LawnMemo

The Daily Ghost

The Daily Ghost #100 06/17/2011 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

(AUD Download @KernelForbin Remaster)

Background (Set: 2 of 2 – Song: 3 of 11 – Show Gap: 11)

Ghost takes a long 11 show gap after the hatchet job at PNC.  Ghost is at the beginning portion of the second set.  No segues have been included.

06-17-2001

Composed Section (0:00-3:59)

After some bass bombs from Mike, and a cool intro, Ghost takes its time forming.  Extremely cool and unique intro.  The pace is pretty average but has a nice feel to it.

The solo section gets a good dose of Page, with Trey playing a bit louder than normal.  Mike comes in nice and strong and a nice little jam breaks out.

Then…

Ummmmm….Words…Page….

The lead in recovers nicely after that goof.  The pause sounds like a balloon loosing air and sputtering to the ground.  The drop in…

Awful.  If I hadn’t posted such an awesome gif above, I would be dropping another here.  That wasn’t a full blown train wreck, but it wasn’t pretty either.  After such a cool intro, that composed section was crap.  Shame.

Ghosting Around (4:00-8:14)

Trey comes out leading with some solo work.  Things slowly start to break down, while Page lays down a layer of funk.  Mike plays a nice funky bass line that enables Page to move to the keys.  It looks like a nice groove is going to take shape, but Trey does a bit of wandering around.

As the band continues to lay down a track to run on, Trey starts to find his way around the 5:08 mark.  Trey works in lightly to the great rhythm Mike has laid down.  Page however, is the real star here.  One killer melody after another from the chairman.

I picture being in a venue that is a cross between a super cool 50’s jazz club and Studio 54.  When Page is that on point, I don’t know what to do with myself.

At 5:47, the band holds up the progress and starts to build some tension.  Repeating notes, and patterns, the band starts to look for a new direction.

Around the 6:30 mark, the band breaks away and the dance party starts to crank up a bit.  Page gets the party started and Fishman starts giving my feet a soundtrack to move with.  Then, the band holds things back up.  Just a taste there….

More tension builds and then there is a nice quick change.  Things start to pick back up at the 7:00 mark, as Page just continues his brilliance.  Things slow back down and get a bit blissful after that.

A unique Ghost jam here.  Parts jazz, funk, and bliss, which is far from the cookie cutter opening groove.  I dig it for the uniqueness and different directions is goes.

You can hear things start to change around the 7:50 mark as Fishman works in a couple different beats. Then he drops a fill at 8:14, and we are on to the next section.

I Wan’t To Dance, and then Hug with Somebody>Funk Dance Rumble (8:15-13:03)

After Fishman drops the fill, IT is officially on.  Trey plays a gorgeous high pitched lick and Fish starts his attack.  Lock your S-Foils in attack position! (Star Wars Quota met) Page, as he has been this entire jam, is on point.  Every note that comes from his finger tips just heightens this peak.

Trey had not been at his best prior to this section, but boy does he find himself here.  Each note pushes us listeners further to happiness.  His playing is inspired and beautiful!  Here is Simon’s reaction to this….

Things are so nice at the 9:30 mark.  I am so happy!  Wait?  This is the just beginning?  We are just getting started in this land of awesomeness?  LETS DO THIS!!!

Trey plays a cool riff at 9:34 and then works in some slower notes.  Page, Mike, and Fish build behind him and this thing just soars.  Phish is locked in.  This baby does it for me.  I just closed the blinds and lit a candle, this peak is getting me excited.

By the 10:00 mark, we are in the eye of the peak.  This a full band throw-down.  Everyone is just blasting into this baby and I can’t help but do this…

This is what is going down in my house right now…

I love when moments in Phish makes me feel a variety of different things.  I could win a dance contest right now, yet I feel like I want to hug everyone on Earth.  This peak is so much fun, yet so beautiful.  These are the moments at shows where I am pulling off “Dancing Hug”.

In fact I probably am so damn excited I can’t control myself.  People are into the jam and all I want to do is hug them!!!  I just love life, Phish, and people too much to hold it inside!

Life is beautiful, make sure you express it to the people that help make it that way.  Tremendously glorious peak.

So then Ghost fades away into noth…

Wait…what’s this?

Page punches the boring Ghost fade out in the face.  He lays down the super funk at 11:50.  Gordon says “Fuck the Police” as well.  What I thought for sure was going to be a fade out Ghost Outro, just turned into a LawnMemo violent crazy person dance.  11:50-12:50 is WHAT I AM TALKING about.  That was HOT!

Awesome ending.  Awesome Ghost!

Final Thoughts

An excellent and pretty unique Ghost.  On the shorter side but it does pack a punch.  The first 8:00 minutes aren’t anything that will blow you away, but man is that last 5:00 some fire.  A killer peak and awesome funk dance party outro.  Love this Ghost and a version worthy of being the 100th played.

Score: 8.9