West Coast Get Down...The Gorge!
A Fink-n-Stein Production
Words by Josh Finkenberg
Pictures by Michael Stein Photography
In honor of Kamasi Washington (run, don't walk, to see Kamasi live), we decided to refer to West Coast leg of Phish tour as the West Coast Get Down. Phish wrapped up the West Coast Get DOWN in my adopted home TOWN of San Diego where Phish absolutely and positively threw it DOWN.
d. SPAC Carini -> Chalkdust
Words by Josh Finkenberg
Pictures by Michael Stein Photography
In honor of Kamasi Washington (run, don't walk, to see Kamasi live), we decided to refer to West Coast leg of Phish tour as the West Coast Get Down. Phish wrapped up the West Coast Get DOWN in my adopted home TOWN of San Diego where Phish absolutely and positively threw it DOWN.
It has been such an amazing run. I
have danced, partied, hugged, cuddled, cried, laughed and smiled. I hit all but
Portland and Syracuse during Leg 1. While there were some outstanding
highlights(1), the musical flow wasn’t always there, some questionable song selections and for whatever reason Phish wasn’t in the mood to
jam as much as in years past. I attribute this to various factors: The making of
a new album, the creative process for new songs, maturing, adulting, and 5+ months of not playing together live. Having to hit these big resets every year
slows down momentum at the start of every summer tour; a small spring tour would help this issue me thinks. Island Tour 3.0 anyone? That
being said Phish is still the best band in the world and close to the top of their game. We are so lucky to still be on this amazing musical journey. Phish is also one of my favorite things in the world. This tour is now on
the record books and up for discussion of best personal tours ever. The music obviously plays a big part of that
but it is no longer the most important thing.
I love Phish and everything that comes with it. As a fully developed and devoted follower of the Phish, I have finally learned that for me everything that surrounds Phish (the scene, the energy, the Phish market, the travel, the knowing nods amongst strangers, the community, the vibes, the energy and most of all my friends) taken in total means more to me than the music itself. The music is still important but not as significant as it used to be. I am still a judgmental, persnickety fan – but I am not nor will I ever be a jaded vet. I am a grateful fan and so thankful for Phish. Phish is one of the most important things in my life.
We rolled into the Gorge in style late Thursday night. This tour
was a celebration of a couple of major life events so we decided to go YUUUGE. For the West Coast Get Down, we rented a full on tour bus(2). We have always been pro phans but this was some next level shit. We took our tour to 11. We had a driver, 10 individual bunk beds, electricity, satellite TV, up to 14 people on the bus and front row parking at every venue sans BGCA. My best friends in the world and I celebrated business accomplishments, births and major life events at the best venue in the world with the best band in the world. So much LOVE and GRATITUDE.
Our crew was typically large, rolling
20+ deep. We got in line early and grabbed a spot on the grass terrace, Mike’s side
a few levels towards the center near a roped off platform on the terrace. I only mention this because said platform ended up being the location
for a career Phish highlight. Grant and I have been working
on the Gin Shuffle for years. Gorge night 2 Bathtub starts up, we climb onto the quasi
roped off platform and performed the Gin Shuffle overlooking
the Gorge as the sun set(3). After a minute or so, they kicked us off the platform but not out of the venue. Collecting moments and not things.
7/15/2016 I George, WA
Phish opens with Tweezer. The last time
Tweezer opened was Bethel 5/27/11. The last time it was played in sunlight was
the 3rd song of Dicks 9/1/12. Don’t sleep on the Golden Age ->
Caspian preceding the infamous Dick’s Light (4), some seeds for the Magna
Caspian were planted there. Tweezer as an opener is an interesting call.
While I like the statement, I don’t like having my favorite song and the best
jam vehicle in Phish’s arsenal batting first as everyone, including the band,
is just starting to settle in. This version was OK, fun opener, the band was tight
and reasonably locked in. You can also feel an amazing wave of Gorge energy from the first note - the start of Leg 2, the Gorge, Phish and Tweezer. Unfortunately
this ended up being our last Tweezer of the tour and, similar to Tweezer’s 2016
YTD, it wasn’t quite mind blowing and didn’t really get there. After a 2+ year
run of being the best batter in the line-up, Tweezer had a below average summer. That said even a below average Tweezer still makes
the All Star team.
Tweezer segued into Sample in a Jar.
Not much to report here but kind of the “start” of a more traditional first
set. Mike typically seems to get thrown a bone by Trey around the 3rd or 4th song of every show; tonight in this role was Old Home Place. Bluegrass isn’t my favorite genre of Phish but I
still respect their chops and the bluegrass numbers have been well
played this year.
I always view Wolfman’s as Phish’s go
to song when they want to find a groove and get comfortable. It is a reliable vehicle for the
band. It’s always fun, a good jam, everyone gets a turn, Trey and the boys can
lock-in and go a little type one early in the show. There is a reason Wolfman’s primarily appears
in the first set. One of the reasons the power outage at Great Woods was such a
bummer this year was that we finally had a second set Wolfman’s and it was
about to go deep. It is hard for me to find a Wolfman’s I don’t enjoy,
including this one. I was staring out at the Columbia River getting down to
the Phish funk.
Bouncing follows Wolfman’s; Bouncing is gateway Phish. It’s a great song to introduce people to and if most of us are
going to be honest about our Phish experience it was one of the first songs
that was, if not an early favorite, at least relatable. Bouncing also has a weird way of showing up
in great shows. Check the stats.
Following the Wolfman’s was
Undermind. Undermind is in my Top 10 songs but it doesn’t get played enough nor
has it really been jammed out proper since FYF (Dicks 2012 yet again – probably the best musical run of 3.0). Trey had some issues at the start of Undermind but
they found a nice groove led by Fishman and including some nice riffs from Trey. I
was enjoying the way Fishman played with the tempo at the end of Undermind. I think it
was at this point that Trey really started to focus on Fish this evening - notice Trey’s
happy laugh at the 6 min mark. Trey's focus on Fishman was verbally evident 2 songs later in the set.
Kill Devil Falls was KDF. Another
nice example of Fishman being right on beat. I always think of KDF as Chalkdust the deuce so it was interesting to me that CDT shows up later in the show. How often do these show up in the same show?
Is a show more or less likely to have them both, statistically speaking? Paging
ZZYZX…
After KDF the band has some fun with Lawn
Boy. I always enjoy when Trey speaks and the Gorge chatter was a fun and
telling exchange. I enjoyed it so much I am going I have transcribed the exchange
below:
Page (at start of Lawn Boy): “Good
evening everybody. Welcome to the Gorge. We couldn’t be happier to be here. We
love this place so much. We really mean that. Thanks. Thanks a lot.”
Trey (after Lawn Boy): “The Chairman
of the Boards. Mr. Page McConnell.”
Trey: “How about a hand for the
drumming on that song. I love the way Fish drums on that song. It’s beautiful.
It really is. It’s great.”
Fish: “Michael Gordon on THE BASS.”
Page: “How about a hand for Trey?”
Fish: “Oh yeah. Big Red.”
Trey: “I just had a fun thought
Fish.”
Fish: “What is that Trey?”
Trey: “Now that we are admiring
drumming, how about we admire your songwriting for a minute [chuckles]?”
Fish: “My songwriting PROWESS!”
Trey: “You guys want to hear a brand
new, never before played song from Fish? It feels like it could be the greatest
song ever written. It’s only about minute long.”
Fish: “It might not even clock in at
a minute but it is possibly the truest thing ever written.”
Fish: “What could that be? Let’s see
if I remember it.”
Cue Ass Handed
Because I am so slack in writing this
review, I have had the benefit of hindsight of the full West
Coast Run. I can look back and see that the Tweezer opener and Ass Handed debut make a lot of sense when looking at the West Coast Run as a whole, starting at the Gorge and
ending at Chula Vista. After the silly lyrics,
Ass Handed has an incredible and awesome jam. It is such good Phish. The jam sounds like Carini and
Tweezer had a love child named A.H. Everyday. In the Chula Vista Carini, they
tease Ass Handed (at the show in the moment I believed it was Tweezer). It is so much like
Tweezer that after starting the West Coast Leg at the Gorge with Tweezer they
end it with an Ass Handed Tweeprise (sans Tweezer) during the Chula Vista show.
Following A.H. Everyday more Phish
banter from Trey:
Trey: “We are going to do one more
Jon Fishman song. I don’t know why these two songs seem like they are about the
same thing but they do to me. “
Cue Party Time
I guess Trey thinks getting your ass
handed to you is the same as partying? Or perhaps he thinks a good party should
follow a good ass handing. You get your Ass Handed to you everyday, might as
well Party Time? I’ve always liked the New Orleans feel of Party Time; NOLA is the
coolest city in the country and Jazz Fest the coolest festival.
After Party Time we have a boring…err
I mean slower segment of Phish. The Line
appears yet again. Trey obviously loves this song. On the postivie I can
say that I am happy to see it in the first set. Additionally while I feel that The Line has
been extremely overplayed, I have to admit that it is growing on me… at least a little bit. Maybe that’s just because I am comparing it to the
new batch of songs. Speaking of, Tide Turns followed the Line this
evening. Not a fan yet. An underwhelming Rift closes out the “slower” part of our
evening in George, Washington.
Walls of the Cave has become a go to
first set closer. I like Walls of the Cave; I dig both distinct sections and
the way it builds to a nice rock-n-roll climax. Walls was written in response to
9/11 and debuted in New York on 12/31/02. I will always remember the Piper
opener from that show as the pre-renovated Garden was bouncing, shaking and pulsating from the return of Phish. I will also always remember the last song from
that show, the debut of Walls. You get your ass handed to you might as well party
time because tomorrow is not guaranteed. #liveyourliphe
Overall a fun set of music, some
highs and some lows. Trey, Fish and Page were talkative (Mike says NO – well
technically he didn’t even say that), the band was in a great mood and super
happy to be at the Gorge. There were some shenanigans, very tight playing and a
debut of the shortest song in Phish history that I think is going to have some long-term traction. The weather was great, the crowd was amped up, Everything was Awesome. The potential for a good second set of music was on the table. It ended up not only being a good set; it ended up being a GREAT set.
7/15/2016 II George, WA
Watching the sunset at the Gorge is always an extraordinary experience. Surrounded by friends, the wonder
of mother nature, the air, the view, the vibe, the energy...The Gorge is my favorite
place in the world to see music. The sun goes down, you are surrounded by loved ones and there is always such a positive energy and magical force. There is nowhere else in the world I
would rather be than at the Gorge, watching the sun go down and about to see Phish play music. NOWHERE.
Phish comes out and opens with
Crosseyed and Painless. You can immediately hear that Phish is playing with
extra vigor, an intensity that hadn’t been seen much during Leg one of the
summer. This version is played with force and right away you can tell Phish,
especially Fishman, is locked in. Trey
is shredding multiple peaks and Fish’s drum rolls are on point. Mike is adding just the right amount of bass
and Page is summoning the aliens. It is impossible to listen to this jam and
not move your body. Just ask my neighbor here in the library as I write this review.
The boys end Crosseyed and with that
deep, piercing, beautiful, magical guitar lick Trey has signaled What’s the Use?
WTU? is one of the most beautiful songs in the Phish repertoire. However one could argue that it is also a song that has recently been overplayed; I appreciate it much more when it is scarce. Just when
I thought maybe they should shelve it for a bit, WTU? turns into one of the
main themes of the evening being interwoven throughout most of the set. Bravo Phish!
After What’s the Use? starts to
filter out, Fish hits the high hat and it’s time to get DOWN. NMINML is my
second favorite “new” phish song. Speaking of my favorite of the new batch, where
oh where art thou Mercury? How can you not have been played in Mexico nor at
the Gorge when Mercury was actually was visible in the sky? If found please return to the second set, reward offered.
This No Men’s has a great beat and
pace. I really dig Trey’s tone here. He is leading this jam with some
absolutely beautiful guitar playing. Once again Trey and Fish are playing
expertly off of each other; they were having lots of in synch moments tonight. Trey
is absolutely on fire. He wants to take this version to a more rock-n-roll
place but Page hits the clav reminding us that, at its core, MNINML is a funky
tune. Really just beautiful playing as
the band is locked in. Around the five minute mark Trey throws out the first tease of the night, a verbal “Still Waiting”. While this is pretty common for
Crosseyed, little did we know it was setting the stage for an incredible night
of mash-up Phish. The NMINL is fiery but then staggers a bit towards the end as
Trey searches for the next song. He drops a Stash tease at the 9:50 mark and
then they somewhat abruptly (and not exactly gracefully) stumble into our first
second set Stash since 7/2/11 (Superball) and first traditional second set Stash
since 8/9/04. Don’t let the rough entry fool you as this Stash was pretty
funking awesome.
Stash is where the set takes off for
outer space. Every time I hear Stash, I think of the 11/14/95 Orlando Stash(5)
(an all time Jam). I'm not saying this one compares to that version, but this is a pretty awesome Stash. It doesn't have the delicate picking by Trey but it does have a similar energy. I also always think of Santana when Phish drops a Stash. I once read that Trey wrote Stash as homage to him, so I always hear Carlos' influence in Stash. At about the 6:00 minute mark Trey
starts dropping a few What’s the Use? teases and we are in for a 1993-esque
Phish treat. With beauty and precision
Trey moves the song from What’s the Use? into the final Stash progression.
Up next we have an award winning (and this is not just for participation) Ghost. Speaking of Ghost, for now it is the jam of the year. Every time the Ghost of Guy Forget showed up in a show, it was one of the better shows of the summer (6/22 Minnesota, 7/8 Mansfield, 7/15 Gorge, 7/19 BGCA2, 7/23 Chula). Prior to a single lyric, Trey is beautifully teasing Crosseyed guitar grooves with his axe. Buckle up ladies, gentleman and wooks, keep your arms in the vehicle at all times; we are in for a wild ride. Ghost connoisseur Lawn Memo (I think) once said you can judge a Ghost, and often times an entire show, by how Phish handles the drop in Ghost. At about 2:45 Trey brings the What’s the Use? teases into the build and nails a dope AF drop. Pretty special – who has it better than us?
Fish starts to play with the tempo of
the Ghost, slowing it down to a sultry crawl. That’s when Trey jumps on the Marimba
Lumina and then Mike and Page hop on percussion. The boys have really enjoyed going to this
drums and space place and switching up instruments. Initially I enjoyed it, however lately I have started to feel like they are going to this well a bit
too often. A trusted phish friend of mine says he dies a little inside every time
Trey puts down his guitar. Even with
that said there is never any reason to start (nor sign) a lame ass change.org
petition telling Phish what to do musically. Read the fucking book.
Anyway this Ghost is moving slowly
along in a weird place with everyone on percussions. Then all of the sudden comes a No Men vocal tease
from Fish. He starts singing the lyric faster and faster, matching the quickening cadence on his drum beat, as this Ghost has gone from a
slither to a sprint. More Crosseyed and NMINML teases, the band is having a
blast and feeding off the crowd’s amazing energy. Trey picks up his guitar again and his
first piece of business is to play the No Men lick. We are in full on Phish
mash-up mode. This. Is. AWESOME. Thank you Phish, what a fun stretch of music.
Then another rushed transition, this
time into Chalkdust. My only complaint with this set is that the transitions
are a bit rough. It's almost as if Trey was so excited to get to the next song
he didn’t have the patience to build the segues. That said I like the CDT
call here. More NMINML, Crosseyed and What’s the Use? teases, Trey is having so much fun playing all of these tease phrases in his solos. Word is that this was Trey's favorite show of the year. This version is all
about Trey. The band sets a great pocket allowing him to crush solos and drop teases
like a guitar playing ninja. Trey shreds in an old school way and builds the peak, then
slows it down with more WTU? riffs before building it faster and faster to a
great release. Jedi Trey for the win.
I love the drop down from the fiery
Chalkdust into a mellow Meatstick. It is Mike’s turn to take over a bit. I always
love singing the Japanese lyrics because it makes me think of the Japhans, most
especially Yasu and Reiko who crushed the full summer tour. Thanks for always
bringing good vibes and positive energy and being such dedicated phans. Yasu
also streams for those on couch tour. Speaking of, a big thank you to all of
the people out there on mixlr, periscope, etc. bringing Phish to everyone on
couch tour. While I am at most shows, it is nice to have the streams when not there. Your efforts are very much appreciated.
Based on all the teases, you could
see a 2001 coming miles away. Phish loves throwing teases into 2001, e.g. the tease heavy
2001 at Darien Lake 6/8/11 (my favorite 2001 of 3.0; note that show also featured
What’s the Use?).
Also Sprach Zarathustra at the Gorge
immediately makes me think of 7/17/98, also at the Gorge(6). You can subjectively
argue that the 1998 Gorge 2001 is the best version ever, factually you can not argue against
it being the longest.
An always fun but pretty standard (other than a few teases) Cavern closes out one of the more fun sets of Phish of
the year. Outside circumstances play a major role in that but night
one, set 2 at the Gorge Phish was ON. It was a very special night where the band was
happy, playful, locked in and feeding off the amazing energy of the Gorge and
the crowd. Thank you Phish…. AGAIN!
Makisupa Policeman opens up the
encore. Fun and funny, the band was playing a happy song in celebration of the
evening, Trey led a Page side vs Mike side cheer, Fish was especially in a jovial
mood all night continuing to throw out random verbal song teases.
A rocking Wilson (decent job by
the crowd not clapping on the last Wilson beat of the first stanza) follows with Fish, yet
again, yelling funny quotes. It is cool to hear Wilson in the state of
Washington after the Seahawks adopted the song for the Russell Wilson
introduction, in some small way contributing to the Seattle Super Bowl
Championship. Check out the Phish NFL special about Wilson if you haven’t seen
it (7).
The band was happy and having a blast
and didn’t want to leave the stage so we even got a bonus Good Times Bad Times.
Three song encores are always welcomed and appreciated. What a fun way to send us off into
the night at the Gorge. Post show shenanigans night one at the Gorge are always pretty entertaining.
Phish has been the best band in the
world on and off for the past 20+ years. Phish has been a constant and beautiful
presence in my life. There is something magical about the Gorge. There is
something magical about Phish. 33 years as a band and the community, the scene,
the organization and the members of Phish are as healthy as ever. That's
pretty amazing. We are so lucky. Thank you for everything Phish. Thank you
Phish Inc., production, management, lights, sound, crew, etc. Thank you Trey.
Thank you Mike. Thank you Page. Thank you Fish. Thank you to the Phish
community. But most of all thank you to my friends and phamily, especially the
Great. I love you all so much. You are the ones that make Phish so special for me.
Crew photo Credit: Stephen Olker
I was given the honor of writing this
review for Gorge Night 1 in conjunction with Michael Stein’s official (YES!!!!) photos. Thank you for
the privilege of pairing my words to your pictures. I am so proud of you.
(1) Finks Top 6 Jams from the East Coast
Leg (in chronological order):
a.
Wrigley Twist
b.
Mann Reba
c. SPAC Moma
e.
Mansfield Ghost -> Light
f.
Hartford Disease
(2) https://www.instagram.com/p/BH3S38bgtfSB8tO5l8PUm4eQXaxwTpIt447Vwk0/
(3) https://www.instagram.com/p/BIBcK4BhIHx/
(3) https://www.instagram.com/p/BIBcK4BhIHx/
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