Phish at The Gorge: August 2 & 3, 1997
by Brad Gregory Serling
photos by Jon Michael Richter ©1997

And it was good.

Imagine a Phish concert, or any concert for that matter, at the edge of the Grand Canyon. Imagine that there's on-site camping at this concert. The picture you've probably got in your head is not too far off from what went down at The Gorge this past weekend.

Just another Saturday at The Gorge

On the outskirts of George, Washington (what an address!) in the middle of the state, the Columbia River rips through the desert plains to create the ideal spot for a weekend hang-concert or no concert. We're talking better than Red Rocks. Well, at least on par. The Gorge Amphitheater is relatively new, and August 2 and 3 were the first dates Phish has ever played there.

It did not matter what the band played that weekend. With clear blue skies both days, the sun setting behind the band each night, and a gabillion stars splattered across the sky, the music was just icing on the cake. But man did they lay it on thick!

A juicy "Theme from the Bottom" opened up the weekend, followed by a bouncy "Ginseng Sullivan." Then onto some of the new songs, which Phish had been parading around Europe earlier this summer. Warning: Funk On Board! "Ghost" is an electro-funk fantasia, and we got the 12 inch dance mix on Saturday. Groovy, to say the least. "Dog Stole Things" is very cool as well, although "Ghost" wins hands-down over all the new ones I've heard. Time to pay homage to our GORGEous surroundings with "Divided Sky." 'Nuf said. The "Wolfman's Brother" was nice, and "Water in the Sky" (another new tune) didn't impress me much. A nice little ditty, but not very interesting. Time to "Split Open and Melt" as the sun disappeared behind the far side of the gorge at the end of the set. A very impressive start to the weekend, indeed!

The jam that ensues at the end of "Down with Disease" never ceases to amaze me, and Page and Trey were funking it up big time to open the second set. A seamless melt into "Tweezer" drove us deeper and deeper into space until Trey brought us back to earth with a rockin' "Johnny B. Goode" (my, how that little Jersey boy can play!). "Sparkle" is always pretty lackluster for me, although it's fun to dance to. "Waiting in the Velvet Sea" wins the Velveta award in the new tunes category. "Lovin' Cup" is always A-OK in my book, and this one was no sloucher. Can't get enough of Exile on Main Street, so this "Lovin' Cup" coupled with the Crow's version of "Torn and Frayed" from the Furthur show in Portland the previous Thursday had me grinning from ear to ear. Back into the freezer for the "Tweezer" reprise to close out the set.

Long encore. Long encore. Long encore. Long encore. That's what we were all praying for at this point. Big money! No whammies! HOOD. Ka-ching! When the jam came around in "Harry Hood," Trey asked Chris to turn the lights out so we could all groove with the "outdoor thing." Some serious stars. Coming from Manhattan this was quite spectacular. A wonderful show overall.

By Sunday we were all feeling a bit toasty from the blazing sun the day before and the severe brain cell depletion from…. well, you know…. Let's just say that the scene at The Gorge was a Kind Bud Supermarket. And every aisle was the produce section.

The boys got things going with a little "Bathtub Gin," and then the "Foam" got so thick that I can't even remember what I thought of "Blow by Blow," another new song whose title needs some verification. "Dirt" is mellow, with some weird lyrical twists. "I wanna live beneath the dirt?" I don't get it, Trey. "Vultures" actually reminds of a moe. song. I'm sure it will open up more as the band gets into the groove with it. "My Mind's Got a Mind of It's Own" was a nice treat which I hadn't heard in a while. Now another new song, "Twist Around." This one also did not stick out in my mind. I'll have to hit the tapes. Next Page treated us to "Jesus Just Left Chicago," full of some raging blues and fantastic dynamics. "Limb by Limb," yet another new one, basically consists of the title sung over and over again above a revolving chord progression. Not bad, though. A razor-sharp "Character Zero" closed out the set. I've loved this song since they first played it in Woodstock last year.

The final set of this wonderful weekend opened with a loose "Julius" and was followed by the I've-heard-this-one-too-much-award-winning "Simple." However, "Simple" did evolve into a hyperjam that kept my feet off the ground until I was knocked over by the monster "Fluffhead" that followed. "Lifeboy" allowed us to collect what was left of our sanity off the floor. Of the songs off of Billy Breathes, "Taste" has really opened up doors to some interesting places. This version was particularly open-ended. A goofy "Ragtime Gal" (I just can't take Fishman seriously) got the crowd roaring. The "Frankenstein" that closed the set was just absolutely out of control, with Page standing and twirling around among all of his toys. The funkotron that sits on top of the piano just unzips my DNA each time he plays it.

Encore time and we're "Bouncing Around the Room." I'm thinking we might get a "Rocky Top" to cap it off, but sure enough, out comes the "Slave to the Traffic Light." We didn't leave hungry. The "Slave" was absolutely beautiful, with some silky tickling of the Fender Rhodes by Mr. McConnell.

"Got Mike?" as the t-shirt asks…. No doubt about it. He was all over the place throughout the weekend. Where to begin with Trey, I ask myself. I don't need to comment. Just get the tapes. And Fishman? Well, he shaved his head and ditched the dress.

Here's a peek at the Ventura show...