LawnMemo

The Daily Ghost

The Daily Ghost #88 11/28/2009 Times Union Center, Albany, NY

(AUD Remaster @KernelForbin Download)

Background (Set: 2 of 2 – Song: 2 of 7 – Show Gap: 5)

A Massive 46:30 minutes of Seven Below > Ghost begins this second set. The first real exploration of its kind in 2009, this combo was a game changer. We have included the entire Seven Below, because 1.) It is just that awesome 2.) A listen through really sets up the Ghost.

2009-11-28mo

Composed Section (24:07-27:25)

After wallowing through some serious depths of darkness, Trey plays the opening lick to Ghost.  He does so with a dark murky tone to start and it helps create a wonderful segue.  Great stuff.

The Ghost intro is pretty upbeat and the intro jam is extremely short.  I guess that is what happens after a 24 minute monster jam.  The solo section has a nice balance from Trey and Page early.  When Mike comes stomping in, it gets real funky.  Again, great stuff.

The lead in is ugly once again.  Progress from the previous two Ghosts?  Lost…

The pause gets some Trey upward movement before…

I give up.  The lead ins suck.  The drops suck.  I am picking a new favorite song.   How about Rift?  They ALWAYS nail that…Wait…

Finding it Early and a Tip of the Cap (27:26-31:11)

The jam begins with the typical sectioned off jamming and quickly breaks down.  Trey starts to solo lightly out in front and it takes almost no time to find the good stuff.

At 28:10, Trey finds a lick that is pure butter (butter being a good thing here).  Trey lays that lick down, while Page and Mike just build around it.  A funky, jazzy, groove breaks out and I am dancing like a crazy person one minute into this jam.  I have also upped my beer intake for this review, that might be helping.

Just a simple lick from Trey, but man is it fantastic.  He works that lick until the 28:40 mark, but by that point the groove has been formed.  To say the band is locked in, would be a serious understatement.  After the incredible 24 minute Seven Below, the band can do whatever it wants.

When Trey comes away from that lick he has a serious amount of space he can explore.  Mike and Fish have locked down the beat and Page is playing  extremely thoughtful complimentary melodies.  The band sits in this space and just looks around.

I picture being out in the middle of a dance party in the exact middle of a forest. All you see is trees.  You take a second to look around at where you are before you determine which direction you are going to.  That is where Phish is, during this early jam section.  Just enjoying the space they have created.  There will be a direction to go, but why rush it?  Sometimes it is fun to take a second.

Tremendous balance from the band in this first jam section.  I completely feel as if the four of them are creating one sound.  Nobody makes me follow their individual instrument, instead I follow the band as a whole.

So you just played an incredible opening song in Seven Below.  You are already crushing a Ghost?  How do you tie them together?  At 30:12, Phish teases Seven Below in the middle of this forest.  Best band in the world.  I love it.  100% they knew how awesome that jam was.  That was their way of telling us.

Even more awesome?  The tease fits perfectly in this jam.  Trey comes away from it and immediately glides back into the groove.   Those are the best teases, the ones that work within the jam.

Around the 30:58 mark, Fish begins to push the pace a bit.

Funky Dance Party>Blissful Jam (31:12-34:09)

Trey injects another funky upbeat lick on top of Fish’s increased tempo.  Things move from the middle of the forest to a funky dance party.  Side note; I just cracked open another Nugget Nectar.  I know what is coming and I can’t contain my excitement.

Another great example of a smooth path forward.  This section is more funky but is feels so natural moving from the previous section.  Patience and attention to detail, it is a beautiful thing when they are on top of it.

At 32:20, Trey plays another signature lick, that throws more power into this jam.  Mike grabs and runs with it while interjecting some bass runs.  At 32:40 the jam starts to break down, and Page plays the symphony to my soul on the piano.  I am not sure what comes out of Page’s piano but often times each note puts me closer to tears.  The beauty of it is often times more than I can handle.

The jam finds itself a blissful section, and begins to melt away all my cares.  Trey begins to quickly repeat a high pitched lick at 33:32 that Page blasts some chords on top of.  Then it comes to a fever pitch at 33:42, and we get a touch of Trey machine gun!  Things are good in Albany this night.  Very good!

Oh and we haven’t even gotten to the GREAT stuff yet….

Type 2 Dance Party Appetizer (34:12-37:26)

Trey starts a power lick around the 34:12 mark that is gritty and angry.  Fish begins to blast fill after fill and things have officially turned the corner.  Time to put the parents and children to bed.  Things are about to get XXX style.  (If you don’t know what XXX means, type it into Google Search, you will get 1 or 2 results).

Things get more and more heated, and then at the 34:56 mark, Trey just drops a bad ASS fill.  This jam just went from six to midnight!!!!  Time for a gif to describe my emotions…

Fist pumping, break dancing, crowd surfing by myself… I am doing it all.  The best part?  We still aren’t to the peak!!!!

On the heals of Trey’s power lick, the jam breaks down a bit around the 35:17 mark.  Trey continues to work the lick creating all sorts of space for everyone.  The result????  PAGE MCCONELL!  At the 35:25 mark, Page starts to infuse the funk organ into this jam and I need my straight jacket and helmet.

This is GRADE A Dance party material.  It might only be from 35:17-36:00 but that is what Type 2 magic is all about.  So far and away from anything that resembles any song, and finding a beat that is so unique (whoa that rhymed).

At the 36:00 mark, the band switches from the dance party to a space ship.  Measure by measure, the band floats deeper into space.  I have no idea what is going on!!  Where are we going?  I have no idea…Is this jam going to start to space out and suck?  They just took that awesome section and decided to meander?  Please tell me they me they know what they are doing….Winks…

Chasey Lain, Jenna Jameson, Your Wife, An Angry Alligator, and a Giant Hose, in a Fivesome (37:27-40:52)

In this middle of the space orbit, Mike decides to add a Giant Evil Alligator into this jam.

(Not an Evil Alligator, and RIP Steve Irwin)

Well let me tell you something.  BRILLIANT MOVE.  What follows is a giant orgy in my ears.  Mike establishes that evil angry alligator and things begin to get dark around it.  Then, out of the darkness…

At 37:57, Trey starts to figure out what to do with this Alligator.  He grabs a lick and says “it is time to go for a ride” and what happens…Something this awesome

Life at 38:42…

Yeah THAT AWESOME!!!  There is Type 2 magic, and then there is this.  Pure brilliance from Trey.  That lick is just smoking on top of the angry alligator Mike throws down.  I want to get in the ring with Mike Tyson during this it gets me so pumped up.

Hands down one of my favorite moments in Phish history.  Gordon just kills things and Trey’s playing blends incredibly.  The crowd reaction during this is incredible even on the soundboard.  THIS is the Hose!!!  When you can’t help but cheer, and clear as much dance space around you as humanly possible.  You are in the middle of the hose.

If you want a complaint.. I guess it is that the orgy section didn’t last longer.  As quickly as it came (chosen on purpose) it fades away.  Mike frees the alligator, and things begin to break down at the 39:17 mark.

Things begin to space a bit with Trey and Mike flying around the arena.  The pace is still upbeat.  Then at 40:00 mark, Trey drops for a second.  Mike and Fish grab it and push back up almost to the level of the orgy from before.  More hose, more love form the crowd.

At 40:23 Trey plays another awesome lick and then gives a quick little solo at 40:45.  He aborts it quickly and leaves a couple notes hanging…

Make sure to tie down everything that is valuable to you…

A Giant Truck You Didn’t See Coming Just Crashed Your Orgy Party (40:53-46:35)

As Trey lets those notes hang, Mike and Fish sense things and lay down repetitive beats.  Then the jam builds by the second at a furious pace.  You can feel something coming….RUNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phish releases the tension with an incredible fury.  This is what going to shows is all about people.  You NEVER know what you might hear.  Some nights you get Let Me Lie.  Other nights you get a facemelting jam 42 minutes into the second song of a set.  The unexpected is what makes Phish great.

After releasing that tension (and almost ushering in the Apocalypse) the jam breaks into a feverish peak.  Trey begins machine gunning at 42:30, as Fish summons the energy of Buddy Rich.  Page then decides that he must set his piano on fire and watch it burn.  At 43:15, after Trey builds things up, Page hits his piano with everything he has…

Fish then lights his drum set on fire like Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopez lit Andre Rison’s house on fire.  An insane display of power from the man in the dress.  I wear men’s clothing and I couldn’t play 1/1000 of the notes he just played there.

The jam is just a pure rocker from there.  They are leaving everything out there.  I am tired, and I am sitting in a chair at my laptop!!!

At 44:30, Phish starts to build all kinds of tension.  After the furious peak, when the tension is released…the jam begins its final descent.

At 45:12, Mike leads things to the end of the jam.  The crowd reaction is pure ecstasy.  They know they have seen one of the best 46+ minutes of Phish history.  The jam slowly fades out.

Final Thoughts

Hands down my favorite Ghost of 3.0.  In my opinion it stacks up with the very best.  A massive regret for me was not going to that show.  Oh well, I have my favorite Seven Below, and one of my favorite Ghosts on soundboard to listen to forever.  This 47 minutes was a game changer.  Phish showed that when they clicked, they could produce jams that stacked up to the glory years.  This Ghost has some incredible grooves, a sick Seven Below tease, funky dance parties, and one incredible face melter.  Not many better…

Score: 9.5