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Waful House - Dangling My Stash
by Jeff Waful
waful@unclesammy.comOne of my favorite things about seeing Phish is the fact that everyone perceives their music differently. After catching the Nassau and Albany shows this past weekend, it became even more apparent that one's enjoyment of a live concert is really determined by a number of factors. For example, I thought that the "Stash" from 10/10 was the highlight of the four-night NY run. A lot of people I spoke to hated it. People ranted about how Trey playing was sloppy and how he just walked off stage at the end of the song, while I raved about how well the band listened to each other during the jam. I was blown away when the deep, dark diminished jam segued into a melodic major jam, (reminiscent of jam in "Simple"). I have never heard Phish do that in "Stash" before. After a couple of passing tones played by Mike, Trey followed him seamlessly back into the depths of the diminished jam as if it was scipted. It was absolutely perfect. Yet again, others hated it. The fact that I loved that "Stash" was primarily for musical reasons. It also was due to the fact that I had decent seats, the mix was good and the people around me were respectful. I was fully locked in to the music. If I had been in the upper deck, with a bunch of people talking and a cloud of cigarette smoke in my face, I might not have enjoyed "Stash" so much. Of course, listening to it on tape is all whole different ball game.
I must confess that "Stash" is one of my all time favorite songs. The progression of the jam section is just so damn contagious. The tension the band creates is so intense that the release is often climactic. It epitomizes Phish for me. I was at the Great Woods show on 7/8/94 and was floored by the truly orgasmic "Stash" that was later featured on "A Live One." Phish spontaneously composed a masterpiece that night in Mansfield. When "ALO" was released, I must have listened to that "Stash" hundreds of time. It was too much. My brain became used to that stellar version. So much so, that when the band played it on New Year's Eve 1996, I was disappointed. I was waiting for the high-energy dissonance and the huge climax at the end. It never came. I was also extremely tired and my legs were killing me. Some drunk next to me wouldn't shut up and I missed the subtleties of the improvisation. While friends of mine loved it, It was a mediocre "Stash" in my book. However, two months later, I couldn't get enough of the song, listening to it on tape in the car. We were driving to Burlington, VT on a very dark winter's night and the fog on the road was so thick that we couldn't see ten feet in front of us. The thought of a moose or a deer standing in the road kept crossing our minds. Because of the thick fog and the lack of visibility, it felt like an eerie dream. It was like being on an airplane. You're probably saying, "why didn't you just pull over?" That did occur to us, but the highway has guardrails on both sides and there was no where to stop. We had no choice but to cautiously continue the trek, praying that nothing was in our path. Right while we were in the thick of the fog, the "Stash" from 12/31/96 was playing. While the 7/8/94 "Stash" is the musical equivalent of really good sex, the FleetCenter version is the absolute perfect soundtrack for the predicament we were in. The jam is dark and eerie. Our driver Max, actually requested that we turn the music off because it was freaking him out. Ever since then, that "Stash" has been one of my favorites.
There are many factors that go into one's enjoyment of a live concert. The most important thing for me is not having expectations. This used to kill me every time. Remember when Phish shows were "the best show ever" every night? Up until 1996, I used to walk out of every show absolutely floored. It's different now. Because the band's writing style has changed over the years, some of the song-selection doesn't lend itself to climactic jams every night. There's nothing wrong with that, unless like me, you fell in love with Phish because of their tension and release improvisation and not their ballads. In the last few years, I've learned to not have any expectations for Phish shows. On October 10 at Pepsi Arena, Phish played "Stash" in such a way that really moved me again. It really caught me off guard. The band listened to each other so closely that it seemed hard to believe that they were improvising. Trey and Mike's wandering melodies were dancing with each other like long-loss lovers. Chris Kuroda, whose light show is constanly improving, was complimenting the music perfectly with beams of shimmering light rising slowly, methodically off the stage. It's one of the effects that Kuroda has really mastered lately. He pre-programs these very slow-moving sequences that move at about a quarter of the tempo of the music. It's the same rate at which Trey bobs his head sometimes. It's very haunting.
I suppose that many of you don't care for "Stash." Some may like "Stash," but think that the version from 10/10/99 was sloppy or uninspired. I think that's great. That's what keeps this scene thriving. Can you imagine how boring following Phish would be if we all agreed on everything? It's the same as Trey and Mike having fundamental differences in their artistic approach (Trey is always looking for something new, while Mike is more for the ritualistic Zen qualities of music). Everyone's got a unique opinion. That's what is so special about this entire jam band community.
Jeff Waful is a Jambands.com columnist and manages Uncle Sammy.
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