2010-08-14 Alpine I

The Verdict:
I think I've already summed up my feelings on this show pretty well in my last two tweets below: by "normal" Phish standards, Alpine I isn't anything special: solidly-played, uninteresting S1 followed by one major jam in S2 and then a bunch of jukebox-type song choices. It's sort of the band's "default" mode on off nights. But here, in the context of the really dry shows that are making up Summer II 2010 (minus the Greek run), this is a standout.

Make no mistake, in a summer that keeps raising the bar for the high-energy, by-the-book first set, this is another bar-raiser. There's a great variety of songs on display, and even a surprisingly great "Reba" that hints at the band's ability to improvise in the first set (someday, far in the future, maybe).

The second set is, like many recent second sets, to a large degree just another first set, with Trey driving every "jam." He's playing guitar during these shows in a way that I wish he would/could still play these days, but it seems to discourage the rest of the band from stepping up to the plate with anything interesting. The one highlight, though, is the "Disease" -> "WTU?" sequence: the segue is great, and "What's The Use?" actually gets stretched out a bit beyond its usual boundaries.

I suppose the "Mike's Groove" deserves a mention for having "Dirt" > "Sally" as the middle of its sandwich, but I'm scrambling for praise at this point.

The Live Review:
8/14/10: So this is weird. I'm reviewing a show that I've already seen on DVD.

8/14/10: But that was a long time ago, I suppose. I remember it being pretty good.

8/14/10: Tube opener. Mike doesn't need to warm up, clearly.

8/14/10: Oh Kee Pah -B Suzy.

8/14/10: Mike is crazy on this Suzy, too. Wonder if the mix is different or if Mike is just having a great night.

8/14/10: Funky Bitch!

8/14/10: Great version of Funky Bitch. Great playing from everyone. Reba is next.

8/14/10: Really jazzy, assertive start to the Reba jam from Trey.

8/14/10: This is a great version of Reba. Trey putting together some excellent melodic lines, Page adding piano accents.

8/14/10: Fuck Your Face might be my favorite possible follow-up to Reba.

8/14/10: Alaska might be my least favorite possible follow-up to Fuck Your Face.

8/14/10: That Alaska was better than most, thanks to a totally filthy Trey solo.

8/14/10: BOTT at what sounds like a much faster tempo than usual.

8/14/10: Fantastic, sustained soloing from Trey during BOTT, too. Taste next.

8/14/10: Taste is a bit shaky but certainly not lacking in the energy department.

8/14/10: Taste is followed by a good version of When the Circus Comes. Outro is a little extended, with some great organ touches by Page.

8/14/10: Lawn Boy, Sparkle. Weird song choices in the back half of this set.

8/14/10: Gumbo! Is it just me, or is this the longest first set ever?

8/14/10: Antelope might finally close this set!

8/14/10: I can see why this S1 works well for a DVD release, though. Tons of varied songs, super high energy typical of summer 2010...

8/14/10: ...and a few songs that, while not jammed, get great extended, improvised passages (Reba, BOTT).

8/14/10: If I was trying to turn someone on to #phish, that wouldn't have been a bad set to start with.

8/14/10: Crazy Antelope, featuring 'Marco Benevento' and some snake hissing before 'spike.'

8/14/10: The Sloth opener for S2.

8/14/10: Awesomely rock The Sloth. Lots of feedback squeals from Trey. Disease is next.

8/14/10: The first few minutes of the Disease jam is pure guitar fire.

8/14/10: Fish switching up the beat around 8:00. Things getting a little tangly.

8/14/10: Full-ahead go rock and roll coming out of the tension-y section.

8/14/10: Circular jam space coming up.

8/14/10: Lightspeed funk now.

8/14/10: Things slowing down a bit, becoming more sparse...then speeding back up.

8/14/10: Neat jam, though the only thing really consistent about it is the FRIGGIN' ENERGY.

8/14/10: Developing into a droning, noise-rock sort of segment now.

8/14/10: Trey playing around with the What's the Use? riff at the end of the noise-rock barrage. Great transition by everyone else.

8/14/10: That -> was some serious telepathy.

8/14/10: After the initial blast into WTU, now things are mellowing out. It's nice to hear them play with the song a little.

8/14/10: Nice sort-of -> Scent, there.

8/14/10: Really evil build in the duel section of SOAM.

8/14/10: Mike's song is next.

8/14/10: Weird transition out of a hot Mike's into Dirt, but it's great to hear the song, especially in the middle of a Groove.

8/14/10: Sally's next? Okay, this Groove is getting weird.

8/14/10: More great Trey soloing, with a nice vocal breakdown sandwiched in their for good measure.

8/14/10: The band doesn't really have any right to be playing like this 2+ hours into the show.

8/14/10: HUGE Weekapaug to close off that sequence.

8/14/10: This show isn't much different, really, than the last few shows I poo-poo'd. But the small differences really make it work.

8/14/10: Namely, a few songs that actually go somewhere slightly interesting in S1, a big jam in S2, and an interesting Groove.

8/14/10: Rock and roll Bug to close S2. Quinn encore.

8/14/10: By 'normal' standards, this show is a bit of a flash in the pan...


8/14/10: But by the standards of summer 2010 (minus the Greek run), it's fantastic.