2009-06-16 The Fox

Well, this was a fun one.

As you've probably come to realize by now, when I say "fun" I generally mean "lots of good, song-based playing, some neat setlist choices, but no serious improvisation or jamming." That pretty much sums up the Fox show.

Things kick off with a great "KDF" (I have to keep reminding myself that this is really only the second or third play for a lot of these Joy songs). "Ocelot" is "Ocelot" (or is it "Alaska"?), but in the three slot is "Brian and Robert," the first of this show's interesting setlist choices. I love this song, so I was happy to hear it. The great first set song choices continue through "Sample," "Rift," and then a "Ya Mar" that's exceptional for its Page and Mike interplay, plus a rare Fishman mini-solo. The "Reba" is well-played but is nothing really noteworthy, and the mellowness continues with a welcome "Train Song" and "Horn." Really with the exception of "Sample," "Rift," and "Possum," this first set is surprisingly laid-back, but somehow it really works. By the time the "Slave" closer hits, you've got a pretty cohesive if not terribly energetic first frame of music.

The second set never ventures into bizarro-world territory, but it opens with a 13-minute HALLEY'S JAM. And it's pretty good. There's a lot of fluid Type I shredding from Trey and the last few minutes is the sort of ambient washout that the band is starting to get so good at. Definitely the highlight of the show, and more evidence (if we needed more beyond 1997) that "Halley's" needs more chances to stretch its legs. What phish.net calls a "->" into "Runaway Jim" is sort of less-than-spectacular, and "Jim" stays within its normal boundaries, though there's a little extra fire on this version. You can read the setlist for most of the rest of the set and know pretty much how it goes down. I loved hearing "Frankie Says," though pairing it with "TTE" and "Sleep" made for maybe the weirdest 3-song run I've ever heard from a Phish show. "Mike's" is a top-notch version, though the rest of the Groove is nothing special. The encore is a bit of a surprise in terms of song choices ("Star Spangled Banner," "McGrupp," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"),  but again it's more notable for its novelty than any of the actual playing (sans some epic Trey shredding at the end of "WMGGW").

Overall, a fun show for the oddball setlist construction and a few rarities, but nothing really worth a relisten minus maybe the "Halley's."