Phour Point O | 2019-06-21 | Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple, Denver, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

I’m backed up in recordings, which is what I was afraid of, but luckily stumbling into view we’ve got Phour Point O at Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple – is that fast enough for you?

Phour Point O took their Phish tribute to the next level last weekend as they paid tribute to not only Phish’s music, but one of their most recent iconic runs, the Baker’s Dozen. For those of you not in the know, back in 2017 Phish performed 13 nights at Madison Square Garden with zero repeated songs and billed it as “The Baker’s Dozen”. Phour Point O scaled it down a bit, performing a four-night-run at Jay Bianchi’s MSG, Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple and dubbing said run “The Baker’s Cousin”. Sadly, I wasn’t able to make the whole run, but what I caught the second night was another solid offering from Denver’s favorite Phish tribute.

The first set started with a banger, as the band traversed the big rock riffs of “46 Days”. The tune’s jam was led by Mike Pederson‘s soaring guitar work, surgically navigating the soundscape framed by Ben Rafferty‘s keys intermingling with the nuanced touch of Ryan Sapp‘s drumming and Fleeb‘s funky bass slaps. The band then performed the upbeat “Birds Of A Feather”, which was contrasted by the patient type II jam that broke the structure down completely into an ominous groove that lingered around as the band patiently built the tempo into the peak of the outro. The band kept jamming as they then performed “Mike’s Song”, which they briefly took for an excursion with a fervent build, spearheaded by Sapp’s snare build that coalesced in the final part of the tune. The band bucked the Phish trend of seguing into “Weekapaug Groove” or one of the more expected intermediaries such as “I Am Hydrogen”, and instead melted into the blissful opening notes of “Fast Enough For You”. The set then closed with a satisfying “Harry Hood” that brought the entire dance floor together for a collective get down and sing-a-long to close out the first set.

After a set break, which included a fantastic steak (shout out Guerilla Grill), the band started their second set with not only the biggest jam of the night but one of the biggest jams I’ve seen them perform, a 19+ minute “Waves” that served as the figurative and literal centerpiece of the show. The band’s superb communication locked them into a hypnotic groove that paid proper tribute to the original with a jam undulating with psychedelia. It starts as a gentle wave, and by the end we’re in a storm of raucous guitar licks that peak several times before crashing on the shore of the gentle words “under wind and under water”, and then drifting to its final resting spot, the opening riffs to “Run Like An Antelope”. Afterward, the band performed the one-two punch of “Funky Bitch” into “Possum”, featuring a Simpson’s Secret Language Call, which is always my favorite. I sometimes wonder whether the crowd would get it if the band were to use another call, such as “All Fall Down”. The set then took a breather with the laid-back and heartfelt “Wading In The Velvet Sea”, seguing into the fan-favorite “The Lizards”. The final hurrah was the always funky “Meatstick”, which caused the crowd to break into the classic hippie line-dance. If you don’t “do” the Meatstick dance, then I feel bad for you.

Phour Point O definitely brought the jams to the second night of the Baker’s Cousin, highlighting what I keep telling people is their most redeeming quality (aside from keyboardist Ben Rafferty‘s eyes): their ability to effectively communicate in the language of one of the most coveted jambands in existence. If you close your eyes, you’ll feel right at home.

Phour Point O | 2019-06-21 | Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple, Denver, CO

-= Set 1 =-
01. 46 Days
02. Birds Of A Feather
03. Mike’S Song >
04. Fast Enough For You
05. Harry Hood

-= Set 2 =-
06. Waves >
07. Run Like An Antelope
08. Funky Bitch >
09. Possum[1]
10. Wading In The Velvet Sea
11. The Lizards
12. (Banter)
13. Meatstick

Show Notes: This was the second of a four-night headlining run at Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple. Billed as “The Baker’s Cousin”, the band performed all four nights without any repeats. Guavatron opened the show and then performed a set in between Phour Point O’s sets. At midnight, (June 22nd) it was Ben Rafferty (keys), Ryan Sapp (drums) and Jay Bianchi’s (venue owner) birthdays which led to the closing statement of the second set, “Happy Birthday everyone!”.
[1] “Possum” contained a Simpson’s secret language call.

Taper Notes: FOB DFC mics were run on-stage (DIN) raised around 3′.

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

LINK: https://archive.org/details/PhourPointO2019-06-21.CA14omnis.onstage.AUD.SBD.flac16