The Verdict:
After the fun-for-2016 that was most of the SPAC run, 7/6 starts off a four-show run that, save for 7/8, doesn't have a lot going for it improv-wise.
The upside is that a few of the first sets manage to hit that wonderful sweet spot in the middle of Lots of Unexpected Songs and Solid Flow. 7/6 S1 is one of these. The "Grind" opener sets the tone for a weird setlist, and it's followed by a great mix of newer tunes ("Blaze On," "KDF") and much older ones ("Cars, Trucks, Buses" and "The Sloth"). The only tune the band really struggles with here is "Billy Breathes." Everything else is solid and the bluegrass "Things People Do" is a clear standout.
"Tweezer" kicks off the S2 jamming in the two-slot, and seems to be headed for interesting territory before Trey surprisingly ripcords it, in brutal 2010 style. The "Mike's" sandwich, despite strong "Mike's Song" and "Groove" bread on the outside, has a totally bizarre "Tide Turns" > "Devotion" > "Wingsuit" > "Bittersweet Motel" meat that really brings the middle of the second set down. "Fluffhead" is neat to hear in the late second set, and Trey rips up the "Groove" at the end of the set, but this one is a head-scratcher. You could listen to the "Tweezer" and not really be missing much else.
The Live Review:
7/6/16: Grind opener. That's different.
7/6/16: Cars, Trucks, Buses in the two-slot. Page with a filthy organ solo.
7/6/16: That was a crazy version of CTB. Pure energy.
7/6/16: > Blaze On
7/6/16: Some serious swagger in this Blaze On, too.
7/6/16: Yarmouth Road!
7/6/16: Neat little Trey/Mike jam at the end of Yarmouth.
7/6/16: Pretty hot version of KDF > The Sloth. Liking this first set a lot. If it wasn't early 2016, I'd be looking forward to S2.
7/6/16: But these days there doesn't seem to be much of a correlation between a strong S1 and jams in the second set.
7/6/16: Billy Breathes! Loud cheer for this one.
7/6/16: Of my top-tier favorite #phish songs, this is one of the few I haven't seen live yet.
7/6/16: This is much rougher than the other version from earlier in the tour.
7/6/16: Lots of issues with the harmonies. Still a great setlist choice, though.
7/6/16: Trey nails *most* of the BB solo. > MFMF.
7/6/16: Even Heavy Things has a bit of extra mustard during this set.
7/6/16: Things People Do bluegrass style again. I love this.
7/6/16: Oh, there was a good 555 after Heavy Things.
7/6/16: Ah, yes. The Line.
7/6/16: Stash looks like it's going to wrap up this set.
7/6/16: Stash is a pretty straightforward build until the peak. No surprises. End set.
7/6/16: With the exception of The Line and some flubs in Billy Breathes and MFMF, that was a pretty interesting and coherent S1.
7/6/16: I mean, no deep jamming or anything, but I had more fun listening to that opening set than I did any of the SPAC ones.
7/6/16: S2 opens with First Tube. Yep, I said 'opens.'
7/6/16: > Tweezer.
7/6/16: VLC keeps insisting that the cover art for this show is the cover from Undermind.
7/6/16: Pitch shifter solo from Trey to start the Tweezer jam.
7/6/16: More rock and roll feel now. Trey and Page playing off of each other.
7/6/16: Great momentum to this Tweezer jam.
7/6/16: Great murky space now.
7/6/16: Totally weird > Guyute.
7/6/16: I like me some Guyute, but that seemed like a brutal ripcord to me. Tweezer was going places.
7/6/16: Sloppy Guyute > stop-start opening to Mike's.
7/6/16: Trey riding the echoplex to start the Mike's jam.
7/6/16: Oddly, the first layer of the Mike's sandwich is...Tide Turns.
7/6/16: Devotion's outro harmonies sound different than they usually are.
7/6/16: Only 2016 Phish would jam Tweezer for < 5 mins and then drop a Tide Turns, Devotion, Wingsuit, Bittersweet Motel sequence in S2.
7/6/16: During the Bittersweet solo spot, Trey urges Page to 'Take me to hell.'
7/6/16: Arguably, Trey, any time four ballads show up in a row during a fourth quarter, we're already there, aren't we?
7/6/16: Sorry, maybe that was cranky.
7/6/16: Maybe I'm living at the Bittersweet Motel.
7/6/16: > Fluffhead.
7/6/16: In 2009, when I saw my first Phish show, Fluffhead was my favorite song of theirs. And they played it that night.
7/6/16: I've since gotten more into the more...improvisational songs, but it's not like Fluffhead isn't still awesome.
7/6/16: Fun/boring fact: Hood is totally my favorite song now. Probably by anyone.
7/6/16: > Groove.
7/6/16: Trey is tearing apart the middle of this Groove.
7/6/16: Encore starts with Contact!
7/6/16: > Tweeprise.
7/6/16: Well, that was another one of those shows where S2 absolutely did not deliver on the promise of S1.
7/6/16: We seem to be getting a lot of those lately.
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