LawnMemo

The Daily Ghost

The Daily Ghost #128 08/29/2014 Dick’s Sporting Good Park, Commerce City, CO

 

https://soundcloud.com/undermind1978/23-ghostbdtnl-2014-08-29-dicks

Background (Set: 2 of 2 – Song: 4 of 8 – Show Gap: 2)

“Ghost” emerges at Dick’s after yet another truly epic jam. Just as it followed “Sand” in 2012, this version of “Ghost” comes on the heels of a “Simple” for the ages. And yet again, “Ghost” was up for the challenge. Get ready for the bliss train!

 

Intro (0:00-3:22)

This “Ghost” works at a nice pace. The solo section gets a heavy dose of Page and falls somewhere in the solid category. The lead in, however, is really ugly. The band stops playing at one point and even BEFORE the drop, we have a full-on trainwreck. This might be the earliest full-on

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ever.  We haven’t even made it to the drop yet!. Oh, God… How is that going to go? You know what? That actually wasn’t half bad! Who would have thought the lead in would have been worse than the drop?!

Exploring Dick’s  (3:33-7:33)

The jam starts out with all four band members searching to find a direction.  Page takes the first go at lead with some wonderful grand piano leads. Things feel heavenly and have a nice jazz club sound to them. Trey has chosen a more rhythmic start. Other than the nice jazz feel and smooth stylings, there is not much else going on here. It’s very nice, it’s just not groundbreaking.

I do need to give credit to the strong interplay that is going down. Nothing of incredible band connectivity is taking place, but every band member is working off each other wonderfully.  At different times Trey, Page, and Mike are all filling any open space.  

Trey begins to come on stronger as this jam moves further along.  At the 6:34 mark, we turn the corner.  

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Trey spots an opening to cash in on the incredible foundation Page is laying down. At the 6:34 mark, Trey fires home a powerful, creative and gripping lick. From there, he starts to plan out where he wants Phish to go. Meanwhile, more incredible work from Page is happening. Every melody he drops is perfectly timed and uplifting to the soul.

At around the 7:05 mark, Trey backs out and creates a delayed soundscape that holds up the action. This allows the rest of the band to form the jam around him and lay down the perfect road for his Languedoc Ferrari to travel.  Much like Trey’s technique of holding a note, this soundscape works wonders.  

All the Girls in the Front Row Hugging all the Guys in the Back Row, with LawnMemo in the Middle (7:35-12:42)

Trey reenters Dick’s Sporting Goods park with a couple quick repeating licks and things are officially on!  

That blissful Phish feeling is here. Page hasn’t left the grand piano this entire jam and we are all about to hit the payoff because of it. Fish drops a well-timed fill at 7:49dI01iY0 - Imgur and Page’s response is to hug every living creature within earshot of his piano.  

Trey is finding his rhythmic place and everything is looking up. Phish is locked in and measure by measure, they are ascending to the heavens. The lick Trey finds at 8:40 is especially pleasing. It cuts Page’s heavenly raindrops and provides the bridge to Mike’s powerful bass.  

From that point forward, you can feel it. You can feel something big is coming. And at the 9:18 mark, it hits. Fish builds this jam with incredible skill. He slows it down and just builds all the tension he can and lays it open for the Trey slam dunk.  

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And hot f’ing DAMN, does Trey come through with a full on Lebron throwdown! The lick he unleashes at 9:24 is one of his great masterpieces. The tone, the pace, the creativity and most importantly, the uplifting nature of it is the stuff we chase Phish for.

This bliss section is a reminder why we save all our money for one weekend in Denver. This bliss section is a reminder that no matter how much of an asshole some people can be, there are still some other people out there worth being around. This bliss section is the reason I have driven to Pennsylvania from upstate New York to see Phish. (It certainly isn’t because of their beer buying laws!) This bliss section is the reason why I hug strangers that have a Phish shirt on whenever I come across one. What a celebration of life!

“Ghost” is my favorite song because you never know what you are going to get.  Sometimes you get a dark “Ghost”, sometimes you get a groovy “Ghost”, and sometimes you get a “Ghost” that gives you a blissful erection.

I can’t say much else.  Hit play, and feel good.  Phish is amazing and can take all weight off your shoulders.  Music is powerful, “Ghost” is even more powerful.  Incredible section.

Final Thoughts

The “Simple” preceeding this “Ghost” was a jaw dropping moment of this era.  This “Ghost” responds with open arms & delivers one of the great blissful uplifting sections of any “Ghost” out there. This “Ghost” may not have the range of the all time greats but it certainly delivers. It’s one that you can’t get sick of.  Relisten and hug the people you love.

Score: 8.9