Pictures from last night’s Phish Hampton rehearsal

These photos were taken last night for todays New York Times article about the Phish reunion. Jay Paul took the photos. You can see his work at www.jaypaulphoto.com.

Hampton 3/6/09 Setlist

Set 1
1. Fluffhead (Last Time Played: 9/29/00 - 69 shows)
2. Divided Sky (8/11/04 - 3 shows)
3. Chalkdust Torture (8/15/04 - last show)
4. Sample in a Jar (8/14/04 - 1 show)
5. Stash (8/14/04 - 1 show)
6. I Didn’t Know (12/31/03 - 18 shows)
7. Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > (6/17/04 - 14 shows)
8. Suzy Greenberg (8/11/04 - 3 shows)
9. Farmhouse (7/29/03 - 30 shows)
10. NICU (8/9/04 - 5 shows)
11. Horn (8/12/04 - 2 shows)
12. Rift (6/20/04 - 11 shows)
13. Train Song (5/23/00 - 109 shows)
14. Water in the Sky (6/20/04 - 11 shows)
15. The Squirming Coil (6/24/04 - 8 shows)
16. David Bowie (8/14/04 - 1 show)


photo courtesy of phishfromtheroad on flickr

Set 2
17. Backwards Down the Number Line (debut)
18. Tweezer (8/11/04 - 3 shows)
19. Taste (8/15/04 - last show)
20. Possum (8/15/04 - last show)
21. Theme from the Bottom (8/10/04 - 4 shows)
22. First Tube (12/31/03 - 18 shows)
23. Harry Hood (8/14/04 - 1 show)
24. Waste (6/23/04 - 9 shows)
25. YEM (8/14/04 - 1 show)


photo courtesy of phishfromtheroad on flickr

Encore
26. Grind (12/30/98 - 178 shows)
27. Bouncing Around the Room (8/11/04 - 3 shows)
28. Loving Cup (8/9/04 - 5 shows)

Thanks to Matt, Eugene, and Sparky for the texts from the inside. See you Sunday!

Welcome to Phish 3.0

It finally happened.  After almost five years of what-ifs, predictions, and wishful thinking, the “I’ve been calling Fluffhead for years” crowd can finally say they guessed right.   Friday at Hampton had, without a doubt, the most hype of any concert that I have attended.  So much that it seemed impossible that the show could actually live up to it.  Yet right from the beginning, it was quickly clear that they had every intention of exceeding expectations and making the reunion show an epic experience.

The energy in the room leading up to the opener was incredible.  In the parking lot before, what seemed like 75% of the crowd had been firmly planted in line since the gates opened at 2:30.  When doors opened at 6:20, people raced in at a full sprint to claim their spots.   The Mothership buzzed with excitement, with fans getting to know their neighbors and making final predictions for the all important opener.

Then the lights went down.

Following what seemed like 5 minutes of deafening noise, the band kicked off a monstrous first set with an almost flawlessly executed Fluffhead.  It was the perfect choice, and set the scene for a first set fully loaded with crowd favorites and traditional Phish antics.  The 16 song, 114 minute set was full of highlights, including an I Didn’t Know with Fishman on vacuum and Trey on drums, a powerful jam during Rift, and a David Bowie that cleared up any doubts that the band was back in full force.

The second set was pure fire.  From early on, while the entire band seemed visible more comfortable and confident on stage, Set II belong to Mike Gordon.  Backwards Down the Number Line, the (according to the New York Times) solo new song to be debuted at Hampton, was a great catchy tune with a powerful jam which quickly proved to be a crowd pleaser.  The Tweezer brought the funk and the band never looked back.  Songs like Possum, First Tube, and Harry Hood had the crowd dancing.  They also pulled out some tricks, such as the disco ball jam during Hood, and the return of the YEM trampolines.

Throughout the show, they took a new approach to most songs, in some cases playing the composed sections straight up during parts that traditionally included a jam , while infusing powerful psychedelic jams in places you would never expect.  What stood out the most was the change in jamming direction and style coming from the band.  The sound was clearly different than what we have come to expected.  It was a combination of post-hiatus experimentation and the laser focus and direction of the mid ‘90s.

There was a noticeable sense of nervousness coming from the band.  During Suzy, Paige jumped into a solo that was so fast it caught the band off guard.  At other times, Trey would miss a riff or forget a lyric.  Still, these were all minor, and instead of taking away from the music, provided some great laughs for the band and audience alike.  As the show went on, they seemed more calm and confident.  And though Trey had to call a Coventry-style mulligan 30 seconds into YEM, the second attempt was as good as any.

The encore kicked off with a rare Grind (acapella), followed by a Bouncing Round the Room which included gigantic balloons (which had been hanging and used throughout the show as part of Kuroda’s fantastic light show) falling from the ceiling and being, well, bounced around the room.

Where Coventry was watching your (or mine, at least) favorite band falling apart, Friday night was like watching them rebuild themselves.  Truly an emotional and almost unbelievable experience, and there is only more of that to come this weekend.

New York Times photo gallery from Phish reunion

Jay Paul was kind enough to give us his photos from the 3-6-09 Phish show. Jay also shot the photos from the rehearsal that we shared last week. His photos from the reunion were published in the New York Times reunion story that ran yesterday. You can see Jay’s work at www.jaypaulphoto.com.