November 26, 2009

History will not look kindly on the show Phish played at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia last night. The band threw down one of the best, if not the best, show since they reunited on Tuesday night featuring a dream setlist filled with blockbusters. We all knew what would happen the next night – a standard Phish show. And that’s indeed what happened, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a standard Phish show.

[All photos by Jake Krolick from Philly Night 1 Photo Gallery on Glide]

Phish gigs come in many different shapes and sizes with last night’s show fitting in the Rock Show category. Every member of the band seemed to be feeding off of the energy of the crowd. Some showgoers sing along with the lyrics of each song, not in Philly. This was a crowd that just wanted to move and thrash the night away. Phish complied by delivering a number of potent tunes like 46 Days, Tweezer Reprise, Kill Devil Falls and Wilson. The audience roared their approval during the high-energy parts of the night and swayed en mass throughout the softer moments.

Nothing exemplifies the rock feel of this show more than the marvelous Tweezer for the second set. Phish took plenty of time finding the proper groove as soon as the jam started. To use a football analogy – once the groundwork had been laid, guitarist Trey Anastasio found the hole up the middle and scored a big touchdown. Anastasio kept hooking up with bassist Mike Gordon on a number of creative repeating patterns while drummer Jon Fishman kept the beat intense and keyboardist Page McConnell asserted a few counter-melodies for good measure. While Tweezer may not have veered too far off script, it was powerful and a show of force.

READ ON for more from Scotty on Phish in Philly – Night Two…

My DJ Partner Lax Class just sent me this stone groove of a mix from AliOOft. It’s a Nu Disco and Re Edit saunter through some great old dance classics