Mr. Miner's Phish Thoughts

Following a festival slot at Austin City Limits, Phish’s fall tour of 2010 began in earnest with an intimate three-night stand a Broomfield, Colorado. While these shows didn’t hold up as tour highlights come, they were a solid starter pack for what would be the band’s best 3.0 tour to that point. This tour contained several indelible trends, and the first began in Broomfield—”Light” as a vehicle for quickened groove. What had been primarily an abstract and “ambient”-slanted jam, transformed in Broomfield, upping the song’s potential for improv, and several stellar versions would follow. Another Fall trend was the transformation of “Carini” into a blissed out jam. The band took the demonic piece and continuously flipped it upside down, transforming its path into melodic realms. Finally, durng Fall 2010, “Sand” evolved from a platform for guitar fireworks into a whole-band jam, and was a centerpiece of fall. Surrounding these metamorphoses, Phish’s musical efficiency and proficiency both soared, but the band’s lock-step jamming didn’t fully click until their second performance in Charleston. From that point, Phish traveled north for the rest of the tour—two weeks that saw the band’s consistency return like never before in this era. Less Amherst, the band ran off a stretch standout performances in Augusta, Utica, Providence, Manchester, and three in AC. When this tour ended, the community was flying high as the band seemed destined for greatness again. Today’s playlist—featuring a few more than ten tracks—brings us back though the hottest stretch of Fall 2010.

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“Crosseyed and Painless” 10.16 II, Charleston, SC

A three-tiered beast of the likes we rarely hear this era.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-16t14.mp3]

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“2001 > Tweezer” 10.16 II

A high-octane, mid-set pairing from the band’s fire-stoking show.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-16t17.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-16t18.mp3]

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“Light” 10.19 II, Augusta, ME

My pick for the version of Fall, combining both groove-based and abstract elements.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-19d2t05.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-19d2t06.mp3]

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“Reba” 10.19 E, Augusta. ME

Out of nowhere Phish dropped one of the elite “Rebas” ever.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-19d3t04.mp3]

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“Run Like an Antelope” 10.20 I, Utica, NY

The Utica “Antelope” went where no modern version has been before or after.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Phish-Disc02Track05.mp3]

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“Split > Have Mercy > Piper > Split” 10.20 II, Utica, NY

The unforgettable sequence from Utica’s second set.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Phish-Disc03Track04.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Phish-Disc03Track05.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Phish-Disc03Track06.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Phish-Disc03Track07.mp3]

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“Rock and Roll > Carini” 10.22 II, Providence, RI

Some avant-garde psychedelia into, arguably, the “Carini” of tour.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-22t13.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-22t14.mp3]

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“Light” 10.26 II, Manchester, NH

A groove-centric rendition that saw a reprise of the “Alumni Blues” funk from the opening set

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-26t18.mp3]

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“Ghost -> Mango” 10.26 II

A fierce “Ghost” that, for some reason, doesn’t get mentioned much.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2.10-Ghost.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2.11-The-Mango-Song.mp3]

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“Cities” 10.29 I, Atlantic City, NJ

Atlantic “Cities.”

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-29t14.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-29t15.mp3]

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“Sand > Carini” 10.29 II

Two staples of tour came together in the opening show of AC.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2.03-Sand.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2.04-Carini.mp3]

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“Chalk Dust -> Whole Lotta Love -> Chalk Dust” 10.30 I

Was this a Halloween trick or tease? During setbreak, opinions varied.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/1.06-Chalkdust-Torture.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/1.07-Whole-Lotta-Love.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/1.08-Chalkdust-Torture.mp3]

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“2001 > David Bowie” 10.30 II

After the Zeppelin antics, the band got down to business at the end of the 30th.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-30t18.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-30t19.mp3]

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“Stash” 10.31 I

The improvisational beast of Halloween.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ph2010-10-31t10.mp3]

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“Fat Man In a Bathtub” 10.31 II

The kick off of one of Phish’s more fun Halloween sets ever.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2.02-Fat-Man-in-the-Bathtub.mp3]

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“Spanish Moon” 10.31 II

The highlight of “Waiting For Columbus” that we are still waiting to see reemerge.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-31t20.mp3]

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2012 Champion: “YOU ENJOY MYSELF”

On May 24th, on the brink of Summer Tour’s kick-off in Bethel, Phish will drop the DVD/CD Box set “Live in Utica,” commemorating what many fans, including myself, selected as the show of 2010. As the release gets closer, the band will likely release several previews of the DVDs, and the first snippet came today—footage of the show’s first set “David Bowie.” Below is my description of the jam, excerpted from last year and the video clip.

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While Fishman’s cymbals danced into the intro to “Bowie,” Trey continued to play “Guyute’s” triumphant lick with increasingly distorted phrasing, a seemingly innocent move at the time. But these teases sparked a theme for the rest of the set – self-referential integration of one song into another in with the spontaneity of lore. As “Bowie’s” jam dropped, Trey used the same “Guyute” line, phrased differently, to initiate the improvisation. Almost immediately, the band landed in the opening hits of “Wilson” and the crowd caught on just as quickly. In a call and response exercise, the crowd chanted “Wilson” to which Trey answered in Guyute-speak, “He’s bouncing like a new born elf.” Instead of dropping into “Wilson,” in earnest, the band made the far shrewder call of melting back into a delicate, full-on “Bowie” jam. Page’s piano leads wove with Trey’s melodies, pushing the piece in an ominous direction. Mike supported with harmonizing rhythm offerings that catalyzed a darker feel, and the band took off running in a powerful version of their revitalized classic. Passing through an additional “Wilson” tease on the way to a smashing final section, Phish had dropped a twisting tour highlight smack dab in the middle of the first set. And that wouldn’t even be their most impressive excursion of the half!

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Read the rest of my Utica two-part retrospective…

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Jam of the Day:

“Run Like an Antelope” 10.20.2010 I

The peak of Utica’s opening set.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Phish-Disc02Track05.mp3]

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Traditionally a platform for extended guitar sorcery, “Sand” made the jump from TAB to Phish at The Gorge in the Fall of 1999. Adopting a similar structure as it had in Trey’s solo band, Phish’s “Sand” showcased a deep, linear groove over which the band largely improvised by adding and peeling away sonic layers and effects. Rarely veering from this structure, the song became a relic of 1999 and 2000—the millennial era—a time when Phish focused on psychedelic soundscapes and dark, rhythmic jamming. Appearing only once in the post-hiatus era as a part of 2003’s New Year’s Run in Miami, Phish doubled that output in 2009 with versions in Camden and Miami. Camden’s version added a surprise element of melody to the groove-based palette, but the song remained a rarity through Summer 2010.

A turning point for the song came in Telluride, when Mike broke form and began improvising bass leads while Trey tore into ferocious washes of sound and sustained, uncompressed phrases. Page stepped up and began playing along with Mike’s uncompromising lines before Trey drifted back into a more standard lead role. While Mike, Page and Trey engaged in a distinctly different conversation, Fishman still maintained a driving beat that kept the creativity framed in familiar style. Coming together in a crushing full-band peak, Phish capped the jam without returning to its final musical verse. This version carried something far more dynamic than previous incarnations; interplay that foreshadowed a forthcoming change.

Over the course of Fall and New Year’s, Phish dropped four “Sands”—as many versions as they had played in almost two years since their return. Over these four outings, Phish continued the shift that had begun in Telluride, from a one-dimensional piece into a jam in which all four members play an equal part. Coming off the shelf in the first set of Charleston’s finale, it was this version of “Sand” that kicked the show into overdrive; a show that would set Phish afire for the rest of the fall. Building off Telluride’s version, the entire band—including Fishman—treated the song more equitably than ever before. Trey left space for other ideas in the mix, and before we knew it, Phish was crafting a legitimate four-piece conversation amidst “Sand.” Applying their ego-less jamming that has steadily matured since their return to “Sand,” the band transformed the one-time Trey highlight reel into a dynamic show-stopper.

Phish liked what they played in Charleston so much that “Sand” was moved into the second set only two shows later in Utica, New York. Coupled with Atlantic City’s fall finale on 10.29, these two versions explored the band’s newly-discovered four-piece rhythmic gamesmanship. And both resulted in fall tour highlights that reached places previously untouched by “Sand.” Utica’s knee-buckling version featured more powerful exchanges than Charleston’s and broke into a second segment that provided a groovy bridge to “Theme From the Bottom,” while giving us a preview of the open jamming we’d hear from the song in Atlantic City. “Sand’s” curtain call of the season came in a scintillating centerpiece on the first night of Atlantic City. Following another mind-numbing and equitable excursion, Phish skirted the song’s typical ending and landed in a slowed down, melodic piece of music with a shuffle beat that, had nothing to do with the song’s structure at all. “Sand,” the ultimate contained jam, had finally broken down its doors into open, uncharted territory. Eventually leading into “Carini,” this version illustrated how far the song had come over fall tour. But we had no idea what was waiting for us on New Year’s Eve.

As the opening of “Sand” emanated from the stage at Madison Square Garden, it felt like the theme music to a prize-fighter’s entrance. Shit was about to go down, and everybody in the building knew it. Bursting out of the gate with his signature staccato licks featured prominently over the New Year’s Run, Trey began the jam as he would any other in history. But with 2010’s improvisational transformation, the rest of the band reacted completely differently than in years past. Instead of providing a canvas for Trey’s crack rhythm licks, the band joined right in! Echoing and improvising off of Trey’s infectious lines, the band members engaged in a selfless symphony like none heard in the song’s history. Page, Mike, and Fish were all playing some form of Trey’s stacatto licks, transforming the jam into one of the danciest and most impressive jaunts of the song’s career. The band members all left space for each other to continue and finish each others’ musical ideas, and the jam quickly turned into one of the most intense high “Sand” had ever provided. And as Trey released from his syncopated patterns with a jazzy lick, the band followed right along, sailing fluidly through the second half of the song with communication just as jaw-dropping as the first. And then without wasting a moment, Phish seamlessly returned to the final chords of the song in a flawless rendition.

It is a fruitless attempt to compare “Sands” from 1999 to “Sands” of 2010, as the band’s intent for the song has now completely changed. That being said, each spin of the New Year’s version continues to floor me with its precision and perfection. Along with Big Cypress’ middle of the night romp on the other end of the spectrum, I believe these to be the song’s crowning achievements. The former version is 40 minutes and the latter is 10—timings that are signposts of vastly different eras. Cypress’ odyssey represents the peak of the original “Sands,” while MSG’s represents the peak of a whole new style. But when all is said and done, with Phish’s new focus on equitable “Sand” structures, the song’s brightest days may yet lie ahead.

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Jam of the Day:

“Sand” 12.31.10 II

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ph2010-12-31t14.mp3]

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

4.27.1991 The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York SBD

FLAC Torrent (via etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

I played roulette with for today’s download. I chose a year, closed my eyes, and clicked the mouse. So here we have it—The Capitol Theatre, a very Phishy stop in 1991. This was the band’s third of seven shows at the venue between 1990 and 1992. Enjoy the Thursday SBD treat. (Note: The FLAC torrent is an AUD new to circulation.)

I: Sweet Adeline, The Asse Festival, Runaway Jim, Cavern, The Landlady, My Sweet One, Reba, Llama, The Lizards, Suzy Greenberg, Stash, Golgi Apparatus

II: The Curtain > Possum, TMWSIY > Avenu Malkenu > TMWSIY > Mike’s Song > Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Fluffhead, Tweezer, The Squirming Coil > Wipe Out > Tweezer Reprise

E: Bouncin’ Around the Room, Good Times Bad Times

*Aquarium Rescue Unit opened

Source: DSBD / FLAC: akg 451eb’s

I have finally listened to Fall Tour enough to be able to drop “Miner’s Picks: Fall 2010.” But there were far too many highlights, that’s my problem right there. So instead of limiting myself to one version per song on a tour that featured a fairly tight rotation, I decided to split the run into three chronological chunks and form three mini-sets of fall jams. Obviously, I could have chosen multiple versions of almost all songs, but unless their was a dire need to double up, as in the case of a song combinations (“Pipers”) or two versions I couldn’t choose between (“Ghost”), I did my best to single out my favorite versions without repeating songs. Without further ado, here are my picks. (Torrent link is at the top of the list, direct download links are at the bottom.)

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MINER’S PICKS: Fall 2010 < Torrent

I. Broomfield (10.11-12) / Charleston (15-16)

1. “2001 > Tweezer” 10.16 II

3. “Ghost” 10.10 II

4. “Twist” 10.11 II

5. “Split Open and Melt” 10.12 II

6. “Golden Age > Piper > Camel Walk” 10.11 II

9. “The Curtain (With)” 10.16 I

10. “Crosseyed and Painless” 10.16 II

11. “Slave to the Traffic Light” 10.10 II

12. “46 Days” 10.12 I

13. “YEM” 10.16 II

II. Augusta (10.19) / Utica (20) / Prov (22) / Amherst (23-24)

14. “Bathtub Gin” 10.19 I

15. “Reba” 10.19 E

16. “Wolfman’s > Cities” 10.20 I

18. “Light > 20 Years Later” 10.19 II

20. “Split > Have Mercy > Piper > Split” 10.20 II

24. “Rock and Roll > Carini > My Problem Right There” 10.22 II

27. “Stash” 10.24 I

28. “Piper > Hood” 10.23 II

30. “I Saw It Again > Antelope” 10.20 II

III. Manchester (10.26) / Atlantic City (29-31)

32. “Cities > 46 Days” 10.29 I

34. “Makisupa > Night Nurse > Makisupa” 10.26 II

37. “Sand > Carini” 10.29 II

39. “Ghost > Mango” 10.26 II

41. “Tube” 10.30 II

42. ” 2001 > Bowie” 10.30 II

44. “Chalkdust Torture” 10.30 I

45. “Stash”  10.31 I

46. “Fat Man In The Bathtub” 10.31 II

47. “Spanish Moon” 10.31 II

48. “Jibboo” 10.31 III

MEGAUPLOAD PT. 1 / MEGAUPLOAD PT. 2 < LINKS

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Jam of the Day:

“2001 > Bowie” 10.30 II

One of the choicest cuts of fall.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-30t18.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-30t19.mp3]

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Along with Phish’s retro-sized Fall Tour came many strands of the band’s musical roots. Churning out tightly wound jams akin to years past, Phish honed their improvisational skills with precise interplay each and every show. The four band members often engaged in equitable excursions without a clear lead player, thus the entire quartet could shine in relation to one another. In this context, Page emerged from Trey’s eternal shadow and stepped up his game, specifically, on piano. Returning to his personal roots, Page left many of his sundry keyboards aside when Phish got into serious business. If the band dipped into psychedelic seas, odds were that Page had firmly planted himself at the piano and gushed melodic styles. This trend gave even the heaviest “Sands,” “Pipers,” “Stashes,” and “Bowies” a distinctly stripped down feel, infusing an old-school layer into this new-school mixture. The late ’90s and post-hiatus represented experimental eras for Phish, and especially for Page, as he surrounded himself with more and more instruments. In juxtaposition to those eras, The Chairman of the Boards took a step backwards down the number line during Fall 2010, as his prominent piano offerings became a defining feature of Phish jams all season long.

One example of Page’s full-throttle piano assault came in the midst of Amherst’s stellar “Stash.” Playing quietly at the onset of the jam, he dotted the background with delicate melodic runs. Page comped Trey’s leads out of the gate, providing plenty of space for Red’s audacious leads; but behind the guitar narrative, he began to loosen up by interlacing piano chords with Trey’s lines. The two locked into each other’s phrases and painted the top half with sinister co-leadership. Joining Trey in a melodic switch that reached for the heavens, Page offered lead piano lines that harmonized beautifully with Trey’s melodic geyser. Moving between block chords and dizzying melodies, Page painted the music with maniacally rolling patterns. Never stepping off the piano for a moment, Page brought creative offerings to this “Stash” from beginning to end, building the final peak step-in-step with Trey.

A second prime conversion of Page and his piano came in Manchester’s blistering tour-highlight, “Ghost.” The leadless quality of the band’s conversation defined this jam, as all four band members contributed equal parts for the duration. An example of an ego-less symbiosis, the band allowed plenty of room for all members other to speak, while complimenting each other’s ideas perfectly. Though Mike, Page, Trey and Fish were all at the top of their game during this segment, Page’s fluid piano leads stood out vibrantly. As the band settled into a groove, Page hopped right on piano adding sparse melodies to the burgeoning mixture. As Mike and Trey engaged in full, Page hung right with them – at first offering minimalist backing patterns and then flowing into complementary leads. For a short period he layered another keyboard atop his piano, lending a darker feel to the jam while still keeping the piano prominent in the upper-most layer of the music. As the jam picked up pace, so did Page’s offerings, and he stepped boldly into the thick of the band’s ascending path. He and Trey bounced melodic phrases off each other as they climbed into the most dramatic segment of the jam, and as they reached a furious peak, Mike, Trey, and Page rolled into a sonic ball of thunder far greater than the sum of their parts. Drifting into the ambient-groove, post-peak section, Page is the one that first hits the sublime melody that Trey echoes and turns into the theme of the jam’s denouement. Engaging in game of spiritual tag, Page wound his majestic piano phrases around his own melody that Trey hypnotically repeated, eventually blending into “Mango Song.” Contributing as much to the Manchester “Ghost” as anyone, Page, again, favored the piano for its entirety.

There can be no discussion of Page, piano, and Fall Tour without a mention of the band’s masterful cover of Little Feat’s Waiting For Columbus. Page’s role in the musical costume was playing the parts of Little Feat co-founder Bill Payne, considered by many contemporaries to be one of the finest rock and blues pianists of all time. And Page certainly did him justice. Anchoring many segments of Waiting For Columbus with Payne’s piano leads, Page interpreted the Americana feel of the album with authenticity. One of his personal highlights came in the piano-drenched “Dixie Chicken,” a song designed to showcase Payne’s piano chops and with an extended solo. Page seized his moment and ran with it, playing the bluesy parts with a legitimate down-home feel. The rest of the band took a back seat between verses as Page ticked the ivories like the maestro he is – and the one he was impersonating. Taking center stage, Page’s piano parts lit up the room through the middle stages of the piece, as other instruments came in with gradual support. Building from his solo into the next verse, Page slaughtered the piano parts as if they were his own. Lending a credibility to the album’s most popular song, Page stood out as the star of “Dixie Chicken.” Following the final verse, Page never missed a beat, joining the band in a seamless segue into “Tripe Face Boogie.”

These are but three examples of Page’s return to piano prominence throughout the past season, and the list could continue for quite a while. As Phish moved backwards into the future, their keyboard player did the same. Playing strong piano parts in the context of heavy improvisation, Page shied from textural backing as he jumped into the fray with his bandmates on the instrument that brought him there. Though Page certainly didn’t forget his other keyboards, the resurgence of his piano mastery provided his most significant development of a transformative tour.

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Jam of the Day:

“Light” 10.22.10 II

Another piano-centric fall highlight from Providence.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ph2010-10-22t20.mp3]

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

7.8.1999 Virginia Beach Ampitheatre, Virginia Beach, VA

Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

Somehow this Summer ’99 gem slipped by the archive. Coming hot out of the box with a twenty-plus minute “Fee” jam, this show got going early. But Phish’s most impressive playing came in the second set sequence of “Birds > If I Only Had a Brain > Caspian.” This transcendent section of music held up as a summer highlight, and a closing combo of “Tube” and “Simple” came as a pleasant and energetic surprise. Fishman’s “Terrapin” encore gave a tongue-in-cheek nod to the stunning “Terrapin Station” encore from the previous year, and everybody went home laughing. In the midst of a great summer, this show often slips through the cracks, but it has plenty to offer. This one goes out as a reader request for Luke. Enjoy!

I: Julius, Fee > Guyute, Dirt, Nellie Kane, Stash, Cavern

II: Birds of a Feather > If I Only Had a Brain > Prince Caspian, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Saw It Again, Sleep, Meatstick, Tube, Simple

E: Terrapin > Hold Your Head Up, Character Zero

Source: Unknown

As Fall Tour progressed, Phish’s improvisational confidence and polish increased and they infused creativity throughout their catalog. The band worked an intricacy into their playing, a complexity of communication emerged that pushed their music in original directions. Energetically diving into fresh takes on old songs, jams rarely became formulaic as Phish dialed in their musical assault of October. Looking back over the tour, many  jams fit this billing, as the band forged more than a few novel excursions. Today, we look at two of these unique jams that illustrate the revitalized creativity of the quartet.

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“Wolfman’s Brother” – 10.30 I Atlantic City, NJ

Phish magnified “Wolfman’s” throughout the fall, pushing the dynamic funk platform into jazzier conversations. While modern-era “Wolfman’s” had proved consistent from the get-go, rarely did they transcend the song’s syrupy, methodical rhythms. This fall, however, Phish began to improvise more earnestly with their once-cosmic launchpad. Sculpting diverging jams with varying rhythmic palettes in Utica and Amherst, “Wolfman’s” was – all of a sudden – more than eight minutes of predictable grooves. No version exemplified this more than the song’s final jaunt of fall during the first set of October 30 in Atlantic City.

On this night, Phish began to vocally improvise directly out of the song’s lyrics, blending their “collaborative scatting” with their instrumental patterns. Working their voices into the music as another layer of improvisation, the band cooperatively bounced the jam’s direction off their vocal layer and vice versa, in a total merging of ideas. When they finally dropped their voices out, they were left in a percussive labyrinth. All four band members offered short phrases in unison, twisting ideas into a four-way musical braid without any straight-forward grooving. Their improvisational style grew much more akin to jazz than a typical “Wolfman’s” as Fishman’s ever-changing beats and alternating downbeats stirred a complex rhythmic cauldron. Mike, in turn, played unique bass lines that stopped and started in concert with Fishman’s unconventional work. Trey threw in short, staccato lines that grew into angular leads without ever dominating the jam. Adding harder-edged effects amidst this bubbling mixture, he blended within the foursome instead of ever stepping out front. Page killed his clavinet in this piece, playing the keyboard with varying techniques throughout the entire jam, lending a crunchiness to the music. These elements combined to form a different type of “Wolfman’s” altogether – not groove-based at all, while still fully immersed in rhythmic conversation. In a piece drenched in originality, Phish went with the moment and came out on top. And to top off this stellar excursion, Trey got completely impatient and butchered a segue into “Undermind.”

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-30t09.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-30t010.mp3]

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“Tweezer” – 10.23 I Amherst, MA

Phish took the spotlight off “Tweezer” this fall, dropping two first-setters in four total versions without taking any particularly deep (including one laced with a Zeppelin medley). A jam that once provided the supreme springboard into the universe has largely become a vehicle of groove since the band returned. But when Phish dropped another first-set version in Amherst, a differing experiment developed. Trey and Fishman kick-started this version with slick rhythmic interplay that engaged the band in unique grooving early on. But instead of taking this “Tweezer” on a consistently upwards path, Phish ceased the groove in favor of an ambient bridge into a different jam.

As Phish descended into this second sonic pool, they didn’t play within the grooves, but rather danced around them with a series of minimalist offerings. The band hinted at all-out dance patterns without ever dropping into the pocket, creating a differing musical dynamic. Trey gently wove a sublime melodic layer atop this unique musical plane, as Mike offered subtle rejoinders. The band responded with a melodic, smoother-than-usual feel as they eased their way towards more conventional “Tweezer” territory. But even as Phish re-merged with the song’s theme and moved into a peak section, Mike and Fish continued their complex cooperation, stopping and starting all the way to the the top of the jam. Trey openly growled his thoughts within this final section, sticking right with the band in the climax of this unique version. After the band reached the mountaintop, they employed the old-school “wind-down” ending for the second time of the tour, leaving the fresh piece as a stand-alone gem.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-23t06.mp3]

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Jam of the Day:

“You Enjoy Myself” 10.16.10 II

This nasty whole-band jam punctuated Charleston’s stellar finale that sparked Fall Tour in earnest.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-16t20.mp3]

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

“Download of the Day” will return tomorrow. Please email any show requests that are not in Phish Thoughts Audio Archive to mrminer@phishthoughts.com.

Let’s spotlight three more highlights from Fall Tour to take us into the holiday weekend. Enjoy the turkey, family, and football, and we’ll catch up on Monday!

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“Slave To The Traffic Light” – 10.10.10 II Broomfield, CO

Concluding a choppy but eventful second set of tour, Phish pulled everything together to close with a spectacular “Slave to the Traffic Light.” Bringing a sense of calm and exaltation over the room while preparing the audience for the next two nights, the band slowly ascended from a beat-less induction to a dizzying climax. As the jam dropped, the band took plenty of time to move from their initial sea of tranquility into music with a sense of forward motion. Riding a patient trip through terraces of hanging melodies, Trey led the band with transcendent phrasing – a sparkling thread sewing the piece together. The band locked together with Trey as he followed his heart to a fanning peak and beyond, sprouting divine melodies in a never-ending cascade of glory. Phish played a lot of awesome “Slaves” this year, and this version is certainly in the upper echelon.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/phish2010-10-10.d2t10.mp3]

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“Golden Age > Piper > Camel Walk” – 10.11.10 II Broomfield, CO

Opening Broomfield’s second night’s second set with this threesome, Phish revived a one-time cover, thrashed through fall’s first “Piper” and made one of the slicker, most spontaneous transitions of tour. With Trey’s opening rhythm licks, the band brought the one-time cover of TV On the Radio’s “Golden Age.” The dancy interpretation of the indie pop-tronica track translated far more smoothly than Albany’s debut of ’09, super-charging the second half of the show. Taking the cathartic, groove-based jam for a legitimate ride, Phish provided a soulfully cleansing dance session to initiate the frame. Far smoother and more coherent that Albany’s version, “Golden Age” provided a show highlight while getting into slamming, piano led funk outside the song’s theme. Oozing to an ambient conclusion, Trey continued the up-tempo feel of the set’s beginning as he strummed the opening to “Piper.” Blasting their way through a furious passage, Phish introduced “Piper to Fall 2o1o with all four members locked in a space-aged chase. Growling through the outer rings of the solar system, the band settled into a sparser texture as many “Pipers” do. But instead of exploring this plane, Trey wove “Camel Walk’s” opening guitar lick into the high-speed play, and within seconds the band hopped on board, transforming the textures into gooey funk on the fly.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-11-d2t02.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-11-d2t03.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-11-d2t04.mp3]

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“Cities > 46 Days” – 10.29.10 I Atlantic City, NJ

This combination at the end of Atlantic City’s first set got the party started for real. A rather uneventful show up to this point, Phish migrated from a powerful groove into dissonant guitar heroics. Instead of the robotic power-funk of The Greek “Cities,” the band crafted a more subtle and nuanced groove. Trey used delicate, accented licks to build out of the jam as Mike bounced bass-note basketballs around Boardwalk Hall. Exiting the composed progression, the band drifted into a more abstract feel, stretching the music outwards while Fishman held a divergent semblance of groove. Behind a psychedelic pattern far from “Cities,” Page built a wall of synthesized effects as Trey painted the drone canvas with short brushstrokes. Amidst this darkening palette, Trey kicked into “46 Days,” ending the frame with a fierce dose of super-sized arena rock.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-29t14.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-29t15.mp3]

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Jam of the Day:

“Crosseyed and Painless” 10.16.10 II

This multi-tiered jam provided one of several highlights on a smoking night in South Carolina.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-16t14.mp3]

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When Phish is truly clicking, the setlist fades away and the moments emerge. It no longer matters what songs the band is playing, because it becomes about the music in its purest form. Whether a jam or a simple verse, when Phish is raging, every measure is played with authority and meticulous care. A subconscious state emerges between the band and the audience, and the music takes over the room as if every note had been waiting their whole life for its exact moment to shine. Trey often references musicians being mere portals for music that already exists in the universe. All the musician has to do is allow the music to channel through him, and all the audience has to do is be open to receive IT. This metaphysical dynamic took form in those unforgettable jams, sets and shows that are burnt into our memory from ages ago; and this dynamic took place at Utica.

Following Phish’s first set, anything was possible when they surfaced for the second, but the details hardly mattered. This was a night that Phish could do no wrong – a show filled with the magic of yesteryear – inc which Phish flowed with that same subconscious interaction. But the spectacular nature of Utica lied in its implications for the immediately limitless future. People were so abuzz about the first set that the second half began in what seemed like no time at all. And to begin the frame, Phish knocked an opening sequence of “Drowned > Sand” out of the park. This entire sequence had an energy behind the music that almost forced one to be present in the moment. Hard to explain with mere words, this night possessed a single-minded feel – a unison between everyone in the intimate venue – that we were apart of something special. Phish’s fully opened their treasure chest for the first time during this era, allowing the light of present day to reflect off the gold of old. Thus when the band blew through “Sand’s” ending refrain on the way to “Theme,” it hardly seemed like a surprise; it was supposed to happen. It was one of those nights.

When Phish played through a stretch of songs that read “Theme,” “Axilla,” “Birds,” “Tela” in the middle of the second set, the show never lost momentum for a second. Yet on an average night, that same four-song stretch could derail more than a few second sets. But on evenings like this one, the standalone nature of these singles didn’t slow the show at all, not to mention a ripping “Birds” jam along the way. But when people spilled into the chilly Utica night after this paradigm-shifting concert, the talk of the town would be the “Split” sequence that stood on deck.

Much like the musical jigsaw puzzle of the first set, this final segment of the show brought another twisting tale with the contours of old. Starting with “Split” the band took an ethereal path outwards into a plane of beauty, much in the vein of their previous version in Broomfield. But as the jam got quite abstract, Trey whispered the lyrics to “Have Mercy” over the sonic landscape. Singing almost two entire verses before the band settled into a gentle reggae groove, the song passed as an apprarition in the night. Once the lyrics ended, the band dripped out of the reggae groove and sculpted, perhaps, the most aurally stunning passage of tour. Coming together as if composed, Phish broke into sheet of sonic bliss, quickly transforming the gentle textures into defining spiritual moments on life’s eternal quest. When the band takes such a powerful and non-stop musical trip as they did in Utica, they are bound to break through to the other side at some point during the night. And this moment of transcendence blossomed out of “Have Mercy” in a shimmering pool tranquility. Elevating the soul of the room, this dreamscape awakened the sense of the eternal, connecting the past to the present, with an arrow to the future.

Coming out of this timeless experience, Phish rolled into “Piper,” a move that provided another wide-open canvas for to paint with their fluid psychedelia of the moment. Getting both nasty and intricate, the music took hold of the band’s instruments, infusing a cosmic knowledge into each and syncing them in a scorching palette of improvisation. Seamlessly arriving at a “Birds” reprise jam in the top-shelf “Piper,” Phish played like a band possessed. And when they dissolved “Birds” and descended, back into “Split’s” final build, the crowd erupted as Phish put a final slice of bread on the retro-style “Split Sandwich.” And to cap off a perfect night, a gorgeous “Slave to the Traffic Light.”

Sometimes Phish steps on stage and just fucking nails IT. Utica provided the first start-to-finish example of this phenomenon in the modern era, causing shock waves in the scene from coast to coast. “Have you heard Utica?” “Phish can still do this in 2010?” Of course they can. Phish has always been about pushing musical possibilities, and as the wave of Charleston and Augusta crested in Utica, the band redefined what those possibilities are for the here and now. The game-changers had changed the game once again, and as the circus left upstate New York for a weekend in New England, being part of Phish’s grand experiment felt as magical as ever.

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Jam of the Day:

“Split > Have Mercy > Piper > Spilt” 10.20 II

The “Split” sequence from Utica.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Phish-Disc03Track04.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Phish-Disc03Track05.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Phish-Disc03Track06.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Phish-Disc03Track07.mp3]

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

I couldn’t find an audio source of Austin City Limits for today, and am going to take a day or two off before digging back into the past. If you are in search of a particular show that is not already in Phish Thoughts’ Audio Archive, please shoot me an email at mrminer@phishthoughts.com with the subject line of “Show Request.” Cheers.

A wide-eyed portly fellow burst out of a stall in the sweltering men’s bathroom at setbreak proclaiming, “Guyutica!” Smothering the already-suffocating room in laughter as he pushed through the crowd, the term struck everyone as clever, spontaneous wordplay to describe the wild set we just witnessed. Little did we know that a masked-man in the front section carried a sign boldly sporting the term that sparked, perhaps, the set of the tour thus far. And the lights hadn’t even dropped for the second set. Phish had just stepped offstage in a cloud of smoke after a snaking opening frame in a tiny room; and electricity filled the air. As if shot back to the mid-’90s, the band had just slammed the door of the first set with an “Antelope” that churned with sonic white-water of yesteryear. Fans were left removing musical shrapnel from their blown minds as the house lights brightened the humid climate of the dated AHL arena. Centered around the tour’s only “Guyute” – a tightly-wound and thrilling rendition – Phish built the first of two masterful sets that placed the past and the present on a collision course on a Wednesday night in central New York.

A two-song blues-rock warm up brought Phish to the brink of no return. Once they dove into “Vultures” with a tenacity of the bird, itself, Phish stepped into a show that fused the musical playfulness of old-school Phish with the on-point musicianship of the current band. And the results left the scene in a daze for a day and a half before Providence began. Moving from blues-rock into creative funk sculptures, the band followed up “Vultures” with a unique version of “Wolfman’s” that morphed through a spontaneous vocal jam into a series of creative rhythms anchored by Fishman’s divergent beats. Taking the piece on a varying course for the first time in ages, Phish set the musical tone of the show early. Infused with extra gusto, even towards the beginning of Utica it felt like something different had taken hold of the band. Smoothly hitting some rhythm licks and taking the band into “Cities,” Trey moved in concert with the rest of the band from the show’s onset of this show, rather than moving to the beat of his own drummer. But with the unveiling of “Guyute” that carried the tension and drama of old, the retro contour of the set began to take form.

While Fishman’s cymbals danced into the intro to “Bowie,” Trey continued to play “Guyute’s” triumphant lick with increasingly distorted phrasing, a seemingly innocent move at the time. But these teases sparked a theme for the rest of the set – self-referential integration of one song into another in with the spontaneity of lore. As “Bowie’s” jam dropped, Trey used the same “Guyute” line, phrased differently, to initiate the improvisation. Almost immediately, the band landed in the opening hits of “Wilson” and the crowd caught on just as quickly. In a call and response exercise, the crowd chanted “Wilson” to which Trey answered in Guyute-speak, “He’s bouncing like a new born elf.” Instead of dropping into “Wilson,” in earnest, the band made the far shrewder call of melting back into a delicate, full-on “Bowie” jam. Page’s piano leads wove with Trey’s melodies, pushing the piece in an ominous direction. Mike supported with harmonizing rhythm offerings that catalyzed a darker feel, and the band took off running in a powerful version of their revitalized classic. Passing through an additional “Wilson” tease on the way to a smashing final section, Phish had dropped a twisting tour highlight smack dab in the middle of the first set. And that wouldn’t even be their most impressive excursion of the half!

The band immediately jumped on their own joke, dropping a “Guyute”- laced “Wilson” as soon as “Bowie” ended. Fully fusing the songs together, Trey jammed on “Guyute’s” lead melody throughout “Wilson’s” brief hard rock vamp. The band hadn’t dropped such tightly-wound musical humor in ages, and both their ability and willingness to do so spoke volumes on their current state of mind. Having as much fun crafting a set like this as the audience had eating it up, Phish took their old-school spirit – last year expressed through bust-outs and on-stage narratives – directly into musical pranks. As a nod to the retro-nature of the set, the band played the Gamehendge-related “McGrupp.” A far cleaner rendition than its counterparts of this era, the composition sparkled with the purity of Phish’s energy, a hallmark of their recent tour. Revving up “I Saw it Again,”the band took another elusive piece off the shelf in this now all-star frame. In another segment of musical gamesmanship, the band built the heavy textures of the song’s ending into a “Guyute”- laced ambient bridge into the set’s most dramatic piece – “Run Like An Antelope.”

In nothing short of a revelation, Phish dropped a version of “Antelope” that represented a improvisational microcosm this show – the fury and creativity of old fused with the mature approach and polished chops of the present day. Taking the usually one-dimensional piece on its most dynamic venture in memory, Phish decorated the jam with several nuanced psychedelic tangents, redefining the possibilities of modern “Antelopes,” let alone what is once again possible from the Vermont quartet entirely. Finishing with multiple teases of “Guyute” in “Antelope’s” final section, Phish proudly signed their collective John Hancock on the bottom line of this set.

As fans foraged through dense fog of the magical musical forest that had sprouted since the show began, the building took on a whole new feel. With the particle board peeling off the floor in a building of another era, Phish had brought us into a separate reality for the night – far from familiar, yet feeling just like home. Though it seemed like the show had peaked, setbreak had only just begun.

To be continued…

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Jam of the Day:

“Run Like An Antelope” 10.20.10 II

A defining piece of Fall 2010 from Utica, New York.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Phish-Disc02Track05.mp3]

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

10.15.2010 North Charleston Coliseum, N. Charleston, SC

FLAC Torrent (etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

Here is the final download from Fall 2010, Charleston’s song-based opening show. Highlights came in the first set versions of “Bathtub Gin” and “Stash,” while a lite second set’s shining moment came in its opening “Disease.”

I: Punch You In the Eye, Possum, Bathtub Gin, Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home?*, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Destiny Unbound, Backwards Down the Number Line, Bouncing Around the Room, Stash, Joy, Buffalo Bill, Dog Faced Boy, Run Like an Antelope

II: Down with Disease > Prince Caspian > Twist, Roses Are Free, My Friend, My Friend, My Problem Right There, Tube, Mike’s Song > The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Mexican Cousin, Weekapaug Groove, Suzy Greenberg, Slave to the Traffic Light

E: Character Zero

* w/ Dr. Jack McConnell

Source: Schoeps mk41> KC5> M222> NT222> Aeta PSP-3> SD 744t (Taper – taylorc)

DOWNLOADS OF THE WEEKEND:

These weekend’s shows from Amherst were split down the middle. Phish brought a legitimate smoker on Saturday night and a  bona fide snoozefest on Sunday. Coming off three special shows in Augusta, Utica, and Providence, however, these shows just didn’t elevate in the same way. The first night has plenty of engaging jamming in “Tweezer,” Disease > My Friend > Caspian > Halfway to the Moon > Boogie On,” and  set-ending sequence – “Piper > Hood, YEM.” But aside from the first-set “Stash,” Sunday never really got off the ground. The  old-school first set would have been fine had there been any action in the second. But there wasn’t. When a second set’s highlight is “Roggae > Taste” you know something strange is afoot at the Circle K. Another smoking “Bowie” could do nothing to salvage this long-lost second half. But the band popped right back in Manchester like nothing had happened.

10.23.2010 Mullins Center, Amherst, Massachusetts

FLAC Torrent (etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

I: Meatstick, Party Time, Golgi Apparatus, Kill Devil Falls, Tweezer, Lawn Boy, Sparkle, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Hold Your Head Up > Love You > Hold Your Head Up, Possum, Tweezer Reprise

II: Down with Disease > My Friend, My Friend > Prince Caspian > Halfway to the Moon > Boogie On Reggae Woman > Maze, Wading in the Velvet Sea,  Piper > Harry Hood, You Enjoy Myself

E: Shine a Light

Source: Schoeps mk4v> KCY> Schoeps VMS02IB + Schoeps mk41> KC5> M222> NT222> Aeta PSP-3> SD 744t

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10.24.2010 Mullins Center, Amherst, Massachusetts

FLAC Torrent (etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

I: AC/DC Bag, Camel Walk, The Divided Sky, Ride Captain Ride, Stash, Fee > Time Turns Elastic, Cavern, Run Like an Antelope

II: Seven Below, Wolfman’s Brother, Backwards Down the Number Line, Alaska, Free, The Lizards, Brother, Roggae > Taste, Waste, David Bowie

E: Quinn the Eskimo, Chalk Dust Torture

Source: Schoeps mk5> KCY> Schoeps VMS02IB + Schoeps mk41> KC5> M222> NT222> EAA PSP-2> SD 744t

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Jam of the Weekend:

“Piper > Hood” 10.23 II

A standout, late second-set segment of Saturday night’s UMass show.

[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-23t23.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ph2010-10-23t24.mp3]

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VIDEOS OF THE WEEKEND:

“Tweezer” 10.23.10 II – Amherst, MA (MKDevo)

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.10″Camel Walk” 10.24.10 I – Amherst, MA (MKDevo)