The Top Ten Jams of Fall
Boardwalk Hall (Andrea Nusinov)
I’ve spent the past week spinning the hell out of Fall and I have come up with my top ten jams of tour. These are—by my ear—the most hooked up, flowing pieces of improvisation from an all-too-short fall run. As always, ranking these was an incredibly difficult task, but that said, I’m quite happy with how this top ten turned out. always, Enjoy the playlist!
10. “Ghost” 10.31 III, Atlantic City, NJ
This locked and driving jam opened the third of set of Halloween with a bang.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/3.01-Ghost.mp3]***
9. “Down with Disease” 10.29 II, Reading, PA
After steering through a couple different moods, the band found the end of the rainbow in a southern-style pot of gold. This Allmans-sque passage and earth-shattering peak cement Reading’s “Disease” as a keeper.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2.01-Down-With-Disease.mp3]***
8. “Golden Age” 10.27 II, Hartford, CT
Fishman absolutely destroys this rhythmic jam, as the band dances around his inhuman beats for much of its duration. The band truly sits into this jam, something they are becoming more and more comfortable doing with “Golden Age.”
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2.04-Golden-Age.mp3]***
7. “Twenty Years Later” 10.29 II, Reading, PA
Methodical, growling, and funky as James Brown’s band on their worst night, this mid-set surprise obliterated the dance floor and left people picking up pieces of their brains off the walls of Santander Arena. Sliding into a rootsy, Americana outro, this jam hit the feel-good spot as well.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2.03-Twenty-Years-Later.mp3]***
6. “Twist” 10.23 II, Glens Falls, NY
This jam provided the pivot point of tour; from here on out, everything the band touched turned to gold.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2.04-Twist.mp3]***
5. “Carini” 10.31 III, Atlantic City, NJ
A free-form, third-set joyride that reached profound planes following some early-jam hiccups. The improvisational centerpiece of the Halloween show.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/3.02-Carini.mp3]***
4. “Light” 10.26 II, Worcester, MA
The most slamming “Light” of Fall has so much to offer, including a searing guitar solo, a passionate composed jam and the the most sophisticated groove exposé of the entire tour. Hey!
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2.03-Light1.mp3]***
3. “Twist” 11.1 II, Atlantic City, NJ
The central part of this jam provided the most cathartic group moment of the year aside from Tahoe’s “Tweezer.” Very powerful music; very powerful energy. The band came down from the mountaintop and retained cohesion through a mini-“Under Pressure” jam, continued into a full-blown, psychedelic third segment of music, and finally came down via a dreamy denouement.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2.01-Twist.mp3]***
2. “Carini” 10.18 II, Hampton, VA
This multi-staged, super-dynamic jam is the only piece of Fall—other than my number one pick—that flows with a completely effortless nature from beginning to end. And that’s quite impressive considering the amount of ground it covers, including a scintillating mid-jam, peak and a funked up final section. Despite Sunday’s scorching final set, this “Carini” is the everlasting gem of Hampton 2013.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2.06-Carini.mp3]***
1. “Tweezer” 10.27 II, Hartford, CT
The guys clicked from this jam’s first note, locking into a sacred stride and never missing a beat. No jam from Fall flowed more effortlessly that this—four-minded, egoless, soulful music from start to finish. As if God pressed play and the band simply allowed the music to flow through them—this is what it’s all about.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2.02-Tweezer.mp3]
Hampton Coliseum (Andrea Nusinov)
Have a great day with the boy, Spaz. And what’s up gd. Sufficiently caffeinated, time to get some work done.
I liked wedge where it landed in AC2. Great tune, like the lyrics, no complaints at the time. Boogie, eh. But the next night’s #line, Julius, zero, that I would call mailed in, I could have left to beat the traffic. 🙂
morning all. spending all weekend flat on my back again after the spinal tap lumbar injections. back pain’s a bitch yo.
Hartford Tweez and AC Twist are my alternate go-to’s every morning. gonna start alternating in some Hampton but wow, what music we have from this tour
Hve a great one Fly. Thx bud.
I never mind a well played wedge late in the 2nd. That is a tricky song to play. That tune follows me a bit. Going to do some mowing w the headphones… In a quandary on what to boot up…. #goodproblems
Feel better @Marco!
Julio`d > boogiewedge
Happy 11/17/97 erbuddy!
Morning sdtk w kids: remastered Aladdin Sane
And what what up Fly…good to see u around
I was amazed afterwards how much I enjoyed the end of AC3 in the moment. Julius #line zero to end a set looks weak on paper but I was locked on in the moment. After the amazing weekend (and fall tour in general) phish could do no wrong to me at that point.
I just listened to AC Tweezer, and that is a beastly jam full of serious loop work. AC3 set 2 was heat for almost exactly 1 hour, and then, true to style, it got boogiewedged.
Great discussion on here per usual. Waaaay back on pg 10 & will be catching up today interspersed through Sun office time football watching heady suds & buds etc. Quick congrats to David’s brother & his little baby girl.
Donna Martin is a saint you bastard.
Spinning Hampton TweezAge yet again…put me in the camp that it belongs in the Top 10 of Fall. That is all. Carry on.
& good luck to Matty McGloin getting his first NFL start for the Raiders against the struggling Texans. Houston fan & hoping the hapless squad gets a W but also hoping the fiery ginger from PSU does well today. Kickoff in t minus 2 horas.
AC3 got julielined
TCB is pretty fun esp in light of the fact that it looks like it was totally in the moment. Red pretty elated in the moment of it all. This 2001 is slick…has me chair dancin in the Houston offices…thank Jebus I’m here by myself 😉
Extreme tornado weather scheduled to hit Chicago around noon, with Soldiers Field being the danger zone. Bears game starts at noon. Bearnado imminent.
Hampton 3 set 2 incl encore is solid front to back. What a way for the boys to send out the faithful after 3 nights. Set ending Slave is always $$$. Hampton’s case in point.
aj! Bearnado FTMFW!!! Glad your trip to China w/ all those souls in tow went swimingly.
Shelter in place Chicagoans.
The Friday night Worcester jams need some love too: Waves, Carini, Ghost
@xpun – in the room I thoroughly enjoyed the end of AC3. Just not my usual cup.
You’ll never win the dp world tour championship at Dubai only shooting 24 under par.
Chicago game looks like Jones Beach this summer.
Flashing back to Harpoo debacle. Nooooo!!!
I like how they rewrote Seven Below so that it accounts for Trey flubbing the melody. Very considerate.
Oh wait, they didn’t? He just always messes up the same part? Huh…
RnR > -7 is a nice little opener to Glens Falls II. Neither all-timers, but I wouldn’t mind that one-two punch at all. Makes me think of 2.0, for some reason. On paper, not stylistically.
Listened to a 23 minute WOTC from 2/14/03 today. The last few minutes are quality. I love when a jam slows down into those beautiful composed sounding sections. Such as the end of the Lakewood Ghost and Vegas Wolfmans. You guys know any others like that?