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: Summer 2011
nice GC. So the Giants gave the Mets a top pitching prospect, Wheeler? Ever hear of the guy? I’m not a big baseball prospect guy. I have a hard enough problem keeping up interest at the major league level.
alf – right on. i’ll bring you back one for the grill.
@garretc
that was a masterful joke.
once again, and like always, I applaud you, sir.
in answer to my own question from a few pages ago:
odds on trey playing with a non-guitar toy in a jam on leg 2: 40-1
@Mr. P
I know nothing about Wheeler, but I have no problem with giving away pitching prospects, as young pitching studs seems to be our specialty… Excited to see how Beltran will fare in the pitchers park that is Pac Bell…
@Silly
It only looks like all my jokes are masterful because the thing I actually mastered is quality control! Real life is my testing ground for bad jokes, but you guys just get the cream of the crop. If I don’t like it once it’s typed out: poof, gone to the aether.
glad I wasn’t just hearing it C
I randomly grabbed that shit when I dropped on saturday night walking the dog by the lake.
didn’t know if the dead sucked and I just forgot. or I was getting auditory hallucinations but it wasn’t good.
the quality though is what was crazy. why release a show that is that flat sounding with a strange mix unless it was the hottest show of all time.
when I got home I dug into some quality stuff and was much more lifted by then so it all worked out.
everything about that release was inexplicable to me AW
I think they get unfairly criticized a lot and in general I can at least understand the logic behind each release even if I don’t agree, but that one baffles me.
the idea of a picky music head like you randomly choosing that show, of all the official releases, is just maddening to me.
hands down the worst official release. there are some other sketchy ones but that’s the only one I’d stamp as an outright fail.
Hey boys. Just got my confirmation on my flight to Colorado.
I will be in CO. by 1:45 on Sat. Can’t wait to kick it with you cats before the show.
I am feeling really great since I thought my last shows of the summer were going to be MPP.
My GW Camden MPP shows left me in a little funk
I feel like a kid on christmas
the Music > Sugaree > Music
sounds like a 3.0 Phish segue
how do you think I feel C
rarely listen to the Dead these days. bored Saturday. grab puddle. grab dicks picks and load to phone. all stoked for some good Jerry. music blows.
1/32 chance of worst dicks picks. I grab it.
my luck sucks.
that’s one of those conceptual segues clearly planned out ahead of time….”oh we could do this pretty easily”
Europe 1972 to Summer 1974
it’s that simple
I figured I was up for anything that was a choice cut C
in general I do get bored at the post 74 stuff. not a real 77 fan at all.
was trying to open up my tastes a bit. like I said I figured they were all hot enough that I could take anything pre 91. wrong.
I can’t believe I thought tour started this weekend
talk about a head fuck to make the next few days even slower.
that really sucks. for me, I thought I wasn’t going at all until so recently it’s kind of the opposite, I can’t believe how soon shows are
gonna see bruce h and bela this weekend at the zoo. should be fun for the kids
Portland Zoo!!!
its a fun place for shows to be sure. and the return of Howard Levy really classes up the Flecktones, who I haven’t been interested in seeing in about 15 years
bummed I missed Afrocubism at the zoo earlier this summer. Malian and Cuban guys going at it. Had to be sick.
that’s sweet, C
bek and i are going to see hornsby and bela at the biltmore estate the thursday after the gorge weekend
phew! couple pages of GD chatter…the bb is back to normal, lol
::makes mental note to expunge all traces of dp 32 (alpine 82) from music collection::
interesting 4 part story about drug smuggling in the LA Times that started in Monday’s edition and will conclude tomorrow
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/cartel/la-me-cartel-20110724,0,6282239.story
i’ve always been fascinated by such tales
today’s story is especially entertaining
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/cartel/la-me-cartel-20110727,0,6478850.story?page=1?lkjasdlkjlsad
damn just from a quick skim that story from today is eerily like my dad’s history except he never got popped
hijack . . . it’s a TRAP!
whoa C . . . unrealz!
my favorite line . . . “It was uncut … a pearly color, flaky, with a candy kind of smell to it,” Ward said. “People would pull your arms off for that stuff.”
you don’t say!