The Verdict
The opening show of the MSG run keeps the momentum from Vegas rolling with a typically great first set and a second set that features two major highlights.
The band opens each show of this run with an a cappella tune; this time around, it's "The Star-Spangled Banner." From there, the rest of the set visits territory already well-trod by the great MGM shows: a solid mix of new songs and old bustouts, with relatively little to note in the improv category. It's nice to hear "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" and "Train Song," "Caspian" gets the extra-distorted treatment, and "Roggae" is even better than usual. "Stash" continues to be on the verge of busting loose into some legitimately interesting space, and "Corinna" is one of my all-time favorite Phish rarities.
"Wolfman's" opens the second set, and though it doesn't get the jam treatment you might hope would come from that placement, it does take a full-on excursion into chunk-funk before meandering back to its usual rock and roll peak. It's worth a listen. "Golden Age" is, once again, the real story here. It's a flowy, momentum-filled thing that doesn't really come in discrete stages, but suffice to say that it hits that loopy-and-abstract-but-driving-and-coherent sweet spot so many of the best jams have hit on in late 2016 (including the previous MGM "Golden Age"). It's brilliant, and, like the Vegas version, lands in "Simple" with a legit segue.
Your mileage may vary when it comes to the rest of the set, which starts to settle into jukebox territory. I for one don't mind this in this particular because a) the first set was great, b) "Golden Age" is plenty of jamming to send me home happy, and c) the "Martian Monster" -> "Tweeprise" -> "Martian Monster" surprise sandwich that occurs late in the set is so fun and unexpected that I don't finish the show feeling like anything was missing.
The Live Review
12/28/16: Keeping the review train rolling today. Star Spangled Banner opener.
12/28/16: I sort of feel like they should open every four-night run with this now.
12/28/16: Stealing Time next.
12/28/16: Lonesome Cowboy Bill bustout, followed by a Free that Trey leaned into a little more than usual.
12/28/16: Train Song was another nice bustout to hear. Followed now by Prince Caspian.
12/28/16: Heavily distorted but otherwise standard take on Caspian. Fades away in a haze of feedback.
12/28/16: Roggae.
12/28/16: Roggae was a smoother build and a stronger version than most.
12/28/16: Followed by another solid version of Funky Bitch and now a Halfway To the Moon that sees almost no guitar from Trey.
12/28/16: He couldn't quite figure out where to come in at the start and now just seems to have given up. Weird.
12/28/16: That said, he's jumping in for a jazzy outro solo now.
12/28/16: Next is Corrina! Phish should play this song every other show. So good.
12/28/16: Stash next.
12/28/16: Sorry if my review is a bit less...wordy...than usual today. Nasty head cold. Medicine. Badness.
12/28/16: Stash has been getting played with a lot of verve lately. It always feels like it's finally about to break into weird territory.
12/28/16: This version continues the trend of feeling that way without actually ever going there.
12/28/16: Cavern.
12/28/16: End set.
12/28/16: Not a bit of serious improv to be found, but another engaging opening set nonetheless.
12/28/16: Star-Spangled Banner, Lonesome Cowboy, Train Song, Corinna all great bust-outs, and strong versions of Roggae and Stash.
12/28/16: Wolfman's opens the second set. Might it break out of its frequent Type 1.5 performances lately go full-on jam?
12/28/16: Starting off with the echoplex.
12/28/16: Some seriously chunky echo-funk jamming happening here.
12/28/16: Wolfman's never really got weird, but that funk excursion turned back into a wild peak. Nice version.
12/28/16: Golden Age!
12/28/16: After a very short time of the usual outro jamming, Golden Age settles into a great groove that has a bit of that Manteca shuffle.
12/28/16: Now getting a little more abstract. Page on synth.
12/28/16: Rhythm section keeping the momentum going through what just became an extra-spacey jam. Loving this.
12/28/16: Trey laying down a nice melodic riff now.
12/28/16: Fantastically intricate jam now slowing down. Trey pounding out a hard rock progression over loops and synth.
12/28/16: Simple teasing. Second Golden Age -> Simple in a few shows?
12/28/16: Yep. BAM!
12/28/16: Simple proper is a pretty standard version so far.
12/28/16: Pretty outro, nice landing in CDT.
12/28/16: Straightforward CDT. Martian Monster up next. Set is settling a bit after that monster Golden Age.
12/28/16: Slowed-down, echo-funk jam in the middle of Martian Monster.
12/28/16: Really great, slow, muddy take on this instrumental tune.
12/28/16: Ascending riff now. Song building.
12/28/16: Okay, this is just the Tweeprise chords.
12/28/16: Martian Monster -> Tweeprise?
12/28/16: Yep. Trey singing 'Your trip is short' instead of 'Step into the freezer.'
12/28/16: Full-on take on the song now, with 'Trip is short' lyrics.
12/28/16: -> Martian Monster
12/28/16: Well that was really cool. Wingsuit now to cool things down a bit.
12/28/16: > Possum
12/28/16: Second set has turned out to be surprisingly songy, if you know what I mean.
12/28/16: Can't argue with the Golden Age or Martian Monster -> Tweeprise -> Martian Monster, though.
12/28/16: Top-shelf Type I take on Possum to close the second set.
12/28/16: GTBT to close out the show.
12/28/16: Second was a little less front-to-back great like most recent shows have been.
12/28/16: That said, the Golden Age is right up there with the best jams of the year and the Martian Monster sandwich was super clever.
12/28/16: The rest of the set just felt a bit jukebox-y. But, generally, very little rust from the break after MGM.
No comments:
Post a Comment