6-4-09 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY

please review the show, not the other reviews....


from	Andy Balducci 
date	Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 5:58 AM
subject	Phish Show Review 6-4-09 Jones Beach Wantagh, NY

So ok Divided Sky opener...so sweet! Especially after this being my 1st 
show in 5 yrs so I got a bit teary eyed especially being 5th row. But... 
One thing I noticed, since hampton the songs (and this is based on song 
times) were no longer taking there epic dives through time, like a 7 
minute mikes song at hampton? Hmmm. Having not heard anything from Hampton 
I was curious were they just destroying the songs in such a beautifulll 
chaotic frenzy? No.... that's not what was happening...at all in fact. I 
felt as if I were listening to a studio album. Yeah ok, they were tight as 
everyone keeps saying, great  ( and I appreciated the positive adjective 
to describe the lack of experimentation) but I think they excitement that 
ensued was all cruise control from shows passed we had seen and were 
expecting to see and while we were all so happy to be there. (Disclaimer: 
JB was my 138th show, so I've been around, JB 94 was my first fyi.) Idk It 
was like I mentioned they were just going through the motions. I saw trey 
at Roseland and Philly and he melted both rooms down it was sick!!! Not 
once did I feel that feeling for one song, dont get me wrong I had a good 
time but I truly felt as if for that show at least they have become 
characateurs of themselves (did I spell that right?) at least as far as 
the jamming was concerned they almost felt obligatory. Time Turns Elastic, 
the first song ever that I found myself yawning at and just wanting it to 
end!!! Im sorry but that song is lame what is that song? It sounded so 
generic and the instrumental parts reminded me of any mid-level jam band 
out there, so after that they played waste, great song I love it. But 
usually after an epic Mikes or Antelope but not after a boring 16 minute 
time span new song, so for the first time ever at a Phish show I was bored 
out of my mind for 20+ minutes, Im sorry but there was no momentum going 
into Waste... at all. So for me so I just leaned on my chair contemplating 
is this really happening? I like when Trey was experimenting a lot more on 
stage and off stage . (sounds sad ok, but true) Maybe further tours will 
be different and I'll go to Hartford in August but if these studio almost 
obligatory jams continue well ce la vie because the feelings not the same 
infact it is getting pretty tame its just not that great anymore. My buddy 
who has been to the same amount of shows as me give or take 10 or so more 
was rolling on straight west coast Molly that he brought back and 
confirmed "YEAH IT WAS A GOOD SHOW BUT MISSING SOMETHING" are you kidding 
me??? When someones on molly a nuclear attack at that moment would be seen 
as a magnificent sign of reckoning and the changing of a new day so 
blessed to come our way. So to hear that from a long time ex tour-kid was 
significant as well validating. In summation: never had I seen an entire 
show lacking true musical energy,crowd energy was phenomenal all the phans 
rocked! But cruise control was set on this one.


from	Christopher Bouchard
date	Fri, Jun 5, 2009 at 2:46 PM
subject	Jones 6/4

Jones beach was a great show in a great venue.  The whole scene was very 
laid back and people had no problem enjoying themselves from the beginning 
hanging out in the lots until after the end in the same place.  The venue 
is great, it was my first time.  What I liked is that it is a true 
ampitheater, seemingly no obstructed views and awesome sound everywhere.  
No booze inside, but the aisles are steep and someone could get hurt.

Instead of going through song by song, just check out the setlist, and 
take my word for it that this band is playing as tight and cohesive as 
ever.  Theyre on fire.   Some of that funk that some people thought was 
missing during the Hampton run is back.  Almost the entire time everyone 
around was rocking out and just amazed.  After a lackluster 2003-2004, 
they really are bringing a new life and new beginning to the their legacy, 
what a great example that fate is bullshit and you can make what you want 
of anything if you put your mind heart and soul into it. 

I want to add just a little insight to the Time Turns Elastic issue.  This 
is a song that obviously has a lot of work put into it.  It definately has 
a new and different feel than songs past, and of all the songs played so 
far I think it is the most unique of the new ones and maybe out of place 
in the middle of a really rocking second set.  I do think that it brings 
the level down a bit as people aren't really familiar with it and don't 
know the flow..  On the other hand, someone who has never heard YEM or The 
Curtain might say the same thing of those songs.  It is a bit premature to 
conclude that the song doesn't deserve a place in the bands live line up.  
There are so many parts to the song and just as many oppurtunities to 
prove its worth if people dont beleive in it.  I really hope it grows on 
me as the other classics have, they put a lot of great energy and 
sophistication into playing it. 

Anyway, if you can make it this tour definately go.  They are so good and 
everyone is just blown away at the level they come back at after these 
years away.  Keep up the great work.



from	Perry Garvin
date	Fri, Jun 5, 2009 at 10:11 AM
subject	6/4/09 Review

Time Turns Elastic was a lethal set killer in this show. And I don't mean this in 
a good way. I mean that for the entire excruciating 16 minutes the mood of the 
whole crowd sank lower and lower from patience to boredom to frustration to 
coping. I was at the very back of the venue and saw the entire crowd go from 
shimmying groovifying during Meatstick to a complete standstill. Literally - 
people were standing stone still, glassy-eyed, staring at the stage. Some people 
around me made valiant attempts to get into it and tried in vain to grab on to 
some groove but none ever came.

The intention of Time Turns Elastic is good: complex prog song with unusual time 
signatures and complex, tightly-knitted musical sequences. This is found in early 
Phish like Divided Sky, YEM, Fluffhead, etc. Where these songs excel (and what 
makes them timeless) is that after the careful musicianship there is a payoff in 
an incredible riff (Divided) or extended groove section (YEM). With Time Turns 
Elastic, there's no groove to hold on to except for perhaps the end's cloying 
refrain driven by lyrics, not music. And that's the biggest problem of all - Trey 
just won't shut up. The lyrics go on and on and we all know that Phish is best for 
its instrumentals than its lyrics. Unless the lyrics are absurd. This song is just 
so damned self-serious.

Phish needs to modify this seriously for live play or relegate it to a 
headphones-only experience. That's not going to happen on this tour but I don't 
think we'll continue to see this live on in its current form in 2010 and beyond 
unless Trey's already huge ego is now so big that he can't see the black blot that 
this song really is.

Oh - rest of the show was fine. Not great. No segues. No real tight jams except on 
Ghost and YEM. But they are just starting off, so I give them a pass.



from	Stephen J. Luise Jr.
date	Fri, Jun 5, 2009 at 5:09 AM
subject	Phish show review

WHAT A SHOW!  Band was playing so tight.  They sounded amazing!  What a 
set list! 

Regards,
Stephen J. Luise Jr.


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