FOR THE RECORD: Two nights of pandemonium
By Jim Morris
The first night began with a long, damp El ride from my friend’s apartment to an even damper Allstate Arena parking lot. We made our way through the mind-blown PhishHeads and security guard patdowns to our seats as the first song ended.
Our spirits no less diminished, we took a whiff of the surrounding air which was a continuous cloud of what smelled like Otto’s jacket. The first song we heard was “Meat,” followed by “Poor Heart,” a jazzy, country-like song filled with melancholy, southern chimed piano solos. Also in the first set were songs like “Wilson” (with the crowd happily singing along), “Slave to the Traffic Light,” “Bathtub Gin,” “Heavy Things,” and “You Enjoy Myself.”
During the uplifting transition of “You Enjoy Myself,” my eye was drawn away from the band and amazing light show to the audience. They heaved glow sticks from the upper deck to the floor and back. This created what looked like a chaotic, multi-colored lightning bug party. This event has become ritualistic at most Phish shows.
After a long intermission, the band came out for the second act with songs such as “Tube,” “Reba,” “Ghost,” and “Wedge.” In one of the last songs of the night, “Meatstick,” the guitarist, Trey Anastasio, busted out into a Japanese rap; very impressive. Also during this number, Trey and the bass player, Mike Gordon, broke away from their instruments into a Macorena-inspired dance; very entertaining.
The second night was an easier trip. My crew and I decided to carpool instead of taking public transport, and even with a traffic jam and parking delays we made it to our seats with plenty of time to inhale the Phish fumes.
The first set started out with a cover of “Come On Baby Let’s Go Downtown,” followed by “The Moma Dance,” and then another cover, “Frankenstein.” On top of being phenomenal songwriters and pioneering impromptu musicians, Phish are also excellent cover artists. Each note of a cover song is given the same care as if it were the band’s own song.
Next was “Halley’s Comet,” followed by “Fee,” and then, to end the set, “Stash.” “Stash” was an especially passionate number; it even incited the dancing of those multi-colored lightning bugs again. But it must have been too aggressive, because the band closed up the first set in under an hour. Oh well, after a half an hour pause the audience was geared up for some more.
The second set contained many well-known and loved Phish songs, such as “Birds of a Feather,” “Tweezer,” “Fast Enough for You,” “Piper,” and “Character Zer0.” It was definitely a crowd-pleasing set. Phish exited with a bow, but after the expected hoots and hollers and array of lighters, they came out for an encore consisting of “Sleeping Monkey” and “Tweezer Reprise.”
Phish rarely leaves their audience with a memorable speech; they don’t need to. Their attraction is phenomenal musical excellence and continuous entertainment devices. Their message is received through a relentless perusal of your amusement and a vast open-mindedness to the expansion of art.
I can’t imagine feeling disappointed after two consecutive nights of high-powered rainbow lights and “mind-expanding” rhetorical lyrics.