The Front. Nectar’s. Hampton. MSG. Unquestionably a handful of the most storied venues in Phish’s long history, and not a coincidence that they all happen to be the most played venues in the band’s history. After this current two-night run, Alpine Valley Music Theater, in the rolling hills of East Troy, Wisconsin, jumps past Hunt’s and into the Top Five of Phish’s most played venues. Though, better watch out Alpine! Dick’s is quickly knocking on your door!

Lots of fans have a love/hate relationship with Alpine. And let’s be honest, many of them skew more towards the hate side of that equation. Yet, despite some of the drawbacks of the venue – heavy handed law enforcement, preposterously steep lawn, nightmarish traffic jams in and out – I for one love Alpine and every single trip I’ve made there.

As it is for Phish, it was a special venue for the Grateful Dead, too, and one of their most played venues as well. There is just something magical about Alpine. There’s character and history dripping from its distinctive wood roof with an elegance and charm simply not found in the cookie-cutter, tin & cement shit that defines the Live Nation era of outdoor sheds.
Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish From the Road

The massive amphitheater, one of the largest in the country, with pavilion seating nearing 8,000 (larger than some venues this summer tour) and overall capacity of 37,000 has now hosted Phish sixteen times. Its breathtaking views, unusually beautiful sunsets, sprawling lawn, and spectacular sound for a venue of this size keeps the crowds returning. I am excited and happy every year that Phish announces summer tour and Alpine is on the list and breathe a sigh of relief knowing that another great chapter will likely be written.

While it is impossible to highlight all the memorable jams, debuts and special moments from Alpine, a handful that come to mind since Phish’s debut almost exactly nineteen years ago on 8/10/96 include:

• Their second performance on 8/9/97 with an incendiary set-closing “Weekapaug Groove” that concluded the near set-long “Mike’s Groove” and showcased the magnificent hose of 1997.
• Debuts of Zeppelin’s scorching “Ramble On” as well as Jane’s Addiction’s “Been Caught Stealing” on one of the very first webcasts on 8/1/98
• The debut and single performance of the quirky track “Happy Whip and Dung Song” from the Siket Disk on 7/24/99. An overall outstanding show with liberal doses of extended jamming (in particular, check out the jam out of “Fluffhead”) and the massive bustout (324 shows) of “Alumni Blues” in the four-song encore.
• One of the very first “LivePhish” releases (Number 5) from 7/8/00.
• And from the last time they performed here on 7/1/12, a personal all-time favorite in the fantastic “Fee”.

Photo © @tweeprise

Alpine is for sale and many people think the future is tenuous and challenged by its newer, more modern, and more convenient cousin to the south in Northerly Island. I, for one, hope that Phish fits Alpine into the schedule every few years so more and more people will gleefully be able to say, “I saw Phish at Alpine!” Now that the first of the two-show weekend set has concluded – every Phish show here has always been on the weekend – what will they be saying about last night? Was it another show with Good Wood?

The show kicked off with a perfunctory take of “No Men In No Man’s Land” for the first time in the show opener slot and quickly into an energetic “Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan.” Up-tempo bluegrass tunes always seem to fit like a glove in summer shows and “Poor Heart” filled the role well. Another thing that works well is when “Julius” comes early in the first set. I’d much rather it give a good kick of energy early in a show, as it did here, than late in the second set or encore slot.

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish From the Road

Since 2009, “Frankie Says” only pops up about once a year (or not at all!) and was a great treat. And of course a tour debut. While lyrically interesting, “Frankie Says” is not a very demanding song musically, but great juxtaposed next to one of Phish’s more complex and demanding tunes in “Maze”. This spirited version was nailed pretty good and even featured a fun Mission: Impossible tease by Page.

Is this where the “Wood” really gets good?

After “Mercury” debuted at the second show in Bend, it has been one of the new songs that most fans have most been eager to hear again. They have sound checked it many times, extensively re-worked it during the Nashville soundcheck, and came to Alpine armed and ready to play. Focusing on the breakdown and jam part of the tune (at least in Nashville) seems to have paid dividends. At times light and airy, almost like a Jethro Tull song, “Mercury” also has the “Canterbury sound” of early Floyd with Marimba Lumina sprinkled in. Mercury’s day may indeed be longer than its year (depending how you define year) but it may have been longer than the attention span of much of the crowd at Alpine, too. In time, I’ll hazard a guess that that won’t be the case for most crowds. No fear, though, as the crowd was instantly brought back in by “Reba” and a hot set-closing “Possum” (Phish’s 500th performance) that featured especially bright and prominent keys by Page.

Photo © @tweeprise

“Down with Disease” has already spectacularly opened the second set in Tuscaloosa this summer. Would this set opener bring the same great results? Just after the ten-minute mark it seemed to be ready to really launch into some interesting space, with Fishman kicking out an interesting beat and an overall contemplative pace with just the right amount of Mu-Tron pedal by Trey. No sooner had “Disease” settled into its groove, it segued into “Halley’s Comet”. Extended jams coming out of “Halley’s#x201D; are a rarity these days. Given the placement here in the second set and the way Phish has been playing this tour, hopes were high and fans on the edge of their seats, like they were when “Mike’s Song” started in Nashville. Yet, while fun, the “Halley’s” didn’t deliver terribly much more than it does typically these days. It was a touch longer and did have a nice little jam that many likely heard a bit of Trey’s “Fare Thee Well” influence. It nicely devolved into “Twist” that had been portended a couple times earlier in the set. Again, like the “Halley’s”, “Twist” was enjoyable and a decent, “syrupy” jam but no real legs.

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish From the Road

In the power clean-up spot in the set, “Light” also had the potential to be the first candidate for a Phish.net Jam Chart addition from the show. The second half of second set has had such monsters this tour, and Trey seemed particularly spirited with his vocals so again, hopes were high. When it seemed as though “Light’s” light was dimming and heading into something different entirely, a nice curve-ball thrown and the elusive, loved and magical “What’s The Use?” enthralled the crowd. Another, Siket Disc tune for the annals of Alpine history and its second helping in “3.0”. This is really one of those songs that always buoys up the song that preceded it. One of the best things about “What’s The Use?” is the impossibility of when to predict it will be turn up. In this case, the first time following “Light” and as always “What’s The Use?” delivered its signature spacey, mind-fucking goodness (albeit a brief fucking).

In the homestretch, “Fuego” segued nicely out of “What’s the Use?” and offered up its normal fire, albeit again without any jamming. The anthematic “Backwards Down The Number Line” had the crowd singing along and the always sublime and enjoyable “Slave to the Traffic Light” closed the set. The double encore pair of “Meatstick” and a raucous “Character Zero” closed the show.

Will this be looked back and remembered as another legendary Alpine show? No, most certainly not, but “Saturday Night Special” shows have their place. Crowd pleasing numbers, rock-show theatrics and boisterous numbers with crowd sing-alongs and engagement pleases many fans. Phish summer 2015 has had some incredibly great moments. And while lots of tonight may not have elevated to the “incredible” level, the crowd was treated to a couple of rarities, a great take on the new “Mercury,” great mini-jams in both “Disease” and “Light” and the almost return of a jammed out “Halley’s.” I think it sets us up perfectly for a great Sunday night show, and another hopefully historic Alpine show. Enjoy the Wood.

Photo © @tweeprise

Phish Summer 2015 – Setlists & Recaps
07/21/15 Setlist – Recap – Bend 1
07/22/15 Setlist – Recap – Bend 2
07/24/15 Setlist – Recap, Recap2 – Shoreline
07/25/15 Setlist – Recap – LA Forum
07/28/15 Setlist – Recap – Austin
07/29/15 Setlist – Recap – Grand Prarie
07/31/15 Setlist – Recap – Atlanta 1
08/01/15 Setlist – Recap – Atlanta 2
08/02/15 Setlist – Recap – Tuscaloosa
08/04/15 Setlist – Recap – Nashville
08/05/15 Setlist – Recap – Kansas City
08/07/15 Setlist – Recap – Blossom
08/08/15 Setlist – Recap – Alpine 1
08/09/15 Setlist – Recap – Apline 2
08/11/15 Setlist – Recap – Mann 1
08/12/15 Setlist – Recap – Mann 2
08/14/15 Setlist – Recap – Raleigh
08/15/15 Setlist – Recap – Merriweather 1
08/16/15 Setlist – Recap – Merriweather 2
08/21/15 Setlist – Recap – Magnaball 1
08/22/15 Setlist – Recap – Magnaball 2
08/23/15 Setlist – Recap – Magnaball 3
09/04/15 Setlist – Recap – Dick's 1
09/05/15 Setlist – Recap – Dick's 2
09/06/15 Setlist – Recap – Dick's 3

Alpine Valley posters by Brad Klausen.

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