The Verdict:
Okay, so, the good news is that the second Grand Prairie show isn't nearly as bad as the online ratings would have you believe (it's placed below 8/14/04 and just barely above 8/15/04). The bad news is that there's literally zero units of jamming throughout the show.
I can't say that if you're coming to it having heard a lot of Phish shows before that it's a show that's worth your time. It's certainly not going to teach you anything new about the band that you didn't already know; however, it is two first sets of really well-played Phish music.
On the other hand, again, it is two first sets of Phish music.
I don't have a lot to say in terms of specifics. "Daniel Saw the Stone" is great opener. "Moma" and "Cities" are tight. "Foam" is a great bust-out. "Waking Up Dead" is my favorite "new" live song, and "Walk Away" > "WTU?" > "More" is straight Type I fire.
Going into the second first set, it starts out a bit slow, but "Number Line" takes a somewhat different route than usual, "Lifeboy," is another rare ballad bust-out to follow 10/24's "Dog-Faced Boy," "Meatstick" is a blast, "The Line" is a darkly funny joke in the middle of a jamless second set, and "Tide Turns" is just in bad taste. Speaking of taste, "Taste" is next, though the scarce momentum that is built up there is spent by another ballad bust-out in the form of "Friday." A short "Waves" > "Julius" before "Good Times Bad Times" ends things is probably the highlight of a musically unadventurous rock and roll raveup of a set. The second one of the night, in case you're keeping score at home.
"Show of Life" as the encore call actually made me laugh out loud.
So, while I'd like in some ways to write this show off as being a weird, negative anomaly, it's actually quite good in a two-first-sets sort of way. If each of these sets opened a show on consecutive nights, we'd be raving about how good they were. But we aren't. So, on to MGM!
The Live Review:
10/25/16: Daniel Saw the Stone opener!
10/25/16: I love Phish's version of this song so much.
10/25/16: Moma is second.
10/25/16: Guys sound extra energized tonight. Also, there's a guy right next to the SBD who can't stop screaming.
10/25/16: If experience at Phish shows has taught me anything, though, it's that he'll be asleep on the floor in 20-25 minutes.
10/25/16: Fiery Moma > CDT.
10/25/16: Cities next. Feels like early jamming is imminent.
10/25/16: Some mellow interplay between Trey and Mike.
10/25/16: Short little outro there, but pretty playing from everyone.
10/25/16: FOAM
10/25/16: Trey struggling a bit, but otherwise they're not sounding too rusty on this tune.
10/25/16: Waking Up Dead! Glad to see the boys seem to like this one live as much as I do.
10/25/16: Divided Sky next. Loving the way the new songs fit in with the old ones.
10/25/16: I Didn't Know! Trey telling a story mid-tune about being a 'real Texan' since he was born in Ft. Worth.
10/25/16: Only Moses DeWitt is a 'cosmic Texan,' though.
10/25/16: Walk Away!
10/25/16: I don't know what it is, but the Walk Away jam is always one of my favorite bits of Phish music. I think it's Fish's drumming.
10/25/16: He rarely plays anything that driving otherwise.
10/25/16: > WTU?
10/25/16: Whatever these guys have been doing to write the first set setlists lately, I hope they never stop.
10/25/16: Mellow '16-style WTU? > More.
10/25/16: End set w/ More.
10/25/16: Stealing Time opens the second set.
10/25/16: Second is Number Line. Clearly, the boys had so much fun playing the first set that they're just going to play another one.
10/25/16: Neat Number Line, though. Continues the (Type I) evolution of the tune, keeps it unpredictable.
10/25/16: > Lifeboy.
10/25/16: It's always great to hear the slow, gorgeous piano intro to a song like Lifeboy and then hear in the background...
10/25/16: ...tons of bros screaming 'FUCK YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAH!!!'
10/25/16: THIS FUCKING BALLAD GIVES ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FEELINGS SOCIETY GENERALLY FORCES ME TO BURY DEEP WITHIN MYSELF!!!
10/25/16: But seriously, it's a great song. And patriarchy makes men sad, too.
10/25/16: Meatstick! I'm not sure what they're doing for this second set, but I almost don't care because MEATOSTAQUE
10/25/16: UNSURE IF YOU ARE STILL CORINNE
10/25/16: The Line. By god, I think...I think they've given up for the evening.
10/25/16: Seriously, this is a really well-played set so far (even The Line!) but they just aren't playing anything with a jam.
10/25/16: I suspect people FUCKING HATE this show.
10/25/16: HAHAHA...it has a lower @phishnet ranking than 8/14/04. C'mon, guys. Really?!
10/25/16: Having attended a wonky/out-of-sync/truly bad show just this year (7/22), I can say that this is 10x better.
10/25/16: There isn't much 'bad' in some objective way about this show. In fact, they're playing their asses off. Just no jams.
10/25/16: Okay, so having said all that, a second set The Line > Tide Turns sort of feels like a punch in the nuts.
10/25/16: > Taste
10/25/16: Friday is next! Great take on Taste.
10/25/16: Gorgeous little outro jam in Friday. Followed by a short, standard Waves. > Julius.
10/25/16: Good Times, Bad Times closes the set.
10/25/16: Show of Life encore. Is Trey trolling us?
10/25/16: Maybe he secretly hates jamming and took the 'home field' show to just play all the songy songs he's ever wanted to song song.
10/25/16: Regardless, imagine fast, fiery, competent Phish from your favorite era playing this show and that's what it sounds like.
10/25/16: Literally 0% jamming, but a great show by pretty much every other metric.
Mar 29, 2017
2016-10-24 Grand Prairie I
The Verdict:
Neither Grand Prairie show lives up to the quality of the Alpharetta run before it, but this run also doesn't deserve the smack that gets talked about.
Well, the second night sort of does, a little. But the first night definitely doesn't. Here's why.
The first set starts off with a pretty rote No Men > Breath and Burning sequence, but then things really pick up. The rest of the set is brilliantly paced, and features a lot of great songs. There's a bit of a lull near the end, but it's because Trey and Fish are arguing over whether "Ass Handed" or "Saw It Again" is the better song, so I'm willing to let is slide. Then there's the second-ever "Running Out of Time" segueing into a solid "Bowie" to end the set. But the real highlight is a "Wolfman's" that gets the "Type 1.5" treatment first set "Gin"s have been getting for the last two years. If you want to hear "Wolfman's" leave the box and explore some bliss-y territory, this one's for you.
Hot on the heels of a big first set, you might expect the band to launch into a jam vehicle, but the theme of this show seems to be finding diamonds in the rough, so "Dog-Faced Boy" is the rarity opener instead. From there, "Seven Below" takes us on a pretty melodic journey usually served up by something like "Roggae" instead. "Petrichor" is oddly placed, and at first it struck me as a bit of a bummer; however, the band fully gels on this version and it's easily the best live take on the song thus far. The same with the following "Maze" > "Dirt": it doesn't make sense in the context of a "normal" second set, but both songs are played to perfection, so it's okay.
If you really need some jamming (and you do), the fourth quarter is there for you, with a synth-drenched expedition in the form of "I Always Wanted It This Way," bursting its way out of the box big time before segueing into "Piper." "Piper" has been a jam that's gotten really good lately at doing a lot in a small amount of time, and this version is no different, starting off with some beautiful melodic jamming that quickly turns into a "Birds"-like space that gets explored for awhile before landing in "Bug," a great cooldown to end the set.
If that all wasn't both weird and fun enough, "Buffalo Bill" > "Rock and Roll" is the encore!
Like I said, it's a great show if you're willing to look for interesting performances in unexpected places. For my money, it's one of the most fun Phish shows I've listened to in a long time.
The Live Review:
10/24/16: SBD starts with some seriously talented ululating from a crowd member. Then No Men.
10/24/16: Pretty straightforward No Men > Breath and Burning so far.
10/24/16: B+B is being played a little faster than usual.
10/24/16: Poor Heart in the three-spot with a badass piano solo from Page.
10/24/16: Hoo boy, Wolfman's is getting the Gin Type 1.5 treatment.
10/24/16: Leaving funk and modulating into some uplifting rock jamming.
10/24/16: This is super cool, and unexpected.
10/24/16: Great landing back in the Wolfman's riff.
10/24/16: Slow version of Water in the Sky is next.
10/24/16: Page is getting another great solo.
10/24/16: My Soul!
10/24/16: The guys have built some truly boring first sets this tour, as well as some truly inspired ones. This is feeling like the latter.
10/24/16: Page with *another* big piano solo.
10/24/16: They just ripped that My Soul up. >F
NICU.
10/24/16: Trey is struggling a bit with It's Ice, but it still fits the vibe of this set as a song choice.
10/24/16: Extra chunky funk interlude in the middle of It's Ice this time.
10/24/16: Ocelot! I sort of hate this song, but I feel like we haven't heard it in a long time so I'll try to be nice.
10/24/16: Nice, bluesy, languid start to the jam. Page adding nice accents on piano.
10/24/16: Big-time build and peak in Ocelot. Never really left the box, but an impressive version anyway.
10/24/16: Guy right next to SBD screaming for Whipping Post. That seems likely.
10/24/16: Fuck Your Face instead.
10/24/16: Trey says that was the second greatest Phish song of all time. I feel like Ass Handed is coming next.
10/24/16: Yep.
10/24/16: Fish says that Ass Handed is Trey's favorite Phish song, but not his. His is...Saw It Again!
10/24/16: Running Out of Time is next. Weird change of pace, but I love this song.
10/24/16: Bowie to wrap up the first set. What a weird-but-great set.
10/24/16: Bowie doesn't get super-weird, but as a good, peaky take by 3.0 standards for the tune.
10/24/16: End set w/ Bowie.
10/24/16: Second set opens with...Dog Faced Boy?!
10/24/16: That's neat.
10/24/16: > Seven Below.
10/24/16: Some really great playing all the way around in this Seven Below.
10/24/16: $$$ jam
10/24/16: Okay, I'll start my next comment by saying that I've loved hearing Petrichor make its way into shows a lot lately..
10/24/16: ...but do not drop it into the middle of a second set.
10/24/16: So, Petrichor is next.
10/24/16: Great full-band interplay during this Petrichor outro jam. It feels like they finally really gelled on the tune this time around.
10/24/16: Maze continues a weird mid-set run of tunes.
10/24/16: For what it's worth, that was a batshit Maze.
10/24/16: Wow.
10/24/16: > Dirt. Now that's a solid call after that crazy Maze.
10/24/16: YES! I Always Wanted It This Way!
10/24/16: Big robotic crash synth breakdown right after the vocals. Echo chords from Trey.
10/24/16: So happy that this is turning into a jam vehicle pretty much right away.
10/24/16: Big Mike bass bomb leads back into the vocals.
10/24/16: Driving beat from Fish. Lots of synth noise, but also Trey and Mike adding in loops and bombs when appropriate.
10/24/16: Fish deconstructing the beat now. Ambient jam but heavy on percussion.
10/24/16: Dark guitar riffs overlaid with synth whines now.
10/24/16: > Piper
10/24/16: Driving jam in Piper almost immediately. Trey laying down a great melody solo.
10/24/16: Straight-up Birds of a Feather jam happening here.
10/24/16: A few tentative 'woo's.
10/24/16: Call-and-response with the audience now. If they don't go -> Birds at some point it's going to be a little sad.
10/24/16: Full stop at the end of Piper. That was rad. Bug next.
10/24/16: Bug ends the second set.
10/24/16: Buffalo Bill encore!
10/24/16: The melody of this song is so weird.
10/24/16: Rock and Roll!
10/24/16: End show.
10/24/16: That show was not nearly as bad as The Online lead me to believe!
10/24/16: Great first set with a monster Wolfman's. Flow got weird near the end, but it was because of a band joke.
10/24/16: Second set starts out strong, gets weird flow-wise but with a first-setty section that's played to perfection.
10/24/16: Then bounces back with a ridiculous IAWITW > Piper pair. Buffalo Bill encore. Love it!
Neither Grand Prairie show lives up to the quality of the Alpharetta run before it, but this run also doesn't deserve the smack that gets talked about.
Well, the second night sort of does, a little. But the first night definitely doesn't. Here's why.
The first set starts off with a pretty rote No Men > Breath and Burning sequence, but then things really pick up. The rest of the set is brilliantly paced, and features a lot of great songs. There's a bit of a lull near the end, but it's because Trey and Fish are arguing over whether "Ass Handed" or "Saw It Again" is the better song, so I'm willing to let is slide. Then there's the second-ever "Running Out of Time" segueing into a solid "Bowie" to end the set. But the real highlight is a "Wolfman's" that gets the "Type 1.5" treatment first set "Gin"s have been getting for the last two years. If you want to hear "Wolfman's" leave the box and explore some bliss-y territory, this one's for you.
Hot on the heels of a big first set, you might expect the band to launch into a jam vehicle, but the theme of this show seems to be finding diamonds in the rough, so "Dog-Faced Boy" is the rarity opener instead. From there, "Seven Below" takes us on a pretty melodic journey usually served up by something like "Roggae" instead. "Petrichor" is oddly placed, and at first it struck me as a bit of a bummer; however, the band fully gels on this version and it's easily the best live take on the song thus far. The same with the following "Maze" > "Dirt": it doesn't make sense in the context of a "normal" second set, but both songs are played to perfection, so it's okay.
If you really need some jamming (and you do), the fourth quarter is there for you, with a synth-drenched expedition in the form of "I Always Wanted It This Way," bursting its way out of the box big time before segueing into "Piper." "Piper" has been a jam that's gotten really good lately at doing a lot in a small amount of time, and this version is no different, starting off with some beautiful melodic jamming that quickly turns into a "Birds"-like space that gets explored for awhile before landing in "Bug," a great cooldown to end the set.
If that all wasn't both weird and fun enough, "Buffalo Bill" > "Rock and Roll" is the encore!
Like I said, it's a great show if you're willing to look for interesting performances in unexpected places. For my money, it's one of the most fun Phish shows I've listened to in a long time.
The Live Review:
10/24/16: SBD starts with some seriously talented ululating from a crowd member. Then No Men.
10/24/16: Pretty straightforward No Men > Breath and Burning so far.
10/24/16: B+B is being played a little faster than usual.
10/24/16: Poor Heart in the three-spot with a badass piano solo from Page.
10/24/16: Hoo boy, Wolfman's is getting the Gin Type 1.5 treatment.
10/24/16: Leaving funk and modulating into some uplifting rock jamming.
10/24/16: This is super cool, and unexpected.
10/24/16: Great landing back in the Wolfman's riff.
10/24/16: Slow version of Water in the Sky is next.
10/24/16: Page is getting another great solo.
10/24/16: My Soul!
10/24/16: The guys have built some truly boring first sets this tour, as well as some truly inspired ones. This is feeling like the latter.
10/24/16: Page with *another* big piano solo.
10/24/16: They just ripped that My Soul up. >F
NICU.
10/24/16: Trey is struggling a bit with It's Ice, but it still fits the vibe of this set as a song choice.
10/24/16: Extra chunky funk interlude in the middle of It's Ice this time.
10/24/16: Ocelot! I sort of hate this song, but I feel like we haven't heard it in a long time so I'll try to be nice.
10/24/16: Nice, bluesy, languid start to the jam. Page adding nice accents on piano.
10/24/16: Big-time build and peak in Ocelot. Never really left the box, but an impressive version anyway.
10/24/16: Guy right next to SBD screaming for Whipping Post. That seems likely.
10/24/16: Fuck Your Face instead.
10/24/16: Trey says that was the second greatest Phish song of all time. I feel like Ass Handed is coming next.
10/24/16: Yep.
10/24/16: Fish says that Ass Handed is Trey's favorite Phish song, but not his. His is...Saw It Again!
10/24/16: Running Out of Time is next. Weird change of pace, but I love this song.
10/24/16: Bowie to wrap up the first set. What a weird-but-great set.
10/24/16: Bowie doesn't get super-weird, but as a good, peaky take by 3.0 standards for the tune.
10/24/16: End set w/ Bowie.
10/24/16: Second set opens with...Dog Faced Boy?!
10/24/16: That's neat.
10/24/16: > Seven Below.
10/24/16: Some really great playing all the way around in this Seven Below.
10/24/16: $$$ jam
10/24/16: Okay, I'll start my next comment by saying that I've loved hearing Petrichor make its way into shows a lot lately..
10/24/16: ...but do not drop it into the middle of a second set.
10/24/16: So, Petrichor is next.
10/24/16: Great full-band interplay during this Petrichor outro jam. It feels like they finally really gelled on the tune this time around.
10/24/16: Maze continues a weird mid-set run of tunes.
10/24/16: For what it's worth, that was a batshit Maze.
10/24/16: Wow.
10/24/16: > Dirt. Now that's a solid call after that crazy Maze.
10/24/16: YES! I Always Wanted It This Way!
10/24/16: Big robotic crash synth breakdown right after the vocals. Echo chords from Trey.
10/24/16: So happy that this is turning into a jam vehicle pretty much right away.
10/24/16: Big Mike bass bomb leads back into the vocals.
10/24/16: Driving beat from Fish. Lots of synth noise, but also Trey and Mike adding in loops and bombs when appropriate.
10/24/16: Fish deconstructing the beat now. Ambient jam but heavy on percussion.
10/24/16: Dark guitar riffs overlaid with synth whines now.
10/24/16: > Piper
10/24/16: Driving jam in Piper almost immediately. Trey laying down a great melody solo.
10/24/16: Straight-up Birds of a Feather jam happening here.
10/24/16: A few tentative 'woo's.
10/24/16: Call-and-response with the audience now. If they don't go -> Birds at some point it's going to be a little sad.
10/24/16: Full stop at the end of Piper. That was rad. Bug next.
10/24/16: Bug ends the second set.
10/24/16: Buffalo Bill encore!
10/24/16: The melody of this song is so weird.
10/24/16: Rock and Roll!
10/24/16: End show.
10/24/16: That show was not nearly as bad as The Online lead me to believe!
10/24/16: Great first set with a monster Wolfman's. Flow got weird near the end, but it was because of a band joke.
10/24/16: Second set starts out strong, gets weird flow-wise but with a first-setty section that's played to perfection.
10/24/16: Then bounces back with a ridiculous IAWITW > Piper pair. Buffalo Bill encore. Love it!
Mar 26, 2017
2016-10-22 Alpharetta II
The Verdict:
[Note: This show is short of links and videos because it's not on phishtracks.com and there aren't any good videos on YouTube. Sorry!]
This show might have a more typical amount of songs in the second set, but oh boy that doesn't much matter.
The first set is a great collection of straight-on greatest hits, but with just enough modern flavor to keep things fun and interesting instead of old and stale. First off is a "Mike's Groove" with "Ass Handed" as the meat. "WAN" features a gorgeous solo from Trey after a rocky start. "Gin" is the easy highlight, following its '15-typical path to a Type 1.5 climax. Then, amidst some more first-setty songs, "My Pet Cat" makes an appearance. I'd love to say "Zero" is a joke to end the first set, but it's a huge, cacophonous version and if I could link you to it, I would.
The second set starts off weirdly, with "Antelope," and then there's a hint at weirdness with a loopy, dissonant ending to "Fuego." "Jim" and "No Quarter" are both nice setlist choices, but don't get out of the box (of course). "Simple" really kicks things into high gear late in the set, though: here's a jam that starts off with a huge bliss riff, but then departs from it to revisit the loopy madness from "Fuego" before building up a double-time "Ghost"-style riff...and then getting ripcorded into "46 Days."
This might seem like an unfair trade; however, "46 Days" only makes it about a minute before a flawless transition into "Sally," which departs on a chunky funk jam before transitions back into "46 Days."
It's a great close to a solid, fourth-quarter-heavy set before "Makisupa" > "First Tube" wraps up the run.
The Live Review:
10/22/16: Mike's Song opener. I feel like in my personal experience, this bodes ill.
10/22/16: But I like being wrong.
10/22/16: I feel like Mike's has been shorter since the mini-second-jam phase of '15.
10/22/16: > Ass Handed > Groove. Hahahahaha
10/22/16: Mike's Groove sequence is pretty rote, minus the Ass Handed.
10/22/16: On the upside, Trey's laying down more of the pretty melodic stuff he was playing last night.
10/22/16: Well, if you like Trey Guitar Stuff a lot, you should listen to that Groove.
10/22/16: I like Waiting All Night, and if you disagree, we should not be friends!
10/22/16: Sample.
10/22/16: Sample might be the most 'basic' Phish song, but if I don't get to dance on a huge lawn to it once a summer, I feel like shit.
10/22/16: Gin is next.
10/22/16: S1 setlist miles apart from last night's weird, fun variety. This is more of a greatest-hits feel.
10/22/16: That said, they're rocking everything so far and right now are modulating the Gin jam up into PEAK SPACE
10/22/16: Neat repeating riff post-peak. Back into the Gin riff, now.
10/22/16: > Rift.
10/22/16: Solid take on Rift. Stash next.
10/22/16: For my money, Stash has been super-dull lately. And by 'lately' I mean 'since '11 or so.'
10/22/16: They've been playing longer versions this year and a bit in '15, but length doesn't seem to translate to interesting exploration.
10/22/16: Maybe this one'll be different.
10/22/16: I should clarify that I really like Stash as a song. It just seems to hold a place similar to Slave these days...
10/22/16: ...in the sense that after the composed section, there's a 'jam,' but it's predictable where it goes and how it gets there.
10/22/16: Well, I'm happy to report that this version is calling my bluff a little. Sinister little section in the jam w/ Trey noodling.
10/22/16: Mega-peak. Well, that version wasn't exactly unpredictable, but I feel like a dick for complaining about Stash now, so...
10/22/16: Funky Bitch! I feel like I haven't heard this on in awhile. Page clearly hasn't either he's GOING TO TOWN on the organ
10/22/16: Any time Page goes to town on his organ, you know to pay attention.
10/22/16: THAT WAS A DICK('S) JOKE
10/22/16: Your Pet Cat is a super-weird choice late in this classics set, but okay, cool.
10/22/16: The cat-screech samples are hard on the ear, but less so than the opening riffs of Stealing Time and KDF :)
10/22/16: Zero to close the first set.
10/22/16: I am so sick of Zero, but the tones Trey's been experimenting with during the solo lately are making me pay attention again.
10/22/16: That was a show-ending Zero, not a set-ending one. Good god.
10/22/16: Antelope opens the second set because up is right and down is white.
10/22/16: Monster build and peak in Antelope. Phish is really pumped to be in Georgia this weekend.
10/22/16: Been you to have any healthcare reform, Paul Ryan?
10/22/16: > Fuego.
10/22/16: Heavily distorted tone from Trey leads to some looping/atonal soloing madness at the end of Fuego.
10/22/16: More somber soloing now. Loops continue in the background. Page on electric piano.
10/22/16: Okay, I'm enjoying the hell out of this whacked-out Fuego ending.
10/22/16: > Jim.
10/22/16: Is this a...plinko jam? In 2016? Sweeeet.
10/22/16: Seriously, it's awesome. Pre-second-verse plinko jamming.
10/22/16: Neat! A standalone No Quarter after a rockfest jam to end the Jim.
10/22/16: Solid No Quarter > Simple.
10/22/16: So far, this set is rivaling last night for energy. It's just missing that monster Disease jam.
10/22/16: Typical Simple jam fading after a few minutes.
10/22/16: Fading back in with a jam that sounds like the Bend Simple on just the right amount of Xanax.
10/22/16: Uh-oh Trey is jamming on one of Those Riffs.
10/22/16: Sounds like a mash-up of the '15 Dick's Disease riff and the '14 Dick's Ghost riff.
10/22/16: Leaving the riff now for loop madness jam.
10/22/16: Trey revisits the riff briefly during a build, but then the jam transitions back into a murky funk space. Page on clav.
10/22/16: Would be great for a -> Ghost if that hadn't been played already.
10/22/16: I guess I read Trey's mind. They're basically playing the Ghost intro riff at double speed right now.
10/22/16: Weird move from Trey ripcording into 46 Days just as the jam was building back up.
10/22/16: Oh, well. Can't complain much about a 16 minute Simple :)
10/22/16: Whoa. Just made a great transition from the first verse of 46 Days into Sneakin' Sally.
10/22/16: Aside from the 20-minute space jam kind, this is my favorite kind of Phish.
10/22/16: Such a smooth transition.
10/22/16: Super gnarly funk turned into straight rock and roll.
10/22/16: Familiar Phish alchemy at this point, but almost always great anyway.
10/22/16: Transition back into the lyrics.
10/22/16: Vocal breakdown.
10/22/16: Back out of vocal jam into 46 Days. Shit!
10/22/16: For those of you keeping score at home, that's a fourth quarter with a monster Simple jam, then 46 Days -> Sally -> 46 Days.
10/22/16: End set, I think. Makisupa is kicking off the encore.
10/22/16: Lyrics about listening to funk.
10/22/16: > First Tube.
10/22/16: Huge feedback ending to close the show.
10/22/16: Well, that ended up being a great show. Really well played 'hits' set to open...
10/22/16: ...and a great, fourth-quarter-heavy second set with a huge jam.
10/22/16: Fuego > Jim sequence was no slouch, either.
10/22/16: That's enough Phish for now. Will likely be back early next week with the Grand Prairie two-night run.
[Note: This show is short of links and videos because it's not on phishtracks.com and there aren't any good videos on YouTube. Sorry!]
This show might have a more typical amount of songs in the second set, but oh boy that doesn't much matter.
The first set is a great collection of straight-on greatest hits, but with just enough modern flavor to keep things fun and interesting instead of old and stale. First off is a "Mike's Groove" with "Ass Handed" as the meat. "WAN" features a gorgeous solo from Trey after a rocky start. "Gin" is the easy highlight, following its '15-typical path to a Type 1.5 climax. Then, amidst some more first-setty songs, "My Pet Cat" makes an appearance. I'd love to say "Zero" is a joke to end the first set, but it's a huge, cacophonous version and if I could link you to it, I would.
The second set starts off weirdly, with "Antelope," and then there's a hint at weirdness with a loopy, dissonant ending to "Fuego." "Jim" and "No Quarter" are both nice setlist choices, but don't get out of the box (of course). "Simple" really kicks things into high gear late in the set, though: here's a jam that starts off with a huge bliss riff, but then departs from it to revisit the loopy madness from "Fuego" before building up a double-time "Ghost"-style riff...and then getting ripcorded into "46 Days."
This might seem like an unfair trade; however, "46 Days" only makes it about a minute before a flawless transition into "Sally," which departs on a chunky funk jam before transitions back into "46 Days."
It's a great close to a solid, fourth-quarter-heavy set before "Makisupa" > "First Tube" wraps up the run.
The Live Review:
10/22/16: Mike's Song opener. I feel like in my personal experience, this bodes ill.
10/22/16: But I like being wrong.
10/22/16: I feel like Mike's has been shorter since the mini-second-jam phase of '15.
10/22/16: > Ass Handed > Groove. Hahahahaha
10/22/16: Mike's Groove sequence is pretty rote, minus the Ass Handed.
10/22/16: On the upside, Trey's laying down more of the pretty melodic stuff he was playing last night.
10/22/16: Well, if you like Trey Guitar Stuff a lot, you should listen to that Groove.
10/22/16: I like Waiting All Night, and if you disagree, we should not be friends!
10/22/16: Sample.
10/22/16: Sample might be the most 'basic' Phish song, but if I don't get to dance on a huge lawn to it once a summer, I feel like shit.
10/22/16: Gin is next.
10/22/16: S1 setlist miles apart from last night's weird, fun variety. This is more of a greatest-hits feel.
10/22/16: That said, they're rocking everything so far and right now are modulating the Gin jam up into PEAK SPACE
10/22/16: Neat repeating riff post-peak. Back into the Gin riff, now.
10/22/16: > Rift.
10/22/16: Solid take on Rift. Stash next.
10/22/16: For my money, Stash has been super-dull lately. And by 'lately' I mean 'since '11 or so.'
10/22/16: They've been playing longer versions this year and a bit in '15, but length doesn't seem to translate to interesting exploration.
10/22/16: Maybe this one'll be different.
10/22/16: I should clarify that I really like Stash as a song. It just seems to hold a place similar to Slave these days...
10/22/16: ...in the sense that after the composed section, there's a 'jam,' but it's predictable where it goes and how it gets there.
10/22/16: Well, I'm happy to report that this version is calling my bluff a little. Sinister little section in the jam w/ Trey noodling.
10/22/16: Mega-peak. Well, that version wasn't exactly unpredictable, but I feel like a dick for complaining about Stash now, so...
10/22/16: Funky Bitch! I feel like I haven't heard this on in awhile. Page clearly hasn't either he's GOING TO TOWN on the organ
10/22/16: Any time Page goes to town on his organ, you know to pay attention.
10/22/16: THAT WAS A DICK('S) JOKE
10/22/16: Your Pet Cat is a super-weird choice late in this classics set, but okay, cool.
10/22/16: The cat-screech samples are hard on the ear, but less so than the opening riffs of Stealing Time and KDF :)
10/22/16: Zero to close the first set.
10/22/16: I am so sick of Zero, but the tones Trey's been experimenting with during the solo lately are making me pay attention again.
10/22/16: That was a show-ending Zero, not a set-ending one. Good god.
10/22/16: Antelope opens the second set because up is right and down is white.
10/22/16: Monster build and peak in Antelope. Phish is really pumped to be in Georgia this weekend.
10/22/16: Been you to have any healthcare reform, Paul Ryan?
10/22/16: > Fuego.
10/22/16: Heavily distorted tone from Trey leads to some looping/atonal soloing madness at the end of Fuego.
10/22/16: More somber soloing now. Loops continue in the background. Page on electric piano.
10/22/16: Okay, I'm enjoying the hell out of this whacked-out Fuego ending.
10/22/16: > Jim.
10/22/16: Is this a...plinko jam? In 2016? Sweeeet.
10/22/16: Seriously, it's awesome. Pre-second-verse plinko jamming.
10/22/16: Neat! A standalone No Quarter after a rockfest jam to end the Jim.
10/22/16: Solid No Quarter > Simple.
10/22/16: So far, this set is rivaling last night for energy. It's just missing that monster Disease jam.
10/22/16: Typical Simple jam fading after a few minutes.
10/22/16: Fading back in with a jam that sounds like the Bend Simple on just the right amount of Xanax.
10/22/16: Uh-oh Trey is jamming on one of Those Riffs.
10/22/16: Sounds like a mash-up of the '15 Dick's Disease riff and the '14 Dick's Ghost riff.
10/22/16: Leaving the riff now for loop madness jam.
10/22/16: Trey revisits the riff briefly during a build, but then the jam transitions back into a murky funk space. Page on clav.
10/22/16: Would be great for a -> Ghost if that hadn't been played already.
10/22/16: I guess I read Trey's mind. They're basically playing the Ghost intro riff at double speed right now.
10/22/16: Weird move from Trey ripcording into 46 Days just as the jam was building back up.
10/22/16: Oh, well. Can't complain much about a 16 minute Simple :)
10/22/16: Whoa. Just made a great transition from the first verse of 46 Days into Sneakin' Sally.
10/22/16: Aside from the 20-minute space jam kind, this is my favorite kind of Phish.
10/22/16: Such a smooth transition.
10/22/16: Super gnarly funk turned into straight rock and roll.
10/22/16: Familiar Phish alchemy at this point, but almost always great anyway.
10/22/16: Transition back into the lyrics.
10/22/16: Vocal breakdown.
10/22/16: Back out of vocal jam into 46 Days. Shit!
10/22/16: For those of you keeping score at home, that's a fourth quarter with a monster Simple jam, then 46 Days -> Sally -> 46 Days.
10/22/16: End set, I think. Makisupa is kicking off the encore.
10/22/16: Lyrics about listening to funk.
10/22/16: > First Tube.
10/22/16: Huge feedback ending to close the show.
10/22/16: Well, that ended up being a great show. Really well played 'hits' set to open...
10/22/16: ...and a great, fourth-quarter-heavy second set with a huge jam.
10/22/16: Fuego > Jim sequence was no slouch, either.
10/22/16: That's enough Phish for now. Will likely be back early next week with the Grand Prairie two-night run.
2016-10-21 Alpharetta I
The Verdict:
Riding the wave of 10/19's second set, this show lays down another six-song set.
The opening set is a bit like the previous show's: no real improv, but a great mix of old and new songs. Trey puts a little extra mustard on everything he touches here, building up some serious anticipation for a great second set. "Birds" and the debut (?) of "Let's Go" are both worth a listen.
The huge "Disease" that opens the second set has all the cohesiveness and momentum that the previous night's "Piper" was missing. Space-rock and looping madness are bisected by a brief Woo! jam, and it's easily the best thing from fall tour so far. "Carini" follows, and starts off as its typical rumbling, hate-rock self, but then transitions perfectly into a melodic, prettier space which it hangs out in for a few minutes before segueing into "Winterqueen."
You might imagine that "Winterqueen" would derail the momentum of this set, but instead, it feels completely natural coming out of the beautiful "Carini" jam. "Ghost," despite coming in the second set, takes the path of a lot of recent first-set "Ghost"s; however, it features a monster '15-style peak. This version sets up another great '93-style "Possum" jam that uses tension to throw us all back about fifteen years before an equally old-school and patient "Slave" brings us home.
This second set isn't quite as consistently great as the previous show's, but it hangs together quite well even if the magic is more concentrated in one part (the first half) of the set this time. That's two amazing shows in a row!
The Live Review:
10/21/16: ASIHTOS opener.
10/21/16: Compact version of the tune, featuring some Trey trilling.
10/21/16: Bag > BOTT. So far, it's a first set, folks :)
10/21/16: Super-hot take on BOTT of all things. If you're into that sort of thing. Blaze On next. Lots of S1 Blaze Ons lately.
10/21/16: Solid Blaze On, too. Trey's guitaring well today. Hoping that keeps up until we get to the part of the show where jams happen.
10/21/16: Oh, good! Sugar Shack will ruin everything I just tweeted about!
10/21/16: Well that was a long Sugar Shack. Next is the Johnny Cash-style version of Things People Do. Trey gets a solo.
10/21/16: Trey just ripped Birds apart, too. Someone give this guy a real jam to dig into.
10/21/16: Ah, yes. Mercury will do nicely.
10/21/16: Trey struggling with this take on Mercury a bit.
10/21/16: Some nice melodic soloing now that we're at the jam section.
10/21/16: Nice Type I outro jam to Mercury.
10/21/16: Let's Go!
10/21/16: The other song I always miss when I listen to Big Boat!
10/21/16: Mike should just write 80% of Phish songs from now on.
10/21/16: You know what two songs of Phish's I really like? Mercury and Let's Go. You know which Phish song I don't like? Alaska.
10/21/16: Alaska.
10/21/16: When I asked her where she's going, she said 'To the bathroom, so I can get back before the next song.'
10/21/16: Trey is really good at Type I tonight. More closing the set.
10/21/16: That version seemed a bit better performed than the debut version.
10/21/16: S2 opens (reliably) with Disease.
10/21/16: Trey's all over the goddamn fretboard during the Type I part. This bodes well.
10/21/16: Trey just switched on the distortion and powered us into Type II.
10/21/16: Neat jam developing that manages to be heavy and spacey at the same time.
10/21/16: Some nasty rock and roll happening here.
10/21/16: This is badass. Also, a woo jam.
10/21/16: I wonder how the guys decided that Fall 2016 was the time to bring back the Woo Jam.
10/21/16: Not complaining, it just seems hilarious.
10/21/16: Guitar looping happening now.
10/21/16: This jam continues to be pretty much the best thing to happen for most of 2016.
10/21/16: I have this crazy theory that I'm going to write about at the end of tour that 2016 was all about letting go of bliss jamming.
10/21/16: This is some goddamn solid evidence for said crazy theory.
10/21/16: This is not a jam the band could have played between '13 and '15.
10/21/15: > Carini.
10/21/16: I love that the totally deranged outro vocals to Carini are now a normal thing.
10/21/16: Letting Carini jam rumble a bit.
10/21/16: Carini jam is getting purty.
10/21/16: That was an exceptionally good bit of jamming. > Winterqueen.
10/21/16: Also, Carini > Winterqueen just amuses me in principle, for some reason.
10/21/16: BUT TRUST ME Y'ALL IT MAKES SENSE THEMATICALLY
10/21/16: Nice back-and-forth between Trey and Page in a typically mellow, jazzy Winterqueen jam.
10/21/16: If you're still on the fence about Winterqueen, that version might win you over.
10/21/16: Ghost is next, back in its old home spot in the second set.
10/21/16: Cat Scratch Fever tease in Ghost jam.
10/21/16: Gorgeous melodic jamming building up to a '15 style peak in this Ghost.
10/21/16: Holy Ghost peaks, Batman.
10/21/16: Smooth fade out of the jam into the Ghost riff to close.
10/21/16: Outro Ghost vocals from Page! That was cool. Possum next.
10/21/16: Judging by Trey's guitar, this is going to be one of those '16-cum-'93 Possums. I hope so.
10/21/16: Great Possum > Slave to close the set.
10/21/16: Extra slow, patient Slave jam. The '93 feel from Possum continues on here.
10/21/16: Trey just ripped up that Loving Cup encore like he hasn't been playing for three hours already.
10/21/16: A great show. No improv in the first set, but a great mix of tunes suffused with greater-than-usual guitar fire.
10/21/16: The second set reminded me of no-filler sets like 7/19. Great stuff. Not a dull moment.
Riding the wave of 10/19's second set, this show lays down another six-song set.
The opening set is a bit like the previous show's: no real improv, but a great mix of old and new songs. Trey puts a little extra mustard on everything he touches here, building up some serious anticipation for a great second set. "Birds" and the debut (?) of "Let's Go" are both worth a listen.
The huge "Disease" that opens the second set has all the cohesiveness and momentum that the previous night's "Piper" was missing. Space-rock and looping madness are bisected by a brief Woo! jam, and it's easily the best thing from fall tour so far. "Carini" follows, and starts off as its typical rumbling, hate-rock self, but then transitions perfectly into a melodic, prettier space which it hangs out in for a few minutes before segueing into "Winterqueen."
You might imagine that "Winterqueen" would derail the momentum of this set, but instead, it feels completely natural coming out of the beautiful "Carini" jam. "Ghost," despite coming in the second set, takes the path of a lot of recent first-set "Ghost"s; however, it features a monster '15-style peak. This version sets up another great '93-style "Possum" jam that uses tension to throw us all back about fifteen years before an equally old-school and patient "Slave" brings us home.
This second set isn't quite as consistently great as the previous show's, but it hangs together quite well even if the magic is more concentrated in one part (the first half) of the set this time. That's two amazing shows in a row!
The Live Review:
10/21/16: ASIHTOS opener.
10/21/16: Compact version of the tune, featuring some Trey trilling.
10/21/16: Bag > BOTT. So far, it's a first set, folks :)
10/21/16: Super-hot take on BOTT of all things. If you're into that sort of thing. Blaze On next. Lots of S1 Blaze Ons lately.
10/21/16: Solid Blaze On, too. Trey's guitaring well today. Hoping that keeps up until we get to the part of the show where jams happen.
10/21/16: Oh, good! Sugar Shack will ruin everything I just tweeted about!
10/21/16: Well that was a long Sugar Shack. Next is the Johnny Cash-style version of Things People Do. Trey gets a solo.
10/21/16: Trey just ripped Birds apart, too. Someone give this guy a real jam to dig into.
10/21/16: Ah, yes. Mercury will do nicely.
10/21/16: Trey struggling with this take on Mercury a bit.
10/21/16: Some nice melodic soloing now that we're at the jam section.
10/21/16: Nice Type I outro jam to Mercury.
10/21/16: Let's Go!
10/21/16: The other song I always miss when I listen to Big Boat!
10/21/16: Mike should just write 80% of Phish songs from now on.
10/21/16: You know what two songs of Phish's I really like? Mercury and Let's Go. You know which Phish song I don't like? Alaska.
10/21/16: Alaska.
10/21/16: When I asked her where she's going, she said 'To the bathroom, so I can get back before the next song.'
10/21/16: Trey is really good at Type I tonight. More closing the set.
10/21/16: That version seemed a bit better performed than the debut version.
10/21/16: S2 opens (reliably) with Disease.
10/21/16: Trey's all over the goddamn fretboard during the Type I part. This bodes well.
10/21/16: Trey just switched on the distortion and powered us into Type II.
10/21/16: Neat jam developing that manages to be heavy and spacey at the same time.
10/21/16: Some nasty rock and roll happening here.
10/21/16: This is badass. Also, a woo jam.
10/21/16: I wonder how the guys decided that Fall 2016 was the time to bring back the Woo Jam.
10/21/16: Not complaining, it just seems hilarious.
10/21/16: Guitar looping happening now.
10/21/16: This jam continues to be pretty much the best thing to happen for most of 2016.
10/21/16: I have this crazy theory that I'm going to write about at the end of tour that 2016 was all about letting go of bliss jamming.
10/21/16: This is some goddamn solid evidence for said crazy theory.
10/21/16: This is not a jam the band could have played between '13 and '15.
10/21/15: > Carini.
10/21/16: I love that the totally deranged outro vocals to Carini are now a normal thing.
10/21/16: Letting Carini jam rumble a bit.
10/21/16: Carini jam is getting purty.
10/21/16: That was an exceptionally good bit of jamming. > Winterqueen.
10/21/16: Also, Carini > Winterqueen just amuses me in principle, for some reason.
10/21/16: BUT TRUST ME Y'ALL IT MAKES SENSE THEMATICALLY
10/21/16: Nice back-and-forth between Trey and Page in a typically mellow, jazzy Winterqueen jam.
10/21/16: If you're still on the fence about Winterqueen, that version might win you over.
10/21/16: Ghost is next, back in its old home spot in the second set.
10/21/16: Cat Scratch Fever tease in Ghost jam.
10/21/16: Gorgeous melodic jamming building up to a '15 style peak in this Ghost.
10/21/16: Holy Ghost peaks, Batman.
10/21/16: Smooth fade out of the jam into the Ghost riff to close.
10/21/16: Outro Ghost vocals from Page! That was cool. Possum next.
10/21/16: Judging by Trey's guitar, this is going to be one of those '16-cum-'93 Possums. I hope so.
10/21/16: Great Possum > Slave to close the set.
10/21/16: Extra slow, patient Slave jam. The '93 feel from Possum continues on here.
10/21/16: Trey just ripped up that Loving Cup encore like he hasn't been playing for three hours already.
10/21/16: A great show. No improv in the first set, but a great mix of tunes suffused with greater-than-usual guitar fire.
10/21/16: The second set reminded me of no-filler sets like 7/19. Great stuff. Not a dull moment.
2016-10-19 Ascend Amphitheater II
The Verdict:
10/18 might not be the most musically engaging show, but the Bobby sit-in seems to have set a fire under the band after the fact, at least, because this show is where things really start to take off.
Things never get crazy in the first set, but the band puts together a really engaging set of songs, a strong mix of old and new, and plays just about everything aside from the rocky "Theme" opener to perfection. "The Camel Walk" is especially worth a listen. The middle of the set is one of those songs-from-each-band-member thingies, with "My Sweet One" being the Fish song, "Waking Up Dead" the Mike one, "Halfway" the Page one, and "Running Out of Time" the Trey one. Then there's another rock-funk version of "Tube" that continues that song's 2016 evolution, and "Shine a Light" to close.
The second set is a six-song monster. "Golden Age" hits some heavy, heavy funk space right away before transitioning into a "2001"-style jam...which is, sadly, pretty badly ripcorded. Fortunately, it's for "Tweezer." "Tweezer" has three distinct sections, and they're all great, though there's a general funky theme throughout. Now possessed by the funk spirits, the band rips through a "No Men's" jam and then the second-ever (but first Type II) performance of "Plasma." "Hood" doesn't get funky, of course, but is a '14-style version, goes Type II, stays contemplative for a long, gorgeous time, before peaking within a stop/start Woo! jam. It's worth just hearing. "Suzy" is a nice exclamation point to this amazing set.
The Live Review:
10/19/16: Theme opener.
10/19/16: Gotta say I much prefer this tune as an opener surprise than as a late-second-set 'surprise.'
10/19/16: Man, Trey biffed the transition riff so hard that time he just gave up and started the jam early.
10/19/16: Flub actually leads to an interesting, more mellow Theme jam and transition into the outro.
10/19/16: Camel Walk!
10/19/16: Super-tight, slightly extended Camel Walk. Where did that come from?
10/19/16: My Soul! I like where this set is going so far.
10/19/16: Petrichor. This tune continues to grow on me.
10/19/16: I hope this tune doesn't go the way of TTE.
10/19/16: To be fair, it probably shouldn't be played once every other show forever, but I'd hate to see it go away completely.
10/19/16: Stealing Time breaks up the Songs I Like theme this setlist had going on.
10/19/16: My Sweet One > Waking Up Dead.
10/19/16: This is one of my favorite Big Boat songs live so far.
10/19/16: Also really liking Things People Do, Petrichor and the one Always Wanted It This Way.
10/19/16: Halfway To the Moon, and old-new song, is next.
10/19/16: Wonder if they're doing a four members/four songs thing again. My Sweet One is a Fish song, right?
10/19/16: Trey flirting a bunch with teasing WTU? during the Halfway solo. Not sure if it's on purpose or not.
10/19/16: Yeah, Running Out of Time next. I feel like you can fairly count that as a 'Trey' song.
10/19/16: Performed more or less like it's done on the album. That was nice.
10/19/16: Sometimes it's nice to have a Phish song that doesn't have to end in a huge guitar crescendo.
10/19/16: Anyway, Tube.
10/19/16: Rock/funk hybrid happening here. Trey deploying the echo. Tube renaissance continues.
10/19/16: Shine A Light, probably to close the set.
10/19/16: YOP. End set.
10/19/16: S2 opens with GOLDEN AGE
10/19/16: Quick little solo, then a return to the Golden Age groove. Page to clavinet, Trey with heavy space distortion.
10/19/16: Jam almost sounding like 2001 now.
10/19/16: Whoops, brutal ripcord...for Tweezer.
10/19/16: That's what you call a mixed blessing right there.
10/19/16: Tweezer starts with a plinko-style jam.
10/19/16: Err...not 'starts,' I mean the jam starts that way, not the song.
10/19/16: Sorry, my brain is fried. And not in that one way that's good instead of bad.
10/19/16: Really pretty, contemplative space opening up in Tweezer now.
10/19/16: Neat, almost Latin beat and jam going now.
10/19/16: Super-chunky funk jam now.
10/19/16: Neat breakdown. Quiet funk noodling now.
10/19/16: > No Men.
10/19/16: Excellent Golden Age > Tweezer sequence, even if the transition was a bit rough.
10/19/16: PLASMA!
10/19/16: So happy to hear this make a comeback.
10/19/16: Nice, Latin-infused noodling from Trey in Plasma. Echoing the early Tweezer jam.
10/19/16: Now things getting spacier and more melodic. First Type II Plasma jam by the band?
10/19/16: Return to Plasma riff to close out the song. > Hood.
10/19/16: Loving the start to this Hood jam.
10/19/16: Interesting tension-y bit now.
10/19/16: This Hood might be going the '14 route.
10/19/16: Building up energy now. Trey has brought it near the peak a few times, but pulled off into another direction each time.
10/19/16: Really appreciate the patience.
10/19/16: Definitely a Type II...you know, if you're into those sorts of things.
10/19/16: WOO JAM
10/19/16: Having some serious Hollywood Hood flashbacks here.
10/19/16: IMMEDIATELY OUT OF THE WOO JAM INTO THE OUTRO
10/19/16: HOLY YES
10/19/16: Another WOO JAM
10/19/16: WHAT IS HAPPENING
10/19/16: IS THIS 2013
10/19/16: That was amazing.
10/19/16: Welp, if I wasn't going to Dick's before hearing that Hood, I am now.
10/19/16: > Suzy
10/19/16: Interesting Fish and Page centric Suzy to close the set.
10/19/16: Walls encore.
10/19/16: A little bonus mustard on that Walls. > Tweeprise to close.
10/19/16: Really enjoyed that show.
10/19/16: S1s that aren't standout-good or standout-bad often just come down to the setlist construction: that one was solid and fun.
10/19/16: Second set jammed a lot in the same space (Golden Age, Tweezer, a little No Men, Plasma) but it was a good space.
10/19/16: Strong Hood to finish and an energetic encore. Hard to complain. Much better show than 10/18. Sorry, Bobby.
10/18 might not be the most musically engaging show, but the Bobby sit-in seems to have set a fire under the band after the fact, at least, because this show is where things really start to take off.
Things never get crazy in the first set, but the band puts together a really engaging set of songs, a strong mix of old and new, and plays just about everything aside from the rocky "Theme" opener to perfection. "The Camel Walk" is especially worth a listen. The middle of the set is one of those songs-from-each-band-member thingies, with "My Sweet One" being the Fish song, "Waking Up Dead" the Mike one, "Halfway" the Page one, and "Running Out of Time" the Trey one. Then there's another rock-funk version of "Tube" that continues that song's 2016 evolution, and "Shine a Light" to close.
The second set is a six-song monster. "Golden Age" hits some heavy, heavy funk space right away before transitioning into a "2001"-style jam...which is, sadly, pretty badly ripcorded. Fortunately, it's for "Tweezer." "Tweezer" has three distinct sections, and they're all great, though there's a general funky theme throughout. Now possessed by the funk spirits, the band rips through a "No Men's" jam and then the second-ever (but first Type II) performance of "Plasma." "Hood" doesn't get funky, of course, but is a '14-style version, goes Type II, stays contemplative for a long, gorgeous time, before peaking within a stop/start Woo! jam. It's worth just hearing. "Suzy" is a nice exclamation point to this amazing set.
The Live Review:
10/19/16: Theme opener.
10/19/16: Gotta say I much prefer this tune as an opener surprise than as a late-second-set 'surprise.'
10/19/16: Man, Trey biffed the transition riff so hard that time he just gave up and started the jam early.
10/19/16: Flub actually leads to an interesting, more mellow Theme jam and transition into the outro.
10/19/16: Camel Walk!
10/19/16: Super-tight, slightly extended Camel Walk. Where did that come from?
10/19/16: My Soul! I like where this set is going so far.
10/19/16: Petrichor. This tune continues to grow on me.
10/19/16: I hope this tune doesn't go the way of TTE.
10/19/16: To be fair, it probably shouldn't be played once every other show forever, but I'd hate to see it go away completely.
10/19/16: Stealing Time breaks up the Songs I Like theme this setlist had going on.
10/19/16: My Sweet One > Waking Up Dead.
10/19/16: This is one of my favorite Big Boat songs live so far.
10/19/16: Also really liking Things People Do, Petrichor and the one Always Wanted It This Way.
10/19/16: Halfway To the Moon, and old-new song, is next.
10/19/16: Wonder if they're doing a four members/four songs thing again. My Sweet One is a Fish song, right?
10/19/16: Trey flirting a bunch with teasing WTU? during the Halfway solo. Not sure if it's on purpose or not.
10/19/16: Yeah, Running Out of Time next. I feel like you can fairly count that as a 'Trey' song.
10/19/16: Performed more or less like it's done on the album. That was nice.
10/19/16: Sometimes it's nice to have a Phish song that doesn't have to end in a huge guitar crescendo.
10/19/16: Anyway, Tube.
10/19/16: Rock/funk hybrid happening here. Trey deploying the echo. Tube renaissance continues.
10/19/16: Shine A Light, probably to close the set.
10/19/16: YOP. End set.
10/19/16: S2 opens with GOLDEN AGE
10/19/16: Quick little solo, then a return to the Golden Age groove. Page to clavinet, Trey with heavy space distortion.
10/19/16: Jam almost sounding like 2001 now.
10/19/16: Whoops, brutal ripcord...for Tweezer.
10/19/16: That's what you call a mixed blessing right there.
10/19/16: Tweezer starts with a plinko-style jam.
10/19/16: Err...not 'starts,' I mean the jam starts that way, not the song.
10/19/16: Sorry, my brain is fried. And not in that one way that's good instead of bad.
10/19/16: Really pretty, contemplative space opening up in Tweezer now.
10/19/16: Neat, almost Latin beat and jam going now.
10/19/16: Super-chunky funk jam now.
10/19/16: Neat breakdown. Quiet funk noodling now.
10/19/16: > No Men.
10/19/16: Excellent Golden Age > Tweezer sequence, even if the transition was a bit rough.
10/19/16: PLASMA!
10/19/16: So happy to hear this make a comeback.
10/19/16: Nice, Latin-infused noodling from Trey in Plasma. Echoing the early Tweezer jam.
10/19/16: Now things getting spacier and more melodic. First Type II Plasma jam by the band?
10/19/16: Return to Plasma riff to close out the song. > Hood.
10/19/16: Loving the start to this Hood jam.
10/19/16: Interesting tension-y bit now.
10/19/16: This Hood might be going the '14 route.
10/19/16: Building up energy now. Trey has brought it near the peak a few times, but pulled off into another direction each time.
10/19/16: Really appreciate the patience.
10/19/16: Definitely a Type II...you know, if you're into those sorts of things.
10/19/16: WOO JAM
10/19/16: Having some serious Hollywood Hood flashbacks here.
10/19/16: IMMEDIATELY OUT OF THE WOO JAM INTO THE OUTRO
10/19/16: HOLY YES
10/19/16: Another WOO JAM
10/19/16: WHAT IS HAPPENING
10/19/16: IS THIS 2013
10/19/16: That was amazing.
10/19/16: Welp, if I wasn't going to Dick's before hearing that Hood, I am now.
10/19/16: > Suzy
10/19/16: Interesting Fish and Page centric Suzy to close the set.
10/19/16: Walls encore.
10/19/16: A little bonus mustard on that Walls. > Tweeprise to close.
10/19/16: Really enjoyed that show.
10/19/16: S1s that aren't standout-good or standout-bad often just come down to the setlist construction: that one was solid and fun.
10/19/16: Second set jammed a lot in the same space (Golden Age, Tweezer, a little No Men, Plasma) but it was a good space.
10/19/16: Strong Hood to finish and an energetic encore. Hard to complain. Much better show than 10/18. Sorry, Bobby.
2016-10-18 Ascend Amphitheater I
The Verdict:
Of course, the big news of this show is the Bobby sit-in. And, really, that's the only news. The first set both really disorganized and lacking in points of interest. Things don't really get going until "Ghost," and even that, even by the standards of first-set "Ghosts" in 3.0, is pretty plain. "Sand" is an isolated bright spot, "Limb By Limb" features some solid Trey and Page interplay, and "2001" doesn't reinvent the wheel, but continues to develop the tune in interesting ways as has been the case throughout most of 2016.
The first third of set two is just a plain bit of music serving as a lead-in for Bobby's bit. I really like the sit-in for its historic value, but, honestly, it takes things awhile to get going. Trey and Bobby don't really gel that well on "Samson and Delilah," and though there are bright spots in "Twist," it's a long version that has as many awkward moments as good ones. "Miss You" with Bobby on vocals is...interesting, though the emotional impact is blunted a bit by the fact that Bobby, not unlike Trey in many ballad situations, can't remember the words. "West LA Fadeaway" is a stronger tune, but doesn't really get built out in any interesting way. It's really "Playin' in the Band" where everyone finally figures out how to work together best, and it's a fantastic twelve minutes. The "Quinn" encore comes too soon afterward.
The Live Review:
10/18/16: CDT opener.
10/18/16: That might just be the least energetic CDT I've ever heard. Hope it's not a sign of things to come.
10/18/16: Ascend Amphitheater sounds empty.
10/18/16: I mean, I know Bob Weir comes out for the second set, so that's nice.
10/18/16: Blaze On sounds like a sleepwalk, too. Maybe it's just the mix?
10/18/16: Going early with Ghost again.
10/18/16: Working off the lethargy here in this version of Ghost.
10/18/16: Compact, Type I Ghost. But at least it sounds like everyone is awake now. Lawn Boy next.
10/18/16: Halley's Comet > Sand
10/18/16: Damn, this Sand is nuts.
10/18/16: *insert fire emoticon here*
10/18/16: Well that was a nice bright spot in a slow set.
10/18/16: Tide Turns. Really following up on that energy, there.
10/18/16: Each band member was playing a different version of the song there for a minute.
10/18/16: That Tide Turns was...clunky.
10/18/16: 46 Days next.
10/18/16: Dick's announced mid-46 Days. That was fun.
10/18/16: Breath and Burning next. This reminds me of 10/15, energy-wise. Who's writing these setlists?! I have rock blue balls.
10/18/16: Breath and Burning played at half-speed. You know, because it's such a corker as-is.
10/18/16: Limb By Limb gets things going again. Again.
10/18/16: Nice Trey/Page interplay on this Limb By Limb jam.
10/18/16: Cavern.
10/18/16: > 2001. That was unexpected. This set is weird.
10/18/16: Phish going to town on this 2001.
10/18/16: A little bit of melodic jamming from Trey inside of 2001 now. This is neat.
10/18/16: Nevermind, that got normal quick. End set.
10/18/16: I'm surprised how normal that set was, considering the setlist.
10/18/16: CDT, Blaze On, Ghost, Sand, 46 Days, Limb By Limb and 2001 ALL IN THE FIRST SET and literally no legit interesting music.
10/18/16: Check out the Sand, though. It's fun.
10/18/16: Julius opens the second set. Bobby better come out before the inevitable Julius, Character Zero, Joy > Wading > Miss You sequence.
10/18/16: Just because of that tweet, I bet they'll play a full ballad set at Dick's.
10/18/16: I'm a bad person.
10/18/16: Neat little stretch of Trey solo in that Julius, I'll admit. Fuego next.
10/18/16: Straightforward Fuego > MFMF. Clearly just biding time until Bobby sit-in.
10/18/16: Bob Weir just walked out on stage and the crowd noise is on par with the Colorado 88 shows.
10/18/16: Was Nashville just really empty or something?
10/18/16: Samson and Delilah. Loving the two-guitar sound.
10/18/16: Twist next. Loving the Twist intro with Bobby's licks in there.
10/18/16: Slow-building Twist jam so far, with some great, somewhat tension-y guitar interplay.
10/18/16: Jam taking a turn for the 2015.
10/18/16: Trey trilling along while Bobby lays down some weird shit.
10/18/16: Neat, deconstructed section now. Reminds me of Undermind, a bit.
10/18/16: Bluesy section now.
10/18/16: Whole thing is a little chaotic, and held together by the rhythm section.
10/18/16: Reminded me a bit of something from the Victor Disc, honestly.
10/18/16: Like Bobby's vocals on Miss You, but am not sure why they're playing it in the same key Trey sings it in.
10/18/16: Is it bad that I'm amused by the notion of Trey having to deal with someone else's lyrical flubs?
10/18/16: West LA Fadeaway.
10/18/16: Bobby and Trey trading verses.
10/18/16: Playin' In the Band
10/18/16: Guitars finally jelling well here. Sounds like a legit Phish jam with Bobby joining in.
10/18/16: This is great.
10/18/16: Quinn encore. That's fun.
10/18/16: Overall, this was easily the least interesting and engaging show of the fall tour so far...except for the mini-set with Bobby.
10/18/16: That was a neat novelty back-to-front, with Playin' as a legitimate musical highlight.
Of course, the big news of this show is the Bobby sit-in. And, really, that's the only news. The first set both really disorganized and lacking in points of interest. Things don't really get going until "Ghost," and even that, even by the standards of first-set "Ghosts" in 3.0, is pretty plain. "Sand" is an isolated bright spot, "Limb By Limb" features some solid Trey and Page interplay, and "2001" doesn't reinvent the wheel, but continues to develop the tune in interesting ways as has been the case throughout most of 2016.
The first third of set two is just a plain bit of music serving as a lead-in for Bobby's bit. I really like the sit-in for its historic value, but, honestly, it takes things awhile to get going. Trey and Bobby don't really gel that well on "Samson and Delilah," and though there are bright spots in "Twist," it's a long version that has as many awkward moments as good ones. "Miss You" with Bobby on vocals is...interesting, though the emotional impact is blunted a bit by the fact that Bobby, not unlike Trey in many ballad situations, can't remember the words. "West LA Fadeaway" is a stronger tune, but doesn't really get built out in any interesting way. It's really "Playin' in the Band" where everyone finally figures out how to work together best, and it's a fantastic twelve minutes. The "Quinn" encore comes too soon afterward.
The Live Review:
10/18/16: CDT opener.
10/18/16: That might just be the least energetic CDT I've ever heard. Hope it's not a sign of things to come.
10/18/16: Ascend Amphitheater sounds empty.
10/18/16: I mean, I know Bob Weir comes out for the second set, so that's nice.
10/18/16: Blaze On sounds like a sleepwalk, too. Maybe it's just the mix?
10/18/16: Going early with Ghost again.
10/18/16: Working off the lethargy here in this version of Ghost.
10/18/16: Compact, Type I Ghost. But at least it sounds like everyone is awake now. Lawn Boy next.
10/18/16: Halley's Comet > Sand
10/18/16: Damn, this Sand is nuts.
10/18/16: *insert fire emoticon here*
10/18/16: Well that was a nice bright spot in a slow set.
10/18/16: Tide Turns. Really following up on that energy, there.
10/18/16: Each band member was playing a different version of the song there for a minute.
10/18/16: That Tide Turns was...clunky.
10/18/16: 46 Days next.
10/18/16: Dick's announced mid-46 Days. That was fun.
10/18/16: Breath and Burning next. This reminds me of 10/15, energy-wise. Who's writing these setlists?! I have rock blue balls.
10/18/16: Breath and Burning played at half-speed. You know, because it's such a corker as-is.
10/18/16: Limb By Limb gets things going again. Again.
10/18/16: Nice Trey/Page interplay on this Limb By Limb jam.
10/18/16: Cavern.
10/18/16: > 2001. That was unexpected. This set is weird.
10/18/16: Phish going to town on this 2001.
10/18/16: A little bit of melodic jamming from Trey inside of 2001 now. This is neat.
10/18/16: Nevermind, that got normal quick. End set.
10/18/16: I'm surprised how normal that set was, considering the setlist.
10/18/16: CDT, Blaze On, Ghost, Sand, 46 Days, Limb By Limb and 2001 ALL IN THE FIRST SET and literally no legit interesting music.
10/18/16: Check out the Sand, though. It's fun.
10/18/16: Julius opens the second set. Bobby better come out before the inevitable Julius, Character Zero, Joy > Wading > Miss You sequence.
10/18/16: Just because of that tweet, I bet they'll play a full ballad set at Dick's.
10/18/16: I'm a bad person.
10/18/16: Neat little stretch of Trey solo in that Julius, I'll admit. Fuego next.
10/18/16: Straightforward Fuego > MFMF. Clearly just biding time until Bobby sit-in.
10/18/16: Bob Weir just walked out on stage and the crowd noise is on par with the Colorado 88 shows.
10/18/16: Was Nashville just really empty or something?
10/18/16: Samson and Delilah. Loving the two-guitar sound.
10/18/16: Twist next. Loving the Twist intro with Bobby's licks in there.
10/18/16: Slow-building Twist jam so far, with some great, somewhat tension-y guitar interplay.
10/18/16: Jam taking a turn for the 2015.
10/18/16: Trey trilling along while Bobby lays down some weird shit.
10/18/16: Neat, deconstructed section now. Reminds me of Undermind, a bit.
10/18/16: Bluesy section now.
10/18/16: Whole thing is a little chaotic, and held together by the rhythm section.
10/18/16: Reminded me a bit of something from the Victor Disc, honestly.
10/18/16: Like Bobby's vocals on Miss You, but am not sure why they're playing it in the same key Trey sings it in.
10/18/16: Is it bad that I'm amused by the notion of Trey having to deal with someone else's lyrical flubs?
10/18/16: West LA Fadeaway.
10/18/16: Bobby and Trey trading verses.
10/18/16: Playin' In the Band
10/18/16: Guitars finally jelling well here. Sounds like a legit Phish jam with Bobby joining in.
10/18/16: This is great.
10/18/16: Quinn encore. That's fun.
10/18/16: Overall, this was easily the least interesting and engaging show of the fall tour so far...except for the mini-set with Bobby.
10/18/16: That was a neat novelty back-to-front, with Playin' as a legitimate musical highlight.
2016-10-16 Jacksonville Memorial Arena
The Verdict:
After the first two shows of fall felt like the band gathering momentum to build on the excellent Dick's run throughout the rest of this tour, the solo Florida show feels like a step back.
The opening set features some great playing from Trey and Page especially, but there's no improv and the setlist is about as rote as they come aside from a surprise "Nellie Kane" and the second-ever "Petrichor."
The second set opens in relatively uninspiring fashion, with an uptempo but Type I-only "Crosseyed" and then a standard "Steam"; however, things finally get interesting with "Piper." It's a hugely extended version, and even though it's not the most cohesive or consistent jam ever, it's great to hear the band stretching a bit in the midst of an otherwise standard show. There's a blissy chording section, a dissonant section, a start/stop jam, a rock-out that recalls The Who, and, finally a reprise of sorts of the 7/18 "Sally" jam...and it's all pretty great.
Aside from a shout-out to Lyrnyrd Skynyrd during the encore which leads to a rare "Curtis Loew," the rest of the set goes the way of the first set.
The Live Review:
10/16/16: Ah, KDF opener.
10/16/16: Nice, melodic solo from Trey here, despite my complaining.
10/16/16: Sorry for duplicate tweets, if there are any. Work internet is being shitty again.
10/16/16: > Moma Dance.
10/16/16: Trey sounding extra feisty during this Moma.
10/16/16: Great playing from Trey on BOTT, too. I wish they'd play an interesting song while he is on fire.
10/16/16: Undermind next. Maybe this will get pleasantly weird.
10/16/16: Undermind was a pretty typical Trey-echo showcase. Page got in a few great licks on the organ, though.
10/16/16: The always-welcome Nellie Kane is next.
10/16/16: Stash is next, and is a pretty standard version. However, there were again some seriously great piano bits from Page.
10/16/16: Petrichor.
10/16/16: The Phish version of this tune is growing on me the more I hear it.
10/16/16: I STILL LIKE MERCURY BETTER THOUGH
10/16/16: Late-first-set Mike's Song. That's an interesting choice.
10/16/16: Quick Mike's > Bouncin'.
10/16/16: > Groove. Trouble with my downloaded recording with this track...jumping to https://t.co/1gGM7wzn0C to play it.
10/16/16: End set after a standard Groove.
10/16/16: S2 opens with Crosseyed. That's encouraging.
10/16/16: Pretty straightforward set one, with little of the novelty or jamming fire from 10/14 S1 and 10/15 S1.
10/16/16: Hoping things will open up in the second set.
10/16/16: Uptempo version compared to the other recent versions.
10/16/16: Fast-paced Type I jam and then some high, strange loops from Trey's guitar pushes the jam into a weirder space.
10/16/16: This is neat, but feels more like a holding pattern than a proper jam.
10/16/16: > Steam
10/16/16: Pretty standard Steam outro jam, but Trey is leaving a creepy-sounding loop on in the background, so that's neat.
10/16/16: 'Still waiting' riff teasing from Trey.
10/16/16: Fairly smooth segue into Piper.
10/16/16: Nice, uplifting progression from Trey to kick this Piper jam into gear.
10/16/16: Things getting more dissonant now. Trey almost playing the intro Ghost riff.
10/16/16: Page playing electric piano around it.
10/16/16: Stop/start thing going on now. Crowd isn't wooing because they're lazy and they suck.
10/16/16: Way to go, FLORIDA
10/16/16: Momentum building back up now with a very The Who-like jam.
10/16/16: Synth chords from Page now.
10/16/16: Maybe a little of that I Always Wanted It influence working its way in there?
10/16/16: Jumpin' Jack Flash-style jam like the 7/18 Sally, explodes into a peak with 'Still waiting' teases.
10/16/16: More weird looping now after a huge rock and roll peak.
10/16/16: Well, that jam wasn't nearly the best or most cohesive of the year, but it's the first time in awhile that they band has...
10/16/16: ...played an extended jam that developed some legit ideas slowly without relying on instrument switching.
10/16/16: > Wingsuit.
10/16/16: Weird placement for Sparkle, but I always like hearing this tune anyway.
10/16/16: The Wedge next. I think we might have gotten sucked into a first-set wormhole.
10/16/16: Wading
10/16/16: Just heard a guy, on the SBD, cheer 'Yeeeeah!' at the end of The Wedge, then exclaim 'Aw, fuck! Seriously?!' as Wading started.
10/16/16: Antelope looks like it's going to close up the set and a very...umm...lackluster fourth quarter.
10/16/16: End set.
10/16/16: Trey talks briefly about Lynyrd Skynyrd before starting the encore. Curtis Loew, of course.
10/16/16: > Zero.
10/16/16: End show. Pretty straightforward first set, though Petrichor was pretty. Second set really only Went There with Piper.
10/16/16: Most rote show since LA Forum, though it certainly wasn't THAT bad :)
10/16/16: Next show is the Weir show, though, so that'll be fun.
After the first two shows of fall felt like the band gathering momentum to build on the excellent Dick's run throughout the rest of this tour, the solo Florida show feels like a step back.
The opening set features some great playing from Trey and Page especially, but there's no improv and the setlist is about as rote as they come aside from a surprise "Nellie Kane" and the second-ever "Petrichor."
The second set opens in relatively uninspiring fashion, with an uptempo but Type I-only "Crosseyed" and then a standard "Steam"; however, things finally get interesting with "Piper." It's a hugely extended version, and even though it's not the most cohesive or consistent jam ever, it's great to hear the band stretching a bit in the midst of an otherwise standard show. There's a blissy chording section, a dissonant section, a start/stop jam, a rock-out that recalls The Who, and, finally a reprise of sorts of the 7/18 "Sally" jam...and it's all pretty great.
Aside from a shout-out to Lyrnyrd Skynyrd during the encore which leads to a rare "Curtis Loew," the rest of the set goes the way of the first set.
The Live Review:
10/16/16: Ah, KDF opener.
10/16/16: Nice, melodic solo from Trey here, despite my complaining.
10/16/16: Sorry for duplicate tweets, if there are any. Work internet is being shitty again.
10/16/16: > Moma Dance.
10/16/16: Trey sounding extra feisty during this Moma.
10/16/16: Great playing from Trey on BOTT, too. I wish they'd play an interesting song while he is on fire.
10/16/16: Undermind next. Maybe this will get pleasantly weird.
10/16/16: Undermind was a pretty typical Trey-echo showcase. Page got in a few great licks on the organ, though.
10/16/16: The always-welcome Nellie Kane is next.
10/16/16: Stash is next, and is a pretty standard version. However, there were again some seriously great piano bits from Page.
10/16/16: Petrichor.
10/16/16: The Phish version of this tune is growing on me the more I hear it.
10/16/16: I STILL LIKE MERCURY BETTER THOUGH
10/16/16: Late-first-set Mike's Song. That's an interesting choice.
10/16/16: Quick Mike's > Bouncin'.
10/16/16: > Groove. Trouble with my downloaded recording with this track...jumping to https://t.co/1gGM7wzn0C to play it.
10/16/16: End set after a standard Groove.
10/16/16: S2 opens with Crosseyed. That's encouraging.
10/16/16: Pretty straightforward set one, with little of the novelty or jamming fire from 10/14 S1 and 10/15 S1.
10/16/16: Hoping things will open up in the second set.
10/16/16: Uptempo version compared to the other recent versions.
10/16/16: Fast-paced Type I jam and then some high, strange loops from Trey's guitar pushes the jam into a weirder space.
10/16/16: This is neat, but feels more like a holding pattern than a proper jam.
10/16/16: > Steam
10/16/16: Pretty standard Steam outro jam, but Trey is leaving a creepy-sounding loop on in the background, so that's neat.
10/16/16: 'Still waiting' riff teasing from Trey.
10/16/16: Fairly smooth segue into Piper.
10/16/16: Nice, uplifting progression from Trey to kick this Piper jam into gear.
10/16/16: Things getting more dissonant now. Trey almost playing the intro Ghost riff.
10/16/16: Page playing electric piano around it.
10/16/16: Stop/start thing going on now. Crowd isn't wooing because they're lazy and they suck.
10/16/16: Way to go, FLORIDA
10/16/16: Momentum building back up now with a very The Who-like jam.
10/16/16: Synth chords from Page now.
10/16/16: Maybe a little of that I Always Wanted It influence working its way in there?
10/16/16: Jumpin' Jack Flash-style jam like the 7/18 Sally, explodes into a peak with 'Still waiting' teases.
10/16/16: More weird looping now after a huge rock and roll peak.
10/16/16: Well, that jam wasn't nearly the best or most cohesive of the year, but it's the first time in awhile that they band has...
10/16/16: ...played an extended jam that developed some legit ideas slowly without relying on instrument switching.
10/16/16: > Wingsuit.
10/16/16: Weird placement for Sparkle, but I always like hearing this tune anyway.
10/16/16: The Wedge next. I think we might have gotten sucked into a first-set wormhole.
10/16/16: Wading
10/16/16: Just heard a guy, on the SBD, cheer 'Yeeeeah!' at the end of The Wedge, then exclaim 'Aw, fuck! Seriously?!' as Wading started.
10/16/16: Antelope looks like it's going to close up the set and a very...umm...lackluster fourth quarter.
10/16/16: End set.
10/16/16: Trey talks briefly about Lynyrd Skynyrd before starting the encore. Curtis Loew, of course.
10/16/16: > Zero.
10/16/16: End show. Pretty straightforward first set, though Petrichor was pretty. Second set really only Went There with Piper.
10/16/16: Most rote show since LA Forum, though it certainly wasn't THAT bad :)
10/16/16: Next show is the Weir show, though, so that'll be fun.
Mar 25, 2017
Chris Robinson Brotherhood: 2016-12-03 Portland, OR
The Live Review:
12/03/16: Lazy Days (The Byrds) opener. It's opened two of the three shows I've seen.
12/03/16: Leave it to Adam to lay down a baroque organ solo during a Byrds cover.
12/03/16: Leave My Guitar Alone in the two-slot. Love Neal's tone during the outro on this tune.
12/03/16: Forever As the Moon next. One of my favorite songs. Always great to hear.
12/03/16: Great harmonies from Neal.
12/03/16: Song is a bit different w/o Adam's piano parts, but here's one of my favorite versions w/ just a duet: https://t.co/ZoC6UF2GjJ
12/03/16: Precious, Precious is the next tune. Digging the sort of doo-wop sound so far w/ this and LMGA.
12/03/16: Also, Chris's voice on this is just great.
12/03/16: Adam isn't getting the spotlight much yet tonight, but he's using it when he gets the opportunity. Pitch-shifting ftw.
12/03/16: Love Star Or Stone, too. It's the perfect synthesis of a great ballad and a great jam tune.
12/03/16: Damn, what a beautiful vocal breakdown halfway through the tune.
12/03/16: Sure, a lot of CRB's jams are framed, 'Type I'-style jams, but that doesn't make them less gorgeous.
12/03/16: Two guitar attack here is awesome.
12/03/16: Damn. Great jam there.
12/03/16: Little Lizzie Mae next after that monster Star Or Stone.
12/03/16: Chris attacking this song vocally.
12/03/16: Some vocal improv from Chris now.
12/03/16: Tension-filled jam. Adam driving.
12/03/16: Really like listening to Tony play in jams like this. He's super elastic. Reminds me of Fishman sometimes.
12/03/16: Chris and Adam building a wall of guitar licks around Adam's piano.
12/03/16: Mellowing out again now.
12/03/16: Wind down to the jam > California Hymn
12/03/16: Out of the song proper with a Magnolia Mountain-esque riff from Neal.
12/03/16: Tony helping build the foundation for a great guitar tornado here.
12/03/16: Post-guitar storm, Adam leads the way on keys to a really jazzy-sounding space.
12/03/16: Back to jamming on Neal's riff to fade out.
12/03/16: > Hard To Handle.
12/03/16: Little clav-based jam in the middle of the song.
12/03/16: Some Phish-style funk developing here.
12/03/16: That is, if Page soloed by playing the clav in super-weird scales all the time.
12/03/16: Some more vocal improv/scat from Chris.
12/03/16: Love what's happening at the moment. It's as if Neal and Adam are playing two complimentary but different jams.
12/03/16: Neal taking over now.
12/03/16: Four-chord jam now.
12/03/16: Synth solo overlaid.
12/03/16: Now THAT'S how you end a set.
12/03/16: Second set opens with New Cannonball Rag.
12/03/16: Great lead-in to a solo from Neal to start off the Cannonball jam.
12/03/16: Great, spiraling guitar jam gives way to arpeggios from Adam on piano.
12/03/16: Tony speeds things back up to a shuffle, and then -> Tomorrow's Blues.
12/03/16: Lots of pitch-shifted synth from Adam on this jam.
12/03/16: Huge solo from Adam in the middle of Saturday Night in Oak Grove, LA.
12/03/16: Appaloosa cooling things down in the ballad slot.
12/03/16: Love Neal's guitar runs during the breakdown in this song.
12/03/16: Great little building outro jam in Appaloosa. Ain't It Hard But Fair is next.
12/03/16: Was not a huge fan of this one as an album track, but it's really grown on me live.
12/03/16: Vocal jam time!
12/03/16: It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
12/03/16: Neal taking this version into space with a huge guitar solo.
12/03/16: Narcissus Soaking Wet next. Nice one-two punch.
12/03/16: Love when the bass/piano riff comes out of the noise-murk to start this song.
12/03/16: Rosalee!
12/03/16: Drawn out vocal breakdown in Rosalee.
12/03/16: > Magic Carpet Ride
12/03/16: Neat double-time jam in the middle of Magic Carpet Ride.
12/03/16: Evil, rumbling noise jam now.
12/03/16: > Rosalee
12/03/16: Rosalee > Magic Carpet Ride > Rosalee segment was 18 minutes.
12/03/16: After Midnight encore.
12/03/16: Love the clav/guitar riff this cover is built around.
12/03/16: Neal and Adam trading solos one last time.
12/03/16: Great show with an AWESOME setlist.
12/03/16: Star Or Stone was just gorgeous, Lizzie Mae > Hymn was a great jamming sequence.
12/03/16: Rosalee > Magic Carpet Ride > Rosalee was a great exclamation point.
12/03/16: Not as much loose jamming as the other shows of theirs I've seen, but fantastic energy throughout and A++ setlist.
Mar 17, 2017
2016-10-15 North Charleston Coliseum II
The Verdict:
After comparing 10/14 show to my dear Eugene '14 fall tour opener, it's tempting to compare this less-stellar outing to the band's 10/18/14 snoozefest in Seattle. However, after a full listen, I think it deserve a bit more consideration than that. A bit.
The problem here is the setlist flow. There's just as many interesting bits of improvisation and just as high a level of energy (for most of the show) here as there was during the previous night's show, but the band inserts not just "Let Me Lie" but also "Miss You" and "Joy" into the proceedings, each at a critical high-energy juncture of the show. Not only is it just generally a bummer to get "Miss You" and "Joy" in one second set, Trey badly biffs on them both.
As a full disclosure, I actually really enjoy all three of these songs. "Miss You"'s lyrics are clearly heartfelt, "Let Me Lie" expresses a sentiment I wish I could write about better in my own songs, and while "Joy" is a little too schmaltzy even for me, I imagine if I had kids myself I'd feel differently. Phish writes lots of ballads, and to have one or two show up in a setlist shouldn't be cause for immediately disliking a full show. However, here it's not just that three of them are played, it's where in the show they come up: following a high-energy run of songs in the first set, segueing out of an excellent Type II jam in the second set, and following a high energy "Sand" as the penultimate tune of the show. Put other songs in those slots and this show rivals 10/14 in awesomeness.
Anyway, the first set (minus the "Let Me Lie" miscue) is strong, and shows more new songs getting integrated into the repertoire. After a surprise one-two punch of "Blaze On" and "WTU?", the band lays out a "Waking Up Dead" > "Timber (Jerry)", "Things People Do" sequence that makes the new songs feel like they've always been there. "Lengthwise" serves as an introduction to a hot "Maze," and the combination of first-set versions of "Carini" and "Wolfman's" round out the set.
The second set opens with the second "Mercury" of the year, which gets extended into a long but straightforward Type I jam. "Twist" starts off following the same path most versions have this year (albeit with "WTU?" teases) before speeding up and shifting gears into a Type II space. This doesn't last long, unfortunately, but it does set up a smooth segue into "I Always Wanted It This Way," which is (get this) the jam of the show.
Your mileage may vary, but for my money, the synth-based jamming out of this song is one of the most different things Phish has done in a long time. Sure, there have been a ton of great, deep jams in the last few years, but this is one of the very few soundscapes they've created where they don't even sound like Phish. If I walked into the room in the middle of this jam, I wouldn't be able to identify it as a Phish jam right away. And I think that's worth noting. I wouldn't say it's the best jam they've played since X or Y, but it's definitely unique. It reminds me a bit of the "Shipwrecked" "Disease" they played in Mexico in 2016, if that helps.
Anyway, as reported, "Miss You" kills the vibe after this jam, and the only real recovery for the rest of the set comes in a strong, almost-disco "Sand" near the very end of the set.
But hey, in the middle of '16 summer tour, this show would have been news. And that means it's not phenomenal, but it's still pretty great.
The Live Review:
10/15/16: Blaze On opener for Charleston N2.
10/15/16: A really oddly placed (but welcome!) WTU? is next.
10/15/16: Odd to hear it standing alone, this early in a show, and not after Disease.
10/15/16: WTU is quickly becoming one of my favorite Phish songs. I love how deliberate they are. Wish that translated into jams more often.
10/15/16: This is the loud/soft/loud '16-style WTU, by the way.
10/15/16: Martian Monster!
10/15/16: Echoplex jamming.
10/15/16: Short take on Martian Monster. Devotion next.
10/15/16: Waking Up Dead! I love this song.
10/15/16: Angry guitar jam forming after Waking Up Dead lyrics. Really awesome.
10/15/16: Different style segue into the bridge lyrics than the version on the studio album.
10/15/16: Timber! Liking this setlist a lot so far. No big-time jam numbers, but a great mix of mostly newer songs.
10/15/16: Band sounding locked in so far.
10/15/16: Things People Do! Unlike the last version, which was a faster bluegrass style, this is played at what I would describe...
10/15/16: ...as a Johnny-Cash tempo.
10/15/16: Okay, so Let Me Lie is a weird choice. As usual.
10/15/16: This might be the Phishiest arrangement of the tune they've played yet, though.
10/15/16: Sort of a Farmhouse vibe this time around.
10/15/16: Lengthwise!!
10/15/16: -> Maze. Lengthwise should be obligatory before every Maze.
10/15/16: Or how about Lengthwise (w/ Ass Handed vocals)? That would be fun.
10/15/16: Maze jam starts with a staccato organ jam of Page that's a little different than usual, but then builds to its usual boil.
10/15/16: Ass Handed! It's like Fishman read my mind...which is honestly sort of disturbing.
10/15/16: Carini next! When was the last first-set Carini?
10/15/16: Nice brief but loud take on Carini.
10/15/16: A straightforward Wolfman's brings an end to a really enjoyable first set.
10/15/16: Mercury opens set 2!
10/15/16: Another one of my favorite sets of Phish lyrics in this tune.
10/15/16: Nice little Type I outro jam from Mercury. Smooth move into Twist.
10/15/16: WTU teasing going on in Twist. Neat!
10/15/16: I've liked the direction of all the Type I Twists this year, but this tune needs to get shaken up a bit.
10/15/16: Neat, fast-time chording jam now. I think we're officially Type II.
10/15/16: Page doing some really interesting stuff on the electric piano.
10/15/16: -> I've Always Wanted It That Way! That was a great segue.
10/15/16: I love this synth jam. It might immediately be the most legitimately new and interesting thing Phish has done in 3.0.
10/15/16: Not the *best* thing, mind you, but actually new and interesting.
10/15/16: The only other tune I've really felt that way about was the 'Shipwreck' Disease during the first Mexico run.
10/15/16: Incidentally, when this song isn't mixed like garbage (like on BB), it's actually a good song, too.
10/15/16: Now more-standard Trey soloing, but with Page's synth underneath.
10/15/16: Segue into Miss You. Weird choice again. Especially since Trey can't remember the words.
10/15/16: I actually like both Let Me Lie and Miss You as songs, but both in one show is a little much.
10/15/16: Also the placement in both cases was just rough, after a run of high-energy songs.
10/15/16: Fuego will (maybe) get us back on track here.
10/15/16: Pretty straightforward Fuego, but a nice -> Sand.
10/15/16: Nice disco-style riff from Trey.
10/15/16: Great Sand.
10/15/16: Joy. This has largely been a good show, but Trey seems hell-bent on killing momentum every time the band builds it.
10/15/16: It's extra off-putting when Trey can't remember how to play or sing Miss You or Joy.
10/15/16: Please choose to biff, say, sixty whole seconds of The Curtain With instead next time :)
10/15/16: Possum set closer? Interesting choice. If they rip it like they've been doing lately, it'll be a good choice :)
10/15/16: Yes! Tension-y stuff happening here in Possum.
10/15/16: End set 2.
10/15/16: GTBT closer!
10/15/16: Definitely a better show than the reviews indicate. A few odd setlist choices, but otherwise a great opening frame...
10/15/16: Complemented by a strong '16-style second set (no big jams, but lots of interesting playing and smooth segues).
After comparing 10/14 show to my dear Eugene '14 fall tour opener, it's tempting to compare this less-stellar outing to the band's 10/18/14 snoozefest in Seattle. However, after a full listen, I think it deserve a bit more consideration than that. A bit.
The problem here is the setlist flow. There's just as many interesting bits of improvisation and just as high a level of energy (for most of the show) here as there was during the previous night's show, but the band inserts not just "Let Me Lie" but also "Miss You" and "Joy" into the proceedings, each at a critical high-energy juncture of the show. Not only is it just generally a bummer to get "Miss You" and "Joy" in one second set, Trey badly biffs on them both.
As a full disclosure, I actually really enjoy all three of these songs. "Miss You"'s lyrics are clearly heartfelt, "Let Me Lie" expresses a sentiment I wish I could write about better in my own songs, and while "Joy" is a little too schmaltzy even for me, I imagine if I had kids myself I'd feel differently. Phish writes lots of ballads, and to have one or two show up in a setlist shouldn't be cause for immediately disliking a full show. However, here it's not just that three of them are played, it's where in the show they come up: following a high-energy run of songs in the first set, segueing out of an excellent Type II jam in the second set, and following a high energy "Sand" as the penultimate tune of the show. Put other songs in those slots and this show rivals 10/14 in awesomeness.
Anyway, the first set (minus the "Let Me Lie" miscue) is strong, and shows more new songs getting integrated into the repertoire. After a surprise one-two punch of "Blaze On" and "WTU?", the band lays out a "Waking Up Dead" > "Timber (Jerry)", "Things People Do" sequence that makes the new songs feel like they've always been there. "Lengthwise" serves as an introduction to a hot "Maze," and the combination of first-set versions of "Carini" and "Wolfman's" round out the set.
The second set opens with the second "Mercury" of the year, which gets extended into a long but straightforward Type I jam. "Twist" starts off following the same path most versions have this year (albeit with "WTU?" teases) before speeding up and shifting gears into a Type II space. This doesn't last long, unfortunately, but it does set up a smooth segue into "I Always Wanted It This Way," which is (get this) the jam of the show.
Your mileage may vary, but for my money, the synth-based jamming out of this song is one of the most different things Phish has done in a long time. Sure, there have been a ton of great, deep jams in the last few years, but this is one of the very few soundscapes they've created where they don't even sound like Phish. If I walked into the room in the middle of this jam, I wouldn't be able to identify it as a Phish jam right away. And I think that's worth noting. I wouldn't say it's the best jam they've played since X or Y, but it's definitely unique. It reminds me a bit of the "Shipwrecked" "Disease" they played in Mexico in 2016, if that helps.
Anyway, as reported, "Miss You" kills the vibe after this jam, and the only real recovery for the rest of the set comes in a strong, almost-disco "Sand" near the very end of the set.
But hey, in the middle of '16 summer tour, this show would have been news. And that means it's not phenomenal, but it's still pretty great.
The Live Review:
10/15/16: Blaze On opener for Charleston N2.
10/15/16: A really oddly placed (but welcome!) WTU? is next.
10/15/16: Odd to hear it standing alone, this early in a show, and not after Disease.
10/15/16: WTU is quickly becoming one of my favorite Phish songs. I love how deliberate they are. Wish that translated into jams more often.
10/15/16: This is the loud/soft/loud '16-style WTU, by the way.
10/15/16: Martian Monster!
10/15/16: Echoplex jamming.
10/15/16: Short take on Martian Monster. Devotion next.
10/15/16: Waking Up Dead! I love this song.
10/15/16: Angry guitar jam forming after Waking Up Dead lyrics. Really awesome.
10/15/16: Different style segue into the bridge lyrics than the version on the studio album.
10/15/16: Timber! Liking this setlist a lot so far. No big-time jam numbers, but a great mix of mostly newer songs.
10/15/16: Band sounding locked in so far.
10/15/16: Things People Do! Unlike the last version, which was a faster bluegrass style, this is played at what I would describe...
10/15/16: ...as a Johnny-Cash tempo.
10/15/16: Okay, so Let Me Lie is a weird choice. As usual.
10/15/16: This might be the Phishiest arrangement of the tune they've played yet, though.
10/15/16: Sort of a Farmhouse vibe this time around.
10/15/16: Lengthwise!!
10/15/16: -> Maze. Lengthwise should be obligatory before every Maze.
10/15/16: Or how about Lengthwise (w/ Ass Handed vocals)? That would be fun.
10/15/16: Maze jam starts with a staccato organ jam of Page that's a little different than usual, but then builds to its usual boil.
10/15/16: Ass Handed! It's like Fishman read my mind...which is honestly sort of disturbing.
10/15/16: Carini next! When was the last first-set Carini?
10/15/16: Nice brief but loud take on Carini.
10/15/16: A straightforward Wolfman's brings an end to a really enjoyable first set.
10/15/16: Mercury opens set 2!
10/15/16: Another one of my favorite sets of Phish lyrics in this tune.
10/15/16: Nice little Type I outro jam from Mercury. Smooth move into Twist.
10/15/16: WTU teasing going on in Twist. Neat!
10/15/16: I've liked the direction of all the Type I Twists this year, but this tune needs to get shaken up a bit.
10/15/16: Neat, fast-time chording jam now. I think we're officially Type II.
10/15/16: Page doing some really interesting stuff on the electric piano.
10/15/16: -> I've Always Wanted It That Way! That was a great segue.
10/15/16: I love this synth jam. It might immediately be the most legitimately new and interesting thing Phish has done in 3.0.
10/15/16: Not the *best* thing, mind you, but actually new and interesting.
10/15/16: The only other tune I've really felt that way about was the 'Shipwreck' Disease during the first Mexico run.
10/15/16: Incidentally, when this song isn't mixed like garbage (like on BB), it's actually a good song, too.
10/15/16: Now more-standard Trey soloing, but with Page's synth underneath.
10/15/16: Segue into Miss You. Weird choice again. Especially since Trey can't remember the words.
10/15/16: I actually like both Let Me Lie and Miss You as songs, but both in one show is a little much.
10/15/16: Also the placement in both cases was just rough, after a run of high-energy songs.
10/15/16: Fuego will (maybe) get us back on track here.
10/15/16: Pretty straightforward Fuego, but a nice -> Sand.
10/15/16: Nice disco-style riff from Trey.
10/15/16: Great Sand.
10/15/16: Joy. This has largely been a good show, but Trey seems hell-bent on killing momentum every time the band builds it.
10/15/16: It's extra off-putting when Trey can't remember how to play or sing Miss You or Joy.
10/15/16: Please choose to biff, say, sixty whole seconds of The Curtain With instead next time :)
10/15/16: Possum set closer? Interesting choice. If they rip it like they've been doing lately, it'll be a good choice :)
10/15/16: Yes! Tension-y stuff happening here in Possum.
10/15/16: End set 2.
10/15/16: GTBT closer!
10/15/16: Definitely a better show than the reviews indicate. A few odd setlist choices, but otherwise a great opening frame...
10/15/16: Complemented by a strong '16-style second set (no big jams, but lots of interesting playing and smooth segues).
2016-10-14 North Charleston Coliseum I
The Verdict:
The band's first of two shows in Charleston reminds me quite a bit of one of my favorite shows, the 10/17/14 show in Eugene, Oregon. Both are extremely strong fall tour openers that don't get as much love as they deserve (seemingly) simply because they don't have a major jam that's easy to point to.
The opening frame here combines strong "Type 1.5" jamming that's been the hallmark of notable '15-'16 first sets ("Ghost," "Gin") with solid debuts of a number of Big Boat tunes ("Petrichor," "Home," "More"), and that's enough for me. Sprinkle a few oldies-but-goodies in there and you've got a set that sets the tone of the new tunes playing nice with the old.
The "No Men" that opens the second set doesn't go deep, but it's likely the most satisfying straightforward version the band has played yet. Lest your concern over song length limit your enjoyment of it, don't worry: it's followed by an evil, murky "Disease" jam that recalls the Bend "Simple" from '15 before segueing beautifully into "Cities." This "Cities" is a slowed-down funk vamp that slides nicely into a "Roggae" made unique by Fishman's drumming, which drags the rest of the band to some places they don't normally go in this tune.
"Twenty Years Later" is a brief, by-the-book interlude before "Light" hits. Despite its twelve-minute length, this "Light" has a few distinct parts: first, a murky bit that recalls the earlier "Disease" jam, then a "Manteca"-style groove, and, finally, a hilariously catchy "Fire On the Mountain"-style jam.
If that's not enough to get you excited about this show, "Hood" continues in the tradition of strong (though straightforward) high-energy "Hood"s, and there's a three-song encore in which "Winterqueen" goes to some interesting places, "Tube" features a rock and roll jam instead of the almost-always-typical funk jam, and "Rocky Top" brings us home.
Whew!
The Live Review:
10/14/16: Petrichor opener. That's exciting.
10/14/16: Only heard this on Big Boat and Trey w/ symphony in Portland.
10/14/16: I'm hoping that hearing Petrichor a bunch of times live will help me better appreciate it on the album.
10/14/16: And get over my Mercury angst.
10/14/16: Extended outro jam (Type I) for Petrichor.
10/14/16: Outro jam similar to what they do with Divided sky.
10/14/16: Crowd is super stoked after Petrichor.
10/14/16: First-set Ghost next.
10/14/16: Not sure how I feel about this new trend. Ghost has been good in opening sets this year, but I miss my S2 versions...
10/14/16: ...of course, how long has it been since a S2 version went 20-25 minutes anyway? A long time. Albany '09?
10/14/16: Yup, Albany.
10/14/16: This version is a nice, mellow Type I jam so far.
10/14/16: Nice, propulsive, muddy funk-rock before a return to the Ghost riff ends the song.
10/14/16: That moment when Trey's tone means it'll either be Maze or Heavy Things...and then it's Heavy Things.
10/14/16: More boisterous-than-usual Heavy Things jam gets the crowd cheering.
10/14/16: Home! Love this tune.
10/14/16: Swear there are harmonies on the album that are missing here, though.
10/14/16: Sounds a little barer.
10/14/16: Extended jam out of Home. Almost sounded like a composed-type outro jam that's not on the studio version.
10/14/16: That was neat.
10/14/16: Poor Heart. Loving the mix of new and old material so far.
10/14/16: Trey is tearing into this Gin. No deep dive like a lot of S1 versions lately, but still solid.
10/14/16: Oops, might prove me wrong. Building now.
10/14/16: 555 next.
10/14/16: Horn.
10/14/16: Man, Trey's been biffing the Horn solo a lot lately. I mean, I can't play it at all, so I shouldn't complain. But it's a bummer.
10/14/16: I think More might be my favorite song Phish has written since 2004. 10/14/16: More ends the set. Set 2 starts with No Men's.
10/14/16: Nice, loose take on No Men's so far.
10/14/16: Hot, Type I jam for No Men's. Guitar loops at the end lead into Disease.
10/14/16: Really nasty guitar tone from Trey driving Disease jam into space...maybe...
10/14/16: Echoplex-driven 'Woo!' jam leads into some dark, murky territory.
10/14/16: Really digging this evil jam.
10/14/16: Reminds me a little of the Bend Simple.
10/14/16: Not particularly complex, but really good nonetheless.
10/14/16: -> Cities!
10/14/16: Great segue. Slow, gooey Cities coming yer way.
10/14/16: Two of my few remaining live Phish wishes are a gigantic Piper jam and a long, languid funky Cities taken in from an amp lawn.
10/14/16: I'm talking like 15 minutes with little to no variation, just FUNK POWER
10/14/16: Basically I want them to play the Slip, Stitch, and Pass version again.
10/14/16: Mike's bass tone is great right now.
10/14/16: Building in intensity. This is great.
10/14/16: Percussion jam. Trey on marimba.
10/14/16: Pretty fade into Roggae.
10/14/16: Fish mixes up the beat going into the Roggae jam and it's pushing the song in a slightly different direction than the usual.
10/14/16: Really neat take on Roggae. Next is a rare standalone 20 Years Later.
10/14/16: Twenty Years rolls to a slow-down stop. > Light.
10/14/16: Light seems sort of slow and more atmospheric than rock and roll.
10/14/16: Neat, gooey, muddy Light jam...that somehow finds its way back to the ol' Manteca progression anyway.
10/14/16: Trey soloing with the pitch-shifter over the Manteca beat.
10/14/16: Trey set up a great -> Free there, but then flew right past it.
10/14/16: Hey, to you guys who always hear 'Fire On the Mountain' teases...
10/14/16: I would suggest checking out this Light.
10/14/16: Ha! Five minutes later, > Free.
10/14/16: Pretty standard Free > Boogie On.
10/14/16: > Hood!
10/14/16: Trey starting off the Hood jam with some harmonics.
10/14/16: Particularly nice 'soft' part there before the build begins.
10/14/16: Wow, another great, straightforward Hood.
10/14/16: 3.0 Hoods could feel a little perfunctory before the renaissance of '14...but now that they're back to not being exploratory...
10/14/16: ...they have a verve to them that they didn't have before '14. In this era at least. Mostly.
10/14/16: I still love me the Gorge '09 Hood.
10/14/16: Long, expansive, HUGE feedback ending echoing out over the Columbia River. Good times.
10/14/16: Oh. Umm...I guess the set's still going?
10/14/16: Oh, nevermind. End set. Winterqueen encore?
10/14/16: Winterqueen approached a Roggae-style jam there for a few minutes.
10/14/16: Tube!!!
10/14/16: Alert: Tube is getting jammed not as a funk jam but as a rock attack. Mike losing it.
10/14/16: This is in the encore, folks.
10/14/16: > Rocky Top.
10/14/16: Great show. Reminded me a bit of the fall '14 opener in Eugene. Not just because of the three-song encore and Rocky Top.
10/14/16: Strong start to S1, and though things got a little rickety later, it was nice to hear all the new songs.
10/14/16: S2 had no major jam, but everything up through Light was great. Disease and Light were top-tier jams.
10/14/16: Strong finish for Hood and the encore.
The band's first of two shows in Charleston reminds me quite a bit of one of my favorite shows, the 10/17/14 show in Eugene, Oregon. Both are extremely strong fall tour openers that don't get as much love as they deserve (seemingly) simply because they don't have a major jam that's easy to point to.
The opening frame here combines strong "Type 1.5" jamming that's been the hallmark of notable '15-'16 first sets ("Ghost," "Gin") with solid debuts of a number of Big Boat tunes ("Petrichor," "Home," "More"), and that's enough for me. Sprinkle a few oldies-but-goodies in there and you've got a set that sets the tone of the new tunes playing nice with the old.
The "No Men" that opens the second set doesn't go deep, but it's likely the most satisfying straightforward version the band has played yet. Lest your concern over song length limit your enjoyment of it, don't worry: it's followed by an evil, murky "Disease" jam that recalls the Bend "Simple" from '15 before segueing beautifully into "Cities." This "Cities" is a slowed-down funk vamp that slides nicely into a "Roggae" made unique by Fishman's drumming, which drags the rest of the band to some places they don't normally go in this tune.
"Twenty Years Later" is a brief, by-the-book interlude before "Light" hits. Despite its twelve-minute length, this "Light" has a few distinct parts: first, a murky bit that recalls the earlier "Disease" jam, then a "Manteca"-style groove, and, finally, a hilariously catchy "Fire On the Mountain"-style jam.
If that's not enough to get you excited about this show, "Hood" continues in the tradition of strong (though straightforward) high-energy "Hood"s, and there's a three-song encore in which "Winterqueen" goes to some interesting places, "Tube" features a rock and roll jam instead of the almost-always-typical funk jam, and "Rocky Top" brings us home.
Whew!
The Live Review:
10/14/16: Petrichor opener. That's exciting.
10/14/16: Only heard this on Big Boat and Trey w/ symphony in Portland.
10/14/16: I'm hoping that hearing Petrichor a bunch of times live will help me better appreciate it on the album.
10/14/16: And get over my Mercury angst.
10/14/16: Extended outro jam (Type I) for Petrichor.
10/14/16: Outro jam similar to what they do with Divided sky.
10/14/16: Crowd is super stoked after Petrichor.
10/14/16: First-set Ghost next.
10/14/16: Not sure how I feel about this new trend. Ghost has been good in opening sets this year, but I miss my S2 versions...
10/14/16: ...of course, how long has it been since a S2 version went 20-25 minutes anyway? A long time. Albany '09?
10/14/16: Yup, Albany.
10/14/16: This version is a nice, mellow Type I jam so far.
10/14/16: Nice, propulsive, muddy funk-rock before a return to the Ghost riff ends the song.
10/14/16: That moment when Trey's tone means it'll either be Maze or Heavy Things...and then it's Heavy Things.
10/14/16: More boisterous-than-usual Heavy Things jam gets the crowd cheering.
10/14/16: Home! Love this tune.
10/14/16: Swear there are harmonies on the album that are missing here, though.
10/14/16: Sounds a little barer.
10/14/16: Extended jam out of Home. Almost sounded like a composed-type outro jam that's not on the studio version.
10/14/16: That was neat.
10/14/16: Poor Heart. Loving the mix of new and old material so far.
10/14/16: Trey is tearing into this Gin. No deep dive like a lot of S1 versions lately, but still solid.
10/14/16: Oops, might prove me wrong. Building now.
10/14/16: 555 next.
10/14/16: Horn.
10/14/16: Man, Trey's been biffing the Horn solo a lot lately. I mean, I can't play it at all, so I shouldn't complain. But it's a bummer.
10/14/16: I think More might be my favorite song Phish has written since 2004. 10/14/16: More ends the set. Set 2 starts with No Men's.
10/14/16: Nice, loose take on No Men's so far.
10/14/16: Hot, Type I jam for No Men's. Guitar loops at the end lead into Disease.
10/14/16: Really nasty guitar tone from Trey driving Disease jam into space...maybe...
10/14/16: Echoplex-driven 'Woo!' jam leads into some dark, murky territory.
10/14/16: Really digging this evil jam.
10/14/16: Reminds me a little of the Bend Simple.
10/14/16: Not particularly complex, but really good nonetheless.
10/14/16: -> Cities!
10/14/16: Great segue. Slow, gooey Cities coming yer way.
10/14/16: Two of my few remaining live Phish wishes are a gigantic Piper jam and a long, languid funky Cities taken in from an amp lawn.
10/14/16: I'm talking like 15 minutes with little to no variation, just FUNK POWER
10/14/16: Basically I want them to play the Slip, Stitch, and Pass version again.
10/14/16: Mike's bass tone is great right now.
10/14/16: Building in intensity. This is great.
10/14/16: Percussion jam. Trey on marimba.
10/14/16: Pretty fade into Roggae.
10/14/16: Fish mixes up the beat going into the Roggae jam and it's pushing the song in a slightly different direction than the usual.
10/14/16: Really neat take on Roggae. Next is a rare standalone 20 Years Later.
10/14/16: Twenty Years rolls to a slow-down stop. > Light.
10/14/16: Light seems sort of slow and more atmospheric than rock and roll.
10/14/16: Neat, gooey, muddy Light jam...that somehow finds its way back to the ol' Manteca progression anyway.
10/14/16: Trey soloing with the pitch-shifter over the Manteca beat.
10/14/16: Trey set up a great -> Free there, but then flew right past it.
10/14/16: Hey, to you guys who always hear 'Fire On the Mountain' teases...
10/14/16: I would suggest checking out this Light.
10/14/16: Ha! Five minutes later, > Free.
10/14/16: Pretty standard Free > Boogie On.
10/14/16: > Hood!
10/14/16: Trey starting off the Hood jam with some harmonics.
10/14/16: Particularly nice 'soft' part there before the build begins.
10/14/16: Wow, another great, straightforward Hood.
10/14/16: 3.0 Hoods could feel a little perfunctory before the renaissance of '14...but now that they're back to not being exploratory...
10/14/16: ...they have a verve to them that they didn't have before '14. In this era at least. Mostly.
10/14/16: I still love me the Gorge '09 Hood.
10/14/16: Long, expansive, HUGE feedback ending echoing out over the Columbia River. Good times.
10/14/16: Oh. Umm...I guess the set's still going?
10/14/16: Oh, nevermind. End set. Winterqueen encore?
10/14/16: Winterqueen approached a Roggae-style jam there for a few minutes.
10/14/16: Tube!!!
10/14/16: Alert: Tube is getting jammed not as a funk jam but as a rock attack. Mike losing it.
10/14/16: This is in the encore, folks.
10/14/16: > Rocky Top.
10/14/16: Great show. Reminded me a bit of the fall '14 opener in Eugene. Not just because of the three-song encore and Rocky Top.
10/14/16: Strong start to S1, and though things got a little rickety later, it was nice to hear all the new songs.
10/14/16: S2 had no major jam, but everything up through Light was great. Disease and Light were top-tier jams.
10/14/16: Strong finish for Hood and the encore.
Mar 11, 2017
2016-09-04 Dick's III
The Verdict:
The third night of the Dick's run takes pretty much everything that was great about the first two nights and packs it in even more dramatically, including one of those "all killer, no filler" second sets the band has become adept at putting together once in awhile over the last two years. The result is a strong finish to a great run of shows.
The first quarter doesn't go anywhere remotely as interesting as the first two nights, with a by-the-book "Moma" opener, and no early jam, but the song choices early on are strong, greatest-hits ones, and there's a "Mike's Groove" in there (albeit one with "Wingsuit" for the meat). Fortunately, things begin to open up with a very '15-style Type II "Gin" late in the set that's followed by an absolutely evil and gnarly "Split." This three-jam sequence ends with a "Tube" that's about the same length as the Chula Vista version, but heads to a much murkier funk place.
You should probably just listen to the entire second set, if you haven't already. "Crosseyed" is the opener and the tentpole jam, bringing eighteen minutes of pitch-shifted soloing, space jamming, and an anthemic, improvised melody solo from Trey that sounds composed. "Steam" is short but Gets There quickly, with yet more gorgeous and inventive soloing from Trey. "Piper" follows and runs for nearly twenty minutes, but a big chunk of that is a four-man percussion jam. Again, your patience for this depends on how you feel about instrument switching. In this case, it's a pretty good jam leading up to the segue into the drum jam, and then when the band picks their instruments back up, there's another full-band improvisation that's not really "Piper" but is great nonetheless. As one commentator mentioned, it's probably more appropriate to title this sequence "Piper" -> "Drums" -> "Jam."
Not to be outdone, "Light" makes a final summer appearance next. While it's no Mann version, this take works in some "Crosseyed" teasing before presenting us with an extended, drone-y outro that's a pretty unique soundscape for the band. This haunting space segues nicely into "The Lizards," and high-energy takes on it, "First Tube," and a "Walls" encore take us home.
It's a pretty amazing show, and an exclamation point to a run that I honestly wasn't expecting to be that great. I'm happy to be wrong, and looking forward to reviewing fall tour.
The Live Review:
9/4/16: Moma Dance opener.
9/4/16: Seems like a slightly different, heavier intro to Moma before the lyrics come in.
9/4/16: > CDT
9/4/16: Early Mike's Song. Echoplex jam. Tasty.
9/4/16: Developing into a great, spacey solo now.
9/4/16: Nice Mike's followed up by a Wingsuit cool-down.
9/4/16: Groove.
9/4/16: Party Time is next. Weird song choice. Trey seems to agree, as he's completely forgotten the riff and is just chording.
9/4/16: Echoplex chording from Trey on Party Time, too.
9/4/16: We've got a '15-style Gin jam brewing here after that Party Time fiasco.
9/4/16: Pure '15-style bliss buildup.
9/4/16: Almost sounds like a really happy Rock and Roll jam.
9/4/16: Great Gin jam followed by a positively evil-sounding Split. Nice old-school pairing. Page really going to town on Split.
9/4/16: TUBE
9/4/16: Really interesting tone from Trey. Super murky funk.
9/4/16: Great jammed-out version of Tube. Comparable to the Chula version.
9/4/16: > Zero, probably to end the set.
9/4/16: Was that an extra-long set? Because I feel like the show just ended instead of the ste.
9/4/16: *set
9/4/16: Solid first set. Weird calls momentum-wise with Wingsuit and Party Time, but made up for by the awesome Gin, Melt > Tube sequence.
9/4/16: Mike's is worth a listen, too.
9/4/16: Crosseyed kicks off the second set.
9/4/16: Huge momentum heading into a jam.
9/4/16: Fantastic pitch-shifted soloing from Trey.
9/4/16: Great melodic riff coming from Trey now.
9/4/16: Slowing down now. Some dueling between Trey and Mike.
9/4/16: Big, anthemic rock-solo bit that was just awesome. Fading again now.
9/4/16: Bass bombs from Mike as we wind back up again.
9/4/16: > Steam.
9/4/16: That jam was a little bit all over the place, but still easily one of the deepest and most interesting of the year.
9/4/16: Some Crosseyed teasing from Trey during Steam jam.
9/4/16: Really cool second solo from Trey in Steam.
9/4/16: -> Piper.
9/4/16: Piper jam coming to a rock and roll boil with Crosseyed teasing.
9/4/16: I like where this is going.
9/4/16: Really fast-paced, kinetic jam now.
9/4/16: Think we're entering the percussion jam zone now.
9/4/16: Sounds like multiple band members on percussion.
9/4/16: Someone has he guitar. Not sure if it's Trey. Someone on bass, too.
9/4/16: Okay, everyone's back on their instruments now and picking up the jam where they left off. Crosseyed teases and vocals.
9/4/16: Every wonder what it would have been like if Gorge I S2 had actual jamming? Listen to this set.
9/4/16: Jam > Light.
9/4/16: Quiet Mike/Trey duel as the Light jam gets broken down.
9/4/16: Type I Light jam heading to its usual Manteca-style place.
9/4/16: Big rock peak, replete with 'Still waiting!' vocal teases.
9/4/16: Crazy, droning outro > The Lizards.
9/4/16: Great transition, awesome setlist call.
9/4/16: Sometimes I forget how much I love the outro of The Lizards.
9/4/16: First Tube to close the set.
9/4/16: One last round of 'Still waiting' vocals and teases during the First Tube outro.
9/4/16: Crowd chanting 'Still waiting!' during encore break.
9/4/16: Walls of the Cave encore.
9/4/16: I've probably said it before, but this has become one of my favorite Phish songs since 3.0.
9/4/16: Always great to hear.
9/4/16: And I know Phish isn't generally known for their lyrics, but I like 'em more than most do. And these are some of my favorites.
9/4/16: More 'Stil waiting!' vocals and teases during the Walls outro jam.
9/4/16: End show. A great end to a great run. Fun to listen to a few legitimately great shows in a row, but...
9/4/16: ...also bummed now that I passed on Dick's last year for the west coast run. I got more shows, but these were so good...
9/4/16: ...I almost wish I'd seen these three instead of the seven I did see. Is that weird?
9/4/16: Oh well. Fall tour next!
The third night of the Dick's run takes pretty much everything that was great about the first two nights and packs it in even more dramatically, including one of those "all killer, no filler" second sets the band has become adept at putting together once in awhile over the last two years. The result is a strong finish to a great run of shows.
The first quarter doesn't go anywhere remotely as interesting as the first two nights, with a by-the-book "Moma" opener, and no early jam, but the song choices early on are strong, greatest-hits ones, and there's a "Mike's Groove" in there (albeit one with "Wingsuit" for the meat). Fortunately, things begin to open up with a very '15-style Type II "Gin" late in the set that's followed by an absolutely evil and gnarly "Split." This three-jam sequence ends with a "Tube" that's about the same length as the Chula Vista version, but heads to a much murkier funk place.
You should probably just listen to the entire second set, if you haven't already. "Crosseyed" is the opener and the tentpole jam, bringing eighteen minutes of pitch-shifted soloing, space jamming, and an anthemic, improvised melody solo from Trey that sounds composed. "Steam" is short but Gets There quickly, with yet more gorgeous and inventive soloing from Trey. "Piper" follows and runs for nearly twenty minutes, but a big chunk of that is a four-man percussion jam. Again, your patience for this depends on how you feel about instrument switching. In this case, it's a pretty good jam leading up to the segue into the drum jam, and then when the band picks their instruments back up, there's another full-band improvisation that's not really "Piper" but is great nonetheless. As one commentator mentioned, it's probably more appropriate to title this sequence "Piper" -> "Drums" -> "Jam."
Not to be outdone, "Light" makes a final summer appearance next. While it's no Mann version, this take works in some "Crosseyed" teasing before presenting us with an extended, drone-y outro that's a pretty unique soundscape for the band. This haunting space segues nicely into "The Lizards," and high-energy takes on it, "First Tube," and a "Walls" encore take us home.
It's a pretty amazing show, and an exclamation point to a run that I honestly wasn't expecting to be that great. I'm happy to be wrong, and looking forward to reviewing fall tour.
The Live Review:
9/4/16: Moma Dance opener.
9/4/16: Seems like a slightly different, heavier intro to Moma before the lyrics come in.
9/4/16: > CDT
9/4/16: Early Mike's Song. Echoplex jam. Tasty.
9/4/16: Developing into a great, spacey solo now.
9/4/16: Nice Mike's followed up by a Wingsuit cool-down.
9/4/16: Groove.
9/4/16: Party Time is next. Weird song choice. Trey seems to agree, as he's completely forgotten the riff and is just chording.
9/4/16: Echoplex chording from Trey on Party Time, too.
9/4/16: We've got a '15-style Gin jam brewing here after that Party Time fiasco.
9/4/16: Pure '15-style bliss buildup.
9/4/16: Almost sounds like a really happy Rock and Roll jam.
9/4/16: Great Gin jam followed by a positively evil-sounding Split. Nice old-school pairing. Page really going to town on Split.
9/4/16: TUBE
9/4/16: Really interesting tone from Trey. Super murky funk.
9/4/16: Great jammed-out version of Tube. Comparable to the Chula version.
9/4/16: > Zero, probably to end the set.
9/4/16: Was that an extra-long set? Because I feel like the show just ended instead of the ste.
9/4/16: *set
9/4/16: Solid first set. Weird calls momentum-wise with Wingsuit and Party Time, but made up for by the awesome Gin, Melt > Tube sequence.
9/4/16: Mike's is worth a listen, too.
9/4/16: Crosseyed kicks off the second set.
9/4/16: Huge momentum heading into a jam.
9/4/16: Fantastic pitch-shifted soloing from Trey.
9/4/16: Great melodic riff coming from Trey now.
9/4/16: Slowing down now. Some dueling between Trey and Mike.
9/4/16: Big, anthemic rock-solo bit that was just awesome. Fading again now.
9/4/16: Bass bombs from Mike as we wind back up again.
9/4/16: > Steam.
9/4/16: That jam was a little bit all over the place, but still easily one of the deepest and most interesting of the year.
9/4/16: Some Crosseyed teasing from Trey during Steam jam.
9/4/16: Really cool second solo from Trey in Steam.
9/4/16: -> Piper.
9/4/16: Piper jam coming to a rock and roll boil with Crosseyed teasing.
9/4/16: I like where this is going.
9/4/16: Really fast-paced, kinetic jam now.
9/4/16: Think we're entering the percussion jam zone now.
9/4/16: Sounds like multiple band members on percussion.
9/4/16: Someone has he guitar. Not sure if it's Trey. Someone on bass, too.
9/4/16: Okay, everyone's back on their instruments now and picking up the jam where they left off. Crosseyed teases and vocals.
9/4/16: Every wonder what it would have been like if Gorge I S2 had actual jamming? Listen to this set.
9/4/16: Jam > Light.
9/4/16: Quiet Mike/Trey duel as the Light jam gets broken down.
9/4/16: Type I Light jam heading to its usual Manteca-style place.
9/4/16: Big rock peak, replete with 'Still waiting!' vocal teases.
9/4/16: Crazy, droning outro > The Lizards.
9/4/16: Great transition, awesome setlist call.
9/4/16: Sometimes I forget how much I love the outro of The Lizards.
9/4/16: First Tube to close the set.
9/4/16: One last round of 'Still waiting' vocals and teases during the First Tube outro.
9/4/16: Crowd chanting 'Still waiting!' during encore break.
9/4/16: Walls of the Cave encore.
9/4/16: I've probably said it before, but this has become one of my favorite Phish songs since 3.0.
9/4/16: Always great to hear.
9/4/16: And I know Phish isn't generally known for their lyrics, but I like 'em more than most do. And these are some of my favorites.
9/4/16: More 'Stil waiting!' vocals and teases during the Walls outro jam.
9/4/16: End show. A great end to a great run. Fun to listen to a few legitimately great shows in a row, but...
9/4/16: ...also bummed now that I passed on Dick's last year for the west coast run. I got more shows, but these were so good...
9/4/16: ...I almost wish I'd seen these three instead of the seven I did see. Is that weird?
9/4/16: Oh well. Fall tour next!
2016-09-03 Dick's II
The Verdict:
The second night of Dick's is my least favorite of the three, but it's still better than most of the summer, so that's fine.
The clever opener trend started with "Ghost" during N1 continues during this show, as the band opens with "Slave." It's a standard version, but it's still nice to see it early in the show. Especially since it's followed up by another Type II jam, as "Disease" fills the "No Men's" slot for the night. The Type II jam is muddy in a satisfying way, and the band returns neatly from it to the "Disease" riff before starting up "What's the Use?" from a dead stop.
Like N1, the rest of the opening set is more standard fare, though, except for a solid "Divided Sky" that shows up late before a "Rock and Roll" set closer.
Set two isn't quite as...expansive as the previous night's, but it's still a good listen. "Fuego" and "Sand" are both average-great versions, and "Sand" is particularly propulsive, but it's not until "Blaze On" that things really start to open up. Its jam borrows a bit from the wall of noise jamming the band touched on a few times during 9/2, but expands that idea into some darker, more chaotic spaces. It's a really interesting approach to jamming the tune, and highly recommended.
A nice "Twist" typical of this year's versions, follows, and then there's a lengthy "Simple"...but a lot of it is a percussion-based jam with Trey on marimba. Your mileage might vary depending on how you feel about instrument switching jams, but this is one of the good ones. Patient, mellow, and varied throughout the course of the song, it's definitely worth a listen. If that's not enough, the set ends with a "Hood" reminiscent of some of the great '09 versions, more true to the traditional form of the song, but slow, patient, and with a satisfying peak.
There isn't one jam in this show that's as good as the "No Men's" or "Tweezer" from the previous night, but it's still an embarrassment of riches, especially compared to most earlier '16 shows.
Oh, and Mike takes the closing "Coil" solo, which is rad.
The Live Review:
9/3/16: MOAR DICKS
9/3/16: Slave opener for N2.
9/3/16: Slow-tempo version makes for a nice, mellow opener.
9/3/16: > Disease! This is less like a first set and more like a second set played in reverse.
9/3/16: Two-spot Type II warning.
9/3/16: Second night in a row.
9/3/16: This time, Trey leads a heavily muddy, distorted take on a jam powered by some ridiculous, fast drumming from Fish.
9/3/16: Ascending riff now.
9/3/16: The first set jams the last two nights have been fantastic. Sort of undercuts the old argument that S1 has to be a 'warm-up' set.
9/3/16: Been especially weird listening to current Phish after going to a few CRB shows, where they'll drop 15 minutes jams in either set.
9/3/16: And do so often out of random songs, not particular 'jam vehicles.'
9/3/16: Grumping aside, Trey just brought the jam smoothly out of the murk and back into the Disease riff to close the song. Nice.
9/3/16: What's the Use! Nice song choice, but weird to not actually have the now-usual Disease -> WTU?
9/3/16: Doing the mellow breakdown in the middle of the song like they did at the Gorge.
9/3/16: >Maze.
9/3/16: Really appreciate how Maze has become a Type I monster since '14 or so.
9/3/16: Whoa. Weird Farmhouse from a dead stop. Fish started the song instead of Trey.
9/3/16: Band never quite linked back up on that Farmhouse, unfortunately.
9/3/16: 555.
9/3/16: Wolfman's follows 555, and Trey kicks off the jam section with a fantastic echo tone. A bit different than the usual echoplex sound.
9/3/16: Great slow, muddy funk jam now.
9/3/16: Divided Sky!
9/3/16: I've seen lots of shows at the Gorge and at Dick's and have never caught DSky at either.
9/3/16: In fact, I have yet to see a DSky outdoors. That sort of sucks.
9/3/16: Solid take on DSky. Rock and Roll next.
9/3/16: Standard take on Rock and Roll ends the set.
9/3/16: Fuego S2 opener.
9/3/16: Short, predictable Fuego segues immediately into Sand.
9/3/16: Nice, fiery Type I Sand.
9/3/16: Blaze On! BUT WILL IT JAM
9/3/16: Little, drone-y jam forming so far.
9/3/16: Really neat, sparse echoplex-led jam.
9/3/16: This is building a really eerie, chaotic peak. This is the kind of jam you don't get if you just always fall back on bliss jamming.
9/3/16: A point in favor of my ever-evolving mental blog post about whether '16 Phish as redeeming qualities.
9/3/16: Jam rumbles to a stop with a > Simple.
9/3/16: It's a comment of Phish's versatility that when I have a percussion video auto-play in another tab while listening to a show...
9/3/16: ...my first thought before 'What else is open on my computer?' is 'Oh, I guess Trey just jumped on the marimba again.'
9/3/16: Soft fade-out of the normal Simple jam.
9/3/16: Okay, I think Trey really is on the marimba now.
9/3/16: Neat ambient/percussion jam. Example of good instrument switching here.
9/3/16: Percussion picking up speed a bit.
9/3/16: Trey back on guitar to wrap up the mellow jam.
9/3/16: I feel like that's one of those jams people probably say 'Didn't go anywhere,' but I really liked it. Patient, and mellow.
9/3/16: > Twist. Missed what seemed like an opportunity for -> Piper there.
9/3/16: Another late-second-set Theme. That seems like a thing this year.
9/3/16: Nice echoplex ending to Theme leads to a -> 2001
9/3/16: Uptempo 2001 with a bit a melody piece coming out of Trey's echo chording.
9/3/16: I feel like 2001 is getting meatier lately. Maybe a full-blown jam version soon?
9/3/16: harry Hood, presumably to close the second set.
9/3/16: Slow, patient beginning to the jam, with some nice call-and-response from Trey and Page.
9/3/16: This is a slow-developing, slightly noodly Hood version, like something you'd hear in 2009 or so.
9/3/16: Reminds me quite a bit of the 2009 Gorge version, actually.
9/3/16: Perfectly placed bass bomb from Mike as they go into the outro chords.
9/3/16: Picking up the pace now.
9/3/16: Squirming Coil encore!
9/3/16: I've said it before, but I love this tune as the closer on multi-night runs when it's NOT the last night yet.
9/3/16: Something about Page playing the band off just screams 'Come back tomorrow night for more!'
9/3/16: Neat beat from Fish. Trey leaning into the solo a bit more than usual for Squirming Coil.
9/3/16: Awesome bass solo from Mike to follow up.
9/3/16: I believe Mike is taking the ending solo instead of Page. So that's neat.
9/3/16: Bass bombs interlaced with a more melodic solo now.
9/3/16: End set.
9/3/16: Another great show. Three in a row!
9/3/16: Not quite as jammy as N1, but interesting throughout with lots of improvisation in often surprising places.
9/3/16: If they can follow through on night three (and not pull a BGCA III) this will be the run of the year so far for me.
The second night of Dick's is my least favorite of the three, but it's still better than most of the summer, so that's fine.
The clever opener trend started with "Ghost" during N1 continues during this show, as the band opens with "Slave." It's a standard version, but it's still nice to see it early in the show. Especially since it's followed up by another Type II jam, as "Disease" fills the "No Men's" slot for the night. The Type II jam is muddy in a satisfying way, and the band returns neatly from it to the "Disease" riff before starting up "What's the Use?" from a dead stop.
Like N1, the rest of the opening set is more standard fare, though, except for a solid "Divided Sky" that shows up late before a "Rock and Roll" set closer.
Set two isn't quite as...expansive as the previous night's, but it's still a good listen. "Fuego" and "Sand" are both average-great versions, and "Sand" is particularly propulsive, but it's not until "Blaze On" that things really start to open up. Its jam borrows a bit from the wall of noise jamming the band touched on a few times during 9/2, but expands that idea into some darker, more chaotic spaces. It's a really interesting approach to jamming the tune, and highly recommended.
A nice "Twist" typical of this year's versions, follows, and then there's a lengthy "Simple"...but a lot of it is a percussion-based jam with Trey on marimba. Your mileage might vary depending on how you feel about instrument switching jams, but this is one of the good ones. Patient, mellow, and varied throughout the course of the song, it's definitely worth a listen. If that's not enough, the set ends with a "Hood" reminiscent of some of the great '09 versions, more true to the traditional form of the song, but slow, patient, and with a satisfying peak.
There isn't one jam in this show that's as good as the "No Men's" or "Tweezer" from the previous night, but it's still an embarrassment of riches, especially compared to most earlier '16 shows.
Oh, and Mike takes the closing "Coil" solo, which is rad.
The Live Review:
9/3/16: MOAR DICKS
9/3/16: Slave opener for N2.
9/3/16: Slow-tempo version makes for a nice, mellow opener.
9/3/16: > Disease! This is less like a first set and more like a second set played in reverse.
9/3/16: Two-spot Type II warning.
9/3/16: Second night in a row.
9/3/16: This time, Trey leads a heavily muddy, distorted take on a jam powered by some ridiculous, fast drumming from Fish.
9/3/16: Ascending riff now.
9/3/16: The first set jams the last two nights have been fantastic. Sort of undercuts the old argument that S1 has to be a 'warm-up' set.
9/3/16: Been especially weird listening to current Phish after going to a few CRB shows, where they'll drop 15 minutes jams in either set.
9/3/16: And do so often out of random songs, not particular 'jam vehicles.'
9/3/16: Grumping aside, Trey just brought the jam smoothly out of the murk and back into the Disease riff to close the song. Nice.
9/3/16: What's the Use! Nice song choice, but weird to not actually have the now-usual Disease -> WTU?
9/3/16: Doing the mellow breakdown in the middle of the song like they did at the Gorge.
9/3/16: >Maze.
9/3/16: Really appreciate how Maze has become a Type I monster since '14 or so.
9/3/16: Whoa. Weird Farmhouse from a dead stop. Fish started the song instead of Trey.
9/3/16: Band never quite linked back up on that Farmhouse, unfortunately.
9/3/16: 555.
9/3/16: Wolfman's follows 555, and Trey kicks off the jam section with a fantastic echo tone. A bit different than the usual echoplex sound.
9/3/16: Great slow, muddy funk jam now.
9/3/16: Divided Sky!
9/3/16: I've seen lots of shows at the Gorge and at Dick's and have never caught DSky at either.
9/3/16: In fact, I have yet to see a DSky outdoors. That sort of sucks.
9/3/16: Solid take on DSky. Rock and Roll next.
9/3/16: Standard take on Rock and Roll ends the set.
9/3/16: Fuego S2 opener.
9/3/16: Short, predictable Fuego segues immediately into Sand.
9/3/16: Nice, fiery Type I Sand.
9/3/16: Blaze On! BUT WILL IT JAM
9/3/16: Little, drone-y jam forming so far.
9/3/16: Really neat, sparse echoplex-led jam.
9/3/16: This is building a really eerie, chaotic peak. This is the kind of jam you don't get if you just always fall back on bliss jamming.
9/3/16: A point in favor of my ever-evolving mental blog post about whether '16 Phish as redeeming qualities.
9/3/16: Jam rumbles to a stop with a > Simple.
9/3/16: It's a comment of Phish's versatility that when I have a percussion video auto-play in another tab while listening to a show...
9/3/16: ...my first thought before 'What else is open on my computer?' is 'Oh, I guess Trey just jumped on the marimba again.'
9/3/16: Soft fade-out of the normal Simple jam.
9/3/16: Okay, I think Trey really is on the marimba now.
9/3/16: Neat ambient/percussion jam. Example of good instrument switching here.
9/3/16: Percussion picking up speed a bit.
9/3/16: Trey back on guitar to wrap up the mellow jam.
9/3/16: I feel like that's one of those jams people probably say 'Didn't go anywhere,' but I really liked it. Patient, and mellow.
9/3/16: > Twist. Missed what seemed like an opportunity for -> Piper there.
9/3/16: Another late-second-set Theme. That seems like a thing this year.
9/3/16: Nice echoplex ending to Theme leads to a -> 2001
9/3/16: Uptempo 2001 with a bit a melody piece coming out of Trey's echo chording.
9/3/16: I feel like 2001 is getting meatier lately. Maybe a full-blown jam version soon?
9/3/16: harry Hood, presumably to close the second set.
9/3/16: Slow, patient beginning to the jam, with some nice call-and-response from Trey and Page.
9/3/16: This is a slow-developing, slightly noodly Hood version, like something you'd hear in 2009 or so.
9/3/16: Reminds me quite a bit of the 2009 Gorge version, actually.
9/3/16: Perfectly placed bass bomb from Mike as they go into the outro chords.
9/3/16: Picking up the pace now.
9/3/16: Squirming Coil encore!
9/3/16: I've said it before, but I love this tune as the closer on multi-night runs when it's NOT the last night yet.
9/3/16: Something about Page playing the band off just screams 'Come back tomorrow night for more!'
9/3/16: Neat beat from Fish. Trey leaning into the solo a bit more than usual for Squirming Coil.
9/3/16: Awesome bass solo from Mike to follow up.
9/3/16: I believe Mike is taking the ending solo instead of Page. So that's neat.
9/3/16: Bass bombs interlaced with a more melodic solo now.
9/3/16: End set.
9/3/16: Another great show. Three in a row!
9/3/16: Not quite as jammy as N1, but interesting throughout with lots of improvisation in often surprising places.
9/3/16: If they can follow through on night three (and not pull a BGCA III) this will be the run of the year so far for me.
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