In our continuing remembrances of this past summer, let’s travel back to the final four shows of tour.  Returning to the Northeast after an other-worldly run out west, Phish came home to some classic sheds to punctuate the season.  While each show had improvisational highlights- many which have been discussed- here is a look at some of the moments that fit in between the more significant jams.

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“Fluffhead” 8.13 Darien Lake II

At the conclusion of a smoking set that has been largely glossed over, Phish pulled out a massive version of “Fluffhead.”  Following the opening ebb and flow of “Drowned > Caspian > Rift” and a ripping mid-set “Antelope,” Phish played a top-notch rendition of their once-elusive classic to close it out..  After an almost note-perfect jaunt through the many composed sections, Trey took command at the top, gushing with a triumphant solo that packed a heartfelt wallop.  Out of the the many versions of “Fluff” this summer, this one sits in the upper echelon, and it served as a vibrant exclamation point to the band’s return to the circus tents of Darien.

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“Icculus” 8.14 Hartford II

After Phish had shredded this set apart with improv galore, they reached a point of sustained banter.  As Trey joked with the audience after “Catapult,” the band made a subtle change to “Icculus” in the background.  Appearing for only the tenth time since 1990, the audience responded immediately and enthusiastically to the musical shift.  Delving deep into Phish lore, Trey went on an early-nineties tirade about our over-technological generation, our need for the “fucking book,” and the “great and knowledgeable” prophet of Gamehendge.  An undeniably significant moment in the re-evolution of the band, the passion infused into this ancient bust-out confirmed that things were once again in order in the land of Lizards.

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“Party Time” 8.15 Merriweather I

When discussing the band’s forthcoming album and new family-oriented vibe after Hampton, Trey joked that they should ironically title the record, “Party Time.”  This joke turned into a more substantial rumor when a track listing emerged from the band’s studio sessions in May that had “Party Time” amidst other songs.  It could have been an inside joke- we had no idea, but when Trey happily introduced the Fishman-penned original at Merriwether, the band and crowd erupted in laughter and cheer.  Kicking into their take on New Orleans party-funk, the band foreshadowed what could develop into a much larger and entertaining jam vehicle.  If I had to guess, we’ll hear a extensive version to open up the band’s highly-anticipated festival in Indio come Halloween- but for now, it’s “Paaaaaarty Tiiime!”

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“Harpua” 8.16 SPAC II

“Oom Pah Pah, Oom Pah Pah, Oom Pah Paaaaaaaah…”  And SPAC exploded.  On the final night of summer, Phish revived one of their oldest narratives about Jimmy, Posternutbag, and the fat, sweaty bulldog.  Stamping a show as special with its mere inclusion, this go-round was even more significant, as it was the modern era bust-out of  “Harpua.”  In this story, a depressed Jimmy meditaded in his bedroom, summoning his spirit guide in the form of Fishman floating in his window.  Imparting with him the all-powerful truth, Fiashman sang a spoof of “I Kissed a Girl.”  An absurd tale, no doubt, this return of “Harpua,” coupled with “YEM,” brought a Phishy end to an unforgettable summer.

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Jam of the Day:

“Ghost > Wolfman’s” 7.30 II Red Rocks

This was our first taste of the wide-open exploration that would characterize the western shows.  Like a breath of life into the world of Phish, this musical passage was the indelible memory from Red Rocks’ opening night.

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

8.15.2009 Merriweather Post Pavilion < Torrent

8.15.2009 Merriweather Post Pavilion < Megaupload

A fun first set with many bust-outs was followed by the most tame second frame of tour.  The “46 Days,” however, is one of the jams of the summer.

I: Crowd Control, Kill Devil Falls, The Sloth, Beauty Of A Broken Heart, Axilla I, Foam, Esther, Ha Ha Ha, Party Time, Tube, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Strange Design, Time Turns Elastic

II: Tweezer > Taste, Alaska, Let Me Lie, 46 Days > Oh! Sweet Nuthin’, Harry Hood

E: Good Times Bad Times, Tweezer Reprise

Source: Schoeps mk22> KCY> Schoeps VMS02IB> Apogee Mini-Me> SD 722 (@24bit/96kHz)
(Taper – taylorc)

With so much new Phish to listen to these days, one of the most engaging and protean jams of the tour hasn’t gotten its proper credit.  Buried in a lackluster second set at Merriweather Post Pavilion, the band played one of their finest pieces of music since their return.  After listening to “46 Days” a few times over, it is certainly one of the most diverse, far-reaching Phish jams of the summer.  From heavy groove to ambient psychedelia, this jam brought us deep into the primordial soup before delivering us to heights uncharted.

After a high-energy and exciting first set, comprised almost exclusively of bustouts, everyone was ready for the band to bring the heat in the second.  And when they opened with “Tweezer,” it seemed like Merriweather was about to explode.  But instead, Phish played one of the most uneventful renditions in  memory, on the way to a particularly slow beginning of the set.  Segueing quickly into “Taste,” we soon found ourselves listening to an “interlude” of “Alaska” and “Let Me Lie,” but nothing  spectacular had happened to necessitate one.  Thus when Phish started up “46 Days” it could have gone either way.  Phish could have just as easily played a eight-minute rendition of the song, continuing the pattern of the night, or they could have gone huge on the song- something they’ve done more than a couple times in the past.  Needless to say, they chose the latter.

After a quick pass through the composition, Phish got right into the thick of things.  Springing off a bass-driven platform, the band entered some slowed down molasses-funk, and immediately we knew we were in for a ride.  Before long, we found ourselves knee-deep in a murky swamp of the mind, trudging through layered musical sludge that became slower and spacier with each step we took.  Bombarded with sonic textures, likening an alien encounter, Trey threw us a rope to hold onto via slower sustained melodies stemming from the dark side.  Mike led the band into menacing grooves, killing it with a unique backdrop that only he can provide.  Offering a faster idea, Trey hopped aboard the bass line, and soon infused the jam with its first taste of happiness.

The band settled into a soundscape with Trey delicately atop, and soon built the piece into awesome whole-band ambient sculpture.  As the music reached its most abstract point, Trey added a faster rhythm pattern that, at first, seemed out of place.  But as the band built around his offering, the music became divine.  And as Trey started to solo in this vein, Fish kicked a dance beat and the band was off into some of the most organic, and spectacular improv of the summer.  Completely switching gears from its dark beginning, the subsequent music is pure Phish majesty.

As the band continued into a tight, rhythmic pattern, Phish was in complete destruction mode, flowing as their heart desired.  Disconnected from any song structure, they played as if no one were there, and it was perfect.  Trey painted the blissful music with surreal melodic themes that Page complimented masterfully on piano.  Reaching a higher plane, the band collectively blossomed in a splendid segment of pure and utter hose. Trey’s lines transformed into mind-bending waterfalls in one of those you moments you couldn’t believe, even though it was happening right in front of you.

Following the jam’s soaring peak with an artistic denouement and a slip into “Oh! Sweet Nuthin,” Phish gave everyone a moment to breathe after their signature excursion.  The ballad was played with an emotional purpose, punctuating the exalting music that had just gone down.  Though it was the only taste of  exploration all night long, “46 Days” gave Merriweather’s second set some street cred with one of the greatest- and most overlooked- jams of the tour.

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Jam of the Day:

“46 Days > Oh! Sweet Nuthin” 8.15 II

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

8.5.09 Shoreline, Mountain View CA < Torrent

8.5.09 Shoreline, Mountain View CA < Megaupload

This mid-week stop in the Bay Area carried provided more than a few highlights, though has lived in the shadows of Red Rocks and The Gorge.  This show offers one the most exploratory “Diseases” of the year, a fine second set run of “Cities > Maze, Mike’s,” a hot first-set “Bowie,” and the return of Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin.”  Check it out.

I: Golgi Apparatus, Halley’s Comet, Chalk Dust Torture, The Divided Sky, When the Circus Comes, Time Turns Elastic, Ya Mar, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Suzy Greenberg, David Bowie

II: Backwards Down the Number Line, Down With Disease > Limb By Limb, Oh Sweet Nuthin’, Cities > Maze, Mike’s Song > Simple, Weekapaug Groove

E: Let Me Lie, Bold As Love

Source: Schoeps mk41> KCY> Schoeps VMS02IB> Apogee Mini-Me> SD 722 (@24bit/96kHz)
(Taper- taylorc)

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Merriweather Post Pavilion 8.15.09 (Photo – Kenny Pusey)

After each tour ends, we spend countless hours learning the new music that just unfolded.  We make highlight mixes and listen to certain jams and sets time and time again, studying each subtlety.  When we listen back, we can remember those experiential moments of awe; those times that stood still- not always a result soaring peak.  Spanning the spectrum of human emotion, memories come in all shapes and sizes at Phish shows.   The following are a few of the most poignant moments from the band’s memorable run at Red Rocks.

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“Billy Breathes” 7.30 II

Placed within an ominous frame that featured “Mike’s” “Ghost,” “Wolfman’s,” and “Bowie,” “Billy Breathes” was an oasis amidst the darkness.  Unfolding late in the second set, the entire venue fell silent as the band meticulously moved through the ballad.  Painted with a delicate brush, this rendition stood out after the show had ended.  Its amazing how powerful a Phish song can be when given proper context and attention.  “Billy Breathes” seemed to strike a chord with most everyone in that night, as many commented on its power throughout the next few days.

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“Split Open and Melt” 7.31 I

In an dark convergence of Phish and nature, this “Split” summoned harsh wind and rain from the heavens, creating an intense ending to Friday’s first set.  As the storm blew in, Phish took their jam further and further out, into an ominous, hypnotizing plane.  Getting downright sinister, Phish grew the jam into a piece of abstract, mind-control art.  Getting at the very essence of the jam, itself, this dip into the river Styx was a congruent soundtrack to the menacing weather- a perfect Phish synchronicity.

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“The Curtain (With)” 8.1. I

Out of nowhere, after an innocent “AC/DC Bag” opener, Phish did the deed; they started up “The Curtain” for the first time since their Coventry demise.  Finally ready to put the past behind them, the band stepped up to the revered piece they so horribly botched as their previous swan song.  Taking the audience by surprise, the moment we had wondered about since March was, all of a sudden, happening.  In the glorious surroundings of Red Rocks, Phish swept the cobwebs from our memories with a sublime, heart-wrenching rendition of “With.”  Slowly narrating an introspective tale, Trey’s lines floated through the sky in a life-affirming moment for all.   In one of the most poignant passages of the summer, Coventry was finally conquered and we were moving on to greener pastures.

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“Reba” 8.2 I

In the waning daylight on the final night of Red Rocks, Phish unveiled the only “Reba” of the second leg.  A perfect selection for the setting sun of the triumphant Red Rocks run, Phish settled into the jam in a quiet way.  Riding a gradually building groove, the piece was a musical magical carpet ride through the colored eve.  With tasteful and creative phrasing throughout, the band created a soaring and emotive jam.  Like a sculptor and a ball of clay, Phish skillfully manipulated their medium forming a cathartic build within an otherwise mellow set.

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Jam of the Day:

“Down With Disease” Shoreline 8.5 II

Of the many standout “Diseases” this summer, this west coast exploratory monster is firmly in the upper echelon.  The centerpiece jam of Shoreline’s second set, the band moved from rock, to groove, to ambient in this multi-layered piece.  The final section of this jam may be the most engaging, illustrating Phish’s willingness to push their improvisation, seeking deeper places.

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

8.2.2009 Red Rocks < Torrent

8.2.2009 Red Rocks < Megaupload

The fourth and final night of this historic stand was highlighted a standout “Boogie,” “YEM” to kick off the second set.  Out of the smoke-covered vocal-jam emerged Billy Kreutzmann, joining the band for a fun-filled finale in Morrsion.  We’re invited back this time.

I: Roses Are Free, Wilson, NICU, Prince Caspian, Back On The Train, Reba, Grind, Beauty Of A Broken Heart, Sample In A Jar, Sugar Shack, Waste, Kill Devil Falls

II: Boogie On Reggae Woman, You Enjoy Myself > Undermind* > Drums* > Seven Below* > 2001* > Waves*, Character Zero*

E: Bittersweet Motel, Bouncing Around the Room, Slave to the Traffic Light

* w/ Bill Kreutzmann on drums

Source: B&K 4022 (Taper – Craig Davis)