Phour Point O | 2018-01-04 | Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple, Denver, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

After three nights straight of taping – 2018 is getting off to a great/busy start! So its time I hunker down and start cranking out another year of #spacetapes – what better way to start it off than my favorite #PhishTribute Phour Point O!

Ask Mike Pedersen about the state of air travel and he’ll probably give you more than a few choice words. After a delay segued into another delay which was then ripcorded into a cancelled flight, Phour Point O was down a lead guitarist for their weekly residency at Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple. Insert MLIMA guitarist Jeph Kennedy to the rescue.

The first set opened with a very strong rendition of “Woflman’s Brother” dripping with space funk improv. This segued into a bouncy version of “Heavy Things” which showed off some some nice interplay between the keys and guitar. Next up was one of my favorite segments of the evening, a fun cover of the Stones’ “Emotional Rescue” which eventually delved into a nice dark, patient, psychedelic jam before emerging through the ethereal mist into the dreamiest of dream dream phish songs, “Roggae”. After a peak-filled jam, “Roggae” drifted back into “Emotional Rescue”. The following “Slave To The Traffic Light” had a few missteps at the beginning as the band couldn’t quite decide how to start the tune but like any good version of the song, it’s about the build and journey. By the end of the jam, the band had found their groove and were fully locked-in for the exuberant outro solo. After a raucous rendition of “Martian Monster” which contained one of the swampiest and darkest jams of the night, the band changed speeds with the mostly acapella “I Didn’t Know”. Gears shifted to even weirder realms as the band then transitioned into the evil “Kung”. After that descent into madness, the set closed out with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side closer “Eclipse”. If you’re keeping score at home, the first set spelled out “Where’s Mike” – a nod to their missing guitarist.

The second set took one last tip of the hat to Mike with a “Mike’s Song” opener that had one of the more extensive jam segments of the evening. Shifting through the “second jam” of the tune, the band once again felt incredibly locked in, communicating ideas flawlessly and moving through each jam with persistent purpose. Not to be outdone, the following “Simple” took us further into psychedelic realms, feeling at times almost like a continuation of the fury from the Mike’s jam after the blissed out section. The following “Weekapaug Groove -> What’s The Use -> “Weekapauyg Groove” took the crowd on a journey from blazing funk rock of “Weekapaug” to the inspiring guitar drone of “What’s The Use”, the segment felt reflective, like a trip within a trip. After a solid two treks into “Fuego” territory with solid takes on “555” and “Waiting All Night”, the band dropped into the King of All Dark Jams…”Carini”. While the jam isn’t insanely long, it does find time to deconstruct itself into dark Type II territory before drifting into the always bizarre “NO2”. The set closed out with a “Harry Hood” which contained a cool outro jam after the final part that helped bridge the gap into the always spacey “Waves” which closed out the set. The band appeared to be done but after some arm-twisting from the crowd they came back up for a quick but always fun version of “Sleeping Monkey”. Incredibly fun show packed with great moments and fantastic quality sound thanks to FOH Casey T. for the soundboard patch!

Phour Point O | 2018-01-04 | Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple, Denver, CO

Set 1: Wolfman’s Brother > Heavy Things > Emotional Rescue -> Roggae -> Emotional Rescue, Slave To The Traffic Light, Martian Monster > I Didn’t Know > Kung > Eclipse

Set 2: Mike’s Song > Simple -> Weekapaug Groove -> What’s The Use? -> Weekapaug Groove, 555, Waiting All Night, Carini -> NO2 -> Carini > Harry Hood > Waves[1]

Encore: Sleeping Monkey

Show Notes: This performance was a part of Phour Point O’s weekly residency at Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple for “Phish Thursdays”. Guitarist Mike Pederson couldn’t make the gig due to a cancelled flight and as a result, Jeph Kennedy (MLIMA) sat-in for the entire show. As a nod to Mike’s absence, the first letter of each song in the first set spelled out “Where’s Mike” and the second set opened with “Mike’s Song”.
[1] “Waves” contained several “Manteca” teases.

Taper Notes: FOB DFC (taper nook) ORTF mics raised around 7′. The band didn’t intend to play an encore and were already unplugging when some goading from the crowd caused an impromptu “Sleeping Monkey”. I had already unplugged the soundboard so I had to scramble to get plugged back in (Thanks to Casey T. for the quick hands and board patch!). As a result, the very first few seconds of “Sleeping Monkey” are cut. Faded-in to reduce abruptness.

Thank you to Phour Point O and Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple for being so cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/…/PhourPointO2018-01-04.AKG.P170.SBD.Ma…