The Verdict:
After comparing 10/14 show to my dear Eugene '14 fall tour opener, it's tempting to compare this less-stellar outing to the band's 10/18/14 snoozefest in Seattle. However, after a full listen, I think it deserve a bit more consideration than that. A bit.
The problem here is the setlist flow. There's just as many interesting bits of improvisation and just as high a level of energy (for most of the show) here as there was during the previous night's show, but the band inserts not just "Let Me Lie" but also "Miss You" and "Joy" into the proceedings, each at a critical high-energy juncture of the show. Not only is it just generally a bummer to get "Miss You" and "Joy" in one second set, Trey badly biffs on them both.
As a full disclosure, I actually really enjoy all three of these songs. "Miss You"'s lyrics are clearly heartfelt, "Let Me Lie" expresses a sentiment I wish I could write about better in my own songs, and while "Joy" is a little too schmaltzy even for me, I imagine if I had kids myself I'd feel differently. Phish writes lots of ballads, and to have one or two show up in a setlist shouldn't be cause for immediately disliking a full show. However, here it's not just that three of them are played, it's where in the show they come up: following a high-energy run of songs in the first set, segueing out of an excellent Type II jam in the second set, and following a high energy "Sand" as the penultimate tune of the show. Put other songs in those slots and this show rivals 10/14 in awesomeness.
Anyway, the first set (minus the "Let Me Lie" miscue) is strong, and shows more new songs getting integrated into the repertoire. After a surprise one-two punch of "Blaze On" and "WTU?", the band lays out a "Waking Up Dead" > "Timber (Jerry)", "Things People Do" sequence that makes the new songs feel like they've always been there. "Lengthwise" serves as an introduction to a hot "Maze," and the combination of first-set versions of "Carini" and "Wolfman's" round out the set.
The second set opens with the second "Mercury" of the year, which gets extended into a long but straightforward Type I jam. "Twist" starts off following the same path most versions have this year (albeit with "WTU?" teases) before speeding up and shifting gears into a Type II space. This doesn't last long, unfortunately, but it does set up a smooth segue into "I Always Wanted It This Way," which is (get this) the jam of the show.
Your mileage may vary, but for my money, the synth-based jamming out of this song is one of the most different things Phish has done in a long time. Sure, there have been a ton of great, deep jams in the last few years, but this is one of the very few soundscapes they've created where they don't even sound like Phish. If I walked into the room in the middle of this jam, I wouldn't be able to identify it as a Phish jam right away. And I think that's worth noting. I wouldn't say it's the best jam they've played since X or Y, but it's definitely unique. It reminds me a bit of the "Shipwrecked" "Disease" they played in Mexico in 2016, if that helps.
Anyway, as reported, "Miss You" kills the vibe after this jam, and the only real recovery for the rest of the set comes in a strong, almost-disco "Sand" near the very end of the set.
But hey, in the middle of '16 summer tour, this show would have been news. And that means it's not phenomenal, but it's still pretty great.
The Live Review:
10/15/16: Blaze On opener for Charleston N2.
10/15/16: A really oddly placed (but welcome!) WTU? is next.
10/15/16: Odd to hear it standing alone, this early in a show, and not after Disease.
10/15/16: WTU is quickly becoming one of my favorite Phish songs. I love how deliberate they are. Wish that translated into jams more often.
10/15/16: This is the loud/soft/loud '16-style WTU, by the way.
10/15/16: Martian Monster!
10/15/16: Echoplex jamming.
10/15/16: Short take on Martian Monster. Devotion next.
10/15/16: Waking Up Dead! I love this song.
10/15/16: Angry guitar jam forming after Waking Up Dead lyrics. Really awesome.
10/15/16: Different style segue into the bridge lyrics than the version on the studio album.
10/15/16: Timber! Liking this setlist a lot so far. No big-time jam numbers, but a great mix of mostly newer songs.
10/15/16: Band sounding locked in so far.
10/15/16: Things People Do! Unlike the last version, which was a faster bluegrass style, this is played at what I would describe...
10/15/16: ...as a Johnny-Cash tempo.
10/15/16: Okay, so Let Me Lie is a weird choice. As usual.
10/15/16: This might be the Phishiest arrangement of the tune they've played yet, though.
10/15/16: Sort of a Farmhouse vibe this time around.
10/15/16: Lengthwise!!
10/15/16: -> Maze. Lengthwise should be obligatory before every Maze.
10/15/16: Or how about Lengthwise (w/ Ass Handed vocals)? That would be fun.
10/15/16: Maze jam starts with a staccato organ jam of Page that's a little different than usual, but then builds to its usual boil.
10/15/16: Ass Handed! It's like Fishman read my mind...which is honestly sort of disturbing.
10/15/16: Carini next! When was the last first-set Carini?
10/15/16: Nice brief but loud take on Carini.
10/15/16: A straightforward Wolfman's brings an end to a really enjoyable first set.
10/15/16: Mercury opens set 2!
10/15/16: Another one of my favorite sets of Phish lyrics in this tune.
10/15/16: Nice little Type I outro jam from Mercury. Smooth move into Twist.
10/15/16: WTU teasing going on in Twist. Neat!
10/15/16: I've liked the direction of all the Type I Twists this year, but this tune needs to get shaken up a bit.
10/15/16: Neat, fast-time chording jam now. I think we're officially Type II.
10/15/16: Page doing some really interesting stuff on the electric piano.
10/15/16: -> I've Always Wanted It That Way! That was a great segue.
10/15/16: I love this synth jam. It might immediately be the most legitimately new and interesting thing Phish has done in 3.0.
10/15/16: Not the *best* thing, mind you, but actually new and interesting.
10/15/16: The only other tune I've really felt that way about was the 'Shipwreck' Disease during the first Mexico run.
10/15/16: Incidentally, when this song isn't mixed like garbage (like on BB), it's actually a good song, too.
10/15/16: Now more-standard Trey soloing, but with Page's synth underneath.
10/15/16: Segue into Miss You. Weird choice again. Especially since Trey can't remember the words.
10/15/16: I actually like both Let Me Lie and Miss You as songs, but both in one show is a little much.
10/15/16: Also the placement in both cases was just rough, after a run of high-energy songs.
10/15/16: Fuego will (maybe) get us back on track here.
10/15/16: Pretty straightforward Fuego, but a nice -> Sand.
10/15/16: Nice disco-style riff from Trey.
10/15/16: Great Sand.
10/15/16: Joy. This has largely been a good show, but Trey seems hell-bent on killing momentum every time the band builds it.
10/15/16: It's extra off-putting when Trey can't remember how to play or sing Miss You or Joy.
10/15/16: Please choose to biff, say, sixty whole seconds of The Curtain With instead next time :)
10/15/16: Possum set closer? Interesting choice. If they rip it like they've been doing lately, it'll be a good choice :)
10/15/16: Yes! Tension-y stuff happening here in Possum.
10/15/16: End set 2.
10/15/16: GTBT closer!
10/15/16: Definitely a better show than the reviews indicate. A few odd setlist choices, but otherwise a great opening frame...
10/15/16: Complemented by a strong '16-style second set (no big jams, but lots of interesting playing and smooth segues).
No comments:
Post a Comment