Part II: The Jams
Now that we have covered and overall feel of the first three days, Dave, let’s cover some of our favorite individual musical moments of the first three days. We can save Halloween for a separate breakdown…
Mr. Miner:
Quite honestly, in the live setting I absolutely loved every moment of this run. I was floored after each and every show and I thought the four nights were the perfect ending to a truly incredible fall tour. But after listening back, I have definitely honed in on a three segments of music that I feel stand out—”Disease > Birds, ” “Piper > Scents,” and “Sand.”
The “Down With Disease,” in my opinion, was the jam of the weekend. Holy shit, was that a tour de force! If one were looking for an example of Phish being more than the sum of its parts, playing as a unified whole, this jam is an easy answer. One of the terms I used years ago that people always remember and say back to me is “bass led jihad.” I’m not sure what jam I was describing when I initially used that phrase, but I guarantee that its low-end work did not approach that of this “Disease.” Mike Gordon absolutely goes beserk in this piece with some of the best bass playing I’ve ever heard. Though the band is a one-minded monster throughout this passage, Mike is clearly at the forefront carving up the jam space with almighty prowess. Honestly, listening back to this “Disease” had my jaw on the floor in awe of Gordeaux’s rhythmic acrobatics. But what is so amazing is how the band locks into these patterns and meets him with incredibly innovative interplay. Fishman unleashes fierce breakbeats that combine with Mike’s bass lines in one of the most unique and advanced pockets of all-time. The rhythmic foundation for this jam is just bonkers. On a tour on which Trey switched up his rig a bit and focused on dialing in his tonal palette, this jam was his crowning achievement. His prolific spectrum of sound within this piece steers the vibe of the music from uplifting and beautiful to dark and dungeon-like. The way in which he manipulates his raw, hard-edged, dissonant tone in the latter half of this jam is the stuff of fantasy, creating a sonic assault that colors the music with a potent darkness. Aside from the notes he plays, which are quite something in their own right, the sound of his guitar is what makes his contributions to this jam so sublime. Meanwhile, Page juxtaposes relentless grand piano patterns into this maniacal alchemy, completing an absolutely surreal sonic puzzle. The thunderous peak of this jam left the building in shambles—truly a master work.
The band coupled their virtuoso exploration of “Disease” with their first wide-open “Birds of a Feather” jam in memory. And the sonic quality of this jam provided the yin to “Disease’s” yang. A jam that focuses on delicacy and nuanced interaction, “Birds” builds into a gorgeous, almost atmospheric plane in which Trey lays down some truly soul-caressing melodies. Fish remains cymbal heavy throughout much of this piece, lending a shimmering rhythmic palette to the improvisation, while Page’s prominent piano lines meet this vibe congruently. Trey once again has his wizard-like tone control on display, this time gravitating towards the more blissful and elegant end of the spectrum. The melodic theme he rolls out as the band collectively elevates the jam is staggering in its emotional beauty. At the end of this piece, the guys lock into some amazing group-wide hits that serve as the icing on the cake. In this “Birds,” Phish hooks into a piece of improv that fully compliments the darker exploration of “Disease.”
10/29 “Piper > Scents and Subtle Sounds”
Though the five song run that started the second set of the 29th provided a seemingly endless passage of standout jamming, the true gems emerged in the combination of “Piper > Scents.” The “Piper” in my opinion, comes in a close second to the “Disease” amongst the band’s prolific escapades of the weekend. In “Piper,” Phish often has a tendency to fall back on relatively stock “Piper-jamming,” but on this night, the entirety of the extended piece burst with original ideas and passed through several distinct themes with notable cohesion. The band is in full annihilation mode throughout this jam, beyond locked-in and reacting to each other as if controlled by a puppet master. Trey offers up well-conceived, on the spot melodic leads for much of the jam as if they were composed. Page alternates between his organ and Rhodes for the majority of “Piper’s” opening half, contributing varying textures and sounds to the wide open space. Mike and Fish create a bouncing, ever-shifting rhythmic backbone to this jam, and about half way through begin to subtly build into a groovier feel while still switching back into their more intricate, driving patterns. This alternating rhythmic quality creates a very cool tension to the music that defines the rest of of the jam until they fully commit to the groove and the piece absolutely explodes. Trey steps to the forefront at this point and unleashes a seething solo over this deep pocket and Page shifts to grand piano, complementing Trey with non-stop leads of his own. The resulting music feels as though it’s bursting at the seams with intensity as the entire arena—band and crowd together—hit a collective peak that was unmatched throughout the weekend.
Then, on a dime, the band drops into “Scents and Subtle Sounds.” Following the lyrical section, Phish wastes no time with any sort of convention, as Trey plays some minor chords amidst the floating textures and the band is off on another path of creation. Mike and Trey progressively move into darker territory as Page plays against this vibe with more typical grand piano lines. Trey gets into some truly masterful abstract playing—snaking dissonant leads that serve to color the entire piece with a menacing vibe. Mike moves into a hypnotic bass pattern beneath Trey’s leads as Page’s lines grow in intensity and vigor, coalescing with the jam’s tone. Fishman is riding the cymbals while like an octopus on the kit, unleashing subtle break beats beneath the surface of the music. Though this jam doesn’t proceed for an incredible duration, the music within is both dense and cerebral. Phish’s momentum built within “Piper” spills right into “Scents,” resulting is another standout combination of full-band improvisation.
10/31 “Sand”
Much like “Piper,” “Sand” is a jam that has the propensity to stagnate without the band’s proper attention. In Charleston and Nashville, however, Phish had dropped two particularly active and engaging versions, thus when they unveiled the groove monster in Halloween’s final set, it seemed bound to pop off. And, boy, did it ever! This version fully transcended the typical “Sand” jam and elevated into the cathartic peak of the evening. As the band sets sail into the jam, Trey kicks into unconventional offerings with diverse tones, invigorating the piece with a fresh energy that would only grow throughout the its course. The rest of the band was fully synched in a groove so tight that it felt like it could have been electronically programmed. Mike’s lines began to diversify more and more as time passed and before long the band had left the jam’s usual feel into far more elevated music. Trey pours his heart into a stunning, patient solo composed of long, sustained notes that pulled on the heartstrings of every listener in the building. This jam, once again, finds Page on grand piano meeting Mike and Trey with offerings that had no connection to “Sand’s” foundation. Yet all the while, Fish maintained a crushing groove that anchored the experiment in “Sand’s” rhythmic structure. The combination of all of these facets transformed a usually one-dimensional jam into one of the standout highlights of the weekend and the improvisational apex of Halloween.
LawnMemo:
All I can do is nod my head in agreement. All three of the jams you talked about are serious business. Your description of “Down With Disease” is so dead on. That sucker is one of the most interesting jams I can remember. I am in total awe of Gordon’s work on that behemoth and I am very happy you put words to it. My head would have exploded had I tried to tackle that. Only thing I got on that “DWD” is what I tweeted immediately after, “Feel like I hit at craps, blew lines of a strippers ass, rented all my friends a limo, the bills won, and I just t