Canandaigua
The first set of this June 29 show opened with “The Connection” followed-by a version of “Down with Disease” that – but for Trey’s tone – might as well have been a punchy, tight 1994 version. Another great “3.0” version of “Undermind” appeared in this first set as well. The second set was musically very lopsided, beginning with a good “Possum,” followed by one of the better “Mike’s Grooves” of “Phish 3.0,” that included a solid “Simple” and the first-ever cover of “I Am the Walrus,” which built – almost like a “Tweeprise” – to a monstrous conclusion before Fish began “Weekapaug.” The set ended, though, with a weak “Limb by Limb,” decent “Joy,” and perfunctory versions of “Harry Hood” and “Golgi.” The “First Tube” encore was great, as it usually is, and capped what was another average-great Phish show overall.
Raleigh
On “paper,” this show looks amazing, with bust outs of covers “Time Loves A Hero,” “Have Mercy” and “Light Up or Leave Me Alone,” as well as a “Llama, Roses are Free” opener in the first set, a second set “Fluffhead,” and a “Boogie on Reggae Woman” encore. But musically, sadly, almost everything is straightforward and “through the motions.” The only highlights (as I hear them) were the sortof-above-average version of “Alaska” in the first set; a minute or so of the “BDTNL” in the second set, when Trey fiercely shredded; the “Light” jam, which — despite Trey’s continued obnoxious use of the whale-whammy pedal – eventually went into a mystical, pseudo-psychedelic spacey, melodic jam for a few minutes; and pretty good versions of “Light Up or Leave Me Alone” and “Boogie On Reggae Woman.” None of this material is “must-hear,” but I recommend the “Light Up” below, because it is very good “Type I” jamming, and it is also interesting to hear how Phish cover this today in light of how they used to cover it in the 1980s and 1990s. Also, for whatever it’s worth, this show’s “Fluffhead” is unfortunately a bit sloppy, and “Free” is perhaps the weakest version ever performed. It is thus unsurprising that a lot of fans believe this to be a below-average show for the tour, despite the bust outs.
Charlotte
The July 2 show in Charlotte was, like so many other shows from the last year, musically a mixed-bag, but nevertheless quite entertaining. The first set opened old school with “Buried Alive > AC/DC Bag > Vultures,” and while the “Vultures” was a bit rough, it was wonderful to hear them play this again. Although Trey couldn’t seem to find a theme in “Stash,” the first set still included a strong “Back on the Train.” The “Drowned” that opened the second set had potential, but the jam seemed to just coast along without much spirit. The “46 Days” that followed it was pretty good and concluded with a vocal jam before segueing well into “Twenty Years Later,” which was much less dark and twisted, and shorter, than the Camden version. As you’ve already heard, the highlight of the show was the incredible return of “Fuck Your Face,” which was well-played and, as noted above, is only believed to have ever been played publicly on 4/29/87 (1,413 shows earlier). The second set closed with a “You Enjoy Myself” that had a fairly average jam segment but a raging bass and drums segment and a remarkable vocal jam with several verses of “Proud Mary” and “Get Back” in it.
Recommended Listening:
June 11 Chicago: Reba, Light, Ghost -> Limb by Limb
June 12 Cuyahoga Falls: BDTNL, Instant Karma
June 15 Portsmouth: 46 Days, Idea, First Tube
June 17 Hartford: Walk Away, DWD -> Sand
June 18 Hartford: Theme from the Bottom, Sleeping Monkey (E), Tweeprise x2 (E)
June 19 SPAC: Halfway to the Moon, Show of Life
June 20 SPAC: Roggae, Carini, Drowned, Makisupa
June 22 Great Woods: Kill Devil Falls
June 24 Camden: Timber Ho, I Didn’t Know, The Rover, Twenty Years Later
June 25 Camden: Alumni -> Letter -> Alumni, Summer of ’89, Chalk Dust Torture, 2001 -> Billie Jean Jam -> 2001
June 26 Merriweather: Rock and Roll
June 27 Merriweather: Piper > Ghost -> Jumpin’ Jack Flash -> Saw It Again
June 29 Canandaigua: Mike’s > Simple > I Am the Walrus > Weekapaug Groove
July 1 Raleigh: Light Up or Leave Me Alone
July 2 Charlotte: Back on the Train
July 3 Alpharetta: Prince Caspian > Tweezer
July 4 Alpharetta: Harpua > Killing in the Name > Harpua
Charlie Dirksen is an antitrust lawyer in San Francisco and an officer and board member of The Mockingbird Foundation, an all-volunteer, Phish-fan-founded non-profit that raises funds for music education programs nationwide. He also works on the setlist team for Phish.Net. He first saw Phish in Boston at the Paradise on October 6, 1989. @cdirksen will be “tweeting” from the Greek Theater shows in August, cell-reception and sobriety permitting.
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