CRB Review: 2018-01-27 Sacramento

The Live Review:

1/27/18 #thecrb Live Review, Set One: I'm heading up to PDX this weekend to see two CRB shows at Revolution Hall, and so in preparation I'm going to review the most recent show of theirs I've seen live: last winter's Sacramento show. I'm Ready opener.

 

Fun fact about this opener: I got to the venue about forty-five minutes before the show started, but because of the *intense* security there, I and a bunch of others stood out in the cold for almost an hour before we got in. I missed this tune and most of Rosalee as a result.

 

Not familiar with this song, but really loving Adam's solo.

 

Rosalee second.

 

The break in the middle of the song is definitely getting "jammed" a bit more than usual in this version.

 

Meanwhile In the Gods is next...transition into a really jazzy, upbeat jam out of the song proper. Neal taking the lead.

 

Great interplay between guitars here. Loving this jam.

 

After a peak by Neal, we drop back to a kind of shuffle. Distorted blues riff overtop.

 

Second jam working up to the same peak as the first in a neat way, then collapses into a fadeout. > Tumbleweed in Eden.

 

Adam is killing it in between verses on this Tumbleweed.

 

Blue Star Woman next. Nice setlist choice.

 

I really like the built-in jam break in this song.

 

Great five-minute-or-so jam out of Blue Star Woman. Lots of solid interplay, and an excellent build up to a -> High Is Not the Top.

 

Nice take on Clear Blue Sky that segues into a rockabilly-style jam.

 

Jam winds to a quick close, with an on-a-dime > Sunday Sound.

 

I know that Sunday Sound pretty predictably winds down to a piano-and-drums jam, but this one seems better (and longer) than most.

 

End of a particular jammy first set. Meanwhile was likely the highlight, but Tumbleweed got stretched out, too, and the surprise jam/segue at the end of Blue Star Woman was great. Don't sleep on the Sunday Sound if you're an Adam fan.

 

 

Loving Cup second set opener.

 

Great take on the Stones tune, with California Hymn coming up after.

Big, piano-based jam coming out of Hymn this time. Adam's on a roll.

 

Shuffling take on Beggar's Moon, a little different than the album version, with a long intro.

 

Reflections in the ballad slot after Beggar's Moon.

 

Looks like we're entering the Barefoot In the Head part of the show. Behold the Seer next.

 

I know that the Behold the Seer "jam" is pretty contained, but I love it every time all the same. Hark the Herald Hermit Speaks is next.

 

The dip in Barefoot In the Head is short: Ain't It Hard But Fair follows Hark.

> Shore Power.

 

Little mini-solo from Neal during the bridge section.

 

End set with some serious CR scatting.

 

Encore tune is Roll Another Number.

 

Overall, this show and the Tahoe one were way better than I remembered (and I remembered them as being really good). Definitely a little less predictable and jammier than the December '17 shows I saw.

 

As usual, the band didn't stretch out much in the second set, but it was a great setlist, and I loved hearing Loving Cup in particular.

2012-08-24 Oak Mountain Amphitheater

relisten link

The Live Review

8/24/12 #phish Live Review, Set One: Possum opener.

 

Very loose-sounding Possum. Everyone getting a chance to take a stab at some Type I improv. Here's hoping that things open up a bit more than 8/22 in terms of both song selection and playing.

 

Cities is next. Lots of cheers at the "Birmingham" line.

 

Nice little outro with Page on electric piano. > Sample.

 

Great playing continues through some first set staples. Timber pushes the band to briefly jam in an interesting way, but otherwise, it's been pure first-settiness so far.

 

Trey teases the crowd in the back for "being higher than you were last time we were here," which prompts Page to dedicate Lawn Boy to them.

 

Trey now dedicating the next song to a different part of the lawn, and then a particular guy "with the towel on your shoulder." It's DWD.

 

DWD stays Type I but features some serious dominance from Trey. This might be developing into another really straightforward set, but Trey is really putting a little extra on each song within those constraints.

 

Rest of the set follows the tone established by the first half: Gumbo, Ginseng, Wedge, Julius, Cavern are all well-played, standard takes. Set-ending WMGGW was pretty nice, though.

 

8/24/12 #phish Live Review, Set Two: Rock and Roll opener.

 

Rock and Roll jam opens with another great Type I Trey solo, then Page switches to the clav and now we have a sort-of double-time Cities jam on our hands.

 

Nice build-up in this jam so far.

 

Slowing down now. Echoes and loops. Page on electric piano. Really beautiful jamming.

 

After a few minutes, the jam fades really naturally into The Lizards.

 

Fun to hear The Lizards that early in the set. Halley's is next.

 

Quick stop at the end of Halley's, then a drop into Sand.

 

Type I Sand jam building nicely.

 

This was the perfect song choice for Mega-Shred Trey. He's killing it.

 

Sand rock and roll peak fades quickly out into a loopy, ambient space. Sort of sinister-sounding.

 

Space > Twist.

 

Santana-esque jam forming out of Twist.

 

Twist jam haze > Birds.

 

I think that the move into Birds signals the end of the brief "jamming" part of the night. Boogie On, a short 2001, and then Waste are next.

 

To be fair, Boogie > 2001 were joined by another neat, if under-a-minute haze "jam."

 

Looks like Slave is going to end the second set.

 

Kind of unique, proggy entrance into the jam. Huh.

 

Nice, long, drone-y section before the build begins.

 

GTBT is a nice choice for a lone encore tune.

 

Set two wasn't bad, but started off with a really promising Rock and Roll jam, which made what followed feel a little anticlimactic.

 

A lot of the set felt like a '09 or '10 second set where there wasn't any sustained jamming, but each song was joined by a minute or so of improvised space.

 

It certainly keeps the momentum going (set two would have made a great opening set), but it definitely leaves me wanting more to sink my teeth into. That said, the RnR -> The Lizards is worth a listen, as is the Sand.

2012-08-22 Starlight Theatre

Relisten link

The Live Review

8/22/12 #phish Live Review, Set One: CDT opener.

A fairly pedestrian CDT opener is followed by Skin It Back!

Set one continuing after Skin It Back in a fairly greatest-hits-like vein, but this Gin jam is injecting some life back into the proceedings.

Strange take on Gin there (less peaky, more tension than usual). Leads into Stash, which will hopefully benefit from the Gin's jamminess.

Normal Stash jam until about ten minutes, but now things are getting interesting. Piano-led build going in a blissy direction.

This is really abnormal for Stash, and really cool.

Brief but excellent diversion there. Back into Stash proper, now.

Always great to hear Curtis Loew, as well.

First set is maintaining its momentum for sure, but has slid back into predictability.

Looks like a short(ish) first set is going to end with Antelope.

8/22/12 #phish Live Review, Set Two: Set two opens with Tweezah.

While it's doing its thing, I'll say real quick that the first set was pretty different by '12 standards, and I liked it. A lot of predictable song choices, sure, but it as 

high-energy all the way through.

Nice to hear Skin It Back, Gin got a little weird in a unique way, and the Stash was longer and stranger than most 3.0 versions, by my count. We'll see if the willingness to explore that infused the BGCA run carries over into this second set. Tweezer opener is a good sign.

Spacey, languid beginning to the Tweezer jam. Liking this a lot.

Now a more ethereal space. Really solid interplay between Trey and Page.

Great additions from Mike now.

This is so good. Everybody locked in.

Awesome fadeout after a medium-size build. That was four-headed playing at its best. Listen to this Tweezer immediately.

Sort-of segue into Piper.

Piper getting spacey in a really good way here as well. Momentum carrying over from the Tweezer jam.

Great, echo-y bass from Mike here.

Winds down to Page on the electric piano, but Trey starts up Mike's before it has a chance to develop.

Nice, compact take on Mike's Song that ends with Page holding an organ note...seemingly for no particular reason because Bouncin' is next.

> Number Line. Man, I bet jaded vets were STOKED by this set.

Welp, I can't say that I was super jazzed to see Mike's > Bouncin' > Number Line > Heavy Things, If I Could > Groove take over that second set after an amazing Tweezer > Piper combo. But at least is was a well-played Mike's sandwich.

And that dropped into Hood afterward, so that's all good.

Plinko-style jam in Hood! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Wow. Short, but totally masterful Hood jam.

End-of-Hood noise drops into Suzy.

End set.

Well, Loving Cup > Tweeprise is a classic encore for a show that's been all about the classics.

Setlist and play-quality-wise, that's about as close to an elemental Phish 3.0 show as one can get. Since I've listened to approximately 4 million shows at this point, it didn't really do much for me on the whole. YMMV.

I did really dig the Gin and Stash from the opening set, and thought Tweezer was absolutely beautiful (seriously, not even a jam chart entry?!). Piper was great, too, before it got hooked, and the plinko > peak Hood is worth a listen.

CRB Review: 2018-01-26 Tahoe

The Live Review

1/26/18 #thecrb Live Review, Set One: New Cannonball Rag opener, after a (very) brief noise jam.

Great solos traded by Neal and Adam here in this extended take on Cannonball Rag. Love when they open with this tune.

Spacey fadeout now. Adam punching the organ.

> Tomorrow Blues.

Longer than usual jam in Tomorrow's Blues. Great interplay between Neal and Adam.

Fantastic almost-twenty-minute sequence of jammed songs to open the show.

Keeping the jam going with Vibration and Light Suite!

I love when this song drops into the dark funk jam section. On par with some of 

my favorite dynamic moments in Phish compositions.

Adam absolutely killing it early on in this Vibration jam.

Huge building momentum now in what is usually a much more mellow jam.

Mega-peak that drops into a clean-toned Neal solo. Great transition there.

More abstract, tension-y space now. Tony's drumming is great here.

Great ending to the jam > Venus in Chrome. If there's a better first quarter to a CRB show out there somewhere, I'd love to hear it.

Bit of a pause after Venus.

Chauffeur's Daughter next. I'm looking forward to the new album just for this song and Venus in Chrome.

I love how naturally the jam comes out of this song. Building a bunch of energy again.

Jam fades out naturally. > High Is Not the Top.

Some serious honky-tonking going on here. Have I mentioned already that this is a great set?

It's about to get even better. Adam piano intro -> Tulsa Yesterday.

Great take on Tulsa: as usual these days, it's a 15+ minute Neal showcase.

Awesome, extra-jazzy ending to the tune. A brief pause before they drop into Rosalee.

End pretty much a perfect set one. The only way that would have been better 

was with a Rosalee -> MCR -> Rosalee sandwich at the end.

Set two starts out with the midtempo jam Dream Baby.

I have to admit this isn't my favorite CRB cover, especially to open a set, but 

Adam is killing this version.

Roan County Banjo picks up the tempo a bit, next.

100 Days of Rain is next. This is one of my favorite CRB songs, and this show was the first (and so far only) time that I've caught it live. It was a pretty great moment in an overall excellent show.

Neal's tone during the outro solo on 100 Days always sounds a little like Trey's Languedoc to me.

Some excellent dual-guitar jamming between Neal and CR here.

I'm a Hog For You is next.

Killer Adam/Neal interplay here between the verses.

And we kick off the fourth quarter (brought to you by Barefoot In the Head, as usual) with Hark the Herald Hermit Speaks.

Extra hard rock-out at the end this time through. Next song is a slow-tempo take on Behold the Seer.

The slow tempo makes this mid-song funk interlude even spacier than usual.

Finally slowing things down a bit (90% of the way through the show) with If You Had a Heart to Break.

GOOD TO KNOW

Nice long, jammy intro.

Have I mentioned how much I FUCKING LOVE the extended outro jam on this song? Well, HERE IT COMES

Key change at the end of the jam to drop nicely into Narcissus.

End a great second set.

This is a monster show by CRB standards. Three hours of music!

The icing on the cake is the Mr. Charlie encore. Woo!

Seriously, I didn't remember this show being so good. Setlist-wise, it's probably the best show of theirs that I've been to. Tons of great jams in the first set (five of the eight songs are 10+ minutes).

Second set falls a little bit into the late '17-early '18 trap of being really Barefoot-heavy, but if you're going to cram a set with new tunes, Hark, Behold the Seer, and If You Had a Heart followed by Good To Know featuring a monster jam is not a bad way to go.

All in all, a top-shelf show here, in competition with Redding '17 and Portland '16 for my favorite.

CRB Review: 2017-12-01 Eugene, OR

The Live Review

12/1/17 #crblive Live Review, Set One: Sweet Thang and Cisco opener.

 

Neal don't need no warming up! He's tearing into his first solo right away.

 

I've reviewing this show via an AUD also, but it's way clearer than the Portland tape was. I suspect it's because the Hi-Fi Lounge is like ten feet across.

 

Mellow vibe continues with Roan County Banjo.

 

I read an article the other day that criticized a recent CRB show for having "too many mid-tempo numbers," and I was like "You know that's literally what they do, right?" It's like going to see a rap artist and then being like "Yeah, there were too many beats."

 

Chauffeur's Daughter next.

 

Nice little freeform jam coming out of the tune proper. Adam driving, with Neal adding the occasional chord. Like where this is going.

 

> Clear Blue Sky. Nice transition.

 

These days I almost prefer Clear Blue Skies to go into the country rock jam instead of into The Good Doctor.

 

Some great interplay between Neal and Adam there during that jam. Now fading a bit after a peak. Tony adding some great accents.

 

When Adam does the piano-only intro to Sweet Lullaby, it always makes it abundantly clear that it's the same chords as Blue Christmas.

 

High Is Not the Top is followed by a personal favorite, Jump the Turnstile.

 

Nice, brief outro jam for Jump the Turnstile. Adam going nuts.

 

Looks like Hello LA is going to close out the first set.

 

As CRB first sets go, that was reasonably tame, except for the brief jams in Chauffeur's Daughter and Clear Blue Sky. I definitely remember this show being a bit more jammy than this. Maybe all that secondhand smoke "clouded" my memory...

 

 

 

12/1/17 #crblive Live Review, Set Two: Second set kicks off in jaunty fashion with Love's Made a Fool of You.

 

A solid outro jam develops into something murkier and a little jazzy. Eleven-minute take opens the set with some serious improvisation.

 

Good To Know next.

 

Standard little outro jam on Good To Know, not the extended jazz jam like on 12/2. Hark the Herald Hermit Speaks is next.

 

Adam solo piano intro to Train Robbers.

 

Train Robbers is pretty darn evocative on its own, but it's getting a huge outro solo from Neal this time around.

 

Solo fades out and into a low-tempo take on Behold the Seer.

 

Hot take on Behold the Seer, despite the slow tempo. Fades into If You Had A Heart To Break.

 

That song always starts out slow and ends up rocking. Band carrying the momentum into Tuff Mama.

 

Adam leading Tuff Mama into jamland.

 

Adam killing his solo here. So good.

 

If 12/2 was a majorly Neal-centric show. I feel like 12/2 is all Adam's.

 

Neal adding some really good textural playing now. This is great.

 

Almost a droning jam now.

 

This sounds more like CATS than CRB.

 

Great -> I Ain't Hiding

 

Excellent playing from Adam leading into the Hiding jam. He stays out in front now where Neal would usually take a solo.

 

Fantastic version of I Ain't Hiding to end the second set.

 

Band's back out to encore with Goodbye Wheeling.

 

Overall, that show was a little less even than most CRB shows I've seen, but the high points definitely made up for the lower, sometimes slower points.

 

The Chauffeur's Daughter/Clear Blue Sky pair was spacey and great, Jump the Turnstile was extended a bit, and the long take on Love's Made a Fool of You was a great surprise. Tuff Mama -> I Ain't Hiding was definitely the highlight. The rest of the second set was pretty standard.