Friday, April 16, 2004 | 8:29 a.m.
First it was drummer Jon Fishman, teaming with surprise guest star Kid Rock for the Sugarhill Gang classic "Rapper's Delight" at a Thomas & Mack show in 2000.
Then Thursday night, guitarist Trey Anastasio dropped his instrument, strode to the front of the T&M stage and tried his hand at Jay-Z's "Girls, Girls, Girls," with help from vocalist Jennifer Hartswick.
That unexpected cover tune -- sandwiched in the middle of Phish's own "Scent of a Mule" -- proved to be the most memorable moment in a solid but generally unspectacular start to the popular jam band's three-night Vegas stand before a sold-out crowd of 18,500.
Playing their first show of 2004, the Vermont quartet appeared in good spirits, particularly Anastasio, who bounced energetically for much of the night with a wide grin fixed to his face.
That enthusiasm did not translate into a momentous performance, however.
The four musicians -- who traditionally work without a predetermined set list -- seemed unusually unsure which course to plot, conferring at length between several songs.
Last year Phish dove immediately into some of its most challenging, not to mention crowd-pleasing, material at two "comeback" Vegas concerts following a 2 1/2-year touring hiatus.
This time, the band spent its first set feeling its way. The four men sounded wonderfully tight on old standby "AC/DC Bag" and the funkified "The Moma Dance," but drove much of the crowd to its seats with ultra-mellow selections "Roggae" and "All of These Dreams."
The second set saw a marked improvement. During one stretch, Phish segued from the Who's "Drowned" into "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (the theme from Stanley Kubrick's "2001") and then into original composition "Down With Disease."
The Who tune -- culled from "Quadrophenia," one of four full albums covered by the band at Halloween concerts during the 1990s -- was especially noteworthy, thanks to some fiery work by keyboardist Page McConnell.
Midway through "Scent of a Mule," bassist Mike Gordon's hillbilly tale of UFOs and laser beams, Anastasio motioned for a woman at stage left to join the band. Hartswick, a member of Anastasio's touring solo ensemble, ascended to the stage, and the pair began trading rhymes off a lyrics sheet at their feet.
Most likely, the hip-hop cut (off 2001's "The Blueprint") was a nod toward tonight's "Ladies First" concert at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Beyonce, who is engaged to Jay-Z, headlines that show, and her beau has been known to join her onstage for her encore.
Unfortunately, after Hartswick's exit, Phish failed to capitalize on its momentum. Strangely, the band opted for back-to-back new songs "Secret Smile" and "Crowd Control," neither of which has appeared on an album.
"This is the worst," shouted one fan, falling into his seat in dismay upon hearing the opening notes to the depressingly slow "Secret Smile."
The crowd regrouped for a graceful rendition of "Slave to the Traffic Light," which capped the marathon 90-minute set, and an encore cover of Robert Palmer's "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley."
The latter gradually evolved into a vocal jam, harmonized by all four Phish members. At one point, Anastasio sang cryptically about Fishman's "sonic dress," which he promised the drummer would wear for tonight's show.
Phish's unconventional live approach could not have been lost on Fenton Williams, the band's lighting director for its Vegas run.
Williams, who usually handles lighting for the Dave Matthews Band, is filling in for longtime Phish associate Chris Kuroda, who was unable to make the trip.
Throughout the night, Williams' unfamiliarity with Phish's intricacies showed, as he routinely missed opportunities to spotlight soloing musicians and even darkened the stage prematurely before the end of several songs.
Those visuals are likely to improve tonight and Saturday. As for the music, the guess here is that on Thursday, MC Anastasio and his mates were just getting warmed up.
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