Beyond Belief
8.15.12 – Long Beach (Sam Heller)
Opening the floodgates of creativity, Phish redefined possibilities with a second set that elevated this game to a completely new level. Storming out of the gates with nearly 45 minutes of experimental jamming in “Rock and Roll > Ghost,” and continuing with an immaculate “Limb by Limb” and “Harry Hood” that will make a you cry, Phish brought their A+ game to a tour-opener of dreams in Southern California.
As not to sound redundant throughout this piece, allow me to say up front—this was the best I’ve heard Phish play in ages. Last night’s second set was a case study in virtuoso communication and the metaphysical explosions that result from such human achievement. Touching on every facet of their sound that makes them the phenomenon we know and love, Phish gave a glimpse into paradise. The best thing you can do for yourself as a Phish fan right now, is to stop reading this review, cancel the next 90 minutes of your life, grab some headphones and bask.
8.15.12 (Sam Heller)
Weaving musical gold while lacing together one dreamscape after another, Phish came out with a massive statement in Long Beach. “Rock and Roll,” in and of itself, contained a entire show’s worth of standout improvisation. Spanning the the full spectrum from wide-open fields of melodic glory to demonic lairs of a “storage” sequence that sounded plucked from the wee hours of Super Ball, itself, the band could do no wrong. After plunging such depths with the first jam of the set, they could have easily hit cruise control. But that’s about the farthest thing from what happened.
Moving from a monumental excursion directly into “Ghost,” it felt that the band turned a corner with this decision. Feeling no need to reel things in, they forged forth into—arguably—the most spectacular portion of the night. Using the entirety of “Ghost’s” jam to peak “Rock and Roll’s Odyssean journey, the band converged on a life-altering peak. Taking but a couple of measures to move outside the box, “Ghost” proved, as it has all summer, to be an efficient path to original music. And this time, they drove the piece right through the heart of the audience, sparking a communal bolt of reverie. After 45 minutes of unbridled, wide-open jamming, the band could have dropped their instruments and walked off stage to a standing ovation. But they just kept moving forward.
8-15-12 (S.Heller)
Concluding almost an hour of non-stop improv with a spectacular take on “Limb By Limb,” it became quite apparent that the entire set would be laced with grandeur. A spot-on and notably raging “Guyute” fit within the context of this set better than any recent appearance of the song, and “Dirt” felt as poignant as ever Trey’s guitar lines dripped with emotion. And when the guys rolled into “Harry Hood,” they could have taken this show to the bank with a standard version—but they didn’t. Sensing a theme here? Instead, Phish played what has to be considered an elite “Hood” of any era. Listening to each other with a subconscious marksmanship—a hallmark of the entire show—the band sculpted a final dip into majesty. Providing the proverbial cherry on top, this multi-tired “Hood” sealed the deal on a night that was far better than imaginable.
And we may have just scratched the surface…
First Set Notes: A more than solid tour-opening frame was marked by high energy playing from start to finish. “Cities” got things moving as the second song of the show, while both “Stash” and “Gin” popped with extra spirit along the way. But, as many tour-opening sets of this era, this one was long in the rearview mirror by the time the encore hit.
I: Suzy Greenberg, Cities > Kill Devil Falls, Guelah Papyrus, Cool It Down, Rift, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, Bathtub Gin, Quinn the Eskimo
II: Rock and Roll > Ghost > Limb By Limb, Guyute, Dirt, Harry Hood > Good Times Bad Times
E: Julius
Tags: 2012, Summer 2012, The Moment
@tela’s: email sent your way.
there are definitely some grains, if not threads, of truth in that satirical article.
Feel like last nights Ghost is most reminiscent of the MSG nye ’10 version
^ I had the same feeling; guitar ripper….
Sounds like they sped most things up just a bit last night…TEMPO!
@palmer: (page2)
LB Ghost….first feeling is that it is a combination of MSG ’10 and Worcester ’12 Ghost’s.
There are some grains of truth kaya, no doubt. Too bad it is just another Christian subscriber pumping out their every caring agenda.
total disease supreme feel to the RnR
love the wah action mid 70’s playin stylee at first and then full on porno funk
can’t believe i had to wait nearly ten minutes between remembering there was a show last night and listening to it on my portable computer
what a load of fucking bullshit
i hate everything
love trey’s re-embracement of the wah this year. has been used wonderfully as of late.
nasty aggro wah in that Gorge RnR…attacking aliens with that mofo
this is a great RnR>Ghost, but as time settles, i’ll imagine the RnR settles somewhere alongside the UIC Disease. as a package though, RnR>Ghost is $$$. I still like Light>Ghost from AV more. is it to soon for that? ha. :ducks:
frottage Says:
August 16th, 2012 at 11:46 am
can’t believe i had to wait nearly ten minutes between remembering there was a show last night and listening to it on my portable computer
what a load of fucking bullshit
i hate everything
^I know right?
piggybacking on the previous sweetass fucking comment by me
::attention!
this hood is what jones beach 09 tried to be
with a drizzle of june 19 2004 limbylimbylimbylimbylimb jam up top
mercy me
if i didn’t know better i’d be like
HI GOD THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR MUSIC COLLECTION WITH EARTH
frottage- I was thinking of that ’09 Hood when listening to last nights. Good call. That little ambient jam towards the end.
“mercy me
if i didn’t know better i’d be like
HI GOD THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR MUSIC COLLECTION WITH EARTH”
It is not god’d but the Universe’s, god is tone def and likes Maroon 5 and Arcade Fire.
Maroon 5 and Arcade Fire. Arcade Fire is an interesting pairing there.
cue The Universe.
Trey knew exactly where he was going as soon as Ghost started.
i think lxl needs to be tossed into the r&r>ghost package. pretty smooth transition, and a solid limb taboot.
FUCKING GHOST. THAT IS WHAT I AM FUCKING TALKING ABOUT MOTHERFUCKERS!
I think Boris liked the ghost
I think Phish should tour more so CK5 wouldn’t need the side job of doing Bieber tour… just a thought.
Roggae lyrical tease!? MONEY TITS AND SWEATY NIPS!!
over time I have grown bored of hood. However, spac and this one from last night are prime. Enjoy all…
The circus is definitely the place for me.
does CK5 designing the lighting for Sir Biebs A Lot’s next tour mean that he’s running the rig or just that he’s getting the whole shebang ready for the road?