The Verdict:
Just when I think the band can't get any better at the "lots of songs played well, no jams" type of show, they pull out a run like this MPP one, which is simultaneously incredibly fun to listen to and completely devoid of an improvisation of interest. Well, that second part might not be entirely true, but it mostly is.
The first night's setlist can mostly tell you all you need to know about the show. As is frequently the case lately, there's very little surprise in how any of the songs are played; the surprise all comes in which songs are played. The jammiest parts of the first set are the Van Halen-esque solo that Trey lays down in "Wilson" and the brief outro jam in "Roses" that sounds a bit like "Get Back." The "Reba" is pure gold, though. Definitely worth a listen.
The second starts off the usual (for now) strong-but-boring way. "Birds" features another little Van Halen interlude, "Tweezer" doesn't jam but turns in a strong Type I performance, etc. The "Rock and Roll" > "Albuquerque" > "Piper" > "Wading" sequence is really quite good, though. "RnR" goes a little deep into a roiling, echo-y, loop-filled space before the haze congeals perfectly into "Albuquerque," and the same goes for "Piper," which jams itself into a very "No Quarter"-sounding space before seguing nicely into "Wading."
It's almost as if they're trying to play a real second set. For a few songs, at least.
The Live Review:
6/11/11: Daniel Saw the Stone opens MPP 1. That's awesome. Would love to hear this one live some day.
6/11/11: AC/DC Bag is next, heading into more traditional opener territory.
6/11/11: Bag > Ocelot.
6/11/11: Access Me!
6/11/11: It literally never occurred to me before that this is sort of a disco tune.
6/11/11: Vultures is next. Just when I think I'm going to get sick of straight-laced, no-jam Phish, they keep pulling out awesome setlists.
6/11/11: (NO) POTATO TO THE THROAT
6/11/11: Kinda rough Vultures leads into a kinda rough Wilson. Enthusiasm over proficiency, here :)
6/11/11: Trey laying down some serious Van Halen action during the Wilson breakdown.
6/11/11: Sand! Maybe an opportunity here for something other than just good old American fun?
6/11/11: Pretty weirdly all-over-the-place Sand. Type I all the way. Now, Roses.
6/11/11: Quick little jam out of the end of Roses that sounds a bit like Get Back.
6/11/11: Trey cuts it off for Reba.
6/11/11: Welp, they ran through Reba like it wasn't no thang.
6/11/11: Great Trey/Page jamming now. Page on electric piano.
6/11/11: This is a BADASS Reba solo.
6/11/11: I don't really have any idea where it's coming from, since there hasn't been a single jam for like 1,000 shows, but man.
6/11/11: Low-tempo On Your Way Down next. Love this cover.
6/11/11: Lands in Antelope.
6/11/11: Some On Your Way Down and (maybe?) Access Me teasing in the intro.
6/11/11: End set.
6/11/11: S2 starts off with Birds, and Trey bringing back a little of that Van Halen action.
6/11/11: Birds gets butt-slammed into Tweezer!
6/11/11: Tweezer jam starts in a very Manteca-y fashion.
6/11/11: End of the Type I jam crashes pretty naturally into the opening of The Horse.
6/11/11: The Horse > Silent, then an oddly placed Waves.
6/11/11: Short, precise Waves lands in Chalkdust. Birds tease to start the song.
6/11/11: Trey just killed that Chalkdust solo like it was the first set.
6/11/11: Rock and Roooooooooooooooooooll
6/11/11: Strong Rock and Roll solo to start the jam. Now getting weird. Lots of looping and synth sounds.
6/11/11: This little jam is so spooky and weird.
6/11/11: Super-spookiness > Albuquerque. Perfect.
6/11/11: Great version of Albuquerque > Piper.
6/11/11: Piper is staying Type I so far, but it is, as the kids would say, 'raging.'
6/11/11: Some whammy pedal and organ now. Heading into a more contemplative space.
6/11/11: We could go No Quarter from here easily. We won't, but we could.
6/11/11: Slowing down a bit...
6/11/11: Nice landing in the opening chords of Wading.
6/11/11: This second set has almost (*almost*) sounded like average-great Phish )
6/11/11: Sounded like it was going to be a > Hood, but went for > 2001 instead.
6/11/11: Proto-woo jam happening in 2001.
6/11/11: Aw, hell no. I think they might be using Stealing Time as the S2 closer.
6/11/11: 'That was a fun show, wasn't it? Let's celebrate with five minutes of the most boring shit we can play!'
6/11/11: I mean, Stealing Time is PERFECTLY FINE. Just not here.
6/11/11: Nope, Suzy is the actual closer.
6/11/11: Raucous version of Suzy ends with Fish screams of 'What?!' over and over.
6/11/11: Show of LIfe > Tweeprise encore. The most emotionally baffling encore of all.
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