When the Phish play, fans are part of show December 13, 1997 - Times Union (Albany, NY) By Greg Haymes In the stale, sterile, soulless world of arena rock, a Phish show is still an event. Unlike so many other concerts that rumble into the Pepsi Arena -- and here last month's pricey Fleetwood Mac reunion immediately springs to mind -- the four guys from Burlington, Vt., who call themselves Phish don't deal in the calculated, choreographed, computerized brand of rock biz cliches. No, if anything, Phish dwell at the other end of the extreme, indulging in a free-for-all, often free-form brand of near-telepathic improvisation. No question about it -- in the rock 'n' roll mainstream, Phish are definitely swimming against the current. At the tail-end of their fall '97 tour on Friday night, Phish kicked off a two-night stand at the Pepsi Arena with a show that was part triumphant celebration, part tribal gathering, part roller-coaster ride, part house of mirrors. The loose-limbed legion of Phish fans packed the streets surrounding the arena before the show, turning South Pearl Street into a bizarre countercultural bazaar. Inside, it was an equally Grateful Deadlike concert scene, the sold-out crowd all but hanging from the rafters. If you were standing, you were dancing. And everybody was standing from the start. How can you resist a band that takes Deodato's disco treatment of Strauss' classic "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and turns it into a percolating funk groove worthy of the Meters, while one of the best light shows of the year bathes not the band, but the crowd in a spooky, swirling wash of color? The band, meanwhile, pumped out the tune in virtual darkness. At a Phish show, the fans become the fifth member of the band. Over the years, Phish has turned into a serious funk band that plays freely with jazz forms. On the funk front, "Camel Walk" emerged with the proper swagger, while "Tweezer" was absolutely towering. The band pushing deep into the groove, jumping the track to descend into a white-noise freak-out and then snapping back into the song with uncanny precision, led by bassist Mike Gordon. Obviously, the band was in agreement on that one, pulling it out of the song bag again as a reprise to close the show. Improvisations were the order of the night, whether it was drummer Jon Fishman's clattering polyrhythms and Page McConnell's keyboard frenzy on "Taste" or Trey Anastasio's glorious guitar rave-up during "Character Zero," which wrapped up the band's 65-minute opening set. The hour-long second set fell victim to a bit too much metaloid mayhem and self-indulgent nebulous noodling, but the band finally found its focus once again, soaring through a majestic rendition of "Prince Caspian" that was well worth the wait. And a shimmering "Swept Away" also upped the ante. All in all it probably wasn't an all-time classic Phish concert. No barbershop quartet, no bluegrass breakdowns. No trampolines or vacuum cleaners, either. (Ask your favorite Phish fanatic friend about those days.) But at this point in their career the band has developed such impressive musical chops, such imagination and such raw ambition that even if they fall short of their lofty goals, they're still more exciting in concert than any dozen other bands that played the Pepsi this year. FACTS:MUSIC REVIEW PHISH When: Friday night.Where: The Pepsi Arena, Albany.Highlights: The epic funk-bomb "Tweezer," Anatasio's guitar rave-up on the first set closer "Character Zero," the percolating funk of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and a stratospheric take on "Prince Caspian."The crowd: A night-and-day difference from the night before, when the arena played host to Kenny Rogers' Christmas show. The Phish fans were generally young, dressed in oversize jeans and sweaters, and brimming with enthusiasm.Last time in town: Phish's last official Capital Region concert was almost exactly two years ago at the Knickerbocker (now Pepsi) Arena, but they engaged in an unadvertised sneak attack on the Joyous Lake in Woodstock in June '96, performing under the name Third Ball.What's next: Phish return to the Pepsi Arena tonight (Saturday) to wrap up their two-night stand.Best line overheard from fan: "Hey, anybody want a free candy cane?" Article © 1997 Times Union