2009-08-07 Gorge I

I have to admit up front that it's hard for me to be objective here because this was my first ever Phish show. That said, it's easily one of the better shows of the year, even compared to the first few nights of the Red Rocks run, which I absolutely loved.

The boys started off with "Disease," which is a great opener, though at the time I rolled my eyes a bit. Before 8/7/2009, "Disease" had been one of my least favorite Phish songs, and it seemed ironically appropriate that they would start the first show I'd ever seen, after nearly 7 years of waiting, with it. However, by the end of the composed segment I was completely taken by the energy of the crowd and was jumping and whooping along, and it's one of my favorite concert memories; also, now "Disease" is one of my favorite jam vehicles. Memories aside, though, this version is a pretty straightforward Type 1 jam all the way through, with a smooth transition back into the song proper before the end.

"Disease" was followed by "Ocelot," which is, in my humble opinion, one of the least interesting songs in the band's live repertoire. This version is better than most, though, as it's (as I wrote in my notes) "slow and slutty." I was happy to hear "Pebbles and Marbles" next, though Trey seems to be just playing placeholder chords throughout, and with Page low in the mix (at least on my recording), the song sounds remarkably hollow. It's not a bad version, but it just sounds empty compared to the fuller studio version. As you likely know by now, "Possum" is a song that I continue to love, despite the fact that it seems to be popular to poo-poo it nowadays. This version features some really nice back-and-forth action between Trey and Page, and a particularly peak-y peak.

"Sleep" and "Destiny Unbound" were both nice surprises, one obviously a little nicer than the other, but neither one does anything other than you'd expect it to do, while "Stash" features a nice, extremely abstract jam in the vein of some of the better jams of the Leg One. Trey has a bit of trouble with the composed part of the song, but if you stick around for the jam, it's worth the wait. The centerpiece of the first set (and likely the whole show, oddly enough) is the "Sally" > "Cavern" combo. "Sally" is solidly played, then features a great impromptu vocal jam outro that morphs into a longer jam with a few movements to it. Overall, it's Phish doing something longish and interesting with ambient space. I wrote this (incoherently but exuberantly) in my notes: "great robotic guitar tone from trey going back into the jam, then an ambient washout...but they keep playing instead of changing songs. this is seriously some weird space shit. fishman comes into the space with a marching beat. this is so good." The transition to "Cavern" is solid, and while "Cavern" itself is nothing special, it's a great, sloppy, energetic close to a great first set that features some solid playing in its first half and some high-quality improv in its second. And actually, the "Sally" is one of my favorite pieces so far of all of 3.0...definitely worth a listen or two.

We get an energetic "Moma" to start set two, and then a long "Light." Much like the "Stash" in set one, this one starts rough but then extends into some quality type 1 jamming. This "Light" is actually one of my favorite Phish moments that I've witnessed live because of the Hood-like jam (with vocals!) that occurs suddenly in the closing few minutes. The entire band turns on a dime to suddenly enter a blissful soundscape that sounds a lot like the ending of "Hood," and then they actually play "Hood" in full later on in the set! Great moment, and perfect for the setting of the Gorge. Not the best ever "Light" by and means, but worth a listen for the "Hood" jam, for sure. It ends with a great segue into "Taste," but it ends up being a pretty standard version.

After, we get a standard "Fluffhead" and "Joy," but then like many of the better shows so far of 3.0, the late-set improv kicks in with an 18 minute "Gin" that covers a lot of rock-style movements before settling (near the end) on some interesting Trey picking with Mike thumping along underneath. The last few minutes of this jam comprise one of the more interesting soundscapes the band has created thus far all summer, but you have to wade through a decent but mostly uninteresting 15 or so minutes to get there. What follows is a really, really spacious and slow "Hood." As I wrote in my notes "nobody's in a hurry here," and the song's much better for it. There isn't much better than a long, extended bliss jam like "Hood" for the Gorge, and then band apparently agreed so much that they came back with a "Slave" closer. Between the "Light" > mini-"Hood," 17-minute legit "Hood," and the "Slave" encore, if you like bliss jams, this show is right up your alley. Even if you don't the "Sally" from the first set is quite possibly the best single jam of the tour so far. Either way, this is a great first show for a patient Phish fan. I'm a lucky guy.