Having just visited Tennessee for three shows this past tour, this weekend, let’s look back at Phish’s visit to the state in Fall ’95. Both of these shows often go overlooked in the monstrosity of this tour, but both are filled with great Phish. Bela Fleck, one of the guests that routinely jives with the band, sat in for much of Nashville’s second set- climaxing with a gorgeous “Slave” that sees Trey and Bela shredding cohesively.
I: AC/DC Bag, Ya Mar, Reba, If I Could, It’s Ice, Theme From the Bottom, Acoustic Army, Fee, Split Open and Melt
II: Timber Ho!, Sparkle, Simple, Possum, You Enjoy Myself, Fog That Surrounds*, Heart and Soul*, Poor Heart*, I’m Blue I’m Lonesome*, Long Journey Home*, Slave to the Traffic Light*
E: A Day in the Life
*With Bela Fleck on banjo
Source: AKG 460
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VIDEOS OF THE WEEKEND:
“Crosseyed and Painless” 6.21.09, Alpine Valley(partial)
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“McGrupp” 6.16.09, The Fabulous Fox
DOWNLOADS OF THE WEEKEND: Having just visited Tennessee for three shows this past tour, this weekend, let’s look back at Phish’s visit to the state in Fall ’95. Both of these shows often go overlooked in the monstrosity of this tour, but both are filled with great Phish. Bela Fleck, one of the guests that …
Finishing up our run through tour this week, today we will look at some of the most transcendent moments of Phish’s final June leg. Having built improvisational momentum over the previous weeks, the band certainly kicked it up a notch for their final four nights. Contained within this weekend were some of the most exploratory jaunts of the tour, foreshadowing what awaits come August and beyond. Though hard to select just a few, here are some moments in time that no one will dispute.
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“Oceans > Drowned > Twist” Deer Creek, 6.19 II
Take your pick, because this entire segment of music is pure money. Following an unprecedented hour-long rain delay before the second set, sparked by a monsoon and copious lightning you might see in National Geographic, the house lights finally went dark. Just as promised, they started set two at 11pm, and given the torrential circumstances, we all knew we were in for something special.
6.19.09 (D.Vann)
Playing off the soaking wet surroundings, the band took things out with the welcomed heavy drop into “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing.” Exactly five years to the day that the band unveiled their SPAC epic, they used it to launch the best set of June. After breaking out the template in Knoxville, we knew that the song was back in the mix, and we would eventually get that next big version we had so eagerly awaited. And on the five year anniversary of its definitive excursion, we had waited long enough.
6.19 (D.Vann)
Taking the song beyond its guitar-led jam and into an ambient wonderland of percussive rhythm and psychedelic sorcery, Phish delivered. Given its context, the highly-anticipated jam couldn’t have been delivered at a more powerful time. As the band worked through a spectrum of deep mystic textures, Trey sprinkled some of his magic atop, guiding our way through the forest beautifully. As they wound down their improv to a piano solo, Page transformed the piece with a seamless transition into “Drowned.” Moving from “Oceans” to “Drowned,” Phish was definitely toying with their setlist while annihilating the jams that stemmed from each song. The Who cover similarly transcended its structure into a dirtier jam that wound its way to some high speed funk chops. Combining two stylistically different pieces, Phish- inspired by the weather- took the crowd by storm.
Potentially a bit prematurely, Trey came in with the opening chords of “Twist”- a third creative jam strung together to begin the set. With some of the tightest playing of this opening triumvirate, “Twist” was an ideal and familiar landing point for this segment of madness. Given the context of the band’s contained playing all tour, this “moment” was incredibly encouraging.
Following the band’s most creative and exploratory new-school set, and sheltered from the insane weather slamming the amphitheare, Phish let loose. With lightning bolts framing the stage- and one particularly awing strike on the right side of the pavilion during the song’s initial build- everyone’s heads were on the verge of explosion. There are musical moments, and then there are experiential moments of unbridled energy, passion, and adrenaline; those when life simply can not feel any better or more exalting. This was one of those times. Everyone– from Trey marching like a madman on stage, to the last soaking fan on the lawn- was so alive at this moment, energy coursing through our collective existence, as mother nature and Phish converged in a spectacle like none other. Sure there have been rainstorms at shows, but this was different. This was 2009; this was Deer Creek; and Phish had just played the greatest set since their return. They weren’t playing “Taste” when lightning struck close by (a la Raleigh ’97), they were playing freakin’ “Reprise” in a complete deluge! Sometimes, life just doesn’t doesn’t get any better, and when you saw the band framed by lightening bolts, peaking the show- well, I get goosebumps just thinking of it.
After blasting off the last set of tour with the unexpected and ambient-laced highlight of “Crosseyed > Disease, Phish landed in a soaring version of “Bug” to wrap up their initial segment. But as the ending of the song was carried out, Phish wasn’t about to slow down, slipping into “Piper.” While the other two “Pipers” on tour (JB, and Star Lake) were exploratory and adventurous, they weren’t necessarily the most cohesive pieces of improv. This would be different.
6.21 (D.Vann)
Cannonballing into the jam, the band wasted no time hitting the gas. Immediately they locked into some full-on, take-no-prisoners, type playing. After the earlier adventures of the set, the band was warmed up and navigating the music as one entity; one of those times when they seem like a four-headed monster. Trey and Page engaged in some fast-paced interplay, while Fish sat into a series of breakbeats that gave the music an urgent, sprinting feel. Stopping, starting, and cutting on a dime, Phish ran though this jam like Barry Sanders effortlessly evading tacklers. Completely in tune with each other, the band nailed one of June’s tightest pieces of improv.
It felt like Phish hit a stride in this “Piper,” powerfully uniting their musical ideas, taking risks and succeeding; a process that wasn’t omni-present on tour. This was an instance where the music took on a life of its own; the music was playing them. Ridiculously dense, filled with copious musical thoughts, this “Piper” was an encouraging piece of psychedelia as the tour wound down. Getting exploratory without losing their cohesion is a mark of success in Phish’s current progression of their craft. Heading into leg two, Deer Creek and this Alpine show upped the ante of what’s to come. But looking back, this “Piper” is right up there with any jam of June.
This download comes as a result of much reader discussion. Lauded for its otherworldly “Hood” which saw Trey hold one note for almost three minutes straight, this show was both unique and enthralling. Boasting an odd setlist with even more peculiar execution, Phish crafted a wild ride on this night in Nebraska. See the “Hood” video below!
I: Poor Heart, Down With Disease, Guyute, Gumbo, Rift, Free, The Old Home Place, David Bowie, Lawn Boy, Sparkle, Frankenstein
II: La Grange, Runaway Jim > Kung* > Catapult, Axilla > Harry Hood, Suzie Greenberg, Amazing Grace
E: We’re an American Band^
*w/ Vibration of Life
^debut
Finishing up our run through tour this week, today we will look at some of the most transcendent moments of Phish’s final June leg. Having built improvisational momentum over the previous weeks, the band certainly kicked it up a notch for their final four nights. Contained within this weekend were some of the most exploratory …
Song combinations and segues can make Phish sets infinitely more exciting, while opening up universes of improvisational possibility. When an open ended jam finally arrives at a landing point which, itself, is another launch pad, things can get dirty. We all go to Phish shows for different reasons, but if you’re into the psychedelic dance party aspect of things, there is no more lethal of a one-two punch than “Tweezer > 2001.” Merging one of their most exploratory jams and a subsequent clinic in groove, you’ve got yourself a chunky half hour of Phish.
This vigorous adventure has only been traveled three times in the band’s history- and interestingly, twice at Deer Creek. However, the first-and mother- of all “Tweezer >2001s” hails from Christiania, Copenhagen, and was born on 7.1.98 in a dank stone barn called Den Gra Hal. Aside from June’s Noblesville excursion- one of the mightiest segments of the tour- the only other time that Phish brought the two epics together was on the first night of three in the cornfields during the summer of ’03. Read about, and listen to, all three below.
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Den Gra Hal, Summer ’98
7.1.98 Christiana, Copenhagen
This forty-minute monster that dominated the show’s second set has always lived large in Phish lore. Taking the intimate Scandinavian crowd on a journey like never before, Phish carefully crafted one of the quintessential highlights of the late ’90s. Built in 1891 for the Danish military, and converted into a concert hall by hippies that created Christiania Freetown in the 1970s, Den Gra Hal made a surreal room for this trip. To no more than a thousand fans, Phish masterfully played one of the definitive improvisational segments of 1998. The band flowed through endless sections of collaborative rhythmic playing, as Trey switched back and forth from lead to rhythm and Page led the jam as much as anyone. Mike and Fish owned the bottom end- Summer ’98 style.
Totally locked and shredding one of the hottest dance parties ever thrown, Phish took this “Tweezer” on an extensive ride through galaxies of groove, finally settling into a more mellow portion of music. From here the band waded into minutes of beautifully murky and quieter music that built tremendous musical tension, only to be unleashed by Fishman’s snare hit. Confined within a small room, this “2001″ took on a whole different character than its larger-than-life brethren. Featuring far more notes with less space to travel, Trey, Mike and Page were cemented together, bouncing their funked-out musings off of each others’. The interplay between Page and Trey was particularly sublime. Laid back, yet simultaneously driving, this version is certainly up there on any “best of” list. Fishman just crushes the entire segment holding it down like only he can. Honestly, this was one of my top Phish experiences ever.
For five years, the legend of “Tweezer > 2001″ grew with every spin of those DATs. With so few people there having actually bore witness, it became almost a piece of Phish mythology. Through the many tours the band played, never again did this combination pop up- until after their hiatus in 2003. In Phish’s return to the summer circuit, they pulled into Deer Creek for a three-night stand in late July, and midway through the second set, crawling out of a dark “46 Days” jam twisted the opening lick of “Tweezer.”
This time around, the entire episode was far more succinct, as the combo was shorter than Christiania’s “Tweezer.” Right out of the gates, Trey hopped on his horse, leading the band with some standard “Tweezer leads. As he began to improvise, the rest of the band remained largely anchored to the song’s composed structure. Finally, Fishman started up a percussive beat that shook things up, leading into several minutes of minimalist improv. As the band methodically chugged away, bridging the music to a smaller place, the jam didn’t turn into anything terribly interesting. Taking the band out of their meandering, Fishman rode his cymbal into the intro of “2001.” With a version that was nothing more than lazy funk, I felt as though this “Tweezer > 2001″ should not have been able to be called “Tweezer > 2001″- it didn’t deserve to carry the title! Nonetheless, this was the second-ever combination of the two songs, part of a relatively forgettable opening night of three.
LISTEN TO 7.21.03 “TWEEZER > 2001″ NOW! (listen only)
***
6.19.09 Deer Creek, IN
6.19.09 Deer Creek (D.Vann)
Phish was done; the combo had only happened twice- and only once for real. And then the whole unretirement happened. Just as extra innings is often referred to as “free baseball,” we all of a sudden had “free Phish!” And so the story goes…
The band pulled back into Deer Creek this June, almost five years later, underneath a canopy of intense lightening. Having thrown down a nasty first half of the set in “Oceans > Drowned > Twist,” the band ended “Let Me Lie” with a roar into “Tweezer!” With Alpine infamous for hosting “Tweezers,” and so much improv having gone down already- by June ’09 standards- I never saw it coming. But all of a sudden, a bomb exploded in the pavilion as the crowd was engulfed by the mid-set favorite.
Deer Creek (D.Vann)
Entering the jam with some outright rhythm grooves, the band loosened their chops in preparation to devour the improv. Carrying the momentum of their best set of tour, the band did not hold back, swimming into smooth, yet forceful, dance rhythms with precision. You could feel the energy leap off the stage as the band crushed this spirited rendition, making their way beyond “Tweezer’s” conventions and into a blissful plane. Settling into ambient textures, this wasn’t like the other ambient jams of tour- this had “2001″ written all over it. Phish prepared to take launch.
Smashing into a series of late-set dance grooves, “2001′s” dynamic funk provided a stark contrast to the previous Noblesville incarnation, as it burst with energy and purpose. It was a classic whiffle ball “do-over” for their lackluster performance in ’03, and completely surreal to be basking in the third ever “Tweezer > 2001,” this time in 2009! Who would have thunk it?
No one knows if the band will ever choose to combine these two songs again, but between Chritiania’s sacred odyssey and Deer Creek’s jiggawatt-inspired throwdown, we now have two shining relics for the vault.
*Note: I totally forgot about Albany’ ’03s “Tweezer > 2001″- which says something about its quality. Regardless, sorry for the oversight!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHISH THOUGHTS!
It has been brought to my attention (Thanks Matso!) that today, July 9th, is the one year anniversary of Phish Thoughts! Happy Birthday!! Thanks to all the readers and contributors who have turned this site into an incredible online community! Here is a link to my inaugural post!
Here we have the first show at Alpine Valley, and final show of our run through June’s initial leg of summer tour. A distinctly old school first set got the audience revved up for a second set that fell a bit flat. An enjoyable time nonetheless.
I: Punch You in the Eye, Runaway Jim, Stash, Ya Mar, Bathtub Gin, Kill Devil Falls, Train Song, Farmhouse, Sparkle, Run Like An Antelope
II: Waves > Sample In A Jar, Maze, Makisupa Policeman, Ghost > The Lizards, You Enjoy Myself > NICU, Prince Caspian > Waste, Fire
E: Character Zero
Source: Schoeps mk41
Song combinations and segues can make Phish sets infinitely more exciting, while opening up universes of improvisational possibility. When an open ended jam finally arrives at a landing point which, itself, is another launch pad, things can get dirty. We all go to Phish shows for different reasons, but if you’re into the psychedelic dance …
Whether introspective or communal; comical or transcendental, moments are the patchwork that compose the quilt of the Phish experience. During shows, moments occur more quickly than normal life- one after another colliding with your reality, altering it time and time again. On Monday we looked at a some of these timeless experiences from the northeast run, and today, we turn to the second part of June- the south. Starting in Asheville, stopping in Knoxville, and playing two at Bonnaroo; this was a highly anticipated run of shows. The following are a few parts of the week that standout in most everyone’s memory.
***
“Ghost” Asheville Civic Center, 6.9 II
The vibe of this show- and its entire day- was the by far the most laid back of tour. The venue was as relaxed as Asheville itself, as people navigated the GA floor with ample room and they provided a smoking section that overlooked the mountains to puff as much as you wanted at setbreak. A pleasant experience all around turned into a twisted psychedelic dream early in the second set when “Ghost” started. Following a Jones Beach version that was a highlight of the northeast, this drop into this “Ghost” brought much anticipation.
6.9.09 Asheville (D.Vann)
The intimate crowd drew silent (despite the copious beverage stations on the floor) as the Phish crept into the jam, sensing something was at hand. Coming out with a non-conventional rhythm, Fish directed the course of this improv from the get go, taking it directions divergent from the song’s usual groove-fest. His abstract beat drew eclectic bass lines and unique phrasings by Trey and Page, providing the anchor of a unique initial canvas. The band did catch a groove after all, carving a unique path of improvisation along the way. Transforming the music into a soaring piece that fused engaging melodies with crafty beats, Phish gradually and extensively peaked the jam with an entire section of improv. The whole band was on point as Trey let loose with some of his most sublime playing of tour, cascading surreal melodies as effortlessly as a spring waterfall. As the band descended from the mountain top, they oozed into into a perfectly placed pool of “Fast Enough For You.” This was a peak experience for everyone in that tiny venue- just ask them.
In a tour whose jams had remained largely inside the box, it was quite ironic that Phish’s most straight-forward new song provided one of the most thrilling rides of the month. It was debated how Phish would present themselves to the over-sized Bonnaroo audience, and after “Stash” went into “listener-unfriendly” territory, things were looking up. But they just kept playing song after song, and all this seemed like was another rock and roll addition to the set.
Bonnaroo (D.Vann)
When the composition turned the corner into the jam, everyone bobbed along with the timeless Chuck Berry-esque sound. As Trey began his solo over a standard groove, nobody knew where this was heading. Taking the rock and roll path out the back door, Trey started to extend his notes into drawn out sheets of sound, giving the band enough of a hint to hop on and follow his lead. In one of those disorienting “What song is this?” moments, it didn’t take long before we were far away from the blues-rock launch pad and into some purely Phishy territory. Halfway through their late-night Bonnaroo set, the band took one of the first and only trips to their outer improvisational realms without morphing into an ambient jam. This was Phish taking things back to the source using some fierce interplay that grew innocently and organically from a newbie. Multiple parallels have been drawn between this jam and the famous Camden Chalk Dust from ’99- and rightfully so. Both stem from similar springboards and carry a certain driving energy into a high-speed, spirited peak. We all needed an old-school Scooby-Doo double-take when all was done, as we couldn’t believe the most psychedelic jam of the show came out of “Kill Devil Falls.”
After one of tour’s strongest shows had- by all rights- ended three times already with “Hello My Baby,” “Julius,” and “Cavern,” the band shocked everyone by dropping into the opening reggae rhythms of “Harry Hood.” Getting that shot of adrenaline, my mind instantly refocused after having already moved on to the encore. As much an experiential moment as a musical one, this “Hood” capped a huge night in Tennessee, and a smoking second set. Typical of the focused and triumphant “Hoods” of June, this one did not disappoint. Featuring active interaction by all band members, the improv was highlighted by the incredibly dynamic conversation by Trey and Mike.
While this version wasn’t as drawn out or exploratory as some of the others of tour, it provided an emotional exclamation point to a standout show when everyone least expected it. Moments don’t always have to come from the depths of a show, and this succinct, yet poignant, “Hood” that came out of left field will back me on that one.
I’m sure you’ve noticed the new format for “Listen Nows,” featured in today’s and yesterday’s posts. Instead of having that ugly ad-laced audio player, we’ve now got a sharp little Flash player for all the tracks. But wait- there’s more!
Let’s say you finish listening to a jam and think, “Wow! Miner’s onto something here- I’ve gotta have that track! All you need to do is click the orange song link in the title line of the “Listen Now” and you will download it right to your computer. No need to “right click and save as”- just click the link and accept the file. I hope you enjoy this new feature of the site, and much props to Alexander K. for the technological work. (I will be replacing old links with this new feature as well.)
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DOWNLOAD OF TOMORROW:
We were going to finish out June’s tour with Alpine’s 6.20 show today, but after technological mishaps continued into the night, I figured it wasn’t meant to be. I’ll get that final show up tomorrow. Cheers.
Whether introspective or communal; comical or transcendental, moments are the patchwork that compose the quilt of the Phish experience. During shows, moments occur more quickly than normal life- one after another colliding with your reality, altering it time and time again. On Monday we looked at a some of these timeless experiences from the northeast …
