a little more detailed review of 6/4 and 6/5 - ill write up 6/6 and 6/7 when i get time6/4 - A bit drizzly and cool, not summer weather at all. My firstJones Beach show, have to say I like the great sightlines and sound,but all reserved makes it hard to get your crew together. Also sincetheres no beer for sale inside some people get a little overcookedbefore the show.Grind opener was fun, Divided Sky was glorious and nailed. Trey waspumped up to play, he was bouncing in between songs before they'dstart. Ocelot was a fun, light tune, playful Trey led jam. Coil wasalso pretty much nailed and it got the beach theme going. PYITE had afew shaky moments, but it really got the energy going. I like Dirtmore than most, a tender ditty about wanting to get away from it all.NICU got the energy back up, and primed the crowd for a Ghost thatstarted out in cow phunk, but quickly veered into a soaringtranscendent jam that has pretty much been the theme jam of the tourfar. They guided it back to a Ghost ending and into Antelope without apause between. Antelope was a good ole knife to the throat no nonsenseAntelope. The crowd was up up up going into the setbreak off of thisone.Water in the Sky got us back to the rain theme, even though it wasstill just drizzly, nothing compared to what was coming tomorrow, andBOAF was well-jammed and very hot - these kinds of tunes seem to suitTrey's sound (similar to his sound in 99) and straightforward approachto jamming right now. Drowned got us back to the water theme and itwas played with all the urgency and intensity of a typical Drowned -which meant there was nothing typical about it. The jam made a lefttune into meatstick, which was a blast and included the japaneselyrics and a terrific clav section from Page. The energy came down forTTE, which was flawlessly played. I dont know what I think about it -it's a bit earnest and cheesy, but then again Phish's original stuffhas had those issues here and there since Farmhouse. Waste was wellplayed, the ballad from them to us and us to them, and of course theybrought the energy back up with YEM. Rock and Roll was a nice encore,great note to leave on and a NYC shout out.Nothing earthshattering, but Divided Sky and YEM were almost flawless,Ghost-Antelope and Drowned->Meatstick were both played with tons ofintensity and they really stood out. It wasnt an instant classic, butit had some unique combinations and a few moments that really grabbedthe crowd and pulled us in.6/5 - Friday brought the most miserable weather I have endured for aphish show. 50s and a driving rain that didnt let up except during thesetbreak. We talked about how Phish rewards the crowd for bad weather,and wow did they. Here's your show of Phish 3.0 so far.First set was very thematic. When Phish is ON, they seem to effortlessstring together songs that perfectly capture the mood and setting, andthis first set did that - dark and brooding. Wilson, Buried Alive andACDC Bag I didnt Know were both inspired pairings and they could havefit in an 88 show, they were all so tight. Kill Devil Falls fell inthe between the combos and had a strong birds of a feather feel - itwas weird that they played it twice at Jones Beach, but obviously theylike it. My Friend My Friend - back to the darkness. Trey didn't killit like in previous incarnations, but it was still hot, and was a nicebuild to YaMar - instead of "PLAY IT LEO", Trey said "Leo's gonna playit for you" in a real mellow voice, you could tell he was enjoyingeverything.Theme was perfect for a rainstorm, kept in the darkness and shadowsand Trey really played this one with effortless precision. Then cameBoogie On. Of all the songs I saw in these 4 shows, this was the mostremarkable version of any of them. Mike was a runaway train, out ofcontrol. At least 2 or 3 minutes of Mike laying down the heavy heavyfunk with that dirty sound he uses in the song, it was mind-meltingand ###-shaking all at one. Then maybe the darkest song of them all,Split Open and Melt, and this one was remarkable. The jam was morecohesive than a typical Melt, but just as menacing and sinister, whichI actually preferred to the more disorientation chaotic style Meltjams usually take.This first set had some serious conceptual continuty and flow. withthe exception of the new song, it could have easily been a 96 or 97first set, and everyone could feel that it was going to be theprecursor to a friday night throw down in the second set.Of course when they come back out, it starts raining again, in fact,during DWD was maybe the hardest it rained all night, and it was thehardest Trey raged during the 4 shows I saw. Triumphant, struttingTrey, even shades of Machine Gun Trey, who is still only showing uprarely and for short periods of time if at all. just an absolutemonster of a Disease and it was jammed in a very smooth segue intoTwist, back to the darkness, this time funky, and the jam quicklymorphed into Oye Como Va, about 3 or 4 distinct sections. The bandseemed to have one mind, the sections were all tight and groovy, andit felt like that Phish you came to know and love that pulled you intothe moment and also let the moment guide them to whatever was in theair. They jammed back into Twist, then started Piper, lit the fuse andexploded that bottle rocket into a Jam that kept the energy goinguntil they started BDTNL - a very positive and anthemic song about thereturn and where we are all at in our lives - definitely a real keeperamong the new songs. Of course a huge suite like this had to be toppedoff with Free, and this was like the Antelope, more no nonsense, turnthe energy up high and keep it there. We were all soaked, but insidewe were burning with love for the Phish. This was like 12/29/03 - a 45minute non stop jam groove heat concoction, and one that reallyscreamed "we are back" - phish is at their best when they let go alittle bit and just let the music play them and take them where itwants to go, and wow did they do it for this beautiful stretch.20 years later is interesting, a bit more complex lyrically that theother new stuff, a song about tempting fate and surviving, highs andlows, accomplishments and low moments, and trying to make sense out ofit. The jam was more deliberate and darker than a rock/groove jam. Iliked it. they took that into 2001, and what a 2001! It was funky andjammed out very well, but not noodle funk, a purposeful directed funk.Ear to ear grin inducing. Wasnt Slave perfect here? I mean reallyperfect, the only song they could have played - when they do thatthing where as soon as you the note, you think, it could have onlybeen this song. Just resplendently glorious, full of love and beauty.This 2001>slave combo could have been the peak of any great show inany post 93 era of Phish.Day in the Life sent us back into the night, soaked to the bone, butstill buzzing from what we'd had experienced. This was a quantum leapfrom anything they had done so far since they had been back, a nightthat was a classic phish "buckle your seat belt and hang on tight"summer tour show, even though the weather was more like October orNovember.I was so stoked to be seeing them two more times before I went back toTexas. Now that they had played 4 shows and worked out the kinks, itfelt like we were back to "anything is possible" phish. Even thoughTrey was still very tentative and deliberate - not really attackinghis solos, missing his usual acrobatic fingering and twists and turnswithin solos, and just owning the songs so much that he could addflourished and be playful with the melodies - the "not thinking" Treyis still only surfacing here and there - he let himself go to thepoint where he let the energy consume him too, and the created notonly fantastic compositions within the songs, but the show itself wasa fantastic composition. THIS was what I was missing while Phish wasgone. Not just hearing the songs live, but going to a show and seeinga composition of songs and jams and moments that fit like a key in alock and stood alone as something that would never be produced again,just for that place and time.
for the heads up Bloom
Now will the Phish show be on there live tonight? And, is it confirmed for 1:00AM eastern?Less than one week for me!!!for the heads up Bloom
Now will the Phish show be on there live tonight? And, is it confirmed for 1:00AM eastern?Less than one week for me!!!
Now will the Phish show be on there live tonight? And, is it confirmed for 1:00AM eastern?Less than one week for me!!!
I can't wait to hear "Hood" through the end.
for the heads up Bloom - tuned in here at work.
