Welcome to the Future!
5.31.09 (T.Tunick)
In a show every bit as big as its spectacle, Phish fused what we love about them with everything we’ve yet to discover. In an earnest welcome to the next chapter of their careers, Phish played a show- and more specifically- a second set that inter-wound the new with the old, creating a stunning welcome to the future.
The inaugural second set of Summer ’09 was underlined in vibrant fashion by combination of the dirtiest “Tweezer” we’ve heard in quite some time with a slowly moving transition into the debut of one of Phish’s brightest new songs- “Light”- just like it was scripted. Echoes of past glories were felt and furthered upon within the monstrous “Tweezer” in which the band moved through the nastiest grooves we’ve heard in years into a impeccable peak before twisting into a spirited debut of the much-anticipated, “Light.” With a section of improv that could easily develop into a 3.0 “Piper-esque” jam, Phish previewed a song that will certainly jump into this summer’s rotation and highlight many a setlist.
5.31.09 (Phish.com)
Following this symbolic combination, the band dropped into a perfectly-placed “Bathtub Gin” that brought the entire crowd back onto the same page after the other-worldly excursion that directly preceded it. Following precise playing within the feel good jam and “Bowie’s” darker counterpart, Phish took Fenway’s grandest stage of tour to debut their new multi-part epic, “Time Turns Elastic.” With an additional jam tacked onto the song’s final peak, Phish brought the crowd deep within and without their dynamic piece, showcasing Trey’s composition in the most focal point of the show. A song that many fans thought might not translate well onto the Phish stage came off magnificently, one movement seamlessly moved into the next, climaxing in a far more dramatic fashion that imagined. With the band’s announcement of its newest arrival in the middle of the second set of the tour’s first show, we’ve definitely got many more versions to look forward to this summer – and it will be interesting to track the song’s potentially changing form.
5.31.09
With a performance of “Time Turns Elastic” that could have ended the night in a fitting way, Phish wasn’t even close to done. Dropping a bombastic “Free” deep into the second set, Phish showed they still had some love left to give. And if continuously playing wasn’t enough, the band broke out “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” for the first time since August of ’93, enthralling the stadium crowd before finishing with a dynamic “YEM” that gradually built from laid back grooves into a jam with more teeth to it, ending in a centerfield bass-solo by Gordeaux before the band’s first baseball-stadium-sized vocal jam.
Finishing the night with a three-song encore that punctuated an evening that already has made Hampton seem like a distant memory, Phish was good to the last drop. With “Tweezer Reprise” having seen many fitting settings, none was quite like this. Gazing up past the Green Monster, into the night’s glowing half-moon, everything in the universe was right again. Phish was moving forward again, creating new adventures with songs, old and new; adventures that reached out and gripped us in a way that we remembered; the way it’s supposed to be. Hampton needed to happen to get here, but there seems to be no time like the present in Phish’s universe. Night one is in the books- here we go- “Destiny Unbound!”
I: Star Spangled Banner*, Sample in a Jar, Moma Dance, Chalk Dust Torture, Ocelot**, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, Poor Heart, Limb by Limb, Wading in a Velvet Sea, Down with Disease, Destiny Unbound, Character Zero
II: Tweezer > Light**, Bathtub Gin, David Bowie, Time Turns Elastic**, Free, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, You Enjoy Myself
E: Cavern, Good Times Bad Times, Tweezer Reprise
*from picthing mound ** debut
***
“Tweezer” 5.31.09 partial
The Ross compressor and a little more reverb would be my first steps to improve Trey’s guitar sound on stage. Not that I’m in the position to judge that, but compared to Hampton 2009, the fist set sound reminds me of farting in an empty bathtub…
well, I love them…..what a great Tweezer – reminds me of the Hampton 2009 Ghost.
listen to all the D-bags talking during the video. do that shit around me and i will fuck you up.
seriously.
Sorry to be such a newb but can anyone tell me where I can download this? Is it only available on phish live? Can you download it for free?
Thanks!!!
cason….ahahhaha
that chick with the hat in all the early setlist videos. get ready for more of that this summer.
i was stoked to see that it was indeed Ocelot. think that tune is pretty slick. thanks again for the no spoilers, tapers and miner!
@Summertime:
this- you mean this concert?: go to
http://www.livephish.com
This Fenway show plus hundreds more for 9,95$
Thanks, little low on $ right now! I’ll have to wait it out.
Is miner tapping shows this summer?
http://phishthoughts.com/nospoilers/
here it is in set form for free!
@ Al Walker – CURTIS LOWE WAS OUT OF NOWHERE!! What was a bit disappointing about it was very few folks in the place were aware of the gravity of it. Same with Destiny (though not quite as heavy as Curtis due to the Nassau bust out).
The second set was just sick. One after the other. TTE was incredible (yes, Trey played a green Languedoc just for TTE). Very refreshing to hear new tunes in the mix. Gordo’s licks just before the YEM vocal jam were straight nasty.
Quick side note – I was fortunate enought to have great seats 3 rows in front of the SBD so the sound there was super crispy (though I agree Page seemed lost in the mix at times). Anyhow, one thing I never really focused on was watching just how into the show Kuroda gets…deep knee bends during changes, the head bobbing, the guy just rocks out during the show.
Ahh I feel enlightened, I must have missed the crucial no-spoilers post.
Didn’t this it would be at a different page but that makes sense now…
THANKS
Show was alot of fun. Set 2 was really nice, but I hate to say it TTE is not very good.
I have a feeling we’re gonna see the return of Big Ball Jam! I mean, if they’re gonna bust out a Curtis Loew then Big Ball Jam will make a return IMHO. 😉
thanks for the guitar expertise fellas – I’m learning guitar signal flow but it is certainly my weakness!
I listened to the first set on the way up the mountain just now; some reflections:
Trey definitely seems more comfortable as you mentioned col… I really enjoyed the small diversion in stash and the swoop back into the maybe so melody at the end, very nice version, certainly a cut above the hampton one. The intro features trey’s old school tone and some very aware playing (one missed phrase but who’s counting 😉 …
DW/D I thought was very well played – no type 2 jamming per se, but just ferocious attacking of the riffs from trey – and again very aware and lucid jamming, with a purpose, as we noticed at Hampton.
I thought the little jam in the middle of destiny was kinda cool – mike busted out his growly alien tone a little and trey funked it up – but this has never been a fav (always thought the obsession was a little silly) so I can’t compare it, even to the nassau version..
I look forward to set 2. The quality of the no spoilers is decent, but I’ll certainly look for an upgrade – you can definitely hear the quality getting better through the beginning of the set as the soundman works it out. The swelling many of you experienced I’m sure was a quirk of the unique acoustics of the space – comb filtering and modes from various combinations of echoes and frequency holes.
Does anyone have any links to some pictures?
The no spoiler feed sounds great. Looks like the show was hit and miss in turns of sound, but, as always, a good time for all who attended. Looking forward to next weekend, and I’m hoping the sound issues are worked out after a week in ampitheaters.
What is the difference between the torrent file and the sendspace link?
Is one faster? Does one take up less space?
I imagine concert acoustics were not the main consideration in designing Fenway Park
a hard room to mix most definitely
now if the sound is bad at the Fox Theater we have problems
When you torrent you are downloading from other people. It’s cheaper fir miner to host the site that way. Get a bit torrent client and give it a whirl. Also I’ll post pics but I’m still in my bus treck back to ny. Pretty cool bus tho. It has wifi.
Excellent stuff all around.
Just woke up, still feel a little of the spin left in my system. Show was HUGE. Great jams in DWD, Tweezer, Free, Bowie, YEM!!, Gin, TTE, Curtis bust out!!! Great way to kick off the summer! Seeing the boys on Fenway grass was literally a dream. Never forget it. Back to sleep.
The architecht of Fenway planned the structure specifically for Phish shows. The varrying sound quality dependent on seat location renders that dead person a failure.
^lol
nonoyolker said, “Fenway Grass.”
Getting ready to leave the hotel for the journey down the road, but here are a few thoughts…
First off, by the middle of the 1st set, it was getting very cold. I wonder if/how this effected the boys. Glad I’d found some mushy-chocolates- they helped keep us dancing at mach 10. 🙂
Re sound in Phenway: We were at first base, a section back. Sample and Moma Dance were a bit low volume and the mix was muddled. 3/4 of the way into Moma, they got it tuned and for the rest of the show, it was on, from my spot.
Re Trey’s tone: I actually love it. It has a textured, meaty feel. When he’s in the lower registers of the guitar, the low growl he’s getting makes me crazy. A buddy likened it to a moose. The low guttural wail of psychedelic madness. Love it.
Ocelot is amazing. Love it. Folks around us really were digging it, too. I’m excited to hear this song progress. Sure to turn into a crowd favorite.
TTE – I had built up a lot of anticipation around this one. This version definitely exceeded my expectations. Very tight. They hit every change perfectly. I’m getting more and more into the lyrics, but I’ve always been more of a music guy than lyrics anyway. But, it’s the music that is just so good. And I love that Trey really seems to get off on it, too. Big jams will ensue after this one. Can’t wait to hear this one evolve, too.
Bathtub Gin – massive jam in the middle. It’s not Bathtub for a bit. Yummy!
YEM – felt a little short. Mike absolutely killed it.
Okay, were heading. I’ll jump back on later.
Pictures:
http://w449.photobucket.com/albums/qq220/DCBlue/Phenway/?action=view¤t=0bcdcfd2.pbw
@Jack – felt the same way about YEM. I think the curfew had something to do with it….
Absolutely phenomenal night. They are BACK baby! Check out Trey’s filthy guitar tone in Zero and Mike called down the UFO’s on YEM. Wow! Loved all the tight versions of the “radio-friendly” tunes in the first set: Sample, Bouncin. Listening back to it this morning, my first impression last night was dead on: they hit this one out of the park. Dug Ocelot and Lights seque out.