Phish Live in Brooklyn
October 2006 Reviewed by: Joseph Taylor Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

The large amount of available live material by the jam band Phish is typical for bands of its type. Four of its 12 major label releases were live, and it has also offered discs of 20 live dates through its website as part of a Live Phish Series. In theory, these guys, along with the Dave Matthews Band and Widespread Panic, release so much concert material because that is where they can go off on the improvisational flights for which they are known. Phish: Live in Brooklyn, released simultaneously on CD and DVD, gives fans yet another chance to experience this band in performance, and even people who have been bored by the band in the past might find it worthwhile.

Phish: Live in Brooklyn is the second full uninterrupted concert DVD to be released by Phish, although I’m sure there are unauthorized videos and DVDs in circulation among fans. The two-disc set comprises a June 17, 2004, show at KeySpan Park that opened the band’s final tour. Phish: Live in Brooklyn contains well over three hours of music, including three bonus selections from the next evening. The band plays with tremendous energy -- its early live discs and the performances I’ve caught on PBS were too laid-back and they often meandered. At this final stage in their career, Phish had developed into a very impressive group of players whose musical interaction had focus and drive.

That’s not to say that some of the tunes couldn’t have been trimmed, but it is surprising how few dead spots there are. The guitar work of Trey Anastasio is fiery throughout, but the other members of the band -- Jon Fishman on drums, Mike Gordon on bass and Page McConnell on keyboards -- are just as impressive, and the intuitive understanding among all four musicians sustains most of the long improvisational passages. If the band has a weakness, it’s that its tunes aren’t much more than a jumping off point for jamming. "The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony" and "A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing" just don’t stay in the mind as hummable melodies.

The surround mix puts you in the middle of the band at times and overall has more atmosphere than the two-channel mix. The sound level of the instruments is balanced more evenly on the surround mix as well. On the two-channel mix, the guitar and drums are just a bit too prominent. Director and editor Eli Tishberg keeps the camera moving and shows off Phish’s impressive light show by including a lot of long shots of the stage. Phish isn’t a visually compelling band. The guys look like graduate students and they just play, heads bobbing occasionally. Tishberg’s smart editing flows well with the music, and he gives each member of Phish ample screen time.

Bonus material includes excerpts from a sound check and a few minutes of Anastasio warming up backstage. Skip to the three songs from the June 18th show. Phish: Live in Brooklyn is nicely packaged, although liner notes would have put this concert in a historical context, and I would have preferred a time listing for each song. Aside from those minor faults, fans should be pleased, and the rest of us might even find ourselves converted by this set.

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