A Video Guide to Phish’s Hampton Run
Phish returned to Hampton Coliseum this weekend for their first shows at The Mothership since the famous reunion gigs of 2009. While these shows didn’t offer the same type of euphoric release as Phish’s first shows in nearly five years, they still offered some of the better moments this year and picked up where the band left off following their West Coast shows. Since videos are all the rage these days, here is a chronological video highlight guide to the Hampton weekend that featured a fiery “Carini,” drill solos, lighters, another monster “Tweezer” and no “Possum” anywhere to be found.
“Carini”
The second set on opening night of Phish’s Fall Tour built up steam from the start. With a rare “Twist” opener that featured some solid interplay, the band confidently moved through the first few songs before unleashing this version of “Carini.” Always lending itself well to improv, “Carini” of 3.0 serves more as a landing spot for jamming as opposed to a launchpad, except for this night. Thankfully, Phish released a delicious pro-shot version of the performance.
“Fast Enough For You”
Night two saw the second performance of “Fast Enough For You.” Only the eighth appearance in the 3.0 era, this Rift cut gave a nice change of pace and allowed Phish to show off some of their best songwriting qualities.
“Ghost”
If the first set allowed Phish to show off their songwriting skills, set two began immediately with the opposite. This standout version of “Ghost” may very well be the best of 3.0, with very few others in the conversation. There is something about indoor shows and “Ghost” as some of the best versions came with a roof over the band. Thematically, it seems to make sense this song would thrive in a darker environment.
“Tweezer”
Tahoe Tweezer, meet Hampton Tweezer. Are there albums shorter than 24 minutes out there? Let’s find out.
“Divided Sky”
Phish fans jumping on tour post-Hampton will be glad to know that the woo’s have been replaced by a much more traditional and tolerable ritual–lighters. This isn’t a Def Leppard show, but the lighters still do the trick particularly during some of the more delicate musical moments Phish offers over the course of an evening. The Mothership lights up as LD Chris Kuroda shuts the stage lights off during the famed pause in “Divided Sky,” causing quite a scene. iPhone Lighter App holders need not apply on this one.
“Takin’ Care of Business”
Funny Phish comes out quite a bit these days, as it should, but rarely does it manifest itself into a truly noteworthy musical moment like this. Phish aligned themselves with famed Canadian rockers Bachman Turner Overdrive to cover “Takin’ Care of Business” for the first time in the band’s history during their final set of the weekend.