West Coast Summer Phish Tour is off and running after two shows at the world renowned Gorge Amphitheater in Quincy, Washington. The first leg of summer tour built slowly from Minneapolis to Syracuse, with the band’s most dynamic playing concentrated near the end. As a result, the excitement for leg two has been more than palpable, and the energy was contagious the past few days because when Phish is slated to play the Gorge, magic in some form is all but a guarantee.
Highlights
-Venue: Let’s be real here folks. Yes, Red Rocks is a special place to see live music. But there is absolutely no place in the world quite like the Gorge. If you haven’t been the pictures do it some justice, but don’t let yourself miss another excuse to visit this hallowed ground. It’s true that as a band Phish brings it most every time they play the Gorge. However, it’s more about the non-festy festival type experience-helped in large part by the on-site camping, coupled with the mind-bending scenery that makes the venue so special for those who make the trek. No venue touches what the Gorge offers in whole, and to see Phish play there is simply a right of passage.
-Tweezer Sandwich: Whether it was thought out at first or not, bravo for dropping “Tweezer” to kick off the run, and finishing with “Tweezer Reprise” to send us south to San Francisco. There’s no denying many of us love to see “Tweezer” in the second set opener slot, but there’s no complaining when the song sees any life at a show, never mind to get things going. The “Reprise” was noticeably absent at the close of night one, but brought the heat to close things out and was fully celebrated by those in attendance.
-First Set Night 1: After several days of rest, and a nice ending to leg one of 2016 Summer Tour, Phish came out blazing to kick off the first of four sets at the Gorge. Playing for more than 90 minutes the band concentrated on a fresh song selection that spanned their entire career, exuding the crucial vibe of attachment to place in a place so special for music lovers and the fans willing to travel to see Phish.
-Fun with Fishman: Good ole’ Fish. It just wouldn’t be Phish without him. The debut of “Ass Handed” was more entertainment than anything else, but the ending reminded me of the final notes of “Icculus” in the sense of, what if the band kept going here? Nonetheless, the banter was another accentuation to the first set and most likely set up a well placed “Party Time” right after. And closing the run, the “Hold Your Head Up”, ”Love You”>”Hold Your Head Up” once again signaled the rampant fun factor of the two shows with a spotlight on the drummer.
-Set Two Night 1: The clear and unmatched frame of music from this Gorge run. Arguably the set of tour thus far, it’s the most likely selection of music to get plenty of plays in the weeks/months to come. But I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s one “must list to” jam or bust out. It’s more about the flow that was achieved, the confidence in playing, and the creative output as a result of such deliberate musicianship that’s noteworthy. My advice to anyone looking for the best of the Gorge 2016 would be to give this set a spin from start to finish. The “Crosseyed and Painless” had the whole venue as fired up as possible when the initial notes dropped, and the segue into “What’s The Use” is as smooth and melty as it gets. A funky “No Men in No Man’s Land” followed and this is where a brief taste of compelling improvisation was offered before the ultimate theme of the set emerged. These first three songs found their way into almost every other song in the set-not in a forced way, but in a layered, thematic manner. The fluidity is what sets this section of music apart and gives it that special feel. It’s easy to look at the setlist and wonder why “Ghost” and “Chalk Dust Torture” were so short, but take a listen first and then decide why so many people were overheard on their way back to camp that night saying, “and that’s why I go to Phish shows”.
-Two Notable Encores: They’re not the reason anyone goes to see Phish, but multiple shows with multiple songs in the encore slot is what we got at the Gorge this year. Friday’s show paired “Makisupa Policeman”> “Wilson”, and then the classic “Good Times Bad Times” to close out the show. Of course by night two we were all expecting the “Reprise”, but the Fishman led procession was a fun start, and the “Harry Hood” was a most welcome surprise. At one point Trey asked lighting director Chris Kuroda to turn off the lights so the band could play to the nearly full moon. A glow stick war ensued, as did a solid take on another classic tune and great encore to close out the run.
-Set One Night 2: This set was nothing too extraordinary in the world of Phish, but after a memorable night one the set was full of solid song choices, a decent mixture of musical styles, and two quality, albeit short jam excursions in “Sand” and “Bathtub Gin”. Both shows did not have much Type II improvisation, but both of these tunes dipped into the interesting musical spaces many of us so look forward to with Phish.
-Set Two Night 2: It was a disjunctured set that had brief moments of bliss, but ultimately failed to find the flow that had built over the previous three sets. While most every song was played well, true highlights came in a completely shredding “Wingsuit”, as well as in brief moments of improv during “Mike’s Song” and “Weekapaug Groove”. It’s always best to squash expectations, but I know I’m far from the only one that hoped upon hearing these songs start to stretch, that they would go for a Gorge inspired ride. Although that didn’t happen to all-time levels, these selections stood out offering unique soundscapes late in the last set of the run.
Overall, two quality Phish shows took place at the mighty Gorge. Saturday did not rise above and overtake what was offered on Friday, but in the end more good music was played than not, and honestly, you just can’t beat a Phish show at the Gorge. The biggest lowlight of the run would have to be the lack of Type II music that was offered. Nothing was taken deep on an exploratory level, although the fire of set two from night one obliterates the poor belief held by some that if the jam isn’t long it isn’t “worthy enough.” I want Phish to get vulnerable, hook up, and send it into the stratosphere too, but I think many who write off songs, sets, or shows because of jams that are short in length must’ve missed all the crazy, although not necessarily top-tier jams we got in the 2.0 era, every night. These days we are so lucky to have the band playing so well, in such high spirits, with so much stoke. Maybe the next Gorge run can be pushed to three nights, but until then it’s time to get back to the Golden State and saddle up for the other pinnacle experience of this summer’s West Coast run; three nights of San Francisco inspired, indoor Phish.
One Response
Nice review. I LOVE the Gorge!!!