Fresh off their ascension to new peaks in the land of “Rocky Top,” the band and their pillaging H.O.R.D.E. of wooks, rail-riders, and spunions made the “555” mile trip northwest to lay siege to the turreted castle walls of Kansas City’s Starlight Theatre for a second time. Whereas the initial Phish foray (8/22/12) into this historic artisan’s citadel may only be noteworthy for an average great show replete with solid but otherwise unremarkable takes on a number of repertoire favorites, the most recent performance of “Skin It Back,” some Todd Akin mockery and a “Stairway to Heaven” tease in “Suzy Greenberg,” last night’s show in contrast was a monumentally stellar experience which continued the upward trend that has largely defined the summer 2015 campaign.

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish From the Road

At least that’s what I wanted to be able to say this morning. But you know, sometimes reality bites and the endeavor takes a few steps back. Don’t get me wrong, this was as always, a Phish show, which is pretty damn awesome all things reconsidered… even if the song selection may be a little repetitive at this stage of the tour and a few of the numbers fell flat. Thankfully there were still a few flashes of brilliance on which I would be happy to ejaculate, so let’s get down (with disease) and wallow in the mire.

Following a THEY ATTACK! quote of “The Birds,” the first set gets underway with a well-spiced serving of “Gumbo” that Page kept bubbling and Trey gave a good stir with his thick wooden spoon. During the tasty but far too brief clavinet outro, Fishman starts playing around with a “Dogs Stole Things” (no wait “Mound”) backbeat but that idea unfortunately drops into a future stream of consciousness and cascades over the ledge into “Kill Devil Falls.” After that Hotlanta monster, there is nothing much to say about this third version of the tour other than it had high energy and a strong groovy beat that one could dance to. “Back on the Train” gave us the second repeat from the first night of Lakewood in as many songs. Like its predecessor it was a typical lively first set rendition travelling through some pleasant but generally familiar scenery. As the train nears the station some of the second set begins to bleed back through the wormhole but it quickly slams shut, leaving us “Bouncing Around the Room.” Just once… I wish the boys would smash this one open and inspect the gooey entrails that lie within… don’t you?

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish From the Road

As our star’s light faded from the heavens above the Starlight, it was time to admire our “Divided Sky” in all it’s gloriously peaceful serenity. You know how there are those moments when you gaze upwards and your breath is taken away by what you see? This wasn’t one of those majestic cerulean visions by any means… but it wasn’t hail and brimstone either. That came next. Though certainly interesting and new as far as the music goes, the Phish debut of Mike Gordon’s “The Last Step” suffers the same vocal agony as “Snow” did on 10/31/13. Here again I think the notes being played are pretty outstanding. This would be a great instrumental. Mike’s pipes just don’t do his words justice. The fifth “Blaze On” of summer 2015 follows allowing it to ease in front of “No Men in No Man’s Land” in the race for most played new song. I love both of these songs of course… but what the hell happened to “Mercury” and when will it leave the retrograde phase?

The answer to that question comes immediately and it seems I will be “Waiting All Night” for the winged messenger to return. We will also continue to wait for something ear-popping to happen with this frequently played Fuego track. I really believe it has a lot of potential to go off the deep end into some thickly textured soaring ambience, but has yet to do such a thing. Please take it for a ride some day, guys. The set closes with a short but muscular “46 Days” and thereby seals this one’s fate as nothing special as far as summer 2015 opening frames go. The problem with raising the bar is that sometimes you smash your junk on it the next time you try to jump over.

Photo © @tweeprise

“Gotta Jibboo” trots out for the second half and shanks a short pooch kick to the up-back on the hands team. No return to be had on this one. The same must be said for the far too concise “Twist” that followed, unfortunately. This version gets dark and sinister for a few minutes, shows flashes of the brilliance it has displayed earlier in the tour (see Shoreline), but then gets ripped from our greedy clutches far too soon. So far this second set is feeling like a second first set. I guess it is all about mass balance. When some shows are so jam heavy, others have to be jam light to keep the galaxy’s spiral arms in place. “The Wedge” follows in the mid-second set slot it occupied most recently during the first night at the Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend. In keeping with this similar setlist placement, it contains a synonymous “Stash” tease and does little in the way of architectural achievement as far as the show structure is concerned. I’m sure the dude that was throwing down in front of me in Bend was loving it as always!

Starlight’s star blight to the rescue! A blight, you see, is a plant disease, one that is typically caused by fungi such as mildews, rusts, and smuts. This show had ample infestations of rust, mildew, and smut before we came “Down with Disease” if you know what I’m saying. The latest offering in the 20+ minute jams of summer 2015 is another winner. The jam engages as a lush cerebral groove that veers towards “What’s the Use?” space via “Wingsuit” briefly revisits “Piper” asks “How Many People Are You?” then builds patiently toward a steep yet truncated peak that pierces the bulk and allows a glimpse into the infinite quietude of deep space before the drop into “Sand.” Slinky groove, dimensional flanging, gravitational fuzz rock firestorm, give me this sound all day… or at least more than eight minutes… seriously more of that!

Photo © @tweeprise

You know, if you want me to be happy and full of “Joy” that is. Speaking of, this tune actually is starting to have something for everybody. I noticed during the Shoreline performance that it covers every angle of the Phish experience and often builds to a face melting peak these days. It is my song too… if only for a few seconds. “You Enjoy Myself” brings the set to a close with some time-bending crunchiness a “Groove is in the Heart” dalliance and a largely plaintive vocal jam that is representative of the overall average-great vibe of the show.

I love “Bug” and think it is a great encore. The lyrics are deep if you let them take you there. It pays musical homage to The Velvet Underground and The Marshall Tucker Band simultaneously. It places value on experiences rather than material possessions. It reminds us each and every time it is played that the opinions we have as individuals especially when striving to give a critical assessment of the band’s performance on a given night is just one opinion… and whether we overrate or underrate the music… it just doesn’t matter. What would you rather be doing??? You’re next, Blossom… go get high in the middle and round on both ends!

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish From the Road

Phish Summer 2015 – Setlists & Recaps
07/21/15 Setlist – Recap – Bend 1
07/22/15 Setlist – Recap – Bend 2
07/24/15 Setlist – Recap, Recap2 – Shoreline
07/25/15 Setlist – Recap – LA Forum
07/28/15 Setlist – Recap – Austin
07/29/15 Setlist – Recap – Grand Prarie
07/31/15 Setlist – Recap – Atlanta 1
08/01/15 Setlist – Recap – Atlanta 2
08/02/15 Setlist – Recap – Tuscaloosa
08/04/15 Setlist – Recap – Nashville
08/05/15 Setlist – Recap – Kansas City
08/07/15 Setlist – Recap – Blossom
08/08/15 Setlist – Recap – Alpine 1
08/09/15 Setlist – Recap – Apline 2
08/11/15 Setlist – Recap – Mann 1
08/12/15 Setlist – Recap – Mann 2
08/14/15 Setlist – Recap – Raleigh
08/15/15 Setlist – Recap – Merriweather 1
08/16/15 Setlist – Recap – Merriweather 2
08/21/15 Setlist – Recap – Magnaball 1
08/22/15 Setlist – Recap – Magnaball 2
08/23/15 Setlist – Recap – Magnaball 3
09/04/15 Setlist – Recap – Dick's 1
09/05/15 Setlist – Recap – Dick's 2
09/06/15 Setlist – Recap – Dick's 3

Kansas City LE poster by @GREGMIKE. Edition of 675.

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