More focused than ever, Phish offers fans an experience at the Gorge

It was a weekend of superlatives as Vermont rock band Phish played two sold-out nights at the Gorge in George.

Around midnight Saturday, after the final set of the weekend, many fans declared the band at the creative peak of its 20-year career. Pronouncements like "best 'Bathtub Gin' ever" and "best a cappella jam" were made by longtime fans, whom are simultaneously the most reverent and critical in all of pop music. Almost everyone agreed that the Gorge — a sprawling natural amphitheater sliced out of the Columbia River Gorge 150 miles east of Seattle, last played by Phish in 2003 — is the most stunning concert venue in America.

Thousands of Phish fans had been traveling the West with the band for the past week, unloading their DIY community at every tour stop. Among the 22,000 in attendance were Jessica Fite, 29, from Mendocino, Calif., attending her 191st Phish show, and Lola Scarola, 19, from Lakeland, Fla., attending her first.

Packed campgrounds a quarter-mile from the venue allowed for a fully functioning renegade economy. Vendors hawked organic cocktails, smoked pulled pork, wood-fired pizza, artwork, jewelry, handblown glass, semiprecious gems, and a pharmacopeia of illicit substances. Hidden along the rows of parked cars and RVs were velvet-roped disco parties and impromptu concerts by amateur performers. With two nights of concerts and three of camping, the atmosphere was more marathon music festival than single-band concert.

The lights went down around 8 p.m. both nights, just as a warm sunset colored the horizon behind the Gorge's massive stage. Night One ran close to three hours; night Two, more than three (marathon sessions like these are not for the uncommitted). Both nights saw Phish revisiting old favorites and unveiling new songs from their upcoming September release, "Joy."

After ending the second hiatus of their career this spring, the band is seemingly more focused than ever, though "focused" is used loosely when referring to a 23-minute cover of the Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll." They added 10 minutes of hard, instrumental funk to the end of pop-soul classic "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley," and spent 18 minutes unraveling the aforementioned "Bathtub Gin" from bouncy pop singalong to electro-trance mantra. During the goofy funk of "Wolfman's Brother," fans launched thousands of glow sticks across the Gorge's massive lawn in a neon meteor shower.

Guitarist Trey Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon traded instruments in the middle of the reggae-flavored "Makisupa Policeman," a trick from Phish's early days. The pair jumped in unison on mini-trampolines during the prog-heavy "You Enjoy Myself." All four members stepped to the front of the stage to sing the barbershop harmonies of "Grind."

Still adored by the fans who have spent over two decades with them while attracting ranks of newcomers, Phish is again one of the biggest concert acts in America. Concerts like this past weekend's — which take the Phish experience way beyond the music — are the reason why.

Jonathan Zwickel: zwickelicious@gmail.com