September 22, 2006 The Clarion
ARTS & LIFE
Page 9
DVD Review: Phish's new concert dvd raises the standard
by Zack Harding
Arts & Life Editor
Live in Brooklyn
Phish
Rhino Records
Phish recently released “Live in
Brooklyn,” which contains the full
first show of their last tour, filmed
on June 17**' in 2004.
Let me start this review by say
ing that I am in no way a Phish-
head who worships the band and
has thousands of bootleg shows
stashed around; in fact, before I
bought this DVD, I knew the title
of only about 2 Phish songs, and
had never really heard their music.
So I bought this DVD on a whim,
and was very pleasantly sur
prised.
For those who have never heard
Phish, this band is extremely tal
ented, and its musicians know how
to play their instruments very
well. Phish has often been catego
rized as one of the two essential
jam bands—the other being the
Grateful Dead. This genre group
ing doesn’t really equate to any
one musical sound, but it does
mean that the band will take part
in lengthy instrumental improvi
sations, and Phish definitely does
just that on the DVD—most of
the time to good effect, although
sometimes not.
The band really shines with the
ability to create wildly different
musical styles, from the straight
rock jam of “Dinner and a Movie”
to the bluegrass flavor of “Pos
sum” and the classical sounds of
“The Oh Kee Pah Ceremony.” The
funky groove remains throughout
most all of the material, highlight
ing songs like “Moma Dance.”
This DVD also includes intimate
backstage and sound check foot
age.
There is much to be said about
the guitar playing of Trey
Anastasio, as he swings from beau
tiful melodic passages and chord
progressions to extremely articu
late fretboard aerobics. His guitar
playing is the main focus most of
the time, but all of the band mem
bers shine throughout.
Keyboardist Page McConnell is
probably the most solid of all the
members, and usually plays two
keyboards at once, filling-out the
sound palette left open by the
other three musicians.
Bassist Mike Gordon and drum
mer Jon Fishman don’t often take
the spotlight on this DVD, but are
always integral to the sound cre
ated.
Without a doubt the best part
of the DVD is the audio and video
quality. I have many concert
DVDs, ranging from the original
Woodstock to Nine Inch Nails, and
none of them come close in terms
of production quality. With a good
audio system and a big screen, this
DVD could be a truly beautiful
experience. I
0
Horoscope
LIBRA
Sept. 23- Oct. 22
Look at your bal-
ancin9 act! It's
cracking and you
know itl You will
attract all those
nasty crazies you
wanted to avoid:
too bad. They've
?ot your scent now.
our lucky color is
seasoning salt
orange.
Aries: As the week's "Put it
Away" theme progresses, this
advice is most certainly for you.
We all know you like a challenge,
but it might be better for you to
just sit this one out eh? Your
lucky color is North Village mold.
Taurus: Ah, the star of the
signs. The planets and all their
horrible little orbiting children are
leaving you alone for this week.
Your scatterbrained days are
gone, for now at least. Your
lucky color is beetle black.
Gemini: You're such a
perfectionist. But, today this is a
good thing. People who aren't
pulling their weight could mess
up your makeup. Turn it out!
Your lucky color is Cafeteria
carpet water stain.
Cancer: It's always about
you! Crusty crustaceans aren't
liked as it is, but you're just
being bitchy now. Call your
shrink and let him know you're on
the way. Your lucky color is
Boshamer Gym green.
Leo: Patience kitty. Don't sink
your claws into the wrong mouse
or professor just yet. Wait till
you can corner them—then see
what happens. Your lucky color is
dingy white squirrel.
Virgo: Time and space are
almost never available. This
week's advice to the divine virgin
is to nail yourself inside a box.
That is the only way you'll
achieve true solitude. Your lucky
color is blue shame.
Scorpio: Oh, you serial killers
(it's what scorpions do) always
have the best time! Even though
you're wishy-washy and plain
dull in conversations. Well, we all
know where you make up for
that—keep up the good, or
rather so-so, job. Your lucky
color is asbestos ceiling.
Sagittarius: Archers beware:
you're not firing at the love you
seek—because she/he/it ain't
interested. You're probably
better off spending your time on
IMyspace checking out the
artificial honeys. Your lucky color
is purple/pink/gray toilet streak.
Capricorn: Well amphibious
goat folk, it looks like your half-
done nature is still in check this
week. You really should get over
trying to avoid life. You're not
really that good at avoiding
anything. Your lucky color is
East Jones tile.
Aquarius: It's the age of
Jupiter, water babes. You know
what this means? You just need
a little TLC. Don't share now, it's
allforyou. Your lucky color is
mystery meat beige.
Pisces: As we learned last
week, fish can't remember
anything. So what is interesting
about you this week is that you
have become impatient. Where
do you have to go? Better swim
fast. Your lucky color is South
Village mold.