Phish is more than just a band; it is a way of life, a worldview that transcends jamming guitars and drums. Experiencing the live performance stirs up waves of emotion that make you move and dance with a freedom that can only be described by simply saying, “I was at a Phish show, man.” And man, Phish’s Festival 8 proves that the Phish way of life is stronger and more vibrant than ever.
The three-day festival kicked off in high gear with “Party Time,” and sustained the energy with “Chalk Dust Torture.” For the rest of the first set, Phish gleefully played many songs from their new album Joy, and sprinkled in a couple of classics like “Stash” and “NICU.”
As the band prepared for a second set, the crowd had doubled in size, and the anticipation felt explosive. Capitalizing on the increasing energy, Trey and company pounded through slamming renditions of “Punch You in the Eye” and “Down with Disease.”
Adding to the festive vibe, some in the crowd were exhibiting early Halloween costumes. We saw moms dressed up as Jedi knights and babies dressed as Yoda. We saw others take advantage of the night by creating inventive lighting: dancers with lit hula hoops, walking pieces of art with glow stick lit frames. The band’s version of a Halloween costume has been to play an album of another band. With Festival 8, their album choice remains a mystery [Ed. - They played Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Street. Tune in tomorrow for the review!]. For weeks, Phish’s website has teased us with a list of potential albums, eliminating some by axing and stabbing the album art. One of the most exciting moments of the night came when Trey said “Here’s a little hint for our Halloween set,” right before breaking into the song “David Bowie.” Phish is known for their red herrings, so we’ll have to see if it really is a Bowie set on day two!
As Phish broke into “Harry Hood,” a massive floating bouquet of balloons made its way above the crowds and around the fields. The balloons cycled through different colors, sometimes spinning and twirling, adding to the spectacular light show from above the crowd. For even more spectacular lighting effects, the palm trees behind the stage and lining the fields were all lit with colors that changed with the mood, on beat with the music.
Phish is not just back in full force; they are better than ever. One long-time Phish fan, Emily, told us that this was the best they had played since the late 90s. We heard the same opinion echoed throughout the crowds.
Set List:
Set 1: Party Time, Chalk Dust Torture, The Moma Dance, NICU, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Stash, I Didn’t Know, Poor Heart, Cavern, Beauty Of A Broken Heart, Ocelot, Time Turns Elastic
Set 2: Punch You In The Eye, Down With Disease -> Prince Caspian > Wolfman’s Brother -> Piper -> Joy, David Bowie, Harry Hood, Golgi Apparatus
Encore: Character Zero
DOWNLOAD: Phish - Soundcheck (Hartford, CT - 8/14/09) (MP3) or Follow us for more Phish MP3s (Twitter)
Justin Townes Earle + Joe Pug - 2/14
Doug Fir Lounge
The Magnetic Fields - 2/21
Aladdin Theatre
The Magnetic Fields - 2/22
Aladdin Theatre
The Magnetic Fields - 2/23
Aladdin Theatre
The Magnetic Fields - 2/24
Aladdin Theatre
El Perro Del Mar - 2/28
Doug Fir Lounge
Basia Bulat - 3/8
Mississippi Studios
Good catch, oh masked marvel.
by Ari Sommer on Mon Feb 8, 2010 at 02.42 pm from the entry: St Vincent + Wildbirds and Peacedrums - Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR; Feb. 6, 2010)
St. Sincent...ha.
by anonymous on Mon Feb 8, 2010 at 02.04 pm from the entry: St Vincent + Wildbirds and Peacedrums - Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR; Feb. 6, 2010)
Aan was amazing.
by jarrod on Mon Feb 8, 2010 at 01.02 pm from the entry: Blue Horns + Morning Teleportation + Aan - Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR Jan. 30, 2010)
I’d like to clarify that for this show they cut off the back half of Neumo’s floor with a curtain and had the upstairs bar closed. It made Neumo’s obviously seem much smaller than it is. Unfortunately, now having seen Neumo’s fully open at another show I can say that this show was very empty. Still White Denim and Brazos rocked.
by Chris on Mon Feb 8, 2010 at 01.57 am from the entry: White Denim + Brazos - Neumos (Seattle, WA; Jan. 24, 2010)
I agree, it’s very good. Way to deflate their balloon.
by colin on Mon Feb 8, 2010 at 01.03 am from the entry: Third Annual Portland Music Awards - Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR; Jan. 28, 2010)
Love the photos. And that “Walkabout” song is the drugs.
by Beth Doreian on Sun Feb 7, 2010 at 01.14 pm from the entry: Atlas Sound + Neon Indian - E&L Auditorium (New York, NY; Feb. 4, 2010)
Wow… really sad there are no Chicago dates for this. Can’t wait to hear how the PHJB benefit compilation sounds. So many amazing musicians and for a really great cause as well.
by MattKlomp on Sat Feb 6, 2010 at 11.26 pm from the entry: My Morning Jacket and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band are about to tackle the SE
Phish really got the vibe going for Halloween with their mind blowing acoustic set...it was amazing how crowds continued to multiply as the weekend progressed....I came across this amazing review that really summed up the performances well…