Phish - July 19th, 2024

Second song of Summer '24, Trey demonstrates his commitment to reimagining older material. Atypical, the take seems born from that sonic batter mixed at the Baker's Dozen, the band, in lieu of a typical set-closing rocker, moving from the song, proper, into quieter, contemplative, "jazzy" musings - a welcome change of pace that, while a just dessert, sets the table for a tour full of surprises.

The jam early on seems to draw from the ambivalence of the final lyrics as the band opens up a respectful space for each other. Fishman's insistent cymbal keeps some sense of direction as the conversation grows more fluid and brightens along Trey's melodic lead and Page's grand piano work. Mike hints at darkness and Trey responds with brief pedal play that quickly returns to cleaner tone and gives way to a tension free return to a thematic finish.

The initial spelunk-funk of "Ghost's" outset jam breaks quickly for contemplative major key exploration, before escalating toward more rock- oriented pastures. The band plants their flag here and digs in when suddenly, a portal rips through space-time, catalyzing a dance with ""4.0's"" famous Dissonant Robots, before concluding with a >""Light"".

> from "Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1". Often imitated, never quite duplicated. "Melt" appeared four times in Summer 2024, with three of those (including this one) being the Set 2 closer. Each followed the same basic principle: utter deconstruction. How fine a line could the band walk while still keeping things slightly together? They did it best with the first try of the summer, mainly due to Fish's determined play that gives a backbone to the deconstruction happening all around him.