07/30 - Red Rocks - Morrison, CO - Post-Show Discussion and Review

[Gumbo72203]

yeah I donno, my DL is going mad slow right now; my g/f doesn't have the greatest internet but whatever. 

[susep]

30July09 - Morrison, CO

Source: Schoeps mk22> KCY> Schoeps VMS02IB> Apogee Mini-Me> SD 722 (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: Split 10', FOH Rail, Pointed at outside of stacks, 5-1/2' Stands

Transfer: SD 722> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(resample/dither)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)
Taped, Transferred & Seeded by: taylorc (07/31/2009)


I

Divided Sky - a few freaks called this one, cheers to them!, right off the back recording is in the serious sub-par/mediocre range, at one point all of Morrison was under water so its cool to hear Phish bust out this nice, high energy aquatic masterpiece, drop out in house sound?, in terms of execution its great that they've regained their earlier years consistency, I wonder if Trey still has that transcendent moment during the silent piece?, beautiful music, Mike sticking out, nice Fish on the mini-toms and rolls, Page reverberating slightly, jammy outro section, tight ending, nice sustain by Trey, Trey carrying last note like he's carrying a flag in the wind, good version/opener.

Ocelot - "brahcelot...", as a lover of cats I really appreciate this tune, this reminds me more of a new Twist then anything, this jam can easily mutate quickly, stays w/ in the boundaries unfortunately, Page addding Clav while Trey screams/cries in desperation, again Page adding nicely in outro chorus.

The Wedge - this is what I called for the opener so #3 isn't too shabby, decent version.

Poor Heart - Phishgrass.

Moma Dance - a fav. sure way to ignite an aud., more subtlties esp. from Page and Fish, Page raging hard underneath, really good Trey, laying out some nice ideas, solid Trey thoughout, excellent version!

Horn - I used to play this tune back in the day, preety easy to learn and sing, total dropout around???, "...listen for my horn", classic Phish, nice.

Stash - jam opens near 4:58, "maybe so, maybe not", nice Mike and Fish, Trey being more patient, Page as well, active communication, again Mike and Fish kickoff into this little tangent, Trey lightly adding nice lines, Page somewhat quiet in this mix which btw has improved from the opening moments, Trey into his first whale call around 8:56, jam morphs, down shifts into this cool other jam, definitely not part of the Stash/Monk progression, type II here since the mutation, major sound w/ uplifting/optimistic vibe, jam continues into 13:00, Fish pushing for change back, Page responding, Trey lets the tension build more, still swimming in major where the others are either in Stash or what he's doing, unrelenting Trey still staying maj, finally morphs back near 15:00, solid 10 minute + improvisation, maybe so, maybe not?  definitely so this time.

Horse -

Silent - a throwdown from '93.

Possum - does have a somewhat western vibe esp. w/ Gordo adding his country flair, very high in the rotation, as much as these guys play this they should be all over it, solid set closer.


II

Mike's - jam kicks in at 2:55, nice chunky/funky Trey, nice start, Mike adding '94 esque lines, raw sounding Trey in his solo, Trey w/ a nice chordal wash effect, jam moves foward nicely, nice version, old school ending into

I am Hydrogen - nice version into

Weekapaug - Mike becoming ever more the virtuoso, everything played this far has been very clean both in execution and communication, this jam included, decent overall.

Ghost - inspired Trey vocal, nice clarity on recording after a rough start, nice jam from the outset, trippy Page, Mike hammering down,  subtle Trey, liquid Mike lines, Fish dropping it down around 5:20, steady pace, Mike linking, Trey and Page jump on board, jam begins to lift off, Page leading out front, Trey begins mining for ideas, communicates nicely w/ Mike, jam stays preety sweet, nice subtle nuances by everyone and the fact that they're communicating and playing w/ each other, very good sounding improvisation, jam mellows down, Mike and Fish still progressing underneath, rising tempo, jam morphs, Trey singing high little lines, video game Trey, jam still moving along, slightly spacey/wandering/lost, Mike and Fish again pick up the pieces, out of this another theme emerges, its interesting in that 3 times so far it sounded as though Trey was kind of dissolving and Mike and Fish were able to propel the jam upward, nice funk chordal jam towards end, solid jam ensues, tease?, interesting version.

Wolfman's - loose jam, funky Page/Trey, Mike and Fish laying down a boppy/funk foundation, nothing experimental or exploratory but solid.

(Piper tease by Trey) before

Limb - nice resonation w/ bass and drums, tight version

Billy Breathes - great lullaby, interesting vocal challenge for Trey, nice reprive.

Coil - sets up the next # nicely,

Bowie - subtle Page circling high above, Mike and Fish again showing why they are the MVP's of the night, Mike and Fish leading the jam, jam morphs slightly, Trey not hooking up but as soon as the jam shows signs of Bowie proper he's there, interesting little jam, experimentation continues, Trey descending w/ a chordal run before seguing back into leads, path being blazed towards outro, solid version

E

Loving Cup - love it in the encore slot, ripping version.



Conclusion: preety solid tour opener, for highlights I like the Moma, Stash, Ghost and Bowie.  Stash having that cool modulation, definitely unique.  Ghost started out very strong, meandered at times but was kept active by Mike and Fish w/ solid ending.  Good to see some risk taking w/ success esp. for the tour opener.  Another important aspect of what I heard was the subtle nuances each member brings, nice metamorphosis over the years.  I would offer a solid B+/A- rating.  As for the recording very rough start but caught up nice enough.

ps. The Mike's was preety good imo as well.  

[mbw]

there's a fix for that drop out in horn

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=527160

[Gumbo72203]

That, my friends, is what you call A REVIEW.


Masteful work.  Thank you so much.  THAT is what I always look for.  I LOVE reading that kind of shit.  Thank you.



Edit:  still DLing, but did Coil segue into Bowie?  I ALWAYS love the beginning of Coil jams, because its completely Type II in a sense, because there is NO theme or whatever that they're supposed to follow.  I actually really really love the Coil from Hampton because of this; its so fresh, so jovial and bouyant (how the fuck do you spell that?).

[Gumbo72203]

eeek...   Trey messes up the beginning to Divided Sky.  and its not a physical fuck up where he missed the fret or something; he begins playing the next chord too soon.  hmm.

[kellerb]

while i'm downloading, can people give a DESCRIPTION of what the songs were like?  I'm talking more of the jam songs...  WHAT was the Stash like?  WHAT was the Ghost like?  Don't tell me it was awesome.  Thats subjective.  That helps not at all in attempting to discern the objective substance inherent in the song-object being the focus of said inquiry. 

kthanxbai

Kind of like bags of sand

[sprobeck]

That, my friends, is what you call A REVIEW.


Masteful work.  Thank you so much.  THAT is what I always look for.  I LOVE reading that kind of shit.  Thank you.



Edit:  still DLing, but did Coil segue into Bowie?  I ALWAYS love the beginning of Coil jams, because its completely Type II in a sense, because there is NO theme or whatever that they're supposed to follow.  I actually really really love the Coil from Hampton because of this; its so fresh, so jovial and bouyant (how the fuck do you spell that?).

Just thought I should mention that I was able to get my right hand to move in perfect time with the Coil beat.  There was a blue light shining on it at the time  so it was especially illuminated. Someone next to me even commented that it was cool and gave me a pat on the back!

[Gumbo72203]

Just thought I should mention that I was able to get my right hand to move in perfect time with the Coil beat.  There was a blue light shining on it at the time  so it was especially illuminated. Someone next to me even commented that it was cool and gave me a pat on the back!

...



I'm moving my right hand in perfect time with my girlfriend's bedroom fan's swivel.  Do I get a sticker? 

[whyweigh5.0]

wowza at the wolfman  :-o

[flow00]

Highlights for me were obviously Stash and Ghost, though I'm not as big of a fan as most seem to be. Stash was atypical, evolving into a tight, spacey, whale-calling jam with an almost delicate interplay. It was nothing like the drum-driven build up that is the hallmark of Stash. But I still feel like it was a little stale at times.

I loved this Ghost because it strayed from the dark intensity and shifted to a lighter touch with beautifully placed notes. I love Mike's bass effects starting at 9:15 while Page throws down chords. The last two minutes, for me, were a highlight of this version.

Still, I don't place any of these versions among the top 10 or even 15.

One thing I've really noticed this tour is Trey's voice. He sounds very sincere and humble. I'm really digging it.

I was really glad to hear Ocelot. There are so many directions they can take it. 

Overall it was a good show, but they aren't THERE yet.

[Bobafett]

this stash is gettin close to where i think they should be.  Just gets me antsy for the chicago show...now on to set two.

[rowjimmy]

I like this laid back Possum.

The Stash gets out there. Not monumental territory but quality jamming. It's a sign of a beautiful future.

[blatboom]

Just thought I should mention that I was able to get my right hand to move in perfect time with the Coil beat.  There was a blue light shining on it at the time  so it was especially illuminated. Someone next to me even commented that it was cool and gave me a pat on the back!

...



I'm moving my right hand in perfect time with my girlfriend's bedroom fan's swivel.  Do I get a sticker? 

hahaha

[fauxpaxfauxreal]

I give this show a C.

[Superfreakie]

In accordance with my new no-hate resolution, a couple positive comments:

Nice to finally hear them let Ghost out to play.
Nice to finally hear Trey leaving room between the notes in Wolfman's in order to deepen and sustain the Phunk.
Nice tempo change in Possum, especially needed when other jams in a set have the same tempo and peak pattern
Nice that Johnny B. Fishman sat down for some serious practice. Although still far from the rock he once was, he has fixed some of the grave errors that plagued the first half of tour.