Jam Chart for Mercury (14 entries)
| Date | City | Timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-07-22 | Bend, OR | 11:00 | Debut. Pretty and delicate play, with Fish offering a sturdy bridge by way of Marimba Lumina, beneath deliberate (and yet to be repeated) vocal harmonizing. A "Tweezer" cum "Help on the Way" outro showcases the composition's seemingly infinite potential. |
| 2015-09-05 | Commerce City, CO | 11:56 | Tight, full-band play spells "Mercury's" zenith to date. Like laser-beams, Mike issues forth the first sounds from Fish's solo, which informs Trey's play, who reciprocates the sentiment, inciting an airy, yet funky groove. This sparkling, disco-ball vibe bleeds into a bit of space, before the band departs for "Light." |
| 2016-10-29 | Las Vegas, NV | 16:06 | Second set opener is anything but elemental, illuminating the song's jam potential. Mike is super, and Trey modulates his tone, a liquid sound darkening to offer a bit by way of transition metal. A pointed, effects-enhanced -> gives rise to a centerpiece "Piper." |
| 2017-01-14 | Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico | 15:15 | After a strong composed section, the band crosses the bridge confident and assured, entering a jam anchored by great play from Mike and Fish. Trey adds much by way of layered texture and nuanced grace, before straight-forward soloing, colored with great fills from Page, builds into a passage of percussive and echo-altered sound. A cool > introduces yet another white-hot "Light." |
| 2018-07-24 | San Francisco, CA | 16:25 | 2018's summer offers three strong versions (see 8/11 and 8/31), but the first, > from an extraordinary "ASIHTOS," before > into a classic "Carini," might prove to be the most interesting. While Trey still struggles early, the improvisation post-vocals marks a departure from solid 2017, and earlier, play. Less groove-oriented, the musicians create, as if for the purpose of allowing others to inhabit, distinct pockets of "space." Patient, pretty, and marked by an airy fluidity, the jam splinters into spheres of sound, while never fully losing its shape, before Trey's inspired, protracted, and truly cosmic soloing, dominates the conclusion. |
| 2018-10-26 | Rosemont, IL | 18:39 | A patient journey ensues as "Mercury" builds off of its straightforward jam. Just prior to the 13:00 mark, the music goes "Type II" by way of a smooth major key modulation. Page's synthesizers then envelop the music, as Trey melodically trills on top. This then transitions into a hazily introspective, yet muscular groove that puddles into "Moonage Daydream." |
| 2018-11-02 | Las Vegas, NV | 24:29 | The first segment consists of strong and varied "Mercury" style jamming, highlighted by a hypnotic groove in the 13th minute. After regrouping at 15:30 the song's theme returns but in a major key and propels the jam to a peak and a bit of echoey play at the tail end before > "Suzy". |
| 2019-02-22 | Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico | 22:05 | Great Version. > from a huge "SYSF," play breaks free around 10:00, Trey's tone warm, rife with melody, floating atop waves of Page's now signature keys. With a series of licks Trey pushes play forward, the jam builds in energy, before a huge blast of sustain peels apart (with Page now on his piano) into one of "Mercury's" finer moments. Play rocks, with the band alighting upon a sudden, and infectious groove. Pretty cool. > "Slave." |
| 2019-06-28 | Camden, NJ | 20:40 | Typically impressive play splits open and melts into one of the summer's more interesting extended improvisational passages. Around the 14:00 mark Mike works his effects and Trey follows suit, a bit of lead bass fronting a super bit of creativity which toys with the song's melodic variation, at times funky, at others maintaining a bit of delay-heavy darkness, before the jam, ultimately, moves from a carnival-vibe to become joyous. In other words: More Great Phish. |
| 2019-07-05 | Boston, MA | 19:58 | Extended take gradually leaves "Mercury" proper behind with some amorphous riffing and then enters an ethereal passage with meditative bass and searching guitar leads over a bountiful bed of church-like organ tones. |
| 2019-08-30 | Commerce City, CO | 23:50 | > from a strong set-opening "Everything's Right", this version features over fifteen minutes of quality jamming after the song proper. Trey's play is inspired throughout, he leads the band in and out of multiple sections as the jam traverses many soundscapes. A standout version with excellent jamming, which eventually dissolves > "Shade". |
| 2021-10-15 | Sacramento, CA | 18:36 | Shifts into major in the 10-minute range and comfortably coasts along until a spark sends the jam to new heights, reaching a nice peak around 15:00 and then returns home. |
| 2023-07-12 | Huntsville, AL | 15:56 | Almost from the start of the jam segment Trey appears to have a sense of the melodic theme he wants to explore. Within only a few minutes he begins repetitively strumming in a life-affirming, charming, Franklin's Tower-esque way, over grand accompaniment, and then his solo soars and peaks in a delicate, seemingly restrained way, and just when you might wonder if The Hose was at play, he cools the groove down and a drawn-out segue into -> Free occurs. |
| 2024-10-27 | Albany, NY | 14:04 | Emerging from the compositional portion of "Mercury" with ample aplomb, the jam immediately takes on a family-style, delayed-out electro funk vibe. With each member actively engaged in the melodic conversation, the jam stays in "Type 1" territory, opting for dynamic escalation over deep exploration before closing out with "Mercury's" vocal ending. |
Jam chart versions are selected because of improvisational and other characteristics that distinguish these from typical versions of the song.
The jam chart team has highlighted some versions with a yellow background; these are the versions the team believes to be especially improvisational, or otherwise notable.
A purple date indicates that you were in attendance.
The jam chart team has highlighted some versions with a yellow background; these are the versions the team believes to be especially improvisational, or otherwise notable.
A purple date indicates that you were in attendance.
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