The stage lighting is sometimes complimented by simple, monochromatic projections of organic shapes and patterns that lighting designer Liggett splays across the band. The result is subtly psychedelic-the musicians playing moving blobs of color, standing in front of a giant wall of shifting tones-and totally unlike your typical light show. "There's a lot of lights up there, and it's a trick to make it all work together cohesively." "Ninety percent of what I'm doing is improvisation," says Liggett. The LEDs in the guitars and in the giant boxes on the stage are manipulated by lighting director Jason Liggett, who sits at the back of the venue and follows along with the band, swapping colors and flashing patterns in response to the music. The guitar and bass-crafted specifically for this tour by Ben Lewry of Oakland, California's Visionary Instruments-are hollow, with LEDs inside that make them glow, and moiré screens stretched across the front. Gordon even commissioned moiré instruments for himself and guitarist Scott Murawski to match the light boxes. Mike Gordon with one of his custom-made basses, alight with LEDs and moiré effects. But pushing it to the max would be letting the audience play the band." It's been done, like when Wayne from The Flaming Lips goes in the hamster ball and rolls across the crowd. "And that boundary at the front of the stage, the line between the performer and the audience, is not often broken. "I like the idea of breaking down boundaries," Gordon says. If he has his way, the show will be something closer to an interactive art installation-albeit one with a funk-flavored prog-rock soundtrack. But Mike, being Mike, has surprises in store. So when the kids show up to his current tour in support of his newest album, Overstep, they may expect a rock gig. He uses the live concert environment to playfully confuse and confound audiences, like a Willy Wonka for the jam-band set. He's a born trickster, and over the years, his deadpan sense of humor has bled into his stage performances. Beyond music, he's a filmmaker, an author, an artist, and a lover of visual tomfoolery-just check out his Instagram feed. But Gordon also has a vibrant solo career with four albums to his name. At the top of Mike Gordon's resume is his role as the bass player in Phish, a band that's earned its stripes with three decades of fiery, improvisational performances.
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January 2023
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