Vibes that Rise Like Fireflies
7.3.2013 – Bangor (Ryan MacNeill)
Trey mentioned to Rolling Stone, in an article published only hours before Bangor’s tour opener, that the band’s extended layoff had him feeling “bottled up.” If I might speak for the entire Phish fan base, allow me to say the feeling was mutual. But in one fell swoop, we all kicked off this long-awaited 30th Anniversary celebration together in Bangor, Maine on the eve of the nation’s birthday. Beginning with an idyllic afternoon in which the band’s jaw dropping, free form soundcheck could booming through town and wrapping up with an incredibly appropriate centerpiece of “Golden Age,” Phish provided a stellar “Welcome to Summer” experience to everyone in their community.
Bangor Official (J. Rothman)
The opening—and more complete—set of the show carried a distinctly retro song list with nary a lull. Solid performances of “Possum” and “Runaway Jim” set the table for the seemingly-always-first-jam of tour, “Stash.” Set against the backdrop of dusk on the river, this piece got everyone’s juices flowing for the spunky “Wolfman’s” that lurked just around the corner. Notably unbotched versions of “Rift” and “Theme” paved the way for the unquestionable highlight of the frame—”Mike’s Song.” And damn it feels good to write that! Opening up the hackneyed guitar-solo anchored jam, Trey began plucking staccato leads over a minimalist, though menacing, backdrop, and I thought my head might explode. Just hearing creativity infused into the “Mike’s” was like the best Christmas morning ever. Did the jam grow out of structure? Not for a minute, but the band’s approach was diametrically opposed to the cookie-cutter versions sprinkled throughout modern shows. And when they closed the set with “Weekapaug,” one couldn’t help but think, “It’s all happening.”
To properly christen 2013, the thirtieth year since their birth, the band threw down the defining version of “Golden Age” to date. A wide-open, jazz drenched conversation showcased the intellects of the four onstage marksman as it veered far from the half-realized funk patterns of yesteryear into a full-blown freak scene. Think of a late-’70s Grateful Dead funk jam inspected through the lens of modern Phish and you might get a sense of the sonic palette on display in this excursion. The space within the music was astounding, leaving seemigly cavernous gaps for band members to insert their ideas and respond to each other. The virtuoso collaboration between Trey and Page was worth the price of admission, alone. Interestingly, after discussing with a buddy only days ago how little Trey uses his wah-pedal anymore, he put the effect on center stage during this “Golden Age” painting the textures with one subtly wah’ed out note after another. In the same Rolling Stone article, Trey swore, “bands are chemistry. They are nothing but chemistry.” Well, that sound byte resonated across Bangor’s waterfront field as the four alchemists from Burlington, Vermont concocted a stunning tale to open up a summer of dreams.
7.3.13 (R.MacNeill)
But the set took a downturn at this point. After landing the opening jaunt in contained “Twist,” the band placed two Joy songs—”Number Line” and “Ocelot”—in the wheel house of the second set and did nothing with them. I was sure that when the band inserted “Ocelot” where “Tweezer” usually goes that it would finally get some creative loving. But it wasn’t to be and the band seemed to have hit a cruise control right when the show should have been getting juicier. “Rock and Roll” seemed like it might bolster the cause, but the jam was cut, almost awkwardly, to initiate a couple-minute build up into “2001.” Though “Zarathustra” contained some choice licks amidst a laid-back groovescape, the band’s arrival at the tune was less than climactic and it’s placement felt a bit pre-calculated. And just when you thought “Cavern” was ending the show, the band tacked on an “Antelope” and came up with the most profound version of 3.0—by far.
“Antelope” had all but lost it’s place in the modern Pantheon of Phish songs, but on this date—exactly 19 years from its ’94 fireworks-punctuated outing at Old Orchard Beach, Maine—the song was resurrected. I had no thoughts of this jam being anything more than a feel-good rocker to close the night, but mid-build, Trey just opened it up and glory ensued. Bringing to mind thoughts of the Spring ’94 Wiltern version, the band coyly slid out of raging structure for far blissier territory, quickly creating the second-in-command highlight of the night and—essentially—salvaging the set. Seamlessly re-merging with the song’s theme, people’s minds had to be shattered as the band headed for home on notably high gear.
7.3.2013 (R. MacNeill)
And what better way to encore a classics-based setlist than with “Harry Hood.” Laying way back in this jam, Trey took his time building it into something far more than an afterthought. Blossoming a melodic tangent, this extended take on their cathartic opus felt like the perfect way to end the opening night of this month-long celebration. And without experiencing the true throwdown that so many recent tour-openers have entailed, the possibilities are even more limitless than they would be heading into a holiday-weekend three-pack in Saratoga Springs.
Happy 4th of July!
I: Possum, Runaway Jim, Stash, NICU, Wolfman’s Brother, Rift, Theme From the Bottom, Chalk Dust Torture, Mike’s Song > Silent in the Morning > Weekapaug Groove
II: Golden Age > Twist, Backwards Down the Number Line, Ocelot, Rock and Roll > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Cavern, Run Like an Antelope
E: Harry Hood
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REMINDER: SPAC Art Show on Saturday!
Awesome to wake up to a freshie Miner review
Nice work homie
Going to be LP appin it by the pool,after a quick morning of work
Maybe they realized they’ve been blowing their load on tour openers and decided to just toss some nuggets and let this thing snowball some momentum
Summer 13 bitches
but glowsticks thrown at Trey look so pretty when you’re all molz’d up
said way too many people
aw, book a flight to spac
smokin vintage shreddy dust too
dig the theme dust chunk of set I .
Trying to help my buddy out, he’s got 2 very good pavs for Spac 3 (Sunday), wants to trade for decent PNC pavs only- can only hit one, closer to home, etc. If anyone can help, let me know.
d o c g a n z at hm
Thx
Band got first show out of the way, now they get to settle in for a nice 3- pack over the weekend after a day off.. Spac looks promising.. Can’t wait. See you fools up there.
2001 is really quite good there. Abbreviated but potent.
new lights are really cool. almost makes me want the minkins there again too. maybe fish is closer to Trey so mike doesn’t always have to relay song selections. still four across but also kinda like the 99-04 setup.
Listening back to set 2, shame this Twist didn’t grow legs and let loose after that GA, had potential there for a minute, wouldve opened up the set. All good
oh yeah, that soundcheck was choice
Great town, afternoon, soundcheck, etc.
Fun “opening day” feel. Good weather. Just – nice.
Venue: i know they can’t do anything about the mud, but that 2-point access to the field, one exit, and the limited concession options was pretty bush league for a venue that talked a big game about being world class. Sorry, but those things matter – a little. 😉
1st set: kind of got better/looser with each song. Stash was warm, wolfmans warmer, and then i would agreed that Theme was kind of a breakthrough. Mikes/Groove both very nice.
2nd set: I’m not a GA fan, but that was my favorite jam of the night. Twist was solid, with the exception of the end, which was a little awkward. Cavern/Lope/Hood was a dandy finish.
Hardly a mind-blower, but good show with some promising highlights. The non-rabid-fan girlfriend enjoyed it. That’s a reliable sign of approval.
Band is definitely feeling funkier. Well, Mike Page and Fish are.
Just a great town, afternoon, soundcheck, etc.
Fun “opening day” feel. Good weather. Just – nice.
Venue: i know they can’t do anything about the mud, but that 2-point access to the field, one exit, and the limited concession options was pretty bush league for a venue that talked a big game about being world class. Sorry, but those things matter – a little. 😉
1st set: kind of got better/looser with each song. Stash was warm, wolfmans warmer, and then i would agreed that Theme was kind of a breakthrough. Mikes/Groove both very nice.
2nd set: I’m not a GA fan, but that was my favorite jam of the night. Twist was solid, with the exception of the end, which was a little awkward. Cavern/Lope/Hood was a dandy finish.
Hardly a mind-blower, but good show with some promising highlights. The non-rabid-fan girlfriend enjoyed it. That’s a reliable sign of approval.
still looking for way more outta golden age!
what up, kids? we got ourselves a tour. have not spun the newness yet. heard bits of it last night on stream.
any of you tech geniuses know how i could get the webcast tonight on my samsung smart TV? it is connected to the wifi already.
Only listened to Jim so far but excited to hear new jams. Also interested to see what these new lights are that CK5 has introduced. Wonder why they’ve switched back to the 2.0 stage setup though?
At kaya – webcast has to be on a computer connected to your TV or alternatively using an AppleTV you can AirPlay it from an iPhone or iPad.
Pretty sweet Wolfmans! Like the new light rig, looks very Close Encounters Mothershipy.. New Kuroda toy..are those ‘screens’ part of the rig or just a venue thing… Could make a good canvas for CK..
http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=plpp&v=BbQYQLehnnw
Was just going to give theme mvp of I. One where I think whale can work well.
Like laid back Stash. Can hear listening behind the notes.
Agree on non-Ocedoc tone at high-end/sustain (CDT, Twist), but whale can limit, so hope he pockets that for the shred. Still huge Ocedoc fan, though.
Just got to Hood. Page throws down the Daft Punk keyboard sound hard. I laughed aloud. Hilarious. Get lucky is coming
not tom, they switched so trey could hear everyone better/more easily basically
thanks, not tom. i have dick’s light streaming through the TV now. looks and sounds amazing. but you’re saying the webcast works differently? couldn’t i purchase the webcast through my tv (which is basically like a giant ipad/kindle fire) and be good to go?
If you can get to livephish.com on your tv it should work kaya.
Smart phone and smart tv, getting a smart lawn mower next?
Great review Miner. Thank you.
I think the antelope shows signs of great things to come. The band is definitely trying to switch things up. Example , new stage set up, hang up the ocedoc, new light rig, no creek or alpine. Already ready for me!