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PHISH By Cory Tressler I’ve seen Phish in concert twenty-five times since my first show on 11/7/96 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. I’ve seen them in ten different cities, in seven different states of the union, nine times on a Friday, on New Year’s Eve, indoors, outdoors… I’ve seen them play 177 different songs, cover Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman” seven times, play “Character Zero” seven times as a first set closer, and play “Tweezer Reprise” as an encore four times. I am an avid fan. I enjoy their music and I respect them as artists for their unquestionable talent. With all that being said some may wonder why I continue to have so much passion for one band after seven years of waiting in line (or online) to buy tickets, buying every studio album released, trading tapes and CDs of shows with hundreds of other fans, buying every solo album each band member individually released, and waiting two years during their “hiatus” to see them live again? The thought has crossed my mind, especially with the perpetual rise of ticket prices, but on Tuesday July 29th Phish reintroduced me to the unbelievable energy that they can create during a night of music. The concert began under a beautifully cloudless sky as Phish played the soulful sounds of “Daniel Saw The Stone”. This was the first time I had ever seen Phish play this song before and I was overjoyed with the up tempo gospel tune. As the crowd danced and gyrated around me Phish jumped into the ultra Funky original “Camel Walk”. Just like “Daniel Saw The Stone” this was the first time I had ever seen Phish play “Camel Walk”, and luckily for me this theme continued throughout the night. The one thing that people ask me after they find out I’ve seen the same band twenty-five times is: “If you’ve seen them once, why do you need to see them again?” This would be a completely valid question if the band in question were not Phish. Phish has played over 1100 concerts since 1983 and not a single concert has been the same. They work with a set list of over 650 different songs, where any song could be played at any moment. They have performed over 22,000 songs during their career and not a single one of them has been exactly the same. I feel extra excited whenever I’m at a Phish show and they play a song that I’ve never seen them play live before, it’s one of the main reasons I keep going to see them. I never know what to expect and that anxiety and suspense adds greatly to the overall concert experience. Anyways, back to the concert. “Camel Walk” was played to perfection, with bassist Mike Gordon pounding away at the bottom line making it impossible for the human body to remain motionless. The funky vibe created by “Camel Walk” continued with a crisp version of “Gotta Jibboo”. It was during this song that I had my first thoughts that this was going to be a better than normal Phish show. I am not saying that some Phish shows are disappointing; some are just better than others. Everybody has good days and bad days, even rocks stars. The first set continued to grow with a cover of “Cool It Down” from The Velvet Underground’s classic album Loaded. Once again Phish was delivering a break out performance. “Cool It Down” was much longer and more jammed out than Lou Reed’s original composition. Every song played during the first set had a very clear and precise sound to it. It was obvious that Phish was “on” and the entire first set continued to grow and build as the sun began to set over the rural western Pennsylvania skyline. The set climaxed with an inspired version of the Phish concert staple “Golgi Apparatus”. The band built the end of the song up to dizzying heights before ending their fantastic set. During the first set alone I saw three songs I had never seen in concert before, so needless to say I was very excited. Set two of Phish’s Star Lake adventure began with a wild version of the Talking Heads song “Crosseyed and Painless”. Phish played the rhythmic David Byrne tune as if it was their own. After drummer Jon Fishman belted out the last words of the song the band blasted off on a 20-minute exploration of sound. The long jam was packed full of musical twists and turns that meandered back and forth through different genre’s of music. Jazz Fusion, Funk, and Psychedelic Rock where all represented through Phish’s display of musical dominance. The set continued with another first timer for me, “Brother”. “Brother” is normally a quirky little song that Phish plays from time to time and is normally very happy and even gentile, but this version of “Brother” changed my concept of the song completely. Phish added a darker level to this high paced song. It was as if it under went a complete transformation from happy dance number to all out stadium rocker. Once again, this is a prime example as to why I continue to go to Phish concerts. After the amazing “Brother” Phish pulled the ultimate rabbit out of their hat, “Harpua”. The song began with a raw opening section that included the Grand Funk Railroad-esque lyric “coming to your town, we’ll help you party down!”, and then quickly changed into a spoken word piece that sounded very much like a mildly demented children’s story about a boy named Jimmy and his cat Poster. The thing that makes “Harpua” different from other Phish songs is that the main storyline of the song changes each time it is played. Every time Phish plays the song the fans get a chance to hear another chapter or adventure in Jimmy’s life. Metaphorically the song represents the entire essence of a Phish concert. You never know what it is going to be about and it is constantly changing in a split second. During this version of “Harpua” Jimmy became depressed, joined a rock band, sang Phish’s own song “Bittersweet Motel”, fell in love with a girl, sang Elvin Bishop’s “I Fooled Around and Fell In Love”, and ultimately had to deal with the death of his beloved cat. Like Phish, the saga of “Harpua” continued to expand into new areas during the concert in Burgettstown and everyone who witnessed the event new they had just seen something very special. As Phish played the final notes of their encore, “Farmhouse”, and I prepared myself for the three-hour trek back to Cowlumbus, I realized that this band does create something completely unique and spiritual when they take the stage. Phish has given birth to an entire world of music and story telling that is original and interestingly American. It is very comforting to know that as long as this band is performing I will always have a chance to escape from my daily life and join the circus, even if only for a day.
Set II: Encore: |
