Since moving back to Illinois I worked briefly at Casey's and XPAC. These experiences were disappointing in their own unique ways. During the spring I listened a lot to the Ghosts of the Forest album. You could tell that material would make the transition to Phish. I wasn't originally planning on going to these STL tour opening shows but ultimately I couldn't stay away. I worked from 5 am until noon and then left for St. Louis. This proved to make for too long a day although my intentions were good. I'm not a kid anymore. I've been seeing shows for 20 years. This wasn't my first rodeo in St. Louis. The four hour drive went smoothly. I heard some Nelly on the radio as I got to the area. I stayed at the Red Roof Inn Plus which worked well. After checking in I went straight to the SLU garage by the arena. It was $15 to park both nights. The Shakedown Street was in the same spot as 2012 a few blocks from the arena.
My spot for the first night was behind the stage. They are using a new lighting rig where the lights have more mobility than ever before. From my vantage spot I felt like I was inside the lights. It was fascinating to watch Fishman from that angle. He has so many drums and cymbals at his disposal. Literally from the beginning they made it clear the Kasvot Vaxt material was here to stay. The first set was highlighted by an extended take on Stash. Theme from the Bottom seemed a bit rough as perhaps some opening night rust was on display. They more than made up for it with a Fishman driven Tube and the debut of Drift While You're Sleeping from the aforementioned Ghosts of the Forest album. The second set had a great setlist of tunes but I felt like they fell back on energy based playing rather than improvisation. Piper had its moments. It's always rewarding to see Slave to the Traffic Light. More Kasvot Vaxt and Character Zero sent us rocking into the night. I was happy with the offering for a tour opening. The behind the stage vantage point was unique. After the show I waited for some drive thru Wendy's and hit the sack. It had been a long day.
For lunch on Wednesday I drove over to Pappy's BBQ Restaurant over by SLU. I had been there before. It was an enjoyable experience and even early in the day you could feel the energy in the city with the St. Louis Blues going for their first Stanley Cup Championship in their history that night with Game 7 against Boston. I spent the rest of the after hanging in the parking lot with the folks in the picture above. We were the first ones in the lot. It rained for several hours. Finally towards the end of the afternoon the skies cleared. I got in line for the floor entrance after enjoying a free sample of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream.
I liked hearing Waves early in the first set after a rocking CDT, Moma start. I liked the song choices for the rest of the first set. I thought they would end it with Set Your Soul Free but they tacked on Antelope. It was at this point the Blues took control of their game and the energy became palpable within the arena. They won the Stanley Cup during the setbreak.
I loved the comical take on Laura Brannigan's "Gloria". To my knowledge that the only extended Loving Cup they played. Twist was probably the highlight with them working well as a unit and Trey leading them home. About to Run was raunchy and reminded me of the licks you'd hear during Dark and Down. That was my first time hearing Mr. C with Phish. That was a highlight for me. Light also had another noteworthy jam. Waste was a night cooldown before Suzy brought things to a close. Farmhouse and First Tube was a decent encore with Trey becoming quite animated. After he threw an inflatable Stanley Cup back into the crowd. It was pretty funny. They really got into the Blues winning the cup. On my way home a local radio station was playing "Gloria" on repeat. These opening shows had good energy and I met some nice people. It made me remember why I started seeing Phish in the first place.
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