6/22/12 Phish @ Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH

PHISH
6/22/12
Riverbend Music Center
Cincinnati, OH

I: Wolfman's Brother, Peaches En Regalia, Shaggy Dog, Runaway Jim, Light Up or Leave Me Alone > Wilson > Alaska, Stash, Llama, Buffalo Bill, Saw It Again > David Bowie

II: Down with Disease > Guelah Papyrus, Kill Devil Falls > Twist > Halley's Comet > Sand > Roggae, Carini > Chalkdust Torture, Golgi Apparatus

E: Fluffhead



walk-in P.A. music was The Talking Heads "Speaking in Tongues"
postshow P.A. music was Johnny Cash "We'll Meet Again"


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I made my way to Cincy on that Friday with relative ease on I-74 for the majority of the way from the Quad Cities. I stopped for White Castle near Indy. I had been to Riverbend for WSP 7/26/05 and Phish 6/5/11. After checking in at the Days Inn I made my way to the parking lot near River Downs which is the adjacent horse racing track. I saw a race happen after I parked my vehicle next to the railing. It was quite warm outside for the show but it's summer tour in the midwest, what do you expect? There was a traditional shakedown street assembled across the road from the venue. This year Riverbend installed an astroturf lawn. Call me a concert puritan but I prefer a natural grass lawn. Someone stubbed me into the pavilion and I saw some friends near the soundboard. The Talking Heads were on the PA before the show.

Right out of the chute Phish killed it with perhaps the best Wolfman's I've seen. Mike was in command with the ginger beard man adding tasteful patience guitar work. This was one of the best shows of the tour because they really used the first set to their advantage. It had improv, energy, rarities, and humor. Shaggy Dog was my first time hearing that. First time since 1995. Jim made it a canine combo. They aborted Poor Heart and Moma Dance in favor of Llama. Saw It Again > Bowie was good playing to end the set.

DWD got the crowd's attention from the get go. Trey may have been a little antsy when he started up Guelah Papyrus but it worked. KDF almost had a little jam and the end of the song had an ambient outro that became the highlight of the show, Twist. This dark exploratory jamming is what Phish is all about. They finally landed with Halley's Comet which had a nice spiral effect on the overhead circles by Kuroda. They abrubtly started up an energized version of Sand that had a slick transition into Roggae. Trey was pouring his heart out during this version on his guitar. Carini was fairly abbreviated when Trey started up Chalkdust and Golgi which ended the set. Fluffhead was an above average version and that is a unique setlist spot in the encore. This was one of the best 3.0 Phish era shows I've seen.