5-31-09 - Fenway Park, Boston, MA

please review the show, not the other reviews....

from	Tyler Comeaux
date	Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 8:45 AM
subject	05-31-09 Fenway Park

Hello All,
 
What a day/night in Boston and Fenway Park!  I absolutely love Boston, 
what a great city.  One of my dreams has always been to see a ball game at 
Fenway but that would certainly have to take a back seat to seeing my 
favorite band in the world play this venue and the experience did not 
disappoint.  I don't think I'll go with a song by song review but rather 
will point out the highlights.  Let me first point out that in my opinion 
the guys sounded great.  We got lucky and were on the field (A5) about 15 
rows from the stage so the sound wasn't an issue down there like I have 
heard of certain seats in the stands. 
 
First set Highlights include:
 
Ocelot, this is a new song that I feel should be heard by all fans right 
away.  It includes wonderful harmonies and their voices sounded 
particularly good here.  Stash was nice too with a little take me out to 
the ball game tease before the Stash actually began, which my good friend 
Matty called before we even got to Boston; however he thought they'd play 
the whole song, oh well the tease was nice and had us cracking up.  Stash 
was pretty dark and eerie in my opinion.  I know that they usually are but 
this one seemed particularly dark.  I thought it was great and provided 
the set with some contrast to some of the more upbeat songs that they 
played.  You should all check out DWD and DESTINY UNBOUND!!!  Holy Sh**!!! 
They were both smoking and with Destiny the guys sounded particularly 
good, especially their vocals.  The DWD I would compare to some more to 
the point versions of 94 and fall of 96.  It smoked, was rather concise, 
didn't veer to far from the main theme and came back into the ending 
beautifully.  I definitely dug it but am also always up to seeing the guys 
explore a little bit with the jams.  Either way this version is definitely 
worth a listen.
 
Second set highlights:
 
The entire thing!!  If Fenway did for some reason have a roof on it this 
Tweezer would have torn it off.  It was definitely hot and there was a 
wonderful transition into Light which I must listen to again but my first 
impression was nothing but positive, great new song (if you can't tell I 
dig the new stuff so far).  Bathtub and Bowie were both tight.  They had 
the big screens right in our face and was quite fun to see Trey's finger 
work at the end of Bowie which just exploded.  Time Turns Elastic I need 
to hear this again.  I liked it but it has a lot of different sections to 
it and I found myself getting lost a bit but I won't knock the tune yet.  
More often than not Phish songs tend to grow on me but I must point out 
that Ocelot and Light I loved from the get go.  (The Ballad of) Curtis 
Loew has always been one of my favorite songs. It was just a real moving 
song for me and I was excited to see it live.   I'll have to research to 
see when they played it last but I think it's been since 93 maybe?  YEM 
consisted of a wonderful vocal jam at the end and one of the highlights of 
the entire show was Mike's bass in YEM.  Jesus, you've got to hear it, 
that man is in really good form and the effect he used was mind blowing.  
I could listen to hours of it, definitely download this song and see what 
you think, if you don't agree just blame me but please check it out.   I 
enjoyed all three encores and I am a sucker for the tweezer reprise, I 
think it's a great way to end a set or encore, just fantastic.  I haven't 
downloaded this show yet and therefore haven't analyzed the songs in depth 
but wanted to share my experience and initial thoughts with everyone.
 
This was my wife's first show and she told me that it was a spiritual 
experience and that she has never felt that connected with music before.  
I think that sums up what the phishing experience is all about.  Those 
guys do have a great ability to connect with the audience on so many 
levels and I was happy that she felt it.  We're not planning on any more 
shows this summer but for those of you planning on seeing Phish later on 
this tour get ready because they already sound good out of the gate.  Just 
give them some time to get into rhythm on the road and look the fu** 
out!!!  I think you fans checking them out this summer will be impressed 
and I am certainly envious because I'm sure they will blow some minds.  I 
must admit that I had forgotten how great of an experience a Phish show 
is.  The music and the people.  Man we were all having such a good time 
and it was just great to see everyone with big smiles and literally 
"sharing in the groove!"  I met some wonderful people up in Boston and 
that's usually the case when I go to a show.  Thank you so much for coming 
back Phish!!!!!!!  What are the chances of coming down to Austin this 
fall? ;-)
 
 
Best regards,
Tyler Comeaux 


from	Justin Sawyer
date	Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 7:02 PM
subject	5-31-09 Fenway Park Review

     Phish at Fenway was everything I wanted and more... what a night!  
It's a treat to watch the band come back and create new music in front of 
your eyes (and ears), and then, to have them play at a historic venue like 
Fenway Park with "Phish" spelled out on the innings board in left field 
and the skyline of the city at night behind them... simply magical. The 
last shows I caught were the Mansfield shows and Coventry, and I thought 
the band's playing last night blew them out of the water!  They were tight 
and were having a great time, and it really came through in the music.  I 
thought the sound at Fenway was pretty rough, but on the other hand, it is 
an open air baseball stadium with gusty winds at times, so it is what it 
is!  Here are some of my personal highlights and thoughts...
      My buddies and I heard a rumor that the guys would sing the national 
anthem achapella while we were filing in and heading to our seats.  Sure 
enough, guys came out of the Sox dugout with throwback jerseys on and sang 
it on the mound.  Way to start a tour!  Sample opener surprised me, but 
they sounded tight off the bat.  Moma Dance hit SECOND and I was psyched, 
and they funked it good.  Mike was really driving a lot of the songs 
tonight, I thought.  I think Trey must have told Page to do the "Take Me 
Out to the Ballgame" thing, cause he was a little timid about it and they 
were all cracking up....impromptu?  Then they launched into Stash (The 
crowd was really getting into it now).  The jam started innocently enough 
but got very dissonant and heavier.  They built the tension thick but 
there wasn't much of a release, which actually made it better IMO as it 
was different and more eerie.  The Bouncing started a mellow portion of 
the set, which perked up for a great ending of Down with Disease, Destiny 
Unbound!?!, and Character Zero.  A good set, thought it lost a lot of 
momentum for awhile in the middle, but ended well.  I had no idea what 
they had in store for us for the seond set...
       The set opens with TWEEZER and my jaw dropped.  I was calling it 
and sure enough, they didn't dissapoint.  They JAMMED THE HELL OUT OF IT!  
Must've been 15 minutes and it started to get spacey and out there, Mike 
was really pushing the tension all night, and the whole band was 
responding... they segued into another new one (Light) I didn't know and I 
liked it.  BATHTUB GIN!!!  I lost it, it was all over.. miniglowstick war 
in the left field grandstands, and they had a beautiful jam on this.  
Afterward Fish stars the hihats and we're all thinking "it's gotta be 
Maze, no way would they..." PLAY DAVID BOWIE?  Yep, and they nailed it.  
Jam wasn't too long but it raged to a nice crescendo.  This set was 
already a monster.  Then they play Time Turns Elastic, and the jam WAS OUT 
OF CONTROL.  I thought it was a great song with more depth than anything 
new I've heard from Phish in a long time.  These guys are going to rage 
this into the next stratosphere as this tour continues!  My buddy got his 
favorite song with Free, and then out of nowhere a Ballad of Curtis Loew 
(two huge rarities with the Destiny, gotta love it).  At this point, this 
set was on 9.  YEM kicked it up to 11.  They played the composed section 
flawlessly (practicing Trey?) and they must've heard the scream and "BOY!" 
all the way in NYC as the Fenway Phans roared something fierce.  The vocal 
jam was otherworldly and climaxed with top of the lungs screaming.  Wow. 
     The whole encore was great, epic Reprise.  This show was Phenominal 
and the 2nd set was the best set of Phish I've ever seen at a show.  
Amazing setlist, SICK jamming in almost every song.  They're back, and 
better than they've been in a long time!  Thank you guys!

Justin Sawyer


from	Dom Lange
date	Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 8:41 AM
subject	Phish show review 5/31/09

My wife and I went on our first date almost seventeen years ago.  It was a 
concert at the old Boston Garden that WBCN was doing and Phish was the 
headliner.  Now married with 2 kids (and still living in Boston), we 
decided to pay a sitter to stay the night, and go see our boys again and 
party-up (just a bit, ya know?).

Met some friends at a pub before the show, and was bummed to see the rain
start to fall...

Entered the show wearing a garbage bag, and we made our way down to our 
seats (section 8 on the field).  At first I looked around and wondered if 
we might like it better in the seats, but from what I hear about the sound 
quality up there, I'm happy we stayed put.

I called a sample opener, and thought I was right, but then the guy next 
to me told me about the star spangled banner - I'm bummed I missed that.

Won't go into a song by song review, but I will say that my wife and I 
have been to just under 100 shows over the years - many of them big-time 
historic shows, and I really rank this show up there with the best.  I 
know the set list could have been better, and the sound too, but it was 
just so nostalgic, and my wife and I had more than our fair share of sappy 
moments. The rain stopped and the sun came through the clouds just as Trey 
went into his first solo, and of course a few rainbows appeared around the 
ballpark at that time.

Just a few random thoughts on the first set...

Ocelot really feels like a childrens song...in a good way.

"Thoughts follow my vision and dance in the sun.  Can't this wait till I'm
old, can I live while I'm young?" - oh shit, I think I'm technically old
now!  Sent shivers down my spine...and BIG smiles on our faces.

DWD, Destiny unbound, and character zero!  Come on!

They were "on", and that was a huge relief.  Liked Hampton and all (each
night they sounded better and better, but they played on a whole different
level here).

Set two...

It was just so strong, I don't know where to start.

Time turns elastic - not too into it to be honest.  Hey, that's OK 
though....smoked a bunch of weed during this one.  Seems a bit like an 
amalgamation of a bunch of stuff they've done already.  Had some 
interesting moments but I would say the weak link in this set.

YEM was just such an emotional thing for me.  I was a kid when I first 
fell in love with it and I still love it after all these years.  He didn't 
fuck it up either which REALLY helped too.

One of the best encores I've ever seen.  Left that place like a kid who 
had just robbed a candy store...thanks guys.  My wife and I are both 
hurting today...hurting in a good way though, ya know?

Greatwoods here we come baby!!!


from	Jennifer Orell
date	Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 7:57 AM
subject	Phish show review

The show was AMAZING!! My wife said it was the greatest night of her life 
other than our wedding! (and I think the wedding part was to spare 
my feelings) The boys are as tight as ever. Sounds like '94 or summer 
Europe '97, with deep funky bass and Trey managing to hit it vocally. 
Great vibe, tons of fun, old friends, new friends, random hugs it felt 
like a time machine to 10 years ago. At one point I said to my wife, 
"Fenway and Phish, it's like peanut butter and chocolate!" and she thought 
that summed it up perfectly. ;D
Highlights:
SET 1
-God's Lighting Design for Set 1
-Chalkdust- This is where we looked at each other and said, "It's on!"
-Bouncin Round The Room+Poor Heart- We were glad to be in the outfield 
right boxes once these started, tons of room for dancing with a whole 
section of unused seats to our right! This really got the crowd worked up.
-DESTINY UNBOUND!?!?!
-What had to be one of the shortest set breaks ever.

SET 2
-Tweezer opener that ripped the place to shreds
-Bathtub Gin!! I mean you knew it was coming, but it was just so good to 
all be in the bath together again.
-Quick, Tight David Bowie!
-Free-- Sweet Jam, Mike is the King!
-YEM! We'd moved to the opposite side (near the Monster) by this time, and 
it was the perfect spot to observe the bouncing Phish in it's 
native habitat.

Encore- Just the whole thing was a highlight!

And we get to do it again next week!?!

Another great quote from my wife, "Maybe we died and we're in heaven."

And we even got some tv coverage. If you look close you can see my wife 
next to me, who is as a chocolate chip cookie.

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Arts-Entertainment/2009/05/31/Phish-returns-with-Fenway-show/1243821107.html

And if you ended up with Stewie, Please give him a good home and bring him 
to Great Woods!  


from	Tim Bugbee
date	Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 4:43 PM
subject	fenway park, boston - may 31, 2009

review:
http://www.bigtakeover.com/reviews/phish-fenway-park-boston-sunday-may-31-2009

more photos:
http://narlus.zenfolio.com/p1063343375


regards,
tim

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