December 2009
33 posts
6 tags
Miami Night Three Explodes With Surprises
There’s something about 12/30 that Phish loves. They have played some of their best music on this date, often overshadowing the more popular New Years Eve show. Just listen to 12/30/1993 (“Bowie” with the “Dream On” teases), the mega-show 12/30/1997 (“Sneaking Sally Reprise!), or the funked out 12/30/2003 (with George Clinton the P-Funk Allstars). In good...
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High Energy, More Heat For Miami Night Two
Last night’s show in Miami built off of Monday’s energy and kept going. Phish wasted no time pleasing the crowd, opening with “Golgi > Maze.” A midset “Wolfman’s,” “Ocelot,” and “Reba” certainly stick out as highlights. “The Connection” was also a nice surprise. It’s amazing how such a simple, pop song...
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Phish Just Warming Up On First Night Of Miami
Phish took the stage last night for their first of four gigs leading up to New Year’s Eve. There were certainly a few surprises, but for the most part, this looked like a typical “2009 show.”
The night opened with the rocking “Sample In A Jar,” followed by “NICU.” Things got interesting when they unveiled “My Soul,” the lost blues jam not...
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Phish: The Biography - A Review
At first glance, it may seem like Parke Puterbaugh’s biography on Phish would be easy to dismiss. An outsider writing about one of the greatest band…how much could he possibly know or even understand? So, it’s probably best to start with Parke’s association with Phish, which he candidly does in the intro. Puterbaugh has been part of the Phish “inner circle”...
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Merry Christmas From Trey - The 1985 "4 Track...
Heavily circulated amongst fans is a tape that Trey made for his family and friends in 1985 as a Christmas gift. Dubbed, “A Christmas Gift From Trey,” this tape featured early renditions of some Phish staples, as well as some improvised jamming. Many of these tracks would surface again on The White Tape and Bivouac Jaun. The majority of the tracks were recorded in Fall/Winter 1985,...
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Looking Back: It All Points Back To Hartford
2009 has been one hell of a year. Phish kicked the door wide open in March with three powerful shows in Hampton, and just built from there. It seemed that every show over the summer just got better and better — tighter jams, more confidence, lots of bust-outs. The energy continued into the fall tour and will definitely be present at Miami. Phish is back. Not back like last time, but...
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The Old Home Phish - Bluegrass Returns in 2009
2009 marked the return (and also debut) of some of the old bluegrass standards that went unheard (or rarely heard) for the post-hiatus run of 2003-2004. These songs, coupled with some of the more obscure Phish songs that had fallen off the wagon in recent years, helped breathe new life into the band and make 2009 a remarkable year. In the live setting, they’ve allowed Mike to take center...
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Anticipating Miami: Auld Lang Syne > ?
New Year’s Eve with Phish is always guaranteed to be a blast. Usually, the third set is most talked about, as the band has frequently rung in the new year with some unexpected surprises.
1994’s Giant Hotdog is the first thing that comes to mind. After “Auld Lang Syne,” the band climbed into a giant hotdog and sailed into the audience, while Captain Beefheart’s...
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New Website Aims To Stop Live Nation/Ticketmaster...
If you’re like me, the news last February of the proposed Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger made you sick. I think we’ve seen (especially us who’ve had the pleasure of getting our Phish tickets through these folks), that the fees and surcharges have become obscene to say the least. Ticketmaster controls roughly 70-80% of the market share when it comes to selling tickets, and...
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Classic Grateful Dead: 10/1/1994 Boston Garden,...
There’s no denying that the last few years of the Dead were rough years, and often tough to listen to on tape. Jerry was so far gone, and everyone knew his addiction would ultimately get the best of him. Still, there are certain shows where he was able to shine, and this night at the Garden was one of them. I first received this show on tape when I was in middle school, one summer at camp...
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This Is Your Song Too - The Ballad's Rightful...
While the majority of us love Phish because of their complex musical compositions and improv jamming, there is a place for the ballads as well. While some will argue that songs like “Fast Enough For You” and “If I Could” have no place in a live setting because they kill the vibe, I wholeheartedly disagree (see Bomb Factory 1994), and this is especially true for...
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Gov't Mule & Friends Bring The Jams With Annual...
Warren Haynes continued his long standing X-Mas Jam tradition this year. In my opinion, this was not as strong as some other years, but Warren never fails to deliver, and he did manage to bring together some great acts to contribute to a fine night of music. Like past years, this was a charity event, benefiting Habitat For Humanity.
This year’s X-Mas Jam acts included Ed Roland (of...
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She Started Dancing To That Fine, Fine Music...
photo courtesy of Dave Vann and www.phish.com
Covers in particular have served as the catalyst for some of Phish’s most interesting and exploratory jams. While most songs in 2009 have not been as long as say, 1998-2003 (I’ll cut them some slack, as it is their first year back), the band has used covers to get their groove and dive into unfamiliar water. Even in some of their...
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The Evolution Of Song: 3.0 Style
One thing that’s always been interesting in following Phish, is the evolution of their songs. Throughout time, we’ve seen songs change titles, keys, lyrics, etc. Listen to 1995 and you can follow the evolution of “Fog That Surrounds” > “Taste,” noticing the lyrical changes. Listen to 1997 and hear “Black-Eyed Katy” gain lyrics, turning into...
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Vintage Phish: 7/29/2003 Post Gazette Pavilion At...
After a fantastic summer and fall run, I’ve been reflecting on some of the songs Phish brought back to life. In my opinion, one of the recurring themes this year was the back catalog. We saw several songs that had been dropped from the repertoire brought back in to everyone’s delight. I can’t name them all of the top of my head, but “Destiny Unbound,”...
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Some Good Ol' Pickin' In Williamsburg
Last night, I had the privilege of catching two of the best bluegrass bands around together on one bill. Railroad Earth and the Infamous Stringdusters took Brooklyn by storm last night, turning the Music Hall of Williamsburg into one giant hoedown. The Stringdusters kicked the night off, playing for roughly an hour (their van broke down en route to the venue, delaying the evening). Highlights...
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In And Out Of Focus
image coutesy of www.phish.com
I was a pretty excited when I found out months before Joy was even released, that Phish had tackled “Time Turns Elastic.” I’d heard the Trey composition as an acoustic demo and also as his official release with orchestra, and wondered how Phish would handle such a complex piece.
When Phish unveiled it at Fenway, it received mixed reactions. ...
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A Decade In Review: Top 10 Albums Of The 00's
As we near the end of 2009 and the decade (shit that went by fast), here’s a rundown of my favorite releases of the past 10 years:
10. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002): I first heard this album through a buddy in college who was really into them. I was familiar with some of their earlier work but never really gave them a shot. It took only a few listens for me...
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Much Joy In New Jams
The first thing most Phish fans think of when they hear a new album is how the songs will translate live. There’s some fear in this as well. I remember hearing Farmhouse when it was first released and thinking, “Oh man, here come the radio-friendly pop hits that are just going to take up time during a show.” Years later, I am older and I think wiser, and time has proven me...
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Velvet Underground Members Reunite In Rare...
Photo courtesy of the New York Public Library
Last night, Lou Reed, Maureen “Mo” Tucker, and replacement bassist Doug Yule reunited at the New York Public Library for a rare interview with Rolling Stone’s David Friske. While no music was played, the audience (limited to 500) was treated to some insight from Lou and company ranging on topics from Andy Warhol and Nico to their...
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Holy $#*!, They Played That!!!?
If you’re an avid fan like me, you’ve probably spent a significant amount of time on Phish’s From The Road section, refreshing constantly during the shows you couldn’t be at, just to see what they were playing. Every once in a while, you see something in the setlist that just blows you away. Albany night one is a perfect example. I remember refreshing the page to see...
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We All Shine On - Remembering John Lennon...
It’s hard to think about how the music world would be today had the events of 12/8/1980 fared differently. Around 10:50pm, John Lennon and Yoko Ono were returning to their home at the Dakota in New York City’s Upper West Side, when deranged fan, Mark David Chapman shot and killed the former Beatle. Lennon and Ono had been returning from a long recording session, where they had been...
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Vintage Phish: 12/7/1997 Ervin J. Nutter Center,...
12 years ago today, Phish played two explosive sets at the Nutter Center that have gone down in history as one of their finest shows of their fall tour (if not of all time). 1997 was the year of the funk, and this definitely was the theme of the evening. Opening up with the always-crowd-pleaser, “AC/DC Bag”, the band quickly segued the jam into the first “Psycho Killer”...
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Phish Nominated For A Grammy
I’m a bit late on this one, but Phish has been nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Box Set Or Limited Edition Packaging” category for their Clifford Ball 7-DVD Boxed Set. This i their third Grammy nomination, following “Best Rock Instrumental Performance” for First Tube, and “Best Boxed Set Packaging” for Hampton Comes Alive. Good luck seeing this...
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Fall Tour Draws To A Close With Surprise...
Phish wrapped up their fall tour this evening in Charlottesville with a couple of tricks up their sleeves. What started out as a redundant first set (very reminiscent of MSG night one), was quickly shaken up when the band launched into “Ya Mar” for the first time this fall tour. To add to the excitement, a naked man ran on stage before being caught by security. Nudity would...
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Phish - Madison Square Garden 2009 Videos (HD)
Here’s a collection of videos I shot over the course of the three night run at MSG. Enjoy!
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Phish Bring The Energy With A Powerful End To...
photo courtesy of Amy Spitzberg
Night three of Phish’s New York City run can be summed up with one word. Energy. From the moment they hit the stage, it was a nonstop, rocking show with little downtime. Set one was one of the strongest first sets I’ve ever witnessed. Launching into an upbeat “Heavy Things” (which probably through everyone off track as an opener) to...
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Cat Power Gets Back To Basics In Upcoming Album
Pitchfork is reporting that Chan Marshall (Cat Power for the uninformed) has begun work on her new album. This will be her first collection of new material since 2006’s The Greatest, one of her finest records. Fans of her early material will be delighted to know that she’s flying solo on this release, and will not be accompanied by a band. The record is still in its exploratory...
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MSG Night Two Heats Up With Funk
From the minute Phish took the stage last night for their second of three nights at MSG, we all knew they were there to party. Launching into “Punch You In The Eye,” they wasted no time bringing the jams. Funk was certainly a theme for the night, as prevalent in “Boogie On” (Mike’s funky bass intro almost confused me before I realized what was going on). ...
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Arcade Fire To Return In 2010 With Dates And Album
Billboard reports that The Arcade Fire will come out of hiding and release their new album (still untitled) and play some shows in 2010. The band is currently weighing their options now, but I’d bet heavily that they’ll headline at least one festival next year. The upcoming album will be the band’s third, following 2007’s Neon Bible and their 2003 debut masterpiece,...
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MSG Night One Just A Taste Of What's To Come
Last night’s MSG show was my first of the fall tour. After hearing a few other shows from the tour (Albany night 1, Philly night 1), this show ranks as OK. Nothing spectacular, but far from poor. Set one opened with much energy as the boys decided to “get this show on the road” with “AC/DC Bag”. A rocking “Chalkdust” followed (and in my mind is the...
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"Let's Get Down To The Nitty Gritty, Let's Get...
Tomorrow, Phish returns to MSG for what will certainly be three nights of insanity. Tomorrow in particular is especially on many fans radar, as it’s the 26th anniversary of their first show. We’ve seen bust-outs almost every show this fall tour, so it’s safe to say the band probably has some tricks up their sleeves. Two of my favorite songs, “Dog Log” (unheard...
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26th Anniversary Show Tomorrow At MSG
It’s hard to believe the 26 years ago tomorrow was Phish’s first gig ever. Billed as Blackwood Convention, Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jeff Holdsworth, and Jon Fishman took the stage at Mike’s dorm’s dance. Using hockey sticks as mic stands (they were short on equipment), the band played two sets, before being drowned out by a stereo playing Michael Jackson. As recalled...