Speculation has abounded that Phish intentionally set out this year to focus on playing their songs well, to master the art of “tension and release” jamming again, and to improvise without taking too much risk. In other words, no Providence Bowies, no Orlando Stashes, no Bozeman Tweezers, no Albany YEMs. There is certainly evidence for this, such as when the gorgeous “Bathtub Gin” at Hampton – which could easily have become legendary – ended in under 11 minutes. In fact, at the Summer tour opener at Fenway Park, for the first time ever, Phish performed “Tweezer,” “Bathtub Gin,” “David Bowie,” and “YEM” in the same set, yet not one version of these jamming tunes exceeded its customary length. Although length is never solely an indication of greatness, it is nevertheless a measure of the volume of improvisation that most likely occurred during a song. Having heard every show this year, I believe that the vast majority of songs performed by Phish in 2009 fall within 60 seconds of their customary length.
There are a host of exceptions, naturally, as one might expect from a band whose drummer can play a mean vacuum cleaner. The “Down with Disease” at Hampton (3/8/09) featured a melodic, enchanting improvisation that eventually segued into “Seven Below.” Although the “Harry Hood” performed at Jones Beach (6/2/09) contained some tragic missteps by Trey, it was nevertheless a bold version, containing a loosely-structured, naturalistic jam that focused more on harmony than melody. The jam out of “Drowned” at Jones Beach (6/4/09) quoted a bit from The Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and raged quite well before segueing into “Meatstick.” The “Down with Disease” -> “Twist Around” > “Piper” that opened the second set of Jones Beach on June 5 also showed promise, what with the “Oye Como Va” jam in “Twist” and mesmerizing grooves in both “Down with Disease” and “Piper.”
Arguably the most impressive improvisation this year occurred at Camden (6/7/09) in the second-set-opening “Sand” and in the “Tweezer.” “Sand” contained a wide variety of jamming styles; intense, ferociously melodic playing, and also some loose-but-powerful grooves. The Camden “Tweezer” presented perhaps the most “old school” jam of the tour. Its jam segment was largely centered around a slowly-building, “Immigrant Song”-meets-“Oye Como Va” theme. It is short, but strong, and “must hear” for anyone doubting the credibility of Phish 3.0.
And there are more exceptions to the generalization that Phish has not taken musical risks this year. Like them or not, the “Down with Disease” and “Kill Devil Falls” from Bonnaroo (6/12/09) contained solid improvisation, and the latter even explored dangerously dirty territory despite its shiny new coat. The “Rock and Roll” at Bonnaroo (6/14/09), after rocking hard as it always does, eventually dissolved into a spacey, effect-heavy improvisation that segued into another new song, “Light,” which sounds at times like an inspired, “Piper”-like jam segment, with lyrics. (In case you missed it, Bruce Springsteen played with Phish on “Mustang Sally,” “Bobby Jean,” and “Glory Days,” to close the first set of this second Bonnaroo show.) The “Drowned” > “Twist Around” from Deer Creek (6/19/09) contained some terrific jamming, as did the “Crosseyed and Painless” -> “Down with Disease” from Alpine (6/21/09). Notably, the jam out of this Alpine “C&P” bears some resemblance to the jam out of “Rock and Roll” from Bonnaroo, in that both jams dissolved from straight-ahead rock into effect-crazy, “wall of sound”-like spacey haze.
All this is to say that “3.0” has not birthed a spectacular, hear-at-all-costs, elite version of any song yet. There has been no mind-melting “YEM” or “Mike’s Groove,” nor a “Boogie On” akin to the magnificent Alpine version from June 26, 2004. In Phish-fan parlance, there has been no “hose.” Nevertheless, as I hear it, Phish’s improvisation this year demonstrates that Phish is still at IT, and that the best is yet to come.
Recommended Listening:
03/08/09 Hampton: Bathtub Gin, Down with Disease
05/31/09 Boston: Destiny Unbound, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Time Turns Elastic
06/02/09 Jones Beach: Harry Hood
06/04/09 Jones Beach: Ocelot, Drowned
06/05/09 Jones Beach: DWD > Twist Around > Piper
06/06/09 Great Woods: Gotta Jibboo, Prince Caspian, Seven Below
06/07/09 Camden: Sugar Shack, Sand, Tweezer
06/09/09 Asheville: Kill Devil Falls, Backwards Down the Number Line, Possum
06/10/09 Knoxville: Undermind, Waves
06/12/09 Bonnaroo: Stealin’ Time, DWD, Kill Devil Falls
06/14/09 Bonnaroo: Mustang Sally, Bobby Jean, Glory Days, Rock and Roll -> Light, First Tube
06/19/09 Deer Creek: Drowned > Twist Around
06/21/09 Alpine Valley: Joy, Crosseyed and Painless -> DWD
Charlie Dirksen is an officer and Board member with the all-volunteer, 501©(3) Mockingbird Foundation, which was founded by Phish fans and has raised over $600,000 for music education for children. Charlie first saw Phish at the Paradise in Boston on October 6, 1989. Assuming he has cell reception and is inspired, he will “tweet” from the upcoming Red Rocks and Shoreline shows(http://twitter.com/cdirksen).
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