Phish Merriweather Run: A – Z

D is for Double Slow Songs – I appreciate the ballad slot as much as the next guy, so I was thrilled to hear Phish’s take on Albuquerque in the middle of Saturday’s second set. The quartet followed it up with one of the best Piper’s in recent memory, but where they lost me was when Wading in the Velvet Sea came next. Two slow songs nearly right next to each in the meat of the closing stanza? Not what I was hoping for at that point in time.

E is for Epic Encore – Summer Tour 2011 hadn’t featured the best encores through the first few weeks, so I didn’t hold much hope when Phish returned to the stage after two strong sets on Sunday night. Thankfully, the band wasn’t ready to call it a weekend so fast and threw down fun versions of Sanity and Makisupa Policeman followed by a First Tube that featured some of Trey’s best work of the night.

F is for Fans – One of my issues with Merriweather leading into this year’s run was how hot it gets in the pavilion. Boy was I surprised when I felt a nice, cool breeze hit me upon entering on Saturday. I looked up and noticed a number of fans had been installed on the ceiling creating the most wonderful breeze you could imagine.

G is for Games – I got into the venue rather early on Sunday night. With plenty of time to kill, I took a walk around the venue and was thrilled to come across the “Music Pinball Hall of Fame,” which contained nine music-themed games including Elton John’s Captain Fantastic, an Elvis game and a KISS game. Best part? Just $.25 a play.

[Photo via PinballNews.com]

H is for Happiness – While the Merriweather run was far from perfect, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a pair of crowds so into what the band was doing. There were huge smiles in each direction and more fists pumped than during a weekend on the Jersey Shore. While it’s important to be critical post-show when it’s time to compare and contrast the band’s performance, Phish certainly made tens of thousands of their fans extremely happy during each show.

I is for Interesting Bridge Added to Steam – Phish’s newest original, Steam, is their best in years IMO and has so much jamming potential if the band ever decides to go that route. Since its first play at Blossom, the group has tacked on a bridge to the tune and LD Chris Kuroda has taken the lyrics to heart when coming up with a way to “light” the song…

J is for Jesus Just Left Chicago – Page had a great weekend all weekend (see “M”) so I was particularly excited to hear how he would tackle his solo for this ZZ Top cover on Sunday night and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. McConnell mixed tempos and keyboards throughout and went beyond the “stock riffs.”

K is for Keep Halfway to the Moon Around – Outside of Show of Life Phish has ignored all of the originals they debuted in 2010 so far this summer until Sunday when they finally played Page’s Halfway to the Moon again. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 23 shows for the next one.

L is for Lonesome Cowboy Bill – The biggest bustout of the tour thus far took place on Sunday when the quartet took Lonesome Cowboy Bill out for a spin for the first time since July 30, 2003. As in the past, Fishman sang the Velvet Underground cover.

M is for MVP – Without a doubt Page McConnell takes MVP honors for the Merriweather shows thanks to his aggressiveness during all four sets. Not only did he take the baton when it was handed to him, but he also asserted himself when Trey was in control.

N is for Not Much Jamming – I think very highly of the two Merriweather shows, yet I was certainly looking for more exploration from Phish. You’d think the Down With Disease from Clarkston would’ve been a hint of things to come over the next week, but that didn’t pan out. Can we get a five-song second set down south please?

O is for (Sensory) Overload – Both my eyes and my ears hurt after leaving the venue each night thanks to Chris Kuroda’s new, more compact light rig and the loud volume Garry Brown likes to mix at. It’s really time to invest in custom ear plugs and I suggest you do the same.

P is for Pit – I was pleasantly surprised at the comfort level in the Merriweather pit, especially on Sunday. The ticket takers exchanged pit tickets for wristbands the first night making it nearly impossible for those who didn’t hold pit tickets to gain entry to the general admission area in front of the stage. Of course, the plan went to shit when the venue ran out of wristbands. But they learned their lesson for the next night.

Q is for Quit Playing Alaska in the Second Set – Not a big fan of Alaska popping its head out in the middle of the second set and apparently the Phish.net team isn’t either. There were some dubious song selections over the past three shows and throwing Alaska in the middle of Sunday’s second set was my least favorite of them.

R is for Reba – While I’m of the opinion that any Reba is a good Reba, Saturday’s version was a standout take on the classic tune. I especially enjoyed the peak which was extended a bit before Fish hit the drum riff that signals the end.

S is for Signs – Remember when Trey Anastasio told DaveO and myself that the signs requesting songs are really annoying? Apparently Red has changed his tune as the “all-request band” is back in a big way with Daniel Saw The Stone and Buried Alive each seeing action in response to a fan-made sign.

T is for Trouble Closing – A troubling trend developing on this tour is a hot start to the second set followed by a weak ending to the closing stanza. I found this to be the case at both shows over the weekend.

U is for Under Cover – Is there any lawn worse than Merriweather? The angles are terrible thanks to the low ceiling of the pavilion and the sound is barely audible in certain parts. Be sure to buy a pavilion seat for future Phish shows at MPP as you’ll want to be under cover at that venue.

V is for Vultures – Since returning Hampton back in 2009 Vultures has become a rarity for Phish, which is a shame. Luckily they dropped a version of the tune on us at Merriweather and while they hit some rough spots in the beginning, the jam was slamming.

W is for What!?! – Fish started screaming “what!?!” during Saturday’s Suzy Greenberg and started doing it again all encore long the next night. Let’s see if he continues with this “meme” throughout the rest of the tour.

X is for X-Factor – Back in December HT’s Ryan Dembinsky tried to figure out what was missing from 3.0 versions of Harry Hood and settled on the lack of Trey using distortion during his solo as the “x-factor” and I must agree. Especially during Sunday’s extremely short version of the tune.

Y is for YMPPMMV – In speaking with a number of fans over the weekend I got conflicting reports about their enjoyment of shows at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Those who had good seats and stayed close to the venue loved it, while those on the lawn who sat in traffic couldn’t leave Columbia fast enough – Your Merriweather Post Pavilion Mileage May Vary.

Z is for Zero – Phish may play Character Zero way more often than I’d like, but they always kill it when they do play it such as the set-closing version on Sunday.