TTFM: The Jams of 2004
8.9.04 - Hampton Coliseum
While many fans debate the year of 2003, a contingent of the community writes off 2004 all together. I am here to tell a different story. The year’s opening shows in Vegas were a complete trainwreck with only a few jams of interest, and it was after these nights in Sin City that Trey announced the band’s “retirement.” It is my theory that with this announcement, the pressure of Phish—and everything that came with it—was lifted off the guys’ shoulders and minds, thus when they took to the road for a short June tour, they saw the light at the end of the tunnel and played their hearts out. Brooklyn, SPAC, Deer Creek and Alpine—two at each—and more than a few highlights to speak of, including two of the band’s most impressive post-hiatus performances in Saratoga Springs. Then, in August, the band took their final run from Hampton to Great Woods to Camden and up to Coventry, Vermont. And despite the debacle of the festival, there are jams within this final run that deserve recognition.
After a positive response from Friday’s 2003 playlist, I thought I’d come right back and start the week with one from 2004. If you were there, you can attest to the passionate playing that Phish displayed this summer up until the very end. While there was often little precision through composed sections, there was never a lack of impressive improv—Phish could always jam. Now that they are back, happy and healthy, let’s celebrate the music of the year in which they crashed and burned! Stay tuned for part two on Friday…
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“Tube” 6.24 II, Deer Creek
This version kicked off the final set at Deer Creek until Summer 2009.
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“Twist” 6.20 II, SPAC
This jam—the most impressive from SPAC’s second night—was part of a seamless four-song masterpiece.
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“Seven Below -> Buffalo Bill” 6.25 II, Alpine
An exploratory piece of psychedelia laced with unconventional groove.
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“Antelope -> 2001” 8.11 II, Great Woods
This exceptional and out-of-left field song pairing opened the final set at Great Woods until 2009. A smoking sequence.
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“Boogie On -> Ghost -> Free” 6.26 II, Alpine
Phish exploded in groove on the final night of June’s short tour.
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“A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing” 6.19 II, SPAC
One of my favorite jams. Period.
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“46 Days > Possum” 6.17 II, Brooklyn
This “46 Days” was the centerpiece jam of the opening night of tour from Keyspan Park. Many fans watched this show at movie theatres across the nation.
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“AC/DC Bag” 8.14 II, Coventry
A standout jam from Coventry? Yup.
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“Scents and Subtle Sounds” 8.12 II, Camden
A tripped out final outing for “Scents” drenched in layered loops and drone effects finalized Phish’s amphitheatre tour, closing out the second set at Camden. Only Coventry remained.
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Tags: 2004, Jams
“we need some new art to make battle eachother”
having seen my first show(s) in 2.0 the Tahoe Light is a go-to jam for me. makes me feel at home (if my home was dark and scary)
damn how do I forget the Tahoe Light
def one of my 3.0 favs. that run just gets forgotten somehow
great spliff we shared AJ. remember giving each other the
“WTF band is that getting dirty up there?”
http://www.djmarkfarina.net/#podPressPlayerSpace_1
Great Deep House podcast from the Chicago master…
Mark’s been around for awhile, good to see he is keeping it fresh.
going to spin that later, thanks @MiA!!
Love jammy TAB Oooh Child’s. Spinning one on nugs.net from 2001 right now. Such a great feel to the jam.
To each their own, Ooh Child sends me out for a smoke. I’d rather go see Journey.
the Pyramid 2001 @poop mentioned recently, get played every few weeks and never gets old. esp the SBD leaked last year, $$$
Best Ooh child jam is the Riviera Theater ’99 show… shit is the deep cow phunk… check it!
what. the. fuck.
For some reason the show that started the return to “form” was the Philly show from 2009. on the 24th that is…that show smoked from start to finish, very overlooked…
wow, egypt
also – this may have been mentioned, but really cool write-up re: the NYE stunt…
http://livedesignonline.com/concerts/0131_phish_new_years_gallo/
Also, any update on Tur rumors today? Still thoughts of Bethel being pushed back/off
^in a minute couldn’t agree more on Philly 09 show 1. that’s when i felt the depth and the churning from the band. the power. the “they’re remembering who they are” type vibe
My first tease of them being back was the Tweezer at Red Rocks. (also one of my first tastes of Mike truly leading a Phish jam with Trey following)
The first moment of being lifted and getting completely engulfed in IT was Miami Tweezer. Talk about still holding up on re-spins. That tweezer is $$$$.
INnMinute- at Charlottsville i overheard the heady pizza guy on-lot saying Philly night 1 was the best show of fall tour. I guess there were good vibes.
But better than Seven Below–>Ghost?
Set 1 had great flow
I caught night 2 of Philly, not quite as nice as the 1st night.
First moment I felt IT again in ’09, sheepishly I admit it, JB #line.
Happy happy.
Jtran, congrats…..we need to talk.
man, i can’t say i completely felt IT live until the Blossom #Line in ’10. Knoxville had some moments of high excitement, AV ’09 had a nice Piper, Charlottesville was fun, but nothing really truly lifted me until that Blossom #Line. maybe a little bit of the Cincy Split. wish i could have hit Miami.
Deer Creek 09 at the time is a very well played nice flowing 2 set phish show.
Not sure if I could spin it now but besides the end of times thunder storm a nice night in the corn fields. Much cleaner effort than the alpine shows that followed.
Cinci Split – although it doesn’t quite ever come back home to land def one of the darker more interesting spaces a 3.0 jam has reached. That Cinci run was actually quite fun. A bunch of tight early 3.0 there.
Set 2 of the DC ’09 show still holds up quite nicely.
RR 09 was def my first IT moment of 2.0.
Another reason to hate the fuckin internet
Discussing Phish.
Better alternative to getting any work done.
Laterz kids
Let’s hope I’m not back
SC2 is a perfectly constructed setlist, both sets.
Cincy Split i think is still the best 3.0 Split, and it seems they still haven’t figured out how to get back into the ending. but watching the crowd during that jam, just frozen solid, loved it.
agreed though, both nights of Cincy were fun, high energy shows.