The first Gorge show on August 7 featured a must-hear, first set “Sneaking Sally” with some of the finest improvisation of the year, and phenomenally beautiful versions of “Bathtub Gin,” “Harry Hood,” and “Slave” to end the show. On August 8, while Gorge fans were treated to good versions of “Tweezer,” “Wolfman’s” and “Antelope” in the first set, as well as the debut of “Middle of the Road” (an upbeat Mike tune), the second set opened with a mind-blowing “Rock & Roll.” Curiously enough on this magical night, the mid-second-set “YEM” contained a brief tease by Trey of “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter.
Phish’s return to Chicago on August 11 at Toyota Park witnessed the first “Paul and Silas” since November 29, 1998, the debut of Page’s new tune called “Windy City,” and a wondrous “Curtain With” in the first set. The second set opened with an excellent “Backwards Down the Number Line” that abruptly segued into a very creepy “Carini” with some amusing vocals from Fishman during the jam and some spooky soloing from Trey. Worth a listen.
Shortly before the Darien Lake show on August 13, the legendary guitarist and inventor Les Paul died. As this was also Trey’s 15th wedding anniversary, it was an especially meaningful show for him. To honor Les Paul, Phish performed his original, “How High the Moon,” for the first time since March 8, 1993. Fans of “Drowned” should hear this second-set-opening version. It is looser than the Red Rocks 7/31 version, but is still great. The “First Tube” encore is also thrilling.
You’ve likely already heard about the Hartford show on August 14. Believe at least some of the hype. Sure, the playing isn’t as tight overall as, say, the August 2 Red Rocks show. But this is absolutely a classic, above “average-great” Phish show, featuring about half of the Gamehendge songs and numerous rarities. The first set is a bit routine, even though the take-no-prisoners “PYITE” opener is fun and the first “Forbin’s” > “Mockingbird” since September 30, 2000, Vegas, is a treat. The second set, however, is ridiculously electric, filled with often frenetic energy. At times during the crazy set (“DWD” > “Wilson” > “Slave,” “Piper” > “Water in the Sky,” “Ghost” -> “Psycho Killer” -> “Catapult” -> “Icculus” > “YEM”), Trey repeated and looped an astoundingly annoying electronic noise — the aural equivalent of bed bugs mating in your ears. During “Icculus,” Trey darkly mused about how people weren’t reading books anymore (“When was the last time one of you picked up a fucking book?! . . . Nobody reads anymore! . . . Put down your iPhones. Put down your DVD-things. We’re going to have an illiterate generation soon. . . .”). Hartford was yet another hysterically entertaining Phish show, and further justification for seeing them as much as possible.
After hearing such an insane set, many fans wondered what would happen the next night down south at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Maryland. The first set on August 15 saw the jovial return of Fishman’s “Ha Ha Ha,” shortly followed by the world debut of Fishman’s (also amusing) “Party Time.” (This appears to have been the only time in documented Phish history when two 100% Fish originals were performed back-to-back.) Fans were also gifted with the second appearances on tour of both “Esther” and “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’,” as well as a “46 Days” in the second set with an unusually spacey jam.
Summer tour 2009 closed at SPAC on August 16 in fine form, with one of the best second sets of the year. A 20-minute-long “Backwards Down the Number Line” – the most improvisational version to date – blew open the second set, which also saw a sweet “Halley’s” > “Rock & Roll” and a non-serious cover of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” (naturally with Fish on vocals) in a “Harpua” sandwich. There’s also a strong set-closing “YEM” and a triple encore: “Grind,” the debut of Page’s “I Been Around,” and “Highway to Hell.”
While your most recent “YEM” or “Mike’s Groove” might be a far cry from the best you’ve ever heard, the spirit is there, as is the hope that you will hear the best version you’ve ever heard again soon. For years, Phish performed shows only for coins in a can. Now, of course, they can afford not to perform at all, and they don’t need to make every note count. But they’re still trying to do exactly that for the sake of the music, and for all of us who love it. After 1500 live performances as a band, Phish is still aiming to please and still sharin’ in the groove. Be sure to enjoy yourself.
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