photo by Alive Coverage
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I like to imagine that Phish was dropped into Mondegreen from one of those cool space pods from the festival graphics. They came from a jam planetfar away and were on a mission to melt faces. It has seemed otherworldly how Phish has been playing this summer tour. Every stop on the tour had incredible highlights; epic jams, new sounds, energetic and inspiring sit-ins, bust-outs, rarities, interesting setlist placement, even fun banter, and a vacuum appearance. The road to Mondegreen was paved with riches (and jams!). After Wednesday’s classic rock fever dream of a soundcheck, hopes were high for the band’s first show on Thursday night.
I spent Wednesday evening and all day Thursday growing my anticipation by listening to The Bunny, Phish’s festival radio station with an off-the-charts cool factor. I aspire to someday be cool enough to DJ on The Bunny and like so many of us would love to spin some early morning jazz, some late afternoon indie folk, or some funk and soul to ease us into showtime. Once The Bunny hits the airwaves you know it’s festival time and that’s when it all starts to feel real. Kevin Shaprio’s From the Archives played some gems from 3-5 pm on Thursday, which is when I arrived at the festival grounds.
I have been to many Phish shows, but after following this band for 30 years, this is my first festival and I entered the grounds in a state of total awe. The design is full of whimsy and it is incredibly well organized. I bought the unlimited pass for the Ferris wheel because I am committed to having fun, went on the swings for the photo op (I’m not ashamed to admit it), and hit the Taste the Beer tent where I could choose from the 45 people lined up ready to sell me one.
I went in around doors to get a good spot near the soundboard and was shown a deck of “Mon Duh Green” playing cards with phrases like “bow sing air hound dare womb” on one side. We played the game (created by Jay Lewis) and guessed the song this mondegreen represented (“Bouncing Around the Room”). The creativity of this fan base is endless.
When the band hit the stage around 7:20 pm, many people called the opener, a song with extreme mondegreen potential, “The Moma Dance.” Trey hit sunny, repetitive chords to launch this 13-minute jam, a technique he has enjoyed employing this summer to start or encourage improvisation. Page came in on the piano to give the jam drama as they echoed each other, reminding us of the closeness between them that has stood out this summer. All told, a nice little “microjam” to get the party started. Trey’s solo in the “Back on the Train” that followed was played with gusto. Nothing has felt thrown away on this tour, every note has felt intentional which makes a classic, but well-played version of a song still feels worthy of its spot in the show. “Wolfman’s Brother” in slot three went the distance in an almost 20-minute jam. Trey teased us with the wah pedal, playing a little tease of some ‘97 funk. Then it kept feeling like they were going to drop into “Heavy Things” but they stuck to the jam. As the whole band grabbed onto a darker theme, the sun crept below the tree line, the Ferris wheel was illuminated and Kuroda’s lights started to draw the attention they deserved. An old acting teacher of mine told me that in any ensemble art when you are reacting to others in the moment you have to be like Muhammed Ali and “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” I kept thinking of that phrase last night as Phish moved collectively during their improvisation. They are so adept but so powerful. Despite a rough re-entry into the song, I was thrilled that they stretched out so early in the show. They have been doing that a fair amount on this tour and it shows the band’s commitment to jamming this summer.
Our first cover of the night was next with “Funky Bitch” and Trey ripped his solo showing off that gorgeous tone thanks to his new (old) setup with the return of the Mesa Boogie amp and Languedoc cabinet. “Roggae” gave the crowd a breather and some soaring notes from Trey. A standard version of “NICU” followed and then our first of two solid jams to close out set one, “A Wave of Hope.” This song has an extremely good batting average and last night’s performance did not disappoint. All four band members grabbed onto a textured climbing riff. Mike and Fishman laid down an intriguing foundation and I marveled at Fishman’s superhuman abilities to drum so fast and yet so tight. Kuroda’s lights shape-shifted and undulated across the stage making even the sober among us feel like we were on psychedelics. The band then built a shimmery soundscape under Trey’s hopeful solo. Their ability to create interesting textures under bliss jams has been something I have loved hearing on this tour. As the guys crept towards the peak, Page moved to the piano which gave the jam some grounding, and let Trey cross over to the sunny side of the street. After a perfect landing back into the chorus, the band closed the set with “Sand.” As this jam began the trees on the sides of the stage lit up and we felt enclosed, held in by the woods. This was a lovely reminder of the sacred space we share with this band, something that Billy Strings talked about after his sit-in last week (was that only last week?!). Trey played siren notes on a delay loop as they headed into the jam and they found a sultry place. Another hint at ‘97 funk and Page moved to the organ for a crescendo. Mike was destroying the bass (God he is so good this tour!) and Trey was building pretty peaks. During these peaks, I’ve been paying close attention to what the band is doing underneath and this dramatic and full-throated sound is something only Phish can deliver. Page hammered the keys as Trey soloed for the peak. An energetic re-entry ended the set with a triumphant feeling.
Four songs over 13 minutes in the first set and the last 30 minutes two confident, scorching jams. Fantastic first set of Phish.
Opening set two with the new (to Phish) song, “What’s Going Through Your Mind” was the perfect call. The second time played by Phish, this song made the leap (from the Trey Anastasio Band) with Billy Strings last week. Even in its debut with a guest singing a verse, the jam potential of this song seemed promising. We welcomed it into the over 20-minute club last night with a 25-minute version that soared. Page started us off with some fuzzy synths and we got the first taste of the propulsive jams we’ve heard all summer. Mike balanced these sounds with some gritty, deep bass playing. Mike has been a real standout this summer and, frankly, ever since he picked up his new Serek bass. Mike and Trey did some nice echoing in this section and as the jam settled Fishman’s urgent playing pushed the jam along instead of allowing Trey to pull the ripcord. Page took a hopeful solo, followed by Trey. The crowd roared as he sprayed us with his sweet hose and Kuroda showered us with white lights. We thought it was over, but they continued with power and a sick dive into “Chalk Dust Torture.” They quickly turned this anthemic celebration of youthful ennui into a sunny day jam. Trey played quick and beautiful melodies with incredible dexterity. Then when he tired of that he snarled the tone darker and the entire band moved as one as Trey dropped back into the riff and led us out of the woods. There was a slow, clunky segue into “Light” but the jam took off quickly and cleanly. A droning, spiraling feeling led us into a dark, noise jam. Mike got sticky with an effect pedal and everyone followed his lead creating an evil, haunted house terror jam. Somehow they found melody inside the noise and eventually, it wound down. Trey decided to play “Prince Caspian” next and I couldn’t help but think of the “Caspian” from the last festival that was forever immortalized on Live Phish 03. That 8/22/15 version is one of the best and it’s hard to imagine it’s been nine years since Phish last played a festival. They certainly haven’t forgotten how to do it well.
In this year’s “Caspian” they led a stop-start jam and some in the crowd wanted to “woo.” So they did, but frankly, it didn’t sound fully committed on our end. With some cowbell, they launched into a funk jam and the slightest hint at the Allman Brothers jamming we’ve heard some of since the Billy Strings sit-in (see “My Friend, My Friend” and “Tweezer” from Bethel). The jam concluded with us eavesdropping on a conversation between bass and lead guitar as Page hit the high notes in sync with Trey.
“Crosseyed & Painless” was our second cover of the night and it was a totally cathartic dance party, which is just what we needed after an hour of deep exploration. The gorgeous ballad “Lonely Trip” was a well-earned cooldown and it was fun to see the dynamics shift as the band went from hard and fast to delicate and slow. Trey’s vocals were extremely on point as well.
The band had more for us as they continued to stretch their sets past the reliable 75 minutes of last year. “Everything’s Right” gave us one last trilling, optimistic peak to close the 90+ minute set.
A perfect encore of a rarity played one to two times a year, a celebratory peak and an emotional classic show closer—“I Saw It Again,” “Possum” and “Slave to the Traffic Light” ended night one of Phish’s first festival in almost a decade.
“A Wave of Hope” through “Crosseyed & Painless” was one of the most thrilling segments of music I have heard all year from this band, and that’s saying a lot as this has been an exceptional year for Phish. The flow of the setlist, their ability to play with light and dark themes equally well, and the diversity of jamming stood out last night and bodes well for the rest of the weekend. It was one of those nights when it didn’t matter what they played, it was all going to hit.
My friend and co-host on HFPod, Brian Brinkman, texted me during the show, “This is all happening 20 years after their last show ever.” The fact that this band is playing at this level 20 years after Coventry is a miracle and something none of us take lightly. I know the band didn’t get dropped here on a space pod, they’ve worked methodically and religiously to bring us this level of professionalism and artistic achievement. Still, it seems magical when they create these transcendent shows after all these years despite arriving by bus and being only human.
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Megan Glionna is a podcaster, writer, teacher, performer, and music fan with a decidedly female perspective. You can find her work on the longest-running Phish podcast, the Helping Friendly Podcast, and her interview series, A Moment with Meg. She loves hosting live events, reviewing concerts, writing emotional poetry and dancing in public.
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