As the lights spun to the side of the stage just before the band launched into “Rock and Roll’s” jam, I looked out over the Gorge on a fresh head and thought to myself, “Is this really gonna’ happen?” I wasn’t sure what I meant. It was one of those transient thoughts that flash through your mind as quickly as they leave during an electric night at Phish. The sound was perfect, the weather divine, and on the first night of tour, it felt like the band was on the brink of something huge. Twenty minutes—or a lifetime—later as Phish seamlessly slid into “Meatstick,” bringing me out of an subconscious state, my soul had been wrenched by spiritual aliens, worked over by a funk seductress, and dragged deep into the dark side by a demonic, psychedelic muse. Phish had harnessed IT—that unspeakable power of the universe—in the course of one musical adventure for the ages. And when the dust settled on “Rock and Roll,” let alone “-> Meatstick -> Boogie On,” I had just lived a dream.

This is the type of cosmic escapade that alters lives, moves metaphysical mountains—changes things. Walking up the terraces of the Gorge after the show, I—we—had been forever altered by such a profound evening with the Phish. Wide-eyed and beaming, still trailing stardust behind, I pondered the musical insanity that had just transpired. Phish had been playing unbelievably at Super Ball, but this was a different sort of scene. This was one of those nights where the guys’ playing was so natural and of the stars, it infused a sense of majesty into every unfolding moment. And moments seemed to be around every corner during this sequence. Fusing styles past and present, Phish molded a psychedelic symphony out of “Rock and Roll” that stands up to anything they’ve ever done. Period. (Not to mention one of the most fluid segues in history.)

With improvisation so innovative and engaging, time stood still—or flew out the window. This was an experience that afterwards one looked back on in awe and respect rather that just as a piece of music. Everything flowed with such patience and prowess, and the band committed to taking us to places none of us had seen before—a collective musical discovery amidst the natural world. Building through distinct stages of improv without losing cohesion, Phish hit a sacred stride on this night. Something special happened; something that doesn’t occur at every show. The band created a piece of music that spoke to the very ethos of Phish, a jam that opened up an invisible doorway to a fantasy for which we criss-cross the nation.

Everything over the past two-plus years had built up to this. All the stepping stones of ’09 and ’10—all the sublime highlights and borked jams, missed transitions and musical triumphs—had brought us here; to the Gorge on August 5^th, a night when everything changed again. Phish hadn’t dropped something like this before. Not in this context. Not with this palate of sound. Not ever. Throw the era qualifications right into the Columbia River Gorge. And when Mike dropped that bass line deep into the night, bringing the beat back from the netherworld, the Earth shook with delight as skulls shattered across the hillside. IT was real. And IT was good.

In fact, IT was alright.

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Jam of the Day:

“Rock and Roll -> Meatstick -> Boogie On” 8.5 II

A musical revelation on the first night of tour.

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It’s often been said that I don’t give credit to shows that don’t include outside-the-box jamming. While my affinity certainly lies in the unknown, the second night of the Gorge is a show that disproves any such theories. Without diverging from song structure (less a first set “Wolfman’s” that transformed into “Maze”) Phish put together a standout performance, one that I loved to the core, without any “type II” jamming. Using confident and powerful playing, larger-than-life dance grooves, and creative interplay all night long, Phish threw down a show that has gone under-appreciated in the rightful shadow of the previous night’s breakthrough performance.

While Phish didn’t craft any alternate realities on this evening, they sculpted a groove-focused show with airtight interplay, a creative setlist and relentless flow. And though they weren’t traveling the outer realms of the Milky Way, the guys crafted a set of spectacular dance grooves that contained nary a lull throughout.

Anchored by two dark explorations of rhythm, the second set is one of the most listenable of the summer with sweet-sounding grooves flowing night long. A filthy “Tweezer” that has flown way under the radar due to monster “Sand” that follows, contains all sorts of funked up action and uncompressed swagger before releasing into a patient, guitar-led build and cerebral denouement. With only a “Caspian” separating them—a “Caspian” that saw Trey dig and let loose—Phish cranked out two of their swankiest groove vehicles. Segueing into “Caspian” from “Tweezer” and out of the song, unfinished, into “Sand,” the band cranked out one crunchy groove after another amidst the Gorge aka “Heaven In the Form of a Concert Venue.”

On September 11^th of 1999, Phish debuted “Sand” out of a silky “Wolfman’s” jam at the Gorge. The song crossed over from Trey’s power trio and became a platform for guitar annihilation on the big stage. But when the band dropped into the same song twelve years later on the same stage, they were playing with a whole different beast. Having undergone a metamorphosis last fall from a one-man show into a whole band jam, “Sand” had seen several standout versions during June’s opening leg. And when the song came out for its West Coast homecoming, it exploded.

A laid-back, James Brown groove that Trey alternately broke up with a pitch-bent whale calls had the Gorge pulsating as Phish set sail into this scorcher. Within these large, open-air textures, Mike’s and Fishman provided a ultra-danceable pocket while Trey and Page tickled the top with the type of funk accompaniment that draws howls on listen back. Progressing into a more aggressive sequence, Trey took command of the jam and as the band built to a ferocious peak, he laid down the “Tweezer” lick and everyone hopped on, slowing the pace back into the big dog, outright. Though the band had a chance to drop a second “Tweezer” jam on a silver platter, they deferred for a quasi-classic slowdown ending and a change of pace with “Birds.”

Few things sound more old-school than a “Reba” “Antelope” combination, a pairing that seems unprecedented in this day and age. But that is exactly how this set wound up. Without moving from structure, and launching off an abbreviated “Golden Age,” Phish threw down two more stirring renditions. Complete with a “recap” of the set within the “Antelope” intro (and jam), the band capped the evening with a big-time one-two punch. And we haven’t even mentioned the first set, a frame that contained doses of standout jamming in “Limb” and “Wolfman’s -> Maze.”

After an opening night of tour that touched the very core of the band’s raison d’etre, this second night of ballistic Phish anthems felt like a refreshing bath in an endless pool of groove. Focusing not on cosmic exploration, but dance floor action and lockstep improv, the guys threw down a monster show on the second night of the Gorge. And it had nothing to do with exploratory jamming.

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Jam of the Day:

“Tweezer > Caspian -> Sand -> Tweezer” 8.6.11

The thick of the second set.

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In Other News…

Surrender to The Flow: Phish Yoga in Denver

Portland Phish fan and yoga instructor, Chris Calarco, has put together a yoga concept class that blends Phish jams with the flow of his instruction. He taught these at Super Ball and at Lake Tahoe, and will be teaching a couple more in Denver this weekend. Here are the details from Chris:

“On 9/3 and 9/4 in downtown Denver join me for Surrender to the Flow: Phish Yoga. Warm, stretch, and strengthen your body to fully celebrate what could be the final Phish shows of the year. Phish and yoga are two paths calling to those of us seeking more; alternate yet similar pathways to divine spirit. Make a physically devotional offering to classic and 3.0 jams thematically connected to yoga philosophy. Click Chris’s website or the class’ Facebook page for all the info.

Classes are at Root Yoga Center from 2:00pm – 3:15pm

$20 pre-registered for one class, $30 pre-registered for two classes. $25 at the door.

Phish finished up their second leg of summer at UIC Pavilion with one of their outstanding multi-night runs of the year. Returning to the historic and intimate venue that hosted five spectacular shows in their career, when Phish stepped inside for the first and only time of summer, things were bound to explode. Over the course of three nights the band showcased a diversity of jamming styles and song selections that pleased just about everyone in attendance while summing up their exploits of the season quite well.

Ever since the first night of UIC ended, the fan base has been buzzing about the “all killer, no filler” improvisational extravaganza that took place after setbreak. Not only did Phish jam their way through a near-perfect set, they put lens on cutting edge, experimental jamming. Infusing the second set of 8.15 with all sorts of “storage shed” psychedelia, the sequences of “Sand > Light” and “Waves -> Undermind” represent the purely new-school Phish with a focus on bass-led exploration. And within these four jams, the band illustrated the breadth of their current styles. Taking “Sand” on a ferocious groove odyssey, the band merged this year’s central dance vehicle with its renewed cosmic juggernaut—“Light”—via a dissonant spacescape. “Light’s” jam illustrated their newest style of abstract playing, one where the rhythmic section leads the way and Trey and Page focus on weaving psychedelic offerings into the whole rather than playing leads atop. Deepening into an interstellar brew, this segment put a lens on the avant-garde.

The jam out of “Waves” saw the band begin to head towards “Undermind” right off the bat, but then Trey held back to explore the groove at hand, dripping into an uncompressed growl amidst a sinister rhythmic palate. Taking this segment on a spontaneous ride, the band continued their unparalleled interplay amidst a sizzling passage that set up a surprise and seamless segue into “Undermind.” And with “Undermind,” the set’s bass-led and exploratory themes peaked with a chunky -turned-soul-tugging sequence that left more than a few jaws hanging low. Pouring a night of improvisational gold, the band also included, in my opinion, the most impressive “Wolfman’s” of the year and a smooth version of “Reba” in the opening frame.

While the first night was focused on newest frontiers of Phish music, the second brought a more classic and upbeat two-setter with tight playing throughout. But the centerpiece of this night—a twenty-minute “Down With Disease”—provided ample jamming to carry the second set on its own. Likening a post-hiatus jam without the opiates, this “Disease” didn’t carry a unified theme, but rather one idea from the jam continued to spawn the next in a constantly growing, but rarely settling, piece of music. Passing through so many intriguing segments with tight communication, the band crafted a standout excursion that carried an alternate feel. This “Disease” illustrates a different beast altogether, a sprawling anomaly in this age of ultra-focused Phish jamming, but it is filled with aural candy nonetheless. Sandwiching a couple monstrous guitar peaks in “Number Line” and “Theme” in the middle of the set, Phish punctuated the feel-good frame with a funktatstic “You Enjoy Myself.” With a first set highlighted by uncharacteristically creative versions of “Chalk Dust” and “Limb by Limb,” this night was comprised of more anthemic jam vehicles.

And on night three, Phish had some fun. Without delving into much serious improv, the band put on a lighthearted tour-finale that carried a “Crosseyed” theme throughout a segmented second set. Though many jams had already been dropped by night three, with “Tweezer,” “Ghost,” “Piper” and “2001” waiting in the wings, one couldn’t help but ponder a fantasy set. But in summation, the show’s 17-minute “Divided Sky” was as long as “Tweezer,” “Ghost,” and “Timber” combined. And while time is no longer a determining factor in Phish jams, this equation is quite the farce and underlines the lack of music depth within this second set. The band, however, was playing great all night long, deciding to take a different route in their tour closer. The most creative piece of the night stemmed from “Piper” whose dense musical textures continued to push the band in new directions. But other than “Piper,” the band never truly settled in any jam (less a rocking-turned-ambient “Crosseyed” opener), and the show came off a bit gimmicky with “Still Waiting” vocal reprises around every corner. But lots of people love this type of show, and the guys certainly pleased a large part of their audience with a night of Phishertainment.

Presenting a smorgasbord of eclectic jamming styles and powerhouse playing over three nights, Phish threw down the gauntlet over an unforgettable stand in Chicago. The intensity of UIC’s undersized environs brought leg two to a sweltering conclusion, literally and figuratively. Shows are always more powerful when two sets happen in the dark, and there are only a few outdoor venues that can hold a candle to a setting like UIC. Boasting an incredibly responsive crowd filled with people who really wanted to be there, the community, as a whole, ended August with a peak experience. And this summer, starting in Bethel, it seems that peak experiences are coming at us in droves again—a hallmark of Phish’s greatest eras.

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Jam of the Day:

“Waves -> Undermind > Steam” 8.15.11 II

A serious chunk of music from UIC’s first night.

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In other news…

One more leg of Summer 2011 is behind us, and although short—what a power-packed run it was. Only two shows, in my opinion, fell short of amazing and much of the fan base loved ‘em, so I’d say Phish had a pretty successful tour! With the unquestionable centerpiece of the Gorge’s “Rock and Roll -> Meatstick” and several other gems that can look any jam from any era directly in the eye, leg two included timeless music throughout, music that need not carry the omnipresent label: “of 3.0.” Throughout this summer, the band has played music on par with any era and continues to improv, taking one step further into the Golden Age of Phish.

Between the Gorge’s monumental “Rock and Roll -> Meatstick -> Boogie On,” Hollywood’s “Piper,” Tahoe’s “Light” and “Ghost,” UIC’s “Waves -> Undermind” > Steam,” “Light,” and “Disease,” the band’s spirit of exploration was on display throughout the past two weeks. Embarking on a cosmic excursion in almost every show, when they guys weren’t surfing mystical waves, they were annihilating standout versions of more contained jams such as the Gorge’s “Tweezer,” “Sand,” and “Reba,” LA’s “Crosseyed > Twist,” Tahoe’s “Bowie,” “Slave,” UIC’s “Wolfman’s,” “Chalk Dust,” “Harry Hood” and beyond. In short, the band was on fire throughout the second leg, having their way on almost every night of tour while executing many different types of shows.

During their improvisational passages, Phish integrated a new sound—“storage jamming”—into their music. The jams of June built to Super Ball’s late-night, free-form excursion, a session that served as a sonic shift for Phish. And in August, the band took their newest style to the next level. Integrating these sounds in different ways throughout the aforementioned highlights and throughout Leg Two, the band continued forging a blazing path through this calendar year. Experimenting with new sounds and pushing new musical boundaries, Leg Two became a natural evolution of a multi-legged tour that has witnessed Phish being Phish again. Infusing distinctly 2011 psychedelic and abstract effects into their playing, and creating post-modern sound-sculptures, the band has began to hone in on a new sound, something that seemed so elusive only one year ago. Though it may be a cause or effect of this emerging style, Trey laid way back during many jams of August as Mike led the band through wormholes of the universe. Both “Lights” of tour provide prime examples of this dynamic, not to mention several other heavy-handed excursions. Carrying over from June and Super Ball, experimental jamming continued to be a central theme of Phish 2011.

On a tour of dream venues, Phish bookended their run with two that couldn’t be more different. The vast natural surroundings the Gorge contrasted completely with the tiny and overheated environs of UIC Pavilion, though, not surprisingly, these were the two stands that provided the highest collective highs, with the most dialed in crowds of the tour. Throw in Hollywood Bowl, Lake Tahoe, and Golden Gate Park to complete the late-summer circuit, and each stop along the way was a memorable one—a welcome departure from June’s countless cookie-cutter amphitheatres.

During these two weeks before Denver’s summer finale we will look more closely at the many special moments of August. Thinking back to Bethel in May, where this whole shindig got started, things have progressed like a dream over the past few months. And as Phish prepares to step into the freezer one more time in Denver, one can already be sure fans will be listening to Summer 2011 for years to come.