June 19, 2010

Phish @ SPAC, Night One: Recap & Setlist

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

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Review: Phish in Hartford, Night One

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…

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Leonard Cohen Working On New Album

As reported in Rolling Stone, Leonard Cohen is currently working on a new album that he hopes have finished by spring.  It will be his first disc of fresh material

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