When Laura and I were getting ready to move to the Portland area in 2024, there was a rumor that Phish might play Providence Park, home of the Timbers and Thorns soccer teams, that summer. It didn't pan out, so when rumors resurfaced of Phish playing The Moda Center this spring I didn't get my hopes up too much until it was officially announced. For once I didn't have to worry about booking accommodations because we can walk to the MAX light rail from our house and take it all the way to the Rose Quarter stop where the Moda Center be.
I got a pair of tickets in the Phish lottery that weren't ideal, and being the greedy person that I am, I tried again the moment they went on sale through Ticketmaster and found two pretty darn good seats in a small mini-section on its own rail above the crowd looking diagonally at the stage. Then it was just a matter of waiting for the day to come.
I woke up on the day of the show with butterflies in my stomach. This was going to be a big deal: the first time Phish has played Portland, OR since 1999. And it was on a 4/20 - which is kind of like a hippie holiday - in a state where cannabis is legal, and on Easter which is some other kind of holiday. Songs such as Buried Alive, Makisupa Policeman, and Jesus Just Left Chicago were among our pre-show speculation.
I hung around the house that morning, played Irish tenor banjo, took the dog for a walk, and then when I couldn't take it any more I convinced Laura to leave an hour earlier than planned. Once we got on the train I checked my stats for the first time in a while and noticed that this was going to be my 70th show. I knew it was around that number but I wasn't sure that it was 70 until I checked.
We got off one stop shy of the Moda Center to have pizza at our favorite place in Old Town. Once we sat at the bar and I got a beer in me I could finally relax a bit. After a while we got back on the train with our next destination being Upright Brewing. I believe Upright Brewing is the closest brewery to the Moda Center. Each time we've been there to pre-game Winterhawks hockey games they were always playing Phish music on the speakers. This time it was more like a chill dub reggae mix but that's actually better than being directly on the nose. Upright wasn't crowded at all when we got there, but it was still not even 5:00pm yet.
Upright is named after the instrument played by upright bassist Charles Mingus, with pictues of Mingus and other jazz musicians such as Sun Ra and Rahsaan Roland Kirk for the eye to see. I like Upright's beers...they have things like Irish red ales, bitters, and pale ales with a couple things always on cask. It quickly got crowded after we got there and soon the line was out the door.
In true Portland fashion, the weather this day was pretty classic. As chilly as you would expect and slightly overcast or partially sunny. Suddenly, it decided to rain while we were in the brewery. Portland gotta be Portland. It didn't last long though and soon we were walking toward the venue through a maze of nitrous balloon vendors. Not to be distracted, we went fairly straightly through one of the the Moda Center entrances.
Having scoped it out during a Trail Blazers game, I knew that cheap beer could be found in Section 303 at the Low Bar for $5.50 a can. Absolutely no line, so it was a good place to double fist it. Then we went back down to the 100's to be impressed by our seats. Nobody was going to be standing in front of our short selves today!
Time passed quickly. I was currently in a good mood, I had previously been in a good mood, and I remained in a good mood. Lights go down and here comes Phish. They opened with 46 Days and that was an instant highlight because it sounded to me like they were quickly taking it to new places and trying out new effects and sounds.
Unlike Black-Eyed Katy, Moma Dance has historically been a meh song for me but I wasn't going to let it occupy that space on this evening. Cities was well received by the Portland crowd. Plasma seemed to be not as well received. Bouncin' is a song I can appreciate and on this occasion I did. Sigma Oasis went deep, vying with 46 Days for best jam of the set. Antelope came next and was intelligently designed to crush. I'm sorry but Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S. felt like a tacked on afterthought. Not that I didn't enjoy it though. Set break.
A Wave of Hope is not really an A-list song, at least not for me, but within the jam Phish did that thing where you lose track of what song it is. Twist was good and I enjoyed trying to wooh in both the right and wrong places. Scents and Subtle Sounds was a surprise and was probably my favorite song of the entire night. I kept my clothing on. Everything's Right gave me a moment to be critical for the first time of the evening, which I then quickly corrected myself. All was made good when it segued into Boogie on Reggae Woman. My previous show in Philadelphia in 2023 also had a well placed Boogie on Reggae Woman.
Having seen some great 2001's in the 90's, I'm a bit of a 2001 skeptic, but I succumbed to its tension /release as always. Trey gave his all for A Life Beyond the Dream. Then it was time for the elephant in the room - Harry Hood. Portland got its Hood!
A lot of things had combined into my mind by this point so the encore is a little hazy. It was Wilson and Slave to the Traffic Light. That could have been an encore in 1994 but here it is 2025. I have no complaints whatsoever. Do I have attendance bias??? Maybe. Although Phish is so good and so consistent these days there are no bad shows.
Getting out of the Moda Center didn't go as planned. Okay, we managed to find and bring with us our now empty water bottles. I think I was visualizing a different side of the building than where we came out on. For a few minutes we just walked with the flow of foot traffic, living in the moment. Then when it was time to find the train stop it wasn't where it was supposed to be, nor were we. I'm pretty sure the train had stopped running by that point in the evening anyway. No problem, part-time stand-up comic Dan the Uber man to the rescue. I have his number if you need it.
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Any comments from the Peanut Gallery (your fellow attendee)?
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