The Verdict:
The second Alpine show wasn't quite as satisfying as the first for me, though it seems like the general opinion on phish.net would disagree with me.
Admittedly, the first set is great from a setlist perspective. The song choices are just fantastic, including a "Very Short Fuse" opener, a "Forbin's" > "Mockingbird" sequence with some fun bird-shit-related narration, and a spacey "Brian and Robert." The problem, as I expressed during the live review below, is that Trey, and to a lesser extent the rest of the band, struggle with a lot of these rarities to the point that it sort of took me out of the show a bit. I'm sure that this set was incredibly fun live, and it's easier to be more critical when you can hear the details at home on the SBD, but there it is. It doesn't help either that the set closes with a "Split" that, in a year with some great versions, follows a completely predictable path.
Set 2 starts off with "Antelope," which is pretty weird, and other than that it actually follows a pretty similar path to 8/8's second set; it just doesn't have the same energy or flow, which makes it seem a bit pale by comparison. Pretty much everything in this set, with the exception of "Tweezer" and the second jam in "Mike's" is played completely straight. Fortunately, the second jam in "Mike's," although emerging in the weird 2015 way instead of the more organic "original" way, is totally weird in one of those "I've never heard Phish make these sounds before!" ways, and "Tweezer" is a phenomenal version that, in any other year, would be near the top of everyone's list for the whole summer. So you've got a little to dig into there. Honestly, though, the first set is better than the second, and the degree to which you'll appreciate the show overall has a lot to do with how much you enjoy setlist rarities and how much you can overlook some pretty serious flubs over the course of a 90 minute set.
The Live Review:
8/9/15: Noodling from Trey pre-opener. Now some clav.
8/9/15: Fuse sample. Crowd goes nuts. Very Long Fuse first.
8/9/15: Forgot how mellow this tune is. Awesome.
8/9/15: Holy shit, Forbin's.
8/9/15: Trey narration referencing how short his narrations are these days, and story about sleeping in the lot overnight.
8/9/15: Trey got shit on by a bird. Threatens audience with vengeance from the 'second shitter' on the 'grassy knoll.'
8/9/15: Trey struggling mightily with the arpeggios here. Great narration, though.
8/9/15: Brian and Robert! No way!
8/9/15: Lots of loops and echoes Fish using a different beat than the studio version.
8/9/15: Saw It Again! Holy this setlist!
8/9/15: Second solo plus insane shouting after the 'end' of Saw It Again.
8/9/15: Long pause after Saw It Again.
8/9/15: Esther! Holy crap.
8/9/15: Trey struggling a little again here, but great to hear this tune nonetheless.
8/9/15: Weigh is next.
8/9/15: 'Woo's during Weigh.
8/9/15: The Sloth!
8/9/15: Sanity is next. The hits just keep on coming.
8/9/15: This is fantastic setlist, but it's worth mentioning that this is the sloppiest I've heard Trey sound in a long time.
8/9/15: Almost definitely, it's because of the rare songs, but it takes a little bit of the piss out of the set.
8/9/15: Fuse samples and loops in the Sanity 'jam.'
8/9/15: Split maybe as the set closer?
8/9/15: Slow, really syrupy jamming to start.
8/9/15: Jam is sort of hinting at some of the darker, angrier Splits from later in the summer, but not quite getting there yet.
8/9/15: Second set opens with Antelope. That's weird.
8/9/15: Pretty pedestrian Antelope. Great peak, though.
8/9/15: Carini is next. Some typical soloing fuzzes out into something softer. Page to electric piano. Mike building a great bassline.
8/9/15: Not much happening here. Trey pulls the cord and moves to Waves.
8/9/15: Short Waves, but an ambient outro that sounds like Trey is starting up Tweezer a minute or two early.
8/9/15: Nice segue out of Waves, there.
8/9/15: Lots of echo-y goodness from Trey early on in this jam.
8/9/15: Tweezer is getting the Dick's Mike's Song '14 treatment here. Plus some synth from Page.
8/9/15: Page actually leading a little now on the electric piano.
8/9/15: Really driving, bliss-y progression emerging now.
8/9/15: This is badass.
8/9/15: Jam lands in Dirt. Second Dirt of the season, I think.
8/9/15: Mike's getting a bass solo. Neat!
8/9/15: Late-show Mike's to follow Dirt.
8/9/15: Manteca-y solo from Trey in an absolutely filthy tone to start.
8/9/15: Rest of the first jam is pretty straightforward. Second jam starts weirdly, like in Nashville. BUT IT STARTS
8/9/15: Page to clav. Money time.
8/9/15: Funk jam with staccato chords. Really hard to describe but Oh Shit awesome.
8/9/15: Crowd filling in with 'Woo's.
8/9/15: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: he who fears the 'Woo' has no real joy in his heart.
8/9/15: Jam fades out, > Blaze On.
8/9/15: Standard Blaze On, but nice to see it in the Mike's sandwich.
8/9/15: Extremely short but hot Groove.
8/9/15: Reprise to close the set.
8/9/15: Forgot to mention last night that the encore was Contact, Frankenstein.
8/9/15: Weird, weird show. If you're a 'repetitive setlist' complainer, you'll love it.
8/9/15: S1 setlist was totally out there, but so was Trey. I typically point out flubs just because I feel compelled to as a reviewer...
8/9/15: ...but they don't usually bother me. His playing was so rickety on all the rarities in S1, though, that it took away from the fun.
8/9/15: Like 8/8's S2, this S2 had great flow and energy, but not nearly as much to dig into.
8/9/15: The Tweezer was really special, and so was the second Mike's jam, but everything else was pretty rote.
8/9/15: Frankenstein closer sounded like Trey had never played it before.
8/9/15: Band was clearly loving being in Alpine, but just listening on tape it was one of my least favorite shows of tour so far.
Nov 1, 2015
Oct 25, 2015
2015-08-08 Alpine I
The Verdict:
This is one of those shows that's hard to review because it's a really good Phish show, but not for the reasons I typically really enjoy a show. So on one hand, I look at a lot of the second set and wish that it had more Shoreline- or Blossom-style jams, but if you're not too locked into that way of thinking, there's a whole lot here to sink your teeth into.
The first set is a bit unique. It starts off strong, as many 2015 S1s do. This time, it's "No Men" and "Stealing Time" that provide the opening one-two punch before the now-customary fumbling around happens during the middle of the set. "Frankie Says" is a nice bustout that gets us back on track, and the guys play around a bit with the usual tones used for the song, giving it a more ominous feel (and hinting at the "WTU?" to come?). The rest of the set is mostly made up of longer composed pieces, but maybe not the ones you'd expect: "Maze," "Mercury," and "Reba." We close with a strong "Possum." So, I think that whether you see this set as falling into the stronger pile of S1s we've gotten this year or the weaker pile depends a lot on how you feel about "Maze," "Mercury," and "Reba." "Maze" and "Reba" have been extra-good lately, and these versions are no exception, and I love "Mercury" in general. So, for my money, this is a somewhat uneven but ultimately satisfying set.
The second set is anything but uneven, but if you're insistent on monster jams, you might be a little disappointed. "Disesase" opens, and actually does a good job of Going There as far as I'm concerned: it doesn't do anything that we haven't heard the boys do already this summer, but it combines a few comfortable jamming ideas so well and with such verve that it's hard not to love. "Halley's" gets slightly extended with a funk jam, "Twist" stays Type I but with some fun MuTron soloing, "Light" echoes the blissful, "Hood"-like Gorge '09 version before melting nicely into "WTU?", and even "Number Line" and "Slave" have a little extra juice to them. "Fuego" is really the only song in the entire set that doesn't have at least a few notable moments in it. How much you like this show probably depends on how much you can put off your lust for huge jams and just appreciate consistently strong, mildly innovative playing. It's definitely a show that I feel like deserves to be liked more than I can like it. If that makes sense.
The Live Review:
8/8/15: Slow-tempo No Men's to open. I like it.
8/8/15: Strong leads from Trey to start.
8/8/15: There might some pretty rote first sets this year, but the opening song or two each show has been a LOT stronger than in years past.
8/8/15: Stealing Time is in the two-slot.
8/8/15: Some nice Trey/Page interplay here.
8/8/15: Poor Heart. Page goes to town on the piano for an extended solo.
8/8/15: Julius next.
8/8/15: Yeah! Frankie Sez.
8/8/15: Page is playing the clav (I think) instead of whatever he usually plays on Frankie Says. It sounds great.
8/8/15: Nice fadeout from a flanger-y Frankie ending into Maze.
8/8/15: Mission: Impossible tease from Page at the beginning of the organ solo. Neat.
8/8/15: Maze was its usual 2014-2015 badass self. Lots of chording and a great organ solo.
8/8/15: Extended noodling break after Maze. Sounds a bit like WTU?
8/8/15: Mercury! Hell yes.
8/8/15: Once they finally settle on how to play this, it's going to be fantastic. So happy to still hear new songs like this and Fuego.
8/8/15: Middle Trey jam needs to be a little more dynamic instead of just being him hitting random notes for awhile.
8/8/15: I love the marimba solo and the move back into the funk-style mode of the song afterward.
8/8/15: Reba!
8/8/15: Trey starts off with a pretty compelling melodic lead here.
8/8/15: FTW helped Trey's Reba skills. They've all been good this year so far. Shoreline is my favorite and this one is just as good.
8/8/15: Whistling ending.
8/8/15: Possum set closer?
8/8/15: Glad they've brought Possum back just because Trey's been doing such a great job of shredding it.
8/8/15: Disease opens the second set. Curious to see what they can do with this that they haven't already.
8/8/15: Disease has been consistently great for a long time as a jam vehicle, but there comes a point where you start to wonder...
8/8/15: ...if using a comfortable song as a launch pad starts leading to similar jams.
8/8/15: Of course, CDT and Tweezer both kicked ass on 8/7, so what do I know.
8/8/15: Typical noodling, but with some loops as background.
8/8/15: Great move into funk space. So far this jam is like Coca-Cola: totally predictable and incredibly satisfying.
8/8/15: Oh shit bass party.
8/8/15: Ooh, Trey is putting together a really need melody solo now.
8/8/15: Really neat Disease jam that honestly probably benefited from not getting stretched beyond its natural length. > Halley's.
8/8/15: Trey starting the funk chording early in Halley's, during the vocals.
8/8/15: Holy Halley's funk jam! Is it 1997 in here?!
8/8/15: Loops! Clav! MADNESS!
8/8/15: Okay, so that Halley's jam still had some serious legs, but how can you argue with the Twist segue? So smoooooth
8/8/15: Trey is dirtying it up. Page to electric piano, then clav.
8/8/15: Totally Type I Twist, but really fun nonetheless.
8/8/15: Light, the table resetter of S2s everywhere, is next.
8/8/15: Almost a Hood feel to this Light jam. Reminds me of the '09 Gorge version a little.
8/8/15: YES! Awesome landing in WTU?
8/8/15: Grungier WTU? than usual, if that's possible. > Fuego.
8/8/15: Fuego is surprisingly rocky.
8/8/15: Neat, short, drone-y ending to Fuego.
8/8/15: Number Line is next. Trey is doing the trilling style of solo he's been doing for this song lately.
8/8/15: Slave to close the set.
8/8/15: Awesome extended peak in this Slave.
8/8/15: Meatstick encore!
8/8/15: Frank Herbet said that fear is the mind-killer. I'd argue that Character Zero is the mind-killer.
8/8/15: Anyway, that show was a sort of combination of traits that we've seen in 'average-great' 2015 shows...
8/8/15: High energy S1 with a great setlist but all in-the-box playing, and S2 with a bunch of interesting, short jams that segued nicely.
8/8/15: Perfectly fine show, but missing the two things I love most about 2015: first set surprises and multiple BIG jams.
8/8/15: Both happened on 8/7, but not tonight.
8/8/15: Reba was notable, I suppose, in S1.
8/8/15: Just about every song in S2 had something interesting about it. Just nothing to compare to the real behemoths of the summer so far.
This is one of those shows that's hard to review because it's a really good Phish show, but not for the reasons I typically really enjoy a show. So on one hand, I look at a lot of the second set and wish that it had more Shoreline- or Blossom-style jams, but if you're not too locked into that way of thinking, there's a whole lot here to sink your teeth into.
The first set is a bit unique. It starts off strong, as many 2015 S1s do. This time, it's "No Men" and "Stealing Time" that provide the opening one-two punch before the now-customary fumbling around happens during the middle of the set. "Frankie Says" is a nice bustout that gets us back on track, and the guys play around a bit with the usual tones used for the song, giving it a more ominous feel (and hinting at the "WTU?" to come?). The rest of the set is mostly made up of longer composed pieces, but maybe not the ones you'd expect: "Maze," "Mercury," and "Reba." We close with a strong "Possum." So, I think that whether you see this set as falling into the stronger pile of S1s we've gotten this year or the weaker pile depends a lot on how you feel about "Maze," "Mercury," and "Reba." "Maze" and "Reba" have been extra-good lately, and these versions are no exception, and I love "Mercury" in general. So, for my money, this is a somewhat uneven but ultimately satisfying set.
The second set is anything but uneven, but if you're insistent on monster jams, you might be a little disappointed. "Disesase" opens, and actually does a good job of Going There as far as I'm concerned: it doesn't do anything that we haven't heard the boys do already this summer, but it combines a few comfortable jamming ideas so well and with such verve that it's hard not to love. "Halley's" gets slightly extended with a funk jam, "Twist" stays Type I but with some fun MuTron soloing, "Light" echoes the blissful, "Hood"-like Gorge '09 version before melting nicely into "WTU?", and even "Number Line" and "Slave" have a little extra juice to them. "Fuego" is really the only song in the entire set that doesn't have at least a few notable moments in it. How much you like this show probably depends on how much you can put off your lust for huge jams and just appreciate consistently strong, mildly innovative playing. It's definitely a show that I feel like deserves to be liked more than I can like it. If that makes sense.
The Live Review:
8/8/15: Slow-tempo No Men's to open. I like it.
8/8/15: Strong leads from Trey to start.
8/8/15: There might some pretty rote first sets this year, but the opening song or two each show has been a LOT stronger than in years past.
8/8/15: Stealing Time is in the two-slot.
8/8/15: Some nice Trey/Page interplay here.
8/8/15: Poor Heart. Page goes to town on the piano for an extended solo.
8/8/15: Julius next.
8/8/15: Yeah! Frankie Sez.
8/8/15: Page is playing the clav (I think) instead of whatever he usually plays on Frankie Says. It sounds great.
8/8/15: Nice fadeout from a flanger-y Frankie ending into Maze.
8/8/15: Mission: Impossible tease from Page at the beginning of the organ solo. Neat.
8/8/15: Maze was its usual 2014-2015 badass self. Lots of chording and a great organ solo.
8/8/15: Extended noodling break after Maze. Sounds a bit like WTU?
8/8/15: Mercury! Hell yes.
8/8/15: Once they finally settle on how to play this, it's going to be fantastic. So happy to still hear new songs like this and Fuego.
8/8/15: Middle Trey jam needs to be a little more dynamic instead of just being him hitting random notes for awhile.
8/8/15: I love the marimba solo and the move back into the funk-style mode of the song afterward.
8/8/15: Reba!
8/8/15: Trey starts off with a pretty compelling melodic lead here.
8/8/15: FTW helped Trey's Reba skills. They've all been good this year so far. Shoreline is my favorite and this one is just as good.
8/8/15: Whistling ending.
8/8/15: Possum set closer?
8/8/15: Glad they've brought Possum back just because Trey's been doing such a great job of shredding it.
8/8/15: Disease opens the second set. Curious to see what they can do with this that they haven't already.
8/8/15: Disease has been consistently great for a long time as a jam vehicle, but there comes a point where you start to wonder...
8/8/15: ...if using a comfortable song as a launch pad starts leading to similar jams.
8/8/15: Of course, CDT and Tweezer both kicked ass on 8/7, so what do I know.
8/8/15: Typical noodling, but with some loops as background.
8/8/15: Great move into funk space. So far this jam is like Coca-Cola: totally predictable and incredibly satisfying.
8/8/15: Oh shit bass party.
8/8/15: Ooh, Trey is putting together a really need melody solo now.
8/8/15: Really neat Disease jam that honestly probably benefited from not getting stretched beyond its natural length. > Halley's.
8/8/15: Trey starting the funk chording early in Halley's, during the vocals.
8/8/15: Holy Halley's funk jam! Is it 1997 in here?!
8/8/15: Loops! Clav! MADNESS!
8/8/15: Okay, so that Halley's jam still had some serious legs, but how can you argue with the Twist segue? So smoooooth
8/8/15: Trey is dirtying it up. Page to electric piano, then clav.
8/8/15: Totally Type I Twist, but really fun nonetheless.
8/8/15: Light, the table resetter of S2s everywhere, is next.
8/8/15: Almost a Hood feel to this Light jam. Reminds me of the '09 Gorge version a little.
8/8/15: YES! Awesome landing in WTU?
8/8/15: Grungier WTU? than usual, if that's possible. > Fuego.
8/8/15: Fuego is surprisingly rocky.
8/8/15: Neat, short, drone-y ending to Fuego.
8/8/15: Number Line is next. Trey is doing the trilling style of solo he's been doing for this song lately.
8/8/15: Slave to close the set.
8/8/15: Awesome extended peak in this Slave.
8/8/15: Meatstick encore!
8/8/15: Frank Herbet said that fear is the mind-killer. I'd argue that Character Zero is the mind-killer.
8/8/15: Anyway, that show was a sort of combination of traits that we've seen in 'average-great' 2015 shows...
8/8/15: High energy S1 with a great setlist but all in-the-box playing, and S2 with a bunch of interesting, short jams that segued nicely.
8/8/15: Perfectly fine show, but missing the two things I love most about 2015: first set surprises and multiple BIG jams.
8/8/15: Both happened on 8/7, but not tonight.
8/8/15: Reba was notable, I suppose, in S1.
8/8/15: Just about every song in S2 had something interesting about it. Just nothing to compare to the real behemoths of the summer so far.
2015-08-07 Blossom
The Verdict:
This one's up there with the two Atlanta shows and Shoreline as one of my favorites of the year so far. My Twitter review is a bit scattered for chemically-induced reasons, and maybe watching the video of the show rather than just listening to it made me more able to be tuned in to what was going on on screen, but hot damn, this was a fun show.
The first set, in what's becoming a surprising trend considering the buzz about this tour, is pretty rote. Nothing really happens that's out-of-the-box unless you count the strong "Type 1.5" "Gin" that closes the set. Oh, and Trey's "Timber" solo. That's worth a listen. Nothing else really stands out, but it's a really well-organized set that never really lets up and features a lot of songs you might like to hear in a "typical" first set and none that you wouldn't.
The second set, though, is pretty magical. It's not just the "Chalkdust" that opens and goes on to become one of the best (if not the best) jam of the year so far, or the "Tweezer" that immediately follows that's arguably even better. It's the fact that, like Shoreline, the quality never really lets up from there. There is no Jukebox Mode or fourth-quarter cooldown. Instead, we get "The Lizards" as a great segue from the "Tweezer" jam, a quick "Makisupa" with some excellent bass work from Mike, a surprise "Ghost" that's short but is still strong enough to be the keystone jam of any "normal" show, and then a "Hood" that maybe isn't as structurally interesting as most but features a beautiful take-charge solo from Trey that almost makes this more of a "Reba"-style jam than a "Hood" one. Fantastic set. I'm just going to link to the whole thing below instead of the highlights:
The Live Review:
8/7/15: ASIHTOS opener.
8/7/15: Weird to see Blossom on video. Used to go there as a kid to see DMB. Only saw one show there since 2002.
8/7/15: That was the 2010 Number Line show.
8/7/15: Trey laying down a solid solo here. Nice start.
8/7/15: Fish going to town now, too.
8/7/15: My Sweet One at number two.
8/7/15: Super-high tempo. Page destroys solo.
8/7/15: Wilson for number three. Energy level is through the roof.
8/7/15: Timber! Nice!
8/7/15: Immediate advantage to webcasts: you can actually watch Fish play, because he is a monster.
8/7/15: Trey fills are definitely at 2015 levels so far.
8/7/15: Watching a webcast also makes me think about how when I actually get to see the band live I waste a bunch of time worrying...
8/7/15: ...about stupid setlist shit and jam length. Would much rather be seeing a mediocre Phish show live than watching this.
8/7/15: Roses! Damn, great setlist so far :)
8/7/15: That Roses jam from '12 is still one of the neatest things.
8/7/15: Rift teasing. Then Trey commands Ween to get back together.
8/7/15: Rift.
8/7/15: Solid uptempo Rift. Some boobs being shaken vigorously in the front row.
8/7/15: Couch tour style advantage: you can slam a homemade Yumm Bowl and then eat a bunch of ice cream and it's all free.
8/7/15: Moma Dance is next. For some reason, that made me stand up and yell 'ZEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUS!'
8/7/15: To my dog, who's trying to convince my other dog to play: 'No one on Earth wants to play with you. You have a bad personality.'
8/7/15: THE MOMENT ENDS THOUGH I FEEL WINDS
8/7/15: I'm just going to get high as hell and type the lyrics to all the songs in all caps in real time.
8/7/15: THE MOMA DANCE THE MOMA DANCE
8/7/15: THE MOMENT ENDS THE MOMENT ENDS
8/7/15: MUHAMMAD ANTS MUHAMMAD ANTS
8/7/15: Trey and Mike talking. Trey is like: 'Balzac?' and MIke is like: 'Sartre.'
8/7/15: Nellie Kane, fuck yes.
8/7/15: Mike's orange belt is freaking me the hell out, guys.
8/7/15: This song is actually Ginseng Sullivan. It only took me sixty seconds to realize that. Morning is gonna suck.
8/7/15: Long pause after Ginseng. I mean, I think it was long.
8/7/15: Somewhere between five seconds and 5-10 minutes.
8/7/15: Wingsuite
8/7/15: For when your wings deserve a rest.
8/7/15: I knew Trey's guitar would turn into that pink toothpaste before it happened.
8/7/15: Trey is drawing out the ending solo. End set?
8/7/15: I swear to god the drill just like flew up out of the ground and Mike grabbed it.
8/7/15: It's Ice!
8/7/15: Trey's struggling with the composed section. But that's okay, so am I.
8/7/15: I'm glad that the funk breakdown in It's Ice has become a regular thing.
8/7/15: Trey is teasing something. Thought it was No Men's but no.
8/7/15: For the Love of Money.
8/7/15: Gin! If this closes the set, it's a great choice.
8/7/15: Trey is going to melody town, here.
8/7/15: Fish slowly picking up the pace.
8/7/15: When I let myself think, I realize: 'Uh-oh.'
8/7/15: Great chording transition into a good ol' Type 1.5 Gin.
8/7/15: Nice use of CK5 firework effects on the backdrop.
8/7/15: He's alternating those with the lights that scared the shit out of me during the Dick's SOAM.
8/7/15: Fish is groovin'.
8/7/15: Soloing for the last 2-3 minutes has been absolutely nuts.
8/7/15: Drop back into Gin. Fantastic not-quite-wacky-jammed version.
8/7/15: A couple false 'last note's there before the real one. Guys having fun. I AM ALSO HAVING FUN
8/7/15: I'll be back in less than fifteen minutes, for real. DON'T DO ANYTHING I WOULDN'T DO
8/7/15: LIKE DRUGS FOR EXAMPLE
8/7/15: Second set time.
8/7/15: I'm ready to absorb this Chalkdust.
8/7/15: Oh man. How the serious fuck does ice cream taste so good?
8/7/15: Trey is using his 'guitar' to play many 'chords.'
8/7/15: When played in a particular sequence, they make a 'song.' #pomo
8/7/15: Red is the Keystone Light of colors.
8/7/15: I contributed to this jam by inhaling a lethal amount of weed right at the moment of the transition from Type > Type II #5thmember
8/7/15: Trey has an angry, aggressive look on his face during this solo. It scares me. #frownofdeath
8/7/15: Chalkdust second jam! #ripmikessecondjam #newhighlander
8/7/15: Crazy pitch-shifted soloing almost immediately.
8/7/15: Whoa, this jam is green and sticky. Now, moving to bliss jam.
8/7/15: Holy shit, CK5's lights are insane. I HAVE to try this at an actual concert sometime.
8/7/15: Really great rising progression from Trey. Fish picking up steam.
8/7/15: Jesus, every thing is sizzling warm and all orange.
8/7/15: In, like, a good way.
8/7/15: Trey reprising the progression during his solo. Holy COW
8/7/15: Brief, robotic interlude. Now getting darker.
8/7/15: Trey starts up another riff...teasing Tweezer now.
8/7/15: Band seges perfectly. -> Tweezer. God damn
8/7/15: LOOK WHO'S IN THE FREEZER...THE SHROUD OF TURIN!
8/7/15: Oh man, this jam immediately went purple.
8/7/15: Trey is laying down a super-funky Manteca-y riff and everyone's jamming on it. This is the best thing that's ever happened to us.
8/7/15: Being really patient about this languid funk jam. So cool.
8/7/15: Page using almost Meatstick tone now.
8/7/15: Trey is soloing in some fucking weirdo scale
8/7/15: But actually this is really good
8/7/15: Build out of that long jam finally moves into funk/loop/echo zone.
8/7/15: I bet Mike Gordon is a bass player in real life.
8/7/15: Slow, circular jam now, backed by creepy loops.
8/7/15: Okay, so these are two of the better jams of the year so far, if not the two best, and they're in the same set.
8/7/15: Camera is doing a weird 80s music video mirror effect now. At least, I hope it's the camera that's doing that.
8/7/15: Page over to clav.
8/7/15: Whoa. Extremely pretty outro jam.
8/7/15: Trey accidentally or on purpose hits on The Lizards' riff, and off we go!
8/7/15: What a landing from a great jam sequence.
8/7/15: Eat a huge bowl of ice cream, remember you're lactose intolerant minutes later.
8/7/15: See? Weed is goddamn dangerous!
8/7/15: Mike is glowing in the dark.
8/7/15: This is a reggae song. It is called 'I Want Pie Now.'
8/7/15: Nah, it's just Makisupa. Maybe the keyword will be 'Pie.'
8/7/15: Maybe I'm having trouble being objective right now, but I swear Mike pulled off an amazing solo in Makisupa.
8/7/15: I'm at that point where you can only have one eye open at a time.
8/7/15: Slow reggae jam out of Makisupa > Ghost by Trey.
8/7/15: GUYS, THE KITCHEN IS A PLACE
8/7/15: Mike is dressed like a character from the fucking Jetsons. Come on, man
8/7/15: The part in my neck feels like a cool mint Oreo
8/7/15: Jam now. Page over to electric piano.
8/7/15: Mike is going to town.
8/7/15: Ghost roars right from the usual Type I rock to FunkyTime in an eyeblink. Serious jam here all of a sudden.
8/7/15: Noise rock breakdown.
8/7/15: Hood! This S2 setlist is *perfect*.
8/7/15: Sometimes Page, while innocently singing, just makes horrible R.L. Stein monster faces.
8/7/15: Trey out in front with a solo at the start of the jam.
8/7/15: Really beautiful and awesome Hood solo from Trey.
8/7/15: Hood seemed a little short, but damn was that guitar playing for the ages. Emotive, too, not just shredding.
8/7/15: Tweeprise within S2.
8/7/15: GTBT encore. Hot damn.
8/7/15: This show is not FUCKING AROUND
This one's up there with the two Atlanta shows and Shoreline as one of my favorites of the year so far. My Twitter review is a bit scattered for chemically-induced reasons, and maybe watching the video of the show rather than just listening to it made me more able to be tuned in to what was going on on screen, but hot damn, this was a fun show.
The first set, in what's becoming a surprising trend considering the buzz about this tour, is pretty rote. Nothing really happens that's out-of-the-box unless you count the strong "Type 1.5" "Gin" that closes the set. Oh, and Trey's "Timber" solo. That's worth a listen. Nothing else really stands out, but it's a really well-organized set that never really lets up and features a lot of songs you might like to hear in a "typical" first set and none that you wouldn't.
The second set, though, is pretty magical. It's not just the "Chalkdust" that opens and goes on to become one of the best (if not the best) jam of the year so far, or the "Tweezer" that immediately follows that's arguably even better. It's the fact that, like Shoreline, the quality never really lets up from there. There is no Jukebox Mode or fourth-quarter cooldown. Instead, we get "The Lizards" as a great segue from the "Tweezer" jam, a quick "Makisupa" with some excellent bass work from Mike, a surprise "Ghost" that's short but is still strong enough to be the keystone jam of any "normal" show, and then a "Hood" that maybe isn't as structurally interesting as most but features a beautiful take-charge solo from Trey that almost makes this more of a "Reba"-style jam than a "Hood" one. Fantastic set. I'm just going to link to the whole thing below instead of the highlights:
The Live Review:
8/7/15: ASIHTOS opener.
8/7/15: Weird to see Blossom on video. Used to go there as a kid to see DMB. Only saw one show there since 2002.
8/7/15: That was the 2010 Number Line show.
8/7/15: Trey laying down a solid solo here. Nice start.
8/7/15: Fish going to town now, too.
8/7/15: My Sweet One at number two.
8/7/15: Super-high tempo. Page destroys solo.
8/7/15: Wilson for number three. Energy level is through the roof.
8/7/15: Timber! Nice!
8/7/15: Immediate advantage to webcasts: you can actually watch Fish play, because he is a monster.
8/7/15: Trey fills are definitely at 2015 levels so far.
8/7/15: Watching a webcast also makes me think about how when I actually get to see the band live I waste a bunch of time worrying...
8/7/15: ...about stupid setlist shit and jam length. Would much rather be seeing a mediocre Phish show live than watching this.
8/7/15: Roses! Damn, great setlist so far :)
8/7/15: That Roses jam from '12 is still one of the neatest things.
8/7/15: Rift teasing. Then Trey commands Ween to get back together.
8/7/15: Rift.
8/7/15: Solid uptempo Rift. Some boobs being shaken vigorously in the front row.
8/7/15: Couch tour style advantage: you can slam a homemade Yumm Bowl and then eat a bunch of ice cream and it's all free.
8/7/15: Moma Dance is next. For some reason, that made me stand up and yell 'ZEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUS!'
8/7/15: To my dog, who's trying to convince my other dog to play: 'No one on Earth wants to play with you. You have a bad personality.'
8/7/15: THE MOMENT ENDS THOUGH I FEEL WINDS
8/7/15: I'm just going to get high as hell and type the lyrics to all the songs in all caps in real time.
8/7/15: THE MOMA DANCE THE MOMA DANCE
8/7/15: THE MOMENT ENDS THE MOMENT ENDS
8/7/15: MUHAMMAD ANTS MUHAMMAD ANTS
8/7/15: Trey and Mike talking. Trey is like: 'Balzac?' and MIke is like: 'Sartre.'
8/7/15: Nellie Kane, fuck yes.
8/7/15: Mike's orange belt is freaking me the hell out, guys.
8/7/15: This song is actually Ginseng Sullivan. It only took me sixty seconds to realize that. Morning is gonna suck.
8/7/15: Long pause after Ginseng. I mean, I think it was long.
8/7/15: Somewhere between five seconds and 5-10 minutes.
8/7/15: Wingsuite
8/7/15: For when your wings deserve a rest.
8/7/15: I knew Trey's guitar would turn into that pink toothpaste before it happened.
8/7/15: Trey is drawing out the ending solo. End set?
8/7/15: I swear to god the drill just like flew up out of the ground and Mike grabbed it.
8/7/15: It's Ice!
8/7/15: Trey's struggling with the composed section. But that's okay, so am I.
8/7/15: I'm glad that the funk breakdown in It's Ice has become a regular thing.
8/7/15: Trey is teasing something. Thought it was No Men's but no.
8/7/15: For the Love of Money.
8/7/15: Gin! If this closes the set, it's a great choice.
8/7/15: Trey is going to melody town, here.
8/7/15: Fish slowly picking up the pace.
8/7/15: When I let myself think, I realize: 'Uh-oh.'
8/7/15: Great chording transition into a good ol' Type 1.5 Gin.
8/7/15: Nice use of CK5 firework effects on the backdrop.
8/7/15: He's alternating those with the lights that scared the shit out of me during the Dick's SOAM.
8/7/15: Fish is groovin'.
8/7/15: Soloing for the last 2-3 minutes has been absolutely nuts.
8/7/15: Drop back into Gin. Fantastic not-quite-wacky-jammed version.
8/7/15: A couple false 'last note's there before the real one. Guys having fun. I AM ALSO HAVING FUN
8/7/15: I'll be back in less than fifteen minutes, for real. DON'T DO ANYTHING I WOULDN'T DO
8/7/15: LIKE DRUGS FOR EXAMPLE
8/7/15: Second set time.
8/7/15: I'm ready to absorb this Chalkdust.
8/7/15: Oh man. How the serious fuck does ice cream taste so good?
8/7/15: Trey is using his 'guitar' to play many 'chords.'
8/7/15: When played in a particular sequence, they make a 'song.' #pomo
8/7/15: Red is the Keystone Light of colors.
8/7/15: I contributed to this jam by inhaling a lethal amount of weed right at the moment of the transition from Type > Type II #5thmember
8/7/15: Trey has an angry, aggressive look on his face during this solo. It scares me. #frownofdeath
8/7/15: Chalkdust second jam! #ripmikessecondjam #newhighlander
8/7/15: Crazy pitch-shifted soloing almost immediately.
8/7/15: Whoa, this jam is green and sticky. Now, moving to bliss jam.
8/7/15: Holy shit, CK5's lights are insane. I HAVE to try this at an actual concert sometime.
8/7/15: Really great rising progression from Trey. Fish picking up steam.
8/7/15: Jesus, every thing is sizzling warm and all orange.
8/7/15: In, like, a good way.
8/7/15: Trey reprising the progression during his solo. Holy COW
8/7/15: Brief, robotic interlude. Now getting darker.
8/7/15: Trey starts up another riff...teasing Tweezer now.
8/7/15: Band seges perfectly. -> Tweezer. God damn
8/7/15: LOOK WHO'S IN THE FREEZER...THE SHROUD OF TURIN!
8/7/15: Oh man, this jam immediately went purple.
8/7/15: Trey is laying down a super-funky Manteca-y riff and everyone's jamming on it. This is the best thing that's ever happened to us.
8/7/15: Being really patient about this languid funk jam. So cool.
8/7/15: Page using almost Meatstick tone now.
8/7/15: Trey is soloing in some fucking weirdo scale
8/7/15: But actually this is really good
8/7/15: Build out of that long jam finally moves into funk/loop/echo zone.
8/7/15: I bet Mike Gordon is a bass player in real life.
8/7/15: Slow, circular jam now, backed by creepy loops.
8/7/15: Okay, so these are two of the better jams of the year so far, if not the two best, and they're in the same set.
8/7/15: Camera is doing a weird 80s music video mirror effect now. At least, I hope it's the camera that's doing that.
8/7/15: Page over to clav.
8/7/15: Whoa. Extremely pretty outro jam.
8/7/15: Trey accidentally or on purpose hits on The Lizards' riff, and off we go!
8/7/15: What a landing from a great jam sequence.
8/7/15: Eat a huge bowl of ice cream, remember you're lactose intolerant minutes later.
8/7/15: See? Weed is goddamn dangerous!
8/7/15: Mike is glowing in the dark.
8/7/15: This is a reggae song. It is called 'I Want Pie Now.'
8/7/15: Nah, it's just Makisupa. Maybe the keyword will be 'Pie.'
8/7/15: Maybe I'm having trouble being objective right now, but I swear Mike pulled off an amazing solo in Makisupa.
8/7/15: I'm at that point where you can only have one eye open at a time.
8/7/15: Slow reggae jam out of Makisupa > Ghost by Trey.
8/7/15: GUYS, THE KITCHEN IS A PLACE
8/7/15: Mike is dressed like a character from the fucking Jetsons. Come on, man
8/7/15: The part in my neck feels like a cool mint Oreo
8/7/15: Jam now. Page over to electric piano.
8/7/15: Mike is going to town.
8/7/15: Ghost roars right from the usual Type I rock to FunkyTime in an eyeblink. Serious jam here all of a sudden.
8/7/15: Noise rock breakdown.
8/7/15: Hood! This S2 setlist is *perfect*.
8/7/15: Sometimes Page, while innocently singing, just makes horrible R.L. Stein monster faces.
8/7/15: Trey out in front with a solo at the start of the jam.
8/7/15: Really beautiful and awesome Hood solo from Trey.
8/7/15: Hood seemed a little short, but damn was that guitar playing for the ages. Emotive, too, not just shredding.
8/7/15: Tweeprise within S2.
8/7/15: GTBT encore. Hot damn.
8/7/15: This show is not FUCKING AROUND
Oct 21, 2015
2015-08-05 Starlight Amphitheater
The Verdict:
The Starlight show, surprisingly, sees us back yet again in one-jam land. Despite the reputation of this tour, I'm finding a lot of these less consistent shows as I listen through. 8/5 is definitely more reminiscent of 8/2, 7/29, 7/28, or 7/21 than one of the stronger entries thus far this year.
I guess if you like the composed classics, you get "Divided Sky" and "YEM" here. Otherwise you get a first set that has a 2010-era half and a 2015-era half, each bolstered by even-better-than-usual-for-2015 Trey solos, but also never interested in making any moves out of the usual first set box. Unless you count the Phish debut of Mike's "The Last Step," which was oddly placed in the set but really well played and suited to the band, I thought.
The second set is extra weird. It starts with Type I takes on "Jibboo" and "Twist" (huh?) before dropping "The Wedge" to ensure jamming blue balls. Then, out of nowhere, there's a monster "Disease" that's long and patiently developed and doesn't predictably freak out into a peak at the last second. It's definitely worth a listen. The "Sand" that follows is short, but is in the mold of last year's "Mike's" from Dick's. I really love this kind of jamming, but it leans entirely on the echo effect for the length of the jam, so your mileage will vary. The second set ends with a particularly-unearned-seeming "YEM," and though of course it's a strong version, it doesn't exactly bring anything new to the table.
Starlight isn't a bad show by any means, and I'd be happy to have it in 2014 or any previous year. But it seems a bit out of character for 2015, where none of the qualities that have characterized the many great moments of the tour so far (improvisation in strange places, clever segues, unexpected setlist choices, unexpected jam vehicles, multiple deep jams per show) are on display. You should listen to the "Disease" and the "Sand," though. Here they are:
The Live Review:
8/5/15: After a somewhat uneven 8/4 (albeit with an awesome finish), it's time for 8/5!
8/5/15: Trey noodling something at the opening. Sounded sort of like The Horse but in a major key.
8/5/15: 'They Attack!' sample from Page.
8/5/15: Really slow Gumbo to start.
8/5/15: Really liking the slow-down, actually.
8/5/15: Clav solo outro with some interesting drumming from Fish.
8/5/15: KDF next.
8/5/15: Trey is destroying this KDF.
8/5/15: In a good way, I mean.
8/5/15: Back on the Train. What is it about this song that makes it seem like the most predictable of predictable songs?
8/5/15: It's actually really catchy, but every time it pops up, I immediately think 'Oh, this shit again.'
8/5/15: Except this time: https://t.co/rErltddPIU
8/5/15: I love that the only real jammed-out BOTT is a fucking ten-minute-long ambient jam.
8/5/15: Makes no sense, and that's why it's great.
8/5/15: Okay, despite my bitching, that was an excellent Trey-heavy BOTT.
8/5/15: Bouncin', Divided Sky.
8/5/15: I feel like this first set, so far at least, is a sort of 2009-2010 set, in terms of song choices.
8/5/15: It reminds me of reviewing a 2010 show, though with MUCH stronger playing from everyone.
8/5/15: Here's a fun fact: DSky has been playing once every four shows on average. I've seen 29 shows and heard it once. #phish #cursed
8/5/15: *played
8/5/15: Holy crap! The Last Step!
8/5/15: The Phish version of the song seems more sinister for some reason.
8/5/15: That was surprisingly well-played.
8/5/15: Blaze On!
8/5/15: Nice in-the-box Blaze On.
8/5/15: Seems like a weird placement for WAN.
8/5/15: Rock-heavy 46 Days to close the set. Trey is losing his mind.
8/5/15: That first set was pretty weird. First half = 2010, second half = 2015. Both halves were clearly assembled using a dart board.
8/5/15: Some great Trey solos in BOTT, Blaze On, and 46 Days, though.
8/5/15: Now the second set opens with Jibboo. Even weirder.
8/5/15: One thing that I do always love about Jibboo is Mike's bass.
8/5/15: Jibboo > Twist.
8/5/15: Trey just shredded Twist into the ground. Sure, it's another Type I solo in the usual jam slot, but it's a good 'un.
8/5/15: The Wedge: the surprise S2 blue-baller of 2015.
8/5/15: Standard The Wedge > Pop Goes The Weasel tease from Mike > DWD.
8/5/15: Maybe 2015 Phish (not just Trey) will finally make an appearance here tonight.
8/5/15: Disease jam getting interesting around 8 mins. Loops coming in and Trey playing melody around them.
8/5/15: Really mesmerizing, loopy bassline from Mike. Now Page over to electric piano.
8/5/15: Trey and Mike playing off of each other.
8/5/15: Trey has a nice riff going now.
8/5/15: Droning synth from Page.
8/5/15: This is staying pretty mellow. At 14 mins. now. Trey chording. Page back on piano.
8/5/15: Turning darker now.
8/5/15: How Trey is containing himself from doing a > Rift is beyond me.
8/5/15: Trey's got a rising chord pattern going now. Fish is picking up steam. Should be a strong ending to the jam.
8/5/15: Pure guitar rage now.
8/5/15: Trey over to the loops AND the pitch-shifter now.
8/5/15: Sand!
8/5/15: Echo-funk chording a la the Dick's Mike's in 2014.
8/5/15: This is great.
8/5/15: Joy. The Disease > Sand pair was the 1st part of the show that really seemed to have a lot of momentum, so that's sort of a bummer.
8/5/15: YEM, out of friggin' nowhere.
8/5/15: I mean, I love YEM, obviously, but it seems like one of those coup de grace songs.
8/5/15: It's weird to hear it at the end of a show that has been pretty underwhelming (at least by 2015 standards).
8/5/15: Though two old school, composed monsters in one show is nice, I suppose.
8/5/15: Maybe I'm just experiencing Magnaball > Dick's syndrome since listening to the Atlanta run, though.
8/5/15: Maybe I'm shitting on (most of) 8/4 and (all of) 8/5 not because they're bad but because Atlanta was so good.
8/5/15: Pretty badass YEM jam going on here.
8/5/15: One thing's for sure: YEM might be a rarity lately, and might show up in weird places, but the YEM jams have been great.
8/5/15: Bug encore.
8/5/15: Woo! Eight more shows till Magnaball!
The Starlight show, surprisingly, sees us back yet again in one-jam land. Despite the reputation of this tour, I'm finding a lot of these less consistent shows as I listen through. 8/5 is definitely more reminiscent of 8/2, 7/29, 7/28, or 7/21 than one of the stronger entries thus far this year.
I guess if you like the composed classics, you get "Divided Sky" and "YEM" here. Otherwise you get a first set that has a 2010-era half and a 2015-era half, each bolstered by even-better-than-usual-for-2015 Trey solos, but also never interested in making any moves out of the usual first set box. Unless you count the Phish debut of Mike's "The Last Step," which was oddly placed in the set but really well played and suited to the band, I thought.
The second set is extra weird. It starts with Type I takes on "Jibboo" and "Twist" (huh?) before dropping "The Wedge" to ensure jamming blue balls. Then, out of nowhere, there's a monster "Disease" that's long and patiently developed and doesn't predictably freak out into a peak at the last second. It's definitely worth a listen. The "Sand" that follows is short, but is in the mold of last year's "Mike's" from Dick's. I really love this kind of jamming, but it leans entirely on the echo effect for the length of the jam, so your mileage will vary. The second set ends with a particularly-unearned-seeming "YEM," and though of course it's a strong version, it doesn't exactly bring anything new to the table.
Starlight isn't a bad show by any means, and I'd be happy to have it in 2014 or any previous year. But it seems a bit out of character for 2015, where none of the qualities that have characterized the many great moments of the tour so far (improvisation in strange places, clever segues, unexpected setlist choices, unexpected jam vehicles, multiple deep jams per show) are on display. You should listen to the "Disease" and the "Sand," though. Here they are:
The Live Review:
8/5/15: After a somewhat uneven 8/4 (albeit with an awesome finish), it's time for 8/5!
8/5/15: Trey noodling something at the opening. Sounded sort of like The Horse but in a major key.
8/5/15: 'They Attack!' sample from Page.
8/5/15: Really slow Gumbo to start.
8/5/15: Really liking the slow-down, actually.
8/5/15: Clav solo outro with some interesting drumming from Fish.
8/5/15: KDF next.
8/5/15: Trey is destroying this KDF.
8/5/15: In a good way, I mean.
8/5/15: Back on the Train. What is it about this song that makes it seem like the most predictable of predictable songs?
8/5/15: It's actually really catchy, but every time it pops up, I immediately think 'Oh, this shit again.'
8/5/15: Except this time: https://t.co/rErltddPIU
8/5/15: I love that the only real jammed-out BOTT is a fucking ten-minute-long ambient jam.
8/5/15: Makes no sense, and that's why it's great.
8/5/15: Okay, despite my bitching, that was an excellent Trey-heavy BOTT.
8/5/15: Bouncin', Divided Sky.
8/5/15: I feel like this first set, so far at least, is a sort of 2009-2010 set, in terms of song choices.
8/5/15: It reminds me of reviewing a 2010 show, though with MUCH stronger playing from everyone.
8/5/15: Here's a fun fact: DSky has been playing once every four shows on average. I've seen 29 shows and heard it once. #phish #cursed
8/5/15: *played
8/5/15: Holy crap! The Last Step!
8/5/15: The Phish version of the song seems more sinister for some reason.
8/5/15: That was surprisingly well-played.
8/5/15: Blaze On!
8/5/15: Nice in-the-box Blaze On.
8/5/15: Seems like a weird placement for WAN.
8/5/15: Rock-heavy 46 Days to close the set. Trey is losing his mind.
8/5/15: That first set was pretty weird. First half = 2010, second half = 2015. Both halves were clearly assembled using a dart board.
8/5/15: Some great Trey solos in BOTT, Blaze On, and 46 Days, though.
8/5/15: Now the second set opens with Jibboo. Even weirder.
8/5/15: One thing that I do always love about Jibboo is Mike's bass.
8/5/15: Jibboo > Twist.
8/5/15: Trey just shredded Twist into the ground. Sure, it's another Type I solo in the usual jam slot, but it's a good 'un.
8/5/15: The Wedge: the surprise S2 blue-baller of 2015.
8/5/15: Standard The Wedge > Pop Goes The Weasel tease from Mike > DWD.
8/5/15: Maybe 2015 Phish (not just Trey) will finally make an appearance here tonight.
8/5/15: Disease jam getting interesting around 8 mins. Loops coming in and Trey playing melody around them.
8/5/15: Really mesmerizing, loopy bassline from Mike. Now Page over to electric piano.
8/5/15: Trey and Mike playing off of each other.
8/5/15: Trey has a nice riff going now.
8/5/15: Droning synth from Page.
8/5/15: This is staying pretty mellow. At 14 mins. now. Trey chording. Page back on piano.
8/5/15: Turning darker now.
8/5/15: How Trey is containing himself from doing a > Rift is beyond me.
8/5/15: Trey's got a rising chord pattern going now. Fish is picking up steam. Should be a strong ending to the jam.
8/5/15: Pure guitar rage now.
8/5/15: Trey over to the loops AND the pitch-shifter now.
8/5/15: Sand!
8/5/15: Echo-funk chording a la the Dick's Mike's in 2014.
8/5/15: This is great.
8/5/15: Joy. The Disease > Sand pair was the 1st part of the show that really seemed to have a lot of momentum, so that's sort of a bummer.
8/5/15: YEM, out of friggin' nowhere.
8/5/15: I mean, I love YEM, obviously, but it seems like one of those coup de grace songs.
8/5/15: It's weird to hear it at the end of a show that has been pretty underwhelming (at least by 2015 standards).
8/5/15: Though two old school, composed monsters in one show is nice, I suppose.
8/5/15: Maybe I'm just experiencing Magnaball > Dick's syndrome since listening to the Atlanta run, though.
8/5/15: Maybe I'm shitting on (most of) 8/4 and (all of) 8/5 not because they're bad but because Atlanta was so good.
8/5/15: Pretty badass YEM jam going on here.
8/5/15: One thing's for sure: YEM might be a rarity lately, and might show up in weird places, but the YEM jams have been great.
8/5/15: Bug encore.
8/5/15: Woo! Eight more shows till Magnaball!
2015-08-04 Nashville
The Verdict:
I have to say that, generally speaking, I was a little underwhelmed by this show after reading a lot of the rave reviews it received before listening to it. Maybe my expectations were too high?
Anyway, the first half certainly has a pretty-well-put-together setlist, but other than that, I didn't think it was anything to write home about. The two potential standouts, "Stash" and "Walls," were both actually below-average versions by 2015 standards. Everything else stayed firmly in the box, and aside from a nice few minutes of minimalist, almost-plinko-style funk in the "Wolfman's" jam, there's really nothing you haven't heard before.
The "Golden Age" that opens the second set is an interesting version, though I'd have to go with the Dick's take for "Golden Age" of the year. This version moves into a spacey, pitch-shifted area right away, but then makes a smooth transition back into a Type I jam that heads to Bliss Central before landing in "Light." Had "Light" been a standout take, my review might have been a bit different, but really this version is the least interesting one in a long time, leaving a bit of a hole in the middle of the set.
Fortunately, the second-jammed "Mike's" gets things going again. The F jam is appropriately dark and funky, and the "Piper" that follow is compact, but also one of the weirder and more interesting readings I've heard in awhile. "Crosseyed" is short but a nice bit of meat on the Groove sandwich, and then "Weekapaug" hits.
Yeah, yeah, second jam in "Mike's" and all that, but it's really the "Weekapaug" that's the easy highlight of this show. From the double-time segue in from "Crosseyed" to the super-slowdown section to the "No Men" jam to the evil blues and then back to a funk space with "Still waiting!" quotes, this is one of my favorite pieces of music from the year so far. Totally overshadows the "Mike's" jam save for sentimental reasons.
So, on one hand, unless you're a "Golden Age" collector, the only thing really on display in this show is the Mike's Groove. On the other hand, it takes up most of the second set and is pretty much completely awesome. A few standout moments in S1 and a stronger S2 opener and this show might be deserving of its reputation. But I'm also pretty happy with it as it is.
The Live Review:
8/4/15: Go time on the Nashville show. The only thing I know about this show already is that Mike's second jam returns.
8/4/15: You know, just a small, insignificant detail.
8/4/15: Free opener.
8/4/15: Totally standard Free. At this point in my #phish life, I literally cannot think of a single thing to say about it.
8/4/15: No Men!
8/4/15: GOD I LOVE THIS SONG
8/4/15: Every time they play it, I end up doing the Trey Shuffle back and forth in front of my desk instead of working.
8/4/15: That was probably the shortest No Men yet, but it was still great. > Wolfman's.
8/4/15: Super clav-y, funky jam immediately coming your way here.
8/4/15: A little more minimal than the usual Wolfman's jam. Mike is more up front. I like it.
8/4/15: Great concluding solo from Trey after the funk.
8/4/15: Sort of rough version of 555 to follow that great No Men > Wolfman's pairing.
8/4/15: Birds with 'They Attack!' opening sample.
8/4/15: Funky Bitch. Interesting choice.
8/4/15: When the Circus Comes. This set makes no sense, but there are some fun songs.
8/4/15: Nice solo from Trey in Stash, but structurally a standard version.
8/4/15: Lawn Boy after Stash, just to slow things way the hell down for no reason, and now Walls to presumably close.
8/4/15: I've been surprised to find that (so far at least) 2015 S1s aren't really that great.
8/4/15: I mean, the playing is awesome, but there are way less surprises and interesting moments than reviews/comments suggested to me.
8/4/15: This is a well-played, sort-of-jumbled collection of first-setty songs, and that's it. And that's how most S1s have been so far.
8/4/15: Second set kicks off with Golden Age.
8/4/15: Trey hasn't butchered the lyrics this time, but the guitar lines are pretty damn messy.
8/4/15: I seem to recall this song being easy-peasy back in 2011.
8/4/15: Page over to electric piano, Trey on the octave-shifter.
8/4/15: Spacey jam moving toward a bliss-type jam based on the typical Golden Age progression.
8/4/15: Neat transition.
8/4/15: Strong build based on Golden Age chords > Light.
8/4/15: Fish sings 'Tom Marshall is our stepping stone' during Light.
8/4/15: So far, the jam is the usual Trey-peggio fest, albeit with a bit more distortion than usual.
8/4/15: Mike bass bomb puts an end to the typical section. Now heading into darker space.
8/4/15: Extended fade-out (nothing happened beyond the normal solo), but a nice landing in Shade.
8/4/15: Mike's Song. Here we goooooooo
8/4/15: Early in the jam, Trey is riding a neat riff. Let's see how long it lasts.
8/4/15: Not long!
8/4/15: Awkward but AWESOME move into the second jam. Crowd cheering as it slowly occurs to them that we're still going.
8/4/15: Funk chords over top of the F jam.
8/4/15: Moving away from Trey-driven soloing into space. Page on piano still. Trey chording.
8/4/15: Really ominous, awesome riff from Trey now.
8/4/15: Winding down now.
8/4/15: Fuzz resolves into Piper.
8/4/15: Some tasty waves of feedback pouring off of Trey's guitar. Now a super-octave-shifted solo. Sounds pretty weird, guys.
8/4/15: This Piper is short, but incredibly weird and awesome.
8/4/15: > Crosseyed! Fish is having extra fun with the verse vocals.
8/4/15: This version is swingin'.
8/4/15: AWESOME -> Groove. Great segue.
8/4/15: Groove starts way fast because of the segue. After 2 mins., it slows down to a super-slow pace. Trey cracking up.
8/4/15: Funk jam now. I think this counts as an extended No Men's jam. Trey playing the same riff.
8/4/15: Breakdown.
8/4/15: Holy crap evil blues jam guys
8/4/15: Groove riff coming up out of the blues muck. Holy balls. 'Still waiting' vocal quotes.
8/4/15: Slave closer.
8/4/15: By which I mean encore.
8/4/15: Standard Slave for the encore.
8/4/15: Which is code for 'I hope Slave gets the Hood treatment in 2016.'
8/4/15: Surprisingly, the awesomest part of that show was definitely the Groove, not Mike's.
8/4/15: Mike's was good, too, but definitely felt like two different jams. Without the surprise factor it was like 20% less cool.
8/4/15: There were some flashes of brilliance in the Golden Age jam, but really, nothing much to mention outside the Mike's Groove.
8/4/15: But damn, Mike's, Piper, and the Groove were all fantastic.
I have to say that, generally speaking, I was a little underwhelmed by this show after reading a lot of the rave reviews it received before listening to it. Maybe my expectations were too high?
Anyway, the first half certainly has a pretty-well-put-together setlist, but other than that, I didn't think it was anything to write home about. The two potential standouts, "Stash" and "Walls," were both actually below-average versions by 2015 standards. Everything else stayed firmly in the box, and aside from a nice few minutes of minimalist, almost-plinko-style funk in the "Wolfman's" jam, there's really nothing you haven't heard before.
The "Golden Age" that opens the second set is an interesting version, though I'd have to go with the Dick's take for "Golden Age" of the year. This version moves into a spacey, pitch-shifted area right away, but then makes a smooth transition back into a Type I jam that heads to Bliss Central before landing in "Light." Had "Light" been a standout take, my review might have been a bit different, but really this version is the least interesting one in a long time, leaving a bit of a hole in the middle of the set.
Fortunately, the second-jammed "Mike's" gets things going again. The F jam is appropriately dark and funky, and the "Piper" that follow is compact, but also one of the weirder and more interesting readings I've heard in awhile. "Crosseyed" is short but a nice bit of meat on the Groove sandwich, and then "Weekapaug" hits.
Yeah, yeah, second jam in "Mike's" and all that, but it's really the "Weekapaug" that's the easy highlight of this show. From the double-time segue in from "Crosseyed" to the super-slowdown section to the "No Men" jam to the evil blues and then back to a funk space with "Still waiting!" quotes, this is one of my favorite pieces of music from the year so far. Totally overshadows the "Mike's" jam save for sentimental reasons.
So, on one hand, unless you're a "Golden Age" collector, the only thing really on display in this show is the Mike's Groove. On the other hand, it takes up most of the second set and is pretty much completely awesome. A few standout moments in S1 and a stronger S2 opener and this show might be deserving of its reputation. But I'm also pretty happy with it as it is.
The Live Review:
8/4/15: Go time on the Nashville show. The only thing I know about this show already is that Mike's second jam returns.
8/4/15: You know, just a small, insignificant detail.
8/4/15: Free opener.
8/4/15: Totally standard Free. At this point in my #phish life, I literally cannot think of a single thing to say about it.
8/4/15: No Men!
8/4/15: GOD I LOVE THIS SONG
8/4/15: Every time they play it, I end up doing the Trey Shuffle back and forth in front of my desk instead of working.
8/4/15: That was probably the shortest No Men yet, but it was still great. > Wolfman's.
8/4/15: Super clav-y, funky jam immediately coming your way here.
8/4/15: A little more minimal than the usual Wolfman's jam. Mike is more up front. I like it.
8/4/15: Great concluding solo from Trey after the funk.
8/4/15: Sort of rough version of 555 to follow that great No Men > Wolfman's pairing.
8/4/15: Birds with 'They Attack!' opening sample.
8/4/15: Funky Bitch. Interesting choice.
8/4/15: When the Circus Comes. This set makes no sense, but there are some fun songs.
8/4/15: Nice solo from Trey in Stash, but structurally a standard version.
8/4/15: Lawn Boy after Stash, just to slow things way the hell down for no reason, and now Walls to presumably close.
8/4/15: I've been surprised to find that (so far at least) 2015 S1s aren't really that great.
8/4/15: I mean, the playing is awesome, but there are way less surprises and interesting moments than reviews/comments suggested to me.
8/4/15: This is a well-played, sort-of-jumbled collection of first-setty songs, and that's it. And that's how most S1s have been so far.
8/4/15: Second set kicks off with Golden Age.
8/4/15: Trey hasn't butchered the lyrics this time, but the guitar lines are pretty damn messy.
8/4/15: I seem to recall this song being easy-peasy back in 2011.
8/4/15: Page over to electric piano, Trey on the octave-shifter.
8/4/15: Spacey jam moving toward a bliss-type jam based on the typical Golden Age progression.
8/4/15: Neat transition.
8/4/15: Strong build based on Golden Age chords > Light.
8/4/15: Fish sings 'Tom Marshall is our stepping stone' during Light.
8/4/15: So far, the jam is the usual Trey-peggio fest, albeit with a bit more distortion than usual.
8/4/15: Mike bass bomb puts an end to the typical section. Now heading into darker space.
8/4/15: Extended fade-out (nothing happened beyond the normal solo), but a nice landing in Shade.
8/4/15: Mike's Song. Here we goooooooo
8/4/15: Early in the jam, Trey is riding a neat riff. Let's see how long it lasts.
8/4/15: Not long!
8/4/15: Awkward but AWESOME move into the second jam. Crowd cheering as it slowly occurs to them that we're still going.
8/4/15: Funk chords over top of the F jam.
8/4/15: Moving away from Trey-driven soloing into space. Page on piano still. Trey chording.
8/4/15: Really ominous, awesome riff from Trey now.
8/4/15: Winding down now.
8/4/15: Fuzz resolves into Piper.
8/4/15: Some tasty waves of feedback pouring off of Trey's guitar. Now a super-octave-shifted solo. Sounds pretty weird, guys.
8/4/15: This Piper is short, but incredibly weird and awesome.
8/4/15: > Crosseyed! Fish is having extra fun with the verse vocals.
8/4/15: This version is swingin'.
8/4/15: AWESOME -> Groove. Great segue.
8/4/15: Groove starts way fast because of the segue. After 2 mins., it slows down to a super-slow pace. Trey cracking up.
8/4/15: Funk jam now. I think this counts as an extended No Men's jam. Trey playing the same riff.
8/4/15: Breakdown.
8/4/15: Holy crap evil blues jam guys
8/4/15: Groove riff coming up out of the blues muck. Holy balls. 'Still waiting' vocal quotes.
8/4/15: Slave closer.
8/4/15: By which I mean encore.
8/4/15: Standard Slave for the encore.
8/4/15: Which is code for 'I hope Slave gets the Hood treatment in 2016.'
8/4/15: Surprisingly, the awesomest part of that show was definitely the Groove, not Mike's.
8/4/15: Mike's was good, too, but definitely felt like two different jams. Without the surprise factor it was like 20% less cool.
8/4/15: There were some flashes of brilliance in the Golden Age jam, but really, nothing much to mention outside the Mike's Groove.
8/4/15: But damn, Mike's, Piper, and the Groove were all fantastic.
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