From the Peanut Gallery: Phish @ Merriweather (8/15/2009)
Even the prison warden style security can't get me down when I'm at Merriwether Post. The roving packs of uniformed goons had a buzzkill aura that would silence all within it's miasma. But as they pass, the murmer of excitement and anticipation would return to their previous levels.
The weather was hot and the air was still but this is what we come to expect from mid august at Merriweather. We stubbed our good friend into the pavillion just as the roar of the crowd heralded the band's arrival on stage for the second to last show of the tour.
Set One
* Crowd Control
* Kill Devil Falls
* The Sloth
* Beauty Of A Broken Heart
* Axilla I
* Foam
* Esther
* Ha Ha Ha
* Party Time
* Tube
* Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
* Strange Design
* Time Turns Elastic
Set 2
* Tweezer ~>
* Taste
* Alaska
* Let Me Lie
* 46 Days
* Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
* Harry Hood
Encore
* Good Times, Bad Times
* Tweezer Reprise
The setlist on paper is a 4/10. Wow, that's surprising to me. For this rating, I basically just look at the song title and give a knee-jerk yes/no on whether or not I'd like to see this song then divide by the total number of songs played. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a lower number as far as set list strength. Overall, we saw a number of breakouts in a very strange and heavy first set. I can't say that it was great. Set two and the encore caught a nice groove and went a long way towards redeeming this show as a whole.
Set One:
Crowd Control - I love this song... on the album. I like this song live and I really think if they worked on the live version (only the fifth time played) it could be a powerhouse.
Kill Devil Falls - Another great new tune, not really exploring new ground in this standard rocker but a great showcase of skill and a great vehicle to energize the crowd. A good selection in a good position (Set two, song 2)
The Sloth - A real treat for the Phish historian. Very nicely played, especially for not being seen in over six years. Trey's dirty tone and vocals really set the mood.
Beauty of a Broken Heart - Something a little more rhythmic in comparison to the sloth, but really does not grab me in any significant way.
Axilla I - At this point I am beginning to question this set, they seem to be all over the place and not really able to settle into any cohesive piece. In my opinion Axilla needs to be set up, and Beauty of a Broken Heart didn't do it. High energy and very well played but I was distracted trying to figure out the rhyme and reason behind this first set.
Foam - It seemed like trey was really struggling through this one, granted it's a very complex jam and he got it together towards the end allowing us to see another great example of Phish's eclectic reptoire.
Esther - Woo Hoo, love Esther.
Ha Ha Ha Ha - Phish is weird... This show is weirder...
Party Time - A Fishman original, apparently. A real fun tune that I expect to get a lot more play. I love that they play two fishman tunes in a row and all the lyrics between the both of them are "Ha", "Party" and "Time".
Tube - Something tells me that this wasn't the best tube of the tour (Camden?). But this definately is one of my favorite songs of the tour. Some real funky lines on a trippy sonic texture.
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan - A slow heavy-handed rocker. Can't say I'm the biggest fan.
Strange Design - Stock version.
Time Turns Elastic - The musician in me appreciates this song, the party-boy in me doesnt want 20 minuets of elaborate composion to disrupt the flow of set. It does eventually get pretty crowd friendly towards the last section and I must admit I was pretty into it by the end.
So ends set one. How weird is that. Read through the first set setlist aloud and tell me how all over the map they were musically. Aside from Crowd Control / Kill Devil Falls, I don't see how this set list works in that arrangement
Set two
Tweezer - a.k.a. 'We're sorry about that first set'. So glad they picked a can't miss song like tweezer. Well played but nothing notable about this tweezer.
Taste - I dunno how this will hold up to other tastes but I was really digging this. Everyone sounded really tight. Probably the best taste that I can recall.
Alaska - Of the Trey solo songs Phish could have picked to incorporate into the rotation, I wouldn't have picked Alaska (Push on till the Day, please).
Let Me Lie - @!#$
46 Days - This is the jam of the night for me. the 46 days weaved seamlessly in and out of many distinct textures. They really showed off their improvisational talents in this jam. So good.
Oh! Sweet Nuthin' - Another Page tune. A nice way to calm the house down after the monster 46 Days jam.
Harry Hood - The Hoods of this tour have been amazing and constantly getting better, we'll call it the Usain Bolt of the tour. A perennial favorite, this Hood was worthy of being the final hood of an anzing summer tour that featured many unique and great Hoods.
Encore:
Good Times, Bad Times - This is how you end a show, a rippin rendition of Zepplins GTBT. Page is sick on vocals and the band is as tight as it gets.
Tweezer Reprise - Nicely done, always expected and always loved.
I hate to sound ungrateful but I think I have to give this a 6/10. Set two had some highlights but overall the show really pales in comparison to Hartford (previous night) and Saratoga (following night). An off performance will not tarnish my memories of this night tho, for a phish show is more than just the music, its about friends, old and new... and coffee... with a kick!
