Phish Hollywood Bowl

So, I told you about the AmericanaramA show Mike and I attended featuring the likes of Bob Dylan, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Ryan Bingham.  A couple days later we had the privilege to see Phish at the Hollywood Bowl.  For those unfamiliar with Phish, let me start by saying there is a very large, rabid, loyal, and close-knit fan base for this genre defying act now in its 30th year as a band.  Simultaneously, there is a large contingent of people who feel quite the opposite about said band.  Their improvisational styled music coupled with a dedicated traveling audience and a bit of a carefree attitude towards controlled substances makes for an environment that is perhaps not suitable to all.  In other words, there are a lot of hippies and a lot of drugs, to be blunt (pun).  You can dive deeper into the debate over Phish on Earwolf's special podcast series Analyze Phish with hosts Harris Wittels and Scott Aukerman.  For the fan, hater, and indifferent alike, this program is sure to entertain and provide legitimate insight into the world of Phish.

Anywho, the music itself is of the highest technical caliber, the scene an amalgamation of all walks of life, all seeking fun.  Only a crowd at Phish moves with such energy and excitement to such unusual music.  The Hollywood Bowl was a beautiful venue for Phish providing the wonderful natural acoustics of the legendary Bowl's dome structure and a picturesque canvas for lighting director Chris Kuroda to work his magic on.  The swirling psychedelic effects were in abundance on this beautiful evening tucked away in the Hollywood hills.  And even in my limited Phish experience (compared to those who have literally attended hundreds of shows) I would conclude that Hollywood Bowl is one of the best visual Phish affairs to witness.  

As a long time appreciator of Phish I must say that the group is performing at possibly its highest level ever in its 30 year career.  The poise and sense of adventure that is being injected to their compositions is exceptional.  And this is certainly no easy feat for a catalog as varied and dense as this Vermont quartet boasts.  At any given Phish show you will hear all types of music from laid back funk to upbeat pop and latin infused rhythmic extravaganzas to all-out shred fest progressive rock.  And each show's setlist is tailored specifically to each venue with never a repeat in consecutive shows.  They also typically inject several covers in each show which range from classic rock covers like The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to modern favorites like TV On TheRadio's "Golden Age", both of  which we were treated to at the Hollywood Bowl performance.  And every show is an extensive trek through approximately three hours of music divided between two sets.

For those Phish-heads interested, here is the track list for the first set:

Set I: 

1. AC/DC Bag

2. The Moma Dance

3. Sparkle

4. Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan

5. Lawn Boy

6. Wolfman's Brother

7. Roses Are Free (Ween cover) ->

8. Scent of A Mule (highlight)

9. Cavern

10. Ocelot

11. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles cover)

And the more improv heavy second set was as follows:

Set II:

1. Chalk Dust Torture

2. Golden Age (TV On The Radio cover) ->

3. Birds of A Feather

4. Sand ->

5. Down With Disease ->

6. My Friend, My Friend

7. Harry Hood -> (epic, stand out highlight of the show)

8. Character Zero

Encore:

9. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones cover)

So, there you have it.  If'n you are hungry for more you can always visit Phish.net, the fan run site that catalogs everything Phish, and Mr. Miner's Phish Thoughts for reviews of shows.  Not to mention you can download this particular show along with countless others at LivePhish.com.  And shamelessly (not true, tons of shame) I will also share more of my own sophomoric ramblings about Phish here: bit.ly/SjrGyh on an entirely seperate and unnecessary blog.  Hope you enjoyed, if not, my apologies.

Also, here is a video sample which you can find many of on Phish's YouTube channel:

Til next time,

Ty

AmericanaramA

This past week Mike and myself had the wonderful opportunity to see some incredible live music.  For essentially my entire life I have cherished concerts as an absolute favorite past time, hence the whole musician thing, but that is beside the matter at hand.  Anywho, the two shows we had the grand privilege to experience were the AmericanaramA tour at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine and Phish at the legendary Hollywood Bowl.

So, the AmericanaramA tour featured a stellar line up of Americana styled artists spanning several periods of great American music from the 1960’s to modern time.  The particular focus of this tour was to showcase American music of different styles and eras, and to provide a stage for the various artists to collaborate on.  Headliner Bob Dylan ultimately provided the springboard for this extravaganza as without him, the subsequent artists would arguably not exist.  The supporting cast was composed of early 90’s alt rockers Wilco, the late 90’s and modern alternative rock group My Morning Jacket, and contemporary roots rock, singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham.

Ryan Bingham ended up being a delightful surprise as I was not previously familiar with his music, other than knowing he had written songs for the movie Crazy Heart (which is fantastic btw).  Bingham’s country tinged rock was quite a proper kick off for the day’s music.  His soulful, growling voice was an apt precursor to Dylan and his band was on point with beautiful fiddle and pedal steel guitar playing.

My Morning Jacket followed with an energetic set that I would deem my favorite of the show; no one brings the ruckus like MMJ.  Jim James and company slayed the Irvine crowd with several funky jams and then proceeded to get tender with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes on the subdued number “Wonderful”.  The next tune brought the show to epic heights as Jackson Browne joined for a rendition of his gorgeous song "Late For The Sky".  After jamming a few more tunes Ryan Bingham then joined for a blazing version of "Don't Do It" a la The Band.  

There are few bands I could choose to follow MMJ and one of those happens to be Wilco.  I have now seen Wilco several times and I can say without a doubt that they are simply the best live musical act for your money (maybe aside from Radiohead).  Though a more intimate venue would have been preferable, Wilco nevertheless gave a truly fantastic performance.  The highlights include the very unlikely collaboration with Nancy Sinatra (!) on "Bang Bang (He Shot Me Down)" and "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'" and a beautiful rendition of the location-appropriate song "California Stars" with Jackson Browne and several others in collaboration.  Of course Nels Cline had his moment to shine on the guitar driven "Impossible Germany", Ryan Bingham's fiddle player Richard Bowden played a beautiful solo on "Forget The Flowers", we were treated to a tasteful version of the artsy "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart", and we got to witness Jeff Tweedy fumble the lyrics to "Heavy Metal Drummer" which he acknowledged in his typical dry manner.  The brilliant set was closed with a cover of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" with a loaded stage of "My Morning Jackets", as the droll Tweedy referred to them.  

Now, as for Bob Dylan.  Here is where I must apologize, for I left early.  Don't get me wrong, I love Dylan just as much as the next person.  First off, have you seen his live show in recent years?  Well, I have a couple times.  It's not that it is disappointing, it just leaves something to be desired.  He simply is not the same Dylan that brought us Highway 61 Revisited or even Blood On The Tracks.  But that is also why I respect him, he is a fiercely uncompromising artist.  One might say, "He just don't give a fuck."  And truly he does not.  In the words of Samuel L. Jackson, he is a "bad motherfucker".  He plays his tunes in whatever style or key that suits his fancy, contorting them into concoctions that barely resemble the original recordings.  And for that, I take my hat off to him.  He has got balls that guy.  Anywho, I do regret leaving for I missed the night's most heralded collaboration in the performance of "The Weight" with Tweedy, James, and Bingham.  But alas, that is my own damn fault.

You can read another review of the show here: bit.ly/14q1pmm

I fear I have gone on too long as I am all too capable of doing in regards to elaborating about music.  Thus, I will save my thoughts on Phish at The Hollywood Bowl for a follow up blog and indirectly spare those of you who may dislike said group and would prefer not to subject yourself to such ramblings.  Consider yourself warned...

Til next time,

Ty