So, it’s 2:30 in the morning, and I’m sitting on a Greyhound bus to NYC, straight out of a Billy Joel song. I’ve had a little time to digest the Phish Halloween show, and, well, I had a great time, but I was also a bit disappointed. Not a “Mom forgot to call me on my birthday” level of disappointment; more like “Aunt Carol’s arthritis is acting up, so she didn’t bake the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving” type of disappointment. This did actually happen last year, and, while it was unfortunate, there was still a turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and even sweet potatoes with the marshmallows on top.
Okay, I’m off on a tangent. My point is that, well, a Phish show is a Phish show. That “Ghost > Carini” in the 3rd set is the stuff of legends. Sure, we all sat around guessing albums, and I do mean all of us; but, somewhere, in the back of our heads, we knew we’d never guess it correctly. Leave it to Phish to play the one album that no one guessed, the one album that doesn’t even exist….yet.
For those unaware, in lieu of performing in musical costume, Phish opted to perform an album from the future, tentatively titled Wingsuit. They played a dozen soon-to-be recorded, never-before-heard tunes, including the latest animal to board Noah’s Trey’s Ark, the “Wombat.” The band continually thanked their fans for support, but, well, we didn’t really have much of a choice. Did we want an album cover? Yeah. That’s why we spent the extra money and hauled ass to Atlantic City on a Thursday night. Will it be okay? Of course it will.
That’s all I’m going to say about the costume. I really wanted my first taste of pumpkin pie, but it is okay. This was a slice of Phish pholklore for the ages, and really not out of character for a band that has pulled plenty of spoofs on their fans; it’s all in the name of fun, right?
So let’s dig in. The first set was standard enough, delivering a hearty series of Phish originals. A spicy “Heavy Things” kicked things off, before the “Moma Dance” cow funk put us in the grooving mood. Highlights of the first set: “Back On The Train,” a nice, jammy “Kill Devil Falls,” and an excellent “Bathtub Gin.”
As for the second set, I’ll give you my first impressions for the Wingsuit album. The opening, title track, “Wingsuit” was a bit slow/poppy for my taste, but it provided a spirited beginning to the festivities. The next track, “Fuego,” was a real scorcher, with a fiery jam and lyrics either about Vlad the Impaler, or some guy named Diego. It’s hard to say, really.
Then they debuted “The Line,” an odd song about Darius Washington Jr., a former Memphis basketball player who missed two free throws to cost his team a Conference-USA tournament victory in 2005. Yeah, I’m not really sure either. But, in the light of that subject matter, the song itself, with a catchy melody and backing “oohs,” is quite humorous.
“Monica” came next, which was performed acoustically, and featured Mike Gordon on an upright bass. This was a fun song, very upbeat and catchy. The refrain, “sing sing Monica,” is still stuck in my head. This led them to “Waiting All Night,” which wasn’t particularly memorable in the wake of the next song, “Wombat,” featuring Abe Vigoda and the Abe Vigoda Dancers.
Wait… what?
For the song “Wombat,” which has a nice funk groove amidst some bizarre lyrics, a man in a wombat suit was slowly ushered onto the stage. Once in place, cozily between Mike and Trey, the wombat and his ushers started their choreography. Only after the song did the wombat take off his mask, to reveal the legendary 92-year-old actor Abe Vigoda. I believe Abe was referenced in the lyrics, making his appearance slightly less bizarre, but, still, I’m fairly certain that Abe Vigoda dancing on stage with Phish is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen. But, bizarre in an awesome way.
[photo by Brantley Gutierrez]
The band mellowed things out with “Snow,” a dragging acoustic number that will probably translate better on an album than in live performances. The next three tracks, “Devotion to a Dream,” “555,” and “Winterqueen,” all contained great jam sections, with excellent guitar work from Trey. At this point, Mike and Fish left the stage, and Trey donned an acoustic guitar for a duet with Page, a sentimental ballad entitled “Amidst the Peals of Laughter.” Trey also thanked the audience for their support, graciously appreciative of our open-mindedness.
Finally, to end the set, the band played “You Never Know,” a song about a guy who stole Phish’s money in their early days. The song is upbeat, with a chord progression that sounds like the middle section of “Harry Hood.”
With the new material out of the way, Phish was really able to let loose in the third set. As I said before, that “Ghost > Carini” is possibly the highlight of the fall tour. “Birds” always rocks it, as does “Hood.” “Bug” slowed things down, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath, before the final “Antelope” rip-roared through Boardwalk Hall. And, after three sets of Phish-original-only music, an emphatic “Quinn the Eskimo” ended the show.
So, after nearly four hours of Phish music, I can safely say that I had an excellent Halloween. For those of you going the next two nights, enjoy the Atlantic City festivities, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a Gamehendge set for you. For me, however, it is time to get some sleep.
-David Melamed (@DMelamz)
[cover photo by Brantley Gutierrez]
10/31/2013 Boardwalk Hall
Set 1: Heavy Things, The Moma Dance > Poor Heart > Back on the Train, Silent in the Morning, Kill Devil Falls, Mound, Free > Camel Walk, Stash, Golgi Apparatus, Bathtub Gin
Set 2: Wingsuit[1], Fuego[1], The Line[1], Monica[2], Waiting All Night[1], Wombat[3], Snow[2], Devotion To A Dream[1], 555[1], Winterqueen[4], Amidst The Peals Of Laughter[2], You Never Know[1]
Set 3: Ghost > Carini, Birds of a Feather, Harry Hood, Bug, Run Like an Antelope[5]
Encore: Quinn the Eskimo
[1] Debut.
[2] Debut; Acoustic.
[3] Debut; with Abe Vigoda and the Abe Vigoda Dancers.
[4] Phish Debut.
[5] Alternate lyrics referencing the Abe Vigoda Dancers.
Breaking with tradition, Phish donned a musical costume “from the future,” a yet to be recorded album that will apparently be entitled,Wingsuit. All of the songs in the second set were debuts other than Winterqueen, which was played by TAB on October 1, 2011. Monica, Snow and Amidst the Peals of Laughter were all performed acoustic, and Amidst the Peals of Laughter was performed as a Page and Trey duet. Wombat featured the dance stylings of Abe Vigoda and the Abe Vigoda Dancers. Antelope also featured alternate lyrics referencing the Abe Vigoda Dancers. This show was officially webcast via LivePhish.com.
[via Phish.net]