If you want proof that Phish can still get wacky, that they can still create jams that hold up to their classic era from the Nineties, and that they can surprise you at almost every turn, listen to this show. Now.
While some of our speculations for the jam-filled flavor of the night were based on the "honey and raspberry" qualifier - leading us to expect songs like "Raspberry Beret" and "Honey Pie" - this show made good on the singular promise of a show that was, indeed, full of jams.
"But wait," you say, "does Phish not always jam? Is not every night a jam-filled night? How was this different?"
In the first two minutes, things did not seem different at all. A "Sample in a Jar" opener sure seems like the start of a pretty normal show. But then...left turn...after the bridge, instead of resolving to the tonic of "A" for the chorus, a jam appeared out of nowhere in the transitional "E," and it went on for several minutes before a remarkably tight return at the end.
Well! That was unexpected. After picking my jaw up off the floor, I watched as Page came out front to croon "Lawn Boy", and the same thing happened again - the bass solo section finished and, instead of returning to the chorus, Page started playing his keytar and a jam ensued. And the jam went on...and on...until it did not resemble "Lawn Boy" at all.
For more than a half-hour, the jam ebbed and flowed, with peaks and valleys. Gloria and I had the good fortune of obtaining floor tickets for this show. Every note was crystal clear, and every twinkle and flash of Chris Kuroda's lights looked amazing. Plus, we could see the facial expressions of the guys in the band and we could not stop noticing what a happy camper Trey was.
Things normalized a little with a mostly standard "Stash", but still bigger than usual jams in "My Friend, My Friend" and "Bathtub Gin", the latter with a huge jam that had me grinning ear to ear so hard that my face started to hurt. And with that, Phish ended its first five-song Set I in God-knows-how-long, and the best first set since 7/4/12.
Set II got off to a promising start with the first half of "Fuego", but got shaky with a jam that never really hit the mark or took off properly; and its segue into the second performance of new song "Thread" did not make things get much better. "Thread" is an interesting tune in a weird meter; and while it seemed to work last week in Chicago, it seemed to stumble over itself at this show.
But the course was corrected when they launched into a "Crosseyed and Painless" that was so good (and long, at 33 minutes) it reminded me of the excellent and truly memorable version from 12/31/99. The segue into "Makisupa Policeman" was fun, but the real treat for dorques like me was the live debut (finally!) of "End of Session", from 1998's The Story of the Ghost album. Closing the set with a wildly peaking "Tuesday" (which was also played last Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, natch) and the always reliable "Cavern" left everyone in the place sufficiently sticky from the sweet jam filling.
But oh, that was not all. Sure "Julius" still suffers from being slow and dragging and lacking any oomph whatsoever, but it is still a fun time when you are there in the house.
And the gooey icing on the cake (frosting on the doughnut?) - the final chord of "Julius" crashed into the ending of "Lawn Boy", to bring to a conclusion the unfinished tune from almost three hours prior. It was a satisfying, hilarious and awesome way to end the most creative and daring Phish show of the 3.0 era.
You can have your Sunday shows. Sign me up for another Tuesday.
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