Show #3: Thomas & Mack Center Night 3 (Vegas)

2004 Year –in-Review (aka “journey through the dark side”)
Show #3 – Night 3 @ Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas), part of Spring Vegas Run

SET I:

1. After the great show last night (show #2), following the hiccup that was night #1, the boys have busted out Soul Shakedown Party out of the gate. When you hear this, you know that it’s gonna be a dank night in the arena. Phish reserves this song for special nights, and you can feel it – Phish is in the house! It gets smokey in the arena real quick-like, and the mineral water vapor machines aren’t yet running. Vocals are still not quite right, but we learned last night that Trey’s voice is gone.

2. Halley’s freakin’ Comet! They are wasting no time getting right down to it. Expecting this one to stretch out a little bit with a no. 2 placement in the batting order. Energy level is pretty laid back – they are just warming up, yes.? Three minutes in and the tempo and energy level haven’t increased much; but they did open with Soul Shakedown, so maybe they’re just taking their sweet time. Four minutes in, I’m starting to move a little. Five minute mark – Trey goes on a little trek into type I jam-land. Pace is picking up. I’m feeling it. Six minutes in … ok, they are going to stretch this out. Hellz yeah! Fenton Williams looks like he’s finally gotten control of the lighting rig (‘bout time you wannabe). As the jam stretches its legs, it’s nice but controlled, like a lot of early first set jams are. Ten minutes and it feels like they are heading somewhere else now … into, yes, it sounds like
3. Tweezer - hold on boys; it’s gonna get hot in heere.

3. Tweezer (cont.) – I wish they would pick it up a little bit. As I wrote last night, my inability to move with perfect rhythm gets exposed with the metronome ticks this slowly. Four minutes: the core is over and the jam is on. Lot’s of air in the funk – thick but foamy. Five minutes: I think I just got cool whipped. Page takes the reins to lead this railroad for a while. If you think about it, the slower the funk, the more impressive it is that they can stay glued together. First set Tweezers – you have got to love it. Mike throwing some sparse nuggets into the mix. Reeeeeeal low down. Man, that’s low-down. The extra space lets Fishman throw in some quick-stick handiwork, but its still “held-back.” They are intentionally keeping the fuse from lighting on this rocket. The pot is simmering and has been. Ten minutes in and its getting pretty psychedelic now (still type I). Trey is finally taking over the jam and lets it loose a little, inspiring the pace to quicken; the train is chugging along now at a good clip … on the downhill.

3. Tweezer (cont.) – Twelve minutes in and the shredding has begun. Faces are starting to look a little shiny. Terror threat level orange.

As they come out of the other side of the Tweezer jam, a segue can be felt in the dark depths … but instead it ends. Okay, catch your breath and smile. It’s still early.

4. Ginseng Sullivan – that’s cool. It is first set after all and hitting the brakes is their option. Let’s Page warm up his chops on the keys. Also not surprising that we’ve got another song without Trey vocals.

5. Horn – treading water. But I do like the heavy guitar riffs and I’ll air-guitar to each one of them.

Ok the breather is over now and ...

6. Sample - ironically, the pace car picked up a little bit ... with Sample? Really? alright. It's their party. Need a Bowie set closer to light this candle.

7. Piper – oooh, didn’t see this coming. Sweet. Looks like this set has got some legs.

7. Piper (cont.) – launched IT. As the jam takes off, Trey jumps in at the top and starts working his way down to the stratosphere. Four minute mark – can feel the tension wound up; wondering where this will end up. Every time they get to the part Trey plays at 5:00, I always say to myself … “self – here comes Birds,” but I’m always wrong. It settles into a nice little shuffle, a groove I can share in. Six minute mark – I swear I hear Birds, but again, I’m wrong.

7. Piper (cont.) - ambient, spacey undertones and overtones. Feels like I'm deeper in a second set; but I know this one will end in a little while. Page's keys sound like guitar, making them blend even more with Trey's lead riffs.

8. Holy First-set Frankenstein! Damn boys.

9. Bowie – don’t want to say I called it; but I called it. Is the machine gun in the house?

Felt like the Frankenstein would close it, but ...

9. Bowie – don’t want to say I called it; but I called it. Is there a machine gun in the house? I hope so.

10. Bowie – the shortest hi-hat intro I’ve heard in a while. Composed sections are together, but the dynamics are a bit compressed. As the first intro-peak finishes, it gets a little sloppy during the “UB40” section, or maybe that’s extra funk I’m hearing. Nah, that’s a little dirt in there. But it’s not terrible as I have been lead to expect on this run. First composed section is over and it’s into psychedelia now: and it’s got a whole lot of air, again. I can’t find a lot wrong with this and I’m trying. It’s not blowing me away; it doesn’t really have IT as an ingredient. I like the what I'm hearing at 6:50 - whether I'm there or not, they've found a space to exist in and, maybe even, launch a finish from. They're in the red-zone, where some teams have trouble scoring. Will they succeed this time?

10. Bowie (cont.) – 10 minutes in and they aren’t pushing for the goal line yet; but there’s also no time clock running and no down marker. The tension builds pretty quickly but instead of holding it, trey hits the release valve and begins the push forward. Machine gun spurts. Again, the dynamics feel a bit compressed. I wonder if it has anything to do with the 5th member not being here? You’ve got to figure just as they play off each other and the crowd, they certainly play off the lights. The outtro is on, with lower case letters. Time to close this one and get a 15 minute break.


2004 Year –in-Review (aka “journey through the dark side”)
Show #3 – Night 3 @ Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas), part of Spring Vegas Run
Set II:

1. Meatstick: kicking off Set II not very different than set one got kicked off – with a slow, funky groove. I know comparing Meatstick to Soul Shakedown may not make much sense, but they’ve got similar vibes. Indicative of things to follow.

Page playing some psycho-synth; now some Jap lyrics; now some Jap lyrics, and now a Fishman lyrical solo. [note: I've personally never seen a meatstick live]

Need a catalyst to blow this set open, what’s it going to be?....
^ 2. Pebbles and Marbles. Another song I’ve never had much experience with (other than the stellar version from IT). Didn’t love this song when I first encountered it, but like S&SS it grew on me with time. A lot of the 2.0 material is like a red wine, just needs to breathe a little to open up. Trey's voice - it's got to be hurting him at this point. I really dig the primary guitar riff from this song.

3. Nice ending of P&M segueing into Caspian. Yeah, there’s the Caspian Love/Hate thing, but I always like the outtro. Surprised that they played this song with Trey’s voice so gone.

3. Caspian (cont.) - 'cept this one doesn't really have any gusto to it; like so many other songs, it's laying back on its heels a bit. There's just so much air in it. I need a few of the voids filled in. Picking up around 4:00 though; but if I could kick Fishman right now to make him force the band to pick up a notch, I would.
And just like that Caspian goes nowhere but a nice segue into:
4. Simple – come on! p i c k u p t h e p a c e! Maybe its just me, but some songs need to be played faster. Also, Trey, what happend to the little solo lead-ups to each verse? it’s like the crushed red pepper is missing from the pizza
Simple goes nowhere, and we’re on to

5. Friday. Page, It may be Friday today, but damn. Buzz freakin’ kill.

5. Friday (cont.) - Do I really need an extended Friday. NO! No one wants their Fri-day to be longer than it must; Friday night though, that's different.
Someone put this song out of its misery, please.
Third night of a three night stand and there are some big hitter that haven't come out of the dugout - it's time for ... I think it might be, yes it is ... I feel like ...

6. Ghost. 'bout damn time!

6. Ghost (cont.) - ironically, after all the air and space in most tunes tonight, this Ghost is being playing a little too straightforward - some of the pocket funk is stripped out. It's more of a straight 4/4 kind of thing. Six minutes in and its not that hot; but we'll see where it goes.

6. Ghost (cont.) – passing the 7:15 mark, the heartbeat quickens a little; there’s a light at the end of this long tunnel and Trey’s riding it out nicely on top of Mike’s liquid foundation. Sometimes, like now Page’s playing is so artistic that I can’t pick it out; it’s just there highlighting everything else.

6. Ghost (cont.) – like what I’m hearing around 12-13 minutes. Almost like a jam from another song.

Very slow reprise of the main Ghost theme to finish it off. Nice.

7. You Enjoy Myself. The Clean-up hitter's in the box.

7. YEM (cont.) - the "nirvana" section (the long psychedelic intro with lots of hi-hat) is nice; I like the extended ones where they venture out into space a little. I just hope Fenton Williams understood his role here. Page started to come in, then backed off, then returns for the lead-out; Page really taking the lead here, with Trey highlighting instead. Mike laying a mellow funk before the build up to hysteria. Trey not really nailing it; sort of like what Fake Trey would sound like maybe; HIGH NOTE PEAK, but I like it when he holds it. Aggressive Tone - getting mean now into the second HIGH NOTE PEAK.

7. YEM (cont.) – AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Boy! Trey’s tone is gritty. God. I like the tone; Shit. Washu fizzi. Laying the bluesey riffs down on top of the underhanded funk. This one is loose, but its not hurtin’. What is hurtin’ is Trey’s voice; he should just stop singing. Give it a rest. Tramps. Page paid for Coach only it seems. Trey brings in the heavy heavy tone! Robear, you hearing this Tone (your a tone guy)? I’m down with this YEM. You hear a million and they can sound the same; this one doesn’t.

7. YEM (cont.) - Fishman drum solo. I'm so down with that - now a meatstick chant from the audience?? Again I never saw the meatstick dance, so I don't know what would be happening here, but Fishman is ROCKIN' the Hizouse.

7. YEM - I only hear bass and piano now - no drums no guitar - wait drums and guitar are back now. This YEM is def different. Page solo on synth now. Waaaay different. Ok, now Trey is teasing Meatstick heavily during the jam. This is 2.0 for ya, I guess. Some reaaaaally low Mike lasers, offset by Trey lasers on the high side; with some Page vibra-synth to make it freaky. Maybe this is in lieu of a vocal jam (not sure Trey could do it tonight.

>

8. Tweeprise - man, Trey's tone is aggressive. It's got meatstick teases by Page. doesn't sound practiced but I'm sure you dug it if you were there. Take this set home, Trey!


Encore:
Wolfman's Brother - don't think I've ever heard of WB being the encore. Funk it up and out! Page throws some nice synth into the jam and Fishman rocks the cowbell. Plenty of air in there still, but it doesn't leak.
Squirming Coil finishes the three nighter with Page by himself for almost four minutes (respek!).


Final thoughts: night one's a bagger; nights two and three have some very good moments (Taste,Gotta Jibbo,Twist from night 2; P&M, YEM); Trey's voice is crap, but these two shows aren't.