Attendance Bias Mini Episode #9: Icculus, 8/14/09, Hartford, CT
I think it’s fair to say that When the band returned in 2009, it was something of a reset for everyone: for Trey, for the band, for the fans, and for the trends we all got used to during 1.0 and 2.0. 3.0 was a fresh start for everyone and everything, including the rhythms of the setlist. One precedent that the Hampton Run set was that the band’s setlist would be much more extensive than it was when they called it quits in 2004. By opening the new era with Fluffhead and then playing shows that lasted for 3 and a half hours each night, the band made a statement that everything was on the table. But as 2009 progressed, it seemed that everything did not include deep cuts with narration from the Gamehendge saga. The summer tour progressed and it seemed that, while rarities that skipped all of 2.0, like the aforementioned “Fluffhead,” or “Esther,” or “If I Could” some notable Phishy songs were nowhere to be found.
I saw 24 shows before Coventry, and some of those shows contained all-time highlights. Outrageous jams, song debuts, one-time covers, guest spots, festivals, like everything you could want out of the phish experience. The only thing missing, and something I desperately craved, was Gamehendge stuff. I think it’s pretty obvious that toward the end of 1.0, and through almost all of 2.0, the band consciously stepped away from the more complex and silly Gamehendge songs. With a few small exceptions, most of their new songs were darker and less buoyant than the old favorites. And their jamming style was more dissonant and based on soundscapes. If it weren’t just a generalization and vague, I might even say it felt druggier. A college senior’s thesis, however progressive and satisfying, was not important to the band from…I would say 2000 through the end. Icculus, Col. Forbin’s Ascent, Tela, McGrupp, Lizards…none of these songs were played more than twice in 2.0, and some weren’t played at all. And It should be noted that, aside from The Sloth, no Gamehendge songs were played at Big Cypress, which could be seen as the culmination of the band’s career up to that point. I guess my point is that if Hampton suggested that songs from the band’s entire career were liable to be played, it was worth asking: Where was the narration? Where were the songs that showcased the band’s storytelling ability? It seems that was left at home for 3.0, until Hartford.
In 2009, my father in law at the time turned 60 years old. To celebrate, he rented a couple of condos near Stowe, Vermont and invited the whole family up to celebrate for a long weekend. As my girlfriend and I looked at the map, we realized that Hartford was literally right on the way. It would be stupid for us NOT to stop and see the show that night. And that night was where my questions about the Gamehendge material was answered. They opened with the Gamehendge-adjaced “Punch You In the Eye,” and the fairly common “AC/DC Bag,” and not much later busted out the first “Forbin’s>Mockingbird” since September 30th, 2000. I was thrilled beyond belief. Even though there was no narration, I felt like I could now check that one off my list. But nothing could prepare me for what was to come in the second set. A spectacular Ghost started the fourth quarter before transforming into a raucous Psycho Killer that drove the crowd into overdrive. That melted into a weird Catapult, and then they broke out the greatest fan-service Gamehendge song of all: Icculus.