Review: Phish Throw Down In Hartford
In stark contrast to the North East June Phish shows, there wasn’t a ticket to be had in the lots at Hartford as the cheering and hollering crowd made its way past security and into the Meadows, home to many a fond summertime memory. The lawn filled up quickly and it was plenty hot and humid inside the shed, the audience becoming particularly excited and singing along to the chorus of the Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer as it played softly over the PA.
[All photos by Jeremy Gordon]
There was excitement in the air, anticipation, and the quartet capitalized on both when they took the stage with a PYITE that had Trey bouncing right away. Following up with a tight, fiery AC/DC Bag into NICU, filled with organ and heavy cactus chunks, the band let everyone know it would be a high energy night.
Negotiations were taking place on stage, the four members seeming to pass messages across in a game of telephone from Page to Fish and back again, and then they hit the assembled masses with Col. Forbin’s Ascent out of the blue, the first since 2000. Unfortunately, there was no Gamehenge narration at all, even though the timing seemed perfect for a long Woodstock tale and perhaps a Star Spangled Banner. Instead, the group moved right into Famous Mockingbird, but a hot version at that, seemingly longer and heavier than older ones, with blissfully light accents marking the final descent.
READ ON for more of Dan’s thoughts and Jeremy’s photos from Hartford…
