Phish at Merriweather review: 8/15/09

August 18, 6:38 PMDC Live Music Clubs ExaminerMichael Bogart

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Phish - Joy (?)

Jam-band gods Phish played the Merriweather Post Pavillion last Saturday to a sold-out crowd. Their 26th show of this year's early and late summer tour, save for the Hampton dates, was something of an anti-climatic event for DC-area hippies.

While it remains unclear whether MPP is somehow taking its logistics advice from Nissan, the flow of traffic was somewhat ridiculous Saturday regardless of approach. The over-flowing lots and the clearly obvious increase of security made for an unnecessarily stressful concert experience. That's not a reflection of enforcement, but rather many of the fools who seem to have latched on to the renewed tour efforts and recollection a fine American rock band. The drugs and 'scene' have always been there, but for the majority of folks, a side-product. Now, many of Phish's ticket buyers are trusties, wookies, or teenage punks looking to get as fried and fudged as humanly possible. Next time, save your money and stay at home.

Kids going to Phish concerts for the wrong reasons aside, the set list also left something to be desired. Particularly the first set where an epic Trey-rockin solo could not be found.  Songs like 'Foam' and 'Party Time' are fun, but hardly mind-blowing. 'Strange Design' is always a nice display of Page's voice, but again, nothing that couldn't be missed for an overpriced beer. First set highlights include the lyrical carnival of 'Esther', a clean and funky 'Tube', and rarities 'Ha Ha Ha' and 'Axilla 1', the latter actually ripping more than expected. 'Sloth' is always appreciated as well, but nothing here to really write home about. It should be noted that Kuroda and company still put on one of the best light shows on any tour, anywhere.

The second set opened with a kick-ass 'Tweezer' and its subsequent glowstick war. I don't care how old you are or where you are sitting, this is one of the most playful traditions at any live show. Billy Breathes' track 'Taste' followed and included a fairly expansive six-minute jam. Ho-hum tracks 'Alaska' and 'Let Me Lie' followed before a pretty kick-ass '46 Days'.  The band closed the second set strong with a 'Harry Hood'. The show's first encore 'Good Times Bad Times' was a welcome rock-out. They ended the night with an anticipated 'Tweezer Reprise' which is actually an impressive culmination to any live Phish performance.

All in all it was something of a Page-night, which is welcomed. As a Saturday evening show in a location somewhat isolated from adjacent tour dates, expectations might have been set higher than what was delivered. And if they weren't playing for the crowd, who were they playing for? This writer would have taken the following night's SPAC set anytime.

The sound is there and the band has not lost a beat when it comes to their stage cohesion. They'll look to carry over that particular success when they release their 11th studio album Joy on September 8th.

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 Two
Tweezer >
Taste
Alaska
Let Me Lie
46 Days
Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
Harry Hood

Encore
Good Times, Bad Times
Tweezer Reprise