Preamble

When, in the course of human events, your favorite band plays a show that is just stupid-good—and historically important, in the context of an already rich and well-documented history—and, by chance, you have volunteered in advance to write a recap of that show for Phish.net…well, sometimes the best thing you can do is just shut up about it.

But, let's face it, that's not really my thing.

We deliberately call these items “recaps” rather than “reviews” because they are envisioned as timely, just-the-facts accounts of the show, with some amount of on-the-fly analysis mixed in. By design, they violate the “72 hour rule,” invoked by some fans (once upon a time) as a necessary buffer period to digest a show and let its immediate afterglow wear off before issuing any declarations about its greatness.

Yet, how does a just-the-facts summary of Sunday night’s show at Merriweather Post Pavilion, skipping chronologically through the setlist with nods for a tight “The Curtain With” here and a sarcastic comment about “I Saw It Again” there, capture the spirit of what happened? The absurdity of such an approach can be glimpsed in our (reasonable and accurate) setlist: “The third Tweezer included Page teasing Manteca.”

The third Tweezer, mind you.

Would invocations of the Tweezerfests from 1994 add historical context that enriches our appreciation of 7/27/14? Well, yeah, sure. But in the immediate aftermath, all I want to do it listen to it again. Or re-read the live-scroll of my group of JadedVet friends and .net colleagues, some at the show but most (like me) listening or watching from home, reacting in real time to the insanity and flipping out.

Yet I know part of the experience of savoring and enjoying a show, for people like us that come online to read and talk about this band, is indeed to read and talk about it.

But first, let’s take another moment to let it settle in—a show that goes beyond the level of "great" and gets short-listed when people talk about why they like Phish in the first place. And consider this prelude a sort of Havdalah service at the end of Shabbat, formally separating the sacred (if you will) music from the profane discussion of it. (Not to get all William-Blake-of-recaps on you.)

Take a breath. Let the afterglow solidify into a patina of glazed satisfaction.

I’ve been waiting ten years to say this: Phish is back.

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The End of Phish History

In his 1992 book The End Of History and the Last Man, political theorist Francis Fukuyama argued that after the Cold War, Western-style capitalism and democracy had finally emerged as the final stage of political-cultural evolution, signaling the end of the churning series of cultural systems and political ideologies that had been conflicting and clanging against each other since the dawn of human civilization. (I’m no expert, but that’s more or less the gist.)

Since they returned from the Breakup, I had come to feel a similar way about Phish. The initial excitement that accompanied the Return turned, sometime in 2009, into a smile frozen on my face as I nervously looked around the room and waited for things to really get going. That summer of 2009, recall, there was lots of talk about waiting for “3.1” to emerge—the idea was that Phish was still finding its way back, and on some night soon there’d be a moment where they would finally break through again, and return grandly to the improvisational interplay and all-around chutzpah they enjoyed before exiting Coventry in four separate tour busses.

(For all that was troubled in the 2.0 era, Phish returned from the 2000-2002 hiatus at the very top of its improvisational game, and even through the emotionally turbulent August 2004 shows was churning out peak jams, from the SPAC “Piper” of 6/19/04 to the less-remembered but similarly incredibly “Birds of A Feather” from 8/10/04. That’s what made the hastily-announced breakup seem so cruel and bizarre, before it emerged that personal problems—and not the non-existent creative problems cited in Trey’s infamous “we’re done” letter—were the actual cause of the split. And once Trey was frank about that, how could any of us complain that he did what he needed to do to get healthy? But it took years for that to become clear.)

For me and lots of like-minded fans, the sense of linear progress that had marked Phish’s evolution forever (at least through Big Cypress—a feeling Fishman later summed up as “rolling a boulder up a hill”—and then again from the end of the Hiatus through to the ashes of Vegas ’04) was over. In 3.0, it was all a sort of equivalent mush—occasionally there’d be a “Seven BeGhost” or a Pine Knob “Disease,” but shows would always level off again into a place of improvisational hesitancy and ripcords. Phish didn’t seem to be building toward anything anymore. There was not the sense that IT was happening, or that IT could happen at any moment. We were Glad They Were Back™ and went for the experience, to see our friends converge within the show-going ritual, and perhaps to get lucky and catch an “Icculus” or a highlight jam. But the sense that each tour was building upon the previous one to sketch out an ever-dynamic history was sadly missing, for many of us.

Meanwhile, there’s been a weird bifurcation in Phish-appreciation out in the fan community. While the above description is more or less a mainstream summary of what many long-time fans consider to be the “true” story of 3.0, there are many readers who right now are wondering what the fuck I’m talking about.

It’s completely natural that, after a 4-plus years break, a whole new generation of fans has been in its first flush of newbie star-gazing, where everything sounds great and the band can do no wrong. But, although Phish’s biggest fans have been gathering online to parse the band’s musical development and apply the very high standards Phish had earned for itself—all from a place of great dedication to and love for the music—since the early 1990’s, a culture emerged during 3.0 where this was suddenly sacrilegious.

Even though these are the very fans who traded tapes by mail and created the internet network that facilitated Phish’s remarkable, grassroots growth, newcomers had burst into the room and boorishly insisted that “real” fans would never presume to analyze a Phish show objectively, comparing and contrasting what happened last night with what they’d done before.

No, the new orthodoxy was to enforce this End of Phish History at the point of a rhetorical sword: We should all just be glad they’re back, dude. Stop going to shows if you’re going to complain. It’s all good. If you insist on seeing lows that color and give heft to the highs, rather than a flat landscape of identical brilliance, then you just don’t get it. Mini-cults emerged online around newly vocal fans who suddenly emerged and delivered what plenty of new fans wanted to hear: validation that they were present for the glory days of Phish. All evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

What this rigid line of thought failed to understand was that we were never trying to deny that anyone had had a good time at the show, or that their experience was meaningful and special and worthwhile and Phishy. Or that Phish remained a special band in the musical universe and that we felt lucky to, yes, Still Be Seeing Them At All. All those things remained true. We were just hearing the music in context. Like we’d always done.

And surely, we missed some things that newer, fresher fans could pick up and rightfully enjoy. And in a way, that was our own fault. But JadedVet bitching is really, at bottom, a form of gallows humor. There was never a moment when any of us wouldn’t have rather declared that All Is Well, again. So in the end, who is to say which is the privileged position? Many would surely trade their enhanced appreciation of an atypical "Tweezer" for the jump-up-and-down-joy at your first "Golgi."

While I've been using the royal-jaded "we," this is a good place to note that this recap is expressing my own personal views. It hasn't been approved by any Politburo. Your mileage may vary, or overlap.

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(Digression: Me and Richard Nixon

So who am I, by the way? After seeing my peers get into Phish for several years, I finally discovered the band in 1995 and became instantly obsessed. I spent many hours on the old rec.music.phish. I read every single one of Charlie Dirksen's Tweezerfiles and reviews of Mike's Groove. I contributed lots of content to The Phish Companion and have been on the board of The Mockingbird Foundation since 2000. I've made my evolving relationship with Phish a public thing.

I got jaded, became born again, had a peak life experience at Big Cypress, rode out the Hiatus, was there for the first Return, witnessed the band at a high point in its history at IT, mourned the Breakup, and more or less moved on.

During 3.0 I've been revaluating my relationship to the music and the scene, prompted most, I argue, by what was happening onstage. And though I was very enthusiastic about fall 2013, I was profoundly disillusioned by the "Wingsuit" set at Halloween, and entered probably my lowest point as a Phish fan. I made some very bitter dismissals of that set. I skipped the New Year's Run. I just needed distance. My rage stick seemed broken.

Richard Nixon earned his political stripes and public credibility as an anti-Communist crusader. So it was against type when he ventured to China and started the process of normalizing relations between the U.S. and that country. Thus the expression: only Nixon could go to China.

Although I've come over the years to r.m.p, or the Phish.net blog, or another print or online venue, to declare renewed excitement about what Phish was doing at the time, each time I've found my own way there. Each time it's been an organic process and a pleasant surprise for me. Now I rarely take to the "airwaves" to spout off about Phish. I leave that to people who are more into it, and more qualified to talk about the latest developments. And frankly, I find my long digital trail of pronouncements more than mildly embarassing, as I'm not sure if my current aesthetic (and professional skills/instincts) can really stand behind all of those passionate prouncements from years gone by.

So when I declare my excitement today about what Phish is doing now, it's no knee-jerk thing. It's no play to the masses. But if 3.0 has become a Chinese buffet of renewed artistic relevance, I am shoving my face right into the General Gao's chicken.)

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Umm, yeah, no.

Something funny happened on the way toward Phish’s sad post-history as a nostalgia act. It took more than three years, but Phish got its swagger back. After experimenting with bust-outs and mash-ups to gin up fan enthusiasm in the absence of boundary-breaking improvisational fireworks (or new material) in the previous years, summer 2012 offered more than a tease that things were changing. Then, the Dick’s 2012 shows happened—particularly the first night. In its mold-breaking series of surprising improvisations, spread through an entire show (including the first set), including songs like “Runaway Jim” that seemed like they may never jam again—it felt, in many ways, like the first Phish show since 2004.

Then summer 2013 gave its richest gift, the Tahoe “Tweezer,” a jam that for once could be described with all sorts of superlatives without the caveat “for 3.0.” It reached peaks that were higher than a kitty riding a giraffe. And fall tour was a nightly march toward renewed relevance. The great jams were no longer red herrings. They built upon each other, creating a new level of achievement and creating the sense that there was still a future left to invent.

So, then, summer 2014. The present tour. The one-step-up, two-steps-back phenomenon that characterized 2009-2011 could finally be seen to be over. It’s not just that the jams are better and more frequent, which they are. But that 3.0 tentativeness is gone. There are certainly some inner formulas the band continues to work with, but for the first time in a long time there’s the sense that something like “The Wedge” might suddenly emerge as a major jam, that a piece of improvisation will grow and change direction (even after the first little lull where a few years ago Trey would abruptly jump into “Julius”), that a second set will keep fighting and gain momentum even after the first “cooldown” song or two suggests that things might be winding down for the night. There’s the sense that each night onstage is another chapter in an evolving history. That the music will boldly venture to bed, bath and beyond.

By this point, it’s already been two years of the good stuff—this transcends the level of “exciting promise” and amounts to its own successful mini-era in and of itself. There’s no fear of the rug being pulled out, because the foundation is already there, at a higher level. The sense of the term “3.0” as not only a chronological marker but a rough stylistic grouping is over. This is not your older sister’s 3.0. It’s a new time.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

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Get Back On The Tweezerfest

One emerging trend of the summer tour has been the band’s newfound proclivity for the lost art of segues. Some shows have been held up by obvious, standout jams—the SPAC “Fuego,” the Randall’s “Chalkdust,” etc—others have dipped in and out of exciting jams while nimbly transitioning from song to song. This seemed to have reached its peak with Saturday night’s show, with fare like an out-of-nowhere, Page-led artisanal segue from “Light” into “2001” that provided its own thrill in place of an extended “Light” jam. It’s not a ripcord when it’s an inspired, full-band transition.

So, then comes Sunday night’s show. It’s always good when the boys take the stage looking to disprove the theories of Francis Fukuyama.

Several people have already shouted in my ear that Sunday’s first set is the best first set of the tour. Personally I’m a Big Jam Hunter, so I’d rather get one Randall’s “Gin,” or even the SPAC “Reba” + “SOAM”. But many insist that the first set of 7/27/14 was deep and consistently pleasing in a way that first sets rarely are these days. Though there are no jams of note, as is customary these days, I agree there’s little better summer entertainment than a nice, pre-dusk “The Curtain With.” And a first-set “Sand” is not just a “Sand.” (Is anything?) The set also saw the best two tracks from “Fuego”—the title track, stashed considerately in the first set so as not to arouse false hopes of another Type II breakthrough version, and Mike’s lovely “555.” (Given that Mike introduced Americana to the Phish sound, it’s interesting that his latest output sounds almost like he’s never even heard the work of Mumford and Sons.)

All-around, the first set left people feeling very upbeat about the show. But we know that shows are won and lost in the second set. And after a snappy “Wilson” opener, it was only the third quarter but Phish sensed that it was already winning time.

Some interesting Fishman rhythms in the very infancy of the “Tweezer” jam gave way to what appeared to be a tease of “Get Back On The Train.” But Trey jumped on board right away, guiding a full transition into the song. Fess up, some were grumbling at how the “Tweezer” jam was aborted so quickly. But no, they rode the train for only a verse before zooming back into “Tweezer.” Yes!

The jam that leaves one song, goes to another, and returns to the original song is a particularly prized thing among Phish fandom. It’s special—though fairly frequent in some periods (like Summer 1993), it isn’t even an annual occurrence now. But not only seguing into and out of, but lacing an entire set with Tweezer is the sort of thing that’s referred to in tones of hushed reverence among Phish fans. That’s what they used to do, in 1994, when the magnificence of Phish’s capacity for deep improvisation and inspired, thematic jamming was emerging in full flower. It’s the basis of legendary shows like the Bomb Factory and Big Birch. It’s hardcore, old school, highly accomplished Phish straight to the dome. It’s what happened last night at Merrimeather.

There’s no need for me to narrate the twists and turns of last night’s second set here. And you’re not here to have that briskly outlined, are you? You’re here to share in the sense that something really special happened. And engage in some verbal high-fiving and patriotic fist-bumping. Me too. (In fact, that's have a quick round of 'em. OK.)

Yes, there was some good jamming in the actual “Tweezer,” particularly before the segue into “Waiting All Night” seemed (falsely) to indicate the end of it. But to me, the most important thing about last night is that even in the midst of “Free,” a song that many fans have long dismissed as a source of anything new and interesting, I for one was still perfectly upbeat as I waited to hear what would happen next in this engaging set. Did I think they’d go back into “Tweezer”? No. But when they did, briefly, and then segued right into “Simple,” it felt perfectly natural. It was mold-busting and original and thrilling and simultaneously not at all out of character. It was what Phish does now. Again.

And when “NICU”—a song that to my knowledge had only jammed out once before, in the legendary 12/14/95 show that also featured a multi-headed “Tweezer”—exploded out of nowhere into the highlight jam of the night, it was surely cause to jump up and down and “woo!” at the moon. But it wasn’t a shock. It was Phish, circa summer 2014. Think about it.

So when Fishman took center stage for a “Henrietta” song for the first time since 7/6/12, and launched (apparently spontaneously) into a hilariously mocking rendition of perhaps Phish’s most-mocked (and rarely seen) original, “Jennifer Dances,” it was organically generated humor that sprung from the band/audience relationship. It wasn’t forced. It was loose and optimistic and confident and swinging.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

We’ll spend plenty of time figuring out where to rank 7/27/14, and how to measure its spontaneity and incredible flow versus the more heavy-duty jams found in some other recent places. There’s time for that. We’ll also talk about how a show like last night ranks as great by any Phish standard, including the days of 1994 when Tweezerfests were the hot new item.

But for now, I think it’s enough to exult in the fact that such great stuff is happening on a near-nightly basis. To realize that Fall 2013 and now Summer 2014 are great full-tours, not only “for 3.0” but for Phish. It’s enough just to feel like anything might happen on a given night. Most of all, it’s enough to know that Phish is making its own history. Again.

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This week, Phish.net will host several events in conjunction with, and as part of, PHL360: Philosophy and the Arts at Oregon State University. The course is taught by Assistant Professor of Philosophy and "huge Phish fan" Dr. Stephanie Jenkins, who has nicknamed the course "Philosophy School of Phish." (See promo video and syllabus.)

Through midnight tonight, enrolled students will be submitting questions to be answered in a Wednesday morning blog post by Ellis Godard (aka "Ellis of Lemuria") - an Associate Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Mockingbird Foundation, who has been involved with Phish.net since 1991 (and who earned a minor in Philosophy, though perhaps too long ago to be helpful.)

Throughout the day on Wednesday, Drs. Godard and Jenkins will lead discussions about these and other questions in a forum thread (possibly two; they'll be sticky'd at the top). We welcome the involvement of enrolled students in what we hope they will find to be a vibrant and inviting community. And we hope our forum regulars are ready to step up their rhetorical game and hone their linguistic chops for some serious scholarship about the band, their music, and we fans.

Finally, on Wednesday evening, Dr. Godard will host a Google Hangout session for student, to wrap-up discussion, answer additional questions, and reflect on Phish.net and students' experiences here.

The class' topic for the week is "Community". Readings include two chapters of Jeanette Bicknell's Why Music Moves Us, as well as "The Everyday Miracle of the Occasional Community" by John Drabinski, part of Steve Gimbel's The Grateful Dead and Philosophy: Getting High Minded about Love and Haight. Bicknell's book ships from the UK and will take weeks, but Drabinki's chapter is online.

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Merriweather Post Pavillion may not be a shed that is much loved by most fans – particularly those relegated to the lawn – but it has been the site of some fantastic Phish shows. Their first headlining show here on 8/8/98 contained two beloved cover debuts, "Sweet Jane" and “Sabotage,” along with a fantastic “Piper.” An epic spacey dark “Mango” on 9/17/00. A great "Rock and Roll” and "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” bustout on 6/26/10 and the “Saw It Again” fest the next night. 7/14/13 featured one of the best first set jams of 3.0 in “Stash.” This great venue history with the growing legend of the summer 2014 tour made anticipation for the MPP run high. Let’s get this show on the road!

The show started at a very early 7:35p with “Sample," which in my mind is a much better first set opener than a second set closer. When I find myself getting jaded with this song I try to remember how I felt hearing it after I had skipped school to buy Hoist, and I get excited all over again. Maybe Phish's finest pop song?

Couch tour setbreak jokey-joke from LivePhish.

Unfortunately it is hard for me to give latter-day “Momas" the same benefit of the doubt, because as we all know they could be so much more. This "Moma" did have a slightly different and cool breakdown from Trey and Mike during the frothy cap/steady slap portion, with Fishman playing around a bit with his vocal rhythm as well.

A short discussion and a bit of help from Trey's guitar tech Brian Brown followed, then in keeping with its crepuscular nature, “Wombat" crawled out of its burrow. I can't have been alone in hoping this would be at least half as good as the 7/18/14 Chicago version. The short but funky jam was not on that level, but featured some fantastic clav playing by Page, sweet pornofunk licks from Trey and awesome Claypool-style bass slapping by Mike.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

"Number Line" was up next, surely in honor of Chris Kuroda's birthday which was on Friday. I'll never get tired of hearing "Roggae," the way the whole band gets a line of the lyrics in the first verse will always put a smile on my face. The plaintive guitar solo at the beginning of the jam is some of the most emotional stuff Trey does on his guitar. I'm not a huge Dead fan, but it gives me a vibe of Jerry at his best. This particular jam was no exception, one of those where my heart was just reaching out to the band hoping it would continue forever. Beautiful stuff, and well worth a listen.

"The Wedge" was another song in the "we played it better in a second set in Chicago" slot. Always hard hearing the next version after the best version ever, wondering what could have been, but this stands as a good first set version, with a smidgen of extra mustard.

One thing I love about couch tour is the up close views you get of the band members playing their instruments. It's just fascinating to watch Page and Fishman in particular at work – and their work in both the composed section and jam of “Wolfman's" was great to see and to hear. Some great syncopated jamming in this tune, with all the band members taking turns on and behind the beat, which then slid into a ripping solo by Trey to bring it back home. "Wolfman's" has been a 3.0 first set all star and nothing here would make anyone say otherwise.

I don't know what changed their mind, but the band decided to play the first "Nellie Kane" of 2014 next. Seemed a bit rusty, but played with love. Maybe for some people seeing page do his "Lawn Boy" schtick gets old, but not for me. I laugh every time. I'm not sick of "The Line" yet but this summer is testing me for sure. I kid - I kid because I love. I want them to write more topical songs about years-old athletic failure, don't you? Scott Norwood is still out there, waiting for a jam band tribute. Don't let Umphrey's beat you to the punch, Trey.

I can't be the only JadedVet™ who want all you wooks to stop clapping during “Stash" so Fishman's woodblocks can come back, can I? I am? I'm a horrible misanthrope who hates a genuine and cool interaction between the band and the fans? Come on, I was cool with the "woos" in the Tahoe “Tweezer," I'm not all bad, ok? The “Stash" jam was a bit noodly for my taste, but Kuroda's work on the lights was spot on – I do love the backdrops. Trey also leaned hard on the whale whammy during the final riffs - he should probably "stash" that effect back on the tour bus.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

Thankfully they came back to close the set with a rocking “Suzy," with some fun work by Page on the talk box, and cool riffs that some people (not me!) will call "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and "Living After Midnight" teases. A group bow and a Trey balloon punt segued into a hilarious set break slide show concerning the name of the venue (the source for the title of this post). The highlights of the first set for me were “Wombat," “Roggae" and “Wolfman's," with “Roggae" being the belle of the ball. But I should point out here that one awesome thing about Phish is that you can like something I didn't and hate something I liked!

Little vocal mixup at the beginning of “Carini" to start set II, but more than made up for by a bloodcurdling scream from Fishman after the "people all were screaming" line. Following the composed portion of the tune, the band immediately launched into a driving jam dominated by some trilling by Trey and then modulated into a more melodic portion. Very cool finish that seemed to threaten to segue into “Twist" before changing key and dropping into “Ghost." The increased segues this summer have to be a conscious decision, right? I'm not saying they all seem forced but it definitely seems like the band is looking for opportunities to segue where in the past they may have let a jam peter out. The “Ghost" jam had a brief chill interlude before coming back with a riff driven classic rock style groove, with Trey using a watery effect and CK5 matching it on the backdrops. The jam then built back up triumphantly on the back of some fantastic playing by Trey and great Hammond work by Page before breaking down again with some great guitar delay loop work over a bed of a steady but ever evolving beat from Fishman.

A slightly herky-jerky end of the fantastic “Ghost" jam lead into my favorite tribute to House Stark, “Steam." Do you all wish “Steam" had been on Fuego as much as I do? I would have loved to hear what Bob Ezrin could have come up with on the production end. They amount of fog Kuroda pumps out in this song is so fun to watch, especially in some of the close ups – Trey and Mike must hit pedals based on muscle memory. "Steam" featured a great Mike solo utilizing the envelope filter in this one that sent the crowd into a frenzy – I could have listened to him solo forever, but Trey had other ideas, kinda forcing the opening riff of “Mango," the tune that spawned a million high school yearbook quotes in the 1990s (well, that and “Cavern"). A ripe “Mango," it finished with some haunting sustain from Trey as the band discussed their next move: "Sing Monica." I am an absolute sucker for puns, so I love the lyrics in this tune, and Trey clearly has an absolute blast playing it. Surely if they had written this in the 90s when Friends was still on it would have been their biggest hit, right?

It's at this point in a show where I start to worry that they are just going to play out the string with a bunch of non-jamming tunes and encore with “Julius," but thankfully we were shown the “Light”. "Light" starts way better from a dead stop – often when coming out of another song the opening chords are really jarring and almost dissonant. The part where Kuroda makes the lights grow brighter as "the light is growing brighter now" is so on the nose it should be cheesy and annoy me, but damn if I don't love it every single time. And not just that part – Kuroda really used this song and jam as a showcase. Some nearly “Manteca"-like playing by Page during the jam while Trey played with some echo effects that were reminiscent of some fall '13 jams. Page was phenomenal in this jam, with Trey providing fills and texture, almost Animals-era Floyd-like, and a smooth as silk (and rare!) Page-led segue into “2001." But it was to be a very short “2001" that ended with some layered loops from Trey and jumped into "Harry Hood."

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

Can we all agree to stop yelling "Hood"? Thanks. Fun pre-lyric section, with Trey laying down some funk before stomping on a bunch of his pedals. Mike starts off the jam unconventionally, repeating notes and building the tension before dropping into the typical bass progression. Trey played an inspired solo, hitting upon a theme and evolving it note by note as the song climbed toward its peak, and then breaking it down a bit, and finding a different theme. While not as exploratory as the Great Woods “Hood" that opened the tour, this was an excellent version that brought the fire and closed the set to an ecstatic crowd.

You know what would be awesome? If we all could all love “Julius" encores and that they make us dance like crazy and send us to our cars in a bouncy fun mood and all we would talk about driving home was how awesome the “Julius" encore was. Oh “Julius," we could have had such a good time together. Isn't it pretty to think so?

Highlights of the second set for me were “Ghost," “Light” -> ”2001" and “Hood," but it certainly had a fun flow that should be listened to straight through at least once (and maybe many times if you roll that way). Overall, a great show (definitely no Saturday Night Special here) that slots in nicely with what is becoming a theme this summer: segue-filled sets with riff-based jams that have a very classic rock feel. I for one am loving the return to sets as a meaningful unit of measure and a fully enjoyable group of songs to listen to, and I hope the trend continues. Can't wait to see what the rest of tour (and 2014) brings!

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Hey kids, hope you enjoyed the time off since Sunday in Chicago. Last night led us back to the “Queen City” of the south. Phish has played in Charlotte fifteen times, with the recently renamed PNC Music Pavilion host to five previous Phish gigs. This shed boasts a solid track record, yielding surprise bust-outs such as “Colonel Forbin's” > “Mockingbird" and “Icculus” from 6/7/11, the glorious “Harry Hood” from 7/25/03, and the nearly 30-minute “2001” on 7/7/99. The last time Phish played here Trey made a comment that “there’s just something about playing this venue." So although as a fan I try to keep expectations in check, there are certain venues where you expect great things, and Charlotte is one of them.

Photo by Mike Gordon – © Phish

Late in July in the south, the heat and humidity yield swamp-ass just by stepping outside. Today proved different as the temperature was in the mid 80’s with tolerable relative humidity, and cloud cover to keep the sun from frying you.

As in 2011 when Phish played Charlotte, the band again opened with “Mike’s Song." The energy in the room was high as all four band members looked and sounded like they were ready to take care of business. “Mike’s Song” still did not contain the second jam, but was well executed and led into a solid “Back on the Train." The sandwich ended there as a super solid version of “Weekapaug” followed.

Setlist pictograms by Joseeen (available at Etsy)

One of my favorite songs from Fuego followed, “Wingsuit." The lyrics to this song ring true to my soul, “it’s only you, be you cause you’re the only one." Although tonight’s wasn’t as powerful as some of the previous versions in it’s short history it was certainly played with soul. A standard great version of “Possum” spurred the crowd to begin dancing in rhythm. As the opening notes of “Tube” began I involuntarily looked at the time to see how long this version would go. The funk was deep as all four members were locked in and everyone in the audience was shaking their asses. Although this “Tube” only clocks in at 5:17, it’s quite stupendous, and if you are a “Tube” fan that has been wanting for a little more, I recommend a listen.

As the beginning notes of “My Friend, My Friend” started, I looked around the venue and smiled as this first set was feeling more like a second set. When the hysterical cackles of “My Friend, My Friend” came, I wondered what would follow. Another Fuego tune was next, “Winterqueen,” a song that has evolved rapidly and produces a melodic interplay between all four members. I will admit I was not a fan of this song when it debuted in Atlantic City but it was really a highlight of the set.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

Making it’s 2014 debut after a 42-show absence, Page’s beautiful ballad “Beauty of a Broken Heart” followed. As Fishman began to play the opening notes of “David Bowie," my heart raced with excitement. What a great first set to see. “Bowie” has been particularly strong in the 3.0 era, and this version included a “Beauty of a Broken Heart” tease by Trey. While this version may not stand out in a ranking exercise, it was still a great “Bowie." Everyone in the venue was enjoying watching Chris Kuroda’s favorite song to light up as the band raged the song that most of the audience thought was the strong set closer. Happy birthday, Chris! Phish was not done with us yet, as the first “Golgi Apparatus” of 2014 started. Unfortunately, it was evident that it was the first one in 2014, but still was a lot of fun and you could feel synergy with the band the audience.

Setbreak, whew. That set definitely had major flow, energy and engaged playing by all four members. Being a girl at a Phish show is sometimes the best thing ever, like when you go at setbreak to use the restroom and get a drink all within eight minutes. Efficiency, it rules, giving more time to see friends scattered about the venue.

Image by Mike Hamad of Setlist Schematics

The second set began with “555." Would my dream of seeing this go type II happen? Not tonight, but it is still such an enjoyable song to see live, it just needs more room to fulfill its potential. The opening notes of my most seen song (60 times, 31%), “Chalk Dust Torture” followed. There have been some exquisite versions of “CDT” recently – Mann2 and the Randall’s monster – and this version shines with Page leading the jam, complete with a spice of “woo” and was left unfinished as they kept it rolling.

True to their word – and in my opinion quite the gift – every city gets their own “Fuego!” This “Fuego” didn’t have the punch that other versions have seen this tour. “Fuego” has incredible potential to become a piece you listen to and completely forget what song you’re hearing. “Fuego” -> ”Twist” was a beautiful segue and I heard the “Twist” coming a mile away. “Twist” was jammed short but honey sweet and certainly one could hope it would have lasted longer.

The “Twist”-> “Circus” may not have been what you were looking for but the segue is seamless. I personally love this song and associate the lyrics with the whole Phish experience. When the notes of “Piper” began, there was quite a bit of excitement in the crowd. This “Piper” was over way too quickly – bring back the slow build, please! – with Trey initiating another segue into “Rift" despite Fish’s best efforts to roll with the “Piper” jam.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

Another new album number followed, “Waiting All Night,” which is catchy as hell, “just Sail On, Sail On." When the opening notes of “Reba” began, I had chills. Although a little rough in some of the composed parts, it was a beautiful “Reba." After the “Reba” I hoped we would get a “Hood” or “Slave," instead, we got “Character Zero’d." While not a favorite, you have to give it its due as a raging song. The encore was another 2014 debut, the cover “Loving Cup” which is well, always a beautiful buzz.

In summary, a good show with great segues and succinct improvisation, an excellent first set and a good second set which had high crowd energy despite interesting song choices in the flow.

Have a great time in Merriweather, guys! Remember always dance if you can, be kind to each other, and help someone if you can. And smile, dammit, you’re at a Phish show!

Setlist pictograms by Joseeen (available at Etsy)

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Center your soul and align your breathing with Surrender to the Flow Phish Yoga this Sunday, July 27th, before the second MPP show that evening. Sign up at www.surrendertotheflowyoga.org/register, then join Michael Levin and Kerry Contini at the Columbia Yoga Center from 2-3:30. Registration is only $20, and all proceeds benefit the Mockingbird Foundation and Street Yoga.

And in case you can't catch this one, check Surrender to the Flow's schedule for other upcoming events, including 8/31 with Tracy Stonaker and Brooke.

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There’s a reason Phish’s Summer trek only takes the band as far west as Commerce City, CO (where Phish will wrap things up with a trio of Labor Day weekend shows). The band will kick off a 12-date Fall tour that will take them to seven cities in the west beginning October 17 with its first-ever show at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, OR. Phish will play two consecutive nights at Santa Barbara Bowl (October 21 & 22), a venue Phish first played as openers for Santana in 1992, and its first show at Los Angeles’ Forum since Valentine’s Day 2003. The tour will conclude with Phish’s first shows at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The three-night stand begins on Halloween night.

An online ticket request period for the Fall Tour is currently underway at http://tickets.phish.com/ and will end Sunday, August 3 at midnight ET. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning August 7. For complete ticketing details, please visit phish.com/tours.

PHISH 2014 FALL TOUR

10/17 Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, OR
10/18 Key Arena, Seattle, WA
10/21 Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA
10/22 Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA
10/24 The Forum, Los Angeles, CA
10/25 Sleep Train Amphitheatre, San Diego, CA
10/27 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
10/28 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
10/29 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
10/31 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV
11/01 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV
11/02 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV

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Welcome to Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, episode 180. The winner will receive an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery jam clip. Each person gets one guess per day, with the second “day” starting after I post the hint. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. Now, bust out those Q-tips, open those ears wide, and get to work...

Hint (Posted 2014-07-22 11:06 am): To date, this is one of only two times that Phish has ever played this song.

Answer: This week's clip is taken from the 9/25/00 Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me & My Monkey, which was Phish's first -- and as of today, only -- post-White Album performance of the tune. Within less than 20 minutes of the hint being posted, @mcgrupp81 is now one win shy of becoming the fourth person to achieve emeritus status. After how quickly the past two hint-aided MJMs have been solved, could a move back to the hugely popular, absolutely indecipherable clues be in the cards? You'll have to check back here on Monday for MJM #181 to find out!

[This recap was a collaborative effort by some of the Mockingbird Foundation / phish.net staff, a.k.a. The Lawyers in Soccer Jerseys: @drewphish, @chrisbertolet, @cglush, @beverage_cart, @bestedog, @lumpblockclod and @pzerbo]

Phish is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get. The first two days of the weekend run at Chicago’s Northerly Island contained the usual assortment of hits and misses, peaks and valleys. Sometimes you could tell from the shape of the chocolates what you were likely to get, and that they would melt in your mouth – Friday’s “Reba,” “Golden Age” and “Piper,” or Saturday’s “Light” and “Hood.” Then there were the totally unexpected surprises – that funky pink chocolate that nobody knows what it is supposed to be, but turns out amazing, i.e. Friday’s out-of-nowhere type-II “Wombat.” We’re told to “never miss a Sunday show,” so let’s get to the action from the field.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

“Gumbo” kicked off the festivities, the first “Gumbo” show opener since the only other instance on 11/28/98 Worcester. Trey took to the echoplex during Page’s solo, offering a more interesting "Gumbo" than usual. “Runaway Jim” was next, a solid version; you have to love in “Jim” pre-jam when Fishman is so good at laying off the cymbals to create space.

The first “Tela” since 7/31/13 Tahoe (39 shows) was next, though it seems like much longer for those who attended that Tahoe gig, as during that performance we were all re-assembling our brains after they had been pulverized by the Tahoe “Tweezer” that preceded it. Apparently the Randall's Island crew gets their wish a week later, as the chants that sounded like “Reba” were actually for “Tela.” Phish, a band that plays requests… as long as it is a song they want to play, when they want to play it.

Photo © Phish

A short soap box; skip a few paragraphs to return to the music. For those trying to enjoy the show at home, “Tela” also suffered the first of many drop-outs where the LivePhish stream crapped out. Let’s face it: LivePhish and their partner, nugs.net, are out of their element; they do not possess the core competencies in the tasks to which they’ve been assigned. Drop-outs during Phish webcasts are now routine, it’s part of the package… for Phish. Yet, other bands have figured this out, other service providers offer state-of-the-art quality.

Why is this? When it comes to technology of providing live and recorded music to fans online, Phish used to lead; now, they follow, and from way behind. At some point it becomes impossible to understand how such incompetence goes unaddressed. On Saturday the big dropout came at the high point of the show, the fantastic “Hood” jam. Sure, we can replay it later, but the core value add is the immediacy of the moment. Nugs was great at the internet... in the late 90s. It’s 2014. Further, the communication about the issues has been poor, at best, and cluelessly aloof and dismissive at worst. Let’s not even get started about the LivePhish app, last updated in 2010. 2010! It is like the bad boyfriend / crazy girlfriend that you know is going to go bad in the end, but you just can’t quit them. They know we love The Phish, they know we’re going to keep coming back and buying their products; our demand is de facto inelastic.

We have a great thing going here: the fans love Phish, and Phish loves their fans. So why not address this lingering point of friction so we can get back to the love-making? The offering isn’t cheap – it wasn’t that long ago when $20 was the price of a ticket to the actual show. So, what do we need to do to make this a priority in the Phish org? It sure would be nice to put these issues behind us. We humbly request more attention to these matters by those in charge.

Photo by Robert Henriksen

Back to the action, we were happy to have the stream back… even for “The Line.” “The Line” is our favorite Lumineers cover (j/k!) that they do, Phish’s “One Shining Moment” of IT. Fishman keeps finding extra gears in this version, the rest of the band seemingly wanted to be done, but he took them on a couple bonus laps. “Scent of a Mule” started with Trey having trouble finding, whaddaya call them, “notes.” Fishman just doesn't want to lay out, he's kicking so much ass and knows it. This is like '93 Fishman, when Trey finally gave him permission to change the tempo. This turned into a very spirited and deliberately weird “Mule” duel. Page walked over to Fish’s Marimba Lumina and held candles over Fish. But as we all know, you can't hold a candle to Fishman. Trey joined in on drums, Mike added cowbell and cymbals, the whole affair had a ceremonial feel. A drum circle, Phish-style! This “Mule” was a real treat, showcasing a band that can still get weird and have fun.

“Bathtub Gin” brought us back down to earth a bit, following the soaring performances at SPAC and Randall’s Island. Other than Fishman, Page has grabbed our attention the most this tour. He is playing better than we've ever heard him play, as evidenced in this “Gin.” At least on this night, the hope of “Gin” opening up to its brilliant flowering plumage would have to wait, but a solid version nonetheless. “Silent in the Morning” was next in its now-ensconced "Horse"-less incarnation.

“Maze” is one of the few hard/fast songs that seems to be played better in 3.0. This “Maze” featured “Mission: Impossible” teasing and was well-played overall with exceptional rhythm playing by both Trey and Page, and Fish is, again, killing it. This “Maze” broke no new ground whatsoever, but how much does that matter? Not much.

“Ocelot” is so obviously “Tennessee Jed,” how can you not love it? It's probably the best or at least second-best jam in many of the sets in which it is played. The only “problem” with “Ocelot” is that they haven't done more with it, it has so much potential – keeping with the Dead analogy, “Ocelot” has a huge upside, like a ‘73 “Playin’ in the Band,” or even a poor-man’s/first set “Dark Star.” There was a stretch in 2012 where “Ocelot” got better and more intense with every version to the point where a breakthrough type II version seemed like an inevitability. Then that stopped happening. A spirited “Walls of the Cave” closed out this solid and entertaining set.

Setlist pictograms by Joseeen (available at Etsy)

“Down with Disease” stepped back into the role it knows best, launching the second set festivities. The opening of the jam contained some very “Gin”-like phrase from Trey. The Echoplex is definitely the new Whammy, in that it can sometimes offer a crutch when Trey is struggling for direction, as he did during the early phases of this jam. Finally there was something to build on with Page taking rhythmic control. While not reaching the peaks of earlier offerings during this tour, this fourteen-minute “Disease” offered high hopes for the rest of the set.

“Winterqueen” followed – a tune that has already demonstrated a much higher ceiling than many gave it credit for upon it’s arrival on the Phish scene. This version however serves more of a breather and bridge role. It also included an odd missed pedal by Trey that resulted in an abrupt and jarring modem screech. “Hello! You’ve got mail!” “Theme from the Bottom” extended this mellow interlude with a similarly placid yet flowing vibe, gradually building and blooming while staying true to the song’s foundation.

“Mike’s Song” stuck to it’s type-I power guns (odds of the much sought-after “Mike’s” ‘second jam’ were taking action at 85-1 against). This is said as a compliment: this offering was more or less by the books, but infused some much needed energy into the proceedings.

When they opted for “The Wedge” there was an audible deflation in the crowd. Were we in for a rare Sunday edition of the Saturday Night Special? Sure, we love “The Wedge.” It’s a great tune, but one that hardly ever strays from the confines of structure – it’s a classic first set song – and this set was frankly primed for some explosive release. But, Phish is like a box of chocolates.

The dreaded “box” was smashed into a million pieces, propelling the band to hitherto unexplored space from it’s familiar “Wedge” retreat. This was so unexpected and great that it left many of us speechless. There were several almost-teases and jams including “Roll with the Changes” (REO Speedwagon) – "keep on rollin'" = "we keep it rollin'?" Think about it – and “Paradise City” (Guns N' Roses). Page absolutely made the “Wedge” jam, always offering an idea. He listens so well, it's astonishing. At 11:00 Fish drops back into the “Wedge” beat. But Trey won't let it go, and starts with the ascending butter riff. All four guys are contributing strongly to this jam that is indisputably the most creative take on the song to date. Much like the 7/18/14 “Wombat” or 11/2/13’s “Theme” it was the element of surprise that sent this killer jam over the top. You never know what you’re gonna get.

@ Scott Harris Photography

The now comfortable position of “Ghost” in the middle of Mike’s Groove fed off the vibrant energy of “The Wedge.” What a turnaround! It was amazing how this band can go from sounding tired to sounding revitalized in just one song; they seemingly have “the switch” at their disposal. The intensity of this “Ghost” is like playoff hockey or the best World Cup match, the latter parts of the jam were frenetic in build and excitement, total hose. “Ghost-a-paug” is a real thing, and it isn’t taking prisoners. “Weekapaug” keeps it rolling with what is on first blush one of the best versions of 3.0.

Before the conclusion of “Weekapaug” – that included “Stash” and, sigh, “San Ho Zay” teases – the band returned to the “Ghost” theme for a full band… something. Is it a “tease?” A “jam?” A “reprise?” Is it “Ghost” > ”Weekapaug” -> “Ghost” -> “Weekapaug?” Reasonable cases can be made for any of these, resulting in a bunch of overeducated and hyper-obsessive Phish dorks throwing their hands up. What was it? Hell if we know for sure – our crack team will figure that out at their earliest opportunity – but it was sure awesome! We’re going with “Ghost jam” for now, hope that’s cool with you.

The gig rounded out with a fiery “First Tube” and an added-time “Character Zero” for good measure. What a stretch they just played! Fan-fucking-tastic. After the inaugural visit to this venue last year that was marred by force majeure, the weather mercifully cooperated and the venue seemed by all accounts to work well for Phish fans. The band had set the bar incredibly high – perhaps unreasonably high for this early in the tour – at Randall's Island, a set of shows that arguably represent the Crown Jewels of Phish runs since their 2009 return to the stage. They didn’t always reach those highs in Chicago, but these shows were each excellent in their own right, showcasing Phish at the peak of their game where even the “average” shows are rather great.

Finally, we’d like to drop a once-in-a-blue-moon reminder that the all-volunteer efforts of the staff here at phish.net are offered in support of our charity, The Mockingbird Foundation, that raises funds for music education for kids. If what we do is valuable to you, we’d like to encourage you to consider a small donation to support our work, which seeks to “pay it forward” to the next generation of music performers and appreciators. We’d also like to thank everyone who organized and participated in the events that benefited the foundation this past weekend in Chicago, including Surrender to the Flow Yoga, Screens ’n’ Suds, The Mothership Art Collective, PhanArt, as well as our friends at Rock Bottom Brewery. It is a humble privilege and distinct honor to join with Phish and their fans in charitable endeavors, on top of all the fun we have enjoying the band.

We’ll see you back here after the break, reporting from Charlotte.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

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[For this recap we'd like to welcome guest blogger Craig Hillwig) -PZ]

FADE IN

EXT: WAREHOUSE, CHICAGO MEATPACKING DISTRICT

AL “CORAN” CAPONE: “Red, I got a job for you.”

ERNEST “RED” ANASTASIO: “Yeah Boss, you name it.”

CAPONE: “We’re takin’ out Wilson tonight and I need you to handle it.”

ANASTASIO: “Sure thing Boss, same deal as Tessio?” Anastasio pulls out a Tommy Gun.

CAPONE: “No, no, no you goombah.” Capone hands Anastasio a small pistol.

ANASTASIO (incredulous): With dis?

CAPONE: It’s called a Saturday Night Special. It’s a compact, inexpensive, small-caliber handgun with perceived low quality, according to Wikipedia. Just get in, pop him cleanly, and get out. When you’ve finished him off, dump it in Lake Michigan up on the North Side.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

ANASTASIO: Wouldn’t you prefer something more creative? I’ve brought my Echoplex and Ross Compressor.

CAPONE: I just want you to get the job done. I am just a businessman, giving the people what they want. All I do is satisfy a public demand. These are some quotes attributed to me by Wikipedia.

ANASTASIO: O.K., boss. Can I still use my effects?

CAPONE: Sure kid, whatever.

ANASTASIO: Anything else, boss?

CAPONE: Yeah, I want this to go down in the history books as the Christmas Massacre.

ANASTASIO: But Boss, it’s the middle of July!

CAPONE: I said Christmas!! And one more thing.

ANASTASIO: Yeah, Boss?

CAPONE: I’m changing your nickname to “Ripcord.”

END SCENE

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

Phish dumped a classic Saturday Night Special into Lake Michigan for its second of three shows at Chicago’s First Merit Pavilion at Northerly Island. True to form, Saturday night’s offering featured compact, inexpensive, small caliber offerings of perceived low quality, while giving (some plurality of) the people what they want – a largely upbeat, danceable rock and funk show with little down time.

Set the First featured songs heavy in the rotation. Each of the first five: “Moma Dance,” “Wolfman’s Brother,” “Devotion to a Dream,” “46 Days” and “Yarmouth Road” were played two shows earlier at the-shed-formerly-known-as-Pine-Knob, and none of them strayed from its standard first set formulation.

“Devotion to a Dream” showcased Phish’s reinvigorated ensemble vocals, perhaps attributable in part to the direction and encouragement of Fuego producer Bob Ezrin. Trey wins the most-improved award for his seemingly expanded range and more mature stylings. As a song, “Devotion” is continuing to develop, particularly the highly danceable outro jam which draws from the same boogie woogie back beat and Trey guitar phrasings that we have come to love in favorites like “Back on the Train.”

Setlist pictograms by Joseeen (available at Etsy)

Stepping back, the performance quality up to this point has been terrific – crisp and assertive, but not rushed or perfunctory. This is a night where the perceived low quality of the Saturday Night Special is misleading, because when deployed correctly, the Special is efficient but effective.

“Brian and Robert” brought the first “bust out” of the night, after a 38-show gap since Tahoe ‘13. While well-received, this version seemed to suffer from a lack of practice, demonstrating how even Phish’s seemingly more simple numbers have complexities that need to be mastered.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

Rote first-set versions of “Wingsuit,” “Tube” and “Free” came next with a gap chart average of four. The six versions of “Wingsuit” this tour have been distributed evenly between the first and second set. It’s too early to tell whether “Wingsuit” is still trying to pick a team, or is merely comfortable going both ways.

“Roggae” followed as the second gap-buster (11) of the set. We love “Roggae” and so should you, but this version was a tad flubby and did not have much to distinguish itself. A solid “Heavy Things” set up another strong “Run Like an Antelope” to close the set. Antelope featured a tease that started off sounding like a botched “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple until the intended victim – They Might Be Giants’ “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” – was confirmed with some vocal accompaniment from Fishman.

As a setbreak aside, I want to offer plaudits, kudos, and Clif Bars to LivePhish director Eli Tishberg for the outstanding video production this tour (I was not present at the show and am reporting via couch tour). The choices of camera angles and tasteful special effects like double exposures and artistic transitions have given the webcasts a more polished feel that enhances the at-home experience.

Set two continued the theme with a great-on-paper-totally-so-fun-to-be-there setlist of songs that – with one exception – failed to realize the improvisational potential that fans have come to associate with them. “Carini” and “Waves” reprised their combination from SPAC3 with fairly standard versions. “Waves” came to a stop before the band kept Oprah’s promise alive with the seventh “Fuego” of the tour. This version featured several inexplicable “Little Drummer Boy” quotes from Trey. Because Christmas in July.

Setlist pictograms by Joseeen (available at Etsy)

“Fuego” continued to dominate the set for another 40 or so minutes. Along the way, the band teased complete versions of “Twist,” “Light” (extended, with some of the only type II jamming of the night), “Twenty Years Later,” “Harry Hood,” and “Cavern.” “Harry Hood” featured a fun hard rock jam that strayed from form just enough to qualify for a type II asterisk before getting marred by excessive video buffering.

Phish continued the theme through the encore, packing three tunes into fifteen minutes with time running out. First-of-tour versions of “Grind” and “Bug” set up “Suzy Greenberg” for a raucous, “Fuego”-inflected send-off.

Big hopes for Sunday night, amirite?

© Scott Harris Photography

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[For this recap we'd like to welcome guest blogger Jake Cohen (@smoothatonalsnd)) -PZ]

The one thing Phish has proven to us after half of summer tour is that we have no idea what to expect. Which is, generally, a good state of affairs in the Phish world. At every turn they’ve surprised us: they threw down a paradigm-shifting “Hood” at the first show of tour, they turned “Fuego” into a jam powerhouse, they’ve been trying the new material in almost every possible set position, they teased us with no covers before dropping two in one set. Once we thought there was a formula – song-heavy first sets coupled with six- or seven-song jammy second sets – they gave us the Pine Knob show with its eleven-song second set and no song longer than ten minutes.

Sitting on my couch, watching the wide-angle shots as the setting sun illuminated the Chicago skyline, I was excited to see what surprises Friday’s show might bring.

Sunset during Reba #phish – Photo by Jesse McMahan

The “555” opener was totally unexpected, and shows that Phish is still experimenting with setlist placement for all their Fuego material. I think this works better mid-first set than as an opener, but after hearing both “Sand” and “Moma” open shows at Randall’s, a little funk to start things off is nice. The rock opener, “Kill Devil Falls,” was a short, sweet version that seemed to ignite a good bit of energy, with Trey on point and direct in his soloing. “Bouncing Around the Room” continues to appear more often than it has in recent years. Say what you will about “Bouncing,” but it’s a quintessentially Phishy song, containing one of their signature sounds: three-part vocal polyphony along with a guitar riff.

The set really got fiery when Trey dropped into the second early first set “Reba” in a week. Since my crew is personally responsible for the Randall’s version (that was us who Trey thanked “for the suggestion,” even though we were chanting “Tela!” and not “Reba!”), I’d like to think we reminded the band that “Reba” works so well early in the first set. It changes the entire character of a set to hear such an iconic song, with such a powerful jam, this early in a show. This version didn’t depart much from the norm, with Trey and Page setting down some textural playing during the quiet part of the jam before starting to build to the peak. Trey got into some heavy trilling before busting out into a huge peak that pushed past the point where I thought Fish might signal its end.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

At this point in the set, I was hoping to hear some of the many first set tunes that have been missing or underplayed this tour: perhaps a “Fee,” “Billy Breathes,” “Guelah,” or something rare like “Esther.” Instead, Phish finished out the set with well-played but relatively standard versions of material that have become quite common in first sets this tour: “Waiting All Night,” “Birds of a Feather,” “Halfway to the Moon,” “Sparkle,” and “Sample.” Even the once rare “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing” received a cursory, standard treatment. Still, there was a good flow within this section, and the set never felt like it was dragging. Phish is becoming more and more comfortable with “Halfway to the Moon” and “Waiting All Night” in heavy rotation: both featured assertive solos from Trey, whereas previous versions felt like he was more reserved in his playing. As has been the case all tour, Fishman continues to push rhythms forward, which seemed to energize the sometimes plaintive “Halfway.”

The other major opportunity for improvisation, the apparent closer “Stash,” was a generally textbook version, but is still one of my favorite songs to hear at a show. This was something of a slow build “Stash,” without the tension/release fireworks or brief type II excursions of the Great Woods or Randall’s versions. But the set wasn’t done, as “The Squirming Coil” appeared to send us off. Mike seems to relish the idea of singing the falsetto “scream” on the last chorus (as in the album version). I can’t say I agree with his choice, but hey, Trey cracked up and it shows they’re having fun. The “walk-off” Coil is one of my favorite ways to end a set, and here the webcast was perfect, starting with a tight close-up on Page and panning out ever so slowly to the entire Chicago skyline. As Page was the one to announce the cancellation last summer, it was fitting that he thanked the crowd and exclaimed “no rain!”

Set one seemed to follow the pattern that’s been established so far this tour: a strong set of shorter songs but with good flow and variety of tempos and moods. With set two, they seemed to throw all setlist convention out the door a deliver one of the quirkier sets I’ve ever seen, with a surprisingly gorgeous type II jam where we least expected it.

Setlist pictograms by Joseeen (available at Etsy)

One song I was particularly hoping wouldn’t get ignored due to the fewer covers tendency is “Golden Age,” and I was really pleased to see it occupy the set two opener role, practically guaranteeing an excursion into the unknown. Phish didn’t disappoint here, with Trey introducing a slightly altered new riff partway into the highly percussive jam. Fish kept pushing the jam onward, not letting it fall into the spacey, mellow trap to which this sort of quiet groove can fall victim. Trey offered some rhythmically punctuating strumming while Page took a nice solo on the Lil Punkin organ. This jam eventually became all about Page, as Trey focused more on rhythm and timbre while Page switched over to his Clav.

Eventually, Fishman reeled in the rollicking drums and switched to a more straightforward hi-hat beat, and I thought they might spin this into a new jam segment. Instead, Fish obviated the meter and entered into some very chaotic playing. Trey matched this with lots of digital delay noise and echoplex effects, many of which weren’t synced up with the just-abandoned meter, and Page too offered synth noise. The result was very trippy and weird in the best possible way, recalling the landmark versions of “Golden Age” from Hampton and Hartford last Fall.

As the dark psychedelia subsided, Trey started up the riff to “Mango Song.” On paper it seems like an odd choice, but following the strangeness of the preceding jam it was a perfect call. Played relatively cleanly, this was a welcome but standard version of an all-too-rare tune.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

Things got back into a second set mood with the drop into “Sand,” which seemed to be moving at a pretty fast tempo compared to second set versions. When the jam segment started, Trey launched full-bore into a blues-rock jam with an especially aggressive intro lick, an anomaly since “Sand” jams often begin with texturally sparse and percussive soloing from Trey. The fast tempo and unusual soloing seemed to signal that this might be an atypical “Sand,” and just as Trey was beginning to hint at a modulation to a major key for a new jam segment, he aborted “Sand” and opted for “Piper.”

Appearing in back-to-back shows, this “Piper” seemed like it might be the other big improv vehicle for this second set. Unfortunately, I think we all have to acknowledge that the slow build “Piper” died in 2000 – this one got right into the lyrics and quickly moved to that good, fast jam space that “Piper” often goes into. Page took a big organ solo, and then Trey moved to his echoplex, creating a very trippy and noisy space. Fishman eventually dropped the drums down to almost nothing, but then out of nowhere came back with a new funky beat, over which Trey started playing a new set of major key chords. Here’s where things got really weird.

The feel of this jam was something in the fast rock/funk category, almost like a poppier version of “Sneakin’ Sally” or “2001.” As I was wondering whether this would turn into a song or continue into a jam, Trey signaled to Page that they were, in fact, playing “Halley’s Comet!” This was a totally oddball segue, as it wasn’t clear when they began this jam that they were actually playing “Halley’s” (Trey had to tell Page they were doing that!), having come straight from the trippy halted part of the “Piper” jam and skipping the song’s usual a cappella introduction.

After the lyrics, the band “stayed on F” just as they did during the landmark 11/22/97 “Halley’s,” and I thought (as did everyone, I’m sure) that we might be in for the long-awaited jammed-out set two “Halley’s.” Alas, the band used that brief harmonic plateau to just slow things down a bit before perfectly dropping into “Wombat.” Another call out of left field, and while it was a true “->” segue, it still felt a little choppy. But oh my, this “Wombat.”

@ Scott Harris Photography

During the jam, Trey began exploring a few modal regions of melody quite early, which signals to me that he’s thinking about more extensive improvisation. Fishman matched this by amazingly changing his rhythms almost every eight measures, giving variety to the stable “Wombat” jam with new feels each hypermeasure. As things began to fall apart rhythmically and melodically, Mike switched on the envelope filter and I thought we might be headed for the first “Boogie On” of tour. Instead, Mike’s active upper-register deep space bass provided an accompaniment to Trey’s trilling, which he pushed perfectly into the relative major key for a mellow bliss jam.

Now clearly in the first type II “Wombat” ever, Trey continued to layer delicate soloing and hinting at a build, while Fishman kept the tempo and feel very similar to a “Fee” outro jam. Trey eventually began strumming and pushing the tempo faster with an almost bluegrass feel, not unlike the last jam segment from the monster Randall’s “Chalk Dust,” and when the rest of the band joined it suggested shades of the quiet, mellow interlude of “Runaway Jim.” I was hoping this would build and turn into something totally mind-blowing, but after seven or eight minutes of this glorious jam, Trey launched into “Chalk Dust.”

Back at its normal fast tempo, this “Chalk Dust” was a standard version that gave way to the set closer, a majestic “Slave” whose “See the city” lyric was especially apt with the twinkling Chicago skyline in the backdrop. I do wish they’d dig a little deeper for encores (as they did with the “2001” in Michigan), as it’s become almost farcical to hear “Julius” or “Character Zero” encore practically every other night this tour. But this was a really nice “Julius” that saw Page lead off with a killer solo.

The “Golden Age” might have been the improvisational centerpiece, but the surprise jam on “Wombat” was probably the improvisational highlight, coming from a completely unexpected and surprising place. Phish has shown us that they’re having fun and equally willing to push things when they feel it’s right, or willing to ripcord a jam when Trey wants something else. It’s exciting to think of what surprises the rest of this weekend holds.

@ Scott Harris Photography

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Screens ’n’ Suds, The Mothership Art Collective and PhanArt will host two poster events this Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20 in Chicago to coincide with the three day Phish Chicago run.

On Saturday from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., Screens ’n’ Suds' event will take place at TRIS3CT, 130 South Jefferson Street, 5th Floor in Chicago. Admission is free. Jim Pollock and Plastic Flame Press have created brand new prints specifically for the event (see illustration below). These prints will go on sale to VIP ticketed early admission guests first and then to the public at 1 p.m., if any are left. One print per person please. Previous Screens 'n' Suds prints will be available for purchase at the event as well. Tickets to the early admission VIP event are on sale now through tomorrow for $20.00 plus service charges at Eventbrite.

Suds will include Revolution "Citra Hero" IPA (Illinois), Cigar City Brewing / The Answer Brewpub "Good Morning Mekong" imperial coffee porter w/ kopi luewak beans (Florida/Virginia), Brewery Vivant "Tart Side of the Moon" sour ale (Michigan) and Hardywood Park Brewing "Bourbon Barrel Barleywine" (Virginia). There will be a gluten-free option and likely some other special beers. In true Screens 'n' Suds fashion there will also be a raffle for some great art and beer and a silent auction with a 2012 Screens 'n' Suds Pollock and a 2013 Not Pollock Northerly Island, plus a lot more.

On Sunday, the PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition will be held from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the historic Congress Plaza Hotel, 520 South Michigan Ave, Chicago, located near Grant Park. This one of a kind art show, also presented by The Mothership Art Collective and created and produced by Pete Mason, is sponsored by Poster Scene, Philly Philms, The Barn Presents, Freedom Flask, and The Helping Friendly Podcast.

The final lineup announced for the PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition: Chicago represents a wide array of artists from among the Phish art community, including longtime Phish artists Ryan Kerrigan, TRiPP, Isadora Bullock, Michael Boyer, Ryan Jerzy and Jeff Nesbit are all familiar names with fans from past shows. Each will have a large portfolio of current and past concert poster art to exhibit from a wide range of musical acts.

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Phish Yoga with Tracy Stonaker

Phish shows and yoga can create a similar state of heightened consciousness. Through unparalleled improvisational communication the band profoundly unifies body, mind and spirit. This is yoga. Join us for an aligned vinyasa yoga practice set to the sonic spectrum of live Phish. Open to all levels of yogis and Phish fans.

Saturday, July 19, 2014 – 2:00 - 3:30pm – $20

All proceeds benefit The Mockingbird Foundation and Street Yoga. Sign up at surrendertotheflowyoga.org/register or email tracy@surrendertotheflowyoga.org

Chicago Yoga Center – 3047 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657 – (312) 330-1413

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[For this recap we'd like to welcome guest blogger Ben Hatley) -PZ]

For the first time in a year, Phish has returned to the Midwest. When tour dates were announced, many were hoping for a more extensive run through this region, after just getting the rain soaked Chicago run last year. Alas, that did not happen, but many, myself included, put a big fat circle on their calendar when they announced they would be returning to Pine Knob.

I was anxious for this show, in large part, because I am still a little bummed to have missed the monster show here back in 2011. When they didn't play here again in 2012 or 2013, I was thinking my opportunity to visit this fantastic venue had passed. While Midwesterners will not be getting to visit a lot of their favorite sheds this summer, I do not think there were many complaints about this being the one.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

Pine Knob just may be as perfect of a place to see a Phish show as you are going to find. The inside of the venue is heavily wooded and absolutely gorgeous. Not to mention, after the brutal weather that we endured the last two years, whether it be rain or extreme heat, going to a show with the sun shining and temperatures in the 70's was a treat in and of itself. The stage was set for a great day.

After partaking in a few cold ones, it was time to hit the show. We got to our seats right as “Wolfman's Brother” started. Opening with the same song they opened with here back in 2011 raised a few eyebrows. Many took it as a sign that they were trying to conjure up some of the magic they drummed up here three years ago. Last night's version seemed to follow this songs typically funky path. Along with the “Devotion to a Dream” that followed, these first two tunes served as a good means of getting the guys warmed up.

Now that they felt a little settled in, Trey cranked up “Wilson.” As always, this immediately got the crowd good and gassed up. As they stormed through the raucous that is the back end, Trey shifted shifted gears and pulled everyone into a sharp version of “Poor Heart.”

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

The next few songs did not deliver much in the highlight department, but the set maintained good flow and we got a decent sampling of Phish's stylistic versatility, ranging from funk to rock to reggae to lounge. The first set highlight came in the form of “It's Ice.” The middle section opened up to a wildly funky jam with terrific playing from Page. This is one one of my favorite Phish songs, and I feel like it has just kept getting better over the last few years. As “It's Ice” wrapped up, Trey cranked up what would be a rousing set closing “46 Days.” While it did not break any new ground, it was enough to send everyone into set break pretty pleased.

After wandering around a bit at set break, we returned to our seats right as the lights were going out. “Mike's Song” may not be the jam Goliath that we came to know and love in the 90's, but when you are seeing this song in person, it is still fantastic. Few songs can simply suck you in faster. The lights start flying, Trey starts ripping it up, and suddenly, you are in gravy town. This version did seem to have a little extra something to it. They let it have more of an organic ending than some of the screeching halts we have seen put on this song the last few years. As it wrapped up, Mike and Trey push into “Ghost,” which appears to be the new favorite to be sandwiched in before “Weekapaug.”

Photo by J. Maehoffer

This “Ghost” jumped out into some pretty cosmic places right out of the gate. Trey had some great playing on this jam, and he navigated everyone through some mesmerizing passages. As it wound down, he dropped right into “Caspian.” Now, a “Caspian” > “Number Line” pairing is something that I would pretty much actively root against, but last night, it seemed to work alright. “Number Line,” in particular, had some strong playing that led nicely into “Weekapaug.”

“Weekapaug” jumped right out there and may be my pick for highlight of the show. Yes, it was short, but it sure felt longer. Page, Fishman, and Mike all were shining on this one. They put together a nice segue into “Cavern,” but I feel like this created a bit of a fork in the road. Having “Cavern” in the middle of the set was a nice change of pace, but where do you go from here?

Well, they weren't quite ready to pack it in just yet. “Piper,” as always, provided another opportunity to jump out into some type two jamming. Fishman held this one down like a champ while Trey, Mike, and Page came in over the top and offered up some pretty hot jamming. They moved at breakneck speed before settling this into a slow ending. As “Piper” faded into the night, Mike started “Waiting All Night.” This was a standard take, but it fit well here.

After that, I was thinking we'd move in the direction of a standard closing pairing. Trey had other ideas. Let me tell you, this pavilion went bonkers when he cranked up “Tweezer.” No one saw this coming. They laid a nice foundation for what could have been a big dark funky “Tweezer” jam, but instead, they moved this to “Fuego” instead. While “Tweezer” didn't go out as far as many would've liked, this made for a nice deep set pairing. Not to mention, Phish is clearly loving “Fuego.” It's now been played at every venue this tour. They didn't have enough time to give “Fuego” the special treatment they gave it at the MANN and SPAC, but it was played well. It was my first time seeing it, so it was nice to get another new tune under my belt. “Tweezer Reprise,” as always, brought the raucous and allowed everyone yet another chance to rock out before calling it a set.

Setlist pictograms by Joseeen (available at Etsy)

Once again, I think many expected something standard out of them when they came back out for the encore. It was almost a feeling of bewilderment when Fishman dropped the intro to “2001,” the first time it has ever appeared as an encore. We got one more dance party before calling it a night. There are a lot of “Possum” haters out there but I'm not one. I love it in the last song of the encore spot. How can you not leave the building with a smile after that?

Unlike almost every other show from this tour, they didn't offer up one marquee jam or hands down highlight. What they did do is create a consistently good second set with excellent playing throughout. In lieu of one 20+ minute jam, they offered up a fair amount of exploration in three or four different songs. I don't know exactly how this show will hold up over time after numerous re-listens, but I can assure you, it was a blast to attend!

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“…truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself. If you flatter yourself that you are all over comfortable, and have been so a long time, then you cannot be said to be comfortable any more.”
- Herman Melville, Moby Dick

Tuesday night in Canandaigua, NY was, for me, Phish at its best. We took our one chance to see the band this year and went to visit dear friends and fellow .netters Captain Pookie and Memmers, avail ourselves of their hospitality and general awesomeness, and (in Ivy’s case) boogie. Watkins Glen is a 20 minute walk from Pookie’s Place, and you can read about his experience having Super Ball in his back yard here. Pookie basically lives in paradise, surrounded by his amazing wife, impish daughter, four cats, and extended family. And, since he is Captain Pookie, he is surrounded by art.

Painting by Christopher Pike (a.k.a. Captain Pookie)

Adjust my opinions for having been raised in the heart of flat, but I found the Finger Lakes to be overwhelmingly, almost impossibly gorgeous. Scenes of natural awe are everywhere. Waterfalls race leisurely down to Lake Seneca, which conceals ice from the glaciers that hewed this gallery from rock two and a half million years ago. Green towers everywhere around you, and it seems like art is seeping in to the ground and erupting back in the forms of wildlife and wind and beauty. In Pookie’s home, art adorns every wall, in some places with idle joy and in others with focus and brilliance. It is inspiring, and is exactly the kind of place you’d find yourself saying, “I would love to see Phish play. Right. Here.”

So, the show.

A “Buried Alive” opener, and it comes alive, “Twisting” and lifting arms and legs and all those “Heavy Things” up from the soil. Being born isn’t something to do every day, so it may be best to make an escape before an asteroid crashes and we find ourselves returned without passing Go. Once we’re settled on the train, though, we can have a drink, and I know just the concoction. A “Bathtub Gin” with an invigorating kick on the back end that will rev that rusty engine and shake it clean; that’s the cheese. Now we’re almost ready.

But first, let’s look at the sky, take in the cool breeze, linger for a while there like the gulls, and warm our wings on the day’s last golden breaths. And let’s take a moment to watch the sunset, to watch the light and clouds and wind and water collaborate to paint the ceiling in vibrant silver and azure. “Divided Sky” is written for skies of all kinds, but a sunset over Lake Canandaigua as the morning’s rain is waved aside is the most stunning incarnation I’ve seen. Achingly, deeply beautiful.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

OK, we’ve stopped to smell the sunset. Let’s dance. Let’s figure out if we’re gonna go forward or leave it behind. Let’s ask the “Wombat.” “Wombat” is good and “Wombat“ is wise and “Wombat” will lead you to funkalicious love. All you have to do is let him move you. And I wish you would, because while each day needs some of the peace of the Buddha, it also needs the boogie of the “’Bat.” This critter gets a little dark and mean, a little “Melty,” and a lot dirty. He’s the perfect set-up man for mean Mr. “Bowie” to make things just a little bit scary before we move on to the night gallery.

Photo © Phish – Phish From the Road

The centerpiece for this trip is “Disease,” and it’s an adequate theme. The show dug itself up from the dirt, and we’re destined to come back to it eventually. In the time we’ve got, let’s explore. Let’s ride the train and sing off-key and do what we all gotta do, “Jibboo.” And then, and I know it’s a dark “Theme,” we’ve got to face the fact that we’re all just “Meatsticks,” and subject to time, and someday it will be time to bury the meatstick. Or, if burial isn’t your thing, you may go out En “Fuego.” Either way, no energy gained, but no energy lost, we remain in the art that’s around us. And all you have to do to remind yourself is, every once in a while, stop and look around, maybe at the beautiful things nature has carved out with a “Wedge” of glacial ice, and at the life going on around you.

And, where we started the set with “Disease,” we finish again with the essence of vitality, the Runing of the “Fuegolope.” Much more than just a climactic medley of teases, this “’Lope” runs with a ferocious love of the chase and peaks with the Power of “Fuego.” “’Lopes” in general are amazing to watch live, bounding and leaping and crashing into bicyclists, and the “Fuegolope” is a prime specimen. I personally have seen 15 “’Lopes” in various locales and I can highly recommend this Finger Lakes fauna.

I’ve probably mixed enough metaphors by this point, but just to remind you, the “Zero” sum game is much of the fun. It’s never truly lost, but it’s never fully won.

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