A new comment was received today here on Welcome To Now Blog regarding the rumor that Phish is looking to do an end-of-summer festival after Jones Beach. Here is the comment verbatim:
IT Festival 'Tower Jam' - Loring AFB
“Fistyphisy Said on June 22, 2010 at 12:20 pm:
This is totally confirmed… I was backstage at the Saratoga NY show the other night. I am 100% sure that the road after Jones Beach leads to Limestone ME. Phish has rented out Loring Air Force base for the weekend of Aug. 27th, 28th and 29th. This was confirmed by a member of the band and two stage hands (at different times of the night). This is what was stated, “We looked at a place in New Hampshire, the international speedway, it would have been perfect, but they have an event planned already and we were too late. We had to go with the ol’ stand by and book Limestone”. – Undisclosed Band Member.
This is so low key that only a few people back stage knew about where the festival was. However, I talked to others that knew about the festival, but didn’t know where yet. For example, I talked to the bands set/show photographer and he was told that he was booked for a festival in late Aug., but was not told where. He was told to keep the dates open for a Phish weekend festival. I also talked to a guy on the sound board that knew about a festival in late Aug. but stated, “I can’t tell you anymore than that, stay tuned”.
Aerial View - Lemonwheel Festival at Loring AFB
As this past weekend progressed from Hartford->Spac, there was a newly revived comotion about a late summer festival and word getting out from close to the band. Nothing’s confirmed yet folks, but let’s all hope for a return to Limestone this summer! Stay tuned to the NOW as things continue to unfold for Phish Summer 2010!
Today we celebrate the one year anniversary of Welcome To Now! Founded on March 25th, 2009, WTN has been there over the past year along with all you freaks out there, sharing in the groove and digging the wonderful music taking place all across this great land. In honor of this special day, let’s look back at the 10 biggest musical moments of the past year in Jam:
1. PHISH RETURNS
Phish @ Hamtpon - 3/07/09
Phish returned to the stage in 2009, with a more than triumphant year of playing. The reunion began with a historic 3 show run at Hampton Coliseum in March. Things just got better as the year went on for The Phish – the band released a new album, ‘Joy’, and hit the road for a big 2-leg summer tour, Halloween at Festival 8 in Indio, CA, an East Coast fall tour, and New Years in Miami. All in all, 2009 was a great year to be a Phish-head!
Hampton Fluffhead
2. PHIL AND BOBBY GO FURTHUR (JOHN K. LEAVES DSO)
Lesh, Weir, and Kadlecik - Dec. 09'
Phil Lesh and Bob Weir shocked deadheads everywhere in August of 09′ when they announced their newest post-Jerry Dead project: Furthur. Unexpected to all, Phil and Bobby called on John Kadlecik, aka ‘Faux Jerry’, aka ‘The Ghost of Jerry’, DSOs long-time axe-man, to join the band. The new project laid to rest indefinitely both Phil Lesh and Friends and Ratdog, and dealt a major blow to DSO, leaving them without a front man. In the 6 months the band has been together, they’ve played a big coming out 3-show run in Oakland, a brief Northeast December tour, New Year’s run in San Fran, and a smoking Winter tour of the East Coast and Midwest. Coming up in 2010, the band will hit the stage for a Memorial Day Festival and a mini-tour of the Northeast in late June and early July.
Furthur NYE 2009 Poster
3. THE DEAD REUNITE FOR TOUR
The Dead - Spring 09'
Months before Furthur, the Core Four reunited for the first time in over 5 years for a one-off Spring Tour across the US. The boys were joined by Warren Haynes on lead guitar and vocals, and Jeff Chimenti of Ratdog on the keys. Check out a few tour highlights below for download!
The Disco Biscuits closed out a fantastic year of playing with their second Annual 5 show run at the Nokia Theater in New York City. By all accounts and from personal experience, this string of shows was top-notch and a real exclamation point on the year for the band. Check out choice downloads, videos, and news from 2009 in the Bisco Archive.
Bisco NYE Run 09 Flyer
5. PHISH FESTIVAL 8 & ROLLING STONES MUSICAL COSTUME
Phish - 10/31/09 Set 1
Phish re-launched two traditions on Halloween weekend 2009 with their first festival of Phish 3.0 along with a highly anticipated Halloween musical costume set – The Rolling Stones’ ‘Exile on Main Street’. Breaking new ground, the band also performed an intimate and picturesque acoustic set at Noon on Sunday, with complimentary donuts and coffee for phans. Truly a magical weekend, and it’s now going to be seen like never before in a full length 3D film being released April 30th. Check out this crisp video/audio stream of the Sunday acoustic set here!
6. ABB BACK WITH A VENGEANCE: BEACON, MOUNTAIN JAM, AND MORE
ABB Beacon Marquis 2009
After canceling their annual Beacon run in 2008 due to Greg Allman’s battle with Hepatitis C, the band returned in 2009 with a guest-filled 40th anniversary run at the Beacon Theater. The run included guest stops from a star-studded cast including Clapton, Lesh, Weir, Helm, Scaggs, Anastasio, and McConnell. The band kept trucking in 09′ with spring and summer festival appearances including Wanee and Mountain Jam as well as big summer and fall tours. The band just wrapped up a fantastic 9 show run at the United Palace in New York city, is sounding better than ever, and has more shows plotted for 2010 already. Check out setlist, vids, and a review of the final night at the United Palace here.
Haynes, Trucks, and Clapton - Beacon 2009
7. PHIL LESH CELEBRATES 70TH BIRTHDAY WITH SPECIAL PHRIENDS
Lesh, Robinson, Weir, Greene, and Kadlecik - 3/12/10
On March 12th 2010, Phil Lesh celebrated his 70th birthday (technically 3/14/10) with a big bash at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, CA. The evening featured a fun 3 set format complete with an opening acoustic set and 2 raucous electric sets featuring special guests from throughout Phil’s solo career including John Molo, Chris Robinson, Jackie Greene, and Steve Molitz. Give it a listen here:
Breaking with long-standing tradition, Phish played their first mainstream festival with 2 separate appearances (an extended late night set and a 2 set show) at 2009’s Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, TN. The band realized a long time dream and provided the festival’s highlight with a big collaboration with Bruce Springstreen, who also headlined the festival in 09′. The boss and the boys treated fans to a fun cover/bust-out of ‘Mustang Sally’, as well as performances of Bruce’s own songs ‘Glory Days’, and ‘Bobby Jean’. To re-live this special moment, check out this smoking video of Glory Days:
9. STRING CHEESE REUNITE FOR BIG ROTHBURY GIG
SCI @ Rothbury 2009
The String Cheese Incident reunited for a special one-off show at 2009’s Rothbury music festival. The band put on a massive spectacle of a show enhanced with massive light and art installations. The show went off with flying colors, so much so that the band has decided to tour further in 2010, with gigs at Red Rocks and beyond already announced and more in the works. To get a taste of the Cheese to come, buy the Soundboard of the Rothbury show here.
SCI at Red Rocks
10. TREY BRINGS BACK CLASSIC TAB
Markelis, Lawton, Anastasio, and Paczkowski
Having brought back the core four of his Classic Tab Band – Russ Lawton, Tony Markelis, Ray Paczkowski, and, of course, Big Red himself – in the Fall of 2008, Anastasio hit the road with a bigger-and-better Classic TAB band a few months ago in the Winter of 2010. For the tour, Trey added to the core four with a 3-piece horn section featuring TAB vets Jeffier Hartswick and Russell Reminton along with new-comer cutie Natalie Cressman. The tour was a massive success and featured some of the most enthused and passionate guitar work from Trey since Phish’s 2009 return. Check out lots of downloads, setslits, vids, and more in the TAB Winter Tour archive, enjoy!
As we approach the offical last weekend of summer – let’s look back once again at some of the great shows the past few months have offered us. And I mean, let’s LOOK back, seriously people. Check out these two smoking hot off the presses Phish DVDs – one from each leg of their monster Summer 2009 tour.
6/07/09
The first dvd comes from the Leg 1 standout show in Camden, while the second comes from Darien Lake – the first show of the summer ending 4 night run. While Camden is hailed by many fan’s as the top show from the first leg, this Darien show is also a real gem that gets overlooked by many as it happens to be overshadowed by the bustout-crazy Hartford show that followed it. In any case, both of these shows are top notch Phish 3.0 and these vids are surprisingly well done.
And in the end, what a run it was. Phish Summer Tour 2009 was a true rollercoaster, gaining speed turn by turn and uncovering lots of surprises along the way. The final two shows were no exception and there’s nothing left to do now but smile, smile, smile (and wait for the Fall Tour Announcement hopefully coming soon). In the mean time, check out this breakdown of this summer’s song selection over on Jamtopia here and check out setlists, pics, and downloads from every show compliments of yours truly here.
8/15/09
Phish
8/15/09
Merriweather Post Pavillion
Columbia, MD
Set One:
Crowd Control
Kill Devil Falls
The Sloth*
Beauty Of A Broken Heart
Axilla I
Foam
Esther
Ha Ha Ha**
Party Time***
Tube
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
Strange Design
Time Turns Elastic
Set Two:
Tweezer >
Taste
Alaska
Let Me Lie
46 Days
Oh! Sweet Nuthin’
Harry Hood
Phish
8/16/09
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Springs, NY
Set One:
Llama
The Moma Dance
Guyute
Anything But Me
Cars Trucks Buses
Chalk Dust Torture
Golgi Apparatus
David Bowie
Cavern
Possum
Ocelot
Run Like An Antelope
Set Two:
Backwards Down the Number Line >
Twenty Years Later
Halley’s Comet >
Rock & Roll
Harpua >
I Kissed A Girl* >
Hold Your Head Up >
Harpua
You Enjoy Myself
Set 1
Punch You in the Eye
AC/DC Bag
NICU
Colonel Forbin’s Ascent >
Fly Famous Mockingbird
Birds Of A Feather
Lawn Boy
Stash
I Didn’t Know
Middle Of The Road
Character Zero
Set 2
Down With Disease >
Wilson >
Slave To The Traffic Light
Piper >
Water In The Sky
Ghost >
Psycho Killer >
Catapult >
Icculus >
YEM
It has arrived. What promises to be a historic 4 night East Coast run to finish off their 2-leg summer tour begins tonight at Darien Lakes PAC. Few would argue with the fact that Phish has been steadily picking up steam, gaining momentum, and showing marked improvment show by show since their return this March. Expectations couldn’t be higher for what’s to come – a hometown run at some of the biggest name East Coast sheds: Darien, Merriweather Post Pavillion, and SPAC. Rumors and speculation of bustouts are everywhere – Forbin’s/Mockingbird, Tela, Harpua, Llama – anything’s possible. So, as Mickey Hart would say, strap in!
8/13/09
Phish
8/13/09
Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center
Darien Center, NY
Set 1
Sample In A Jar
Dinner and a Movie
Wolfman’s Brother
My Friend, My Friend
Possum
Farmhouse
Sugar Shack
Brian and Robert
David Bowie
Bathtub Gin
How High The Moon (in memory of Les Paul)
Golgi Apparatus
Set 2
Drowned >
Prince Caspian >
Rift
The Horse >
Silent In The Morning
Sparkle
Run Like An Antelope
Suzy Greenberg
Fluffhead
Set 1
The Mango Song
Chalk Dust Torture
Middle Of The Road
Tweezer
Driver
Twenty Years Later
Ya Mar
It’s Ice
Wolfman’s Brother
Character Zero >
Run Like An Antelope
8/08/09
Set Two
Rock & Roll >
Makisupa Policeman
Alaska
The Wedge
You Enjoy Myself
Backwards Down the Number Line >
Piper
Grind
Phish kicked off their highly anticipated weekend run at the beautiful and serene Gorge Amphitheater last night. Expectations were high, the weather was beautiful, and the band really delivered quite a showing, setlist and playing-quality wise. Should be quite a weekend ahead, the Phish train just seems to keep picking up speed, show by show. Keep it comin’!
8/07/09
Phish
8/07/09
Gorge Ampitheater
George, WA
Set 1
Down With Disease
Ocelot
Pebbles And Marbles
Possum
Sleep
Destiny Unbound
Stash
Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley
Cavern
Set 2
The Moma Dance >
Light >
Taste
Fluffhead
Joy
Bathtub Gin >
Harry Hood
Phish layed down another eclectic set last night featuring some tasty covers including the first 3.0 bust-out of ‘Oh Sweet Nuthin’ (Velvet Underground) and one of the only 3.0 ‘Cities’ (Talking Heads) and ‘Bold as Love’ (Hendrix) renditions taboot. The first set alternated between short rocking numbers like ‘Golgi’, ‘Chalkdust’, ‘Ya mar’ and ‘Suzy’ with longer and more complex tunes like ‘Divided Sky’, ‘Time Turns Elastic’, and ‘David Bowie’. Keeping true to form, the 2nd set really took off further into the jamosphere with explorations into ‘DWD’, ‘Maze’, and a dark Mike’s>Simple>Groove to close out the set. All in all, quite an evening in Cali, next stop: 2 nights at the beautiful Gorge amphitheater.
Phish ~08/5/09 ~ Shoreline Amphitheater ~Mountain View, CA
8/05/09
Set One
Golgi Apparatus
Halley’s Comet
Chalk Dust Torture
The Divided Sky
When the Circus Comes
Time Turns Elastic
Ya Mar
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
Suzy Greenberg
David Bowie
8/05/09
Set Two
Backwards Down the Number Line
Down With Disease >
Limb By Limb
Oh Sweet Nothin’
Cities >
Maze
Mike’s Song >
Simple
Weekapaug Groove
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