
On Tuesday, we looked at the most common songs performed on Leg I of this Summer tour. Today, it’s time to look at the least common. While there were only six songs this summer performed six times or more, there were a whopping eighty four songs performed only once. Obviously, anyone who talks about the receptiveness of setlists has to take that into account. Amazingly, only four songs were debuted by Phish this summer, so many of these selections come from deep in the Phish songbook. Think some tunes on this list need to be played more? Think one time is too many? Let us know in the comments.
Thunder Road – 6/19 Portsmouth – This Bruce cover was much like the boss’s appearance with the band at Bonnaroo in ’09: great fun, but not that good. In this case, however, it’s the thought that counts. What I like about this performance is simply that you can tell how important Bruce was to the development of the Jersey boys in the band. There’s almost a sense of nervousness in their playing, as if the band was wary of treading on hallowed ground. By eulogizing fallen sax-man Clarence Clemons, the band is making a bold statement… just not a particularly rockin’ one.
Vultures – 6/11 Merriweather Post – This song has never gotten its due. Overshadowed by the rest of the tunes that would make up The Story of the Ghost, there have been moments where I felt this song was geared to make a big comeback… but it’s just never cracked the rotation. I’m not sure why that it is. This song has everything a Phish song should, strange rhythms, bizarre lyrics, and some peaks that will make you pump your fist. Here’s hoping Vultures gets better setlist treatment in the future. Unfortunately, if it hasn’t happened yet… it’s probably not happening.
Taste – 6/5 Cincinnati – I will be blunt here: one performance of Taste in an eighteen show tour is a crime. Seriously. Probably a felony. When the band was broken up, and I wasn’t listening to much Phish at all, I would occasionally find myself wistfully daydreaming about Page’s piano solo in Taste. It is, hands down, one of my five favorite moments in any Phish song… and the band is playing it less and less. I understand why songs like Harpua and Forbin’s are relegated to one-offs for eternity, but to do that to Taste? That’s just cruel.
Army of One – 6/15 Alpharetta – Page has really stepped it up in 3.0. Ask most fans, and he’s probably the MVP of this era of Phish. That said, his songs are getting short shrift. I picked Army of One over Halfway to the Moon simply out of personal preference, and the fact that Beauty of a Broken Heart didn’t come out this summer at all. Seriously, this is how we’re treating the chairman? I always found the Dead’s Jerry/Bobby song rotation kind of trite… but if that’s what it will take to get Page’s songs more exposure, well then so be it.
Drowned – 5/31 Holmdel – This one’s on the list if only because I was completely shocked that it didn’t appear more frequently this summer. For awhile, it seemed like this one was in the heaviest of rotation, popping up four times last summer alone. Meanwhile, a song I associate with Drowned, Rock n’ Roll (Halloween cover/frequent set II opener/room to jam etc.) made four appearances this summer. In a summer that saw nearly half of the shows open the second set with Carini, Down Disease or Birds of a Feather, it blows my mind that Drowned only came out once.
Seven Below – 6/1 Holmdel – A song which seemed destined to become one of the regulars during the 2.0 era has already been demoted, making fewer and fewer appearance since 2009. In this case, I have a theory. I think that Seven Below barely qualifies as a whole song, since it’s essentially one riff and a short lyrics section. Because of this, it works really well when the band is jamming a lot. It can either be a launch pad for exploration, or a bridge between two songs, as it was during its appearance this summer. Unfortunately, in a summer long on song-based energy and short on exploratory jamming Seven Below was left, well, out in the cold.
Undermind – 6/8 Darien Lake – This song is in a similar category for me as Taste and Vultures: a song that should be appearing more frequently instead of less. Two of the first three versions of this tune performed in 3.0, at Hampton and Red Rocks, were standouts. Atlantic City’s version is no slouch either. What I don’t get is how that doesn’t lead to more appearances. Undermind seems to have solidified it’s place in Phish-dom as a standout track from an era most fans would like to forget.
Lizards – 6/4 Cuyahoga Falls – No lie, I could hear this one every show. Seriously. Every. Show. We here at Online Phish Tour go thousands upon thousands of words deep, just to try to explain Phish. Honestly, if you want someone to understand Phish, you’re probably just better off playing this song for them. This solo still stands as one of Trey’s best composed solos, and there are few songs that perfectly encapsulate Phish. This is one of them. I’m not shocked that it’s performed as infrequently as it is, but I don’t think it needs relegated to the same rotation as Forbin’s and Icculus. There are plenty of first set tunes this one could, and should, replace.
Walls of the Cave – 6/19 Portsmouth – Round Room’s centerpiece track has showed up infrequently in 2011. Played in the first set on New Year’s Day and the last set at Portsmouth, Walls disappeared for nearly the entire duration of Phish’s 2011 to date. This song’s intricate parts can make it hard to place, but when the band drops it perfectly like they did at Portsmouth it can make a set.
Walk Away – 5/27 Bethel – This James Gang classic made it’s only appearance on the first night of summer tour. Many fans would consider this one of the breakout tunes of 2010, with the addition of an outro segment that goes seamlessly with the current energy-laden brand of arena rock that Phish is pushing. This is why I find it surprising that this tune made the cut on the first setlist of the tour and then never again. Now, the band did seem to lean heavily on cover songs at key moments during shows this summer, so it could be a conscious decision to go to originals. My only question is: if you’re still going to play covers, why not play one you absolutely slay?
I too can’t understand why Scents and Subtle sounds as well as most Round room songs get no play. I think it just reminds them of a troubled time.
Agree, more Taste!
I’m consistently shocked by the disappearance of Scents and Subtle Sounds. And of course, any consideration of that song has to question why on earth they cut off the intro. For that matter, I wonder why so many of the songs that were really staples of the 2.0 era never showed up again. Sure, those were dark personal times, but that doesn’t mean that Phish didn’t write some great songs. P&M, -7, Walls, Waves, Round Room, Army of One, Access Me all only got 1 or 2 workouts this summer, while great songs like Nothing, Secret Smile, Scents, Discern, and Song I Heard the Ocean Sing haven’t seen the light of day in 2011. Is it just that Phish doesn’t want to revisit a time in their history when things were going downhill? Or do they really think those songs deserve to be played fewer/never. Here are my thoughts on Scents and Subtle Sounds: http://bit.ly/mGC5R5
However, I will be perfectly happy if Phish never plays Friday, Anything But Me, Two Versions of Me, or Crowd Control again. Those songs are like the “Day Job” of Phish tunes.
agree
Totally with you on Taste. When all is said and done, probably my favorite song. Glad to have been at Riverbend primarily for that reason.
Taste at Blossom 2000 is ones of the best Phish jams ever!
I, too, tend to think of “Drowned” and “Rock & Roll” as brothers. I think the awesome, seamless segue from the former to the latter at PNC 2000 cemented that notion. Thankfully, I caught the Drowned at PNC this year. I’m hoping it returns at SBIX but not banking on it. Historically, it hasn’t been a festival song, showing up at only two of the eight.
after it being played so much in 09 and 10, i don’t mind not hearing it for a while
not so much on the subject of one timers, but when are we gonna hear some of the songs off of party time?
i was listening today, and the page song (i think it’s called if i told you) would be AWESOME, they could do some weird electronic jam with it. or liquid time or shrine. the lyrics for shrine are reallllyyy out there. they’re about high school girls i think? i was not listening that intently.
Could not agree more on the Page songs getting more play comment. His first set songs are usually a big highlight for me and I love his rotation of covers. The fact that Broken Heart has not been played since Syracuse is a travesty.
Scents and Subtle Sounds
The fact that they have only played this ONCE since coming back is baffling to me.
they have played. opened 2nd set, 3rd night of MSG fall ’09.
Buffalo Bill – because it’s awesome.
Waves – I like that they started playing this a bit more as of late
Golden Age – should be played as much as Cities/Roses/CE&P
Scents and Subtle Sounds – Never heard it live. Always wanted to
In Broomfield they dropped Halfway to the Moon. I loved that song. I want to hear it at Superball.
thank you, prease.
waves was played twice.
what about Pebbles&Marbles? i was at great woods, it rules. i need more songs from 2.0. ‘A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing’ where are you? i loved the one i caught in Manchvegas. bring it!
P&M DEF needs to come back
I was pretty psyched to hear Albuquerque at MPP. Loved that song ever since the release of Live Phish Vol. 3. It was pretty amazing to hear it come out of the noise after the Rock and Roll jam.
i love the song…it paired perfectly with the end of that r&r jam
You can’t forget No QUARTER!!
it’s not a song that is surprisingly a one-timer
@clay – Tweezer opened the Bethel shows and Tweeprise closed the Bethel shows. Kind of a bookend.
No Quarter can rock
http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=23705&highlight=zeppelin
Good thoughts on the nature of Seven Below. I wouldn’t be surprised if they play a nice, drawn out version during the 2011 holiday/NYE tour that I’m desperately hoping they decide to do! ::crosses fingers::
yea, but i woulda figured they would have by now
access me <3
I really had given this song no attention until they played it at Manchester in October. I really like it! Fun, up-beat first-set song. I can dig Phish-pop every once in a while.
walk wawy- as was first brought to my attention in the bathroom 1-1-11 at MSG, the walk away jam is/ sounds very similar to tweeprise. i think this similarity automatically limits the frequency that this one pops up. also note no tweeprise on 5-27 despite the tweezer opener
But we did get the Tweeprize at the end of the Bethel weekend. Loving Cup > Tweeprize. I actually predicted the Bethel run to end with “Fire > Tweeprize”, so I guess I wasn’t that far off!
the new walk away jam that sounds like tweeprize was started, i think, at hartford last year
curtain with? 3rd snub. do i write for this site?
Haha! Good call.
That “with” from this June was unbelievable. Thank the Phish Gods for HD vimeo shots!
You do write for this site! I don’t think that the Curtain With only making one appearance is really “newsworthy”. To me, that song (along with the Harpua/Forbins/Icculus’s of the world) is always going to be a rarity.
yea, agree–Aaron is simply commenting on one-timers that are not expected to be one-timers
What about No Quarter
Honestly, I left it off the list because I didn’t think it was as notable as these. Essentially, just being a one-off cover doesn’t do it for me. Not without the added weight that Thunder Road has.
I also may anger some phans with this one: wouldn’t it be better to see a Zeppelin cover that, you know, rocks? Give me Black Dog or Misty Mountain Hop over No Quarter any day.
Though this has nothing to do with the article, seeing the Zeppelin and Hendrix covers dot the setlists, I keep praying for the long overdue return of “Izabella.” Talk about a rocker! And it has that intro that you can really drop into from a jam or space segment. Though I refuse to carry around a sign at shows, I considered trying to bribe someone to make one for this song towards the end of the tour. Whadaya say? Anyone with me?
izabella and johnny b. goode plz
What about Possum, they just played that once right?
Only once worth listening too.
Ooooh! Burn! Take that Trey!