Phish: Groovy

Phish

Greek Theater

Berkeley, CA

August 7, 2010

Phish: Groovy

There’s really no better atmosphere in popular music than in the audience at a Phish concert. There is simply no other place as groovy and jaunty filled with fun-loving, beautiful people. In honor of the show being at the Greek Theater, much of the audience decided to throw a Toga Party. Many fans (or phans) came wrapped in bed sheets wearing a Greek crown of Bay leaves, but you were just as likely to see young phans with painted faces wearing tie-dye and tossing glitter or dancing with an inflatable fish. I also saw a phan in a shark costume. OK, so everyone is white, but you’ll still not find a more accepting, open group anywhere. And when the music started, the entire crowd danced with complete abandon throwing beach balls and balloons. After the sun went down, the audience became even livelier. At times, almost on cue, dozens of handfuls of small six-inch rainbow colored glowsticks were thrown out over the crowd. The vibe is as close as you’ll find to the parking lot of a Grateful Dead show when they were at their peak. Unfortunately, the music is not quite as good.

Trey Anastasio may be one of the most talented guitarists around, but as I complained once before on MV&R, he is not a song-writer and that is painfully obvious at times. Still, with the excellent musicianship and the amazing crowd, it’s impossible not to have fun at a Phish show. Check out some clips here and here (go to 1:15 of this clip to see a glimpse of the glowstick war) and here (for 2001 (Thus Sprach Zarathustra) for the music highlight of the show)