In real life, tonight is the fourth night of the Baker's Dozen run. Everything I've read and heard from Phish tour 2017 so far reinforces what I wrote about Phish tour 2016: that the band was/is looking for new ways to improvise creatively after hitting a high-water mark of sorts at the end of 2015, and that they're getting better at better at it as time goes on. We're seven shows into the tour so far, and every show has featured surprise debuts, huge bust-outs, unexpected jam vehicles (often in the first set and not just the second), and all-around high-quality Phishiness. Sure, some of the composed playing has been rough, but considering that the band has already played 142 different songs in ten shows this year and you're just sitting here reading a blog post, maybe shut up about it?
Seriously, I'm gonna overlook a few roughly played songs in the name of the band, as usual, trying to do something incredible, and succeeding this time even more than usual. The Dayton show is great evidence of that success.
I watched this show via the free webcast, and it still ranks right up there with some of the most fun I've had at a Phish show (either at or "at"). "Tuesday" is a weird opener, but the boys are clearly enjoying themselves, and it's followed by a well-played "Peaches," which should make up for any TAB-related grumbling. "Free" fills in the three-spot with more energy than usual, not to mention a way-stretched-out funk jam in the middle of the song. I'm surprised this version hasn't been talked about more, because it's a good listen that goes beyond the song's normal boundaries.
The middle of the set is a great mix of high-energy tunes, setting us up nicely for the "Crazy Sometimes" > "46 Days" > "Jim" big finish. Both "Crazy Sometimes" (a Phish debut) and "46 Days" get sinister-sounding little outro jams, and though both are cut short of what would likely be considered a "real" Type II jam, the fact that the set ends with a well-played and explosive "Jim" makes up for those missed opportunities. As a sidenote, too, "Crazy Sometimes" is great as a Phish song, and I hope it keeps coming back.
If you've got any residual ripcord angst, the second set should cure you of it. It's a classic Phish 3.0 six-song second set, on par with any of the others the gang has laid down over the last few years, and, frankly, better than a lot of them. The opening "Disease" is a great example of new, non-bliss-centric style of jamming, moving through a number of sections fluidly during its twenty-two minute length and seeming longer than that without every letting up. That the jam eventually lands in "Mist," my favorite Phish rarity tune, is just icing on the cake for this listener.
In the middle of the set, "Waves" is a strong Type I take that doesn't wander too far afield; however, the "Ghost" that follows picks right up where "Disease" left off and then brews those ingredients into a more rock-peak jam that serves as the perfect foil for the set-opening exploration. Not content to rest for the rest of what's already been a fantastic set, the guys then trot out "Wombat" and take it for a Type II spin, mixing in elements of the previous two jams layered over the song's funk backbone. By the time we get to the set-ending "Chalkdust," it's almost appreciated that there's no jam, just so we have a few minutes to catch our collective breath. "Coil" as the encore is just more icing.
This is a fantastic slice of current-era Phish, and for the time being at least, you can actually watch the whole show on Phish's YouTube channel:
The Live Review:
7/18/17: Word on the street (Twitter) is that getting into the venue is taking forever. I assume that means super-late start.
7/18/17: I haven't listened to Chicago Carini yet. Should I risk it? Or will I get ripcorded by Dayton Trey?
7/18/17: I'll probably just sit here and read about dark ecology and the strange stranger until showtime. Cuz that's WAY cooler.
7/18/17: Crowd getting rowdy. No sign of band yet, though.
7/18/17: Lights!
7/18/17: Tuesday?
7/18/17: Yup.
7/18/17: Trey sounds way better singing this song now than he did in '06.
7/18/17: Take that as you will.
7/18/17: Piano break.
7/18/17: PEACHES AND REGALIA
7/18/17: Spot-on take, in case you were wondering. > Free
7/18/17: Light rig already looks rad. Band sounds great. Is is Labor Day yet?!
7/18/17: Rhythm jam in Free. Trey using the echo.
7/18/17: This is way slankier than typical Free. Cities-type jam.
7/18/17: Here's a present from @phish for everyone who groaned when Free started up :) https://t.co/KFNw54uKpi
7/18/17: Haven't heard any of the new songs yet. That'll be my homework for later tonight.
7/18/17: Great little funk excursion there. Brings it smoothly back to the ending of Free.
7/18/17: Roggae! Setlist is $$$ so far.
7/18/17: Wish I wasn't going on a run at setbreak because Roggae always makes me want to have taken a huge hit thirty minutes ago.
7/18/17: They need to play a boring song after this so I can go feed the dogs.
7/18/17: Maybe I'm behind on this, but does Trey have a new guitar strap and did they use a whole cow skin to make it?
7/18/17: Textbook Roggae. So, amazing.
7/18/17: Sugar Shack! Trey is outta control!
7/18/17: No line at my downstairs bathroom right now. #couchtourproblems
7/18/17: There have been worse Sugar Shacks than that one.
7/18/17: Maze.
7/18/17: Angled light rig during Maze. Wow.
7/18/17: Trey trying to end the build-up early, Page having none of it.
7/18/17: They should put this song on YouTube after the show just for the lights.
7/18/17: Horn.
7/18/17: I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop me. https://t.co/lzPplfxIGL
7/18/17: Mike tune Crazy Sometimes is next.
7/18/17: I totally dig recent TAB/Trey tunes, so I ask this with love, but is Mike the only one who writes real Phish songs anymore?
7/18/17: Little clav break there, then a great Mike-style key change.
7/18/17: The outro to this tune has serious space jam potential.
7/18/17: Really neat fadeout on that tune. Would have liked to have heard more but faded into 46 Days.
7/18/17: Spacey fade out of 46 Days...is it time?!
7/18/17: Brief little jam there. Normally, I'd complain about the ripcord, but hey, it's Runaway Jim time!
7/18/17: Great Type I Jim there.
7/18/17: End set. I'm going to try to run four miles before setbreak ends. Wish me luck!
7/18/17: Setbreak run: 3.25 miles in 29:17, 800 ft elevation exchange. Humbly request a second-set Mercury ;) @phish
7/18/17: Set two!
7/18/17: Calling Disease.
7/18/17: It's fun to be right, even when it's the most obvious call evar.
7/18/17: Must be behind on the webcast. Jam spoilers, guys! JEEZ
7/18/17: Smooth transition from Type I jam to slick lead from Trey.
7/18/17: LED rig moving around.
7/18/17: Trey soloing quick-like over the new progression.
7/18/17: Just went minor. I think.
7/18/17: Dick's '15 Disease action going on now.
7/18/17: Really love where this is going. Love the synth. Y'all that grumbled about Always Wanted It This Way can suck it.
7/18/17: Jam slowing down a bit now, but that was totally $$$.
7/18/17: Just as much non-stop momentum as a straight-up bliss jam, but a way more complicated and interesting listen.
7/18/17: Lights are ridiculous right now. Riding the spooky fade-out for all its worth.
7/18/17: I'd like to go ahead and request one jam like this at nighttime at Dick's, please.
7/18/17:PItch shifter and synth together with this crazy Mike bass line is the best thing ever.
7/18/17: This band is somehow putting '15 and '16 jamming in the rearview mirror and speeding away right now.
7/18/17: I hope my webcast is like 45 minutes behind the real show, because I want this to go on forever.
7/18/17: Big ol' major-key jam happening now. This thing has had a bunch of distinct sections, but smooth moves between each.
7/18/17: We are STILL GOING over here.
7/18/17: Can I mention one more time how great the lights are?
7/18/17: Fadeout, Trey picking over the rest of the band.
7/18/17: > MIST. My absolute favorite @phish rarity. Wow.
7/18/17: I hope the crowd is just low in the mix tonight, or else someone needs to kick Ohio into shape.
7/18/17: So happy to hear this song. Been wanting to catch it since 2009. I guess this sort of counts, right?
7/18/17: Roggae-like mellow jam out of the song.
7/18/17: > Waves
7/18/17: Lights have the weird, angled thing going on again. Dense Type I Waves jam.
7/18/17: Trey struggling a bit with the Waves riff, but otherwise a solid take.
7/18/17: Sanity-style vocals outro.
7/18/17: GHOST
7/18/17: Creepy Waves loop still playing in the background. Shit.
7/18/17: Just got creeped-out goosebumps from the sound and I'm totally sober. Super-eerie intro to Ghost.
7/18/17: You have told me the story of the ghost a great many times, but it never hurts to hear it again.
7/18/17: They have a Jumpin-Jack-Flash-Sorta thing going on here. Reminds me of the BGCA Sally.
7/18/17:This one's going to be real easy to jam into a huge explosion of rock and roll if they want to.
7/18/17:Aaaaaand they don't, surprisingly. Going the more dissonant, contemplative route. Trey trilling away.
7/18/17: Fish is not letting up on the drums, though.
7/18/17: Now would be the PERFECT time for some instrument switching.
7/18/17: I'm kidding.
7/18/17: Really like Page's piano fills here. Circular work from the rhythm department. Trey figuring out where to jump in.
7/18/17: Trey's solo clashing a little weirdly with his loops.
7/18/17: Maybe it's on purpose, though. I dunno. Only one of the two of us is a FUCKING GENIUS, after all.
7/18/17: Slowly building back up to a '15-style bliss/rock jam here. Maybe they'll take it all the way this time.
7/18/17: Every once in awhile tonight, Trey drags for a bit while he's looking for his moment.
7/18/17: But then he finds it 100% of the time, so it's okay.
7/18/17: This trill-rock-peak thing is getting ridiculous.
7/18/17: Great peak, and then a weird, stop-start thing back into the Ghost riff. Wow.
7/18/17: Waves vocals from Trey over the Ghost riff.
7/18/17: > Wombat!
7/18/17: Pretty good funk workout happening out of Wombat here.
7/18/17: Making a serious move toward jamming Wombat here. I'm going to laugh real hard if this goes Type II.
7/18/17: I wonder if the guys ever respond musically to the lights instead of the other way around. I feel like I always would if it was me.
7/18/17: Yep, Type II Wombat. This is happening.
7/18/17: Driving jam (again, Fish is the only member with minimal restraint in these jams tonight) with Page on electric piano.
7/18/17: I, for one, appreciate the seemingly intentional avoidance of MEGA THREE-CHORD BLISS MADNESS in all these jams.
7/18/17: I love me some '15/'16 Phish, but I could listen to this Wombat jam all day long. Everybody contributing ideas. No rush to the top.
7/18/17: If that's what Phish '17 is about, I hope someone's ripping the MSG webcasts :)
7/18/17: More eerie space jamming now. Page isn't even playing the synth, but it's nonetheless driving the band to be extra creepy.
7/18/17: Oh man, Trey couldn't hold back that Chalkdust riff any longer!
7/18/17: I absolutely CANNOT complain after this set, but that felt like someone giving you a wet willie while you're meditating. > CDT.
7/18/17: Some fun dissonant soloing from Trey during Chalkdust.
7/18/17: End set.
7/18/17: Thanks to the 'magic' of west coast internet, I already know the encore will be Squirming Coil. It will happen momentarily.
7/18/17: Trey struggling mightily with Coil riffage.
7/18/17: If you're gonna play a standard show and fumble your way through tunes, I'm gonna complain...
7/18/17: ...but I couldn't care less in a show like this one. Dexterity mistakes can be easily redeemed by engaged improv.
7/18/17: A lot of Phish twitter would disagree there, but aside from the maybe-jams in Crazy Sometimes and 46 Days, this show was A++.
7/18/17: Wish I could see more than Dick's this year, now.
7/18/17: Coil as the closer always makes me sad in person, as it feels like it leaves something unsaid ('See you tomorrow night...')
7/18/17: On #couchtour, tho, I'm just going upstairs to make dinner now, so it's all good. Incredible show. Thanks, @phish. See you soon.
