried over totally unabated. Then "Sugar Shack" derails the guitar pyrotechnics. Now, I love this song, actually. But Trey just cannot seem to play it, and struggling through it seems to shut him down until "Antelope." The rest of the first set, honestly, is forgettable. There's a tight version of "Divided Sky" (segued into incredibly suddenly out of a promising "Halley's" jam), and "Sleep Again" as a rare Phish performance, featuring a pretty little piano jam from Page, but that's about it. "Antelope," featuring Trey goofing around with the intro riff and then annihilating the song's peak, brings the damn house down, but everything between that and "46 Days" sounds like a different band.
The guys come back strong with a spacey "Birds" jam that features some interesting guitar-looping action and staccato chording over a burbling, murky soundscape instead of the typical funk jam. This was an absolute surprise, and easily one of my favorite jams since the Gorge run, if not my top choice. "Farmhouse" is surprisingly shreddy, and then Trey (because this is a Trey show, despite Mike's usual bass heroics) rips into "Tweezer" with a Type 1 barrage that culminates in a really clever, ever-building arena-rock riff. Whether you're a 2009 hater or apologist or somewhere in-between, it's hard to argue against the fact that "Tweezer" has provided more than its share of highlights throughout this year. Yet, each version is a little different and unique, and this one keeps up the trend by managing to be inventive and powerful while staying within standard rock and roll confines. Highly recommended.
The "Tweezer" fire carries over to "YEM," which features a great composed section and nice solos from everyone but Fish and a vocal jam that entertains for its entire length, even just on tape. I can't really look past the "YEM," "Esther," "TTE" close to the set, though. Especially after having "Divided Sky" in the first set, this is just too much composed "goodness" in one show for me. I get that it's 2009 and the guys have been practicing and want to show off their chops, but when this much of your show gets blocked out for compositional opuses (which is apparently the plural form of "opus"), I lose interest. I'm sorry, but this show just derails for me after what's honestly a pretty amazing first half of the second set.
"O! Sweet Nuthin'" is a great closer, and Trey plays his solo with the same energy and creativity we heard earlier in "Farmhouse" and the two show-opening tracks, but the second half of this second set is shut down by astoundingly goofy (maybe intentionally goofy?) setlist choices.
Night 1 had a totally flat first set, and some uninspired jamming in the second set flagship "Disease," but teased real brilliance at the end with an unreal "Simple" > "Slave" > "Weekapaug" segment.
Night 2 starts off strong, dashes hopes with weird setlist choices, then comes back in the second set, starts strong and...dashes hopes with weird setlist choices.
There's still a slight upward curve to the quality of these fall shows in general, but it's frustrating because the peaks are (so far) few and far between. And it's not for lack of playing ability or energy, because when the band actually makes contact, they hit it out of the park, as with the last quarter of 11/24 or 11/20's second set. But everything else is just sort of...bleh. Maybe it's just that I've been listening to 2013 shows too much lately and the lack of consistency in '09 stands out more than usual in comparison. Anyway, 11/25.
The "KDF" and "46 Days" pairing that starts this show is absolute fire. Trey is firing off melodic rock leads like it's the mid-90s, and a good time is had by all. It feels like the momentum from the end of the previous night has carried over totally unabated. Then "Sugar Shack" derails the guitar pyrotechnics. Now, I love this song, actually. But Trey just cannot seem to play it, and struggling through it seems to shut him down until "Antelope." The rest of the first set, honestly, is forgettable. There's a tight version of "Divided Sky" (segued into incredibly suddenly out of a promising "Halley's" jam), and "Sleep Again" as a rare Phish performance, featuring a pretty little piano jam from Page, but that's about it. "Antelope," featuring Trey goofing around with the intro riff and then annihilating the song's peak, brings the damn house down, but everything between that and "46 Days" sounds like a different band.
The guys come back strong with a spacey "Birds" jam that features some interesting guitar-looping action and staccato chording over a burbling, murky soundscape instead of the typical funk jam. This was an absolute surprise, and easily one of my favorite jams since the Gorge run, if not my top choice. "Farmhouse" is surprisingly shreddy, and then Trey (because this is a Trey show, despite Mike's usual bass heroics) rips into "Tweezer" with a Type 1 barrage that culminates in a really clever, ever-building arena-rock riff. Whether you're a 2009 hater or apologist or somewhere in-between, it's hard to argue against the fact that "Tweezer" has provided more than its share of highlights throughout this year. Yet, each version is a little different and unique, and this one keeps up the trend by managing to be inventive and powerful while staying within standard rock and roll confines. Highly recommended.
The "Tweezer" fire carries over to "YEM," which features a great composed section and nice solos from everyone but Fish and a vocal jam that entertains for its entire length, even just on tape. I can't really look past the "YEM," "Esther," "TTE" close to the set, though. Especially after having "Divided Sky" in the first set, this is just too much composed "goodness" in one show for me. I get that it's 2009 and the guys have been practicing and want to show off their chops, but when this much of your show gets blocked out for compositional opuses (which is apparently the plural form of "opus"), I lose interest. I'm sorry, but this show just derails for me after what's honestly a pretty amazing first half of the second set.
"O! Sweet Nuthin'" is a great closer, and Trey plays his solo with the same energy and creativity we heard earlier in "Farmhouse" and the two show-opening tracks, but the second half of this second set is shut down by astoundingly goofy (maybe intentionally goofy?) setlist choices.
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