MR. MINER'S PHISH THOUGHTS

6.10.11 (G.Lucas)

After the incredibly successful summer that Phish has already had, we still have a dozen shows to go! In a bit more than a week the circus will travel to the hallowed grounds of the Gorge to kick off the back end of the touring season. And things couldn’t look brighter. When we left the band just a few weeks ago, they had just thrown down the best weekend of music in the modern era amidst a full-blown Phish festival of the sorts we only dreamed about a few short years ago. It is impossible to deny the musical momentum built over the first half of this summer and— more than ever—it certainly feels like the dawning of Phish’s Golden Age.

 

7.3.11 (G.Lucas)

Full-blown creativity, new improvisational directions, experimental jamming, airtight communication, uncharted territory—all of these facets were part of Phish’s opening month of tour. And if the progress made from leg one to leg two during the past two summer tours is any indication, Phish is going to come back with even sharper jaws and enhanced improvisational adventure. At Super Ball, the band seemed to play with a laid-back patience, understanding that we were all there for three days and there was no reason to rush anything. As a result, almost almost no jams were ended prematurely and the weekend possessed an undeniable flow. Though some sets were better crafted than others, the band left us with a slew of the most innovative music to be played in this era.

Two nights at the Gorge, Hollywood Bowl, Tahoe x 2, Golden Gate Park, then two three-packs—at UIC and Denver…there is heck of a lot of music left to be played this summer! And just like the last two, when all is said and done, my bet is that the second leg will produce the most memorable jams of the tour. Building off a spectacular June that was in a different league than its 2009 and 2010 predecessors, the thoughts of what might come out of August is awe-inducing. Five new venues and a return to two of their most classic haunts will provide us with 24 more sets to take us through a Phishless fall. But something tells me that after a spectacular—and lengthy—summer, that won’t be too much of a problem for anyone.

In 2011,  Phish has created a buzz in the community like no time since their Hampton return. Showcasing a completely revitalized improvisational brilliance—built upon the foundation of ’09 and ’10—Phish took people by storm in Bethel and have maintained that quality of play, and improved upon it, right up through Super Ball. It’s an exciting time to be a Phish fan, as the entire comeback has brought us to right now. And heading up to the Gorge in this context, could anything be sweeter?

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Jam of the Day:

Light > Number Line” 6.19.11 II

Deep in Portsmouth’s second set, Phish got into an intricate and psychedelic take on “Light” in which Trey actually sets up a quasi-transition into “Number Line.” With so much meat in his show, this “Light” jam hasn’t been discussed to much; check it out.

After the incredibly successful summer that Phish has already had, we still have a dozen shows to go! In a bit more than a week the circus will travel to the hallowed grounds of the Gorge to kick off the back end of the touring season. And things couldn’t look brighter. When we left the …

Mid-Week Musings Read More »

6.10.11 – Camden Graham Lucas)

Phish’s Camden performance boasted little flow, several obvious flubs and wound up as one of the lower tier shows of summer’s opening leg. But during June 2011, even the band’s lesser engaging nights still carried strokes of brilliance. When at a show, its whole contour often strikes one more than its individual parts, but when listening back with the ability to focus in on one particular jam at a time, a recording can offer snapshots of greatness. Though its two-set dynamic never quite elevated, Camden’s show did offer some great musical nuggets. Despite strong first-set versions of “Weekapaug” and “Stash,” the following three jams represent, in my opinion, the most transcendent moments of a relatively underwhelming show.

***

The Curtain With

6.10.11 G.Lucas)

In the highlight of the first half, and arguably the show, Phish threw down a majestic, set-closing version of their seminal classic, “The Curtain With.” A fluttering beat from Fishman framed a passionate, three-part dance between Mike, Page, and Trey. The phrasing of all members took an emotional and virtuosic turn as their lines seemed played from the comb of a music box—intertwining with mind-boggling perfection. The band immersed themselves in a sacred exchange as their interplay dripped with a collective catharsis that you don’t hear every day. Camden represented the first time in the band’s career that they used “The Curtain With” to end a set; but after this rendition, there was simply nothing left to say.

***

Down with Disease

6.10.11 (G.Lucas)

Though June featured many a standout “Disease,” Camden’s second-set opener is right up there with the best of them. Sprinting through high-speed rock textures, the band boasted the improvisational tightness we heard during “Curtain (With),” and as they veered off course, it was clear an adventure was ahead. Settling into a sparser canvas, the band’s offerings seemed to chase each other in a game of musical tag. Trey’s lines slowly grew more abstract, while Page and Mike went along this spiritual climb with him. Fish’s driving break-beats gave way to more delicate rhythms, and quickly, the band was amidst stunning original interplay. As the music developed out of this mellifluous realm and into more psychedelic waters, Mike and Page lead the jam as much as Trey. Then after stepping back, Red emerged with an uncompressed growl over an increasingly dynamic groove—and within this section lies some of June’s more impressive jamming that has largely been lost in the fray. Ending naturally in “Free,” this “Disease” is pure exploratory fire. Though the rest of the set didn’t exactly blow the roof off Camden’s Susquehanna Bank Center, this “Disease” most certainly did.

***

Steep

6.10.11 (G.Lucas)

Any way you cut it, “Possum,” “Big Black Furry Creatures,” Swept > Steep” is a whole lot of nothing as “meat” of the second set. Nonetheless, following the full-on adventure of “Disease > Free,” it was this exact run of songs that totally derailed the show. But as Phish reached “Steep” and its modern-era composed jam, they decided to take the song for the first ride of its career. Not only expanding on the emotive ending that was debuted on New Year’s ’09 in Miami, Phish took the jam straight into uncharted territory. Entering a down-tempo, four-minded psychedelia, the band took “Steep” into a dark-then-ambient plane, seamlessly fusing with a solid, mid-set “David Bowie.” (“Steep’s” surrounding tracks are included in the clip below for context.)

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Jam of the Day:

Stash” 6.10.11 I

While we are revisting Camden, here is the “Stash” that followed the show’s opening “Mike’s Groove,” a dark slice of  jamming at the beginning of the night .

Phish’s Camden performance boasted little flow, several obvious flubs and wound up as one of the lower tier shows of summer’s opening leg. But during June 2011, even the band’s lesser engaging nights still carried strokes of brilliance. When at a show, its whole contour often strikes one more than its individual parts, but when …

Combing Through Camden Read More »

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