Phish returns to the stage tonight in Portsmouth, VA after a night off following the first three shows of the tour. The night of rest will likely mean that we get to see some repeats on the tour again tonight, so let’s start collecting some of the “best of” versions of tunes before they start getting replayed again. Screw the haters that say “too many repeats,” because any listen from the first three shows should prove that this band has returned insanely strong for 2010 and they could play anything and it would sound good. To that end, I’m calling a “Disease” repeat tonight somewhere…maybe second set opener. “Party Time” opener?
Before we start hyping the setlist tonight when the show begins, let’s round up some of our favorite jams of the tour so far. Hat tip to Phortin for this one; I’m agreeing with him that the best playing we’ve seen so far came out of the “Backwards Down the Number Line” at Cuyahoga. The band came out with “Rock and Roll > Harry Hood” to open the second set of the show, which in and of itself is pretty “out there” for the Hood song placement. No huge surprises came when the band launched into a newer song, but the jam out of BDTNL shows an increased level of confidence with throwing this song into a set and experiementing with the proper outcome. I love where it goes.
Here’s a small clip of some of the joy that the band lays down. Go download the show now so you can hear the full jam yourself…
Phish – 06-12-10 – Backwards down the Numberline Jam – Blossom Music Center [YouTube]
Update: Phish just “officially” released a full HD version of the song on Vimeo…
Phish – 6/12/10 “Backwards Down The Number Line” from Phish on Vimeo.
