The Verdict:
This show follows in the footsteps of the first Wrigley show in that it has a pretty straightforward first set, and a second set that's solid, but not focused enough on improvisation to elevate it to "great." The S2 goods are spread a bit more liberally this time around, but the band also doesn't reach the heights of 6/24's "Disease" > "Fuego" > "Twist."
As I said in the original review, there's not really anything to say about S1. It has decent flow, but it's straight-up jukebox action from end to end, with nothing really to even point to as a highlight.
The second set is a bit more rewarding. "Carini" opens with a short, momentum-filled jam that never lets up before slamming into "Tweezer." The "Tweezer" jam is of the "deconstruction" variety, with Trey using all of his new toys to lead the band through tearing the song apart. Both jams are shorter than might be ideal, but they both explore unique territory, and that's worth a lot. "Flufflhead" breaks things up a bit as the second big, composed number of the night, before a fantastic "Piper" -> "Steam" combo. Both of these songs are even shorter than "Carini" or "Tweezer," but "Piper" gets to a Bend "Simple"-like space almost immediately and continues jamming darkly for a few minutes before Trey starts up a really slow, brilliant segue into "Steam." The distorted tones that ended the "Piper" jam carry on into "Steam," giving a much grungier, muckier feel than usual. It's awesome.
The only other notable offering in this set is "Hood," but this version clocks in at under ten minutes, and, frankly, it seems a bit perfunctory.
But hey, that opening five-song stretch is great. You can go to 1:48:00 in this video to watch it from the beginning:
The Live Review:
6/25/16: Moma Dance opener. Always nice to start with some funk.
6/25/16: If they already don't plan to jam it, this might the best show opener in the band's repertoire. Except PYITE.
6/25/16: They play Bag next, as if arguing with me.
6/25/16: Standard Bag with a fun, loop-based ending. > 555.
6/25/16: Next is a neat version of WAN where Trey holds a note for a bit and Page solos over it.
6/25/16: Heavy Things. This is the jukeboxiest of jukeboxes, but I'm having a good time. Solid playing.
6/25/16: After Heavy Things, band singing Happy Birthday to Richard Glasgow
6/25/16: 46 Days, I Didn't Know. Trey exhorts the audience to feel Moses Heeps' burning suction. Good times.
6/25/16: Divided Sky. I'm going to respond by jumping up and down while typing on student papers for the next sixteen and a half minutes.
6/25/16: > Cavern.
6/25/16: Sorry for the lack of tweets here. There ain't much going on in this first set.
6/25/16: Band stopped mid-Cavern for some reason. Not sure if someone dropped the ball or it was a planned stop and nobody told Fish.
6/25/16: Maybe we'll get the story at the end of the song.
6/25/16: Nope. > GTBT. Neat to see it closing a first set!
6/25/16: Band tears up GTBT as if it's closing two strong sets instead of one 'meh' one.
6/25/16: Nothing *wrong* with that set, btw. Just nothing great about it either.
6/25/16: Even in most by-the-book opening sets I can find something to really like (maybe a 1.5 Gin or Wolfman's), but no such luck here.
6/25/16: Oh well. S2 opens with Carini, so that's cool.
6/25/16: I like the extended 'lumpy head' vocals lately.
6/25/16: Melody soloing leads to Trey chording and Mike laying down a bed of great bass runs.
6/25/16: Page to electric piano and Trey's tone is GREAT
6/25/16: Neat, slow loop in the background of the jam now.
6/25/16: Great little jam in Carini there. As is often the case with 2016 jams, they seemed to be avoiding moving to bliss territory.
6/25/16: But still really interesting and with a momentum that never really let up.
6/25/16: > Tweezer.
6/25/16: Dark funk jam coming out of Tweezer.
6/25/16: Trey's chording getting increasingly distorted.
6/25/16: Echoplex, loops, synth now. Weird beat from Fish.
6/25/16: Awesome deconstruction jam!
6/25/16: Fish speeds up the beat.
6/25/16: The madness resolves into Fluffhead!
6/25/16: Great Carini > Tweezer sequence.
6/25/16: Piper follows Fluffhead and gets into the space-funk jamming right away. Fish laying down some great beats again.
6/25/16: Fish is MVP for this show.
6/25/16: Super-dark chording from Trey now. Sort of like a drone-y twin to the Bend Simple.
6/25/16: Ooh, jam sounding a lot like Steam.
6/25/16: Yup! -> Steam.
6/25/16: That was fucking rad.
6/25/16: Great little mid-song rock out. Page was having a good time.
6/25/16: Trey leaning on the echoplex again. Dark Steam outro jam.
6/25/16: Very brief one, actually. Page-only piano outro > Wading.
6/25/16: Hood!
6/25/16: Would love to see Hood glowstick war from the top level in a baseball stadium like Wrigley.
6/25/16: Probably still not better than the Gorge, but hey :)
6/25/16: I really just want to skip the rest of tour and go straight to the I Always Wanted It This Way jams.
6/25/16: Wow! Super-compact Hood. Curfew, maybe? Or did Trey just jump the gun on the outro progression and now THEY CAN'T GO BACK?!
6/25/16: You can't put the creepy milkman dude back in the bottle!
6/25/16: Super-concise Hood > Tweeprise.
6/25/16: Hood wasn't badly played, but there's something sort of missing without a bit of an expansive, wandery middle section.
6/25/16: More space in the middle makes the landing at the peak more satisfying.
6/25/16: I Am The Walrus! Not getting this song was my only real regret of the west coast run :)
6/25/16: Not sure why crowd isn't freaking out.
6/25/16: Maybe I just like this song more than most people?
6/25/16: Trey a little rough on the vocals, but the building outro jam is pretty great anyway.
6/25/16: Very similar show, structure-wise, to 6/24. Though I'd say this show was the weaker one.
6/25/16: Nothing totally rad like the DWD > Fuego > Twist sequence.
6/25/16: Really dug Carini > Tweezer and Piper -> Steam, though. Worth listens.
6/25/16: After three shows, seems like typical late-3.0 #phish so far. Straightforward S1s, strong third quarters, relatively weak finishes.
6/25/16: I'd expect there to be some shows that are better than these, but not necessarily this early in tour.
6/25/16: Lacking the fire of many of the better '15 shows, for sure, but '15 had shows like this, too. I was at some of them.
6/25/16: Bend 1 and 2, LA Forum, Dick's 2, and arguably Dick's 3 minus the encore.
6/25/16: Ready for the Shoreline equivalent this year, though :)
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