JEMP

Phish’s tour stop at the Verizon Wireless Music Center, better known as Deer Creek, on August 13 served as the band’s 20th visit to the coveted outdoor venue in the cornfields of Noblesville, In. This was the second performance of a two-night run on the second leg of Phish’s summer tour that saw the band functioning as the well-oiled machine that often emerges as a tour nears its end. Amid soaring temperatures reaching into the 90s, the band delivered two high-energy sets heavy on rock, yet noticeably light on improv. Highlights include the appearance of “Walls of the Cave” in the first set – the first since its opening spot at Coventry – and a patch of psychedelic jamming during “Light” in the second. As expected, Fred Kevorkian’s re-masters of the original live mixes attain a level of clarity rarely heard on live concert recordings. However, out of all the recent re-masters, this one seems to be the least exciting.