Fun Show
by MDesquire on 8/13/09TOYOTA PARK - BridgeviewGood show, the venue was very cool and not overcrowded, it was easy to stand close to the stage, great view, the two first sets were enjoyable
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Phish in Concert
Probably no other band around today is more about the live experience than Phish. As the undisputed kings of the jam-band movement that began in the '80s and exploded in the '90s with bands like Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler, and The Spin Doctors, they defined a style that was song-based but also about improvisation and the magic of the moment. When they brought their creative collision of rock, jazz, funk, folk, and country influences to a quickly expanding grassroots fan base in the '80s, a movement was born -- one in which the music was constantly developing before the audience's eyes and ears. Trey Anastasio's guitar, Page McConnell's keyboards, Mike Gordon's bass, and Jon Fishman's drums engage in a four-part conversation that's constantly evolving. Whether the band is playing tunes off classic Phish releases like 'Billy Breathes' and 'The Story of the Ghost,' or performing one of their famous Halloween shows where they cover another artist's album in its entirety, like The Who's 'Quadrophenia' or Talking Heads' 'Remain in Light,' Phish is always in flux. While headlining festivals like Bonnaroo, or hosting their own, like The Clifford Ball and Magnaball, or keeping an event all to themselves, the band maintains an unbreakable connection with their huge, hardcore audience of Phish Heads.
Phish Background
Phish got its start at The University of Vermont in 1983, when guitarists Trey Anastasio and Jeff Holdsworth, bass man Mike Gordon, and drummer Jon Fishman started jamming informally. But by the mid '80s, when Holdsworth had departed and keyboardist Page McConnell arrived to solidify the band's lineup, the band was truly beginning to define its sound -- a mix of Grateful Dead-inspired psychedelic jamming, jazzy fluidity, and funk-savvy grooves. Phish released its first, self-titled album in 1986, but like the Dead, they were always more about the live experience than the recording studio. And by the end of the '80s they were hitting the road hard, building up a hefty, dedicated audience and pretty much creating the jam-band circuit in the process. Their songwriting shone on albums like 'A Picture of Nectar,' 'Billy Breathes,' and 'The Story of a Ghost,' while their concerts became a nexus for thousands of hardy Phish Heads. You can't keep Phish out of water for long, and these days they continue to take their idiosyncratic but infectious sound to the people, creating new generations of Phish fans along the way.
Good show, the venue was very cool and not overcrowded, it was easy to stand close to the stage, great view, the two first sets were enjoyable
The show was amazing! There were so many people and the light show was spectacular! Phish sounded great! I haven't seen them in years and was happy to hear Carini and Lovin' Cup!! Venue was cool too! Great to be outside,just took awhile to get there!
Awesome band. Awesome show. Awesome venue. Awesome Period.
This show was extremely awesome! Great venue. Great lot. Great sound! This was so fun. I've been to 5 other shows this tour and this was one of the best.
Saw my first ever show last night and I am still numb. What a great show! Cannot wait to catch these sicko's again! Thanks so much! TA
The Phish concert was so fun. The music was amazing, the crowd was excited and happy and the weather was perfect. All around a great night. Thank you!
Awesome concert ! Phish raged ! Toyota park is a great venue and the weather was perfect !!!!!!
We arrived at Toyota Park around 5PM Indiana time which was 4PM Chicago time. We had some trouble with the construction on 294 getting us turned around, but with the help of some locals we found our way again. The key to navigating Chicago-land is to have a really good map! It was $15 to park. Not horrible. Even at 4PM, the scene that Phish shows are known for was already well under way. A lot of people were tailgating and grilling as other people made their way into the oversized parking lot. I gave away an extra ticket to a kid looking to join his friends and see his first Phish show. After that I bought a crystal for my girlfriend (to capture the energy of the event, naturally), and I bought a T-shirt for myself. The T-shirt was one of the few I saw which was a design new to this tour. Yes, I bought the Loving Cup T-shirt with the purple mountains on the front! I have seen Phish over 70 times, and Toyota Park is one of the cleanest places I have ever seen them. The seats were clean. The bathrooms were clean. The concourses were clean. The parking lot was clean. Also, the staff was very friendly and not overwhelmed by the weird crowd. The weather was perfect. A lot of shows I've attended this summer have been marred by thunderstorms and tornado warnings. Not so here. The day hit a high of 94, but quickly cooled off into the 70's with a nice breeze coming out of the west. Not a cloud overhead. The prices at Toyota Park may be a bit higher than some venues. Luckily, I budgeted for $8 beers so $10 beers weren't too far out of my price range. As you might expect from a venue which hosts soccer, they had a great beer selection. Blue Moon, India Pale Ale and so forth. Some people in the crowd quickly learned the difference between General Admission and Reserved Seating. People, don't jump the gate. It creates hassle for everyone there and if you get caught you will get ejected from the show. I know your friends got GA tickets, but make new friends in the stands! The sound was CLEAR and LOUD and GOOD. Phish played a lot of new songs. This may have disappointed some, but they weren't visibly disappointed. I come for the new songs and I was happy to hear that at least three (Ocelot, Time Turns Elastic, and Backwards Down the Number Line) have already blossomed into tasty, tasty jams. The first set actually included a debut, Windy City, which was nothing special. The highlight of the first set was The Curtain With! I know they haven't played that one for a while, and being a much older song it really seems to make the boys play that much younger. The first set ended with Time Turns Elastic. This song is very intricately constructed. It has the potential to become the next YEM or Divided Sky. The set break was Beck's Sea Change over the PA. This was a nice way to mellow out the rowdy crowd. We met a lot of our neighbors in the stands and shared some stories. The second set opened with Backwards Down the Number Line, and the jam out of it gave us one of the best treats of the night ... Carini! That's when I knew the boys were really back and having fun. Carini jammed loud and lovely into Gotta Jibboo. Jibboo is a nice dance tune. This one contained some Simple-like jamming in the middle before becoming Jibboo again. The real meat of this show was the second set. I thought that maybe they were done with long songs after the opening jam, but the first notes of Wilson told me this was not the case. The Wilson chant was loud and proud. They finished off the set with Wilson > 2001 > Chalkdust Torture, Harry Hood and The Squirming Coil. I love the Page piano-solo outro to Coil. That's always a tasty way to cool down after some outrageous music. This one seemed very inspired. And what to play for an encore? "...I'm the man on the mountain ...won't you come on up?!" You know I wanted to hear that one. I bought the shirt after all! Perfect. Just perfect. Tears of joy. We left about an hour for the crowd to clear out before attempting to leave ourselves. Leaving Toyota Park was easier than getting there. On the way home we had a nice, unexpected treat. The Perseid meteor shower was happening in our direction of travel. We got a few shooting stars to cap off a perfect evening with Phish.
the sound was great, the music choice was great.. toyota park was a great venue.... hope to see phish in chicago again soon!
Excellent show. great show, some morons throwing stuff on stage, was not cool. ears still ringing
man what a show! smelled like teen spirit with a twist of bacon.
This was my first Phish show and before I wanted even consider myself a Phish enthusiast, but after the concert I can now see why people are so addicted to Phish and follow them around the country! Amazing amazing amazing show, I can't even begin to tell you how great the concert was, but I can tell you this, being there live is believing. Go see them!
SO good to see them again! The atmosphere...the energy, and yes, the music is just as great as it always was. There's no better experience to be found on ticketmaster :)
Phish has been playing amazing, sort of like they did in the 80s and 90s, since returning to tour this summer. Such was the case on 8/11 at Toyota Park. I loved the venue and the band sounded fantastic. I was a little disappointed that I did not recognize a number of their songs; I imagine they were playing songs from their new, soon-to-be released, album - JOY. However, I am not familiar with the album and I wish they would have stuck to more of the oldies but goodies (I am sure they get tired of hearing this - but hey - that's what made them so popular!). I was thrilled, however, when they played WILSON, an all time favorite; and the finale/onchore was perfect. You can't beat a Phish show on a warm August night in an outdoor arena! Mmmmmwa.
The venue is a great place to see a concert. Very good sound. Lots of concessions and bathrooms for easy access. Times turns elastic is not a good song. It needs to be thrown in the garbage. From Wilson on, the show was outstanding. It was like 1997 all over again.
First off, the show was amazing. The guys are really on a roll these days. The strongest in years. Go Phish. Sadly I though Toyota Park sucked it big time. While the building was laid out ok, the traffic was horrendous (nearly 2 hours to get out of the lot), only 2 aisles leading in at out of the field is a terrible idea and I'm sorry to report that I'm left with a horrible impression of the staff there. During the encore a guy was jumping around happy as heck at the back of the field, when he was football tackled, stood up again then body slammed, made to sit cross-legged with his head forced down to his feet. It nearly ruined our night. It was the last song of the show!!!!! So the verdict is Phish = Yes!! Toyota Park = NEVER AGAIn!! Please don't go. This place bites!
Phish came out on fire and they never slowed down! Highlights of the show for me were sample in a jar, WILSON, corini, loving cup, paul and silas...i could go on and on!
There were a few moments of sloppy play, but overall, it was a solid performance. Good setlists, great venue.
Phish is always awesome and they were again last night.
A little disappointed with opening set, but then they made up for it with the 2nd set.