Phish
6/06/09
Comcast Center (aka Great Woods)
Mansfield, MA
Set I
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
Nothing
Back On The Train
Golg Apparatus
Sparkle
Gotta Jibboo
Lawn Boy
Let Me Lie*
Taste
Makisupa Policeman
Prince Caspian
Set II
Seven Below
Fluffhead
Scent Of A Mule
Heavy Things
Harry Hood
Possum
Bug
Encore
Contact
Julius
* – First Time Played
Phish layed it on heavy last night for their final night at Jones Beach. A mostly jam-less but well played first set was capped off with a Split Open And Melt that really lived up to its name. The second set was pure magic with the exception of the new song ‘Twenty Years Later’ that read like page 3 of Trey’s diary from the day after his arrest – something best kept to himself in this phaner’s view. An unexpected highlight of the night was the ‘Backwards Down the Number Line’ which had the whole crowd dancing and singing to this Phish 3.0 insta-classic. Other highlights are the My Friend, My Friend, and second set ragers Free, 2001, an Twist con ‘oye como va’ teases taboot. Fuck yea’ Phish!
Phish
6/05/09
Jones Beach Ampitheater
Wantagh, NY
I: Wilson, Buried Alive, Kill Devil Falls, AC/DC Bag, I Didn’t Know*, My Friend My Friend, Ya Mar, Theme From The Bottom, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Split Open and Melt
II: Down With Disease > Twist**, Piper > Backwards Down the Number Line, Free, Twenty Years Later, 2001 > Slave To The Traffic Light
E: A Day in the Life
* – With Vac solo
** – With extended ‘Oye Como Va’ teases
Phish is back at it tonight for their second of three nights at Jones Beach and their first of a 4 night weekend run. Yet another greatest hits setlist tonight – one has to wonder if they can keep this up. From what I’ve seen on the live stream, they are really picking up steam night after night and starting to explore some deeper jams. Trey’s playing is crisp, focused and determined; Fish is straight up murdering it on the drums; Page is laying it on thick; and Gordo’s being Gordo. What more could you ask for?
Pre-Show 6/04/09
Set I
Grind*
Divided Sky
Ocelot
The Squirming Coil ->
Punch You In The Eye
NICU
Ghost
Run Like An Antelope
Set II
Water In The Sky
Birds Of A Feather ->
Drowned
Meatstick**
Time Turns Elastic
Waste
YEM
Encore
Rock and Roll
* – Acapella
** – With Japanese Lyrics
Tonight, Phish kicks off their 3 night run at the historic Jones Beach Amphitheater right outside New York City. This run promises to see some new song debuts, some bustouts, and (hopefully) Phish settling into the groove and laying down some more exploratory jams relative to Hampton and Fenway. Only time will tell but there’s magic in the air and no telling what’s going to happen. Also, check out these rumored winter tour dates…
Phish - 6/02/09
Phish
6/02/09
Jones Beach Ampitheatre
Wantagh, NY
Set I
Runaway Jim
Foam
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan*
Timber Ho (Jerry) ->
Cities
Driver
Reba
Possum
Farmhouse
If I Could
Set II
Mike’s Song ->
Simple ->
Wolfman’s Brother ->
Weekapaug Groove
When The Circus Comes To Town
Kill Devil Falls*
Harry Hood
Loving Cup
Encore
Suzy Greenberg
* – New Song, First Time Played
It’s arrived! After months of anticipation, Phish is back and ready to head out on the road for what promises to be an epic tour. Here’s some updates from tonight:
Phish at Fenway
Set 1: The Star Spangled Banner** (sung from pitchers mound), Sample In a Jar, The Moma Dance > Chalkdust Torture > Ocelet*, Stash***, Bouncing Round The Room > Poor Heart, Limb By Limb, Wading In The Velvet Sea > Down With Disease, Destiny Unbound, Character Zero
Set 2: Tweezer > Light, Bathtub Gin, David Bowie, Time Turns Elastic*, The Ballad of Curtis Lowe, You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Cavern, Good Times Bad Times, Tweezer Reprise
Sound Check: Star Spangled Banner**, Jam>Funky Bitch, Time Turns Elastic, Undermind
* – First Time Played, ** – Acapella, *** – with ‘Take me out to the ballgame’ teases
Check out some great pics here
Phish at Fenway
YouTube (no vid, just audio) of Phish rehearsing their new song ‘Ocelet’ at the DCU Center 5/30/09:
Part of David Bowie:
YEM (Mike Bass Sickness > Vocal Jam)
Phish is back. And they’re everywhere.
This week the band released their first single from their forthcoming album – Time Turns Elastic. This 13 minute introspective pop-jamrock-ballad definitely has some fun sections, a rocking refrain and some catchy melodies. While it’s no ‘David Bowie’, it’s no ‘Mexican Cousin’ either and I’m glad to see the band at least moving in a positive direction with their studio work. Check it out at the following links:
Watch the ‘Time Turns Elastic’ promo vid
Stream ‘Time Turns Elastic’ at Phish MySpace
Download ‘Time Turns Elastic’ at ITunes
Also, check out this unreleased Trey acoustic studio outtake of the song
The boys set out on the road for their summer tour – their first tour in 5 years – this Sunday at Fenway Park in Boston. This is a historic show for the band, and their first real stadium gig ever. Fenway kicks off the following monster 2-leg summer tour:
Leg 1
5.31.09 Fenway Park, Boston, MA
6.02.09 Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
6.04.09 Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
6.05.09 Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
6.06.09 Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
6.07.09 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
6.09.09 Asheville Civic Center, Asheville, NC
6.10.09 Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN
6.12.09 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, TN
6.14.09 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, TN
6.16.09 Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO
6.18.09 Post Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA
6.19.09 Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
6.20.09 Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, WI
6.21.09 Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, WI
Leg 2
7.30.09 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
7.31.09 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
8.01.09 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
8.02.09 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
8.05.09 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
8.07.09 The Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA
8.08.09 The Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA
8.11.09 Toyota Park, Chicago, IL
8.13.09 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY
8.14.09 The Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT
8.15.09 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
8.16.09 Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
This spring, the band got ready for the tour by spending a few weeeks in an NYC studio and are expected to release a new CD later this year. For rumours about the album title, track list, and more, check out this wikipedia page. The excitment in the Phish community right now is potentially higher than any other time in the band’s history – let’s hope the band can run with it and blast off this summer. I’ll be there with an open ear, and open mind, and my dancin’ shoes laced high, ready to boogie down. Phish is back!
Skip ahead 18 years from the Dead’s 78′ run discussed here yesterday – into a new generation, new scene, new band – and check out this magical 4-night Phish run (!) at Red Rocks in the summer of 96′. These shows happen just as the Phish scene is exploding, from a minority phenomenon to a household name. The fanbase is growing and taking on a culture and language of its own. For instance, the crowd initiates an audience chant in Harry Hood through fliers passed out before the show – this ritual remains today and you’ll hear it any Hood post 96′. You can really feel the excitement coming out of this newly blooming community in these shows – the band and the audience are locked in and just mutually lifting the scene to a higher level. Anyway, nuff’ bullshit – let’s get on with the shows:
8/04/96
08-04-96 Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison CO
1: Chalk Dust Torture, Funky Bitch, Guyute, Fee, Split Open and Melt, The Mango Song, The Sloth, Maze, Loving Cup
2: AC/DC Bag-> Reba-> Scent of a Mule, Sample in a Jar, David Bowie, Sweet Adeline, Slave to the Traffic Light
E: Star Trek Theme*, Rocky Top
*Page, solo on Theremin.
Download link part 1
Download link part 2
8/05/96 Mini-Acoustic Set
08-05-96 Red Rocks Ampitheater, Morrison, CO
1: Wilson, Poor Heart, Guelah Papyrus, The Divided Sky*, Wolfman’s Brother, Foam, If I Could, Julius, The Squirming Coil
2: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Down With Disease-> It’s Ice, Halley’s Comet-> Somewhere Over the Rainbow**, Waste^, Talk^#, Train Song^, Strange Design^, Amazing Grace, Mike’s Song-> I Am Hydrogen-> Weekapaug Groove
E: Cavern
*During the silent part, everyone sat down by instruction of the “Group Crowd Ideas at Red Rocks” flier. **Page, solo on Theremin. ^Page on a smaller piano, Trey on acoustic guitar, Mike on acoustic bass, and Fishman on a smaller drum set (the “acoustic mini-stage”). #First time played.
Download link part 1
Download link part 2
Download link part 3
08-06-96 Red Rocks Ampitheater, Morrison, CO
Fishman
2: The Curtain-> Tweezer**, Prince Caspian, A Day in the Life, Big Black Furry Creature From Mars, Purple Rain, Harry Hood#-> Tweezer Reprise
E: Johnny B. Goode
*Contained “This is Red Rocks, This is the Edge” (referring to U2’s live album “Under a Blood Red Sky”), by Trey. **With “Norwegian Wood” jam. #First appearance of the “Hood!” chant after the band sings “Harry,” which was initiated by flyers passed out at the show.
Download link part 1
Download link part 2
Trey
08-07-96 Red Rocks Ampitheater, Morrison, CO
1: Punch You in the Eye, Sparkle, Stash, Ya Mar*, Gumbo, Taste, Lawn Boy, Years**, Ode to a Dream**, Doin’ My Time**
2: Runaway Jim***, Free, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent-> Famous Mockingbird, Possum, Life on Mars, You Enjoy Myself, Hello My Baby
E: Bouncing Around the Room, Golgi Apparatus
*Trey thanks the audience, salutes two-time Olympic gold medalist and Colorado native swimmer John Olson and announces that a special guest will come out later in the set. **First time played; with Tim O’Brien on mandolin, bouzouki, and lead vocals. O’Brian is a former member of Hot Rize (see 11-16-97). ***With “Gypsy Queen” jam.
Download link part 1
Download link part 2
Download link part 3
In anticipation of Phish’s triumphant return to Red Rocks this summer, let’s look back on some of the classic runs that helped give this historic venue its name.
First, the Dead hit Red Rocks for two nights in July of 78′ – their first of two two-night stands at Red Rocks that summer. These are two great shows, each with monster 2nd set jam sequences and amazing song selection. The band had really hit a groove with Keith and were settling into their new found fame and arena sellouts nicely in the summer of 78′ and it shows on these bootlegs.
7-07-78 ~ Red Rocks Amphitheater ~ Morrison, CO
Set 1: Jack Straw, Candyman, Me & My Uncle->Big River, FOTD, Cassidy, Tennessee Jed,Passenger,Fenario, Music Never Stopped
Set 2: Cold Rain & Snow, BIODTL, Scarlet Begonias->Fire on the Mountain, Dancin in the Streets->Family Drums->Not Fade Away->Black Peter->Around & Around
Encore: US Blues, Johnny B Goode
7-08-78 ~ Red Rocks Amphitheater ~ Morrison, CO
Set 1: Bertha->Good Lovin, Dire Wolf, El Paso, The Roses, Minglewood Blues, Ramble on Rose, Promised Land, Deal
Set 2: Samson & Delilah, Ship of Fools, Estimated Prophet->The Other One->Eyes of the World->Family Drums->Wharf Rat->Franklins Tower->Sugar Magnolia
Encore: Terrapin Station->One More Saturday Night, Werewolves of London
Download 7/7 AUD recording
Download 7/8 AUD recording
Strem 7/7 SBD
Stream 7/8 SBD
We all have our highs and lows – Trey is no different.
Exhibit A – Phish’s millennium concert at Big Cypress was, without question (at least according to the band) the high point of Phish’s career. The band delivered the following monster show including a new years set from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM the next morning when the sun rose:
Set I
Runaway Jim
Funky Bitch
Tube
I Didn’t Know
Punch You in the Eye
Bouncing Around the Room
Poor Heart
Roggae
Split Open and Melt ->
Catapult
Back on the Train
Horn
Guyute
After Midnight
Set II (Midnight -> Sunrise set)
Father Time bicycling intro
Meatstick ->
Auld Lang Syne
Down with Disease ->
Llama
Bathtub Gin
Trey’s message for peace
Heavy Things
Twist ->
Prince Caspian >
Rock and Roll
You Enjoy Myself
Crosseyed and Painless
The Inlaw Josie Wales
Sand ->
Quadrophonic Toppling
Slave to the Traffic Light
Albuquerque
Reba
Axilla
Uncle Pen
David Bowie
My Soul
Page & Mike intro jam >
Drowned ->
After Midnight Reprise
The Horse >
Silent in the Morning
Bittersweet Motel
Piper ->
Free
Lawn Boy
HYHU >
Love You >
HYHU
Roses are Free
Bug
Harry Hood intro tease
Wading in the Velvet Sea
Meatstick
Outro
Download Links (10 parts):Part 1,Part 2,Part 3,Part 4,Part 5,Part 6,Part 7,Part 8,Part 9,Part 10
Exhibit B – Phish’s last song before the breakup – The Curtain from their disastourous Coventry festival. After his little speech, he suspiciously seems to blow something at 0:50, the resulting near death/coma like look he gives at 2:40 is downright scary. It makes this phan happy the man’s still alive and playing, it’s clear he was really out there:
Exhibit C – Nuff’ said:
Exhibit D – Fast-forward a few years to the Hampton reunion, night 3, opening sequence of Sanity > Wilson. Trey seems like a new man, rejuvenated, playing crisply, not looking like a ghost, and generally enthused with the band:
Let’s hope that Trey and keep his shit together for the upcoming summer tour – Phish has more potential for both magic and disaster right now than probably any time in their career. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Trey will melt faces this summer, just not his own.
Let’s mix it up a bit with some recent news tidbits, some bootlegs, and some video. As they say, “variety is the spice of life”:
First, the All Good Festival announced their Daily Lineup which looks like a lot of fun, though admittedly a bit cheesy and poppy. For some reason, they seemed to have packed a lot of the best acts into Sunday’s lineup. Why they wouldn’t give DSO, BK3, or Tea Leaf Green main day or late night shows is beyond me. In any case, check it out, July 9-12 at Marvin’s Moutaintop in Masontown, West Virginia.
In Dead news, Jambase put out this review of The Dead’s 5/02/09 final performance at the Philadelphia Spectrum. They’re got some nice pics, but I don’t think this review holds up to the one offered up here. 
Also, The Dead released a series of new videos from their 09′ tour. They picked some choice moments for the musical segments of these vids, definitely worth a watch. One of the 2 most recent videos feature Branford Marsalis offering up a fresh perspective on the Dead, their approach to the music, and the repetoire while the other has Bob Weir embarrassing himself with an attempt at human speech. The mindless dribble that comes out of his mouth these days is only second to his “rhythm guitar”. The dead kick off the closing west coast leg of their 09 tour today with a stop in Colorado. Rider, anyone?
Elsewhere this week, Phish’s Trey Anastasio was on Capitol Hill lobbying for drug courts… His choice of words was a bit cryptic: “I’m a recovering alcoholic and a proud graduate of the Washington drug court program”. Let me translate for you: I’m a recovering alcoholic who still loves oxy and blow! To read between the lines yet one layer further, I think what the frontman is really trying to say is ‘Don’t do drugs… Except of course on the upcoming sold out Phish tour!’
Moving on to something we really dig over here – let’s check out some bootlegs from the 70’s when, according to Branford, ‘Things were just easy’.
First, some Peter Tosh from the nation’s capital in 79:
Peter Tosh
Washington D.C.
3/13/79
1 400 Years/Steppin Razor
2 Pick Myself Up/African
3 Burial
4 Soon Come
5 I’m The Toughest/Bush Doctor
6 Don’t Look Back
7 Get Up Stand Up
8 Legalize It
Download Link 1
Download Link 2
Second, dig this show from Jerry and the late, great Merl Saunders in Palo Alto in 73′:
Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
5/04/73
Homer’s Warehouse
Palo Alto, CA
Set 1:
That’s The Touch I Like
Expressway
instrumental>
AfterMidnight>
It’s No Use
That’s All Right Mama
Set 2:
It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry
Honey Chile
Lonely Avenue
instrumental
Georgia On My Mind
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
How Sweet It Is
Finally, let’s time travel ahead 20 years and close things out on a trippy note with some great-sounding Floyd from the Knebworth Festival, 1990:
Pink Floyd
6/30/90
Knebworth Festival, Knebworth, England,
1 Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 1-5)
2 The Great Gig In The Sky
3 Wish You Were Here
4 Sorrow
5 Money
6 Comfortably Numb
7 Run Like Hell
For a second encore, and one well worth it, check this Jerry and friends vid featuring Baba Olatunji, Carlos Santana, Hamza el-Din, Bobby Vega, Sikiru Adepoju, and others in California, 1987. Santana rips the shit out of this Fire and the rhythm secion is not to be messed with:
Welcome To Now 