Words by: Cal Roach | Images by: Mark Davidson

Phish :: 11.20.09 :: U.S. Bank Arena :: Cincinnati, OH

Phish :: 11.20 :: Cincinnati

Fall Tour is a whole different level. It’s easy to forget; there hasn’t even been one in almost a decade. There are some moments that get diluted in the vapors washing over a big grassy lawn, but when all that electricity is contained indoors, it has nowhere to go but straight to your brain. The room goes pitch black, the anticipation is at its breaking point, and it’s up to four mere mortals to live up to thousands of hopes and expectations.

We’ve grown accustomed to the unadventurous first set; with few exceptions this year, Phish has used the initial frame to belt out classic compositions, ballads and perfunctory versions of “Ocelot.” So after a scripted “Chalk Dust Torture,” when “Moma Dance” rolled out next, it was hard to just sit there and know that there’s virtually no chance of it really stretching out. If the set weren’t so thoroughly well-played, it might have gotten boring, but at some point you just have to acknowledge the chops: would anyone really prefer the sloppy, meandering jams of 2004 to a crushing, focused Trey solo in “Alaska?” And his aching leads on “Fast Enough For You” were pure white-boy blues on a straight line from Clapton’s ’70s heyday.

The turning point came with “Time Turns Elastic.” Yes, ye of little faith, this is the one where the climax justifies the clock-eating compositional beast. Trey just kept slicing into the stratosphere, crashing through measures of post-rock drone, culminating in a pure noise jam that seemed like an ending until Fishman steered them all back in and thrust forward to a magnificent ending. And while I’d felt that set one closer was the only workable slot for this song, I was proved wrong.

Phish :: 11.20 :: Cincinnati

The most consistently thrilling trend in modern Phishdom is the band’s ability to reach what amounts to a set-capping peak, then come right back with an even stronger blast. Still riding high on the “Elastic” vibe, the band built an engaging “Gotta Jibboo,” a steady swell of intensity as Trey gradually cranked his noodle to 11. The jam hit its natural peak, but Trey was not finished; he rallied the troops for a further few bars of ebullience before the warm-n-fuzzy coda. Then, to push the set from good to great, “Fluffhead” for dessert.

Okay, great for a 2009 first set; set break buzz was rewarded with the instant impact of “Punch You In The Eye,” and then… “Tweezer.” It’s hard for me to determine any more whether it’s purely that colossal riff that gets me, or the anticipation of what’s to come. The boys wasted no time getting nasty and low, Trey quickly seizing on a sinister, pulverizing melody, and the band rallied around it, built it up and thrashed it into submission, a fully-realized journey through everything you could want from “Tweezer.”

As the dust settled, “Light” materialized slowly and insistently from the ether. Nothing exemplifies the grand new direction of 3.0 as well as this song; it’s from an album called Joy, and it embodies that title. This decade has seen a plethora of new songs that Phish plays, but here we have a definitive new Phish song, and Trey just owned this jam, a flurry of cascading bliss that bled seamlessly into “Back On The Train” before you could even catch your breath. Gorgeous!

Phish :: 11.20 :: Cincinnati

Examining Phish’s history, there was a segue that proved to be one of the few memorable moments from the embarrassing 2004 Vegas run: “Train” > “Possum.” Now that we have the real Phish back, it was time for a revisit. It was even more delightful for being unscripted, and the jam that followed was astounding, Trey bending the shit out of some laid-back Nashville licks early on, building to the trademarked churning chord progression that heralds the end of most “Possum” jams, then settling back a bit before sweeping everybody up in a discordant swell and hitting two raunchy peaks before the final verse.

I’ve felt that “Slave To The Traffic Light” has been pretty rote this year, generally rushed and predictable. On this night, they weren’t rushing anything. At the moment where most versions end, Trey suddenly remembered to wail. It’s his show, and nobody’s complaining. The house was brought down. And then they go into “You Enjoy Myself.” They jammed it like it meant something to them again. Mike dropped bombs from a distant orbit. The vocal jam carried on the unique theme they’d developed moments before, and ultimately freaked out in ways it just can’t do outdoors.

The final encore was, of course, “Tweezer Reprise,” a song that I swear never held such power in any other era. People used to start walking to the lot, whereas now it holds everyone in rapture, Fishman summoning unearthly thunder and Trey bouncing in triumph. It was insane all summer, no doubt, but in Cincinnati, we truly stepped into the freezer.

Words by: Kyle Moler | Images by: Michael Stein

Phish :: 11.20.09 :: U.S. Bank Arena :: Cincinnati, OH

Mike Gordon :: 11.20 :: Cincinnati

From the opening notes of “Chalk Dust Torture,” the band was on point and the atmosphere electric. Trey was quick to make his presence known, immediately building up the tension to the breaking point on his new green Languedoc guitar.

The band then dropped into “The Moma Dance,” which seemed to suit Trey’s new playing style well. It’s possible Trey has finally taken Mike‘s request to cut back on the notes to heart, as he seemed to be focusing more on playing less but accenting more all weekend.

Next, came “The Divided Sky,” one of the highlights of the two-night stay. Not only was it executed perfectly, but the band also let the pause in the middle hang just a moment longer, prompting a reaction from the crowd so loud that some could be seen covering their ears.

Shifting from an old song to a new one, the band settled into “Alaska.” For whatever reason, fans seem somewhat reluctant to pick up the new songs. Despite this, Mike put out an easy, bouncing line while Trey wailed in a descending fashion that sounded reminiscent of the trombone in Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.”

Trey Anastasio :: 11.20 :: Cincinnati

After a quick guitar change by Trey, Phish slowed things down with “Water in the Sky,” “Fast Enough for You,” and “Time Turns Elastic.” During these first two numbers, Page finally stretched out a little, really adding to the beauty of these songs. By the climactic end of “Time Turns Elastic,” fans were energized again and “Gotta Jibboo” got the house bouncing. Lighting director, Chris Kuroda, really complimented the band well during the jam with dark purples and greens providing the only light in the arena. Kuroda was definitely one of the stars of the weekend, appearing to lead the band at times, instead of follow it.

Closing out set one, was a pretty wild “Fluffhead” that left a buzz throughout the arena that carried over into the next set.

Another whack to the face opener, “Punch You In The Eye” followed by “Tweezer,” got things moving quickly. Trey seemed to make a conscious decision to stop playing it safe and start letting loose. With Trey at the helm, the band tore through “Tweezer,” segueing smoothly into “Light” > “Back on the Train” > “Possum.”

“Light,” one of the more well received tracks off Joy, fit in perfectly with the two classics. A vicious “Possum,” however, trounced everything with Trey’s country-blues licks building on Fishman‘s snare rolls with more intensity carrying over to every new chorus.

Next came an ambient “Slave to the Traffic Light” that saw some more action from Kuroda followed by a huge “You Enjoy Myself as the closer.

After convening, the band returned with a three song encore of “Joy,” “Golgi Apparatus,” and a “Tweezer Reprise” that had the crowd rocking so hard the vocals were drowned out. All in all, a killer show.

Phish :: 11.20.09 :: U.S. Bank Arena :: Cincinnati, OH

Set I: Chalk Dust Torture, The Moma Dance, The Divided Sky, Alaska, Water In The Sky, Fast Enough For You, Time Turns Elastic, Gotta Jibboo, Fluffhead

Set II: Punch You in the Eye, Tweezer > Light > Back On The Train > Possum, Slave To The Traffic Light, You Enjoy Myself

E: Joy, Golgi Apparatus, Tweezer Reprise

Continue reading for reviews of Saturday night in Cincinnati…

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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