Reflections on Phish's performance at Times Union Center (Albany, NY; Nov. 27-28, 2009)
If you are reading this article, then chances are you don’t need me to tell you how Phish played in Albany. There’s a 50% chance that you were there, a 95% chance that you know how to download the show when you want to, and a 100% chance that you will judge for yourself how they played once you listen to it. Instead of more analysis of Phish’s play, let’s dig deeper into the Phissues of today as they came up in Albany.
1. We’ve just crossed the 40-show milepost for The Comeback, a good point to pause and take inventory of the State Of The Comeback. My fellow phans, the State Of The Comeback is strong. All things reconsidered, could this be going any better right now? Even the saltiest of phans would have to agree that there is so much to like about the first eight months back. The overall quality this year is trending positively week by week, tour by tour. It’s almost impossible to argue otherwise. Every show this tour has been worth the effort to get there. Extra-hot shows are now coming in streaks (see: Syracuse > Philly). The overall selection is the perfect mix of about 80% classic, 20% new. I was most worried about this at the start of the year, thinking for some reason that they might try to reinvent themselves and go with only 20-25% classic Phish and do a lot of new stuff and solo stuff. Glad I was wrong. The new songs themselves are totally holding their own, and most importantly you can tell they were written for Phish and not for side projects. “Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan,” “Backwards Down the Number Line,” “Let Me Lie,” “Light,” “Time Turns Elastic,” and “Kill Devil Falls” are all contributing big moments. We got a monumental 3-day Halloween festival that left many fans saying, “Coventry never happened.” Even the ticket market has come back to earth a bit. People who buy tickets without intending to go to the show (fans and scalpers alike) have been getting stuck unable to move tickets, so they are slowing down. A couple of shows on this tour didn’t sell out. Though Albany did sell out early, it was evident that a lot of fans got in over their heads garnering tickets because tickets were growing on trees outside the gates both nights. This will only make things easier and less expensive in the future. Bottom line: The Comeback right now is everything a phan could have hoped for and more.
2. I do love me some Guitar Hero/Rock Band, and I was ecstatic when we finally got three Phish songs for GH World Tour: "Chalkdust Torture," "Down With Disease," and "Sample in a Jar." I have spent a few too many hours thinking about what five Phish originals would comprise the Top 5 Phish Songs for Guitar Hero. Guitar, bass, drums, and vocals all need to be considered. And now that Beatles Rock Band raised the stakes with 3-part vocal harmonies, vocal harmonies have to be considered too. Here’s where I landed:
a. "Limb By Limb" – If you can pull together three singers who could all stick to their own part, this would be incredibly satisfying.
b. "Gumbo" – Big bass line and solos, fun vocals, and straightforward enough for the GH newbs at your GH party.
c. "Fee" – Another one that everyone could get into, even the non-Phish people. Surprisingly difficult on guitar when you consider all the syncopated jazzy licks. Sure, you’ll probably end up playing it mostly on no-fail mode at parties, but that’s half the glory of GH.
d. "The Divided Sky" – There’s a hacked guitar chart for this up on YouTube and it looks amazing. This one’s for real Phish fans who would LOVE to sit through a 12-minute GH song. Guaranteed 100% on vocals!
e. "It’s Ice" – A great test of dexterity and endurance on any instrument. A well-crafted Expert guitar chart could challenge “Through the Fire and the Flames” for the title of “Most Difficult Guitar Chart in Guitar Hero Franchise History.”
3. As far as Albany show vs. show is concerned . . . don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the first night a lot. I like when they debut new songs, and they debuted two. I like that they opened both sets with very old songs and closed both sets with very new songs. I always enjoy the night after a show when the next night’s show is at the same venue, because there’s no heavy transportation to think about. All that said, is there anyone out there who liked the first night’s show better then the second? I’d love to hear the rationale on that. Granted I am a lifelong subscriber to the theory that two people can stand next to each other and watch the same show, and one could think it was the greatest show ever while it the other thinks it was a waste of time and money, so any opinion is fine. But really, the superiority of Saturday night is a pretty clear-cut story. "Seven Below" > "Ghost" to open Saturday’s second set had more deep jamming than the entire show Friday night put together. Saturday’s "Julius" closer was the biggest crowd moment of either night. "YEM" as an encore Saturday night vs. "Fire" on Friday night: nothing wrong with "Fire," but I think I’m gonna have to side with "YEM" in that battle, call me crazy.
4. At some point during Friday’s show, I got to thinking about being thankful that I can see Phish again, it being the day after Thanksgiving and all. This then led me think about other bands whose lead guys had drug problems, except they didn’t get a second chance. Look at our world in 1991-1992: Nirvana Releases Nevermind, Blind Melon releases Blind Melon and Sublime releases 40 oz. to Freedom. Phish released Rift in February 1993. By 1996, Curt Cobain, Shannon Hoon, and Bradley Nowell all succumbed to drug-related problems (not to mention the untimely deaths of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur around the same time). That could have easily been Phish. A lot of musicians and bands don’t get a second chance. As a fan of any of the aforementioned performers, we got left hanging way too early. I am thankful that Phish, despite some rough periods, has somehow kept it together and is now at the highest level in years. I think they’ve beaten the odds, honestly. We are very fortunate to be where we are today with Phish. All in all, being a Phish fan right now is as good as it has ever been.