Monday, July 21, 2014

Sunset Classic five-mile race in Bloomfield

Run enough races in one area and some names and faces will inevitably become familiar.
 

At the Sunset Classic, a five mile race in Bloomfield that has been a fixture on the North Jersey running scene since the early 1980s, I saw my one-time arch nemesis Sergio Cano, who bested me in a series of races in 2010, as well as Maria Danna, who had so handily whipped me at the St. Jude's 15K earlier this month. There were also familiar running clubs - Clifton Road Runners, Garmin Runners, etc.

After the St. Jude's race, without any set marathon plans yet, I signed up for the Sunset because I always need something on my race schedule.

During the two weeks of intense training aimed at beating my PR of 30:24 from the 2010 Ho Ha Classic in Hoboken, I finished each workout with only the slightest bit of confidence that the 6:03 pace goal would happen.

It seems so long ago that I had first run this race in 2009 but I remembered one very important thing - at the left turn on Sunset Avenue, just after the first mile mark, there is a huge hill.

Gliding along with little effort, I was astonished to see the clock at 5:44 when I passed the first mile mark. I passed Maria and bounded up the hill figuring I would lose much of the gained time. Surprisingly, after turning left on Forest Avenue with some more uphill work, I hit the second mile with a 5:48.  I deliberately slowed to what felt like a crawl despite the cheers of the spectators and Maria passing me. It felt unnatural to slow down that much, but this was not a 5K - I was barely halfway done so I had to conserve some energy.

Run the race for which you trained, I kept telling myself. That meant a 6:03 pace, and it meant giving back those 34 seconds. Instead of using the downhill to gain ground, I relaxed around the turns on Osbourne Street and Essex Avenue. With a 6:24 third mile, I was closer to my target time but still ahead by 13 seconds. The math started swirling in my head - a 6:09 for each of the two remaining miles will net me a PR.  Certainly I can do that!

Except I suddenly could not. Was it the humidity, the 83-degree heat, the fact that I had started way too fast? Whatever it was, I was losing steam. Quickly. I pushed hard, but even with the downhill of the turn on Glen Ridge Parkway, I only managed a 6:12 in Mile Four. 

Back on Broad Street with only one mile to go, I had to pull a 6:06 or better.  I was grunting, groaning, and pushing with all my might, but never really feeling like I was accelerating. Downtown, spectators, energy, focus, push.

James Street, JFK Drive, home stretch, Foley Field....

Ah, Foley Field and the track finish.  There is something about finishing a race this way that lends an advantage to those of us that do interval training on tracks.  No matter how spent I felt, once we were on the track for the last 300 meters, my body instinctively kicked into high gear. Running tall with full leg extension, I overtook Maria and saw the clock just hitting 30:00 as I rounded the last turn. Finishing with a 30:11 (and Maria a mere half-second behind me), I had knocked out that last mile in 6:02.

It was exhilirating, but I was hurting, out of breath, light-headed, gasping in the humid air, and just about ready to puke.  I cheered for the next few dozen people coming around the track, and grabbed a water and a soda (no Gatorade?), and a yogurt (no bananas?). There was a barbecue set up with hot dogs - how nice, unless you are a vegetarian. I ate a plain bun while regaining the strength to be a cheerleader for the next few hundred runners, staying on the sidelines to cheer everyone in, right down to the last of the 600-plus participants.

Tenth place overall, second in my age group (though winning the first prize of a $20 gift certificate to the Fleet Feet running store in Montclair, because the first male age 35 to 39 was in the top three overall), and most importantly, a new PR made this another excellent experience. This would be the last race in my 30s. What a way to wrap up my first decade of running - four PRs in as many distances, over the course of three months.  Not to mention my fourth best marathon that had preceded them.

The Sunset Classic is a well-organized and enjoyable event for runners of all skill levels. It is not an easy course but the evening setting, mile clocks, track finish and hundreds of runners and spectators provide a quality experience. The selection of post-race food and drink could be improved, but overall this late-June mainstay in Bloomfield has enough to keep going another 30 years and more.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

A confession about "Split Open and Melt"



After seeing much praise heaped upon the "Split Open and Melt" from last weekend's Randall's Island Phish shows, I must make a confession:

I do not really enjoy that song anymore, and haven't in a very long time, certainly not in the 3.0 era.

The jams are always interesting, there is no doubt. Sometimes, they hit on textures that are intense, thick and dark. The soundscapes they create can suck you into their vortex and envelop you. So why do I feel unfulfilled?

I have finally figured it out: It feels like those things do not belong in "Melt". If those same sounds were in, say, a "Sand" jam, I would be singing their praises all day. But every "Melt" feels like a missed opportunity to push for high, peaking jams, not thick, horizontal jams. I do not consider myself one of those old fans that longs for the past, but the 1990's "Melts" did it the way I like it - from the early '90s machine-gun soloing by Trey Anastasio to the all-in funky workouts of 1999. The pinnacle was 7/15/99 and, I dare say, I have not been nearly as moved by the song since that day in Holmdel, 15 years ago.

As a phan who first saw Phish in 1993 but has seen almost as many shows in the past five years than I did in 1.0 and 2.0 combined (I am a total 3.0 booster!), it pains me to say it. But the best days of "Melt" are long gone.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Phish at Randall's Island, July 13

Phish at Randall's Island, July 13

For my last show of the tour, I was determined to do it right, starting with getting there. I went for the simplest approach on Sunday - on foot. It was long run day anyway, and I needed to cover 16 miles.

I made a tentative route plan from Rutherford train station (so I could take the train back home) and used my phone's GPS for specific directions while my Garmin watch kept track of the distance. I hit the 10 mile mark on the George Washington Bridge, so I added a detour into the Bronx to pad it out to 16 miles.

The next step was to find a good spot with room to dance - and other dancers, too. My best memories of dancing at Phish shows involve being around others that are whirling and revelling as I am. I found that spot slightly in front and to the left of the midfield speaker racks on Mike Gordon's side.

The "Sand" opener threw down the gantlet early - it was time to get funky and it was now or never. Suddenly I was dancing like I had not just run 16 miles. On paper, to follow quickly with "Winterqueen" would seem like killing the buzz that only just started, but something about this ballad works so well. When Trey solos, the magical overtones of the lyrics seep into his playing and the notes sound like pretty colors painting a brilliant landscape. The fact that the song lasted roughly the same amount of time as "Sand" should tell you how much faith Phish has in this song to move people.

The rest of the set kept it mostly old school - five songs from the 1980's  - "Reba", with a lovely jam as well; "Possum", thankfully not placed as encore or set-closer; "Runaway Jim", with some excellent dynamics; "Bouncing Around the Room"; and "Split Open and Melt" which was interesting but did nothing to help my continued disappointment with the song - and three more from the 1990's ("Birds of a Feather", a knockout "Maze", and the tour debut of "Water in the Sky"). There was nothing from later than 1998 in the set except "Winterqueen".

The second set was the kind for which I had hoped at my last show of the tour. The opening "Chalk Dust Torture" took the ball from the previous one (only three shows ago) and ran. Just when I thought the Mann "Chalk Dust" would be THE one of the tour, out comes this 28-minute extravaganza that did everything right except not actually end (I have a thing about that). The band was so hooked up, they could not have played bad notes if they tried. And if the lack of a cohesive ending was a problem, well, there is "Light". When a jam is abruptly cut off for a new song, "Light" is usually the best choice to come crashing in (7/10/13 comes to mind). Heck, it is even in the studio version. The band sounds like they are playing "Gone" and then BAM - the clang of B and E chords!

"Light" always delivers a mountain range of peaks and valleys and this was no different. What absolutely slayed the crowd after 40-minute one-two punch of "Chalk > Light", was Phish launching into "Tweezer". After playing the shortest "Tweezer" in four years at the Mann, they gave this one more leg room. I spun around and saw all the other people dancing and going nuts nearby. That moment clinched it - this was exactly what I had hoped for in a great Phish show. So when "Wading in the Velvet Sea" came next, it was no less than wonderful to hear my all-time favorite Phish ballad played so beautifully in the calm glow of the 52 minutes of jammed out perfection that had come before.

The show could have easily ended there. I have seen amazing sets of Phish that came short of the one-hour mark (12/30/94). Instead, "Sing Monica". Not the best placement for the pop-rock tune, with such a changeup in the vibe. But things switched back after that detour with the set-ending "Slave to the Traffic Light", delivering the goods in a blissed-out building jam that squeezed all the emotion possible out of its sweet four-chord progression.

"Backwards Down the Number Line" seemed like an odd encore at first. As usual, it had a shaky start, but Trey Anastasio brought it home to a satisfying conclusion before leveling the place with the power of "Tweezer Reprise".

On the ferry heading back to Manhattan, the amazing feeling that this show was everything I had wanted was mixed with the sadness that I will not be attending any more shows this summer. My mother asked me, "After nine shows, aren't you all Phished out?"

Not a chance. I look forward to hearing the rest of the tour as the recordings become available. I do not want to miss one thing.

Set list:
Set I: Sand, Winterqueen, Reba, Birds of a Feather, Water in the Sky, Possum, Runaway Jim, Bouncing Around the Room, Maze, Split Open and Melt

Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture > Light > Tweezer, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Sing Monica, Slave to the Traffic Light

E: Backwards Down the Number Line > Tweezer Reprise

Monday, July 14, 2014

Phish at Randall's Island, July 12


It was a weird night. And this is a long post, but I have to tell this story.

Trying something different Saturday night, I drove into Manhattan and parked on a street nine blocks away from the ferry landing. Though it took a little while to negotiate the traffic getting there and finding the spot, I figured it would get me home more quickly, so I could get up and do a 16-mile run before last night's show.

I placed myself within the front few rows on Mike Gordon's side, determined to soak up the show, fully immersed in the music. From the predictable opener of "AC/DC Bag" to the out-of-control "Run Like an Antelope" closer, Phish showed again how the first set is not to be dismissed as a warmup.

When "46 Days" came crashing into the second song slot, it seemed it was going to be a balls-out rock set, and though "Free" gave us some more crunch later in the set, Phish's trademark left turns kept things more interesting than that. "My Sweet One", "Sparkle" (back in its usual first set placement), the pop cheerfulness of "Devotion to a Dream", and falsetto backing vocals of "The Line" brought happy vibes throughout the set. Interspersed, though, were some darker moments - the jams in "Free" and "A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing", plus the minor-key but optimistic "Halfway to the Moon". "Back on the Train" provided some comedy when a sloppy ending to a great jam led the band (with some audience prompting) to re-do the end twice more (neither time getting it right).

More than a year after its debut, I am still not a fan of "Yarmouth Road", but being uprfront and so close made for a good experience with the song. But that positive up close experience was to be short-lived, for now I present to you a tale of how some audience members can ruin your Phish show...

I staked out my spot early. That is just what you do. If you want to be in the front, you have to be willing to get up there and stay there for hours. No one likes the assholes that decide, when the set starts, to shove their way through the crowd and squeeze into the front, causing (a) less dancing room for all and (b) blocked sight lines for shorter folks.

I encountered two such groups of dipshits. The first was as set one was ending. A group of three dirtbags forced their way in front of me, one so close and with such disregard for personal space that I caught a mouthful of his disgusting hair. He was that close. I understand it is a rock concert and people up front are in close quarters, but to stand literally two inches in front of me, so within the span of seconds I went from seeing a full view of the band to seeing only the back of someone's head, with his hair in my mouth? Come on.

Having inched my way left around hair guy, I started the second set excited about "Punch You in the Eye" when out of nowhere, a huge Cro-Magnon of a man crashed his way, you guessed it, directly in front of me, his elbow connecting solidly with my head. Again, I shifted left, around his petite wife (I swear she was a foot and a half shorter than he) who proceeded to blab in my ear once "Carini" started about how it is her favorite song.

Why was she talking to me and not her husband about this? Clearly, she is the Phish fan and he is the muscle to get her up front for every show. I told her flat out that I did not like that tactic and that they ruined my vibe (I mentioned the elbow, too). She apologized, but really, what good was that? It is not like she apologized and then moved back. It is like stealing somebody's wallet, apologizing, then keeping the money.

But even that girl became my ally when I was faced with a whole new type of wack-job. When I skirted left, I found myself in front of two particularly short folks. I am five feet, 10 inches - average, I would say - and behind me was a girl that was five feet at best. I felt bad that I was now in *her* way, so I asked her if she had an OK sight line. She said she did, but the gentleman next to her, and not much taller, was clearly having an issue. He tried working his way toward me and I was more than happy to let him pass when he encountered two guys in front of us - one older (50s with a short grey beard and bald head save for the male-pattern friar tuck ring) and one younger (shifty looking and gaunt) who stood firmly with both feet on the ground and whom I noticed were watching the show with absolutely no expression. To their left was at least one other guy that seemed to be with them, and in front of them was a huge open space with three girls and two odd-looking guys dancing around in it.

I asked the two creepy guys if they could move a bit so the short guy could get in on some of that dancing room. They did not even turn to look at me. I asked again. This time they turned their heads, almost in unison, as if to say, "I heard you and I am ignoring you."

I asked a third time and the old man said, "No." As I protested, he just kept saying, "No. No. No. No," even as I gently leaned on them to get them to part.

Meanwhile, Cro-Magnon's wife was working on the sketchy younger dude whom she said told her, "Stay away from our girls!" and pushed her back whe she tried to scoot around him. Perhaps he got a little scared that Cro-Mag would hurt him, so he softened a bit and talked with her.

From what he told her and what we could figure out, everyone in the group was related - the three guys formed the wall (perhaps there were even more farther left?) so the rail-thin girls dancing like they were doing ancient pagan rituals and the odd-looking dancing guys with the vacant eyes all could have more room than anyone else near the front. They were either inbred carnie-type weirdos or Manson-family-esque psychopaths. Or both. I tried hard to ignore all that, realizing I had completely missed the "Carini" jam and now "Ghost" was swinging into a full-on freakout jam, peaking and climaxing into waves of bliss.

Which gave me an idea. I would have liked to have taken the sketchball father and son (as we now determined them to be) by the necks and bash their heads together like Moe would do to Larry and Curly, but any physical act would probably get me kicked out and/or arrested. But this *was* a concert and people yell and scream at a concert, so with every peak of Trey Anastasio's guitar, I shrieked the loudest, most shrill scream I could, directly into their ears. They winced a bit, glancing at each other, knowing full well what I was doing. I kept this up through the gloriously climaxing "Wingsuit", singing and yelling and shrieking in their ear canals. But by the time the Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll" was busted out (yes, the one or two token covers each show really feel like bust-outs these days), I had had enough.

It was too much work to be this passive-aggressive and though it was fun at first, it dawned on me that as my energy was focused on irritiating these loony idiots who were ruining my show, I still was not enjoying the show any more than I was before. I started talking with the folks behind me and a dozen others were as fixated on these crazies as I was.

I had to get out of there. I found the shortest people near me (including that previous girl) and helped position them to get the best sight lines as I started working my way back. When they thanked me, it was the first genuinely positive vibe I had felt during the set. I was leaving having done some good.

"Harry Hood" began as I danced my way to the open areas in the rear of the field. The relief of being away from the nonsense must have shown because people were smiling at me as I grooved by. I would pause here and there in an open spot and every time I made eye contact with someone, I felt a shared happiness. I could not believe I had waited so long to get back to where I belonged - where the true fans were, dancing and vibing in the field.

As "Hood" came to a semi-climactic close (good jam, but not soaring to its finish), the set ended. It was 10:30. Friday's show had ended by 11. I hung around the exit as the "Tube" encore began. I did not want to wait on those huge lines again for the ferry, so I moved through the exit gates and enjoyed the end of "Tube" from a distance. I suspected there would be another, and as "Joy" started, I continued toward the ferry, figuring that at 10:55, I was timing it perfectly.

A group of us boarded the ferry, where we could still see and hear "Joy" as it finished, satisfied that we were seeing the end of the show from the boat and that it would leave when the last chord was struck. The boat's engine fired up and...

"First Tube"??! We looked at each other in disbelief. Pulling away from the island, motoring south toward the stage during the E-minor section, then passing it during the A-minor part, I felt a weird sense of disappointment about not hearing the song lift into its A-major jam before we drifted too far away.

But on the plus-side, I was home shortly after midnight (as opposed to 1:30 on Saturday morning), and when I went to bed, it was with the thought that after all the weirdness of my experience at this show, I would do Sunday night, my ninth and final of this tour, the right way - dancing and revelling in a spot with clear sound, a decent sight line, and, most importantly, good people.


Set list:
Set I: AC/DC Bag, 46 Days, Yarmouth Road, Devotion to a Dream, Free, My Sweet One, Back on the Train, Halfway to the Moon, Sparkle, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, The Line, Run Like an Antelope

Set II: Punch You in the Eye > Carini > Ghost > Wingsuit, Rock & Roll > Harry Hood

E: Tube, Joy, First Tube

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Phish at Randall's Island, July 11


After 105 Phish shows, it amazes and amuses me that there can be new experiences - Friday's 106th was my first time rolling up to a Phish show on a boat.

Randall's is a piece of parkland that sits in the East River between Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. The Phish shows are sectioned off on a field at its southern end. Getting there is easy, if not exactly convenient. For me, it meant driving to a train to take to Penn Station, walking from Midtown to the pier on the East Side, then taking the ferry (which was fun, don't get me wrong) to the island. The whole trip from door to ticket-scan took two and a half hours. I made it to Philadelphia in less time, and this was only 17 miles away. Maybe I will run there today for my long run, though the logistics of that may not work.

It is possible that on my seventh show of the tour that I am a little more nonchalant about really paying attention. After all, at this point, Phish shows have become my daily routine. So if I spent "The Moma Dance", "Kill Devil Falls", "Rift", "Sample in a Jar" and "Waiting All Night" catching up with a friend and enjoying the company of actually hanging with someone at a show, well, I suppose I can be forgiven. Besides, the continually excellent "555", climactic "Stash" first-set closer, and the best "Bathtub Gin" since...oh, dare I say, the Great Went...certainly returned my focus sqaurely on the band.

The second set was fiery and steamy - kind of literally - with a rocking "Fuego" and a sexy "Steam". Though the former showed that not every version had to be like the previous two exploratory monsters to be good, the latter was the worst performance of the song ever. Trey Anastasio seemed to be forgetful of the words, and then during the jam, he tried to crowbar a fast rock riff into the slow-burn groove. Points for trying something new, but a fail nonetheless.

On the other hand, "Down With Disease" rocked out into bigness even as it strayed into familiar territory (the return of the audience "Woo", thanks to start-stop jamming), and was all the better for it. The booty-shaker "Golden Age" surprised the crowd again as another cover made its way into the set. I defy anyone to not dance to that one. Ah, memories of Super Ball IX.

Jon Fishman proved that each of his limbs has its own brain during the tight reading of the complex "Limb by Limb". And just in case we had not had enough of fiery, frentic jams, we were treated to a killer "David Bowie" before "Cavern" closed out the set in classic style.

A raucous (as usual) "Character Zero" as the encore made the show satisfying for the one-nighters (like my friend) and left the rest of us excited for more.

Getting home took forever - waiting in line for the ferry, walking back to Penn Station in Midtown, waiting for the train to New Jersey, then driving home from Secaucus. But Randall's Island is a unique New York City venue and well worth the experience.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Phish at the Mann, July 9


Opening the sixth show of summer tour and the second of two at Philadelphia's Music Center with "Glide" was a rare treat and it sure felt nice to hear the words, "We're glad, glad, glad that you're alive." 

Had they not bungled the harmonies, it may have had a better impact, but by the time Phish played the final chord of an even more rare encore placement of "Weekapaug Groove", that misstep was forgotten, or at least forgiven.

What came between was a show that kept building momentum starting with the first set of well-played variety (which is becoming their forte) that kept the songs coming and easing back on the jams, even on "Birds of a Feather" and "Wolfman's Brother". The two more pop-rock songs from 'Fuego' - "Sing Monica" and "Devotion to a Dream" - made fine danceable appearances, while 'Joy''s "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan" showed up for the first time since opening the tour last week. "Alaska", "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters", "Horn", "Silent in the Morning", and "Sugar Shack" all were played for the first time this tour, and all played fantastically well except for the latter. I have yet to hear one version of "Shack" that Trey did not flub.

I spent the first set in the back of the terrace section on Mike's side, but moved backward to the lawn (also on Mike's side) for the second set, where I had a great spot with excellent sight lines to both the stage and the screen. In both cases, I had plenty of dancing room. And the weather, despite forecasts for more thunderstorms, held out and the storms blew past.

Set one ended with a frenzied "Run Like an Antelope" which set the stage for a powerful, rolling second set. A slower than usual "Chalk Dust Torture" stretched into a twice-peaking jam before slowing down into "Wingsuit", with its powerful coda. A beautiful rendition of "Winterqueen" bathed everyone in the glow of its loveliness before "Twist" got the crowd up and yelling "Woo". 

As with the previous night, Phish keeps making left turns that you never see coming. In this new era of playing almost no cover songs, "Crosseyed and Painless" and "Sneaking Sally Through the Alley", both staples of Phish's live shows in the past, now felt fresh and special, the former raging in its jam before quieting into "Waste". The loud-soft game continued once more as "Mike's Song" rocked the house, only to surprise everyone on three levels by leading into "Sally" - first, it is another cover; second...out of "Mike's"?! Third, no "Weekapaug Groove" to accompany it?

We got our "Groove" in the encore, but not before the fervor of "Julius" got everyone all amped up for it.

It did not top the previous two shows (a tall order) but last night's Phish show had blissful peaks, quiet moments, and plenty to which to dance. The second set will definitely be worth repeated spins. 

Next up on the tour, Randall's Island!



Set I: Glide, Sing Monica, Birds of a Feather, Wolfman's Brother, Sugar Shack, Alaska, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan, Horn, Devotion to a Dream, Silent in the Morning, Run Like an Antelope

Set II: Chalk Dust Torture > Wingsuit > Winterqueen > Twist > Crosseyed and Painless > Waste, Mike's Song > Sneaking Sally Through the Alley
E: Julius > Weekapaug Groove

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Phish at the Mann, July 8


The night was off to a bad start. I was late rolling into town and I had trouble finding the venue, located within Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. When I finally got there and made my way to the lawn, an announcement came over the PA instructing everyone on the lawn and terrace to go back to their cars and wait for the approaching storm to pass.

Back in the car, I watched the storm dump sheets of rain on the area, with lightning flashing and thunder cracking, and wondered if there would be a show at all, and if so, when the hell it would start.

Well after 9 p.m., the band's Twitter feed gave us the OK to head back to the venue, a typical shed ampitheater that seems to have a smaller lawn section than others, as the rain lightened and then ceased.

Maybe the venue security felt bad for us because they did not check tickets as I wandered to the outskirts of the reserved seating pavilion while Phish cranked out a spirited "Axilla" and a nicely funky "Gumbo". By the time I found a sweet spot with clear sound, a decent view, and plenty of dancing room (in the walkway between the pavilion and terrace), "Taste" was in full swing, followed by my new favorite Mike Gordon romp "555". 

Variety seemed to be the name of the game for this first set, with 1980's oldies like the fun slow-funk of "Camel Walk" and a too-short "Halley's Comet", 1990's chestnuts like "Sparkle" (back in its usual mid-first-set placement) and "It's Ice" (flubbed in the middle, where it almost fell completely apart), the early 2000's highlight "Walls of the Cave" which closed the set with an amped up, ass-kicking jam (thanks partly to its huge F# buildup), and the more recent fare of an ecstatically peaking "Ocelot" and the soft-rock groove of "Halfway to the Moon".

Now way behind schedule, they kept the set break short and came back after 11 p.m. with a hard-hitting "46 Days" which was followed by what is clearly going to be the new era's major jam vehicle, "Fuego", once again eclipsing the 20-minute mark with spiraling jams and creative textures. Placing two songs with the word "Line" next to each other - the fun new "The Line" and "Backwards Down the Number Line" which always has a sloppy start but usually ends with rousing soloing by Trey Anastasio - was probably a consciously cute idea.

After 47 minutes, with midnight fast approaching, they hit the last chord of "Number Line" as if it would be the end, Chris Kuroda's lights flashing and whirling. I guessed we had to accept that the weather cut the show short. We still had more than two hours of music and most bands do not even give that much. As I was thinking that thought, Trey started up "Tweezer". Not only were we getting another song, but a notoriously long one. 

But this is Phish, and the unexpected turns just kept on coming. It was the shortest "Tweezer" in years as Trey pulled the ripcord on it and crowbarred a baffling segue into "Ghost" which ended up being the better jam anyway. Most surprisingly, in this era of all-original songs, they fired up a delightful "2001", the first cover song of the tour (last cover was "Funky Bitch" at the 4/27 Jazz Fest show).

As if that was not enough, a sparkling "Harry Hood" gave us one more hot jam before "Tweezer Reprise" brought the show to an energetic climax at nearly 1 a.m. The "Possum" encore was standard-issue, almost unnecessary after what came before.

After a stormy start, Phish brought the real thunder to the Mann last night, my 104th Phish show and my first in Pennsylvania (bringing my Phish state total to 12).


Set list:
Set I: Axilla I, Gumbo, Taste, 555, Tube, Halfway to the Moon, Camel Walk, Sparkle, Halley's Comet, It's Ice, Ocelot, Walls of the Cave

Set II: 46 Days > Fuego > The Line, Backwards Down the Number Line, Tweezer > Ghost > 2001 > Harry Hood > Tweezer Reprise

Encore: Possum

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Phish at SPAC, July 5


We have a winner!

Friday may have had the best jam of the SPAC run in the epic "Fuego", and Thursday may have had the close-second "Limb by Limb", but last night's show was the all-around champ of the run, maybe of the tour so far.

Perhaps part of it had to do with similarities to previous great SPAC shows - the "Crowd Control" show opener (7/6/13) and the "You Enjoy Myself" second set closer (8/16/09, 6/20/10 and 7/7/13). Though no version of "A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing" will top the 6/19/04 SPAC performance this one was nestled nicely in a fantastic first set. 

The crescendo in "My Friend My Friend", the fluidity of the best "Divided Sky" in a long time, and the freak-out climax of "David Bowie" all provided peaks throughout the set. And the surprising "Wading in the Velvet Sea" brought me back to my very first SPAC show (6/19/04).

Jon "Moses DeWitt" Fishman took two spotlight turns - wailing on the vacuum cleaner in "I Didn't Know" and playing his Marimba Lumina in "Scent of a Mule" - as well as providing deliciously funky fills during my first ever "Undermind" (at long last, after seeing 44 shows since they started playing it!)

All this and "Wombat", too, during which I was glad I took a pee break in the previous song (a standard "Foam"), because I boogied hard. 

And that was just the first set.

What followed was a flawless run of music that alternated between darkly intense ("Carini"), gorgeous and flowing ("Waves"), and gloriously soaring ("Wingsuit" and "Slave to the Traffic Light"). Add two early classics (a flawless "Fluffhead" and a kick-ass "YEM" during which Trey danced like a crazy man because Mike Gordon's funk was so deep) and even an oddly placed but somehow perfect "Heavy Things" (much like Thursday's "Sparkle") and you have a set that will provide listening pleasure and fond memories for a long time.

The "Suzy Greenberg" encore that I totally called was the icing on the cake for this show that is an excellent representation of Phish in 2014. It is the one to play for the people in your life that somehow still have no idea who Phish is and what it sounds like. It is a keeper.


Set list:

Set I: Crowd Control, My Friend My Friend, Scent of a Mule, Undermind, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, I Didn't Know, Foam, Wombat, Divided Sky, Wading in the Velvet Sea, David Bowie

Set II: Carini > Waves > Wingsuit > Piper > Fluffhead, Heavy Things, Slave to the Traffic Light, You Enjoy Myself"

Encore: Suzy Greenberg

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Phish at SPAC, July 4



There is something special about seeing Phish on the Fourth of July. It started in 1999 - after spending the three previous Independence Days in other countries - with fireworks, stars-and-stripes outfits, and the band's signature a capella version of "The Star Spangled Banner" in Atlanta.


The following year, I saw the Camden show which lost the outfits (in recent years, the fireworks went away, too), but included a second set that had fans all abuzz as a 30-minute "Gotta Jibboo" led the way in a five-song set of monster jams.

Last night's second set at SPAC seemed headed in that direction when "Fuego" stretched beyond 20-minutes with exploratory jams that ebbed and flowed until landing on an ascending chord progression that sounded like a hybrid of "What's the Use" and "Roses Are Free", before fading into the ambient noise that began "Down With Disease".

As the "Disease" pushed on into its 13th minute, it seemed as if the jam train would be on nonstop service to the end. But the jam fizzled out instead of making what could have been brilliant return to its coda (a rare occurrence these days) as it did on 12/29/13. 

From there until the ultra-octane "First Tube" closer, the jams meandered but stayed grounded, never really finding springboards from which to make any big leaps. "Twist" wandered away and also did not return for a final chorus; "Light" lacked its usual powerful punch in the main section and then ambled about, searching for something it never found. "Theme From the Bottom" was good enough and "Backwards Down the Number Line" stayed on a steady roll for its eight minutes, but mostly it felt as if the time spent on those songs could have been better served with a well-played "Fluffhead".

None of this could have been predicted from the first set, which sounds like a different show entirely. It was not the action-packed first set of their 
last July 4 show (2012), but the short, sharp execution of high-energy tunes ("Kill Devil Falls", "Runaway Jim", "46 Days" and "Rift"), funky rump-shakers ("555" and "The Moma Dance"), laid-back groove ("Waiting All Night") and complex composition ("Reba"), kept the set brimming with excitement.

The first set closed with a cacophonous "Split Open and Melt", a song for which I admit I have lost my taste. In addition to getting a lot slower in recent years, the jam section almost immediately drops into weirdness the minute the chorus ends. It never has a chance to rock. I first noticed this on 6/1/11 and few "Melt" jams have stirred me since. But I must admit, when the noisy sonic layers built to a climax last night, it was at least interesting.

So, if the "Star-Spangled" opener was the only thing that gave the show its Fourth of July feel, at least the full-on romp of the "Character Zero" encore ended the show with a fiery blast of its own. 

Certainly, I can not complain - I had pavilion seats for the first time at ever SPAC (after eight shows on the lawn since 2004), where the view was excellent and the sound was perfect (especially Mike Gordon's bone rattling bass bombs). And even if the second set jams never soared, I never stopped dancing.

Oh, and still no "Wombat".

Friday, July 4, 2014

Phish at SPAC, July 3




The first set of last night's Phish show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., (the first of seven in the Empire State this summer) was what I expected Tuesday's tour opener to be - solid playing, heavy on the shorter songs, lighter on the jamming. 

That is not to say it was bad. With the exception of "Yarmouth Road", one of the worst of last year's crop of new songs, the song selection was excellent and the execution was tight. The unusual "Farmhouse" opener gave way to a hot "Wolfman's Brother" with a climax that reminded me of the feeling I got on 12/28/2010, when I realized during that song that I had made the right decision to get back on the Phish train.

"Maze", "Chalk Dust Torture" and "Possum" were rollicking but never took flight. Even the loping groove of "Ocelot" stayed mostly reined in. Elsewhere in the set, the balladry of "Roggae" and the infrequently played (and treat to hear) "Strange Design" kept things pretty and light. New song "Devotion of a Dream" was a set highlight, thanks to punchy and precise musicianship and great vocals.

Thankfully, the downpours had ceased before the show and - minding my lesson learned from Jones Beach last year - I wore a cheap poncho to keep my shirt and shorts dry. There was still a light rain as set two started with "Bathtub Gin" and it was immediately obvious that if the first set offered nothing that truly soared, set two would more than make up for it.

The sound seemed much better on the lawn than in previous years. Was it because there were fewer people (it was not sold out) or had they improved the audio quality? From my spot in the center of the muddy lawn the sound was bright, loud and clear.

There will be no argument that "Limb by Limb" was the MVP jam of the night. What will be debated is whether it eclipsed the "Harry Hood" from Tuesday. My vote goes with "Hood", but it is close. After some soloing over the main chord structure, Trey Anastasio started playing an interesting counter rhythm over the complex drum pattern that Jon Fishman astoundingly keeps up for minutes on end (while singing on top of it, no less). But then Fish switched out of the original beat and matched Trey's new rhythm. It happened quickly and seamlessly, and the new direction gave the jam crazy new life as it peaked again. When it settled down into deep ambient sounds, Trey began the opening to "Winterqueen" the gorgeous sort-of-new song (does anyone else remember that the Trey Anastasio Band played it once three years ago and called it "Glacier"?) that radiates shimmering beauty. Another great new tune, "The Line" followed - at five performances, it is the most-played song from 'Fuego' and Phish has played it at every venue except Great Woods since its debut last fall.

As soon as the riff to "Tweezer" began, the crowd got fired up and glowsticks started flying everywhere. The jam kept the crowd dancing, though it did not reach any new heights and came to a close a bit abruptly to make way for, of all things, "Prince Caspian". Eliminating the closing section, Trey began the most oddly placed "Sparkle" ever. It totally worked. 

And if "Sparkle" does not end with the frenzy of the old days, the climax to the set-closing "Run Like an Antlelope" provided all the frenzy one could handle.

An encore of "Sing Monica", in which the band's vocals sounded better than they have in years, would have been sufficient on its own, but they knocked out a "Tweezer Reprise" to cap it off with a bang.

The second night of the tour was another fantastic night with Phish. And, save for the one cover of "Funky Bitch" at Jazz Fest in April and "Auld Lang Syne" on New Year's Eve, it marked the eighth show in a row with no cover songs. What seemed like a stunt for the New Year's run, now seems very much like a new philosophy for the band. And though I may lament never again grooving to "Golden Age" or "Crosseyed and Painless", this new all Phish by Phish ethos is A-OK with me. Heck, it increases my chances of finally seeing them play "Undermind".

So tonight..."Wombat" opener? 



July 3, 2014 set list 
Set I: Farmhouse, Wolfman's Brother, Maze,Yarmouth Road, Strange Design, Devotion to a Dream, Ocelot, Chalk Dust Torture, Mound, Roggae, Possum
Set II: Bathtub Gin > Limb By Limb > Winterqueen, The Line, Tweezer > Prince Caspian > Sparkle, Run Like an Antelope
Encore: Sing Monica > Tweezer Reprise

Thursday, July 3, 2014

'Hands on a Hardbody' in Albany

It could not have been a coincidence that the Park Playhouse decided to present the Northeastern regional debut of 'Hands on a Hardbody' (co-written by Phish's Trey Anastasio) the same week that Phish was coming to town. But even if it was, the timing was perfect and last night's show fit nicely into my tour schedule.

I saw 'Hardbody' during its brief Broadway run last year. I remember thinking its simple and stark staging, unconventional music, and odd story, would probably thrive in community theater if it did not take on Broadway.

The truck is there in all its "drop dead, cherry red, extra-room-there-in-her-bed" glory, but more importantly, the Albany show has an ensemble of excellent regional actors that do a terrific job of turning a little Texas town into a microcosm of America and portraying the tale of strange contest as an allegory for all of our hopes and dreams.

Musically, this can be tricky because these songs, despite their down-home vibe, are not simple. Still, even if you do not get the Broadway-caliber high notes in "Born in Laredo" and low notes in "If She Don't Sleep" the actors do some fine work, especially in the smaller, talking scenes that carry big weight. That is the real benefit of seeing the show on the smaller stage.

Yet it does get big in all the right places. When the whole cast is singing "Joy of the Lord" (led by a terrific Dashira Cortes as Norma) and banging on the truck like a giant percussion instrument, surely downtown Albany felt its reverberations. And when the cast joins together in gorgeous harmony on the first two numbers and the finale, it is enough to give you chills because the talent on display is so up close and vibrant.

And what talent, indeed! Molly Rose McGrath brought sass and a powerhouse voice as Heather; Victoria Meade was fiercely plucky as Kelli and sang her heart out with Steve Raymond on my favorite song of the show, "I'm Gone". Though Mr. Raymond held back on his high notes his portrayal of Greg was full of energy and excitement, and his flying leaps from the truck were awesome.

Don Meehan was spot on as Benny, arrogantly taunting his way to the top three, and partnering with J.D., played by Steve Fletcher, down-home and likable as he struggled with time's effect on his body, his marriage (Benita Zahn displaying the emotional toll on Virginia) and his world.

Phish phan Doug Nyman showed Mike's desperation to sell more trucks in a down economy, while Meredith Meyers cranked up Cindy's cheesy charm before sternly taking charge.

Through it all Marc Christopher breaks the tension as the one-man Greek Chorus, chiming in as each contestant drops out, and belting out the uber-country titular song.

I still wish I liked "It's a Fix" as a song because it is Janis' key moment, though Victoria Grazioli's gave it her all as the wise hillbilly (along with Joe Phillips as her cheerleading husband), even if she had a hard time with some of her notes.

Also, the play drags a bit in the second act. Once the contestants start dropping off, the momentum needs to keep rolling. Not editing (like in the controversial Houston show), just a quicker pace. Trust that the audience cares for the characters and do not require extra dramatic pauses. As much of a treat it is to see Ronald (Jonathan Rion Bethea, who knocked his song out of the park in the first act and dug deeper at the end) and Chris (John Ford-Dunker as the hardened Marine who gets show-stoppingly vulnerable) back in the fold assisting Norma, the show needs to ramp up to its climax.

But that finale. Lordy, how I love "Keep Your Hands on It". Everyone's story gets wrapped up to a catchy, heart tugging mid-tempo number that soars with its simple metaphor about how to get and keep what and whom you love. When a huge ensemble is standing mere feet in front of you harmonizing the last refrain gloriously, I defy you to not get as choked up and misty-eyed as I did.

That is community theater at its best. The original show's tagline was "A new musical, made in America." Here's hoping for a long life for 'Hands on a Hardbody' in community theaters as a musical that has *stayed* in America.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Phish at XFinity Center, July 1


The first show of Phish tour is not usually something to write home about, Last year's summer tour started with a solid but standard show.

But last night's show at the former Great Woods in Mansfield, Mass., was something else. After the "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan" opener, they immediately picked up on the momentum of last fall's debut of brand new songs and the new album released last week, bashing out a killer version of "Fuego" as if it has been in their repertoire for years. It was only their third performance of what is now the title song to their new record.

The one show at Jazz Fest aside (with its lone cover song), Phish picked up where they left off at the New Year's Run, playing all original songs, including five from 'Fuego'. What's most amazing is how they managed to make those songs into instant highlights. The funk of "555", the pleading "Waiting All Night", the mellow groove of "Halfway to the Moon", the powerhouse title track, and the gorgeously soaring "Wingsuit" were only eclipsed by an insanely awesome segue from "Ghost" to "Weekapaug Groove".

Not that the older material was bad. The climax to "Stash"; the solid groove of "The Wedge"; and the rollicking "Birds of a Feather" kept the show in high gear. Even "Bouncing Around the Room" seemed to sizzle with new energy.

"Cavern" closed the second set in classic fashion and the "Julius" encore went way down before building back up to its climax.

Though "Hood" was the MVP, this night was a clear win for the new songs. I heard someone say, "4.0," and he may be on to something. This could very well be a brand new era of Phish.