So, I never did a wrap-up post for Summer I 2010, despite the fact that I finished reviewing the individual shows in June. I'm going to do one now, but be aware that it's not coming much from memory of having listened to the shows recently, but more just from re-reading my reviews.
What I do remember of Summer I 2010 (and what re-reading reviews confirms) is that during this period, Phish pretty much abandoned the idea of jamming in its entirety, save for the occasional fifteen minute song that took the usual Type I > Funk > Rock > Ambient Fadeout structure of most of '09's big jams. They focused instead on high energy playing, great song choices, and just having fun. Many of these shows, on their own, are really fun, exciting listens. After a whole tour of it, though, I sort of wanted to blow my brains out. Yes, we get it. You can play these songs. But the improv, the thing that makes live Phish most interesting, is almost entirely missing after the first few shows. Fortunately, things pick up rather quickly during Summer II, so I guess there's that. Anyway, here are the highlights, such as they are:
6/11: The first three or so shows of the tour are actually pretty fantastic. The first set of the opener is ninety minutes in nine songs, and it's all a huge, high-energy affair. The second set has a few legit jams in "Light," and "Ghost" > "Limb By Limb."
6/12: Interesting version of "Stash" and a strange, mini-jammed "Groove" set closer in the first set. The second set opens with a monster "Rock and Roll" that's frankly kind of boring despite its length. Fortunately, the extended "Hood" that follows is "above-average-good," and the "Number Line" after that is one of the best jams of the year, even though it's really only the last five minutes or so that get crazy.
6/13: Consistently energetic show with some great setlist choices. The "Melt" at the end of the first set gets briefly interesting. The second set's "Drowned" > "Tweezer" -> "Twist" > "Piper" sequence is worth a listen, though it's the beginning of a move from legit jams to segues and weird setlist turns that hangs over most of the rest of this leg of tour.
6/15: Totally jamless. Weird "Bag" that's maybe worth a listen. There's a bit of "Gin" toward the end that gets interesting. Otherwise, totally rote show.
6/17: Great first set, in a first set sort of way. Trey destroys "Walk Away" and "Divided Sky." "Stash" is sufficiently weird and the jam gets a little "Melt"-y. "Sand" from the second set is worth a mention, as it sounds shockingly like a 2013 jam, like you literally turned on shuffle without realizing it and we jumped a few years into the future. But much of the rest of the show is the band giving Trey the reins and Trey sort of shrugging awkwardly.
6/18: This is about as good as a Phish show can get without a marquee jam. Everything's played well, the setlist is fantastic, etc. "Light" -> "Billy Breathes" is gorgeous, even if the "Light" is short. The "Tweezer" is worth a listen, though I'm not sure it quite qualifies as a "marquee jam" to offset the rest of the (really good) jukebox playing.
6/19: First set is amazing within the confines of a usual first set. Fantastic Type I "Gin" jam, fantastic song selection, Page destroys the "Suzy" closer. "Rock and Roll" opens the second set on a high note, but the rest of the set devolves back into "rocking out the first set" territory.
6/20: Consistent but straightforward first set with a "Roggae" highlight. "Drowned" -> "Swept Away" -> "Steep" is masterful, but that's about all that's worth noting from another mostly rote show.
6/22: The first set is all Trey Shredz and "Dr. Gabel." "Sally" -> "Light" -> "46 Days" is a great second set sequence, but that's the extent of the highlights.
6/24: The epitome of jamless, high energy 2010 Phish. Strong "Bowie" opener, strange "Timber" sort-of jam...and "The (fucking) Rover"! And it's a great cover. The second set is a bit weird and inconsistent, and settles into a composed-song groove for the last 45 or so minutes, but before that there's a bit of an interesting "Twenty Years" jam > a solid "Hood."
6/25: Finally somewhat of a strange show! Lots of very old songs and very new songs in the first set. The second set "CDT" goes deep (shades of '14) though it's a bit hollow for all its length. The "highlight" of the set is a "2001"/Michael Jackson seguefest that, like most seguefests, was probably way better live than it is on tape. On tape, it's a rickety, sort of goofy affair that fortunately lands in a "Light" that actually goes somewhere interesting. Inconsistent show, but one with some improvisational high points, finally.
6/26: Set one is standard-great in the mold of most of the summer 2010 first sets so far: solid playing, great song choices, nothing interesting. The second set is a bunch of old-school songs rocked out in old-school fashion, including a fantastic "Rock and Roll" jam and one of the better "Tweezer"s of the season.
6/27: The first set is a weird but effective mix of eccentric songs like "Walfredo," "Tela," and "Mellow Mood." In the second set, a rocking "Meatstick" leads into "Saw It Again," which we do in fact see again (and again) throughout the rest of the set. "Piper" -> "Ghost" is gorgeous, and the halfhearted "Jumpin' Jack Flash" that follows is icing on the weirdly satisfying cake. One of my favorites of the leg, for sure.
6/29: Back down into the doldrums in this show, from the heights of the previous 2-3. The whale pedal is absolutely out of control here, and the songs suffer for it. No highlights really, save for a few minutes of the "Simple" and a bit of funky space in "Groove."
7/1: Lack of energy makes the usual paint-by-numbers 2010 S1 boring. All that's really worth mentioning is a brief-but-thorough "Light."
7/2: Back to the usual "fun" 2010 first set here. Great moments in the second set including a vocal jam in "46 Days," a dark "Twenty Years Later," and more vocal jamming in "YEM," but alas, still very little improv.
7/3: Lots of old and rare songs in yet another good-but-boring first set. There is a long jam here in "Rock and Roll," but it's a clunker. The highlight of the show is probably the "Caspian" > "Tweezer" sequence.
7/4: Yet more oldies-but-goodies in this first set. The second set is one of the better ones of tour, which honestly isn't saying much after this leg. For example, there's a high-octane "Disease" > "Piper" > "Ghost" sequence, but across all three of those songs, there's no Type II to be seen. Oh well.
Nov 25, 2014
Nov 23, 2014
Summer '14 Wrap-Up
Summer '14 was, pretty clearly, the absolute best Phish since...well, for my money, since ever. There were some specific jams and idea spaces that came up in '13 that I liked better, and I haven't listened to Fall '13 yet, but for a tour where the band can go there at will and play just about anything on their catalog with technical precision in the meantime, in addition to there being a new album of songs to develop...well, let's just say there's a reason I jumped to reviewing this tour before finishing up summer '10. It's fantastic.
But there really wouldn't be much point in reviewing all of these shows if they were perfect, so here's my wrap-up post for summer '14.
6/24: Hour long show for Live On Letterman. Varied setlist surprisingly light on Fuego material, including a solid "Undermind." Only real jam (and there is one!) is "Twist."
7/1: Fantastic tour opener. Lots of Fuego songs in a high-energy first set, and a real highlight in a blissful "Stash." The second set is mostly an excellent "Mike's" > "Simple" > "Free," "Waiting All Night" > "Ghost" -> "Groove." The "Ghost" is the highlight here, at least until what's probably my favorite "Hood" of the entire summer.
7/3: The first set is another high-energy affair with some great song choices, including an "Ocelot" I actually like as well as a great "Mound," "Roggae" pairing. Three huge jams including a "Gin" -> "Limb By Limb" where both songs go Type II and a later "Tweezer" make the second set a winner, too.
7/4: This show has higher highs and lower lows than the first two shows. The first set is a clunker, but a great "Reba" and a great, loop-filled "Melt" almost make up for it. Similarly, the back half of the second set sags, but the first half is a sonic wonder, moving from a 20-minute "Fuego" to a brilliant "Disease," into a bluesy "Twist" and then ending up on darkly funky "Light." It's a great sequence.
7/5: The first set has a little bit of everything, including a marimba lumina jam, a "Foam," and the first live "Wombat." If you like composed epics, the second set has your number. The "Carini" -> "Waves" pairing is a great start to the set, "Piper" is just fantastic, and the show also contains "Fluffhead," "YEM," and "Divided Sky."
7/8: First set has great song choices, but no standout performances except for a short "Tube" jam. A huge "Fuego" is the jam centerpiece here, obviously, but the "Tweezer" -> "Ghost" is no slouch, either, especially because of a really weird "Ghost" jam.
7/9: The first set is a disaster in set construction, but strong versions of "Stealing Time" and "Alaska" (yes, you read that right) as well as takes on "McGrupp" and "Antelope" make it palatable. Set two is like 7/8's second set in that there are a few great jams (in this case "Chalkdust" and "Twist") while the rest of the set is just filler.
7/11: Set one is a rockfest topped off by a great "Stash"; that is, if you completely discount the amazing "Gin," which comes out of nowhere with a 15 minute version that at its best recalls the effortlessness of the Tahoe "Tweezer." Set two is all about the "Steam" > "Disease." "Steam" gets super-weird. The rest of the set is pretty standard.
7/12: The first set is way more consistent than the last few shows'. "Antelope" is a loopy highlight. The second set's main attraction is the "Carini" > "Ghost" pair, but like 7/1 there's another notable "Hood" that veers off the tracks, this time for a blues jam, of all things. One of the better shows of the tour so far, along with 7/3 and 7/8.
7/13: Set one is better than most. Solid first quarter, then a Page-ified "Possum," loopy-heavy "Jim," and a wild "Melt" to close. Set two's "CDT" > "Light" > "Tweezer" makes this the best show of the year so far, though the rest of the show after is a rote "victory lap" sequence.
7/15: One of the few clunkers of tour. Check out the "Disease," but that's about it.
7/16: While it doesn't stand up to the '14 juggernauts, this show seems a bit underrated. Solid first set, with an excellent funk-laden take on "It's Ice." In the second set, "Ghost," "Groove," "Piper," and "Possum" actually all get quite weird, but none of them stay weird for long, giving the impression (via tracklength) that nothing's going on. Interesting transition show, for my money.
7/18: First set is really flat, save for a great Trey-led "Reba." I still haven't heard anyone really talk this up, but this is one of my favorite second sets of the year. Darkness, funk, consistent jamming, weird song choices...it's all happening. Great "Golden Age" jam. The chorded-out "Mango Song." The transition from a white-hot "Sand" into "Piper," into some crazy "Piper"-jam/"Halley's" mashup into a fucking jammed-out "Wombat." Absolutely deranged. I love it.
7/19: Definitely a trough after the peak of 7/18 S2. First set is standard, though with good song choices. The second set is much the same: the "Hood" gets weird again in a good way, but falls apart near the end. Similarly to 7/15, I can really recommend one song here ("Light," in this case), and you won't miss much leaving the rest alone.
7/20: A great setlist, rock-solid playing, and a candles-jam from Page on "Mule" make for an excellent first set. "Disease" opens S2 in an interesting but inconsistent way, and things seem to be moving into jukebox territory for a bit before the boys break into a jam out of "The Wedge" that is one of the best of the summer, and not just because of shock value. The "Ghost" follow-up is great, and the "Groove" is a mini-seguefest. Weird, but satisfying show.
7/25: The first set is pretty rote here, though the extended "Winterqueen" is worth mentioning. The "CDT" jam is unique in a summer's worth of "CDT" jams because of its consistent minimalist/dark feel. After that, though, the show wraps up with some little jamlets like the 7/16 show did. The highlight post-"CDT" is definitely the "Twist" -> "Circus" pairing. Another weird-but-great show.
7/26: Consistently first set, though not necessarily interesting. Great version of "Roggae" (like most of them). The second set is pretty much front-to-back amazing (I'm looking at you, "Sing Monica," for that "pretty much"). "Carini" -> "Ghost" > "Steam" is a monster, and the "Hood" is possibly a better version than the 7/1 take. Great show.
7/27: Some heresy, here, but I prefer 7/26 to 7/27. Sure, seguefests are fun, but they're way less fun when you already know the setlist and know what's coming. The first set is either normal songs being played normally or surprise songs being underwhelming in practice. The Tweezerfest is pretty awesome, and fun, but again I'd rather look to the big jams and interesting improv of the summer when I'm thinking about relistens. Had I seen this live, it probably would have been my show of the year. But I didn't.
7/29: Early 3.0-style show: rote first set, big jam to kick off second set, then a slow grind to the finish. Actually, though the S2 "CDT" goes deep, it's probably my least favorite version of the summer, which makes the show highlight the first set "Melt," of all things...
7/30: Another rote first set here, but because the song selection is so weird, it might just win you over anyway. The second set is a rocket. There's a funk suite of sorts with "Fuego," "Meatstick," and "Piper" all jumping on board before "Billy Breathes" comes out of hibernation to serve as a landing pad. That's the end of the serious improv for the set, but "Seven Below," "First Tube," and "The Lizards" keep things interesting.
8/1: Absolutely boring first set, incredible second. The "Disease" is 20 minutes of pure energy, the "Tweezer" jam is great, the mini-"Fuego" jam picks up where "Tweezer" left off, and the set closes with a "Boogie On," "Antelope" mash-up. Great stuff.
8/2: Like many of the weaker shows this tour, we're mostly in jukebox mode here except for the third quarter, when "Carini" > "Ghost" blows the damn roof off.
8/3: Fantastic tour closer. Bookends really well with 7/1, actually. The first set features great performances of a great setlist, with a few bones thrown out to hint at greater things to come. "Vultures" is extended a bit, "Gumbo" gets a funk jam, etc. Yet another great "CDT" kicks off the second set, "Scents" and "Twist" are short-but-great takes, and the "Light" > "Hood" pair is just magical, and includes one of the best, if not the best "Hood" in a tour full of great ones.
8/29: S1 is great because of the setlist gag. It forces the band to play songs that don't usually show up here ("Guyute") or at all ("Llama," "Ha Ha Ha"), and they play them well enough that it works despite nothing really notable happening in terms of improv. The monster "Simple," probably my favorite single jam since Tahoe, is the big takeaway from the second set. But the "Ghost" that follows is great, the late "Hood" is another weird-but-good '14 take, and, frankly "46 Days" was well into an amazing jam before it got seriously ripcorded.
8/30: The first set is long, and packed with great songs played well. The second set's "Disease" -> "WTU?" pair is the highlight; the "Disease" jam is one of the better ones this year, and the segue is just flawless and well done. "Carini" and "Light" are both great despite their runtimes and the encore is just a blast of Phishiness.
8/31: Only slacker of a first set at Dick's. "Wombat" and "Wolfman's" are great, but the rest is pretty standard, and without the flow of N1 or N2 to pick it up. S2, though, is an absolute monster. It depends a bit, actually, on your interpretation of a minimalist and strange "CDT" jam: brilliant or tepid? "Tweezer" > "Sand" -> "Tweezer" (double speed) > space jam > "Piper" is right up there with 7/18 and 7/26 in terms of a "themed set" that really works together. In this case, the theme is "deep space funk," and it's awesome. "Mike's" gets a serious echo-funk treatment, too, and then we coast to a stop with "Sally" > "Groove." A better first set, and this could easily be Show of the Year. As it is, it's a great close to a run that might (I still haven't decided) beat out Randall's for Run of the Year.
But there really wouldn't be much point in reviewing all of these shows if they were perfect, so here's my wrap-up post for summer '14.
6/24: Hour long show for Live On Letterman. Varied setlist surprisingly light on Fuego material, including a solid "Undermind." Only real jam (and there is one!) is "Twist."
7/1: Fantastic tour opener. Lots of Fuego songs in a high-energy first set, and a real highlight in a blissful "Stash." The second set is mostly an excellent "Mike's" > "Simple" > "Free," "Waiting All Night" > "Ghost" -> "Groove." The "Ghost" is the highlight here, at least until what's probably my favorite "Hood" of the entire summer.
7/3: The first set is another high-energy affair with some great song choices, including an "Ocelot" I actually like as well as a great "Mound," "Roggae" pairing. Three huge jams including a "Gin" -> "Limb By Limb" where both songs go Type II and a later "Tweezer" make the second set a winner, too.
7/4: This show has higher highs and lower lows than the first two shows. The first set is a clunker, but a great "Reba" and a great, loop-filled "Melt" almost make up for it. Similarly, the back half of the second set sags, but the first half is a sonic wonder, moving from a 20-minute "Fuego" to a brilliant "Disease," into a bluesy "Twist" and then ending up on darkly funky "Light." It's a great sequence.
7/5: The first set has a little bit of everything, including a marimba lumina jam, a "Foam," and the first live "Wombat." If you like composed epics, the second set has your number. The "Carini" -> "Waves" pairing is a great start to the set, "Piper" is just fantastic, and the show also contains "Fluffhead," "YEM," and "Divided Sky."
7/8: First set has great song choices, but no standout performances except for a short "Tube" jam. A huge "Fuego" is the jam centerpiece here, obviously, but the "Tweezer" -> "Ghost" is no slouch, either, especially because of a really weird "Ghost" jam.
7/9: The first set is a disaster in set construction, but strong versions of "Stealing Time" and "Alaska" (yes, you read that right) as well as takes on "McGrupp" and "Antelope" make it palatable. Set two is like 7/8's second set in that there are a few great jams (in this case "Chalkdust" and "Twist") while the rest of the set is just filler.
7/11: Set one is a rockfest topped off by a great "Stash"; that is, if you completely discount the amazing "Gin," which comes out of nowhere with a 15 minute version that at its best recalls the effortlessness of the Tahoe "Tweezer." Set two is all about the "Steam" > "Disease." "Steam" gets super-weird. The rest of the set is pretty standard.
7/12: The first set is way more consistent than the last few shows'. "Antelope" is a loopy highlight. The second set's main attraction is the "Carini" > "Ghost" pair, but like 7/1 there's another notable "Hood" that veers off the tracks, this time for a blues jam, of all things. One of the better shows of the tour so far, along with 7/3 and 7/8.
7/13: Set one is better than most. Solid first quarter, then a Page-ified "Possum," loopy-heavy "Jim," and a wild "Melt" to close. Set two's "CDT" > "Light" > "Tweezer" makes this the best show of the year so far, though the rest of the show after is a rote "victory lap" sequence.
7/15: One of the few clunkers of tour. Check out the "Disease," but that's about it.
7/16: While it doesn't stand up to the '14 juggernauts, this show seems a bit underrated. Solid first set, with an excellent funk-laden take on "It's Ice." In the second set, "Ghost," "Groove," "Piper," and "Possum" actually all get quite weird, but none of them stay weird for long, giving the impression (via tracklength) that nothing's going on. Interesting transition show, for my money.
7/18: First set is really flat, save for a great Trey-led "Reba." I still haven't heard anyone really talk this up, but this is one of my favorite second sets of the year. Darkness, funk, consistent jamming, weird song choices...it's all happening. Great "Golden Age" jam. The chorded-out "Mango Song." The transition from a white-hot "Sand" into "Piper," into some crazy "Piper"-jam/"Halley's" mashup into a fucking jammed-out "Wombat." Absolutely deranged. I love it.
7/19: Definitely a trough after the peak of 7/18 S2. First set is standard, though with good song choices. The second set is much the same: the "Hood" gets weird again in a good way, but falls apart near the end. Similarly to 7/15, I can really recommend one song here ("Light," in this case), and you won't miss much leaving the rest alone.
7/20: A great setlist, rock-solid playing, and a candles-jam from Page on "Mule" make for an excellent first set. "Disease" opens S2 in an interesting but inconsistent way, and things seem to be moving into jukebox territory for a bit before the boys break into a jam out of "The Wedge" that is one of the best of the summer, and not just because of shock value. The "Ghost" follow-up is great, and the "Groove" is a mini-seguefest. Weird, but satisfying show.
7/25: The first set is pretty rote here, though the extended "Winterqueen" is worth mentioning. The "CDT" jam is unique in a summer's worth of "CDT" jams because of its consistent minimalist/dark feel. After that, though, the show wraps up with some little jamlets like the 7/16 show did. The highlight post-"CDT" is definitely the "Twist" -> "Circus" pairing. Another weird-but-great show.
7/26: Consistently first set, though not necessarily interesting. Great version of "Roggae" (like most of them). The second set is pretty much front-to-back amazing (I'm looking at you, "Sing Monica," for that "pretty much"). "Carini" -> "Ghost" > "Steam" is a monster, and the "Hood" is possibly a better version than the 7/1 take. Great show.
7/27: Some heresy, here, but I prefer 7/26 to 7/27. Sure, seguefests are fun, but they're way less fun when you already know the setlist and know what's coming. The first set is either normal songs being played normally or surprise songs being underwhelming in practice. The Tweezerfest is pretty awesome, and fun, but again I'd rather look to the big jams and interesting improv of the summer when I'm thinking about relistens. Had I seen this live, it probably would have been my show of the year. But I didn't.
7/29: Early 3.0-style show: rote first set, big jam to kick off second set, then a slow grind to the finish. Actually, though the S2 "CDT" goes deep, it's probably my least favorite version of the summer, which makes the show highlight the first set "Melt," of all things...
7/30: Another rote first set here, but because the song selection is so weird, it might just win you over anyway. The second set is a rocket. There's a funk suite of sorts with "Fuego," "Meatstick," and "Piper" all jumping on board before "Billy Breathes" comes out of hibernation to serve as a landing pad. That's the end of the serious improv for the set, but "Seven Below," "First Tube," and "The Lizards" keep things interesting.
8/1: Absolutely boring first set, incredible second. The "Disease" is 20 minutes of pure energy, the "Tweezer" jam is great, the mini-"Fuego" jam picks up where "Tweezer" left off, and the set closes with a "Boogie On," "Antelope" mash-up. Great stuff.
8/2: Like many of the weaker shows this tour, we're mostly in jukebox mode here except for the third quarter, when "Carini" > "Ghost" blows the damn roof off.
8/3: Fantastic tour closer. Bookends really well with 7/1, actually. The first set features great performances of a great setlist, with a few bones thrown out to hint at greater things to come. "Vultures" is extended a bit, "Gumbo" gets a funk jam, etc. Yet another great "CDT" kicks off the second set, "Scents" and "Twist" are short-but-great takes, and the "Light" > "Hood" pair is just magical, and includes one of the best, if not the best "Hood" in a tour full of great ones.
8/29: S1 is great because of the setlist gag. It forces the band to play songs that don't usually show up here ("Guyute") or at all ("Llama," "Ha Ha Ha"), and they play them well enough that it works despite nothing really notable happening in terms of improv. The monster "Simple," probably my favorite single jam since Tahoe, is the big takeaway from the second set. But the "Ghost" that follows is great, the late "Hood" is another weird-but-good '14 take, and, frankly "46 Days" was well into an amazing jam before it got seriously ripcorded.
8/30: The first set is long, and packed with great songs played well. The second set's "Disease" -> "WTU?" pair is the highlight; the "Disease" jam is one of the better ones this year, and the segue is just flawless and well done. "Carini" and "Light" are both great despite their runtimes and the encore is just a blast of Phishiness.
8/31: Only slacker of a first set at Dick's. "Wombat" and "Wolfman's" are great, but the rest is pretty standard, and without the flow of N1 or N2 to pick it up. S2, though, is an absolute monster. It depends a bit, actually, on your interpretation of a minimalist and strange "CDT" jam: brilliant or tepid? "Tweezer" > "Sand" -> "Tweezer" (double speed) > space jam > "Piper" is right up there with 7/18 and 7/26 in terms of a "themed set" that really works together. In this case, the theme is "deep space funk," and it's awesome. "Mike's" gets a serious echo-funk treatment, too, and then we coast to a stop with "Sally" > "Groove." A better first set, and this could easily be Show of the Year. As it is, it's a great close to a run that might (I still haven't decided) beat out Randall's for Run of the Year.
Nov 18, 2014
2014-08-31 Dick's III
The Verdict:
Night three at Dick's is a very strong close to the only run of the summer that could compete (and possibly beat) Randall's. I was sure Dick's was better as I was seeing it unfold in person, but after a relisten, I'm less sure, and it's mostly because this third show is weaker than I remembered.
It's pretty much just the first set. After a gimmicky and interesting S1 on N1, and a sprawling, buffet-line S1 the second night, this set just falls flat due to its more or less gaping holes between a few very bright spots. Specifically, "Wombat" and "Wolfman's" are both top-notch versions, and hint at the funk to come in the second set. But the middle section of the set sags considerably, and though I love both "Waiting All Night" and "Winterqueen," pairing them right before a ripping "Funky Bitch," "Tube" > "Possum" is a mistake.
With the removal of a questionably-placed "Joy" and a standard "Twist" > "Wedge" combo (two songs that have done interesting things recently and thus hit with a thud here in their boring incarnations), this becomes a perfect set. "CDT" gets stretched out yet again, this time going to a surprisingly minimalist place and staying there for a long time. I'm still not sure if this is a great jam, or a "We're lost! Let's just fake it!" jam, but you can be the judge.
The "Tweezer" is a satisfying-but-straight funkfest...until it segues into "Sand," which moves back into a double-speed "Tweezer" before heading out to deep space. "Piper" starts up next but immediately returns to the same space, and then there's"Joy" "Mike's," which gets jammed out in the same space-funk fashion and is arguably the highlight of the night aside from the last five minutes of "Sand."
"Sally" > "Groove" is a great way to coast to the finish line, ending one of the more cohesive and satisfying sets of the year so far. A better first set, and this show would be discussed with the phrase "...of the year" coming up a lot more.
The Live Review:
8/31/14: Wrapping up the summer with a Curtain opener.
8/31/14: Mike bass bombs during the outro composed part.
8/31/14: With was great. Great start to what I remember as being a fantastic show live.
8/31/14: Solid clav-funk jam in Wombat. Great start to the first set.
8/31/14: A bit hard to hear Mike over Trey in these headphones, but it sounds to me like Mike is really shining so far.
8/31/14: Loops now. Could probably argue this is a Type II jam at this point.
8/31/14: The KDF intro riff is always a little grating. More so when Trey totally biffs it.
8/31/14: I'm having a resurgence of enthusiasm for Bouncin' lately. Which is good, since it shows up after KDF here.
8/31/14: As someone who wants ASIHTOS to go back to its 2.0 monster-jam role, it's sort of sad seeing it take up a S1 spot lately.
8/31/14: But it's still a great song.
8/31/14: Now Lawn Boy. This is lagging a bit post-Wombat.
8/31/14: Super-dense funk in this Wolfman's jam.
8/31/14: Strong, extended version of Wolfman's > Waiting All Night.
8/31/14: I'm not going to apologize for how much I love WAN when it's placed well, like now.
8/31/14: Trey struggles a bit with the solo, but otherwise it's a strong version. > Winterqueen.
8/31/14: This is a weird set. Lots of borderline boring takes on slower songs, punctuated by moments of brilliance (Wombat, Wolfman's).
8/31/14: Funky Bitch finally picking up the energy level a bit.
8/31/14: After some cool chording from Trey to close out Bitch, Tube.
8/31/14: This Tube jam needs a disco ball. Awesome. Way too short, of course :)
8/31/14: Mostly standard Possum to close the set. A little heavier on the Mike than usual.
8/31/14: Very weird, inconsistent set with some very high highs but mostly just sort of a muddle of songs. Probably worst S1 of the run.
8/31/14: CDT to kick off what should be a monster S2.
8/31/14: Trey switches to an ASIHTOS tone early in the jam, Fish switches up the beat to something faster.
8/31/14: Strangely spacey, drone-y sort of jam. For awhile, nobody really playing any melody. Fish still slamming away.
8/31/14: Guitar echoes dominate. Shifting spaces now.
8/31/14: This stays really minimalist for a LONG time. Really interesting. Not sure if it's good, but it's at least different.
8/31/14: Jam stays murky and weird until > Twist. Definitely going to listen to that one again.
8/31/14: No weird, minimalist Twist tonight. Standard version > The Wedge.
8/31/14: Okay, that was a pretty standard Wedge, too, but I like the way that it swings right into Tweezer.
8/31/14: Tweezer immediately goes into a chord-driven funk jam.
8/31/14: Page just did a brilliant, building electric piano thing. Jam mellowing a little now.
8/31/14: Trey getting into a really swinging rock solo now.
8/31/14: Page uses the piano to kick off a start-stop sounding jamlet.
8/31/14: Trey starts up Sand, with a guitar loop from the jam overtop the main riff.
8/31/14: Smoove move into Sand.
8/31/14: There's a lot more standard Type I shredding in this Sand than I remember.
8/31/14: That said, Trey's on top of his guitar game...as evidenced by the drop into a double-speed Tweezer tease.
8/31/14: Not sure why this isn't Tweezer -> Sand -> Tweezer, but it's fantastic. Heading into space now.
8/31/14: This is so good. Space-plinko? Mike bombing out overtop of it.
8/31/14: Bass drone, now.
8/31/14: That was a cleaner > Piper than I remembered.
8/31/14: Awesome What's the Use? tease in Piper.
8/31/14: Piper's getting loopy at the 6:30 mark.
8/31/14: Really eerie ambient jam now.
8/31/14: Why the hell Trey decided to -> Joy out of that I have no idea.8/31/14: Mike's is heading in a funky direction.
8/31/14: EchoFunk time!
8/31/14: Sally keeps the funk train rolling all the way to the station.
8/31/14: Great vocal jam in Sally, minute Sand tease from Trey.
8/31/14: Weekapaug was pretty satisfying chordy madness. Loving Cup, Tweeprise encore.
8/31/14: S1 was weaker by far than I remembered it being, but S2 was just as amazing (almost) on tape. Great set.
8/31/14: 8/29 had the weekend's marquee jam, but some of the songs in S2 here go to far more interesting places for a few minutes.
Night three at Dick's is a very strong close to the only run of the summer that could compete (and possibly beat) Randall's. I was sure Dick's was better as I was seeing it unfold in person, but after a relisten, I'm less sure, and it's mostly because this third show is weaker than I remembered.
It's pretty much just the first set. After a gimmicky and interesting S1 on N1, and a sprawling, buffet-line S1 the second night, this set just falls flat due to its more or less gaping holes between a few very bright spots. Specifically, "Wombat" and "Wolfman's" are both top-notch versions, and hint at the funk to come in the second set. But the middle section of the set sags considerably, and though I love both "Waiting All Night" and "Winterqueen," pairing them right before a ripping "Funky Bitch," "Tube" > "Possum" is a mistake.
With the removal of a questionably-placed "Joy" and a standard "Twist" > "Wedge" combo (two songs that have done interesting things recently and thus hit with a thud here in their boring incarnations), this becomes a perfect set. "CDT" gets stretched out yet again, this time going to a surprisingly minimalist place and staying there for a long time. I'm still not sure if this is a great jam, or a "We're lost! Let's just fake it!" jam, but you can be the judge.
The "Tweezer" is a satisfying-but-straight funkfest...until it segues into "Sand," which moves back into a double-speed "Tweezer" before heading out to deep space. "Piper" starts up next but immediately returns to the same space, and then there's
"Sally" > "Groove" is a great way to coast to the finish line, ending one of the more cohesive and satisfying sets of the year so far. A better first set, and this show would be discussed with the phrase "...of the year" coming up a lot more.
The Live Review:
8/31/14: Wrapping up the summer with a Curtain opener.
8/31/14: Mike bass bombs during the outro composed part.
8/31/14: With was great. Great start to what I remember as being a fantastic show live.
8/31/14: Solid clav-funk jam in Wombat. Great start to the first set.
8/31/14: A bit hard to hear Mike over Trey in these headphones, but it sounds to me like Mike is really shining so far.
8/31/14: Loops now. Could probably argue this is a Type II jam at this point.
8/31/14: The KDF intro riff is always a little grating. More so when Trey totally biffs it.
8/31/14: I'm having a resurgence of enthusiasm for Bouncin' lately. Which is good, since it shows up after KDF here.
8/31/14: As someone who wants ASIHTOS to go back to its 2.0 monster-jam role, it's sort of sad seeing it take up a S1 spot lately.
8/31/14: But it's still a great song.
8/31/14: Now Lawn Boy. This is lagging a bit post-Wombat.
8/31/14: Super-dense funk in this Wolfman's jam.
8/31/14: Strong, extended version of Wolfman's > Waiting All Night.
8/31/14: I'm not going to apologize for how much I love WAN when it's placed well, like now.
8/31/14: Trey struggles a bit with the solo, but otherwise it's a strong version. > Winterqueen.
8/31/14: This is a weird set. Lots of borderline boring takes on slower songs, punctuated by moments of brilliance (Wombat, Wolfman's).
8/31/14: Funky Bitch finally picking up the energy level a bit.
8/31/14: After some cool chording from Trey to close out Bitch, Tube.
8/31/14: This Tube jam needs a disco ball. Awesome. Way too short, of course :)
8/31/14: Mostly standard Possum to close the set. A little heavier on the Mike than usual.
8/31/14: Very weird, inconsistent set with some very high highs but mostly just sort of a muddle of songs. Probably worst S1 of the run.
8/31/14: CDT to kick off what should be a monster S2.
8/31/14: Trey switches to an ASIHTOS tone early in the jam, Fish switches up the beat to something faster.
8/31/14: Strangely spacey, drone-y sort of jam. For awhile, nobody really playing any melody. Fish still slamming away.
8/31/14: Guitar echoes dominate. Shifting spaces now.
8/31/14: This stays really minimalist for a LONG time. Really interesting. Not sure if it's good, but it's at least different.
8/31/14: Jam stays murky and weird until > Twist. Definitely going to listen to that one again.
8/31/14: No weird, minimalist Twist tonight. Standard version > The Wedge.
8/31/14: Okay, that was a pretty standard Wedge, too, but I like the way that it swings right into Tweezer.
8/31/14: Tweezer immediately goes into a chord-driven funk jam.
8/31/14: Page just did a brilliant, building electric piano thing. Jam mellowing a little now.
8/31/14: Trey getting into a really swinging rock solo now.
8/31/14: Page uses the piano to kick off a start-stop sounding jamlet.
8/31/14: Trey starts up Sand, with a guitar loop from the jam overtop the main riff.
8/31/14: Smoove move into Sand.
8/31/14: There's a lot more standard Type I shredding in this Sand than I remember.
8/31/14: That said, Trey's on top of his guitar game...as evidenced by the drop into a double-speed Tweezer tease.
8/31/14: Not sure why this isn't Tweezer -> Sand -> Tweezer, but it's fantastic. Heading into space now.
8/31/14: This is so good. Space-plinko? Mike bombing out overtop of it.
8/31/14: Bass drone, now.
8/31/14: That was a cleaner > Piper than I remembered.
8/31/14: Awesome What's the Use? tease in Piper.
8/31/14: Piper's getting loopy at the 6:30 mark.
8/31/14: Really eerie ambient jam now.
8/31/14: Why the hell Trey decided to -> Joy out of that I have no idea.8/31/14: Mike's is heading in a funky direction.
8/31/14: EchoFunk time!
8/31/14: Sally keeps the funk train rolling all the way to the station.
8/31/14: Great vocal jam in Sally, minute Sand tease from Trey.
8/31/14: Weekapaug was pretty satisfying chordy madness. Loving Cup, Tweeprise encore.
8/31/14: S1 was weaker by far than I remembered it being, but S2 was just as amazing (almost) on tape. Great set.
8/31/14: 8/29 had the weekend's marquee jam, but some of the songs in S2 here go to far more interesting places for a few minutes.
Nov 16, 2014
2014-08-30 Dick's II
The Verdict:
The second night at Dick's suffers a little from middle-night syndrome: with no huge standout jam like N1 and no monster of a second frame like N3, it pales a bit by comparison. But taken on its own, it's a really strong show.
The first set is long, and filled with a lot of well-played songs. While its setlist isn't nearly as eccentric as N1's first set, it's still strong enough to keep this mostly by-the-book set from coming off as "Been there, done that."
The "Free" opener is played better than "Free" usually gets in 3.0, and the run of (admittedly jukeboxy) songs up through "Rift" > "Sample" are played with high energy, and a few seem to be played even a bit faster than usual. "Devotion" gets stretched out to great effect, Trey shines for once on "Yarmouth Road," and the "Cavern" > "Bowie" pairing ends the set in style.
"DWD" opens the second set with a great, underrated jam that moves from rolling rock to 2.0 jazz, into a perfect -> "WTU?" segue. Neither "Carini" or "Light" is any kind of slouch either, though both jams barely pass the 10+ minute mark. The rest of the set, on paper, doesn't really communicate how effective it is. "Fuego" is pretty standard, but "Slave" is a beautifully melodic version, and the one-two punch of "Meatstick" and "Bold As Love" is a great close to the set.
This, of course, sets up the weird-but-great piano-only "The Horse," > "Silent," Trey's chat about and then brief tease of "In A Hole," and finally another "Fluffhead" encore.
There's no notably big moments to point to in this show like N1 and N3 have, but the show's overall effect is pretty darn near perfect.
There aren't really any good standalone videos of this show, so here, have the entire second set plus the encore:
The Live Review:
8/30/14: Free opener. Good times.
8/30/14: And the harmonies aren't totally terrible!
8/30/14: If you're going to open w/ Free, that's how you do it. High energy, > Moma.
8/30/14: Trey's soloing is extra-on tonight.
8/30/14: High tempo Moma, just like Free. Sounds good, though.
8/30/14: Halley's!
8/30/14: Actually really excited to relisten to this show. 8/29 and 8/31 I remember as being incredible, but I remember 8/30 less.
8/30/14: Funk echo from Trey on Halley's chords.
8/30/14: Fish switches up the beat to a rock-ier one, and the Halley's jam arguably goes Type II here for a minute or so. Neat.
8/30/14: > Stealing Time.8/30/14: Solid Stealing Time > 555.8/30/14: Trey sounds really on-point during this set. I don't really remember that from the show, but I'm happy about it.
8/30/14: > Rift!8/30/14: Rift > Sample is pretty cliche, but I love it anyway.
8/30/14: I'm never happy live when Devotion To a Dream starts up, but it always wins me over by the end.
8/30/14: No cheers for Yarmouth Road. Don't get it. Such a great song.
8/30/14: Trey's finally starting to find something to do in Yarmouth Road. Sparkle is next.
8/30/14: Okay, Sparkle, Wingsuit is a really weird pairing.
8/30/14: Seemed like the set would end here, but there's still a solid Bowie > Cavern to go, if I remember correctly.
8/30/14: NIce interplay between Trey and Mike at the beginning of the jam.
8/30/14: Trey doing a good job of building tension here, even if nobody else is working with him.
8/30/14: Okay, Fish is on board now.
8/30/14: Serious Cavern lyrical flubs. I love that Trey can't remember the words to this song, of all the songs.
8/30/14: High energy, LONG S1 there. Nothing to really complain about, but no notable standout performances either.
8/30/14: Did really like the song selection, though.
8/30/14: Call To the Post noodling > DWD to start S2.8/30/14: Don't remember this Disease jam at all. So far, Trey is propelling it in a bouncy rock direction.
8/30/14: Great Type I shredfest here.
8/30/14: Trey chording now, trying to drive the jam into a different direction. ASIHTOS-style tone.
8/30/14: Now it's a jazzy, almost 2.0-sounding jam. Love Fish's drumming.
8/30/14: Heavy WTU? teases.
8/30/14: And a butt-slam into What's the Use? So awesome. I'd forgotten about this, and that just shows how great Dick's must have been.
8/30/14: CAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8/30/14: Aside from all the obvious awesome jamming, one of my favorite things about '13-'14 Phish is the liberal use of Carini. So good.
8/30/14: Mike is laying into this one early.
8/30/14: Lots of heavily distorted Type I guitar coming out of Trey here. Now a building riff.
8/30/14: Carini isn't getting super-weird, but Trey is conducting a really soaring melodic solo overtop of the usual.
8/30/14: Almost a fast Cities-sounding space now.
8/30/14: Trey jumps into Light, and Fish ALMOST keeps the jam beat going over it for awhile but succumbs. That would have been awesome.
8/30/14: Pretty standard Light jam gets weird at 7:30, as Fish drives it into a darker space and the others follow.
8/30/14: Trey on the echoplex things getting even weirder.
8/30/14: Blues-woo jam now.
8/30/14: Great arrhythmic close to the jam and > Fuego. Both that Carini and Light had standout sections worth hearing.
8/30/14: Pretty spotless transition into Slave, there, from Fuego.
8/30/14: Trey has a great melody line going early on in this Slave. The build is coming and going in waves. Mike is also on (melodic) fire.
8/30/14: Compact but really effective Slave there. The first one that's really stood out to me melodically for awhile.
8/30/14: MOET-STAQUE, GIMME IT
8/30/14: Meatstick gets butt-slammed perfectly into Bold As Love.
8/30/14: This is another one of those Phish shows where there isn't a standout moment, but the overall effect is pretty perfect.
8/30/14: Trey just shredded the hell out of that set-ending Bold As Love. Wow.
8/30/14: Piano version of The Horse, with Trey on vocals. I almost like this arrangement better.
8/30/14: Piano Horse, Silent, In A Hole banter, Fluff = great encore.
8/30/14: Between this and the Eugene encore, I've gotten some great ones this year.
The second night at Dick's suffers a little from middle-night syndrome: with no huge standout jam like N1 and no monster of a second frame like N3, it pales a bit by comparison. But taken on its own, it's a really strong show.
The first set is long, and filled with a lot of well-played songs. While its setlist isn't nearly as eccentric as N1's first set, it's still strong enough to keep this mostly by-the-book set from coming off as "Been there, done that."
The "Free" opener is played better than "Free" usually gets in 3.0, and the run of (admittedly jukeboxy) songs up through "Rift" > "Sample" are played with high energy, and a few seem to be played even a bit faster than usual. "Devotion" gets stretched out to great effect, Trey shines for once on "Yarmouth Road," and the "Cavern" > "Bowie" pairing ends the set in style.
"DWD" opens the second set with a great, underrated jam that moves from rolling rock to 2.0 jazz, into a perfect -> "WTU?" segue. Neither "Carini" or "Light" is any kind of slouch either, though both jams barely pass the 10+ minute mark. The rest of the set, on paper, doesn't really communicate how effective it is. "Fuego" is pretty standard, but "Slave" is a beautifully melodic version, and the one-two punch of "Meatstick" and "Bold As Love" is a great close to the set.
This, of course, sets up the weird-but-great piano-only "The Horse," > "Silent," Trey's chat about and then brief tease of "In A Hole," and finally another "Fluffhead" encore.
There's no notably big moments to point to in this show like N1 and N3 have, but the show's overall effect is pretty darn near perfect.
There aren't really any good standalone videos of this show, so here, have the entire second set plus the encore:
The Live Review:
8/30/14: Free opener. Good times.
8/30/14: And the harmonies aren't totally terrible!
8/30/14: If you're going to open w/ Free, that's how you do it. High energy, > Moma.
8/30/14: Trey's soloing is extra-on tonight.
8/30/14: High tempo Moma, just like Free. Sounds good, though.
8/30/14: Halley's!
8/30/14: Actually really excited to relisten to this show. 8/29 and 8/31 I remember as being incredible, but I remember 8/30 less.
8/30/14: Funk echo from Trey on Halley's chords.
8/30/14: Fish switches up the beat to a rock-ier one, and the Halley's jam arguably goes Type II here for a minute or so. Neat.
8/30/14: > Stealing Time.8/30/14: Solid Stealing Time > 555.8/30/14: Trey sounds really on-point during this set. I don't really remember that from the show, but I'm happy about it.
8/30/14: > Rift!8/30/14: Rift > Sample is pretty cliche, but I love it anyway.
8/30/14: I'm never happy live when Devotion To a Dream starts up, but it always wins me over by the end.
8/30/14: No cheers for Yarmouth Road. Don't get it. Such a great song.
8/30/14: Trey's finally starting to find something to do in Yarmouth Road. Sparkle is next.
8/30/14: Okay, Sparkle, Wingsuit is a really weird pairing.
8/30/14: Seemed like the set would end here, but there's still a solid Bowie > Cavern to go, if I remember correctly.
8/30/14: NIce interplay between Trey and Mike at the beginning of the jam.
8/30/14: Trey doing a good job of building tension here, even if nobody else is working with him.
8/30/14: Okay, Fish is on board now.
8/30/14: Serious Cavern lyrical flubs. I love that Trey can't remember the words to this song, of all the songs.
8/30/14: High energy, LONG S1 there. Nothing to really complain about, but no notable standout performances either.
8/30/14: Did really like the song selection, though.
8/30/14: Call To the Post noodling > DWD to start S2.8/30/14: Don't remember this Disease jam at all. So far, Trey is propelling it in a bouncy rock direction.
8/30/14: Great Type I shredfest here.
8/30/14: Trey chording now, trying to drive the jam into a different direction. ASIHTOS-style tone.
8/30/14: Now it's a jazzy, almost 2.0-sounding jam. Love Fish's drumming.
8/30/14: Heavy WTU? teases.
8/30/14: And a butt-slam into What's the Use? So awesome. I'd forgotten about this, and that just shows how great Dick's must have been.
8/30/14: CAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8/30/14: Aside from all the obvious awesome jamming, one of my favorite things about '13-'14 Phish is the liberal use of Carini. So good.
8/30/14: Mike is laying into this one early.
8/30/14: Lots of heavily distorted Type I guitar coming out of Trey here. Now a building riff.
8/30/14: Carini isn't getting super-weird, but Trey is conducting a really soaring melodic solo overtop of the usual.
8/30/14: Almost a fast Cities-sounding space now.
8/30/14: Trey jumps into Light, and Fish ALMOST keeps the jam beat going over it for awhile but succumbs. That would have been awesome.
8/30/14: Pretty standard Light jam gets weird at 7:30, as Fish drives it into a darker space and the others follow.
8/30/14: Trey on the echoplex things getting even weirder.
8/30/14: Blues-woo jam now.
8/30/14: Great arrhythmic close to the jam and > Fuego. Both that Carini and Light had standout sections worth hearing.
8/30/14: Pretty spotless transition into Slave, there, from Fuego.
8/30/14: Trey has a great melody line going early on in this Slave. The build is coming and going in waves. Mike is also on (melodic) fire.
8/30/14: Compact but really effective Slave there. The first one that's really stood out to me melodically for awhile.
8/30/14: MOET-STAQUE, GIMME IT
8/30/14: Meatstick gets butt-slammed perfectly into Bold As Love.
8/30/14: This is another one of those Phish shows where there isn't a standout moment, but the overall effect is pretty perfect.
8/30/14: Trey just shredded the hell out of that set-ending Bold As Love. Wow.
8/30/14: Piano version of The Horse, with Trey on vocals. I almost like this arrangement better.
8/30/14: Piano Horse, Silent, In A Hole banter, Fluff = great encore.
8/30/14: Between this and the Eugene encore, I've gotten some great ones this year.
2014-08-29 Dick's I
The Verdict:
This year's Dick's run was easily the best run of shows I've been to thus far. So I was excited to relisten and see how much of my enthusiasm was justified and how much didn't hold up on the tape. For night one, at least, it's just about as good as I remember it.
S1 works because the "LUSHINGTON" set gag forces some interesting songs into the mix and shuffles up the song order you'd typically expect. There aren't any really interesting musical highlights, but the unexpected song choices and the high energy makes it a solid first set. One big jam ("Gin," maybe?) would have put it into the higher echelon of great first sets like some we've seen already this year, but there are plenty of shows out there that just have high-energy first sets with weird song choices. That said, I'm partial to this one. Early "Stash," a S1 "Guyute," a short-but-sweet "Undermind," a rocked-out "The Line," and a "Llama" opener...it's hard to complain much. On top of that, the highlights for me was an out-of-leftfield "No Quarter" and the "Suzy." "Suzy" is surprisingly rough, considering that they must have practiced with the horns before the show...but still, "Suzy" even with slightly-scatterbrained horns is better than "Suzy" without any horns at all, so...
S2 is all about the "Simple." Sure, there's a lot else going on here, most notably a short but shockingly great "Ghost" rock-jam and an interesting (and sadly ripcorded) "46 Days" opener. "Number Line" is hot, and "Hood" goes the weird-but-great route yet again in '14. But it's really all about the "Simple." Which is easily my favorite jam since the Tahoe "Tweezer." Just watch it.
There are a few slight lulls in the second set, but for the second show in a row, the band delivers what's pretty much a top-shelf show from front to back, and this time they include not one, but two best-of-summer jams. So yeah. This one lived up to the hype.
The Live Review:
8/29/14: Kicking off the Dick's run (first of five con420utive shows I caught this year) with Llama.
8/29/14: I love the rare Undermind jam, but it's also a great choice for a second song slot.
8/29/14: Great too to see the setlist gag make Stash show up so early in the show. Trey pretty restrained in the jam, Page taking lead.
8/29/14: Halfway To the Moon gets extended a bit more than usual here. Trey rocking out.
8/29/14: I Didn't Know...'Here to suck...at Dick's...'
8/29/14: This was my first vacuum solo, so I remember it fondly.
8/29/14: Nellie Kane. Seems faster than usual.
8/29/14: Forgot that there was a Guyute in there :)
8/29/14: Great-sounding Guyute. Now a particularly swinging version of The Line.
8/29/14: Ah, Ocelot, in all its note-bending and whale-pedal 'glory.'
8/29/14: Actually hearing Phish play No Quarter live at this show was one of my top 5 live music moments ever. Favorite rock song.
8/29/14: Post-euphoria, the intro is a little rough, but Trey totally nails the tone and style of that awesome riff.
8/29/14: Page laying into the piano for the middle jamlet.
8/29/14: Pretty sure I enjoyed hearing Ha Ha Ha more than I would have enjoyed Lushington. Because I know how it goes.
8/29/14: Suzy sounds remarkably disorganized for what must have been a premeditated guest appearance.
8/29/14: That said, Suzy with horns is ALWAYS better than Suzy without.
8/29/14: I absolutely loved S1 live. On tape, it's strong because of great and rare song choices. Only real interesting moment is Suzy.
8/29/14: Not to be outdone by horns, Page has a great piano solo with the horns layered over the back half of it.
8/29/14: 46 Days S2 opener.
8/29/14: Trey going dark and Mike following at 6:00 in this jam.
8/29/14: Jam is sort of an evil version of Manteca.
8/29/14: Page to electric piano = awesome.
8/29/14: Really badass space jam now with arrhythmic Trey chording. Aaaand that ripcord > BOTT was just as bad as I remembered.
8/29/14: They end up making it up with the Simple > Ghost, of course, but Jesus, that was terrible.
8/29/14: 46 Days jam wasn't even fading out yet and Trey just killed it.
8/29/14: Bitching aside, it's a solid version of BOTT.
8/29/14: Butt-slammed into Simple.
8/29/14: Nice interplay between Trey and Page at 5:00 in Simple.
8/29/14: Neat rhythm work from Trey to drive the jam away from the usual Simple space.
8/29/14: Things are getting angrier now.
8/29/14: Really great Trey-led jam section starting at 11:30. Mike is setting down an awesome foundation.
8/29/14: The middle section of this jam reminds me a lot of many of the better sections of the Tahoe Tweezer.
8/29/14: A bit of a lull in the jam now. That's okay, just gives you a second to stop and think 'What the hell song was this again?!'
8/29/14: Move into funk space. And thus the weekend of Dick's funk begins in earnest.
8/29/14: Loving this seriously deep clav-funk.
8/29/14: Mike pushes for some more complex funk. Trey adds loops to the mix.
8/29/14: Good transition into Ghost. Not perfect, but good. And it's fucking Ghost, so hell yes.
8/29/14: This slowly building rockfest of a Ghost would be amazing normally. Coming on the heels of that Simple it's just HOLY SHITAFIAODUFE
8/29/14: That 9:26 moment during this Ghost is just ridiculous. Why don't people talk about this jam more?
8/29/14: Giant Mike bomb to end the Ghost jam. Trey misses his chance to pull a -> Number Line and does a > Number Line instead.
8/29/14: Short but interesting Number Line, with Trey working in some neat rhythm sections.
8/29/14: HOOOOOOOOD
8/29/14: Minimal flourishes from Trey and Page here. Mike driving the jam. Pretty interesting.
8/29/14: It's actually sort of amazing how little Trey is featuring in this jam. Fish is a monster.
8/29/14: I like the new, weird Hood jams as long as they don't mess with the peak. This one survives pretty intact.
8/29/14: Nice -> Wading from Page.8/29/14: S2 closer = Antelope. E = Zero. Doesn't get more cliche than that. Nice Antelope, though, and great show overall.
8/29/14: S2 close is a little flat, and I still wonder wtf happened with the 46 Days jam, but a fantastic first night otherwise.
This year's Dick's run was easily the best run of shows I've been to thus far. So I was excited to relisten and see how much of my enthusiasm was justified and how much didn't hold up on the tape. For night one, at least, it's just about as good as I remember it.
S1 works because the "LUSHINGTON" set gag forces some interesting songs into the mix and shuffles up the song order you'd typically expect. There aren't any really interesting musical highlights, but the unexpected song choices and the high energy makes it a solid first set. One big jam ("Gin," maybe?) would have put it into the higher echelon of great first sets like some we've seen already this year, but there are plenty of shows out there that just have high-energy first sets with weird song choices. That said, I'm partial to this one. Early "Stash," a S1 "Guyute," a short-but-sweet "Undermind," a rocked-out "The Line," and a "Llama" opener...it's hard to complain much. On top of that, the highlights for me was an out-of-leftfield "No Quarter" and the "Suzy." "Suzy" is surprisingly rough, considering that they must have practiced with the horns before the show...but still, "Suzy" even with slightly-scatterbrained horns is better than "Suzy" without any horns at all, so...
S2 is all about the "Simple." Sure, there's a lot else going on here, most notably a short but shockingly great "Ghost" rock-jam and an interesting (and sadly ripcorded) "46 Days" opener. "Number Line" is hot, and "Hood" goes the weird-but-great route yet again in '14. But it's really all about the "Simple." Which is easily my favorite jam since the Tahoe "Tweezer." Just watch it.
There are a few slight lulls in the second set, but for the second show in a row, the band delivers what's pretty much a top-shelf show from front to back, and this time they include not one, but two best-of-summer jams. So yeah. This one lived up to the hype.
The Live Review:
8/29/14: Kicking off the Dick's run (first of five con420utive shows I caught this year) with Llama.
8/29/14: I love the rare Undermind jam, but it's also a great choice for a second song slot.
8/29/14: Great too to see the setlist gag make Stash show up so early in the show. Trey pretty restrained in the jam, Page taking lead.
8/29/14: Halfway To the Moon gets extended a bit more than usual here. Trey rocking out.
8/29/14: I Didn't Know...'Here to suck...at Dick's...'
8/29/14: This was my first vacuum solo, so I remember it fondly.
8/29/14: Nellie Kane. Seems faster than usual.
8/29/14: Forgot that there was a Guyute in there :)
8/29/14: Great-sounding Guyute. Now a particularly swinging version of The Line.
8/29/14: Ah, Ocelot, in all its note-bending and whale-pedal 'glory.'
8/29/14: Actually hearing Phish play No Quarter live at this show was one of my top 5 live music moments ever. Favorite rock song.
8/29/14: Post-euphoria, the intro is a little rough, but Trey totally nails the tone and style of that awesome riff.
8/29/14: Page laying into the piano for the middle jamlet.
8/29/14: Pretty sure I enjoyed hearing Ha Ha Ha more than I would have enjoyed Lushington. Because I know how it goes.
8/29/14: Suzy sounds remarkably disorganized for what must have been a premeditated guest appearance.
8/29/14: That said, Suzy with horns is ALWAYS better than Suzy without.
8/29/14: I absolutely loved S1 live. On tape, it's strong because of great and rare song choices. Only real interesting moment is Suzy.
8/29/14: Not to be outdone by horns, Page has a great piano solo with the horns layered over the back half of it.
8/29/14: 46 Days S2 opener.
8/29/14: Trey going dark and Mike following at 6:00 in this jam.
8/29/14: Jam is sort of an evil version of Manteca.
8/29/14: Page to electric piano = awesome.
8/29/14: Really badass space jam now with arrhythmic Trey chording. Aaaand that ripcord > BOTT was just as bad as I remembered.
8/29/14: They end up making it up with the Simple > Ghost, of course, but Jesus, that was terrible.
8/29/14: 46 Days jam wasn't even fading out yet and Trey just killed it.
8/29/14: Bitching aside, it's a solid version of BOTT.
8/29/14: Butt-slammed into Simple.
8/29/14: Nice interplay between Trey and Page at 5:00 in Simple.
8/29/14: Neat rhythm work from Trey to drive the jam away from the usual Simple space.
8/29/14: Things are getting angrier now.
8/29/14: Really great Trey-led jam section starting at 11:30. Mike is setting down an awesome foundation.
8/29/14: The middle section of this jam reminds me a lot of many of the better sections of the Tahoe Tweezer.
8/29/14: A bit of a lull in the jam now. That's okay, just gives you a second to stop and think 'What the hell song was this again?!'
8/29/14: Move into funk space. And thus the weekend of Dick's funk begins in earnest.
8/29/14: Loving this seriously deep clav-funk.
8/29/14: Mike pushes for some more complex funk. Trey adds loops to the mix.
8/29/14: Good transition into Ghost. Not perfect, but good. And it's fucking Ghost, so hell yes.
8/29/14: This slowly building rockfest of a Ghost would be amazing normally. Coming on the heels of that Simple it's just HOLY SHITAFIAODUFE
8/29/14: That 9:26 moment during this Ghost is just ridiculous. Why don't people talk about this jam more?
8/29/14: Giant Mike bomb to end the Ghost jam. Trey misses his chance to pull a -> Number Line and does a > Number Line instead.
8/29/14: Short but interesting Number Line, with Trey working in some neat rhythm sections.
8/29/14: HOOOOOOOOD
8/29/14: Minimal flourishes from Trey and Page here. Mike driving the jam. Pretty interesting.
8/29/14: It's actually sort of amazing how little Trey is featuring in this jam. Fish is a monster.
8/29/14: I like the new, weird Hood jams as long as they don't mess with the peak. This one survives pretty intact.
8/29/14: Nice -> Wading from Page.8/29/14: S2 closer = Antelope. E = Zero. Doesn't get more cliche than that. Nice Antelope, though, and great show overall.
8/29/14: S2 close is a little flat, and I still wonder wtf happened with the 46 Days jam, but a fantastic first night otherwise.
2014-08-03 Alpharetta
The Verdict:
I saw this show "live" on the free webcast when it happened and a relisten just reinforced my original opinion: it's a great tour-closing show in that it showcases a lot of different sides of what makes Phish such a great band and leaves off with an incredibly strong finish.
The first set features strong playing throughout and a better-than-average setlist. "Gin," "555," "The Line," "Vultures," and "BOTT," all stay within their usual confines, but are definitely notable versions despite that. "Gumbo" gets a neat little funk mini-jam, and hearing "FEFY" at all is just fantastic.
Compared to other "CDT"s this year, this one is noticeably short, but arguably gets further in less time than its forebears. It's really dark at first, and features some great melodic work from Page on electric piano before building momentum in a really satisfying way and becoming of my favorite "CDT"s in a year full of great ones. The segue into "Scents" is a bit abrupt, but the short jam that comes out of it is just breathtakingly delicate and great. "Twist" continues the tradition of minimalist, bluesy "Twist"s that's run for most of this year, and "Light" > "Harry Hood" is fantastic, first for the top-notch space jam in "Light" and second for the interplay between Trey and each other band member in "Hood," a version that also takes a unique path to the conclusion while finishing strong.
Then of course, just in case this show wasn't already a near-perfect balance of hits, technical prowess, serious jams, and awesome camaraderie, "Fluffhead" is in the encore slot. I couldn't help but think of Hampton '09 as they played and how far the music has come since then. Great stuff.
The Live Review:
8/3/14: Alright, last #phish show of summer tour '14 proper. Let's do this!
8/3/14: I remember watching this show on the free webcast and loving it. Let's hope the impression sticks through a relisten.
8/3/14: My Soul opener is a good start.
8/3/14: Trey and Page on fire during the opener.
8/3/14: Pretty satisfying Type I jam from Gin in the two-spot so far. Trey sounds a bit tentative.
8/3/14: Trey and Gin finish strong. Hot version of 555, now. Trey adding some interesting touches.
8/3/14: PEBLES AND MERBLES
8/3/14: Pebbles gets a few good licks from Trey based on the melody line.
8/3/14: The Line is next.
8/3/14: Particularly strong outro jam out of The Line, driven by Fishman.
8/3/14: Vultures!!!
8/3/14: Great outro jam here, too. Fish tearing it up.
8/3/14: Woo jam combined with Fish drum solo-ish. Pretty awesome.
8/3/14: FEFY. God damn, I love this song. Such great song selection here.
8/3/14: BOTT is next.
8/3/14: Trey and Page have some nice early interplay and then Trey shreds the shit out of the end of the jam. Solid version.
8/3/14: Taste is cool. I feel like this hasn't been as major of a player this year as it usually is. This version is just standard.
8/3/14: Gumbo is getting a nice little funk jam tagged on to the end.
8/3/14: Great jam, weird ending.
8/3/14: Solid take on Halfway To the Moon > Stealing Time. Starting to get a little jukeboxy, but still an above-average S1.
8/3/14: Trey just tossed some Stealing Time lyrics into Suzy.
8/3/14: What else would the last S2 of summer open with but CDT?
8/3/14: CDT jam starts heading off into the deep at 5:00.
8/3/14: Really gorgeous electric piano-led section starting around 7:30.
8/3/14: Really dark, building section at 10:00. Super cool. Mike is jumping on board.
8/3/14: Now building some excellent momentum out of the darkness. This is better than some of the longer CDTs from this year.
8/3/14: Trey sort of ripcorded that, but it's into Scents, so we'll call it even.
8/3/14: Really short but gorgeous Scents jam.
8/3/14: Twist!
8/3/14: Another one of those lazy, bluesy Twist jams. Love it.
8/3/14: Trey with some awesome rhythm work > great solo. Short but sweet version.
8/3/14: Perfect drop into a flubby Fuego intro.
8/3/14: Standard, sort-of-rough Fuego > The Wedge.
8/3/14: No giant Wedge jam, unfortunately. Nice version nonetheless with seamless > Light.
8/3/14: Light jam is benefiting from Trey's spooky chording. Now Mike it taking the wheel.
8/3/14: Darkness funk laden with Mike bombs. Perfect.
8/3/14: Got to admit I'm biased in already loving the shit out of this Hood. Relistening won't change anything.
8/3/14: Watching the band members trade solos during the webcast is my biggest #phish goosebumps moment so far while not at a live show.
8/3/14: My biggest while *at* a show was something like 11:00-36:00 of the Tahoe Tweezer :)
8/3/14: After the solo-trading, this becomes the most 'normal' Hood jam they've played in awhile. I don't mean that in a bad way.
8/3/14: Great peak, too.
8/3/14: First Tube is an excellent closer.
8/3/14: Gotta love the tour-closing Fluffhead.
8/3/14: Show was about how I remembered it. Above-average S1, S2 could have been jammed more, but ultimately satisfying.
8/3/14: CDT is quality, Scents and Twist are short but go some interesting places. Light is an average-great space jam, and the Hood is A+.
8/3/14: Okay, so maybe there's enough jamming and it's just a great show :)
8/3/14: The lack of focus on one HUGE jam as opposed to small moments of improv presages what's worked (and not) in fall tour, it seems.
2014-06-24 Live On Letterman
The Verdict:
I wanted to review this "show" despite it not being a full two-set performance because it turned out that Phish didn't just show up and play Fuego tunes for an hour like I expected them to. Sure, it's still mostly Phish-lite, but there are some neat tidbits here that deserve acknowledgment.
Listening at the end of October, it's amazing how much tighter the Fuego songs have gotten live since this performance. "The Line" is well done, but the others all have their shares of wince-inducing moments that are mostly worked out now, a few months down the road.
The highlights here, though, are the "Undermind" (for its usually weird mini-jam), "Carini" (for its energy and surprise placement during this kind of performance), and "Twist" (which actually unfolds into a legit jam and signals the coming of the minimalist, blues-inflected "Twist"s that would show up again and again throughout the summer.
You can see the whole thing here, if you want.
The Live Review:
6/24/14: Gonna take on the Live on Letterman performance real quick, because why not?
6/26/14: We start with that stripped-down-sounding approach to 46 Days.
6/24/14: There clearly hasn't been enough Undermind this year, now that I think about it.
6/24/14: Undermind is one of those songs that works really well in the 'mini-jam' format.
6/24/14: Halfway To the Moon sounds SO MUCH BETTER NOW than it did in June.
6/24/14: Yeah, that was awful. Carini next was a great surprise, though.
6/24/14: Fish just switched beats in this jam in a really jarring way.
6/24/14: Page has some great fills, though, and now Mike is driving toward the conclusion.
6/24/14: Nice trilly outro jam to Devotion.
6/24/14: Surprisingly hot mini-jam out of 555, there.
6/24/14: Twist starts off in a minimalist mode much like 46 Days did.
6/24/14: This is the version that convinced me that they were gonna take Twist deep this summer. I was wrong, but I'm still a believer.
6/24/14: Zero'd.
6/24/14: Zero is Zero and The Line is The Line. The end.
6/24/14: Solid versions of The Line, 46 Days, and 555. Surprise Carini was decent. Undermind was better than usual in its short form.
6/24/14: Love that Twist, though. Worth the free price of admission itself. Rewatching on YouTube: https://t.co/FdPC7ChNwX #phish
I wanted to review this "show" despite it not being a full two-set performance because it turned out that Phish didn't just show up and play Fuego tunes for an hour like I expected them to. Sure, it's still mostly Phish-lite, but there are some neat tidbits here that deserve acknowledgment.
Listening at the end of October, it's amazing how much tighter the Fuego songs have gotten live since this performance. "The Line" is well done, but the others all have their shares of wince-inducing moments that are mostly worked out now, a few months down the road.
The highlights here, though, are the "Undermind" (for its usually weird mini-jam), "Carini" (for its energy and surprise placement during this kind of performance), and "Twist" (which actually unfolds into a legit jam and signals the coming of the minimalist, blues-inflected "Twist"s that would show up again and again throughout the summer.
You can see the whole thing here, if you want.
The Live Review:
6/24/14: Gonna take on the Live on Letterman performance real quick, because why not?
6/26/14: We start with that stripped-down-sounding approach to 46 Days.
6/24/14: There clearly hasn't been enough Undermind this year, now that I think about it.
6/24/14: Undermind is one of those songs that works really well in the 'mini-jam' format.
6/24/14: Halfway To the Moon sounds SO MUCH BETTER NOW than it did in June.
6/24/14: Yeah, that was awful. Carini next was a great surprise, though.
6/24/14: Fish just switched beats in this jam in a really jarring way.
6/24/14: Page has some great fills, though, and now Mike is driving toward the conclusion.
6/24/14: Nice trilly outro jam to Devotion.
6/24/14: Surprisingly hot mini-jam out of 555, there.
6/24/14: Twist starts off in a minimalist mode much like 46 Days did.
6/24/14: This is the version that convinced me that they were gonna take Twist deep this summer. I was wrong, but I'm still a believer.
6/24/14: Zero'd.
6/24/14: Zero is Zero and The Line is The Line. The end.
6/24/14: Solid versions of The Line, 46 Days, and 555. Surprise Carini was decent. Undermind was better than usual in its short form.
6/24/14: Love that Twist, though. Worth the free price of admission itself. Rewatching on YouTube: https://t.co/FdPC7ChNwX #phish
2014-08-02 Oak Mountain
The Verdict:
The Oak Mountain show falls into the same category as many of these late-tour shows: basically, the first set is pretty rote and boring, the first half of the second set has some extra-high highlights, and then the fourth quarter settles into jukebox mode. It hearkens back to the standard show layout in earlier 3.0 shows, but with higher highs and just about similar lows. There's a much looser feel to the improvisation in these shows though, which almost makes it more frustrating when they yield such lackluster results, especially compared to pretty much all of the rest of '13 and '14.
The S1 Reba is better than average, and really the song selection and flow (I hate that word) throughout both sets is really consistent, the band is playing confidently and well throughout...but if you're listening to the whole tour, the only thing here to really note is the Carini > Ghost. But it's really damn good, so note the hell out of it.
8/2/14: Solid but short Bag, with a weirdly awkward segue into Poor Heart. Would have been cool if it'd worked :)
8/2/14: Cities! It's the second song in a row that Trey has started in the wrong key, but hey, it's Cities.
8/2/14: Trey mentions waiting to play Cities in/near Birmingham.
8/2/14: Trey is super excited. Maybe this will translate into something interesting in the first set?
8/2/14: Reba will do :)
8/2/14: Rote Possum > Sample. The guys have a strange way of showing excitement. Only notable bit so far is first few minutes of Reba jam.
8/2/14: Maze! Still walking the straight and narrow here, but Maze should give us a jolt of energy.
8/2/14: There was a pretty standard Funky Bitch in there, too.
8/2/14: Maze is one of those songs that just keeps getting better somehow.
8/2/14: And then there's Ocelot.
8/2/14: Ocelot doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's a better version than most. If you're into that sort of thing.
8/2/14: Sparkle and Poor Heart are the new S1 staples, apparently.
8/2/14: Cavern.
8/2/14: Major duh moment in Cavern. Alas, no 'took our my cock' alternate lyrics.
8/2/14: *out
8/2/14: Wingsuit closer? Nice!
8/2/14: Am listening with ProjectM visualizations running in my second monitor. If I stop tweeting, it's because I had an epileptic seizure.
8/2/14: First time I heard Wingsuit, I was driving up into the Trinity Mountains to climb Mt. Eddy. Always think of that moment now.
8/2/14: Love Wingsuit, but S1 was flat-out boring. Carini opener in S2. Cranking volume to unacceptable levels, hoping for jamz.
8/2/14: Page injects a sick electric piano part into the jam just as ProjectM oozes black ink onto the screen. Neat!
8/2/14: This jam is oozing all over the place in the best way. Why do they even play first sets anymore when they can do this at will?
8/2/14: Nice > Ghost. Not quite a ->, but almost.
8/2/14: Oh shit this Ghost jam
8/2/14: Holy mother of Ghost, this is good.
8/2/14: Amazing Ghost jam gets butt-slammed by a Simple tease, but then goes into Mike's. Huh.
8/2/14: Shades of the Dick's Mike's jam here. Iiiiiinteresting.
8/2/14: THERE'S the Simple!
8/2/14: Simple jam is like almost all Simple jams, but I love this style so much it's okay. Mike is dominating this set.
8/2/14: Nice segue into Joy, even though it's Joy.
8/2/14: Short Groove, now Julius. It's going to be another one of those fourth quarters, isn't it?
8/2/14: Why does nobody ever cheer when Sand starts? That bassline alone deserves a scream or two.
8/2/14: Trey is leading the way here with some inventive soloing. Oh, now Page is adding some synth tones.
8/2/14: Pretty standard Sand, though, all told.
8/2/14: Neat little Page-segue into Wading.
8/2/14: Part of Trey's Velvet Sea solo was remarkably similar to one of my solos on a song I recorded a few years ago. That was weird.
8/2/14: Yay for YEM
8/2/14: Fantastic third quarter in this show, but I don't think this YEM is going to redeem the show at large, or even all of S2.
8/2/14: Weirdly, the YEM is pretty flat, but the vocal jam is amazing.
8/2/14: Quinn closer! Well, I loved about 30% of this show, then :)
8/2/14: 'Page, you're my hero!' on SBD at the end of Quinn. #crowdbanter #phish
The Oak Mountain show falls into the same category as many of these late-tour shows: basically, the first set is pretty rote and boring, the first half of the second set has some extra-high highlights, and then the fourth quarter settles into jukebox mode. It hearkens back to the standard show layout in earlier 3.0 shows, but with higher highs and just about similar lows. There's a much looser feel to the improvisation in these shows though, which almost makes it more frustrating when they yield such lackluster results, especially compared to pretty much all of the rest of '13 and '14.
The S1 Reba is better than average, and really the song selection and flow (I hate that word) throughout both sets is really consistent, the band is playing confidently and well throughout...but if you're listening to the whole tour, the only thing here to really note is the Carini > Ghost. But it's really damn good, so note the hell out of it.
The Live Review:
8/2/14: Bag opener in Pelham!8/2/14: Solid but short Bag, with a weirdly awkward segue into Poor Heart. Would have been cool if it'd worked :)
8/2/14: Cities! It's the second song in a row that Trey has started in the wrong key, but hey, it's Cities.
8/2/14: Trey mentions waiting to play Cities in/near Birmingham.
8/2/14: Trey is super excited. Maybe this will translate into something interesting in the first set?
8/2/14: Reba will do :)
8/2/14: Rote Possum > Sample. The guys have a strange way of showing excitement. Only notable bit so far is first few minutes of Reba jam.
8/2/14: Maze! Still walking the straight and narrow here, but Maze should give us a jolt of energy.
8/2/14: There was a pretty standard Funky Bitch in there, too.
8/2/14: Maze is one of those songs that just keeps getting better somehow.
8/2/14: And then there's Ocelot.
8/2/14: Ocelot doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's a better version than most. If you're into that sort of thing.
8/2/14: Sparkle and Poor Heart are the new S1 staples, apparently.
8/2/14: Cavern.
8/2/14: Major duh moment in Cavern. Alas, no 'took our my cock' alternate lyrics.
8/2/14: *out
8/2/14: Wingsuit closer? Nice!
8/2/14: Am listening with ProjectM visualizations running in my second monitor. If I stop tweeting, it's because I had an epileptic seizure.
8/2/14: First time I heard Wingsuit, I was driving up into the Trinity Mountains to climb Mt. Eddy. Always think of that moment now.
8/2/14: Love Wingsuit, but S1 was flat-out boring. Carini opener in S2. Cranking volume to unacceptable levels, hoping for jamz.
8/2/14: Page injects a sick electric piano part into the jam just as ProjectM oozes black ink onto the screen. Neat!
8/2/14: This jam is oozing all over the place in the best way. Why do they even play first sets anymore when they can do this at will?
8/2/14: Nice > Ghost. Not quite a ->, but almost.
8/2/14: Oh shit this Ghost jam
8/2/14: Holy mother of Ghost, this is good.
8/2/14: Amazing Ghost jam gets butt-slammed by a Simple tease, but then goes into Mike's. Huh.
8/2/14: Shades of the Dick's Mike's jam here. Iiiiiinteresting.
8/2/14: THERE'S the Simple!
8/2/14: Simple jam is like almost all Simple jams, but I love this style so much it's okay. Mike is dominating this set.
8/2/14: Nice segue into Joy, even though it's Joy.
8/2/14: Short Groove, now Julius. It's going to be another one of those fourth quarters, isn't it?
8/2/14: Why does nobody ever cheer when Sand starts? That bassline alone deserves a scream or two.
8/2/14: Trey is leading the way here with some inventive soloing. Oh, now Page is adding some synth tones.
8/2/14: Pretty standard Sand, though, all told.
8/2/14: Neat little Page-segue into Wading.
8/2/14: Part of Trey's Velvet Sea solo was remarkably similar to one of my solos on a song I recorded a few years ago. That was weird.
8/2/14: Yay for YEM
8/2/14: Fantastic third quarter in this show, but I don't think this YEM is going to redeem the show at large, or even all of S2.
8/2/14: Weirdly, the YEM is pretty flat, but the vocal jam is amazing.
8/2/14: Quinn closer! Well, I loved about 30% of this show, then :)
8/2/14: 'Page, you're my hero!' on SBD at the end of Quinn. #crowdbanter #phish
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