B List: 8 Reasons 12/30/2009 Was a Classic
Now that we’ve all had time to properly digest Phish’s 2009 and allow our respective iPods to sift through the weeds, it’s fair to put some things in the broader context. One thing that keeps coming up is whether anything from 2009 deserves consideration as a legendary Phish show?
While there are certainly heaps of people with strong feelings on both sides of this debate, I think the December 30, 2009 show deserves inclusion, at least to round out say a Top 50 all-time shows list. So, here is a defense of the rationale. All I ask is before you string me up from the rafters is that you read the list.
8) Like a Broken Record – Any Phish dork worth their weight in notepads knew that as the New Years run wound down, Phish narrowly approached their own record for the most unique songs played in a single year – which previously sat at a Wilt Chamberlain-esque 240. When the band stormed out of the gates with a first set that included a debut of Dixie Cannonball, a new song in Gone and a massive helping of 2009 first-timers (What’s the Use, Rocky Top, Corrina and Tela), it became clear they wouldn’t even need New Year’s Eve to eclipse the record. Like many holiday runs past, the night preceding New Years Eve took home top honors over the actual holiday, and the record got shattered.
7) A Lullaby the Breezes Whisper – Phish fans have short memories when it comes to craving for the band to play a song that’s been shelved for an extended period of time. Hence, the buzz for Tela has probably waned somewhat now that it’s been played, but leading up to the Miami show; this was without question the song everybody wanted to hear. A dust off of this magnitude usually runs the risk of some flubs, but the band tackled this intricate number with relative ease and a whole lot of excitement.
READ ON for six more reasons 12/30/2009 kicks fucking ass…
