In another busy week of Phish news and other highlights surrounding the band that we spend so much time fluffing on this blog — even if we take a week off here and there — it’s time for yet another installment of Phish Friday. After I highlighted the beginning of an out-of-this-world set by Phish at Alpine Valley in 2004 a few weeks back, I thought I’d close this week with the set two closer that literally had me and my crew jaw-dropped and dumbfounded. One of my crew actually had to sit down during the final sequence of the mp3’s I’m posting today, which has always been a fond memory when I think back of how much fun I had during this four-night run. I think my poor friend was just having a bit too much fun once the vocal jam began, but I digress. Onto the music…
When the band launched into “You Enjoy Myself” after a 27 minute “Seven Below” and a “Mike’s Song” sandwich, I thought that this would be the best closer to the set that I could have imagined. No one ever really cared to see a set end on “Pebbles and Marbles,” even if you might have liked the song a bit. For a majority of people in the audience, be it casual fans or die-hards, everyone wanted to hear the band play this tune. This version starts and runs through the scored sections without fail, and even features a bit of a vocal Cactus on the solo flare sections that he’s given during the tune. It’s when the song normally launches off into the jam where this version got insanely interesting. The band only jams into a normal “YEM” for a minute or so before launching into “2001,” which literally made me smile larger than I had remembered even smiling earlier in the set.
I’d venture to guess that a “You Enjoy Myself > 2001” seque would be something that most fans would have on their Best Setlist Ever wishlists, and I knew it right when they launched into the drumbeat that we were going to get a foray into space rock land. What I did not expect was that the band would find a way to work back into “You Enjoy Myself” by way of the vocal jam, something we had all but forgotten about after we had all shouted our applause as loud as we could as “2001” climaxed. I thought the set was over and I think the entire crowd did, too, but sure enough the band returns through the noise with a vocal jam that was as scary as it was climactic. I think you can hear Trey or something chuckle a bit at the end, seemingly impressed with the mindf*** of a set that they just laid down. I’ll say it again — my good friend had to sit down when the vocal jam started. This set closer blew her mind, brah!
The setlist from the entire night:
Friday, June 25, 2004
Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
Set I: Julius, Roses Are Free -> AC/DC Bag, Glide, Anything But Me, David
Bowie, Wolfman’s Brother, Golgi Apparatus
Set II: Seven Below -> Buffalo Bill -> Lawn Boy -> Mike’s Song -> I Am
Hydrogen -> Weekapaug Groove, You Enjoy Myself -> 2001 -> You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Sample in a Jar
Show Notes: Page signed an autograph while out on the front of the stage during “Lawn Boy.” “Weekapaug” contained a “Seven Below” tease.
Sadly, I had to read the setlist to remember that Page signed the autograph during “Lawn Boy,” which was so over-the-top that the crowd just ate it up. We liked it when the band would play to own stature a bit, something that was well outside of their normal comfort zone. Man, what a good show.
