With the holidays just around the corner, and four shows left in Miami, Phish is on the brink of completing their first year back on the road. And what a year it has been! With an action-packed fall tour that gained serious momentum in Albany, the band brought hints of deeper musical exploration. Taking the first half of tour to acclimate to indoor arenas once again, when the band hit Albany after Thanksgiving, they were ready to take off – and that they did. Throughout the second half of tour, Phish showed an increased willingness to take risks, something that will be integral in the long-term musical success of the band. Trampolining off fifty-minutes of a deeper magic from the dawn of time, Albany’s “Seven Below > Ghost” pushed the band deeper into the creative fabric of their music over tour’s final week. Creating some of fall’s most indelible explorations at Madison Square Garden, with “Light,” Disease > Piper,” and “Seven Below,” and at Charlottesville with “Tweezer > Light,” Phish began to incorporate more open jamming into their shows.

But aside from these aforementioned jams, and some excursions sprinkled throughout the first half of tour, Phish – and particularly Trey – seemed to make a conscious choice in favor of more songs and less extended improv. Several jams during fall, even some of the spectacular ones, got the kibosh a bit too soon, cutting off potential dreamscapes. At profound musical moments, when Phish would formerly launch into sacred improv, more often than not they launched into their next song. And after witnessing the ease in which the band went nuts in Albany, it’s certainly not a matter of ability or polished chops; it’s a matter of choice.

Many have wondered if taking musical excursions close to, and over, the edge, brings back unwelcome memories and feelings of Trey’s days of indulgence. For as long as anyone can remember, the improv, the exploration, the drugs, losing himself in the power of the music – it was all part and parcel of Trey’s grand experiment. But now sober, and seemingly happier than ever, one has to wonder how his state of mind translates to the direction of Phish’s music. The band has displayed a greater intentionality behind their playing throughout the fall, featuring many blistering and creative type-I playing. Examples of this standout style can be found in almost any version of “Hood,” “Stash,” “Antelope,” “Slave,” “YEM,” “Limb,” “Reba,” or “Mike’s.” Explosive, rather than exploratory, playing has defined these songs, while only recently has “Light,” joined “Down With Disease” as the only guaranteed, open-ended psychedelic jaunts, with “Piper” and “Rock and Roll” not far behind. These patterns create an interesting dynamic at shows, one where almost everyone knows when jams are coming based on song choice. Dare I say Phish, the band that made the the wacky and unknown famous, has become a bit predictable? With surprises more often coming in bust-outs rather than improvisation, the band, while spicing up their setlists, has toned down their amount of jamming.

This evolution is quite interesting, because when the band does choose to explore new ground, they almost always arrive in transcendent musical passages that elicit boisterous ovations from the entire crowd, all knowing they witnessed something significant. Detroit’s “46 Days,” and “Disease,” Cincinnati’s “Rock and Roll > Ghost,” Syracuse’s “Drowned,” Philly’s “Disease” are all earlier examples of this from fall. With first sets  reserved, almost exclusively, for songs, compositions, and type-I jamming, Phish has limited the time-frame of their experimentation to the second half of their shows. But with increased musical risks during the last week of tour, and their enhanced comfort in the arena setting, signs seem to be pointing in the right direction. On the flip side, a tour that I thought would bring us many openly-improvised sets like Albany, brought us only one. That is not to say Phish didn’t play some great shows, they absolutely did. Things clicked on the first nights of Cincy, Philly, and Albany, and at Charlottesville and MSG, forming some stellar evenings.

But the question that still begs asking after almost a year is “What will Phish 3.0 become, and where will their music evolve?” Though Fall didn’t represent a massive step in any one direction, the band now seems at home in all its settings – amphitheatres, arenas, and festivals – and have a solid foundation on which to build upon. With three tours of sober playing under their belts, Phish may be on the verge of something bigger. Hinted at throughout fall tour – specifically towards the end – Phish’s spirit of exploration is alive and well, but the question lies in how often they will choose to don their musical moon boots and trounce off into the cosmos.

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Jam of the Day:

“Seven Below > Ghost” 11.28 II

The most cohesive, brilliant, and thematic improv from Phish this year.

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

11.28.09 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany NY < Torrent

11.28.09 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany NY < Megaupload

I: Party Time, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Uncle Pen, Sanity, Foam, Walk Away, NICU, Alaska, Split Open and Melt, Joy, Vultures, Backwards Down the Number Line

II: Seven Below > Ghost, Cool It Down > Gotta Jibboo, Let Me Lie, Wolfman’s Brother, Julius

E: You Enjoy Myself

Source: Sennheiser MD441U x2 set 1: 45deg./42cm set 2: 60deg./58cm, Nakamichi CM700/CP701: straight ahead, Sennheiser e602II: straight ahead > Edirol R4Pro ( Oade preamp mod ) @ 24/88.2

In the aftermath of their return to MSG, Phish brought their fall tour home in Charlottesville, Virginia last night with one of the dirtiest throw-downs of all, anchored by thick dance grooves, uber-exploratory improv, and cash-money playing all night long. Despite a 15,000 person capacity, John Paul Jones Arena held a distinctly intimate feel after Madison Square Garden’s big city blowout. With a GA floor uniting all the kids for the fall finale, Phish responded with an unforgettable farewell set, albeit only for three weeks.

Stepping on stage for their final frame, it didn’t take long for Phish to drop the danciest and most addictive”Tweezer” since Red Rocks now-legendary version. Attacking the jam from a rhythmic perspective, Phish instantly transported the arena to a moss-ridden, Mesozoic swamp of groove. Using rhythm licks and staccato leads, Trey blended with the band in the type of sculpted, blissful ventures that drives my soul. Sliding with swagger into his solo, Big Red’s playing led the band in an instant classic. As the band raged in the post-peak section of the jam, Trey abruptly cut the jam with a recalcitrant insistence on playing “Light” at that specific moment. The rough transition hardly effected what is quickly becoming a Phish staple, “Tweezer > Light.” Having started the Summer at Fenway with the debut of the sequence, the band finished Fall with the same combo that packed a completely different punch.

Since its debut, “Light” has developed into the band’s newest and largest jam vehicle, growing in stature throughout the year, and recently featured as Madison Square Garden’s deepest jam. In the last version of a tour that has been nothing short of a revelation for the song’s potential, Phish unveiled one of their most psychedelic and abstract jam in ages. Morphing in and out of subtle grooves and with an amorphous mastery, this jam represented some peak sonic experimentation. The band passed through a passage that strongly suggested “Dave’s Energy Guide” en route to an incredibly cerebral masterpiece. Through all the “Lights” of fall tour, Phish illustrated an evolving desire to break new musical ground, specifically in the last few versions, and that couldn’t be a better sign for the future of the band.

Blending their cosmic jaunt into “Piper,” the band tore into another piece of music that has continually pushed their playing throughout the year. Last night’s full-throttle mind-game provided a dense passage of growling rock-turned-groove, in a jam that Trey, again, ended too quickly to play “Free” –  an interesting trend that could be theorized upon for hours. Splashing into the ultimate ’09 landing point for exploratory improv, the band concluded the initial non-stop section of the set with a dash of bass-driven arena rock before allowing anyone to catch their breath.

Featuring their “Exile” costume for consecutive shows, Phish used the appropriate “Sweet Virginia” as their final mid-set interlude of tour. Following the Stones’ southern ballad, Phish rolled into a magnificent “Harry Hood” whose completely sublime interplay between Mike and Trey made the many versions of tour look somewhat standard. Guided by a seemingly deeper spirit, the ethereal textures and other-worldly melodies of this “Hood” brought echoes of mid-to-late ’90’s classics, evoking the song’s essential core. Taking their early-epic for a regal ride, this version drew inspiration from the stirring set of music that had preceded. As the band sustained the song’s final note, one could practically hear the oncoming crash into “Suzy,” and when it came, “Hood’s” energy spilled into the super-spirited funk number that has dotted so many top-notch sets this year.

Following “Golgi,” the band stamped the set complete with an “Antelope” that brought the tour to an upbeat ending with the altered lyric, “You’ve got to run like a naked guy, out of control!” referencing a first-set stage-jumper in the raw who wove his way around the band and their equipment, eluding two stage security like Barry Sanders breaking a busted play. A comedic ending to a top-notch affair, the band concluded in a place of extreme musical focus amidst tongue-in cheek hilarity; it sure seems that things are back on track in the world of Phish again. Finishing their tour with the first “Loving Cup” since Indio’s accompanied blowout, and the always fitting ,”Reprise,” the encore punctuated and enhanced the band’s farewell. Now at home again in both amphitheatres and arenas, the world is Phish’s oyster once again, and it’s just great to be a part of it.

Set 1 Notes: An eventful, though rather jam-less, first set featured the tour’s only appearances of “Ya Mar,” “Sneakin’ Sally,” and “Bold As Love.” “Bag,” “Chalkdust” provided an old-school kick start to the frame while “Faulty Plan” went through the entire tour fall without any of its anticipated indoor evolution. The band continues to kill “Divided Sky” with frequency because they can. A late-set combo of “Funky Bitch” and “Bowie,” by all accounts, should have ended the first half. But “The Wedge” followed before the hallowed Hendrix cover ended an extended opening frame.

I: AC/DC Bag, Chalk Dust Torture, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, The Divided Sky, Ya Mar, Sneakin’ Sally through the Alley, The Old Home Place, Cavern, Funky Bitch, David Bowie, The Wedge, Bold As Love

II: Tweezer > Light > Piper > Free, Sweet Virginia, Harry Hood, Suzy Greenberg, Golgi Apparatus, Run Like an Antelope

E: Loving Cup, Tweezer Reprise

Inside Madison Square Garden, one can feel the history of Phish in the arena. Having just completed their 17th show at the storied venue, the corridors drip with memories of nights past and moments we’ve enjoyed. When songs are dropped, one can’t help but remember the classic versions that have gone down within the round room that surrounds. On the final night of their three-night stand, the band evoked, and added, to their  34th Street legacy with a two-set performance of current hits, classic jams, and a significant return to their catalog. Locked and loaded with another non-stop setlist, the band blasted off in the greatest indoor Phish arena, bar none. When Phish has The Garden in the palm of the of their hand, manipulating energy with their minds and instruments, there is simply nothing like it. And last night was again one of those nights. With their least exploratory playing of the run, Phish defined their show with a second set of flowing, succinct improv, and a monster “YEM” to punctuate the whole shebang. With fierce playing, the band treated the Friday night audience to a plethora of grandiose anthems that created a memorable two-set experience.

After a string of high-energy rockers to start things off, the band whispered into the first version of “Glide” since their poignant and bittersweet Coventry farewell. A song that seeped heavy emotion in the fields of Vermont, nodding to the physical survival of all band members at their 2004 demise, the songs carried a distinctly celebratory feel when broken out last night. In a complete juxtaposition of tone, on this night “Glide” celebrated the arrival of this era, and the everlasting spirit of the Phish. Bringing an undeniable air of redemption to the set, this version’s significance wasn’t lost on anyone.

The sparkling gem of the first set came in the form of an old-school, up-tempo “Reba” that saw impeccable communication and interplay between the entire band. Drenching the arena with a sublime waterfall of driving melodies, Trey led the band in a version that immediately stood out as an indelible memory of the MSG run. Dropping, without whistling, into “Dinner and a Movie” the sinister bust-out sent the energy through the roof. Following the only “Guyute” of tour with a particularly smoking “Maze,” the band brought the house down to close the first set with a “First Tube” that matched “Fluffhead’s” peak as the MSG’s two points of near implosion. With collective energy pouring from the audience in tidal waves, this version defined the interplay between Phish and its audience as the two forces brought each other higher and higher to a mind-bending peak. This may be one of those moments you just had to be there to completely comprehend – ridiculously powerful stuff.

The second set held the promise of further experimental improvisation, and a small dose bubbled out of “Seven Below,” but more than anything, this set brought a series of heavy hitting songs that torched The Garden like MJ. But before the band launched into a string of connected pieces, they stunned everyone with the return of their post-hiatus masterpiece “Scents and Subtle Sounds.” Having not played the opus since Summer ’04, and never indoors, the reintroduction of one of post-hiatus most promising jam vehicles brought waves of blissful emotion through throngs of kids throughout the arena. Anticipating an experimentation of the likes we’ve seen at the beginning of the last couple second-sets, instead the band played a standard version that brought the song back into play; and there are few better developments over the three-night run.

After the opener, Phish put a spotlight on another of ’09’s greatest hits, “Rock and Roll.” One of the year’s indelible type-II vehicles, last night Phish played a rather contained rendition with a hefty dose of blistering rock and a section of percussive breakdown typical of many versions. With no shortage of precise playing, this jam didn’t break or explore any new  ground the band hasn’t covered many times proficiently this year. But as the song came to its arguably premature end, the band twisted into “Seven Below,” a certain nod to Albany’s epic that awakened their improvisational spirit a week ago. Phish jammed from off the song’s theme into a segment of hypnotic whole-band interplay that Trey painted with a repetitive lick, potentially a loop, lending a drone feel to the night’s most compelling excursion. Placing their open improv in the middle of set rather than at the beginning, this mystical music brought the band out to its furthest point of the evening, crafting a abstract escapade. A not-so-exploratory second “Twist” of tour still transcended the near-composed jam in Syracuse with some tight and creative type-I improv while bringing a welcome return to the setlist. Without letting up, the band returned to the historically terrorizing territory of MSG “Mike’s Songs.” Channeling the arena’s copious energy, the band built a gnarling rendition that brought echoes of “Grooves” past from the rafters.

Following a “Horse > Silent” interlude, the band brought down the house with the groove-based highlight of the night in a stupendous “YEM.” Once settled into a funked-out jam, Trey played off Mike’s bass patterns, taking a signature rhythm lick – one codified on The Siket’s Disc “The Name is Slick” –  and turned the party out. Weaving variations of the staccato lick throughout the band’s rhythmic gymnastics, Trey hit his solo in full stride, stretching things out in the biggest blowout of the night and a rightful cap to the stand. But just when you thought Phish had played it all, they came out with the memorable peak to their Exile on Main Street set, the gospel-laced “Shine a Light.” A perfect ending to a phenomenal three night stand, the band integrated their Halloween costume into their triumphant Garden finale. Forever etched in the memory of all in attendance, and with musical memories galore, Phish’s MSG run ended in a fitting lyrical tribute to the entire Phish community.

And now, the Southern denouement…

I: Heavy Things, Possum, Wilson, Kill Devil Falls, Glide, 46 Days, Bouncing Around the Room, Reba, Dinner and a Movie, Guyute, Maze, First Tube

II: Scents and Subtle Sounds, Rock and Roll > Seven Below > Twist, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, You Enjoy Myself

E: Shine a Light

One night after Phish rewrote the improvisational record book for this era, they played a show far more defined by its setlist than open-ended jamming. Greeting the intimate Sunday crowd in Maine with an array of bust-outs and precise playing, the band issued their strongest first set of tour, but then opened up their improv only one time during the second set in an odd turn of events. Albany’s other-worldly playing, almost inexplicably, didn’t provide the impetus to step onstage and go for it again. Instead, the band played a non-stop, two set show that brought a consistently high energy in a classic building of Phish lore.

Greeting the renovated arena with their own new, ultra-polished rock show, Phish came out firing in the first half, opening with the promising combination of “Possum,” “Disease.” Staying within the confines of their anthem for the first time this fall, “Disease” sparked the night with a standout shredfest, but the most interesting segment of the set came in the second half. After the band played the first “Weigh” of this era and the first “Nellie Kane” since 2000, the band sat into their third smoking piece of improv of the set, this time of the dark variety, in “Stash.” Building a standout sinister peak, this song set the ominous tone for the rest of the frame, as the band dropped into their third 3.0 debut with “Meat.” Taking the simple funk groove and creating a mini-jam, the band did more with Gordon’s Ghost-era composition than ever before. The rhythmic-focused “Undermind” provided another first set highlight as Trey experimented with a twangier tone and an explosive solo over his bandmmates’ building shuffle-groove. Meanwhile, Gordon kept busy hurling bass grenades into the fray in what turned out to be a step forward for the song. But the peak of the nasty first half came in the the set ending “Mike’s Groove.” Without breaking form, Phish built a massive guitar-rock jaunt that saw Trey crush an intense excursion of evil licks and bombastic patterns. A dirty dance through a dark alley, Trey led the troops to the safety of “Hydrogen” through some excessively hairy territory. Capped by a full-speed run through “Weekapaug,” Phish’s stellar opening frame set the table for a second set that held the imaginations of all captive for the forty minute setbreak.

Kicking off the second half with “Moma Dance,” the band oozed into the frame with some thickness, and then dropping into to the virtually- guaranteed type-II vehicle “Rock and Roll.” Showing love for Velvet Underground’s Loaded for the third time in four shows, this time, instead of launching into an interesting Phish jam, the band remained anchored to the break-neck, guitar rock for all but the last minute or so of the piece. When they finally eased up the intensity, the music began to blossom, and, with some patience, could have made a stunning journey. But it wasn’t to be – just as the music was turning transcendent, the band segued rather quickly into “Light.”

Providing the improvisational centerpiece of the night, “Light” transformed from a cathartic guitar confessional into a group exploration in the spiritual plane, Trey sporadically dropped his geyser-like melodies for more abstract offerings and the band built outward with him. Remaining in high gear, Phish soared through the multi-faceted centerpiece of the show, briefly reaching an incredibly addictive groove that they abandoned all too quickly. Remaining creative throughout and building delicately to an beautiful conclusion, the band took “Light,” and went for it, resulting in the most engaging piece of the show. Sometimes all ya’ gotta do is try!

As only real exploratory section of the night came to an end, the band slithered into a murky hard rock or heavy metal cover, with full on snarling guitar licks and a crashing drum beat. But as the lyrics unfolded and the band sang the chorus, it became clear that Phish was unveiling a reworked version of the Dude of Life’s “Crimes of the Mind.” Appearing for only the seventh time in their history, and the first without The Dude, himself, on vocals, the updated version featured a menacing guitar hook and a seething solo that left everyone smiling at the reinvented pseudo-classic. Yet another addition to Phish’s ever-broadening catalog, this one seems like it could have some real improvisational potential if the band chooses to go that route.

The rest of the set, while well-played didn’t feature anything outside the box. Though precise “Pebbles and Marbles” seemed to break up the set’s continuity a bit, and its customary, one-dimensional rock jam didn’t add any intrigue to the song-based evening. Juxtaposing the upbeat textures with their patented space-funk, Phish kicked into a short but sweet, bass-led “2001” in a late set dance session that spun the mini-arena like a gyroscope . Phish emerged from the song’s peak with a run of potential set closers – “Golgi,” “Cavern,” and a classic “Antelope,” which the band drilled to punctuate the set. Enhancing the show’s kick-down value, the band featured a triple-encore of the rare a capella “Freebird” for the first time since 2000, “Carini,” and “Waste.”

Moving into the fall-tour’s peak run at Madison Square Garden, one can only assume Phish has a couple of monster sets in them to rival Albany’s masterpiece. Always bringing their A-game to the Big Apple, the next three shows could very well wind up being some of the most memorable of the year. It will be interesting to see what approach Phish takes in a building where they have traditionally jammed relentlessly. Only a of couple days to travel, recoop, and listen to Albany,  and we shall see!

I: Possum, Down with Disease, Nellie Kane, Weigh, When the Circus Comes, Kill Devil Falls, Water in the Sky, Stash, Meat, Undermind, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove

II: The Moma Dance, Rock and Roll > Light > Crimes of the Mind, Pebbles and Marbles, Also Sprach Zarathustra > Golgi Apparatus, Cavern, Run Like an Antelope

E: Free Bird, Carini, Waste