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This is a tour for the ages!

Started by Hicks, August 10, 2015, 12:05:01 AM

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khalpin

With the Rangers and the Knicks schedule, they could only ever do a residency at MSG in the summertime.  Or any other regularly used arena.  Oddly enough, a friend of mine went and saw Maiden play this past Saturday at the new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn for their tour closer.  Apparently they wanted it at MSG but Phish obviously had it booked.  Bruce Dickinson made some comments about it during the show, not about Phish, but "screw that other place over the bridge, we're coming back here next time" type of nonsense.

mistercharlie

Quote from: khalpin on July 26, 2017, 05:27:53 PM
With the Rangers and the Knicks schedule, they could only ever do a residency at MSG in the summertime.  Or any other regularly used arena.  Oddly enough, a friend of mine went and saw Maiden play this past Saturday at the new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn for their tour closer.  Apparently they wanted it at MSG but Phish obviously had it booked.  Bruce Dickinson made some comments about it during the show, not about Phish, but "screw that other place over the bridge, we're coming back here next time" type of nonsense.

Damn, now Phish is pissing of both The Piano Man and Eddie The Head!?!  :rawk:
"I used to be 'with it', but then they changed what 'it' was and now what I'm with isn't 'it' and what's 'it' seems weird and scary to me"
Quote from: kellerb on August 02, 2009, 02:29:05 AM
You haven't lived until you've had a robot shart in your ear and followed along in the live setlist thread while it happens. 

runawayjimbo

Quote from: DoW on October 26, 2013, 09:06:17 PM
I'm drunk but that was epuc

Quote from: mehead on June 22, 2016, 11:52:42 PM
The Line still sucks. Hard.

Quote from: Gumbo72203 on July 25, 2017, 08:21:56 PM
well boys, we fucked up by not being there.

rowjimmy


rowjimmy


WhatstheUse?

This has got to be the most consistent run of shows I've ever seen. I haven't left a single show unsatisfied... some have been better than others, but pretty much every show so far has something that stands out.
Bring in the dude!

Hicks

Time to bust out the true sign of an epic tour, they are hitting an insane peak right now that is easily rivaling 2015 for best tour of 3.0. Who would have thought they'd be playing 25 minute jams practically every night in 2021?!!

Not only that, but Trey has finally fixed his tone and the forced quality that has plagued them for years is gone. They are playing with a effortlessness and natural flow that I have not heard in a very long time.

Last night was insane, that Simple was something truly new, just a bananas psychedelic meltdown!

Buckle up dudes, we're not in Kansas anymore! 
Quote from: Trey Anastasio
But, I don't think our fans do happily lap it up, I think they go online and talk about how it was a bad show.

Marmar

Quote from: Hicks on August 07, 2021, 12:30:58 PMTime to bust out the true sign of an epic tour, they are hitting an insane peak right now that is easily rivaling 2015 for best tour of 3.0 since 1.0. Who would have thought they'd be playing 25 minute jams practically every night in 2021?!!

Not only that, but Trey has finally fixed his tone and the forced quality that has plagued them for years is gone. They are playing with a effortlessness and natural flow that I have not heard in a very long time.

Last night was insane, that Simple was something truly new, just a bananas psychedelic meltdown!

Buckle up dudes, we're not in Kansas anymore! 

There.....I fixed your post for ya....
Who's the Marmar? I'm the Marmar!!!

Phish doesn't write beautiful music...the beautiful music happens after the written parts.

<gainesvillegreen> now, if they could get their sound to be as good as the lights, we'd have a band hee-yah!!

Music is what feelings sound like.

Hicks

Quote from: Marmar on August 07, 2021, 12:43:59 PM
Quote from: Hicks on August 07, 2021, 12:30:58 PMTime to bust out the true sign of an epic tour, they are hitting an insane peak right now that is easily rivaling 2015 for best tour of 3.0 since 1.0. Who would have thought they'd be playing 25 minute jams practically every night in 2021?!!

Not only that, but Trey has finally fixed his tone and the forced quality that has plagued them for years is gone. They are playing with a effortlessness and natural flow that I have not heard in a very long time.

Last night was insane, that Simple was something truly new, just a bananas psychedelic meltdown!

Buckle up dudes, we're not in Kansas anymore! 

There.....I fixed your post for ya....

Could be, but I think it's a little early in the tour to make that proclamation. Don't want to jinx these last seven shows.
Quote from: Trey Anastasio
But, I don't think our fans do happily lap it up, I think they go online and talk about how it was a bad show.

WhatstheUse?

I'm with you guys. The jamming feels effortless like it hasn't in years
Bring in the dude!

rowjimmy

Really an embarrassment of riches so far.
I'm a little shocked.

tet

I think it's fair to say that nobody had any idea they would come out swinging like this...
"We want you to be happy"
-Phish

rowjimmy

Quote from: tet on August 07, 2021, 03:16:00 PMI think it's fair to say that nobody had any idea they would come out swinging like this...

True.
I'm just glad I agreed to do Phish podcasts again. I would HATE myself if I'd passed and then they did all of this.

Caravan2001

I mean, when Trey is just yelling during that Simple?  How do they even play more music after that? So good.

Hicks

Meant to do a little mini-write up of the Gorge last week, but my brain wasn't really working too well until about Wednesday and by then Shoreline was pretty much stealing all the thunder, so I'll just do it here along with some thoughts about the State of the Phish Union in general.

Gorge was a total blast, brought my homie Sean for his first shows after trying to get him to hit a show for basically the last 20 years or so. Not gonna say he's a total convert now, but he did get that experiencing Phish live is a totally different ballgame than listening to them at home. The Gorge's pristine sound and the insane new light rig, easily their best ever, helped cement that going to a show is a pretty special thing that everyone should experience.

We did it up "baller style" with a campsite in Premier and then a room at the new Microtel in George. We kept it relatively mellow on Friday so we could drive back to the hotel while my buddy Drew and his gf held down the spot at Premier. The Microtel is super slick, just a ten minute drive from the venue and there is a back road from the venue so you never have to get on the main highway. No pool, but everything is new and pretty nice. Definitely recommend it as an option, and of course the genius of my patented baller style system is that you can crash at the campsite at night and then head to the hotel during the day to take a private shower and nap in the AC, which we did on Sunday. If you have the means, it's pretty much genius.

Inside the venue, I was a bit dismayed to see that Live Nation was bending us over for $17 beers, but at least they were 20 oz, 9% Voodoo Rangers and drinking more than two was not advisable, or in my case more than one.

As for the shows, as everyone knows, they stayed away from most of the big guns like Tweezer, YEM, Hood etc, but that made for some unique setlists and a bunch of first timers outside of all the new stuff, which I also hadn't seen since these were my first shows in three years.

On Friday that came in the form of Ha Ha Ha and I Been Around, two novelty tunes to check off the list along with Lifeboy, which is one of my favorite all time Phish ballads and I was super stoked to see a full band version, as I had only seen Trey play it solo acoustic before. Then came the big highlight, the jammed out 17 minute Camel Walk. I haven't relistened yet, but remember it going in a few different directions and honestly I couldn't believe what was happening. Eventually the jam wound its way to Chalkdust, and I was thankful for that, as with my second Voodoo Ranger making its way through my system, I was ready to take a piss break. Got back just in time for the jam, which I remember as being of the fairly mellow variety, but I haven't revisited it yet. Also, the venue seemed about 80% full and while Saturday was a little more crowded, I found moving through the floor to be fairly easy and I posted up at multiple spots on the back half of the floor throughout the weekend with ease. First time at the Gorge that I didn't watch anything but the encores from the lawn, which was partially due to them roping off the prime sections of the terrace and calling it "Reserved Lawn", f u again Live Nation. An always welcome Slave closed it out and I bailed on Drift While Your Sleeping to beat the crowds.

After a refreshing rest at the Microtel, ok fine I passed the fuck out in my clothes, we met with my boy Drew and his girlfriend at the river to go swimming at Vantage. We showed up early and hardly anyone was there which was nice. Got some texts from Mattstick to help me score some Music Matters vinyl while on the side of the river and then went to set up camp and hit show number two. The band came charging hard out the gate with a fiery Carini, which was accompanied by a massive tortilla war, a goofy Gorge tradition. They kept it rocking with Maze and 46 Days, energy was off the charts. And then Esther, one I'd seen a couple times in 09 and not since, this one benefited greatly from Trey's improved tone, and was extremely well played, pretty much nailed it. Then we got Divided Sky, yet another Junta classic. I've had the privilege of seeing D Sky twice at the Gorge, and both times it was a peak musical experience. It just seems made for that venue, I almost feel like seeing it performed in that environment enhances it to the point that I feel like I'm watching Mozart himself conduct one of his symphonies. All timer stuff. My first Swept Away > Steep kept the floaty vibe going, until we crashed into the cosmic funk of Boogie On, and then the strong set closing SANTOS. Just an all around bonkers first set, easily one of the best single sets I've ever seen the band pull off. 

Second set started well, but did get Fuckerpantsed pretty hard when it seemed like DWD was just getting going, but they made up for it with an emotionally charged Mountains in the Mist, that got me a bit misty eyed too. Ok, maybe a lot misty eyed. But, I did learn one thing, if you cry enough at a Phish show, you won't have to pee in the middle of the set, just bawl that shit out instead! Only took me 43 shows to figure that out, but I think that's going to be my go to move from now on. Mist was followed up by Scents with the intro, one I was wanting to see again, since I pretty much missed it at Vegas 16 due to my infamous second set meltdown that required me to sort shit out on the concourse of the MGM. This one did not disappoint, offering a multifaceted jam that had the futuristic vibe that's been permeating so many jams this summer. The rest of the set was your typical great Phish and I was stoked to get a rare Bittersweet Motel. Heavy Things had me headed for the exits, but when they started up a bonus About to Run, it stopped me in my tracks and I was stoked to catch what I consider one of the best Ghosts of the Forest tunes. All in all, Saturday had finally delivered an undeniably sick show at the Gorge, and looking back this was the best of the run. After the show Sean and I finally got to wander around shakedown, which Sean hilariously connected to the Bob Seger song from Beverly Hills Cop II and it became our anthem of the weekend. Shakedown was the usual mish mash of interesting vendors, DJs, a band and filthy balloon huffers. I was a little let down to find Wookles and Co sold out of camel hats to mark the monumental Camel Walk we had witnessed, so instead I contented myself with buying some trinkets for the wife and kids, while Sean ate a philly cheesesteak quesadilla that led us to the deep philosophical conclusion that you can, in fact, quesadilla anything!

Sunday was not without its charms either, with an exploratory Gin and double helpings of Billy Breathes and Rift tunes in the first set. My first Phish Mr. C continued the theme of first timers for me, and this one went on a journey and the Mr. C riff would pop up else where in the set, along with the usual C&P teases. Saw It Again got a huge reaction from the crowd, I think a lot of folks had been waiting for an all out rocker in a weekend that didn't have a whole lot to offer in terms of balls to walls type stuff and it was nice to get a bit of energy going, because even with the Mircotel room in the mix, I was starting to run on fumes at this point. The other big highlight was Beneath the Sea of Stars, another that just seems to fit the Gorge vibe perfectly and one that I know many were waiting for to make its Gorge debut. Even though we got no Hood at Gorge 21, we did get our "Toph, kill the lights" jam and it was another perfect moment in a weekend full of them. I had been looking for a Shine a Light in tribute to Charlie Watts in addition to the Torn and Frayed opener, and was happy it finally came through on Sunday too.

So yeah, while the band defied some expectations in the setlist choices, they were still on fire for this run, with plenty of inspired and on the money playing and a ton of uncommon songs that I had never seen before. Also, I think I really do have this Gorge shit down to a science now, and the entire weekend went by with no fuck ups. We even did a hand off of the campsite and parking pass from Drew to us when he bounced after the Friday show, and nobody ever questioned it. Our neighbors kinda took over our shade structure while the site was unoccupied, but they were nice enough and there really was room for everyone. One of them gave me a Surrender to the Flow and they left some beers and food that they weren't taking on the plane, so fair trade.

As for the band themselves, they are obviously in a great place right now. They are pushing the music to new places just about every night, and from Trey's tone to Page's increased use of the synth and Wurli and the killer lighting rig, all the technical stuff seems like it's really been worked out and the band is free to focus on just having fun. Fish has been a beast too, and he also seems more willing to ride the jams out, which is a huge factor it stretching things past when they would normally go into the next song.

Trey is getting a little effects happy and there are times when I think he could dial it back, Character Zero on Sunday was a perfect example, I found myself wishing he would just play a normal lead rather than the out there goobledygook he was laying down, but most of the time the effects are bringing interesting and fresh textures to the jams.

Pretty easy to just say this was the best tour since 2015, even if we call the BD a tour I still think this surpassed it by a considerable margin with so many absolute top notch shows like Oak Mt, both Alpharettas, Nashville 2, Hershey 2, Gorge 2 and of course the off the hook insanity of both Shoreline shows. Pretty much every show of the summer had something worth checking out. But not only that, they've really turned a corner and are actually uncovering new ground on the reg, which is something they really have only done in fits and starts over the last ten plus years.

I admit I thought it was kinda lame that people dubbed this era 4.0 before the band even played a note, but I have to say they've earned it, it really does feel like we've entered a new phase of the band where the possibilities are wide open again and new trails are being blazed. Whatever rut they were in during 18 and 19, it seems like a distant memory now and we are now full speed ahead into the next chapter of Phish! Hoping that Fall Tour still happens and I will see some of you fuckers in Vegas!


Quote from: Trey Anastasio
But, I don't think our fans do happily lap it up, I think they go online and talk about how it was a bad show.