Phish 7.16.14 (Parents Night)
DTE Energy Music Theatre
Clarkston, MI
Words By J. Picard
Photos By Jessica Pace & J. Picard

As the day of preparations wound down, friends began showing up at the farm to hop on the motorhome. With a heap of alcohol and finger foods, we made our way towards the venue down winding roads with Matt at the helm. Around the 5:00 PM hour we pulled onto the venue's tree-bordered lot. We spotted familiar faces immediately as we located the perfect spot next to a tree between VIP and handicap parking. Within' minutes the spread was folded out of the motorhome and friends gathered from several directions. It was great to see so many Michigan friends and meet their fairly open-minded parents, for it's not everyday we do parents night at Phish. Across the lot we found our friend, the Senator, cooking up free vegan tacos for the community. While devouring a taco, Mike Gordan (bass) rode by on a golf kart filming the action on his cell phone. On our walk back to home base, we glanced down to find the ground score of a life time, a wad of cash within' eye shot of shakedown street. That night, our tickets, drinks, food and gas would be paid for.
Shortly before heading into the venue, my father showed up for his first Phish show. We cleaned up our pre-party, made a few introductions and headed in to DTE Music Theatre to find a spot on the lawn. Shortly after locating some space, my brother found us on the hill. It was an amazing feeling to find myself amidst so many people that I knew, in my home state, at a venue that I used to consider home turf. The sun was starting to set as the boys from Vermont hit the stage and began with "Wolfman's Brother." Eight minutes after it began and through some ripping guitar work from Trey, the evening was underway to the delight of the Detroit crowd! The newer "Devotion To A Dream" came next and featured a great mid-section followed by characteristic alternating vocals. Trey hit the intro notes to "Wilson" triggering the crowd to yell the song's title with excitement before the song kicked in and Page McConnell ripped up the keys. A short time later the band transitioned into "Poor Heart," with a near bluegrass bounce that had the crown moving in a fluid motion.
My father turned to me and said "look at the crowd bouncing up and down," as he motioned with his hands. "Poor Heart" transitioned into "The Moma Dance," with Page's clav sounding click meshing with Mike's bass. "The guitarist is really good" my dad stated. "Yes he is," I said with a smile. "Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan" followed with Jon Fishman going full steam on the drums and Trey speaking through his guitar, which at this point has become an extension of his body. The song built and built until the band tore it down and built again. "Lawn Boy" was next up with Page stepping to the front of the stage to handle the vocal responsibilities. "Yarmouth Road" featured Mike's off tune vocals for a short poppy segment that turned into "Rift." Jon's cowbell taps lead to strong harmonies and Trey's eventual take over. "The Line" was vocally driven and fit perfectly into the set as it neared the end.

The second set kicked off with "Mike's Song" and dreadlocked hippies spinning throughout the lawn. The jam dug deep into the Phish vein and flowed like a river of notes heading towards a dam that was sure to break. "Mike's Song" transitioned into a beautiful "Ghost" that spanned nearly twelve minutes and may have been the sonic highlight of the evening. With Trey's tones waxing and waning Phish went into "Prince Caspian." The short song made a turn for "Backwards Down the Number Line," who's jam has become quite extensive as of late, before dropping into "Weekapaug Groove!" It was one of the show highlights and got weird as it rolled into "Cavern," with explosions of glowsticks from throughout the crowd! With a crescendo the band transitioned into "Piper!" The tempo began to increase in speed to a quick pace as Trey shredded. Page took over and they went into "Waiting All Night" to slow it down a touch, only to speed it back up with "Tweezer!" It was enjoyable, though not as over the top as many would have hoped as it turned into the title track off of their new album, "Fuego." Through nine fantastic minutes the band threw down on a song that they have been performing for a mere seven months live. The band took the music as low as it could go before "Tweezer Reprise" went pedal to the metal to close the a second set that up until that point had not stopped!
A short time later the four piece powerhouse returned to the stage to encore with a song they have never before encored with, Deodato's "Also Sprach Zarathustra!" The bell rang out as the groove poured from the stage prior to the initial build up. The band hit huge peaks the resolved to danceable jams before building once again. At the final peak of "2001," the band segued into the final song of the evening, "Possum!" The atmosphere was extremely blissful on the hill and how could it not be? Many were witnessing their favorite band peaking yet again on the road that is their expansive career. Phish finished the show strong ripping through "Possum!" The house lights and music came up as wide-eyed folks scattered about the venue. Our group met at the back of the handicap section and made our way back to the motorhome. With a lot of head scratching at play, we collected our belongings, said our goodbye to our friends and family and made our way back to the farm. The evening began late and ended early with a plethora of nonsense. It felt good to be home...
www.phish.com
Set One: Wolfman's Brother, Devotion To a Dream, Wilson > Poor Heart > The Moma Dance, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Lawn Boy, Yarmouth Road > Rift, The Line, It's Ice > 46 Days
Set Two: Mike's Song > Ghost > Prince Caspian[1] > Backwards Down the Number Line > Weekapaug Groove[1] > Cavern > Piper > Waiting All Night > Tweezer > Fuego > Tweezer Reprise
Encore: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Possum
[1] Unfinished.
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