BGCA1 RECAP
Checking in from the afterglow zone around Long Beach, still marveling and laughing at all that went down on Wednesday. Given the fuel-injected power of recent tour openers, nobody was expecting Phish to phone shit in, but I’m pretty sure nobody expected things to get quite that wonderfully weird, either.
Taking in the first set with Justin Bieber and his entourage? Can’t say that’s an everyday occurrence for me. Nor was the ghostly introspection of “Rock & Roll,” or the rocking party vibe of “Ghost.” Bottom line? You never know what you’ll get when Phish comes to Southern California!
In contrast, Phish and the Bay Area go together the way the Grateful Dead and New York City did for so long: predictably, like peanut butter and chocolate. Since the Warfield gigs in April of 1992, Phish has demonstrated its love for Bay Area fans by crafting dependably smart sets and delivering them with fire, and those fans have demonstrated their love for Phish by knowing their shit and getting down accordingly. Yes, it’s true: San Francisco crowds flap their gums too fucking much. But they’re also smart, seasoned music people, with ears that are even bigger than their mouths.
Oh, yeah, the quality of their venues don’t hurt, either. This is Phish’s first appearance at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, and I’m more than a touch envious that we’re not there quite yet. But let’s jettison the jealousy, fire up the webcast, and see what’s in store.
It’s 8:15, and the lights are down, Beliebers!
One of my four gratuitous leg two wishes in the Chris Glushko blog piece last week was a jammed-out “AC/DC Bag,” but I guess that sometimes it’s unburdening to set hopes and expectations aside sooner rather than later. A straightforward and short “Bag,” though certainly quite tight, and both the band and the webcast sound fantastic right out of the chute.
“Moma Dance” occupies its almost-customary second song slot, followed quickly by a spirited “Possum,” and then a long huddle. “Corinna,” a once-rare chestnut that seems to enjoy a more prominent presence these days, comes across really well but won’t end up in the sacred scrolls.
After another huddle: “Sand.” Personally, I think Fishman has wrestled somewhat with the groove on this one for over three years. Or maybe he’s just experimenting and I’m hearing it wrong. Whichever the case, this version announces itself in your entire white butt, with the rhythm section giving us the greasy business. It builds quickly and deliberately to an incendiary peak... and then it’s gone before you know it.
Better to have loved and lost, they say, than to never have loved. And I love this.
“Halley’s Comet” is another tune that I’d love to see jammed out properly again soon, but I don’t think Trey is feeling it, and he dispatches this particular pipe dream with an abrupt switch-back into the rote coupling of “Funky Bitch” and “Sample in a Jar.” The Ween masterpiece “Roses Are Free” catches the band flirting with the idea of improv for a few measures, but a longer walkabout is not in the cards. By this point, late era Grateful Dead comparisons are inviting themselves – mostly because this first set has yet to wander from its 4/4, blues-based motif in any noticeable way.
The evening’s first highwire composition rears its head in the form of “My Friend, My Friend.” And I guess this version might merit additional comment if not for what comes next: the first set one “Slave to the Traffic Light” in over two years. At the risk of damning with faint praise, this sparkling “Slave” is clearly deserving of its cleanup slot, as it’s the best part of the set – and maybe even the show – by a good measure.
Thus far, things are playing out much like Wednesday night in Long Beach – a serviceable first set capped with an upbeat finish. We’ll see if Set Two matches up.
Enjoy intermission, kids!
The third quarter sparks up tentatively with “Down with Disease.” Roughly five minutes into the “DWD” jam, Fish and Page drop out to let Mike and Trey suggest a direction. Foot-pedal hijinks ensue, and multiple grooves are initiated. Trey presses the reset button with a minor chord that nobody on stage seems quite ready for, and all best intentions are quickly abandoned.
A half-decent “Birds of a Feather” pulls up shy of release ...but, hello, “Tweezer!” Less than six minutes into this “Tweezer,” having grazed past “Manteca” quotes and other harmonic permutations, we find ourselves in the midst of the kind of agitated group chat that’s often pretentiously labeled as a “Storage” jam these days – despite the fact that this style of improv actually pre-dates the actual “Storage Jam” by about two years. It’s not a “Storage” jam, Moon Doggie. Dig? It’s just a nice jam.
[Still, it’s awfully nice – and yes, that does appear to be a brand new clavinet that Page is playing... with a whammy bar.]
This eminently satisfying “Tweezer” segues a bit awkwardly into a concise and fiery “Twist” that serves the function of completing “Tweezer’s” thought. The “Wading in the Velvet Sea” that comes next never quite finds an equilibrium or an orbit, but it could be argued in a pinch that it serves as an apropos break between the third and fourth quarters.
Now a first set “Chalk Dust Torture” infiltrates the second set, followed by a lovely “Joy.” The ensuing “Run Like an Antelope” reaches for some sort of epiphany but ultimately disintegrates in its clammy final chorus. The closing “Shine a Light” might work better were it switched out for the first set’s powerful “Slave” closer, but feels anticlimactic here.
The “First Tube” encore reinvigorates everything as Trey offers some new rhythms during the first instrumental verse, and I find myself geeked out on what Page is up to on B-3 during the second verse. But before I can get too lost in it all, the Fat Lady sings.
At the risk of sounding bitter for not being there tonight, I’ll conclude with the observation that while there’s no place on earth I’d rather be than wherever Phish is playing, tonight’s show failed to build on the momentum established in Long Beach, and there is much headroom left for Saturday and Sunday!
See you in a few short hours, San Francisco – can’t wait to see what you have to offer!
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Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation
i loved the show, but again, i just simply love phish and this was my first show back since dick's due to living out here in the bay area. you really cannot take even one show for granted, especially living far from the usual tour stops. thank you everyone.
i definitely enjoyed the entire set list selection, song placement e.g. slave, tweezer first set sand, etc., I got plenty of cuts from my famed first years 97-00. Some great music last night.
great to have the boys out west for the always awesome leg 2s.
over and out. 5 hrs. to game time.
While I can appreciate reviewers trying to be critical, it seems that most of the reviewers on Phish.net have lost their passion for the band. The reviews on .net seem overly critical and often snide, to the point that really feels those writing the reviews are chasing jams for previous era's as opposed to appreciating the era that we are in.
"lost their passion" is a bit absurd. It's sometimes too much passion -- from listening to every note and knowing the extensive history and hearing the infinite possibilities...but also hearing when things are clicking into place in the jams. Passion doesn't have to equal being an uncritical fanboy!! The reviews last tour weer spot-on on almost every show, and critical where they had reasons -- but filled with super high praise when warranted. (yes, there was some pining for that "monster" jam --- but all-in-all, across the board, this site was in love with the 1st leg of Summer 2012)
Your assumptions that they (and listeners like myself) are pining for something of old is simply not true -- in fact something new is what will get me more excited than anything I have heard before.
And, as far as reviewing the music itself, sometimes I appreciate a review from someone just listening. A pure musical review can be tainted by the "experience" (often drug enhanced). I read these reviews as musical reviews...not reviews of the setting, which is wholly subjective, and often based on the cluster of 100 or so people immediately surrounding you.
And last -- the review didn't at all insult the jamming of the "Storage Jam" -- but just pointed out that that style showed up in 2009, 2 years before the Storage Jam, so the reference is a bit misleading.
And you do not have to read reviews here. if you don't like them, and find they do not mesh with your thoughts on Phish -- go read the reviews posted on pother blogs, or on the show link, not phish.net's "Jaded vet" reviews
I don't have my Companions handy, but I think Steam is the only new song since the Joy album came out, is this the longest they've gone without introducing new original material? I'm not a big fan of covers, I'd like to hear some new songs from the guys.
We want you to be happy......
I was in no way saying we should not have critical reviews and I'm not even suggesting that this was a 'great' show. I think it was average for summer 2012 at best. I agree that there are many times that someone writes a negative review then people in the comments fluff it or trash the reviewer for being critical of a show they were at. But it just seems like the majority of .net reviews these days pine for days gone by. Maybe this is not true, but the reviews read that way. I'm sure I'm not the only one who reads them as such.
And for what it is worth, I generally am the 'jaded vet' of my crew. So it is rather funny to be calling someone out as being 'jaded.'
He insulted the reference to "storage jam" -- not the music itself. He actually says he enjoyed the jam in the review, and The quote around that "Moon Doggie" reference is...
> > > "It’s not a “Storage” jam ---- it’s just a nice jam."
The second set had two things that stood out WAY beyond anything I've heard anyone say here. I thought the Disease and the Tweezer were big time and really blew the doors off of things. There was some fantastic interplay between Page and Trey in the waning moments of Disease, even birdlike sounds fluttering across the galaxy before they finally descended into Birds. And Tweezer was a raucous riot. I am an unjaded old vet who was a rookie in 91 and who watched this show on Couch Tour, so I cover plenty of different bases here. I thought the show was totally solid. All geared up for tonight...
It's about that it's weird to write off that multidimensional DWD jam whose closing minutes were truly magical and then have no comments on the bizarre roller coaster that ensued following Tweezer where the band built momentum with one song, then dropped into a ballad before jumping back into a rager. 3 times in a row.
I get the concept of peaks and valleys, but coming so close together without anything easing the transitions feels jarring and ultimately unsatisfying. All the songs besides Antelope were sparkling versions but the manner in which they were employed worked against them in a fairly obvious way.
As far as the first set being "one big jam", I don't think I follow. While most of the songs were quick on the heels of the previous one, there wasn't much in the way of jamming and there wasn't the kind of logical yet excitingly fresh progression from one song to the next that can sometimes do away with the need for improvisation. Nowhere near as schizophrenic as the 2nd set after the final notes of Twist, but not the kind of set that screams that the band is in the zone. Seemed like a festival set, and i mean that in the best possible way- unassuming versions of crowd favorites doled out one after another. They just didn't seem to be clicking last night. Even the excellent DWD and Tweezer had some major confusion surface on a few occasions.
That said, it's a 3.0 first set. Not much more you can really expect from one without a Stash or Gin holding it down, do no complaints. It is surprising that more people aren't perplexed with how the final 7 songs of the night were employed, but if you managed to ride along on that square wave, more power to you!
Also, it was my 13 year old's first show and frankly the show I would've been ecstatic for him to have seen is BGCA1.
Somewhere around 500 concerts attended over 30 years and spanning a wide spectrum of genres it really is interesting to so thoroughly enjoy last night's BGCA1 webcast from start to finish and then read the less than impressed review here. Just shows to go ya...
Not any more than a Los Angeles (Long Beach) crowd. idiots...
This really has run aground hasn't it? We are now aggressively comparing the LA to SF fans in terms of chatter?
Perhaps we should all just stay home and watch the music on pay per view because it is all about the music, right?
A lot.
Really.
Sorry.
Please don't take it personally. It's my favorite city on the planet.
There's also the matter of your passive-aggressive 'pretentiously' swipe, but whatever.
The old Praise/Slapdown. Can't ever win with that, ya know.
I'd say the same thing about NYC, Colorado and Especially L.A. music fans before I'd say that about NorCal, but then I'd be the one throwing insults in the middle of a prop.
The same style is coalescing in the Blossom Sally, the Camden R&R, and the Super Ball IX Golden Age -- all from summer 2011 too.
What I'm looking for, btw, isn't a 2009 jam that sounds vaguely similar. To my ears 'storage jamming' (not a good name but whatever) is a way of combining unusual-for-Phish harmonic freedom and really busy rhythm work from Fish, specifically without causing the jam to decay (as in, say, the 12/29/09 Tweezer). As if the Albany '09 Seven Below reached that incredible crest around the 11:00 mark and KEPT GOING into that scary harmonic-superposition space instead of cooling out into major chords behind Page's piano playing. It seems to me it's a principle, to stick with a specific kind of sonic space without going for Phishy resolution (or just dicking around as in so goddamn many mid-90s 'psychedelic' jams).
isn't it all about the music? do you go to shows to hang out and chat?
why turn this into something it isn't?