Let’s spotlight three more highlights from Fall Tour to take us into the holiday weekend. Enjoy the turkey, family, and football, and we’ll catch up on Monday!

***

“Slave To The Traffic Light” – 10.10.10 II Broomfield, CO

Concluding a choppy but eventful second set of tour, Phish pulled everything together to close with a spectacular “Slave to the Traffic Light.” Bringing a sense of calm and exaltation over the room while preparing the audience for the next two nights, the band slowly ascended from a beat-less induction to a dizzying climax. As the jam dropped, the band took plenty of time to move from their initial sea of tranquility into music with a sense of forward motion. Riding a patient trip through terraces of hanging melodies, Trey led the band with transcendent phrasing – a sparkling thread sewing the piece together. The band locked together with Trey as he followed his heart to a fanning peak and beyond, sprouting divine melodies in a never-ending cascade of glory. Phish played a lot of awesome “Slaves” this year, and this version is certainly in the upper echelon.

***

“Golden Age > Piper > Camel Walk” – 10.11.10 II Broomfield, CO

Opening Broomfield’s second night’s second set with this threesome, Phish revived a one-time cover, thrashed through fall’s first “Piper” and made one of the slicker, most spontaneous transitions of tour. With Trey’s opening rhythm licks, the band brought the one-time cover of TV On the Radio’s “Golden Age.” The dancy interpretation of the indie pop-tronica track translated far more smoothly than Albany’s debut of ’09, super-charging the second half of the show. Taking the cathartic, groove-based jam for a legitimate ride, Phish provided a soulfully cleansing dance session to initiate the frame. Far smoother and more coherent that Albany’s version, “Golden Age” provided a show highlight while getting into slamming, piano led funk outside the song’s theme. Oozing to an ambient conclusion, Trey continued the up-tempo feel of the set’s beginning as he strummed the opening to “Piper.” Blasting their way through a furious passage, Phish introduced “Piper to Fall 2o1o with all four members locked in a space-aged chase. Growling through the outer rings of the solar system, the band settled into a sparser texture as many “Pipers” do. But instead of exploring this plane, Trey wove “Camel Walk’s” opening guitar lick into the high-speed play, and within seconds the band hopped on board, transforming the textures into gooey funk on the fly.

***

“Cities > 46 Days” – 10.29.10 I Atlantic City, NJ

This combination at the end of Atlantic City’s first set got the party started for real. A rather uneventful show up to this point, Phish migrated from a powerful groove into dissonant guitar heroics. Instead of the robotic power-funk of The Greek “Cities,” the band crafted a more subtle and nuanced groove. Trey used delicate, accented licks to build out of the jam as Mike bounced bass-note basketballs around Boardwalk Hall. Exiting the composed progression, the band drifted into a more abstract feel, stretching the music outwards while Fishman held a divergent semblance of groove. Behind a psychedelic pattern far from “Cities,” Page built a wall of synthesized effects as Trey painted the drone canvas with short brushstrokes. Amidst this darkening palette, Trey kicked into “46 Days,” ending the frame with a fierce dose of super-sized arena rock.

=====

Jam of the Day:

“Crosseyed and Painless” 10.16.10 II

This multi-tiered jam provided one of several highlights on a smoking night in South Carolina.

=====