6/26/16 Phish @ Klipsch Music Center - Noblesville, IN

I woke on Sunday morning at the Congress Plaza Hotel.  I was able to get an early start and avoid any of the parade traffic.  I heard Lido Shuffle by Boz Skaggs on the way down and after the show on FM radio.  This was to be one more for the road.  Prior to the tour I had expectations for this one.  Perhaps that was the problem.  Wrigley Field exceeded them.  Unfortunately this one did not.  I had White Castle for lunch which has become sort of a Deer Creek tradition for me.  I met Doc and BC at the Studio 6 Hotel in Fishers.  They had a couple younger fans seeing Phish for the first time with them. We parked and roasted under the hot sun.  However, the extreme weather was about to continue in the form of a storm that delayed the opening of the doors until 8 pm.  The show started about 9 pm.  I was able to procure a poster and had a decent seat on the Page side.  This was my 135th Phish show. 


Sometimes you don't get the show you want but instead see the show you need.  I was looking for deep improvisation.  Instead we got an early tour show that felt somewhat rushed and was played close to the vest.  After how well they were playing at the end of the summer and over the NYE run it was a little disappointing.  Perhaps though as I approach 35 years of age that its indeed time to scale back my involvement with Phish.  They are only putting in six weeks of work and it shows.  The whole thing has become very predictable.  Sometimes I wonder if Trey is void of creative ideas or if he simply doesn't want to explore and take risks anymore.  Either way I'm satisfied with what I've seen.  I don't need to live and die with this anymore.  That was the lesson of this show.  The first set was pretty much standard 3.0.  I did like the debut of the new song.  There was a very colorful sunset before more rain come through.  Songs that once were interesting are now truncated i.e. Halley's and Tube.  Maze was the highlight of the first stanza for me along with the set closing First Tube.  It was good seeing Joel Brown on the way inside before the show.  For set two I went out on the lawn where it was still drizzling to enjoy some of the show with the Auburn crew: Pat, Keisha, Ryan, and Heather.  Eventually I went back down to my original spot.  My cousin Dan who teaches at Purdue was at this show but I wasn't able to meet up with him. 


Punch You in the Eye was a nice start to this set.  I wanted to them jam out BOTT.  It was not to be.  Light was the only improvisation and even that wasn't anything too outrageous.  The rest of the set relied on energy based playing to get the job done.  The new Trey ballad Shade was  one of my favorite parts of the night.  The placement for that was perfect.  Possum was appropriate with the fanbase getting back on the road.  Rock and Roll reached a nice peak and was an above average encore.  After the show I drove all the way home stopping only in Champaign and LP. I enjoyed St. Paul > Chicago > Noblesville.  The music wasn't necessarily mind blowing but the experience was enjoyable.

6/24-25 Phish @ Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL

Friday June 24th, 2016 was a glorious day for our family with the arrival of my second cousin Teagan.  Congrats to Kelly and Nick.  Months beforehand they'd offered to let me stay at their place but I hedged my bets and found another option.  I stayed with Ryan and Heather from Auburn at the Congress Plaza Hotel which really worked out well.  The proximity to the Red Line (and Dunkin Donuts) made this a convenient locale for the weekend.  I drove from Geneseo to Wicker Park with relative ease.  It's Friday in the summer in Chicago and you're going to have traffic.  Dinner was a slice at Pizza Metro on Division St.  I took the Blue Line down to the loop and stopped in at the hotel before heading up to the Addison stop of the Red Line.  My first walk around to the marquee and I just happened to meet up with Doc and his buddies.  The weather was amazing on Friday.  This confluence of Phish and my favorite sports venue had been something I'd really been looking forward to.


They eased into this show.  It wasn't until the Free with the sun going down behind the 3rd base grandstand did this performance take off.  Miss You is a slower new Trey song that appears to be about his late sister.  A fiery set closing Blaze On was another note worthy moment in the first set. 


The improvisation we saw during DWD and Twist are top shelf moments of this tour so far.  Even the Fuego in between was extended.  Later in this set was a dance party 2001 that had Trey working the echo effects.  Waste was a poignant moment that reminded me of my very first Phish show.  That was one of the better versions of 2001 I've seen.  Perfect for that moment.  The set closing Loving Cup was appropriate in this ballpark setting. Waste and Loving Cup both have farming references which I enjoy.  The Bowie tribute in the encore was a memorable moment for sure.  Run Like an Antelope wrapped up a great experience on Chicago's northside.  After the show I headed back to the hotel room and watched Reservoir Dogs.


Saturday was much warmer.  I spent most of the day relaxing and getting caught up on my sleep.  I went to Dunkin Donuts during the afternoon which was the extent of sight seeing.  My seat was in the right field corner and had excellent sound.  The first set on Saturday was more cohesive than the previous night.  The Divided Sky worked well as the sunset.  Cavern appeared to end the set before a raging take on Led Zeppelin's Good Times Bad Times. 


Someone had made a Carini/Cubs lot shirt and I had that in my mind when they started that up.  This version explored some interesting terrain as did the ensuing Tweezer but neither reached the peaks that the improvisation reached the previous night.  The first Fluffhead since Dick's 2014 was the highlight for me.  The combo of Piper>Steam reminded me of the Sunday show from last year's Labor Day run.  They were short on time so that was a fairly brief take on Harry Hood.  I am the Walrus reminds me of when I saw 70 Volt Parade at the Auditorium Theatre in 2005 which is coincidentally across the street from where I was staying, The Congress Plaza Hotel.  After the show on Lake Street I stopped at Subway.  The sandwich was lackluster and made me realize why I stopped eating their food long ago whenever given other options.  The big crowds were distracting with thousands of casual beer head fans.  You know that was going to be the case though with this being a ballpark.  With Phish playing Wrigley this year and the Cubs having the best team of my lifetime it seems like the planets are aligning.  Ever since high school I've enjoyed seeing shows in Chicagoland because that's where I'm originally from.  I saw lots of good people during the course of this weekend.  After the show I went back to the hotel and watched Back to the Future part III.  Overall, this Chicago run was good for the soul.

6/22/16 Phish @ Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, MN

I attended the previous Minnesota show which was back in 2000.  This time the band was playing St. Paul at the home of the Minnesota Wild hockey team, the Xcel Energy Center.  It was almost a 6 hour drive which I handled by myself.  I parked in a garage a few blocks from the arena.  They had metal detectors at the door which is increasingly becoming the norm following the attacks in Paris last year.  I saw Brody from Geneseo and my college friend Sarah J who both happened to have seats in my section 117 on the Page side.  We watched the show six rows off the floor. I liked the Al Green on the PA before the show.  The first set seemed like it had been rehearsed.  The playing was very tight but close to the vest and largely void of any jamming.  Stash was the only excursion in the first set which was highlighted by the bustout of The Beatles Dear Prudence for the first time since 10/31/94.  The new lighting at times was a bit over the top and distracting from the actual rig.  I liked the overall feel of the first set. 


Set two had a lot of energy especially in the opening Mike's > Hydro > Groove but I kept waiting for them to take some risks.  It was almost as if when they started up a late set Bathtub Gin they felt like they HAD to make it happen.  This type of music isn't forced.  Trey stepped outside the box for a brief while but it was too little too late for my tastes.  It just felt like a rather vanilla second set aside from The Velvet Underground tune that emerged from Simple.  For the encore I was hoping for a bit more than Water in the Sky and Character Zero.  I wasn't disappointed with the performance but I wasn't blown away either.  Over this Phish offseason I've wondered if last summer was a peak that they likely can't top.  I guess time will tell.  I don't mind the band trying new things and searching new sounds but it's disappointing when they could take improvisation into deeper territory and Trey simply doesn't feel like it.  It makes me not want to spend as much time and money on Phish.  The decision to stop Ghost and start up The Line still is a head scratcher.  As the sun came up the weather became extremely foggy.  The song Eastbound and Down came on the radio and gave me a second wind.  I stopped for breakfast at McD at The World's Largest Truck Stop in Walcott, IA.  On this run it was good to see my friends from Auburn in Chicago and Doc down in Indiana.  However, I still enjoy seeing shows Han Solo.  You become more in tune with the music.  The experience is what you make of it. 

5/29/16 Summercamp @ Three Sisters Park - Chillicothe, IL

Last Sunday my friend Craig and I drove down for Summercamp.  To put this into perspective this was the 12th year in a row I've attended.  This is the third year in a row that I've scaled back to only the Sunday festivities with Craig.  Once upon a time I used to camp all out.  Then for a few years I commuted each day.  Now I'm content with the Sunday afternoon/evening.  I decided against going for Umphrey's McGee.  Getting down there that early makes for a long day in the sun.  The weather in Illinois over Memorial Day weekend is like playing Russian Roulette.  We got lucky this year with clear skies and weather in the 80s.  Summercamp has grown over the years because of the loyalty that Jay Goldberg has shown to moe. and handful of other bands.  While its encouraging to see bands like Lotus step their game up and it was even more satisfying to see old friends moe. show me why I became a fan of their live music in the first place.  Once again moe. stepped up on a property that I've now seen them 30 times.  It wouldn't be Summercamp with a walk over to Camp Decatur with some hot dogs on the grill and a Red Bull.  Thanks again to Doc for the food while the sound of Twiddle could be heard in the distance. 


We started our day with Yonder Mountain String Band.  I frankly think they're better without Jeff Austin and with the addition of Allie Kral.  I went for a walk through the woods and it brought back a lot of memories of past years.  It conjured up thoughts of friends no longer with us figuratively and literally.  George Clinton was a bit of a disappointment.  There were a million people onstage.  The real music started with Lotus.  This group is on the rise.  Their newer material Cold Facts and Eats the Light carried the set.  Another obvious highlight was a guest spot by the keyboard player from The Motet during Greet the Mind and a Sunrain sandwich which ended the set.  Solid work in a fairly compact timeslot.


Tom Petty is a legend.  I recently watched his documentary on Netflix.  This made me appreciate what Mudcrutch meant in the overall story of his career.  They played most of their two albums.  Hearing his voice reminded me of Lucky from King of the Hill.  Mike Campbell really played well on guitar as well.  During Crystal River we made our way back to the mainstage for moe.  Appropriately they were playing "Damn the Torpedoes" on the PA system. 


Rob really played well on this occasion and it made for one of the best moe. shows I've seen in a long time.   Chuck struggled with the Baba O'Riley vocals but that was overshadowed by Allie Kral's amazing work which made this a memorable cover.  Spine > Buster is obviously classic moe.  Buster was an above average version.  Jazz Wank is an instrumental I could hear at every moe. show.  This was perhaps the best version of Rebubula I've ever seen.  With this weekend being Rob's anniversary this anthem to his wife is expected but the patient breakdown in the middle with the loops made this a rendition for the ages. 


 The setbreak included a thank you from Ian Goldberg and the Summercamp organization.  This was the largest attendance ever for the festival.  When Rec Chem started up the stage area was fairly empty but that didn't stop them from throwing down a 30 minute monster version.  Rob teased Bring It Back Home before starting up Kids.  There was a slick segue into Down Boy.  Silver Sun reminds me of seeing moe. late night in Las Vegas after Phish in 2014.  Timmy Tucker was another great song selection though this version stayed in the box for the most part.  The encore choice of Cream's White Room wrapped up an enjoyable evening of music in Chillicothe, IL.