January 2003

Phish Live at the Science Factory

Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, Virginia
January 2nd, 3rd, and 4th - 2003

Experiments in music took place in Hampton, Virginia's Hampton Coliseum (or as I like to call it The Science Factory) on the first weekend of 2003. The spherical Space Odyssey shaped Factory was over-packed to the rafters with willing participants in the latest in a long line of musical tests that Phish has performed onstage during their nineteen year career. The Space Factory's bouncy foundation was a perfect setting for the talented foursomes return to jamming after a two-year hiatus. Every song Phish played during their three-night celebration had a feeling of limitless possibilities. Each song was given the royal jam treatment by the band, which resulted in tons of passion and extended playing.

The emotion of anticipation felt communally by the thousands of fans during the pre-show and set break waiting periods, and even between songs, was truly something special. Before each show the air of the sci-atorium was pulsating with conversations about what songs people wanted to hear, with each individual fan wanting to hear a different and favorite song of the day. Although Phish does have a humongous legion of loyal fans, more often than not their fans can be as compulsive and finicky as a crowd full of nerds at a sci-fi convention in Atlantic City. Every night they play a concert Phish must feel a certain amount of pressure to perform at an almost unobtainable level set for them by their fans, and by their critics, who coincidentally expect so much from the band that they constantly compare them to legends like the Grateful Dead, the Talking Heads, and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Luckily, Phish is an extremely energized, learned, and confident band of musicians that are able to play masterfully for three hours almost every night.

For their reunion celebration Phish did not disappoint on any level. Each show of their three-night run in the Science Factory had a different and unique feel to it. Excitement, happiness, and extended jamming were the only things that were constant throughout the performances. When they hit the stage they set the mood for the night, and they ran with it.

On the first night of musical experimenting, the crowd and Phish went through a wonderful exchange of pleasantries and formalities, reintroducing themselves to one another. From the opening notes of a rocking and spaced out version of "Chalkdust Torture" until the encore ending crescendo of the new and tequila spirited "Mexican Cousin", Phish communicated their feelings of excitement for being back together again, and the crowd communicated joy right back to the band. The night did contain moments that did seem out of time or flubbed, but there were also moments of pure ecstasy that completely outweighed a few mistaken chord progressions or changes. Older songs like "Bathtub Gin", "Back On The Train", "Water In The Sky", and "My Friend, My Friend" felt fresh and alive again, while new songs like "46 Days" and "Round Room" showcased where the band might be heading musically in the future, even if the future wasn't quite clear or perfected.

Throughout the night lead guitarist, and the closest thing the band has to a front man, Trey Anastasio did seem to force his way to the forefront of every song by playing an assortment of gentle noodles or whaling solos. Because of his desire to be the main focus at all times, Anastasio made himself the producer of most of the technical mistakes made by the band. To Anastasio's credit, when he was hitting all the notes everything sounded better than ever, as it did during "Back on the Train" and "Water in the Sky", but the moments when he was fumbling with his guitar were rather painful to hear. Regardless of these momentary lapses, after the show ended the crowd was sent into the night knowing their heroes had returned to them, and even though the band may not be performing as tight and together as they did before the hiatus, everything was going to be all right.

The second night of experimenting at the Science Factory was completely and totally exhilarating. The crowd was amazing and the band performed unbelievably. From the opening notes of the funky "Tweezer" you could tell the band was "ON". Unlike the first night, Anastasio didn't force his way to the front of every song by playing a blistering guitar run, instead Anastasio was relaxed allowing his band mates to set the groove. And groove they did. Every song was something unique and different. "Possum", "You Enjoy Myself", "Free", "Wolfman's Brother", and the encore "Contact" all contained explosive improvised sections that completely dazzled and energized the crowd. What Phish displayed on this night was the true power and unpredictable brilliance that brings thousands of diehard Phish-heads out to the show every night. This concert was as close to a true throwback 1970's Arena Rock concert that can be had in the year 2003, especially by a band that didn't start playing together until 1983. There was a moment during the wild and intense version of "Pebbles and Marbles" that I thought the entire Coliseum was going to blast off into the cosmos never to return to Earth again. This night was the reason why these three concerts sold out in less than two minutes. Pure bone shacking Phish rock and roll music!

The final night of Phish's 2003 run at the Science Factory was a giant thank you from the band to the fans. Everyone new that the show the night before was something special, so Phish gave a final performance that felt like a giant kiss on the cheek. A wailing version of "Llama" started off the show and a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Boogie On Reggae Woman" set the tone to funky for the rest of the night. Extraordinary versions of "Maze" and "Saw It Again" highlighted the sonic first set.

Phish's final set in Hampton began appropriately with a rousing version of The Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll". The jam during this Lou Reed song was highly intense, with tight playing by the entire band and a phenomenal solo by Anastasio. The crowd favorite "Mike's Song", written by Bassist Mike Gordon, followed the inspired cover of "Rock and Roll". Once again Phish set the Science Factory spinning with "Mike's Song". Excellent versions of "Weekapaug Groove" and "Fast Enough, For You" followed, and the concert was capped off with a supa-funkified version of "Also Sprach Zarathustra", the theme to Stanley Kubrick's epic film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The crowd collectively boogied down to the final song of Phish's set. After a raucous round of applause from the twisted mass of people, Phish came back out for one final encore. As an ending gesture, the band played "Friday" off of their latest album. Although it was a mellow choice for the last song, "Friday" does contain the lyric, "Why isn't it Friday today?", which was exactly what everyone in the Science Factory was thinking on Saturday night as Phish left the stage. Everyone wanted the feeling that had been created over the last three nights to continue forever. "Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll!"