Emanuel’s Meanderings

Tuesday, 05/31/2011

PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ

Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, Roggae, Punch You In the Eye, The Moma Dance > Rock and Roll, Sand, Tube > The Divided Sky, Character Zero

Set 2: After Midnight > Possum, Drowned > Maze, Dirt, Alaska, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Fire

Wednesday, 06/01/2011

PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ

Set 1: First Tube, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Camel Walk, Heavy Things, Gotta Jibboo, Wilson > Seven Below > Kill Devil Falls, Axilla > Split Open and Melt, Suzy Greenberg

Set 2: Tweezer > No Quarter[1], Carini > Piper > Twist > Ghost[2] > Backwards Down the Number Line[2

Encore: Show of Life > Tweezer Reprise

So two days of The Phish at PNC Banks Arts Center are in the books… or as I like to call it 83 & 84 at The GSAC.  I had a fun time.  Everything was great, with one small exception – the music.  Yeah I said it.  And I’ll say it again, may as well call a spade a spade; I was nonplussed about the music.

Before I get to the music, let me mention a few other things…  On numerous occasions I have had discussion with people about what makes a great show ‘great.’  Performance, song selection are major parts.  But an additional part is where you are mentally, and obviously you can be the only objective one on the subject.  Well, these past two days I was probably in the best mental place I’ve been at for a show in a while.  I love going to shows in Holmdel (exponentially more than Camden.)  Holmdel is nice, pretty, kinda bucolic, pretty easy to get to, free to park, fairly nitrous-free and it is less than an hour from home.

Another piece of the mental pie, and more like the majority, was the company I was with.  For starters, each night I saw the show with someone who’s never been before.  For the jaded, cynical Phish-head that I’ve turned into, going to a show with a major newbie makes a world of difference.  It allows me to experience the show with a fresh perspective.  Sure I may have seen Sample, Divided, chanted during Wilson and thrown glowsticks tons of times.  But the people I’m with have not.  And the first few times you experience that stuff, it’s really cool.  And because it was fun and cool originally I kept coming back.  The newbies had fun, though I’m not sure if they’ll be back for another show, and their fun spread to me.

Also in terms of the big mental pie, and the company…  Both nights I was with some of my absolute favorite people.  For me and my dollar, there is nothing like seeing good rock & roll outside with good friends and good food/drink.  I had so much fun hanging out in Shakedown, eating and drinking well, shooting the breeze on a sunny summer day.  At the time in the lot I knew how good a mood I was in, and even on the lawn in the middle of the rain I was having a great time, and I told the people I was with.  Shit, I’m at The Phish with my friends… this is the best!

So, um yeah, I was in a good mood for the shows.

And the music?  Honestly it just didn’t click for me.  Sometimes you can look at a set-list and it looks good, but when you hear it you discover otherwise.  These set-lists don’t even look that good.  Don’t get me wrong there was some good music both days.  On 5/31 After Midnight was both exploratory and tight, with Trey seeming to check himself for a little while.  Maze, Page took a long solo, not a great solo but a very good long solo none the less.  Drowned and YEM were their typical wonderful selves, and Mike’s YEM solo was one of his better ones.  The reader will notice not much was written about the first set.  PYTE and Rock & Roll were the exceptions to this mediocre and somewhat sloppy (Divided I’m talking to you) set.  Second set and encore were better than the first.  Overall I gave the show a B.

Second night.  Where to begin?  Well nowhere.  Between song selection and performance I was left unmoved and kinda bored.  Sure, there were parts of Suzie and Faulty Plan which were good.  Tweezer Reprise is always fun.  And seeing the debut of No Quarter was a treat.  But that’s about it.  Many of the songs I’m indifferent towards (Seven Below, Kill Devil), and some I just don’t like what they’ve turned into (First Tube, Piper.)  This show just left me unenthused.  Overall I gave it a C+.

I’ve seen the guys a lot.  In a wide variety of situations and locations.  I’ve seen them at their worst and their best.  So I can comfortably say I know what they are capable of.  These past two days just were not their best.  That’s OK.  The Phish not at their best is still better than most at their best.

And if nothing else, I had a hell of a good time these past few days.  Woo-hoo!