The Verdict:
When the band plays as technically well as they have been for most of the first sets in 2010 but never attempt any real improv, the only way to tell sets apart is through song choice. All these first sets are "high energy," and they're all lacking in improvisation. So that only leaves one question "Did they play good songs?" Obviously, this makes reviewing said sets pretty fucking objective. For my money, most (though not all) of Telluride N1S1 was boring because the song choices were predictable. The second night's S1 is way more interesting in terms of song choice. That's the good news. The bad news is that for the second set, Phish decided to play a second first set. So...it's a draw?
S1 features some excellent song "flow," some rarities, a minimalist reading of "Let Me Lie" that I actually thought was awesome, "Divided Sky," and a few minutes of absolute destruction in the "Antelope" closer...but besides it all being put together very well, it's also nothing you've never heard before, except maybe the "Let Me Lie."
S2, as I said, is basically a second S1. The band never really lifts off in the way you expect them to do in a second frame. "Crosseyed" is great...for a version that stays Type I for its entire running time. "Destiny Unbound" is nice to hear, but just confirms the feeling that the band is in jukebox mode for this whole set. "Carini" gets weird for a few minutes...like, really weird...but then we're just back on the rails for the rest of the show. "YEM" deserves a mention for featuring a bit more legitimate jamming than usual and an extra-weird vocal jam, but this set does nothing to change my mind from thinking Telluride is an entirely tepid outing.
The Live Review:
8/10/10: Coil opener!
8/10/10: imo, Coil always sort of loses something when they don't all leave stage except for Page.
8/10/10: As usual, fantastic interplay between Trey and Page on the outro. Mike picking it up now, too.
8/10/10: End of Coil to Stealing Time = very quiet
8/10/10: Ya Mar!!!
8/10/10: Stealing Time was very short, very high-energy, and featured a surprising amount of Mike.
8/10/10: Typically great Ya Mar > Timber.
8/10/10: This Timber gets hot and twisted almost right away.
8/10/10: That comment made me want to buy and eat a hot pretzel.
8/10/10: One of the many arrangements of Let Me Lie is next.
8/10/10: Piano and drums only, Page and Trey harmonizing (maybe Mike, too?).
8/10/10: Almost no guitar on this version. It's actually quite good.
8/10/10: Last verse is just Page on piano.
8/10/10: This is how this song should always be played.
8/10/10: Trey comes in at the end for a brief solo.
8/10/10: Divided Sky!
8/10/10: Great set so far. Really well-constructed, and even the 'flop' song turned out to be a really great version.
8/10/10: When I woke up this morning, I did not expect to be live-tweeting my conversion to the Church of Let Me Lie today. #phish
8/10/10: Standalone Walk Away!
8/10/10: Page comes in early on vocals! That never happens!
8/10/10: ROSES
8/10/10: I'm hoping this set isn't designed to distract me from a boring S2.
8/10/10: BECAUSE IT'S WORKING
8/10/10: Distortion at the end of Roses gives way to LxL.
8/10/10: LxL gets ripped apart by Trey as well. > Bouncin'.
8/10/10: I'm gonna go off the deep end here: 2010 Trey is flat-out better at Phish noodle-solo-rock than 2014 Trey.
8/10/10: Now these shows aren't as impressive in terms of improv (usually) than more recent shows.
8/10/10: But the shreddy-jukebox parts of the shows are WAY more interesting, simply because Trey blasts fucking fire from his fingers.
8/10/10: A frenzied Antelope closes another fireball of a first set. Party Time kicks off S2.
8/10/10: Standard reading of Party Time > Mike's.
8/10/10: Super distorted, crazy Mike's. Still staying in the box, but slaying while they're at it.
8/10/10: Really rough start to what I think is going to be Crosseyed.
8/10/10: Yup.
8/10/10: Crosseyed stays Type I for a 9-minute shredfest, but a neat transition into the Groove-appropriate I Am Hydrogen.
8/10/10: Really languid Hydrogen. Suited for sunset behind a summer shed.
8/10/10: This is going to shock you, but Trey is annihilating this Weekapaug.
8/10/10: Destiny Unbound!
8/10/10: This show is basically two first sets. But they're both great first sets. There's yer silver lining.
8/10/10: Okay, so there's like 2-3 minutes of really abstract noise shit at the end of this Carini that
counts as 'jamming.'
8/10/10: It's actually really dark and scary.
8/10/10: Bass-led version, as per 3.0 usual, but Page gets a little bit of a spotlight in the midst of the bass breakdown.
8/10/10: Some weird LP file tracking shit happening with Carini and Free, but it doesn't seem like I missed much of either song. Oh well.
8/10/10: Heavy Things is next, keeping up the second set one vibe.
8/10/10: YEM. This is the second recent YEM that's come, oddly, at the end of a somewhat lackluster show.
8/10/10: It's sort of losing its 'victory lap' status.
8/10/10: 97 funk style interlude in this YEM. That's pretty cool.
8/10/10: Serious solo throwdown from Trey now.
8/10/10: MASSIVE Mike bass solo next.
8/10/10: YEM was a pretty exceptionally great version.
8/10/10: Neat story about '88 CO 'tour' from Trey before Shine a Light encore.
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