After the crests and troughs of an interesting fall tour there’s not a Phish fan in Sin City regretting their decision to attend the climactic Halloween run of 2016. Stepping back to the MGM Grand Garden Arena stage after a most memorable four show run in 2014, the band has been on fire playing two shows in a row that have the stoke meter on high with five sets left to be played.
Friday
“Martian Monster” – What better way to return to Vegas than to open the run with the song that’s seen the most post-Halloween play since it first debuted in 2014? They followed the same trend on Saturday with “The Birds”, but to enter the MGM Grand once again and be greeted with “Martian” primed the whole venue for an inevitable blast.
Set One Song Selection- The set was packed with songs, but there was nothing formulaic. The opener blew the venue up a bit, “Dog Stole Things” was a nice seldom played offering as was “Destiny Unbound”. “Home” had a nice little jam at the end that showed the potential for where this song could go, and the “Steam” could’ve been monstrous. All in all the set was compelling, a fine offering for the first of the nine to be offered.’
“Golden Age” This show will be remembered for the top tier jam that came out of “Golden Age”. It was a quality show overall, but nothing in recent memory comes close to the space the TV on the Radio tune explored on Friday. Covering cosmic ground, grounded in patience, and straight en fuego for several stretches this is quite simply what separates Phish as a purely unique band. Don’t judge this one solely based on its length of nearly 26 minutes, although to be fair no time was wasted. Instead give this is an intimate listen and enjoy it for it was-a prime example of Phish covering multiple musical landscapes full of distinct sections, soaring peaks with compelling chord changes throughout.
All four members contributed to this monumental piece of music with Page taking center stage for a stretch on the keys, and Trey really leading the charge on where to keep exploring, and when to release the sonic tension that the quartet had masterfully built. Those new to the scene understood something special was happening at the time, and those that have been seeing Phish for years will point to this one for a while as a reason they still go. “Light” also covered some interesting space during its improvisational portion later in the set, and a rare “Crimes of the Mind” to start set two kept the energy going from the first fame, but in the end this singular jam stands alone.
Saturday
“Gumbo” How about a first set stretch on a timeless classic? Sure it didn’t even get past the ten minute mark, but paired with a beautiful “Roggae” the right before, these are twenty special minutes that were offered Saturday night during set one in Las Vegas. “Maze” certainly spiked the energy later in the set as it commonly does, but the former stretch stood out the most. Listen back to where this “Gumbo” could have gone, and I know, that can be said a lot of times (“Steam” from night one), but the jam was worthy although brief, and helped put a little glow to the set.
“Mercury” > “Piper” I’d venture to say most fans will gravitate to the “Golden Age” when looking back at Friday and Saturday’s shows simply because it was one song that left its structure in such a profound way for such an extended period. That said, the first 31 minutes from Saturday nights set two was absolutely Phish at their best. “Mercury” is the new psychedelic vehicle the band needed to blast them into the next few years. Each offering has showed potential, and Saturday’s brought the wheel full circle as the groove went deep before turning into what became a hose infused “Piper”. This jam danced around a bit before settling a bit into funky territory. This lent time for an improvisation that exploded into arguably the biggest climax of the run thus far.
First Hour Set Two at the MGM was anchored by just over an hour of five songs that shared some lyrics, but were meant for exploration. It seemed each song was there to provide a sense of structure, but the intent was to go somewhere, whether it was in “Mercury” or in the gritty “Tweezer”. None of these jams went too far out there, and individually they each showcased more compact stylistic improvisation than anything else, but as a collective what wasn’t as available on Friday in terms of flow was found in this hour on Saturday. No fan will ever look past the glory that was “Golden Age” on Friday, but Saturday’s first hour was a taste of the fluidity that happens when the band is hooked up. It’s the feeling that only comes from this band when they are hearing each other in their own special ways to produce such seemingly cohesive music that ranges so much from each song and each moment within improvisational territory.
Lowlights from the past two are massively overshadowed by the highlights, which is always a good thing. Night one you have to go back and listen to “Steam”. It was moving to an otherworldly place when the ripchord got pulled in favor of “The Wedge”. The transition felt forced, the music suffered as a result, and especially to go there in set one, that deep, was a massive tease when the feeling of a settled galactic exploration was in place. Later in set two the transition out of “Golden Age” into “Simple” was a smooth, stylish way to come out of such a memorable jam although the opportunity didn’t come to fruition with “Simple” being played for only a brief stretch. On Saturday, the ending of “Gumbo” begged the question if Fishman wanted to end the excursion for some reason as the rest of the band seemed ready to keep going.
“I Always Wanted It This Way” was an interesting choice coming out of “Tweezer”. It fits in its spacey, funked out way although it could’ve kept reaching when it was abandoned for the slow down portion of the set. All of these points as always come from a place of inspired hope for the transformational spaces Phish still creates after 30+ years as a live touring band. The truth is no one is disappointed for the effort put into being in Vegas right now, and with two nights left after two shows dripping with highlights this run has all the makings of a modern era late fall classic.
