The boys from Vermont made an unusual appearance on the South Side last night over at Toyota Park. I had never seen a show at the home of the Chicago Fire until last night. All in all I was pleasantly surprised with the venue. The parking lot scene was relaxed and easy to navigate. “Look for the pirate flag” is what I was told and within 2 minutes of entering the lot I had found my crew. There were no security guards rushing you in, no cops giving you the eye, only naïve neighbors from the north telling you how great Wisconsin is and how Illinois is ‘beneath’ them. Hardy Har Har Har. Inside the soccer stadium it was clean, spacious, and there couldn’t have been more perfect weather for a concert. The only problem was a lack of video screens for those in the bleachers and not on the field.
Phish has a new album coming out in September, 'Joy'. Their eleventh studio album, and first in five years. They have been showcasing a lot of new material on this summer tour. They opened with one of those new songs, “Kill Devil Falls”, a song I can definitely get behind. Trey has a sick solo in it, reminiscent of the one he does in “Birds of a Feather”, and this song gets the crowd dancing (something newer Phish songs off Round Room or Undermind failed to do). Phish also debuted a song called “Windy City”, one in which Trey declared they had to wait to play until they got to our town. It was a little slow to fully grasp in one listen, but still pretty cool they now have a song about Chi-town. I just hope they know the name comes from our politicians and not our weather. Yuk yuk yuk.
After a first set filled with mostly new stuff Phish broke out some stellar crowd favorites in the second set and the show was saved. The Led Zeppelin like riff in “Carini” was the highlight of the show. There was a giant banner being held in the stands to the left of the stage reading, “ Carini Me! I’m 30 Today”. It seems like the foursome has been taking a lot of requests this tour. The seldom played song is about a stage crew member who once tackled a naked dude who was bum rushing the stage. After that they calmed the crowd down with a groovy, “Gotta Jiboo” and “Theme from the Bottom”. Then they hit us with an astonishing 3 pack of heavy songs, “Wilson”, “2001”, and a personal favorite of mine “Chalkdust Torture”. The second set closed with Trey, Mike, and Fishman walking off the stage leaving Page to a piano solo of “The Squirming Coil”. Chills ran up my arm. Running out of time, I suspect, Phish only had time for one encore. But when you get “Loving Cup”, you can’t complain.
Phish has a new album coming out in September, 'Joy'. Their eleventh studio album, and first in five years. They have been showcasing a lot of new material on this summer tour. They opened with one of those new songs, “Kill Devil Falls”, a song I can definitely get behind. Trey has a sick solo in it, reminiscent of the one he does in “Birds of a Feather”, and this song gets the crowd dancing (something newer Phish songs off Round Room or Undermind failed to do). Phish also debuted a song called “Windy City”, one in which Trey declared they had to wait to play until they got to our town. It was a little slow to fully grasp in one listen, but still pretty cool they now have a song about Chi-town. I just hope they know the name comes from our politicians and not our weather. Yuk yuk yuk.
After a first set filled with mostly new stuff Phish broke out some stellar crowd favorites in the second set and the show was saved. The Led Zeppelin like riff in “Carini” was the highlight of the show. There was a giant banner being held in the stands to the left of the stage reading, “ Carini Me! I’m 30 Today”. It seems like the foursome has been taking a lot of requests this tour. The seldom played song is about a stage crew member who once tackled a naked dude who was bum rushing the stage. After that they calmed the crowd down with a groovy, “Gotta Jiboo” and “Theme from the Bottom”. Then they hit us with an astonishing 3 pack of heavy songs, “Wilson”, “2001”, and a personal favorite of mine “Chalkdust Torture”. The second set closed with Trey, Mike, and Fishman walking off the stage leaving Page to a piano solo of “The Squirming Coil”. Chills ran up my arm. Running out of time, I suspect, Phish only had time for one encore. But when you get “Loving Cup”, you can’t complain.
Phish really seems to be enjoying themselves this time around. They may not sound as tight as shows from the late 90's, but they are coming together. The newer stuff is promising, sans "Time Turns Elastic", and a younger generation is finally getting to experience them live. I am just happy they are touring again, as summers just didn't seem the same without getting a few nights in with the Phab 4. Still the best live band alive today.
A "Loving Cup" closer! damn, that's awesome. jealousy reigns in my office.
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