Phish – Tahoe- Night One Highlights

A quick recap of Phish’s performance July 30, 2o13 at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys, Stateline, NV

After two ripping shows at the infamous Gorge Amphitheater to kick off the second leg of summer tour, Phish took the stage last evening in Lake Tahoe, NV to a capacity crowd. The intimate venue was rocking all evening with two well-played sets that built off the energy started at the Gorge. Here are ten highlights from last night with a few critiques thrown in for good measure.

Tahoe Night 1: 10 Highlights from the first of two in Lake Tahoe

1. Intimate venue, epic destination. Before even touching the music, seeing Phish in a 7,000 person venue is special on its own. Throw in one of the most beautiful destinations the band has ever played and you have the instant makings of a potential classic.

2. A loose feeling, rock-solid first set. Both Gorge shows had solid first sets that set the stage for overall great shows. The boys clearly brought that vibe to Tahoe. Although the show started early, the energy built through the night with a distinct danceable groove that ultimately exploded later in the evening. Fans were fired up from start to finish and the band took notice.

3. The return of “Gotta Jibboo”. Showcasing a fun jam in its first appearance of tour, “Jibboo” dropped early in the first set. At this stage in the show, after a “Wolfman’s Brother” opener that brought the funk right from the start, all signs were pointing to a special show.

4. “Bathtub Gin”. A notorious jam vehicle, this version of “Gin” was different in the way the boys danced around notes until an actual peak was achieved. While this take still had the feeling of a first set tune, post-peak the jam ramped up, leaving the crowd with an obvious high point to the set.

5. “Walk Away”. While this version wasn’t a complete standout when compared to other versions in the recent 3.0 era, it’s more that the preceding “Tube” (while short) coupled with “Walk Away” provided an exclamation point from the “Bathtub” jam in such an unforced way. The flow had a sharp bite to it. By the end of the first set show attendees had bliss written all over their faces and the best was still yet to come.

6. Set II. Rocking, cohesive, well thought out music. This is a set worth relistening to as there isn’t really a dull moment in the frame. From one of the more interesting “Golden Age” jams since Phish started covering the TV on the Radio tune, to the one well placed, catch-your-breath take on “Wading in the Velvet Sea”, this was the third masterful second set from the boys in as many shows.

7. “46 Days”. While the “Golden Age” jam is a definite highlight from the show, “46 Days” was the clear “take off” moment for set two. Lead by Mike-bombs, Trey, Page and Fish were locked-in and the throw down was explosive. A blistering take on the rocking tune, every single soul in the capacity crowd was throwing down during this one.

8. “Ghost>Carini”. To complete the frame adequately the segue from “Carini” into “Piper” is necessary, but “Ghost”>”Carini” was something else. “Ghost” brought a deep groove many of us have been waiting on and “Carini” provided yet another springboard of brilliance. In contrast to the darkness from MSG’s “Carini” on 12/30/12, this jam was bright, positive and uplifting. “Piper” flowed from its glow capping an incredible trifecta of songs.

9. “Mike’s Song”>”Slave to the Traffic Light”. With the show pretty much in the bag “Mike’s” dropped out of nowhere with a ferocious beat after the crowd had briefly caught their breath during a perfectly placed “Wading in the Velvet Sea”. As the jam built “Hydrogen” seemed imminent, but instead another surprise in a soaring “Slave to the Traffic Light” took the crowd to the end of a remarkable show.

10. Encore. With “Slave” dropping in like a curveball a funky “Weekapaug” completed the “Mike’s Groove” in an atypical encore slot much to the delight of the Tahoe audience. But we still weren’t done. Much like the Gorge version, “Character Zero” sort of felt like a victory lap for the boys. An absolute rocking throw down take on the song blew the intimate venue to shreds one more time, putting the stamp of quality on yet another blistering show from the second leg of summer tour.

Room to Grow: With the band clearly on fire, after their third stellar show in a row, there’s barely a place to critique. But when you’re talking about the phab phour there’s always a little something to work on.

1. Repeats. Three repeats from the Gorge. With such a vast catalogue it seems strange that Phish would repeat songs in such a tight rotation. That said, the Tahoe repeats were three excellent tunes, played well and just as importantly placed well. Also, the rotation thus far on leg two has been nothing like what it was during leg one. And can you really complain about such a ripping “Wolfman’s” opener?

2. Bumpy transitions. While not completely lost, the segues in set two featured more friction than fluidity. However, the overall vibe was too strong to shake as the playing clearly outshined the transitions.

3. Short takes. 7/30/13 will go down as a standout show following two previous standout shows from the beloved Gorge. At any given Phish show some songs achieve liftoff while others may stay contained. “Tube” got a little looser at the Gorge, but barely broke the three-minute mark in Tahoe. It still needs that added something to break out the jam a bit, whether within the confines of the song or as an extended jam post-lyrics. We’re still waiting on that one. Likewise, “Cities” could’ve stretched more of the funk beyond its five minutes.

Overall this show was fire from start to finish. It will be re-listened to often, and based on Phish’s complete performance one can only dream of what’s in store for night #2.

 

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