Step Into Phish Keyboardist Page McConnell’s Contributions To 43-Minute ‘Tweezer’ At The Greek

Phish keyboardist Page McConnell celebrates his birthday today. The 60-year-old joined Phish in 1985 and over the past 38 years solidified his role as an integral component in the band.

The talented musician’s contributions to Phish’s jamming throughout the years have changed based on his ever-evolving onstage set of instruments and playing style. Most recently, synthesizers have had a prevalent role in his sound as the Moog One and Prophet Rev2 additions have captured his attention.

The piano, organ, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Clavinet are also among the tools Page currently has at his disposal. It is an impressive sight to see Page effortlessly move from one instrument to the next – and sometimes playing more than one at once – particularly when Phish gets deep into a jam.

Phish unleashed a 43-minute “Tweezer” at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California on their recent Spring Tour 2023. The instant classic “Greezer” officially tracked at 43:29, making it the third-longest “Tweezer” and Phish’s fifth-longest jam overall.

Alongside guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman, Page utilized a variety of keyboards throughout the multifaceted jam. Below is a Page-centric breakdown of the sprawling jam with a step-by-step recounting of his contributions from start to finish. Interesting to note is the keyboardist’s use of more analog sounds like piano and Clavinet as opposed to the heavier doses of synthesizer seen in recent years.

Fire up the 43-minute “Tweezer” from The Greek and let the many sounds of keyboardist Page McConnell be your guide:

• 4:45 – Jam begins, Page on Wurlitzer
• 5:17 – Gently accentuating what Trey and Fish are doing
• 5:25 – Introduces a new melodic idea that Trey immediately grabs onto with Wurlitzer
• 5:42 – Modulates the jam in an offbeat way, groove finding its footing
• 6:55 – Starts alternating between Wurlitzer and piano as the jam develops
• 7:45 – Copies Trey’s hits in a more major-key way on piano
• 8:18 – Jam hits into low-key bliss with great and uplifting piano work
• 9:34 – Page at the forefront of the improv as Trey fulfills mostly textural space
• 9:50 – Transitions quickly to Clavinet as the jam leans into a funkier zone
• 10:40 – Back on Wurlitzer now as funk gets filthy
• 10:55 – Everyone is kind of in their own space with an undercurrent of darkness
• 11:15 – Page locks in with Fish on a new idea
• 12:19 – Jam gets darker and more intense as piano comes back
• 12:37 – Road to the peak becoming clearer, nice standard “Tweezer” fare again
• 13:10 – Light mimicking Trey’s descending licks on piano
• 13:45 – Improv feels nice and airy
• 14:35 – Big sweeping Rhodes chords are introduced as a leading force in the shift to the next section
• 15:10 – Brief dissonant work on Rhodes as Trey hits delay
• 15:50 – Page moves up to Yamaha CS60 and Prophet synth textures as the jam gets spacey
• 17:04 – Subtle major-key pivot by the band with undertones of deep synth
• 17:40 – Synth is quiet now; almost sounds like an echo of Trey’s guitar if you listen closely
• 19:13 – Trey pivots again to another peaking section as Page continues to lay down waves of CS60 in the background
• 19:46 – Rhodes comes back in to augment the major-key theme
• 20:20 – Trey arpeggiating, Page locking in on deep chords
• 20:56 – Trey loops, Page hits some sparse arpeggios in the higher register on Rhodes to emphasize the staccato vibe
• 21:00 – HEADPHONES ALERT! Rhodes stereo vibrato is HAPPENING
• 21:34 – Very floaty motif emerges quickly as the Rhodes goes from side to side
• 21:51 – No synths for now, just dreamy electric piano
• 22:06 – “No Quarter” intro vibe?
• 22:44 – Outer space Rhodes
• 23:22 – Jam takes on a more menacing tone as Page continues stereo textures
• 23:56 – Page introduces next idea and Fish riffs off of it briefly
• 24:12 – Page switches over to Wurlitzer, continuing same idea with darker tone
• 24:33 – Dark and subtle Moog One synth undertones
• 24:55 – Synth begins to rise up evilly
• 25:25 – Similar Wurlitzer riffs continue
• 26:14 – Page returns to piano as the jam builds tension
• 27:29 – “Dark And Down”-like jam begins, Page hammering classic rock piano
• 29:20 – Tweezer return, sticking with piano
• 29:50 – Trey/Page mimic each other
• 29:55 – Back to funk land and Clavinet
• 30:55 – Very sparse and quiet keyboard playing as stop/start begins
• 32:25 – Trey introduces new theme and Page quickly riffs off it, still on Clavinet
• 32:57 – Still peppering in sparse funky vibes on Clavinet
• 33:25 – Quick switch to Moog One synth, keeping up the funk
• 33:40 – Back to Clavinet as jam teeters on the edge of disintegration
• 34:01 – Clavinet being used more as a spacey tool than funky
• 34:22 – Layering in more Clavinet in break as Fish goes to Marimba
• 34:40 – Melodic leading on Clavinet now that all other members are doing evil textures
• 34:58 – Evil Clavinet textures are introduced
• 35:21 – Spacey and phaser-drenched Clavinet
• 35:40 – Pivots to Wurlitzer as Fish re-enters on drums
• 36:20 – Page still melodic lead as Trey sticks to textures
• 36:43 – Laying it down on Wurlitzer
• 36:54 – Nice interplay with Mike
• 37:07 – Quickly accepts Mike’s modulation idea with repeating and bright lick
• 37:47 – Back in major-key land
• 37:57 – Gently moves to piano as the bliss jam unfolds
• 39:10 – Page throws in a riff that Fish and Trey mimic
• 39:34 – Band takes their time developing bliss as bright and happy piano continues
• 39:57 – Could almost be a “The Squirming Coil” outro solo underneath the jam – that kind of soft and serene vibe
• 41:02 – Really amazing major-key playing from everyone
• 41:24 – More aggressive runs from Page on piano
• 42:55 – PEAKS!!
• 43:15 – Trey delay-ifies the peak which leaves sonic space open for Page to play a cool descending lick that gets copied on guitar

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Page and Phish will embark on their 23-date Summer Tour 2023 beginning on July 11 at Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Alabama.