12/30/1993 & The Significance Of The-Night-Before-The-Night

By most accounts 12/30/1993 should never have happened.

With a torrential blizzard encompassing the Northeastern United States, most fans traveling from New Haven, CT to Portland, ME were either caught in virtual whiteouts or forced to wait until the very last minute to travel.

For those who were in Portland in the hours preceding the show most had to brave sub-zero temperatures outside while waiting for the venue to shuffle everyone in. As had become a staple of Phish fandom over the past 10 years however, Phish fans would prove more than willing, & more than capable of overcoming seemingly any/all odds, any distance & any weather in the unyielding hunt towards the next Phish show. Be it Dec 1995’s NE Run; Fall 1997’s Denver –> Central Illinois –> Hampton Quest; the long march across Alligator Alley to Big Cypress; the rain-soaked hell-slog to Coventry; or the overnight cross-country hauls throughout 3.0, Phish fans were always ready to hit the road – no matter the conditions – in search of the musical highs Phish provided.

More often than not, Phish would repay their efforts in full.

On such nights when it took an extra effort just to get to a show, there’d often be a palpable energy in the air – tension one could reach out and clutch onto – where band & audience engaged in a back & forth exchange of riotous celebration & shared camaraderie brought upon by years of shared musical unity. With each Phish show being a wholly new & unique experience, with each crowd being compiled of dedicated fans who’d seen the band countless times & discussed them as one would their favorite baseball team, with each venue & city providing its own historical backdrop to the band’s performance, & with the potential always there for a historical, boundary-pushing jam, &/or unexpected bustout, &/or tongue-in-cheek inside joke from their Burlington days, it’s no wonder nights like 30 December 1993 resulted in some of the most significant shows the band ever played.

And yet, for all of the immediate table-setting that logistics played in making 12/30/1993 one of the best shows of that crucial year – not to mention one of the most enduring performances of Phish’s overall career – perhaps what most sets it apart from other shows is its significance as one of the ever-special “Night-Before-The-Night” shows.

The concept of the Night-Before-The-Night is as uniquely Phish as any.

In the same vein as their ever-changing, unpredictable setlists, their surprise Halloween covers of Full Albums, their litany of bustous & special guests & gimmicks that dot their live catalogue, the Night-Before-The-Night is a singular way for the band to catch their crowd on their heels and deliver a memorable – if not wholly unexpected – concert experience. Like the sheer childish thrill of a surprise gift on Christmas Eve, or the rehearsal dinner for your best friend’s wedding that parties deep into the night, the Night-Before-The-Night is a celebratory result of pent-up energy, anticipation, & a shared history that bursts uncontrollably ahead of schedule.

It’s a sensuous feeling rooted deep in youthful excitement and unbridled anticipation.

It’s the party the night before finals. It’s the unrivaled sense of freedom that comes with clocking out the night before your flight to someplace warm & very far away. It’s walking into your apartment the night before your birthday to find 20 of your best friends cloaked in darkness, exalting their love and friendship for you.

It’s all of these moments of unexpected celebration and tensional release; only here it’s shared with 20,000 people, hosted by your favorite band, whose entire career has been built on capitalizing on these very moments.

If there’s any Phish show you ever need to be at, it’s The-Night-Before-The-Night.

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For a show like The-Night-Before-The-Night to even occur there has to be “The Night” for there to properly be a “Night Before.”

This often comes in the form of holiday shows – 4^th of July, Halloween, NYE – festivals, tour finales, & any otherwise overly-hyped show due to venue locale, date, et al. Such shows are often the ones wherein which the band feels such an overwhelming amount of pressure to deliver that often times their nerves are released one show prior as a means of lessening the expectations for the highly anticipated performance. In some cases this unexpected and unexplainable release tends to water down the originally hyped show as a result.

In the same vein as the Wild Card rounds of the MLB & NFL playoffs, and the first round of the NBA Playoffs tend to be more electric and bombastic than the more prodding later rounds, there’s something about the anticipation of a BIG night that lends itself to the shows preceding it.

Some of the most revered Phish shows in history are a direct result of this alchemic composition. Beyond 12/30/1993, many fans look to 10/29/1995, 08/14/1996, 12/30/1997, 08/12/1998, 07/25/1999, 02/28/2003, 07/29/2003, 12/01/2003, 12/30/2009, 10/30/2010, 08/28/2012 & 10/29/2013, among others, as further examples of legendary nbTn’s.

In person these are some of the most exciting and unforgettable shows one could catch. They cultivate the sense of Phish being your own personal secret while also making one feel as if they’re in on some spectacular joke few others will ever quite understand.

On tape these shows reverberate with electricity & a pop that separates them from all others. It’s not so much that they’re “better,” per se, than other shows, more so that they contain within them the same cognizance of dangerously tampering with larger forces that comes with sneaking out of your parents house at 3am, or skipping class to smoke pot with your best friends.

Senses elevated, each song tends to carry more weight, each jam more significance, each ovation more reverberation.

From the tension in Trey’s voice as he delivers the Forbin’s Narration on 12/30, or the maniacal outburst that results from the nearly-900 show bustout of Sneakin’ Sally four years later, to the unparalleled appearance of Jeff Holdsworth on 01 December 2003, to the Tweezeppelin madness that overtook the second set on 10/30/2010, there’s often no match for the energy output that comes from the pure shock value that occurs on the nbTn.

It’s unsurprising that on these nights the band tends to pull out all the stops. For a band that’s built its entire career on a devoted partnership with their crowd, the awareness of, and emotional reaction to such a show could never be lost on the performers.

These are the nights where storytelling is most likely to occur. Jams are typically extended to surreal & ethereal heights. And a selection of choice rarities & bustouts are dropped seemingly at will. These are the nights when you review a setlist in the hours following the show’s conclusion & find you have to pick your jaw up off the floor. These are the nights when it feels like Phish won the NCAA Title as an 8^th Seed.

They are as shocking as they are monumental & as rewarding as they are unexpected.

With a New Year’s Eve show planned for the following night at the Worcester Centrum – a venue the band had been working towards playing at for five years – 12/30/1993 was in many ways the first every Night-Before-The-Night show in Phish’s history. And while the NYE show would more than satisfy diehard fans with its Greatest Hits-esque setlist, unified “we’re all in this together” vibe that permeated throughout, and the all-time version of Harry Hood that capped off the 3^rd Set, many overlooked 12/30 as little more than an appetizer for 12/31 in the days and weeks leading up to it.

Just four years earlier Phish had packed The Paradise in Boston through word of mouth – and the help of Greyhound Buses – as their very first headlining gig in Beantown. A city that feels in many ways like the capitol of the Northeastern Kingdom, it’s always been like a second home for Phish. Its summer shed, Great Woods, hosted the final Gamehendge performance in 1994, the Fleet Center hosted their 20^th Anniversary show in 2003, it was the site of two emotional sendoff shows in 2004, in 2009 the band chose Fenway Park to usher in their first proper tour in five years, and in 2013 the revamped Centrum (now the DCU Center) hosted two shows in October that felt as close to a 30^th Anniversary Celebration as any.

To close out a year as monumental as 1993 in The Centrum would be yet another step forward for a band that had yet to relinquish their foot from the gas in nearly ten years of growth and development.

As Phish would show on 30 December 1993 however, there’s rarely a time when you can assume they’ll simply mail a performance in. Regardless how amped they & their fanbase was for the NYE show in Worcester, there was simply no way 1993 Phish was going to allow the gig in Portland to be forgotten.

As this show would prove for years to come, the shows where Phish is least expected to deliver are often times the most memorable ones of them all.

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By the end of 1993 Phish was a serious musical and artistic force to be reckoned with. A national touring act that had continuously pushed themselves both creatively and artistically, they’d spent the past two years touring without restraint in effort to evolve beyond the tight-shipped machine they’d spent the better part of 1989 – 1991 becoming.

The Spring of 1992 had seen them expand their setlist and their improvisational abilities, while their time spent opening for Santana that summer had given them the chance to witness first hand the immense possibilities of band/audience connection through live improvisation. No longer the lackadaisical, wide-eyed college students jamming at house parties and in dorm cafeterias, they were ready to push their music deep into the unknown in a professional, and an artistic manner.

In early 1993 Phish spent five months on the road. In a tour that saw them cross the nation twice in just over 3 months, the band consistently tinkered and experimented towards further improvisational expansion. They carried themselves with a swagger that could only result from having played nearly 400 shows in the previous four years. Their sound fuller, their shows more fluid, their crew stable, they now began a process of outward expansion that would eventually lead them to the abstract explorations of November 1994 and June 1995.

David Bowie became a prominent opener, while Tweezer continued its evolutionary expansionism towards its eventual status as the ultimate Phish jam. The Big Ball Jam, one of a number of examples of band/audience interplay – introduced in late 1992 – was played nightly, allowing the band the opportunity to shed their artistic self-consciousness while the audience directed their music. For whatever shortcomings it had in terms of listenable music, it was yet another example in a line of band-initiated exercises that would help to bridge the gap between them and their audience, while also broadening their perspective on what was possible with live music.

Shows such as 02/23, 03/16, 03/30, 04/14, 04/18, 04/30, 05/03, & 05/08, among others, displayed a Phish far more relaxed in terms of setlist construction than they’d been in years past. During many of the aforementioned second sets, songs like Tweezer, Stash, David Bowie, Weekapaug Groove and Mike’s Song could expand far beyond the previously understood frames of musical construction. Direct, fully-flowing, organic segues became a far more typical aspect of second sets. And while their jamming was still rooted in a frenetic dissonance that bordered on shock value at times, it was clear by tour’s end – as heard in the 05/03 Tweezer -> Manteca -> Tweezer, and the 05/08 David Bowie -> Jessica -> David Bowie -> Have Mercy -> David Bowie – that the band’s expansionist efforts were beginning to blossom in melodic terrains of improvisational music.

Early on in the year they played a show in Atlanta, GA that would stand as one of the most important of their entire career. To this day 20 February 1993 is still revered as one of the critical moments in Phish history.

Taking a leap forward within the confines of a single show in a way they hadn’t since the mid-80’s, Phish fused the tight and explosive sound they’d crafted over the previous four years with the exploratory origins they’d been founded in. Wielding a set of segues, teases and jams in and out of Tweezer and Mike’s Groove, a porthole opened.

Phish would never be the same.

No longer would gimmicks & stories & Fishman joke-songs & secret languages & pure energy be enough to make a show. To move forward as artists in pursuit of their goal of producing linear, equal, & completely unified music through live, improvisational jamming, the band would begin a process of shedding their own egos and exploring the various musical avenues their songs could take them.

Later that year, during the fateful month of August 1993, the band continued to tinker with the formula they’d established throughout the previous four years, here using the “Hey Hole” jamming exercise to cultivate new lines of communication and new avenues for improvisation and linear musical communication. While the month of August is revered as one of the most impressive of their entire career – along with June/November 1994, December 1995 and November/December 1997 – the entire Summer Tour proved to be a massive breakthrough for the band. Shows like 07/16, 07/17, 07/24, 08/02, 08/07, 08/09, 08/11, 08/13, 08/14, 08/20, & 08/28 stretched the confines of what a concert could be in theory, and provided Phish with further proof that their energy & precision wasn’t at risk with a refined emphasis on experimentation. To the contrary, Phish discovered that by emphasizing improv, the energy of their concerts, and their trust within each other as artists, only solidified their original product. Oftentimes they’d find themselves writing new songs and themes within jams as can be heard in the 08/11 Mikes, 08/13 Gin, & 08/14 Antelope, among others.

The sets and shows that produced these groundbreaking musical experiments were thusly enhanced by their existence.

That Fall Phish would take a break from touring to record their most accessible and taught record to date: Hoist. An album recorded with a keen eye on an altogether different type of musical expansion – here popular exposure – was a reflection of the halcyon year 1993 was for Phish. Still young enough to devote all their waking hours to their craft, devoid of the responsibilities to family, crew and a burgeoning fanbase, fixated on an abstract goal to produce completely egoless music in a live setting, they had seemingly all the time in the world to push their own artistic goals forward while still spreading their name.

It was the kind of period of artistic fruition and popular expansion that any musician would kill for some ten years into their career. It’d been a long road to this point, but now here, Phish intended to make the most of the opportunities before them.

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The Cumberland County Civic Center is a 9500 multi-purpose arena in downtown Portland, ME. Home to the AHL Portland Pirates it’s like many of the 60’s & 70’s era concrete sheds that have witnessed some of the best shows throughout Phish’s career. Encased in cement, graced by neon-lit corporate sponsorship, ripe with stale beer and the lingering scent of processed foods, acoustically unreliable, employed by the least abled-bodied workers in the American workforce; these are the venues that marked the arrival of Phish as a national touring act, and that they have called home on Fall Tours, Winter Tours & New Years Eve Runs ever since.

A venue that was ushered into live-music-existence with a ZZ Top performance in 1977 – and is ultimately famous for the fact that it was to have been the site of an Elvis concert were he to not have died the morning of 16 August 1977 at his home in Memphis – it’s one of the industrial and pop-cultural pinpoints that’s put Portland on the map. Located in the heart of downtown Portland, a town known for outdoor enthusiasts, green energy, and the fact that it’s home to the most restaurants per capita in America, the venue and the city are the kind of Northeastern haunts that have always felt like home for Phish.

The original capitol of Maine, the Portland of the East, is the state’s most populous city; it’s a city that’s known its own fair share of hardship, resiliency, & ultimately, recovery.

Hit hard by the British trade embargo of 1807, the city grew in both size and stature following the War of 1812. It was the site of the Portland Rum Riots in response to Maine being the first state prohibiting the sale of Alcohol, and in 1863 its harbor was the site of one of the northernmost battles of the Civil War. Nearly destroyed in 1866 due to a fire that resulted from Fourth of July celebrations gone awry. It’s a town that’s played as distinctive a part in its region’s history as it has in reveling in the fruits of Americanization.

An early 20^th-Century rail hub, it faced marked economic decline during the mid-century due to the invention of icebreaker ships which allowed freight ships to reach Montreal without having to transport goods through Portland. In the mid-70’s the construction of the Maine Mall severely impacted downtown Portland’s economy, a trend that would only finally be reversed in the 1990’s as businesses began opening and revitalizing the Old Port.

Like many midsized American cities it’s experienced a cultural and economic revitalization over the past two decades as more and more Americans have realized the aesthetic importance of local production & authentic business centers.

Home now to a bustling service industry, the main financial services of Maine, and some of the most dedicated urban farmers in the US, it’s a city that resembles in many ways the remarkable career Phish has cultivated these last 30 years. Resilient in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, adaptable to changing tides and bursts of inspiration, amicable to keep people coming back for more, Portland was the fitting town to play host to one of the most memorable shows in Phish history.

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Stepping to the stage in front of an eager and packed house, Phish opened with one of their storied, compositional masterpieces: David Bowie. A song known for its eerie kinetic energy as much as it is its open-ended spaciousness, it’s the kind of song that announces a BIG show simply in its presence alone. Containing only two lyrics: “David Bowie” & “UB40” – both shouted with youthful irreverence and a satirical nod towards their arena rock forbearers – the song is built upon the duality of its maddeningly spinning harmonic interplay, and ultimate release into the musical unknown.

Complete with repeated references to Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” this performance struck the crowd at once. As Trey directed the song back to its musical home through a torrential cacophony of blistering leads, the crowd responded with the kind of electricity that can only be a result of abject surprise and bewilderment over the course the show had taken right out the gates.

A night when many would expect the band to proceed with measured caution and ease – essentially reserving the best for NYE – here they were, immediately in full attack mode, assaulting the crowd right out the gates.

The entire first set is a clinic in structural flow and energy.

From Bowie we’re brought to Weigh’s comedic shrill and musical balefulness. The Curtain retains Bowies composed complexity, reminding those in attendance – and listening years later – that, ultimately, Phish is an artistic project to “please me,” sans all regrets.

Sample In A Jar, Paul & Silas, & Rift are the kind of playful, energized, reductive songs that mark time and flow within a first set. Presented here with an added dose of electricity, the solo from Sample engulfs the arena in the way fans would come to expect from it for years to come.

In Col Forbin’s Trey launches into a sprawling tale that originates within the CCCC wherein which the Pirates ice rink – upon which the crowd is watching the show from – melts away, setting the entire crowd at sea until they drift away into the mythical land of Gamehendge. A song that had become something of a rarity even at that point in their career (It’s only been played 25 times in the 21 years since) it’s – along with its musical partner, The Famous Mockingbird – the kind of song that immediately marks whatever show it appears at as singular and special. One needs only to think of 11/17/1994, 12/01/1995, 08/14/2009, and 07/03/2011 to realize its significance within a setlist. In the same sense as Harpua did on 12/30/1997, Destiny Unbound on 02/28/2003, and Crosseyed on 07/29/2003, the Forbin’s -> Mockingbird on 30 December 1993 immediately gave the show an added dose of mythical lore and historical relevance.

Played only seven times throughout 1993, Bathtub Gin had yet to fully assume the role of a complete rotational song. However, its performance just four-and-a-half months earlier in Indianapolis had been crucial in bursting open the musical confines that Phish was increasingly desperate to move beyond. A jam that moved from vocal-jam-gimmickry to dissonant guitar swells to arena rock grooves to a frenetic peak to a joyous, funky breakdown in the matter of 15 minutes, it was one of many improvisation journeys throughout August 1993 that worked to release Phish from their own self-consciousness and equip them with the confidence needed to run assuredly off the veritable musical cliff. While the version on 12/30 didn’t traverse quite as far from home as the 08/13 Murat Gin did, it still relied on the bottled-up energy and experimental fervency that defined so much of their improvisation throughout 1993.

Closing with an absolutely revolting acapella cover of Skynnard’s Freebrid was the kind of tongue-in-cheek Phish-nonsense needed to close out a set such as this. Energy sustained, they exited for their “15 minute break” having equally stunned and warmed the packed house.

Perhaps one of the telltale signs of a nbTn show is the explosiveness that often overtakes a crowd during setbreak. A setbreak like this was filled with exclamations in the beer lines, high fives amongst complete strangers, and the unified sense that this was the only place on Earth one would want to be.

In Set II Phish compiled nothing short of a masterpiece in terms of set construction, improvisational experimentation, and overall energy released. Fluid from one song to the next, containing within it one of the critical jams of the era, not to mention an all-too-rare oldie full of Phish lore, and a massive bustout for their East Coast faithful. In short it’s one of those sets any respectable Phish fan has heard at least once, and any diehard knows by heart.

A precursor to the jam-heavy, seguefests that would mark their peak-periods in 1995 and 1997, 12/30/1993 II is the kind of set one presses play on, and never skips a track, nor stops listening until its conclusion.

Opening with their cover of Deodato’s Also Sprach Zarathrustra, otherwise known as 2001 – a song which opened no less than 19 second sets in 1993 – was equal parts anticipated punch and a missionary pronouncement of the set to come. In the same way that its anthemic jam ushered in memorable sets on 08/07, 08/14 and 08/20, here it worked as a precursor to a set that would be as transformational as it would be celebratory.

It was, however, when they dropped into Mike’s Song that everything changed.

One of the most revered and oldest songs in Phish’s catalogue, Mike’s Song moves from the poppy nonsensical lyrics written by an 18-yr-old Mike Gordon into a dark and prodding jam that, at its best, opens to unending musical possibilities. Just that year, during its performances at The Roxy, and in August on 08/11 and 08/13, the song had expanded considerably as the band sought to carve out the underbelly of the F#/B jam. Yet, where those three versions focused firstly on the varied segues that could emerge from the jam, and later on the wacky staccato dissonance the jam catered to, the version on 12/30 was far more melodious than any Mike’s had been before. Swimming through the minor-keyed jam the song produced, Trey built the band towards an anthemic peak that fit both the show’s setting, and the place they found themselves in at this point in their career.

Perhaps though, the most remarkable thing about this jam is its dexterity. As the band quieted down, they brought in a sense of darkness ultimately directing the jam into The Horse by way of a deft segueway.

The jam, rooted in harmonic bliss, capable of evolving with an effortlessness that would define their best jams in the years to come, was a critical turning point for the band in their evolution from prankster aficionados to true artists.

Compiling the middle part of Mike’s Groove with such rarities (for its time) as Punch You In The Eye and McGrupp was the kind of understood nod from the band that colors all great nbTn setlists. From 10/29/1995’s It’s Ice -> Kung -> It’s Ice -> Shaggy Dog and 12/30/1997’s Carini -> Black-Eyed Katy -> Sneakin’ Sally (Reprise)> Frankenstein encore, to 02/28/03’s Soul Shakedown Party and 12/30/2009’s Tela, one of the sure signs that you’re at a nbTn show is the appearance of the rare songs most fans spend years chasing down.

After a spirited jaunt through Weekapaug Groove – a jam that mirrored the Mike’s in both its melodic burst and its foreshadowing of Phish maximalist playing of 1995 – closed out the near 45-minute Mike’s Groove, Fishman’s take on Purple Rain brought the laughs before the last surprise of the night was delivered.

Only seen twice since 1991 – and unseen on the East Coast since 11/15/1990 – Phish closed out the second set with a triumphant version of one of their most beloved songs: Slave To The Traffic Light. Responding to the show-long pleads from their audience; it was one final gift from the band in an evening full of them.

Cementing the show as an all-timer, and a must-hear tape, the appearance of Slave made it essential that nearly every Night-Before-The-Night show include a similarly big bustout. As 10/29/1995’s Shaggy Dog, 12/30/1997’s Sneakin’ Sally, 02/28/2003’s Destiny, 07/29/2003’s entire first set, 12/01/2003’s Long Cool Women In A Black Dress, and 12/30/2009’s first set, would later display, the bustout would play a vital role in raising the bar of a show, especially one as rare as a nbTn.

Closing things out with a frenzied Rocky Top & Good Times Bad Times encore, the band left their giant Aquarium stage and headed south towards Worcester, MA. The New Year’s Eve show would deliver on a level only seen twice more – 1995’s three-set masterpiece & 1999’s millennial all-nighter – and would rightly be regarded as one of the best shows the band’s ever played.

Yet it was 12/30 that created an endless debate amongst Phish fans about which show was supreme – the answer which, spoke volumes towards what kind of music you preferred from Phish – and opened the door into yet another possibility for the band in terms of the live concert experience.

For as the concept of The-Night-Before-The-Night proves, Phish is far more than simply a Rock & Roll Band in the traditional sense.

For them, the live concert is a living-breathing organism, in many ways like a Broadway Play. The idea that there shouldn’t be an element of surprise, nor a reward for those fans who make the extra effort to see even their lesser-hyped shows is something that Phish has always worked to transcend.

As the band would continue to grow in both stature and artistic accomplishment – as more and more shows became hyped in terms of promotion and fanfare – the concept & possibilities & opportunity to unleash unexpected doses of energy always lingered and was always available for the band through the shows that had remained off the radar of many of their fans. Yet another reminder as to why to never miss an upcoming Phish show. More often than not, if the band has a heavily hyped gig on the horizon, the best show to catch is the one most are overlooking.

The Best Of Phish – 2013 – Part I

On 31 December 2012 Phish opened their final show of the year with a cover of Ricky Nelson’s 1972 hit “Garden Party.” A song Nelson had originally written after being booed off that same Madison Square Garden stage during the 1971 Rock ‘n Roll Revival Show, it was a fitting nod to the place Phish found themselves in both musically, artistically, and personally at the onset of their 30th year. Highlighted by the line, “You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself,” the song would not only serve as a tongue-in-cheek jab at some of the more impatient members of Phish’s sprawling fan base, but would become something of a rallying cry for the band as they embarked upon their 30th year together as a collective unit.

Throughout 2013, the message of “Garden Party” felt ever-present, as the band sought to craft a six-month-long celebration of everything that had come to define Phish since 1983. In the summer, they emerged from hibernation with an overtly old school, foundational-setting run of shows from 07/03 – 07/21. Beaming with confidence, they went on to poke fun at their more obsessive fans in Chicago’s, ‘Poster Nutbag, the right way’“Harpua,” before crafting one of their seminal pieces of extended improve in the “Tahoe Tweezer” just ten days later. Friday night at Dick’s was once again devoted to gimmickry, this time as the band informed us that Most Shows Spell Something (Backwards). The Fall Tour that followed was a non-stop dance party with a signature throwback feel. And on Halloween the band debuted their new album – tentatively titled Wingsuit – in a move that has had the entire Phish community buzzing with thoughts and analysis ever since. Closing out the year with one more celebratory gag, Phish played an entirely coverless NYE Run, honoring the songs that had brought them so much acclaim throughout the years. Without question, 2013 was defined in large part by Phish’s desire to “please themselves” – without any regrets – in commemoration of everything they’d built (and rebuilt) since their college days.

What’s more though, was how “Garden Party” worked as a premonition for a band seeking to do more than simply garnish their 30th year with a nostalgic hue. Rather, 2013 saw Phish acutely pivot towards the next phase of their career. For, as much as 2013 was indeed about celebrating the essence of Phish – and their legacy – it was in many ways, more so about what’s next for a band that has systematically rebuilt itself from near-death, and now, at the onset of their 31st year, is in the midst of their most substantial peak period since the halcyon days of 1993-1998.

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Let’s pause for a moment, and take a step back to July 2010. At that point Phish had been back together for 17 months. Throughout they’d compiled four 10-15 show tours, alongside three, smaller, holiday-based/reunion runs. There’d been nights where they’d felt like Phish again. Nights where everything clicked: where they told jokes, where they pulled oft-forgotten songs out of nowhere, where their setlists flowed with precision, determination, and ease, and where they hooked up for extended pieces of forward-thinking, emotive, and ultimately revealing improv. But for all of the positivity that surrounded the 70 shows that had thus far made up Phish 3.0, there was a prevailing fear throughout much of their fan base that, perhaps, the band simply didn’t have it anymore. Too often they’d follow a breakthrough show with a run of unfocused and disconnected duds. Too many jams either followed a strict formula of assaulting rock -> rhythmic breakdown -> ambient fade, or would be cut off prematurely by Trey’s insistence on keeping the show moving. Too many shows featured a band that, simply put, appeared a shell of its former self. During the month-long break in Summer 2010, many openly wondered what would become of Phish 3.0?

Would they follow the same trajectory of their haunting and ultimately unsustainable 2.0 era; fading unfulfilled, full of regret, bemused with far more questions than answers?

Had Phish become (gasp) a nostalgia act?

Could they reestablish the unspoken communication that had led them to so many musical and artistic heights throughout their heyday?

Would they ever again evolve with the kind of abstract precision and focused experimentation that saw them transform from a psychedelically-infused speed-jazz quartet in 1993 to a spacious, patient, rhythmic juggernaut just five years later?

Could they do it again?

From the vantage point of January 2014 we know what happened. Barring a few setbacks along the way – parts of June 2011 and NYE 2011, most notably – when Phish reemerged for the second leg of their 2010 Summer Tour, they were a fundamentally different band. Since then they’ve been on a consistent upward trajectory, evolving with patient determination, overcoming many of the challenges set in front of them in 2009, and undoubtably blowing away even the headiest expectations any of us could have had for them when they announced their reunion back on 1 October 2008.

Beginning in earnest with the infusion of Trey’s Ocedoc – a move that systematically rounded-out his tone, resulting in him taking a more deliberate approach to building simple melodic lines, while also focusing more on rhythm – Phish has evolved with stunning speed over these past four years. Stylistically morphing – from the melodic jams of late-2010 to August 2011’s dive into the storage shed, to the cubist approach of 2012 – and further deepening their communication, they have consistently driven forward from the moment the Greek “Cities” dropped into its infectious whole-band groove-jam. A reflection of their own musical maturity and craftsmanship – and also the experience they’d gained from 25-years of friendship and collaboration – from August 2010 onwards, each tour has provided crucial reference points to Phish’s current peak. Be it the improvisational boon of August 2010; the self-referential gimmickry and humor of Fall 2010; June 2011’s experimentation & embrace of potential failure over conservatism; “The Storage Jam” and the darkness that engulfed many of their subsequent jams throughout August and September 2011; the 200-song challenge of June 2012; the fully-realized, multi-layered jams of August 2012; or the masterful run of creativity and exploration that was Dick’s and MSG 2012; there’s no denying the fact that following their initial – and necessary – 18-month rebuilding project, the Phish of late-2010-2013 in many ways mirrors the same band that rose from irrelevancy in the early-1990’s to become one of the largest, and most influential, creative forces in the country.

The only difference now: they are clearly wizened by their years. Trials & errors, fights, audits, drugs, failures, fuck-ups, youthful bliss, et al, behind them, the Phish of today is both healthy, happy, and inspired. Whereas in 2009 many wondered if such a “family-friendly” version Phish could muster up the kind of psychedelic expansionism and unadulterated experimentation that had drawn so many to them in the first place, it’s clear now that this version of Phish may not only match the creative ingenuity of their initial peak, but could in fact surpass their former selves in both musical discovery, and artistic sustainability.

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All of which brings us to 2013.

Beginning the year with a three-week foundational setting period, Phish toured the East Coast, fairing off torrential rains, all the while focusing on a tight rotation of songs which emphasized the original artistic statements of their career. Determined to perfect the whole-show-craftsmanship that had reemerged in Fall 2010, Phish used their first night at SPAC to send a message that 2013 would be more about patiently crafting complete shows rather than simply expanding upon big jams. Resulting in thematic concert experiences, the tour required noticeably more patience, reflection, and insight from their fans than the overtly jam-heavy August 2011, or bustout-driven June 2012 tours had. From 07/10’s “Maria” set, to 07/12’s “practicing safe music,” to Merriweather Post’s old-school affair, to 07/16’s “Heartbreaker” set to the existential masterpiece of 07/21’s second set, this first leg of the tour saw the band further advance their artistic intentions, while still infusing more than enough highlights to satisfy everyone in their fan base.

Following a five-day break, they reemerged at the Gorge intent on celebrating every aspect of their musical past, while systematically using each previous peak as a building block towards their next era. The rain behind them, comfortable enough to expand upond the strict rotation that had marked their entire East Coast run, rarities returned, jams popped, and the band played with an ease that could only result from the kind of foundational setting they’d initiated. From 07/26’s explosion of howlin’ energy, to 07/27’s album-like fluidity, to 07/30’s dance-party, to the methodical brilliance of the Tahoe “Tweezer,” to 08/02 and 08/04’s schizophrenic mind-fuck, by summer’s end Phish left no doubt in anyone’s mind that they’d not only coursed out their 30th year exactly as they’d intended to, but that they knew the “right way” forward for their creative evolution.

At Dick’s they keyed us in once more to their goals for the year by noting on 08/30 that “Most Shows Spell Something.” That they unveiled the gag backwards only lent itself more to their playful spirit and the multitude of angles with which one could approach understanding their music.

And then, as with 2010, Phish scheduled a two-week Fall Tour through some of the most historic – and smallest – venues within their home base of the Northeast. Needing no time to reacquire their bearings, it was clear from the jubilant jam that emerged from “Carini” on the tour’s opening night, that Phish had, once again, reached yet another level of unspoken communication and refined musicianship. Be it jams – “Carini,” “Ghost,” “Tweezer,” “Golden Age,” “Down With Disease,” “Twenty Years Later,” “Drowned,” “Light,” “Twist,” each built into fully-formed, innovative, and memorable excursions – or shows – 10/20, 10/23, 10/25, 10/26, 10/27, and 11/01 are some of the strongest complete shows the band has played since the 90’s – the band was completely locked-in throughout the Fall, and consistently able to tap into an vast wealth of creativity. At times one wished the band would simply have an off night to give fans re-listening, and avidly discussing, a chance to catch-up and breathe.

On Halloween the band once again repelled against expectations. Whereas traditionally they’d used the holiday to don a musical costume of one of their forbearers, here, in their 30th year, they instead used the moment to debut 12 new originals. Loosely dubbed Wingsuit, the second set of 10/31 represented yet another leap forward for this 3.0 incarnation of Phish. Like the Greek Run in 2010, the Storage Jam, and FUCK YOUR FACE before it, Wingsuit is a clear break between one era and another. Cultivated from various jams over the past two years, and containing some of the most advanced and deeply personal lyrics of the band’s career, the songs – and the symbolic nature behind their unveiling – provide the band with the necessary material and inspiration to enter the next phase of their remarkable career.

Closing out the year, once again, with four shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City the band honored their 30th Anniversary by focusing on the singular element that birthed their existence: their songs. Opting to only play originals, the four shows took on much of the same vibe that had marked the entire year. Nostalgically rich, yet full of forward-thinking jams in “Steam,” “Down With Disease -> Carini,” “Chalk Dust Torture,” and “Light,” the 2013 NYE Run both celebrated everything that has made Phish such a unique force in modern pop culture, and pointed the way towards their next thirty years.

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As with 2009 (Part I & Part II), 2010, 2011, & 2012 I’ve assembled a list of ten shows and jams that standout as the best of the year. Along with these selections, there are three honorable mentions to each. These are not simply shows/jams 11-13, but rather foundational jams and shows with which the band grew, yet didn’t crack my top ten. The lists are assembled chronologically, thus reserving the title “Best Ever” as a subjective accolade. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Happy New Year! Can’t wait to see what 2014 brings to the world of Phish!

The Best Of Phish 2013

Honorable Jams

“Down With Disease -> 2001” – Toronto, ON – 07/22/2013

After kicking off the summer with three fairly contained versions of one of their most cherished Set II Openers, Phish finally broke through in Toronto with a jam that built off of their pivotal second set on 07/21,  thus pointing the way westward. Featuring patiently built melodic and rhythmic riffs from Trey throughout, the jam ultimately settled on a remarkably pleasant platitude, which felt entirely composed. A direct prelude to jams like the 10/23 “Twist,” 10/26 “Drowned,” 10/27 “Tweezer,” and 11/01 “Twist,” this “DWD” is not only one of the key, foundational jams of 2013, but it is also the kind of jam one could listen to on repeat without ever growing tired.

In short, this is simply one of the most enjoyable, and pleasing jams of the entire year. A section of wholly deliberate, rising melodic playing followed the Trey/Page melodic peak, ultimately giving way to a full-on tease of “Sea Of Love” from The National. Further proof of how much musical insight Trey has gained from his time spent listening to – and playing with – those in the indie rock world. Building towards a truly patient segue into “2001” rounded off one of the most subtly diverse jams of the year, one that clearly helped to initiate the band’s massive peak over the next four months. While this jam has become significantly overshadowed in the past four months, its influence on the stylistic evolution of 2013 cannot go unnoticed.

“Harry Hood” – Hollywood, CA – 08/05/2013

There’s that moment in every single jam where everyone – band and audience alike – collectively realizes we’re suddenly in wide open, untapped, and unknown terrain. It may come via a reliable Set II opening vehicle, or in a totally unexpected song/slot in the show. Wherever and whenever it comes, the moment is ultimately defined by an immediate percolating of the senses, and a rush of euphoria, as the stakes of a show suddenly take upon unknown – in many ways, indefinable – potential. This moment is, for many, the entire reason why we see Phish. When that moment happens to come in a song steeped in as much historical lore as “Harry Hood” is, however, it raises a show to an entirely different level of excitement, sentiment, and lasting resonance.

While it’s clear here that Trey’s dedicating much of his energy to painting a backdrop of sound throughout the initial post-“Thank you, Mr. Hood…” section, we’re essentially still in typical “Hood-ville” until 9:37. From that point on, however, the jam enters completely unknown territory like it hadn’t since 07/31/03. A rock-based jam ensues, sounding in many ways like a leftover from the previous night’s “Runaway Jim,” before building into a full-on call-and-respond woo segment. Then, when it seems as though the band could momentarily snake back into “Hood,” they instead move into a more rhythmically-oriented realm, crafting a mosaic, where one member’s leads are effortlessly supplanted by another’s. Ambient-based jamming enters the fray, and suddenly the jam has become blissful. Abstract-cubism is the order, and, for a while, between 15ish and 17ish minutes, it feels as though we’re back in Dick’s 2012. Connecting on a dreamlike, plinko-esque jam that sounds like the denouement of a soon-to-be-unfinished jam, Trey plucks the “Hood” theme out of thin air, and the band rebuilds back to a subdued peak.

A creative palette of themes and varying musical passages, this jam harkened back to the band’s most prolific exploration within “Hood” from 07/25/03. A clear statement to the band’s M.O. moving forward in 2013, this “Harry Hood” opened the doors even further to what was possible in the coming Fall, here, coming on the last night of Summer Tour proper.

“Carini” – Hampton, VA – 10/18/2013

On the opening night of Fall Tour, in the midst of a risky & self-conscious show, in their first performance back in the mothership since their reunion weekend in March 2009, “Carini” emerged mid-way through the second set and ultimately set the course of the entire tour. Rooted in the kind of bluesy, melodic, and celebratory rhythmic jams that had defined the best parts of the summer, what separated this “Carini” from the jams that had preceded it, was how simple and how overtly groove-oriented it was.

A bulbous and infectious dive into a rock-based, dance foray, this was the kind of jamming that would ultimately define Phish’s two-week Fall Tour. A fusion between the sparse, rhythmic jams of their 1997 peak with the rootsy, rock-oriented jamming that emerged in 2009 and 2010, further shaped by the cubist approach of 2012, and finished with the celebratory rhythmic style of the summer, this “Carini” felt like an ode to the nostalgically-rich, yet forward-thinking engine that was Phish 2013. Fading into their 3.0 hymnal, “Backwards Down The Number Line” was an entirely appropriate move for a band that had just shouted from the mountaintop their intentions for the proceeding Fall Tour.

The Top Ten Jams Of 2013

“Split Open & Melt” – Saratoga Springs, NY – 07/06/2013

Wow. What a statement. What a glorified mess. A conscious experimental push into the unknown as anything heard from Phish 3.0. This jam covers so much terrain in its 18-minutes, it’s really quite exhausting.

Abstract, gorgeous, uneven, risqué, unpolished, raw, emotive, completely human; an absolute pure example of a band seeking out the elusive hook-up. It’s also perhaps the loosest, and unfocused Phish has allowed itself to be throughout the past five years.

For every jam that has either foreshadowed or reflected the various thematic terrains of 2013, there’s really no other jam produced this year that sounds anything like this “Split Open & Melt.” This might be the most important pre-Tahoe “Tweezer” jam played in the entire summer. One just has to hear the vocal inflection and laugh from Page at the end when he says, “We’ll be right back…” following their sloppy re-entry to “Melt” to understand how unexpectedly deep the band went, and how gloriously lost they became. If any jam in 2013 could symbolize a much-needed trust-fall for Phish, it’s this. Just, wow.

“Carini -> Architect” – Saratoga Springs, NY – 07/06/2013

The first of four versions for Señor Lumpy Head on this list, this one pops immediately with an incredibly focused, highly expansive, delicate, interwoven and intricate piece of music that has continually resided in the upper echelons of Phish’s 2013 output since the moment it concluded. Reminiscent of the 08/31/12 “Undermind” and “Chalk Dust,” this is one of those democratic/full-band conversations we’ve now come to expect in 2012-2013 Phish.

In many ways though, this jam is all about Trey, as he plays with a determined and deliberate precision that would go on to define many of Phish’s best moments in 2013. An example of foundational setting leading to deliberate playing from Trey, this jam sounds like a direct prelude to Fall Tour more than most of the jams played throughout the summer.

Oh, and this jam also segues flawlessly into a debut. So much so, that, for a moment, “Architect” felt like it was simply just another part of the “Carini” jam.

“Crosseyed & Painless> Harry Hood” – Holmdel, NJ – 07/10/2013

Two crucial things happen from 9:20 – 15:01 in this “Crosseyed,” which sets the foundation for literally every moment of fully-connected Phish in 2013.

1.) First, Mike creates an exorbitant amount of space through his melodic and atmospheric playing – something he’d been incorporating into Phish’s improv since mid-2011 – thus slowing down the jam’s typically galloping pace, and allowing more textural space for each member to communicate with each other.

2.) As a result of this, Trey recedes into the shadows and further incorporates his rhythmic playing that had been so evident during the Bangor “Golden Age,” building the jam to a unified peak based in large part around the familiar theme from the 02/16/2003 “Piper.”

Whether or not they were conscious of it, that they were jamming on a specific theme from one of their peak moments in the early stages of 2.0 was yet another of those unexplainable moments of pure musical magic that seem to find their way into the best Phish shows and jams. Fading some two minutes later into “Harry Hood,” which built upon the beauty of Bangor’s encore, was a clear nod to the brilliance of this “Crosseyed.”

“Tweezer” – Stateline, NV – 07/31/2013

A moment of profound unity between both band and audience, as each rediscovered once again what was truly possible in the medium of a Phish show.

Listening back, there are just so many raw moments that harken back to the halcyon days of 1993 – 1998 when the band and audience engaged in the kinds of extended, abstract, absurdist, and inside-joke experiments that were both only possible at a Phish show, and made this whole cultural experiment feel that much smaller, and that much more unified and connected, even as it simultaneously widened as the word of the circus spread throughout upper-middle-class, white America.

A Few Examples:

10:20 – 13:30 — when Trey and Mike are both clearly so desperate to extend what, at this point, is just a standard 3.0, “Tweezer-themed-Tweezer-jam”, that they push atmospheric melodies outwards, building towards Trey’s rhythmic in-and-out fades, which – once Page catches on – leads to the hard-rock segment that defines the 13:42 – 16:06 section of the entire jam.

22:29 – 26:18 — Trey latches onto a deliberate riff which builds towards a gorgeous hose segment that would have single-handedly made this one of the elite jams of the year had it ended right then and there. No woo’s. No 30-minute barrier broken. No matter. This section of Trey-led riffing is among his most impressive playing of the entire year – in fact it’s a direct predecessor of that gorgeous, Allmans-esque jam that concludes the 10/29 “Down With Disease” – and would have been the single reason why – had the jam ended immediately after, as so many have throughout 3.0 – the “Tahoe Tweezer” would have still, at that point, been the longest jam of 3.0.

26:18 – 26:23 — This is, for all intents and purposes, the moment when the “Tahoe Tweezer” becomes THE Tahoe Tweezer. It’s all thanks to Page McConnell. He’s been following Trey’s lead for the past four minutes, and sensing – correctly – that the current theme is about to wind down, inserts the celebratory melody which, once Trey latches on at 26:24, becomes THE Tahoe Tweezer.

27:29 — The first WOO!

27:53 – 28:19 — Trey plays a riff that’s so driven, so celebratory, so deliberate, yet so thoughtless at the same time, so rooted in his purest feelings and emotions – from so deep in his heart – you can literally feel the shit-eating-grin spilling out across his face through your headphones. You can hear him realize right then and there just how big a deal this jam is. It’s not just the fact that it’s a great “Tweezer” to open a set. It’s not just the fact that this is the new longest jam of 3.0. It’s not just the fact that the band has allowed all their fears of playing deep into the unknown wash away. It’s not just the fact that the band is proving both to themselves and all their fans that they’re so locked in once again that they can play with an unending, limitless abandon, and still produce totally focused, driven, and unquestionably listenable, compositionally-sound music. It’s the fact that all these things were happening at once AND they’d latched onto a melody so contagious, so infectious, so rooted in the essential nature that has made music a communal and spiritual force for the entirety of human existence, that they’d spurred a wholly original conversation with their fans in the process. It’s the fact that if the entire goal of Phish’s entire existence – spontaneous moments of shared energy and musical brilliance resulting from carefully crafted compositions allowed to run wild – were boiled down to one moment in time, this moment would be it. That they discovered this through the peak in a “Tweezer” jam is all the more fitting.

32:46 – 35:07 — The Victory Lap. As if they even needed to keep playing following the woo’s. This is all Rock-Star-Trey here. Based loosely off the jam from “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” the band built towards one more massive peak – complete with Woo’s, because, why the fuck not at this point (???) – before coyly snaking back into “Tweezer.”

35:48 – 35:50 — Woo’s within the “Tweezer-riff” comedown. Fuck. This section is a lot like that loose and sloppy “Psycho Killer” that emerged from “AC/DC Bag: on 12/07/1997 as the denouement commenced upon Fall 1997. It’s so unserious, so ridiculous, so clear that whatever the band’s intentions were as they stepped on the stage for that night’s second set, they weren’t prepared for this. As Wax Banks said, “bag>psycho killer to open, seriously? they’re just dorking around at that point…”

36:09 – 36:47 — The final note. The final Woo. The fade. The band holds out this last note, systematically dementing it and burying it in the ground. It’s as if they don’t want to let it go. And why would they? If they only knew at that moment what this would ultimately build to…

Is it the best jam they’ve ever played? No. But it is the most important piece of music the band has played since the 07/29/1997 “Gumbo” or the 11/17/1997 “Ghost.”

It’s that revolutionary moment where the band is clearly searching for some ambiguous sound, some indefinable goal, and unquestionably uncovers something totally new about themselves in the process. Say what you will about the after-effects of the ‘woo’s,’ what’s clear to everyone involved is that without the “Tahoe Tweezer, “none of the brilliance that emerged with such stunning ease and consistency throughout the Fall would have been possible.

“Chalk Dust Torture” – Commerce City, Co – 08/31/2013

Just listen to the segment from 10:02 – 12:36 and try – seriously try – to resist boogieing your ass off wherever you may be. Of all the moments of musical connectivity the band found themselves in throughout the entire 2013 Summer Tour, perhaps none felt as effortless, as mechanical, as choreographed, or as pre-planned as the immediate peak jam segment out of the Set II Opening “Chalk Dust Torture” from 08/31. A year to the date after their revolutionary FUCK YOUR FACE show, a night after informing their fans that MOST SHOWS SPELL SOMETHING, Phish connected on an aggressive, set opening jam, that systematically pointed the way towards the Fall.

Listen to the aforementioned segment again. Within it you can hear the first hints of what will become known as “Fuego.” What’s more is how deftly the band is able to hook up through rhythmically induced passages of deliberate playing, the very kind that would come to define all the highs of the looming Fall Tour.

Perhaps we couldn’t fully understand it at the time. Perhaps we weren’t aware that the band really just wanted to use Dick’s 2013 as a weekend-long celebration. But it’s clear now that this “Chalk Dust” was an essential moment that separated summer from fall in the same way the Toronto “Down With Disease” separated the East Coast Run from the West. A supremely confident statement from a band at the height of their powers once again, this “Chalk Dust” proved that all the foundational setting of early Summer were more than worth the patience required. And, just like in 2012, it was “Chalk Dust” that left perhaps the most lasting legacy on another memorable weekend at Dick’s.

“Tweezer -> Golden Age” – Hampton, VA – 10/20/2013

In 2003 and 2004, Phish regularly dove wildly into the deepest and darkest holes of the musical underworld, drumming up some of the most baroque and macabre jams of their entire career. A result of the personal crises faced by Trey and Page at the time, these jams are, in many ways, singular to perhaps the most harrowing era in the band’s history. Rarely has Phish allowed themselves to even glimpse these seedy and hopeless terrains throughout their overtly-joyful period of rebirth since 2009.

On the final night of their Fall Tour-opening Hampton Run, Phish – and especially Trey – granted themselves a dip back into their darkside, resulting in their most inspired, and passionate improvisational excursion of 2013.

Channeling the guitar-wizardry of Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan, Trey incorporates his effects with caustic shreds of his guitar, cultivating a demented soundscape. There’s a stark nakedness to his playing throughout this jam, a peeling back the layers to his soul, a revealing insight into the darkness that still resides within.

This is the Yin to the “Tahoe Tweezer’s” Yang.

Yet, perhaps what makes this jam so rewarding, and ultimately so influential, is the segment of music that emerges at 19:57. Distantly related to the ethos of “Wingsuit” – a song that would debut some eleven days later, this denouement to the preceding jam segment offered a window into exactly what was possible when the band gave a seemingly fading jam one more look. Reminiscent of comments Page made in the IT DVD regarding the type of music that’s only possible after 18…19…32-minutes of jamming, this final segment would help push the band further, to the moments found in the latter parts of the 10/26 “Drowned,” 10/29 “Down With Disease,” 11/01 “Twist,” and 12/29 “Down With Disease -> Carini.”

In “Golden Age” Phish finally capitalized on the most profound excursions they’d thus far embarked on with the song – 07/02/2011, 07/03/2012, 07/03/2013, 07/30/2013 – pushing it further than it’d ever been before. A fully-realized, groove-based conversation between all four members, this version – along with its accompanying 10/27 version – finally unlocked the code on a song that had evolved in fits and spurts for the band.

A forty-minute segment of music that ultimately transcended everything else the band was capable of accomplishing throughout their brilliant 30th year, one can only imagine how much deeper Phish will now be willing to push their music in 2014.

“Tweezer” – Hartford, CT – 10/27/2013

If the “Tahoe Tweezer” represented a moment of critical mass in Phish’s grand experiment, and the “Hampton Tweezer” was a marked dive back into the netherworld of their musical souls, then the “Hartford Tweezer” was a pronouncement of the celebratory rhythmic/melodic jamming the band had been busily perfecting all year on an extremely meta level.

We’ve long known that the ultimate key to Phish’s improvisational success is simplicity. A concept that’s often far easier said than done – especially when you factor in each member’s exceptional skill level, and the pressures associated with playing live, improvisational music – this version of “Tweezer” immediately gets to the point of itself, and then patiently rides itself out to its proper conclusion. Proof that less is more. Touching distinctly on the theme from “Weekapaug Groove,” this jam feels deeply rooted in the historical lexicon of Phish. It’s the kind of jam that fundamentally fit the conceptual goals of 2013.

Throughout 2013 Phish’s best moment came when they seemed to stop trying. Akin to 1997’s peak based around minimalist funk grooves, the diversity of their stylistic peaks in 2013 are only matched by the effortlessness it took the band to reach them. A moment when each member latched onto a singular idea and ran with it, the “Hartford Tweezer” is equally one of the most pleasurable, and important pieces of music played all year.

“Down With Disease -> Taste” – Reading, PA – 10/29/2013

If one were to try and summarize the reasons for Phish’s two-week-long peak tour during October 2013, one could hypothesize over the bulbous and rhythmic interplay of Mike and Fish. Perhaps one would reference the archaic and personally historic venues the band toured through within their home turf. One might look to the impending performance of Wingsuit as inspiration. In their fifth year back following a five-year break-up, the overall health and friendship within the band has certainly led to a lot of possibilities as to why now, in their 30th year of existence, Phish has reached one of the highest peaks they’ve ever been on artistically. Yet, to me, one aspect of Phish’s playing sticks out as the most profound reason why this past Fall Tour was one of the greatest Phish has ever had: Trey’s deliberate approach to playing his guitar.

Nowhere is this approach more fruitful, nor more rewarding, than in the stunning jam that flowed out of “Down With Disease” on 10/29.

What was initially a funk-laced stroll through familiar “DWD” jam-terrain changed at 13:10 when Page began infusing melodic themes into the mix. Immediately latching onto his ideas, and toying with them before copying them, Trey built this initial foundation into an Allman-laced jam that harkened back to his heavily-lauded Hose-era-playing. Akin to the 12/30/1995 “Hood,” the “Went Gin,” the “IT Ghost,” and the “Tahoe Tweezer,” the melodic and spiritually uplifting notes that emanated from Trey’s guitar with such ease, passion, and deliberateness felt like a step back into an earlier time.

Beyond it’s musical brilliance, the “Reading DWD” provided one final twist for the thousands of fans trying to decipher any and all clues from the band about their upcoming Halloween performance. Immediately following this show, and continuing until the Playbills were dispersed two night’s later, the entire community was convinced we were getting Eat A Peach on Halloween. A fusion of Phish gimmickry, with musical ingenuity, along with the emotive thrill that’s associated with their best improvisational moments, the “Reading DWD” is one of those rare jams that repeatedly delivers on the hype.

“Ghost> Carini” – Atlantic City, NJ – 10/31/2013

On 08/15/2004, following the whole-band collapse in “Glide,” and the emotional breakdown in “Wading In The Velvet Sea,” Trey told the crowd that the band needed to just “blow off some fucking steam…” They then proceeded to dive into a 50-minute firestorm of noise-ladened abstract improv within the limitless confines of “Split Open & Melt” and “Ghost.”

Just over nine years later, following a Halloween set where they debuted twelve completely new originals, Phish responded with this 35-minute segment of blissfully exuberant, and wholly-connected music within the limitless confines of “Ghost” and “Carini.” Without notifying their fans, the symbolic gesture was in many ways related to the necessary move to blow off some emotional steam at Coventry. The difference being the fact that in August 2004 they were a band grasping for their last breaths, whereas in October 2013, they were on the verge of rebirth once more.

The 10/31 “Ghost> Carini” is the sound of a massive weight being lifted off of Phish. For much of 2013 – no one knows exactly how long – the band carried around a secret waiting to be unveiled, live, in front of their fan base: Wingsuit. A burden that must have caused an incredible amount of artistic stress on the band, this jam segment was all the band needed to display how grateful they were for the open-mindedness of their fans to allow them such artistic freedom. Throughout the “Ghost” a sultry and sinister groove builds. The kind of deliberate and simple musical concept that had tracked their best improv of the year, this jam is the confident strut than can only follow a nailed risk. This is DiCaprio dropping the mic after one of his megalomaniacal speeches in “Wolf Of Wall Street.” This is Jordan shrugging after his 6th 3-pointer in the first half of Game 1 of the ’92 Finals. This is Trey’s prowling stomp around the stage during the surprise “Tweezer Reprise” encore on 04/03/1998.

It is, however, the “Carini” that gets all the glory in this segment. A 19-minute excursion that touches on literally all the moments of profound communication throughout the past two years, this jam is up there with the best improv the band has offered throughout the entirety of their career. Led by Trey’s celebratory rhythmic playing, this “Carini” reaches a full-band peak that would be further explored in the following night’s “Twist.” Stylistically reminiscent of the 08/31/2012 “Undermind” and “Chalk Dust,” the 09/01/2012 “Light,” 09/02/2012 “Sand,” 12/28/2012 “Tweezer,” 07/06/2013 “Carini,” and 07/31/2013 “Tweezer,” this is one of those Phish jams that moves effortlessly from one musical passage to another without giving the listener time to lament the conclusion of one before rewarding them with a fully-realized segment of music in the next.

Two songs that just scream All Hallow’s Eve in their musical origins and lyrics, “Ghost> Carini” was a fitting centerpiece for the band to blow-off some steam on a night when they confidently catapulted themselves into their next era.

“Down With Disease -> Carini” – New York City, NY – 12/29/2013

“Thank you, we wrote that…”

By the end of 2013 Phish was on such an artistic peak, and on such a creative roll, that it became second-nature for them to hook-up and explore passages of musical brilliance. Fully-formed ideas seemed to simply emit from their instruments, and questions over if they’d produce another transcendent jam disappeared. Because of this, there are numerous jams from their recent Fall Tour and NYE Run that were painstakingly left off this list: 10/23 “Twist,” 10/25 “Waves -> Carini,” 10/27 “Drowned> Light,” 10/27 “Golden Age,” 10/29 “Twenty Years Later -> Piper,” 11/01 “Twist,” 12/30 “Chalk Dust Torture,” most notably.

When they stepped to the stage on 12/29, following their most fluid first set of the NYE Run, they unveiled yet another masterpiece of improvisation through two of their most reliable vehicles for musical discovery: “Down With Disease” and “Carini.” Two songs that have been featured extensively on this list, for whatever reason, both of these songs consistently allow the band an ideal passage into the unknown. In “DWD” Phish explored the melodic underbelly of the song’s origins – highlighted by Mike & Trey’s interplay as much as the soundscape crafted by Page – before rebuilding itself into a full-on “DWD Reprise.” A moment of euphoric magic for both band and audience alike, the blissful conclusion that rose naturally from the depths of improv was the kind of unexplainable point of connection that has so often marked the best moments of Phish’s 30-year career. Many claim you could feel the walls of the Garden shaking as the band reached a peak of a musical theme that is the composed sound of euphoric joy within the confines of Phishdom.

A yin to the “AC Carini’s” yang, the 16-minute “MSG Carini” was a demonic beast of minimalist groove. Deliberate, haunting, demented, abstract, insane, unified… the “MSG Carini” built from the Yo La Tengo-esque jam in the “Hampton Tweezer” into a hulking beast all its own. A sure sign that the seedy, under-worldly jams, which defined Phish 2.0, are at least back in part here in 3.0, this “Carini” felt like the unification of two eras. The fact that Phish can so willingly dive deep into the darkness again – during an era of such renowned health and personal well-being, no less – is as clear a sign as any of the artistic peak Phish is on right now.

Just as “Down With Disease” and “Carini” provided both the musical peak of the 2012 NYE Run, while simultaneously pointing the way towards the band’s improvisational future, the two songs once again served this symbolic purpose here in 2013. Who knows exactly what direction(s) the band will take their improv in 2014? One thing however, is certain: if they can in anyway build upon, and expand within the musical accomplishments of their 30th year, we’re all in for an absolutely mind-blowing 31st year of Phish.

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Part II coming this week!

Photo Cred: 1 – 10/20 Hampton, VA – Dave Vann; 2 – 07/17 Alpharetta, GA – Dave Vann; 3 – 08/05 Hollywood, CA – Brantley Gutierrez; 4 – 10/18 Hampton, VA – Dave Vann; 5 & 6 – 07/06 Saratoga Springs, NY – Dave Vann; 7 – 07/10 Holmdel, NJ – Dave Vann; 8 – 07/31 Stateline, NV – Dave Vann; 9 – 08/30 Commerce City, CO – Dave Vann; 10 – 10/20 Hampton, VA – Dave Vann; 11 & 12 – 10/29 Reading, PA – Dave Vann; 13 – 11/01 Atlantic City, NJ – Brantley Gutierrez; 14 – 12/29 New York City, NY – Rene Huemer

Phearless – On The Third Week Of Phish’s 2013 Summer Tour

Remember way back on July 2nd when all those pictures popped up on Twitter of the rain that had consumed central Maine?

This wasn’t the way to kick of summer tour, we all thought at the time. Surely mother nature would realize the imminent onset of Phish’s 30th Anniversary 2013 Summer Tour and act accordingly, right?

Right?

Wrong.

In a fortuitous twist, the rain clouds that greeted everyone in Bangor, ME three weeks ago have yet to recede from Phish’s 2013 Summer Tour. From SPAC to the postponed show in Toronto, from Jones Beach’s torrential Set I downpour to 07/14’s Set II storm, from the rain that engulfed the Alpharetta pavilion to the mayhem in Chicago that resulted in 07/19’s cancellation, 07/20’s three-setter, and 07/21’s perfectly executed Set II, rain has defined the 2013 Summer Tour as much as the music itself.

For a band that has played its fair-share of weather-affected concerts – Coventry anyone? – Summer 2013 may take the cake as THE tour where the weather has affected Phish more than any other.

And yet, through all the rain, through all the on-again/off-again shows played, that Phish has continued to evolve this tour with the kind of energy, passion, and foresight as they have is more than anyone could ask for considering the circumstances.

The key? Phearless-ness and Energy. Like no tour since 1.0, here in the 2013 Summer Tour the band is attacking their shows with a sustained combination of focused precision and egoless exploration, resulting in fully-realized jams, flawless segues, and unyielding energy throughout each of their shows.

Below are another collection of thoughts and questions I’ve compiled about the last week of the tour.

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Energy (As THE Song Of, And The Keyword For, Phish 2013)

Certain songs appear in Phish’s rotation at just the right time.

Think “Maze” in 1992, “Down With Disease” in 1994, “Ghost” in 1997, “Seven Below” in 2003, and “Light” in 2009.

When the band debuted The Apples In Stereo 2007 song “Energy” to kick off 07/05’s second set it immediately felt like a Phish song and fit the initial mood of the tour. A bouncy melody combined with populist lyrics, it carried the tone and communicable message that has consumed so many of Trey Anastasio’s original songs for the last ten-odd years.

And then, with little effort or force, the song moved into Type II territory resulting in a moody, psychedelically-infused jam that bled seamlessly into “Light.” Eleven days later the band revisited the song midway through Alpharetta’s final set, expanding further on the jam that – in many of the same ways as “Light” has for the last four years – just builds outwards from the song at will.

When Trey walked on stage for the final set of the Chicago run wearing his “Phearless” shirt, (two t-shirt Sunday’s in a row!) following what must have been one of the most frustrating weekends the band has experienced in years, there was really only one song that the band could open with that would both fit the mood of the show while simultaneously altering the course of the tour going forward: “Energy.”

Resulting in one of the most patient, contemplative, and overall hooked-up moments of the tour thus far, the 07/21 “Energy” moved through various untapped musical terrains without any of the restraints that have, at times, held many 3.0 jams back. The performance was a statement on the musical peak the band is experiencing this summer, and on the overt role energy has played in Phish’s now-30-year career.

Think back to Trey’s rant in the hotel room in Europe in the middle of Bittersweet Motel. Angered that Brad Sands would slag off a show he clearly thought rocked, Trey spoke directly to the camera saying: “I couldn’t fucking care less if we missed a change, or a number of changes. Doesn’t have anything to do with how we’re playing. It’s all about energy.”

A concept that has always driven many of the band’s best shows, energy as an idea, and “Energy” the song are starting to define 2013 in a retrospective, yet forward-driven way, perfectly aligned as the band simultaneously celebrates their 30th year of existence. A song that speaks to the communal power of what Phish has created, while musically opening itself up to the untapped potential of the band’s improvisational journey’s, “Energy” is clearly THE song of Phish 2013.

One more thought on this, listening back to the “Energy -> Ghost -> The Lizards” segment one can literally hear the musical journey that Phish has embarked on over the past three decades in 35 uninterrupted minutes. From the sprawling, patient endlessness of “Energy” to the seedy minimalism of “Ghost,” which then evolves without effort into a bright, rhythmically-laced jam, before segueing seamlessly into “The Lizards,” the song that ushers us into Gamehendge, it’s a musical journey that takes us through the evolution of Phish both musically, emotionally, and thematically. It’s, no question, the jam segment of the summer so far.

Alpharetta: Combining Gimmickry With Dick’s-esque Jamming

After everything that went on in Chicago this last weekend, it’s hard to remember that mid-last-week, Phish threw down two barnburner’s in the pristine suburban purgatory of Alpharetta, GA. Caught between their absolutely masterful two-night run at Merriweather Post, and the survival experience of Chicago that clearly had so much more to do with than just the music, Alpharetta’s at risk of being both overlooked and underrated.

While neither of the shows offer complete packages due to their underwhelming first sets, something clearly happened in Alpharetta that both altered the overall contour of this tour, and injected it with some fresh ideas that’s worth noting.

Whereas the run from 07/10 – 07/14 featured an exploratory-driven, top-of-their-game band that simply could do no wrong, the Alpharetta shows saw Phish truly tinker with their approach for the first time since SPAC. Eschewing the overtly old-school approach that saw the band reach their biggest peaks of the tour thus far in the aforementioned shows, Phish dedicated their two second set’s in Alpharetta to a combination of playful gimmickry, and Dick’s-esque jamming, resulting in a boost in energy and variety, while still consciously evolving their jams forward.

Summed up most perfectly in the 07/16 “Rock & Roll -> Heartbreaker -> Makisupa Policeman> Chalk Dust Torture> Wilson> Tweezer -> Silent In The Morning> Birds Of A Feather” segment that consumed the first hour of the set, the band blended Type-II jamming while threading the “Heartbreaker” theme throughout, resulting in a run of must-hear music. What makes this block of music ultimately so rewarding, so memorable, and so impacting is, whereas the band has attempted this type of set throughout 3.0 – 10/30/2010, 08/17/2011, 06/16/2012, and 07/07/2012 immediately come to mind – never before has it worked quite as well as it did in Alpharetta. By dedicating 35min of the segment to improvisational jams out of “Rock & Roll,” “Chalk Dust,” and “Tweezer” the band avoided the sloppy, and often awkward pitfalls that tend to plague sets such as this. Displaying an effortlessness in opening “Chalk Dust” up for the first time since 08/31/2012, while also experimenting with their Dick’s-esque melodic-driven jams in “Rock & Roll” and “Tweezer” gave the set far more depth than most gimmick-laced-tease sets of 3.0 have carried.

On the next night the band centered experimentation in two under-11min jams that proved once again how irrelevant song length is in 3.0. Rather than anchoring the set under one massive jam, “Energy” and “Piper” were featured as bookends to the return of “Fluffhead” in the middle part of the set, offering both abstract and thematic jamming which gave diversity to the set and their improv. A set – and an overall run – that carries far more weight than would be initially assumed by simply glancing at the setlist, Alpharetta combined energy, playfulness, and innovative jamming to play the role of celebratory cap to the east coast leg of the tour, while also helping to thematically push the band forward towards the west.

What’s The Deal With All The Repeats?

For anyone following Phish’s 2013 Summer Tour, there’s one thing glaringly obvious about each setlist: repeats. I addressed this topic in my last essay, yet feel it needs revisiting due to the unending communal discussions surrounding it.

Fourteen shows into the tour, we already have two songs played in nearly half the shows – “Chalk Dust Torture,” and “Backwards Down The Number Line.” In addition to that, from run-to-run, and show-to-show, songs are being repeated night after night with a frequency that harkens back to the early-90’s; back when the band had a song catalogue half the size it is now.

As expected, many are openly complaining and lambasting the band for their apparent inability (or desire) to diverge from a strict rotation. Cause, no matter how well the band’s playing, you’ve gotta bitch about something, right?

Coming off a year that saw the band bust out song after song at literally every show – a tour in which they set out with the goal of playing 200 different songs – there is certainly something a bit jarring about the frequency with which the band is playing just their core classics here in 2013. Not to mention the fact that on paper, some of their shows tend to look a bit blasé at first glance.

Yet, when one removes themselves from the dreaded zone of personal expectations, when one allows themselves a shift in perception, it’s actually stunningly clear why the band would focus on such a small rotation.

So clear, it actually makes perfect fucking sense.

To me there are two reasons why the band is focusing on a tighter rotation in 2013:

1. Coming into 2012 it was apparent the band needed some sense of outward motivation to keep their relative high of August 2010 – September 2011 going strong. While they’d rediscovered their sea legs at the Greek Theatre in 2010, there’d been so many bouts with inconsistency strung throughout the 18months leading up to Worcester 2012 that it was clear the band still needed exercises to keep them fresh. (Think of this in the same way as the improvisational exercises the band relied on from Summer 1993 – Summer 1995, and parts of Fall 1996.) Throughout 2012 though, the band once again became completely comfortable and inherently confident with their ability to craft complete shows and innovative jams, that their need for bust-outs and rarities simply to spice up their shows became less and less necessary. (ala the peak music of December 1995 and Fall 1997 that was a result of said musical exercises, and thus just sounds like a band effortlessly playing, rather than attempting any specific style.)

While sure, thrilling as it may be to hear a song for the first time in 5-10 years, the bust out exercise is more telling of a band seeking inspiration in their past, rather than discovering it in their present and future.

Point being, something was clearly discovered at Dick’s that showed the band how truly powerful their music was right now, in the moment. They tapped into something in the “Carini,” “Undermind,” “Chalk Dust Torture,” “Light,” and “Sand” that they hadn’t experienced with that kind of consistency or ease in years. As a result, they grew beyond the need to center shows around a one-time rarity, hence the reason 2013 shows are now centered around jams, such as the 07/05 second set, 07/06 “SOAM,” “Carini,” 07/10 “Crosseyed,” 07/12 “Rock & Roll -> 2001> Tweezer -> Cities -> The Wedge,” 07/13 “Simple,” 07/14 “Light -> Boogie On Reggae Woman,” 07/21 “Energy -> Ghost -> The Lizards,” and 07/22 “DWD,” rather than unique song choices.

2. 2013 marks the band’s 30th anniversary. A monumental achievement for a band that just nine years ago was essentially left for dead by its creators. Throughout 3.0 there’s been a clear focus on systematically rebuilding what made Phish Phish. From 2009 and early-2010’s foundation setting, late-2010 and 2011’s experimental excursions, and 2012’s fully-realized jamming, bust outs, and shift towards a new era in Phish history, the band has essentially rebuilt themselves using the tried-and-true method that saw them rise throughout the early/mid-90’s on way to their initial musical peak period of 1994 – 1998.

Yet, through it all, regardless of whatever process the band is engaged in, one thing has always remained, and will forever define them as musicians: their songs. Specifically, their classics.

In light of their anniversary, and their ability to now focus on a totally new musical era of Phish, it makes sense that in 2013 the band would want to highlight the songs that, more than anything else, got them to the veritable summit of the musical mountain first.

If you made a mix-tape of all the songs that just sound like Phish to you, chances are they’d all be receiving heavy airplay here in 2013. And that’s the point. 2013 is both a year of celebration and a year for the band to take another leap forward musically. And what better way to both celebrate the legacy they’ve built, and take their next evolutionary step forward musically than through the songs that got them here in the first place?

Far from a sign that the band is unpracticed, lacking creativity, or just disinterested, the tightened setlists are instead a clear message from the band of how much they respect and value the songs that will ultimately live on long after they do.

We all got into Phish, and continue listening to Phish for various reasons. Yet one thing will always be true: it was their songs that we heard first, and their songs that we will always return to. Instead of focusing on what they’re not playing in 2013, let’s instead focus on why they are playing what they are playing.

What Do We Make Of 07/20/2013?

I’ll come right out with a disclamer: I wasn’t in Chicago. In many ways I realize I have no business writing about the experience as I wasn’t there to live through everything that came with the weekend. All’s I can base my perceptions from the ground on are the texts I received from my friends at the show, the tweets I followed throughout the weekend, and the reaction of the writers and thinkers in the community who were there.

That said, how could I possible write anything about the last week of tour without addressing something about the Chicago Run, specifically the three-setter on Saturday?

With a specific focus on the music created, here are my thoughts:

Following the first show that was cut short due to weather since – I believe – 07/01/2000, a wave of negativity permeated through the Phish scene. Thanks in large part to the inexperience of the Northerly Island staff and crew, along with the fact that across town Pearl Jam was able to resume their concert around midnight – ultimately playing until 2am – many felt the band had made a bushleague move in canceling the show.

The next day however the band informed their fans that, in response to 07/19’s cancellation, they’d be performing a three-set show, their first non-holiday/festival three-set show since 07/12/1996 in Amsterdam, and their first state-side one since Amy’s Farm back on 08/03/1991. In many ways it was the ultimate sign of communal understanding, and band-oriented sentiment about the regret felt over the debacle on Friday.

In addition to the good-vibes that now suddenly stretched far-and-wide throughout the Phish scene, many began making additional requests and predictions for the show in effort to make it somehow even more epic and even more important than it already stood to be.

The band’s response: An opening quartet that read “Prince Caspian -> Twist, Ha Ha Ha> Possum,” or: PT Hahaha Possum. The first dose of band-led criticism of their fans own backseat driving of the weekend, the message was either completely lost on the fanbase in its initial moments, or bitterly soaked up.

The remainder of the show was modeled in many ways like the Saturday Night Rockers that are littered throughout 3.0, featuring an energetic song-based approach, devoid almost entirely of deep improv. Avoiding rarities of any sort, many felt the band simply wasn’t up to the challenge of both making up for the previous night’s cancellation, and the headiness of a rare three-set show.

Once again, I wasn’t at the show. I’ve just listened to it a few times, and these are my thoughts.

I believe the weather impacted the weekend in Chicago in ways that the weather leading up to Coventry wasn’t even capable of. The mindset the band must put themselves in prior to performing has to be one of a meditative freeing of all outside expectations and challenges. To then be taken so completely out of it by real life weather warnings and safety precautions, must be jarring, unnerving, and frustrating in the highest sense. Add this to the fact that the band had been dealing with torrid weather all tour, and I’ve got to assume that by the time they were told they had to cancel the Friday show, they experienced combined exhaustion and negative energy.

In many ways, the 07/20/2013 show sounds like a band trying to fit a massive show into a confined space.

The middle show of a three-night run – typically a Saturday night – is always the most popular showing, featuring many fans who either don’t see Phish very often, or may just be checking them out out of curiosity. A result of all these outside forces the band had to juggle, I feel like the band was trying to appease everyone involved by consciously playing a lot of their biggest “hits,” while also maintaining energy and flow, all the while dipping a bit into experimentation.

To that point, the show lacks nothing for energy and flow. Particularly in the final two stanza’s, the band weaves thematic sets that never relinquish energy, nor musical connectivity. The second set especially is one I will revisit throughout the year for it boasts some of the smoothest segues, and emotive music the band has played thus far this tour.

What the show does lack however is a clear attempt by the band to truly reward all invested in the event with a moment of sheer unique Phishy-ness, (i.e. bust out/gag) nor a period of freely-improvisational-exploration.

Would the two above qualities have made the show an all-timer?

I have no idea.

Should the show be lambasted based upon its inherent inability to satisfy so many people’s unattainable expectations?

You’d have to ask someone who was there experiencing it all.

To me, the show sounds like a band willing themselves out of an un-winnable situation. Essentially residing with one-foot in a creative world, while another is trying to both live up to the shared expectations of everyone involved, and deal with the logistical barriers that were venue/weather-related, and had to have been wearing them down.

In the end, that they were capable of such musical ambience in Set II, and in the third set’s “Light -> Harry Hood” should in many ways say all that needs to be said about just how trying the experience was, yet how much this band clearly cares about their fans and their music.

The Brilliance Of The “Harpua” Gag & The Role Of Conflict In Phish’s Music

James Kaminsky over at the One Phish Two Phish blog already addressed the “Harpua” Gag in a really excellent piece earlier this week, so I’ll spare you a massive recap. Seriously, you should just check out his essay, for it breaks down perfectly the band’s message through the elongated gag.

What I’ll say is this: Since their choice of opening up with “Garden Party” to close out their best year of 3.0 and 12/31/2012 – and most successful year overall in over ten years, no less – the band has been sending out a clear message to their fans that, ‘while we respect your passion and enthusiasm for the band, don’t forget why you’re here in the first place.’

Essentially: Quit telling us how we should play our music for you.

This is both the right message for the band to deliver, and one their fanbase should heed at all costs.

As fans of a band as diverse, and willfully experimental as Phish – a band that has reached far more musical peaks than most bands could ever conceive of – it’s understandable we each have our own stylistic aspects and songs from the band we want to hear over others. For me, the peak of Phish will always be the unyielding experimental jams of 1995, 1997, and 1999. Being at Dick’s last year was an absolutely peak moment in my life because I felt as though the band was playing right to me. After witnessing numerous 3.0 shows that featured an array of aborted jams and uneven setlists, to see the band play with the kind of freedom they did last Labor Day was the best experience I’ve ever had with Phish on a personal level.

While this kind of passion towards one aspect of Phish is important because of the eventual reward it offers fans who travel to numerous shows, it becomes problematic within the scene when fans force their expectations and individual desires on the band. As a writer of Phish, I’m as guilty of this as anyone.

Yet, as I sat there watching the band seemingly fall on their faces through an awkward gag with the Second City Comedy Troupe, (I specifically say ‘seemingly’ because in hindsight it became blatantly obvious that the band did not in fact fall on their faces, rather nailed their gag…) I realized all over again why I see and listen to Phish in the first place. It’s not because of my expectations, or my wishes, it’s because of the communal force, and metaphysical connections in play when those four guys walk on stage without any idea where there show might take them. Watching them weave through a horrible rap about how “Harpua” should really be told, into the first Mike’s-narrated “Harpua” since 10/31/1995, and all the jokes and snide remarks that emitted from the stage throughout, I was transformed back to the halcyon days when I was 16, hearing Phish for the first time, and felt as though I’d unearthed a world I never knew existed, yet so desperately wanted to be a part of.

That this came in the midst of the bands best tour in fifteen years, and in the most perfectly placed “Harpua” since 07/29/2003 only made the message that much more relevant.

In addition to “Harpua’s” brilliance as a message to their fans, the song also shed a larger light on the role of conflict in the band’s music.

For a band that espouses such philosophies as “surrender to the flow,” one would think at face value that conflict has little place in Phish’s history. Yet, the truth is, much of the best music the band has ever made came directly out of conflict.

In 1994 and 1995, the band was searching for way to expand their songs in effort to find passageways to linear musical communication, resulting in the abstract musical storm of Summer 1995, and the effortless tidal wave of connectivity in December 1995.

In 1996, minimalism was a musical obstacle to overcome which resulted in the shedding of their skin in 1997.

On a more personal level, the internal conflicts, addictions, and uncertainties that littered the band’s immediate community in 2.0 directly correlated to the stew of dark and seedy jams that defined that era.

Here in 3.0, conflict has been missing in many ways from the Phish scene, due in large part to the positivity and health of each of the band members. Where they have found conflict though, has been in their own evolutionary steps forward, addressing moments of stagnation and writer’s block with the aforementioned exercises such as “The Storage Jam,” and the bust-outs of 2012.

In a lot of ways, the weather that has followed the band throughout the East Coast Leg of the Summer 2013 Tour has provided the band their first dose of external conflict in years. Resulting in the postponement of 07/09’s Toronto show, the cancellation of 07/19’s show, and an aborted “Run Like An Antelope” to close out Set I of 07/21, when the band finally emerged on stage for that night’s second set, they had literally weathered the storm, responding with their most relaxed and freeing set of the year. From the brilliant musical explorations of “Energy -> Ghost -> The Lizards,” to the shared comedic energy of the “Harpua” gag, to the rage of the completed “Antelope,” the conflicts that had been brewing within and around the Phish community finally gave way to a set for the ages.

“Look, the storm’s finally gone! Thank God!” The line has never felt so appropriate on so many levels than it did when Trey exclaimed it in the latter stages of 07/21/2013.

Proving that the “right way” for Phish to both play and evolve is always centered upon their way, 07/21’s second set displayed a band at their peak: jamming with ease and conviction, while goofing on their fans like they have been throughout their entire career.

The Toronto “Down With Disease”: The Phearless Moment Of Tour & The Great Transition West

Coming on the heels of Chicago’s weather-impacted weekend was the make-up show in Toronto that was originally scheduled for July 9th. A Monday make-up-show following a massively hyped weekend in The Second City? Toronto had sleeper show written all over it.

And while the show didn’t really live up to its sleeper potential, it did result in yet another monumental exploratory step forward for the tour, this time in “Down With Disease.”

Akin to the 07/13 “Down With Disease” and 07/10 “Crosseyed & Painless” in many ways, the Toronto jam explored a litany of musical terrains all while remaining somewhat connected to the “DWD” theme. Building towards a plain of melodic blissfulness, Trey emphasized chordal jamming, locking in with Page for a five-minute segment of music that’s among the most connected of the summer in a tour growing thick with them. Progressing from 10:22 onwards, and ultimately resolving itself in a glorified peak around 15ish minutes, the jam is in many ways the polar opposite to Chicago’s spacious exploration in “Energy.” Displaying an elevated sense of musical diversity in back-to-back jams, the Toronto “DWD” expresses the phearless vibe currently permeating through Phish, and provides a notable transition point as the band moves westward.

After reaching an initial peak in the tour from 07/10 – 07/14, then fusing energy and gimmickry into their Alpharetta and Chicago shows, (all the while dealing with the external impact of weather) the Chicago “Energy,” and the Toronto “Down With Disease” appear to represent a conscious shift back towards exploration, something which has suited the band well out west in 3.0.

Entering the west coast leg of their tour like no tour since Summer 1997, (in a structural sense) the band will now emerge at The Gorge with three weeks of consistent shows under their belt, rather than following a five-week break which has been the norm in this era. Building upon an established foundation, rather than having to start anew, one has to assume, that for all the incredible music crafted over the past three weeks, the best of the tour is still to come. Just listen to the effortless jamming, and intrinsic connection on display in the 07/21 “Energy -> Ghost,” and the 07/22 “Down With Disease,” and imagine how much more relaxed, how much more free, how much more phearless the band is going to sound once they hit the open soundscapes of The Gorge and Tahoe, and the urbane hotspots of BGCA and the Hollywood Bowl!

All of this without mentioning the brilliant “David Bowie” that closed out the Toronto show! It sure is a good time to be a Phish fan!

Favorite Shows/Jams Thus Far

Like I said last week, I’ll be updating this list as the tour evolves. Take these with a grain of salt, for their just one man’s thoughts. As we move deeper into the tour, I’ll only be highlighting the shows that have really captivated me as whole-show entities as opposed to listing the entire tour. Rather than ranking the shows, they’ll now just be listed in chronological order, ala the jams.

Favorite Shows

– SPAC 1 – At the time I wondered (wrongly) if we’d even be talking about 07/05’s Set II two weeks from now. Even after three weeks of monumental second sets, there’s still something about the fully-flowing nature of 07/05’s second frame that has me constantly revisiting it. From the debut of “Energy,” to “Light’s” effortless segue into “Mango,” to the late-nite swank of “46 Days,” and the raw power of “Steam,” to the set concluding mastery of “Drowned” and “Slave,” the set is one we’ll be talking about all year long. Throw in the “MFMF> Cities -> Bowie” cap to Set I, and you’ve got a top show of the year.

– SPAC 3 – Perhaps the quintessential Phish show of 2013. 07/07 combines energy, an old-school setlist, and thematic jamming all packed tightly into a show that is far better than the sum of any of its parts. One of those shows you just toss on and leave it playing, knowing you’re gonna be happy the whole time it’s on. 07/07 is one of those special shows that immediately provides a tour with its barometer for greatness.

– PNC – Upstaged by MPP 1 & 2 as my favorite show of the summer, PNC is still an all-around classic that reflects the musical high the band found themselves on in the second week of tour. Featuring an old school first set, a jam of the year contender in “Crosseyed & Painless,” along with top-notch versions of “Hood,” “Light,” and “Slave,” PNC was one of the strongest shows of the tour while it was happening, and will surely continue to be regarded as such for the remainder of the year.

– Jones Beach – Caught between the PNC and MPP firestorm of tour’s second week, and featuring an elongated – and, frankly, weather inappropriate – first set, 07/12 has become something of an underrated gem in 2013. Yet with the lone “Reba” of the year, another masterful “Bowie,” great mini-jams in “CTB,” “Ocelot,” “ASIHTOS,” and “46 Days,” not to mention the relentless, and fluid 50min “Rock & Roll -> 2001> Tweezer -> Cities -> The Wedge” that opened Set II, it’s still one of the best offerings of the year.

– MPP 1 – A prelude to the following night’s mastery, 07/13 features one of the most engaging setlists of the year, while boasting top notch versions of “Maze,” “SOAM,” “Hood,” and the best “Mike’s Groove” in over a decade. For me, it’s all about Trey’s rhythmic playing in “Hood” and “Simple” that puts this night over the top. Talk about blissful innovation at its best. What a high they were on during this run of the East Coast Leg!

– MPP 2 – IMO, the best show of the tour thus far. A tightly wound peak experience featuring two fully formed sets without a single misplaced moment. Energy, innovative jams, perfectly placed classics, this show has it all. The seminal show thus far of the musical style and aesthetic structure Phish has been pushing all summer long. Highlight’s abound, but definitely check out “Stash,” “SOAMule,” “It’s Ice,” “Light -> Boogie On,” and “You Enjoy Myself” to hear the band at the peak of their powers here in 2013.

– Chicago 2 – The much maligned three-setter from Chicago, this show resonates with me based on many of the aspects I wrote about above. While perhaps an underwhelming show barring the circumstances and expectations throughout the community, the second set flows with precision and ease, and the “Light -> Hood” in Set III is up there as one of the better musical pairings of the summer. A show that I believe will outlast all the initial criticism it’s received, it’s one of those special shows that has more to do with the energy surrounding it rather than just the music played within it.

– Chicago 3 – Many are calling this the show of summer. Wherever I’d rank this show, it’s definitely one of the best offerings from the band thus far in 2013. Following a high-energy and well-played Set I that featured a show opening “Dinner And A Movie,” a torrid “Bag -> Maze,” an energized “Gin,” and a silly “Boogie On” that preceded a monumental rain storm, the band emerged for Set II and played the set of the year thus far. Reading: “Energy -> Ghost -> The Lizards, Harpua> Run Like An Antelope,” it’s the kind of set words simply won’t do justice for. If you haven’t heard it, get on it. If you have, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

– Toronto – While not the sleeper show everyone was expecting, Toronto was still an above-average and fun show, packed tight with great song selections, a three-song encore, and a jam out of “Down With Disease” that sets up a perfect transition to the Western leg of the tour. Check out “Undermind,” “Twist,” “Stash,” and “Ocelot” in Set I, and don’t miss the “DWD” or “Bowie” in Set II. A killer show for fans who’ve been waiting 13 years to see Phish again, Toronto caps of three weeks of tour in about as great a way as anyone could hope.

Favorite Jams 

– 07/05/2013: “46 Days -> Steam> Drowned -> Slave” – My favorite moment of SPAC 1 when it happened, and still my favorite today. How they figured a way from the seedy barroom stomp of “46 Days” to the ethereal bliss of “Slave” is beyond me. Perfectly fluid, leaving no music on the table, it’s a segment that proves the band has been on from the moment they hit the road.

– 07/06/2013: “Split Open & Melt” – Without coming off as too much a hypocrite, I sure would love to hear the band mess around with this kind demented melodic jamming more in the first set. Heard here and in the 07/14 “Stash,” there’s something about when the band opens themselves up with such freedom and pure musical communication – particularly in Set I –  that’s unrivaled in my mind. One of the most special moments of the first weekend of tour.

– 07/06/2013: “Carini -> Architect” – One of my absolutely favorite moments of summer thus far, I’m still in awe over how the band fit SO much music into 12 minutes. A beautiful, fluid, relentless jam, this one carried the torch from Dick’s and MSG and planted it firmly in 2013. Cannot wait to hear how the band approaches “Carini” when they take it out for a spin out west.

– 07/10/2013: “Crosseyed & Painless> Harry Hood” – The peak jam of the second week of tour, this one stylistically impacted the tour in ways few others were capable of. Hinting at the 02/16/2003 “Piper” theme, the jam built to an absolutely stunning peak made only the more special by Trey’s rhythmic interplay. Heard in the 07/13 “Hood” and “Simple,” the 07/21 “Ghost” and 07/22 “DWD,” the 07/10 “C&P>Hood” is one of those peak moments that happen throughout every tour and affect literally all the music around them.

– 07/12/2013: “Rock & Roll -> 2001> Tweezer -> Cities -> The Wedge” – Like a jam segment right out of Summer 1998, this seguefest that opened JB’s second set is a must hear for any fan of open-ended improv and groove. Spring-boarding from “Rock & Roll” by way of a take on the 08/08/2009 theme of the same song, the jam weaved through melodic plains before building into “2001.” In “Tweezer” the band locks into a relentless groove that just bleeds into “Cities,” before it segues flawlessly into “The Wedge.” Battling the elements out on the Long Island Sound, the band unquestionably struck musical gold with this jam on this night.

– 07/13/2013: “Mike’s Song> Simple> Weekapaug Groove” – While I was probably wrong to predict that this “Mike’s” would in fact lead the band into their first Type-II “Mike’s” since February 2003, (expectations and predictions are a bitch) there’s no denying the ferocity and tenacity of this version that still holds up some two weeks later. For me though, this jam segment is all about “Simple.” A gorgeous version that sees Trey focusing on rhythmic interplay, teasing at the “DWD” theme throughout the jam, it’s stunningly beautiful, and absolutely perfect. It will be great to hear how the band approaches “Simple” whenever they revisit it next.

– 07/14/2013: “Light -> Boogie On Reggae Woman” – A clinic in Phish crack, the MPP “Light” is as enthralling as it is experimental as it is utterly rewarding. Featuring start/stop groove, noise-based themes, and a fluid segue into “Boogie On,” it’s just one more version in a seemingly endless list of top tier “Light’s.”

– 07/16/2013: “Rock & Roll -> Heartbreaker -> Makisupa Policeman> Chalk Dust Torture> Wilson> Tweezer -> Silent In The Morning> Birds Of A Feather” – One of the most locked-in moments of summer thus far, this 55min segment of music from Alpharetta 1 combines energized and fluid segues, Dick’s-esque jamming, choice song selection, and thematically repeated teasing’s of Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker,” all resulting in a massive tour highlight from the band’s lone southern stop. Particularly in the “Rock & Roll,” “Chalk Dust,” and “Tweezer,” the jams proves how irrelevant song length is in 3.0. Like the 07/06 “Carini,” it’s mind-blowing how the band is capable of covering such musical terrain in such a short amount of time.

– 07/21/2013: “Energy -> Ghost -> The Lizards” – Perhaps the most important segment of music played all year, this trio both spiritually freed the band from the burdens of the weather-related and logistical forces plaguing their Chicago run, while also helping to point the way forward for the tour. Tracking the musical lineage of Phish’s history, this segment’s one of the most innovative and forward thinking of 2013. On par with the best jams in the band’s history, we’re gonna be talking about this trio for a LONG time to come.

– 07/22/2013: “Down With Disease -> 2001” – And this is how you point the way westward. Building off of Chicago’s brilliant second set, the band played the “DWD” of the year thus far, residing wholly in a zone of sublime melodic blissfulness before choicely guiding it towards the ominous grooves of “2001.” A patient and effortless jam, this bodes great things for the tour moving forward. As a band, Phish has typically played their most refined, relaxed, and exploratory music on the West Coast throughout 3.0. Based upon the sustained peak of 07/10 – 07/14, and the explorations in Chicago and Toronto, one can only imagine this trend will continue this weekend.

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Thus concludes tackle & lines 3rd week tour recap. Gonna be traveling to Japan next week, so will probably do a big West Coast wrap-up following the Hollywood Bowl show. Feel free to leave any comments or thoughts to the post. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for all of us as Phish heads out west!

Review: Bangor, Me – 07/03/2013

Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion – Bangor, ME – 07/03/2013

Set I: Possum> Runaway Jim, Stash, NICU> Wolfman’s Brother, Rift, Theme From The Bottom> Chalk Dust Torture> Mike’s Song> Silent In The Morning*> Weekapaug Groove

Set II: Golden Age> Twist> Backwards Down The Number Line, Ocelot, Rock & Roll -> 2001> Cavern> Run Like An Antelope

Encore: Harry Hood#

* First “The Horse” – less “Silent In The Morning” since 17 June 2012

# “Harry Hood” contained a “The Divided Sky” tease

——–

The first show of a summer Phish tour is always about more than just the music played.

It’s a celebratory rejoicing of the band being back and making new music once again.

It’s an opportunity for old friends to reunite in a random parking lot, open field, or sports arena.

It’s – as Andy Greenberg, Zach Cohen, and Mr. Miner so eloquently said yesterday – a return to that metaphysical quest we’ve all undertaken for truth and purpose through music and travel.

It’s the first chance we all have to gauge what the layoff did to the band, and surmise at what music we may hear from them in the coming touring season.

It’s like Opening Day in baseball; in the end, it matters little if your team wins or loses, just that the game is back in your life. For the first time since winter, there’s opportunity (and reefer, of course) in the air.

——–

Historically, tour openers have typically been regarded as opportunities for the band to simply re-settle into the road. However, in the 3.0 era, Phish has regularly come out firing on all cylinders from show one. From 06/11/2010 to 05/27/2011, 08/05/2011, and 12/28/2011, to 06/07/2012, 08/15/2012, and 12/28/2012, the band has, in recent years, jumped fully back into a tour with standout shows that typically set stylistic tones for the tour ahead.

Yet, what a tour opener can really tell us about a tour is up for the debate. The Chicago 2010 show preceded the weakest overall tour in 3.0. The 12/28/2011 show looked to carry the fire from Dick’s straight through to MSG, which turned out to be all for naught. To the contrary, a severely underwhelming three-night-run to open Fall 2010 in Broomfield, CO did little to hinder the magic of that tour’s final two weeks. Even in 2012, when the band opened with perhaps their best opener since 1999, (though what does that really mean anyway?) few could have predicted the highs the band was going to hit as the tour unfolded.

Essentially, it’s best to take tour openers with a grain of salt. Enjoy them for the sheer fact that Phish is back in our lives, but don’t go calling anything the best/worst ever before, during, or after them.

All this brings me to the first night of the 2013 Summer Tour, and the onset of the band’s 30th Anniversary.

By showtime two things were clear:

1. The band had made their first adjustment in their stage alignment since Coventry. Fish rotated to the back between Mike and Trey, on level with the band, and positioned slightly ajar facing Trey. It’s essentially a mix between their 1999 – 2000 and 2.0 set ups. Enacted so Trey can clearly hear the entire band without the drums being in the monitors, the move bodes big things for the band in terms of overall communication and improvisation.

2. Kuroda has totally overhauled his lighting rig. Gone are the three screens that he used to create patterns, and write Phish on with his lights. In their place are a vast array of canned lighting, some new, old-school floor lighting, and a canvas screen backdropping the ENTIRE stage that allows for even bigger and bolder lighting patterns.

What these two aesthetic adjustments do to the music is still unknown, but you’d nary find any fan with a good reason not to praise the band tinkering with their system here, some thirty years in.

As for the music…

Set I kicked things off with a run through a litany of old-school Phish classics. By set’s end, there wasn’t a single song played that had been written after 1995. Reminiscent of 10/31/2009 and 06/13/2010, the set was a clear nod to the past, here at the onset of the band’s 30th Anniversary.

“Possum” got things rolling the way “Possum” is meant to get things rolling; nothing more, nothing less. At first listen, Trey’s use of his older Languedoc gave him a much cleaner sound, as he offered spry and playful licks throughout both the opener and the subsequent “Runaway Jim.”

Neither shocked nor awed, though neither one had to.

I’m sure that being in the venue, ankles deep in the sodden grass, perspiring beer in hand, that old, funny feeling rushing through your veins, the sight of balloons and beach balls bouncing through the air, the sheer greenness of a post-rained sunny summer day in Maine, the pot drifting through the air, the energy of 15,000 fans and friends cheering with all their might, helped to make both tracks feel bigger, and more impactful than they were.

In terms of your own personal memories and emotions tied to the show, it is neither my duty, nor my desire, to alter them.

From my perspective however, much like the opening combo, “NICU,” “Rift,” “Theme From The Bottom,” “Chalk Dust,” and even “Mike’s” did exactly what the were placed there to do – which was reacquaint both band and audience with being at a Phish show, while subsequently keeping the energy flowing – and nothing more.

The most interesting aspect of Set I came in a “Stash” which toyed with dissonance, as the band played around with the concepts of darkness and light. While never fully embracing the underworld, nor becoming an overtly major-keyed, happy-“Stash” jam, (ala, 10/31/2010) the song proved, nonetheless, that the band is both excited to build from their monumental 2012, and is also feeling that loose-tightness that only comes from practice and chemistry.

Beyond the “Stash,” “Wolfman’s Brother” messed with some seedy funk before resolving itself in a satisfyingly high-fiveable type of arena-rock peak, “Chalk Dust” featured incredible energy due to its placement and an excellent solo from Trey before fading into “Mike’s.” The high point of energy from the set, and perhaps one of the peaks of the show, the two songs paired perfectly together in the moment. While “Mike’s” still remains a caged beast, it’s nevertheless, always effective at offering an energy burst to a show in just seven minutes that few other songs will ever be capable of.

Ending things with the first “Horse”-less “Silent In The Morning” since Father’s Day 2012, and a Mike-a-fied “Weekapaug Groove,” the set ended in not only more interesting territory than it began, but also displayed a consistent upward mobility of energy and playing from the band. Solid, solid way to kick off 2013. While few may revisit it from here on out, this is the kind of set you can throw on at a bbq and not catch too much flak from your non-Phish fans. Great songs, great energy, great fun.

Welcome to Phish 2013.

——–

I recently wrote an essay about “Golden Age” highlighting while I believe the band is struggling with improvising on the song. You can read it here.

Regardless your opinion on how the band is fairing in terms of jamming it, one thing will always be clear: it’s just a damned fun song to hear at a Phish show. A perfect song to open the second set of the first night of their 30th Anniversary year, the song speaks directly to the Phish community, and the 3.0 era, like few of their originals ever could.

Musically the jam on the TV On The Radio hit moves effortlessly into a pseudo-funk dance-territory almost immediately. Employing subtle rhythmic licks from Trey, its Page who takes the lead here on his Rhodes. Anchored by Mike and Fish, the jam is immediately less frenetic than it has been in past versions, allowing Trey a bit more leeway to trade leads with Page rather than scatter ideas all over the place. Following some meatball magic from Gordo, Page infuses the jam with some major scales offering a distinctly different take on the jam.

A year to the day after the most successful and transcendent version the band has played of the song, here they were, once again harnessing a new approach to the jam. Space is key in the jam’s final minutes, as each member balances rhythmic groove with patience and atmosphere. Yet right before it had a chance to take off into some truly untapped space, the jam was cut short for a fade into “Twist.” A hopeful sign nonetheless for the jam in the coming year, I myself am incredibly eager to hear how the band can build on yet another version that almost got there.

A lot has already been said about the middle part of the second set. A lot more doesn’t need to be said. They played “Twist> Backwards Down The Number Line, Ocelot.”

Individually I love each one of these songs. (Hate if you will, “Number Line” just sounds like Phish to me in the happiest state, and “Ocelot” always makes me feel like I’m dancing on the lawn at Alpine no matter where I am.) Together, in the 2,3,4 slot of the first second set of the tour, not so much. From the seedy bounce of “Twist,” to the bubbly happiness of “Number Line,” to “Ocelot’s” slow-trotting western groove, they are an odd mix at any time in a show. Props to the band for mixing up their sets, and I for one, would certainly love to hear “Ocelot” expanded upon in a future second set, but we’ll chalk this segment up as the first genuine misstep of the tour.

The second set ended however, in commanding fashion with a segment that reads: “Rock & Roll -> 2001> Cavern> Run Like An Antelope.”

A thrilling run of songs, it’s more energy than jams, and a great cap to the first night back. “Rock & Roll” does it’s cawk-rock thing before it finds itself in some interesting space through its last minute and a half. Ultimately, however, it serves as a lengthy fade into “2001.” Offering Kuroda his first chance at truly testing out the new lighting rig, the song does what all modern-day “2001’s” do: groove, peak, groove, peak, fade to next song. “Cavern” adds to the old-school feel still lingering from Set I, and “Antelope” shines for a second straight July 3rd. An expansive version that features interwoven chromatic phrases from Mike, Trey and Page, before building towards an explosive, and unified peak, the song is up there with the 08/14/2010, 10/20/2010, and 07/03/2012 versions as the cream of the 3.0 crop.

Is there anything better than a “Harry Hood” encore? How about a standalone “Harry Hood” encore? How about a standalone “Harry Hood” encore to end the first show of the tour?

While something of an odd choice after a show that ultimately just ushered the band back into tour with a standardly solid first set, and an energetic, if a bit uneven, and wholly contained second set, no one in their right mind will ever deny the sublime brilliance of Mr. Hood commandeering us into the post-show reality. This version does what it needs to and even offers a bit more. An excellent take on the classic that builds off the gorgeous versions from 08/15/2012, 09/02/2012, and 12/30/2012, my prediction that 2013 would be a banner year for “Harry Hood” already looks like my safest pick of the year.

——–

And with that, night one of Phish’s 2013 Summer Tour is in the books. The band now heads to SPAC fully charged, kinks out, knowing that on a night when they weren’t fully capable (or, perhaps willing) to take too many chances, they still got to that place with “Stash,” “Wolfman’s Brother,” “Golden Age,” “Run Like An Antelope,” and “Harry Hood.”

A tour opener in the historical sense, my guess is few will be talking much about this show three months from now. Not for nothing, however, for a show that will probably be forgotten by summer’s end, it still carries enough promise to keep all our hopes up for the summer to come. Like I said at the beginning of this piece, the tour opener is like Opening Day in baseball. Phish certainly didn’t play their best show of 2013 tonight. But, so what? Phish is back, that’s all that matters for now. If this is an “off” show, just imagine how the band is going to sound once they really get in a groove.

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Thanks to Phish.Net (www.phish.net) and The Mockingbird Foundation (www.mbird.org) for organizational assistance and sourcing of setlists!

The Best Of Phish – 2009 – Part II

– With Summer 2013 Dates just announced, I felt it appropriate to give 2009 it’s proper due. Here follows is a recap of the first year of 3.0, including picks for Best Jams and Best Shows. Part II today is the Show, click here for Part I. Enjoy! –

The Best Of Phish 2009

Honorable Shows

Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ – 06/07/2009

Set I: Chalk Dust Torture, Fee+, Wolfman’s Brother, Guyute, My Sweet One> 46 Days, The Lizards, The Wedge, Strange Design, Tube, First Tube

Set II: Sand, Suzy Greenberg, Limb By Limb, The Horse -> Silent In The Morning, Sugar Shack^, Character Zero> Tweezer

Encore: Joy^, Bouncing Around The Room> Run Like An Antelope> Tweezer Reprise

+ Trey forgot the lyrics halfway through “Fee”

^ “Sugar Shack” and “Joy” made their Phish debuts

Eight shows into their 3.0 comeback, Phish returned to one of their favorite venues, and put on a show still revered today, proving they could transcend the initial limitations set upon themselves. On the last night of the NE-Run of Summer’s First Leg, Phish settled in, played a masterful first set, a contemplative second set – bookended by two of the best jams of the year – and an extended encore, all for some of the most devoted fans they have. Personified by the ambient jam that emerged out of “Fee,” the old-school/new-school combo of “My Sweet One> 46 Days,” and the antics that ended the set with “Tube,” and “First Tube,” the first set was a relaxed affair, devoid of the recital approach that had plagued many of the tour’s other first sets. In Set II, the band opened with a monster jam off of “Sand,” before treating the crowd to a string of old school classics, and blissful numbers, with “Suzy” and “Silent In The Morning,” along with the debut of Mike’s bubbly “Sugar Shack.” The best moment though, might have been the powerful “Tweezer” that ended the set. Coming as a surprise out of the expected “Zero” set closer, the jam built into a monstrous storm led entirely by Trey’s endemic licks. Ending the set on a high note, all’s the band had to do was the standard “Bouncing> Tweeprise” and people would have gone home  happy. Though opting to toss in the debut of “Joy,” along with a raging “Run Like An Antelope,” the encore took on the feel of a third set, reminding everyone just how much the band cherished their home turf. The show of the year to many-a-fan, Camden ’09 is significant in many ways. Perhaps most lasting is the fact that it was the first show since their return in March that could be argued as “show of the year.”

Red Rocks Amphitheater – Morrison, CO – 08/01/2009

Set I: AC/DC Bag, The Curtain With*, Mound**, Gotta Jibboo, Guyute, Punch You In The Eye, Tube, Alaska> Run Like An Antelope+

Set II: Rock & Roll -> Down With Disease#& -> Free, Esther***, Dirt, Harry Hood##

Encore: Sleeping Monkey, First Tube

* First “The Curtain With” since 15 August 2004

** First “Mound” since 31 December 2002

** First “Esther” since 30 September 2000

+ “Run Like An Antelope” contained the lyrics ‘Been you to have any slush’

# “Down With Disease contained “LA Woman” and “Taste” teases

## “Harry Hood” contained “Dirt” and “Free” teases

& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

A night after playing their best show of 3.0 to that point, Phish returned for the third night of their unprecedented four-night run (by 3.0 standards) at Red Rocks, and put of a nostalgic performance, thus complimenting the innovative playing of the previous show. A nailed and emotive “The Curtain With,” played for the first time since Coventry, was really all anyone needed to know how the band felt about their return, some five months in. Following it with the first “Mound” since 31 December 2002, was icing on the cake, as the band nailed the clearly practice Rift-era rarity. The rest of the first set was a classic mix of summery, first set tunes, highlighted by a pungent jam out of “Tube.” In the second set, the band took “Rock & Roll” and “DWD” on extended journeys, a jam segment that made one of the final cuts for the jams of the year list. Continuing the bust-out theme, “Esther” was played for the first time since Vegas ’00, before closing things out with the introspective “Dirt,” and a notable version of “Harry Hood.” Long revered by fans, the six-song second set became something of an oddity following this show, as the band routinely abandoned multiple jams, in favor of bursts of energy throughout Set II’s. A solid show through and through, 08/01 was the perfect follow-up to 07/31’s torrential onslaught, and reassured fans that their best performances in 3.0 weren’t necessarily one-off affairs. More than anything, this show put an indelible stamp on the ’09 Red Rocks Run that won’t be removed until they decide to revisit the Colorado gem.

Cumberland County Civic Center – Portland, ME – 11/29/2009

Set I: Possum> Down With Disease, Nellie Kane*, Weigh, When The Circus Comes, Kill Devil Falls, Water In The Sky, Stash, Meat+, Undermind, Mike’s Song -> I Am Hydrogen> Weekapaug Groove

Set II: The Moma Dance> Rock & Roll> Light -> Crimes Of The Mind**> Pebbles & Marbles> 2001> Golgi Apparatus> Cavern> Run Like An Antelope

Encore: Free Bird***, Carini> Waste

* First “Nellie Kane” since 01 July 2000

** First “Crimes Of The Mind” since 28 November 2003

*** First “Free Bird” Since 22 June 2000; First a capella version since 28 December 1998

+ Prior to “Meat” Mike was introduced as “The Artist Formerly Known As Cactus, now The Artist Currently Known As Prince”

Closing out their strongest weekend of the Fall 2009 Tour, Phish threw down a two-set affair, highlighted by a fun-loving first set, and a fully-flowing, jam heavy Set II. Coming out the gates with the one-two-punch of “Possum> DWD,” the band held little back on this night in Maine, gracing the first set with a “Nellie Kane” bustout, and notable versions of “Meat” and “Undermind.” But the second set is where the real magic is at, as the band didn’t take a single break throughout, crafting a particularly memorable jam segment in “Rock & Roll> Light -> Crimes Of The Mind.” The latter – the only time to be played without The Dude of Life on vocals – was not only a massive surprise, but built into a powerful jam before fading into “Pebbles & Marbles.” Closing things out with an energized “2001> Golgi> Antelope” closing trio, the set was a complete thought, devoid of miscalculated ballads, or misplaced fillers. In the encore, the band treated their fans to two rarities in “Free Bird” and “Carini,” and an emotive “Waste,” sending everyone out into a chilly post-Thanksgiving week, and onwards to their MSG return. One of the strongest performances of the Fall Tour, Portland came on the heels of the tour’s most memorable stretch, when the band just destroyed Philly and Albany, proving they still had something in the tank after so many memorable shows.

The Top Ten Shows Of 2009

Alpine Valley Music Theater – East Troy, WI – 06/21/2009

Set I: Brother+, Wolfman’s Brother, Funky Bitch> The Divided Sky, Joy, Back On The Train, Taste> Poor Heart, The Horse -> Silent In The Morning, The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday* -> Avenu Malkenu*> The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday*> Time Turns Elastic

Set II: Crosseyed & Painless# -> Down With Disease##&> Bug> Piper### -> Wading In The Velvet Sea, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Slave To The Traffic Light

Encore: Grind, Frankenstein++

+ During “Brother” each of the band members kids’ came on stage and climbed in a giant bathtub

++ “Frankenstein” feature Trey on a five-neck Guitar, Mike on an Inferno Bass, and Page on a Keytar

* First “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday -> Avenu Malkenu> TMWSIY” since 07 July 2003

# “Crosseyed & Painless” contained a “Let It Grow” tease

## “Down With Disease” contained a “Taste” tease

### “Piper” contained a “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin'” tease

& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

On the final night of the First Leg of Phish’s 2009 Summer Tour, the band graced their fans with a memorable show highlighted by the first annual – until 2013, that is – Father’s Day gimmick, a lengthy Set I, and a fully-flowing second set, anchored by two excellent jams. When a crew member brought a bathtub out to center stage about five minutes before show time, a roar generated throughout the crowd, in anticipation of whatever the band had up their sleeves. Opening with the first “Brother” since IT, the band invited each of their kids on stage to climb into the tub, ala the song’s lyrics. Initiating a Father’s Day tradition, the gag sent a joyful message as to just how important sharing their family with the Phish experience was to the band members’ throughout this 3.0 run, while at the same time sent a shout-out to their life-long fans who’ve become father’s of their own in the years since Coventry. The revelry spilled over into a thick “Wolfman’s” a “Funky Bitch,” per request, and a poignant “Divided Sky.” Forty minutes in, it was already the show of the tour. Closing the set out with the notable and old-school combo of “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday -> Avenu Malkenu> TMWSIY,” followed by their most recent composition, “Time Turns Elastic” was as symbolic a pairing as any, displaying the compositional roots that the band had been built on. That it was also the most memorable, and powerful version of “TTE” to date, says something as well. In Set II the band simply threw down. Busting out “Crosseyed” for the first time since Deer Creek ’04, they built a peaking jam off the theme that, coupled with the thousands of glowsticks battling about on the lawn, nearly tore the lid off the old shed. Bleeding into “DWD” by way of an ambient jam, the set moved forward with an emotive “Bug,” a percussive “Piper,” and a gorgeous “Slave” to close things out. Encoring with the 3.0 barbershop staple “Grind,” and a raunchy “Frankenstein,” wherein which Trey, Mike, and Page donned gimmicky instruments, the show sent everyone off to Summer 2009’s halftime, bellies full, yet ravenously anticipating Leg II.

Red Rocks Amphitheater – Morrison, CO – 07/31/2009

Set I: Runaway Jim> Chalk Dust Torture, Bathtub Gin, Time Turns Elastic, Lawn Boy, Water In The Sky, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Split Open & Melt

Set II: Drowned -> Crosseyed & Painless -> Joy, Tweezer> Backwards Down The Number Line> Fluffhead#& -> Piper -> A Day In The Life

Encore: Suzy Greenberg##> Tweezer Reprise

# “Fluffhead” contained a “Dave’s Energy Guide” tease

## “Suzy Greenberg” contained “Drowned,” “Crosseyed & Painless,” and “AC/DC Bag” teases

& “Fluffhead” was unfinished

After spending much of their First Leg awkwardly adjusting to life back on the road, Phish reappeared at Red Rocks – for the first time since 1996, no less – on a mission to reclaim what was theirs. No better is this spirit shown than by the viscerally powerful second set that blew up on the run’s second night. Following a solid first set that included a muddling, yet incendiary “Split Open & Melt,” which battled the torrential downpour, the band reemerged for Set II, and played hands down, their best set of 3.0 – up to that point. Flowing throughout, the set was anchored by a seamless segue from “Drowned -> Crosseyed,” a bubbling and constantly shifting “Tweezer,” a celebratory “Fluffhead,” and a “Piper” that bled right into “A Day In The Life,” by way of Mr. McConnell’s keys. Each jam carried fresh ideas, each song was a welcome surprise, and by the time they reemerged for the encore, they had quieted literally all who were skeptical of their 3.0 abilities – at least for a night. Immediately setting the 3.0 bar a notch higher, 31 July 2009 will forever be remember as the show that inspired the transcendent music created throughout August 2009. Completely themselves again, no show would impact a tour, or the band’s overall sound, quite like it until a year later, on the second night of the equally legendary Greek Run.

The Gorge Amphitheater – George, WA – 08/07/2009

Set I: Down With Disease, Ocelot, Pebbles & Marbles, Possum, Sleep, Destiny Unbound, Stash, Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley -> Cavern

Set II: The Moma Dance> Light -> Taste, Fluffhead, Joy, Bathtub Gin&> Harry Hood

Encore: Slave To The Traffic Light

& “Bathtub Gin” was unfinished

It was the best show of 2009 at the time; and it still is, to this day. Even more, some four years on, it’s still ranks as one of the best overall shows in 3.0 Highlighted by a classic set one, which concluded with one of the jams of the year in “Sneakin’ Sally,” and a top notch set two, that offered two unique jams to this list, it was a monumental show through and through. Kicking things off with a raging, Type-I “DWD,” set I was notable for the 3.0 debut of “Pebbles & Marbles,” and for only the third “Destiny Unbound” since 1991. But it was the “Sneakin’ Sally” jam that concluded the set with a segue into “Cavern” that has hung in the minds of most listeners; to this day it is still one of the most innovative jams of 3.0. Set II is akin to 07/31’s masterpiece in it’s flowing nature, diversity of jams, and re-listenability all these years later. The “Light” and “Gin” jump out as the clear highlights, but the “Fluffhead,” and, the always welcome Gorge version of “Harry Hood,” fill out the set perfectly. Encoring with a patient, Trey-led “Slave” sent everyone out into the Pac-NW night, eagerly anticipating the following night, which would ultimately be a top-to-bottom barn-burner, thus cementing The Gorge as THE run of 2009.

The Gorge Amphitheater – George, WA – 08/08/2009

Set I: The Mango Song> Chalk Dust Torture, Middle Of The Road^, Tweezer, Driver, Twenty Years Later, Ya Mar, It’s Ice, Wolfman’s Brother> Character Zero> Run Like An Antelope

Set II: Rock & Roll -> Makisupa Policeman+, Alaska, The Wedge, You Enjoy Myself#, Backwards Down The Number Line&> Piper##, Grind

Encore: Good Times Bad Times, Tweezer Reprise

^ “Middle Of The Road” made it’s Phish debut

+ “Makisupa Policeman” featured Mike and Trey switching instruments and contained the keyword: “Did like Bobby Brown. I ate my breakfast, and I laid back down.”

# “You Enjoy Myself” contained a “Hedwig’s Theme” tease

## “Piper” contained “Llama” teases from Fishman

& “Backwards Down The Number Line” was unfinished

After playing their best show of 2009 the night before, Phish wasted no time getting down to business on their second night at the vast and expansive Gorge Amphitheater. Opening with the back-to-back Nectar classics, “The Mango Song> Chalk Dust Torture” set the tone immediately. The First Set was further highlighted midway through by a slowly building “Tweezer,” which picked up many of the Red Rock’s version’s influences, before transferring them into a more rock-based, peaking jam. Closing the set out with the blistering trio of “Wolfman’s Brother> Character Zero> Run Like An Antelope” nearly blew the stage into the Columbia River behind them; you can clearly hear the crowd let out an emphatic, and massive roar of ecstatic approval when “Zero” faded into “Antelope.” A bonus set closer of sorts, it proved to be a thankful nod from the band to their fans for their first three sets of excellent music at The Gorge. In the second set, the band threw down one of their jams of the year in the 23-min, “Rock & Roll.” It built through twenty minutes on improv based almost entirely on the The Velvet Underground theme, before returning to the song proper, and then segueing into a playful “Makisupa.” A punctual “You Enjoy Myself” found itself in the middle of a set for one of the few times in 2009 – quite a rare treat at the time – a sure sign the band was feeling loose. Concluding things with the first hint of experimentation in “Backwards Down The Number Line,” a “Piper” that plowed ahead into the unknown with furious precision before fading away into a “Llama” jam from Fishman, and “Grind,” the set ended in one of the most unique ways of any in 2009. Closing the show and The Run out with “Good Times Bad Times” and “Tweezer Reprise” was really the only way one could, as the two capitalized on the massive energy explosion that’d occurred in the middle of Washington State that weekend. Easily the best weekend of Phish 2009, The Gorge is still talked about with awe by all in attendance, and with envy by all who’ve only heard it on tape.

The Comcast Theater – Hartford, CT – 08/14/2009

Set I: Punch You In The Eye, AC/DC Bag> NICU, Col. Forbin’s Ascent* -> Fly Famous Mockingbird*, Birds Of A Feather, Lawn Boy, Stash, I Didn’t Know, Middle Of The Road> Character Zero

Set II: Down With Disease%&> Wilson -> Slave To The Traffic Light, Piper## -> Water In The Sky, Ghost -> Psycho Killer** -> Catapult+ -> Icculus***+> You Enjoy Myself%%

Encore: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

* First “Col Forbin’s Ascent” and “Fly Famous Mockingbird” since 30 September 2000

** First “Psycho Killer” since 07 December 1997

*** First “Icculus” since 18 July 1999

% “Down With Disease” contained a jam based on “Reba”

%% “You Enjoy Myself” contained the “Pong” jam from “Catapult”

## “Piper” contained a “Spill The Wine” tease

+ “Catapult” featured a jam inspired by the Atari game, Pong

++ “Icculus” featured narration about technology and kids “reading a fucking book!”

& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

What can you say sometimes? There are those shows where the band’s just feeling it. After making the 30-hr trek from The Gorge to Chicago, where they threw down a lackluster effort, the band played an old-school show in Darien – the last show to be cut from this list, btw – to kick off their four-night run of the NE. The next night, in Hartford, the band waited till well past 8:30 to emerge for a two-set affair, shrouded in darkness, one that would be revered immediately upon conclusion, and long after it was all said and done. Opening with a string of classics, “PYITE, AC/DC Bag> NICU” sent the initial message that the band was feeling it here back on their home turf. But it was the reemergence of “Forbin’s -> Mockingbird,” after almost ten years in hiding, that pushed the show to another level. Without a narration to break the momentum, the band went the old school rout, and let the two Gamehendge rarities speak for themselves. It mattered little what was played the rest of the set, for this bustout was enough to satiate most fans, but it helped for historical purposes – and for those who truly enjoy listening to full shows – that they followed with a scorching “Birds,” a punctual “Stash,” and a raging “Zero” to send everyone into setbreak. In the second set, the band used the first half to craft two indelible jam segments in “DWD> Wilson -> Slave” and “Piper -> Water In The Sky,” the first of which contained a gorgeous “Reba” jam, and the latter which featured the same type of percussive jamming as was seen in the Alpine version, but ended with a fluttering of Page that spilled fluidly into “Water In The Sky.” When they kicked off “Ghost,” one wouldn’t have been too misguided to think we were simply in for another monster jam. But the band had different ideas up their sleeves. Latching onto the gimmickry of Set I’s bustout, they directed “Ghost” into the first “Psycho Killer” in twelve years, before letting it fade into the first “Catapult” of 3.0. Based around a prickly, note-based jam that sounded oddly like the Atari game, Pong, Trey got a bit nostalgic and started strumming a few minored chords. What emerged was the first “Icculus” in ten years, a song based heavily on narration, to which, Trey preached to all the young Phish fans about the pleasures of books, and the evils of iphones and hand-held technology, finally quipping, “When was the last time one of you picked up a fucking book?!?!” Closing out the set with the only appropriate song, the band played an inspired “You Enjoy Myself,” before encoring simply with The Beatles, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” One of the best shows of the year. And one of the best shows of 3.0 for that matter. It’d be a long while – until 10/20/2010 to be exact – before the band would play a show steeped in this much humor, gimmickry, and old-fashioned Phish zaniness.

Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA – 10/31/2009

Set I: Sample In A Jar, The Divided Sky, Lawn Boy, Kill Devil Falls, Bathtub Gin, The Squirming Coil> Runaway Jim> Possum, Run Like An Antelope+

Set II$: Rocks Off*%> Rip This Joint*%, Shake Your Hips*%, Casino Boogie*, Tumbling Dice*%%, Sweet Virginia%%, Torn & Frayed*, Sweet Black Angel*%, Loving Cup%%, Happy*%%, Turd On The Run*%%, Ventilator Blues*%% -> I Just Want To See His Face*%%% -> Let It Loose*%%, All Down The Line*%%, Stop Breaking Down*%%, Shine A Light*%%, Soul Survivor*%%

Set III: Backwards Down The Number Line> Fluffhead, Ghost> When The Circus Comes, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Suzy Greenberg%%

+ The lyrics in “Run Like An Antelope” were changed to “Been You To Have Any Coil?”

$ The Rolling Stone’s Exile On Main St was the band’s Second Set Musical Costume

* All songs in Set II, with the exception of “Sweet Virginia” and “Loving Cup” made their Phish debut

% Featuring Dave Guy on Trumpet, David Smith on Trombone, and Tony Jarvis on Saxophone

%% Featuring Sharon Jones and Saundra Williams on Backup Vocals; Dave Guy on Trumpet, David Smith on Trombone, and Tony Jarvis on Saxophone

%%% Featuring Sharon Jones and Saundra Williams on Backup Vocals

Their first Halloween show since 1998, and their first festival since the Coventry debacle, Festival 8 peaked on it’s second night with a three-set masterpiece, bookended by classic Phish, and filled out by one of the best cover album’s the band has ever performed. In the first set, the band threw down a string of old-school classics, honoring the magnitude of the event, while matching the near-perfect conditions the California desert provided. Highlighted by a gorgeous “Divided Sky,” a soaring “Bathtub Gin,” a combo right out of the 80’s in “Coil> Jim> Possum,” and a raging “Antelope” to close, it was the kind of set that – “KDF” aside – one could have easily imagined being played in front of about 1000 friends back in Vermont. In Set II they masterfully covered The Rolling Stone’s 1972 classic, Exile On Main Street. Highlights abound, the set, more than anything, sent a clear message about how far the band had come since their low-point in 2004, and how genuinely happy they were to be healthy, playing live music again. At the end of the day, the “Torn & Frayed,” “Ventilator Blues -> I Just Want To See His Face,” “Let It Loose,” “Shine A Light,” and perhaps the greatest “Loving Cup” ever, take the cake as the peak moments of the set. Proving as poignant moment as any in a Phish show, “Shine A Light” felt written for Trey, detailing the struggles of a drug addict overcoming his demons. A song that’s birthed life into 3.0, it’s appearance as an encore always feels like a nod from the heavens for sparing Trey in his darkest days, and giving him a second chance. Set III was akin to the first set, except for it’s emphasis on improv. “Number Line” and “Ghost” both went deep, and “You Enjoy Myself” proved to be the best version of the oft-played song in 2009. Not to mention, one of the top tier versions in all of 3.0. Inviting their back-up band on stage for the “Suzy Greenberg,” they stretched the classic into a 12-min jam that featured funk breakdowns, horn solos, and Sharon Jones’s soulful wails throughout. A celebratory moment for all involved, 10/31/2009 was key to the band’s development throughout 3.0, and a show we can all look back on and simply be thankful was able to occur.

Wachovia Center – Philadelphia, PA – 11/24/2009

Set I: Chalk Dust Torture, Bathtub Gin, Cities> Camel Walk, The Curtain With, The Wedge, The Moma Dance, Reba, Golgi Apparatus, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan

Set II: Possum> Down With Disease& -> Twenty Years Later> Harry Hood> The Mango Song> Mike’s Song -> Simple> Slave To The Traffic Light> Weekapaug Groove+

Encore: A Day In The Life

& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

+ Much of the “Weekapaug Groove” jam was played at a slower pace

Easily the best show of the band’s 2009 Fall Tour, the first night of Philly featured a celebratory, holiday-tinged feel, with an old-school setlist and some top notch playing taboot. Akin to 10/31’s First Set, the First Set in Philly reads like something out of the band’s bygone years – sans “Moma” and “Stealing Time.” With a tight, fully loaded jam out of “Gin,” and  blissful and contemplative jams in “The Curtain With” and “Reba,” the set was ripe with highlights, many of the extended variety. Sparked with humor in the Thanksgiving-quoted “Cities,” along with the rare funk of “Camel Walk,” it was as well-rounded as any First Fet during the tour, keeping everyone on their toes in anticipation of set II. Fully flowing throughout, the Second Set was an early masterpiece in the 3.0 era. Featuring a sublime, laid-back jam out of “DWD,” the band got to business early, winding the jam through various passages of musical bliss before landing in “Twenty Years Later.” Bridging the “DWD” and the spectacular “Mike’s Groove” with “Harry Hood> The Mango Song” kept things flowing with ease, and continued the old school feel that had graced the show thus far. In the “Mike’s Groove,” the band combined “Simple” with “Slave” by way of an ambient jam, injecting “Mike’s Groove” with “Slave” for the first time since Alpine ’97. Heading into “Weekapaug” at a torrential pace, the band made humor out of the mistake, referentially shouting throughout, before slowing things down and infusing the jam with some funk grooves. A conceptual set without a moment wasted, it was one of the few totally unified moments throughout the Fall Tour, one that, while surpassed many times over in 3.0, has lived on for the fact that it was just one of those nights in back 2009, where everything felt right again.

Times Union Center – Albany, NY – 11/27/2009

Set I: AC/DC Bag -> Maze, Driver, My Mind’s Got A Mind Of Its Own, Gumbo, Bouncing Around The Room, It’s Ice, Two Versions Of Me, Timber> Limb By Limb, Cavern -> Light

Set II: My Friend, My Friend* -> Golden Age^> On Your Way Down, Fluffhead> Piper -> Tomorrow’s Song^^, Prince Caspian&> Harry Hood> Suzy Greenberg> The Squirming Coil, I Been Around

Encore: Fire

* First “My Friend, My Friend” Set II Opener since 10 April 1994

^ “Golden Age” (TV On The Radio) made it’s Phish debut

^^ “Tommorow’s Song” made it’s Phish debut

& “Prince Caspian” was unfinished

After throwing down their best show of the tour two nights before Thanksgiving, Phish returned to the road the night after and crafted an all-around excellent show, highlighted by two surprise debuts, and a high-octane set II. Opening with an “AC/DC Bag -> Maze” segment got the show off right, as the two age-old classics fit together with ease, immediately putting the uneventful second night in Philly far in the recesses of every fan’s minds. After dusting a few songs off the shelves for the first time this tour – “Driver,” “My Mind’s Got A Mind of It’s Own,” “Gumbo,” “Timber” – they closed the set with a menacing surprise as “Cavern” faded into the only First Set “Light” they’ve ever played. Pushing the song into the ether, it touched on beat-less ambient themes, dissolving into a noise-based jam that faded as the lights came on for setbreak. Set II brought the first “My Friend” opener since Spring 1994, and the debut of the TV On The Radio hit “Golden Age,” which has gone on to be one of the most revered – and at times frustrating – songs of 3.0. Fading into only the fifth “On Your Way Down” since 1989, the set just kept elevating itself, as the band was clearly feeling it being back in the Northeast corner of the US. After the obligatory “Fluffhead,” they dropped the jam of the night in an explosive “Piper” which turned melodic, before segueing perfectly into the debut of the Undermind-ditty, “Tomorrow’s Song.” Rounding out the set with “Hood> Suzy> Coil,” was a clear message about how much fun the band had on the first night of their quasi-hometown run. Encoring with “Fire” – the third time they’ve played Hendrix on his birthday – was welcomely expected by all fans, as the nod not only honored the guitar-legend, but also bridged the two nights in Albany in ways no other cover could.

American Airlines Arena – Miami, FL – 12/29/2009

Set I: Golgi Apparatus, Maze, Driver, The Connection, Wolfman’s Brother, Ocelot, Reba, Access Me, The Divided Sky, Cavern

Set II: Kill Devil Falls> Tweezer# -> Prince Caspian> Gotta Jibboo -> Wilson -> Gotta Jibboo -> Heavy Things -> 2001> Slave To The Traffic Light

Encore: Sleeping Monkey> Tweezer Reprise

# “Tweezer” contained a “Dave’s Energy Guide” tease

On paper this show looked like complete and utter shite. A first set comprised of a few classics surrounded by a string of fillers, and a second set that looked like another awkward clunker, defined by a “Jibboo -> Wilson -> Jibboo,” that couldn’t have looked worse on paper. Yet listening to this show for the first time back in 2009, it was clear beyond any questionable doubt that the band was feeling it. Probably the best overall show of the Miami NYE Run, it’s a prime example of the kind of show where what songs the band plays matters little, for they’d crush it all regardless. While those kinds of shows have become commonplace here in 2011 and 2012 – 06/04/2011, 06/11/2011, 08/16/2011, 09/03/2011, 06/08/2012, 06/23/2012, 07/03/2012, 08/28/2012 – back in 2009, they had to play to a killer setlist if they were going to play a killer show. 29 December 2009 broke this mold and then some. Highlighted by a torrid “Maze,” a laid back, funk jam in “Wolfman’s,” and the always welcome pair of classics, “Reba” and “Divided Sky,” the show felt much like the last 12/29 show prior to this one, sans the Miami “Piper,” of course. In set II the band focused on intertwined jamming and segues, taking “Tweezer” to some truly spectacular planes of blissful ambient nothingness, somehow making the “Jibboo -> Wilson -> Jibboo” work, and producing perhaps the best “Heavy Things” we’ve ever heard. The latter’s near-four minute ambient jam that bled right into “2001” was the defining point of the night, proving the band would nail anything they played. An all-around remarkable show, the second night in Miami ignored all the misconceptions about 3.0, shut the setlist nazi’s up – at least for one night – and produced perhaps the single greatest review by a certain Phish writer – the one where he had nothing to say.

American Airlines Arena – Miami, FL – 12/30/2009

Set I: Soul Shakedown Party*, Runaway Jim, Jesus Just Left Chicago**, Dixie Cannonball^, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Corinna***, What’s The Use?****, Tela*****, Gone^^, Rocky Top******, Chalk Dust Torture, David Bowie

Set II: Sand, The Curtain With> Lifeboy, Back On The Train -> Wading In The Velvet Sea, Hold Your Head Up> Love You%> Hold Your Head Up, Free> Boogie On Reggae Woman -> Run Like An Antelope#%%

Encore: Frankenstein+

* First “Soul Shakedown Party” since 17 April 2004

** First “Jesus Just Left Chicago” since 13 July 2003

*** First “Corinna” since 24 February 2003

**** First “What’s The Use?” since 28 November 2003

***** First “Tela” since 24 November 1998

****** First “Rocky Top” since 19 July 2003

^ “Dixie Cannonball” (Hank Williams) made it’s Phish debut

^^ “Gone” made it’s Phish debut

% “Love You” featured audience member, Rich on stage playing the vacuum cleaner

%% “Run Like An Antelope” contained alternate lyrics

# “Run Like An Antelope” contained multiple “Boogie On Reggae Woman” teases

+ “Frankenstein” featured Page on the Keytar

Ahhhhhh, the bustout show. A thing of legend in Phish circles. Rarely does the band drop an entire show/set comprised of bustouts. In the ten years since 07/29/2003, the show is still revered as one of the best of 2.0, in many ways, thanks to the ipod shuffle feel that accompanied the entire first set. On 12/30/2009, the band brought six unique songs out of seeming retirement – while debuting two others – giving credence to the 12/30 legend, while also gifting their fans with a number of oft-requested tunes. Perhaps none of these was more boisterously received than “Tela.” The sweet and longing Gamehendge ballad, it had been requested with near fanaticism throughout the Summer and Fall Tours, finally brought back to life after eleven years. In the Second Set, the band fused jams and gimmickry, crafting one of the most well-rounded sets of the year, with one of the best jams of the year as it’s centerpiece. Kicking off with the first “Sand” since Camden, they remained a bit more confined before initiating a top-notch “The Curtain With.” Producing the jam of the night in “Back On The Train -> Wading,” the band let humor dominate the latter half of the set. Using “HYHU” to throw another hint out about their NYE gag, they invited an audience member – Rich – on stage to celebrate the last vacuum solo of the decade. Closing out the set with what can only be described as “Boogie On Reggae Antelope” the band displayed on-stage communication fused with humor that just wouldn’t have been possible nine months earlier. A staple performance of gimmickry, improv, humor, and that intangible feeling that can only be found at a Phish show, there’s never been any doubt about it’s place in Phish 3.0.

——–

A celebratory year that saw Phish return from the darkness of their past. While they fought through numerous ups and downs, by years end, they’d unquestionably succeeded in all the goals laid out for them. As we await the start of the 2013 Summer Tour, it’s no better time to revisit the first year of 3.0, and see just how far the band has come.

Please send me your thoughts about the list.

Here’s to another four years that are just as good as the last four!

——–

Thanks to Phish.Net (www.phish.net) and The Mockingbird Foundation (www.mbird.org) for organizational assistance and sourcing of setlists!

The Best Of Phish – 2009 – Part I

– With Summer 2013 Dates just announced, I felt it appropriate to give 2009 it’s proper due. Here follows is a recap of the first year of 3.0, including picks for Best Jams and Best Shows. Part I today is the Jams, look for Part II later this week. Enjoy! –

Walking out of Coventry was a dark and dismal scene. Like the days immediately following a horrendous battle, everyone had the same shell-shocked look on their faces. Nobody had won. Everyone was a casualty in some way. That churning, grinding feeling inside — WTF just happened? Phish was done. That’s all we knew. Trey looked like he was a few hits away from the grave. Page was in tatters after the one-two punch of his marriage and band ending. Mike and Fishman handled it the best, but in the end, looked like ghosts, unable to fully explain to the legions of fans how grateful, yet sorry they truly were.

The mud became the focal point for everyone almost immediately. Somewhat forgotten with the onset of music some 36 hrs earlier, now, following a disastrous “final show” all fans could think about was “how the fuck am I going to dig my car and all my shit out of this mud and get the fuck away from this farm!!!!!” Moving through the aching crowd, I walked with my two best friends to Newport. Six miles away, we hoofed it for a couple hours, figuring it to be the better option than to try and hitch a ride. We’d ridden in with two guys we’d met on PT. Not much for fans, they were going up there based on a one-show experience in 1999, figuring they ought to see what the fuss really was all about. After 24 hrs of traffic, a day spent stewing in the rain, and an unquestionably sloppy 08/14/2004 set III, they packed up and high-tailed out.

As it was, here we were, at 19, walking with everything we had on our backs, through the night, past hordes of strung-out wooks, angry vets, crying fairy’s, screaming babies, custy-ass NEsterners, and cynical PTers vocally chiding over the faux-Gamehenge, the debauched “Glide,” the fucking “Walls Of The Cave” opener (?!?!), the sexy bump, and numerous other faux pas the band had committed over the course of the weekend. We arrived at the Newport bus station around 5am, bought tickets to Albany, and slept.

Not even 20, my favorite band gone. Eight shows – not one on the epic level I’d heard on tapes, one festival – an asterisk, a footnote to the band’s glorious history – it was all I’d ever have to hang my hat on phishdom. Even worse was the way they went out; it was a completely different band from what they’d been ten years earlier. Totally unrecognizable in every regard. They’d allowed themselves to be succumbed by the scene. They’d been the cause of their own demise. They’d given up the dream. It would be up to their fans to pick up the pieces.

——–

On 1 October 2008 Phish announced what everyone had been anticipating for months: they would reunite on 6 March 2009 at the hallowed halls of Hampton Coliseum. In the year prior, much of the aggression towards Phish had cooled. Following Trey’s DWI in December 2006, many had given up hope that the band would ever reunite. And as Trey began a 14-month drug rehabilitation stint, the band became somewhat shrouded in shadows for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Emerging a completely changed man, Trey sought out rebuilding his life. A poem from Tom Marshall on his 43rd birthday – the first in years, and the eventual lyrics to “Backwards Down The Number Line” – spawned his first post-rehab song. From there, Trey got back to the grind of writing songs, now focused, driven, and sober. 2008 brought a reunion of sorts as the band appeared on stage together for the first time since Coventry, while accepting their Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jammy’s – an award show they essentially created a niche for. During the Rothbury festival that summer, Mike invited Fish and Trey on stage to play “She Said, She Said.” And a quote made it’s way around the internet by which Trey claimed willing to forgo one of his testicles for the chance to play “You Enjoy Myself” all day every day. Rumors swirled, and by fall Phish was back, at least in part.

When the finally hit the stage the following spring, they ushered in a new era of Phish by paying homage to the past. Both with the original linear stage set-up, and the “Fluffhead>Divided Sky” opener, they sent a clear message that the 3.0 incarnation would be about reacquainting themselves with their historical greatness. The Hampton weekend took on a feeling of a recital. Nearly 100 songs were played. First sets stretched on far past 90 minutes, and few moments of improv were even attempted. The message was clear: after 5 years apart, Phish would need some time honing their chops in the live atmosphere. Add to this an ethereal joy that emanated from the stage and the crowd, the sound of 3.0 Phish took on a far happier sound than the era that immediately preceded it. Phish was back, and that was all that mattered. For a while at least.

When Summer Tour came around, many were expecting the cobwebs that had accompanied many parts of Hampton to be a thing of the past, and for Phish to get down to the business of jamming again. To many-a-fan’s dismay though, the band was still not fully comfortable with themselves, each other, nor the massive crowds that adorned them, to let loose in ways many had expected. As a result, the June leg of the tour reflected much of the Hampton shows, in both containment and rust. In hindsight, it made complete sense. As this blog has written about at length, it took years of playing together for the band to attain the liner musical communication needed to jam effortlessly, and completely united, as they did in the best parts of 1995 and 1997. Five years apart, with little communication, one member in drug rehab, and another who reportedly sold his drum set, moved to the woods and didn’t think about music for a year, rust, and caution were bound to dominate Phish’s first year back on the stage.

Returning in late-July to Red Rocks for the first time since 1996, the band, for the first time in 3.0, looked like themselves again. Standout shows on 07/31 and 08/01 gave way to the groundbreaking Gorge shows, and the 08/14 Hartford show that still lives in infamy to this day. The summer also gave the band their first chance in years to toy with the minds of their fans. By uploading a map of the US to the Internet, they spent a month eliminating state-by-state in anticipation of a three-day Halloween Festival in Indio, California. Festival 8 combined two storied aspects of the band’s past in one glorious weekend as the band not only continued to push their improv further, but also played their first-ever acoustic set, and covered Exile On Main St taboot. The Fall Tour that followed was, while a step-back in parts musically, nonetheless, one more enthusiastic stamp on the band’s return, as they toured their NE home-turf to raucous crowds, culminating with a three-night return to the world’s most famous arena – Madison Square Garden.

Closing out the year with a four-night run in Miami, the band peaked on the 29th and 30th, displaying both dexterity and a comfort on the stage that had been missing throughout much of the year. Setting their sights on 2010, Phish ended 2009 on a high note. The multitude of inconsistencies of the early part of the year behind them, they were ready to embark on a year in which the music they created would be the sole focus. While 2010 would bring it’s own share of issues, the greatness attained in the latter part of the year would not have been possible without the groundwork laid throughout 2009. Up and down, sure, but 2009 is, more than anything, a unique peak into a band trying to both regain their footing, and crafting raw, untested, and wholly original music all at the same time.

As with the 2010, 2011, and 2012 recaps, I’ve assembled a list of ten shows and ten jams that standout as the best of the year. Along with these selections, there are three honorable mentions to each. These are not simply jams/shows 11-13, but rather foundational jams and shows with which the band grew, yet didn’t crack my top ten. The lists are comprised chronologically like the last few years, thus reserving the title “Best Ever” as subjective accolade. Here’s to the original year of 3.0 Phish!

The Best Of Phish 2009

Honorable Jams

“Sand” – Camden, NJ – 06/07/2009

The first show and the first jam where everything felt right again. After a week of subpar shows, and questionable jams, Phish opened up the second set of their return to the ghetto of Philly with a proper jam off a song that had gone virtually unplayed since 2000. Wading through the “Sand” theme for the first nine minutes, Trey initiated a shift from the minor the major at 9:20, and off they went. Building the jam into a more rock-oriented space, the band transformed the ever-present groove of the song into a peaking monster. A far cry from the thematically redundant jams that had come to defined it in the latter 1.0 era. Passing through a groove-ladend, rhythmic segment from 13:30 – 16:25 the band – Page and Trey especially – proved they still could specialize in the kind of dance-heavy melodies that had become like musical crack to many fans. Concluding with a near-5-minute peak, the jam was a celebratory revival of all things Phish: diverse, surprising, explosive, and communal, the “Camden Sand” – as it’s come be to known – was all fans needed to know the band was back, and, in time, would fully reclaim their title of “The Best Damn Band In The World.”

“Bathtub Gin” – George, WA – 08/07/2009

Deep in the heart of the best show of 2009, Phish dropped a rare – for 3.0 at least – second set “Bathtub Gin.” Had we known at the time it’d be – thus far – the last truly extended “Gin” of 3.0 it might have been savored a bit more. Yet, four years on, this jam remains buried as one of the underrated gems of 2009. Flowing lackadaisically from the song proper, the jam takes on the laid-back feel of many-a second set “Gin’s.” As opposed to their set I, type-I ragers, which rely on peaks more than exploration, typically when “Gin” appears in a second set, the possibilities are limitless. Coming on the heels of an ambient-laced “Sneakin’ Sally,” and a calypso-infused “Light,” the “Gin” was the third major jam of the night. Flowing with ease from the aforementioned slinky trot to a minor-keyed groove fest at 10:05, the jam took on a Summer ’98 feel as it emphasized sonic quality, and glossy rhythm, over notes and shred. In stark contrast to much of the Summer 2009 tour, it is Anastasio who shines through, constantly infusing the jam with fresh riffs and ideas, complimenting the prodding bass of Mike, and the swirling clav from Page. A foreshadow of the following evening’s massive “Rock & Roll” is probably its lasting purpose. Yet, when Trey signals yet another downshift at 13:46, calling upon a thick, Mike-heavy rhythm section to close the jam out, it cements itself as one of the loosest, organic and redeeming jams of the year. Deliberate without being forceful, fluid without being lost, the Gorge “Gin” is one of the many signs of 2009 that Phish still had it, even through the ups and downs.

“Wolfman’s Brother -> Piper -> Joy” – Indio, CA – 10/30/2009

After a first set that was essentially used to clear the cobwebs after two months off, Phish got down to business at Festival 8 with a psychedelic combo of “Wolfman’s Brother” and “Piper,” the latter of which bled effortlessly into the contemplative resolution of “Joy.” Uniting the two jam vehicles for only the second time since 10/31/1998, the jam gave fans their first peak into the band’s evolving jam style – heard in the Festival’s soundcheck – since the monumental August Run. Following a similar funk/rock pattern it’s been pigeonholed into throughout 3.0, “Wolfman’s” took all altogether different course at 7:33 when Trey began building walls of sound, rather than push the dance rhythms further. Evolving into an ambient soundscape, the jam was highlighted by Trey and Page’s conflicting musical ideas; the battle of melody v. noise. While 2009 was chock full of ambient fades from one potential jam to another, the 8 Wolfman’s was one of the only one’s to truly feel like an organic jam, rather than a thoughtless segue. Eventually, Page’s ideas pushed through to fruition as Trey signaled “Piper,” and Page keyed in the “Piper” melody on his synths before moving to the baby grand. Like “Wolfman’s,” “Piper” initially took a more traditional approach in it’s jam, focusing on splintering guitar work from Trey, and heavy, rhythm breaks from Mike and Fish. At 7:39 though, Trey and Page moved the jam into a more lighthearted, melodic realm, bringing back memories of the calypso-infused “Light” from the Gorge. Injecting vocals into the jam, it felt at once as the calm from “Wolfman’s” storm, as it allowed fans their first breath after an absolutely rollicking start to the second set. Flowing into the nuevo-Phish ballad, “Joy,” the jam resolved in organically beautiful fashion, capping off one of the most memorable segments of music from the weekend, and the year overall.

The Top Ten Jams Of 2009

“Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley -> Cavern” – George, WA – 08/07/2009

Dropped for the first time since 08/12/2004, and only the third time since 2000, the mere sight of “Sneakin’ Sally” towards the end of the first set of the 08/07 Gorge show was significant in and of itself. Yet when the band emerged from the song’s vocal jam they embarked on an eleven minute jam that pushed aside the notion that their jams lacked creativity in 3.0, sculpting one of the most memorable jams of the era. Initiating a refined approach, Trey compressed his tone and began playing melodic notes in a scattered fashion. Mike soon followed suit, and they were off on a whirlwind of back-and-forth melodies before Trey signaled a complete thought at 7:01. The jam appeared to be it it’s limit when it began the fade into ambience, but the band was keen to explore at the Gorge, and in their first jam of the weekend, they displayed how far they were willing to go to create a lasting jam. Akin to the “Light” jams of 08/07/2010 and 07/08/2012, once the band found themselves in a melodic beatless territory the jam became an unstoppable force. Perfectly complimenting the setting sun behind the stage, the jam wove through ascending and descending melodic lines, guided wholly by Trey. Switching to the baby grand, Page followed Trey through his winding  and lyrical playing bringing the jam to a resounding peak before fading into the set closing “Cavern.” Far more intuitive and creative than many of their jams in their first six months back, the Gorge “Sally” stands the test of time, and is still generally regarded as one of the best jams produced in 3.0.

“Light -> Taste” – George, WA – 08/07/2009

After debuting the song out of a segue from a resounding “Tweezer” in Boston, “Light” only made one other appearance on 2009’s Summer Leg I, again as a segue, this time, from “Rock & Roll.” Hinting at the song’s improv potential, it descended into a menacing swirl of noise before fading into “46 Days.” After five shows on leg two it had yet to make an appearance forcing many to think if the song had been shelved for tinkering. When it reemerged in the second slot of 07 August’s set II, it’s course in Phish history was about to be altered forever. Passing through it’s structured post-song jam, the song averted it’s previous noise-induced destiny, and instead, made way for a more melodic take on the song. Initiated by Page and Trey at 8:07, the song wove through a splintered thematic journey, moving with ease through various passages and melodies. Settling on a path at 10:06, the band moved into a jam laced with a Caribbean feel, transforming the mountain surroundings into a idyllic beachside island party. Using the same type of lyrical musicianship that defined the Festival 8 “Piper,” the “Light” became contemplative, while also proving impossible to sit still through. Bleeding right into “Taste” the performance and segue put a stamp on the song as one of the most impressive of the summer and bore new life into the band’s jamming. A song that has grown to be regarded as THE standard-bearer of all 3.0 jams, the Gorge “Light” gave us the initial glimpse of all the potential the song possessed.

“Rock & Roll -> Makisupa Policeman” – George, WA – 08/08/2009

Up until 2011, one could predict with a fair amount of accuracy what songs would be jammed each night. Throughout most of 2009 and 2010, Phish remained in the box with much of their catalogue, only routinely allowing a fairly strict rotation of “Down With Disease,” “Drowned,” “Tweezer,” “Light,” “Piper,” “Ghost,” “Crosseyed & Painless,” and “Rock & Roll” to be their vehicles for major exploration. Eliminating much of the spontaneity that had been their name-stay throughout the 1993 – 2004 period, moments of pure, unadulterated exploration typically came in expected pieces. Yet when they did truly hook up – regardless of the song used to catapult them into the unknown – the results were typically sublime. Case in point: the 2009 Gorge “Rock & Roll.” A melodic beast, led in large part by Trey and Page, the jam spends much of it’s 23minutes locked into a loosely-based “Rock & Roll” theme. Highlighted by a brilliant section of interplay by Trey and Page from 10:53 – 18:27, in which the two ride an unshakable foundation from Mike and Page, trading licks and ideas in ways that can only result from close to thirty years of partnership. Building into a rising peak, the jam returns to the “Rock & Roll” chorus proper, before seguing into a bubbly “Makisupa,” that featured Trey and Mike trading instruments. Unique from essentially all other ’09 jams in its clear avoidance of the doctored rhythmic breakdowns and ambient fades that plagued one too many jams throughout the year. The Gorge “Rock & Roll” displayed a keen musicianship and communication in it’s ability to build a lengthy jam off the song’s melody, and sustain it for close to 25min.

“46 Days” – Columbia, MD – 08/15/2009

Perhaps the most underrated piece of music the band has played in all of 3.0? Overshadowed by the dreadful Merriweather Post show it appeared at, “46 Days” emerged in the middle of set II to little-to-no fanfare. A throwaway show just took an awkward turn….Here comes another 5 minute filler….Why play “46 Days” right now????….were all thoughts from fans at the show, listening to the stream, and following the setlist online. Little-to-no attention was paid to it, the show got shat on the next day on PT, and most forgot about the jam by the time Fishman covered Katy Perry the next night at SPAC. Yet going back, it’s clearly one of the top tier jams of the year, and still, one of the lasting moments of 3.0. Wasting no time, Trey initiates a dive into the unknown at 4:38 with an ominous riff, latched onto immediately by his bandmates. Abandoning “46 Days” completely, the jam straddles darkness and light like few jams at the time were capable. Latching onto new ideas with ease, the guys followed each other in a veritable musical dialogue, wasting little time, and not allowing any idea to become stale. A foreshadow of many of the jams that would become commonplace in 2011 and especially 2012, the “46 Days” was one of those rare moments during the early parts of 3.0 where the band showed clear signs of their former selves. Building to a resounding peak from 9:35 – 11:13, Trey directed the jam even further into a beat-driven territory, that peaked again before fading away. A fully realized jam that moved beyond the thematic realm of “46 Days” with little effort, and displayed an innate communication, it was a shining moment in an otherwise forgotten show, and a hidden gem in the 3.0 era.

“Light -> Slave To The Traffic Light” – Indio, CA – 11/01/2009

Just when it seemed Festival 8 would go down as the first Phish festival since The Clifford Ball without a massive foray into the netherworld, Phish busted out “Light” for the first time since the Gorge, taking the song deep into uncharted territory. Initiate by Page’s switch from the baby grand and organs to his synths at 6:49, the band moved away from the loose melody of the jam, and into more spacious, noise-based territory. Where in many of the jams of the summer Trey would fade immediately upon Page’s cue, thus signaling another song, here he layered above Page with staccotoed notes, while Fishman moved into more beatless territory. By 9:46 they’d all jumped onto the noise jam, culminating in a five minute segment of improvisation based around ambient washes and atypical soundscapes. Like a peek into the Phish of old, the 8 “Light” harkened memories of the IT “Waves” in it’s emphasis on nothingness. Hinting at “What’s The Use?” the jam ultimately bled seamlessly into “Slave To The Traffic Light,” capping off an incredible holiday weekend, and sending everyone off to Fall Tour with high expectations. Though the song wouldn’t be fully realized until nearly a year later in Berkely, CA, the 8 “Light,” like the Gorge version before it, displayed the near-limitless possibilities for the song, and proved the band still knew how to throw down at a fest.

“Seven Below -> Ghost” – Albany, NY – 11/28/2009

It was the moment everyone had been waiting for. The moment when Phish would cut the shit, quit trying to be a tight rock band, and just fucking jam. Eight shows into a Fall Tour that felt more like a step back than the great leap forward everyone expected it would be, the band stepped on stage for the last set of their Albany Run, and threw down 50 minutes of uninterrupted improv. While the jam segment has been surpassed time and again in the years since, the “Seven Below -> Ghost” is still regarded as one of the most cherished moments of 3.0 for the ubiquitous celebration that emitted from the arena, and on the message boards in the days following it. Sparked by the band’s refusal to follow Trey back into “Seven Below,” Trey finally relented at 8:06, and the band was off. Stumbling a bit out the gates, the band sounds stubbornly determined to actually jam until 12:10 when the ideas start coming with ease. Reminiscent in ways to their ’94-’95 jams, by which they’d throw ideas at a proverbial wall to see which stuck, once they latched onto a strutting rhythm, garnished by a bubbly melody, they jammed without restraint straight through “Ghost.” From the moment Trey initiated a thematic riff at 16:17, the band built to a massive peak, culminating from 20:33 – 21:03 before shifting into a loose and ominous fade into “Ghost.” If “Seven Below” had taken a few minutes to sort itself out before discovering greatness, the band was so loose upon entering “Ghost,” that they went straight for the jugular. Coming out the gates with a thick groove, the jam initially resembled “Cool It Down,” before teasing “Seven Below,” and then moving into a strikingly melodic jam. Beginning an initial ascent, the theme peaked at 9:43, before turning sinister and grungy. After spending a few minutes wandering from various themes, the jam settled in it’s most thrilling segment, a seven-minute jam off the theme of “Maze.” Peaking repeatedly, it became one of the most raucous, hectic, and powerful “Ghost’s” we’ve ever heard. Fading into an ambient section, the jam concluded to a standing ovation, as fans everywhere let the band know how appreciative they were of them throwing everything on the line. Unsurpassed in many ways until August 2010, the Albany “Seven Below -> Ghost” is still regarded by many as one of the top jams of 3.0.

“Down With Disease -> Piper” – New York City, NY – 12/03/2009

Cueing up the best set of Phish’s 3.0 return to MSG, the band threw down a classic combination of two of their best jam vehicles, resulting in one of the more enamored segments of the year. Riding out a ferocious Type I onslaught off the “DWD” theme, Trey directed the jam into open territory at 9:31. Weaving with fluid motion, and full-band-connectivity, the jam straddled rhythmic grooves and Trey-led builds in ways many jams during the Fall Tour simply couldn’t. Seriously, it is some of the best lead work Trey did all year long. At 14:48 Trey cues a descent from the jam’s surging pace, resulting in five minutes of gorgeous ambient interplay. Highlighted by Page’s choice synth work, and Trey’s blissful interjections, the jam is a shining example of the less-is-more approach, as the band clearly let the jam take hold of their playing, rather than try to force ideas. Flowing with ease into “Piper,” the jam took on a more focused approach, opting for a full-on rhythmic assault, less exploratory in nature, yet still quite compelling. Like a refined version of many of the attempted percussive jams of the tour, the “Piper” concluded near-30 minutes of improv in raging fashion. After a lackluster night one at MSG, the “Down With Disease -> Piper” was the kind of moment many had been expecting Phish’s return to The World’s Most Famous Arena to be full of. Kicking off a monumental set of music, it was yet another transformative moment for the band in 2009.

“Tweezer -> Prince Caspian” – Miami, FL – 12/29/2009

For as talented as each member of Phish is, their best jams almost always come from a place of innate musical simplicity. Case in point: The Miami “Tweezer.” One of the best jams of 2009, yet another step forward for the band in terms of communication, flow, and patience, and a jam that displays little of the bells and whistles that comes with each member’s abilities. Flowing out of the “Tweezer” theme into a sultry funk groove, vocal harmonics are incorporated, a “Manteca” tease is tossed out, Gordo is given a proper spotlight, and a bit of start/stop jamming is implemented, all in the first 13 minutes. 2009 “Tweezer’s” were good. So good that no less than six were considered for this list. What separates this “Tweezer” from the rest of the pack however, is the near-five minute ambient jam that concludes the piece – hinting at “I Am Hydrogen” – before segueing beautifully into “Prince Caspian.” Devoid of the Trey-ADD moments that cut short so many promising ambient jams in 2009 and 2010, the “Tweezer” is given room to breathe, resulting in a contemplative, and fully realized jam. The “Caspian” that follows is akin to many of the revitalized performances throughout 3.0 of the once-hated buzz-kill. Prominently featuring Trey front-and-center, it’s granted the patience of the “Tweezer” with the distinctly arena rock flair it was written for. Though not as esoteric, nor shape-shifting as many of 2010 “Caspains” would turn out to be, the Miami version proved a proper cap to the year’s iconic “Tweezer,” as the overall segment properly sums up the band’s comfort and pleasure with playing together, as could be heard throughout their Miami Run.

“Back On The Train -> Wading In The Velvet Sea” – Miami, FL – 12/30/2009

Props to the most random union ever to be found on one of these lists. The transcendent 17-minute “Back On The Train” would not have been possible were it not for a mistake by Trey at 6:18. Upon returning to the song after the solo, he riffed the “BOTT” rhythm, but with minored chords. Forging ahead the band diverted their return and directed the jam into uncharted waters. While “Back On The Train” had been extended twice prior – 06/14/2000 and 02/28/2003 – never had it left it’s structure with such ease, yet determination. Moving into an ambient terrain, the jam initially felt like more of an extended outro, until Trey latched onto Fishman’s rising drums at 10:49. Building into a rock-based climb, the band embraced the unknown with open arms, recalling the 1997-esque Hendrix-style guitar attacks that once defined their jams. Flowing through a number of segments of sonic interplay the jam eventually came to rest before segueing into “Wading In The Velvet Sea.” Though not as rewarding in it’s peak as it could have been, the jam is notable for both the absolute rarity of a near-20 minute jam off “BOTT,” and for it’s clear display of the comfort and zealousness the band was enriched with throughout the Miami Run. A run that proved to band and fans alike just how far they’d come, jams like the 12/30 “BOTT” were essential is displaying how successful they could be when they unleashed into the unknown. It’s no surprise either, that, following this performance, nearly every “Back On The Train” in 2010 is a must hear.

“Ghost -> N02” – Miami, FL – 12/31/2009

My pick for The Jam of 2009, the Miami “Ghost” is fully connected piece of Phish that completely displayed how far the band had come in just nine months, and gave everyone reason to look towards 2010 with high expectations. From the moment the song ends, Gordo flipped on his envelope filter, crafting a bubbly counter-melody to “Ghost’s” groove, pushing the song into a dance-based territory. Sustaining the trance-yness of Gordeaux’s bass lines, Trey stuck to the background, refraining from injecting too much, rather allowing the jam to build organically. It was a telling sign of his improvement throughout the year, in that Phish’s best jams in 2009 typically came from moments when he installed a less-is-more philosophy. Since their return, not coincidentally, nearly every failed jam has resulted from Trey trying to do too much. At 6:09 Trey cues a switch to a more rock-based jam, yet Mike stays within the realm of the bouncy, dance melody he’d constructed. Resulting in a strangely organic segment where in which Trey and Page were clearly building towards a traditional peak, while Mike was bouncing from thought to though, and Fishman – much improved from his mid-2009  low point – was sustaining both the rock build-up, along with the dance beats. Pushing into a more melodic segment at 8:20, the band continues the tension & release build, while directing the jam into it’s most rewarding part. Trey takes the lead with some really stunning and gorgeous riffs, all the while layering his thoughts under his immediate licks. While it sounds at 10:56 like they’re going to break down and fade the jam out without any true peak, Trey uses the strutting groove to his advantage, continuing his masterful and melodic onslaught. Some of his most creative playing of 2009 ensues, as he directs the jam into a dream-like territory before teasing “Auld Lang Syne.” Driving the theme into a demented realm, Trey signals the sirens and the band cues up “N02” for the first time since 07/13/1999. A perfect counter to a “Ghost” that had everything, featured each member with equal clarity, and displayed an innate communication that had been gaining steam throughout their return. While certain jams were longer, some raged harder, and a few went deeper into the unknown, the Miami “Ghost” reigns as the jam of 2009 for it’s simple display of the four members abilities and the linear musical communication required for them to reach that place. A jam that still holds up some four years later, it’s a testament to how far they’d come in such a short time.

– Click Here For Part II – The Best Shows of 2009 –

The Best Of Phish – 2012

“To the victor goes the spoils.” – Sen. William Macy (1832)

When Phish announced their return on 1 October 2008 – four-plus years away from the world of sold-out arena’s, fully connected jams, and everything that comes with the Phish scene – there was both a collective sigh of relief and, resounding celebratory roar from anyone who’d connected with the band, and had hoped the demise of Coventry would not be the last time Phish would grace the stage. Four years of worn out Phish tapes, unfulfilling solo efforts, and quotes from Trey about his willingness to give up a testicle to play “You Enjoy Myself” all-day/every-day had made the fan base hungry, and desperate, for a do-over of the 2004 conclusion of Phish. What few realized, however, was just how long and arduous a process it would be for Phish to retain the sense of who they were when they finally returned to the road in the Spring of 2009. Five years removed from touring – not to mention at least ten years since their last serious practice session – Phish was noticeably rusty upon their return, and used much of 2009 and early 2010 as a back-to-basics campaign to relearn what it meant to be Phish. Determined to rebuild from scratch, the early part of 3.0 featured an inconsistent band who was accused by many of returning simply as a last grasp for a paycheck.

Gone were the unending jams of 1997-2004, gone was the zany spirit that had defined them in their early years, gone was the unpredictability that made every show a must-see, must-listen event. In it’s place was a band that appeared unsure of itself, intimidated by their fan’s expectations, and unable to consistently muster up the energy and magic that had come to be expected with a Phish show. First sets became extended recitals where the band sought to relearn their entire catalogue. Second sets – which had long been an opportunity for the band to dive head first into the unknown – were suddenly predictable. Featuring a handful of rotating “jam vehicles” to kick them off, yet provided little in the way of substantial experimentation, they almost always concluded with a string of high-energy classic standards, that, while certainly were fun to hear live, retained little replay value for anyone interested in listening to their shows. All the more frustrating was the sense that anytime Phish would play a show that was unanimously regarded with praise, they would essentially take two steps backwards by following it up with a dud. The entirety of 2009 and the June 2010 run is littered with shows that many loved, and still love – 06/07/2009, 06/19/2009, 08/01/2009, 08/14/2009,  11/24/2009, 11/29/2009, 06/18/2010, 06/27/2010 – only to be followed by shows that were among the weakest offerings of this or any era of Phish. Worst of all, Trey Anastasio, Phish’s leader – far and away the most talented member of the band during their best years – had seemingly forgotten how to play guitar. It appeared throughout the first 18 months of 3.0 that the Trey, who had so often taken charge in jams – who’s playing had inspired Carlos Stantana to coin the term “Hosing” to describe his style of jamming – had disappeared in a cloud of drug abuse and rehab. Replaced by a fumbling, awkward, mistake-prone guitarist who couldn’t get his tone right, cut jams short, ignored his bandmates, and valued contained energy over exploration, the band felt tame simply because their leader was leading with an emphasis on timidness. When they closed out the first leg of their June 2010 run with a high-energy, yet forced string of shows in Alpharetta, GA, there were more questions surrounding the direction of the band, than at any time in their career, save April 2004.

And yet, throughout all of the ups and downs, throughout all of the just bad shows, throughout all of the “Sand> Horse” moments that seemed to hang over Phish 3.0 in the first year and a half since their return, there were still many fans who held on to the belief that the entire process was a calculated one of rebuilding, one that would reward in droves once the band regained their footing. There had been too many signs of greatness – the “Fluffhead> Divided Sky” to beckon in 3.0, 06/07/2009, the gimmicks and jams that engulfed 06/21/2009, the entire Red Rocks run, the music created at the Gorge, Hartford, Festival 8, “Seven Below -> Ghost,” 12/30/2009, “Tweezer Reprise Reprise,” 06/27/2010, “Fuck Your Face” – for 3.0 to simply be a cash-grab. Phish had always been a band that relied heavily on a tight-looseness (loose-tightness). And this in-the-moment creativity was best delivered through practice, repetition and communication, something that the band hadn’t had in at least five years. Clearly they were aware that their music wasn’t on the level that many had come to expect from them. Clearly they were working towards a bigger goal. Clearly they hadn’t reunited, toured and spent so much time relearning their entire catalogue for nostalgic purposes. Clearly, Phish wasn’t a Greatest Hits band that would return to the stage only to be a stale shell of their former self.

The first sign that those who stood by the band’s 3.0 direction were right came on 08/06/2010. In the intimate Greek Theater Phish took a typically standard First Set “Cities,” latched onto a groove from Mike, and locked into a jam that could have been plucked right out of Summer 1998. The second set featured a blissful take on “Simple,” directing the ambient section of the song into a bubbling melody, resulting in some of the most organic music created in this era. “Light” from 08/07/2010 followed the trend, and from there, the band crafted easily the best tour of 3.0 at that time. Surpassed immediately by the Fall Tour that saw the band traverse throughout the Northeast in some of the most intimate and archaic venues they’d played since the mid-90’s, Phish rediscovered their zany spirit, and infused nearly every show with humor, energy, and intricate jams. Due in large part to the Ocedoc guitar that Trey received from their former sound technician/guitar craftsman, Paul Languedoc, prior to the August 2010 tour, Trey’s tone became much less abrasive overnight, and his playing immediately evolved into a more rhythm-oriented style, emphasizing the lead only when necessary. Concluding the year with a triumphant five-show run through Worcester, MA and New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Phish had clearly turned a corner in 2010, allowing all to look ahead to 2011 with gleeful excitement, rather than cautious optimism.

The overall sense surrounding 2011 is that while Phish made some of the greatest leaps forward in reasserting their brilliance, they still lacked the consistency that had defined them during the peak of their career. While there were moments that were far and away better than anything they’d been capable of during the first two years of 3.0, they were still just as prone to abandon exploration in favor of energy, and at times, could certainly be accused of mailing in performances, such as their incredibly lackluster 2011 NYE Run. Featuring a number of ups and downs, the year started off with a brilliant run in Bethel Woods, NY, and jam for the ages from “Down With Disease -> Fluffhead -> David Bowie,” outside Detroit. Yet, the June tour took the route of the 2009 and ’10 runs, sputtering as it moved along, and featuring a string of forgettable shows that left many questioning where the source of their initial energy had come from. The Super Ball IX Festival over Fourth of July Weekend on the other hand, featured the most important moment in 3.0 – “The Storage Jam” – followed by the best show of 3.0 in 07/03/2011, and helped to reinvigorate the band with a sense of wonder, and an intrigue in the unknown. As Trey said, “it kind of reignited us to open our minds a little bit.”

When they returned in August at the wide-open Gorge amphitheater in Washington, they kick-started a tour that would feature some of the darkest, most exploratory, and surreal jams since 2004, most notably the 08/05/2011 “Rock & Roll -> Meatstick -> Boogie On Reggae Woman,” 08/09 “Light” and 08/15 “Waves -> Undermind.” Closing out the tour with a celebratory, innovative and overall victorious three-day run at the intimate Dick’s Sporting Goods Park just outside of Denver was a send off to a summer that, while it had it’s moments of uncertainty and mistakes, had seen Phish take more risks and reap more rewards than any point during 3.0. All the more bizarre then, their New Year’s Eve Run at Madison Square Garden turned out to be a complete dud aside from the tepidly exploratory and genuinely fun opening show on the 28th. Without a Fall Tour to bridge Summer and the holiday’s, Phish sounded directionless, and for the first time in all of 3.0, truly appeared to be going through the motions. 2011, which had begun with such optimism, with so much joy over the state of the band, ended with a resounding sense of skepticism, backed up by the fact that 2012 was going to be a “lite touring year for the band.”

As the two summer tours were unveiled in the late winter, the offerings left much to be desired for they featured a string of shows in oft-played Northeastern venues, followed by a two-week scattering of one-off shows in August in-between a three-night stand in San Francisco, and the second-annual Labor Day Tour Finale at Dick’s. What’s more was the confirmation in April that the band would not release any more tour dates in 2012, meaning even fewer shows would be played in 2012 than 2011, only further worrying a fan base that the best of 3.0 had come and gone in a flash. Oh, but we were oh so wrong…

In one of the best scene’s in Phish’s 2000 documentary, Bittersweet Motel, Trey responds to a question about their Fall 1997 tour, saying, “Nobody’s paying any attention, and we’re having the best tour we’ve had in years.” This quote could aptly describe the Summer 2012 tour in the same way it did the legendary Fall 1997 outing. While sure, people were excited for the 2012 return of Phish, the sense of anticipation, the unbridled celebration, the endless discussions on what would happen this tour were all but absent from the Phish community in the weeks leading up to 7 June. For the first time Phish would begin a tour in 3.0 without much fanfare, hype or expectations. And in legendary fashion, they responded with easily the best tour they’ve had in years. Putting to rest the myth that their June runs were there to get the kinks out, the band spent a week rehearsing prior to their opening run in Worcester, MA. Resulting in an experimental-heavy tone to the start of tour, a string of rare songs, and standards in unique placements, the tour kicked off with an anything-goes spirit that wouldn’t let up once throughout first leg.

Turning conventional wisdom on it’s head, the tour featured a band excited about it’s music, excited about playing with each other, energized, and using every show as an opportunity to dig deeper than they had in all of 3.0. The growing pains were officially gone, this was finally the Phish we’d been waiting for for four years. To those who had hung around and believed even when the band threw a 06/20/2009, 08/15/2009, 11/25/2009, 06/17/2010, 10/15/2010, 10/24/2010, 06/10/2011, 08/10/2011, 12/30/2011 in our faces, 2012 was a revelation, a year of spoils to both band and fans alike. With a stated goal of playing 200 unique songs throughout June, the run was infused with rarities and a sense that any song could – and would – be played at any show. Add to it, the comfort the band felt with each other again, multiple jams would pop up in various shows, reigniting the band’s sense of exploration, and thus proving “The Storage Jam” was a turning point, rather than a on-off experiment. Combining these two aspects of Phish resulted in a tour for the ages, one that spilled over into August and featured a number of standout shows with a more polished approach to the wildness of June. Culminating with the Dick’s shows, the band once again capped off the tour with a celebratory run that emphasized exploration, delivered the best jams of the year, the best shows of the year, and gave 07/03/2011 a real run for it’s money.

In the same sense as the rest of 2012, Phish returned to MSG for their NYE Run far more prepared than they had a year earlier, resulting in a much better overall run. While it is clear that they do in fact benefit from a Fall tour, the band still managed to infuse their MSG shows with a determined and driven energy, stoked the exploratory fire lit at Dick’s, and gave all in attendance – and all listening at home through the much-refined couch tour – a reason to truly be happy about the state of Phish in 2012. As we look forward to the 30th year of the band’s career, there’s no reason anyone should question the direction, drive or focus of Phish. If it wasn’t clear before, it’s more than obvious now that the trials and errors of 2009 – 2011 have all but been overcome, and that Phish is in a healthier state than they’ve been since 1995.

As with the last two years, I’ve assembled a list of ten shows and jams that standout as the best of the year. Along with these selections, there are three honorable mentions to each. These are not simply shows/jams 11-13, but rather foundational jams and shows with which the band grew, yet didn’t crack my top ten. The lists are assembled chronologically just like the last two years, thus reserving the title “Best Ever” as a subjective accolade. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Happy New Year! Can’t wait to see what 2013 brings to the world of Phish!

Honorable Jams

“Boogie On Reggae Woman” – Worcester, MA – 06/07/2012

The first night of the 2012 Summer tour brought an array of surprises – from the bookending “Buried Alive” performances, to the quantity of jams in Set II including “Carini,” “Ghost” and “Harry Hood” – perhaps the greatest being the jam that emerged from “Boogie On Reggae Woman.” A song that’s been let out to run only a handful of times, it’s typically been called upon in 3.0 to showcase Mike’s bass talents, and inject a show with a dose of fun and energy. Yet on 7 June, after emerging from a rather demented and atypical “Ghost,” Trey jumped all over the “Boogie On” jam, building a raucous theme, and highlighting his reacquaintance with the “Hose.” All energy, all rock, all Trey, the Worcester “Boogie On” is neither the most exploratory, nor most original number of the night. What it is though, is that moment when everyone in the Phish scene realized the band had really brought out their big guns in 2012, a foreshadowing of the surprises and the overall greatness the band had in store for us fans during the summer of 2012.

“Limb By Limb” – St. Louis, MO – 08/28/2012

For a song that had grown increasingly stale, and predictably tepid, the “Limb By Limb” from 28 August represented a revolutionary moment for Phish. Appearing deep in one of the best second sets of the year, it seemed initially that it would be used as a breather after the “Chalk Dust Torture -> Frankie Says -> Undermind -> Sand -> Walk Away” jamfest that had opened the set. Yet, once the band broke from the song’s structure, they left the theme completely, as Trey led them down a completely unique and untapped path, totally devoid of “Limb By Limb’s” original concept. At first, dark and rhythmically plodding, the jam built upon a celebratory melody, leading to a full band peak, which ultimately hinted at the jams that would emerge from “Light” and “Sand” at Dick’s the following weekend. Featuring fully realized licks from Trey, structurally supportive bass from Mike, a resounding organ fill from Page and proactive drum riffs from Fish, it was the kind of energized tension and release jam that had been the band’s bread and butter for so many years. Returning here, in type-II fashion to compliment one of their best lyrical songs – at a critical point during the show, and tour – it only further stoked the furnace that was burning within the band in 2012.

“Runaway Jim > Farmhouse” – Commerce City, CO – 08/31/2012

The first of five jams and two shows from the legendary 2012 Dick’s Run to appear on this list. When Phish left the structure of “Runaway Jim” to open the second set of 08/31/2012 – only the second time they’d done so since 2000 – everyone in the venue, and watching from the comfort of their couches knew it was on. The first set of the show had featured two fully realized jams in “Carini” and “Undermind,” a first set “You Enjoy Myself,” and a setlist that read: F.U.C.K.Y.O.U. Thus when they opted to see how far from home Jim would rome, rather than keep him chained up as he’d been for all of 3.0, it was a clear sign that the Dick’s run wouldn’t follow suit with the various criticisms and assumptions that had plagued much of the last four years of Phish. A jam that moved from it’s theme into a much darker realm, the Dick’s “Jim” might be most notable for it’s recovery from potential miscommunicated disaster from 12:00 – 12:24, resulting in an improvised funk-throwdown, the sorts of you just don’t get this side of 1998. Sveltely flowing into a melodic segment of psychedelia, the band displayed a desire to push jams beyond their typical resting places, a theme which would come to represent the entire run. Landing in “Farmhouse,” it appeared as though the gimmicks from set one were over. Yet, the band had other ideas. Needing to fit R.F.A.C.E. in the second set meant they had to keep the jams rolling, and once the theme of “Farmhouse” ended, they embarked upon a segment of Ambient washes and spacious noise that brought everyone back to the phenomenal “IT Waves” from 2003. An unlikely pairing of jamming partners in 2012, “Jim > Farmhouse” represented the realization at Dick’s that the Phish we thought we’d figured out, had once again duped us. A sense us fans were more than happy to accept.

The Top Ten Jams Of 2012

“Birds Of A Feather -> Back On The Train -> Heavy Things” – Atlantic City, NJ – 06/15/2012

Born out of Phish’s 1997 linear musical communication renaissance was a song that felt snagged from the discography of The Talking Heads. For it’s first seven years in existence, “Birds Of A Feather” worked a lot like “Chalk Dust Torture” in that it could alternate with ease between an exploratory jam vehicle and a short, punchy, determined rocker. Then 3.0 came around and the song’s edge seemed to be gone for good, as every version followed the same pattern of thematic soloing, high-energy payoff, end. At first it seemed the 15 June version was destined for the same short, unnoticed death, something which would have hailed an immediate end to a promising show. Yet, Trey held the final note of the song’s chorus out just long enough for his band members to latch on and ride the song out into the unknown. What followed was a blissful, weaving jam which displayed full band communication, startlingly gorgeous leads from Trey, and an intricate and patterned melody that sounded as though it had been composed. Building through melody, rather than noise or energy, the jam took on a sound much akin to the “Birds” jams of 1999 and 2000, retaining the song’s theme, and exploring within it. When Trey moved into a minor key the jam took on a harder feel, resulting in a rhythm-based jam that led seamlessly into “Back On The Train.” Remaining totally within the structure of the country-twinged song took nothing away from the segment, for when it bled into “Heavy Things” the triumvirate of the late-90’s songs had flowed so perfectly together, that the concept felt pre-planned. Ushering in the era of musical suites that seemed to defined 2012’s jamming structure, the “BOAF -> GBOTT -> H Things” was one of the early highlights of summer which reminded everyone that the successes of Worcester were not all for naught, regardless of the mediocre Bonnaroo show.

“Twist” – Cincinnati, OH – 06/22/2012

Emerging out of the murky fade of “Kill Devil Falls,” “Twist” was a welcome addition mid-way through Set II of a show that had produced an absolute classic First Set – full of gimmicks and killer playing – and a Second Set that through “DWD> Guelah, Kill Devil Falls” was in danger of fading into predictability. A song that had been used almost solely as an vehicle for seedy improv in 1.0 and 2.0, “Twist” had become more of a slow-shuffling blues number in recent years, exciting fans more with it’s possibilities, rather than it’s delivery. Keenly aware of this, Page switched from his strutting piano fills to his organ at 6:13, followed immediately by Gordo hovering over an ominous tick-tock bass riff, solidified by Trey’s minored trills which dove the song into the nether world for the first time since Coventry. What followed was perhaps the darkest, seediest and evilest jam Phish had produced since the 08/15/2004 “Split Open & Melt -> Ghost.” If the knock on Phish has been that they can’t get dark in this era of drug-free, happy-Phish, then the Cincinnati “Twist” threw this theory into an abandoned pit and let it rot to the glee of everyone watching and listening. Highlighted by noise-induced guitar washes and a sinister duel between Mike and Trey from 8:54 – 10:20, the jam never rose above the underworld it embodied over fourteen minutes. A moment when Phish proved their ability to summon the demons of the past, the Cinci “Twist” would reemerge at least in theme in a number of other dark jams throughout the year, all of which owe a debt of gratitude to it for breaking the barrier.

“Mike’s Song -> Simple> Light> Weekapaug Groove -> Seven Below” – Burgettstown, PA – 06/23/2012

Throughout their career there has been a suite of music that has hung around with their constantly evolving styles, and has reflected the current state of the band like few other songs could. “Mike’s Groove” as it’s affectionately referred to by their fan’s is a shape-shifting union of songs which can appear as simply as “Mike’s -> Hydrogren> Groove,” or “Mike’s -> Simple -> Hydrogen> Groove,” or, can morph into a completely separate entity, book-ended by “Mike’s” and “Groove,” but containing ideas within that can only be found within the confines of an era. Notable examples can be found on 12/30/1993, 06/22/1994, 12/01/1995, 12/07/1995, 12/31/1995, 12/02/1997, 08/15/1998, 08/06/2010 and 10/26/2010. The lone show of 2012 in Burgettstown, PA joined this elusive group with a “Groove” in Set II that seemed to sum up everything about the modern era of Phish that makes it special. Following a punctual “Mike’s,” “Simple” faded into the Ambient wonderland it’s become in 3.0 as Mike, Page, and Trey all built a wall of blissful noise, and Fishman continued to prove his worth with off-beat rhythms that kept the music constantly on it’s toes. The undisputed jam-champion of 3.0, “Light” once again was featured as the centerpiece in this suite and show, as Trey and Page guided it from a noise-ladened swamp into a calypso-themed dance-off, and finally a demented, rhythm-based soiree. One of the more connected versions in a year full of them, the “Light” itself is truly one of the top tier pieces of music produced by the band this year. “Weekapaug” picked up right where “Light” left off, diving head-first into staccatoed beats, Moog-induced rhymes, ambient washes, and a deconstructed fade to the 2.0 rare-classic, “Seven Below.” While not the extended journey it is constantly capable of being. “Seven Below” served as a proper conclusion to the suite, with it’s “Weekapaug” inspired jam, hints at the underworld, and contemplative pace that allowed everyone a chance to breath after the music that had just transpired. A fully realized fifty-minute suite of music the “Mike’s -> Simple> Light> Groove -> Seven Below” was one of the best overall moments of an incredible June run, and an incredible year of Phish.

“Crosseyed & Painless -> Light -> Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley -> Crosseyed & Painless” – San Francisco, CA – 08/19/2012

On the third night of their massively hyped, yet so far underwhelming, run at the intimate Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Phish not only put on one of the best shows of the year, but clicked for a 45-minute suite of music that rivaled the Burgettestown “Mike’s Groove.” Featuring the first truly extended and experimental “Crosseyed & Painless” since 05/27/2011, the set moved with determined precision, weaving through historical Phish themes, and crafting a fully-realized union of songs that would have highlighted any show in any era. Dedicating the final 7:45 of “Crossyed” to ambience, the band engaged in a jam that flowed with ease from one theme to another, pushing itself seamlessly from its origins. Featuring some of the best Mike, Page and Trey interplay, it was a blissful foreshadowing of the music that would come to dominate Dick’s and the best parts of MSG. “Light” took on a more aggressive role, initially teasing “Crosseyed” before moving into a fully-loaded, rhythm-based groove session. Packed tight with a rock breakdown from Trey and Page, Trey once again took the lead and engulfed the jam with fully-formed lyrical phrasings on the Ocedoc, harkening back to the aforementioned Burgettstown “Light.” Hinting at the “Tweezer Reprise” that was still on the table, Trey directed the torrid jam into “Sneakin’ Sally” crafting the second memorable version of the legendary cover of the Summer. From funk-rock origins the song descended into a groove that resided in the Set’s opener and before one realized it, suddenly they were back in “Crosseyed & Painless,” thus completing a massive sandwich of high-energy and exploratory music that achieved literally all the goals set out for by the band when they returned in 2009. A flawless segment of music, the “Crosseyed -> Light -> Sally -> Crosseyed” highlighted one of the shows of summer, and reignited summer tour as it moved into the Southeast.

“Undermind” – Commerce City, CO – 08/31/2012

Deep in the best First Set of 3.0 came a top tier jam and immediately solidified the Dick’s run as the best of the last four years; even before it ever really got going. Completing the First Set F.U.C.K.Y.O.U. gag, which would spill over and engulf the entire show, “Undermind” took a wholly unique route the second it left it’s theme. Led entirely by Trey, the jam reflects the massive improvements he made as a guitarist throughout 2012, and is the culmination of the efforts he made all summer, starting with the Worcester “Boogie On.” Flowing through various themes before reaching an ethereal peak that closed out the set, it’s a perfect piece of improv, something Phish simply wasn’t capable of on this level prior to 2012. Whereas in the previous three years, any Trey-led jam would follow the route of predictable rhythm-based breakdowns, followed by ambient washes, the Dick’s “Undermind” has fully-formed ideas based around unique riffs that all sounded composed upon first listen. When it was happening, I was unaware of the gag occurring, simply thinking I was witnessing a totally different band than the one I’d listened to play a contained and predictable show in Oklahoma City two nights earlier. All’s I remember thinking is that this would be the perfect jam to end the set on, that we didn’t need a “Golgi,” “Character Zero,” or “Stealin’ Time” set closer proper. The fact that gag-or-no-gag, the band instinctively knew what they’d accomplished with this jam and decided to close out their phenomenal opening set at Dick’s with it, only goes to show just how important it was to them then. It’s replay value and ability to still surprise, proves it’s importance to all of their fans now.

“Chalk Dust Torture” – Commerce City, CO – 08/31/2012

The eternal Phish-rebellious-rocker, “Chalk Dust Torture” has been here before. One of the most unique numbers in their repertoire, the song spent the majority of it’s first eight years as a punctual rocker, used to open/close a show, or infuse one with a massive dose of adrenaline. Then, out of nowhere it started randomly being used as a launching pad for exploration. The 07/10/1999 version which spilt into “Roggae,” the 08/03/2003 masterpiece that seemed to fulfill the idea of what it would be like if “Chalk Dust” were originally written as a 25-minute song, and the elongated 08/09/2004 version that’s probably the only memorable part of the Hampton ’04 show. In 3.0 it returned to it’s historical place of a doors-busting rock anthem, used seemingly to open every other show in 2009 and much of 2010. Yet, when it opened Set II of 06/25/2010, something changed, the paradigm shifted, and the exploratory possibilities were renewed. Call it fate, call it destiny, but when the band stretched the 08/25/2012 version into “What’s The Use?” and the 08/28/2012 Set II opener into a spacey jam that ultimately landed in “Frankie Says,” everyone could sense that the version played at Dick’s would fully embrace the unknown. Thus when it was placed in the “C” slot of the F.A.C.E. part of the gag, only forty minutes into the second set, the band jumped all over a version that ranks up there with 07/10/1999 and 08/03/2003 as the best versions of the song ever played. Like the “Undermind,” Trey is in control of the entire jam. Yet what separates the “Chalk Dust” is his willingness to rely on off-beat rhythms in a way he simply couldn’t in years past; to fully communicate with his band members as they shifted through a multitude of themes. Each member shines in this version, and every fan owes it to themselves to watch the performance of it for themselves. You’ve just never seen Phish fully embrace the unknown and exploration in 3.0 in the way they do throughout the “Chalk Dust” jam. Surreal still now to hear it, something about Dick’s just brings whatever it is, out of Phish.

“Prince Caspian> Light” – Commerce City, CO – 09/01/2012

After playing an impossibly brilliant show to kick off their run at Dick’s over Labor Day weekend, it seemed pretty certain that Phish just wouldn’t be capable of topping their 08/31 performance. Even a “Run Like An Antelope” opener, followed by a “Tweezer -> Fluffhead” in slots 3 and 4 didn’t seem up to the immeasurable task asked of them on this evening. Thus when Trey abandoned a potentially promising “Golden Age” jam for “Prince Caspian” it felt like a confirmation that they just couldn’t quite summon up what was needed to even attempt to push the show into the conversation with the “Fuck Your Face” show. Then, out of nowhere, “Caspian” went where it hasn’t gone in years; or, since at least 1999. Trey hooked onto a Hendrix-esque concept and drove the song far below the waters, infusing it with sinister lead, before breaking it all down, only to re-build the atypical jam with torrential focus and drive, summoning the demons. Brutal, evil, raging, it was the kind of jam that just wasn’t commonplace in Phish 3.0. It felt badass. It felt like the Phish of old where one couldn’t predict where or when their moments of inspiration would emerge. Fading into “Light” – the 3rd version of the song on this list this year – it was clear Phish was going to at least take a stab at competing with the previous night. And compete they did. A performance for the ages, “Light” – which had never crossed the 20-minute mark in it’s storied career as Phish’s go-to 3.0 jam vehicle – built through multiple, fully-conceived themes to a peak that’s honestly difficult to communicate in writing. Stylistically altering the fates of two remaining jams on this list, the Dick’s “Light” combined the exploratory zealousness of 2012, with their high-energy, Tension & Release jams of lore, patiently building over time to a peak that nearly tore the Colorado soccer field down. Sustaining the peak from 20:10 – 22:45, the venue was overwhelmed in the expansive lights, fist pumps, engulfing cheers, and shit-eating-Trey-Grins that have long represented the band’s most memorable moments. Honestly, a jam that needs to be heard to believed, this was Phish fully connected, refusing to abandon an idea when they knew they could sniff greatness, building towards a moment of ethereal bliss that felt like a brilliant cap on the summer, and confirmed that Dick’s was no one-show-pony.

“Sand -> Ghost -> Piper” – Commerce City, CO – 09/02/2012

On the final night of their 2012 Summer Tour, Phish opened up their second set with a triumvirate of music, featuring three of their most historically brilliant jam vehicles. After playing two of their best shows of the year – and of the era – the band opted to treat the First Set of 09/02 like a Greatest Hits album, throwing down high-energy classics rather than traversing the unknown like the previous two nights. With so many songs still on the table, it seemed a certainty that they’d treat the final set of Summer in the same manner. Yet, when they left the confines of “Sand” seven and a half minutes into the song, they kicked off 50 straight minutes of unabridged music, the likes of which ranked with the best of the previous two days. The “Sand” itself is incredibly notable for the sheer fact that – aside from the adventurousness of 12/13/1999, 12/31/1999 and 06/07/2009 – no version has ever left the structure of “Sand” quite like this. Building from a sublime state of ambient pause, “Sand” went the rout of “Light” as it built into an absolutely epic peak, thus transforming the trance classic into an arena rock anthem, before bookending it with the “Sand” theme. Not to abandon what they’d built over the first 25-minutes of the set, Gordo directed the band from the jam’s conclusion seamlessly into “Ghost,” the first version since Long Beach. Directing “Ghost” in much the same way it’s been used in 3.0, the jam built through high energy exchanges from Trey with Fishman, supported by throttling bass and obedient piano fills from Page. Where it really got interesting was in it’s final 2:30, as it faded into an ambient fade that featured some beautiful and patient interplay between Mike, Trey and Page – fully utilizing the Rhodes – before emerging in “Piper.” Torrentially building the energy back up, “Piper” came out with one of it’s more unique performances of the year highlighted by it’s final 3:30 that featured some of the best Trey and Page interplay this side of the 07/01/2012 “Light.” A trio of modern classics, jammed out to full potential, the “Sand -> Ghost -> Piper” capped off the summer in victorious fashion, ushering everyone out into the Colorado night; bellies full, blissfully stoned, eager for more Phish.

“Tweezer -> Maze” – New York City, NY – 12/28/2012

The “Tweezer” we’d been waiting for all year from Phish. Fully embracing the style that was mastered over three nights in Central Colorado, “Tweezer” left the funky/bluesy comfort zone it had inhabited for much of 3.0, and for the first time in nearly ten years – including even the classic versions that have appeared on this list in years past – totally left the structure of “Tweezer” and carved out a new path in it’s unrivaled history. Flowing through fully conceived themes, “Tweezer” was the swift kick in the ass the MSG run needed after a painfully predictable first set. More than that, it immediately bridged the ideas of Dick’s with MSG, and proved that in 2012 – while literally everything produced this year was brilliant – there was a clear line between pre-Dick’s and post-Dick’s in terms of what the band was capable of. The final 11:45 are where the magic’s at, for when Page infuses the jam at 9:09 with a lilting piano fill, Trey latches on immediately, and off they go. Effortlessly blissfully, and suave improvisational mastery is one way to describe this new style of Phish; one which relies wholly on the communication they’ve built as a band over the past 30 years, embraces all of their styles, flows from one theme to another with ease, and emphasizes the sublime and ambient. Building to a satisfying peak, the MSG “Tweezer” followed suit with the concept established with the Dick’s “Light” and “Sand,” and forged a bridge between the modern, sub-tempo jams of 1997-2004, with their career-long dedication to Tension & Release. The sound of a band coming full circle, the “Tweezer -> Maze” used two classic Phish songs to open a Second set that helped to elevate MSG 2012 almost immediately from the catastrophic lows of their 2011 run.

“Down With Disease -> Twenty Years Later> Carini” – New York City, NY – 12/30/2012

The musical peak of the 2012 NYE Run came at the start of the Second Set of the best show of the entire run. “Down With Disease -> Twenty Years Later> Carini” highlighted a forty-minute segment of music to kick off the best set of the run, and infuse the show with some much-welcomed evil Phish. In a year when “Down With Disease” stayed either noticeably contained, or failed to produce transcendent versions, the jam on 12/30 traversed as far from the structure of the song as any since 08/16/2011. Weaving through various segments of down-tempo, ambient bliss, the jam allowed for the band to just play, all to the delight of the MSG alum. While never producing any fully-realized sections of improv, what the “DWD” does better than any jam of the weekend, is display the diversity that Phish plays with now. Their jams are no longer long-winded, failed experiments that occasionally produce greatness, nor are they singular concepts that build through repetition. Instead, they are constantly evolving entities, which value shape-shifting, and melodically crafted music more than any previous era of Phish. Armed with 30 years of experience, there is no wasted space in Phish jams any longer. The one faux-peak of the jam came at 17:15 as Trey and Mike latched onto a simple, yet sinister riff, transforming MSG, for a moment, into a beckoning ground for the devil. A concept which would be fully realized two songs later, in “Carini,” the evil spirits that had invaded Phish so often in the late-’90’s and early-aughts returned with impassioned results. Fading into near silence, the “Carini” relied solely on industrial beats from Fishman, ambient washes from Trey and Page, and an all-engulfing bass from Mike. Summoning up the best noise they’d created this side of “The Storage Jam,” and doing their best Animals-era Pink Floyd impression, the jam goes deeper that the Cinci “Twist,” and is simply the evilest thing Phish has played in years. In an era when “Carini” has really stepped up as one of the premier jam vehicles, the 12/30 performance took the joke-metal song to completely new heights, unimagined when it was first performed back in 1997. A segment that will surely carry Phish fans through the long winter, “Down With Disease -> Twenty Years Later> Carini” will be hard pressed to be topped whenever Phish steps on stage again.

Honorable Shows

DCU Center – Worcester, MA – 06/08/2012

Set I: Free, Kill Devil Falls, Roses Are Free -> Theme From The Bottom> Axilla I> Julius, Bouncing Around The Room, Maze, Bathtub Gin

Set II: Down With Disease&> Sand -> Nellie Kane, Mike’s Song> Makisupa Policeman+> Weekapaug Groove, Wading In The Velvet Sea, 2001#> Character Zero

Encore: The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony> Suzy Greenberg

& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

+ The keyword in “Makisupa Policeman” was “Sour Diesel”

# “2001” contained a “Sand” tease from Fish and “Sex Machine” and “Mike’s Song” teases from Trey

On the second night of Phish’s 2012 Summer tour, the band threw down a solid affair that built upon the brilliance of the opening night of tour. Featuring a high energy First Set, and a fully-flowing, jam-heavy Set II, it was an all-around great show, one which helped to establish a base from which to build upon throughout the tour. Highlighted by a blissful jam out of “Roses Are Free” – the first “Roses” jam since Big Cypress” – Set I featured unique versions of First Set standards, not to mention the second “Free” opener in history. Set II flowed through moments of darkness and light, crafting a complete set that never let up. Featuring a funky, ’97-esque jam out of “DWD,” an all-time segue in “Sand -> Nellie Kane,” a bit of humor in the “Mike’s> Makisupa> Groove,” and a top notch 3.0 version of “2001,” the set left little to be desired by a band that sounded as if they were deep into a tour only two days old. The surprise encore of the classic “Oh Kee Pa> Suzy” pairing topped things off, and finished the run off with an old-school feeling. While Worcester II was forgotten by most by year’s end, when listening back, it provides a clear foundation to the brilliance that would become commonplace just a week later.

Deer Creek Music Theater – Noblesville, IN – 06/28/2012

Set 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

Set II: Mike’s Song> McGrupp And The Watchful Horsemasters> Back On The Train## -> Hold Your Head Up> Bike> Hold Your Head Up> Weekapaug Groove$, Prince Caspian& -> Waves, Bug> David Bowie###

Encore: Show Of Life> Tweezer Reprise

# “Tweezer” contained a “Fuck Your Face” tease from Mike

## “Back On The Train” contained a “Psycho Killer” tease

### “David Bowie” contained a “Bug” tease from Trey

$ “Weekapaug Groove” featured Trey & Fish switching instruments, and a drum jam between the two

& “Prince Caspian” was unfinished

By this point in Phish’s June leg of their 2012 Summer Tour, full sets had become so engulfed in the band’s determination to play 200 unique songs, that one had no clue what could or would be played during a single show. Calling upon their recital-type shows from 2009 and 2010, the band focused on songs during many of these shows. Yet, whereas in the past, the shows were full of heavy-rotation songs, in 2012 sets felt like putting Phish on shuffle, where any random song could appear. Probably the most complete, fully formed of these shows was the first night of Deer Creek. Featuring tour debuts tour in the first six songs of the set, plus “Cool It Down” and “Tela,” Set I was both unpredictable and unending, and helped to take the crowd’s mind off the torrid Midwestern heatwave billowing down on Central Indiana. Focusing heavily on songs, the only numbers in Set I to really move outside the box were a dance-heavy “Wolfman’s” and a peaking “Tweezer” that countered the temperatures for brutal heat. Set II is one of the most unique of the summer, featuring an elongated “Mike’s Groove,” an “HYHU” within the groove, and two phenomenal jams out of “Back On The Train” and “Waves,” the former which bled right into “HYHU.” Clearly in a playful mood, the “Weekapaug” featured Trey and Fish switching instruments, inspiring Trey to muse whether or not Phish would be a better band with this set up. The late-set “Waves” takes the medal for song of the night, emerging out of “Caspian,” producing an aggressively atypical jam that came close to making this list. Easily the best show of the Deer Creek-Alpine weekend, 06/28/2012 had just a bit of everything that was Phish 2012 all mixed together.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY – 07/08/2012

Set 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*

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

Encore: You Enjoy Myself####

* First “La Grange” since 22 September 1999

# “Twist” contained an “In-A-Gaada-Da-Vida” tease from Trey

## “Kill Devil Falls” contained a “Jeopardy!” tease

### “Harry Hood” contained a “Kung” quote

#### “You Enjoy Myself” contained a “Flashlight” tease from Mike

& “My Friend, My Friend” was unfinished

Closing out the first leg of Summer with a three-night run at SPAC, Phish produced two of the best shows of the year, the final of which produced a massive bustout, and a fully-flowing, jam-heavy Set II. Coming out the gates with a string of standards, Set I got a boost from a high-energy “Wilson> Party Time” pairing, and a surprise twist at the end when everyone who thought they’d be closing things out with a seedy “Split Open & Melt,” were instead treated to the first “La Grange” since 1999. The real magic, however, is in Set II: a high-octane, jamming set which saw both “Light” and “Piper” go deep. In between were masterful segues of unlikely pairings – “Kill Devil Falls -> My Friend -> Swept Away -> Steep,” “Free -> Kung> Harry Hood” – which elevated the possibilities of the set. Never relenting energy, yet never sacrificing exploration for such energy it was a masterfully atypical set that simply couldn’t have occurred with as much success during any other year of 3.0. Concluding with a noise-ladened segue from “Cavern -> Bowie,” it was the kind of set that displayed a band at the top of their game: relentlessly attacking their catalogue with precision and youthful excitement. Capping off the tour with the only appropriate song left, “You Enjoy Myself” closed out Leg I on a classic note, ushering everyone into a month of no Phish with jam-packed must-listen-playlists. After the best June of 3.0, Phish closed it out with a memorable run at SPAC, and a tour finale that foreshadowed the music that was still to come in August.

The Top Ten Shows Of 2012

Bader Field – Atlantic City, NJ – 06/15/2012

Set I: The Sloth, My Sweet One> 46 Days> Camel Walk, Tube> Cities -> It’s Ice, Ginseng Sullivan, Stash, Simple> The Wedge, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, The Squirming Coil

Set II: My Soul, Birds Of A Feather& -> Back On The Train -> Heavy Things, Twist> Piper# -> Billy Breathes, Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley -> David Bowie##

Encore: First Tube#

& “Birds Of A Feather” was unfinished

# “Piper” and “First Tube” contained “Twist” teases

## “David Bowie” contained “Stash,” “It’s Ice,” “Birds Of A Feather,” “Simple” and “Ginseng Sullivan” teases

Night one of the quasi 2012 Phish fest (If there’s a Ferris Wheel it’s a festy, right? Right?) produced easily the most complete show of the weekend and immediately raised the bar from the brilliant opening shows in Worcester the previous weekend. Opening with the random trio of “The Sloth,” “My Sweet One” and “46 Days” was really all the indication anyone needed that the night was going to produce the kind of magic one hopes to catch at any Phish show. The First Set enveloped into a lengthy recital of rarities and unique combinations – “Camel Walk,” “Tube,” “Cities -> It’s Ice,” “Simple>The Wedge” – and all around excellent playing, including perhaps the best “Stealing Time” we’ve ever heard from the band. Wholly embracing the 200-song challenge, Set I was both the exact kind of comeback needed after the Bonnaroo show, and the kind of reassurance that the band wasn’t simply going to play 200 different songs throughout the month; they were going to craft wholly unique shows while doing it. Set II was simply perfect. The aforementioned “Birds -> BOTT -> H Things” made way for the late set “Twist> Piper -> Billy Breathes” which kept the Farmhouse-era jams unravelling, and produced a segment of music that barely missed this list. Infusing “Bowie” with various teases of songs played throughout the night only further solidified it’s placement among the top tier of the summer. A show that felt like one of the best shows of summer right when it happened, 06/15/2012 never relented it’s placement among the best, regardless what came after it.

Riverbend Music Theater – Cincinnati, OH – 06/22/2012

Set I: Wolfman’s Brother> Peaches En Regalia, Shaggy Dog*> Runaway Jim#, Light Up Or Leave Me Alone, Wilson> Alaska, Stash, Llama, Buffalo Bill, Saw It Again -> David Bowie

Set II: Down With Disease&> Guelah Papyrus, Kill Devil Falls -> Twist##> Halley’s Comet> Sand -> Roggae, Carini> Chalk Dust Torture, Golgi Apparatus

Encore: Fluffhead**

* First “Shaggy Dog” since 29 October 1995

** First “Fluffhead” Encore since 3 November 1990

# “Runaway Jim” contained a “When The Saint’s Go Marching” tease

## “Twist” contained a “Eleanor Rigby” tease from Trey and a “Heaven On Their Minds” jam

& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

A must-hear, top-tier show of the summer, the band let it all hang out on the third Friday of the June leg, crafting a show full of rarities, segues, gimmicks, and one of the best jams of summer. A “Wolfman’s” opener is always a welcome sign, for it produces a no bullshit intro to a show, bringing the house down before anyone has a chance to catch their breath. Followed by the always welcome Zappa-cover, “Peaches En Regalia” and the first “Shaggy Dog” since October 1995 immediately gave the show an air of superiority over the rest of summer thus far. The rest of the First set contained even more rarities with “Light Up Or Leave Me Alone,” “Llama,” “Buffalo Bill,” and “Saw It Again,” the latter three which were results of a Fishman gaffe when the band tried to go into “Poor Heart” and “The Moma Dance,” leading to Trey joking they apparently needed to play a song that started with drums so their drummer could keep up. The energy spilled over from the “Saw It Again” fade into “David Bowie” resulting in another solid version for the summer. Set II started out with an abandoned jam in “DWD,” a welcomed “Guelah,” and a make or break “Kill Devil Falls,” which was oddly placed in the middle of the second set. Fortunately, Trey extended the end of “KDF” over two minutes, resulting in stunning ambient waves that bled into the best “Twist” of 3.0. A “Sand -> Roggae” crafted the second unique “Sand” segue of Summer, and the “Carini> Chalk Dust” added some extra adrenaline to the end of the set. A unique blend of classics, jams, darkness and light, the show ended with the first “Fluffhead” encore since 1990, a placement that all but confirmed the band’s enjoyment in Cinci. The show of summer until SPAC night one, Cinci kicked off an incredible run of music throughout the midwest, and, reignited Phish with their love of the dark side in one of the best jams of the era.

First Niagara Pavilion – Burgettstown, PA – 06/23/2012

Set I: Funky Bitch> Backwards Down The Number Line, Gumbo> Maze#, Torn & 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

Encore: The Lizards

# “Maze” contained an “Eleanor Rigby” tease

## “You Enjoy Myself” contained a “Scent Of A Mule” tease from Trey

### “Weekapaug Groove” contained a “Divided Sky” tease from Trey

+ The “Mule Duel” featured Page on the Theremin

A night after raising the bar on Summer 2012 with a standout show that focused on bustouts and rarities, Phish played another gem in one of their storied venues, only this time, consisting almost totally of standards, which allowed their playing to totally speak for itself. With a First Set that appeared brutally bland upon initial glance, the band offered top-notch versions of “Maze,” “Scent Of A Mule,” “46 Days,” and the first First Set closing “You Enjoy Myself” since 07/13/2003. Interweaving teases, the theremin, and a fully-connected jam in the set closer, the show lived and died on the band’s performance, something that would come to fruition in the brilliant Second Set. Opening with the always welcome “Gotta Jibboo,” the set can essentially  be summed up in five songs: “Mike’s -> Simple> Light> Weekapaug -> Seven Below.” The aforementioned “Groove” is one of the standout suites of 2012 – a 50-minute sequence of communication, connection, and brilliant playing that joined the echelon of “Mike’s Groove’s” throughout their storied career. Foregoing the 200-song challenge for at least one night, Burgettstown 2012 was all about the performance. With little-to-no breaks in flow throughout, the show is one of the tighter shows of 3.0,  and combined with the standout jamming in Set II, is in a lot of ways modeled after a 1.0 type of show than anything we’ve heard from the band in the last 10 years. Rounding things out with a solid “Julius,” a sublime “Slave To The Traffic Light,” and a “The Lizards” encore which added a bit of humor when Trey forgot the lyrics, the show finished in classic fashion. More than anything, the show was a reminder to all that Phish has reached a point where they don’t need bustouts or rarities to craft a memorable show in 2012.

Nikon At Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY – 07/03/2012

Set I: Skin It Back*#> Possum##, Tube, Happiness Is A Warm Gun**, Mike’s Song -> I Am Hydrogen> Weekapaug Groove, Halley’s Comet> Axilla I> Ya Mar, Joy, Jesus Just Left Chicago> Backwards Down The Number Line> Golgi Apparatus

Set II: Chalk Dust Torture, Sand### -> Golden Age, Wolfman’s Brother -> Walk Away, Bug> Fluffhead####> The Wedge, Run Like An Antelope

Encore: Character Zero

* First “Skin It Back” since 29 July 1988

* First “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” since 31 October 1994

# “Skin It Back” contained a “Spanish Moon” tease

## “Possum” and “Chalk Dust Torture” contained “Skin It Back” teases

### “Sand” contained an “Izabella” tease

#### “Fluffhead” contained a “Dave’s Energy Guide” tease

Jones Beach has produced some of the standout moments in 3.0. From their 2009 three-night run that allowed the band to settle in to the road, featuring a completely unique take on “Hood,” “Ghost> Antelope,” and a second set that rivaled all in 3.0 before it on 06/05/2009, to their 2010 Leg II closing affair that gave us the first “Fluffhead” opener since Hampton, the best “Backwards Down The Number Line” we’ve seen thus far, to their 2012 Fourth of July Performance, it’s been hallowed grounds in this era of Phish. Fitting then, that they’d use the East Coast hideout to bustout “Skin It Back” for the first time in nearly 24 years, after so many soundcheck jams featured the Little Feat classic. Fully embracing the 200-song challenge in this show, Set I is a full-on recital featuring another massive bustout in “Happiness Is A Warm Gun,” plus a solid “Mike’s Groove,” “Axilla I,” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago.” Set II reigns supreme in this show however, with a brilliant jam-combination occurring between “Sand -> Golden Age,” the former which produced hands-down, the best version of the TV On The Radio cover that we’ve ever heard. Dedicating it’s final 4:42 to blissful ambient soundscapes, it’s really the furthest the band has ever let the song traverse, and it’s the most patience they’ve displayed towards expanding it. With another peak in the “Wolfman’s -> Walk Away” combo that literally never gets old, the set finished in strong fashion with top notch versions of “Fluffhead” and one of the most torrential “Run Like An Antelope’s” we’ve heard this side of Utica. In the same realm as 06/15 /2012 and the first night of SPAC, 07/03/2012 used a lengthy, song-based Set I to ease them into a calculated, and professionally driven Set II.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY – 07/06/2012

Set I: Runaway Jim, Ocelot, Heavy Things, Back On The Train, Funky Bitch, Tube -> Psycho Killer -> Tube, Hold Your Head Up#> Craklin’ Rosie> Hold Your Head Up, Stash, Bouncing Around The Room, Paul & Silas> Horn, Corinna, Light Up Or Leave Me Alone

Set II: Chalk Dust Torture> Carini> Sand> Roses Are Free -> Punch You In The Eye> Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley -> Ghost> Suzy Greenberg> Run Like An Antelope##+

Encore: Loving Cup

# “Hold Your Head Up” contained “Psycho Killer” quotes

## “Run Like An Antelope” contained a “Crosseyed & Painless” tease

+ “Run Like An Antelope” featured Tom Marshall and The Dude Of Life on vocals

On the opening night of the final weekend of the First Leg of their 2012 Summer Tour, Phish crafted an absolute masterpiece that still ranks as one of the best shows of the entire year. Once again, the 200-song challenge dominated as they threw down an unprecedented 17-song First Set. Opening initially with a string of standards – all of which carried an extra summer-flair – the set got going in earnest with a nasty “Tube -> Psycho Killer -> Tube,” thus marrying the best moments of 12/07/1997 into one surreal jam. Festivities continued with a humorous take on their “HYHU” gag, including references to the “Tucking” joke that had consumed Summer – by which Fish would tuck his gown into his underwear, and perform whatever song was asked of him; always a willing jester. Concluding with top-notch versions of rarities “Corinna” and “Light Up Or Leave Me Alone,” the set was a marathon 90-minute journey that left all eagerly anticipating how the band would top it in Set II. Focusing on energetic jamming, Set II produced a tight combination of “Carini> Sand,” and a sprawling, forceful and powerful jam between “Sneakin’ Sally -> Ghost.” “Sally” fully left the structure of the song for the first time since 08/07/2009, producing a driven and hard-edged jam, which deviated from many of the traditional funk takes on it. One of the final cuts for this list, the “Sally” displays just how unique and original Phish was willing to go in 2012, how far they were willing to push their jams to discover the unknown. Concluding with a classic pairing of “Suzy Greenberg> Antelope” – the latter which featured Tom Marshall & The Dude Of Life on vocals – the show fit the bill of it’s locale and placement in the tour. Feeling like a true homecoming show, SPAC I was, and is, one of the clear standouts in a year full of them.

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – 08/19/2012

Set I: Crowd Control, Party Time, Axilla I, Reba, Free> Mound> Walk Away, NICU, Back On The Train, Gotta Jibboo, Roggae, David Bowie

Set II: Crosseyed & Painless# -> Light## -> Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley## -> Crosseyed & Painless -> Theme From The Bottom> Rocky Top> Boogie On Reggae Woman -> Meatstick+, Bug, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Ride Captain Ride> Tweezer Reprise

# “Crosseyed & Painless” contained a “The Cave” tease

## “Light” and “Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley” contained a “Crosseyed & Painless” tease; “Light” contained an “All The Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” tease

+ “Meatstick” included Japanese lyrics

Night three at the BGCA was a night to remember in 2012 and Phish 3.0. Featuring a classic first set – the kind where it literally did not matter what song was played – and a fully-flowing second set, including one of the best jam segments of the year, it was a standout show in the greatest regards. After two sub-par shows opened the overhyped, three-night stand at the intimate San Francisco theater, Phish clearly came out on the 19th on a mission. Crafting a killer show with apparent ease, listening to this show was without question, one of the most pleasurable experiences any Phish fan had with the band in 2012. Riding a scorching “Back On The Train,” “Gotta Jibboo,” “Roggae,” “David Bowie” segment into set break, the band came out on fire in Set II. With a six-song opening segment that read “Crosseyed & Painless -> Light -> Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley -> Crosseyed & Painless -> Theme From The Bottom> Rocky Top,” there was no let-up over the set’s first hour. Featuring intricate jamming, high-energy transitions, a gorgeous ambient breakdown, a massive “Tweezer Reprise” tease, and fluid song selections, it was a jaw-dropping section of music that left many wondering how the band was capable of putting on a show as discombobulated as 08/18 one night, and one as fully-connected as 08/19 the next. Riding the energy to the end, the show never let up as “Boogie On” and “Meatstick” continued their perfect tandem, and “You Enjoy Myself” closed out the set in strong fashion. Encoring with the second “Ride Captain Ride” of the summer – a song which includes references to San Francisco – it was the kind of rare treat that fit perfectly within the celebratory feel of the show. The “Tweezer Reprise” that followed, and closed out the run, blew the roof off the joint once more, providing the extra oomph that “Tweeprise” is always good for. Immediately launched into the discussion of “Show Of The Year,” 08/19/2012 is literally the exact show that everyone hopes to catch every time they see Phish.

Chaifetz Arena – St. Louis, MO – 08/28/2012

Set I: Punch You In The Eye> Runaway Jim, Ocelot> Reba, I Didn’t Know+, The Curtain> Peaches En Regalia> Mound> Sample In A Jar, The Sloth, Camel Walk, Possum> Quinn The Eskimo

Set II: Chalk Dust Torture -> Frankie Says -> Undermind -> Sand -> Walk Away, Limb By Limb, Julius> 2001> You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Shine A Light

+ Before the vacuum solo in “I Didn’t Know,” Fish was introduced as The John Coltrane of the Vacuum Cleaner

On a Tuesday night during the last week of their 2012 Summer Tour, everything came together for Phish, crafting yet another classic on par with 06/22/2012, 07/06/2012 and 08/19/2012 for the best shows of the year at the time. With a first set that matched 08/19’s in terms of the irrelevance of songs played, “Reba,” “Peaches> Mound,” and “Possum> Quinn The Eskimo” all stood out as top-notch versions. The “Reba” in particular – the last performance of summer – was a stunning display of the beauty the song encompasses, as Trey crafted sublimed riffs and musical thoughts with the subtle backing on his band. It was the kind of First Set that, once concluded, everyone in the venue just knows will lead to a heated Set II. While on paper, Set II of 08/28 looked admittedly like a crapshoot, once one listened to the intuitive communication displayed by the band throughout it, it was clear we had an immediate classic on our hands. Containing fluid segues from one song to another that no one – not even the most clever PT-vet – could ever conceive of, the first forty minutes of the set were one unending jam. “Chalk Dust -> Frankie Says -> Undermind -> Sand -> Walk Away” all somehow found their way to one another – bridging the gap with masterful playing, where on paper, they appeared to be a choppy mishap. Concluding with a “Limb By Limb” that initially appeared to be a breather, the contemplative Ghost-era track broke ground and wound itself through layers of upbeat, Trey-led percussive jamming, finishing off with a massive peak before rediscovering the “Limb” theme. “2001> You Enjoy Myself” brought things home with a classic pairing of two songs that, while a bit tamed by 3.0, still retain the magic that brings the crowd to full attention and a rousing applause whenever they hit their ecstatic points. One-off encores can be tricky, particularly after a show with so much heat, but no one can argue with the importance of “Shine A Light” to the band in the 3.0 era, and whenever it concludes a show on par with 08/28, it fits perfectly, in the same way “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “A Day In The Life,” and even “Harry Hood” does. A killer show all-around, St. Louis sent everyone off to Central Colorado dreaming of seeing a show on par with it, and the best shows of summer that had come before it. Little did anyone know what they were in for…

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, CO – 08/31/2012

Set I: First Tube, Uncle Pen, Carini> Kill Devil Falls, You Enjoy Myself+, Ocelot, Undermind#

Set II: Runaway Jim&> Farmhouse> Alaska, Chalk Dust Torture&, Emotional Rescue> Fuck Your Face##

Encore: Grind, Meatstick++

+ “You Enjoy Myself” contained a “We all love Dick’s!” vocal jam

++ “Meatstick” contained Japanese lyrics

# “Undermind” contained a “Crosseyed & Painless” tease

## “Fuck Your Face” contained “Emotional Resuce” quotes

& “Runaway Jim” and “Chalk Dust Torture” were unfinished

There are certain shows that hold such superiority to the rest of Phish’s live catalogue, that words really do them no justice. They must be heard to be understood. Many of them, must have been seen to fully grasp. They are nights when the band is so on, when everything just comes together, that even Trey, Mike, Fish and Page couldn’t tell you why they were so good. In The Phish Book Trey said, “It’s Strange. There are some shows that crystallize into great experiences for bot us and the audiences, and I usually remember a minute of them.” 08/31/2012 was one of these such nights. In so many ways it resembles no single show that has appeared before it in 3.0, and who knows how long it will take them to reach this level again. With a goal set to play a show that read F.U.C.K.Y.O.U.R.F.A.C.E. the band had to somehow fit 13 songs (plus “Fuck Your Face”) into a three-hour show – something they hadn’t done since SPAC ’04. As the show unraveled from the fan’s perspective, it was clear something was amok. The “First Tube,” “Uncle Pen,” “Carini” – which included a blissful type-II jam – just didn’t fit with the 3.0 model. The fifth song “You Enjoy Myself” only threw people off more, and the glorious, set-closing “Undermind” had everyone celebrating like Phish had just won the World Series. As word spread through the venue that the first set had spelled out F.U.C.K.Y.O.U. the sense was that the band had caught onto the all crap they’d received over the lack of jams in 3.0, and were thus responding with an onslaught of exploration to the unassuming ears. The gag of course, would in fact spill over into set two, and the format would allow the band to reach even more sublimity through jams in “Runaway Jim> Farmhouse,” and “Chalk Dust Torture.” When all was said and done, the show was an instant classic. Regardless of the gimmick – something that’s come to dominate the first night of the Dick’s runs – the band stepped up and responded with a show for the ages. Full of top-notch jams – three of which made this list – a song selection that kept fans on the edge of their seats, and an all-time gag that messed with the crowd all night long, 08/31/2012 is without question the best show of 2012, the best show yours truly has ever seen, and the best show the band has played in 3.0 aside from 07/03/2011.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, CO – 09/01/2012

Set I: Run Like An Antelope*, Backwards Down The Number Line> Tweezer> Fluffhead> Roses Are Free> Funky Bitch> The Moma Dance> When The Circus Comes, Theme From The Bottom> Golgi Apparatus, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan

Set II: Golden Age> Prince Caspian&> Light#, Boogie On Reggae Woman> The Wedge, The Horse -> Silent In The Morning> Mike’s Song -> No Quarter> Weekapaug Groove

Encore: Sleeping Monkey> Tweezer Reprise

* First “Run Like An Antelope” opener since 26 January 1990

& “Prince Caspian” was unfinished

# “Light” contained a “Mercy Mercy Mercy” tease from Page

The night after THE night. After playing their strongest show of 2012, and one of their best of 3.0 overall, you would have been hard pressed to find anyone who thought Phish could in fact top the brilliance of 08/31. On it’s own, 09/01/2012 would have been endlessly praised, yet grouped with 08/31 it was unfortunately overshadowed, and has been hopelessly underrated by many in the Phish community. The truth is, 09/01 is one of the best shows of 2012. Opening with the first “Run Like An Antelope” opener since January 1990, and featuring a “Tweezer> Fluffhead” in the 3-4 slot, the show was a keeper just 45 minutes in. Rounding out Set I with a focus on First Set standards offered a nice breath of fresh air after a show-and-a-half of mind-altering music. The Second Set kicked off with a 50-minute sequence of music that read: “Golden Age> Prince Caspian> Light.” Featuring expansive, groove-based jamming in “Golden Age” – on par with the brilliance of 07/03/2012 – a deep, extensive and sinister “Caspian” and one of the the jams of the year in “Light,” the set opened with endless possibilities, assuring the entire crowd that the magic of 08/31 had in fact spilled over into Night II. Filling the middle of the set with crowd pleasers – “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” “The Wedge” – and a quick, contemplative breather in “The Horse -> Silent,” the set ended with a straight up nasty take on “Mike’s Groove,” with the Zeppelin cover “No Quarter” bridging the two classics. A welcome shock to everyone in the venue, the “No Quarter” built upon the rage of the “Mike’s” “jam” section, and fit the bill with the darkness that had engulfed so many of the jams throughout the weekend. Finishing with a raging “Weekapaug,” when the band reemerged for the encore, Trey informed the fans that they’d have to give them a minute, cause Fishman was simply too worn out from rocking out. When they finally did play, the classic pairing of “Sleeping Monkey> Tweezer Reprise” finished the show off right and sent a message to the fans that Phish had thought as highly of the last two nights as we did.

Madison Square Garden – New York City, NY – 12/30/2012

Set I: Runaway Jim#, Cities> The Divided Sky, Back On The Train, Ride Captain Ride, Ocelot, Ya Mar, Horn, My Friend, My Friend&> Run Like An Antelope

Set II: Down With Disease##& -> Twenty Years Later> Carini> Backwards Down The Number Line> Julius, Slave To The Traffic Light###

Encore: Harry Hood###, Show Of Life

# “Runaway Jim” contained a “Dave’s Energy Guide” tease from Trey

## “Down With Disease” contained a “Woman From Tokyo” tease

### “Slave To The Traffic Light” and “Harry Hood” contained a “Little Drummer Boy” tease

& “My Friend, My Friend” and “Down With Disease” were unfinished

For the first time since 2009, Phish took the stage on a 30 December and played like they fully understood the implications of the date in Phish history. 12/30/1993, 12/30/1995, 12/30/1997, 12/30/1999, 12/30/2003, 12/30/2009; these are shows that are revered across years and eras for the anything-goes atmosphere that engulfs Phish on the night before THE night. After a 12/28 show that featured a fully connected Set II, and a rocking 12/29 show that never quite got off the ground, the energy was palpable in MSG, and Phish responded in classic fashion. A top-notch first set, chock-full of classics was really the definition of fun. It was the kind of set that, like 08/19 and 08/28, matter little what songs were played, for by setbreak everyone was raving about just how good the band had sounded. Whatever good feelings were crafted by the band in Set I, however, would quickly be reversed (for the better) with a three song jam segment that would ultimately be the most memorable aspect of the entire NYE Run. Reading: “Down With Disease -> Twenty Years Later> Carini,” the set started with an ominous dive into the netherworld, featuring some of the most abstract, beatless, egoless music the band has produced throughout 3.0. Akin to the best moments of Dick’s, the thing that separated the “DWD” and “Carini” was that they were devoid of any of the climactic peaks that defined the “Light,” “Sand” and the MSG “Tweezer.” Emerging from the reckoning with a killer version of the 3.0 theme-song, “Backwards Down The Number Line” and “Julius” brought everyone back to life, and kept the show moving, regardless of the song selection. Finishing things off with an emotive “Slave” set closer, and a gorgeous “Hood” encore was the perfect way to end the show of the 2012 NYE run, and veritably end the 2012 playing season. The NYE show the following night was by far their best NYE show since 2003, and a great show in it’s own right. However, 12/30/2012 was the exact kind of show that defined Phish 2012: solid song selection, high-energy, transcendent playing, and an intuitive linear music communication from four solid years of playing together which produced some of the best improvisation music crafted by the band in the last 10-15 years. After such a phenomenal year for Phish – a year that rose to the ranks with best the band has produced in the last 30 years – one can only wonder what the band has in store for us in 2013. A year of with another two-legged Summer tour, 30th anniversary events planned, Festival X, and yet another year-ending NYE Run at MSG, there is a resounding sense of hope surrounding the direction of the band. The ups and downs of 2009, 2010 and 2011 fully behind them, 2012 was without question the best year of 3.0. The year where people stopped wondering if Phish would ever regain their former glory, it was instead when everyone stopped critiquing and fully enjoyed the ride Phish was taken us all on.

——–

Thanks to Phish.Net (www.phish.net) and The Mockingbird Foundation (www.mbird.org) for organizational assistance and sourcing of setlists!

The Best Of Phish – 2011

After a six month break, Phish returned to the stage over Memorial Day Weekend, in Bethel, NY for their 2011 Summer Tour. At the onset of the third year of Phish 3.0 fans had nothing but optimism about the direction of the band, thanks to incredibly inspired 2010 performances during August, Fall Tour, and a blistering send-off show on New Year’s Day. After overcoming a rocky June tour the previous year, the band reemerged on the west coast in August hell bent on pushing their sound past the tepid, quasi-experimentations of the previous 17 months. Armed with a new guitar for Trey and a stretch of shows the brought the band to some of the most unique venues of the era – The Greek Theater, Telluride Town Park – and some of the most familiar – Deer Creek, Alpine Valley – the Phish we all had come to know and love was reborn in front of the entire fanbase. The good vibes spilled over to the band’s three-week October run where they passed over the expected 20,000+ NBA arenas in favor of smaller, more intimate college gymnasiums and the versatile and historic Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall. Slimming down their crowds, the band absolutely destroyed their fall leg – particularly the east coast shows – playing with a fire and adventurism that reminded many of the goofy and zany college pranksters they’d fallen in love with in the late-80’s and early-90’s. Finishing off 2010 with a refined and balanced New Years Run in Worcester, MA and New York City, Phish capped off their best year since 2003 with memorable jams and their first show ever on New Year’s Day that was discussed ad nauseam on the band’s independent message boards. Thus when the band announced a 33-date summer tour, which included a three-day mid-summer festival in Watkins Glen, NY, fans looked to 2011 as the year when the band capitalized on all their growth over the past two, and returned to form as the “best god damn band on Earth,” for reals now.

Kicking off the summer with “Tweezer” – only the most reliable jam vehicle in the band’s history – was a pretty good sign that the creative juices were flowing from the get-go in the world of Phish 2011. When the inspired opener led to a thrilling weekend of shows, Phish fans either at the shows, or listening intently from home, picked their jaws up off the floor and wondered aloud just what in fact we were in for in 2011. Continuing with the exploratory, and unpredictable theme the following weekend in Detroit and Cuyahoga Falls – both shows put on high display the two sides of Phish at their best – it appeared that Phish had completely gotten over their growing pains of 2009 and early 2010, and could literally do no wrong.

However, as the band moved south along the Atlantic coast, the wide-eyed adventurism that had defined the first week and a half of tour faded and was replaced by the nervous, sporadic and inconsistent band that fans had seen far too many times over the past two years. Shows in Camden and Alpharetta, most notably, featured a band unwilling to take risks, craft fully flowing shows, or build upon their past successes. While there were certainly still high points – 06/11/2011, 06/17/2011, 06/19/2011 II – overall, the first leg of the 2011 summer tour, one which had started with such a bang, ended with little more than a whisper forcing many to once again wonder aloud about the direction of the band at the end of another disappointing June.

Returning to the stage less than two weeks later for a 4th of July Festival in Western New York the band appeared for the first five sets of the weekend to have all but abandoned concept of exploration – save for an absolutely sublime “Simple” – and instead, opted for a high octane, energy festival. All of this changed with the band’s late-night secret set – their first since IT’s Tower Jam – when Phish locked themselves in a Storage Unit and spent a hour playing wholly original and organic music, forever altering the paradigm of their 3.0 incarnation. The final show of the festival, occurring a mere 12 hours after “The Storage Jam” is without question the best show the band has played since returning to the stage in March 2009. Comparable to the affect Trey’s new guitar had on their sound a year earlier, “The Storage Jam” breathed new creative life into Phish, and gave their fans the assurance that the stumbling blocks of the last two years was not all for naught.

Spilling over to the west coast run of August, the band once again blew away their June run with a superior August run for the third straight year. Opening with back-to-back barn burners at the spectacular Gorge Amphitheater, Phish crushed their stand at Lake Tahoe, put on an incredibly balanced performance at San Francisco’s Outside Land’s Festival, and just destroyed the intimate UIC Pavilion in Chicago. Finishing off the summer with a three night stand at Denver’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Park over Labor Day, Phish concluded their marathon tour with three killer shows full of gimmicks, rarities, jams, and stellar playing all around.

Two weeks later Phish surprised their fans by announcing a one-night benefit show in Essex Junction, VT. The show was significant for two reasons. First and foremost, the band raised over a million dollars to help flood victims in Vermont, and secondly, it was the band’s first performance in Vermont since their emotional and sloppy exit seven years prior. While the show was light on substance – save for an all-time “Carini” – it was more icing on the cake than anything else for a fan base that had spent the entire summer reveling in the best Phish we’d all heard since 2.0.

With no Fall tour due to the band member’s obligations to their side projects and families, Phish returned to the stage after a four month break for a four-night run at New York’s Madison Square Garden to close out the year. A run that has historically given Phish and their fans an opportunity to both look back upon the year that was, while also offering a sneak peak to their direction in the following year, the vast distance between their final summer show and the NYE run proved to be too much for the band to overcome, as the run proved to be more underwhelming than anything. While the opening show had plenty of the magic fans have come to expect with holiday shows, the band’s energy, their willingness to explore, and, seemingly, their recognition that this was in fact the 2011 NYE Run, diminished with each passing show, leaving many with a bland taste in their mouth. What has usually been used as a guide for what to look forward to the following year, has instead left fans questioning the state of Phish on a level they haven’t since April 2004. With rumors circulating that 2012 will be a “light” touring year for the band, many are wondering if we’ve seen the best of Phish 3.0. As has been proven throughout their entire career, Phish must play regularly to be the band they can be. As we saw in stunning clarity this year, the music created at UIC and Dick’s was only possible after the band spent the entire summer playing together, getting more and more comfortable with each other. If it’s true that we’ll only see a handful of shows next year, and if it’s true that the gap between a significant set of shows will be around 9 or 10 months, then not only will fans yearning for more Phish suffer, but Phish’s music might as well.

Lo, these may well end up being the simple worries of an overly-anxious fan looking for more of the Phish we got this year. With that, let’s get to the countdown of the best shows and jams of 2011. As with last year, I have assembled a list of ten shows and jams that standout as the best of the year. Along with these selections, there are three honorable mentions to each. They are not simply shows/jams 11-13, but rather foundational jams and shows with which the band grew, yet didn’t crack my top ten. The lists are assembled chronologically just like last year, thus reserving the title of “Best Ever” as a subjective accolade. As always download links follow both the entire Jam section, and each individual show’s highlights.

Hope everyone enjoys the list, and hope we get some more awesome Phish in 2012. Happy New Year!

Honorable Jams

“Simple” – Watkins Glen, NY – 07/01/2011

The lone moment of the first two shows of Super Ball IX to really leap out and grab listeners, “Simple” is an ambient masterpiece from the moment it leaves the structure of the song. Building off strong outings for the Gordo-penned tune over the past year – 08/06/2010, 01/01/2011 – the band sits back and just rides the established theme out as far as they can, and then some. Crafting an emotive soundscape similar to the IT “Waves,” the melody simply exists, hanging in thin air as if a stiff breeze will destroy it. In much the same way that Brian Eno crafted the themes on his Ambient series, Phish emphasizes the space within and between notes, rather than trying to wow the crowd with fire. Peaking with a sad, yet and warm riff from Trey that begins around 12 minutes in, the jam is perfect example of what is possible when Phish forgets about all the outside distractions at their shows – curfew, setlist, bustouts, crowd energy – and simply lets the music guide them. Like a piece of music plucked out of summer 1998, the Super Ball IX “Simple” is proof that when Phish wants to conjure up the magic of their past, they’re fully capable of doing so.

“Down With Disease” – Chicago, IL – 08/16/2011

The first of two appearances for “DWD” on this list, their version to open the second set of their second night at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago is still one of the more underrated jams of all of 2011. Probably due in large part to both the epic show played the night before, and the shadow cast by the Pine Knob “DWD” from June, the “UICDWD” simply hasn’t gotten the full respect it deserves. A psychedelic masterpiece in an era where those are hard to come by, Phish leaps from the song’s theme without reprising the jam and dives straight into the unknown, devoting a solid 14 minutes to exploration. A more direct and forceful jam than June’s version, the “UICDWD” is a throwback to the kind of late-60’s/early-70’s era psychedelic jams that would emerge from the song during 1997, rather than the funk or ambient versions that graced it during the latter part of the 90’s, 2.0, and now the majority of 3.0. Unique in it’s direction, the jam is also reflective of the heavy exploration the band engaged in during the previous night’s first set. Moving through subtle funk rhythms, all with a keen eye kept on the disjointed sounds emerging from Page’s moog, Trey works as more of a finisher than leader, offering small ideas within Page and Mike’s theme. All of this peaks around 15 minutes when Trey latches onto a rough, yet danceable melody, and plays around with the melody while it becomes increasingly more and more distorted. Fading into an ambient jam that one would think will simply signal another song, the band instead extends this as well, giving Page and Mike ample time to fill the room with one more dose of psychedelia before choicely moving into “Twist.” A thrilling homage to the Phish of the past, the “UICDWD” is akin to the SBIX “Simple” in it’s ability to show just how much fire Phish still has left.

“Carini -> Tweezer” – New York City, NY – 12/28/2011

In 2010 the joke-metal song “Carini” was reborn. Previously used as simply a shot of adrenaline to either open a show or to throw a crowd off – save for the incredible 12/28/1998 version – on the fall tour of 2010 the band began using the jam as a way to call to the heavens. On three separate occasions – 10/12/2010, 10/22/2010, 10/29/2010 – Trey wove the dark jam into a melodic and uplifting jam. Resulting in stunning beautiful jams in each instance, “Carini” was a part of the Fall Tour transformation that saw the band explore within their songs in ways they simply hadn’t since the mid-1990’s. All of this however, seemed to come to a halt with the onset of 2011 when “Carini” resumed it’s status as a set opening shot of metal. Disappointing fans across the board, the band seemed to turn a corner with the song with it’s performance at Essex Junction on 09/14/2011. The ambient laced jam that emerged in Vermont spilled over to the band’s performance of “Carini” at MSG in December. Sliding easily from the high octane metal jam into a blissful state of sublimity, Trey coated the jam with a bubbly riff that seemed like it was plucked right out of the “Ramble On” from 08/12/1998. Shifting this theme back into the minor key, the band engaged in a full-band segue into “Tweezer” akin to the “Down With Disease” segue into the song during the Dick’s run. Perfectly moving out of “Carini” and into “Tweezer” there is no sign whatsoever of the awkward transitions that have plagued the band throughout much of 3.0. Riding high on their surprise move, the band used the entirety of “Tweezer” to dance around sharp, funk-laced beats, just toying with the crowd they held in the palms of their hands. Moving out of the overt funk theme into a more rock-based, Trey-led jam, the band brought “Tweezer” to a roaring peak before ultimately bringing it in for a soft landing by way of more blissful ambience. Extending the final section of the jam out to its proper conclusion, the band then moves it seamlessly into “My Friend, My Friend,” a subtle nod to how far they’d come since Bethel back in May.

The Top Ten Jams Of 2011

“Boogie On Reggae Woman -> Waves” – Bethel, NY – 05/27/2011

Coming out firing in the first set of the 2011 summer tour with jams in “Tweezer -> My Friend, My Friend,” “Wolfman’s Brother -> Walk Away” and “Kill Devil Falls,” the anything-goes feeling of the opening frame spilled over into set II with the first defining jam segment of the tour. The onset of Mike’s bubbly envelope-filetered bass that led into the band’s classic cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman” initially gave fans worry that the set was to turn into a song-based affair, all but tossing the first sets creative peaks out the window. Yet as the song ended Trey chose to extend the mini-jam, generally revolving around Gordo’s bass, and instead built a wall of loops that threatened to descend the piece into chaos, but instead, turned out to be one of the experimental highlights of the show. As the loops became more and more disjointed though, Trey deconstructed the jam, opening up the space within the theme, and ultimately paving the way for “Waves.” Unseen since Red Rocks ’09, “Waves” had been soundchecked the previous night, and the ensuing 27-minute jam had been leaked out to the fan base, only exciting fans further for the upcoming tour. Emerging slowly from the decaying “Boogie On” jam, the jam that built out of “Waves” is among the most blissful moments of the entire summer. Inspired directly from Trey’s affinity for the guitar work of Beach House’s Alex Scally, the jam wove through various passages of soft guitar-driven melodies. Delicately playing over the band’s fluttering melodies, the jam ebbed and flowed like a quiet creek, each time it appeared it was finished, a new theme would begin. Finally coming to a rest in “Prince Caspian” some 13 minutes later, the jam set the bar pretty high for the summer tour, on its very first night. No doubt inspiring some of the heavy explorations throughout the summer, in some ways, the Bethel “Waves” was never topped in 2011.

“Down With Disease -> Fluffhead -> David Bowie” – Clarkston, MI – 06/03/2011

On the first night of the band’s second weekend of summer, kicking off the midwest portion of the tour, on Mike Gordon’s 46th birthday, Phish threw down a defining segment of 2011, and of 3.0 as a whole. Weaving together three of the band’s seminal songs in a fully flowing, 58-minute jam, Phish built off of the musical high’s of the first two nights at Bethel, and the first night in Holmdel, NJ with a massive jam off “Down With Disease” and standout versions of “Fluffhead” and “David Bowie.” Opening the set with a distorted tease of “Happy Birthday” by Mike, the band absolutely tore through the Hoist-era classic before blazing into the unknown. Building the jam around staccato rhythms, the band fizzled out around 13 minutes in, giving all the impression that the jam would end without much fanfare. However, coming to play on this night just outside of Detroit, Trey wove a sublime riff around the hanging space of sound. Much like the Bethel “Waves,” the jam was re-built anew by this riff, before turning to darker, more sinister place. Peaking some three minutes later, the band once again brought the theme down, indicating an imminent conclusion. However, before the jam could die, Trey and Page latched onto a familiar theme, a classic riff they hadn’t used in a jam in years: John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” Continuing the jam in earnest around the jazzy theme, Phish played around with “ALS” allowing it to push the jam past the omnipresent 20-min barrier for 3.0 jams, and allowing it to build in a fully organic segue into “Fluffhead.” Playing a particularly inspired “Fluffhead,” due in large part to the emotions spilled over from the “DWD,” the legendary composition came to a massive peak, thrilling fans in the amphitheater and streaming the show from their couches. Yet just when fans thought the musical moment was over, Trey looped the final note of “Fluffhead,” distorting it until it became completely unrecognizable, and then segueing it perfectly into “David Bowie.” A song that felt incredibly lackluster and tame for the first year of 3.0, in 2010 “Bowie” was re-born with dark and sinister versions on 06/19/2010, 10/12/2010, and most notably, 10/20/2010. Building off those past highs, the DTE “Bowie” carried over the exploratory sentiments of the “DWD,” though here surging with an eye on the evil. Crafting a masterful version that stands in the top tier of the 3.0 echelon, “David Bowie,” completed the opening hour of 06/03/2011’s set II, a segment that will live on as one of the peaks of not only 2011, not only 3.0, but of Phish’s career when all is said and done.

“The Storage Jam” – Watkins Glen, NY – 07/02/2011

Without question, “The Storage Jam” from Super Ball IX is the single most important event of Phish’s entire 3.0 era to this point. More important than opening 03/06/2009 with “Fluffhead,” more important than the Gorge ’09, even more important that Trey’s Ocedoc. When they played their first festival of 3.0, the Halloween-tinged Festival 8, many fans were up in arms over the lack of secret set. A festival tradition dating back to The Clifford Ball, Phish’s secret sets were opportunities for both the band and their fans to dive completely into the unknown, deep in the night, with the only goal in mind being exploration and pushing their music forward. While many feared that the secret set had gone the way of the 30 minute jam in 3.0, the harsh reality at the time was that the band was simply not comfortable with each other enough again to create any lasting music in an open jam setting. Flash forward to summer 2011 and Phish was primed for some serious exploration, now two years into their return. Fucking with their fans as they love to do, Phish stole away to a makeshift USA Storage unit in the middle of the festival grounds, treating their fans to an hour of completely unwritten improvisational music – save for the loose “Sleeping Monkey” 50 min in – that dove deep into Hades, resurrecting a Phish we hadn’t seen nor heard in over seven years. Implying that they could still jam, the jam’s had just been in storage as they got their feet firmly on the ground over the first two years of 3.0, “The Storage Jam” was unanimously welcomed by Phish fans everywhere as it signified a renewed emphasis on exploration. Spending the majority of it’s first 30 minutes weaving in and out of psychedelic themes, the section from 18 – 22 minutes shines as the most re-listenable music of the jams first half. Full of siren loops, an eerie riff from Trey, repeated over and over, thumping, off-beat Bass from Gordo and Fish, and the first signs of the Theramin in 2011 from Page, it’s the kind of trippy noodling that was at home in Summer 1995, but was more than welcome here in 2011. Around 32 minutes however, everything fucking clicks. As Trey signals a sinister riff, the rest of the band follows suit, building a theme that’s among their most memorable, and could have been plucked right out of a jam rooted in the 06/19/2004 “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing.” Moving through another ambient movement, a nasty funk jam, and ultimately a hysterical and appropriate take on “Sleeping Monkey” – a song that’s most notably used as an encore any time the band plays a particularly inspired show – “The Storage Jam” came to a stunning finish as Trey buildt the final note of “Sleeping Monkey” to a point of menacing distortion, before ultimately laying it down to rest. A culmination of everything the band had been seeking to do since re-emerging in March 2009, “The Storage Jam” pushed Phish in ways they hadn’t been throughout all of 3.0, and as we’ll see with the following jams on this list, inspired them to continue pushing in search of the unknown.

“A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” – Watkins Glen, NY – 07/03/2011

The first jam to fully encapsulate the effect “The Storage Jam” had on Phish, the Undermind rarity, “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” appeared late in the band’s first set on 07/03/2011, taking the ideas realized in the storage shed, and bringing them to light. Moving past the sinister themes of the songs melody and into the blissful and sublime, the jam is akin to the Bethel “Waves” and SBIX “Simple” in its emphasis of space and time over notes. Perfectly matching the mood of the early July evening, the jam contrasts the song’s theme in it’s melodic tone. After slowly bringing the “ASIHTOS” theme to a close, the mood changes dramatically at 6:57 when Gordo begins to play an uplifting melody. The rest of the band latches onto Mike’s lead and they’re immediately off into the land of blissful serendipity. Stretching the theme out, they then begin to incorporate the space that in 2009 only signified an imminent segue into a new song, yet in 2011 serves as notice of a continuing jam. Further seeparating the “ASIHTOS” from any ambient jam in the formidable years of 3.0, Phish brought the jam to a peaceful conclusion rather than pushing it into a new song. A symbolic nod to “The Storage Jam” some 12 hours earlier, the SBIX “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing,” helped to craft 07/03/2011 as the best show of 3.0

“Rock & Roll -> Meatstick -> Boogie On Reggae Woman” – George, WA – 08/05/2011

Sometimes it just all comes together for Phish. On August 5th, 2011, on the first night of the second leg of their 2011 Summer tour, at the wide open Gorge Amphitheater, Phish threw down a stunning 40 minute jam sequence that without question ranks as the single greatest piece of music they’ve played in a concert since returning in March 2009. Busting the second set wide open with their classic take on The Velvet Underground tune, Phish wasted no time in taking “Rock & Roll” deep into the outer reaches. By seven and a half minutes in, any notion of the song’s them was in the rear view mirror as Trey began weaving minor keyed licks around Gordo and Fishman’s grooves, and choicely implementing his whammy pedal into the jam. Page then began pushing the jam even further into the unknown through a repetitive trance via his keys. After building a wall of loops Trey reentered the jam with an Middle Eastern-esque riff that became more and more distorted with each repeat. Mike and Fish latched onto his idea, creating a heavier foundation to the jam, ultimately drawing some powerful “Moma Dance” – esque teases from Trey. Now fully entrenched in the band’s darkest jam since 2004, Page moved from his keys to the Theremin, unleashing the beast from storage, further building the Hellish theme the band had conjured up. Capped off with Gordo’s demented reprise of the “It’s All right” chorus, the jam had fully departed from anything that resembled Phish 3.0 and was instead residing now in a category all its own. Riding the menacing groove to what appeared to be a proper, fading conclusion, Phish had one more surprise up their sleeves. As Trey stepped back and allowed the loops to build and fade on their own, Gordo stepped up and threw down one of the funkiest and most powerful bass licks of 3.0. The rest of the band jumped on the new direction continuing the jam, this time with a harder, more rock-based movement before it led fluidly into “Meatstick.” A joy to hear at any show, this “Meatstick” worked as a humorous bridge, leading the band out the darkness of “Rock & Roll,” before leading into a bass-led theme that would ultimately bring them to “Boogie On Reggae Woman.” The triumvirate was completed with the Stevie Wonder classic, a song which moved from it’s bubbly theme into staccato beats before filtering off in a wall of loops, and ultimately leading into “Farmhouse.” An absolutely stunning piece of music, Phish proved on the first night at The Gorge that “The Storage Jam” hadn’t been all for naught, and that thanks to that hour locked in the shed, they were a band reborn, ready to explore the ethers like they hadn’t in years.

“Light” – Stateline, NV – 08/09/2011

Along with “Backwards Down The Number Line,” no song has meant more to Phish in 3.0 as “Light.” Emerging from a heroic “Tweezer” at Fenway Park back in the Spring of 2009, “Light” quickly became Phish’s go-to jam vehicle during the Summer and Fall of 2009. Peaking with versions on 08/07/2009, 11/01/2009 and 12/02/2009, the song once-again led the way in 2010 with it’s 08/07/2010, 10/19/2010, and 10/26/2010 journeys. However, after a lackluster version on 12/30/2010, the song seemed plagued by a rushed jam segment leading to an awkward transition into another song for the entirety of June. The speed bumps were completely forgotten by the time the band reached Lake Tahoe in early August and threw down a version that joins not only the other two played nearly a year, and two years to the date prior to this, but also the other peak versions of “Light” played throughout 3.0. Reminiscent of the rhythmic experimentations Phish took the song on the previous fall, the Tahoe “Light” blended plinko jam themes with “Storage Jam” – esque noise and textures, creating one of the more mind altering, and unique jams of the summer. Highlighted by Gordo and Fish throughout, the jam was akin to 1997 jams in that Trey and Page’s main roles were to litter the top of the jam with a flurry of ideas and contributions, rather than full on leads. Combined with the Gorge “Rock & Roll,” the UIC “Waves -> Undermind” and the Dick’s “Piper,” the Tahoe “Light” put on high display the affects of “The Storage Jam,” and proved how innovative Phish could still be when diving deep into the depths of the netherworld.

“Waves -> Undermind” – Chicago, IL – 08/15/2011

Seven years to the day after the dream of Phish seemingly died in a drug-induced muddy field in Northern Vermont, the band played one of their defining shows of the modern era, directly contrasting their farewell festival, yet subtly nodding to the sounds of the bygone era. Midway through the second set of the band’s opening show in the storied UIC Pavilion Phish crafted a 25-minute masterpiece comprised of two of 2.0’s staples. Emerging with the third “Waves” since the transcendent Bethel version, the band looked to build upon that version, though instead of focusing on the blissful melodies that naturally grew out of the song’s theme, this time Trey was dead set on crafting a more rock-based, guitar laden jam. Seamlessly flowing into a percussive beat that hinted at “Undermind” four minutes prior the official segue into the song proper, it was Trey’s jam to dominate before he and Mike finally guided the band into only the 11th version of the 2.0 song. Playing a far looser version of the song than had been heard before, Phish wove in and out of each verse with something of wild abandon, giving the song it’s closest alignment to it’s origins. Yet it was when they fully departed from the song’s theme that the real magic happened, and one of the best jams of the year emerged. By turning the song’s rhythmic nature on it’s head, Trey began interlacing the beats with subtle funk chords, moving the melody further and further away from it’s origins. Yet before anyone could latch onto the funk, the music faded, Page traveled over the Theremin, and Trey began lacing together a melody that was fit for a sleeping child. Using the Theremin to coat the music, rather than dominate, the UIC “Undermind” is the best example of the Theremin being incorporated with the band’s sound since they first brought it out in “The Storage Jam.” Allowing the theme to fade off in the ether, one of the most unique jam sequences of the summer, and of 3.0, disappeared into “Steam,” thus continuing the elements set.

“Tweezer” – Denver, CO – 09/03/2011

After two years in which “Tweezer” dominated the 3.0 jam scene, culminating with one of the best jams of 2010 on 12/30/2010, the legendary jam vehicle fell flat during the early part of 2011. Sure there were some promising versions here and there – 06/05/2011 immediately springs to mind – but more often than not, the song would get “Horse’d” or “Julius’d” before it ever had a chance to really be explored. That is until it emerged seamlessly out of a “Down With Disease” jam on the second night of the band’s final stand of the summer in Denver, CO. Moving rapidly out of the funk-based origins of the song into a more melodic and uplifting theme, the jam took on a unique quality all its own, one that would soon evoke memories of the band’s style from the Fall of 1999. With near perfect precision, Trey built a soulful solo above the powerful drums of Fish and Page’s heroic baby-grand. Much like the phenomenal “Light” from 10/19/2010, it was clear the band loved the musical zone they’d discovered as they spent the entirety of the jam residing in it. Rather than moving swiftly from one theme to another as most 3.0 jams do, Phish opted to play within a singular theme, crafting ideas from within it. The result is one of the most sublime and organic jams of the era, a nod to their patient past, and a hopeful sign of things to come in the future. Dissolving into a gorgeous ambient movement, the jam came in for a soft landing before emerging in “Golden Age.” An emotive piece that summed up the band’s place at the end of their summer tour, the Dick’s “Tweezer” is the kind of jam Phish could only play after months of consistently playing together, and shows the benefit of their time and dedication to the road.

“Piper> Harry Hood” – Denver, CO – 09/04/2011

On the final night of their summer 2011 tour, Phish threw down a jam midway through the second set that hit all the highs that had occurred throughout the tour, and celebrated all they’d accomplished over the previous four months. Playing easily the best “Piper” of the year to that point, the band dove into the raging theme of the song before moving at a blistering clip into a playful and danceable section which featured Trey and Fish singing some unknown rhyme in unison with the beat. Building the jam out of it’s goofy interplay, Page stepped to the Theremin for one more go around of the summer as the band engaged in some serious “Storage Jamming.” The nod towards the seminal moment of the summer allowed Phish to bring the jam to natural conclusion before fading into their legendary piece of music, borne out of Trey’s near-death experience in Italy: “Harry Hood.” A song that, while always welcome in 3.0, has time-after-time struggled to live up to the lofty expectations built by it’s just incredible performances throughout the 90’s, the Dick’s “Hood” finally saw Trey in particular nail the song’s ethereal solo, resulting in the best pure version since certainly 2003, but probably since sometime in the mid-90’s. An absolutely sublime moment that resulted in a full on peak of the song’s emotive theme, the Dick’s “Hood” was a celebratory version of the song, capping off an incredible summer tour, and an incredible finale to the tour.

“Piper” – New York City, NY – 12/30/2011

Midway through the second set of probably the weakest show of the 2011 New Year’s run, Phish threw down a “Piper” that clearly built off the stellar version in Colorado four months early and gave a promising sign to fans that “Piper” would once again be used as a regular jam vehicle. Moving through multiple themes at a breakneck pace, much like the “Down With Disease -> What’s The Use?” from 08/14/2010, this version of “Piper” put on high display how connected the band is after almost three years of playing together again, yet all the more making fans scratch their heads over why the NYE run felt so underwhelming. Dramatically moving from chaotic interplay to a blissful melody at 9:19, the band changed on a dime for the wide open soundscapes that defined many of their best jams of the year. Building through siren exchanges from Trey and Page, Gordo filled out the blossoming jam with a massive tug at his envelope filtered-bass, filling the arena with fuzzy bass. Page then took charge of the jam while Trey opted to sculpt walls of sound, giving the chairman of the boards a fitting moment in the sun after a year in which he absolutely dominated the majority of their best jams. Fading into “Twist” the jam which had covered so much ground over 15 minutes, ended with a whisper, a symbolic reference of sorts to Phish in 2011.

Honorable Shows

Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD – 06/11/2011

Set I: Daniel Saw The Stone*, AC/DC Bag>Ocelot, Access Me, Vultures, Wilson>Sand>Roses Are Free -> Reba, On Your Way Down>Run Like An Antelope#

Set II: Birds Of A Feather>Tweezer -> The Horse -> Silent In The Morning>Waves>Chalk Dust Torture##, Rock & Roll>Albuquerque>Piper -> Wading In The Velvet Sea -> 2001>Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan>Suzy Greenberg

Encore: Show Of Life>Tweezer Reprise

* First “Daniel Saw The Stone” since 08/03/2003

# “Run Like An Antelope” contained “On Your Way Down” teases from Trey

## “Chalk Dust Torture” contained “Birds Of A Feather teases

After 2010’s epic “Saw It Again”-laced Set II, expectations were high leading up to Phish’s return weekend at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Honoring the fun-filled 06/27/2010 show, the band opened with the traditional rarity, “Daniel Saw The Stone” for the first time since the 2003 IT festival. Mixing the first set with punctual takes on the band’s classics – “AC/DC Bag,” “Wilson,” Reba,” “Run Like An Antelope” – and inspired versions of other rarities – “Access Me,” “Vultures,” “On Your Way Down” – Phish crafted the ideal summer first set. During a week when they struggled to both consistently play with energy and purpose, the first night of Merriweather Post displayed a band at ease and having fun. Mixing surprises with excellent standards, the set just sounds like a June Phish show. For their second set, the band opted for a song-based movement, mixing some of their best jams vehicles – “Tweezer,” “Rock & Roll,” “Piper” – with a few quieter, more introspective songs – “The Horse -> Silent In The Morning,” “Albuquerque,” “Wading In The Velvet Sea”. On paper it took the appearance of some of their less-loved “recital” shows of 3.0 – Hampton 09, 08/15/2009, 10/15/2010, 12/30/2010 – yet when one listens, it is a set that flows perfectly; the amount of songs keeps the listener engaged, rather than frustrated. Highlighted by a psychedelic and distorted take on “Rock & Roll” – subtly hinting at The Gorge’s epic version later in the summer – which smoothly lands in the always welcome “Albuquerque,” a torrid “Piper”, and an absolutely blazing “2001>Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan>Suzy Greenberg” to end the set, the show’s interwoven dichotomy makes it a keeper in 2011.

 

The Gorge Amphitheater – George, WA – 08/06/2011

Set I: Possum, The Moma Dance>Sample In A Jar, Limb By Limb, Ocelot, Poor Heart, On Your Way Down, Wolfman’s Brother# -> Maze>Wilson>Fluffhead

Set II: Chalk Dust Torture>Tweezer>Prince Caspian>Sand -> Tweezer>Birds Of A Feather, Waste>Golden Age>Reba>Run Like An Antelope##

Encore: Suzy Greenberg>Sanity>Tweezer Reprise

# “Wolfman’s Brother” contained a “Heartbreaker” tease

## “Run Like An Antelope” contained “Reba” whistling, “Tweezer,” “Tweezer Reprise,” “Sand,” “Nellie Kane,” and “Golden Age” teases

The night after blowing apart the minds of their fan base with the masterful “Rock & Roll -> Meatstick -> Boogie On Reggae Woman” jam sequence, Phish returned for their second night at The Gorge and played a far more straight forward, rocking show, yet one which displayed better overall flow, particularly in set II. Opening with a string of tunes that one would have expected to have been played the night before, the first set took a while to get off the ground, regardless of how good the band sounded, particularly in “Limb By Limb” and “Ocelot.” Yet when they dropped the Little Feat rarity “On Your Way Down,” the show started in earnest as the final four songs that followed were not only fan favorites, but top notch versions at that. Highlighted by a phenomenal “Wolfman’s Brother” that touched on Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” before moving on to a disjointed groove, the song was the first genuine experimentation of the night. Seamlessly segueing into “Maze,” the two mid-90’s classic were united in the most random way, yet it worked and set off a firestorm within the crowd. Closing the set with a classic “Wilson>Fluffhead,” the crowd was at a fever pitch heading into setbreak. Opening set II with “Chalk Dust,” it’s first such appearance since it was taken to the netherworld on 06/25/2010, it appeared the band was poised to give their angst-ridden classic the storage treatment. However, the set’s theme was to be tightness, thus when the song came to a roaring end, Trey immediately launched into a “Tweezer” that set off an explosion within the open-air theater. Building the jam around fall-back funk themes the jam held little weight on it’s own, but when it led into a unique and lilting “Prince Caspian,” a shred-fest within “Sand” and ultimately a perfect segue back into “Tweezer,” all was forgiven. The other high point of the set came in the set closing trio of the TV On The Radio jam, “Golden Age” and the contrasting classics, “Reba” and “Run Like An Antelope.” Appearing in the second set for the second time this summer, and only the fifth since 2000, the song gave band and audience alike an opportunity to step back and reflect of the incredible weekend it had been. Finishing the set with an “Antelope” littered with teases of almost every song in the set, the band sent a message of how much fun they’d had at the Gorge, only further emphasized with the “Suzy>Sanity>Tweezer Reprise” encore that almost shook the hill into the Columbia River. Similar to 06/11/2011 in it’s ability to show Phish’s excellence even when they don’t jam, 08/06/2011 is yet another one of those shows that just sounds like Phish in the summer time.

 

Madison Square Garden – New York City, NY – 12/28/2011

Set I: Free*, Glide>Possum, Cities, The Ballad Of Curtis Loew, Stash, Contact>Sample In A Jar, Kill Devil Falls>Bathtub Gin

Set II: Birds Of A Feather, Carini -> Tweezer# -> My Friend, My Friend&>Rock & Roll -> NICU>Bouncing Around The Room, Harry Hood##> Bug

Encore: Tube>Rocky Top>Tweezer Reprise

* First “Free” opener in history

# “Tweezer” contained a “Streets Of Cairo” tease

## “Harry Hood” contained a “Free” tease at the end

& “My Friend, My Friend” was unfinished

The first night of Phish’s 2011 New Year’s Eve run, 12/28/2011 proved to be the most inspired show of the underwhelming end to the year. Opening with “Free” for the first time in the band’s history, followed by the first “Glide” since MSG 2009 – only the second since the Coventry debacle, and only the fourth in eleven years – the stakes were set mighty high as many thought this run would carry over the inspired playing of the summer of 2011. A jam off of “Cities” in the clean-up spot only pushed the crowd to a roaring peak as Mike and Trey locked in for a jam akin to the one of the same Talking Heads cover at The Greek Theater in August 2010. The rest of the first set was full of tour opener set I standards – “Stash,” “Sample In A Jar,” “Kill Devil Falls” – a couple rarities – “The Ballad Of Curtis Loew,” “Contact” – and a stellar type-I jam in “Bathtub Gin” to close out the first frame. The second set proved to be me the most fluid and experimental set of the entire four-show run, highlighted by a perfect segue from “Carini -> Tweezer,” and a rhythmic jaunt through “Rock & Roll” which found an ideal landing in the least likely of places: “NICU.” Closing the set with a “Harry Hood” that matched the sharpness of the Dick’s version followed by the emotive ballad “Bug,” the band walked off the stage triumphant. Encoring with an unexpected trio of “Tube>Rocky Top>Tweezer Reprise” it appeared Phish could do no wrong and would surpass their past two NYE run’s with ease. However, after the following night’s “The Sloth>You Enjoy Myself” opener, nothing, aside from 12/30/2011’s “Piper” would approach both the song selection, experimentation, nor wild abandonment that defined much of 2011, and 12/28/2011 in particular.

 

The Top Ten Shows Of 2011

Bethel Center For The Arts – Bethel, NY – 05/28/2011

Set I: Theme From The Bottom, NICU, Cities>Halley’s Comet -> Runaway Jim, Gumbo>Quinn The Eskimo>Limb By Limb, Horn, Bathtub Gin -> Manteca# -> Bathtub Gin##

Set II: Down With Disease &-> Free>Backwards Down The Number Line###>Makisupa Policeman+ -> Harry Hood>Cavern>David Bowie

Encore: A Day In The Life

# “Manteca” contained “Golden Age” teases

## The ending of “Bathtub Gin” contained a “Manteca” tease

### “Backwards Down The Number Line” contained a “Dave’s Energy Guide” tease from Mike

& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

+ “Makisupa Policeman” contained references to the band member’s houses, thus originating the tour-long gag, and referenced Trey’s favorite TV show: “House.”

On the second night of Phish’s 2011 Summer Tour the band played an absolute gem of a show, one in which many would expect to come two weeks into a tour, rather than right off the bat. However, after rehearsing extensively on the hallowed grounds of Woodstock in the week leading up to the tour, the band was primed and ready from the get-go, resulting in two highly inspired, exploratory shows out the gates. Opening with “Theme From The Bottom” the show got off to a unique start as the tour had kicked both night’s off with rare openers. Playing a perfect summer set, Phish dove right into the jams with a thick “Cities,” followed by a dreamlike jam in “Halley’s Comet” that spilled perfectly into “Runaway Jim.” Complimenting the rest of the set with tight versions of “Quinn The Eskimo” and “Limb By Limb” the peak of the set came with the closing jam out of “Bathtub Gin.” Typically a type-I shred-fest in 3.0, Trey in particular locked onto a groove right as it sounded as though the band was reaching the final peak and instead diverted the jam in a mash-up of the rare “Manteca” and the theme to “Golden Age.” Toying with the crowd, they wove in and out of this jam before finally bringing it back into “Gin” for a climaxing conclusion of the first set. Opening the second set with the expected “Down With Disease,” the band went on to craft one of their most connected, fully flowing sets of the summer. Taking “DWD” down a softer, more ambient-based path Trey wove lyrical riffs around a porous foundation before stepping back and allowing it to dissolve in a wall of sound. Taking their time to build out of “DWD” and into “Free” the segue was a far cry from the rushed segues into the song throughout much of 3.0. Dropping into “Backwards Down The Number Line” signaled the second significant jam of the set as Trey spent serious time playing around the comeback anthem’s theme before peaking it in a glorious celebration that is really how the song deserves to be played literally every time. Adding some Phish humor midway through the set by way of the first Phish song, “Makisupa Policeman,” the “House” gag that would follow the band throughout their June leg was born out of a story on Trey getting high at each of the guy’s houses. Closing out the set with a classic “Harry Hood>Cavern>Bowie,” plus an always welcome “A Day In The Life” encore, Phish left the stage at the top of their game. A stunning opening weekend to the Summer 2011 tour, the first two nights in particular would go down as some of the best music the band played all year.

 

DTE Energy Music Theater – Clarkston, MI – 06/03/2011

Set I: Wolfman’s Brother, Funky Bitch, Sample In A Jar, NICU#, Mike’s Song -> I Am Hydrogen>Weekapaug Groove, Tela>Chalk Dust Torture, The Wedge

Set II: Down With Disease#% -> Fluffhead -> David Bowie, Waste>2001##>Cavern

Encore: Good Times, Bad Times

# “NICU” and “Down With Disease” contained “Happy Birthday” teases

## “2001” contained a “Sex Machine” tease

% “Down With Disease” contained a jam centered around “A Love Supreme”

There are certain Phish shows when all involved – band and crowd – know going in it’s going to be a classic. A week into their summer 2011 the band dropped into the Motor City for a birthday show for Gordo and played a fully-flowing show that featured a fun-filled Set I, the longest jam of 3.0 in “Down With Disease” and a classic set II, only six-songs long, reminiscent of the band’s experimental throwdown’s in the 90’s. Opening a show for the first time since 2000, “Wolfman’s Brother” provided insight into the energetic and exploratory show the band was about to embark on. A song that really blossomed the previous Fall after a year and a half run as the most consistent tune of 3.0, the version from Clarkston, while remaining relatively contained to its structure, certainly displayed the band’s willingness this early in the tour to pushing their song’s past their 3.0 limit. Filling the set with powerful takes on first set standards – “Funky Bitch,” “Sample In A Jar,” “NICU,” “Chalk Dust” – along with a notable “Mike’s Groove” and a surprise “Tela,” the set grabbed the crowd, and although it didn’t explore too much new territory, showed how sharp the band was in the early part of summer. It was the second set though, that would be remembered for both the incredibly diverse, blissfully stunning jam out of “Down With Disease,” the segues into the classic’s “Fluffhead” and “David Bowie” that followed, and the overall length of the set, all of which combined to make it the early favorite set of the year. After the nearly hour-long triumvirate, the expected breather in “Waste” felt a whole lot more appreciated by the crowd, stunned by what they’d just witnessed. Yet showing how keenly aware they were of the set they were playing, the band capped off the show with a “2001>Cavern” chock full of James Brown teases, and a raging “Good Times, Bad Times” encore. A special show for both band and crowd, Clarkston provided an early peak for the summer tour, one that would be matched by the following night in Ohio, but one that wouldn’t be surpassed until exactly one month later at Super Ball IX.

 

Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – 06/04/2011

Set I: Kill Devil Falls, Guyute, Fuck Your Face>Foam, Ocelot, Rocket In My Pocket, Back On The Train>Guelah Papyrus, Tube+>Run Like An Antelope#++

Set II: Birds Of A Feather, Possum -> Steam^ -> Piper -> The Lizards, Sneaking Sally Through The Alley##>Harry Hood -> Have Mercy -> Harry Hood###>Character Zero####

Encore: Slave To The Traffic Light

+ “Tube” referenced Page’s House

++ Trey mentioned different band members including Toph before the “Marco Esquandolas” section

^ “Steam” made it’s Phish debut

# “Run Like An Antelope” contained a “Streets Of Cairo” tease

## “Sneaking Sally” contained a “Manteca” tease

### The second part of “Harry Hood” contained a “The Lizards” and a “Have Mercy” tease

#### “Character Zero” contained a “Smoke On The Water” tease

A night after playing their most exploratory jam to this point in 3.0, Phish put on a show that, while it was the antithesis to 06/03/2011, proved that when Phish is really feeling it, it doesn’t matter what kind of show they play. With a first set that contained some uneven flow as the band toyed with rockers – “Kill Devil Falls,” “Back On The Train,” “Run Like An Antelope” – compositions – “Guyute,” “Foam” – and rarities – “Fuck Your Face,” “Rocket In My Pocket” “Guelah Papyrus” – it still retained the magic from the previous night, and proved to be one of those puzzling sets that shouldn’t have worked, but somehow did. In a similar manner, the second set was a far more song-based affair that the previous night, though the band used the format to show off their ability to jam within their songs, as was heard in the disjointed climax in “Possum” and the “Harry Hood -> Have Mercy -> Harry Hood” that gave the set it’s emotional peak. However the set’s true highlights came in the debut of the year’s lone new original, “Steam,” the sublime jam that emerged from “Piper’s” rage and spilled smoothly into “The Lizards,” and the contrastingly menacing jam that built from “Sneaking Sally” and segued brilliantly into “Harry Hood.” Closing the show with a stunning take on the classic, “Slave To The Traffic Light,” the show was proof of how dexterous of a band Phish had become throughout 3.0, and along with the previous night made the June midwest run the band’s best until their UIC trifecta over two months later.

 

Verizon Wireless Ampitheater – Charlotte, NC – 06/17/2011

Set I: Mike’s Song -> I Am Hydrogen>Weekapaug Groove, Bouncing Around The Room>NICU+>Sample In A Jar, Col. Forbin’s Ascent -> Fly Famous Mockingbird, Axilla I>Wolfman’s Brother, Scent Of A Mule#, Stealing Time For The Faulty Plan

Set II: Backwards Down The Number Line>Rock & Roll## -> Ghost>Free>Reba, Icculus*, Hold Your Head Up>Bike**###>Hold Your Head Up, Chalk Dust Torture, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Wilson>Loving Cup

+ “NICU” referenced Leo’s House

# “Scent Of A Mule” contained a “Tra La La” tease from Page

## “Rock & Roll” contained a “A Love Supreme” tease from Mike

### “Bike” contained a “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” tease from Fish

* First “Icculus” sing 08/14/2009

** First “Bike” since 06/18/2009

After ten days worth of mostly forgettable shows, defined by recital setlists, aborted jams, and an overall puzzling disconnect from the band, Phish played a rarity-filled, fully flowing summery show in Charlotte, NC that still remains one of the highlights of June, and of 2011 in whole. Opening with the first “Mike’s Groove” opener since 08/15/2004, the band sent a clear message out the gates that they were stoked and ready to throw down a memorable night. Filling the first set with punctual versions of first set standards – “NICU,” “Sample In A Jar,” “Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan” – alongside a heated jam in “Wolfman’s Brother,” and the first “Col. Forbin’s -> Mockingbird” since 07/04/2010, by the time the band stepped off the stage they had completed one of the top three sets of the summer thus far. In the second set, the same ideas that made Set I so much fun spilled over as the band engaged in one of June’s best improvisational moments in “Rock & Roll -> Ghost,” before throwing down a surprise Set II “Reba” – it’s first appearance in a second set since 09/22/2000 – and then engaging the crowd in the ultra-rare “Icculus” – first since 08/14/2009 – and Fishman sung Syd Barrett tune, “Bike” – only the second since 2000. Closing out the show with a raging “Chalk Dust Torture,” followed by the increasingly rare “You Enjoy Myself,” along with the energized “Wilson>Loving Cup” encore, the band kicked off the final weekend of their June run with a memorable show that far surpassed much of the music played during the meat of the tour, and left many wondering why the band had strayed so far from their focus and energy in the first two weeks of the tour in the first place. In any sense, Charlotte is the kind of show that shows Phish comfortable deep within a tour, simply having fun, loving playing in front of their fans. A great show to sum up the overall sentiments of 3.0.

 

Super Ball IX – Watkins Glen, NY – 07/03/2011

Set I: Soul Shakedown Party>AC/DC Bag>The Curtain*>Col. Forbin’s Ascent -> Fly Famous Mockingbird**+, Destiny Unbound>Big Black Furry Creature From Mars#>Wilson##>Mound, A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing&, Time Loves A Hero, Reba### -> David Bowie

Set II: Big Balls^>Down With Disease&& -> No Quarter>Party Time, Ghost>Gotta Jibboo>Light, Waves -> What’s The Use?>Meatstick>Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, The Star Spangled Banner

Encore: First Tube

* First “The Curtain” without since 09/09/2000

** First “Fly Famous Mockingbird” with narration since 09/30/2000

+ The narration in “Fly Famous Mockingbird” referenced the previous night’s “Storage Jam” and explained how the band got locked in a storage unit on their way to Colorado in 1988, and that everything since, including the entire SBIX weekend had been a mental projection from the band to their fans.

# “Big Black Furry Creature From Mars” contained a tease of “The Twilight Zone” and “Leave It To Beaver” theme’s from Mike

## “Wilson” contained a tease of “Mind Left Body”

### “Reba” contained a “Dave’s Energy Guide” tease

& “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” was unfinished

&& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

^ “Big Balls” (AC/DC) made it’s Phish debut

Hands down, the single best show Phish has played since their return in March 2009. Sure, you could make an argument for 01/01/2011, or 08/07/2010, or 10/20/2010, or even 08/07/2009, but none of those – while phenomenal shows in their own right – have the combined energy, wackiness, exploratory spirit, and overall anything-goes Phish that has defined so much of their career, all packed into one show, quite like 07/03/2011. The result of the previous night’s secret “Storage Jam,” Phish emerged on the final day of their Super Ball IX festival totally relaxed, completely enthralled with their playing, and ready to throw down a show, the likes of which it’s fan base hadn’t experienced in years. Particularly in the first set, it felt as if the band could do no wrong, any song they played, any direction they took it worked, sculpting a first frame full of unique and inspired versions of classics – “Wilson,” “Reba,” “David Bowie” – and rarities alike – “Destiny Unbound,” “Mound,” “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing.” Starting in earnest with the first “Curtain” without since 1.0, the band dove into “Forbin’s -> Mockingbird” and delivered the first narration for the Gamehendge-era tune since Vegas 2000. Crafting a tale about how the band got locked in a storage unit on their first tour outside of Vermont in 1988, Trey messed with the crowd in classic form, revealing that the band just kept playing music while locked inside, that everything they did between then and 2011 was actually a mental projection from them to their fans. A wholly connected moment for the band and the fan base, the story evoked memories of the wacky stories Trey would tell when the crowd was a mere fraction of the size it’s grown to today. From that point forward the rest of the set was absolute fire, with a best-of-3.0 version – and a few top-10-ever versions thrown in there – that you simply have to hear to believe. Summed up in the “Reba” whistling outro that the band butchered horribly, but used the mistake to distort the gaily music into an eerie “David Bowie,” the set is truly Phish at their finest. Set II was more than anything, the icing on the cake. Opening with the appropriate first time cover of AC/DC’s “Big Balls,” the set featured expansive jams in “Down With Disease,” “Light,” and “Waves,” along with another stellar cover of “No Quarter,” and a deep second-set appearance for “What’s The Use?” Capping off the set with the expected and welcome “Star Spangled Banner,” the boys displayed their incredible musical fortitude by nailing their a cappella cover. A show for the ages, 07/03/2011 took the massive culmination of 2 years as a band that was “The Storage Jam” and showed their fans they were not only keenly aware of the side of Phish they all craved, but that after all these years, and after so much unknown, they were still that band. As would be seen with the August and Dick’s runs, the turning point that was “The Storage Jam,” was not all for naught.

 

Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena At Harvey’s – Stateline, NV – 08/09/2011

Set I: Party Time, The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony>AC/DC Bag>Mellow Mood, Rift>Punch You In The Eye>Meat, David Bowie, Bouncing Around The Room, Horn, Water In The Sky, 46 Days

Set II: Gotta Jibboo>Light#>Chalk Dust Torture##& -> Slave To The Traffic Light>Free, Rocket Man^, Harry Hood>Walls Of The Cave

Encore: Bug>The Squirming Coil

# “Light” contained a tease of “Timber” and “Tweezer”

## “Chalk Dust Torture” contained a tease of “Dixie and Hedwig Theme”

& “Chalk Dust Torture” was unfinished

^ “Rocket Man” (Elton John) made it’s Phish debut

Since the onset of 3.0, two trends have held true: the August run combines the energy and excitement of uneven June shows with a commitment to exploration, and, the West coast produces some of the loosest Phish this side of 1997. Fresh off their transcendent performance at The Gorge – featuring The jam of the era in “Rock & Roll,” along with one of better shows of the year on 08/06/2011 – Phish arrived in the parking lot-turned amphitheater, right in between a casino and Late Tahoe, poised to give their fans a uniquely crafted show that balanced a recital approach in Set I, and a fully flowing, experimental set II. Kicking things off with “Party Time,” “Oh Kee Pa> AC/DC Bag>Mellow Mood,” the show carried the kind of fun-filled summery feel that harkened back to 08/14/2010’s masterful performance. Using the set as a means to highlight some of the band’s best proper songs – “Rift,” “Water In The Sky,” “Horn” – while still saving some time for the funk in “Meat,” diving deep into psychedelia in “David Bowie,” and capping things off with a torrid “46 Days,” it was a diverse outing, one that retained incredible flow. A strange phenomenon in the band’s recital shows, the first set seemed to be eternally connected like an album, regardless of the fact that some of the songs were written more than twenty years apart. Set II was a fully-flowing machine, complete with groundbreaking improv in “Light,” a classic segue for the ages in “Chalk Dust -> Slave,” and a gimmicky first-time rendition of Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” a direct response to the loads of hand-held light-up rockets seen amongst the crowd. Capping things off with a blissful take on “Harry Hood,” a song which has once again returned to it’s role as the emotional peak of whatever set it’s played in, followed by a raging “Walls Of The Cave,”  the set was among the more hooked-up moments for Phish in a year full of them. Closing out the night with an emotive “Bug>Coil” encore, Phish walked off the stage having played one of their more diverse, understated shows of the year. A show which let the music speak for itself, the first night of Tahoe was the epitome of west coast Phish.

 

UIC Pavilion – Chicago, IL – 08/15/2011

Set I: Back On The Train>Rift>Guelah Papyrus, Scent Of A Mule, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Wolfman’s Brother, Anything But Me, Babylon Baby^, Reba>Alumni Blues+ -> Letter To Jimmy Page -> Alumni Blues

Set II: Sand -> Light -> Dirt>Waves -> Undermind% -> Steam>Fire

Encore: Camel Walk, Guyute, The Horse -> Silent In The Morning, Harry Hood

^ “Babylon Baby” made it’s Phish debut

+ Prior to “Alumni Blues” Trey said, “That green ball came up here just enough times.”

% “Undermind” featured Page on the Theremin

After 27 shows, two and a half months on the road, 18 cities, 12 states, and one festival, Phish arrived at the hallowed UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL about as well-oiled a machine as they had been in all of 3.0. As a direct result, the six shows played between Chicago and Denver to close out the 2011 summer tour is some of the most memorable, consistent, and on-point Phish any of us had heard in years. Playing without restrain, the term 3.0 need not apply to any of the UIC or Dick’s shows, as each displayed a band on top of their game once again, and each would be a highlight in any year.  Four of the six shows from the run round out this list, the other two, while they didn’t quite make the cut, are still incredibly memorable shows in their own right. Simply put, were I making a top five list of the year, it’d be the following four shows only narrowly edged out by 07/03/2011. The culmination of Phish’s entire two-year re-birth, reformation and reclamation process, UIC and Dick’s is Phish at their most consistent, zaniest, and absolute finest. Kicking things off with a highly energized set featuring explosive type-I jams in “Back On The Train,” “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” “Reba,” and the surprise set closing classic of “Alumni -> Jimmy Page -> Alumni,” Phish reined in the fever pitch of a crowd gathered in the first indoor shows since 01/01/2011. Rounding things out with a divergent jam out of “Wolfman’s,” plus a heartfelt take the Round Room ballad, “Anything From Me” – only the second since Coventry – the set flew perfectly thanks to it’s rock spirit, yet kept things interesting with both surprise song choices, and inspired moments of variety. Set II however was about as perfect a second set as the band has played since possibly 08/02/2003. Traversing through their Earthly “element” songs, the band kept things tight with a six-song set, allowed the improvisational music that emerged from the songs to craft a tale the band hadn’t flirted with since 2.0. Anchored by a fully hooked-up jam within “Waves -> Undermind,” the set also featured a seedy “Sand,” and the band’s best performance of the 2011 debut, “Steam,” until 12/31/2011’s sinister take. Walking off the stage after “Fire,” many, while incredibly satisfied, were confused at to why the band chose to end the set after only an hour. Yet, fucking with their fans as they may, Phish treated the crowd to a five song encore, featuring the ultra-rare – “Camel Walk,” – the massive composition – “Guyute” – and the most ethereal Phish song of them all – “Harry Hood. A show for the ages, 08/15/2011 kicked off a run of shows that were played in a way we hadn’t seen nor heard since 1.0.

 

UIC Pavilion – Chicago, IL – 08/16/2011

Set I: Dinner And A Movie, Ha Ha Ha>Chalk Dust Torture, Mexican Cousin, Walls Of The Cave>Runaway Jim>Foam, I Didn’t Know, Ocelot, Ginseng Sullivan>The Wedge, Limb By Limb>Let It Loose

Set II: Down With Disease#& -> Twist>Backwards Down The Number Line>Theme From The Bottom>Golden Age -> A Day In The Life>You Enjoy Myself##

Encore: Heavy Things>Slave To The Traffic Light>Rocky Top

# “Down With Disease” contained “Leave It To Beaver” teases from Mike

## “You Enjoy Myself” contained “Walk This Way” teases and Darth Vader quotes in the vocal jam

& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

A night after playing one of their most connected, on point improvisational sets in years, Phish returned to the UIC Pavilion and played a much more structured and song-based show, yet one that flowed just as well as it’s predecessor. Cruising out the gates with two gag openers – “Dinner And A Movie,” “Ha Ha Ha” – followed by an atypical take on “Chalk Dust Torture,” it was clear the energy from the previous night hadn’t subsided. Yet, where most of the band’s notable recital shows featured standard takes on standard tunes – just more of them – this set wove through various eras and styles of Phish, keeping listeners on their toes for it’s entirety. Featuring jams in “Walls Of The Cave,” “Runaway Jim” and “Ocelot,” along with humorous breaks in “Mexican Cousin” and “I Didn’t Know,” the boys threw a curveball by ending the set with the emotional, late-in-the-evening styled Stones’ tune, “Let It Loose,” seen for the first time since Indio. Returning to the experimental innovation that carried the second set the previous night, Phish came out blazing with a stunning “Down With Disease,” one that was only surpassed by the 06/03/2011 version this year. Moving seamlessly into “Twist,” it sounded as though the band was going to revive the once-jam monster, however, after an extended take on it’s blues themes, the flow of the overall set took over. Filling out the meat of the set with strong renditions of “Number Line,” “Theme” and “Golden Age,” the latter of which segued effortlessly into the always welcome, “A Day In The Life” – a show with a Beatles and Stones cover is never one to complain about – Phish ended the set with only the sixth “You Enjoy Myself” of the year. A song which had been used to close out literally every run in 2009 and 2010, it’s sudden rare quality made it far more appreciated than it had become in 3.0. Playing yet another extended encore the band treated the crowd to some of Trey’s best guitar work of the night in “Heavy Things” and “Slave,” before saying good night with “Rocky Top.” Carrying over the inspired playing of the previous night, 08/16 proved that at this point in the summer of 2011, it didn’t matter what kind of show they played, for whatever they played, they fucking nailed.

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, CO – 09/03/2011

Set I: Possum, The Moma Dance>The Wedge, Ocelot>The Divided Sky, Funky Bitch, Axilla I>Llama#, Fast Enough For You, Wolfman’s Brother

Set II: Down With Disease& -> Tweezer##>Golden Age>Limb By Limb, Kill Devil Falls -> 2001>Light### -> Down With Disease>Julius>Cavern>Run Like An Antelope####

Encore: Sleeping Monkey>Tweezer Reprise####

# “Llama” contained a “Streets Of Cairo” tease

## “Tweezer” contained “Green-Eyed Lady” teases from Page and a “Golden Age” tease from Fish

### “Light” contained “Dirt” teases from Mike and “Down With Disease” teases from Trey

#### “Run Like An Antelope” and “Tweezer Reprise” contained “Down With Disease” teases

& “Down With Disease” was unfinished

The second night of the Labor Day Weekend Finale to the 2011 Summer tour featured a balanced Phish firing on all cylinders. Mixing rock with jams and gimmicks in a fully flowing setlist that displayed the entirety of their catalogue, the band continued the fire which started in Chicago, carried over to 09/02’s “Sssssss” show, and would see them end the summer at the top of their game. Opening with a string of well-played, first set standards, the show popped with an energy one wouldn’t expect with a “Moma,” “Ocelot,” “Funky Bitch” showcase. Yet things really began in earnest once the band dropped the rare “Axilla I,” and followed it with the triumvirate of “Llama,” “Fast Enough For You” and a raging “Wolfman’s Brother” to close things out. Ending on such a high note, it was reminiscent of 08/06/2011’s first set which started in much the same way, and ended just as hot. Opening Set II with the second-ever “Down With Disease -> Tweezer” – the first since 08/02/1997 – was about all the sign anyone needed as to what kind of set we were in for. Developing into an absolutely transcendent jam, “Tweezer” quickly wove from an A-minor funk-fest into a dreamlike Fall-99-esque passage that showed off Trey’s chops and displayed the band’s full-on connection this late in the summer. Peaking numerous times before dissolving into “Golden Age,” the jam continued the Summer 2011 trend of risk and reward with various types of jamming in the world of Phish. Highlighting the middle of the set was a searing “Kill Devil Falls” that warped into a swill of ambient noise before moving with ease into “2001,” the sequence displayed Phish’s career-spaning ability to meld styles that don’t appear to fit at first listen, this time with barroom rock and space-aged funk. Moving into “Light,” the song stopped briefly in a blissful theme before rising back into a full-on “Down With Disease” jam, thus sandwiching the first half of the set. Bringing the show and set to a fiery finish with “Cavern>Antelope,” along with a classic “Sleeping Monkey>Tweezer Reprise” encore, the show ended on a peak, one that would spill over to the following night, the final night of the tour. A mix of jams and energy, 09/03/2011 was reminiscent of the second night of tour way back in May, in it’s fully-flowing spirit, and moments of transcendent improv.

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, CO – 09/04/2011

Set I: Maze*, Back On The Train#>Rift>Bathtub Gin##, The Way It Goes^###, Halfway To The Moon, Gumbo, Halley’s Comet -> Tube####>Timber>Roses Are Free>Chalk Dust Torture

Set II: Rock & Roll -> Come Together**& -> Twist##### -> Piper######%>Harry Hood>Roggae, Ghost####### -> Guy Forget -> Ghost, Walls Of The Cave########

Encore: Backwards Down The Number Line

# “Back On The Train” contained a “Sneaking Sally Through The Alley” tease from Trey

## “Bathtub Gin” contained a “Low Rider” tease from Trey

### “The Way It Goes” contained a “Streets Of Cairo” tease from Page

#### “Tube” contained a “Charlie Chan” tease from Trey

##### “Twist” contained a “Low Rider” jam

###### “Piper” contained a “Roadrunner” tease

####### “Ghost” contained an “Oye Como Va” tease

######## “Walls Of The Cave” contained “Rock & Roll” teases from Page

^ “The Way It Goes” (Gillian Welch) made it’s Phish debut

* First “Maze” opener since 12/09/1995

** First “Come Together” since 12/08/1995

& “Come Together” was unfinished

% “Piper” featured Page on the Theremin

A journey that began on the site of the original Woodstock Festival way back in May, over Memorial Day Weekend, concluded in a soccer stadium, in the industrial offshoot of Denver, CO, over Labor Day Weekend. Thirty-three shows deep, Phish used all the time committed to playing together throughout the summer to throw down one more show that will stand the test of time in 2011. A true two-set affair, Set I was all about the energy, while Set II was a fully flowing beast of jams and gimmicks, rarely stopping, displaying the band’s total connection and ability to go in any direction with their music. Opening with the first “Maze” opener since the legendary 12/09/1995 show that features maybe the greatest “You Enjoy Myself” of all time, the band seized upon the palpable energy of the crowd, and exploited them for all they were worth. Tearing through the Rift-era shot of adrenaline, they moved swiftly into a trio of “Back On The Train>Rift>Bathtub Gin,” the latter of which featured a jam so heated, it brought back memories of the 05/28/2011 “Ginteca” affair. Pausing briefly for a one-time take on Gillian Welch’s “The Way It Goes,” and the Page-penned gem “Halfway To The Moon,” the band revived the energy in earnest with a six song sequence of adrenaline that read: “Gumbo, Halley’s>Tube>Timber>Roses>Chalk Dust.” It was the kind of set that, upon ending, left all in the crowd wondering what had just happened and how in the world the band would top that. As they’d done throughout the entire year though, just when one thinks they’ve reached their peak, Phish has dug deep to wow their fans even more. Set II’s of tour closer’s are generally reserved for the band to revisit the song’s and ideas that brought them the most success throughout the year. Thus, it was incredibly appropriate for the band to open their 2011 tour-ending set with their cover of “Rock & Roll,” after playing such memorable versions on 06/07/2011, 06/11/2011, 06/17/2011, and 08/05/2011. Building the jam to it’s raucous peak, the band brought it down into a wholly groove-based segment before easing into a welcomed surprise of The Beatles “Come Together.” Albeit a sloppy version, the sheer fact the band had discovered this Lennon-gem by way of The Velvet Underground, for the first time since playing it on the fifteen-year anniversary of Lennon’s death, made the sequence of music all the more special. Allowing “Come Together” to bleed right into “Twist,” the band united their music with that of the past, a respectable move, and one they’ve gained the ability to do after so many years. Melding the Ghost-era jam vehicles, “Twist” and “Piper” together as they’ve been so many times before, the band took “Piper” on a ride it hadn’t experienced since 06/27/2010 in Merriweather. Landing in a full-on jam based around The Modern Lovers’ – and one-time Phish cover (09/11/2000) – “Roadrunner,” before launching into a “Storage Jam” centered around Page’s Theremin the jam was insanely diverse and displayed Phish’s uncanny ability in 3.0 to jump from idea to idea without wasting time hooking up. Honoring the style that was discovered in the wee-hours of 07/02/2011, “Piper” concluded a month’s worth of jams that explored the dark side in ways the band simply couldn’t up until now. Fading into “Harry Hood,” Phish played their old reliable emotional peak of sets with a precision, and a drive that they hadn’t in years. Capping off the first part of the set, this “Hood” was the culmination of a journey that began with the first “Hood” with Trey’s Ocedoc back on 08/07/2010. Honoring the simple, building quality of the song, Trey played within the theme like it was 1995, waiting for just the right moment to return with the “You can feel good…” conclusion. “Roggae” followed which gave everyone a chance to step back and breath, before “Ghost” kicked off the final segment of the set. Shifting quickly into a major-keyed jam like so many “Ghost’s” have since 12/31/2010’s peaking gem, the jam built around a thunderous theme, hinting at something within the vast memory bank that is Phish, finally materializing into the second-ever live version of “Guy Forget.” Not played since 10/01/2000, the gimmicky tune about the tennis star, injected the jam with some serious humor, without compromising the musical integrity. Sandwiching the song in “Ghost,” Phish closed out the set with the 2.0 masterpiece, “Walls Of The Cave,” before encoring with the 3.0 anthem, “Backwards Down The Number Line.” The absolutely perfect song to close out the show, run, and tour with, “Number Line” signifies everything Phish in their current state is about: family, friends, and the overall joy of playing music. Closing out the meat of their 2011 touring season with an absolute barnburner, Phish showed how far they’ve come since their humble comeback weekend in Hampton, VA back in March 2009. While the rest of the year featured either no Phish, or less-than-amazing Phish, none of it matter, for 2011 will go down as one of the better years of Phish when all’s said and done. Constantly building since their return, one can only imagine where they’ll go from here once they kick off the 2012 tour.

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Thanks to Phish.Net (www.phish.net) and The Mockingbird Foundation (www.mbird.org) for organizational assistance and sourcing of setlists!