Alpine Valley 2

After sitting around the house all day basically waiting until it was time to go the weather on the lot was the best we had all tour long. It was almost Oregon-like since it was sunny and cool with a breeze. It was kind of strange to walk into a show completely satisfied and not caring what I heard or how it was played, but that was me on the final night of tour. To top it off we had 12th row seats (thanks Kenny) just to the right of Mike.

“Tweezer” was a great way to kick things off but the first real highlight of the set was my first ever “On Your Way Down.” This was obviously Phish’s tribute to Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward who had passed three days prior. The rest of the set one was pretty standard fare but I was still having a great time being so close to finish things off.

The second frame started with a bang in “Ghost” and that slid ever so nicely into “Theme.” Then out of nowhere came my final big treat of tour with my first “Big Black Furry Creature from Mars” in history. This one was not only unexpected but made up for the time I skipped 7/15/03 (one of my biggest Phish regrets). A mid-set “YEM” was also a welcome a surprise and “YEM > Piper > 2001” speaks for itself. The show kind of slowed down for me after that and we started walking up the hill when “Character Zero” ended.

We took in the four song encore from the top of the hill reminiscing about what a great run of shows we had just witnessed. Although some nights do stand out (AV1, Greek2 & Telluride2) what was most notable about this tour was how high the overall quality was from night to night. There was not a single show of the nine I saw that I would say was below average. Every night was good or great with Fishman being by far the most improved player. This bodes well for the upcoming Every-Ticket-Is-Impossible-To-Get-Fall-Tour. See you in Broomfield and Atlantic City…hopefully.

Alpine Valley 1

Our flight from Zionsville, IN to Kenosha, WI took all of 37 minutes and included a very nice view of downtown Chicago while we were out over Lake Michigan. My sincere apologies to anyone who made the six hour drive or had to sit in traffic. We actually spent more time driving from Kenosha to Lake Geneva than we did in the air, but once we arrived our house was oh so nice. Our back porch faced the 15th tee of the Geneva National golf course and it was generally so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Another bonus to this place was the short almost all back roads (until the highway) route to the venue.

The show itself started out on fire with “Tube,” “Oh Kee Pah > Suzy” and “Funky Bitch.” right off the bat. I couldn’t think of a better way to start a show and the momentum that started there carried on throughout the rest of the night. The next highlight for me was the song I had been chasing all tour long, my first ever “Fuck Your Face.” Trey absolutely shredded this short but powerful version and it was at this point that whatever Phish played the rest of the way was gravy for me.

We took off for the bathrooms when “Circus” started and figured “Antelope” would come next and the set would be over, but we were ever so wrong. We hung back and got some fresh air (because our seats were in a no fresh air/breeze zone) while the set amazingly continued to roll on. We made the short walk back to our seats when “Sparkle” ended and enjoyed the “Gumbo” “Antelope” closing combo totally refreshed.

The second set kicked off as strong as or stronger than the first. My first “Sloth” since 12/30/99 got everyone juiced up and ready to roll, but it was the 23+ minute combo of “DwD > What’s the Use” that took cake for jam of the show. But it didn’t stop there as the now rare “Mule” was dropped next and followed by a blistering “Mike’s.” My only real beef with this show was killing all the momentum that been building by transitioning into “Dirt.” Things picked back up again with a nicely played “Sally” and when “Bug” closed things out I knew a huge encore was is store.

My second “Quinn” of the run was a little disappointing since it made the Telluride version less special, but for those not in attendance at Telluride it was a fine way to end the evening. While making the trudge up the massive hill out to the parking lot all the talk was about how this was the show of the summer, and you’ll get no arguments from me.

Deer Creek 2

After a very late night that saw me drift off around 4:45 AM I slept until noon the next day but that still left me six hours to pre-game before we left. Our driver Jim showed up right at 6 PM, but we didn’t get our act together until almost 6:30. Thankfully Jim knew a back way to the VIP lot and we got there in no time. Without an extra ticket on hand Jim decided to take in the show from lot right behind the lawn fence.

As we walked down to our seats I was shocked by how close we were getting and when we ended up sixth row right in front of Fishman I was really psyched. Kenny once again called the opening “Chalkdust” (two shows in a row) and the run of “Guelah,” “Axilla I” and “IDK” had a very old school vibe to it. I was jumping for joy when I heard what I thought were the opening notes of “Pebbles and Marbles,” but alas the song turned out to be the first 3.0 version of “Walls of the Cave.” “WOTC” was never one of favorite tunes but this version was slowed down a little and historic so I enjoyed it. After another great “Ocelot” (maybe the MVP tune of tour) the real treat of the set came in “Curtis Lowe.” A debut to my ears and expertly played I couldn’t have been happier to be so close.

The second set started kind of slowly even though “Halley’s > Light > 46 Days > Maze” looks pretty sick on paper. The set really took off for us with our first “Meatstick” since 4/17/04. Teri knew the dance and tried to teach everyone around us before the smooth transition into “Mango” happened. The double “Contact” “Slave” encore was the next highlight for me in what was turned out to be a good but not great second set.

We walked the long way back to the car so Kenny and Larisa could see what Deer Creek’s shakedown street was really about. Once we got back to the hotel things got even more weird with a crew of straight up freaks (not the good kind) taking over the hotel’s many patios, pool and hot tub.

Deer Creek 1

After a quick stop over in Pueblo, CO to take on 650 gallons of fuel we made it to Zionsville, IN in just over two-and-a-half hours from Telluride. We were greeted with sweltering 90+ temperatures and a ridiculous amount of humidity, which was a far cry from the cool of Berkeley and Telluride.

Kenny called the “Run Jim” opener and our first “PYITE” of the tour got the party started. “Roggae” was nice but not on the level of 12/28/09’s version and “CTB” was the easy highlight of the first set for me. Unlike most others in attendance I was actually happy to hear “TTE” close things out.

The second set really took off with an excellent “Drowned” and we had plenty of space to dance in the pavilion on Fish side. Good thing too since we went crazy during the always welcome rarity “MFMF” and when it was followed by an even bigger bust out in “Buffalo Bill” (my first since 12/18/99) all hell broke loose. The energy after those two ratcheted up the intensity during a sick “Twist.” The final highlight of second set for me was a raging “Melt” that splashed down into another uber rarity “Dog Faced Boy.”

I should have known the boys were having a good time when “Golgi” followed “Hood” to end set two, but the encore really took the cake. “Fee > NO2 > Kung > Fire” was an unreal way to close things out. (My first “Fee” since 2/14/03 and first “Kung” since 11/16/96.) The overall highlight of evening had to be our 60+ year old driver Jim taking one of our extra lawn tickets and rocking it out black pants, dress shoes and a white button up shirt all night long.

Telluride 2

We planned our day much smarter the second time around stopping in Mountain Village for some pizza and Smugglers Brewpub for a Sky Hop before walking into the grounds around 7:15 PM. We had a blanket this time and settled in on Page side. Even though we were pretty far back we had a great view of the stage and plenty of room to boogie.

I loved the “Coil” “Stealing Time” opening combo and my first “Timber” since 8/11/04 was a big treat. The set really took off with a ripping “Divided Sky” followed by the rarity combo of “Walk Away” and “Roses.” This set allowed me to take a of lot pictures of the scenic beauty, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing though.

When you hear the rumble of “Party Time” start up you know you are in for some good times, and the following “Mike’s > C+P > H2 > Groove” certainly qualifies. After that five song combo I was expecting a down tune but instead was treated to “Destiny” for only my second time ever and this version far surpassed the 8/7/09 botch-fest. I have to admit when “Carini” was rocking out I was hoping for a segue into “Fuck Your Face” but alas I got “Free” instead, which was nice in its own right. Teri and Larisa started moving toward the front during “YEM” and were treated to an up close “Shine a Light,” which Teri had been hoping to hear since we left Eugene.

Telluride was a great place to see a show and I certainly hope Phish returns there, but the vibe was a little too “Colorado” for me. With the abundance of locals the snobby hippie level was a touch too high for my liking. I still had a great time though as the weather and resort were both top notch. I’m just not a fan of the entitled Colorado hippie.

Telluride 1

Our flight from Oakland to Telluride got us to the mountains and sunshine of Colorado in a little less than two hours. After moving on from how much warmer Telluride was than Berkeley we were whisked away to Capella in around 20 minutes. We were sitting on our deck for about 10 minutes or so when we saw the Phish tour buses role by our spot. This makes the second time Kenny has picked the exact place Phish is staying (Hampton being the other). The only real problem we encountered all day was a half an hour wait for the gondola from Mountain Village to Telluride proper, but other than that it was smooth sailing.

We got into the show around 6 and Teri was finally back to a more normal stress level since she had her bracelet on. The boys didn’t come on stage until about 7:25 but there was massive amounts of space for everyone, in fact I’d bet they could have fit 3-4 thousand more people on that field. Town Park is obviously very picturesque and for the record I saw THREE extra tickets within minutes of getting off the gondola. Now I don’t know what they were selling for, but make no mistake there were plenty of extra tickets to be had here.

As for the show it really got jump started with “Camel Walk” (my first since 4/16/04) and the ever expanding “Ocelot” continued the momentum until a splash down in my first “Light Up” since 12/30/99. Maybe the “Light Up” wasn’t on the same level as 7/1/10’s, but it was certainly no slouch either. The rest of the first set closed very strong with “Stash,” “Cavern,” “Wedge,” “Possum” and “Julius.” There really was no let up at all.

The second frame was an all out transition fest that started with a ripping “Sand.” From there it went “Number Line > Tweezer > Boogie On > Piper > Mist.” The real nastiness happened during the “Tweezer > Boogie On > Piper” section with “Piper” really taking the cake. From there “Bowie” was very solid and of course my first ever “Quinn” was the biggest treat of all. We started walking out during “Reprise” to avoid some of the gondola line and that worked out great.

I went to bed early and woke to oxygen therapy followed by a deep tissue massage. So needless to say I am ready to cut loose tonight.

Greek 3

Ok, so I was lazy in writing about the Greek, but I woke up at 11 the day after and we had a driver waiting on us at 11:30 to take us on a tour on San Francisco. I got up, ate, showered and was out the door at 11:40. Then when we got back it was time to pack, so forgive me.

Overall the third night of the Greek was better than the first, but not quite as strong as night two. The first set was a little short which led to a disjointed feel. Our fist “Foam” since Hampton was a big treat for us followed by our first electric “Sleep Again” and Page belting out “Army of One.” The meat of set number one came with “46 Days > Tube.” “46” got way out there until splashing down into short but rocking “Tube.”

The second stanza featured an absolutely sick “Light” that went in many directions before spacing out into “20 Years.” It was only my second “20” but this one did what I had been hoping even though it still packs a lot of undiscovered potential. “Theme” was sublime and “2001,” although short, was got the dance party started like only it can. I couldn’t think of a better encore than “Lizards” “First Tube” and in my book this encore lifted the show considerably in terms of overall ranking.

In the end the Greek was an outstanding place to see a show with plenty of room and no security to speak of. But really, I’m not so sure I’m that excited for Phish to return there. The waiting to get in all day long so they can open the doors an hour prior to start time is flat out asinine. There’s a reason no other venues imitate this practice. And the lack of port-a-johns, while not unique to the Greek, is also fairly ridiculous. Improve those two things and I might be ok with a return, but I still don’t prefer the Greek over Shoreline.

Greek 2

Sometimes venue policies dictate that you have to break the rules to enjoy yourself. It is in this spirit that I apologize to anyone I cut in front of in the line to get in or who saw me relieving myself on the path to the port-o-lets. I’m not proud of it, and I didn’t set out to do it, but c’mon, standing in line all day just to get in or a half hour wait to take a leak? I don’t think so.

On this night we were far Page side but closer down and really only had an obstructed view of the Chairman’s face. The day was not near as hot as Thursday which was good and bad since it got colder much quicker too.

“Chalkdust” is always a welcome opener and the boys did this one right but the first set did not take off for me until “It’s Ice.” From there are hell broke loose with the best “Cities” since 8/10/97. The funk was thick and the crowd was almost playing the band. “Moma” kept the groove going and “Gin” “Stealing Time” closed out a proper first set in style.

The second set was where the real business was done as the gauntlet was thrown down immediately with a 15 minute “Rock and Roll” that slid ever so nicely into “Ghost.” Rather than talk about how great each individual song was I’ll just say that the ONLY song that didn’t fully realize its potential was “Seven Below” which was totally chopped to start “Weekapaug.” The rest of this set rivals any other set of the 3.0 era. Seriously, download it now.

The third installment of the journey of the magic guitar awaits…

Greek 1

This story has to begin with our driver managing to get lost on the .7 mile drive from our condo on Panoramic Way to the Greek. What should have been a 15 minute walk turned into an hour long drive that showcased all of Berkeley’s cross town rush hour traffic not once, but twice. The moral to the story is to tell dispatch you are going to the HEARST Greek Theatre…or just walk.

Thankfully Brain, Angel, Sparky and Keezer managed to save us spots about mid-way up Page side; Just the absolute perfect viewpoint. As we sat in the hot sun waiting for the early start time I vacillated between giving thanks in my head for having the good fortune to be here and the sheer excitement of seeing my first show since Miami seven long months ago.

The show itself got off to a fine start with “Possum,” “Wolfman’s,” “Divided Sky” and “Funky Bitch” each keeping the flow going while building the momentum. The “Bitch” was especially explosive and “Kill Devil Falls” had a nice little sleeper of a jam. The rest of the first set kind of fizzled for me but it really didn’t matter as we had tons of space and the band was obviously having fun.

The crowd was so laid back and into it the boys could have literally played anything in the cool Berkeley night as long as it included a big jam. You could feel that the crowd was just waiting to explode and the near 16 minute “Disease” opener definitely delivered the goods on multiple levels. The “Free” that followed ratcheted up the intensity another level and had everyone shaking their asses with reckless abandon.

The next highlight was a scorching “Maze” but the real goods were delivered during the closing “Tweezer” “Fluffhead” combo. The place was in an absolute frenzy during both and even though it looked crowded I think that most people had enough room to get their groove on. Walking out of the show I was completely satisfied considering this was a tour opener. Judging by how their playing improved over the course of the night I’m really looking forward to tonight.

But for now, breakfast is ready. Until tomorrow…