Reunion Rundown
I know I’m way behind on posting this, but we got back from Virginia on Monday 3/9 and new dates were announced Wednesday 3/11 (including Red Rocks). So it went from the post show euphoria (that really did last a few days truth be told) to ticket lottery angst. We ended up getting very lucky in the lottery which made it so we didn’t have to deal with the pressure of the near impossible public on sales.
The non-stop Phishing didn’t end there however, as we had to make several trades to complete our Summer Tour. Well the last of those came to fruition Friday (4/3) afternoon and now we are in every show from Star Lake to the Gorge. 11 shows in a row plus the 3 I’ve already seen and that’s 14 Phish shows before the end of August. NICE!
3/5/09 – the Disco Biscuits – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa (17th show)
I: The Overture > Caves of the East, Nughuffer > The Great Abyss > Spacebirdmatingcall > Nughuffer
II: Mirrors*, The Very Moon > Voices Insane > I-Man > Crickets > I-Man > Orch Theme > I-Man
E: Hope > The Overture
* 1st time played
After an hour long cab ride from Williamsburg we arrived at the NorVa during “Caves of the East.” The place was packed and sweaty, but there were some places to boogie if you searched hard enough. “Caves” was a nice little ditty that was a debut to my ears and a rather nice welcome to Bisco moment for our crew.
After a brief hello from bassist Marc Brownstein the boys dropped into “Nughuffer.” The story didn't have much to it, but at the 5:13 mark they drop into some Bisco madness that doesn’t let up until the end of the set. The rest of “Nughuffer” just builds into a sick “Great Abyss” which went on for almost 23 minutes. At this point Teri and I were in the upstairs bar, drinks in hand, dancing our asses off.
“Spacebird” is always nice to hear and took the dance party into a somewhat more ambient direction. The segue back into “Nughuffer” was seamless and we were left amazed after only about an hour of music. Overall this was about all I could ask for in a first set after being on the East Coast for all of a few hours.
Set number two opened with a brand new Brownie tune called “Mirrors.” It had an island feel to it, was well received by the hardcore’s in attendance and certainly has a lot of potential in the future. From there stuff got crazy again with “Very Moon > Voices Insane > I-Man > Crickets > I-Man.” I stop it there only because we left somewhere around the “Crickets > I-Man” section. Hey, it was already one o’clock in the morning and we had another hour long cab ride home staring us in the face.
Now would it have been nice to stay until the end? Sure, especially when I saw that “Hope” was played as an encore, but this show was all about distracting us from the next day. I’d say it did that and then some.
3/6/09 – Phish – Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum (86th show)
I: Fluffhead*, The Divided Sky, Chalkdust Torture, Sample in a Jar, Stash, I Didn't Know, The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg, Farmhouse, NICU, Horn, Rift, Train Song**, Water in the Sky, The Squirming Coil, David Bowie
II: Backwards Down the Number Line^, Tweezer > Taste, Possum, Theme from the Bottom, First Tube, Harry Hood, Waste, You Enjoy Myself
E: Grind***, Bouncing Around the Room, Loving Cup
* last played 9/29/00
** last played 5/23/00
*** last played 12/30/98
^ 1st time played
By the time we were in the car driving to the Mothership all of the excitement and happiness we had been feeling for months had morphed into a nervous anxiety that none of us could control. Nothing seemed to help us either. We were stuck in Friday traffic on the way to the arena. Then I made a wrong choice as a navigator (which was made worse by Teri’s stubbornness) adding some additional 15 minutes or more to our wait to get parked. Then we when we finally got situated on the lot, it was more or less time to go in.
The scene getting in was something that I’d never experienced before in my entire life. It was so bad that Teri and I were literally at the mercy of the crowd a few times. Meaning we were getting pushed to and fro in a mass of people with no control of where we were going. We eventually did get in after some borderline scary moments. Once inside almost all the seats were taken so we ended up way high up on Page side about center court so to speak. They were actually pretty good seats believe it or not.
So now we had to just sit and wait with the rest of the nearly 80% packed house. With so much of the crowd inside so early that anxiety I mentioned was magnified a thousand times. Yes people were excited and happy, but really it was a very nervous energy. When the band finally came on the roar of the crowd was deafening. I mean you couldn’t hear yourself think it was that loud, and sustained too.
So what would they play? I think it’s safe to say that the opening notes of “Fluffhead” took 90% of the people there by surprise. Not like a what the heck surprise, more like a jubilant euphoria surprise. The kicker was how they nailed it. Meaning you could tell that they had really practiced beforehand. And when Trey finally got to the powerful pills line the place literally erupted with a massive “Oh Yeah!”
So after the multi-layered symbolism that the “Fluffhead” opener provided, what could be next? “Divided Sky” was out of nowhere for me. I was not expecting another extended composed piece to follow a 16 minute “Fluffhead.” Just unreal. If “Fluff” was a clue, it was “Divided Sky” where I was sure that my boys were officially back and had prepared something very special for us.
I was floating after “DSky” so the perfect thing to take it up another level? Why “Chalkdust” of course! I’d estimate that I’ve listened to these opening three songs no less than 25 times already, and probably more. “Sample” slowed things down a touch and let everyone breathe for a moment.
Even though it wasn’t particularly extended, “Stash” was where the first Phish 3.0 jam happened. From there it was treats and more treats. A Fishman vacuum solo in “I Didn’t Know” and then “Oh Kee Pah > Suzy”? It was absolute paradise for a geek like me.
It didn’t stop there though. “Farmhouse”, “Horn”, “Train Song” and “Water in the Sky” were like the middle ballad portion of the set, with the later being played the old slower country & western way. None of them warranted a bathroom break either. Mixed in with those four “NICU” and “Rift” brought things back up to dance party status.
When I heard the opening notes of “Coil” I thought for sure the set was over. But no, there was still a “Bowie” to come (which almost killed Kenny…seriously). All told, Phish’s first set back clocked in at around 2 hours. I was speechless, as was everyone around us. People spent the set break in stunned amazement at what had just happened. No one that is telling the truth ever thought the first set back would, or even could be, that good.
Set two started with the expected debut of “Number Line”, but the set really got cooking with those familiar opening guitar notes of “Tweezer.” “Tweezer” transitioned nicely into “Taste” and from there the set really took off for me. It doesn’t get much better than “Possum, Theme from the Bottom, First Tube, Harry Hood” in my eyes.
I was especially loving the “Theme, 1st Tube” one-two punch. But when I heard the floating sections of “Hood” I knew all was right in the world again. I thought “Waste” would be it for the night, but as would be the case all weekend false endings were the norm. “YEM”, even though botched, was the perfect way to close the night. The vocal jam did exactly what it needed to do.
I ran to the bathroom and missed most of “Grind”, but the “Bouncing, Loving Cup” was more than satisfactory for an encore. We left immediately after the music and bolted the lot in the same quick-time fashion, opting for late night hotel debauchery over fun on the lot.
3/7/09 – Phish – Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum (87th show)
I: Back on the Train, Runaway Jim, Brian and Robert, Split Open and Melt, Heavy Things, Punch You in the Eye, Gumbo, Reba, Mexican Cousin, It's Ice, Halley's Comet > Beauty of a Broken Heart^, Guelah Papyrus*, Lawn Boy, Run Like an Antelope
II: Rock and Roll > Limb by Limb, Ghost, Piper > Birds of a Feather, Wolfman's Brother, Prince Caspian, Mike's Song > I am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Character Zero
E: A Day in the Life**
* last played 9/18/00
** last played 9/30/00
^ 1st time played
Day two saw Teri and me taking a cab to the lot early to see what we could see. And that turned out to be not much, although we did see Jeff Austin from Yonder Mountain String Band in the Embassy Suites bar. As we realized later on inside, this was a very veteran laden crowd. Which explained the lack of a true Shakedown Street on the lot and the way people handled themselves inside. It had to be the most knowledgeable crowd I ever had the pleasure of seeing a run of Phish shows with.
We met Kenny on the lot right as it was time to head in. We went in a little earlier than the previous night and ended up with worse seats. That’s all relative though as we were right behind Fishman on an angle about five rows up. This gave us a different vantage point allowing us to see what the band sees, which is some pretty wild stuff.
“Back on the Train” was a very nice opener and contained what I thought was an underrated jam. “Runaway Jim, Brian and Robert” didn’t do much for me, but that would end with opening bass notes of “Melt.” From there this set would feature non-stop action with the exception of “Heavy Things” and “Mexican Cousin.”
“Punch You in the Eye, Gumbo, Reba” and “It’s Ice, Halley's Comet > Beauty of a Broken Heart, Guelah Papyrus” were more than I would have asked for in the entire run, much less one set. I felt like the band was playing a little game of one-upmanship. Like we know you didn’t expect us to play “It’s Ice” so here’s a “Halley’s Comet” for you. The topper had to be “Broken Heart” from Page’s solo album though. Here’s to hoping we hear some tunes from Mike’s solo album this summer.
After “Lawn Boy” just about everyone knew that “Antelope” was coming next. This was Teri’s favorite set of the entire weekend. I liked it too, but as far as the first sets went, this one probably finishes third in my eyes.
The second set started off like gangbusters with “Rock and Roll > Limb by Limb, Ghost.” Again, it couldn’t have been scripted any better for me. Unfortunately the set went downhill from there. I know that’s not a popular sentiment, and I’m not saying it was bad by any means. It’s just that when compared to the other epic sets of this run I think this particular set falls short. Save for a decent “Birds of a Feather” and a solid jam in “Wolfman’s.”
It all started to go bad with a botched “Piper” and the rest of the songs in the set (that I haven’t mentioned) seemed a little cookie cutter to me. A breakout of the Beatles “A Day in the Life” salvaged it somewhat for me though. I’ve read many reviews where people say this was thee set of the entire run. After many re-listens I still don’t hear it. Oh well, to each his own.
3/8/09 – Phish – Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum (88th show)
I: Sanity*, Wilson, Foam, Bathtub Gin, Undermind^, AC/DC Bag, My Friend My Friend, Scent of a Mule, All of These Dreams, Maze, She Thinks I Still Care^, Army of One, Tube, Cars Trucks Buses, Free, Frankenstein
II: Down with Disease > Seven Below, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Twist > Also Sprach Zarathustra, The Moma Dance, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Slave to the Traffic Light
E: Contact, Bug, Tweezer Reprise
* last played 11/27/98
^ 1st time played
On the third day we finally got it right. We hung at the hotel all day relaxing on the deck in the fresh air and got to the lot at just the right time with no traffic. We didn’t fool around and headed in even earlier than night two. It paid off as we got great seats nearly straight on just off to Fish side. The lights were stellar from this vantage point, and this is also a perfect time to give kudos to lighting director Chris Kuroda. Granted this was a three-day run where they had the venue rented for the entire week prior for rehearsals, but damn did CK5 outdo himself. If you want to see what I’m talking about just clink on this link and take your pick. All I have to say is the best lights in the business are back!
It only took me 14 years and 88 shows to see my first “Sanity.” YES!!! From there was the “Wilson” I had predicted and after that it was rapid fire awesomeness. “Foam, Bathtub Gin, Undermind, AC/DC Bag, My Friend My Friend, Scent of a Mule” offered no let up at all. “Undermind” was especially brilliant, but “My Friend” took the out of nowhere award as a tune I never thought I’d hear.
It was like everyone in the arena had the same idea during “All of These Dreams” as the bathroom line was so long I had to abandon ship when I heard the opening notes of “Maze.” I’m not normally a huge fan of “Maze”, but I enjoyed this one thoroughly. There’s no bigger Mike phan than me, but covering George Jones’ “She Still Thinks I Care” was questionable at best and a momentum killer at worst.
It didn’t matter though as what followed may have been my favorite run of songs of the entire weekend. “Army of One, Tube, Cars Trucks Buses, Free” just does not get any better. All of them are tunes I love to hear. I’d been waiting on “Tube” and “Free” and was relieved to finally hear them. Even though they weren’t the best versions ever, they didn’t disappoint either. The “Cars Trucks Buses” cannot be overlooked in between as Page continued his MVP performance tearing up the keys.
Then came Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein” with Page out front in between Trey and Mike on keytar. It was classic! When the set finally ended everyone around us was basically spent, mouth agape, in awe of what just happened. Seriously. Everyone was looking at their friends like did you just see that? Then as the shock wore off it became well if that was the first set what’s going to happen in set two?
I’ll tell you what, the best jam of the run. “Down with Disease” clocked in at almost 23 minutes and featured at least three different themes to my ears. Phish was finally all the way back. The jam went way out there and grooved from idea to idea before sliding ever so smoothly into “7 Below.” What a nice surprise that was!
“Horse > Silent” was the breather section before some more ripping Phish. “Twist > 2001, Moma” was super-phat. When “Twist” finally became “2001” all hell broke loose with everyone high-fiving their friends and waiting for the Mothership to achieve lift off during the first peak. I mean, what else can I say? If you’ve ever seen an arena “2001” you know Kuroda is at his phinest during this tune. But it was really the spaced out ending that dropped into “Moma” which cemented this show as the best for me.
It was far from over though. We next entered the false ending-athon. I doubt anyone would have complained if “Guitar Weeps” was all she wrote. Then there was “Wading”, which again would have made a fine closer. But the only way to properly cap a comeback as epic as this was with “Slave.” I mean you could really tell how much thought Trey had put into these setlists when you look at them on paper.
I’m not sure an encore was even necessary at this point, but the three songer was perfect. “Contact” brought the fun along with a sweet little keyboard freak out jam. “Bug” got us all in a reflective mood and “Tweezer Reprise” blew it up one last time. To me this was easily the best show of the run. Hands down, and that’s not to cast aspersions on the other nights at all.
Overall Phish focused more on being tight and playing their compositions precisely than huge jams and getting way out there. I didn’t see anyone complaining about it either. I mean, 85 total songs played? Three 4-hour shows? No one expected that, no one. It’s like guitarist Seth Yacovone said, “It [was] like going to see the Dead in 1984 and they play Europe '72.” So true.
I don’t know how I’m going to cope for the eleven shows from Fenway to the Fabulous Fox when I know Phish is on stage and I won’t be there. Likewise for the five shows that close out the summer from Chicago to SPAC after my personal run is over with. Oh well, I guess.
I must close with a thank you to Kenny who actually picked the hotel months in advance that Phish ended up staying at. We saw their tour bus after Saturday’s show and Teri swears she heard Page talking on a cell phone across the lake out our back door one morning. No we didn’t try and track them down to talk or anything like that, but it was verified by a woman who works at the gift shop that Phish was indeed there for the entire week.
The non-stop Phishing didn’t end there however, as we had to make several trades to complete our Summer Tour. Well the last of those came to fruition Friday (4/3) afternoon and now we are in every show from Star Lake to the Gorge. 11 shows in a row plus the 3 I’ve already seen and that’s 14 Phish shows before the end of August. NICE!
3/5/09 – the Disco Biscuits – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa (17th show)
I: The Overture > Caves of the East, Nughuffer > The Great Abyss > Spacebirdmatingcall > Nughuffer
II: Mirrors*, The Very Moon > Voices Insane > I-Man > Crickets > I-Man > Orch Theme > I-Man
E: Hope > The Overture
* 1st time played
After an hour long cab ride from Williamsburg we arrived at the NorVa during “Caves of the East.” The place was packed and sweaty, but there were some places to boogie if you searched hard enough. “Caves” was a nice little ditty that was a debut to my ears and a rather nice welcome to Bisco moment for our crew.
After a brief hello from bassist Marc Brownstein the boys dropped into “Nughuffer.” The story didn't have much to it, but at the 5:13 mark they drop into some Bisco madness that doesn’t let up until the end of the set. The rest of “Nughuffer” just builds into a sick “Great Abyss” which went on for almost 23 minutes. At this point Teri and I were in the upstairs bar, drinks in hand, dancing our asses off.
“Spacebird” is always nice to hear and took the dance party into a somewhat more ambient direction. The segue back into “Nughuffer” was seamless and we were left amazed after only about an hour of music. Overall this was about all I could ask for in a first set after being on the East Coast for all of a few hours.
Set number two opened with a brand new Brownie tune called “Mirrors.” It had an island feel to it, was well received by the hardcore’s in attendance and certainly has a lot of potential in the future. From there stuff got crazy again with “Very Moon > Voices Insane > I-Man > Crickets > I-Man.” I stop it there only because we left somewhere around the “Crickets > I-Man” section. Hey, it was already one o’clock in the morning and we had another hour long cab ride home staring us in the face.
Now would it have been nice to stay until the end? Sure, especially when I saw that “Hope” was played as an encore, but this show was all about distracting us from the next day. I’d say it did that and then some.
3/6/09 – Phish – Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum (86th show)
I: Fluffhead*, The Divided Sky, Chalkdust Torture, Sample in a Jar, Stash, I Didn't Know, The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg, Farmhouse, NICU, Horn, Rift, Train Song**, Water in the Sky, The Squirming Coil, David Bowie
II: Backwards Down the Number Line^, Tweezer > Taste, Possum, Theme from the Bottom, First Tube, Harry Hood, Waste, You Enjoy Myself
E: Grind***, Bouncing Around the Room, Loving Cup
* last played 9/29/00
** last played 5/23/00
*** last played 12/30/98
^ 1st time played
By the time we were in the car driving to the Mothership all of the excitement and happiness we had been feeling for months had morphed into a nervous anxiety that none of us could control. Nothing seemed to help us either. We were stuck in Friday traffic on the way to the arena. Then I made a wrong choice as a navigator (which was made worse by Teri’s stubbornness) adding some additional 15 minutes or more to our wait to get parked. Then we when we finally got situated on the lot, it was more or less time to go in.
The scene getting in was something that I’d never experienced before in my entire life. It was so bad that Teri and I were literally at the mercy of the crowd a few times. Meaning we were getting pushed to and fro in a mass of people with no control of where we were going. We eventually did get in after some borderline scary moments. Once inside almost all the seats were taken so we ended up way high up on Page side about center court so to speak. They were actually pretty good seats believe it or not.
So now we had to just sit and wait with the rest of the nearly 80% packed house. With so much of the crowd inside so early that anxiety I mentioned was magnified a thousand times. Yes people were excited and happy, but really it was a very nervous energy. When the band finally came on the roar of the crowd was deafening. I mean you couldn’t hear yourself think it was that loud, and sustained too.
So what would they play? I think it’s safe to say that the opening notes of “Fluffhead” took 90% of the people there by surprise. Not like a what the heck surprise, more like a jubilant euphoria surprise. The kicker was how they nailed it. Meaning you could tell that they had really practiced beforehand. And when Trey finally got to the powerful pills line the place literally erupted with a massive “Oh Yeah!”
So after the multi-layered symbolism that the “Fluffhead” opener provided, what could be next? “Divided Sky” was out of nowhere for me. I was not expecting another extended composed piece to follow a 16 minute “Fluffhead.” Just unreal. If “Fluff” was a clue, it was “Divided Sky” where I was sure that my boys were officially back and had prepared something very special for us.
I was floating after “DSky” so the perfect thing to take it up another level? Why “Chalkdust” of course! I’d estimate that I’ve listened to these opening three songs no less than 25 times already, and probably more. “Sample” slowed things down a touch and let everyone breathe for a moment.
Even though it wasn’t particularly extended, “Stash” was where the first Phish 3.0 jam happened. From there it was treats and more treats. A Fishman vacuum solo in “I Didn’t Know” and then “Oh Kee Pah > Suzy”? It was absolute paradise for a geek like me.
It didn’t stop there though. “Farmhouse”, “Horn”, “Train Song” and “Water in the Sky” were like the middle ballad portion of the set, with the later being played the old slower country & western way. None of them warranted a bathroom break either. Mixed in with those four “NICU” and “Rift” brought things back up to dance party status.
When I heard the opening notes of “Coil” I thought for sure the set was over. But no, there was still a “Bowie” to come (which almost killed Kenny…seriously). All told, Phish’s first set back clocked in at around 2 hours. I was speechless, as was everyone around us. People spent the set break in stunned amazement at what had just happened. No one that is telling the truth ever thought the first set back would, or even could be, that good.
Set two started with the expected debut of “Number Line”, but the set really got cooking with those familiar opening guitar notes of “Tweezer.” “Tweezer” transitioned nicely into “Taste” and from there the set really took off for me. It doesn’t get much better than “Possum, Theme from the Bottom, First Tube, Harry Hood” in my eyes.
I was especially loving the “Theme, 1st Tube” one-two punch. But when I heard the floating sections of “Hood” I knew all was right in the world again. I thought “Waste” would be it for the night, but as would be the case all weekend false endings were the norm. “YEM”, even though botched, was the perfect way to close the night. The vocal jam did exactly what it needed to do.
I ran to the bathroom and missed most of “Grind”, but the “Bouncing, Loving Cup” was more than satisfactory for an encore. We left immediately after the music and bolted the lot in the same quick-time fashion, opting for late night hotel debauchery over fun on the lot.
3/7/09 – Phish – Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum (87th show)
I: Back on the Train, Runaway Jim, Brian and Robert, Split Open and Melt, Heavy Things, Punch You in the Eye, Gumbo, Reba, Mexican Cousin, It's Ice, Halley's Comet > Beauty of a Broken Heart^, Guelah Papyrus*, Lawn Boy, Run Like an Antelope
II: Rock and Roll > Limb by Limb, Ghost, Piper > Birds of a Feather, Wolfman's Brother, Prince Caspian, Mike's Song > I am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Character Zero
E: A Day in the Life**
* last played 9/18/00
** last played 9/30/00
^ 1st time played
Day two saw Teri and me taking a cab to the lot early to see what we could see. And that turned out to be not much, although we did see Jeff Austin from Yonder Mountain String Band in the Embassy Suites bar. As we realized later on inside, this was a very veteran laden crowd. Which explained the lack of a true Shakedown Street on the lot and the way people handled themselves inside. It had to be the most knowledgeable crowd I ever had the pleasure of seeing a run of Phish shows with.
We met Kenny on the lot right as it was time to head in. We went in a little earlier than the previous night and ended up with worse seats. That’s all relative though as we were right behind Fishman on an angle about five rows up. This gave us a different vantage point allowing us to see what the band sees, which is some pretty wild stuff.
“Back on the Train” was a very nice opener and contained what I thought was an underrated jam. “Runaway Jim, Brian and Robert” didn’t do much for me, but that would end with opening bass notes of “Melt.” From there this set would feature non-stop action with the exception of “Heavy Things” and “Mexican Cousin.”
“Punch You in the Eye, Gumbo, Reba” and “It’s Ice, Halley's Comet > Beauty of a Broken Heart, Guelah Papyrus” were more than I would have asked for in the entire run, much less one set. I felt like the band was playing a little game of one-upmanship. Like we know you didn’t expect us to play “It’s Ice” so here’s a “Halley’s Comet” for you. The topper had to be “Broken Heart” from Page’s solo album though. Here’s to hoping we hear some tunes from Mike’s solo album this summer.
After “Lawn Boy” just about everyone knew that “Antelope” was coming next. This was Teri’s favorite set of the entire weekend. I liked it too, but as far as the first sets went, this one probably finishes third in my eyes.
The second set started off like gangbusters with “Rock and Roll > Limb by Limb, Ghost.” Again, it couldn’t have been scripted any better for me. Unfortunately the set went downhill from there. I know that’s not a popular sentiment, and I’m not saying it was bad by any means. It’s just that when compared to the other epic sets of this run I think this particular set falls short. Save for a decent “Birds of a Feather” and a solid jam in “Wolfman’s.”
It all started to go bad with a botched “Piper” and the rest of the songs in the set (that I haven’t mentioned) seemed a little cookie cutter to me. A breakout of the Beatles “A Day in the Life” salvaged it somewhat for me though. I’ve read many reviews where people say this was thee set of the entire run. After many re-listens I still don’t hear it. Oh well, to each his own.
3/8/09 – Phish – Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum (88th show)
I: Sanity*, Wilson, Foam, Bathtub Gin, Undermind^, AC/DC Bag, My Friend My Friend, Scent of a Mule, All of These Dreams, Maze, She Thinks I Still Care^, Army of One, Tube, Cars Trucks Buses, Free, Frankenstein
II: Down with Disease > Seven Below, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Twist > Also Sprach Zarathustra, The Moma Dance, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Slave to the Traffic Light
E: Contact, Bug, Tweezer Reprise
* last played 11/27/98
^ 1st time played
On the third day we finally got it right. We hung at the hotel all day relaxing on the deck in the fresh air and got to the lot at just the right time with no traffic. We didn’t fool around and headed in even earlier than night two. It paid off as we got great seats nearly straight on just off to Fish side. The lights were stellar from this vantage point, and this is also a perfect time to give kudos to lighting director Chris Kuroda. Granted this was a three-day run where they had the venue rented for the entire week prior for rehearsals, but damn did CK5 outdo himself. If you want to see what I’m talking about just clink on this link and take your pick. All I have to say is the best lights in the business are back!
It only took me 14 years and 88 shows to see my first “Sanity.” YES!!! From there was the “Wilson” I had predicted and after that it was rapid fire awesomeness. “Foam, Bathtub Gin, Undermind, AC/DC Bag, My Friend My Friend, Scent of a Mule” offered no let up at all. “Undermind” was especially brilliant, but “My Friend” took the out of nowhere award as a tune I never thought I’d hear.
It was like everyone in the arena had the same idea during “All of These Dreams” as the bathroom line was so long I had to abandon ship when I heard the opening notes of “Maze.” I’m not normally a huge fan of “Maze”, but I enjoyed this one thoroughly. There’s no bigger Mike phan than me, but covering George Jones’ “She Still Thinks I Care” was questionable at best and a momentum killer at worst.
It didn’t matter though as what followed may have been my favorite run of songs of the entire weekend. “Army of One, Tube, Cars Trucks Buses, Free” just does not get any better. All of them are tunes I love to hear. I’d been waiting on “Tube” and “Free” and was relieved to finally hear them. Even though they weren’t the best versions ever, they didn’t disappoint either. The “Cars Trucks Buses” cannot be overlooked in between as Page continued his MVP performance tearing up the keys.
Then came Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein” with Page out front in between Trey and Mike on keytar. It was classic! When the set finally ended everyone around us was basically spent, mouth agape, in awe of what just happened. Seriously. Everyone was looking at their friends like did you just see that? Then as the shock wore off it became well if that was the first set what’s going to happen in set two?
I’ll tell you what, the best jam of the run. “Down with Disease” clocked in at almost 23 minutes and featured at least three different themes to my ears. Phish was finally all the way back. The jam went way out there and grooved from idea to idea before sliding ever so smoothly into “7 Below.” What a nice surprise that was!
“Horse > Silent” was the breather section before some more ripping Phish. “Twist > 2001, Moma” was super-phat. When “Twist” finally became “2001” all hell broke loose with everyone high-fiving their friends and waiting for the Mothership to achieve lift off during the first peak. I mean, what else can I say? If you’ve ever seen an arena “2001” you know Kuroda is at his phinest during this tune. But it was really the spaced out ending that dropped into “Moma” which cemented this show as the best for me.
It was far from over though. We next entered the false ending-athon. I doubt anyone would have complained if “Guitar Weeps” was all she wrote. Then there was “Wading”, which again would have made a fine closer. But the only way to properly cap a comeback as epic as this was with “Slave.” I mean you could really tell how much thought Trey had put into these setlists when you look at them on paper.
I’m not sure an encore was even necessary at this point, but the three songer was perfect. “Contact” brought the fun along with a sweet little keyboard freak out jam. “Bug” got us all in a reflective mood and “Tweezer Reprise” blew it up one last time. To me this was easily the best show of the run. Hands down, and that’s not to cast aspersions on the other nights at all.
Overall Phish focused more on being tight and playing their compositions precisely than huge jams and getting way out there. I didn’t see anyone complaining about it either. I mean, 85 total songs played? Three 4-hour shows? No one expected that, no one. It’s like guitarist Seth Yacovone said, “It [was] like going to see the Dead in 1984 and they play Europe '72.” So true.
I don’t know how I’m going to cope for the eleven shows from Fenway to the Fabulous Fox when I know Phish is on stage and I won’t be there. Likewise for the five shows that close out the summer from Chicago to SPAC after my personal run is over with. Oh well, I guess.
I must close with a thank you to Kenny who actually picked the hotel months in advance that Phish ended up staying at. We saw their tour bus after Saturday’s show and Teri swears she heard Page talking on a cell phone across the lake out our back door one morning. No we didn’t try and track them down to talk or anything like that, but it was verified by a woman who works at the gift shop that Phish was indeed there for the entire week.
posted by D$ at 2:21 PM
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