Five years ago when Phish returned from calling it quits, fans were just happy to have them back — there was a clear sadness over the loss of the jam. For some reason the plug would be pulled nightly as soon as the music turned hectic and dark, almost as if the band members were not ready for the sorcery again … yet. But all that is a thing of the past, and the musical monster that is Phish 3.0 is fully equipped to go there again, and went there nightly this past tour. Things feel right in the world again.
Of all the songs on the new album, “The Line” feels most profound. “A hero’s what I’m not,” Anastasio sings in a sorrowful voice, yet he immediately contradicts with the most incredibly soaring guitar. Though it references Darius Washington Jr.’s famous free-throw fail, one gets the feeling this is about something much closer to home. I don’t think any of them have ever thought of themselves as a hero, but time has made them all one, and they have handled the pressure and failure that comes along with that with great humility. “The Line” captures the feeling you get the moment before you attempt something big, the pressure on your chest as you try to breathe deeply before you step to the line, before you air off a cliff, before you drop into the pipe at the US Open.
I’ve watched Phish through most of their milestones. I’ve seen them at the height of their career, playing an all-night set in the middle of the Everglades on the Seminole Reservation. What band can play all weekend long, only to end on a final set eight hours long and still have the kiddos frothing until the end? And I’ve seen it all come to the fiery crash that was Coventry. I watched the fans ditch their cars on the most jammed-up highway to then trudge through 20 miles of swamplands to see the band play its final shows, only to have the band fall apart. I was hired by the band to make outdoor sculptures with other artists for both events, experiences I will cherish forever. Scott Lenhardt and I worked at Coventry together for six weeks — it was like art camp for us artists and proof Phish has always gone the extra mile to give their fans the best experience. Though it never seemed possible with all the struggles the band once faced, Phish is rolling as strong as ever again. Their playing has matured in a way that no one could have ever expected. Like it or not, there is no band like Phish. Few American bands have spanned the length of time, the same number of hours on stage together — and there is no band out there that on any given night you have a chance to hear any number of songs from their 800-plus song catalog and then not hear it again for another 10 years. That is astounding when you think about it. Best of all, it is just great to still be able to connect with my bros under those lights.
In a way, it must be strange to be a band so under-appreciated by pop culture and so extremely appreciated by its own culture. But we like it that way and I think Phish does too. We still get to go to shows that aren’t ridiculously over-crowded, and the band still gets to make jokes that everyone still gets. I have my wingsuit on and I’m stepping to the line for another decade, I hope.
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