favorite favorite favorite

Alright, back in LA proper... or Dre's neighborhood, Inglewood. Ex-home of the Lakers and Kings and locale of the first Phish show West of the Mississippi after their first hiatus.1st Set: "Stranger" bounces along pleasantly...the music isn't forceful but it's perkier than the previous two shows. Bobby's a little overactive on the outro jam while Jerry builds to a decent crescendo. "Franklin's" carries some decent buoyancy.the music isn't all that dynamic, but at least Jerry can forcefully declare ' you better roll away' Scowlers delight on the sexy "Walkin." "TLMD" is genuinely conveyed but the music never lifted me...kinda was bored. "Masterpiece" is a comfortable stroll but Bobby's guitar clangs a little too much. "FOTD" is a tad pokey but stirs during its mid-section. Time to corral the horses (intro riff sounds like to me) and "Let it Grow." It's an attractively mounted version with each musician attacking the structure with a renewed vigor not seen since the first show of the year. Imagine six different hands acting off their muse on the same canvas...but they're taking everyone else's contributuions in hand as they paint.2nd Set: 157 seconds of tuning, and then the second performance of "Just a Little Light." Only Phil appears to understand how to approach the song, which may be why he continues to play it to this day. The ramifications behind the music are dead-serious. After more tuning, they kick into a groovin, well-paced but mildly pronounced "Truckin." "Crazy" also suffers from slight meekness, but the effect 6:20 on is standing outside during a drizzly storm holding -hugging your paramour round and round making aplitter-splat indentations on the developing puddles. The last few chords signal we're in for some "Playin." At first, Phil's anchoring this boat. By the mid 6's Jerry has commenced his mad-cap 'Tom and Jerry' chase which eventually completely deliciously deconstructs. I'm thrilled that men have finally decided to go back to jamming these open-ended tunes. 'Playin' clocks in at almost fifteen before we segue to "Drums." Strange bedfellows occur behind partially hidden corners. Something rather devient is occuring. Perhaps an unblemished soul is being drained of purity and will morph into an ordinary clog of society. The melo-dramatic possibilities seem endless but the tones eventually soften to make way for "The Wheel." Tis its standard pretty ever-floating type. Phil's vocals sound rock-stronger than usual on a solid "Gimme." Start the finger-pointing or head-banging because "Wharf" is excellent. Jerry's voice is a short on dramatics, but the musicians are all feeling one another. A well-earned bouncy "Sugar" closes the set.A hushed, slightly eerie "Baby Blue" closes the show.3 1/3 stars