Mid-Week Musings

6.10.11 (G.Lucas)

After the incredibly successful summer that Phish has already had, we still have a dozen shows to go! In a bit more than a week the circus will travel to the hallowed grounds of the Gorge to kick off the back end of the touring season. And things couldn’t look brighter. When we left the band just a few weeks ago, they had just thrown down the best weekend of music in the modern era amidst a full-blown Phish festival of the sorts we only dreamed about a few short years ago. It is impossible to deny the musical momentum built over the first half of this summer and— more than ever—it certainly feels like the dawning of Phish’s Golden Age.

 

7.3.11 (G.Lucas)

Full-blown creativity, new improvisational directions, experimental jamming, airtight communication, uncharted territory—all of these facets were part of Phish’s opening month of tour. And if the progress made from leg one to leg two during the past two summer tours is any indication, Phish is going to come back with even sharper jaws and enhanced improvisational adventure. At Super Ball, the band seemed to play with a laid-back patience, understanding that we were all there for three days and there was no reason to rush anything. As a result, almost almost no jams were ended prematurely and the weekend possessed an undeniable flow. Though some sets were better crafted than others, the band left us with a slew of the most innovative music to be played in this era.

Two nights at the Gorge, Hollywood Bowl, Tahoe x 2, Golden Gate Park, then two three-packs—at UIC and Denver…there is heck of a lot of music left to be played this summer! And just like the last two, when all is said and done, my bet is that the second leg will produce the most memorable jams of the tour. Building off a spectacular June that was in a different league than its 2009 and 2010 predecessors, the thoughts of what might come out of August is awe-inducing. Five new venues and a return to two of their most classic haunts will provide us with 24 more sets to take us through a Phishless fall. But something tells me that after a spectacular—and lengthy—summer, that won’t be too much of a problem for anyone.

In 2011,  Phish has created a buzz in the community like no time since their Hampton return. Showcasing a completely revitalized improvisational brilliance—built upon the foundation of ’09 and ’10—Phish took people by storm in Bethel and have maintained that quality of play, and improved upon it, right up through Super Ball. It’s an exciting time to be a Phish fan, as the entire comeback has brought us to right now. And heading up to the Gorge in this context, could anything be sweeter?

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Jam of the Day:

Light > Number Line” 6.19.11 II

Deep in Portsmouth’s second set, Phish got into an intricate and psychedelic take on “Light” in which Trey actually sets up a quasi-transition into “Number Line.” With so much meat in his show, this “Light” jam hasn’t been discussed to much; check it out.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/phish2011-06-19.d2t08.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/phish2011-06-19.d2t09.mp3] Tags:

510 Responses to “Mid-Week Musings”

  1. SillyWilly Says:

    In my opinion,

    Dirk Nowitzki is the Heidigger of the NBA. German. Plays more offense than defense. Connects old school to New school.

    Lebron James is the Derrida. French sounding name. People either love him or hate him. Goes places others won’t.

    Chris Bosh is the Roland Barthes. People only read him because of his teammates.

    Yao Ming is the Jean-Paul Sartre. Communist.

  2. alf Says:

    i think donovan will continue to struggle against the cover 2 and whoever is calling plays really needs to protect him with some play action, draws, and screens

    /no idea what i just said

  3. alf Says:

    Chris Bosh is the Roland Barthes. People only read him because of his teammates.

    ^awesome

  4. sumodie Says:

    i knew id finally reached adulthood when i became jaded

    (im joking far less than you might think)

    jaded realtimer, phish fluffer -thats me

  5. alf Says:

    actually i do know a good amount about football, just stopped paying attention 4-5 years ago b/c i can’t take all the shit that surrounds it, mostly advertising, the culture of celebrity, and a few high profile prima donnas

    talk away, i can take it 😉

  6. MrCompletely Says:

    I once had a Blood Bowl team called the Heidelberg Killosophers, featuring players with names like Bruno Nietzsche and Jumbo Heidegger. Won the Dynamix league championship 2 years in a row.

    one of my favorite games since the rules make no sense and cheating is encouraged http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_bowl

  7. MrCompletely Says:

    Sun Tzu was our coach obv

  8. alf Says:

    though i guess its not the prima donnas themselves i can’t stand, its the way the networks give them such a huge platform

    football ‘analysis’ = so, how will the locker room be impacted by such and such’s latest comments?

    instead of, say, what the fuck ‘cover 2’ means and how bom trady is being confused by it because of this well disguised blitz

  9. joe Says:

    …so how bout that transition into numberline? Also, what’s the percentage chance that trey steps away from the guitar and goes keys or drums in a jam in leg 2 ala the storage jam?

  10. tela'smuff Says:

    alf – excited to hang soon!

  11. alf Says:

    ::slowly backs away from anti-nfl soap box::

    me too tela’s, gonna be some trip 😮

  12. RamblinMind Says:

    @Silly – that Les McCann/Eddie Harris live album is pretty hot, if it’s the same one I’m thinking of (with the famous “Compared to What”). Actually spun that last night on the tt, but there wasn’t much of an audience late night. Think it was just me and BK. An intimate moment.

  13. Mike in Austin Says:

    Listening to Tribute to Jack Johnson. I’m so ready for Leg II.

  14. tela'smuff Says:

    alf – not sure if you like fishing, but i’m working on a half-day fly fishing trip on the 6th. Leo is in. not sure if that interests you, but giving you a heads up.

  15. joe Says:

    (nfl/bb gambling reprise): an alternative to a straight pick em pool would be an eliminator pool:

    •Pick one team each week that you think will win
    •If the team you pick loses, you get eliminated from the pool
    •You are not allowed to pick the same team twice
    •Pool ends when there is one player left who survives the longest!

    I would be willing to be the organizer of said pool. minimal work.

  16. DukeOfLizards Says:

    http://xkcd.com/904/

  17. MrCompletely Says:

    agreed on the nonsense ego based horseshit in network coverage tho there has been a detectable increase in technical analysis in recent years which is very welcome.

  18. MrCompletely Says:

    be sure to read the tooltip on that xkcd

    i like pick ems more than eliminators though the latter are popular right now

  19. joe Says:

    I also prefer the pick em – I do a mid-level money one against the spread. (no fantasy for me either), but was thinking this could be something quick and easy. small entry fee in the form of a donation to mr. miner, with a small prize and big bragging rights. Hopefully won by one of the non-nfl followers.

  20. SillyWilly Says:

    Ill go NFL and Philosophy

    The media is Jean Baudrillard

    Simulations and Simulacra

  21. MrCompletely Says:

    my wife reads nothing about football but watches games with a practiced eye and by about week 6 is regularly crushing our little pick ’em deal. epic win for not overthinking it. she just knows who’s better and is usually right.

  22. Mdawg Says:

    Golden Age comin’ round! Thank you Mr. Miner! You just got me even more pumped up for leg twooooooooooo!

  23. MrCompletely Says:

    she picked GB to win the super bowl right around week 6 last year. no lie. she saw right through their injury problems at the time and was just like – they’re gonna get healthy and hot at the right time and are totally winning it all this year – with total certainty

  24. Mr. Palmer Says:

    home…finally.

    football talk, cool. Go Giants. Plax is coming back. Man served his time. Dude gets 3 years for shooting himself in the leg, others go free for killing children. hmm. plax has money, he still went to iron bar hotel…. can’t figure that one out ( sarcasm)

  25. Mr. Palmer Says:

    Aw- long or short here? Its a tough one imo. I think things are gonna get ugly fast if these baffoons don’t do something soon.

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