Review | Phish at Starlight

(Submitted photo by Ryan McElwain.)

A Phish concert is something much larger and extravagant than several thousand people convening to sit and listen to a favorite band play some of its most-favored songs.

The extravagance begins with the pre-concert soiree that simmers and boils-over in the parking lot hours before show time — a version of tailgating in which everyone gets into the proper state of mind for what will unfold inside the venue: three hours of excess, indulgence and catharsis.

Wednesday night, the quartet from Vermont sold-out Starlight Theatre, drawing a crowd that exceeded 7,800. From the initial appearance of the band on stage, just as dusk was settling in, till the final thank-yous were delivered as the clock crept toward midnight, much of the crowd remained on its feet, dancing, spinning, singing along and otherwise immersing itself in the heady, cosmic vibe.

The show was split into two 90-minute sets with a 30-minute intermission in between. The first outburst came early, as the band played the intro to the funky “The Moma Dance,” the third song on the setlist. The next eruption came a few songs later with “Stash,” a jam with a world-beat/jazz vibe that swerves into something altogether different as it is unleashed.

That is one of this band’s many strengths: its ability to switch genres seamlessly, from rock to funk to jazz to progressive versions of country and blues. Its effortlessness betrays its sophistication. Decades on the road have honed this band into an impressive live machine, one that appears to enjoy all the rituals without falling into routine.

Phish shows are documented, chronicled and analyzed like few others, and between sets there was plenty of meticulous Monday-morning quarterbacking going on over the show’s first half. The only soft spot for me was the relatively tame cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “The Ballad of Curtis Loew.”

The second set generated more energy, on stage and among the crowd. The fuse was lit with the opening numbers, “Tweezer” and “Mike’s Song.” Then came “Bouncing Around The Room,” a joyous almost-pop tune that detonated a blissful vibe that the band managed to sustain for nearly a half-hour as it glided into the ensuing tunes, stoking the mood and the festive storm. From the back of the theater, the crowd looked like the surface of water, in motion, in unison.

They closed the second set with another barn-burner, “Suzy Greenburg,” then returned for an encore: a stout cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup” that turned into one of Phish’s own, “Tweezer Reprise.” It brought to a rousing close a long night that captivated most of a large crowd that bounced and grooved all the way through it, around the theater, into other orbits.

Setlist: Chalk Dust Torture; Skin It Back; The Moma Dance; Rift; Bathtub Gin; Stash; The Ballad of Curtis Loew; Kill Devil Falls; Funky Bitch; Run Like an Antelope. Intermission. Tweezer; Piper; Mike’s Song; Bouncing Around the Room; Backwards Down the Number Line; Heavy Things; If I Could; Weekapaug Groove; Harry Hood; Suzy Greenburg. Encore: Loving Cup/Tweezer Reprise.

Timothy Finn | The Star

Comments

[JK]

where the hell have you been Tim

[Dawn Alexopoulos]

I am a newbie to the Phish experience and last night was my first Phish show. I had a great time and fully enjoyed the music. The show was great, the musicians were letting it loose and the crowd was a blast!!

[Bubba Brown]

Do they still allow fans to audio tape each show? Only time that I ever saw PHISH was in fall, 1996 at Municiple Auditorium. I do remember that a lot of fans were saying that their music and their followers were quite similar to that of the GRATEFUL DEAD.

[Steve J]

Missed Tim also, hope you where on vacation!

[Darrell]

@ Bubba Brown - there were several sophisticated taping set-ups in the audience last night, but these days they are kind of redundant. The band now sells professional high quality recordings of every concert thru the Livephish.com web site. An mp3 download is also available free to each ticket holder through the site. Just order the concert, then type in the number from the ticket bar code into the "gift code" field and you can download immediately.

Nice review, Tim.

[NEW]

From taping to ticket distribution to downloads, Phish has indeed copied the Deads business model to the T, Bubba. They even shoot for the same venues as Dead tours of the past, playing long time favorite venues of the Dead such as the Greek, Alpine Valley, Starlight, Telluride Town Park, etc. The list goes on and on. They have indeed made a conscious effort to follow in the Dead's footsteps to the point where their rise in touring popularity can be traced back to 1995 when the Dead disbanded.

[wadkc]

Tim, nice to see you last night.

You hit everything correct with this review. The only thing I would mention was the visuals were outstanding. Great lighting and timing.

This isn't my normal genre of music but had a blast. This is the 3rd time and definitely the best. I'll give you one answer why. First 2 times, sober, this time not so much. Puff, puff, pass.

[913KCKKID]

Nice review but a bit reserved and understated in
failing to mention the absolute importance of cannabis, mushrooms, LSD and ecstasy as it relates to the overall enjoyment and participation in the Phish experience.

[LiveMusicFan]

BubbaBrown -- Two tapers have uploaded their recordings to http://bt.etree.org/ so far.

[Steve]

That was the third time that I have seen them. Great venue for this band and yes the visuals were amazing. It surprised me that they played Starlight because I think they could fill SC, but it is a great venue for them and I hope they play there again. Sandstone sold out when they played there in 04'. I thought they killed The Ballad of Curtis Lowe. It was certainly a suprise and a highlight for me since that is on of my favorite Skynard tunes. 1st set was pretty good but the 2nd set was awesome. Unfortunately we left a little early and missed the encore. I would have loved to see Lovin Cup. Great tune.

Like Garcia, Trey has his own unique sound. You certainly know who it is when he plays. I think he is a very underrated guitarist. Back in the late 90's it seemed they tried to distance themselves from being the "replacement" band of the Dead. To me their music is not real similar all that similar to the Deads, it just draws the same crowd and "atmosphere". IMO Phish is more jazz based where the dead was more blues/folk/bluegrass based. It is good that they have finally excepted being the torchbearers for the jamband scene. I would highly recommend seeing them to someone who has not had a chance to do so. Walking the parking lot prior to the show is worth the price of admission. Although I can't handle it as much as I could 20 years ago.

[jestcher]

Met a few East coasters up by the stage that were following the whole tour. This is The Dead for 30 somethings. The crowd was peaceable and parted for me as I traveled around to experience the crowd and the light show extraoridinaire. Smelled some odiferous aromas in the air from time to time. The aisle dancers were entertaining and more fun to watch than the band. From time to time I'd look up the hill and see a sea of PHISH swaying in the sea. PHISH~bucket list check:)

[Robert Log]

Always a great time... and there are many of us that are sober. No need to deal with excess, indulgence and catharsis to enjoy a Phish show!

[NEW]

Completely different bands and completely different guitarists (Garcia v Trey). I totally agree with you there Steve. Quite frankly, I always thought Phish lacked the Dead's finesse with dynamics but they make up for it with technical proficiency. JMHO. I was just commenting on how they duplicated the business model. And why not? It's a pretty successful one.

[wadkc]

The main difference in the two bands are the harmonies. Most the Dead songs had some. Also I thought the first half was really a nice Funk show. Really great grooves for a soul man like myself.

[Bubba Brown]

About PHISH selling professional tapes of their gigs. Yeah, I assumed they might do that. I've never been to their site. I remember that when I saw them, they changed at least one - maybe two songs in their setlists each night. Plus, they'd often cover a song by a '60's or '70's artist / band and play an extended version of songs as such. Perhaps they didn't do it that often as I think they did. Like I said, PHISH has never been a favorite of mine - I only have two CD's by them.

[WinstonKC]

Thanks @Darrell for the download tip: Just paid a fiver to get the whole show in hi-quality format.
Thanks to Starlight for bringing a this show and a wide range of shows into this fantastic venue. I talked to many locals and out o' town visitors who had never been to Starlight. Everyone impressed. Starlight security and ushers handled the crowd well. Aisle dancing allowed in the Plaza section...they had the ORC aisles blocked on the left side but that was OK by me. Sound was crystal clear all night long! Great night!

[bankmeister]

@913KCKKID -- You should be ashamed of yourself.

[Ellsworth Ware, III]

Not a Phishhead, or even familiar with their music, but AM familiar with Lynyd Skynyrd's music, particularly its wonderfully elegaic 'The Ballad of Curtis Lowe(Not Loew)'.

How could any self-respecting musical group do a slow-mo so-called 'tame' version of that beautifully versed and arranged song?

[Steve]

Bubba, I am pretty sure they change up thier whole set each night like the Dead and WSP. I don't think any two shows are the same. One of my favorite tunes of theirs is If I could I would. Just a beautiful song but I would have never thought it would be played live because it is a duet with a girl, but they played it and it was really, really good. Ellsworth, I thought thier version of Curtis Lowe was awesome. They took ownership of it and gave it thier own spin not just trying to exactly copy Skynyrd note for note. New, I agree with you on replicating the business touring model. But I think WSP was the band that really jumpstarted the live download movement. If you look they have far more shows available for download going way back. I particularly enjoy the ability to download a show and burn it so I can enjoy it over and over again.

[Professor]

From this setlist, it looks like they've sort of put the band on cruise control. These are pretty standard songs in their repertoire. I'd say they don't have the depth of their old catalog they had when they were touring regularly.

[Leonard Skinner]

Old Curt was a black man with white curly hair... when he had a fifth of wine he did not have a care.... he used to own an old dobro used to play across his knee... I'd give old Curt my money he play all day for me... Curtis Lowe was the finest picker to ever play the blues.

on the day old Curtis died... nobody came to pray... old preacher said some words... and they chucked him in the clay... well he lived a lifetime... playin' the black man's blues... and on the day he lost his life... that's all he had to lose... Curtis Lowe was the finest picker to ever play the blues.

[KC Jones]

@ Professor:

you can't just look at the setlist and go, "man that show looks lame (boring/whatever..)". if you were familiar with Phish in the mid-90's, their setlists were on a 3-4 show song rotation pretty regularly. If you actually listened to the show from Wed. night, you would hear that the majority of songs played are far from "cruise control" versions.

This was my 42nd Phish show since Memorial Hall 4-13-93 and there are several songs that were played that I have seen 15 times or more. In nearly every song on Wed., there was something different, be it a chord or tempo variation. In almost every instance, the composed sections were nailed and only once or twice did I hear an "oops" moment of a sour note or chord.

They may not choose to exercise the option of opening up their 300+ song book more than they have lately, but unless you are going to several shows in a row or several several a year, I don't think it matters much.

They were clearly having fun. The crowd was electric. The weather was perfect. The lights amazing and the music, at times, was absolutely sublime.

Can't really ask for much more than that (except for them to come back sooner than 9 years from now).

Just my $.02

[Pepperpants]

FYI, there's a code on the back of your ticket stub that allows you to download the soundboard recording of the show for free at Phish's website.

[pellboy]

Actually, TF had it right, it is spelled "Curtis Loew" on Skynyrd's Second Helping album, Ellsworth. I would think if such a fan of that song as you claim, you would have known that instead of making a such a point of erroneously calling out the reviewer.

I like this version by John Hiatt and moe.

http://www.myspace.com/moe/music/songs/the-ballad-of-curtis-loew-album-version-28503282

[Juan E.]

My oh my, how the "scene" has changed over the years. To Phish's credit, they did what they had to do to clean up their end and it seems to have trickled down to the fan base. Of course, the fan base is also getting older which might have something to do with it. Overall, it was the least I have enjoyed a Phish show over the years - but perhaps I'm holding them up to what I remember them being and that isn't fair. Nonetheless, Phish on a "bad" night (not saying that's what this was) is still better than than most.

[BHBH]

I thought it was kind of an uninspired night for the band. I'm not a huge fan but I do respect them greatly. They are one of the best in the business right now without question.

[Greg Beebe]

It never ceases to amaze me when fans are so critical after such a great show. I haven't seen the boys for years and was shocked at the level they are back to. Song after song I was impressed and LOVED the set list. The band is nowhere near on cruise control, as a musician myself I find they have gotten even more complex in their jamming. Just because something is effortless doesn't make it uninspired. There were times Trey was in the zone sooooo much he looked as if he was stalking the crowd! Phish is back to the top of my list for a live show once again! Thanks!

[Sleepyhead]

NOWHERE near cruise control. Since beginning the summer tour in June, Phish has played over 200 different songs. And you're right, they're back!

[Jay]

How many 'Farewell Tours' has Phish done?

[Aight]

""This was my 42nd Phish show since Memorial Hall 4-13-93""

ahhhhhh, that explains so much jones...
so much.

[KC Jones]

am I that transparent?

[Aaron]

While I agree with both KC Jones and also Professor let me through in my 2 cents.

This was my 3rd Phish show. As I'm not a well traveled veteran I do love to follow most every show they've been playing since the reunion in '09

I love just about everything the boys put out there, but I wasn't thrilled about the setlist the whole evening.

Musically they sounded amazing and kudos to them for that. But how repetitive can a band get, who built a reputation on shows being vastly different from the previous nights.

Let me lay this out in plain speak:

Chalk Dust Torture- Had just been played on the previous run of shows in San Fran 8/17/12 3 shows prior.

Skin it Back- Rarity, Seldom seen and much appreciated.

Moma Dance- Also played 3 shows prior in San Fran. 8/17/12

Rift- Although one of my favorites was just played 4 shows prior to in Long Beach 8/15/12

Bathtub Gin- Another played in Long Beach just 4 shows prior. 8/15/12

Stash- Played in Long Beach 4 shows prior. 8/15/12

Ballad of Curtis Loew- First time this year played, also one of all time favorite songs in general.

Kill Devil Falls- Long Beach 4 shows prior. 8/15/12

Funky Bitch- 3 shows prior in San Fran. 8/17/12

Run Like an Antelope- 3 Shows prior in San Fran. 8/17/12

SET II:

Tweezer- Played 3 shows prior in San Fran. 8/17/12.

Piper- 2 shows prior in San Fran as part of the Bill Grahm Civic Aud. run 8/18/12.

Mikes Song- Played also shows prior. Also that I might add following piper in the same order.

Bouncing round the room- Played in Long Beach 4 shows before Kansas City 8/15/12

Backwards down the number nine- Had just been played 2 shows before in San Fran. 8/18/12

Heavy Things- Hadn't been played since early July 7/6/12. That will suffice.

If I Could- Also played in early July 7/8/12, not bad. Might I add very beautifully done here in KC.

Weekapaug Groove- Played just 2 shows before in San Fran. 8/18/12

Harry Hood- Had just been seen in Long Beach 4 shows before KC 8/15/12

Suzy Greenburg- Played also in the Long Beach Show 4 Shows prior. 8/15/12

ENCORE:
Loving Cup- Had just been part of the encore two nights earlier in San Francisco 8/18/12

TweeReprize- Ended the show right before KC as well on 8/19/12.

Whew had to lay it all out there.
Phish will always be one of my favorite bands of all time and they're very dear to me, but based on this nights show I wasn't thrilled.

Not to say that it doesn't feel good to have them in town but boy did they slight us. Maybe they think we don't pay attention to those things in KC. Or hell it's probably just me over analyzing things and being to much of a "phan".

There are songs that haven't been played in months let alone years, let's hear those. For better or for worse. Isn't that why your catalog of songs is so big?

Great review Tim, sorry if this sounded negative. I still had a blast throughout the whole evening and I hope they return to Starlight. Such a marvelous place for a Phish show.

[Kyle]

Cartman was right, Hippies suck...
and so do jam bands.

[Pbt]

I've been a fan for the better part of 15 years, and this was the first show I've been able to go to. I thought the set was amazing. I think that the assumption might have been that they hadn't been here in 9 years, and that in that case none of those songs had been played here in quite a while. I went in not really caring what they played, kind of like the Radiohead show back in March, I was just loving the fact that they were playing. Knowing what I do of Phish, I feel it safe to say that even though the songs had been played recently, They didn't sound like the ones Wednesday night.

[Kcid]

They are all on pot. What is wrong with kids these days? Why dont they settle down and raise a family, and get off the pot?

[Aaron]

Stereotypes are for the ignorant. I amoung many were drug free. Just appriciate quality musicianship.

[Papoon]

Wow my favorite band played some of my favorite songs. I'm so offended. Unless it's John Mellencamp, then I'm outraged because I didn't hear Jack & Diane.

[Emma]

What is wrong with kids these days?

[Otis]

You're all on pot, get off the pot.

[pellboy]

In looking at the setlist, while I realize it's become somewhat of a Phish standard over the years, for shame not referring to Funky Bitch as a Sons Seals cover while making a point of mentioning those Skynyrd and Stones songs. Unfortunately, that exceptional Chicago bluesman never quite got the credit he deserved (except thankfully from the members of Phish) so this omission certainly doesn't surprise me much. Underappreciated in life and sadly still underappreciated nearly 8 years after his passing.

[NEW]

"for shame not referring to Funky Bitch as a Sons Seals cover while making a point of mentioning those Skynyrd and Stones songs"

You never cease to impress me, PB.

[Chris]

You on pot?

[pellboy]

Will always stick up for the blues, NEW, especially Son who was basically my introduction to live blues with his Lawrence Opera House shows while I was at KU. Even though he came later than the Kings, Muddy, Buddy Guy, etc. and perhaps didn't have quite the influence on others the way they did, the Phish homage means he did indeed have an impact in his day and IMO, should be held in the same sort of high regard as contemporaries (the guys I cut my teeth on) like Luther Allison, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, etc. Good songwriter, great player/singer and outstanding live performer...a huge favorite of mine and I miss him.

[NEW]

Son was totally awesome, PB. I had the pleasure of meeting him and opening fo him in the early 80s at a DC club called Desperado's (did a shot or two of Jamesons with him). I saw him a ton of times between the late 70s and mid 80s but as you know, he went in decline shorty after that.

I think he, along with Hound Dog Taylor might have been the first artists signed to Aliigator. Would that be right?

[pellboy]

I believe that's about right on the Alligator thing, maybe Lonnie Brooks as well, another really good performer from that era. Yeah, saw Son probably 12-15 times during those years including once in Chicago when he just happened to be playing while I was up there visiting some family. And yes, diabetes and an angry wife definitely took their toll on him in later years, his life and career had sort of a tragic, blues song-type end. Cool that you got to play before him though.