The State of Washington axed its tourism office this summer, blaming budget cuts. Good riddance: the agency never recognized that the premier event drawing out-of-staters to Washington is not Seafair, nor the Apple Cup, nor a Seahawks game, nor the Dave Matthews Caravan, nor even the Portland Timbers at the Seattle Sounders. The NUMBER ONE out-of-state draw to the State of Washington is the talented Vermont jazz-rock combo Phish and its loyal and kind super-demographic of traveling phans -- filling planes not only to Spokane and Seattle, but to Wenatchee, Yakima and Pasco.
If Colorado's Red Rocks is the grandaddy of premier outdoor venues, The Gorge Amphitheater is its Washington State protege. Both venues are stunning natural amphitheaters and both have done their best to resist complete nauseating corporatization like naming rights, video advertising, or pay parking. At Phish 8/5/11, for example, a $62 week-of-show box seat includes efficient wait-service and a premier parking pass in this empty lot down below the lakewater-lapping stations.
But has Phish avoided corportization? Has the dmb-steeped red-light management of Coran Capshaw dialed the Phish into predictable unpredictability? Is there a 2010's profitable music business model in soft-selling-out the best sheds, squeezing out highly polished versions of every song in the catalog, and dealing them out in a "hood-here/reba-there" geographically-dispersed manner designed to lose fewer listeners after each show than old phish 1.0 or 2.0? In other words, does it matter that Phish doesn't run Phish?
Nope: Phish is just fine with its nerve-center 1000 miles south of Burlington. Friday night Phish's polished perfection sent The Gorge into a higher dimension, dealing-up a monstrous but tight show, even if all four of the members are obvious victims of collective post-hypnotic suggestion.
SET ONE
Kill Devil Falls -- Phish's Cool Jerk.
The Wedge -- Dr. Hampton's Revolutionary Pale Ale gets its shout-out.
Bathtub Gin -- Phish's Rhapsody in Blue, more big than eclectic.
Nellie Kane -- Grant County knows where the whoops go.
My Friend, My Friend -- Rift worked in 1993, but in 2011 MFMF is a demographic dropping for the dark phs.
Cavern -- A reliable Gorge truism and a Nectar's shout out to the original uvt ph's in our group.
Taste -- Makes you wonder how good crappy bands might sound with a million dollars of equipment and perfect sound engineering.
Roggae -- Phish at the Gorge is most certainly a colorful circus.
Walk Away -- Capshaw knows that there are newcomers over 40 at the show needing to hear something recognizable, just like he did in Telluride.
Funky Bitch -- All four members are pounding this out in over-the-top syncopation - even the busy box waitstaff stop to witness in rapt funeral amazement.
Roses Are Free -- Bone shaking dancing from the depths of the soul in every direction to a song about raisins and pumpkins and lasagna.
David Bowie -- You already know this is the closer from the subliminal messages in the ticket artwork.
SET TWO
Backwards Down the Number Line -- Short setbreak, so BDTNL must be statistically shown to make concession workers move faster.
Rock & Roll -- Phish completely owns this Lou Reed cool classic and then spins the end of it out to space tgd style.
Meatstick -- With Japanese lyrics. Capshaw knows that Japan Air Lines has been a major proponent of an international air hub at Moses Lake connected to Sea-Tac by bullet train.
Boogie On Reggae Woman -- Stevie Wonder is a proud father.
Farmhouse -- Our Texas tribeswoman gets her call.
Show Of Life -- "Find yourself right here...." maverick-style.
Julius -- Two generation families were spotted singing along -- did you see any three-generation families?
Character Zero -- This whopping closer might also be better in Japanese.
E: Loving Cup -- Mick Jagger could never fit his catwalk into Grant County, so Phish at The Gorge is as good as it gets!
Thank you phisheads for visiting Washington State. See you Saturday at the Ancient Lakes - and Phish at The Gorge!