"Perhaps the most symbolic debut of the weekend was “Undermind.” The long awaited title track made its appearance in the first set of the last show, foreshadowing what is to come in the Phish world. Tweaked musically, the performance featured crunchier grooves than we were used to hearing on the album. Downplaying melody in favor of rhythm, the song adopted a funk-reggae feel. But as infectious as the grooves were, the lyrics painted a playful picture of where the band is at right now.
Undecided, undefined
Undisturbed, yet undermind
Relocated, not retired
Reprimanded and rewired
Mystified and mishapen
Misinformed, but not mistaken
Reinvented, redefined
Rearranged, but not refined.
With the repetitive line of “Undecided, Undefined” leading out of the jam into the end of the song, the message was clear- the future is wide open. A song that seems like it was written and shelved just for the band’s comeback, the synchronicities between its lyrics and the state of the Phish scene are remarkable. Perhaps the most exciting debut, musically, fans immediately foresaw this groove-based vehicle going places come June and beyond."
Nothing could be more true of Phish right now, and many of us in our lives currently.
The future is WIDE open. We all can go from being Undecided & Undefined to being Reinvented and Redefined multiple times through our lives. Phish has gone through that as a band a multitude of times, this time perhaps being the greatest test. Yet, it is truly an inspiration hearing those lyrics and realizing that even a band like Phish is constantly experiencing a battle of having to continue to reinvent themselves over the course of their career and lives. Being Undecided and Undefined is a good thing, because it allows us the freedom with no ties to become Reinvented and Redefined. Phish is a major motivation in the way they are evolving & growing at this stage in order to cement themselves in another chapter of history, rather than wither away.
There is ALWAYS a path to continue on, it is up to us to walk down it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment