Fuck Yeah Phish

Getting Loose

In case you forgot, The Phish played a summer tour this year that was pretty facking awesome. They introduced a new sound system that blows the previous two years’ sound out of the water. They unleashed a monster Waves soundcheck at Bethel, then dropped an extremely hot three-night run to open the tour. Halleys jammed again. Theme opened a show for the first time in almost fifteen years. The midwest run dropped more madness. An hour long 3 song segment to kick off the second set on Mike’s birthday (Disease > Bowie -> Fluff), the debut of Steam in Cuyahoga, which in and of itself was a redemption over last year’s mediocre early tour showing.

No Quarter found its place in the rotation as an eery jam vehicle that while not on the Zep’s level of amazing still does the original justice. Harpua and Forbin both opened shows, and what can you say about Super Ball IX? The creepy jam into Crosseeyed? The Tube beach ball jam out? The beautiful ASIHTOS as the sun began to set? Really, the entire first set on 7/3/11. Ohhhh, and the Storage Unit jam?! Something was stirred up in all of them at Watkins that feels as though it has reset the formula moving forward. They killed the weekend without even dropping big guns like YEM and Slave. The songs didn’t matter, it was everything going on within them.

The west coast got its due too. The hose was smacking people in the face at the Gorge, Kuroda lit up the Bowl in ways we’ve never seen before, and Tahoe definitely had its moments too. UIC though, wow, that was special. The elements set, followed up by a 5 song encore ending with one of the most powerful Hoods in the 3.0 era just left everyone shaking their heads. Waves > Undermind is what many of us had been waiting for since 2003, a refinement and sophistication to the exploration once more.

By the time Labor Day came, you knew they weren’t going to be fucking around. And they didn’t. Three nights of fury. The ‘S’ show, Guy Forget Ghost, and even a Llama that brought speed and intensity that couldn’t have been felt two years ago. It was clearly a new level for a three night run.

So now here we are, at the end of the year back at Phish Mecca: Madison Square Garden. Expectations can be a bitch, but it’s hard not to expect laser beams and swollen eyes after they’re done with us. Which will be the night? Will there be a 12/30/09 sort of show? Will NYE top last year? What’s the inevitable prank and can it outdo Meatstick? All I know is I’m utterly excited for the possibilities this week. It will cap off a year that found the band more comfortable in their own skin than they have been in over a decade, and that level of comfort should make for one very loose party to close out 2011.