Phish at BB&T Pavilion, Camden, NJ - June 29, 2019

A “Mike’s Song” show opener is quite rare.  A classic “Mike’s Groove” (“Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove”) is also quite rare.  So a classic “Mike’s Groove” to open the show?  That is how you start things off on the right foot.

Set list statistics are fun, but when it comes down to it, Phish is only getting half the job done by playing rarities that make us get all giddy with excitement.  The songs also have to be played well and, thankfully, the execution was precise – not only on the opening trio of tunes, but the entire first set, which was comprised almost exclusively of classic-era tunes. “Divided Sky” was lovely and perfectly appropriate as sundown approached with an orange-tinged sky; “Guelah Papyrus” was spot on and fun (even the middle “The Asse Festival” section was well-played); “Sparkle” had its usual hoot of an ending; and “Roggae”, though not the best version I have heard, was pretty. “Everything’s Right” was the only 3.0 (modern-era) tune of the set and it is hard not to groove on its funky beat and positive vibe; and the 2.0 (middle-era) “46 Days” closed the set with total blistering rock.  Though the jams were good, this set was not about that. Much like first sets such as 12/30/1994, this was a master class in how to play a killer set without even needing to create jams that people will talk about for the ages.

The second set followed suit, for the most part, with the only song that was more than 10 minutes long being the new Ghost of the Forest song “Ruby Waves” – and quite a jam it was.  The set opening “Blaze On” also stretched out nicely, but “Golden Age”, usually a good launching pad for a long and varied jam never really lifted off.  The Kasvot Vaxt tune “Death Don’t Hurt Very Long”, a vehicle for scorching slow-blues soloing in previous renditions, stopped short at three minutes this time around. “NICU” was standard, “Rift” left a bit to be desired (Trey Anastasio hit a lot of clunkers in the closing section), and the lack of a bigger jam in “Ghost” would have been disappointing if not for the quite-natural segue into a big, loud “Say It to Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” (another KV tune that was great to hear for the first time live) to close the set.  Still, it was the slow section of the set that really moved me – the Ghost of the Forest tune “Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1” and “Waiting All Night” played back to back provided 13 minutes of prettiness that some fans might find tedious (I am looking at you, Marshall), especially if they want to dance and rage, but I find to be a perfect showcase for the way Trey can paint a beautiful aural picture with his guitar.

With the set ending at around 11 p.m., there was plenty of time for a long encore, and we got one – 20 minutes of Phish’s signature song, “You Enjoy Myself” (excellently played), along with an a cappella “Grind” (hilariously botched) closed out the night on another satisfying note.

Phish at BB&T Pavilion, Camden, NJ - June 28, 2019

It was too bad that Phish had already played "Petrichor" at their previous show because no night would have been better for the lyrics "and the rain came down" than Friday in Camden.

Gloria, Marshall, aLi, and I staked out a spot all the way in the back of the lawn section. Rumor had it that the sound on the lawn would be improved this year, thanks to Phish bringing some of its own speakers to help round out the usually thin sound back there.

But shortly after we got there, the skies opened up and a torrential storm erupted. It was so bad that an announcement was made encouraging everyone on the lawn to go inside the pavilion until it passed. We did so, but by then we were already soaked. The storm eventually did pass, but the show did not start until around 8:45 p.m.

We were wet and uncomfortable (especially my companions in their cotton clothing - whereas I wore my polyester running gear!) but we were ready to rock.

The first set had some well-played tunes with standard jams that were not mind blowing, but certainly effective to keep us dancing and grooving ("Set Your Soul Free", "Halfway to the Moon", "Birds of a Feather", "Wolfman's Brother"). "The Old Home Place" is a favorite of mine and aLi's from way back, "Horn" was nice to hear with Trey Anastasio hitting the ever-modulating solo perfectly, "Timber" is always fun to hear, and the lyrical forgetfulness made "Train Song" funny.

The big Set One highlights, though, were the rarities - my third "Wombat" (played only 17 times since its debut six years ago), which I had not seen since summer of 2014 but still makes me dance like a big ol' dancing fool; and "Strawberry Letter 23", the old Brothers Johnson tune debuted by Phish on Strawberry night of the Baker's Dozen run in 2017 and played only one other time since then - and the new "Drift While You're Sleeping", which debuted two months ago by Trey and Jon Fishman in their other band, Ghost of the Forest. Of all the songs from those shows, I did not expect this multipart, intricately composed and arranged epic to make it into the Phish repertoire (but, duh, that is not exactly strange territory for Phish), and I am glad it did, because those four simple yet profound lines in the gorgeous climax ("We move through stormy weather. We know our days are few. We dream and we struggle together; and love will carry us through") give me chills every time.

The six-song second set contained the big jams, like "No Men in No Man's Land", "Light" and "Mercury" (one of my favorite songs of 3.0, which had me worried at first because of the sloppy solo in the "tomb of the red queen" section). We also got some more newer tunes like the Kasvot Vaxt hit "We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains" and the GOTF song "About to Run" (not my favorite, but still good). The only song that was not from 3.0 in the set was the set-closing, heavy-climaxing (despite Fish missing the cue) "Run Like an Antelope".

"Sleeping Monkey" and a perfect "Quinn the Eskimo" provided an encore that left everyone in my crew (all of whom like different aspects of Phish) happy and satisfied. And ready for more.

Phish in Camden - Aug. 8, 2018

At the end of this hot show, I texted to my friend, Marshall, “Damn! What a show.  I guess they had to bring it hard tonight so we forgive them for playing in Camden.”

Sorry, Camden, for making you the butt of the joke again. But hey, at least no one was shot in town on Wednesday (that I know of), and no one died at the show (that I know of) as someone had the previous night. There were some other strange health emergencies near me during the evening, but I will get to that.

The show was, indeed, a hot one, including some fine jamming in the first set, especially by Page who tore it up on "Undermind" and on the best, tightest "My Sweet One" I have heard in years. The opening combo of "The Moma Dance" and "Free" set the mood perfectly for a set that had no problems being equally funky and rocking. After "Undermind", the guy behind me said, "They're going to slow it down, now," and sure enough, they started "Theme From the Bottom", but despite its tempo, it was huge and powerful. "Steam" was great to hear, especially as it was a big improvement over the limp previous version (7/31/18, which was not as slinky in its groove). Oddly, the sexiest Phish song ever included a long tease of the decidedly unsexy "Apostrophe" by Frank Zappa. Contrast!

The set was perfect until Trey started “Train Song” at too fast a tempo and then had trouble keeping up with the pace he set. Then, during “Halley’s Comet”, the weirdness started happening around me.

I think “Halley’s” was good, but I was distracted by the guy next to me who passed out on his feet and crashed to the ground. A few of us helped him up, only for him to hit the dirt mere seconds later. Without any ability to brace himself, his head hit so hard that his glasses flew off his head.  This time we were much more concerned, so we flagged down someone from security to get some medical help.  Thankfully, we were in the very front of the lawn section so all we had to do was look over the rail and call for help.

Security got there quickly. They seemed to determine that he was at least half-lucid. He could answer their questions but his body did not seem to be cooperating. They had a tough time getting the guy up because he kept stiffening his body and clutching the rail.  After they finally got him vertical, with two security guys and me keeping him propped up, he kept insisting that he did not need medical attention.  An extremely patient medical professional came over and the caring way she reasoned with him finally got him to plop into a wheelchair and get carted away.

No sooner were they on their way that the girl next to me on the other side went flopping to the ground!  On the plus side, security was still in the area, so they immediately tended to her as she started convulsing a bit.  They got another medic to the scene and, soon enough, wheeled her away too.

Ironically, during all this nonsense, the band was playing “Everything’s Right”.  At least I had a lot more dancing room as I was finally able to focus on the Phish show again; and just in time, too, because it was another one of those amazing jams that peaks, drops down, and then peaks again.  It was gorgeous, until Trey decided to awkwardly crash back into the chorus of the song to end it.

The second set started with “Julius”. Since the song has no chance of reaching its fiery peaks from the days of yore, its placement in the front of the set - rather than its typical set-ending, near-set-ending or encore slot – works much better these days. It set a great mood as a set opener at the Forum earlier this tour, and nailed it again in Camden.  Prior to these, it had been two years since “Julius” started a set (thanks to phish.net for the stats).  I think it is time that this becomes the norm.

A one-two punch of big jams followed with “Carini” and “Set Your Soul Free”, with Fish steering the former by subtly shifting the rhythm around, keeping Trey on his toes to follow. The latter featured a happy, upbeat jam to match the tone of this new entry in Trey’s string of positivity songs. Sadly, “Wingsuit” failed to sustain the intensity as it went on too long while Trey tried to force a second climax into its eighth minute, when an ending at its natural climax in the fifth minute would have been perfect.

The problem was definitely not the slow tempo because “Waste” worked perfectly well a little later in the set.  And that was after a massive “Scents and Subtle Sounds” that included the intro section for the first time since 2015, in the very same geographical area (the Mann in Philadelphia), even though they played the song six times since then.  What is it about the Philly area that brings the intro? (Thanks again to phish.net for the stats). Even more odd, though, was the jam, which usually follows a I-IV jam in the style of “Simple” but went to much weirder and darker places this time.  I cannot say it was better than usual, but it was certainly interesting.

Speaking of dark jams that are more interesting than good, that brings us to “Split Open and Melt”, which has been consistently as such in the entirety of the 3.0 era.  Freaky, spacey jams are great in “Carini” and “Waves” and even “Sand”, but “Melt” is different.  Sure, it is probably because I have been a fan long enough to remember the rip-roaring “Melt” jams of the ‘90s.  Try as I may, I have always had a tough time enjoying the new versions for what they are.

This one, however, could be subtitled the “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the ‘Melt’” because something about the mixture of dark textures, hypnotic rhythms and insanely trippy lights caused me to finally let go and get fully immersed in its wonders.  This was easily the best “Melt” since the 1999 funk “Melt” in Holmdel.

With nothing left to do but bring the house down, Phish launched into “Character Zero”, taking the ending down for a little while for pauses to let the audience to its “woo” thing before kicking it back up to peak intensity for the big finish.  The encore of “Suzy Greenberg”, with Page yet again killing it in his piano solo, put the exclamation point on the night.

During set break, I saw a guy with a shirt that read, “I’D RATHER BE AT THE MANN”.  So would I, but I have to admit, despite the weird and sad things that happened in and around the venue, it ended up being a damn good couple of nights in Camden.

Phish in Camden, NJ - Aug. 7, 2018

Travelling to this venue in Camden has never been a great time.  The traffic getting into and out of the area, which is on the Jersey side of the Ben Franklin bridge to Philadelphia, is always a mess, and the fact that the city is not only in most "Worst Places in New Jersey" lists (due to high violent crime, poverty and unemployment rates), but Rolling Stone magazine once did an article about it called "Apocalypse, USA".

That article was five years ago and though the city does not look like it is about to win any awards any time soon, there does seem to be some improvement.  As I walked the streets, my thought was, "They're Jersey City-ing the place," - trying to build up the waterfront area to make it attractive for Philly commuters, but probably leaving the rest to rot as usual.

Adding further ire to music fans, when it is time to park, they charge $40 for the nearby lots and $30 to $40 to park in lots that are up to a mile away from the venue in spots that looked no safer than if we parked on the street.

Never one to let the bastards get one over on me, I drove around for a while and found a few blocks with street parking.  One of them was next to a Rutgers campus building and literally around the block from a spot where they were charging 30 bucks.  I put $4.25 in the meter and was on my way. Take that, bloodsuckers!

Another frustrating, though relatively minor, issue is with the name of the place.  I have seen Phish at this venue on six tours and the name has been the E Centre (1999 and 2000), the Tweeter Center (2003), the Susquehanna Bank Center (2011) and now the BB&T Pavilion. This naming rights nonsense is out of control.  That is why, at this point, I just refer to it as Camden.

Once in the venue, all was right with the world again. I bought a $15 beer, but at least I was still ahead from the parking situation.  Then, because I was early, I staked out a spot in the front of the lawn section, Page side.

"Crowd Control" is only played about once a year and, thankfully, usually at a show I'm attending (often at SPAC), and this was a great way to start my first Phish show of 2018.

The spotlight jam of the first set was "Blaze On", which followed a funky but standard "No Men in No Man's Land".  The new song by Mike Gordon, "Infinite", is so-so, but the dark jam that came out of it was interesting.

The rest of the set was entertaining and fun, but with little variation from the norm, with "Lawn Boy" and "Wilson" staying short and to the point.  Even the set-ending "David Bowie" clocked in at a mere 11 minutes.  "46 Days" lifted off a bit, but it wasn't as big as previous versions (and, hey, they do not always have to be).  "Rift" was good until Trey lost his mojo in the solo.

Placement is important with "Roggae" and "Sparkle", and while the former sat perfectly in the middle of the set, the latter was odd and unnecessary right before "Bowie".

It started raining lightly during "46 Days" and it turned into a full shower by set break.  Lightning in the distance had us worried that the remainder of the show might get delayed or canceled.  But "Down With Disease" started the second set, as it tends to do, while the rain still came down.  Clearly, they should have saved "Petrichor" for this show.  But the 20+ minute jam that came out of "DWD" was amazing.  There was so much movement, so much melody.  Such a fun ride.

The move to "Backwards Down the Number Line" showed that it works much better early in the set, rather than the later placement it often receives.  And its segue into "I Always Wanted It This Way" got me incredibly excited.  It is a fantastic song with a groove to which one can not help but dance.

After a well-placed and well-played "Miss You" (unlike at the Baker's Dozen on both counts), another huge, amazing jam came with "Light" as the rain finally subsided.  I wasn't sure if it was going to amount to much while it stayed rhythmic and mellow for a while, but Mike forced a key change and caused Trey to kick it up a notch.  Fantastic interplay with Fish pounding out a great beat on the toms kept me dancing for the entire 16 minutes.

At that point every song except "DWD" was from the 3.0 era, so it was time to kick it old school with a classic, if not remarkable "Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove" to close the set. The latter two were lackluster, but it didn't matter. This set was already stamped with awesomeness.

I was surprised that it was already 11:35 as the set ended and figured the encore would be relatively short. To my delight, it was that 2010 ballad that most people disliked, but I loved then and still love now, "Show of Life".  As the crowd meandered to the exits, I enjoyed the first performance of the song in two years. It was a wonderful ending to a great show.

Leaving the venue was easy and the mile walk to my car was stress free. I never felt like I was in danger.  A person who parked on the street near me remarked about how surprised he was that both he and his car were OK.  Though there was a lot of traffic getting out of the city, it mostly went well.

So it seemed this area of Camden might not be so bad after all, until my wife called the next afternoon and told me about how two cops were ambushed and shot multiple times at 8:30 p.m., only about a mile from the venue.

<sigh> Camden. We had such high hopes for you.