NYS Music 202​0

Tag: Phish

  • Flashback: Phish at Nassau Coliseum, October 1999

    Phish has a storied history at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, one highlighted by Island Tour performances in April 2 and 3, 1998, and one of their most notable performances of the ‘2.0’ era, February 28, 2003. The Uniondale venue has played host to Phish seven times, most recently on December 1, 2019. 1999

    phish nassau 99

    Phish would return to Uniondale on October 7 and 8, 1999, nearing the end of their Fall Tour, with two shows to follow in Albany that would close the tour. Newsday reviewed the first of the two nights, saying, “The Britney Spears of the world come and go, but Phish, the shaggy Vermont jam-band that has never had a hit on the radio or video, is proof that quality music can survive in a mass marketed world.”

    The first set on October 7 was highlighted by three songs – an 18 minute “David Bowie,” a “Gotta Jibboo” with an ever-rare “Dave’s Energy Guide” tease, and to follow, a set closing “Fluffhead.” The second set would feature an inventive ‘Mike’s Groove,’ with a nearly an hour of music packed in between “Mike’s Song,” (featuring Trey on keys) “McGrupp,” “Prince Caspian,” “Golgi Apparatus” and “Weekapaug Groove.”

    Also notable was the encore, which featured three songs – “Rocky Top,” “I Am Hydrogen” and “Julius” – the stand alone “I Am Hydrogen” being played outside of the typical “Mike’s Song” > ” Weekapaug Groove” for the first time since Halloween 1987, and almost as rare, being played in an encore slot.

    October 7, 1999 Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: NICU > My Soul, Dirt, David Bowie, Frankie Says > Possum, When the Circus Comes, Gotta Jibboo, Fluffhead

    Set 2: Boogie On Reggae Woman, Heavy Things, Tube, Back on the Train > Mike’s Song[1] > McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Prince Caspian > Golgi Apparatus > Weekapaug Groove

    Encore: Rocky Top > I Am Hydrogen > Julius

    [1] Trey on keys.

    Fall 1999 tour map via Todd Puckett

    After the barn burner of the night before, October 8 would still have some tricks up its sleeve, particularly in Set 2. The first set was somewhat standard, beyond a “Meatstick” that brought Sofi Dillof to the stage for the dancing portion of the millennium tune.

    phish nassau 99

    Set 2 opened with “Halley’s Comet” and then ventured into a 20-minute “Tweezer” which featured a jam that was reminiscent of the Siket Disc tune “My Left Toe.”

    After a fantastic mid-set “Harry Hood,” Phish began to play the opening notes of The Who’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” and appropriately brought to the stage Phish lyricist Tom Marshall, singing “My name is Tommy” to a rapt audience. The track from Tommy was played to perfection, as Phish is well versed in The Who‘s catalog, particularly Quadrophenia from their Halloween 1995 show at Rosemont Horizon in Illinois. Turning into the “Listening to You” portion of the song, the energy in the room can still be felt as Marshall belts out the remainder of Townshend’s lyrics and Phish tears through the rock n roll overture.

    Even though Nassau Coliseum is shuttered for the time being, and may not reopen, the performances Phish and others have made there have secured the venue’s legacy for generations of music lovers.

    October 8, 1999 setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Piper, AC/DC Bag, Suzy Greenberg, Meat, Meatstick, Run Like an Antelope

    Set 2: Halley’s Comet > Tweezer, Bug, Fee, Harry Hood, We’re Not Gonna Take It[1] > Chalk Dust Torture

    Encore: The Squirming Coil, Tweezer Reprise

    [1] Phish debut; Tom Marshall on vocals.

    Phish Nassau 1999

  • Phish to celebrate Trey Anastasio’s birthday with Dinner and a Movie from Polaris 1999

    As Phish moves their Dinner and a Movie series from weekly to monthly, the newest installment has been announced, featuring the band’s performance on July 23, 1999 from Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus, OH. The never before seen full show archival video will air on Wednesday, September 30 at 8:30PM ET at LivePhish.com, which also happens to be Trey Anastasio‘s birthday (more on that below).

    Dinner and a Movie

    For the Dinner part of the evening, Phish HQ’s Betty Frost has put together a spread that includes enchiladas, a jicama/orange/cucumber/mint salad and apple fritters. You can find recipes for all these here.

    Released on Live Phish in November 2019, the show in the Columbus suburbs was the 17th show on a 20-date summer tour. A humid evening, the show started with a 12-minute “Ya Mar,” and features Anastasio on keys briefly on the “Punch You in the Eye” intro.

    On July 23, 1999 Phish returned to Polaris Amphitheatre for their second show at this 20,000-seat outdoor shed in the Columbus suburbs. It was the 17th show on a 20-date U.S. summer tour.It was still light out on a sticky Ohio evening when the band took the stage with a rollicking Ya Mar opener, followed by NICU, followed by Back At The Chicken Shack > Punch You In The Eye with an extended synthesizer-infused intro.

    Set 2 turned up the heat with a first even pairing of “Ghost” > “Free,” with a lightening storm growing as intense as the jams between these two. A 25-minute “Birds of a Feather,” then still a new song in their catalog, allowed the band to play on and off with the storm as it raged overhead. During the late-set “Meatstick,” Anastasio announced that the band’s New Years Eve performance would be held at Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in southern Florida.

    Dinner and a Movie
    Sticker sold on Summer ’99 tour – courtesy of PhanArt

    Dinner and a Movie is presented free to all, with a charity selected each week where donations are asked to be directed. This installment’s beneficiary is the ACLU. Founded in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, multi-issue, public interest organization devoted to protecting the civil liberties of all people in the United States. Recognized as the nation’s premier public interest law firm, the ACLU works daily in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

    Over $850,000 has been raised by Phish fans since late March for the Waterwheel Foundation and other charities highlighted in the Dinner and a Movie series.

    Dinner and a Movie
    Sticker sold on Summer ’99 tour – courtesy of PhanArt

    Additionally, a group of Phish fans have put together a fundraiser idea for Dinner and a Movie, celebrating Trey Anastasio’s birthday. The goal is to raise $20,454 for the Waterwheel Foundation, which is the number of days Trey will have been alive on his birthday. See below for details and support Waterwheel Foundation!

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Ya Mar, NICU, Back at the Chicken Shack > Punch You in the Eye[1], Fast Enough for You, Back on the Train, David Bowie, Strange Design, Possum

    Set 2: Ghost -> Free > Birds of a Feather > Meatstick > Fire

    Encore: Bouncing Around the Room > Rocky Top

    [1] Trey played keys for part of PYITE.

    Trey played keys for part of PYITE. During Meatstick, Trey talked about the band’s desire to teach fans the Meatstick Dance and break the world record. He then informed the crowd that the New Year’s Eve concert would be played in Florida. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.

  • 20 Years Later: Phish jams “Drowned” for soaked fans at Darien Lake

    Twenty years ago, on September 14, 2000, Phish performed to a rain-soaked crowd at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center. The last stop in New York on their Fall 2000 tour, this show would later be released as Live Phish, Vol. 3 in Septmeber, 2001.

    Phish Darien
    Art by Drew Suto

    This was also Phish’s last show in New York until December 31, 2002 at Madison Square Garden, which ended the band’s hiatus that began on October 7, 2000. The band played six shows in the Northeast on their Fall 2000 tour, as they headed to the Midwest and, eventually, the West Coast to cap off their first 17 years as a band and take a much needed break from the road. The Darien Lake show was the fifth of these shows, and major storm be damned, fans flocked to Western New York in search of one final taste of Phish for the foreseeable future.

    In releasing this show just a year later, as part of their then-new Live Phish series, it certified the excellence in playing throughout the show. Trey Anastasio spoke to Relix Magazine in the August 2001 issue and referenced the show’s inclusion in Live Phish.

    There are also three shows from 2000 in the series. Page and I picked one of them because it has this version of ‘Carini’ that I’m convinced is the greatest version of all time. I’m not convinced that it’s the whole greatest show of all time, but I love this version of ‘Carini.’ I also like the song list, because if you didn’t like Phish and you heard this set, it would be very interesting. There’s ‘Punch You In the Eye,’ ‘Reba,’ [Neil Young’s] ‘Albuquerque’ and ‘Carini.’ I think it sounds like such a weird band.” Trey cracks up. “Those four songs in a row? You can’t make any sense of it. The ‘Carini’ is like 15 or 20 minutes long or something. It’s a complete metal meltdown. It’s the bass and drumming in the background that I really liked. It’s really strange. Nobody’s playing the beat at all. Those guys are playing in quarter time and the guitar and keyboards are just creating this wash of color on top of this heavy booming. It’s right after ‘Albuquerque,’ which has harmonies and then this heavy metal thing. If you kind of step away from it, they’re both really odd.”

    Trey Anastasio, Relix Magazine, August 2001

    It had rained all day at Darien Center, and would downpour more during the show, a seemingly never-ending torrent of water from the sky. Anastasio summed up the first set well, noting a band and fan favorite version of “Carini” amid a six-song set that was capped by “The Oh Kee Pah Ceremony” > “Suzy Greenberg,” with the latter being jammed well beyond the normal confines of the set closer.

    phish darien

    Set 2 opened with “Drowned,” apropos for the downpour that drenched the crowd on the lawn throughout the evening. Dave Calarco, aka Mr. Miner, shared his take on this hallmark version of The Who classic.

    “Delving into abstract psychedelia and ambient madness, this was arguably the craziest and most “out-there,” terrorizing, and successful jams of the fall- all wrapped into one. Accessing alien atmospheres during this mind-bending excursion, this jam illustrated the ’99-’00 millennial exploration of abstract soundscapes, an element of the band’s creative direction during these years.”

    Mr. Miner

    After 30 minutes of “Drowned,” Phish moved onto another song originating from their Halloween musical costumes of the past, with Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless.” 11 minutes later, the mellow and rare “Dog Faced Boy” shone some light after more than 40 minutes of dark jams, followed by “Prince Caspian” and Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup to close the set.

    A unique encore followed, featuring three songs, two of which were still relatively new to the Phish repertoire – “Driver,” “The Inlaw Josie Wales” – and one of their most well known tunes, “Sample in a Jar.” The rain let up in the last half hour of the show, but spirits were far from dampened on this night. Some fans in attendance bid farewell to Phish, not knowing when the band’s self-imposed hiatus would bring them back.

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Soundcheck: Birds of a Feather

    Set 1: Punch You in the Eye > Reba[1], Albuquerque, Carini, The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg > Jam

    Set 2: Drowned > Crosseyed and Painless > Dog Faced Boy, Prince Caspian > Loving Cup

    Encore: Driver, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Sample in a Jar

    [1] No whistling.

  • Pianist Holly Bowling To Stream “The Wilderness Sessions” From National Parks

    Holly Bowling is taking her talents to the great outdoors. Ahead of her upcoming Grateful Dead album Seeking All That’s Still Unsung, the San Francisco pianist will stream weekly performances from Yosemite, the Badlands, and more. “The Wilderness Sessions” will run for six Thursday shows from September 3 to October 8.

    Bowling’s “Wilderness Sessions” arrives after her last series of livestream concerts, “Alone Together: The Living Room Sessions.” In the eight-volume series, she performed Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt,” famously covered by Johnny Cash, as well as Radiohead’s “Idioteque.” While piano covers of songs with full bands have potential to sound bare, Bowling’s arrangements are rich and fully realized. On changing the scenery from her living room to some of America’s most iconic landscapes, Bowling says:

    As grateful as I was (and still am) for that opportunity, after a few months it was starting to feel like too much staring at the same walls in the same empty room. I decided if the only option right now is to play to empty spaces, then I wanted to do that in a giant canyon or on a mountaintop in the middle of nowhere. It’s one of those things that would never have worked in normal times. But I realized there’s two ways to look at this time – you can look at all of the things we can’t do, everything we’re missing out on, everything we’ve lost… or you can find the things that you can only do now that you wouldn’t be able to do otherwise, and seek those things out and make them happen.

    Leg One dates for “The Wilderness Sessions” include:

    • September 3, Lake Tahoe, California
    • September 10, Yosemite, California
    • September 17, Salt Flats, Utah
    • September 24, Bruneau Canyon, Idaho
    • October 1, Beartooth Mountains, Wyoming
    • October 8, Badlands, South Dakota
    Wilderness Sessions

    Bowling first came to prominence in 2013, when she began performing solo piano arrangements of jam band music. One performance, “The Tahoe Tweezer,” based on Phish’s lengthy “Tweezer” led to two albums: 2014’s Distillation of a Dream: The Music of Phish Reimagined For Solo Piano, and 2016’s Better Left Unsung, a collection of Grateful Dead piano covers. Bowling soon attracted the attention of several Grateful Dead members including Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Warren Haynes, and was invited to perform at Terrapin Crossroads and Haynes’ Christmas Jam.

    While “The Wilderness Sessions” will be free to view on Facebook and YouTube, Bowling has created a virtual tip jar. Visit Holly Bowling’s website for more information.

  • Mike Gordon and Leo Kottke reunite for first album together in 15 years, “Noon”

    Acoustic guitar pioneer Leo Kottke and Phish bassist Mike Gordon have announced the release of their first new album together in 15 years, Noon.

    leo kottke mike gordon

    The first two tracks from Noon to be released, “Ants” and “I Am Random,” are brand new, and are among 11 new tracks created by two accomplished and idiosyncratic instrumentalists of American music. Noon also marks Kottke’s first studio record since his last collaboration with Gordon, 2005’s 66 Steps.

    Working with longtime Gordon collaborator, producer/engineer Jared Slomoff, Kottke and Gordon craft a collection of improvisational mood music, including a stripped-back version of Gordon’s classic “Peel,” a fan favorite often performed by Mike Gordon Band, and Kottke’s stark rethinking of the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High.” Noon also drops a bopping cover of Prince’s “Alphabet St.,” featuring Phish drummer Jon Fishman, who joins Kottke and Gordon on four additional tracks.

    In addition, the LP includes nearly ambient appearances by pedal steel player Brett Lanier (The Barr Brothers) and cellist Zoë Keating (Imogen Heap, Amanda Palmer, Tears For Fears).

    The vibe is very different from the other two albums. I was hearing a darkness in the material Leo was bringing, and some of the material that I wanted to bring, that I thought just reflected going through 10 more years of life. There are overdubs, but it’s still more like you’re in a cafe or a living room with these two guys. And even when we had drums, we wanted to maintain that feeling.

    Mike Gordon

    I just knew there was a shape and that we were following it. We were trying to get to that place that we get to in a little room, just chasing each other. We’ve found that at soundchecks, and at my place, or his place, or some motel room. We wanted to get that late night feel. It’s a more intimate record than the others are, I think there are depths to it.

    Leo Kottke

    Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon have both staked out distinctive and original roles in the annals of American music. Beginning his career on John Fahey’s Takoma label in 1969, Kottke virtually invented his own school of playing with his distinct, propulsive fingerstyle. As a co-founder of Phish and solo artist, Gordon has both created both a boundary-pushing discography and helped inspire a generation of improvisers.

    The pairing of Kottke and Gordon began some two decades ago when Gordon – a devoted fan of Kottke’s music – audaciously overdubbed a bass part over the veteran Minnesota guitarist’s 1969 solo track “The Driving of the Year Nail.” Gordon hand-delivered the piece to Kottke and the two musicians struck up a fast friendship and musical partnership, beginning with 2002’s Clone and followed by Sixty Six Steps.

    NOON arrives via ATO Records at all DSPs and streaming services on Friday, August 28 and the album’s physical release is slated for Friday, November 20. Phish Dry Goods has a limited pressing on clear vinyl with red/gold splatter – pre-order NOON here

    Tracklist: Flat Top, Eight Miles High, I Am Random, Noon To Noon, From The Cradle To The Grave, How Many People Are You, Ants, Sheets, Alphabet St., Peel, The Only One

  • 24 Years Later: Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters join Phish at Darien Lake

    On August 14, 1997, Phish performed for the second time at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center. Just one stop was left on Phish’s Summer Tour – The Great Went in Limestone, ME. And, as is bound to happen, some bozos and pranksters showed up in the parking lot before the show, leading to history being made and generations of jam bridged together.

    phish darien lake
    photo via Kevin Shapiro

    A fluid first set was chock full of jams, and an early “Fluffhead” was reportedly punctuated with a roller-coaster climbing to its peak just as “Fluffhead” was peaking. The first “Tela” since fall 1996 and a raging “Antelope” set closer are among the other highlights.

    Fans reported seeing the famous Furthur bus in the parking lots that day, which had a Grateful Dead feel to them with Furthur Fest on tour that summer as well. Not many would expect Trey to bring out the head Prankster himself, Ken Kesey, later that night. Following an often overlooked segue out of “Harry Hood” in the second set, just as Anastasio started the narration part of “Col. Forbin’s Ascent,” their special guest came to the stage.

    So here we are again, standing at the base of the mountain, and this is a very different and interesting time for Col. Forbin here. Col. Forbin realizes on this particular day, he is not going to find the great and knowledagble Icculus at all, but instead he is going to find (laughs) Ken, Uncle Sam, Bozo, E-Z-Kesey standing there.

    Trey Anastasio, introducing Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, August 14, 1997

    Out walked Kesey dressed as Uncle Sam, and the crowd erupted.

    Ken Kesey with Phish

    Kesey – author, LSD advocate, founder of the acid tests and a key figurehead of sixties counter-culture – took hold of the moment and in a rambling, hilarious and surreal art performance, referenced the loss of Jerry Garcia, the Bozos, and the Wizard of Oz. Kesey spoke and sang to the beat of his own drum:

    My heart is sorely beset because from out amongst the tidbits of these vehicles moving through the nation we have lost an important part of us. For two years no one has seen high nor heard of the bozos. For two years the bozos have been missing. Where are the bozos? Well, what we heard was they were gonna try to make it hear to the Phish concert. We couldn’t catch them up at the Furthur Festival so we decided to come to the Phish concert.

    Ken Kesey

    Around the stage and audience were costumed Pranksters in key roles, making for one of the most infamous sit-ins in Phish history. Two years after Jerry Garcia’s death, Kesey had symbolically passed the torch to Phish

    Kesey began a “Wizard of Oz” narration, mentioning that his brother in Oz usually handles finding the bozos. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” begins and out walks a helper, dress as the Scarecrow, to give a “Bozo Report.” At that moment, the band switched to an instrumental version of “If Only I Had a Brain”, ahead of The Scarecrow saying “We know they were at the Grateful Dead concert and the rumor was they went Phishing.”

    The Tin Man followed, reporting that he has a ‘foolish heart,’ with Kesey and Fishman singing “Has anyone seen the Bozos?” Instead of the Cowardly Lion following next, Frankenstein walks out with his master, and naturally, Phish breaks into Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein” with the volume a little lower for Kesey to continue his narration.

    The Cowardly Lion was leading a paramilitary group in Northern Idaho and you brought me this? Wonderful!

    Ken Kesey

    Then, as Kesey and four other pranksters began to come up with lyrics for the Bozos, about 20 Bozo Clowns came running through the pavilion and found their way to the stage. Meanwhile, Kesey and the Pranksters continued to sing while Phish improvised over a funk groove. To close this collective hallucination, Kesey attempted a segue of his own:

    I see a bird. Out comes a bird. Could that possible be Mockingbird? What kind of bird can it possibly be in the nest when the Pranksters sing? I know it. I see it. I hear it. It’s a Mockingbird.

    Ken Kesey

    Alas, as Kesey and the Pranksters exited the stage, Trey remarked “See what happens if you take too much acid? 30 years later…” much to the audience’s approval. Trey then declared that because “the funk was too deep,” and they couldn’t stop the funk, the typical “Fly Famous Mockingbird” that follows “Col. Forbin’s Ascent” was passed over for “Camel Walk,” an early funk-filled Phish song, and a rarity at the time. Tune into the show via Phishtracks, and don’t sleep on the set closing “Taste.” At Superball IX, Phish shared a pro-shot clip of the show, footage of which can be seen above.

    phish darien lake

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Soundcheck: Buffalo Bill, The Old Home Place, Funky Bitch, Crosseyed and Painless

    Set 1: Ya Mar, Funky Bitch > Fluffhead, Limb By Limb, Free, Cars Trucks Buses, Tela > Train Song > Billy Breathes, Run Like an Antelope

    Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture, Love Me, Sparkle > Harry Hood -> Jam > Colonel Forbin’s Ascent -> Merry Pranksters Jam[1] -> Camel Walk, Taste

    Encore: Bouncing Around the Room, Rocky Top

    [1] Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters.

    The second set featured a remarkable jam after Harry Hood ended and before Forbin’s began, as well as an appearance by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. The Merry Pranksters Jam contained a Somewhere Over the Rainbow tease from Trey, an If I Only Had a Brain tease, a Spam Song quote, and a Frankenstein jam.

  • Trey Anastasio releases surprise album “Lonely Trip” featuring songs written during lockdown

    Phish frontman Trey Anastasio today releases his new album, Lonely Trip, comprised of songs written and recorded during lockdown at his home in New York City.

    Initially, Lonely Trip songs were released through Anastasio’s Instagram over the past five months, and have been remixed by longtime studio collaborate Bryce Goggin. The album releases on Anastasio’s own label, Rubber Jungle Records.

    Anastasio shared this on the making of Lonely Trip:

    Lonely Trip was conceived and recorded in isolation at my home studio (aka Rubber Jungle) during the peak of New York City’s COVID-19 crisis, March — July, 2020. When the lockdown began, I had by chance just completed a weekend songwriting session with my friends and longtime collaborators Tom Marshall and Scott Herman. That session took place March 13th and 14th just as the crisis was beginning in New York, so the themes of fear and isolation were already finding their way into those first songs. By the time I arrived home, the situation in NYC had gotten much worse.

    Knowing I wasn’t going to be leaving my apartment for a while, I started working. It felt therapeutic to write. I wanted to connect with our community in some way. The unplanned nature of the recording meant I didn’t have a lot of gear during this process. I had an electric and an acoustic guitar, a small amp, two microphones, some percussion, and two keyboards, including an old Kurzweil with very realistic drum sounds on it. Everything was recorded through a Spire 8-track. Lonely Trip is truly a raw, low-fi recording.

    The process of writing songs became a reflective and healing experience. Being able to share these songs instantly with our community via Instagram felt equally profound. It harkened back to my youth, before there was a Phish, when I would write songs and home-record them specifically with the intention of sharing them with my circle of friends via cassette four-track recordings.

    As the weeks went by, I worked on improving my recording techniques. I called recording engineers including Ben Collette and Vance Powell to get tips on microphone placement, and I purchased a bass guitar online. I also started tapping into a Dropbox folder with about 30 four-minute drum sequences that I had recorded with Jon Fishman over the last year.

    For the previous few Phish albums (including Kasvot Växt and Sigma Oasis), I had been experimenting with writing songs, starting with drum beats that I had sung into my phone. Fish and I would go into the studio and record the beats exactly as I had sung them, with Fish launching off in his unique way after a minute or two. I used these beats as building blocks to many of the songs on Lonely Trip, and it explains how I could do a whole album in Rubber Jungle with such good sounding drums. Thank you Fish!

    The album was ultimately mixed by my friend Bryce Goggin, and as always, Bryce’s mixes sound incredible. Thank you Bryce!

    Lonely Trip was my message in a bottle during this time, and I wish I knew how to properly thank all of you in our community for listening and responding. It meant so much to me. Thank you. Wishing all of you much love and safety during this turbulent time.

    This album is dedicated to the heroism of our healthcare and essential workers.

    — Trey

    From Anastasio’s experience to your ears. Doing what few performers have done during this great pause, Anastasio releases an album that conveys the emotions of doubt, fear, joy, loneliness, love and many more in a seamless album. As songs appeared on Instagram, Phish fans jumped at the opportunity to revel in the unique and fresh tracks that were inspired by the same lockdown conditions they were experiencing. The result of Lonely Trip is a journey through the past five months and will serve as an uplifting musical bookmark on this era.

  • Phish serves up ‘Chocolate’ night from Baker’s Dozen for this week’s Dinner and a Movie

    On the third anniversary of ‘Chocolate’ night, Phish will air their July 28, 2017 performance from Madison Square Garden for this week’s installment of Dinner and a Movie. The Baker’s Dozen run of 13 shows was accented by donuts handed out to those who entered early each evening, with flavors that matched the theme of the show each night, provided by Philadelphia’s Federal Donuts.

    phish dinner and a movie

    This week’s featured recipe was chosen by guitarist Trey Anastasio and features two delicious components of any Phish show, donuts and chicken sandwiches. Get the recipes for Federal Donuts Double Chocolate donut and the Federal Donuts Fried Chicken sandwich here, and read our review of Chocolate night from Baker’s Dozen.

    Donate to Doctors Without Borders, this week’s beneficiary of funds donated to The Waterwheel Foundation. To date Phish fans have raised well over $500,000 for charities through episodes of Dinner and a Movie.

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Chocolate Rain[1], Ass Handed, Free, Weigh > Undermind > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony, The Dogs, Destiny Unbound, Divided Sky, Things People Do, Sand

    Set 2: Have Mercy, Chalk Dust Torture[2], You Sexy Thing[3] > Mercury -> You Sexy Thing > Backwards Down the Number Line > Rock and Roll

    Encore: Fee[4], Space Oddity

    [1] Phish debut; a cappella, with Page on a midi controller keyboard.
    [2] Unfinished.
    [3] Phish debut.
    [4] Lyrics changed to “have a chocolate donut and catch your breath.”

    Now through August 6, MSG’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter is celebrating this incredible run by sharing interactive polls, setlists from each night, quote graphics, photos from each show, the banner raising and much more, to bring fans back to the excitement of Phish’s unforgettable Baker’s Dozen performances. 

    Photo by Carl Scheffel

    On the final night of the run, the band was honored for this memorable engagement as they received a banner in the MSG rafters, which cemented the band’s place in both MSG and New York history, as the NYC Mayor’s office proclaimed August 6, 2017 “Phish Day.”  

  • It seems Trey Anastasio is at Phish’s Barn Studio

    Today was unlike past pandemic-era Mondays for Phish fans, who were teased with a video of guitarist Trey Anastasio from what appears to be Phish’s Barn Studio in Vermont.

    The video, shared via Jambase, was taken by Trey’s daughter Eliza Anastasio and posted to her Instagram stories.

    Fittingly, Eliza used the original music of “2001” (née “Also Sprach Zarathrusta”) to demonstrate her dad’s new gear on stage.

    Could Phish have something in store of fans in terms of a live stream from The Barn? Given the Dinner and a Movie series each Tuesday night, it’s possible that live performances are on tap, akin to Goose‘s successful Bingo Tour.

  • Flashback: Phish perform “Julius” on the Late Show with David Letterman

    On July 13, 1995, Phish was the musical guest on The Late Show with David Letterman. “Julius” was performed with support from The Late Show Band as well as Dave “The Truth” Grippo on saxophone. The second of nine performances at The Ed Sullivan Theater, Phish performed on Letterman over a span of 20 years to highlight upcoming shows and recent releases. Their Letterman performance would be their last show until late September that year.

    The band’s first performance included, at Dave’s supposed request, “Chalkdust Torture,” which was performed on the afternoon of the band’s first ever show at Madison Square Garden, December 30, 1994. Jerry Seinfeld was the first guest that night, which led to this iconic photo:

    phish letterman

    Other individual song performances on Letterman include “Character Zero” on March 5, 1997, “Birds of a Feather” on October 27, 1998, “Heavy Things” on May 15, 2000, “All of These Dreams” on December 19, 2002, a multi-song performance on the Ed Sullivan Theater marquee on June 21, 2004, and “The Line” on June 25, 2014.

    On June 21, 2004, the band memorably performed atop the Ed Sullivan Theater marquee to a crowd of hundreds dancing in the street on Broadway. Then in 2014, on the same night they performed “The Line,” they also treated a lucky group of fans to a set from the same stage where The Beatles made their American debut. Check out the setlist here.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dlYEGQbZbA