@smoothatonalsnd said:

@chillen said:

This was a patient jam and, while it felt like they were actively searching for a launching point at times, it comes across as effortless and sensual on relisten.

I agree, while listening live it really felt like they were searching in the middle of that Twist jam. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the hell out of the song last night, but now I'm really looking forward to the re-listen to see if it sounds different. Great point and great review.

I've noticed this searching too, but I think that what's happening is that Trey isn't leading the jam, finding a particular riff/progression to settle on. In those moments, everything just sort of swirls around - Trey is noodling or playing percussive strums, Page adding atmosphere and color with electric piano, Mike highly active on circular riffs. That's a lot of what I was hearing last night during Twist. It does sound like they're searching for something to click, but that's only if you assume that every jam segment needs to have that kind of melodic cohesion. In this case, I'd say that the Twist jam had both soaring peaks where the band was totally locked in, but also moments where there was no direction, there was just exploration of a particular harmonic area and rhythmic groove. Those directionless moments are some of my favorite jams, when they are genuinely good and not actually searching for something that isn't there.

In my hearing of their improvisation these days, when the band is searching and nothing is clicking, that's when you get the ripcord into "Light" or "Piper" or "Number Line" or whatever. That's when you get the 10 minute jams that seem like they could keep going but they don't. Last night there was none of that. Whether it's because they were content to sit in one particular musical schema for a while to see how it panned out, or because Trey is just more comfortable being in a jam that isn't going anywhere, it worked in our favor last night.

Exploring harmonic stasis and the edges of a particular structural space are the kinds of improvisation that characterized some of the most psychedelic and far out GD jams, especially think of Playin from '71-74 or a '72 Dark Star. Perhaps Trey let some of his studying of that style of improv into his Phish worldview, since he does seem to be more comfortable at the edges, exploring, willing to find nothing but just poke around nonetheless.

I like this comment so much!!!!

I've been hearing this somewhat this tour too, either live at Lakewood or whatever I could catch on webcast. I also would hear this moment you talk of, that roughly 10 minute mark, and the searching or trying to find the thing that clicks and then, the Light, or #line, etc. I've been waiting to finally hear how Trey was going to bring, what was it, 6 months of continuous Dead song playing into summer tour. It wasn't going to be Dead songs, duh. It has to lie deep in his playing and especially jam style.

he's having almost too much fun up there, you can hear it in almost every song he's playing. There's such a light, airy feel to what Trey is playing, and he's making the whole band play around quite a bit with songs. It's the whistle ending during Bathtub Gin set2 Lakewood2 that made me say, "he's like an F'ing kid again up there!!" They have done fun stuff, antics, tucking, etc. always, but the looseness in the playing and the feel of the songs; I am finally feeling like I can say to myself again: "they OWN these songs, they can do whatever they want to with them, I'm at ease" that feeling is back for me.

And he's bringing that to those 10-minute marks and saying, "I'm having fun with this." He doesn't have to play the idea or melody that will set Mike off like no tomorrow, or grab all the juice Page is feeding everyone (man, that guy is absolutely a major idea-maker lately!!!), because Trey has the ability to lay down something that will make you dance and smile hard and make the band go off from his lead almost whenever he probably feels like it. Instead, he's playing all this fun little stuff while the band does the same. I am absolutely loving it so much right now! All the space they are creating, the soundscapes are really intense, and its so minimalist. The twist (sorry for the Lakewood refs still) from L'wood really hit me hard with how subtle and deep it got fast and stayed that way. I was mostly taken aback in a way I hadn't felt in a long, long time that weekend, and Raleigh and MPP should be amazing in their own unique ways, too.

I appreciate the Dead relationship stuff, smoothatonalsnd, it told me what I've been trying to hear and catch this tour, what Trey borrowed, adapted, modified, transformed and creolized. It's all falling into place