Home Live For Live Music Phish Wraps Merriweather Run With Creative Jams, A Return To “Tweezer”

Phish Wraps Merriweather Run With Creative Jams, A Return To “Tweezer” [Photos/Videos]

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Phish returned to Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sunday to finish writing 2022’s two-night chapter in the band’s long, storied history at the Columbia, MD shed. Would the adage about Sunday shows apply? Would this show reach the heights of past MPP closers? Let’s dive in.

The band got things started with yet another extended rendition of Lonely Trip rocker “A Wave of Hope”, a song that’s quickly becoming a new go-to jam vehicle. The song has now been played five times since it served as the centerpiece of Phish’s New Years-on-Earth Day Madison Square Garden aquarium set, most often in prime, early-set slots, and most have produced their share of exploratory highlights (see Hartford, Deer Creek). The band stumbled slightly at the start but quickly got its footing and rode the swell of rock riffs and pitch-shifted melody for nearly 15 engaging minutes before washing ashore.

Phish – “A Wave of Hope” [Pro-Shot] – 7/31/22

Next, a moment of deliberation begat the first “Dogs Stole Things” of the summer before the band moved into another early-show highlight, “AC/DC Bag”. We may be entering a new golden age of “Bag”—after staying within the lines for 18 years, the last two renditions, this one and 7/20/22 in Philly, have both extended past the 10-minute mark. Mike Gordon led the way this time around, pushing the unit into deep waters as Trey Anastasio layered reverb over the top.

The sound rapidly expanded in breadth, as all great 2021/2022 jams seem to do, until some wailing Trey sustain pushed things to a satisfying climax, back to the song’s conclusion, and into “Sparkle”. A quick workout for lighting designer Chris Kuroda and associate lighting designer Andrew Giffin here gave way to a short but sweet “Back On The Train” as a giant, spotted beach ball touched down to join Trey at center stage.

An easy highlight of the night came next via the circa-2021 Gordon composition, “Mull”. While this tune looks, walks, and quacks like a Mike song, it’s Jon Fishman who often comes away as its MVP. On Sunday, after highlighting the shifts between the song’s distinct sections with his unrelenting eighth note backbeat, he joined forces with Gordon to push the percolating funk groove into the darkness, evoking some hazy, echolocation ambiance from Trey and Page. When all was said and done, this pensive “Mull” had clocked in at over 12 minutes in length—the longest and most interesting version to date.

Mike remained in top form as the band moved into the tour’s first “Foam”. After a well played rendition of the notoriously difficult early-years tune, the band slid into a haunting “Ghost”. Fish continued to assert himself with creative drum patterns and a slew of familiar yet inscrutable vocal samples as “Ghost” ascended to the heavens, beautiful balls of white and purple light bursting from the center of the light rig’s winged sprawl. The brooding jam finally coalesced into a shrieking peak before crashing back to Earth to cap a top-notch first set.

Phish – “Foam” – 7/31/22

[Video: Bryan Strong]

After returning for set two with a fleeting glimpse at “Halley’s Comet”, Phish kicked off the second half in earnest with “Tweezer”. Yes, that “Tweezer”. The same one that the quartet had woven throughout the set on 2014’s Merriweather Sunday. The same one that they had taken on a 36-minute voyage to the moon in Tahoe nine years ago to the day.

Phish – “Halley’s Comet” [Pro-Shot] – 7/31/22

Some might call it bold to dip back into the “Tweezer” well on a day with so much vaunted “Tweezer” history. Some might call it a no-brainer. To be honest, Phish probably didn’t think all that much about it, but fans surely did as this one pushed into improvisational territory. Patient and actively listening, the four band members each applied their own unique ideas to this creative rendition, from Page’s murky synths to Mike’s loping basslines to Trey’s emotive melodies, but it was once again the guy in the dress (a lovely baby blue with magenta donuts) who manned the captain’s chair throughout the nearly 19-minute runtime.

As the “Tweezer” riff rang back out under added layers of electronica from Page, Trey called the band into “Wingsuit”. He clearly felt good here, doing his David Gilmour thing on the song’s cinematic climax before gliding back into “Tweezer”.

The roar from the crowd was palpable, even from the couch. Was Phish about to give Merriweather another Sunday “Tweezerfest”? The short answer: No, as a rapid segue into “Birds of a Feather” marked the end of the “Tweezer” portion of the evening. The lively “Birds” eventually found a perch on “Joy” before drifting into the first “Taste” of 2022.

This rendition of the mid-’90s staple was exceptionally realized, Page and Trey both nimbly attacking their complex lines and ushering the song through its “What’s The Use?”-like closing jam before pumping the breaks and easing into a delicate, beautiful “What’s The Use?” in earnest. What’s the use in trying to describe this song? It’s a clinic in simplicity, dynamics, emotion, subtlety. I love the shred as much as the next guy, but give me the serenity of “WTU?” every time. Every time.

With the clock winding down at Merriweather Post, Phish opted to close the set with a pair of tunes from Halloweens past (and, uh, future?), Sci-Fi Soldier funk vamp “The Howling” and Kasvot Växt rocker “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” Much like “S.A.N.T.O.S.” and its “hi-ho, hi-ho, hi-ho” shout-along, “The Howling” has taken on an element of audience participation in its five appearances since its debut on Halloween 2021. At MPP, the audience howls in response to the song’s titular refrain were audible even on the stream. I was a Sci-Fi skeptic on November 1st, but these songs have worked their way into setlists in thrilling fashion in the months since, and they always seem to inject the proceedings with some renewed excitement. Color me converted. Let’s get more down.

An encore of “Show of Life”, “Loving Cup”, and “Tweezer Reprise” finally brought the night to a close. While the song selection here was not necessarily the most creative, the quick combo of time-tested encore tunes was well played and ably maintained the momentum of the second set.

Phish – “Loving Cup” (The Rolling Stones), Tweezer Reprise – 7/31/22

We’ve had some good ones this summer. Some really good ones. But you can bet that “the show” of summer tour 2022 is still to come. Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH is up next on Tuesday. See you out there.

To order your LivePhish webcast for any of the band’s upcoming summer shows, head here. To sign up for a free trial membership to LivePhish+ and listen to the whole summer 2022 tour and more, head here. For a full list of upcoming Phish shows, head here.

Following Phish’s Friday show at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on September 2nd, an all-star amalgamation of funk players will keep the party going at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom for Purple Party: A Tribute To Prince featuring members of The MotetTrey Anastasio Band, The Nth Power, John Mayer/D’Angelo‘s bands, former members of Turkuaz, and more, with rising jam band Dogs In A Pile playing on the Other Side [get tickets].

Setlist [via phish.net]: Phish | Merriweather Post Pavilion | Columbia, MD | 7/31/22

Set One: A Wave of Hope, Dogs Stole Things, AC/DC Bag > Sparkle > Back on the Train, Mull > Foam, Ghost

Set Two: Halley’s Comet > Tweezer > Wingsuit > Tweezer > Birds of a Feather, Joy > Taste > What’s the Use?, The Howling > Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.

Encore: Show of Life, Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise

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Source: L4LM.com