Phish: 06/20/2009 Bathtub Gin [VQ: A, AQ: A]
Reviews: Phish @ Alpine Valley [Crawdaddy!]
Soon enough, the nostalgia faded and the music stood on its own. The band is sober, tight, and each one’s virtuosic skills on their instruments, as well as amazing improvisation skills that have enabled them to play different takes of the same songs for over 20 years, served to remind me that Phish delivers on a wide range of sound—be it piano-driven ballads, bass-y funk tunes, meandering guitar jams, experimental opuses (and they can literally cover just about anything). They aren’t just a jam band—they’re way too skilled as musicians for such a generalization, especially now as they are regaining their show legs.
Reviews: Phish Busts Out Rarities @ Alpine [Rolling Stone]
In a fitting Father’s Day tribute that borrowed a joke from a 1992 version where family, friends, and crew members jumped around in a giant bathtub during the performance, the Vermont foursome’s children sat center-stage in a miniature tub for the song’s nonsensical lyric chant, “Somebody’s jumping in the tub with your brother!”
Reviews: Phish Brings Phrenzied Energy to Alpine [Huffington Post]
But what Phish does better than many bands out there is form a cohesive unit, almost becoming one, playing some of the tightest, hottest music on the touring circuit. Now that they have exorcised whatever demons they had either together or individually that led to their dissolution a few years ago, they truly seem focused on putting out some of the best music they can.
Reviews: Phish Energizes Alpine Crowd [JSOnline]
“You Enjoy Myself,” a Phish show staple, was one of the high points of the set. A jazz-rock instrumental jam clocking in at more than 10 minutes, it afforded each musician a moment in the spotlight. Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell tinkered with the cadence, raising the tempo to a rapid-pace peak only to drop it down moments later while Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon proved again that they haven’t lost their knack for playing their instruments while bouncing, synchronized, on trampolines.