Mike Gordon from Phish
Review by Bill Whiting
Photos by Scott Preston
Phish’s return appearance at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center on June 22 included many stops and starts, surprises, and power driven rock that would fit in nicely on a Mayhem Festival stage. Burlington, Vermont’s favorite sons got the party started with a loose and rollicking spin on “Wolfman’s Brother” from 1994′s stellar album, Hoist. Then, in a surprising change of pace, the group ignited a flurry of dancing in the aisles, and on the synthetic lawn with a jazz raving cover of the Frank Zappa instrumental gem, “Peaches en Regalia.” It set the mood for the entire performance, and the bulging phlock of Phish heads that travel around country with the improvisational troupe seemed at peace with the area’s Coney Island amusement park atmosphere. A pair of dog influenced tunes followed, as lead singer and guitarist Trey Anastasio led the ensemble through the bouncing, linear grooves of “Shaggy Dog,” and the bustling drive of “Runaway Jim.” Drummer Jon Fishman’s anchor of rhythm based percussion flavored a rich take on Traffic’s “Light Up or Leave Me Alone.” Read more
