I was excited for the first indoor show since the Salt Lake City Delta Center show in the beginning of Summer Tour. Indoor shows always bring a different, more potent vibe.

Not sure if it’s the sound difference or Kuroda’s lights for both sets but indoor shows, outside of festivals, seem to carry more intensity. It’s more authentic Phish to me excluding festivals again This next run of shows were my first and only Phish shows to date in the Pacific Northwest. Fun crowds! Interesting venues!

Fortunately I had a friend to stay with that lived just below Seattle. It was a special run of shows for me, all the way through Spokane. Having a driver, that could roll the most impressive fattie while driving, for the Seattle shows allowed me to enjoy tour with a little more spike man.

Opening with Poor Heart was an interesting call but paid off with immediate energy; Trey’s solo had some extra mustard. The 11th Wolfman’s Brother ever didn’t go far post chorus but you can feel the potential. Rift shows off the band’s dexterity and songwriting so well.

Night Moves was a clever way to further discuss the “vicious chess match” between the band and audience. Stash, like the Shoreline Reba, was a great choice to follow the chess interlude. The jam becomes a driving force of pounding and relentless tension-building energy that finally releases around the 11 min mark.

Acoustic Army provides the yin to the yang of Stash and gives us a moment to catch our breath. The 4th The Fog That Surrounds is a good pick me up but doesn’t flow as well as the earlier versions played in CA. Theme From The Bottom is a another new tune for the fans in the region and is a solid version.

Tela was an unexpected treat that allows Page to be in the spotlight and is executed well. Fishman starts the David Bowie hi-hat intro just before Tela ends. The extended intro is spacey before the song kicks in proper. The band does not rush the 2nd Bowie of tour. They eventually pick up the pace and intensity before ending the song to close the first set.

The 1st Wilson of tour opens the 2nd set and a fair amount of the Northwest crowd knows to chant . It’s an average version that gets the show going again. The 5th straight Cars Trucks Buses immediately follows and keeps the set grooving along.

The next three songs were all firsts for Fall Tour. The 3rd Bathtub Gin of the year stays within the confines of the song’s structure. Llama provides a quick burst of rocking energy. Simple was finally getting away from being played in Mike’s or after Sparkle. This version breaks down to spaciness allowing the band members to goof off a little before Page starts the 4th Keyboard Army of tour. Gotta love Phish being Phish!

This version of Slave To The Traffic Light is worthy of a listen. The jam literally starts from nothing as Trey and Mike start playing single notes. Page joins in softly and then we hear Fishman’s vacuum subtly for about a minute; unprecedented I believe. The build is so patient and never fully peaks before the ending, but that’s okay. Check it out!

Hello My Baby is a great a capella choice for Phish. The crowd eats it up! The 1st Lizards of tour, and 3rd Gamehendge song of the night, is a great late 2nd set choice. Page is in fine form as is Trey.

Run Like An Antelope is really fast paced compared to the first two takes of Fall Tour. They are not wasting any time and get right down to business. Trey plays a repetitive riff and Page fills in nicely, Gordon and Fish are laying down a solid groove. Trey starts exploring and speeds the pace but still maintains some repetitive riffs. And we have lift off! The ending groove is drawn out a little longer than usual which is always nice.

A Day In The Life always makes me smile. Phish is one of the better cover bands and they obviously respect the cover song. Add in the CK5’s lights and you have a show stopper!!

Phish really knows how to captivate an audience. The show was inspired, playful, humorous, and full of energy. The song selection was typical, repetitive and fresh. I was looking forward to the next night of Fall Tour at this arena.

Worthy of a listen: Night Moves, Stash, Tela, David Bowie, the whole second set!

#20yearslater