Show #4: Keyspan Park Night 1 (Brooklyn NY)

2004 Year-in-Review (aka Journey Through the Dark Side)
Show #4: Keyspan Park, Brooklyn NY (night #1)
Breakup has been announced, so this summer's tour will be IT forever.
Set 1:

1. A Song I heard the Ocean Sing – outta the gate Phish drops a BOMB new song from the new album Undermind, released just two days before the show. So, this is how Phish plans to go out. ASIHTOS has some beautiful lyrical accompaniment by Page and Mike; Trey takes no time before shredding things. This song is heavy! Only seven minutes, but it's got so much potential to be stretched.

2. Dinner and a Movie – sweet. Vegas was light on older classics; glad to see that they've pulled this back out for summer. Two minutes in and Trey's fingers are not fat tonight; composed sections are tight. Short and sweet. Well don.

Ok, I think I heard Trey signal ...
3. The Curtain – another song heavy on composition requiring skill and dexterity, the band has no trouble driving right through the first section leading up to the opening lyrical chant. Perfect! Go Phish. No hiccups from Vegas here. And, thankfully Trey's voice is fine; I guess they've been resting and practicing leading up to summer tour. 3:40 – heading into the composed core jam now; not a beat out off place. OK, it's actually The Curtain With. Sweet. Love that pre-Rift wail as much as anything they ever play. Hard to believe they wrote this song almost 20 years ago and it still sounds completely relevant today in 2004. Trey's solo just digs into your soul. 8:45 in now and the jam departs the station; Page, Mike, and Trey are in melodical synchronicity. Fishman underneath it all. Again, whatever dust there might have been at the beginning of Vegas, it's gone.

4. Sample – its a party in Brooklyn tonight; they break out a sing along for the white cap portion of the crowd. They don't just love the guys in the front row and the wooks; frat boys get love too. Jokes aside, it's as well played as any version I've heard; tempo is right, vocals fugue. I actually kind of like the placement of this song in the middle of the first set; better than being a set closer IMO. Hitting the 3:00 minute mark an the band plays the jam as if it were straight off Hoist. The builds are emphatic enough to raise the energy level though; that's the point of this song, I guess, it's got just enough to it to satisfy.

5. The Moma Dance – taking the energy boost from Sample's short jam and parlaying this show into a party. Again, all the band's chops are intact tonight; very solid. This song makes me move as much as any can, especially at they enter the second leg of the intro nearing the 2:00 mark. I love a song that's got a jam at the beginning. Fishman nails the opening lyrics. I'm always surprised that he can sing. And that he can play drums :) We've hit the chorus now and the groove is intact. Nearing 5:00 and it gets a little spacey thanks to either Page or Trey, I can't tell. I can definitely feel “winds” and everyone is doing a moma dance at this point. So far a first set that is delivering as promised. Fishman lyrical wail! OK, this IT is HOT and not letting up. Ten minutes and I think this one's got some legs; Trey and Page break out the psychedelia; Page especially! I think I see Hampton Coliseum in the sky. Nice delay effect that moves up and down and around. The band feels it and follows into space. And, this is just first set. Perfect time to as its getting dark enough outside for Kuroda's lights to have an effect. 14 minutes … transitioning out of a very trippy jam into …

6. Free – well done Trey, nice segue. I'm liking this stepped up pace a lot. Wanted it in Vegas; got it in Brooklyn finally. Lyrics begin – nice to hear's Trey's voice sound the way it should.

6. Free (cont.) - as they enter the jam, Mike's turned on a filter or an effect that keeps the spacey-theme in effect. Anything that highlights his playing and lets me hear it more is a good thing. Trey's tone seems to match the effect on Mike's bass. Nearing 6:00 mark and they've found a way to build on what Mike laid down. A fresh jam that makes me feel good about Phish. 6:45 – hells yes – just Mike and Trey for a bit – I just got funktifried. 8:00 in now and the effects are off now; the ship is returning to Earth and it's got the flag waving high. Well done boys. Well done.

Time for a breather. Not gonna argue with that decision … another debut from Undermind
7. Nothing – already I'm liking what I hear from this new batch of songs more than just about everything from Round Room. Why have they decided to break up again? Are we really expected to get this new dose of material and only get to hear them play each song a couple of times. Really? Really? What a damn shame because Nothing is actually something, something that works. Its a breather that lets you catch your breath but doesn't make you want to hit the pisser or the beer lines.

its completely dark outside and they've entered the
8. Maze – in constrast to Vegas, the mix of songs tonight is spanning the catalog. And, the tempo is up and the chops are honed. Much appreciated, boys. After a nice, somewhat typical jam, things heat up around 7:00. Trey's brought the machine gun with him tonight and they are hitting the Maze peaks as they are supposed to. Faces getting melted all around. Oh, did I mention … it's also raining pretty heavily. We may never get out of this maze, but I bet the band’s about to get out of this weather. But not before, killing it with …

9. Frankenstein – better than Vegas’s version, which is still fresh in my mind. You can just tell that the band has got the energy they need to shred. 4:00 – Page littering some more space into the mix before they close out the first set in true rock-n-roll fashion.


2004 Year-in-Review (aka Journey Through the Dark Side)
Show #4: Keyspan Park, Brooklyn NY (night #1)
Set II

1. 46 Days – A song that took me a while to appreciate, but which has grown on me. It's not the same type of song they used to write; it's Phish 2.0, exemplified – less aggressive, not as composed, but providing ample room for extensive exploration, that at the heart is Type I, but less so because they structure of the core is essentially a jam in itself, as opposed to a composition. As the 6:00 mark approaches, the jamming reaches a medium boil, then simmers down a minute later into prototypical type II, undefined extension. It's a game of follow the leader at this point, in what feels like four-bar segments. 8:00 in and it's quiet with some brief hints of psychedelia peppered here and there. I've never listened to “trance” music before, but believe it's considered a genre, and this is what I think would qualify. As the clock continues, I'm reluctant to say the jam progresses; I'd almost say it meanders, drifting from here to there, but with no distinct driving force – a few bars of this, then onto a few bars of that (I think you get the point). All the players are melding nicely, forming a cohesive union; but I can't help but want for a little more intentional direction and conciseness (maybe this is something a future Phish could have achieved). 14 minutes in and the jam is as steady as the rain; somewhere between “I can't stop moving” and “I can't stop staring.” After slow-playing this hand to fourth street, Trey finally decides to go all in, putting a nice lead into the pot, which eventually lands us at

2. Possum – early second set Possums? Not something I have a lot of experience with; most of mine have usually been found later. Should I expect more than the usual type I out of this one? We'll see.

2. Possum (cont.) - nothing out of the ordinary. Possum rarely doesn't meet expectations and this one is no different.

3. Oh Ke Pa – see #2 above.

4. Suzy Greenberg – sticking with old favorites, this set feels like a freshman-level course for the uninitiated, Phish 101.

4. Suzy (cont.) - when it honestly sounded as if they were closing it out with nothing extra, they relaunch from an almost compete-stop around 6:15, bringing something totally new and fresh to Suzy. Some delicate interplay between Page on synth and Trey working the staccato notes keep it light and lively, giving Fishman a chance to sprinkle some nice jazzy drumming. Around 9:00, they formulate something based on the suzy melody, but stripped down. I can feel this one wanting to go somewhere (t's got a pulse to it that increasing). Closing in on 11:00 and it transforms and extends, then speeds up to evolve into a rolling, traversing jam reminiscent of many Split jams. Just as soon as it seems to take off, the pocket loosens and it takes on a different face altogether, reforming as a layered, ambient, psychedelic passenger train. This one drives, twists, turns, and falls back on itself, perhaps giving the audience a “WTF song is this again” moment. 18 minutes in and we are either in space or about to transition to ...

5. Axilla – it doesn't get any heavier than Axilla, with it's punk-like rhythms and anthemic, repeating chorus.

With no segue, they drop straight into

6. 2001 – coming on the heels of a straight-forward rocker, there’s plenty of spring left in their steps, and they waste little time heading straight into the meat of this dance-gem, populating its foundation with trance-funk rhythms, which hint at another pass of the mothership that took flight during first set’s Free.

6. 2001 (cont.) - having stretched this space-funk opera to its short-term limits, they steer the ship towards the final “verse” around 7:30, and then segue real smooth-like into

7. Birds – as the birds core proceeds, I realize that I haven't heard much to criticize in this set; I'm not blown away, but there's no sloppy playing anywhere to be found. The band is together, playing off one another seamlessly, improvising as if it were charted. In other words, they are doing what they do best. We're in a baseball stadium and they are playing home-run derby. If Vegas was spring training, then Phish is on a mid-summer winning streak right now.


Birds closes and Trey tells the audience they'll play a song dedicated to the golfers in the nearby-US Open

8. Kung - "stage a runaway golf cart marathon" - touche. Thankfully, this one is not extended.

Saying they'd "like to slow it down a bit," they launch into

9. Mike's - which, they do, in fact, play a little slow during the initial verses and chorus, picking up the pace only once they reach the initial stage one jam.

9. Mike's (cont.) - I'm finding it hard to listen "critically" to this Mike's because I'm simply enjoying it so much. Mike's jam, in its pure form, is honestly so perfect that what I can possibly write about it that would make it any better for you? Nothing. Nice, simple transition into

10. I am Hydrogen - not typical - a little livelier than normal, with Page working the keys a little more than normal. You get the feeling they are enjoying this moment on stage together (how could they not?). Feeling the approaching Paug, but there's always that bit of uncertainty ... and on to

11. Weekapaug Groove - wasting no time at all Mike lights his bass on FIYA. I wonder who'll be the first phan to break a hip to this song. Finally, I hear the real lyrics ("trying to make a woman that you move"), even though I like what I thought they were bette ("match your move"). As they head into the outtro, Trey just teased something but I must confess I don't know what it was. 3:00 in they are holding this one back, allowing it time to build into the imminent crescendo. 4:30 now and it's got a quick pulse - the only bad thing about it, is you know in your heart that the set it likely nearing its end (damn, why do I let my mind get in the way of a good jam?!). 5:30 and Trey's seems to be taking this one home, but not before Page gets his fills in. 6:00 and the waves are hitting you in the face; they come in Paug one after another, so watch out for the next one.


Following the encore break, they begins a rather-slow Divided Sky. DS is affected by tempo as much as any Phish song I know. It can be blistering, or, as is the case tonight, it can feel a little geriatric. The slow tempo exposes some sloppy chops leading up the part where Mike and Trey bounce in place. Once they song progresses, things get closer to normal; Fishman drives the pace a little faster, but it all sounds rather ... pedestrian. Could I have jinxed the band when I went mental during the end of 'Paug? The "moment of statuesque silence" passes and Trey nails every note of the composed solo, albeit everything is still a little lagging. But, as the solo's melody progresses, you can't help but grin, knowing what's to come when Page beings banging those keys on top Trey's sustain. This is Phish's wheelhouse and it doesn't matter how they get there (everything that comes before is just progress), it's the outtro that keeps the cold-blood running through their veins. Tonight, they take their sweet time getting the diesel engine running, but once primed, it takes off for the finish line at around 12:20, letting the slowly built-up tension fuel the the last lap. 14 minutes pass and I think this must be a restrictor plate race (how many analogies can I fit into one paragraph?), cause they don't hit full speed until the very end. I'm going to chalk it up to "first night of a two night run" and they don't want to blow all their load tonight.

Final thoughts: so far in 2004, show #1 sucked; the other two nights of Vegas were huge improvements; This summer season opener was a different Phish altogether than what we saw in the spring. It should be a good summer ( ;) ) if they can keep this up. See you at tomorrow night's show, back here at Coney Island.