Phish Sunday 20 June 2010 @ SPAC in Saratoga, NY

The keyword for Sunday?  Solid. 

Solid set list, solid playing, solid crowd, solid time. 

The group honored Father's Day by having Trey introduce each member's kids to the crowd while they climbed out of a big metal bathtub center stage they had shimmied into during the set opener, 'Brother.'  Cute!

My brother painted this really groovy picture in honor of our own papa!

 I heard 'Undermind' live for the first time that night and not only were none of the riffs or lyrics flubbed, it had a good jam attached.  Next came a cover of the Talking Heads' 'Cities,' which seemed popular with the crowd.  I love the Talking Heads because their lyrics are funny and overly accessible - Trey's imitation of the original is hilarious.  Page led the group for a funky fresh jam on this one. 

The highlight of the first set had to be the sweet-sounding 'Gotta Jibboo,' especially when Trey introduced Tony Markellis to the stage as a "good friend" and a "Saratoga native."  The audience was psyched out of their minds.  He played the bass for this tune, pushing Mike into the second guitar spot.  There was some sort of magic floating around (new Harry Potter movie, anyone?) in the music of this song.  The walking bassline was so groovy, and throw the sound of an extra guitar in the mix and everything sounded incredibly... solid. (Told you!)

'Antelope,' the first-set closer, was a huge party.  The unbridled energy of both the band and the crowd made for some damn good music.  There was equally if not a more awesome glow stick war PLUS fireworks.  Yes, fireworks.  I don't know how that happened, but hey!  I'm not one to ask questions.  Easily, easily, easily the number one highlight of the set.

If setlist selection was scored like a video game, the 'Carini,' 'Mango,' and 'Wilson' run that started the second set would earn quadruple golden combo points for being so awesome.  I loved hearing these older, more obscure songs rather than the ubiquitous 'Tweezer' or the like.

 

What a treat to hear 'Carini'!  It's a favorite of mine and I had never seen it live before.  It was so cool - there were moments where it seemed like time was suspended.  Also - excellent jam out of it and into 'The Mango Song.'  The opening riff emerged out of the remnants of the dying 'Carini' jam and crowd went wild - always a fun song and a relative rarity (this was first time the group played it in 2010!).  Complete with a comical and slightly skewed ending (think of the last note dripping away), it made for a good time.  The famous opening notes of 'Wilson' were warmly greeted by shouts of "Wiiiiiillsooonnn!" from the crowd as the next tune swung into high gear.

The Who's 'Drowned' spiced things up with a dose of some classic rock n roll, followed by a hilarious Phish 3.0 'Makisupa' - meaning, the references to drugs were out, and lyrics that set up solos for Mike, Page, & Fishman replaced them.  The crowd (myself included) got a kick out of the line - "I'll do just what I wish - and I'll listen to some Fish!" (although it can be interpreted for Phish as well).  Monsters 'Piper,' '2001', and YEM' shut down the second set and the excellent weekend of music that I had experienced.  (I snuck away before the beginning of 'Frankenstien' to begin a 3-hour drive home back to CT!)

So who else loves Phish as much as I do?  I'm hoping I'll see them at least a few more times this year.

Bye, losers.
Elizabeth