At the peak of their powers, Phish could be bewildering in their originality
and conquest to try new things or do things a different way, no matter what
the consequences were. It wasn’t always pretty. Now on their second hiatus
this century — although, for the record, guitarist Trey Anastasio initially
said the group was done for — the Vermont foursome burned rubber down
some new avenues during their last, so-called farewell tour of 2004. So why
not go festive at Coney Island and let the good times roll. Phish, in the grand
tradition of the Grateful Dead before them, are digging deep in their treasure
of goodies, pulling out plums and nectarines and pineapples at a furious pace
to keep up with demand. Live In Brooklyn, a three-CD/two-DVD
concurrent release, ensnares the band cruising down the finish line before calling
it a day. The playing is as magnificent as always, but the scent of finality
looms ever large, casting a shadow that fretful cave dwellers and straight-laced
sinners are hoping and praying will disappear. With Anastasio and Phish bassist
Mike Gordon joining Benevento/Russo for a series of gigs this past summer, it’s
only a matter of time before the Phish hits the fan and…well, you can
figure it out from here.
Live In Brooklyn may be one the best live collections from
the quintessential jam band. It amply demonstrates just how spontaneous and
exciting as live act Phish could be — when they were on and the vibe was
right. Whenever they played at certain locations, things just sort of fell into
place — The Las Vegas run of 1994, the Clifford Ball in 1996, Lemonwheel
1998, Big Cypress and any number of New Year’s Eve engagements at Madison Square
Garden. Unfortunately, the band’s final gigs in Conventry, Vermont didn’t
quite make the grade. On the upside, a gig from two months earlier was filmed
and recorded for prosperity. The June 17, 2004 show at the KeySpan Park baseball
field on Coney Island was one night the boys nailed it cold.
Many of the songs, such as the opener “A Song I Heard This Ocean Sing”
from the last Phish studio album Undermind and “46 Days”
from 2003’s Round Room, were fairly new members to the
ever-revolving repertoire while rarities like “The Curtin Within”
simply offer a razor sharp refinery fans tend to covet. Favorites like “Frankenstein”
and “2001” (officially Strauss’ “Thus Spake Zarathustra”
aka the theme to the film 2001: A Space Odyssey) are brushed off and
scurried out, transforming into musical tapestries in which the various Phisher
men cast their lines, hoping to snag the big one that will wallop the crowd
loopy. “Possum,” “Suzy Greenberg” and “I Am Hydogen”
furtively reveal the underbelly of the band’s eclectic, mind-altering chemistry.
Then things just get plain weird. But even “Kung,” a train wreck
from all angles, bears a scar of sentiment — that through all the chaos
surrounding four regular college scruffs from Burlington, they were able to
retain their unique and twisted sense of humor. Hopefully, there’s more
fun to come in the future.
As the first DVD release and second CD release from the band’s own JEMP
Records, Live in Brooklyn is the first full, uncut concert
from the band since 2000’s Live in Vegas. The concert was shot by eight
cameras in HD and is presented in maximum quality on two dual-layer DVDs with
5.1 surround. The DVD set features the entire June 17 concert (two sets of music)
plus bonus material — excerpts from sound check, backstage footage, and
three full songs from the June 18 performance at the same venue.
~ Shawn Perry
