10/19/06 Vic Theatre
Chicago, IL October 19, 2006 08:01 PM
I:
First Tube
Money Love and Change
What’s Done
Sleep Again
Wherever You Find It
Simple Twist up Dave>
Burlap Sack and Pumps Jam>
Simple Twist up Dave
II:
Mr. Completely
Spin
Let Me Lie
Mud City
E:
Gotta Jiboo
I had never been to The Vic before. It’s a great place to see a show, and this show was particularly good. (I liked it 100 times more than the GRAB show in Chicago, and I liked that a lot.) Jamie and I rode the train into the city. The stop is about a half block from the theater. We were one person back from the rail. (In front of Ray Paczkowski. Ray Side = Rage Side, right Brett? 
) Being up close totally added to the experience for me. I mostly saw Phish from the stratosphere on the lawn at Alpine Valley. Making eye contact with Trey, and the other musicians, was incredible. Maybe I’m insane, but Trey would look at me and play something and I would smile because it sounded so perfect and he would smile. I think Trey really missed the theater-size shows when Phish became so huge. Maybe this solo thing is the only way to get back to that. (I can’t imagine how great a theater Phish show was back in the day. You folks that were there are the gods of the OKP.) I was disappointed to have missed the solo-acoustic-Trey-magic the previous night, but this show was still great.
Set one was very high-energy and had everyone moving. First Tube to open was pefect. I love that song, and they played it so well. Money Love and Change started slowly, like it does, and moved into a killer jam. After looking at the setlist I had to go to the albums to reaquaint myself with What’s Done, Sleep Again, and Wherever You Find It. They were awesome live. (The show has made me appreciate post-Phish Trey. I’m listening to the new albums in a whole new way.) I’m not familiar with Simple Twist Up Dave or Burlap Sack and Pumps, but the jam was great.
I didn’t like set two very much. It was like one long jam, which can be spectacular, but the song choice took away from it for me. I have never liked Mr. Completely. The jam on the album and the live jams are good, but something about it just doesn’t sound right to me. Spin was better, but there was a lot of out-there jamming that never seemed to go anywhere. Let Me Lie is a decent song, but I can take it or leave it. I have never liked Mud City either. Even the jam has never sounded good to me.
I couldn’t have asked for more than Gotta Jiboo as the encore. It’s my favorite Phish song, and it was played so well.
The band kicks ass. Christina Durfee and Jennifer Hartswick add a lot, but they aren’t necessary for a face melting jam. The trumpet was hard to hear. I remember thinking Ray Paczkowski was awesome at ACL Fest in 2004, and he is just as good now. Tony Hall is so good on the bass. He ALWAYS kept the beat, and he could duel with Trey like a pro. Jeff Sipe is a good, steady drummer. He’s no Tommy Lee, thank god.
