2009-03-06 Hampton Coliseum

So this is me sticking my toes in the water, hoping it'll lead to lots of Phish-listening goodness over the next six months or so. I'm starting from the very beginning of the 3.0 era, listening to and then writing short reviews of each show. So without further ado, some thoughts on the first night of the 2009 Hampton run...

This run (and this show in particular, perhaps) requires a bit of a different perspective than the many that have come since. In the almost four years since, pretty much everything worth saying about the significance of these shows has been said, so I won't repeat what others have said better here. Suffice to say, these shows were in part about resurrecting the magic of the Phish live experience, but they were also in large part about the band proving that their return wasn't a cynical money grab or simply an attempt to play middling-quality versions of old songs while resting on (admittedly well-deserved) laurels.

With those concerns in mind, this show is worth listening to for the thunderous crowd response to the opening two songs ("Fluffhead" and "Divided Sky") alone. The roar that greets the first notes of each of these songs, as well as the near-pitch-perfect renditions that the band turns in in response are one of those moments of live music history that are worth hearing for the historical value as much as anything else. The band nails both of these compositionally-complex pieces, and it's a great "fuck you" moment to anyone who might have doubted that they'd return at less than full power...aside from that, though (yeah, aside from ALL THAT) they're pretty standard versions.

Much of the show continues in this vein: well-played, fun songs that prove the band can still play them and have a good time while they're at it. This was never going to be a show that went deep in terms of improvisation. That said, there's almost a ridiculous amount of songs in the first set and a few bright spots worth mentioning. Immediately after "Divided Sky" ends, the "Chalkdust Torture" > "Sample in a Jar" pairing packs a lot more punch than usual, Fishman's drum work especially makes these normally-rote songs worth a listen. The "Stash" is also pretty interesting, too, if you're not one of those people who immediately skips to the next track when you hear Trey's whale pedal kick in (and if you are, you might as well skip to mid 2010 now...). I'm of the opinion that this guitar effect is in fact way overused during '09 and '10, but there are some moments where it's used effectively; unfortunately, those moments tend to get overshadowed as they're surrounded by lots of potentially good jams that get ruined by the whale call. This "Stash" is one of those good moments, if a bit brief. There's only a short-ish jam after the composed part of the song here, but it features some good playing by Trey, and then two minutes or so of some really abstract whale calling madness underlaid by the rest of the band playing more or less straight. It's a neat effect, and worth a listen.

The second set opens with a totally botched (though first-time-played) "Number Line," and then jumps to what is definitely the highlight of the show, if not the whole run: "Tweezer." This might be the band's first night back, but this "Tweezer" begins with some ridiculous, syrupy funk that definitely belongs in a bygone era (or maybe 2012). The second half of the jam features Trey picking out a soaring melody line and playing with it for a few minutes while Mike continues to work the funk underneath him. The final two minutes or so is a little more abstract, led by some excellent work by Page on what sounds like the piano. The whale shows its head in here, but it won't ruin your day, I promise. Page ends the song by leading the band in a great segue into "Taste" (which Trey sort-of subsequently destroys, unfortunately). This "Tweezer" is, though, as they say, fo' real.

The only other real moments of note here are well-played versions of "Theme" and "First Tube"; there's nothing really unique here, but these are two of my favorite songs and both often get flubbed all to hell. You can hear some extensive practice time in these versions, and it's nice.

I'm going to resist the urge to give this show a rating, and make a note to write a hell of a lot less next time...on to night two!