The O.G. Live Phish Series In Review - Vol. 9: 8/26/89 Townshend, VT

 Onwards to Live Phish Vol. 9, 8/26/89 Townshend, VT

I've been looking forward to this one maybe the most of the whole series!!! I've always admired this show "from afar" and on paper it looks like it's just about the PERFECT early Phish primer.

For the time, what is the setlist really lacking besides, say, Tela or something?

It's just about all here - A damn Fluff opener, a Bag, a Slave, a Melt, etc etc

Dinner and a Movie....


ANYWAYS, ON TO THE REVIEW!


8/26/89 Townshend, VT - Live Phish, Vol. 9

Set 1

Fluffhead - Always a great opener, it's nice to hear such a "measured" version of the song. The precision, man! There really isn't much to say. It's 1989, so compositionally the song is performed just about flawlessly. I always like to imagine what it would've been like at the time for people in the crowd that didn't know anything about Phish. Probably lots of people going "what the hell is this?!" and then hopefully becoming converted. Awesome opener, it legitimately had a smile on my face by the end.

Colonel Forbin's Ascent/Fly Famous Mockingbird - After some "thank you"s from Mike (as well as a "thank Page!"), Trey announces that, after the crazy, 15 minute opening Fluffhead, we are immediately going off the deep end and heading for the land of Gamehendge. Oh Phish, how I love thee!! Trey continues for a minute to preface the songs by telling the brief story of Gamehendge/CF's Ascent. "So come with us now on a journey to Gamehendge...." That friggin' sustained note Trey holds perfectly for like 20 seconds around 4:20....dang, son. The whole thing plays out as expected with minimal narration and is played flawlessly. Great stuff!!

Harry Hood - Can you imagine if Phish opened a show in 2023 with Fluff into CF/FFM and then Harry Hood? Quite literally, the universe would explode! As I've stated before, I'm not a massive Hood fan as more often than not (please prove me wrong!) most "later" versions all sound just about the same. This one does not! Again, that's kind of expected considering this is 1989 Phish, but it's worth it to point out. Not that it's played any differently, but the difference in sound and the instruments used really makes it have a different VIBE, if that at all makes sense. And I dig it!!! @Harry Hood - have you heard this version/other early versions? Any thoughts or opinions? I think I like this version as it doesn't have the "hype" of later renditions where you feel OBLIGATED to go nuts, does that make any sense? It's extremely refreshing to hear a version that is so precise-yet-delicate that isn't a special occasion like it is as most shows these days. It's just another song tonight, ya know what I mean? And at only 10 minutes in length it doesn't "overstay" it's welcome. Harry Hood will never be a favorite song of mine (though of course I do LIKE it), but this might be a go-to favorite VERSION for me!!! I liked this Hood enough that I'll probably single it out for one of my non-album song compilations!! I love this Hood!!! It's just exactly perfect! It's not undercooked, it's not over-long, it does everything JUST well enough and so perfectly at the same time....Great stuff!

Split Open and Melt - Very odd as a listener to be hearing a version that sounds like the soon-to-come Lawn Boy studio rendition (which I always thought sounded exceptionally neutered). A fine listen for what it is, it's played very well. But of course it doesn't hold a candle to the monster it would become down the line. Picture the studio version of Lawn Boy with worse sound quality - that's basically this one.

Divided Sky - Ok, again, look at this setlist. Can you just IMAGINE how many minds would be blown if they played these 5 songs in a row to open a show these days?! A fine version on the whole, but surprisingly it's also one of the most haphazard versions out there. Trey is having big issues with feedback/sustain problems and it kinda just throws the whole thing off track a bit. Unfortunate but not his fault. I mean, it still kicks tail, but it's about as "sloppy" as I imagine 1989 Phish could be. The last few minutes do feel imbued with extra energy as a "make up" for the faults earlier in the song. Great last couple of minutes!!

You Enjoy Myself - Ok, again, LOOK AT THIS SETLIST!!!! Dang!!!! YEM is YEM. Great fun. Love Page's keyboard solo around 7:45 or so. Is that spring reverb bouncing around in the background or something?? Also, listen to Mike vamping it up underneath Page - great stuff!! Then Page starts doing the "chords with one hand, soloing with the other" thing where it sounds like two people are playing at once....Just fantastic. Around 9:20 Page reaches his peak and Trey takes over, immediately proceeding to rock the F out as expected. Check out 12 minutes when Trey lays back and lets Fishman and Cactus take over. Freaking great drumming and bass soloing. Love the vocal solo that has Fish drumming along for a bit. I normally skip through the vocal jams, but this was cool. Awesome little YEM!!! It's not a classic, but I'd say it's worth at least a listen or two!!!

>Possum - And during the vocal jam you can hear the beat shifting flawlessly and slowly to set up this segue. THAT SEGUE, YO! Possum is Possum. It's great but you've heard one, you've heard most of them


Wowzers!!! Talk about a set!! I enjoyed that way more than I expected (I was excited but also slightly unsure of what I would think). Hot damn. I mean, it kinda speaks for itself. For me, the Hood, YEM and Fluffhead are the required listening.

 

 Set 2

To start, this set is much more "challenging" for my taste, so bear with me. I like Ya Mar, not a fan of Bold As Love, I'm not a major fan of Slave (ala Hood).....


Andy Griffith Theme - Why did they decide to open the 2nd set by whistling this?! Who knows! It's fun and that's all that matters.

Bold As Love - One of my least favorite Phish covers, but hot damn, play it, Trey!!!! Seriously, this is terrific. Don't sleep on this one!!!!

Ya Mar - Check out Trey's killer noodling at the beginning! Really great version on the whole, love all the constant vocal fills and guitar noodles and all that jazz. A total party! A+++++ version!!!

Slave to the Traffic Light - "This song was written by Pete Rose...." Jesus christ, Trey is just crushing on this in the composed sections of the song. Very heavy and dark version for sure. There isn't much to say. It's to the point and does what it does spectacularly. It's actually very weird to have a version that isn't "special" like Hood or Divided Sky, ya know? Ends way sooner than expected - a 6 minute Slave?

AC/DC Bag - Surprisingly raging for such an "early" reading, but by the end I was headbanging along like any other red-hot latter-period version! Terrific!! Guitar strangulation alert!

Donna Lee - "For those of you that haven't heard Charlie Parker...Listen to him!" A great reading, it's awesome to hear Trey shred it jazz-style. Like, damn, if only I could play like that! Nevermind Page and Mike tearing it up too. Insane!

Funky B - Hot damn, let's friggin' GO!!!! GET IT TREY!!! Tear it up!!!! JESUS CHRIST TREY CAN YOU SAVE SOME FACE MELTING FOR THE REST OF US?!?!??!?!??!?! HOLY CRAP!!!! GUITAR DESTRUCTION!!!!! SOMEONE CALL THE COPS!!! THIS IS ABUSE!!!! This is INSANE! This is the GOLD STANDARD of Funky B1tches!!!! NO JOKE! WHAT THE HELL!!!??? WHY DOES THIS DESTROY SO MUCH!?!??!



>Foam - And then, because it's early 1.0 and they like to blow our minds, they launch directly into Foam out of nowhere. * cue head explosion * . Piggy-backing off of the insanity of Donna Lee, good golly is it wonderful to hear Page and Trey just tear it UP so FLAWLESSLY!

David Bowie - See Harry Hood. Never a favorite song of mine, but a great version is a great version. Again, great to hear it performed almost flawlessly and also without being a "special" song yet. I'm not ultra-familiar with how "jammed out" early Bowie's typically were, but this one gets pretty Melt-like for a good stretch. Very angsty and angry kind of jamming!!! Some great back-and-forth, volume-up-volume-down jamming lead by Trey and Phish. I imagine for 1989 this is pretty "jammed out" and what's here is great! It holds together chaotically without every completely falling apart. Very cool! Very kickas!!!!! GREAT BOWIE!!!


All in all...yea shame on me for judging this set before listening!! If anything, I think this set just about blew the first one away! Sure I "prefer" the songs played in set 1, but set 1 felt very "reserved" in comparison to this. Definitely a warm-up vibe going on in hindsight. For set 2 the guys (ahem, TREY) come out freaking SWINGING and set the place ON FIRE. REPEATEDLY! This set is like one 1 hour long orgasm of fire or something. Absolutely terrific on the whole!!!! A+ Phish, yo!!!  

Set 3

The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday suite - Ooh, an interesting choice for a set opener. This works surprisingly well as set opener. Starting the set quietly with no talking, slowly easing us into the music again. Love Mike's playing during Avenu Malkanu! Other than rarity, there isn't much here to make me feel the need to highlight it, it's a just very nice and a nice set opening.

"Thank you, we didn't write that number". "Pete Rose did". "Pete Rose in conjunction with God wrote that number".

Suzy Greenberg - After some funny banter ("Hurry up over there, you're gonna miss it!"), we launch into Suzy. WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT FIRST GUITAR SOLO?!?!?!? Frank Zappa would be proud!!! Dude, ripping right out of the gate, but seriously, Trey is playing some DIFFERENT stuff in that first burst!!! Great version. As with Hood and the other soon-to-be-classics, it's very refreshing hearing a "young" Suzy in the growing up stage. Great stuff all around.

Dinner and a Movie - Perhaps my favorite rarity on most days, always a treat to hear, this one is great. Sounds like a crazy carnival soundtrack tonight! Not much to say, just a nice version. See The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday above^^^

Run Like an Antelope - I would say this basically goes Type II!!!! An absolutely effing BEAST!!! I mean, by 8 minutes we are just in a spiraling vortext of insanity. Like that Miami 1989 Dark Star where everyone plays everything at the same time Holy moly....And then it STOPS and we return to Antelope for the Rye Rye Rocco section. Then someone picks up a damn TRUMPET!!!! What is going on?!?!? Eventually we circle back to Antelope and the crazy train reaches it's conclusion. What in the ever-loving hell was that?!

Contact - Terrific as always. Not much to say.

The Lizards - Now, how could I NOT highlights Lizards? It's ALWAYS a highlight! Love when it picks up the pace before the Skippy The Wonder Mouse section with Trey and Page both going bananas....And then that damn Skippy The Wonder Mouse hits and I almost tear up. Every. Friggin'. Time!!! It's that perfectly sad and nostalgic vibe...like thinking forlornly about your dear childhood memories and how those days are long gone, never to be revisited. I want this played at my funeral. EVERYBODY WILL CRY!

La Grange - Killer. See Funky B. Nuff said.


Killer gig all the way around and I'd go so far as to say everyone needs to hear this show at least once. It was TERRIFIC. For set 3, the whole set really felt like an little bit of an afterthought or an extended encore. The "meat" of the show is that magical 2nd set. Absolutely do NOT sleep on the Antelope or La Grange though! Holy hell.

AWESOME SHOW. AWESOME MUSIC. EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!