Tuesday 11/01/2016 by J_D_G

VEGAS 4: LET ALL THE CHILDREN BOOGIE

Phish’s New Year’s Eve show is often seen as a reflection of the year it concludes. But with the benefit of hindsight, Halloween performances sometimes turn out to be the emblematically significant occasions. And keeping with that trend, the performance of David Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars” last night was in many ways a portrait of Phish in 2016.

Photo © Rene Huemer
Photo © Rene Huemer

Halloween: a (not so) haunted mirror?

In 1994, the choice to cover the Beatles’ “White Album” was the work of a world-beating band on the rise, full of ambition. For The Who’s “Quadrophenia” the next year, a horn section was imported and Phish’s new Halloween tradition was really solidified as a ritualized event. Talking Heads’ “Remain In Light” in ’96, as has oft been observed, seems in retrospect to have been a key nudge on Phish’s artistic evolution toward exploration of groove and musical textures. The performance of Velvet Underground’s “Loaded” two years later leaned on Phish’s gooey jamminess of the period (including the ambient sounds into which the cow funk of ’97 had evolved) to extend a short-ish album to full-set length. For Festival 8 in 2009, the newly re-formed Phish renewed its lapsed tradition with a bulletproof hall-of-famer of the rock canon (Rolling Stones’ “Exile On Main Street”)—an ambitious but responsibly professional selection that was guaranteed to be the satisfying centerpiece of a festival-sized event.

With the novelty of the ‘09 comeback exchanged for the tour-to-tour creative grind of simply just being a band again, Little Feat’s “Waiting For Columbus” was a well-earned “for the band” choice, but also one that indicated the giant-slaying element of the spectacle was now of less interest to the group. “Wingsuit” in ’13 showcased one reality of Phish of the time—it was a band that was struggling to write new original material, and bravely threw a bunch of stuff at the wall that night, most of it pretty weak. (In fairness, the material included “Fuego,” Phish’s best original of the era to date.) In retrospect though, it turned out to be a 3.0-era renewal of the famous band/audience relationship and gave Phish the gumption to pen a whole set of instrumental originals the next year for the “Thrilling, Chilling” set, one of the biggest and most creatively satisfying surprises of its entire career.

So where does that leave us in 2016? When David Bowie died in January (JadedVet quip: David Bowie died in 2016 but “David Bowie” has been on life support since the end of 2.0), many fans instantly speculated that it would be great if Phish covered “Ziggy Stardust” on Halloween. Many also said it was unlikely to happen because it seemed such an obvious choice. They were all right.

Last night’s second set was reflective of Phish, circa 2016. It was a band who generously offered fan service in place of perverse surprises: a cover of a classic rock favorite, one which many fans have fantasized about hearing like this for years. The musical arrangement failed to highlight the band’s strengths—also a problem with the recent “rotation,” percussion and Marimba Lumina jams—and put some band members, Trey notably, in positions where they had to succeed outside of their comfort zones. (Which is basically the story of “Big Boat.”) And in heartening defiance of other recent trends, the performance displayed a great deal of prep work. Trey, Page, Mike and Fish clearly took their task seriously and delivered a polished, successful performance.

Also in tune with 2016, the presentation of “Ziggy” displayed an egalitarian band quick to share the spotlight and defer to other creative opinions—among the band as well as outside collaborators. (This trend is jokingly observed in a PhishBill ad that references producer Bob Ezrin’s already-infamous call to cut “Mercury” from “Big Boat.”) Album opener “Five Years” featured lead vocals from each band member in turn; then, the second song was a Page showcase. There were guest musicians, but not the expected horn section, much less one branded as Giant Country Horns. Instead, a string section and three-woman chorus augmented the glittery bombast of Bowie’s glam-rock classic.

"Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with Weird and Gilly."

The string and vocal arrangements were by Carmel Dean, part of Trey’s Broadway-sourced network; she arranged vocals for “Hands On A Hardbody” and “Paper Wheels,” and wrote the a capella arrangement of Bowie’s “Space Oddity” that Phish debuted this summer. The musicians, many with Broadway credits, were ostensibly recruited by Dean; Jennifer Hartswick, the longtime first-chair horn player on Trey’s solo projects (not to mention playing on the studio version of “Gotta Jiboo”), was onstage but strictly as a backing vocalist. If she flew to Vegas with her trumpet safely stowed, she needn’t have.

When the heavily prevalent pre-show rumors were confirmed by release of the PhishBill at the opening of doors, the album choice seemed auspicious: at under 40 minutes, it would require some Phish-ification to fill a whole set. Some fans were banking on the “Loaded” treatment, with full-fledged jams injected into the song arrangements. Or at least something similar to “Exile,” when Phish applied its own instincts to fill out spots like the “Ventilator Blues” -> “I Just Want To See His Voice” sequence into the most musically memorable moments of the night. Even the Beatles choice in ’94 included a couple notably re-arranged songs.

Instead, Phish went up there and basically re-created the Bowie album. And by the standards the group apparently set for itself, it clobbered it. There are all sorts of ways this could have gone wrong, but the performances of each song were tight and convincing. The takeaway here is that Phish succeeded, played a classic album very well—and doing so just because they felt like doing something special, and the fans wanted it.

It was thrilling to hear Trey play things like the signature guitar figure in “Ziggy Stardust.” The ensemble blew a hole in the roof with “Suffragette City.” And the guests added depth to the sound that caused a chill here and there (“Soul Love”) but largely turned out to be not such a big deal. Each band member totally owned the lead vocals of at least one song; Mike met the challenge of “Starman” (with Trey on acoustic guitar to better represent the sound of the original), Fishman had his “Happy” moment with “Star,” and Page convincingly delivered “Ziggy Stardust” with mic in hand, exchanging gleeful looks with Trey as he summoned the rock and roll gumption to deliver lines like “well-hung with snow-white tan.”

Photo © Rene Huemer
Photo © Rene Huemer

Most riskily, Trey stepped away from guitar entirely to showcase his weakest attribute as a performing musician, singing committed lead vocals on “It Aint Easy” and the finale, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide.” Each was a tremendous success, amounting to probably the highlight of Trey’s career as a vocalist. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” even sounded like a continuation of lyrical themes found in some recent Phish songs. But the move also took away Phish’s strongest tool for a not-insignificant chunk of stage time. The trend, seen in 2016, of Trey spending more and more time doing things other than playing lead guitar, is represented here but is hardly encouraging. It’s a creative risk, but with little upside.

The set did overplay the album’s running time a bit, reaching the 47-minute mark—still notably short for a Phish set—but only because of between-song pauses and very slight augmentations like a brief vamp on the outro chorus of “Hang Onto Yourself.” No, they didn’t find a way to play a Type II jam in any of these tightly conceived songs. Nothing was recast entirely, into a Henrietta showcase (like “Willin’” in ’10) or winking upbeat Phish-grass (“Don’t Pass Me By” in ‘94). There are no moments here that feel much like Phish, really.

Even the standalone cover “Space Oddity,” arranged by a collaborator outside the group, reflected Phish’s personality and made me proud to be a fan of a band who would do that.

So, where were the spiders?

In 1994, the fact that Phish simply covered another band’s album as a Halloween surprise would have been earned bragging rights in the rock and roll world; the band went ahead and made no doubt of its exceptionalism anyway by tackling the album it chose. “Phish played the ‘White Album’ on Halloween.” Can your favorite band say that? But since then, concert performances of beloved albums are almost a cottage industry; yes, bands usually (but not always) play one of their own albums rather than someone else’s, but in 2016 the whole concept feels familiar rather than brash and surprising.

Last night’s second set was a collection of great songs, vividly brought to life by Phish and friends, who met the originals strictly on their own terms. I like the album a lot, and so have enjoyed replaying last night’s second set a few times today. It marks a happy moment for Phish. The band made a promise and kept it. But, unlike most past Halloween shows, there’s little statement here. No gauntlet has been thrown. The group raised the conceptual bar with the twin nights of new originals in ’13 and ’14 (even if the “Wingsuit” suite had many low moments). This was a retrenchment. Yes Virginia, like every other band that has ever existed, Phish does not in fact stretch the boundaries of rock performance on every occasion it takes the stage. Sometimes it just does something cool, something its fans have been feverishly requesting.

To say you want the band to play a Halloween show in which they cover a great album (ideally with onstage guests in the mix), and they do that and knock it out of the park, it seems supremely ungenerous as a fan to then complain too much about the conservative arrangement of the material. Ultimately that's the artists' choice: to carefully embody Bowie's songs rather than reinvent them. I too hoped they’d use the material as more of a springboard to improvisation, possibly in concert with an additional performance aspect (like dance) or even scenic design. Those elements, executed successfully, would have improved the performance. But in the absence of that imagined staging, the one that Phish actually did present at the MGM Grand last night was a success, on its own terms. I think Phish fans, myself included, sometimes need to be reminded to take yes for an answer.

Photo © Rene Huemer
Photo © Rene Huemer

After the briskly executed "Ziggy" set, the night finished pretty strongly (and stronger than the third sets of some 3.0 New Year’s Eve shows). There was an atypically upbeat, Type II “Sand,” a “Twist” that dropped quickly into an interesting jam (that unfortunately let to a percussion and Marimba Lumina sequence), a “2001” with “Fame” vocal quotes, and a sizzling “Slave to the Traffic Light.” And beforehand, the first set included the first “Carini” opener since the pre-Hiatus west coast run in 2000 and a strong if unspectacular run of songs for an opening salvo.

Yes, the “Exile” set pointed toward a middle ground between daring improvisation and extended vamps, but even that was eight years ago. In 2016, when Phish wants to do something on Halloween, it practices very hard on a great, topically relevant album, and Trey calls in his theater friends to collaborate. And it's webcast to the device of your choice, radiating the communal experience outward. The set went by quickly (because it was short) and didn’t bring with it the Phish-world-shaking import of the most recent Halloween show, in ’14.

I say anyway: Huzzah.

Phish may not have said anything new last night. But what it said sounded great. Obvious? Predictable? Sure, if you insist. But when a performance like last night can be considered predictable, your band is in very good shape.

—Jeremy D. Goodwin

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Comments

, comment by thebuzzman
thebuzzman Spot on review. I thought the Ziggy presentation was good/great bordering at times on spectacular. It was so obvious how much rehearsal and work went into it with each band members face reflecting the desire to nail it. Throughout the entire performance it really did feel like these were theatrical performers not rock musicians pretending to be. I tip my hat to the entire ensemble.

Cheers to a successful Vegas run.

P.S. Slave was epic.
, comment by thegripp
thegripp I feel that Phish is trying to strengthen the vulnerable parts in their repertoire, like depending on their song writing rather than their improvisation. Look at the Dallas shows, very song heavy, and those songs epically performed, but was bereft of any experimental jamming.

They are begging the question: Are you coming to see Phish PLAY or Phish JAM? We've been seeing Phish experiment with their jamming since 93 (remember the choppy cacophony that was in your face jamming of Summer 93?) well maybe they're exposing the musicianship side of their canon and trying to present a bigger picture of their vast artistry. There are some 93 summer shows I go back to to reflect on their growth as a band. There are also some shows I don't. I feel that some people (myself included until after hearing Halloween 16) thought that this was a transitional year, like 96 - some creative ups and downs. I feel it's like 93, on the verge of restructuring their whole ethos; from a quirky, eclectic unconventional band to a heavily improvisational band to today, a refined conglomerate of all of these attributes. And I feel like it's only the beginning.

That's the best part of this band - being an integral part of their creation.
, comment by Live_Eels
Live_Eels I'm a bit surprised by the less-than-enthusiastic review but to each their own, I s'pose.

Phish with strings?
A Trey I barely recognized killing it in the role of lead singer?
MIKE NAILING THE VOCALS ON STARMAN???

Yes Yes Yes! I didn't need any signature jams, or reworking Bowie originals. This was a special night that far surpassed my expectations of how they would interpret the album. Perfection, pure and simple.
, comment by User_25940_
User_25940_ I was pretty much floored by the end of the costume set. I didn't expect it to have so much emotional weight on me. It was one of those that just builds until it reaches that point of singularity where all the elements converge into one simple point of light ("Rock and Roll Suicide"). Calling that moment the highlight of Trey's singing career is one way to put it, but another is to say Trey exposed himself through someone else's song in a way he has never been able to do (with great success) on his own ballads. And I'll never forget that moment and the energy from the crowd feeling IT.
The songs leading up to that finale were so well played, and the Moonage Daydream outro was insane. Even the guys and gals on strings were visibly floored.

The third was more than satisfying, and I agree it was a strong 3rd for 3.0 standards, The band (having lost maybe a small step winding up the final addition to a four-show masterpiece) still delivered the goods throughout with a 46>Sand that made all kinds of sense, and a quick, strange Twist with a full and often riveting drum corps. I happily got my second Meatstick, and 2001 was the centerpiece, delivering in a way that previous versions I have heard or seen from this era have not. The #line solo throught to the Slave finale was emotional overkill in the best possible way.

Overall, I was lucky to catch 7 shows this tour and all of them were spectacular. Add to that 3 shows at Mexico and Bill Graham each and I had a hell of a year seeing this band. I'm not making it to NYC, so this is a wrap for me. Thank You Phish, for another crazy, sexy, beautiful year of music.
, comment by Daddo
Daddo There I was, dressed as a bottle of Tanqueray and wrapped, quite widely, in an inflatable bathtub....

...voice already TOAST from three days of insanity in the dry desert... but singing, to the best of my ability, EVERY GOTT-DAMN WORD of an album I wore down as a 12 year old ....

...remembering that my mom called me in January saying "you made me take you to see him in the Elephant Man on broadway, I know you loved him"....

.... during the Starman chorus I raised my hands high, looked right through the roof and saw Bowie....

He was not only smiling, he was VIBRATING with LOVE and LIGHT
, comment by n00b100
n00b100 1. I think, at this particular point, calling 2016 "underwhelming", given that the tour has more or less been at the level of 2013-14 ever since the Gorge, is putting much more emphasis on what came before the Gorge run (a not-insignificant portion of the year, admittedly) or trying to stack it up to 2015 (one of the all-time great touring years) than actually acknowledging most of what's come afterwards. I don't think 2016 stacks up to 2015, but I certainly think it stacks up to, say, 2014 (another year to whom due isn't much often paid beyond its greatest shows), and the best of this year (even with those gosh-darned terrible Marimba Lumina jams and such) can stand quite proudly with the finest of this and any other era.

2. I was discussing the album choice with a fellow fan upon its announcement, and he made the point that Occam's Razor might well apply here - the band has spoken very highly of Bowie in the past, they took it very hard when he passed, and in a long line of sentimental album choices for musical costumes, this was perhaps the most sentimental of all. He also noted that a lot of Phish's formative musical choices were from the early-to-mid-70s - Bowie, Zep, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Zappa, et al. Sometimes it's just a cigar. Grand statements are grand statements because they happen rarely, not because every single show has to Be A Thing. We can make something A Thing after the fact. We don't need to do it here, I don't think, with the benefit of hindsight.

3. As for Trey's "creative risks"...if he *primarily* steps away from playing guitar down the line, I'd probably wonder. I don't think he will. You do ANYTHING for 30-odd years, sometimes you want to do something that's, y'know, not that.

4. I do wish a bit more attention was paid to that third set - it's a set that reveals its pleasures more subtly (that all-star Sand notwithstanding) than the three Godzilla-monster second sets preceding it, but there are pleasures, indeed. Do NOT skip that Also Sprach Zarathustra.

5. Quite a nice recap, on the whole.
, comment by fluff_hen
fluff_hen
But, unlike most past Halloween shows, there’s little statement here. No gauntlet has been thrown. The group raised the conceptual bar with the twin nights of new originals in ’13 and ’14 (even if the “Wingsuit” suite had many low moments). This was a retrenchment.
Thank you for expressing this so well!

Not being much of a Bowie fan (my bad) I was nonplussed last night, but not so much by the selection as by them choosing to cover another band's album, 3 years after saying they were done with that; it didn't interest them any more. Of course, Phish has the right to change their (its?) mind, but after witnessing in awe the creative juggernaut of Halloween 2014, I somehow expected every Halloween to be a new, original masterpiece conceived and rehearsed in total secrecy.

Unrealistic I know, and Ziggy is a great album that was played (and sung!) beautifully. I never knew Trey could sing like that; I was nearly in tears! He's been dominant on guitar lately, so I don't think there's any sense to reading the tea leaves about him putting down the guitar for marimba lumina or whatnot, but I guess vets like to worry...
, comment by RobPJohnson3
RobPJohnson3 This was a well-written, intelligent review, but it almost feels like the author needs to make excuses for Phish not playing a 20-minute Type 3 version of Moonage Daydream, even though he himself points out that Loaded was the only Halloween album that really got extended jam treatment.

I can understand why people want Phish to jam an album out and make it their own, but Ziggy Stardust just isn't a good choice for that kind of thing. Much like another common Halloween request, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, this is an album that is best played close to the vest.

I agree with the idea that it is not an accident Phish chose a very song-oriented rock album and kept every song under 5 minutes. The band's new commitment to tightness, Trey's new Marshall amp, the new songwriting direction present on Big Boat....it all makes a little more sense today now that we know the Halloween album.
, comment by levitatingyogi
levitatingyogi For all those harshing on summer tour I point your suffering ears to: Night 2 Wrigley and Nights 1 at SPAC, MANN and Gorge

And the whole SF run

You are welcome
, comment by lumpblockclod
lumpblockclod @noob100 said:

I think, at this particular point, calling 2016 "underwhelming", given that the tour has more or less been at the level of 2013-14 ever since the Gorge, is putting much more emphasis on what came before the Gorge run (a not-insignificant portion of the year, admittedly) or trying to stack it up to 2015 (one of the all-time great touring years) than actually acknowledging most of what's come afterwards. I don't think 2016 stacks up to 2015, but I certainly think it stacks up to, say, 2014 (another year to whom due isn't much often paid beyond its greatest shows), and the best of this year (even with those gosh-darned terrible Marimba Lumina jams and such) can stand quite proudly with the finest of this and any other era.
Taking the last part first, I'll agree that the very best of this year (Vegas1-3 are likely the three best shows of the year) can, for the most part, stand up to any era. But there's just no getting around the balance of 2016 being underwhelming IMO. Yes, things began to improve at the Gorge, though let's not forget, 3 of the 6 second sets from that run were either lackluster (Gorge2) or about as unexciting as Phish gets (BGCA3 & Forum). That inconsistency continued into the Fall (I'm still trying to figure out what happened in Dallas), but it wasn't just inconsistency, it was also the peaks of 2016 not matching the peaks of other years. Compare Randalls CDT>Light>Tweezer, Mann Fuego and Miami Ghost>Theme>Cities, OTOH, with, let's say, Dicks NMINML, ATL DWD, and BGCA Sally. It's not a fair fight from my standpoint. Fall 2013 is every bit on the level as 2015, so I'm not sure 2016 will make out favorably in that comparison either.

Anyway, you're free to disagree with all of the above. Phish opinions are just that. But most of us who continue to call this year subpar aren't doing so because we're focused only on one stretch of shows or due to a lack of historical perspective. We're doing it because we think it's underwhelming.
, comment by justnoah
justnoah Nice work @J_D_G. It was magical to be in the room for the Costume set. It doesn't need to be a statement. It was a really touching tribute and I'm glad I was there.
, comment by n00b100
n00b100 @lumpblockclod said:

"But there's just no getting around the balance of 2016 being underwhelming IMO. Yes, things began to improve at the Gorge, though let's not forget, 3 of the 6 second sets from that run were either lackluster (Gorge2) or about as unexciting as Phish gets (BGCA3 & Forum)."

I suppose, but a) that's not uncommon of literally any tour, ever, and b) you've still got the first BGCA shows, Gorge 1, and Chula to deal with. I'll get back to that in a second.

"That inconsistency continued into the Fall (I'm still trying to figure out what happened in Dallas),"

People are gonna talk about that show for the next decade like it's Phish's version of the JFK assassination, and I don't quite know what happened there either (especially since Dallas 1 is a nice show). But, yeah, again, not every show is a jewel.

"but it wasn't just inconsistency, it was also the peaks of 2016 not matching the peaks of other years. Compare Randalls CDT>Light>Tweezer, Mann Fuego and Miami Ghost>Theme>Cities, OTOH, with, let's say, Dicks NMINML, ATL DWD, and BGCA Sally. It's not a fair fight from my standpoint."

And that's where the "IMO" is nice, because I*M*O if you stack up, say, the Vegas Golden Age/Piper/DWD/BOAF, Nashville Hood, SPAC Moma/CDT, Wrigley (fill in the blank), and Dick's C&P/Piper/NMIMNL (you don't like that jam that much? Really?) against the aforementioned other jams, I think it becomes more of a fair fight.

"Fall 2013 is every bit on the level as 2015, so I'm not sure 2016 will make out favorably in that comparison either."

I love Fall 2013 to death (as the posts I've made around this here forum bear out), but this is the tour of 10/18-10/19, Rochester (Rochester!), and Worcester 1, a damn lovely show that shrinks a bit considering how much stronger the modern era has gotten since. Fall 2016 (which, I assume, is the comparison point - I note no mention of Summer 2013 here) may not make out favorably, but it's hardly a shrinking violet in that regard.

"Anyway, you're free to disagree with all of the above. Phish opinions are just that."

That's what I keep telling people. :)

"But most of us who continue to call this year subpar aren't doing so because we're focused only on one stretch of shows or due to a lack of historical perspective. We're doing it because we think it's underwhelming."

And that's fair, and all I'll say is this - Fall 1999 is one of my favorite tours, and it's *insanely* inconsistent and has some shows that would probably struggle to garner a favorable rating *today*, and in the context of (say) December 1999, which people love because of Cypress (even though it's more inconsistent than the Fall is), or December 1995, or Fall 1997, yes, it can seem underwhelming. But nobody gives a crap about the bad shows of Fall 1999, just as nobody gives a crap about the bad shows of any tour, because it's not the bad shows of a tour you judge a tour on. We don't judge Fall '97 on 12/8, we judge it on 11/22. And, all told, I think that no matter how inconsistent you think the tour is or how bad you think the bad shows are (I won't even argue there are more bad, or "bad", really, shows this tour), at the end of the day I think you have to judge it on its best, and I think there's more than enough "best" here to be happy with the year. IMO.
, comment by LightsWentOut
LightsWentOut Another jaded vet on .NET taking his moment in the spotlight to bitch about all the things that are stuck in his craw about how Phish has let him down. At least this one tries to temper his continuing and thinly-veiled disappointment. The jabs at the band in the introduction were unnecessary and, in many cases, unfounded or unsupported. Just more jaded noise bouncing around the .NET echo chamber. It's beyond tiresome at this point.
, comment by Kriddaz
Kriddaz Am I the only one who loved the "Wingsuit" set? Say it ain't so!
, comment by JMart
JMart As my buddy says, when referring to the old days and how everyone pines for fall '97, "nobody remembers the clunkers." No matter what era you turn to, there are average and below-average shows. This isn't one of them. A lot of fun to watch from the couch.

I want to really hand it to the reviewer for nailing the context in which the Ziggy Stardust album was delivered. This was a real pleasure to read. Thanks.
, comment by HenryHolland
HenryHolland I'm a post-first hiatus nOOb (got in to the band in 2003), but I've listened to hundreds of shows from all eras. It seems to me that Phish is in one of those transition periods (like 1996) between styles. There's a more "electronica" feel to some of the songs and jams, Trey is experimenting with new sounds and pedals/effects, Page is playing more synthesizer, they're tweaking the boring "First set = songs, Second set = jams" thing. Some of it works (more synths from Page is a good thing), some of it doesn't (sometimes Trey's sound is flat-out terrible).

I really liked the first two nights of this Vegas run but was meh about the third one. I also think it might be time to re-think the musical costume thing. I love the Ziggy Stardust album a lot and Phish played it well but the four guys simply don't have the lead vocal chops for this material. There were some cringe-inducing moments when they were wildly off pitch or just couldn't sing the parts. The arrangements were good but the great "Rock n' Roll Suicide" just didn't have the impact it should because the electric guitar part which drives the song wasn't played and the important brass parts weren't either. Trey simply couldn't do the song justice as a singer. I thought the third set was weak tea, they looked exhausted from my couch. They played the worst Meatstick I've heard, the jams didn't go anywhere.

I've been saying for years that if they continue the musical costume, they should do mostly instrumental albums that they can improvise with rather than acting as a tribute band. King Crimson's Lark Tongues In Aspic is a perfect example, it was on the list for Festival 8's slot but instead they did Exile on Main Street which = tribute band time.
, comment by Fluffhead27
Fluffhead27 I personally loved the way they handled Ziggy Stardust. Jamming it out would have taken away from how delicate of an album this is, and how beautiful the lyrics are. Seeing each member shine on the vocals, and having Trey step out of his comfort zone to nail "It Ain't Easy" and "Rock n' Roll Suicide" was pure bliss. Every note they played during second set oozed with compassion and preparation and I for one, wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
, comment by cactusclub
cactusclub Excellent review! I was there and musically it didn't excite me, however impressed talently as I most definitely was. I am listening again to set 2 and falling in love. I read about the album on Wikipedia as I listened to the music glancing up every so often to watch the musicians, and pausing when Trey put on his vocal performances. I have a profound respect for this classic album and to hear the album for the first time by the world's and history's greatest band I couldn't imagine a better way to lose my Ziggy virginity. Huzzah!
, comment by MOstGhoSt
MOstGhoSt respectfully, i disagree with most of the points in this recap, though i appreciate j_d_g for his depth in timeline understanding and memory reference, as well as his professionalism with writing style.

to my ears - set two, this halloween -
'the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars" said something knew and the cover choice at this juncture in time could not have been more perfectly selected and executed.

i confess that i heard rumors of this choice and hoped with all my heart that this albumn would appear on the playbill as a halloween treat. many phans intuitively dressed in costume as a nod to ziggy stardust/david bowie.
i selected a costume of of a glittered makeup mask and couture hat with a matching cape jacket as a nod to david bowie, phish, and new york city style. and when i saw the playbill posted by @bizarchive ( ever the industrious early bird of documentation ) i was happily satisfied as i enjoyed a pre-show dinner at the mgm.

phish played something new because they have obviously never played for us this record in entirely.

it was new to my ears, though i have known this record by heart since high school. to younger phans, this record in entirety might be somewhat unfamiliar. the fact that phish played this record very straightforwardly without extending into jam improvasation seems to me a very respectful salute to the late david bowie. the record itself is so good, it requires no additonal dramatic embellishments. phish performed as a collective version of the character ziggy stardust rather than as phish playing the cover of the album - 'the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars'. is that not what a convincing halloween costume is about? - taking on the persona of another for the night.
and phish did ziggy. they nailed it collectively. after all, no one man other than david bowie himself could be such a one as ziggy.

i heard the poetry of bowie's words in new light. parts of the set brought me to tears i held back as i did not want to smear the glitter about my eyes.

inside the venue, it was almost a religious experience of phan unity with the band, particularly at the moment trey sang out, "give me your hands" during 'rock and roll suicide' - the entire arena was a unified force of love with all hands waving in the air back at trey. the power of bowie's words coming to life in an arena of 17,000 united phriends could not have been more heartfelt as trey embellished love to the phans "you are wonderful - give me your hands". the room was electric. trey meant those words - to us - as he sang them with the genuine force of sincerity.
i disagree with j_d_g about the assessment that the band has a weakness without guitar presence or that try cannot carry the arena with vocals and stage presence alone. i was there - this song and moment is sheer magic between trey and us all.

i was close enough with my seating page side to view the orchestra and backup singers closely. it was evident that all artists involved felt the love of the phish audience. it occurred to me in that moment, phish has a phan base of superlative followers, beautiful and intelligent and so respectfully present for these special moments in time.

the record, 'the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars' is in itself the poetry of light and love in the midst of world chaos and misery, a narrative of light prevailing over that chaos most absolutely with magic and authentic love.
hearing this record in entirety at this juncture, aside from being a perfect nod to david bowie himself, reflected the difficulties of the times we live in and the perfection of music and poetry as an escape from dismal reality into hope and reflection.

now home after a most glorious vegas retreat with all my dear phriends, i am so happy. i feel so satisfied and recharged. i am so looking forward to msg and what unique experiences lie eminently ahead. i am so happy that one of my favorite records will yield the replay of any of the contained covers in future phish concerts.
and i hope that one day again, trey sets down his guitar and embraces us with the earnest sincererity of his voice, singing emphatically "you are wonderful" / "give me your hands" with bowie's cahtartic 'rock and roll suicide'

Oh no love! You're not alone
No matter what or where you've been
No matter when or what you've seen
All the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain
You're not alone

Just turn on with me and you're not alone
Let's turn on with me and you're not alone
Gimme your hands 'cause you're wonderful
Gimme your hands 'cause you're wonderful
Oh gimme your hands

- ziggy stardust

dear dear phish from vermont, i love you most emphatically.
happiest halloween again...

moSTgHost
, comment by MOstGhoSt
MOstGhoSt also there is this:
i most emphatically disagree.

So where does that leave us in 2016? When David Bowie died in January (JadedVet quip: David Bowie died in 2016 but “David Bowie” has been on life support since the end of 2.0),

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/david-bowies-final-photo-smiling-7162645 />
david bowie has the last laugh.
, comment by L1verK1ck
L1verK1ck One of the most emotional Phish experiences of my life. Thanks again for allowing us to be a part of such an amazing event. We are unbelievable lucky to have these guys play the soundtrack to our lives.
, comment by melt_the_tek9
melt_the_tek9 My wife and I thought it was stellar from opening note of set 1 to the backward walk away from the mic as they ended Oddity. Of all Halloween performances we think this year's was one of the very best ever.

But this review. Oh, oh my, this review. I honestly feel that the OP mailed in some sort of forced appreciation for the band and its music just to balance out his true dislike of the show. Not even a mention of the first set just shows this generation's burning desire to only enjoy, talk/comment about, appreciate, and hate on the second set of any and all Phish shows. "Let's just jump to the goods" is what I felt this review did the second I started reading. But this first set. Oh, oh my, this first set. How can you go wrong? How can you NOT comment on this bom fire set of songs??? If the only breather in the set was Petrichor, you KNOW Phish is doing a show 'right.' And this fall tour's Phish did a lot right.

The jabs at what Phish decided to NOT do is unfounded. At many points while reading I felt like the OP believes that Exile was a better costume. "Where are the jams?? Where is 'the' Type II treatment for at least one song?? GEEZ Phish come on!!!" Why?

Why does Phish "need" to jam every show, every song? Doesn't that get repetitive? Aren't repetitive things over done; over played? Don't repetitive things wind up becoming boring? If you don't think so I want whatever it is you're taking in triplicate, please, hand it over now.

Trey leaving his guitar behind was epic. I've listened to this band intently since 1992 and have grown new found appreciation for them every year...even during both the break and break up. But his leaning into the crowd to belt out the lyrics as well as he can, as strongly as possible, was something pretty special. Using Trey's chance, maybe the only time ever in his career, before and likely after, to hold a microphone, completely naked to the crowd, as a way to say it mirrors the "changes" going through the band in 2016, is a bit ridiculous. It's as ridiculous as the idea that horns were "supposed" to tour with the band this season (which the OP had to throw a shout-out to by saying there weren't horns during Ziggy) and that these changes were "represented here" but iare "hardly encouraging." Even more embarrassing to read was this: "It’s a creative risk, but with little upside." WITH LITTLE UPSIDE????

So now EVERYTHING the band does, every note, every lyric, every song, is in some way, shape or form part of an intricate plan involving the entire band, it's image, it's sound, it's songs, and it's music? Trey holding a mic and singing to us all is supposed to have a resounding effect on their future?? It was A moment in Phish's life as a band, A MOMENT.

Lastly, everyone who whines about Trey on Marimba, y'all need to get over it. Y'all sound like everyone who complained in the mid-90s when Trey would forego the chance for "rock god" status on many songs to bang on that thing. At least with the Marimba he has more sound options than that mini-kit. I guess in your perfect, nostalgic, non-realistic Phish world EVERYTHING Trey did on the mini-kit is so much better than Marimba. This 3rd set slayed so hard I can't even believe it happened. Mike's effect at the beginning of the jam in Twist was unbelievable. It was completely zany. And it made Jon work the traps like not much I've heard from him. Of course Trey got over to play Marimba, he wanted to let Mike take lead with super-space-laser-Pfunk bass sounds and lock in with Jon. The polyrhythms from Trey and Jon made Page come over to accent the jam on cymbals. Which led to Mike rounding it out. Which led to me extremely happy to see Phish do something DIFFERENT. If these rotation/collective jam moments are already cliche for people like the OP, you should take up playing guitar for 40+ years and decide if a few minutes of fun with your best friends doing something different for a change is worth the disgust by a small contingent of your fan base or not.
, comment by Jestinphish
Jestinphish @TEK9RIFLESKILLS Amen. All of this. My first show was Quadrophenia in '95. I've seen a lot of Phish and listened to thousands of hours more. The band was having an absolute blast, which is all you can ask for. As long as they're enjoying themselves, you should be enjoying yourself. If you're not, then I just don't get it. I understand the analysis aspect of the Phish fandom. I understand the why people love type-II. I just don't get why it has to be all the time. They delivered a spectacular cover of an album that is integral in not only peoples lives, but in the very fabric of rock and roll. The end of Moonage Daydream.... Oh my lord. The power. And for the first time ever I saw Trey with a mike in his hand. He's always been the band leader of Phish, much to his chagrin at times, but he's never (in my experience) been so naked in front of the crowd. As a performer and a die-hard Phish fan, I thought it was amazing and so, so brave. Trey knows he can't hold a candle to Bowie vocally. He did it anyway. And he absolutely killed it. This was such a special performance and I just don't see how there's any critique available. To each their own, but you'll never convince me that was less than flawless. The sincerity and conviction of it stunned me. As for the Marimba, I could take it or leave it, but for my money, I'd rather have Trey jaunting off to dink around on that thing every third show for the next 20 years than get bored and move on from Phish creatively in the next five. My two cents. Much love kids and see ya in NYC.
, comment by wherethefuckami
wherethefuckami The author has removed all text from this comment.
, comment by mattybweston
mattybweston Howdy y'all. I've been listening to Halloween second set non-stop for days after watching it several times until they pulled it off of LivePhish (mercifully for my kids) and I feel compelled to echo the last several posters and say that the passion, the preparation and the execution of that set should leave us all awestruck. Dare I say that Trey found his inner Bowie lilt in both his sections of Five Years and all of Rock n Roll Suicide. Not going Type II or quite frankly Type Anything for this night felt (to me) like the ultimate eulogy to rock royalty David Bowie. The meticulous craftsmanship of his complex persona, lyrics and music was at once all encompassing yet fleeting- like a photograph as a sliver of time. Bowie reinvented himself so many times musically its not necessary to reinvent his music. I am thrilled that my favorite band took the care and balls needed to play this foundational piece of rock music.

So wham, bam thank you ma'am! and let's see what some of these songs do when they get put into rotation.

Onward to NYC!
, comment by youenjoymyghost
youenjoymyghost DUDE you are so spot on. for people that claim to love the band so many people do so much complaining. we got 4 goofy old men here that are just trying to have some fun and support each other hell they came back partly for them but mostly for the fans, and you repay them by being ungrateful. every shows is gonna have good and bad moments. not every show or every tour is going to be a banger. love the phish. thought this set was what it was a tribute to one of their inspirations and they wanted to do it right a heart felt tribute not just a phishy interpretation. rock on boys.
, comment by TMWSITY
TMWSITY The boys rocked the MGM! THANK YOU PAGE FISHMAN MIKE AND TREY!!!

It was a real Halloween treat to see you the sonic sounds! Wayyyy better than Snickers Bars or Peanut Butter Cups.

Not sure why the reviewer was down on the band jamming on the drums together. It was a nice change to the sound landscape.

Again, thank you to PHISH and to all the peeps who partied down. Great energy, great times and BOWIE!!!
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