Honestly, (Mike) Gordon carried this entire show and more honestly, it was amateur hour at the show last night and it was especially amateur hour down in the pit. You also had a lot of losers in real life that use being at a Phish while being down low in the pit as part of their menial fifteen minutes of fame. I had to tell one person not to push me and to say the words if he needs to get to a specific area while at the same time, some heffer woman said out loud 'who is this guy' as the second set lights went down. I think I scared them when I glared into his pip squeeze eyes saying to not touch me but anyway, aside from this one blond girl that I had recognized her from being at other shows, the entire rail was lined up with people that have no business being down there and that again, used being at Phish down low as a way to accumulate part of their fifteen minutes of fame in their lives. I never thought I would miss seeing the likes of Antelope Greg or Salami Dom or Bologna Bill and even not seeing the girls that I would complain about when watching the the web casts but I do. Or I did last night. There were some weirdos down there last night that in every day life are total idiots. They were idiots there but I think they get embolden or something. That guy that I threatened after he tried to push me out of his way did then offer me some brown powder as what i guess was a some sort of a peace offering. I assume that was 'Sass' (a form of MDMA that is not MDMA (MDMA is a by name / acronym a chemical compound and anything off it is not MDMA) but it is a form of X which is the best way to describe it).
Also, after those two shows in Atlanta, nothing since has really come close to them playing wise. My problem is that I had been listening to them in my car over the last few days and every song was played at the sickest levels and were done off that charts. For instance, let's take 'Bathtub Gin' and compare it to last night or take even 'Twist' which this is the 'Twist' and 'Ghost' tour BTW, there is no comparison to those versions from those Atlanta shows compared to any other on this tour.
Plus, I had to duck the sister of some woman that I was with for a bunch of years. She was last seen by me pre h show down in the middle section in Orchestra A. Oh, I forgot but I also tried to get the attention of someone that talks a lot of shit behind people's back but for some reason won't face me when I try to get his attention. I did that at set break and a few times during the show and for some reason, he gets silent around me these days. I did have the chance to approach him in the lot after the show but I would have had too get out of my car. I was over it and I was spent. But one day he will get the chance to say what he has been saying by dogging me in particular directly to my face. Or, maybe not because I assume that I have scared him by now since calling it out last fall during that tour. He won't look at me even why I try to confront him. But I welcome hearing what he has to say about me directly to my face at any time and no matter where we are in public.
Like I said about this show, it was Gordon at his best. Even though there were lots of jams per se, the leads and soaring guitar work lacked in my eyes. There were signs of brilliance but to me, I did not hear anything really over the top. Same goes with Paige. As far as (Jon) Fishman, he is the constant in that band during every show and so there is never any issues with his playing. Gordon kept the groove at any high level. He was just great. Trey was all rhythm last night.
I am sure people loved the show but you know how it is with Phish fans, to paraphrase that quote in 97 or from that article in the Entertainment Weekly magazine, you can piss in the ears of people at Phish shows and they would still like it'.
Also again, I can't stop thinking about those Atlanta shows that were just over the top. If I stopped comparing shows to it, I would probably be writing here in a more positive way.
As far as the first set goes, 'Cities' was by leaps and bounds the best song played in it last night. Everything else was fine though I liked getting 'Free' second after the 'AC/DC bag opener. I also liked the placement of 'Sample in A Jar' which was like 4th in the set or in the middle of the set. 'Stash' jammed so that was fine. 'Ya Mar' was fine and everything else was done well. I just happen to think that as far anything being played over the top, it would have to be 'Cities'. Birds ('Birds of a Feather') was good to hear too. Oh, I loved 'It's Ice' as well. I was very psyched to hear it and they played what is hard song to play live very well.
The second set consisted of 5 songs. Lots of meandering throughout it that yes, there were signs of brilliance but the flow and soaring guitar work that helps the band get to that high level just lacked for me.
Ironically too, I was in the pit and I just could not get going last night. I was into it. Do not get me wrong now but I just felt nothing as over the top. 'Bathtub Gin' was great. 'No Men in No Man's Land' was actually great too. 'Twist' was played again for the 88th time on this tour and that was done fine but then again, how hard is it to play that song. It was spacey and again, it was fine. I like 'Scents and Subtle Sounds' anytime I hear and last night was no different. They played that well and it was done very intricately before boom, 'Harry Hood' was then played which then ended the set. But when you hear/see people that are stating that 'Twist' was the best song played, etc., there is a problem here with regard to the overall show. Yes, the song is great but it should accompany the rest of the songs to be played at that sick level.
Kind of like Atlanta on 7/31. Listen to that set. Listen to that show. It was insane. Listen to that 'Twist' and then listen to this one.
I just found out that 'Scents and Subtle Sounds' was not played since the Super Ball. Wow. I did not know that about that song but I also thought I heard it at Jones Beach. Maybe that last run there was before the Super Ball.
The encore was 'Loving Cup'. The jam was OK in it and by it being OK, I mean that there was none. It was short version of the (Rolling) Stones song that ended the set.
I bolted from the pit area to get to my car where I then headed home.
Raleigh is next which I wish I would be there with my Carolina crew. I have a lot of fun with them every time we hang and North Carolina is an amazing state. There are literally 5 girls for every 2 guys in that state. Then are the two Merriweather shows in Maryland which are the final shows of the tour before the Magna Ball next weekend to be held at the Watkins Glen International Raceway in the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York.
Below is the set list spelled from the 'On The Road' page at Phish.com and below that are the stats about the songs played at last nights show which was copied and pasted from the Skinny spelled out by the person that writes it up and compiles it.
Aug. 12th 2015 - The MannPhiladelphia, PA
SET ONE
AC/DC Bag
Free
Ya Mar
Sample In A Jar
Cities
Stash
Birds Of A Feather
The Line
It's Ice
Character Zero
Free
Ya Mar
Sample In A Jar
Cities
Stash
Birds Of A Feather
The Line
It's Ice
Character Zero
SET TWO
Bathtub Gin
No Men In No Man's Land
Twist
Scents And Subtle Sounds
Harry Hood
No Men In No Man's Land
Twist
Scents And Subtle Sounds
Harry Hood
ENCORE
Loving Cup
- Venue Type: Outdoor Amphitheater / 14,000
- Previous Shows at Venue: 8 Shows - 07/18/1992, 07/16/1993, 07/01/1994, 06/25/1995, 06/26/1995, 07/08/2014, 07/09/2014, and 08/11/15
- Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 10 / 8:04 p.m. ET - 9:25 p.m. ET (81 Minutes)
- Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set & Encore: 6 / 10:01 p.m. ET - 11:24 p.m. (83 Minutes)
- Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 16 / 3 / 13
- Biggest Bustout: Scents and Subtle Sounds - 35 Shows (LTP 08/03/2014)
- Average Song Vintage: 1995
- Debuts: N/A
- Tour Debuts: AC/DC Bag, Cities, Scents and Subtle Sounds
- Weather: 82°F and Partly Sunny at Showtime
- Guitar Used By Trey Anastasio:: KOA #3, aka Ocedoc
- Average Song Gap: 9.13
- The Spread: Lawn Boy - 1, A Picture Of Nectar - 1, Rift - 1, Hoist - 1, Billy Breathes - 2, Story of the Ghost - 1, Farmhouse - 1, Undermind - 1, Fuego - 1, Misc. - 3, Covers - 3
- Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Twist 22:42 / Sample in a Jar 3:57
- Audio: Live Phish
