In a recent interview, Page and Trey discussed their experiences with covering certain albums for their traditional “costume” concert, in which they would cover an entire album during set 2 of a three-set extravaganza. They expressed certain “chagrin” toward the experience and wouldn’t mind switching it up. They elaborated on how thrilled they were performing their own album, albeit unheard, and it wouldn’t be too surprising if they kept with that tradition — to play their own album as a “costume,” creating the appealingly meta experience of listening to a Phish album in its entirety. When we think about this for a moment, it draws up two ideas here: 1. That Phish wants to change the game, to reinvent the wheel invented by them. Sure, this could be a disappointment for some, if not most fans who gather to hear Phish’s rendition of a classic album they revel in. Looking at it positively, it could be a newfound experience for all of us, to here these songs performed in a construct familiar to us only in a vacuum. This framework that we have come to enjoy collectively in an ephemeral space could rejuvenate the somewhat tarnished impression of a Phish album. Yes, we do listen to Phish albums, but we don’t “always” listen, we love Phish for their live performances. Hearing their own album performed in its continuous entirety could stir up a fresh perspective on the album.

The second idea is: maybe they’re fucking with us. Phish loves to keep us guessing. To be honest, I can empathize (not understand, because I’m not a musician, nor play an instrument,) with the band. Not only do they have to collaborate on learning the album, but the nuances entailed to make it sound “the right way,” meaning their way suffused with the artist’s way. Take for example the Halloween 98 rendition of Loaded. For me, this was the prime example of taking an album and hybridize it to create this pneumatic resonance far beyond what they have been doing that year. “Sweet Jane” that night was so perfectly performed, the band avoided for as long as they could to duplicate it (I’m not sure when they subsequently performed Sweet Jane, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t like Halloween 98.) This theme of album/band hybridization looms heavy, and I’m assuming takes extreme skill and many hours, if not days, to perfect. With this in mind, Phish, with their resurrected energy, their image transforming, they could be throwing us off of the scent. Even when we look back at those performances (Rob Mitchum wrote an engaging piece on Halloween performances, focusing mainly on what Fuego’s performance means to the Phish fan,) the joy and never-ending splendor during that night contributes to the vast lore of Phish.

Still, let’s just assume Trey and Co. are, what they say, “sick” of performing a musical costume. Maybe they want to revisit their own catalogue and perform one of their own albums. If this were to happen, which one would they pick? The proposition that they would play their own album intrigues me, and what I have done is broken down which albums I believe they would perform this Halloween, if hypothetically, they were to start this trend this year. I placed all of their albums on an “unlikely-possible” barometer, with the “more unlikely than possible, and more possible than unlikely” categories. I’ve listened to all of these albums in their entirety prior to this essay, so these guesstimations are purely hypothesized based off of where the band is as of 2014. Feeling the vibe of 2013, I feel that they would want to choose an album that cohesively tells a story, if not subtextually, at least ethereally, with the audience.

LET’S GET THE INTANGIBLES OUT OF THE WAY: ALBUMS THAT WERE UNRELEASED BUT CONSIDERED ALBUMS IN THE PHISH CATALOGUE:

1. The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday: We can all agree that this “epic musical” Trey wrote for his college thesis would be placed in a special “performance” category. In my opinion if the band were to perform this album, they would save it for an extremely special and rare occasion, which in Phish’s case, it would be during some half-vacant, remote show where 50 people luckily showed up, and are awaiting the band to finish the show so they can get to the next show. This is religious Phish. I’m not counting this out, however this sacrosanct piece of music is treated in a special regard. Distinguishing this record as an album is only done out of reverence, so if I’m wrong, it will be my favorite mistake (sorry for the cheesy quote.)

2. The Victor Disc and the Headphones Jam — Yes, these are “albums,” but not really produced to the quantified resemblance and demeanor as the other albums. These are more ambient jams put on record. I’m assuming the likelihood of these albums even coming into consideration would be too wacky for Phish.

HIGHLY UNLIKELY:

1. The White Album: Phish’s first album is more of an enquiry into the influences and stylings of their predecessors. Trey’s education at Goddard with Ernie Stires evokes many of these compositions in their inchoate forms. Along with other wonky tracks, this could possess the tendrils of “Meet the Residents,” or Zappa’s “Baby Snakes.” This would be cool to do years ago, so I’m feeling they don’t want to go super weird on their first night.

2. Fuego: Um…they did this last Halloween… It was the reason they wanted to do this…OK, it would be cool to hear it again, but in this case, I don’t think it would behoove them to do this again. Moving on…

3. The Siket Disc: Many in the community feel this doesn’t count as an album, merely a recording of some ambient jams compiled onto a studio-backed production. I beg to differ — if we go back to Summer 99, some of the tunes made various appearances and thusly controlled the dynamism and ambiance of that show (check the 7/7/99 and 7/12/99 What’s the Use — the latter on Live Bait 10.) I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t play this album, capturing the studio complexity and atmosphere would be too problematic to be done live.

4. Farmhouse: This was on the fence, only because there are some gems here conducive to Phish’s live repertoire. We could get an intensive “Twist” and “Piper.” Still, the disjointed theme within this album, an unmotivated collection of songs put together “in the farmhouse” would distance the crowd. Its uninspiring theme became frustrating for most of the band, especially Mike, who was quoted from their biography in saying he felt the most distant and discordant with his contribution to this album.

MORE UNLIKELY THAN POSSIBLE

1. Picture of Nectar: Early Phish at it’s finest, however the album is more of a compendium of their earlier work, with chopped increments being the filigree of their diverse identity in the early 90's. Eliza, Manteca, Faht, and Catapult — these musical frontispieces would be too uneven a thread, and to have the Landlady in there — I just don’t see it, at least not for their first album. It would be more of a White Album type performance, in where we are listening to art, rather than getting in a groove, where I’m feeling Phish are at right now.

2. Undermind: More and more tunes from this album are building a positive reputation as of late. Undermind, for example, had a wonderful breakout at the Gorge in 13, so it would be exciting to see it performed within this album. The reason I feel it more unlikely is twofold: 1. This album was produced at a time of downshifting for the band; so re-opening old wounds could do more damage than good. And 2: Any nascent toiling with the jams from this album feels incongruent to where they are now. A Song I heard the Ocean Sing and Scents and Subtle Sounds are staple 2.0 jams, and for them to deracinate these would do wonders, albeit be too risky. This is a good album, it does have a narrative thread, albeit melancholy. I can see phans peaking during Secret Smile and just freaking out wondering why they wasted their drugs on such a depressing song. It could work, but like before, maybe not for their first attempt at performing their own album.

3. Round Room: I had the toughest time placing this album in a certain category, but I went with more unlikely than possible simply for the disparity within the album. You start off with an energizing Pebbles and Marbles — just tons of jamming potential, then go with Anything but Me, Round Room, Mexican Cousin, and Friday. These tunes would lull the audience away quicker than engage them with the subsequent type II monster vehicles. That may come off as negative, I see it as a skeptical point of view. I don’t feel Phish would want to spread their performance that thin. Round Room’s latter half finishes strong, yet the ebb and flow may be too disparate for their audience. I’m probably wrong on this one: who wouldn’t want to rage to 46 days, Walls of the Cave, and finish the show with Waves? These, for me, are my personal favorite jam vehicles, so if they were to choose this album, I’ll be okay.

MORE POSSIBLE THAN UNLIKELY

1. Junta: Phish’s first album, their opus, their introduction into the world, this would be a treat for all of us. Every song on side one still gets the respect and pleasure it deserves when performed. Just imagine: the Lights, then the “thump thump…thump thump.” The place would erupt. The only reason I didn’t put this one in the “highly likely” is because of side 2. It just raises too many questions for me, I mean, would they play Union Federal? Would it just be a random Oh Ke Pah jam? In 94, when they performed Revolution 9, the exactitude toward the original was astounding, so I feel if Phish wanted to replicate the song, they could, I just don’t know if they would want to. Then, to close out, it would be Sanity and Icculus — an ending that could be too bizarre, but not out of mind. It would be a stretch, so it could be possible.

2. Hoist: This album brought the mainstream to the band for the first time when it was released. My disfavor toward this album being highly likely is, looking at the song list, only Down With Disease brings type II verve, and the song is the second song on the album. The remainder of the album breathes a confluence of soft ballads and rock disquietude, with Axilla II and Scent of a Mule. If this were to work, Phish would have to stretch the already stretched liminal spaces of this album, giving DWD a type II treatment, as well as giving Wolfman’s Brother the dusting off. They would also be closing with Demand/Split Open and Melt, so relearning the old tune would be reinforced. I’m not saying it’s unlikely, with the right efforts and creativity; this could be a delightful surprise. Oh, and good luck with Riker’s Mailbox. However that goes.

HIGHLY LIKELY:

1. Lawn Boy: I feel this would be a strong choice. Every song on here has been at one time or another on constant rotation. The cohesiveness of the album, the originality of each composition, the energy it would bring, all of these make this album a contender. If they open with “The Squirming Coil,” then bring Page in for that mellifluous piano outro, then go right into Reba? You have history right there. I would have to go to the records to hear when that has happened. With Reba starting to fall back on the rotation, this performance could resurrect this amazing composition. Yes, the Bouncing would be a weird closer, but it wouldn’t matter — just give me a Reba, Split, Bathtub, and an Antelope, and I’ll let them take me to the moon with Lawn Boy and Bouncing to finish that amazing album cover. What helps this case is the recent vinyl release of this album, imbuing a classic quality. Not only would hearing this album performed to wonders for the fans, but do wonders for vinyl sales (which is Phish’s purpose for making records — to make money, right?) Snarky comments aside, we tend to write off Phish albums nowadays. With Fuego we reconsider the phenomenology of their studio process, and hearing this album could foment the case.

2. Joy: Now I’m not putting this album here because of personal taste, I’m putting it here because it’s Trey’s favorite album. It’s his piece de resistance, his proudest achievement. According to him, he shouldn’t have recorded this album; he should’ve been dead. With mixed reviews coming from critics and fans, I can see this one placed lower than here, however we can’t count it out. For what it’s worth, it’s not at a bad album at all. Vexing as it would be to hear set one regulars coupled with Light and the exhausting Time Turns Elastic, yes, this should be on the more unlikely than possible. We can’t count this out, though — how do you explain the peremptory Backwards Down the Number Line following a heavyweight jam? It brings Trey joy to play these tunes: it enlivens his spirits to play night after night, to stay sober, and to share in this joy. I would not be disappointed if the band did this, but I know there would be immediate pushback if this were to happen. Don’t count it out.

3. Story of the Ghost: With the wide range of tunes still falling under the psych groove theme, this choice would rouse the audience to a gratifying uproar as soon as that Ghost intro surreptitiously leers. Sure, the remainder of the album may not have any type II potentials, however the “within without” grooves outweigh a type II for the audience. If you listen to 97, the within, unaccustomed jamming behind songs not readily attuned to bridge a type II jam, these songs’ latent experimentation would be all the crowd would need. Phish could do whatever they wanted to surprise the audience, and would do just that. An uber-funky Shafty, a rhythmic extended Meat (check out 8/2/2013 for a small taste of what Meat could be.) Even the Birds could soar higher than the Eagles (now am I making a Barbara Streisand joke or an Eagles joke here? You can choose, whatever you want.) Even the End of Session’s extraordinary prescience brings a similarity to Fuego’s coda, Wingsuit. This, for me, would be my personal top choice. Yet, this piece is not about what I “want,” but what would make the most sense for the band. It is their choice, and their library is up for grabs, so if I were to guess which album they would most likely play, it would be narrowed down to these two albums:

RUNNER-UP: BILLY BREATHES

According to Rolling Stone:

: Phish take a well-deserved [live performance] breather, so to speak, on Billy Breathes, shedding much of the sophisticated trickery that has been their musical trademark. Billy Breathes, the group’s first studio release in two years [since Hoist], is a quiet gem of an album, and it confirms that guitarist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, bassist Mike Gordon and keyboard player Page McConnell are much more than a jam band from Burlington, Vt., with a swelling fan base. As rustic as the New England countryside, Billy Breathes is a warm declaration of optimism packaged in concise, radio-attractive songs.

It is a beautiful album, no doubt — but for us, the thrill of hearing the symmetrical Train Song>Bliss>Billy Breathes>Swept Away>Steep>Prince Caspian would, for me, compliment Phish’s already established jam expertise, with the emotive quality. Phish is only known as an emotive band from their hardcore fan base. The purists, as we’ll call them, relish in the subsequent cool-down songs just as much as savor the heady jams. They cry during Slave, and they stay till the end of the show. For us to hear the quintessence of emotion, fusing the studio artistry and the live intensity, would encompass something far beyond what Phish fans expect. Sure, Ghost would tweak us out, make us dance, raise our hearths and hearts, but Billy Breathes would make us feel — the blood diamond, here and now.

WINNER — RIFT

Pink Floyd’s the Wall, for me, is my personal favorite concept album. I always make an effort to hear the Wall at least once a year, uninterrupted, in its entirety. The story behind the music ached my heart, and still does. “Mother” still gives me the feels. “Is There Anybody Out There’s” outro composition still mesmerizes me with its dark brilliance. I’ve thought about why other concept albums’ provocation impact me, but dissipate, while the Wall’s story still lingers. Is it the compositions? The movie? It could be “when” I heard it for the first time — in my cousin’s house in the deep mountains of West Virginia (long story.) I never heard anything like it when it first entered my brain, nor has anything else ever crossed my listening experiences since.

The reason I start Rift’s choice as the best choice is because Rift does what the Wall does — tell a story. Rift does so many things with its narrative viscera, it’s complex, proggy compositions, and it’s rueful tone. Rifts is Phish’s “complete” album: they have been aspiring to write an album like this ever since. The eloquent precision in, not only each song, but song placement, is impeccable, and gets less regard than it should.

With the opening eponymous tune, we would embark on Phish’s history, their themes, and their radical expertise in song composition and live performance. This album can do it all — evoke our dorky side, swell our emotional side, and bring us as a community together to bask in the brilliance of this conceptual masterpiece.

So, as you see, I’ve pleaded my case. I’ve hypothesized, and I have concluded. Whether they are fucking with us, and they will put out a costume, or they try something new, there is no dissatisfaction in learning I’m wrong on any account I have written. If I’m way off, or if many people disagree with me, that’s okay. Discussing this topic will be a worthwhile account, and I hope to partake in sharing in this discussion with you. Hope to see you in Atlantic City on Halloween…Oops did I speak too soon? Hope I didn’t jinx it.