funtodd:

A Good Sign

I’ve had some time now to reflect on last weekend’s Phish shows from Merriweather. First of all, and most importantly, I had a great time. The whole weekend went smoothly. Traffic from Richmond wasn’t too bad. Once we parked the car at the Sheraton, we happily spent the next two days on foot. The weather, while not perfect, wasn’t anything to complain about. The thunder boomers somehow skirted around Columbia and hit Baltimore and DC. Last, but definitely not least, I spent the weekend with my closest friends seeing my favorite band.

The music, much like the weather, wasn’t perfect nor anything to complain about it. Two things are clear after this weekend. Phish has improved since their return in March 2009 and they are still having fun. I’ve seen Phish 8 times now since that memorable weekend in Hampton. This past weekend’s shows were the best played 3.0 shows I’ve seen in person. In 2009 and 2010, I would find myself rooting for the band (primarily focused on Trey) to hit the right notes during those structured jams we know so well in songs like “Divided Sky”, “Reba”, or “Fluffhead”. Those thoughts are long gone.

What’s even more important is that the band appears to still be having fun. Phish 2.0 didn’t last as long as Phish 3.0. That’s a significant fact and one us fans shouldn’t take for granted. There are no guarantees with this band, which is something we have learned to know and love. In addition, interaction with the fans is back in full force. While not as original as the secret language or tour-long chess match, Phish taking song requests from the crowd has done some damage to our “Most Commonly Played Songs Not Seen” lists. I can’t complain about that. I caught “Daniel Saw The Stone”, “Buried Alive”, and “Ha Ha Ha” for the first time ever this weekend - all because of the signs. I took the picture above as Trey was motioning for the “Daniel Saw The Stone” sign. It was my first time in the photo pit for Phish and it was a lot of fun. I had 15 minutes to shoot as many pics that I could and I took full advantage. To start, it was a nice surprise to have Trey walk over right to where I was positioned as the “Daniel” sign made it’s way through the crowd, over my head and camera, and into Trey’s hands.

Opportunities like last weekend are rare for me. The last time I saw two Phish shows in two days was Hampton 2003. From that time forward, Phish has been an inconsistent band. If you’ve seen Phish in the 2000s, chances are that you’ve been disappointed at least once. If you are like me and can only catch one show a tour or one per year, that feeling can sting after all of the magic they produced in the 1990s. Every show was consistently solid in the 90s. You always walked out of the venue satisfied. Finally in 2011, I feel that way again. While I won’t categorize any of the last three shows I’ve seen as epic, they (6-26-10, 6-11-11, and 6-12-11 - all at Merriweather) have all been consistently strong performances with entertaining set lists. It’s a good sign for the future and I’m already looking forward to my trip to Merriweather in 2012.

The best of my “15 minutes of fame” (all of my best pics from Saturday’s show) can be found on my Flickr page. Thanks to Phish management for the access and to Tom Daly for editing and a few last minute photography tips.