PicoBlog

Anyone who knows me hears about this jam endlessly. There’s something about this 24-minute tentpole Baker’s Dozen jam that has just blown me away each and every listen. Maybe it’s the smooth transitions from improvisational ideas, maybe it’s the feeling that all four band members are absolutely giving their all the whole jam, and maybe it’s the straight-up incredible nature of the jam.

As the biggest 3.0 fluffer you’ll probably find, I take a lot of heat for my takes, especially this one. “But, Ryan,” you say, “Have you even heard Camden ‘99?” The answer is yes, and I actually debated the two versions on the first episode of We Move Through Stormy Weather in November 2020.

Below is my in-depth breakdown of the jam. I hope you’ll sit back, hit play, follow along, and enjoy my favourite 24 minutes in all of Phish!

THE BAKER’S DOZEN CHALK DUST TORTURE (all timings per LivePhish)

0:04 - Trey TEARS into the Chalk Dust riff after finishing Have Mercy…energy goes THROUGH THE ROOF

1:14 - Cool atypical guitar fills, you know Trey is hyped

2:01 - “chorture of talk dust”

2:20 - more wild guitar fills

2:34 - I pLUG THE DISTRESS TUBE UP TIGHT

3:18 - Trey absolutely DESTROYS the guitar solo here

4:02 - repeated note shredding

4:12 - really cool ascending licks to HUGE peak note

4:24 - drops back into the chorus unexpectedly (rest of band catches on IMMEDIATELY) because he wants to get to the jam

4:48 - Trey starts second jam, big E minor chord vamp to start off

5:24 - Page hits clav, also JON FISHMAN!!!!!!!!!

6:02 - Trey repeats trilling lick, jam mellows behind Fish’s groove

6:25 - Page gently plays the Rhodes, colouring the jam

7:00 - Trey and Page play an intricate dance around each other and it’s awesome

7:37 - Trey modulates the jam to A oh-so-smoothly

8:22 - sustain followed by great rocking major-key soloing

8:50 - Fishman picks up the pace a bit

9:34 - Big swell on the CS60 by Page as Trey continues to solo, bringing jam to its first peak

10:01 - Trey dirties his tone and plays some lower notes

10:38 - breaks back into blissful soloing, loops sustain note in the background

10:51 - Page is on Wurlitzer now

11:10 - Page back on piano, jam is heading straight for the peak

11:58 - jam begins to cool a bit

12:35 - just kidding Trey isn’t done yet!

13:16 - peak section ends but the jam is nowhere near done

13:37 - Trey breaks into A minor groove with Fishman funking it up right away

13:57 - Page playing staccato organ as Trey hits the delay

14:09 - MORE COWBELL

15:19 - jam begins to morph again, Mike begins to assert himself

15:40 - MICHAEL GORDON

16:03 - jam breaks apart briefly as Fish starts a snare-tapping rhythm and Page hits the clav

16:48 - Full-band modulation to D major, Trey begins his bliss soloing again

17:23 - Fish hammers the hi-hat as Page starts adding some synth

17:43 - you can smell the big build that’s coming

18:12 - HEAVY low notes from Trey, starts a repeating motif

18:50 - Amazing work on the Wurlitzer/synth from Page

19:38 - Page switches to piano and begins repeated chords as the rest of the band BUILDS

20:14 - Trey starts into Peak Lick #1, crowd goes bananas, we’ve made it

20:37 - Repeating guitar licks are awesome

21:16 - looping staccato notes from Trey, band gets ready for another pass

21:34 - Huge ascending run from Trey, HUGE peak note, now in Peak Lick #2

21:50 - REALLY GOOD PEAK SOLOING WOWWWWW

22:06 - Band suggests D major to G major progression

22:17 - HARRY HOOD PEAK YEAHHHHHH

22:29 - seems like the band is cooling down a bit

22:37 - Peak Lick #3 - big repeating arpeggios

22:57 - AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BIG WHITE LIGHT PEAK THIS IS BASICALLY HOOD NOW RIGHT

23:17 - Trey slides down to a low D note, bringing the band down from the peak and fading out the jam

The only way this jam could have been better is if they had gone back into Chalk Dust at the end there ;)

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