I just got to Lake Geneva after an all-night drive, so tonight but I’ll go with the Cliff Notes version on a herky-jerky show that didn’t totally elevate. With a first set filled with fresh songs and bust outs, the band set the stage for a huge second with opening “Disease -> Sand.” As the band segued out of “Sand into “Twist,” it seemed like they were setting up an improvisationally-based five or six song stanza of dreams. Flowing like a river through the first thirty minutes of the main event, the band seemed primed to weave one of their sets of the summer, but all of a sudden, Trey got jumpy. Red bailed out of “Twist” with an insistent transition into another oddly placed, mid-second set “Rift” before the jam even got going. But when the guys cranked into an ever elusive second-set “Bathtub Gin,” things seemed primed to get nasty. But as they forged into an original and engaging jam, Trey got the idea that cutting the excursion for a second set “Fluffhead” was somehow a good idea. Though “Fluff” certainly popped off, the set that looked super-promising from the early jump off had dissolved to a disjointed ride. A late-set bust-out of “Ride Captain Ride” kept the energy high and was great to hear, and when Trey wove the piece into the “Antelope” intro and the jam, they formed a quality late-set couplet.

All in all, last night didn’t contain the coherency that has underlined most of the show’s of this summer. “Disease – > Sand,” however, is definitely another stellar segment of Phish that must be heard. The “Disease, in fact, flowed incredibly well, ballooning over the fifteen minute mark and was jammed to completion for the first time this summer. Flowing nicely into “Sand,” the band kicked down another rhythmic throwdown, in what is quickly developing into the leading “MVP” candidate for Leg One. Check out that segment for sure. Notable bust-outs in fun a first set included the third “Sweet Jane” ever, “Mound,” “Life On Mars?” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” A fun night of Phish, but the second set really coulda been a contender…

I: Crowd Control, Dinner and a Movie, Sweet Jane, Limb By Limb > Possum, Mound, Life on Mars?, The Mango Song > Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Strange Design, Birds of a Feather, Halley’s Comet, While My Guitar Gently Weeps

II: Down with Disease > Sand -> Twist -> Rift, Bathtub Gin –> Fluffhead, Ride Captain Ride, Run Like an Antelope

E: Cavern > Sanity, First Tube

PS…I rescind my comment from the last review saying that the Deer Creek “Tweezer” is the “Tweezer” of the summer. It’s not.

In temperatures that topped 100 degrees and amidst sweltering humidity, Phish kicked off their classic Midwestern run of Deer Creek and Alpine with a smoking performance that touched on every aspect of the band’s game. Crafting a fresh setlist with eight summer debuts, the band dropped a monstrous opening frame in the now-developed Cornfields, and followed it up with a second half filled with innovative jamming. And when the band crushes from start to finish like they did on Thursday, everyone goes home smiling.

If anyone was in the lot for any duration yesterday afternoon, I’m not sure how he made it through the first set—the weather was that unbearable. But when Phish hit the stage, they didn’t seem to mind at all, playing a first half that matched the temperatures with their own musical heat. The show fired off with six summer songs we’ve yet to hear this year, highlighted by a “Curtain With” jam that greeted the Indiana crowd with a kiss of majesty. Locked in jamming is but a given at this state of the game, and a three-day layoff showed no ill effects as the band got to work quickly in nailing their complex composition. And when they cut through the molasses-thick air with the opening of “With” it felt like that—at least for the moment—everything cooled down. Trey delicately painted their seminal opus with flowing licks of beauty that drew everyone’s attention away from their environs and into the ride. It was clear that it would be another special night.

The improvisational highlights of the set continued with another first of 2012—“Pebbles and Marbles.” I’ve always felt that once this song breaks, it might as well be another “Disease” jam, and last night fit that bill perfectly. Stepping into a torrid segment that sounds plucked from a first-set “Disease,” the band continued countering the summer heat with their musical momentum. And the set would only balloon from there. Stepping out of their string of debuts with “Chalk Dust,” things got far gooier with the following three-song combo—“Wolfman’s,” “Cool It Down,” and the second “Tweezer” in as many sets!

This jammier sequence began with the second consecutive “swanky-not-wanky,” full-band take on “Wolfman’s Brother.” Diving, collectively, into music as thick as the air in which we swam, the band treated to us to a smorgasbord of grooves throughout this first set triumvirate. After a smoking “Wolfman’s,” the band began playing off the absurd temperatures with their song choices, first, “Cool It Down.” Marking the seventh summer debut of the set, the band snapped into a groovy sequence out of the Velvet Underground rarity, setting the table for an out of left field “Tweezer” bomb! Having just played the crowd favorite in Blossom’s second set, here we were stepping into the freezer amidst ungodly heat! And what a “Tweezer” it was. Quickly jumping to the forefront of Summer 2012 versions, this jam exploded in power-packed playing, erasing any thoughts of the inhuman environs. Though a Trey led-jam through and through, Red never dominated the four-man mix, allowing the groove to breathe as this band mates sat with him every step of the way. Altering his playing throughout the jam, when he finally went for the final build, he did so with utmost creativity, peaking the jam as if a rabid hyena. Cranking out an old school ending, the band supported the standout “Tweezer,” with “Tela,” a song that immediately brought memories of Summer ’96 in the same shed, before a surprisingly uneventful “Faulty Plan” closed the set.

And once things cooled down a bit, Phish came back with a flowing second half, in which a Fishman interlude didn’t even detract from the band’s overall musical focus. Opening the second frame with the unlikely combo of “Mike’s > McGrupp” for the first time since Nassau ’99, the guys remained anchored to “Mike’s Song,” but took “McGrupp” for the ride of its life. Morphing out from Page’s piano solo, the band infused their 2012 sound into the piece, transforming the jam into a minimalist groove that Trey dotted with tasteful  creativity. Merging back into the song with nary a hitch, they concluded the Gamehendge tangent and moved directly into “Back on the Train.” The darker vibe that Portsmouth’s version hinted at was fully during the improvisational centerpiece set’s opening half. As the band moved further and further away from the song’s template, Fishman maintained its beat far into this murky tale. Trey and Page came together atop the groove, nudging the jam further and further out of the box, and soon Trey was playing a tone-split solo over his own loops and an increasingly dense texture—and Fish kept the groove driving straight ahead. Finally giving way to his bandmates ideas, he began to ooze into subtler rhythms over which Trey, Mike and Page began to abstractly expound. Before one knew it, we were neck deep in an avant-garde, ambient soundscape. Moving slowly into the stratosphere, the band’s sorcerer’s cloaks came out as they collaboratively floated through sonic realms until they twisted gradually into “Hold Your Head Up” in a perfectly executed segue.

And when Fishman’s Syd Barret spotlight ended with his routine laps around the stage and Trey started up “Weekapaug” on the drums, instead of returning to his post, Fishman “tucked” and picked up Trey’s Languedoc! Playing twangy notes into the quickening jam, the band began coalescing around his off-kilter offerings. Turning, first, into a bit of sheer comedy, and then morphing to a very impressive dual-drum solo with Trey and Fish sharing the kit, the band’s antics never took away from the on stage musical narrative—another layer of polish to Phish 2012. When Trey finally rejoined his guitar, the band locked right into a blistering “Weekapaug” jam. Though when it ended, the most impressive sequence of the night began.

Digging into “Prince Caspian” with varied leads and a different feel, Trey led this jam—unlike the equally beautiful Page-led AC rendition—and got super creative within an old classic. And when the song came to its ethereal settling point, instead of crashing into its ending chords, Trey ushered in a slithery segue into the long awaited summer debut of “Waves.” With each night there seems to be another timeless jam added to the 2012 playlist, and while the entire night was laced with fiery and creative interplay throughout, “Waves” is what the first night of Deer Creek will be associated with forever.

Unlike recent versions, the band didn’t reprise the lyrics after Trey’s guitar solo, instead launching in sequence of five-star Phish that stacks up to any of the masterful pieces we’ve heard this tour. Jumping off with a furious “type-II” groove, the band turned the creative juices on high and let them flow. Spinning a staggeringly coherent tale of original music, the guys covered a ludicrous amount of musical territory within a compact time frame. Gradually moving into more and more abstract territory within the open waters, the band landed in a outright futuristic sound-sculpture. I’ll let the music take this one away. Bringing the jam to an ambient head, Phish slowly dropped into “Bug,” a perfect landing point from the outer cosmos. The band brought the audience back to earth before dropping into a notably strong, show ending “David Bowie.”

Delivered in pre and post Fishman segments of music, each half of the second set stood out for its originality, the infusion of fresh, distinctly modern ideas, and outstanding musicianship. The first show of Deer Creek was a two-setter that holds up to any of summer, as the band came out swinging on the opening night of a ludicrous run of nine shows in 11 days to finish the tour. But if they keep playing them they have been, these next ten days are gonna’ be quite the spectacle. 2012 Phish….mmmmm…mmmmm…good! Catch em while you can!

I: The Birdwatcher, The Curtain With, Fuck Your Face, The Old Home Place, Pebbles and Marbles, Weigh, Chalk Dust Torture, Wolfman’s Brother, Cool It Down, Tweezer, Tela, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan

II: Mike’s Song > McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Back on the Train -> Hold Your Head Up, Bike >Hold Your Head Up > Weekapaug Groove*, Prince Caspian –> Waves > Bug > David Bowie

E: Show of Life > Tweezer Reprise

*w/ Trey & Fish drum duet

Well, IT happened again. For the third straight night, Phish destroyed a Midwestern amphitheatre—this time in Cleveland, Ohio—with the type of dense musical drama that speaks to the psychonaut in all of us. Presented in three improvisational chunks, last night’s second set put a magnifying lens on groove, as each segment featured a different stylistic take on rhythmic playing. The band concluded their weekend run—and the opening third of Summer 2012—with a boldface musical exclamation point, and things couldn’t look finer in the universe of Phish.

A night after showcasing a new-school “plinko” symphony at Star Lake, Phish gave us an intimate look into the “Storage-shed” style of jamming, named after Super Ball’s fourth set phenomenon—specifically with the opening sequence of the second half. But before things got eerie, we hit the dance floor with the band’s best modern-era cover, “Golden Age.” Primarily used as a single instead of a jam vehicle since its debut, consider last night a win for the home team. Breaking out of the song, Trey crack-like rhythm playing—the style that has been fairly absent in this era—took over, and he sliced and diced the music in a way that got the pavilion pulsing. Able to step up with Trey’s minimalism, Mike’s bass lines bushwhacked a silky path for the music. Maintaining this addictive texture for the first part of the jam, Trey moved into some unconventional leads before hitting an effect pedal that signified the beginning of a gradual descent into an outright Storage soundscape. Crafting a collaborative canvas—simultaneously haunting and beautiful—the ambient music that emanated from the stage, for the second consecutive night, could only have come from this era. Drifting into deep space with delicate communication rather than overlaying copious effects, the band painted an avant-garde work of art before bleeding slowly into “Ghost.”

Placed in the wheelhouse of the second set, and paired with the previous excursion, “Ghost” was primed to explode for the second time this summer. As the jam opened, Trey cut into the groove with a snarling guitar lick that primed the intimate pavilion at Blossom for action. Completely demolishing the opening part of “Ghost,” Trey showcased fingers of fury as he tore off one spectacular phrase after another. Fish and Mike anchored the mix with a smooth-as-all-get-out pocket of liquid groove. Crushing this linear theme for some time, things would soon veer far off course into another portion nouveau Phish. After his scorching soloing, Trey—with Fishman—moved into more abstract territory, and within seconds the band seamlessly entered an alternate musical reality. Trey looped an effected drone pattern and began playing notes and other layers atop an intricate rhythm. Fusing Storage sounds into this abstract groove, the band crafted another distinctly 2012 jam. “The Golden Ghost”—another timeless sequence that we’ll be listening to for years to come—finished nearly 25 minutes after the band came on stage, providing yet another prime example of musical density. Navigating no less than four separate textural feels within this compact time frame, the guys astounded their audience once again. Tastefully twisting into Exile’s “Sweet Virginia” the band capped the opening portion of the set with the always welcome ballad.

Phish—but for a few measures—nailed a mid-set “Rift” that shocked and persuaded our souls to ignite for the monstrous dance throwdown that lurked around the corner in the form of “Tweezer.” Notably juicing the venue with its opening licks, the band hadn’t combined “Ghost” and “Tweezer” in the second set in ages. And with the band dropping all types of filthy grooves throughout the set, one had to imagine “Tweezer” would follow suit. But instead of opening the door to a gooey fantasy land upon the outset, the guys pounced directly onto a “Tweezer Reprise” jam! Usually reserved for the end of shows, this chord progression was far much more adrenaline-inducing knowing that a “Tweezer” jam was coming on its heels! Atop a robust rhythm Trey broke the “Reprise” jam with a seething guitar lick and then backed waaay off, allowing Mike to caress our ears with seductive, envelope-filtered leads. Over a groove as dancy as a Solid Gold, Trey chopped in with a series of staccato chords before playing a dark melody that began to resemble Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” Realizing the similarity, Trey adjusted his playing and stepped to the mic. But when nobody in the band knew the lyrics, this part turned into a comical mashup of “Tweezer” and “Under Pressure,” with Trey even giving a nod to Vanilla Ice’s ripped-off pop single “Ice, Ice Baby!” When Trey claimed that “This is obviously going nowhere!” he jokingly suggested bringing a bunch of girls to up to dance the “Meatstick,” in reference to their first-set closing antics. And on cue, the band moved into a “Meatstick Reprise.” Loose and having a blast, the band hand the crowd in the palm of its hand, and when they dropped back into “Tweezer,” the place blew up. Recommitting to the “Tweezer” groove, they guys gradually morphed the jam into “Walk Away!”

With a “Reprise”-esque jam already written into the modern-day version of the cover, “Walk Away” provided the band a chance to bring “Tweezer’s” tease-laced suite to a powerful head. And thus ended the second improvisational chunk of the set. “Horse -> Silent” provided an appropriate exhale before the Phish dove into the final part of the night with “Piper.”

Superb song selection teamed up with airtight jamming on this night to deliver a set that just kept on giving. Resetting the improvisational palette, the band engaged in one more permutation of groove, this time of the uptempo variety. Blasting off in a hard-edged opening to the jam, soon Trey pulled back on his leads in favor of high-paced rhythm playing, encouraging Mike and Fish to switch gears into a percussive pattern. As Page played the Rhodes with prominence, the band coalesced into another quintessential style of Phish groove. When Trey came back over the top with a scorching lead, the guys upped the vigor of the piece into a rock-based groove before coming down into a distorted and demented ending and seeping into “Waste.” As Trey soulfully played one of many fan’s favorite ballad-based solos, one could see an oncoming “Antelope” as plain as day.

Always far beefier as a second set closer rather than at the end of the first, this well-placed “Antelope” blossomed into the fiercest of summer. Including teases of “Under Pressure” and “Meatstick” in the intro, the band was in an incredibly playful mood as they hit the night’s final jam, and their enthusiasm spoke loudly through the speakers. Dynamic and far livelier that usual, “Antelope” was underlined by intricacy and smoothness as well as force and power, providing a smashing conclusion to another amazing set of Phish.

With the band’s totally revitalized musical perspective and playing that is as dialed in as ever, Phish tour now carries the nightly consistency of lore. Every time the lights drop, the possibilities are both spectral and endless, and one can be fairly sure they will leave the show astounded. Excitement and overjoyedness—emotions that have come to define the current state of Phish—coarse through the veins of the entire community once again. And with the Midwestern Meccas of Deer Creek and Alpine on the horizon, I don’t think things are slowing down any time soon!

Set One Notes: The band is slaying virtually anything they touch right now, giving even standard first sets like last night’s an extra pop. Song selection plays a large part how much one likes these sets, and for the most part I dug last night’s opening frame. A short but super-charged “Tube” foreshadowed the theme of the second set, and though the band gave “Gin” a solid spin, the version didn’t necessarily stack up to the previous couple outings. “Limb” provided the jam of the first set with particularly active communication between all four members. The rarity, “Corrina,” graced us with a late set appearance before an antic filled “Meatstick”—in which Trey pulled no less than seven fans on stage at a futile, but funny, attempt to get the participants to do the dance—ended the set in comical fashion. Very tight and very clean, though improvisationally thin, the first set mattered little after Blossom’s second set bombardment.

I: Sample in a Jar, Tube, Axilla, Bathtub Gin, Roses Are Free, Limb By Limb, Free, NICU, Possum, The Wedge, Corinna, Meatstick*

II: Golden Age > Ghost > Sweet Virginia, Rift, Tweezer* -> Walk Away > The Horse > Silent in the Morning> Piper, Waste,  Run Like an Antelope

E: Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise

* w/ crowd dancers on stage ** w/ “Under Pressure” teases/mashup

Having just re-listened to Star Lake’s second set, I nearly shed a tear of joy upon the ending of “Slave”—this is the place I knew Phish would get to upon their comeback in 2009. Amidst so much skepticism, I believed that this band once would again blow our minds on a nightly basis. I had faith. In fact I knew it in my core. And in the mythical year of 2012, the time has finally come. Performing—what I can confidently say—is the best set of this era, Phish wrote another page of history in a venue of legend somewhere between Erie and Pittsburgh. Centering 42 straight minutes of connected, improvisational bliss in a second set that flowed like water, the band continues to set new standards for themselves this summer by the show. With stylistically innovative and self-referential jamming throughout the second set Star Lake provided a gleaming portrait of Phish 2012.

Following a standardish first set, and a fiery, though wholly regular, “Jibboo,” “Mikes” opener of the second, I thought we could be on our way to a “Saturday Night Special.” But when the band blossomed from “Simple” into the most engaging musical suite in memory, any thoughts of a glossy show vanished into the summer air. Easily the most astounding jamming we’ve heard all year took place in long form over the coarse of the second set, and it all started here…

Bubbling out of “Simple,” evoking memories of the Omni’s third set version in ’96, the band soon dissolved into a haunting sound sculpture that had “Storage Jam” written all over it. This four-piece mind-meld illustrated a desire to move beyond conventions, and as the piece was patiently floating further into the outer reaches of the Milky Way, Trey concluded the first movement with the opening to “Light.” One immediately felt that this jam would transform into the centerpiece of the show, and lo and behold, that is exactly what happened. Trey took an alternate type of lead out of the lyrics, favoring more notes rather than his usual pitch-bent melodies, a move that encouraged the rest of the guys to get involved early on. Transforming into an equitable and innovative conversation, this jam put a spotlight on the here and now with jamming that could only have come from 2012. With nobody in particular out front of the exchange, each band member patiently contributed exactly what needed to be played, forming a whole far greater than the sum of its parts. Over an eerie, beginning—driven my Mike’s envelope filter—Trey tastefully picked his spots with laser-like precision, dropping in the perfect rhythm chords to urge his bandmates into a fully-percussive exchange. Page used his clav to direct the jam into “plinko” land, and Trey responded appropriately, forming an aweing sonic tapestry. Picking up one of his own patterns and transforming it into a melodic theme, Phish had ascended into “plinko” heaven with the most forward-looking musical experiment we’ve heard since—well—the night before! As the band smoothly navigated the polyrhythmic exchanges, “Light” bent the boundaries of Phish music further than we’ve seen in a quite a while with some of the hippest, freshest interplay of the summer.

And as the band wound down, Trey coyly strummed the intro to “Weekapaug” and the band immediately jumped into the intro to the song laced with the exact vibe of the previous “Light” jam. And as the band set smoothly on sail the seas of “Weekapaug,” they continued to reprise elements of the previous jam throughout, while pushing the song much further than we’ve heard in this era. I cannot remember a “Weekapaug” as engaging as this one since the Island Run—and though I may be forgetting a version or two—that’s saying a hell of lot. When it comes to the modern “Mike’s Groove,” “Weekapaug” has transformed into the new “Mike’s Song”— the half where the improvisation really goes down. And that was never truer than at Star Lake last night within “Mike’s Simple Light Groove.” Getting into wah-based stop/start jamming, amidst a multi-tiered escapade, the band was in robotic crush mode and could do no wrong. As they came to the end of “Weekpaug,” however, they weren’t looking for applause. Tweaking the final note with drone-like effects, Trey brought the band into a demented outro that kept everyone enraptured. Artistically connecting this ambient interlude with the intro to “Seven Below,” “Mike’s Groove” may have been over, but Star Lake’s Suite was still going strong.

As the band precisely played though the song and dove into the minimalist jam, the virtuoso improvisation just kept unfolding. Trey immediately took the piece on a harder edged, yet melodic, course as the guys—particularly Page—responded with a delicate backing. As they momentarily settled, Page came in with a “Weekapaug” tease and the whole band jumped right on it, crafting a reprise of the jam and a legitimate mash-up of the two songs, bringing this monumental—and inseparable—musical sequence full circle with a stunning conclusion. Another fresh sounding and new-school jam blended perfectly back into the “Seven Below’s” theme, and Phish—finally—stopped playing for the first time since the start of “Mike’s Song” 50 minutes earlier!

In absolutely classic fashion, the band followed up their most complex musical sequence of the year with the song that lured so many of us towards this magical scene to begin with—“Boucing Around the Room.” Executed to perfection, this performance of the song reawakened me to how phenomenal the oft-maligned single really is. Part of the fabric of Phish’s essence—which is very much what this set was all about—“Bouncing” fit perfectly in the late-show spot. And following another slayed “Julius,” the band sealed the set with a cherry on top with a cathartic, heart-wrenching “Slave.” Building off the stellar versions from tour, this was the perfect slot for the soul-quenching anthem. Meticulously dripping into the ether, the words patient, refined and tasteful don’t begin to approach the utter majesty of this set-closing rendition. Peeking out of the mix, Trey’s final solo began climbing for the mountaintop and every open heart ascended with him. “Wow!” As the band left the stage, that’s about the only thought that crossed my mind. This was a whole new ballgame. This is why I kept the faith. This is why I believed.

To close the evening, the band came out and played the first song that ever hooked me—and at this point an absolute rarity—“Lizards.” How fitting that on a night that redefined Gamehendge as we know it, the band concluded the show with the song in which Colonel Forbin, himself, first discovered the mythical land. It’s 2012, and this is the Phish for which we’ve all been waiting. They have arrived, and the summer isn’t even halfway over. The adventures that still await us are beyond imagination, but I can’t wait to turn each and every corner with the most magnificent band on the planet.

Set One Notes: The first set, though nothing to freak out about, was certainly no slouch either. Stringing together some high-octane favorites to start the show, the band immediately set a high-energy tone and never looked back. The rarity “Scent of a Mule” featured a drawn out—first musical and then comical—“Mule Duel” in which the band stretched out the ending lick of the jam ad infinitum, even bringing Page’s Theremin on the stage so he could play the lick with abstract acumen. After a quick “46 Days,” the first “You Enjoy Myself” of the year finally rolled from stage, and the band closed the set with a laid-back jam session on their seminal opus. I’m all for infrequent “YEMs” if they routinely breathe and expand like this one. All in all, a solid, tight, rocking opening half.

Set I: Funky Bitch, Backwards Down the Number Line, Gumbo, Maze, Torn and Frayed, The Moma Dance > Scent of a Mule, 46 Days, You Enjoy Myself

Set II: Gotta Jibboo > Mike’s Song > Simple > Light > Weekapaug Groove -> Seven Below, Bouncing Around the Room, Julius > Slave to the Traffic Light

E: The Lizards