The Phish from Vermont have arrived—again. If 2009 and 2010 provided building blocks for this era, and 2011 was the year the band began to forge new ground again, 2012 is the year they have hit full stride. Each and every night of Leg One, Phish came to play with a polished musical consistency that all fans have longingly sought since 2009. Practiced and adventurous, the band left a wake of fire across the eastern US over June, addressing almost all of their fan base’s grovels while crafting timeless jams with the effortless nature of lore.

The band’s collective patience that popped up in certain jams of 2011, quickly became the hallmark of 2012. Beginning with Worcester’s opening-night bomb and carrying right through SPAC, Phish—especially Trey—displayed a willingness to let the music breathe. This patience gave all jams a far more dynamic quality right off the bat, and the resulting interplay left us with hordes of highlights to debrief throughout the next month.

Throughout summer’s opening leg, Phish certainly righted several issues that had plagued their shows in the modern era. Trey’s infamous “ripcord,” though not gone completely, didn’t play a large role in disrupting summer shows. In fact—in quite the opposite direction—the band dropped handfuls of stunningly seamless segues of the like we hadn’t heard in years! In addition to a wide array of bust-outs this summer, including one we thought we’d never see in “Skin It Back,” the band diversified their central jam vehicles to include “Ghost” and “Twist”—two songs that were in desperate need of revival, “Golden Age”—used primarily as a single last year, and “Back on the Train.” The band also included noteworthy one-off jams on “Roses Are Free,” “Birds of a Feather,” “Fee,” “Skin It Back,” and two-off jams on “Light Up or Leave Me Alone” and “Sneakin’ Sally.”  Notably absent from setlists were long-form compositions, as “Divided Sky” and “Guyute” made only one appearance each, though “Fluffhead,” a veritable 3.0 anthem,  still dotted several sets.

The guys’ musicianship shone all month, but none more brightly than Jon Fishman’s. Arguably, one of the last band members to fully get up to speed in 3.0, Henrietta-turned-Friar-Tuck absolutely owned his kit this past tour. Fishman’s next-level beat science drove the band all June and became the defining facet of so many tour highlights. Creatively steering so many jams this summer, Fish’s leadership has been crucial to the band’s enhanced communication. And when The Greasy Troll is on fire, the backbone of the band—Trey and Fish—becomes far more daring. Though Phish is unquestionably a four-minded monster, the symbiotic relationship that has always existed between Trey and Fish blossomed in 3.0-style this summer, pushing the band further and further into new territory. When reviewing your favorite sequences from this run, be sure to hone in on how tour MVP, Jonny B. Fishman, kicked them up a notch.

And the highlights! Oh, the highlights! Far to many to list in a summary piece like this, suffice it to say that we will have plenty to talk about for this month and beyond. Almost every single night of tour, Phish dropped at least a sequence, if not several, of to-die-for jamming. Taking the concept of “musical density” to a whole new level, the band covered staggering amounts of ground within single jams, moving fluidly through many diverse feels.

If 3.0 is the “The Golden Age” of Phish, 2012 sure seems like the start of “The Rennaissance.” Reaching levels not approached in the past three calendars, the band has melded their modern foci of enchanting sound-sculptures and “plinkofied” rhythmic bliss with the rest of their musical repertoire, forming a refined style that encompasses their entire career. Using this wide musical palette, Phish painted different styles of shows over summer’s first act, ranging from from dark and improvisational to playful and song-based, speaking to everyone in their audience. And if the contour of the past few years stays true in 2012, we are in for one hell of a second leg!

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Jam of the Day:

“Sneakin’ Sally > Ghost” 7.6.12 II, SPAC

One of 2012’s most engaging sequences.

Phish closed the book on the first leg of Summer 2012 at SPAC Sunday night with a patchwork show centered on a pair of profound journeys in “Light” and “Piper.” Though not exactly the most cohesive frame of music, the second set packed an improvisational wallop with these two jams, totaling almost 30 minutes of unbridled adventure. Capped with a classic trifecta of “Hood > Cavern,” and “Bowie,” and signed on the dotted line with a “You Enjoy Myself” encore, the band gave a little something to all sectors of their audience in the tour’s final frame.

“Axilla” burst open the doors of the second set with 1000 cc’s of adrenaline before Trey cranked into the highly anticipated final “Light” of leg one. No jam has been as consistently groundbreaking and original this summer has the modern-era vehicle, with the only competition coming from “Ghost.” Each time out—in AC, Star Lake and Alpine—the band crafted divergent, innovative and brilliant jams from “Light,” and we were in for one more ride. Launching from the song into an unconventional guitar lead, Trey soon segued into short rhythm chops, signifying the band’s entry into open waters. And immediately the guys locked ideas and began to plunge the deep. A four-piece sonic puzzle merged as one, while Fishman’s beats really dictated the feel of the jam. Building in intensity though slowing down, the band morphed into an ethereal section that evoked the deep melodic interplay of the Greek’s historic version. Fish’s ever-changing rhythms steered the music, and as he moved into a more percussive texture, the band moved with him into blissful territory. As they hit a noticeable chord progression, many fans will think this jam sounds quite familiar. That is because it almost a note-for-note take of the now-famous Gorge “Sneakin’ Sally” jam from 2009! This throwback sequence provided the peak of the jam, and upon its finale of this sequence, the guys slipped through an ambient portal into “Twist.”

This time serving as a landing pad instead of a centerpiece, “Twist” still got some special treatment. Page stepped up at the onset of this jam while Trey adjusted his tone and came in with a distorted, uncompressed offerings. These unconventional brushstrokes from Red urged the band into a more eccentric conversation, and soon they were stretching the boundaries of the song. Getting dirtier than usual with Page all over his clav, the band seemed like they were on the brink of breaking through to the other side before Trey tastefully wrapped things up. And here’s where things got a bit strange.

Making a series of odd selections amidst tour’s final set, Trey called for “Kill Devil Falls,” “My Friend,” and “Swept Away -> Steep”—a sequence that threw a left-handed monkey wrench into the set, despite a brief bliss jam that emerged out of the end of “KDF.” Killing the musical continuity of the main event, the band, however, recovered with a sprawling, multi-tiered odyssey in “Piper.” Moving at a frenetic pace for the onset of the jam, the band settled into a melodic movement that slowed things into a transcendent place. Snapping into stunning interplay, the guys broke into free-form improvisation. Exploring several feels within this momentum-building sequence, when the guys landed on the next musical plateau, they found themselves reprising the “Light” / Gorge “Sally” jam within the rhythmic context of “Piper!” Uniting the two main jams of the night, the band tore through music that sounded as if it had built directly from the end of “Light”—very cool indeed! And upon finishing this part of “Piper,” the guys moved right into another. With the leadership of Fishman, the band built a driving groove and pushed the piece into sonic tangent. Moving into a drone soundscape to end the piece Phish forged, at least, the fifth different chunk of this epic. Layered with a chant—and plenty of loops—from Trey, the guitarist ended the piece by easing the opening chords of “Free” into the mix.

After having fun with his delay pedal during “Free,” Trey led band into the randomly placed, spoken-word piece “Kung.” It felt like they might be building to something unexpected, but instead, they band rolled into “Harry Hood.” A pristine and creative version shone as a late set arrival, though not as brightly as it might have, were in not in the shadows of Jones Beach’s standout. Closing the set with “David Bowie,” and using the now elusive “You Enjoy Myself” as a tour encore, everyone went home in smiles at the current state of Phish.

This tour has certainly been a musical revelation for the band and will take some time and thought to sift through and process. Without question the most creative and consistent tour since the return, Leg One of Summer 2012 has paved the way for a historic year of Phish. With plenty of down time to get into the nitty-gritty, the next five weeks will be filled with all sorts of fun from the aural buffet the band has left us over the past month. Filled with an abundance of riches, our iPods will now be our best buddies as we can go back and relive what happened in a flash from Worcester to SPAC. Much like life, Phish Tour moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Set One Notes: A wholly generic and haphazard first set came together—for me at least—with a spine-tingling version of “If I Could” followed by a gnarly “Split.” “Split” was one of those abstract mind-fucks that is difficult to fully digest in the live setting, and it took me a re-listen to confirm its sickness. This lockstep psychedelia was, again, anchored by Fishman’s rhythmic ebb and flow. The only other piece of note in the first half was the set closing performance of ZZ Top’s “La Grange,” the first live rendition since 9.22.99 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

I: AC/DC Bag, My Soul, Camel Walk, Sample in a Jar, Wilson, Party Time, Gumbo, Nellie Kane, Driver, Foam, If I Could, Split Open and Melt, La Grange

II: Axilla, Light > Twist, Kill Devil Falls > My Friend, My Friend, Swept Away > Steep > Piper > Free, Kung > Harry Hood > Cavern, David Bowie

E: You Enjoy Myself

A night after Phish showcased their sinister and creative side, the came out Saturday with a far more playful affair, weaving Violent Femme’s “Blister in the Sun” throughout a second set that lacked back-end flow—a problem that has plagued more than a few shows this tour. Despite the momentum-stalling, mid-set selections of “Number Line” and “Scent of a Mule,” the band never allowed any second-half jam to breathe other than the opening “Disease.” With a far more fun than serious night of music, the band has left quite a bit hanging for their tour finale.

While crafting a smoking opening frame, Phish largely left the bust out stone unturned in favor of a modern-shaped setlist. Though the guys sounded tight from the jump, the set picked up considerable steam as with the drop into “Cities.” Steering the piece into Plinksville, the band let things grow for the first time of the night as the liquid grooves enveloped the pavilion. Seamlessly moving into a maniacal “Maze,” Page destroyed the place with his organ solo, bringing the audience to its most energetic point thus far by leaps and bounds.

The second standout pairing of the set began with the second appearance of Zappa’s “Peaches En Regalia” this summer. Using the short instrumental to launch into “Bathtub Gin,” here would come the undeniable highlight of the opening frame. Within the slow cadence of the jam’s onset, Trey took hold of the jam and never let go. Spouting one creative melody after another, he led the band and audience on a super-charged joyride. Though the guys supported his soulful outpouring with proficiency, there was no question who the spotlight was on in this jam. And to finalize the set, Trey picked another song that would showcase his chops with a rare first-set appearance of “Good Time, Bad Times.”

When a second half opens with “Disease” it always feels that the band could be on the precipice of writing an epic set-long tale, as so many have started with the improvisational go-to. But this set would follow a different path. Weaving the melody of “Blister in the Sun” early into the “Disease” jam, the entire band hopped on the idea and segued smoothly into the timeless song for the first time since Barcelona ’98. Moving just as smoothly back into the “Disease” jam it seemed that this was but a fun stop along the way, but little did we know it would soon turn into the theme of the set. Within the dark and groovy “Disease” jam, if I’m not mistaken, the guys toyed around with the “Moby Dick” theme, referencing their classic Deer Creek show in 2000 where every jam wound up in the Led Zeppelin cover—some tongue-in-cheek foreshadowing as to what was coming? Playing this heavy  jaunt—and highlight of the night—to its natural conclusion, Mike introduced the envelope filter, and within measures made the switch into “Boogie On.” Trey added some engaging loops behind the latter part of the jam, and it seemed that the band was going to bring the cover into uncharted waters. But, instead, Red kept the setlist moving with “Golden Age.”

One had to think that tour’s final “Golden Age—a song that has been an improvisational revelation this summer—placed in the middle of the second set at SPAC was primed for take off. But before the jam got a chance to sprout baby wings, the band bailed out into “2001.” The funk instrumental set up was certainly setting up the rest of the set, and what came out of its peak would determine quite about bit the show’s contour. And Troy chose “Number Line.” With this set-deflating move, the guys moved into a conventional jam in which they would weave in teases of “Blister in the Sun.” And that was the script for the rest of the night—except for “Prince Caspian.”

Floating through the jam of the mellow anthem, the guys created something wholly beautiful out of “Caspian.” Coming together in a stunning three-part conversation, Page, Mike, and Trey sculpted a minimalist and cerebral musical portrait that evoked the sound of the Grateful Dead. Easily one of the highlights of the night, Trey laid back amidst the band’s rolling textures, playing with a soulful sensibility. But what happened next was a bit confusing. As the guys bled into a tranquil soundscape, Trey hinted at the beginning of “Piper,” and everyone I’ve talked to since the show ended was sure that’s where we were headed. But when Trey countered his own idea with “Scent of a Mule,” the word “deflating” would be a colossal understatement. Killing any sense of set flow or coherency, even his own band members—according to friends in the front row—looked perplexed at the call.

The invigorated speed-grass passed through another verse of “Blister in the Sun” within a more engaging than usual “Muel Duel.” And when the band cranked up “Mike’s Song,” everyone knew how the show would end. Lacing teases of “Blister” into both “Mike’s” and “Weekapaug” the guys concluded one of the those sets that many will look back on fondly, and others, not so much. And that’s just the nature of the beast.

Always best when viewed as a whole, the middle night of SPAC’s three-pack provided light hearted entertainment with three quality excursions in “Gin,” “Disease,” and “Caspian.” And when the band balances the scales with an in-depth journey to end their tour tonight, all will feel right in the world of Phish. But that’s another story for another time.

I: Grind, Possum > Golgi Apparatus, The Moma Dance, Torn and Frayed, Rift, Cities -> Maze, Lawn Boy,Peaches en Regalia > Bathtub Gin, Good Times Bad Times

II: Down with Disease -> Blister in the Sun -> Down with Disease > Boogie On Reggae Woman > Golden Age -> Also Sprach Zarathustra > Backwards Down the Number Line*, Prince Caspian -> Scent of a Mule -> Blister in the Sun > Scent of a Mule, Mike’s Song* > Contact > Weekapaug Groove*

E: Sabotage

* w/ “Blister in the Sun” teases

In a power-packed performance with nary a lull in either set, Phish greeted SPAC with a show that immediately leaped into contention for the best of summer. Shedding the added pressures of the holiday and a web-casted audience, the band burst out of the gates with a jam laced first set, and a second that just blew the roof off the place. Both central jam sequences of the second set—“Carini > Sand” and “Sneaking Sally -> Ghost—stand out as immediate gems of tour, with the latter totaling 25 minutes of free-form glory. Bookended with scalding versions of “Chalk Dust” and “Antelope,” the second set flowed quite well, while showcasing dynamic interplay throughout. Starting from note one of “Runaway Jim,” Phish was ready for business last night, opening their tour-ending run in sensational fashion.

Playing everything with extra zest and crafting several highlights along the way, the band tore through an opening frame that flowed far better than most this summer, and one that packed more of a punch than any, with the first night of Deer Creek and Cincy being the only competition. Without getting out of the box, “Ocelot” contained an extra juicy jam, as did “Back on the Train”—a song that has been re-birthed this tour. But after a rousing “Funky Bitch,” one of the choice nuggets of the opening frame unfolded. Possibly responding to a sign in the front row, Trey led the band in a transition from “Tube” into the first performance of “Psycho Killer” since Hartford ’09! Seamlessly blending the funk jam into the Talking Head’s classic, and also back into “Tube,” Phish had the pavilion freaking hard early on in the evening.

In the past few shows, the band has integrated Fishman appearances into the first set, a slot that works particularly well for the humor based episodes. Last night, Fish brought his cymbals with him to the center of the stage which could only mean one thing—“Cracklin’ Rosie.” But the comedy didn’t last too long, as after Friar Tuck did his shtick, the guys dropped into a serious version of “Stash.” With such spicy setlists in this summer’s opening sets, we have only seen the regulars, like “Stash,” a couple times, thus increasing their impact. And last night “Stash” hit hard. Delicate full-band interplay was backed with a similarly meticulous beat, and together the guys climbed a musical vine of tension. Trey only played as necessary, not dominating the conversation in anyway, and allowing plenty of room for Page and Mike to increase the drama. The poorly ventilated pavilion had many dripping in sweat after this smoking excursion, as Phish exhaled with a perfectly-placed “Bouncin.”

The final couplet of the set—“Corrina” and “Light Up and Leave Me Alone”—had plenty more than bust out value to them. Trey poured himself into his “Corrina” solo—a tranquil moment amidst so much action—and the guys absolutely lit up an extended rendition of “Light Up,” transforming the cover into the unquestionable jewel of a first set with passion and fury. But all that said, the second half would be where dreams unfolded.

Sparking set two with a stretched out “Chalk Dust” that, for a few moments, sounded as though it might blossom into a far larger jam, the band followed Trey’s cue as he reigned them in and dropped into one of this summer’s show-stopper’s, “Carini.” Starting in Worcester, each time the band has taken this song into unknown waters, they have come up with very different—and always golden—results. And last night continued this trend and then some. Instead of turning for a guitar solo, Trey stepped back and joined the band in a seething soundtrack to a dirty Phish fantasy. Immediately turning to his murky, uncompressed growls, Trey influenced the band into a slowed tempo as Mike stepped to the forefront of the jam and let things loose. Crystallizing the post-hiatus sound in a very modern musical context, “Carini” morphed into a menacing piece of psych-rock of the sorts of which I dream. With the airtight communication of 2012, this prowling groove remained patient throughout as the band seeped into its guitar-led, second movement. As the band maintained a palpable patience, Trey turned for blissful realms and the band followed right along into a stunning denouement, and a subsequent move into “Sand.”

The band combined several of their central 2012 launch pads in this drool-worthy second set, the second of which came with the summer’s rhythmic juggernaut, “Sand.” Filling in a role “Tweezer” once held, “Sand” is now—unquestionably—the band’s preeminent vehicle of groove. Punctuating an opening leg of consistently jaw-dropping versions with another monstrous dance excursion, the band tossed ideas around like a hot potato, responding to each with inhuman immediacy. Trey progressed from rhythm comps into a swaggering solo that grew quickly in scope and sound, while the band moved right beyond the jam’s traditional ending point. The guys wanted no part in stopping as they continued to demolish the groove with increasing effects and abstractions. Trey finally brought the band back to earth with the song’s ending after a white-hot opening sequence of “Chalk Dust,” Carini > Sand.”

When the band revved up “Roses Are Free” in the middle of the second set, it certainly felt primed to explode, especially as the energy of the entire audience was behind every single note. Thus when Trey bailed for “Punch,” even Mike looked miffed. And as an adrenalized “Punch” came to a head, the band drew out the ending into a distorted mystery. This juncture was going to be a huge turning point in the show—might Red go into “Trey Songz” mode or would he keep things moving strong? As the pause became dramatically long, it was like rooting against Whammies on an extended spin of “Press Your Luck.” And when Trey finally hit the plunger, he came up with “$5000 plus a spin” in the form of “Sneakin’ Sally!”

As the band moved in and out of “Sally’s” vocal improv, the jam was, clearly, only beginning. But few—if any—could have possibly predicted where it would go. Laying into the funk only briefly, the guys quickly injected the music with a more harrowing quality. Then, at the point where Trey might have ripped the cord on another night, he stopped on a dime and, with Fishman, led the guys into battle. Changing directions 180 degrees, though doing it without disrupting the jam, the band shot itself into an up-tempo chase through a hard-edged, psychedelic playground. Fishman and Trey worked particularly well through this maddening sequence, collectively setting the pace of the music, as the guys converged like pack of wild hyenas devouring anything in their maniacal paths. Developing into a mind-numbing sequence to which I’ve only had the pleasure of re-listening once, just put on some headphones on and listen to this jam—and might as well keep ‘em on for the “Ghost!”

Segueing into the new-school jump off, the band once again used “Ghost” to forge totally atypical paths of rhythm and wonder. Never for a moment falling back on musical clichés, the band stepped to the plate and knocked another version out of the park. Like so many modern-era success stories, Mike stepped forth to lead this jam as Trey laid back and played tastefully around his bandmates offerings. When in the depths of “Ghost,” Fishman—easily the summer MVP—persistently added and took away the down beat, creating a peculiar and engaging ebb and flow to the music before landing in a driving groove. Growing more collaborative and abstract with each passing moment, this jam gained notable momentum. And seizing that momentum, Trey unveiled a gorgeous melodic lead that brought the piece into a completely different realm. Live without a net, Phish was letting things progress where they may, clearly not over-thinking things, while weaving a striking sonic tapestry. The band allowed the music to the trickle down the mountain into a single drone tone before Trey kept the energy sky high with “Suzie Greenberg.” Every song can hit home if placed well in a show, and after 25 minutes of wide open jamming, this slot seemed to work just fine. Juicing the crowd considerably with their quirky single, the band set up another summer 2012 staple, the set-two ending “Antelope.” Though not as creative as Jones Beach’s standout version, “Antelope,” nonetheless, finalized the frame with an improvisational bang, featuring Tom Marshall and The Dude of Life on vocals, taboot.

This one will take a few more spins before it really sinks in, but it’s easily up there with any show of 2012. Taking Saratoga Springs by storm with a start-to-finish scorcher, the band set quite the high bar for the last two nights of tour. But with the limitless possibilities of Phish at this moment, who knows what tonight will bring? And that is why we go.

I: Runaway Jim, Ocelot, Heavy Things, Back on the Train, Funky Bitch, Tube -> Psycho Killer -> Tube, Hold Your Head Up > Cracklin’ Rosie > Hold Your Head Up, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, Paul and Silas, Horn, Corinna, Light Up Or Leave Me Alone

II: Chalk Dust Torture > Carini > Sand, Roses Are Free > Punch You In the Eye > Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley -> Ghost > Suzy Greenberg, Run Like an Antelope*

E: Loving Cup

*w/ Tom Marshall and The Dude of Life on lyrics

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Miner in the Media:

> Check out this SPAC preview interview I did with The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, New York.

By Brian McElhiney

Phish are really on a roll this summer. In fact, the shows the Vermont-based jam band has performed so far represent the best of the now four-year reunion era, according to San Francisco-based journalist, Dave Calarco. “They came out this summer really with a purpose, it seems,” Calarco said from Phish’s recent tour stop in Carmel, Ind. “The last time they played, which was the New Years’ run at MSG [Madison Square Garden in New York City], the shows seemed somewhat lackluster…” READ ON!

> Here’s a book review of Phish Thoughts in Nug Magazine.

By Marco Alvarez 

I first heard the American rock band Phish back in ‘03 through my college roommate who studied music and played the sax. There would often be music playing in our apartment being that he was a saxophonist, and my other roommate, a guitarist. I never learned to play an instrument myself, but I always appreciated hearing the sound of my friends jamming out or the sound of their favorite artists blanketing over the place with their charm. We all just shared what we liked…READ ON!