Phish Serve Record-Breaking “Carini” at Forest Hills Stadium Debut
Phish, photo by Stevo Rood
Last night, Phish arrived in New York for their first night of their long-awaited series at Queens’ Forest Hills Stadium. The band’s debut at the beloved historic tennis stadium on the city’s outskirts was their first performance in an NYC venue other than Madison Square Garden in a decade, and night one’s packed house and celebratory energy were a testament ot the band’s passionate following in the Big Apple. While a cherished Pollock poster and appearances from Mr and Mrs. Met at the Waterwheel Foundation Table and out on the floor amplified the experience, Tuesday stood apart from the rest of Phish’s Summer Tour as its highlight wasn’t an unexpected setlist inclusion, but the novelty of Forest Hills itself.
Phish set off their show at roughly 6:30 p.m., still solidly in daylight hours and earlier than their usual to beat a hard curfew, with the warm groove of “The Moma Dance,” which merged directly into the double-time romp of “Rift.” The upbeat tone endured through another merged pair of “Sigma Oasis” and “Possum,” which deftly blended the wormer’s wide-eyed wonder into the irresistible rhythm of the latter. After an energetic peak, the band settled into a sotly funky “Wolfman’s Brother,” then fired off into another major ramp-up in its last few minutes. Focused and thoughtfully exploratory versions of “Stash,” “Blaze On” and “Monsters” followed before the return of “I Am the Walrus,” which they played for the ninth time to close on a reference to The Beatles’ famed 1964 concert on the same stage.
With the sun set, Phish stepped into the spotlight for their second frame and served their intimate crowd of 13,000 an enthralling “Carini,” which reached out to a whopping 28 minutes and 49 seconds to break the longest jam record for the 1997 fan favorite. “Carini” began with its typically shreddy, hard-rocking foundations, but quickly became something brand new as Mike Gordon’s counterbalance to Trey Anastasio’s major key meddling became progressively rhythmically intricate before breaking free entirely, casting the group into a more spacious and unstructured atmosphere. Page McConnell, clearly energized by anticipation for his first pitch today, bounced around his synth array but found his most insightful contributions on the Wurlitzer, which brought a vintage radiance that undergirded the quartet’s torch-passing elaboration. Over intersifying percussion from Jon Fishman, the band locked into a meditative communication that led to several effortlessly atmospheric peaks before a perfect segue into “Tweezer.”
“Tweezer” let Phish maintain their momentum with a well-played 15-minute treatment, which in turn gave way to another breathtaking Summer Tour staple as the band let into a 14-minute “What’s Going Through Your Mind?” After winding down with “A Life Beyond the Dream,” the group rallied for a jazzy, loping, crowd-pleasing closer of “Harry Hood.” To cap off the evening, they returned with a three-pronged encore of “Salve to the Traffic Light,” “More” and the requisite “Tweezer Reprise,” then walked off just before curfew to a tribute of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mama, I’m Coming Home” blasting on the PA. Rest in peace, Ozzy.
Phish will return to Forest Hills tonight. After wrapping the penultimate series in their summer tour, the band will head up to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for a three-night finale at Broadview Stage at SPAC from July 25-27. After a month away, they’ll return for a seven-stop fall series from Sept. 13-21. Find tickets and more information here.
