Concert Recap
Randall’s Island
July 11 & 12, 2014
By Elliot Fisher:
After a spectacular run at SPAC the previous weekend, Phish headed to the Big Apple for three nights at Randall’s Island. In addition to three nights of music, there was a plethora of tents and booths for attendees to check out including a Relix Magazine booth, Phish Dry Goods, Ben and Jerry’s, and a Phish archive of old merchandise called “Step into the Freezer.”
On Friday, Phish begin without hesitation and threw the Island into a flurry with a “Moma Dance” opener. Continuing to warm the crowd up did not take long and half way through the first set a very welcoming “Bathtub Gin” arrived, definitely a set highlight (see video above). Ending at just under 18 minutes long, BG could have easily been played in the second set, but instead occurred just as the sun began to set and the full moon rose over the crowd. We all know the power it has and this particular version, in addition to the transition from day to night, remains a highlight for me. It was very airy, almost like it was floating on the clouds, and the patterned layers from the quartet produced dream-like sounds. This Gin said, “Welcome to Randall’s. We are glad you are here” Arriving towards the end of the first set, “Waiting All Night” was very well placed to bring us all back to down before the set closer “Stash.”
As “Steam” opened the second set, I had very high hopes for the jam but the boys never found a solid groove and ended it short. They did deliver a powerful 18-plus minute “Down with Disease” that began with a lot of energy and ended dark and spooky, a real treat for sure. The remainder of the second set rocked with “Golden Age” following DWD. The first time this cover has been played all tour was an unexpected gem. In addition to DWD and “Golden Age,” “Fuego” proved to be another powerful jam coming in under 11 minutes. I believe “Fuego” is a compositional masterpiece. It is a song that reminds me of the other complicated songs like “Fluffhead”, “Divided Sky”, and “Harry Hood.” These four songs have varying time signatures, complicated beats and change quickly, and have long and expecting jams. I will always enjoy “Fuego” into the second set with wide-open arms in addition to the reasons listed above and how exciting the boys become when playing the tune.
“Character Zero” concluded Friday night’s show and everyone was satisfied and ecstatic for the music from the night. As is usually the case, Friday’sshow had fewer in attendance but nonetheless Phish proved they are ready to play no matter who shows up.
Saturday’s show saw almost twice as many people present for Phish. With a packed island, plenty of craft beer and food, Phish kicked off the night with a welcoming “AC/DC Bag” followed by “46 days”. This long first set included with “Devotion to a Dream”, where Trey had some nice riff jams which was followed by a well-placed “Free”. As the sun began to set in the song the crowd went wild for “Free”. Mike laid down some loud bassheat allowing everyone to develop a deep groove which saw some nice complimentary nuances from Trey Anastasio. The 7-minute version of “Free” was a highlight for me as well as “Back On The Train”, which is always a fun and funky dance tune. Page did a wonderful job with “Halfway to the Moon” and all four put on a show with “The Line”. Coming in at 10 minutes “Run like an Antelope” was a nice reminder of how long the first set was, and foreshadowed the song selection for the second set.
Second set highlights included a particularly jammy intro for “Punch You in the Eye”, a scary and mean “Carini”, and a 15-plus minute “Ghost” that had many ascending crescendos. The “Ghost” provided the sort of type 3.0 jam that begs you to close your eyes (Sorry CK5!) and just listen to the intricacies of the music. Without question, your body moves to the music. “Ghost” settled down near the end, and Page added some nice organ notes to keep it all going. “Wingsuit” was very well placed to slow down the dancing before a crazy “Rock and Roll”. Trey’s guitar work in “Rock and Roll” and Page’s nice singing abilities were my favorite part about Saturday’s show, as well as the set closer of “Harry Hood”. Phish looked very excited and happy to have delivered such a long and varied show to the massive audience.
But they were not done yet: “Tube”, “Joy”, and “First Tube”, a tri-fecta if you will, closed the show . The place erupted with the first notes of “Tube” and again with “First Tube”. See you phreaks this summer, they’re just getting started.