From Phish at Dick's to Austin to LA and on to Nashville and Atlanta, keeping up with breaking news and all the shows happening can be tough.
A lot of work and effort goes into making this blog. We have people all over the country who pour a lot of effort into bringing the latest news, set lists and upcoming events to this page. I'm not even including the massive effort that goes into bringing you great photography and reviews so you know what it was like to be there if you couldn't make the event. This also includes turning people onto bands they may never have seen or heard of but are making quality music.
As a recently renewed writer, editor, and general fountain of information, my contributions to the site have increased exponentially lately. I was around when Sammy started the blog previously known as "Phish and the Dead" and then I went AWOL for a few years because of personal issues. When Kevin invited me back, I jumped at the chance to do what I love. I'm a writer, always have been, and if any of you have read my articles you know that I have a tendency to go on and on. Between Kevin and I, the blog has taken off lately and I want to thank all of our fans for that.
However, this past month life and lots of travel have gotten in the way of keeping up my end of the bargain. So I just want to take this time to publicly say thank you to the fans and especially to Kevin Long for his unflagging optimism and boundless energy in making our dreams come true. I'd also like to thank all of our contributors and photographers for all your hard work and let you know how much we appreciate it. Kevin and I used to see the Grateful Dead together and that builds a bond that can be tighter than blood family some times. I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about. So I just wanted to take this moment of down time I have to let everyone know how much I/we appreciate you. This was just a dream we dreamed a long, long time ago and it's grown into something we are proud of and will continue to do for the love of the music. So, since hopefully, you've gotten this far, it's time to listen to the music play.
The crowd was boiling over, hoping for some kind of epic gag. What they got was a good ole' incredible Phish show and they're "still waiting" for the gag. If they haven't gotten it,yet.
On the first and third nights, fans really work themselves up to see what, if anything, the band is going to do to make the night "special". This year they went the crazy route of putting on a flat-out, barn-burner of a show. If you expected an acrostic set or a set sponsored by a letter, you may have been disappointed. If anything about the show that happened at Dick's on Sunday made you think you were missing out, it might be time to get your brain tuned up. The boys came out of the gate flying with one of my personal favorites,"Moma Dance" which was a little short for my taste but then came the beautiful taste of chalkdust on my tongue, as they put this Dick's standard in the two-spot. Dick's has been known for great renditions of "Chalkdust Torture" and while this might not have been great. It was certainly better than what has been touring around the country this year. 2016 has been an off-year for the band for some weird reason. We all know they are capable of great highs and lows, definitely more of the former than latter, but there seemed to be no reason for the reluctance to jam, explore, and generally stretch out songs that were built for that very reason. I've mentioned song placement quite a bit this year and it seemed like what they started at LOCKN' carried over into some great sets at Dick's.
So, everyone around me jumped for joy as the opening licks of "Mike's Song" rang out across the pitch. This was quickly followed by,"What are they going to put in the middle of the sandwich?" As it turns out the band dove into "Wingsuit" which was befitting the slower pace of the Mike's Groove we were hearing. After a wonderful, soaring solo from Trey, the likely candidate for Dick's MVP started thumping out the notes to his groove and we settled in for a nice mid-set "Weekapaug Groove" Up next was a rollicking "Party Time" which was certainly fitting in the state with more cannabis dispensaries than Starbucks, seemingly. After a tight version, we still haven't gotten any deep jams but "Bathtub Gin" changed that immediately. It was a tight, exploratory version that started getting the stadium ready for liftoff. They drove this monster Gin right into "Split Open and Melt" which can be a dicey proposition this year. The boys nailed it though. Every movement, every time-change, the final jam and no extraneous effects from Trey, made this version soar. At this point, I had achieved liftoff, as had many of the fans around me. Maybe the band has seen the t-shirts but they let "Tube" go off for around eight minutes or so. Then they closed the set down with a rollicking, "Character Zero" which in my opinion, was great placement because it wasn't going to be the song that ended the run.
"Bathtub Gin" Sunday the 4th at Dick's
The second set was the monster set of monster sets. The opening rhythm of "Crosseyed & Painless" screamed across the park as the crowd went nuts for this Talking Heads cover. Phish has tried this gag before. Working "C&P" teases throughout the show to varying degrees of effectiveness but this time they nailed it. The second set just had six songs in it but oh, what a six songs they were. The fans that started coming around circa 00' might look back on the second sets of that era and feel some nostalgia. I look back at those sets and unless I really like the five to seven songs, I can hear some Trey wankery. When I started seeing Phish, the second sets contained just as many songs as the first and they jammed just as long and hard as the fewer,longer sets of the early naughts. This show was one of the best versions of that setup I've heard in a long time. The next song up was the twenty second version ever played of "Steam" which I've managed to hear four times and my show/business partner Kevin's first. He went apeshit. I love this song and I think it has started to mature and the imagery of the lyrics are so evocative on top of one of the funkiest new grooves the band has come up with. Yes, I consider 2011 new.Kevin clowned on me because the first time I heard this song was the second time they ever played it at Golden Gate Park and I didn't like it and thought the steam effect was cheesy. I still think the steam effect is cheesy but I didn't notice much this time. Maybe they have the CO2 mixture down.
The magic took root as the band rocked and rolled through the "Steam" replete with Crosseyed teases, into the most amazing "Piper" I've ever seen. I've heard some great versions of this tune. This one also had "still waiting" teases in it. Many people have differing opinions on Trey's love of dropping his axe and running to the marimba lumina. This time the tune was played and stretched out and it seemed "Piper" was a memory and where Trey stood there was just an outline, like in the old cartoons. Trey almost ran to the Marimba and was soon joined by Page and then Mike slowly followed and started maybe the first "Drums" I've seen since Pelham, Alabama. They spent plenty of time on percussion and drumming. There have been eleven other occasions they had a session that has been labelled "drums". Only two times in this century and I thought this was the third. Phish.net and I disagree about it. After the show, phish.net had that portion of the show labelled as "drums" but I guess Icculus came down and whispered that," no, that wasn't really a drums segment" but it sure sounded like one to me. I saw the one at Oak Mountain in Pelham and I believe that this should be listed as the same. Sorry about the detour there but the drums were amazing and of course, there were "C&P" quotes, as well.
As the musicians slowly returned to their instruments the band locked right back into the jam individually to bring the "Light" to shine on the crowd after a short "Crosseyed and Painless" reprise. This song has been consistently reliable all summer and this was no exception. Also, containing its' share of "C&P" teases it led down the road and over the hill into Gamehendge. "The Lizards" is one of those songs that really benefits from what it is around it. It is an amazing song by itself but if it is being played after an amazing drum segment and a lovely, prog-ish,"Light" it's all the better. The crowd lost their minds and it only made the song better. Whether you consider that song a break to sit down or not, it most certainly has one of Trey's most beautiful solos in their catalog. That's why I say it matters what surrounds it. If it's a slower song or in the first set, have a seat or chill but if it's at the end of the set, you can't help but be up and dancing. The same applies to the last song of the set. "First Tube" is mainly just a scale exercise with a crazy danceable bassline and drum beat. However, following "The Lizards" and the rest of this set it had the whole park dancing and losing their collective minds.
i love shows that have "Tube" and "First Tube" in them. I'm just a sucker for them. It also had the "still waiting" theme popping up throughout it. Afterwards, the band left and when they came back Trey tried to count us into thanking the crew but it wasn't necessary. The band broke into only the second "Walls of the Cave" encore ever played. It was an amazing show all the way around. All I can say that hasn't been said is thank goodness I love "C&P" because if I heard a song that I hated being teased and reprised throughout the set, it would drive me crazy. Luckily, I love the song and I can't wait for Fall tour.
This show was webcast via LivePhish. Trey teased San-Ho-Zay during Weekapaug and teased Crosseyed during Steam, Piper, Light, First Tube and Walls of the Cave. Piper featured a Fishman-driven improvisation with Trey on Marimba Lumina and Mike and Page on percussion. Piper, Light, First Tube, and Walls of the Cave also included Crosseyed quotes.
The band took over Dick's on Saturday Night and laid down the the most cohesive and Phish-y set since LOCKN'.
Phish, on Saturday, was the best band in the world. Maybe for a few hours, maybe the whole show. They showed the spirit and band interplay that makes a Phish show really take off. Even the Dick's employees were dancing. When the band came out and opened with the first "Slave to the Traffic Light" opener since 1988, it was clear anything was on the table. The jam moved into an oddly placed DWD in the second slot of the first set and I loved it. The song and the jam and the fact they actually finished it. Generally, they use it as a vehicle to move to other songs but this time they ended it and kicked the "wow" factor up with "What's the Use", a classic from The Siket Disc. This is an amazing tune and it flowed like molasses through the venue. Basically, this show was two 2016 second sets. The "What's the Use" slid into a tightly jammed "Maze" that didn't go too far out but was the perfect length. Like another band used to say, "It's Just Exactly Perfect". Once the band let us out of the maze, we stopped for a breather at the, "Farmhouse". I really like this song but set placement is everything. KEEP "FARMHOUSE" OUT OF MY MIKE'S GROOVE.
Gordo, who may have been the MVP of the run, with Trey and Page in tight contention for second, took over for "555" then things got real. Real funky. This is when the employees started dancing. "Wolfman's Brother" was another well-played and perfectly placed song. It cranked up the atmosphere and got the crowd dancing even harder and led into the delicate "Divided Sky" wonderfully. I'm torn on this song. I have heard it so many times from listening to Junta, from seeing it live more times than I can count since 94', and hearing it on bootlegs. Frankly, I could never hear it again and I would be happy for the rest of my Phish career. It's not a jam-vehicle, it's composed and the exact same every time. What other song do people time the SILENCE, instead of the music? But anyway, that led into one of my favorite Phish covers, "Rock and Roll" and that song was a minor masterpiece Saturday night. The only other Velvet Underground song they play that I like more is "Oh, Sweet Nuthin!" but even that had nuthin' on what Phish was doing to "Rock and Roll. And that was just the first half...
What's the Use 9/3/16
The second set kicked off with a hot(no pun) "Fuego". I've heard people say it wasn't a great version or it wasn't jammed out enough. It sounded just fine from the floor and the ending jam got plenty spacey from where I was sitting. Although it's a little overplayed in the one-two spot of the second set, it was still a good rendition. I had a feeling "Blaze On" was coming but I didn't think it would be after "Sand". The difference between being there and watching the stream is if you're just watching and listening you can be very critical because you have no other sensory input. Therefore, those of you calling the "Fuego > Sand" transition sloppy must not have been there. Mike's syncopation at the beginning and the way they played around it before jumping in with both feet sounded great.
I love me some standalone "Simple" and that was the only song I could stream for Grateful Music fans, because it was excellent and I was able to dance and stand still enough to stream. It was a great piece of music. It was placed perfectly and Trey's marimba time actually helped give the type-II jam texture and it worked on every level. Especially as they snuck into "Twist". Well, they didn't sneak in because, if you know music theory or chords/scales, you could hear them moving that way. However, "Theme From the Bottom" towards the end of the second set was gold. I loved it and thought the transition worked great. It really fit the mood and showed the band/audience relationship was still locked onto the same frequency. I'm a sucker for "2001" ever since 95' and I will always love it. Whether it's long or short, it's one of my favorite covers, hands-down. The drum riff that signals "Harry Hood" brought up a scream of joy from the crowd and many blew their collective glow-sticks a little early. It was one of the best Hood jams I've heard in a long time and I've heard quite a few. Enough has been said about Mike closing the show with a bass solo during "The Squirming Coil" instead of the normal Page solo, so I won't go into it. The Hood was the last song of the set that night and the boys hit the afterburners and no one walked out upset. We were only waiting for the next night and whether there would be a gag or not. Turns out, we are "still waiting". I think "THANK YOU" is enough and I gratefully thank the real Phish for showing up at Dick's this year. No wonder it's become a tour-ending tradition.
Notes: This show was webcast via LivePhish. Simple featured Trey on Marimba Lumina. Squirming Coil ended with Trey, Fish, and finally Page walking off, leaving Mike to take a bass solo to finish the song for the first time in Phish history. (courtesy of Phish.net)
The whole Phish Dick's experience has become ingrained in people's minds. This venue will never not sell out Phish again. These shows were that amazing.
If you are a Phish fan, that happens to have internet access, yet still lives under a rock. You missed an amazing three-day run at Dick's. I don't know what it is about this venue but Phish takes over every year. I don't know how they do it every year. The spelling game is over. I had a feeling it would be this year. What's to say after "Thank You"? These shows were the best of the tour, hands down. LOCKN knocked the rust off and they cleaned our collective clocks this weekend. Here is the Sunday, "Crosseyed" show. Listen for how many times "Crosseyed" and "Crossroads" teases come up in the second set. This show is why I love Phish.
Greg Heffelfinger
Phish Dick's Sunday Setlist (courtesy of phish.net)
Notes: This show was webcast via LivePhish. Trey teased San-Ho-Zay during Weekapaug and teased Crosseyed during Steam, Piper, Light, First Tube and Walls of The Cave. Piper featured Trey on Marimba Lumina. The jam out of Piper segued into a Fishman-driven and inspired improvisation featuring Trey on Marimba Lumina and Mike and Page on percussion. The jam after the drums improvisation included Crosseyed teases and quotes. Light, First Tube, and Walls Of The Cave also included Crosseyed quotes.
We here at Grateful Music are still firmly entrenched in the weekend that is the Dick's tour-clousing run.
Hopefully, everyone that wanted too got to watch the stream if you couldn't make it. The second night was just as amazing without quite as many surprises as the first show. Full reviews to follow.
[1] Trey on Marimba Lumina. [2] With closing bass solo.
Notes: This show was webcast via LivePhish. Simple featured Trey on Marimba Lumina. Coil ended with Trey, Fish, and finally Page walking off, leaving Mike to take a bass solo.
