This was really a great show. I was surprised to see Phish coming to Detroit, it doesn't seem to be a typical tour stop. I was way into the band a while back, but when they reunited I was unsure if they would really be any good. Well, they answered that question for me last night at DTE. I had forgotten the magic of experiencing their music live! I would list high points but they are really too numerous. Really the whole second set was spot on. Hopefully these guys stay together for a long time and keep coming back to Detroit!

We made it to the show with enough time to grab a drink and settle in.
I found a worthy recipient for my extra ticket on the walk in.
I handed her the extra lawn tick I had and kept walking, glancing back just long enough to watch her eyes light up. As I was walking away, she chased me down and gave me a hug. I love good karma.
I've only been to 16 or so shows so my ability to compare this show is somewhat limited.
I know what I witnessed.
The first set was thoroughly enjoyable in every way. I was in the 7th row with a clear view of the band's interaction with each other and the crowd.
They were a unit. One entity. Everyone smiling and joking. I was so fortunate to hear some of my favorite Phish tunes. Tela, Wedge...etc

Honestly I wouldn't have picked DWD as a song I wanted them to open the second set with. I've seen my share and loved them all, but was hoping for something unique. In retrospect, however, I wouldn't have wanted to hear anything else.
Around the 9 or 10 minute mark, something happened. The music took on a life of it's own organically. It flowed naturally into this ambient jam/groove just kept cycling and evolving.
It sounded like so many things.
I was in a trance and completely unaware there were other people around me. My eyes were closed and the music moved through me.
When that happens, it is one of the most beautiful sensations.
I recall hearing Coltrane's 'Love Supreme' at some part of the jam but wasn't sure if the band was playing it consciously or, even more brilliant, unconsciously and it was just another part of the landscape they were painting with the music.
There were so many times at other shows where they sounded disjointed or Trey abruptly ended a jam before it had a chance to get off the ground. Friday night in Clarkston, that didn't happen.
The band played as one unit, complimenting each other, building something that took on a life of it's own.

I will never forget that Down With Disease as long as I live.

The David Bowie that followed the excellent version of Fluffhead would take a separate review as it was equally historical.
I'll just say it ranks as my favorite version to date with some incredible guitar work from Trey.

I can only hope that the other two shows I'm able to attend this summer are half as good as this second set.

There are a lot of good things that can be said about this show. The first set was fun and energetic, I can't every remember a Wolfman's opener so that was a fun and quirky way to start. Tela was not great, which is unfortunate because that can be a wonderful breather. Wedge was a wierd way to end a set too. Not complaining, just different. The first set was fun, but nothing blew me away.

The trifecta that opened up set II was as good as I have seen (I have been with the band for a very long time). The jam out of DWD had direction and great interplay between everyone. Fluffhead was flawless and, IMO, there is nothing better than Fluffhead when they really do it right. The Bowie was of the old-school variety, several different jams linked together that somehow found there way into the closing portion. Tough to keep it going after that, but they did throw a great 2001 out there (complete with James Brown jams!).

At any rate, I've only seen the band two times in since they came back (some of us are old now), but I will say that this show confirmed to me that rumor that the boys have lost a step is greatly over-stated. It isn't 1994, it isn't 1997, it isn't even 2003, but what I saw last night blew my mind just as much as it did during each of those time periods. If you are reading this and debating whether or not to catch a show on this tour, stop now and get your ticket.

Phish came onstage for their second Friday night show of 2011 with furious swank that will be looked back on as containing one of the greatest second sets of Phish 3.0. The first set constructed a nice tone for Gordon's birthday, and the Detroit area venue got down with 'Wolfman's Brother' and 'Funky Bitch', two songs that really allows Phish's bassist to get funkadelic. A little more than halfway through Wolfman's Brother, Trey flirts with that "Plinko" style picking that we have seen during the past year (See Dog One Blog's 'Plinko 101'). After 'Sample in a Jar' and 'NICU', Trey noodled the Happy Birthday tune to his fellow bandmate. As if that was some kind of cue, the band broke it down into 'Mike's Song' and flowed on into 'I am Hydrogen' and completing the trilogy with 'Weekapaug Groove'. This Groove, the tour's second, got its rightful treatment unlike Bethel's short and lackluster version. Following the summer's first 'Tela', a choppy yet rising 'Chalk Dust Torture' ventured into its own jam realm, but really culminated in a massive peak for Trey. If you listen closely, he teases Fluff after 5 minute, an omen for what is to come in the second set. The setbreak began after an awkward 'The Wedge'... but it meant the 'Cavern' wasn't far behind (these two are often paired together).

'Down With Disease' ignited the lead off slot of the second set for the second time this summer, and this time rose to new places and officially became the longest jam of Phish 3.0. We thought we had seen what Phish's new style of the ambient wall of sound was like with the 'Down with Disease' from the Alpine Valley 2010 DVD, but this version simply soars into a multi-segmented monster. Maybe Trey felt bad for taking a lot of the spotlight the past few days in New Jersey, or maybe the nearly 25 minute 'Down With Disease' was his magical birthday gift to Mike. Nine minutes in the space begins, but instead of completely laying back Big Red repeats some swanky strokes to keep a blues style momentum flowing. Gordon is definitely all over the fretboard and the band comes together in a loopy frenzy. Twelve and a half minutes in the song morphs again and Gordon opens another door into a Plinko madhouse before settling into a calming and oddly Australian rhythm. Trey layers a fleeting and delicate riff over this and embarks onto the new Phish sound of 3.0. Some call it a "Wall of Sound", to me it sounds like an electric firestorm, but whatever you name it there is no doubt that Trey is loving the use of it. On the official Live Phish release it begins around 15 minutes in and continues to build for a minute and a half before turning into a series of hammer-ons akin to the New Year's Eve 'Ghost'. Instead of progressing systematically higher on the fret board, Trey plays erratically like Thom Yorke and unleashes the beast within. After a minute of and a half of this glorious fury, Trey disappears back into a subtle electric storm, once again creating an ambient soundscape. John Coltrane's 'A love Supreme' is teased once the band floats away from the harsh, jagged, yet amazing feeling the past few minutes subjected us to. Interestingly enough, for those setlist nerds out there, the following night Chicago rockers Umphrey's McGee teased the song in their rendition of "Jimmy Stewart" at the Mountain Jam in Hunter, NY. Finally, after a series of arpeggios, the Trey seamlessly leads the rest of the band into 'Fluffhead', proving once again that he has it in him to make some seriously good moves if he doesn't let his TreyDHD get the best of him. Instead of bolting into Fluff, he slowly melds the notes into the final glimpses of Disease and makes the song come to him, and not the other way around. The summer's second 'David Bowie', also a 16 minute monster, was nothing to laugh about either. Until this show I thought May 31st held the best jam segments worthy of a DVD, but this time around it may be clear - until tomorrow - what is the best. Although who wants another Disease monster? Everyone. The fast paced '2001' brought the stunned crowd back to the feet after a short and much needed 'Waste' break ('Down With Disease' > 'Fluffhead' > 'David Bowie' clocks in at about an hour for the three of them!). After a very appropriate and lively 'Cavern', the lights went down and the crowd waited for the first encore of Phish's Midwest journey. 'Good Times, Bad Times', a song many thought would make an appearance in Holmdel on June 1st, slid its way once again into the setlist, usually nothing short of disappointing.

-http://funkydanceparty.com

First show since Alpine Valley last summer and the lot scene was a pleasant surprise b/c we had a shakedown for a change. The venue is pretty nice too and they do a great job of traffic control b/c we cruised right in and right out after with no wait at all.

Wolfman's opener was tight. Trey rocked it out and Mike, Page and Fish laid down the nice funky groove. Funky, Sample and NICU were all short and sweet. Great start to the show.

I was calling for a Mike's groove and once I found out it was his birthday I knew we would get it. First set though.......sweet. Thought we would get a Simple out of Mike's but Hydrogen was alright and seems to be a rarity these days. Mike's and Weekapaug bookends were tight and high energy. Great versions of these classic tune's.

Tela was a real nice treat. I think someone had written it on a beach ball that Trey was passing around stage before Mike hoofed it back to the crowd. Chalkdust was different with a bit of space in the jam segment. Very cool version. I was surprised at the Wedge closer but it was different and I have not seen that song live since Lemonwheel so it was a nice treat.

Out in the lot, I called the DwD second set opener b/c it had not been played for a few nights and this song follows me around. I see it every 3rd show and I don't tour with the band. Just cherry pick shows close to home. I have to admit that this is a mixed bag for me b/c I enjoy DwD but I see it so often that sometimes I find myself longing for something different. However, on this night, they really smoked this version and jammed the shit out of it. Great peaks and valleys and some really nice interplay b/w all band members on this one. Go watch the video on the Vimeo site and you'll see what i'm talking about. This version goes right to the top of the list of DwD's for me along with the galactic Great Went version. The transition into Fluffhead was absolutely seamless and they just nailed Fluffhead. Bowie (listening to it now) was also epic with them nailing all of the composed segments and then featuring a nice spacey jam before the high octane outro.

You knew we were going to get a breather after those three barn burners and Waste was a welcome treat. Definitely one of my favorite ballads. 2001 is my most seen song (9 times in 24 shows) so, again, not surprised to see this. It was a nice tight funky version. I notice they don't take this out there as much as they used too (Great Went version and MSG 12/29/98 are two versions i've seen that were just epic, loooong and funky). Cavern and GTBT were great finishers.

All in all, very impressive show with some amazing jamming. I found out yesterday that the DwD was the longest jam of 3.0. Didn't realize this at the time but DwD>Fluff>Bowie were easily the highlight of the night.

When the discussion of, "best jam vehicle of 3.0" comes up, the consensus pick is usually, "Light." I think it's DWD in a walk. There have been numerous 3.0 DWD jams that represent some of Phish's finest improvisational journeys. The Clarkston Disease is, in my humble opinion, the cream of this crop. I Prefer it over 8/16/11, 12/30/12, 10/29/13, 12/29/13, 7/11/14, 7/15/14, 8/1/14, 10/24/14, and 1/3/15. And, those are all remarkable versions - top drawer Diseases for any era. I've been going to Phish shows since '97, and I'm not sure I've seen/heard a better pure jam. It flows effortlessly through a shredding Type I section, followed by a demented plinko segment--->Face-Melting Thunderous Peak------>Glorious climax VERY loosely based on, "A Love Supreme." In a word, flawless.

This was my first Phish show ever and I'm happy to say the band lived up to, and thoroughly exceeded all my expectations. It was a great show. I think the fact that it was Mike's birthday may have factored into it. It was obvious they were having a blast onstage, which really got the crowd going.

Wolfman's and Funky Bitch were a great choice to start with and the rest of set 1 was very strong. The spontaneous Tela (a request via beach ball thrown onstage) was unexpected but refreshing, though not as strong as everything else (probably because the band wasn't expecting it).

Set 2 was AMAZING!! The 25min DwD -> Fluffhead > Bowie were flawless. I was never really a fan of Fluffhead until I heard it played live. It had so much energy!! The Fluff's Travels extension of Fluffhead is a great piece of music in my opinion, and they played it well that night. The rest of set 2 was excellent.

The encore of GTBT was well-played, although I'm sick of that song in all honesty.

Overall it was a great show. I think I've re-listened to it about 10 times and am still blown away. My first Phish show turned out to be arguably one of the best shows of 3.0 and by far the best show they've played so far this tour. It was an amazing experience, and I'll never forget it.

Ah...my first show of the Summer 2011 tour. Drove up to Michigan from Athens, OH and made it to lot just in time to pound a beer or two before heading into the venue. I had a small but fun crew of 4 for this show, which was at a venue I'd never been to. We were all inside the pavilion so that was nice.

This was quite the birthday show for Cactus. First set was packed with jams that highlighted Mike. I really enjoyed the CDT in this first set, it took on a weird, slower tempo but it was great nonetheless. Even though the first set is a good one, the second set is what this show is all about.

The DWD to open set two was phenomenal...really just a great, out-there version. Follow that up with a seamless segue into Fluffhead and you've got a knockout second set opening sequence. Looking back at this setlist, there really isn't a dull moment in there. After a well-executed Fluffhead we get a high-energy David Bowie followed by a soothing Waste to bring it back down for a bit. 2001 is always a dance party, and Cavern never disappoints in the closing slot. GTBT was my first Phish-Zeppelin cover and it was killer. Being only my third Phish show this was quite the treat. I had no idea what was in store for me on this weekend, but night one at DTE was a good start!

I forgot to mention, that this venue is one of the nicest venue's I've ever been to. I heard it's not that old too. Clean and nicely set up. About the only thing I didn't like - Security. They didn't like shakedown at all. They kept coming through there bitching at people left and right. You know what, leave everyone alone and you'll see that there would have been no issue's at all. They also shut it down within a half hour after the show. Over all though, it was a great venue that I hope I can get the chance to return to in the future. I wish Riverbend was set up like this venue, that's for sure.......

Great, great show. I was so pissed off when I saw what they had played up in Bethel, that I figured it wouldn't be that good of a show. Boy was I wrong, plus surprised. They played so many tunes that I wasn't expecting to hear. Great opener and it just went on from there. Great ending to the first set with the Wedge. The second set speaks for itself. That's the second DWD where it turned into a jam session ( the other was 7-15-2000). Excellent Fluffhead, David Bowie, Waste, 2001, and Cavern leading into a great finish to the show, Good Times, Bad Times. You couldn't ask for more......

Fabulous show... everyone is talking about the second set but the Wolfman's>Funky Bitch opening was a major funk fest for the phans...

The whole place was standing and gettin' down the entire show, the band was tight. TELA was a bit of a let down but appeared to be played as a request, (or a well planned set up?), but we needed a couple of slow jams to catch our breath. Waste was a good slow one too... especially if you had your girl by your side, good make out song before the next funk fest jam.

This was a heavy funk night! Mike's birthday and he stretched his legs in honor of it. We tried to get the pavillion to sing him happy birthday but it never caught on... Happy Birthday Mike! Thanks for giving US the gift of that incredible show!!

As everyone is saying, amazing DWD! I just noticed that at the 13:40 mark, Trey plays a couple of (basically) the same little riffs that he used to start the take-off segment at 7:27 of THE Ghost from MSG last December. I'm sure it's just coincidence, but either way, utter awesomeness ensued after both instances.

Just listened to this show on the couch. Listen to DWD. Now.

What a pleasure to see Phish at Pine Knob! It was Mike's birthday, which made everyone extra excited. Funky Bitch was high energy and unusually long. The entire Mike's Groove was hard-hitting, turning the energy up another notch. Tela, a fan request, was outstanding – this version is just perfect in every way! Starting around the 15 minute mark, DWD enters an excellent “New Age Phish” jam – relaxed, unforced, consistent, simple – followed by a smooth segue into a nearly flawless Fluffhead. The real surprise of this show was the GTBT encore – they ripped it a new asshole! Easily the best GTBT I've ever heard. Don't overlook that encore!

Wow. All i have to say is Down with Disease. Best of 3.0 right there.

I was not ready for the second set. Amazing jams.

Amazing show from start to finish. Set One highlights Funky Bitch, Mike's Hydrogen Groove, and a superb "The Maze" would make this a must have show even without the "best of tour" second set. Essential.

I just wanted to add a sidenote about this second set behemoth trio of DWD>Fluff>Bowie.
If you love it....I highly recommend this 2nd set underrated monster.
12/3/09 DWD>Piper>Fluff It's a 45 minute BEAST.

Wow. What a great time we all had dancing together. The whole show had a great, happy vibe. First three of set two clock in at about 1 hour. Had front row for the first time in my phish touring career which dates back to 1992. Couldn't believe when I would open my eyes and they were right there!

Thanks for coming to visit metro Detroit again Phish! Come back soon

chalk dust contains a little fluffhead tease at 5:20 official release time

This DWD is definately awesome...However, still think the Bonnaroo 6/12/09 is best DWD 3.0

Realized my mistake the moment I posted, but can't delete it. Ohwell, raging out at Blossom tonight!

^^^Yeah it's in there broski...

2001 = Also Sprach

I’ve always loved irony, though I despise ironing, which is slightly ironic I suppose. But as I say, I love irony, so I maintain a lifelong commitment to continue hating ironing.

So anyway, a long time ago I was struck by an ironic thought: imagine selling a t-shirt that says “Capitalism Sucks” at 100% profit margin? Heck, for a double entendre of irony (a double irondre?) you could even print it in all capital letters.

CAPITALISM SUCKS

I just had to do it, and I did.

I contacted an old friend who was in the t-shirt game and got a couple hundred printed up for five bucks a pop, just in time for George W. Bush’s first visit to Ottawa. I hawked somewhere between sixty and eighty shirts at the protest downtown so I came pretty close to breaking even in one afternoon.

After that I had them hanging in a record shop on Rideau Street and it was their biggest selling shirt. But like I say it was a record shop so they didn’t really sell a whole lot of t-shirts anyway. Other than that I’ve never really actively sold them, except once.

I was heading down to the US for a quick Phish run that was starting at Pine Knob on June 3rd, 2011. M’lady had mentioned that the Pine Knob lot was actually a collection of grassy fields and it sounded pretty fun. I’ve always quite liked the relaxed hustle of the jammy parking lot independent merch scene and the few times I’ve sold dollar-beers or Jager shots at shows I really had a lot of fun doing it, so I thought I’d bring a handful of shirts with me to Pine Knob and kill the afternoon spreading the irony around.

I figured that nobody would get the joke more than this crowd and I was right. As I cruised the rows of parked cars and their accompanying lawnchair gatherings I got plenty of laughs and high fives. Really, it was more performance art than it was a sales pitch. Of course I got called out often for being a hypoocrite, to which I delivered my standard rebuke:

“I’m not selling t-shirts, I’m selling irony at ten buck a pop. And with every ironic purchase you get a free t-shirt to commemorate the occasion!”

My word, I can be so droll.

Believe it or not, the line actually worked on one guy, who handed me ten dollars and marked my only actual sale of the day.

Easier to believe is the fact that my line didn’t work at all on the parking lot security dudes who confiscated my remaining shirts. “But it’s performance art!” I pleaded.

“It’s irony! I’m not selling shirts, I’m selling irony!”

Of course they were having none of it. They offered me a choice: hand over the six shirts I had with me or they could escort me to the police tent and I could discuss it with the Sheriff. The fact that I had accidentally flashed my wares to a uniformed police officer earlier and got nothing but a smile and a wave made me actually consider it. But showtime was looming so I let these guys steal my irony and shrugged it off over another lot beer before going into the show.

Phish raged it. Totally heady Down With Disease. I was hoping they’d play Makisupa Policemen to honour my pre-show travails but they didn’t. But like I say, pretty sweet DWD.

Somehow or another I’m down to just a dozen or so Capitalism Sucks shirts left in the closet. I’ve only given a few of them away - not counting my donation to the Pine Knob Security thrift sale bin - so I guess I’ve made a few bucks on them by now.

To be honest, I’ve always planned to sink the profits into an even better, even more ironic product that I’ve had kicking around in my head for a few years. Would it be ironic if I never got around to it?

(Ironically, CAPITALISM SUCKS t-shirts are currently available right here: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/27698595-capitalism-sucks?store_id=1187036 )
toddmanout.com

Quick plug for the LivePhish app. This is the first show I listened to using it. I didn't pay attention to this app for a long time, but once I finally downloaded it and got a subscription, I was suddenly overtaken with exhilaration for the immense power I held within my hands. Glad I finally made the plunge.

As for this show, what a doozy! Both sets are full of great playing and energy. The DWD jam is a must-hear, and the Bowie jam is pretty hot too. I would say give this entire show a spin, but if you are looking for the more essential highlights, here are mine:

1) Wolfman's Brother: Great opening statement, Mike really shines with some funky thick bass licks ('it's my birthday' funk). Trey's leads mesh nicely with Mike, and they build into a great peak. This show has my attention.

2) Funky Bitch: What a rager! Trey goes off on this one, a little loose at moments but all heart. Love it!

3) Weekapaug: Build to some great peaks and high energy fun throughout. Very good version.

4) Chalkdust Torture: This chalkdust is pretty great, but there is a brief ~30 sec moment where Trey puts his hand to the flame just to warn this "Set I" crowd that the fire is coming in Set II. It's a cool flirt with dissonance that I really love. Highlight of a pretty great set I.

5) DWD: The fire has arrived you set I noobs. Cool riff-aping between Mike & Trey to start this jam off, it has an effortless feel, like bustling through an over-crowded NYC street in drizzling rain with your headphones on. Fishman drops out of the jam for a few minutes, allowing Mike/Trey/Page to harmonize over digital delay loops for some beautiful, jellyfish melodies. When Fishman finally comes back in, WOW!!! Freaking incredible! The beat, the melodies, and Trey's lead in this new segment are fantastic. Once the digital loop recedes, the jam enters organic territory where Mike and Fishman really shine with a beefy, snappy, journeying beat. Page uses some helium head synthesizers to signal a wonderful ending coda of the jam. High priority listening material. The only thing that makes this jam better is...

6) Fluffhead: OMG! I've never been so happy to hear Fluffy! Emerging seemingly from nowhere, the transition is pretty rad, and after that DWD jam there is nowhere Fluff can travel but to raging peaks of glory. Well-played, well-placed,, the only thing that can make this better is...

7) David Bowie: Yes!!! Not super familiar with 3.0 Bowies, but I am confident that this must be among the best. The jam starts in standard Bowie territory and then suddenly its not. Trey flawlessly enters a major mode with the band hot on his tail, it just sounds natural. The jam stays in happy, rocking jam land until about the 11 min mark, where the jam takes a more epic, climbing and dissonant pose that is more Bowie-esque. The context of how it all evolves, though, makes a truly outstanding listen. The jam sticks the trilling Bowie ending so hard that hand-banging cannot be avoided. A phenomenal three song sequence. The Waste that follows is a welcomed respite from this 50+ min of amazing rock n' roll.

It's hard not to get bored of saying things like this, but:

"DWD contained a Happy Birthday tease and a jam based on A Love Supreme."

This is false. The supposed 'A Love Supreme jam' is based on a jaunty two-note rhythm that happens to be the same as the famous chant in 'A Love Supreme' - not to mention half the dance rhythms ever played, Jesus - and Page does at times play the full four-note chant line, but it takes more than a single one-measure rhythmic concordance to make a jam 'based on' anything. It must feel nice to spot such things, but it's not there this time. Four notes don't make a song; context matters. The musics are totally different. C'mon now!

Like the ballyhooed NYE '95 'Fire on the Mountain' jam that Dirksen used to get monomaniacal about, this one's just (very very very brief) coincidence. I think someone was just out to win cred this time; ho hum.

Amazing show! Make sure the 2001 makes it into the setlist.