R13/W04: 6/1/2011, PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ

[susep]

here's what I said about this show in June:

"blow out candles once again.." =  when Trey aborted out of Ghost into #line.  Mike was spinning out some super nice lines, powered by Fish however it was not to be.

edit - I really like the No Quarter, they all do a nice job esp. Trey.  His playing reminds me of the 26April1994 cover of Sun Ra's Carefree, similar melodicism.

I'll definitely give it a proper listen and show club review.

[McGrupp]

The segue from tweezer > no quarter is pretty awesome, and def a phish moment I will never forget... but trey's solo in no Q is horrendous imo. Not to mention they totally botch the ending.

[whatapiper]

Fuck this shit.

[G. Augusto]

1st Tube - Kinda like the jam when Fish switches to the ride. Mike ventures out a little more and the band seems pretty locked in. Pretty good version and start to the show.

Plan - Going for the rock tonight. Meh version. Just kinda happened and Trey's wankery goes on a little too long.

Camel - Another song that gets overplayed in 3.0. The band gets all sorts of lost in the same section they get all lost in every time they play this these days.

Heavy - Shitty placement.

Jibboo - I own this record (Farmhouse.) Whatever. The set is kinda dragging by this point and I like Jibboo.

Wilson - Dump break.

7 Below - Cool placement. One of my favorite parts of this song is the breakdown where Page weirds out on the synth, but this one really fucking sucks. Like a shell of what it used to be (3.0.) The super short jam lost me and just kinda fizzled out.

KDF - This and Plan in the same set? Odd. This one actually brings the energy back and I liked it a bunch.

Axilla - Trey really leaning on the heavy riffs for this set.

Split - Trey is not playing any of the chords correctly during the beginning. "Tack up my gear." His tone is so shrill. Sounds like what really sharp shit would sound like. I'll take aimless and boring as fuck for 2000, Alex. Jam sucks much like every other 3.0 version but does return to the ending nicely.

Suzy - Page goes off. Saves the world.

Tweezer - Composed is quite ragged. Really fuck up the return after the Ebineezer part, too. Decent modulation during the jam, but just turns into your formulaic "jam" for the time. Almost segues into >>>

Quarter - Like the vocal effect. Rest of the song is pretty rough, though.

Carini - Just kinda happened.

Piper - 6 minutes of boring and then a band Horse Force >

Twist - Modulation/space out at 6:45. Gets pretty cool in major, but then....HORSE FORCE >

Ghost - Trey goes for No Quarter riff and fucks up the lyrics badly. Super short. Talk about a band being all out of musical ideas.... :| 3 songs that used to clock in at an hour now clocks in at about 20 minutes of pure horsecrap.

# Line - Actually rocked harder than anything else in the set.

Life - I actually *LUV* this tune, but this one plains sucks.

Reprise - Tempo is all fucked up thanks to Trey.

Short songs. Short show.
Gets a D+

[DoW]

I'm listening to this show show for the first time and I am truly hating on it.  making my commutes very crappy.
nice pick 
review will be coming tomorrow or so.

[whatapiper]

Set I:

1st Tube - Great way to start a show imo and no Trey flub in the intro.   High energy all around and I like Trey's tone during the solo to finish.   Well played

Stealin Time - Better here than later in the show I suppose.   Going fine until Trey's screech tone leading back into the Stealin Time theme.  Next...

Camel Walk - Still a bustout?   A groovy first set number either way.   Still a little rough despite the somewhat regular play time.

Heavy Things - Ouch, major Punch fake out there.   Time to hit the head

Jiboo - I'm a sucker for a mid first set Jiboo so what can I say.   Loops are always a favorite.  I like how Page comes in the lead straight away then Trey seems to step on his toes and the lead quickly changes.   Typical Jiboo style jam with a descent lead to the peak.   

Wilson - ugh

7 Below - Weird placement but digging it as I need something unexpected at this point.   Jam with typical melodic noodling and slow build to rawk peak teetering on the whale edge.   I do like the breakdown at 7:23 that sounds like something could start to develop, Page sounding nice here and everyone locked in but no one pushes forward to lead the jam, then someone has a great idea...

KDF - not sure what just happened 

Axilla - more rawk!!!!   :rawk:

Split - I find 3.0 Split's all cringe worthy and having just listened to 12/31/99 on my run today matters were made worse.   Hell will have an endless shuffle of every 3.0 Split jam and all the banned paugers will be there.

Suzy - Sweet, raging as per usual these days but can't save this boring ass set.

Overall this set gets a D+ with no real highlight to speak of

Tweezer - Will the show turn around or will it be cold?   Nice rhythm heavy intro to the jam with Miking punching holes in the sky and interplay with Trey and Page.   They seem content on sticking to the Tweezer theme without exploring any other leads.   Rawk peak again and revisit to same theme before breakdown.   Page layering some nice effects for last minute of song, again, WHY NOT CONTINUE and explore this theme WTF! Seems like Fish screws the pooch here unless this was pre planned to be after Tweezer backstage.

No Quarter - very cool lead into the intro imo, crowd is amped.   Love the vocals here, cool stuff.   Not played perfectly but I will not hate here, I would have loved to see this.

Carini - refer to Wilson

Piper - I need to change my Login.   Seemed like an even shorter intro when Trey came in.   Overall too short to do anything with really.   Just when a "jam" may start Trey's horse forces into >

Twist - What song do they want to play? Piper or Twist?   Pick one.   Typical jamming until things get slightly interesting around 7 minutes.   One quickly realizes this is going no where.  Reminds me of the Tech Waves there for a minute around 7:30 or so.    A theme emerging then dropped just before the Ghost intro.

Ghost - Should be game time but at 7:45 what's more to be said

BDTNL - Just what I wanted after what must be the shortest Ghost.   Dig the song but not here during this show.   High energy and played well enough but....

Show of Life - 

Tweeprise - I called that $hit after Tweezer

Show highlights were the opener, my liking of the song Gotta Jiboo, 45 seconds in 7 Below, No Quarter and just over a minute of Twist.   Nice major blue baller here, D

[DoW]

1st tube – nice start to a show
Stealing time – the novelty of this song has worn off on me.  This was just flat out boring
Camel walk – more bore.  Not rare anymore and just really did nothing
Heavy things – I changed the radio to the oldies station
Jibboo – wasn't bad.  Wasn't good.  Still an improvement from what was happening this set
Wilson – just flat out awful
7 below – wasn't bad.  Not spectacular but good
KDF – not much to this song. 
Axilla – set starts to develop a little consistency.
Melt – liked the ending.  Other than that, I'll pass
Suzy – highlight of the set.  Was a really good version
Tweezer – like this to start set 2.  Liked the patient transition at end
No Quarter – wasn't horrendous, but wasn't good either.
Carini>Piper>Twist>Ghost – this is what I hate about 20011 shows.  Everything was rushed through.  The segues all sucked.  This section just made me angry.  This wasn't Phish.
# Line – started off as a bore but the "jam" was good.  Rivals Suzy for best of the show.
Show of Life – I don't really complain about it as an encore but nothing good going on
Tweeprise – glad show is over

Straight F on this one.  This show was miserable

[Augustus]

HATE

[whatapiper]

HATE

Ready for round 14...

[susep]

1June2011 - Holmdel   NJ


I


First Tube - great way to open show/set, nothing to speak of in terms of improv obviously but great tune to get the crowd and energy up, Trey wailing the I-IV(love the 7Dec.99 version, my first), Trey playing appropriate lines, no where near his once fiery technique and dynamism, Trey calls

Stealing Time - "got memories" of Trey's greatness as a lead player, Trey leads in rather uneventfully near 2:15, Mike adding some tasty counterpoint, Trey slinking along, Page adding some nice fill, Fishman active behind the kit, Trey pinching harmonics, yawn at Trey's soloing, Machine Gun Trey near 5:30, this tune could serve as a great launch pad for type II but for whatever reason they like to play it straight.

Camel Walk - nice to see Holdsworth getting some royalty pay, Page sounds sick in an otherwise typical 3.0 selection

Heavy Things - I always think of Fall/Winter '99 when I hear this, tempo sounds a step ahead, Heavy Things > No Woman, No Cry > Heavy Things would be sweeter, typical 3.0 solo whereas the other 3 sound super, Trey noodles more whereas before he used to bend more, pause into

Gotta Jibboo - looking back at my notes from earlier this Summer, this track made my final list, jam drops near 3:00, first loops near 3:15, Page on the ivories early, Mike thumping along, Trey easing in slowly, slight '99 staccato riff by Trey, Mike mixing up his lines nicely, Trey changes positions near 4:45, Page alternating nicely w/ sweeping chords and single note lines, Trey hits a nice series of notes near 5:35, Mike and Page raging it, Fish laying calm yet keeping everyone aligned, Trey searching for a peak or two, Mike there offering support as Trey tries to ascend, again which is typical of 3.0, Trey simply cannot reach the higher peaks he once conquered not long ago, he's can still get up into the alpine areas but not summit and swirl, Trey letting go more near 8:24, sounds more free towards outro, back to struggling a bit, brief chord vamp, into

Wilson - ok

Seven Below - more my speed, Trey and Mike sound a little off in their respected verse break lines, jam drops near 2:56, love Fishman here, Mike per usual stepping it up, Trey falls flat on his face, its as if they're not really listening to each other, the trio sounds fine, its Trey who clearly is the missing link in this their 3rd year back(wft?), Mike showing his prowess as the jam mellows in the last minute(like it does in every 3.0 "jam"),

Trey sounds so uninspired as he counts off...

Kill Devil Falls - I do recall liking the Bethel version, Trey finally leads in near 4:27, wank wank, its like Trey has regressed into Billy Gibbons, whenever Trey steps out of himself, even for 1/2 a bar, Mike is right there w/ him, more rock style peaks by Trey, Page high on the organ, crowd lapping it up into 1, 2

Axilla part I - more greatest rock hits into

Split Open and Melt - Trey leads in at 4:15, mellow beginning, Trey whales a little bit, not a tune that is congruent to the whale, jam picks up near 6:00+, even Page sounds lost, no one really in control, Mike takes hold, static reply but the others, they sound like a broken down machine or a machine that has lost a few key components, Trey trills out near 8:15+, a small mirror of their '94 dissonance style, most if not all 3.0's Melts blow, they should stop playing it or rehearse it more, beta Trey, bad acid music. Mike and Fish locked in, Page wailing, into

Suzy - end of set,



II


Tweezer - jam drops at 5:20, Mike dropping a nice line early on, nice space by everyone, liquid gold hues, nice variation near 7:07, charging Phish, trying to peak the jam but Trey lags bigtime, sounds out of key and sloppy in some spaces, Trey tries to recover by executing one of his trill inspired flourishes, yawn at this type of jamming, hints of previous prowess, jam crosses the rubicon near 11:21, nice Fish lead, ambient ride, Page hinting, SRTS, into

No Quarter - certainly not a bad moment, love this tune!, nice Bonham rolls by Fish, JPJ Page, Trey getting trippy, slight flub near 4:42 where Trey takes his solo, comes in sounding nice, Trey channeling one of his earlier heros, much more fluid Trey unlike his playing in the last jam, here he sounds more free, cool Trey effect near 8:16, great first time cover.

Carini - nice pick up out of NQ, Trey leads in at 3:00, band sounds fine, Mike and Fish esp. Mike laying an interesting bed for Trey, Mike adding subtle dissonance, Trey mostly playing straight ahead for the most part, jam winds down into

Piper - just as Page was going to hit his ambient thrusters, jam drops near 2:30, like Trey's playing here, nice jamming near 5:00, mostly straight ahead rock type but solid nonetheless, Trey reeling the jam in w/ some nice lines as they quickly segue into

Twist - still don't think we've heard a type II/taken out version in 3.0?  playful jamming but no forays into the unkown, they lurk around the door but mostly hover outside, they begin to lock in nicely near 5:45 but Trey blows it by riffing back into the Twist melody/space, cool Mike, Fish and Page near 6:30, 3.0 ambient peak/thrust w/ Page the ambient illuminator, Trey picks out some nice chords to accompany, before he strums into

Ghost - Page thrust spilling over into the intro, another 3.0 hallmark, jam begins in ernest near 4:00, Mike bopping along nicely to Fish, nice variation by Mike near 4:45, leaves Trey up high and dives in underneath, jam falls into 3.0 rock space at 6:00, more rock chording by Trey near 7:00, Trey searching for the funk but realizes doesn't have it and decides to try out

BDTNL - wtf?  and there it is, 3.0, today's Heavy Things, I do however catch myself singing lines of this on occasion:P, typical rock peak jam.


E


Show of Life - I'd probably be out of there.

Tweezer reprise - great exit music.



compared to 15June2011, the other pick from this tour/period, I thought this show was a little bit better overall, the No Quarter really being the obvious highlight, really the only time Trey sounded like he was able to take a step out of himself musically.  Split is worth a second listen just for the train wreck effect.  although short Piper had a few nice moments.

Grade:  C-