05/27 - Bethel Center for the Arts - Bethel NY - Post-Show Discussion and Review

[whatapiper]

Shows up on LP, seems faster than in the past.

yup and I had 4 errors, 3 of which still are not working  :|

[fauxpaxfauxreal]

I thought it was a very solid show to start off.

Very 3.0, with some hints of coolness.

The set one highlights to me were definitely Stash and Kill Devil Falls. 

The stash was well played, and the first peak was masterfully executed.  However, it seems like trey was so impressed that he learned how to get a sweet guitar boner again, that he just quickly ended the song after another pseudo-peak.  I've said this before and I'll say it again.  Stash is a song that deserves multiple peaks.  You should be so worn out by the end of the song that when you hear the closing stash licks, it is a breath of fresh air because you are plain tuckered out.  However, this stash had one solid peak, and one rocky peak shortly there after.  When the finishing stash licks came through (augmented by the beautiful tenor voice of the streamer), I was left wanting more and more stash.  They were almost there, but not quite.

Kill Devil Falls is a song that the band loves to play.  Trey in Kill Devil Falls today is akin to Trey in Chalkdust Torture in '94.  The technical virtuosity isn't there, but the enthusiasm for playing the song is.  This is evidenced by versions such as last years Charleston version which is a definite rock and roll rager.  I knew that going in, so I was interested to see how this rocker would play out.

The jam started out, and trey quickly found himself in some "plinko funk" territory.  He used the effect that he has used numerous times since the Gorge '09.  It is the guitar effect he used at the end of the gorge sally.  You can also find it at the end of the Cobo 46 Days and also the Piper from MPP2 2010.  I liked this effect at first, but I find it to be "crutchy" and hardly gets expounded upon enough.  It sounds like a mix between the whammy and the digital delay loop if that makes sense.  Very psychedelic yet simplistic simultaneously.  As quickly as the effect was brought out, the effect went away. 

The jam was very rock and rolly, semi exploratory and yet very safe. 

To me, it didn't sound like Trey was listening to anyone else.

I would love for the band to go back to the basics and re-explore the listening excercises of the early 90's.

Page and Fish had some very cool interaction, but it didn't seem like Trey heard them at all.  Trey wasn't playing badly, but he wasn't really doing anything that I could latch onto besides screaming "look at me, look at me" over and over again.

He hit the digital whammy a couple of times, and I thought they were going to go into a pre-practiced jam segment like the Camden Sand or the New Years Eve ghost.

They didn't. Instead, they went back into an awkward reprise of the chorus of Kill Devil Falls.

Some people loved this KDF.  I thought it had potential but fell flat.

The other highlight of the set was the Tweezer opener.  I was very excited at the beginning, because HOLY SHIT it's a first set Tweezer.  I had huge hopes because of the incredible placement.  The composed section was tight and crunchity and the post "Uncle Ebineezer part was VERY trippy with some digital delay loop from trey.  The band sounded into it.  The jam took off in a soaring Rock style which is how I like my tweezers to begin.

However, as soon as it began, it was over.

Before I knew it the band was playing My Friend My Friend.

I liked the playing of the first set, but it didn't really transport me to another dimension.  The Walk Away was good and well played like the Hartford and 1/1/11 versions, but again, it didn't have that extra *something* to distinguish it from either of those.  I like Phish because they have the ability to transport us to another place where nothing makes sense.  Because they break conventions.  Because they're PHISH.

I gave the set a C+.  This isn't a bad grade.  I enjoyed it a lot.  I'm sure it was fun to see.  It wasn't bad.  But, it's kind of like the really smart kid that never does his homework and makes A's on the test.  His work would be so much better if he actually put some effort into it.

I'm going to go grab some beers and then I'll give my thoughts on the second set (as if anyone cares )

[postjack]

I care, I enjoyed your review, thanks for posting.

[TimberLodge]

I care, I enjoyed your review, thanks for posting.

agreed, keep the thoughts coming

[danje]

Skipped around and the Waves jam is great.

[Buffalo Budd]

Thanks for the review FPFR, look forward to hearing about Paugers' experiences that were in attendance.

[PIE-GUY]

Mattstick was there. Ran into him at set break. Great tour opener. No compliants even with fuckerpants and wading. At least theyre out of the way.

[McGrupp]

But, it's kind of like the really smart kid that never does his homework and makes A's on the test.  His work would be so much better if he actually put some effort into it.

One of the more accurate ways I've ever heard of explaining all of 3.0.

I liked this show. Super solid opener for the tour. I have hope for good things to come this summer, and improvement upon last summer.

[fauxpaxfauxreal]

Such a great electric post storm night out here btw.  Nice heat lightning storm as I biked to the store and back.

The second set started up and the dropped directly into Carini.

I love Carini.  Such a great rage tune.  Especially as a second set opener.  It usually implies that the band "means business".  Even thought this Carini did not meander into dark psychedelic post modern weird territory like it sometimes can, but stayed straight, "mean" and typically rockin.  Nothing out of the ordinary, much like the first set, but still a fun tune.  In other words, typical tight but let's not get too crazy Phish.

Back on the Train came next, and I don't think it was worthy of any type of segue notation, but regardless it came next.  Back on the Train is one of those songs that I can do without.  I'll try to enjoy it at a show.  Enjoy the scenery, have some fun, but it's not why I got into phish.  It's bluesy, it's basic, it's kind of "Dead-like".  It's a fine tune and I respect it. However, it doesn't have a sense of humor, it doesn't have an edge...to me... it's not "phishy".

However, Phish does play good versions of the tune in 3.0.

Fine.

This version, some people will love.  It's typically good.  Again, nothing about it caught my ear.  The band played it, people danced.  Yay.  Back on the Train.  I know it sounds like I don't like the tune, trust me, I enjoy it just fine 

After that came Boogie on Reggae Woman.  Again, another song I am not so stoked about. It's got a good beat.  You can dance to it.  It was written by a soulful blind man.  If it's your favorite song, good for you.  Again, it is not a reason that I got into Phish.  Mike plays his cool effect that everyone is always like "dang dudes, listen to mike".  That is cool.  It's just not why I listen to Phish.

I listen to Phish for the mind melt.  I listen to Phish for the sense of humor over riding a deep sense of spiritual self.  I listen to Phish because they make no sense.

That's what I look for in Phish.

Which is why it took me completely by surprise as Boogie on Boogied on that "something happened".  The universe folded in on itself and Phish became "PHiSH" again.  As the jam was funking along, all of a sudden it sounded like a tape of Phish was playing, and the tape warped and became deformed causing the tape to slow to a crawl distorted like.  It was like a "break down" a la the Weekapaug from 12/6/96 or the YEM from 11/19/96 (A wholly underrated show, btw) except it was the most intensely weirdly cool psychedelic breakdown possible.  IT WAS FUCKING FANTASTIC.  As the warped tape continued to thread itself througout the spindles Boogie on returned to normalcy only to have the "tape" start to warp again.  It did this a couple more times and I was completely losing my shit.

THIS IS WHY I SEE PHISH.

THIS IS "PHISH" BEING "PHISH".

This is the kind of stuff I miss.  CREATIVITY, WEIRDNESS, PHISHYNESS. THAT "IT" FACTOR. 

This is psychedelic.

My only complaint is that I just wanted more of this effect.  I didn't want it relegated to that 40 seconds.  I wanted an hour of it.  I wanted them to continue.  I wanted it to last the whole year.  I wanted the tape to never end.

Unfortunately, they segued into Waves.

Waves is a tune that I'm not huge on, but I can respect.  It's cool.  It's dead like.  And it had a cool jam.

Near the end of the short jam segment the whole band got very ambient and spacy and eerily tonal.  They were just blasting sub sonic tones in such a delightlfully light, clean and pleasing manner that I enjoyed it.  It was like being refreshed by sound.  It was quite cool.

During this period I joked that "they were going into "morning dew"".  It was very much like an old dead show coming out of a heavy psychedelic space when they would play "morning dew".  I'm sure many thought that they would play "Slave".  Instead, they played Prince Caspian.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Caspian fan.  I love the tune.  The segue into it was gorgeous, the "jam" sucked.  Even this Caspian "lover" didn't like it.  And I LOVE the tune.  Meh.

Crosseyed and Painless came next, and it was a short and pleasing version.  Nothing like the ragers that came before it.  I'm kind of over the tune and it's cool if you like C + P, but if you aren't a huge fan of the tune, you'll probably be like "cool, that was crosseyed".

Wading in the Velvet sea was wading and Possum was possum.  Thanks.  We're Phish.  3.0.  Yay! 

Sorry if I sound negative at this point, it's not my intent.  I would have enjoyed these songs live, but I definitely would have been disappointed with them needlessly. Some people like them, and I'm sure they had a blast.  There was probably some kid that got his phish cherry popped tonight who was simply ecstatic about them.

I'm not that guy.

The Squirming Coil came next which was very surprising.  I was sure possum was ending the show.  I like when Phish does that.  Make you think a set is ending and then they pull an even bigger set closer out of thin air.  That's sweet.  Trey botched it a couple of times, but oh well.  EVERY COIL I'VE SEEN SINCE '96 HAS BEEN BOTCHED.  THAT IS HOW IT GOES.    Pages solo was simply sublime.  Some people hate crowd clappers, but the crowd clapped along during the solo VERY WELL.  I loved it.  Near the end of the coil solo, I thought that Page was about to segue into an Elton John or Rolling Stones tune.  I'm sure he teased something.  It was very very sweet.  Great ending to a solid show.

Julius encored, and like all julius' it rocked.

My thoughts in sum?  People that don't like 3.0 won't be converted by this show.  This show is a STEREOTYPICAL 3.0 show.  Aside from the promising ending of Waves, and the INCREDIBLE gymnastics during the ending of Boogie On, there is nothing that happened during this show that jaded vets will even remotely latch onto.  Newer fans will probably love it, and it is in the top half of 3.0 shows.

It was good.

As far as rumors about Phish breaking up are concerned, I don't think people need to worry about Trey being on drugs.  He sounds acute.  I would like for the band to do listening excercises together, and I think you all would too, whether or not you know it, but the band does sound solid. 

Is this show better than anything I saw from 98 and before?  NO.

Is this show better than some of what I saw in 99 and 2000? Yes.

The boogie on is one of those "cool ass fuck" moments.  I'd say if you are jaded about Phish at all, listen to Boogie On-->Waves.  If you don't like that sequence, you are going to HATE 3.0.  If you think it sounds promising, you might be in for a treat.

Some here think I'm negative, and I think that's bullshit.  I'm the first to defend phish when they are playing well.  I enjoyed listening to tonights show a lot!  I would have liked to be at this show and am kind of sad I wasn't.  I hope you feel the same way too 

[emay]

Saving the Tweezer Reprise for Bethel3/holmdel1/detroit/cinci?

[emay]

I also like on the Phish fb page you can stream the show from the night before! Sweeeeet. new feature?

[Bobafett]

Mattstick was there. Ran into him at set break. Great tour opener. No compliants even with fuckerpants and wading. At least theyre out of the way.

If a pielover enjoyed it, even with an ef-pants and a velvet, i beleive it. :mrgreen:

[mangOnectar]

Great review FPFR.

I felt as you did during the page solo, it almost sounded like page was playing off the crowd's clapping which I though was a nice touch, and then the clapping stopped and the crowd cheered ecstatically (a beautiful moment).

I very much appreciate what some might call your 'negative' remarks because, IMO, constructive criticism is one of the highest forms of praise.

[mattstick]

curious to see what Mattstick has to say

3.0

[Undermind]

I think ScottyB said this in a tweet last night too, but I will never look at KDF the same after this version.