, attached to 2011-06-05

Review by funkydanceparty

funkydanceparty The third and final Midwest show of the 1st leg finished off the weekend quite nicely, though the free-flowing and open-ended jams that were seen on Friday and Saturday did not make another appearance. Things in the first set never really seemed to lift off until 'Mound' came out to play, a very silly Gordon creation. The opening hits of 'AC/DC Bag', 'Punch You In The Eye', 'Bathtub Gin', and 'Taste', were earnestly played albeit being rather standard. Page's House came to play once again, and his new shirt shined on in the first 'Lawn Boy' since October. 'Gotta Jibboo' - always a surefire hit - came next and eventually led into the summer's first 'Reba'.. a song that many thought would have been played by now instead of halfway through tour, at the 8th show. What a worthwhile wait it has been and despite Trey's recent yet rare flubbs this summer, this 'Reba' is played flawlessly. Once the intricately constructed composition ends, the tune explodes and soars and all four guys sound amazing, but the power doesn't quite match the other 'Reba' of 2011 - New Year's Day. After another New Year's Day favorite, 'Fee', Trey cuts off an ambient jam off too early to bring a short 'Backwards Down the Number Line'. This is the second time this summer that Big Red has aborted a nice balance in sound (See Holmdel 6/1/2011 'Ghost') to bring his new little tune out.

Three times this tour both 'Carini' and 'Tweezer' have been played in the same show, and this time Phish decided to open up the second set with the dark rock anthem and the shortest version in 2011 to date. Once the transition into 'Tweezer' is complete, Trey snarls at the crowd with a high pitched sound that you will either love or hate. Whatever your opinion, it surely is a new style and keeps tradition true of a constant flow of the ever-changing 'Tweezer' jam. After a harsh landing into 'Free', Phish erupted into a short 8 minute long 'Crosseyed And Painless', interestingly the third of 2011. What was once a rare but potentially powerful fixture of 3.0 seems to be slowly sliding into a more frequent spot in Phish's rotation. A much improved 'Light' (from Bethel Woods) came out and proved it can once again hold exciting things. After a slow, yet well maintained shift into 'Boogie on Reggae Woman' and a 'Julius' who received a bump up from its encore position, Phish dove into the second 'You Enjoy Myself' of 2011. Again, Mike Gordon delivers a solid line for his other three bandmates to tiptoe their away around leading up to the first culminating peak of the song. This delicate yet fast paced style continues through the rest of the song which stands out as a big difference compared to Holmdel's Punch You in the YEM. The Stones' 'Loving Cup' and 'Tweezer Reprise' topped off the night.


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