I caught my 50th (according to phish.net) back where it all began at Great Woods; my first of 2011. The 'Llama' opener was heavily favored going-in and we were off and running. Phish 'Cities' have become less and less interesting to me since its return in the late '90s and the clunky 'Instant Karma' seemed kinda goofy, but both were well-intentioned. The feature of the 1st set was a slick 'Bowie' that just might be my favorite since '04 SPAC. In the 2nd set I got what I seek from Phish with psych-out pedals, subtle loops, and REAL depth to the jam out of this 'Rock&Roll' monster. [I’ve really enjoyed 'R&R' in the Phish repertoire since day one -- 2nd set floor of Halloween '98 -- and have caught more than my fair share since. Sure, the whole Saturday night theme to it was too predictable over the last couple years, but this song consistently brings out some of the more inspired, interesting, and free-formed jams of this, current, Phish era. For me, the first really artistic playing in the return of '09 came in the 'R&R' at SPAC to end the tour.] Anyway, back to Mansfield…the 'Mango' that followed was a fun treat and provided release. After the shed-shredding outro to 'Bug,' the band had us fraught with tension, wondering where things were headed. A seemingly disjointed set, yet so well-played with my personal highlight already behind me, I comfortably embraced the 'Pebbles and Marbles.' The 'Halley's'>'Meatstick' that followed made for a very nice, unexpectedly pleasing, pairing that really clicked and got everybody back into the fold. The tease-laced 'Antelope' was a great close-out to the set and nice to hear since that flop from the tour-opener last summer. The encore’s 'Suzy' keys solo got hyper-bassed by a zappy deep-space syncopation segment with Mike before Page went back to tickling the grand. What a fun weeknight in a show that kept you guessing, but kept you happy just the same.
Remember: Keep your ears open; don't let the setlists fool you.