Photos by Chris Paul
IT has been contended by some that the consistency and strength of their October 2010 tour demonstrates that Phish is finally, truly “back” from the hiatus. But no matter what you think about the (inconsistency of) the music at Hampton in March 2009, Phish was definitely “back” there and then. After having not played a show since August 2004, they performed ten hours of music over three nights, including a ton of songs that we love — and they played most of them well. In light of the Coventry experience, they were also very cathartic shows. And while there may have been no “best versions ever,” Phish’s music and its spirit were absolutely “back.” All fans seem to be thankful for that, as we are that they’re STILL “back” today, and playing shows as fantastic as many were on their October 2010 tour. If you are having trouble containing your excitement for what Phish has in store this New Year’s run, join the club.
To suggest that, until October 2010, Phish was somehow not themselves — but some other, crappier version of themselves — during the remarkable musical highlights of 2009-2010 is also unfair. While on a show-by-show basis, the October shows do seem to have been more consistently well-played than the shows on every previous tour since 2004, this is nevertheless arguable, and there haven’t been many tours since then in any event. Musically speaking, Phish shows are typically “great” when compared with the shows of other rock bands, and even their own. They have always been a remarkably consistent band, even while playing different setlists every night, which is partly why tens of thousands of their fans routinely see multiple shows on a tour. But as excellent as some of the shows in October were (and as impressive as every version of “Carini” was in October), few of the jams that were played reached the musical peaks that fans typically refer to as “among the best” or “must hear.”
For example, the “Seven Below -> Ghost” at Albany last year on 11/28 is considered by many to be up there with Phish’s top jams from any era of Phish and, in my opinion, little performed in October reached a similarly transcendent plateau. Of course, I also consider the set-closing Camden “Tweezer” from 6/7/09 and the “Cities” jam from the Greek on 8/6/10 as two of Phish’s top jams from 2009-2010. So, if you don’t find those jams among the most compelling of Phish’s jams in recent years, then do your blood pressure a favor and stop reading this now, because you’ll likely be exasperated by a lot of what I say about this tour. I also listen regularly to vintage top Phish jams from the past. Jams like the 8/10/97 Deer Creek “Cities;” the 8/10/04 “Birds of a Feather;” the 11/30/97 Worcester “Stash;” the 7/29/98 “Bathtub Gin;” the 8/7/98 Walnut Creek “Ghost;” the 11/19/97 Champaign “2001;” the 2/25/03 Phili “Theme from the Bottom;” and so on and so on. So, as much as I love Phish’s music, this necessarily makes it difficult for me to sing the praises of a version of a song that, to me, sounds at best like just another typically fun, “above average-great” version of “insert song name here.” (And, for example, if you haven’t heard every version of “Tweezer” and “You Enjoy Myself,” you’re probably going to view versions of the song played nowadays differently than someone who has.)
It’s also impossible to listen to a show “in a vacuum” or “disinterestedly,” and I don’t pretend to be “objective” (as if that were possible). When I listen to Phish shows for the first time, I can’t just disregard the host of spectacular Must-hear Shows that take up part of the space where my more-useful mind should be. I love Phish’s music and have heard almost everything that circulates. I think it’s brilliant as a rule, hence my use and abuse of the “average-great” concept. I also download every show from LivePhish, even though I know that more often than not, I’m only going to listen to its songs once or twice. Bottom line is that I am just another fan with a perspective that may be wildly different from your own. Please take my two cents on the music of the October shows as nothing more.
What’s with all of this first-person back-story? Just how insecure are you about your opinions on the current state of Phish’s music? While some of you are familiar with my opinionated remarks on Phish’s music online going back to 1994, others are not. I felt compelled to contextualize the opinions below with at least some background on how I approach Phish’s music. Why? Back in August, I was abused for being both overcritical, and not critical enough, in my review of Phish’s Summer tour shows (see my two cents about the shows of that tour here, especially the Comments). The flames of me personally by cowards hiding behind anonymous logins are entertaining, but for the sake of The Almighty Icculus, folks, it’s just my two cents. You can take pity on me for being unable to appreciate a show as much as I did back in 1993-1995, but believe me, I still try to do so as best I can. In any event, since no one specifically took issue with any of the versions of songs that I “Recommended” be listened to from the Summer tour, I apparently did something more or less right. And it’s in that same frivolous spirit that I belatedly offer up my $0.02 on Phish’s October 2010 shows here, with links to the Phish.net setlist of each show for ease of reference. Thank you for reading them.
This is a very well played set, which is exactly what an “average-great” Phish set (or show) is from start to finish. The set is bookended well with strong versions of “Down with Disease” to open and “First Tube” to close. However, there is nothing especially noteworthy in the improvisational sections of the songs of this gig. The “Harry,” for example, fizzled out before segueing into a rudimentary “Light.” And the “You Enjoy Myself”? Perfunctory. This just isn’t that strong a set or tour opener — for Phish. Of course, I still would have loved being there — it is a Phish show, after all.
I was very surprised by this one. I thought it would be much tighter, like the ACL opener. The first set is uneventful. Always great for “Mike’s Song” to open the second set, but you’ve basically heard this version before, and Trey is weak in the “Simple” that follows. As good as the “Ghost” is, especially at its end when it gets creepy and weird (and when Fish briefly kicks out the “Bowie” hi-hat intro), it isn’t sufficiently mesmerizing to warrant recommending — though I really like Mike’s playing in it. “Weekapaug” is a bit aimless, but the coda of “Fee” is cool yet again, with the siren (a “N2O” reference?) making an appearance in both it and the subsequent “Makisupa.” This version of “Makisupa” is quite enjoyable, particularly Mike’s playing in it. “My Problem Right There” is catchy and if you’re a completist who needs to hear every new Phish tune, then you’ve probably heard it already. But it doesn’t speak to me, though I’m at a loss to articulate why. (Of the new tunes, my favorites continue to be “Backwards Down the Number Line” and Page’s “Beauty of a Broken Heart” and “Halfway to the Moon,” though I certainly don’t mind the “Chalk Dust”-like rocker, “Kill Devil Falls,” and the use of “Light” as an exciting jamming vehicle.)
The “Slave” at this show is another really good “3.0” version, to be sure. “Strange Design” is fine, and the set-closing “Julius” is ferocious as always, as is the “Loving Cup” encore. (I am always happy with a “Loving Cup” encore!) But this show as a whole is below average, in my view, given what Phish typically does. In fact, this show is probably one of the best examples that I’ve heard of Phish “phoning it in” — which, of course, they never do. Their shows are almost always great. Phish is also “great” when compared to other rock bands, of course. But this show, to me, just seems “below-average” for Phish, given what they typically do night after night. You object? You think I’m wrong? You remember how much you LOVED the “Julius” at this show? Yes, this is one of those songs where every version tends to sound like the best one you’ve ever heard, and it always makes a mind-blowing second set closer, to be sure. But go listen to the 7/19/03 Alpine Valley “Julius.” That version along with spectacular versions of “You Enjoy Myself,” “Piper” and even “Scents and Subtle Sounds” make that 7/19/03 show one of the best Phish shows of the millennium. Download it from LivePhish. The “Julius” is somehow only $0.99, but its jam segment is worth at least whatever the price of admission to that fantastic show was. Don’t be surprised if it (or something else from the show) makes you genuflect.
Maybe a bit better than 10/10, but not by much. First set is played well, and I like the “Reba” and “Tweezer,” even if they’re not noteworthy. There is also some Marco-Polo call-and-response goofiness between Trey and the audience in the short, but tight, “Antelope” set closer. Musically, the highlight was probably the “Golden Age -> Piper -> Camel Walk,” that opened the second set and lasted about 20 minutes or so, but the jamming wasn’t so inventive as to warrant a recommendation. A nice second set “Jibboo,” but it’s tough to find a bad version of this punchy, upbeat, melodic tune. I mean, when was the last time you thought “Jibboo” sucked? A typically fun Phish show, played well, and “average-great” at best.
A short, but pretty fierce at times, “Stealing Time” first set opener, and a recommended “46 Days” first set closer. And check out the awesome bubonic plague “Carini,” and the final few minutes of “Light,” which (although short) ends well with a jam in five time for several measures. The first trapped Chilean miner was rescued at the setbreak of this show, and the second miner emerged during the “Theme” -> “Free” > “Joy,” which could not have been a coincidence. This is a well-played show with a few recommended versions of songs, i.e., an “average-great Phish show.”
Average-great. Seriously, though, an entertaining show with a multitude of well-played songs, including rarities like “Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home?” (with Page’s dad Dr. Jack McConnell on vocals and tap shoes), “Destiny Unbound,” and “Buffalo Bill” in the first set. The first set also had a short but sweet “Bathtub Gin,” but the “Stash” was a mixed-bag, and there’s just nothing I’d recommend listening to from this show. “Down with Disease,” the longest track of the night at 12:32, is a good version, but in light of the incredible history of the song, this one isn’t anything to please write home about. This is just a typically fun, average Phish show (at best), as I hear it.
Really enjoy the “Curtain With” and “Sand” in the first set, but I am admittedly a sucker for even “average” versions of these songs. And as sweet as it is to get “Sand” at all these days, the versions in October aren’t all that powerful when compared with average Phish or Trey Anastasio Band versions in the past. The “Crosseyed and Painless” second set opener — a set opener I will always love — is nevertheless a mixed-bag, since it gets spacey and aimless for a bit, before ending with its (not always played) composed ending. I often enjoy some “spacey” improv, but not this time. Another upbeat, fired-up “2001” shows up in the set, but this “Tweezer” is — like the “C&P” was — a mixed-bag. Trey hits some off-key notes here and there in the jam that just sounded like he wasn’t really sure what to do in this version. This is a “Tweezer” that just never seems to get it together, in my view. But hey, if you dig this, glad to hear it (email me for a list of 50+ versions I can recommend). The “You Enjoy Myself” at this show is an improvement from ACL, to be sure, but is also just similar to other typically-strong 2009-2010 versions. In other words, it still isn’t one I’d recommend in light of its awe-inspiring improvisational history. An encore that contains “Quinn the Eskimo” and “Tweeprise” will always bring a smile to my face, as this encore does. This was a strong way to close this show, which I’d rate “a small nudge, or wee bit, above average-great.”
This was the first inarguably above-average Phish show of the tour. It may be a “Top 10” show of 2009-2010, frankly, as well, though I haven’t done the math. (It is definitely in the Top 20 of 2009-2010.) The first set was well-played, with good versions of “Back on the Train” and “Torn & Frayed” (happy to see it again), a pretty good “Gin,” an awesome “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” and a strong “46 Days > Possum” to close. The second set opened with “Fuck Your Face” (of all things), had a good version of “Mike’s,” a “Light” with fluid, intricate “Type 2” jamming, a badass “20 Years Later” jam segment, a smokin’ short “Weekapaug,” an enchanted “Harry,” and a memorably thrilling encore with a “Type 2,” unusually improvisational “Reba.” This was also the first time “Reba” was played as an encore since September 21, 1999 (231 shows ago). For other spectacularly improvisational versions of “Reba,” check out (for example) 8/16/93 St. Louis, 7/6/94 Montreal, 7/1/97 Amsterdam, and 8/2/03 IT.
What do I mean by “Type 2”? When the jam in a song takes a markedly different course than it ordinarily would. This is usually, though not always, accompanied by at least one time signature change. For example, the jam of “Chalk Dust Torture” is usually “Type 1,” as it was recently on 10/8 at ACL and even on 10/30 in Atlantic City as a “Whole Lotta Love” sandwich, but listen to the versions on 8/3/03 IT, 8/9/94 Hampton and 6/25/10 Camden for “Type 2” jamming. Or, for example, compare any of the October 2010 “Carini” jams, all of which contain at least a few minutes of “Type 2,” with the straight-up “Type 1” of 11/29/09 Portland or 7/2/10 Charlotte.
In any event, if you still haven’t listened to this Augusta show, please download it from LivePhish. It’s well-worth the coin, and a portion of the proceeds from LivePhish downloads support The Mockingbird Foundation — the volunteers of which bring you Phish.net. (Phish.net is free to you, but it isn’t free.)
I wrote plenty about this Guyutica show back in October, a show where “Guyute” teases show up all over the place, and it can be found here in the Phish.net Forum. I still stand by every word. This is one of the best shows of 2009-2010, and it would probably — though not definitely — make my Top 200 Phish Shows were I to bother compiling such a thing. Download with extreme prejudice. If you haven’t heard this show yet, I can’t believe you’ve read this far into my two cents on this tour. Your time would have been much better spent downloading and listening to this gig. You should be ashamed of yourself. Seriously, though, don’t go into it expecting hear the best-version-ever of anything — except perhaps “Have Mercy” (compare only with the also must-hear 11/12/94 Kent State version). I love the entrancing jam segment of this “Have Mercy” and, although short, consider it one of the musical highlights of recent years. It is certainly one of the peak jams of October.
The first set is through the motions (musically speaking, of course, which is all I can speak to since I wasn’t there), but it’s still fun and well-played. The jams in the “Rock and Roll” and “Carini” to open the second set, however, are quite good (I love Fish’s “Tweezer-esque” rhythm at the end of the jam segment of “Carini”). This set also features what is the only known “Type 2” version of “Sanity,” because it contains a “jam segment” so-to-speak, with a lot of sustained chording from Trey and some funking-around from Mike and Fish for a bit. There’s a good “Weekapaug” in this set, but I dislike the version of “Light” that comes soon thereafter (following “Suzy”) — I think Trey sounds awful at times. (If you’re a fan of this “Light,” what Phish don’t you like!?) But whatever, the show closes strongly with “Character Zero > 2001 > Loving Cup” and “First Tube.” An above-average show, but not by much.
What can I say, this is a very fun Phish show, what with “Meatstick” and “Party Time” openers, a mid-first-set “Tweezer” and a “TweePrise” to close the FIRST set, “Down with Disease > My Friend” to open the second set, and a second-set-closing “YEM” and “Shine A Light” encore. It’s well-played with a very entertaining setlist (take a look!), but there are no versions I’d recommend listening to. Average-great at best, which is an odious and cowardly way of saying “below-average, but I don’t want you Amherst-loving noobs to flame the crap out of me.” I kid, I kid. If you’re inspired by this setlist, definitely check it out, but please don’t ask me to listen to it again.
I am a sucker for “Camel Walk” and “Ride Captain Ride,” and I even like “Time Turns Elastic.” (Really, I like it — just not at a show, unless it is perfectly played.) But this first set does little for me. The “Stash” is a mixed-bag, with a few misses from Trey, but it’s beautiful overall and one of the best versions of the last few years (and Trey even briefly teases “Dave’s Energy Guide” in it at 8:32-8:40 of the LivePhish version). I also really like Mike’s, Page’s and Fish’s accompaniment. “Stash” fans should check it out, especially if you haven’t been very happy with versions of “Stash” since the bewilderingly insane Coventry version, even though I prefer the 10/31/10 version to this one by a long shot. On the other hand, the second set has a lot of good energy (which Phish sets typically do, on average), not just in the “Seven Below” opener, but throughout. And I can’t complain too loudly about a set with back-to-back songs like “Roggae” and “Brother” in it (two of my favorite songs, even though these are not above-average versions). The show closes very well with “Bowie” and then a “Quinn the Eskimo, Chalk Dust” encore. Nevertheless, no recommended versions. “Average-great at best,” he said, while making the sign of the cross and sighing.
WOW! Check out the setlist! Opens with “After Midnight, Sloth, Alumni > Letter > Alumni,” which made me wonder whether Trey had discovered the random fantasy setlist generator on Phish.net and started putting it to its Greatest and Most Inspiring Use. A sure-fire way to a veteran Phish fan’s heart is to surprise him or her with set-openers like these (and a “Runaway Jim” or “Chalk Dust” set opener will never be a surprise, unless you go back in time to Hampton 8/9/04 in the case of “Chalk Dust” or Walnut Creek 6/16/95 in the case of “Jim,” both of which are must-hear).
The music of this show is usually, though not always, well-played (the obviously unrehearsed “Access Me” is quite enjoyable nevertheless), and I love the “Curtain With” in the first, but this show’s strength lies in the second set, which is up there with the best sets of the year. It’s played expertly well, and features electrifying improv in the “Light” in particular. “Night Nurse” shows up in the “Makisupa,” no doubt in homage to Gregory Isaacs, who sadly had just died on October 25. The “Ghost” is short but pretty damn sweet, with very few mishits from Trey. The “Weekapaug” in this set is also the most appealing version since 6/29/10 Canandaigua, with a “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” jam, lyrics from “Ghost” and “Night Nurse,” and a real segue -> into a “Llama Reprise,” taboot. Whatever you think about the merit of “Show of Life” (I enjoy it), encoring with it still took the fire out of this show, given the power of the second set. So, notwithstanding the poor encore call, this is still one of the best shows of the last two years, and I recommend checking it out. (And I bet I’m not the first to recommend this show to you!)
In case you haven’t heard or weren’t there, this show opened with our nation’s “Star Spangled Banner” presumably because of the ENORMOUS AMERICAN FLAG above the crowd on the venue’s wall straight out from the stage and the band. HUGE flag. In any event, while I love this opener, the first set of this show wasn’t that sharp overall. (“Solid,” in the parlance of our time.) It was played fine, but the only musical highlight was the mighty “Light Up or Leave Me Alone” jam segment (the composed section of the version wasn’t clean, though). For example, the “Cities” jam could have been something stellar, and I was hoping for a gorgeous groove at least half as sweet as the Greek’s “Cities” jam from August. Nope. It just meandered around, but I still enjoyed dancing to it, and I love this cover, and wouldn’t be upset if I got it at every show I saw. And of course I still enjoyed the set, because that’s what we do at Phish shows — we enjoy ourselves. And even a below-average Phish set is “great”, like the first set-closing “46 Days.”
I’d like to say that the second set of this show was “one for the ages,” or “a must-hear, trail-blazing barn-burner,” but it was not. It was just well-played, typically-awesome Phish, with no versions to recommend. Well, ok. Check out the “Carini,” because while it arguably isn’t as moving as the other versions in October, it’s still pretty cool when compared with those in Phish history. And christ, the show ended with “Slave,” “Fluffhead” and “Loving Cup.” This may not mean much to you, but it sure as hell meant a lot to me. It’s a sensational show-closing triumvirate. So I have no trouble calling this a “somewhat above-average great” Phish show. And as always, if you look at this show’s setlist and like it a lot, then check it out. If you’re a vet, you won’t hear anything especially new (except in “Carini”), but it’s hard to be too disappointed hearing Phish play your favorite songs again, and play them well, in a new venue.
And THANK YOU ATLANTIC CITY, for making us feel welcome! I really hope Phish plays there again. And I am not just saying this so Cameron Parker has a chance to defend his hold ‘em poker victory at the Tropicana — a victory that occurred Halloween weekend in the first-ever Phamily Poker Classic poker tournament. You can read the names of the other fans who made the final table here. These names include Robert Goad, who finished in second, and promptly made a large cash donation to The Mockingbird Foundation. How cool is that?
Although well-intentioned, a lot of fans have probably overrated this show. Yes, you and I had a blast at the show. That’s what we do at Phish shows. And the “Zeppeleezer” madness — or whatever you want to call the Zeppelin-Tweezer (5/7/94 Bomb-Factory-Tweezeresque-ish) medley in the second set — was extraordinary to behold. I LOVED this show and am so thankful I was there. But musically? It’s a mixed-bag. I’m sure some @jadedvet‘s who weren’t present at the show saw the “MonkeyPrise” encore (which I am embarrassed to admit that I called) in the setlist and thought, “Well, it couldn’t have been THAT great a show.”
Seriously, though, the “Chalk Dust Torture -> Whole Lotta Love -> Chalk Dust Torture” in the first set is wonderful, to be sure, and I really like the “Wolfman’s Brother -> Undermind” combo, because their spellbinding jams do IT for me. (And a few measures of this “Wolfman’s” reminded me of the Greek “Cities” jam from August.) The “Gin” may also be the most sublime version of October, tough to say. So, I think this first set is at least as good as any other first set in October, musically speaking. ( Guyutica’s first set is excellent, too, of course, but I prefer the music of this one.) However, the second set was a mixed-bag musically. I can appreciate why some folks have been relatively unimpressed upon hearing the music of this show, particularly the Zeppelin covers, which I do not think were rehearsed that, uhm, much (as the released, partial 10/30 soundcheck seems to attest). But don’t forget all of the pre-show hype about Phish covering Led Zeppelin for their “costume” on Halloween. I thought it was hysterical that they ransacked several Zeppelin tunes in and out of “Tweezer” the night before Halloween.
So, in sum, Phish played one of the best first sets of the year, and a bunch of Zeppelin tunes in a half-assed, highly entertaining way (“Heartbreaker,” “Ramble On,” “Thank you,” “Stairway”) in and out of “Tweezer” in the second set, and if you were there you had a phenomenal time. And the “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (aka “2001”) at this show is glorious! Not only is it the finest version since 6/25/10 Camden (which paid homage to Michael Jackson), but “2001” is also the cover that helped give me IT with Phish back in ‘93 at Wolf Trap. “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” as performed by Deodata, is also the background music during a pivotal point in a remarkable film, Being There, starring Peter Sellers (a “must-rent“). And geeesh, listen to the goofiness in the “Bowie” hi-hat opening segment in this set! Oh yeah, and a “GTBT” second set closer!? So, it’s a no-brainer. I’m going to overrate this show, too, ok? “Well above ‘average-great.’ Hear at all costs. Download with extreme prejudice.”
Ok, here is where my gloves come off. Yes, I know I’m not actually wearing gloves, but I find it disappointing how many fans — including jaded oldbies with a ton of Phish-knowledge — go south on this show largely because they were unimpressed or otherwise disheartened by Phish’s decision to cover Little Feat’s Waiting for Columbus. Please set aside Phish’s decision to cover this album for a minute.
The first set doesn’t just open with a delightfully Halloween-themed setlist (“Frankenstein” opener with Page on keytar; “BBFCFM;” “Ghost->SPOOKY!?”) for all of us setlist-whores — come on, you know that you’re one of us. But the first set has a version of “Stash” that reminds you — or should remind you — of all of the melodic, charming, borderline-but-not-quite-transcendent versions from the distant past. And that this version was played in TWO THOUSAND TEN is all-the-sweeter. “Stash” has done almost nothing even vaguely impressive since Coventry, when it floundered improvisationally and metaphorically in the muddy, fecally-infused depths of rain-soaked Vermont soil. It is nevertheless not overrating this 10/31 “Stash” to say that, of the normal-lengthed versions in Phish history, it’s among the best. Sure, there are a lot of those (including arguably the best normal-lengthed “Stash,” 5/19/94 Eugene), but if you disagree that this 10/31 “Stash” is among the best of the normal-lengthed versions, go listen to every such version (aka versions under 20 minutes) that circulates, and then let’s discuss it. I think this one is in the Top 10, or maybe the Top 20. But it’s up there. And it makes me very happy to hear “Stash” played so well again.
And the third set? The third set of 10/31 has an unremarkable setlist. Just look at it. But Phish was very relaxed after the pressure of competently covering Waiting for Columbus was off, and it shows in their loose-but-outstanding playing. In this third set, Phish played one of the Top 10 versions of “Wilson” ever (check out other stellar versions like 8/1/98 Alpine, 12/30/99 Cypress, and 6/13/00 Nagoya), as well as another strong (though not perfect) “3.0” version of “Jibboo,” and a serene “Harry.” Yes, the set closed with yet another well-played but otherwise unremarkable “YEM,” but for christ’s sake, this Halloween show encored with a captivating “Julius” that featured horns and a drums and percussion solo! We do not get those every day.
And as for the “musical costume,” Phish covered a fantastic live album — Little Feat’s Waiting for Columbus — in the second set of this show. I used to listen to this on vinyl on a crappy record player back in the early 80s, when Ronald Reagan was President. If you seriously don’t like songs like “Spanish Moon,” “Dixie Chicken” (with its “Alaska” teases :-)), “Tripe Face Boogie” or “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now,” especially now that Phish has covered them and done them justice, I don’t know what to say. It’s certainly true that Phish didn’t take these songs anywhere new and didn’t “Phish-ify” them by jamming them out for 20+ minutes or anything like that. But Phish covered this album because the musicianship behind it meant and continues to mean a great to deal to them (just read the PHISHBILL). If it doesn’t mean shit to you, then ok, but this 10/31/10 show is nevertheless one of the best shows of 2009-2010. I’d take the Phish sets of this show over the Phish sets of last year’s Halloween show in Indio any day. (I am, however, more of a Stones fan than a Little Feat fan, so I probably prefer last year’s 10/31 set in Indio to this year’s, but it’s a tough call for me. My favorite “costume” sets continue to be 10/31/98’s Loaded and 10/31/96’s Remain in Light.)
I agree with a lot of you that this year’s Halloween show is not among the best performances by Phish on Halloween, but I would still at least place this show comfortably within a Top 100 Phish shows list were I to compile such a list. Not simply because there are three sets and they covered an entire album in the second set that I have always enjoyed and which is excellent, but because they covered it well (along with a number of guest musicians), and because they played — in the Phish sets — several Top Versions of their own songs (specifically, “Stash,” “Wilson” and “Julius”). Not simply “above-average” versions, but versions of songs among the best Phish has ever performed.
So, in conclusion, to anyone who thinks that, as laudable as Guyutica, Manchester, Augusta, and 10/30 AC are from the October tour, you still give the “best show of the tour” nod to 10/31 Atlantic City, I understand where you’re coming from. It is, however, three sets, so it arguably isn’t fair to compare it with two-set shows. Regardless, as far as tour-closing shows go, it’s pretty damn good. It’s thus justifiable to expect Phish to continue playing well on the NYE Run in a few weeks, and we’ve got every right to be enthusiastic about the future of Phish!
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
10/10: Makisupa Policeman
10/12: 46 Days, Carini, Light (last few minutes)
10/16: Curtain With
10/19: Jesus Just Left Chicago, Light, 20 Years Later, Harry Hood, Reba
10/20: Antelope, SOAM -> Have Mercy, Piper but check out the whole show
10/22: Rock and Roll -> Carini, Sanity
10/24: Stash
10/26: Curtain With, Light, Makisupa->Night Nurse->Makisupa, Weekapaug
10/29: Light Up or Leave Me Alone (jam), Carini
10/30: Chalk Dust, Wolfman’s, Undermind, Second Set
10/31: Stash, Second Set, Wilson, Julius
Charlie Dirksen practices law and is an officer and Board Member of The Mockingbird Foundation, an all-volunteer 501©(3) nonprofit founded by Phish fans in 1997. He first saw Phish at the Paradise in Boston on 10/6/89. He is a Phish.net Admin and may be reached at charlie@phish.net or via @cdirksen on Twitter.
