weekablog

Show last night was pretty awesome start to finish.  Took a delayed Amtrak train up from the city and sprinted to the venue just in time to walk in during the opening notes of PYITE.  Not bad.  After almost missing my train, then waiting for the delayed train, then dealing with more delays…when push comes to shove, I still caught the Punch.  You may remember this tune opened last year’s one night epic throw down in Hot Ford, so I was glad to get things off on the same page.  I think that this exact thing happened to me just last year? Ocelot followed, marking the first repeat of the tour.  Dinner and a Movie might have been the most enjoyable version I’ve seen live.  Never have been a particular fan of the tune, but sitting up on the lawn last night with friends as the sun sunk and reddened, it felt pretty appropriate.  I could have stayed in NYC for the night and not dealt with the trip there and back in one night to go back again tonight, etc, could have just had dinner and caught a movie, but was very glad that I was seeing the boys in Hartford instead.  Stash marked the first great jam of the night.  Trey sustained a few simple notes at the beginning of the jam, which then led to a definite show highlight Stash that really built.  Esther was fitting, given that Circus de Soleil opened yesterday across the street from the venue.  Now, to the highlight of the show.  Walk Away was ripped open by Red and he absolutely slaughtered it.  It almost felt like the Piper from Spac ‘04, as I could have sworn they were going into Tweprise to complete the Tweezer from Hershey.  Listen to this jam.  Divided Sky followed and was a stellar top notch version.  Circus was great and again fitting (see Esther comment above).  Sugar Shack.  Love the tune.  Alaska was great.  Could have sworn they were playing Ocelot again at first, but that wouldn’t have made much sense.  Very surprised at the first notes of Golgi, as I thought for sure Alaska was set closer.  Great first set.

Got to see some close friends during setbreak and then set the gearshift for Set II.  Party Time!  You know it’s going to be a throwdown when this one opens a set.  Great version segued into an absolutely awesome exploratory DWD, which was another show highlight.  The > Sand was great.  I actually called it way before and was thus permitted to write the song down and initial it in Levy’s setlist book.  The jam got very, very funky and was way more like the Sand from Camden ‘09 than Miami ‘09, which was a positive thing for me.  Trey abruptly started playing The Horse while the rest of the band fought for a bit to keep the groove going.  It was as if Trey was saying “Hey guys, we’re not in our dorm room anymore, can’t get too far out there right now”.  Horse -> Silent is a favorite for me ever since a very special moment with close friends during the Vegas ‘04 run.  The lick at the end of Silent always brings me to my knees.  Guyute was tight and Farmhouse had some pretty cool melodic beautiful jamming at the end, led by Trey.  At 11:55pm they dropped into Mike’s!  No way!  Very solid (yet short) Mike’s followed by a nice H2 and a terrific Groove that began with Mike dropping dripping wet bombs as usual.  In fact, Trey exclaimed, “Mike is in the house” as the song began.  Truer words could not have been spoken.  Lots of chatter on the interweb about Mike being MVP of tour and Trey not keeping up (nans, but ok), so thought it was funny to hear this from Trey.  Big Red then slayed the Weekablog. Was on my way out during the Shine A Light, which happens to be one of my favorite covers at the moment.  Very nice to see, but had to leave during Trey’s solo to beat the traffic and get back.  Speaking of which, Get Back tonight.  You heard it here. 

Set 1: Punch You In the Eye, Ocelot, Dinner and a Movie, Stash, Esther, Walk Away, The Divided Sky, When the Circus Comes, Sugar Shack, Alaska > Golgi Apparatus

Set 2: Party Time > Down with Disease -> Sand -> The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Guyute, Farmhouse, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove

Encore: Shine a Light

Rana boat last night was a career highlight for me.  Music was awesome start to finish, but once the boat reached international waters and the sky turned dark and the booze started flowing a bit more, all passengers aboard began getting down like crazy.  That, or the boat was just literally rocking from the choppy waters.  They seem to have practiced for the show and lots of tunes had these extended space-y new intros that were pretty killer.  They really rocked so hard and when they weren’t rocking there was a definite Talking Heads disco dance-y nature to it all.  Sitting out on the deck passing Dumbo as Sad and Lonesome was played in the background, not sure that there’s much better. 

Rana epitomizes the rock and roll lifestyle.  Whether they’re playing Backstage Pass and singing about chicks waiting by the barricade after the house lights come up, or the aforementioned Sad and Lonesome and we’re told that it’s so hard with electric guitars to be faithful, Rana’s lens into this rockstar world, while certainly campy like most of their stuff (in a Ween / Zappa kind of way), does not feel hollow as the band just rocks so hard.  I know that’s the second or so time I’ve used that phrase in this one paragraph, but I don’t really care.  This isn’t love, this isn’t life, just rock and roll, ever night. 

Half Moon Boat, New York, NY 6/14/10

Good Book* -> Remember My Address*, Not So Mopso, Skin and Bone**, Ghetto
Queen***, My One Dear Son, Sad and Lonesome, For Some Time****, Carbombed
Again, I’m Not Orfeo, It’s So Hard (Believe Me)*****, I Waste It, 84th
Precinct#, Backstage Pass, intro -> Stuck Up a Tree, Wheels of 1000 Ships##,
Loves It Automatic### -> Mandy Moore -> Poop Georgette III -> Ring in the
Sand, Modern Day Cowboy####, Charm Bracelet, Whenever You Can -> 900
Numbers##### -> Bloodshed, Buy Sell or Break, We Will Not Be Lovers, Smile

The first 11 songs of the set were the Here in the USA album in its entirety
on the 8th anniversary of its release.

* — both with odd, spacey intros
** — Andrew blew out his bass amp before this song, and while it was being
fixed told a story about the Here in the USA recording sessions.
*** — with guitar solo instead of rap, as on the album version
**** — Before this song, Matt and Andrew mentioned that the band used to
take trips to a cabin in New Hampshire, where they learned Beatles songs and
wrote their own, such as this one. Included an unusually long jam.
***** — Began with Scott singing the verse ballad-style, then shifted into
“normal” arrangement
# — with Joe Russo on tambourine
## — new song (Matt), first time played
### — with long, almost robotic funk jam
#### — last known performance 5/12/05
##### — last known performance 2/3/05

Weekablog long time listener first time caller Dustin Newman shares his thoughts on the upcoming Summer Tour.  (Note to reader: this should have been posted before the tour started, but editor is procrastinating Phish fan):

The only way it can aptly be described is beautiful. It is perfect and effortless. Organic and sublime. When Phish is on the road, a group of great friends who do not have the pleasure of seeing one another with any frequency most of the time reconvene and pick right up where they left off. 

During the ‘off-season’ as it were, life continues as normal. People go about their lives, making their way through various stages of schooling and careers, along with all the other delights and complications that life presents. Messages are exchanged, referring the group to a bit of news, or an interesting piece of media.  Excitement builds and stalls.

When Phish hits the road, however, none of this matters. We expend our resources—our hard-earned salaries, our vacation days, our stamina and energy—to get out there to that next city, to see our beloved comrades, to enjoy the band that we love more than any other, and to see our country in the process.

We welcome each other as if it has been months or years since the last time—and often times, it has been. We hug, we laugh, we share everything we have, we extend hospitality and helping hands, and we celebrate as if the world is going to end. We pick right up where we left off.

Let us not lose sight of the impetus behind this social phenomenon: Phish. The paradigm example (outside of atomic relativity) where the effect is far greater than the sum of its parts, Phish’s intricate, brilliant, whimsical and ubiquitously uplifting music is the center that the entire arrangement revolves around. The band and their music foster the sense of community and fraternity that is so rare in this world.

During a tumultuous time where the daily news shows disheartening examples of the dark and detestable side of human nature, we are about to enter the time when Phish allows us to show ourselves the best of our nature—the transcendent combination of camaraderie and music. It is truly remarkable. I could not be more ready or more excited for the fun to begin. 

Thought last night was stellar start to finish.  Jibboo was a great way to start the show.  Levy turned to me saying that he couldn’t wait for Trey to set the loop during the jam and as soon as Red got it going, the energy reached first high of the show.  Jam was succinct and fun.  Very circular sounding peak with Trey doing those quick pulls to build to a climax (that’s what she said).  Lights started to get going during that peak too, which was cool given that it was very bright out.  Chalkdust was fun, but the jam didn’t do much and felt a little sloppy.  Fluffhead placement was pretty awesome and was executed flawlessly.  Funky Bitch was pretty awesome.  Love the tune and this one was played incredibly well.  The Jim was great and had a very dance-y, almost drum n bass feel to it.  Mid set Horn was very welcomed.  I actually really enjoyed the Bouncing, which included our own round to accompany the band.  I haven’t seen Sparkle in a while and the ending was so fun.  Got very very fast and felt bluegrassy.  Melt was probably the best jam of the set. 

Interesting that Melt ended this first set, as it did 7/30/09 as well and both Set 2’s opened with huge Drowneds.  Setbreak was very quick, by the way.  The Drowned got really out there and Trey was really letting Mike and Page go.  The jam then abruptly dropped into Tweezer.  Tweezer was the jam of the night for me.  Really kept pushing and was pretty out of control.  Twist was great and again Trey sat back and let Mike and Page do their thing.  Parts of it reminded me of the pre vocal jam jam on the Gorge Sally.  Free was short and sweet.  Mike dropped dripping wet bombs to lead into the jam, but there really wasn’t much of a jam.  Wading was a breather and that’s when Levy and I left to go find Brent and wish him a happy birthday.  The YEM brought it.  Straight up.  Again, a very subtle and patient jam ensued and it began to peter out into a vocal jam until Trey just stepped out and sliced a hole right through its nipple.  YEM peak was huge and vocal jams are always really fun ways to end sets.  Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.  Bold as Love encore was top notch and let Page shine again.  Was sure Tweprise was coming, but I guess it’s tough to explain to a venue and its staff and the unions that you need 5 more minutes past curfew because you ALWAYS play Tweprise when Tweezer was played during the second Set.  Tweprise opener tomorrow in VA.  Feels like we’re in the middle of the Island Run. 

The energy throughout set 2 was palpable.  Felt a lot like 7/30/09 set 2, as well as 12/3/09 set 2, so that should paint the picture.  Overall, Trey really sat back and let the grooves happen, and the band sounds great!  See you guys Thursday. 

All has been quiet on the east coast front here at Weekablog, as everyone has been scrambling to figure out logistics for summer tour.  Weekablog’s close compadre Rana (sickest keyboard player in the sub-cellar) Brahma was lucky enough to head out to Indio for Coachella this past weekend.  While we will be re-living Phish’s festival in Indio tonight on the big screen (in 8-D), Rana has been kynd enough to share some thoughts on his So-Cal weekend, and why the Gorillaz might just be the future of post-genre pop. 

From Rana:

Coachella 2010 is now over and after 3 days of amazing music in the beautiful desert, including great performances by the likes of LCD soundsystem, Deadmau5, Hot Chip and many others, all I can think about is how fucking good the Gorillaz truly are. Not only is the music as good live as on the album, but the actual visual spectacle surpasses my closest relative point for live music entertainment comparison: Daft Punk.

Ever since Gorillaz released Clint Eastwood, I felt that they had already contributed something very important to music: they created a bridge between pop, electronic and hip hop genres in a viable and commercial way without sacrificing artistic creativity. Kanye West following their lead, bastardized this bridge and in doing so paved the way for much of the hip hop electronic auto tuned garbage that has now become popular. But in doing so, it created a mosaic fan base of listeners with diverse musical tastes, and in some ways allowed the Gorillaz newest album, Plastic Beach, to be the commercial success that it is.

The new album is a story of the world of the Plastic Beach which is brought to life in the newly re-invented live act of Gorillaz. Each song plays with an animated music video of the Gorillaz characters and is synced to the music which is played live. Though the majority of the music is played (featuring Mick Jones and Paul Simonon from The Clash on guitar and bass, De La Soul, Little Dragon and Bobby Womack), some parts and vocal tracks like Snoop Dogg’s rap in the intro were sampled in. While just playing a cartoon video to music might seem overly simple for a live show, the creativity and artistry of the animation needs to be recognized in order to appreciate what might otherwise seem like a simple show. The music video for each song, including Stylo which stars Bruce Willis, entertains like a movie but also creates and envelopes the audience in the crazy Gorillaz world.

The Gorillaz played a fantastic set in my opinion. With the exception of Bobby Womack screwing up Stylo by completely missing his cue and a sort of anti-climatic set ender with Cloud of Unknowing and no real encore, I still think the Gorillaz was the best set of music at the whole festival, though contrary to popular opinion. The Gorillaz is not a fancy l.e.d. laser light show, so fans expecting that kind of live performance will be disappointed. But for the more intelligent fan who appreciates not only the music, but the entire story and visual aspect that has been part of the Gorlliaz identity since Damon Albarn created the virtual band with comic artist Jamie Hewlett, the live show assaults the senses for a concert and entertainment experience unlike any other I have experienced. So, while this may not seem like a bold statement to myself, I still leave the disclaimer: I believe that the Gorillaz have not only solidified their standing as one of the best and most prolific artists of our life time, but also now as the best live performance artist…so move over Daft Punk.

Set list

Orchestral Intro Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach Last Living Souls O Green World On Melancholy Hill Kids with Guns Stylo Rhinestone Eyes BrokenEmpire Ants Dirty Harry White Flag Superfast Jellyfish Glitter Freeze El Mañana Clint Eastwood To Binge Feel Good Inc. Cloud of Unknowing

I’d like to see with a ticket stub in your hand. 

I’m sure you’ve done all your algorithms and reached the same conclusion as I:

Demand for Summer 2010 Tickets = (((Demand for Red Rocks ‘09 - Miracle you gave out at the Gorge) X (Not getting into hartford until setbreak)) / (Number of tickets re-released for Wed + Thurs MSG to the power of Friday night MSG)) / Number of extras on the ground in Miami.  

Regardless of your math and personal strategy, just a friendly reminder that order period ends tonight at 11:59pm (exactly 4 hours and 21 minutes from 4:20am, coincidence?).  Heady. 

http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/

And we have dates before the moment ends. 

I’m loving the layout of Summer Tour 2010.  I’d imagine most east coasters would concur.  See you all this summer.  Let the words be theirs, I am done with mine:

6/11/10 Toyota Park, Chicago, IL
6/12/10 Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
6/13/10 Hershey Stadium, Hershey, PA
6/15/10 nTelos Wireless Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA
6/17/10 Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT
6/18/10 Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT
6/19/10 Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
6/20/10 Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
6/22/10 Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
6/24/10 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
6/25/10 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
6/26/10 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
6/27/10 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
6/29/10 CMAC, Canandaigua, NY
7/1/10 Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion, Raleigh, NC
7/2/10 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC
7/3/10 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
7/4/2010 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
8/5/10 Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
8/6/10 Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
8/7/10 Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
8/9/10 Town Park, Telluride, CO
8/10/10 Town Park, Telluride, CO
8/12/10 Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
8/13/10 Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
8/14/10 Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, WI
8/15/10 Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, WI
8/17/10 Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
8/18/10 Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY

Well not quite Broadway, but Park Avenue will suffice.  Looks as if Phish will be paying tribute to Genesis tonight at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC after Trey inducts the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Quite the honor for both bands.  Phish came quite close to covering the above Genesis album this past Halloween.  While I’m glad they went with the Stones, it’s cool to see that they’ll still get to fulfill the brahphecy.  This will be aired on Fuse tonight, so set your dvr in case you can’t get miracle’d in.