The Verdict:
Amazingly, I think any of these three Greek shows would be received pretty positively by our spoiled asses here in 2015. Sure, some people would have some complaints, and those might not be unfounded, but this is one of those timeless runs that's just so good it doesn't really deserve any qualifiers like "for '10" or "for 3.0." And the third show is the best of the bunch.
S1, much like 8/6's first frame, is a great assortment of weird song choices that somehow hangs together. It doesn't hurt that the band plays every song like it's the last time they ever will, and Trey retains (mostly) the technical precision and creative fire he's shown for the whole run. The opening "Bag" is bonkers, and there's a legit -> into "Foam." "Gotta Jibboo" gets extended, and though it stays Type I, it gets developed slowly and patiently - a theme for the whole show. "Sleep Again" gets a fantastic Phish treatment, and "Army of One" pokes its head up. The rest of the set is more straightforward, but that spark never leaves.
S2 is an absolute monster. A fiery "Wilson" leads right into an absolutely transcendent "Light," the easy highlight jam of the run, and for my money, of summer '10 so far. It lands in a dark "Twenty Years," which drops right into a fifteen-minute, slow-burning "Hood." A few clever song choices late in the set yield, among others, a patient "2001," a "Suzy" with a second jam (yeah), and a set closing "Slave" that is one of the most slowly-developing versions I've heard since the 90s.
If that wasn't enough, the run closes with a "Lizards" > "First Tube" encore.
I've been throwing a lot of superlatives around in the last two reviews, but I think this run deserves it. For as down on the band as I've been through most of the late '09 shows and early '10 shows, this run deserves mention with any of the greats, and even more so for how out-of-nowhere it seems. Right now I'm just going to enjoy it a bit before moving on to Telluride. I love finding gems like this.
The Live Review:
8/7/10: Bag opener. Trey is extremely bluesy during the mini-jam.
8/7/10: That was a legitimate Bag -> Foam segue. Fish started up Foam drums while Trey was finishing Bag. Cool.
8/7/10: Trey having a little trouble with Foam, but otherwise it sounds great.
8/7/10: Great opening pair. Jibboo now. Jam starts with some squealing loops, then drops into a typical melody solo from Trey.
8/7/10: Jibboo was an old-school version: all Trey, slow build, lots of melodic noodling. Now Reba.
8/7/10: That composed section seemed especially tight.
8/7/10: Not a transcendent version by any means, but way better than it probably deserves to be as the fourth song of the night.
8/7/10: Sleep Again! Mike's bass sounds great on this tune.
8/7/10: Page taking the lead with some brilliant piano during the Sleep Again outro.
8/7/10: Army of One! I miss this song.
8/7/10: Poor Heart is next. Particularly tight version.
8/7/10: -B 46 Days!
8/7/10: The 46 Days is of the short, shreddy variety. But good.
8/7/10: Brief sort of slowed-down, drone-y segment, > Tube.
8/7/10: Zero set closer featuring a particularly distorted guitar tone from Trey.
8/7/10: Super-punch Wilson to start S2. Nice landing into Light. Argument could be made for a ->, prolly not though.
8/7/10: First few minutes of jam are the typical early-version-of-Light arpeggios, but Trey is now building some interesting tension.
8/7/10: Band's in serious lockstep.
8/7/10: Slowdown/move to a more muted space at 8:15.
8/7/10: Trey lays down one of my favorite improvised melodies every starting at 9:20. Mike backing him up. I love this version of Light.
8/7/10: Suppose I should have mentioned that before. I've heard this at least fifteen or so times already.
8/7/10: The song, not the whole show.
8/7/10: Moving on to the darkness-funk section.
8/7/10: Decent landing in Twenty Years, too.
8/7/10: I love this song.
8/7/10: Slightly extended, if by-the-book jam at the end > Hood.
8/7/10: Neat bit in this Hood jam that recalls the Simple jam from 8/6. Hearing bits of the earlier Light jam, too.
8/7/10: That was a really extended, spacey Hood in an era when I don't really remember them being so experimental. Very cool.
8/7/10: Theme! Did not see that coming.
8/7/10: I think that was the first time I've heard Theme just flat-out end in awhile. No segue. 2001 next.
8/7/10: Really uptempo 2001. Funky as hell.
8/7/10: Really loving this 2001. All three of these shows have featured a lot of tremendously patient playing. It's awesome.
8/7/10: Fish is having tons of fun with this Suzy.
8/7/10: Okay, Suzy's getting an extended jam. After the vocals. What the fuck.
8/7/10: I'm just going to call this the best show of the summer and not review any more of them.
8/7/10: I always sort of expect Suzy outros to go into Jumpin' Jack Flash, but this one more so than usual.
8/7/10: Insane tension segment at the end > Slave!
8/7/10: MY GOD.
8/7/10: Really slow, patient build here, like the earlier Hood.
8/7/10: Mind blown. The Lizards encore.
8/7/10: So, that show was ridiculous...and then they added a Lizards > First Tube encore.
Mar 11, 2015
2010-08-06 Greek Theater II
The Verdict:
After diverting from 2010 tour to review all of 2014, I returned to '10 the other day, starting with the band's second night at the Greek. I was pretty partial to the first night, and this night is of a similar caliber, if not better. After being admittedly bored by a lot of fall '09 and most of early summer '10, the first Greek show was music to my ears (literally and figuratively), but how would the run stack up after listening to a lot of the band's work in '13 and '14?
Well, there are definite differences, the primary one being that Trey sounds like he's in the driver's seat approximately 95% of the time in the '10 jams, while things are quite a bit more democratic-sounding nowadays. But I could spend all day talking about differences. What's really important is that Greek '10 Phish still sounds good.
S1 features a lot of fantastic song choices, including an early "Guyute" and "It's Ice." "Cities" gets a first-set jam treatment, as it gets legitimately extended into a chill funk jam, one of many instances in this run where the band as a whole shows a lot more patience than they're usually apt to show these days. Whether or not this is a good thing is up to you, but this jam doesn't go on long enough that the lack of variation really shows.
The same might not be said of S2's centerpiece jam, the "Simple." This version goes deep and abstract, and then...just stays there. For a really long time. It's really an experiment in minimalism, not in the sense that there's minimal notes being played, but there are only slight variations within the jam for minutes at a time. To me, this is great, and this jam is more interesting than pretty much everything the band has done since early fall '09. But it's also possible, I'm sure, to find it boring and repetitive.
The second set also features an extended "Rock and Roll" that can't really find a place to land, but hits a few interesting high points during its search, a "Ghost" that's very near rock and roll transcendent before Trey ripcords it into "Mike's," and a fantastic "Seven Below" -> "Groove" segue.
There's a lot to like here in both sets, and there's more jamming and more interesting moments than in most 3-4 show stretches between November '09 and July '10. And night three is even better!
The Live Review:
8/6/10: Chalkdust Torture opener.
8/6/10: I'm surprised to find that Trey actually sounds a bit more dexterous in his soloing here than in much of '14.
8/6/10: Lots of little tension-and-release bits and trilling in the CDT that you just wouldn't hear these days.
8/6/10: Anyway, great opener.
8/6/10: Second song Guyute! I also forgot how weird setlists could be in early 3.0. What happened to that?
8/6/10: Solid Guyute leads into a languid Ocelot.
8/6/10: Ocelot was a pretty standard take, but featured some precise shredding from Trey.
8/6/10: It's Ice!
8/6/10: Minus Ocelot, loving the song selection here.
8/6/10: Love that bridge section It's Ice. Creepy Page piano.
8/6/10: Cities! We all know the Berkeley Cities, but I'm excited to hear it again.
8/6/10: Page on electric piano, rest of the band going into minimalist-funk mode.
8/6/10: Trey doing some looping (I think). Mike driving a bit more.
8/6/10: While I love that jam, it wasn't really going anywhere beyond where it started. Good call on
the drop into Moma.
8/6/10: Gin is next.
8/6/10: Eleven-or-so minute Gin, but it's primarily a guitar vamp, all Type I.
8/6/10: I say that like it's a bad thing :) But I'm spoiled since '14.
8/6/10: Stealing Time rounds out a set that featured a solid song selection throughout and an excellent Cities jam.
8/6/10: S2 opens with a classic early-3.0 opener in Rock and Roll.
8/6/10: A few minutes of rock shredding from Trey takes a really quick left turn as Fishman shifts up the beat. Page to the organ.
8/6/10: Funk-style chords from Trey, but Page is laying down a nice piano melody overtop. Interesting juxtaposition.
8/6/10: Piano steers Trey into a more introspective mode.
8/6/10: Ricocheting around different tones/spaces now.
8/6/10: This is pretty cool, but it makes me really appreciate how intentional so many later 3.0 jams sound by comparison.
8/6/10: Spacey Rock and Roll just head-on crashed into Ghost. But hey, Ghost!
8/6/10: This Ghost has some legs. Mike is laying down a really distorted bass...base that Page and Trey are trading riffs over.
8/6/10: Very rock-and-roll style outro to the jam.
8/6/10: Building a bit...still building...
8/6/10: Disco beat from Fish.
8/6/10: And oh shit, Trey just DERAILED that jam. Audible boos from the crowd.
8/6/10: That was the opposite of a buttslam segue. That was the feeling of someone slamming a door
shut on your balls.
8/6/10: Old school drop into Simple out of the end of a very loud Mike's.
8/6/10: Lyrical gaffe in the composed section, but the move to the jam is smooth and a bit more energetic than usual.
8/6/10: So far, a typical Simple jam with much better melodic interplay than usual and more notes per usual.
8/6/10: Sounds crowded, but in a good way.
8/6/10: Almost a Who-sounding space now.
8/6/10: They're drawing this jam space out a lot further than they (Trey) usually have the patience for.
8/6/10: Trey and Fish coming in a bit harder now.
8/6/10: Jam builds nicely over a few minutes and then -> Number Line. Incredibly patient bit. Loved it.
8/6/10: One thing '10 Phish can do that '14 can't: jam in the same space for 5-6 minutes with little variation.
8/6/10: Breaking the Number Line jam down a bit. Mike-heavy. Fish switching up the usual beat.
8/6/10: Trey using a fair bit of whale, but it's not making me want to instantly die...yet.
8/6/10: Show of Life keeps the Mike's Groove going. Seven Below is next. Shaky start, but interesting song choice.
8/6/10: Incomplete Seven Below jam because of an AWESOME -> Weekapaug.
8/6/10: Great old school shredfest from Trey here.
8/6/10: YEM set closer to top it all off.
8/6/10: Trey stringing some serious runs together during this YEM jam. Now on to the Mike's Bass Destroys Everything portion of the show.
8/6/10: Gonna Take You Higher quotes in the vocal jam.
8/6/10: GTBT encore.
8/6/10: Trey is wringing every last ounce of shreddage out of this version. It's great!
8/6/10: Honestly hard to think about reviewing this alongside '14, but there's a lot of interesting jamming in the second frame. More later.
After diverting from 2010 tour to review all of 2014, I returned to '10 the other day, starting with the band's second night at the Greek. I was pretty partial to the first night, and this night is of a similar caliber, if not better. After being admittedly bored by a lot of fall '09 and most of early summer '10, the first Greek show was music to my ears (literally and figuratively), but how would the run stack up after listening to a lot of the band's work in '13 and '14?
Well, there are definite differences, the primary one being that Trey sounds like he's in the driver's seat approximately 95% of the time in the '10 jams, while things are quite a bit more democratic-sounding nowadays. But I could spend all day talking about differences. What's really important is that Greek '10 Phish still sounds good.
S1 features a lot of fantastic song choices, including an early "Guyute" and "It's Ice." "Cities" gets a first-set jam treatment, as it gets legitimately extended into a chill funk jam, one of many instances in this run where the band as a whole shows a lot more patience than they're usually apt to show these days. Whether or not this is a good thing is up to you, but this jam doesn't go on long enough that the lack of variation really shows.
The same might not be said of S2's centerpiece jam, the "Simple." This version goes deep and abstract, and then...just stays there. For a really long time. It's really an experiment in minimalism, not in the sense that there's minimal notes being played, but there are only slight variations within the jam for minutes at a time. To me, this is great, and this jam is more interesting than pretty much everything the band has done since early fall '09. But it's also possible, I'm sure, to find it boring and repetitive.
The second set also features an extended "Rock and Roll" that can't really find a place to land, but hits a few interesting high points during its search, a "Ghost" that's very near rock and roll transcendent before Trey ripcords it into "Mike's," and a fantastic "Seven Below" -> "Groove" segue.
There's a lot to like here in both sets, and there's more jamming and more interesting moments than in most 3-4 show stretches between November '09 and July '10. And night three is even better!
The Live Review:
8/6/10: Chalkdust Torture opener.
8/6/10: I'm surprised to find that Trey actually sounds a bit more dexterous in his soloing here than in much of '14.
8/6/10: Lots of little tension-and-release bits and trilling in the CDT that you just wouldn't hear these days.
8/6/10: Anyway, great opener.
8/6/10: Second song Guyute! I also forgot how weird setlists could be in early 3.0. What happened to that?
8/6/10: Solid Guyute leads into a languid Ocelot.
8/6/10: Ocelot was a pretty standard take, but featured some precise shredding from Trey.
8/6/10: It's Ice!
8/6/10: Minus Ocelot, loving the song selection here.
8/6/10: Love that bridge section It's Ice. Creepy Page piano.
8/6/10: Cities! We all know the Berkeley Cities, but I'm excited to hear it again.
8/6/10: Page on electric piano, rest of the band going into minimalist-funk mode.
8/6/10: Trey doing some looping (I think). Mike driving a bit more.
8/6/10: While I love that jam, it wasn't really going anywhere beyond where it started. Good call on
the drop into Moma.
8/6/10: Gin is next.
8/6/10: Eleven-or-so minute Gin, but it's primarily a guitar vamp, all Type I.
8/6/10: I say that like it's a bad thing :) But I'm spoiled since '14.
8/6/10: Stealing Time rounds out a set that featured a solid song selection throughout and an excellent Cities jam.
8/6/10: S2 opens with a classic early-3.0 opener in Rock and Roll.
8/6/10: A few minutes of rock shredding from Trey takes a really quick left turn as Fishman shifts up the beat. Page to the organ.
8/6/10: Funk-style chords from Trey, but Page is laying down a nice piano melody overtop. Interesting juxtaposition.
8/6/10: Piano steers Trey into a more introspective mode.
8/6/10: Ricocheting around different tones/spaces now.
8/6/10: This is pretty cool, but it makes me really appreciate how intentional so many later 3.0 jams sound by comparison.
8/6/10: Spacey Rock and Roll just head-on crashed into Ghost. But hey, Ghost!
8/6/10: This Ghost has some legs. Mike is laying down a really distorted bass...base that Page and Trey are trading riffs over.
8/6/10: Very rock-and-roll style outro to the jam.
8/6/10: Building a bit...still building...
8/6/10: Disco beat from Fish.
8/6/10: And oh shit, Trey just DERAILED that jam. Audible boos from the crowd.
8/6/10: That was the opposite of a buttslam segue. That was the feeling of someone slamming a door
shut on your balls.
8/6/10: Old school drop into Simple out of the end of a very loud Mike's.
8/6/10: Lyrical gaffe in the composed section, but the move to the jam is smooth and a bit more energetic than usual.
8/6/10: So far, a typical Simple jam with much better melodic interplay than usual and more notes per usual.
8/6/10: Sounds crowded, but in a good way.
8/6/10: Almost a Who-sounding space now.
8/6/10: They're drawing this jam space out a lot further than they (Trey) usually have the patience for.
8/6/10: Trey and Fish coming in a bit harder now.
8/6/10: Jam builds nicely over a few minutes and then -> Number Line. Incredibly patient bit. Loved it.
8/6/10: One thing '10 Phish can do that '14 can't: jam in the same space for 5-6 minutes with little variation.
8/6/10: Breaking the Number Line jam down a bit. Mike-heavy. Fish switching up the usual beat.
8/6/10: Trey using a fair bit of whale, but it's not making me want to instantly die...yet.
8/6/10: Show of Life keeps the Mike's Groove going. Seven Below is next. Shaky start, but interesting song choice.
8/6/10: Incomplete Seven Below jam because of an AWESOME -> Weekapaug.
8/6/10: Great old school shredfest from Trey here.
8/6/10: YEM set closer to top it all off.
8/6/10: Trey stringing some serious runs together during this YEM jam. Now on to the Mike's Bass Destroys Everything portion of the show.
8/6/10: Gonna Take You Higher quotes in the vocal jam.
8/6/10: GTBT encore.
8/6/10: Trey is wringing every last ounce of shreddage out of this version. It's great!
8/6/10: Honestly hard to think about reviewing this alongside '14, but there's a lot of interesting jamming in the second frame. More later.
Mar 7, 2015
Fall and NYE '14 Tour Wrap-Up
Fall and NYE '14 was, in some ways, a logical extension of Summer '14. The band is still jamming with a fluidity and looseness that I've literally never heard them achieve so consistently, even during the high-water times in the 90s. Often, first sets don't do anything interesting, but they're executed consistently with technical prowess and an energy that you really can't fault in any way other than by greedily wishing for yet more space jams. It's everything that made '13 a great year for Phish, but even better, plus two new albums' worth of music (Fuego and the surprise Halloween set). While I'm partial to bits of Fall '13 and the back half of Summer '13, Fall '14 really completes an impregnable case for a band that's still progressing and is, objectively speaking, making a lot of my cherished Summer '13 highlights looking like growing pains by comparison.
That said, Fall '14 didn't really live up to the hype for me. I'd heard so many amazing things before listening that perhaps this was inevitable, but there it is. The 10/17 opener is amazing, and is probably my favorite single show that I've ever seen live, but then things really drop off (in general) until N2 of the BGCA run. From there, it's six shows in a row that are just jaw-droppingly amazing, maybe the best six-show run the band has ever put together, to my knowledge. But then the middle two shows of the NYE run are just boring, save for one "Weekapaug." And then the tour ends with the stupefyingly good 1/3 show. So, yeah. The highs are very, very high, but about half of the tour is just average by '13-'14 standards, and the middle of the NYE run belongs somewhere in '10 or '11. Best tour is Phishtory, as many have said? I dunno, I have to listen to Fall '13 first. But there are definitely a lot of great moments and overall it's the feeling a band still (somehow) on the rise. Which is why I'm currently sitting here refreshing phish.net over and over again, reading summer tour rumors.
10/17: Spectacular opening show. The second half of the first set is more like a second set, with some short but engaging jams. Everything in S2 except for "Halfway To the Moon" is interesting, but the clear highlights are "Carini" -> "Plasma," "Hood," and the "Crosseyed," which is on my short list for jam of the year.
10/18: Lackluster show after 10/17. One of the relatively new "jamlets 'n' segues" variety of show, there are some really compelling bits of improvisation, but never anything more than bits. The "Disease" is worth a listen, as is the "Sand," but you really could just listen to the "Light" -> "Cities" combo and call it a day without missing much.
10/21: Uncomfortably shaky S1. Amazing mellow & melodic "CDT" -> "Ghost" pair to start S2 is on par with anything else from the tour. The "Tweezer" isn't upper-echelon, but worth a listen anyway.
10/22: No single highlights in S1, but it's a vast improvement over 10/21's first frame; high energy and fun. "Drowned" -> "Theme" is a great pair, as "Theme" even features an outro jam, but then the rest of the set sees the band in jukebox mode (albeit a high-energy, fun version). Well-played show all the way around, but aside from the opening of S2, you'll miss the jamming.
10/24: S1 is again excellent, and there's a little improv poking out in "Gin" and a rare first-set "Ghost." The second set is mostly forgettable but for great, weird versions of "Hood" and "Disease." This "Disease" obviously isn't going to dethrone the Miami version, but it's one of the better ones of the year.
10/25: The first set is split between rotation staples played well (including a "Wolfman's" that really belongs in a second set) and rarities played like crap. Take that as you will. The second set has a great single jam in "Golden Age," but then falls into "jamlets 'n' segues" mode again. As I wrote in the review: ""Carini" > "Piper" > "Caspian" > "Tweezer" sequence is great, but you'll have to wince every few minutes when they switch songs, which takes some of the fun out of it."
10/27: Great song choices in the first set, but overall things don't quite mesh. That always-elusive "flow" is missing. The second set jamming is all segue-based again, and the only real jam of note that comes out of this is the "Ghost."
10/28: The show where an incredible six-show run of incredibleness begins. The first set sags in the middle, but starts off strong and finishes with a fantastic "Gumbo" -> "Sanity," with a legit "Gumbo" jam. The second set I described originally as "beautifully melodic" and "perfect." It's finally a great use of the band's segue-jamming style, moving effortlessly from song to song and stringing a greater thematic sequence together out of disparate songs through their improvisation alone. That said, "Twist" is the easy highlight.
10/29: S1 is, again, high-energy, but there's nothing really notable about it this time, other than the fact that "Wolfman's" continues to evolve and at this point is screaming to be jammed out, along with "555," "Wombat," and "Plasma." The second set is a head-scratcher at times, but features highlights in "Disease," "Light," and "Split." Probably the weakest show of the six-song run of Phish Destroying Everything, but it's still a great show.
10/31: This is one of the better shows of fall tour even without the set of all-new music. S1 is well-constructed and "Ghost" and "Scents" both go surprisingly deep. Rather than the usual laurel-resting-on that happens in Phish third sets, this one features a fantastic "Golden Age" an above-average "Tweezer," and, near the end, an 18-minute "Sand"! Oh, and of course in the middle of these great sets is an incredible instrumental hour of music. This trend of not wasting a set in a three-set show will continue into NYE.
11/1: Almost beats 10/31 with one less set to work with, it's so good. The first set doesn't do much beyond a "Roggae" to raise eyebrows, but the setlist is just brilliantly put-together. Pretty much the entire second set is worth a mention, but first and foremost it's the "Crosseyed" > "Light" -> "The Dogs" -> "Lengthwise" > "Twist" portion that makes this a contender for Set of the Year.
11/2: S1 here reminds me of the 10/17 S1 in the sense that about halfway through a standard set, the band decides to start S2 early. There's a great "Gin," some "Martian Monster" teases in the "Free," and a great "Walls" closer. The "CDT" -> "Piper" that opens S2 is 10/21 S2's opening pair leveled up, and the rest of the set is top-notch even before ending in a huge "YEM" that involves an extended jam section and Trey chasing Mike around the stage with a megaphone siren.
12/31: This is another three-set show that doesn't take any breaks. The first set, honestly, gets by on energy alone. There's no real improv, and in terms of organization, it's a mess. But, damn, the band is on fire. The "Ghost" > "Theme" -> "Cities" sequence in S2 threatens to unseat 11/1's masterful sequence it's so good, though, and S2 ends with "Martian Monster." S3 starts with the gag segueing into "The Dogs," and also contains a legitimate "Tweezer" jam and starts with a great "Simple" jam that gets ripcorded into jukebox territory; however, this show still offers an incredible amount of quality music and jamming, though it might be hard-pressed to stand up to 10/31.
1/1: The six-show run of destruction comes to an end here during N2 of NYE. The first set is actually really, really good in the way that many of the best S1s have been throughout the tour. There's no particular highlight, but just consistent energy and great organization throughout. The second set is of the segue-jamming variety, and it doesn't work so well. There's a few great song choices that don't seem to achieve their potential, and then an interesting "Twenty Years" > "Winterqueen" pair that would probably feel like more of a highlight if it wasn't the only one of the set.
1/2: This show is even more pedestrian than 1/1, but the "Mike's Groove" that opens S2, and especially the way-out-there "Weekapaug," are great. Just listen to that sequence and skip the rest. One of the few times I've been able to say something like that about a '14 show.
1/3: What a note to end the year on. The first set is a cohesive, high-energy affair throughout, and features a "Divided Sky," a legitimate "Split" jam, a short-but-intense "Scent," and the return of "Plasma." The second set is primarily about the amazing easily-best-of-year "Disease" that recalls the Tahoe Tweezer in its best moments. But not to close the year on a jukeboxy note, the band then puts together an amazing "Light" -> "Sally," a shredded "Sand," and one final exploratory "Hood" before calling it a tour.
That said, Fall '14 didn't really live up to the hype for me. I'd heard so many amazing things before listening that perhaps this was inevitable, but there it is. The 10/17 opener is amazing, and is probably my favorite single show that I've ever seen live, but then things really drop off (in general) until N2 of the BGCA run. From there, it's six shows in a row that are just jaw-droppingly amazing, maybe the best six-show run the band has ever put together, to my knowledge. But then the middle two shows of the NYE run are just boring, save for one "Weekapaug." And then the tour ends with the stupefyingly good 1/3 show. So, yeah. The highs are very, very high, but about half of the tour is just average by '13-'14 standards, and the middle of the NYE run belongs somewhere in '10 or '11. Best tour is Phishtory, as many have said? I dunno, I have to listen to Fall '13 first. But there are definitely a lot of great moments and overall it's the feeling a band still (somehow) on the rise. Which is why I'm currently sitting here refreshing phish.net over and over again, reading summer tour rumors.
10/17: Spectacular opening show. The second half of the first set is more like a second set, with some short but engaging jams. Everything in S2 except for "Halfway To the Moon" is interesting, but the clear highlights are "Carini" -> "Plasma," "Hood," and the "Crosseyed," which is on my short list for jam of the year.
10/18: Lackluster show after 10/17. One of the relatively new "jamlets 'n' segues" variety of show, there are some really compelling bits of improvisation, but never anything more than bits. The "Disease" is worth a listen, as is the "Sand," but you really could just listen to the "Light" -> "Cities" combo and call it a day without missing much.
10/21: Uncomfortably shaky S1. Amazing mellow & melodic "CDT" -> "Ghost" pair to start S2 is on par with anything else from the tour. The "Tweezer" isn't upper-echelon, but worth a listen anyway.
10/22: No single highlights in S1, but it's a vast improvement over 10/21's first frame; high energy and fun. "Drowned" -> "Theme" is a great pair, as "Theme" even features an outro jam, but then the rest of the set sees the band in jukebox mode (albeit a high-energy, fun version). Well-played show all the way around, but aside from the opening of S2, you'll miss the jamming.
10/24: S1 is again excellent, and there's a little improv poking out in "Gin" and a rare first-set "Ghost." The second set is mostly forgettable but for great, weird versions of "Hood" and "Disease." This "Disease" obviously isn't going to dethrone the Miami version, but it's one of the better ones of the year.
10/25: The first set is split between rotation staples played well (including a "Wolfman's" that really belongs in a second set) and rarities played like crap. Take that as you will. The second set has a great single jam in "Golden Age," but then falls into "jamlets 'n' segues" mode again. As I wrote in the review: ""Carini" > "Piper" > "Caspian" > "Tweezer" sequence is great, but you'll have to wince every few minutes when they switch songs, which takes some of the fun out of it."
10/27: Great song choices in the first set, but overall things don't quite mesh. That always-elusive "flow" is missing. The second set jamming is all segue-based again, and the only real jam of note that comes out of this is the "Ghost."
10/28: The show where an incredible six-show run of incredibleness begins. The first set sags in the middle, but starts off strong and finishes with a fantastic "Gumbo" -> "Sanity," with a legit "Gumbo" jam. The second set I described originally as "beautifully melodic" and "perfect." It's finally a great use of the band's segue-jamming style, moving effortlessly from song to song and stringing a greater thematic sequence together out of disparate songs through their improvisation alone. That said, "Twist" is the easy highlight.
10/29: S1 is, again, high-energy, but there's nothing really notable about it this time, other than the fact that "Wolfman's" continues to evolve and at this point is screaming to be jammed out, along with "555," "Wombat," and "Plasma." The second set is a head-scratcher at times, but features highlights in "Disease," "Light," and "Split." Probably the weakest show of the six-song run of Phish Destroying Everything, but it's still a great show.
10/31: This is one of the better shows of fall tour even without the set of all-new music. S1 is well-constructed and "Ghost" and "Scents" both go surprisingly deep. Rather than the usual laurel-resting-on that happens in Phish third sets, this one features a fantastic "Golden Age" an above-average "Tweezer," and, near the end, an 18-minute "Sand"! Oh, and of course in the middle of these great sets is an incredible instrumental hour of music. This trend of not wasting a set in a three-set show will continue into NYE.
11/1: Almost beats 10/31 with one less set to work with, it's so good. The first set doesn't do much beyond a "Roggae" to raise eyebrows, but the setlist is just brilliantly put-together. Pretty much the entire second set is worth a mention, but first and foremost it's the "Crosseyed" > "Light" -> "The Dogs" -> "Lengthwise" > "Twist" portion that makes this a contender for Set of the Year.
11/2: S1 here reminds me of the 10/17 S1 in the sense that about halfway through a standard set, the band decides to start S2 early. There's a great "Gin," some "Martian Monster" teases in the "Free," and a great "Walls" closer. The "CDT" -> "Piper" that opens S2 is 10/21 S2's opening pair leveled up, and the rest of the set is top-notch even before ending in a huge "YEM" that involves an extended jam section and Trey chasing Mike around the stage with a megaphone siren.
12/31: This is another three-set show that doesn't take any breaks. The first set, honestly, gets by on energy alone. There's no real improv, and in terms of organization, it's a mess. But, damn, the band is on fire. The "Ghost" > "Theme" -> "Cities" sequence in S2 threatens to unseat 11/1's masterful sequence it's so good, though, and S2 ends with "Martian Monster." S3 starts with the gag segueing into "The Dogs," and also contains a legitimate "Tweezer" jam and starts with a great "Simple" jam that gets ripcorded into jukebox territory; however, this show still offers an incredible amount of quality music and jamming, though it might be hard-pressed to stand up to 10/31.
1/1: The six-show run of destruction comes to an end here during N2 of NYE. The first set is actually really, really good in the way that many of the best S1s have been throughout the tour. There's no particular highlight, but just consistent energy and great organization throughout. The second set is of the segue-jamming variety, and it doesn't work so well. There's a few great song choices that don't seem to achieve their potential, and then an interesting "Twenty Years" > "Winterqueen" pair that would probably feel like more of a highlight if it wasn't the only one of the set.
1/2: This show is even more pedestrian than 1/1, but the "Mike's Groove" that opens S2, and especially the way-out-there "Weekapaug," are great. Just listen to that sequence and skip the rest. One of the few times I've been able to say something like that about a '14 show.
1/3: What a note to end the year on. The first set is a cohesive, high-energy affair throughout, and features a "Divided Sky," a legitimate "Split" jam, a short-but-intense "Scent," and the return of "Plasma." The second set is primarily about the amazing easily-best-of-year "Disease" that recalls the Tahoe Tweezer in its best moments. But not to close the year on a jukeboxy note, the band then puts together an amazing "Light" -> "Sally," a shredded "Sand," and one final exploratory "Hood" before calling it a tour.
Mar 5, 2015
2015-01-03 Miami IV
The Verdict:
WOW.
I'm just going to leave that in bold because, seriously, fuck. This is a fantastic show, and beautiful to hear as a capstone on a fantastic year. The "Disease" is obviously the centerpiece, an only-slightly-lesser twin to the Tahoe Tweezer and probably better than the recent Dick's Simple. But just about everything else is great, too. From the perfectly-planned first quarter ("Maze," "Bag," "DSky," "Cavern," and "Scent") to the "Plasma" to the old-school "Split" jam, the first set is great. Sure, it sags a little in the middle, but only really in terms of song choice. Even those "weaker" songs are played with more than the usual panache.
Then there's the "Stealing Time" that's the least likely version to every be played by anyone ever again, because next is the Miami Disease, a transcendent, brilliant jam that you should probably just read my response to in the tweets, or, better yet, just watch at the link below. But, like the best second sets, the band doesn't rest on its laurels here. Instead, the launch a great "Light" -> "Sally" sandwich, wherein each song has its own few minutes of notable jamming. Then there's a pitch-perfect Type I "Sand," and they seal the deal with the last "Hood" of the year, a chordy, driving thing that carries through with the momentum-based jamming that already ran through "Disease," "Light," and "Sally" earlier in the set.
This is one of my favorite sets of music in a long, long time. We're not talking a great 2-3 song run, but just a solid set all the way through. What a way to go, '14 tour.
The Live Review:
1/3/15: Time to finish off '14 tour!
1/3/15: Maze opener!
1/3/15: That opening Maze was waaay hotter than it had any business being. Bag next.
1/3/15: Trey is on fire already. That's a great sign. Though I hope the rest of the band doesn't just give him the reins as a result.
1/3/15: Usually way more interesting when that DOESN'T happen, no offense to Trey :)
1/3/15: Whoa! Bag > DSky!
1/3/15: Slow-ish tempo on Divided Sky, but a gorgeous version.
1/3/15: Cavern followed the Divided Sky. Great setlist choices so far.
1/3/15: Scent is next. Trey is sprinkling some great bluegrass fills around in the verses of the song.
1/3/15: Smoke on the Water tease from Trey during the Duel section.
1/3/15: Short version of Mule (no marimba weirdness, etc.) but really high-energy.
1/3/15: Plasma! So glad that this wasn't a one-off. High on my list of monster-jam contenders for summer '15, right next to 555.
1/3/15: Uptempo Devotion follows Plasma.
1/3/15: Trey integrating some of his chord-based jamming into Water in the Sky now.
1/3/15: Weird sort of flow in the back half of this set, but the songs are still super-solid. Split gets us back on track (hopefully).
1/3/15: This one takes after the last few Split jams: lots of loops, a decent amount of empty space, Fish deconstructing the beat.
1/3/15: In other words, the new Split mini-Renaissance continues. Nothing super-special, but darker and better than many earlier 3.0 takes.
1/3/15: Zero'd!
1/3/15: Really muddy tone again from Trey on the Zero jam. Makes it a teeny tiny bit different than usual, I guess.
1/3/15: Overall, S1 is excellent for the energy and little sparks of brilliance throughout.
1/3/15: Most of the awesomeness happens in the first half, but Plasma, Scent, and Split are worth a mention, too.
1/3/15: Okay, so S2 starts with my least favorite set opener (Stealing Time)...
1/3/15: ...but this version is sort of slow and seems a lot more mellow than usual. More Page in the mix.
1/3/15: Well, that version was slightly more palatable than most. Lands in Disease.
1/3/15: Disease seems slow, too. Maybe they wore themselves out in that first set? :)
1/3/15: Trey is stringing together a great melody solo. Page on piano, Fish is raining down hi-hat blows like crazy.
1/3/15: Trey on chords, now. This thing has some serious momentum. Fish is a champ.
1/3/15: Sort of Jumpin Jack Flash there for a second.
1/3/15: Flashback to 6/27/10 :)
1/3/15: Slow down, fade, but then back into a different jam space. That is NEVER a bad sign.
1/3/15: The Phish that pushes through that weird wind-down moment and keeps playing is always the best Phish.
1/3/15: This second part is more Mike-heavy. Page on clav, Trey adding touches.
1/3/15: Mike bass bomb drives things in a more speculative direction. Fish is still riding the high hat.
1/3/15: Page on electric piano, now.
1/3/15: Another wind down, under some heavy Fish drumming. Reminds me of a Round Room outtake jam.
1/3/15: Trey coming back with a great melody. Page has got the synth(s?) going.
1/3/15: Trey harmonizing with his looped guitar line. Yeah, that actually happened.
1/3/15: Blues version of Manteca. If that makes any sense. Heading into more open blues jam.
1/3/15: If the Tahoe Tweezer had a younger, mellower little sister, it would be this jam.
1/3/15: It has that same effortlessness to it.
1/3/15: Trey just wailing on the blues-Manteca riff now.
1/3/15: He's clearly working up to that insane exploda-thon guitar moment that needs to appear soon.
1/3/15: Nevermind...they're winding it down.
1/3/15: But Trey just pulled a little chording thing out of nowhere. New jam space!
1/3/15: Sounds like a half-tempo Boogie On, now. Would make for an AMAZING ->.
1/3/15: Loops, abstraction. Fishman rules this jam. Hands down. Without him, this didn't happen.
1/3/15: Page and Trey conjuring electronic spiders. They attack.
1/3/15: Hahahaha...Trey just ripcorded a 25 minute jam. He couldn't take it anymore.
1/3/15: It doesn't matter because that was incredible...but still probably could have made a better transition to Light after THAT.
1/3/15: This Light jam could be a reprise of the first part of the Disease jam. I meant that in a good way.
1/3/15: I'm not really sure how to describe what's going on in the second half of this Light jam, but it's great.
1/3/15: Makes me think of Undermind, but with fuzzier tones.
1/3/15: Trey's guitar sounds like one of those Tesla generators in Frankenstein.
1/3/15: Page and Trey both pulled a -> Sneakin' Sally. Woo!
1/3/15: Sally jam is going in surprisingly rock n roll direction.
1/3/15: Weird ambient fadeout with a scary chord progression from Page on piano underneath.
1/3/15: -B Sand.
1/3/15: Ah, the buttslam segue. I haven't gotten to use that one for awhile.
1/3/15: This Sand is ALL Trey. But that's okay because it's great. He's getting one more guitar-god moment out before the end of tour :)
1/3/15: Stays funk, Type I, throughout.
1/3/15: Sand winds down into the intro to Hood. If they nail this Hood, this is going to be an incredible run of songs.
1/3/15: Happy birthday tease from Trey in the Hood intro.
1/3/15: Trey is going back one more time to the chord-jam here in the Hood. Again recalls the earlier Disease/Light jams.
1/3/15: This is by no means one of the weirdest or most interesting Hoods of the year, but it's still a great version.
1/3/15: Suzy set closer. Trey biffs the lyrics, Fish screams, Page sneaks one final 'They attack!' in during the chorus...
1/3/15: GTBT encore! Haven't heard that one in awhile.
1/3/15: Well, that S2 was absolutely insane. Without thinking too hard, it might be Best of Year material.
1/3/15: Rarely does Phish put a stamp on a huge period of growth that obviously. I love it.
WOW.
I'm just going to leave that in bold because, seriously, fuck. This is a fantastic show, and beautiful to hear as a capstone on a fantastic year. The "Disease" is obviously the centerpiece, an only-slightly-lesser twin to the Tahoe Tweezer and probably better than the recent Dick's Simple. But just about everything else is great, too. From the perfectly-planned first quarter ("Maze," "Bag," "DSky," "Cavern," and "Scent") to the "Plasma" to the old-school "Split" jam, the first set is great. Sure, it sags a little in the middle, but only really in terms of song choice. Even those "weaker" songs are played with more than the usual panache.
Then there's the "Stealing Time" that's the least likely version to every be played by anyone ever again, because next is the Miami Disease, a transcendent, brilliant jam that you should probably just read my response to in the tweets, or, better yet, just watch at the link below. But, like the best second sets, the band doesn't rest on its laurels here. Instead, the launch a great "Light" -> "Sally" sandwich, wherein each song has its own few minutes of notable jamming. Then there's a pitch-perfect Type I "Sand," and they seal the deal with the last "Hood" of the year, a chordy, driving thing that carries through with the momentum-based jamming that already ran through "Disease," "Light," and "Sally" earlier in the set.
This is one of my favorite sets of music in a long, long time. We're not talking a great 2-3 song run, but just a solid set all the way through. What a way to go, '14 tour.
The Live Review:
1/3/15: Time to finish off '14 tour!
1/3/15: Maze opener!
1/3/15: That opening Maze was waaay hotter than it had any business being. Bag next.
1/3/15: Trey is on fire already. That's a great sign. Though I hope the rest of the band doesn't just give him the reins as a result.
1/3/15: Usually way more interesting when that DOESN'T happen, no offense to Trey :)
1/3/15: Whoa! Bag > DSky!
1/3/15: Slow-ish tempo on Divided Sky, but a gorgeous version.
1/3/15: Cavern followed the Divided Sky. Great setlist choices so far.
1/3/15: Scent is next. Trey is sprinkling some great bluegrass fills around in the verses of the song.
1/3/15: Smoke on the Water tease from Trey during the Duel section.
1/3/15: Short version of Mule (no marimba weirdness, etc.) but really high-energy.
1/3/15: Plasma! So glad that this wasn't a one-off. High on my list of monster-jam contenders for summer '15, right next to 555.
1/3/15: Uptempo Devotion follows Plasma.
1/3/15: Trey integrating some of his chord-based jamming into Water in the Sky now.
1/3/15: Weird sort of flow in the back half of this set, but the songs are still super-solid. Split gets us back on track (hopefully).
1/3/15: This one takes after the last few Split jams: lots of loops, a decent amount of empty space, Fish deconstructing the beat.
1/3/15: In other words, the new Split mini-Renaissance continues. Nothing super-special, but darker and better than many earlier 3.0 takes.
1/3/15: Zero'd!
1/3/15: Really muddy tone again from Trey on the Zero jam. Makes it a teeny tiny bit different than usual, I guess.
1/3/15: Overall, S1 is excellent for the energy and little sparks of brilliance throughout.
1/3/15: Most of the awesomeness happens in the first half, but Plasma, Scent, and Split are worth a mention, too.
1/3/15: Okay, so S2 starts with my least favorite set opener (Stealing Time)...
1/3/15: ...but this version is sort of slow and seems a lot more mellow than usual. More Page in the mix.
1/3/15: Well, that version was slightly more palatable than most. Lands in Disease.
1/3/15: Disease seems slow, too. Maybe they wore themselves out in that first set? :)
1/3/15: Trey is stringing together a great melody solo. Page on piano, Fish is raining down hi-hat blows like crazy.
1/3/15: Trey on chords, now. This thing has some serious momentum. Fish is a champ.
1/3/15: Sort of Jumpin Jack Flash there for a second.
1/3/15: Flashback to 6/27/10 :)
1/3/15: Slow down, fade, but then back into a different jam space. That is NEVER a bad sign.
1/3/15: The Phish that pushes through that weird wind-down moment and keeps playing is always the best Phish.
1/3/15: This second part is more Mike-heavy. Page on clav, Trey adding touches.
1/3/15: Mike bass bomb drives things in a more speculative direction. Fish is still riding the high hat.
1/3/15: Page on electric piano, now.
1/3/15: Another wind down, under some heavy Fish drumming. Reminds me of a Round Room outtake jam.
1/3/15: Trey coming back with a great melody. Page has got the synth(s?) going.
1/3/15: Trey harmonizing with his looped guitar line. Yeah, that actually happened.
1/3/15: Blues version of Manteca. If that makes any sense. Heading into more open blues jam.
1/3/15: If the Tahoe Tweezer had a younger, mellower little sister, it would be this jam.
1/3/15: It has that same effortlessness to it.
1/3/15: Trey just wailing on the blues-Manteca riff now.
1/3/15: He's clearly working up to that insane exploda-thon guitar moment that needs to appear soon.
1/3/15: Nevermind...they're winding it down.
1/3/15: But Trey just pulled a little chording thing out of nowhere. New jam space!
1/3/15: Sounds like a half-tempo Boogie On, now. Would make for an AMAZING ->.
1/3/15: Loops, abstraction. Fishman rules this jam. Hands down. Without him, this didn't happen.
1/3/15: Page and Trey conjuring electronic spiders. They attack.
1/3/15: Hahahaha...Trey just ripcorded a 25 minute jam. He couldn't take it anymore.
1/3/15: It doesn't matter because that was incredible...but still probably could have made a better transition to Light after THAT.
1/3/15: This Light jam could be a reprise of the first part of the Disease jam. I meant that in a good way.
1/3/15: I'm not really sure how to describe what's going on in the second half of this Light jam, but it's great.
1/3/15: Makes me think of Undermind, but with fuzzier tones.
1/3/15: Trey's guitar sounds like one of those Tesla generators in Frankenstein.
1/3/15: Page and Trey both pulled a -> Sneakin' Sally. Woo!
1/3/15: Sally jam is going in surprisingly rock n roll direction.
1/3/15: Weird ambient fadeout with a scary chord progression from Page on piano underneath.
1/3/15: -B Sand.
1/3/15: Ah, the buttslam segue. I haven't gotten to use that one for awhile.
1/3/15: This Sand is ALL Trey. But that's okay because it's great. He's getting one more guitar-god moment out before the end of tour :)
1/3/15: Stays funk, Type I, throughout.
1/3/15: Sand winds down into the intro to Hood. If they nail this Hood, this is going to be an incredible run of songs.
1/3/15: Happy birthday tease from Trey in the Hood intro.
1/3/15: Trey is going back one more time to the chord-jam here in the Hood. Again recalls the earlier Disease/Light jams.
1/3/15: This is by no means one of the weirdest or most interesting Hoods of the year, but it's still a great version.
1/3/15: Suzy set closer. Trey biffs the lyrics, Fish screams, Page sneaks one final 'They attack!' in during the chorus...
1/3/15: GTBT encore! Haven't heard that one in awhile.
1/3/15: Well, that S2 was absolutely insane. Without thinking too hard, it might be Best of Year material.
1/3/15: Rarely does Phish put a stamp on a huge period of growth that obviously. I love it.
2015-01-02 Miami III
The Verdict:
The absolute highlight of the third night in Miami is the "Weekapaug Groove," and it's one of my favorite jams in a long time. But the fact remains that if you take that jam away, this show becomes a clunker on the level of 1/1. The "Mike's" > "46 Days" combo that leads up to the "Groove" gets a little bit out there, but the only reason it's worth mentioning is precisely because it leads into such a great jam. The rest of the show, frankly, is in average-great territory.
I say this not because I enjoy dissing Phish shows; I don't, and I actually really enjoy the opposite. But, in the corners of the internet where I read about Phish, at least, this run was talked up as the run, and so I guess I was a little excited about the idea of a better-than-usual SF run, followed by an incredible Halloween run, followed by an even-better NYE run. But the reality is that the middle of this run, at least, is run-of-the-mill, save for the first half of this show's second set. It is, as I say below, a good '11 or '12 show at best. Trey pushes the band through a decent first half of S1, but then when he falls back, nobody else steps up to fill the gap. The "Groove" is great, but immediately after the band enters jukebox mode and stays there for the rest of the night. I don't know if this makes it better or worse that 1/3 is just amazing.
The Live Review:
1/2/15: N3 in Miami starts off with a REALLY muted Free.
1/2/15: That was probably the tiredest-sounding version of Free I've heard in a long time.
1/2/15: In response, Trey calls for Moma Dance, the ultimate deck-clearer.
1/2/15: They're audibly pulling it together throughout the course of this Moma. Nice to hear.
1/2/15: Possum in the three-slot, and at this point the band is sounding like its usual self.
1/2/15: Trey has been soloing basically since the beginning of the song (including under Mike's vocals). It's interesting.
1/2/15: Roggae!
1/2/15: Trey leading early in the jam with a long melodic solo. Mike picking up with accents on the melody.
1/2/15: Roggae jam stays Trey-centric until the final build. Nice version, > Stash.
1/2/15: Really compact Stash, also almost entirely Trey-led.
1/2/15: This set is much better than the opening Free indicated, but it's improved b/c of Trey just taking over everything so far.
1/2/15: Moma, Possum, Roggae, Stash is a great run of songs, but I'd like to hear the rest of the band a little more.
1/2/15: That said, Trey driving isn't such a bad thing when he's playing so damn well. He's currently dominating BOTT, now.
1/2/15: Sugar Shack! The ultimate test of Trey's ability to play ahead of the rest of the band :)
1/2/15: On a scale of 'Disaster' > 'Uncomfortably Awkward' > 'Charming' > 'Good' > 'Legitimately Well Done,' that was Uncomfortably Awkward.
1/2/15: You're not going to win me over with the second half of a set that's BOTT, a rough Sugar Shack, The Line, Ocelot, and Coil.
1/2/15: Would prefer this set to have just been Moma, Moma, Possum, Possum, Roggae, Roggae, Stash, Stash, Coil.
1/2/15: I guess.
1/2/15: Let's just roll this set into the lackluster 1/1 show and move on for 1/2 S2 and all of 1/3, shall we?
1/2/15: Wow. Trey just absolutely butchered The Line outro solo. I mean, like, it sounded like me when I take a solo. That bad.
1/2/15: I mean, it's not a huge knock against the show or anything, 15 seconds or so of music, but it just surprised me.
1/2/15: Ocelot contains a pretty intense rock peak after a few minutes of the usual Ocelot-style jam. Worth a listen.
1/2/15: I think someone just yelled 'Take your clothes off!' on the SBD, after Ocelot. #crowdbanter
1/2/15: I'm not sure who I hope they're talking about. Page, I guess? Fish? #crowdbanter
1/2/15: Neat interplay between Trey and Page in the Coil outro. Crowd responds with a roar.
1/2/15: Pretty sure someone just screamed 'Thunder Road!' at the beginning of S2 on the SBD. #crowdbanter
1/2/15: That would be a HILARIOUS and amazing cover to bust out. #crowdbanter
1/2/15: The big question is, who does the vocals? #crowdbanter
1/2/15: Trey's guitar playing that outro horn line would probably be just about the best thing ever. #crowdbanter
1/2/15: Okay, so Mike's to open the second set. Good?
1/2/15: Immediately a bit of a funk swing feel to the Mike's jam. I'm liking this.
1/2/15: A lot like the Dick's Mike's, but a little heavier, if that makes any sense.
1/2/15: That was a really hot version and multifaceted. I hate to say 'for 3.0,' but, you know, when it comes to Mike's...
1/2/15: 46 Days next. Really fast tempo.
1/2/15: Loops coming in during the 46 Days jam.
1/2/15: Mashup of plinko and Manteca-style jamming now.
1/2/15: Quick synth breakdown, then Fish-led, sort-of -> Groove.
1/2/15: Clav mania ensues immediately in the Groove.
1/2/15: Really kinetic Groove jam. Trey is putting down some excellent '14-style chording.
1/2/15: Woo jam bit. I can feel people who hate fun cringing.
1/2/15: THEY ATTACK
1/2/15: Second Weekapaug jam! Loop city, Fish has a fantastic beat going.
1/2/15: No idea what's going on now, but someone who isn't Trey is playing the guitar. I imagine it's Mike. Someone's on the marimba.
1/2/15: Definitely watching this on YouTube later.
1/2/15: That was awesomely weird, but also never stopped being a legitimately quality jam. Wow.
1/2/15: Fuego after that fantastic Mike's Groove.
1/2/15: Fuego goes the usual jam-on-the-riff-to-ambient-fade route, although it almost sounded like it was going to -> Slave at one point.
1/2/15: Oh. Well, after the song ends, we get a > Slave instead. I guess that's almost as good.
1/2/15: Standard take on Slave > chordy 2001.
1/2/15: Walls set closer!
1/2/15: That was definitely a Trey Shredz, set-closing Walls, and not a normal Walls. Rock and roll!
1/2/15: Sleeping Monkey encore!
1/2/15: Okay, Rocky Top is a perfect follow-up to Sleeping Monkey for the encore.
1/2/15: Weird show in general, though. Hot/cold S1, no surprise songs or jammed tunes.
1/2/15: S2 Mike's Groove is incredible, the rest of the show is pure jukebox. Almost like a really good '11 or '12 show, here.
The absolute highlight of the third night in Miami is the "Weekapaug Groove," and it's one of my favorite jams in a long time. But the fact remains that if you take that jam away, this show becomes a clunker on the level of 1/1. The "Mike's" > "46 Days" combo that leads up to the "Groove" gets a little bit out there, but the only reason it's worth mentioning is precisely because it leads into such a great jam. The rest of the show, frankly, is in average-great territory.
I say this not because I enjoy dissing Phish shows; I don't, and I actually really enjoy the opposite. But, in the corners of the internet where I read about Phish, at least, this run was talked up as the run, and so I guess I was a little excited about the idea of a better-than-usual SF run, followed by an incredible Halloween run, followed by an even-better NYE run. But the reality is that the middle of this run, at least, is run-of-the-mill, save for the first half of this show's second set. It is, as I say below, a good '11 or '12 show at best. Trey pushes the band through a decent first half of S1, but then when he falls back, nobody else steps up to fill the gap. The "Groove" is great, but immediately after the band enters jukebox mode and stays there for the rest of the night. I don't know if this makes it better or worse that 1/3 is just amazing.
The Live Review:
1/2/15: N3 in Miami starts off with a REALLY muted Free.
1/2/15: That was probably the tiredest-sounding version of Free I've heard in a long time.
1/2/15: In response, Trey calls for Moma Dance, the ultimate deck-clearer.
1/2/15: They're audibly pulling it together throughout the course of this Moma. Nice to hear.
1/2/15: Possum in the three-slot, and at this point the band is sounding like its usual self.
1/2/15: Trey has been soloing basically since the beginning of the song (including under Mike's vocals). It's interesting.
1/2/15: Roggae!
1/2/15: Trey leading early in the jam with a long melodic solo. Mike picking up with accents on the melody.
1/2/15: Roggae jam stays Trey-centric until the final build. Nice version, > Stash.
1/2/15: Really compact Stash, also almost entirely Trey-led.
1/2/15: This set is much better than the opening Free indicated, but it's improved b/c of Trey just taking over everything so far.
1/2/15: Moma, Possum, Roggae, Stash is a great run of songs, but I'd like to hear the rest of the band a little more.
1/2/15: That said, Trey driving isn't such a bad thing when he's playing so damn well. He's currently dominating BOTT, now.
1/2/15: Sugar Shack! The ultimate test of Trey's ability to play ahead of the rest of the band :)
1/2/15: On a scale of 'Disaster' > 'Uncomfortably Awkward' > 'Charming' > 'Good' > 'Legitimately Well Done,' that was Uncomfortably Awkward.
1/2/15: You're not going to win me over with the second half of a set that's BOTT, a rough Sugar Shack, The Line, Ocelot, and Coil.
1/2/15: Would prefer this set to have just been Moma, Moma, Possum, Possum, Roggae, Roggae, Stash, Stash, Coil.
1/2/15: I guess.
1/2/15: Let's just roll this set into the lackluster 1/1 show and move on for 1/2 S2 and all of 1/3, shall we?
1/2/15: Wow. Trey just absolutely butchered The Line outro solo. I mean, like, it sounded like me when I take a solo. That bad.
1/2/15: I mean, it's not a huge knock against the show or anything, 15 seconds or so of music, but it just surprised me.
1/2/15: Ocelot contains a pretty intense rock peak after a few minutes of the usual Ocelot-style jam. Worth a listen.
1/2/15: I think someone just yelled 'Take your clothes off!' on the SBD, after Ocelot. #crowdbanter
1/2/15: I'm not sure who I hope they're talking about. Page, I guess? Fish? #crowdbanter
1/2/15: Neat interplay between Trey and Page in the Coil outro. Crowd responds with a roar.
1/2/15: Pretty sure someone just screamed 'Thunder Road!' at the beginning of S2 on the SBD. #crowdbanter
1/2/15: That would be a HILARIOUS and amazing cover to bust out. #crowdbanter
1/2/15: The big question is, who does the vocals? #crowdbanter
1/2/15: Trey's guitar playing that outro horn line would probably be just about the best thing ever. #crowdbanter
1/2/15: Okay, so Mike's to open the second set. Good?
1/2/15: Immediately a bit of a funk swing feel to the Mike's jam. I'm liking this.
1/2/15: A lot like the Dick's Mike's, but a little heavier, if that makes any sense.
1/2/15: That was a really hot version and multifaceted. I hate to say 'for 3.0,' but, you know, when it comes to Mike's...
1/2/15: 46 Days next. Really fast tempo.
1/2/15: Loops coming in during the 46 Days jam.
1/2/15: Mashup of plinko and Manteca-style jamming now.
1/2/15: Quick synth breakdown, then Fish-led, sort-of -> Groove.
1/2/15: Clav mania ensues immediately in the Groove.
1/2/15: Really kinetic Groove jam. Trey is putting down some excellent '14-style chording.
1/2/15: Woo jam bit. I can feel people who hate fun cringing.
1/2/15: THEY ATTACK
1/2/15: Second Weekapaug jam! Loop city, Fish has a fantastic beat going.
1/2/15: No idea what's going on now, but someone who isn't Trey is playing the guitar. I imagine it's Mike. Someone's on the marimba.
1/2/15: Definitely watching this on YouTube later.
1/2/15: That was awesomely weird, but also never stopped being a legitimately quality jam. Wow.
1/2/15: Fuego after that fantastic Mike's Groove.
1/2/15: Fuego goes the usual jam-on-the-riff-to-ambient-fade route, although it almost sounded like it was going to -> Slave at one point.
1/2/15: Oh. Well, after the song ends, we get a > Slave instead. I guess that's almost as good.
1/2/15: Standard take on Slave > chordy 2001.
1/2/15: Walls set closer!
1/2/15: That was definitely a Trey Shredz, set-closing Walls, and not a normal Walls. Rock and roll!
1/2/15: Sleeping Monkey encore!
1/2/15: Okay, Rocky Top is a perfect follow-up to Sleeping Monkey for the encore.
1/2/15: Weird show in general, though. Hot/cold S1, no surprise songs or jammed tunes.
1/2/15: S2 Mike's Groove is incredible, the rest of the show is pure jukebox. Almost like a really good '11 or '12 show, here.
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