NYS Music 20​15

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  • NYS Music Magnaball Roundtable

    It’s been two weeks since Phish’s Magnaball festival and the buzz from the weekend is still in the air. With the summer wrapping up this weekend at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO, we asked NYS Music staffers who attended Phish’s 10th festival what their takeaways were, following time to rest and reflect on the weekend. (Ed. note – this roundtable was conducted prior to Phish’s announcement of shows in Mexico in January)

    How does Magnaball compare to past Phish festivals?

    Jim Rizzo: Having only attended Festival 8 and Super Ball IX, I’d say that Magnaball was tops. There was a lot going on throughout the weekend that kept everyone occupied and not looking to simply sit around at their campsites. A lot of planning went into the festival, and it showed. I enjoyed myself more overall at this festival than either of the two previous festivals.

    Jess Collier: This was my sixth Phish fest, and I’m not gonna lie, it was easier when I was 17 years old. Overall, though, I felt it was pretty similar to the other Phish fests I’ve been to.

    Tim O’Shea: For some reason, Magnaball felt smaller and more intimate than Phish festivals of the past. Not sure if this was attributed to residing in RV Camping for the first time or not, but the fest as a whole felt almost like oversized regular Phish shows based on this and the fairly standard song selections for the “announced” shows.

    Darren Kemp: Having experienced two previous phishtivals – Camp Oswego and Superball – it seems apparent that every one is an obvious upgrade from the previous. Camp Phish learns from their mistakes and rectifies them with ease. With ample and usually “clean enough” portapotties, unbelievable food and beverage choices at festival reasonable pricing, fast moving shower lines, roving ice carts, professional and not overbearing security, and sound and lights that are simply incomparable to peers, Magnaball proved itself to be one of the best festival experiences of a lifetime.

    Neil Benjamin, Jr.: MagnaBall was special in a different way from Superball and Coventry. It felt more together, like every single person in attendance was lost in a world that only the people around them would understand. It was all smiles, and my interaction with fans was the best I’ve experienced. And musically, it was spot-on with exploration all over. I still enjoyed Superball as a whole more, but that had special meaning attached.

    How does Magnaball measure up against other music festivals?

    Tom Sgroi: I have been to a number of different festivals and as far as setup goes I want to say Magnaball is tops. Watkins Glen is such a perfect setup and the venue worked great. I loved how Phish organized everything and with only them playing made it feel not so rushed like other festivals.

    Darren Kemp: No comparison. Instead of running from stage to stage and making decisions about what bands to see, this “one band” festival allowed the days to be about community, art, conversation, caring, and anticipation.

    Neil Benjamin, Jr.: You can’t compare a festival where one band draws 40,000 people to ones where 100 draws the same. Phish festivals are unlike anything else in the music world.

    Jess Collier: My boyfriend insists that Phish festivals are ridiculous because there’s only one band playing. “What’s the point of throwing a music festival if it’s just one band?” is his reasoning. I never really thought of that before he first mentioned it to me, since my first three or so music festivals were all Phish fests, and I never felt the need for more bands. But once he mentioned it, I started to think that maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever to add some other bands.

    Steve Malinski: It’s tough to compare. Magnaball is in its own league of festival with the pace and atmosphere. While it’s not musically packed from 10am until 2am with multiple stages of music, the time to relax and make new friends put it a notch above other festivals – quality vs. quantity, as they say.

    What was the Number 1 thing you loved about Magnaball?

    Eli Stein: Enjoying a great old band with great old friends.

    Neil Benjamin, Jr.: The relaxed atmosphere. I wasn’t bombarded with people selling this or that, and didn’t have to deal with many waste cases. That, and I got to attend it with someone super close to me and also my best friend from childhood. Made it special.

    Steve Malinski: The community. I’ve only ever experienced Phish in single-day stints so the music was the only side of Phish I saw. Getting a full 3-day immersion in it, off the grid, with other phans was really special.

    Jess Collier: The music of course!

    Jim Rizzo: The energy was incredible. I realize it’s not something concrete, but there was a certain energy throughout the festival that existed among the attendees, the band, and each and every person working the festival from the vendors to the security folks. Everyone seemed to share the same energy and excitement that this was a very special event. And that made it even more special.

    Tom Sgroi: I think I enjoyed that it was just one band, it allowed for you not to miss anything and not feel rushed.

    Tim O’Shea: The number one thing was far and away the “unannounced” but universally known secret set. Take the randomness of Superball’s Storage Jam, add tremendous visual displays and more freewheeling and psychedelic jamming and you’ve got the Drive In Set.

    Darren Kemp: Phish

    What could have been improved with Magnaball? For future Phish festivals?

    Tom Sgroi: I really liked that their was only Phish but I wouldn’t have minded a smaller band at late night.

    Steve Malinski: On-site communication of weekend activities and the layout of the grounds. While only so many paper maps can be passed around, it would have been nice to see a board or something along that line at the entrances with a large map and list of activities and events. Since it’s 2015, perhaps even a smartphone app like some other festivals make for themselves would be very beneficial. The field had a few sweet spots for stage viewing but the slant of the field was slightly unfriendly for seeing the stage in some areas. Projection screens on the sides of the stage would have prevented a few achy necks. Warm showers. Though, ice cold showers are a good wakeup call.

    Jess Collier: If you’re going to make people camp that far away, maybe give them mini-sites or storage lockers or something closer to the concert grounds so they don’t have to walk the hour round trip to pick up a hoodie during setbreak. Also, screens showing what’s going on onstage would have been great for fans who didn’t want to muscle their way up through the crowd to get a good view.

    Tim O’Shea: Portable bathrooms could have been managed a little better. Page side porto’s were extremely crowded and somewhat clusterfuck-ish. And the RV camping area didn’t seem to be equipped with enough either. Thank goodness for the small public restroom with flushable toilets that everyone knew about but still kept hush hush about.

    Eli Stein: Directional signage and signage in general seemed to be an after thought. Other festivals I have been to are very easy to navigate and make ample use of clear signs. The festival signs at Magnaball mixed in with the general signs used at the racetrack. They needed to be more clearly from the festival and also needed to more clearly point the way. Big room for improvement here.

    Jim Rizzo: The walks from the campsites to the festival grounds were very long. There were also walkways and exits that did not double as entrances, which made things confusing when people tried to visit friends in other campgrounds and make their way back to their own, having to cut through the festival grounds. So I guess improved directional signage would have been very helpful. They should keep this in mind for future festivals. Signage should be extended to the drive in to allow people to better find various campgrounds to at least try to stay in the same campground as friends they aren’t arriving with.

    Neil Benjamin, Jr.: Security into the show area was annoying and slow. Let us bring beer into that area and I’m a happy man.

    What can other music festivals learn from Phish festivals?

    Jess Collier: I love the atmosphere at Phish festivals. They always have the groups of characters roaming about, and the collaborative art installations, both of which could be supercool at a lot of other festivals. I like the idea of themes for the festival as well.

    Eli Stein: The quality of sound at Magnaball was as good as any concert I have attended. Outdoor concerts in general and festivals specifically often have horrible sound. Other festivals should make this more of a priority.

    Steve Malinski: Other festivals can look up to the security and law enforcement at a Phish festival. They were remarkably friendly and cordial.

    What was the best moment of the festival for you? Why?

    Neil Benjamin, Jr.: “Blaze On,” hands down. Have had a really rough two years personally and that song picks me up and makes me smile. I got to stand arm-in-arm with my best friend since childhood, singing those lyrics of redemption. It made me tear up for the third time ever at a Phish show. If I could recreate that moment every day, I would. Bumping into old tour friends is up there, too. I just love seeing old faces from years past.

    Jim Rizzo: The best moment for me was definitely the Drive In Set. It felt like it was… IT. All the energy from the previous incredible three sets of music came to a head with that set as the anticipation built while attendees arrived wondering what was going to happen.

    Eli Stein: The jam in Tweezer mirrored the jam in Weekapaug from Colgate 4/23/93, which is one of my favorite Phish moments of all time, so that’s an easy pick for best moment for me personally.

    Anastasia Marie Michalowskij: The thing I loved about Magnaball was how laid back it was. Comparatively it was a cool change of pace to go to a music featival and only see one musical act preform the whole weekend. I also loved all of the instillation art and the featured film. It was nice to see so many other creative artforms being celebrated.

    Steve Malinski: Day 2, Set 2: I broke away from my friends for a set so I could do my best to get a good view and managed to get myself to a perfect spot next to the soundboard, no one in front of me. As the set went on a small cluster of set friends formed and we all stood our ground there for the set. It was really great to share the fun of the music with complete strangers.

    Darren Kemp: Ending the weekend on the Ferris wheel with my beautiful new girlfriend as fireworks went off over our heads was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

    Jess Collier: “Simple” has been one of my favorite Phish songs since I started listening to them about 20 years ago, so I was thrilled when the first show on the first night opened with that wonderful tune. The beginning of the fest holds so much promise and so much anticipation, so there are few things that compare with the very first chords of the first show, anyway. And to make it my favorite song? Just magic.

  • Phish Magnaball Day 3: Your Magna Trip is Short

    Many Magnaball attendees were foggy rather groggy Sunday morning after an epic Saturday of music, so it was good that fans had all day to recover and gather their strength for a final night of revelry with Phish.

    Sunday’s show started out with a cheer as fans recognized the opening chords to “Punch You in the Eye.” That segued into a rarity, “Buffalo Bill.” The song hasn’t been played since Ohio in June 2012 and the set continued with “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing,” then “Limb By Limb,” which featured a jam that built to a quick payoff. The melancholy “Waiting All Night” moved into “Theme From the Bottom,” with a beautifully melodic breakdown in the middle. That transitioned into “Maze,” the only song of the night off Rift, the album released on vinyl for the first time the previous day. “Maze” built to a frightening frenzy multiple times before breaking back into the dark, sparse end section.

    phish magnaball

    The mood lightened with the lyric-heavy “The Line” while “Stash” got everyone dancing with a jam that included some great guitar/bass interplay and piano builds. “Reba”’s nonsensical recipe for disaster was super fun, as always.

    phish magnaball

    Band members then sang “I Didn’t Know,” until Trey asked the Little Beast Boy (Fishman) to come forward and play the vacuum and “suck love” at a long list of people Trey read off that the band wanted to thank, ranging from the band’s crew and staff to local officials. The set finished off with a high-energy version of “Character Zero” that left the crowd hungry for more.

    phish magnaball

    A loud appreciative roar from the crowd accompanied the opening audio segment of “Martian Monster” whose words of blasting off on a voyage of discovery undoubtedly rang so true for so many at Magnaball. An energized but fairly standard jam soon followed before the music shifted towards ambient spacey tones and, soon after, the opening bass notes of “Down with Disease.” As they’ve done regularly this summer, Phish stretched out a second set “Disease” jam into a beautiful one that started out with a slow ambient groove that slowly and surely evolved into a raging rock and roll blissed out jam.

    After reaching an apex and stagnating for a few minutes, the music shifted seamlessly into a far less common song of late, “Scents and Subtle Sounds.” Although not played with the full intro section as it was in Philadelphia two weeks prior, this newly revived 2.0 gem ushered in a new wave of beautiful improvisational rock with standout fills from Page on piano and Trey repeating some soaring and beautifully dissonant chords on guitar. The short and power packed jam was not even finished yet as the opening chords to another rarity, “What’s the Use?” started up with Fishman still singing along to a petering out “Scents and Subtle Sounds.” This along with “Dirt” that followed seemed to serve as a chance for everyone to conserve some energy for the stretch run and for some to cross some rarer songs off their lists.

    The final leg of a magical weekend began with a “Mike’s Song” that was played to perfection with Page again shining on the clavinet and Trey unleashing a relentless attach of high octave shock waves courtesy of the Echoplex. While some held their breath for another go round of the second Mike’s jam, instead, the group launched right into “Fuego” which brought its signature brand of powerhouse rock to the second set. While the composed section was run through perfectly, it was a fairly short version with no jam as the music immediately shifted gears into “Twist.” One of the true MVPs of this summer tour, “Twist” featured some of the more improvisational moments of the second set as a quick run through of the composed section gave way to a nifty guitar and bass breakdown between Trey and Mike. A quick blues based jam with the whole band involved soon followed which escalated into yet another full on rock barrage replete with “Immigrant Song” vocal teases from Trey and Fishman. Although it may not have been as stretched out or as epic as previous summer “Twist’s,” this version served as a clear example of how effortlessly the band can shift from one musical mode to another. The customary “Weekapaug Groove” that followed was also a prime example of this as some light-hearted toying around with the song’s tempo towards the end of the jam gave way to a reemergence of “Martian Monster” and all the audio samples that come along with it. If it was the band’s intention to pack as much different music and madness as they could into a short “Mike’s Groove,” then they succeeded most admirably.

    phish magnaball

    A show and a weekend like this one could only have one fitting encore and the group’s seminal classic “You Enjoy Myself” fit that bill. This final musical sendoff gave Phish one last chance to delight the crowd with its mastery of ambient noise, blissful cohesiveness, trampolines and vocal jamming. At its completion, a majestic fireworks display went off to the right of the stage that left revelers with minds blown and mouths agape. It served as both the final page of a fantastic and memorable Magnaball and the initial call to arms for those fortunate fans ending the summer tour with the annual summer ending party in Colorado in two weeks.

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Punch You in the Eye > Buffalo Bill, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing > Limb By Limb, Waiting All Night > Theme From the Bottom > Maze, The Line, Stash, Reba, I Didn’t Know[1], Character Zero

    Set 2: Martian Monster > Down with Disease[2] -> Scents and Subtle Sounds[3] -> What’s the Use? > Dirt > Mike’s Song > Fuego > Twist -> Weekapaug Groove[2] -> Martian Monster

    Encore: You Enjoy Myself

    [1] Trey thanked the crew, production staff and local officials.
    [2] Unfinished.
    [3] No intro.

  • Magnaball Drive-In Jam: Phish treat fans to an audio-visual Odyssey

    Phish has surprised their fans with special, unannounced sets at many of their festivals in the past 19 years. At The Clifford Ball, a flatbed truck drove the band around while they jammed. During The Great Went, the band DJ’d under fake names in a tent for a “Disco Set.” The Lemonwheel featured an hour long ambient set late at night, while Big Cypress had slightly-announced ‘Midnight set’ where the band played for seven hours straight, stretching from the end of the last millennium into the dawn of the new one. IT had The Tower Jam, with the band performing on an air traffic control tower while acrobats danced below and Superball IX had the ‘Storage Jam,’ which sparked a new era of psychedelic jamming and broke new ground. The Drive-In Jam would join all these in the annals of Phish lore.

    Via unpluggedmusings.wordpress.com

    Magnaball’s foray into the history of Phish’s special festival sets was the Drive-In Jam and it raised the bar while putting forth a performance on par with the ‘Storage Jam,’ if not exceeded this established upper echelon of improvisation. On a 183 foot movie screen, a wide array of visual treats combined with a progressively growing ambient jam that eclipsed the Lemonwheel by a longshot and morphed into a full on jam for 50 minutes. The Drive-in Set raised the bar for surprise performances and gave fans a treat after the music on the main stage ended an hour prior.

    How can one explain what happened in those 50 minutes and the lead up to the Drive-in Jam performance? For starters, you can watch the video captured by Phun Guy and judge for yourself what transpired. Add to this a breakdown of what occurred in each ‘segment’ of the Drive-In jam and take a waltz through Phish at the top of their game, more than 30 years into their career.

    Breakdown of the Drive-In Set (times are approximate, based on Live Phish recording time.)

    0:00 – 8:10
    Gentle, airy, spooky feedback with the sound of chains and haunted house noises – a psychedelic Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House. Screams and chimes ala “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies” build on the cosmic sound that develops from the first portion of the jam.

    8:10 – 10:30
    Waves and a few bass notes from Mike redirect the jam to fresh territory, an ocean-sound-scape, where some light vocals accompany the developing music.

    Phish drive-in

    10:30 – 12:30
    Trey takes a lead and Fishman is more prevalent in the mix, building towards a jam that could be a Type II jam of any song from this summer – the epic jams we experienced are found within this portion. All four are synced up now.

    12:30 – 15:30
    Trey jumps ahead with some arcing riffs while Fish works the crash cymbals loudly. Page is the captain here – guiding the band into the grandiose trip through an ambient wormhole. Trey keeps jumping ahead at times, short leaps that propel the jam with the rhythm section building upon already fertile ground.

    15:30 – 17:30
    Mike brings the bass to the fore and now we have a change in the tone – deeper and weirder. Trey pops in with some lighter notes while Page adds in UFO sounds to freak people out. The visual display at this time was practically a trip through an episode of Cosmos, minus Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s narrating.

    Phish drive-in

    17:30 – 22:30
    And here comes Fishman! The pace picks up a bit as Mike and Fish are going double time and leaving the ambiance behind. Trey and Page follow suit and we have lift-off. This section of the jam is quite remarkable for the build and peaks throughout the ascent. This is a hyper-space jump via ludicrous speed. Fish doesn’t let up on the drums for a second and Trey gets a little nasty towards the end here.

    22:30 – 24:00
    Trey wants to get weird, so Mike gets into a new bass groove. A jam that could be found in an odd version of “Catapult” grows while Page adds in some subtle screams; the build is tremendous here. Closeup fractal imagery of the band is seen over the rest of the crazy visual effects.

    Phish drive-in

    24:00 – 27:00
    Fish returns the jam to earth’s orbit. The mild funk that develops thankfully doesn’t fizzle or fade but instead grows into a new jam, one working in deep bass from Mike and spacey Page effects. The jam collapses in a collective heap of Trey and Page.

    27:00 – 29:00
    Bells, looping and synth arise and slowly rebuild the jam. Fish pounds the drums to redirect and we’re off once again!

    29:00 – 32:00
    With a solar array lighting the screen, another Type II-esque jam develops, eliciting a portion of “Cheap Sunglasses” followed by a vocal jam from Mike and Trey. This is a freaky portion of the entire jam and fodder for future late night Freakouts by The Bunny.

    32:00 – 34:30
    Some meatballs from Mike as Trey slowly paces forward and new territory being broken in a disjointed area where they slowly reconvene.

     

    Magna late night #magnaball

    A photo posted by NYS Music (@nystatemusic) on

    34:30 – 37:00
    Trey takes over and we have all four dialed back in. A blissful jam emerges. The visuals of the band projected on the screen are more solid and animated with a touch of tripped out A-Ha.

    37:00 – 40:00
    As this jam builds it develops into a nearly composed portion that would be a treat to hear again live. Mike and Fish steer the ship while Trey leads the way and Page sets the tone for the jam – it’s hard to hear this jam and not recoil in amazement.

    40:00 – 43:20
    This just keeps getting better and better. Page is now leading the way with Trey and Fish creating interplay for a broader jam to develop that adds layers to the already existing jam – a meta jam. ‘Whoa’ vocals emerge midway through then Trey takes command.

    43:20 – 45:30
    Trey moves the jam into final section territory, a possibly composed portion of accelerated guitar work to signal a shift, which the others follow perfectly. The jam mellows a bit without flatlining; instead Page adds some synth effects to provide a base.

    45:30 – 46:30
    We come towards the close of the Drive-in Jam, all four slowly winding down the jam until it is just a series of beats and feedback played behind the screen.

     

    Drive In set #phish #magnaball A video posted by NYS Music (@nystatemusic) on

    46:30 – 49:30
    A darker section emerges, driving home the remaining jam with audio-hallucinations and growing vocals from Trey and Mike building the jam up.

    49:30 – 51:40
    Sound effects from Page are the beginning of the end for the Drive-In Set, as eerie mad scientist laboratory sounds carry over while Trey uses the Mu-tone to drip a little “Space” goodness into the final minutes. After one last build, the music ends slowly and gently.

    51:40 – 52:17
    Well deserved applause from the faithful 30,000 that stayed awake to witness this incredible musical event.

    drive-in jam

  • Phish’s Magnaball Day 2: The Circus is the Place For Phans

    With an absolutely mind blowing Day 1 under their belt, Phish carried the momentum in stride and coasted gracefully into what was the single best day of Magnaball on Saturday. Delivering four sets, including one unannounced “secret set,” which included almost an hour of free-form jazz infused improv laced with a touch of funk that lasted well into the morning, Phish came out and laid down a more than memorable first set which included a diverse blend of both classic and revamped numbers.

    phish magnaball

    As Phish took the stage for their first set of the second day of the festival the weather and the crowd could not have been better. It seemed as if the majority of the crowd was fairly responsible on Friday night and opted out of late night partying into the sunrise in order to be full force for the marathon day that was Saturday; however, this likely wasn’t the case for everyone. Nonetheless, from where the NYS Music crew was planted, the crowd was in full swing and the energy was at an all time high for the day set.

    Walking out on the stage, Phish opened up with “Divided Sky,” the crowd was instantaneously locked into a dancing groove as the range of this song truly captivated the masses. One of the most beautiful live music experiences a fan can have is when they get so lost in their own dance moves – that when they do finally take a peek out of the corner of their eye, they’re embedded in a sea of dancing people locked into a developing wave of unison. That feeling of not being alone is invaluable and that energy is absolutely unparalleled. Take yourself back to some of the highest moments of your life; a sexual encounter, walking across the stage after graduating, landing that big job after a good interview, making a crowded room of people laugh at the same time, etc… None of it can be compared to that feeling of simply belonging as an individual in a crowd of thousands of people all enjoying the same music together.

    After the band pushed through their classic staple “Divided Sky” they slammed into “Moma Dance” which whiplashed the crowd into another wave of dancing madness. Mike, Page and Trey each took their turn to step into the spotlight and lead the rest of the band through their own respected numbers as Phish went on to play “Mound”, “Army of One” and “Scabbard.” as well as the stellar “Sample in a Jar” and “Tube” before the band hit a cool down song with “Halfway to the Moon.” Page poured out an abundance of emotion and took his time to work through the core of the song with precision.

    As the band was feeling the energy, “Camel Walk” surfaced and a flowing wave of dancing emanated through the crowd; the good people were feeling this song and had the moves to prove it. The new Mike song, “How Many People Are You?” one of many new songs Phish has in their arsenal when they hit the road for their 2015 Summer Tour, made an appearance again after being debuted earlier this summer. The new songs were well received by the fan base as well as the next studio album is sure to be as well.

    The sweet and tender cover of “When the Circus Comes” put the entire weekend into retrospect. The place, the people, the crew, the music and the community as a whole were part of this traveling circus and the circus was the place to be. The band stepped in and out of their solos beautifully and even the composed parts of this version spoke volumes.

    Closing their set with “Undermind” > “Run Like an Antelope” was full of raw energy simply foreshadowing what was yet to unfold throughout the rest of the day. This was just a small piece of the pie as a whole, but what was witnessed on the first day of Saturday was some top notch Phish and they set the stage for the brilliance of music that was planted firmly on the horizon. As the nightfall came the music only got better. When the lights are turning ‘round, the wheels were rolling on the ground.

    How does one describe Saturday’s second set without gushing over the energetic jams? Phish came out for this first night set swinging. The set moved from rocking energy to extended inspired jamming. The audience was on their feet throughout the set, often kept on their toes, not knowing what to expect next.

    A powerful “Wolfman’s Brother” kicked off this energetic set. It was followed quickly by the one-two punch of a short, but sweet, “Halley’s Comet” straight into a “46 Days” that starts out raging and morphs into a slower and darker than usual jam. As the jam picked back up, Anastasio patiently incorporated the opening chords of “Backwards Down the Number Line,” bringing about an incredibly smooth transition. The band gave this traditionally standard tune a bit more energy than usual, keeping up with the energy of the earlier songs.

    The set was capped by a perfectly combined “Tweezer” and “Prince Caspian.” The “Tweezer,” which seems to have a little more pep than most, goes into an intricate jam, out of which comes a near-perfect segue into “Prince Caspian.” There is little one can say about this “Caspian” other than “WOW!” What is usually a breather song for the set was anything but that this time around. It starts off with far more power than anyone expected and morphs into a nearly 17 minute excursion that almost returns to “Tweezer” before the band keeps the improvisation moving.

    The entire set is must-hear Phish, an example of some of the finest playing the band has performed in their current era and one of the best sets of the tour. The “Tweezer” > “Prince Caspian” segment alone is some of the best Phish ever played, with “Caspian” being one of the all time versions of the song.

    phish magnaball

    By the time Saturday night’s set started, mild weariness from a lack of sleep may have set in due to the immense overall fun of Magnaball. That quickly dissipated, thanks to a killer opening section of “Meatstick” > “Blaze On” -> “Possum” > “Cities” > “Light” > “555.” Fresh off that amazing second set closing “Tweezer” > “Prince Caspian,” which, admittedly got the crowd wildly worked up, Phish came out blazing for an incredibly diverse set that featured 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 song choices.

    “Meatstick” got the juices flowing with a short and fun solo from Trey. Up next, however, is the jam of the entire festival. And that’s an incredibly tough statement to make amidst a weekend packed with some of the best Phish jamming since — wait for it — 2004.

    “Blaze On” has risen quickly up the ranks as the best new song the band has debuted since 2009. It’s almost like Trey is saying, “Hey guys, check it out. Look where we are now, compared to where we were years ago.” The chorus ends with, “You’ve got one life, blaze on,” which seems like an omen to the past, present and future, telling us that these first 32 years were only the beginning.

    After some polite psychedelic rambling, the band kicked it into high gear around the 10-minute mark for a major key jam, paced initially by Page’s clavinet, before Trey ramped in with a somewhat haunting lick that takes the jam into a completely different direction. The final two minutes of “Blaze On” are so reminiscent of the Superball “Golden Age,” it’s actually a bit eerie. At times, it even dove into sounding like it was riddled with anxiety, which came right after a calm and uplifting segment. Either way, this jam is a total keeper.

    Up next was a straightforward, but always fun take on “Possum.” where the real winner was the hypnotic segue into the decades-old song written by original band member Jeff Holdsworth. This is one hell of a segue and a must-hear for every fan. “Cities” was next, and for a minute, this was going to go the way of Philly’s jam on August 11, but it ended up sounding like a bit of a reprise of the “Blaze On” jam.

    “Light” was fun for nearly 16 minutes, but it doesn’t stand out among the behemoths of Magnaball. A fun segue into the Mike Gordon-penned funk song “555” seemed a bit out of place coming out of the space “Light” left behind. “Wading in the Velvet Sea” slowed things down even more, but it was well played, especially for a Phish festival.

    Closing out the set was a personal favorite, “Walls of the Cave.” While this version doesn’t stand out much on the radar, it was executed perfectly, with Trey building tension throughout the jam, before bringing the song to a raucous close. A “Boogie On Reggae Woman” and “Tweezer Reprise” encore put a cap to an almost perfect Phish set, the latter bringing the crowd into a swirling frenzy.

    We all had no idea what was about to happen next…

    Set 1 review by Stu Kelly, Set 2 review by Jim Rizzo, Set 3 review by Neil Benjamin, Jr.

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Divided Sky, The Moma Dance > Mound, Army of One, Scabbard > Sample in a Jar, Tube, Halfway to the Moon, Camel Walk, How Many People Are You, When the Circus Comes, Undermind > Run Like an Antelope

    Set 2: Wolfman’s Brother, Halley’s Comet > 46 Days -> Backwards Down the Number Line > Tweezer > Prince Caspian*

    Set 3: Meatstick > Blaze On -> Possum > Cities > Light > 555, Wading in the Velvet Sea > Walls of the Cave

    Encore: Boogie On Reggae Woman > Tweezer Reprise

    *Unfinished.

    Notes: Caspian included a Tweezer tease and was unfinished. Cities contained a Mind Left Body Jam tease.

    Read about the Drive-In Set here

  • Phish Magnaball Day 1 Recap: A Magna-ificent Start

    Phish returned to Watkins Glen International Raceway on Aug 21-23 for their 10th festival, Magnaball. The sold out event gathered more than 40,000 fans to the gorgeous hillsides of the Finger Lakes Region of New York for 3 days of camping, art and the musical jam stylings of the Vermont quartet.

    phish magnaball

    Creating a small city within itself, MagnaBall offered a Ferris Wheel, onsite radio station known as The Bunny, a Post Office, a huge 183-foot movie screen, a high class restaurant serving local and organic five-course meals, interactive art installations and so much more to keep fans glad, glad, glad they had arrived. Despite being sold out, tickets could still be purchased at the gates making for a slightly hectic arrival on Thursday and Friday.

    The festival started around 8pm on Friday with a perfect yet uncommon opener of “Simple” with Page tickling the notes of “Magilla” and a howling good time as the band went into “The Dogs” from their Chilling Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House Halloween set, a nod to us all that Phish and the fans are wild animals. A sincere surprise was the appearance of the beautiful, instrumental classic of “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday” as it jumped into a strong “Avenu Malkenu” and back home again in “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday,” which slowly led into “Free,” reaching great heights as Trey blared the rocking riffs to Mike’s hard hitting bass.

    phish magnaball

    Taking a moment from the music, Trey reflected on the band’s history with their festivals and how their families have since grown in the number of children the band collectively has. Showing a bit of his ’embarrassing dad’ side, Trey shared that this day was also daughter Eliza’s birthday and requested a collective “Happy Birthday,” which the crowd happily performed as he brought her onstage.

    The major bustout of the set was the short and sweet “Mock Song,” an original Mike tune that hadn’t been played since 2003 and with an appropriate lyric change of “Clifford, Super, Magnaball.” The highlight of the set that was talked about all weekend was the set closing “Bathtub Gin”. The Magna Gin was over 20 minutes long with intense, improvisational peaks of highly danceable rhythm, layers upon layers of interchangeable, bizarre melodies and a blissful, playful pace to start the festival.

    Trey brings his daughter Eliza out for a happy birthday wish. ? by Patrick Jordan.

    A photo posted by phishfromtheroad (@phishfromtheroad) on

    We were one set deep into Phish’s 3-night, eight-set Magna-opus and the gloves were already off. You weren’t getting out of there without some pain and bruises, but you were definitely getting out alive, possibly more alive than when you entered. The summer has seen the band playing at a consistently high level, not just for 3.0, and not compared to just 2.0 or 1.0.

    The band is older, the crowd is older, but the music has been reinvigorated both with new songs and new twists on old favorites that has rejuvenated all involved. A ‘Not Your Father’s’ second-set-opener of “Chalkdust Torture,” got things jumping off from the rocking shell of the song proper, and as soon as the last verse was sung we were deep into a pool of straight improvisatory gravy. That gravy would flow throughout the set, as jams became songs became jams once again, oozing together over and over into a delicious stew for over 90 minutes.

    After a dark and winding “Ghost,” Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll” took a journey that eventually wound around to the bopping reggae groove of “Harry Hood.” They lingered patiently for a couple of minutes before launching into the “Hood” nearly everyone saw coming, giving the band another chance to showcase one of their rejuvenated songs, with a rejiggered closing section that allowed a bit more freedom. This time it meant a nifty little “Cars Trucks Buses”-esque jam preceding the typical climactic finish.

    “Waste” provided a pleasant breather before more renewal was on display with the fresh off the wire “No Men in No Man’s Land.” The 2015-debuted tune is already taking on a fun rocking life of its own. There was nothing particularly new about “Slave to the Traffic Light,” sitting there in its classic set closing greatness but it stood tall and proud still, executing the dismount perfectly. Still got it! No surprises were in store with a “Farmhouse” and “First Tube” encore, but the stage was set, and the final energetic notes would dance along the Watkins Glen air for the remainder of the weekend.

    Magnaball was not just some mash-up of two random words, but simply the best way to describe the current state of Phish, a band sounding as fresh as ever, even after 32 years. The first third of that definition was in the books.

    Set 1 review by Susan Rice, Set 2 review by Eli Stein

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Simple>The Dogs > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday> Avenu Malkenu> The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Free, The Wedge, Mock Sock, Roggae > Rift, Bathtub Gin

    Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture* > Ghost -> Rock and Roll > Harry Hood -> Waste > No Men In No Man’s Land -> Slave to the Traffic Light
    Encore: Farmhouse, First Tube

    *Unfinished.

    Notes: Page teased Magilla in Simple. TMWSIY and Avenu Malkenu were played for the first time since July 4, 2012 (124 shows). After Free, Trey asked the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to his daughter, Eliza, who briefly joined him onstage. Mock Song was played for the first time since July 12, 2003 (320 shows), and featured a lyric change to “Clifford, Super, Magnaball.” CDT contained a What’s the Use? tease and was unfinished. Hood contained a CTB tease from Mike.

  • Is Watkins Glen Getting Revved up for Phish?

    While the major story in the music world the past few days has been the July reunion of the ‘Core Four’ members of the Grateful Dead featuring Trey Anastasio, Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti, news that Phish may be returning to Watkins Glen International Speedway later this summer was lost in the mix.

    Two years ago, ‘s Johnny Goff spoke to WGI President Michael Printup to get the low down on the potential for a 2013 festival at the track. We got a firm ‘no’ from Printup but this year we haven’t heard anything official, leading to plenty of local media and fan speculation.

    watkins glen getting phish
    Photo by Andy Hill

    Based on reports from Syracuse and Ithaca newspapers, it looks like the track season ending early paves the way, literally, for Phish to perform at the track. Paving at the track in early August opens the potential for a large-scale concert at the racing grounds, and leaves open much of August for Phish to play at the site of their 2011 Superball IX festival. This is of course dependent on paving ending in time for a music festival or large scale concert to be held. With Trey playing at Soldier Field in early July, that would potentially push Phish tour dates back a few weeks into late July, leaving a summer-ending festival lined up nicely for Watkins Glen.

    Considering the great deal of money that was added to the local communities as a result of Superball IX, and with the Southern Tier region of the state always in need of a good economic boost, a potential Phish festival couldn’t come at a better time. Phish could of course return to Maine, where they held three successful festivals in 1997, 1998 and 2003, but those festivals made sense back then, not now when there are a great deal of music festivals to compete with. Plus, Watkins Glen just makes more sense being geographically-centric to the Phish fan base in the Northeast and remote enough to have the built in intimacy that all Phish festivals have manifested.

    Phish playing the Finger Lakes goes back more than a decade, with memorable shows at Darien Lake, Canandaigua and Watkins Glen. According to ‘s Johnny Goff, in 2002, the County Executive of Chemung County reported that Great Northeast Productions contacted him to seek out a 300 acre space between I-90 and I-86 to hold a music festival. The region has long been a site with potential for a Phish festival, and with that in mind, the Finger Lakes region is prime for a Phish festival once again.

    Speculation from media outlets adds to this potential and keeps all eyes focused on August, likely before or after Peach Festival (August 13-16). We will keep you updated on any news of Phish’s potential festival as speculation develops.

    If Phish played Watkins Glen in August, would you also plan to attend ‘Fare Thee Well’ in Chicago over Fourth of July weekend?