Monday, December 17, 2012

Best Segues of 2012

So yesterday @KernelForbin tweeted "This segue needs to happen... http://t.co/dpPMmW1p" and it got me thinking about Phish and segues as a whole. First, I gotta say the idea of a Reba->Peaches is priceless, and the thought of Fishman doing the drum fill and exploding into Peaches makes me tingly on the inside.

But it's hard to ignore the fact that 3.0 Phish isn't really about the segue. From 2009-2011, I can't really remember any segue that stands out aside from last year's Chalkdust->Hydrogen on 12/29. When I think of powerful Phish segues, I think of Tweezer->Izabella->Twist from 12.6.97 or the Mike's Groove from the Island Tour. Beautiful transitions that really emphasize the band's cohesiveness. 

Segues came back strong though this year, with a few really shining moments in both Leg 1 and Leg 2. Here are my two favorites from Leg 1 and Leg 2.



Second night of the tour and the band was already in full throttle. Trey was teasing Nellie Kane during the funk and slowly shifted into the Bluegrass. Random and uncomfortable? No fucking way. This was a great segue and kept the grooves alive and well. Fishman just picks up on the beat and the band transitions into Bluegrass. Beautiful stuff here. 



Page is nasty on the organ here as is the band. Trey's solo picks up the pace of this as the band starts moving fast and forward before Fishman oh so quickly changes the beat to Back on the Train. Trey's guitar follows and the band segues right into BOTT. Another awesome segue. 



This transition comes from the ending of a fantastic Light with Page rocking with Mike following right behind. The two pair up together before Fishman comes in with a light drum beat. Mike and Trey work together to build up the momentum before Page kills it with a nice soft funky riff as the band just keeps on building higher and higher together. Ultimately they come together, building and working with one another, before Trey rips this song apart. Trey's fire on the guitar with Fishman rocking the beat. Mike then takes control of the bass as he and Trey grin and decide to play Sally. Just unbelievable. My favorite moment of the year.





Following inspiring guitar play from Trey at the end of an epic Sand jam, the band starts to return to the core of the Sand beat. Slowly the beat changes though as Mike takes the lead. Mike starts playing Ghost while the rest of the band is still playing Sand. The transition is seamless and Fishman keeps the place rocking by transitioning right into Ghost. The band hops on board the funk train and rides it long and hard.





No comments:

Post a Comment