The Verdict:
After a brief digression into awesome in Detroit and Cleveland, Phish seems determined to revisit the doldrums of 2010 in Riverbend. Like much of 2010, sheer enthusiasm is forced to substitute for a particularly interesting or well-built setlist and substantive jams. If you've never heard a Phish show before, this kind of playing will likely blow you away. But, as I so often wrote while reviewing summer 2010, for serious fans this sort of show will simply get passed over.
That said, there's enough variety and sheer momentum during the first set of offset the lack of interesting playing. It's a solid, old-school setlist where "PYITE," "Taste," a slightly-altered "Mound," and an extended "Fee," among others, make an appearance. "Reba" is notably, too, for its somewhat unusual full-band jam instead of the usual Trey-led soloing.
It's really during the second set, when expectations are generally (and understandably) higher when this approach doesn't really cut the mustard. "Carini" opens set two, but gets cut surprisingly short for a botched transition into "Tweezer." "Tweezer" goes the plinko route and presents an interesting jam, actually, before a noise rock coda transforms into a decent "Free." "Crosseyed" follow the same fate as "Carini," going nowhere before making an awkward transition, this time into "Light," but like "Tweezer," "Light" spends a few minutes in an interesting space, making it the other improvisation highlight of the show. "YEM" seems like an unearned victory lap in this case, but nonetheless, the jam portion of the tune is heavily led by the rhythm section, and that makes it worth a listen if you're into that sort of thing.
The Live Review:
6/5/11: Alright, here we go. Bag opoener.
6/5/11: 'opener,' even
6/5/11: Nice high-neck trilling at the end of Bag > PYITE.
6/5/11: Gin is in the three-spot. Loving the setlist so far.
6/5/11: Nice, rocking Type I Gin. A fun slow-down style ending.
6/5/11: Taste! I feel like we don't hear that one very often anymore.
6/5/11: I love Fish's drumming during the Trey solo part in Taste.
6/5/11: Kind of an early/rough ending for Taste.
6/5/11: A little Lawn Boy to cool down, now.
6/5/11: Mound!
6/5/11: Slightly extended, weirder-than-usual take on Mound.
6/5/11: Jibboo is next, with a jam that Mike is totally dominating.
6/5/11: > Reba.
6/5/11: Reba jam is more democratic so far than the usual Trey-solo-led version.
6/5/11: Okay, now Trey's ripping it.
6/5/11: That was a highlight version of Reba, for sure. No whistling ending.
6/5/11: FEEEEEEEE
6/5/11: Trey on the megaphone.
6/5/11: Little harmonics jam unfolding at the end of Fee.
6/5/11: Well, that was neat. > Number Line.
6/5/11: YOU DECIDE WHAT IT CONTAINS
6/5/11: ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE
6/5/11: I HAVE OFFICIALLY DECIDED THAT IT CONTAINS AN ENTIRE FREE PIZZA
6/5/11: 100% caffeine + 0% food = shitty all caps reviews
6/5/11: End set.
6/5/11: Definitely one of those sets where the energy and song selection elevated what was otherwise a pretty straightforward frame.
6/5/11: Carini to open S2!
6/5/11: Trey cuts Carini's throat to start Tweezer. For a second there, it sounded like a ->, but in the end he lost the rest of the band.
6/5/11: Tweezer funk jam starting up. Back to standing desk mode.
6/5/11: Going into the plinko zone, now.
6/5/11: Coming out of the plinko jam, Trey sets up a really tension-y solo that dissolves nicely into standard rock. 6/5/11: Okay, the transition to Free was a lot more natural than the previous one.
6/5/11: Crosseyed!
6/5/11: Crosseyed is a pretty great, short Type I version. Ends with some crashing chords that Trey sort of awkwardly >'s into Light.
6/5/11: Light jam is mostly arpeggios so far.
6/5/11: Neat little jam forming now. Almost sounds a little like Meatstick.
6/5/11: Nicely thought-out segue into Boogie On, there.
6/5/11: Super-short Boogie On. Julius is next.
6/5/11: That awkward moment when YEM comes late in the second set of a subpar show.
6/5/11: Okay, gripes aside, the jam in this YEM is something different than the typical funk, driving mostly by the rhythm section.
6/5/11: That in and of itself makes it worth a listen in my book.
6/5/11: End set.
6/5/11: Loving Cup > Tweeprise encore.
6/5/11: Strong first set, but another ripcord-ful second set. How well those segues worked is probably going to dictate how you feel.
6/5/11: I like Tweezer, YEM, but everything else was S1 playing joined by really rough transitions. Weird set for the most part.
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