Postcards From Page Side: A Tour Opening Bonanza From Phish at Bethel

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

Immediately following that combo was Stash, where the band offered one of the most impressive jams of the weekend. A piece that bobbed and weaved into the dark corners space, this version was another sign that just about anything is possible this summer, especially with the band set to take off the remainder of the year from touring following a trifecta of shows near Denver over Labor Day Weekend.

This sentiment was further displayed in the second set, although I felt at times it lacked the steam that the opening stanza brought. That is just because this set witnessed some of the most patient, ambient jamming that we have seen out of the band in some time. Boogie On Reggae Woman started as its funky self before devolving into spacey, murky territory unknown for the dance number. Landing in Waves, and segueing into Prince Caspian, the band again offered one of the most surreal pieces of music from the entire weekend. This version of Waves may take some re-listening to fully appreciate what was going on, but will stand up once the tour concludes, I’m betting. Completely juxtaposed from the opening energy of set one, the meat second set offered patient textures, with some added bolts of lightning, like Crosseyed and Painless. Overall, Friday was easily one of the most impressive tour openers in quite some time.

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

If Friday whet our collective appetites for the weekend, Saturday was simply put…the reason we go and see Phish. It offered something for nearly everyone: jamming, razor sharp playing and even a dose of goofy, Phish humor. Opening with Theme From the Bottom, NICU and Cities, the usual early set-suspects were seemingly nowhere to be found. But Saturday was all about the jamming. Boasting probably the three most impressive tunes of the weekend, Saturday showed me the band turned a corner and still did have the ability to play full shows the way they used to: fearless and unwavering in the direction they chose.

When the fourth tune of the night, Halley’s Comet, hit, it finally left more than a small, soldering crater in a desolate field, but rather slammed into Bethel like the cosmic monster it once was, raining down fire and brimstone in its path. Blowing the hinges off of any version in recent memory, the band actually took this version way out. If nothing else, it proved the band feels comfortable enough again to jam any tune out at any time – and that bodes well for the rest of the summer.

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

While the first set also included an above-average Runaway Jim, funky Gumbo and slamming version of Quinn The Eskimo led by Mike Gordon on his bass, the true gem was the set-closing Bathtub Gin. Featuring some breakneck playing by Trey Anastasio on his axe, the band really went for it with this not-so-usual-set-closer. Drummer Jon Fishman also deserves some kudos for his intricate and powerful work during this jam, which was notably prevalent in leading some of the segments. And just when the band kicked it into hyper-drive and sounded like they were going to close the set with the third-ever version of Golden Age by TV on the Radio, they pulled a left turn and segued into a hyper-speed version of Manteca, before crushing the re-entry into Gin. A mammoth set one that had many satisfied already, things were only getting going on Saturday night.

After a much needed breather, the second set started with an energetic Down With Disease > Free combo. Featuring plenty of Gordon, these two were on point. But, the other true jam of the night was the Backwards Down the Number Line that followed. Delving into the rock beginning, and morphing into the psychedelic stratosphere, this version ranks right up there with the likes of Jones Beach ’10. For a cool down segment, Makisupa Policeman showed the band’s humorous side with them leading into each of their “houses,” (especially Page’s!), before a perfectly fluid segue into Harry Hood led by Fishman. Capped off by a Cavern > Bowie combo and the A Day in the Life encore, everything just seemed to just flow perfectly on Saturday. The band showcased some monster jams and improv and all four members contributed on an equal footing – the only way that this band reaches their true pinnacle of magic.

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

For the final frame of the weekend, Sunday saw the band play things a bit safer than the previous nights in terms of exploration, and stick mainly to the script. On paper, this setlist looks awesome – and it surely was – but lacked some of the true fireworks that moments of Friday and seemingly all of Saturday had. A rather standard set one that opened with AC/DC Bag and featured many old-school fan favorites, such as Ya Mar, Rift and The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg, their was ample room for Page McConnell to strut his stuff on the keys. The set did include an awesome Timber Ho! and the Page-led Ballad of Curtis Loew, before a raucous Run Like an Antelope to close out the set.

Set two again looks great on paper, and was tons of fun, but lacked that little extra that the previous night seemingly had in terms of exploration and jams. Instead, the band favored the next chapter of the setlist, save the Simple that was sandwiched in between Mike’s Song and a very short Weekapaug Groove. When they had a chance to really step it up, the boys instead opted for the first Meatstick since the famed New Year’s Eve stunt, followed by a mid-set Fluffhead, a sequence that seemed to not do so much at the time and felt out of place. Although don’t get me wrong: hearing Fluffhead will always remind me of Hampton ‘09’s return and just how lucky we are to still be doing this.

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

The set closing sequence of 2001 > Light went from funkalicious dance party to the realms of space, before landing into the truly sublime and cathartic peak of Slave to the Traffic Light. A double whammy of Loving Cup and the Tweezer Reprise to bookend the weekend proved to be a perfect capper to the most impressive tour opening I can ever remember.

These three shows would not only prove to be a great run in the middle of a tour, but also deserve extra special credit for taking us out on what I think will be an extra-special summer. Look for this one to shatter all remnants of Phish 3.0 as we’ve known it so far. It will be the one tour when they put all of the pieces together and get IT right again, instead of just flashes of brilliance that we have witnessed up until now.

More Photos From Dave Vann…

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

[Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011]

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5 Responses

  1. Wow what a weekend and I am so happy you mentioned the golden-teca. All 3 nights were great and any worries about a strict venue and an unwelcoming town is all false. The venue is great the town is nice and the people were great. I hope they liked us as much as we liked them bc i would love to go back. I think they expected another woodstock and got 3 easy to manage concerts with a few minor glitches instead. Thank You bethel

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