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Words by: Cal Roach | Images by: Mark Davidson
 Phish :: 11.21 :: Cincinnati |
To paraphrase the Phish paradigm, people go to shows for the jams. Furthermore, the man who most people look to as the driving force of said jams is the guitar player. For a few years in recent Phishtory, if Trey had a bad night, the rest of the band could not overcome. But in 2009, with each successive show, the four musicians come closer to comprising the well-oiled machine of the mid-90s that Trey promised us in the lead-up to the reunion. Friday was undoubtedly a full band triumph, but Trey personally tore the roof off the U.S. Bank Arena that night. What Saturday's show lacked in this respect, it made up for in all the nuances that Phish 2.0 forgot.
Set one began ordinarily enough with "Wilson" and "NICU." "Wolfman's Brother" hinted at something grander, featuring a jazzy deconstruction by Fishman, rebuilt by Trey and Page egging each other on. "Ocelot" almost felt like it was going to finally go somewhere, but the plodding animal never quite broke beyond the usual. Then, "Torn And Frayed" began a stretch of inspired song selection; this version achieved somewhat loftier improv than its debut on Halloween. And those harmonies! Through "Strange Design," "Ginseng Sullivan" and the choice bust-out of Neil Young's "Albuquerque," we were treated to the kind of vocal precision these guys abandoned circa 1998. No, they ain't the Beach Boys, but this was still a beautiful mid-set interlude you just couldn't find in the first half of the decade.
 Phish :: 11.21 :: Cincinnati |
"Split Open And Melt" gave no warning. The early goings of the jam were standard, and it kept sinking down and down, abandoning the jerky rhythm almost immediately, until there was just one beat, and suddenly, we all knew why we were here: a pure, terrifying "Melt" the likes of which we had not yet heard. The kind that the ghosts of Phishes past still made you fear that there was no way they'd ever pull out of it. But after an eternity of evil beauty, Mike began to synch up with Fishman's sublime rhythmic tapestry, crafting an ascending surge that caught everyone up in its momentum, and it was pedal to the metal for a furious climax. When we refer to things that only Phish can do, this is what we mean.
So much for the "unadventurous first set;" my behind-the-stage ticket just turned to gold. They could've been forgiven for just walking offstage, but they took a nice breather with "Dirt," a sprightly excursion with "Limb By Limb," and then "Run Like An Antelope," a hint at things to come. While Trey was playing from the textbook (read: still frickin' stellar), Page completely dominated. His ferocious pounding was what shifted this thing into high gear. When it came time to finally speak of "Marco Esquandolas," Trey turned dramatically to his right, and the roar of the crowd said it all.
 Phish :: 11.21 :: Cincinnati |
When the second set began with "Rock And Roll," the energy was off the charts from chord one. The jam was only briefly scary; Trey couldn't seem to come up with any great ideas, but then Page drew everyone down into some pregnant, dark ambience of the suspense-is-killing-me variety. It ended with "Ghost," and there were moments during this relatively concise rocker when Trey, Page and Fish each blazed to life, but they never really locked into much of a groove, making me honestly yearn for some of that funk that everybody was so sick of ten years ago.
"If I Could" was nice for a modern version, but without that old-school vocal reprise, the jam is just never going to quite achieve as much as it could. Then, "Backwards Down The Number Line" burst to life; a fairly contained version, with the exception of Page. He went completely ballistic, pure joy incarnate on this one. "Prince Caspian" continued the happy trend, just wave after wave of crowd-versus-band sonic interplay, and then as the jam was dying out, Fishman wouldn't let it; he created a heroic second climax out of thin air, then positively hammered the grinding coda.
Then, in a definite first for me, "Suzy Greenberg" proved to be the highlight of the second set. I have no words that could live up to what Page unleashed on us; he was just tinkering on his first solo, but for the actual jam, Phish ate his dust. Fishman seemed to howl his approval prior to the final chorus.
 Phish :: 11.21 :: Cincinnati |
Hot on the heels of this barnburner came "Also Sprach Zarathustra;" I may not be mentioning Mike's name an awful lot, but make no mistake, he was on all weekend, never more so than on this short funk workout, tossing out his trademark fuzz blobs like candy at a parade. He and Page just kept amping up the thick, gooey atmosphere; Trey was just along for the ride.
In the end, Trey crept over to the keyboards and handed the set over to its rightful owner, as the band played "Squirming Coil." Page's piano work was rich and creative from the very beginning, it was almost as if Trey gave up; he struggled through much of the song and it just didn't matter one bit. Who could pay any attention to him when Page is playing at such a high level? Anything but an extra-long solo might have caused a riot; the maestro melted us all into a puddle of gratitude.
After a first encore of "Sleeping Monkey," Trey was radiating that same gratitude: "Unbelievable two days, I wish we could stay here for a week!" he said. Acknowledging a request sign from the front row, he called an audible and led the band into a glorious "Axilla," only the second of the year, and it was what you might call a joyous exclamation point one of the best two-night stands of 2009 (so far). If the band hasn't obliterated your high expectations yet, hop on this fall tour wherever you can.
Words by: Kyle Moler | Images by: Michael Stein
Phish :: 11.21.09 :: U.S. Bank Arena :: Cincinnati, OH
 Trey :: 11.20 :: Cincinnati |
Night two started with "Wilson," a sure fire opener that always seems to lock the band and crowd into one giant juggernaut of sound. The crowd was ready for a show, and like the night before, Trey was the man to give it to them. He blazed through "Wilson" only to ease the masses into the gentle bounce of "NICU."
Page had been relatively quiet the previous night, but when Trey called for Leo, out he came. When the sound of his Rhodes filled the arena, the crowd roared as if they had been waiting to hear Page's inner Leo all weekend.
Next came "Wolfman's Brother," where the band really seemed to come together, functioning like one large instrument. Page and Trey were especially in tune with each other, largely due to Trey's rhythm and note choices which weaved in perfectly with Page's organ.
From "Wolfman's" to an animal of a different type, Phish headed into "Ocelot." Another track off the new album, "Ocelot" has all the makings of a Phish song, but again the crowd seemed only mildly enthused with the new material. Perhaps sensing this, the band slowed things down with "Torn And Frayed," from The Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street, which Phish performed as its Halloween costume at Festival 8 (see JamBase's review here). Aside from "Loving Cup," Phish has a better handle on this song than any other on the album and hopefully will keep it as part of its repertoire.
 Page :: 11.20 :: Cincinnati |
Keeping the relaxed vibe going, Page took his first real lead of the weekend with "Strange Design." After picking up the pace with "Ginseng Sullivan," performed for the first time since April of 2004, Phish removed the dust from another classic cover, Neil Young's "Albuquerque," last performed in 2000.
"Split Open and Melt" brought the energy back up and had some of Kuroda's best light work of the night. His lights, which looked more like searchlights, roamed the stage in search of an exit to the chaotic jam that was unfolding. Kuroda also shined on "Dirt" and "Limb by Limb," complementing Trey's ambient arpeggio work with pavilions of light that shined just over the band's heads.
Running in the other direction, Phish closed the set with the crushing crescendo of "Run Like an Antelope," during which a spotlight hit Page who waved to the crowd, pretending to be Marco Esquandolas. The band then sent the crowd into high gear, letting them run out of control one last time before the set break.
Like Friday's show, set two saw the band play it a little less safe, with great results. The Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll" got the ball rolling again, with Trey doing some fast finger work before diving into a dark, spacey jam that would turn into "Ghost."
 Mike :: 11.20 :: Cincinnati |
During "Ghost" the band coalesced as one unit again and Trey showcased a repetitive wail very similar to one heard the night before. From "Ghost" they segued into "If I Could," where Trey's arpeggios perfectly meshed with Page's piano, as the crowd slowly swayed in unison.
From here, things began to pick up again with "Backwards Down the Number Line" and "Prince Caspian." Then came "Suzy Greenberg," one of the most high-energy performances of the weekend. The band and the crowd seem equally into it, especially Page, whose piano solo was single handedly one of the best moments of the night.
Feeding off "Suzy," Fishman's drums kicked into a short, tight "2001" that had Mike grooving and Trey dropping some '97 style strumming patterns. A crowd favorite, the floor looked like a giant dance party with fists pumping each time Trey hit the familiar ascending notes from Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
After that climax, they closed with "The Squirming Coil," letting Page end the set alone, under the spotlight - another show highlight.
A few minutes later, the band returned and laid down a soulful "Sleeping Monkey." Trey then spoke for the first time all weekend, telling the crowd, "I wish I could stay here for a week." After a last minute change due to a fan's request, the band ended the weekend with "Axilla I," an incredibly intense bookend to an amazing two nights.
Phish :: 11.21.09 :: U.S. Bank Arena :: Cincinnati, OH
Set I: Wilson, NICU, Wolfman's Brother, Ocelot, Torn and Frayed, Strange Design, Ginseng Sullivan, Albuquerque, Split Open and Melt, Dirt, Limb By Limb, Run Like An Antelope
Set II: Rock & Roll > Ghost > If I Could, Backwards Down the Number Line, Prince Caspian, Suzy Greenberg, 2001, The Squirming Coil
E: Sleeping Monkey, Axilla
Phish perform again Tuesday night in Philadelphia; complete tour dates available here.
As always, you can keep up with all things Phish, including live Tweets and setlists, at jambase.com/phish.
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