Fall and NYE '14 was, in some ways, a logical extension of Summer '14. The band is still jamming with a fluidity and looseness that I've literally never heard them achieve so consistently, even during the high-water times in the 90s. Often, first sets don't do anything interesting, but they're executed consistently with technical prowess and an energy that you really can't fault in any way other than by greedily wishing for yet more space jams. It's everything that made '13 a great year for Phish, but even better, plus two new albums' worth of music (Fuego and the surprise Halloween set). While I'm partial to bits of Fall '13 and the back half of Summer '13, Fall '14 really completes an impregnable case for a band that's still progressing and is, objectively speaking, making a lot of my cherished Summer '13 highlights looking like growing pains by comparison.
That said, Fall '14 didn't really live up to the hype for me. I'd heard so many amazing things before listening that perhaps this was inevitable, but there it is. The 10/17 opener is amazing, and is probably my favorite single show that I've ever seen live, but then things really drop off (in general) until N2 of the BGCA run. From there, it's six shows in a row that are just jaw-droppingly amazing, maybe the best six-show run the band has ever put together, to my knowledge. But then the middle two shows of the NYE run are just boring, save for one "Weekapaug." And then the tour ends with the stupefyingly good 1/3 show. So, yeah. The highs are very, very high, but about half of the tour is just average by '13-'14 standards, and the middle of the NYE run belongs somewhere in '10 or '11. Best tour is Phishtory, as many have said? I dunno, I have to listen to Fall '13 first. But there are definitely a lot of great moments and overall it's the feeling a band still (somehow) on the rise. Which is why I'm currently sitting here refreshing phish.net over and over again, reading summer tour rumors.
10/17: Spectacular opening show. The second half of the first set is more like a second set, with some short but engaging jams. Everything in S2 except for "Halfway To the Moon" is interesting, but the clear highlights are "Carini" -> "Plasma," "Hood," and the "Crosseyed," which is on my short list for jam of the year.
10/18: Lackluster show after 10/17. One of the relatively new "jamlets 'n' segues" variety of show, there are some really compelling bits of improvisation, but never anything more than bits. The "Disease" is worth a listen, as is the "Sand," but you really could just listen to the "Light" -> "Cities" combo and call it a day without missing much.
10/21: Uncomfortably shaky S1. Amazing mellow & melodic "CDT" -> "Ghost" pair to start S2 is on par with anything else from the tour. The "Tweezer" isn't upper-echelon, but worth a listen anyway.
10/22: No single highlights in S1, but it's a vast improvement over 10/21's first frame; high energy and fun. "Drowned" -> "Theme" is a great pair, as "Theme" even features an outro jam, but then the rest of the set sees the band in jukebox mode (albeit a high-energy, fun version). Well-played show all the way around, but aside from the opening of S2, you'll miss the jamming.
10/24: S1 is again excellent, and there's a little improv poking out in "Gin" and a rare first-set "Ghost." The second set is mostly forgettable but for great, weird versions of "Hood" and "Disease." This "Disease" obviously isn't going to dethrone the Miami version, but it's one of the better ones of the year.
10/25: The first set is split between rotation staples played well (including a "Wolfman's" that really belongs in a second set) and rarities played like crap. Take that as you will. The second set has a great single jam in "Golden Age," but then falls into "jamlets 'n' segues" mode again. As I wrote in the review: ""Carini" > "Piper" > "Caspian" > "Tweezer" sequence is great, but you'll have to wince every few minutes when they switch songs, which takes some of the fun out of it."
10/27: Great song choices in the first set, but overall things don't quite mesh. That always-elusive "flow" is missing. The second set jamming is all segue-based again, and the only real jam of note that comes out of this is the "Ghost."
10/28: The show where an incredible six-show run of incredibleness begins. The first set sags in the middle, but starts off strong and finishes with a fantastic "Gumbo" -> "Sanity," with a legit "Gumbo" jam. The second set I described originally as "beautifully melodic" and "perfect." It's finally a great use of the band's segue-jamming style, moving effortlessly from song to song and stringing a greater thematic sequence together out of disparate songs through their improvisation alone. That said, "Twist" is the easy highlight.
10/29: S1 is, again, high-energy, but there's nothing really notable about it this time, other than the fact that "Wolfman's" continues to evolve and at this point is screaming to be jammed out, along with "555," "Wombat," and "Plasma." The second set is a head-scratcher at times, but features highlights in "Disease," "Light," and "Split." Probably the weakest show of the six-song run of Phish Destroying Everything, but it's still a great show.
10/31: This is one of the better shows of fall tour even without the set of all-new music. S1 is well-constructed and "Ghost" and "Scents" both go surprisingly deep. Rather than the usual laurel-resting-on that happens in Phish third sets, this one features a fantastic "Golden Age" an above-average "Tweezer," and, near the end, an 18-minute "Sand"! Oh, and of course in the middle of these great sets is an incredible instrumental hour of music. This trend of not wasting a set in a three-set show will continue into NYE.
11/1: Almost beats 10/31 with one less set to work with, it's so good. The first set doesn't do much beyond a "Roggae" to raise eyebrows, but the setlist is just brilliantly put-together. Pretty much the entire second set is worth a mention, but first and foremost it's the "Crosseyed" > "Light" -> "The Dogs" -> "Lengthwise" > "Twist" portion that makes this a contender for Set of the Year.
11/2: S1 here reminds me of the 10/17 S1 in the sense that about halfway through a standard set, the band decides to start S2 early. There's a great "Gin," some "Martian Monster" teases in the "Free," and a great "Walls" closer. The "CDT" -> "Piper" that opens S2 is 10/21 S2's opening pair leveled up, and the rest of the set is top-notch even before ending in a huge "YEM" that involves an extended jam section and Trey chasing Mike around the stage with a megaphone siren.
12/31: This is another three-set show that doesn't take any breaks. The first set, honestly, gets by on energy alone. There's no real improv, and in terms of organization, it's a mess. But, damn, the band is on fire. The "Ghost" > "Theme" -> "Cities" sequence in S2 threatens to unseat 11/1's masterful sequence it's so good, though, and S2 ends with "Martian Monster." S3 starts with the gag segueing into "The Dogs," and also contains a legitimate "Tweezer" jam and starts with a great "Simple" jam that gets ripcorded into jukebox territory; however, this show still offers an incredible amount of quality music and jamming, though it might be hard-pressed to stand up to 10/31.
1/1: The six-show run of destruction comes to an end here during N2 of NYE. The first set is actually really, really good in the way that many of the best S1s have been throughout the tour. There's no particular highlight, but just consistent energy and great organization throughout. The second set is of the segue-jamming variety, and it doesn't work so well. There's a few great song choices that don't seem to achieve their potential, and then an interesting "Twenty Years" > "Winterqueen" pair that would probably feel like more of a highlight if it wasn't the only one of the set.
1/2: This show is even more pedestrian than 1/1, but the "Mike's Groove" that opens S2, and especially the way-out-there "Weekapaug," are great. Just listen to that sequence and skip the rest. One of the few times I've been able to say something like that about a '14 show.
1/3: What a note to end the year on. The first set is a cohesive, high-energy affair throughout, and features a "Divided Sky," a legitimate "Split" jam, a short-but-intense "Scent," and the return of "Plasma." The second set is primarily about the amazing easily-best-of-year "Disease" that recalls the Tahoe Tweezer in its best moments. But not to close the year on a jukeboxy note, the band then puts together an amazing "Light" -> "Sally," a shredded "Sand," and one final exploratory "Hood" before calling it a tour.
No comments:
Post a Comment