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"Waful House"
Not a Glowing ReviewBy Jeff Waful
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I miss Harry Hood. Experiencing it live or even just listening to it in the car used to routinely bring me to tears. I once told my dad that the song reminded me of what heaven must sound like. It used to take me on metaphysical journeys through the inner depths of my consciousness. I’m not a particularly religious person, but Hood used to bring out the spirituality in me. The song taught me how to be in touch with my spirituality. In the last year or so however, the experience has changed. Ironically, the decline of the song was spawned from some of the most amazing versions. 8-2-97 The Gorge: in appreciation of the starry skies and beautiful surroundings, Trey asks Chris (Kuroda, lighting director), to turn the stage lights off so everyone can "get the outdoor vibe going"; a stellar version. 8-17-97 The Great Went: just after Trey gives his lengthy speech about how the band and audience create art together and feed off each other’s energy, the band plays Harry Hood. Again, Trey asks Chris to kill the lights so the band can jam under the moon and stars. Spontaneously, fans by the stage start tossing glow sticks into the air. (I’m getting the chills while I write this, just from my memory of the night). It was truly a highlight in the history of Phish shows, and for that matter, concerts in general. Hundreds, if not thousands of Glow sticks filled the air as a symbiosis occurred between the band and its fans. It felt like a dream. I still feel extremely lucky to have been there. The band seemed to love it. After the song, Trey thanked the crowd and told us to "go get more of those things, they look amazing." He was clearly choked up by the moment. A few months later, the Phish organization even used a time-lapse picture of the spectacle on their holiday cards.In the past year, fans have been trying to re-create the magic of the ‘Went by bringing an over-abundance of glow sticks to shows. This summer, I even saw people selling them in the lots. Fans are convinced that this has become a part of the song. Half the time, people can’t even wait for Hood. They just start hurling these pieces of plastic around anytime they can distract enough other fans to join them. I have a big problem with this. When Trey used to start his beautiful love-making with his guitar at the beginning of the ‘Hood jam, all that mattered in the world was the sweet sounds of Phish. I would shut my eyes and drift into never-never land. Every note spoke volumes to me. My whole existence hung on every measure. Remember those days? Now, when I try to concentrate on the music, I get smacked in the back of the head with a glow stick. Even worse, people are hucking these evil things at the band! If the band can’t concentrate on the music, we’re all screwed. It is impossible to get into that special zone when you are constantly shielding yourself from these distracting flying vials of "Trey Kryptonite". <
As I have already stated, I thought the first few glow stick episodes were truly special, but that was 1997. Every year, Phish’s sound evolves. When it comes to Harry Hood however, we are hindering their growth. I ask you, have you ever known Phish to jam a song the same way twice? Isn’t the band’s whole mantra to always do things differently? Hasn’t Trey said that if there ever came a time when the music wasn’t fresh and spontaneous anymore he would just walk away? Basically, by throwing these annoying little beams of light around, the crowd has taken Hood away from the band. We’re forcing them to follow our lead. It’s no longer 50-50. Every time they get to the jam section, the lights predictably go out as Chris is forced to "surrender to the throw". Keep in mind, Chris Kuroda is the best lighting director in the business. Anyone remember the beautiful lighting design he used to pull out after the line "thank you Mr. Hoooooo…….ood". You remember, the one with the flood of violet and warm blue tones complimented by the yellow and white highlights? It reminded you that there was nowhere else in the universe that you’d rather be at that moment. I recently popped in my dusty old copy of, A Live One, and instinctively skipped ahead to track four of disc two. Go back and listen to this "pre-glow stick" version. The audience is actually quiet and focused on the music! You can actually hear Trey’s fingers caressing the strings. His guitar sounds like it’s whispering to you. Mike’s bass line is joyously skipping along like a school child on a sunny day. Fishman’s drum kit sounds like it’s breathing. Good ol’ Page is subtly grooving away and re-harmonizing the simple 3-chord progression. The jam has a life all its own. It has peaks and valleys. It conjures up images of running through an open field as the sun breaks through the clouds. It is the epitome of Phish. Man, I miss those days.
Hoods are different now. Punks are gunning glow sticks at people. Fans are getting hit in the face. At the Lemonwheel, Trey caught a flying death wand and graciously threw it back to the crowd. Of course, this prompted several other idiots to immediately start tossing ‘sticks directly at him. "No more, please", Trey responded in one of the rare instances where he’s actually said something even remotely negative to an audience. Later in the set, when Fishman stepped out front for "Sexual Healing", he quipped, "Please don’t huck things at me while I sing". When fans started throwing the dreaded batons during "Slave", instead of turning out the lights, Kuroda responded by aiming very bright yellow lights directly at the audience. It was as if he was saying, "you’re not gonna ruin this song too". The band’s view on the glow sticks has obviously changed.
It’s getting old my friends. We’re all hypocrites if we idolize a band whose very existence is based on spontaneity, while we force them to adhere to our stupid predictability. How can we expect them to improvise, when we are distracting them with the same old shenanigans? The clapping in Stash is great. So is the "Hood!" or more recently, "Balls!" response in Harry. Crowd participation is a good thing in small doses, but we’ve gotten carried away. I know many of you agree with my sentiments. Let’s set an example for those who don’t. It’s time to end the reign of the glow stick so we can once again feel good about Hood.
I'd love to read any of your comments. jwaful@smash.com
Jeff Waful graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a degree in broadcast journalism. While at Emerson, he hosted a improvisational radio show called "Space Jam" on WERS FM. He is currently working in television and managing a band called Uncle Sammy.
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