Whatever You Do, Take Care Of Your Shoes

There were a lot of expectations as Phish took the stage for their final performance of the tour.  Would there be more bustouts?  Antics? Guests?  What we were treated to was a stellar performance from a band that gives it their all every time they hit the stage.   Sure, this was far from the best show of the tour, but a solid effort and one that I (and many others) thoroughly enjoyed.

“Down With Disease” was an interesting opener.  Much like the Alpine “Tweezer,” this could have easily been extended and explored deeper, but the boys opted to keep reel it in.  “Sample In A Jar” followed, and kept the energy high.  “Guelah” was an awesome surprise.  Trey and Page nailed the “Asse Festival” section, and the whole song was really well executed.  “Poor Heart” followed and gave us a nice sense of bluegrass.  For me, the energy was lost a bit in “Ocelot.”  I really dig this tune, but I couldn’t get into the jam, and felt it was a bit forced.  This carried over to a relatively normal “Chalk Dust.”  While great to hear, this version didn’t stand up to the ones I heard earlier this summer at Hershey and SPAC.  Things really picked up again with “Bathtub Gin,” as Trey shredded the crap out of his guitar.  “Tube” was a set highlight for me.  While not as long as I’d hoped for, it was funky a great effort.  Then came “Destiny Unbound.”  I don’t really know what happened here, but this song just fell apart.  What could have been an amazing bustout became a mess.  Trey flubbed his parts and the band stumbled back into the verse after the jam.  It was fun to hear, but nowhere near the version we got last year at Fenway.  After a soulful “Joy,” a fantastic “Antelope” ended the set, with Trey substituting the “Marco Esquandolas” lyrics with “Mike-O” (and a nice little funky bass solo from Mike in response).

Set two heated up with “Axilla,” followed by a blistering “Timber.”  “Timber” was another show highlight, as Trey went nuts during the solo and really took this one for a ride.  “Light” followed, serving as the first real exploration of the evening.  The “Light” jam eventually cooled off into “46 Days” followed by another one of my favorites, “My Friend, My Friend.”  “MFMF” was well placed mid-set and had the crowd screaming for more.  The band responded with a great “Harry Hood > Tweezer” combo that was one of the best I’ve heard all summer.  “Horse > Silent” brought us back to earth, before the set closing “YEM.”  “Suzy” and “Tweeprise” ended the night and sent us home.

This was a fun show.  Was it the highlight of the tour?  No, but it was a strong performance and one I was glad to have been a part of.  This has been an amazing tour, and I can’t wait to see what fall has in store.

Wednesday August 18, 2010 Nikon Theater At Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY

Soundcheck: You Can Get It If You Really Want, Nellie Kane, Hey Joe

Set I: Down With Disease > Sample In A Jar, Guelah Papyrus, Poor Heart, Ocelot, Chalk Dust Torture, Bathtub Gin, Tube, Destiny Unbound, Joy, Run Like An Antelope

Set II: Axilla I, Timber > Light > 46 Days > My Friend My Friend, Harry Hood > Tweezer > The Horse > Silent In The Morning, You Enjoy Myself

E: Suzy Greenberg > Tweezer Reprise

setlist courtesy of www.phish.com

download the show here.

image courtesy of Dave Vann.

Coming off the heels of an explosive mid-west run, Phish returned to the east coast one last time to cap off their summer tour with two nights at Jones Beach.  Night one proved to be an exciting adventure, as the band delivered on stellar jams and great song selections.

Choosing to open the show with “Fluffhead,” the band sent a message that they were here for business.  “Fluffhead’s” energy carried right on through a scorching “Kill Devil Falls.”  Looking back, it’s amazing to see how far this song has come since they debuted it last year at Jones Beach.  Trey delivered a confident, fiery solo that had everyone begging for more.  “Cities” followed, as Trey started the opening chords slower than usual, leading the bad through a nice funky rendition.  While “Cities” didn’t reach Greek status, the funk was there and the band gelled for a nice groove.  As “Cities” drew to a close, the band launched into another raging version of “Funky Bitch.”  Mike really loves singing this tune, and he was especially upbeat in this rendition.  “Wilson” was next, and Trey spiced things up by playing a toy guitar for part of the jam…a sure sign that they “can still have fun.”  Following the antics of “Wilson” came a well executed “Reba”, sans whistling.  Still, the boys showed no signs of slowing down, as they went right into Joe Walsh’s “Walk Away,” featuring an amazing end solo by Trey that easily could have stretched a few more minutes.  A funked-out “Wolfman’s Brother” followed, featuring Mike delivering some fantastic slap bass.  This is easily one of the funkiest I’ve ever heard and a real set highlight.  A scorching “Possum” closed the set, with Trey shredding unlike anything I’ve seen all summer.  A fantastic set indeed.

Set two opened with a taste of old school, as Fish sang the first “Lengthwise” of the year over the high-hat intro to “Maze.”  This was the first well-placed “Lengthwise” in many years, and one that had many older fans reminiscing of those old ‘91-93 shows.  “Maze” got dark and dirty, setting the tone for the set.  “Halley’s” was also great to hear, but as it’s been all year, the jam stopped before it really got going.  Out of “Halley’s” came “Mike’s Song.”  Here’s where things got interesting.  Just like some of the previous shows, the band tossed away the typical “Hydrogen” in lieu of some interesting experimenting.  This time, we were treated to a raging “Simple,” followed by “Backwards Down The Number Line.”  “Number Line” saw the boys stretch out and break the typical structure, morphing into a type II jam with that was very reminiscent of SPAC ‘09.  The jam featured extensive “Maze” teases, and as it wound down, Trey led the band through a short, yet appropriately placed “Prince Caspian.”  “Caspian” went unfinished, transitioning seamlessly into “Rock & Roll.”  “Rock & Roll” was perfect and one of the best versions all year.  As Trey brought the song back into the chorus, the band kept screaming “it’s alright” over a feedback jam that paved the way for “Weekapaug Groove.”  “Loving Cup” followed, and proved to be a great set closer.  “Show Of Life” started the encore, which was a bit shocking (I had called this to end the tour), but we got one last taste of energy with “Golgi Apparatus.”

Below are two HD videos I shot from the upper tier.  Enjoy!

Tuesday August 17, 2010 Nikon Theater At Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY

Soundcheck: Dog Log, Ginseng Sullivan, Burn That Bridge [Possibly incomplete]

Set I: Fluffhead, Kill Devil Falls, Cities, Funky Bitch, Wilson*, Reba, Walk Away, Wolfman’s Brother, Possum

Set II: Lengthwise > Maze, Halley’s Comet > Mike’s Song > Simple > Backwards Down The Number Line > Prince Caspian > Rock & Roll > Weekapaug Groove, Loving Cup

E: Show Of Life, Golgi Apparatus

*with Trey on toy guitar; Fishman teasing the drumbeat to Led Zeppelin’s “Rock ‘N Roll”

setlist courtesy of www.phish.com

download the show here.

image courtesy of Dave Vann.

Phish ended their mid-West run last night for a second show at Alpine Valley, bringing them one step closer to the end of summer tour.  The band made an interesting choice opening the show with “Tweezer” (first time in 3.0 that a show has opened with this).  What set the stage for a massive first set jam was ended a bit too early, as the band opted for “AC/DC Bag.”  While still an energetic version, it would have been interesting for the boys to shake it up and branch out on that first song right out the gate.  Little Feat’s “On Your Way Down” was an excellent inclusion in the first set, allowing Page to showcase some fine vocals.  The set also included noteworthy versions of “The Divided Sky,” “Stealing Time,” and “David Bowie.”

Set two kicked off with a funk-filled “Ghost > Theme From The Bottom” combo that got the crowd into a nice groove.  “Big Black Furry Creatures From Mars” brought some mid-set madness, before easing back into some experimental jams with a mid-set “YEM,” “Piper,” and “2001.”  The return of the Beatles “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (last heard in Hartford last year) was a nice inclusion as well.  To end their mid-West stand, a four song encore of the Velvet Underground’s “Oh Sweet Nuthin’,” “Cavern,” “Joy,” and “Tweezer Reprise” ended the show in top form.

As the tour winds down, we’re left with two nights at Jones Beach.  The stage has been set for plenty of surprises (will we finally get that “Dog Log” that’s been soundchecked recently?), and if these past shows are any indication of things to come, these last two shows are going to kick ass.  Keep reading and I’ll be tweeting from both (@ahandman).

Sunday August 15, 2010 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI

Soundcheck: Dog Log, new Trey ballad, Burn That Bridge, Liquid Time

Set I: Tweezer, AC/DC Bag, On Your Way Down, The Divided Sky, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Water In The Sky > The Moma Dance > Farmhouse, David Bowie

Set II: Ghost > Theme From The Bottom > Big Black Furry Creature From Mars, You Enjoy Myself > Piper > 2001 > While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Character Zero

E: Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ > Cavern > Joy > Tweezer Reprise

setlist courtesy of www.phish.com

download the show here.

image courtesy of @incognito23.

Last night’s show at Alpine Valley easily sticks out as a tour highlight.  A solid mix of bustouts and jams saw the band deliver one of the finest performances of the year.  Opening the evening with “Tube,” the band meant business.  A nice “Oh Kee Pah > Suzy” combo followed.  A big surprise was the return of “Fuck Your Face,” which many fans believed would be a one-and-done performance after it surfaced in Charlotte.

Set two kicked off with “The Sloth” (possibly due to a fan request), followed by a raging “Disease > What’s The Use?” combo.  The Mike-humored “Scent Of A Mule” also made its tour and year debut.  The Mike’s Groove was also quite remarkable, melding in “Dirt” and the funky “Sneaking Sally Through The Alley” in between.  The evening concluded with another performance of Dylan’s “Quinn The Eskimo.”

Saturday August 14, 2010 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI

Set I: Tube, The Oh Kee Pah Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg, Funky Bitch, Reba, Fuck Your Face, Alaska, Back On The Train, Taste > When The Circus Comes, Lawn Boy, Sparkle, Gumbo, Run Like An Antelope

Set II: The Sloth, Down With Disease > What’s The Use? > Scent Of A Mule, Mike’s Song > Dirt > Sneaking Sally Through The Alley > Weekapaug Groove, Bug

E: Quinn The Eskimo

setlist courtesy of www.phish.com

download the show here.

image courtesy of Dave Vann.

Phish hit the stage Friday night for the second of two performances at the famed Deer Creek.  Building off the previous night’s energy, the band showed no signs of fatigue or slowing down.  Set one contained quite a few bustouts, the most obvious being “Walls Of The Cave,” the 2.0 gem last played at Coventry (festival opener).  “Guelah Papyrus” and “Train Song” also made their debut this year.

Set two picked up with an adventurous “Light > 46 Days > Maze” trilogy that kicked the set into high gear.  The jam from “Meatstick” into “Mango Song” featured “Dave’s Energy Guide” teases by Page.  The show concluded with “Contact” and “Slave To The Traffic Light” - a great way to end a nice run.

Friday August 14, 2010 Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN

Set I: Chalk Dust Torture, Guelah Papyrus, My Sweet One, Axilla I, I Didn’t Know, Walls Of The Cave, Stash, Train Song > Backwards Down The Number Line, Ocelot, The Ballad Of Curtis Loew, Wilson > Possum

Set II: Halley’s Comet > Light > 46 Days > Maze, Meatstick* > The Mango Song > Fluffhead > Julius

E: Contact, Slave To The Traffic Light

*with Dave’s Energy Guide teases by Page

setlist courtesy of www.phish.com

download the show here.

image courtesy of Dave Vann.

Something clicked last night for sure.  After two shows in Telluride that musically did not stand out in comparison to the rest of the tour, Phish unleashed a beast of a show last night at Deer Creek that is easily one of the strongest performances all year.

Phish kicked the evening off with four tour firsts - “Runaway Jim,” “PYITE,” “Roggae,” and “Cars Trucks Buses” (note: I’ll count the second leg of the tour to be a separate tour).  “CTB” was a standout version, seeing Trey take a solo in what is usually a Page-dominated song.  “Sugar Shack” brought on some well-needed Gordo-funk to keep everyone dancing.  After a strong (albeit short) “Wolfman’s Brother,” “Time Turns Elastic” closed off the set.  I think “TTE” starting to fit into rotation properly.  As a set closer, it works well in my opinion…those last 5 minutes are intense!

Set two opened with The Who’s “Drowned,” which the band used as a launching pad for the evening’s first real jam.  “Drowned” segued into “Gotta Jibboo” followed by a great mid-set “Bathtub Gin.”  “My Friend My Friend” was awkwardly placed mid-second set, but well executed.  After “MFMF,” the band played the first 3.0 “Buffalo Bill” to shake things up.  The end of the second set deserves special notoriety as well, with a blistering version of “Split Open And Melt,” which saw the band really stretch out and leave the song’s structure.  “Melt” went unfinished (a first for 3.0, and first since Coventry) and instead transitioned into the tour’s first “Dog Faced Boy.”  “Harry Hood” and “Golgi” capped the set off.

Coming back for an encore, Fish kicked in the bass drum leading the band through “Fee,” which featured Trey on the megaphone (a great throwback to the old days)!  Much to the audience’s delight, the night was far from over, as Gordon began his famous “NO2” dialogue followed by the ancient chant, “Kung.”  Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” ended the night, with Trey adding his own twist to the lyrics, shouting “let Cactus take over.”  A solid and standout night indeed.  See below for a great HD video of the encore (minus “Fire”).

Thursday August 12, 2010 Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN

Set I: Runaway Jim, Punch You In The Eye, Roggae, Cars Trucks Buses > Sample In A Jar, NICU, Horn, Sugar Shack, Wolfman’s Brother, Time Turns Elastic

Set II: Drowned > Gotta Jibboo > Bathtub Gin, My Friend My Friend, Buffalo Bill > Twist > The Horse > Silent In The Morning, Split Open And Melt > Dog Faced Boy, Harry Hood > Golgi Apparatus

E: Fee* > NO2 > Kung > Fire**

*with Trey on megaphone

**lyrics changed to “move over and let Cactus take over.”

setlist courtesy of www.phish.com

download the show here.

Phish hit the stage last night for the last of two evenings in Telluride Town Park, and delivered a power-packed show.  Though lacking in jams, the show made up for it in rarities, unleashing a few songs rarely heard live (yet alone in the same show).

Set one opened with an unexpected “Squirming Coil” (for those counting, they haven’t opened with this since 7/16/98).  From there, the excitement kept coming with a well executed “Stealing Time” and “Ya Mar.”  Rare gems like “Timber,” “Roses Are Free,” and “Walk Away” also made appearances, much to the audiences delight.  “The Divided Sky” and a set closing “Antelope” were really the only jams of the set, but that “Antelope” was smoking!

Set two kicked off with “Party Time,” which set the tone for the rest of the set.  One of the most exciting “Mike’s Groove” of 3.0 followed with a “Crosseyed And Painless” sandwiched in between!!!  “Crosseyed” quickly dissipated into “Hydrogen” just as it was taking off, but an interesting move for the band to pull.  Following “Weekapaug,” the band treated the audience to yet another rarity with “Destiny Unbound.”  A set closing “YEM” brought everyone one last high, before capping the evening off with the 3.0-go-to finale, “Shine A Light.”

A remarkable set of shows indeed.  Hopefully the band felt that same energy and will return soon.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 Telluride Town Park, Telluride, CO

Soundcheck: Nellie Kane, You Better Believe It Baby [Unconfirmed and possibly incomplete]

Set I: The Squirming Coil, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Ya Mar, Timber, Let Me Lie, The Divided Sky, Walk Away, Roses Are Free > Limb By Limb, Bouncing Around The Room, Run Like An Antelope

Set II: Party Time, Mike’s Song > Crosseyed And Painless > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Destiny Unbound, Carini > Free > Heavy Things, You Enjoy Myself

E: Shine A Light

setlist courtesy off www.phish.com

download the show here.

image courtesy of @Tweeprise.

In the first of the most anticipated shows of the tour (any maybe year), Phish delivered the goods with a stellar performance in a gorgeous setting.  “Down With Disease” kicked the night off, followed by a funked out “Camel Walk.”  In a nice surprise, Traffic’s “Light Up Or Leave Me Alone” made its second appearance of the year.  A rare mid-set “Cavern” was also nice to see.

Set two was remarkable.  Opening with “Sand,” the band quickly entered into dark, gooey territory, that was the first real exploration of the night.  “Sand” segued into the 3.0 anthem “Number Line,” followed by “Prince Caspian.”  A very short “Tweezer” saw the band take its jam right into the funk-heavy “Boogie On.”  “Mountains In The Mist” was very fitting.  I’ve never been very impressed by it, but in this setting, it fit beautifully given the context.  The biggest shock came with the encore, as the band played Dylan’s “Quinn The Eskimo” for the first time since October 2, 1999 (209 shows).  “Tweezer Reprise” capped the night off well.

So what’s in store tonight?  I personally would like to see some bluegrass bustouts, but whatever happens, it will be great.  The only rule is it begins…

Monday August 9, 2010 Telluride Town Park, Telluride, CO

Soundcheck: Funky Bitch, Ginseng Sullivan, Cities, 46 Days

Set I: Down With Disease, Camel Walk, Ocelot, Light Up Or Leave Me Alone, Summer Of ‘89, Stash, Cavern, The Wedge, Possum, Julius

Set II: Sand > Backwards Down The Number Line > Prince Caspian, Tweezer > Boogie On Reggae Woman > Piper > Mountains In The Mist, David Bowie, A Day In The Life

E: Quinn The Eskimo, Tweezer Reprise

setlist courtesy of www.phish.com

download the show here.

images courtesy of Brantley Gutierrez and @Tweeprise.

We’re only a few hours away from the most hyped up and talked about shows of the tour.  I can only be talking about Phish’s return to Telluride.  It’s been 19 years since the band touched ground here, and the past trips (1988, 1990, and 1991) saw the band playing to minimal crowds in small bars and clubs.  Check out Colorado ‘88 for a great collection of some of these performances.  In one regard, this will be a return to those days, as Phish will play Telluride Town Park to a relatively small crowd of roughly 9,000 people each night.  The town of Telluride has gone through great lengths to ensure that only folks with tickets get into the town, in an effort to reduce traffic and control the scene.  Similarly, tickets to the shows were extremely tough to come by, and sold out in minutes (Phish elected to not go through commercial vendors like Ticketmaster or Live Nation, opting for Ticket Horse, a local distributor, to dish out the remaining tickets not won in the pre-sale).

So, what’s going to happen in Telluride?  There’s been lots of rumors flooding the interwebs and fan boards.  One thing is certain:  Phish is going to bring it.  But it’s still fun to speculate…

BLUEGRASS:

Telluride has a very rootsy/Americana vibe to it.  It’s home to the annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, where each year the country’s best bluegrass artists gather for a few days of good ol’ pickin’.  Phish has their own history with bluegrass, playing a few acoustic tunes each night during their 1994 tour.  The Rev. Jeff Mosier took the band under his wing to teach them the genre.  Though far from masters, Phish picked it up fairly quickly and incorporated some classic bluegrass numbers into their set.  Will we see a return of these bluegrass songs during these shows?  It certainly would be awesome to hear “Nellie Kane,” “My Long Journey Home,” “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome,” among others.  The area is home to some of the best pickers out there, so don’t be shocked if we see a guest or two lend a hand.  I could easily see members of the String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, Del McCoury, or Bela Fleck sitting in.

ACOUSTIC SET:

There’s no better setting for the band to perform another acoustic set.  The mellow vibe was great at Indio last year, and another acoustic set deep in the mountains could be in order.  Remember, this is an intimate venue, so Phish may be looking for ways to connect with the crowd on a more personal level.  Unplugging and stripping some of these songs down is one way to achieve it.

GAMEHENDGE:

Just admit it, you’re dreaming about it too.  It’s been 16 years since Gamehendge was played straight through, and people are dying for it to happen again.  Look, anything is possible (who would have ever guessed that “Fuck Your Face” would see the light of day?), but it’s highly unlikely.  Still, Telluride is the perfect place for Colonel Forbin to ascent the mountain.  With “AC/DC Bag” and “The Lizards” just played during the last night of The Greek run, it makes the chances of this very thin, but still, what if?  We talked about connecting with the crowd at an intimate level, and what’s better than a little Gamehendge story time?

Whatever happens, these shows are going to rock.  I’m sorry I can’t be there, but I’ll be following along on the couch tour like the millions of others who couldn’t attend.  Get ready…

(Trey and Fish - Colorado 1988)