Phish 2010 Fall Tour Review — Augusta Civic Center

The Augusta and Providence shows act as perfect contrasts to the 2010 Phish fall tour. On the one hand you have the middle of nowhere Augusta show that reminded everyone of how ingrained this band is into the fabric of the New England region. And on the other, a show in the heart of downtown Providence filled with testosterone driven frat boys ready to rock out to Character Zero. For me, I was just excited to finally see Phish indoors for the first time since their return to the stage in 2009 as I missed the entire 2009 fall tour.

The Amherst show became complicated as my wife and I were confirmed to pick up our new black lab — Harlow. Having to bail on Amherst, Augusta became an easy decision. Headed up on a sunny Tuesday afternoon with three of my best buds was a good start to this mini road trip. As we arrived around four, the lot was just starting to fill in at the Augusta Civic Center, a venue and parking lot that felt more like a high school basketball event then a Phish show. The scene was very laid back. All the old heads came out of the wood work for this one with their kids in tow – Phish is a family affair for many die hards. One mother that I struck up a conversation with near the concessions had her two sons waiting for her to come back with the goodies. I affirmed that while they may not appreciate it now, they’ll remember this moment later on in life. She replied, “heck, this isn’t a chore for me. My son was still in my belly when he saw his first Phish show sixteen years ago”.

We decided to head in early to ensure a good seat since it was all general admission. The best location for me is Page side and as close to the stage as possible without ruining the view of each member (Watch short video of where we were sitting). With our perfect seats picked out, I was getting those pre-show jitters and could sense a good energy from the crowd pouring in to the venue. The band finally took the stage around 8:15 and immediately made it clear as to how the show would play out when they opened with Chalkdust Torture – does it get any more classic? The first set was just what the doctored ordered for my first bout of indoor Phish music. From the opening lines of Chalkdust to the closing Trey orgasm that is the Possum jam these days, the first set was packed full of great tunes played to perfection.

A Highlight for me was the Bathtub Gin. I had a pretty geeky moment in the Gin jam as they cycled out of the dissonant off-key jam section (aka Type II jamming as the kids call it) and back into the Gin theme. There was also a moment in Divided Sky that reminded me of an interview with Trey on the Charlie Rose Show. He said that there have been a few moments in his musical career where he felt his body literally lift out from him and he was able to envision every musical movement he was going to make next (Watch this Charlie Show interview). One of those moments was during Big Cypress but the other was at a show in Chicago during the sustained note held during Divided Sky. Looking at Trey during the Augusta show as he went in to this section of the song, I could see his mouth moving and body swaying with each scream from the crowd, anticipating his next pluck of this dissonant note. I can’t claim that he was having one of those out of body experiences but it sure felt like a special moment for both the band and the crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/v/aqzPJBwxKKw?fs=1&hl=en_US

The stand out by far was the rare Reba encore. Not just because it was played in the encore but how it was played and the jam that took place. After nailing the composed section, the ethereal jam slowly segued into an uncharacteristic off-key section that included a Manteca tease from Fishman. This led Trey right back into the Reba key. It was beautifully executed improvisation and after fourteen years of seeing Phish I can honestly say this was the best version of Reba I’ve ever seen.

I was very pleased with my first fall tour Phish in about ten years. I especially enjoy the focus to detail the band is putting towards their classics such as Harry Hood, Divided Sky and Reba on this very night. The bar had definitely been set for me and from the sounds of it, Utica (or rather Guyutica) set the bar even higher for the rest of the tour. Something Providence attendees would find out soon enough.

Setlist

Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, Back on the Train, Torn and Frayed, Bathtub Gin, Gumbo, The Divided Sky, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Nellie Kane > 46 Days > Possum

Set 2: Fuck Your Face > Mike’s Song[1] -> Fuck Your Face > Light -> Twenty Years Later > Fast Enough for You, Weekapaug Groove, Halley’s Comet > Free > Harry Hood > Golgi Apparatus, A Day in the Life

Encore: Reba[2], Backwards Down the Number Line

[1] Fuck Your Face tease.
[2] Manteca quote. No Whistling.

Notes: Mike’s Song contained a Fuck Your Face tease. Reba contained a Manteca quote (from Fish) and did not have the whistling ending. Reba was played in an encore for the first time since September 21, 1999 (231 shows).

Learn more about this show at Phish.net
Download Show from Livephish.com