Cincinnati Shows

Two shows in Cincinnati this weekend. Many thanks to Sparky for being a fantastic host.

Friday, 11/20/2009 U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, The Moma Dance, The Divided Sky, Alaska, Water in the Sky, Fast Enough for You, Time Turns Elastic, Gotta Jibboo > Fluffhead
Set 2: Punch You In the Eye, Tweezer -> Light -> Back on the Train -> Possum, Slave to the Traffic Light, You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Joy, Golgi Apparatus, Tweezer Reprise

Saturday, 11/21/2009 U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
Set 1: Wilson, NICU, Wolfman's Brother, Ocelot, Torn and Frayed, Strange Design, Ginseng Sullivan, Albuquerque, Split Open and Melt, Dirt, Limb By Limb, Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Rock and Roll, Ghost, If I Could, Backwards Down the Number Line, Prince Caspian, Suzy Greenberg, Also Sprach Zarathustra, The Squirming Coil
Encore: Sleeping Monkey, Axilla
Notes: Albuquerque was played for the first time since 9/14/00 (115 shows).

Nice to be back at US bank for a phish show- it's a well thought out venue. Good lots both nights on the top level of a parking deck.

Friday
Set 1 - opened strong with chalk dust, divided sky was on point. then it kind of went suck. really alaska, fast enough, and tte right next to each other? boring. i don't think i'll ever find tte interesting. picked back up at the end. Fluff sounded much better than it has lately.

Set 2- redemption. Great throughout- maggie was excited to try out aud particiation chants for the first time with pyite. high energy jams for all of the seques. solid encore.

Saturday
Set 1- This is the second time I've seen them open with Wilson at US bank. Is it bad to say I'm kind of tired of it? Nice bust out with Albuquerque. Solid Wolfman's, SOAM jam was a little more laid back than some of the jams as of late. The lights during Antelope were Chirs K's best showing of the weekend.

Set 2- Fantastic Rock and Roll -> Ghost, went dark and angsty at one point. Favorite jam of the tour so far. Great Coil solo from Page as usual. Why oh why must we continue to play f-er pants? Keep Caspain in Narnia, not at the Phish show (thinking of making lot shirts that say this). But in sum, best show of the tour so far.

In all it was a fun weekend. Phish is really returning to form, but I hope they can shake off the setlist formula they're currently using. Working from the more controlled jam structure (a la early 90s) is suiting them well to get comfortable again.

We're spending today in Cincinnati, then driving to Philadelphia by way of Pittsburgh for two more shows on tuesday and wednesday.