So I missed getting this post up yesterday because I was staying in a hotel with suck wifi. If anyone is heading to the Bend shows next month, and you’re staying at the Shilo Inn, make sure you get your important computing done first. I tried and tried to figure out a way but no dice. As such, I’m a day behind, but what’s new? Also swung by Les Schwab Amphitheater. FYI, I didn’t see any of the rail riders in line yet, but I guess it’s little early. You never know though.
Anyway, after a solid show the night before to open the tour, we were treated to another Tokyo show. After the length of time it took to get to Japan in the first place, it was nice to stay put for a while. We sat in the hotel the night after the first show and played the Tweezer and Japanese Meatstick over and over. Zepp was located in a giant entertainment complex called Pallet Town located near the harbor in Tokyo. Pretty far removed from anything. Besides the venue, there was a giant mall, a huge ferris wheel with small amusement park and a killer arcade. Before the show, we were all goofing around in the arcade. Dance Dance Revolution was a huge thing in Japan at this time and the locals were killing it. We tried it and it was laughable. They also had an arcade version of Guitar Hero and who steps up to play but our own guitar hero, Big Red. We all got a big laugh when the rating at the end of his turn was the Japanese version of “novice.” If we thought for one second that poor performance would translate to the actual show, Trey showed that game who was boss when it came to show time. As for the venue, it was bigger than the previous night, with a huge wrap-around balcony. If I was to compare it to anything, I would say it’s almost a dead ringer for Irving Plaza. The venue photo above is not from the actual Phish show, but it gives you an idea of the space. The show itself is a banger:
Set 1: Down with Disease, Sample in a Jar, Piper, Lawn Boy[1], Guyute
Set 2: Heavy Things, Sand, Sparkle > My Soul, Bathtub Gin > Twist, Albuquerque, Wading in the Velvet Sea > Loving Cup
Encore: The Inlaw Josie Wales, Limb By Limb
The show started out with a huge Disease opener that is a tour highlight for sure. Along with a 24 minute Piper that in itself is worth the admission price, the first set had people picking their jaws up off the floor. Both the Disease and the Piper ensured I would continue to wear the same socks, again, through the next show. The second set was equally solid with standout versions of Sand, Bathtub Gin and Twist. As mentioned in my previous post though, it was never more apparent than during this tour that it just didn’t matter what they played. It all sounded good and the band was clearly inspired by being in Japan. The whole show is worth checking out, but here are a couple of must-hears:
The show opening Down with Disease is a great way to spend 25 minutes:
The Fukuoka Twist gets all the love, but the Tokyo Twist is certainly no slouch:
After the show, we all went next door to the amusement park to ride the roller coaster. The theme of the roller coaster was New York Jail, complete with booking, finger printing and cell time. Basically, instead of waiting in line, they had all these fake cops pushing you around and taking your mug shot. Believe me, when you are in the head space we were coming out of the show, this was the wrong choice of post show activity. The roller coaster was actually pretty fun, but I was bugging out during the “booking process” lol. Japan is so weird. The show the next day was a daytime show, so we all started the 45 minute journey back to central Tokyo, glad we weren’t actually in a weird New York/Tokyo jail.
backinmydaydotnet 