2014-10-18 Seattle

The Verdict:
Maybe it's because it was a little underwhelming as my last show of the year in a year that included a fantastic Dick's run and the previous night's outstanding Eugene show, but the Seattle show was underwhelming for me live. I've come to appreciate it a little more after a relisten, but it falls pretty hard into that category that I put 7/16 and 7/25 in. Basically, it's a perfectly well-played show where the band seems to focus more on clever segues, interesting one-off songs, and weird, short jam spaces. Really, if you have no stake in hearing the band play huge, wide-ranging explorations, this should be a pretty great show, much like 7/16 or 7/25. Unfortunately, the playing here is uneven enough that it really accentuates the lack of a showcase jam to eclipse the rough parts. That's not to say there aren't some neat bits, because there are, but definitely not a triumphant end to my 2014 touring.

The "Cavern" opener is neat. "Wilson" is a bit a letdown, considering the history behind the song, Phish, and Seattle at this point. I wasn't really expecting a 20 minute version or anything, but some banter from Trey or something would have been nice.

The rest of the set is really straightforward and predictable, and, frankly, sloppier than you'd expect with all of these rotation songs getting played and none of them really stretching into anything interesting. "Sugar Shack" is an interesting exception, and in this version Trey even nails his parts. The closing "Gin" stays Type I, but bounces around in its cage in some interesting ways. A little of Dick's-style funk in the "Wolfman's" gives the set just enough bite to entice you back for more in the second set.

I like the "Disease" jam, honestly. It's short, but pokes out in a few interesting directions. Then Trey swings the jam into "Golden Age" and proceeds to butcher it. From here, the guys spend most of the rest of the set bouncing from idea to idea with little to show for it. "Fuego," "Light," "46 Days," and "Sand" all have fun little mini-jams, but none of them get space to develop. If that's enough for you, then this will likely be a hot set. None of the improv here is bad, but it's hard for me to avoid having that "What if?" response when I hear something like the "Sand" outro jam.

The obvious highlight here is the segue from "Light" -> "Cities," and the ensuing weird version of "Cities." But even that is a bit of a bummer, as the band obviously tries to finish the "Light" -> "Cities" -> "Light" sandwich at the end of the song, but Trey rides right over them to start "46 Days." It's sort of painful to hear and again raises that "What if?" question. That pretty much sums up this show for me, honestly.

The Live Review:
10/18/14: Here we (finally) go with a Cavern opener!
10/18/14: Think I might have actually just heard a Mike's Drill opener before Cavern.
10/18/14: Cavern is sort of weird as an opener. Everytime I hear it, I hear a set or show closing.
10/18/14: Trey struggling a bit with Wilson.
10/18/14: Kind of an anticlimactic take on Wilson, considering it's Seattle and all.
10/18/14: Rift!
10/18/14: Trey's struggling with Rift, too. Everyone sounds really tired. Maybe it's just the mix?
10/18/14: I do remember this show getting off to a slow start, fwiw. So maybe it just sucks.
10/18/14: Maybe Moma will get Trey back on track. It usually does.
10/18/14: Standard Moma with Trey dragging out a loop a bit at the end. Next up, The Line.
10/18/14: Eugene 1st quarter was standard but interesting song choices. This is just kinda boring.
10/18/14: Little bit o' heat in that outro jam. Maybe things'll pick up a bit now?
10/18/14: SUGAR SHACK. Seems like a big risk considering Trey's playing so far. We'll see.
10/18/14: They're...actually...doing...it! A nearly perfect live version of Sugar Shack!
10/18/14: Monster Lawn Boy solo from Cactus.
10/18/14: Kill Devil Falls. This first set isn't really worthy of 2014 so far. More like 2009 or 2011.
10/18/14: The years of first set purgatory. 2010, I'm learning, was the year of second set purgatory :)
10/18/14: Okay, after having said that, I have to admit that the KDF has a little extra oomph to it this time around.
10/18/14: Non-jam standout of the summer is next: Wolfman's.
10/18/14: Rhythm section leading in this Wolfman's jam. Trey's echoplex in play.
10/18/14: Sounds like Dick's funk in here all of a sudden.
10/18/14: Typical rock peak to end the jam. Good version, though.
10/18/14: Sparkle: the other song (with Rift and Wolfman's) that's been played during 4,000 first sets this year.
10/18/14: Gin.
10/18/14: Jam off to a mellow start.
10/18/14: Really neat almost Simple-like section starting at 8:00. Doesn't last long, though.
10/18/14: Smooth build into a great rock peak. Nothing revolutionary, but a solid somewhat-jammed-out version.
10/18/14: The last few songs of this set are more up to 2014 S1 standards, thankfully.
10/18/14: End set.
10/18/14: Disease opener for S2.
10/18/14: Trey ripping into the jam with some great melody lines. Mike backing up. Band sounds totally different from S1.
10/18/14: Trey just snuck a bit of the Fuego riff into the jam, maybe totally by accident. Going minimalist now.
10/18/14: Some solid loop/chord action in this jam.
10/18/14: Now Fish is driving. Trey adding some space-age licks.
10/18/14: Trey just sort of hit part of the riff for Golden Age and then suddenly >'d that fucker like it was gonna get away.
10/18/14: Neat Disease jam, though.
10/18/14: Trey's guitar isn't really featuring at all on this Golden Age. And when it does, it's a bum note. Now he forgot the lyrics.
10/18/14: Maybe not the best segue decision.
10/18/14: Really neat, very short jam space with some Page piano, Mike bass driving, and Trey sending out weirder echoes than usual.
10/18/14: Page-led > Fuego.
10/18/14: Type I jam only out of Fuego, but it's a good one.
10/18/14: Heavy loop-based outro. Some drill, too. Spooky.
10/18/14: Here comes Light!
10/18/14: Trey stringing together some great little rhythm runs here in this Light.
10/18/14: End of the Light almost sounds like Mike is trying to start a -> Cars Trucks Buses.
10/18/14: Instead it's a great -> Light.
10/18/14: Shit! On relisten, just realized the rest of the band was going -> Light after Cities. Trey derailed with a stupid > 46 Days.
10/18/14: It shouldn't piss me off in retrospect, but it does. Light -> Cities -> Light would have been fantastic.
10/18/14: 46 Days is the S1 version, or the version they play near the end of the show when they're resting on their laurels.
10/18/14: Unfortunately, not a lot of laurels for this show.
10/18/14: Mellow move from 46 Days to Sand.
10/18/14: Sand is in full-on funkland mode.
10/18/14: Funk moves smoothly into a blissed-out type space.
10/18/14: This is gonna shock you, but premature > Number Line.
10/18/14: Pretty weird, rhythm-y Number Line jam instead of the usual noodle-fest.

10/18/14: Bold As Love closer is location-appropriate.
10/18/14: Encore is Meatstick (yay!) > Zero (boo!).
10/18/14: Of course since I've been ragging on Zero all year, they'd close with it at the last show I attended for the year.

2014-10-17 Eugene

The Verdict:
At the time, I'd said that this Eugene show might be my favorite Phish show that I've seen. After a relisten, I stand by that assessment. I've seen a lot of huge shows (at least post-2009), so why this one? Well, a lot of shows I've seen had much higher highs (especially one particular one that took place in Tahoe a year or so ago), but I haven't seen another show that was as frighteningly consistently high-quality as this one before. Plus there's a huge encore, plus there are shenanigans, plus there are great setlist choices, plus there are some great little jams and a pristine segue into a Phish debut, plus there's a jam that stands up against any of the summer's best. For my money, this show is vastly underrated, even within the context of a mostly-fantastic fall tour.

The first half of the first set is pretty standard, honestly, but it's played with energy and swagger, and then all of a sudden the second set starts early (so to speak) with "Reba" and continues on for the rest of the set. "Roggae" and "Simple" are brief but complex, "Maze" is an explosion, and "Coil" is the perfect exclamation point.

The best part of the second set "Carini" is that it sets up a perfect -> "Plasma," but the jam itself is no slouch, despite being a bit short. "Farmhouse" goes a sort of jazzy route, which makes it more than just setlist filler, and "Halfway To the Moon" is still new enough that it's always fun to hear. "Twist" is another serious, if short jam, and then "Crosseyed" explodes into the (funk) stratosphere. The "Hood" is another weird version that deviates in interesting ways from the usual plan, and the three-song encore is just perfect, including Trey dedicating "Sleeping Monkey" to Page and the band having the audience sing a turn on the chorus.

There's not really anything to dislike here. Listen to the whole thing, at least from "Reba" on, if nothing else.

The Live Review:
10/17/14: Okay, gotta admit: I loved the WAN tour opener. Unexpected call, but they pulled it off well.
10/17/14: Trey taking a back seat to Mike in this version. Mike is nailing this song to the wall.
10/17/14: Trey never quite finds his footing in this version, but the rest of the band rocks it.
10/17/14: Free next. Band apparently really wants to put the harmonies to the test tonight.
10/17/14: Mike is driving here, too. Trey's playing is very minimal.
10/17/14: Harmonies sound decent.
10/17/14: Seem to remember that the show started pretty late. Reason for the Waiting All Night opener, maybe?
10/17/14: Pretty standard Free, there. Poor Heart kicks up the energy quite a bit, though.
10/17/14: Page destroys his solo. So good.
10/17/14: Trey does a number on Sample. Maybe he'll shred a bit in this show after all.
10/17/14: Oddly, just after finally building some energy with that Poor Heart, Sample combo we jump to Strange Design.
10/17/14: Love the song, just seems like weird placement.
10/17/14: 555 next. It's almost as if each band member is getting a spotlight here. If you count Poor Heart as a Fish spotlight song.
10/17/14: Which I totally do, because YOU'RE GOIN' TO JAIL
10/17/14: This is such a great song. But dear god it needs a good jamming.
10/17/14: Everyone sounds a lot more in step now, finally.
10/17/14: Great little outro jam in 555, > Bouncin'.
10/17/14: I remembered this first quarter as being exactly like this. Really *weird* setlist choices, but somehow it all hangs together.
10/17/14: It's not really *interesting* at all, per se, but it's a weirdly effective intro to a great show.
10/17/14: As I remember, things start to get REALLY interesting really soon.
10/17/14: rEbA
10/17/14: The Chase section of Reba is remarkably well done in this version.
10/17/14: This is definitely an above-average version of Reba if you like your Rebas melodic and Trey-centric.
10/17/14: This Roggae jam is beautiful. But aren't they all? Mike is king, still.
10/17/14: Standalone Simple!
10/17/14: Awesome loopy mini-jam in this Simple. Wow.
10/17/14: Mike bombs. Great -> Maze.
10/17/14: Page/Trey interplay in this Maze is just crazy.
10/17/14: Coil is a great closer for a first set that's been half great first set and half second set. Everything from Reba on = fire.
10/17/14: Back with that Coil set closer this morning.
10/17/14: Super-high vocals at the end of Coil. Yes!
10/17/14: Great Page outro in a set that Page has just owned (Poor Heart, Strange Design, Maze, Coil, etc.).
10/17/14: CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. Commence cranking volume.
10/17/14: Don't remember this jam at all. Looking forward to hearing it again.
10/17/14: Trey with some interesting leads early on.
10/17/14: Trey seems to have a very particular idea of what he wants to play here, but his fingers aren't keeping up with his brain.
10/17/14: Really purposeful, melodic soloing though, not just shredding to get to the 'real jam' part like sometimes happens.
10/17/14: Decisive break out of the melodic-solo mode, now.
10/17/14: Okay, this is badass.
10/17/14: Loops and Trey chording gives a great background for Page to play with. Electronic piano goo.
10/17/14: Moving naturally into some loop-inflected funk now. Setting up for the awesome -> Plasma.
10/1714: I sort of wish I hadn't read that they'd soundchecked Plasma before the show when I was there.
10/17/14: If I hadn't suspected it was coming already, this segue would have blown my brain off.
10/17/14: Anyway, friggin' -> Plasma. One of my favorite live moments of the year. Love Phish's take on this song.
10/17/14: The only way this could have been better was if they'd played a 20 minute monster jam in it. If wishes were Phishes...
10/17/14: Whoa! Trey sung the right lyrics and everyone else sung the wrong ones. I don't that's EVER happened before!
*think
10/17/14: Jam never really breaks from the song's structure, but it's a short-but-great little rocked-out jam nonetheless.
10/17/14: Overall, Carini -> Plasma pairing even better than I remembered, not just a novelty.
10/17/14: Cool, kinda unique Farmhouse jam. Got a jazzy feel to it.
10/17/14: I *like* the Farmhouse, Halfway breather here. Like the first half of S1, it's just a setup for the awesome to come.
10/17/14: Really languid, bluesy intro to this Twist. Loving it.
10/17/14: Mike is even more up-front than usual here. Sounding great.
10/17/14: Really mellow, Type 1.5-style jam in this Twist. Trey taking over with an almost Reba-like melody line.
10/17/14: Crosseyed! Easily my favorite Phish cover. Was so happy when they started it up.
10/17/14: My only other version was the weirdly chunky version at Gorge '13.
10/17/14: Fucking funk machine kicks on at 6:30. Yes.
10/17/14: Yes yes yes yes...Mike driving the jam under a bunch of loops from Trey. Moving into rock mode now. So goddamn good.
10/17/14: I clearly didn't appreciate this jam enough in person.
10/17/14: Sinister now.
10/17/14: Little bit of a jam based on what sounds like the back half of the Fuego main riff.
10/17/14: Someone (Fish?) making weird vocal noises. Now the loops are coming. And suddenly we're back at Dick's.
10/17/14: I'm biased, because I was there, but this just became jam of the year for me. Better than Dick's Simple. Which I also saw, ftr.
10/17/14: 'Still waiting' vocal reprise over the loops.
10/17/14: Why not more talk about this Crosseyed?! One of the #phish jams of the year, for my money. So driven, and varied, and brilliant.
10/17/14: Nice > Hood.
10/17/14: So happy that the crowd noise from the glowstick war made it on the SBD. One of my favorites to have been a part of.
10/17/14: Hood off to a solid, driving start.
10/17/14: Trey has stuck with the same riff-thing for like 3-4 minutes now. Very old school. Like it a lot.
10/17/14: Hell, this Hood is fantastic.
10/17/14: Really patiently developed but powerful peak. Page starts the outro chords a few measures before Trey, while Trey still rocks.
10/17/14: Great effect.
10/17/14: Rocky Top to close. We're officially having fun, now.
10/17/14: End set.
10/17/14: Love Wingsuit in the encore slot.
10/17/14: Trey: Sleeping Monkey is Page's favorite song! Fish: I didn't know that!
10/17/14: Trey dedicates Monkey to Page.
10/17/14: YES! THE AUDIENCE VERSE IS AUDIBLE ON THE SBD!
10/17/14: I'm a little happy about that :)
10/17/14: Mighty Quinn is not a cover that I usually relish, but this version is just wonderfully energetic and fun.
10/17/14: After the Eugene show, I'd said that it might be my favorite single Phish show I've attended. After a relisten, I stand by that.
10/17/14: I've been to a lot of shows that have way higher highs before, but few shows that are this great front-to-back.

10/17/14: Only real lull is in the first quarter, and the song choices there make up for it.