The Dawn of A New Era
Merriweather - (Brian Adams)
Though I’m still largely in and out of post-tour sleepsville, I figure I’d get some thoughts up on this past tour. I’ve only scratched the surface of re-listening to the shows, but June was—without question—the most impressive tour since the band returned in 2009. Despite a tight song rotation, the band’s communication skills are clearly at the top of their game, and when Phish is now at their best, their music is as good as it has ever been. Jaded vets will always glorify their own touring days, but anyone with two ears and an open heart can hear the excellence that Phish embodies once again.
Merriweather (B.Ferguson)
Spinning through some of June’s highlights last night, I was floored by the virtuosity of the band’s current listening skills. The quickness with which Trey picked up on Page’s ideas and expounded on them was staggering—in so many jams. And then Mike would respond with an eclectic counter thought in no more than a nanosecond. These three-part conversations that underlined Phish’s best playing all tour illustrates a band matured and focused on equitable jamming, the hallmark of improvisational success. Fishman’s melodic sensibility and his ability to respond to Trey and Mike at once, provided the fourth part of these musical puzzles that dazzled crowds throughout the month. Within structured or open jamming, these four-part exchanges blossomed with dynamic vitality, a crucial facet of their game that has now fully returned.
With all of their individual skillsets at a 3.0 high, the band is now executing at a new level of proficiency—a level that allows for subconscious creativity of the likes we hadn’t seen this era. The only question that arose each night was how safe the band would play, and this decision came down to one person and one person only, Trey Anastasio. With the guitarist’s mood and patience, so went the contour of every show. When Trey lacked focus or seemed to be overthinking things, shows turned into choppy affairs with little cohesion as Big Red often favored more songs over musical flow. But on the nights when Trey came out with his patience of old—a la Bethel night two, Detroit, Charlotte or Portsmouth—sublime, timeless music resulted.
To be honest, Trey almost seemed like two different people this tour when comparing how he directed various shows. On some nights he had his own agenda, and regardless of what the band was musically immersed in doing, he asserted his ideas at awkward times with no context whatsoever. (See PNC’s “Ghost > Numberline” or Alpharetta’s “Tweezer > Julius for perfect examples.) But on other nights, he allowed each and every jam to flow to its natural conclusion, playing with a wholly collaborative nature and crafting music that can stand up to any era. It’s quite the perplexing issue that has will never truly be answered, but we can only hope that as the summer moves on, Trey embodies his patient and selfless persona more often than the restless and intrusive front man he has often resembled.
Walnut Creek - Raleigh (John Crouch)
But when Trey was in it to win it—on the same page as the rest of his band members rather than swimming upstream—the music transformed into magic. The oustanding jams of June are too many to list, but some of the tour’s most magical moments included Detroit’s “A Disease Supreme -> Fluffhead -> Bowie,” Charlotte’s “Rock and Roll -> Ghost” and “Reba,” Blossom’s “Sneakin’ Sally,” Bethel’s “Waves,” “Halley’s Comet” and “Bathtub Gin,” Mansfield’s “Rock and Roll,” Cincinnati’s “Tweezer” and “YEM,” Portsmouth’s “Slave” and “Sand,” Darien’s mash-up of “Golden Age” and “What’s the Use?” with “2001″and so much, much more! And this was only leg one. During 2009 and 2010, Phish’s playing vastly improved from leg one to leg two of summer tour, but with their best playing being as good as ever, what I think we can look forward to is greater consistency night in and night out.
PNC (C.LaJaunie)
The top-notch shows of this past tour were often interspersed with spottier performances whose highs still matched the best moments of the month, but whose flow or risk-taking was often compromised for safer, high-octane playing. Looking past Superball and into leg two, I think that we will see an increased consistency of excellence from Phish. This translates into fewer nights dotted with head-scratching jam abortions and fewer shows anchored by safe, rocking, straightforward playing a la Bethel night three or Merriweather night two.
This past month, the band has certainly arrived. For any naysayers who thought Phish couldn’t regain their past glory in this decade, well—eat crow. The band has IT harnessed again, and as Trey said for an upcoming Rolling Stone interview, “everything seems to be dialed in right now, the band feels loose in all the right ways.” Creating musical highs on par with any era, the band has now fully entered the next phase of their career as a creative tour de force. After watching the guys’ skills re-evolve through 2009 and 2010, their musical output of June has been incredibly rewarding for anyone who maintained faith in quartet through the rebuilding process. Firing on all cylinders like they haven’t since sometime in the ‘90s, Phish is back to sculpting nights of musical majesty laced with spectacular improvisation. Hop on the bus, folks, this summer has a long way to go. Next stop, Super Ball IX!
PNC (Chris LaJaunie)
I hope all of you enjoy the Ball.
Party Time!
I can’t wait to find puddles to play in at the Ball!
i’m chairman of a local environmental organization and will be throwing out the first pitch at our local minor league game tomorrow nite . . . i’ve been practicing my pitching style and it’s hilarious . . . and a lot of fun . . . will need to practice a lot more before tomorrow nite. it’s been many, many years since i was in grade school since i played baseball
okay, seriously out now to get dinner
Bethel Waves > IT Waves.
I honestly think so.
main solo is more sophisticated and interesting – that part I think is inarguable – it’s just better. Which outro section you prefer is a matter of taste; I like them both so maybe my current Bethel preference is just due to freshness.
They’re pretty different in feel overall while staying within that general Waves vibe. Cool to have both on tap.
Just don’t blow it like Obama
IT Waves and Crazy Mtn Black IPA…..Kickin the weekend off right
Bethel Waves > IT Waves.
I honestly think so.
^ ummm. err. $57*926432$#@7….beep.
Finally home. Lots of quality listening time on flights.
Noticed the Manteca/Golden Age theme in the “Blossom jam” part of Sally for the first time. Nice foreshadowing of Darien’s escapades.n Check it, about the 0:35 mark of the jam it’s plinko-funk-clean.
Darien Weekapaug sicker than I thought. Really great version.
I am going to reverse course on Hoods. Blossom hood with Have Mercy and Lizards teases wins out over Bethel for me. Bethel Hood is flubbed in the metal section (a couple of them were this tour, but Bethel’s is like a whole beat off and doesn’t get it together until the vocals come in). The Have Mercy is forced but teasing it back again in the outro jam is $$$.
Haven’t read back. What’s the news? People psyched for the ball?
Bethel Waves IT Waves….
One is transverse …. the other longitudinal
Re: Sports Chants.
Mansfield is notorious for breaking out in “Lets go Red Sox”, or “Yankees Suck” chants at any given time, especially when its not even baseball season, and that can be very annoying, this coming from a Sox fan. But I have to say the Bruins chant was very well placed and appropriate. This wasn’t just drunken frat boys looking for an excuse to yell, this was a group of people celebrating the eve of sports history, even the band played along. Hearing the chant on the recording made me smile.
@plord, that whole show was foreshadowed in the bethel bathtub gin
No work for me today just skimmed through posts since yesterday afternoon . This is out of date but whatever.
“They SETTLE in ALSupreme theme before taking into the stratosphere. Any other opinion is simply to be a contrarian. Everyone was talking about this after the show.”
No disrespect to Miner or anyone else with this opinion, but I just CAN’T hear this as intentional (except maybe by page). And I really, really, REALLY want to… ALS is quite possibly my favorite album of all time. But I just don’t hear the intent. I need to relisten to confirm this, but I’m pretty sure the rhythmic placement/accenting is different (will expand on this after I listen to confirm). And the only one who actually plays the right intervals is page, and only a couple times. I mean, I hear why everyone is saying its ALS… I just can’t hear the full band intent to jam on it. Perhaps more relistens will change my mind. Maybe it’s just cause I heard about it before I actually heard it and therefore it wasn’t what I expected? I certainly agree that it’s a sick jam though…
@DF Ginteca from Bethel for sure started a tour-wide theme.
Too much? I’m sticking with it.
Set 1 Bethel 2 = Phishsterpiece
RUFKM?
The bass line around 8 minutes into Went Gin is just pure fucking awesome.
My only puddle experience was @ Cypress. Add my friend Molly to the mix. What a perfect night. Only missed a few songs directly cause I had to go rescue my buddy from his tent. He was literally hiding beneath the covers screaming “Minestrone ” (now known as Inlaw Josie Wales?) like his North Jersey voiced former lunch lady. We talked him down and got him back to the concert field. Oh what a night!
I went into a K hole once…….once. Not at a show though. I went blind for about 2 hours. No joke. Literally could not see. Scariest drug experience i ever had. Never even thought about going down that road again.
Long day today. Woke up to discover the basement carpet was soaked because it never stops raining here. :sigh: things could be worse i guess.
Hang in there Mr P
I think the Bethel Waves main solo is much more developed than the IT one. Not really even close I don’t think. The IT version is beautiful and flowing but lacks structure and dimension relative to Bethel. I like the Bethel tone better too, by a long way. A lot of it comes down to the compositionally intricate phrasing just beforethe peak of the solo which I think is among the most interesting little pieces I’ve ever heard Trey do.
Still love the IT version though. In fact “love” is too weak a word, it’s utterly amazing. And the outro weirdness is mindbending to be sure. So I can see preferring it for that reason.
Of course there’s no reason to pick – we get to have both.
believe me, I’m shocked to see those words under my name. IT Waves has been a top favorite since the first itme I heard it.
Went into a K Hole one year at the ABB @ The Beacon during their March Madness. I was wearing a Security Shirt and stumbled out of the bathroom. Everyone started looking at me and pointing. I thought I walked out of the bathroom with my pants down or something which they weren’t. Then I got all paranoid and ran to join where my friends were and got lost for a while, and then somehow ended up right next to them before they dove into a long In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.
K holes are weird…..WEIRD
I dig a hard shreddy crosseyed like Portsmouth
I would love the style of the It Waves Phish to go into the studio w/ Brian Eno and record a record every 6 months or so. Would love more full band interplay a la Bethel. Want to hear both these styles in full on 20 min Improvs @ Super Ball.
All is good Guyute. Substance free ( some booze) for almost three weeks. Longest i’ve gone since, well, i can’t remember.
This Krasno/ T-bone Shorty joint from Jamaica is awesome. Must have been a great time in Negril. Wonder if Phish will ever pull off one of these destination gigs. I know Panic is doing one in the Mayan Riviera in Mexico early next year. For only 2000 fans.
Well, I am committed now. Just put down a deposit to work Clean Vibes. I have a job next week. After I see a Phish festival of course.