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The Tweezer Reprise madness that Phish started on Friday night in Hartford by performing the caffeinated song twice to end the show continued last night at the Saratoga Performing Arts

Phish began the heart of summer tour, four nights in a row in the Northeast, hitting the stage on a cool early summer night in Hartford with a classic Punch You In The Eye opener, and in hindsight the choice set the tone for the rest of the show: a nice show with no huge surprises, a few inconsistencies and some smoldering highlights.

Page was sounding particularly good on the piano here, as he would throughout the whole night, but everyone had ample chances to shine right from the start. Fishman offered up surprisingly dense drumming while a slow, lumbering Ocelot lazily lurked through the forest by night (this song seems so comfortable and warm now, not as peppy and bright as it did this time last year). Mike was slapping hard and bumping the low end on an excellent, welcome Dinner and a Movie, and carried the beginning of the jam on the following Stash to a low, still space. The movement there began to stretch and push at the boundaries, Page’s piano darting above Trey’s reserved lead which was buried in the core of the sound. But eventually the guitar grew louder and began to dominate, pulling the whole jam with it like some sonic groundswell erupting into hectic madness that literally skidded into the finale–the whole improv was really a single uphill movement.

Esther (complete with a Sing a Random Note secret language tease to which no one responded, and had less to do with the old gag than the enormous circus tent set up down the street) was another treat hearkening back to Phish’s early days, sugary rainbow pop lights coloring the stage while Esther and the puppet were adrift, and shifting to foggy purples as they fell earthward again. The truly stand out moment of the set, though, was Walk Away. Something about Hartford on a summer weeknight begs for classic rock, and the James Gang cover was immediately bristling with energy, Trey shredding in his best form. But when it seemed like the zenith was at hand, he kept pushing the music higher and higher, running over a whole series of ever greater peaks and sending the crowd into wild fits.

READ ON for more on Dan’s thoughts on Hartford…

Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ – 12/26/2009 Atlanta, GA [download] [stream] Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ is without a doubt one of the best kept secrets in the history of Rock & Roll in

MMJ’s Yim Yames visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this evening to perform with the show’s house band – The Roots. The Roots are promoting their new album, How I

[Published:03/29/07] Life on the road is tough, so it’s no surprise that many songwriters have used the concept of home as a theme throughout their songs. If I were living with 10 other dudes in a small van, I’d be homesick too. The word ‘home’ may conjure up different images to different people, but it seems the connection is a feeling of security and safety.

In the first six months of this column we’ve tried to focus squarely on the music. But today, this B List takes a look at the lyrics as we check out the 20 best songs about home (in no particular order). As usual, we did our best to find a YouTube video or audio clip to illustrate the songs listed:

1. Sing Me Back Home – Merle Haggard: This death-row tale was written in the late ’60s. As you see in the video, Merle used to play this song at a quick tempo, while the Grateful Dead slowed it down to a funeral dirge in their version. I favor the Dead’s version — nobody was better at emoting that sad soulful feeling like JerBear.

“Sing me back home with a song I used to hear”

2. Home Sweet Home – Motley Crue: Leave it to Motley Crue to write a tearjerker that can be classified as kickass. The number one Hair Metal Power Ballad returns to the B List due to its heartfelt lyrics by Nikki Sixx. I guess between shots of adrenaline and pussy, Sixx got a bit homesick.

“I had to run away high So I wouldn’t come home low”

3. Can’t Find My Way Home – Blind Faith: Blind Faith’s gift to the world is possibly the best song ever written about home. Pre MTV Unplugged Eric Clapton rarely picked up an acoustic. But on the version of Can’t Find May Way Home from Blind Faith’s eponoymous album, Clapton delivers one of his most beautiful performances of his career. To me, Can’t Find My Way Home is about being caught up in the excesses of life so much so that you lose vision of what’s important.

If this was an ordered list I’d have to say this song would probably be number one. My friend Hadley hit the nail on the head when he said “If there is a more hauntingly beautiful tune than this, either the standard acoustic version or the electric one, then I’ve never heard it.”

“And I’m wasted and I can’t find my way home”

Read on for the 17 remaining tunes on this week’s B List…