The Verdict:
It's almost as if, in a weird way, the last few shows have been the band working toward 7/3: the epitome of a third-quarter-only show. This show has twenty-two songs, but if you've ever heard Phish before, there's really no reason to listen to twenty-one of them. Luckily, the exception is a big exception.
There's literally nothing I care to say about the first set. With the exception of "Sugar Shack," it's well-played, but otherwise there's nothing interesting here. There's nothing about the song choices, the flow, the arrangements, or anything else that you haven't heard before. "Tube" gets into an interesting plinko/echoplex melange for literally thirty seconds, long enough for you to say "Oh shit, awesome!" before Trey pulls the plug into the blues portion of the song. And, frankly, that's it.
Don't let the "Twist" and the "Hood" on the setlist fool you: the second set is just another first set, and not a particularly well-arranged or energetic one at that. Except for a "Moma Dance" that, somehow, amazingly, goes deep out of nowhere and amounts to a gorgeous, multi-stage jam that stands easily with the "Chalkdust" or "Light" from this run, along with having the surprise factor working in its favor.
I would have sworn that the official Phish channel had a video of this up for awhile, but I can't seem to find it anymore. Here's the next best thing:
The Live Review:
7/3/16: The Wedge opener.
7/3/16: Heavy Things, Tube. Sounding good so far.
7/3/16: Super echoplex chording during Tube.
7/3/16: Echoplex/plinko jamming. Super cool, but way too short.
7/3/16: Hahahaha...Trey just dive-bombed on Sugar Shack again. Even in Trump's America, it's comforting that some things never change.
7/3/16: Messy Sugar Shack, Lawn Boy, Sparkle, Sample. They're really 'pulling out' 'all the stops' tonight.
7/3/16: It's Ice (w/ funk breadown) > Guelah at least made things interesting for a minute. Now, Ocelot.
7/3/16: SOAM is after Ocelot. Great piano solo from Page. Then what sounds like a marimba lumina effects jam.
7/3/16: Possum to close set one.
7/3/16: Welp, that was pretty boring.
7/3/16: Neat bits in Tube, It's Ice, and Scent, but the rest of the set was as first-setty as it gets.
7/3/16: S2 opens with Soul Shakedown, though, which is pretty rad.
7/3/16: If I didn't already know that this was a monster Moma Dance, I'd say this was super-weird placement.
7/3/16: Excited to hear this. The Brooklyn '04 Moma is one of my favorite Phish angry-space jams.
7/3/16: Fast tempo.
7/3/16: It occurs to me that sometimes I fail to appreciate just how great Fishman is on this song.
7/3/16: Echoplex and clav showing up already during the lyric section.
7/3/16: Post-vocal outro, Trey abandons the usual riff immediately and starts soloing over a loop.
7/3/16: Mike with the darkness bass leading the way now.
7/3/16: This absolutely filthy-sounding solo Trey is laying down is fantastic.
7/3/16: Jam taking off in a happier direction now.
7/3/16: Pitch shifter coming out now. Space jam time.
7/3/16: Page leading now on electric piano. This jam is seamless and really beautiful. Top-tier 2016 action here, folks.
7/3/16: Awesome. Semi-ripcord into Twist, but whatever.
7/3/16: After a typical Twist Type I jam, Trey breaks out the Moma Dance jam tone again and goes to town.
7/3/16: Solo sort of peters out this time, though. Back to vocals.
7/3/16: > Joy. And the way the recent shows have been, I suspect that that's the signal for Jukebox Mode.
7/3/16: This show seems like it's aiming for the title of Most 2016 Show Evar.
7/3/16: Absolutely no surprises in either set, EXCEPT FOR one monstrous and gorgeous jam in Moma Dance.
7/3/16: Are we being trolled?
7/3/16: Breath and Burning.
7/3/16: Axila I, Theme
7/3/16: > Hood.
7/3/16: Compact but solid version of Hood > Show of Life.
7/3/16: Rock and Roll encore again.
7/3/16: Well, fwiw, that was a pretty insane Type I version of Rock and Roll.
Nov 22, 2016
2016-07-02 SPAC II
The Verdict:
The second SPAC show follows the same template as the first (and of the last few shows before SPAC). There's another strong-but-by-the-numbers opening set, and the real magic is focused in the third quarter of the show before the band peters out and limps across the finish line.
There's not much else to say about the first set. The song choices skew toward early-2000s selections, and it's neat to hear a lot of tunes from Round Room and Undermind. "Martian Monster" gets the echoplex treatment (which is typical these days), and "46 Days" gets the MuTron treatment (which is typical these days). And that's about it.
The second set doesn't feature anything quite as expansive as the "Chalkdust" from 7/1, but the "Fuego" > "Light" -> "Golden Age" is still pretty great. "Fuego" gets an almost-plinko space, and "Golden Age" has a few minutes of ambient jamming, but the real highlight is "Light."
It has a few sections in it, and like the 7/1 "Chalkdust" and forthcoming 7/3 "Moma," the moves between those sections is really smooth and organic-sounding. In this case, the typical "Light" arpeggios get dropped by the wayside almost immediately, and Trey plays some growly, echo-y chords in the background as the rest of the band runs the jam for awhile. Trey backing off gives the band a rare sound for a bit, before he jumps back in and pushes the band toward a more uplifting space. This bit flirts with but never really fully commits to a bliss jam, instead turning again as Trey leads with a super-processed, distorted tone for a great solo...and then a great segue into "Golden Age."
From there, as per usual lately, the rest of the set is by the book. But hey, check out the "Light"!
The Live Review:
7/2/16: Crowd Control opener.
7/2/16: I always love this song as an opener. Of course, I think I'm more partial to Undermind as an album than most fans.
7/2/16: First new album that Phish put out after I became a fan.
7/2/16: Was listening a bit in 2001-2002, but not enough to care enough to buy Round Room when it came out.
7/2/16: Ironically, that's now my favorite Phish album.
7/2/16: Anyway: Crowd Control
7/2/16: 555 in the two-slot. An extra-grungy solo from Trey, actually. Like this version.
7/2/16: Seven Below! Nice placement.
7/2/16: More great soloing from Trey here. Driving a nice Type I jam.
7/2/16: > BOTT
7/2/16: Trey teasing Sleeping Monkey lyrics at the end of BOTT.
7/2/16: Okay, so this set is totally by-the-book so far, but Trey is ON FIRE.
7/2/16: Most fun I've ever had with a Crowd Control, 555, Seven Below > BOTT sequence.
7/2/16: Army of One next. Liking this 200x-heavy set.
7/2/16: DSky, echo-heavy Martian Monster.
7/2/16: Rift, and then a slow Water in the Sky. Looks like Walls to close.
7/2/16: Phish has laid down some amazingly tight and fun, but entirely uninteresting opening sets this tour.
7/2/16: If they were just a plain old rock band with plain old rock band expectations, they'd be fucking killing it this tour.
7/2/16: Oh, sorry, there was a 46 Days between Water in the Sky and Walls.
7/2/16: Song choice is solid, and they're doing a great job of mixing old songs and new.
7/2/16: There's just almost 0% of the surprises we saw during first sets in '15.
7/2/16: MuTron soloing from Trey in 46 Days.
7/2/16: Trey with some Van Halen-style guitar fireworks at the end of Walls. End set.
7/2/16: S2 opens with No Men.
7/2/16: As much as I like to see No Men go deep, they've been killing it as a Type I jam lately. This version is no exception.
7/2/16: > Fuego.
7/2/16: Trey busting out the pitch shifter again. Getting spacey.
7/2/16: Maybe another plinko jam coming.
7/2/16: Really mellow jam over a guitar loop.
7/2/16: Builds back up to the Fuego outro riff again.
7/2/16: That was interesting. That doesn't normally happen. Neat little self-contained Fuego there.
7/2/16: MuTron growl > Light.
7/2/16: Trey doesn't waste a lot of time with arpeggios in this jam, going straight for some dissonant chording.
7/2/16: Chording with the MuTron now. Sounds like a freight train going by.
7/2/16: This is neat. Giving the rest of the band a chance to shine. Page to electric piano.
7/2/16: Muddy soloing starting up now.
7/2/16: Pretty epic build now. I wouldn't put it in the 'bliss jam' category, really. It almost reminds me of WTU? but more uplifting.
7/2/16: Trey switching over to a super-processed tone. Sounds awesome.
7/2/16: Okay, this Light rules.
7/2/16: Pitch shifter solo over a fadeout.
7/2/16: Trey teasing the vocals to No Men over the fadeout.
7/2/16: Fish comes in with a corresponding beat.
7/2/16: -> Golden Age.
7/2/16: That's it. I'm buying Trey a Golden-Age-specific teleprompter for Christmas.
7/2/16: Out of the composed section, Page lays down a great piano riff, but then things fall pretty flat right after.
7/2/16: Little ambient space before -> Taste.
Check it. https://t.co/JyuEltH5Hv
7/2/16: Neat solo from Trey. Though the raw speed isn't there, it sounded more like a 90s Taste than a recent one.
7/2/16: The Horse, Silent, Julius, ADITL...we've once again entered The Jukebox Zone.
7/2/16: End set. Encore starts with Bouncin'.
7/2/16: Antelope closer.
7/2/16: I've never really liked Antelope that much, honestly. Especially as a closer. Too predictable.
7/2/16: Maybe its just one of those songs that you fucking love if you've been into Phish since they played it every single show in the 80s?
7/2/16: Oh well.
7/2/16: Trey employing the echoplex a bit during the Antelope outro.
7/2/16: Page gets in a final 'They Attack!' sample, and then the show's over.
7/2/16: It seems like there have been a few shows in a row now following this very mid-3.0-ish template...
7/2/16: ...well-played but uninteresting first set, jamming in the third quarter, and then petering out for the last 45 minutes or so.
7/2/16: I'm not the kind of guy who needs monster jams all S2 to see a show as great, but...
7/2/16: ...I think maybe the disappointment comes from just how rote the fourth quarters seem.
7/2/16: Even if they just played another 5-6 songs at the end of the show in the mold of S1, it would be okay.
7/2/16: But the last bit never has the flow, or the clever placement that S1s, though not particularly exciting, have had.
7/2/16: So you just end up feeling like you've only seen 75% of a show instead of, at least, 3 straightforward quarters and one weird one.
7/2/16: Oh well. On to SPAC 3 and (if I remember right) the jammed-out Moma Dance.
The second SPAC show follows the same template as the first (and of the last few shows before SPAC). There's another strong-but-by-the-numbers opening set, and the real magic is focused in the third quarter of the show before the band peters out and limps across the finish line.
There's not much else to say about the first set. The song choices skew toward early-2000s selections, and it's neat to hear a lot of tunes from Round Room and Undermind. "Martian Monster" gets the echoplex treatment (which is typical these days), and "46 Days" gets the MuTron treatment (which is typical these days). And that's about it.
The second set doesn't feature anything quite as expansive as the "Chalkdust" from 7/1, but the "Fuego" > "Light" -> "Golden Age" is still pretty great. "Fuego" gets an almost-plinko space, and "Golden Age" has a few minutes of ambient jamming, but the real highlight is "Light."
It has a few sections in it, and like the 7/1 "Chalkdust" and forthcoming 7/3 "Moma," the moves between those sections is really smooth and organic-sounding. In this case, the typical "Light" arpeggios get dropped by the wayside almost immediately, and Trey plays some growly, echo-y chords in the background as the rest of the band runs the jam for awhile. Trey backing off gives the band a rare sound for a bit, before he jumps back in and pushes the band toward a more uplifting space. This bit flirts with but never really fully commits to a bliss jam, instead turning again as Trey leads with a super-processed, distorted tone for a great solo...and then a great segue into "Golden Age."
From there, as per usual lately, the rest of the set is by the book. But hey, check out the "Light"!
The Live Review:
7/2/16: Crowd Control opener.
7/2/16: I always love this song as an opener. Of course, I think I'm more partial to Undermind as an album than most fans.
7/2/16: First new album that Phish put out after I became a fan.
7/2/16: Was listening a bit in 2001-2002, but not enough to care enough to buy Round Room when it came out.
7/2/16: Ironically, that's now my favorite Phish album.
7/2/16: Anyway: Crowd Control
7/2/16: 555 in the two-slot. An extra-grungy solo from Trey, actually. Like this version.
7/2/16: Seven Below! Nice placement.
7/2/16: More great soloing from Trey here. Driving a nice Type I jam.
7/2/16: > BOTT
7/2/16: Trey teasing Sleeping Monkey lyrics at the end of BOTT.
7/2/16: Okay, so this set is totally by-the-book so far, but Trey is ON FIRE.
7/2/16: Most fun I've ever had with a Crowd Control, 555, Seven Below > BOTT sequence.
7/2/16: Army of One next. Liking this 200x-heavy set.
7/2/16: DSky, echo-heavy Martian Monster.
7/2/16: Rift, and then a slow Water in the Sky. Looks like Walls to close.
7/2/16: Phish has laid down some amazingly tight and fun, but entirely uninteresting opening sets this tour.
7/2/16: If they were just a plain old rock band with plain old rock band expectations, they'd be fucking killing it this tour.
7/2/16: Oh, sorry, there was a 46 Days between Water in the Sky and Walls.
7/2/16: Song choice is solid, and they're doing a great job of mixing old songs and new.
7/2/16: There's just almost 0% of the surprises we saw during first sets in '15.
7/2/16: MuTron soloing from Trey in 46 Days.
7/2/16: Trey with some Van Halen-style guitar fireworks at the end of Walls. End set.
7/2/16: S2 opens with No Men.
7/2/16: As much as I like to see No Men go deep, they've been killing it as a Type I jam lately. This version is no exception.
7/2/16: > Fuego.
7/2/16: Trey busting out the pitch shifter again. Getting spacey.
7/2/16: Maybe another plinko jam coming.
7/2/16: Really mellow jam over a guitar loop.
7/2/16: Builds back up to the Fuego outro riff again.
7/2/16: That was interesting. That doesn't normally happen. Neat little self-contained Fuego there.
7/2/16: MuTron growl > Light.
7/2/16: Trey doesn't waste a lot of time with arpeggios in this jam, going straight for some dissonant chording.
7/2/16: Chording with the MuTron now. Sounds like a freight train going by.
7/2/16: This is neat. Giving the rest of the band a chance to shine. Page to electric piano.
7/2/16: Muddy soloing starting up now.
7/2/16: Pretty epic build now. I wouldn't put it in the 'bliss jam' category, really. It almost reminds me of WTU? but more uplifting.
7/2/16: Trey switching over to a super-processed tone. Sounds awesome.
7/2/16: Okay, this Light rules.
7/2/16: Pitch shifter solo over a fadeout.
7/2/16: Trey teasing the vocals to No Men over the fadeout.
7/2/16: Fish comes in with a corresponding beat.
7/2/16: -> Golden Age.
7/2/16: That's it. I'm buying Trey a Golden-Age-specific teleprompter for Christmas.
7/2/16: Out of the composed section, Page lays down a great piano riff, but then things fall pretty flat right after.
7/2/16: Little ambient space before -> Taste.
Check it. https://t.co/JyuEltH5Hv
7/2/16: Neat solo from Trey. Though the raw speed isn't there, it sounded more like a 90s Taste than a recent one.
7/2/16: The Horse, Silent, Julius, ADITL...we've once again entered The Jukebox Zone.
7/2/16: End set. Encore starts with Bouncin'.
7/2/16: Antelope closer.
7/2/16: I've never really liked Antelope that much, honestly. Especially as a closer. Too predictable.
7/2/16: Maybe its just one of those songs that you fucking love if you've been into Phish since they played it every single show in the 80s?
7/2/16: Oh well.
7/2/16: Trey employing the echoplex a bit during the Antelope outro.
7/2/16: Page gets in a final 'They Attack!' sample, and then the show's over.
7/2/16: It seems like there have been a few shows in a row now following this very mid-3.0-ish template...
7/2/16: ...well-played but uninteresting first set, jamming in the third quarter, and then petering out for the last 45 minutes or so.
7/2/16: I'm not the kind of guy who needs monster jams all S2 to see a show as great, but...
7/2/16: ...I think maybe the disappointment comes from just how rote the fourth quarters seem.
7/2/16: Even if they just played another 5-6 songs at the end of the show in the mold of S1, it would be okay.
7/2/16: But the last bit never has the flow, or the clever placement that S1s, though not particularly exciting, have had.
7/2/16: So you just end up feeling like you've only seen 75% of a show instead of, at least, 3 straightforward quarters and one weird one.
7/2/16: Oh well. On to SPAC 3 and (if I remember right) the jammed-out Moma Dance.
Nov 15, 2016
2016-07-01 SPAC I
The Verdict:
The first of three SPAC shows this year falls firmly into the Mann mold: strong but uninteresting first set paired with a huge third quarter of improv and then a bummer of a fourth quarter. I'm beginning to understand why "the fourth quarter" became such a big thing on phish.net this summer.
As I said, this is another strong opening frame. It's a great selection of songs, even if the band never really breaks anything open. The closest they come is with a smooth, short take on "Cities" that's worth a listen. It's followed by a decently-played and interestingly-placed "Bowie." Also worth mentioning is the live debut of Mike's "Let's Go," which is just about the Phishiest song I've ever heard.
The set ends on yet another great Type 1.5 "Gin"...until Trey launches into "Golgi," then tries to end the set for real before starting up "Coil" and letting Page actually end it.
The second set starts with a solid Trey-shreds-style take on "Sand," but then "Carini" goes deep quick, entering a beautifully eerie space led by Trey's pitch shifter and some ominous drones. The riff that Trey builds out of the muck slightly resembles the opening to "Chalkdust" and then, true to form, about two minutes later the band finally transitions into "Chalkdust" proper.
In case the "Carini" wasn't cool enough by itself, this enormous "Chalkdust" moves through another "Carini"-like jam, a plinko jam, a '15-style bliss jam, and then a percussion jam with Trey on marimba (and yes, it's actually good).
From there, Trey leads a segue into "Caspian," and pretty much everything else from the set is straight from the jukebox minus a strong (if short) "2001."
That said, it's hard to complain much after that excellent "Carini" -> "CDT" pair. Woo!
The Live Review:
7/1/16: Using the AUD from https://t.co/1gGM7wzn0C to review the show today.
7/1/16: Stealing Time opener.
7/1/16: The Birds!
7/1/16: NICU next.
7/1/16: Cities!
7/1/16: It's the slow, syrupy kind, too.
7/1/16: Nice solo from Trey coming out of some MuTron nastiness.
7/1/16: Great compact version of Cities.
7/1/16: That was maybe the fastest intro > Bowie transition ever.
7/1/16: Nice, patient build with some thoughtful soloing from Trey. Slow-paced, but neat version.
7/1/16: Free.
7/1/16: Uncle Pen!
7/1/16: Well put-together set so far, but missing any real points of interest, unless you count the 2-3 middle minutes of Cities.
7/1/16: Halfway to the Moon. I actually really, really like this song, but it seems to suck the air out of the room every time it's played.
7/1/16: Let's Go debut.
7/1/16: I've never actually heard this before. It's good.
7/1/16: WAN is next.
7/1/16: > Gin.
7/1/16: Gin jam starts out as usual, but now it's building up speed.
7/1/16: Trey machine-gunning. Fish has a really interesting beat going.
7/1/16: Great, fiery ending.
7/1/16: > Golgi.
7/1/16: After Golgi, Trey says 'Thanks, don't go away!' then comes back sheepishly for another song.
7/1/16: Coil.
7/1/16: Trey struggling a bit with the chords on Coil.
7/1/16: Otherwise, a solid Coil. End set.
7/1/16: Sand opens S2!
7/1/16: Nice, loose Type I jamming so far.
7/1/16: Solid Sand, quick transition into Carini.
7/1/16: Super-dark echo chords from Trey.
7/1/16: Pitch shifter now.
7/1/16: Really digging this low-key but dark jam.
7/1/16: Funk now.
7/1/16: Amid the loops and such, Trey seems to be teasing CDT a little.
7/1/16: Yep! Made a bit of mincemeat out of the transition, but still. -> CDT.
7/1/16: Trey busting out the pitch shifter again, this time early in CDT.
7/1/16: Lots of great, echo-y, loopy space jamming here. Sounds a lot like the Carini jam before it.
7/1/16: Plinko sounding jam now. Nice '11 throwback :0
7/1/16: Build out of the plinko into something more '15 bliss-like.
7/1/16: Keeps going after the build-up!
7/1/16: I think Trey's on the marimba now. Great percussion jam going.
7/1/16: Trey back on guitar now...transition into Caspian.
7/1/16: Short, breezy take on Caspian.
7/1/16: You should watch this immediately. https://t.co/r1EKhhBzap
7/1/16: > Bug.
7/1/16: Well, that was an amazing Carini -> CDT sequence. But then Caspian, Bug, Shine a Light, My Sweet One, Sleeping Monkey.
7/1/16: Fourth quarter bluuuuuuues
7/1/16: Chunky 2001 with echoplex though. So that's cool.
7/1/16: Fire, Zero to close.
7/1/16: Rather, Fire to end the second set, and Zero to encore.
The first of three SPAC shows this year falls firmly into the Mann mold: strong but uninteresting first set paired with a huge third quarter of improv and then a bummer of a fourth quarter. I'm beginning to understand why "the fourth quarter" became such a big thing on phish.net this summer.
As I said, this is another strong opening frame. It's a great selection of songs, even if the band never really breaks anything open. The closest they come is with a smooth, short take on "Cities" that's worth a listen. It's followed by a decently-played and interestingly-placed "Bowie." Also worth mentioning is the live debut of Mike's "Let's Go," which is just about the Phishiest song I've ever heard.
The set ends on yet another great Type 1.5 "Gin"...until Trey launches into "Golgi," then tries to end the set for real before starting up "Coil" and letting Page actually end it.
The second set starts with a solid Trey-shreds-style take on "Sand," but then "Carini" goes deep quick, entering a beautifully eerie space led by Trey's pitch shifter and some ominous drones. The riff that Trey builds out of the muck slightly resembles the opening to "Chalkdust" and then, true to form, about two minutes later the band finally transitions into "Chalkdust" proper.
In case the "Carini" wasn't cool enough by itself, this enormous "Chalkdust" moves through another "Carini"-like jam, a plinko jam, a '15-style bliss jam, and then a percussion jam with Trey on marimba (and yes, it's actually good).
From there, Trey leads a segue into "Caspian," and pretty much everything else from the set is straight from the jukebox minus a strong (if short) "2001."
That said, it's hard to complain much after that excellent "Carini" -> "CDT" pair. Woo!
The Live Review:
7/1/16: Using the AUD from https://t.co/1gGM7wzn0C to review the show today.
7/1/16: Stealing Time opener.
7/1/16: The Birds!
7/1/16: NICU next.
7/1/16: Cities!
7/1/16: It's the slow, syrupy kind, too.
7/1/16: Nice solo from Trey coming out of some MuTron nastiness.
7/1/16: Great compact version of Cities.
7/1/16: That was maybe the fastest intro > Bowie transition ever.
7/1/16: Nice, patient build with some thoughtful soloing from Trey. Slow-paced, but neat version.
7/1/16: Free.
7/1/16: Uncle Pen!
7/1/16: Well put-together set so far, but missing any real points of interest, unless you count the 2-3 middle minutes of Cities.
7/1/16: Halfway to the Moon. I actually really, really like this song, but it seems to suck the air out of the room every time it's played.
7/1/16: Let's Go debut.
7/1/16: I've never actually heard this before. It's good.
7/1/16: WAN is next.
7/1/16: > Gin.
7/1/16: Gin jam starts out as usual, but now it's building up speed.
7/1/16: Trey machine-gunning. Fish has a really interesting beat going.
7/1/16: Great, fiery ending.
7/1/16: > Golgi.
7/1/16: After Golgi, Trey says 'Thanks, don't go away!' then comes back sheepishly for another song.
7/1/16: Coil.
7/1/16: Trey struggling a bit with the chords on Coil.
7/1/16: Otherwise, a solid Coil. End set.
7/1/16: Sand opens S2!
7/1/16: Nice, loose Type I jamming so far.
7/1/16: Solid Sand, quick transition into Carini.
7/1/16: Super-dark echo chords from Trey.
7/1/16: Pitch shifter now.
7/1/16: Really digging this low-key but dark jam.
7/1/16: Funk now.
7/1/16: Amid the loops and such, Trey seems to be teasing CDT a little.
7/1/16: Yep! Made a bit of mincemeat out of the transition, but still. -> CDT.
7/1/16: Trey busting out the pitch shifter again, this time early in CDT.
7/1/16: Lots of great, echo-y, loopy space jamming here. Sounds a lot like the Carini jam before it.
7/1/16: Plinko sounding jam now. Nice '11 throwback :0
7/1/16: Build out of the plinko into something more '15 bliss-like.
7/1/16: Keeps going after the build-up!
7/1/16: I think Trey's on the marimba now. Great percussion jam going.
7/1/16: Trey back on guitar now...transition into Caspian.
7/1/16: Short, breezy take on Caspian.
7/1/16: You should watch this immediately. https://t.co/r1EKhhBzap
7/1/16: > Bug.
7/1/16: Well, that was an amazing Carini -> CDT sequence. But then Caspian, Bug, Shine a Light, My Sweet One, Sleeping Monkey.
7/1/16: Fourth quarter bluuuuuuues
7/1/16: Chunky 2001 with echoplex though. So that's cool.
7/1/16: Fire, Zero to close.
7/1/16: Rather, Fire to end the second set, and Zero to encore.
2016-06-29 Mann II
The Verdict:
The second Mann show is like the first one in the sense that, in the aggregate, it's a great show. The highlights happen a little more predictably here, though, and are arguably a bit stronger.
Like the first night, Mann II has a strong first set. The best part is probably the "Blaze On," "Waking Up Dead," slowed-down "Llama" sequence, but the "Mike's Groove" section that closes is better than it looks on paper, with a gorgeous "Farmhouse" and "Groove," both elevated by some stunning Trey/Page interplay on the high end.
If you like "Reba"s, this version also has a nice slow-burner jam that develops thanks in part to the purposely slow temp.
The "Crosseyed" that opens the second set goes deep, first with Trey utilizing the pitch-shifter and then later entering bliss-jam territory, but with a riff that's more than the usual bliss-jam three-chord progression. The band lands in a great The Who-sounding spot and transitions into the debut of "Friends."
Lest you be bitter about 2016 Phish and suspect this is the end of the good part of the set, don't despair. After "Friends," the guys launch into a strong "Type 1.5" "Disease" that segues beautifully into a slow, ethereal "WTU?" The "Meatstick" that follows seems appropriate tonally, but then we get a swift move into a jukebox-y fourth quarter.
Though the second set ends on a pretty uninspired note, those first five songs are a fantastic sequence, and then "Hood" is nothing to sneeze at.
The Live Review:
6/29/16: Wolfman's opener.
6/29/16: Your Pet Cat is next.
6/29/16: Standard set so far, but three-spot Blaze On has a little extra mustard.
6/29/16: Waking Up Dead debut.
6/29/16: I love this song so much.
6/29/16: New @mike_gordon album now, please!
6/29/16: Slow-funk Llama. Great sequence!
6/29/16: Great use of the echoplex during that Llama. Devotion is next.
6/29/16: Fun version of Devotion, as usual. Slow-tempo Reba is next. Happy to hear Reba for the...first time this tour?
6/29/16: Great, slowly developing Reba jam thanks to the slow tempo. Huge peak > whistling ending.
6/29/16: Trey noodles a bit after Reba. Sounds a little like a slowed-down Poor Heart.
6/29/16: 'Thinking about what other songs we can play slowly.'
6/29/16: Mike's Song instead. Trey starts at normal speed, then slows down.
6/29/16: Messing with tempo now. Crowd going nuts.
6/29/16: Mike's > Horn > Farmhouse > Groove.
6/29/16: Not the most inspiring sequence to end an otherwise strong set. Farmhouse had a particularly delicate little jam though.
6/29/16: Lots of interplay between Page and Trey.
6/29/16: Purtiest Farmhouse evar?!
6/29/16: Weekapaug has some 'They Attack!' samples at the beginning and another great Trey/Page synthesis jam during the outro.
6/29/16: C+P opener.
6/29/16: First few minutes of C+P jam is a really sharp Type I rockfest.
6/29/16: Loops now. Winding down.
6/29/16: Feels like the kind of jam Trey would usually ripcord with Twist.
6/29/16: Instead, he employs the pitch-shifter to get weird.
6/29/16: Really weird jam, with 'Still waiting...' quotes throughout.
6/29/16: Corner turning to a bliss-like jam now.
6/29/16: This bliss jam has legs. Not just a building three-chord progresion.
6/29/16: That was badass. Hunting around now for a new direction.
6/29/16: Sort-of -> Friends.
6/29/16: Neat to hear Friends live. Disease is next.
6/29/16: Disease wasting no time getting down to business. Page to electric piano.
6/29/16: More Type I jamming now, but a little outside the usual box.
6/29/16: Trey pushing for some funk.
6/29/16: Neat descending riff from Trey now.
6/29/16: Not sure if they're going to go deep on this one, but it definitely qualifies as a recent-Gins-style 'Type 1.5' jam.
6/29/16: Disease jam peters out a bit, setting up an *excellent* -> WTU? Crowd goes nuts.
6/29/16: WTU? goes the patient, delicate route and then fizzles pleasantly into a low-tempo Meatstick.
6/29/16: The way that the cheers for the end of Meatstick died out when The Line started was hilarious.
6/29/16: So, great start to this set, and honestly, great playing throughout. But after dropping two great jam sequences in a row...
6/29/16: ...a Meatstick > The Line > Tide Turns > Number Line fourth quarter just seems wilfully boring.
6/29/16: End set w/ Number Line?
6/29/16: Nope, it's an a capella number. Dem Bones!
6/29/16: Now that's cool.
6/29/16: Dear Prudence encore.
6/29/16: I feel like that Dear Prudence was a lot better played than the one a few shows ago. > Hood.
6/29/16: Jam starting out really delicately. Mike up front more than usual.
6/29/16: Slow build with some interesting drumming from Fish.
6/29/16: Great build. Perfectly placed Mike bomb during.
6/29/16: End show.
6/29/16: Another solid opening set. Great five-song sequence to open the second set. Terrible final quarter. So, yeah, another solid show.
The second Mann show is like the first one in the sense that, in the aggregate, it's a great show. The highlights happen a little more predictably here, though, and are arguably a bit stronger.
Like the first night, Mann II has a strong first set. The best part is probably the "Blaze On," "Waking Up Dead," slowed-down "Llama" sequence, but the "Mike's Groove" section that closes is better than it looks on paper, with a gorgeous "Farmhouse" and "Groove," both elevated by some stunning Trey/Page interplay on the high end.
If you like "Reba"s, this version also has a nice slow-burner jam that develops thanks in part to the purposely slow temp.
The "Crosseyed" that opens the second set goes deep, first with Trey utilizing the pitch-shifter and then later entering bliss-jam territory, but with a riff that's more than the usual bliss-jam three-chord progression. The band lands in a great The Who-sounding spot and transitions into the debut of "Friends."
Lest you be bitter about 2016 Phish and suspect this is the end of the good part of the set, don't despair. After "Friends," the guys launch into a strong "Type 1.5" "Disease" that segues beautifully into a slow, ethereal "WTU?" The "Meatstick" that follows seems appropriate tonally, but then we get a swift move into a jukebox-y fourth quarter.
Though the second set ends on a pretty uninspired note, those first five songs are a fantastic sequence, and then "Hood" is nothing to sneeze at.
The Live Review:
6/29/16: Wolfman's opener.
6/29/16: Your Pet Cat is next.
6/29/16: Standard set so far, but three-spot Blaze On has a little extra mustard.
6/29/16: Waking Up Dead debut.
6/29/16: I love this song so much.
6/29/16: New @mike_gordon album now, please!
6/29/16: Slow-funk Llama. Great sequence!
6/29/16: Great use of the echoplex during that Llama. Devotion is next.
6/29/16: Fun version of Devotion, as usual. Slow-tempo Reba is next. Happy to hear Reba for the...first time this tour?
6/29/16: Great, slowly developing Reba jam thanks to the slow tempo. Huge peak > whistling ending.
6/29/16: Trey noodles a bit after Reba. Sounds a little like a slowed-down Poor Heart.
6/29/16: 'Thinking about what other songs we can play slowly.'
6/29/16: Mike's Song instead. Trey starts at normal speed, then slows down.
6/29/16: Messing with tempo now. Crowd going nuts.
6/29/16: Mike's > Horn > Farmhouse > Groove.
6/29/16: Not the most inspiring sequence to end an otherwise strong set. Farmhouse had a particularly delicate little jam though.
6/29/16: Lots of interplay between Page and Trey.
6/29/16: Purtiest Farmhouse evar?!
6/29/16: Weekapaug has some 'They Attack!' samples at the beginning and another great Trey/Page synthesis jam during the outro.
6/29/16: C+P opener.
6/29/16: First few minutes of C+P jam is a really sharp Type I rockfest.
6/29/16: Loops now. Winding down.
6/29/16: Feels like the kind of jam Trey would usually ripcord with Twist.
6/29/16: Instead, he employs the pitch-shifter to get weird.
6/29/16: Really weird jam, with 'Still waiting...' quotes throughout.
6/29/16: Corner turning to a bliss-like jam now.
6/29/16: This bliss jam has legs. Not just a building three-chord progresion.
6/29/16: That was badass. Hunting around now for a new direction.
6/29/16: Sort-of -> Friends.
6/29/16: Neat to hear Friends live. Disease is next.
6/29/16: Disease wasting no time getting down to business. Page to electric piano.
6/29/16: More Type I jamming now, but a little outside the usual box.
6/29/16: Trey pushing for some funk.
6/29/16: Neat descending riff from Trey now.
6/29/16: Not sure if they're going to go deep on this one, but it definitely qualifies as a recent-Gins-style 'Type 1.5' jam.
6/29/16: Disease jam peters out a bit, setting up an *excellent* -> WTU? Crowd goes nuts.
6/29/16: WTU? goes the patient, delicate route and then fizzles pleasantly into a low-tempo Meatstick.
6/29/16: The way that the cheers for the end of Meatstick died out when The Line started was hilarious.
6/29/16: So, great start to this set, and honestly, great playing throughout. But after dropping two great jam sequences in a row...
6/29/16: ...a Meatstick > The Line > Tide Turns > Number Line fourth quarter just seems wilfully boring.
6/29/16: End set w/ Number Line?
6/29/16: Nope, it's an a capella number. Dem Bones!
6/29/16: Now that's cool.
6/29/16: Dear Prudence encore.
6/29/16: I feel like that Dear Prudence was a lot better played than the one a few shows ago. > Hood.
6/29/16: Jam starting out really delicately. Mike up front more than usual.
6/29/16: Slow build with some interesting drumming from Fish.
6/29/16: Great build. Perfectly placed Mike bomb during.
6/29/16: End show.
6/29/16: Another solid opening set. Great five-song sequence to open the second set. Terrible final quarter. So, yeah, another solid show.
Nov 8, 2016
2016-06-28 Mann I
The Verdict:
This show has one of my favorite opening sets of the tour so far. I know that's not where the "real" magic happens (especially, it seems, in '16), but it sure helps to ride a great first set into the second set.
The first Mann show starts off with a high-energy couplet in "Wilson" > "Funky Bitch," and then moves into a seriously great Type I "No Men's." From there, there's a great mid-set batch of songs, including a typically awesome "Roggae," "Nellie Kane," a "Gumbo" with some clav and then a short blues jam tacked on to the outro, "Sleep Again," and a bluegrass-style debut for "Things People Do." The close of the set is a bit more standard, but "Split" is a strong version, and "OKP" > "Suzy" is a great old-school combo to end any first set with.
S2 is definitely more '16 than '15, but there's also a lot to like. The "Fuego" opener goes deep, for one thing. And it goes deep in evil way, with Page's electric piano and Fish leading the way. The ending fadeout leads nicely into a "Jim" > "Jibboo" pair that stay in the box, but both come with a little extra mustard. Then, just when you think that the jams have dried up for the night, we get another deep exploration courtesy of..."Breath and Burning"?!
Yep. The song gets extended, revisiting some of that "Ghost"-like territory the 6/24 "Twist" explored so satisfyingly. It's a huge surprise, and a great little jam. "Timber" seems like a weird choice here (maybe), but the instrumental section takes on a "Maze"-like duel quality that's unique. "Slave" is a little perfunctory, but only because a monster "YEM" with some of the (dreaded?) percussion/marimba jamming included.
Overall, it's another one of those "lots to like" shows that seems to get downvoted simply because there's no tentpole jam to cling to and to serve as an easy microcosm of the quality (or lack thereof) of the show. I like it.
The Live Review:
6/28/16: Wilson opener.
6/28/16: > Funky Bitch
6/28/16: > low-tempo No Men's. The hits keep on coming.
6/28/16: Killer little Type I jam in No Men.
6/28/16: Trey talking about how awesome the Mann is.
6/28/16: Roggae! Great first set so far.
6/28/16: That was just an average-gorgeous Roggae )
6/28/16: Nellie Kane!
6/28/16: Gumbo is next, featuring a nice outro solo from Trey and then a clav breakdown. Loving it.
6/28/16: Fish switches the beat and now we're blues jamming. Whoa.
6/28/16: This is the kind of thing that makes me laugh when people say that 2016 Phish sucks.
6/28/16: > Birds.
6/28/16: Sleep Again! Always jazzed to hear this one pop up.
6/28/16: I'm serious, in case you're wondering if I'm serious.
6/28/16: This song actually reminds me really poignantly of driving around in 2005-2006, listening to Shine, and...
6/28/16: ...wondering if maybe some day I'd still get to see a Phish show.
6/28/16: It was a really bittersweet song for me, after becoming a fan in 2003 (ish) and then having Coventry happen right after.
6/28/16: But now that I've seen 36 shows, I'm a bit happier about it :)
6/28/16: THINGS PEOPLE DO
6/28/16: Fast, bluegrass style. Yeah!
6/28/16: Page solo. I FUCKING LOVE THIS
6/28/16: Okay, got a little excited. Limb By Limb next.
6/28/16: Pretty standard version. Split now, maybe to end the set?
6/28/16: MuTron (?) soloing from Trey during the jam.
6/28/16: Gooey.
6/28/16: Looping madness now, Fish crashing away.
6/28/16: Set keeps rolling with a pitch-perfect Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy.
6/28/16: End set.
6/28/16: That was a great set. The Split > OKP > Suzy closing was actually the least interesting part. Really well-paced overall.
6/28/16: Slow-tempo Fuego to open S2.
6/28/16: Trey moving away from the usual soloing at 9:00 mins.
6/28/16: Neat little space jam emerging here. Fish drumming at MVP levels.
6/28/16: Page with electric piano fills now.
6/28/16: The last 2-3 minutes of this jam are incredible.
6/28/16: Everyone contributing on a deep-space exploration.
6/28/16: Fadeout > Runaway Jim.
6/28/16: Old-school rockfest of a Jim.
6/28/16: Jibboo seems like a weird placement.
6/28/16: Nice interplay between Page and Trey on this Jibboo.
6/28/16: Maybe-unintentional, sort-of Jim tease from Trey near the end of the jam.
6/28/16: > Breath and Burning
6/28/16: Echo-y chords at the end of B+B.
6/28/16: Synth now from Page. Jam time!
6/28/16: Spacey jam powered by a neat riff from Trey.
6/28/16: Almost sounded like a -> Ghost there for a second. Similar to the middle of the 6/24 Twist.
6/28/16: Fadeout > Timber.
6/28/16: Nice, Maze-style duel between Trey and Page developing here.
6/28/16: Weird Timber placement, but neat version. > Slave.
6/28/16: Compact take on Slave.
6/28/16: FOLLOWED BY YEM
6/28/16: Sounds like maybe a drum breakdown in YEM. Maybe more people than Fish on drums.
6/28/16: Oh, nope, that's Trey on the marimba lumina.
6/28/16: OH GOD THE SHOW IS RUINED FOREVER NOW
6/28/16: In reality, it's a pretty neat percussion jam.
6/28/16: Vocal jaaaaaam
6/28/16: End set 2.
6/28/16: Quinn encore.
6/28/16: That was a neat show. Great first set with a lot of energy. Great Fuego jam in the second set. Breath and Burning jam A++.
6/28/16: S2 had some flow problems, but hey, a show like this would have been a godsend between '09-'12.
This show has one of my favorite opening sets of the tour so far. I know that's not where the "real" magic happens (especially, it seems, in '16), but it sure helps to ride a great first set into the second set.
The first Mann show starts off with a high-energy couplet in "Wilson" > "Funky Bitch," and then moves into a seriously great Type I "No Men's." From there, there's a great mid-set batch of songs, including a typically awesome "Roggae," "Nellie Kane," a "Gumbo" with some clav and then a short blues jam tacked on to the outro, "Sleep Again," and a bluegrass-style debut for "Things People Do." The close of the set is a bit more standard, but "Split" is a strong version, and "OKP" > "Suzy" is a great old-school combo to end any first set with.
S2 is definitely more '16 than '15, but there's also a lot to like. The "Fuego" opener goes deep, for one thing. And it goes deep in evil way, with Page's electric piano and Fish leading the way. The ending fadeout leads nicely into a "Jim" > "Jibboo" pair that stay in the box, but both come with a little extra mustard. Then, just when you think that the jams have dried up for the night, we get another deep exploration courtesy of..."Breath and Burning"?!
Yep. The song gets extended, revisiting some of that "Ghost"-like territory the 6/24 "Twist" explored so satisfyingly. It's a huge surprise, and a great little jam. "Timber" seems like a weird choice here (maybe), but the instrumental section takes on a "Maze"-like duel quality that's unique. "Slave" is a little perfunctory, but only because a monster "YEM" with some of the (dreaded?) percussion/marimba jamming included.
Overall, it's another one of those "lots to like" shows that seems to get downvoted simply because there's no tentpole jam to cling to and to serve as an easy microcosm of the quality (or lack thereof) of the show. I like it.
The Live Review:
6/28/16: Wilson opener.
6/28/16: > Funky Bitch
6/28/16: > low-tempo No Men's. The hits keep on coming.
6/28/16: Killer little Type I jam in No Men.
6/28/16: Trey talking about how awesome the Mann is.
6/28/16: Roggae! Great first set so far.
6/28/16: That was just an average-gorgeous Roggae )
6/28/16: Nellie Kane!
6/28/16: Gumbo is next, featuring a nice outro solo from Trey and then a clav breakdown. Loving it.
6/28/16: Fish switches the beat and now we're blues jamming. Whoa.
6/28/16: This is the kind of thing that makes me laugh when people say that 2016 Phish sucks.
6/28/16: > Birds.
6/28/16: Sleep Again! Always jazzed to hear this one pop up.
6/28/16: I'm serious, in case you're wondering if I'm serious.
6/28/16: This song actually reminds me really poignantly of driving around in 2005-2006, listening to Shine, and...
6/28/16: ...wondering if maybe some day I'd still get to see a Phish show.
6/28/16: It was a really bittersweet song for me, after becoming a fan in 2003 (ish) and then having Coventry happen right after.
6/28/16: But now that I've seen 36 shows, I'm a bit happier about it :)
6/28/16: THINGS PEOPLE DO
6/28/16: Fast, bluegrass style. Yeah!
6/28/16: Page solo. I FUCKING LOVE THIS
6/28/16: Okay, got a little excited. Limb By Limb next.
6/28/16: Pretty standard version. Split now, maybe to end the set?
6/28/16: MuTron (?) soloing from Trey during the jam.
6/28/16: Gooey.
6/28/16: Looping madness now, Fish crashing away.
6/28/16: Set keeps rolling with a pitch-perfect Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy.
6/28/16: End set.
6/28/16: That was a great set. The Split > OKP > Suzy closing was actually the least interesting part. Really well-paced overall.
6/28/16: Slow-tempo Fuego to open S2.
6/28/16: Trey moving away from the usual soloing at 9:00 mins.
6/28/16: Neat little space jam emerging here. Fish drumming at MVP levels.
6/28/16: Page with electric piano fills now.
6/28/16: The last 2-3 minutes of this jam are incredible.
6/28/16: Everyone contributing on a deep-space exploration.
6/28/16: Fadeout > Runaway Jim.
6/28/16: Old-school rockfest of a Jim.
6/28/16: Jibboo seems like a weird placement.
6/28/16: Nice interplay between Page and Trey on this Jibboo.
6/28/16: Maybe-unintentional, sort-of Jim tease from Trey near the end of the jam.
6/28/16: > Breath and Burning
6/28/16: Echo-y chords at the end of B+B.
6/28/16: Synth now from Page. Jam time!
6/28/16: Spacey jam powered by a neat riff from Trey.
6/28/16: Almost sounded like a -> Ghost there for a second. Similar to the middle of the 6/24 Twist.
6/28/16: Fadeout > Timber.
6/28/16: Nice, Maze-style duel between Trey and Page developing here.
6/28/16: Weird Timber placement, but neat version. > Slave.
6/28/16: Compact take on Slave.
6/28/16: FOLLOWED BY YEM
6/28/16: Sounds like maybe a drum breakdown in YEM. Maybe more people than Fish on drums.
6/28/16: Oh, nope, that's Trey on the marimba lumina.
6/28/16: OH GOD THE SHOW IS RUINED FOREVER NOW
6/28/16: In reality, it's a pretty neat percussion jam.
6/28/16: Vocal jaaaaaam
6/28/16: End set 2.
6/28/16: Quinn encore.
6/28/16: That was a neat show. Great first set with a lot of energy. Great Fuego jam in the second set. Breath and Burning jam A++.
6/28/16: S2 had some flow problems, but hey, a show like this would have been a godsend between '09-'12.
Nov 4, 2016
2016-06-26 Noblesville
The Verdict:
Noblesville is a weird-ass show.
Nearly every song in the first set is played at a noticeably slower-than-usual tempo. I don't know why this is, but it's clearly intentional. It seems like a "shake things up" thing rather than a "something's horribly wrong" thing, but it still makes for an uneven set. In some cases, the slow tempo actually allows the band to play around with the song arrangements in unique ways ("Camel Walk," "Tube," "Halley's") while in other cases, the glacial pace just makes the song boring ("MFMF," "ASIHTOS"). Starting with "Maze," the second half of the set generally resumes a more normal tempo, but becomes a jumble of interesting song choices strung together with no consideration whatsoever for flow. In the end, it's a first set that I can unabashedly say is more interesting than the other first sets this year...whether it's actually good or not? Well, the jury's still out on that.
The second set starts with a weird "PYITE" > "BOTT" combo. Why is it weird? Well, just because after it's over, it seems like the band starts the "real" second set, laying down a phenomenally driving-but-dark jam out of "Light" that seeps into "Golden Age." Like 6/24's "Steam," this "Golden Age" never really loses the feel of the preceding "Light" jam, and in fact carries that dark tone over into "Boogie On" as well, after a fantastic Mike-led segue. This entire sequence is pretty bonkers, provided you can put aside your jam-length bias and enjoy it. It feels like the guys are on a roll of experimenting with altering the feel of the composed parts of songs when they come out of jams, and it's really fun to listen to.
"Possum" is a weird S2 closer, and "Rock and Roll" is a pretty weird encore choice, but it turns out that "Wingsuit" > "Shade" make a great pair.
The Live Review:
6/26/16: My Friend, My Friend opener...and at a super-slow tempo. Weird choice.
6/26/16: Trey having some serious trouble here.
6/26/16: There's a slow version of MFMF that's cool b/c it's slow. But this isn't that version.
6/26/16: KDF next.
6/26/16: Band sounds decent so far, Trey sounds really slow and off. Camel Walk next. Maybe it'll get him in the mood...
6/26/16: Slow Camel Walk, too. Weird.
6/26/16: All complaints aside, though, Fish is tearing it up.
6/26/16: Yeah, okay. Ridiculous little breakdown in Camel Walk. Sounding better already.
6/26/16: Slow ASIHTOS.
6/26/16: Nice Type I jam in ASIHTOS, actually. Poor Heart next, NOT slow.
6/26/16: Slow Tube, now.
6/26/16: Neat echo-funk jamming, though.
6/26/16: Slow Tube is okay if it's going to result in super-murk-funk like this.
6/26/16: Halley's Comet: Also slow.
6/26/16: Show had a late start, apparently. Maybe this is a sort of joke (to play every song slow)?
6/26/16: Trey soloing a bit during the chorus instead of just chording.
6/26/16: Mixing up the outro vocals a bit now.
6/26/16: Tension-filled (but sort of sloppy) version of Maze, then Lawn Boy with a Mike solo featuring some hilarious filter effect.
6/26/16: Trey is so impressed with Page on Lawn Boy that he plays Breath and Burning next.
6/26/16: After announcing this, you can hear him say 'Is that alright, guys?' off-mic to the band before they start.
6/26/16: Crowd roars at the 'Rage with Page' line.
6/26/16: I hate to say it, but I like this song sans horns waaaay better.
6/26/16: It sounds more like Phish and less like TAB.
6/26/16: Stand-alone I Saw It Again.
6/26/16: > Theme.
6/26/16: Sort of rough Theme. Ends on a loop, > First Tube.
6/26/16: End set. Weird S1. Started off really shaky. Got better. Ended a bit shaky.
6/26/16: Lots of songs purposely played at slow tempos. Made a few more interesting than usual (Tube, Halley's, Camel Walk).
6/26/16: S2 starts with PYITE.
6/26/16: PYITE is slow, too. Nice version, though.
6/26/16: > BOTT
6/26/16: Light next.
6/26/16: Getting away from the arpeggio jam a little bit earlier, driven by a great Mike bassline.
6/26/16: Trey and Mike changing to grungier tones.
6/26/16: Really neat, spacey jam emerging now.
6/26/16: Great riff from Trey for awhile. Now Trey and Page playing off of each other. Jam building. This is great.
6/26/16: Trey laying back a bit more than usual during this kind of build, but Page is really filling in nicely.
6/26/16: Maybe phasing into a more ambient space now. Loops.
6/26/16: This is the rare jam that stays spacey for a LONG time, but never really loses momentum.
6/26/16: Loving Mike in this. And in the second set in general. Maybe he snorted some black tea during setbreak.
6/26/16: Clav breakdown over space jam now.
6/26/16: Trey starts Golden Age out of the murk...and with a slightly different arrangement than usual.
6/26/16: This is neat, if they can keep it going. Like it better than the usual arrangement. More shuffle on the drums, and space tones.
6/26/16: I've said it before and I'll say it again: dropping this tune a half-step or step would really benefit Trey's vocals.
6/26/16: I think the last time he hit the falsetto note on the chorus was 2010.
6/26/16: Echo-funk jam coming down the pipe.
6/26/16: Monster bass tone from Mike now.
6/26/16: Fantastic -> Boogie On.
6/26/16: I'm pretty sure that was the first Mike-initiated segue in @phish's thirty-three year history. And it was awesome.
6/26/16: Boogie On keeping that spacey/meatball-y feel that Golden Age had. Neat.
6/26/16: Bass-heavy jam out of Boogie On is awesome.
6/26/16: Fade out. Guys, that was awesome.
6/26/16: Wingsuit.
6/26/16: Nice Wingsuit > Shade pairing. A little weird this late in the show, but, hey, it seems like that kind of year.
6/26/16: Possum seems to be about to close the second set, which also seems weird.
6/26/16: Yup. End set.
6/26/16: RnR encore.
6/26/16: Another show in what appears to be the 'early 2016' mold. No super-expansive jamming, an (overly?) concise S1...
6/26/16: ...and a second set split between really interesting but short improv excursions and total jukebox weirdness.
6/26/16: Love the Light, Golden Age -> Boogie On sequence, though.
Noblesville is a weird-ass show.
Nearly every song in the first set is played at a noticeably slower-than-usual tempo. I don't know why this is, but it's clearly intentional. It seems like a "shake things up" thing rather than a "something's horribly wrong" thing, but it still makes for an uneven set. In some cases, the slow tempo actually allows the band to play around with the song arrangements in unique ways ("Camel Walk," "Tube," "Halley's") while in other cases, the glacial pace just makes the song boring ("MFMF," "ASIHTOS"). Starting with "Maze," the second half of the set generally resumes a more normal tempo, but becomes a jumble of interesting song choices strung together with no consideration whatsoever for flow. In the end, it's a first set that I can unabashedly say is more interesting than the other first sets this year...whether it's actually good or not? Well, the jury's still out on that.
The second set starts with a weird "PYITE" > "BOTT" combo. Why is it weird? Well, just because after it's over, it seems like the band starts the "real" second set, laying down a phenomenally driving-but-dark jam out of "Light" that seeps into "Golden Age." Like 6/24's "Steam," this "Golden Age" never really loses the feel of the preceding "Light" jam, and in fact carries that dark tone over into "Boogie On" as well, after a fantastic Mike-led segue. This entire sequence is pretty bonkers, provided you can put aside your jam-length bias and enjoy it. It feels like the guys are on a roll of experimenting with altering the feel of the composed parts of songs when they come out of jams, and it's really fun to listen to.
"Possum" is a weird S2 closer, and "Rock and Roll" is a pretty weird encore choice, but it turns out that "Wingsuit" > "Shade" make a great pair.
The Live Review:
6/26/16: My Friend, My Friend opener...and at a super-slow tempo. Weird choice.
6/26/16: Trey having some serious trouble here.
6/26/16: There's a slow version of MFMF that's cool b/c it's slow. But this isn't that version.
6/26/16: KDF next.
6/26/16: Band sounds decent so far, Trey sounds really slow and off. Camel Walk next. Maybe it'll get him in the mood...
6/26/16: Slow Camel Walk, too. Weird.
6/26/16: All complaints aside, though, Fish is tearing it up.
6/26/16: Yeah, okay. Ridiculous little breakdown in Camel Walk. Sounding better already.
6/26/16: Slow ASIHTOS.
6/26/16: Nice Type I jam in ASIHTOS, actually. Poor Heart next, NOT slow.
6/26/16: Slow Tube, now.
6/26/16: Neat echo-funk jamming, though.
6/26/16: Slow Tube is okay if it's going to result in super-murk-funk like this.
6/26/16: Halley's Comet: Also slow.
6/26/16: Show had a late start, apparently. Maybe this is a sort of joke (to play every song slow)?
6/26/16: Trey soloing a bit during the chorus instead of just chording.
6/26/16: Mixing up the outro vocals a bit now.
6/26/16: Tension-filled (but sort of sloppy) version of Maze, then Lawn Boy with a Mike solo featuring some hilarious filter effect.
6/26/16: Trey is so impressed with Page on Lawn Boy that he plays Breath and Burning next.
6/26/16: After announcing this, you can hear him say 'Is that alright, guys?' off-mic to the band before they start.
6/26/16: Crowd roars at the 'Rage with Page' line.
6/26/16: I hate to say it, but I like this song sans horns waaaay better.
6/26/16: It sounds more like Phish and less like TAB.
6/26/16: Stand-alone I Saw It Again.
6/26/16: > Theme.
6/26/16: Sort of rough Theme. Ends on a loop, > First Tube.
6/26/16: End set. Weird S1. Started off really shaky. Got better. Ended a bit shaky.
6/26/16: Lots of songs purposely played at slow tempos. Made a few more interesting than usual (Tube, Halley's, Camel Walk).
6/26/16: S2 starts with PYITE.
6/26/16: PYITE is slow, too. Nice version, though.
6/26/16: > BOTT
6/26/16: Light next.
6/26/16: Getting away from the arpeggio jam a little bit earlier, driven by a great Mike bassline.
6/26/16: Trey and Mike changing to grungier tones.
6/26/16: Really neat, spacey jam emerging now.
6/26/16: Great riff from Trey for awhile. Now Trey and Page playing off of each other. Jam building. This is great.
6/26/16: Trey laying back a bit more than usual during this kind of build, but Page is really filling in nicely.
6/26/16: Maybe phasing into a more ambient space now. Loops.
6/26/16: This is the rare jam that stays spacey for a LONG time, but never really loses momentum.
6/26/16: Loving Mike in this. And in the second set in general. Maybe he snorted some black tea during setbreak.
6/26/16: Clav breakdown over space jam now.
6/26/16: Trey starts Golden Age out of the murk...and with a slightly different arrangement than usual.
6/26/16: This is neat, if they can keep it going. Like it better than the usual arrangement. More shuffle on the drums, and space tones.
6/26/16: I've said it before and I'll say it again: dropping this tune a half-step or step would really benefit Trey's vocals.
6/26/16: I think the last time he hit the falsetto note on the chorus was 2010.
6/26/16: Echo-funk jam coming down the pipe.
6/26/16: Monster bass tone from Mike now.
6/26/16: Fantastic -> Boogie On.
6/26/16: I'm pretty sure that was the first Mike-initiated segue in @phish's thirty-three year history. And it was awesome.
6/26/16: Boogie On keeping that spacey/meatball-y feel that Golden Age had. Neat.
6/26/16: Bass-heavy jam out of Boogie On is awesome.
6/26/16: Fade out. Guys, that was awesome.
6/26/16: Wingsuit.
6/26/16: Nice Wingsuit > Shade pairing. A little weird this late in the show, but, hey, it seems like that kind of year.
6/26/16: Possum seems to be about to close the second set, which also seems weird.
6/26/16: Yup. End set.
6/26/16: RnR encore.
6/26/16: Another show in what appears to be the 'early 2016' mold. No super-expansive jamming, an (overly?) concise S1...
6/26/16: ...and a second set split between really interesting but short improv excursions and total jukebox weirdness.
6/26/16: Love the Light, Golden Age -> Boogie On sequence, though.
2016-06-25 Wrigley Field II
The Verdict:
This show follows in the footsteps of the first Wrigley show in that it has a pretty straightforward first set, and a second set that's solid, but not focused enough on improvisation to elevate it to "great." The S2 goods are spread a bit more liberally this time around, but the band also doesn't reach the heights of 6/24's "Disease" > "Fuego" > "Twist."
As I said in the original review, there's not really anything to say about S1. It has decent flow, but it's straight-up jukebox action from end to end, with nothing really to even point to as a highlight.
The second set is a bit more rewarding. "Carini" opens with a short, momentum-filled jam that never lets up before slamming into "Tweezer." The "Tweezer" jam is of the "deconstruction" variety, with Trey using all of his new toys to lead the band through tearing the song apart. Both jams are shorter than might be ideal, but they both explore unique territory, and that's worth a lot. "Flufflhead" breaks things up a bit as the second big, composed number of the night, before a fantastic "Piper" -> "Steam" combo. Both of these songs are even shorter than "Carini" or "Tweezer," but "Piper" gets to a Bend "Simple"-like space almost immediately and continues jamming darkly for a few minutes before Trey starts up a really slow, brilliant segue into "Steam." The distorted tones that ended the "Piper" jam carry on into "Steam," giving a much grungier, muckier feel than usual. It's awesome.
The only other notable offering in this set is "Hood," but this version clocks in at under ten minutes, and, frankly, it seems a bit perfunctory.
But hey, that opening five-song stretch is great. You can go to 1:48:00 in this video to watch it from the beginning:
The Live Review:
6/25/16: Moma Dance opener. Always nice to start with some funk.
6/25/16: If they already don't plan to jam it, this might the best show opener in the band's repertoire. Except PYITE.
6/25/16: They play Bag next, as if arguing with me.
6/25/16: Standard Bag with a fun, loop-based ending. > 555.
6/25/16: Next is a neat version of WAN where Trey holds a note for a bit and Page solos over it.
6/25/16: Heavy Things. This is the jukeboxiest of jukeboxes, but I'm having a good time. Solid playing.
6/25/16: After Heavy Things, band singing Happy Birthday to Richard Glasgow
6/25/16: 46 Days, I Didn't Know. Trey exhorts the audience to feel Moses Heeps' burning suction. Good times.
6/25/16: Divided Sky. I'm going to respond by jumping up and down while typing on student papers for the next sixteen and a half minutes.
6/25/16: > Cavern.
6/25/16: Sorry for the lack of tweets here. There ain't much going on in this first set.
6/25/16: Band stopped mid-Cavern for some reason. Not sure if someone dropped the ball or it was a planned stop and nobody told Fish.
6/25/16: Maybe we'll get the story at the end of the song.
6/25/16: Nope. > GTBT. Neat to see it closing a first set!
6/25/16: Band tears up GTBT as if it's closing two strong sets instead of one 'meh' one.
6/25/16: Nothing *wrong* with that set, btw. Just nothing great about it either.
6/25/16: Even in most by-the-book opening sets I can find something to really like (maybe a 1.5 Gin or Wolfman's), but no such luck here.
6/25/16: Oh well. S2 opens with Carini, so that's cool.
6/25/16: I like the extended 'lumpy head' vocals lately.
6/25/16: Melody soloing leads to Trey chording and Mike laying down a bed of great bass runs.
6/25/16: Page to electric piano and Trey's tone is GREAT
6/25/16: Neat, slow loop in the background of the jam now.
6/25/16: Great little jam in Carini there. As is often the case with 2016 jams, they seemed to be avoiding moving to bliss territory.
6/25/16: But still really interesting and with a momentum that never really let up.
6/25/16: > Tweezer.
6/25/16: Dark funk jam coming out of Tweezer.
6/25/16: Trey's chording getting increasingly distorted.
6/25/16: Echoplex, loops, synth now. Weird beat from Fish.
6/25/16: Awesome deconstruction jam!
6/25/16: Fish speeds up the beat.
6/25/16: The madness resolves into Fluffhead!
6/25/16: Great Carini > Tweezer sequence.
6/25/16: Piper follows Fluffhead and gets into the space-funk jamming right away. Fish laying down some great beats again.
6/25/16: Fish is MVP for this show.
6/25/16: Super-dark chording from Trey now. Sort of like a drone-y twin to the Bend Simple.
6/25/16: Ooh, jam sounding a lot like Steam.
6/25/16: Yup! -> Steam.
6/25/16: That was fucking rad.
6/25/16: Great little mid-song rock out. Page was having a good time.
6/25/16: Trey leaning on the echoplex again. Dark Steam outro jam.
6/25/16: Very brief one, actually. Page-only piano outro > Wading.
6/25/16: Hood!
6/25/16: Would love to see Hood glowstick war from the top level in a baseball stadium like Wrigley.
6/25/16: Probably still not better than the Gorge, but hey :)
6/25/16: I really just want to skip the rest of tour and go straight to the I Always Wanted It This Way jams.
6/25/16: Wow! Super-compact Hood. Curfew, maybe? Or did Trey just jump the gun on the outro progression and now THEY CAN'T GO BACK?!
6/25/16: You can't put the creepy milkman dude back in the bottle!
6/25/16: Super-concise Hood > Tweeprise.
6/25/16: Hood wasn't badly played, but there's something sort of missing without a bit of an expansive, wandery middle section.
6/25/16: More space in the middle makes the landing at the peak more satisfying.
6/25/16: I Am The Walrus! Not getting this song was my only real regret of the west coast run :)
6/25/16: Not sure why crowd isn't freaking out.
6/25/16: Maybe I just like this song more than most people?
6/25/16: Trey a little rough on the vocals, but the building outro jam is pretty great anyway.
6/25/16: Very similar show, structure-wise, to 6/24. Though I'd say this show was the weaker one.
6/25/16: Nothing totally rad like the DWD > Fuego > Twist sequence.
6/25/16: Really dug Carini > Tweezer and Piper -> Steam, though. Worth listens.
6/25/16: After three shows, seems like typical late-3.0 #phish so far. Straightforward S1s, strong third quarters, relatively weak finishes.
6/25/16: I'd expect there to be some shows that are better than these, but not necessarily this early in tour.
6/25/16: Lacking the fire of many of the better '15 shows, for sure, but '15 had shows like this, too. I was at some of them.
6/25/16: Bend 1 and 2, LA Forum, Dick's 2, and arguably Dick's 3 minus the encore.
6/25/16: Ready for the Shoreline equivalent this year, though :)
This show follows in the footsteps of the first Wrigley show in that it has a pretty straightforward first set, and a second set that's solid, but not focused enough on improvisation to elevate it to "great." The S2 goods are spread a bit more liberally this time around, but the band also doesn't reach the heights of 6/24's "Disease" > "Fuego" > "Twist."
As I said in the original review, there's not really anything to say about S1. It has decent flow, but it's straight-up jukebox action from end to end, with nothing really to even point to as a highlight.
The second set is a bit more rewarding. "Carini" opens with a short, momentum-filled jam that never lets up before slamming into "Tweezer." The "Tweezer" jam is of the "deconstruction" variety, with Trey using all of his new toys to lead the band through tearing the song apart. Both jams are shorter than might be ideal, but they both explore unique territory, and that's worth a lot. "Flufflhead" breaks things up a bit as the second big, composed number of the night, before a fantastic "Piper" -> "Steam" combo. Both of these songs are even shorter than "Carini" or "Tweezer," but "Piper" gets to a Bend "Simple"-like space almost immediately and continues jamming darkly for a few minutes before Trey starts up a really slow, brilliant segue into "Steam." The distorted tones that ended the "Piper" jam carry on into "Steam," giving a much grungier, muckier feel than usual. It's awesome.
The only other notable offering in this set is "Hood," but this version clocks in at under ten minutes, and, frankly, it seems a bit perfunctory.
But hey, that opening five-song stretch is great. You can go to 1:48:00 in this video to watch it from the beginning:
The Live Review:
6/25/16: Moma Dance opener. Always nice to start with some funk.
6/25/16: If they already don't plan to jam it, this might the best show opener in the band's repertoire. Except PYITE.
6/25/16: They play Bag next, as if arguing with me.
6/25/16: Standard Bag with a fun, loop-based ending. > 555.
6/25/16: Next is a neat version of WAN where Trey holds a note for a bit and Page solos over it.
6/25/16: Heavy Things. This is the jukeboxiest of jukeboxes, but I'm having a good time. Solid playing.
6/25/16: After Heavy Things, band singing Happy Birthday to Richard Glasgow
6/25/16: 46 Days, I Didn't Know. Trey exhorts the audience to feel Moses Heeps' burning suction. Good times.
6/25/16: Divided Sky. I'm going to respond by jumping up and down while typing on student papers for the next sixteen and a half minutes.
6/25/16: > Cavern.
6/25/16: Sorry for the lack of tweets here. There ain't much going on in this first set.
6/25/16: Band stopped mid-Cavern for some reason. Not sure if someone dropped the ball or it was a planned stop and nobody told Fish.
6/25/16: Maybe we'll get the story at the end of the song.
6/25/16: Nope. > GTBT. Neat to see it closing a first set!
6/25/16: Band tears up GTBT as if it's closing two strong sets instead of one 'meh' one.
6/25/16: Nothing *wrong* with that set, btw. Just nothing great about it either.
6/25/16: Even in most by-the-book opening sets I can find something to really like (maybe a 1.5 Gin or Wolfman's), but no such luck here.
6/25/16: Oh well. S2 opens with Carini, so that's cool.
6/25/16: I like the extended 'lumpy head' vocals lately.
6/25/16: Melody soloing leads to Trey chording and Mike laying down a bed of great bass runs.
6/25/16: Page to electric piano and Trey's tone is GREAT
6/25/16: Neat, slow loop in the background of the jam now.
6/25/16: Great little jam in Carini there. As is often the case with 2016 jams, they seemed to be avoiding moving to bliss territory.
6/25/16: But still really interesting and with a momentum that never really let up.
6/25/16: > Tweezer.
6/25/16: Dark funk jam coming out of Tweezer.
6/25/16: Trey's chording getting increasingly distorted.
6/25/16: Echoplex, loops, synth now. Weird beat from Fish.
6/25/16: Awesome deconstruction jam!
6/25/16: Fish speeds up the beat.
6/25/16: The madness resolves into Fluffhead!
6/25/16: Great Carini > Tweezer sequence.
6/25/16: Piper follows Fluffhead and gets into the space-funk jamming right away. Fish laying down some great beats again.
6/25/16: Fish is MVP for this show.
6/25/16: Super-dark chording from Trey now. Sort of like a drone-y twin to the Bend Simple.
6/25/16: Ooh, jam sounding a lot like Steam.
6/25/16: Yup! -> Steam.
6/25/16: That was fucking rad.
6/25/16: Great little mid-song rock out. Page was having a good time.
6/25/16: Trey leaning on the echoplex again. Dark Steam outro jam.
6/25/16: Very brief one, actually. Page-only piano outro > Wading.
6/25/16: Hood!
6/25/16: Would love to see Hood glowstick war from the top level in a baseball stadium like Wrigley.
6/25/16: Probably still not better than the Gorge, but hey :)
6/25/16: I really just want to skip the rest of tour and go straight to the I Always Wanted It This Way jams.
6/25/16: Wow! Super-compact Hood. Curfew, maybe? Or did Trey just jump the gun on the outro progression and now THEY CAN'T GO BACK?!
6/25/16: You can't put the creepy milkman dude back in the bottle!
6/25/16: Super-concise Hood > Tweeprise.
6/25/16: Hood wasn't badly played, but there's something sort of missing without a bit of an expansive, wandery middle section.
6/25/16: More space in the middle makes the landing at the peak more satisfying.
6/25/16: I Am The Walrus! Not getting this song was my only real regret of the west coast run :)
6/25/16: Not sure why crowd isn't freaking out.
6/25/16: Maybe I just like this song more than most people?
6/25/16: Trey a little rough on the vocals, but the building outro jam is pretty great anyway.
6/25/16: Very similar show, structure-wise, to 6/24. Though I'd say this show was the weaker one.
6/25/16: Nothing totally rad like the DWD > Fuego > Twist sequence.
6/25/16: Really dug Carini > Tweezer and Piper -> Steam, though. Worth listens.
6/25/16: After three shows, seems like typical late-3.0 #phish so far. Straightforward S1s, strong third quarters, relatively weak finishes.
6/25/16: I'd expect there to be some shows that are better than these, but not necessarily this early in tour.
6/25/16: Lacking the fire of many of the better '15 shows, for sure, but '15 had shows like this, too. I was at some of them.
6/25/16: Bend 1 and 2, LA Forum, Dick's 2, and arguably Dick's 3 minus the encore.
6/25/16: Ready for the Shoreline equivalent this year, though :)
Oct 20, 2016
2016-06-24 Wrigley Field I
The Verdict:
The band's first Wrigley Field show falls into the old 3.0 pattern of giving us three quarters of standard-runs with one (third) quarter of improv. In this case, though, it's alright with me because that third quarter is pure magic.
The first set is absolutely straightforward stadium rock. Trey digs in in particular on "Chalkdust," "Blaze On," and "Sand," but that's about it. "Miss You" debuts, which is neat.
The back half of the second set, from "Twenty Years" on, covers the same territory. But wow, the "Disease" > "Fuego" > "Twist" portion is just fantastic. "Disease" features a lot of 2.0-sounding jamming. Despite the darkness, this jam is fantastically kinetic, and eventually ramps up to a "The Dogs"-like section before fuzzing out and seguing into "Fuego." It doesn't go deep, but the outro solo from Trey goes outside its usual box and is melodically gorgeous, bridging the monster "Disease" and "Twist" jams perfectly. "Twist" starts off really mellow, as recent versions do, before ramping up and moving on to an extended jam on what sounds suspiciously like the opening chords to "Ghost." From this jam, there's a flawless move into one of the more engaging bliss jams the guys have put together, and...it's just awesome. Sure, the rest of the show (minus the "Space Oddity" encore debut) is pretty standard, but give me two hours of rote Phish if this is what the other forty minutes is like.
Just watch the whole sequence, starting at 1:47:00 here:
The Live Review:
6/24/16: Sample opener. Seems appropriate in a giant stadium.
6/24/16: Fish wearing the Bernie dress.
6/24/16: Extra-spicy Chalkdust in the two-slot.
6/24/16: Martian Monster!
6/24/16: Doing a good job of stringing together a stadium-appropriate first set so far.
6/24/16: Rift, Yarmouth.
6/24/16: Way more fun to watch the webcast in second monitor than to just listen to the audio. Makes me miss tour, though.
6/24/16: Sand! I love deep-jam Sands, but this is one of those songs that can be just as good in a solid 10-minute Type I incarnation.
6/24/16: You know, like this version.
6/24/16: Miss You is a nice cooldown after that huge Sand.
6/24/16: Miss You might not be the best live concert tune, but it's a beautiful song.
6/24/16: If you hate how 'sappy' it is, you're obviously lucky enough to have not had a lot of people you know die, or you have no heart.
6/24/16: If it's the first one, good for you! Keep being lucky. If it's the second one, good luck in your future career as a supervillain.
6/24/16: The Wedge.
6/24/16: Rocking The Wedge > Free.
6/24/16: Nice echoplex chording over the Mike bass breakdown in Free.
6/24/16: Blaze On. Solid festival-style S1 here, but I can't say I'm disappointed b/c I didn't really expect anything else.
6/24/16: They're playing really well. Bodes well for the second set.
6/24/16: Trey laying down another extra-spicy Type I solo on this Blaze On.
6/24/16: Oh. Weird. That was the set.
6/24/16: Donuts on the LED screens to start the second set.
6/24/16: Opens with brief noise jamming -> DWD.
6/24/16: First few minutes is a pretty jaunty little rock jam.
6/24/16: Fading out now. Page on electric piano. Fuzzy chords from Trey.
6/24/16: Weird bass and keyboard lines forming under Fish and Trey space-rock. Building now.
6/24/16: This is sounding very 2003-2004 to me.
6/24/16: In other words: fuck yes.
6/24/16: Trey's lead out of the dark jam space was fantastic. He's dropping back again now, though.
6/24/16: Almost sounds like a spaced-out The Dogs, now.
6/24/16: Winding down now. Trey to pitch shifter.
6/24/16: That was a great Disease jam that wound up into Fuego.
6/24/16: Great Fuego outro solo from Trey. Weird almost-jam after that turns into Twist instead.
6/24/16: I swear Trey has just barely stopped himself from > Number Lining us at the end of each of the last two songs. IT'S COMING
6/24/16: This Twist starts off with a soft intro before the lyrics.
6/24/16: Mellow jam throughout Twist. Had a moment there when Trey's chording sounded like the Ghost intro.
6/24/16: Really broken down now. Ominous tone from Trey. Still sounds like Ghost.
6/24/16: Bassline stays in place, but Trey starts up another Twist-style solo. Liking where this is going.
6/24/16: Still flirting with Ghost.
6/24/16: Building up now. Two great jams so far this set, with a strong Fuego in-between.
6/24/16: Great build that DOESN'T go into bliss-jam mode...err...wait...at least it doesn't right away. Now it does.
6/24/16: Welp, this is definitely worth passing on the cool segue into Ghost for.
6/24/16: Guys, this is super good. What's the problem with 2016 #phish again?
6/24/16: I love my 7/24/15 Twist, but this one's making me jealous.
6/24/16: Neat, if awkward wind-down into Twenty Years Later.
6/24/16: Straightforward Twenty Years > Waste.
6/24/16: 2001!
6/24/16: Echoplex funk.
6/24/16: Fish doing some interesting things with the beat now. Really liking this version.
6/24/16: Might have been some vocals there from Trey.
6/24/16: Of the 'AAAAAAAAHHHHHH' variety.
6/24/16: There's that looming Number Line.
6/24/16: Loving Cup next after a pretty standard Number Line.
6/24/16: End set.
6/24/16: Trey done shredded that Loving Cup.
6/24/16: The Enigma That Is Jon Fishman Basks In The Delight Of An Appreciative Crowd One Last Time
6/24/16: I'm calling a Centerfield encore.
6/24/16: Space Oddity! Loved this in SF.
6/24/16: Crowd LOSING it when they realize what song it is.
6/24/16: Crowd cracking up at Trey's 'guitar solo.'
6/24/16: Antelope is the second part of the encore.
6/24/16: Lots of echoplex chording from Trey late in Antelope.
6/24/16: Well, that was one of those shows that are 75% 'average-good,' but with a stronger 3rd quarter.
6/24/16: But oh, what a third quarter it was! Two shows in to tour, and I'm pretty impressed so far.
The band's first Wrigley Field show falls into the old 3.0 pattern of giving us three quarters of standard-runs with one (third) quarter of improv. In this case, though, it's alright with me because that third quarter is pure magic.
The first set is absolutely straightforward stadium rock. Trey digs in in particular on "Chalkdust," "Blaze On," and "Sand," but that's about it. "Miss You" debuts, which is neat.
The back half of the second set, from "Twenty Years" on, covers the same territory. But wow, the "Disease" > "Fuego" > "Twist" portion is just fantastic. "Disease" features a lot of 2.0-sounding jamming. Despite the darkness, this jam is fantastically kinetic, and eventually ramps up to a "The Dogs"-like section before fuzzing out and seguing into "Fuego." It doesn't go deep, but the outro solo from Trey goes outside its usual box and is melodically gorgeous, bridging the monster "Disease" and "Twist" jams perfectly. "Twist" starts off really mellow, as recent versions do, before ramping up and moving on to an extended jam on what sounds suspiciously like the opening chords to "Ghost." From this jam, there's a flawless move into one of the more engaging bliss jams the guys have put together, and...it's just awesome. Sure, the rest of the show (minus the "Space Oddity" encore debut) is pretty standard, but give me two hours of rote Phish if this is what the other forty minutes is like.
Just watch the whole sequence, starting at 1:47:00 here:
The Live Review:
6/24/16: Sample opener. Seems appropriate in a giant stadium.
6/24/16: Fish wearing the Bernie dress.
6/24/16: Extra-spicy Chalkdust in the two-slot.
6/24/16: Martian Monster!
6/24/16: Doing a good job of stringing together a stadium-appropriate first set so far.
6/24/16: Rift, Yarmouth.
6/24/16: Way more fun to watch the webcast in second monitor than to just listen to the audio. Makes me miss tour, though.
6/24/16: Sand! I love deep-jam Sands, but this is one of those songs that can be just as good in a solid 10-minute Type I incarnation.
6/24/16: You know, like this version.
6/24/16: Miss You is a nice cooldown after that huge Sand.
6/24/16: Miss You might not be the best live concert tune, but it's a beautiful song.
6/24/16: If you hate how 'sappy' it is, you're obviously lucky enough to have not had a lot of people you know die, or you have no heart.
6/24/16: If it's the first one, good for you! Keep being lucky. If it's the second one, good luck in your future career as a supervillain.
6/24/16: The Wedge.
6/24/16: Rocking The Wedge > Free.
6/24/16: Nice echoplex chording over the Mike bass breakdown in Free.
6/24/16: Blaze On. Solid festival-style S1 here, but I can't say I'm disappointed b/c I didn't really expect anything else.
6/24/16: They're playing really well. Bodes well for the second set.
6/24/16: Trey laying down another extra-spicy Type I solo on this Blaze On.
6/24/16: Oh. Weird. That was the set.
6/24/16: Donuts on the LED screens to start the second set.
6/24/16: Opens with brief noise jamming -> DWD.
6/24/16: First few minutes is a pretty jaunty little rock jam.
6/24/16: Fading out now. Page on electric piano. Fuzzy chords from Trey.
6/24/16: Weird bass and keyboard lines forming under Fish and Trey space-rock. Building now.
6/24/16: This is sounding very 2003-2004 to me.
6/24/16: In other words: fuck yes.
6/24/16: Trey's lead out of the dark jam space was fantastic. He's dropping back again now, though.
6/24/16: Almost sounds like a spaced-out The Dogs, now.
6/24/16: Winding down now. Trey to pitch shifter.
6/24/16: That was a great Disease jam that wound up into Fuego.
6/24/16: Great Fuego outro solo from Trey. Weird almost-jam after that turns into Twist instead.
6/24/16: I swear Trey has just barely stopped himself from > Number Lining us at the end of each of the last two songs. IT'S COMING
6/24/16: This Twist starts off with a soft intro before the lyrics.
6/24/16: Mellow jam throughout Twist. Had a moment there when Trey's chording sounded like the Ghost intro.
6/24/16: Really broken down now. Ominous tone from Trey. Still sounds like Ghost.
6/24/16: Bassline stays in place, but Trey starts up another Twist-style solo. Liking where this is going.
6/24/16: Still flirting with Ghost.
6/24/16: Building up now. Two great jams so far this set, with a strong Fuego in-between.
6/24/16: Great build that DOESN'T go into bliss-jam mode...err...wait...at least it doesn't right away. Now it does.
6/24/16: Welp, this is definitely worth passing on the cool segue into Ghost for.
6/24/16: Guys, this is super good. What's the problem with 2016 #phish again?
6/24/16: I love my 7/24/15 Twist, but this one's making me jealous.
6/24/16: Neat, if awkward wind-down into Twenty Years Later.
6/24/16: Straightforward Twenty Years > Waste.
6/24/16: 2001!
6/24/16: Echoplex funk.
6/24/16: Fish doing some interesting things with the beat now. Really liking this version.
6/24/16: Might have been some vocals there from Trey.
6/24/16: Of the 'AAAAAAAAHHHHHH' variety.
6/24/16: There's that looming Number Line.
6/24/16: Loving Cup next after a pretty standard Number Line.
6/24/16: End set.
6/24/16: Trey done shredded that Loving Cup.
6/24/16: The Enigma That Is Jon Fishman Basks In The Delight Of An Appreciative Crowd One Last Time
6/24/16: I'm calling a Centerfield encore.
6/24/16: Space Oddity! Loved this in SF.
6/24/16: Crowd LOSING it when they realize what song it is.
6/24/16: Crowd cracking up at Trey's 'guitar solo.'
6/24/16: Antelope is the second part of the encore.
6/24/16: Lots of echoplex chording from Trey late in Antelope.
6/24/16: Well, that was one of those shows that are 75% 'average-good,' but with a stronger 3rd quarter.
6/24/16: But oh, what a third quarter it was! Two shows in to tour, and I'm pretty impressed so far.
2016-06-22 St. Paul
The Verdict:
The first show of 2016 tour proper is the band easing into things, but still providing enough interesting moments that the show is satisfying.
The song choices in the first set are excellent, and there are some surprises: huge ones like "Daniel Saw the Stone" and "Dear Prudence," as well as smaller ones like "Round Room" and "Uncle Pen." All of the rare songs are performed beautifully, and in-between there are strong takes on some more typical first-set songs. "Wolfman's" is a highlight in particular: it has a middle section that seems like it almost blasts off, but doesn't in the end. This is about as good as a first set gets without a legit jam thrown in there for good measure.
I wish I could say things opened up in the second set, but they really don't. They stay really good, though. The "Mike's Groove" sequence has that something that, although it stays Type I throughout, makes it a standout version. "Ghost" doesn't leave the box, but has some fun inside of it. It's nice to hear "Billy Breathes." The "Gin" that closes the second set is a fantastic bit of straightforward rock and roll.
The highlight of the show, though, is definitely the "Simple" -> "I Found a Reason." Not only is "I Found a Reason" a huge bustout and delivered with gorgeous delicacy, it fades is perfectly from a spacey-though-short "Simple" jam. If you're looking for serious jamming in this show, you're not going to find it, but at least give this pair a listen. They just work together well.
The Live Review:
6/22/16: Pigtail opener. Interesting choice to start the tour, it not being a 'real' #phish song and all.
6/22/16: Liking the #phish guys' harmonies on the chorus, though.
6/22/16: Standard run-through, but a nice vocals-only breakdown at the end. Wolfman's is next.
6/22/16: Chunky funk-rock section taking off around 4:30.
6/22/16: Big peak coming now. Trey bending a lot to add some tension.
6/22/16: After Wolfman's, Trey reprises the famous SuperBall 'Welcome!'
6/22/16: Pigtail, Wolfman's > SuperBall Welcome Reprise, Daniel Saw The Stone
6/22/16: Pitch-perfect Daniel > The Dogs. Weird combo, but it works.
6/22/16: Undermind is next. Loving the song choices so far.
6/22/16: Pretty standard Undermind, but followed by the gigantic Dear Prudence bust-out.
6/22/16: Great cover of a great song.
6/22/16: After an extended but pretty standard Stash, Round Room!
6/22/16: I love this song so much.
6/22/16: If #phish decided to play an album front-to-back as a set, I'm pretty sure Round Room would be my #1 pick.
6/22/16: SoaG would likely be a close second.
6/22/16: Horn and then a second dose of bluegrass with Uncle Pen!
6/22/16: No big highlights in this set, but a great set of song choices and nonstop energy. Bustouts with no major flubbing.
6/22/16: Uncle Pen is also a top-tier #phish song (cover) for me. Always fun to hear.
6/22/16: Trey totally nailed the fiddle (guitar) part. Makes my day.
6/22/16: Halfway next, then Walls to close the first set. I assume.
6/22/16: Trey biffs the transition into the Halfway verse, then Page forgets most of the words to the first verse.
6/22/16: AND AFTER ALL THOSE NICE TWEETS I JUST MADE GUYS THANKS A LOT
6/22/16: Duluth reference gets a roar from the crowd. Page forgets the following line.
6/22/16: Kicking ass on that piano tho
6/22/16: Neat little jam at the beginning of the second set. Lasted maybe a minute. Moody and ambient. Then explodes into Mike's.
6/22/16: Solid move into funk-rock jamming in Mike's. Not just the typical soloing from Trey.
6/22/16: Okay, that ended up mostly being Trey just soloing after all, but I liked where it was going for a minute.
6/22/16: > Hydrogen > Groove. Liking the Groove quite a bit. Fish laying back and Trey putting down a nice melodic solo.
6/22/16: More patient in building up to the frenetic rock jam we're used to hearing than they usually are these days.
6/22/16: This ain't going to be on anyone's jam chart, but I'm really liking this Mike's Groove sequence.
6/22/16: Bouncin' is sort of a weird choice here. We didn't really need a breather song after the relatively mellow Groove. Oh well.
6/22/16: Ghost!
6/22/16: Neat Little Drummer Boy tease *during* the drop in Ghost before the guys set off on a fuzzy rock and roll jam.
6/22/16: Fuzz-rock jam winds up after a few minutes. Grungy fade-out now. Fish laying down a great beat.
6/22/16: Trey returns to the outro riff. End Ghost.
6/22/16: The Line'd.
6/22/16: Simple follows the The Line. Weird second set, especially when following such a flowy first set.
6/22/16: Btw, Simple is currently spiraling into awesomeness on the back of a great Trey/Page linkup.
6/22/16: Interlocking guitar/piano arpeggios getting quieter now.
6/22/16: Almost like a Coil outro jam instead of Simple.
6/22/16: Great, delicate little jam here. Aaaaand a perfect segue into I Found a Reason. baubiopfugaoi;jgad
6/22/16: Well, that was just awesome.
6/22/16: No Men is next. Weird change of pace there.
6/22/16: Harmonies: F, Trey solo: B+
6/22/16: Short but intense rock jam (no funk) in No Men. That was fun.
6/22/16: Billy Breathes!!!!
6/22/16: Definitely a little rougher than the last time it was played, but loving hearing it nonetheless.
6/22/16: And so far, Trey is nailing that beautiful, beautiful solo, and that's all that really matters.
6/22/16: Bathtub Gin, most likely to close set two.
6/22/16: Page leading the charge in this Gin jam. Trey hanging back oddly.
6/22/16: Momentum picking up now. Mega-peak.
6/22/16: Trey talking about the 1996 Languedoc after Gin.
6/22/16: Either this set is tracked wrong or they're ending the second set with a slow Water in the Sky.
6/22/16: Okay, encore was Water in the Sky, Zero. Break after Gin isn't really on the recording.
6/22/16: Great setlist during the first set. Weird setlist during an uneven second set, but strong Type I Mike's Groove and Gin.
6/22/16: Simple -> I Found a Reason was beautiful and probably the highlight, but I'd hesitate to call it 'jamming.'
6/22/16: In all, #phish played a show that was great at everything but jamming. Take that as you will.
The first show of 2016 tour proper is the band easing into things, but still providing enough interesting moments that the show is satisfying.
The song choices in the first set are excellent, and there are some surprises: huge ones like "Daniel Saw the Stone" and "Dear Prudence," as well as smaller ones like "Round Room" and "Uncle Pen." All of the rare songs are performed beautifully, and in-between there are strong takes on some more typical first-set songs. "Wolfman's" is a highlight in particular: it has a middle section that seems like it almost blasts off, but doesn't in the end. This is about as good as a first set gets without a legit jam thrown in there for good measure.
I wish I could say things opened up in the second set, but they really don't. They stay really good, though. The "Mike's Groove" sequence has that something that, although it stays Type I throughout, makes it a standout version. "Ghost" doesn't leave the box, but has some fun inside of it. It's nice to hear "Billy Breathes." The "Gin" that closes the second set is a fantastic bit of straightforward rock and roll.
The highlight of the show, though, is definitely the "Simple" -> "I Found a Reason." Not only is "I Found a Reason" a huge bustout and delivered with gorgeous delicacy, it fades is perfectly from a spacey-though-short "Simple" jam. If you're looking for serious jamming in this show, you're not going to find it, but at least give this pair a listen. They just work together well.
The Live Review:
6/22/16: Pigtail opener. Interesting choice to start the tour, it not being a 'real' #phish song and all.
6/22/16: Liking the #phish guys' harmonies on the chorus, though.
6/22/16: Standard run-through, but a nice vocals-only breakdown at the end. Wolfman's is next.
6/22/16: Chunky funk-rock section taking off around 4:30.
6/22/16: Big peak coming now. Trey bending a lot to add some tension.
6/22/16: After Wolfman's, Trey reprises the famous SuperBall 'Welcome!'
6/22/16: Pigtail, Wolfman's > SuperBall Welcome Reprise, Daniel Saw The Stone
6/22/16: Pitch-perfect Daniel > The Dogs. Weird combo, but it works.
6/22/16: Undermind is next. Loving the song choices so far.
6/22/16: Pretty standard Undermind, but followed by the gigantic Dear Prudence bust-out.
6/22/16: Great cover of a great song.
6/22/16: After an extended but pretty standard Stash, Round Room!
6/22/16: I love this song so much.
6/22/16: If #phish decided to play an album front-to-back as a set, I'm pretty sure Round Room would be my #1 pick.
6/22/16: SoaG would likely be a close second.
6/22/16: Horn and then a second dose of bluegrass with Uncle Pen!
6/22/16: No big highlights in this set, but a great set of song choices and nonstop energy. Bustouts with no major flubbing.
6/22/16: Uncle Pen is also a top-tier #phish song (cover) for me. Always fun to hear.
6/22/16: Trey totally nailed the fiddle (guitar) part. Makes my day.
6/22/16: Halfway next, then Walls to close the first set. I assume.
6/22/16: Trey biffs the transition into the Halfway verse, then Page forgets most of the words to the first verse.
6/22/16: AND AFTER ALL THOSE NICE TWEETS I JUST MADE GUYS THANKS A LOT
6/22/16: Duluth reference gets a roar from the crowd. Page forgets the following line.
6/22/16: Kicking ass on that piano tho
6/22/16: Neat little jam at the beginning of the second set. Lasted maybe a minute. Moody and ambient. Then explodes into Mike's.
6/22/16: Solid move into funk-rock jamming in Mike's. Not just the typical soloing from Trey.
6/22/16: Okay, that ended up mostly being Trey just soloing after all, but I liked where it was going for a minute.
6/22/16: > Hydrogen > Groove. Liking the Groove quite a bit. Fish laying back and Trey putting down a nice melodic solo.
6/22/16: More patient in building up to the frenetic rock jam we're used to hearing than they usually are these days.
6/22/16: This ain't going to be on anyone's jam chart, but I'm really liking this Mike's Groove sequence.
6/22/16: Bouncin' is sort of a weird choice here. We didn't really need a breather song after the relatively mellow Groove. Oh well.
6/22/16: Ghost!
6/22/16: Neat Little Drummer Boy tease *during* the drop in Ghost before the guys set off on a fuzzy rock and roll jam.
6/22/16: Fuzz-rock jam winds up after a few minutes. Grungy fade-out now. Fish laying down a great beat.
6/22/16: Trey returns to the outro riff. End Ghost.
6/22/16: The Line'd.
6/22/16: Simple follows the The Line. Weird second set, especially when following such a flowy first set.
6/22/16: Btw, Simple is currently spiraling into awesomeness on the back of a great Trey/Page linkup.
6/22/16: Interlocking guitar/piano arpeggios getting quieter now.
6/22/16: Almost like a Coil outro jam instead of Simple.
6/22/16: Great, delicate little jam here. Aaaaand a perfect segue into I Found a Reason. baubiopfugaoi;jgad
6/22/16: Well, that was just awesome.
6/22/16: No Men is next. Weird change of pace there.
6/22/16: Harmonies: F, Trey solo: B+
6/22/16: Short but intense rock jam (no funk) in No Men. That was fun.
6/22/16: Billy Breathes!!!!
6/22/16: Definitely a little rougher than the last time it was played, but loving hearing it nonetheless.
6/22/16: And so far, Trey is nailing that beautiful, beautiful solo, and that's all that really matters.
6/22/16: Bathtub Gin, most likely to close set two.
6/22/16: Page leading the charge in this Gin jam. Trey hanging back oddly.
6/22/16: Momentum picking up now. Mega-peak.
6/22/16: Trey talking about the 1996 Languedoc after Gin.
6/22/16: Either this set is tracked wrong or they're ending the second set with a slow Water in the Sky.
6/22/16: Okay, encore was Water in the Sky, Zero. Break after Gin isn't really on the recording.
6/22/16: Great setlist during the first set. Weird setlist during an uneven second set, but strong Type I Mike's Groove and Gin.
6/22/16: Simple -> I Found a Reason was beautiful and probably the highlight, but I'd hesitate to call it 'jamming.'
6/22/16: In all, #phish played a show that was great at everything but jamming. Take that as you will.
Oct 17, 2016
Summer and NYE '11 Wrap-Up
I've put down my thoughts of 2011 in a number of individual reviews lately, and I won't repeat myself too much here other than to say that it's really been a tale of two tours...they've just been broken up oddly.
The beginning of the summer started with the brilliant Bethel "Waves," and the momentum from that incredible jam seemed to carry the band for a few excellent shows. Then it was back to the precision-over-improv approach that was old and tired halfway through 2010 until the tour's second leg. Things picked up dramatically at the beginning of this leg and continued to improve until the incredible 1-2 punch of UIC and Dick's, six shows that are an easy collective highpoint of Phish from Hampton '09 until now. As a matter of fact, the west coast shows and these two runs are really where the band we've known and loved consistently from '13 on starts to appear, and it's been fun to see that transition finally happening. I also don't know '12 very well (the only year during 3.0 that I didn't see any shows), so I'm excited to eventually trace this journey further, even if NYE '11 ended up being severely underwhelming, closing the year out with a whimper.
For now, it's on to '16, a divisive year that I'm hoping to find more to like in than most.
5/26: Just the Bethel "Waves" soundcheck jam. "Just." An amazing jam. After the first week of 2011 tour, you'll find yourself wondering if it ever actually happened, or if you just dreamed it.
5/27: If there's one thing that's pretty consistently good in 2011, it's first sets. 5/27 features a great "Wolfman's" -> "Walk Away" combo and a strong "Stash." The second set features a fantastic "Boogie On" > "Waves" combo and a really heavy "Crosseyed." Great show.
5/28: Another great opening set, with extended "Cities" and "Halley's," and a "Gin" -> "Manteca" -> "Gin" sandwich. "Disease" revisits 5/27 "Waves" territory in satisfying fashion in the second set, and "Number Line" is a standout version. Second set is less comprehensive than 5/27, but still a great show.
5/29: The first of many two-first-sets shows in 2011. "46 Days" > "Twenty Years" is a good combo in the first set, though, and "Simple" recalls some of the beautiful melodic jamming of the first two Bethel shows.
5/31: Similar to 5/29. Good "Sand" in the first set. Briefly interesting "Drowned" in the second set. And that's about it.
6/1: Really not much here. "No Quarter" debut out of a Type I "Tweezer" jam. There's a few minutes of plinko jamming in "Twist."
6/3: Return to the quality of the first two Bethel shows. Standard set one, though, minus the first of many "Type 1.5" "Chalkdust Torture"s of the year. The second set features the Clarkston "Disease," easily the biggest and best jam of the year so far unless you count the Bethel soundcheck. The six-song second set also features a great take on "Bowie."
6/4: Another great show (and really the last one until August). Strong song choices in the first set to mix things up a bit. The second set has "Steam"'s debut, a "Piper" > "Lizards" combo, a plinko-jammed "Sally," and a "Hood" -> "Have Mercy" -> "Hood" sandwich. There's a lot to like here.
6/5: We're back in 2010 territory here. "Reba" is interesting in the first set, and there are brief moments of improvisational goodness in "Tweezer" and "Light," but mostly this show falls flat.
6/7: Strong first set, but underwhelming second set. Another extended "Cities" and fun covers of "Instant Karma!" and "Rhymes" are worth a listen. The solo highlight of the second set is a long-and-sometimes-great "Rock and Roll" that segues into "The Mango Song" at its end.
6/8: The best kind of show the band can play without actually jamming. There's some pitch-shifting magic for a few minutes on "Undermind." The second set has some highlights in "Mike's" > "FEFY" > "Groove," "WTU?" and "2001."
6/10: Like 6/8, it's a fun show, but there's not much else going for it. If you're looking for highlights, I can recommend the second set's "Disease" and a loop-heavy "Possum."
6/11: Band continues to perfect the art of the fun-but-boring show. "Roses" and "Reba" are the highlights of the first set. There's not a lot going on in the second set, but the "RnR" > "Albuquerque" > "Piper" > "Wading" sequence goes down easy.
6/12: Band accidentally jams in the first set here, then forgets to follow up in the second. Check out the "Wolfman's" -> "Boogie On." Maybe listen to the "Hood" > "Number Line" pair, too, if you're feeling generous.
6/14: Perhaps the most rote show so far. Single highlight is the "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone" cover.
6/15: Slight improvement over the previous night's effort. That said, perhaps the best part of the show is when they have to quit in the middle of "Mound" because of rain, and then pick back up midjam after setbreak. Maybe try the "Hood"?
6/17: Decent show that doesn't really live up to the hype. Standard-for-2011 first set. The second set hinges on a "Rock and Roll" > "Ghost" jam-pair that honestly aren't super-notable, but in the context of the last ten or so shows seem totally fantastic.
6/18: The first set gets off to a good start with an extended "Halley's"...that Trey kills for "46 Days." Fortunately, there are some interesting bits in the second set, including "Twist," "Caspian" -> "Esther" (!), "Piper," and "Split."
6/19: A "Thunder Road" cover early on is the highlight of the first frame. And, just in time for Super Ball IX, they sneak a legit "Sand" jam in near the end of the show. And that's about it.
7/1: The opening set of Super Ball IX is all guitar, all the time. If you're into that sort of thing, you'll love the TreyFire that's unleashed here. The problem is, that's pretty much all the second set is, too. S2 starts with a formless jam, which is really cool, and this jamming style carries over a bit later into the "Simple." But everything else is, for lack of a better way to put it, first-setty.
7/2: This is a weird, weird day of Phish. The first three sets are like a paean to the boring, boilerplate Phish of 2010-2011. Then comes the Storage Jam, and a new band seems to emerge for the rest of the year(s) onward. It's like they're burning jukebox Phish in effigy over three sets. That said, the "Monkey Man" cover is great. The beginning of the third set features a "Golden Age" > "Caspian" > "Piper" > "Tweezer" sequence that sounds like some real Phish. But that's about it. Until, of course, the Storage Jam blows everything away.
7/3: The third Super Ball IX show is the most cohesive. If you like crazy narrations, check out the "Forbin's" > "Mockingbird." It's wild. Oh, and "Mound" gets jammed out a little. But just when you're starting to wonder if the Storage Jam really happened, the band takes "ASIHTOS" deep in the first set. There's no huge jam in the second set, but "Disease" -> "No Quarter" and "Waves" -> "WTU?" are both fun sequences.
8/5: Ah, leg two. The band attacks immediately, sounding strikingly different than they did for the first leg of shows this year, though it's hard not to hear the Storage Jam influence during this show's masterful "Rock and Roll" -> "Meatstick" -> "Boogie On" sequence. There are a few bits of Phish music that stack up to this piece later on in the summer, but they are very few. If you want more, the first set offers up solid takes on "Gin" and "Taste," and "Roggae" gets spacey in the best way.
8/6: The renaissance continues with this show, though it's definitely a step back from 8/5. The first set is notable only for its momentum. That momentum carries over into S2, and though we never really get much notable improv, having "Sand" segue back into "Tweezer" is a blast.
8/8: The first set is straightforward in that great-for-2011 way. The only bit of note comes in "Split," which digress back into the Storage Unit for a few minutes. The second set is more fun than its gets credit for, with a solid "Crosseyed," an interesting "Twist" and "Piper," a "Mike's Song" that gets absolutely shredded, and a plinko'd "Groove."
8/9: The first set mixes up some interesting songs to great effect. "Bowie" is a keeper. The second set is all about the "Light" jam, which again goes back to the Storage Unit and is awesome for it. The "Walls" closer is probably worth a listen if you're into show-closing guitar pyrotechnics.
8/10: The first set jumps around a lot, and fails to have any sort of consistent energy. The second set is a take-it-or-leave-it affair. I hear "Disease" through "Sally" all touching on the Storage Jam sound and making up a cohesive sequence. You might just hear a lot of promising jams getting ripcorded.
8/12: Sort of what you might expect for a festival show, but this one rewards a little digging. The first set would make a great introduction to Phish for people who had never heard them before. There's a solid "Tweezer" that's likely worth your time, though. "Rock and Roll" -> "Steam" is a nice segue, and "Piper" and "Number Line" are both interesting enough for a replay.
8/15: Holy crap, this show. Easily the best of the year for me. First off, the UIC run sets a new high bar for great first sets, not just providing fun Type I playing throughout, but mixing up the setlists in a way that really makes listening engaging. "Guelah," "Wolfman's," and "Babylon Baby" are the highlights. The second set is absolutely jaw-dropping up through "Undermind," which is probably my favorite jam of the year, and then the encore is basically a third set, featuring among other things a fantastic closing "Hood."
8/16: Another great first set. "Let It Loose" and "CDT" are highlights, along with plinko-infused takes on "Limb" and "Jim." The jamming on night two is more concentrated, but just as worthy as 8/15's: listen to this "Disease." It's so good.
8/17: Night three falls a bit short of the first two nights at UIC. That said, the first sets continue to be varied, and great. The second set is likely a love-it-or-hate-it thing, and I hate it. Just too many ripcords of promising jams on a weekend where every jam seems to be hitting on all cylinders. "Crosseyed," "Tweezer," "Piper," and "Ghost" all get chopped up just as they're developing into interesting jams. That said, you can probably get some mileage out of "Piper" anyway before it gets cut for that three-minute "Ghost."
9/2: It's arguable that this Dick's run tops even the UIC run for awesomeness. It may not reach the same heights, but there aren't any clunker shows like 8/17. The first night is the "S" show, and despite the gimmick, it's a strong show. As you'd expect, there are a lot of bustouts and rarities ("Sparks," anyone?). "Susskind Hotel" is great to hear, and "Sally" goes deep for a first set version. "Split" closes the set with more abstract jamming than usual. The gimmick hurts the second set a bit more, restraining any real jamming, but you should hear the "Simple" and the "Seven Below," which touches on some Storage Jam action.
9/3: Offers up the first by-the-book first set in awhile. Fortunately, the set ends with a fun "Llama" > "FEFY" combo and a totally weird "Wolfman's" jam. "Disease" opens the second set and doesn't get far before a ripcord kills it...but that ripcord starts up the best "Tweezer" I've heard in a very long time. Probably the jam of the weekend. Give it a listen. Or three. Rather than resting on their laurels, either, the band continues an excellent second set with a jazzy "Golden Age," a loop-filled "Limb," a "KDF" with a second jam, a solid "2001," and a driving "Light" that wraps up with a "Disease" reprise! One of the best sets of the year, for sure.
9/4: We're back to weird-good opening sets here. Yet another "1.5"-style "Gin" and the Phish debut of "The Way It Goes" are the highlights. Again, the second set is just nuts. "Rock and Roll" -> "Come Together" -> "Twist" -> "Low Rider Jam" -> "Twist" -> "Piper" is just as good as it sounds, especially when "Piper" features overlapping plinko and theremin jams. Lest you think that we're done, though, there's an excellent "Hood" > "Roggae" combo and then "Ghost" -> "Guy Forget" -> "Ghost." 9/4 S2 for President.
9/14: After the heights of the last two three-day runs, it's probably inevitable that a one-off show ten days later would disappoint. This one isn't as bad as they say, but still a bit of a letdown. The first set has solid "1.5" takes on "Gin" and "Wolfman's," and you could do worse than the second set's "Carini" > "Disease" -> "Slave." The "Carini" is especially worth a listen.
12/28: The best of the four MSG shows, and a great show that stands with many of the stronger late-2011 shows, though not with the best. A plinko "Cities" and an insane "Gin" are the highlights of the first set, and the "Carini" -> "Tweezer" sequence in S2 is top-notch. The segue between "Rock and Roll" and "NICU" is interested, and the "Hood" is an absolute, straightforward killer.
12/29: This one doesn't have much meat on its bones. A strong "YEM" in the two-slot is a nice surprise, but that's about it for the first set. A too-short "Simple" is neatly deconstructed, setting up a great segue into "Lifeboy" in the second set. Listen to the "Chalkdust"-inspired "Hydrogen," too.
12/30: "Caspian" and "Sand" are solid first-set highlights. Otherwise, the show is about as 2010 as you can get except for the S2 "Piper," which turns out to be the single big jam of the run. Luckily, it's pretty classic. Check it out.
12/31: A surprisingly, almost shockingly flat show. The first set starts with some serious verve, but then there are two more first sets (mostly) and the verve slowly disintegrates over the course of the night. Interesting-but-too-brief "Light" that segues nicely into a too-short-but-funky "Golden Age" to start of the second set...and that's probably the highlight of the night. There's some guitar fire that's usually not there in "Steam" (w/ dancers) and an obligatory-feeling mini-jam tacked onto "Disease"...and that's it. Happy New Year.
The beginning of the summer started with the brilliant Bethel "Waves," and the momentum from that incredible jam seemed to carry the band for a few excellent shows. Then it was back to the precision-over-improv approach that was old and tired halfway through 2010 until the tour's second leg. Things picked up dramatically at the beginning of this leg and continued to improve until the incredible 1-2 punch of UIC and Dick's, six shows that are an easy collective highpoint of Phish from Hampton '09 until now. As a matter of fact, the west coast shows and these two runs are really where the band we've known and loved consistently from '13 on starts to appear, and it's been fun to see that transition finally happening. I also don't know '12 very well (the only year during 3.0 that I didn't see any shows), so I'm excited to eventually trace this journey further, even if NYE '11 ended up being severely underwhelming, closing the year out with a whimper.
For now, it's on to '16, a divisive year that I'm hoping to find more to like in than most.
5/26: Just the Bethel "Waves" soundcheck jam. "Just." An amazing jam. After the first week of 2011 tour, you'll find yourself wondering if it ever actually happened, or if you just dreamed it.
5/27: If there's one thing that's pretty consistently good in 2011, it's first sets. 5/27 features a great "Wolfman's" -> "Walk Away" combo and a strong "Stash." The second set features a fantastic "Boogie On" > "Waves" combo and a really heavy "Crosseyed." Great show.
5/28: Another great opening set, with extended "Cities" and "Halley's," and a "Gin" -> "Manteca" -> "Gin" sandwich. "Disease" revisits 5/27 "Waves" territory in satisfying fashion in the second set, and "Number Line" is a standout version. Second set is less comprehensive than 5/27, but still a great show.
5/29: The first of many two-first-sets shows in 2011. "46 Days" > "Twenty Years" is a good combo in the first set, though, and "Simple" recalls some of the beautiful melodic jamming of the first two Bethel shows.
5/31: Similar to 5/29. Good "Sand" in the first set. Briefly interesting "Drowned" in the second set. And that's about it.
6/1: Really not much here. "No Quarter" debut out of a Type I "Tweezer" jam. There's a few minutes of plinko jamming in "Twist."
6/3: Return to the quality of the first two Bethel shows. Standard set one, though, minus the first of many "Type 1.5" "Chalkdust Torture"s of the year. The second set features the Clarkston "Disease," easily the biggest and best jam of the year so far unless you count the Bethel soundcheck. The six-song second set also features a great take on "Bowie."
6/4: Another great show (and really the last one until August). Strong song choices in the first set to mix things up a bit. The second set has "Steam"'s debut, a "Piper" > "Lizards" combo, a plinko-jammed "Sally," and a "Hood" -> "Have Mercy" -> "Hood" sandwich. There's a lot to like here.
6/5: We're back in 2010 territory here. "Reba" is interesting in the first set, and there are brief moments of improvisational goodness in "Tweezer" and "Light," but mostly this show falls flat.
6/7: Strong first set, but underwhelming second set. Another extended "Cities" and fun covers of "Instant Karma!" and "Rhymes" are worth a listen. The solo highlight of the second set is a long-and-sometimes-great "Rock and Roll" that segues into "The Mango Song" at its end.
6/8: The best kind of show the band can play without actually jamming. There's some pitch-shifting magic for a few minutes on "Undermind." The second set has some highlights in "Mike's" > "FEFY" > "Groove," "WTU?" and "2001."
6/10: Like 6/8, it's a fun show, but there's not much else going for it. If you're looking for highlights, I can recommend the second set's "Disease" and a loop-heavy "Possum."
6/11: Band continues to perfect the art of the fun-but-boring show. "Roses" and "Reba" are the highlights of the first set. There's not a lot going on in the second set, but the "RnR" > "Albuquerque" > "Piper" > "Wading" sequence goes down easy.
6/12: Band accidentally jams in the first set here, then forgets to follow up in the second. Check out the "Wolfman's" -> "Boogie On." Maybe listen to the "Hood" > "Number Line" pair, too, if you're feeling generous.
6/14: Perhaps the most rote show so far. Single highlight is the "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone" cover.
6/15: Slight improvement over the previous night's effort. That said, perhaps the best part of the show is when they have to quit in the middle of "Mound" because of rain, and then pick back up midjam after setbreak. Maybe try the "Hood"?
6/17: Decent show that doesn't really live up to the hype. Standard-for-2011 first set. The second set hinges on a "Rock and Roll" > "Ghost" jam-pair that honestly aren't super-notable, but in the context of the last ten or so shows seem totally fantastic.
6/18: The first set gets off to a good start with an extended "Halley's"...that Trey kills for "46 Days." Fortunately, there are some interesting bits in the second set, including "Twist," "Caspian" -> "Esther" (!), "Piper," and "Split."
6/19: A "Thunder Road" cover early on is the highlight of the first frame. And, just in time for Super Ball IX, they sneak a legit "Sand" jam in near the end of the show. And that's about it.
7/1: The opening set of Super Ball IX is all guitar, all the time. If you're into that sort of thing, you'll love the TreyFire that's unleashed here. The problem is, that's pretty much all the second set is, too. S2 starts with a formless jam, which is really cool, and this jamming style carries over a bit later into the "Simple." But everything else is, for lack of a better way to put it, first-setty.
7/2: This is a weird, weird day of Phish. The first three sets are like a paean to the boring, boilerplate Phish of 2010-2011. Then comes the Storage Jam, and a new band seems to emerge for the rest of the year(s) onward. It's like they're burning jukebox Phish in effigy over three sets. That said, the "Monkey Man" cover is great. The beginning of the third set features a "Golden Age" > "Caspian" > "Piper" > "Tweezer" sequence that sounds like some real Phish. But that's about it. Until, of course, the Storage Jam blows everything away.
7/3: The third Super Ball IX show is the most cohesive. If you like crazy narrations, check out the "Forbin's" > "Mockingbird." It's wild. Oh, and "Mound" gets jammed out a little. But just when you're starting to wonder if the Storage Jam really happened, the band takes "ASIHTOS" deep in the first set. There's no huge jam in the second set, but "Disease" -> "No Quarter" and "Waves" -> "WTU?" are both fun sequences.
8/5: Ah, leg two. The band attacks immediately, sounding strikingly different than they did for the first leg of shows this year, though it's hard not to hear the Storage Jam influence during this show's masterful "Rock and Roll" -> "Meatstick" -> "Boogie On" sequence. There are a few bits of Phish music that stack up to this piece later on in the summer, but they are very few. If you want more, the first set offers up solid takes on "Gin" and "Taste," and "Roggae" gets spacey in the best way.
8/6: The renaissance continues with this show, though it's definitely a step back from 8/5. The first set is notable only for its momentum. That momentum carries over into S2, and though we never really get much notable improv, having "Sand" segue back into "Tweezer" is a blast.
8/8: The first set is straightforward in that great-for-2011 way. The only bit of note comes in "Split," which digress back into the Storage Unit for a few minutes. The second set is more fun than its gets credit for, with a solid "Crosseyed," an interesting "Twist" and "Piper," a "Mike's Song" that gets absolutely shredded, and a plinko'd "Groove."
8/9: The first set mixes up some interesting songs to great effect. "Bowie" is a keeper. The second set is all about the "Light" jam, which again goes back to the Storage Unit and is awesome for it. The "Walls" closer is probably worth a listen if you're into show-closing guitar pyrotechnics.
8/10: The first set jumps around a lot, and fails to have any sort of consistent energy. The second set is a take-it-or-leave-it affair. I hear "Disease" through "Sally" all touching on the Storage Jam sound and making up a cohesive sequence. You might just hear a lot of promising jams getting ripcorded.
8/12: Sort of what you might expect for a festival show, but this one rewards a little digging. The first set would make a great introduction to Phish for people who had never heard them before. There's a solid "Tweezer" that's likely worth your time, though. "Rock and Roll" -> "Steam" is a nice segue, and "Piper" and "Number Line" are both interesting enough for a replay.
8/15: Holy crap, this show. Easily the best of the year for me. First off, the UIC run sets a new high bar for great first sets, not just providing fun Type I playing throughout, but mixing up the setlists in a way that really makes listening engaging. "Guelah," "Wolfman's," and "Babylon Baby" are the highlights. The second set is absolutely jaw-dropping up through "Undermind," which is probably my favorite jam of the year, and then the encore is basically a third set, featuring among other things a fantastic closing "Hood."
8/16: Another great first set. "Let It Loose" and "CDT" are highlights, along with plinko-infused takes on "Limb" and "Jim." The jamming on night two is more concentrated, but just as worthy as 8/15's: listen to this "Disease." It's so good.
8/17: Night three falls a bit short of the first two nights at UIC. That said, the first sets continue to be varied, and great. The second set is likely a love-it-or-hate-it thing, and I hate it. Just too many ripcords of promising jams on a weekend where every jam seems to be hitting on all cylinders. "Crosseyed," "Tweezer," "Piper," and "Ghost" all get chopped up just as they're developing into interesting jams. That said, you can probably get some mileage out of "Piper" anyway before it gets cut for that three-minute "Ghost."
9/2: It's arguable that this Dick's run tops even the UIC run for awesomeness. It may not reach the same heights, but there aren't any clunker shows like 8/17. The first night is the "S" show, and despite the gimmick, it's a strong show. As you'd expect, there are a lot of bustouts and rarities ("Sparks," anyone?). "Susskind Hotel" is great to hear, and "Sally" goes deep for a first set version. "Split" closes the set with more abstract jamming than usual. The gimmick hurts the second set a bit more, restraining any real jamming, but you should hear the "Simple" and the "Seven Below," which touches on some Storage Jam action.
9/3: Offers up the first by-the-book first set in awhile. Fortunately, the set ends with a fun "Llama" > "FEFY" combo and a totally weird "Wolfman's" jam. "Disease" opens the second set and doesn't get far before a ripcord kills it...but that ripcord starts up the best "Tweezer" I've heard in a very long time. Probably the jam of the weekend. Give it a listen. Or three. Rather than resting on their laurels, either, the band continues an excellent second set with a jazzy "Golden Age," a loop-filled "Limb," a "KDF" with a second jam, a solid "2001," and a driving "Light" that wraps up with a "Disease" reprise! One of the best sets of the year, for sure.
9/4: We're back to weird-good opening sets here. Yet another "1.5"-style "Gin" and the Phish debut of "The Way It Goes" are the highlights. Again, the second set is just nuts. "Rock and Roll" -> "Come Together" -> "Twist" -> "Low Rider Jam" -> "Twist" -> "Piper" is just as good as it sounds, especially when "Piper" features overlapping plinko and theremin jams. Lest you think that we're done, though, there's an excellent "Hood" > "Roggae" combo and then "Ghost" -> "Guy Forget" -> "Ghost." 9/4 S2 for President.
9/14: After the heights of the last two three-day runs, it's probably inevitable that a one-off show ten days later would disappoint. This one isn't as bad as they say, but still a bit of a letdown. The first set has solid "1.5" takes on "Gin" and "Wolfman's," and you could do worse than the second set's "Carini" > "Disease" -> "Slave." The "Carini" is especially worth a listen.
12/28: The best of the four MSG shows, and a great show that stands with many of the stronger late-2011 shows, though not with the best. A plinko "Cities" and an insane "Gin" are the highlights of the first set, and the "Carini" -> "Tweezer" sequence in S2 is top-notch. The segue between "Rock and Roll" and "NICU" is interested, and the "Hood" is an absolute, straightforward killer.
12/29: This one doesn't have much meat on its bones. A strong "YEM" in the two-slot is a nice surprise, but that's about it for the first set. A too-short "Simple" is neatly deconstructed, setting up a great segue into "Lifeboy" in the second set. Listen to the "Chalkdust"-inspired "Hydrogen," too.
12/30: "Caspian" and "Sand" are solid first-set highlights. Otherwise, the show is about as 2010 as you can get except for the S2 "Piper," which turns out to be the single big jam of the run. Luckily, it's pretty classic. Check it out.
12/31: A surprisingly, almost shockingly flat show. The first set starts with some serious verve, but then there are two more first sets (mostly) and the verve slowly disintegrates over the course of the night. Interesting-but-too-brief "Light" that segues nicely into a too-short-but-funky "Golden Age" to start of the second set...and that's probably the highlight of the night. There's some guitar fire that's usually not there in "Steam" (w/ dancers) and an obligatory-feeling mini-jam tacked onto "Disease"...and that's it. Happy New Year.
2011-12-31 MSG IV
The Verdict:
Well, this show is decisively uninteresting. And, on a New Year's Eve, no less. You almost have to do that on purpose. 2011 has been a year where Phish can surprise you by dropping the best show in at least a decade during a nondescript, run-opening show in Chicago. But it's also been a year where they can totally not surprise you by dropping three sets of almost entirely uninspiring fare on what's meant to be the biggest night of the year, every year.
That second bit is a little unfair. I guess. The New Year's Eve show gets off to a hot start, actually. Pretty much everything in this set is fire, including the "Farmhouse" solo (Believe it!) and a "Pebbles and Marbles" played at mega-tempo with some interesting Fish beats thrown in throughout. The "Ocelot" > "Fluffhead" pair even got a grin from me.
The second set also gets off to a typically-strong second set start, with a "Light" -> "Golden Age" pair that includes a theremin jam and a straight-up '97 funk jam. Both are a bit too short, but that turns out to be quibbling in context since this is the only jam of the night. It's worth a watch, though, for sure (at 1:39:00):
The rest of the second set is a perfectly okay first set, and while the "Steam"-based gag is pretty visually awesome to start set three, and leads Trey to shred "Steam" more than he typically does, all we get after is an obligatory mini-jam tacked onto the end of "Disease" and then a run of jukebox songs until the "Wading," "First Tube," "Slave" closing sequence, throughout which Trey's guitar sounds so out of tune with the rest of the band I legitimately wonder if he was having tech problems.
Yay New Year's?
The Live Review:
12/31/11: AC/DC Bag opener.
12/31/11: So far, MSG run can't decide if it's stuck in the pre-Leg Two 2011-era or the post-Leg Two 2011-era.
12/31/11: Hoping for a Modern Phish show here instead of a Rebuilding Phish show.
12/31/11: You know I love some '09 and '10, but something happened in the middle of 2011 that makes everything b4 seem...not...as...good.
12/31/11: Well, 'everything b4' in 3.0.
12/31/11: Loose Bag jam unfolding here. Band sounds dialed in.
12/31/11: Solid opener > Wolfman's
12/31/11: This is way friskier than a two-slot Wolfman's has any business being.
12/31/11: SMELL MY MULE
12/31/11: Great solo from Page to start the duel section. Trey struggling a bit after, though they *are* at MEGA-TEMPO compared to usual.
12/31/11: Stealing Time is next.
12/31/11: Loose but high-energy affair so far.
12/31/11: By 'loose' I mean 'If you have a finely-honed flub radar, you've already shot yourself.'
12/31/11: If you just like Phish, though, it's pretty fun.
12/31/11: Obligatory MSG Lawn Boy.
12/31/11: Jibboo!
12/31/11: Farmhouse is maybe not the best follow-up to Jibboo. Lots of machine-gunning from Trey in Jibboo, though.
12/31/11: Nice Farmhouse solo from Trey!
12/31/11: if he laid down a Farmhouse solo like that more often, there would be anguished wails coming from the venue urinals.
12/31/11: Which is always what you want to hear at a concert.
12/31/11: Pebbles and Marbles. These days, always either a welcome bustout or a tremendous mistake.
12/31/11: WHICH WILL IT BE
12/31/11: I swear to god that Fish is playing a bluegrass beat right now.
12/31/11: Definitely playing a different beat than on the album.
12/31/11: Not super-different, but definitely more shuffle than jazz.
12/31/11: Considering the speed they just played that at, it was surprisingly tight.
12/31/11: Ocelot next.
12/31/11: Trey and Mike just whipped that Ocelot into submission. Nice.
12/31/11: This is another one of those instances where I will gladly put aside my typical Ocelot-inspired eye rolls and enjoy the jam.
12/31/11: > Fluffhead
12/31/11: I suspect that this is going to end the first set.
12/31/11: FLUFFHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAD
12/31/11: That was a satisfying 10,000th tweet.
12/31/11: Auld Lang Syne tease during Fluff outro.
12/31/11: End set.
12/31/11: S2 starts with Party Time.
12/31/11: Never liked the song much, honestly, but it's still fun when they open a set with it. Sort of like a declaration.
12/31/11: Party Time a little more fleshed out than usual. > Light.
12/31/11: Arpeggio jam suddenly drops out. Band comes back in w/ Trey on pitch shifter.
12/31/11: Loops and space now.
12/31/11: I think Page may have just busted out the theremin.
12/31/11: Sounds like 8/5/11 in here!
12/31/11: Loops, theremin, and a crazy beat from Fish.
12/31/11: Spontaneous confab outside my office with coworkers complaining to each other about expensive things being expensive.
12/31/11: Sort of ruining the mood.
12/31/11: Great, slow -> Golden Age after a short theremin jam, though.
12/31/11: Band struggles a bit with Golden Age proper, but then immediately drops into a '97-style deep funk groove.
12/31/11: Groove winds up really quickly on a Page piano outro. Huh.
12/31/11: Long pause, then Theme.
12/31/11: THINGS ARE FALLING DOWN ON ME
12/31/11: Pretty sure Heavy Things is never going to make a set, but that was a hot version.
12/31/11: Ghost! Slow tempo Ghost!
12/31/11: A bit of satisfying noodling into some power chording. Liking this Ghost so far.
12/31/11: Brief little Ghost excursion winds back to the outro. Sally next.
12/31/11: Vocal breakdown.
12/31/11: Out of the vocal jam, there's a quick guitar drone, and then > 46 Days.
12/31/11: For most of this set (minus the Light), it's felt like a show with a rushed fourth quarter.
12/31/11: But we're in the first half of the second of three sets. What gives?
12/31/11: This is not my beautiful Phish!
12/31/11: That Light, though, brief as it was, was like a follow-up to 12/30's Piper jam.
12/31/11: Alright, it deserves mention that this 46 Days is about as good a Type I rock-out as you're gonna get from this song.
12/31/11: Suzy, Cavern. #hitparade
12/31/11: Sorry, that was Suzy to end S2 and Cavern to start S3.
12/31/11: NYE 'gag' based around Steam.
12/31/11: https://t.co/yPo1ulN6iP
12/31/11: Trey totally shredding Steam in a way he doesn't typically.
12/31/11: Brief noise-rock section now.
12/31/11: Steam > Auld Lang Syne > DWD. Disease is punctuated by the sound of hundreds of balloons popping.
12/31/11: Unexpected, neat little jam getting built on the end of this Disease.
12/31/11: But that's about it in the improv category. The Wedge, Alaska, Wading.
12/31/11: The most interesting part of this Wading is the balloons audibly popping in the background.
12/31/11: Fist Tube
12/31/11: FIST TUBE GONNA GET YOU
12/31/11: Major flub currently happening between Trey and Page.
12/31/11: Sounds like Trey was half a step down or something for a whole section.
12/31/11: For a moment there, it sounded like they were concluding the run with Show of Life.
12/31/11: When I regained consciousness from my rage-induced mini-stroke, I realized it was just a flubby beginning to Slave.
12/31/11: Whew!
12/31/11: It's sounded like Trey's guitar is falling apart for like 30 straight minutes now. What the serious fuck.
12/31/11: That's cool, though, just let Mike drive this jam.
12/31/11: He's doing a great job so far.
12/31/11: And that's NYE 2011. Welp.
Well, this show is decisively uninteresting. And, on a New Year's Eve, no less. You almost have to do that on purpose. 2011 has been a year where Phish can surprise you by dropping the best show in at least a decade during a nondescript, run-opening show in Chicago. But it's also been a year where they can totally not surprise you by dropping three sets of almost entirely uninspiring fare on what's meant to be the biggest night of the year, every year.
That second bit is a little unfair. I guess. The New Year's Eve show gets off to a hot start, actually. Pretty much everything in this set is fire, including the "Farmhouse" solo (Believe it!) and a "Pebbles and Marbles" played at mega-tempo with some interesting Fish beats thrown in throughout. The "Ocelot" > "Fluffhead" pair even got a grin from me.
The second set also gets off to a typically-strong second set start, with a "Light" -> "Golden Age" pair that includes a theremin jam and a straight-up '97 funk jam. Both are a bit too short, but that turns out to be quibbling in context since this is the only jam of the night. It's worth a watch, though, for sure (at 1:39:00):
The rest of the second set is a perfectly okay first set, and while the "Steam"-based gag is pretty visually awesome to start set three, and leads Trey to shred "Steam" more than he typically does, all we get after is an obligatory mini-jam tacked onto the end of "Disease" and then a run of jukebox songs until the "Wading," "First Tube," "Slave" closing sequence, throughout which Trey's guitar sounds so out of tune with the rest of the band I legitimately wonder if he was having tech problems.
Yay New Year's?
The Live Review:
12/31/11: AC/DC Bag opener.
12/31/11: So far, MSG run can't decide if it's stuck in the pre-Leg Two 2011-era or the post-Leg Two 2011-era.
12/31/11: Hoping for a Modern Phish show here instead of a Rebuilding Phish show.
12/31/11: You know I love some '09 and '10, but something happened in the middle of 2011 that makes everything b4 seem...not...as...good.
12/31/11: Well, 'everything b4' in 3.0.
12/31/11: Loose Bag jam unfolding here. Band sounds dialed in.
12/31/11: Solid opener > Wolfman's
12/31/11: This is way friskier than a two-slot Wolfman's has any business being.
12/31/11: SMELL MY MULE
12/31/11: Great solo from Page to start the duel section. Trey struggling a bit after, though they *are* at MEGA-TEMPO compared to usual.
12/31/11: Stealing Time is next.
12/31/11: Loose but high-energy affair so far.
12/31/11: By 'loose' I mean 'If you have a finely-honed flub radar, you've already shot yourself.'
12/31/11: If you just like Phish, though, it's pretty fun.
12/31/11: Obligatory MSG Lawn Boy.
12/31/11: Jibboo!
12/31/11: Farmhouse is maybe not the best follow-up to Jibboo. Lots of machine-gunning from Trey in Jibboo, though.
12/31/11: Nice Farmhouse solo from Trey!
12/31/11: if he laid down a Farmhouse solo like that more often, there would be anguished wails coming from the venue urinals.
12/31/11: Which is always what you want to hear at a concert.
12/31/11: Pebbles and Marbles. These days, always either a welcome bustout or a tremendous mistake.
12/31/11: WHICH WILL IT BE
12/31/11: I swear to god that Fish is playing a bluegrass beat right now.
12/31/11: Definitely playing a different beat than on the album.
12/31/11: Not super-different, but definitely more shuffle than jazz.
12/31/11: Considering the speed they just played that at, it was surprisingly tight.
12/31/11: Ocelot next.
12/31/11: Trey and Mike just whipped that Ocelot into submission. Nice.
12/31/11: This is another one of those instances where I will gladly put aside my typical Ocelot-inspired eye rolls and enjoy the jam.
12/31/11: > Fluffhead
12/31/11: I suspect that this is going to end the first set.
12/31/11: FLUFFHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAD
12/31/11: That was a satisfying 10,000th tweet.
12/31/11: Auld Lang Syne tease during Fluff outro.
12/31/11: End set.
12/31/11: S2 starts with Party Time.
12/31/11: Never liked the song much, honestly, but it's still fun when they open a set with it. Sort of like a declaration.
12/31/11: Party Time a little more fleshed out than usual. > Light.
12/31/11: Arpeggio jam suddenly drops out. Band comes back in w/ Trey on pitch shifter.
12/31/11: Loops and space now.
12/31/11: I think Page may have just busted out the theremin.
12/31/11: Sounds like 8/5/11 in here!
12/31/11: Loops, theremin, and a crazy beat from Fish.
12/31/11: Spontaneous confab outside my office with coworkers complaining to each other about expensive things being expensive.
12/31/11: Sort of ruining the mood.
12/31/11: Great, slow -> Golden Age after a short theremin jam, though.
12/31/11: Band struggles a bit with Golden Age proper, but then immediately drops into a '97-style deep funk groove.
12/31/11: Groove winds up really quickly on a Page piano outro. Huh.
12/31/11: Long pause, then Theme.
12/31/11: THINGS ARE FALLING DOWN ON ME
12/31/11: Pretty sure Heavy Things is never going to make a set, but that was a hot version.
12/31/11: Ghost! Slow tempo Ghost!
12/31/11: A bit of satisfying noodling into some power chording. Liking this Ghost so far.
12/31/11: Brief little Ghost excursion winds back to the outro. Sally next.
12/31/11: Vocal breakdown.
12/31/11: Out of the vocal jam, there's a quick guitar drone, and then > 46 Days.
12/31/11: For most of this set (minus the Light), it's felt like a show with a rushed fourth quarter.
12/31/11: But we're in the first half of the second of three sets. What gives?
12/31/11: This is not my beautiful Phish!
12/31/11: That Light, though, brief as it was, was like a follow-up to 12/30's Piper jam.
12/31/11: Alright, it deserves mention that this 46 Days is about as good a Type I rock-out as you're gonna get from this song.
12/31/11: Suzy, Cavern. #hitparade
12/31/11: Sorry, that was Suzy to end S2 and Cavern to start S3.
12/31/11: NYE 'gag' based around Steam.
12/31/11: https://t.co/yPo1ulN6iP
12/31/11: Trey totally shredding Steam in a way he doesn't typically.
12/31/11: Brief noise-rock section now.
12/31/11: Steam > Auld Lang Syne > DWD. Disease is punctuated by the sound of hundreds of balloons popping.
12/31/11: Unexpected, neat little jam getting built on the end of this Disease.
12/31/11: But that's about it in the improv category. The Wedge, Alaska, Wading.
12/31/11: The most interesting part of this Wading is the balloons audibly popping in the background.
12/31/11: Fist Tube
12/31/11: FIST TUBE GONNA GET YOU
12/31/11: Major flub currently happening between Trey and Page.
12/31/11: Sounds like Trey was half a step down or something for a whole section.
12/31/11: For a moment there, it sounded like they were concluding the run with Show of Life.
12/31/11: When I regained consciousness from my rage-induced mini-stroke, I realized it was just a flubby beginning to Slave.
12/31/11: Whew!
12/31/11: It's sounded like Trey's guitar is falling apart for like 30 straight minutes now. What the serious fuck.
12/31/11: That's cool, though, just let Mike drive this jam.
12/31/11: He's doing a great job so far.
12/31/11: And that's NYE 2011. Welp.
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