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Concert Review: Phish reminds fans what jam-rock is all about
Saturday, July 08, 2000 By Ed Masley, Post-Gazette Pop Music Critic
Having pulled the reins in on the free improvisation long enough to make an album so restrained you could practically say it was song-oriented, the members of Phish wasted no time reclaiming their scepters and crowns as the undisputed kings of '90s jam-rock last night in an epic Post-Gazette Pavilion performance.
The first of two sets began with a nine-minute version of "Chalkdust Torture" followed by an even better nine-minute version of "Gumbo" with an a capella vocal breakdown and an awesome Page McConnell organ solo.
That was just a warm-up, as it turns out, for the free-rock odyssey that was "Divided Sky," a full 17 minutes of musical bliss that climaxed in a near-euphoric solo that grew from an ambient meltdown to the blues-inspired wailing of Trey Anastasio making the most of whatever effect it took to get the best sustain I've heard in ages from a lead guitarist.
If any in the sellout crowd of 22,909 was crying out for brevity, restraint or focus at that point, you probably wouldn't have heard it over all the cheering anyway.
And that's because, although the lean-is-more approach of "Farmhouse" makes for better albums, Phish in concert thrives on stretching out.
The band was clearly on in an opening set that included a spirited cover of Stevie Wonder's "Boogie On Reggae Woman," Anastasio squeezing out a lead that felt like B.B. King recapturing the thrill on "Funky Bitch" and a version of "Back of the Train" that felt a little like the Munsters theme at first. As is often the case with Phish, the music had a tendency to pick up steam as the jam rolled on.
The crowd sent glowsticks flying through the air as Phish pumped out an epic "Ghost" that signaled the start of a funkier second set, which highlighted the bass-heavy funk of the new album's "Gotta Jibboo" and a funky yet expansive "Split Open and Melt."
There are plenty of reasons Phish can get away with stretching out for 19 minutes at a time. They've got the creativity, the chops, the eccentricity, the sense of humor and a vision all-encompassing enough to keep it interesting, from funk to jazz to rock 'n' roll to barbershop quartets. And no, it doesn't hurt that, thanks in no small part to the guy in the dress on drums, Jon Fishman, Phish has always rocked a little harder than your average modern jam-rock band, a truth they re-established quite conclusively with the version of "Character Zero" that brought the first set to a raucous close.
As lengthy and indulgent as the jamming may have been, it rarely ever felt that way.
And that's what keeps the Phishheads coming back for more in a season marked by underwhelming ticket sales.
Apparently, sometimes you've gotta jibboo.
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