NYS Music 20​17

Tag: Phish

  • Update: Chillfam All-Stars Pay Tribute to Michael Jackson at Phish After-Party

    The Chillfam All-Stars will play a tribute to Michael Jackson on Aug. 5 at the Gramercy Theatre for an afterparty during the Phish Baker’s Dozen run. The band is a supergroup of familiar faces and includes Elise Testone, Jen Hartswick and Natalie Cressman of the Trey Anastasio Band, Alex Petropulos of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Danny Mayer of the Eric Krasno Band, Eric Gould and Richard James of Pink Talking Fish, Adrian Tramontano of Kung Fu, Matt Wayne of the Bobby Deitch Band and Rob Volo of Deep Banana Blackout. Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon.

    Update 5/23/2017:

    Turkuaz is the latest act to announce a Phish afterparty during the Baker’s Dozen run. They play Irving plaza on Tuesday, July 25. Tickets for their show go on sale this Thursday, May 25, at noon.

    Update 5/4/2017:

    Matisyahu, Atlas Road Crew and Strange Machines will all play afterparties following Phish’s Baker’s Dozen shows.

    Strange Machines plays Wednesday, July 26 at Drom. Eggy opens the show. Atlas Road Crew hits up American Beauty on Friday, Aug. 4. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.

    The Cutting Room sees Matisyahu on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Friday, May 5 at noon.

    Update 4/26/2017:

    Pink Talking Fish, Holly Bowling and the Motet will all play shows around Phish’s Baker’s Dozen run at Madison Square Garden. Following Phish on Tuesday, Aug. 1, Pink Talking Fish plays as Pink Talking Fish Are Dead at the Cutting Room. They also play an after-party on Friday, Aug. 4 at the Gramercy Theatre. They board The Jewel for a pre-party booze cruise the next day, Saturday, Aug. 5. The cruise is at 2 p.m.

    Holly Bowling brings her solo piano renditions of Phish and Grateful Dead songs to the Cutting Room on Saturday and Sunday, July 22 and 23 and Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5 and 6. All her shows start at 4 p.m.

    The Motet plays an afterparty on the first night of the run, Friday, July 21 at B.B. Kings.

    Original Post:

    When Phish comes to New York City, the party tends to start well before the shows and it always ends long after they leave the stage. As with every Phish run at Madison Square Garden, a slew of pre-parties and afterparties are planned for their 13 night Baker’s Dozen run at the storied arena.

    Phish is set to play their historic 13 night run at Madison Square Garden beginning July 21 and ending on Aug. 6. CEG Presents has pre-parties and afterparties planned for just about every night of the Baker’s Dozen. Their run of shows kicks off a day early on Thursday, July 20 with Twiddle and Madaila. Twiddle finishes out a three-night run with a pair of Phish afterparties on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22. All three shows are at Irving Plaza. Particle also plays an afterparty on July 21 at the Cutting Room. The DeadPhish Orchestra plays a 2 p.m. concert cruise on July 22 before the show.

    John Kadlecik brings Jay Lane of Ratdog to join his band for a pair of afterparties on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 25 and 26. Both shows are at American Beauty.

    The second weekend of the run has Dopapod playing two nights at the Gramercy Theatre on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. Also on July 29 are Bonerama at Iridium and Torus and the Mushroom Cloud at Drom.

    The final stretch of Phish shows see fewer afterparties. Zach Deputy hits up American Beauty after Phish on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Saturday, Aug. 5 has a pair of shows with Formula 5 at Lucille’s at B.B. King’s and Particle back at the Cutting Room for their “Director’s Cut.”

    Tickets for all of these shows, except Dopapod, are on sale now. The Dopapod shows go on sale on Friday, April 14 at noon.

  • Phish Announces Additional Summer Tour Dates

    Phish has added 8 additional shows to their 2017 Summer Tour in the cities of Chicago, Dayton, Pittsburgh, and Commerce City, CO. In between, Phish has 13 shows lined up for a Baker’s Dozen at Madison Square Garden over the course of July 21 through August 6.
    phish additional summer tour

    The shows in Chicago will be held at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island July 14–16. The band then heads east to the historic Nutter Center in Dayton, OH on July 18 and then to Pittsburgh, PA to perform at the Petersen Events Center on July 19.

    After taking a break for a few weeks in August, Phish closes out the summer as they have since 2011 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO, September 1-3.

    You can Request tickets now through PTBM.

  • Flashback: Phish at the Binghamton Forum, 25 Years Later

    On a Friday night in late March of 1992, the 20th to be exact, everything changed. Phish had more or less hooked me the prior July and I had worn through my tapes of Junta and Lawn Boy and the handful of bootlegs I had acquired. The band’s major label debut on Elektra, A Picture of Nectar, had just been released in February and that ragtag collection of songs, new and old, was also quickly absorbed into my consciousness. After a couple of missed opportunities, I finally found myself at a real live Phish concert.

    Listen along to a SBD of Phish from March 20, 1992 at the Binghamton Forum, courtesy of PhishTracks.

    Back in those days, before the internet and instant satisfaction, there wasn’t much available to prepare for such an experience. No Phish.net. No YEMBlog. No YouTube videos. No LivePhish. No listening to the show from the night prior, week prior or many months prior. More or less, I was going in blind.

    Nine month’s worth of anticipation and my excitement was bubbling over. Driving to the venue with my friend’s father, who was equally geeked, he was spouting off comparisons to Zappa (over my head) and telling of how he heard they jumped on trampolines in rhythm with music. Taking a pre-show bathroom break, I suddenly was peeing next to a few giggling hippie college girls. They were climbing in through the men’s bathroom window, sneaking into the show. This was an event, this was a happening and it seemed it wasn’t just me feeling it.

    The band took the stage in darkness. They broke the silence with a pair of deep monotonous notes, repeated a few times. Then a creepy falsetto “Wiiiiiiiilson” rang out and white lights hit Trey and Mike’s faces from below against the dark background. It was like a scene out of Spinal Tap or reminiscent of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Spooky, theatrical, campy. I knew of Wilson the character from other songs like “Lizards” and mentions of Gamehendge in A Picture of Nectar‘s liner notes and elsewhere, but I had never heard or knew of the actual song “Wilson.” In this light, I was freaked out by this opening sequence. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but I loved it.

    My newb-iness would shine through repeatedly throughout the first set. Phish had just released Nectar, but it was a prolific period for them and they were already working out the material that would later become their next release, Rift. Though “Brother” wasn’t on Rift and it was heavy in the rotation dating back to the fall, it was new to me. Trey introduced it by making a joke about the orchestra pit in front of the stage. “This is the alligator moat up here, make sure you don’t fall into it.” Later they even changed the lyrics to “alligator pit.” None the wiser, I assumed the name of the song was “Alligator Pit,” a mistake that lived on months later when I acquired a recording of the show. I can still remember those tapes, with the deep red cover and Jim Pollock artwork, and the third song mislabeled as “Alligator Pit.” Later in the set, they would play the new song “Maze,” though I thought they were singing “living in outer space” and I can remember my friend and I dancing around the aisle singing along with the final chorus, “We’re living in outer space!” That was also mislabeled on my tape. Another new song, “Mound,” had bassist Mike Gordon purposefully goading the the crowd to clap along to it’s simplistic blues beat before mixing it up and leaving the crowd clapping instead on the off beat. Fooled again! After wild runs though complex and head-spinning material, when they landed on “Mound” I felt a bit of a relief with something a bit more straightforward. But that quickly went out the window when what I thought was a blues number turned into a zany, genre-less romp. It was like a “Mike’s Corner” column come to life.

    The first set was stocked full of Phish’s signature intricate instrumental gymnastics with “Reba,” “Glide,” the newly minted “Rift,” “Fluffhead,” “Lizards” and the set-closing “Run Like an Antelope.” Each was executed flawlessly. These are my baselines – when they can’t dismount on those or their ilk, points are deducted. Second song into the show and I was presented with a top-notch “Reba.” My baseline “Reba.” If it isn’t at least as good as this one, it isn’t all that great. And this one was incredible. A jam I know so well I can sing along.

    This whole show would serve as my Phish baseline. The versions of these songs would be what I would judge every subsequent version. The energy at this show was the energy upon which I would judge all others. This show, these versions and these memories hold up after countless listens 25 years and 100 shows later. It was a great show with unique touches throughout, setting a high bar to hurdle for future shows. It’s like eating your first barbecue at the Dinosaur BBQ, which I also did around this same time. While it isn’t necessarily the best, it sets an unusually high bar for the rest.

    And the care free, off-the-wall energy exhibited at this show is also my baseline. Drummer Jon Fishman came out to play trombone during “Antelope” and played a bagpipe hooked up to a vacuum cleaner during a cover of Syd Barret’s “Terrapin.” Weird and wild! They ended the show with instructions for a secret language intent on confusing random concert-goers. What in the holy hell?! The language was prompted by musical signals. One of the signals was the theme song from my favorite TV show at the time, The Simpsons, and I was blown away. These guys like what I like! When you’re a sophomore in high school, that is the pinnacle of cool. Another signal had the entire crowd and band simultaneously falling to the ground. I didn’t realize you could smile and laugh so much and so heartily at a music show. These guys were crazy and played by their own rules. And I loved it!

    After one near 90-minute set, I could have left and been completely satisfied. But it was only half over. And that second set started with “Mike’s Song.” It has been my favorite song to see live for as long as I can remember and I trace it, once again, back to this baseline show. To see “Mike’s” in those days was to see the perfect amalgamation of Phish’s energy, music and wackiness. On this night they opened with a hearty tease of Yes’ “Roundabout.” As an avid consumer of classic rock radio at the time, my heart almost stopped. Would they?  They wouldn’t. But what they did do… oh boy. Here came those trampolines my friend’s father spoke of. The stage was filled amply with smoke. Strobe lights flashed revealing Mike and Trey’s bouncing shadows amidst the white-out. The smoke would engulf the first handful of rows at least and the pounding bass, swirling organ and powerful drumming were your only guides. Some fans these days clamor for the return of the so-called ‘second jam,’ but I would rather see the the return of tramps, smoke and strobe lights during “Mike’s Song”. Trey’s guitar solo was drenched in feedback, bringing the energy to a fever pitch. Heavy, dark and glorious. I think my eyes may have just glazed over. The rest of the set was a blur of more oddball, genre-jumping, rule-breaking signature Phish-iness. Trey was certainly the hero, even if it was Mike’s birthday. But it was a lot of high-pitched noodling to absorb in one night for this sixteen-year-old. By the time their blistering cover of “Fire” closed out the night, my head was spinning from all the guitar. I had had my fill and was ready to go. But the next morning, I was primed and ready to go again. Fortunately, it would be less than two months later that they’d be playing my hometown for show number two.

    25 years and 100 shows later, here I am. The sheer volume of music introduced to me through this band, both directly and tangentially, be it Frank Zappa, bluegrass, jazz and so much more, makes this first show much more than just a first show, but a defining moment in a lifelong musical journey.

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Broome County Forum, Binghamton , NY

    Set 1: Wilson > Reba, Brother[1], Glide > Rift, Fluffhead > Maze, The Lizards, Mound > Run Like an Antelope[2]

    Set 2: Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove [3], Sanity[4], The Sloth, The Mango Song > Cavern, Uncle Pen, Harry Hood, Cold as Ice >Terrapin[5] > Cold as Ice, Possum > Secret Language Instructions[6] > Possum[7]

    Encore: Lawn Boy, Fire

    [1] Lyric changed to reference “alligator pit.”
    [2] Fish on trombone and Simpsons signal.
    [3] Oom Pa Pa and Random Note signals.
    [4] Band and crew nicknames shouted in intro. More names mentioned in ending vocal jam.
    [5] Fish on Bag-Vac.
    [6] Simpsons, Random Note, Turn Turn Turn, and All Fall Down signals introduced with Bowie being played in background.
    [7] Two Simpsons signals and an All Fall Down signal.

  • Holly Bowling brings Classical Phish and Grateful Dead to the Whisper Dome this Friday

    Holly Bowling is back on the road in March and after hitting Syracuse this week, she heads to a little known venue The Whisper Dome on Friday, March 24. The venue is a unique round room, perfect for jazz performances, and Bowling is excited to revisit the Capital Region as she does quite frequently, bringing with her classical reimaginings of the music of Phish and the Dead. Bowling chatted with NYS Music recently about the integration of Grateful Dead music into her setlists, performing with Everyone Orchestra and the musical handshakes that resulted.

    holly bowling whisper domePete Mason: How has integration of the music of the Grateful Dead and Phish changed since you began integrating the two and since you released Better Left Unsung.

    Holly Bowling: The setlists have gotten a little more Dead heavy. When I introduced Grateful Dead songs, the album wasn’t out yet, and it worked itself into the setlists gradually. The Dead have such a deep and extensive catalog and I continued to dig into that and add things to my repertoire. In general, the shift from playing all Phish and then Phish and The Dead together has opened up a whole new arc to each show and each set. As you know, as much as the two bands get compared to each other and lumped together, the music in truth is really, really different. There are some really touching and beautiful songs in the Dead catalog, and if you juxtapose a Dead song between a Phish song, you have to ease into each song in order to cover more stylistic ground in each show and make room for improvisation and bridging the space between the two bands and the place the music takes you.

    The other change is that adding in the Dead’s music, I’ve noticed the chord progressions are beautiful but they’re not incredibly complex. Some of those have been the hardest ones to work on. Having that in my catalog and adding into sets has taught me the importance of leaving space. Some songs in the Dead’s catalog are truly emotional for me – “Stella Blue,” “Wharf Rat,” stuff like that. There can be these delicate, very emotional moments and you can’t fill up all the space there. I’m really enjoying the variety that is coming with working with these catalogs both at once. It gives the shows more of an ebb and flow and opens the door for a good arc or storyline in each set. I try to put the sets together with a particular shape to it and you end up having more tools to work with in that way. There is still a balance between the two. I love the bands both very deeply.

    PM: In addition to your solo shows, you have been playing with the likes of Joe Marcinek Band and Everyone Orchestra.

    HB: I just played two shows with Everyone Orchestra in Charleston, SC and Asheville, NC. We played a bunch of Dead music together with Oteil Burbridge on bass (Dead and Company), Ian Neville on guitar (Dumpstaphunk), Natalie Cressman (TAB), Claude Coleman Jr. on drums (Ween), Wallace Mullinax (Dead 27’s), Mike Quinn, and Jeff Mosier on banjo (Blueground Undergrass), and we did an afternoon set called Everyone’s Dead with Matt Butler on drums, Anders Osborne, Oteil and myself. It was a great experience all around.

    PM: How have those experiences with Everyone Orchestra challenged you and affected your playing?

    HB: It feels natural. I hadn’t played with anyone in that lineup before. Matt will write a theme on his dry erase board and sometimes one specific instrument gets to lead a tune and make up the theme with Matt’s suggestion. To play a theme and meet these musicians through a musical handshake allows you to get to know people through performance, you start to hear everyone’s voice come through. Whoever starts out the song, you find out ‘This is your style, your voice’ and we find out what we sound like together. Then you hear their voice and you figure out how to add to it or complement it.

    The other things that was really cool about it is that no one is ever announcing what they’re going to do next, the most you can do is telegraph a chord change in a certain progression; if everyone moves to the 5, you know you’ll move back to the 1. It’s kind of a surrender, and instead of a group think and do the same move at the same time, if one person decides to go off in one direction, the group moves in that way. It’s different when you have a conductor and they’re at the controls of going to the B section. It’s unique and with someone calling the shots and conceptualizing where you want the show to go is a very different experience and it was really cool.

    PM: How did you come across The Whisper Dome?

    HB: We are always looking for piano rooms and also looking for unconventional spaces for a show. This happened in Portland at The Old Church and people walked out having never heard of the place and wanting to return. I like venturing outside the usual circuit of rooms that get played within our music scene. The style of music, by necessity, is a hybrid of different sounds so playing in jazz clubs, churches, clubs is reflects the variety of music. I think we found a picture of The Whisper Dome online from a jazz series they help and being called the Whisper Dome, it intrigued me. I think it’s good to change it up and give people an opportunity to have this grounding experience in a real quiet space can be really cool. Spaces like The Whisper Dome and really conducive to that kind of environment and listening atmosphere.

    PM: Todd Stoops (RAQ and Electric Beethoven) recently moved to the West coast and your hilarious airplane photo rivalry…

    HB: We’re gonna open an airline together. It’ll be expensive though, one customer per plane. (laughs)

    PM: Do you see yourself performing more with Todd now that he’s out west?

    HB: I feel like piano players don’t get to play together very often – sometimes there are two guitars in a band but rarely double keys. There’s an amazing movie Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together that I highly recommend watching. It’s got Tuts Washington, Allen Toussaint, and Professor Longhair. You gotta check it out! But I digress. I’d love to play with Todd. Actually, I have side by side pianos in my living room currently – Todd, if you’re reading this, come over and play one of ’em! Double piano jams!

    Tickets are on sale now for Friday’s show at The Whisper Dome.

  • Trey Anastasio Brings Acoustic Phish to Troy

    The Capital Region of New York has long been stomping grounds for Phish fans. The Times Union Center, formerly known as the Pepsi and Knickerbocker Arenas, has hosted the Vermont boys several times over the last 20 years. SPAC has become a summer tradition for three-night runs and Mike Gordon has played The Egg in Albany multiple times, most recently in November. Troy, NY is now on the map for phans as our fearless leader Trey Anastasio made his second stop of his three-city solo acoustic concert series there on Friday, March 10.

    trey troy
    photo by Dave DeCrescente

    Having played at The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall with the Vermont Youth Orchestra in 2001, Trey told the sold-out crowd of 1,200 that he had been “dying to come back ever since.” The intimate venue, built in 1870 is a stark difference to the mega arenas and amphitheaters in which we congregate for Phish. It proved to be the perfect intimate setting for an evening with Trey, who played 22 songs straight through with a two-song encore. The vast majority of the songs were from the Phish catalog, punctuated with side-splitting comedic tales and tidbits from the Grammy-nominated guitarist’s career. A world class musician and captivating story teller, he is now the Garrison Keillor of the jam scene.

    Kicking things off quickly with “Strange Design,” “Blaze On,” “Mountains in the Mist” and “The Wedge,” he paused briefly to discuss the venue, acknowledging the acoustics of the “legendary room.” Every single movement he made across his guitar sounded as if it were in high resolution – crisp and clear. Next up was “Shade,” and then with some apprehension, a wealth of nervousness and true humility, he told a tale of a birthday letter sent to him from friend and lyricist Tom Marshall during his time spent in Washington County, NY. Despite a tough situation, this letter gave way to the creation of “Backwards Down the Number Line” in which he played after acknowledging one fan’s birthday in the crowd.

    From there he went into “Twenty Years Later” and “Tide Turns” and put the crowd in stitches with a story about a Vermont snowshoeing excursion with Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland, setting the stage for “Rubberneck Lions,” a song he says is his favorite the trio did as Oysterhead.  He then switched guitars to something bigger and boxier for “The Inlaw Josie Wales,” a song that sounded angelic and sweet in this form.

    Sandwiched between two stories involving bandmates Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman, he played a beautiful rendition of “Free.” This was then followed by “Kill Devil Falls,” and “Wolfmans Brother” in which the audience lent their voices as a loop pedal allowed him to layer a jam on top of his own chords. He then performed “The Line,” and then whistled his way through “Lizards.”  “Guelah Papyrus,” “Wading in the Velvet Sea” and “Lawn Boy” preceded a touching and tear jerking “Summer of ’89,” dedicated to his wife of 22 years, Sue, who listened to the song from the audience that Trey says documents their relationship. Then as if to say “enough of the mush,” Trey delivered the always dark “Carini” followed by “Chalkdust Torture” to close the set.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BRev_4gBm7K

    After a standing ovation, Trey returned to encore with David Bowie’s “Rock n’ Roll Suicide” and ended the evening with “More,” the third track off Phish’s 2016 album Big Boat.

    As we picked our jaws up from the floor and embraced our neighbors with hugs and emotional high fives, our hearts overflowed with love and gratitude for this man who has provided so much joy in our lives. The Collar City has a whole new glow and meaning to those of us lucky to witness such a special evening.

    Setlist: Strange Design, Blaze On, Mountains in the Mist, The Wedge, Shade, Backwards Down the Number Line, Twenty Years Later, Tide Turns, Rubberneck Lions*, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Free, Kill Devil Falls, Wolfmans Brother, The Line, Lizards, Guelah Papyrus, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Lawn Boy, Summer of ’89**, Carini -> Chalkdust Torture

    Encore: Rock n’ Roll Suicide†, More

    *Oysterhead song
    ** dedicated to wife, Sue
    † David Bowie cover

  • SPAC 1995 is the Latest Live Phish Release

    The latest release from Live Phish features the band’s June 26, 1995 performance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC).

    SPAC 1995 Phish

    This show would be the last time Phish performed at SPAC until June of 2004. The show highlights include a rare cover of “Don’t You Want to Go?,” an extended “Down with Disease” > “Free” (see video below), and a monster “You Enjoy Myself.”

    Setlist via Phish.net:

    Soundcheck: Time Loves A Hero > Dog Log/Time Loves A Hero mashup, Nellie Kane, Santana Instrumental, Rocky Mountain Way

    Set 1: My Friend, My Friend, Don’t You Want To Go?, Bathtub Gin, NICU > The Sloth, My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own, It’s Ice > Dog Faced Boy > Tela > Possum

    Set 2: Down with Disease [1] -> Free > Poor Heart > You Enjoy Myself , Strange Design > Run Like an Antelope

    Encore: Sleeping Monkey > Rocky Top

    [1] Unfinished.
    My Friend started with a Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 tease from Trey. Trey teased and quoted Long Tall Glasses in Bathtub Gin. Possum contained a Heartbreaker tease and YEM contained Immigrant Song teases from Trey. Down with Disease was unfinished. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.

    Read our detailed breakdown of this 1995 live Phish performance at SPAC here.

  • Phish to Release ‘St. Louis ’93’

    Phish has announced the release of St. Louis ’93, an archival collection of two shows from consecutive tours recorded at St. Louis’ American Theatre, as a 6-CD boxed set.

    In 1993, Phish went on tour in support of their fourth studio album, Rift, and, at the same time were, hitting up larger venues, like theaters and colleges. The first part of St. Louis ’93 finds the band on April 14, 1993 in the midst of an extensive winter and spring tour. The show is dubbed the “Roger’s Proposal” show as Trey Anastasio’s childhood friend, Roger Holloway proposed to his girlfriend on stage at the start of the second set. The show features a memorable “AC/DC Bag” > “My Sweet One” for Holloway and his fiancée, a creative “Stash” > “Kung” > “The Horse” mashup and a fantastic “Harpua” > “Runaway Jim.”

    The second half of St. Louis ’93 sees the band’s return to the American Theatre on August 16, 1993 in the middle of their summer tour. The tour saw the band taking greater risks and digging deep into their repertoire. From the press release:

    Unique interstitial jams connected many of the songs, adding an extra element of mystery to the proceedings. Highlights include a non-stop opening sequence of “Axilla” > “Possum” > “Horn” > “Reba” > “Sparkle” and the only “Mike’s Song” > “Faht” > “Weekapaug Groove” combination ever played. The show finished with an unexpected quartet of classic Phish covers, including Duke Ellington’s “Take The ‘A’ Train,” Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times,” “Amazing Grace,” and Felice & Boudleaux Bryant’s country standard, “Rocky Top.”

    St. Louis ’93 will be released on March 31. Several pre-order packages are available through the Phish website.

    Phish will play a 13-night run at New York City’s Madison Square Garden starting July 21 and concluding Aug. 6. Tickets for those shows go on sale today at noon.

    St. Louis ’93 Tracklist:

    CD 1/6
    April 14, 1993 Set I:
    1. Buried Alive >
    2. Poor Heart
    3. Maze
    4. Bouncing Around The Room
    5. It’s Ice >
    6. Stash >
    7. Kung >
    8. Stash
    9. Kung >
    10. The Horse >
    11. Silent In The Morning >
    12. Divided Sky
    13. I Didn’t Know
    14. Golgi Apparatus

    CD 2/6
    April 14, 1993 Set II:
    1. Roger’s Proposal
    2. AC/DC Bag >
    3. My Sweet One >
    4. Tweezer
    5. Mound
    6. Big Ball Jam
    7. You Enjoy Myself >
    8. Spooky >
    9. You Enjoy Myself

    CD 3/6
    April 14, 1993 Set II, cont’d:
    1. Harpua >
    2. Runaway Jim
    Encore:
    3. Lengthwise >
    4. Contact >
    5. Tweezer Reprise

    CD 4/6
    August 16, 1993 Set I:
    1. Axilla >
    2. Possum >
    3. Horn >
    4. Reba >
    5. Sparkle

    CD 5/6
    August 16, 1993 Set I, cont’d:
    1. Foam
    2. I Didn’t Know
    3. Split Open And Melt
    4. The Squirming Coil

    CD 6/6
    August 16, 1993 Set II:
    1. Mike’s Song >
    2. Faht >
    3. Weekapaug Groove
    4. Mound >
    5. It’s Ice >
    6. My Friend, My Friend
    7. Poor Heart >
    8. Big Ball Jam >
    9. Take The ‘A’ Train >
    10. Good Times Bad Times
    Encore:
    11. Amazing Grace
    12. Rocky Top

  • Phish Announces 13-Night Summer Run at MSG

    Rumors of Phish breaking with summer tour tradition and taking an extended stay at Madison Square Garden have been circulating all winter, and today the band announced that they will indeed be taking up residence at MSG for a 13-night run.Phish 13-Night MSG

    The famed New York City venue has played host to Phish 39 times since their sold-out debut there in 1994, while the Baker’s Dozen shows will bring them up to 52 performances at the Garden by summer’s end.

    The run will start on Friday, July 21 and conclude on Sunday, August 6, with scheduled days off on the Mondays and Thursdays between. Tickets will be sold as the whole Baker’s Dozen package (13 shows for the price of 12) or as individual shows. Travel packages are available and pre-sale tickets are available now through Sunday, February 17 at Phish’s website. All floor tickets will be general admission.

    Phish 13-Night MSGAlong with the Baker’s Dozen announcement, came news that Phish will not be touring this fall, so it’s MSG or bust, Phans!

    Phish – The Baker’s Dozen, a 13-night run at MSG

    Friday, July 21
    Saturday, July 22
    Sunday, July 23
    Tuesday, July 25
    Wednesday, July 26
    Friday, July 28
    Saturday, July 29
    Sunday, July 30
    Tuesday, August 1
    Wednesday, August 2
    Friday, August 4
    Saturday, August 5
    Sunday, August 6

    Watch the announcement video below.

  • My First Phish Show

    Picture a sold out show at Madison Square Garden on the night before New Year’s Eve. For Phish concert-goers, this was an average Friday night in New York City! For me, it was my first Phish show.

    my first phish showI watched the show alongside dedicated Phish fans who have traveled all over the US to see the band 100+ times. Sharing that it was my first show almost felt silly in comparison, but I was excited to join the community.  I didn’t know a lot before going to the show; I wanted to approach the experience with an open mind. Clearly, this band has something extraordinarily special that brings loyal and new fans alike to their shows.  So by virtue of it being my first show, I can’t say that I’m too well-versed, but certainly a real fan in the making.

    This was the third show of a four-night run from December 28 to the 31st.  We walked in right as the show was starting, and the fans were cheering in unison.  If you’ve never been to a Phish show, it’s one of the best crowds you’ll ever be part of. Everyone was grooving and swaying along to every song; not a single person could be found standing still nor having a bad time.  I felt like I was instantly welcomed into the community as people were exchanging comments about the music and checking in to see how I was enjoying everything. I was thrilled when a glowstick landed in front of my seat so, that when the music kicked up, I could join the glow stick tossing and launch it into the crowd. I wasn’t prepared for the amount of smoke around me, but that’s the only complaint I had. All part of the experience!

    The band opened with “Carolina,” which I learned they hadn’t done since 2003 – 378 shows ago. It was a treat to be serenaded by an acapella rendition of the song.  The vocals were authentic and raw, which was quite refreshing. The band members resumed their spots on stage, and I finally saw the unique Fishman dress with the red donuts that are found on Phish-inspired merch.  They then jumped into “Blaze On” which was a cool way to kick off the set – a slower-paced jam.  “The Moma Dance” was cool and funky; I loved the keyboard timbre and the wah-wah pedal on the guitar.  I’m told the second set was a great series of selections with “Tweezer,” into “Sparks,” into “Ghost.” The crowd went absolutely wild and I loved the transitions.  It seemed like everyone knew each song from the first couple notes and they cheered at the start of each one!  I can’t pick a favorite song just yet, but I have to say that the improvisation all around was amazing. I would get blissfully lost in each chasm of music.

    With this band, visual effects bring them to another level of excellence.  I was a big fan of Anastasio (guitar) and Gordon (bass) on the mini trampolines bouncing in unison. Apparently, it’s not a new bit, but I thought it was great. Outside of the band’s movements, the accompanying lights were spectacular!  There were numerous colored light beams illuminating the stage.  It reminded me of lights at a Trans-Siberian Orchestra show, but I think the lights at Phish were more tasteful.

    Overall, I really enjoyed the show. The musical experience and all of the Phish lovers in the Garden really sold me. I’d love to see more of Phish in the future.

    Set 1: Carolina, Blaze On, The Moma Dance > Gumbo > Cities, The Old Home Place, Bathtub Gin, Things People Do, My Friend, My Friend, Wilson, Sugar Shack, You Enjoy Myself

    Set 2: Tweezer > Sparks > Ghost > Light -> Party Time Jam, Wading in the Velvet Sea > Rocky Top

    Encore: Rock and Roll, Tweezer Reprise

  • The Rain Came Down during Phish’s Petrichor New Year’s Eve

    Phish has found a way to utilize the space inside Madison Square Garden for New Years Eve celebrations for more than 20 years. They’ve been scientists in a time lab, made it snow, flew in on a giant hotdog, lifted fans off the floor, held a runaway golfcart marathon, and moved the stage (twice), all as part of their celebration to ring in the new year.

    petrichorSo what do you do when you’ve already done this much with the room? You make it rain in the closing minutes of 2016, after wrapping up one of the strongest sets Phish has ever played at MSG, and in doing so washing away a year many would like to forget.

    The show began as the other three nights did, with an acapella rendition of a rarely played song, in this case, Fraternity of Man’s “Don’t Bogart That Joint,” keeping fans on their feet and crossing a rarity off the list of many fans. “Your Pet Cat” > “Kill Devil Falls” > “Back on the Train” > “My Soul” served to keep energy nice and high for the beginning of the night, when Trey took a minute to opine about the extra 6 feet of stage they had in front of them, and what could they possibly do with it but let The Chairman of the Boards, Page McConnell, take a stroll out on the stage while crooning “Lawn Boy.” Page and Mike Gordon alike took a wander around the enlarged stage, wandering over to Mike Side and Page Side, greeting fans and smiling widely. A well-placed “Divided Sky” followed before the energy kicked back up again with “Ya Mar,” “Character Zero,” and “Walls of the Cave,” all setting the stage for another monster second set.

    The night before in the second set, Phish dropped a “Tweezer” > “Sparks” > “Ghost” > “Light” for the ages, and given the three sets they had tonight, they had set the bar high for themselves and the challenge was accepted. Dropping into “2001” to get things rolling, the Garden dance party was in effect, getting dark upon entry into “Carini” and lighter again with Trey’s ascending jam in the “Twist” that followed. The segue into “Piper” was interrupted by Fishman singing his hilarious yet brief “Ass Handed,” which segued back into the rest of “Piper,” during which Trey played the marimba lumina and Mike joined Page on keys for a yet another full band jam. A filthy “Sand” followed, as did a perfectly placed and executed “Slave to the Traffic Light,” wrapping up the set with “More,” a fan favorite off the recent Big Boat, the line “In a world gone mad, there must be something more than this” resonating with the crowd.

    During the intermission between second and third sets, fans made their final preparations for ringing in the new year while the stage was set for Phish’s NYE stunt, including additional keys for Jeff Tanski, percussion for Andres Forero and mics for a horn trio of Jennifer Hartswick, James Casey and Natalie Cressman. Fans awaited patiently for the lights to dim and musicians to take the stage in the 20 minutes before midnight, which saw a full band performance of “Petrichor” complete with a choreographed performance of faceless umbrella-wielding dancers and artificial rain courtesy of David Gallo Design.

    As the dancers broke into their routine, they used umbrellas for props to block them from the falling ‘rain,’ an incredible sight inside the confines of Madison Square Garden. The dancers then used floating white umbrellas to continue their routine as the song moved through its 22 sections, culminating in the dancers standing at the front of the stage, awaiting Trey’s 2-minute early countdown, to which he jokingly commented “Well, it’s never too soon to say goodbye to 2016” as he began the countdown and the band broke into the traditional “Auld Lang Syne.” And with that, from the ceiling it rained down cats, dogs and foam rain drops, as well as thousands of balloons and confetti, making it hard to find band members on stage amid the decorative chaos.

    Over the next hour, Phish pushed into the new year with horns a blazin’, starting with “Suzy Greenberg” and “No Man’s in No Man’s Land.” Following were lackluster choices that fit well with the horns, and made the first set of 2017 feel like a true Phish first set – “Breath and Burning,” “Tide Turns,” “555” and “Ocelot” were all odd choices after 3.5 nights of powerful sets with little pause or relief, but given the horns and accompaniment onstage, they were apt selections that had audience dancing and laughing into the finale of the high energy “First Tube.” A cover of The Rolling Stones “Loving Cup” ended the run at the Garden and amid a sea of cats, dogs and rain drops, fans hugged, smiled and greeted 2017, having seen one of Phish’s finest New Years runs and NYE stunts to date.

    Setlist courtesy of Phish.net

    Set 1: Don’t Bogart That Joint, Your Pet Cat > Kill Devil Falls > Back on the Train > My Soul, Lawn Boy, Divided Sky, Ya Mar, Character Zero, Walls of the Cave

    Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Carini -> Twist > Piper -> Ass Handed > Piper[1] > Sand, Slave to the Traffic Light, More

    Set 3: Petrichor[2] > Auld Lang Syne[3] > Suzy Greenberg[2], No Men In No Man’s Land[2], Breath and Burning[2], Tide Turns[2], 555[2], Ocelot[2], First Tube[2]

    Encore: Loving Cup[2]

    [1] Trey on Marimba Lumina. Mike on keys.
    [2] James Casey on saxophone, Natalie Cressman on trombone and vocals, Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet and vocals, Jeff Tanski on keys, and Andres Forero on percussion.
    [3] James Casey on saxophone, Natalie Cressman on trombone, Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet, Jeff Tanski on keys, and Andres Forero on percussion. With recorded cat and dog noises as cat and dog balloons fell from the ceiling.