The Saratoga Performing Arts Center has long been a favorite venue for Phish to play and never more so than in recent years where the quartet have offered some absolutely scintillating performances. The first two nights of three this year vividly illustrated again how the quartet functions, the group essentially starting up and revving its engine on the first night and taking fast flight to ever-so-high altitudes the second.
Perhaps because Phish had only one previous performance under their collective belt at this point on the summer tour-their opening in Bangor Maine just two nights before-the group was ultra-careful July 5th. Guitarist Trey Anastasio took only a couple solos of any duration early this night, on the opener “Kill Devil Falls” and “Bathtub Gin,” and collective improvisation was scant till the set one closing “David Bowie.” On this composition, some delicate interplay during which Page McConnell’s keyboards sparkled particularly brightly, conjured up a relatively tranquil air that contrasted markedly with the jubilance of the song’s main refrain.
A similar approach surfaced early in the second set during “Light,” highlighting a new stage setup where drummer Jon Fishman sits center stage angled slightly to his right: his closer proximity to the guitarist should continue to have direct and positive influence on Phish jams in general, in particular like those rocking interludes such as “46 Days” where the group dug hard in part due to the interplay between Fishman and Anastasio (rendering “The Mango Song” nothing more than a passing interlude).
This summer of Phish’s thirtieth anniversary, lightmeister Chris Kuroda is working to establish a new style of stage effects. Including back and front-lighting of the musicians as well as the panoramic displays for which he’s already well-known, Kuroda’s attempting to render more striking individual imagery; it’s an admirable effort to try something new that’s a direct reflection of the inner mechanics of the band itself since it regrouped in 2009. But who thought dispersing vapor into the air during “Steam” was evocative?
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The fact Kuroda’s work on July 6 was more in line with his past style is a tribute to his ability to adjust quickly as much as his connection with the music. Phish proceeded directly from the fiery encore the night before, “Character Zero,” to an assertive “Crowd Control” leading into a series of segues and extended but efficient improvisations within “Tweezer,” “Sand” and “Carini;” reaching a peak during “Architect,” the formal structure of this song from Anastasio’s most recent solo album did not preclude intricate embroidery upon the melody and rhythm.
It’s an indication of how fully the band has rediscovered and reinvented itself that, even when hitting a semi-predictable interlude, such as that which led directly from “Wilson,” a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” then to ‘Possum,” that the transitions delivered maximum impact.
Even set pieces such as “Slave to the Traffic Light,” invariably signaling the end of a set soon to come, work on their own terms and in the context of their surroundings in the setlist: no less remarkable than ever, the balance of the four instrumentalists, amplified as much this night by a superior audio mix as it was muffled the previous night by an inferior one (which afflicted bassist Mike Gordon the most), Phish evince a genuine excitement about what they’re doing.
Accordingly, the euphoric acclamation Phish receives, contrived as it sometimes seems, derived from their own infectious elation. Based on these two nights in Saratoga Springs, the band clearly doesn’t feel they’re merely rehashing the past. Quite the contrary…
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