In just two days, Phish will break nearly five years of silence with a three night run in one of their favorite venues: Hampton Coliseum. Over the past two weeks, we’ve given you a little look back at what makes Hampton Coliseum so special to Phish, their fans, and more.
Today, we look ahead.
For those who’ve followed this series, or Phish themselves, you certainly noticed that the last appearances of the band at Hampton (or anywhere else) were lackluster at best. Why then, you may ask, would anyone be excited to see them come back and possibly do the same again? In all honesty, we can’t completely rule out to possibility that Phish 3.0 won’t be any better than Post-Hiatus Phish. But there are reasons to be optimistic.
During the last Phish tour, it became painfully obvious that Trey Anastasio had a serious drug problem. Since that time he has been through jail, rehab, and a lengthy probation. Last year, he returned, cautiously, to the road and played with renewed vigor. The Fall 2008 tour of Trey & Classic TAB was met with rave reviews by many, including myself. Trey is clearly back, happy, and ready to rock.
Word from those in the know is that the band has been rehearsing heavily with the goal of coming back stronger than ever before. They have reportedly already written set lists (which I’m told are quite killer) for the Hampton shows and, as anyone who knows my taste in Phish should be able to tell you, that bodes well. In my opinion, Phish was best when they rehearsed tirelessly and wrote set lists before every show. If you doubt my assertion, you are probably hung up on that incessantly groovy cowfunk which is forgivable but not my favorite. I prefer pre-1996. Phish as a tightly wound coil, ready to strike. This is what I seek. This is what I hope to see in the coming shows. I also expect a bit of that cowfunk as well as some of that shoegazing ambient stuff from the late 90s. Phish 3.0 should be the merger of all of Phish’s finer points.
What will be missing? Certainly, we hope that the bad personal habits will be gone and that the band will be able to tour with a safe backstage environment structured to protect them from such things. Beyond that, will they continue to set aside the more youthful elements of their shows? It’s been more than ten years since Phish sang “Tela” and nearly nine since the last “Forbin > Mockingbird”. Is Gamhendge gone forever? What about “Fluffhead”?
Perhaps, they’ll swerve the other direction and re-embrace some of the older material. It’s been made clear that the absence of rehearsal brought the demise of “Fluffhead” along with the swath of technical gaffs in other tightly composed songs. Perhaps, the re-introduction of rehearsal, will bring forth a wealth of long lost nuggets. I’d love to hear a proper version of “Letter To Jimmy Page” or “Esther”. I’d be absolutely ecstatic.
Truth be told, I’m crossing my fingers and looking forward with the hope that this time, Phish plans to get it right. Win or lose, the anticipation is thrilling and nerve-wracking. Nothing will release this tension like a Phish show so, it’s a good thing that there are three on my calendar this weekend.
Check back during & after the weekend for reports from the shows.