@FACTSAREUSELESS said:

@raidcehlalred said:

@FACTSAREUSELESS said:

@raidcehlalred said:

Interesting review. A lot of people will talk about the Gin and the Hood. Feel good about that Hood. If Fish was displeased about that Gin, he exorcised his anger around eight minutes in. Hope people don't take this the wrong way. It's a awesome time to be following the band. But I'll take an even lesser discussed Gin like 7/8/98 over the MB version. The playing deviates more from 'other' jams, and, thus, is more interesting. Perhaps the reflects some of what @FACTSAREUSELESS mentioned; then again, this might not be the case (I do think the band is tight 'in' their jamming).

However, take ten minutes inside the playing here, insert it following some Thursday night Disease, and it's sorta the same. Of course this isn't a bad thing. Like we saw with Nevada and Tweezer, there is a prisoner of the moment effect at work. The Dust - despite its strange start - gets really great. I like what @nichobert has had to say about Farmhouse, so I'll leave that to him. TMWSIY is always welcome, but quite a strange spot. Jersey a few years back was odd; this: odder. Leave it to the band.

They seem to be willing to noodle a bit where before the ripcord would rule the day. I think this may be what you are hearing in terms of "sameness". One of the things I love about Trey is his vision. He is usually a couple steps ahead of most musicians in his thinking. Not reactionary but proactive. And he's very thematic. So I think there are certain musical mechanisms which get employed frequently by the band which signal direction. These mechanisms result in similarities as they explore space.

The other thing to remember is that we're dealing with sound, but in a finite spectrum. There are only so many chords, only so many octaves. The rest is is all manipulation of space in terms of rhythm, pace, whole/half/quarter notes, rests, etc. Major key, minor key, dissonance. Unless they changed instruments all their music sounds pretty much the same to anyone not familiar with the nuance of their style. So it's sort of a dead end argument.

The Gin became great in my view because it didn't quit. The early part of the jam was interesting but, because they didn't give up on it and they let it find legs, it got better and better until it was epic. That's one of things with these jams. They've had some short jams this tour which I think have been superior to anything they've done on the longer, more heralded pieces, but part of the experience as a listener is the journey, so length becomes a factor in enjoyment. It's part of the mystery of exploration.

i should add that while in never felt this way in 94 or 95 (i was just a kid, but it still holds, i think) i did feel this way come fall 97 and 98 - to the extent that i almost/did pass up some great shows because of 'funk' malaise. the playing became redundant. summer 97 was wild - but fall became interestingly / (less)interestingly predictable. it'd take a rochester or a vegas (three) to wake me up.

98 saw the band toying with a bunch of covers to 'liven' things up. i WANT to think they're doing that with set list construction here; but what do i know.

i do know that i love this year of phish (and the best succession of new tunes since 97, too).

as, seemingly, do all. fun times.

Yes, I agree. The cow-funk thing had a certain reduncancy to it that most fans, if they were honest, would admit. The fans and band alike could sense that the magic moment which was '97 was quickly slipping from everyone's grasp, but noone wanted to acknowledge it.

The underwhelmingness of '98 is testimony to it however. While there were many great moments in '98 (see Prague), the year in general never generated the same level of excitement as '97 did. It couldn't. What goes up must come down. And as soon as you try to label and package something that begins organically ("cow-funk" you immediately lose it.

All I know is that the Fall of '13 they had IT, and last year, with the notable exception of 3-4 shows, they didn't. Now they have IT again.

If the boys in the band could find a way to bottle IT never lose it again, they would collectively give up all their material possessions to do so, but they can't. They are chasing it just as we are. And they're just as excited as us when they find it. It's pure joy.

I agree with your comment about the noodling, but I think rather than noodle they are just playing "without a net". The interpersonal aspect of the band itself is in safe place and they are okay with taking chances which were not safe to take in '09 or '10. This has been a progressive development we've seen happen before our eyes/ears. Enjoy it while it lasts. These things can't be controlled.

Next year we may be talking and debating about why it seems Trey "has lost interest" or "isn't focused". It's how these things go.

We are.

The point about playing sans net is a good one. And you are correct in that, like everything, I need to step back and appreciate what's happening.

Truly, I do.

It helps me to work out my ideas in writing. You, and a few others here, help these thoughts crystallize.

What I try to express to friends of mine who don't like the band (or, more accurately, don't understand them), is the joy aspect you mention. Right now, for instance, I'm taking a breather and contrasting the Blossom Dust and the Gin we've been discussing. Both are exuberant. There is that passage in the Dust, say 11:40ish, that simply becomes joyous.

You, or another, noted how it's similar to the Wedge from last year.

And then someone else noted how it's similar to the Sugarbush 94 Reba.

I write about Disease and such frequently. I get why they play Dust so often (and where): it works. I wonder if they are chasing something with Disease....