Last night's show in Grand Prairie, Texas came on the heels of what some were calling a lackluster show in Austin the night before. A return to Trey's birthplace yielded a very connected show between the phans and the band while bringing me an unusually clear picture for what life is all about. "They attack"shirts were answered with a BOAF. The Connection sign was answered with a bust out that most would have never predicted. Mike and Trey's bromance continued with lots of synchronized dancing and stage antics. Fish dusted off the vacuum and the entire night the audience fed the band energy and adulation. There was no filler tonight and the high energy inside this tiny modern theater seemed endless. For the second night in a row, more than half of the set list was filled with tour debuts, but the result was all together as different as the stages' temperatures at show time.
I had traveled with my wife from Oregon and had met one of my best friends for these two shows. After a fun night in Austin, my wife wasn't feeling good and decided to stay back at the hotel. This meant I went to the show with an extra pit ticket. When we got into line, there was a young couple in front of us attending their first shows. Another phan came through the line wanting to know if anyone wanted a separate pit ticket and I hatched a plan to get these new phans onto the floor. He wanted $ for his extra, but when I offered mine to the couple for free, he changed his mind. I then took the couple's upper level tickets and miracled two people in the parking lot. The couple stood right behind us on the rail and were our enthusiastic partners the rest of the night. Now on to the music.
The amazing first set was one of the first since Atlantic City to not contain a song from Fuego. Each selection was met with a loud YES! from our section of the floor and a wide range of styles and emotions were on full display. Tube brought a quick funk warm up and Guelah, some welcome playfulness. PYITE was super tight and uptempo while a rare first set Steam brought a slow simmer with a massive peak. We thought sparkle would be the boot stomping antithesis of the last song, but Fish slammed into Poor Heart instead. The remaining songs, each more different than the last, peaked with a very emotional Divided Sky. This inspired performance reminded me of my fallen best friend Tom and the new friends standing all around me. Page's beautiful solo in Coil brought the set to a close.
Set break was also very meaningful at the phellowship table. A large meeting brought many phans who were overjoyed to be seeing the band sober with others who were struggling to find a new way to live and enjoy life on its own terms. Both sides needed the other and many brave people didn't let their vulnerability get in the way of their path ahead. Joy and community were on full display, much like the second set that followed.
The second set opening Chalk Dust was the night's lone type II excursion and continued the journey began at Shoreline the weekend before. The amoeba playing continues and I'm so excited to hear where the rest of tour will produce. The return of Simple was short but oh so sweet as Trey made a fantastic segue into Silent. Even the jaded vet next to me threw his approval on the move. The rest of the set leading up to Hood's sustain and huge peak showed that it doesn't matter what songs Phish selects on a night like this. The band and audience are in such a positive place right now and it is such a joy to be a part of our scene. Gratitude and a common send for purpose permeated last night's show. Seeing the Connection crew take a photo together afterwards will always be my lasting memory of my air conditioned evening in the heart of Texas. What wonderful moments await us down the road? Hop on tour and find out!