Phish | 03.07.09 | Hampton Night Two

Words by: Brian Bavosa | Images by: Josh Miller

Phish :: 03.07.09 :: Hampton Coliseum :: Hampton, VA

Trey Anastasio :: 03.07 :: Hampton, VA

Okay, let’s take a breath. After Friday – which, let’s face it — was a nightmare getting in, and saw a non-existent shakedown street and an incredibly high anxiety factory. Come Saturday, people started chilling the fuck out, realizing that the band was back, and there was after all, more than a single show happening over the next few months. It was time to rage, and Saturday seemed just a bit more rambunctious outside, as witnessed by the bottles littering the fountain area directly outside of the venue’s entrance.

Saturday also saw an influx of newcomers who missed Friday, either due to work, being shut out or simply refusing to pay the ridiculous asking price of a ticket. Regardless of why, the rowdiness outside on Saturday afternoon was somewhat magnified, and the vibe carried straight through into The Mothership.

Opening with the appropriate “Back on the Train,” the crowd cheered wildly at the line, “It took me a long time to get back on the train.” A fun and loose “Runaway Jim” took the energy up a notch, while “Split Open and Melt” was the first heavy hitter of the night. With reckless abandon, the band tried to find their way through one of their darkest jam vehicles. “Melt” was solid, and very “safe,” as many of the jams until this point of the run seemed to be. By safe, I mean well-rehearsed, and that’s not a bad thing; but it did illustrate that the band was still finding their legs.

“Punch You in the Eye” was a very welcome treat and had everyone screaming “Hey!,” even if Trey missed a few changes in this one. Miscues didn’t matter: there was no hate anywhere to found as Phish was still clearly playing above expectations. A loose, funky “Gumbo” again found McConnell working his magical fingers with a spew of smothering funk, as he continued to absolutely dominate the first two nights. Let me be absolutely clear: McConnell seems rested, reinvigorated and more confident in his playing than he has in the past ten years. Maybe that’s because he put out his own self-titled album during the break (you can read our feature with him here). The band even played “Beauty of a Broken Heart” from McConnell’s album a little later in the first set, and featured McConnell out front and Trey soaring on some tasty licks.

Phish :: 03.07 :: Hampton, VA

Other favorites like “Reba,” which was as welcome as an old, trusty dog licking your face on a warm, summer day, “It’s Ice” featured a very creepy, spacey middle section, and a loose, goofy “Halley’s Comet” told us that the band was ready to play anything at anytime this run. Toss in a “Lawnboy,” which saw McConnell swoon to the middle of the stage and a raging “Run Like An Antelope,” and the first set again clocked in at almost two hours.

However, it was the second set that made the biggest statement of the weekend, thus far. It was the first one in years that I was truly able to lose myself in, and saw the band honestly just let go and as Anastasio always says, “let the music play them.” Firing up with a sizzling “Rock and Roll” and an exceptionally strong “Limb by Limb,” which saw Fishman showcase his very underrated and often overlooked drumming, the band bounced into “Ghost,” led by the thick, gooey bass bombs of Gordon. Somewhere near the end of this jam, the place turned the corner and set the stage for an absolutely epic end of the night.

“Piper” was triumphant and I couldn’t help but think of MSG ’02 (read MSG review here), before it somewhat abruptly landed into “Birds of a Feather.” Next, one of the best songs of the night, the high-five, karate chop your friend, funky dance vehicle “Wolfman’s Brother.” Admittedly one of my favorite tunes, “Wolfman’s” has been a true monster since ’97, and was one song that continued to progress post-hiatus. This night’s version showed no signs of slowing.

But, hands down the strongest moments of the run thus far were the following 30-plus minutes of an absolute, razor-sharp “Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove.” “Mike’s” was dirty, danceable and had the entire building grooving with every turn. “Hydrogen” was as beautiful as ever, while during “Weekapaug” I realized I was absolutely drenched in sweat and had been spontaneously pulling dance moves that I wasn’t sure my slightly older frame could still pull off. But, I did, and more importantly, so did the band. A smoking “Character Zero” closed out a frickin’ barnburner of a show. This second set — not on paper but in energy and intensity — was the set of the run until now. Raw power.

Toss in an encore of “A Day in the Life” — only the third one since ’97, and everyone was floored. I personally hadn’t heard Phish play this chestnut of a Beatles cover in over 13 years, and can safely say they are pulling out all the stops. Stay tuned for the final barrage of fireworks to come on night three…

Mike’s Song Jam 03.07.09 from Jesse Borrell on Vimeo.

Story of the Ghost 03.07.09 from Jesse Borrell on Vimeo.

03.07.09 :: Hampton Coliseum :: Hampton, VA
Set I: Back On The Train, Runaway Jim, Brian and Robert, Split Open and Melt, Heavy Things, Punch You in the Eye, Gumbo, Reba, Mexican Cousin, It’s Ice, Halley’s Comet, Beauty of a Broken Heart*, Guelah Papyrus*, Lawn Boy, Run Like An Antelope
Set II: Rock and Roll, Limb By Limb, Ghost, Piper, Birds of a Feather, Wolfman’s Brother, Prince Caspian, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Character Zero
E: A Day in the Life
*First time played

Read the review of Hampton Night Three here…

You can download this song for free at LivePhish.com.

Continue reading for Take Two of Night Two…

Words by: Kevin Schwartzbach | Images by: Josh Miller

Phish :: 03.07.09 :: Hampton Coliseum :: Hampton, VA

Phish :: 03.07 :: Hampton, VA

A tinge of electricity always seems to permeate the air before historical occasions such as these. This electricity, I would imagine, would have been present before such events as Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech or the tearing down of the Berlin wall. Okay, so maybe Phish‘s reunion isn’t quite as momentous as the civil rights movement or the end of the Cold War, but hey, for those of us that have endured a nearly five-year Phishless hiatus laden with an incessant onslaught of reunion rumors, it’s pretty damn close. And one only needed a taste of the precipitous amounts of electricity collecting in the air surrounding the Hampton Coliseum before Saturday night’s show to gauge just how historic this reunion really was.

In an instant all that electricity in the air was immediately discharged promptly when Phish took the stage – lightning had struck. With an obsequious grin spread across his face, Trey Anastasio started the opening riff from “Back on the Train.” From the moment the rest of the band joined him it was clear that the boys were on top of their game, quelling any skepticism of their triumphant return that the sub-par Coventry shows all those years ago may have created (read the Coventry review here).

With an abundance of heavy hitters played on the previous night, Phish had no qualms with busting a few of their shorter, “poppier” songs such as “Brian and Robert” and “Heavy Things” early in the first set. It was clear from the crowd’s reaction to these songs that this was not the reason thousands of desperately dedicated fans traveled from the farthest reaches of the country (or in my case another country entirely) to Hampton’s hallowed ground. They were fun nonetheless. Finally the heat turned up as Mike Gordon brought us into the crazed “Split Open and Melt.” The astonishingly tight jam over a chorus of “Melt, split open and melt” slowly dissolved into loosely structured atonal acid jazz, something that can be a bit of an acquired taste. But, those who appreciate the disorderly genre know that few groups do a better job of it.

Gordo :: 03.07 :: Hampton, VA

Perhaps the greatest test of Phish’s return came during “Reba.” If they could nail the thoroughly composed and thoroughly complicated instrumental portion contained within the heart of the Lawnboy classic, they could nail just about anything. Surely enough, this was indeed the case as the band members’ individual chops stayed true to their respective virtuosic reputations. While it’s easy to focus on each musician separately, one has to appreciate the cohesiveness that Phish displays, something that can only be achieved after decades of playing together. The tightly knit section of “Reba” abruptly let loose into sublime, modal ecstasy. Trey let note after note eternally hang in the air, as each one conducted the ever-present electricity. The band chose to forgo the chorus of whistling in favor of “Mexican Cousin.”

The uncharacteristically sinister “It’s Ice” proved that the cohesiveness of “Reba” was no fluke – Phish is back and perhaps better than ever. “It’s Ice” moved into an otherworldly ambiance that made one thing clear: The Mothership was about to take off. Giving themselves a chance to dust the cobwebs off their pipes, The Ship eventually landed on “Halley’s Comet,” a rarity both in the night sky and Phish shows.

The first set contained several of their more obscure songs, such as “Lawnboy,” that only true Phish connoisseurs would likely appreciate, and it was evident from the lips moving in tandem with Page McConnell‘s smooth serenading that it was just that caliber of fan that had made the pilgrimage. Lightning struck continuously during the straight up electrical storm that was “Run Like An Antelope.” The set closer harnessed so much energy that every person present couldn’t help but feel the charge run through their body.

The band left the stage without addressing the audience, giving us a chance to recharge our batteries after having just gotten boisterously “out of control.” Maybe it was merely the familiar smile on Jon Fishman‘s face, but despite failing to address the audience all night and the sheer size of the coliseum, the band curiously managed to establish a tender feeling of intimacy.

During set break, one of the most heartwarming of all Phish related phenomena could be witnessed. Phish fans of all ages and creeds began conversing with one another as if they were lifetime friends despite being complete strangers from different backgrounds, all sharing their previous Phish experiences. After years away from the scene, it’s easy to forget just what kind of camaraderie Phish’s music is capable of spawning. Whether it was their first show or 114th, every person in there had something in common.

Trey Anastasio :: 03.07 :: Hampton, VA

The second set kicked off with a strong rendition of The Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll.” Coming early in the second set, “Story of the Ghost” finally gave Page a chance to shine, something he hardly seemed to do during the first set. After a downright funky keyboard solo, Page and Trey combined forces to create polyphonic textures ranging from glorious explosions to silly sounding hocket-like rhythms.

Gordo, as per usual, held down the low end of the spectrum. With his shaggy hair fully intact, Mike delivered on everything from a wah-smothered bass solo in “Wolfman’s Brother” to skillfully blending into the background during the ever-ascending “Piper.” To resolutely affirm their exultant rebirth, the second set closed off with a resilient trio of “Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove” followed by an explosive “Character Zero.” Looking around at the frantically moving bodies in the upper levels of the coliseum during these last songs gave the illusion that the venue was breathing, lending a whole new meaning to the phrase “Hampton comes alive.” An encore of “A Day in the Life” seemed an appropriate close to the evening, as several thousand voices synchronized to the timeless Beatles hit, four of which seemed to put a smile on everyone’s face.

Walking into the musky Hampton air outside, still shaking, I gradually began to shed the electricity that had surged through my body over the course of the night. This kind of electricity is unmistakable – the kind that results from something utterly momentous. There is no doubt in my mind that this show was an event of such nature. A new era in the Phish saga has begun – and a bright era it shall be. The worst part of the show was the fact that it had to end. This summer just simply can’t come fast enough.

Read the review of Hampton Night One here.

Back On The Train 03.07.09 from Jesse Borrell on Vimeo.