Photo by Andrew Dubinsky

Phish
First Niagara Pavilion
Burgettstown, PA
June 23

Phish had already gotten off to a strong and playful start in 2012 before pulling into Burgettstown. The guest appearance of Kenny Rogers at Bonnaroo and the antics of the first Portsmouth show both provided unique and light-hearted moments for fans in the early stages of summer tour, and hopes were high that a long-revered venue would host another memorable performance. Sure enough, First Niagara Pavilion (originally Star Lake Amphitheater) provided just the right setting.

A brusque improvisational jaunt gave ‘Backwards Down The Number Line’ purpose before an early appearance of ‘Maze’ heated things up, Trey Anastasio blazing through his solo section with assured ingenuity. The amusement began in earnest with the spastic strains of ‘Scent of a Mule’ cuing Mike Gordon’s oddball warbling. The middle section of his mid-90’s bluegrass send-up, commonly referred to as the “Mule Duel”, saw the band members taking repeated stabs at its descending klezmer riff. Page McConnell even pulled out his theremin for a round, a rare treat that made this version all the more special.

‘46 Days’ followed in groovy fashion, with Jon Fishman’s snare flourishes complementing Anastasio’s escalating guitar work. The quintessential and recently elusive ‘You Enjoy Myself’ surprised many by popping up quickly thereafter, its long composed section faithfully executed and its blissful funk breakdown bringing the crowd to a collective high. The end of a typically bizarre vocal jam signaled setbreak as thousands of delighted aficionados dissected the nine songs played thus far and discussed the prospects for set two.

Phish returned with ‘Gotta Jibboo’, setting the table for the meat of the show. A standard ’Mike’s Song’ exhibited strong interplay within the confines of its minor key progression before ‘Simple’ faded into a hypnotic drone that bubbled and twitched, giving way to the opening chords of ‘Light’. The collective spontaneity of the band then took over for ten minutes of extraordinary musical invention. Cinched by Gordon’s quirky thumping and driven by Fishman’s intrinsic thrust, McConnell and Anastasio artfully shaded the jam with inspired color. Four fanciful contributions that were at once signature and singular: such is the beauty of Phish.

‘Weekapaug Groove’ emerged from the deconstructed aftermath of ‘Light’, the band completely in sync for a smoking hot effort that closed the night’s capital sequence. There was more exploration to be found in the spooky ‘Seven Below’, and an unexpected ‘Slave To The Traffic Light’ closed the set on the heels of ‘Julius’. ‘Lizards’ was a choice encore the audience was happy to receive, Anastasio’s lyrical blunder laughed off as appreciative feet shuffled to the breezy sounds of McConnell’s piano. A successful Saturday night at Star Lake was in the books, just one delectable piece of what’s shaping up to be a fantastic and whimsical tour.